Unable to forget

There she is. Her thick dark hair is pulled back from her face in a no nonsense fashion. She sits in the packed theater next to her friends watching a movie that was just supposed to be about a bunch of hot guys. But here and now, in the least likely of moments, she finds a tear running down her cheek.

Sometimes something random in the middle of everything will remind her of him. It doesn’t have to be the sound of his name. Or that bittersweet moment when his favorite song finds itself on the radio on her way to work. Those things are obvious, but she’s learning day by day how to not to let those moments to break her barriers.

Every time someone brings up where he is now or the man he used to be, she just smiles and nods, but still the sadness always manages to seep through her eyes.

Sometimes she thinks about calling him up. Just to see how he’s doing.

Better?

“No,” She thinks shaking her head in the dark theater, swimming in sadness alone in this sea full of people. “He’s not better.”

“That dream you dream for him?" she thinks scolding herself, “That kind of thing only happens in the movies.”

Not this movie though. This movie caused reality to slap her in the face and knock that silly daydream from her head. She’s left feeling helpless, unable to be a life raft for the man who at one time, nay, who even now holds a piece of her heart.

So she does the only thing she can think of. The thing that she’s been reminded to do all her life. The only thing that keeps her sane at moments like this.

She looks towards the ceiling in that dark theater, and she prays.

Girls just want to have fun

This is where I went to eat last night.

 

If you ever pass through South Dakota, yes the Mount Rushmore is amazing, but if you want an ounce of civilization, go to Sioux Falls.  & If you happen to be hungry and feel like navigating a multitude of one-way streets, I hope you venture down town to the Phillips Avenue Diner.

 

 

I. love. this. place.

 

 

And the memories I make with my absolutely wonderful and amazing friends

{who you can see in the picture above} while I’m there.

 

{Side note: Remember my warning about the one way street? Well that comes courtesy of my best friend, Baylee. Yesterday, on her way to the diner she found herself driving down one the wrong way. When we brought it up to her she said she didn’t even realize her mistake until we told her, but now that she thought about it, “I was wondering why I was the only car without a stop light!”
Last night wasn’t the first time it’s happened either. Ha! Love her!}

 

Yep, I love all those girls more than I love the Phillips Avenue Diner’s sweet potato fries.
Now that’s saying something.

 

Always,

L.A.

Daydreams & silly things

{via}

I have dreams of somehow making a living simply by reading, writing, and traveling the world. Do you think I could do that? Get paid to do things I'd love to do anyways?

Hmm. Maybe.

As I've said before, a girl can dream, can't she?

Always,
L.A.

Remember Nora

Tonight I finally watched when Harry Met Sally. Not only because I felt I'd done an injustice as a romantic-comedy enthusiast in never having seen it, but also because Nora Ephron, a great writer, an inspiring woman, and also the great screen-writer of this iconic movie, passed away last night.

Sigh. I would love to be somebody's Sally.
{Minus the twelve year drawn out friendship/love story! not to be impatient or anything, but jeez! Twelve years seems like a long time when it's currently over half of your lifetime!}

So raise your figurative or literal glass to this remarkable woman tonight, and take the time to laugh and cry along to your favorite chick-flick in her memory. I know I did.

Always,
L.A.

Sigh. I'm a sucker for happy endings.

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
-When Harry Met Sally

"Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me feel smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss."
-Nora Ephron, 1941-2012

20 before 20

1. Go on a road trip
2. Run a 5K
3. Get my ears pierced
4. Go on a date
5. Register to vote
6. See the ocean
7. Keep a journal for my someday husband
8. Learn how to drive a stick shift
9. Take piano lessons
10. Get my passport
11. Finally read the Harry Potter series
12. Write at least one piece for my school's paper
13. Climb the rock wall on campus {or at least try}
14. Lose 20 pounds
15. Join a club on campus
16. Read the Bible daily
17. Buy a Polaroid camera {& learn how to use it properly}
18. Decide on a major
19. Get a 4.0 first & second semester
20. Write a blog post every day for 365 days

....And all before June 25th, 2013.


Finally! My list is complete! Over the next year I plan to do all of these things, and I cannot wait to share the story that comes with each one of them with you all.

What about you? What are some things you have on your leap or bucket list??

Always,
L.A.

Wanted: My own Jake Ryan

Okay, so this isn't the best video clip, but it captures the essence of one of my favorite scenes from Sixteen Candles. (For those of you who aren't aware, Sixteen Candles is undoubtedly one of the best 80s flicks ever made. Oh, and also one of my favorite movies. Watch it! Then reread this post and come to better understand the references I'm making.)

Let's just say I'm feeling a little bit like Sam today. No, my family did not forget my birthday, nor would I ever let them. And no, my sister's not getting married tomorrow. (She's only 17! That'd be beyond weird!) But today I've come to find that working on your birthday majorly bites.

Here's to hoping there'll be a Jake Ryan lookalike standing in front of his red Porsche, waiting to take me back to his place for a romantic belated birthday party for two tomorrow. There we'll be sitting across from each other on his dining room table with nothing but a birthday cake between us. He'll ask me to make a wish, and I'll tell him that it already came true as we slowly lean towards one another until our lips meet for the first time. Sigh.

In my mind, it'd look something like this:

In reality, I'd probably end up catching fire or at least squashing the cake, and possibly even breaking that nice glass table we'd be sitting on.

But hey, a girl can dream can't she?

Always,

L.A.

P.S. I hope to have my "20 before 20" list up before tomorrow! Any ideas you're willing to throw my way are more than welcome! The list is still a work in progress...