The Stats on Misha's New TV Habits

Friday Stats:

episodes of Sherlock watched: 3 (season 1)
episodes of Lost watched: 5
episodes of Scorpion watched: 1
movies watched: 0
weeks of Christmas vacation: 3!
days until Christmas: 6
presents to buy: 0
presents to wrap: 4
learning: students love having a finished product to look at
highlights: 55ers/improv with the kids, last day of school, mentoring session, school Christmas pageant.
looking forward to: Caroling! Christmas!


Update:

Lately, I've been watching a lot of tv shows. I used to be such a snob about tv shows, thinking I was above them. But I've learned that one cool thing about tv shows--they can develop characters and storyline so much more deeply than say a movie, for instance, because tv shows are not confined to two hours to tell everything. This has its pros and cons, of course, but perhaps that's a blog post for another day. (Stay tuned for "Literary Lost: Misha's Analysis"!)

I'll confess that's all I had motivation to do in my free time the last few weeks with the school semester wrapping up (no pun intended) and making Christmas arrangements. Up until this point, I'd been looking forward to the end of the year in earnest. Yesterday the end seemed bittersweet, as I had no idea how much I loved my students in my heart. But today, I can breathe a sigh of relief--last day of work before vacation officially begins! Hoorah! The pieces are finally starting to fit into place and I feel like I am ready for Christmas, or at least mostly ready. From this point, I think I'll be watching a little less tv since I'll have more energy for baking cookies, singing carols, and all-around spreading the holiday cheer over the next six days.

Fry-day Stats

Stats:

episodes of The Office: 3 (awkwardness level: 8)
movies: 3
orders of french fries: 5
rainy days: 2
errands run today: 6
lessons planned: 8
latest celebrity crush: Sophie Marceau
reading: Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell
learning: 7am is not. early. enough. to go running
highlights: IEW en français! making mail art! skyping with Maike!
looking forward to: the start of the next soccer season, and the first day of school!

Weekly Update:

This week brimmed with lesson-planning, movie-watching and french-fry eating. #noshame #OKmaybealittlebit Of course, there have been plenty of productive things mixed in there like reading, self-reflection, errands, and quality time with people (Jake, the fam, Maike, and Melissa)! And I've hit all my pre-school (not preschool) goals for the week--which included the aforementioned reading, mailing a few important letters, and answering emails. In fact, despite the fries and movies, I've been a busy lady!

The only other news to report (besides my first day of teaching on Monday!!!! Ahhhhh! Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. *hyperventilating*) is that once again, dad and I are training for another 5K, this time with Cameron in tow! This one will be a cross-country race on a pumpkin farm! A pumpkin farm!! For this race, my goal is to run the whole thing! Stay tuned, come October!

More Exciting News

This morning's breakfast

Stats:

journal entries: 7/7
students: 13
movies watched: 4
hours spent in Starbucks: 5
lessons planned: 15%
feeling: excited and overwhelmed
reading: Radical by David Platt
learning: it's okay to not know what I'm doing
highlights: Jake is acting for Gaslight theater! Having old friends over for dinner, meeting my students!
goals for this week: 1) finish Radical by the first day of school 2) send out an overdue package 3) finish planning the first quarter

Weekly Update: 

Since I posted about meeting my students yesterday, there isn't much to report in the form of this weekly update. But we had the privilege of hosting dinner for a few friends visiting from Santa Rosa. There was a lot of catching up to do amidst much laughter, story-telling, and great food!

In other news this week, Jake has accepted a position with Gaslight theater as an understudy!! Gaslight is a long-running playhouse here in Tucson, known for their dinner-and-a-show style comedy theater. We went and saw one of their shows, "Ghost Blasters" on Tuesday. Everyone there is very talented and I am confident that Jake will make an excellent addition to their team! (and I'm only a little biased.) We are both very excited for this opportunity for him to continue acting.

