so this isn't really that important, but I'm listening to music...wha? and Run by Ben Kweller just shuffled through and I freakin' love this song, it is so stinkin' sweet. My favorite part of the song is...
It doesn't matter that they say we'll never make it
It's so strong that nothing can ever break it
You and I can tackle anything of any size
All anyone could ever want is a co-pilot
Someone to leave this town and
Up and start a secret
And when you sleep at night
I'll kiss you right between your eyes
anywho, we all know I am sucker for good pop songs, especially those with super sweet lyrics=D
off to eat lunch and hopefully practice, unless James's brothers are home sick from school (awkward).
much love!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
oh, Oscar
So this weekend was a bummer. Christina and I had plans for a wedding near Chicago, but with the weather it didn't happen. As much fun as driving in snow and ice is, we decided against it. So no wedding, no hanging out with Ross and eating at Giordano's, and no seeing Kim and Colin get married=/.
I did get to catch up on sleep though, I think this past week I got a total of like 12-15 hours in between Monday and Friday...goodness. I really do need to be better about that. I felt like crap on Friday when 1:30pm rolled around. So I slept from like 3pm-8pm that evening and went to bed later around 1am. I got to talk to Ross on IM which was a first, but hopefully there will be more times to chat in the future. I also finally got a bookshelf for my room. Just your basic three-shelf one from Target and then watched a lot of Gilmore Girls...love that show=)
Hillary and I got to hang out this weekend. Stayed up last night to play a board game (one of the Scene It games) and then trekked out to the mall today for shoes, Girl Scout cookies, vitamins and cards.
Things are fairly good though, I am getting better control of my eating. Basically taking it a meal/snack at a time. I feel like I am a little kid learning how to eat all over again, but that is how it needs to be right now. Had a little stress with my finances and such, but a good long talk with my mom and dad and encouraging words/advice from them helped tremendously. I do have to say at times my dad confuses me, but in the end he is always there for me, as is my mother, and reminds me to not worry so much about things, that things will work out and that as long as I do my best to lead a good/right life, not cheat/harm others and be a good, hard-working person, that is how I will make it through this world. I love them so much! I can only hope that they will always be proud of me and continue to help me grow and be the best person I can be. (I know way cheeseball, but oh well=Þ).
Anywho, off to put my bookshelf together and watch some of the Academy Awards!
much love!
I did get to catch up on sleep though, I think this past week I got a total of like 12-15 hours in between Monday and Friday...goodness. I really do need to be better about that. I felt like crap on Friday when 1:30pm rolled around. So I slept from like 3pm-8pm that evening and went to bed later around 1am. I got to talk to Ross on IM which was a first, but hopefully there will be more times to chat in the future. I also finally got a bookshelf for my room. Just your basic three-shelf one from Target and then watched a lot of Gilmore Girls...love that show=)
Hillary and I got to hang out this weekend. Stayed up last night to play a board game (one of the Scene It games) and then trekked out to the mall today for shoes, Girl Scout cookies, vitamins and cards.
Things are fairly good though, I am getting better control of my eating. Basically taking it a meal/snack at a time. I feel like I am a little kid learning how to eat all over again, but that is how it needs to be right now. Had a little stress with my finances and such, but a good long talk with my mom and dad and encouraging words/advice from them helped tremendously. I do have to say at times my dad confuses me, but in the end he is always there for me, as is my mother, and reminds me to not worry so much about things, that things will work out and that as long as I do my best to lead a good/right life, not cheat/harm others and be a good, hard-working person, that is how I will make it through this world. I love them so much! I can only hope that they will always be proud of me and continue to help me grow and be the best person I can be. (I know way cheeseball, but oh well=Þ).
Anywho, off to put my bookshelf together and watch some of the Academy Awards!
much love!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
so I tried refilling the ink cartridges for my printer to save money, but it seems it might have been better to spend the bit of extra money since the cartridges are still "settling" and are leaking more than what I think they are supposed to. ah well. At least I tried this method. I'll just go with the refurbished cartridges like I did last time...
