52 Lists - Week Eight

This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!

Week 8 - List Your Favorite Albums
This was hard! Not because I love music so much it was hard to choose (although that was part of it), but because most of my favorite "albums" are mix CDs my friends made me in high school and college. Things that can never be purchased on iTunes or in the discount bin at a record store.  These albums defined so many big life moments for me and the people that made them put a lot of love and thought and "oh, Willow would *love* this..." into them. But this is the listing of my favorite albums that you can buy on iTunes. I checked.  

+ Fearless by Taylor Swift     + Greatest Hits by Jim Croce     + Blue by Joni Mitchell    + Fly by The Dixie Chicks      + From Under the Cork Tree by Fallout Boy     + Andy Grammer by himself            + American Idiot by Greenday     + Foiled and Amazing by Blue October     + Everything In Transit by Jack's Mannequin      + Nothing Left to Lose by Matt Kearney     + 21 by Adele     + Interventions and Lullabies by The Format      + Third Eye Blind and Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind     + Siren Song of the Counter Culture by Rise Against     + Dudu by Tarkan     + On a Clear Night by Missy Higgins     + We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz     + The Piano Guys by themselves     + A Lesson in Romantics by Mayday Parade     + Hideaway by The Weepies     + For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

you know you love my terrible photography skills

Do you remember your first album? Bet you can't guess which one was mine...

Happy Listening!

Willow

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html

52 Lists - Week Seven

This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!

Week 7 - List Things that Make You Feel Healthy - Mind, Body & Soul
Health is a big thing these days, and now that I'm entering my mid-20s (cue freak-out montage), my health is becoming something I'm more interested in. Eating broccoli used to be a chore - now I'm really good at sneaking veggies into a variety of dishes. I even floss now!  And a few years ago, I had to do a lot of quick-learning about how to take care of my mind and spirit in addition to caring for my physical well-being. Here's my list:

Mind:
+ reading challenging or thought-provoking books     + discussing books or theology with friends     + writing letters     + long drives     + brain games     +watching Vlogbrothers "Thoughts from Places" videos     + reading blogs that present clear arguments on various topics that allow me to think critically     + getting my daily work done and the satisfaction of being productive     +getting my thoughts and reflections out in my journal

Body:
+ getting plenty of sleep     + drinking water     + taking vitamins     + going for walks by myself        + drinking tea (green)      + riding my bike around the neighborhood      + stretching in the morning and before bed     + making sure to get fruits or veggies in at every meal and snack break     + doing yoga     + dancing while I clean the house

Soul:
+ long baths     + watching movies that genuinely make me laugh     + staying up late or getting up early to read, write, and pray      + listening to happy music     + being fully present at mass and adoration     + buying flowers for the kitchen table     + hugs     + singing     + dancing with abandon     + saying the Rosary

sorry again for the bad lighting - I keep trying to fix them but then they go fuzzy and...
well, iPhones probably aren't the best blog photographers

So those are the things that make me feel like a healthy individual. What healthy habits can you work into your day? I'm gonna go drink a nice, tall glass of water.

Cheers,

Willow

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html

52 Lists - Week Six

This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!

Week 6 - List the Ways in which You can Love Others
Loving others. It sounds so easy, but this list required a lot of creative thinking. I know a lot of people who are linking up with this mostly go specific - which is great - but I wanted to think of more general, everyday ways to love others. There are some that are very specific, but a lot of them are just daily reminders that I need to be more conscious of. The list:

+ exercise patience - don't yell or be sarcastic     + be encouraging    + be optimistic and positive - even when I don't want to be     + be sincere when asking "How are you?"     + give gifts just because + let cars merge     + pray for people who annoy/upset/are not loving to me     + send my mom flowers     + be a useful employee to Dad     + focus more on listening and less on talking     + be gracious     + give people the benefit of the doubt     +call people on their birthday      + be giving/generous     + give my full attention     + don't complain - be grateful     + write thank you notes for little things      +get to work on time or early     + take Oma out to lunch     + be fun, understanding, and a good role model to my sisters     + compliment freely and sincerely (and often!)

sorry for the fuzzy photo

Wow, a lot of these are mostly about just being more positive. Admittedly, I do tend to be more on the doom and gloom side of things, and I do think I should complain less.

How are you going to be loving this week?

Looooooooooove,

Willow

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html

52 Lists - Week Five

This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!

