One of Those Weekends.

      As I type this, I'm breathing a big sigh of contentment. This was definitely one of the best weekends I've had in a while, and I needed it so badly. It wasn't one of those weekends that was full of crazy, almost unbelievable stories. I'm not sure I could even handle one of those right now. It was one of those weekends where you're with friends nonstop, laughing and just enjoying your time with them. It was one of those weekends where I got a lot of stuff done without stressing out (well, maybe a little). I don't know how else to explain it. It was exactly what I needed to get me motivated for the semester ahead of me.
      Yesterday, Stew, Mel, and I attempted the two hour run. The keyword there is attempted. After a little over four miles, Stew and I took a break. Her knees were hurting and my foot wasn't being too kind to me. Also, there was NO water for at least another two miles. What's up with that BR?! It's downright cruel to leave empty water fountains sitting around. They're like a freaking mirage. Anyway, I just couldn't handle any more running after that. I think it's time for me to swallow my pride and go to a doctor. If it a stress fracture, then I need to get started on treating it so that I don't end up walking with a cane when I'm still in my twenties. The run time wasn't a total loss though - I spent some time laying on the "beach" in the amazing weather while they finished their runs.
      After a little recovery time and some delicious smoothies, we headed to the store to get Hannah's birthday dinner. Did I mention she is now in the 20 club?! It's nice to have another old lady join the group. Stew and I went to church with her, and then we came back to the apartment and got started on dinner. Mel made the amazingly delicious birthday cake that only lasted about twelve hours, and Stew and I made the meal. Our bestest bud from home, Simone, came and joined us for the night, so of course we had to go out and celebrate. Here we are looking cute, hehe. :)

Happy birthday, Hanny!

We went to Bogie's and had an absolute blast. Mel was kind enough to chauffeur us for the night! After we got back, we stayed up until some awful hour eating everything we could find, being obnoxious, and watching friends. Come on, you know how it is. A night out never really ends when you get home, right? We were bummed that Alex couldn't be with us, but apparently it's softball season or something. Lucky for us she was game to hang out with us from 2-4 this morning. :)

       Today was just as good as yesterday, if not better. Monie stayed around for a while, and it was so great to get to catch up with her. After she left, we had a roomie (plus Hannah) date to Yogurtland. I'm sure we were annoyingly loud, but whatever. It was delicious! There's nothing better than a cup of froyo to get you ready to work. We came back to the apartment, opened all the windows, turned on Needtobreathe Pandora, and got work done. I managed to get enough done that I really don't even care that I haven't started on my speech yet. (Sidenote: If you know a good story about my life from which I learned a valuable lesson, please let me know!) While we worked on school stuff, we also worked on dinner. We successfully cooked this freaking delicious roast. I should probably knock on wood as I type this, but we have yet to fail at cooking a meal! It's surprising considering how scatterbrained we can be sometimes. Now, we're catching the very important season finale of Kim and Kourtney. You know you're watching too. We all want to know the juicy details of the breakup, right? Oh, and we also realized that although there are four people paying rent to live in this apartment, there are about eight people who think they live here. I mean I honestly wouldn't be surprised to come home one day and find Hannah, BJ, Celia, Jacob Allen, or even Simone sitting on the couch eating all of our food with no one else around.

      Like I said, this weekend wasn't full of craziness and unbelievableness. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me reading about it was insanely boring, but I don't really care. It meant so much to me. According to Monie, friendships hit this ten year mark where they turn completely awful or something. Well, I've been friends Alex, Hannah, and Simone for ten years or more, and I'm sure my friendships with Melanie and Stew will make it to the mark without falling apart. These girls are my family, and I'm so lucky to have them in my life. I can almost guarantee you that at least half of everything we said this weekend made no sense, but all that matters is that it makes us laugh. I love you guys! (I'm assuming they read this blog...otherwise that's embarrassing.) I'm finally coming out of this nasty place that I've let myself stay stuck in for the past month and a half, and I'm so relieved. I'm ready for everything this week is going to throw at me, including my first attempt at public speaking. Anyway, it's time to watch The Notebook/The Shining. Weird pair, I know. Later!

Guess Who's Back.

      After my little freak out/rant/whine session Tuesday night, I decided to go MIA from this thing for a little while. Honestly, I just really didn't feel like writing on Wednesday. I can't think of a single exciting thing that happened on that day, but it's probably because I go to class til 8:30 then work until 4:30...and there's only so much you can say about being a student worker. Am I right? As for not blogging last night, after looking at my online physics homework for a few hours, I couldn't stand looking at my computer anymore. It's amazing how quickly I get sick of my computer when I'm supposed to be doing something productive on it (although I'm not sure how productive I consider homework). Anyway, I apologize for my disappearance, and now I'm going to catch you up on me.
      Like I said, Wednesday was nothing special. There was a wonderful thunderstorm that night, and I slept like a baby for the first time in a long time. Thursday brought good weather and good feelings. I took this picture while walking to work after six straight hours of class. It was rejuvenating!

Japanese magnolia on campus.

Not only was this day full of pretty flowers, it was full of good classes. In English, I got to know my classmates a little better, and I learned that it costs way too much to live the life you want when you're right out of college. Seeing the budget we made was painful! In Faith and Doubt, we (thankfully) got off-topic and started talking about our own opinions on some things. Basically, we were asked whether or not religion can exist without morality and vice versa. Can someone believe in a higher power but not live morally? Can someone strive to live a moral life without a belief in a higher power? We spent thirty minutes on this question, and we will probably continue discussing it on Tuesday. I really do enjoy being in an environment where everyone is willing to hear each other opinions, respect them, and then share their own. Physics was mind-numbing as usual, but Public Speaking was actually fun for once. We did a group activity that involved one group seeing a picture, writing and intro paragraph to a story about it, and then finishing the story while the other groups built off of their paragraph without ever seeing the picture. Does that make sense? It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed laughing and talking with my classmates instead of sitting in silence staring at the teacher. Anyway, Thursday afternoon and night were full of work, homework, and a silly trip to Subway.

      Now, we welcome Friday! I can't even tell you how much I love Fridays. Waking up and knowing I don't have to go to class is pretty much the greatest feeling in the world. This morning, I went to work for a few hours then went to lunch with BJ, Mel, and Stew. There's something about the 459 that makes me miss freshman year. Maybe it's the fact that we spent so much time in that place, and I'm pretty sure we spent more time talking and "studying" than we did eating. After that, it was time to finish physics homework. Okay, lets just skip that awfulness altogether. Eventually, we made our way to the lakes for the first run of the weekend. Tomorrow calls for a whole two hours! While we were stretching, four girls and two canoes passed us by. These poor girls seemed to have no idea what they were getting themselves into. We volunteered to help get the second boat into the water, and we almost flipped them in! I hope the rest of their trip went smoothly, but I wouldn't be surprised if I heard they were still stranded in the middle of the lake right now.

