Wednesday, January 19, 2011

This is Me


Charley Brooke
This is me. The creator of this nation.
Twenty one years young.
Pink is my favorite color.
Imma hopeless romantic.
I love the smell after it rains.
I wish my name was Isabelle and that people would call me Izzie.
I'm obsessed with the Titanic.
A total neat freak/super organized.
I'm waiting for something amazing that's coming.
LDS.
I wish I was a princess.
I am going to college to be a doctor in radiology specializing in radiation oncology.
I want to be the girl that changed everything.
The girl that made a difference.
The girl that gave you a story to tell. . . ♥
I'm easy to look at but so hard to see.
Family & friends are the best thing about life. I love them more than words can express.
Fearless.
Happy.
Vintage-y.
Dives for dreams.
Grey's An-addict [obsessed with Grey's Anatomy]
Loves quotes & inspiring others.
Knows faith can move mountains.
Blood type--DC (Diet Coke).
Loves surprises and being spontaneous.
BASICALLY...You're gonna want to know me...:)
and you'll never forget me.
---->Add me on Facebook www.facebook.com/charleybrooke

Believe.

"I have to believe in something right now because without hope, I won't be able to breathe."
-Haley James-Scott

"Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you're pretty sexy and you're taking you time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with."
-SITC

"Nice tries are worthless."
-House

"What is a heart worth if it's just left alone? Leave it long enough and watch it turn into stone."
-Jack Johnson

"Love yourself so no one has to."
-Alex Gaskarth

"So here I am in my new apartment. It's so much colder than I thought it would be. So I tuck myself in and turn my night light on. Wish I'd never grown up. I wish I'd never grown up."
-Taylor Swift

"It's true we don't know what we've got until it's gone, but we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives."

"I adore you.
  I adore your being.
  Every single atom of my heart is
  charged to explode.
  I want to travel to the stars that 
  glisten in your eyes."

"We think we know people, inside out, we think we know what's best for them. We should try to remember we don't even know what's best for ourselves."
-Hayley Williams

"Right now, someone you haven't met is out there wondering what it would be like to meet someone like you."

"Nothing you love is lost. Not really. Things, people--they always go away sooner or later. You can't hold them anymore than you can hold moonlight. But if they've touched you, if they're inside you, then they're still yours. The only things you ever really have are the ones you hold inside your heart."

"The stolen glance is the oldest trick we know, yet definitely the most obvious sign of hidden admiration."

"Every day you want is one day you'll never get back."
-One Tree Hill

"Feelings drive you around for hours before they drop you right back where you started."
-Blair Waldorf  


"We're friends, real friends, and that means no matter how long it takes, when you finally decide to look back, I'll be here."
-Grey's Anatomy


"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."
-Optimus Prime


"Expectation is the root of all heartaches."


"You've got to live life, not just think about it."


"With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?"
-Oscar Wilde


"True love not only accepts things that have happened, but also things that will happen and things that will never happen."


"I think it's more interesting to see people who don't feel appropriately. I relate to that, because sometimes I don't feel anything at all for things I'm supposed to, and other times it's like I feel too much. It's not always like it is in the movies."
-Ryan Gosling


"You can't control when you lose your heart. The only thing you can do is trust, trust that person who has your heart realizes it's value."
-Grey's Anatomy


"There is goes again. That heavy feeling in your chest when you don't feel any desire to speak or move. All you want to do is close your eyes and sleep, because the process of being broken is incredibly exhausting. You attempt your best to make your days fulfilling, but no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to connect to anyone or anything."


"We don't discover humility by thinking less of ourselves. We discover humility by thinking less about ourselves."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf


"Love is not a because, it's a no matter what."


"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."
-Jimmy Johnson


"Love is something like clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out, you cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play."
-Helen Keller


"I'm not the silly romantic you think. I don't want the heavens or the shooting stars. I don't want gemstones or gold. I have those things already. I want a steady hand. A kind soul. I want to fall asleep, and wake, knowing my heart is safe. I want to love and be loved."


