Officially a Pioneer!

Well today was move in day! It was totally wonderful. Things went very smoothly. We were able to get everything up to the room with no problems at all. I really thought I had way too much stuff but after we had everything situated, it really isn't so bad. There's definitely quite a bit but it all fits and it looks very homey. One of the best things about our bedroom is that we have a big window that looks out over the mountains. One of the main things I wanted from my dorm was to have a nice view and I am so happy that I got one. We did have a little minor speedbump because the outlet behind my bed didn't work. Thankfully maintenance came up and fixed it right away. I am so lucky that my roommate is super amazing and we get along great. We will be good friends, no doubt.

Not only do I have a nice bedroom, but we also share a kitchen and a bathroom. This means we have two more suitemates but they're seriously awesome too so it's great. We have a full fridge already which is always wonderful :) thanks to the moms for helping us with that! We probably spent about 5 hours setting everything up but things look great now and I am so happy.

After move-in and short information session, we met with our RA. He seems super nice as does everyone on the floor. It's so awesome that almost everyone I have met is friendly. It makes this transition so much easier. Then we had our very first DU pep rally. The most exciting part was when coupons started to rain down on us. I grabbed a Noodles&Company coupon so now Cordy and I get to have some BOGO noodles! Woohoo for free stuff. After the pep rally we went to our dorm social and I started a game of Apples to Apples which was pretty fun; and we got to eat a lot of cookies! I was also able to meet some of the Varsity hockey players which was SO amazing. At DU, hockey is basically what football is to Notre Dame. Athletes are kind of like celebrities to me so meeting these hockey players was insane.

I am so happy to be at DU. This is already great. I am also super exhausted so I'm gonna go to sleep on my new bed :)

Bargains Spelled Backwards!

I'm in Denver! I am so super excited just to be here and I cannot wait to move in tomorrow. The excitement is unreal. Denver is marvelous and it's going to be so fun to explore over the next four years. But today, we had to get some serious business accomplished. Obviously if I'm going to school in Denver, skis are a necessity. So me and my aunt, Ashley, hit up Sniagrab.

It was totally overwhelming. The sidewalk was completely full of vendors and little tents. I had no idea that inside the Sports Authority would have even more stuff! It was humongous, like a giant warehouse of snowboarding and skiing stuff. There were racks and racks of jackets and coats and fleeces. Once we got past all of that there were hundreds of pairs of skis lining the walls. We decided to start there. I found beautiful purple and blue (my colors!) skis. They are seriously so gorgeous. Poles were pretty easy to find, nothing special there. I was surprised to see how many different kinds of boots there were. I'm confident that I found the most comfortable pair possible...granted ski boots will end up hurting no matter what. Oh well, it's worth it. After getting my gear, I bought my Epic Local Pass so now I can go skiing all the time...well when I'm not studying.

Basically, I'm just really excited for everything that's going to be happening. And it all begins tomorrow morning! Also, pray for some snow up in these mountains. I want to go skiing ASAP.

Road Trippin'

Woooo road trips sure are exhausting. I find it strange that they are so tiring because all I did was sit in the car for 14 hours. We left at 4:30 am and for some reason I always have a hard time sleeping in the car. Listening to my Titanic soundtrack didn't even help. I spent most of the drive in the back seat desperately trying to get comfortable. The rest of the time I was singing badly or reading Storm of Swords (Game of Thrones book #3). SPOILER: Joffrey's death is AMAZING in the book. Chicago is great and Colorado is greater...but the drive in between is pretty painful. Iowa and Nebraska are both very needed states in the USA I'm sure but it basically goes like this: "corn, corn, corn, cow, corn, corn, wind turbine, corn, horse, corn, corn and more corn."  Not the most exciting things to see.

So I know it sounds like I'm complaining a lot but I actually really enjoy road trips. I think they're super fun and I love driving and listening to music and just watching the world go by. But after awhile when your butt starts to go numb from sitting so long, it's a bit less enjoyable. The great news is I'm about 80 miles away from Denver and I'll be at DU in now time. For now, it's time for me to go to bed (at 8pm) because I'm about to pass out.

Peace Out, Palatine

Alright kids. This one is gonna be short and sweet. Somehow we managed to get all my crap loaded into the car. There's not very much room for me in the back seat so I guess it's good that I'm little. I'm definitely saddest about leaving my puppy. The thing is you can talk to people on the phone but you can't really talk do that with a dog. Ya definitely can't cuddle through the phone. I'm gonna miss the little punk a lot. 

