Friday, October 26, 2012

Temptation

Recently I was on Pinterest for just a minute {said no one...ever}
and I was just casually scrolling through some pictures of food {I was starving}
and I realized that although yes, for us college students....the grass may be greener on the other side!

the garlic encrusted chicken may be crustier
Source: food.com via Erika on Pinterest

the frozen raspberry lemonade may be raspberrier

the oven roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garlic may be rosemarier
Source: pauladeen.com via Erika on Pinterest

the rice pudding may be puddinger {reminds me of J.D. Salinger...?}
Source: ffffood.com via Erika on Pinterest

the crepes and cream may be creepier and creamier {or crepier... whatever you prefer...}
{jk it's whatever I prefer..... "CREEPIER"}
{but I mean... it's funny}

the balsamic and onion pot roast may be roastier {and SO delicious looking.}
{mouth....water}

and the lemon monkey bread may be lemonier

but hey at least we get peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches made with love...

{or not....}

Love, 
 

One thing.

Dear America,


live puppy cam.

you're welcome.

Love, 
 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Healthy!

In the life of a college student, there are those days when food just doesn't quite make itself readily available.  
the free samples are at a minimum...
the free time you have is nowhere near a meal time...
you just have too much work to do before class...
and sometimes taking time to eat food is wasteful considering the papers that have yet to be written.

so... I'll stop there...because my list of hypothetical situations that ANY RANDOM college student could potentially find themselves in at any time is starting to sound more like a list of excuses.

anyway! that could happen, and you should all be warned about it.
THAT'S IT!







{P.S. I just ate DOTS and a tootsie roll for dinner 
washed it down by a grande caramel macchiato...
which was just the big brother of the tall macchiato I had as a mid-day snack and pick-me up 
with my oatmeal raisin cookie.......from starbucks}


i.need.homecooked.meals.stat.
Love, 
 

Stress...

Dear High School Seniors,
there's one thing they don't warn you about, pertaining to college...
sure, they mention drugs, sex, alcohol, lots of work, discovering yourself, declaring a major, etc.
but they never mention how bad paper writing is for your cuticles...
or your fingernails...
or your self-painted manicures...
because in those moments between sentences, when your brain is busy worrying about other things {like identity, self-concept, fallacy of approval, social comparison, nonverbal communication, kinesics, reflected appraisal, direct definition, or analyzing a woman who's self-esteem heavily effects her self-concept} when those fingers are no longer tippity typing away on that keyboard, they're finding they're own imperfections.
so right now... they ain't that pretty.
{and I don't even say ain't.......}

or maybe that should just be between me and my cuticles.
Love, 
 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Times...

"These are the times that try men's souls..."-Thomas Paine


"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."-Martin Luther King, Jr.


Now that's it's October {almost November} and I've had a significant amount of time  {almost 3 months} to process my summer spent as a counselor at summer camp...

week 1 "junior" campers. 8 and 9 yr olds!
week 4 "teen" campers 13-14 yr olds
week 7 "junior" campers 8-9 yr olds

I have come up with this.

This summer was tiring in every possible way.  
Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Psychological.... you name it, It's been tested.

Physically
  •  waking up at 7am every morning
  • leading games, running around
  • shouting and singing at the top of your lungs
  • not being able to eat enough food at meal times because you're too busy pouring drinks for your campers
  • "rest time" where no one was ever able to rest
  • and going to sleep late at night
were not very conducive to an extremely healthy person...


Emotionally
  • being in a place where no one REALLY knows you
  • yet where you're expected to spend ALL OF YOUR TIME pouring into 10-13 young girls per week
  • feeling the need to build strong interpersonal relationships with your co-counselors
  • trying to remember NOT to lash out at people when you're overly tired or stressed
  • being on the receiving end of someone's stressful day
  • and having little contact with people who know you the best, 

are probably the most taxing factors that anyone can have to handle...

Spiritually
  • not having much time to yourself to pursue your OWN spiritual growth
  • having to lead a short devotion for young girls every morning and night
  • having to answer tough questions about faith
all without really having time to spend with God, in the Bible, and in prayer...

Psychologically
  • never seeing the results of your labor
  • having your faith stretched because you can't see how God is using you at the moment
  • sometimes only hearing the criticisms, and not praises
it really doesn't have to be many things in order to have a major impact, over the course of 7 weeks...

it.was.rough.
looking back on it in this way, and remembering how much of a struggle some days were, is rather depressing, but is not at all a complete picture of my summer.... 

