Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Little Things of Today
Sticking to my goal of creating a life I love to live:
This morning I blared happy music as I was getting ready for work and sang all the way to school.
After school I had a relaxing snack and some tv time before I headed to the gym.
I enjoyed working out and just de-stressing from the day. (Well enjoyed might be a stretch.. I rarely ENJOY the gym) but it was good that I got there.
After working out I had a PB&J and finished my DC from snack :)
Since then I have been looking at school stuff and organizing life.
BIGGEST thing of today: I registered for Zumba at the community center in Garner! So for the next 6 weeks I will be doing Zumba on Monday nights from 6-7! YAY
I also found a UMC church in Garner I am going to try out on Sunday :)They seem to have a lot of things I am looking for in a church.
OH and I am currently watching UNC basketball.
I think I am about to climb into bed however and fall asleep with a book.
This post has no real point, but I am just trying to document my journey as I work to create a life I love to live :)
This morning I blared happy music as I was getting ready for work and sang all the way to school.
After school I had a relaxing snack and some tv time before I headed to the gym.
I enjoyed working out and just de-stressing from the day. (Well enjoyed might be a stretch.. I rarely ENJOY the gym) but it was good that I got there.
After working out I had a PB&J and finished my DC from snack :)
Since then I have been looking at school stuff and organizing life.
BIGGEST thing of today: I registered for Zumba at the community center in Garner! So for the next 6 weeks I will be doing Zumba on Monday nights from 6-7! YAY
I also found a UMC church in Garner I am going to try out on Sunday :)They seem to have a lot of things I am looking for in a church.
OH and I am currently watching UNC basketball.
I think I am about to climb into bed however and fall asleep with a book.
This post has no real point, but I am just trying to document my journey as I work to create a life I love to live :)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Goal for 2011
Since the last post I have spent lots of time in conversation, thought, and prayer about where I am right now in my life. I have spent a considerable amount of time pondering and exploring the things I want to do in my lifetime. I have been asking questions such as, "what am I passionate about, what are my goals, what are my interests, what are my dreams?"
This weekend brought up a lot of thoughts in regards to where I am right now. It was brought to my attention that in college I was happiest when I was involved in something. Where my hands had a part in getting something done, committing and contributing to various causes. So last night and today I have spent time thinking about various organizations or things I could get involved with to help find happiness in my new life in Raleigh.
Brandy said she read somewhere that your passions can often be traced back to the things you enjoyed doing when you were 10 years old. Some of the things I have come up with so far are:
piano
musical theater
chorus
swimming
God
Carolina Basketball
Dance
Playing School (ironically enough)
(Not in any particular order)
So as I drove home from my wonderful weekend I spent a lot of time praying and asking God to help me figure out what I need to do in order to create a life I love. When I heard those words in my prayer they struck me: "create a life I love". There are so many things in life that are circumstantial, that you have no control over. However there are things I can control, such as what I invest my time and energy into. I can choose to spend my free time wallowing, or to spend it in a good book. I can spend my free time crying about how I miss my friends, or I can pursue the new friendships God has blessed me with. You get the point right?
So my goal for 2011 is to create a life I love.
Some things I am thinking about are:
-zumba class on Monday nights at the community center.. believe it or not I did like to dance when I was younger.
-volunteering with the community theater in Raleigh.. I loved being in musicals as a child and I still secretly or not so secretly wish I could be a musical theater major :)
-Purposefully pursuing a church so I can find a community to connect with and a small group of people to walk through life with here in Raleigh.
-Perhaps buying a keyboard and getting back into piano? I know my parents would love to see me play a song other than You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban.
-Saving money for a trip this summer to some place I have always wanted to go.
-Reading books instead of drowning in trashy reality tv. I didn't like to read as a child but since college I have fallen in love with pleasure reading but rarely do it.
Who knows if any of these things will help me on my path to finding happiness, but what I do know is that at least I am thinking about it. My baby step goal for this long term goal is to do one thing every day that makes me happy. These can be tiny things such as going for a walk, calling a friend, reading a book, taking a bath, writing a letter, watching a show. Or these could be bigger things like going out to eat with friends, getting my nails done, going to see a show, etc. The point is as sugarland so nicely puts it, "I believe that happiness is something we create."
So here is my attempt to step up to the plate and start creating a life I love to live.
-
This weekend brought up a lot of thoughts in regards to where I am right now. It was brought to my attention that in college I was happiest when I was involved in something. Where my hands had a part in getting something done, committing and contributing to various causes. So last night and today I have spent time thinking about various organizations or things I could get involved with to help find happiness in my new life in Raleigh.
