Crazy Summer Ride

I'm sitting in my room at the Palace after storing away my electric blanket, turning my fan on high, and pouring myself a glass of raspberry iced tea. Columbia has seemed to transform itself from a dreary, grey world to a sunny, humid, and cicada-plagued one in a matter of one weekend. Can't say I mind, though. The cold and rain this year lasted long enough.

Last week I was blessed enough to receive a cruise as a gift from family, and I have to say, I felt more relaxed, pampered, and spoiled than I have in a long time. A small group of my cousins and my aunt celebrated the beginning of summer cruising to Bermuda over the Atlantic with no fear of the Bermuda Triangle ;)

Certain events during our trip definitely kept us on our toes. My cousin thought he forgot his passport at home (2-hrs from the port), which gave us all a mini heart-attack, my sister sprained her ankle on the stairs but managed to wear heels that night for Formal Night, we met lots of interesting people, tasted new foods, tried creative drinks, dropped cameras but miraculously never broke one, made friends with the workers from other countries, made late-night french fry runs, and kept in touch with my uncle in South Carolina when my grandpa (Pop) was taken to the hospital for what resembled a TIA, but thankfully was not.

The day we got back, we visited Pop in his hospital room (the day before he went back home) and celebrated his 80th birthday! What an accomplishment! We brought him his favorite chocolate cupcakes, bright yellow flowers, and a balloon. The MRI's didn't show any sign of blockage, so he didn't technically have a TIA, but scares like this have happened before. We were thankful it didn't happen again. The day we spent with him after the cruise created lasting memories I will never, ever forget. Even though dementia has begun it's very early stages of making it hard to remember things or phrase sentences the way his brain wants him to, the Lord was able to give him the exact words and clarity when he prayed over his family. It was incredible. He just closed his eyes, shushed us all, and started praying over all his grandkids. I, of course, was the first to start quietly crying, not wanting to interrupt him. Soon enough I heard my sister and aunt sobbing. Within minutes later, my cousin Aaron's face had turned red and tears were streaming down his face. The way Pop was able to pray over his family for ten straight minutes was such a ministry to all of us. He touched my heart praying for my future husband, the people around me, and my heart for reaching my goals. What started as a trip to visit our grandpa turned into an afternoon that touched me more than anyone would know. My grandpa has always been such an outwardly apparent, strong, man of God, and this was just another amazing example of that. I hope that everyone can experience something so moving as the few minutes I had that day.

Getting back to Columbia and back to the daily grind felt bittersweet. I came home to (most of) my roommates, my parents, and my lovely Palace home. Two of my best friends had already moved away for the summer, so it's definitely been an adjustment not seeing them or talking to them every day. I think it's going to be a great summer though for all of us, growing a little in our own way, and learning things about ourselves that we didn't take the time to learn before.

Then there's the whole school/future/career planning/grad school deal that this summer will consist of for me. Yes, this will be a crazy summer with lots going on, but I am determined to enjoy every minute of it. Maybe "enjoy" isn't exactly the perfect word. For those minutes that I can't "enjoy," I will bear them without stressing or complaining because the things I'm doing this summer are pretty necessary to my future.

And so came the first week of class... only seven more weeks to go! Add in some GRE studying, taking the GRE, volunteering, beginning the application process to my top PT schools (Eeek! Excited!), working, and a few fun weekend trips, and it looks like I've got myself a recipe for a surprisingly great summer.

Here goes nothing!!

Spring

Guess I'm not much of a blogger, eh? Considering it's literally been MONTHS, it must be a true story.

It's snowing today, believe it or not, so I'm in the blogging mood apparently.

My roommates are all out of town this week. One's in FL and the others are in Jamaica on a mission trip. It's been kind of a struggle for me for the past few months knowing that I wouldn't be able to afford to go with them to Jamaica. My money is pretty tightly budgeted right now, most of my expenses being school (which takes more than a hefty chunk) and rent. But after praying about it, I've been able to feel a little comforted knowing that I'll be able to make some good money while I'm home, spend time with my sister and parents, and get a little ahead of the game on homework/projects/studying for the GRE. As for my roommates- what a wonderful experience this is going to be for them! I am beyond blessed to have friends with hearts for other people.

So since it's spring break for MU, and since today is my first day off, I'm going to use this blog as a platform for my to-do list :) We'll see how much I actually accomplish... drum roll please...

Spring Break 2011 To-Do:

-As far as school goes, I need to work on three different projects and study lots of anatomy.

-Study for the GRE.

-Workout daily.

