76 - Wizardry

Ok - so, weird but awesome dream.

Voldemort came back. Not only for the first time, or the second time, but the third time. The first time, Harry defeated him. The second time, MY FAMILY defeated him (which was what the 8th book was about), and in this dream he came back for a third time! Everyone in my family was preparing for an epic battle of magic. I couldn't find my wand and Mom almost made me leave so I wouldn't get hurt, but then Tyler proclaimed "Accio Kolbie's wand!" and it flew into my hand! Then I did all sorts of magic stuff, and Voldemort arrived in all of his evil glory. The battle was tough -- no one knew who was going to win. But then Cole and I teamed up and did a super spell on old Voldy and he exploded. (None of that flaking away stuff he did in the movie... bleh.)

Seriously? I woke up so empowered. And also disappointed. :(

I wish I was a wizard so much.

48 - A Funny Thing

Birthdays are a funny thing, aren't they?

When I was little, it was this magical day that was all about me and only me. There was something special about my birthday, like I had a special glow around me for just that one day. I wouldn't be able to sleep because I was so excited, and my nights would be so restless because of all the wonderful dreams I had about the presents that I would get. 

I also had the best birthday parties when I was younger. In my family, generally the odd years were the ones that you had a friend party and the even years were when you just had a family party but with bigger presents. For my seventh birthday, we rented out the Little Gym for the whole day (which was probably only two hours haha but to my seven-year-old mind, it was the whole day). For my ninth birthday party, my mom went all out for a Harry Potter party, Sorting Hat and everything. Then we saw Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone in theaters. After 11, though, I didn't have many friends. And for future my birthdays, I hung out with the ones that mattered.  

Birthdays are a funny thing. 

Yesterday was that day again, for me. At 11:06 AM, I turned 19. 

I'm sad to say the magic of birthdays has essentially dissipated by the time you're 19. It's just another day, and then you remember "Hey! It's my birthday!" But the butterflies that used to keep me awake at night, the glow that used to radiate around only me -- they're gone. 

Don't fret, however. Because it's a trade-off. Blissful ignorance for maturity and experience. Pure selfishness for compassion and empathy. Expecting huge presents for expecting the ones you love to be there. 

Yes, birthdays are a funny thing. Because as I've grown older, I've just begun to understand that birthdays aren't about the presents or the money. It's about the feeling you get. That feeling that occurs when you realize how many people love you, and are glad that you were born. That feeling in your heart that makes you know you've made a difference, if only in your own small world. That feeling that makes you feel special. 

Your birthday wouldn't be a day of celebration if you weren't someone worth celebrating. 

Just remember that on your next birthday. 

:)

34 -- Test

This is just a funny picture that I found. It basically describes many of the tests I've taken in my life.

Haha. It made me laugh.

31 - My Childhood on a Bracelet

Look what I found.

and the British one...

You would think that growing up would make the insane fetish with anything Harry Potter subside. But it hasn't. Seriously, I would probably take them and make it into a necklace (since I wear those more) and wear it ALL the time. As soon as I saw a picture of these I got SO excited. Ridiculously excited.

One of my top Things That I Want is the complete British set of the Harry Potter books. Really, I just grew up with them. I started reading them when I was nine and the seventh one came out when I was 14. They will always be a major part of my childhood and I will always love them. :) Thank you, JK Rowling!

27 - The Pen

So I bought this pen.

I bought it because it seemed more college-like than my normal sparkle bic ballpoint pens.
In fact, I bought a pack of four. With black, blue, and red ink.

I put the pens in my drawer, and thought nothing of it.

When I needed a pen, later on in the day, I just happened to open that pack of pens first.
Then I started writing on my desk calendar. Normally, when writing on a desk calendar, I would feel like this.

But when I started writing with this pen, all of the sudden it was like 

And I'm not gonna lie, I felt a little bit like this 

Except I'm in the picture. 

Now, I know that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint aren't ACTUALLY magical and they don't ACTUALLY use quills. But I just felt like part of the club. The elite. Because they HAD used them, when they filmed their movies... and now I have a bit of that experience. I was a little bit a part of Harry Potter. It takes me back to the day when I once made a calligraphy pen and tried to use paint for ink. 

So, suffice it to say that I ONLY use the uni-ball vision now. 

I like scratchy-scratch noise it makes. And as the true Harry Potter fan that I am, I feel like I'm using a quill. A magical quill. That will take me to places I've never been before. Maybe not Hogwarts, but I'm not picky. 

Narnia will do. 

15 - Reading List

I love books. 

A lot.

I have over 300 in my possession and if my house was on fire, they are what I'd go for first. So, yeah. I love books.

However, I will not have room in my tiny college dorm to fit all of my beloved books. I love reading (duh) so I have to choose wisely which books I will be in the mood to read.

And after careful consideration, I've compiled a list. Both old and new, read and unread. Reminders of my childhood and leaps into adulthood. Books have a lot of meaning to me, so this was hard. But let's begin:

I've always wanted to read this book. Reading it will be a goal achieved. 

These two books are by my favorite author of my junior high years. She's still one of my favorite reads. It reminds me of good times gone by. I just have to get the second one back from Adri...

This one is just for fun, because I love Jodi Picoult and I haven' t read this one yet. She's a really fast read and writes very well. Even if her books are pretty much all the same. 

I refuse to see the movie before I read the book. I hate it when I do that,  and this  will not be one of those times. 

This is like... a gigantic epilogue for the Traveling Pants series. Of course I'm reading it. 

I don't feel guilty reading this book because I'm actually learning something. So on those days when I feel like I can't spend my time reading about fantasy lives, I will read this and not feel so guilty about procrastinating (inevitable).

Oh, come on. It's Jane Austen. I can't go anywhere without her. 

So that's it. My first reading list for college. Maybe I'll make this like a series-type thing. Give a list of the books I will be taking each time I trade... hmm. Has potential.