Take it in.

I rush and spoil things. I move quickly for efficiency's sake and miss things. I am so enthusiastic about the big big picture, getting the ball rolling, that I overlook the small details.

Some of this is because I try to cram too much into my life. I'm a planner, I like to know what I'm doing every second of every day. And I like those days to be full. Full of people, plans, and events. Full of lunches and dinners and conversations. Then, on a dime, I go from enjoying the hustle and bustle to stressed out, strung out, and not enjoying much of anything. To avoid the stress I expect I make lists, lots and lots of lists. I attempt to organize everything, and everyone, neatly into the life I've structured for myself.

This stems from my desire to be everything for everyone. A best friend, confidante, and reliable partner. It's suffocating - the pressure I put on myself. The pressure mounts and I crack. There are tears and doubts of self-worth. Then I rely on others to pick up my pieces, make me feel worthwhile, and encourage me back to my feet. It's a destructive cycle.

You know what, though? Through the struggle and the aching of falling down so many times only to stand up once again, I've realized something. A great something. You can't structure your life. It's not your job. You can't put people into neat little boxes in your life and expect it all to work out just like you've imagined, in your little Barbie dreamworld. How do I know? Because I try. I always try.

And I fail.

Someone (or something) comes crashing in, wrecking my plans and changing my life. They literally rock my world. And suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a new story line begins. Something fresh and raw and beautiful emerges from the rubble that was once my master plan. And it is always, always more wonderful than I could have ever planned for myself.

It's not healthy to live in such a fast-paced, stress-inducing environment. I'm learning the happiness that comes from staying in pajamas and watching television, of talking on the phone for hours because it's good for your soul, and for sitting alone with God.

I'm relinquishing my chains, handing over the doubts and worries that I let keep me down. What's meant to be will be, and what's not... won't. Instead of trying to control every element of my life, I choose to loosen the reigns. 

Especially during the holiday season, now more than ever, it's time to let go of the plans and the stress and the unnecessary struggle. I choose to enjoy the twinkling lights, the warmth of my mittens and the love I receive from those who surround me. It's time to take in the little things. I'm not supposed to be running the show anyway.

You were built for more.

You were built for more.

I can't imagine that we were all put here for the single purpose of serving ourselves. There are 7 billion other souls roaming the earth, and often times I'm more focused on my chipped nail polish than the fact that we are moving around the world in orbit of each other, never actually getting to know or investing in anyone.

When was the last time you asked someone a genuine and honest question about them, something that would open up a little piece of who they are so that you may understand them just a little better? When was the last time you put yourself out there, shared a bit of your passion with another human being merely to connect?

To me, it's vital to put my energy into things bigger than myself. Even if it's just a little change, a slight alteration in my daily habit or attitude, I believe it's possible to alter the flow of time and space surrounding you, creating a butterfly effect that might just reach someone you'll never even meet. Some days that means being extra nice to a difficult person, saying thank you to the cashier and the kind person who held the door open, and expressing honest gratitude to those who are making sacrifices for me. Other days that means volunteering to be somewhere early so someone else doesn't have to. And even more, it can mean engaging with someone who looks distressed in line or actually doing service that will directly help improve the lives of others.

We were made for something more than just aimlessly wandering through space in our bodies, the shells that hold our souls. We were made, and I believe obligated, to leave things better than we found them.

Why do we prefer to stay glued to the screens of phones and sit with our headphones in than have a meaningful conversation with the real, live, human being sitting next to us? Take a moment and think about your life - the complicated ins and outs, the relationships you have and the preferences you have for television shows, movies, and significant others. That person next to you has a favorite food, a history of love and heart break, lessons learned, and pockets full of experiences. But we are never, ever going to know that unless we open up and start to engage with those who around us. Why is that so difficult?

Because connection requires vulnerability.

