Tag: blogging

Topic Tuesdays: Raw & Personal

Suicide Prevention Month.

liz

Hey guys, welcome back to TNTH.

Courtesy of University of Southern California

September is known to be Suicide Prevention Month and before we go into October, forgetting about this issue due to Halloween and Fall leaves, I wanted to talk about this because this is something close to my heart. This is something that I will always fight for because even in 2017, we still live in a world where we associate suicide with weakness and selfishness. We still believe that suicide is something people want to do.

The first thing to realize about suicide is that people attempt and commit to it not because they want to end their lives. They commit suicide because they want to end the pain.

Take it from a girl who’s been on both sides of the story.

Continue reading “Suicide Prevention Month.” →

Self-Appreciation Saturdays

SAS: Be Proud of your Creative Arts Major! (9/16/17)

liz

Hey, guys. Welcome back to TNTH!

With the school year now in full force, it’s common to meet new people and classmates in your classes. From experience, I realize that after asking someone new what their name is, the second question that follows is usually “what’s your major?”

It’s amazing just how quickly their expression changes when you tell them you’re pursuing a degree in performing/creative arts. It’s like you can feel the judgment through their eyes, and it’s such an uncomfortable feeling.

It’s sad that we live in a world (or a city like NYC) that as young adults, we have to choose our paths according to how practical it is and how much money we will be making in the future. The purpose of higher education is to develop people as intellectuals in order to make it in the real world. With that being said, a lot of people gear towards majors that are very financially promising: business, pre-med, biology, psychology, social work, education, nursing, etc. Those who tend to pursue a degree in anything that’s creative are usually frowned upon on. In most cases, most people view those majors as those that people who are not “that smart” pick because “it’s easier”. It’s not dealing with logic and math and science and every other major that umbrellas under that division.

I am an English major. Even more so, I’ve been an English Major for the last 6 academic years. On the outside, it looks practical. It’s broad enough so that most people assume you’re pursuing English for a practical career. In the six years I’ve been around other English majors, I’ve noticed many of them pursue English to teach public school and eventually on the college level. It’s a common goal for pursuing a degree in a subject; I bet other subject-related majors have students who want to teach with their degrees.

Me, on the other hand, don’t want to teach English. I didn’t get my bachelor’s in English to teach and I’m not pursuing my Master’s in English to teach. I do not want to teach.

I want to write.

Continue reading “SAS: Be Proud of your Creative Arts Major! (9/16/17)” →

Self-Appreciation Saturdays

SAS: So, You Started Grad School… (9/9/17)

liz

Hey guys, welcome back to TNTH!

As the summer came to an end for most of us college students, some of you guys are actually starting a new chapter in your lives; one of them may actually be grad school!

Before I say anything else, let me congratulate those who are deciding to jump back into school just months after finishing it. It’s not an easy decision to make when finishing four (or more) intense years of college and then shortly after start grad school.

Last year, I was starting grad school without any type of warning label or disclaimer about what to expect. I am the first of my friends and family to attend graduate school, so there wasn’t anyone telling me what to expect. Maybe some of you guys are in the same boat like I was; you start your grad classes in a couple of days and you’re stressed out because you expect it to be this horrible place of hard work, long novels, and novel-length pages.

Take a deep breath. Let me give you a little bit of a breather before you start regretting your grad school decision.

Continue reading “SAS: So, You Started Grad School… (9/9/17)” →

Topic Tuesdays: Random

Ten 90’s Products that 90’s Babies Will Remember!

liz

Before we get started, can we all just notice how “Buzzfeed-ish” the title of this post is? 

Anyway, hi! I was born in 1994, which makes me an actual 90’s kid. I remember living in the 90’s, liking 90’s stuff, and vibing the 90’s culture like it was nobody’s business. Sometimes, I wish I was able to just go back to the 90’s just to remember how different it was. You always hear people say “I wish I was a teenager in the 80’s”, but in all honesty, I’m very glad that I was a kid in the 90’s. Being a kid in the 90’s was the way to live because everything that was 90’s products was targeted towards kids and teens. I think kids ruled the world in the 90’s. Anyway, here are some products that hit me in the feels of nostalgia. I hope some of you who read this feel the same way.

