A Year's Time

It's really amazing what a year can bring. As I sit here, I am thinking about where I was at this time last year, and where I might be a year from now. It's really mind boggling, in all honesty.

Last year, I had just graduated, driven to Arizona and back for my dear friend's wedding, flown to California for a whirlwind tour of San Fransisco and Sacramento, come home, and was anticipating the start of my first real job. About a week and three days, 4 tear-filled nights, 3 days of no lunch breaks, and a lot of careful thought later, I quit, and I could not be happier to have made that decision. Not long after that, I began writing, and I was lucky to receive many compliments, and eventually some freelance writing opportunities as a result. More wonderful opportunities fell into my lap, and I have been blessed with a job that changed my life, and my current job which is teaching me much about life, compassion, and hardship.


The year continued, and I began to forge my own way in the world. I've had many laughs, met some wonderful friends, and had a few rough days, but in all, it's been a year full of growth. I've learned a lot about myself, what I'm capable of, and about relationships with family, my boyfriend, and far-away friends.

As I look back now, I have a mixed feeling about whether time went quickly or at a snail's pace. On the one hand, June 2011 seems like it was an eternity ago, but then I think that I can almost feel that San Fransisco rain fall quietly on my hair. Strange, isn't it, how nostalgia brings everything back so easily, and yet, life changes so quickly?

Time will only tell where life's journey will take me until 2013, but I have a couple of ideas, and boy, am I excited.

Long Time, No Blog!

Wow, last week completely got away from me. Things are busy, busy, busy around here as I try to get organized and packed, in addition to getting in extra family and friend time. Whew!

Here's a little more good news: I found an apartment I like, finally, so I can officially discontinue my worries about being a nomad in the dead of winter. At least I know I'll be warm at night!

My apartment searching was certainly an adventure. I had my heart set on one complex that I had found online which was not far from where I will be working. A word to the wise: don't get your heart set on a complex you find online. When I arrived to walk through a model apartment, I was surprised at just how run down the place actually looked. While my mom and I waked through the apartment, we couldn't help but be completely grossed out by the smokey smell (I absolutely cannot stand the smell of smoke) and the full, stinking trash bags that were laying in the hallway. Seriously? Who could live with smelly garbage like that? Yuck. Aside from that was the fact that the apartment definitely did not have all the features the website listed. Boo.

The next one was even dirtier. Not cool. The young man that was showing me the model apartment had his sales pitch down, though, I will say that. Unfortunately for him, I have a psychology degree, so I learned all those tricks, meaning I was not about to fall for them. For example, the "so do you think you can picture yourself cooking a meal in this kitchen?" is a great way to get people thinking that yes, they could and why would they not sign a lease there?! Except that I definitely could not see myself cooking in that kitchen. There was barely enough room to turn around, and counter space was virtually nonexistent, which is very bad for someone like me who prepares food using every spare dish and inch of counter space. Wah, wah, wahhh.

Finally, I went to the third apartment complex. My boyfriend had called after we saw the second one, and I was quite concerned when I talked to him that I would never find the right place, because even the ones we drove by were less than ideal. I had a little mini panic on the phone, thinking I was doomed to live the life of a homeless nomad who wandered from place to place searching for a more permanent residence.

Thankfully, everything worked out and I think I'm going to love this new place...now I just have the overwhelming task of picking furniture to fill it, wish me luck!

Halloween: Then and Now

Halloween is sneaking up unbelievably fast. I am completely at a loss as to what to be this year, especially since I've been told the line has been drawn at being Kate Middleton. It's cruel, really.

On Sunday, my boyfriend and I took a trip to the local orchard, where we participated in a great wine tasting experience and walked around in the beautiful fall weather. The wine was delicious, and we ended up buying four bottles, including two bottles of our favorite from the afternoon: Sparkling Sweet Peach, which had a fantastic fruity flavor and would be perfect for a brunch or luncheon, or with a great milk chocolate. Yumm!

The weather cooperated with our little outing, and we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine set against the changing leaves, it was the perfect afternoon. We got a good laugh when we decided to just wander around the orchard and walk in between the rows of trees: the entrance was blocked off with a collection of fun activities for kids. There were inflatables, games, even face painting stations, and the smell as we got closer hinted at a small petting zoo. Thwarted, we turned around and headed toward the makeshift "pumpkin patch" which was closer to the front of the orchard rather than the pick-your-own pumpkin section, and had a good laugh at the kids who were completely overwhelmed as they tried to pick up pumpkins almost as big as themselves.

