Life Unplugged

It has been a tumultuous few weeks for my iPhone(s) and me. Due to a variety of circumstances (mainly my own absentmindedness and clumsiness), I have lost a phone and broken a phone in the past two weeks. This has been a very frustrating experience, to say the least. Silver lining: it's also led me to reexamine my relationship with technology and better understand why I love my phone so much in the first place. These are some things I've been learning as a result of losing, breaking, and generally not having my iPhone.

My two-week-old iPhone 5c. She was so beautiful.

1. Silence is a good thing

I work pretty hard to never experience silence. Like many people in this slice of culture and history, silence makes me uncomfortable. Silence means I'm left alone with my thoughts, my shortcomings, my problems, and my loneliness. For many of us, silence can be painful. So instead of allowing ourselves to live through those complex, difficult, and innately human experiences, we check Facebook, then Twitter, then Instagram, then Pinterest, then back to Facebook, hoping for another distraction. We keep ourselves preoccupied because we're afraid to hurt.

Louis C.K. said some astoundingly true things to Conan on this subject a few weeks ago:

Not having my phone is allowing me space to think, to feel, to walk around campus without running into people or getting dizzy (guys, it was bad!), and to be more in touch with myself in the process.

2. Virtual relationships are not the same as up-close-and-personal relationships

We all know this is true, but we also really wish it wasn't. Many of you reading this post are my dear, close friends who now live all over the country and across the world. I would love to believe this text/Skype/Snapchat/Facebook message phase of our relationships is a perfect substitute for the up-close-and-personal relationships we had before, but it's not. We've transitioned into something new. I love my iPhone because it provides all of that wonderful social media that keep me connected to the people I love, but unplugging and focusing on the people who are currently in my physical world is an essential ingredient in moving on. It's a little difficult to even type those words, but I think really coming to terms with the fact that I'm not in Appleton anymore is an important step in building a new life in Columbus.

Sigh.

This calls for a Lawrence photo dump:

And one or two from my new law school life:

So that's what's been on my mind and heart recently. I plan on going to the Verizon store this afternoon (I'm there so often now I'm thinking about moving in), so I should be Snapchatable soon. Fair warning, though -- I may choose a day or two a week to turn my phone off and put it away. I think it would be healthy for me to be a little less plugged in. Plus, if my phone's away in a drawer, it's not shattered on the sidewalk ;)

<3 <3

Taking Stock

Friday nights are made for unwinding and reevaluating. This Friday in particular falls after a very challenging week (and comes before a very stressful weekend), so it seems appropriate to rest for a moment and take stock of where I am at this point in the semester. 

A few bloggers I follow filled out this survey recently, and for all the reasons previously mentioned (as well as the total nostalgia of internet surveys), I though I would give it a go. 

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Making: course outlines and new friends, not necessarily in that order. 
Cooking: tacos tacos tacos! My dinner every night this week and I'm not even mad about it. 
Drinking: diet coke by the gallon. 
Reading: everything. EVERYTHING. 
Wanting: some new clothes.
Looking: for my stinkin' iPhone and it's nowhere to be found. I hope it's someplace cool and that it's having a good time. I've made piece with the fact that I'll never see it again. 
Playing: candy crush... until my phone left me. Now I just stare at walls and wonder what's happening on Instagram.
Wasting: all the kale I bought that now has gone bad. But seriously, who can eat that much kale??
Sewing: some pretty billowy trim onto the t-strap of my wedding wedges... ya know... when I get around to it. 
Wishing: we had a fall break. GAH if only.
Enjoying: some snuggle time with some particularly friendly dogs this weekend. 
Waiting: for my parents to come home. It's so strange being in their house alone now. It's even stranger how quickly it became "their house" and not "our house". 
Liking: Kings of Leon, The Decemberists, and Florence + the Machine on repeat. 
Wondering: when I'll see my best friends again. Facebook messages from TriVR last night just about broke my heart. 
Loving: ethic food Friday nights with new friends. It's the highlight of my week every week. (We've had Indian, Thai, and Ethiopian so far :) )
Hoping: that I can work exercise into my schedule soon... and that I start to actually like doing it. I really want (to want to want) to like working out. 
Marveling: at how quickly time is moving.
Needing: a hair cut. 
Smelling: some really unfortunate things in the hallway outside my apartment. Off-campus housing is sometimes a lot like on-campus housing, but not in any of the ways you want it to be. 
Wearing: cute, cheap flats from Old Navy that put blisters on my heels and joy in my heart.  
Following: more blogs and tv shows than my schedule can handle. 
Noticing: how attached I am to social media. Using this old flip phone until my new iPhone comes on Monday is opening my eyes to how much I rely on that silly little device. 
Knowing: that I'm doing the right thing, even though it's so hard. 
Thinking: about what I'm going to wear in our engagement photos (Oct 11). 
Bookmarking: tons of travel sites! Honeymoon planning is my new favorite distraction. 
Opening: my mind to new ways of thinking. 
Giggling: incessantly every time I'm around a table with my law school friends. It's so fun getting to know new people :)
Feeling: exhausted, happy, and like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. 