You must say or do something that has a consequence of which you are not aware. It's okay to be scared, I am every time I put myself out there, which is quite frequently. It's not that I lack fear, but I have the knowledge that the risk is worth it. Brene Brown calls us the "whole hearted." We make the first move, we tell jokes to strangers, we put our necks out there for humiliation, and we say "I love you" first.

When I love, I love hard. With me, it's either all or nothing, I can't half ass a relationship or pretend that I only sometimes care. That gets me into trouble, often times because my expectations are more than others are willing to give. And that's fine, being whole hearted means you can get burned or left behind, often I have been rejected. I know that I can be overwhelming. I just want to give you pieces of myself. But you know what? My emotions are intense and they are true. My heart has been broken, and I've put my faith in others perhaps more than I should have. My lows may be lower than if I guarded myself more, but the highs...they are unmatched. My joy is complete and without reservation. When my heart is full, it is heavy. Not with a tinge of sadness, but with an overflowing weight of love and wholeness. The highs soar above everything else in a manner that's impossible if you don't open yourself up to the full range of possibility. 

Go talk to a stranger, or an acquaintance. Good grief, call up your best friend. Ask them to share a deep truth, to tell you about the time they felt the most sadness, but also when they felt the most joy. Find out what you mom's favorite color is, and what your sister's most memorable birthday gift ever was. Ask your grandfather what he was like as a teenager. And share yourself. Let someone in. Be vulnerable. Connect your soul with another, for there are few things quite so wonderful as the moment when you think to yourself, "Where have you been, all this time?". And sometimes the answer is, "Right here." The best potential for true, meaningful connection is often hiding in plain sight, if only we'd take the time to uncover it.

So give me the whole hearted, the occasionally broken and mangled, and I'll show you something beautiful.

Anything But Ordinary.

During the orientation for my graduate school program, one of the presenters mentioned "normal" in terms of data. What is normal? Normal is the absence of outliers. Normal is a point on a graph that hangs with all the rest. She said to us, "normal just means average." Have you ever thought of that before? If you have, kudos for thinking critically. However, if you're like me, you may have never thought of normal in terms of a negative. 

I think on some level we all strive to be normal, to just blend into the crowd, to go along living life unnoticed. The concept of "normal" is something I especially have struggled with. I've always wanted to be normal, who doesn't? We all shy away from being labeled different, strange, and odd. But for some reason I have also been unsettled with normal, perhaps because I realize it's something I'm not. I like jamming to Ke$ha like it's going out of style. I like drinking green smoothies everyday for breakfast. I am intense and ask nosy, prodding, deep questions the first time I meet someone. My sneezes and laughs are louder than most. There are few things in the world I am more passionate about than access to educational opportunities and Ohio State football. I consist entirely of abnormalities, and this is something I am coming to terms with.   

When looking up the word normal in a dictionary, one finds that common synonyms are regular, usual, unexceptional, commonplace, run-of-the-mill and ordinary. This specific idea has been a topic of conversation recently with a few friends. I don't want to use my time to live an ordinary life where I do ordinary things. The last thing I want to be is regular and to live unexceptionally. However self-serving it may sound, I mean it genuinely. I believe in The Plan. I believe in purpose. I believe that you and I are meant for more than average. I want to use the time and skills and weird quirks that I have to push boundaries, to make connections, to truly make the world a better place, and to do more than has been done before. I choose not to fear the abnormal, because it makes us uniquely capable to do what others cannot, or more often, will not. We all have dreams and hopes and passions, and it's in taking that leap, the push, the challenge, to step up and stand out, to be more that takes a regular life and turns into something extraordinary. That's what takes guts. I am firmly bound to the idea that there's more out there for each of us than merely existing. We were created to be more than ordinary. 

So embrace the you-ness that makes you weird and defines you as different, for it's those qualities that makes you most valuable. I hope you'll join me in embracing being uncommon and unusual by attempting to live as anything but ordinary.

Life Lessons: What I've Learned Thus Far.