Andddd they're off!

Once we got them going, we started our loop around the small lake. I saw two people I haven't seen in forever, and I finished in under 40 minutes. I always considered that a great run, especially when you have to deal with that weird stretch of the running path that just isn't wide enough for all the people it's supposed to be holding. I think the best part of this run was getting to watch the sun go down. There's just something about Baton Rouge sunsets. I can't help but notice that every single one of them is purple and gold! Seriously, if you're ever in the mood to see a good sunset, hit up the lakes or the parade ground. Nothing better. Tonight, we had a roomie dinner date at Fat Cow. Odd name, but such yummy food. It's always fun to leave everything we're supposed to be doing at the apartment while we go out and act totally immature in public for a while. Our time together would never be complete without name calling, teasing, hitting, and me pretending I'm severely injured. Yes, we're weirdos and enjoy doing everything we were taught not to do in grades 1-12.

LSU sunset.

      In case you can't tell, I'm feeling good. Over the past few days, I have come to realize a few things that have helped me be more positive every day. I mean I finally came to a conclusion about the end of my relationship that I'm happy with. That's huge for me! I put all of myself and even more into it, and if that wasn't enough, then so be it. There are so few people in my life and yours who are willing to give us their all, and we're fools if we let that go. In the same respect, we're fools to waste our time on people who aren't looking out for us like they should be. All I can ever do, no matter what aspect of my life I look at, is my best. And that's what I did. That's what I do with anything that really matters to me. Whatever happens...happens. I know that's an overused phrase, but it's true. Every day, I scoff at it less and less. My job is to wake up every morning and do the best I can to make my day and yours worth living for. I'm in the midst of my most challenging semester yet, and I have so many things to look forward to when I'm not drowning myself in school work. It's time to stop looking back and start moving forward. Now, someone make me reread this post next time I lose this confidence. :P

Later!

Struggles.

      Okay, I'm struggling. In so many ways. The biggest way being that I am struggling to get anything productive done. For example, I have about 80 pages of material to read, a two page response to write (the hard part there is it's in APA...what?), and physics homework to do. Okay, so the physics homework can wait until Thursday night, but still. What am I doing instead of these things? Blogging and pretending like it's something very important that I had to get done tonight. Most likely, I will spend 30+ minutes working on this, then go to church for an hour or so, then come home and talk about all of the things I have to do, then go to bed. What the heck is wrong with me? I feel like I've spent my life savings on school supplies, but if you know of anywhere I can purchase some motivation, let me know.

      Does this ever happen to you? I mean, I'm literally sitting here refusing to do work. I am sitting here trying not to freak out about the fact that I've lost a grip on what I thought I had a grip on but never really had a grip on in the first place. Does that make sense? Yeah, I didn't expect it would. I'm the kind of person who likes to have total control of everything going on in my life. When it feels like things are going well, it's so easy to say, "Let go and let God!" Why is that so hard to say when things aren't making any sense. In my heart, I know this is just a phase. I know it's impossible to know the worth of this life if you never know the struggles of it. All I want right now is to know something. Anything, really. I want to wake up in the morning and be sure of something. 

      Today was just another day in the awful Tuesday/Thursday hellaciousness I have created for myself this semester. I know that's not a real word, but it's a made up word that perfectly describes what Tuesdays and Thursdays have become for me. After my first two classes, I was already ready for a nap. Alas, I still had to go to my two most challenging classes. Both of them drained my brain of the little juice it had left very quickly. If Brittany hadn't left her apartment open for me, I probably would have sat outside in the rain crying or something for my hour break. Instead, I got to lay on her comfy warm couch until Physics lab. Want to hear the great part about that? I now have my third consecutive super Asian TA. As if Bing and Jing didn't give me my fill, I now have Zhenyu...I think. Whatever, it'll be an experience...right?

      Thank God (literally) that Alive is tonight. I could really use some adoration time, and confession probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Actually, it would be the best thing I could do for myself right now. There's just nothing like the clean slate feeling you get after that, and my slate needs some serious cleaning right now. I know this post is a super annoying one because all I'm going is complaining, but I feel like it's something I need to write out for my own good. I promise there are happier times to come. Until then, I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures from Kingston. Knowing I get to see these folks again in less than four months is the only thing getting me through the awful monotony of this semester's curriculum. Later!

One of my bestestestest friends.

Blah.

      My laptop is dying, so I'll make this quick. Today was nice and slow as I expect most of my Mondays will be. I got to sleep really, really late. I'm talking like, 8:30am late. Can you believe it?! My first (and only) class of the day was my only kinesiology class this semester, which is a little weird since that's my major. The teacher kept talking about how it is a "communication-intensive" course. Oh, how freaking wonderful. I thought public speaking would be more than enough, but I might as well have as many heart attacks as possible so I can enjoy the next one. I'm telling you now, next semester will consist of nothing but lecture classes where I can stay completely anonymous...and maybe an activity course or two.
      After class, I decided to grab a bite to eat before heading to work. I was lucky enough to be told I was going straight to Hell because I am not saved. Don't you just love hearing that?! When asked if I was a Christian, I responded no. I am a Christian, but my Christian bears absolutely no resemblance to the Christian that was standing there wearing signs and just dying to whack someone on the head with their Bible. Goodness knows that if I said I was Catholic they would probably spontaneously combust. Do people really respond to that kind of talk? The minute I hear one of those people talking, I shut down completely. There is absolutely nothing they can say to me that could make me stop and listen to them, especially if they're yelling (which they usually are). Whatever, I guess it's called Free Speech Alley for a reason. Luckily, I had some yummy Chick-fil-a to calm me down...and fatten me up. :)
      Work was nothing special, just a whole lot of alphabetizing and a joy ride around campus. I feel so official when I have one of those little wands that opens the gates! I wish I could own one of those things. I did come across this guy while I was filing...scary, isn't he? I'm not sure where his foot has gone.

Protecting the super-secret files.

      Sweet Mel just delivered me 1.5 chocolate chip pancakes made with love, so I think this is where I call it quits. I've got a ton of reading to do for tomorrow, joy! I promise that tomorrow's post will be much more interesting. How could it not be after five classes and some serious Jesus time? Later!

