ee cummings

"it takes courage to grow up and become who you really are" ee cummings.

i have always held a secret love for ee cummings secret because no one has ever really asked me about him but when i was small i loved him because he doesnt capitalize letters or use punctuation in my young mind that was the coolest thing any published writer could ever do

Now I love him for other reasons. His breadth and depth as a writer is inspiring, his work is flawless, and- come on ladies- he is just so cute!

This quote has been stamped in the back of my mind for a while now. As I round the halfway point through my last year as a student, I am scared. I am afraid of finding a job, I am afraid of living alone, I am afraid of not knowing what the future holds. And I am very afraid of how close that future is. I feel like Peter Pan, and one of the lost boys. I don't want to grow up. Alas, I also know that a great adventure awaits. And who would I be to turn away from adventure? So, for now, I continue to plug away, preparing what I can for an untold future, with growing anticipation every day, remembering that it takes courage to grow up and become who I am meant to be.

And for that, I love ee cummings even more.

little ears.

Lately people have been telling me something. One thing. They love magical simplicity. They tell me over facebook, in emails, in text messages, in person. It is people of all parts of my life. Some that I talk to daily, some that I haven't spoken to in years. They tell me about their magically simple moments. They send me pictures. They make me smile.

And I beg of you, please keep doing it. I cannot express how much those comments mean to me. I keep thinking to myself: "surely, this is what it feels like to be utterly and perfectly happy." And then a new person reaches out. And suddenly my smile lights up the neighborhood.

I can only say thank you. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. Lots of love, as always. Always keep the magic.
xx Annie

reeces cup(cake).

Aren't birthdays just the best? It is a perfect day. You celebrate another year of life and all the happiness that the last one brought. And on your birthday, you should be treated like a princess.

Or in this case, a prince. It was my friend Aarons birthday last week, and lucky for him- I know his weakness. Chocolate and peanut butter.


I searched all morning for the perfect recipe and came upon these (from a cake at annies-eats). They came out a little dry- I suspect from a tiny too much baking soda- but that didn't stop me and my sister from eating every single left over.
So thank you Aaron, for having a birthday. and a really, really smart sweet tooth. And hey, happy birthday!

snow, darling.

I've been making updates all day about the rain. How it is great to dance in, how it makes the rainbow, etc, etc.

And then, I went on a two hour break at shriver, where I typically update my social mediums, catch up on emails, finish homework for my 410 class and daydream. I chanced a look out the window and there it was! The first real snow of the year!

Oxford has transformed in mere moments to a winterwonderland. And i would just like to say, happy snow day, darling.

the short story.

I started a class today titled "the short story." It reignited my love for literature. I am ashamed at how long it has been since i took a class like this.
Overall, it made me realize how much I really, REALLY want to make my fairy tale with Adeline and Benjamin Button and Shadow something real.
So expect another page soon!

a reminder about magic.

I cannot take credit for this photo, I found it during my web browsing on Pinterest. But what a perfect way to start my last semester at college.

I mentioned in my first post ever that magical simplicity is a state of mind. Nothing will be magical if you dont look at it that way.
But everything is prettier with a magic wand, so why would you choose to look at it any other way?Welcome back to school college students. Make it a magical year.

page six: in need of a hero

project storybook: a villain.

"Now, Adeline's shadow was a wretched one indeed. Unlike your shadow, who stays tightly attached to your feet, Adeline's shadow stayed tightly attached to all of her being.

At first, things were fine. Adeline and her shadow shared the day, and her shadow took the night. But soon, Shadow decided she deserved everything- and slowly, Shadow began to take it.

Adeline was drowning in the darkness. She was in dire need of a hero, but I didn't know where to look."

A FAIRY-TALE FORMULA.

snow white > evil witch
repunzel > evil witch
sleeping beauty > evil witch
adeline > shadow witch
peter pan > captain hook
harry potter > voldemort

i realized something today. all the books i read, all the stories i tell, all of the fairy tales i dream about, they follow a basic formula. in the beginning- life is grand. then- life gets hard. next- a bad guy enters the picture. a little magic helps the good guy defeat the bad guy. and in the end- they all live happily ever after.

and, i think, thats how it must be in life. because the bad guys dont come out on top. the good guys do. after a lot of trial, some error, and a little magic. they always do. and that is something magical to have learned.

thank you.

this blog began as an experiment, but it has become much more. and so to each of you i send a thank you. a thank you to all, for making that happen. and a thank you to all for making a magical world.

the greatest magic, is the simplest. and you are my simple magic. and for that i am so grateful.

unexpected places.

i actually listened to the words of my favorite mumford songs this morning. and low and behold, they were quite thought provoking.

"serve god love me and men. this is not the end."

"love will not betray you, dismay or enslave you. it will set you free."

"but you are not alone in this, as brothers we will stand and well hold your hand."

"and you have your choices, and these are what make man great, his ladder to the stars."

"in these bodies we will live, and in these bodies we will die. and where you invest your love, you invest your life."

"awake my soul, for you were made to meet your maker."

oh the lessons from a winters playlist. magical indeed.