Favourite Things

Best Chocolate Ice Cream

Cabin fevAH. Cabin feverrrr. Got the fever! Fever when you lock me inside, fever all through the night.

Oh great, now the word “fever” looks like it’s spelled wrong. Is it? Better check.

It’s not. It’s right. My brain just isn’t used to having to read the word “fever” 8 times in a row. Oops, did I do it to you too? Forgive me. This is how my brain works when it gets cabin fever.

As usual, I’m being overly dramatic. It’s only been a couple of days since my nose has been glued to my books, and I haven’t yet gone a day without going outdoors. Staying inside for entire days tends to be a staple of my exam-studying prep, but now that it’s gorgeous and sunny outside I don’t know if that’ll happen this semester! Cause for celebration!

Here’s how cabin fever generally manifests itself: I fidget. I switch positions when I’m reading notes – from sitting to standing to the chair to the couch to the floor. I read out loud when my brain gets sleepy and doesn’t want to pay attention anymore. I obsessively use FocusBoosterApp (lifesaver). I leave all the dishes unclean. I take impromptu dance parties. If my phone tells me I have a message, I lunge across the room at it, even if it’s only from like, Amazon.com. Texting becomes a lifeline. I eat, probably too much. I eat the last of this ice cream later at night than I probably should.

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22 Before 22

It’s been strangely difficult to write this post. Mainly, I had to get myself over a mental hurdle, which was accepting that I’ll be 22 at my next birthday. I had this moment last week, where I realized I was turning 21, not 20, and it seriously freaked me out. There are probably some folks older than me in the audience who are scoffing at me freaking out about being 21, and trust me, I get it. But to a 21-year-old who is rounding the bend on the third of four years of a University degree, with almost zero conception of what she wants to do once she’s graduated, who never had any real plan for her life past University: this time is really scary. Being this age is pretty scary. It’s exciting, and wide-open, and awesome, but it’s also scary.

But be that as it may, I keep pushing myself. I get bored, I try new things, I gain new hobbies. Even though sometimes I’m terrified, or overwhelmed with anxiety, or feeling really low, I keep trying. I set goals, and I push myself to achieve them. That much I know! So I did compile a list of fun goals for my 21st year, even though I have 2012 goals already. I tried to choose things that can be checked off, and that will enrich my life in new ways.

If anyone reading wants to offer advice, send along links, or make suggestions about how I can achieve any of these birthday goals, I’d be thrilled to hear them. And, as always, thank you for following along with my life here on my blog, it means more to me than you know. xo.

22 Before 22

  1. Grow out my nails and get a manicure
  2. Run a race
  3. Make cheese at home
  4. Stay in a hotel and order room service
  5. Get a food blog post accepted to Tastespotting
  6. Become a penpal
  7. Read one Jane Austen novel
  8. Start a book club
  9. Make sushi
  10. Sew a dress
  11. Get a pet fish
  12. Send someone a care package
  13. Create a podcast
  14. Take a self-imposed break from the Internet
  15. Do a juice detox
  16. Take a photography class or workshop
  17. Grow herbs and cherry tomatoes
  18. Climb a tree
  19. Travel somewhere new
  20. Make cinnamon buns
  21. Self-publish a cookbook
  22. Have a tarot reading done

Birthday 21

Hello, everybody! I’m writing to you for the first time from a 21-year-old body. That’s right, I had a birthday over the weekend (Saturday, the 7th, to be specific) and I am now wise and old and adult-like. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

In reality, I decided at 1AM on Wednesday night that going home for the weekend would be an excellent idea. So, very un-adult-like of me, I booked a last minute train ticket, ditched my friends, and surprised my family. Everybody forgave me in the end, and it was the best of all possible worlds. (Points if you get the literary reference!)

I spent my birthday/Easter weekend surrounded by people and things that I love. Strawberry mojitos, for one. My family, for another. The Dark Prince that is my cat. Plus there were books, and phone calls, and cinnamon-toast-crunch-like Easter nests with Mini Eggs in them, and the Decorah Eagles livestream and a 2 hour hike, and all-you-can-eat sushi/thai, and an inappropriate amount of side-by-side Draw Something games, and brunch. My family was definitely in its element this weekend (go team!).

Then I came home last night and walked over to hang out with some friends and walked into a straight-up surprise party! Complete with a cookie/candy/chocolate pizza (#resuscitateme), and all my friends, and whipped cream, and smiles, and white wine. And maybe a bright red, Le Creuset, cast-iron, enamelled skillet. What? Is this real life? Is this a strange dream in which I get everything I’ve ever wanted, ever?

In all seriousness though, I feel so blessed, so loved, so happy. Smiles, all around.

I made a mini-book to document all the love from my birthday weekend. I still might add a few things to it, including photos and journalling, but I thought I’d share it now before I forget about it. I love minibooks (learn more about them here) because they give you a chance to be creative, keep all the memorabilia that you want, and streamline the junk. You’re left with a cute, special reminder of a particular event, and I love that. Enjoy!

The book is made up mostly of the cards and paper I just cut up into about the same size. The reason the pink “Happy 21st Birthday!” is backwards is because my sister filmed a really cute gif and thought she had to make the sign backwards for the camera – but it turns out, she didn’t! I like that story. I took the pretty envelope liners from my parents’ cards and glued pieces to the front so that I can preserve those too. My other sister brought me that cute postcard, from China. I made the cover page by slipping the card inside a plastic sleeve and sewing up the remaining 2 sides by hand with white thread. Yay! I love it so much.

ps. Remember those powerpoint slides from that awesome book preview that I loved so much because they suggested the best books but that I lost, seemingly forever? I found them! The birthday magic continues!

Project 365: Week 11

My current mantra regarding Project 365: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You see, I keep getting discouraged – I keep thinking things like “I totally half-assed Tuesday’s pictures. Did I really just take a picture of my Dad on Skype?”. But then, when I come online to do my weekly blog post of the photos, I get encouraged – I go “yay! I love all these photos, especially side-by-side.” I think there’s a deep lesson in here somewhere, but considering that all I can think about is going to go play outside in the sun while drinking iced coffee and eating ketchup-covered fries, I’m going to leave it at that. I’ll let you figure out the lesson, if there is one. (Doubtful.)

The HAPPIEST of Thursdays to you!

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