[day 63-71: done]

i am done.

i am done with my first year of college
i am done with my second round of finals
i am done with a lot of other things too
and let me tell ya...
 
life is *fabulous*

my mom told me today
that she's been noticing
my singing around the house...
it's bbbaacckkkkk
and it was gone for a long time.
for two whole months,
i hardly sang a note...
not even in church.

mind you,
i don't sing out-loud all the time,
but it could be considered a
personal mood meter.

and that personal mood meter
is going to stay where it is right now
for a long time.
i can feel it...

because things have been falling into place for me
on a lot of different levels of my life lately
and i cannot even begin to express my gratitude.

i am done hiding in a shell.
i am done shying away.

i am clearing my head
clearing my heart
and letting go...
moving on and [moving up]

i am [simply] done.
and i am back...in full force.

i know i've said that before,
but this time, i mean it.

happiness,
sunshine,
and
summer.

doin' work,
having fun,
[absolutely] loving my life,
and enjoying the sun...
over and out

[day 57-62: i think i can]

i think i can
i think i can
i think i can
i think i can....

who's ever heard of
the little engine that could?

i hope you all have at least once.

today, i am the little engine.

with finals,
projects,
various social engagements...
work,
more finals,
more school,
and a couple more social engagements...
i am in the middle of crunch time right now.

and let me tell ya,
it is crunching.
real hard.
but i am happy!
life is great.
life is funny.
life is mind blowing
and wonderful.

i have one more week until finals.
i have one more week until i move out.
i have one more week until my freshmen year is over.

i think i can
i think i can
i think i can...

[day 55-56: sunshine]

oh. my. heavens.

please tell me you have all enjoyed 

the sunshine 

today.

i woke up...looked out the window,

and there it was.

sunshine.

and it got me smiling from ear to ear.

and it's stayed all day long.

i cannot believe how much good

sunshine does.

everyone is chitterchattery

everyone is looking out the windows

everyone is talking about the weather

and everyone is happy today.

phew! 

it's about time for some happiness.

i mean, i've had a lot of happiness lately,

but the sunshine today has multiplied

my happiness by ten...

maybe even onehundred times

how funny is it that our moods

are so affected by the weather?

seriously.

humans are funny that way...

but then again,

humans are funny in a lot of ways.

regardless of how funny humans are,

sunshine is beautiful

and it makes the rest of the world beautiful!

here comes the sun...do do do doooo

let's just hope it stays, ya?

over and out.

[day 54: fort]

remember when we were all little?
and forts were thee best form of entertainment?
we'd strip our beds and clean out our linen closets,
and then find every book and
hair tie and then attach the sheets
to each other and stack books and make a house
that took up the entire basement?

i do.
and i want to build one.
how much fun was it to be inside the forts?
really.

you could be anyone you wanted to inside your fort.

you could be
a pirate,
a princess,
a robot,
a rockstar,
a singer,
a spy,
an explorer,
or an astronaut.

[personally, i liked being a princess or a pirate]

i wish we still regularly made forts....
an amazing adventure inside your own home
you could get away, and it could last for days.
it doesn't cost any money,
and the worst part is putting it away.

what a perfect little vacation right?
i want to go on a fort adventure!
right now.

who's going to come with me?
any takers?

[day 50-53: butterflies]

who loves butterflies?

i do!

each of them is so gorgeous.

and from far away, 

they all look the

same...right?

if you ever get the chance to get close,

[i mean, real close]

to a butterfly,

they have the most subtle differences

that make them completely

beautiful

individually.

kinda like people.

now, who loves getting butterflies?

i do, i do, i do!

getting butterflies is one of the greatest things ever. 

it's such a combination of intense emotions!

everyone gets butterflies for one reason oor another.

it's an individual thing...right?

i mean, when we think of getting butterflies,

we generally think of the fleeting feeling in your

tummy that can shoot clear down to your toes

and it makes you feel like you're either going to

fly off the floor

or fall straight to the ground

and pass out...

right?

for me, i get butterflies right before i speak

or sing

or play

in front of people.

but, as corny and cheesy as it sounds,

my very favorite butterflies

are the ones you get right before

someone comes to pick you up for a date,

oor someone gets really really close,

oor pull you in close,

oor whispers in your ear.

oor right when someone grabs your hand,

oor gets the door for you,

oor makes eye-contact with you.

i really hope everyone has had those kinds of butterflies.

because they are the best...

and i've been getting a lot of those lately.

and i cannot even tell you how great it is.

lately, i'm getting them all the time.

just periodically, 

throughout the day.

every time they hit,

i get the biggest smile...

and it stays.

i love butterflies.

both kinds.

flutter by, butterfly.

[day 48-49: badthings & goodpeople]

why do bad things happen to good people?
seriously.
it is such a hard thing for me to understand.
i heard the news from a best friend that one of
her really good friends has been in an accident
that is keeping him from going on a mission.
my heart and my prayers go out to both of them...

i just cannot believe what people have gone through,
or what they continue to endure.

it seems like the cream of the crop
are the ones who have it pretty rough.
and, you know, their trials aren't always
visible
to everyone else.

most of them are invisible.
maybe it's because that person is really
good at putting on a face that shows
the world they're ok...
oor maybe their issue is something
that no one can fix but themselves.

those who appear to be perfect are
usually dealing with [a lot] of personal stuff.
let's be honest, we all know someone
who appears to be completely flawless.
they're always happy,
and smart,
and gorgeous,
and driven and talented
and successful and witty and nice
and approachable and realistic and stylistic and organized.

right?

truth is...we have no idea what anyone is [truly] going through
but ourselves.

and, as cliche as it is...we need to recognize that everyone
is fighting their own battles,
and we need to be willing to help others along the way.

my post today is a shout out to all of those who are going
through anything hard...
oor have recently received tough news,
oor are fighting tough battles.

you can do it.
people love you.


over and out.

[day 47: finishing]

finishing is hard.
finishing is long.
finishing is what separates winners and well,
not winners.

i don't know about you,
but i like to think i'm a finisher.
i love to work and work and work
and see how my work has paid off
in a final product.

i see the consequences of my action
when i don't finish something like i should.

i hate that feeling.

right now, i'm in the home stretch of my
first year of college,
and i'm almost finished for the year.
i cannot tell you how excited i am!

i have learned so much this year,
and i know that i will only continue
to learn the longer i am in college.

i have decided on a major,
and now i have something to work towards.
whoohoo!

i am a finisher.
and i am going to finish strong...
hopefully.

over and out

[day 42-46: enchanting]

today, i was talking to my lovely cousin on the phone,
catching up because we haven't talked in about half of forever.
we were talking about old friends,
new ones,
new adventures,
and old times.

we got talking about how people we have recently met,
and how cool it is to feel like old friends,
when you've only known someone for a [very] little while.
it's kind of crazy,
kind of amazing...
almost enchanting.

it's amazing when you are spending time with someone,
and it's like your old friends,
just catching up.
but you've hung out only once or twice before.

people are amazing.
seriously.

so grateful for the new friends i'm making
and the old ones i dearly love.

life is enchanted....
that's all.

over and out.