Lindsey Stirling is my idol. In addition to the fact that I love her music, she represents so much of who I want to be. She is strong but not perfect. She is quirky but has a focused artistic vision and works tirelessly to achieve it. I think she and I have similar values and I admire her for holding on strong to what she believes in while navigating a difficult industry. Continue reading ““The Only Pirate at the Party” – Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey | Book Review”
My iPod is a 5th generation Nano and the memory is full. I haven’t added or deleted any songs since probably 2012 or 2013; it can be so hard to pick which ones to remove! When I go running with my iPod I usually have it on shuffle, which provides an extreme variety of music. It ranges from Celine Dion to Tim Janis to Dirty Dancing to Genesis to Bo Burnham to Motion City Soundtrack, which can make for an interesting run! (I hit shuffle just now to see what would come up, and that was the result!)
Every once in a while I skip past songs because they just don’t match my mood at that point in my run. But sometimes something magical happens! Continue reading “Hills Playlist”
Happy New Year!
Last January, I found a list on Pinterest of 52 words to use as inspiration for 52 photographs. I decided to do this during 2015 and upload them to Instagram in order to keep myself accountable. Now that 2015 is over and I have finished my project, I wanted to look back and share the 52 pictures I took! (I copied my original captions from Instagram under each picture)
I have been spending some time making free-hand copies of Christmas-y lettering designs that I found on Pinterest. It’s so fun! I just use my sketch book paper and an inky pen and try to imitate the design. I recommend trying it, you might be surprised at how easy it can be to make words look fancy!
I find it works best for me if I just take it little by little. Since I’m drawing something that has already been designed, I don’t have to think about the layout. So that means I can draw one or two letters at a time and not worry that I’m going to run off the page. Underneath each picture I provided the link to where I got the design inspiration from. (Note: these are not affiliate links, they are just for your reference.) Enjoy!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I love the Christmas season because there is a festive feeling in the air. Families and communities come together to celebrate and strangers do nice things for one another. I typically spend most of the year thinking of unique and personalized items to get my family, and it can be so hard to wait until Christmas day to give it to them! Continue reading “My Favorite Christmas Songs”
Lately I’ve been experimenting with drawing wreath designs and writing quotes with fancy lettering. I have always admired calligraphy, but I have never had any instruction on the subject. I have horrible handwriting because I’m usually thinking faster than I can write, but I found I’m pretty good at copying letters! On Pinterest there are tons of graphics showing the alphabet written in different fonts and I’ve been practicing writing quotes that I like using fancy letters. I just reference the design on the computer and try to recreate it free-hand. There are also lots of examples of wreath designs and other details you can use to surround your quote to make it look nice. Sometimes I find a quote that has a nice layout and just recreate the whole thing using a fine tip pen, and other times I combine a quote, fancy letters, and embellishment designs from several different places. It’s been really fun! Continue reading “Explore and Dream”
Today I am going to answer the fourth question in this series: “What is your least favorite Harry Potter film?” Continue reading “Harry Potter Question # 4 | What is your least favorite film? Why?”
When people think about putting together a running playlist, most of the time they think of adding fast-paced techno, dubstep, or pop songs. Remixes of songs can give them a higher tempo that pumps you up. I enjoy songs like that for running too, but they work best for me when I’m lifting, sprinting, climbing a hill, or erging (indoor rowing). That’s when I need something intense!
But if I’m going out for a long run to get a workout in while enjoying the sunshine, sometimes I switch on (or don’t skip past while on shuffle) songs from movie scores. Movies with epic instrumentals. My top picks are songs from the soundtrack for “The Lord of the Rings”, “Star Wars”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Continue reading “Adventure Music”
When you acquire a pet, you unfortunately have to keep in the back of your mind (unless you have a tortoise or parrot) that you will most likely outlive them. You give them tons of snuggles and love while they are here on this Earth, but you know someday they will be gone. It’s not something you want to think about all the time, but it’s good to remember it once in while so you don’t take the short time with them for granted. Continue reading “Miles”
Five years ago today, the film “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” was released in theaters. Today I am going to answer the third question in this series: “What is your least favorite Harry Potter book?” Continue reading “Harry Potter Question #3 | What is your least favorite book? Why?”
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