I'm sure you all know by now that I can be very list-y when I want to be. Not only to they keep my mind on track, they're just fun to read in general. For me, at least, they're sometimes easier to get through than a huge chunk of paragraph.
So to keep myself on top of things for the summer, I shall share my ideas and plans with you!
1. Get job. I'm just waiting for calls at this point.
2. I'm going on a cruise to Mexico with my family in a couple of days. It'll be cruise number one and country number eleven for me.
3. Blog more. I have some good ideas and stories that I can't wait to share with you all!
4. Focus on portraits and action shots. They are a couple of my weakest links in my overall photography skill. People are hard.
5. Draw draw draw. I'm starting my studio art minor in the fall with a drawing class. There's just one teensy tiny minute detail. I can't draw. Luckily, my art prodigy mother is giving me lessons.
6. Become closer to the Lord. Through accountability with some friends from Baylor, I hope to strengthen my relationship with the Father. I've been pretty lax about quiet time, and that's something that I want to change.
7. Read. Shower myself in printed word. I didn't get to read much at college, so I want to dive into some major fiction.
8. Spend time with people in town. I don't get to see the residents in my Missouri town that much anymore, and because I believe that they need to get their quota of Maggie snarkiness in, and because I value their friendship.
9. Write. Fiction, mostly. I have a few concepts and characters ready to roll!
10. Organize. My schedule, my room, my sleeping habits. Just because I'm spontaneous doesn't mean that I can't have a basic outline!
Bring it, summer. I'm beyond ready.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Breakfast with Elisabeth
After thunder, lightning, hail, the trials and tribulations
of finals week, the moving out that comes afterwards, and a looooong drive
north, I am back in Missouri.
My friend Elisabeth and I started this tradition last semester
where whenever I would come home from Baylor, we would catch up over breakfast
in one of the local cafes. Even though I’m not a morning person, and my idea of
breakfast is usually running out the door with an apple in my mouth, it’s a lot
of fun to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.
In the fall, we’re both going to be art students.
Essentially, her major is my minor. Except she’s an art prodigy. In my family,
the only art prodigy is my mom, and I’m taking drawing lessons from her this
summer to try to find my art genes that I’ve hopefully inherited from her.
The morning was a gray and freezing type, but we were
giggling across steaming mugs of tea like long lost friends. Because, really. A
lot goes on while you’re away at college.
And it’s nice having a great friend to come home to.
Chatting with Elisabeth is like a breath of fresh air.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
#bringbackourgirls
If many of you have been following the news, I'm sure you've heard of the plight of the abducted girls in Nigeria. The actions of the Boko Haram militant group are being realized around the world as the story travels rapidly by social media.
Girls not that much younger than me have been ripped from life as they know it. Some have been able to escape, but many, including eight more girls kidnapped on the 4th, have been smuggled out of the country and or sold in to marriage.
Sold. For $12. I can buy a t-shirt or a lot of tacos with $12.
This breaks my heart.
These girls are NOT property to be bought and sold. People are worth more than t-shirts and tacos. They are living, breathing humans with hopes, dreams, and souls. Yet they have been forced into a very real nightmare by the Boko Haram, insurgents who have been destroying lives rampantly for a while now, unhindered by the Nigerian government.
But what can we do? I mean, it's a little hard to fly over to Africa, dash into the jungle, rescue all of the girls in one fell swoop and kick butt.
Honestly, that's what I'd like to do. But life doesn't work like that.
Rallies and calling your congressmen are some solutions, but I have another one.
Pray.
Often the power of prayer is underestimated, but if I learned one thing from my adventure in Cambodia last summer, it's that prayer helps. Quite a lot, actually. Another thing to keep in mind is that God knows what He's doing. He has a plan in mind. I don't know what will happen in the future, but that's something I have to hold onto.
In the meantime, a friend on Facebook shared this website. On it, it has a list of 180 of the girls still missing. The site asks readers to pick one girl, and pray for her often. Until she is found.
I encourage you to do the same, even if you're not a Christian, because I firmly believe that these prayers sent up to heaven will change lives. At the moment, I don't know what connection I may have to this story, or where my feet be led.
I'll leave you with a quote from Malala Yousafzai, a young activist who survived a gunshot wound to the head by the Taliban: "The girls in Nigeria are my sisters and it is my responsibility that I speak up for my sisters."
Not only are the girls in Nigeria Malala's sisters, but they're my sisters, and yours too. And they need every prayer and action that they can get.
