yesterday i graduated from the florida state university
with a BS in merchandising.
14 family members came to celebrate.
i wore my gold sparkle TOMS and my n.o.l.e. knuckle rings.
it was a good day.

Invisible Children catch up info..

HUGE NEWS.

yesterday.
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee UNANIMOUSLY passed
the LRA Disarmament & Northern Uganda Recovery Act.
this is such a big first step.

today.
we have IC supporters all over the US visiting the offices of 33 congressional reps.
at least 7 reps have already committed to co-sponsoring the Bill.

we're kickin ass.

and so it begins

HUGE NEWS.

the Foreign Relations Committee
UNANIMOUSLY passed
the LRA Disarmament & Northern Uganda Recovery Act!

http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/?p=2931

biblical acronyms. i'm interested.

http://www.heart4home.net/christian_acronyms.htm

http://plainhomesteading.blogspot.com/2009/01/christian-acronyms.html

http://www.juliabettencourt.com/helps/acronyms.html


done and done.

bows. yeah, i'm still into it.

back in SD

back in SD. we'll take it.
was driving on I-5 my first morning back.
windows down. music loud.
just. felt. so. right.
right now, right here. this is where i'm supposed to be.
lord, please help me to live in this moment.

first day back in the office.
asked to step in as assistant office manager.
done and done.

was looking forward to having a somewhat regular schedule w/ everyday activities, responsibilities, etc. first day was pretty rough. we handled way too many TRI donation cancellations. such a bummout. working phones, responding to emails, greeting visitors and volunteers, trying to figure out kintera and the email system.

attended the all-staff meeting which was so encouraging. we have incredible donors. this is what monday looked like: 40k received in the mail. anonymous 10k donated at a screening. 29k in checks received for the S4S program. and an unexpected 70k check received in the mail.
He reigns.

tuesdays are volunteer night so 70 kids came in the office and we all entered arrest warrant data for 3 hours. also mandatory for staff.

last night i saw land of talk. at the casbah. by myself. such a small venue. 200 capacity. a dive for sure. good night. great show. would have welcomed company though.

tonight is the intern appreciation dinner at our house. spaghetti and pumpkin carving w/ 35ppl. followed by last night's sytycd. i'm slacking, don't judge me.

if i have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, i am nothing.

let's not have to explain to our kids that we sat around and did nothing about this war.

my mom is wonderful.

'of course - I love you more than anyone else in the world - I want you to be happy... I love you - Thel and Lou join up again!!'

call it in the air
stop pretending like you care
just take it all or leave it there
but just call it in the air
(via discover america)

oh hey beard font!

first christmas music email went out today!

Commencing our Christmas music correspondence with one of my favorite remixes.

I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
Kay Starr (Stuhr Remix)

Christmas ventured, Christmas gained.

also, DIY snowglobes!

directions for how to make snowglobes here!

Anni Albers

Anni Albers is considered the foremost textile artist of the twentieth century. Born in Berlin on June 12, 1899 she studied weaving and taught at the Bauhaus until it was closed in 1933, and afterwards immigrated to the United States where she continued to make innovative textiles and prints until she died in Orange, Connecticut in 1994.

From the time she was a young student at the Bauhaus, she created wall hangings that stand on their own as abstract works of art, comparable in their boldness and modernism to some of the bravest paintings of the epoch. In her upholstery, drapery fabrics, and other functional materials, Albers made the thread and structure synonymous with the appearance. Rather than disguise the components, she exulted in them. She bravely broke from the tradition in which textiles reproduced naturalistic imagery or decorative ornament.

Josef Albers died in 1976. Anni had two major exhibitions in Germany the same year, and a handful of exhibitions of her textile and print work over the next two decades, receiving a half-dozen honorary doctorates and lifetime achievement awards during this time as well, including the second American Craft Council Gold Medal for "uncompromising excellence" in 1980. She continued to travel to Latin America and Europe, to make prints, and to lecture until her death on May 9, 1994, in Connecticut.

Albers worked primarily in textiles and, late in life, as a printmaker. She produced numerous designs in ink washes for her textiles, and occasionally experimented with jewelry. Her woven works include many wall hangings, curtains and bedspreads, mounted "pictorial" images, and mass-produced yard material. Her weavings are often constructed of both traditional and industrial materials, not hesitating to combine jute, paper, and cellophane, for instance, to startlingly sublime effect.

She is perhaps the best known textile artist of the 20th century.