Enter my story about a pumpkin carving experience. When I was a kid, I loved carving pumpkins. My favorite part was cleaning out the inside and squishing the insides of the pumpkin through my fingers. I loved it so much that I would having the pumpkin completely emptied and then put all the insides back in only to take them out again. Yeah, I was weird. A few years ago, a couple friends from college and I carved pumpkins. We went to a very conservative school in Michigan, and most of the other girls in the dorm made happy-looking pumpkins. Come on, it's Halloween. We decided to challenge that with our masterpieces, Chuck and Ralph, aptly named for their unfortunate action's slang. Almost better than the pumpkins themselves were the reactions we got from everyone else in the dorm.

Have you done anything creative with your pumpkins? Any great Halloween plans this year?

Congratulations Are In Order!

The bride's sister took this great photo

This weekend, I had the honor of attending the wedding of a beautiful couple. The blushing bride was my "Big Sis" in Pi Phi, and was an amazing friend and mentor to me as I grew through times good and bad. Needless to say, I admire her in many ways.The dashing groom proudly sported his Marine colors, and makes a perfect match for Julia.

Julia is one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met. She constantly amazes me with her grace, patience and commitment to her faith. These qualities, of course, are paradoxical with the intensity with which she supports the Bears, and she can certainly make her displeasure known when they are losing.

I haven't known Matt long, and I can't say that I have had a chance to really get to know him, but Julia has told me enough about him that I feel quite comfortable saying that he is perfect for her. Just in the way they interact, anyone can see how much joy he brings her (and she, him), and how comfortable they are together. They share laughter easily, but naturally just click on the more serious matters in life.

Their ceremony was solemn, personal, and so heartfelt. Similarly, the reception was romantic, yet fun. I, of course, had no shortage of tears during both.

During the reception, arguably one of the most memorable moments occurred during the traditional father-daughter dance. I was seated with a group of other former Pi Phis who had made the trip. As the music began and the bride joined her father on the dance floor, our entire group nearly instantaneously burst into tears. We all began to look around the table and noticed that each of us was crying (minus one Pi Phi's husband, who had the misfortune of being the only male seated at our table), and giggled a little.

Then came the moment that defined the reception for us. As the father-daughter dance ended, the bride took the microphone and asked her dad to return to the dance floor. She explained that she had one more song to dance with him since she had long regretted not dancing with him during a high school dance (I missed the explanation here, but I'm guessing he volunteered to chaperon the dance). The song "Stealing Cinderella" by Chuck Wicks came through the speakers, only this time, our table was rendered near inconsolable. We cried, wiped our tears, and cried again, but noticed again that everyone at our table was doing so. This inspired a fit of laughter on all accounts, but the laughter didn't stop the tears.  In case anyone at the reception had been wondering where the "sorority table" was, there was no longer any question. The server looked bewildered with a side of concerned when he spoke to the next table and pointed to us, saying, "that whole table is laughing and crying...I don't know what to do!"

I have heard of people laughing and crying at the same time, but I never actually thought it could happen. I'm sure my brain was incredibly confused as to the proper response to such emotional contradiction. Leave it to Julia to show me anything is possible!

So here's to a beautiful wedding, an inspiring couple, and a very happy, blessed married life together. Congratulations, Matt and Julia!

Beyond My Years

Recently, I came across a letter hidden in the back of my desk. It was a letter to myself that I had written at the end of elementary school as one of my last assignments. I received the letter in high school when my 5th grade teacher passed away after a battle with cancer. I had been so surprised that she had kept the letters, but then, I wasn't surprised at all.

When we wrote the letters, she told us she would mail them to us when we were in high school, so that we wouldn't forget who we were as kids. I should have known that of all the people to follow through on their word, it would be her. My teacher was an incredible woman with the patience of a saint, and I am so grateful for the words she left with me, not least of all being the small note she had attached, reading, "Elizabeth-a quiet, thoughtful girl with a gentle spirit..." along with a few other memories from our class. I only hope if she were here today, she would think the same of me.

After a few moments of reflection on her class and my childhood, I opened the letter and began to read. It was all I could do not to laugh. The letter began with this:

"Dear Elizabeth,
I hope you are doing well. I hope you are happy. Are you behaving? Are you doing drugs? If you are, you should stop. They are very bad for you. Be nice to your sister. I hope you are getting good grades..."

Wow. I must have had some really high hopes for myself as a high schooler. It's nice to know my 10-year-old self didn't have much confidence in my future character.

Granted, since I was young, I was always accused of being "motherly" for my age. I acted as a miniature mom to kids who were crying in preschool, bringing them tissues and giving them hugs (or so I'm told; I don't remember this). After my sister was born, I was convinced I knew exactly how my mother should be raising her, and I shared my opinions on her upbringing freely. (Disclaimer: my mom has always been an amazing parent to my sister and I--as has my dad-- and always made us feel loved and cherished) I'm not sure why I felt I knew better than they did how to be a parent.