But, right now, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to think about my little sister Rifkatu Solomon often, and pray that she finds her way home.
Girls not that much younger than me have been ripped from life as they know it. Some have been able to escape, but many, including eight more girls kidnapped on the 4th, have been smuggled out of the country and or sold in to marriage.
Sold. For $12. I can buy a t-shirt or a lot of tacos with $12.
This breaks my heart.
These girls are NOT property to be bought and sold. People are worth more than t-shirts and tacos. They are living, breathing humans with hopes, dreams, and souls. Yet they have been forced into a very real nightmare by the Boko Haram, insurgents who have been destroying lives rampantly for a while now, unhindered by the Nigerian government.
But what can we do? I mean, it's a little hard to fly over to Africa, dash into the jungle, rescue all of the girls in one fell swoop and kick butt.
Honestly, that's what I'd like to do. But life doesn't work like that.
Rallies and calling your congressmen are some solutions, but I have another one.
Pray.
Often the power of prayer is underestimated, but if I learned one thing from my adventure in Cambodia last summer, it's that prayer helps. Quite a lot, actually. Another thing to keep in mind is that God knows what He's doing. He has a plan in mind. I don't know what will happen in the future, but that's something I have to hold onto.
In the meantime, a friend on Facebook shared this website. On it, it has a list of 180 of the girls still missing. The site asks readers to pick one girl, and pray for her often. Until she is found.
I encourage you to do the same, even if you're not a Christian, because I firmly believe that these prayers sent up to heaven will change lives. At the moment, I don't know what connection I may have to this story, or where my feet be led.
I'll leave you with a quote from Malala Yousafzai, a young activist who survived a gunshot wound to the head by the Taliban: "The girls in Nigeria are my sisters and it is my responsibility that I speak up for my sisters."
Not only are the girls in Nigeria Malala's sisters, but they're my sisters, and yours too. And they need every prayer and action that they can get.
But, right now, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to think about my little sister Rifkatu Solomon often, and pray that she finds her way home.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Food Blog: Torchy's Tacos
"Tastes like the liberal agenda," my guard captain murmured as she bit into a Democrat Taco at Torchy's Tacos.
This Austin-based up-and-coming taco joint just made its debut in Waco around a month ago, with lines trailing out the door. A hot spot for taco lovers, Torchy's taco combinations are mouth-watering to say the least.
And that Fried Avocado Taco? That thing rocks my world.
Neither Hildawg and I had tried Torchy's before, but, hungry after a photo shoot, we found ourselves standing in line, gazing up at the menu.
Both of us selected to order the Democrat and Fried Avocado tacos. They were absolutely fantastic.
But to every silver lining, there's a cloud. Torchy's is not for those on a college budget. Our four tacos and one drink added up to about $20. Those tacos were expensive. The average price for one taco is around $3-$4. When you get more than one, coupled with drinks and chips, your money will fly out of your wallet faster than feathers in a tornado.
I was only able to eat there because my companion was paying for my photo services. For my first freelance job, I was paid in tacos.
Think wisely before you step inside. Those tacos may be calling your name, but if you can't afford them, save up. And don't go every week (even for the avocados).
A delicious alternative in Waco is Rosa's, a Tex-Mex place not too far away that has cheap, but delicious, tacos. Especially on Tuesdays. Or you can always stick with Taco Bell.
This Austin-based up-and-coming taco joint just made its debut in Waco around a month ago, with lines trailing out the door. A hot spot for taco lovers, Torchy's taco combinations are mouth-watering to say the least.
And that Fried Avocado Taco? That thing rocks my world.
Neither Hildawg and I had tried Torchy's before, but, hungry after a photo shoot, we found ourselves standing in line, gazing up at the menu.
Both of us selected to order the Democrat and Fried Avocado tacos. They were absolutely fantastic.
Fried Avocado up front, Democrat in the back.
But to every silver lining, there's a cloud. Torchy's is not for those on a college budget. Our four tacos and one drink added up to about $20. Those tacos were expensive. The average price for one taco is around $3-$4. When you get more than one, coupled with drinks and chips, your money will fly out of your wallet faster than feathers in a tornado.
I was only able to eat there because my companion was paying for my photo services. For my first freelance job, I was paid in tacos.
Think wisely before you step inside. Those tacos may be calling your name, but if you can't afford them, save up. And don't go every week (even for the avocados).
A delicious alternative in Waco is Rosa's, a Tex-Mex place not too far away that has cheap, but delicious, tacos. Especially on Tuesdays. Or you can always stick with Taco Bell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)