i can be a bit of both. :)
about a month ago, i wrote how i would rev my passion for art by creating at least one work each week. yeah…that hasn’t happened yet. looking over my 43 things jogged my memory. and so here’s my “piece” for this week, which i drew in my calendar.
it’s not much…but it’s something! :)
i used to go to the campus fitness center with my roomie a few times a week. stepping out into the sunlight after 30 minutes on the elliptical and a few strength-toning exercises would feel great! but…the routine fell away, of course.
i can’t remember the last time i broke into a run…or fast walk. hmm.
i want to find something that i can look forward to doing everyday, simultaneously burning thousands of calories at the same time! i’m thinking that my learning to ballrooom dance goal would fit in with this…
anyone know of regular dancing events/lessons…free ones?? :)
in the meantime, i shall try incoporating more movement into my everyday life (walking…jogging…running, eventually). baby steps are better than nothing! and i have to start doing SOMETHING if i want to run a 5k…someday!!
my family is very important to me, but living on my own (with one roomie) has been WONDERFUL. stress-relieving and refreshing…even with the bills! ;)
in high school, i was all about drawing and painting…just creating in general. i would work on personal projects and bounce from one idea to another.
i haven’t picked up a paintbrush or pencil in what seems like forever. maybe it’s because my priorities have changed? or i’m not feeling the urge like i used to?
i know it’s all simply a matter of taking the time for myself to just DO it. i want to discover my passion for art again. each week, i’m going to create one thing. and to hold myself accountable, maybe i’ll post pictures…
maybe.
:)
i went on a date the other night!
this is with someone i’ve met online, and on the whole, it went very well. :) i can’t get over how easy it was to talk to him and just have fun. i must admit i did have a few butterflies, but it was ultimately better than i imagined.
i have a good feeling about this. :)
and…i’ve realized that i CAN pull off a date. ;) at least this is moving in the right direction. i haven’t had many dates at all. (i can be quite a homebody.)
this is good progress. :)
i spent two months in south korea right before high school to visit my mom’s family. :)
what i remember about korea is that there were many, many high rise apartment buildings. they looked like dominoes from a distance. my mom told me then that koreans have to build up because they can’t build out. :)
i would love to go back someday and visit other countries as well, especially india and china. my mom and sister are heading to south korea later this month, and i am envious! my sister will also be in mongolia for a week on a missions trip…very exciting. though a bit scary. i am definitely keeping them in my prayers.
gave blood yesterday, and i think it might have been my sixth or seventh time. it wasn’t one of the best times as they had to move the needle around…and apparently, my bloodflow slowed down a lot. but, i was up and running within the following 20 minutes, and i feel good about giving what i can to help others. :)
i know others, particularly my sister, who have a horrible time giving blood even when visiting the doctor. so i am truly thankful that the experience (usually) isn’t too painful for me.
a couple weeks ago, i volunteered at a camp for kids with special needs.
it was hard.
it was also AMAZING.
right before leaving for camp, i was pretty anxious. i haven’t really worked with certain disabilites before: autism, physical handicaps (kids who might be in wheelchairs), and many others. my sister has down’s syndrome (and she’s a huge part of why i’ve decided to become a special ed. teacher), but i’ve pondered at times whether my experience really qualifies me for this profession? and so, i wanted to get more involved with programs (in this case, a summer camp) that focuses its mission and resources on special-needs children.
i’m very thankful i did. :) (my sister went last year as a camper, and she kept assuring me that i’d be just fine! hehe.)
it feels like god has gently steered me down this path. things are unbelievingly falling into place, very well. i’ll have a graduate assistantship in the fall; it will cover my entire tuition as well as issue me a stipend. i’ll also be back working in the library on campus, which was a very enjoyable job. :) everything’s come at such a perfect time. i know that this opportunity is truly meant for me to go out of my comfort zone and actually make REAL differences in the lives of youth.
and oh man, is it going to be challenging. at times, i might become overwhelmed, scared, ashamed, dissatisfied with my performance, angered…but! i know that with this, as with everything in my life, god is beside me always. i will make it. and i am excited for what the future holds!
:)
i graduated with a bachelor of arts in english/professional writing almost a year ago (august 2007). :)
my undergraduate career was quite a doozy. i started off at the university of cincinnati as a premedical track, biomedical engineering major. sounds like fun, right? ;) i quickly realized that wasn’t my thing. i decided to be true to my heart, moved back home, and commuted to wright state university, studying english. i love english—the grammatical rules, the boundless forms of literature, the history of its origin. and so, here i am.
i possess an english degree, and i work in a public library. on the whole, i enjoy this. :) but! i’ve decided to go back to school…to become a teacher (in special education)! feel free to check out my become a teacher goal entries…;)
good luck to all those pursuing undergrad. degrees! stay strong and have faith. it all comes to completion. and it is absolutely worth the sometimes laborious, but mostly enjoyable journey. :)
p.s. for some reason, i choose not to capitalize on this site…usually, i’m a stickler about these things, obviously. ;) it’s interesting. in all things though, i like consistency, and since my goals are all lowercase, why not my entries?
actually, i just realized something:
i do sit down and write long, long, long passages…in my emails, that is. hehe. (my friends can attest to this.)
so. what i really need to do is focus that energy on writing my story! ;)
there’s a studio pretty close to where i live. and every now and then, it calls out to me…
there’s just one more thing:
i need a partner. :)
i’m not the type to sit down and write long passages that just seem to pour out (oh how envious i am of those who can and do this very thing!), but… “one of these days” i hope to piece together a novel so full of hope, joy, and love…as well as despair, turmoil, and grief…so that others might be encouraged, provoked, or what have you…so that they’ll FEEL something. and…so that they’ll learn something about themselves and others. above all, i want to share the good news—how god gave his son for us, how his son DIED for us, how no matter what we do, he loves us still.
forevermore.
always.
that’s all i can do.
i seem to change my mind everyday. i think to myself, “yes. i want to fall in love, get married, and have children.”
but then i wonder…do i want all that right now??
and so, i am leaving it all in god’s hands. truly. whatever happens is what should happen. i’ve decided to keep my heart and mind open to whoever comes my way, but i’m not going to pine after what others (i.e. most all my friends) have, and i do not.
i’m placing my trust and deepest desires in god.
i’ve bought myself an acoustic guitar (albeit a cheap one from target, but it’s a start!)
i know a few chords: g, eminor, c (kind of having trouble with finger position on this one), gadd5, cadd9, d
and now i’m trying to get some strumming down so i can play songs!
eventually i hope to be comfortable enough whilst playing so that i can accompany myself and my sisters when we sing special music in church—we’ll see how long that takes!!
god is so good! and i am continually amazed at the blessings in my life: family, friends, work, school, opportunities, changes…this past sunday, a dear friend of mine was saved in church!
it’s only though jesus. :)
i hope and pray to always, always, always live by faith. at times it can be a struggle. ultimately, i want to look back on my life knowing that i not only persevered in faith, but lived by it as well, putting it into action daily!
this goal will be on my list for a very long time. :)
i’ve enrolled back into school for my masters in special education/intervention specialist! will be full-time this fall, after having worked at a public library for little over a year. very excited. :)
