5/31/11

NaNoWri.. What!?

Day 22 - A Picture of Something You Wish you Were Better At

Writing. One of my life goals is to have a published novel. My problem is, I am only good at writing up to a certain point. I have one mini-story in the works that is currently 35+ pages. The only problem is I have no idea where to go from there. It is so difficult for me to come up with an entire concept, from beginning, to rising action, to conflict, to resolution. I wish that I were better at writing a complete work, I wish that I had the capabilities to create an entire flowing story line.

 
On the plus side, now that my second job is over for the summer, my evenings have freed up. This means more time I am going to dedicate to my writing. I have already begun the research for my next story :)

5/28/11

Where in the World?

Day 20 - A Picture of Somewhere You'd love to Travel

Wow. I do not even know where to begin. There are so many locations around this world that I would love to travel. So I suppose today's blog will be a lovely collage of photos showing you just a few of the locations I want to see within my lifetime.

London, England
I wanted to visit this city since I saw Peter Pan.
Auckland, New Zealand
Gorgeous landscape - enough said!

Venice, Italy
Rome, Italy
A country full of beautiful and romantic locations.
Ireland & Germany
The land of my ancestors. I would love to see where my heritage began and see where the my families came from.


5/27/11

Dear Blank from Blank

Day 19 - A Photo and A Letter

Dear Jarzi,
I do not even know where to begin. I suppose the first thing to say is how happy I am that you chose to come to Ashland University. If you had not come to AU this year and joined Alpha Phi, I do not think we would be as close as we are now. I truly consider you one of my best friends.
Throughout this year we both have gone through a number of ups and downs. Without you there to consule me and help me laugh through those down times, who knows where I could have been. You were truly a blessing to me this past year here at AU. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me, including your fabulous hairstylings :)
I am looking forward to the rest of the summer with you and Mo. It will be a blast having the opportunity to call you roommie, even if it is only for a few months. I hope that we can stay friends for years and years to come, even after I.... *gulp* graduate. You had better stay in touch and tell me all the wonderful things that you have accomplished at AU and for the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi. Thank you Jarzi, for everything. Very few people could have tollerated my craziness and sleep deprovation, but you understood!
AOE and in Me,
Luv ya sista!
G'berger


5/26/11

A Crack in Confidence

Day 18 - A Picture of Your Biggest Insecurity

For those of you who know me, I often times find it difficult to open up about things. This was a semi-challenge for me to write on this blog about something that really bothers me deep down. What I am most insecure about is my body image.


So have you ever seen a cute guy and wanted to talk to him? If you know me, have you ever wondered why I don't waltz right up and say something? Have you ever gone into a store and dreaded trying something on, despite your love for shopping? If you know me, have you ever wondered why I neglect to try stuff on in stores around you? The answer is simple, I do not see myself as beautiful.

Now before the lectures come out from the blogger world, let me explain. I was the skinniest kid in the world when I was younger. Somewhere between childhood and teenage life, my grandparents watched me often, and very few people cared about what I ate. Although I do not know for certain, this is how I believe my weight problem came into play. I have been insecure about my body for years, because none of my friends were the same size as me. It was heartbreaking for me as I began college to see all of my friends borrowing each others clothes, all the while knowing there was no way in the world I could ever do something like that.

It is incredibly difficult for me to deal with my body image. I have been working on losing weight for about a year to no success. In one semester I only managed to loose five pounds, not a great start. It is my life goal to finally shed at least fifty pounds and feel incredible about my body... but quite honestly that will not be able to be accomplished for years to come at this rate. I am still a confident person, when it comes to personality. I am willing to talk with anyone who wants to talk or listen or joke, etc etc. But I have always had a problem with the way my body looks.

5/25/11

Ivy that Twines

Day 17 - A Picture of Something that has Made a Huge Impact on your Life Recently

This one is simple - Alpha Phi. In September 2010 I decided to go Greek and join in a sorority. The funniest part was that I was not someone who wanted to become Greek, it was not really for me. When I went through recruitment I found a home in a group of girls who are truly my sisters. This group of women made me feel more secure at my University than I had in two years time. I was truly blessed to join in their sisterhood.