Little Momma's Birthday!

      Sorry I skipped out on posting yesterday, but I was kind of MIA from 7pm-2am. There were celebrations to be had, for goodness sake! Anyway, I spent most of yesterday being a total bum. I tend to do that when I go home. I woke up ridiculously late and stayed in my pajamas until a sinful hour of the afternoon. This was that glorious first weekend of school where you don't have anything to do that can't be put off until Sunday night, but I did bring my booksack home so I could look like I was being productive. I went to church with my mom So yeah, yesterday's daytime hours were nothing special.
      Last night, Hannah, Stew, and I went out to dinner with some other folks to celebrate our dear friend Hayley's birthday. It made me feel so freaking old! I mean seriously, we ate dinner with a bunch of nurses, married and engaged people, and even a new baby. Since when do I hang out with people who have actual lives?! After dinner, we went out to City Bar. I think that was my first time going there, and it really wasn't too bad. We ran into one of our old high school coaches, and Stew and Hayley saw their 7th grade teacher. I honestly think I would have a mild heart attack if I ever saw one of my middle school teachers in a bar, mostly because they all have kids my age or older. Anyway, we had a ton of fun, and I'm so glad Hayley got to celebrate her birthday with people who love her and have no problem making time for her in their oh so busy lives. Hehe :) Today consisted of some family time and a good three mile run before heading back to the apartment. It's funny how much I want to stay home when school is actually in session.

Wish it wasn't so dark!

Birthday girl!

      Tomorrow starts my first official week of my fourth semester. I'll actually have all of my classes instead of just two days worth. I'm still sitting at number three on the physiology waitlist, and I have about 24 hours left before I have to give up and stay in public speaking. Hopefully something changes soon! I'm excited to finally get into a routine again. I've had way too much time to think lately, and my thinking just hasn't been very productive. There's like a constant game of Pong going on in my head. You know, that black and white game where the little circle goes back and forth and you have to use your rectangle to keep it from losing the point. All day, every day, my mind goes back and forth about how I'm feeling. It's driving me crazy! I can't wait to have back a feeling of sureness and confidence, but I know that takes time. We should never have trouble remembering the last time we went a whole 24 hours without feeling down about something. That's just awful! For now, I'll just continue working on controlling my mindset every day. I have a feeling that something new is going to happen in my life soon. I mean, I've got to have something to blog about...right? Until then, you will just have to endure reading about the meaningless tasks I perform daily. Later!

Peace and Quiet.

      Sorry I went MIA yesterday. After sitting at the computer for hours reading and trying to do physics homework, I couldn't bear to stare at my screen long enough to blog. So, let me now give you the boring details. I had one of my moments in English class. My whole class is focused around hunger with a bit more of a focus on hunger in the US than in other parts of the world. We watched videos from Faces of Hunger that got me all worked up. In one video, we were presented with a statistic from the Wall Street Journal that said:

"In one year, Americans spent  $2.6 billion on bird seed. Two and a half times as much as they spent on food for the needy."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That stat, along with the other things I learned from these videos and just from the class discussion, made me so upset. I think it was a mixture of guilt, frustration, and a few other things. Even as a college student, I could easily give money/time/resources to helping feed the needy. Easily. So, why don't I? Why don't you? My assignment for this weekend is to ask people two questions. First, how do you define hunger? Second, how big of a problem do you think hunger is in America? Well, what do you think? I have a feeling I'll end up engrossed in this class and blog about it often.
      After English, it was time for Faith and Doubt. Admittedly, the reading material for this class is going to be overwhelming at times, but I'm super excited about everything else. The teacher is really good at keeping class discussions from turning into arguments, and she's ridiculously knowledgable about the material. Right now, I'm reading about how silly Thomas Paine thinks Christianity is, and I'm finding it very interesting. If not for my faith, I would probably agree with the majority of his points. This is a class that will give me a headache, but in a really good way.
      Physics was terribly boring and I was lost the whole time, as expected. Oh yeah, and public speaking was awful, which was also expected. All morning, I was anxious about getting up in front of the class. So there I am, sitting in class five minutes before it starts, and in walks Jacob. Yes folks, my lovely ex-boyfriend (that's still really weird to type). I mean luckily we are civil and have this weird friendship thing going on, but really?! For those of you who know me well, it's no surprise that of 50ish sections, we would end up in the same one. That's the kind of luck I've been blessed with I guess. I can't help but think, "Damn, I'm glad awkward situations don't bother me." I managed to get up and talk without pulling a Mia Thermopolis (I watched Princess Diaries earlier), so I would consider it a success. I can't help but wonder why I have such a big fear of talking in front of people. It's so frustrating! I'm not shy by any means, but I'm not obnoxiously loud either. I like to think I reside in the pleasant middle zone. There's just something about standing in front of a silent group of staring people that makes me break out in a sweat! I'm still holding my breath about getting into physiology...I'm number 3 on the waitlist!
      Today was full of work, lunch with friends, and physics homework. Now, I'm back in Crowley for the weekend to celebrate my little momma Hayley's 20th birthday. Woo woo! I had dinner with my daddy, and now I'm holding down the fort until everyone gets home. After the stressful week I've had, it feels good to be at my parents' house bumming around. Tonight, I'll leave you with a picture of my famous bffl...and then she will fuss at me. Later!

Hehehehe.

Back to Work, Back to Work.

      I honestly don't think I could have dealt with any classes today, so thank goodness my only class of the day got cancelled. Tuesday really wore me out, so today I went to work to make a little moolah. It felt good to be back and doing something, but it is weird that some people have left since last semester. I worked until noon, then I went to lunch with my bro and Stew at the 459. It's weird how you get so sick of dining halls when you have a meal plan, but when it's gone you miss those crazy ladies and all of the food they cook for you. After a long lunch with them, I headed home for the day. I was hoping I could fit in a nap, but I decided to go for a run with Melanie and Madeline instead. We decided to do a lap around the lake, and it was pretty much the easiest run ever. The weather was just so perfect, and there is always something to look at when you're running out there. It's so much better than running 30 something laps around the indoor track!

My course for the day.

