Cliche thoughts

At the close of the year, I have the same cliche thoughts as everyone else:

"This year sure has flown by!"

"There is so much I should have done or wanted to do but didn't."

"Time seems to go by faster the older I get."

At first, I feel as if I need to have some tidbits of unique wisdom or witty remarks about starting 2015 with a bang, but then I stop and realize that there's a reason these thoughts are cliche. It's because they are true. While not all cliches are true, there is a reason that most become benal and overused, and it is because they express feelings that many people have. So, it's okay to have these feelings. If you are having these same thoughts, you're not alone. It's okay to have these cliche thoughts as long as all of your actions that follow are your own and you are not setting certain goals and nurturing particular dreams just because they are cliche and "everyone else" has them.

I've been thinking. God gives everyone the same amount of time every year, every month, every day; no one gets any more than anyone else. It moves past us all at the same rate. I can see the changes time brings but I cannot stop it from moving any more than I can see the wind. All I and anyone else can do is to make the most out of my time. Another trite saying, I know, but still true. It seems as if some people have extra time to do all of these amazing things, but really they just manage their time well enough to get those things done. I know I need to work on that.

Being away at college has taught me to value the people in my life more than ever and to cherish the time I have with them. Having big dreams and lofty goals is good and even necessary, but I cannot get so caught up in those big things that I lose sight of the small things that are right in front of me. 

Now, I would love to hear from you:

What are your thoughts on new year's resolutions? If you have any, what are they?

What are some cliche sayings you never want to hear again? Why?

What are some of your big dreams for your life?

Christmas-y things

Baking Christmas cookies. 

Celebrating multiple December birthdays.

Seeing family members play basketball.

Wrapping gifts. 

Church Christmas activities.

 Finally being home after my first semester of college. 

Lots (and lots and lots) of Hallmark Christmas movies because why not.

Staring at bright Christmas lights.

Reminiscing past Christmas adventures.

Wishing for snow so we can have a white Christmas.

Packages in the mail.

Window shopping.

Little adventures like riding the carousel at the mall, playing my four-year-old sister in Wii bowling, and bringing whatever siblings are around to the grocery store for that one item I need.

Christmas break has been wonderful so far. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thankful Thursday // 3

I was all excited to start my Thankful Thursday series, and I missed three in a row. Oh, well. Life happens, which is why I have a lot of things for today's (one day late) post.

14. Skyping with family and friends.

15. Snow!

16. Music that helps me focus and music that gets me excited.

17. Learning how to better skim textbooks while still actually learning.

18. Getting along better with my roommate.

19. Bursts of inspiration for blog posts when I actually sit down to write.

20. Fun times in the dishroom.

21. A birthday package from my family.

22. The color purple.

23. So many people showering me with love on my birthday.

24. People who go out of their way to be kind.

25. Having unexpected free time due to cancelled classes.

26. Biting wind that makes me feel more alive.

27. God's Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman. I just started it, but I already love it.

28. Being able to help others with homework they're struggling with.

29. A sister who will fangirl with me.

30. Old friends and memories.

31. Discovering new music.

32. Apple cinnamon tea.

33. Being away from my family and friends for months made me realize how grateful I am for them.

34. Fruit.

35. Being able to bless other people through gift giving.

36. The excitement of Christmas break almost starting is what is getting me through these last couple of weeks.

37. An amazing field trip to New York City and finally being able to visit the Met museum.

38. Friends to belly laugh with. It had been too long.

39. Warm clothing on chilly days.

40. A sweet package from a sweet friend. 

41. Christmas lights and music.

42. Technology that allows me to instantly connect with both people I have known my whole life and people I have never met in person.

43. Finally getting paid.

44. Flavored sparkling water.

Playlist and shuffle

Some days are playlist days and some are shuffle play days.

Sometimes I crave predictability; I want to know what is coming and who I will come in contact with. Everyone and everything is neatly organized and is nice and orderly.

Other days, things are more unpredictable, with many mood shifts and unexpected events. 

As much as I might like to have lots of playlist days, more and more often I find myself having shuffle days. I don't know what is coming next, and I need to be okay with that. I can't control everything, and I shouldn't try.

Vlog 6 // Delight

Now for all of the links I promised...

The Last Goodbye. So, so wonderful and sad all at once.

Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman

Blog posts: A Woman who Loves // Because of the Cold // Honesty in Pain // Beautiful Things //

Delight Blog

Delight Fundraiser

What have you enjoyed this week?

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

My flaws and faults

Have you ever noticed that the people who are most similar to us tend to frustrate us the most? There are some things that I do that I know I shouldn't, so I get more upset with people who do those things. 

Why is this? I tell myself that it's because I don't want others to make the same mistakes I do, especially when they are younger than me, like my siblings.

