i love lots of things...

i love the way sunscreen reminds me of the beach.

i love ryan seacrest.

i love breyer's vanilla bean ice cream.

i love steven and noah for all the time they've put into making my computer healthy again.

i love the frilly, girly, anne of green gables-esque shirt i just bought at forever21.

i love playing scrabble with way too many people than the game is designed for [and scoring big with words like "quota," "glitz" and "sexy"].

i love sitting in a dark field with friends under a sparkling sky of stars and singing worship songs til late at night.

i love movie nights with jonah and his hoodie that he lets me borrow all the time.

i love margie for giving me a second job [God answers prayer].

i love seeing old friends in the mall and making new ones when you least expect it.

i love leaving anonymous notes on friends' cars.

i love sitting in the living room with mom and dad, talking about the funny things that happen to us in life between mouthfuls of freshly popped pop corn.

i love cathleen and the fact that no matter what, she is there [always].

i love getting random phone calls from noah and the funny things we talk about [and of course the "later helga" that ends each conversation].

i love the steady, predictable sound of my fan humming away in the window.

i love watching mary drive away in her old man car and oversized sunglasses.

i love watching old marilyn monroe flicks with cax and anne and eating garlic bread pizza ridiculously late at night.

i love steven's iced coffee and pam's amazing banana bread with cream cheese filling [they make work a happier place].

yes, these are a few of the things i love.

do you ever get that really scary gut feeling that you're going to end up marrying the guy you swore you'd never date?

[yeah].

Mediocre. I hope that my name and that term never appear in the same sentence enless they are referring to the level of skill that I posess in the field of mathematics. And even then they would not belong because to say that I am mediocre in mathematics is like saying that Hugh Jackman is an ugly man. It is simply not true; each of the previous statements are a falsehood. I wish I was mediocre in mathematics; that would be several levels up from what I am at this present moment.

But that is beside the point of what I am trying to say.

I wish to lead an elaborate life. I do not mean elaborate in the way that many might take that; eating in a stuffy dining room off of fine china each night and shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue on a bi-weekly basis.
I mean elaborate as in learning to embrace and make the most of the moments and experiences in life that come to us for such for such a short time. That sounds rather cliche and perhaps it is. If the cliche truly bothers you, click the little X in the corner of your screen and you'll be rid of my sappy babble. Otherwise, humor me for a few more sentences.

On a regular, never-ending basis, I [we] am faced with choices, with opportunities, with decisions. Some are bigger than others. Will I wear a pink shirt or a blue shirt? Should I stop at Wawa and buy the cup of coffee I've been craving all day or safe that $1.89 for something I really need? Should I switch my major to something I enjoy more even though its less practical? Should I date this person?

It is easy to just take these moments that face us in life as normal, everday, predictable decisions. Recently, I have been reminded of the importance of every decision we make in life. This is not to be one of those posts that is to revolutionize the way you think about your life. But it is a nice reminder of the fact that just because things become routine in life does not mean they do not hold importance and significance.

The moments in life when you're out on your friend's trampoline at 11:30 at night? Embrace that; its a memory. Those thirty minutes you have with the little five-year-old who climbs into your lap and wants nothing else than to just snuggle? Embrace that; they'll remember. The sore back you get from bending over and picking up the endless array of popcorn kernels from the floor at church? Embrace that; that simple act is blessing someone else. The time he feels like his life is a failure and you know what Bible verse he needs to hear? Embrace that; God will use you.

Living a life of mediocre moments is like gazing at a pond covered in a layer of scum that continues to thicken as the hot summer days yawn past; uninspiring and nauseating. Instead, I seek to live an elaborate life; one that embraces the little moments and finds some way to make them sparkle and glisten like the clear waters of a fresh water pond.

observations and happenings from the past few days:

1. jonah and i discovered an unbelievably talented band from PA. they're called Halestorm. if you ever want to hear power chords and vocals, you've found the band. [they're especially good with the windows down and the radio blasting as you drive down South Street in Philly :-p]

2. gregg says: i touched your shoulder as if to say, 'we're still good buddies.' [i love him.]