Leaving home is bittersweet for sure. But I can't stay home forever. It's time to move on to bigger and better things. The nerves are there too but I'm mostly just excited to see everything that DU has in store for me. I've been talking to my classmates online for months and I just really want to meet all these new, exciting people. Honestly, I'm sick of waiting. I'm ready. 

Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Room

Tomorrow night we are loading up the car with all my stuff and driving into the city to spend the night with Noni and Popi. We'll be on the road to Colorado before the sun rises on Friday morning. That means tonight is the last night I will be spending in my own bed for a few months. This is actually super sad because I have the best bed ever. It's just a twin but it is so comfy and I have this amazing soft blankie (no worries...the blankie is coming to DU with me). I'm a little bit in love with my bedroom. There's this awesome teal and turquoise color scheme going and it's so beautiful. The best thing about my bedroom is that when you walk in...it's me.

There's pictures of NYC on the walls. There's pictures of me and Austin and all of our friends. There's Steelers and White Sox and Blackhawks memorabilia. There's a Disney calendar and a Belle babydoll. There's a House Targaryen magnet. There's just so much random stuff and it all represents the things that I love. My house is awesome and every room is wonderful but my bedroom is special because it's mine. It kinda sucks that I have to leave it. A lot of that stuff is taken down and packed away. It's still a gorgeous room but it's different now. It looks naked. I guess I'll just have to turn another room into home...challenge accepted!

A Packing Extravaganza

Trying to fit your entire life into a handful of plastic boxes is not an easy thing to do.

I started packing for college about a month and a half ago...I like to be on top of things. I also just have a ton of crap. I started with all the miscellaneous stuff in my room. Items either went into the garbage or into a box to go to college.  I went a little bit crazy with the boxes. Basically everything I owned was going to be coming with me. My mom came into my room one day and told me to dial it back because it looked like I had died and all my stuff disappeared with me. There was nothing left in my room anymore. I had to unpack and put stuff back. I would need some stuff in my room to come home to. I was taking books and movies and CDs and decorations and board games and PlayStation 2 games and scarves and boots and hats and coats and so much stuff! Way. Too. Much. Stuff. I had filled up five of the big plastic totes before I even began to think about my clothes. I probably have enough clothes that I could last a year without repeating an outfit. I did end up donating a lot of my clothes but there was still so much left. Naturally, I wanted to take everything with me. I didn't want to be in Denver and be in need of an outfit that was still in Chicago 1,002 miles away! What a nightmare that would be. So everything had to go. Oh and I also had to pack all the new things I had bought like towels and kitchen stuff and a new bathrobe and storage containers and my sheets and comforter and pillow and way too much stuff. I also planned on bringing my bike and my golf clubs.

A few days ago I came to the realization that all of this crap couldn't possibly fit in the car....Now it was time to unpack and prioritize my possessions and repack. Woohoo! The bike and golf clubs are staying at home. I got rid of a lot of the books and CDs and games. I eliminated nearly 10 pairs of shoes. Space Bags were purchased to use for the clothing and scarves. It's a good thing my mom is a master packer. I don't know how she does it. What I can fit in two boxes, she can fit in one. Thank God for Mom. We have made some serious progress on the packing front. Everything should (fingers crossed!) fit in the car...let's just hope everything fits in the dorm....

And The Winner Is....

The VMAs are stupid and I hate them. That is all.

Okay, seriously now. Not all award shows suck. The Emmys are probably my favorite (excluding all the country awards shows like the CMAs and CMT Awards). I love watching TV and the Emmys are great because I actually know the nominees. This year all I wanted was for Peter Dinklage to win Best Supporting Actor and I would have been completely happy. Of course I wanted Game of Thrones to win every award because in my humble opinion it's the best dang show (and book series) in the history of forever. Obviously they didn't win everything. They actually didn't win anything. But come on Peter Dinklage was a complete genius during Season 4. SPOILERS! Joffrey's death, Tyrion's trial, the Mountain vs Viper fight, and Shae's and Tywin's death were some of the greatest moments in the show so far. Tyrion was a vital piece in all of it and Peter Dinklage is one of the greatest actors I've ever seen. There's hella talent in that 4'5 body of his.

