Who doesn't love a good wedding?

So after an hour long skype session with one of my friends from Britain, I can't help but vent my frustration with all this obsession over the royal wedding. Don't get me wrong I understand our culture's obsession with celebrities and finding your ideal love and ultimately living happily ever after...but I just can't get excited when I think about the millions of dollars that went into it...yet here's Britain in the midst of a recession. People have lost their jobs, been thrown out of their homes, and can barely afford to live...and where's all this money invested? In the greater good of the people I suppose...

I'm not saying that the weddings not something to be excited about. It's a tradition and it's beautiful...there's no denying it. I am also not being biased as this kind of thing happens everyday in our country, as well. Money and power...that's what the media's all about. We love living virtually though pop culture and ignoring the issues of the world. What's wrong with that?!

Now back to indulging in my reality tv...multi billion dollar industry! Hell yeahhhhh!

Memoirs of my last nights in the Barb.

Barbour halls vacant.

Waking up in a closet..I find myself with ripped mud covered leggings, questionable bruises on my legs and stories of 'fighting the mafia"?

Don't think I won that fight.

Still recovering and enjoying a multitude of sleep and television.

After watching some gay porn and 2 episodes of Real World Las Vegas with Alma in the CC a slightly embarrassing addiction is born.

I follow up with 2 glee episodes and an hour of you-tube surfing.

Now I lay here sipping bubble tea, admiring the feeling of having to do nothing...

I'm missing my roomies and am eager for our reunion tomorrow night!

One more day here and then home to Farmada.

I reflect on the year as a whole with smiling satisfaction.

beauty.

I hate that the cliché-ness of the world can sometimes take away from the beauty of it.

Taking for granted things seen everyday.

Equally beautiful; just not seen in the same way.

Hearing the most beautiful song for the 100th time just isn't the same as hearing it for the first.

Something is lost along the way; familiarity entrapping the allure.

Why can't I appreciate things around me as if I'm seeing them, hearing them...for the first time.

I just want to see all the beauty I used to see.

I know it's there, but my eyes remain closed...

l'histoire.

I've always kind of felt that your past, you know like where you came from and your family background, has a lot to do with who you are... i mean even if one's not raised by their biological parents, there's gotta be more than just physical features that are passed on. It's the classic nature vs. nurture argument of psychology that always ends in a torn balance. It's both they say. But just how much of this nature thing shall apply?

It's great to think that there are some qualities that people are just born with.. not learned but always there. I guess it helps me to have more of a positive view towards my bilog-rents. I mean even the worst person has some positive aspects, right? It's just some days it's easier to see them than others.

Today was one of those easy days: having a deep, real conversation with my mom..something that doesn't happen often I realized how much we really do have in common, as scary as that may seem.. My love for art and music is definitely something that I share with her, as well as my all too childish heart and obsession with Brangelina. So even though there is so much about her that I will never truly understand, there's always those things that I can.. so why not dwell on those and cherish the time that I do have with her...the her that allows me to see just how beautiful she truly is and appreciate the life she gave me.

In other news I learned a lot about my dad, as well. Apparently he was a circus star for a good amount of his adolescence. I now have an entirely different vision of our first meeting... can you say flying trapeze lessons? YES.

hello summer :)

A guide to living in Barbour:

The Essential Guide to Living Like a Classy Lady of Betsy Barbour

- By Lisa Usselman & Natalie Christian

Dear future residents of Barbour,

Congrats on finding this, you are well on your way to becoming the calm, studious, rule-followers we were. Here’s some more must-dos for living in Barbs…

1) Fill those sweet little fire extinguisher boxes in the hallways with mementos of your year:

2) Have sno-cone parties and bond with your hall mates! (or break their treasured sporks by trying to fix the machine when it jams):

.

3) Make a fort in the lounge. Be creative. Invite your RA or even DeePS:

5) Decorate a hallmate's door for them:

5) And leave them loving notes on their white boards:

6) Plaster the hallway with hundreds of pictures of your favorite pokemon or other nerdy memento of your childhood.

7) Sunbathe on the roof, ignore the safety precautions, the roof can hold everyone in the hall - trust us on that one.

8)And while you are on the roof, par-tay and dance. Wave to passerbyers on State Street. Bonus Points if you achieve our dream of hitting one of them with something. Or even better surprise someone by popping up in their window:

9) And make some snow angels in the winter. fyi, its super cool when someone looks out their window and sees snow angels on the roof.

.

kiddie pools on the roof are always fun, too!

10) Climb the epic tree in front of Barbs. Carve your initials. Find ours.

12) Birthday celebration? chandeliers piñatas and polo sticks…what more need be said?

13) Roast marshmallows on the roof...or in your room.