Things I need to remind myself.
*This is only temporary.
*Nothing lasts forever.
*Be positive.
*Everything takes time.


"Every accomplishments starts with the decision to try."


"A real girl isn't perfect. A perfect girl isn't real."


"Happiness is a choice and I'm choosing it."


"We sometimes think we want to disappear but all we really want is to be found."


"I've learned it's important not to limit yourself. You can do whatever you really love to do, no matter what it is."
-Ryan Gosling


"The theme for me is love and the lack of it. We all want that and we don't know how to get it, and everything we do is some kind of attempt to capture it for ourselves."
-Ryan Gosling


"As in life, your mind can be the hugest obstacle or tool, depending on how you choose to use it. And I find that a lot of people who are successful in life say, 'I can do this, and I will do this.' Their minds don't get in their way, whereas people who wake up and say, 'Oh, I can't,' their mind is in their way, and it's going to stop them from doing what they need to achieve their dream."
-Hilary Swank


"Celebrate everyone's uniqueness."
-Hilary Duff


"You are more than what you're going through."


"I need someone who is prepared for a million questions, uncontrollable laughter, my family, my appetite, my friends, deep talks, my imagination, my dreams, walks in the rain, pointless drives, and has a lot of patience."


"When people still think you're at your best when they see you at your worst, they're the ones worth keeping."


"You're young. You're not yet married, so go with the flow; laugh tons, use manners, and try something new. Will you just kiss him already? Trust your feelings, introduce yourself, take a chance, study hard, seek happiness. Don't laugh at people's dreams, make wishes on 11:11, challenge yourself, take pictures and appreciate the moment. Play dress up. Have the time of your life."


"When you think you're not happy with your life, always think that someone is happy simply because you exist."


"When you're struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through."
-Dear John


"I'd much rather be a woman than a man. Women can cry, they can wear cute clothes, and they're the first to be rescued off sinking ships."
-Gilda Radner


"To love somebody is not just a strong feeling--it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision?"
-Rick Ross


"The cure for anything is salt water--sweat, tears, and the sea."
-Isak Dinesen


"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
-Michael Jackson


"What's the point of wiping away tears in the first place when there's just more overflowing?"
-Elaine Lee


"You don't have to be blood to be family."
-George Feeny, Boy Meets World


"It matters now what someone is born, but what they grow to be."
-J.K. Rowling


"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life--whether I'll see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."
-Elizabeth Gilbert


"I'd rather be 9 people's favorite thing than 100 people's ninth favorite thing."


"Loneliness is not a lack of company, loneliness is lack of purpose."
-Quiliermo Maldonado


"Life's too short. . . to fight, to be miserable, to let the bitter ones change how awesome you are."
-Peyton Sawyer, One Tree Hill


"What's the best way to make your dreams come true? Wake up!"


"I'm a war of head versus heart,
  And it's always this way.
  My head is weak, my heart always speaks,
  Before I know what it will say."


"Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is going to come from. The next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you're wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make a wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it, with all your heart."
-Lucas Scott, One Tree Hill










Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The WHITE HOUSE

My little brother Christian and I get to go inside the White House!!! This is a picture of us from a long time ago, but we get to go together to the White House. I am beyond excited. It will be one of the greatest experiences. I am chaperoning him and his friends on American Heritage Tour over Spring Break. It will be a blast :) I just had to share that because I am so excited and I just can't hide it.

Sleepless in Seattle (well I wish the latter part of that sentence was true).

