What we got from Harry Potter

The final Harry Potter movie was released last weekend, and I felt that at the end of an era (for millions of fans, including me!) needed to be commemorated.  The first book was published in the U.S. in July 1998, when I was only 7 years old!  It's strange to think that I watched the last movie, at times with tears in my eyes, at age 20.   It's definitely safe to say that I grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, sharing in their adventures, conundrums, and successes.  I fell in love with Fred and George Weasley shortly after I first read about them!  What's a twin to do?!?

I started out as a kid fascinated by a novel about a wonderful wizarding world, but looking back on my thirteen years of obsession with the tale of "the Boy Who Lived," I realized that the Harry Potter phenomenon provided more that a bedtime story.

First off, I loved Hermoine.  I always had dibs on dressing as her for parties, new releases, etc.  Finally we have a heroine who is not drop-dead gorgeous; instead, she's brilliant, brave, and understanding!  A bit of a know-it-all, yes, but she let her intelligence shine, setting an excellent example for girls across the globe.  And of course, what would Harry and Ron do without her?

Spoiler alert: one of my favorite parts in the last book is when Percy Weasley joins his family in the fight against the Dark Lord.  After years of fighting and eventually not speaking, the family is reunited (I gave a little cheer!).  Forgiveness?  Yes.  Value of family?  Yes.  I think the biggest statement this makes, though, is that it's never too late to do the right thing.   J.K. Rowling also pointed this out in the brief moment where Dudley thanks Harry for saving his life.  People CAN change for the better.  Yes!

The friendships are truly inspiring.  In reading a secret on postsecret.blogspot.com about a person envying the friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine more than their wizardry/witchcraft, I felt so emotional that I couldn't continue through the rest of the page.  Because their friendship taught me what friendship truly is.  They fight, true, but they overcome their differences. They accept each other for who they are; the famous trio befriends Neville and Luna before they evolve into brave heroes in the final books.  But most importantly, they love each other throughout difficulties that I cannot even imagine.  I still get chills just thinking about friendship that deep...


I have yet to mention the value of a good laugh and positive attitude in the midst of dark times, the recognition that love proves to be the strongest force in the world, and the importance of trust despite uncertainty; all these lessons are hidden in the one-million-plus words that make up the Harry Potter series. So, to J.K. Rowling: for giving me so much more than novels that I just couldn't put down and for teaching me so much through Harry and his friends, I thank you.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."~Albus Dumbledore

Sisterhood

This post is probably long overdue, but I just haven't felt like writing.  It's strange; this summer has been a challenge for me.  I have every reason to be happy, yet I'm not.  As cliche as it may sound, I've had this inner struggle going on which is so much more raucous than normal.  However, that is for me to deal with and not for me to write about.

The reason I wanted to write today was because my sister has been asking me to post something.  Which leads to my topic, actually.  Yesterday my sisters and I were watching the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie, and I realized how grateful I am to have two sisters who are also my best friends (not to mention that we can share jeans, too!).  I love my girlfriends from my hometown and university, but there is just something about my relationship with my sisters that can never be rivaled.  We laugh together. We talk together. We get angry, then we get over it.  That's just what sisters do.  They've taught me so much and continue to do so.  They are two of the most lovely people I've ever met.  So, here's to my sisterhood!  <3

I loved my Friday!

I slept in, did a bit of research for my paper (which absolutely fascinates me), and headed into town for some shopping.  I was by myself, and I think that's why I loved it so much.  It was such a beautiful day, which made waiting at the bus stop near the Student Village a pleasure!  My first stop was Primark (oooh, how I love that store!).  I bought a white v-neck, because it was super cheap and fit well, as well as a black skirt with little flowers on it.  I later realized that outfit will be fantastic for Haf's birthday party on Monday.  I also bought a denim button-up shirt and immediately started planning outfits to go with it!  I found a pair of brown and white brogues (a must in the U.K.) to further add to my ever-growing shoe collection.  My moment of true love (though I do believe that shoe love is true love) came when I tried on a cream and red striped maxi dress.  It's unbelievably comfortable and unbelievably flattering.  Why didn't I discover maxi-dresses earlier? Live and learn, I guess!  I walked from the city centre to campus, enjoying the beautiful day and forgetting about my tendonitis (oops?).  I think the rest of my Friday is going to be filled with more researching; thank goodness that I love the topic!  Ahhh, I love my life!