All of us Alpha Phi's at the 2011 Formal

 After being named Greek Week champs 2011 (The bear is a panhel girl, so she's a secret)

Just to name a few things that I have gotten to do while a member of Alpha Phi: Became Director of Member Development, Helped gather and organize donations for Red Dress Gala 2010, Designed and decorated for formal 2011, Lip Sync 2011, numerous sisterhoods, mixers, and much more. I love being a member of Alpha Phi. AOE!

5/24/11

Inspired

Day 16 - A Picture of Someone that Inspires You

As I go through these daily (or rather every other day for me...) picture challenges, I have come to realize that a majority of them are very similar. So with today's post I have decided that I am going to shake it up a little bit. Instead of blogging about a single picture of someone that inspires me, I am doing a moving picture of a song that inspires me! So without further ado, here is a moving picture (aka video) of the song "Get it Right" by the writers of Glee, as sung by Lea Michelle.


 This song is so inspiring to me. Every time I hear it, I get chills. The lines that I find most inspiring to me are:

"So I throw up my fist, throw a punch in the air
And accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair.
Yeah I'll send out a wish, I'll send up a prayer
That finally someone will see how much I care."

It is truly a song about pushing past how others view you and realizing that we have to stay true to ourselves. By staying true to we are, we have to look past the opinions of others and work towards what we believe is right. Although we may screw up sometimes, eventually everything will work itself out. Thank you Lea Michelle for singing this incredible song!

5/23/11

The Bucket List Begins!

Day 15 - A Picture of Something You Want to do Before You Die

One thing that I have always wanted to do in my life is travel. I am fortunate enough to have been to 23/50 states in the US, as well as Canada and Mexico. While traveling around this country is excellent, I have always wanted to travel to another continent. A few of the places I hope I am fortunate enough to visit someday are: London, England ; Rome, Italy ; Venice, Italy ; Auckland, New Zealand ; Sydney, Australia. But most importantly this: 


Before I die I want to travel to Rome, Italy and make a wish in the Trevi Fountain. It is an absolutely gorgeous monument that I have dreamed of visiting for years. Here is to hoping that one day I am able to make it here in the future.

5/22/11

A Lifetime Full of Memories

Day 14 - A Picture of Someone you could Never Imagine Your Life Without

This one was simple. My family. They have been there for me my entire life and we have been through so much together. I would not trade my family for the world. I love them dearly and thank them for everything they have done for me throughout these twenty long years. I love you Mom, Dad, & Bre!

My Little Sister Bre :)

My Parents :)

Me and my Family :)

5/19/11

It's Musicality not Theatricality

Day 13 - A Picture of Your Favorite Band or Artist

When it comes to my taste in music, I am generally accepting of all musical genres. The only exceptions in this case would be metal and some (not all) rap/country. Because of my wide interest in the musical world, it is beyond difficult to narrow down my favorite band or artist! So I chose my favorite musical genre and the most played music on my iPod.


 Broadway musicals, or show tunes in general, is my favorite genre of music. Although I do not have too many albums on my iPod of these shows, I can easily name 30 musicals off the top of my head. Musical theatre is what I grew up loving. To think it all began when I first heard the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack at age 7! 


The most played music on my iPod is easily the six Glee soundtracks that I own. Yes.. this may seem like a lot my blog world friends, but indeed I am lacking in the amount of Glee music I own. There are currently 10 different Glee soundtracks and my iPod is only stocked with six of them :( But in all seriousness I love hearing how this group of talented vocalists mash together different songs and reinterpret the music to their own beat! Not to mention original songs like "Loser Like Me" and "Get it Right!"

5/18/11

A Cliche English Teacher Hobby

Day 12 - A Picture of Something that You Love

Well I feel that this one should be obvious! Actually.. maybe not, because there are many things that I love. Yes there is Disney, Broadway, Glee, Singing, Shopping, Weddings, etc, etc. But what I want to write about today is something that I have loved to do since I was a little girl and has only evolved over time. What is it you may ask? Reading!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a series of books by my favorite author Gregory Maguire. He has written numerous books, including all of the books within the Wicked Series, which the musical Wicked is based off of. I love reading in general, but his books are so captivating. I have currently only read three of his works, but this summer I am hoping to knock a few more off of his list of published works! Reading is something I love to do because it carries me away to another place, somewhere where I can become captivated in another person's story instead of worrying about my own. Reading is my escape. But if you have not read some of Gregory Maguire's work I highly suggest it! ((Fair warning, it is a little bit difficult))