Kim's wedding is this weekend and as of Sunday I got her and Colin's gift purchased and today the hotel room was booked. Seems the Hilton hotels elsewhere aren't as up to date/in the know about friends and family rates as Indianapolis and our very own West Lafayette hotels. But finally got a room booked at the Hampton for $60. It took like 4 or 5 different phone calls and Hillary had to make the reservation, but it is a done deal. They said it wouldn't be a problem to be able to check in earlier around 1:30/2pm (instead of the usual 3pm). So that will be nice to not have to ride in the car with our dressy clothes on since the wedding starts at 3pm. I am excited to see this wedding and am of course excited for Kim and Colin. Yes, I am a girl who for the most part loves weddings;)
I suppose I should go check on the ink and eat something for a late lunch, print off the brunch invitations and then prepare a lesson for Jae. I'm way excited for the brunch and I looked at the schedule and almost everyone will be able to go (if they want) or either stop by...yay!
much love!
Kim's wedding is this weekend and as of Sunday I got her and Colin's gift purchased and today the hotel room was booked. Seems the Hilton hotels elsewhere aren't as up to date/in the know about friends and family rates as Indianapolis and our very own West Lafayette hotels. But finally got a room booked at the Hampton for $60. It took like 4 or 5 different phone calls and Hillary had to make the reservation, but it is a done deal. They said it wouldn't be a problem to be able to check in earlier around 1:30/2pm (instead of the usual 3pm). So that will be nice to not have to ride in the car with our dressy clothes on since the wedding starts at 3pm. I am excited to see this wedding and am of course excited for Kim and Colin. Yes, I am a girl who for the most part loves weddings;)
I suppose I should go check on the ink and eat something for a late lunch, print off the brunch invitations and then prepare a lesson for Jae. I'm way excited for the brunch and I looked at the schedule and almost everyone will be able to go (if they want) or either stop by...yay!
much love!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Our Life Work
The Eightfold Path of Right Views, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Conduct [Action], Right Livelihood, Right Effort or Lifestyle, Right Recollection [Mindfulness], and Right Meditation [Concentration] was preached by the Buddha to his first five disciples of Benares, and it remains for us the basic guide for our lives as Buddhists. It begins with Right Views and ends with Right Meditation, but each element of the path depends on all others, so really there is no first step and no last step. The key word is "right," from words in Sanskrit and Chinese that mean "upright, straight, right, correct." Finding what is upright in attitude, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and meditation, and then doing it--this is our life work.
-Robert Aitken, Encouraging Words.
-Robert Aitken, Encouraging Words.
Monday, February 12, 2007
um, ya...
so here are some daliy dharma quotes that I wanted to share...
So Much Goodness
The practice of metta, uncovering the force of love that can uproot fear, anger, and guilt, begins with befriending ourselves. The foundation of metta practice is to know how to be our own friend. According to the Buddha, "You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." How few of us embrace ourselves in this way! With metta practice we uncover the possibility of truly respecting ourselves. We discover, as Walt Whitman put it, "I am larger and better than I thought. I did not think I held so much goodness."
-Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness
The Wellspring of Compassion
Seeing the suffering in the world around us and in our own bodies and minds, we begin to understand suffering not only as an individual problem, but as a universal experience. It is one of the aspects of being alive. The question that then comes to mind is: If compassion arises from the awareness of suffering, why isn't the world a more compassionate place? The problem is that often our hearts are not open to feel the pain. We move away from it, close off, and become defended. By closing ourselves off from suffering, however, we also close ourselves to our own wellspring of compassion. We don't need to be particularly saintly in order to be compassionate. Compassion is the natural response of an open heart, but that wellspring of compassion remains capped as long as we turn away from or deny or resist the truth of what is there. When we deny our experience of suffering, we move away from what is genuine to what is fabricated, deceptive and confusing.
--Joseph Goldstein, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom
And another of my favorites, the Prayer of Saint Francis...
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
much love!
So Much Goodness
The practice of metta, uncovering the force of love that can uproot fear, anger, and guilt, begins with befriending ourselves. The foundation of metta practice is to know how to be our own friend. According to the Buddha, "You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." How few of us embrace ourselves in this way! With metta practice we uncover the possibility of truly respecting ourselves. We discover, as Walt Whitman put it, "I am larger and better than I thought. I did not think I held so much goodness."
-Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness
The Wellspring of Compassion
Seeing the suffering in the world around us and in our own bodies and minds, we begin to understand suffering not only as an individual problem, but as a universal experience. It is one of the aspects of being alive. The question that then comes to mind is: If compassion arises from the awareness of suffering, why isn't the world a more compassionate place? The problem is that often our hearts are not open to feel the pain. We move away from it, close off, and become defended. By closing ourselves off from suffering, however, we also close ourselves to our own wellspring of compassion. We don't need to be particularly saintly in order to be compassionate. Compassion is the natural response of an open heart, but that wellspring of compassion remains capped as long as we turn away from or deny or resist the truth of what is there. When we deny our experience of suffering, we move away from what is genuine to what is fabricated, deceptive and confusing.
