Almost There...

 

I picked up my tickets for graduation today. Pretty unbelievable that 4 years have already gone by...

I can't decide how I feel about it. Excited for the next stage in life, sad to grow up and have friends move away, nervous about grad school and moving home. Just lots of changes in a short amount of time. I love my life though, and am confidant that the God of the universe will protect me and all of us facing so many transitions. 

CELEBRATE!

Charley's...where most of my money goes

Today is the last day of classes for Winter Semester 2011! While my classes were done yesterday, and I've been done homework wise since last Wednesday, Today is a monumental day!!  I will be celebrating the end of my undergraduate career with some of my favorite people at some of my favorite places! I am so excited and I can't wait to experience all of the upcoming end of college celebrations!!

They be there...along with many others.

coolest picture ever.

I love my Life

Ann Arbor was 85 last Sunday, 30 yesterday. (I am so happy in 80s)

When I woke up this morning several things were apparent: Michigan doesn't believe in Spring, I hate migraines, and I can't wait for Summer.  What wasn't apparent was that I would be attending my last class of my undergraduate career...I just didn't really think about it.  Nor did I think about it until I was getting ready to leave and people were asking if it was the last class for anyone...well it was for me.

My last class wasn't a class I was happy to finish, either, but one I have been in for 2 semesters now with all of the same people.  It is a spirituality course that has meant more to me than any other class I have taken while here at U of M.  I have gotten to know some incredible people while also experiencing healing and getting to know myself so much better.  It was so beautiful.

In class we talked about what the class had meant to us and I shared about how a lot of this year has been about me falling in love with my life...and I truly do love my life.  I am excited about the future and am so grateful for my time here at Michigan and for the knowledge and friends that I am taking away from these 4 years.  It has been quite a ride and it is so awesome to be able to honestly say "I love my life!"

Honesty

Honesty.  It seems oh so simply, right?  You just tell the truth; you just speak what's on your mind; you simply state the actuality of a situation.  The problem is that as humans, we don't like to hurt people's feelings, we don't like to be judged, we like to be interesting, and we don't want to start fights (and sometimes we do want to do so, unnecessarily). 

bad lighting. but hair is at least shown!

I got my hair done yesterday!  I redid my highlights and got it trimmed.  I love getting my hair done because I get to talk to the hairdresser for 3 hours about whatever I want, or we can sit in silence which can also be incredibly relaxing.  I loved the fact that I could tell her anything; any truth about my life knowing that I didn't care if she judged me because I didn't know her.  It was freeing.  At the same time, part of me wanted to be someone else, someone more interesting and tell her more fascinating stories about myself.  I didn't; I told her truths about my life.  And it was freeing and refreshing.

The other thing about getting your hair done is that people feel the need to comment on it.  A guy at work today said I looked nice today.  Then a couple seconds later asked what was different about me.  Then he squealed after realizing on his own that I had my hair done.  He awkwardly said he loved it and then we went on with our days.

There are lots of things that we aren't honest about, lots of things I'm not completely honest about.  At the end of the day you pick your battles and you make the bed you lie in.  What does your bed look like?

Frustration

I don't like when people are uneducated about worldly issues.  If you don't care, that's fine, just don't engage in conversations about anything because you sound both uneducated and ignorant about the world around you. What is stirring this?  Donald Trump.

He's like really dumb.  Forget his business woes and family drama...every time he opens his mouth I want to cringe.  It's awful.  Really awful.  Whether he is claiming Obama was born outside of the US, or claiming he is a communist, he simply is uneducated; and chooses to dwell in his ignorance.

That's the other thing.  It's one thing to lack an education simply because you just haven't had access to resources like the news or classes that talk about worldly things.  But if you're Donald Trump...you have plenty of resources to gain an education.  Go get one, Trump.


ps.  I don't mind when people disagree with me.  I mind when they can't argue why. 

Too Much Fun

I bruise easy.  Really easy.  I have my madre to thank for this.  This morning I woke up with polka dot legs.  The dots, you ask, well they are bruises.  How did I get them? I will never know. 

Senior year is winding down.  I have one more assignment to complete and I am about half way done with it, and it isn't due until the 18th.  Therefore I will be spending lots of time with friends and lots of time enjoying the warm weather in Ann Arbor.  It was beautiful yesterday, 77 to be exact. 

Hope you're enjoying life. Dream big, friends.

Disasters

Ever feel overwhelmed by the destruction going on in the world?  That is how I felt after reading the news today.

Just a month after the huge Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, they were hit with another earthquake and are currently under a Tsunami warning.  Pray, friends. 

In Brazil, there was a school shooting and 11 people are dead, more could be injured.

The Nuclear crisis in Japan is no where near under control.

The Non-War-War in Libya is a disaster.  Women have been brutally assaulted and taken from their families and people are dying.  While I agree the Ghadfi should be gone, why are we killing people to do that?  It's a mess.

The world is crazy, friends.  Pray.  Pray that people would be safe; feel safe.  Pray that people find peace, happiness.  Pray that they feel comforted, and that they would know they are cared for, loved, despite the agony they experience in this world. 

Basketball NCAA Title

Do you like sports?  Well I like watching sports.  Playing? I'd rather swim :) 

Anyways; the NCAA championship game for men's basketball just concluded, and if you missed it...don't waste time watching it!  WORST TITLE GAME EVER WATCHED.  Seriously.  Butler now holds the record for lowest FG percentage at a title game...sad story.


I was cheering for Butler, but unfortunately, the UCONN huskies won.  Which is fine.  I don't have a particularly strong allegiance to Butler, but their star player Matt Howard does happen to be from the town I grew up in in Indiana :)  Connersville, IN is a tiny little baby town that has been hard hit by the recession, and I spent 7 years of my precious little childhood there, probably passing Howard many times (or so I like to think!). 

Here's to hoping that the Buckeyes make it to the championship next year, and here's to hoping for a much more exciting game!!  By the way, next year, the championship is in New Orleans...take me, please :)

Grateful

A few weeks ago, a friend was harping on me about my "please" and "thank you's".  It was funny because before this I would have told you that I was good at being polite/grateful for people around me.  Since then, I have become hyper aware of the fact that everything deserves a please and everything deserves a thank you.  And oh, by the way, everything also deserves a smile!

I have a lot to be grateful for.  Sometimes I can become discouraged because of how much pain I am in daily or because of the stress I feel, but when it comes down to it, I am an extremely blessed person, and I am so grateful for my fortunes and so grateful for my trials.  I enjoy who I am today, and don't believe I would be the same if it weren't for all of the various factors in my life.

So, next time you want a favor, say please.  Next time some one is polite or does something for you, say thank you.  Manners.  I think we learned them in Kindergarten?