Next week, I'll be doing a lot of lesson-planning and miscellaneous tasks in preparation for the first day of school on August 18th(!!!!) Stay tuned to find out how it goes!

Friday Stats

Stats:

hours spent in teacher training: 13
cups of coffee: 4
movies watched: 3
podcasts listened to: 7
mood: excited
currently reading: Radical by David Platt

Weekly Update:

Whew! It has been quite a while since I've posted stats or a decent update! It's funny how fast life slips by in the summer. Most of the big stuff that's happened this month has already been posted. I'm still recovering emotionally from my week serving as a counselor for Royal Family Kid's Camp (links to their main website), which is the main reason why I haven't written about it yet. (I intend to, but who knows if it will actually make it onto the blog.) In case the piece does not get published here, let me just say that it was intense, but it was also an incredible and life-changing week.

There were so many times where I literally thought, "Oh God, I cannot do this. I am never doing this again. Why did I sign up for this? This camp is the worst thing I have ever volunteered for!" etc. etc. I didn't believe Kristina at training when she told us we'd be in the fetal position, crying and flicking the lights on and off by the end of the week; but I was hysterical--sobbing my guts out, outside the craft room hysterical--by day 2. But you know what? When you pour out yourself, your whole self, for the ones God loves, He gives you supernatural strength to endure. I was right in those moments where I thought, "I can't do this." Because I really couldn't, but through the Lord's strength he enabled me to keep making those sacrifices, even without the reward of recognition. And there were lots of sacrifices--I smashed beetles and caught bugs with my bare hands. I quietly took care of pee clothes after one of my campers wet the bed. I carried water bottles Bibles and miscellaneous items in my backpack at all times. I gently reminded my campers of the rules every hour of the day. I gave my boyfriend only side hugs all week long, because "At Royal Family, we give really good side hugs!" My personal space was violated almost every day. I wrote kind notes when there was no kindness left in me.

God gave me everything I needed and more--patience, kindness, strength. And by the end of the week, complaints and fatigue and all, I could still say with a smile (and maybe the twinkle of a tear or two in my eye) that yes, I could do it again. It was one of the most challenging weeks of my life, but by God's grace I survived and by his Spirit, I will serve again in the future. If you are interested in serving foster kids who have been neglected and abused, please don't let this scare you off. It's not an easy sell, but at the end of the day, it truly is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

That turned out to be much longer than I thought! Otherwise, I think it's safe to say that work has effectively consumed much of my time lately. Lots of remote work for CP and paperwork (and fingerprints!) for the Academy, plus teacher training the last three days and all the time that reading the manual and prepping lessons takes.... I've been a busy lady. But I am grateful that things have fallen into place for now. I can deal with the hectic activity for now, knowing that a routine is coming in the very near future. (And hopefully more of these updates!)

Exciting Things

Stats:

soccer games watched: 5
quilt blocks sewn: 2.75
naps taken: 3
alka-seltzers consumed: 5
exciting things: 4
reading: RFKC Manual
learning: HTML/CSS
feeling: excited

Update:

Lots was happening last weekend, so I didn't get around to posting some stats with my weekly update. This last week has been a little dull as I've been spending a lot of time at home, but I also have some very exciting things to announce!!

I got some mail-love from Maike earlier this week (which probably deserves it's own post!). She sent me a hand-drawn map of Tucson with a bunch of little arrows so I could fill it in with my Tucson-adventures and memories! And in light of my desire to be more content with my life and this poem, it was such a meaningful and precious gift. I am convinced that I have the most thoughtful friends!

Next week, I'll be serving as a counselor for Royal Family Kid's Camp! It's a camp for foster children who have been abused or neglected. We'll be spending the whole week creating positive memories for these kids to take with them wherever they go. It should be a super fun week!

