Paper Towns

As stated earlier, I was reading Paper Towns by John Green and I finished it in about 3 days! Once again, no surprise to me, I couldn't stop reading. There is something about Greens writing that captivates his audience. Maybe its not even his writing style but the protagonist him/herself. They are always relate-able in some way or another and even if you cant find some small reason to relate there is something endearing or hilarious about the main character that enchants you. Aside from what I call is Johns "smart kid humor", meaning all of his hilarious nerd moments where a fellow geeks only choice is to relate, John creates a world of friends the reader can only wish they had! Whether that be now or when they themselves were young. The possibilities of interpretation of Greens writing style are endless and I encourage anyone to pick up a copy of his work, no matter which book you choose it is bound to me spectacular.






 I also finished the Dew Breaker and maybe its because a. I was forced to read it and b. I was forced to write an essay on it, that I dont want to really write a review simply because it feels like I have given this book more attention then it deserves! Perhaps is was simply not my taste but I did not enjoy this book, it felt dragged out and at times it was "sleepy" meaning more then once I found myself drifting asleep... but please dont let this review discourage you if you have planned to read it, in fact I hope this does the opposite, that it makes you curious enough to want to see how you feel.  

Summer Reads

Summer is the best time of year for multiple reasons but for book nerds like myself they are perfect for checking off books on your "To Read" list.

One of my new found favorite authors is John Green (As you can see off to the right corner) I still recommend The Fault in Our Stars if you haven't given it a go yet but I recently read my second book by Green and it was Looking for Alaska. Once again I couldn't put this book down! I am now on my third John Green (I picked this one up for the beach) called Paper Towns.

I will also be reading The Dew Breaker...

If you have any summer book loves, be sure to comment them below.

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

I have arrived at the beach!!! For the next two weeks I will be soaking in the rays with my family down by the pool, beach and tennis courts! This is the best part of summer, when you can relax and catch a wave.

We always go to the beach for two weeks, except last year we were unable too because my dad had to work...It has been 2 years since my feet have touched sand, I didn't even realize that until I was heading over for the first time yesterday. The water is beautiful but is it just me or do your legs itch when you leave the ocean water after standing in knee high for a minuet? Well mine always do and yesterday I experienced that...

I hope your having a spectacular summer and have time to go to the beach at some point...

Spiderman

I saw Spiderman at midnight last night (or should I say this morning) and it was AMAZING!

First of all I love Andrew Garfield! He is gorgeous! Not to mention I recently found out he has an English accent, as if he couldnt get anymore irresistible? I first "experienced" Andrew Garfield in one my all time favorite movies (not just because Garfield is in it but also because of the music and structure) and fell in love with him as an actor and as the handsome man he is! Emma Stone is one lucky girl! (In case you didnt know the two are dating in real life, they fell for each other while filming The Amazing Spiderman together)

Aside from the glorious fact Andrew was Peter Parker I was a little hesitant for this movie to come out, simply because I loved Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in what I call, the "original Spiderman" movies. I recall being a little kid and staying out late with my older brother to see those movies so I guess you could say they are kind of nostalgic for me, hence my hesitance. However I learned for the first time last night that there were always 2 Spiderman comics! I never knew this, and to be honest I dont know the entire background. There are a few differences for instance, Tobey plays the Spiderman with webs that shoot out of his wrist area where as Andrews' Peter Parker creates wrist machines that shoot the web out for him. Their love interest have different names, Kristen was Mary-Jane and Emma is Gwen. I have to say, the one major difference about the budding love between the two Spidermans and their girls is how Emma and Andrew are together faster in the movie, and Gwen learns that Peter is Spiderman sooner then Mary-Jane did which I personally loved.

Are you going to see The Amazing Spiderman? I highly recommend it!

Have a spectacular rest of the week, I will be daydreaming of Andrew Garfield and his sexy English accent.

Over the 2nd Day Hump

WOW!
So much has changed since yesterday, in fact it has changed for the worse!
I was doing so well yesterday (with my wisdom teeth removal) but today hurts 10x more, its unbelievable! Two sets of the stitches fell out on their own which some what worries me but I'm just letting it be.. the pain around the gum area where I move to smile/talk hurts the most. To make things worse I have heard that the third day is the worst as far as pain goes so I'm not looking forward to tomorrow!

