Things that delight my ♥

As November ends, I thought I'd make one more post 

going along with the theme I adopted for this month: 

thankfulness.

Here are a few pictures of things that have delighted my heart in the past few days:

1. Fiesta-themed birthday celebrations for people I love! 

[notice the fan-tas-tic cake]

2. Cuddly cats. There are many cat-haters in this world.

[I am not one of them.]

3. Meeting with people I love + cuddly black cats.

[perfection.]

4. Dinner dates with my favorite person.

[notice his handsome, mustache-less face.]

[check out that beer-rita. Delicious.]

My heart is full. 

Home again.

[this picture is from a sweet website.]

I'm home again. 

It's weird to say that because just about a week ago, 

when I arrived in Colorado Springs, I said the same thing. 

But I realized something while I was there: 

Colorado Springs is not my home. 

It's not that I didn't enjoy my stay. 

It was full of ample family time.

I read 2 of my 3 books.

I spent time with friends. 

I wasn't in school. 

But it was strange. 

I found myself using sentences with the word home-

each time in reference to Fort Collins. 

The truth is, I've lived in Fort Collins for 4 years now, and it's home. 

While my family is there, I have few other ties to the place I grew up. 

It's a strange realization, but I am comforted by the fact that 

I am in transition.

Home for me, this time next year, could be completely different.

Or it could be exactly the same. For now, I don't mind not knowing, 

I'm just happy to be home.  

23.

It is so easy for me to want:

to want to be somewhere I'm not.

to want relationships I don't have.

to be someone I wasn't made to be. 

I don't think these are normal reactions.

I don't think travelling should make me want to continually leave.

I don't think hanging out with friends should make me want what they have.

I don't think being around others should make me want to change myself.

So why do I want these things? 

Everything inside me wants to just accept it, and say:

[It's just one of those days.]

But it's not. 

Oh, You lead me to waters 

&pastures so green,

Oh, You pour out your oil 

& choose goodness & mercy for me. 

& I will not be in want. 

[for anything but You.]

Bookworm.

I'm home. 

I can't believe that I have 2 weeks of classes, and 1 week of finals and then I'm free.

[for a short time, at least.]

I've got so many things I need to finish before that freedom is mine.

But for now, I'm home. 

Monday, I turned in 2 papers that I had been working on for some time.

When the day was over, I drove to the public library and perused the 

aisles to do what I've wanted to do for so long:

read a book for fun. 

After spending way too long choosing, I decided on 

this one. 

I couldn't put it down. 

After finishing it yesterday, I grabbed a few more 

to keep me occupied for this week off:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

[This is a re-read because it's being made into a movie.]

Little Bee-Chris Cleave

White Oleander-Janet Fitch

[I've wanted to read this for SO long.]

It's good to be home.

1 month.

One month from yesterday things change for me.

I will step away from what I've been doing for the last 16 years.

I graduate college.

[Become an adult?]

Yikes!

Although I'm hoping to go back to school in the fall,

this is perhaps the most monumental milestone of my life

[thus far]

It's scary, exciting, stressful, relieving.

All I know is that it is nice to know that the purpose of my life is far from over.

When I get discouraged for a moment when people say that this is as good as it gets,

I have to remember:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Also, he has put eternity into the hearts of men; 

yet they cannot fathom what God has done 

from beginning to end.

It's not over. It's just beginning. 

It makes me want to take a back road.

This morning I was running late for work. 

I grabbed my bike & ran out the door, only to discover

I had a flat tire. Another flat tire. 

I grumbled a bit and then hopped in my car before I was too late. 

As I reached the intersection just before I would reach work on time, 

I realized that I was stopped.

But the light was green. 

In Fort Collins, this only means one thing:

the train. 

 I turned off my car & sat, took a deep breath

and this song  started to play. 

All I could think about was how I am 

thankful that I live in one of the few towns that has train tracks 

running right through it. 

It forces me to stop. And just be. I needed that. 

Nashville.

Today did not go as I planned. I certainly would never have planned to spend 12 hours of my day writing two papers, one of which I already wrote [&lost somewhere in the depths of a campus computer] In fact, I don't think anyone would have planned that kind of day. But nevertheless, that's how I spent it. I spent the first half of the day upset and flustered, on the edge of tears that I had to rush to get my work done [after vowing to not procrastinate in my last semester] but the second half of the day I found myself happy joyful. I'm thankful that I can be changed.

In other news, here's a quick update on the past couple days and my trip to Nashville:
[I never saw Taylor Swift, but I did see her apartment.]

