Believing

Everyday I open a little card that contains a quote about believing and spend the day internalizing what it says. I would like to share them with you because I believe they have the ability to transform our thought patterns from destructive and debilitating to uplifting and productive. 

These will come in handy when I interview in Chicago two weeks from now for a position with the Green Corps! 

"There is more inside you than you dare think." - David Brower

"The difference between what we do, and what we are capable of doing, would solve most of the world's problems." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Expectation is everything. Every day can be your day, if you can expect it to be." - Bob Moawad

"No one really knows enough to be a pessimist." - Norman Cousins

"We do not believe if we do not live and work according to our belief." - Heidi Wills

"Believe it! High expectations are the key to everything." - Sam Walton

"Faith is building on what you know is here so you can reach what you know is there." - Cullen Hightower

"Look at things not just as they are, but as they can be." - David Schwartz 

"There is always one unexpected little moment in life when a door opens to let the future in." - Graham Greene (I carry this in my wallet)

Pick a couple and chew on them for a while. The last two are my favorite. 

WTF!? Someone hacked my blogger account!

Imagine my appal at discovering that not only was my blogger account hacked into by some psycho looking to capitalize on my obviously successful blog, but that they had replaced all of the content with a "Mega site of Bible studies." 

Before I called 911 to report my stolen blogger identity, I checked the URL and discovered that I had transposed two of the letters. Silly me! 

For the sake of humor please look at this website and you will get some insight into the minute and a half a I spent staring dumbfoundedly at my screen.

http://www.thedanishdame.blogpsot.com/

If someone were trying to mess with me, changing my content to a Bible studies search engine would be a pretty effective way to go. 

Catching Up

The (pseudo) Graduate!

I honestly never thought I would actually graduate from college. It just seemed so out of reach but, low and behold, I have done it! Kind of. Although I was eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony I have a couple of classes to finish this summer before they'll give me that expensive piece of paper I've been chasing for the last 4 1/2 years. I have two "legit" classes- Intro to News Writing & Mass Communication Law and two fun classes- mountain biking and rock climbing. It shouldn't be too bad of a summer actually. I'm also still unemployed and have been job hunting for a couple of weeks now. There seem to be a plethora of job opportunities out there especially for receptionists and/or administrative assistants, but this isn't the kind of job I'm looking for. I want to find a job that utilizes the education that I've worked so hard for. If you hear of anything, please let me know!

Climbing some crack

Je-Fu Crew 

Last week I escaped to Moab, Utah with some (bad ass) friends from school. We spent four days rafting, climbing, and repelling. It was my first experience with outdoor rock climbing and I have fallen in love! I bought gear the within days of coming home and have gone a couple of times since then. It is an amazing sport and all I've thought about since then. I can't wait to get better so I can tackle some 5.11's and 5.12's. Oh, sorry, that's climbing lingo. Anyway, my rock climbing class this summer should be really fun. I'm looking forward to learning some more technical skills. Next up: a climbing membership to The Front!

In two short weeks Jason and I are going to visit Jeff and Laura in Philadelphia! We are so excited to spend a weekend exploring Philly with our best friends. And this time the weather will be better. It was so cold there in January that I thought my bones would never thaw. I can't wait to see my best friends! 

Seriously?

It is spring break. My last spring break of college (at least undergrad) and I am at the library. WTF!? The stick figure above represents how I feel emotionally and in the near future physically. Why couldn't I have finished this paper weeks ago when it was assigned? Why haven't I used the last five days of spring break to hammer it out so that I could enjoy the beautiful weather of this weekend? I don't know. Maybe I'm a masochist. I now have two days to finish this 6 page research paper. At least there's a pretty view from my table by the window. 

The One Less Traveled By

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- 

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

-Robert Frost

I have reached that point in every college student's life where decisions about one's future post-graduation must be made. I discovered, rather haphazardly, that I am on the cusp of graduation and eligible to participate in the commencement ceremonies this May. Here I thought I would be stuck in school for another semester (or two) but, because I had some concurrent enrollment credits to transfer from the community college, I don't have to take as many classes as I originally thought. In fact, if I take 12 credit hours this summer (essentially 3, maybe 4 classes), I will be done. Done. Graduated. A diploma-wielding college graduate. But here's the thing... I have to make some decisions and, unfortunately, I'm not the only person in the captain's chair. I applied for an internship with the Park Silly Sunday Market for the summer. My interview was last month and I'm supposed to find out by the end of March if I got it.  Also, I would be able to take my last 3-4 classes while doing the internship.  I think that I am qualified for this position and that it could lead to some pretty great things, but we'll have to see if they agree. So there's option #1.

Option #2: I heard about an amazing opportunity to intern at the White House, as in the place where the president lives in Washington D.C., for the summer and I think it would be foolish not to apply, even if I get rejected. How does that saying go? "Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." Right? Well I feel the same about this internship. If chosen, I would live and intern in D.C. from May through August and then finish those pesky 3 classes in the fall. Since Jason just started his new job and it's so short term, I would be going it alone. Talk about a test of independence. I think I can, I think I can. 

Option #3: I applied for a scholarship through the Alumni Association and, if I am chosen as a recipient, it would cover the cost of tuition for a full year. So if I get the scholarship I will prolong my stay at the university another year just to avoid paying for those pesky 3 classes. And this wouldn't be so bad because I could take the classes I'm actually interested in, not just the ones required by my major. 

So while I do have many decisions to make in the coming weeks, very few of them will be made by me- more like made for me. I'm rooting for option #2, but would settle for #1 or #3. And if I don't get any of them? I will finish school in the summer and find a job. Someone will want to hire me, right? Right?

What will become of us?

This year has brought a whirlwind of new experiences, people, adventure, and fun. Being part of student government has without a doubt been the best part of my college experience. I am deeply saddened that it is coming to an end because I feel like I'm just getting the hang of it. Really, I could do bigger and better things, just give me another year to show you what my board is capable of. That isn't to say that we haven't accomplished great things already. Because believe me, we have. 

I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of this organization and gain acceptance into the community of involved students that I would not have met under normal circumstances. 

So what will become of us once this is over? Will we still talk? I hope so. Will it be the same? Probably not. I still have another year of school and many of my new friends are graduating and moving on. 

Regardless of what the future holds, I will never forget the trials and triumphs of this year. Thank you to all who were part of this and made it possible for me to be involved. This year can't be duplicated.  

Viva Mexico!

(The Classic Tourists)

Jason and I have just returned from our long-awaited honeymoon cruise to the Mexican Riviera. It's amazing to me that I waited months for a week long trip that flew by in the blink of an eye. And although a vast majority of our fellow "cruisers" were over the age of 60, we had a good first cruise experience. We made friends early on with another honeymooning couple and stuck together during our trips ashore and on the ship. Jason and I both fell in love with Puerto Vallarta and have seriously discussed spending an extended period of time there after I graduate. The people were very friendly, its a beautiful place, and I could improve my Spanish speaking abilities. We shall see what happens...

 

In some ways I actually enjoy the anticipation of vacation more than the vacation itself because I'm aware of the disappointment I'll experience when I come home. However, this time I had something else to look forward to when we came home. No, silly goose, it wasn't starting school the day after we got back, it's my trip to Philly over MLK weekend to visit my best friends Jeff and Laura. I booked my trip to Philly on a whim without even talking to them first because the tickets were so cheap I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Lucky for me Jeff and Laura didn't have any prior plans and were glad I acted so impulsively. It will be my first trek out there and I am so excited! I miss them both like crazy. We have some pretty outrageous expectations about how epic this weekend will be and I only hope I can live up to half of them! Time will tell. Until then....