Begin

Where do I even begin? Less than seven days ago I was saying goodbyes, and now I'm uttering at least twice as many hellos. My belongings are still in my trunk, clothes are scattered on my floor, I've yet to write as many stationary letters as I had hoped, but college, thus far, is great. Although the first few days were uncomfortable as everybody scrambled to make fast friends, things have worked themselves out and I've found a family of other out-of-state students. Classes start tomorrow, and I'm excited to have a schedule, even if it means a little bit more work. The food here is good and I get made fun of for eating lots of yogurt and granola, but I don't care. Yesterday I got to go swimming and cliff diving in the Poudre River which was loads more fun than hanging out around campus with nothing to do. The day before, I got my bike lock stuck, and made the acquaintance of two of Fort Collin's finest. And they still weren't able to unlock my bikelock. Hah. But today I bought myself a new one, so I'm off to pull my bike out of the basement and ride off to Old Town to eat some pizza with new friends. And clean my room. :)

It's funny...

...how things work out.

As I prepared to leave, (Monday at 3pm), I decided to make a list of all of the people I needed to see, restaurants I wanted to enjoy and places I wanted to visit one last time. A natural born task-master, I was able to get through a large majority of everything, except for a 3 different individuals and 2 places. Hanging out with Forrest last night, I ran into one of my friends who was on the list, but couldn't track down, Ildar! He works crazy mad hours, so the fact that he was actually out in public, let alone the same time I was, was pretty cool, and only the beginning. Once we found out our flight time got pushed back (from 6am to 3pm, which is fine by me), I'm now able to enjoy biking on TowPath (weather permitting), and visit with the two lone individuals left on my list! The only thing I will miss out on is eating at House of Hunan. I guess it's not so bad to have a reason to return to Ohio though, hehe. With our flight changes, it also allows me to cross to items off of my 2009 to-do list, which is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. So it's just funny how everything works out in the end.

Everything will be alright in the end.

If it's not alright, it's not the end.

Address

I really have no qualms about putting this address online, although I wonder if I should. Online predators are some point of concern, especially for females and young children, however, any online predator that chooses to mess with me (of the non-lion variety, at least) has another thing coming. My address is an important piece of personal information, however, there is no simpler way to share my new campus address with you all. I love receiving, opening, reading and responding to real letters, and I just bought new stationary, and I will gladly return the favor. Follows is my new contact information that will officially go into effect August 18, 2009, the year of our Lord.

US Postal Service address:

361 Edwards Hall

Fort Collins, CO

80521-5217

Package delivery, i.e. UPS, FedEx

900 W. Pitkin Street

361 Edwards Hall

Fort Collins, CO

80521-5217

Undertaker

I went to work at 5 a.m.

A man came in a few hours later to purchase pastries,

and prefaced his purchase by saying

"The guys at the graveyard are begging me for donuts."

I don't have to tell you what I thought in my drowsy stupor.

Worst thing about leaving...

is packing. I'd give $50 to somebody who could completely do it for me. But don't take me up on that because I'm way to meticulous about what I want to take. Boo. I just want my stuff to be out there, and not here. Enjoy a plethora of images as I continue my fun leaving process....

and my personal favorite......

1,209,600 seconds...

until I leave for Colorado :)

but I'm not counting or anything.

But by time I finish proof reading,

I'm sure the number will be much smaller.

Now that it's finally August, (though July flew by),

going to school seems so much more real.

Looking forward, I know it'll be 4 whole months

before I'm back in Ohio again, but if time continues

to fly in the same way that it has been flying, I know

that it will be here before we know it. Actually,

144 days till Christmas! You better start getting ready now,

because I'll be here.

On an unrelated note, because I know you all took the shark quiz,

I'm going to gift you with a game that is not only entertaining and

addicting, but also a mentally stimulating experience! Clickyclickyclicky!

And in my defense, I had to google search 'factory balls 2 walkthrough,'

so when you get stuck, don't ask me, cuz I don't know. I found it more entertaining than sudoku.

*gasp!* I know, Mom, I know.

I have nothing else of significance worth reporting,

besides the fact that my post title is now a lower number than before.

