I told you so you’d see how this whole world was made for you, how it warms when you smile and aches when you hurt. I told you so you could stop being afraid.

I graduated from the University of Iowa with a Journalism & Mass Communication major, English minor, and Fundraising & Philanthropy Communication certificate last month! Commencement was on December 16, 2017, which means I've officially been unemployed for one month today. Yay!

In all honesty, this is such a confusing time in my life. I've never experienced such boredom and relaxation, fear and anxiety, or just overall uncertainty. From one day to the next, I experience such a range of feelings and emotions. One day I'm totally relaxed and enjoying this period of rest and time off, and the next I feel like such a failure for not having found a job yet. Plus a variety of other feelings in between. Through it all, I'm just trying to stay optimistic!

Over the holidays, it was nice to kind of kick back and not worry about not having a job because I was enjoying time at home with my family. But now that I'm back in Iowa City, Ik now I need to stay focused and productive. I spend my Mondays and Wednesdays at my internship for the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature and the other three weekdays browsing jobs online and following up with previous applications I've submitted. I try to give myself a break on the weekends, but I still find my mind wandering and uneasy, my fingers itching for my laptop to look for more jobs to apply. No matter how much I search or how long I look, I still feel like I'm not being productive enough, and nothing will be enough until I actually find a job.

For Las Vegas

I am tired.

I am so tired of waking up to the kind of news I woke up to this morning. I am tired of watching people do bad things in our world. I am tired of becoming used to this.

This morning on the radio, one of the cast members said something along the lines of, "I hope this is the last straw for you." And I cannot help but agree. I hope you are as fed up with these kinds of tragedies as I am. I hope this is the one to finally break you down and make you take action.

Around me today, people are going about their lives as if nothing has happened. As if 58 people haven't lost their lives and 500+ more aren't wounded in the hospital. How have we become numb to this kind of thing? When did it get to the point that another shooting happens, and all that comes out of it is a couple of days of angry tweeting and Facebook article sharing? It's not right. It's just not right, and I won't accept it.

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand to have someone understand, I want so much more than they've got planned

I absolutely loved Beauty and the Beast growing up. I still do. Belle is my absolute favorite Disney princess, and I hold this story in such a special place in my heart. When I heard that they were remaking Beauty and the Beast as a live-action movie, I was excited but a little weary. But then they cast Emma Watson as Belle, and I was ecstatic. Add in the rest of the amazingly perfect cast, and I was simply thrilled, though disappointed that I had to wait two years for the movie to be released.

Well, two years have passed, and I finally saw the new Beauty and the Beast last night. I've tried to think of the perfect word or phrase to describe just how amazing the movie was, but nothing really seems to suffice. So I'll say simply what I said when I "checked in" at the movie on Facebook after the credits finished rolling: Wow.

This movie was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Look after my heart—I've left it with you.

Happy Valentine's Day! Ah, the day of love. I love love, don't you? Love in any form just makes me so happy. Today is such a beautiful day: the sun is shining, I'm done with classes by noon, and it's a day to celebrate love! While it's important to celebrate love every day, many people take the opportunity to do it even more today, so why not join them? I want to celebrate my valentines—yes, all of them because a girl can't have just one valentine! There are so many things in my life that I love, and I want to recognize those things today.

{Now Playing: Spotify's Valentine's Day Love playlist—When did they add Ariana Grande and John Legend's version of "Beauty and the Beast" to Spotify?!}

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

"It will all work out in the end."

This, I think, is my life motto. While I love reading and finding quotes and pinning beautiful words on Pinterest, I think these words may be some of the most important to me. Whenever I'm worried about something, I whisper these words to myself. Whenever something doesn't go quite right, I say these words in my head.

And I think they're absolutely true! We may have to go through some rough and perhaps unpleasant experiences, but things will always turn out the way they are supposed to. They may not end up how we want or expect them to, but they'll always work out and work out for the best. You know I believe in fate and destiny and serendipity (sarahndipity), so I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, which means that everything happens and turns out exactly as it's supposed to. Truly, it will all work out in the end, and it will be amazing.

We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.

My first blog post here on sarahndipity was January 6, 2016, and it was all about my resolutions for 2016. It was a great way to start off my blog, and it's been so fun to write my way through the year. Now, however, it's a brand new year! New resolutions are in order.

Everyone has a different take on resolutions. Some swear by them and make them every year while others don't even like the idea. When I was younger, I always made resolutions, simply because I thought that's what you were supposed to do for the New Year. However, I never really took the time to understand what resolutions really were or why people were making them.

I've decided that I love the idea of resolutions. Some people say they don't like resolutions because we should work on bettering ourselves throughout the year. I totally agree! However, I think there's something so magical about the New Year, a time when we feel fresh and new and as though we have a chance at a fresh start. Resolutions are things we can work on throughout the year. If you think of a new resolution in June, there's no reason to start working on that right then in June! We don't have to wait until December 31 and January 1 to think of resolutions and begin them, but this is the prime time to make these changes!

Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

2016 was...interesting, to say the least. Many people hated 2016; granted, a lot of negative things did happen this year. A large number of influencers and artists passed away, an election divided our country, and violence and hate continued to tear our world apart. I'm not going to try to sugarcoat it: it was a tough year for a lot of people. But I've never been one to focus on the negative. I always try to see the positive, especially in difficult situations, so I'm looking back at the positive highlights of my own 2016.

—To start 2016, I started this blog! It's been so much fun to do, and I have some great projects in the works for the new year.

—My nephew and godson turned one, and I got to spend another incredible year watching him grow and learn. He also said my name for the first time this year (both as "Rah-Rah" and as "Sarah")!

—I got to go on two amazing trips to New York City. The first was in April with Ed on Campus during which we visited a number of magazines and got to visit with editors. The second was in July for Her Conference, which featured great speakers and workshops. During this trip I also bonded with three Her Campus Iowa girls, and they are now some of my best friends.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!

Christmastime is probably my favorite time of the year. I love everything about the holiday season: time with family, giving gifts, the music, the mood, the food. People are so joyful and kind during the holidays, and while I wish everyone could be this way year-round, it makes me so happy to see others so happy and excited during this time. I also think there's something just so magical about this time of year. As children, we believe in the magic of Santa and winter break and just the whole season. It can be difficult to hold onto that magic as we grow older, but there are ways to recognize that magic and spread it around as we grow up.

While it's fun and exciting to receive presents during the holidays, there's something almost more magical about giving. Taking the time to pick out a gift for someone special that you just know they will love creates so much love and happiness in our hearts. Volunteering to give others a better holiday than they might have had spreads the joy of the season. Spending time with family reminds us of the love we've always known. Traditions show us where we come from and remind us what's important to us during this most wonderful time of the year.

I've put together a list of some of my favorite parts of the holiday season. These are things that help me rediscover the magic I felt as a child during Christmas year after year, even though I'm grown up now. We don't have to lose that magic that we felt as children. Sometimes we just have to be reminded how to find it again.

Maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Of course it's because of the food. Who can resist a Thanksgiving feast?! But as I've grown older, I've come to appreciate the bigger meaning behind Thanksgiving: giving thanks.

Gratitude is so important for so many reasons. Not only is it important to be grateful; it's also very important to give thanks to those around you who you're thankful for. Make your thanks known!

There are so many amazing things to be thankful for, and there are just as many ways to give thanks for those things and people and experiences you are thankful for. This year I am thankful for...

People are their most beautiful when they are laughing, crying, dancing, playing, telling the truth, and being chased in a fun way.

This weekend I laughed really, really hard, and it was so great. Not that this is unusual because I really do laugh a lot. I laugh often because I surround myself with joyful, funny people who make me laugh because I think laughter and joy and happiness are so important. Plus, I'm pretty funny myself, and I've been known to crack myself up. Ask anyone.

But this weekend my laughter came from a slightly different place than usual. This weekend my mom and I went to see The Book of Mormon at the newly reopened Hancher Auditorium here in Iowa City. First of all, Hancher is gorgeous. Walking up to it that night, it was all sparkly and lit up, and the moon was huge behind it.

We got inside and sat in our seats and enjoyed some prime people watching. And then, it began. It. was. hysterical. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

How wild it was, to let it be.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and my sister and I went to see Cheryl Strayed speak. Cheryl Strayed is a writer and the author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which is about her experience hiking the PCT. I loved Wild when I read it, but after I heard Cheryl speak, I discovered I relate to her even more than I had previously realized.

Cheryl decided to hike the PCT a couple of years after her mother died. In those years between when her mother passed and when she hiked the PCT, Cheryl's life kind of spiraled out of control. She cheated on her husband, used drugs, and just lived a life she wasn't happy with. As Cheryl put it in her talk, she had decided to continue her life after her mother died in a way that would best honor her. She had decided not to thrive because she couldn't bear the thought of living without her.

Cheryl's absolute love for her mother in as portrayed in Wild is something that I so deeply connected to when I read the book. Simply put: I absolutely love my mother and can't imagine how I would go on without her. Without her mother, Cheryl is simply broken, and I would be the same way if I were to lose my mother.

Be a little kinder than you have to.

Happy September 1! The beginning of a new month means lot of things. First of all, the first of September means the Hogwarts Express leaves today! Yay for another year at Hogwarts. But the start of a new month always means new beginnings and a fresh start. I can't think of a better way to start fresh than to be kind. And kindness is so easy! It's probably one of the easiest things in the whole world because kindness is free. To prove that to you, I've compiled a list of random acts of kindness that don't cost a thing. I dare you to try one out today!

Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.