Recently I've struggled to have enough coherent thought for a complete blogpost. Between finishing my last tour as a University Ambassador, moving out of my apartment and in with my parents, saying "see you soon" (my more optimistic version of goodbye) to too many friends, and helping my soulmate/roomie/best friend move to Louisville, my emotions have resembled a roller coaster and my thoughts have been more than disorganized. However chaotic it has been, though, I've learned a lot about myself and the wonderful people I've had the pleasure of surrounding myself with. It's difficult to put into words what I've learned from these experiences, but thankfully I don't have to, as it's already been done. During my move I pulled a few sheets of paper out from behind my bookcase and discovered the following poem printed on them. I laugh at the irony, finding the perfect poem about life lessons as I reach such a turning point in my own life. Veronica A. Shoffstall poetically puts into words the lessons I've learned and the emotions I've been feeling over the past few weeks much better than I ever could. Enjoy.

After a while you learn...

Veronica A. Shoffstall, 1971.

After some time you learn the difference, 

The subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul.

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning,

And company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts,

And presents aren't promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats,

With your head up and your eyes ahead,

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build all your roads on today,

Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, 

And futures have a way of falling down mid-flight.

After a while you learn,

That even the sun burns if you get too much,

And learn that it doesn't matter how much you do care about, 

Some people simply don't care at all.

And you accept that it doesn't matter how good a person is,

She will hurt you once in a while,

And you need to forgive her for that.

You learn that talking can relieve emotional pain.

You discover that it takes several years to build a relationship based on confidence,

And just a few seconds to destroy it.

And that you can do something just in an instant,

And which you will regret for the rest of your life.

You learn that the true friendships,

Continue to grow even from miles away.

And that what matters isn't what you have in your life,

But who you have in your life.

And that good friends are the family,

Which allows us to choose.

You learn that we don't have to switch our friends,

If we understand that friends can also change.

You realize that you are your best friend,

And that you can do anything, or nothing,

And have good moments together.

You discover that the people you most care about in your life,

Are taken from you so quickly,

So we must always leave the people we care about with lovely words,

It may be the last time we see them.

You learn that the circumstances and the environment have influence upon us,

But we are responsible for ourselves.

You start to learn that you should not compare yourself with others,

But with the best you can be.

You discover that it takes a long time to become to the person you wish to be,

And that the time is short.

You learn that it doesn't matter where you have reached,

But where you are going.

But if you don't know where you are going,

Anywhere will do.

You learn that either you control your acts,

Or they shall control you.

And that to be flexible doesn't mean to be weak or not to have personality,

Because it doesn't matter how delicate and fragile the situation is,

There are always two sides.

You learn that heroes are those are those who did what was necessary to be done,

Facing the consequences.

You learn that patience demands a lot of practice.

You discover that sometimes,

The person you most expect to be kicked by when you fall,

Is one of the few who will help you to stand up.

You learn that maturity has more to do with the kinds of experiences you have,

And what you learned from them,

Than how many birthdays you've celebrated.

You learn that there are more of your parents inside you than you thought.

You learn that we should never tell a child her dreams are silly,

Very few things are so humiliating,

And it would be a tragedy if she believed in it.

You learn that when you are angry,

You have the right to be angry,

But this doesn't give you the right to be cruel.

You discover that only because someone doesn't love you the way you would like her to,

It doesn't mean that this person doesn't love you the most she can,

Because there are people who love us,

But just don't know how to show or live that. 

You learn that sometimes it isn't enough to be forgiven by someone,

Sometimes you have to learn how to forgive yourself.

You learn that with the same harshness you judge,

Someday you will be condemned.

You learn that it doesn't matter in how many pieces your heart has been broken,

The world doesn't stop for you to fix it.

You learn that time isn't something you can turn back,

Therefore you must plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,

Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure.

You really are strong.

And you can go farther than you thought you could go.

And that life really has a value.

And you have value within the life.

And that our gifts are betrayers,

And make us lose

The good we would conquer,

If it wasn't for the fear of trying.

