a rose by any other name probably would not smell as sweet.

so i have been feeling sentimental lately. there are so many things going on around me that are just oozing with love and strong feelings. i am just going to make a little list, because what cannot be solved with a list? 

1. my sister's wedding (clearly some love going on there)
2. my best friends being so far away (okay, distance is relative but they are not living with me anymore)
3. my man being so far away (i guess this is normal for our relationship but i will never get used to it)
4. leaving my mamma (she is loosing my sister to Rich and me to South America)

sentimental love can turn cliche quickly; but the thing about cliches, they are cliche for a reason... because they are often desired no matter how hard we try to deny them. i mean, what girl doesn't want their man to show up with roses? (Especially when they are in a monster energy drink bottle and the roses are hand picked from rose bushes in his back yard) 

and recently i was looking for craft projects on etsy, something to occupy my time while i sit a home in a slight boredom. and i realized the unique handmade rings were really fascinating. i recommend searching them sometime (maybe a future blog post) but i wanted to make something unique and i saw some wire sitting on my desk (and no this is not strange, probably the most normal thing on my desk) so i decided to curl some wire. 

the first two roses feature two wire curled rings, the out of focus one is a spiral knot, the close one is clearly spun into an RW (you decided if they are my initials or Rob's)

the dried flowers are from a wedding i shot at and the carnations are from the Spanish and Education Honors Societies and the white rose is from my sisters. 

i and love and you. could be turned into a necklace. 

gotta love my artist studio/bedroom that was taken over by an explosion of art supplies

cliches: rings, love, flowers, iconic color change in photos, 'artsy' shots...

the list could go on, but the best thing is that it doesn't matter. if love makes you happy, go with it. 

happiness is only real when shared, 

rach

"talking about the way things change"

The song Rivers and Roads by the Head and the Heart became climbing bum, Cody and I's theme song during our Appalachian trail trip.  For some reason I just cannot get this band out of my head. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they are opening for Dave Matthews Band on June 29th, the same concert that my man got tickets for. 

But I think the self titled Head and the Heart album is a perfect summer album.  The band isn't the most current (2009) but this Seattle band with their indie-folk style can sing right into your heart and expand the thoughts in your brain. I would have to say, the band name is spot on. 

As we pass Rivers and Roads this summer, my wish is to see everyone slow their thoughts and be intentional with your feelings. Roadtrips are always the way to calm oneself. Thoughts can flow out the window like your hand catching the wind. Your heart can swell from the love you get when your favorite Dave songs comes on the radio, or you get a secret smile from the driver or the sun is your favorite shade of yellow.  Roadtrips have always been the ultimate source of freedom, so it seems fitting for a stagnant summer that is full of somewhat stressful planning for studying abroad. 

These photos are not the way to have a roadtrip. These photos are ONE way to have a roadtrip. Never try to recreate a trip, Jack Kerouac's way is not your way. You must take your own road. 

"Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road." -Jack Kerouac

 "Live, travel, adventure, bless, don't be sorry." - Jack Kerouac 

 "There was no where to go but everywhere, so we just kept on rolling under the stars." -Jack Kerouac 

 "Happiness consists of realizing that it's all a strange dream" -Jack Kerouac 

get on the road, 

rach

"on a night like this..."

just a little late night lovin.
i know i am a day late. and by a day i mean 6ish minutes.
the world needs to know.
to celebrate.
71 years ago...
the enigma.
the legend.
the peacemaker.
the hell-raiser.
the lover.
the fighter.
the singer.
the poet.
Bob Dylan was born.

"well i'd do anything in this godalmighty world if you'd just let me follow you down"

"well i know that highway like the back of my hand"

"come gather round people, wherever you roam"

"the same thing that i want today, i would want again tomorrow"

"i'm one too many mornings and a thousand steps behind"

"well i ain't sayin you treated me unkind, you could've done better, but, i don't mind. you just kinda wasted my precious time. but don't think twice, it's alright." 

you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows,
rach

song of the day

today's song: "in these arms" by the swell season

tonight just feels appropriate for snuggling on my couch with some ice cream and sleepy music. this song set the mood perfectly. now i just need to find a cuddle partner.

have a wacky wednesday,
hill

there and back again, a summer tail by rachael dawn.

my summer begins. catching up on hills posts inspired me to drop my bags fully packed and breathe before I unpack everything I own.  the past few weeks have been a blur of ups and downs, beautiful pleasures and terrifying moments. the summary of my schedule so far:

