First Year Field Trip!

Hello! Today's post is a little different. A couple weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to re-discover one of my biggest passions.  The first year studio at the Fay Jones School of Architecture took a 5 day field trip ((5 DAYS PEOPLE!!)) to several different cities, and I would like to share my incredible experience.

Day One
5:30 am bus loading was brutal, but I was back to sleep an hour later, and we were off.  After a very long 9 hours, we stopped in New Harmony, Indiana to see the Atheneum (Richard Meier) and the Roofless Church (Phillip Johnson). This is the moment when everything clicked for me.  All the photos and lectures and sketches and ideas finally became a reality.  I saw my first building by a famous architect that I have long admired and my heart was so happy.  After that stop we were back on the bus for another couple hours until we arrived at our haunted hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. (Side note, the Seelbach Hotel was the inspiration for The Great Gatsby!)

Day Two

Our second day was spent at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.  The shakers are very interesting people, they strived for perfection in everything they built, and they managed to achieve this through great simplicity. I sat in a 200 year old building that was still in wonderful condition. 

Day Three

The morning of day three was spent walking around downtown Louisville where we saw so many different buildings, sculptures, and a park down by the river.  After lunch we toured the historic district (where I fell in love with the cutest little yellow, blue shuttered house), and enjoyed nature for awhile before we headed to hotel number two in Columbus, Indiana!

Day Four

My favorite day of the whole trip! Our morning was spent touring downtown Columbus, a small town full of famous architecture.  And then, finally, I saw the Miller House.  The house that we spent over five weeks studying, the house that I know like the back of my hand, I finally saw it in person. It was overwhelming; it was beautiful and absolutely everything I could have hoped for.  I loved every second of it.  That afternoon we toured three gorgeous churches, and then returned to our hotel for our final sleep.  

Day Five

Another early morning loading the bus.  A long day of uncomfortable attempts at sleeping was interrupted by a quick (and much needed) stop in St. Louis, Missouri, and then back to good ole Fayetteville. Including a deeper knowledge and appreciation for architecture, I brought back with me some newly formed friendships, strengthened old ones, and a severe case of wanderlust. The world is an incredible place, and I cannot wait to see more of it.  I am so thankful for this trip, because it reminded me that those long nights in studio will indeed pay off. 

"Anything worth dreaming is worth the effort to make it come true"  -Eero Saarinen  

    

Happy New Year!!

Happy day one!

When I finally woke up this morning, I looked at my phone and saw "January 1" and there was just something about it that made me smile.  How blessed are we to have not only a new day, but a new year.  Here we are, another year to do something wonderful.  I am so excited! Last night was a blast, I always enjoy the excitement New Years Eve, and I have decided that (seems how today was halfway over when I woke up) I will start my resolutions tomorrow.  No, it is not procrastinating, it is all part of the plan :) I realized I haven't shared my resolutions with you yet, so I will share some of those today.

First of all, I would like to revisit and prioritize my 19 for Nineteen list.  I want this to be something I look at every morning, and live everyday working towards achieving these goals.

Speaking of looking at it every morning, I want to establish a solid and effective morning routine.  I have discovered that my productivity is much stronger during the day.  By about 7 or 8 pm I am done for the day.  Whatever isn't done by this point probably isn't getting done.  With this being the case, I would like to condition myself to be a morning person, that way I can take full advantage of my day!

Along the lines of health and fitness, I need to get back on track. The freshman fifteen is a real thing people!! And while I haven't noticed a major physical difference, I have been feeling very meh lately. I am going to start making much healthier choices, cutting down my portion sizes, stop snacking after 9 pm, and working out at least 4-5 times per week.  I am not trying to "diet" or get a "quick fix," I just want to live a healthier lifestyle,

I also want to start journaling everyday.  Whether its a sentence or five pages, I want to write something everyday.  Journaling is really good for creativity, and it can also be a stress reliever. I also think that journaling will help with my blogging!  Along with this, I also want to read more.  At least 2 new books a month!

Overall, I just want to live a healthier and more productive life.  I want to keep my spirits up and my stress levels down, and these are things that I think will help me to achieve this.  What are some of your resolutions?

Happy New Year everyone!

"Today is the first blank page to a 365 page book.  Write a good one."