look into
my crystal heart
and listen to the murmurs of your love
reverberate her walls
and take care
because not all hearts beat
with the strength of steel
but with you
she is immortal
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look into
my crystal heart
and listen to the murmurs of your love
reverberate her walls
and take care
because not all hearts beat
with the strength of steel
but with you
she is immortal
New Orleans and Mardi Gras is a must do!
This winter has been brutal with the large amounts of snow across the country, and record temperatures of around zero. Popular destinations for spring break are mostly Florida beaches, but there are other places that are just as nice if not nicer, without annoying college kids:
"The Big Easy" is always a joy. Even though it's a city, New Orleans is relaxing, quiet, has beautiful scenery, and great music. It's even more exciting the first week of March aka Mardi Gras!
Puerto Rico is known for being a beautiful island in the U.S. It has a true Caribbean feel. With the risk of climate change swallowing low-level areas, it's better to go now than later. Unlike other destinations, Puerto Rico has the El Yunque rainforest and lots of island shopping in San Juan.
Much like New Orleans, Charlestown has a similar old town field. Founded in 1670 as a port city, it has great seafood from the day's catch among neighboring beaches. Hilton Head and Folly beach are a short drive away. Seeing historic downtown with local restaurants and horse-drawn carriages make a relaxing experience with Palmetto trees and loads of shopping. Another must see is touring the ship museums on the harbor, including Fort Sumter.
Famous for filming Forrest Gump, Savannah offers an allure of ghost and walking tours around the city. An abundance of river cruises and ocean activities can be found, including dolphin tours. Also, beaches surround Savannah for time away from the city.
Known as "the southernmost point in the continental United States," Key West is famous for being a set of islands at the tip of Florida. One main destination is the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum featuring artifacts from shipwrecks from the past 400 years. Also, Key West has a lot of parks to take long walks around the city and on the beach.
The Grand Canyon is a great destination for spring break. It might be on the chillier side, but going during the off-season had its positives. During spring break, the Grand Canyon isn't busy. The Grand Canyon National Park offers park tours. Although in a remote area, the Grand Canyon is peaceful and has astounding views with lots of wildlife.
Full of country music, Nashville, Tennessee, is a cultural experience like no other. There's lots of restaurants and nightlife. Not only is there the Grand Ole Opry, but bus tours of where the show, Nashville, was filmed. The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum and a Jack Daniel's distillery bus tour are must do's.
Atlanta is famous for the creation of Coca-Cola and the museum is there to prove it. World of Coca-Cola offers tasting different Coca-Cola products, observing the bottling process, history of the Coca-Cola brand, and a film. In addition, CNN is also based in Atlanta and offers studio and newsroom tours. The College Football Hall of Fame is not to be missed and is sponsored by Chick-fl-A of course!
Finally, going somewhere warm and peaceful has its benefits before we are all back grinding on finishing the semester and finals.
The best present I ever received was the one I got for years, and will get for the rest of my life.
My most memorable present is one that I cannot even entirely remember the origin of. I was probably about 11 or 12, and I opened a simple box. Inside, there was an inch of pearls.
I was confused, but my aunt explained to me that this was the first inch of pearls I would be receiving, and when they were all put together, I would have a full string of pearls to wear. I admit, I still was probably not that thrilled. After all, my brother was getting a Toys R Us gift card.
I did not understand back then that these pearls were something so precious. Pearls may not be so common for young girls to have now, but they used to be something classic and sophisticated (I argue they still are), and women wore them pretty often. I looked back at old photos and saw pearls around my mom's neck in her senior portrait, around the necks of countless women in beautiful dresses from the 50s. They meant growing up and being a lady. I swore I would wear my pearls in my yearbook photo senior year. I'd wear them to prom. I'd wear them all the time.
I did not end up with those pearls around my neck out of forgetting them in my mom's car. They were too perfect to go to prom with me, and I'm sort of glad they didn't because I danced so much I broke my necklace at prom, anyway.
I'm even gladder they are safe in their box right now.
I lost my aunt last year a little bit before Christmas. She had been sick for a long time, but she never forgot to give me an inch of pearls for every birthday and Christmas with a big hug. Her smile never faded, and even if I was expecting the pearls after a while, she still seemed so happy to gift me something she knew I could admire all of my life.
I still have not worn the pearls, and I have a feeling I won't until sometime really special. Sometimes I open the box, forgetting what is inside and looking for something else. Seeing them reminds me of my aunt, and it's bittersweet. I remember her so vividly sometimes. She loved me so much, and I didn't see her as much as I should have. Even so, there's a rush of warmth I feel opening that black box. Some might say it's a coincidence, but I know it isn't. My aunt Anita is smiling down at me.
I do not have a lot of things I received when I was young. After all, I grew up. But I am always going to have my aunt's present and every meaning I have put behind it.
They meant a pattern, of thinking of me enough to buy an inch of pearls from Bridgewater Jewelers from my aunt's best friend Mary and bring them to me, all wrapped up. It meant caring enough to take a present back years later to make sure the necklace got strung together properly. This gift meant committing to something. Pearls themselves mean to me now the combination of putting on a brave face, putting your best foot forward, and living your life, even when something really hard is going on. I mean, have you seen what women were doing for the world in the 50s? Or even today. Women are badass. So was my aunt.
To me, this gift meant that there was always going to be something I could have to be a piece of her and a piece of my own history. I remember sitting on my grandma's porch and opening this present, even if I cannot remember what age I was. I remember opening the last inch (because it turned out there was an extra, since we all thought there was a missing one) from a package in my sophomore dorm, right before my aunt passed away, with the phone case I had wanted since I kept breaking mine, and a note that said "just in case!" My aunt remembered to give me one more inch of pearls two months after my birthday when she was so sick we didn't know how long she had.
I am never going to forget that present, and for the life of me, I cannot find a good enough occasion to wear my pearls.
Dress to impress, you might just surprise yourself.
Listen, I know some people may think that having a good appearance means tons of time and effort, but that's not always the case. Of course, people want to get dolled up for weddings and prom and special occasions, but if we're talking about our day to day lives, something as simple as putting on a cute outfit can make an impact on your overall mood.
Typically when people have their lazy dress days with leggings and T-shirts it's because they want to feel comfy and there's nothing wrong with that! I know for myself personally, I typically dress lazier when I'm sleep deprived, not in the mood to face the day, or just because I also want to be comfy. What I've learned though, is that my days where I put on an outfit and leave the house pleased with the way I look, I feel more confident and elated; two emotions we should always strive to feel.
When I was going through a hardship the 2nd semester of my 1st year of college, I remember specifically looking up "ways to feel better about yourself" and one of the tips was putting the effort in your appearance. I personally have always thought that I had a decent taste when it came to clothes, but after reading that article I decided to push myself a bit more to be 100% with my appearance rather than 85%. Going outside your comfort zone and wearing things that don't always seem like you or your style can be intimidating, but once I broke the ice I felt great! I didn't understand at first how putting on certain clothes could make me feel different. But I learned that doing so can bring confidence to someones well being.
If you're dressing well and feeling good, to strangers, it may look like you have your act together. Isn't that crazy to think about? But it makes sense! Doing so makes you look more approachable and before you know it, you might just notice more people talking to you on the streets; whether it be asking for directions or simply complimenting your features. but that's just a side note! It's important to dress for you and not for others. Wearing that one blouse hiding in your closet, putting on makeup, rocking those stilettos, whatever the case may be, doing so may just surprise yourself and change the way you're feeling which can lead to a healthier well being and lifestyle.