1.) Nintendo 64

This is probably the first thing people think when they think of 90’s products, and that’s because this was the 90’s. My sister had gotten the Nintendo 64 for Christmas in 1998, and when she unwrapped it, she nearly exploded with excitement. (No seriously, there’s a legendary picture of her screaming and holding up the box sitting in one of the photo albums in my house). Some of the best video games I played in my childhood have all been games from the Nintendo 64, like:

  • Mario Party
  • Mario Party 2
  • Mario Kart 64
  • Pokemon Snap
  • Pokemon Stadium
  • Snowboard Kidz 2
  • Mario Golf
  • Diddy Kong Racing
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • This Rugrats game that I can’t remember the name of
  • Banjo-Kazooie (which I used to be afraid of)

2.) “Think Pink” Barbie Girl

Now, you must be wondering why this basic ass Barbie girl is featured on this list. While, yes, this was a 90’s toy I personally owned, the only reason why I added this on the list is that of the cassette tape that the doll came with. Guys, when I tell you I used to jam to this song, I jammed out to this song. Me and my sister played this tape too many times in the day to the point where the tape was getting so worn out, the girl’s voices began to slow down and sound like baritones more than sopranos.

This was a 90’s bop for sure.

3.) Betty Spaghetty

Guys. These dolls were weird, but they were so much fun. You were able to dress them up and bend their bodies in different positions, and they just looked cool. I remember someone saying that “poor people had Betty Spaghetty while rich people had Barbies” – but Betty Spaghetty was unique and different. They definitely don’t make toys like this anymore.

4.) Twirl Girl Fairy Dolls

It’s 2017, and these colors are still so very popular. I don’t remember if I had any of these exact dolls, but these dolls flew. I used to love seeing how high they flew and seeing them twirl in the air. To come and think about it, these dolls were sturdy and made pretty well if they’re made to be thrown up into the air just to fall back down. They don’t make them like this anymore.

5.) Chupa Chups Spice Girl Lollipops

These lollipops define the 90’s. Every girl and Spice Girl fan ate these lollipops as soon as they saw Baby Spice eating them in photos and in Spice World. They still sell them, but these special edition lollipops came with stickers that I and my sister put almost everywhere in our house. Hmm, now I want one. 

6.) Sock’em Boppers

 

Okay, I never had a pair of Sock’em Boppers, which was probably for the best because I and my sister would’ve knocked each other into a coma. I was talking about old 90’s toys with Obie and asked him if he owned a pair, and he said he did but he always used one hand and gave the other one to his nephew so they could beat each other up. It was cute.

7.) Tamagotchi

I was too young to have the patience to actually have one, but my sister was addicted to these. She had a couple of them in the years they were popular, and she somehow kept them alive in a long span of time. I remember one time where she gave one of them to our mother to take care of when she was in school, and of course, it was dead when she came home because my mother didn’t remember to feed it. My sister was devastated. Now, she laughs about it.

8.) Talkboy Tape Recorder

Most people may recognize this from the Home Alone Movies as the device Kevin used to manipulate adults in the movie. All of a sudden, every kid in the universe wanted one so they can pull pranks on their parents. I had like a mini version of one that wasn’t really good, but my sister had this nice purple/pink one that looked like this one, and this girl recorded everything in every funny voice or just the sake of having something to record. She also played every cassette tape we had in the house on that damn Talkboy. I know she regrets throwing it out.

9.) Polly Pocket

Okay, these were the original Polly Pockets, not those big doll ones that they made because people probably complained about the little tiny size that they previously were and how every child in the world either lost them or choked on them due to their ridiculously tiny size. Again, I was one of those kids who lost almost all of my Polly Pockets as a kid because they were tiny. Whenever I did have them, though, they were really fun to play with, especially with the little sets that they came with. My sister, who was 8 when we had them, was more careful with them than I was. she never lost them, and her sets always looked more put together than mine. What can I say; I was a 4-year-old girl playing with tiny ass toys.

10.) Arthur Plush Doll

When I was little, I used to hate talking dolls. I was deathly afraid of them and I did nothing but cry when I was given one of them. I visibly remember crying my eyes out when I was given a talking Barney plush doll. My first talking doll was this Arthur one, and this one didn’t scare me. Before there was Pugsly, there was Maria, who was a Spanish looking doll that my grandmother named Maria so homegirl didn’t have an actual name, and before there was Maria, there was Arthur. I specifically remember carrying around this doll all over Brooklyn because he was like my best friend. He was soft, plushy, and he called me his friend. It’s funny; Obie and I were talking about this doll a couple of weeks ago, and long and behold – he had the same Arthur doll back in the day too. He actually remembers some of the sayings that Arthur said, which warmed my 90’s heart immensely.

