Falling back in to pattern..

Isn't it funny how even when you haven't done something in a long time--once you do it again, it's like all your old habits and techniques just come right back to you? 

I am nearing the end of my first semester of graduate school and it has been such a ride! I am taking the summer off because I will be traveling so much I didn't want to have to stress out about finding time to fit in my classes. 

But back to the falling back in to old patterns--I am having to write papers again. Big papers. Massive amounts of research and massive amounts of thought and detail papers.  Yet, here I find myself blogging or I catch myself looking at Facebook, scrolling through a friend I have not seen in 6 years, 987 photos, all the photos consisting of people I don't even know.  Isn't it amazing what I will do to NOT write a paper.  

There is good news though, I have finished and submitted one paper as of ten minutes ago. Now I need to create a powerpoint presentation and then start on my other final paper.  But first I need to go and return some books to the library. (Going to the library is a necessity not another trick to not working on my paper--I haven't had a library card in forever, I finally get one and then forget to turn the books back in on time!) 

I am really looking forward to riding to the library, I cleaned out my car yesterday and put in a new air freshener. Yes, the cleaning of the car was DEFINITELY a tool to put off writing my paper. 

So excited and I just can't hide it!

I leave in 11 days for Phoenix! Not only do I get to go see one of my close friends get married but she is getting married in a state with HOT weather! I've already scoped out the forecast and I will definitely be taking my swimsuit! 

I am starting the process of outlining and writing my final papers for two of my classes this semester. So that is where my next few weeks will be spent. I can't believe it has gone by so quickly! Grades for my classes have to be in by May 2 and then I don't start my summer class until June 14th! That is quite a break--which means I can read a book for fun during that time! 

Jason Mraz concert is 44 days away! I LOVE THIS GUY! I can't believe we are finally going to get to see him in concert. It's been a long time coming! Plus I am going with a good group of friends so that will definitely be fun. 

June is my busy month of work travels and the youth group trip sandwiched in between! July is a busy month for weddings, I have a wedding 3 out of the 4 weeks in July. Fun fun!! Plus I will be going to Seattle in July as well!! 

I am doing a lot of exciting and fun traveling in the next few months and I am looking forward to all of it!! I love the anticipation of it all! I don't like to wish days/months/years away because they go fast enough as it is! But before I know it, the summer months will be gone, I won't be an "intern" at work anymore, and I will be closing in on a year in grad school. Time flies when you're having fun! 

Such a tease....

Warm weather, that is! Spring is a lovely season, things are growing, turning green again, we get to experience some awesome thunder storms (reminds me of the rain and thunder cd I used to listen to in the dorms everynight we went to sleep). But Spring is also unpredictable. It can be 70 and sunny one day and 28 and snowing the next. I guess that is Kansas for you! Always keep an umbrella, coat, and snow boots in your car.

This past week I was in Dallas and was determined to soak up some sun and relish in the warm weather. Every day after we got out from our conference I would go running around a lake. It was great, I completely forgot I hate to run, I was just taking in the warmth! It was consistently in the 70's and 80's for five days. Something Kansas can't do until May or June.

Moral of the story: I was happy all week long. I think weather really does affect my mood. Not in like a completely dramatic way because I feel I am happy 97% of the time, the other 3 % is when I am stuck in my house trying to figure out if I need to bring my umbrella, flip flops, or winter coat with me.

What's cooler than being cool? ICE COLD!

I will admit that I still have a need to be cool.  It is an understandable thing when you're young and cool is defined as "wearing your hair in a side pony tail", moving on to "toting around a Five Star trapper keeper cool". I am tired of wanting to be cool--you would have thought I would be over this, right? Wrong....but I think "cool" this time, is unattainable for me. 

I should share one tiny tidbit as to why this is unattainable--I do not like hot drinks. (This will make sense in a minute, just stick with me.) I have never been a coffee, hot chocolate, or hot tea person. When I come inside from a snowy day I am not the person who thinks "let me just warm up by the fire with a hot cup of tea". Completely unappealing in so many ways for me. I don't like hot drinks for several reasons:

1. I want a drink in which I can drink without having to blow on--I am impatient. 

2. Why would I want to drink anything that could do such burn damage to me in my mouth?? A burnt tongue is one of worst things ever to me--and it is completely avoidable by not drinking scorching drinks from the devil. 

3. Most hot drinks leave a funky taste in your mouth afterwards that if you don't have gum accessible, you need to try and not talk to anyone until you can get rid of the funk. 

