Thursday, March 15, 2012

Tornadoes

What a crazy winter we have had...and a crazy spring we are getting ready for. 

A couple weeks ago, the south was hit horribly by tornadoes.  You probably heard about a mother, on the news, who lost one leg and her other foot from protecting her children in her basement.  What's crazy is that that woman is the daughter of one of our houseboat neighbors.  Not only do we "know"her that way, but she also grew up with some of our Kentucky family in Frankfurt (as in the same neighborhood).


Today, Michigan was hit with some crazy, hellacious storms.  Dexter, MI which is about 20 minutes away was struck with tornadoes that completely leveled homes in a neighborhood where I have babysat before.  Other homes caught fire from lightning, other homes had siding stripped from them.  It was a disastrous site, and it reminds us of how powerful weather can be, and how quickly a beautiful day can become disastrous.

#185: Safety
#186: The ability to pray for safety, healing, comfort.
#187: First responders and their bravery
#188: Sacrifice.  Few stories rival the story of sacrifice that this mother paid for the safety of her babies.
#189: UM is now #1 for SW in the country
#190: The end of the semester is so close.  Thank God.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Parking Tickets

I think I live in the Parking Ticket Capital.  Last semester, I was averaging 2 parking tickets a week (which by the way, means that some weeks there were four and some weeks there were none).  This semester has been much better in that regard because I have been parking in the structure on my long days, and hopefully my other days are in the evening (holla to the gods making street parking free after 6!). 

What drives me crazy about Parking Tickets:
-- If I paid them within 48 hours, they'd be cheaper than the structure.
--When you park in free areas, but for longer than you're supposed to, the tickets are MORE expensive than if I didn't pay the meter. WTF.
--They charge a ridiculous convenience fee for paying online.  DumDums.
--I always seem to get tickets RIGHT before I get to my car.  My last one was written 4 minutes exactly before I got to my car.  Ridiculousness.


Anyways.  I am still grateful for some things..
#182: A car that gets me everywhere I need to go (ie school, work, my boyy, my friends, my vacations, etc).
#183: The ability to enjoy the city of Ann Arbor, parking tickets and all.
#184: The false sense of security that cops provide.  Even if it is false, I have never felt unsafe in Ann Arbor.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Missing in Action

I have been MIA because....

#174: A spring break seeing many faces!  I got to see Alex in Princeton, Merissa in NYC and Amanda in Boston.  It was a CRAZY long week but I am so glad I was able to see so many lovely friends in such a short amount of time :)
#175: A man in my life worthy of my time and my love.
#176: A graduate program that though draining, pushes and forces me to think critically about the world I live in.
#177: Quality time devoted to school work, and getting the most out of my two years in this incredibly insightful program.
#178: An opportunity to pursue my desired internship for next year...AND GETTING IT! (woot woot)
#179: Working with clients in the Livingston and Washtenaw counties.  It is challenging, hard, rewarding, and incredible.
#180: Endless opportunities to be humbled in this world.  Getting a reality check telling me I don't know everything, I am not perfect, and I am not superwoman is always hard and always needed. 
#181: Enjoying everyday life happenings is sometimes hard when I am so busy.  Prioritizing daily activities by musts, needs, and optionals has changed my world!

Here's to hoping your February ended on a positive note, and your March began on a good note!