Heavy Boots

I have been reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close the past few days, I just finished it this morning, and it was honestly such a beautiful book. When I first started the book, I was so frustrated and I found the book really confusing cause of how its written. Oskar, the main character, has so many random thoughts and in the beginning it was soo hard to follow. But once I got into it, I began to really like the book. Its funny, because I would be sitting at work, totally engrossed in Oskar and his adventure to find what the key opened, and then someone would walk into the bakery, and I'd have to come back to the real world. At times it felt like I was existing in two different places at once. Sitting outside reading this book made so happy - I definitely want to start reading outside more this summer. For my next read, I am going to see how I like this book called House of Sand and Fog. My grandma recommended it. I have tried, half heartedly, starting it a few times but I could never get into it. Hopefully this time will be different. 

These are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"I miss what I already have and surround myself with things I miss" - Oskar's grandma

"I spent my life learning to feel less. Everyday I felt less. Is that growing old? Or is it something worse? You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness" - Oskar's grandma

"I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live, Oskar" - Oskar's grandma

"You can't love anything more than something you miss" - Oskar's grandpa

"Highs and lows make you feel that things matter, but they're nothing." "So what's something?" "Being reliable is something. Being good." William Black and Oskar

Also, whats with all these pictures of feet these days?! I don't even like feet. I gotta start changing it up; maybe actually get in front of the camera. I guess we'll see. 

Purple

Do you ever have ugly days? Days where you just look in the mirror and think to yourself, "how could I have possibly been cursed with such unfortunate genes?". Yeap, well today was one of those days for me. It didn't help that my mom decided it was a good idea to eat at Joe's Crab Shack (one of my favorite restaurants), where I got a meal that was completely fried and when I logged it into my fitness pal I learned that my meal was over 2,000 calories! Who knew?! Good thing I didn't eat all of it, but it still brought me way over my calories for the day. Anyway, the point is that today I was feeling completely unlike myself. So I decided to spend the day in, and do a little pampering. I tweezed my eyebrows, bleached my mustache (lets be real girls, we all have to do it), put a streak of purple in my hair and some purple on my nails. I listened to the wisdom of Carrie Bradshaw on Sex in the City, ate a chocolate chip cookie and drank a frap from Strabucks. Now, I am going to make myself a cup of tea and cry as I read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Needless to say, even though today was far from ideal, I was able to turn it around and cheer myself up. Its nice to know that I can do things like that. Although it wasn't all me; thinking about that cute boy from the bakery with the beard made me feel a little better too (;

Just a side note, taking the pictures for this post took me forever, and kinda gave me a headache. Oh, the things we do to have a pretty blog. Just sayin'. Alsooo, my left toenail is shaped so weirdly because it fell off from running and is in the process of growing back. That toe nail is literally 6 months in the making. I can't wait till its fully grown in so I can cut it and make it a regular shape. TMI?

Successful Day!

So yesterday turned out rather successful. My breakfast was larged and kept me full for a really good portion of the day, something that rarely happens. Ususally an hour after breakfast I am starving again.

 I finished reading Into the Wild yesterday. The end was so touching, and left me with this really weird feeling. I didn't expect this book to make me cry, but I just felt so sad for Chris in the end, and I suppose I had other pent up emotions that I needed to get out also. Either way, I loved this book, Today I want to go to the library and pick up Catcher in the Rye. I've wanted to read that book for so long!

Also, my shopping trip yesterday was incredibly successful. Unfortunatly left my camera at school, so these pictures are from my phone, but I can promise I got some really good stuff. I also spent almost my entire pay for last week, but whatever!

 

  And spending time with Maria was really nice. I think my morning run got me back to feeling like my old self (cause I have been in quite a funk since the end of November!). I just haven't been myself and its incredibly frustrating, But yesterday on the bus ride home we talked like we used to, and it was just really lovely.

Day By Day

So as I have already posted, there are a lot of things that I'd like to accomplish and get done, and thinking about it all makes me so overwhelmed. Just thinking to myself "I want to lose 15 pounds, get into great shape, run 3 half marathons, volunteer, make new friends this semester, go to more parties"; that makes me want to live in a hole. Its so overwhelming and it makes me so sad because it makes me feel like there is no where to even begin. I think I need to look at the smaller picture rather than these huge pictures. I know where I want to be, now I need to set small mini goals to get myself there. I was thinking of doing this as a week-by-week thing, but I think even that would be unrealistic for me right now. Instead, every night before I go to bed I am going to make a little list of the steps I will take the next day, that will help me get to my ultimate final goals. Since I am writing about this now, I will publish my list here tonight.

Mini Goals for Tomorrow:

1. Run 2 miles

2. Eat a really big, healthy breakfast

3. Keep busy and do things that make me happy:

Read, practice piano, talk on phone with old friends

4. Possibly go to mall with Maria and look for new dresses

5. Keep room clean

Speaking of reading, right now I love the book I am reading. I am reading Into the Wild By Jon Krakauer. We started reading sections from it in my expos class this semester, so I bought it in November, and I am finally getting a chance to read it. 

 Its about a boy named Christopher McCandless and well, I don't feel like writing a book report, but the book is incredibly interesting because it includes his story of adventuring into the wild, but it also tell of other who had similar endeavors. Its incredibly inspiring. So many people speak so highly of him, and he touched so many hearts.

That's him in front of the bus that he stayed in while living in Alaska. When I am older, I'd love to hike out to that bus and see what it was like. Hopefully one day I can!