In Bruges

Our first morning in Bruges was a leisurely one. Exhausted as we were from the past few days of traveling, we all slept in. Doug, however, went to the Markt (market square) early and snagged us some delicious pastries. One of the best things in the world is to be greeted in the morning by warm pastries and fresh coffee. I'm not usually a breakfast eater, but how could I resist (Also it seems like in Europe, breakfast is a big deal)? After breakfast we decided to explore the city! We started out by going to the farmer's market in the Markt. The farmer's market had a variety of things from clothes to meat, pastries and cheese. While we were enthralled by the gorgeous and fresh edibles, we were not impressed by the vendors selling cheap knock-offs of designer accessories (Although scarves are always a temptation for me no matter how cheaply made they are, not gonna lie).

After browsing the bazaar, we made our way to the rest of the city. My favorite thing about Bruges is how it attracts so many tourists, yet locals live and go about their daily business there. I had a premonition that Belgians would be standoffish and unaccommodating, but every local we met was quite nice and personable, especially to tourists. The streets of Bruges are a people-watcher's dream and it was very easy to lose ourselves (and the morning) in wandering around the city.

At the edge of Markt, just a few blocks away from our vacation home

Fresh Belgian waffles

 We spent a good amount of time browsing lace and chocolate shops (as Belgium is famous for both) and made a few purchases each. Near the city hall we stopped at a waffle stand for lunch. I've had "Belgian waffles" in the States, and to be honest I wasn't too jazzed about them. But, like everyone had told me, Belgian waffles are amazing. The waffles were thick and fluffy, with sugar crystals baked into the dough. They were served a la mode or plain, and were delicious both ways. My mouth is watering just writing about them.

A few pieces of famous Bruges lace and a loom on display

A chocolate shop named "Stef's" so naturally we had to get a picture with it!

A gorgeous marble statue inside the cathedral

 

After our indulgent lunch, we put an end to the aimless wandering and set off on two specific activities. First, we visited a cathedral (sensing a pattern of this trip?) nestled in a quiet block surrounded by classic cobblestone roads and quintessential Belgian architecture. I love the feeling of being in the presence of a cathedral. The awe of such a grand church creates a stillness and calm. Thoughts come easily to me as I sit in the dimly lit building and breathe in the wisdom of holy men and women who came before. Outside of the cathedral, we met an American man (who was walking his dogs) who came to Bruges several years back, and has lived contentedly there ever since. See what I mean? The residents of Bruges just seem content to be there, and content with everyone around them.

Our second activity that we had to do was a canal tour. Like Venice, Bruges rests upon a series of waterways. I have never been to a city with canals before, and I was awestruck.
 On our way to the canal tour, we noticed a group of people gathered on a bridge very excitedly. As they stood there, a few of them began to unfurl a banner and hang it off of the bridge. Eventually, the words on the banner became legible- "Just Married" about a minute later, a canal made its way through the water and under the bridge with a bride and groom (in full wedding attire) in the back of it. Everyone (including us!) began clapping and cheering as the bride and groom kissed. It was such a special moment to witness and I'm glad we were in the right place at the right time.

Gorgeous shot of a canal

Finally we made our way to the booth where the tickets for the canal tour were sold. We each bought a ticket and made out way down a set of stairs into a small pathway at the water's edge. After waiting a few minutes, our canal arrived and we all piled in. Our tour guide was a good-humored college-aged guy. As he took us around the city, he rattled off various facts about Bruges in 4 different languages! I was very impressed by how naturally the facts came to him. Obviously he does this all the time. I loved being in the canal and snapping photos as we slowly sailed through the water. It was a nice break from the walking we had been doing all morning. 

The tour guide was helpful enough to mention that his is the "City's lowest bridge." Mind your head!

We ended the day by stopping at a flea market we had spied while on the canal tour. There were tables and tables full of trinkets and while I did not buy anything, I always enjoy a good flea market thus it was fun to look at everything from old coins, metal decorations, ornate keys and antique cutlery.