 

And that’s it for now! These were just some of the many 90’s products I remember having as a kid, but I know there are so many that I actually missed.

What were some of your favorite 90’s products?

 

-Liz(:

Mantra Mondays

Mantra Monday #4 (7/24/17)

liz

You are the only one who can limit your greatness.

I was having a conversation with my best friend the other day about this concept; that even though there are people in your life who are close friends to you that when it comes to further your success, you are the only one who can help you achieve that. Everyone else is worried about achieving their own success that people forget that you would want your people to succeed with you. At the end of the day, if you’re in a situation where your group of friends is practicing the “every man for himself” lifestyle, it’s only right to do so yourself. There’s no purpose in trying to help your friend out if they aren’t going to help you back, so why not begin to be there for yourself? Achieve your own success, follow your dreams at your own pace, do what it takes to satisfy your needs and wants to succeed. Only you know how you work, what you can handle, and most importantly: what you want.

-Liz (:

The Travel Diaries, Topic Tuesdays: Random

Travel Diary: Poughkeepsie, NY.

liz
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View of “Walking Across the Hudson”: Poughkeepsie, NY.

Friday, June 14th – The Departure

After spending most of the week preparing and getting nervous for going away with Obie for the first time, it was finally time to leave and start our 3-hour ride to Poughkeepsie. My bag felt like it was overpacked because, by the time I left, I felt the almost 20 pounds weighing on my shoulder. We met up halfway to Grand Central because – let’s face it – Grand Central Station is huge. When we finally met up though, I felt the butterflies in my stomach. This was my first getaway trip with Obie; and for an anxious person like myself, I’m always thinking the most impossible “what if” scenarios whenever I do something for the first time. Anyway, we got on the subway to Grand Central, and thankfully found the ticket booth. Obie and I looked up at the departure times and saw that The Hudson Line to Poughkeepsie was departing in 5 minutes. We looked at each other and booked it to Track 33; we made it just in time.

The actual Metro-North train ride there wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Obie was asleep for most of the ride, and I just listened to music while looking out at the view. It was cloudy on Friday, so when the train was near the Hudson River, it was foggy and cloudy and the water was calm and untouchable. I regret not taking a picture, but it really reminded me of the scenery of The Killing. Oddly, it was satisfying and beautiful to see. It was as beautiful as Obie described it.

By the time we got to Poughkeepsie, Obie and I walked over to the infamous store that he kept talking about when he went to Poughkeepsie previously. This corner store on the outside gave me some serious Pennsylvania vibes. Anyway, we got all the snacks that we needed for the night, all the drinks as well, and then we finally walked back to his niece’s apartment. When I tell you the apartment is possibly the most legit apartment ever… yeah. It’s a two-floor apartment with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a nice little kitchen and dining area and living room. It was really such a chill place. She has two kids, so the kids have their own room, she and her boyfriend have the third one, so Obie and I slept in the living room on the couch. I don’t know we did it, but we did it. Friday we all just chilled and watched movies and rap battle and just macked.

Saturday, July 15th – The Sunburn and “Lituation”

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8:57am: A Sleepy Obielocks.

Obie and I woke up around 9 in the morning, and we just relaxed and ate before we all decided to go to the park down the road with the kids. Not realizing it was going to be like 90 degrees, your girl had on a vest and jeans on. On top of that, the park that we went to had absolutely no shade, so I ended up with a slight sunburn on my face and my arms. I don’t know how the guys played basketball for 2 hours in that heat, but they were playing 2 vs. 2 with some other ball players in the park. I can tell when Obie gets competitive on the court; he moves more carefully and gets pretty rowdy, but it was a good couple of games. During the time I was sitting there and burning my skin off, Obie’s 5-year-old nephew, Cam, gave me a cute tiny flower. He is such a little sweetheart.

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12:35pm: The tiny flower artsy picture.

 

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Basketball Court in the Park: Poughkeepsie, NY

After being in the park for the entire afternoon, Obie and I were the first to leave to head back to the infamous store (we went in there like 5 times in 3 days, to be honest), and go back to the apartment. We automatically took our well-needed showers because hello – he was sweaty from basketball and I was sweaty from baking out in the sun. 

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2:39pm: The best Obie pictures are the off-guard ones.

