Sweet Mysteries

4th September 2014

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One of my favorite things in life is when I discover new music. I’m completely drawn to the folk genre, but I’m open to just about anything aside from country (even though I have loved Conway Twitty since I was an infant, he’s the exception.) Recently, I have listened to a few new bands and there is one song that I cannot stop playing. Even though it has been on repeat for the past hour, and still now as I continue to type, I’m still not exactly sure what the song actually means, which could be its point. The song is “Ring Around the Moon” by Elephant Revival.

Something I find as equally exciting as annoying each day in most aspects of my life, is that I really never know what is happening next. This past year has shown me that anything can change in an instant from my career, friendships, relationships and even my own perception. One important lesson that I learned, after a grueling 8 months, is that nothing is for certain, and more often than not, nothing will play out as you envision it. I mean this is partly what keeps life interesting and a complete mystery, right?

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Cold as Ice

3rd September 2014

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Perception can be a tricky thing. I give everyone a fair chance and I am kind to everyone I meet, and I like to think I can read people very well. I’ve only been wrong a few times. This made me wonder what people’s first impressions of me tend to be. Luckily for me, I have a very outspoken friend who told me exactly what she thought the first time she met me.

Natalie proceeded to tell me she found me unapproachable and intimidating the first time she met me almost a year ago…not exactly the two adjectives that I want used to describe me. This really made me wonder that if this is how she felt the first time she met me, does this mean I come off the same way to complete strangers in passing? I am one who really doesn’t care what other people think, but I hated thinking I was being avoided because I come off as a cold person, because that is the complete opposite of my personality. But then, I decided to embrace what Natalie told me, instead of worrying about it.

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“These times, they are a changin'”

2nd September 2014

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This past Labor Day weekend, along with spending some quality family time, we celebrated my cousin, Presley’s thirteenth birthday. Thirteen really is a big year, because you’re officially a teenager, so along with that, came the first boy and girl party. At this party, I learned many things that made me feel too incredibly old, but overall the party was a success.

We really wanted to make her thirteenth party memorable, I mean honestly I don’t remember mine, it was probably held at the skating rink…regardless, times have changed and I guess that’s not the ideal setting for a party anymore. We made a scavenger hunt for all her friends attending, and I decided to use a hashtag for them to use when posting photos so we could go back and look through all of them and because, I mean I know that is still trendy. However, I learned that posting more than 5 photos to Instagram daily is “overkill” and borderline, “embarrassing” so that idea went out the window…fast. Ouch.

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Tuesday Night Lights

26th August 2014

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My morning started abruptly at 6:13 am. I woke Presley up and told her if she still wanted me to do her make-up, then we had to hurry. We met Skylar in the bathroom and she started curling Presley’s hair by pulling it into a high ponytail, and strategically placing bobby pins to make it super high and bouncy, because anything less would be unacceptable. These mornings with these two are my favorite. After I applied her make-up, Presley grabbed the final touch to her outfit for the day…her oversized orange bow. Presley was picture perfect for her first football game as a cheerleader, and I felt like I was looking in a mirror.

Much to my surprise because of the booming thunder and crashes of lightning, her game wasn’t cancelled. I found my seat on the rain soaked bleachers and watched as Presley and her team mates warmed up their routines while the football players ran their drills while waiting for their opponents arrival. Middle School is such a funny thing. I felt ancient sitting on those bleachers listening to some of the chants that I still remember and watching Presley watch for us after every cheer to make sure we were seeing she was doing an awesome job. It was such a weird feeling being on the other side of the fence.

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Now & Then

20th August 2014

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I have been fortunate enough to meet many versatile people in my short 24 years of life, so far. Like my personal style, some faces were meant to be a part of my life for only a short period, but there are others, a rare few others that I have met that are meant to stay in my life forever. Even though we do not see each other every single day like we once did, when we reunite, it feels as if we’re still sitting around my ugly cream colored round kitchen table like no time has passed at all. We don’t every detail of each other’s lives, but we do know the important ones and at the end of the conversation, it doesn’t feel like we are separated by 700 miles.

Our friendship was basically destiny. When I started first grade, my mom bought me a seriously repulsive backpack. It was green plaid with black leather pockets (I’d totally love it and rock it today, but back when I was 7-years-old I thought only black Nike Tees and my brother’s shorts were trendy.) I hated the thought of carrying that to school, but I had no choice. Within the first week of school, I brought home the wrong bag (believe it or not, someone else was torturing their daughter and forcing her to carry this bag as well.) The only way to get the bags switched was to meet up in person and boom…instantly best friends from that moment on.

