Fashion STOP 101

Ok... today i spent the majority of my afternoon looking for a new swimsuit on-line. I finally purchased one, but i wanted to post two of my other finds for general enjoyment.

First, this swimsuit caught my eye. It is not the suit that i purchased for a multitude of reasons. 1. It is pink and my freshman year of college I developed a hatred of pink and have not fully recovered from it yet. 2. It is a one-piece and although I prefer to be modest, I can't stand the feeling of being trapped in a super tight onesie that is sopping wet. 3. I believe this designer swimsuit cost something along the lines of $300-400, and even if I was wealthy enough to afford it I probably would have a hard attack over purchasing something like this.

BUT with all that said I really REALLY like this suit and I'm not even sure why.

Next I found these pants. Most of you are probably looking at these pants thinking "what in the world!?!?!" I actually found them on another designer swimsuit site and these are supposedly cover-up pants to wear over your swimsuit! :) I would love to wear them and honestly I probably wouldn't have the guts to wear them any other place than on the beach... but I would wear hem none the less.

So... that's what I found on my journey, along with the actual bathing suit I purchased from J.Crew. Successful day, I think!

The Battle with Technology

Well, as good as i may have thought that I was in my own world... I was wrong.

This week i collectively lost most of the technological things that i value. iPod was stolen, iTunes music was not backed up or synced, computer wiped, Windows 2007 taken away, and my external hard drive did NOT back up what I thought it did, my videos will not play and Netflix won't work.

As things happened one after another i tried to reassure myself that things would be okay. It is JUST an iPod, just some music (3356 songs to be exact) and just some programs and pictures lost. I have been so blessed in so many ways that i should be able to look past it all and be joyful about life none the less.

Unfortunately during this process I realized how much I use these mediums to drown out my pain though. When i started to get stressed and upset about one thing I would look to one of the other mediums to forget my sorrows in, but when there was no program, no song, no picture to distract me... the only thing left was sleep or eating, but I felt sick and couldn't sleep. For so long I have really turned to these technological distractions to get my mind off of the pain I was experiencing in other parts of my life.

NOW I was forced to turn to GOD to vent my problems and struggles to. On top of all the losses, I am currently living back at home during transition and going from being completely independent and having an apartment basically to myself to having one room and tons of people always wanting to be with me and go places with me and talk with me. This is a stressful environment I think for anyone, but especially for someone like me who doesn't handle stress all that well.

I told my roommate last week between finals and graduation that I was stressed and anxious because I had nothing to do and nothing to worry about and I felt like I needed something to worry about, so I worried about not worrying.

In stead of focusing on all the things I haven't lost at this point, I really need to look past the things in my life. Things...

If ALL the things in my life were taken away I need to be able to say I would be joyful because I know Jesus is my savior and that this life needs to be devoted to Him and nothing else. HOW MANY TIMES do I fail at that!? too many.

Will I never change? Thank goodness God is a never changing, good God.

It was pouring and in my head...

outside my window it is pouring. all four windows in my apartment are open and the sky is full of water and power. powerful bolts of energy blasting my emotions.

sometimes i think i have it all together and i can go for a walk and pretend i am in that place where time stops and all is right. that place doesn't exist. i wish no one had ever told me that it did because i think i will always be looking for that place.

now i am happy. lightning and rain make me feel warm and serene on the inside. two of best friends are asleep in the adjoining rooms and artsy-folksy music is lightly flowing out of my headphones. Most of what i hear is the tip-tap of rain and the clicking of my own keys, along with the rushing thoughts in my head.

water does more than make the plants grow. i think it brings growth in my own head and soul every time i sit and listen to the rain and the weather.

there's bread in this coffee cup and it's not even mine.

Getting CLOSER to Grove City Broad Street

Today our documentary photography class went out to document Grove City Broad Streetthrough the theme of "closer." My group decided we would take the approach of getting a contrast of people on the street and seeing the street while being a whole lot closer to a person.

I really like how some of these turned out - I submitted the black and white one with the manikin head for my final photo.

This picture is my friend Stuart, who was nice enough to pose for me. I didn't actually use this picture for the documentary, it was just for fun.