Anni Albers was one of the original members of the Bauhaus, and influenced these grosgrain and washer necklaces during WWII, demonstrating that you can craft something beautiful out of something inexpensive and commonplace.

Bauhaus School: (1919 - 1933)

The Bauhaus School was an academy of art and design founded in Weimar, Germany in 1919 by Walter Gropius. Bauhaus is a German expression that literally means "house for building." The Bauhaus school was founded to rebuild the country after a devastating war and also form a new social order. As a social program, the Bauhaus’s ideals were that the artist must recognize his social responsibility to the community and likewise, the community must accept and support the artist. In the artistic theory, the Bauhaus school strived to produce a new approach to architecture that incorporated artistic design, craftsmanship, and modern machine technology. Their aim was the use the principles of Classical architecture in its pure form without ornamentation. Therefore, Bauhaus architects rejected details such as cornices, eaves, and other decorative elements. The Bauhaus was founded by combining the Weimar Art Academy and the Weimar Arts and Crafts School, thus students were trained as both artist and craftsman

The School became one of the best-known progressive institutions for art and design instruction in the twentieth century. The major goals of the school were to encourage craftsman and artists to collaborate, to elevate the status of crafts, and to maintain relations with industry and craft leaders in order to eventually become independent of government control. It was at its height between World War I and World War II, during the somewhat liberal Weimar Republic period. In 1925, the School was forced to move to Dessau. In 1928, Gropius left his position as leader of the Bauhaus and was succeeded by Swiss architect, Hannes Meyer. Meyer was an unfit leader due to political disagreements with the school and was dismissed in 1930. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe then took over as director of the Bauhaus, who eventually turned the institution into a private academy in Berlin in 1932. The Nazis officially closed the Berlin’s institution’s doors in 1933.

Proponents of the Bauhaus school wished to articulate contemporary culture through the creation of new forms that were designed for everyday living. Bauhaus buildings characteristically have flat roofs, smooth facades, and cubic shapes. The colors preferred were white, gray, beige, and black. The buildings’ floor plans are usually open in design and the furniture is functional. The Bauhaus Style was used in the production of lamps, chairs and other household items, and also spread into fields such as typography and theater.

After the school’s closing in 1933, many of its artists moved to the United States in hopes of finding the freedom to pursue their own artistic expression. In the United States, leaders Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe among others, helped to spread Bauhaus architecture. It was re-named the International Style after the book written under the same title by historian and critic Henry-Russell Hitchcock and architect Philip Johnson. The book was published in 1932 at the same time an introductory exhibition was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In America, the International Style became a symbol of capitalism rather than social reformation and was the favored style for office buildings and upscale homes. One of the most famous examples of the International Style is the Seagram Building in New York.

--
The Bauhaus had a major impact on art and architecture trends in Western Europe, the United States, Canada and Israel (particularly in White City, Tel Aviv) in the decades following its demise, as many of the artists involved fled, or were exiled, by the Nazi regime. Tel Aviv, in fact, has been named to the list of world heritage sites by the UN due to its abundance of Bauhaus architecture in 2004^[17][18]; it had some 4000 Bauhaus buildings erected from 1933 on.

One of the main objectives of the Bauhaus was to unify art, craft, and technology. The machine was considered a positive element, and therefore industrial and product design were important components. Vorkurs ("initial" or "preliminary course") was taught; this is the modern day "Basic Design" course that has become one of the key foundational courses offered in architectural and design schools across the globe. There was no teaching of history in the school because everything was supposed to be designed and created according to first principles rather than by following precedent.

American art schools have also rediscovered the Bauhaus school. The Master Craftsman Program at Florida State University bases its artistic philosophy on Bauhaus theory and practice.

I'm an engine driver
On a long run, on a long run
Would I were beside her
She's a long one, such a long one

And if you don't love me, let me go
And if you don't love me, let me go

I'm a county lineman
On a high line, on a high line
So will be my grandson
There are powerlines in our bloodlines

And if you don't love me, let me go
And if you don't love me, let me go

And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones
My bones

I'm a moneylender
I have fortunes upon fortunes
Take my hand for tender
I am tortured, ever tortured

And if you don't love me, let me go
And if you don't love me, let me go

And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
I am a writer, I am all that you have home
Home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones
My bones

(And if you don't love me, let me go)
And if you don't love me, let me go
(And if you don't love me, let me go)
And if you don't love me, let me go

