Some of the Best

So much has happened this year. From starting my first AP class to having my story in the school's newspaper all the way to another fun year of marching band. Memories swirl around in our heads just as we make new ones. It's important to really go back and enjoy the most memorable moments of 2013. The same  thing never happens twice so we should really enjoy it while we still can:)

Faneuil Hall- Boston

Passing NYC

July 4th

A Castle in Europe

A Beautiful European Island

Last Day of Summer :(

Art Festival in Alexandria Virginia

Yay Marching Band Practice 

A typical picture of Hannah and I on a marching band trip being dysfunctional in front of Bob Evan's:) 

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

And how could I forget AP World History and school in general?

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
   -Oprah Winfrey

Happy 2014 everyone, and may this coming year be as great as the last:)

xoxo,

Anastasia

2013

Can you believe it?
It has been an entire year!
This time last year, I was standing somewhere in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It feels like yesterday.
I'm so grateful for everything that has happened in the past year. It's these awkward teen years where all the maturing and major learning happens. I think I've grown more as a person (i'm still a little kid at heart) and have a firmer grasp of the reality that's going to hit me in less than 2 years (college, a job, bills, etc...). I'm extremely grateful for every second I spend on this planet and I don't think my life can get much better. The blog is up and running (the rest of the team and I have HUGE plans for 2014...get excited), gaining readership here and there, I'm developing a routine to take better care of my skin/hair, and my closet is going from that of a tween to an adult.
Even so, I have a lot planned for 2014 and am super pumped for a fresh start (and a new calendar). Although it feels like nothing has REALLY happened, when I think about the details of everyday life and the little stories on the news as well as the big ones, more time has passed than I realized. And what about personal accomplishments? The fact that I'm almost halfway through my sophomore year continues to blow me away and scare the socks off of me at the same time. Even so, I can't worry about how quickly the time is passing, only enjoy every second of it.

So here's to 2014: to how quickly the time will fly and enjoying every second of it. 

I turned 15!!

Some of my friends from my section

Marin and I

Marching band field show: James Bond

xoxo

Hannah

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

It's that time of year again: Christmas time!
Thanksgiving, Black Friday, AND Cyber Monday have all come and gone
My marching band had our last performance (a Christmas parade), I've had my yearly tree-decorating party (my family has a 12-foot artificial tree so decorating takes more than just the 4 of us), and midterm madness has begun.
Among it all, parents, friends, and family search and squander the shops for the perfect gifts. I decided to make life easier for the aforesaid people by putting all of my wants and needs in PowerPoint format. For others, i decided to DIY gifts and make the world a more preppy place. The boys are getting custom bow ties and the girls will get cute skater skirts or hair-bows sewed by yours truly.
Apart from the commercial aspects, I think the best part of Christmas is the electricity that runs through the air. Think back to your school days: remember the last day before winter break? There's this sort of exciting tension felt by student and teacher alike. Our last day was Friday, so now the excitement is reaching an all time high (only 1 more advent calender space to open!!). My family and I are day-tripping in New York City today with some close friends and getting into the spirit for the next few days. Tomorrow will be a day to go to church and watch the polar express (we only watch it once a year: on Christmas eve), then forget about sleeping; I may be 15, but i still get jitters on Christmas eve, wondering about what awaits me in the morning. Then of course, we come to Christmas day: My dad's insane train garden, presents, stockings, family, laughter, happiness, ham, and more family. I'm super excited for it to come, but, at the same time, i don't want it to ever end. New Year's is nice, but the amazing feeling accompanying Christmas cannot be beat. What are some of your favorite traditions?

A blurry photo of the lovely tree-trimming I hosted

Bear during the first snow of the season

Poinsettias in my family room (mantel in the background)

The mantel, one of our trees, the stockings, and the nativity

Pucker up ;)

MY stocking

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Some New York trip pictures:

me with the big tree...ignore the hiking boots: it was raining all day

The Plaza hotel...the hot cocoa here is TOP notch

trump tower

A Henri Bendel window display featuring none other than Audrey

lots of umbrellas and lots of people

Cartier

the plaza tree

Wishing you and your family the merriest of Christmas' this year,
Hannah, Anastasia, and Marin (even though she celebrates Hanukkah)