full glam ahead!

a couple weeks ago, I got a lovely surprise in the mail!

 

my lovely friend Laura hosted a giveaway at her blog, and being a long-time admirer of Benefit Cosmetics, I just had to enter. and what do you know, I won! I could not have been more excited about this. the only Benefit product that I own is their Maybe Baby perfume that I bought when I was stranded in LA. she even included an adorable card in the package. she's the best ♥.

I love all of these products. I was nervous about the High Beam and Stay Don't Stray because I have sensitive skin, but I have had no problems using them. the High Beam has been a lifesaver as the school year winds down. I'm feeling quite worn out and it shows, so I dab it under my eyes and it's amazing. the Stay Don't Stray is a primer for concealer and eyeshadow. I've only used it as an eyeshadow primer, and I love it. my eyeshadow lasts longer, wears brighter, and I don't end up with eyeshadow caked in the crease of my eye at the end of the day. and of course, the Bad Gal Lash is incredible. the brush is GIANT, and it makes me look like I'm wearing false eyelashes. I rarely use black mascara because my skin is so fair, but I have been using this all the time.

Laura is a sweetheart, and her blog is beautiful and interesting (quite a feat, these days... something I'm still trying to achieve with my own blogs). check out her blog, Laura Caffeine!

in recent news...

...I graduated!

unfortunately, we didn't get many good photos together because there are mobs of people around after the ceremony, so we met at a restaurant across the street. my mom didn't meet up with us until after the ceremony so the opportunities just weren't there until later when we were back at our apartment.

I'm not sure how my dad found me in the sea of graduates (or how I found them), but he pulled it off! I like how in the second photo my friend John is looking at me like I'm crazy. Jordan was easier to find - he ended up right on the end of the row. I, however, was swimming right in the middle of the sea of graduates.

after the ceremony, we went out to one of our new favorite spots, Graydon's Crossing. lots of yummy choices of "traditional English fare" and tons of Indian-inspired dishes as well. not to mention 46 beers on tap.

back at home, we had a celebratory drink before we all parted ways. my parents and brother back home, and Jordan's parents to their hotel.

Aussie pride! I wore my flag under my robe ;)

thouuuusands of graduates

ah, life

so, I recently re-read a couple of emails that I (stupidly) kept in my inbox. one was saying that I was not chosen to be a Fulbright scholar in Italy, and the other said that I was not chosen to receive a scholarship to travel to Italy for one month and learn Italian language.

again, it has me wondering. am I not meant to travel, even though I feel like it's what I want to do more than anything? again, it has me wondering whether education, while I do love it, was the right path for me. I've loved writing and photography since I was in high school. I had dreams of being a photojournalist. somehow, I abandoned that when other people told me they thought I would be a good teacher, so I went for it. I just feel stupid that I let other peoples' opinions on what I would be good at change the direction of my entire life, without stopping to take my own feelings into consideration.

it's not only that it's hard to travel as a teacher, but I feel old. it sounds stupid, but it's true. as a writing or photo major, I would have graduated 2 years ago, and who knows where I'd be now? I'm turning 25 this year, and I haven't accomplished nearly what I thought I would have by the time I was 25. I think for the past few years, I've been too caught up in living in the moment, and I literally took no time to realistically assess what I wanted to do with my life in the long-term. not once did I ever ask myself if this is what I really want to do. not once had anyone else asked me. I know I can be successful and I now that I will enjoy teaching, but there's always that but...

again, I don't want it to sound like I don't want to be a teacher anymore. I love special education. I love my students, and teaching them is challenging and fulfilling. I just want to do more. I'm struggling with inner peace, and I'm waging a war against myself.

by Wednesday, I should hopefully have a clearer idea. I just know that I can't turn back time.

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 :)

down to the wire

my last blog was a little morose, but I feel that it's important to acknowledge these things when considering, you know... my life.

traveling for a little while has really allowed me to experience a pretty profound paradigm change. traveling is neck and neck with my priorities of finding a job after graduation. it is expensive? yes. is it scary? heck yes. but it's exciting. I'm definitely exploring my options, and seeing what's out there.

I just wanted to clarify that I certainly haven't given up on teaching. certainly not before I've even started. there are lots of exciting opportunities for teachers abroad and in other US cities. I guess I will just have to see what happens.

adventures in cooking

I love taking photos of food. I don't know what it is. maybe it's to remind me what I ate. maybe it's because it was so darn good-looking that I just couldn't help myself. anyway, here are a few memorable photos :)

I made up a batch of chick pea burgers last week - I usually eat them in a pita, but I decided to go for a whole wheat tortilla this time. a bit more difficult to eat, but so good! most recently, I decided to go bread-free and wrapped my burgers in a couple lettuce leaves, and it was a-m-a-zing.

there's no better way to use up leftover chickpeas from my burger. chick peas are one of my favorite salad additions, right next to avocado and olives. onions and soy sesame ginger vinaigrette make this salad SOGOOD.

I've been on a bit of an Indian food kick lately. I wouldn't consider myself a good cook, so this is some store-bought curry simmer sauce. I fried up some tofu, cooked chicken, and added veggies before simmering it all together. over brown rice. SOGOOD. leave a comment and share any favorite recipes you have! I'm always willing to try new things :)

Anthropologie has arrived!

aahhh I'm sorry that I suck at updating.

last Thursday my Anthropologie package came in the mail!!! I was sooo excited (see, mom? blog giveaways ARE real! :D)!

even the packaging is beautiful and mysterious :)

the wavering glasses and latte bowls sit snugly in my china cabinet

the milk bottle measuring cups and the zigzag tights aren't pictured, sorry :\ I wore the tights out to dinner the night I recieved them, though. LOOOOVE. the the milk bottle measuring cups I wanted to leave in their nice packaging because I intend to re-gift them.

but everything is fabulous. I think we will break in the wavering glasses this weekend with some cocktails - who knows! they are so fun. and I love the color of the latte bowls. I think I made the right choice, going for the retro.

AND two days later, I was driving to East Grand Rapids and I found that AN ANTHROPOLOGIE STORE OPENED TWO MONTHS AGO, 5 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE. very annoyed. I paid $14 to ship all this stuff, and I could have gone to buy it myself! ah well. I'm still happy with everything, and that's that.