Bonjour mes amis!

#11. Visit 10 new countries.

One thing I knew I had to put on my list while making this 30 before 30 was traveling! While I was in youth orchestra, I was lucky to go on three international tours that showed me Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and China. I thought that continuing to see the world would be a great thing to do before I'm 30, though of course it doesn't have to stop there!

11.1: FRANCE

Luckily, this summer my parents decided to treat the whole family to a trip to France! They visited Paris last summer, so this summer the destination was Aix-en-Provence, a region in the southern part of the country. This was my first time in France, and seeing as I don't speak a word of French, it proved to be very interesting indeed!

So, on Thursday May 25, we all piled into the car and drove to the airport. Firstly, I forgot that international travel is time consuming. Flying from Denver, we connected in Cincinnati, flew into Paris, took a train to Aix-en-Provence, then drove 20 minutes into town. Whew. It was exhausting. And stressful. Very glad we left the driving to my dad (though I'm not sure he's so thankful for that.....)!

But, once we got into our apartment (which is right downtown), it was like a dream. Even walking down the streets to get to the apartment was really incredible. We had a late dinner at a little cafe called Chez Laurette, where the guys had burgers, mom had a seafood stew, and I had a salad/quiche/goat cheese dish, which was excellent. We waddled happily back to our apartment, and promptly dropped into bed.

First French meal!

Day 1, May 27: We grabbed breakfast at an adorable little bakery around the corner called Paul and brought it back to our apartment. The other three had a half baguette with jam, coffee, and orange juice. I got a chocolate croissant with tea. After breakfast, we set out to explore Aix! Since it was Saturday, there were tons of markets going on around town. We stumbled upon an amazing farmer's market first, then went to a flower market, and then ended up at a textile and crafts market. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the markets--the produce at the farmers market was beautiful and so delicious, the clothing at the textile market was varied and cheap, and the flower market was just magnificent.

Very famous fountain in the middle of Aix.

We had deliberately left this day to exploring without a schedule and it did not disappoint! We took a short sieste (mid-afternoon nap) from 4-6pm, then had our charcuterie dinner at home before venturing out for some cookies, wine, and people watching. First full day in France was a success!

Day 2, May 28: We got breakfast at a different adorable bakery down the street from us (this will continue to be a theme) named Jacob and brought it back to the apartment to eat. After breakfast, we hopped into the car and drove to Pont du Gard to see some ancient Roman ruins. First up was the museum for the aqueduct built in the 14th century. The museum was good but I quickly got information overload and was anxious to see the actual thing. We got lunch at the museum cafe (crepes all around) and then walked about a 1/4 mile to the actual aqueduct. It was extremely impressive, and a beautiful day to experience it.

Being in France after all that has happened to them
recently was a very sobering experience.
This plaque was next to an olive tree planted outside the Pont du Gard.

After exploring, we got back into the car and went to Avignon, a city 30 minutes away where we explored the Popes' Palace. Also built in the 14th century, this palace is MASSIVE. WOW. I would've been content just wandering around for hours, imagining what went on in the gigantic halls!

Popes' Palace from the outside

The Great Hall

Views of Avignon from the top of the Palace: 

For dinner we found a cafe that had outside seating in front of Basilisque Saint-Pierre. What an amazing experience to dine in the shadow of a church that has been around for hundreds of years!

Day 3, May 29: Today we walked over to the car and drove 40 minutes to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a little village that Rick Steves called "a vacation away from your vacation." Not much was going on here, since it was Monday (apparently markets happen on Sundays, so everyone recovers on Mondays), but we walked around, saw a giant church, had some lunch, and then headed back to Aix. The afternoon saw another sieste. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant, which we had wanted to try since we're so close to the Italian border! It did not disappoint!

My beautiful mama in some gardens!

These waterwheels were all around town. Mom and I only found one, but Max and my dad found ten!

My spaghetti carbonara. Delicious!

Dad loves his strawberries!

Day 4, May 30: This was the day of our wine tasting and vineyard tour! Since this was a separate item on my list, check out my full account HERE.

