What if?

"It is a risk to love.
What if it doesn't work out?
Ah, but what if it does."
-Peter McWilliams.

Note from the Universe.

Every morning throughout the week, I receive a new "note from The Universe" in my inbox, providing encouragement, advice, or just plain affirmation. This morning I stumbled upon one that really stuck out to me, and I wanted to share it with all of you, & ask you--Would you?

weheartit.

Would you ever take a journey if you knew ahead of time that you'd become hopelessly lost, have your heart broken into pieces, and sometimes wish you'd never been born?

Now, how about if you knew ahead of time that on that very same journey you'd also find yourself, fall passionately in love, and live happily ever after?

Yeah, I know, you made the same choice a long, long time ago.
Que bueno,
The Universe

What do you think... Would you?
xoxo,
MADDIE
ps-if you're interested, you can sign up here.

Happy Lewis Carroll's Birthday!

photo by yours truly.

It may be a little late, but... Happy Lewis Carroll's birthday!

"'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to talk of many things: of shoes and ships--and sealing wax--of cabbages and kings.'"

Live it up, darling.

xoxo,

MADDIE

Today is a day to inspire!

Today is a day for excitement. Look outside, the sun is up as usual! What are you going to do today to make yourself happy? Of all of the millions & millions of could-be's in the Universe, you exist. You were born. You are alive. What exactly are you going to do about it?!
How about dancing to the Electric Twist? How about teaching a little kid some French vocabulary? Parlez vous francais? (I leave for Paris on June 1st! Oh la la!) Discover some new bands, try making your own station & getting suggestions via Last.Fm or Pandora Internet Radio. Draw on some fake eyelashes & drench your chapped winter lips in race-car-red lipstick! Have a photoshoot. Dance the night away. Watch old silent films on youtube, or interviews with people who inspire you. Watch the world's cutest boy on Jimmy Fallon. (He's mine, ladies!) Listen to music that inspires you.
Make the decision to be happier, to feel inspired. Many of us are absolutely sick of winter blues & cabin fever, but the choice is simple. I find that making the decision to live a better life is the part that really makes a difference. Make it happen. Live every day like its your last. Even better, live it like its your first.

Never forget who you are. Take great pride in the fact that you are unique. There is no one else out there exactly like you. Take pictures of everything, talk to new people, cherish every moment, and step out of your life every now and then to take a look at how lucky you really are. As I take a look at my friends, the same friends I have had since middle school, I just feel so incredibly lucky. I have the most amazing & fantastic group of insane kids a girl could ever want to hang out with. Here's to you, and everyone you hold dear. To the inside jokes, the laughter, the craziness. To the henna tattoo projects for French class, the motivation, the 3AM phone calls, the shopping trips, and the love that I feel from each and every one of you. And here's to my readers, it was nice meeting some new faces, and I hope to continue to hear from those of you who I have yet to meet.
Make the choice to be happy. Do it today. Love everything. Peace out, baby.
xoxo,
MADDIE p.s. Thank you for all of the compliments! But just so we're all aware, the girl pictured in this post is not me, its my best friend Courtney. I have short brunette hair & blue eyes.. Just in case you thought that was me..? :)

Eet.

I'm getting to a place where everything seems like magic again. As the winter sky is finally lifted of its fog and the sun is peaking out again, so is my happiness. On Friday night I got my drivers permit, finally, (I was supposed to go get it in July), & I'm going to go out driving with my dad this afternoon. I've been focusing more & more on photography and art, and less on the stress of school. I'm finally getting to that point in the year where there can exist a healthy balance between the two. I love the fresh feeling that Spring can bring; a new and clean slate, a happy balance, a starting point. Spring has yet to arrive here, but there was a period of time where all we could see is fog, day and night, and now that the sun is visible again, I have high hopes!

Also, I noticed that I have almost 80 followers for this blog, but I truly only know about 15 of you... Give me a shout out! Let me know you're reading, and introduce yourselves!

xoxo,

MADDIE

Mixtape of the Month.

Eventually I'm going to have to come up with a better name for these... Anyway, here it goes. Here are the songs that I'm absolutely in love with, as of this January.
Electric Twist by A Fine Frenzy.
I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance by Black Kids.
Let's Go Bowling by Camera Obscura.
Lived in Bars by Cat Power.
Magic Perfume by Charlyne Yi.
Goodbye by Elephant Parade.
Carol Brown by Flight of the Conchords.
Naked As We Came by Iron & Wine.
Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson.
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.
*12/26 by Kimya Dawson.
Icicles by Let's Go Sailing.
Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li.
Going Away by Meg & Dia.
Sleepyhead by Passion Pit.

Black Hole by She & Him.

There were a lot more I wanted to share, but I don't want to overwhelm you.