Brandy said she read somewhere that your passions can often be traced back to the things you enjoyed doing when you were 10 years old. Some of the things I have come up with so far are:
piano
musical theater
chorus
swimming
God
Carolina Basketball
Dance
Playing School (ironically enough)
(Not in any particular order)
So as I drove home from my wonderful weekend I spent a lot of time praying and asking God to help me figure out what I need to do in order to create a life I love. When I heard those words in my prayer they struck me: "create a life I love". There are so many things in life that are circumstantial, that you have no control over. However there are things I can control, such as what I invest my time and energy into. I can choose to spend my free time wallowing, or to spend it in a good book. I can spend my free time crying about how I miss my friends, or I can pursue the new friendships God has blessed me with. You get the point right?
So my goal for 2011 is to create a life I love.
Some things I am thinking about are:
-zumba class on Monday nights at the community center.. believe it or not I did like to dance when I was younger.
-volunteering with the community theater in Raleigh.. I loved being in musicals as a child and I still secretly or not so secretly wish I could be a musical theater major :)
-Purposefully pursuing a church so I can find a community to connect with and a small group of people to walk through life with here in Raleigh.
-Perhaps buying a keyboard and getting back into piano? I know my parents would love to see me play a song other than You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban.
-Saving money for a trip this summer to some place I have always wanted to go.
-Reading books instead of drowning in trashy reality tv. I didn't like to read as a child but since college I have fallen in love with pleasure reading but rarely do it.
Who knows if any of these things will help me on my path to finding happiness, but what I do know is that at least I am thinking about it. My baby step goal for this long term goal is to do one thing every day that makes me happy. These can be tiny things such as going for a walk, calling a friend, reading a book, taking a bath, writing a letter, watching a show. Or these could be bigger things like going out to eat with friends, getting my nails done, going to see a show, etc. The point is as sugarland so nicely puts it, "I believe that happiness is something we create."
So here is my attempt to step up to the plate and start creating a life I love to live.
-
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Where am I now?
It's been almost 8 months since I graduated from college. How far away it feels, yet it has only been 8 months. It hasn't even been a full year yet! 5 and a half months ago I moved to Raleigh. Almost exactly 5 months ago I started teaching 2nd grade. So much has happened in the past year and where am I now?
Today we had a snow day which left me with entirely too much time to be alone and think. For anyone who knows me well, left alone with my head for much time is never good because I'm overly analytical.
There have been lots of tears today and lots of time to think about too many things.
A couple of conversations with people today and I've really started thinking about where I am right NOW. Not where I was 8 or 5 months ago. Not where I will be in 8 or 5 months. But right now. Well...I'm 22, single, living alone. Okay. So to many people that might sound lame and pretty sad. Let me assure you there have been plenty of sad, 22, single, living alone moments. But today has got me thinking.
All day people have been telling me that there is something special about where I am right now (whether they knew it or not). One friend in a similar situation to me told me of her hopes for a summer trip to Spain. She was showing me what cool and exciting things she can do with her life right now.
Another friend in a serious relationship told me of the great things that come from her relationship but that she knew how hard it was being alone. She lovingly reassured me that my feelings were normal but went on to tell me that being in a relationship is hard too because then there is this other person you are always thinking about as you are going through life together.
The last friend I spoke to said, "I know it might be hard to see this now, but really, enjoy having all your time to yourself - to choose how you want to spend it. Do everything you possibly want to do. Really, I mean it. You will never have the freedom you do now."
It is clear to me that God has been calling out to me all day saying "My child... look at where you are in life right now and embrace it."
I'm only going to be 22 once. What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What dreams do I have? What am I passionate about? What do I want to do with my life while I am single and have the chance. My prayer from here on out is that God will help me to fully embrace this stage of my life and that he will help me live it in such a way that I truly love it.
God did you hear that?
Today we had a snow day which left me with entirely too much time to be alone and think. For anyone who knows me well, left alone with my head for much time is never good because I'm overly analytical.
There have been lots of tears today and lots of time to think about too many things.
A couple of conversations with people today and I've really started thinking about where I am right NOW. Not where I was 8 or 5 months ago. Not where I will be in 8 or 5 months. But right now. Well...I'm 22, single, living alone. Okay. So to many people that might sound lame and pretty sad. Let me assure you there have been plenty of sad, 22, single, living alone moments. But today has got me thinking.
All day people have been telling me that there is something special about where I am right now (whether they knew it or not). One friend in a similar situation to me told me of her hopes for a summer trip to Spain. She was showing me what cool and exciting things she can do with her life right now.
Another friend in a serious relationship told me of the great things that come from her relationship but that she knew how hard it was being alone. She lovingly reassured me that my feelings were normal but went on to tell me that being in a relationship is hard too because then there is this other person you are always thinking about as you are going through life together.
The last friend I spoke to said, "I know it might be hard to see this now, but really, enjoy having all your time to yourself - to choose how you want to spend it. Do everything you possibly want to do. Really, I mean it. You will never have the freedom you do now."
It is clear to me that God has been calling out to me all day saying "My child... look at where you are in life right now and embrace it."
I'm only going to be 22 once. What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What dreams do I have? What am I passionate about? What do I want to do with my life while I am single and have the chance. My prayer from here on out is that God will help me to fully embrace this stage of my life and that he will help me live it in such a way that I truly love it.