Day 5, May 31: Today we drove to a little port town called Cassis, where we were also hoping to do some "hiking" in a French national park called Calanques. Cassis was a beautiful if somewhat snobby port town, and the view of the Mediterranean was stunning. We had lunch next to the water (where we found out it's frowned upon to just drink without ordering food, as my brother and dad did), and then started our hike, which we should've started hours earlier to get the full effect. But, we were able to view some fjords and get a better view of the Mediterranean, which was definitely worth it!

On our hike in Calanques

Sailboats up the fjord

Portside!

Once getting back to Aix, we rested a bit and then set out around 8 o'clock to find dinner. We walked around for an HOUR before finding a place (partly looking for a specific dish, partly because places were full) and finally settled into a restaurant at 9pm. The food was unbelievably good, and we found out they had only been open for 3 weeks. We ordered two bottles of wine, then some limoncello, and another round on the house. An excellent find!

Day 6, June 1: Our last day in France! We spent today shopping, where I bought souvenirs for others and myself. Lunch was at a cheese shop; probably one of the best meals we had. Dinner was at a tiny little restaurant off the beaten path which was equally amazing.

Charcuterie board from the cheese shop!

Amy the cat (so named for Amy Winehouse) joined us for our last dinner.

It was an absolutely amazing trip to France and you should all go because French culture and cuisine is just magnificent. And I'd be happy to join you!

Vino vino

#10. Tour a vineyard and do a wine tasting.

Having become a wine aficionado over the last couple of years, I knew one of the things I really wanted to do was learn more about this magical grape juice. There are so many places to do winery tours in Texas, but I wanted to see a true vineyard--and our France trip provided just that opportunity when we went to Chatenueunef-du-Pape ("The Pope's New Castle") in Avignon. We started by getting up REALLY early on Tuesday and driving an hour to Avignon where we were picked up by our guide Jean Baptiste (hereafter JB) at 9am in a minivan. We were on the tour with a couple from Houston, but there were only 6 of us which made it very personal and fun.

We drove to a vineyard in Chateneuef-du-Pape, about 25 minutes away, as JB spouted off all kinds of trivia about the vineyard, the region, and the grapes. We learned there are four different types of soil that the grapes grow in (at least in that region): limestone, river rock, sandy soil and gritty soil. There are 13 grapes that grow in that region, and the wines are made of blends of these. We were given a tour of the winery, including seeing all of the barrels where it ages and where they label the bottles.

Limestone and grapevines

Chateneuef-de-Pape vineyard

Lastly, we were taught how to taste wine! For the first tasting, we had 3 different wines: 1 white and 2 red. I felt like I could start to understand and actually taste some of the flavors described (currant, earthy, leather, etc). The family ordered 6 bottles mix and match to our house, and then we climbed back into the van. JB drove us to the top of the village, gave us 45 minutes to wander around and do more tastings in town if we wanted, and then we would meet for lunch.

More ruins at the top of the hill village!

Wandering down through town

Lunch was at a castle. No, seriously. We ate lunch at a castle-turned-chateau and I kept having to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

The view from our lunch table. Unreal!

After lunch, we drove to another little hilly village and walked through (just to sightsee--amazing!). I've definitely found my backup plan in life...or possibly my retirement plan...

At the next winery, we tasted 4 wines which were very different--I felt like I could actually taste the differences this time! We also got a tour of their facilities, which were very modern: they used metal caskets and gravity for making the wine. The third and last winery was Gigondas, about 10 minutes away from the second one.

I enjoyed the first winery the most, but the overall experience was just fantastic. What a great way to experience this on my list!

7.5 down. 22.5 to go!

Tax Time

#6. (Part 3) Figure out how to do my own taxes, including all terms/definitions.

Last year, I wanted to finally make the leap into adulthood by doing my own taxes. Well, for some reason it ended up being easier for my parents to take care of them, but this year I was DETERMINED to figure it out. Add in a problem with a data breach, and that really add the fuel to the fire to get them done.

So, on one night after a loooong day of teaching, practicing, and class, I decided to start my taxes (note: I do not recommend this. Start when you're not already exhausted!). I gathered all my receipts and all my forms that employers sent me in the mail, and I got started on TurboTax. Inputting all the forms wasn't hard work, and half of them auto-filled somehow anyway. Ok, this wasn't so bad.

Then, I got to the complicated stuff. Deductions. Expenses. Assets. Health insurance. Where do I list my car? My violin? Why did I not keep better track of my income through private students and gigs??