-Learn to cook some healthy, new meals.

-Start a brilliant scrapbook project idea I had! The whole project won't be finished until the summer, but I'm excited to start it! I was so overwhelmed with excitement last night that I already bought a super cute scrapbook....haha.

-Go see a few movies with my mom and sis.

-Celebrate a friend's 21st!

-Try a new restaurant in town.

-Spend a few days at Tan-Tar-A down at the Lake.

-Finish narrowing my top grad school choices!!

-Celebrate Trevor and Aidan's 3rd birthday! I feel like a parent saying this, but it really is incredible seeing how fast little kids grow up. I used to feed those boys baby food and rock them to sleep, one in each arm (not to brag!), and now they're just so big and so smart. I really can't believe it.

This list does seem rather lengthy I guess, but let's just call them ideas for now. I'm not going to hold myself to every single thing, because I mean, it's my "break" and I truly do need a break, even if it does look like Christmas outside.

Adios 2010

Given that it's almost mid-January already (wow!), I do realize it's a little late for a 2010 trip down memory lane. However, I'm still going to do it. 2010 was a year deserving of an eulogy, so here I go, looking through my photo albums and reminiscing...

January. Started the year off with a good ole' trip to Springfield with three of my roommates. Lots of hilarious memories (as usual during road trips with these girls). I also rang in the New Year with friends at a house party down the street. My family took off for St. Louis to see Chicago at the Fox Theatre. That theatre never ceases to amaze me. I also started taking classes that were directly related to my major, which was pretty awesome. Even then, I was feeling GREAT about my career choice and was ecstatic about making a decision that I knew was the right one for me.

February. A short and pretty uneventful month. My dad wrote me the sweetest Valentine's note, and I got initiated into my Health Professions fraternity at MU!!

March. By this time, my dad's business had seen such great growth and development. My family spent time helping him move into his gigantic office and put together his website. There were many a 21st birthday celebration beginning this month, which was such an exciting and fun time for me and all my friends.

April. My family took a fun trip to Kansas City where I experienced my first meal at the Cheesecake Factory (incredible). I also took a trip to the St. Louis Zoo with my roommates on one of the most gorgeous spring days. Looking back at pictures makes me impatient for spring's next beautiful appearance. My wonderful sister turned 19, which is always fun celebrating birthdays with her. We hosted yet another Palace Dance Party, which of course, seemed to be quite the success! And in this month, my roommates and I made the decision to plan a HUGE yard sale benefiting our friend to financially support her and her husband's trip to Africa. We began collecting items for the sale, putting announcements in the newspaper, and soon enough, our living room transformed into what would have made the greatest "Hoarders" episode of all time. The giving hearts of my best friends was inspiring.

May. More 21st birthday celebrations! I was also introduced to Three Creeks. I went there a handful of times during this month to get some awesome outdoors-y adventures consisting of hiking, swimming, rope swinging, tanning on a sand dune, and picnicking. Oh, and reapplying the bug spray repeatedly. I went to Cooper's Landing with my family and my best friend and had delicious thai food overlooking the Missouri River. My mom, sister and I spent a morning going strawberry picking where we picked and purchased nearly 8 lbs. of perfect strawberries (one of my favorite foods if you know me). We also held the Yard Sale for our friend, which ended up raising $1,000! How cool is that?

June. I started my Physics summer class and made it through with sweat but definitely without any tears! It went way better than I could have expected. In celebration of my parents' 30th anniversary, the four of us went to Mark Twain Lake and spent the entire day boating, tubing, picnicking, swimming, and cliff-jumping. My parents even brought along the cassette tape recording of their wedding so that we could listen to it while we ate lunch. Such a sweet day... what a blessing to see my parents love each other for over 30 years! I started doing observations with a great physical therapist that I know from church at his outpatient rehab clinic in Moberly, MO. Throughout the summer, I spent over 50 hours working with him and learning to love my field. At the end of June, my 21st birthday celebrations were some I will never forget. They were so special, and having such an incredible group of people in my life, they made me feel more than loved.

July. Lots of fun times with the beginning of the 20-something's lifegroup at church. The 4th of July was also a hilariously fun day. My friends and I celebrated together at a cookout on a farm and then went to Faurot Field to watch the fireworks. A large group of all our friends went on a camping trip which included lots of tents, bunked hammocks, a campfire, a little boat, and creative games to say the least. At the end of July, my family took a roadtrip to South Carolina to visit family members on my mom's side. Living so far away from all my non-immediate family members, I loved being able to spend time with my cousins, aunt, uncle, and grandparents. The pool was our best friend in that sweltering heat.