14) Contrary to popular belief, the laundry cart is not just for laundry. You can push someone down the hallway in under 30 seconds…maybe less. You should try to beat our record.

15) Have a Barbour-Q with the help of Hall council or L.E.G.A.C.Y. You're bound to know someone involved:

16) "Study" in the Lounge:

17) And when it's warm study outside in the yard!

18) Most importantly: Live it up on football saturdays!!

Some other ideas:

Break into the dining hall. They cracked down keeping the doors locked after they figured out we ventured in there a few times, but we are sure you can find a way in…

3am 7-11 runs always make late night homework much more bearable.

Sleepovers in the hallway or on the roof!

And we never got a tire swing, but make it happen for future girls of Barbour.

Also, here’s some must-dos around AA…

Climb the cube.

Hall ice-skating party at Yost!

Bridge jumping (make sure it’s the railroad bridge over the Argo Dam, don’t worry, we tested the level of safetyness).

Midnight sledding in the Arb, with trays provided by the good people at el Dining Hall de Betsy Barbs.

Celebrate 80''s Night! This one is a must-do!

So, basically what we are saying is that we know some of you are kinda mad about living in Barbour, we were at first but this place is awesome! And make sure everyone you know knows that you live in Barbour as it’s the cool place to be, no matter what anyone says. That’s what we did and now its your turn. Make us proud.

But one serious bit of advice, don’t get caught up in the drama. And don’t even think about starting any! This is not high school. We are here to learn, find ourselves, and most importantly have fun! Love thy neighbor, or at least don’t hate them…and for the love of Betsy Barbour don’t quit talking to them or go psycho on them for no reason.

Barbour Bitches 2010-2011

Conflict Resolution.

i wish i could communicate with my predators is such a fashion:

Natalie's Ode to Summer

"Summer is near. A time to drink beer. A time to be queer. And leap through the air. To lay in the sun. To see everyone. To spoon with my dog. And write in my blog. To sit on my ass. To paint on my grass. Drink wine on my porch. And wear booty shorts!"

Hell Yeah to Summer :)

Emily's Birthday Cele-cration.

We begin the night with a free cupcake from the c-station and a delicious vegetarian feast complete with a side of avocado, grapes instead of fries, and a free entré for Emily!

After fulfilling our hunger needs, perhaps a little too much, we head back to get ready for a night of celebration. Emily, being the planner that she is, already has a number of destinations lined up, and we are ready to follow in enthusiasm. We begin our journey with the breaking of bottles (or attempt at least), climbing of fences, and a creepy walk down Wash-te-hell naww complete with flickering lights and a potential car chase! After arriving to our destination, we find C-love and Emily dives in! With lemon juice mixed drinks and a Jewish Penicillin hotline number at our finger tips we find refuge in the kitchen. We see a faint forecast for the night...after all, this is only the pre-game!

On to the next party with brief separation as C-love goes to Necto and we travel on...The next party is bumpin with a series of random acquaintances and a smokin' hot dread head. We find ourselves in the attic, on a vodka flooded dance floor tequila flask in hand. As Emily increases her tolerance, we break it down: owning the dance floor. However, recognizing our lack of oxygen, we fade out with the music, saving sweet dignity from slipping through the cracks.

We move on to dream houses, the climbing of trees and cars, and swinging! All favorites in my book! Emily is reunited with C-punzel and we rage a while at Bess' with a hypnotic screen and background of trippers. My favorite: head taper: How many objects can one stick to their head in an elevated state of mind?

All in all the night was a success. Emily happy in the arms of Canderella, we set out to find food and end the night with a glass bang (successful this time- well kind of ;)

The next morning: Emily miraculously meets us and we head to Polo practice with Hilar. They spend the morning gracefully riding the creatures as I venture into the woody beyond.. and search for other forms of life (FROGGY!)

How will you celebrate your twentieth?

Bright Eyes: Bowl of Oranges.

So I was reminiscing through old playlists when I came across one of my favorite songs ever! I guess the lyrics are what really do it for me. They're seriously so gooodddd!

"The rain had started tapping

On the window near my bed
There was a loophole in my dreaming
So I got out of it
And to my surprise my eyes were wide
And already open
Just my nightstand and my dresser
Where those nightmares had just been

So I dressed myself and left then
Out into the gray streets
But everything seemed different
Completely new to me
The sky, the trees, houses, buildings
Even my own body
And each person I encountered
I couldn't wait to meet

And I came upon a doctor
Who appeared in quite poor health
I said, "There's nothing I can do for you
You can't do for yourself"
He said, "Oh, yes you can, just hold my hand
I think that that would help"
So I sat with him a while
And I asked him how he felt
He said, "I think I'm cured
No, in fact I'm sure of it
Thank you stranger
For your theraputic smile"