Let me know if you do this survey too! I'd love to read yours :)

In which I photo dump a bunch of apartment pics...

Hello friends. 

I'm sorry it's taken so long to introduce you to my little studio. I moved in about a month ago and it's still not completely finished. There are still a couple little things I'd like to add or change (like the completely bare walls around my bed). It's taking some work, but still, this little apartment and I are beginning to grow quite fond of each other. 

Turn left when you walk into the front door and you'll be in my living room. It's pretty cozy with my old-lady love seat, squishy leather "coffoman" (coffee table/ottoman)1, and t-shirt quilt that covers one entire wall. 

If, instead of left, you turned right out of the front door, you'd be in my little studio kitchen. What it lacks in counter space, it makes up for in shelving and storage space. Oh, and that Ninja blender, it's wonderful. If you're in the market for a blender, I highly recommend it. 

Just past the love seat in the living room is my desk area. Love that window while I'm buried in law school work. It reminds me there's an outside world with things like sunshine and changing leaves and people who aren't law students.

Across from my desk is my "bedroom" (read: sleeping area).

This is the view from my bed. See? It really is a studio, despite the separate living spaces. There's not a door to be found in this place.

Past my work space and sleeping area is the closet and bathroom. I'm super blessed in the closet department - this thing is huge. It is a little strange having everything on display, though. I feel like I need to be neat and tidy all the time! Oh, and there is a door to the bathroom - my one and only! It's an ideal place to place some hooks for bags I want to keep handy.

This space has turned out to be very functional, and having a space all my own to personalize has been so much fun. It is a difficult and sometimes lonely transition into living alone, though, so don't be a stranger! My air mattress is primed and ready to welcome visitors.

Just ask this girl ;)

Love you, Sarah Anne! So glad to see you!

1 The term "coffoman" comes from my brilliant and imaginative father, Scott Anderson. IHRTLUHC.

In which I attempt to catch you up on the craziest month of my life...

Hello friends.

So sorry for the radio silence. It's been one hell of a month.

On August 8th, I moved into my very first, very small, very own apartment. It's a great little space and, once I get the last few odd ends in place, I can't wait to show it to you.

Some mementos of life, love, and Lawrence on my windowsill.

A few days later, we moved Ebiji into his one bedroom down the block. I have more stuff, but he has some bigger stuff (like the queen sized bed to be used by us after July 19), so that was a busy and heavy week. I will not be sharing pictures of it (1) because they don't exist, and (2) because it was not a pretty time. Not pretty at all.

Me and the Feyoncé after a successful first week of school!

After an exhausting moving week, an even more exhausting orientation week began. They say the purpose of orientation is to get you acclimated to the academic environment, give you the opportunity to make a few friends, and provide you with the information you need in order to be successful. Those things happened - I guess - but the most pervasive goal (apparently) was to scare the living daylights out of us. My most vivid memory from orientation is the student panel in which one particularly honest second year student told us that we need to find a study group... so that we would have some people to cry with. Super comforting. We loved orientation week.

