Ladies and gentleman, it's crunch time. I have approximately three more articles, two more papers, two more presentations, two more projects, four more portfolios, and three finals before I am finally free for the holidays. I can do this. I think.
On a happier note, it's officially the Christmas season!!! (Not that it's stopped me from already celebrating all this month. See: my annoyed roommate.) I'm liking the daily (kinda) posts I did this month, so I'm gonna keep it up for December and do a post each day on something I love about Christmas. Advent calendar style.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I'm so sad the break is over already. I caught up on so much sleep, homework and shows, it was so relaxing. Having the apartment to yourself is really nice, but I'm excited for everyone to start coming home again :)
Thanksgiving was really great. The best part about staying in Provo is that everyone feels sorry for you, so I ended up having three Thanksgiving meals. I had a delicious meal at my wonderful boss, Elaine's house, as well as a dessert and movie night at Leah's. The next day (where I only bought stuff online, I'm not crazy enough to stand in line for hours when I have no money in the first place), our high counselor, Brother Loveland, had us at his house for yet ANOTHER delicious feast. Needless to say, I was in a food coma for two days straight.
Bro. Loveland went all out. And I highly appreciated it.
Also, this weekend I did something a little extreme... I dyed my hair. Brown. Well, more of a red-brown. But it is definitely different than anything I've ever done. Not sure what exactly possessed me to do it, but I've been wanting to for a while. And I think it turned out good. At least everyone assures me it did. I'm still getting used to it.
Today I am thankful for everything I haven't mentioned! I know, kind of a cop out, but it's impossible to list everything you're grateful for. There's too much! Like they say in White Christmas, "If you're feeling sad and can't go to sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep."
Today, I am grateful for myself. No, I'm not being vain. I just mean I really am truly grateful for my personality, my habits, my body, everything. This will be kind of an introspective post, so bear with me.
This semester, something I've been struggling with is coming to terms with the fact that I can't please everyone. Not everyone is going to like me. As someone who tries to be friendly with everyone, this can hurt sometimes. I mean, I think I'm pretty rad. Sure, I like some nerdy stuff, but who doesn't? However, I'm slowly learning to focus more on the people who do truly accept and love you (see Day 9) rather than trying so hard to please people who never will, Because some people are just rude. And that's all there is to it.
It's been a 20-year process and I don't think I'll ever truly be satisfied (who ever is?!), but I'm coming to peace with who I am. If you don't like it, then I don't care. I'm not going to change who I am to get you to like me. I've been done with that for a while.
I found this on someone else's blog, and I loved the blunt honesty behind it. So here goes:
Ten facts about me that probably won't change for a while:
1) I'm really sarcastic. 2) I hate when others are rude and I hate being rude myself. I will lose all respect for you if you talk bad about a person behind their back. People are people, no matter if you find their blog design/fashion choices/sense of humor weird or different from your own tastes. Get over it and learn to love people for who they are. Something I need to work on is calling people out on this. I'm the most non-confrontational person I know. 3) I'll never be a fashionista, a hipster, indie chic, whatever. I'm from the Midwest. I love jeans, t-shirts, comfy shoes. I'm not looking to impress anyone; if I'm going to dress cute, I'm going to do it for myself (And let's be real - girls dress up to impress other girls, not guys). I'd rather sleep in an extra half hour than worry about my outfit or hair. Sue me. 4) I have an obsession with television. If you don't watch TV, you probably won't understand half of my jokes. Along with that, I love some pretty nerdy stuff. (See: Harry Potter, LOST, AV Club) 5) I won't apologize for my music. My playlist is the most eclectic thing I've ever seen. And yes, country music is great. 6) If you want to make me mad, bail when I make plans with you. It's getting to the point where I don't even want to make plans. I'm over it. 7) I'm a mess. Check out my room. Or rather, please don't. 8) I like food and I hate working out. Not a great combination. Trying to find a solution :) 9) I hate being super peppy. I refuse to participate in outdoor running games or getting-to-know-you games. I dislike small talk; I enjoy deep conversations. I love sad, dialogue-heavy, artistic movies. I think any chick flick starring Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson, or Sarah Jessica Parker is the worst. I'm a pop culture snob and I won't hold it against you if you actually like Adam Sandler, but I probably will secretly judge you. 10) All of this will probably get deleted in the future because I won't be so tired/moody and realize none of this is a big deal.
So that's me. Warts and all. Just to let you know, I like plenty about myself. Check out the beauty challenge I did last year. Actually, I love myself. I'm grateful for the way God made me. I couldn't imagine me any other way (Actually, I could, but that's a story for another day :)
Ok, enough of the self-deprecation. (#alienatingeveryoneIknow). Here's a little something to ease the tension. I'm obsessed with this song. I LOVE ADELE.
Today there is a benefit concert for Haley Stonehocker, a wonderful 18-year-old woman who is battling two horrible, incurable diseases. Just hearing her story made me want to cry. She has so much life ahead of her, but she can't do anything with it. this makes me so grateful for every day that I am able to do something that I love. Or even that I don't love (geography paper, I'm looking at you).
I don't have the perfect body or the perfect health. But I am strong enough to live my life. I don't have any crippling diseases or conditions. I need to take better care of myself, because hearing stories like Haley's makes me realize how grateful we have to be for each second that we are healthy enough to keep moving forward, because it may not be like that forever.
Maybe I should actually start playing basketball :)
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." - Anais Nin
What would life be like without friendship? I for one, would never like to find out. I'm so grateful for every person that's touched my life in some way, and even more grateful for those who have managed to stay in it long enough to touch it for good. I love you all :)
I love my job. I have the best bosses and coworkers. I get to see the basketball players all the time and I get free food. it's super chill and I get to refine my customer service skills. We have a lot of fun, even in the baseball booth in the freezing cold on a Saturday night. I love it.
If you know me at all, you know I love TV. I love a good story, and television is the best way to bring a great story to life. You can see it better visually than in a book, and the story is more fleshed out compared to a movie.
Here is just a small sampling of some of my favorites:
Arrested Development
Community
Lost
Parks and Rec
The Vampire Diaries
Veronica Mars
Like I said... only a small sampling. Didn't I mention my dream job is to do PR for a TV network? Cuz it is.
Today my Grandpa and his new wife came and took me out to dinner. (I'm so grateful for them too!) With both of them having been raised in Mexico, they knew all the best Hispanic restaurants in the area. We went to Mi Ranchito and it was sooo good.
Imagine how boring this world would be if each culture liked the same food. Ugh. We'd miss out on all this deliciousness:
I'm a foodie, and I love to travel. And that's why I'm grateful for delicious ethnic foods.