DIY Doily Project

http://whatiwore.tumblr.com/private/100782339/YDK2b1stsmt78bmpO5wxuHng

Express your creativity and support a good cause with the Friendship Shoe. These classic Airwalk Kicks come with a set of markers, so you can decorate them any way you like. Plus, Payless will donate 100% of the net profits from the sale of the Friendship Shoe to the Fresh Air Fund, which sends youth from New York's inner city on summer vacations in the country.
$23

http://www.payless.com/store/product/detail.jsp?skuId=069430085&productId=65192&subCatId=&catId=&lotId=069430&category=&catdisplayName=Womens+

http://dailyworkit.wordpress.com/

zipper shirt. but lets try it on the back. yes.

invisible children rescue riders

charleston: rescue.
richmond: rescued.
sleeping in richmond w/ 75 rescue riders.
driving to chicago tmrw morning.

http://nightof.therescue.invisiblechildren.com/

still your heart.

come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and i will give you rest.

matthew 11:28

be still, and know that i am God.
psalm 46:10

in this world you will have trouble. but take heart! I have overcome the world.
john 16:33

hear my cry, o God; listen to my prayer. from the ends of the earth i call to you, i call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than i.
psalm 61:1-2

TOMS April 16th ODWS and SYS!

i have the most amazing friends. lindsay, allie, sarahtilley, ayla, kaitlyn, tati. you girls have been so encouraging and loving. thank you for laughing w/ me, putting up w/ me, and supporting me... even when my ideas are nuts. staying this semester to cherish 4 more months w/ you girls ranks in my top 7 best decisions ever. i lovelovelove you girls w/ every part of me.

on to the day. fun fact: my mom is also a hero in this story.
look at her.. studying for her law exam later that night! what a machine!

night before the event i rounded up a team (ayla, julian, will, ashley, and nicole) and we chalked up campus! so much fun! it took a while for me to learn how to draw feet.. ayla won for best feet. and i'm pretty dang good at drawing TOMS now. oh, julian is awesome. he has helped out so much throughout the semester! what a great guy!


janediange drove up the night before, arriving at 2am. we woke up at 7:30am. baked 100 cookies. my house + kelly [TOMS co-rep] baked 100 cupcakes. mom made 2 TOMS flags which were AWESOME. 2 Momo's pizza pies were donated to us for FREE! heyoh! then we had the brilliant idea of making stencils for spraypainting on shirts. BRILLIANT. these were a HUGE hit at the event- both on TOMS and shirts! we were setting up by 10am at the integration statue. chairs and tables were delivered. enter merchandising skills here and the tables looked GREAT. kelly and i made a real good team that day too. by 11 we had ppl coming to the tables and so the day began. moving super fast, all over the place. so many friends there. so many new friends. so many strangers who wanted to be new friends. awesome. dr. fifi brought the grad class. love that woman. i am so thankful that she let me stay b/c so much action happened during our scheduled class time. started the walk. kaitlyn did an awesome video. lindsey vinson took great pictures. the walk was great. super effective. at least 15-25 ppl took off their shoes to either join us in the walk or continue around the corner barefoot until we couldn't see them. haha. love it. fast forward the walk was like 30min long or so. we had megan dack's sorority and fraternity friends w/ us too. that was fun. [side note- the week prior, i did a little TOMS presentation/ODWS recruitment at fashion inc. and campus crusade.] at least 300 ppl came by our table. and i just checked our 'TOMS shoes at FSU' group on fbook and it has 347 members. WE'LL TAKE IT. finished the walk. opened the Momo's boxes.. i'd say that pizza was gone in 7 min. flat. no lie. i got one small square and only cause i rolled bows for it. ppl started decorating their TOMS. so many wonderful designs. kaitlyn sewed on little birdies, one girl did fireworks w/ paint, [speaking of paint, the art center donated paint, dishes, brushes, stamps, etc.. so awesome] stamps were used, etc etc. then dr. fifi came back still barefoot, gotta love that woman w/ her gorgeous daughter roberta and they styled their soles! roberta's were SUPER cute. was so stoked that dr. fifi and mom got to meet. mom told fifi that she's like a 2nd mom to me up here in tally. precious. fast forward to modern dance time. nicole is great. she brought our whole dance class to the event! yessssss. then we took a group picture and danced in the grass! we put together a super rad event
that brought the one for one movement to the FSU campus.
done and done. brilliant.

the world is my community.

last night we partnered w/ Invisible Children and did a screening of "For Tomorrow" [the TOMS Shoes story], and "The Rescue" [the new IC film]. it was AWESOME. a really great crowd came out, James, a student from Uganda spoke, and we talked about our upcoming events.