Today was the birthday of this boy I babysit for and I helped out with his pool party! Its so cute how obsessed they are with holding their breath underwater, some how I became the person to count for them while they held their breath. The record holder was Matt with 1 min and 7 seconds! For being out in the sun from 12:30-3:10 I am shocked at how tan my arms are, in fact I have a hair tie tan on my right wrist!

Im planning a trip into the city and the goal is to find a toy store with a piano that you play with your feet like in the Tom Hanks movie Big. Hopefully, if I have done my research correctly, there will be on at Fao Shwarz. Who knows, maybe I'll break out playing chop sticks too?!

All is well, until tomorrow!

Losing My Wisdom

Ok so maybe I have not lost my "Wisdom" but today I did have my Wisdom TEETH removed and for weeks and weeks before hand people told me about there experience:

1. My older brother swelled up in the face for a solid 4 days! He was a chipmunk!
2. A friend of a friend of a friend had swollen cheeks for 3 weeks... How? I dont know...
3. My friend didn't come to school for a week due to her swollen cheeks and pain.
4. My cousin could not eat real food for 3 weeks
5. My other friend was told she was getting hers out by surprise from her father and was driving the same day (in other words she was fine)
6. My soon to be roommate was in so much pain and could not eat for 3/ 4 days..

So basically I had no idea what to expect, everyone was telling me one thing and then another and the majority of the stories were bad stories, about how it was the most painful experience of their life.

One of my friends, a true and sweet friend, called me with in the first word of my removal and talked to me for about 15 min. I really was not too afraid but it was nice to hear from her. It was a moment in my life that I will not forget simply because it was a sincere act of kindness.

And so what were my results?
I felt extremely tired! And yet I was incrusted I could not sleep until 2 hours AFTER the surgery. The main was very minimal, I was really cold for some reason and I am proud to say I do NOT look like a chipmunk! My cheeks are not swollen at all, it is spectacular! The doctor had told me due to my fair skin I might enquire some bruising but so far so good and with my luck so far I do believe I wont have any.

I hope the rest of my recovery goes as smoothly as it has so far! Have a spectacular rest of your weeks! ITS SUMMER!

Gold Card

I am officially a "Gold Card" member at Starbucks! This is a rewards card, every time you buy a drink you get a star which leads/rewards you with special benefits such as free syrups, free drinks every 15 stars and so on... Essentially this means that I go to Starbucks...a lot. I recently received my physical gold card in the mail and I'm going to be honest, I did a little dance! I love Starbucks- I know their drinks are thousands of calories (trust me, my mom reminds me every time I go)- but I still go and enjoy everything about it, the smell, atmosphere and the multitude of drinks.

I am a huge fan of SNL, for those of you who don't know that stands for Saturday Night Live, a late night comedy show that airs, you guessed it, every Saturday night. Last Saturdays episode was the season finale, it will pick up again in the late fall but it was also Kristen Wiigs last episode! I, among many other SNL followers, feel very sad about this! Kristen was one of the funniest characters on the show, any skit she was in was guaranteed to be funny. She herself has so many "classic" characters that will be missed such as Do-It-All girl, Gilly and Target Lady that will now be "put to rest" with her retirement. I have to say I got a little teary eyed when they gave her a subtle goodbye tribute, subtle because it wasn't officially announced that it was her last episode but later was confirmed. It was actually an honor for Kristen to be given a "subtle goodbye" because it is something that has never been done for any of the previous cast members that have left.

As always have a wonderful rest of your week, soak in those sun rays (with sunblock of course) and maybe stop by a Starbucks! ;)

Happy Hour at Starbucks

Yesterday I had a pleasant surprise! I went to Starbucks- I always do!- and I ordered one of their new drinks, a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, however the surprise was that it was half price!! Starbucks has started their "Happy Hour" this month from May 4 - May 13 at 3:00 to 5:00! It is wonderful! I got a $4 drink for $2...Its the little things in life.

My house smells like delicious home made chocolate chip cookies, one of the best smells! My baking cabinet has been completely reorganized, there are no longer bags of flour and sugar but large glass jars that are cleanly filled to the top with all of the baking essentials. They make it so much easier to scoop out the proper amount without getting flour or sugar everywhere! They make for a much cleaner baking experience.

The weather has been marvelous lately, summer is around the corner and I cant wait! 5 more weeks and it will be official... Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, I'm headed to Starbucks at 3 for a half price frappuccino and the relaxing ambiance where I will continue to read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. 

You Changed?

Well hello new layout! When did you get here?
Whats up with this new website design? I like it...

