The world spins madly on

After work I heard news of Japan, listening to mother describe the apocalyptic madness happening on the other side of the world. Heartbreaking terror. If only life granted me to hop on a plane. Footage of waves of debris, cars and ships floating like lava across farm land, toward homes and traffic. Helpless. Watered eyes. Sending prayers.

I escaped home early evening, bent on not remaining trapped inside four white walls. Barnes & Noble was my first destination, walking the aisles of fiction literature for over an hour, debating which novel to add to my collection. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and Incendiary by Chris Cleave all caught my eye, until I settled on True Grit by Charles Portis. I debated attending the movies- alone- but found myself nonchalantly walking about the outdoor shopping mall.

Mother and I talked on the phone, discussing my yearning for a home. Selfish, I think. Analyzing, reflecting, appreciating life, I waited in the 20-car line at In N’ Out. The windows were rolled down as I drove down the freeway, listening to The OC mixes. The sunroof open, catching glimpses of the sky above between slurps of chocolate shake. For a brief moment I imagined a make-believe field where no harm can touch me, gazing at the constellations. I took a detour down a desert road, near a ritzy neighborhood. It’s one of my favorite places to escape, on the top of the hill, where my eyes can behold a sea of endless city lights. ★

This is beautiful

Happiness is...

• A Sunday drive to the Superstition Mountains covered in snow, windows rolled down, stopping on dirt roads to snap pictures of the desert landscape.
• Playing cards at Denny's at midnight with friends while enjoying all-you-can-eat pancakes.
• Winning a giveaway on the lovely Kelly Ann's blog. How cute is this necklace?!
• Journaling daily in my beautiful reporter Moleskine notebook.
• Confessing secrets to friends you can trust.
• The anticipation of Arizona Cityfest, which includes free musical performances by the absolutely fantastic Mat Kearney and Phil Wickham.
• Mochas topped with whip cream, and raspberry cookies from The Coffee Shop.
• Light jackets, white flips flops, ballet dresses and necklaces that glitter in the sunlight.
• The smell of spring right around the corner.
• A divine romance with my King. 

wedding music

{Hopefully I'll have wedding pictures posted soon. PS The ukulele is the coolest instrument ever. End of story.}

I haven’t blogged in what feels like forever. My cousin’s wedding was on Friday. I was a bridesmaid. It was hot outside, but it was a lovely wedding. What I really want to talk about is the fantastic music that was played. Side note: The DJ was amazing. The bridesmaids walked down the aisle to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and my beautiful cousin walked down the aisle to “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. The wedding party was introduced by each couple and walked in the reception to “Walk It Out” by Unk. We each had to do a dance. I can’t remember what I did, but I know it ended in a twirl.

{Read more about wedding music...}

write, write, write

I'm craving travel and adventure. A year ago today I arrived in Dublin, my first time visiting a foreign land. And now I sit here missing it with all my heart. I miss the wonder and excitement. I miss walking the streets and taking in every little thing that surrounded me. I can remember the excitement of walking around the neighborhood near our Dublin hotel, so tired but not wanting to sleep. Four of us walked the streets with awe. Oh, it's the greatest feeling. I want my life to be full of discovery and magnificent experiences. I've always had this feeling. Even as a little girl I wanted to be an archeologist and uncover extraordinary things. I think that's why I decided on journalism in the first place, I want to discover beautiful things. I want so much to see the world around us, the people, the different cultures and write, write, write. ★

{Continue reading to see more pictures of last summer's adventures in Ireland...}

happiest place on earth

“Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children's approach to life. They're people who don't give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought - sometimes it isn't much, either.”

"I don't want the public to see the world they live in while they're in the Park (Disneyland). I want to feel they're in another world."

“Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” -Walt Disney

After three days spent at the happiest place on Earth, I'm home and back to reality. I wish I wasn't. Disneyland was a well-needed break. Gwen and I went on all the rides we wanted- Space Mountain, Finding Nemo, Indiana Jones, California Screamin, Soarin over California, Tower of Terror and the list goes on and on. We always sat front row and went on California Screamin' a total of eight times over the three days, half the time using fast passes. We met wonderful people along the way- multiple families that we saw the whole trip long because they were on the same bus back to our hotels. We also ran into our high school physics teacher and one of my best friends from high school. We watched the fireworks and two parades. Sunblock was applied multiple times. Ice cream, chocolate-covered frozen bananas and over-priced food were consumed. Clothes were soaked on the grizzly rapids, or whatever they were called. Arms were sore after trying to go fast on the tea cups. It was an excellent trip. And like all good things, it went by too fast. {P.S. In the third picture, I thought the moon looked like the Cheshire Cat's smile.} ★

