Joining the party...

No matter what happens in life, I realize I am an extremely lucky. This week has been one of my busiest in a long time. Starting a new job, still going to school, taking my car in for check-up's, taking myself in for a check-up, playing and coaching volleyball. But despite the fact that I may be slightly sleep deprived (due to the fact that God should have made like 30 hour days lol) I realize I am very blessed. I have a job that most people would love to have right out of college, especially in this job market. I'm almost finished with school, but have been so lucky to have an amazing professor, advisor, AMA advisor, and friend in Wes. And also to have made some wonderful friends through AMA! I still get to play a sport I am extremely passionate about and I also get to share that passion with young girls by coaching!! I get to see my best friend a couple of times a week and have girl time! And recently I have joined the party called ZUMBA!!!
Zumba is a latin dance aerobics class. Chelsea teaches a class at Rio on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 5:30. She does a mix of latin and hip hop music and it is such a great workout! I have become more aware of my health lately and want to get myself into better shape and into a better lifestyle! So I recommend you to get out there and find something fun that will help you become healthier. Find a Zumba class near you, or some other class or activity that you enjoy doing! If you enjoy it, your more likely to stick with it!! So get out there and join the party called life!!

Reality check

I got up early this morning and ran some errands, went to the tanning bed, stopped by a friends house to wish her happy birthday, and grabbed some soup for lunch. I came home and decided I wanted to be lazy and just lounge/nap until going out with some friends tonight. I was almost half asleep when my phone rang, it was my friend that is currently in a rehab facility about 3 1/2 hours from home (long story). He gets about 15-30 minutes a day on the phone and he usually calls his parents and me. :) He got longer time on the phone today because its visitation day. Everyone else in the facility had visitors except for him and 2 other people. This makes me feel bad, but he says it doesn't bother him. He usually doesn't talk about to much on the phone, not enough time; but today was different. He's slowly telling me more and more about his past, which doesn't change how I feel about him, it only makes me care more and realize how much he has changed. He also talked about what he was going do today and how he gets bored because there isn't much to do (obviously he isn't allowed to do much). This made me feel bad for how I wanted to spend my day and reminded me that there are better ways to spend my time rather than sleeping.
So I'm more motivated now, I'm going to work on mid-term study guides, take my dog for a walk and especially cherish the time I get to spend tonight with some close friends! Last night I got to enjoy time with my best friend, her husband and his mom. We didn't go out and eat a fancy meal, or go spend money on a movie. We played monopoly for almost 3 hours! And it was the most fun I have had in a very long time. It's amazing what joy the simplest things can bring you in life!

After Months of Dead Ends...

Well today I officially joined the real world and got my first full time job! I'm still in school until May, but I only have classes two days a week so I have had a lot of free time since October because I have been job hunting. Well a couple of weeks ago I applied for a job with Ohio Valley Bank that I had heard about through a friend. I was called in a couple of days later for an informal interview with a really nice lady named Marilyn in the HR department. That interview went really well, she liked me and said she would pass my application and her notes along to the managers in charge of hiring. She told me it would be a long shot because I can only work 4 days a week (because I coach club volleyball on Sundays as well as going to school). But she told me if this didn't work out now, to give her a call a couple of weeks before graduation and she would see what was open. Well needless to say, I wasn't expecting to hear anything else. 2 days later, I get a call about setting up a formal interview with the 2 branch managers that were in charge of hiring. I still figured it was a long shot even though they seemed to really like me too. So this past Wednesday I get called in to take a survey, afterwards I am sitting with another lady from HR talking about my interviews and the survey and such when I say something about the job being a long shot for me to get. The lady gives me a strange look and says, "No, the managers have recommended you for the job and we will work around your school schedule." (Which by the way, the managers told me they don't really work around school schedules) I was pretty much shocked! She said we are willing to make you a verbal offer, contingent on you passing a drug test. (I knew at this point I was getting the job.) So this morning I got the call, I start my orientation on Monday and training the week after!! I'm really excited, it's the first job I have had that will pay more than minimum wage and it has vacation and sick time! Of course, this also means I will be working 32 to 40 hours in the 4 days I am available and for the next 2 months I won't have a day off, but oh well....I have a JOB!!!!! Real world here I come! (I'll regret that statement someday I'm sure)

Life's Big Questions...

