"All things grow...". p.s. this is really cheesy. p.p.s. i am blogging it anyway.

this song is a new fav.

{me & noah. october 2009}

i often wish i could go back to certain moments in time & tell myself things that i didn't quite yet know.

it's so odd. it's odd to think of "that anna" (the one from last october) being different from the me today. 

"that anna" was bogged down with so much doubt in herself. she was pretty sure she wasn't going to finish her math credits & on most days she lost sleep wondering what would become of life once her dear friends all graduated & got married & moved on. she felt twelve steps behind everyone.

she was also full of hopes.
hopes that things would work out & that she would begin to be brave. 

& her hopes did come true.  she passed her math class & she continued to follow her school path....however, from that point- with more fervor.

she was brave.  although she was terrified to open her heart up to a boy.  but she was so brave & she did. & she was so happy that she did.

she wasn't expecting heartbreak.  

no, last year at this moment she was convinced she would be able to protect her heart from any ache.
she fought to protect her heart from being vulnerable.

she wouldn't believe you if you told her she would succumb to heartbreak.
no, she wouldn't. she'd say, "i would never give anyone that much power. the power to break my heart."

but she did. & she'd do it again.

she'd protest, saying that she would not allow herself to fall for anyone.  all the while, in the back of her mind, she'd secretly be wishing it was true, that she would fall for someone in the coming year.  no matter the heartbreak.

but if i went back to "that anna" i'd tell her to go ahead & follow her heart. & if her heart was swelling with joy, to enjoy it. enjoy the coming months filled with wonderful moments.  i would tell her it might hurt like hell at the end, but  that she would never regret it.  i'd tell her to always take risks & at the end of it all, i'd be there to comfort her.  

i'd tell her she is going to grow in a million different ways & that she was going to learn most of the coming lessons from her mistakes.  

mistakes that were necessary for her growth. 

i'd tell her no matter how sad she gets, how scared or how bitter- she would be ok in the end.

& i'd tell her that at the end of the day, she would be content with the memories of the past.  & how she'll always kindle hopes of what's to come- no matter the falls she's taken so far.
  

"She fell, she hurt, she felt. She lived. And for all the tumble of her experiences, she still had hope."-sarah dessen.

xo-

birthday recap in photos II. : dinner with my sweet friends & hitting the town.

thanks to everyone, including You, for making this birthday incredible.  i love you all so very much.  more than you will ever know!

xoxo.

see more photos of the fun here. : )

birthday recap in photos I. : dinner with the siblings & our loves.

twenty-one & counting.

 [Jon & Me circa 1994?]

today i turn twenty-one.  so, in honor of such events i have decided to list the top twenty-one things i have learned in the past year...

21. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to drink dr.pepper daily to survive.  who knew?!

20. Some people peaked in high school, and i am oh, so glad i was, instead, a huge nerd.

19. Reading can be fun.  

18. Sometimes staying home on the weekend with just your family can be good for your heart.

17. Blizzards aren't just something we read about in Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.

16. Kansas really isn't as boring as i had declared. (well, Lawrence isn't at least.)

15. I have the best friends in the entire world. entire world i tell ya!

14. The Smoothe-Away does not work at all.

13. Corn dogs still gross me out.

12. Growing up can be really hard.

11. Growing up can be really awesome.

10. Trying to be happy makes things so much better than being angry.

9.  Poodles are super high maintenance emotionally.

8.  Blogging was one of the best decisions i've ever made.

7.  Money makes everything more complicated.

6.  I really was able to finish my math credits.

5.  My dad's a pretty big deal, but the most humble man you will ever meet.

4.  My siblings are such great role-models.

3.  I will always be a jayhawk.

2.  Sweet genuine boys really do exist, and i am the luckiest girl in the world.

1.  The world is filled with a lot of love, & i have the most loving family a girl could want.

Whew!  :  )
thanks for all of your kind support this past year- 
i adore you.
xo

day five.

{via: tumblr.}

the end. 

i had a wonderful finals week & am so relieved to be finished!  thanks to all of your encouraging comments & messages--you make even the most hectic of days beautiful. thank you for that.

I bid you adieu Spring Semester 2010.

we had some good times.

i can't say i won't miss you some.

thanks for being pretty swell,

and for creating so many wonderful memories.

here's to a perfect summer & lovely Fall Semester 2010!

Love, Anna.

original graphic credit.

xo-

day four.

this semester i took zumba for a fill in credit.

i loved it, though i was pretty terrible. we had to choreograph a dance & present it to the class... my song of choice? spices girls spice up your life. i already had half of the dance from when my cousins & i came up with one in 1997.

i really love the class & definitely want to get certified some day...i highly recommend it--and i'm not one for working out...!

learn more about zumba here.

see my twin liz lemon attempting cardio-hip-hop-groove here. that is pretty much how i looked in zumba everyday...ok, that is how i looked everyday.

original graphic credit.

xo-
p.s. this picture is too stinken' adorable for words!

day three.

this semester i had to take the course First Amendment & Society. the amount of information i learned in this class was incredible.

though it was at 8am, i really enjoyed every lesson. i could hardly believe how much i didn't know about the importance of the U.S. first amendment, and how much i tend to take it for granted.