To be honest, if it wasn't for...
Rake-Lightsaber fights

cutting down trees...{surprisingly stress-relieving}

love notes from friends

giggles from babies

the help of all these wonderful people

letters sent to "mom and dad"

THESE GUYS!!! (including the stud in the middle *heyyy little bruthaaa*)

again.... these guys :)

colorful days!! {and people who just don't care what you look like}

"build a paper doll" letters from good friends

lobster costumes...

nail polish parties...
It's fascinating how much time little girls will spend painting their nails!!!!

babies with shovels!

sweet letters from 8 year olds about lunch


silly putty: the cure-all for injuries or homesick girlies

coffee: the cure-all for EVERYTHING

birthday boxes from best friends
{including a handmade sign}

and beautiful sunsets that stood to remind me that God was watching, paying attention, loving, supporting, and cheering me on!!
My summer would not have been as awesome...

Things like:
-spontaneous surprise snuggle parties on "the counselors' beds"
-late night vulnerability between co-counselors late in the summer
-sassy yet sweet campers
-basketball week
-"the coffee fairy"
-sunshine and lakeside napping
-nailpolish parties
-dry shampoo
-almond skillet cake
-heart to hearts with the younger staff
-thai garden outings
-campers who could relate to eachother's problems when I was unable to
-seeing God use me in small conversations
-having campers return later in the summer, and seeing how they changed
-older campers who were able to rally her fellow campers so we didn't have to
-watching my little girls jumping and dancing in chapel
-and so many more..
... these things are what made my summer memorable... 
These things are what I will remember for years to come


"Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood."
 -Charlotte Davis Kasl


Love, 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Changing colors

So many things to do...
So many things to blog about!!!!
Finding time to blog and to do those to-doey things would be easy if only Pinterest would take a break every once in a while... I just know it gets super lonely and starts to miss me, so I oblige it, and just go hang out.... like old friends.
... and that just sounds creepy and awful! because it's a website... stop that Erika.

We can go backwards in time... sometimes going backwards is easier... because you can just keep writing and not have to worry about ever finishing, because you're going backwards instead of forwards, and people don't expect you to finish when you go backwards. 

My classes are not very difficult, nor are they very numerous, so I have a lot of free time, but never end up being productive.  

This weekend seems rather dull looking back on it.  I did attend and lead worship for our Intervarsity chapter's second large group this fall, as well as participate in my very first barn dance, aka plaid galore.  I also went to church, and have continued to meet hundreds of new names and faces, some of which I can match together, and others are just lone faces or lone names until we meet again.  
I think I'm coming to the point where the novelty and initial excitement of being back in school is wearing off, baring the shock of being back in the college culture after being at a Christian summer camp all summer long.  Classes are transitioning  into being more of a grind, than another "something new".  But again, they aren't very difficult, nor are they numerous, so what really do I have to complain about???

The weather is also transitioning along with my mood and attitude... the sunny days now slide into crisp late-summer/early-fall nights, and the bright it'll-be-hot-today mornings are becoming cooler, before the sun burns off the last of the dew on the grass.  The rain is still the warm summer shower, but it brings the smell of wet leaves instead of wet grass, and pumpkin spice latte's instead of lemonade.  

and me? I'm excited.
Autumn brings boots, scarves, layering possibilities, apples and pumpkins, vanilla steamers at starbucks, and valley vistas filled with the vibrant colors of the turning leaves.

Everything's changing.

and you know, 
I think I am as well.

Love,
 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Pooh.

Winnie the Pooh quotes are probably my favorite quotes to stalk look up on the internet.
They're short, sweet, and just plain adorable!!!

Here's Pooh's commentary.

on food...
“When having a smackerel of something with a friend, don't eat so much that you get stuck in the doorway trying to get out.”

on friends...
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”

on thinking...
“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.”

on goodbyes...
“Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would I'd never leave.”

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

on intelligence...
“You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but spelling isn't everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count.”

on wishing...
“"I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh. 
"I wish I were there to be doing it, too." 

on life...
“When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish.”

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.” 

on beauty...
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”

on happiness...
“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon”

on logic...
“"That buzzing-noise means something. If there's a buzzing noise, somebody's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee. ....
And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey.....
And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it." So he began to climb the tree.”


 -Winnie the Pooh


Love, 

Workin.

Bloggin' about the summer.
Bloggin' about school so far.
Bloggin' about next week.
Bloggin' about this past year.
Bloggin' about the rest of this year.
....I'm workin on it!
Love, 

Saturday, July 7, 2012

9, 8.

well it's over.
junior week 1.