And finally, my most exciting news of all!! Today I had my first post-grad legitimate interview!! I was sooo nervous. What will I wear? What should I expect? What if they don't like me? What if I answer the question wrong? What if I'm not what they're looking for? What if I don't get the job? What if, what if, what if. But you know what? I just tried to be my natural self and it went so well! And guess who's going to be a writing teacher for 7th/8th grade students??? Yours truly!! There are still a few more steps before I sign my contract and it's a done deal, but they really liked me and they think it's going to be a good fit! I'd be teaching two small groups of 7th to 8th grade students a couple times a week at a small Christian school! I'm so excited about the position! I was originally resistant teaching, because there is such a stigma surrounding the profession (I can't even tell you how many times I've encountered this conversation:

them: what's your major?

me: I'm an English major!

them: oh, so you want to teach? )

But I think this will be a great opportunity to get my feet wet and see if I like it! More to come!!

FIFA Takes Over My Life

Stats:

watching: soccer
games watched: 15+
recipes tried: 4
mood: obsessive
listening to: Gungor radio
learning: prepare all your food before you cook it, html/css coding,
highlights: SOCCER, texting Maike, baking, hanging with Jake, reading Gyver's Shack 

Update:

I have been watching an embarrassing number of soccer games from the World Cup, but I love it! And I am becoming a regular soccer expert! Who am I routeing for? USA of course!! (We watched the nail-biting USAvPortugal game at Buffalo Wild Wings and it was so intense! I love being surrounded by USA fans though. USA fans are crazy... Crazy, but awesome. And I'm one of them!) I'm also routeing for France, not just because I'm learning the language, but the French team is actually really good and I think they might have a chance of getting pretty far this year, if not all the way. I was cheering for England because I watched a lot of the English leagues with Josh earlier this semester so I felt like I knew all the guys; but they were knocked out of Group stage pretty early on. Disappointing, England. I know you can do better! And if all my teams get knocked out, there's always Brazil, the host country! We'll see!

Soccer has literally taken over my life (or at least 4-6 hours of it every day). I find myself rearranging my schedule to catch games! Kind of funny, but I'm totally serious right now. But in other news, Cam has been gone at summer camp this week so the house has been awfully quiet. And Jake has been working full-time directing a theatre camp for kids so he's been pretty busty too. But we get our time in here and there. We caught up over coffee earlier this week and yesterday I brought him lunch and hung around the CYT office. I'm not terribly fond of the lack of communication, but I think the space is a good thing. Meanwhile, I've been hanging out at home, working, watching soccer, and teaching myself computer coding via Codecademy. (It's pretty awesome! Check it out if you're interested in learning that kind of thing.) That's pretty much my life right now. But it's about to get really exciting with the South Tucson missions trip coming up and then Royal Family Kid's Camp right after! More to come.

Happy Again

Stats:

pictures with Jake: 23+ (I think there's more, but I can't find them)
trips to Starbucks: 3
trips to RR: 3
happiness: extra high
sleep cycle: still normal
feeling: generous and happy
reading: Radical by David Platt 
learning: how to bake Baklava!, I need to rethink my definition of "greatness"
highlights: Jake coming home, hearing all about France, visiting Kristina while she was sick, free-writing, baklava

Weekly Update:

Well! It's Friday and yes it is very hot in Tucson (consistently over 100 degrees) the sun is shining and it's summer and Jake is home again, and once more life is starting to feel sunny and bright. Of course, it is wonderful to have him back again. We spent the first night just being together and trying to catch up,but knowing at the same time that it would take us a while to fully catch up. A lot of life happens in two weeks. Of course I feel like there are still many things which I still haven't told him and vice versa, but I trust they will come in due time.

This week, I've been working hard and playing harder and of course spending quite a lot of time with my love. I'm still making time for my other friends though. Yesterday, there was baklava and today, a few of my girl friends are coming over to play cards and hang out. Earlier this morning, I went grocery shopping to pick up some sandwich stuff and I couldn't help a little spring in my step as I waltzed into my favorite bakery--the Boulangerie for some rolls and then popped over to Sunflower for some fruit and cucumbers. I don't know what it was, but I felt like showering everyone I encountered with smiles today. Must be summer.