[notes notes & more notes.]

it's a fascinating amendment which brings up a plethora of tricky cases and i loved analyzing each of them. so much that for 1.3 seconds i seriously considered going to law school...but then i saw something shiny...

here are some of my favorite quotes on the freedom of speech--

“I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking.”-Woodrow T. Wilson.

“The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.”-Eleanor Holmes Norton.

this graphic on the current state of the freedom of the press in the world is astounding.

i never even realized how lucky i am to be able to participate in my desired career as a journalist/writer--while some attempting the same face substantial punishment and censorship.

so i sign off this post the same way my professor did in our last email: have a good day & "remember to stand up for free expression".

original graphic credit.

xo-

day two.

math + me = badnewsbears.
so after i finished my final math test of my LIFE last week i squealed with happiness.

an ode to math.

dear math.

i hate you more than cats hate baths.

we got along up until long division-
then we had a major collision.

don't get me wrong some like you swell,
but to be honest, you make me yell.

to others you really seem to inspire-
but for me to agree, would make me a liar.

so i bid you farewell, our journey is over-
as for me missing you,
there's a better chance of me someday driving a moon rover.

so goodbye old math, don't worry about me-
you'll still be very well thought of by the rest of my family.

with love and thanks a bunch,
but seriously, don't worry about keeping in touch.

xo.

original graphic credit.

xo-

return of the finals countdown...day one.

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

i would have to say the very best part of this semester was meeting this handsome boy:

this is ross & me on an amazing picnic next to potter's lake on campus. we started dating around valentine's day & i have never met a sweeter boy. and I am oh so blessed to be his girl.

we didn't meet at school, but he was definitely a highlight of this semester--to say the least. : )

original graphic credit.

xo-

happy mother's day!

[my mama & me circa 1989.]

i love you so much mom!

this song will always remind me of you.

Taylor Swift - New Music - More Music Videos

happy mother's day
to all you wonderful mamas! : )

xo-

beautfiul Nie.

NieNie just posted
a wonderful video.
check it out!!

oh how i admire her, so very much.
xo-

ducklings are like dreams. they need gentle time to grow.

{campus. spring 2010.}

i have around a bazillion new ideas a day.

paint a bookshelf. revamp my wardrobe. new makeup trick. organize drawers. build a desk. giveaways. knit. sew. eat organic.... these are just a few that happened to fill my head today.

each day i get a surge of excitement to create my plans. and each day i am reminded of how fast time passes, how expensive things tend to be, and that i am a poor busy college student.

and each day my heart breaks a little.

i love school. i love my friends. i love life.

but this year i have been trying to understand the balancing act that is life.

i have observed the order of priorities.
i have fought against time, earning myself a spot in the procrastinator hall of fame.
and i have come to accept that life is about sacrifices.

this lesson is the toughest one I've tried to learn. but I'm trying my best.

my favorite part of the lesson--

your dreams can come true. you just have to be patient & nurture them while they grow--like you would a baby. or perhaps a duckling.

xo-

Liebe.

my beautiful friend Katherine & her German beau Christian recently got engaged! i am so excited for them--i love my friends in love. isn't it such a wonderful thing to see?!

Congratulations Lovebirds!!

xo-
p.s. that photo is from when christian left katherine that note in her kitchen one day! adorable. absolutely adorable.

blessed.

i definitely do not like being so busy.
it bums me out that school takes so much of my time. i would much rather blog my days away--le sigh.

i have been behind on my reading of your sweet blogs & regret that a lot.
please know that i will catch up for sure.

with that i just wanted to remind you all how much you all mean to me.

i know that some of you know this already, & some of you probably think this is cliche. but at the end of the day, i just want you all to know the truth:

i love you.

you have no idea how much your comments & support make me smile. everyday my heart swells with love from knowing you.

yes, you reading this.

you, you, you, you, you.

thank you.

with love-
Anna.

sunlight, smiles & friday.

xo-

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday
to My Beautiful Mom.

{my pops & mom Easter 2010.}

i love you more than words could ever say. thanks for being an awesome mom, roommate, friend, and thanks for being you.

with love today & always

Anna Banana.

smiles for friday.

[julia & natalie, january 2010.]

Happy Friday!
whew, another week closer to summer!
i think this calls for a
"lollipops & silly giggles"
kind of weekend!

xo-

because i'm a girl with glasses, too!

I Am A Girl - The Girls With Glasses Theme Song from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

this adorable video made my day.

oh, i love you glasses.

xo-

oh, school.

to my lovely university:

you look absolutely dashing lately. i adore walking about in between classes & having picnics on your soft grass next to potter's lake. but, you see, when you are so beautiful, it makes it so very hard to sit in class & watch spring happening outside the windows... so, please stay this perfect for a long while, so i can appreciate you as much as you deserve when i'm not swamped in silly homework, meetings and projects.

[monday, april 12, 2010.]

[monday, april 12, 2010.]

rock chalk
& Love always, Anna.

p.s. my new post for buttoned up on some tricks to fighting the spring itch!
p.s.s. become a fan of little reminders of love now on facebook!

{Quote of the Week.}

week {achtundsechzig};

{julia & carolyn. spring 2010.}

“Life has loveliness to sell, all beautiful and splendid things, blue waves whitened on a cliff, soaring fire that sways and sings, and children’s faces looking up, holding wonder like a cup.”-Sara Teasdale.