It was the night before Christmas...

Okay, it's not really the night before Christmas, but have you ever gotten so excited about something that you literally cannot sleep? Today was actually a pretty good day. I mean minus the fieldwork that I go to (which is totally boring and lame). I came home, cleaned A LOT (practically the whole place), organized my life, did some homework, and even got some things straightened out that I needed to get done.

Every night though, I've been crawling into bed around 9PM and drifting to sleep by 10PM. It's been amazing. But tonight I've had no such luck. There are all sorts of exciting things happening - which is why I can't sleep. At 11:00 Nadal plays Berdych and I really wanna watch the match. In just a few short minutes, one of my best friends will be here! Something I've needed so badly! And tomorrow another best friend is coming in! YAY! It's also opening day of baseball so I've had quite a lot of sports to watch again (I don't watch basketball, nor would I ever pretend to).

Not to mention it's almost the weekend. Plus, I think there's some sort of "homemaker" endorphin that gets released after so much cleaning. Anyways, believe it or not, today was fabulous.

Tomorrow may not be as lucky. I will probably be grumpy because Kim will be here in t-10 minutes, Nadal's match will probably go until 1AM, and I get up 6AM. You may want to steer clear of me in the AM....off to run though cause she'll be here soon!

Another Sunday Post? What?

Apparently, on Sundays I have a lot to say. And thank goodness for good friends who either listen to me or tell me to shut up. :) It's useful to have a blog though where I can share my personal thoughts and ideas with any and everyone. Guess I get some sort of validation from it...

ANYWAYS

I saw this quote this afternoon and really felt the need to share it with you.

"I love a rainy day...no pressure to be happy or sunny." - Idina Menzel

This just makes me think about the facade that we (or at least my self in all honestly) tend to put on for others so they can't see inside our thoughts and desires. Or can see into our hardships and failures. And while I do believe we should be honest with one another, it makes me wonder why aren't we? When you see someone and they ask you "How's it going?" it doesn't necessarily seem like the right time to get in your tragic life history. It's much easier to say "everything's fine" and walk on. The sad thing is that in today's life, as the person asking, expect this reply and don't bother getting our hands dirty with the details. So why do we even bother asking?

To wrap this all up, I've just been thinking about how fortunate I am to be honest and open with the friends I have. When they ask me how I'm doing, they genuinely want to know. They're really interested in the good things, but also the struggles and for that I am really grateful.

In a sense, I know I can trust my "rainy days" to my friends. I never feel a pressure to be something I'm not when I'm with them. There's really no need to fake emotions.

6 weeks left of the semester

Not that I'm counting down or anything. But there are only five weeks of classes and one exam week left in the spring semester. Of course, not to mention the four week May class I have to take. There's a long time until Summer. This also means there's not really that much time to get everything done. Yikes.

This week started off really nice. The weather was amazing - in the 70s. I took an exam on Monday which I had studied a lot for. It gets really frustrating since I study really hard and I still only manage to get "B"s on everything. But Morgan, Sarah, and I took advantage of the nice weather and went to the baseball game on Wednesday. It started to get cold so we left in the 7th inning, but it was so nice to be outside instead of doing homework.

Then we went to the free movie night at Grafton. We waited in line for a while, but we got good seats. :) After some more class, the weekend finally rolled around. I just ran a bunch of errands on Friday and went to bed really early. Which was refreshing. Saturday I just worked on homework but then Saturday night I met Joanna and Ashley for dinner at Chili's. It was so good. I rented Morning Glory which was also good.

THEN, I woke up this morning. And to my surprise, there is snow on the ground. This is disgusting. I am ready for some warm spring weather. I'm so tired of snow. Anyways, gotta go run to church, but I just wanted to post about my Oh-so-exciting-life.

Sunday Funday

I love the bible study that I'm in. For about 4 weeks now, we've been studying what it means to have the Spirit in your life, what it looks like when He's alive and working in you, and how easily the Spirit really is the forgotten God in both Christianity and in the church today. If you've never read it, I encourage you to. It's not that the book is an easy read or that it dotes on Christianity. It doesn't have all the answers and it isn't going to confirm the sin in your life - trust me I'm learning that. To be honest, it is one of the most challenging, heart wrenching, eye-opening books on Christianity that I've read in a long time - at least this is my personal experience (and I'm only just starting chapter 5).