Days until Jake returns: 1

Stats:

days Jake has been gone: 16
days until Jake gets home: 1
days until I see Jake: 3
pages written while he was gone: 55
pages read: 91
currently reading: The Shack by WM. Paul Young
learning: where I am right now is OKAY for me to be. A lot happens in two weeks. 
highlights: talking to Milea, making a French roast chicken, spending time with friends
looking forward to: soccer game tomorrow, exchanging our letters

Weekly Update:

A lot of the posts this week were pre-scheduled so while I'm still wrestling a lot with discontentment, figuring out the future, and how my private desires fit in with God's plan, I can feel myself coming out on the other side through the encouragement of my friends. I'm learning that where I am right now is okay for me to be. I don't have to be anywhere else but here. Not in Paris. Not in Orlando (internship). Not in South America (teaching English). Or wherever. I'm still wrestling for sure, but I'm learning to trust God too.

Jake will be Stateside tonight! The few texts we've been able to exchange this week and last through iMessage have been a true Godsend, making the weeks feel a little more bearable. It will be good to have him home again. He flies in to San Diego tonight and then he and Josh will be driving back into Tucson over the weekend. I'll probably see him on Sunday. That's all for this week! 

Battling the Blues

Stats:

miles driven: 126
highest temperature: 104 degrees F
early mornings: 6
days Jake's been gone: 10
days until Jake comes back: 7
pages written (to Jake): 30
mood: a little melancholy
learning: to be more present
highlights: ColorVibe, dinner with Jake's parents, breakfast at LeBuzz with Melissa,
Mom and Dad coming home

Weekly Update:

This week was tough. The beginning of the week seemed to inch by excruciatingly slowly. And I ran out of yardwork and housework to do. All I can think about is Jake in France. My heart exists somewhere between here and there, fluttering between time zones and always counting the 9 hour difference. But Mom and Dad are home again and we are hurtling toward the weekend and subsequently toward Jake's return next weekend. Some days I feel like a ghost, wandering around this town, but not really here. Still, I am trying my best to be present and focus on the moment I am in whether it's having a good heart-to-heart talk in a coffee shop or sitting at my desk and queuing up posts for this blog or even just enjoying a good meal. It's easier when I'm with people, but I must admit, I am struggling. 

The Noise

This is the Life

Stats:

times cried: 2
close calls: 3
cups of coffee: 4
time difference between here and France: 9 hours
days until Jake comes back: 14
days until the 'rents come back: 5
feeling: industrious
listening to: "Hopeless Rom-Antics Super Shuffle"(mix) and Nickel Creek
reading: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski
learning: to adapt when the plan falls through (flexibility)
highlights: iMessage works internationally(!!!), watching the light change, extreme productivity, meeting up with my mentor, warm coffee and a cozy spot on the couch outside Starbucks.

Weekly Update:

As I'm sure you can imagine, this week has been up and down. But after the emotional rollercoaster of Jake's departure for France and the circumstances surrounding it, I've settled into a rhythm of life. Wake up at 6. Feed Pat. Shoot Pat (insulin shot). Work in the yard while listening to music that reminds me of Jake. Eat Breakfast. Shower. Work. Clean. Sit on the back porch and watch the light change. Take pictures. Ask Siri what time it is in France. Scroll through the newsfeed on Facebook. Make dinner. Watch Movies. Write Jake another letter at the end of the day. Go to Sleep. And repeat. It's not a bad lifestyle, actually--minus Jake's absence of course. I've been feeling super productive between cleaning every flat surface in the kitchen and baking scones and hard labor in the yard (pictures coming soon) in the early mornings. I'm turning into a regular housewife! It's scaring me! The productivity helps a lot though and I find that while I miss Jake a lot, it's not a gnawing ache in my heart (or at least not as much as it could be).