Week 5: List What You Are Grateful For
Things I'm grateful for - always something so important. With this list the thoughts just kept on coming, so I tried to be a bit creative. Obviously I'm thankful for my life, for being alive and living in a country where I have so much freedom (it's not perfect but it's better than other places) and having a family that loves me (even if they don't always show it) and so on and so forth. This was all around a really good exercise in looking at things I take for granted - other than having clean, running water and indoor plumbing.  So here's my list:

+ having a nice place to live     + cheap rent (thanks, Mom & Dad)     + living in a beautiful city near a pretty park     + having space to keep my grandmother's furniture and all my books     +my job, with flexible hours, a mostly easy-going boss, and being allowed to bring my cat to work     + getting paid well enough to pay bills and buy food     + having a (mostly) reliable car     + my best friend and resident fuzzball, Gatsby     + having the time and opportunity to supplement my income with babysitting jobs     + having one of those babysitting jobs run for almost 4 years and being treated like part of their family     + the awesomeness of the Vlogbrothers     + being able to count my little sisters amongst my closest friends     + having health insurance and access to health care     + my Catholic faith     + clean water, electricity, internet & telephone access, and other modern amenities     + penpals     + music, art, literature, dancing, and the privilege of growing up with those things     + parents who believe in the importance of exposing their children to culture and the arts     + getting to be part of my niece and nephew's lives     + having a large, crazy, beautiful extended family     + that I got the opportunity to travel across Western Europe with my mom, my best friend, and some awesome tour guides at only 17     + my exceptional education (thanks, Mom & Dad!)     + beautiful days, unforgettable nights     + stars and moonlight     + hope     + a world where there are Christmases

I couldn't get a really clear photos of this list because of a certain furry someone. See below.

So, so much to be grateful for - what an amazing life it is.  Of course this list isn't complete, but I was beginning to run out of room on my paper, as you can see.

What are you grateful for? What are the things that remind you how incredible life is?

Peace love and thanksgiving,

Willow


Bonus take:

Every time I use my phone to take pictures, he needs to be involved.

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
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Book Review: Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Stats:

# of pages: 355

Publication Date: 2012

Publisher: Originally published in hardcover in the United States by The Dial Press, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in 2012

My Copy: 2013 Dial Press Trade Paperback Edition - Target Book Club Pick with Reading Group Guide (6 pages)

 

My January pick was Tell the Wolves I'm Home, the debut novel by Carol Rifka Brunt.

52 Lists - Week Four

This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!

Week 4 - List Your Current & Future Goals and Dreams
Goals and dreams: I've got a lot of them.  This list was an interesting way to look at my goals in the sense of small picture and big picture; things I want to accomplish soon with concrete certainty and my someday-maybe pipe dreams. My "Current" list is stuff I want to accomplish by the end of 2014 (unless I specified some other end date), whereas my "Future" list is mostly on the dreams side of things rather than the goals side. You know what I mean. Here's my list:

CURRENT:
+ finish deep cleaning and organizing the condo, and have my room consistently tidy by Christmas (this is a serious goal because I am rubbish at home/space organization)
+ save enough money to be able to cover rent when Gary moves out
+ polish 3 poems to submit to literary magazines by the end of summer
+ organize and catalog the library this summer
+ get into a solid routine of exercising every day (I'm making progress on this one!) 
+ write up a bunch of blog posts and work up to posting every week (the photo says every day, but what I meant to add - thoughts faster than pen! - was to write every day)
+ meet new people and make new friends

those colorful bits of paper are from my Happy Thoughts Jar

FUTURE:
+ be a recognized, fiscally solvent writer
+ own a small house with a yellow kitchen, a garden, chickens, and a library [and a cat] (this little dream of mine has been in place for ages. I can't explain my obsession with having a sunny yellow kitchen, but it's ingrained in the dream. So's the window over the kitchen sink with lacy white curtains that looks into the garden. I'm a dreamer...) 
+ share my life with someone I love
+ have children
+ live in a foreign country (possibly the U.K. or Germany) for at least 6 months or longer
+ see my niece and nephew baptized in the Catholic Church  (ah, we've entered the pipe dream section of this list)
+ have tea with Francesca Lia Block
+ read thousands of really good books
+ start a literacy foundation
+ reform Catholic religious education/catechism instruction across the country (another dream I've had for a long, long time)
+ inspire someone
+ change the world
+ become a saint (formal canonization not required)

So, what are your goals for the rest of 2014? What are your dreams for the future? Do you dream of garden bungalows with yellow kitchens and blue libraries or something different? Let me know in comments....

Peace, love, and daydreams,

Willow

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
         

52 Lists - Week Three

This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!

Week 3: List the Things You Should be Proud Of
Things to be proud of... I have to admit, this list was hard for me. Really hard. In the last few years I've often said (and sincerely felt) that my life is on pause.  But thinking about it, and digging a little deeper, I found that I have accomplished things and that there are things in my life that I should be really proud of. Here's my list:


+ my job      + teaching Catechism
+ I'm coping well with my anxiety
+ I haven't killed Gary yet
+ I manage my money well enough to pay bills, buy food, and put a little away in my savings
+ I'm eating a lot healthier these days
+ my relationship with my sisters has really improved
+ I was brave and went on the Young Adult Ministry retreat in November
+ I was brave and joined the Life-Teen retreat team
+ how much more writing I'm doing this year
+ I'm getting to work earlier and saving up hours for vacation
+ I'm being consistent and tackling big organization tasks at home regularly
+ I'm a much more skilled knitter than I was 3 years ago

I feel like that's a list to be proud of.

So what have you done lately that you can be proud of?  Let me know in the comments or however you like.

Peace, love, and sunshiney thoughts,

Willow  

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html