Fall-ing in Love (With Life)

I absolutely love this time of the year. School is in full swing, friends are back in town, and there’s just a certain festivity in the air with all the holidays coming up. Recently, I’ve been pretty busy studying for my upcoming GRE, working on grad school apps, as well as maintaining my school work and leadership role in my club. However, I’m finding that everything is a lot easier to handle when you make time to simply enjoy yourself. 

In almost every single phone conversation I have with my grandma, she reminds me, “Sweetie, you need to have balance.” And she’s completely right. It can get overwhelming when you’re constantly thinking about what’s next and projecting yourself into future situations. So instead, I take everything one step at a time and remind myself the purpose of my actions. 

With Halloween coming up this Friday, I’m excited to dress up, be silly with friends, and have fun! Because regardless of how much stuff has to be done to prepare for the future, the present is happening right now, and I’m determined to make the most I can out of it. So let's go into this next week and season with the attitude of, "I'm going to accomplish my goals, and I'm also going to enjoy all the small things in life" - because those are some of the best. God bless. 

Love,

Vanessa

Granny

Tomorrow, it will be 2 years since she passed. 

Even though it’s been a while, I can still hear the vibrant sound of her voice and the lightheartedness of her laugh. I miss the smell of her making eggs and toast in the morning. I miss seeing her walk up the driveway after she’d get her hair done on a Saturday, in her little black sweater and carrying her big black purse. I miss eating her hearty beef stew she made so well. I miss feeling the softness of her hands as she’d hold mine and ask how I was. I miss hearing her tell me as we parted, “I love you, God bless you, sleep with the angels,” and blowing me a kiss with her finger. I think what I miss the most about her, though, is her hugs and kisses - she gave the best hugs and kisses. 

She always supported me through everything, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders. I loved seeing her show up to my dance shows and my 8th grade graduation. I loved being able to call her when I was away at school, to listen to her voice, and to tell her about the new adventures I was having. It made me so happy that I was making her proud. Even though she’s gone, I can still feel how much she loved me - how much she loves me. Although time may pass and memories may fade, that is something I will never forget - her love. I cherish every moment I was able to spend with my Great-Grandma Pat. She really was the best. God bless.

Love,

Vanessa

Happy 4th of July!

Hi everyone!

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve made a post, hope you are enjoying summer and had a wonderful Fourth of July! As Americans, we live in an amazing country. Perfect? No, but we do have the ability to make our voices heard, stand up for what we believe in, and live the life that we choose. I love how there is no defining characteristic that makes a person “American,” because we truly are a melting pot of many different cultures. Through this great diversity, we learn more about where each other come from, and we accept one another for who we are. We create bonds with people who don’t look like us, talk like us, or think the same things. And I believe through those bonds, we are united in our shared values of freedom, justice, and opportunity for all. We need to always remember that.

Anyways, I’ve been having a super fun summer! A couple weeks ago, I visited Denver, aka “The Mile High City,” taking my state count up to 5. I also went to Vegas and played a little roulette, which went surprisingly well...and was most likely beginner’s luck. This week I got work done, caught up with old friends, celebrated my little brother’s birthday, and did some fireworks with my family - which is always a BLAST. Summer seriously is the perfect time (especially if you’re on break from school like me) to just enjoy yourself. Go to the beach, see a movie, take an airplane ride to somewhere new - the possibilities are endless. Just make sure to include the people you love in your adventures, take pics, and have fun! God bless.

Love,

Vanessa

I Believe I Can Fly

Hey everyone!

Want to hear something SUPER exciting?! I finally took my first plane ride today, and it was awesome! I’ll admit, the nerves did kick in when I was walking through that tunnel to get into the plane, but once I sat down, they faded away. As the plane started rolling, I immediately sat up in my seat and looked out the window as we came to the runway. My heart began to pick up speed as the plane did; it felt like I was going up a roller coaster! And then before I knew it, all the buildings were getting smaller and smaller, and I was soaring through the air with a huge smile on my face. For many of you who have done this before, it’s probably not a big deal. For me, however, this is something I’ve been wanting to do for such a long time, and I feel extremely happy and fulfilled. 

You may ask, where did my plane land? Well...I happen to be writing to you all from lovely Boston, Massachusetts! This town is so incredibly beautiful, and its rich history so profound for our country. The buildings are made of red brick with white windows, the Charles River is bustling with sailboats, and Cambridge Square is poppin’ with people. I even went to Harvard, and that was insanely cool considering it’s one of the most renowned universities in the country. Overall, I’ve been enjoying my time here with wonderful people, and I feel very blessed. Totally embracing this life experience. Sending my love from the east coast! God bless.

