I find my last post to be rather ironic. The day after I wrote that, one of my co-workers announced that she'll be leaving at the end of July.... I'm pretty set on applying for the job. Everyone is trying to convince me to move back but I'm not ready. There's still so much I want to accomplish on my own (far, far away) before I head back here.

home soon :)

I finally found my credit cards today...and my room is pretty stinkin' clean too.

I'm getting on a plane in 6 days to head home for Christmas. Soooo excited to be back for the first time since August. I have a feeling that after Christmas, I'll be pretty set on moving back in East in August. Three years has been a good chunk of time to spend in Utah. I'm excited to see where God is taking me (and who he will bring to me). Part of me wants to stay another year though. I looooove my job. Words can't begin to explain how much these kids make my day.

if you hid....

If you were to hide your credit cards from yourself (in order to help resist making a tempting purchase) where would you hide them? I hid them from myself a few weeks ago (when I was tempted to fly home for my birthday) and apparently hid them a little too well. I can't find them ANYWHERE!

In other news, my friend and I nearly died on the way back to Provo after our Thanksgiving weekend in Nevada. My car decided to go for a nice spin on the freeway (just missing the car beside me by inches). We ended facing south in the northbound lane. I kinda panicked (and swore) when I saw the headlights coming. It was a scary moment. When I tried to get my car turned around, it just slid off the right shoulder into the ditch like terrain. We were stuck there for about an hour until AAA was able to get a tow truck out there to tow us out. After we got out of harm's way, it was rather amusing. Especially when the car slid into the ditch and the GPS went "recalculating."

In other news, I think I just figured out how I'm going to just barely make all of my bill payments this month. As long as Sallie Mae really does have a grace period of 15 days, I'm going to be all right. I'll pay my rent and one loan payment tomorrow (for a total of $485) leaving me with $200. And then when I get paid again on the 15th, I'll fork over $500 to Sallie Mae, make my credit card payment, my other private student loan payment....leaving me with a whopping $30. It's scary, but it's getting done. :) Then my paycheck on the 30th will take care of rent and leave me with $59 to either "replenish" my savings or to put towards another bill. Oh geez, I didn't know what I was getting into when I signed up to be an AmeriCorps VISTA. Ooooh, and I just realized that none of this math includes tithing dangnabit.

early resolutions

I'm starting my resolutions now...why wait until the new year?

1. Start and follow a monthly budget - major goal: stop impulse spending i..e. such as the giant black Friday stuffed Eeyore that is currently sitting next to me
2. Pay off my car by the end of next year
3. Get back on track with marathon and weight training
4. Start being a health nut again (I might not have had as much fun but I felt better when I was a health nut)

distant summer

This past summer, and the people from it, seem so distant. It's so weird to think that I spent so much time talking to someone and now I almost feel like that person never even existed in my life. Crazy how things work. Sometimes, I think that friendship is like learning a language. You invest so much time studying it, getting to know its personality, so to say. You don't wait until you completely know it to put it to pratice. You become fluent by practicing. Once you stop practicing and using the langauge, you start to lose it.

Friendships must be continually cultivated...otherwise, it turns into a mere acquintance.



I have a lot to write about, but this is what's on my mind right now.

last day in the first 1/4 century of my life

I just felt the need to write a blog post on this day. I marked the last day of the first 1/4 century of my life by getting back into my running routine. 3.5 miles (ok, one of those was on the cross trainer but the other 2.5 were on the treadmill). I did intervals. It was fun...nothing like sprinting at 8.0. It makes the miles go by much faster too. I don't get as bored. I'm going to push myself to 5 miles this week before I leave for Texas (eeek!!! - I'm so not ready for that)

children are inspiring

I've had my heart touched by children in so many ways this week.

1) The club kids colored Toy Story pictures to send to Rex, my friends' little boy who is battling a brain stem tumor. I initiated the project as a way to do something meaningful for the family. It was a tender moment. At first the kids didn't understand why they were coloring pictures for someone else. However, after hearing a brief synopsis of Rex's story, they started asking all sorts of questions. "Why is he sick?" "He has cancer?" "I hope he...what's the word...resurrects?" "yeah, like Jesus" as one little girl replied to that common. The same little girl made a comment, as kids were asking about cancer, "It's not fair. He doesn't get to choose his death like people who smoke." The kids got really into coloring pictures for him. They especially liked coloring the Rex dinosaur picture and making Rex the dinosaur say hi to Rex the child. It was absolutely adorable. It reminded me how big kids' hearts are. I had had a frustrating time with the kids the week before. They were being mean and just annoying. This week changed everything.

2) Nicole and Luis (two of the most adorable kids) both attacked me with hugs one day and told me that I look like Barbie and that they're going to start calling me Barbie. I can honestly say that this is the first time I've ever been told that I look like Barbie, lol. Let's be real...I look nothing like Barbie...unless they turned her redhead friend into a plus-sized doll.

3) I attended the Mormon Media Studies Symosium today (I presented a paper). I got to the Boys & Girls Club around 5:30 this evening. There was half of a best friends necklace on my desk. One of the girls left it for me. When I walked into the Power Hour room, she screamed my name and ran to give me a hug.

4) Nicole (the same girl who told me I look like Barbie) left me post it notes that said "You are pretty" and "You are nice."

5) Kids are constantly asking if they can help me (but I think that's because I gave candy to some of my helpers over the last few weeks)


Bottom line, I love these kids. August, if I really do move back to PA, is going to be soooo hard. I can pretty much guarantee that I'll cry.



In other news, my new computer came. It's so nice to have a laptop again. I've missed being able to work on research and papers from home rather than having to stay at work late or camping out at the library all night. I got a purple pillow-pet from a friend. It's purple and waaaaay fluffy. I love birthday season.