Honestly, the part I'm having the most trouble with is the silence. All this silence is making me realize how much noise there is in my life--not just physical sound, but just mental...noise. Too many things clambering for my attention. Too many thoughts rolling through my head. And I still reach for my tunes. (Bluegrasss is playing in the background right now!) Jake and I talked about that recently--being surrounded with so much noise that you can't hear God. And I thought to myself, I don't really struggle with that, because I don't mind the silence. I don't mind being still, sitting on the back porch with my iced tea and just listening--a thoughtful kind of idleness. But the past two days... noise is all I crave. I love the quiet; I hate the quiet. I love the noise; I hate the noise. It takes all my willpower to turn off the music. 

We're getting along, but I will be glad when life returns to some form of normalcy, or when Jake gets back. Whichever happens first.

Sick Days: 5 1/2

Stats:

sick days: 5 1/2
extra hours slept: 10 (ish)
letters received: 2
letters sent: 6
pages read: 203
reading: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
feeling: sick, but otherwise cheerful
looking forward to: 5K on Saturday!!!
highlights: writing letters while listening to Bluegrass, joined the iPhone club, laying in bed


Weekly Update:

Two major things to note this week:
1. first bout of sickness in over a year (last one was Jan 2013) headaches from dehydration (gone now that I've been sucking down fluids all week), sore throat from the air quality (also improved with fluids), and a hacking smoker's cough (which seems to be getting worse). I slept off and on all day on Monday but since then I've had energy to do other things like working, reading, writing letters at my desk, and making my own soup.

2. I am now a proud owner of an iPhone 5c! It's.... fancy, shiny, all-around nice. It's definitely different from the old phone, but not much different from the iPad (which I already have) except I can call people from it, hold it above my face without fear of looking like a pug if I drop it, and fit it in my (back) pocket. (I tried the front pocket but it looked ridiculous, so back pocket it is!) Still open for name suggestions. Gender not yet specified.

Names already taken:
Harry (Laptop)
Bernard (Computer)
Prince Fred (Typewriter)
Manuel/Manny (Mandolin)

Some Soccer Stats

Stats:

final score from last game: 3-3 (tie)
goals by me: 0
assists: 1!
new best time (running): 20 minutes
photos taken: 82
projects planned: 3
time spent outside: a lot.
mood: encouraged!
learning: to stop wallowing in self-inflicted depression


Weekly Update:

I think the theme of this week has definitely been encouragement. As I started talking to people about finishing school, the word "depressed" creeped into my vocabulary, but I think just using that word was making me feel more depressed than I actually had license to be because everyone I talked to was sooo encouraging about the next steps moving forward and how daunting the future can be. This week, I felt really affirmed in my character as a person through Bethany's gift and the blessings we bestowed on one another on the last night of youth group. Others, like Jake and Josh and Miss Colleen and my coworkers encouraged me not to feel down about the future. I'm trying to stay engaged and involved in life, participating in the things that excite me and make me happy (like soccer!), connecting with people, and pursuing personal growth. Some days are definitely harder than others. Sometimes, I feel so...bored. But I am trying to embrace this time of rest for what it is before life returns once more to a constant state of busyness.

The Numbers of Normal Life

Stats:

movies watched: 4
coffees: 3
longest time (running): 10 minutes
high-fives given on the track: 20
mood: apathetic
learning: how to stay busy
highlights: soccer! (first practice, and getting some shoes, shin guards etc.)


Weekly Update:

Not much to report from my End of the Journey post; much of the same emotions still linger. I'm finding it difficult to return to "normal life" (what is normal life anyways?) and enjoy or even motivate myself to do my old hobbies. I'm staying busy as best as I can. I felt really encouraged after talking with Miss Colleen at core groups on Wednesday night, and Maike reached out in an empathetic email. And of course, talking to Jake when our schedules allow always cheers me up. I appreciate the kind words of everyone I've talked to so far; it's soothing for the soul.