5/16/11

The Unfortunate Style of College

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Yes I realize this is on the same day as post 10, but I needed to catch up on a day! So here is a picture of something that I cannot stand.... studying/paper writing in school. Yes I know this is the normal routine of a college student, but let me elaborate. In past semesters I greatly enjoyed looking into pieces of literature and elaborating my thoughts into papers. I enjoyed reading novels and short stories.... but not this past semester. After all the work load that my professors heaped upon me, without the attempt to help or discuss the material in or out of class, made me detest writing papers.
So I suppose what I am saying is I hate homework that has no guidelines. I despise professors who assign you a paper with multiple topics to choose from, yet none of them have been discussed in class. In fact, the text has not even been discussed in class, even though we had been "reading" it for three weeks. At my school, Ashland, I have never had a more frustrating semester. Generally, my professors in past years were more than willing to help and they provided the class with specific guidelines and instructions.
Here's what  I hate : meaningless assignments. If you are a professor, use your syllabus. Allow your students to approach you for help, and know what you are talking about. We are supposed to be learning from you, not teaching ourselves. That we can do on our own time.

A Daily Post Failure

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most crazy things with

First off, I am really bad about posting every day. I apologize blog world! Second, I do not feel there is one person that I accomplish crazy things with. There are multiple people in my life who are willing to go out on crazy adventures and just have a good time. So for this one I'll throw up a couple pictures and let you know why these ladies are my accomplices. 

 The first is Jenna! I have mentioned her before, cause she is the person who has been there for me for years. She has definitely helped me to break out of my introverted shell and showed me how to enjoy life to its fullest.

My family! This meaning from my immediate family to my cousins. When my cousins and I get together at family events, everyone watches us as we all laugh hysterically. Just to give you an idea we have cursed each other (game), built human pyramids at weddings and graduation parties (up to 15 people), and experimented with how many bodies could fit in my cousins trunk! Okay, they were not dead bodies so do not freak out people, they were us climbing into the car trunk together... don't judge.

5/13/11

A Family Event :)

Day 9 - A picture of a person who has gotten you through the most

There are so many people who have been there for me throughout my life, and for this I am blessed. I would have to say throughout my entire lifetime, my family has been there for me the most. Through any situation they have stood by me, whether good or bad, ridiculously crazy or with not enough to do. My parents have always been there for me, every event, every induction ceremony in college. They have given me the strength to be the woman I am today. Then there's my sister, who taught me how to lead. Having a little sister helped me develop a sense of understanding what it means to be looked up to. She has always been an inspiration to me :) So here's to my family, for getting me through 20 long years of fun, sadness, joy, and frustration!


This year, school year anyways, has been incredibly rough for me. There have been so many ups and downs, but I thought I had lost that one person I could turn to at school. When I joined a sorority, I gained that person back. I found a lifelong friend, a woman I am proud to call sister, a woman who has been my guardian angel throughout this torment of a school year. Her name is Michelle. She is my Big in my sorority. Through thick and thin this girl has been there for me. She has even watched out for my health, making sure I leave work alone and get some sleep when it is most desperately needed. Even when we are apart, she manages to contact me and lift my spirits up when I need it most. So for this year in school, Michelle has been my blessing sent from Heaven. She truly saved me :)


5/11/11

What is Life if not Enjoyable?

Day 8 - A Picture that makes you laugh

This one was incredibly hard to narrow down. There are a lot of pictures I have that I look back on and make me laugh about a certain memory. I have picked three pictures that make me laugh no matter how bad I am feeling on that day... but keep in mind these are only a few of many :) 

So I realize this picture may be a little difficult to see. This is me and 3 of my friends from high school dressed in pirate costumes! We wore them to the premier of Pirates of the Caribbean 3, that is after we walked around Walmart buying candy. Needless to say, people look at you kinda funny when your in a pirate costume in Walmart!


During Halloween this year, me and two fellow Alpha Phi's decided to go see the Rocky Horror Picture show. Rumor has it that people get all dressed up for this event, and go kinda crazy! So as you can see, we all got dressed up.. and at least two of us went crazy ;) Poor Margaret...


Here is a picture of my team within Ashland University's Orientation Team. I died in the theatre that day..... or at least faked it! And as we ran away from the scene, my professor caught us and asked us to pose again, because she wanted the picture!! Talk about strange...


