Monday Reminder: A Brand-New Path

"Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman."  - Maya Angelou

Monday Reminder: Surrender to the Dance

"The art of living is based on rhythm — on give and take, ebb and flow, light and dark, life and death. By acceptance of all aspects of life, good and bad, right and wrong, yours and mine, the static, defensive life, which is what most people are cursed with, is converted into a dance... The acceptance of the situation, any situation, brings about a flow, a rhythmic impulse towards self-expression. To relax is, of course, the first thing a dancer has to learn... It is extremely difficult, because it means surrender, full surrender."  -Adapted from Henry Miller

Caturday

With all of the moving and packing going on in my house again, the cats are driving me crazy!  Lady Bug is smart enough to know that something big is going on and is constantly trying to figure out what that might be.  Charlie is just anxious and confused, which makes for a lot of whining at 4:30 every morning.

While trying to get some things organized a few nights ago, Lady Bug made camp on the bed like a normal cat.  Charlie decided she was done with the whole thing and packed herself away, ready to get moved.  She refused to leave the box, no matter how much I coaxed.

At least in the box, she wasn't under foot.  Once she decided that she'd rather travel in the suitcase, she was just making a mess.

I think we'll all be happy to get this move over and get settled in our new place.  The big drive takes place on Tuesday!

Throwback Thursday

My best friend and I at my going away party four years ago when I moved to the dirty South.  Hard to believe I'm moving back north in less than a week...

What I'm Reading Wednesday

As I mentioned yesterday, I just haven't been feeling inspired to do this whole blogging thing with everything else that's going on.  Just because I'm not writing as much doesn't mean that I'm not reading though!  I keep finding these amazing blog posts that say exactly what I want to say so I figured instead of writing today, I'd share some of my favorite bloggers and their posts from this week that have inspired me.  Maybe you'll learn something or find someone new to read.  You never know...

I have no idea how I found Kati, but she's one of my favorite bloggers.  Kati, if you're reading this, did you know that?  I think we'd be friends in real life.  Anyway.  Swing over there and show her some blog love is you feel so inclined.
Kati wrote this post this week about why she moved to Nebraska.  I kind of feel the same way about why I'm moving to Marshfield.  I mean, yes it's in my home state but it isn't exactly where I thought I'd end up.  Thanks for putting my thoughts into words, Kati!

Nicholl is one of the few fashion bloggers I follow religiously.  I wish I were half that cute.  She's also hysterically funny.  I've been thinking about doing one of the "Fact Is..." linkups and always forget about them until I read hers and than I realize I'm not all that funny.  Her perspective on life is fabulous and she'll make you giggle.  Good enough for me!

 

I started reading Alycia's blog a while back and kept reading because she is one of the most honest and adorable people I have stumbled upon on the internet.  This post from Monday is especially amazing.  We all need a reminder to judging one another sometimes.  I know I do!

If I could sew - which someday I'm determined to learn for real - I would totally make myself this jacket.  Amazing.


See anything you really love?  Click over and let them know!

Warrior Woman

I know I haven't been writing much lately and I apologize.  I don't have much to say.  I'm wrapping up my last week here so I've been busy but I don't really have plans made for the next chapter either.  I mean, I have a job offer but am still waiting for paperwork to come back so it's official, I have an apartment but I've never seen it (special thanks to my mom for taking a day off to do that for me!) so I can't really start planning how to decorate things, a moving company is most likely doing all of the packing and loading of my stuff... nothing is really happening even though a major life change is about to take place.

Everything is just in a holding pattern.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not good at sitting still so it's driving me crazy.

When I get stressed I suddenly feel the need to take on the world, all by myself.  For some reason, I think I'm a warrior woman who can accomplish everything on her own.  This time though, because of the aforementioned holding pattern, I have nothing that I can accomplish.  So instead of just driving myself crazy, I'm driving everyone around me crazy.

I know from past experience that one of the best ways for me to snap out of it is to literally put myself together - get up in the morning, take a hot shower, do my hair and makeup (not something I do every day - clearly this is not a fashion blog), put on a "strong" outfit, and face the world head on.  So this morning, I went to my go-to warrior woman work outfit.  I can honestly say it's making a difference.

