Music that Moves Me: Yesterday

"Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday"

Sigh. I guess the lyrics say enough right now, I don't have much to add. But things will get better. I'm sure of it. I believe in yesterday.

My First Week At College--A General Update

Hello everyone! I suppose some of you are wondering what I've been up to, and how college is going so far. Well, it's definitely a whole new life for me! Overall, I'm loving it, so I figure I'll get the three main negatives out of the way first: being the designated driver to a party, without being told, and without knowing that there was nothing to do at said party besides drink, and as a result gathering sober people and going to student night at target, which was amazing, bailing on said party, and not knowing I was the designated driver until the next day; having my roommate come back drunk and skyping loudly at 2am; getting a text from a guy saying that he'd be a gentleman--"at first ;)". Beyond those three negative elements of my college existence thus far, things are going pretty well. Classes have started, though the homework isn't too intense yet, and I'm getting my exercise crossing campus every day. I've made a few friends, guys and girls, and am eating more than I did at home. I've done my first load of laundry and have washed dishes once already, which was oddly pleasant. I've also played laser tag, played live battleship, painted a painting, ridden on a riverboat, and ridden on the back of a motorcycle. I've never been so busy in my life! From eating at Five Guys for the first time to getting a library card, I've been all over the place. Right now, my drunken roommate is trying to sleep, and I'm being inconsiderate continuing to type at this hour, but she's the reason I'm up at this hour to begin with, so I don't feel too terrible about it. I've been part of philosophical discussions, regarding the existence of God and the 'problem of evil', as well as free will, and it has felt truly amazing to discuss things with people who think so much. I mean, that may sound odd, but almost all of the people in my building are intellectuals with a desire to learn, and discussion is always fascinating and involved. I'm really tired right now, and haven't been sleeping well, but aim to fix that tonight once I'm done with this update. Generally speaking, life is good in my new hood xD. I miss you guys, and hope to post regularly once I get a stable routine in place. Feel free to ask me questions, as I'll be happy to go into more detail about anything, and I'll do my best to answer them. Love y'all,

Leaving Home...

Today I leave for college. Tomorrow morning I move in. You know a couple posts ago I said something about getting a chance to breathe soon? Wait, lemme find it: "So yeah, I've been really busy the last several days, and haven't been home much at all. Today I'm going whitewater rafting with my sister, and tomorrow she, my dad, and I all leave for Georgia... so it looks like I'm going to be busy for a while yet. But I know that eventually this insanity will calm down, and I'll be able to breathe, and all I have to do until then is not panic!". Yeah, that. Well that break from insanity has yet to occur, as I've been going dancing and swimming and kayaking and rafting and ultimate frisbee-ing and LOTS of shopping and packing and a little crying and plenty of traveling in these past couple weeks. Then today I leave for college. And tomorrow morning I move in... and meet my roommate, call someone to loft my bed, register my bike for a permit, pick up my books, pick up my fridge, do some last minute grocery shopping, go to a cookout, and God knows what else will come up. The whole 'not panic' thing is getting tougher and tougher, but I'm doing my best. Right now, I need to finish up packing so we can leave bright and early tomorrow, then I'll sleep for the nine hour drive to a hotel by my college. Yes folks, I'm a little ways away from home. I've become closer friends with a couple people these past couple weeks, which I'm truly grateful to God for--hopefully we can keep in touch despite the distance. Lia, Stephanie, and Ayla--I just sent y'all an email, fyi. And Stephanie, Zoe, Jan, Raisa, and Hannah--I replied to your comments on the previous post. Thanks to all of you who actually read this post--sorry it's so dry, I'm just insanely tired :/. And thank you Ania for following my little ol' blog! I really appreciate it :). Until next time, when I'll hopefully have something more blog worthy,