      It felt so good to feel good after running. For once there was no point where I was ready to die! I did almost get attacked by a dog, but whatever. After the run, I blew more money on useless books and read the first five chapters of The Age of Reason. I've never been good at reading books written before the 20th century, but I'm trying so hard to pay attention to it. It's...interesting. Yeah, I'll stick with that description for now. Hopefully I don't find it so outrageous that I can't continue reading. Anyway, the highlight of my day was going to dinner with my dear friend, R.D. When I first came to LSU, I signed up for a mentor. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I got really lucky. R.D. and I hit it off instantly and have stayed friends through our busy lives. He was so helpful during my clueless freshman days, and now I consider him a very good friend that I was lucky enough to get paired up with. We headed to George's for dinner which is always delicious. It's this hole-in-the-wall place where you write down your order on a piece of paper and they yell at you whenever it's ready. There are dollar bills all over the walls, and cryptic messages from good times written all over the tables. It was great to catch up with R.D., and I like to think that we gave each other a push to get through the rest of our week's activities.

      Speaking of the rest of the week....I'm ready for it to be over. As much as I hate going to 7:30 classes, they do mean I don't have to go to class on Fridays. Woohoooooo! Seeing as how I'll be going nonstop from 7:30-4:30 tomorrow, it'll be nice not to think too hard on Friday. Tonight, I think I'll shower and watch some Friends. I do that a lot, don't I? There's just no better way to wind down. Later!

Back to School, Back to School.

      Okay, I completely forgot how exhausting school is. I woke up at 6:45am, again regretting scheduling 7:30 classes. Yes, it gives me time to go to work in the afternoons, but it is SO HARD to get up. I am so jealous of people who don't go to class until 9 or 10 in the morning. So, so jealous. Anyway, my first class was English. It's a service-learning class focused on hunger problems. All of my papers will be dealing with local and national hunger issues, and I'll be volunteering at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. My teacher is a PhD student, so she's laid back and understanding. Gotta love when that happens. My second class of the day was Faith and Doubt. The teacher is really interesting, and I think taking classes like this is a really great way to learn how to talk to all kinds of different people. The only downside is having seven (possibly eight) books to read that are all old and boring.
      Once I got to my third class, the day just got awful. My physics professor literally talked for 80 minutes straight. Literally. He talked only about the syllabus, and he used every minute he was given to do it. If I didn't know how important doing your own homework was before, I sure do now! Being in a stinky old lecture hall struggling to pay attention just reminded me of my days of misery as a Biology major. It was awful! As if that wasn't bad enough, I had public speaking after. Public speaking is my worst nightmare. So I'm sure you can imagine how happy I was to walk in and see a woman, who I am pretty sure is the leader of a Wicken tribe, staring me down. She was terribly unpleasant, and I am not looking forward to any part of this class at all. I am praying that the seven people in front of me for physiology drop by Thursday morning. Praying. Hard.
      Thankfully, tonight was dinner and Alive at Christ the King. It felt so good to put all of my worries and struggles aside for a while and just focus on spending time with friends and with God. I can't think of anything better than sitting in front of the Eucharist on the altar with the rain pouring down outside while 30+ people sing praise and worship. You can't help but let yourself become a part of it when you're in there. Lately, it's been so hard for me to remember my blessings in the midst of my struggles. I am nowhere near where I want to be right now when it comes to the way I think about my life, but I'll get there. This is a journey, right? Sorry but I have no picture for today. If I did, it would be one of me looking exhausted and halfway dead. That's what I am right now. So I'm going to sit here and read a little of Paine's The Age of Reason to put myself to sleep. Clearly, college is back. Later!

Last Day of Nothingness.

      Ah, it feels good to be back. I got to sleep until 10:30 this morning, and I have a feeling that's the last time I'll be able to do that until...April? I could cry just thinking about waking up before 7am tomorrow. Anyway, I finally did some useful physical activity today! Stew, Hannah, and I went for a run at The Cottages (big shots, I know). Stew and I managed to pump out four miles (Hannah managed about three - she was a trooper!) around the lakes and "hiking trails". The trails consisted of a bunch of dead little trees, and the lakes had weird things that kept spraying me. We ran into the cutest puppy named Nola along the way, so that could be why our run seemed to take a while...
      After we recovered and freshened up, we had to go on a lightbulb run. Somehow, we had three burnt out lightbulbs and a lamp that was missing its lightbulb completely. When we got home from the store, there was a newspaper covered gift hanging on our wall. Our friend Jacob was so excited to show us the gift he had gotten us that he made us all sit down as he presented it. Knowing we are such lovely Catholic ladies, he purchased us a glowing Virgin Mary clock. That's right, the top half is a picture of Mary that lights up and the bottom half is a clock with some weird pattern behind it. He found this gem in gypsy tent, believe it or not. He is extremely proud of it, so I guess we'll have to leave it hanging even though it isn't very good at telling time.
      Tonight, we went and met a group of friends for an MLK Day party. I was lucky enough to find Baby Martin in my piece of Martin Luther King Cake! Isn't he cute?

Baby Martin!

After a round of very intense Candyland, Hannah and I had to rescue Stew from Sorority Row so we could head home. Since being back I have successfully figured out where all of my classes for tomorrow will be...well except for one. I won't know my full schedule until 7am tomorrow. Ridiculous! I also managed to put a binder and notebook into my booksack, so I'm basically on the road to a 4.0...right? Anyway, I'm totally nervous but excited for tomorrow. It's the first day of my fourth semester. Wow. I still can't comprehend that I've conquered three semesters with only a few scrapes and bruises. It's absolutely crazy that in about five months, I'll be halfway to a college degree. I love LSU so much, but it's definitely not somewhere I want to be taking classes for more than four years, you know? I pray that I can quickly get into a mindset that will lead me to success in all of my classes this semester. I should probably pray hard since I already have Physics homework due Friday...ahhhhhh! I'm completely exhausted, so I think I'll catch an episode of Friends with the roomies before attempting to get a good night's sleep. Knowing me, I'll be up until 3am. Later!

     

Back Again.