So that's how I learned the lesson
That everyone's alone
And your eyes must do some raining
If you're ever gonna grow
When crying don't help, you can't compose yourself
It's best to compose a poem
An honest verse of longing
Or a simple song of hope

That's why I'm singing, baby, don't worry
Because now I've got your back
And every time you feel like crying
I'm gonna try to make you laugh
And if I can't, if it just hurts too bad
Then we'll wait for it to pass
And I will keep you company
Through those days so long and black

We'll keep working on the problem
We know we'll never solve
Of love's uneven remainders
Our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame
Like a painting on a wall
Then I think we'd see the beauty then
And stand staring in awe

At our still lives posed
Like a bowl of oranges
Like a story told
By the fault lines and the soil"

Directory of Delight:

WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY:

01. Music. 02. When people surprise you. 03. Cheesecake. 04. Effective Communication. 05. Long Baths. 06. Swings! 07. The Laughter of Children. 08. The Boardwalk. 09. Road Trips. 10. Picnics on the Roof. 11. Ice Skating. 12. Parenting Magazines. 13. Looking at old Pictures. 14. The Rain. (when it's warm) 15. Borders and Barnes and Nobles :] 16. Painting. 17. Reading under the covers. 18. Reading Anywhere.19. Girls' Nights. 20. Family Reunions. 21. Good Coffee. 22. One Tree Hill!! 23. Home Videos. 24. Thrift Stores. 25.Taking it out on the piano. 26. Cheap Wine. 27. Decorating. 28. Electric Blankets. 29. Slippers. 30. Sloths 31. Post-its :) 32. Effortless Fun. 33. Commercial Free Hours. 34. One Hundred Percent. 35. Garage Sales. 36. The smell of Gatlinburg at night. 37. Dove chocolates with the little quotes inside. 38. Exceeding Expectations. 39. Meaningful Conversations. 40. Tea on the balcony. 41. "Perfect Timing". 42. Anything 80s :] 43. Being home alone. 44. Random Outings. 45. Knowledge 46. Art Museums. 47. Falling Asleep by the Fire. 48. Everything Zebra Print. 49. Sudoku in the Paper. 50. Good Movies 51. Writing it out. 52. Vintage black and white photos. 53. Christmas. 54. Sleeping in. 55. That straight from the dryer feeling. 56. Roasted to death marshmallows. 57. Poetry books. 58. Spontaneous Dancing with my Best Friend 59. Individuality. 60. Repetition and Routine. 61. Interesting Art.62. Day Dreaming. 63. Decor It Yourself :] 64. Feeling Accomplished. 65. Unintentionally being early. 66. Eating cheesecake straight from the box, while watching the anorexically thin models on ANTM. 67. Traveling! 68. Making A Difference. 69. My Comfort Zone. 70. Boston Terriors named Winston. 71. Marathons of my favorite tv shows. 72. Africa. 73. Automobile Karaoke. 74. Fall and Spring. 75. Spontaneity. 78. Babies :) 79. Laying in the grass. 80. Window down, Music Up! 81. Smoothies. 82. Jomo the Penguin. 83. Thrift Stores. 84. Alexa Narvaez 85. My Roommates :) 86. Ellen Degeneres 87. Sleeping In 88. Sunshine 89. Piano 90. Reminiscing. 91. Summer fruit! 92. Hammocks 93. The way my hair blows when I'm riding on the back of a motorcylce/four wheeler. 94. TLC baby shows 95. Uncontrollable laughter 96. Blow drying my sheets before I climb into them so they're warm. 97. That final eye lash flutter when you've been struggling to put a baby to sleep and they FINALLY give in! 98. Being in the water. 99. Walking aimlessly through the woods. 100. Sleeping under the stars.

You Live; You Learn. A Stellar Saturday.

So today=Hash. Bash. ... conjointly known as trash bash, considering our recurrent encounters.

But what a wonderful dayyyyyyyy. I realized the magnitude of my love for Ann Arbor. I don't even know how people are so fascinating. Like Woahh. I can't even describe.

The day continued with Thai food dinner. Not exactly a success story but surrounded by my awe-inspiring roommates the whole experience just seemed much brighter. Upon our return, we watched Away We Go, which I can rationalize as one of the best movies EVER: (Sam Mendes = second best director ever, after Spike Jonze of course! )

Emily unfortunately having other life priorities made a departure leaving the two of us to finish the outstanding film...SO GOOD! All though we felt grief of her loss the night was saved....

Wine and BabyBell. Coldplay discog. Life convos. And tie dye dresses. A BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY.

In conclusion: Meaning of Life= Great People, Great Movies, Great Substance...and LOVE <3

Listen to this playlist: Soundtrack to Hilary's Life

Songs that describe just a normal night in the life of Hilary Hunt: