Coast Confused

Wow, it’s UNREAL how busy I’ve been up until the past few days. In July, I worked at Camp Hafaday at the Y every day from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and then I took Econ: Intro to Microeconomics at Fairfield U from 6:45-9:45 p.m. three days a week. I was also making/selling bracelets with my sister (check out madeby.mia on Instagram) and babysitting and obsessing over White Collar. I was just waiting and waiting for July to end so that I could finally be free and feel like my summer was actually starting, but now that it’s August, I feel like all I’m doing is preparing for school and moving out to L.A. When does life ever stop speeding?!

Anyway, I have a few cool posts to post later– one about a certain food I love to eat and another about some crafty things I’ve been making for my dorm room– so keep an eye out!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

XO, Zoe

It’s scary to think that this is my last summer in Westport and my last summer definitely living at home. So I really want to make the most of it especially because I know it will be over before I know it. Here’s what I’m hoping to do this summer that will make me as happy as possible:

• Read more Since January, I’ve tried to read a book a month but I’m a little behind right now.  I am even keeping a book journal. In my book journal, I write down what I think of each book and some of my favorite quotes and any new words I learn. It’s time consuming but pretty cool to look back on.

• Meditate Both my ex-boyfriend and my high school guidance counselor told me last year that this would be a really good addition to my daily routine because I tend to get stressed very easily and very often. I did it every day for about 3 months earlier this year but I want to get back on track because it actually helped me feel relaxed. I use an app for guided meditation called Breathe.

• Work out 3-4 times a week I HATE working out (except I love how I feel afterwards) but I’m actually doing a workout plan by Kayla Itsines and it’s genuinely enjoyable and not TOO terribly painful. 

• Eat more ice cream I mean, I always eat a lot of ice cream, but other than ice cream, I don’t eat a lot of unhealthy food so I really like to eat ice cream whenever I’m in the mood for it (AKA all the time).

• Take advantage of Westport With not much time left in Westport, I definitely want to start traveling to more places around town like the Westport Farmer’s Market every Thursday and Compo Beach for grilling or walking or watching the sunset and the Sherwood Diner and Longshore for some Sunday morning golf or kayaking or sailing with my favorite teacher/BFF Connor.

• Spend time with GOOD friends Now that I don’t see everyone every day at school, it’s up to me to choose who I want to spend my time with for my last summer before college. I have a list of people I need to see soon (Grace, Rachel, Christine, Brad and more) and I just want to be around people who make me happy which means hanging out with some people who I want to get to know better and also not hanging out with some people who I used to hang out with by association…

• Be more spontaneous/try new things I’m a planner, naturally. But sometimes I think it would be cool to just have a day or two where I can do something totally random and fun and exciting and new like take a trip to Watch Hill or to Six Flags or even just sit at a café by myself and read a book there.

• Continue writing in my Happiness Project journal This is probably the best purchase I’ve ever made in my whole life. I used to have a diary but I found it too hard to write in consistently so this little one-sentence journal is such an easy alternative. Every day since January, I’ve written in it every single day and I think it’ll be so cool to always have a record of my life like this.

Liberty was without a doubt the sweetest dog that ever lived. She would only ever bark if she thought one of us was in danger. She would lick you until your face was dripping with slobber. She would lay down and cuddle up right next to you if you were sad or even if you just seemed a little lonely. And she would smile with her little teeth all the time and slouch just like a human and she had the softest ears I’ve ever felt, like smooth silk. And she truly believed that she was a lap dog.

When we rescued her 9 years ago, she was so thin that her ribs were prominent. But we fed her (a little too much, really) and loved her (probably a little too much as well) and she became a ridiculously happy dog and an insanely loyal friend to me, my little sister, my mom and my dad.

She was diagnosed with cancer in March. The meds worked for a while but about a week ago, they stopped working. Poor Libs couldn’t walk or eat or drink and her breathing was heavy and she was obviously extremely uncomfortable. It was time for her to go off to a better place where she wouldn’t be in any more pain. And I know that she lived a wonderful life here with us and that’s all I could have asked for. I just hope that we brought her as much joy as she brought us.

I’m lucky that I’m able to say that this is the first time I’ve ever really lost anyone really close to me. And it’s a horrible, terrible experience to go through. It just shows you, though, that you can’t take anything for granted because you never know what life is going to throw at you. So please, spend way too much time with the people and the puppies that you love.

Be good up there in doggy heaven, sweet baby Libs.

