This is not going to be poetic, but oh well.

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The Thankful Post

So, Thanksgiving is tomorrow... Woo! Instead of doing my I Am Thankful post tomorrow, I'm going to do it today. I think I'm allowed to give thanks today.... In fact, I probably should give thanks every day. Don'tcha think?

So, here are a few things for which I am thankful. I am, of course, thankful for the essential things in my life--parents, siblings, extended family, religion, friends, safety, education and all of the other blessings in my life. (Sorry if the word "blessings" is too cheesy, but that's what they are.) I consider myself very, very fortunate to have so many good things. Now, here are a few things off of my "random" list for which I must give thanks.

1. Black Pilot G7 pens. These pens make my handwriting look amazing, plus they don't bleed through any type of paper. And the way they write is so smoooooooth! (I get a little giddy about good pens.)
   
2. Socks. Feet are ugly and cold without socks. That is all. I am especially for my roommates' creative and spunky socks. I have been buying the same white socks since the beginning of high school, so I'm grateful for my friends' more expressive and exciting socks. ;)
   
3. Regina Spektor's music. Her songs are both beautiful and intelligent. In those ways, they remind me of some of my best friends.
4. Going to school close to home. When I was picking a university, I thought I wanted to go far, far away and go to museums and see old buildings and wear turtleneck sweaters in the East. I still want to do that someday (and yes, I will wear turtlenecks), but for now, being in Provo is perfect for me. I am able to come home for holidays, birthdays, family events, and random trips to see the fam. I'm very lucky to be able to do that.
5. Alone time. I've come to be very grateful for alone time since starting college. I love college and I love being around people, but sometimes it's refreshing to spend some time alone with your thoughts.
6. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Thank you, Amber. I am still reeling from the deliciousnessocity of those cookies.

There are countless (literally, countless... I'm not good at math) other things for which I give thanks, but I won't post them all here. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Challenge: please sit down and think about the things for which you are thankful, from the big to the small. Whenever I do this, life gets a whole lot easier.

Gratitude is an uplifting, exalting attitude. You can probably say from experience that you are happier when you have gratitude in your heart. You cannot be bitter, resentful, or mean-spirited when you are grateful.

True to the Faith, Gratitude (see lds.org)

Ch Ch Ch Changes

So, the paper that I was supposed to be writing on Saturday has finally been turned in. I got up at 3 this morning to finish it. Oww.

Next semester will not be like this.

That is a promise I am making to myself.

For some reason, I have always felt that I need to have an overflowing schedule. This year, I am taking 18 credits (the max for BYU), plus I'm a TA for a 3-credit class. I do all the readings that the students do, so I'm effectively taking 21 credits. In addition, I volunteer for a hospice center. I'm currently assigned to three patients, who are scattered across the valley. I also have another job on the side (which frequently gets neglected), 5 great roommates, two ward callings, a boy (hee hee, betcha didn't know that!), a set of fun friends and wardies, and a fab fam. That is quite the lot of things to occupy me. It's probably too much. No, it's definitely too much. My perfectionist self needs to be quiet so I can have a schedule that is Less Than Full to Bursting.

The problem is, I love having all of those things in my life. It's hard to let any of them go. I have to come up with a solution of some sort.

Here is my plan:

1. Take fewer credits next semester. I've narrowed it down to 16, but I think I might be able to whittle it further. I can still have school in my life, just not backbreaking school.
2. Have alone time. It's hard to deal with so many people (even though I love them) all the time. I need to spend time with Me.
3. Sleep. Things take a lot longer if you're exhausted. I might as well sleep and be more efficient.
4. Change the volunteering situation. This one hurts. I love doing the hospice visits, but it's time for me to explore other areas of social work, preferably at places that don't require so much driving. Right now I'm looking @ Wasatch Mental Health, which is almost right next door.
5. Realize that not everyone close to me lives or dies by how much time I spend with them. I am not always available to everyone at the same time. They need to learn that, and so do I.

I think that's good. We'll see how this goes. I am now off to take a quick nap and work on another paper. Peace.

Dancing in bunny pants

It is November 21st. It is 11:30. I am writing a paper that is due at 8a.m. on Monday. I am also blogging. I don't care if I'm wasting time, because sometimes you just need to pull your sweatpants all the way up to your armpits and dance around to music by The Supremes. It's a fact of life--you can't hurry love.

1. Favorite Season: Autumn. I love the colors, the cardigans, the apples, the temperature of the air... Yeeah. It's pretty neat.

2. Favorite physical feature: I like smiles. I don't really think there's such thing as an ugly smile (not if you're smiling sincerely, anyway).

3. Chore you most detest: Laundry and dishes. Ugh. I think I hate them because as soon as you're "done" with laundry or dishes, the job is instantly undone. It's a cycle of death. A rinse cycle of death.

4. Color your hair regularly?: Nope. I don't really ever want to dye my hair. Too much upkeep.

5. Top item on your wish list: A nap.

6. Favorite way to 'scent' your house: Cooking food. It's the only way to get the legit yummo smell, not the canned air variety.


7. What are you eating for dinner tonight: I think Ann is making some yummy chicken casserole thingy tonight. Sunday is the only day of the week when I eat real dinner. Yeah college!


8. Are your toenails painted?: Cha.

9. One thing you splurge on even if $ is tight: Books books books.


10. Post the most recent photo of you:

Yeah for fall photo shoots with roommates!

Tag 8 friends: Umm, I don't think I have that many people who regularly read my blog... Here we go anyway. I tag Rachel @ The Crazy Bakery, Derek @ Running Croft, Lara @ What's Up With the Bells?, and anybody else who wants to do this... Ready, go!