I am well aware that I am incredibly biased in this award giving because I'm obsessed with GoT and that's the cold, hard truth. It's an addiction. Sadly, Peter Dinklage wasn't the only one snubbed. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) and Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell) also lost in their categories as did writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and director Neil Marshall. Not to mention that they also lost the award for Best Drama Series. I was seriously upset. In the Carolyn Awards, GoT wins everything and Drogo gets a special shoutout for being insanely attractive. Weird Al and Andy Samberg making fun of Game of Thrones almost made it okay that they didn't win anything...almost.

I was really shocked that Orange Is The New Black didn't win anything either. I guess it's good that Breaking Bad is over because now maybe some other Drama Series will stand a chance...

Game of Thrones did win Outstanding Costuming, Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Outstanding Art Direction, and Outstanding Special/Visual Effects. These weren't shown on the TV broadcast.

Is This Just Fantasy?

The fantasy football draft is always one of the most stressful days of my life. I could craft the perfect all-star team but the problem here is you can't get everyone you want on your team and it just sucks. The other thing is if I just picked my favorite players I'd end up with an 90% Steelers team with JJ Watt and Clay Matthews. That team would probably not go very well. Trust me, one year I picked a team just to fill it with the best looking men and I'm pretty sure I came in last place. So this year I decided to be a bit more serious about it and put my endless football knowledge to good use.

Marshawn Lynch has been my Beastmode running back for two years so I knew I had to get him first. Luckily, I was able to get Demaryius Thomas right away too. I was just about to grab Drew Brees when he got stolen away from me. So Andrew Luck it was. A few rounds later I saw that Tom Brady was still out there so I grabbed him too. Now, every year (no matter how bad they are) I need to pick the Steelers defense for one reason only... I have a peculiar and undying allegiance to Troy Polamalu (because he's a beautiful human being). Choosing any other defense would just make me feel like a bad person. I'm weird. I know. I did pick up the Kansas City defense too which is good. I don't always need to play my Steelers D but they've got to be on my team. That's just how it goes, my friends.

So after the draft was over, it showed my wonderful team and all the players I chose. I went into my Yahoo Fantasy app and everything was all screwed up. It was showing the complete wrong team. Now my team has Wes Welker instead of Antonio Brown and Ray Rice instead of Ryan Mathews and a bunch of other stupid people that I definitely didn't want on my team. I got an amazing team and now Yahoo screwed it all up so this needs to get fixed ASAP. Technology drives me crazy. Anyway, as long as I get my team back then I'm really excited to get started. I cannot wait for football season to start and I'm hoping the Steelers don't suck too bad this year.

Sorry to those readers that don't like football but there will probably be quite a few posts about it because during the NFL season I border on obsessive. And go Steelers! :)

My Glory Days

Today I watched Chicago's Jackie Robinson West team win the Little League National Championship. Not only was I extremely proud of my hometown, but I was also brought back to my own childhood. I grew up playing softball and it was something I really, really loved.

When I started out, I was a pretty mediocre player on a pretty bad team. Then I turned into a pretty good player on a pretty bad team. I know I played pretty much every position over the course of my 5 or so seasons. Shortstop was totally my favorite because there was always something to do. I was always right in the action. Right field was the worst. Nothing ever happened. Right field is where the coaches stuck the kids that were useless everywhere else. I still have no idea how I ended up there a few times. It's complete blasphemy, I tell you. I even pitched for awhile, although I wasn't very good. I struck people out because I pitched SLOW. Yeah, I'm not even kidding. I was definitely not Mo'Ne Davis.

As I got older, I moved to better teams and then I was the bad player on a really good team and eventually I got to be a decent player on a really good team. One of the strangest things about girls softball back then was that the players would stand on the fence and yell these ridiculous cheers. There was a cheer for every single situation you could think of. "3 and 1 let's have some fun, walk her, walk her" "3 and 2 whatcha gonna do, walk her, walk her" "there she goes justa walkin down to first singin do i didee didee dum didee do". Okay, I'm going to stop now. I'm not making this up either. The cheering was just absolutely absurd, but my God was it fun. I couldn't tell you if we ever won championships or how many games we won or any of that stuff, but it was such a great time. I honestly wasn't that great of a player. Granted I was better at softball than I was at volleyball or basketball but that isn't saying a whole lot. The point here is that I was never a star player. I could always hold my own but it was mostly just about having fun for me. That's why I decided not to play in high school. I am so excited to start college at DU and have the opportunity to join an intramural softball team and get back into the swing of things! Pun intended.

