tuesday quote / F. Scott Fitzgerald

/// via my instagram

"I'm not sure what I'll do, but - well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale." F. Scott Fitzgerald

( quote via cheynesaw )

Lady Lindy

This week, I was tasked with a reporting project on an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. "One Life: Amelia Earhart" presents a visual timeline of pictures and memorobilia from Earhart's relatively short, yet exciting, life.

First of all, can we all just stop to look at how gorgeous this lady was? I can't help but admire how she could rock both the leather jacket and pants for flying ( which others deemed "unladylike" ) as well as the latest feminine trends for her many appearances.

Earhart is best known as an aviator and a symbol of feminine empowerment. She achieved many firsts during her lifetime, including being the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane. However, she suddenly disappeared during a flight over the Pacific in 1937 and has never been found.

In addition to the expected pictures and artifacts, the exhibit contains some interesting looks into Earhart's personality. Her free-spiritedness and independence never wavered. She definitely had a strong sense of self and knew exactly where her passion was: up in the air. She refused marriage proposals from George Putnam six times before finally agreeing to wed him. ( Seventh time's the charm? ) Even then, she was completely up-front and honest about her feelings, drafting this pre-marital letter in 1931:

All I can say is that George Putnam must have been one patient man. But really, could those requests have been drafted any more beautifully? I wish we still took as much time with our words as Amelia clearly did here. I especially love the line "I may have to keep some place where I can go to be myself, now and then, for I cannot guarantee to endure at all times the confinement of even an attractive cage." I think we can all resonate with that statement at times.

This exhibit is just one example of her legacy still being celebrated today. Three other Smithsonian museums also feature items related to Amelia Earhart. The National Air and Space Museum features the red Lockheed Vega in which Earhart set two of her aviation records and one of her leather flying coats. The American Art Museum houses a portrait miniature of Earhart, and stamps commemorating her flights can be found at the National Postal Museum.

“One Life: Amelia Earhart” will be featured at the National Portrait Gallery through May 27. The gallery is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and admission is free.

I had such a lovely time at the gallery today. I got to interview an FAA employee as well as a sweet old lady all the way from Melbourne, Australia. 

Oh, the people you find when you say hello. They never cease to surprise me.

( image source )

tuesday quote / D&C 155:8

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I believe

daily reminders  ///  via my instagram

For those of you who don't know ( quite a few people ) I was ordained to the ministry of priest in the Community of Christ on January 6th. I was called about a year ago, and completed my Temple School classes over the summer before I left for Africa. To briefly explain, a priest is called to offer a "ministry of presence" both inside and outside of the church setting. It's a tall order that still might be intimidating me a little bit, but I'm moving forward.

Before my ordination, I was asked to prepare some kind of statement of belief to share. Have you ever sat down to try to put all those feelings and opinions you have into coherent sentences that will make sense to others? It's really difficult! I sat in bed for a while to work them out, and here's what I came up with:

I believe that God, the Creator, knows and cares deeply for every living person. 

I believe that God is continually revealed through the scriptures, through the life of Jesus Christ, through the subtle movements of the Holy Spirit in each person's life, and through the earnest searching and authentic witness of hearts and minds who long for God's peace. However, I also believe that we should be humbled in the realization that the knowledge and plans of God extend beyond the limits of human understanding.

I believe that God has a purpose for me, to minister in God's name and to confidently share God's love and acceptance with all people, in my own community and beyond. 

I believe that as I allow my faith to direct my life, actions, love, and talents, God will bring rich meaning to my life and will use me to help others to a life of joy, hope, love, and peace in and with God.

Despite all of that, I still don't believe that belief is limited. I know my own understandings and beliefs are on a slow - but constant - journey of development, and that, I love. 

What do you believe? After working through these thoughts and putting them into words, I felt so refreshed, so happy to have something to look at and think Yes! That's how I feel! Likewise, I felt so humbled to remember how short these words - all words - fall in conveying God to you.

If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear your own statements of belief. Even if you don't share, it's worth thinking about over the weekend. You might not be exactly in line with mine. You might actually completely disagree with me. Maybe you call the Divine by some other name. It doesn't matter to me. 