At 11 PM local time, Mickey and I landed in Nashville, 

much to our surprise, in a very tiny airport.

We were greeted with pictures of country music stars [everywhere] 

and started to feel less and less trendy by the minute. [Those Nash-villains have style.]

The weekend was a whirlwind of campus tours, meeting with faculty at Belmont, 

Navigating the city with Mickey's lovely friends, Bru, KB, and Steve, 

and spending some time getting to see what the locals do. 

Mickey and I both were really surprised and somewhat comforted

 to see how small the city actually is, and both of us were impressed by the

hospitality of the people as well as the opportunities that Nashville offered.

It was a wonderful weekend and I hope to return in January for an interview. 

[the skeletal system picture is a print I found at a boutique. So cool.]

travel.

Nov.8- Tuesday I was thankful for a home cooked meal.
[that I did not make] While I love cooking, I worked so much
this week that the last thing I wanted to do was come home
and find something to make for dinner. Mickey had a crock pot
of his dad's chili recipe and sweet cornbread made that
her shared with me. So good.

I was thankful for being extremely financially blessed this year.

 I feel very privileged in general, but this year, in particular,

 has left me feeling very thankful for the jobs I have. 

In a time when good jobs are hard to come by, 

I consider myself lucky to work where I do.-Nov 9 

Nov. 10

Today I am thankful for productivity. I have a significant chunk of homework

 to complete this weekend, and as I leave for Nashville this afternoon, I

am pleasantly surprised to find the pockets of time  that come out of nowhere

which enable me to get done what I need.

Speaking of Nashville- I'm leaving tonight! I'm attending a preview day for the doctorate

program of Occupational Therapy at Belmont! 

I'm super excited to get away and hopefully get some clarity on a 

place I might be calling home for the next three years. [I'm hoping to run into Taylor Swift]

Contentment.

Today was a good day. I normally dread Mondays because they're 

7am-7pm work-school-nonstop-craziness.

But something about today made me feel at peace. 

Not anxious.

Not stressed.

Just content. 

I am thankful for that. 

Happy Birthday.

Nov. 4: I had the opportunity to get together with many of the senior women in navs for dinner and processing through what we've learned in college. It was an unexpected blessing because I was able to hang out with a lot of the girls who I don't know super well in the class below me.

2 fun things happened Saturday that I am thankful for-  Nov. 5

1. I got trained to play with ponies  for the morning. 

I'm going to be working with a OT certified in

hippotherapy. So fun. I am very thankful

for smart people who realized horses are therapeutic,

as well as the opportunity to get my hands [and boots] dirty to help. 

2. I am thankful for Kelsey. 

Mickey and I headed to Boulder to celebrate her 23rd birthday.

 [this picture is from Nassau, Bahamas]

Kelsey is one of my best friends and all around favorite people. 

I am THANKFUL for her. 

Nov 6: Today I am thankful for sunshine. It's a nice break from the snow and cold. 

Thanks.

I've been thinking a lot about my occasional inability to look on the bright side. 

I really dislike the fact that I am often overly critical and sometimes downright cynical. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving at the end of this month, I've decided I'm going

to document 24 reasons why I am thankful. [one for each day].

This is not something entirely new. In the past, I've tried to sit down once a week and

list 10 things I'm thankful for, but I thought this would be

a good way to discipline myself, and honestly consider how privileged I am. 

This isn't to say each day's topic will be profound or elaborated upon, but rather

a chance to celebrate good things. 

Nov. 1 - I am thankful for warm coffee shops like Everyday's Joe's. It makes my studying bearable. 

I am thankful for snow. [what?!] Yep, I really do know I'll miss it someday. -Nov 2

Nov. 3

Today, I am thankful for this: 

Kara is, hands-down, the best pen pal ever. Her card-just to say hello- made me very thankful for her today. In case you're reading, you're getting something back in the mail. 

180.

Since working for a medical clinic which offers options 

counseling to women facing unplanned pregnancies, I've come across a lot of information, 

statistics, and arguments supporting the sanctity of life. I've seen my share of people 

offend, demean, and get absolutely nowhere in the name

of projecting a voice for unborn children. Many times,

pure, but ultimately misguided intentions fall short of

the "change" that the individual envisioned when taking 

such a stance. 

I came across this documentary and had to share. It is compelling,

 concise, and well put together.

 Most of all, it propels viewers to become introspective and think critically,

 rather than spewing hate and judgement, which [not surprisingly] fail

to cultivate love and grace.