P.S. #FUCKCANCER. Donate to The National Canine Cancer Foundation to further the research needed to find/develop a cure for canine cancer. You know your dog would want you to…

Graduation. It happened. I am now officially a Staples High School alum. And IT FEELS SO WEIRD! Honestly, it still hasn’t hit me that I won’t be walking into Staples in August to be greeted by Mr. Dodig’s friendly wave and smiling face.

Being at Baccalaureate, the ceremony the night before graduation, made me realize (even more than I did before) how incredibly blessed I am to have gone to such a successful school. There are so many kids who, through their time at Staples, find the motivation and strength to either take advantage of the opportunities presented to them or make their own.

While of course it was stressful more than half of the time, being surrounded by so many hardworking peers and so much competition turned out to be a positive experience in the end. I am overjoyed to be able to say that I had the most amazing experience at Staples and I learned more than I ever thought I could (more about life than math or science, but still a lot). 

Here are some of the most important lessons I learned at Staples about high school and life in general:

1) Find something that you’re passionate about, and give it your all. For me, I was lucky enough to come across two things that I loved: Inklings and the Teen Awareness Group, Inc. (TAG). And my motivation, controlling nature, and leadership (which some call bossiness but hey, it works) led me to attain leadership roles in both organizations my senior year. As a freshman, I never would have dreamed of being Editor-in-Chief of Inklings and Co-President of TAG; I always thought there would be someone more deserving and more devoted than I was. But after working so hard for so long in both groups, I realized that I had the power to be the most deserving and the most devoted.

2) Don’t worry too much about what other people think. In the beginning of freshman year, I was a little nervous to be taking journalism, especially after a few of my friends dropped the class when our other friend told us it was “not an easy A.” Some of my friends would also tease me and ask me why I would “ever want to take an extra English class” but I can’t even imagine where I would be if I had decided not to take Intro to Journalism. If something makes you happy, do it. If a friend doesn’t approve, maybe he or she isn’t right for you anyway. Or maybe your differing opinions are what makes your friendship interesting.

3) Form strong relationships with your teachers. (And to those of you who laughed at graduation when Landon alluded to the close relationship between teachers and students, yes, I strictly mean platonically). Some of my teachers became such a big part of my high school career that I know I will remain close with them for a long time (hopefully forever). High school would have been nowhere near as fulfilling if I hadn’t had such wonderful relationships with teachers like Ms. Fulco, Mr. Thomas, Ms. Gomez, Mr. Miller, Mrs. Marsick, and even Mr. Dodig and Mr. Farnen. It was even nice to get to know the other adults in the building like Nelson and Mr. DuBois and Horace and Chris Lemone and Ms. Cook because the more people I knew, the more Staples and Westport felt like home.

4) Don’t take anything for granted. Everyone tells you that it goes by so fast, in the blink of an eye. I didn’t believe it until I walked onto the stage at graduation and wondered HOW THE HECK I had already been there for four whole years. So cherish the safety and the familiarness and the opportunities that Staples provides you with because you may not realize how lucky you are until you’re not so lucky anymore.

5) Go for it. Really,even the summer after you graduate, very little of what you think is important in high school will be so completely irrelevant that you won’t even remember it. So tell that boy that you like him even if you don’t think he likes you back. If you don’t like your friends, change them. And work hard so that you can create as many opportunities for yourself as possible.

To the SHS Class of 2015, congratulations. It was an honor to have been your classmate. And to everyone still at Staples, please make the most of the time you have there. It goes by faster than you could ever imagine. You’re in a wonderful place and soon, you’ll be holding your diploma, wondering how it all happened so quickly.

P.S. Check out my last Inklings article ever and the video that my friend Taylor and I made for Baccalaureate as a farewell to the wonderful Mr. Dodig who graduated with us this year. 

Photo by my good friend Dave Matlow for Westport Now.

Hi! Welcome to my blog!

Here’s a little bit about me and why I decided to start this blog:

I’m Zoe! I was born on Valentine’s Day (February 14th) in 1997 and I think that’s why I love love so much. I grew up in Bala Cynwyd, PA but when I was 13, I moved to Westport, CT.

I just graduated in May 2020 from USC. I studied Communication and minored in Cinematic Arts. I moved to West Hollywood in July and just started working as an Office PA for The Kelly Clarkson Show on the Universal Studios lot! I’m hoping to be a literary manager or a writer/creator and showrunner of a TV show one day in the (somewhat) near future. But who knows what will happen. Before college, I wanted to be a journalist!

The summer before I was going off to college and moving to Los Angeles in 2015, I made this blog so that my family and friends could keep track of what I was up to and so that I could keep up my writing skills and also because yes, I missed doing work a little bit (I’m that girl).

Thanks for checking it out!

All my Valentine’s Day love,

Zoe