5/10/11

A Wave into the Past

Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item

I do not have an actual picture of this item. But I found one that comes fairly close. My most treasured item is a Japanese fan that sits on the shelf above my bed. Before you roll your eyes or change web pages, let me explain what makes this fan so significant to me.


I have always had a fascination for Japanese culture. I have studied some, watched anime, read manga, and even read up on the culture of the geisha. My grandfather was in World War II, stationed in Japan. Of the few souvenirs he brought back to America, one was this fan. During the war, geisha houses had to sell their belongings, which American soldiers bought as souvenirs. The fan was given to my great aunt.

My grandfather passed away during my freshman year in college. After he passed, I traveled to Indiana with my family. My great aunt came to me and handed me this fan. She said to me, "Your grandfather would have wanted you to have it." That is why the fan is so precious. It was bought as a gift of love for our family, it was bought from a culture which I once adored. But most importantly I was entrusted with the love of my grandfather through this fan.

5/9/11

Mile in her shoes? Of Course!

Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day



Lea Michele from Fox's Glee. Why? She seems to have the glamorous live figured out. She is on a hit TV show playing a lovable character. She is loved by many of her fellow actors/actresses on the television show, not to mention she has an incredible voice. If I could trade places with her for a day it would be like living a dream come true! Not to mention, her character gets to flirt it up with those fabulous Glee boys!


5/7/11

One Year Left till De Ja Vu

Day 5 - A Picture of Your Favorite Memory

My favorite memory... this makes things very difficult to decide. There are so many wonderful memories in my life, but if I had to choose one I would say it was high school graduation. This was the day I was set free into the world. It was the day I left the traditional school system and entered into an educational system that forced me into responsibility. This was the day that changed the rest of my life. Yet I always look back on this and smile at the friends I knew and loved. They will always be in my memory.

My dad and I on the day of my graduation. Both NW alumni :)

5/6/11

A Moment that Defied Gravity

Day 4 - A Picture of Your Favorite Night

In 2009, on my 19th birthday I was given tickets to go see Wicked. Wicked is my 2nd favorite musical of all time (right behind Phantom of the Opera). In November I got to get all dolled up and see the production in a gorgeous theatre with two of my closest friends. I will always remember this night. :)

Jenna and I in the theatre before the curtain of Wicked rises :)
A group picture of the three of us in Little Italy before the show.


5/4/11

A Killer Showtunes Medly

Day 3 - A picture of the cast of your favorite show

My favorite TV show is Glee! Now before you turn away at the thought of such a show, let me explain myself a bit. I have been in love with musicals since I was a child. This show combined the comedy, musicality, and lovable characters that I looked for. When I first saw the show's pilot episode, I knew that the relationships of the characters had so much potential. What really got me hooked was when the cast got together and sang "Don't Stop Believing" at the end. Sold!

The cast in a little more casual shot. Here are the 1st season main characters
Here are all the main Glee-clubbers from season 2!


5/3/11

And so the Madness Continues

Day 2 - A Photo of you and a person you've been close to the longest

Blog world, I would like to introduce you to my closest and best friend Jenna. She and I have known each other now for about five or six years, but it honestly feels like it has been a lifetime. We have shared so many memories together and I know that I can trust her with whatever she may throw my way.
This is a picture of the two of us on a missions trip to Mexico in the summer of 2008.
A picture of us two as elves!! In the Christmas of 2008. 
Jenna and I looking fabulous in 2009 before seeing Wicked in Cleveland.

This girl means the world to me and is seriously a blessing to me. I thank God every day that he has given me friends like Jenna.


5/2/11

The Beginning of an Era

In order to begin a new blog properly, allow me to introduce myself. I am a dreamer. I dream in images, I write the images that pop into my mind, thus allowing me to create vivid imagery in my writing. So for the first 30 days of the blog prepare yourselves for an image and it's description. Let the challenge begin!

Day 1 - A picture of yourself and 10 facts.

1). This is me :)
2). I'm a Gleek
3). I love to write!
4). Blue is my favorite color
5). I love musicals - Broadway is my escape
6). Thinking of 10 facts is incredibly challenging
7). I started this blog to procrastinate on finals <3
8). One of my life goals is to step foot in all 50 states
9). I have a Minor in English and a Major in English Ed.
10). Secretly I'm still 6 years old (I watch Disney all the time)