Regardless, I'm happy to report that, no, I am not doing drugs, nor have I ever. Oh, and yes, I am aware of the dangers of drugs. I managed to keep my grades up, even though math has always been my enemy. I don't have much hope with physics either. I am happy, thank you very much, and other than my old lady knee that creaks when I go up a set of stairs, I am doing well.

Remembering 9/11

Today, please take a moment to reflect on those who passed on this day ten years ago.

Many communities have organized memorials and many police and fire stations have acquired a piece of the Trade Center to display. Check your local newspaper or online local news to find out if your community has anything planned to remember the day.

I'll be spending the day surrounded by family and those I love. Life is fleeting, as we saw so obviously on September 11, 2001. I plan on reminding everyone how much they mean to me, because we are never promised tomorrow, we only have the present. In my family, we make an effort to always say, "I love you" before we leave, and hugs are plentiful. I encourage you to do the same, because life can be taken so quickly, and there is no more obvious reminder of that than the gaping hole left in the hearts of Americans, indeed the world, ten years ago. That wound has never and probably will never completely heal, but those affected have memories to get them through. I, for one, want to always leave a positive memory.

To read my story of September 11, click here.

Out of the depths of sorrow and sacrifice will be born again the glory of mankind." - Winston Churchill

If you'd like, please share your 9/11 story below. I believe that as Americans, but more generally as supporters of a peaceful, compassionate humanity, we are all connected by that day. Together we mourned, watched in disbelief, and together, we have begun to rise above the ashes of the Trade Center once more.

Oh, But The Leaves

I have an announcement.

It's hugely exciting.

Are you ready??

The leaves are turning color!!! I love this time of year. It's beautiful here in Michigan during the autumn months, and even more exciting is the fact that fall means winter is just around the corner, and do you know what that means? Christmas. I love absolutely everything about Christmas. The lights, the music, the gently falling snow glistening under the street lamps, the hot cocoa by the Christmas tree..everything.

My boyfriend took this photo on Michigan State
University's campus last year--beautiful!

I'm getting ahead of myself. Fall. As a kid, I looked forward to packing up all my new school supplies, unpacking, and then repacking them and heading off to school in the morning. Fall also meant my birthday had arrived (even though now it means I'm getting older, apparently), and that provided an excitement all its own. Plus, what's more fun as a kid than raking up the leaves into a huge pile and promptly throwing yourself into them, effectively destroying the newly raked lawn?

This year, fall meant a new beginning for me, in a way. It felt a little strange not packing up my possessions to move back into a cramped dorm room, but not doing so also began to solidify the thought that if I so choose, I could be done with school forever. Very strange feeling, indeed.

I'm officially not a student now, though I believe I will always be a student at heart. New things fascinate me, and I thoroughly enjoy soaking up the information contained between the binding of a brand new book. The amount of books I read increases tenfold as the weather turns cooler, I think. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than being surrounded by the beauty in nature with my nose in a book, curled up in a cozy blanket, and something warm to drink. Ah, perfection.

We Will Never Forget

In a couple weeks, Americans will wake up to a somber litany of news and television specials. The 10th anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11 will undoubtedly bring painful memories rushing back to our consciousness.

Yahoo! has set up a collection of stories from everyday Americans who live every moment in remembrance of the terrorist attacks. After watching a few of the videos and reading the stories, it became impossible not to write about them. Take a look by clicking the link above...but keep a box of tissues handy!

I remember the morning the news broke as if it were today. I was just starting the 7th grade, and I had just arrived to my drama class. One of the "class clowns" rushed into class and told me the World Trade Center was hit. At the time, I had no idea what the World Trade Center was, nor did I have any clue as to what such an attack meant. I remembered the Columbine shooting, and in my young mind, I thought it must be something similar, only it was someone's office building that was hit. I didn't understand that the "office building" was a source of pride among so many Americans, nor did I understand just how deeply this would wound the public.

When I got home from school, after having listened to live coverage in each class that day, and watching a few students being called to the office (I later found out they had family in New York or at the Pentagon), I had to babysit. I remember the scope of the attacks were just beginning to sink in, and I wasn't sure what that meant for my own safety. I think the most heartbreaking moment of that day, for me, was hearing the little girl I was babysitting ask me, "are we going to be ok?" How was I supposed to answer that? I barely knew how to process what was happening, let alone how to explain to a kindergartner that she should not be scared...How could I? I was scared, and I'm sure I wasn't very convincing when I told her she had nothing to worry about.

I've never given blood, but this year, even though it seems small, I'm going to get over my hesitations and march to the nearest donation center. We may not be able to fully heal the wounds of those who lost family and friends that day, but maybe we can help someone heal now. What if every one of us donated a pint of blood, volunteered for an organization providing aid to our veterans, or gave to a cause supporting the families of the 9/11 victims? Imagine the good that could still come of the tragedy 10 years ago.

May we never forget, may we always hold our loved ones dear, may we stand together, one nation, undivided.