I have officially made plans for next year and am ready to move on! So many people hate change, myself included! I hate when a tradition is broken or personal item is thrown away. However, a life changing change, like moving, going to college, getting married, starting a career, these are all exciting changes! You have no choice but to jump right in, head first! These changes involve a lot of fear and nerves but the majority of the time they are positive changes and this fear is half excitement.

I have been living in a life of constant repetitive day-to-day situations, in no way a surprise, I always know what to expect and to know that next year everything will be new, different, the unknown is stomach turning and refreshing! I honestly cant wait-have you ever felt so board by your routine that you start to feel tired, slow, and sluggish? Thats how I feel right now...I almost feel nothing-like the main character (Julia Roberts) from Eat Pray Love- I.feel.nothing.


However I do enjoy reading and watching my TV shows! I am about to embark on A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. I am only seven pages in and I was hooked on page one! Not only are the reviews marvelous but the witty "Rules and Suggestions for Enjoyment of This Book" is unique and humours-unlike anything I have seen before. Eggers basically tells you not to read the preface or chapters 1-10. This only makes me want to read them more!

My favorite TV serious of the moment is Revenge! Not only does it have one of my favorite actresses from Everwood in it but the show itself is-once again- unlike any of the TV shows on the air right now! Its a mystery that keeps twisting and turning. I never know what to expect! Right when I think its going to "zig" it "zags"! I highly recommend it to anyone who has not watched it! However you MUST start from the beginning, you will be lost if you start now.

These are all of my thoughts- if you have made it to the end of this blogg thank you! I leave you with this video of a vloger that I love, her name is Emily and she wrote this book at 15 in 2004...Enjoy. 

(Unfortunetly its unlisted so you have to click on the link-I encourage it. It is a YouTube video and will take you right to her channel...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt8j50VY5fw

Springgg Baby!

Its 70 degrees where I live today! It is March 12th and 70 degrees!!!! I am so excited to be welcoming spring early! It is beautiful out, not stuffy or sweaty or anything like that! Its wonderful, school is almost out, 13 weeks to be exact!

In case you are out of the viral video loop the song/video that has slowly worked its way up to the top 10 on iTunes is "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen".
The song is extremely repetative, the chorus is repeated multiple times, the tune is catchy and the lyrics all together are farly easy to remember, all a perfect recapie for a hit. Honostly I cant tell if this song is popular because it is bad or beacause its bad but enjoyable at the same time, almost like a Justin Beiber song that you hate to admit you know all the lyrics to (unless you are a young girl in your tween years) I don't mean to offend any die heart Bieber fans out there.

The video for Call Me Maybe does one thing right though, it has an extreamly attractive "no-name" guy as their lead. I wont spoil the video but lets just say the "not so typical" ending is the icing on the cake... 

I hope that where ever you are it is warm and that you enjoyed this catchy, somewhat headache material song and that you have colorful rest of your week! Until next time!

Irony vs Coincidence

I was driving this afternoon to my local grocery store and while I was driving "Lets Stay Together" by Seal came on and I have to say, I kind of laughed. Isn't it interesting that one of Seals #1 hits involves the theme of "Loving you whether whether times are good or bad, happy or sad" and yet he is in the middle of a divorce? To be honest I always get my "irony" and "coincidence" mixed up but either way it falls under one of these slots.

Here is the song in case you are musically interested:

It does make me sad to see these two split I have always admired them from afar as one of my favorite Hollywood couples. But now my thoughts are only on the kids, I hope that Seal and Heidi are able to work it out so that the kids do not lack one parent or feel awkward every time they are all together.

Ice Cream

This weekend my family and I took a trip to a popular ice cream place: Yogurtland.
Its extremely popular, there are multiple different flavors, the classic flavors, chocolate, vanilla strawberry and the odd ones such as red velvet cake (MJB''s favorite), cheesecake, lemon blueberry and tangerine. After you make your way down the line of flavors theres a spread of candy toppings and multiple syrups, its almost like being in Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory. The line out the door was never ending. You also get your choice of a pink or lime green spoon (a souvenir to some) which is actually more thrilling then one would think!!

 Along with a wonderful trip to settle my sweet tooth I went to the mall where I acquired three pairs of much needed pants (I was down to one pair!!) and perused my options for a new makeup fondation. I am happy to say with much deliberation I have fallen in love with the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua! After one day of using the sample I am going to purchase it! Its a wonderful product-I have been complemented twice on my complexion and let me tell you- I do NOT have perfect skin.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Here's to a new week, spring is under way! I cant believe it, I am so excited for our patio furniture to be set out! Although it has not been a rough winter (with only 2 storms to its name) I am so excited for the warm weather!