Live the Adventure

I like to wake up everyday and know exactly what I'm doing, with whom, and at what time. To-Do Lists and written out goals prevent my blood pressure from rising, and having an organized schedule each day keeps me calm. You know what that makes for? A boring day. This summer I found that the best days are those with surprise introductions, casual run-ins and unexpected fun. I'm a planner to my core, but if you read my previous blog post, Serendipitous Spontaneity, then you know I'm trying to chill out. I am a creature of habit, that I am certain, but there's something refreshing about the unexpected, the changes in plans, and the adventure of a new day. As I said before, it's been truly serendipitous letting go of the reins and living the adventure. 

However, plans are not exclusive to the short term. As a 20-something recent college grad there's an inherent stress that sets in. What am I going to do now? 5 years from now? 10 years from now? If you fall into the same category, you know that unsettling anxiety that pops up every time someone asks, "So what are you plans for the future?", "What's next?", or, my personal favorite, "What's your life plan?" Newsflash: I no longer keep a Life Plan. I've had about 30, and each dissolved long ago for something better to take place. 

During our 9-hour roadtrip to NYC, a podcast about life plans played. The narrator highlighted the fact that most people aren't on Life Plan A anymore. Plan B is gone, too. Most people are living Plan F or later. And that's okay. Sometimes we get so caught up in forcing Plan A to work, that we lose sight of the amazing path that may lead elsewhere. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be a passive participant in my life, just letting things fall by the wayside in hopes that it all brings itself together someday. That's no good. But what I will do is follow wherever the path may lead, even if that means taking a route I didn't even know existed. My life is so different today from when the year began, and as a result I am more content and joyful than ever. Everything has fallen into place in its own perfect time, better than I could have ever laid out myself. I can only imagine (but I won't try to plan!) where I'll be in two years. 

Each time my intricately detailed plans derail or awry, I will refuse to see it as a failure. Instead, I know it's my life autocorrecting and God telling me "I have something better in store."  This new attitude has enabled me to become more flexible and more open to the adventure of each day, and to the rest of my life, whatever it may bring. I like waking up and wondering what today has in store. Why? Because whether I attempt to plan every minute of the day, I'm going to end up at Plan F anyway. I might as well lose the stress, be open to opportunity, and enjoy the ride. 

Serendipitous Spontaneity

It's true. I know that I'm a planner and I like to be in control. I let my inner coil tightly wind itself til the tension is too much to stand. I find an inner calm in a good outline. I know these things about myself. If we talk frequently, and I guess even if we don't, you might know that I'm in a stage of life in flux. I'm straddling the border of "who I was" and "who I want to be." And right in there is a little sweet spot, one I've just discovered called "who I am." This is a new place for me settle in, and I'm liking what I've found thus far.

In recent months I've decided to live a little. To meet new people and go new places. Try new things I just wouldn't have entertained before. It's been great, but I still have plenty of room for growth. Thankfully, I'm surrounded by quality friends who are much more spontaneous than I, and are willing to show me the ropes to living a life with more adventure. Late night movies, popcorn, scrambled eggs and lack of sleep characterized the beginnings of my efforts at transformation, and I'm thankful for the slight shoves outside my comfort zone. Not every decision I've made on the fly has been my best or brightest, and I've tripped and scraped my knees a couple times for sure. But there's a beauty in that. I've learned a lot from those moments, finding key pieces of myself I wouldn't have otherwise discovered without those mini mishaps. 

This weekend I took my personal task to a new level. I ventured to a new city with an old pal and a new friend with not an item on the agenda. I would be lying if I said that in the days leading up to my little escapade I didn't have an inner struggle letting go of the reins, and walking out without a concrete plan. If I really want to spark a change, I need to not only counteract my feelings of uptightness and anxiety, I need to squash them. It was time to be a guinea pig and take a leap of faith. My own personal experiment was to enjoy the weekend with full willingness to accept wherever the road may take us. I was not going to pick an activity, location, or destination. I would become a "yes" woman. Want to get lunch here? Sure. Lets go look at this gallery. Okay. Want to check this out tonight? Sounds great.

