a lot on my mind.

I've learned some things in the past couple of weeks.

1) Stay the hell away from assholes.

2) You can't push your feelings to the side and try to ignore them. Just because you can't handle what you're feeling doesn't mean you need to deny the fact that you are hurting and why you're hurting.

3) Heartbreak hurts a little less every day.

I know I'm not the only person to struggle with being happy and overcoming difficult things. I consider myself an optimistic, happy, friendly person. These past two weeks I haven't been at all and it's been more difficult than I thought it would be to get back to that person, even if it's only a little bit. I've found that listening to your favorite band over and over helps a lot. So does sleeping...

What I have really struggled with lately is that I felt like I didn't have a legitimate reason to feel the way I did and act like I was. I kept telling myself that other people were experiencing worse and more upsetting situations and I needed to stop the pity party for myself. But telling myself that didn't work. I only felt more miserable, because I couldn't continue to ignore that I was not happy. At all. Then I saw the above quote on tumblr and everything clicked.
I was hurting over something because it was important to ME. It didn't matter if it had no value to anyone else. It affected my life and my happiness, so I had every right to feel the way I did, and still do.
Honestly, since reading that quote and the story behind it I've been feeling better about myself and happier.

So thank you, John Green. DFTBA <3

countdown.

Apartment Move In: 16 days

Mt. Pleasant Visit: 20 days

Week in Mt. Pleasant: 34 days

LONDON: 42 days

I can do this.

I miss my friends. :(

inspired by liz lemon.

I was watching 30 Rock a couple weeks back and Liz Lemon said this,

I want someone who will be monogamous and nice to his mother. And I want someone who likes musical, but knows to just shut his mouth when I'm watching Lost. And I want someone who thinks being really into cars is lame and strip clubs are gross. I want someone who will actually empty the dishwasher instead of just taking out forks as needed, like I do. I want someone with clean hands and feet and beefy forearms like a damn Disney prince. And I want him to genuinely like him, even when I'm old.

So, I wrote this. It's not as funny or as clever, but this is what I want some day. 

I want someone who isn’t afraid to admit his feelings, doesn’t think it’s very cool to be a hater, and doesn’t dress like a tool. A man who will cuddle up with me and watch Disney movies all day long, and who thinks Harry Potter is freaking awesome. A gentleman who respects himself and me, knows exactly what to say when I’m feeling sad, and understands that there are times when I’m not going to want to be reasonable. He doesn’t have to like everything I like, he can do whatever he wants to and be whoever he wants to be, as long as he doesn’t try to change me. I want to be his one and only, the Hermione to his Ron, the Katniss to his Peeta, and the Elizabeth to his Mr. Darcy. 

countdown to london.

While driving home from work today, blaring One Direction and enjoying the beautiful weather... something hit me like a ton of bricks.

I'm going to be in London, England in less than four months.

I know that I've been buying plane tickets and filling out paperwork for studying abroad, but it wasn't until today that I realized one of my dreams is going to come true very, very soon.
I'm going to be surrounded by people with awesome accents. And I'll be able to stare at the very attractive men.
I'm going to visit and see the places I've only read about in books.
I'm going to be on the same island that JK Rowling lives and works and breathes. (Yes, that is supposed to sound slightly stalkerish.)

Honestly, there isn't a bone in my body that is scared about doing this.
I've been ready to do this for the past five years, and it's surreal that I'm this close to checking off one of my bucket list items.

What My Mother Taught Me

Happy Mother's Day!

I have complied a list of some of the life lessons my mother has taught me.
Enjoy!

1. I don't need to show off a lot of skin, wear a lot of make-up, or wear skin-tight clothes to be considered beautiful.
2. Never wear white pants with colored or patterned underwear.
3. Always clean up your own mess, especially in the kitchen.
4. Whining will never get you anywhere except your bedroom, without any dinner.
5. A good judge of character is how a friend treats your younger siblings.
6. Relationships are hard, but worth it.
7. Save, save, save your money. (I struggle with this lesson!)
8. God should be in the center of everything you do.
9. There is always more laundry.
10. Sarcasm is spelled S-M-A-R-T-A-S-S.

Second Year.

