Have I said...

Have I said lately that I ADORE my Grandma Joan? She is one of my favorite people on the planet. If I ever have any doubts about whether I belong with my family, I look to her and know that I’m home. My grandma is the reason I look forward to holidays and family dinners. LOVE her so, so much. (This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandma - not glamorous, but her incredulity over Brett smashing cake into Jewels' mouth was one of the highlights of that wedding day.)

My ethics teacher shared this quote a few weeks ago, and I keep thinking about it. Brilliant concept – “The sad truth of the matter is that most evil is done by people who never made up their mind to be either bad or good.” ~Hannah Arendt

Life is hard. A few of my besties (yes, high school student lingo still crops up where it shouldn’t) are dealing with sad/maddening/tragic situations. I hope they know they are loved, and there are people who will do anything to make their days better. If I can’t help the situation, then I’m happy to come over and cry with you. Like Dolly Parton’s character said in “Steel Magnolias,” “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Amen Dolly. Amen.

Tres Semme Dry Shampoo – magical beauty product. Anything that makes it so I don’t have to blow dry and straighten my hair every day and costs less than $5 earns high marks from me.

Did you see “Catfish” (it was a movie if that is totally out of the blue for you)? I’m still disturbed by how drawn in we can be to the technological scene – facebook, blogs, etc. are great, but we need to form real relationships. Where are we spending our time?

I told Hill last week that I procrastinate with cleaning. Hillary laughed out loud and then kept laughing. She called herself Scrooge, and I laughed at that. Woodland creatures dress Hill and her daughters in the morning because they are that wonderful (anybody seen the beginning of “Grease”? - that’s Hill, Ellie, and Baby Roo). Moral of the story – Hill and I, while occasionally unconventional to other people, have more fun talking about mundane things than most people have doing fabulously, exciting things. Love her!

Should vegetarians eat animal crackers? It was someone else’s question, but I laughed for a long time when I heard it.
If you're majoring in English, you're majoring in death. Again, someone else’s comment, but I think it’s hilarious, perfectly true, and mildly disturbing.

The professor that I work for said, “We can't expect a deep meaningfulness from our calling unless we're willing to assume its burdens as well.” (Jeff Thompson) I was more than willing to absorb the burdens of teaching. Not sure what my calling is now, but I am trying to figure it out.

Final thoughts – I love being a second year – lots to do, but fantastic support network and way less stress. I think I’m moving to Seattle after graduation – it’s not for sure and no, I don’t have a job there yet…but I think it may be the place for me. Naturally, I'll keep you posted on those developments as they are pretty life-altering....

Better get back to studying for finals. Thinking about you always!