Musings on my time abroad

I received an email before I left for Wales saying that if I wrote a letter about my experiences abroad I could receive a $500 scholarship.  I love writing, so I'm excited to type up that letter as soon as I get home!  However, I had some thoughts today that I wanted to jot down, so here's a lil' precursor to my letter:

While study at Swansea, I chose to talk a class on African American History (mostly because it will fill the U.S. Diversity credit that all Iowa State students need to graduate).  I've thoroughly enjoyed that class, though, because it provided me with a chance to gain a different perspective on something quite familiar to me.  The grade on the class was based solely on two essays, and as I worked on the second essay, I realized how much I appreciated having control of what I was learning.  I found the subject of my essay (I chose the Black Panther Party) extremely fascinating and devoured all the literature I could find on the topic.  I was able to read the facts (as well as various opinions) and develop my own opinions about the Black Panther Party and their effect on African American culture.  With my usual engineering classes, there are a lot of wrong answers and one right answer.  This class provides me with a chance to delve deeper into myself to learn how I feel about the world around me; pardon the pun, but this class proved that not everything is strictly black and white.  Yes, I love my engineering, but I also love knowing what I believe and that I have strong rationale behind it.

I'm a stereotypical girl with a love of shoes and belief in a fairytale ending, yet I was not terribly excited about the royal wedding.  I could not see the point of taking a day off work to watch two university sweethearts tie the knot.  The commemorative mugs, posters, notepads, pens, etc., seemed a bit over the top.  The evening of the royal wedding, I had dinner with a New-Yorker who recently moved to London.  She mentioned that the celebration reminded her (in some ways) of a sporting event; everyone was cheering, grilling out or picnicking, and waving the Union Jack.  She stressed, though, that unlike a sporting event, there were no "losers"; everyone could celebrate.  They were simply experiencing a major historical part of the U.K.  Before I came to Wales, I honestly think I would have brushed this off as a silly aside.  But I had grown in the past 4 months, and I found myself agreeing that it's a good way to unify and inspire the British people.  I also found myself toting home two Will and Kate mugs (one for me and one for my mom, who also watched the previous royal wedding 30-some years before).

MY Easter vacation planning

I was going to work on my Easter vacation shopping list in Microsoft OneNote (Word has been driving me crazy!), but I realized how long it has been since I posted on here, so I decided to make it here instead! I honest-to-goodness had a near meltdown during a Skype-conversation with my mom when I realized that I have very few cute tops here. I honestly have 2 blouses to wear. It was super stressful! It led me to decide that I AM going to go on a minor shopping spree before my month-long break. However, to limit myself from going hog-wild in such wonderful stores like Primark and H&M, I decided to make a list of a few things I specifically want. I have such a bad habit of buying jackets, accessories, bottoms, etc, but completely skipping out on blouses to wear. So, I'm going to make a list, stick to it, and spend most of my money on fabulous tops to wear on my fabulous vacation!


Here's what I want so far:
--Sunglasses (£1 at Primark)
--Turban
--Braided bracelet/set of bracelets
--Jean skirt
--Capris/trousers (Saw some interesting ones at Primark that would be fantastic!)
--Sandals (One pair MAX!)


And from there, I want to buy as many tops as possible for a reasonable price. I already have some things to wear on break:
--Romper
--Denim dress
--Sandals
--Boyfriend jeans
--Bikini
--Scarves


Just thinking about break makes me all excited! I could start a countdown-- 20 days until my girlfriends and I leave for Paris! Eeeeek! From there, I'm hitting up Spain, Morroco (helllllooooo, Africa!), Switzerland, Italy, and Greece. I am beyond excited. Good thing I don't have my travel backpack otherwise I'd probably start packing now! <3

