THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTFULNESS WITH TINYPRINTS

After spending so much time abroad and then coming home, I started to look at the way I was communicating with my friends and family. Most of the young people in my generation have had the best of both worlds in regards to ways  of communication: we were around for the pre-social media age as well as the rise in social media/technology. Naturally though, many of us have gone with the easier forms of communication like text messages, e-mails, facebook messages, etc. When I was in Costa Rica I realized that I had taken our postal system for granted because down there, there is no formal mailing system and most places don't even have a real address. 

Now that I am home, I have been finding ways to send more hand-written notes to the people I care about. We are so unaccustomed these days to sending and receiving hand-written notes that I was able to really surprise a few friends with some just thinking of you and wanted you to know cards. Their reactions and appreciative words from a simple card really show that thoughtfulness goes a long way. It really shows you that the energy you put into this world is what you often times will get out of it!

I was recently introduced to the website Tiny Prints and wanted to explore their newest designs. I was blown away by the selection of stationary and thank you cards that Tiny Prints has to offer and it was almost too hard to choose. Not to mention, the people at Tiny Prints were so lovely to work with that I cannot say enough good things about this experience. I ended up with the gorgeous personalized stationary cards you can see above as well as matching address labels. I am so excited to start sending out more notes to my friends just because. Tiny Prints was also so gracious to offer me my own personalized notepad so that I can stay on top of everything. Even though it is summer right now, graduate school and life responsibilities never end (thank you, adulthood!). Since I am 100% a lists person, I could not turn down the opportunity of a notepad with my name on it! Not to mention I was able to find one that pretty much matches my blog design perfectly. Meant to be? I think yes.

happy hu...tuesday?

source

wait, it's only tuesday? 

based on my day yesterday i thought i deserved for it to be at least wednesday.

school is hard so far this year. i went from two classes last year to five this year and i am am struggling just a little bit to juggle all the changes in my schedule. i know because it is the beginning of the year that things are a little more stressful with learning procedures, making diagnostic tests, and learning all my new students' names (there is just that one class i can't get!).

i'm sure that everything will fall into place soon but i think until this week is over i'm going to be a little stressed out and wishing every day was friday. but then again, who isn't?

some things are just too cute

some things that have been making me smile lately:

1. this recipe .. i mean, come on! who comes up with these things?? these pies are definitely going on my must do list .. they are just too cute

2. when my students walk past me at school and give me the "live long and prosper" hand symbol and i give it right back ... no words exchanged.

3. rocco ... when i'm watching some tv on my computer and he curls up in a ball on my chest and watches with me

4.  when my dad sends me an e-mail with a link to songs like this

5.  knowing that p and i both have this friday, saturday, and sunday off

hope everyone else has been doing lots of smiling!

post idea from the lovely nicole

photo source

history repeating itself.

in 2009 and 2010 i went down to Waveland, Mississippi and New Orleans, Lousiana on my college spring breaks to do volunteer work from hurricane Katrina. the first year i was a participant and the second year i was the team leader. those two weeks were definitely some of my favorite weeks from my whole college experience, although sometimes i feel a little bit guilty saying that.

i mean, the reason we went down there was because Katrina destroyed a lot of that area. more so, in our experience in Mississippi. and this was 4 and 5 years after the hurricane actually passed through.

so to see now, that hurricane Isaac is currently has the potential to do just as much damage, if not more makes me feel like smacking my head and saying, not again! it's like when you're younger and they teach you in history class that learning history is important so that we don't repeat our mistakes. well how can we tell mother nature, "okay we got it!! we don't need another devestating hurricane!" ?

i just can't help but think of all the houses and homes that haven't even recovered from Katrina. the families that didn't get the support they needed then and may have to go through the same thing now.

going down to volunteer was something that just warmed my heart. the amount of work that we did and the garbage we were pulling out of houses and off properties filled me up with a feeling of goodness, knowing i was really helping. i mean, we walked into walmart and a cashier woman just started crying because she knew that we were volunteers. 

it meant something. to them. and to us.

all of this news about Isaac has been reminding me of my experience with hurricanes and whatever comes from, i hope the response to the damage is fast and plentiful. whether it comes from the government or from volunteers. and if you have the opportunity to volunteer i would take it. it'll change your life and it'll change the lives of the people you are helping out.

and that's my blast from the past for the day.

this is not an outfit post

this post just happens to be about my most recent purchase that i was very excited to wear. but not an outfit post.

i'm not a fashion blogger. don't get me wrong, i love clothes. but i'm not confident enough in my wardrobe choices to be posting them all over the internet all the time. i do, however, admire a good number of lovely little fashion bloggers so maybe this is a result of all the cute outfits i see from blog world.

anyway. this past year (yes, i've been in cr almost an entire year now) i have purchased 4 articles of clothing. if you knew what i was like in high school, you'd probably be asking me, are you sure you didnt mean 44? i mean 4.

and one of them happened this past weekend. it was one of those mall trips where we just planned on going to the movies and as we are walking i see one of my favorite stores (mango) with a sign that says 50% off EVERYTHING. 

so naturally i was drawn inside the store and the first item of clothing i spot is that little number up there. first thing i see, only thing i try on and i immediately am in love.

it wasn't too hard to convince myself that i had to buy it because a. it was 50% off and b. i thought i deserved to treat myself because .. well i just thought i deserved it!

and i happily wore it to the father's day celebration we had on sunday.