A special day for two.

Today, after i woke up, i called my sister Emily's house looking for my nephew Nathan. You see today is a big day in the life of Nathan. So, with all the little reminders he's given me the past few days...months, i knew it was important that i ring him up first thing...before i got distracted with boring adult things. ANYWHO, here is how it went:
{"Hi Nathan, its Anna, how are you?"
"Good, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!"
"Really? How old are you? Three or Four? I forgot!"
"FIVE! I'm FIVE!!" [in a weird, choked up voice]
"Nathan, what is wrong?? Are you crying???"
"NO! I'M JUST SO EXCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTEEEDDDDDDDDDD!"}

[Me & Nathan; December 2008]

& that is one more reason i LOVE being an aunt.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Which brings me to why today is such a {special} day.
five years ago today...
i was officially initiated into
Aunt-hood.
& i couldn't love it more.
its been a marvelous time thus far, and i can't wait for what lies ahead...
it brings a {plethora} of wonderful moments, which i treasure oh so very much.
[its hard to believe five years ago i was only an aunt of one... now to think i'm an aunt of five! so much joy. so much love.]

[Aunt Anna & Julia; Christmas Eve 2008]

Interesting that i came across this book yesterday at Barnes & Noble...

...funny how life is like that.

{it is absolutely adorable & i was quite delighted to see a book on Aunts... i will save it a spot on my wish list.}

So cheers to being Five! & cheers to being an Aunt of Five!

“The true spirit of Christmas is love”

{linda willis}
I {hope} you all had a {beautiful Christmas}.
Mine was absolutely wonderful, filled with many {blessings}.
Here is a lovely recap in pictures...

{click to enlarge}.

i am so {thankful}.

Take my hand and well make it I swear--

{livin' on a prayer}

is what i do everyday, in order to get through. This semester brought more downs than ups, but i realize that it is all apart of {the journey}, the One {God made just for me}.
I remind myself of this daily, in order to get out of bed, look at myself in the mirror, and venture out into this scary place we call "the world".
Along with knowing {He is helping me}... He {blesses me with all of my friends}. Friends who have extended {their hands and hearts} & {helped me} get through the past months.
& i love them so.
{thank you loves}. you mean so much to me.

**picture update soon. as for now, my computer has the hiccups. :(

scares the hell out of us.

"We cling to music, to poems, to quotes, to writing, to art, because we desperately do not want to be alone. We want to know we aren’t going crazy and someone else out there knows exactly how you’re feeling. We want someone to explain the things we can’t. We love everything tied up neatly, easy, simple, and when we can’t do that, it scares the hell out of us. To not know the next step, or where you’re headed, kills. Being unsure isn’t in our plans. But its those moments, the ones where you risk it and step unknowingly into the future that assures us life is larger than we’ll ever know."

{via Overflowing}

Remember to Smile.

this is my winter song.

Winter Song with Ingrid Michaelson

outside it is {cold.} i had a {7:30a.m. final} & it was {terrible.} 7:30a.m. final, {negative wind chill} outside, {gloomy faces} on campus, {sad grade.}
& i'm slowly realizing that
{Christmas will never be the same.}

{that sums up my day} to say the least.

but i love the song i posted above. it is lovely, & seems to fit my life {perfectly} right now.

please send warm thoughts of encouragement my way to help me get through the next 3 finals.

{love to all. }
{http://i36.tinypic.com/2e1d25e.jpg}

its the {finals} countdown

1-2-3 study!

{Christ}mas is love.

As Christmas approaches, the excitement is felt throughout the air. I always have a feeling of happiness in my heart which gleams brighter every time I think of the fun & love which Christmas holds.
...the food, family, friends, no school, presents, games, the singing, the decorations, giving gifts, the shopping, midnight Mass...
just to name a few things...
but as I grow up, I am starting to understand why some people find Christmas to be {a tidbit} stressful...
then i came across this interesting video. {made by an organization called Advent Conspiracy.}
I think they propose some valid suggestions & bring up some very important points. I hope you do too!


I hope you all enjoy the Christmas season, be sure not to get bogged down with the stuff which has the least amount of significance. Make sure you find more time loving it than stressing about it! trust me, I'll be trying my hardest. Stressing about silly stuff {such as buying "perfect" gifts} is one of the few things I'm good at. boo.

This ones for you, Nie.

My last assignment for my COMS130 course, [Public Speaking], was a persuasive speech on a non-profit organization/charity. While many chose to deliver speeches on Unicef, Habitat for Humanity and many more of the sorts, I automatically thought of Nie Recovery. & to my delight, my teacher approved of my unique choice of topic.
I have to say, this was probably the most work I've put into an assignment for this class, & i loved every minute of compiling my speech to tell the story of Nie.


I only faced one major dilemma; i had to deliver my speech in under 9 min... a measly 9 minutes! Compiling a speech to relay the beauty of Nie's life & inform my class of the tragedy her family faces while urging them to consider donating to the Nie Recovery, in under 9 min was nearly impossible. {so naturally i stretched it to 11 min.}
Before starting my speech i whispered "This ones for you, Nie".
my presentation went well, only fumbling over myself in a few parts when i got a little too into describing her wonderful life illustrated in her blog. My class remained intrigued throughout my speech {the entire 11 min.} and when i passed out these cards i created...


instead of stuffing them into their pockets in anticipation of finding a trashcan, i noticed some were tucking them into their planners. {hopefully, anticipating looking up more information of the Nie Recovery online.}

I'll end this entry with how i ended my speech...
{"Next time you are on facebook, piddling around, snarking about your Ex’s new relationship, or contemplating how “anyone could go out wearing THAT?” take a moment to check out the NieRecovery and offer a prayer or perhaps a small money donation. A family’s love this strong, an inspiration which burns so brightly for thousands around the world, is too great to watch dwindle. Stories of hope like this are too important to miss, so important to share."}

missing you

dearest Gma,
We had a lovely Thanksgiving break, though we missed you terribly. I know you were right there with us, though it sometimes feels as if our hearts are panging louder each moment with its sorrow of having lost you. I hope you are doing well, & are surrounded every minute with the eternal grace and love God has lovingly prepared for us. I have yet to fully accept the fact you will not be here this Christmas. It will be exceptionally bittersweet, while it will be filled with the joys of the little one's & their ever-evolving personalities, however, i would give anything to be able to sit with you at your kitchen table, munching on gardettos, drinking fresca & playing cards with the warmth of our families love & joy surrounding us. While we both manage to cope with our newly changed lives, always remember that i love you more than words could ever attempt to say... & know that i am with you always, as you are with me.
Love always,
Anna