This Spring Break is dedicated to being a kid- despite the fact that I'm 20 years old. It all began last night, when I played Pixar Monopoly with my parents and Gwenie. I won, owning all the property on the end of the board. Andy's Closet was a gold mine and it was a terrific night. And now Gwenie and I are going to Disneyland on Monday and will be gone for several days. I'm ecstatic! We've been discussing Disneyland for quite some time now and we thought, "Heck, it's Spring Break!" So that is that. California, here we come. ★

P.S. I've put together a new playlist on Last.fm .

my western weekend adventures

{1. Superstition Mountains 2. Jerrica & I 3. Dad at Tortilla Flat 4. Dollar bills on the walls of the restaurant at Tortilla Flat; we decorated our own as well 5. Church at Old Tucson 6. Goldfield Ghost Town with booths serving chili 7. Old Tucson 8. Gwen & I eating ice cream on the train 9. Sitting at the (fake) train station at Old Tucson where the original 3:10 to Yuma was filmed 10. Dad & I at Goldfield ghost town 11. Jerrica with cactus 12. Worker at Old Tucson; sweet man 13. Old Tucson stunt show 14. Me aka Horse Thief 15. A Titanic moment with Gwen at Old Tucson}

{More Pictures}

This past weekend was an adventure. Jerrica arrived from Nashville and Friday was spent antique shopping and hunting for records. Money was spent on Louie Armstrong, Peter Pan and Grease; sheet music was purchased from the downtown music store; and we had dinner with a friend I hadn't seen in six years.

Friday was a day of endless chili, dollars bills and drops of rain. The desert was a beautiful shade of green and the clouds floated below the mountain tops. Jerrica, the parents and I traveled to Tortilla Flat. Population: six. After taking our picture with a toilet seat (see above), we had lunch at a restaurant with walls covered in dollar bills. We traveled to Goldfield Ghost Town, where we purchased a $1 foam cup and went around to dozens of booths serving chili. A charity chili festival? We were in luck. The day ended with pie at Village Inn after seeing Shutter Island with Gwen.

On Sunday Gwen, Jerrica & I took a two-hour road trip to Old Tucson. We walked the dusty streets, where many westerns were filmed back in the day. The same streets where my childhood hero (and favorite actor of all time), John Wayne, once stood. Sadly much of the original sets were burnt down in the 1990s. Today other western-themed buildings stand in their place. Still neat. We saw a gun show, stunt show, short comedy, a short John Wayne film and can-can dancers. We took a "haunted" gold mine tour, rode the train and acted like outlaws throughout the day. Gwenie wore her Little Mermaid backpack; I wore my Jonas backpack. We were 10 again. Once we were home, we watched Rio Bravo, starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan and Ricky Nelson. And I've been listening to the above song ever since.★

so little time

click photos for credit

This week has been exhausting, so I'm thankful to have these few hours to relax this morning while listening to John Mayer. My friend from Nashville, otherwise known as my soon-to-be roomie, has arrived in Arizona. She will be staying with me until Tuesday, when she then has to jet back to Tennessee. She's never been here before, so I'm excited to show her around. I have a few things planned but none for today, except a dinner with my friend from Florida. He moved from here to there about six years ago, and I haven't seen him since. The only downside of this weekend is the incompletion of homework. As much as I tried, it wasn't completed last night. Sometimes there simply aren't enough hours in the day. I'm leaving you with these photos, which were my favorites on Tumblr this week, though the first photograph is mine. Have a splendid weekend. ★

P.S. Tell me about your week or your plans for the weekend. And I sincerely want to thank all of you who continue to read my little blog and weekly ramblings. I'm thankful to have gained sixty followers over the past two months and I'm blessed to have met wonderful blogger friends. Happy weekend to you all.

i heart the disney channel

These are some of the pictures I took before my dinner party. I'm currently cuddled up next to my Alice in Wonderland white rabbit plush doll, while bundled in a pink shabby chic blanket. My homework is completed and I just finished watching Starstruck on the Disney Channel. I don't think I'll ever outgrow the Disney Channel. And I honestly hope I never do. Although I miss the days of Boy Meets World and Smart Guy. Hopefully I'm not the only one who misses Mr. Feeney. I swear I'm still 13 sometimes. Oh well. ★

