So This is the New Year. 2011!

I am going to refer to 2010 as a "clean-up year." All the other years leading up to 2010 were like the days you spend looking at the pile of laundry in the corner and then promising yourself you will get to it later, continuing to go about your day. 2010 was the year that I went through the arduous process of accepting, encountering, tackling, and overcoming. At the beginning of 2011 I feel far more polished, far more settled. 2010 was rough, but completely necessary. I'm happy it has come and gone.

I guess you could say a lot happened, and it doesn't mean they were bad things. They were just intense things, and some of them are great things. For starters, I graduated college, got into graduate school at NYU, and completed my first semester there with my best GPA yet. I have spent a lot of quality time with family and friends, and I have met so many new people who have turned out to be quite influential and special to me.

2011 hasn't been all sunshine and daisies so far, it's actually been kind of difficult. For example, my great grandmother passed away last Thursday. I will miss her very much, she was a special lady. However, because of my experiences in 2010 this difficult time has been easier for me to handle. I can see the good things- I am sad she is gone but I am happy that she can be in a better place now. I've always considered myself to be an optimist, but now I really feel that optimism, too.

It's safe to say that in 2010 I learned more than I have in any other year. I may even dare to say that I learned more in 2010 than in all my other years combined. It was just one of those times in my life. It's funny to think that this time last year I was just starting to go through this whole process, and exactly a year later I've finished my first semester of Social Work school and really feel like I am in the right place, doing the right things for me. I've learned how to do that. Mastered it, even. It feels pretty good to be able to say that.

2011 is a year that I am very much looking forward to. Hooray!

ps. I figured since I put a picture of myself in my post from last year that I should keep up the tradition.

A Very Merry Christmas

Cookie Baking & Tree Trimming

Baking delicious cookies and taking pretty pictures of a pretty tree with silly ornaments in front of a roaring fireplace with a cute cuddly dog posing for the camera. Yay! So excited for tomorrow and Saturday!

PS. it's extremely difficult to get a dog (and an ornament) to stay still.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to the most wonderful lady in the world!
Love you, Mom!

Easter Weekend

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing weekend, and hopefully the weather by you has been as lovely as it is around here. I decided to come home to New Jersey to celebrate. It would have been weird for me to not be with my family on Easter! I've definitely been keeping busy since I've been home. Not only did I get an entirely new set of furniture, that you will see in a different post soon, but I took my puppy on a hike/walk at the reservation with Mel. Today was all for family though. We visited my grandpa Jim this morning and then met up with my other grandpa and my aunt and cousin for an Easter dinner. Here are some pictures:

Have a great night! It's back to Boston in the morning for me :)

So This is the New Year...

So this is the new year,

and I don't feel any different.

For some reason, these lines from one of my favorite Death Cab for Cutie songs come to mind, as it has for the past few years.

But for once, I want it to feel different.

Yesterday morning, New Years Eve morning, I woke up with a terrible feeling in my stomach. Turns out I had some sort of bug. I also ended up not having any plans, so as a result I hid out in my room and fell asleep before the stroke of midnight.

Though it was a little depressing to be stuck in bed on New Years Eve, it occurred to me that this time last year, I probably would have forced myself to go out and do something, just for the sake of being able to say that I did.

So, through all the difficulties, loneliness, and stress of this year, I have learned that simply being comfortable enough to say, "You know what, I'm going to stay in. I don't feel good," is something good that came out of this year.

I went through a lot of experiences that forced me to grow up in 2009 (some bad- a nasty breakup, some good- six weeks on my own in London), and though I didn't end 2009 on the most positive of notes, I can definitely say that I truly feel things will only get better in 2010. After all, I've got goals, I've got personal strength, I've got some wonderful friends and family, and I've gotten through some trying times a little worse for wear, but I'm still pushing through. I've got perseverance, and as long as I've got that, I've got nothing to worry about. I'm so proud of myself for staying true to who I am through most of this year, especially recently.

I don't want to be naive and say that 2010 will be the best year of my life, because it might not be, and why pressure myself to end up disappointed at the end? Chances are, some really great things will happen, and some really hard things will happen. Either way, things will change, I will grow even more (hopefully just mentally and not physically!), and I will be in an entirely different place in my life by 12/31/10. So much can happen in a year, and it's always the things that you don't plan on happening to you that end up being the most influential. That is also something I've learned. For all challenges I've been through in 2009, many of them have been unanticipated. Little things turned out to be big things. People I thought would be there for me ended up letting me down, and people I thought I would lose touch with ended up becoming the dearest of friends. Funny how that goes.

This year, I think, will be a year of big changes.

I'm graduating from Boston University in May.

I'm moving back home.

I am (hopefully) going to make it into grad school for Social Work in the New York City area.

Then I will be moving into said city eventually.

I have one more semester to go, and then its time to start a whole new phase of my life that will be completely different.

And I am SO ready for a new scene.

Bring it on 2010!

(bedazzled oven mit?)

Christmas is over :(

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Santa brought me a cold, so I've spent a lot of time relaxing and watching movies. I guess it's better to be sick now then at a time where I don't have time to rest and need to get lots done. Besides the fact that I have the sniffles, Christmas was really nice this year. No drama, lots and lots of good food, and some excellent presents. It's really just so amazing to have time to relax for once! I am also getting very excited to graduate and start making plans for the future! While I am home I am going to start re-doing my room (ex. picking paint colors, getting new furniture, etc.) for when I move back in. I don't know how long I will be moving back in for but I figure it's about time, and my parents will have an easier time selling the house once my room isn't a bright teal color anymore.