Let me wrap this up with a few of my favorite pictures I took around the city:

I hope you enjoyed this post! I started it two months ago and am glad to finally get it published. My goal is to do one post a week, regardless of how busy I am. Keep me accountable, people! I hope you all have a great week.


Stay tuned for my next post: Brussels

Belgium Bound

Euro coins

As we walked around Trier, the clouds became heavy and, sure enough, it started pouring. As much as we wanted to stick around and snap more photos, none of us were wearing waterproof clothing (Fashion trumps practicality when you're in Europe! At least for me). We bolted for the car, wanting to make a quick getaway before driving became a nightmare on slippery, unfamiliar roads; thus our journey to Belgium began!

On our way, we stopped at a gas station/rest area. The front of the building was like any other convenience store or gift shop, but the pay-only toilets were downstairs (something slightly frustrating about Europe... the fact that you have to pay to use the bathroom). My dad and I decided to explore the building more, and we discovered what looked like a five-star restaurant, a banquet hall and a small market/food court tucked away in the back. So quaint!

Creative Coke bottles

Saxophone statue in Dinnant

As we continued on, we were all becoming hungry and sleepy. We unanimously decided to stop somewhere to stretch our legs and fill our stomachs. We happened upon this awesome little city called Dinnant, Belgium (home of the inventor of the saxophone!). This little city lies on the banks of the River Meuse, and is green and flourishing because of it. A beautiful cathedral overlooks the city and river on one side. On the other side towers a massive and well-preserved 11th century citadel. To get to the citadel, one must climb countless stairs or take a gondola up the hill. We opted for the gondola. While the trip was a bit pricey, it was the first touristy thing we had done that cost money. And we could not pass up the chance to get a bird's eye view of the city!

Notre Dame Dinnant

Bird's eye view of Dinnant

After exploring the hilltop citadel, we decided it would be a good idea to grab some hamburgers et des frites (burgers and fries). BIG MISTAKE. We went to this little restaurant which may or may not have been called "Bicky Burger" (because there were wall decals all over the place that said that, but the restaurant was called something uninformative like "Hamburgers" or something. I can't remember.) Initially I was excited because I got to order food in French, a great feat for not remembering a single thing from French class! But when the actual food came, I was pretty disappointed. The patty on my hamburger had weird things mixed in it like meatloaf, as well as horseradish and really spicy mustard on it. I definitely could not eat the whole thing and I think I finished my can of Coke in record time. I am officially not a fan of Bicky Burgers.

Getting to Bruges was a bit challenging. Upon entering the city, we discovered we didn't actually have the address of the vacation home we were staying in. We had the reservation from the website printed out... but the actual address was not written down! Yikes!
After driving around for a few minutes, we decided to split up and search on foot. Two of us went to scour one part of the city, and two of us scoured the other.
My mom and I wanted to ask a local if they knew of the house, but since it was after 5:00pm most businesses were closed. Eventually we found one store that was open, a little shop for children's clothes. Thankfully the store owner spoke English and was a very kind woman. She allowed us to use her laptop to look up the website for the vacation home. Somehow, by an act of God probably, we found the address. It turns out the name of the home is Flemish, and we were asking for a different place (the English translation, naturally).

Once we got into the house, all of the stress and anxiety of not being able to find it evaporated instantly. The house was as welcoming and fabulous in person as in the pictures. The owner of the vacation home, a delightful lady named Charlotte, had tucked some food in the fridge for us and we made dinner out of eggs and salami. We went to bed that night with fed appetites, and slept perfectly soundly in what would be our home for the next 4 days.

Keep posted for my next post about Bruges!

When in Germany...

