In My Wildest Dreams- The Beauty of This Unpredictable Life

Life has been insanely busy and so exciting lately, and I haven't taken a moment to just write about it. 

So, I wanted to just reflect really briefly on just how much of a roller-coaster I've been on lately and why that ride has been the best thing that's happened to me: as in, EVER!

For one thing, I'm getting married. Wait, wait, let me say that again: I'M GETTING MARRIED. Sometimes throughout the day, I'll just think about it and feel for the ring on my left hand, and just say, "Wow. This is really happening!" 

I am at last, after three years of dating, two of which were long-distance, going to be with my handsome ginger. No more saying goodbye at airports, or goodnight over a phone when we're thousands of miles apart. No more wishing I could see his facial expressions, instead of having to picture them in my mind while I tell him something about my day. It may sound dramatic, but for anyone who has been in a long distance relationship for an extended period of time, well, you know what I'm talking about.

Secondly, I recently applied for my dream job: working as a nanny in Rome, with all expenses paid. Going to Europe has been a dream since I was little and I tried several times to get there, without success. Until now... in my senior year of college, when out of the blue, an opportunity presented itself. After multiple interviews, and  much anxious waiting, I was given the job! So, yes, I am going to Rome for six weeks this summer to watch a darling baby, eat gelato, and soak up every moment I can of another country's culture! Amen? Amen!

Finally, after opening an Etsy shop about a year ago, I have decided to try and take it to a whole new level after graduating from college. After all, the experts, whoever "they" are, always say to do what you love and I LOVE finding and selling treasures. It has paid for my coffee, my plane tickets, and my drinks on the occasional time that I get away from my homework for awhile. I can't wait to see where this next step takes me! 

Needless to say, I am feeling so overwhelmed with everything that has happened and so, so incredibly blessed by God. I am amazed at what He has done with my simple, unassuming life. It's funny how we doubt Him, how we think that He'll leave us stranded somewhere and that we'll never find direction, when in fact, He has never left us at all. 

He's been right there the whole time, and was just telling us to be patient, because He has something more incredible in store than we could possibly imagine.

A Few Shiny Quarters: On Friendship

"I would rather have four shiny quarters than 100 dull pennies."
Such says a quotation about friendship that  I read awhile ago, and filed into one of the many Latin- verb- stuffed crevices of my poor brain. It's something, though, that has certainly stuck, unlike the fourth principle part of most of those vocabulary words.

People come and go in life, some stay for a very brief time, but make an impact nonetheless. Others, you swear will stay forever, until one day you're debating over whether or not they'd care if you sent a brief text to say "I miss you," and questioning how you got to that point.

Image by Valfre.

Personally, I've dubbed myself a "floater," since attending college. Basically, that just means that I don't have a set clique, or group of friends that I'm constantly around when I'm there. I drift from person to person, and then cycle back. That doesn't mean that I don't care about my friends, it just means that I enjoy being around a variety of different personalities and temperaments in order to stay refreshed and maintain some semblance of sanity. However, over the last two and half years, I have had many people coming in and out of my life, but I was not feeling as though I had very strong ties with any of them and that bothered me. The energy and emotion it took to try and maintain countless friendships was thinly spread between them all, so that in reality, there wasn't enough genuine love to keep them alive.

And then, when I heard the quotation about the four shiny quarters, I knew that that was what I was lacking. I didn't need TONS of friends, but just a handful of meaningful, strong friendships, those shiny quarters that would stay with me and love me at my best and at my worst; friends who would be worth loving no matter what.

Image by Valfre.

Mary Pope Osborne, the children's author of the Magic Treehouse series came and gave a lecture to the students at my college. She, too, had some great advice about friendship. "Surround yourself with people who are more talented and intelligent than you are," she said. She wasn't saying, "Make yourself feel inferior," but rather, let the people you befriend be those who inspire you, who make you feel passionate about life. Mary herself said that she was currently living with her husband, who was an actor, and two friends, one of which was a talented musician, the other an artist and that these people inspired her creativity and made her truly think outside the box.


The people who I have remained closest with may not all lead lives that allow them to concentrate entirely on their passions, but the point is, they have passions. One friend of going on ten years is a fantastic artist, who also happens to be a great trapper, fisher, and hunter. She's constantly bubbling with laughter and vibrant energy and she's continually challenging me to be more adventurous, to push myself out of my comfort zone, whether that means midnight skinny-dipping, or simply getting away from technology for awhile to go outside and enjoy the day.

Image by Valfre

Another is an aspiring writer,with a lovely soul and a constant drive to get things done. She's got the most incredible spirit and her goodness is an inspiration to me. Just as in a romantic relationship, you search for a person who makes you strive to improve yourself, your friends should certainly make you a better person, and not drag you down.

