The 2011 Review

 {via.}

I found this on Holly's blog, and I loved the idea of reviewing 2011  before moving on to 2012. I think it's fun to see how much things have changed over the years by doing some review like this every year. If you decide to do something like this too, let me know in the comments so I can go read yours too. :)

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

I mean, I guess graduating from college counts! Haha. I also went to Canada on a trip with friends (first just-friends trip!) and I studied abroad in China. I also created my official Valorie Clark Photography blog (and am still accepting clients for 2012 - contact me there)! 

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I did make resolutions, and I did keep 2/3! I think that's very impressive, for me at least. 

(Which fell apart? Project 365. :c )

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, but my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, which was very troubling to me. She's doing well, but at 86, any sickness is tough for her to beat. 

5. Did you visit anywhere exciting?

I went to Montreal in January, I studied abroad in China over the summer, and I went to Washington D.C. (and decided to move there!) in October.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

A budget! I'm so so so bad at budgeting I need to figure one out for myself. 

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Oh man, I don't know. I'm bad with dates. My boyfriend and I started dating on January 27th. We graduated from college on December 17th.

 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Graduating from college FOR SURE!

9. What was your biggest mistake?

I try not to think about it. We all make mistakes, the best way to deal with them is to learn from them then move on.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

For once, I think all I was sick with was some colds. Some bad ones, but just various colds.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Definitely my Erin Condren planner! Most organized I've ever been, for real.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My boyfriend! He has been wonderful all year, especially during all the thesis writing stress.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

No one made me depressed, though one person's made me appalled. That's the most I'll say though. 

14. Where did most of your money go in 2011?

Gas (ugh), clothes, and coffee dates.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

So much! There was a lot to be excited about - I studied abroad, I graduated from college, I got a great internship working for a company that does work I'm passionate about - 2011 was a pretty exciting year over all. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Closing Time, by Semisonic. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Happier, absolutely.

ii. thinner or fatter? I think I weigh roughly the same. Maybe a few pounds lighter.

iii. richer or poorer? About the same, I think. Maybe a little richer from all the graduation presents.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

I wish I'd saved more money, I wish I'd gotten better grades in the spring, and I wish I had done more of the things I'm the most passionate about.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

I wish I'd spent less money on frivolous things, and I wish I'd sat at home less.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

The same way I always spend it. :)

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?

I sure did. :)

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Friends, as always, though I also discovered How I Met Your Mother and loved it too. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Hate is too strong. Dislike? Not really. I think it was a good year for friendships.

24. What was the best book you read?

Hmm... I read so many this year. I really loved Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (one of the writers of The Office).

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Adele. I discovered her literally on January 1st last year and spent all year in love with her voice.

26. What did you want and get?

Tough. I wanted to kick start my photography business and I think I did an okay job. You tell me.

27. What did you want and not get?

A greyhound. But that's what 2012 is for. :)

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 21 this year, and since I was in China it wasn't a big deal at all (the drinking age there is 18 whenever you can see over the counter). My parents were visiting me though, so that was nice. I had dinner with them at a nice Italian restaurant right in the heart of Shanghai, haha.

29. What's one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I don't think anything. I mean, this was a pretty good year, all in all.

30.  How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Whatever Pinterest suggested! Haha. No, uhm, fall was a lot of boots over jeans and leg warmers, with basic tops and blazers. I find myself very inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge, Reese Witherspoon, and Zooey Deschanel.

31. What kept you sane?

Lots of hugs and kisses from the boy, as well as plenty of phone dates with friends.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Rupert A. L. Grint and Ryan Gosling.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

I pay attention to politics a lot, so I've kind of gotten to the point where none of it really shocks me. SOPA really irritated me though.

34. Who do you miss the most?

Hmm, I missed my friends Katie and Cyndi the most, because I hardly saw them all year. I also missed my family a lot - some I hadn't seen since 2010! But once I go to California in January, I'll have seen everyone. :)

35. Who was the best new person you met?

The boy, hands down. Technically we met in 2010, but we never held a conversation until we went to Montreal together.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?

Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself.

37. What are your new years resolutions for 2012?

I'm not quite sure yet. But my word for 2012 is Explore. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have a wonderful 2012 everyone, and I hope you enjoyed 2011. :)

 

the one with the 18 thank yous.

I graduated from college about two weeks ago.

It went by fast, that whole part of my life. I spent 17 years in school, 18 if you consider that pre-pre-K thing my mom sent me to.

In that time, I realized that life is made up of four distinct groups of people: Your heroes, your teachers, your peers, and your students. Your heroes are people you may never meet, but who affect your life through their lives. Your teachers are people you know, who guide you on your path and help you to find yourself. Your peers are those people on the same path as you, or similar ones at the same time. And your students are those that you pass your knowledge on to, that you become a teacher for.

We are all all of these roles. We are each someone’s hero, someone’s teacher, someone’s peer, and someone’s student, even if we don’t know it. Through those roles, we pour into one another, giving a little bit of ourselves and taking a little bit of everyone else in order to become who we all are. And in recognition of those roles and the beautiful life inherent within them, here are 18 thank yous to my heroes, my teachers, my peers, and my students, many of which are quite frankly beyond overdue.

My mom, for the way she dances when she’s excited, for teaching me that the American dream is still available to those who work for it, and for starting my love affair with travel and being anywhere but here. My dad, for showing me that the strongest person in the room isn’t always the loudest, for always being supportive of my goals, and for reminding me that to achieve them, I am going to have to work for them. My grandma, for giving me the best advice in the sweetest of fashions, for teaching me how to cook, and for instilling in me the belief that good Southern proper manners are still fashionable.  My cousin Jackie, for helping me learn to follow my instincts and to be who I am, regardless of what society dictates for me.

Sydney, for showing me that true friendship spans all times and all places, and that you don’t have to see each other every day or even every year to be incredibly close. Cyndi, for agreeing that the two of us could say anything we ever needed to the other, no holds barred. Katie, for showing me that sisters aren’t always biological, and Katie’s family for adopting me in as their fourth child and being almost as involved in my life as my biological family is. Mike, who for the past year has shown me what real love looks like, has been an unending source of support and hugs, and has often believed in me more than I believed in myself. 

Mrs. Pearson, who in 7^th grade English class showed me that writing was the thing I was really passionate about, and Dr. Greenwald, who just a year ago sat me down to tell me to stop being afraid of my own talent, and to chase after my dreams, because no one was going to. J.K. Rowling, who created a world I was utterly enthralled by, and gave me something to hold in my hands and say, “this, this is what I want to do.” Jared Tseng, who sat down with me and taught me how to become a professional photographer, how to follow my art, and is still one of the wedding photographers I’m the most inspired by.

Dr. Smith, for exceeding my expectations of how much therapy can help and for giving me the tools to take care of myself, to save myself, and to love myself. Every man I ever dated, the douches and the nice guys, who let me fall in love with them, let me fall out of love with them, and helped me figure out not only what I want, but what I deserve in the man I’ll someday marry. The little kids I taught to swim, because they showed me that compassion, patience, and a little silliness can sometimes be more important than outright hard work. All you blog readers, for showing me that community is not limited by geography and that unwavering support can come from people whose faces you’ve never seen. Finally, all the bloggers who have confronted their quarter-life crises, and through those confrontations have shown me that there is a way to become the best version of yourself and it’s not always the way society says it should be done.

So thank you guys. Thank you for helping me on the path to the Grown Ass Woman I’ve (almost) become, and thank you for doing it in your own beautiful ways that reflect the heroes, the teachers, the peers, and the students that have poured into you and made you all into the fantastic beings you’ve become and will continue to evolve into.