P.S. I thought I should add to this since many people have been asking in the comments. My dinner party went well, thank you. I decided to go light on the dinner and heavy on the dessert this year. We had sandwiches, fruit salad and pita chips- not the usual menu. Usually we have jalapeno poppers, hot dogs wrapped in croissants and other sorts of unhealthy food. For dessert, we had sugar cookies, strawberry-swirled cheesecake, donuts, chocolate covered raisins and peanuts (for the movie) and I can't remember what all else. & we saw Valentine's Day, which, by the way, I thought was absolutely terrible.

ramblings on my weekend

click photos for credit

I want to be done with school. I'm experiencing senioritis. I wish I could just intern all week instead of school. I learn more there. I just finished watching the Super Bowl. I'm happy the Saints won. Although I wouldn't have minded either outcome. Science is my least favorite subject and I feel I'm falling behind already. I bought a white rabbit plush doll from the Disney store yesterday. He's my favorite character. Friday was World Nutella Day. I had Nutella crepes at Village Inn. It was delicious. The night ended with Gwenie and I watching Baby Mama.

I have a tumblr where I post Jonas Brothers stuff, which I hate to admit. But I met a girl that went to the same Jonas concert as my friend and I. We met her yesterday for dinner and a movie. I have a new friend. All because of Tumblr. Isn't that pretty cool? I think so. We saw Dear John. I was a bit disappointed. I loved the book and prefer it. But I shall always heart Channing Tatum. He was a perfect John.

The boy who works at the Starbucks near my house looks, and sounds, like Zac Efron. Every time I order my usual mocha I have the instant desire to go home and watch 17 Again. I was sick this past Thursday. But I'm feeling better. Minus a small stomachache from eating too much. Watching the Google commercial tonight made me wish I was in Paris. I want to travel. So badly. I wish I were in Tennessee right now. Even if I'm uncertain where I'll be working.

I have so much on my mind lately. All I can do is ramble. I'm sorry. I have a Valentine's Day dinner party coming up on Friday. It will be my fourth year having one. I've done zero planning, which is very unlike me. But I'll get it done. Here's my playlist I put together for the holiday: click me. Back to homework. Oh and I have 60 followers. I love you all. Truly, truly. Goodnight. ★

♫ Their words mostly noises, ghosts with just voices.

Your words in my memory are like music to me. ♫

let the rain fall down and wake my dreams

click photos for credit
Oh, what a week. My three day weekend has officially begun. School on Monday and Wednesday. Internship on Tuesday and Thursday. And now I'm waiting to see Avatar in 3D Imax. I'm excited, since it will be my first time seeing a movie in 3D and Imax. Plus, this movie is visually stunning.

While I wait the sky outside is going crazy. I half expect Dorothy's house to blow down on us all at any second. Dust is flying everywhere outside my window. Trees are trying to run scared. A tornado warning. In Arizona, tornadoes just don't exist. Period. Crazy weather, indeed. The sky is brown and people are driving slow on the streets. Slower than slow in fact. Because everyone knows in Arizona, people don't know how to drive in the rain. It's true.

Well this week, school was... school. I discovered I have four presentations this semester. Joy. I hate presentations. I'm one of those people. And I haven't been feeling as confident as usual. I really need to snap out of it. Pray for me? And don't you dread having to introduce yourself to a class? I do. One professor asked my first class, which has a total of seven people (all girls), random questions. Mine were:

A: The small details. [Teacher: Why?] Because the devil is in the details and if you miss the small details, I believe you ultimately miss the big picture.

I'm not really sure if it was an intelligent answer, but it was 8:35 in the morning. And I had slept in all break long. It was early, what can I say. Next question...

A: *Paused and thought for about a minute.* No. Way to go, Debbie Downer. [Teacher: Why?] "Okay, that was a dumb answer, of course I'm lucky. I'm not living in Haiti, for goodness sakes," I thought. So I continued... Well yes, I'm lucky to be where I am and things could be a lot worse.

I immediately wanted to slap myself in the face. Could you be more dumb, Krissie? Of course you're lucky! You have clean drinking water. A roof over your head. Healthy. In college, with a scholarship, so you're education is paid for. Both parents are still alive. Duh! You are lucky. ★

Anyway, how would you have answered the questions? I'm sure your responses are much more intelligent than mine. Happy weekend!

let the wild rumpus start

Essie Mint Candy Apple & Lovie Dovie nail polish I purchased yesterday
WTWTA album I also purchased at UO with a Christmas giftcardThe sky tells me the wild things are upset tonight. Soaking in a sea of bubbles, listening to Rumpus with the volume turned up high. Crashing sounds. Thunder? No, the wild rumpus has merely started. I suddenly wish I had my own little boat, just to escape. The black record spins round and round. The rain pounds on the windowpane, little tears from the sky. I want to design a pretty crown and run off to a forest with a warm fire waiting for me. I'd roast marshmallows the whole night long. Perhaps once I receive my shirt from UO that I ordered yesterday? Yes, that will be my first order of business. ★

P.S. I am so excited to show you my crown I made today! And perhaps I'll include DIY instructions if you'd like? It's very woodland fairy, moreso than Where The Wild Things Are. But it's a crown nonetheless, with butterflies, ribbon and flowers. Stay tuned.

looking back on 2009

Christmas has come to an end, which means 2010 is right around the corner. So here is to looking back on a wonderful 2009.

