Ch-ch-changes

The last time I wrote a blog was February 2009. A lot of things have changed in my life since then. A lot of GREAT things have happened. First, I graduated from college with a B.S. degree in elementary and special education. It poured during the ceremony, but that made it all the more memorable. I was accepted into graduate school, and have just completed my first week of classes. I should have a master's degree in a year and half in elementary education. It's going to be hard work but it's going to be worth it. We've been to a bunch of concerts, including Dave Matthews, Billy Joel and Elton John, and Paul McCartney. We've been to Washington, D.C. where I've never been before. I got a tattoo. We've been to a bunch of baseball games, including the Phillies and Yankees. We've spent a lot of time with friends and family.

The biggest change that's happened is that I'm now happily engaged to my wonderful fiance. He proposed to me on June 11, 2009 in Saratoga, NY. It had been almost 4 years to the day that we had our first date. He took me where we went that day and said the most beautiful things to me, got down on one knee and popped the question. It was absolutely perfect- I couldn't have imagined a better way to do it.

Right now we're in the middle of planning our wedding. I'm so excited to get married and to see what other changes happen in our lives. By this time next year, we will be married. He will be finished grad school and will hopefully have a job in substance abuse counseling. I will be in my last semester of graduate school. Who knows where we'll go from there? I don't, and I like it that way. Change can be a scary thing, but in these cases it's a great thing.

Long Strange Trip

I am not the hugest grateful dead fan, but I do enjoy their music. I went to a concert last night for Valentine's day to see the grateful dead cover band and they played the song Truckin. I really listened to it for the first time, and thought that life really is a long strange trip. Things happen that you might not be aware are happening and the next thing you know your life is totally different. I love my life right now. Looking back I never would have thought that I would have ended up in NC living with the love of my life. I never thought I would meet a guy so great, but then one day who walks in to mangia cafe but the most amazing guy i had ever seen or met. the only reason he was there was because the other place he wanted to work wasn't hiring. who knows, if they were hiring, would we have met? it's a long strange trip. i was never really sure what i wanted to do when i grew up. i always kind of thought of a teacher, my dad always wanted me to go into business, i never knew. then i signed up for a course in child psychology and found it very interesting. i decided that i wanted to be a teacher. this wonderful man that i had just met was going to school in north carolina at a school that had an education program. he asked me to move in with him, i signed up for classes, and now i'm even more sure than ever that teaching is what i want to do. it's a long strange trip. i'm not sure where the trip will go next. i'm applying to graduate school, so hopefully that will work out. we're not sure where we'll move to after that, but wherever it is, as long as we're truckin together, i'll be happy. it's a long strange trip.

Be Thankful

Friday night, around 3am, a tornado hit down and completely destroyed several houses, damaged many more, and left one little boy dead. Tornadoes happen all the time, but this one happened 3 miles away, from where I was sleeping soundly (though I don't know how) in my bed, without a care in the world. Yesterday I drove by the damage, and saw only the front steps of one house remaining. The whole front of another house was completely gone. Many others had pieces of their roof torn off. There was another tornado that touched down about 30 miles away that did just as much damage, and also took someone's life.
It boggles my mind that this all happened 3 miles away. I take this road to go do laundry, my boyfriend takes this road to go to school and home everyday. I can't even imagine what these people went through, or are going through. I feel immensely lucky that the tornado did not last longer, and did not take my house or anyone that I care about. I couldn't imagine sleeping, and all of a sudden everything is gone.
When things like this happen, especially when they're so close to home, it makes you think. Why them? What did they do to deserve that? Why do tornadoes and hurricanes or anythign else deadly have to happen? How did I get so lucky? It's sad that it takes something like this to get people to start thinking in this way, and to get people to feel thankful for what they have. Yesterday our heat didn't work, and I was freezing cold all day. I complained a little, and my hands were like ice, but at least I have a home, and I could cuddle up with my wonderful boyfriend to warm up.
Thanksgiving is coming up (yay!) and it's around this time of year that everyone starts thinking about what it is that they're thankful for. It's great to get together with family and be thankful for everything you have. I think it's even greater when people think about what they're thankful for during other times of the year, not just at Thanksgiving, or when something horrible happens. I try to be thankful year-round because I am very fortunate to have the things I have. Sometimes I get caught up in life, and complain about simple things, even though I should be thankful that I have them (like heat). So basically, be thankful for what you have, and remember to be thankful year-round, because other people may not be as lucky and fortunate as you.

A memo to Southern Drivers

1. If the speed limit is 35- it means you can go anywhere from 35-45 it DOES NOT mean you go 25 or 30.

2. If there's a turning lane, USE IT!!

3. If you plan on turning soon, use a blinker!! I cannot read minds and I don't know why you're slamming on your brakes!

4. If you plan on pulling out into oncoming traffic, wait till there is PLENTY of time to pull out so you don't cut people off. If you MUST turn out right then, speed up quickly rather than pull out and go 15mph and make me slam on my brakes.

5. If there's someone trying to pull out, get over if you can.

6. McCain/Palin stickers- I'm sick of them and am SOO glad they're not leading this country.

7. If you're not going fast, don't be in the left lane.

8. If you're going slow and someone is behind you, GET OVER

9. If the light is turning yellow, it means to slow down and go under it. It does NOT mean to slam on your brakes before it even turns red!

10. Don't be dumb while you're driving! Stop slamming on your brakes for no reason, do the speed limit, and use a blinker!

