woops. 2/5 isn't the greatest way to start off lent. hmm. guess i can only go up from here, right?? (:

it's not like i wasn't thinking of things to write about the last few days - you can even ask bethany. i mentioned like 6 times that i needed to blog before i went to bed, but that didn't happen. had a few long days, intertwined with a lot of plans, and a lot of nothing, which i desperately need. i have thought all day the last 3 days about what i want to write about, so i'm halfway there, right?

1. i am very thankful for flexibility. flexibility in being able to adjust plans, in being able to understand where people are coming from, and even the physical meaning of flexible.  the last couple days have been a whirlwind of changes of plans. i intended to leave work at 4 on friday, come home and do laundry, catch up on my shows, watch a movie, and go to bed around 8. i was SO excited and looking forward to it from like wednesday when i thought of this wonderful idea. then i was reminded of the show my friend's band was in, so bethany and i went to see it at 7 on friday. then we went to a bar for a few hours, enjoyed some food, drinks, giant jenga, and my favorite - laughs. quite a few of them. that's what makes it all worth it. around 11 i decided i'd had enough, as i'd been up since 4am, and pushing out my bedtime from 8 to midnight was going to make me cranky the next day, but i was so thankful for the luxury of being able to make that decision myself. i don't have my own family to come home for at a certain time, a dog to let out; i can come and go as i please. so i do (:

2. i'm thankful for pinterest. now, hear me out for more than the superficial 20-something girl being obsessed (although, most days that's how i feel). i have not been gifted with a great memory, and i feel like that's a huge benefit of pinterest. i once read an ecard about how if you really want to screw up a woman's life, you delete her account. that really made me think one day, and yeah. i'd be pissed if it was deleted, because i have come across all these great ideas other people have had and wanted to share with the world! i think it's such a great concept! i even have my face on pinterest with jonathan & drew scott, if you're looking for it. (: pretty much famous over here. 

3. yikes, and here i go back on word for the night. i am so tired and so committed to my word that i have napped for a while recently, but no more! i need to sleep, so i will finish the other 2. thanks!

Going with the #tbt Throwback Thursday theme, I thought I'd write about how I'm thankful for my memory. Being able to remember things, while not too much, I am able to remember things. I am thankful for the hard times that I want to forget, and for the things that make me smile time and time again. I've had moments that make me ashamed/embarrassed that such things could come out of my mouth, but as my KWMCAngel told me today, we continue to learn by failing. If we don't screw up, how will we know that pain and take steps to ensure it doesn't happen again?

I remember being in 3rd grade and starting at a new school. I was a quiet shy kid, who knew no one, despite moving only 20 minutes away. I felt alone, and remember crying that first day and the one person who was nice to me was Carrie Albinson. Good and bad memory. I remember getting 2 permanent teeth out to get braces in 6th grade. I didn't have enough novocaine, and I could feel the whole thing. Painful event that lead to a beautiful smile that I've heard is appreciated by many. I remember singing at a talent show in 5th grade, and when my pianist screwed up 3 times in a row, I was very embarrassed and vowed to not sing in public again. I remember being in 11th grade, when I learned I could sing the National Anthem perfectly, so I sang at the boys basketball game against our rivals, and my voice cracked 2 times within the first line. I remember being embarrassed again, but I know I love singing so I don't care.

I remember the feeling of graduating college a semester early, and how great it felt to turn in my final paper that I worked so hard on all semester. I remember studying abroad in Ireland, and all the great people I met from all over the world. I cannot wait for all the new memories I will make in Ireland in the future. I remember all the ups and downs of who I've dated/liked in my life - that's like a whole nother book..not even a blog post. 

I'm able to remember my moments of pain, and turn them into positive things. I don't always see what those positive things are, in the short run, long run, or possibly ever. But I know it's going to all turn out well in the end (:

 

Me in Cobh, Ireland (: I love the Titanic

Definitely a dream come true

kickin' off the lenten blog (:

Here we go. Today is Ash Wednesday, which begins the Lenten season. I've actually been really excited and looking forward to it. Not exactly sure why..maybe because I came up with my "thing" like a month ago. Instead of giving something up like a lot of people do, I decided that for 40 days I was going to write about something I am thankful for. I didn't want it to be like "Today I am thankful for food." or "Today I am thankful for my family". While I am definitely grateful for them, I wanted to take 40 days and really think deeply to things I am thankful for, not all on the surface. Got ya intrigued?? Stick around until Easter (: 

So for my first day, I need to say thanks to the big man upstairs. As if I didn't already thank Him everyday, it only seemed fitting to say thank you today. I am a firm believer in everything happening for a reason, and that sometimes what we think we want is actually not as great as something else we could get in the long run. ie) 2 weeks ago at church, I left my purse in my car during mass. When my mom asked me if I put it in my trunk, her eyes bugged out with my simple reply of "no". If someone needs to steal what's in my purse during church, they clearly need it more than I do. Sometimes I think this mantra might hurt me in the future, but why would I believe it so strongly if I wasn't meant to think that way? Riddle me that.

One thing a lot of people don't know about me is that 5 weeks ago, I got into a car accident. My first one ever. Coming home from a fantastic weekend visiting friends in Iowa, the road conditions were that of a "blizzard". I've braved driving in worse, so I thought "I can do this, no problem". Welp, clearly not. The road conditions weren't terrible, just the visibility was tough - sometimes you could see 30 feet in front of you, and others, you could barely see the hood of your car. At one point when the wind stopped, I could see like 100 feet in front of me and taillights. Not what one expects to see on the freeway. Slamming on my brakes as fast & hard as I could, I managed to clip the back of the lady's car with mine, spinning both into opposite ditches. Both cars ended up being totaled (both were 2002 cars, so a flat tire would almost qualify it is totaled, almost (;), all parties involved were okay - minor whiplash, bruising from the seatbelts. But all I could think of after was that we were all lucky. The roads were not anything to be driving in, and I was reminded that I am not invincible. But it clearly wasn't my time to go - just time to learn a lesson (:

So, to the multiple times I've had God do things in my favor, whether I can see why yet or not, I owe everything to Him. Much more than a blog. Possibly all my positive thoughts during the day, the ability to bring people's moods up, etc. I'm very excited for this journey over the next 40 days, and hopefully I just get in the habit of writing in here everyday with something to touch at least one person (: