This movie looks absolutely amazing! Who doesn't love a star-crossed love story between a physics student and an art student that is further complicated by his traumatic disease?!

Have you ever had a week where so much has happened that it's hard to get a grasp on things? It's not that anything bad happened this week, quite the contrary, but it was just so much. Classes started and the preverbal 'they' was not lying about the amount of reading in grad school. It never ends. On weeks like these I feel like I get too caught up in the day-to-day that I sometimes forget the bigger picture and forget to be grateful and find join in things that I love. I forget to enjoy the little moments and instead stress about the never-ending mountain of homework.

When I have too many of these weeks in a row, I find it helpful to take a step back and spend sometime thinking about the things that make me happy and things I enjoy. This exercise helps put things into perspective and re-center my life. So here's the 'little' moments/things I've been loving in the last few weeks:

Fresh Fruit
There's a farmers' market close to my new house and I love it. They have so much variety and everything is so fresh. Last week I bought some heavenly bread, but I sampled all the fresh fruit. I died. It was so perfect.

Victor Hugo
I have started reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame and recently finished Les Miserables. I simply adore Hugo. He is amazingly talented. The relationship he builds between Marius and Cosette is so innocent and so perfect in every way. Plus he's sort of adorable. 

Boston
I know everyone thinks their family is the best, but mine really is. I'm visiting my brothers in Boston this weekend and I could not be more excited. Boston + Family = The Perfect Weekend. 

New Restaurants
One of my favorite things about getting to a new city is finding new restaurants. As a self-proclaimed foodie, this might be my favorite thing. I've been to a few restaurants in my first two weeks. Nothing fancy, mostly taverns/pubs that serve typical pub food, but I've liked them all. Kooper's Tavern has probably been my favorite so far. 

New Sheets
When my mother helped me move up to Baltimore she also bought me some new sheets. My bed didn't arrive for almost a week so I didn't really unpack my room for a while. When I finally went to make my bed my sheets were MIA. I still have no idea where they got to, but I spent another week without sheets on my bed. Yesterday I bought new sheets and it was the highlight of my week, which I think is very grown-up of me. (Also, Target has the best sheets, hands down...well in my price range at least, but this is my reality.)

I found a new face wash and I wanted to share it with you! I usually alternate which face wash I use to keep my skin from getting too used to a certain formula, but I'll have trouble switching from this one. I was strolling through Target last week and I saw that they had a section for Boots, the UK store/brand that I really like so I tossed it in the cart. After two washes I was in love! The formula is light and smooth and doesn't leave any residue behind. It also cleared up my face in just two days, which is amazing. I cannot recommend it enough it! Plus it's only $6.00! 

The 'The' is actually part of the name which I find kind of weird, but no one asked me about it :) I toured Hopkins main campus last week and it was beautiful. It has a very old, stately feel to it which I really like. 

We also walked pass the Hopkins seal. Legend has it that if you step on the seal you won't graduate. So...steer clear. 

The last stop of the day was to the bookstore. I think the stop was meant to allow us to load up on Hopkins gear, but I went straight to the books. Silly, I know. I found several that I wanted but restrained myself and only bought one. Victor Hugo is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I just adore him.

Orientation has started and things are starting to settle down which is a huge relief! On Thursday my class took a trip to DC to visit the World Bank. After all 'official' visits, we were given a few hours on the National Mall. Most of my classmates went to grab lunch and then on to the Air and Space Museum. I snuck away to the National Gallery of Art and loved every minute of it. 

Before I even got to the collections I was blown away by the building. This place is so incredible and the sheer scale is amazing!

I am a sucker for Monet so I headed to this collection first. This exhibit is much smaller than the one in Paris, but I was still able to see some of his waterlilies. 

The National Gallery also has a healthy collection of Degas and Renoir, another two artists I simply adore. 

There is this dreamy courtyard right outside the special exhibition wing. If I lived in DC I would probably park myself here and never leave!

Also, how do I get this job? In several art museums that I have visited I have seen artists creating replicas. Is that you know you've arrived? When museums let you come in and set up shop?

The National Gallery of Art has this really great signs so you know exactly which gallery you are going into. I don't know about other art goers, but I really appreciate clear cut signs. 

And, finally, London. I had never seen this piece before but I loved it immediately. This piece had me longing for London. I had this urge to run home and book a ticket, but I resisted. 

This afternoon was perfect. I have never lived so close to a major art museum before, but I have a feeling that I will be a frequent patron. 

I've been thinking about this post for a couple of days. Most of my posts are upbeat, but this one is more real talk. 

