Silver Linings

This is one of my very best friends in the whole world. I love her to the ends of the earth and back again. I have also recently dubbed her my "Silver Lining Best Friend". I can find several not so awesome things about life at the moment, but as per my emotional-based New Years Resolution, I am determined to find good things around me. I am at home for the semester, and among the good that I see regularly, (like having family close, for instance), seeing this beautiful lady is definitely a Silver Lining to whatever I'm not psyched about. I have seen her more times in the past month than I probably have in the last two years .

I think the best thing about a best friend is that feeling when you get together after so much time apart, and it.doesn't.matter. The same things are funny. You still laugh with each other and at the other's corny jokes. You've both grown, but your lives are so intricately intertwined by fate, it's impossible to not connect like no time has passed. You still watch the same types of shows and movies and you still do the same crazy, silly stuff. Just the other day was that JR High Band Concert. A week ago we were were taking the SATs. Last weekend, we started college. And in December, this smart, amazing lady is going to graduate college with a fancy major and a fun minor and the summer after that, she'll be headed to PT school to go get a super-smart degree and she's going to change the world.

I love you Silver Lining Best Friend.
<3

Lukewarm Tea

"It's better to make a mistake with the full force of your being than to carefully avoid mistakes with a trembling spirit. Responsibility means recognizing both pleasure and price, making a choice based on that recognition, and then living with that choice without concern."

"It sounds so 'either-or'. What about moderation?"

"Moderation? Moderation? It's mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It's the devil's reasonable deception. It's the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It's for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation is lukewarm tea, the devil's own brew!"

             --The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman

Of Songs and Merlin

1-I can't get over this song. It's beautiful and lovely and pretty much the whole thing is addicting. Its impossible to get tired of...I just keep it on repeat.
2-I can't get over the show. It's brilliant. If you haven't watched it, perhaps the following video will persuade you to do so immediately.

Blue Danube

If someone handed me a plane ticket to Vienna International Airport right now, I'd take it without a second thought, pack a bag in 10 minutes, and be off to DFW Airport. I'd land in Vienna several long hours later, but it would feel like a snap.

I'd take the Airport Bus straight down to Schwedenplatz--it's only about 6 Euros. I'd grab a 24 hr U-Bahn ticket and walk around Stephensplatz and Stadtpark. I'd go on the outskirts of the city and visit the Belvedere grounds and Schonbrunn Palace. I could walk around Schonbrunn for hours. And if the weather was nice, I'd sit on one of those benches overlooking that immaculately beautiful courtyard and read a book that inspired me to learn and explore. I'd sit by the Danube-maybe at the park near Webster- and admire the impossibly blue water. Late afternoon would find me back at Stephansplataz for some coffee-a melange, perhaps, or maybe just some hot chocolate. I'd get a kebap for old time's sake and spend my evening at the Opera-watching a world class performance that some people only dream of seeing.

It seems silly, but I miss Vienna more the further away it gets from me. I miss the easy going pace of Austria coupled with its stunning art, architecture, and history. I fear that soon it will seem like a dream-a distant memory--when it was so much more. I miss Vienna with a passion that I didn't even know I had. Don't get me wrong--I'm thoroughly enjoying being home-my family, my friends, my puppy. But I miss the adventure, the uncertainty, the new places to explore. I'm sure those exist here-they just don't seem as mystical as they do there. The excitement that was a new country every weekend is not a luxury I have here, and as special as it was, I don't want it to be a 'once-in-a-lifetime' type thing-I want to do it again! I want to keep going places and exploring. I feel like I only got a taste of Europe-and I need more. And with three of my classmates having their adventure this semester, it just makes me with I was back in that magical city. I'll get back to Vienna eventually, it's the fact that I don't know when that kills me.

So I'll settle for vicarious living for now until I have the $1300 for a plane ticket lying around...I will someday. =)

My favorite view in all Vienna--a fleeting image of the Danube as we raced by it on the U-Bahn between Kagran and Alte Donau.

A Year in Review (or) To New Possiblities

Welcome to 2011!!
2010 changed my life, and I'm ready to see what 2011 has in store. So-a reflection, a tribute, and a huge thank you to 2010 and everyone who was a part of my life and made last year such an epic 12 months.

Monthly Highlights:
-January: Opera Studio
-February: MWTA
-March: The All Nighter for no reason
-April: 4-Square and Truck Riding
-May: LTOTS
-June: Children's Theatre Shows
-July: [tr]Annie
-August: Hair
-September: Venice & Vienna
-October: Ireland & Vienna
-November: Rome & Vienna
-December: Christkindle Markets & Vienna & Home

Not So Awesome Things
-I'm sure these existed...but I'm on a new 'Don't dwell on those things that weren't awesome' kick.

Year in Objects
-Euros
-Suitcases
-Scripts
-Books
-Bottles & Cans
-Computers
-Tornadoes
-Decks of Cards
-Shotglasses
-German Classes
-Camera
-Music

Year in Actions
-Journaling
-Driving
-Talking
-Questioning
-Learning
-Listening

Firsts
-Living so far away on my own
-Living in Europe
-Travelling extensively
-Shotgunned Beer

Lessons Learned
-Life isn't as scary as it's made out to be
-Things work out
-Life would be easier if people would just be a little happier
-You'll never know until you try
-Mistakes are okay
-Worrying doesn't help anything
-Do all you can and then let it go

The Year in One Word: Adventure
From travelling Europe to calling my first show in a professional setting, adventure has been sprinkled all over 2010. And I love it! There is mystery and possibilities in adventure--you just have to take the leap and see where you land. And there's nothing wrong with not being satisfied with where you are and deciding to take another leap and hope you end up somewhere different. Little adventures like late night drives to big adventures like the mountains of Ireland have shown me how much the world has to offer is people would just look up from their workaholic lifestyles and appreciate the world that they've been given to work in! Take a risk.

To 2011
-I hope you're filled with risk and adventure and uncertainty. Leave out the worries and the fear and the feelings of inadequacy. You've got some big shoes to fill from last year, but I'm counting on a fierce year.
-Read 100 Books
-Consolidate my life into fewer boxes
-Find the proverbial "Silver Lining" in every situation