As far as books go my new challenge is to read one book with in a 2 week time span. I give myself two weeks to finish one book, in most cases I have been able to finish in one depending on how good the book is. If you have noticed over to your right there are two books, The Fault In Our Stars and Why We Broke Up. The Fault In Our Stars is a witty, heart warming book that I read in one weekend sitting! I loved it so much I recommended it to everyone I saw the fallowing week! Its a MUST read! I loved it so much I was sad when it ended- I wanted more!!
Why We Broke Up is much more of a "sweet" read. You dont have to set aside time for it or worry about forgetting the previous chapter if there was a chunk of time between when you last read and when you start again. However the one thing that I LOVE and believe to be a treat is the art work. Each chapter has a minimum of two paintings! Its a wonderful surprise! The style of this book is also interesting, the narration is that of a girl writting a post-it note on items she is giving back to her now  ex-boyfriend.

As you can tell my goal for filling my bookshelf is going strong! If you have found any of this interesting I highly recommend that you look them up! You will not be disappointed. Speaking of disappointment my short and sweet post has now turned into its own small novel, I bid you farewell, and until next time! 

Lent

Its Lent!! A time to reflect and give something up-the most common go to item is sweets! I am in the middle of debating what I will be giving up but it looks like sweets may be the thing I decide on. However another thought is adding something to my daily routine such as a Rosary a day or every other day. The majority of people over look this option-its always "what can I give up?". I think the idea of adding something to your routine is a nice refreshing way of looking/taking this season of lent.
I am posting this in hopes that writing something, engraving, this down will help me stick with it! I am not about to lie and say that I always remembered my lent sacrifices, I have cheated on it before, I hope this year I will do better!

Count Down: 6 weeks until I hear the final decision
Count Down: 10.5 weeks until my decision must be made

Have a blessed week! And to all those a part of lent, I wish you luck! Stay strong in these up coming 40 days!

TFiOS

I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green this weekend, it was wonderful! Beautifully written and the plot was riveting. There was no way I could have predicted the storyline. The sentences are witty, well thought through and had a heart aching ending. I highly recomend it, its one of those books that you just cant put down! I found myself reaching for it at ever spare minute I had, even if I could only read a paragraph with that time, it was worth it. I am so happy I decided to buy it last minute before my trip this past weekend. This book, along with Water for Elephants, are the two newest books to join my bookshelf.

All is well, I have a month and a half left in my newest count down.

READ THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! I DEMAND THAT YOU DO IT! 
You will not be sorry! 

The Future

I have been thinking a lot about my future lately and all of the things I want to do when I officially become an adult living on my own with the ability to control my whereabouts and all the small things in life.
I want to travel- this is a generic idea, nothing new nothing strange but all the same it is something that makes me excited just thinking about it. I don't know how it will pan out but I would love to study abroad someday. I want to visit England, Paris, Ireland, maybe even Africa.

The idea of living on my own has also struck a cord with me, I plan on trying vegetarianism and of I succeed maybe veganism. I want to have the experience, even if I learn it is not the life style for me.
I look forward to decorating an apartment and fending for myself.

To me change is scary, annoying at times but I am starting to look at it as an adventure.
And this is one adventure I can't wait for!

Until next time, have a wonderful day.

Set Backs

Hello
Set backs, it is human nature to take them as they come and keep on moving forward. As it turns out I will have to wait an additional 84 days until my official answer/decision is made. To be honest I freaked out, I was sad, angry and taken aback. How could they ask us to wait more? To continue to hold our breath and pray, cross our fingers and continue on withholding future plans. Its hard to say I was completely surprised, apart of me knew that this would happen and yet I ignored it.

Furthermore I had a Merry Christmas and I hope you all did as well! Happy New Year and here's to a wonderful, thrilling and safe new year!

One thing to note about me-my "new year" begins in September and always has... To me the "new year" is the new school year which always begins in September. I have never quite caught on to the fascination of celebrating a new year because we all know that resolutions fail, by now, January 10, statistically people have already failed at least once with their plan on loosing weight or whatever other common goal one sets for themselves in the new year. Yea sure, the idea of change is always a nice thing but when the majority of the world fails at the same goal over and over the goal for change is actually a depressing and scary venture.

"I let it fall-my heart-and as it fell you rose to claim it" -Adele: Set Fire to the Rain