Last week I moved to a new city to attend graduate school.  I have known since April that this was going to happen, but to say that I was unprepared would be an understatement. I don't know if I have ever been as anxious as I have been the last few weeks; I haven't been able to sleep, my appetite has been non-existent, and my stomach has been in knots. For the most part I just ignored my apprehension instead of dealing with it. On Sunday when I parted ways with my mother and sister I was an absolute wreck. I held back tears as I took I-95 north to my new home. 

The next few days seemed to drag by and my apprehension/homesickness reached a new level. Sunday night was terrible as I let the tears slide down my cheeks while I overthought orientation the next morning and my overwhelming desire to be at my parents' home. At one point I seriously considered re-packing my car and speeding home, but deep down I knew that wasn't an option. Although I was (am) feeling completely overwhelmed by the new city, new people (I've met some amazing people in my program!), new school and all the emotions that go along with such a huge change, I also know that I am where I am supposed to be. There are incredible opportunities ahead. I know that these fears and anxieties are not going to fade overnight, but I've found some things to help stunt them in the interim:

Church
One thing I love about the Church is the immediate network and group of friends. There are several other people in my same situation which led to immediate bonding and friendship.

Parents
I have called my parents pretty much every day since I moved and am not the least bit ashamed. My parents are my best friends and are the one people who won't judge you for crying or being completely irrational. It's a beautiful thing.

Netflix
I believe there are times in life when it is appropriate to binge watch Netflix. Being in a completely new situation/city/life is one of those times. A familiar movie or show gives a weird sense of normalcy. However, if you have opportunities to go out with new friends, etc. Netflix becomes unacceptable.

Workout
As Elle Woods taught us, "Exercise gives you endorphins; endorphins make you happy." I still haven't found the campus gym, but doing a short workout from Pinterest has done wonders for me.

Long Showers
I think a long, hot shower is the remedy for every wrong in this world. Soaking in the warm water relaxes both my mind and body. So much anxiety wears me out, but a nice steam helps put me at ease and get to sleep usually.  

 I carry my journal with me pretty much everywhere I go. Lately I've been keeping lists of random things: things I see, nuggets of advice, etc. Just whatever I think is interesting, funny, or inspiring. I'd thought I'd share a sampling of some of my lists. Enjoy!

This is one of my very favorite talks. Watch it. Love it. 

When I flew home from London, I spent my last few pounds and bought The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene. The book was fantastic and I was excited to see the movie. My brother and I share a love for John Greene so we decided to see the movie together while he was in town. The movie was fantastic--just as good as the book.

Shailene Woodley played Hazel Grace and I thought she did an awesome. She was the perfect balance of cheeky but still slightly awkward the character demands. She wasn't exactly how I imagined Hazel but she still captured the character well and I was pleased with her performance. 

Augustus Watters, on the other hand, was exactly how I pictured. This was some seriously good casting! Ansel Elgort was the perfect choice for Gus. Honestly, to a T how I pictured him. 

From start to finish, this movie was just amazing. The movie is pretty true to the book, which is always pleasantly surprising. I would, however, recommend reading the book first. I knew I would probably sob in during movie, but managed to keep it together. The director doesn't overdue to sad parts of the story so your whole day is not ruined. Basically, it's just an awesome movie and you should see it.

Also, on a slightly unrelated note, the previews for this movie (minus the obligatory horror movie preview) looked equally as good: 
What If//The 100 Yard Journey//If I Stay//The Book of Life 
I'm particularly excited for The 100 Yard Journey and The Book of Life!

I have a Pinterest addiction. Sometimes I pretend that I don't, but I do and most days I'm ok with that. Pinterest now has a feature that collects all your 'interests' (aka obsessions) into one place so you don't have to sift through your feed. Very convenient and totally an enabler. 

So this is my life according to Pinterest, which I'm not sure is super accurate:

Johnny Cash
This interest is a bit of a mystery to me. While I love Johnny, he does not frequent my pinning repertoire. Although Walk the Line is one of the greatest love songs in my opinion. 

Eddie Redmayne
Yeah, I think he's so handsome and I would have dinner with him any night of the week. He got engaged while I was in London and I swear you could hear my heart breaking all the way back in the States. 

London
Which brings me to London. My favorite city in the whole world. London recently got its own board (well, England did) and is the only place to have this honor bestowed upon it. Things are getting serious. 

Chambray
I love chambray. It's a staple in my closet.  I like my chambray shirts paired with leggings, riding boots, and a chunky sweater. 

Vintage China
Recently I have been obsessed with china. Maybe it's because I'm moving into my first 'real' house? Whatever it is, I am in love. 

This is how Pinterest sees me :) This is only a sprinkling of my 'interests'. It's kind of funny to check it sometimes. It's like getting a glimpse of how your imaginary Internet friend sees you.

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