3. boys who wear watches often drive old school cars and wear glasses. i like those boys.

4. at 7:00 this morning i was driving ashley to the philly airport. we were listening to 98.1 WOGL [one of the best radio stations ever], and a song had just finished playing. i randomly began to sing the opening line of "stay'in alive" by the beegees and not two seconds later, what song came on? "stay'in a live" by the beegees. how weird is that?

5. the movie Juno has the best soundtrack ever. i am blown away every time i hear it. how can one soundtrack be so good?

6. yesterday we bought the most amazing cheese in the entire world at the cheese shop in the Italian Market on 9th street. i wish i could remember the name of it.

7. i have become a pro at instructing my friends on how to order a Geno's Philly cheesesteak the proper way. if you need educated, just give me a buzz. it's an art.

8. i'm pretty sure ashley and i have consumed a record amount of junk food and amish rootbeer in the past 6 days. we should win a prize or something.

9. jonah and i sat in their music studio and talked about the greater things of life while listening to old cheesy songs that he wrote years ago. those are my favorite times with friends.

10. this weather makes me want to put on a sundress and go picnicking in a meadow.

have you ever loved and cared about someone so much that it causes your insides to ache?

yeah.

I think God is teaching me patience.

I wish He would hurry up.

.[smile].

Yesterday was a delicious day.

You know those days where you can tell that nature is bowing to the Glory of God? Cruising along in my junky little VW, I admired the lush green hue of the trees as I drove to church. You could almost hear the trees singing their praises to the Heavens as they were kissed by the gentle pitter patter of raindrops falling from the charcoal sky.

Church was amazing in every single way. Sometimes you feel like Jesus is sitting right next to you, whispering in your ear, "that was meant for you," after every single sentence that is preached. Those times where you feel the Holy Spirit so tightly wrapped around you that there is a warmth; a tangible warmth that you can't help but feel. It's so warm, so cozy, so safe. You never want Him to let you go. Never, ever. Yesterday was one of those days.

The early part of my afternoon was a conglomeration of fried chicken, laughter and Highschool Musical 3. I drove home listening to the Beatles, and wishing I could have been one of those adoring, screaming, pigtail wearing, pre-pubescent girls back in the day.

At home, my house was filled with roughly forty people... so many children, and laughing adults... so much noise! It was wonderful. I love coming home to utter chaos. I spent quality time with my brother and trecked back to West Chester. I'm sure many people thought I was a grandma driver... I took every turn at about 10mph because my tires are bald and the roads were covered in water. I really need to take Sir Cantankerous into the shop for some work.

The rest of my evening consisted of showtunes around the piano, recalling childhood memories with close friends, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Barbara Streisand's voice in Funny Girl and learning that some people are brought into your life to bring you the most amazing joy and the biggest challenges, all in one moment.

Yes, yesterday was a good day.

I have absolutely nothing to do today. Nothing. I have not felt this way since Monday, January 12th. What an unbelievably odd, yet strangely wonderful feeling. So what shall I do? I believe I will do things like drive to the library and take out a ridiculously large stack of books. I'll set it on my end table so that every morning and night I'll be reminded that I only have a few weeks left in summer and I must get them all read. I'm going to brew myself a pot of loose-leaf tea and curl up in my bed. Perhaps I'll turn on Oklahoma! and watch Hugh Jackman be the most amazing "Curly" in the world. Yes, that is what I shall do today.

Oh summer, how I love you.

i am DONE finals. done. done. done. best feeling EVER.

despite the relief, it's been a weird week. strange relationship things going on. strange emotional things going on. and on top of it all, i have been having a hard time sleeping and have hardly eaten anything. all of that is probably connected in a weird way.

oh well, thank God for coffee and tea. these substances keep one alive. :)