ordinarily extraordinary

Hello, blogosphere! Wow, it has been quite a while since my last post. I was going to make it a priority to write a new blog post every week or two, but things just got crazy. Between school, work, actually having a social life, family obligations, and everything else that is included in a hectic life, writing a new blog post got put on the back burner. When the to-do lists are a mile long and life demands to be lived, I don’t always get to blog. I think that’s why people who use social media every 5 seconds really annoys me.  Have you ever been out with your friends or family and everyone is on their cellphone? If not (which I highly doubt), I’ll tell you about it: It is so freaking annoying! People who are glued to their text messages or their Twitter drive me nuts! Believe it or not, life exists outside of that little black box. There is hardly ever a single second where my brother’s eyes leave that glowing screen. When we’re out to dinner, when we’re watching a movie at ho

They say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but I beg to differ. I love Christmas, don't get me wrong, but spring and summer are pretty awesome. I think that fall is my favorite time of year, though. Pumpkin flavored everything, flannel shirts, boots, Thanksgiving break, colorful leaves, Halloween, not having to shave my legs; oh yes, I love it all! There's just something magical about walking across campus dressed in layers, sipping my Pumpkin Spice Latte, making it a point to step on every crunchy-looking leaf, and letting the cool autumn breeze blow my hair. I truly do love fall. But I still have at least 4 weeks of summer. A lot of people would be thinking "Yes, a whole month more of summer that I can fill up with trips to the pool, popsicles, and tanning!" That does sound enticing, but once August hits, I'm ready for fall. I think a majority of it has to do with the fact that I go back to school at the end of August and nothing screams

Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.”  - Aristotle There’s always that one teacher. You know the one I’m talking about, he or she brings out the best in you. They push you to be the best you can be and understand that, sometimes, you’re best isn’t it “needs to be”. And they tell you that that’s okay, because it is. They stay after school with you and spend hours to make sure that you understand the material, no matter how “basic” it is. They break it down for you to understand, create little rhymes to help you remember. And most importantly, they don’t treat you like you’re stupid. Everyone has had that teacher. But I’ve been fortunate enough to have several. The early years of school are the most critical. You develop basic skills that are needed for the rest of your educational career, and the teachers you have are VERY important. My kindergarten teacher was the to

I had this problem last year. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was just something off about me. When I was with my friends, I felt different than when I was by myself. My friends loved to go out and have fun and make plans, and I would follow through without really saying anything about it. It’s not that I didn’t want to go, but I felt as if I didn’t have enough motivation, as if I didn’t really feel like it. I tried being more bubbly or more rebellious, but nothing helped. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t be my true self. So, I did what every one does when they think something’s wrong with them: I went to the internet. I love taking personality quizzes, especially ones that tell you which Disney Princess you are or which fashion icon you’re most like. But none of those could prepare me for what I discovered after taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Throughout the past year, well, throughout my life, I had thought that I was an extrovert. I was under th

“ I feel stunning a nd entrancing . I f eel like running a nd dancing for joy !” –Maria, West Side Story I started my girlish obsession with makeup when I was very little. I would rummage through my mom’s collection of Mary Kay, put on my favorite dress up gown (either my gold Belle dress or pink Meg dress), slip into my mom’s too-big high heels, layer on my Mardi Gras beads, and strut through the house like it was my very own catwalk. As young girls, that’s how we begin to discover who we truly are. We discover who we want to be, and who we want to be soon becomes who we ARE. A few weeks ago, I took part in a Mary Kay makeover day with my momma. It was so much fun, and it was a great way to kick off my Spring Break! What I love about Mary Kay is that it was specifically designed for women to treat themselves, to take a moment and feel truly beautiful. We spent the morning trying out face cleansers, foundation, eye shadow, and lipstick. Makeup is meant to enhance the natura

“Even perfect days can end in rain and though it’s pouring down, I see You through the clouds, shining on my face…” – Francesca Battiselli, Beautiful, Beautiful I was running errands the other day in preparation for the “Polar Vortex” that was getting ready to hit. It was cold and windy already, and I’d been driving around all day. I was ready to finish up and head home to spend some quality time with my jammies and Netflix, but I had one last stop to make. I came to a stoplight and, since everyone else had the same idea as me, there were at least 20 other cars in front of me. I tried to think of something, anything , that would get my mind off the thought of bashing my head into the window as entertainment. I finally decided to just look out the window. What I saw was pretty boring. There was a cluster of people waiting for the bus, a few kids playing soccer at an elementary school, a teenager coming out of the library with a stack of books; nothing out of the ordinary. But then