All of the hugs and all of the love,

Valorie

The Rupert A. L. Grint Update

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I’m sure you guys saw this post, in which I basically just talked about how awesome Rupert A.L. Grint is and used his name a whole lot. This post was written not just because I really like Rupert A.L. Grint, or just because “Hug Rupert A.L. Grint” is on my Life List, but also because using a celebrity’s name eleventy billion times in a post has a funny effect.

Go search “Rupert A.L. Grint” in Google. Really, go for it. I’ll wait.

Are you back?

Did you notice who was the seventh ranked hit for “Rupert A.L. Grint” (besides YT videos)? Was that maybe moi?

Hell yes it was. And hell yes I just spoke French. Because I’m awesome.

I didn’t hit number 3 or 1, like my inspirations did using Kanye O. West and John C. Mayer. I can’t decide if it’s because Rupert A.L. Grint is just that much more awesome than them and so I had more searches to compete with (it is), or because I didn’t use his name enough, OR because Rupert A. L. Grint has two middle names and people are easily confused by that.

Anyway, this is all to say that I hope that when Rupert A. L. Grint chooses to google search his name (what, you don’t do that?), he finds my link and clicks on it, sees that “Hug Rupert A.L. Grint” is on my Life List (number 35, just sayin'), and then chooses to fulfill this lifelong dream of mine.

I imagine that it’ll be this big deal meeting – Blogger Meets Rupert A. L. Grint in Lifelong Dream Come True Story! Of course, I’ll be so embarrassed/excited that all I’ll be able to do is stammer and blush. Actually, scratch that. I WILL BE AWESOME. I will be totally witty and hilarious, which will lead to me being wildly famous as I gain recognition for making the whole cast of Harry Potter laugh. I’ll write a book about meeting Rupert A. L. Grint, and how that one blog post I wrote in December of 2011 changed my life. It’ll be awesome.

Want to get in on this? I know you do. Who doesn’t want to get famous through name dropping, drawing people to their blog, and meeting their favorite famous people?

Here’s how it works: Pick someone kind of famous, someone that people would search for on Google. Try not to pick someone too famous, like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, or JK Rowling. Back on your blog, use this person’s full name, middle initial and all, and repeat it as many times as you can. Go ahead, be obnoxious with it. If possible, link to things within your blog. Link back to this blog to show where you got your inspiration. Google SEO settings like it when you link to other things.

After all that, come back and leave your link here. Leave a comment here. I’ll go back to your blog and leave a comment too. We will win all the analytics and get all the rankings and all the fame!

And if that fails, we’ll at least laugh about it. 

Can't wait to see who you guys pick and what you guys come up with! 

the one about christmas

My Christmas was very low-key. We drove to my grandma's house, where she cooked a huge meal (I tried to help) and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins joined us. We have such a big family we have to eat at three tables to accommodate everyone!

We did presents, my cousins loved the ones I gave them (made my heart warm!) and then we played the most vicious and intense game of monopoly maybe ever. 

It was a great day. :) 

Hope you guys all had a wonderful Christmas. And to my non-Christmas-celebrating friends, I hope you had a wonderful NBA season opening day.

Fill in the Blank Christmas!

  Link up with Lauren at the Little Things We Do to fill in your blanks!

 

1.   The best way to spread Christmas cheer is   to sing Christmas music loudly and obnoxiously while passing out delicious holiday treats, like candy cane bark which is the best thing ever, by the way .

2.   The thing I love most about Christmas is  spending time with my family. Getting ready for the holidays can be stressful, but the time together is so worth it  .

3.  The holiday season is a time for  reflection and goal setting. It's a time for thinking about what you got out of this year and what you want out of next year .

4. My favorite thing to eat at the holidays is   peppermint anything, except peppermints. I straight up hate peppermints. But anything flavored with peppermints is the best.

5.  I will be spending Christmas   with all my family on my dad's side. We all go to Grandma's house and hang out for a few days.

6.  Tis better to (give or receive?)  give! I mean, everyone loves to receive, obviously. But giving is better, more heartwarming.