AHHHH. I promptly gave up after realizing this was going to take a good chunk of time.

Night #2: with a glass--nay, bottle--of wine, I was on my way to getting these damn things done. As I listed all my deductions into TurboTax, suddenly it told me I owed $800 in self-employment tax and I was now getting no refund. On the verge of tears and resigning myself to the fact that I may indeed need to find a cardboard box to live in for next year (or just live at Butler...), I frantically texted my dad before giving up a second time and cursing the day I said I wanted to grow up to be an actual adult.

Fast forward to last Saturday. Ok, this was it. Marisa and I had set aside a chunk of time where I could finish my taxes and she would catch up on other work, and then we would reward ourselves with donuts and Gossip Girl. Replacing all of purchases into my expenses (1099 income, where it ACTUALLY belonged) rather than deductions (W-2 income) helped me get a refund that was much more like what I was expecting. After some quick debriefing with my dad and letting TurboTax do most of the work, I sent them off through the internet to be filed. And, they were accepted! Now I'm just waiting on my return. I guess that wasn't so bad after all!

6.5 down. 23.5 to go!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

#9. Get Suzuki certified* for Books 1 and 2**.

(*DISCLAIMER: I didn't know until I started this course that the Suzuki Association of the Americas, or SAA, doesn't actually "certify" you once you've taken a course. All you can do is register it with them, but they know that taking a training course doesn't actually necessarily make you a better teacher. This was a little disheartening, but I guess it makes sense.
**This was originally to Book 5, but I will most definitely go broke and possibly crazy if I try to do another 4 books in the next 3 years. So, consider this part 1 of 2 until Book 2 training takes place. Ok, now onto the fun stuff!)

I've been teaching the violin for quite a few years now, but I've never really had any formal training. My mom used to entrust her students to me over the summer when I was in college, and when I panicked about what I could possibly have to offer them, she told me, "Just make them sound better."

Fast forward to last July (2015), when I got an email telling me I'd been hired as a teacher through the UT String Project. Finally, I thought, I'll get more experience in teaching. Well, little did I know this was only the tip of the iceberg. Yes, I did get more experience, but the number of questions I had doubled and my insecurities did, too. This past August, Dr. Scott (the director of String Project and arguably the leading pedagogue in Austin) announced she would be holding a Violin Book 1 training course. Yes! Finally I could ACTUALLY get some answers!

I grew up with the Suzuki method (I started when I was 3 years old, and yep, I used the box violin), and while it has received criticism as a teaching method, I've come to realize that it is a great option for teachers who are starting small kids from the beginning. The course also dispelled some misconceptions about the method that even I held onto for probably longer than I should have. I don't agree with everything, and I add in other things as I go along with my students, but the biggest thing I took away from this course was sequencing: how to recognize, plan for and explain every tiny little step to your students for each skill. I'm rarin' to go with my students this semester!

January 5: Every Child Can
This one-day, 6 hour course reviews the philosophy of Dr. Suzuki. A huge part of his philosophy has to do with language: all children learn their mother tongue, so why should learning music and that approach be any different? We did some exercises that reinforced this idea to us as the trainees and also watched video clips of the method taking hold in the US in the 1970s.

January 6: Day 1
The first day of the Book 1 training class, we spent 5 hours in the classroom talking about: parent education, parental groups, how to structure group classes, practicing running a group class, the importance of listening, and basic studio ideas/guidelines.

January 7: Day 2
This day was solely for lesson observation. In the training for Book 1 you need to log 28 hours of classroom instruction and 15 hours of lesson observations. Whew! On this day I spent 3 hours watching a private teacher teach 4 students (ages 12, 13, 16 and 6), then 2 hours watching Dr. Scott give masterclasses to students between the ages 6-9, then spent another hour watching the same private teacher give another lesson to an 11-year-old. By the time we were done, I was absolutely brain dead.

Kimberly and I took notes on lessons for 6 hours straight!

My group lesson plan shorthand

January 8: Day 3
Today was for group classes! We had a little less than an hour to talk about categories for group lessons, then some final prep for our group class, and then we dove in! About 8 kids between the ages of 6 and 10 came to UT on a Sunday afternoon to help our group of teachers get used to teaching group classes. It was really interesting to see how other trainees taught, and I got some good ideas for my younger private students to keep them engaged. The last hour of class was a debrief session and prep for Pre-Twinkle, which starts tomorrow.


