things I love today: instagram edition

I "liked" a lot of photos on Instagram over the past week or two. here are a few of my favorites:

what a cute sweatshirt emmaredvelvet is wearing! you may recognize Emma from the blog she shares with her sister Elsie, A Beautiful Mess. you may recognize the sweatshirt from Hello Apparel. it just makes me smile! I would love to have something like this :) and Emma wears it so well.

truelane, aka Chelsea, of Zipped is always putting together outfits that make me swoon. not to mention her photos of delightful coffee, baked goods, and daily life. she's the best, and so is this "grandma sweater." :)

another Chelsea. this time, it's seablanket. her photos are always lovely and interesting, and this one is just so whimsical.

I love every, every, every one of sandrajuto's photos. sandra's blog and IG account are full of the most beautiful photos. you should check her out if you love exceptional photography. especially if you love food photography!

Zoe of ladybirdlikes shares her inspiration wall for her lookbook photoshoot. posts like this always fascinate me. organization freaks (like me), eat your heart out!

I adore tattoos. I especially adore Carly's tattoo. the design, the placement; it's so perfect. plus, she is an amazing artist. visit Carly's instagram, imapuffin, for a peek into her life. you won't regret it!

I have been using Chantelle's photo-a-day prompts for months now. she has inspired me out of many a photography lull, and she continues to do so. she posts her favorite 4 photos DAILY for each prompt, as well as her own photos. plus, since studying abroad in Australia, I have a soft spot for Aussies :) visit her blog, instagram, facebook page; you can't go wrong.

I have always adored Sarah's photography and art. she always seems to be on an adventure, and the second best thing to being there alongside her is to live vicariously. both Sarah's blog and instagram are filled with lovely, breathtaking photos, and unique art. plus, her dog Boo Radley is pretty darn cute too.

last but certainly not least, an old friend of mine, enjeibee. Nick and I used to work at a pub together while going to college. I had no idea that we had so much in common until I started following his instragram and ChicagoNow feature, Hoppy Times. craft beer, big cities, good food. if only I had known sooner. Nick, you're doing an amazing job. I love your photos, and I hope you're loving life as much as it seems!

aren't all of these photos beautiful? what instragram photos are you loving lately? if you have an account, comment with your username, or follow me @sofia_maria!

lately...

this weekend I visited my parents. my mom was a crafter at a local craft show and I helped. or tried. the car I drive also some issues, so my dad took a look at it for me. I helped. or tried. a few weekends ago when I visited them, we went to the haunted corn maze just around the corner. they have moved to a small town, but at least there are a few fun things nearby. I really like spending free weekends with them. it's nice to just hang out and relax. it will be nicer over Thanksgiving and Christmas, when I have a longer break, and I can spend a few more days.

in a semi-related note, I have been sorely disappointed in my own photo efforts. I've barely been taking any, and I don't really find myself in many situations where I would want to. how sad is that? I think city life or living in very rural areas helps. in Grand Rapids, I would take photos all the time. at my parents' house, there are some interesting landscapes if you can see beyond the plane of the houses. I keep trying to do daily photo challenges, and failing. it's pretty frustrating.

anyway, the apartment hunt is still on, and all is well for now.

a real update

I figure it's time for a "real" update! and what better time to do that than very early in the morning, munching on my breakfast? :)

all in all, everything has been going very well. I'm working as a student teacher for the very last time in a very nice district. I'm working in a high school room, which is very different than what I'm used to (mainly the fact that everyone is taller than me) but the kids are so great. and the school is gargantuan. there are something like 70 teachers, and the building, from one end to the other, is ¼ mile long. coming from more urban districts with lots of small buildings as opposed to a few huge buildings, it was quite a shock for me.

the best part, though, is that everyone is very helpful and accepting and nice, and the program in place for these kids is really cool. I really couldn't ask for anything better.

nostalgia has been a close friend, and I still think about Darwin a lot. I miss everyone so much sometimes. I keep in touch with my Aussie parents and Blake and a few others via facebook, which helps. I have so many memories around my apartment from my trip, and it honestly doesn't seem like I've been away for nearly 3 months.

my only struggle now is graduation (in 5 weeks!), and what I plan to do afterward. I've been going back and forth between applying for teaching jobs overseas. I've recently taken a trip down memory lane and dug up my old assignments from my photography class years ago. I started kicking myself for not sticking with it - I love teaching, but these decisions would have been so much easier had I been a photo major. but then, who knows where I'd be now. my life would be very different.

speaking of photos, I have no good ones to go along with this post, but you can always visit my photo blog - sofiasnapshots.blogspot.com :)