Gone with the Wind

"I'm riding you with a slack rein, my pet, but don't forget that I'm riding with curb and spurs just the same." --Rhett Butler

Do you ever come across a line in a book that just stops you dead in your tracks? Well, for some reason that very sentence above did that to me. I love reading. It's one of my favorite things to do and I unfortunately don't have a lot of time to read for fun while I'm at school. I do however try to read at least a few pages before I go to bed each night. For my birthday back in May, I asked for some classics, like Gone With the Wind, Alice in Wonderland, Anna Karenina, and some William Faulkner books (including a copy of one of my favorites, The Sound and the Fury). I've been reading Gone with the Wind for awhile now and it's one of those books that I just do not want to end! I've been savoring every page, every word, hoping that it doesn't have to end. I think it's safe to say this is my favorite book I have ever read. I'm very, very close to finishing and have actually made a point of not reading it for the past few nights so I won't be done with it too quickly, since I am a very fast reader. But alas, I will be done with it soon so if any of you have any recommendations for books to read (whether it's a "classic" or not), send them my way! I always love hearing about books other people have enjoyed!

So I leave you with a screen shot of Viven Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. Just look at that dress!

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Long time no see...

Yikes! I've been a terrible blogger! I've been so busy finishing up my last few days of class which entails finalizing my 13+ page research paper and putting together my final portfolio. I've also been busy packing up my room at my townhouse since I'm going back home on Thursday and will only be coming back at the very end of the month to move into my new place. So my room right now is a total mess. Oh AND I forgot my camera back home when I was there for the 4th of July--so I haven't been able to take any outfit photos :( So instead--here are some of the items I've been meaning to purchase basically all summer:

A pair of oversized sunglasses:

Jackie O Sunglasses from Need Supply Co

A new, cute pair of sandals:

Sightseeing Sandals from Modcloth

Cool, gold accessories:

Ready Ore Not Necklace from Modcloth

I'm a long time travelling away from home

Have you ever heard a song that just stopped you in your tracks? A song whose lyrics just seem to resonate with you? It's not everyday that this happens to me, but one day a few months ago while listening to one of my many channels on Pandora, a song did just that--it stopped me in my tracks. It was a song entitled, "Long Time Traveller" by The Wailin' Jennys, a group I had never heard of before. But ever since, I have become a fan of every single song of theirs. "Long Time Traveller" remains my favorite and most listened to song of theirs, though. The lyrics remind me of the William Faulkner book, "As I Lay Dying" so if you like that book, I suggest you listen to this song. Really, I recommend their music to anyone and everyone. Their sound is just so pure...there's no other way to describe it. It hit me hard and made my heart swell, something that very few songs do to me. Oh and I'm always open to song/artist suggestions so feel free to comment and tell me about your favorites that I should listen to!

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I've been lucky to be raised in a family where music is embraced and has been deemed so important. My mother is a piano teacher and my father owns and runs music stores that his parents started when he was in high school. All of my siblings have played an instrument at one point in their life, and most of us still play to this day. I remember being four years old and begging my mother to teach me how to play piano, as I was so jealous of all of her students who walked through our front door and got to play such pretty music. The only way I was allowed to start was if I stopped sucking my thumb...I stopped immediately and have been playing ever since. Later on when we were 8, my parents gave my twin brother and I the choice of what instruments we wanted to play; he chose drums and I chose flute, and we both still play regularly. I really think I was born to make music. Music is my therapy and it's my passion, and I'm just so lucky to have such a passion passed down to me from my parents. People often say, "Oh well your dad owns a music store and your mom is a piano teacher, of course you play instruments, you have to!" but I was never forced into taking private music lessons like so many children are; I wanted to make music. And when my hands first touched those ivory keys, I felt at home.

I feel so small sometimes, in this big ol' place

So as I sit here in my bathrobe, all alone in my townhouse in Richmond, I'm getting awfully homesick! I love Northern Virginia in the summertime! Although the area in which I live has been getting pretty suburban over the years, I'm lucky to live in a house with one of the biggest backyards ever, complete with big, shady trees and no neighbors living behind us. When I was little, our yard backed up to a big open field and a little forest. One of the rules was that we weren't allowed to go into the forest alone, but my twin brother and I would somehow always manage to sneak back there. There was (and still is) an old house back there too that was said to be there since the Civil War. I don't know if that's actually true, but everyone likes to say it is!

One of the things I miss most about spending a lazy summer in NoVa is picking the violets that sprout up in our backyard. They usually come up sometime in May and last for about a month. This year, I just barely missed them but was able to pick a few little bouquets to put in a tiny vase on the dining room table. I've been doing that ever since I was a little girl and it's sad that this was the first year I didn't get to do it.

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I also miss lighting bugs! I realized today that I haven't seen any here in Richmond, and that's just sad. I remember it being dusk, and my brother and I running out with jars, catching all the lightning bugs we could. Once I got older and too "mature" for that, my mom and I would walk around the block just as it started to get dark and we would admire all the lightning bugs that crossed our path.

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And one last random thing I miss about being at home, is watching baseball games with my dad and brother. When I was little, I was such a tomboy. I would run around with the neighborhood boys, get dirty, play catch with my dad in the backyard, and then end the day watching the Baltimore Orioles on tv. I remember being about 8 years old and being so excited when Mark McGwire set the homerun record, and to this day, that one Green Day song still always reminds me of that day because they played it all the time on ESPN when they showed video and picture montages of the homerun race. And although the Orioles are having a rough season (and have been for awhile), I love watching the games with the boys and I especially love when I get to go to Camden Yards to cheer the O's on in person.