Now that Christmas is over, I have a lot to get done before returning to school! For example, I HAVE to finish my grad school apps. There are also a few people that I want to get together and catch up with. And also I want to make a lot of progress on my room! I am really excited for the new year, because I always consider it to be a fresh start. This year, I'm really going to pay attention. It's amazing to see the sort of things that can happen in one year's time. 2009 was not really the best year in a lot of ways, but one thing it has awarded me is a better knowledge of myself. I really think I am starting to know who I am, and what direction I am headed in more than ever before. I know there is a lot I have to learn, but I am getting a better idea of what I want out of life.

The pretty winter sun!

Me with the cam

My dad with our dog, Mickey

My cousin Dan and his wife, Kim, with my Grandpa Jim

me and my family by the tree in Rockefeller Center

My pup, Janey, in the kitchen

Our tree

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

Merry Christmas everyone!

No matter your beliefs, I hope you are having a relaxing day with some good food and some good company!

(that's our tree!)

(p.s. This is my 100th post. How perfect!)

A Different Kind of Busy

Hello everyone! I hope you are all getting ready to eat, drink, and be merry tomorrow and Friday! Since I've gotten home, my life has pretty much been one whole Christmas celebration, and I certainly have no complaints about that. Needless to say, I have been very busy, and I will most likely continue to be that way for the next few days, but I'll tell you the sorts of things I have been doing so far.

Friday: Took my last final (grades are pretty good this semester) and drove home and stopped for some Christmas shopping. I was quite tired, so I relaxed a bit, waited for my mom to get home, and then the two of us went out to dinner and watched Julie and Julia and waited for my dad to get home from his business trip.

Saturday: Unpacked all of my stuff, relaxed, etc, then went to my friends house for some drinks. Then I slept at Melina's because she lives nearby and went home the next morning.

Sunday: Went to my aunt's house to spend time with my family that would not be making it to Christmas Eve this year. We spent quite some time eating, laughing, and hanging out. Then we came home, decorated the tree, and had some dinner.

Monday: Got some Christmas shopping done, worked out (kinda) and watched my cousin for a little. Then some of my other family came over for dinner and we hung out till it was my bedtime.

Tuesday: Wrapped presents for my aunt, as it has sort of become an annual tradition and a good way for Mel and I to make money for last minute Christmas gifts. Then came back here, watched Julie and Julia yet again, and then got ready to go out. Went to Michelle's house to do Secret Santa with the girls. Then we all stopped at my friend Kyle's because he was having a little Christmas party, and then went to our friend Pat's to see the boys. From there we all went to the diner, ordered gravy and mozzarella cheese fries (New Jersey thing) and that brought me to about 3:30 in the morning.

Wednesday: Now I am up. And tired, and apparently a bit congested. I think it's a combination of allergies, staying up late, and just plain old being run down. Even so, today is going to be a big day! Me and the fam are going to Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain's french restaurant in NYC, and then to the MoMa to see the Tim Burton exhibit I posted about before, and then hopefully to see the tree! There will be pictures.

These pictures I have put up are from decorating the tree. we had a little fun with some net lights and I only had my iphone handy so apologies for the poor camera quality.

mom

jess and chris

chris

jess

me with no eyes! ( i was told this photo is frightening, my apologies.)

Come Look at the Tree!

This is hilarious. Especially if you're from New Jersey and can relate to this from personal experience. I'm so excited for Christmas!

A Little Holiday Update

"I'm coming home from my hardest year, I'm making plans not to make plans while I'm here."

This week has still been crazy, albeit for different reasons.
I came down to New Jersey on Sunday, went back up on Wednesday, had Thanksgiving up there on Thursday, and then drove back down here yesterday morning, and then I'll be driving back up to Boston on Monday.
Though the point of it has been to get home more to relax, it's been relatively contradictory.
I absolutely love it here, but sometimes it feels different than others.
Other than completing some assignments, including the one I just remembered that was due on Tuesday ( I usually never forget!), I am going to take it easy.
It's gotten to the point where I find many of my assignments, and the process of doing homework, to be pretty therapeutic. That is, if I invest an interest in what I am doing, be it a Flash project or a research paper.

I didn't have my computer with me when I was in Boston for the holiday, but here's a little list of things I am thankful for the make up for it:

1. My mind- Though I've always known how to use it, I love noticing how my articulation changes and my growing ability to form solid opinions on so many things. I am amazed every day by the mind's capabilities. Learning keeps me sane.

2. My body- I am healthy (knock on wood), I can run, I can jump, I can walk. I'm breathing. I have all my hair, fingers, toes, and appendages. That's something people take for granted all too often. People forget how lucky they are not to be limited by their own bodies, and how amazing it is to simply be alive.

3. My family- We drive each other crazy, but we could be a lot worse off. Some people don't even talk to their family members, some people don't have any family members. I do, and I'm very thankful for that.


I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

(photo via tumblr)

Salem in the Fall

Sorry for the delay, folks!
These past couple days have been extremely busy, but I have been meaning to tell you about the day I spent in Salem, Massachusetts on Sunday.
You've probably learned about it in history class if you are from the states, but Salem was the home of the Salem Witch Trials and its a must-do for Halloween.
There are all sorts of museums and ghost tours, etc.

I went with my friends Karen and Ellysia, and we walked around a lot because it was gorgeous, took a lot of pictures, went to a reenactment of one of the witch trials, and went to one really cheesy witch museum, complete with wax statues and automated voiceovers. I'll post a couple of the pictures here for you!

I've been wanting to go for so long, and I finally did!
I recommend that you guys all make it up there at some point.
It only takes a little more than 30 minutes to drive there from Boston, but of course there was a little traffic so close to Halloween.
It was totally worth it!


p.s. I promise that someday I'll figure out what my layout is going to be.