22.

This past Saturday (the 19th) I turned 22. There is a lot that comes with that age. Like graduating from college, attempting to find a job (preferably one I actually enjoy), starting to pay my own bills (unless mom and dad decide they are going to miss paying them :)), living fully on my own (which will depend on finding a job), weddings to attend, and a lot more. It's kinda crazy what the year 2011 is going to bring.  So instead of coming up with New Year's Resolutions, I decided birthday resolutions would be better.   I made a list of things I want the year to hold for me and I felt like sharing. 

1. I want to graduate from college. (and unless something major happens this will have a big check beside it come May 8th.)

2. I want to find a job, preferably a job I love, but really any job will work. 

3. I want to go somewhere exciting.  In 2010 I went to Italy, so in this year I would love to go somewhere else, or again, or at least begin planning. 

4. I want to read at least one book a month.

5. I want to make more gifts than I buy. 

6. I want to fill my very pretty recipe box with recipes I've actually tried (and liked).  With this one, I want to learn how to decorate cakes. 

7.  I want to get back into attending church on a weekly basis.  Working at a church is great, but it does limit your own church service attendance. 

8. I want to become a runner. 

9. I want to attempt to garden. My mom has said she wants a veggie garden in their yard and I want to be the one to do it for her. 

10. I want to be better at this blogging thing.  I know not many people read it, but it is nice to be able to just sit and write. 

11. I want to become less dependent on technology. (which is easier said then done in this world). 

12. I want to become more aware of the world around me - either read CNN.com everyday or subscribe to a newspaper. 

13. I want to become less aware of people.com. It is my guilty pleasure for sure, and to some degree that's fine. But sometimes it can be really distracting. 

14. I want to do something I've never done, like camping or rock climbing. 

15. I want to find my life passion. Or at least my passion for this phase of my life. 

16.  I want to finish some unfinished projects.  Mainly unfinished scrapbooks. 

17. I want to take more pictures.  Maybe do a picture-a-day photo album. I should get on that one. 

18. I want to do something that I wanted to do as a child but never did.  I think this one I'll be able to check off July 23rd when I go see New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys in concert :) (Thanks Liz!)

19. I want to keep a fish alive longer than a month. Now this may seem silly but my track record is not so hot. RIP Jerry and Stella. 

20.  I want to send more handwritten letters. 

21.  I want to do something for someone else at least once a week. 

22. Most of all, I want to be happy.  Everyone has "it's just one of those (bad/long/annoying) days" but I want my year to have more happy days than days like that. 

On another note, I have said this before and I'll probably say it again, but I have some pretty amazing people in my life.  My family made my birthday a no-fuss birthday, just the way I like it.  The day before my birthday, I found out I passed my exit exam (!!!!!!) and then that night my friends celebrated with me. Then some of them surprised me Sunday night with a Coldstone trip. I am a lucky girl.  So thank you to everyone who helped make this birthday pretty perfect. 

Thankful.

Tomorrow is a very hectic day for me. I have lots due and even a final exam.  But I do want to take a moment and share some things I am thankful for (because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday). 

So here is my list (well part of it): 

My parents. They have been my own personal lighthouse (cheesy - I know, but stay with me).  My parents have let me go out and live my life, make a few mistakes, and decide what makes me happy.  But they have ALWAYS been there for me to come back to, to share the joys and the heartache, and on occasion have had to help me (like a lighthouse helping a ship into port - get it? i'm still very aware of the cheesiness). 

My sister.  She is my best friend. Hands down.  I don't think there are enough words to explain how lucky I am to be her sister.  And how proud I will be to stand beside her when she gets married next year.  

My grandparents.  I am lucky that I have these two people in my life.  I spend most Sunday afternoons with them, and I am forever thankful for that time.  They have always been two of my favorite people and two of my biggest inspirations.  They are so in love with each other and I can only hope that I can find that one day too. 

I have some of the most amazing friends in the world.  We laugh. We cry. We text. We facebook chat sitting beside each other. We giggle. We get angry. We get over it (and that is the real gift). 

And then there are things I think we are all thankful for like a roof over my head, food to eat, air conditioning, heat, and running water.  

And today I am so thankful for my support system.  Because school is insane.  Almost over, but insane.  I am thankful for the opportunities I have had at Meredith.

Over the past few weeks, I have really learned to be thankful for who I am.  I am a loved person, and there is no reason to change myself for someone else (not that I've been trying).

So here is a delayed HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

End of a Semester.