Here is where I would almost be willing to set aside my strong dislikes for hot drinks just to be cool. I desperately want to carry around the travel mug of coffee. I think those people look so cool and professional. Like "I am a grown up, drinking grown up drinks at my grown up job".  I get self conscious at meetings when everyone comes in with coffee and I am sitting there with a bottle of what looks like Kool-Aid. I know, what am I, 8?  

I just want to be like "Well my briefcase is cooler than yours, SO THERE!" (Which is a lie because I don't carry a briefcase either.) I don't need stupid hot drinks in stupid travel mugs to be cool. 

 

Don't Miss Out

These past couple weeks of my life have seemed chaotic. Work has gotten increasingly busy, sometimes working through lunch and never realizing I didn’t eat until I am driving home from work and my lunchbox is still full. That’s the funny thing about my job, one minute the head honcho’s pants can be on fire about an issue and the next minute they have a lackadaisical attitude towards the whole project. Plus in the next 7 months or so I have 9 weeks of traveling I have to do for work. That starts to make me apprehensive about trying to keep up with school work. This leads me to the next point….

My home life consists of reading, posting on message boards, completing assignments, and writing papers for school. Getting my master’s has become a very consuming yet rewarding process. A venture that sometimes at 10:30pm, I wonder if I should be doing it. For those who don’t know me, I love sleep, and going to bed past 10:30 on weekdays is unpleasant for everyone around me the next day. I am trying to get better about my morning attitude. Key word: trying.

Then with the hours left in the week that aren’t spent sleeping are hours I take for myself to have some sort of social life or do the things that I want, such as my classes at the gym. So really when I write it down my life doesn’t seem so chaotic at all, it could be a lot crazier. I think sometimes we allow the voice in our head to get in a panic about all the things on our to-do list that aren’t getting checked off. I should just post-it note Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” to my bathroom mirror, to my computer monitor, and to my forehead.

I never thought I was a routine person but over the last year I have become a routine person, almost to the point of when I get thrown off my weekly routine I get irritated. Last night is when I realized this about myself and I have to admit, I didn’t like it. I almost missed an opportunity to hang out with some really cool youth at a Bible Study because I would miss kickboxing on Thursday. That’s when I realized I was too routine—too quick to answer, “Sorry, I am already busy!” I was missing a chance to potentially impact some lives or have my life impacted by others. What if that was how God responded to us? “Sorry, I am already busy!” Lucky for us, He doesn’t respond like that, so why do we?

Yes, routine is good and sometimes we do have plans and are busy, but life is going to happen and I don’t want to be irritated by it, I want to welcome the opportunity—the chaos of life is what makes it fun, and keeps you on your toes. Don’t become so routine and complacent in your world that you miss out.

I Believe...

Really cool to listen to from a young mind! What an awesome kid! (Thanks for the link Sandy!)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99478226&sc=emaf

I don't do early...

I must have had a minor stroke and thought I could be a morning person. Key word thought. Let me start in the beginning.

I came up with this hair-brain idea that I would wake up at 5am and go to the gym. I have been going to classes in the evenings after work (which is where I have found my love for kickboxing and Zumba) but I felt like I needed to get some more cardio work done on the tredmill. After looking over my schedule I found the only time to fit this activity in was at FIVE O' CLOCK IN THE MORNING! I had the greatest of intentions.

Sunday night I prepared myself mentally (listened to the Rocky theme song) and also set out my work out clothes so I wouldn't have to fumble around with my eyes still shut to find my tennis shoes.

I don't know what it is but there is a HUGE difference between 5am and 6am.

So my alarm sounds at 5am and I get out of bed and head to the bathroom. Meeting my dad in the hall, because apparently he actually gets up at 5. Who knew!? He looked at me and said "What are you doing?!" And I replied, "Going to the gym" (saying it with such attitude that I clearly do this ALL the time.) Something happened between standing in the hall and coming out of the bathroom that all determination to go to the gym fled from my body.

I promptly crawled back in to bed, reset my alarm for 6:15 and fell asleep quicker than I could realize I talked myself out of going to the gym.

So I have come to the conclusion, I CAN wake up at 5 but I CAN'T do physical activity. And then I came up with another excuse. What do people do about breakfast when they work out that early? I have to eat something before I work out because otherwise I feel weak or could pass out. But if I eat something I feel like I can't work out immediately because I have a full stomach. Apparently I have to be just right to work out. I think I have come to grips with that and am okay with not being that dedicated girl at the gym, I would rather be dedicated to my pillow.

"Carpe Diem" Those words at 5am does not make me want to seize the day.

"The early bird gets the worm." I don't like worms, so go ahead early birds get those worms!

Wake up, little Susie, wake up Wake up, little Susie, Wake up, We've both been sound asleep, Wake up, little Susie and weep. (Don't worry little Susie, I want to weep when I wake up early too.)