Ups and Downs

Stats:

assignments left: 0
times cried: 1
close calls: 3
coffees: 4
free time: lots
mood: up and down
reading: Tuesdays with Morrie
highlights: working on the porch, soccer invite, Passion CD

Weekly Update:

I won't lie; it's been a really tough week. It started strong, with me pepping myself until I finished all three of my last assignments for my degree. I turned them in Monday afternoon, totally psyched to send for my transcripts immediately and apply for graduation upon their arrival at TESC....

Coffee and a Croissant

Stats:

assignments left before graduation: 2
hours worked on paper1: 8+ (this week)
drinks from Starbucks: 6
tempature high: 91*
learning: contentment
mood: charmed
highlights: trying a new college group, dinner with Becky, finishing a paper, and a leisurely morning




Weekly Update:

I swear, I am having the best day ever. After a four hour stint in Starbucks yesterday (a new one opened up close to my house!), I finally finished one of the two papers due for my last two classes. Only two more assignments to go!! (Another paper, and the annotated bibliography. Don't ask me why they are separate assignments.) Before I set out, I texted Jake, "I am going to finish this paper TODAY or I am not going to soccer tonight." I find these kind of ultimatums scary to make, but motivating and helpful. Needless to say, I FINISHED IT (though it still needs some proofreading before I turn it in) and went heavy-handed on the rewards: eegees, soccer, and a phone date with my beau. ^-^

Today, I had a huge chunk of free time and I thought, "What am I going to do with my day off?" (besides catch up on chores and blogging, of course). While talking to my mom this morning, I said, "You know what sounds really good right now? A ham and cheese croissant. Where could I get one?" So, I went to LeBuzz cafe, for no reason at all (except the croissant, that is.). I wasn't there to study or grab coffee with someone or anything. Just getting out of the house. I took a book with me. And it was one of the most glorious mornings I've ever spent. I also decided that my ideal lifestyle involves a daily breakfast of coffee and a croissant (ideally, but not necessarily, in a cafe). How lovely would that be?

The Stats of Intentions

Stats:

hours worked this week: 15
assignments left: 3
blog posts intended: 8
blog posts written: 3
blog posts posted: 2
best running time: 4 minutes
mood: tired, but positive
reading: If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
pondering: the future
learning: plans change
highlights: a nap, water-balloon dodgeball at youth group on Wednesday, and seeing a work project come together.


Weekly Update:

It's been a few weeks since I've given any stats and that's where the intentions come in. But life happens and I get busy-busy. I meant to write a bunch of interesting posts and then plans fell through and I didn't make time for it in my schedule and violá here we are.

I feel like the only remarkable thing I've done this week is work. Which is totally fine with me; we have some cool projects underway. But I'd feel boring if that's all I talked about (everybody knows that guy who only talks about his work all. the. time. And I definitely don't wanna be that guy.) But truthfully, since I finished my thesis, I haven't done much except... work. With school out of the way (mostly) and in the midst of the busy season, I've taken on a lot more hours than I was originally contracted for (5-7/week), but it's been good, and it looks like they'll be giving me more hours this summer!

I've also been thinking a lot about the future lately--career options, travel goals, etc.--but that's a post for another time.

The Home Stretch

Stats:

thesis: 100% complete!
pages: 64
words: 15,000
autobiography: 5,500 words
posts on my blog: 100!
mood: elated
reading: fluffy fiction!
highlights: soccer, THESIS, celebratory treats!

Weekly Update:

This morning, I turned in my thesis project that I've been working so hard on all semester!! I am so pleased with the overall result. It feels so good! The triumph is exhilarating. I celebrated with some good ole' Jamba Juice and a bagel. I still have a few assignments to finish in other classes before I can apply for graduation, but I am in the HOME STRETCH!!! I'm starting to feel really really excited, but I'll be so glad when it's all over.
(Coincidentally, this is also my 100th post on this blog! Does the excitement ever end???)