And you wouldn't believe it. I had a great time. I may have come off as lazy, (if so, I'm sorry!) not offering suggestions or making many decisions, but I had accepted my challenge. It was serendipitous, living in the moment. Enjoying myself right now, in this place, with this person because there's no master plan. We don't have to be anywhere by any time. It's liberating and fulfilling because as a friend once said to me "just do what feels right." So I did, and I'm determined to do more of it. The days and nights where the unexpected happened, where you let your guard down and decide to have a little fun, and you choose to pay attention to your emotion, to just do what feels right and to be driven by what you want right then, those are the vivid memories and life-changing experiences that you deny yourself when too concerned with control.

Tomorrow I'm journeying home to the Buckeye State, planning a month of adventures for my last few weeks of complete freedom with friends, new and old. I'll soon be off to NYC and Chicago, and am bursting with excitement for the surprises that await us. And you know what the first item of that agenda is? To be spontaneous. Now that's a plan I think I can stick to.

Healthy = Happy

As most students know, eating on the cheap does not lend itself to healthy eating habits without a little forethought and effort. After my first few months on my own, I quickly realized cooking, and cooking well, was going to be a necessary part of life. Since my sophomore realization, I've really challenged myself to not only learn the basics of cooking, but to learn how to be a savvy eater on a dime and to enjoy the process. Part of enjoying the process has been grocery shopping, coupon clipping (believe it or not, I subscribe to CouponMom.com and regularly nab the Sunday Dispatch if only for the coupons) and seasonal eating. Cooking, and more importantly eating, has become a hobby of mine during my college years, and this post is dedicated to recent foodie adventures, in the kitchen and out.

Since living with my temporary roommates (the parents) I've been able to spend a little more time in one my favorite places, my mama's new kitchen. With many more ingredients at my fingertips and a much more expansive grocery budget I've been trying to work some wonders. Last summer I watched Forks Over Knives and Food, Inc. which got me thinking about what I was putting in my body and what I could proactively do to develop and healthy and happy body. I challenge you to check out your food labels. What are partially hydrogenated oils? What is xantham gum? Natural and artificial flavors? Food dyes? It's been long overdue that we investigate what food labels are really telling us. My rule of thumb is that if there are ingredients I can't pronounce, it's not going into my cart.

I'd say that my diet is probably 80/20 vegetarian, but I'm interested in learning more about veganism, so if you have any experience or suggestions leaning that way please let me know! I've made the switch to non-dairy milks and attempt to eat as close to nature as possible. I'm no saint, and I still enjoy Five Guys on occasion, so I'm not one to espouse changing your whole world view, but even the smallest adaptations can make a huge improvement in the way you feel. A natural love for vegetables has proven advantageous for me, but I'm just not sure about giving up cheese. A girl's gotta live a little.

Due to my short-term unemployment (more like month-long-leave-of-absence) and lack of necessity to accomplish a daily to-do list, I've been trolling Pinterest and healthy eating blogs. Greenplaterule.com has been an excellent resource for me. If you're looking for easy ways and recipes to incorporate more vegetables and natural sources of protein into your diet, this is definitely the site for you. It's a great first-step into the world of conscious eating. Below are some recent pics of my smoothie obsession. I've blending various combinations or almond milk, bananas, spinach, and chia seeds like it's my new job. This particular day I made the Banana Cinnamon smoothie, recipe found here. Super delicious, low in sugar, and chock full of good-for-you-ness made this recipe was a winner. I'm proud to say Dad's daily fix has moved from coffee to smoothies. Sara-1, Caffeine Addiction-0.

We're ready to blend!

Finished product. Eagerly finished these in just a couple minutes.

Thankfully, my parents understand my irrational and persistent love for produce, and therefore kindly took me to Central Market, the Foodie Mecca this week. Now, I love Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, don't get me wrong, but CM is a whole new world. I was unable to snap any pictures inside (apparently that's against the rules...) but I did get some exciting photographs from outside. Look at the joy on my face! With produce, spirits, and natural beauty products out the wazoo I definitely was a happy camper to browse for a few hours. 

