song stuck in my head

Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say

Summer in review

Tomorrow begins a new semester. Like always there is the excitement of a new beginning along with the dreaded stress that we both know lingers in the future. I really hate to see this summer go but at the same time I am ready as ever.

This summer has been unique to say the least. I have fallen in love with about 50 senior citizens. I absolutely treasured every minute I was around them ( well .. most minutes).  Each day was totally different than the last and more unpredictable than ever. You really never know what to expect. For example; Erna would hide her lunch in her shirt... Kay would ask me to milk her air conditioner.... and Dorthy would joke about being pregnant. They were a huge part of my summer... a part that I am surprisingly going to miss. However due to this job those long nights on my driveway were limited and those lazy days by the pool were sparse. Two things that I missed terribly. However, they were not missed nearly as much as the company I would have been with. Missing out on this is something that I have been honestly bummed about. But I guess that's life. :-/

I also fell in love with an amazing guy. He has swept me off my feet. You know that guy you see in the movies and read about in books. That guy that no one thinks actually exists. Well I found him. And not gonna lie it's a pretty cool feeling :-)

This summer has also introduced me to an old house on church street. Living with 7 other girls will be an adventure to say the least but it has been really neat to be surrounded by 7 vastly different people. We can be totally insane around each other ( sometimes a little Too insane ).  I still am not quite sure how it all will fly once school picks up.... hopefully it will go as smoothly as possibly ( but with 8 girls it most likely wont haha) but one thing is for sure: I will never be lonely.

Like all summers this summer as given me some downtime ( not as much as previous years) where i could just sit outside and be. That is one of my favorite things about the season. I love to go for crazy long walks and just think about everything and everyone.   I got a little much needed "amanda time" which has allowed to mentally straighten a bunch of stuff out ( but that is for another blog)

As I sit here my mind is racing with a million things I still have to do before tomorrow comes ( and yet I am still blogging). But on top of everything... I just cant get over how blessed I am. :-) 

never too old for Dr. Seuss :-)

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you." 

 

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells." 

 

 "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." 

 

 "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." 

 

"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good."

"So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains."

 
"ASAP. Whatever that means. It must mean, 'Act swiftly awesome pacyderm!" 

 

-Dr. Seuss 

 

 

Some pretty solid advice.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…

what we are supposed to do.

" we graduated from high school because that was what we were supposed to do. We applied to college because that was what we were supposed to do. We attended college because that was what we were supposed to do. We declared a major because that was we were supposed to do. And soon we will graduate because again, that is what we are supposed to do.  What is next though? The world stopped telling us what we are supposed to do next. Thanks world. " - a person.


When I heard this come out of one of my friends mouth's I couldn't help but snicker to myself. It is actually kinda true. The world has mapped out every step of our lives up until this point. So what's next?  Anything. We can literally do anything. kinda cool to think about.

happy

loving life... couldn't ask for anything more.
I'm excited to see what happens next. BRING IT.
 

already am, always was, and I still have time to be

If you haven't heard of Anis Mojgani then get ready to fall in love with him:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znIXyFh6dsI