It's a Sunny April Day!

The rain and storm has passed away and a beautiful day is ahead, I'm going out to enjoy the sunshine with a friend today we are going to get in the car and see where the wind takes us!! Are you out enjoying this beautiful spring day!

"I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman,' and not be rough and wild";

Today's post is about one of my favorite feminist works LITTLE WOMEN who does not love this story of four sisters who grow up together each one a dynamic character in Louisa May Alcott's novel. I can't help but love each of them Jo for her genuine and honest wild spirit. Marmie for her benevolent loving matronly character. Beth for her timid gentle spirit, Amy for her spoiled and selfish ways, that go without apology, and Meg for following her heart to her love. I don't know how any woman or girl can read this book and not fall in love with it. Every christmas my sister requests to watch the movie, the most current version, and I just recently watched a classic version staring Elizabeth Taylor as Amy and no matter which version it is I love this story. I feel like I can Identify with Jo, especially when reading this line.

"It's my dreadful temper! I try to cure it; I think I have, and then it breaks out worse than ever. Oh, Mother, what shall I do? What shall I do?"

-Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Ch. 8

and then there is loving Marmie who is filled with such wisdom when it comes to raising 4 girls, I just hope some day I can be as good of a mother as this.

"Money is a needful and precious thing,--and, when well used, a noble thing,--but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace."

-Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Are any of you fans of Little Women? Which character do you identify with?

If you have not read this book it's a must, or at least watch one of the movies!

Day Dreaming

It's one of those days I am taking a 10 minute break from researching to post this! I find that when working on a thesis the best method is 50/10; 50 minutes of pure work and then 10 minutes of a break. Sometimes your best work comes when you give your mind a little break. So for this break I am daydreaming of the day when graduate school is completely a memory of the past. It is so weird how fast graduate school flies by, last year at this time I still felt like a new student who is completely clueless, now I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. I completed one of the biggest requirements for graduation last Sunday the Qualifying Oral presentation which was a huge presentation on the graduate level work that I have been doing at my Internship (practicum as we call it). Having that done has lifted a large weight off my shoulders, I am almost 2/3 of the way through the thesis writing process and I can actually taste graduation it's beautiful and I can hardly wait. Whenever I am faced with the question of whether or not I will go for my doctorate I find myself laughing hysterically at the person asking, a doctorate can you imagine that you mean after I dig myself out of the mountain of debt I have accrued and after I can finally breath and put all this stress behind me, you're asking if I want to go back for more. More stress of completing homework while working for free while stressing about my future, even the future of having money for gas tomorrow, hahahahahahaha you make me laugh!!!! But seriously to be honest if this was a perfect world and I didn't have those stresses I sometimes entertain the idea of after doing everything I want in the near future such as getting a job that I love (with benefits), traveling with Tim, paying off an enormous debt, raising a family, and maybe if I'm so blessed buying a house. After I climb all of those mountains maybe MAYBE MAYBE!!!!!!!!!!!!! (thats a huge maybe, by the way) I might go back for a doctorate in dun dun dun duh CHILD DEVELOPMENT well I am still passionate about this field of study and who knows I have big dreams (ask me what they are someday i'll share them and you'll look at me and think this girl is crazy). Yes but even with all that day dreaming I am reminded of the stress I am sitting in now with this thesis weighing on my shoulders and all I can do to get me through the days is envision myself on the beach sitting in the warm sunshine reading some useless pointless book or even better some terrible magazine with nothing absolutely nothing on my mind but the beautiful day!!! OH HOW I CANNOT WAIT!

Carnaval, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras! Take Your Pic

So one of my greatest wishes would be to someday go somewhere fantastic for Carnaval!!! This festival that takes place worldwide but is most famously associated with New Orleans, Rio De Janeiro Brazil, and Venice Italy, is a festive time which occurs immediately before lent. The history of the celebration begins with the Lenten period of the church calendar, being six weeks directly before Easter, this time was marked by fasting. Traditionally during Lent, no parties or other celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods such as meat, dairy, fats, and sugar. The forty days of Lent recalling the Gospel accounts of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, serve to mark an annual time of turning. In the days before Lent, all rich food and drink had to be disposed of; the consumption of this, in a giant party involved the whole community is where the origins of Carnival began. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. Some of the best-known traditions, including carnival parades and masquerade ball masquerading, were first recorded in medieval Italy. The carnival of Venice was for a long time the most famous carnival. From Italy, carnival traditions spread to the Catholic nations of Spain, Portugal, and France. From there they spread with Catholic colonization to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Here is a look at the Mardi Gras Festival in New Orleans

Here is a look at the Masquerade in Venice

And finally the most famous is the festival in Rio De Janeiro Brazil

In Rio they have a parade competition among all the Samba dancing schools this would be so fun to watch!!

Valentine Be Mine

I don't know why but I love this holiday! Maybe it's because my room was covered in red hearts when I was a baby, I was destined to be in love with a holiday that uses a red heart as it's main symbol. So to all of you Happy Valentines Day enjoy these inspirational images.

A San Francisco Valentine

How appropriate that these beautiful little cherry blossoms bloom during the month of February! Maybe it's San Francisco's way of wishing me love during Valentines day!

I lean not on my own understanding,                  

My life is in the hands of the maker of heaven  

I Give it all to you God,                                                 

Trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me

I have had this song stuck in my head for the past few days I just can't get enough of it, don't you just love those lyrics.