Even their bags know we're all really into food.

Now this, this is joy.

I plan to try out more exciting vegetarian recipes this week, so wish me luck! The foodie adventures are only just beginning. 

Home.

I gratefully received many donations to the "Sara-is-now-a-poor-graduate-student,-please-help" fund post-graduation. These wonderful gifts from loved ones require a little piece of gratitude, the always necessary thank you note. I strangely enjoy writing and sending these notes because I am truly so thankful to have such outstanding people in my life and I often do not take the time to express how much they mean to me. Something necessary for said notes, however, is the return address. Simple enough. You write down your home address and you are on your way. But what if you don't have a home address? Or better still, what if you don't know which address to put down because you have more than one home?

I've come across a few people who say that home can only ever be one place. A single place? One space to call home? While perhaps most people have that sole address to use as their home, not all of us fall so neatly into single-space dwellers. On the search for what home really means, I decided to consult an expert. Merriam-Webster defines it this way:

Main Entry: ¹home 
Pronunciation: hm
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English hom, from Old English hm "village, home"
1 a : the house in which a person or family lives b : ¹HOUSE 1
2 : a family living together in one dwelling
3 : the place where something is usually or naturally found : HABITAT <the home of the elephant>
4 a : a place of origin <salmon returning to their home to spawn> b : the country or place where one lives or where one's ancestors lived
5 : a place for the care of persons unable to care for themselves <old people's home>
6 : the goal in some games; especially : HOME PLATE
- home·like  /-lk/ adjective
- at home : relaxed and comfortable 

I don't have anything to say for number 6, but I can address the rest. Fortunate enough to dwell in a few places, my families can now be found in houses in Grove City, Ohio and Fort Worth, Texas. As it says in number 3, I am "usually or naturally found" in the home I've made with my best friend/ sister/ soulmate Bailey in our apartment, lovingly called "608". My place of origin, the place I am technically "from" is Springfield, Ohio. All these places are unique and special to me, not for the structure but for the individuals within it. 

^^^The last picture taken at my Springfield home

Saying goodbye to 3417 Ventura was hard this week. We all shed a few tears, and when we pulled out of the driveway for the last time, I was a little overwhelmed with nostalgia. For the years of baby pools and swingsets, for the backyard barbecues, for the middle school birthday sleepovers, the front-porch break-ups, the skinnydipping, and lightning-bug capturing. But leaving that brick ranch wasn't the difficult part, it was the people: the neighbors who became family, and the friends who supported me in my darkest moments. I often naysay Springfield, complaining about what it lacks and how I would change it, but that place made me who I am today. The county fair, the icy country roads, the reservoir and bike path... all of that is part of my story. 

I'm sure I'll have an entire blogpost dedicated to leaving my apartment when the time comes, but thinking about 608 and the moments that have filled that little space hardly allow me to call it anything but a home. It's where, over the last 3 years, I've lived out most of my days and figured out who truly I am. Many deep thoughts, popcorn, and tears and laughter have found themselves between those walls.

On the verge of moving to the Columbus suburbs, I'm almost ready to call Grove City a home. I'm thrilled to wake up every morning to eat breakfast with my baby sister, to run around the block with my father, and to have movie nights with my stepmom. More to come on all of that this fall.

And finally, there's a new space for me in Fort Worth, where my mama and daddy and little brother are settling in with our pups. We've already christened  this new place with laughter and a couple spills, so it's definitely feeling like home. The next few weeks here are certainly going to be an adventure. 

I'm thankful to have so many places to call home, places to dwell filled with people I love and who love me more than I deserve. Each  has come with its challenges and lessons, but something I've learned along the way is that anywhere those you consider family are, so too is your home. 

Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (2009)

Collecting Moments

The past week feels like a blur. A sea of chaos. A shared graduation party with my brother, the transport of much of my life from the home I've grown up in to another, an attempt at organization (which included more purging than organization, to be honest) and goodbyes to wonderful people. 

The conclusion I've drawn over the past week is an aggregate of these experiences. I have spent much of my time and money collecting things. No, I don't actually collect anything nifty or have a hobby revolved around finding special pieces. It's just a bunch of junk. Receipts, magazines, clothes that have never and will never fit, trinkets (the worst), and an assortment of useless doodads. Removing the unnecessary excess has been therapeutic. Cleaning out and starting fresh is something I have long been looking forward to. 

I'm not sentimental, but there were times I didn't want to throw something out, to just tuck it away once again. And I think this is a rut we all get ourselves into now and again. Could I repurpose it? I might need it someday. But such-and-such gave it to me 5 years ago... If it doesn't mean enough to remember that I even have it, it needs to go.

Which leads me to the realization. Things are just that. Objects taking up space. Some we love, few are essential, and a lot of it is just clutter. How wonderful would it be if we let more people take up space and less stuff? We often long to keep so many inanimate objects, but don't take the time to work on keeping our relationships.

I've spent a lot of my time, energy, and money recently on people. At this turning point in life, many of those I've spent late nights, early mornings, and long days with are going to be gone. Off onto new and wonderful adventures: graduate school, careers, traveling, and the like. Some are even finding themselves getting hitched. Life happens fast, and instead of sitting in my room admiring all the pretty things (or truly lack thereof), I have pushed myself to get out there with people. Meals and coffee/tea runs, drinks, and late night rendezvous are the collection of memories I'm growing. 

I am overwhelmed by the love and kindness of others, especially the surprise visitors and thoughtful words. The outpouring of support and generosity always astounds me, but it shouldn't because I am surrounded by such quality individuals. From a kind note, a graduation gift, a meal, a beer, a listening ear, or a helping hand, I'm appreciating the intangible things in life more than ever.

Sure, I'm a little more sleep deprived than normal,moving and life changes are a bit stressful, and my wallet is a little leaner, but the conversations, smiles, and laughter I'm committing to memory are well worth it. Thanks for being a part of my story.

Day 1. The beginning of an era.

I never thought of myself as one to blog. Why waste my time in front of a screen sharing my ramblings with the interwebs (thanks, Stevie, for bringing that word into my vocabulary...)? I don't journal, and I prefer to share my life happenings with people individually. However, I am often weeks and months behind on sharing the biggest moments in life with those I love. So here we are, on a beautiful summer day post-graduation and I find myself wanting, needing, a place to reflect on the wonders of my life. 

With all the transition - emotional, physical, geographic, and otherwise - I have decided to use this as my medium to share my moments, good and bad, with my friends and family. If nothing else, it will be my record of doings and a collection of thoughts throughout the next phase of life. I strive to share laughter and love, good news and bad, surprise adventures, delicious recipes, DIY projects gone awry, good books, and my meandering mind.

I've got a list of goals for this summer of change. I'm a list-maker, I'm task-oriented, but also a procrastinator. Hopefully this list will challenge the stubborn little girl within to grow up and get a grip on things. Life's a-changin' and I've got some stuff to do. Publishing this will help hold me to it, right?!

1. Participate in the "Run Like A Girl 10k" in October (I have some preparing to do for this one...)

2. Organize. I'm starting on my own and my life is cluttered. Clear out the junk and move on.

3. Clean Eating. Cooking is one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling parts of my day, and I'm excited to share fun and easy recipes.

4. Read more. I've been putting this on the back burner for so long, and it's time to clear the cobwebs from my Want-To-Read list on goodreads.com

5. Watch more documentaries. Let's be honest, so many movies are trash and there are people out there who are trying to share the stories of real people doing really amazing things. And who doesn't love learning something?

Now that I've shared my Top 5 (this list is significantly longer) and started a blog in one day, I'm going to call it a good day's work. Here's to what's next. Cheers.