We both ate some lunch and immediately knocked out on the sofa together for a couple of hours… we’re that couple that sleeps most of our hours away together. Later that day, all four adults played Spades. Prior to this weekend, I’ve watched Obie play Spades with his friends back at his apartment and never played because I didn’t know how to play. So, Obie had to teach me and his niece’s boyfriend had to teach her. At first, I made some minor mistakes, but after playing a couple of games I was getting really good at it. I mean REALLY good. As #TeamCozy, we won most of the books in the game and now I’m slightly obsessed and want to play more. After that we all made dinner and everyone went upstairs while Obie and I chilled in the living room and watched some Netflix before quickly knocking out.

Sunday, July 16th – Relaxation & Going Home

Obie and I woke up around 10 o’clock in the morning and literally just relaxed until we couldn’t take the sounds of our grumbling stomachs. We both got dressed and went to the infamous store one last time to pick up a couple of goodies for our ride home later that night. Side note: Obie has been raving about these chips since this prior trip to Poughkeepsie and telling me how amazing they were. I finally got to try them and my god they are amazing. They are called “Rap Snacks”, specifically this flavor is his favorite. 

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The infamous Rap Snacks from Poughkeepsie.

After picking us up some Rap Snacks, we walked to the train station to get our tickets just so that we don’t have to rush when we finally decide to take off. We then got some pizza to take back to the apartment and from there we just chilled in the apartment until it was time to leave. Again, we took like a 5-hour nap that afternoon, and by the time we woke back up, it was time to get our things together to head back to the city. His niece took us to the train station, and from there we got on. We were heading back to the city; the vacation was coming to an end.

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8:50pm: Train ride back to the City.

We got back into the city at 10:30 at night, and from there we took the subway back into Brooklyn where Obie had called me an Uber to take me home. The Uber came, he kissed me goodbye, and the rest is history. I got home roughly around 11:30, and I was literally so tired that I ate some dinner and knocked out.

Reliving the weekend through this post is really making me think just how much fun I had this weekend. It wasn’t anything extreme, but I literally felt like I came back to the city as a brand new person. It almost felt like a cleanse; all the negative energy I had in me due to my surroundings and situations just washed off of me when I was in Poughkeepsie. I think I’ll always remember this weekend as one of the greater days I had in a really long time, and I hope from here Obie and I go on more trips together. We talked about going back to Poughkeepsie one day and do the things we didn’t get to do; one of them is to walk on the “Walking Across the Hudson” bridge. This weekend made me realize just how much I want to use my summers as a way to go on road trips and travel all over, and honestly, the only person I’d want to come with me is Obie. I want to see the world together with him. Cheesy, but so honest and true.

And that’s how my weekend in Poughkeepsie went.

 

-Liz (:

Mantra Mondays

Mantra Monday #3 (7/17/17)

liz

One day or day one; you decide.

Never let the fear of the future scare you. Many of us believe that we have all the time in the world to do what we want and do it whenever we have the courage to do so, but why wait to do something when you’re thinking about it now? If you want to start working out and go to the gym, start today. If you want to sign up for a music class, start today. If you want to go and get your permit or driver’s license, start today. The “one day” isn’t guaranteed, but “day one” is.

In other words, live in the present, so do things in the present.

 

-Liz (:

Voiceless Rant: The Series

A Voiceless Rant: July 2017 Edition.

liz

I promised I’d be honest with myself.

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I promised that I was going to live my life acknowledging every single emotion I was feeling and make it a priority because I lived in the dark for too long regarding them. I always believed that showing your emotions and putting them on the back burner was the “adult” thing to do. I realized it was not. I realized that in order to handle the good and bad in your life, you have to prioritize emotions from both sides of the spectrum. That’s right, no more showcasing only the good emotions and ignoring the bad ones. That’s not who I am and I refuse to conform to those “social norms” where communication is slowly dying. I refuse to play make-believe and pretend that the easiest way to a better life is simply just smiling in everyone’s face.

This isn’t a negative perspective, it’s a realistic one.

Continue reading “A Voiceless Rant: July 2017 Edition.” →

Mantra Mondays

Mantra Monday #2 (7/10/17)

liz

Grow through what you go through.

A person’s biggest mistake when going through a difficult time in their life is not learning from it the moment that it happens. Many of us wait until it completely passes us and when we have the time to reflect on it from a clear standpoint. Going through a rough time can result in making some dumb decisions – I’ve definitely made them myself – but not taking responsibility for your actions right then and there is not going to prevent you from making the same mistake twice. Now, there’s a difference between taking responsibility for your actions and there being a person being the cause of these actions. Taking responsibility for your actions means that every decision you decided to make was from you, not because someone forced you to do so. Yeah, there may be a person who influenced you to act a certain way, but they personally did not make you do anything; that’s all on you. That’s where a lot of people fail. It’s rare that people take responsibility for their actions in the situation, and put the blame on other people. In order to grow, you have to accept your own wrong-doings the moment you do them. iN other words, you have to be honest with yourself enough to acknowledge the decision you made wasn’t for the best. That’s how you go through your situations efficiently.