--Joseph Goldstein, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom
And another of my favorites, the Prayer of Saint Francis...
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
much love!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
GRAMMYs!
Of course I watched the Grammys this year. I was telling Hillary that I felt this year's ceremony would be really good and that I personally felt like 2006 was a good year for music (based on a lot of different things). Long story short, I was not disappointed with the awards show. I enjoyed all the performances and thought most, if not all, of the recipients were worthy of their award.
And for the Dixie Chicks winning Album of the Year, here is the video of Not Ready To Make Nice. (I still get chills whenever I see it/hear the song)...
And for the Dixie Chicks winning Album of the Year, here is the video of Not Ready To Make Nice. (I still get chills whenever I see it/hear the song)...
Thursday, February 08, 2007
today I met the boy I'm gonna marry
so I said I would write about weddings and here it goes...
I have a few weddings coming up of friends that I will be attending and that I am looking forward to. Kim Berlin and Colin are getting married February 24th near Chicago. Christina and I are planning on going together and staying the night in a hotel nearby the wedding location and such. I am pretty much expecting this to be Kim's dream wedding since she is the sort of gal that has been planning her wedding since she was prob 10 or 12 (or younger). This will be the third Starbucks related wedding that I will have been to, also.
The next weddings are the same day and in completely different locations and I am still unsure of which I will be attending...oy. My cousin is getting married May 5th on the beach in Ft. Myers. I know it's going to be a great wedding and I bet the reception will be a blast...dancing all night! However, it will also be really expensive...plane ticket there for the weekend (around $225-240ish), lots of dining out and other expenses. The other wedding will be here in town for a friend I work with, Heather. I am so excited for her wedding also. It's going to be such a rock star wedding (due to the fact she is marrying a musician and that she has a funky/fun style and the ideas she has mentioned for the wedding are way cool and unique to her and Jared). Kim at work said today (jokingly of course), "geez Alexa, it's friends before family." So I gotta make up my mind first. I just know that I am going to feel badly either way for the wedding I can't attend...bummer situation. So far it has been leaning toward the family wedding. I can't imagine not going to Kevin & Robyn's wedding.
The other wedding I am blogging about is my own. I know, you are probably like, what?!?! Back in the day when James and I were first dating and I was in the phase of, "I am in love with you and we are so going to get married!", I made a page on theknot.com. Ya, you prob think I am krazy, but we had actually discussed it, so I didn't just blindly make a page because I was a krazy pyscho girlfriend. Anywho, I was curious a few weeks ago with all these weddings and such and I found the page I had started for us. I remember when I planned the date of our wedding, I was trying to look ahead and find a year/time when we would prob be out of school for a year or so and then get married...the date of the wedding was set for what day???? May 4th, 2007! It doesn't mean a ton, but it is weird to think that we could have possibly been getting married this year, ya know? And that I also planned a Friday wedding (which is apparently gaining popularity). The other funny thing is the budget that I put for the wedding, I must have been planning on making a lot of money because I put the budget as $25,000. oh dear!
anywho, that is all for weddings now.
much love!
oh! and one of my bestest friends, Jenny is getting married next summer, June 8th!
I have a few weddings coming up of friends that I will be attending and that I am looking forward to. Kim Berlin and Colin are getting married February 24th near Chicago. Christina and I are planning on going together and staying the night in a hotel nearby the wedding location and such. I am pretty much expecting this to be Kim's dream wedding since she is the sort of gal that has been planning her wedding since she was prob 10 or 12 (or younger). This will be the third Starbucks related wedding that I will have been to, also.
The next weddings are the same day and in completely different locations and I am still unsure of which I will be attending...oy. My cousin is getting married May 5th on the beach in Ft. Myers. I know it's going to be a great wedding and I bet the reception will be a blast...dancing all night! However, it will also be really expensive...plane ticket there for the weekend (around $225-240ish), lots of dining out and other expenses. The other wedding will be here in town for a friend I work with, Heather. I am so excited for her wedding also. It's going to be such a rock star wedding (due to the fact she is marrying a musician and that she has a funky/fun style and the ideas she has mentioned for the wedding are way cool and unique to her and Jared). Kim at work said today (jokingly of course), "geez Alexa, it's friends before family." So I gotta make up my mind first. I just know that I am going to feel badly either way for the wedding I can't attend...bummer situation. So far it has been leaning toward the family wedding. I can't imagine not going to Kevin & Robyn's wedding.