Time is Running Out

You've probably heard that phrase before--I know I have a million times. Deadlines over school or tasks at work, time is always running out to accomplish something--or at least, that is the way it seems, with those deadlines we choose to create. But what about REAL deadlines in life? Personally, I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Heading off the college in the fall is going to tear me away from my parents and siblings and friends, but there's always next summer to spend time with them, right? What about my grandparents that I never see? My grandparents that love me but live so far away we don't see eachother, my grandparents who are beginning to have issues with health or memory, my grandparents who won't ALWAYS have next summer. Yet, do any of us truly have a guarantee of next summer? Life is short--sometimes much shorter than expected. And only in these past several weeks have I begun to LIVE in a way that acknowledges that. My sister and I have been spending more time together, I'm hanging out with the girl across the street, I just visited my family in Georgia… I'm focusing more on what matters, and what matters is relationships with people. I hadn't seen my grandparents in GA in quite a while, and when we arrived and I hugged Papa, I told him I loved him, and he quietly said "I love you too" and got tears in his eyes… and in that moment I couldn't remember why I ever considered not coming on this trip. Sure, I had reasons--I've got deadlines to meet for school, need to finish shopping and getting my books and making decisions and paying bills, and I haven't blogged properly in ages(even missed my one year blogoversary)--but in the end, all of that is relatively inconsequential. My Papa means so much more to me than that. And so does my sister, and my mom, and my brother, and certain friends. It is so. freaking. easy., especially in this day and time with the advances in technology, to forget how much more important human relationships are than impersonal updates on facebook or funny videos on youtube. This coming week I've chosen to go to a movie with someone I don't know all that well, but would like to, go whitewater rafting with the girl across the street, and go to Ohio to visit my relatives on the other side of my family. Yet another trip at one point I considered missing out on. Yet more time away from college preparations. But it's worth it, because you never know how much time you've got left. And I guess that's the point of this post--time is precious, and so are the people you love, so why not spend what time you have with them? These past several weeks I've enjoyed my life more than I have since… well, as long as I can remember. It's a pity it took me so long to figure it out.

After the Storm

Hey everyone! I can't believe it's been a week since the last time I posted... so much has happened! I got to hang out with my neighbor again, and then I spent another day at my brother's house, chilling with my sister and sister-in-law at their pool :). Then that evening I went to play ultimate Frisbee with some friends, hung out at McDonald's afterward, and picked up a graduation gift from a really good friend. After being dropped off back at my car, I went back to my brother's house to spend the night, and then realized I didn't have my graduation gift with me, so I checked the car, had my sister check the car, had my earlier ride check HIS car, another friend and his mom checked the parking lot where I'd been parked, and then after a very restless night my sister-in-law and I checked the parking lot ourselves and couldn't find the gift anywhere. The theory is that I left if on top of my car--in fact, I'm pretty certain that's what I did. But it's long gone now :/. After scouring the parking lot for a long time, I went back to my brother's house and took a shower, then grabbed all my crap and drove home, where I talked with my dad for a while then took a short nap. When I woke up I had to get ready for a party a couple hours away, a party for all of the NC students going to the college I'm headed to in the fall. Attending that was fun, though I'm not really one for making small talk with strangers.

That night, at about midnight, my mom and I hit walmart to buy me a bicycle. Then the next day, I had a job as an extra again--this time for a show called Homeland, starring Claire Danes. I was a 'girl on bike', hence the midnight bike run. It was an okay experience... but nothing as amazing as The Hunger Games. It's a paying job, though, and my new bike rocks, so I'm glad I did it :). So yeah, I've been really busy the last several days, and haven't been home much at all. Today I'm going whitewater rafting with my sister, and tomorrow she, my dad, and I all leave for Georgia... so it looks like I'm going to be busy for a while yet. But I know that eventually this insanity will calm down, and I'll be able to breathe, and all I have to do until then is not panic! A long while back, our area experienced a HORRIBLE storm... there were tornadoes nearby and severe thunderstorms and wind. Then, it just stopped... and the next day I took this picture:

 

I love this picture, because to me it means, when things are rough, 'this too shall pass'... there may always be a calm before the storm, but there's always a calm after one too--it's just the way life works out, depending how you choose to look at it. This storm isn't over yet, but when it is I'm sure the sun will shine and the flowers will smile up at it :). Anyway, now I'm rambling... just wanted to say I love you guys, and I'm sorry for not reading and commenting on your blogs. I hope to catch up more soon! :/. Thanks so much to Lia and Raisa for commenting on my last post, even though it wasn't much of one and I've been an unfaithful blogger. I really appreciate it :). Until next time,