wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?

the Disney cruise was just what i needed post-finals--laying out on a Caribbean beach, jet skiing, and playing with dolphins. i feel so blessed that i got to go!! I admit, I love anything and everything Disney related [and I'm determined to have my wedding in Disney World. It will happen!]



Between working two jobs this summer, I have a few goals I really want to accomplish:
-Read every single day. [work on the self-assigned book list!]
-Perfect "Comptine d'Un Autre Été" on the piano. Also, bonus points for practicing guitar!
-Practice German on a daily basis so that I'm prepared for German 3 in the fall
-Take more pictures and learn more about photography
-Yoga every day + healthy eating
-Keeping better track of inspiring quotes that I come across
-Only purchasing things that I absolutely love. No settling!

i want to be where your heart is home

i am a firm believer in the power of organization. this may sound silly [and possibly trite] but i truly think that cleaning and organizing your living space can help you to sort things out in your head--a way of the tangible assisting the intangible. plus, whenever i have a break from school, i like reorganizing my tiny room and rediscovering old belongings. the only downside is that through all this cleaning is that i've realized the sheer number of books that i own, and that i really do not have much room left for any more!! my space is packed with bookshelves and they're crammed full, almost to the breaking point. yikes!
basically, i think that your living space is a reflection of your inner self, and a clean room shows a happy, positive mental state...something definitely to aspire to!

some things that ich liebe on the first week of summer break:

camera collections;

i finally jumped on the bandwagon and purchased this bestseller. can't wait to read it! [and very grateful that i have free time to read novels of my own choosing instead of just class assignments]

yummy sushi--as always

bangs [+teeny pink ukuleles!]


[all images from weheartit]

sheesh i'm a SENIOR?!

well, finals week and all the insanity that it entails is over. i think the worst bit was the english history essay, since i managed to write over 12 pages and 3500+ words in 2 hours. i feel like it just went by in a complete blur, especially since i was also working every day in addition to studying and taking finals at 8:00am. the nerd in me loved it though, and it feels a little bittersweet that its over--now i have an entire summer ahead of me with no classes, no homework, and no reading assignments...whatever shall i do with myself? [i'm being a bit dramatic here, not only am i working, i also am going on a few amazing vacations, and self-assigned massive German studying and a book list...to keep myself busy hahah]
yesterday i had my first session of job training for SOAR. i'm really excited to be a tutor, and i'm signing up to tutor all writing and literature classes, plus history and German. i have another training session next friday and one in august and then i can officially start!
today was the English Department's Awards Brunch. i got to take my daddy with me, and we had a really nice time.

it was held in the University Club [which bore a weird resemblance to the Coral Reef restaurant in DisneyWorld!]. i was really surprised to receive one of the Senior Academic Excellence Awards [i just became a senior, since i started university fall 2007] and it was so rewarding to see all my hard work and studying pay off!

[plus it was a reason to get dressed up early on a saturday morning!]
i also wanted to post pictures of the macarons that i ordered for my mama for Mother's Day. they're from Paulette Macarons, which is based in Beverly Hills.

my favorite flavors were rose, pistachio, and mint!

happy summer vacation!!

oh my goodness! finals week already?

In the next week and a half I have:
-World Literature Final [timeline]
-British History final [super long essays!]
-Young Adult Fiction final [essay]
-Political Science final
-my first job training session for my new job--working as a writing skills and German tutor for SOAR. i'm excited, two of my friends, Meg and Kandice, are also working as tutors, and Kandice and I will get to go to training together!
-Department of English Honor Awards :D

it is insane whirlwind, but I have so much goodness in my life...and I know there is even more to come!

I've been singing the songs from this soundtrack all week:


ohhhh i love Audrey Hepburn!

ich bin...

craving donuts.
i may have to make a krispy kreme stop after classes this week!

today was pretty perfect. brunch at my family's favorite little french bistro in grapevine [mm banana and nutella crepes], and then retail therapy. i was able to find some amazing pieces! i've been having great shopping luck lately.
i'm ready for the last two weeks of school before finals. I know that this summer is going to be beyond amazing and I cannot wait.
[image from weheartit.com]

Spaß Freitag

so yesterday was amazing--busy but totally worth it
:D
since our british history class was canceled, my friend Meg and i had a springtime breakfast...she made the yummiest french toast bake [topped with blackberries!] and a strata. so good! especially with coffee and flowering tea. it was a great way to start the day. i hope she realizes that i'm going to be over at her apartment a lot now, especially if she's going to feed me scrumptious food! [scrumptious is definitely on my 'top words list of the week'...along with 'lovely']
french toast bake :]

i loved the table setting so much!

nom nom nom

afterwards, i went to germany history class [had to practically run across campus to make it on time!] and then met up with my parents at barnes and noble.
i had work at three and then met up with Kandice for dinner...and Pinkberry since she'd never been! Original with strawberries and almonds is my favorite.

i'm surprisingly accepting of the recent changes that have occurred. i know that i don't want negativity in my life, and i've really come to realize that relationships of any kind should make me happy, not cause undue stress.
speaking of someone who makes me happy, here is a picture of my mom with her new ray-bans. i love how she's worn white button-downs for years + red lipstick--so classic! i hope that one day i'll have her innate sense of grace, style, and creativity. fingers crossed that its hard-wired in my DNA!

before i forget, my equally amazing dad went to taiwan and japan and surprised me with presents upon his return home:

green tea and sakura [cherry blossom] flavored Kit-Kats, my favorite japanese fashion magazines, and a longchamp journal. thanks daddy!
time for more germany history studying and writing my political science paper. and maybe some itunes shopping, i'll admit it.

Schönes Wochenende

i had such a lovely girls weekend with my mom the past few days. Leisurely breakfasts with good conversations were definitely the highlight, as well as hanging out in bookstores drinking peppermint tea and eating lemon pound cake. It was so nice to not have to worry about school for a few days [although I admit that I did do a bit of studying] and having the luxury of relaxing and not having to plan ahead...enjoying the moment is so important.

i am in disbelief that i only have three weeks of classes left, and then finals week. this semester has gone by in such a blur and i feel like i've experienced so much in the blink of an eye. the past few months have really proved that when you stay positive and productive that time passes much more rapidly. i am so grateful for my classes this semester, the new friends i've made, and the learning experiences--even though some of them have been a little challenging.
goals for this week:
-bake at LEAST once
-reorganize my closet
-finish making the necklace i've been working on [Halskette machen!]
-finish my German History paper on Das Leben der Anderen--which is an amazingly thought-provoking film that I watched last night about the Stasi in East Germany...incredibly well filmed and multifaceted.
-finish Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night

Time for bed...and dreaming about Paris...

[all images from weheartit.com]