Election Day

Today is election day. Most people are voting, some are not. As an American, it is your right to vote and I think that we take that for granted. Other countries do not get to vote for their leader. Someone is appointed, and they have to deal with it, for better or worse. But we are lucky enough to have a voice and to vote on who we think will be the best leader for our country. Some people may not vote because they think that one vote doesn't matter. Every vote does matter. The last election was won by only a few hundred votes. This election has been predicted to have teh most votes ever. There are more voters registered for this election than any other, and I hope they use their right and actually do vote.

I'm excited for this election. First, I'm excited to see who wins, and hopefully the right person (Obama) does! Second, I'm excited for it to be over with so I don't have to see any more political commercials. I understand that these people want to make a point, but some of these commercials are just mean. I think that if you're a politician, you should say what you're going to do, and how you're going to be a good leader, not what the other person doesn't do. There's a commercial down here bashing a Democratic Senator saying that she believes in a Godless America. That Senator is now sueing because it is totally false. A lot of these commercials are a bunch of bs and don't sway my vote either way. I'm more interested in what each candidate is telling me he can do, and why they would be good for the job.

I voted a few weeks ago for Obama through an absentee ballot because I think that he can do the most for our country. Yes John McCain was a war hero, and that's great, but he's also really old and the fact taht Sarah Palin would be his V.P. scares me a lot because she's not the brightest bulb on the tree if you know what I mean. Obama wants to tax the rich, and give tax breaks to people who don't make $250,000 a year. I understand that most of the people have worked hard to make their money and don't want to give it up now, but come on! If everyone gets a little more money and only those who are making mroe than enough give a little extra to help (think of it as charity) then I think most people will be more happy and this country may be a little more united (even though 1/2 the country is going to pissed about who wins no matter what).

I'm usually nto that into politics, but this election means something to me. It's the biggest election of my lifetime, and will probably impact me more than others have. For one, I'm graduating college this year, which means that I'll be getting a job while this president is in office. Also, I'm getting older and am thinking about family more and I would like a strong president when I start one of my own. These are two major issues that mean a lot to me, and based on what I've heard from both candidates, Obama will do more fo me. Either way, I'm excited to see who wins and I hope the right person does win, so we can all move on from the President we have now, and we can all stop bitching about who should win and insulting those who disagree!

Work Hard to Play Hard

I'm bored at school right now, and should be working on homework, but have decided to write a blog instead since i haven't written one in a few weeks. I go to school with a lot of great people, but a lot of them are overachievers who get stressed out about the simplest things. I have to admit that sometimes they rub off on me and i get stressed out about the same simple things. Last year I found myself very stressed and it was not fun. This year i decided not to let things get to me as much, and i'm having a great year so far (it could be because this is my last year and i have a bit of senioritis going on too)! I decided not to let simple things stress me out because i know that they'll all get done. i might procrastinate a bit, hence this blog, but everything will get done in time. i'm lucky enough to be going to school, and to have a job, so why get stressed about it?? there are many people who wish they could afford to go to school, or who really need a job, and those who do have these things often take them for granted, and worse, complain about them. I do complain about school and work because sometimes they can be a pain, and i really do hate my manager at work, but at least i'm lucky enough to have these things, and they will benefit me in the end. basically, i think that people who are always stressed out just can't live a very happy life because they're always worried about what's due next, or what they have to do to get 100% on every single thing, and God forbid if they get a 99%, they have to ask the teacher why they didn't get that one extra point. That is why I am not getting stressed about stuff as easily, because I want to work hard and play harder. The people who are always stressed do not play or go on vacation, because that is time away from what they are supposed to be doing. I, on the other hand, have a wonderful boyfriend who likes to play too, and we work hard during the week, but allow ourselves to have a date night every friday, and lounge around the house on sundays, and go to ny to see family, and go to the beach to catch up on our tans and relax, and visit friends in ky (not since last year, but we've been there twice! wup dop!), and go to concerts...i think that all of these things are important because it keeps us sane during a stressful semester. i think that most people should learn to loosen up, and to work hard in order to play hard.

Words of Wisdom

"Love, Love, Love.
You Have to Love,
And if you Don't Get Love Right,
You Have To Move On
And Forgive.
And Then You Have To Remember
That You've Forgiven,
Or Else You Can't Move On,
And If You Don't Move On,
You'll Surely End Up...
Bitter."
- From the Book "I Hope You Dance"-

I really liked this quote in this book, that I've always seen in our bedroom, but never picked up to read, then the other day I did and it had a lot of good stuff in it. I liked this particular quote because I know that most people have been in relationships that have ended badly, mostly because the other person was abusive in some way or another. But if when you get out of that relationship, and you can't move on from them, every relationship you have in the future won't work out.

"Hope Takes Never Ceasing
To Be Amazed...
Wearing
Your Soul On Your Sleeve...
Holding
Your Breath, Waiting To Hear
'I Love You, Too...'
Believing
That Tomorrow Could Be Better Than Today...
That You'll Get a Second Chance...
That You'll Make A Difference...
That You'll Matter."
-From the Same Book-

I liked this quote too because I think it's important to hope and dream. Without dreams life would be boring, without hoping, you wouldn't have much to look forward to. I think it's important to always stay positive, and realize that it's not the end of the world (unless it actually is, then you can be negative!), and that life moves on. Having this kind of attitude will make the days go by quicker and happier if you keep dreaming and hoping.