Praying over the cabin last week with my co-counselor, I never could have guessed what this week was going to be like

We had no idea: 
how many socks were going to be lost, and never found
how much money would be lost under mattresses {and just sucked into oblivion apparently}
how many times we would be asked about what they should wear for the day
how precious their hugs were at the end of the day
how protective we'd get when another camper teased them
how frustrating it would be trying to do devotions with them in the morning, and at night, just because of their short span of attention
how much they were going to enjoy tube-a-side
how many shirts and shorts I would have to let them borrow because they ran out of clean pairs
what their relationships with the Lord were like, if they had any
what God had in store for this week, and this group of campers.

I had 9, 8 year old girls this week {plus a 10, and 11 year old} and God used every single one of them, to speak something unique and precious to my heart.  


I know that my patience and tolerance levels have been stretched to almost double what they were, and I just hope they don't shrink back.  I'm so thankful that God has put me in this place, at this time, in His oh-so-perfect timing, to experience all these things now.  


 I have to say... He used every situation during the week to teach me something.  Maybe these somethings are not somethings that I can fully grasp or even articulate yet, but at least they're somethings.  

I am thankful.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Things to do today besides packing.

just in case anyone wants a distraction from packing...
{because I'm leaving tomorrow to go to camp for 9 weeks in New Hampshire and still have no idea what I'm going to be bringing at all. i had a dream that I forgot my bathing suits once, and since then packing always holds this awful anxiety... so I'll go eat some cake instead}
....or something else they should be doing
I've compiled a list
you're welcome

-Make blueberry pancakes
-Lay outside in the sun
-Paint the windows
-Watch the workers in the backyard make our patio
-Refrain from questioning them
-Write a blog post
-Watch how i met your mother
-Prepare for birthday party tonight
-Think about packing
-Clean my room
-Make my bed
-Shower {eh.. maybe}
-Watch Indiana Jones
-Download music {completely illegally}
-Play with goodie bagged makeup from Chanel
-Comment on all my friend's profile pictures {just to remind them that I love and miss them}
-Paint my nails
-Drink lots of water...
-Go running
-Eat lunch
-Pick out outfit for later

nothing too special. just some good ideas! I might check things off {mentally} as I go... just to make sure I did em all...

incidentally.... jenna marbles also made a video about this. it's called "things to do instead of cleaning your room" or something like that! I would include the link...but right now I don't really feel like it...
#thatawkwardmomentwhenI'manawfulblogger

Friday, June 15, 2012

Lines.

Sitting in Penn Station today, I was thoroughly enjoying that round of people watching,  when I noticed an older gentleman dressed in a suit sit down next to a younger man also in a suit.  I was trying to figure out their personalities as an observer {uncreepy.}, trying to figure out whether they're humorous people, or more serious, kind, curt, etc. the list is pretty long.  They were talking about the younger man's shoes, and he was complaining about blisters from his new Macy's shoes {again, uncreepy that I know that}. 
As I was watching this interesting impromptu interaction between generations, I noticed one thing that differentiated the men from each other. 

The older man had smile lines.  
and after thinking about it for a good couple of minutes, I realized that I really like smile lines.
They are wrinkles were formed after years of happiness...  
They're the product of countless laughs shared at the dinner table, laughs shared with high school friends, formed while smiling during a first date, pure joy while watching his bride walk down the aisle towards him, smiles formed on the day of his first child's birth, tearful smiles watching that child get married, and even more smiles from his grandchildren's arts and crafts and silly faces.  
Those smile lines are a testament to his countenance, and character.  
I could tell that he loved life, and that he has learned throughout his many years, how to find joy in the smallest details of life.

All I can say is that I hope I look like this when I'm that age.


Love, 

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Yesterdaze.

"Yesterday... all my troubles seemed so far away! Now it looks as though they're here to stay...
oh I believe in yesterday."

Wise {totally untrue, and unrelevant} words of wisdom from Paul McCartney {of The Beatles for those of you who were born under a rock}.  
That being said, yesterday was interesting.