The thing I love about these people, and others, is that they don't settle for getting smashed on the weekend. They'd rather go fishing, read a good book, have a coffee date, make a good meal, or maybe have a bonfire. They aren't all the same, either. One of them loves country music and canoeing, another loves Korean dramas and anime. Some of them have never met each other, and some just don't hang out together. So my "floater" title still applies in a way, but rather than trying to invest a great deal of energy into too many friendships, I'm concentrating on the ones that are helping me live life to the fullest, who are challenging me to take advantage of every day that I have been given. I'm investing my heart and soul into fewer people, but those few are beautiful kindred spirits, who teach me something new every day. Those few shiny quarters are worth so much more than one hundred dull pennies.

I'm Not Dating My "Ideal" Man and That's Okay

"Hmmm... I'd prefer a lanky guy, blonde, hazel eyes, not too muscular, and he has to have a good sense of humor. Also, he has to think I'm funny. He has to be willing to live in the country, and know how to dress well, and he needs to be very intellectual."
Heard this before? Yeah. Me too.
Nearly every girl I know has run through her shopping list of "ideal man" qualities at one point or another. Not going to lie, I've done it too.
My own list was somewhere along the predictable lines of  tall, dark, and EXTREMELY handsome. I wanted someone taller than my own 5'9'' and very smart, a Shakespeare geek like me, and obviously someone with a passion for everything I liked.

No copyright infringement intended.

But guess what? I'm not dating my "ideal man." Nope.
In fact, God probably started laughing each time my friends and I went through our lists, because one day I met someone very different from my version of perfect. He is not dark haired, in fact his hair is somewhere between red and orange. His eyes aren't the "ideal"green, (they're actually this incredible color that looks like liquid gold in the sunlight. Oops, did I just say that?). He'd rather read non-fiction books about the stock market, or being successful in business than Shakespeare, and he didn't like coffee much when we first met. (Don't worry, he's joined the dark side.) But, regardless of all of this, he is the ideal.

Why? Because my imaginary man was nowhere near the mark (aside from the handsome and smart part)
I didn't know that I would need someone who actually enjoys doing taxes, or who likes the 49'ers, loves Looney Tunes and doesn't really get excited about ice cream. But God knew. He knew I needed a man who will make me laugh hysterically when he uses a strange metaphor, who'll enjoy my silly blog posts, and might even like cats and small children more than I do. Someone who will burst out singing Spanish songs randomly, dare me to eat a Chipotle burrito faster than him, and is willing to drive in Boston, while I hyperventilate and have panic attacks in the passenger seat. Someone who will kneel down and say the rosary with me when we're most annoyed, stressed, or upset about something.

But that's the whole point. God knows. His ideal for you is already so much better than the combination of all the qualities on your little checklist could possibly be. He created someone that you're never going to be able to describe until the day they're by your side. Maybe you won't find them in a tiny college on a mountain in the middle of who-the-hell-knows-where New England, but you will find him.
 And suddenly, it hits you: he's not your ideal, he's a million times better.

Chewbacca and Coffee

Me, prior to coffee and multiple applications of Cover Girl foundation

"NOOOO!!! You took the last cup of coffee?!?!?!"

Keeping up on my blog has been pretty difficult lately. Life is just a wee bit crazy now that I'm back out East and trying to crawl out of my creaking bunk bed, which involves gingerly stepping onto the top of a dresser and leaping several feet to the floor, and make it to my 9 a.m. class each day. Usually, the morning begins with my alarm going off an hour before class and me proceeding to hit the glorious "snooze" button approximately 30 times. (God bless whoever invented that, by the way!)  Amazingly, my roommates have not killed me for it yet. I then endeavor to look slightly less like Chewbacca and fail miserably unless class has miraculously been delayed, which is like, never. In a somewhat- quick-but-really-not-at-all walk, I manage to find my way to the campus' multi-purpose building, growling and hissing at anyone who is standing between me and the coffee maker. Some days, I make it in time. And other days... "Woe unto you, oh freshman who stole the last cup!"
Carrying my slightly stained coffee mug in one hand, and an enormous bag of books in the other, I sludge through the snow and slip into class a few minutes late, receiving the dreaded raised eyebrows of my Humanities professor. Once the necessary caffeine dosage is running through my veins, the morning usually improves by about 300% and so does class participation.
 And so, dear readers, I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much. I still love blogging, I just have to summon my inner Chewy strength and get my life together. Until then, I'll be writing papers at 3 a.m. and eating too many chocolate covered espresso beans.

Finals Week

I suppose attempting to start a blog during the craziness of finals week may not be the best idea, but when there's the itch to write, what can a girl do? I've actually never pegged myself as the blogging type, but after leaving my once faithfully kept journals to collect dust amidst candy wrappers and forgotten Latin flashcards, I've decided I still need to write. This may be a failed attempt, but it's still an effort to share my silly thoughts, right?  So in between my merely academic scribblings at college, I'll try to write about life as a nineteen year-old student, living on a mountain in snowy, sleepy New Hampshire, and attending a small liberal arts college. If you're wondering what it looks like, don't worry, I make attempts at  photography too! And now, I need to return to the reality that finals week is here.
                                                  Much coffee will be consumed.

The college's little chapel.

The view I get to see every day on my walks to and from class.

Heading back to my the dorm under falling snow, with the  glow of  Narnia-like lamps guiding my way.