I’ve been so distracted by VEDA lately that I’ve been neglecting my blog. So to start things back up here, I’m going to follow Nora’s lead and jump on the Ten on Tuesday bandwagon for the first time.
1. Pretend it’s Monday morning–take us through a day in the life of you.
Yesterday? Alarm went off at 7:30am, crawled out of bed, showered, coffee, got ready, vlogged, got to work around 9:30, checked email, finished up paperwork, saw some kiddos, got off work around 6:00, went to the gym, showered, made dinner, played online, went to bed around 11:00.
2. What’s your favorite reality tv show?
I hate to even call it reality TV, but The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I love it so much and plan my Monday schedule around it. “This is the final rose.” So intense. Also, Cape Cod Chris, I’m single, FYI.
3. What motto do you live by? There’s a quote by E.B. White that a love… “I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” It expresses everything I want to be.
4. If you knew could you try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt?
I’d want to be an Olympic gymnast, hike up Mount Everest, become a certified scuba diver, learn to speak fluent French, and open my own private practice.
5. What was your first job?
I was a nanny for three boys during the summer after my freshman year of college.
6. What is your current job?
I’m a counselor at a non-profit agency. I work with kids that have been removed from their homes and are staying at an emergency shelter.
7. What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name (and you cannot pick the one you already have)?
I’ve always loved the names Caroline and Catelyn, but I’m not sure they fit me. My dad wanted to name me Emily, so that might be okay, too.
8. What musical instruments can you play?
Umm, none. I’m still slowly learning the guitar, but at this rate it will take me a decade. I also wish I could play the piano and drums. I’d start my own band.
9. Is it easier to forgive or forget? Forget. If I’m really upset it takes me a long time to completely forgive. But once I do, you’re forgiven forever, and I’ll likely forget it happened.
10. What is one food you’d never want to taste again?
Black Licorice. Blech. Just the thought of it makes me crinkle my face in disgust. Eww.
Today’s VEDA topic was People Who Inspire You and I talked about my favorite bloggers. I’m not even going to try to say it again because it would just come out as a jumbled mess. You all know you are awesome. Here’s what I had to say about my favorites. Love your faces.
Amber- Your posts about your marathon training encourage me to keep going, even when I feel like quitting. I’d be lying if I didn’t think about you when I’m sweating on the treadmill and wanting to give up. You inspire me to go that extra mile.
Ashley- You inspire me to listen to that feeling, that never-ending urge to travel. I love that you quit your job and went backpacking through Europe. I want to do that. You’ve taught me that I don’t need to stay in one place if I’m not happy and that there are millions of opportunities for us if we just look for them.
Ashley- You inspire me to be more authentic. When I first started reading your blog I immediately felt that you were genuine, real, and honest and those are the qualities I admire most in a person. Then I fell in love with your face during #winetoreach and even more so during VEDA. Seriously though, you inspire me to continue paying off my student loan debt (YAY I’M NOT ALONE!) and remind me that one day I WILL PAY IT OFF. You also kind of inspired me to start loving Edward. So thanks for that.
Bri- I’ve loved seeing your beautiful face every day this month. Your energy is huge and addictive and I love that about you. Your jokes keep me laughing throughout the day and your openness and optimism inspire to me to be more, well, open and optimistic. You also won’t let me settle for less than I deserve which I should probably thank you for that a million times over. Thank you times a million. And one.
Kyla- Your creativity combined with your love of the simple pleasures in life continuously blows me away. Besides writing one of my favorite blogs, you’ve also inspired me to start growing me very first herbs and I love watering my four little pots and watching the sprouts begin to grow. It sounds a bit funny, but you’ve taught me to be more patient, more calm, and find happiness in new places.
Mandy- When we meet I’m giving you a huge hug, just to warn you. I’ve been reading your blog for forever it seems, and I still smile during every single post. You’re reflective and you’re not afraid of putting your feelings out there. I love that you share the fun times you have with your family, as well as the struggles and uncertainty you feel about the future. It’s refreshingly real.
Maris- I’m so sad that we aren’t able to have our wine and cheese happy hours like we always did in New York, but I’m happy that you’re happy in Chicago. I remember when we first met and our blogs were babies. And now, you’re practically food blogger famous! Your dedication inspires me to write about what I love, even if I don’t think anyone will read it.
Nicole- You inspire me to live my life out loud, without cares. I love that you aren’t afraid to say what you’re thinking, to do what you want, and to blog about it. I want to be like you in my next life. You’re honest, even if it’s brutal, and that’s major bravery.