God did you hear that?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Top 10 of 2010
1. Spain. A two week adventure with my wonderful friend Brandy in the amazing country of Spain. We went to Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Granada. We traveled all around the country by ourselves and had an awesome and successful trip!
2. Only taking 8 hours of courses in the spring at Elon. This is on my top 10 list because it allowed me to have so much fun during my spring semester at Elon. Lots of quality time with my roomies and the people I love.
3. Spring Break Cruise to the Bahamas. Brandy, Natalie, Iris, Patty and I headed to Jacksonville Florida to embark on a cruise to the bahamas. This was SO. MUCH. FUN. All 5 of us crammed into one little cruise room and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was the perfect senior spring break.
4. My first legit food fight. We had weekly dinners at the house (Brandy Natalie, Iris and I). One night we were finishing our desserts when one thing led to another and we were all throwing cool whip at each other. We found it ALL over the house and all over ourselves! So fun
5. Seeing Wicked in during with the roommates. Some very precious G3 girls bought the three of us tickets to see Wicked for graduation. So one evening we dressed up and headed to Durham. We had dinner, saw the show, and went backstage. SUCH a good memory.
6. Graduation from the one and only Elon University. May 22, 2010. I walked across the stage and received my degree in Elementary Education. A happy and joyful day, celebrated with lots of family and friends.
7. The Elks swim team got third place at the Greensboro City Championship Meet. After a season with many ups and downs, it ended by edging our biggest rivals out for third place in the city! It was one of the most exciting moments and I will never forget the way I felt that day!
8. Getting a Job and moving to Raleigh. YAYYY I got a job! I was thrilled to get a job in the area I wanted, teaching the grade that I ideally wanted to teach. I moved into a one bedroom apartment and embarked on the journey of my first year of teaching.
9. Lisa's Wedding. October 2, 2010 my very dear friend Lisa married an amazing young man named Austin. This was a highlight as I was able to stand beside her during one of the biggest moments of her life thus far. Her wedding drew a huge group of wonderful friends, and the entire weekend was full of celebration.
10. New York City. My grandmother took my Mom, Aunt and I to New York City for 4 days after Christmas and before NYE. While we were there we saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Lion King, went backstage at Radio City Music Hall, Viewed the city from Top of the Rock, Saw the King Tut exhibit, ate delicious food and so much more. It was such a gift, and a trip I will always remember.
NYC
As I wrote this post I realized how blessed I am and all in all what a wonderful year 2010 was. Here's to the top 11 of 2011 being just as wonderful :)
2. Only taking 8 hours of courses in the spring at Elon. This is on my top 10 list because it allowed me to have so much fun during my spring semester at Elon. Lots of quality time with my roomies and the people I love.
3. Spring Break Cruise to the Bahamas. Brandy, Natalie, Iris, Patty and I headed to Jacksonville Florida to embark on a cruise to the bahamas. This was SO. MUCH. FUN. All 5 of us crammed into one little cruise room and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was the perfect senior spring break.
4. My first legit food fight. We had weekly dinners at the house (Brandy Natalie, Iris and I). One night we were finishing our desserts when one thing led to another and we were all throwing cool whip at each other. We found it ALL over the house and all over ourselves! So fun
5. Seeing Wicked in during with the roommates. Some very precious G3 girls bought the three of us tickets to see Wicked for graduation. So one evening we dressed up and headed to Durham. We had dinner, saw the show, and went backstage. SUCH a good memory.
6. Graduation from the one and only Elon University. May 22, 2010. I walked across the stage and received my degree in Elementary Education. A happy and joyful day, celebrated with lots of family and friends.
7. The Elks swim team got third place at the Greensboro City Championship Meet. After a season with many ups and downs, it ended by edging our biggest rivals out for third place in the city! It was one of the most exciting moments and I will never forget the way I felt that day!
8. Getting a Job and moving to Raleigh. YAYYY I got a job! I was thrilled to get a job in the area I wanted, teaching the grade that I ideally wanted to teach. I moved into a one bedroom apartment and embarked on the journey of my first year of teaching.
9. Lisa's Wedding. October 2, 2010 my very dear friend Lisa married an amazing young man named Austin. This was a highlight as I was able to stand beside her during one of the biggest moments of her life thus far. Her wedding drew a huge group of wonderful friends, and the entire weekend was full of celebration.
10. New York City. My grandmother took my Mom, Aunt and I to New York City for 4 days after Christmas and before NYE. While we were there we saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Lion King, went backstage at Radio City Music Hall, Viewed the city from Top of the Rock, Saw the King Tut exhibit, ate delicious food and so much more. It was such a gift, and a trip I will always remember.
NYC
As I wrote this post I realized how blessed I am and all in all what a wonderful year 2010 was. Here's to the top 11 of 2011 being just as wonderful :)
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