Fool in Love

Well tonight was the last night I got to spend with my amazing boyfriend before he leaves in the morning for the University of Minnesota-Morris. A long time ago, Austin and I made the decision to be in this relationship long term. A quick fling was just never in the cards for us. That's not how we are. From the very beginning we knew we would get to this point. But the closer it got, the harder I realized it would be. And now it's here....

So many people have told me that it's not going to work out. I've gotten really sick of hearing that, but to be honest I've learned to just tune out those haters.

He'll be in Minnesota and I'll be in Colorado and the odds are not in our favor. But I'm the kind of girl that fights for what she wants no matter what it takes. I truly believe we could be that one in a million high school couple that actually finds a happily ever after. Every couple that doesn't make it probably thinks the same thing at the beginning. Yet, the truth of the matter is if you don't believe it then you've already lost! I have to believe that Austin and I will live happily ever after because if I don't believe it then it won't happen. The second I stop believing is the second this 2 and a half year relationship I have worked so hard for will collapse on itself. 

I'm a lot of things. I'm a hopeless romantic. I'm naive about most things. My lifelong dream is to be a Disney princess. I love an 18 year old weirdo with all of my heart. I might even be a complete fool. But I'd rather be a fool that believes in love than anything else in this world. 

Always A Pirate

So today was the first day of school at my high school. Am I still allowed to call it my school? I'm going to anyway. My high school is called Palatine High School and it is the best high school ever (suck it, Fremd!). In honor of the first day of school I'll share my high school story.

I moved to Palatine to start high school and to get me ready my mom insisted I go to a summer school class. It was an AP prep class and I was not very excited at all. The teachers seemed really cool and the class was very project oriented. I happened to get paired with my now-boyfriend for almost every single project. I also met two of my best friends in that class. As usual, mom was right. The first day of high school was pretty good too. Well it is true that I was that awkward freshman that tripped up the stairs on my very first day of high school. Aside from that, it was fun.

I have always been that Hermione Granger-type girl (frizzy curly hair and all) that is overeager to learn everything. I guess that doesn't make me "cool" but it makes me pretty darn successful. I have also always loved to be very involved so right off the bat I joined the girls golf team, newspaper, student council, and speech team. My first year in all of these activities wasn't so great. My golf abilities were pretty bad, my speeches weren't great, and I did have some articles published but the writing wasn't great (totally not as good as this writing, that's for sure). I stuck with these all 4 years and by senior year I was able to rise to a leadership position in every single one and that made me so so so happy. I didn't start off great but I was able to get there and help all the new little fledglings get started in the best activities at PHS. Well this is starting to sound like a college application now so I'm gonna move on....

I will forever love my high school. My experience there was absolutely amazing. I am really so blessed that out of all the Chicago suburbs I ended up in Palatine and that of the two schools I ended up at PHS and not Fremd. That PHS-Fremd rivalry will always live on in my heart no matter where I'm at.

Never have I encountered a high school with a better staff than this one. These people are some of the greatest people I have ever met. Of course they are great at teaching the course material but they teach about life too and I honestly consider many of them to be friends. I took many AP classes in my time and they definitely paid off. From the hardcore APUSH to the fun AP Psych to the almost impossible AP Calculus BC, every class was worth it and every class taught me way more than just math and history. Seriously kids, take AP classes. Do it!

PHS has the best musicals and great classes and everything in between. Yet, I can say that without a doubt that the best part of my high school experience (aside from everything I participated in) were the high school football games. I am a huge football fan and I'm sure as you guys continue to read about my life you will realize just how much I really love this sport. Watching Steelers games on TV is always a great time (except when they suck which is unfortunately becoming way too frequent), but nothing compares to standing in the student section at PHS and throwing baby powder in the air. I think the coolest thing about high school football games is that those are your friends down there. That guy making the tackle or scoring the touchdown is your friend! There's nothing cooler than that. And when your boyfriend plays football, the pride you feel in him is almost unmatchable. I really don't know how I'm going to survive at DU without a football team. I guess I'll just have to become a bigger hockey fan....

