people in my life

my thoughts: i've been really caught up with life and how busy it is and how fast it moves, and today at work i was daydreaming about spain and how i really enjoyed my time there and the life i had merely months ago. for those of you who don't know, i studied in santander, a city in northern spain, for three months. when i was there, i lived with the most beautiful family anyone could ask for. it was a dream come true to be blessed with such wonderful people, and they changed my life in so many amazing ways. i am so lucky to have contact with my family still, and i am still amazed and inspired by them each day when i am constantly reminded of them. although i speak a different language with my host family, we are still family, and we still have a deep connection. when i think about it, i was granted such a great opportunity to be in europe, live among a local family, and experience a new culture, but experiencing true love from complete strangers was something i never expected, only dreamed about. my spanish family is my second family, and they are always in my heart. my family (fani, juan, bea, and carol) changed me for the better.

(bea, melissa, and carol - the three sisters/las tres hermanas)

why i chose this photo: i received some nice emails from my host family today and have been thinking a lot about spain, and also sang a song from a broadway play called wicked in my choir concert tonight about how the people we meet can change us for good.

question: who has changed your life?

inspiration: "i've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason" - from the play wicked

windows

my thoughts: i woke up fairly sick this morning, with chills and a fever, and felt trapped in my house. i really wanted to open all the windows and let some fresh air in, but i was presented with a problem. there are only three in windows in my apartment: one in each of the bedrooms, and then the sliding glass door. i got up, opened the curtains and opened the window in my room. for some reason, i expected a blast of fresh, clean air, but i was greeted with the routine view of my neighbor's apartment and a lack of breeze. i studied abroad in spain almost a year ago, and i had the most beautiful view of a soccer field, leading into more apartments and finally the beautiful bay of biscay. i didn't really realize how much i took that view for granted until i returned to the united states. most apartment windows only offer a view of a parking lot, or the other side of some apartment. i live on the third floor, but i still don't see anything worth looking at. am i'm being pessimistic? i would say no; i just long for what i can't have: a window with a nice view and a clean breeze. what can i do about this lack of a view? i've made the most of it. if i lay on my bed just right, i can see the sun set in the evening. i can also see two pretty trees that grow in the parking lot near my window. it's the small things like this that make me glad i don't live in a humongous city with no trees and smog that covers the sun. i'm grateful for what i have and where i am now. it just helps me to dream big - when i'm done with college, i want to move to a place where i can have a full view of something beautiful, and god-made, instead of staring at a wall when i open my curtains.

why i chose this photo: i wish i could see this every day. no matter how lonely i was or how stressed out i was from all of my spanish homework. i could look over miles of spanish land and feel invincible. that feeling of invincibility keeps me going, even when i feel that the world is taking over.

question: what do you see when you look out your window? what is beautiful? ugly? good? bad? how do you view things from the inside out?

inspiration: "even if you aren't in the most ideal situation, find one or two small things that are great, and that will keep you going."

slowing down

[[this post was from yesterday, but i was really sick and fell asleep before i could post]]

my thoughts: i've frequently noticed that the little things in life are the things that make the biggest difference. lately, i have been too busy to notice the good around me or be inspired because i've been so caught up with school and work. as i usually do, i was walking between class and work, trying to eat a bagel with one hand with my nose buried in the school newspaper, a coffee in the crook of my left arm when i stopped to look up at the people i was walking amongst. i could see that as i read the newspaper and managed to balance my bagel and coffee between my arms, several people were walking around me, clearing a path for me to walk as i walked upstream in a river of people. it was something so impacting that i put down my newspaper and actually looked into the faces of the people i was passing. as i watched people, many smiled at me. i smiled back. some people looked really exhausted as they trucked towards class, but others were carefree and happy. i had only walked about 10 minutes, but by taking time to focus on one task (walking to class) i was able to appreciate my surroundings instead of completely ignoring them.

why i chose this photo: this tulip was hidden among several branches and other foliage and flowers in my garden at home. i saw a small glimpse of purple among the branches, pulled them aside, and saw this beautiful flower.

question: have you ever taken a moment to slow down and observe the world around you without distraction? what did you see?

inspiration: "if you don't stop everything you're doing every now and then, you'll miss out on opportunities to grow. take a bit of time to slow down and peer into the world around you. you'll never know what you might find."

rain

my thoughts: i sit in my bed, my hair damp from my shower, coffee in hand, blankets at my feet, listening to the sound of rain against the roof of my apartment. as i listen more closely, i am able to distinguish several rhythms of rain as it falls from the sky. it’s funny, the drops all fall at the same pace, yet they all make different noises depending on what surface they hit. when the drops hit the roof over my head, the drops make slow, dull thuds, but when i listen to the drops hit the roof over the adjacent apartment through my open window, the impact of the drops sounds like popcorn in the microwave. i can faintly hear the steady trickle of water from the gutters to the cement below and the rhythmic drip-drip-drip of the pipes emptying on the sidewalk. it’s like i’m listening to a symphony; so many sounds compiled together to make something beautiful.

question: what do you hear when you stop and listen to the rain?

why i chose this photo: i took this photo a few years ago from the backseat of my dad's car as we drove home from the store. it was really rainy, and the sky looked gray and green. this image sums up today, just wet and dreary.

inspiration: "behind every storm is a rainbow waiting to happen."

why i created this blog

first things first. why did i decide to blog?

it's not complicated really, i blogged all through middle school and high school, but stopped when i entered college because i didn't really realize how big blogs really were and the impact they have. i started to study business when i came to osu, but i am now a new media communications major. it's a mouthfull, but it just means that i am studying any new form of digital, interactive media (such as social networking, videography, etc). it was through this major that i discovered just how powerful the internet can be: it gives anyone a voice. that is why i decided to blog again. i want to be a part of this digital age and let my voice be heard.

with this blog, i intend to post a daily picture (either current or something from my portfolio of photos), write some thoughts about the picture, ask a question, and then leave my audience with an inspiring quote or thought. you are more than welcome to comment, talk to me, message me, whatever. this blog is meant to be uplifting and fun. i plan to use all of my own pictures too. i hope you enjoy this blog :)

before you read, you should know that..

- i never capitalize anything. i read a lot of e.e. cummings in high school, and was intrigued by his lack of capitalization (and sometimes punctuation)

- i appreciate feedback, so leave comments.

- if you follow my blog, i'll follow yours!