Orientation week homework at my parent's house. Also Hans. Always Hans.

But then orientation ended, and classes began! Much to my surprise, law school is not as terrifying and overwhelming as that student panel made it out to be. (Please don't hold me to that during finals.) It's a lot of work - a lot of work. The days are long. I'm usually at school between 7:40 and 9:00am and catch the bus back to my apartment between 5:00 and 7:00pm. I spend many hours a day with my nose in a book, but it's interesting and I'm enjoying it. The professors are entertaining and approachable, my classmates are friendly, and it seems like we're all getting off to a great start. I hope to have some fun stories to share with you soon :)

Early mornings call for evening accessorizing. Law students dress all fancy!

School is good, but the thing I miss most about summer is the freedom in my schedule to call/text/skype my long distance friends with some regularity. These days, I'm lucky if I get to make a call for 30 minutes during lunch or while I'm riding home on the bus. Thank you for keeping after me and forgiving me when I can't get back to you very quickly! Honestly, your calls, texts, and weirdo Snapchats are the highlights of my weeks.

I'm still having some fun. Sleepover with these crazies last Friday.

Happy September, friends. I love you all.

Why I'm Obsessed with my iPhone

It's hard to believe, but summer is coming to a close. I moved into my first apartment a few days ago (pictures coming soon!), orientation begins on Wednesday, and I start classes on the 19th. I even have homework to do this week. WHERE DID SUMMER GO?!?

But as I think about the past few months and the huge transition we've already made as a group, I realize how blessed we are to live in an age with so many forms of long distance communication. I mean, honestly, how did our parents live without daily Snapchats of their friends cats and Emojis describing their every thought and feeling?? It's truly unthinkable ;)

Here are some forms of tech communication that have been sustaining me in my various long distance relationships this summer!

TEXTING

Of course, the classic, complete with absurd amounts of emojis. 

(Lauren, I'm so sad our Dosdos dream is dead.)

SKYPE

Video chatting is near and dear to my heart! These were some particularly amusing calls :)

Meeting Odin for the first time!

Chatting with Allison's neck. Normal.

SNAPCHAT

I'm fairly new to Snapchat, but I'm totally loving it. Maybe because my friends are just so CUTE and I love getting random pictures of their smiley faces. (Especially Noble. Check out those duck lips.)

SNAIL MAIL

As much as we all love technology and the easy, daily communication it provides, there really is nothing better than a card or package in the mail. We've also been doing a little bit of that this summer. Here are a few pics I snapped of our snail mail!

Birthday cards for my June birthday girls!

A sweet engagement gift from Sarah.

As the school year creeps closer and closer, I feel equal parts anxious and excited at the prospect of making new friends. Regardless of what new relationships this semester holds, I am so thankful for the friends I can already call mine. 

So July Happened

Hello friends.

They say that when people make plans, God laughs. Well, He must have absolutely cracked up when I sat down and made my summer goals last month. "Blogging three times a week? WORKING OUT?? That's hilarious Hailey. Good try." He knew that my life would change quickly and dramatically soon after those goals were made and that brand new goals would take their place. I just wasn't in on it until about three weeks ago.

Ebiji proposed on July 7th. It was a beautiful, if not slightly humid, adventurous, romantic day full of surprises. The complete story involves date invitations, birthday candles, friends hiding in bushes, and a strange little bird named Felix. In my experience, it takes about 20 minutes of phone time to tell the story right. If we haven't talked yet, text me and we'll do it soon!


Since that day, a lot of plans have gone into action. (These are the new goals I alluded to earlier.) My hope was to get all of the big, important, time-consuming wedding decisions made before school starts. Thankfully, we've accomplished that goal with time to spare! So far, we have selected:

1. a venue. The Bluestone.

Ebiji and I will be getting married at The Bluestone, a gorgeous old church-turned-music-venue in downtown Columbus. The sanctuary will house both our ceremony and reception. I think the combination of stained glass, a big stage, and crazy lights and sound system make it a perfect space for both events. Funny story -- Ebiji hasn't seen it yet! He was out of town the day we booked, but he loves everything he's heard about it.