7.  I'm dreaming of a   cold    Christmas.  It would be nice to have a white Christmas, but I don't think I've ever had a white Christmas ever. It would be nice though. 

What are you guys doing for the holidays? Do you travel to see family, or stay home? Share your plans. :)

RUPERT A.L. GRINT, You've Kind Of Been John C. Mayer'd. And Kanye O. West'd.

Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint. You guys have heard of Rupert A. L. Grint, right? He became super mega famous after playing a certain Ronald B. Weasley in a certain Harry Potter series. You also might have seen Rupert A. L. Grint in Cherrybomb or Driving Lessons, the latter of which I know to be an awesome movie, the first of which I'm just assuming is an awesome movie because it has Rupert A. L. Grint in it.

Basically, Rupert A. L. Grint is cool, and should move to America. Because in America, lots of people like Rupert A. L. Grint. And Rupert A. L. Grint's awesome red hair.

By now, you have probably noticed that I'm saying Rupert A.L. Grint a lot. See, I read this blog called So Caroline Says, and a little over a year ago she blogged about Kanye O. West after another blogger named Aunt Becky blogged about John C. Mayer and a funny thing happened - Aunt Becky became the third ranked Google link when you google his name. Then, in an even more hilarious twist, Caroline became the actual top hit for Kanye O. West in Google.

 Yup. Go Caroline. And Kanye O. West. 

But why should John C. Mayer and Kanye O. West get all the attention? Why does it always have to be some Americans getting all the attention? I mean screw that, right, Rupert A. L. Grint? Why can't a nice British actor, like Rupert A. L. Grint, get some attention from the blog community? I know those posts about Kanye O. West and John C. Mayer were talking about what total douchecanoes those guys are, but Rupert A. L. Grint is not a douchecanoe, so this post is mostly going to be about how awesome Rupert A. L. Grint is instead.

So this post is for you, Rupert A. L. Grint! Rupert A.L. Grint, may you always have adorable red hair. To you, Rupert A. L. Grint, who apparently has two middle names and I mean, what the hell is that about, Rupert A. L. Grint? Is that a British thing? Whatever, it's cool. For you, Rupert A. L. Grint, who owns an ice cream truck with REAL ice cream in it, according to Emma C. D. Watson (again with the two middle names?). To you, Rupert A. L. Grint, who sometimes dresses kind of grungy but looks too clean cut for that (sorrynotsorry).

 

Instead, Rupert A. L. Grint, I will always prefer the photo below, which is black and white so we can't actually appreciate your fantastic red hair, but that's okay. I wish I actually had photo creds for either of these photos, so hey, if you took either of these photos of Rupert A. L. Grint, let me know in the comments and I will give you credit for your photos of Rupert A. L. Grint. And if Rupert A. L. Grint himself is reading this, hi. Tell me who took these photos of you.

Also, Rupert A. L. Grint? It's #35 on my Life List to hug you. And as you're getting to follow your childhood dreams of owning an ice cream truck, I think you can understand that since I went to the premiere of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in L.A. when I was 11, I have had a childhood dream of hugging you. So, Rupert A. L. Grint (and Rupert A. L. Grint's publicist that's reading this), let's make this happen. I'm willing to fly to England. Just sayin'.

13 hours left!

That's right - only 13 hours left to enter that giveaway I wrote about here. If you're wanting for family portraits, a couples/engagement shoot, or just some individual spots, you can win any of those! It's really easy to enter, just go to the original post and do as it says. :) I'll announce the winner tomorrow morning on the VCPblog! Get excited!

It's Closing Time

Everyone knows that song Closing Time, by Semisonic, right?

This song is what my life feels like these days. And I'm sure that everyone that graduated from high school or college from 1998-2000 said the same thing, but I identify so strongly with this song these days that every time I hear it, it moves me in a way very few songs have before.

Closing time. Open all the doors and let you out into the world. 