Have a good Monday, and may the rest of my Mondays in Ohio be as sunny as today!

sharkweek09!

happy shark week.

enjoy this quiz by discovery channel to find out what kind of shark you are!

i'm the oh-so-attractive hammerhead shark, which just so happens to be the sweet picture i picked. enjoy watching shark shows on discovery channel, and i'll give you a real post later, mom :)

Day late, dollar short - squared

Heh. So much for my word. I've come to the conclusion I do that a lot. Say one thing, and not follow through, I mean. I've gotten to the point now where I won't even give my word, but at least I'm learning. Before hand, if I would have missed my deadline or commitment date, I wouldn't have followed through, but here I am, blogging for probably only my mother, just because I said I would, though it is two days behind. Such is life sometimes.

On an unrelated note to my inconsistent nature, I am excited to announce that in 17 or so days, I will leave, on a jet plane. For Colorado. Till Christmas. Although I know I'll be so excited for Colorado, I'm more excited to leave. Not so much to escape, but rather to experience something new, a new way of life, something besides the same thing I've been doing for the past 6 years. It has certainly gotten old. Fort Collins is bound to be a perfect college town, with a population of 160 thousand, many educated individuals, lots to do, and fantastic weather. I could write much more about my thoughts, but time flies, and I'm needed to guard lives. Or work on my tan. One of the two.

Blogging Behavior

I have a short list of blogs I visit regularly; like postsecret , wwtdd , failblog , ffffound ,likecool , to name a few. Besides being creative / insightful / funny / clever, they are all updated quite frequently. As in, at least weekly. I've come to the conclusion that if I want an audience (besides my attentive mother), I've got to step up my game. So here is visual/verbal proof that I am going to attempt to update the site at least once a week, hopefully every Sunday. I know today is Friday, but I'll post again Sunday.

The astronaut picture is a conglomerate of several things; 40 years ago we went to the moon, 'Moon' with Sam Rockwell comes out today, I really want to go see it, I'm watching more movies lately. Speaking of putting people on the moon, I'm still at unrest with why nobody has been back since Mr. Armstrong and the crew. I realize that life isn't easily sustained up there, and that there are no large life forms known, but the men who bounced around, played golf and left footprints 40 years ago were only up there for a few hours. Surely man power on the moon is more informative than robots collecting data (probably more expensive, but that hasn't stopped the government before,), so why haven't they sent up more crews? I don't know. I just don't know. It's just a bizarre scenario. I suppose the world may never know.

Closer to Love

If every building falls / And all the stars fade

We'll still be singing this song / The one they can't take away

I'm going to get there soon / You pull me closer to love

- Mat Kearney

My throat hurts, my jacket smells, the soles of my feet are so dirty and I'm barely going to get five hours of sleep. But for you, graduation party, I'd do it all over again.

Visiting family, friends, cousins, neighbors and acquaintances, all in four hours, was overwhelming, yes, but so terrifically encouraging and uplifting. I've yet to even touch the countless cards and gifts, but just reading the words of wisdom people left for me, some serious, some sarcastic, has put me in the greatest mood, one that's both appreciative and grateful. For every person who has taken the time out to genuinely care for me, express sincere interest, or even keep me in their thoughts and prayers, thank you. I wish there was some visible way I could show my gratitude to you all.

There are so many different kids of love in life, but my favorite, and often the most difficult to find, is the kind of love between two friends, an unspoken, unacknowledged bond, typically strengthened by Christ's grace. I've thought a lot about it, before today even, and there really are few, if any, words, qualified enough to label this kind of bond. Oftentimes it's easy to confuse this bond with other very similar bonds, but this one is sturdier, more everlasting, more secure than any other I've known between two individuals. The people who have entered into that realm of mine, however, are there for life. It would take astronomical actions for them to be pulled from this circle of mine, for these people are my core. Every time that life rolls me a way I wasn't expecting, I simply look to this core of mine, and see how truly blessed I am, and know that I can call on these angels anytime I need.

Thanks to my graduation party, and words of wisdom book, I know that this support group is so so much more than anything I've ever imagined, and that means the world to me, the absolute world. Money is nice, of course, but knowing that somebody has your back, no matter what, is something money cannot purchase, and something that has no price. Thank you each and every person who attended my party, from blessed helpers, eager volunteers, semi-acquaintances, card bearing friends, and empty handed classmates; what you physically offered me is of little importance, for your kindness, support and love is more than I could have ever asked for, and for that I am forever thankful.