      Well, I'm finally back in Baton Rouge! I'm pretty sure this was the most productive day I've had since leaving five weeks ago...how sad. I got up at a time that couldn't be considered "afternoon" by anyone and actually got stuff done. I had Rhonda loaded up and ready to go before noon. How crazy is that?! Once I got here, unloading and unpacking too quite some time. I meant to take a picture of the tornado that came through my room, but my phone got lost somewhere in the debris. After I got unpacked, Mel and I decided to go blow some money. First, we went to school to pick up my books at the bookstore. Can someone tell me why I paid 85ish dollars for a book that is NOT EVEN BOUND?! I literally have to put it into a binder to keep it from blowing away. Ridiculous. I still have books to buy for like three other classes, and I'm not looking forward to it. From there, we headed to get some shoes and some groceries. We probably spent too much money, but we did get a free stapler so it was totally worth it. Right?
      Tonight, I went to mass at Christ the King with my bestest black ("not to be racist") friend ever, Celia. As usual, it was...interesting. Father Pat, a local blind priest, said mass. That's right, blind. Complete with seeing-eye dog and Braille bible. Long story short, there were a few meltdowns here and there, but the church is still standing. The great thing is, the meltdowns led to a much greater participation than you would usually see at a 6pm mass. Ever since going to church in Jamaica every day, it can be hard to sit through a typical mass around here. I mean come on, you get to dance during the Our Father during the Caribbean mass. America needs to step it up!
      After our interesting mass experience, we came to the apartment and had chicken and waffles. Usually I would make a black joke here, but you probably would have seen it coming so I'm not going to...yet, at least. I can't lie, it feels good to be back in the apartment. I'm so blessed to have roommates that I actually like to be around. It's still so weird to me that some people don't know their roommates well or spend time with them even in the apartment. I hope I never live that way! Speaking of roommates, my schweet schweet Mel made me this!

Yay for late birthday presents!

If you can't read it, it says "There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on it's knees." It's probably my favorite quote of all time, and it's been especially true for me these past few days. I found it so, so hard to pack up all of my stuff and get ready to come back here. I think it's because  I've been feeling so insecure and just plain scared for the past few weeks. Being at home and surrounded by an environment that hasn't changed much in the past ten years made all of my other changes a little easier to deal with. Honestly, it just made them easier to ignore. I mean I'm kind of worried about being able to handle school on top of the hundreds of other things that I've been trying to process daily. So, I apologize in advance to anyone who might catch me in a bit of a mood these next few weeks. All I want is a little peace, but I just don't see that happening anytime soon. If you're a praying person, a few my way would be greatly appreciated.

      Even with all of my worries, I'm truly excited to get back into the school routine again. If this semester goes by as fast as the last, I'll be halfway done with college before I even know it. How crazy is that?! Tomorrow's post will probably be all about the upcoming semester, so I think I'll call it a night. I'm off to watch Friends with my loves and not care about a darn thing for the rest of the night. Later!

Time to Go.

      The time has definitely come for me to go back to Baton Rouge. I've let my brain and body turn to blobs of nothing for far too long now! Tonight, Hannah, Stew, and I went to dinner with our dear old friend Garrett. He might have abandoned us and become a Ragin' Pepper or whatever, but we still love him. It was great to be able to catch up. It's always comforting when you realize that certain things just never change and probably never will.
      Like I said, it's time to go back I love coming home, but I've been here too long. While I dread having to study for hours on end, the fear of failing big exams, and the very early mornings, I can't wait to be back on campus and feeling like every day I'm moving one step closer to where I'm supposed to be. So much has changed for me since I left in December, and it's going to be really weird and probably hard to get into a comfortable routine again. I hope this semester is good to me and good to all of you. I hope it brings so many new, memorable experiences. I hope that our goals and ambitions get closer and closer to being achieved while our confidence in what we're doing grows more and more.
      I've avoided packing for long enough, so I guess I'll actually get something done tomorrow morning. Tonight I'll be too busy moving all of the stuff I was going to pack to somewhere other than my bed so I can sleep. You know how it goes. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my last night of laying on this couch with my pups watching Friends without a single thing to stress about. Later!

Thinker.

      Okay, so I feel terrible for the lack of things I do everyday, but then I remember that starting Tuesday I'll be going nonstop again. So, I'm going to keep being a bum for my last few days at home. Today, I ventured all the way down the road to Walmart to get my oil changed. I hate going to Walmart because it always goes something like this...Look/feel like death, and you will see everyone you don't want to see when looking this way. Look/feel like you're having a good day, see no one...except Sam. Naturally, I fit into the first category today. Tonight, I cooked dinner for my family. It was some crazy easy chicken noodle casserole that I think came about pretty good. Hopefully they didn't eat it just to be nice...hmm. I guess I'll cook it for my roommates, and they can spit it out in disgust if it's not good. Hehe!

      During my sedentary time today, I stumbled across two pretty cool things. The first was this - 95 Questions to Help You Find Meaning and Happiness. The list is full of all the questions that you hesitate to answer because you realize your true answer isn't quite what you want it to be. It can be frustrating to face yourself and say, "Self, you're doing something wrong here." The second thing I found while I was looking at the first like is this website. It's a site full of questions that (as the title says) are there to make you think. I love it even more because things are so much more fun to read when there are pictures attached, right? To make this post semi-intersting tonight, I think I'm going to answer a few of the questions on the sites. Already I'm finding myself skipping certain questions just looking at them, so I'm going to answer #27 and #63 on the first one, and then I'll answer the 14th one and the 58th one on the second site. That's irrelevant...I'm just writing it so I actually do it. It'll be really cool to read my answers to these things a year from now when I'm reading over all of this madness. Bear with me!

What’s the number one thing you want to achieve in the next five years?

      Well, there are quite a few things I want to have done before I'm 26. Really, I just want to be confident and sure of whatever I am doing with my life. Whether I'm still in school pursuing something new or starting a family or traveling all over the world, I just want to feel a peace in my heart...the peace you only feel when you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing in that moment. That's definitely not something I have right now.

What are you naturally good at?

      I hate questions like this. Darn you, #63! Ugh. Okay, I guess I'm naturally good at staying calm and grounded when others might not be able to. Any time I get really upset, no matter what it's about, I can usually keep my mind right and deal with it. It's really hard to make me so upset that I get caught up in the moment.  

What is there no substitute for?

      Hmm...knowing you are loved. Whether it's the love of a friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, family member, or whoever else, there's just nothing like it. I want to describe this further, but I just can't.

What are three positive things that happened to you this year?

      Since this year has only been 12 days long, I'm going to cheat a little and reach back into 2011. So, the first thing would be moving into an apartment! I feel like that was a huge step towards becoming a "biggirl" as I like to say. The best part is, I live with three of my best friends. It's nice to have an apartment where everyone can actually spend time together in the living room. It always freaks me out when I go to a friends apartment and they hardly know anything about their roommate(s). Secondly, I finished my first year of college! I'm about to start my fourth semester, and it definitely doesn't feel like that much time has passed. When I finished my first year, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. I felt like I had made the right choices in major choice, school choice, and all of that. I still feel that way today! Lastly, I went on a mission trip to Kingston, Jamaica. I think hundreds of positive things happened to me on that trip. It changed my heart to something my old heart probably wouldn't recognize, and it changed my view of the world and my view of my role in this world. I left a huge chunk of myself with those people, and I carry them with me everyday. I can't wait to go back!