I figured since I wrote a blog commemorating my freshmen year at Central, I might as well continue the tradition. Sophomore year was better, and worse, than freshmen year. I think I changed more, but I don't think it was for the worse.

I changed my major and career path, experienced my first serious relationship and break-up, made new friends, made some dumb decisions, learned about people, and myself, started on the journey of studying abroad, and left my teen years behind. I told my roommate that I could definitely re-live this year again, drama and all.

I know a lot of students look forward to summer, because they don't have to worry about school. But I'm already missing Mount Pleasant and seeing my friends every day. I'm excited to finally make some money and take a break in learning, but my friends were there for me throughout this whole year. Through every rant, cry, high maintenance moment, laugh, hug, Mount Feeling time, and more. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I won't be joining them in August when school starts up again. Don't get me wrong, I can not WAIT to go to London... but I'm also excited for January when I can spend every day with the best friends ever.

<3

"The Hunger Games" movie review.

Part One: The Acting
There was never a doubt in my mind that Jennifer Lawerence would be able to embody Katniss. She was able to portray all sides of Katniss perfectly. She reminded why Katniss is such a great character and was quite the inspiration to watch on screen.
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was hilarious. He got that drunkard down to a T and his bantering back and forth with Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket was perfect! Elizabeth also did a wonderful job as Effie. She made you want to hit her, and then apologize afterwards because you know she means well.
Liam Hemsworth as Gale didn't get a lot of screen time, which was fine since he wasn't in the book all that much, but I could already tell that he is going to do a really good job playing Gale in the future movies.
I wasn't sure how I felt about Lenny Kravitz as Cinna when he was first announced as the actor, but after watching the movie I liked his portrayal and performance a lot. He was the calm throughout the whole movie and it was obvious that he truly cared for Katniss's well-being.
And oh my gosh, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman was one of my favorites. I love Stanley Tucci anyway, but he was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. He was also one of the comic reliefs in the film.
Donald Sutherland as President Snow was more terrifying than Voldemort. You could just tell that behind his calm demeanor and white beard, there was a madman.
Willow Shields as Primrose, Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen, and Amandla Sternberg as Rue were also wonderful. Prim and Rue reminded me so much of my little sisters, which made Rue's death even more heartbreaking.

But Josh Hutcherson as Peeta stole the show. When he was announced as the actor playing Peeta, I have to admit that I wasn't sure he was the right actor for the role.
Boy, was I dead wrong.
It's like Josh went into my mind, figured out how I imagined Peeta, and played him EXACTLY like that. By the end of the movie, I was a puddle on the ground. I have always loved Peeta, even more than Ron Weasley, and to see him so perfectly portrayed was more wonderful than words can describe.

Part Two: The Plot
They didn't leave out one single thing that was necessary for future plot development. Seriously.
Sure, they left out things and changed a few things around.
Katniss found the mockingjay pin instead of it being given to her by Madge, but Madge was essentially an unimportant character so it wasn't a big deal.
They cut down a lot of the stuff in the arena, like Katniss's search for water and food, but was that really necessary? Nope.
I think the success of the plot has to do with the fact that Suzanne Collins helped a lot with the screenplay. Whenever an author is the screenwriter or helps a lot with the process, it's a good sign that the movie is going to stay true to the book.

Part Three: Violence, effects, make-up, etc.
There was the perfect amount of violence in the movie. Some people might be critical and say that there wasn't, but they must not understand the true meaning of the book. Yes, it could have been very graphic and very bloody, but then they would be portraying exactly what Suzanne Collins was disagreeing with when she wrote the book. There was enough to leave you cringing, but not enough to make you gag.
The special effects and make-up were also very well done. I especially enjoyed the make-up of the Capitol citizens. It was so outlandish and gaudish; exactly like it's described in the book.
I also really enjoyed the scenery of District Twelve and the layout of the Capitol. The imagery in the movie was wonderful and truly captured the spirit of the novel.

Conclusion
Best book to movie adaption I have ever watched. It's in the top three of my favorite movies of all time, and if I had the money I would go see it again today. I don't see how any fan of the Hunger Games would NOT like the movie, but that is my personal belief.

Rating: A+