The pact

My wonderful sister and I made a pact yesterday that we would both be happy for the rest of the semester.  As I jogged along the beach today, I was pondering about this; I've never before had to tell myself to be happy.  I've just always BEEN happy.  Sure, there were days when I was stressed, tired, and cranky, but I've always been satisfied with where I was/what I was doing.  Now that I'm abroad, I'm not, necessarily (but that ends today!).  I struck me later in the day that I had not held a conversation with a single person today.  Weird... but even with that in mind, today was a good day.  I got to sleep in.  I ran for a decent distance (over an hour), and part of it was on the sand.  My legs burned after that!  I enjoyed the sun while running and then reading my book in my room.  A trip to the library set me in proximity to "people like me," or at least to some degree.  Others who were studying, reading, or taking notes just made me feel more at home.  I love the Swansea University library so much!  I've been there more than my library at my home college.  I got some studying done before catching a bus back to the village.  I bought a 7-Up-like pop to settle my stomach, which was upset but is now better.  In a way it's sad that I have to make a conscious effort to be happy, but at the same time, it's better than the alternative!  So here's a happy me wishing you a great weekend! <3

Sunny but not?

Hmmm.  I've decided that my amount of homesickness is inversely proportional to how many activities I have going on.  Take today, for instance.  It's not even noon, but I've already been rather homesick.  After taking a shower/cleaning up my room, I feel a little better, but still.  I have absolutely no classes, so I have nowhere to be today.  I'm still suffering from a cold, but I think it's almost gone (knock on wood!).  Because of my cold, though, I don't want to run, despite the fact that the sun is shining and it's a rather nice day out.  So today will be packed thermo-studying and history-paper-researching while I enjoy the sun through my open window.  Sigh.  I know that if I were in Ames I would have multiple classes, plans to eat lunch with some of my friends, and either a fun (or relaxing) evening ahead of me.  I think that's what is so hard.  But now I'm going to go make lunch, take out my recyclables, and get cracking on the homework.  Later this afternoon I'm going to go to the library for some quality homework time, and hopefully I'll get to Skype my boyfriend, too.  All these things, plus another movie and early to-bed, should make me feel much better :)

If I'm not sure...

I was riding the bus home after 5 hours of classes today, and I was thinking about the Skype conversation my boyfriend and I had last night.  I was stressing out about spring break plans, and he was telling me that I should do what makes me happy.  This was not only a fantastic point; it's also one of my 2011 resolutions, and I can honestly say I've been failing at it.  This lead to think, "Am I happy?"  And I've decided that if I'm not sure-- if I need to ask myself that-- I'm probably not.  So here's to doing things to make myself happy!  I'm currently sitting in my room in my pajama shorts and fleece jacket devouring a mint Magnum bar (soooo good!) and listening to Taylor Swift.  That makes me happy.  I think I'm going to do Ultimate Frisbee instead of running club, because I think it'll be more fun.  That makes me happy.  It also practices from 7-9 on Mondays, which gives me a valid excuse for not going out and partying (soooo not my thing).  Double bonus!  I just had Glee practice from 5-7.  The people are nice and fun, and I get to sing again!  Happy?  I think yes.  So while I've succeeded in doing things for me today, I need to continue to do that.  That'll be my goal for the weekend and most definitely for the rest of my time abroad.

Primark

Oh, how I love this store!  I made a quick stop on my shopping excursion because I was looking for a set of hard headbands to hold back my now-too-long bangs.  Of course, I can't go into the store without browsing through all the clothes, shoes, and accessories, so I walked away with more than just the headbands I wanted!  The phenomenon of the store, though, is how cheap everything is!

From top, clockwise: Large purse (£3), sport watch (£1), set of five thin headbands (£1), black and gold tank top (£3)

So I got all of these wonderful items for exactly £8.  The purse was marked down to five but rang up as three, and I was not about to complain.  Needless to say, I walked away a very happy shopper!

My choice of lightsaber color

Yes, I do realize how nerdy the title of this blog post is.  But it's one of the topics that came up as I was Skyping my boyfriend today (yay for long distance relationships?), and it made me realize how truly lucky I am!  Today we talked for a bit about Star Wars action figures and, as the title suggests, what color lightsaber I would have if I were a Jedi.  Which sounds ridiculous, I know, but I absolutely love that we can talk about random things like this.  He accepts me for the unique person that I am.  Like I said, I'm so, so, soooo lucky!  We're 4023 miles apart (I looked online), but he can still make my day.