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-Liz (:

Creative Pieces

Scene: The Redemption of Life.

liz

The orange sky is coated with pink cotton candy looking clouds; the sun is setting for the day in a rural North Carolina town. A WOMAN, fit for her 40’s, is sitting on a wooden chair on the porch of her house, looking out into the open field. 

Moments later, a car slowly drives up the road to then stop in front of the woman’s house. JENNIFER, mid-20’s, tall, curly red hair, gets out of the driver’s seat carrying a tote bag full of clothing. She slams the door shut and begins walking towards the house. The woman, CLEMENTINE, notices her. 

Clementine: Miss Castro? What are you doing here?

Jennifer: *holds up the bag* I, um, came to drop this off.

Jennifer steps on the porch and leaves the bag in front of Clementine. She picks it up; the bag reads, “Southwick Dance Academy”

Clementine: … The season starts in two weeks; what’s this for?

Jennifer: I’m leaving the academy. Simple as that.

Jennifer looks towards the ground, trying to avoid contact with Clementine. Clementine analyzes Jennifer’s behavior.

Clementine: Well, I at least deserve a reason why, Miss Castro.

Jennifer: No reason at all. I’m just leaving.

Clementine’s not buying it. She sets the bag to the side and takes a deep breath into a sigh. She looks at Jennifer intently.

Clementine: Alright, what’s going on?

Jennifer: *plays it cool* Nothing. I just thought you needed to know first that I was dropping out of the academy.

Clementine: So, you traveled an hour and a half from your home to come at 6 o’clock in the evening to just drop off a bag of dance attire and tell me that you’re not returning to Southwick?

Jennifer attempts to keep her composure, but she starts fidgeting her foot on the ground.

Jennifer: Yep.

She quickly looks at the time on her phone.

Jennifer: I better get going though, I don’t want to travel back home in the dark. Thank you for the opportunity for being in your company, I hope you have a nice night, Mrs. Southwick.

Before Jennifer could walk out of the entryway, Clementine calls out for Jennifer.

Clementine: If you were so worried about driving in the dark, this would’ve waited until tomorrow morning.

Jennifer stops in her tracks but tries to redeem herself by pretending she didn’t hear Clementine. 

Clementine: *shouts a little louder* But I figured you’d wanted to be out of the town by tomorrow morning since tomorrow would’ve been your wedding day.

This makes Jennifer stop and turn around. The pain was visible on her face.

Clementine: You did send me an invitation a couple of months ago.

Jennifer walks back to Clementine, attempting to hide her pain. She looks at Clementine with a stern, straight mouth; too afraid to open it up due to the uncertainty of word-vomit that may come out.

Jennifer: *disoriented* You have no right bringing up my personal life like that, Mrs. Southwick. I am simply just one of your dance students and you are simply just my dance teacher. What happens with me in my personal life is none of your business.

Before Jennifer turns back around towards her car, Clementine stands up from her chair.

Clementine: Jennifer, I know you’re leaving town. It’s exactly what I did when my husband passed away.

Jennifer: *turns around; flabbergasted* What?

Clementine: You can’t stand walking around through the same halls and doors and rooms that your husband went through. You even sometimes think he’s walking around in there still because the floor creeks and cracks on the spots he walked on the most.

Jennifer slowly walks back to Clementine, astonished.

Clementine: You don’t sleep well at night because you can feel the less weight that is now on your bed. You cry, sometimes, because you’re alone and all you want is for them to hug you and tell you that everything’s going to be okay.

Jennifer’s body language is open. Acceptive. Hurt.

Clementine: Not only do you feel alone in the house, but you feel lost in a city that is not yours. Without him, you feel like you don’t belong anymore in a place you once called home.

Jennifer: *soft* How do you know that?

Clementine: My first husband passed away when I was twenty-five.

Clementine sits back down on the wooden chair. She looks over at the vacant seat next to her. Jennifer takes a seat.

Clementine: I married my first husband when I was 22. Straight out of college. We met at BU in Boston. He was a native, and I lived on campus. He was studying web design and I studied dance. We fell in love and by graduation, he proposed to me.

