Grrreeat

Life's just great. I've been incredibly busy. Hectic. Tired. Ridiculously stressed. But I'm getting better. The yearbook is going great (I'm the editor-in-chief) and I have the most wonderful staff ever!

The school year is ending and it's really dawning on me that by this time next year I'll, hopefully, have contract for a school in Alaska in hand. It doesn't seem possible. Am I really that old already? I'm going to be a teacher! It's absolutely insanity!

absolutely everywhere

Well, today was my last day of "classes." Of course, on Fridays I only have practicum in the morning and no classes in the afternoon so it was pretty nice. Today was my last day of morning practicum! Next semester it will be in the afternoon.

I absolutely love the kids I'm working with. Today we actually got left alone with the students. Our mentor teacher had to get some stuff set up in the auditorium so Leah and I were it. Things went absolutely wonderfully.

For some reason I'm absolutely exhausted. I'm really ready for a break. This next week will be quite interesting though. I actually have to pretend somone is moving into my room and have half of my drawers cleaned out, half of my closet emptied, one of the desks emptied, half of the wall space cleared off, and one of the beds stripped. Not only do I have some major cleaning of my room to do but also all of the projects and stuff that's due. Hopefully I'll be able to get things done.

On a completely random side note, I'm watching an older movie with James Beluchi and Michael Caine (the gay fashion consultant from Miss Congeniality) and he has a perm. It looks kind of funny actually...

endings and beginnings

I have no idea who Maria Robinson is but, as I was wandering around different "famous quotes" sites instead of working on my annotated bibliography I found this quote: "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." In some ways, this quote really resonated with me because it made me think about the endless possibilities of endings I have in my life. I don't know if I necessarily want to think of my life in terms of an "ending" right now because it seems like it hasn't even really begun yet. I don't mean to say that I have not had rich, wonderful, painful experiences - I definitely have. What I mean to say is that all of my life so far has been a preparation for what will begin in a year and a half, when I graduate from college - and for the first time in my life - have the ability to "write my own story."

The possibilities and options I have can be a little intimidating. I don't want to screw up my life because of something stupid and transient - something that I might think is important at the time but in reality, I'm only fooling myself. I have a tendency to do this and I finally realize it. At least I realize it now, but what will happen when the situation presents itself again? Will I be able to be completely myself and actually know who that is? Will I stay strong in my values and dreams I have for my life? Or will I conform to what I think that person wants me to be and fool myself into believing that is who I am and that is what I want?

Right now I am so incredibly excited about the wide open world that is right there at my fingertips. I have been praying about it and thinking about it for a while now and I am leaning very heavily towards teaching in Alaska when I graduate. The exploring that I am doing in relation to that plan is thrilling! I can hardly wait until I graduate so I can start doing this whole teaching thing! I know, plans might change. But right now I am excited to have something to be excited about, something that is completely mine and is what I want and is a dream I have. I don't have to make another person happy.



This picture is one I took at Letchworth State Park. I love the tiny wild daisy as the focus of the whole expanse of picture.

My first blog ever

This is kind of sad in a way. This is my absolute first blog. Sure I've had my share of myspace and facebook type things but this is my first blog. I think I already said that...

So I'm not sure exactly what kind of thing this will be for me or who will even read it. I guess it's just a place where I can post cool pictures and ramble on about whatever comes to mind. For now, I will wait until I have something more meaningful to say...