Homesick

Ahhh, it's finally hit me.  The ever-dreaded homesickness.  I don't know if it's the rain, the fact that I have all day free, or that it's simply that time of month (ughh).  Anyways, as I sit here typing and looking out at the grey sky, I can't help but wish I were back in Iowa, walking through the snow to get to my next class.  I ate lunch alone in my room today; how I miss always having someone to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with!  So, over the course of the day, I've somewhat made a mental checklist of random things that I miss.  Here it goes (in no particular order!)

1)  My family (okay, this one is in order)--I miss being able to text them whenever I want, and I hate that they aren't waking up until I'm well into my day.  I also just hate to think about how many miles they are away from me.  Whenever I see a families here just going about their daily lives, I get immensely jealous.  My family is so far (too, too far) away.
2)  My boyfriend (also in order)-- I just miss him like crazy!  I'm fortunate to get to Skype with him often, but I miss holding his hand, running with him, getting breakfast together, etc.  I also get extremely jealous whenever I see a couple walking around campus holding hands... sigh.  When I'm travelling I often have these moments when I wish he was my travelling companion; for instance, this past weekend I wished it was the two of us exploring London together.  But c'est la vie.
3)  My fleece Austria pullover-- Days like today, when it's rainy and cold, really make me miss this warm jacket.  I just want to cuddle up in it and curl up on my bed.  On the note of warm things that I would want to wear on a day like today, I also miss my soccer sweatpants from high school and my purple knock-off Ugg boots.
4)  My cellphone-- I miss taking photos with my phone, and I definitely miss the QWERTY keypad.  And the zebra (zeh-brah, as they call it here) print case, for sure!
5)  My car-- My poor red Neon is sitting in storage.  I miss driving around and showing off my ISU vanity plates that say IMAKKCY (I'm a Kappa Kappa Psi).  I'm slightly afraid that when i get back to the States I'll want to drive on the wrong side of the road. Haha.
6)  Free refills-- Along with this one, I also miss rootbeer and strawberry soda.  I swear all they drink here is Coke, Fanta, Sprite, and Dr. Pepper in some places.
7)  My clothes and shoes-- See, if this were in order, this would probably be waaaaaay higher!  I miss having clothes and shoes for nearly every occasion.  I feel like my fashion here is very limited by the few articles I have in my closet.  I've used this as an opportunity to buy a few new things, but I still miss the plethora of amazing articles I have back home.
8)  Caribou Coffee-- The Costa Coffee that people like here is CRAP!  I hate it!  I definitely prefer Starbucks, but I still miss my Mint Condition from Caribou.
9)  Hamburgers/steak-- I miss my beef.  Hands down.  I hope Dad will make hamburgers for me when I get home, because his hamburgers are the best in the world.
10) Watching movies-- I miss being able to pick out a movie and watch it!  Apparently the DVDs here are a different format, so it would eventually mess up my laptop (No, thank you!).  So I'm stuck watching random and sometimes-French movies on this BBC website, thanks to the inability to get Hulu over here.  One of the movies I watched was pretty good, but I would love to watch an amazing romantic comedy from Hollywood (my fave!)

Anyways, now that I've gotten my rant out of the way, I feel much better and less homesick!  I guess writing is my therapy.  :)  Now off to write some postcards/read more of The Age of Innocence.  I'm going to enjoy the rest of this dreary day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, I'm sitting at m computer savoring the Dove chocolates that my boyfriend sent me for Valentine's Day (and working up the nerve to open my card from him-I'm excited for it!).   I'm wearing my key necklace that Laura asked Mom to send in the package that I got from my family.  Opening that seriously made my day; not only did they send the things I asked for, like my cleats, shinguards, more t-shirts, leg warmers, earplugs, pictures, and pink loafers, but they also sent peanut M&Ms (for Valentine's Day), Stride gum (my favorite!), Under Armor leggings (which will be great for running here), and an iTunes giftcard.  Plus the aforementioned key necklace that I have been really missing!  My sisters have similar ones, so I wear it because it makes me think of them.  I put it on right after opening the package! :) I also got a nice card from Mom and Dad, so it's safe to say that so far I've had a fantastic day!  I still have yet to look at the card from my boyfriend.  I've never had a Valentine on Valentine's Day, so this is rather new to me.  The sun is out in Swansea, so I feel like that's already a good sign!  For a little bit it was raining while the sun was out; I absolutely LOVE it when that happens!  That must be God's Valentine's Day gift for me <3
I'm so blessed to have a wonderful family, fantastic friends, and an amazing boyfriend!  I just want to say that I love you all!  Happy Valentine's Day!