After a quick lunch in Reims, France, the family loaded back up in the car and headed to our first real destination: Trier, Germany.
The drive out of France took a while, and I admit that I dozed off a few times. But the times I was awake, my eyes were wide open and I couldn't help but to notice that heading out of France and toward Germany, everything began to look different. There were fewer rolling hills and more rivers, and the landscape was much greener and more lush. On our way to Germany we passed through Luxemburg (truly an itty bitty country). As we drove, the roads narrowed and we passed charming river towns. Vibrant houses perched on every surface of the far-off hills. I wish we could have paused in Luxemburg, because it seemed delightful. That will be for another time!

We began to drive a little further, and by this time late afternoon was falling. We had been awake for hours and hours and everyone was a little road-worn. We finally arrived at our hotel, which was not in Trier, but a little township of Trier. This being said, there was not a tourist in sight. Everything was so German.
Now, I have never been particularly interested in Germany.  It seemed like a cool place with rich history, but the culture never particularly appealed to me. When we arrived in the little Trier township, this opinion changed drastically. Germany is charming, the food is amazing and the people are very kind. Luckily our host at the hotel spoke a little bit of English, so we were able to get our hotel room and order food.

After we got settled in our hotel rooms, we walked around the town for a bit. We planned on finding a restaurant to eat dinner at, but the town was pretty much dead around 5pm (we weren't yet aware of the fact that dinner time in Europe is practically our bed time in the States). We were also exhausted and none of us were too keen on roaming for blocks. We snapped a few photos and headed back to our hotel, which was conveniently attached to a bar/restaurant.

The view of the railroad from my hotel window

My delicious meal "mit fritten" (with fries)

At the restaurant, the menu was completely in German. Since I was not enthusiastic about the idea of German food at all, I was none too pleased. I just planned on ordering a brat or something. Luckily, the English speaking host from the hotel (who was also our waitress, go figure) was able to translate a few of the items on the menu for us. We hesitantly ordered our food. My mom, dad and sister chickened out and ordered chicken (see what I did there?) while Doug and I stepped out of our comfort zones and ordered unfamiliar dishes. The food arrived and to our surprise, it was delicious. I ordered deep-fried pork with mushrooms and a vinegary gravy, which came with amazing beer-battered french fries. When I got back from Europe, several people asked me what the best thing I ate was. This meal was definitely it!

That night after dinner, I was so exhausted that after not being able to keep my eyes open any longer, I went to bed at 7:30. I can't remember the last time that happened! Anyway, the next day we finally got to visit Trier. Trier, also called Treves, is the oldest city in Germany. Two of Trier's most noteworthy landmarks are the Cathedral of Trier and the Porta Nigra. The Porta Nigra is a relic from ancient Roman history. The giant structure stood, at one time, as a gate of the city. Unfortunately, my camera battery died just after snapping some shots of The Cathedral of Trier, which was equally breathtaking.

Side of the Cathedral of Trier

Dad posing with a giant ice cream cone

Staci reviewing some great shots

I loved all the classic German architecture

The Porta Nigra

Next I will be posting about our journey to Belgium and all the sights we saw along the way! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

As we were walking around Trier, it began to rain which seemed to add to the authenticity of the German city. Not to mention I love rain! Aside from the enormous landmarks, the city was fun to explore and the German architecture was fun to look at. Being with my favorite people definitely added to the charm. I loved the time we spent in Germany and I definitely hope to go back.

Entrance into Europe

The embarkment on our journey to Europe was a lengthy one, to say the least. When my parents and I left for the San Diego airport at 4:00 am Wednesday, I had no idea how exhausted I was going to be 48 hours later.

I know this sounds naive, but when I think of airplanes I tend think of them from the perspective of my 7 year old self. I have been on plenty airplanes as an adult, but for some reason I still think of airplane seats having plenty of room to spread out or curl up and sleep for hours. Not so! Why do I always think airplanes are going to be cozy, if not comfortable? Needless to say, when I did not sleep well the night before we left I did not think it was going to be a problem because, of course, "I can just sleep on the plane." Ugh.