Tonight I was on the phone with a friend of mine who has struggled in life, mostly through no ones fault but his own and he knows this. Well he said he has had a lot of time to think and he is trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He said to me, "I'm almost 25, I should have some idea by now." I replied, I ask myself the same thing all of the time. I'll be 23 this year and will graduate in 2 1/2 months and I have no clue what I'm gonna do. I think I should have some idea too! He said, "Maybe I should move somewhere and try to go to another school." I told him maybe that is what he needs to do, but no one can make the decision of what's best for him except for him. Same thing goes for me. Sure I'll take suggestions, but ultimately the decision is mine. And you know what? Maybe I won't know exactly what I want to do until I'm 30 or older, maybe I need to get out of this sleepy little town and experience life a little more before I know where my life is heading! I may be graduating in a couple months, and he may be almost 25 with no idea what to do in life, but who says we have to have it all figured out by a particular deadline?? And what is that deadline? I think it's different for everyone and that's what makes life interesting. How can I know what I want out of life, when I don't know what all options are out there? I can't. So my answer to this big question that life throws at you is: I'll let ya know when I figure it out, but in the mean time I'm gonna enjoy the journey to the answer!

The Olympics

Watching the olympics makes me realize what true sacrifice and dedication is. These athletes give up everything else in life to compete at such a high level and they excel at their chosen sport. I know I am guilty of thinking I have given up things in life and it was hard, these people make me realize I don't truely know what sacrifice is. I wish I could say I could be that dedicated to something, but honestly I'm not sure that I could. One of the female athletes that was just on is only 18 yrs old. Can you imagine the pressure, at that age on this large of a stage, to perform well? It amazes me what these people are capable of. I love watching the Olympics, summer or winter games, and now I have a new appreciation for the people that compete in these sports. Not to mention they make me want to find something in my life to be really driven about and to have such a strong dedication to. Now I just have to figure out what exactly that would be! :)

Late night thinking...

Its interesting to me how much thinking I really do late at night. Late nights have become a habit for me lately and I'm not entirely sure whether that is a good or bad thing yet. Last week there was a night I stayed up til 5am...what in the world does a person do at 5am?? Well I'm not sure about other people, but I generally reflect on things. I love the night. I love the peace, quiet and overall stillness that just seems to envelop the world. And the snow seems to make things even more still, its just an amazing thing to witness. One of those miracles some people don't take the time to stop and notice. The stillness lets me sit calmly and think....reflect.
Like tonight, I was reflecting on friends that I don't have as much contact with as I would like. Thats no ones fault but my own and I realize this, it just seems as though life has led us in different directions. I was thinking of one friend in paricular, shes the one that gave me the idea to start this blog (inadvertently I would say). Lindsey is someone I will always call a friend no matter how much time passes between our talks or visits and no matter how many miles are in between us, because thats how much of an impact on my life she has had. Shes just one of those people that can alwasy brighten your day, even on her worst days. Shes just an amazing person. Lately I have thought more of her because she recently called and told me shes getting married this year. I feel so happy for her because she finally found someone that deserves her and everything she is about. Congrats Lindsey!!
However, while I am happy for her, this leads me to another train of thought: did I miss something somewhere along the line?? Almost all of my friends are married or almost married and I am NOwhere near anything like that. I know I can't compare myself to others, everyone is different; but it still makes me stop and wonder... I realize I am not ready for the lives most of my friends have successfully built, but someitmes I wish I had the slightest glimmer that some aspects of those lives lie ahead for me. But then again, Life is a long road and I have barely begun my journey along it.