The other wedding I am blogging about is my own. I know, you are probably like, what?!?! Back in the day when James and I were first dating and I was in the phase of, "I am in love with you and we are so going to get married!", I made a page on theknot.com. Ya, you prob think I am krazy, but we had actually discussed it, so I didn't just blindly make a page because I was a krazy pyscho girlfriend. Anywho, I was curious a few weeks ago with all these weddings and such and I found the page I had started for us. I remember when I planned the date of our wedding, I was trying to look ahead and find a year/time when we would prob be out of school for a year or so and then get married...the date of the wedding was set for what day???? May 4th, 2007! It doesn't mean a ton, but it is weird to think that we could have possibly been getting married this year, ya know? And that I also planned a Friday wedding (which is apparently gaining popularity). The other funny thing is the budget that I put for the wedding, I must have been planning on making a lot of money because I put the budget as $25,000. oh dear!
anywho, that is all for weddings now.
much love!
oh! and one of my bestest friends, Jenny is getting married next summer, June 8th!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The future's not ours to see
really random, but how much do I love Dean Martin, Doris Day and Perry Como? tons! thanks to my mom and dad and the music I grew up on. Lots of 40's, 50's and 60's music played. Thinking of being in the car when I was younger or at home, having the radio on an AM station, and hearing my parents sing or talk about who their favorites were growing up is such a fond memory of mine (I don't think they know how much I loved it). I also remember being on the school bus and we were playing one of those stupid games we played to pass the time away called..."I'll hum this song and you have to guess what it is", and I remember humming "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" and no one could guess it. And of course in my usualy dorky fashion, I was all like, "it's Doris Day, like one of the best songs ever...you've never heard of it?"
anywho. if you have the time or are even interested here are some of my favorites...
Dean Martin
Mambo, Italiano
Everybody Loves Somebody
Sway
In the Misty Moonlight
(yes I like the way popular ones, That's Amore and You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You)
Perry Como
Magic Moments
Round and Round
Papa Loves Mambo
Catch a Falling Star
And I Love You So
(and of course don't forget Perry also sings Christmas and it's great!)
Doris Day
Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
Tea for Two
Pillow Talk
Sentimental Journey
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
goodness, I pretty much love all of their stuff, I know to some it is cheesy and not likable, but if you know me it makes perfect sense that I absolutely love this music! so check it out;)
much love!
anywho. if you have the time or are even interested here are some of my favorites...
Dean Martin
Mambo, Italiano
Everybody Loves Somebody
Sway
In the Misty Moonlight
(yes I like the way popular ones, That's Amore and You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You)
Perry Como
Magic Moments
Round and Round
Papa Loves Mambo
Catch a Falling Star
And I Love You So
(and of course don't forget Perry also sings Christmas and it's great!)
Doris Day
Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
Tea for Two
Pillow Talk
Sentimental Journey
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
goodness, I pretty much love all of their stuff, I know to some it is cheesy and not likable, but if you know me it makes perfect sense that I absolutely love this music! so check it out;)
much love!
Monday, February 05, 2007
The Way I See It #204
Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure. Never forget your Personal Legend. Never forget your dreams. Your silent heart will guide you. Be silent now. It is the possibility of a dream that makes life interesting. You can choose between being a victim of destiny or an adventurer who is fighting for something important.
--Paulo Coehlo.
--Paulo Coehlo.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
What do we do when someone else is doing wrong to us?
You must not allow people to do wrong to you. Whenever someone does something wrong, he harms others and at the same time he harms himself. If you allow him to do wrong, you are encouraging him to do wrong. You must use all your strength to stop him, but with only good will, compassion, and sympathy for that person. If you act with hatred or anger, then you only aggravate the situation. But you cannot have goodwill for such a person unless your mind is calm and peaceful. So practice to develop peace within yourself, and then you can solve the problem.
You must not allow people to do wrong to you. Whenever someone does something wrong, he harms others and at the same time he harms himself. If you allow him to do wrong, you are encouraging him to do wrong. You must use all your strength to stop him, but with only good will, compassion, and sympathy for that person. If you act with hatred or anger, then you only aggravate the situation. But you cannot have goodwill for such a person unless your mind is calm and peaceful. So practice to develop peace within yourself, and then you can solve the problem.
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