Peak into the city

 This video is so cool -- I love how calm and simple the video and music are, but in reality there's a constant hustle and bustle and it's super loud. It's so interesting.

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NYC from Jason Zada on Vimeo.

R&R

(Picture via)

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1 more final to go! Yay! I go home tomorrow and I'm so excited to just relax and have nothing on my mind. Have you finished your Christmas shopping? I haven't haha oops. Welp, I better get packing because my dorm is a complete mess right now and I have to get up tomorrow for an 8 am final!

 

Have a great day!

Christmas in New York pt. IV

I do this every year, so obviously I had to do it again. As you know, I love NYC during Christmas time. It's absolutely beautiful. I try every single year to go around this time but it never works out and this year I actually had the chance! My college was taking a trip down for the day last weekend and I was so excited -- unfortunately, the trip was cancelled because of all of the protesters around New York. I'm still super bummed because this was my one opportunity and looking at these pictures isn't making me feel any better. But I'm definitely going next year! I'll go if it kills me! How many years have I been saying that?

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(Pictures from We Heart It)

 

10 days until Christmas!

 

Check out past 'Christmas in New York' posts: 2011, 2012, 2013

Mockingjay Part 1

I went to see Mockingjay Part 1 at the midnight premiere a few weeks ago and it was incredible! It was definitely the best Hunger Games movie so far. I'm a huge fan of the series -- I honestly don't love reading and when I was in high school I read all 3 books in just a few months, which is a big deal for me! I highly recommend this movie; it was very well done and I would love to see it again ASAP!

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Feeling Good

Finals week got you down? Ready for break? Blast this song!! It'll honestly make you feel so good (play on words intended). Just play it. Do it.

 

 

Right?!?!



Words from my notebook

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Here are just a few quotes that I found that I wrote in my notebook over time. They all kind of link with something that was going on in my mind during the time. Do you have a notebook that you write in? I got this on in August and it's almost halfway full! I love it -- it's a great comfort and it'll be so awesome to read in a few years. It's really cute too! If you want a really pretty notebook, TJ Maxx has the best!

Words to think about

via

Wish list

There are so many things that I currently want right now! They're all pretty expensive, sadly, so it looks like it truly is just a wish list. But here they are!

 

Tartan Blanket Coat from Anthropologie

 

Alexander Wang Rocco Bag

Crochet Cowl from Etsy


Foil Dot Tee from J. Crew (or pretty much any tee from J. Crew)

No picture available -- sorry!

Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in 104 Passion



So, yeah, pretty expensive taste. What's on your wish list?



Currently

(From We Heart It)

 

Loving: SO many Etsy shops! I kind of talked about this a little bit already, but since I can't get off campus, I've been shopping online a lot and I've found some awesome Christmas gifts on Etsy lately! Here are just a few I've been loving: SuHua Silver, Printer Studio, Treat Dreams, and Under10USD

 

Reading: Looking for Alaska! I might be a little behind on the times, but it's a great book! I brought it with me when I was on the train and now I'm just reading bits and pieces whenever I get a chance.

 

Watching: Literally EVERYTHING. I have a lot of time on my hands and watching shows online seems to be the best way to procrastinate as well. I could list all the shows I've been watching, but I feel like it could get a bit embarrassing since I've watched so many haha! The biggest one is probably Gilmore Girls, though, because they added it on Netflix in October -- so awesome!

Anticipating: Obviously Thanksgiving break! I can't wait to go home for a while and chill and bake Christmas cookies and see my family and all that jazz. Oddly enough, I'm anticipating Christmas break more though! Mostly because it's a longer break and I also got people REALLY awesome gifts this year and I'm so excited to give them out!

Listening to: 1989! SO great! I also went to a conference not too long ago and saw a bunch of different artists sing, which was super fun. If you can, you should check out Caroline Cotter! Her voice and music is pure gold.

 

Working on: STUDYING. I don't know if that really fits into this category, but it's true! I've never studied so much in my  life and I'm so sick of it. But it's obviously something I need to do, so here I am! I'm getting into a rhythm and everything, but like I said, procrastination takes over (as it does for most people). For example, I'm currently in the library trying to study psych, but the blog needed an update! ;)
 

Wishing: To go home! I wanted to think of something more clever to put here, but honestly that's all
I'm thinking about right now. I can't wait.

What are you currently up to? Link back to me!