So Wednesday morning, my parents and I left San Diego for the JFK airport in New York City. After about a 5 hour flight, we rushed to our JFK terminal and were greeted by Staci and Doug, who I hadn't seen since Christmas time. This was also the first time our family has been all together since 2010! For a tight-knit clan like ours, this is obscenely long. I was stoked! Summer 2012, baby! After hugs and bathroom breaks, we herded and boarded the plane to Paris. 

The meal, palatable at best.

This was my first international flight, so things were kind of weird to me like the layout of the chairs and the fact that we were served a meal for free. I probably drank ten cups of coffee because I couldn't sleep, and was bored, and it was free. Since we were on an international flight, there were lots of Parisian and English people on board and one of our flight attendants had a phony French accent. 

When the flight attendants began serving dinner, an British woman nearby asked "Is the chicken palatable?" The flight attendant gave a noncommittal 'yes' to which the woman then replied, "Better than a poke in the eye, I suppose." Gotta love those Brits.

After a gruelingly long flight (9 hours, I think), we finally arrived in Paris! I was so excited I was shaking! I stared out the window, expecting a picturesque view of a lightly clouded Eiffel Tower, and tall slender women walking around in berets and striped shirts. This was not what welcomed me. In fact if I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was in LA.

Warning to anyone who has not flown into Paris: the airport is not actually in Paris. In fact it is about 20 minutes away.

Immediately after arriving in "Paris," we snagged a rental car and headed straight to our first destination: Germany.

This was not our rental car, but I liked the fact that its paint was metallic pink.

I tried to stay awake for the drive, because I was in a gorgeous foreign country and all. I was smitten with the quaint French countryside and the beautiful blue sky. Having taken French a year ago, I vaguely knew what the scenery would look like... but I have to admit it was a lot more beautiful in person.

The countryside was speckled with quaint towns. Each had their respective cathedral, of course.

 On our way to Germany, we stopped at a little French city named Reims, known for its fabulous cathedral, Notre-Dame de Reims. Staci, Doug, and I were in agreement that if we had to live in France, this city would be the one to live in. The city has an up-and-coming metropolitan vibe along with the quaint charm of a small town.  The cathedral, true to its reputation, was breathtaking. It was also the first cathedral I had seen in real life, and I was in awe.

I am in LOVE with these row houses and colorful doors.
Such character!

This awesome fountain was in what appeared to be the town square.

Notre-Dame de Reims

The thing that first struck me about the cathedral was its size, followed by its killer architecture. Upon entering, I was awed by the spectacular stained glass windows and ornate carvings

Joan of Arc statue outside the cathedral.

That's all I have for now! Stay tuned for more pictures and stories from my journey. Next stop, Germany!

Book Reviews

One of the things I was most looking forward to during my European vacation was time to sit, relax and catch up on some valuable reading. Even though the trip ended up being more fast-paced than relaxing, there were many car rides which allowed for reading time! On the trip I brought one paperback book and my Kindle.

Years ago while on an especially passionate reading kick, I totally pillaged my friend Hannah's bookcase and borrowed probably a dozen books. Since I am notorious for borrowing things and never giving them back (remember this before lending me anything!) I still have Hannah's books. 
One of these books is Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (the book the Miyazaki film is based on).

 

I chose this book because I loved the movie and I wanted an easy read. There were several things in the book's plot that varied from the film but like the movie, the book was fantastical and charming. The author did a good job of writing clever dialogue and likable characters which I sometimes find lacking in fantasy books. I also enjoyed that the plot had many layers and twists that kept the reader wondering even after the last page. If you like books like Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia and LOTR, but don't want to get into an intense and exhausting series, I recommend this book. I was able to finish it in a couple days even with my tortoise-like reading speed!


A few months ago, the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close came out in theatres. A friend of mine, Adam, was adamant that I would love the movie, but had to read the book first.