January 9: Day 4
Finally some sequencing!! Yay! For the first three hours of class, we talked about how to do lessons or group classes with kids who are on box violins. There was a lot to talk about in regard to setup, bowing, and which side of the body goes with what part of the instrument. Then, what kids were expected to be able to do before they graduated to a real violin! We talked about setting the bow hold, teaching the left hand, how to size the violin, how much bow should be allotted for each variation of Twinkle, and what seemed like hundreds of Pre-Twinkle songs. Finally, we talked about Twinkle itself. After all of the talk of the variations, Twinkle seemed like a breeze! I also spent another 2 hours observing lessons. I'm 2/3 of the way done now with my lesson observations!

Dr. Scott adding a balloon to a tiny violin

January 10: Day 5
We started the morning off by observing Dr. Scott teaching an adorable little 4 year old student. Apparently she can be quite the terror on a bad day, but she was well behaved for us! After her lesson, we talked about studio recitals, review, exercises for more advanced bow techniques, and went through the 9 songs after Twinkle. The day ended with a group lesson plan for an Early Book 1 Group class. It was really nice to have the day off from observing--I took a nap and did my own practicing (!!!), and caught up on the reading for tomorrow.

January 11: Day 6
Almost done! Today we started off by talking about the most common pitfalls with early instrument setups. Then, we played through all of the Book 1 pieces we'd gone through so far (10 songs!). We talked about preparation vs. preview, including getting into groups and making a plan for a specific song. We got through almost all of the songs in Book 1--just one left! There was also discussion about how to introduce high 3 and low 1. We ended with a mock group class with all of us, and then I had my exit interview, which was an opportunity for me to ask Dr. Scott any questions. We talked a little about my summer plans and next year, and further training. Then, I spent another 3 hours observing lessons at a private studio, came home and watched another 90 minutes of lessons, and organized my binder. Only 2 days and 30 minutes of observation left!!



January 12: Day 7
We started the day by playing through the entirety of Book 1, then went over the last song in detail (which we hadn't done yet). Then, we talked about string crossings and musical literacy (aka when should kids start learning by eye and not by ear?). A large portion of our morning was spent talking about how to teach kids with disabilities. I did my last 30 minutes of observation during lunch, with a video that Dr. Scott had of an adorable 4 year old student, Ellie. When we came back in the afternoon, we talked about what students should be able to do at the end of Book 1, and for the last hour, two of Dr. Scott's students came to play for us! One was Ellie, the 4 year old (who is now 6), and the other was her big sister who is 11. Pretty cool to see the progression.

The little cutie on the right is now 8,
and I teach him in a String Project group class!

January 13: Day 8
WE MADE IT! This morning we started by taping our bows--putting tapes on our bows the way we will for beginners--and then again played through the whole book. Then, we talked about some added exercises, and a more business-y topic, how to actually build a studio. We watched a short video from the SAA and then made our last group lesson plan for a mixed Book 1 group. Our lunch hour was more of a meeting where everyone shared their own philosophy statements about Suzuki and teaching, as well as one tidbit/idea/game. Everyone had a really great thing to share, and I'm hoping to incorporate some of them into my teaching soon.

It's been a wild ride, but it's done! I've officially registered Suzuki Book 1 training!

5.5 down. 24.5 to go!

Solo climbing

#8. Do a solo ascent of a 14er.

This next one dovetails nicely with my overall goal of climbing at least 30 14ers before I'm 30. I got this idea because I started noticing that while climbing, I rely a LOT on my climbing partners for motivation and perseverance to keep climbing upward when sometimes all I want to do is to go back to bed. Climbing mountains is hard, y'all. It takes grit, mettle, focus, determination, and the ability to ignore pain and the lack of oxygen. I thought it would be a good test of myself to see if I could climb one on my own. And, for those of you who know me, I'm stubborn as all get out, and so anything on that above list that I lack, I make up for by being incredibly headstrong. This was my opportunity to prove that to myself.

