Blue Eyes.

"Why did you hire me, then?" I asked.
He turned his face to me. "Because you walked in, and I thought to myself that I had never seen anyone as beautiful."
I lowered my eyes to the chessboard.
"I knew when I met you that we weren't the same, you and I, that it was an impossible thing what I wanted. Still, we had our morning walks, and our drives, and I won't say that was enough for me but it was better than not being with you. I learned to make do with your proximity." 
- And The Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini

"I'm so lucky to be alive, at the same time as you."

"You feel things," she said, smiling across the table at me. "Don't feel bad for feeling things or your emotions. That's what makes you, you."
- Conversations with Tara at Coffee Club

The Lanterns In The Lifeboat

"I am nervous. I'm afraid. But I will stand here in the white hot heat of you. I will play Russian roulette with your playlists. I will tell jokes I'm not sure you'll find funny. I will hold on until there is no more reason to. And in the end, I will break the stars and resurrect the sun."
- I Wrote This For You

Don’t you dare, for one more second, surround yourself with people who are not aware of the greatness that you are.
—Jo Blackwell-Preston

walt mitt.

I'm seeing this movie soon, and I am so excited! Here's a lovely cover of a lovely song.

x

girls; summing up my life in my 20s in a nutshell.

When I broke up with my girlfriend from college — SO sad. I lost 30 pounds, and I couldn’t move or talk or get my dick hard. BUT, it also made me go, “Hey. Who am I and what do I want?” And then I was like BOOM. I know who I am. I wanted to switch majors, and buy a circular saw, and I promised myself that I’d follow my gut, no matter what. And I do what makes me feel good. – Adam

Sometimes being stuck in my own head is so exhausting that it makes me want to cry. –Marnie

I don’t even want a boyfriend. I just want someone who wants to hang out all the time and thinks I’m the best person in the world and wants to have sex with only me. – Hannah

All that matters are that your rising signs are compatible, the sex is decent, and he supports you creatively. – Jessa

I really care about you and I don’t want to anymore because it feels too shitty for me. –Hannah

I just wish someone would tell me, like, “This is how the rest of your life should look.” – Marnie

You know what the weirdest part about having a job is? You have to be there every day, even on the days you don’t feel like it. – Jessa

I’m a difficult person. Everyone’s a difficult person. She was accepting of my brand of different. She was okay with it. – Adam

Sometimes being really good all the time feels really bad. But I’m on a journey. It’s my journey and I’m okay. – Marnie

I think I just feel how everyone feels – which is like I have three or four really great folk albums in me. – Hannah

When we are together, he’s SO there, and he’s SO present, and then… he disappears for 2 weeks, and doesn’t answer any of my text messages, and I feel as though I invented him. – Hannah 

twenty fourteen!

Happy 2014, bloggers!

I welcomed the New Year with my family, chatting and dancing around the campfire. We are a very musical family (by musical, I mean we appreciate music. Hardly any of us know how to play an instrument!) and we cranked out all our favourite songs and Dad got way too excited by anything Billy Joel ("Let's ROCK!!!").

Of course, we had to end the night with "Daniel" by Elton John. It's become a tradition to play that song on New Years Eve. Last year I was flying back to Wellington on New Years Day, so my family changed the words "Daniel" to "Jamie" and had a huge impromptu sing along. It was the most amazing moment. So this New Years, we did the same and everyone sang, "Jamie my sister, you are younger than me...Jamie you're the star, in the face of the skyyyyy". It was magical. Mum made me go around and hug everyone goodbye as they sang, as I was driving back to Wellington early the next morning. I was happy, but sad at the same time. 

I drove to Napier alone with my music and singing voice. My new car didn't let me down, and was a trooper. The drive was beautiful, and the Napier-Taupo Road has become my favourite. I picked up my friend James in Napier, and together we travelled to Wellington with chats, music and laughs. What a great way to start the new year! 

So, here are my resolutions. For some reason, this year feels special. I'm not sure what it is, but I feel really good about it :)

1) Read more. I don't read enough and as a book lover, this is terrible. 
2) Go to the gym 3 times a week, and up the ante. 
3) Write. Write anything, that will hopefully lead to something substantial :)
4) Save up for more travel. I met these Austrian backpackers over the Christmas holidays and they really made me want to travel Europe!
5) Say what I mean, mean what I say. Sometimes I have trouble communicating the important stuff, and saying what I really mean. I'm getting better, and will work on it this year.
6) Be happy with whatever life throws at me. I will remain an optimist. 

I'm a firm believer in resolutions. I know people always say, they're always the same, nothing ever really gets resolved. But at least you're trying. And at least you're attempting to make a new start! Baby steps, people. 

Have a great twenty-fourteen, everyone! 

Love,

J