When I saw that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer was on sale for the Kindle, I bought it in a heartbeat. I absolutely adored Foer's previous book, Everything is Illuminated (I've read it about three times) and I was hungry for another one of his books. Foer's unconventional writing style is probably one of my favorites in the world. I am in awe in his ability to write heartwrenching characters and juxtapose several different story lines that blow your mind when you realize how they intertwine.
In high school, writing was a major hobby of mine. Sadly, I don't write much anymore, but Foer's books make me want to. He has the ability to take a common, ordinary life event and make it hearbreaking and poignant. I could probably go on for pages about this, and I just might... but that is for a later time.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is about a boy's journey to find closure in the aftermath of his father's death during the fateful attack on September 11, 2001.

 

While it seems like it was just yesterday that the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, it wasn't; it's shocking to think that it's actually been a decade. I'm glad, however, that it's no longer "too soon" for authors and filmmakers to write stories based on the event. It's important for people (especially in my age cohort) to be reminded of how real the catastrophe was and how it affected so many individuals. I can't speak for everyone, but I was so young when it happened that I don't think I was able to fully understand the horror and sadness of it all. Books and movies like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Remember Me, even if they are fictional, are meaningful to me because they help me remember and empathize with someone who was personally impacted by the event. 

Aside from the sentimental and patriotic stuff, the book had tons of comic relief. The story is written from the point of view of a smart and quirky nine year old boy who will make you laugh and melt your heart. Remember what I said about Foer making multiple plot lines that blow your mind? Oh yeah, that happens too. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes memoirs and a sad, sweet story.  

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know if you have any that you would recommend, and what you liked about them!

I'm Back!

Hey followers!
I'm sorry for the enormously long hiatus. I am quickly realizing that I am an incredibly sporadic blogger. Let's just put that on the growing list of things I need to be more disciplined about.

Other than being incredibly lazy, my absence was partially due to the fact that I just got back from a 2 week long European vacation with my family. The weeks leading up to the trip were spent working my butt off tying up loose ends at the office so that my co-manager, Wes wouldn't have to carry all of my dead weight while I was gone. 
So instead of blogging, for the past two weeks I gallivanted through Europe, becoming an experienced world traveler! Well, maybe an experienced traveler of part of the European world. Anyways, it's a start and an experience I'll never forget.

So this summer I have decided to take up a few hobbies more seriously, one of them being photography. My trip to Europe was a good opportunity to practice my photography skills and it turns out I have an okay eye for it. I think honing my skills paid off, because I got a lot of good shots! Once I finish uploading and editing my photos, I will share some of the ones I'm most proud of.

I am still at my parents' house right now, but tomorrow I will trek back up to Covina to resume my life. I'm hoping the transition back to my house and office will be a smooth one.

Stay tuned for more details about my trip and pictures! I promise to follow through this time, and not disappear for a month!

I hope everyone has a great Friday and a fun weekend.

(first post!) So here's the thing...

I've been dying to jump into the "blogosphere" for several months now but to be honest, the task has been daunting! I'm not sure what I find so intimidating about starting up a blog again (I had several blogs in high school that I used regularly) but for some reason I've been hesitant.  Maybe it's because looking at the blogs of my adolescence and the things I wrote back then is humiliating. Actually, yeah... I'm pretty sure that's exactly why I'm hesitant. (Along with an incident when I was confronted by a gal on Pinterest who accused me of plagiarizing her crafts. But I digress...)

But as I'm well on my way toward graduation and a great new chapter of my life (yes!) I know it's time to start documenting and sharing my experiences! Are you excited? Because I am!

I was going to go on to share some facts about myself... but I don't want my first post to be exhaustive. Plus, if I share too much in the first post you won't come back for more. Right? Is that how it works?

So here it is, guys! My first post ever (on my new blog).

My following posts will be more interesting than this one, I promise.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

It's about that time again...

We are throwing a party this weekend!

My roommates and I wanted to have a house-warming party once we got settled in. My roommate, Courtney's birthday is coming up next week. Since the birthday party we were planning for Courtney would fall on the same weekend as my Europe trip (!!!) we decided to not only combine the two parties, but have the extravaganza ASAP. I'm excited to show off our new house to our friends, and I have some fun surprises up my sleeve to celebrate Courtney's coming of age (can a person have a coming-of-age at 22?).