Camden Yards last summer, with the Warehouse in full view where they serve some darn good crabcakes and the BEST fruit salad ever.

Alone without being lonely

It's a Friday night and I'm sitting here in my living room watching reruns on Bravo.

I'm in the middle of a bustling city and I'm sitting here alone.

It's not that I'm not happy or content, because in fact, I totally am.

But I feel like I should want to be out in the midst of all the activity.

That I should want to be partying it up with a bunch of people I don't even know.

That I should want to be drinking and running aroud the streets of Richmond.

But (at least this particular weekend) I would much rather hang out by myself at my old townhouse tucked away on a quiet, one-way street.

Even if I'm currently trying to avoid a mouse that made an appearance in my bedroom last night, which actually drove me to tears. But that's a whole other story.

But I hate when friends make fun of me for wanting to stay in on a Friday night rather than go out.

They think it's crazy that I would want to sit by myself rather than go dance and drink and laugh with a ton of other people. But I really think they just don't understand where I'm coming from.

Because the thing is, when you come from a family of 8 (6 kids and 2 parents), finding alone time is often hard to do! I remember being only about 6 years old and carrying blankets and pillows to the bay window in our music room, because that was the only place in my house that didn't have dogs barking, my brother and his neighborhood friends running around, or the sounds of my older siblings arguing.

And to this day, that window in that room is still my favorite place because it remains to be the only quiet corner of our home.

And even though most weekends I do go out and do those things that my friends like to do regularly, there are times where I just feel like curling up in my bed, watching a chick flick on my laptop, and ending the night with a few chapters of a good book.

And the thing is, I think that the friends who judge me for wanting to be by myself are going to have a hard time once they're out of college, because they won't know how to deal with just being by themselves.

They're too used to having to be around a bunch of people and they won't know what to do with themselves when all they have are the thoughts inside their own heads.

And there I'll be with the best of both worlds: knowing how to have a good time and enjoy myself with people I love, but also knowing how to be alone without being lonely.

And if my friends want to call me an "old lady" or a "house mole", I'm cool with that. Just as long as I have my copy of "Gone with the Wind" and some good snacks to help me pass the time.

So love me today and forget about tomorrow

So I'm totally starting to feel the stress of my summer class now! It's nearing the end (I'm done on July 15th) and now is the time when we have multiple assignments due each day we meet. This week I've already turned in at least 30 pages to my teacher--how crazy is that?? Next week I have a 13 page rough draft of my research paper due so this weekend, I will be finishing up my research and hopefully writing my entire paper! Thankfully, next week our classes were cancelled and instead we have to go in for a 20 minute conference with him. I chose to do it on Tuesday so I can go back home that night and stay there for about a week! My mom is getting a puppy tomorrow so I really want to go home to see him and pictures will definitely be posted here!

OUTFIT: Floral blouse, Blue tank, and belt: Abercrombie & Fitch, Shorts: American Eagle from years ago Sandals: Ruche, Bracelet and earrings: a Tibetan shop in Greenwich Village, Necklace: vintage, giveaway from Sally Jane Vintage.

I usually absolutely hate to wear shorts, mainly because I can't find ones that are the right length or that fit right, but it was over 100 degrees out today so I decided to suck it up and wear some anyway. I love white shorts and how crisp they look, especially with bright tops, like this one. I think I got these shorts freshman year of high school (that's slightly embarrassing) but they're the only ones that fit me perfectly and aren't too long or too short! I wore this blouse in a previous post, but I think it was back in March so it was still pretty cool out and I wore different accessories with it. I love finding pieces that transition so easily into all seasons! Oh and despite how much I looove the sandals I'm wearing here, I'm so glad I packed a pair of flip flops for when I walked to class, because by the time I got there, the back of my feet were all cut up :( I'm so bad about breaking in shoes before I wear them out, and then I end up hurting my feet!

Just a few midnight musings...

If I've learned one thing about myself since coming to college, it is that I am reverting back to some of the very habits I had when I was 4 years old.

When I was little, I absolutely hated going to bed early....so much so that I would throw little tantrums on a pretty regular basis when it came time to go to sleep, mainly because it would put off going to bed. And on the nights I didn't throw a tantrum, I would sneak downstairs and hide under the dining room table while my dad sat in his recliner watching NYPD Blue. This was quite a feat as we had a baby gate (used to keep our dogs downstairs) that I had to either jump over or open quietly, which was quite difficult for a tiny 4 year old girl. But I somehow did it, all because I wanted to included in whatever was going on in our house.

Now that I'm in college, instead of sneaking downstairs to watch NYPD Blue with my dad (unbeknownst to him), I stay up solely because I don't want to go to bed immediately after finishing an assignment or studying. Take tonight for example: I finished two assignments for my summer class (a total of 18 pages...craziness!) about thirty minutes ago, and despite being tired, I feel like I need to relax before I go to bed. So I'm sitting here watching The Bachelorette on Hulu while eating some delicious white grapes. Now let it be known that I've NEVER watched any of those reality dating shows before...except for the super trashy ones on VH1. I feel like I've hit an all-time low because I'm basically watching this show solely because I do not want to sleep. Plus, all these guys seem like complete freaks so far! Especially the one who said, "I need a girl to go ice fishing with!", or how about the professional wrestler??...I'm speechless. You could not pay me enough to go on one of those shows.

P.S.: It may seem that I was a complete brat when I was 4 (i.e. throwing tantrums each night just because I didn't feel like sleeping) but I just like to think I was sassy, which is totally acceptable when you're the youngest of 6 kids. ;)