I’ve Been Tagged

So Mikael over at MikShorty tagged me in her post, so I guess that means I have to fill this out now!  Sorry I’ve been MIA for the last week.  I’ve been traveling for work every week, and being in an exhibit hall all day doesn’t lend to blogging.  Promise I’ll get back to it soon.  In the meantime, here goes”

1. If you could have any superpower, what would you have? Why?

The ability to stop time.  There are so many instances in my life where I wish I could stop time, curl up and live in that moment forever.  Case and point: Four years at UW.

2. Who is your style icon?
Celebs I worship: Zooey Deschanel, Keri Russell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Katy Perry, Kate Nash, Drew Barrymore, and I try to hate her, but Cameron Diaz

3. What is your favorite quote?
“Wanting to be somebody else is a waste of the person you are.”-Kurt Cobain, “Promise me you’ll never forget me, because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”-Winnie the Pooh, “This too shall pass.”-my Oma (grandmother)

4. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
I’ve gotten some pretty amazing compliments in the past year, but I’d have to say the biggest compliment, I guess, was being my best friend’s maid of honor.

5. What playlist/cd is in your CD player/iPod right now?
My iPod is so old, and there’s a long story to that, but basically all the music is 2006 and earlier because my laptop was stolen and therefore all my music was gone too.  So, dear iPod is no longer a reflection of what I’m obsessed with right now.  Since I’m too lazy to change the CDs in my car, those are a little out of date as well, but they are: Hanson “The Walk”, Michael Buble “Crazy Love”, Paramore “Riot”, mix CD circa 2004, Lady Gaga “The Fame”, *NSYNC “Celebrity” (hey, you gotta throw back every once and awhile!).  Songs I’m obsessed with right now? The Ready Set “Love Like Woe”, Timbaland feat. Katy Perry “I’ve We Ever Meet Again”, Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”, Hanson “Use Me Up” and “Thinking Bout Somethin”, and anything by Kate Nash, Lily Allen, and Adele.

6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
Used to be a night owl, now can’t stay up much past 10 p.m.  But mornings are rough, too.

7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Dogs. Cats hate me, and the feeling’s mutual.

8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?
I love to travel.  LOVE.  I also do it a lot for work.  But it’s not just about vacations and business trips.  I like going to festivals, seeing movies, wining and dining, planning events, and basically just have to always be doing something.  Wanderlust is a German word, and I’m German.  It technically means the desire to hike, but has come to mean the desire to travel.  When I was little, I had a music box with the German song “The Little Wanderer”, so put it all together, and you’ve got The Lil’ Wanderer!

Madison, I Love You

Der Rathskeller

I don’t even remember the last time I was in Madison.  I always say I’m going to get up there soon for a weekend, visit a friend or two, see a football game, chill at the Vintage and take comfort in being surrounded by multitudes of fellow Badgers.  People who understand why I dream about muggy Summer nights on the Terrace.  People who understand why I squeal when “Jump Around” comes on the radio.  People who know that once you go mac and cheese at Ian’s, you never go back.

My soulmates.

It’s a crime that I’ve been away for so long.  I righted that wrong today.  My mom and I drove up there for Taste of Madison, but mostly just to spend time in one of my favorite cities on the planet.  Even when you never really end up doing anything in Madison, it always ends up being a perfect day.

The campus was alive.  Badger game day meant a sea of red and white along State Street.  I felt home again.

Sipping moscato at the Taste around the Capitol Square.  Chocolate Shoppe ice cream walking along State.  Chilling on yellow and orange chairs on the Memorial Union Terrace.  It just feels right.  Every building holds a memory.  Every smell, a different slice of nostalgia.  I used to never be able to walk down the street without running into someone I knew.

Today, every face was that of a stranger.  Everything was the same, yet completely different.  Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give my right arm to stay there forever.

I left there today with a void in my soul.  Every time I leave Madison, my heart breaks all over again.

Madison is the freaking love of my life.