Don't worry, I'm planning on taking pictures! Not only to give you a peek at the house, but to prove that I have friends! (kidding... I'm not really desperate)

The party was originally going to be a costume party, but since it was so short notice everyone decided it would take too much time and effort to dress up.
However, the idea of a costume party got me brainstorming all the things I could dress up as for a potential party! I like the idea of DIY costumes and masks much more than janky store-bought costumes probably sewn under unethical conditions. I am pocketing a few ideas to craft on a rainy day, once I save up for a sewing machine.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

A Proverbial Fork in the Road

Disclaimer: This is a venting post. If you don't want to hear me whine, stop reading.

So God has been testing me this week. As of Monday, our hot water and electricity got shut off due to some miscommunications with the electric company and poor maintenance of our water heater pilot light (I'm beginning to despise the previous tenants of this house).

Fortunately, my roommate and I were able to spend the night at my friend/co-worker Amanda's house Monday, which actually ended up being fun because it turned into an impromptu LOST night. Also I was able to eat dinner and take a shower, which was much needed.

Last night we were planning on toughing it out, living rustically, and going to bed early when the electric company truck pulled up around 9pm and our power got turned on. Even though this drama only spanned 3 days, it seemed like much longer. Not only were we having a mini physical crisis, things with the roommate reached somewhat of a breaking point. I mean, you know things are bad when you have a mental breakdown on your lunch break.

The real problem wasn't the lack of electricity. It was the feeling of being out of control and exposed. This little blackout decided to happen in the midst of other difficult things going on within my personal life, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I didn't handle the situation well, and I may or may not have been a mean person to my roommate.

Let me explain why I was not a nice person: In the past, I didn't allow myself to get too emotionally close to my roommates. I have the tendency to close myself off from people.
This time around, I can feel the walls coming down and my roommate pushing her way through the cast-iron barrier that encloses my fragile container of precious thoughts and emotions... and that scares me! At this point, I can do one of two things: either put up some more walls to further protect myself from being discovered (oh the horrors of being found out! That I am imperfect and flawed and don't have all my stuff together!) or allow myself to open up and be vulnerable and grow as an emotional human being, learning how to express my emotions and connect with another human being on an emotionally intimate level.

Hmmm...
I obviously know which route I need to choose, but it's scary and difficult and is gonna take a whole lot of trust.

And to think that all of this came from having a broken pilot light on the water heater.

God sure is is a sneaky God.

Adventures in Bridesmaidland

Monday was a very productive day.
Since it was Tegan's last day in town before permanently moving back to the Midwest, I took the day off to get in some extra bonding time*. We met our former roommate, Lindsey, at the Santa Anita Mall (the best mall closest to to Azusa, in my opinion) for lunch and manicures. Yes, it was an uncharacteristic outing for Tegan and me, as the girliest thing we ever do is watch Hilary Duff movies and eat chocolate (and then follow it up by watching Saw). But it was nice to be "pampered" and get our nails fixed after a week of packing and lifting heavy boxes.

After our manicures, we did a bit of shopping. I was in the market for some knitted/braided/sparkly headbands to spice up my dowdy work uniform. We then went to Forever 21, where I was most hopeful about the headbands but alas, there were none. So we decided to give H&M a chance.

At H&M I was pointing out all of the white dresses and sarcastically suggesting that Tegan buy her wedding dress there. Moments later, Lindsey points out a cute gray dress and says "I love this dress! I wish I had seen this when I was shopping for a bridesmaid's dress for my sister's wedding!"

Lightbulb!

Conveniently, I am in search of a gray bridesmaid's dress for Tegan's wedding so of course I had to try it on. After trying on two sizes that didn't fit (oye vey: that's all I'm going to say about that.) I finally tried it on and fell in love with it. I didn't have very many expectations about the dress I was going to choose, but this one seemed to be destined for me. Not to mention Tegan was gushing over it and she is the bride so her opinion trumps all!

