Clipboards

I don't know what it is about clipboards, but they just make one feel so official. I kind of wish that I had a job at which I walked around with my clipboard all day. Might be kinda cool. At least for a little while.

For My Mom

I am one of those lucky lucky people that has good relationships with both of their parents. I have always been a daddy's girl, but I've always been exactly like my mom. In my younger days (haha I say that like they were soooo long ago!) our similarities caused us to struggle with getting along with each other. Since I moved out of my home into my first college dorm, however, my mom and I have been steadily growing closer.

My mom is one of my best friends. She is an amazing woman, and I am so proud to be able to look at her and know that I am a part of her. My mom is always there for me, supporting my decisions even when she doesn't fully agree with them, always being my number one cheerleader, always having faith that I will be able to pull off whatever shenanigans I'm currently up to. She gets excited about each new venture I undertake, and is there to talk to and cry to when those ventures turn out to be harder than I anticipated. She encourages me to look at life through new perspectives each time I see her, and walks beside me as I learn more and more about this crazy world we call home. I am who I am today in large part due to my mother. She instilled a love of music in me through the painful process of fighting with me about practicing my piano, she showed me how to love the outdoors, she gave me her weird sense of humor and her sensitivity towards others, she taught me that everything will not always be fine but that things do always work out, she taught me the value of working hard for what I want in life, and she taught me never to give up.

Most of you out there that are reading this are lucky enough to know my mom, and I hope that you can see how special she is. Even with these words that I have written, I have been unable to convey the awe that I feel of my mother. She is so incredibly strong and brave, and I look forward to many more years of learning from her.

I love you mama.

Thinking Out Loud (Through Typing)

I'm a little bored today, and I have lots of random thoughts that are running through my mind. Every time this happens, I end up posting a bunch of times, about nothing overly exciting, but about the odd things my mind gets hung up on. I love living alone, really I do, but the problem is that there's no one to share my thoughts with... which is where youall come in!

Anyway, thought of the moment: I find it very odd that the word grateful isn't spelled "greatful." Because, I mean, it really should be. First of all, because when you have something to be grateful for, it's usually great. Secondly, what a way to torture kids as they're learning to spell!! "No honey, I know it sounds like it should be spelled the same way great is, but it just isn't."

Snow Emergency

Apparently I have a lot to learn about parking in a city where they observe different parking rules when there's a snow emergency.... I parked on the wrong side of the road last night and woke up to a ticket this morning.

Boo.

A New Reality

It's so strange to be reading my friends' statuses on facebook and realize that at this time last year I was wrapping up yet another semester, taking finals, saying "see you later" to friends, and packing up to come home for a month. How odd it feels to know that I not only don't have finals any more - ever again - but also that I only get an extra day and a half off around Christmas. No more month long vacation to sleep in, read all the leisure books I want, see old friends, and just all-around enjoy being home. I love my job, and my life here in Madison is wonderful, but this week in particular is bringing up some sad emotions. I can't wait to see everyone this weekend!

Giving Thanks

I'm home for the holiday weekend, and it feels great :) I made it in around 10:30 last night, and was sleeping within an hour. The drive is exhausting enough, especially when I make it alone, and to do at the end of a full day of work makes it even more tiring.

Dad's family was here celebrating with us today, and it was wonderful to see everyone again. I feel like it's been quite a while ... and if I stop and think about it, it's been even longer than I realized. It was a lot of fun to hang out with most of my little cousins and enjoy good food, lots of laughter, and good company. Tomorrow night, I get some more family time babysitting my favorite little cousins. I've been looking forward to hanging with them since Drea asked me to babysit a few weeks ago, so I'm definitely excited to spend time with them.

Mom and I are planning on going Black Friday shopping tomorrow; I'm hoping to find some of the big ticket items that I need for my apartment, like a vacuum cleaner and a microwave. We'll see how motivated we get... I might come home with a lot more than that!

While it's fantastic being home, and difficult to live so far away, I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to returning to my own home on Saturday evening. I'm playing taxi driver on Sunday, driving to the Madison airport and back mid-evening and the Milwaukee airport and back a few hours after that, so I'm heading to my place a day earlier than originally planned, so as to not have to spend the whole day in my car.

Today I am thankful for many things, and I hope that you have blessings to count too!

November?!

When did that happen? I cannot believe how quickly the past month has gone by. I stayed living with the boys until the 12th, and then returned to living on my own. My ankle is not at 100% yet, unfortunately, but I started physical therapy last Monday, so hopefully that will help. Not too much out of the ordinary going on out here; just working to finish up tests/projects for my classes and hanging out with friends. I'm loving the cooler weather, and I'm looking forward to the snow. The strange realization that I am not moving home in a six months is starting to sink in - I'm here for the long haul now. It's a good thing I love my job, because I would hate to have to live this life every day for the next number of years if I didn't like it. Anyway, I'm off to get ready to head downtown for a weekly t.v. show viewing date. Hope all is well with you, and I should be back soon.