This week was a whirlwind of papers, tests, and presentations.  It was also our last full week of classes.  Next week, we have two days of class and then the Fraziers and O'Quinns are headed to the mountains for Thanksgiving.  (Btws - the mountains in the fall is my absolute favorite.)


Then all I have left is three days of classes, senior sleepover, and three exams. 


And then before too much longer, it will be my last semester of college. Holy smokes. 


I'm not ready, but I'm not really sure if any of us are. Our time at Meredith has been a joy, an experience, and sometimes a pain.  But at the end of the day, we call Meredith home.  And as hard as it will be to say goodbye, I hope to the moon and back that our last days here are the best we can make them.  Exams will come, student teaching/internships will become tiring, papers will be hard to write, and in May we will leave.  


But we will be back, most likely for Cornhuskin'. And we will just have to remember that there is no place like home. 


We still have months till it's time to say goodbye.  And I plan on making everyday of my last semester at Meredith a wonderful memory. 


Like this one: 

Or this one: 

Or even this one of two Duke girls with a wolf: 

Assisi! Rome!

Quick History lesson: 

Assisi is the home of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of animals and the environment. He was a part of the military until in he had a dream (around 1205/06) in which God was calling him to return to Assisi and care for the sick.  Francis called for simplicity in life, poverty and humility before God. He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffered for a need of redemption because of the primordial sin of man. (some of this information is from Wikipedia - go there for more). If you google or ever see an image of St. Francis, he is typically portrayed with animals or in nature. 


So on June 9th we spent the day in Assisi. It really was one of the most beautiful places I think I have ever been. 

Last week, June 14th -17th, I was in Rome.  I don't really have words to describe how excited I was to be there.  We got there early afternoon on Monday and we headed to our hotel to check-in.   After, we decided to get started on our sight seeing! The first thing we did was go to the Roman Colosseum.  We literally spent 2 and half hours there.  All four of us were just in awe of this place.  It is amazing to think that it has been standing in the same place for so long.  We also kept stopping to take pictures - probably why it took so long.  

Since we were all seniors (oh goodness - I finally said it), we took some time to spell out a special message in the rocks: 

After we took our time walking back to the hotel, Barbs and I went and met Ari and Linley for dinner and to watch the soccer game. There is no place better to watch an Italian soccer game than Italy!Barbs and I may have gotten a little lost on the way to meet the other girls but it made for a pretty picture: 

After the game, we walked around a bit and headed by the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Barbs and I both got a little teary-eyed when we got to the Trevi Fountain.  This is probably the one thing that I have always wanted to see. And now I have. Crazy. 

Tuesday morning we got up early and headed over to the Vatican City.  We had schdeduled a tour and we thought it would only be about 3 hours.  It ended up being closer to 5.  But it was still amazing.  Here is a little model of what the city looks like: 

We got to see the Sistine Chapel and all the Pope's tombs.  And of course St. Peter's. We were all pretty tired after that and still had a full day to do things so we headed back to the hotel for a bit.  We also hit up Hard Rock for dinner.  And watched another soccer game (by this point they were all making fun of me for wanting to watch the games). 


Wednesday morning we got up and headed towards the Roman Forum.  I played tour guide and read all the information about each thing that we were seeing.  Once again, it was pretty amazing to be in a place that had been there for so long.  We took our time and took lots of pictures.  We also climbed up to Palentine Hill.  

Next we went to the Pantheon (2nd time for me and Barbs but this time we got to go in).  We also headed back over to the Trevi Fountain.  It was super crowded and I felt like you didn't get the same effect as we did when we went at night.  The 15 minute walk from the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain also ended up taking a lot longer than 15 minutes, probably closer to 2 hours after we stopped so many times to go into stores.  We went back to the hotel, took a short nap, and then went to dinner.  We once again did a self-guided night tour, back by the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain (and yes, we took a ring picture), and this time we added in the Spanish steps.  The view was amazing (second picture)! 

Thursday morning, we took our time leaving and did some shopping.  Once we got back to Sansepolcro, we knew that things were going to be rushed! We had class Friday and Saturday.  And there is a group of Meredith Alums here this week that we had lunch with on Friday.  Our final projects and presentations were due today (Sunday) and we leave Sansepolcro for the last time tomorrow! Very bittersweet.  Tonight we are having our host families over for a final dinner.  We head to Switzerland on Thursday and are there until we come home on Sunday! 


I can't believe how fast time flies!