Jennifer: *reminiscing* Cullen proposed to me on New Year’s Eve.

Clementine smiles at Jennifer, then takes a deep breath.

Clementine: I thought for sure he was my soulmate. We had plans. By 28, we wanted to have a baby. By 30 we wanted to live in a house. By 35, we wanted to have at least three kids, steady jobs and had traveled the world. We had our whole life planned. *sigh* Until one night he went out to the bar with a couple of his friends from college. They were all celebrating a friend’s high-end job hiring at Google. Son of a bitch was too stubborn and drove himself home. Got into a car accident 10 minutes away from our loft. At least he didn’t suffer when he died.

Jennifer: I’m… sorry to hear that.

Clementine: *pauses to regather thoughts* My whole life came crashing down. I went on a downward spiral. I had no one to comfort me in Boston, I barely had any money, I just felt completely lost. For years I was broken. I pushed everyone away, I began partying and getting wasted every weekend; I was on the verge of being close to bones. But I look back at it now and realize that it happened for a reason. Sad to say this but if my husband didn’t pass away, I wouldn’t have found the love of my life.

Jennifer: Richard is in love with you, Clem. Anyone can see it in his eyes.

Clementine: I’ve known Rich for almost my entire life. He was my best friend. We were close until I decided to go away for college while he stayed here in North Carolina. We weren’t as close during our college years, but I realized that he was the only one there who dealt with me even after I pushed everyone away. He was the reason I moved back to North Carolina. I realized all I needed was him, which was home.

Jennifer begins to think about her scenario and her own life decisions up until this point.

Jennifer: I don’t think I could go back to New York though. I don’t know if I want to go back. I just know I can’t stay here. *eyes get watery* It hurts too much to stay.

Clementine: It took me 5 years to move back here. If there’s one thing I regret the most, is waiting too long to come back here. Because of the pain, I didn’t get to do any of the things I planned on doing with my life. Never had a kid, never had a family, and I never traveled the world.

Clementine looks at Jennifer softly, yet with guidance.

Clementine: Go out there and explore the world. Go on and find yourself. North Carolina isn’t where you belong. This is not your home. Travel the world and find the things in life that matter. Go discover yourself as a young woman. Have fun, leave your heart open. Don’t wait 10 years to achieve your life dreams like I did. Once you get a good grip on who you are, make sure you return back home. Where you belong. If I didn’t go back home, I wouldn’t have found Rich again.

Jennifer: What if there’s nothing back home for me?

Clementine: There always is, even when you’re not expecting it.

Jennifer looks out to the sky, which has turned into a violet blue; the sun is just about finished setting.

Clementine: Whenever you’re ready to go back to New York, the feeling will be indescribable. Besides marrying Rich, returning back to my roots was the second best decision I ever made in my life. If you’re anything like me, I know the same will be for you. But you have to be ready. As for now, go find yourself and your purpose in this life. Dance for other companies and academies. Reach to go build your own dancing empire. You’re so young, Jennifer. Don’t waste it on what could’ve been.

Jennifer looks around the rural area for one last time before she begins to get up from her seat. Clementine gets up with her.

Jennifer: I should get going. It’s getting dark.

As Jennifer begins to walk down the front steps, Clementine shouts.

Clementine: Jennifer!

Jennifer: *turns around* Yeah?

Clementine walks down the steps and opens her arms wide and gives Jennifer a hug. Jennifer accepts it and give one right back.

Clementine: It was an absolute pleasure to teach you this past year and a half.

Jennifer closes her eyes, opens them, and sees past Clementine’s shoulder. She sees North Carolina. She sees her late fiancee, Cullen. She sees what could’ve been. She sees the end of a chapter. She sees goodbyes.

Clementine: *lets go* You are an extraordinary and talented young woman, Jennifer. I know you’ll do what’s right.

Jennifer: Thank you, Clem.

Jennifer begins to walk back to her car. She opens the door and enters through the driver’s side. She sits there and closes her eyes for a moment. She remembers the proposal at New Year’s Eve. She remembers announcing the engagement to her family and friends. She remembers moving out to live with Cullen. She remembers moving to North Carolina. The wedding planning, the fights, the long nights in the hospital; the last night she spent with Cullen before he was gone. She looks over at Clementine, who is standing on the porch, looking at Jennifer. Clementine waves goodbye. Jennifer waves back, and starts the car. The car drives off into the road until it cannot be seen anymore.