Out and About

Stats:

time until Jake gets home: < 5 hours!
days Jake will be here: 10!
thesis: 90% complete!
walks with Mom this week: 5
nights away from home: 5
feeling: better
learning: not to worry about the future too much
highlights: tea party, watching Thumblina, soccer



Weekly Update:

Since the disappointment I was suffering on Monday, my week has gotten better (as I knew it would). Jake gets in tonight, which I am very excited about. He'll be here all week for spring break. And I've made a lot of progress on my Thesis! I am wrapping up the final chapter today and over the next two weeks, I'll be putting it all together in one document and editing it for consistency! I am so excited! The hard part is done and it's all coasting from here.

I also got out of the house a lot this week: walks with mom, college group frisbee, pick-up soccer in the park... It's great to be active again. Yesterday, I went to the park for a game of pick-up soccer--nothing too competitive, just for fun. We didn't have enough people for a full game, but we kicked the ball around and played the soccer version of "monkey in the middle." I found the group through meetups.com and at first I was a little worried that they might be creepy (since you never know with people you meet on the internet), but they were all really friendly and encouraging, even though they were clearly more experienced than I.

Stats:

days until tea party: 1
days until Jake comes back: 7
movies watched: 3
dialogues worked: 9
hours worked: 14
thesis: 82% complete
mood: varies
baking: cookies, scones, and cake
learning: diplomacy


Weekly Update:

As I was thinking about what I've done this week, I was having trouble coming up with anything. It's been a bit of a tough week. Let's just say, I worked a lot of hours and watched a lot of movies! I've been on a movie kick recently because it gives me a chance to escape and not think for awhile. I think it also helps keep my mind off Jake's absence; but he will be home soon. Last night we watched the award winning Hugo Cabret and it was artistically excellent on all counts. 

My thesis is swiftly wrapping up. My teacher enjoyed my fourth chapter and said it even inspired her to write her own autobiography! This week, I'll be writing the fifth and final chapter discussing the results of the study. Then I'll have a few weeks to put all the chapters together and proof for consistency and grammatical errors. I am so excited that the end is so close, but at the same time, I'm a little daunted by the "what's next?" question everyone keeps asking me. I will let the future worry about itself for now and focus on what's before me. 

Stats: Blaming the Weather

Stats:

days with Jake: 364
thesis: 78% complete
hours writing autobiography: 7 1/2 
hours outside: 4
movies: 4
mood: excited
reading: Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith
learning: how to sew an applique, how to analyze an open-ended survey
highlights: thesis coming together, received my first raise!  


Weekly Update:

#Confession, I've been really emotional lately. Not in an angst-y way or anything, just particularly stirred up in the "feely" department. I'm not sure why I am particularly emotional all of a sudden. Last week, I blamed my thesis. But this week, I'm blaming the weather.

Yes, the weather.

Have you ever noticed that February is just sort of...magical? And I'm not saying that because it has my two favorite holidays of the whole year (Valentine's day and my birthday). No, there is a distinctly magical quality to February that just makes me feel all out of sorts. It's slightly chilly, but also sunny, but not too hot either. It can't decide whether or not to be winter or spring so it decides to be both and neither at the same time. How else could it be 80* today and raining tomorrow?

Anyways, all that to say, I've been extra emotional lately, which usually manifests itself in squeals (and sometimes crying, or other times just a tiny little throb in my chest) over silly things like the lantern scene in Tangled, 4 pounds of pink minky fabric, talking to Jake on the phone, Valentine's day merchandise on clearance, finishing my autobiography, miscellaneous displays in Hobby Lobby, making progress on my thesis, stupid memes from Facebook, and classical music. And, I really really miss Jake. I think the long-distance combined with the full schedules, infrequent communication, and our 1 year anniversary tomorrow is gettin' me down a little. (Of course, I'm excited about the anniversary part!) It's definitely weeks like this that make long-distancing it quite a challenge, but we press on.