August. Believe it or not, more 21st birthday celebrations! Also, my best friend from my childhood in Texas visited Columbia for one night! It was so great seeing her, and so great being able to reconnect. Even though we have grown into such different people, our memories seemed to make it so easy to catch up and talk about what we want out of life. In August, my friend and I went on a road trip to Arkansas to visit her family. The memories here were indescribable and I laughed myself to tears more often than not. Right before school started up again, I took the GRE for the first time after lots of studying. Went pretty well for a first shot!

September. Classes started getting into the swing of things, and as usual, life got pretty hectic and busy, but still enjoyable. This was probably the best semester (educationally) I've had in college thus far. This month I met a lot of great professors and started doing observations with the Columbia Public Schools physical therapist at Rock Bridge High School. It was great and I loved getting to work with all the high school students and creating personal workout routines for each of them. This month, I also continued volunteering for Adapted Gymnastics which is such a rewarding experience. I get to coach exercise routines to children with physical disabilities. I want to do this as long as I'm at Mizzou.

October. ESPN College Gameday came to MU!! It was pretty incredible being a small part of it. My dad celebrated his big 5-0 birthday which included a day of spoiling him with some of his favorite things to do.

November. My grandma visited for 2 and 1/2 weeks. Every time she visits, her trips get a little longer. We joke that she will just move down here one of these years... and in reality, she probably will eventually. When she visited, we took her to Branson (she's a distant cousin of Dolly Parton and has always wanted to go there). Of course, we did Dixie Stampede, shopped, ate at Lambert's on the drive there (she caught a throwed roll with her boobs! Yeah Grandma!), and just enjoyed spending some time with her for Thanksgiving. Last but not least, 21st birthday celebrations once again.

December. The end of the semester was refreshing. Finals went well and my GPA went up. I took many, many trips to the Magic Tree, got to spend wonderful time catching up with my youth pastor and his family from back in the day, decorated the Palace for Christmas, got some beautiful snowfalls, sang in the Christmas Eve service at church, and spent some really great time with my friends and family.

As you can see, this past year has been an eventful year for me full of lots and lots of growing. I'm excited to see where 2011 takes me! Here we go...

Attempting the New

Over break, I've been trying desperately to capture the inner creative, ingenious girl inside... the part of me that doesn't have near enough free time to come out as often as I'd like. I've also tried doing things I don't normally do and things I would like to start doing regularly.

Here's a few things I've experimented with:

• My sister and I spent a day being crafty. We went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some amazing, ornate accessories and attractive supplies that just seemed to draw us in. We decided to create hair pieces galore (clips, headbands, and bows). It was so easy and fun... only needed a hot glue gun and some creativity. You'll probably see me wearing some extra hair blingage in the coming weeks.

• I also experimented with homemade chicken tortilla soup. And let me tell you, this may or may not have been the most delicious food I've ever made. I found recipes online that sounded the best and mixed and matched ingredients to make it my own... the best ingredients probably being TONS of cilantro and a good amount of lime juice.

• I also tried baking cookies with cake mixes! Pretty successful I must say. My favorite being lemon cookies with Super Deluxe lemon cake mix.

• I actually started reading a book! That doesn't happen too often if it's not a required textbook for class. I started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I have to admit, it's wonderful so far. Here's to hoping I keep getting pulled in and actually finish it!

• I'm trying to get myself organized before school starts back up, so I created a sort of filing system for all the physical therapy doctoral programs I'm interested in applying to. My next project will be creating a spreadsheet for each of the programs to make it easy to compare costs, GPA requirements, GRE scores, class sizes, pros about the locations, etc. It's starting to hit me that after this semester I'll be sending out applications... whew BABY.

• I'm trying to save money in every area possible. A lot less random shopping, combining trips across town and errands to drive as little as possible during the day, making my groceries last longer (goes along with grocery shopping according to a previously written list so I don't buy unnecessary food items), and doing things with friends that don't cost money.

I want to start back up my daily quiet times (it was really wonderful last semester when I got into the grind of doing it every day). I want to spend more one-on-one time with my friends instead of always in group settings. I want to give people more credit. I want to keep a constant prayer list. I want to show more gratitude. I want to paint something. I want to decide what to paint. I want to take more advantage of Happy Hours in town. I want to spend time learning songs on my new keyboard.

It's pretty refreshing to try new things. I guess they could be considered my "New Year's Resolutions," even though they might be more of a "To-Do List." But, I'm okay with that.