1. finals week. self explanatory, though I did get a 95% on my math final. much better than my last test... did someone say 57%? 
2. Marah. a beautiful westminster gal's parents were killed in an instantaneous head on collision on their way to pick Marah up. although these are moments of pain and sorrow, it shows us what a community of love exists at our school. 
3. virginia. immediately after my math final, I jumped into a van, crashed at a random guys house and hiked for 2 days on the trail head of Damascus on the Appalachian trail. 
4. north carolina. smelly from the AT, it was off to NC for some dangerously crazy fun white water kayaking on the the rivergreen. met chris gallaway, famous documentary maker and 'yaker who taught my to paddle. also met dantheman.
5. Jenny. a titan traverse veteran, lost her mom (on mother's day) to a midnight motorcycle crash. 
6. back. to westminster to car pull to Jenny's mom's viewing. pain like this should not be public, or exist at all. 
7. shower. from pain to love, I went to my sisters bridal shower and helped her accept gifts (something she cannot do) and tell her that even if that picture frame was $100 it is a wedding gift and she must thank them for it. 
8. state college. caught a ride with my sister to her new house in center of the state. crashed on her couch and ate Chipotle burritos with her fiance. 
9. the man. stayed with my other half at his house. when he picked me up he gave me roses from his garden in an energy drink bottle. he just makes me feel better. picked flowers for him mom, got attacked by ducks and watched the princess bride. as you wish Rob, as you wish.  
10. there and back again. now I am just waiting to be picked up from Justine's by ma and dad. who knows what else is in store. 

pictures from my various trips are in the works. here is a teaser photo. 

may flowers and sometimes showers, 

rach

song/artist/album of the day

yes, ladies and gents. it's that time of the every 2-3 year period that Mr. Mayer releases a new album...

This song off "born and raised" (released today) is called "love is a verb" and it's probs my favorite so far after a 3 complete listens of the album. the lyrics are just...wonderful (as usual). i like how he pretty much makes fun of Ke$ha and T Swift. Yes. He's finally getting back at her for writing "Dear John" (thank the Lord). Ke$ha reference: "love ain't a drug; despite what you've heard"; T Swift reference: "love ain't a thing." (also, sorry it's live...this is the only youtube version i could find)

So go buy the album. It will make your day. Promise. I honestly was nervous to listen to it because the reviews made it sound SO country and western style but actually, it might almost be as good as Continuum....My only complaint is it could use one more really uptempo song. But I think for John, it's a good transition into real adulthood after his whole Rolling Stone scandal a few years ago. Still love ya John. You're great. Just please cut your hair and stop looking like a bad version of Johnny Depp. Not working for ya...(oh ps I just posted this on my personal blog, so i copy and pasted...) :

 if i had to make a JM top 10...

i figured since his new album “born and raised” was released today (and is WAYYYY better than I expected…shoulda listened to rolling stone..) i would make a top 10 of my fav john mayer songs. so here is my list. it’s subject to change…(this is only including his past albums, not the new one)

1. in your atmosphere

2. gravity

3. clarity

4. stop this train

5. why georgia

6. slowing dancing in a burning room

7. who says

8. edge of desire

9. i don’t trust myself (with loving you)

10. comfortable

and some essential hits: no such thing, your body is a wonderland, belief, vultures, something’s missing

**album ranking** 

1. continuum

2. heavier things

4. battle studies

5. room for squares

my predictions for “born and raised”: the album will be moved to slot #2, possibly #1.  songs that have the potential for top 10: love is a verb, queen of california, if i ever get around to living, speak for me, something like olivia

soothe your soul with JM,

hill

summertime and the livings easy

here it is. the second official week of summer for those Westminster peeps.  and i'm starting to drift into that weepy mood where you realize that you won't be seeing most of your friends for a very long time. and for kelcey, rach and me, it's an extremely long time.  thankfully i'll be at Westminnie the first week of classes, but then i won't see anyone again until january...that's almost like...A YEAR! AH. 

basically, i'm freaking out because i don't have anything to do this summer because A) i haven't applied for a job B) most of my high school friends will be out of town C) neither of my parents are taking a vacation because they are helping me pay for scotland and D) i need to save money, so therefore, i'll probs be stuck at home most of this summer until i find a job.

last summer i said i would NEVER spend another year in good ole new wilmy, but alas, here i sit in my kitchen.  maybe it's because deep at the core i'm terrified to explore by myself. maybe it's because i'm too attached to my roots. maybe it's because i'm scared that i'll find a place so awesome, i'll never want to come home. whatever the reason, i'm here and i only have myself to blame.

here's my plan.  i'm gonna do things i have lost touch with since high school because of the crazy amounts of awesomeness that happens at college. i'm gonna start working out again on a daily basis (alex taylor and i have already been doing extreme ab workouts...), i'm gonna eat lots of fruits and vegetables, start doing yoga twice a week, read books for pleasure (i have a goal of 25 books this summer...adding a list at the bottom), starting cooking dinner each night (already started doing this and I LOVE IT), write letters to people far away, finish re-doing my room, get a nice tan by spending lots of time outside, and apply for 12 scholarships for scotland.

so here's to another summer in my hometown. i may not want to be here, but i'm gonna do my best to make it a successful & happy summer full of self-improvement. next year i vow to be out of this town for a month or 2. scotland kinda screwed everything up, but i'm not complaining. 

