day four: newsies.

this semester i was a design chief for our university newspaper, the university daily kansan.  it was my third semester working for the paper but i was pretty worried about being a design chief.  i mean, let's be honest. i've designed 95% of my blog with microsoft paint. (the other 5%: picnik.com) i even got a microsoft paint award! see last year's award here.

[which reads: "because if she had it her way, she would have done the entire paper in microsoft paint."]

but, the editors thought i had it in me.

the first few shifts were terrifying/exciting & incredibly exhausting.  this semester i had an 8am class, worked at my main job, (the university's german department) and would quickly run by the grocery store to pick up a lovely microwavable meal for that night's dinner before arriving for my design shift at 4p.m. the entire shifts you are designing non-stop.  of course there is the occasional late content or waiting on your computer to upload imaged files. (seriously, had our computers not been such grumps we could have been out of there by midnight easily) - but sometimes, i think it was just a sign that we should take a moment to breathe, stretch & laugh, lots. 

[twizzler mustaches are deliciously charming.]

i am so glad i took the risk of such a big job. 
i learned so much about the news industry, designing with real design programs (InDesign is my new bff.) & had a blast doing it. 


i love my fellow newsies. they are amazingly hard-working, dedicated, supportive, talented people.  i am so inspired by their passion & can totally see myself someday saying to my kids: "Oh, I worked with them before they were famous journalists, way back in 2010." i'll totally brag about it. 


while the 10+ hour shifts would sometimes wear me out beyond belief, and my horribly rocky friendship with Photoshop, i wouldn't change a thing. 


& this song will forever take me back to the newsroom - the frantic moments before finishing the paper, how we would play it loud to instill hopes of returning to our homes before 1 a.m. 

but how really, the newsroom was our home for a semester.

xo-

day three: friends.

{via: advice for all my children.}

my friends are superheroes. this semester they taught me so many wonderful things about life & helped me find my genuine groove. (& if you're thinking, "is she talking about me right now?" yes. yes i am. you. you. you.) from blog friends to the friends i get to see everyday, you all have an impact on my heart you could never imagine.

my letter to you, dear friend:

dearest chap/chap-ette,

i'm so thankful for having you in my life. not to sound like a complete cheeseball, but it is the truth.  (i can't believe how much of my cheesiness you put up with...but hold up, it's about to get even cheesier...) seeing you smile & hearing you laugh is what truly makes me happy. our late night chats over pancakes, our impromptu dance parties, your awesome in-the-car choreographed moves, our rapping free-style challenges, your texts that update me when we are apart, the sweet messages you leave on my blog, voice-mails & hilarious facebook notes have made this semester so bearable and have reminded me how many beautiful, inspiring people i have in my life. i don't  know what i would do without your hugs- they are like band-aids for healing bad days.  you always turn my bad days around.  i'm so blessed that you have been so encouraging & honest with me this semester. your pearls of wisdom are forever in my heart.  you are a true superhero to me. especially this semester.  you were there for me when i needed you even though i had been a hermit of a friend. you were there to help me back to my feet after having falling hard. for that, i am so stinkin' thankful.  (without you i'd still be laying there on the ground) this semester i learned that i have the truest friends & i should never ever take you/them for granted. 

i am so blessed to have you in my life.

with Love forever,

Anna

 xo-

day two: heartbreak.

to be perfectly honest, this past semester has been rough.  not necessarily because of ample amounts of homework or even trying to keep up with four jobs.  nope.  i would rather slay those dragons head on any day than have to deal with heartbreak. 

heartbreak is the pits.

& I've had some trepidation about whether or not to blog about my recent heartache. because one weird thing about blogs- it's all archived.  all the happy moments before the break-up & moments like right now. so even whenever you try & move along, you catch yourself peeking back at those moments. moments you never imagined would make you cry. but you do it anyway, because being brave is something you admire in others & long to be yourself.
 
so here it goes, Loves.

last semester i dated a boy.  he was charming & happy & we had a blast together. i came to really, really care about this boy.  i loved our adventures together & i simply adore his family. & honestly, i still care about him & his family. a lot.

but then it happens.  you drift apart & you realize your lives are headed in remarkably different directions.  as much as it breaks your heart & makes you dizzy all at once, you try & accept it's for the best.

but this semester. holy moly. i have had some rough days trying to believe it's for the best.

break-ups are flippin' weird.  you go from being best friends with a person to absolutely never speaking again.  how does that even make sense?  

i guess it doesn't.  

but who ever said Love made sense? 

i must say that as much as it killed me, breaking-up before the semester began made creating my own semester routine a little bit easier. it was kind of a fresh start, of sorts. 

but snap, crackle, pop was it hard.

but much to my surprise i got into a new groove.

i came out from under my duvet to find the same beautiful world that had always been there - boy or not.  

there was so much happiness to experience in this past semester. i began to grow & learn so much about myself. 

& i straight-up forced myself to accept some things:

- when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
- your friends see through a lot of the crap.
- your sisters do, too.
- don't become a doormat.  people love a good doormat.
- respect. (yourself, others, just as much as others should respect you.)
- you can still care & miss him at times, but as the ever so wise Elizabth Gilbert put it: “So miss him. Send him some love and light every time you think about him, then drop it."
- love will come.
- but don't rush it.
- because it's on its way, waiting to arrive at the most perfect of times.
- just because you broke-up doesn't make the happiness you had with the person any less real. that happiness was so real.
- never allow your heart to refuse Love.  Love helps you heal.  & so many people Love you.

xo-

& so it begins: fall 2010 finals countdown...day one.

in traditional finals week fashion, i give you...

Go get 'em tiger!

finals week likes to dig deep into your soul & try & convince you otherwise.  but don't let it get to you. because:

{via: tumblr}

we can & we will.

& just so you all know, I love ya. a lot. 

so if your feeling stressed, or down in the dumps, or just disgruntled with the world, (it totally happens, & it is normal) don't let it keep you bogged down to long.

dance around your room with a hairbrush, sing super loud in the shower, or make an acceptance speech in your mirror. (awards i've imaginatively accepted? well, just last week i sent my overachieving older siblings an email with the subject line of "& i would like to thank the pulitzer prize board..." i'm a total dork.)

but if those hijinks don't seem to boost your spirits, 

check out this awesome site: 

"Daily pep talk from a best friend"  

it will so make you smile. ; )

my favorite post as of late?

this brilliance. cause it's totally true.

xo-

p.s. this edition of finals countdown is going to be full of stories, laughter, tears & straight from the heart moments. it's going to be rocking. ; )