I woke up at my friend's house, after an impromptu sleepover because we watched too much Chopped that night and were too tired to drive back.  I had no clean clothes, so {I saved the planet recycled, and} wore a cardigan as a top!*

I went to the dentist.*
I've never met the guy before, and he wasn't the most talkative.  I mean...neither am I when he's got long sharp pieces of metal in my mouth, but still...{conversation left much to be desired}

got shots of novocain in my mouth
Lemme tell ya..."rinse and spit" was not my most attractive move of the day, but it was right up there with how I looked eating my Wendy's later on with my numb face, and to top it off, whistling was impossible*
{along with trying to talk to my mom without her cracking up because of my face was a fail}

and a cavity filled.
I swear on everything holy that this literally took less than 10 minutes and I expected it to take WAY longer ~ sorry for the "I won't be able to pick you up" text scare, mom...{she started walking home}

Tried out a sock bun!!* {then took it out, because I didn't want to use hairspray, and my hair had the most lovely waves!}

I got my new shoes in the mail!* {for my birthday!!! thanks taylor!}
They're pretty much the most comfortable shoes I own. The shoe fits my foot like a glove {hence "run pace glove" see? these marketers totally know what they're doing}, they're unbelievably flexible, and they're really low profile, so I don't feel like I'm wearing big blocks of ugly 90s styrofoam sneakers on my feet.  {and I even went running tonight in them. I know. R.U.N.N.I.N.G}

Then I went tile shopping with mom... for three hours. 

then I ate food. 

then went and saw a movie with the bropsicle. {it should be brosicle... I understand, but come on... which is funnier?!?!}

{all those *s up there... refer to this!}

I hope your yesterdays were as ordinary-but-at-the-same-time-exciting as mine was!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Big boots.

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an adventure is going to happen.” -Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh, besides being my all-time-favorite childhood cartoon, is so chock full of great tidbits of simplistic wisdom! Big boots = adventure!
I love it.

With that being said, a rainy day is just a chance for adventure.  The next rainy day you find yourself in, go slip on your rain boots, slosh through some puddles, get soaked, and have yourself an adventure, because that's what big boots are for.


P.S. Hair styling oil that smells mildly like men's cologne... I don't hate it.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Hats.

I'm not a big hat wearer.
But there are days when I wish I was.

There are also days {or day...} when I have the opportunity to sport such large, floppy {rather pretentious looking} hats, and I.LOVE.IT.

This past saturday was one of those days...
when you realize you're leaving home for another 9 weeks after being {home for 4 weeks} away at school for 5 months straight, and you haven't done nearly enough fun things to justify your lazy little snippet of summer before selling your soul....signing your life away .....to summer camp. {stop thinking of ghost rider..

 but it was also similar to those days...
when you just have nothing scheduled, and your best friend brings to your attention an event that will
1. Require dressing up {cue entry of floppy hat}
2. Not cost more than $20 {cue fist-bump with my wallet}

and ya know it also just happened to be one of those days...
when you wake up in the morning, and decide to complain to God for threatening to ruin {what was supposed to be} your bright sunny day with rain...

and of course it was a day...
when God TOTALLY pulled through, and burnt up those clouds with a beautiful day!

last but not least,
{drumroll}
it also happened to be the Belmont Stakes!
it was awesome.


'hats off' to sun hats, everyone!

{I totally just did that}

Love,
 

Friday, June 8, 2012

CHECK.

Now... I don't know about you guys, but I literally feel like it was just yesterday that I was on the beach with my best friend, talking about how happy we were that school was finally over, and how great it felt, just to lay in the sun, soaking up the Vitamin D, and knowing we had no commitments, responsibilities, or assignments to hand in the next day.
{albeit, we WERE just at the beach a couple days ago... doing just this...however this isn't the occasion I was referencing}

Anyway. this past year passed by quicker than I would like to admit to.
At first, when thinking back to my year... {I still reference years in school-terms.. pun intended so this past year for me was summer '11- summer '12}...I thought that I hadn't done much this past year.   Looking back at my year, and falsely realizing that nothing monumental occurred was really disappointing. 

But facebook came to the rescue, and showed me that I didn't just waste 365 precious days of existence, I did so many things, and had so many new experiences.

-My house was completely re-modeled. Where did we stay during this renovation? oh... we stayed here... I slept in a recliner and an on an air mattress for the entire summer... and my clothes were chillin with the 90's video tapes in that cabinet.
{Experience...CHECK}

-I modeled for House Beautiful magazine during their Kitchen of the Year in New York City.  Which also happened to be during the hottest week of the year... standing outside for 8 hours a day for a week in 94+ degree weather...
this is the tanline.... i got from one day.
{Experience...CHECK}

-I filled in for a counselor at a Christian camp in New Hampshire for a week, and lemme tell you...AWESOME. {also extremely draining physically, mentally, and spiritually... but still awesome}
{Experience...CHECK}

-I was extremely stressed out for a couple weeks and cried my eyes out numerous nights in a row because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life declared a major!!!! {....actually two}
{Experience...CHECK}

-I pierced my nose!
{Experience...CHECK}

-I wore THESE things...
{Experience...CHECK}


There's more... but now I don't want to write anymore. what a great blogger...