At this point you might be saying, "Oh my goodness! By yourself? This sounds so dangerous! What if you  ____  (insert any number of things here: get lost, fall, get attacked by a mountain lion, etc.)???" 
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT MY PARENTS SAID. And I know why they said it. They love me! And sometimes I do things (like this) that scare them. But I feel very confident that especially in the last couple of summers, I've grown to respect the mountains even more. Which means knowing that they will a) always win, and b) always be there. This has allowed me to make better decisions that ultimately determine my safety.

SO. I decided this summer was going to be the summer that I climbed a 14er on my own. After some research, I decided on Mt. Bross. Close to Fairplay and Alma, I chose Mt. Bross for a few different reasons:
1) I didn't have to drive more than 2.5 hours to get to it
2) I had already been around the area last summer climbing Mts. Democrat, Lincoln and Cameron (and since I hadn't gotten Bross, that was all the more reason I wanted to grab it)
3) I knew that if I got seriously injured, the peaks would be popular enough that I could get help
4) There was a trail all the way to the top, so no route-finding was necessary
5) The road leading to it wasn't terrible...or so I thought

So, on the night of August 15, I drove out to Alma and turned onto the road that would lead me towards the Kite Lake TH. This road was worse than I remembered, but nothing more than some deep potholes and washboarding. The hard part was the next road, the turnoff from Kite Lake. Aside from it being unmarked (I went solely by mileage), it was ROUGH: big potholes, tons of rocks, and some dips and puddles that I wasn't completely sure I could get over. But, Helene the Subaru proved her mountain worth yet again, and we made it to the "parking lot" around 9:20pm. 

Some pictures of the road

It was eerie, being up that high and all alone with NO light. I was feeling a little uncomfortable while I was reading Hemingway by headlamp, but as soon as I turned it off and the moonlight was the only source of light, it was so incredible and peaceful that I forgot all discomfort from just a moment ago.

The next morning, I had planned on starting around 4am. But honestly, the dark creeped me out so much that I wanted to wait a little longer. I ended up starting at 5am, and it was still plenty dark. I spent the first mile alternately convincing myself that no mountain lions were around, and that every mountain lion around was watching me. An interesting exercise in mind over matter...

Clouds to the north of me, as the first light started coming over the peaks

The first colors of the sunrise. Pictures do not do this justice!

Hello Mr. Sun!

Parts of Mt. Bross are actually owned by private landowners, and this has created a lot of problems for the accessibility to the mountain. There used to be a huge mining operation on the slopes, but now there are so many abandoned mines and mining buildings that no one really wants to take complete ownership of it and open it up to the public, for fear that they will be responsible for any lawsuits should something happen. However, climbing to the top is sort of a "don't ask, don't tell" thing...except that I'm telling about it now. Oops. Oh well. I wasn't the first and I certainly won't be the last!
As someone who is FASCINATED with old, decrepit, almost-unidentifiable buildings, this route was basically heaven for me. Check out some of the things that I passed on the way up and down!

Any takers?? You could own part of a mountain!

This old mining building was filled with snow!

A definite fixer-upper.

I summitted at 8:20am, just under 3.5 hours after starting. Because of the old mining operations, there are lots of old mining roads on the mountain. They basically all end up in the same place, but I didn't want to risk it and on at least two occasions, turned back and took the other road. I think that delayed me a bit. I met 4 very nice young men from UNC on the summit, and they were kind enough to take my summit picture for me!

Overall, this was a great experience for me. Yes, I got scared (multiple times). Yes, I slipped and fell 100' from my car on the way down (don't worry, just a scraped knee). Yes, I had moments where I wasn't sure if I'd be adding mileage to my hike because of the road. No, I didn't have any big epiphanies about life or myself. But, I learned things, some of which I knew all along. I could do this on my own. I didn't need a climbing partner to help me make it to the top. (Having said that, I also learned that I much prefer hiking 14ers with other people.) My gut feelings were almost always right, and I should pay attention to that more often. I know when I get tired, and I know when to stop and rest, and when to keep pushing through. I also know how to train better for next season. 

5 down. 25 to go!

Random acts of coffee kindness

#7. Pay for a stranger's coffee at Starbucks once a month for six months. **EDIT: I only did it for 4 months. See note at bottom.**

I've always been inspired by random acts of kindness. When I was making this list I knew I wanted to add something like that to it. Since grad school is not a lucrative employment position, I can't donate large amounts to charity (yet!). But, I've found that little gestures that are more personal make me feel better than donating a lump sum anyway, because I can see the reaction immediately.

