My life has changed a ridiculous amount in the last 24 hours. Yesterday, I was driving around the outskirts of Boston with my wonderful boyfriend - today, I am starting the process of planning a move back to the small town in Oregon where I am from. How did so much change? A combination of luck, coincidence, and, I'm hoping, some sort of fate.

Long story short, after a way in the woods and swimming in Walden Pond, I was missing the small town life. I wrote a friend from high school who I knew was practicing immigration law in the Rogue Valley, asking about job prospects. He told me of a local Legal Services opening. I applied. They offered me the job 24 hours later.

It is admittedly one of the craziest decisions I've ever made. My first day of work as an attorney is less than 3 weeks and over 2000 miles away. And yet in some ways, the decision makes sense - I have wanted to move back west, to be closer to my parents, and this is the work I have always wanted to do.

My boyfriend, Adam, is wonderful enough to be embarking on a cross-country road trip with me, and is even considering a permanent move to the best coast. Who knows what adventures are in store for each of us.

In making this huge decision, I asked a lot of people in my life - how do you know what the right decision is? How do you know the difference between fear of change and challenge and legitimate doubt? Hearing everyones answers was amazing, and I hope to do more thinking and writing on the topic of change and trusting your instincts soon.

Till then - I've got a lot of packing and planning to do!

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A little girl rocks some daily affirmations. “I like my hair cuts! I like my pajamas! I like my stuff! I can do anything good!”

Great/interesting short piece: "I'm A Criminal And So Are You."

Image: "You're A Winner" - sometimes it's hard to believe, but Gemma Correll makes it seem almost true.

Yelp Yack: a waitress illustrates "smug" Yelp reviewers. Pretty funny.

My mom has a fold-out sewing box sort of like this, which makes me particularly fond of this post.

Love this idea of a popsicle bar - so perfect for summer.

Being the stylist for J. Crew shoots in fancy locales? Maybe the best job ever.

In case I needed yet another reason to love Mindy Kaling, she's giddy over Robert Downey Jr., just like me....

A tour of street vendors in Portland, OR - I love that city! And here's a list of some other great spots in Portland.

OK, OK, I'll give some love to my current city too - a walking map of Boston (albeit a pretty small chunk of Boston).

Images.

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Good News

I just realized that, somehow, I forgot to tell all you wonderful people out there in blogland that I passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam! I found out a few weeks ago and, especially since it was my second time taking the exam, I could not have been more ecstatic at the news!

Unfortunately, the thrill has dampened somewhat, as I'm still on the market for a job and, as we all know, it's rough out there....but I'm trying to hold on to the sense of pride and accomplishment I felt when I first found out. Why is it so easy to cling to failure and disappointment and seemingly so much harder to retain that sense of joy and self-satisfaction of achievement?

Image: artwork by Lena Wolff.

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A dad's blog of the crafts he makes for his kids - so wonderful! And on that note, "5 minute marvels encourages kids & parents to draw a little every day"

How to make the NYTimes "most e-mailed" list - the intersection of "awe-inspiring," "emotional," "positive, " and "surprising"

I love this photo of a boy on the way home from a chess tournament - great pic, great story.

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While I admit that I'm a fan of the TV show, I totally loved this article: Why I (Really, Seriously, Truly) Hate Carrie Bradshaw.

"Righteous open-letter rant from mom of a gay boy in a small town"

I'm head over heels in love with this animated short of a StoryCorps interview between a mom and a son. I love the honesty, the humor, and the love. Absolutely beautiful.

Ranunculas! Maybe my favorite flower....

Prison Law Blog summarizes and comments on recent important SCOTUS decisions.

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The 10 Commandments of Pop Culture Feminism. Interesting.

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The NYTimes on women, wages, and raises. One of my goals is to learn to better negotiate - salary, benefits, and generally.

"More Mentally Ill Persons Are in Jails and Prisons Than Hospitals"

“Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.” - Zadie Smith

"it is extrodinary how fast the earth rebuilds itself after a harsh winter. in just the first few days of spring sprouts poke their heads upthrough the snow-wet soil. it is extrodinary how fast we rebuild ourselves after we feel the most lost/empty/hurt. in just a few days/months/moons we begin to once again lift our chins towards the sky. burst & bloom." Source.

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I love the idea of this Five Year Diary - only having space for a few lines a day takes so much pressure off!