happy summer,

hill

summer reading list:

1. just in case - meg rosoff (DONE)

2. mockingjay - suzanne collins

3. the stranger - albert camus

4. the complete collection of sherlock holmes

5. the complete collection of edgar allen poe

6. slaughterhouse five - kurt vonnegut

7. the catcher in the rye -J.D. salinger

8. 1984 - george orwell

9. the mysterious affair at styles - agatha christie

10. the princess bride - william goldman

11. the kite runner - khaled hosseini

12. a thousand splendid suns - khaled hosseini

13. the shining - stephen king

14. salem's lot -stephen king

15. eat, pray, love -elizabeth gilbert

16. into the wild - jon krakauer

17. sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs: a low culture manifesto - chuck klosterman

18. blue like jazz - donald miller

19. the best of me - nicholas sparks

20. have a little faith - mitch albom

21. after the funeral - agatha chrisite

22. extras - scott westerfeld

23. another side of paradise - f. scott fitzgerald

24. hallowe'en party - agatha christie

25. lock and key - sarah dessen

i'll give it a shot

this is what happens when you don't get along with technology. i have tried, oh believe me, to become tech-savvy. but no cigar.
don't get me wrong, i like technology (for the most part) i do hate the fact that our printer will not print out my final papers that are due tomorrow morning, incurring an unnecessary trip to the library early in the morning. but there are some thing i really enjoy about the modern tech.

1. Blogging. Duh.
2. Pintrest. Too much fun
3. Instagram (for iPhones)

now, i am not smart enough to have an iPhone, nor do i have enough money. but if i did, i would take so many pictures all of the time.

but seeing as i have a LD/MR (is that insensitive?) phone, i decided that i needed to find my own way to 'instagram' my photos. i am not crazy about online photo editing and always feel like others over-do-it.

my goal was to find a way to alter my photographs in a natural way, one that would still showcase the natural beauty of the photo and ability of the photographer. so i was looking around theindieattic for things with texture, mainly to just take photos with and i stumbled upon my large collection of tights... yes, i have too many, now that's out there in the open, we can proceed and see what i came up with...

purple lace tights gives a sepia-like tone

i stretched tights of multiple shades and patterns over the lens of my camera , enough to play with the color but not mess with the focus. not bad iPhone, eh?

theindieattic through black lace tights

some more lace, a bit more abstract, why not?

purple haze, inside the attic

go get your imagination on

take a picture, call me lata, duh.
rach

the pursuit of happiness

What does it mean to be happy? How do you know if you're actually happy? Why does it seem like almost everyone around you is unhappy? or maybe everyone around you is "too happy" for you to handle.

But here's the thing.  Happiness is what you make it.  It's easy to be happy, you just have to allow yourself to find happiness in even some of the darkest areas of your life.  Pessimism seems to be a major problem in America; People complain on a daily basis about insignificant things.  Sometimes you just have to put life in perspective and realize, as an American, you're privileged.  This doesn't mean you can't be sad sometimes or get upset over something little that happens, it just means that you can't dwell on your sadness.  I'm being extremely cliche but it's true.

If you WANT to be happy, then BE happy!! Seriously. Sit down right now and grab a piece of paper and a pen.  Write down everything you can think of in the next 5 minutes that makes you happy, or is currently making you happy.  Here's my list:

wearing headphones to block out titan radio to listen to jack white's new cd, recycled water bottles filled with ice water, watching other groups of friends giggling over inside jokes, candlelit bubble baths, being an English major, finishing a bio exam, looking forward to nap time after lab, t-shirt and jeans kinda weather, sitting on the quad daydreaming, comfy pants, wearing my mom's jewelry, walking to class, listening to a newly released album for the first time, taking the wrapper off a starburst with my tongue, Brandon Kennedy's midnight patchouli perfume, holding hands with alex when we're trying not to laugh, ben & jerry ice cream and movie nights, looking through old yearbooks, receiving a compliment from the most unexpected person, being on the cusp of summer vacation, the refreshing feeling that comes with starting a new month, being almost one year away from 21, dancing like a silly fool to dubstep music, acting like an idiot in public and not caring about anyone's opinion, wearing a new scarf, the smell of freshly cut grass in the summer, licking rainbow sprinkles off ice cream cones, getting in contact with an old friend, making the perfect mixed cd, hugging someone for no reason at all, sitting alone in WOW and enjoying my own company.


It's as simple as that.  Making a list of little things like that makes you realize there is SO MUCH to be happy about!  It's easy to let something silly ruin your day.  But I promise if you take 5 minutes, even just 1 to make a happy list, your mood will increase exponentially.  Become a believer in the happy list.  Thanks to Rachael for introducing me to this little trick.  The next time you're feeling blue for no reason, the happy list will give you a reason to smile.

happy almost summer,
hill