I am sleepless, but unfortunately not in Seattle. I cannot sleep to save my life. I have had insomnia for years. I can't stand it. I try so hard to sleep but my mind keeps racing in circles. So I'm going to vent about it here and find some inspiration (maybe? haha) in the situation. I just re-read an incredible book by Jodi Picoult called Nineteen Minutes and I recommend it. There was a quote in there that describes exactly the type of things I think about when I can't sleep: "Do you know there are moments when the world moves so slowly you can feel your bones shifting, your mind tumbling? When you think that no matter what happens to you for the rest of your life, you will remember every last detail of that one minute forever?" Yeah my mind races with those thoughts and homework and planning things that never happen and other pointless things that keep me awake. 
     Have you ever noticed how the world looks through a raindrop stuck on a window? Everything's an upside down blur and sometimes I feel like that's what my life feels like. Especially late at night, like right now when I cannot sleep. I am completely exhausted but my mind won't stop. When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep and you're never really awake.
     Um wow this is going to be the most random blog entry I've ever (and probably will ever) post. Here are some random facts.
*A one-minute kiss burns 26 calories.
*Frowning burns more calories than smiling.
*The average dream lasts only 2 to 3 seconds.
*Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was composed by Mozart when he was 5 years old.
*The first typewriter was called "literary piano".
*A male firefly's light is twice as bright as a females.
*If you walk and talk with someone, eventually you will synchronize your steps with each other.
OHHH! And I read the cutest "fact" the other day. I am not sure if it's true, but I've heard studies based on it and cases where it's been proved to be of truth. Anyways, it makes me smile and so here is the quote.
"If you were to press your heart up against somebody else's heart, eventually your hearts will start beating at the same time. And two little babies in an incubator, their hearts will beat at the same time. Love that. So if you have somebody in your life that is prone to anxiety, like myself, and if you happen to be a calm person you could come up and hug me heart to heart and my heart hopefully would slow down to yours. And I just love that idea or maybe yours would speed up to mine. But either way, we'll be there together."
      Here is some more useless information for you haha...
*The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear isn't the ocean but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
*The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.
*It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.
*Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die.
*The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.
Well I can't really think of anything positive or inspiring about insomnia, but hopefully reading this random post made you smile or made you tired because you found it ridiculous. I'll leave you with this quote by Dale Carnegie.
"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep."

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sparkling





































































Dear You

I love you :) Everyone of you who reads my blog. It makes my day knowing that people appreciate this and that maybe it inspires you. Thank you to all of you! I have readers from all over the world in Australia, Egypt, Europe, Singapore, Canada, The United States, and more. It's so wonderful. You are incredible and amazing and don't let anyone tell you differently! I'd love for you to leave comments or add me on Facebook www.facebook.com/charleybrooke. Keep reading and I'll keep posting! I love my Inspiration Nation. 

My Decorating Skills

I absolutely love interior design with a passion. If I had millions and billions of dollars, I would buy my dream house and design it from scratch, from inside my mind. I would buy all of my family and friends houses and design them and go all out! Someday, I will build and own my dream house (obviously with help from builders and what not). I am not an interior designer. I have taken some classes in high school and college in interior design. It's a hobby of mine. These are pictures of my bedroom in my college apartment. I'm no professional or Martha Stewart, but with my budget and style I think it's pretty cute. :)
 This is my bulletin board collage. I love making collages :) It's full of pictures of me and friends and family, and also pictures of things I love.


 I am so in love with Nicholas Sparks books and movies, if you couldn't tell by my posters ;) I can't paint my room though because I'm renting or you know I would!


 I love Grey's Anatomy, but if you know me at all, this is basic Charley knowledge.


 My Titanic collage and Always Kiss Me Goodnight sign. I love vintage signs.


 My bed.


 My lamp and wallflower and mirror and me :)


 Part of my DVD collection.


 My closet and more vintage signs.


Another view of my bed.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Nothing.

People ask, "What's the matter with you?" And I say, "Nothing". Nothing slowly clotting my arteries. Nothing slowly numbing my soul. Caught by nothing, saying nothing, nothingness becomes me. When I am nothing, they will say, surprised, in the way they are forever surprised, "But there was nothing the matter with her."
     Sometimes I can't even make myself get out of bed. I just don't want to see anyone. I'd much rather be alone. But at the same time, being alone is what makes me feel this way. I want somebody to show me that I am worth saving. I need somebody to show me that I am not going to be alone forever.
     ...But maybe I will be alone forever and need to just accept it and stop waiting, wishing for, and wondering about someone who is never going to come.
     Lately, I've been thinking about Disney princesses and how awesome and brave they are. They have to be strong and brave because their princes aren't, with the exception of Aladdin. These princesses have to risk their lives for these stupid boys who are clueless! And I bet they don't live happily ever after more than half the time. Is love really worth it?
     However, I must remember that I am never alone. Everyone wants to live a fairytale. Everyone wants a perfect lie, but what makes up a fairytale? Is it truly the pain and the strife? What would a fairytale be without a damsel in distress? She would never meet prince charming, would never dance in her dress. You see you can't have a story with just a beginning and an end. You have to be broken to be able to mend. Without the dark, there'd be no light. Without the wrong, there'd be no right. Every story can have a perfect ending. You just have to wait and work for it. 

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

New Quotes :)

"A lot of people don't muster the courage to live their dreams because they are afraid to die."

"You should set goals beyond your reach so you always have something to live for."
-Ted Turner

"Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval."
-Thomas S. Monson

"The reward of eternal life requires effort."
-Thomas S. Monson

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
-C.S. Lewis

"Take a second out to think about this: in your life you search and search for the right person for you. Every time you break up with someone you get one step closer to that person. You should look at moving on as getting closer to meeting the one."
-Ian Philpot

"We all make choices but in the end our choices make us."

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."
-Buddha

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
-C.S. Lewis

"40 Years ago The Beatles asked the world a simple question. They wanted to know where all the lonely people came from. 400 years ago another well known English guy had an opinion about being alone. John Donne. He thought we were never alone. Of course, it was fancier when he said it. 'No man is an island entire unto himself.' Boil down all that island talk and he just meant that all anyone needs is someone to step in. . . and let us know we're not alone. And who's to say that someone can't have four legs? Someone to play with or run around with or just hang out."
-Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy

"There's an old proverb that says you can't choose your family. You take what the fates hand you. And like them or not, love them or not, understand them or not, you cope. Then there's the school of thought that says the family you're born into is simply a starting point. They feed you and clothe you and take care of you until you're ready to go into the world and find your tribe."
-Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy

"They were like people who run to meet holding out their arms, but their aim is wrong, they passed each other and kept running."
-Anne Tyler, The Accidental Tourist

"It's safe to fall if you just trust the ground that you stand on."
-Midtown

"Love is blind, they say. But isn't it more that love makes us see too much? Isn't it more that love floods our brains with sights and sounds, so that everything looks bigger and brighter, more lovely than ever before?"
-Susan Fletcher

"We all want to grow up. We're desperate to get there. Grab all the opportunities we can to live. We're so busy trying to get out of that mess, we don't think about the fact that it's going to be cold out there. Really freaking cold. Because growing up sometimes means leaving people behind. And by the time we stand on our own two feet, we're standing there alone."
-Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy

"I am strong because I know my weaknesses. I am alive because I'm a fighter. I am wise because I've been foolish. I laugh because I've known sadness."

"Love me or hate me. Both are in my favor. If you love me, I'll always be in your heart. If you hate me, I'll always be in your mind."

"Life's not about the people who act true to your face. It's about the people who remain true behind your back."

"You may not always end up where you thought you were going but you will always end up where you are meant to be."

"If you act like someone you're not, pretty soon that's who you become."
-Vanessa Hudgens

"There is a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying."
-Sarah Dessen

"Life is for deep kisses, strange adventures, midnight swims, and rambling conversations."

"Sometimes what you want isn't always what you get, but in the end, what you get is so much better than what you wanted."

"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace."
-Chuck Paluhniuk

"Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another."
-Desmond Tutu

"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep."
-Dale Carnegie

"True love is an act of total surrender."
-Paulo Coelho

"My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of 'I could have.' 'I should have.' We can sleep in a storm."
-Mitch Albom

"Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too--even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling."
-Mitch Albom

"No one can change a person, but someone can be a person's reason to change."
-Spongebob

"When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep and you're never really awake."

"It was the end of a decade but the start of an age."
-Taylor Swift

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity."
-Henry David Thoreau

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"
-John Green