But really, I think it's because seeing others do things that I do forces me to confront my flaws and faults, the ones that I try to keep hidden. 

Next time I find myself getting frustrated at someone for this, I need to stop. Stop getting angry. Stop telling myself that I have good reasons to be upset. Then I need to start asking God to help me change my own ways before I expect other people to change.

I don't know why exactly I am sharing this on here. Maybe because I want to be honest with all of you. Maybe because I hope I am not the only one who does this. Maybe to encourage you that you are not alone in this struggle. Maybe so that we can help each other.

Matthew 7:3-5

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

{insert poetic thoughts}

Am I supposed to have lofty, poetic thoughts on my birthday? As I sit in my dorm lounge, eating pumpkin pie ice cream, and watching The Voice, I have no poetic thoughts. It's been an ordinary day, for the most part. Good, but ordinary. A lot of people let me know they love me, but my day looked the same as usual. Class. Work. Homework. Netflix. Treating myself to ice cream. 

I'm 19 now, which is hard to believe. But that's it. No big thoughts or keen insights now that I am a year older. Just some passing thoughts on a chilly November day. 

weekly wrap-up // playlist

reading: The Two Towers // What you need to know to love better // That we should be called "His!" // Take responsibility for your failed relationships //
watching: Arrow // Once upon a time // Tim Hawkins // Forrest Gump // Agents of Shield //
loving: early birthday cards // new yarn // ice cream // wool socks when the heater doesn't work // skype calls with family and friends // Delight and Be's new blog and wonderful posts //
sights: the first snow // the first snow melting // books, books, and more books for class, plus a lot of maps //
laughing at: the fire alarm going off when my roommate and I try to turn on the heat // fellow cafeteria workers climbing into dishroom sinks to clean walls // Tim Hawkins and Michael Jr. youtube videos //
accomplished: this week's required reading (I only managed to get it done by knitting while I read. Otherwise, I would have been so bored I couldn't make it through) // a lot of work on some custom orders //

What have you been doing this week?

Thankful Thursday // 2

7. Time to be alone

8. The calm that knitting brings.

9. Good conversations over meals.

10. Home-baked goodies.

11. Coffee. I've never been much of a coffee person, 

but I got some one day and really enjoyed it.

12. Pumpkin pie ice cream.

13. Field trips and spending time with different people.

Vlog 5 // Thriftbooks

Hello, all! Here's another vlog for you all. Let me know what your favorites this week have been!

Also, I just installed Disqus to use in the comments. I love that you will be notified when your comments are replied to so the comment section can become more of a conversation and less of a one-sided thing.

You can check out thriftbooks here if you're interested. Warning: it is addicting.

Thankful Thursday // 1

1. A job here at school.

2. Beautiful sunlight, even on cold days.

3. Relaxing afternoons with not much homework.

4. New friends to laugh with.

5. Soothing, peaceful music and new journals.
6. Professors who let me knit during class.

weekly wrap-up // Wednesday edition

reading: The Two Towers || Luke and Numbers for Bible classes ||
watching: Doctor Who || Once Upon a Time || Agents of Shield || Mulan 2 ||
listening: Give me Jesus - Acapella || Be Thou My Vision || Broken Vow - Josh Groban || Christmas music || I Need Thee - Fernando Ortega ||
enjoying: weekend fun with new friends || quiet dorm rooms when people leave for the weekend || comfy blankets on chilly nights || dressing up as Rosie the Riveter || knitting socks || journaling more regularly ||
accomplished: new Etsy product photos and listings || my first shifts working in the cafeteria ||
needing to: finish reading Numbers || vacuum || spend time reading "just for fun" books || turn off my phone and computer sometimes || make time for people ||
colors: evergreen || sky blue || yellow || gray ||
scents: emergen-c, orange flavored || wild berry tea || apple cinnamon air freshener || chocolate ||
sights: sunny, cold fall days || classrooms and whiteboards || street lights through the blinds || costumes ||

November goals

I cannot believe it's November already. I just can't. Where did this year go?

To help me focus on getting things done this month instead of the vague "someday", I wrote out a few goals for this month. Most of them are related to my Etsy shop since Christmas is quickly approaching (51 days. I haven't had the countdown on my phone since the middle of October or anything...), but here they are!

1. Take pictures and upload Etsy listings. I either need to manage self portraits without a tripod or convince a friend to be a model. We will see.

2. Do not buy yarn unless it is for a custom order. I'm so bad about shopping for yarn online, especially when I receive promo codes or coupons, but I need to resist the urge unless it is necessary. 

3. Finish custom orders I have currently. I have a couple of custom orders for my shop, and I need to get them done in time to ship them before Christmas. 

4. Plan and start making Christmas gifts. Should I have thought of this before? Yes. However, I am a deluded soul who thinks she can knit faster than she can. I do have several long drives ahead during Thanksgiving break...