Faith is beautiful, words are beautiful, and so are you. 

Peace be with you this weekend. 

Squiggly Halves

( via etymologie )

Happy Valentine's Day! Isn't this video just the cutest? I'm so glad I came across it yesterday.

The heart is such an interesting shape. But really, when you think about it, what makes a heart? There's no real rules. The sides don't have to be equal length, there's no 3.14 to multiply, no Pythagorean Theorem to work things out. Two squiggly halves just kind of work together to make something that looks good, feels good. 

And that's how love is isn't it? There's no science to it - no numbers to plug in, no ways to check your work, no theorems to tell you where to start, and no research to tell you what it's supposed to look like.  People try to make love all serious ( i.e. waiting until the right point in a relationship to say it ), but love is this awesome, boundless thing. I don't think you should ever hold back telling someone how much you care about them. Love can be as tight or as relaxed as you want it to, I just think it's best used as a verb.

So, love something today. Love your friends, love your family, love that random stranger on the street. Love the clouds, love the stars, love your blessings. Love your struggles, love your enemies.

Maybe two squiggly halves can start making something whole.

Hugs from me to you ( and maybe a peck on the cheek ). You are loved.

21 by 22

/// from my instagram

I've been 21 for 21 days now! ( How odd is that? Totally didn't plan it. ) By now, I'm a seasoned pro at being a real adult and stuff. I pretty much know a thing or two about everything.

Just kidding. I know nothing. I even admitted the other day that I cringe at the thought of calling myself a "young adult." I feel no different from when I was 10. Gosh, my 40s and 50s are going to be fun. ( And 60s and 70s... I can't even comprehend that right now. )

In the effort to grow a little this year, I've made a list of 21 things to accomplish by the time I turn 22. That's what grown-ups do right? Make plans and better themselves? I figured it was worth a try.

1. Read a whole book just for fun. ( This is extremely sad, I know. )
2. Travel somewhere that I've never been to. Extra points for more than one place. Double points for another country.
3. Keep or raise my GPA. ( Nerd alert. )
4. Blog at least 4 times a week. That seems pretty doable. Starting now.
5. Save more money than I spend.
6. Lose 10 lbs. ( Really, I just want to be healthier, but I'm a numbers kind of gal. )
7. Make a real, professional-looking portfolio featuring my writing, photography & design.
8. Get an internship.
9. Go to a concert.
10. Learn to snowboard. ( Surfing would work too, but let's be real, guys. )
11. Finish a whole TV series. I am currently working my way through 6 shows, and I really, really want to finish them so I can start watching Mad Men. Word on the street says it's good or something.
12. Watch 4th of July fireworks in DC. If all goes according to plan ( or ideal, or dream ), I'll be here for the summer! ( See item #8. )
13. See President Obama. I WILL NOT GIVE UP.
14. Watch my little sister graduate high school! I may need emotional support for that one.
15. Send a card just because.
16. Make a call just because. I really dislike talking on the phone. I want phone calls to be over with almost as soon as I start talking. But I chose to move this far away from family and friends that are still very dear to me. Spending some un-rushed time on a conversation with those far away would do me some good.
17. Make a displayable art piece. I like to get creative, but rarely do I make the time for it.
18. Finish a paper more than 24 hours before it's due. ( This is my idea of aiming high. )
19. Try a new food. Vegetarian, of course. Bonus point if I cook it myself. Double points if I can get someone else to eat what I've cooked.
20. Pray every day. 
21. Make new friends! ( ...but keep the old. One is silver, and the other's gold. )

Maybe after accomplishing all these things I'll feel more ready to turn another year older next year. Unlikely. Twenty-two is halfway to forty-four, and I just had to check how to spell forty. ( Why drop the u?! ) Someday I'll have everything figured out. Good thing I plan on living to be 150. ( and still young, dude! )

Now I'm quoting Finding Nemo, as per usual. There's no hope.

tuesday quote / Isabel Allende

Give, give, give--what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don't give it away? Of having stories if I don't tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, the world and with the divine.  Isabel Allende

( quote source: C. Jane Kendrick, image source: instagram )