A new year at school means a new motivation wall! You may remember a post I did in the spring on my wall of quotes in my apartment last year. It's something I decided I wanted to do every year, and I also decided to make every wall different. There are some of the same or similar quotes to ones I've had before, but all of the graphics are different. For today's post, I thought I'd go through all of the quotes on my wall and explain why I chose them.

Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.
This is the quote with the floral design in the upper left corner. I had this quote last year, and it's been one of my favorites ever since I came across it. We spend a lot of time, particularly as teenagers and young adults, wondering what our purpose in life is. We spend this time thinking about what we want to study, who we want to be, what we want to do with our lives. We get so caught up in these thoughts that we sometimes forget to notice what's happening right now and how it might affect us and our futures. Every single thing that happens to us happens for a reason, I firmly believe that {hello, serendipity}; and I think this quote speaks to that. We are all meant to do such amazing things, so every moment is important in the course of our lives. Every single moment or action has a specific purpose. Every moment counts!

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.

Today is a very special day. Today, my sister and her husband have been married for three years. Happy Anniversary, Holly and Seth!

My sister and I made a pact a long time ago that we would both be each other's maid of honor when we both got married. I imagined our wedding days a lot when I was little, but I never expected hers to come so soon.

I remember the day Seth told me that he wanted to propose to Holly. We were in Minnesota for my cousin's graduation party. Seth and Holly were going to Disney World with some of his family the next month, and he wanted to propose in front of Cinderella's castle.

When he told me, my stomach dropped, and my head started spinning. Of course I was so excited for her, so happy for her. But this was my big sister, and everything was about to change for her. If you know me, you know I'm not the biggest fan of change, so while this news was super exciting, it also made me uneasy, nervous.

This had nothing to do with Seth, though. Seth treated my sister so well, and I could tell that they both really loved each other. Again, I'm just not the biggest fan of change, and a wedding is about one of the biggest forms of change there is.

Just help. Make an impact. Show someone you care. Say yes instead of no. Say something nice. Smile. Make eye contact. Hug. Kiss. Get naked.

Ellen DeGeneres is arguably one of the best human beings on the planet. She's kind, she's funny, and she likes to dance. What else do you need?

Ellen has been a huge influence when it comes to my passion for kindness and generosity. Heck, even her last name says that she's "generes." Whenever I turn on her show, I just get so happy and feel so inspired by all she does for people.

I can't imagine how much money Ellen has given away -- or spent on things to give away -- over the years on her show. It's amazing that she uses her show and her platform to make such tangible change in people's lives. I know other celebrities give to charities and volunteer and even have their own charities, but I love that Ellen also promotes kindness and generosity through her show and just the way she is as a person. It's important to do good things for other people, especially when you have the resources to do so, but it's also important to set an example and encourage others to be kind and generous.

Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you still had your mother or father at your back, you’d be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved.

This week my parents celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary.

{Fun Fact: Other things that happened 29 years ago
        -Dirty Dancing came out
        -The Simpsons premiered
        -Margaret Thatcher was elected as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for
         the third time
        -The world's population reached five billion.}

Everyone says it, and everyone says it's true when they say it, but my parents are the best parents in the world. I don't care if everyone says it. It's probably as true to them as it is to me. My parents are the best.

Because it's their 29th anniversary and because they're the best parents in the world, I decided to make a list of the most important lessons they've taught me.

The past beats inside me like a second heart.

Grandma's front door.

This past weekend was filled with violence and loss and overwhelming sadness. I don't understand how people can be so cruel and hateful. It just doesn't make sense to me.

In a world where such tragedies happen far too often, I sometimes wonder if I would be better off hearing about them as a child. As children, we didn't truly understand what all of these things meant. We didn't understand hate or violence or cruelty or even death. We understood kindness and friends and acceptance. I wish I still lived in a world where I thought everyone believed in those things, practiced those things, lived those things.

Go forth and do well. But, more importantly, go forth and do good.

I've always loved the idea of doing good things, and I try really hard in my daily life to actually do good things.

In high school I was a part of an organization called RAK, which stands for Random Acts of Kindness and Rachel's Ambassador Klub. We did various service activities and volunteer projects. Being involved in RAK really triggered my interest in service and volunteering and just plain old kindness. It became one of my biggest passions and my number one goal to be kind.

I started thinking about ways I could incorporate this newfound passion into my future. I knew there would always be opportunities to be kind and volunteer my time, but I wanted to make a career out of it. I wanted to be kind full-time and promote the idea of being kind to everyone I could.

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

As I'm sure you know, Valentine's Day is this Sunday. And you also probably know that Valentine's Day is a day of love. What you may not realize, however, is just how wide the category of love actually is.

Disclaimer: I do not have a boyfriend, and there are no prospects. (That's mostly an update for my family. You're welcome. No need to ask. I'll let you know when it happens, trust me.)

Love is about more than loving someone else. It's also important to love yourself. I love the Oscar Wilde quote that I used for the title of this post because it really emphasized to me that the love you have for yourself will be the love that you have for the longest time during your life.