P.S. Anyone have any tips on flying? I'm flying home next week and it's basically the first time I've flown and I'm doing it all by myself. Tips on carry on vs checking baggage? What to wear? I'll take anything!

Travel: phone photos

These pictures are from about a month ago that I had in my drafts and must have forgotten to share! I went home to surprise my mom back in the middle of October and it was so awesome. It went really fast, but it was so awesome getting to see my family and my dog. Not to mention the comfy bed and private bathrooms ;)

 

Normally I would fly, but since it was last minute I took a train. It was about 9 hours of travel with layovers and everything.

 

It's pretty cool because I'm pretty much a pro with trains now because it took so many to get there and back!

 



On the Friday that I went home, I had a 1.5 hour layover in Manhattan. That was SO awesome. You all know how much I love New York, so getting to walk around all alone and just kind of take everything in was beyond great.

 



 

Yeah, that was it! The next time I'll be going home will be in a few weeks at the end of November for Thanksgiving -- yay! For that I will be flying though, so phew. It's definitely going quickly. I'm happy with all the opportunities I'm taking advantage of and there really isn't anything I would change about the year so far. In a couple of weeks I'm going to Boston and then a week after that I'm going back to New York again. I'm so happy with all of these experiences and so glad I'm not just sitting in my room during such an exciting time in my life.

 

Have an awesome day! :)

Welcome, November!

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It's a little late, but I needed a post to welcome the second to last month of the year! I'm especially excited for Christmas this year, I'm not really sure why. Probably because I can't wait to go home, but also because I've been searching for really awesome gifts to get people. I've been shopping online a lot because it's hard to get off campus, but it's great looking online because there's so much more to see. I can't find anything for my mom, though! If you have any links to gift guides, I would love to see them -- send them my way!

Busy weekends

Hello all! I've been so busy lately and it's so awesome! Go me! Last week I was in New York, so I thought I'd just share a few pictures:

 

{The Met, enjoy today, in the cutest coffee shop called Mariebelle on Broome St, the streets of SoHo}

 

It was so awesome -- and then this past weekend I was in Connecticut for 4 days and it was such an great experience. I hope you're all doing well! :)

 

Pictures from my Instagram: katiescherpf

I love October

 

"Bittersweet October.The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."

- Carol Bishop Hipps 

Everything that's wrong with the world

This video is so great. It's so true. I (of course) don't think the world should end, but I think all of the things wrong with the world should end. Take a few minutes to watch this! After you do, think about how you act and treat people and think about if it's right. Think about how you live and if you're happy with it.

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Silent snow

 

"The sky when it snows is absolutely perfect. It can be 1 o’clock in the morning and bright outside. The silence of everything when it snows is beautiful. You can barely hear a sound when the snow covers everything. Just watching the snow fall and stick to the ground is beautiful. Yeah I guess it sucks that it’s cold and you have to shovel it out, but coming in from the cold and putting on warm clothes, sitting in the heat, and drinking hot chocolate is so relaxing. I miss the snow so much."

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I know you're all probably not that ready for snow yet, but I saw this post and it was worded so perfectly I just had to share it! Anyone else think this??

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today."

-Thich Nhat Hanh 

YouTuber: Megan MacKay

I found the funniest girl on YouTube the other day! You may have heard of her because of her video about Ray Rice. She makes these hilarious tutorials that are actually super true about what's going on. She makes awesome points while doing it too. Some of her videos are a little questionable, like the one about Hobby Lobby/Christianity, but I still think they're really great. Check her out!

 

 



5 Happy Things

So as I mentioned before, college isn't really my cup of tea and my days have kind of been getting worse and worse... so I definitely need a boost of something happy. Here are a list of 5 things that can put a smile on my face no matter what the day!

1. Knowing that I will live in NYC one day. That's pretty much the only thing keeping me in the art therapy program here and the only thing keeping me motivated to pursue college. I know living there is hard and expensive and the only way to do it is to be successful.

2. Ansel Elgort. His smile is just so cute and contagious! I just love him so much. (Plus he lives in New York... sooooo)

3. Home in PA, especially in the Fall. I probably shouldn't put this one on here if I'm trying to feel better, but it's true. I love my house and in the Fall it's definitely at it's best, as is the city that I'm from. Just looking at this picture that I took from last October is making me smile and I wish so badly that I could be there to see it like this. I've definitely had most of my best memories at this house in the Fall.