I'll be honest: As I get ready to graduate from college on Saturday morning, I'm nervous. I'm excited and thrilled, and really proud of myself for actually doing this because I had so many opportunities to not, but I'm also nervous about what comes next. I've always known what the next few years of my life would look like - this is the first time I don't have a plan like that. It's cool and wonderful, and also a lot of pressure. Going out into the world, the Real World, finally.

Closing time. Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.

I keep thinking about that moment when I walk across the stage and am handed my diploma. What if I trip? I probably will because, well it's me and I fall a lot. And I tripped at my high school graduation, so I might as well trip again. I know no one pays attention at graduations, but my family and a lot of friends will be there watching that moment directly in the spotlight.

Closing time. One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer.

My friends and I have been doing a lot of weekly happy hours this semester. I'm going to miss that as we all graduate and move elsewhere.


Closing time. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here. 


I never quite considered College Station 'home,' but I will be sad to leave it. It's true that I can't stay here - this city was good for college, but there's nothing here for me career-wise. It's too small, and I'm going to be working in big cities. Capitals.


Closing time. Time for you to go out to the places you will be from.

I've kept this a secret for a while now, but I suppose now is as good a time to announce this as ever: Soon, I'll be saying that I'm from Washington D.C. I'm spending the holidays with my family then I'll be D.C.-bound after the first of the year. I'm doing an internship up there for the semester then... well, who knows? I've loved D.C. for a long time, so I'm excited for that city to become a place that I call home someday.

So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits. I hope you have found a friend.

I've found friends in college. Some of them are moving to D.C. with me, which I'm excited about, and that makes the move a little easier. I've stayed friends with the most important people from high school. And as cheesy as this sounds, I've made a friend of myself. The most important thing I've learned in college is to be faithful to myself, true to my needs and desires, and to love myself. It was a tough lesson, but the most important one the last three and a half years could have ever taught me.

I know who I want to take me home.



But that's for another post.



Take me home. 

Closing time. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

A Very Exciting Photo Session Giveaway!

As you guys know, I've started my own photography website, Valorie Clark Photography.  A lot of you guys were really supportive of that, so I wanted to make sure I let you know: over there, I'm giving away a free photo session!

What will this session include? 

+Two hours and two locations

+An outfit change

+You and up to three people. So family portraits, couple’s photos, an individual session – anything is possible!

+Any props you want! You can even include a pet or two.

+A CD with the photos after the session

And of course, if you don't want this session for yourself, you CAN gift it! Everyone deserves to have beautiful portraits of themselves and their families and having them be a thoughtful gift from someone else makes it so much better! Getting excited yet? Well here's how you could possible win this: 

+This time, this offer is only open to people in Texas and the Washington D.C. area. (Yes, two very different places. I’m moving to D.C. in January!) (Sorry, everyone else! I’ll be able to travel more in the future!)

+Be a follower of Valorie Clark Photography and leave a comment there saying you are for one entry.

+Follow VCP on twitter and leave a comment on the giveaway post saying you do for one entry.

+Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment at the giveaway post linking to that tweet for one entry.

+Like VCP on facebook and leave a comment on the giveaway post for one entry.

+Blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment letting me know you did for one entry.

Entries will be accepted until Monday January 19th at 11:59 pm CST. So hurry and get your entries in! 

(To reduce confusion, I've closed comments on this post. You have to comment on the VCP post to be eligible!)

Announcing: The Life List

As I draw my 101 in 1001 list to a close (5 months to go, but whatever), one of the things on there (#95) was to create my Life List. I've been working on it for a while now, and I'll continue to work on it as time goes on, but here's the start of it. The list of things that if I don't get done in my life time, I'll probably cry about. Things I can look back on whenever I want and review to make sure I'm working toward getting them done. Life Goals, we all have them.

Some of them I'm almost done with (namely, number 1), some of them are way off in the distance. All of them are crazy important to me and make my heart beat faster whenever I think of them.