before the TOMS film i did a brief intro. goofy, enthusiastic, intense, eager... i was me. and i think that's ok. i think it's ok for my personality and character to be presented in those situations if i want to be personal and approachable and genuine.

i believe in the TOMS mission.
i believe in a One for One business model.
and i believe we should help because we can.

the IC film followed. powerful. passionate. spirited. stirring.
post-screening ultimatehangout2k9 w/ the IC ladies and the IC roadies [gabe, clara, jenna, and zack]. good bunch.

we are quickly approaching our SYS event.
ahhhhh I AM SO EXCITED! next thursday!
still so much to do!
i am so thankful for this opportunity.

on my way home tonight.

i heard about your regrets.
i heard that you were feeling sorry.
i heard from someone that you wish you could set things right between us.
well i guess i should have heard of that from you.
i guess i should have heard of that from you.

don't you see, don't you see that the charade is over?
and all the "best deceptions" and the "clever cover story" awards go to you.

ORDER YOUR TOMS!

one for one.

"if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." -albert einstein

my hurt is inflicted by action as well as inaction.

"do not throw your pearls to pigs," (matt. 7:6).
be careful that you do not give something precious to someone who, at best, cannot recognize its beauty, or at worst, will trample on it.

stand behind me.
please please please stand behind me.

don't waste your lips on words i've heard before
kiss my tired head
and each letter written wastes your hand
young man, come and lead me to your bed
you gave me hope that i'd not lost her
and then thought it rather strange to see me smile
as i don't.. i don't do too much smiling these days

she put on happiness like a loose dress
over pain i'll never know
"so the peace you had," she said, "i must confess, i'm glad to see it go"
we're two white roses lying frozen just outside his door
i've made you so happy and so sad,
which should i be more sorry for?

come kiss my face goodbye, the space below my eye and above my cheek
cause i'm faint and fading fast, and i see a darkness
and i shall be released
i'll pass like a fever from this body
and softly slip into his hands
i tried to love you and i failed
but i have another plan

how long, my lord, how long to sing this song?
and my lord, how much more of this pretending to be strong?
she'll stand before your throne
and dressed in beauty not her own
all soft and small, you'll hear her call
"you brought me here, now take me home"

tomorrow's TOMS to-do list!

1. fill out form to rent space on campus [check.] GOT IT!!!!
   
2. talk to: dr. fifi, lauren miller, nicole roerick (& girls in modern)
   
3. email TOMS- receive intern application? schedule for interviews?
4. make event pg for april 16th [check.]
   
5. start calling and emailing friends.. and all ppl who put 'attending' on event pg
   
6. email family- gin, roy clan
   
7. ppl to talk to- mandy anderson, elizabeth allen, sarah graves, daniel kahn, courtney lane, sarah cowart, emily ellis, mackenzie
8. fill out special events planning food permit
   

lets look at some numbers

SYS orders:

sarah graves
lindsay
sarah
allie
tati
dr. fifi
roberta
arlen
zach harris
trip porch
lauren miller
lukas suveg

definitely ordered- 10

and we have til april 2nd.
if we hit 20, i will be so grateful.
and if we do 30+, i will be sooooo stoked..
but more importantly, 30 kids will have shoes on their feet.

TOMS Shoes.
One for One.

you made me a shadowboxer, baby
i wanna be ready for what you do
i've been swinging around me
'cause I don't know when you're gonna make your move

today

i am 22.

& because it's st. patrick's day,
how about a traditional st. patrick's day toast:

“may the enemies of ireland never eat bread nor drink whiskey,
but be afflicted with itching without the benefit of scratching.”

i'm pretty stoked on being 22.
for whatever reason, 21 sounds so young to ppl in the 22+ crowd.
22 means you can be a professional adult if you want to.
i don't want to, but i can appreciate the option.

"An eyelid twitch is a general term for involuntary spasms of the eyelid muscles." [definitely involuntary. check.]

"The most common things that make the muscle in your eyelid twitch are fatigue, stress, and caffeine." [shoot. check.]

"Once spasms begin, they may continue off and on for a few days." [few days +. check.]

"Then, they disappear." [no check.]

"Most people experience this type of eyelid twitch on occasion and find it very annoying" [for sure. check.]

this is my 'please make eventually' list:

i'm taking my distance back.
i want my distance back from you.

just a few

lake ella picnics

birthday bash

spring break nap in asheville

banana pudding

best wedding date

my best friend: mrs. laporta

ultimatehangout2k8

beach house bicycle rides

new friend & TOMS campus rep business