The truth of the matter is I love my high school so much and PHS will always be my high school. We have this common saying and it goes like this: "Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate". I really hope that I will have this same pride in my new school. I'm a Pioneer now but deep down I'm still a Pirate. Ha I guess I'm a Pirate Pioneer. That's pretty cool! Stay awesome, P-Town. As the amazing GareBear likes to say: "Have a great day and go Pirates!"

Toga! Toga!

My uncle Ben has a navy blue shirt that has "COLLEGE" written in white across it. I never understood this shirt until now. I have finally watched Animal House. I'm pretty sure I don't even know what happened. There was a lot of drinking and some boobs and an old guy that hates fun and a lot of crazy shenanigans. That's basically what college is supposed to be right? Well I'll find out soon enough.

This movie was complete craziness. There were so many hilarious moments that were only hilarious because they made no sense at all. My favorite moment is when Bluto says: "Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!" What a great message wrapped up in complete idiocy. It's no wonder why Bluto has a 0.0 GPA. I love this part because it took me a few seconds before I saw past his conviction into the completely screwed up statement. Complete genius. John Belushi was a genius throughout the entire film. I don't think I've ever seen someone play a drunken scumbag so well. It was pretty great. Those movies that require no thought at all are nice every once in awhile.

That being said, I really hope my college experience isn't too similar to this. I bet it was fun for those guys but the crazy drinking and failing out of school definitely isn't my cup of tea. If nothing else, this movie taught me what not to do. Nevertheless, watching a movie about college a week before you leave for college is a pretty fun time.

The Thing About Moms

Well there's the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video I promised you. That handsome gentleman is my Popi and Uncie is the silly guy on a stick. Enjoy! Today's real post is below :)

Today was my wonderful mom's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom! To celebrate, we went to Brookfield Zoo. When I was a kid, we went to Brookfield Zoo together all the time. It was (and still is) one of my favorite places. I learned to count at that zoo by counting all the animals. The dolphins were my favorite back then, but honestly I love all the animals...even the big, lazy hippos. Do you guys remember those ZooBooks? Yeah I'm almost certain I read every single one of those, including the ones about bugs. It was great to be back at the zoo enjoying time with my mom the same way we did it 15 years ago. A lot has changed since then but my enthusiasm for animals is the same. If you told me to pick a favorite, I wouldn't be able to. Although, watching the monkeys in the monkey/ape house was probably the best. There were 4 new babies and they were so insanely cute. The baby gorilla had to be the best, though. Watching her interact with her mother (let's call her Kala) was so sweet. Nora (that's the baby gorilla) was trying to climb on the rope and she just couldn't get it. Kala didn't help her one bit. When another gorilla tried to help Nora up, Kala swatted the gorilla's hand and let Nora keep struggling. That's some tough love for sure. But a few minutes later, Nora got it on her own! She was swinging and then she even beat her chest Tarzan-style. I am not making this up. It was the cutest thing ever. I guess that's the funny thing about moms. They want you to struggle (but only a little bit) and figure stuff out on your own. Now that I'm going to college, I'm going to have to really start figuring things out on my own. But the best thing about moms is that when you really need them, they are there no matter what. I love you, Mom. I won't let you down.

Baby Steps

I spent last night downtown with my aunt, Lori, my uncle, Ben, and my boyfriend, Austin. We went to Mike Ditka's for dinner. Unfortunately, we only went to his restaurant...not his house. The four of us ordered the pot roast nachos and let's just say they were AMAZING. For my entree, I ordered the BBQ baby back ribs and they were humongous. No joke, they were they length of my forearm and incredibly delicious. Da Coach got it right. I ate so much food I was stuffed to the max. Usually, Austin will finish my food for me but even he was ready to be done eating. We got boxes but since Lori, Ben, and I were staying at a hotel, we knew we couldn't keep them. As we were walking down the Magnificent Mile, we saw an elderly homeless man with a young boy sitting by his feet. I asked Ben if we could give them the food, because honestly, we didn't really need it. We gave them the bag that contained an almost full rack of ribs, a steak, a twice baked potato, jumbo shrimp, corn, and mashed red potatoes. The little boy took the bag and shouted "YES!" and started unpacking the boxes as we walked away. There's a lot of debate about homeless people and if they're faking it or if they really need help. I can't really tell most of the time but I know in my heart that these people needed help. The fact that we were the ones to help just made my heart so happy. They sure ate well that night and I don't think either of them went to bed hungry.