I think that's enough of my madness for this evening. I have a feeling I'll be going back to those sites often when I feel like doing a little self-evaluation. Tonight, I will leave you with a picture of the place these cold days remind me of. Later!

Tignall, GA y'all!

      

YES.

      I almost didn't post anything tonight since I'm considering today a "mental health day".  My body and ego are still bruised from Monday.  Instead of sharing my own thoughts, I'll share someone else's. It's the video "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus". While I don't feel exactly the same way as this guy, I do agree with his message. It's so hard not to get frustrated with the church sometimes. I don't even want to get into that though. I'm too tired to make my opinions clear and worth reading right now, but it is something I want to right about one day. So, enjoy the video. I'm peacing out. Later!

Our sweet little church at Corpus Christi in Kingston.

Exhaustion.

      As you know, I was a little busy yesterday. I am definitely paying for it today! It was completely worth it though. Once we left our apartment, we drove to the New Orleans airport, drove around the airport, went to the Hilton, parked Dylan's car, drove to Metarie, picked up Simone, drove completely across the Mississippi to a place I have never been, turned around, and eventually ended up in the Superdome parking garage. Yes, that sentence was obnoxiously long, but so was that car ride!
      My first stop after leaving the car was to go and pick up my ticket. I had been waiting foreverrrr to get that thing. I made my way up the ramps to the Dome, stopped to talk to some friends, then finally picked up my beautiful, well-worth-the-money ticket to the national championship. I mean come on, how many times in my life will I get to go to one of those?!

So. Beautiful.

      After picking up my ticket, I had to go find my friends. Luckily for me, I know my way around the French Quarter and Superdome area pretty well because they aren't very good at knowing where they are most of the time...y'all know it's true! After I found them, we ran into my brother and his friends and decided to head to the hotel they were staying at. At some point, Dylan and I abandoned our group and walked down the street to explore. It was a successful exploration including a fancy hotel with fancy bathrooms and rich people who act like dollar bills are pennies. The dollar I found came in handy later! We headed back to my brother's hotel to find that our friends had decided not to wait for us. Poor Dylan was shocked (obviously, she hasn't been around us enough yet), but I figured I could find them where everyone else in the city was gathering - Bourbon Street. This picture doesn't really do justice to the crazy party that was Bourbon. Every balcony was full, beads were flying everywhere, and trash talk was all you could hear. Perfect environment for this day!

Most packed I have ever seen Bourbon Street.

      Eventually, we decided that we needed some food in our bellies. We headed over to Pierre Maspero's which was disturbingly full of Bammers. I mean really, why were there so many everywhere?! Yuck! After our late lunch, we walked and walked and walked, and we eventually parted ways. I headed to the Superdome, and they headed to wherever the heck they watched the game. The Dome was looking really good!

Love to see those purple and gold lights!

      I met up with BJ, and we were so ready to go inside. Unfortunately, they opened the gates an hour later than they said they would, and I had to deal with some really rude people while waiting in line. People have such a hard time getting along in hot, crowded places! Eventually, we made our way inside and to our seats which were in the lower level to the right of our goal post. Such a good view! Me, BJ, and Jacob were literally two feet from the band. So wonderful! Shout out to my tubas, Carson and Trey! There were so many people in there, and it was so loud! There's really nothing like cheering on the Tigers in the student section. We were literally shaking the ground we were standing on. I'm going to miss that so much once I've graduated.

Set up for the National Anthem. So many people!

      As for the game, I don't really have much to say about that. It was...painful and embarrassing. As much as I would've liked to see Jarrett Lee play, we've got to think realistically. None of us are behind the scenes, and I know for a fact there was so much more to it than JJ being Miles' favorite. Yes, it sucked, but it happens. I still bleed purple and gold all day, every day. We had an amazing, historical season and I'm SO proud of our boys. I love my school and I can't wait to see what next year has in store for our football team. Until then, I've got to focus on silly academic things. Oh, and rooting on the softball team! Don't worry, I'll be providing creepy updates about Alex in any form that I can. I'm sure she'll love it.  0:)

      We had way too much fun after the game, and I'm pretty sure most of it isn't blog appropriate. All I know is I am exhausted and my foot is killing me! So much for the long run I had planned for tomorrow. Instead, I'll start packing to move back to Baton Rouge...maybe. It's crazy how fast this winter break has gone by, but I'm excited to get back to work and school. I'm running out of distractions in good old Crowley! I'm considering today the official end of my birthday celebration, so I think I'll have a piece of cake while I watch Teen Mom. Later!

Two Decades Down...

   
      It's official! Today, I entered my third decade on this crazy earth. It's really freaky! I have a ton of deep and fascinating thoughts on this 20-29 age group, but I'll get to that later in this post. First, I'll tell you about my oh so interesting day! I started off this oddly warm day with a huge piece of the cake you see above. It's now sitting in the fridge in my apartment waiting to be eaten by my roomies. After that, I opened my gifts from my family and packed to head to Baton Rouge - stop one on my personal Road to the BCS or whatever that corny thing is they've been doing. Eventually, we made our way to P.F. Changs and stuffed our faces (yes, this day was full of food). After that, my family abandoned me at my apartment, and I patiently awaited the arrival of my buds.
      Once Hannah and Caroline got here, we thought it would be a good idea to make Alex think we were gone while we hid under her bed and anxiously awaited her arrival. Well, we waited...and waited...and waited. I mean seriously, who waits an HOUR to go into their room after getting home?! In the end, she screamed, I screamed, we all screamed, and it was all worth it. Now, I'm sitting in my apartment with four of my dearest friends and my potential future roomie (shout out to Dylan ya'll!) watching the best episode of Friends ever made and talking about things that I'm pretty sure other people don't talk about. Although this birthday hasn't turned into anything I expected it to be even just a month ago, I can't imagine a better way to end it. Like most of my days in the past few weeks, there were obstacles that had to be overcome. Luckily, it's impossible to feel sad when you're surrounded by so much happiness. I love these girls, and I love that they're willing to spend time with this crazy old lady.
      We have finally arrived at the time where I share my thoughts and pretend thousands of people are hanging on every word, desperately wanting to hear more. Ha! As I mentioned, this entire decade freaks me out. I just don't know how else to describe it. In the next ten years, most of my peers will get big kid jobs, get married, and have (expected) babies. Am I ready for all of that? I know I'm getting ahead of myself and all this freakiness will pass, but still! There are so, so many things I want to do in the next ten years. I have this silly plan where I want to be married and at least expecting a child by the time I'm 28. I say silly because I know that the plans I make for myself are just me refusing to accept that God is going to do whatever he wants with my life, whether I'm cool with it or not. Anyway, it's the things I want to do before I hit the 28 mark that are more important. First, I want to graduate from LSU and go on to get my Master's in occupational therapy. I was given a semi-absorbant brain for a reason, so I might as well soak up as much as I can. Heck, I might even get my doctorate one day...maybe.
      More importantly, I want to do some serious mission work. I'm talking months in Kingston with Missionaries of the Poor or wherever else I'm called to go to. I've even considered joining the Peace Corps after grad school if I'm not committed to anything when I graduate. I just want to go and see and go and see until I can't go and see anymore. I want my kids to not believe half of my stories because they are just that outrageous. The best part about all of this is that during this decade, we really are provided with everything we need to do whatever we want. As a college student, I have so many resources to turn to. There's someone, somewhere on this campus who can answer any question I have, or at least lead me to someone who can. Also, old people love hearing about the dreams of college kids. I think it might be because they have a few dreams that haven't been fulfilled, but that's just a hunch. No matter where you go, there is someone who would love to help you move forward on your journey. Crazy how God sets that up for us. To sum it up, as freaked out as I am by being in my twenties, I'm even more excited about it. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me!
      I'm starting to crave some birthday cake, so I'm out of here. Tomorrow, I kind of have this big football game to go to, so don't expect to hear from me. Instead, look for me on ESPN to the left of the north side goal post. Later!