Love, 

Vanessa

For Jessica

Hey everyone!

Sorry I’ve been MIA for a couple weeks, I’ve been super busy. Today, however, deserves a blog post. You know how life has its ups and downs? Well this weekend has definitely been an emotional roller coaster.

Yesterday, a beautiful girl named Jessica passed away. This amazing person, my friend, had so much life in her. She exuded brightness and love. It was so unexpected to me; I hadn’t seen her in a while, and I didn’t know her health was failing her so quickly. It has been terribly difficult for me to comprehend why this happened. Although I may not know why she had to go so soon, I do know that her time here on earth was well spent. She touched so many lives through her sweet personality and endearing heart, and I think if one person can have that much of an effect on so many people, that’s a pretty profound life right there. I love you Jessica, thank you for your constant kindness and love for others. I know we will see each other again one day. 

As much as my heart ached yesterday, I was reminded of the preciousness of time, and of life. Crazy, unexpected things can happen, be it good or bad. The fact is that we just don’t know when, where, or under what circumstances events will occur that can ultimately alter the course of our journeys. That’s why I believe it is so important to never to take for granted what we have, especially the people we love who surround us. Each and every day we get is a gift, full of potential for us to be kind and make a difference. Life will throw us curveballs, but what’s important is that we keep our chins up, and keep steppin’. God bless.

Love,

Vanessa

Why Mother's Day?

“Do your laundry.” “Eat your vegetables.” “You’re not wearing that out, are you?” “I told you so”. These are just a few of the phrases you might have heard your mother tell you at some point in time. Today is Mother’s Day, but why do mothers have their own special day in the first place?  I mean, all they seem to do is nag and make our lives so much more difficult than they really need to be...right? 

First off, they would always get on us to do those annoying chores around the house. If we didn’t make our beds, if we didn’t wash the dishes, if we didn’t clean the bathrooms, we would not hear the end of it until it was done, and done well for that matter. And what about the way they would yell, over and over, until we finally did whatever it was they asked us to do. They grounded us when we didn’t get good grades or came home past our curfew. Even now, they scold us when we make bad choices, and they pester us until we finally figure out how to solve our problems. Sometimes, they can just be so irritating when they act like they know it all and tell us what we should do and how we should live, like they know a thing or two about how the world works or something...

Hold up...hang on a second. Perhaps everything I just said IS the reason that mother’s deserve a special day of recognition. I believe their job is one of the hardest, most important ones out there, because mothers have the job of raising the people of the world. All of that time and energy they spend badgering us when we make mistakes and worrying about us when we don’t want them to is the source of our growth as individuals. 

So at this time, I would like to say from the bottom of my heart - thank you Mom. Thank you for making sure I got all my homework and chores done. Thank you for reminding me to eat healthy and take care of myself. Thank you for all the times you’ve yelled at me and punished me when I deserved it. Thank you for not tolerating any disrespect or defiance from my mouth. Because if you hadn’t, who knows where I'd be or what kind of person I'd be. Everything you’ve done has been for my own good. You’ve helped me to become a well-mannered, virtuous, decent human being, and maybe even then some. And finally, you’ve given me the tools I need to live a full, wonderful life. If I ever forget to remind you, just know that you are always appreciated and loved. 

And that is why there is a Mother's Day. Happy Mother’s Day everyone! God bless.

Love,

Vanessa

Go For It.

Hey everyone!

If anybody knows about trying things out and getting rejected, it’s me. I definitely know how it feels to be told over and over that you didn’t make the cut for something, whether it's a job, a position in an organization, or even a relationship. Yeah, it’s not the best feeling, but the way I see it is this: if you don't give yourself the chance to succeed, you won't. It's better to try and not get something you want, than not try at all and think about what could have been. People might tell you no, but that's only their words. Who’s to say that you don’t have what it takes to accomplish your goals? A teacher once told me, “The only person who can stop you is YOU.” And it’s so true! By telling yourself you “can’t” do something or you’re “not good enough,” you already set yourself up for disappointment. I challenge you to convince yourself otherwise - that you ARE good enough, despite what ANYONE says or however many times you fail. Because, in the words of the gypsy-lady from “The Haunted Mansion” movie, “The only true failure is when you stop trying.” 

No matter how many times you get knocked down, keep getting back up! Let all of the rejections and “no’s” pump you up; let them get your blood boiling and your heart racing; let them make you even more determined to beat the odds. Life’s too short to sit around and wait for something good to happen to you. We have the ability to make our dreams a reality, we just need to believe it for ourselves. Take chances, take the falls as they come, and keep steppin'. Who knows, you might surprise yourself one day. Have an awesome week! God bless.

Love, 

Vanessa