(More) Fashion Musings

I'm settled in my room with a caramel Galaxy bar (soooo delicious) reading my sis' blog latest blog post.  Ohhh, how I love checking her blog; it seriously has thee best name ever.  She's inspired me to blog on my "personal" blog, since I have a travel blog about my time spent studying abroad.  So, I'm going to take her lead and write about some of my favorite fashion trends.  Keep in mind that things in Europe are just a bit different than in the States.

1) Leggings and tights.  Oh, yes!  Back home I scoffed at girls who wore leggings as pants, and while I'm still not ready to wear my leggings with a fashion tee and nothing else, I love pairing mine with a long button-up and a sweater.  Super comfy AND super stylish; you can't really get much better than that.  One of my British friends told me that she hasn't worn jeans for two years! I also love that tights are popular here.  It finally gave me the chance to wear the cute patterned black tights I bought in case I needed to cover up my broomball battle-scars for Band Banquet (fortunately the massive bruises disappeared so I could wear my short dress without black tights!).  Still, they are almost hounds-tooth patterned, and I received lots of compliments after wearing them with my cuffed shorts and black boots.  I've already got them packed for my weekend trip to London (can you say exciting?) to wear under a denim dress and sweater.

2) Scarves!  Yes, I've always loved them, and I honestly regret leaving most of mine at home.  I picked up a cute fringed one for only 3 pounds and am hoping to find a few more cheap ones in London.   They are perfect for the rainy and windy weather than seems to haunt the U.K.  I'm pretty certain that I'm wearing a scarf in nearly every single one of my tourist photos (I'm so good at being a tourist).  Which means I'll be sure to wrap one around my neck when I head out this afternoon!

3) Layers and layers (and layers).  I seriously think that the easiest way to fit in with the locals is to dress in tons of layers.  Since this includes sweaters, jackets, scarfs, etc, I'm more than happy to oblige.  My long gray cardigan from H&M is my best friend at the moment (even though it's gray and NOT pink), just because I can layer it over my tees or blouses, look fashionable, and be warm.  That's always a plus!

I do have two complaints against European fashion.  First off, all the colors are so dark (black, navy, brown, gray, etc), and when you pair this with the not-nice weather we have a lot, I could almost swear I was living in black and white!  I try to brighten things up by throwing on my new pink hat (so warm and with an adorable pink pompom on it!) or my teal scarf.  This way I still fit the usual dull colors but still add my own taste to it!  I've had people tell me that I always dress in bright colors, and I like literally brightening up my own day (as well as someone else's, hopefully!).  My second complaint is that people mix black with navy with brown.  Puh-lease!  I can't stand it; I feel like that's a fashion code that even I picked up on in elementary school.  But, still, it's pretty popular here, so if I come back wearing black with brown, try to understand :)

Well, I need to go read some Thermo or Strength of Materials and do something productive, so have a fantastic weekend!

Too many mochas, too little sleep

Sooooo tired.  I was hoping to get over my caffeine addiction this semester, but so far it's been a bust.  It won't help that I picked up a box of individual mocha packets on my expensive grocery-shopping trip today.  After my 9am class today, though, I knew I needed some form of coffee at my flat.  I'm just so exhausted.  I was Skyping with my boyfriend at m6pm my time, and, as much as I love, love, LOVE talking to him, I just felt so drained the entire time.  So I tried to pump up my energy by cleaning my room (this is a rather simple task here compared to the full-weekend-project that it would be at home).  But now, two hours later, I find myself typing this blog with my mocha (which is quite tasty) sitting right next to my computer.  Fail?  Maybe.  I've been invited to go out tonight for the Aniball, where the students dress up as animals and go to the clubs, but I'm not sure I'll last until 11 or so when my flatmates head out.  Plus, I left all my zebra-print clothes (note the name of the blog) in the States :( and my clothes/costume supply is rather low here.  The only thing I could think of would be to go as a turtle (green shirt and tights with my brown knapsack as my shell).  So, since I'm not nocturnal and definitely NOT a party animal, I may just hibernate tonight.