2. a wedding date. July 19, 2014

Because of several scheduling conflicts next summer, including another very important wedding (looking at you, Jos), Ebiji and I had a limited number of dates to work with. That was almost an issue, because Columbus venues are already pretty booked for next summer! Thankfully, the one date The Bluestone had available was the date we were most hoping for! This is one reason we knew The Bluestone was the perfect spot for our wedding.

3. a photographer. Kimberly Potterf.

The Bluestone has a list of preferred venders - people they most enjoy working with. After doing some research on my own, hoping to find a photographer on the cheaper side of things, I checked the preferred venders list to freshen my perspective. Kimberly was one of four photographers on that list and I absolutely fell in love with her photographs. We've also met with her in person, and she's quite lovely too. We're so excited that she'll be capturing our day!

4. the dress.

I found my dress at David's Bridal on my very first trip out. In fact, it was the first dress I saw and the first one I tried on! (Don't worry, I also tried on several others). It is the ideal pretty, simple, flowy, elegant but casual dress I had been hoping for. And it was on sale. We just couldn't walk away.

One of the funniest moments of engagement day. Our friends got us giant champagne goblets.

We've been working on a few other projects, toying with details, and day-dreaming on the internet, but after a whirlwind three weeks, I'm ready for a break! Perfect timing too, since we move into our apartments in a week and start school shortly after that. (I'm going to be tired forever, aren't I.)

Best despite all the excitement, the best moments of our engagement so far are when we get to spend quiet evenings together, soak the change in slowly, and talk in calm voices about what the future holds. In every bit of my loud and fast-paced existence, this man keeps me grounded. I am so thankful to finally call him my fiancé.

The 4th of July in Instragrams

Happy Belated Independence Day! 

It's been a very eventful two days of celebrating. Here in Columbus, Independence Day starts on July 3rd when (what feels like) the entire city floods downtown for a day of greasy food, live music, and drinking beer on the street. Honestly, is there anything more American than that? I prepped by giving myself a red, white, and blue manicure (with the lovely Gabrielle) and then I met up with some friends for Red, White, and Boom! 

The crowds were epic, but we made the most of it by dance-partying our way through. Then a fight broke out. So we dance-partied in the other direction. The city is full of excitement, lemme tell ya.

Speaking of the city, Red, White, and Boom takes place in the heart of downtown Columbus. It was a beautiful view and such an incredible venue to appreciate the freedoms and opportunities afforded to us in this remarkable country of ours. The city makes me feel things, guys.

Beautiful friends

Gettin' ready for a show!

And then, there were fireworks. And they were fantastic.

The next day, on the actual 4th, we got up early to enjoy our favorite day of the year: INDEPENDENCE DAY IN UPPER ARLINGTON! It's like Christmas to us native Upper Arlingtonians, we just love it so much. First up, the parade!

UA Alums!!

It drizzled a little during the parade, but we never lost our enthusiasm. We were standing and shouting most of the time. We just love America so much ;)

But I mean, with floats and attractions like this, who wouldn't?!?!

*****

Next up was lunch at Bodega, a gastropub in the Short North. The Short North is the trendy arts district in Columbus and gastopubs are basically bars that serve really high quality food. For a city girl who loves a comfy environment almost as much as she loves to eat, this meal was right up my alley. Ricotta pancakes topped with bananas and bacon and a strawberry lemonade cocktail for lunch. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

The party broke up after lunch and Ebiji and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon at his parent's house. When we all met up again for the UA fireworks, though, the weather was pretty nasty. We sat through about an hour of rain before the show started. But you know what? I would do it again. Those fireworks blew us away. 

Upper Arlington, you know how to celebrate, and we love you for it.

But, because it was raining, this is the only photo I snapped at the fireworks. We really do bring the party with us wherever we go. Claire and Meaghan especially.

We had the happiest 4th of July! I hope you did too!