Beautiful words

Good morning everyone, and happy December! It's that time of the year to reflect upon important events and stow away those special memories so you can cherish them later. I love December- especially in Virginia. It's not too cold and not too warm (my electric bill appreciates this as well!) I can't believe it's almost 2012.

The next few weeks will be a hodge-podge of papers, exams, and project deadlines. Once this semester is over, I am heading home to spend Christmas with my family. It won't be quite the same without my husband here. He's missed just about every holiday and special occasion except Christmas, so it's going to be an experience, that's for sure. On a happy note- I get to unwrap all of his presents :)

Does anyone here make New Years resolutions they never seem to be able to keep? I made a point to start this blog before the New Year because I have not written for myself in such a long time. I get too engrossed in my school work that I can't sit down to read a great book or write about my day. Another resolution I am aiming for is to make myself a healthier me (really who doesn't make that resolution?) But I am excited to try the Couch to 5k program.

We've all heard the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I don't know about you, but I have lately found myself walking past someone and thinking "Wow, I wish I had her fashion sense!" or "If only my thighs could fit into skinny jeans/leggings... I could pull that off!" If only we could bottle up this elicit "beauty" and spray it on ourselves as we walk out the door. I encourage all of you to find that one thing that makes you feel amazing about yourself and understand that we all contribute something amazing to this world. Just a few things that make me feel beautiful: Reading, high heels, and holding a great cup of coffee.

I find so much of language to be beautiful. If my heart could be filled to the brim with beautiful language, I would never be lonely. So- for your aesthetic viewing pleasure- I have compiled a list of some of my favorite, roll-off-your-tongue, heart stopping beautiful words (and their meanings).

Ailurophile A cat-lover.

Becoming Attractive.

Brood To think alone.

Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.

Cynosure A focal point of admiration.

Dalliance A brief love affair.

Demure Shy and reserved.

Denouement The resolution of a mystery.

Dulcet Sweet, sugary.

Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.

Effervescent Bubbly.

Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.

Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.

Elixir A good potion.

Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.

Evocative Suggestive.

Fetching Pretty.

Felicity Pleasantness.

Fugacious Fleeting.

Furtive Shifty, sneaky.

Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.

Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.

Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.

Ingénue A naïve young woman.

Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.

Lilt To move musically or lively.

Lissome Slender and graceful.

Lithe Slender and flexible.

Love Deep affection.

Mellifluous Sweet sounding

Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.

Opulent Lush, luxuriant.

Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.

Plethora A large quantity.

Quintessential Most essential.

Ripple A very small wave.

Scintilla A spark or very small thing.

Sempiternal Eternal.

Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.

Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.

Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.

Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.

Susurrous Whispering, hissing.

Talisman A good luck charm.

Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast

 

Save the words

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a great holiday weekend and aren't too stuffed from leftovers. After many a reheated dishes, I am set until Christmas dinner (I think).

So I'm sure we're all aware that our language is constantly evolving. Each day, certain words become used less and less until they disappear from use forever. Other words are created and used constantly- specifically, technological words (just think, the word "blog" or "blogger" probably didn't exist 15 years ago). This is what I LOVE about language. I love exploring what words make the cut and what words meet their demise and why. You wouldn't believe how many words there are out there that you had never even dreamed existed (like jobler- one who does small jobs).

But enough blateration on my part. (Whattt?) Earlier this month I stumbled upon (literally... through StumbleUpon) a great website called Save the Words. Once you arrive to the site, you are bombarded with words that are becoming more or less extinct. You can click on any word and find its definition, and then learn more about how to bring these words back into use. It's all about- pardon the pun- word of mouth. If just one person reads or hears a word they are not familiar with, it encourages them to look it up and they may just begin to use that word in their own conversations.

The best part about the site is that you can sign up for a Word of the Day to be sent to your email. A great way to try new words and encourage others to become excited about language. I am definitely guilty of only using words I am comfortable with. Here's an interesting fact: 90% of what we have to say is communicated through just 7,000 words.

Just think: Without the right words to describe what we need to say, well... we'd be speechless.

Have a great day, and go explore!

Who I am - and why I fell in love with literature

Good evening!

I hope you (although I'm not sure how many people are reading this yet, as it is still a Spring chicken) had a great Thanksgiving and were able to spend it surrounded with family and friends. My mom and step dad were visiting this week so I was grateful to have some time with them. I thought I would use this post as an introduction to who I am, where I came from, and why I love literature. I hope you enjoy.

For starters, I am Betsy Mayo (formerly Rife). I am 23 years old and an English education major at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Originally from Indiana, I made Virginia my new home 2 1/2 years ago when I married my high school sweetheart who is in the United States Navy. My life has, in short, been a chaotic roller coaster between living in a new place, finishing my degree, and adapting to the military life. But I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world.

I have loved reading since I was a little girl. I loved how a good book made me feel after a rough day. I understood and related to the characters. I loved the smell of the pages. What I loved most was the sense of adventure that traveled through my bones- while the real world was not always perfect, I could escape into Matilda or the Cam Jansen mysteries and become a magic making, crime solving 10 year old (all before dinnertime).

Since then, my reading taste has naturally changed a bit. My college career has molded me into a reader. A real reader. An interpreter. An explorer. I can take a story and fall in love with its language, and appreciate the fact that it could have 25 different interpretations. Each time I read it, it will have a different meaning for me. Nothing else in my life has been so... constant- and yet constantly evolving.

Like I've said, I love words. I love the power behind them (yes, words WILL hurt me, thank you very much). Whoever made up that rhyme clearly has never read E.E. Cummings or Edgar Allan Poe or, heck, it would take eons to finish that sentence. Since attending Old Dominion, I have fallen in love with poetry and short stories. So much fit into so little. And because of this, each word counts. Every. Single. Word. Shutter. That's a lot of power.

Over the course of this blog, I hope to share with you (whoever you are and become) some of my favorite literature and authors as well as personal life experiences. If I encourage just one person to become a more avid and active reader, I will have done my job. I look forward to writing, and I hope you enjoy.

Time to light the Christmas tree! Goodnight.

"Beginnings are always messy" - John Galsworthy

Welcome!

Where to begin? For starters, thank you for bearing with me in this new venture- and adventure. I was inspired to create a blog of my own after reading my friend Katie's (read it here!). While I'm surrounded by words, books, and technology every day, I hadn't found it in me to commit to a daily (or even wheneverish) blog. But I'm putting my foot down. It's time to get started.

What is this blog for?

* A place for exploring the "everyday" to the "out of the ordinary" life experiences

* Following my journey as a lover of literature

* A spot for booklists, favorite quotes, and a model for how books have shaped my life

* Tackling the obstacles of life and encouraging others to become positive impacts on the world

* For all the in betweens

So who am I? Well, I'll get to that later. For now, thank you for visiting and I'm excited to see what will come of this cute little thing.