4. Netflix or TV on DVD. At least this one I can do pretty much anywhere! I think one of the best feelings in the world is at night after you take a shower or bath, get a cup of tea and some snacks, turn the lights down, and binge watch a show you've never seen before or a show you've seen a million times but can't get enough of. Agree?

5. My puppy dog, Charlie. My mom snapchats me pictures of him all the time and it just makes me so sad. Charlie doesn't really like me that much and he's usually with my mom back at home so I never really see him anyway, but I still miss him walking around and being all cute. I also would take him on long walks in the evenings when the sun was setting and the temperature was perfect and I miss that quite a bit.

What makes you happy? Or what makes you feel better when you're homesick?

About college

So I've been in college for exactly 1 week and it's been good. I definitely miss home and my dog and my car, but I'm telling myself that this is just as long as I want it to be. There's ALWAYS the option to transfer and nothing is permanent right now. I want to get this experience and stick it out, so I will, and I'm hoping all will be well for the rest of the year (or even semester for that matter).

 

I think that I'm just more conservative that all the people here. My roommate and I have a lot in common and we love the same movies and pretty much have the same outlook on college, so I'm really lucky for that. It's just those nights at 2am hearing drunk people in the hallway when trying to sleep and hearing people yell about who slept with who while I'm in my room watching I Love Lucy that have me questioning if this is really the place for me. I want to expand my comfort zone but I also want to be happy, and quite frankly I'm happiest when I'm in my room with a cup of tea, blankets and stuffed animals, and watching I Love Lucy or Gilmore Girls.

 

Since my dream is to live in NYC and be a successful art therapist, I've decided that I'm just here to get an education and concentrate on my goal. I know that these are some of the best years of my life and I'm not trying to wish them away or make it sound like I am, but right now while I have no real friends or anything to look forward to besides going home, I just want to spend my time on school. I'm sure I'll have fun and have some true college experiences, but since that's not really in my radar I'm going to do what makes me happy.

 

I just wanted to get my thoughts out there because it's pretty hard for me to say all of this to my friends or even parents. What are your thoughts? Please keep your comments respectful, as I know that I sound like I'm exaggerating and making college sound terrible. It's not terrible, it's just hard being here and having no way to get home immediately if need be. It's a big change for me and I have weird thoughts about this whole experience. Oh, college.

Getting a tattoo

Yes! I got a tattoo! FINALLY! I've been talking about it so much (as you know) and I'm so excited. I got it on August 21 (exactly 2 weeks ago!) and I couldn't be happier with it. I absolutely love it and definitely want another one. So here are just some pictures from the night that I thought I'd share!

 



 

Eeeeep so exciting! If you have tattoo(s) please share them with me! I'd love to see and hear about them!

Fall is upon us

Hey all! Long time no blog! I've been pretty busy, moved into college and everything. I just started classes today so I have some more pretty hectic things ahead of me but things are starting to slow down too so that's good. Hope you're doing awesome! There's a lot of change for me and it's pretttty weird, but I'm excited because this is just another step toward my dream of living in NYC ;)

 

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 SO, as you know my favorite season is coming up! Fall! So I just thought I'd put a list of things great about Fall so you have something to get you excited :) Side note: one of the biggest things I miss about being home is lighting pumpkin scented candles. Sigh.

 

Have a wonderful day!

Etsy Wednesday

 

 

 

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This shop is so, SO cute! Tote bags are awesome because they can have almost anything on them and be super cute. I love how simple they can be, but also show off your personality in such a subtle way. The one that says "Adventure is out there" is my absolute favorite! Love!

RIP Robin Williams

Dead Poets Society, 1989

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As a lot of people are, I'm so saddened by the death of Robin Williams. He was such an amazing actor and he really made my childhood smile. I've been having a movie marathon of his movies (raise your hand if you have been too) and it's just unbelievable that he's not around anymore :(

 

Also I want to write on here that if you're having trouble and it seems like there's no one to go to or no where to turn, please please call the National Suicide Prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255. Robin made people smile when he wasn't even happy himself and we should take a minute to thank this man.

Patrick, of Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

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Face to face with Patrick -- a famous Instgrammer. This is so interesting! It's weird how people rely so much on their phones now because carrying around an SLR camera "isn't as easy to manage" and "too much baggage". He answers questions about Instgram and his life, check it out!