• music: I attended two concerts, Jonas Brothers and Honor Society. I consider the JB concert to be one of the top five days of my life, easily. Gwenie & I had floor seats next to the stage. This was the year I fell in love with Nick, Joe and Kevin and became ten years old all over again. I was also obsessed with Taylor Swift and Adam Lambert, who should have won. He was the first American Idol contestant to receive my vote.
• sports: I love, love, love my Arizona Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald is my favorite. And Sundays are spent yelling at the television screen. I went to Supercross for about the tenth year in a row. I also attended my first hockey game and loved it.
• school: I began my senior year and held two internships, one at a non-profit (which will continue next semester) and the other at a magazine.
• travel: I studied abroad as a foreign correspondent in Dublin, Paris and London. This was my first time traveling outside the United States. I also traveled to Tennessee twice, once in February for a cousins wedding (it snowed) and the other in July. I made the decision to move there next year.
• the downs: My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer about two months ago. My uncle had a heart attack earlier this year. Two of my dogs died. My father often argued about money.
• friends: I hosted three dinner parties for my closest friends. I do this every year. I stopped being friends with a best friend on my birthday in April. I haven't spoken to her since.
• movies: I saw at least twenty-two movies in theaters. Harry Potter, The Blind Side, Up, Sherlock Holmes, Defiance and Star Trek were my favorites. I attended two midnight premieres: Harry Potter and New Moon. I am Team Jacob. I also went to the worldwide premiere of Wolverine, which meant standing less than ten feet away from Liev Schrieber, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.
• tv: I became obsessed with Glee and The Vampire Diaries. I only missed one episode of American Idol. Chuck and Blair are my favorite TV couple, but I'm sure next year it will be Finn and Rachel.
• bought: My most expensive purchases this year were my iPod touch, Macbook and a Canon Rebel. I also bought an expensive pair of Steve Madden boots that I love.
• other: I was baptized early this year, dyed my hair for the first time, went sledding for the first time, turned 20, gained weight (sadly), started subscribing to Rolling Stone and Elle, started a Tumblr, stayed single (and loved it), wore skinny jeans half the year and had the best year of my life. I also made my first Youtube video, because I was in an exceptionally good mood that day (promise not to laugh at my lack of dance skills):

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

the woods are lovely, dark and deep

Nose plugged. Itchy throat. Droopy eyes. Messy hair. Comfy PJs. I'm not fond of sickness. I'm home after a weekend spent frolicking in sheets of snow. Tiny white snowflakes that filled the foggy air were worth the endless sneezes and a pink nose. The weekend was concocted with light displays and parades, burritos, card games, sledding and sliding to and fro down the icy roads. I'm extra thankful for my ironed bed, piled with bundles and bundles of blankets. ★

past the sea of swirly, twirly gumdrops and through the Lincoln tunnel

Oh yesterday's adventures. Midnight Monday and the sky was like a strobe light. One thunk and boom and the heater stops humming, along with everything else in the house. I thought the oversized tree outside my window had fallen, but my parents wake to tell me two transformers had fallen instead. My mind didn’t completely register that they weren’t talking about Bumblebee or Optimus Prime. The dogs were frightened. I awoke in the morning, feeling more sick than the previous day. I didn’t drive to my last day of internship for my car was trapped inside the garage. I drifted back into my dreams. Two thick comforters and I was still cold.

Tomato soup with saltines. Mmm. The power finally came back on, but no internet. Phones are still messed up. I dislike this very much indeed. No matter. I drug the comforter downstairs. Slinky, my dog, made herself comfortable, curled up in a ball next to me on the couch. An hour later and I’m smiling- for it hurt my throat too much to laugh- to the words, “Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” Oh how I love that cotton-headed ninny muggins.

I then moved on to my favorite film- You’ve Got Mail. “Don’t you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies.” The day ended with tears because watching Nights in Rodanthe will do that to you. Once again I drifted back into my dreams as Home Alone played in the background. I was out like a light somewhere around the part where Kevin stole a toothbrush. ★