Pun-intended & lots of love!

Double life

Sometimes I wish I was a writer.  I read my favorite blogs online and think, "What a life!"  Don't get me wrong; I love engineering!  I know you're all  thinking it --I'm a nerd.  But I can deal with that.  It's almost like I live a double life.  Grade-obsessed, problem-solving, calculator-toting engineer by day (or, to be more technical), most of the time, and photo-taking, coffee-loving, artsy blogger by night (or whenever I  can spare a few minutes away from my homework).  Not to be cheesy, but I truly have the best of both worlds.  I get to be the fashionable engineer, one of a few females in all my classes.  As one of my KKY brothers pointed out, I am the girliest engineer they know.  I'll take it!  Hate to disappoint, but I'm NOT going to be the socially-awkward engineer incapable of talking about anything other than equations or optimizations.  I admit that I do relish the moments when my program finally works or my Solidworks drawing suddenly transforms into a curved wrench (oh, yeah).  But I also love seeing my favorite pictures posted to my other blog (lisaswaleofatale.blogspot.com) and reading various fashion blogs that my amazing sister and I have stumbled upon.  So, to blogspot and all my favorite bloggers (Krista included), thank you for giving me a creative outlet!

Breaking down

I wonder if I'm falling apart.  Or at least getting sick.  That's probably more likely.  I got back from a trip to Bath (so gorgeous!) yesterday, and I was just so tired, even though it was not even seven o'clock!  I put my pics on Facebook, wrote a blog about my trip to Bath, Skyped with my boyfriend, then tried to read and go to bed.  It was midnight by the time I turned off the light, but I could not sleep.  I was hungry, so, since I was still awake at one, I got up to have some cookies and Nutella (not too healthy, but it could be worse).  I was shaking as I went down to the kitchen, got my food, and went back to my room.  I was a little unsteady, too, which really worried me.  I just felt like somewhat was so wrong.  I'm worried about it because the same thing (so far) has happened today.  I walked to Mumbles with my girlfriends, and throughout the day I had plenty of energy.  Now that I'm "home," though, I just feel entirely drained.  I hope I'm not getting sick :(

99-pence perfection

What better way to spend a Thursday afternoon than to hit up the amazing City Centre in Swansea?  We dined at a pub called the Potters Wheel on the edge of the City Centre; my burger (I am sooo American) and chips gave me all the energy I needed for an afternoon chock-full of shopping!  My first find was at some bookstore that was going out of business.  The past few days I've just had this crazy desire to buy a sketchpad in order to (attempt to) sketch some of my fashion ideas.  Even in my class this morning, I thought about how much I wished I had somewhere to sketch out some designs!  So, when I saw the sketchpad on sale for only 99 pence, I could not resist!  I guess this counts as part of my "make-myself-happy" resolution, so it was a success; I left the store feeling quite exuberant.  We browsed through the Swansea market, and while some delicious-looking pastries caught my eye, I was too full from lunch to buy anything.  Primark, a popular store in the U.K., provided an opportunity for me to buy a lot of items without breaking the bank.  It was here that I purchased the wallet shown above (I needed a new one that was thick enough to hold all the coins they have here in Wales) and the flowered headband.  Add a striped button-up shirt, and the grand total comes up to 8 pounds.  I love shopping but hate spending money, so this was perfect for me!  I finally bought a pair of jeggings at a store called New Look and was pleased to receive 20% off my purchase with my Swansea Student ID.  At my request, we ended at H&M.  How I love that store!  I managed to walk away with a long white button-up blouse, which I know will look great with tights, leggings, or my new jeggings, and a gray cardigan.  With just the purchases I made today, I feel that I finally have a wardrobe (thank goodness!).  I'm excited to be in pictures flaunting my new European style.  Now off to reading 1984 or sketching my first idea... oh, the possibilities!