Happy 50th Anniversary, birth control pill! "Even though 100 million women take the pill every day, to the great relief of 100 million or so of their partners, the terror of mentioning birth control is so great that the humongous new health care reform act has managed to avoid bringing it up at all. Advocates are hoping that when the regulations are finally written, they will require health insurance to cover birth control pills like any other drug. But nobody is sure." What Every Girl Should Know About Birth Control.

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Interesting essay on happiness and the potential merits of discontent.

“I’m not telling you to make the world better, because I don’t think that progress is necessarily part of the package,” she said. ”I’m just telling you to live in it. Not just to endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. To look at it. To try to get the picture. To live recklessly. To take chances. To make your own work and take pride in it. To seize the moment. And if you ask me why you should bother to do that, I could tell you that the grave’s a fine and private place, but none I think do there embrace. Nor do they sing there, or write, or argue, or see the tidal bore on the Amazon, or touch their children. And that’s what there is to do and get it while you can and good luck at it.” - Joan Didion 1975

Yes you are. So you might as well make the best of it.

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* Happy * Mothers * Day *

221 B Baker!

Townlow Boston, a new site on things happening in Boston - added it to my GoogleReader, will see if it ends up making the permanent cut...

In love with this gorgeous summer retreat, both inside and out.

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Love this necklace/ring. Erie Basin finds the best stuff.

Effort shock! Yes!

NYTimes: how liberal is the Ninth Circuit?

Haha! The worst movie of all time? Chasing Amy.

From Tim Wise, Imagine: Protest, Insurgency and the Workings of White Privilege.

Loved Rosalyn Carter's interview on Jon Stewart and her dedication to raising awareness about mental health issues. Admirable stuff.

Mad love for Singles! Good movie, great soundtrack. #ilovethe90s.

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“The lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap and it teases you for weeks in its absence but you’ll fight and you’ll make it through. You’ll fake it if you have to and you’ll show up for work with a smile and you’ll be better and you’ll be smarter, more grown up and a better daughter or son and a real good friend. And you’ll be awake, you’ll be alert. You’ll be positive though it hurts and you’ll laugh and embrace all of your friends and you’ll be a real good listener. You’ll be honest, you’ll be brave. You’ll be handsome and you’ll be beautiful… and you’ll be happy.” - A Better Son/Daughter // Rilo Kiley

"And I have a lot of self-esteem, which is amazing, because I’m probably somebody who wouldn’t necessarily have a lot of self esteem, as I am considered a minority. And if you are a woman; if you are a person of color; if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender; if you are a person of size; if you are person of intelligence; if you are a person of integrity, then YOU are considered a minority in this world. And it’s going to be really hard to find messages of self-love and support anywhere, especially women’s and gay men’s culture. It’s all about how you have to look a certain way, or else you’re worthless. You know, when you look in the mirror and think, “Ugh, I’m so ugly, I’m so fat, I’m so old.” Don’t you know that’s not your authentic self? That is billions upon billions of dollars of advertising: magazines, movies, billboards, all geared to make you feel shitty about yourself, so that you will take your hard-earned money, and spend it at the mall on some turn-around creme that doesn’t turn around shit. If you don’t have self-esteem, you will hesitate before you do anything in your life. You will hesitate to go for the job you want to go for. You will hesitate to ask for a raise. You will hesitate to call yourself an American. You will hesitate to report a rape. You will hesitate to defend yourself when you are discriminated against because of your race, your sexuality, your size, your gender. You will hesitate to vote. You will hesitate to dream. For us to have self-esteem is truly an act of revolution, and our revolution is long overdue. I urge you all today, especially today in these times of terrorism and chaos, to love yourselves without reservation and to love each other without restraint. Unless you’re into leather, then by all means, use restraints. Thank you." - Margaret Cho via the awesome Definatalie, via my bff's awesome site NonPlus

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My bff Lisette and I saw this amazing jewelry at a show at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts here in Boston, but couldn't seem to track it down online afterwards - but here it is! Amazing stuff, combining organic forms and blasts of color and texture; I would love to own a piece. Triian.

Lots of new stuff up at NKSS.

Clog love!

On privacy and the Census. As a temporary Census worker, I can tell you that they take privacy very seriously - and as a person, I can tell you that I understand someone's skepticism about giving the government private information. When in doubt, just be nice to your local Census worker and feel free to just tell them how many people live in your residence, even if you don't want to share identifying info - it'll help us out!

From the awesome calivintage, a great roundup of stylish lady bloggers.

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On mothers, daughters, and breaking the cycle of bad body image.

I love these sketches from Mischief Champion! h/t OK Great

What's ahead for Puerto Rico?

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