Since I don't plan to share an actual picture of my outfit, here's a sampling.  Let's be real, none of this is what I'm actually wearing because my outfit has been hanging in my closet for quite a while but I tried!

Warrior Woman Outfit by rstarich featuring hue tights

(What, what!  My first Polyvore.  Still not a fashion blog so don't expect many more in the future!)

While it might not look like anything special to you, it makes me feel like I can take on anything.  Do you have a go to Warrior Woman look that helps you put a new attitude on when you're stressed?  I'd love to know what works for you!

Monday Reminder: Think, Feel, Do

Happiness cannot come from without.  It must come from within.  It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes up happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves. - Helen Keller

Lovers of Words

One of the things I have loved about working at a university - and one of the things I will miss the most - is the opportunity to participate in a community of scholars, even though I am (not yet) a professor.  

I've shared reviews of books that I read in conjunction with a university project a few times in the past and I want to share one more before I leave here.

The incoming class at this university was required to read a few common texts.  Being a book / language nerd and a lover of fictionalized history (note: that, in my mind, is very different than historical fiction), I was very excited to get my hands on one of the texts for the year, The Professor and the Madman, a book discussing the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary.  I mean really, is there a more perfect book out there for someone like me to read?!

I read this book in a matter of hours.  I found it full of interesting historical anecdotes, rich in the history of language, and - simply put - a really good story.  The book focuses on two men who are unparalleled in their contribution to the English language: Professor James Murray, who oversaw the committee collecting entries for the OED, and Dr. W. C. Minor, a previously unknown man who contributed tens of thousands of entries in the collection process.  This remarkable tale focuses on the relationship between the two men, as well as their lives aside from the OED, especially after it comes to light that Dr. Minor is serving time in an asylum for  the criminally insane after murdering a man due to his constant paranoia. 

This book is one of those stories that is so outlandish that it's must be true.  The history surrounding the most ambitious language project our world has ever seen is sensational enough and the task was nearly impossible.  But the lives of those who contributed to the process are even more amazing.  Simon Winchester did a wonderful job of sharing their stories and drawing the reader into their task.  For anyone who is a lover of words the way I am, The Professor and the Madman is a must read.

Monday Reminder: How Lucky I Am

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

I usually leaves these reminders without a lot of explanation but this one begs for a little extra.  Thank you to my friend Cathy for sharing this quote on her blog a few weeks ago.  It is so incredibly appropriate in my life right now and Winnie the Pooh holds a special place in my heart and in my family.  For the last few months, it's been so hard to say goodbye when I leave home after seeing my friends and family (and of course the boyfriend).  Now it's hard to say goodbye to Kentucky when the move back home is actually happening.  I'm a lucky girl to have so many wonderful things to say goodbye to.

Favorite Things Friday

It's been a while since I've done a FTF or linked up with Lauren. Giving it a shot again this week since it's been a good one.

1. I spent last weekend in Wisconsin with my boyfriend and parents.  Saturday we went on a Segway tour of  downtown Green Bay. Since I knew a lot about downtown already, the tour itself was lame. Segway-ing, however, is awesomely fun and nerdy.  I want one.

2. We spent Saturday evening celebrating my friend KP's new marriage. Wonderful to see her for the first time in years and to reconnect with some old friends. Too bad the boy and I didn't remember to take pictures together while we were all dressed up... but good thing this characture artist was there to document what we (didn't really at all) look like.

3. Sunday we went to the Packer game. Our seats were great and they won.  'Nuf said.

4. It's officially fall around here. I've worn boots every day this week. I've eaten popcorn and apple cider for dinner more times than I should admit in the last two weeks. I'm in the middle of a creep-tastic book. And Lady Bug is in serious snuggle mode. How can you not love that face?

5. Oh yeah.  And then there was that whole big announcement from yesterday.

You know it has been a pretty excellent week when you could have 15 favorite things and not run out!

Throwback Thursday

I am seriously missing my little sister right now.  The best thing about my moving home is that I will get to see my family more often.  But considering that my sister is living in North Carolina with her husband, kicking vet school's butt, I still won't get to see her as often as I'd like.

Just for good measure, one more photo of how awesome we used to be...

Sweet pants to both of us.  Extra sweet haircut and fanny pack to me.