What I Know

1. The first pancake always turns out badly.

2. You don’t have to get along with everyone, or make everyone like you.

3. Love makes you stupid.

4. You always have at least 2 choices, even if you don’t like your choices.

5. Most people operate out of selfish motivations.

6. It’s rarely about you.

7. Soda is evil.

8. It’s okay to break the rules, as long as you are good enough not to get caught, and you aren’t hurting anyone.

9. “Be kinder than necessary ’cause everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”

10. Time doesn’t heal anything- it’s what you do with that time.

11. Complaining and blaming other people doesn’t help anything, and makes you miserable company.

12. Everything in your life is your responsibility.

13. You train people how to treat you.

14. There’s always hope.

15. You can always be grateful for something.

16. If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t trying hard enough.

17. You never really become an adult. You just get more responsibility, and become wiser.

18. Showing emotion is not a sign of weakness. Knowing when it is appropriate is a skill.

19. Google can answer anything.

20. Being silly is one of my favorite qualities in a person.

21. Honesty is always the easiest route. Even if it’s not in the short term.

22. You should never stop learning, or trying to be a better person.

23. Worrying is useless, unless it motivates you to take action.

24. When people show you who they are, believe them.

25. There is only fear, and love. And one of them is way more fun.

The Deal With Wisconsin

Here is my deal with Wisconsin:

As much as I have said I'm not going to return to Wisconsin, I also love the state.

I can't count the number of beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets I saw before I was ten years old. On a clear night sky, there are more stars than you could ever count (which I dreadfully miss, now that I'm in an urban area). With my family, I hiked through thick forests, stood in the spray of waterfalls, and played in some of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. I'll always be grateful to my parents for exposing me to the natural beauty of nature and teaching me to appreciate it. Wisconsin is full of beauty that will never cease to remind me of the abundance and power of nature.

I have so many memories from my childhood in Wisconsin that I never want to forget. After 21 years, however, I know that those memories can only be enriched by creating new memories in new places. My curiosity has always gotten the best of me. If I never went, I would always wonder what I was missing in other places. I know that's partially due to the curiosity instilled in me by wondering what was beyond the next curve in the road as my family drove through Wisconsin years ago.


Wisconsin will always be my home and there will always be a piece of me there. The experiences I had growing up there will be a source of my appreciation for the world around me. My childhood has taght me to be unafraid of exploration and curiosity. The trip is only enriched by not knowing what comes next.

(And you can't forget the cheese.)

Cartier Winter Tale (short version)

I want a baby panther.

Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all.

-Hans Christian Anderson

I hope you have a wonderful day!

All I Want for Christmas Is...

A pair of pink shoes.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Listening to this song this afternoon made me wonder why being home for Christmas is important for so many people... So deserving of a song.

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Since I started college, and moved away from Wisconsin, I've wondered where my home is. Initially, I thought my home was simply where I was living, so I began to consider school my home. There, I had the bed I slept in, my belongings, friends, and my life, but I was missing something - my family. I missed the smell of the house, the noise we'd create talking around the dinner table, doing my homework with my brother in the kitchen while my mom made dinner, working on projects with my dad, and saying goodnight to my parents every night.

When I see my family now, I realize it is their company that I consider my home. My home has become as much of a sensation as a location. For me, home has become a place where I am comfortable, where people care for me, and where there is an endless amount of love and friendship.

I think it is for this reason that when I was in college, I referred to my dorm as my home, now, my apartment has become my home, when I am at a hotel with my family, I often refer to our room as our home, and when I am in the house I grew up in, I am also home. (Needless to say, I tend to confuse those around me when I refer to my home, as I consider all these places to be my home.)

Someday, I hope to have a family of my own and together, we will make ourselves a home. For tonight, I am with people who love me, and I feel at home.

 

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Oh Computers...

I have such a love/hate relationship with computers that is summarized here.

 

... Maybe it's more hate