Day 3: A picture of your favorite TV show

I am obsessed with Criminal Minds. I absolutely love it! There is something about the nerdy Spencer Reid that is super sexy. As asllw e the hottie Derek Morgan. but it's not all abut the boys. Penelope Garcia is a great character and pretty kick ass at what she does. My favorite character though is Emily Prentiss, and with the recent news of the very next episode being her LAST I may just have to boycott the show in protest. First they send away JJ and now Emily is going to be gone. They better not kill her off though or they will have to deal with the wrath of me! :)

It's a great show. I suggest that you watch it if you never have. Also, they have just started a new version of the show called Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. They are taking a page from CSI's book apparently but so far so good. Check that one out too!

Day 2: A picture of you with the person you have been closest with the longest

I have clearly slacked on my 30 day challenge. And maybe I'm breaking the rules with this picture since it's a picture of me and 2 other people. Oh well!

These are my two older sisters, both of which are my best friends and have been there for my whole life. I think that makes them both people I am super close with. I really have no words to describe our connection. It may have been a forced connection but it is forever a connection that we will strive to maintain...by choice! :) Mad love for them!

Day 1: Picture of Yourself+15 Facts

[FIFTEEN FACTS]

1.) I'm crazy, yet, I can also be crazy shy...though I'm certain most of my friends and family would quickly disagree on the latter. At any rate, I love spending time with my friends and "going bananas" and creating lifelong memories!

2.) I love to travel. No matter the distance or the reason, as long as I am traveling I am happy. I have been fortunate enough to travel to several countries in Europe as well as live in the Czech Republic for 5 months during a semester studying abroad. I strongly believe that traveling to other countries, or even states, that differ culturally from what a person is accustomed to enhances our ability to appreciate our own culture as well as those around around us.

3.) I'm a AVID hockey fan. I love it. I have season tickets to the Nashville Predators even though I cannot attend most games not that I live in Chicago. However, I try to plan my trips home accordingly. ;) You might be curious as to how a girl from TN became such a huge hockey fan. My dad played at Michigan State. Enough said.

4.) Writing is my passion. I want to shape my future career around writing, whether it be writing for a magazine, a newspaper, greeting card haha...anything to do with writing. Or perhaps a career that allows me to have time for writing my own personal essays. After all, nonfiction is my preferred genre. And this also goes hand in hand with traveling. I am more inspired when traveling than anything else.

5.) I am a proud member of Kappa Delta Sorority. I joined as a freshman in college and still love to tell people of all the exciting things a sorority has given me. I marvel in the fact that I have a special bond with thousands of women all over the country. But none will ever be as special as my Gamma Xi girls! <3AOT

6.) My bachelor's degree is in English-Creative Writing and I am currently working on my Master's degree which will be in Writing and Publishing. If I survive Graduate School.

7.) 80s movies are the best. The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, Back to The Future (all 3)....the list is endless. I love them all. If you have a favorite let me know cause if I haven't seen it I will check it out.

8.) 80s music is also pretty amazing. I like 90s music as well. To be completely honest, my taste in music is very eclectic. I have a weakness for Eminem and I'm currently on a Florence+The Machine kick. Once again, who's your favorite? I'm always up for new tunes.

9.) I have two older sisters. Both of which I fought with many times while growing up. I of course won every time. But now we fight a lot less and actually enjoy each other's company. We are best friends and I wouldn't have it any other way.

10.) My taste in beer differs from most people I know. After living in Prague I acquired a taste for strong beer. Czech, German, Irish...I prefer heavy imports. However, my new-found favorite is brewed in Boston. Harpoon UFO Raspberry. Simply delicious! :)

11.) I also enjoy reading. I can't pick a favorite book though because there's just too many great ones. Once again, have any good reads? I'll look into them!

12.) My friends are my world! Old ones, new ones, related ones, lost ones. Every friend I've ever had has made an impact on my life. Without them, I wouldn't have all the great memories that I have or make the ones I know we'll make in the future.

13.) I have a strange obsession with the Holocaust. I am a firm believer that we must fully educate ourselves on the mistakes from our past in order to prevent them from repeating. It was a horrible thing, unimaginable really. But knowledge is the only thing that can help us learn. History cannot repeat itself. We cannot let it.

14.) I switched school in Jr high to play soccer. I love the sport. But I gave it up after my freshman yr of college. It wasn't fun for me anymore and my grades were too important to me so I gave it up. I miss it everyday. Every single day.

15.) I lack self-confidence when it comes to my ability to succeed in a writing career. This is something that can destroy my future in such a field because confidence is key.

Believe it or not this was somewhat hard. Which is why some of the facts are random. But, facts nonetheless.

30 Day Picture Challenge

A few of my friends are posting this picture challenge on their Facebook pages, but I decided I needed to add more to my blog so I'm posting it here.


These are the rules. Enjoy! And be sure to check back daily for new pics!

A Children's Book Every Child (and adult) Should Read

Everyone has days that are less than perfect. In Alexander's case, he is having the worst day ever. But throughout all of his mishaps, he realizes that he doesn't have it that bad at the end the end of the day. The message is one that every kid (and quite possibly adult) could hear everyday. No one has a perfect day everyday. But that is the beauty of life...we get to learn from our mistakes and our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days so that we can have wonderful, excellent, marvelous, very best days. :)

When one door closes...hopefully the next is easily unlocked!

I recently graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in English/Creative Writing. It was a bittersweet ending for many reasons but more importantly it opened my life up to many different options. I dappled with the idea of teaching English abroad but when push came to shove I decided I wasn't quite ready to give up my desire to learn or the yearning to keep my creative journey growing.



Thanks to a random google search dealing with graduate programs, I stumbled upon DePaul University and learned they offer an MA program in Writing and Publishing. The next thing I know, I am registered for an information session. My mom and aunt made the trip to Chicago with me and along the way we had a few strange side adventures. Each of which made the trip more memorable. While at the info session I quickly became aware of three things. 1) DePaul's Writing and Publishing program was basically designed for me (maybe not technically, but you get my drift). 2) This was the program I needed to attend in order to accomplish my career and personal goals. & 3) I may as well not apply because the acceptance rate is not promising!



Secretly, (ok not so secretly...more like to the knowledge of less than 5 people) I applied to the program with the plan of never telling anyone (besides the few people who knew) that I even applied. Then I waited. The process is said to take 6 weeks but to my surprise I was informed a decision had been made within 3 weeks. However, I did not actually receive my letter in the mail for another 2 weeks. To my surprise and relief, I was accepted!!!



Just when I thought the waiting game was over, I sit here now still waiting for January to arrive which is when I will start my graduate education at DePaul University. However, the waiting game is much easier now that I know the new door has been unlocked and is simply waiting for me to walk through it!