What I like and dislike at the same time, is the challenge that it provides. I'm always taking a deeper look at my life and seeing how authentic it really is or isn't. Sometimes I find myself actually dreading the reading. Not because it's boring and not because it's hard - but because every time there's one more thing that's pointed out to me that I need to change. This book is convicting. And it's difficult to apply. At least for me. But I can say, I have seen changes in my life and the way I view my life/the world.

So this week I'm challenging myself to live honestly with the people in my life and the people around me. I want you to be my honest with me so that I can make these changes. I want the Spirit to work in my heart and to do that, things need to be different. So I'm asking you honestly and openly to pray for me.

What a day, what a life.

This week back to class has been stressful to say the least. It's a whole lot of little things adding up making my head spin crazy that do it, but hey, if it wasn't crazy it just wouldn't be grad school.

After a long week of just BLAH, we had to sign up for mandatory volunteer work. We volunteered and help out the contestants for Ms. Wheelchair Virginia. It was actually a lot of fun when they had stuff for us to do. It got a little dry when most of the contestants left for lunch, but I got to meet the currently Ms. Wheelchair VA who is actually from the next town over from me at home.

Then, I filled out an application to volunteer at a Burn Camp this summer. It's only a week long, but I think it'll be a really good opportunity. I was already thinking about doing some type of volunteer or shadowing when I go home anyway, but this would work out really well. I've never worked with clients who have'd burns and learning something new would be a great experience for me.

Went and watched basketball (which I am not a fan of) but I went with JoJoBear and we always have fun. ;)

On the upside, I've got a place to live next year. Believe it or not, it's an undergrad housing. I've managed 5 years to avoid undergrad housing but we got such a good deal we can't pass it up. So, I'll be living with Whitney, Ashley, and Morgan from class after all. My room will be smaller, so I'll definitely have some downsizing to do. And since the townhouse is furnished, I'll definitely have to put my couch, bed, dresser, etc. into storage. That part could be a little tricky, but I'll get it all figured out. Somehow, I always do.

Until next time, love the life you live!

SPRING BREAK

By the time my Spring Break is over, I know how ridiculously bored everyone will be about hearing about Spring Break. But I can honestly say I have never needed a break as much as I do right now. After my midterms on Tuesday and Wednesday (which in my opinion were unfairly difficult), I had to get out of Harrisonburg. Thursday after fieldwork I drove up to Amanda's (where I am currently sitting at her kitchen table writing this very blog). We grabbed coffee at Caribou Coffee which is another good investment, if you haven't tried it before. And we pretty much just watched disney channel all afternoon.

Today we went into Georgetown to Georgetown/DC Cupcakes (they have a show on TLC - which I'm also addicted to). After eating a delicious Red Velvet cupcake (Amanda's was coconut -also delicious) we walked around for about two and half hours. It was so nice to be outside and in the company of good friends. Then we shopped. Boy did we shop. :)

After spending some money at Gap, Old Navy, and Dick's sporting goods, we finally made it home where we are all shopped out. Haha. We brought cupcakes back for the family. It was just a great way to spend my first day of Spring Break. Tomorrow's plans include David's Bridal appointments and then a mediocre drive home. More than likely, I'll stop at my dad's house (and use the gym!) and then head the rest of the way home. My big plans for Spring break? No plans at all. A lot of zumba, a lot of working out, and a lot of leisurely reading. My life right now = bliss.

Random Thoughts

First off, I love the gym. It's one of the only places I can go to clear my head. I spend an hour or so concentrating on my workout and myself - not necessarily something I get to do during the day. It's a refreshing way to start my day. In fact, if I don't start my day working out, I get cranky. It's especially important for me today since I have multiple tests this week. Now that I've worked out, I can go on campus and study for x amount of hours before my test.

Secondly, today in my devotion I read how we should be thankful for our friends. I definitely don't say it enough, but I am so THANKFUL for all of my wonderful and beautiful friends. Despite the many differences we have, we've come together, bonded in some way shape or form. I'm grateful for them. They support me in my decisions, always lend an ear when needed, and most definitely let me vent (which I do all to well with grad school). My friends are very near and dear to my heart. And though many of us are in different states (or will be soon) I'm so glad we're friends.

Corny? Yes. But honest? yep. :)