1.     Make it to every continent (North America, Europe, South America, Africa, Asia)

2.     Get a nerdy tattoo

3.     Get a Thai massage

4.     Get married

5.     Spend one year living abroad

6.     Give ten gifts for no reason, all in the same month

7.     Get matching tattoos with someone

8.     Do sun salutations in New York’s Time Square on the summer solstice

9.     Own a house

10. Take a photo with a celebrity

11. Kiss under the Eiffel Tower

12. Be an extra in a movie or TV show

13. Publish a novel, novella, or collection of humor essays

14. Have/adopt a child

15. Sponsor a child in a developing country

16. Leave an outrageously huge tip for a breakfast waitress

17. Attend at least one event in the Olympics

18. Have drinks in an ice bar

19. Stay in a Hard Rock Hotel

20. Go to Bora Bora and stay in a hut on the water

21. Travel alone

22. Be part of Improv Everywhere’s No Pants Subway Rides

23. Tour the White House

24. See the Aurora Borealis

25. Go to the Galapagos Islands

26. Show up at the airport with just a bag and my passport. Take the first available flight.

27. Figure out my personal manifesto, then live it.

28. Be a photographer for a wedding (not a family member).

29. Work a bizarre job for at least a month

30. Teach a class or seminar

31. Watch all of one year’s Oscar nominated movies

32. Throw an extremely fancy party

33. Attend a masquerade ball

34. Meet J.K. Rowling

35. Hug Rupert A. L. Grint

36. Bungee jump

37. Email/write a letter to five people who I’ve never met but influenced my life

38. Decorate an entire room in black and white with one red centerpiece

39. Move out of Texas.

40. Contribute to setting/breaking a world record

41. Work for a non-profit

42. Go to a major music festival

43. Go to a couple’s spa retreat

44. See the cities where my parents were born

45. Drive across the country

46. Buy both of my parents something they want but would never buy for themselves

47. Move my blog to it’s own domain

48. Create a holiday tradition with a group of friends

49. Interview/photograph someone famous

50. Sell everything I own except the things I would save in a fire and two weeks’ worth of clothes

51. Ride horses on a beach

52. Own a vintage typewriter.

53. Join a book club

54. Become conversational in French

55. Own a photography business

56. Go on a cruise to Alaska

57. See a photo I took in National Geographic

58. Spend a day silent

59. Get into a yoga routine – twice a week for a year

60. Be a vegetarian for a month

61. Buy a fixer-upper. Make it awesome.

62. Raise over $1000 for a charity or non-profit

63. Hike a mountain

64. At Starbucks, pay for my coffee and the one behind me

65. Take a recreational culinary class

66. Pet a giraffe.

67. Attend one of my high school reunions

68. Attend a blogger meet up.

69. Learn to scuba dive.

70. Swim with sharks or stingrays.

71. Spend a day museum-hopping.

72. Stop whining; Hire a trainer and get back into shape.

73. Become conversational in four languages (English, Mandarin)

74. Go on a wine and cheese tour of France.

75. Take a photo in every country in the world.

76. Throw a drink in someone’s face.

77. Swim with a whale and a dolphin.

78. Have black and white boudoir style photos taken of me.

79. Achieve really cute calligraphy/handwriting

Are any of these on your Life List? Do you have other things on your Life List? Share!

48. Find a New Hobby.

I have. Finally It's called: Pinteresting.

Since I started pinteresting, I have: 

Made wine bottles into vases. 

 Made an empty frame into a jewelry holder.

Made coasters out of tiles. 

 Been crazy-inspired photography wise. 

Made my own bracelets and headbands.

Cultivated a sense of style I didn't have before. 

Made my own holiday decorations. 

Cooked candy cane bark. And Jamie Oliver's crispy garlic chicken. AND frozen chocolate peanut butter banana bites. (All super easy.)

 Started wrapping my presents like this.

And decided that I need to get a phone that can take a non-blurry photo. :( Haha.

Want to see the other things on my 101 in 1001 list? WHAT UP.