On a similar note, I was also wondering where you all get your music? I use Bearshare, but I really hate subscription services, since you don't actually own the music, and most of it is protected, so I can't download it to my Zune or burn it onto CD's. I'm looking, frankly, for a program that downloads music for free, one that is a non-subscription service, and one that doesn't give me malware, viruses, etc. (I've had far too much trouble with viruses as of lately.) Too good to be true? If so, I'm fine paying. Just preferably not a lot. I've heard that BitTorrent is good, any thoughts on this.
Edit: I agree 150% about paying for music that I love. I promise I still pay for the artist's music through Bearshare, I just need to somehow find extra copies to actually download to my Zune, if that makes sense. Thanks for all the tips!
xoxo,
MADDIE (<--oh hey look, it's official!)
**This song was written for the victims of the tsunami only a few years ago, but the lyrics are perfect for the recent earthquake in Haiti. My heart goes out to their nation and to all of those lost in this horrible tragedy. Thank you to everyone who is doing their best to contribute in the cleanup.

What I Want for Blogging: 2010.

What I want for blogging in 2010! Bonjour! As you may have noticed, I've had a severe lackage of blog posts in the last 6 months, which is extremely unacceptable. There's really no excuse, other than the fact that I have had a research paper on women's rights that has eaten my life, and I have no idea what to write about any more. SO, I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to organize everything that I want for my blog in 2010 into one post, to stay organized.

**I want to post more, at least a once a week minimum, preferably twice a week.
**I'd like to really take a look at what Sprinkle Diary is about. Why did I start blogging? To what purpose does this blog serve? What do YOU think?
**I want to start being proud of my blog again, instead of treating it like something to hide.
**I'd like to begin really showcasing my photography, as I improve. Perhaps posts entirely devoted to a shoot.
**I would like to add a fashion element to the blog as well, with some daily outfits, style tips, and a monthly aesthetic explosion, in which I describe everything that I'm adoring that month.
**I'm considering mixing up the layout a little bit. Making the blog posts column wider, and moving the sidebar to the right of the posts. The infamous floral wallpaper would stay, of course. I'd just like more of a focus on the posts.
**Writing, stories, style, art & photography, monthly mix tape, a State of the Union every week in which I catch you up on my crazy life, daily outfits, etc, etc, etc!

I'm also considering a big move. As I started out on blogger, I felt that the pseudonym of 'Sprinkle' seemed fitting and perfect. However, throughout my year of blogging, I feel like perhaps I have grown out of it... 'Sprinkle' is the foundation that everything on this blog is built upon, name wise. I'm considering a move to start going by my real name, 'M-a-d-d-i-e.' What would everyone think of that? Would the sky fall? ;) I just think that perhaps it would seem more sincere. If everyone could give me their opinions on this matter, it would be much appreciated!

This weekend is my Courtwarming dance, (like Homecoming, but in the winter), so I'll be dancing the night away tomorrow night with my best friends, in a fabulous dress. Pictures will be shared, of course!
Au revoir, darlings,
SPRINKLE

Let the Magic of 2010 Begin.

Just to catch everyone up with my life as of lately, I thought I'd assemble this post into a montage of listing. My Christmas was absolutely wonderful, full of snow, twinkling lights, and everything I could desire. I got a boxed set of 30 Rock, Juno, Mean Girls, Baby Mama, and tons of CDs, (Owl City, 500 Days of Summer, Whip It, Ingrid Michaelson, etc), and most importantly, the Canon Rebel EOS XSi. Dude. Whhhhat. I'm so incredibly excited, I can't wait. The pictures I uploaded of Courtney last post were taken with it. It's supposed to help me improve my photography, which I'm becoming increasingly serious about. Who knows?
New Years Eve was spent with my best friends, just hanging out and enjoying the end to 2009.
As of lately, I'm tired of snow, (snow days all week, stuck inside!), thankful for friends, ready to learn, sleepy, obsessed with new music, (suggestions?), waiting for my new dress and Zune, tired of boys and drama, and ready to start the new year.

As far as Resolutions for 2010, I can't decide. part of me wants to go without this year, to remove that added burdon. But I think that without goals, I may just let this year drag along like the rest. So instead of some specific resolutions, I think I'm just going to outline what I want for two thousand and ten.

I want to stop caring so much about what others think, and start embracing who I am. I need to stop taking advice from people who don't have my best interest in mind.

I want to become more and more involved, politically, and stand up for everything I think is right.

I want to become an amazing guitar and ukulele player.

I want to be funnier.

I want to start living for the laughter, the art, and the magic. Stop stressing over school. Maybe then the grades will come easier.

I want to eat better, exercise, become healthier, i.e. the classic new years resolution.

I want to smile more. Laugh more.

I want to get my drivers license and have fantastic adventures.

I want to blog more. Way more. I miss you all.

I want to have the best year & the best decade of my life. By the time this decade is over, I will be 25 years old. Holy cow.

There's nothing else I can think to say right now, except that I thought I'd share the cutest little singer I have seen in awhile. Her name is Kate Micucci, and she is an artist, sand castle creator, comedian, and of course, singer. I'm hoping to interview her for my blog, but who knows. Dream! Haha. Enjoy.

xoxo,

SPRINKLE

ps-yes, I have deleted my twitter, and I won't be returning. Too much internet!