A fresh start.

I am so thankful for these past few days. I miraculously got all my grading done (and when I say miraculously, I mean...it truly was a miracle...prayers were SO appreciated!), and gave a quick "5 years at WCHS" speech for my pal Brittany Lane. I filled out the end of the year checklist, and handed it in. I then proceeded to be LAZY. I finally got myself to the YMCA - the ladies at water aerobics were all like, "Where have you been? We missed you!" or...maybe I made the "missing you" part up...but they did ask where in the world I have been. Four words: End of the year. SO SO SO busy. Awards night, baccalaureate, giving final exams, proctoring final exams, grading for HOURS, a few more cups of coffee, and more grading. Bribing friends to help me grade, more coffee, skipping church last week to work for another 8 hours to finish grading...going over to school and entering the grades...then Monday's final meetings...bah. So...summer. I have been running errands and cleaning, meeting my counselor at church, laughing with friends, sprucing up my apartment (er...living space...er...part of my landlord's house in which I live...) and ordering textbooks for grad school on Amazon. It's amazing the amount of hours in a day when I am not going to school! Ha! I have been meeting with a counselor at my church for a few weeks now, and it has been so so good for me. I think that for counseling to actually do it's work in someone's life, that someone has to just lay themselves bare - honesty is key. You gotta lay aside insecurities, and realize that the person sitting on the couch across from you is not there to judge you, but to help you. Whew. So much I could say about that....but anyway...it has been so helpful. I am learning so much about myself - things that other people have tried to tell me in bits and pieces, but hearing it from someone who only met me a few weeks ago and can just pick up on little (or big) things in my voice...it's pretty eye-opening. This is getting kinda personal...so I'll just move on... :) I have a really great pal named Whitney. I love her so very much. She has been such a source of encouragement and truth in my life this past year. And last night, she helped me get a fresh start on life. What I mean to say is...she took me to TJ Max Home Goods....and we had a ball. "You are going to feel so much better once we get all this in your...er...part o the house!" she said. A few dollars and a milkshake from The Habit later..we came back to my...part of the house....and started THROWING THINGS AWAY and putting simpler, more beautiful things in place. Like Whit said, I seriously feel like a new person with a completely fresh start after doing just a few things in here. I am telling you - I threw away and recycled SO MUCH JUNK. I wish I could remember her exact words, but Whit said something like, "You have too many boxes," or something way more funny and ironic last night. It was true. I saved boxes from moving here last August...shoe boxes I thought I'd use...I had a Rubbermaid type container with an old sheet in it...all from moving here last August. The container had the name "Aaron" on it. I looked at it and said, "That's from my ex boyfriend..." Whit says, "PITCH IT." BAH! We cleaned out a closet and began to store things with so much more organization....and my favorite parts: a super cute new shower curtain...a super cute little wooden sign that says, "El bano" for my bathroom door...and adding my favorite color to my...living area. TEAL is now making an appearance in here and I feel so good. It's not complete.....Whit says she is willing to paint this place a new color while I type papers for grad school in the coming weeks...and then it will REALLY feel good. Ah......so, if you need a cup of coffee, come on over. You can sit on my couch with the new TEAL blanket and we can watch funny episodes of The Office or something. (I bought a new DVD player last week.....the remote to my old DVD player had lost its function of...working...loooong ago, so I decided to purchase a new one...with a remote that works. And guess what? I hooked it up all by myself. And I promptly began watching episodes of The Office. No joke. Who needs a husband? Psh.......) Alrighty.......well, I gotta live it up today....because tomorrow begins the long journey of grads school classes. Ohhhh boy. I am taking 3...count 'em...3 classes this summer. But for today, I am off to shower a beautiful friend and her soon to be baby boy or baby girl with lots of love. Life. Is. Good. PS: in case you didn't go to church this week (um....I may have skipped this morning.......), take a listen to this. You will not be disappointed. :)