12/19/15, Colorado Springs: My mom and I were downtown, doing a bit of shopping. There were two men sitting on benches across the street from Starbucks, looking like they were a bit down on their luck. One was playing the harmonica next to a handmade cardboard sign. The sign didn't ask for money or beg for anything; it simply said "Coffee?" It was so simple that it really touched me. I went to Starbucks and asked for a coffee, then went back outside and gave it to the man. They seemed a bit surprised but appreciative, and it gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. 

1/23/16, Austin: I was meeting Marisa at the Starbucks on 25th Street, basically on the UT campus. I have to admit that part of the reason I wanted to go to Starbucks was to fulfill this, because the last 4-ish times I've been to a coffee shop I was the only one in line (and January is coming to an end)! And then it happened again! It's way easier to tell the cashier that you'll be buying the person behind you's order than to go up to a random person and ask if you can buy them their coffee. But that's exactly what ended up happening.
As Marisa and I were getting ready to leave Starbucks to go shopping, there were three people in line. This was my last chance (for the day). So, I went up to the guy who was last in line and said, "Hi, can I buy your coffee for you?" He looked and me and went, "Uh...sure?" 
I explained to him that I was on a mission to do random acts of kindness for strangers (which is mostly true. I didn't want to get into the whole 30-before-30 thing, it felt too formal at the time.), and then he asked me what else I had done. I told him that I'd bought coffee for a homeless man. He said that was a nice thing to do, and after I bought his drink, he held out his hand and introduced himself. Nice to meet you, Neil!
This was all very awkward and honestly I think he was shocked. It was a little uncomfortable for me too, but I'm glad I did it. The only thing is that I wish I had asked him to simply pay it forward: not even the buying part, just the kindness part. If it brought a smile to his face or inspired anyone around us to be more kind, then my job was done.

2/29/16, Austin: Tim was in town. It was 4pm. I had just had a meeting with a student and her dad that was uncomfortable and anxiety producing. Tim and I needed caffeine, badly. The Starbucks at the stadium was closed, so we went to the one at the SAC. As we walked in, I realized it was the last day of February, and thus the last chance I had for this month!
I let Tim go ahead of me and then turned around to the girl behind me, gently interrupted her story to her friend and asked, "Hey, can I buy you your drink?" She looked doubtful and asked if I was sure, and I said, "Yes, absolutely!" She was very grateful and kept thanking me, and then asked if I did this a lot. So, I explained that I had this 30 before 30 list, and that one thing on it was to buy someone coffee once a month for six months. I asked her to simply pass on the kindness to someone else. I think she bought her friend his coffee after that :)
While waiting for our drinks, I found out Camille is an architecture major. She was really nice and appreciative, and all the anxiety I had felt from everything that had happened earlier in the day melted away when I saw how something that little could brighten someone's day that much.

3/29/16, Austin: After our quartet coaching, Marisa and I went to get coffee before going on with our day. We went to the Starbucks at the stadium, and a woman got in line right behind me. Excellent. I turned around and asked her if I could buy her drink. She looked quite dubious, so I hurriedly explained that I was trying to do acts of kindness for strangers. Her face softened and she said, "You are so sweet! I'm also buying a drink for my boyfriend, so I'll buy that one." I really appreciated that!
She asked me if I was a student, and I told her yes, I was a music student at UT. She said she was there looking at the school with her sister-in-law. I never got her name, but she seemed very touched.

I decided to cut this one short because honestly, this was TOTALLY AWKWARD. I really like the idea behind it, but the execution needs to be improved. Regardless, I pat myself on the back for trying, and am still thinking of ways to be kinder to everyone I meet.

4 down. 26 to go!

A little something extra...

I bet y'all thought you weren't going to hear from me for a while, huh? HA! I fooled ya!

Last year when I was just starting this endeavor, I checked my mail one day and this was there! Tim's sister was such a sweetheart to give this to me! It came blank and you're supposed to fill in the states you've visited. Sarah had read my blog and when she saw not only my quest of cross stitching but also seeing the US, she sent this to me in Boston. Obviously it's not done yet but I did a bit of work on it over break and wanted to share! I can't wait to make this a permanent part of my apartment decor.

Thank you, Sarah!