Here is the dress!

Here is the dress on me. It's a truly awful picture,
but it was taken in a fluorescent-lit fitting room so please pretend not to notice.

Overall, it was a fun and productive day! I got my nails done and walked away with the perfect bridesmaid's dress for only $45. I also needed some relaxation badly before jumping back in at work, and the shopping therapy was just what the psychologist ordered! 

No, I did not end up finding any headbands. If you know where I can purchase some, please help a sista out. 

*fun fact: last year, Tegan and I both had the same shade of red hair and her neighbors could not tell us apart from the back. They also could not remember my name so they dubbed me "Tegan 2.0"

Quick Note

So I'm currently at work, on my work computer (a mac) and I'm noticing how much better my blog looks on a mac than on my PC at home. That being said, I apologize to all my PC user followers! Not that this layout is permanent or anything... I tend to get stir crazy and change things up a lot.

I hope you are all having a great week!

An End of an Era (a some-what deep post)

Friends! I'm sorry I haven't blogged in so long. These past 2 weeks have been completely insane. I'm gonna save you from a drawn-out post blabbering about everything that's happened, and give you a bullet list:

• Applied for rental house 
• Completed several of end-of-semester projects 
• Got accepted for rental house 
• Turned 21 
• Applied and interviewed for promotion at work 
• Got said promotion 
• My boyfriend, Zach moved back to San Diego
• Completed "dead week" and finals
• Moved out of apartment
• Watched Tegan and other friends graduate
• Moved into rental house

hmm. I guess when I actually write it out, it doesn't seem like that much. But I'm telling you it was brutal! I don't remember the last time I went to bed before midnight and I've been stress eating like none other (white girl problems).

Getting to the point of this post:

The end of a school year has always marked change for me. I advance into another academic year, my friends all go home for the summer, I change my lifestyle from doing nonstop class work to slowing down and shifting my focus... even the return of summer (the season) always provokes a change in attitude and perspective. But this year's change is significant. After 3 years of living on campus (and going through 8 roommates... a skeleton in my closet to be discussed at a later date), I am finally moved out of University Village and into a house off campus. Additionally, a ton of my friends graduated and will soon be getting married and seeing them again will take a large amount of effort on my part (who knows where they will settle?).

While I'm excited to be on my own and get to know my new roommates better, I'm really going to miss my old roommates and the ease of living on campus. Along with turning 21, this house thing is a milestone of my life and the thought that I am currently inside of a milestone is somewhat terrifying! I'm drowning in the milestone! But at the same time, it is really exciting. As stressful as it's been, I'm very thankful for all of the changes that have happened because I know all of them will be greatly beneficial in the long run.

All of that being said, things are changing and I'm really excited about it. Look forward to more blogs about the new things in my life!

Something to look forward to!

This past spring break, something very exciting happened! My roommate and close friend Tegan got engaged. We knew (and hoped) that it would happen sometime in the near future. The whole time I was in Mexico I was out of the loop, dying to know if the question had been popped. It was so frustrating knowing that something monumental might happen at any minute and that I wouldn't know about it! Anyways, I was delighted to hear about the engagement because she and her boyfriend (now fiancé!)  are so fun to be around, and I love them as a couple. I am thrilled for Tegan and this new chapter of her life she is embarking on.

This morning, as I was getting ready for class, I noticed a handmade card propped up next to my sink. It turns out the note was from Tegan asking me if I would like to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. In that moment, my heart felt so enormous inside of my chest. Tegan's friendship has been invaluable to me over the past year, and she has helped me grow as a person in surprising, but awesome ways. We mockingly call each other "sisters in Christ" but it really does feel that way.

I have only been a bridesmaid in one other wedding- my sister's in which I was the proud M.O.H. But I loved it, and I am excited to be a part of Tegan's big day as well. That being said, I am now even more excited for what this summer is going to bring me!

Thanks, 2012 for being awesome!