Nora- It’s so crazy to think that we met through blogging, but I really consider you one of my best friends. Your calm presence, the fact that you’re always ready to listen, and your genuine empathy for others are what I love most about you. I cannot wait to see you again so we can drink more wine, sing more songs (we can branch out and sing more than just Hanson), and have more late night slumber party chats.
Peter- You’re the best writer I know. Seriously. Your stories always make me smirk a little, and then smile a little bigger, and then laugh. Out loud. I don’t understand how all those ideas pop into your head. You have a way with words that makes my mind do somersaults and back flips and happy dances. Really, you just inspire me to want to be a better writer.
Pham- You’re one of my newer blog friends (also, thanks for starting VEDA with Ashley!), but you still made the cut for people that inspire me, so that means you must be pretty cool. Your videos are hilarious (I laugh out loud at each one), but at the same time I hate how awesome you are every. single. day. Teach me your ways, please. So yeah, you inspire me to be a better vlogger. And then go and you tweet me tissues and prove that you’re a nice guy too.
Yesterday was my sister’s 21st birthday and I feel so bad that I got distracted by work and VEDA and gchat and kind of forgot to blog about it (I did call her, text her and facebook her, so it kind of makes up for it). But, Happy Birthday, Sisterface!!! Today we have super fun plans to go shopping together (new dresses!) and then tonight we’re going downtown with her friends and it’s going to be awesome. Or a trainwreck. But it will still be awesome because it’s her birthday.
And since I’m the older, wiser, cuter, smarter, (sometimes) more mature sister, I am going to pass along my top five pieces of sisterly advice.
1. Don’t be (too) stupid. Mistakes are all a part of growing up, so I encourage a few bad decisions (stay out too late and eat that extra piece of pizza), but don’t be stupid. Don’t walk home alone late at night. Don’t drive drunk. Don’t let your friends drive drunk. Lock your door. Don’t get into the car with a random boy you just met at the bar. Don’t drop out of school because you’re bored. Don’t start a fight. Wear your seat belt. And don’t eat leftovers that have been in your fridge for over a week.
2. While you’re not being stupid, stay busy having fun! Go on lots of dates. Laugh. Go to happy hour with your friends. Take a road trip (or three). Do lots of car dancing. Eat ice cream. Go on picnics. Play hide-and-seek. Run through the sprinklers. Go on hikes. Listen to good music. Read a book. Build a fort in your living room. Travel. Have a water balloon fight. Go to a museum. Cook yourself dinner from scratch. (If it turns out horrible you can always go to Taco Cabana!) Do what makes you happy.
3. Boys are trouble. You’re still young enough to think “Oh! Boys! They’re fun!” and yes, they’re fun to have around sometimes (and to make out with), but really, they’re just trouble. The good ones will tell you this is true. They say sweet things and make you smile and laugh, but then they’ll be stupid and y’all will fight, and he’ll slam the door as he’s walking away. Avoid those types. You’ll learn this lesson many times over the the next few years, but listen to my advice and maybe you’ll save your heart from being crushed that one extra time.
4. Make best friends. They will probably know you better than you know yourself. They will listen when you need to talk, they will give you advice when you need it, they will laugh and smile with you and when you’re happy, and hug you when you’re sad. You’ll need these people more than you know and you will love them.
5. Allow yourself to feel. There are going to be times when you’re on-top-of-the-world happy and that’s fabulous, but there will also those I-want-to-crawl-under-the-covers-and-hide-because-life-sucks kind of days. On those days, embrace it. Don’t hide from yourself. The darkest days, the ones when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, those days teach you the most. It’s not fun, but you learn what you’re capable of and I think that’s sort of the most important thing you need to know about yourself.
I love you, sisterface. I hope your 21st year is your best yet! Now let’s go get a sno-cone!
Okay, first things first. Tabitha is the winner for the free pair of Gap jeans! E-mail me [ashleyasaurora(at)gmail(dot)com] your address and I’ll get the coupon in the mail to you asap! Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations, Tabitha!
So, I know I’ve been falling a bit behind on this blog lately, but it’s for a very good reason. All my time and energy has been going toward VEDA, which you should definitely check out all the videos if you haven’t already. We’re having so much fun getting to know each other and last night’s #winetoreach was amaaaazing. Video chatting? Seriously, so much fun.
If you need more convincing, Ashley’s vlog represents it perfectly.
And here are some other fun videos:
See how much fun it is?! We’re already half way through August and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when VEDA is over. I think I might just have to keep vlogging because it really is that awesome.
According to Roman mythology Aurora is the goddess of the dawn. She renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun. I hope to do the same.