You are Loved.

     Well, I can't say that today was anything special. I woke up nice and late at 10:30, then headed to Lafayette with my mom. We picked up my super secret birthday cake, ingredients for tonight's dinner, and a few other things. Then, we came home and went to mass at St. Michael's which provided me a whole lot to write about.
     When we walked up to church, this halfway familiar priest greeted us and held the door open for us. I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it. As he gave the homily, it all came back to me. He was a teacher at my elementary school before I was even born and joined the priesthood sometime after that. He had preached about missions here two years ago, and was back in town for the time capsule thing. Okay...the story was starting to sound a little familiar. I listened intently to his homily, especially the end. He finished with, "It's four minutes after five, and you are loved." BAM! I remember hearing that the last time I heard him preach, and I have loved it so much then. This time, it meant even more. The fact is that no matter what second of what minute of what hour of what day it is, I am loved. You are loved. We are all loved. All the time. I love it!
     Yesterday was the Epiphany, but we don't celebrate it until the weekend masses. The Epiphany, for those of you who may have forgotten, signifies the visit of the Magi to sweet baby Jesus.  Basically, this is how Jesus was revealed to those crazy old Gentiles. So today, the priest gave a homily on journeys. He started with the tale of his journey to find really good chocolate, so of course I was hooked. The message he finally got to was that no matter what, we need to continue our journey towards Christ. The Magi were very rich men who had everything the could possibly want, at least in an earthly sense. So why would they leave everything to go on this journey? It's simple - we are nothing without faith. Even if you don't consider yourself to be very Catholic or Christian or even a believer in God, you most probably believe in something more. It's kind of in our human nature. We want to know the unknown, even if it's scary. We are always reaching for something that is not palpable by our human touch, only by our hearts. It's an absolutely terrifying thought, for me at least, to think of giving up this life I have created for myself so far to go in search of a deeper faith. Still, it's something I really want to do. All I need is a little courage...right?
     Another really good point the priest made was that even though the Magi faced many obstacles along the way, they never gave up. It's not like they hopped on a plane and flew to baby Jesus. So today, we need to remember that obstacles are put in our way every single day, and overcoming them makes reaching the finish line so much sweeter. Finish line is kind of the wrong term, but I've got running on my mind. You can figure out what I'm getting at. It's so freaking easy to let bad things get the best of us, but we've got to be better than that. It's okay to pause for a good cry, but at some point you've got to dry your eyes and remember whatever goal it is that you're trying to attain. Trust me, crying only makes you feel worse if you keep doing it over...and over....and over. If you ever feel like your life has no meaning, it's probably because you're not looking to make it meaningful. Duh.
     It's times like these that I wish I was a better writer or just communicator in general. It's so frustrating to have so many thoughts in my head that I can't for the life of me translate into something understandable. Ugh! Anyway, I think I've confused myself and you enough for one evening. I'm going to end my 20th year on this earth with a few loads of laundry, packing, and a little reading. I live quite the life, don't I? I don't have any pictures for today, so I'll leave you with a picture that I guarantee will make you smile. Later!

Melt. My. Heart.

Funny Lady.

     Okay, so I'm already doing bad at this. Not even a week in and I've failed at the whole posting everyday thing. I can explain! Yesterday afternoon, I met up with one of my dearest friends from junior high and high school, Allison. We had a ton of catching up to do, so the drive to New Orleans wasn't bad at all. Parking was supposed to be $10, but we got in with just a smile and wave! We had plenty of time to kill, so we headed to the French Quarter to find something to eat. After strolling around for a while, we ended up at Ember's Steak House. We dined upstairs and got to stare at everyone on Bourbon while we ate. You know I love a good creeping opportunity, especially on that street!

View from Ember's!

     After our meal, we headed back to the Mahalia Jackson Theatre and waited for the doors to open.  There were a lot of...interesting characters there. Yeah, that's what we'll go with.

This picture was supposed to include Allison, but... 

Gotta have some merch!

     Anyway, once the show started, I don't think we stopped laughing. Yes, Kathy Griffin is crude and rude and shares about 3% of my beliefs, but she is so freaking funny. My favorite thing about her is that she is never sorry for any joke she makes. If you've got a problem, she'll hear you out and respond with, "I understand why you feel that way." That's it! She never fails to make me laugh, whether she is talking about the Kardashians or king cake. I was literally crying for at least half of the show. My money was well spent! I'm considering it the beginning of my birthday celebration. I can't wait to head back to New Orleans on Monday for this biggest football game of my young life.

     I can't say today was as exciting, but I did apply for my new passport! I love going to the Crowley courthouse because they have someone who stays in the elevator and works it for you. Sounds creepy in today's world, but that's how things used to be! It was terribly hard to give up my old passport and all of its memories, but I was ensured that it will be returned to me. We can only hope! Also, passports are outrageously priced, but then so is everything else I find myself buying.

     Now, I'm going to watch the Cotton Bowl with my family before going to have some ice cream with a...friend. I guess that's what the title would be these days. Intriguing, right? Later!

SUCCESS.