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Blue, with a hint of ‘Violet’

17th August 2014

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Sometimes, something you hear leaves an impression, sometimes it’s something you see and other times, it’s the one thing you don’t see that leaves the strongest feeling.

This past weekend was jam packed with different events. One of my best friends was visiting from out of town and I really wanted her to have a good time. Warsaw isn’t the most thrilling of places, so I decided we would travel to Fort Wayne to watch the play, “Violet.” Other than being friends with one of the actors, we didn’t know much about this play, so we went in pretty blind sighted but left with a mix of emotions (all wonderful) and singing the songs the entire 45 miles back home. We laughed, cried and even at one point truly wanted Violet to end up with the jerk because he started to really show his sweet side. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is a show for everyone to see.

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Think PINK.

9th August 2014

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I am beyond thankful for the select few girlfriends I still have in my life. They bring out the best in me, embarrass me, encourage me and most importantly, they love me. It’s a rare moment when we are all able to reconnect and have a night out together, but even more unwonted than that, is we are all having wonderful happenings in our lives…at the same time. It’s such a wonderful change.

When planning a date with all the girls, we have a few necessities, other than a fabulous dress. We need; each other, wine (a plus, but not crucial) and always, just more time because that’s something we just never have enough of. But, the little time we do get to spend together, we make the absolute most of it. The upside to rarely hanging out and catching up is that there is ALWAYS without a doubt monumental things happening.

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All About the Chase

4th August 2014

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Chasing something can be either utterly thrilling, or thoroughly exhausting, but fortunately, that decision is up to me. Our outlook can also depend on what we’re chasing whether that be a dream, a relationship or even my personal favorite, a career. At first, I would have told you my chase has been the definition of draining, but today, my chase has only started, and it’s off to an exhilarating start.

I am incredibly stubborn, especially when there is something specific I want, so giving up has never been an option for me. At first, I was only focused on moving to the one big city that has had my heart since my first real visit when I was 15. Two visits and two literary events later, I have found myself now chasing after a different, slightly smaller city.

The ability to feel comfortable determines a lot of my motives for most things. I am trying to be more bold with my life, but feeling as comfortable as my BDG pant is pretty wonderful. Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy feeling anxious and giddy as my head fills with a million thoughts when walking up to meet someone for the first time, but that’s a totally different story.

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The Company You Keep

29th July 2014

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Anything can be enjoyable if you’re with the right people. I am truly fortunate to have the same close core friend group I have had for years now. We can tell each other anything without being judged (most times) bring each other up to pace with our daily dramas and of course, always be there to listen when someone needs it the most. In my group of friends I am so lucky to have a wide mix of personalities. I have the “Old Soul,” the “Girly,” the “Hopeless Romantic,” the “Mama Bird” the “Free Spirit,” the “Newlywed” the “Risk Taker” and one of my personal favorites, the “Bat Shit Crazy.”

The past couple of days, “crazy” and I spent our days galavanting around Warsaw and Winona Lake. We are quite the duo when we are together, and she is the one friend that reminds me it is perfectly acceptable to be unique and always, be myself. I admire her confidence and how easily she portrays herself even in the company of strangers. She has helped me to care less about what people think.

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No One Cries Over Spilled Lemonade

28th July 2014

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The past couple of days were filled with some memorable experiences with my family. I traveled with my immediate family to South Haven, Michigan for the weekend. Then today, I helped my aunt get ready to host her first Stella & Dot jewelry party. Both of these events seem pretty ordinary, but leave it to my family to really prove me wrong.

South Haven is really a beautiful, little touristy place (not to be confused with the popular Nicholas Sparks book, “Safe Haven” which I kept saying, repeatedly.) It is definitely somewhere fun to visit for a weekend. Our first day, we visited the local boutiques. These were awesome (not only because I found my new favorite necklace for only $1.88) but everything was so unique. Our last day we decided to rent bikes and travel the trails. Before we took off, we were told there was a popular cafe a few miles down the trails and that we wouldn’t miss it. 10 miles down the trails, we almost missed it. My parents asked twice if we wanted to just turn around and head back to town, but in typical Sparkman fashion, we kept pushing and finally found the famous “Country Fare” cafe, twenty minutes before they closed, and yes we were those people who went in an continued to order.

On the way back, I was the last one to pull up to the bicycle shop and turn my bicycle back in. After 20 miles, I was still shocked to see my dad ride a bike because I couldn’t tell you the last time I had seen that. I was even more shocked that every single one of us managed to ride the entire 20 miles without stopping. That may not sound like too much, but I am impressed with our effort and the amount of stamina we all actually have. The whole ride back, we talked about the bike ride and how much fun we all had. Even though we were caught in the rain, South Haven was such an awesome and much needed getaway.

Today, was slightly different.

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