Time to shift gears a little bit. Unless you're allergic to the internet (which doesn't even make sense since you're reading this), I'm sure everyone has heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Today, I was challenged by my wonderful uncle Dom (more affectionately known as Uncie). Uncie decided he was going to do a handstand and dunk his head into the bucket rather than simply dumping it on his head. He likes to be fancy in the most awesome way possible. Tomorrow, I will be attempting the challenge side-by-side with Popi. That video will be on Facebook and I'll link it to my marvelous blog as well. I'm sure you are all looking forward to watching me embarrass myself.

This whole thing has been under some negative fire from the Debbie Downers of the world. Some people say that isn't actually helping anything. I am well aware that dumping a bucket of ice water on your head is by no means philanthropic, but it's a start. I guarantee that the majority of the world had no idea what ALS even was. At the very, very least, this whole ice thing is raising awareness. It's definitely closer to a cure than we were a few weeks ago. Baby steps, guys. Baby steps. We've gotta start somewhere, whether that somewhere is with some extra food or a bucket of freezing cold water.

A Brief History Lesson

If you guys are going to be reading about my life, you should know how I've gotten to this point! For some of you, this will sound like a record on repeat. For others, it'll be brand new information. Keep reading, either way. 

I grew up on the South side of Chicago right by Midway airport with my amazing mom, Noni and Popi (grandma and grandpa). My childhood was really great because I was surrounded by the best people around (love you guys!). When it was time for me to start high school, my mom and I decided to move to a lovely little suburb called Palatine. It's about 40 minutes northwest of Chicago. Honestly, moving to Palatine was the greatest thing that's happened in my life so far. In high school, I played golf, was on speech team, wrote and edited the newspaper, and ran student council. I made some amazing friends and they're the best weirdos around. I have been in a 2 and a half year relationship with the most amazing guy around. I really am very blessed. I've always loved creative writing and ballroom dancing so I can't wait to get back to those. I LOVE Disney movies (but Titanic is my favorite movie) and all things princesses. I'm a little bit obsessed with Game of Thrones (by a little I mean a lot). Tyrion is the best and there is absolutely zero debate. Country music is wonderful but I also really like rock of the 80s hair metal persuasion. Football is everything. Fantasy, college, pro. I love it all. Go Steelers! And I guess now you can call me a blogger too. 

I guess that's me in a nutshell. It's really difficult trying to summarize your being into a handful of sentences. Lucky for all of you, you'll get to know much more! 

Comment if you like any of these things too! 

The Perfect Title

So this afternoon, while I was reading my amazing aunt's blog (therollychair.blogspot.com....check her out; she's seriously amazing) I came to the decision that I too should create a blog. I have always LOVED talking about myself and I have always loved writing as well. It's the perfect platform. High school is over and I'll be heading to the University of Denver in 2 weeks! I'm ready to share all of my exciting adventures with the world. Carolyn Frances Angiollo has officially entered the blogosphere! Be excited, folks!

As always, coming up with the idea to do something is the easiest part. Actually doing it is when things get tricky. First things first, I had to come up with a title. I'm not very good with titles....During my high school newspaper sports editor days, I really just wanted to title everything "Hot and Sweaty". That never went very well for me. The first thing that came to mind was "Chicago Girl in Denver". That's not very exciting at all. I tried to brainstorm stuff that would rhyme with Rockies or mountain. That got me nowhere. I Googled "songs about Colorado". I definitely was not going to name my blog "Rocky Mountain High". A title like that would not make my mom very proud. So I turned to my own music library. I scrolled through all 1005 songs and came up with some ideas. Tal Bachmann's "She's So High" being one of them. That wouldn't make the cut. I needed to move away from all the pot stuff...so I turned to Disney! I am such a huge Disney fan. Everyone that knows me is sick of my Disney princess obsession (but it doesn't stop me one bit). Then I scrolled past the PERFECT title. I bring you *drumroll* "Just Around the Riverbend", fondly named after a beautiful and empowering song from Disney's Pocahontas.

"What I love most about rivers is: 
you can't step in the same river twice
the water's always changing, always flowing."

I hope y'all are just as excited as I am. I can't wait to see what waits for me just around the riverbend.