     Well, I did it! I finally managed to run eight miles. Now I just have to be able to run...5 more after that. In exactly two months. Let the challenge begin! On March 4th, two of my roomies and I will be doing the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans. Since it's only two months away, I figured it's time for me to start taking training seriously for longer than a week at a time. So, I headed to my old high school's track for a long run. It felt like it took forever, but after about an hour and twenty minutes of my legs and feet yelling at me, I had completed all eight miles. It felt great, and figuring out how many calories I had burned felt even better. Calories disappearing is always motivating!
     I was so proud of myself that I decided dinner and a movie would be a great way to celebrate. My friend Caroline, my brother BJ, and I headed to Lafayette and had a delicious meal before going to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Widdle brudder enjoying his meal!

Ommmnomnomnom.

     As you can see, the food was yummy and my tummy was happy. As for the movie...it wasn't as kind to my tummy. I thought it was really well done because it had us talking all the way home, and I always love a good murder mystery. There were a few parts that were wayyy too graphic for my poor mind, so let's hope I avoid nightmares tonight! Tomorrow I'll take the day off from running to recover and head to New Orleans with my friend Allison to see Kathy Griffin. We're both so excited!!! I'm sure I won't post about it tomorrow, but I'll make up for it on Friday. Later!

Has-been Evening.

     Dang, it is COLD! Okay, so the thermometer on my fireplace says it's 71 degrees in here, but you know what I mean. This afternoon, I had intentions of bundling up and going for a 1.5hr run. Pshhhhh. I made it twenty minutes and was ready to die, most likely because I haven't run in a few days, it was 40 something degrees, and I treated my body like I hated it over the weekend. Tomorrow I'll try again, and I will pump out an hour and a half even if I'm crawling by the end.
     Anyway, after I managed to drag myself home and through the shower, I headed to lunch with my bffl/most famous/weirdest/meanest friend I will ever have, Alex (you asked for it!). We went to Joppe's, and Alex enjoyed her soup so much that she refused to remove the cheese strings from her face the entire time she was eating.

It's impossible to contain excitement when soup is this good.

I've always loved how this place looks inside. So...warm?

     After devouring two large bowls of soup, we decided to be crafty and make some Nutella ice cream. The recipe called for just Nutella and bananas...yeah I should've seen this coming. Long story short, they should have just called it banana ice cream that looks like chocolate. By the way, I am NOT a banana fan. At all. I have issues with foods that don't require teeth. Weird, I know.

    Before I was completely saddened by my banana ice cream, I was forced against my will to attend a basketball game at my old high school. Actually, I was forced to attend two games because someone "thought it started at 5" when, in fact, it started at 615. WHAT. For some reason, I really, really don't like going back to my alma mater. Okay, I know exactly why I don't like going back, but no one wants to hear about that. I'm pretty sure I only go back because those girls are still, and will probably always be, my little sisters. Needless to say, it was totally awkward. Then I proceeded to get way too into the game and got all hot, then I played basketball and moved in ways I haven't moved in two years. All in all, an awful experience.   :P

     After all of that, I went to the Boulet house to end my night. I was harassed by children ranging in age from 8-19, learned a new handshake and magic trick, ate pumpkin mac and cheese, and Sporcled till my head was about to pop. Now, I'm going to watch the Sugar Bowl with my Daddy (or harass him until he gives up the remote). Later!

Origin of a PenguEm.

     Today was one of those really great days full of a whole lot of nothingness. The highlight of my day was eating lunch with my mom and bro. Oh yeah, and getting tickets to go see Kathy Griffin on Thursday!! More about that after the show though. My dear friend R.D. has encouraged/pressured me to write here everyday, so I apologize now for the tons of insignificant posts that are sure to come. Tonight, I figured I would explain the origin of my best punny yet, penguem.      
     First, I need to admit something. I'm obsessed with penguins. I have a penguin pillow pet, poster, picture book, movie, bookmark, ice cream scoop and probably more. I think they are the most adorable creature on the planet. They are always dressed to impress, they waddle, the men take care of their babies, and they're monogamous! For some reason I just really love that last part. Anytime I see a picture of a penguin, I feel all warm and fuzzy. I mean, don't you just melt when you look at the cute little fella to your right?! You know you do. I looked into ordering one online but was later convinced that it was a scam. Shucks! So one day, I used all of the knowledge I have acquired in my three semesters of college and combined my name and my favorite animal into one great word. What I created was a masterpiece, a penguem. So, now you know!
    To make up for this awfully boring post, I'll give you something extra special tomorrow (don't hold me to that though...). Tonight, I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite part of cold weather. Later!

My sweet Puds warming up in front of the fire.

The Beginning.

     Happy New Year! One of the things I've decided to do for myself this year is blog. I have no theme and certainly no direction, but this seems like a pretty neat way to document self growth and all that jazz.  A friend of mine did a 365 picture blog, and my roommate is currently doing one on her running ventures (shout out to seemelmove!). Now, let's begin...

New Orleans sunrise.   

     To me, this year more so than usual, a new year symbolizes a new beginning.  When I look at this sunrise picture (the only one I have ever been awake to take), I'm reminded that no matter how bad one day might be, God is great enough to grant us a fresh start every single morning.  Just think about it - even on the nights that you go to bed feeling like your world has ended, you wake up the next morning feeling better (even if it is only a little bit). No matter how bad you screw up, you are given the chance to make things right everyday. This idea has always been so comforting to me.

     I've been thinking a lot about my 2011 these past few days, especially the lessons I need to carry with me into this year and the things I need to do better at.  I can honestly say I never thought my year would end the way that it did. My two and a half year relationship ended shortly before the year did, and that kind of turned my world upside down (excuse my drama queen attitude).  I've spent the last few weeks questioning so many things about that relationship, my relationships with other loved ones, and most importantly, my relationship with myself.  I've learned that no matter how much you love someone, you have to love yourself more. That's right - be a bit narcissistic. You are the only person on this planet who is guaranteed to never abandon you. It's just too darn hard! Also, I've learned that if I hadn't grown so much in my relationship with the Big Man this year, I'd be losing my mind right now. I realize I have so much more growing to do in that area, and I can't wait to see how it happens in the coming year.

    Like I said, I have absolutely no idea where I am going with this, but bear with me. This year has so much in store for me. Whether I'm writing about the national championship game, my second mission to Kingston, or the weddings of friends, I'll do my best to be worth your time. Until then, I'm going to continue my New Year's Eve recovery while laying in my comfy bed watching Pretty Woman. Later!