The Calm Before the Storm

It's currently 2:15 a.m. where I am. Typing that makes me wonder what time you're reading this, and that, in turn, makes me wonder what the world will be like on your side of it. Because it's cold here, but it could be warm wherever you are. I think that's what makes blogging so important for me, because right now, I'm going through some tough times, but someone on the other side of the world probably has it 10 times worse off than I do, and in the same light, someone can be having the time of their life right now. Blogging keeps me focused on the bigger picture.

When these pictures were taken, I had no idea that later on in the evening while thrifting that I had to go to the hospital to comfort grieving family members. I would have no idea that a few days later I would be physically sick from the worst stress I've ever been under. I still have no idea what tomorrow (or rather, later today) will bring.

No, this is not a post about fashion, or makeup, or my shoes. Despite what the majority of posts may suggest, my blog is about my personal adventures, and even the greatest adventures have some form of villainy. A challenge to defeat. A dragon or two to be slain.

In my quest to find the fun adventures, and to survive the negative ones, I seem to be forgetting that the in-between days, the ones where an ipod, warm cardigan and watermelon lip gloss are my comforts, those dreadfully boring days are the ones I need to be cherishing, perhaps the most. I need to cherish that stillness. Embrace the simplicity of being alive and healthy and content. Learn to love that calm before the storm.

No. 22 (Shoe Save AND) Photo Friday #5: Kmart Adventures

What was supposed to be a quick run to Kmart to pick up my mother's table turned into a store-wide game of hide-and-seek. We had to look for employees, the employees had to look for the table, I looked (and bought) some shoes, of which I just HAD to wear while the employees looked for where WE had gotten off to. Adventures, adventures.

Adventures, Adventures

I have had so many lovely adventures these last few weeks, I'm astounded at how lucky I've been. Many amazing concerts and shows, festivals, family gatherings and overall beautiful chaos.

These are the kinds of experiences I hoped to be blogging about when I started this whole thing, and now that they've all been happening I'm just itching with anticipation because I want to share them all. But alot of these posts I have written in my mind, stored away in my memory, until I finally get a chance to actually sit down and write them.

I go through my pictures and I can feel myself get anxious and impatient because I just want to spit them all out onto this page, but I know that that won't do my memories any real justice, and probably won't translate well to you, the reader, because you will have no idea what the heck it is I'm talking about.  :)

Blogging has become an adventure of it's own, and I just want to say a really huge THANK YOU to my new and old followers, for being on this adventure with me.

The Weekend In Pictures

Mango smoothies for breakfast, pink roses, and Hildy under close supervision because of April Fool's pranksters...

...makin lunch and hanging with the dogs...

(Black puff is Buddy, White and black puff is Penny. She never stays still long enough to get a good picture)

...softball with my ASL class team...

(Me running to second base, me posin in the outfield, and our group pic)

...and a surprise project I hope to show you soon...

...and lastly, let me just say I TOTALLY GEEKED OUT over finally getting to 20 followers. Yes, in the grand scheme of the whole blogging world, 20 is nothin, but because I've had this blog for so long and always been really unsure about what I wanted it to be... I feel like hitting 20 is SUPER exciting. Every single time I see the "times viewed" go up on each post, I get so excited! (Im not even going to describe how much I LOVE getting comments!) I want everyone who reads this to know that I am so grateful for the time you take to read my stuff. I appreciate it so much more than you will ever know.  

Adventures of Vintage Hippo's Ballet Tights

After the exhausting late night practices outside in the cold weather and the soft tumble in the washer and dryer, the warm of body heat was a nice change. Anxiety and excitement was felt through every fiber. Toes curled in and out in anticipation, the nylon creating delicate friction in the soft canvas, where little holes were fraying from a rough night out on the concrete. Now how in the world did that tiny little lipstick smear get there? Oh! It's finally our turn!



Toes needed to be pointed more, those turns needed to be more centered, glissades looked like chasses, thank goodness the video didn't show my awful pirouette!

But the ending was nice. Kinda like the karate kid trying to do ballet, but nice all the same.




Tension over. Butterflies gone. Leg muscles constricted lazily in pink pastel enjoy the feeling that vacation is finally washing away the muddled worries and only leaving bright and shiny hope for the future.

The Chaos

It's funny the way life is sometimes.

Boring and monochromatic. but then in an instant it's like... I'm wearing pink glasses!

Maybe that isn't the right analogy... circle of life? nah thats taken I think... oh how bout! ...

Yes! The cliche roller coaster analogy!

But I'ma change it, because people always say the highs are the highs and the lows are the lows, right?

Well those people are idiots.

I mean c'mon, the high points of a roller coaster are the most boring parts! Everyone knows its when ur racing to the low points is where the real thrill is!

But forget that...thats not what I'm trying to describe... Its an entirely different feeling.

But...my words are..idk...hiding from me?

I can only describe it as well...

..those moments right before you get on the ride.

That kind of stupid bore and laziness...you complain and wine and you want anything else, literally anything else, than that boredom.

But then, without even realizing it really, you're strapped in.

And in a microfraction of a second you kinda think to yourself,

"Wait, what am I doing??"

But before you even fully comprehend whats gonna happen, or even TRY to think about getting off, it just goes!

(And if you've ever ridden Superman you know what I mean)

You're literally thrown into this whirlwind of motion and vulnerability, and the forces acting upon you are so far beyond your control you don't even really know what to feel...

Heck its just a whole mix of feelings they haven't even invented words for yet!

That....that's kind of how my life's been at the moment. These last few months have been a perpetual day at Magic Mountain. Haha.

Hanging with friends when I can, Waking up earlier than I ever have before, Going to college classes, Meeting people, Learning things!

Aside from the occasional AP English class Lord knows I haven't felt like I was truly learning things since I was in elementary school...

But I can feel myself learning how to think like I've always known I could.

Learning how to use my body in ways I never dreamed I could.

(yea yea that's what she said...I'm talking about ballet! Hahaha)

I've learned how to drive! and be financially responsible for myself...

and (don't find me cold hearted for saying this) I learned how to be resilient.

I learned how to say goodbye to the past, and unapologetically move on.

I'm not sitting around in this lazy funk anymore, and I love it.

Im having my adventures :)

So I guess, thats my life analogy. For Now.

Basically there's the Known. The boredom. That line of never ending anticipation.

And then there's the Unknown. The chaos. The human race's biggest fear.

Pick one.