5. Finish reading The Two Towers. I'm about halfway through. It's one of those books where I know the ending, so I don't move through it as quickly as I do other books that I don't know the outcome.

6. Complete all schoolwork on time. I've been good at this so far, but procrastination tends to happen more as the semester goes on. 

7. Exercise at least twice a week. This may not seem like a lot, but it's more than I am doing right now, and it needs to happen even more now that I have a drawer full of candy. 

They say seven is the number of completion and perfection, so I will stop right there. We'll see how I did on the other side of this month.

Do you have any goals for this month?

Do something

-Take time to be away from other people, both physically and through technology. Pray. Read. Write. Sit and do nothing. Even extroverts need some alone time every once in a while.

-Do something just for you, not to share on Instagram.

-Don't be ashamed of the things you enjoy. If you like"stereotypical white girl" things like Starbucks and flannels, embrace it. But do so because you genuinely enjoy those things, not because everyone else and their second cousin claims to love them.

-Step off the sidewalk to walk on the grass. Go out of your way to step on that crunchy leaf.

-Cry during sad movies if you want to. It's okay to show your emotions, even if it is "just a movie".

-Try to go a day without complaining.

-Write a letter to someone you haven't talked to in a while.

-Spend more time outside, even when it gets cold.

-Listen to good music.

-Discover new musicians you never thought you'd like.

-Don't worry about what other people think of how you're dressed or what you plan on doing with your life.

Vlog 4 // Doctor Who

Video thumbnails always catch the most awkward faces.

Doctor Who references are my favorite.

In other news, here's another vlog. These are slightly addicting.

I hope you are all having a wonderful autumn weekend!

Geronimo!

people watching

The woman with the artist's portfolio filled with drawing boards and secret hopes who waved goodbye to her husband and little boy before climbing on the train, wearing a hat to cover what the cancer took from her.

***

The man with the shiny dress shoes and tailored blazer, briefcase between his feet, disembarking in the city.

***

The group of teenage girls, chatting away as if no one could hear them, carrying purses and dressed in the trendiest style.

***

The older woman all by herself, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and wearing nice sneakers.

***

The tired, impatient tears of a little one out of my sight but not my hearing. I catch a glimpse of his mother, showing him the sights out the window.

***

The crew members, some friendlier than others, walking back and forth gathering tickets as they do every day, waiting for their shifts to end. 

***

The woman getting off the train while I waited to board, pushing a stroller. I grab the front wheels and pull it over the gap and confirm that she is at the correct station. A conductor watches.

***

The well dressed young woman carrying a backpack and a violin case, talking on the phone.

***

The kind conductor who let me know that I was on the wrong train for the second time that day and directed me to the correct one.

***

What are their stories? Will any of us break the code of silence that seems to be impressed on everyone who boards?

I can only guess at the first, and I am too afraid to be the one to do the second.

weekly wrap-up // fangirling

I was looking back over some of my old posts (I can't believe that I've been blogging for a little over three years!) and came across my "weekly wrap-up" posts that I used to do almost every week. I remembered how much I enjoyed writing those, so I thought I would start that series again. I don't want it to just be me talking about my week, though. I want to hear all about your week. What you did, read, listened to, watched, pretty much anything! I want to hear all about you, my readers.

reading || Red || My Utmost for His Highest || Rest is productive || A questioning of society's ban on sadness || The be project, v2 ||

listening || I wanna be there || Home || Jane Eyre soundtrack || The storm is over now ||

crafting || cameo mittens || cardigan ||

discovering || Bing search rewards || apples and peanut butter are amazing together || riding the train by myself is nerve wracking || 

fangirling over || Parks and Recreation || The Fault in our Stars || Captain America: The Winter Soldier || Season 8 of Doctor Who as a whole, but especially "Listen" || 

enjoying || snail mail || evening walks || fall break || 

Vlog #3

Hello, all! I enjoyed doing a vlog so much last week that I recorded another one. Let me know what some of your favorite things are!

Much that is fair

"Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?"
"A man may do both," sad Aragorn. "For not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time."

The Two Towers

"If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or the other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable."

C.S. Lewis

"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater."

The Fellowship of the Ring

"God does not ask us to do the things that are easy to us naturally; He only asks us to do the things we are perfectly fitted to do by His grace, and the cross will come along that line always."

My Utmost for His Highest

"Don't you think compassion can show strength?"

Merlin in BBC's "Merlin"

"I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them, than live because I betrayed you."

Scarlet

Just some photos and quotes I've been loving recently. Also, that last quote comes from a book in the series The Lunar Chronicles. Read them. They're so, so good.

Life is good. Lots of homework, but that is to be expected. Playing Candy Crush every night before I go to bed. Sitting down by the pond on beautiful fall evenings. 

How have you all been?