Boyfriend jeans

All day I've just been dying to write a post exclaiming how excited I am to be wearing my boyfriend jeans.  Favorite pair of pants.  Ever.  I think it's because of the perfectly worn-out style.  Not to mention that they are super comfortable and stylish!  I wore them with my black mesh Toms and loved how the shoes looked with the jeans.  I'm still debating on what to wear tomorrow because my girlfriends and I have a shopping date set up after our class.  I absolutely cannot wait!  I need to get more clothes so that I don't feel like my closet is totally empty!  I was complaining about this to my boyfriend when we were skyping late last night; he is so amazing because he let me go on and on and on about clothes.  I showed him my new Swansea University sweatshirt, which is the same color as my new warm slouchy hat (can hats even be slouchy?), so we also had a discussion about all the pink things I own.  To say I have a lot of pink things would be an understatement; I'm talking iPod cover, camera, bookbag.  The cheap phone I bought to use while in Wales?  Yep, that's pink, too. While I was trying to fall asleep (it was one a.m. when I finished talking to him, so this should not have been a problem), I realized what a wonderful boyfriend he is for listening to me talk about such insignificant things without complaining.  I'm so lucky!

Fashionably European

Less than two weeks in Swansea and I'm already in love with the fashion here.  It's this crazy mixture of dressy and casual, carefully planned yet thrown together.  I've been fortunate to have multiple opportunities to people-watch, so I've noticed a few trends I want to try out while abroad.  First off, boots are a must (I think this is a sign that I chose the right place to study!).  Good thing I brought my thigh-high riding boots from home!  Due to the rather amazing City Centre in Swansea, I have already picked up an adorable pair of black ankle boots with tarnished gold accents for only £8.  Boots are the footwear of the season, and tights/leggings are the perfect compliment to them.  Girls wear them with shorts, tight skirts, and even just blouses.  I used this style as an opportunity to pull out my cuffed shorts (in January!), wearing them over my black patterned tights with my new boots.  I love that wearing leggings and a shirt is not only acceptable here; it's popular!  Along with the tight and leggings craze comes the jeggings.  In the States, I was rather leery of this new clothing item, but as the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" goes, I think I'll give them a try while in Europe!  Of course, cardigans are a must for the cool weather in Swansea.  And a great addition to any outfit, of course, is the scarf.  Scarves are practical as well as fashionable; they're a must-have accessory!  Again, I've already picked up a new scarf to add to my collection.  It's tan and blue with fringed edges and was super cheap (the best kind of fashion!).  I guess this blog post will commemorate my first day of rocking the European style!  I'm excited for an entire semester of dressing like this; I may even have to bring my Swansea style back to Iowa.

Good start

So, as I was Facebook-creeping today (not to brag, but I'm pretty decent at it), I was looking at other girls' profile pictures and thinking about how pretty/funny/cute the pictures were.  And I made a great first step towards resolution #1 (see previous blog) by going through my previous profile pictures.  I realized that, to someone who doesn't know me, I look pretty or funny or interesting or popular (What? I know, right!?).  When I logged off Facebook, I was rather happy with myself.  Resolution #1, prepare to be vanquished!

2011 Resolutions

I know it's a bit overdue (with ringing in 2011 in Chicago and starting to pack for my study abroad stint, I haven't much time to blog), but here are my resolutions for 2011.  I know that goals are supposed to be measurable, with set time spans and noticeable checkpoints along the way.  But my goals are just a little different.  Soooooooo, without further ado, my goals for 2011:

1) Love who I am.  While this is especially directed towards my physical appearance (no more hating photos of myself or worrying about being fat), it also includes being OK with my beliefs, opinions, and thoughts.  This isn't exactly an easy resolution, but I believe it's one that will make me a lot happier.

2) Do things for myself.  From here on out, I want to make myself happy.  This was mostly prompted by a not-so-little incident with my friends and family that lead to a lot of stress and tears (I was shaking I was so angry and frustrated!).  So, in 2011, I am not going to worry about pleasing anyone else.

3) Focus more on my schoolwork.  I'll admit it; my classroom etiquette sucks.  I'm either texting away or nodding off during many of my classes, and that stops now.  I'm hoping that studying in a different country (Hello, Wales!) will help me get back on track.

I'm sure that there are many more things that I can to do "make 2011 the best year yet!"  Cliché intended.  But with these 3 resolutions, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction to being the person I want to be.  I honestly can say that I don't think I've found myself yet.  I don't know who I truly am.  But these 3 steps are in the right direction.  And I love that I'm taking charge.