Quotes: Everything Is Possible

"Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives." [Paulo Coehlo, The Alchemist]

Quotes: At the end of the day

"That's how I try to structure my life: to try to do what will produce the best memories for later...At the end of the day, even if you didn't accomplish anything, you'll have these great memories of all the people you've met and all the places you've been and all these things that you've done and all this time that you've shared with your friends." [Kris Roe, The Ataris.]

Quotes: Tears of Love

"The very thought of someone I love uncontrollably who returns that compassion, to be holding me...To blur everything surrounding you out...The world spins on in black and white but you are living every second in such sharp colors that it's blinding.  The touch of only his finger tips somehow warms you from head to toe, heart and soul. It makes you want to cry; whether it's because of the perfection or because of the fear that the moment might end--that I don't know.  If only you could save those tears, so when it's over you could drink them and experience it once more." [January 2002]

Constant Wedding Bells

I feel like my summer has been consumed by one wedding related event after another! It's been showers, bachelorette parties, ceremonies and receptions nonstop! I feel really bad for the number of showers I have had to miss--usually due to having some other prior wedding commitment. Just check out this list:

1. Beth's Wedding (had to miss the shower for a track meet)
2. Michelle's Clan Woman Shower
3. Michelle's Louisville Shower (missed second Louisville shower due to work)
4. Michelle's Bachelorette Party (missed second day of bachelor party due to work)
5. Nic and Michelle's Rehearsal
6. Nic and Michelle's Wedding
7. Kelli's Shower (missed due to work)
8. Kelli's Bachelorette Party
9. Kelli and Brandon's Rehearsal
10. Kelli and Brandon's Wedding
11. Meagan's Shower --> This Weekend, but I'm missing due to Grandma's birthday in Ohio
12. Meagan Bachelorette Party is Sept. 6
13. Meagan's Wedding is Oct. 4

So I'm getting my full dosage of weddings and marriage without ME actually coming anywhere near it...which is definitely a good thing! The latest event, of course, was Kelli's wedding, which I was honorably a part of. At the rehearsal dinner I sat next to a friend of Kelli and Brandon's, also by the name Brandon, and after confirming that I was a Casey County/basketball friend, he asked if it was weird for me to see Kelli getting married and if it was something I had ever thought I'd see way back in our young days. And, I don't know, it is a weird question to answer...

Honestly, it's something I have thought about with every one of the weddings I have been to where it was one of MY friends up on the alter--not

 one of my parents' friends or an older relative--someone whom I have considered a peer all of my life--an equal. And I 

suppose it is weird. All of these people are my equals, yet I don't see myself as anywhere close to being able to be married! Then again, I have always been way behind all of my "equals" on the dating scene... when they were on their fourth/fifth/sixth relationship, I was hoping for my first kiss! I mean, I still have trouble dealing with the concept of a--dare I say the word--boyfriend! But what is beautiful is that these people I am watching my peers unite with are people I can no longer imagine them without.

And the main thing is that I believe I am finally coming to realize that these things are no long "weird."  Instead they are now NORMAL in m

y life.  Believe it or not we ARE growing up, and while it is something I never wanted to do, I am actually okay with it.  Life continues to be an adventure--and best of luck to all of my dear friends who have just begun a WONDERFUL adventure with someone else! 

My "Small World" Life Strikes Again!

Maybe it's because I grew up in a small town environment...but even now that I am venturing further and further into the "big world" I am loving what a SMALL word we live in.

I was just about the first one to show up to work yesterday and as people trickled in it still felt pretty empty--not much chatter on a Monday morning. But the first thing that was said to me most definitely brought a smile to my face as I knew the conversation could only get better... "So you know Kyle Burns?"

When the name Kyle Burns comes up...I know things are going to get interesting. Kyle worked with me during my first summer at GSP as a fellow RA. The best way I can describe why we connected so easily is to tell you that one of the first things we learned about each other was that we had a couple of mutual friends: Steve Hanson and Tommy Antony--as in my Man Clan friends that I have been hanging out with since I was a Bellarmine freshman. So I suppse when he realized I hung out with the likes of those guys, he decided that I was a decent girl...decent enough for him to immediately begin finding ways to give me crap constantly.

I have only seen Kyle once since our six weeks of GSP together and that was very brief. Amazingly enough, though, Kyle seems to always know me oh-so-well and we always seem to cross paths somehow. I have met his cousin, Amanda, who was Steve's high school girlfriend--the reason Kyle knows the Man Clanians. And this past Spring Break he went to Florida with Dani's best friend from high school, Katherine, whom I have also met.

As it turns out, my coworker, David, and Kyle grew up together and have been best friends their entire lives! As I talked with David about how I knew Kyle I also learned that he too knows Steve and Tommy! In fact--Steve, Kyle and David all spent 4th of July weekend together!

My small world story does not stop there, though! Of course I needed to make mine and David's friendship "official" and add him on Facebook and the first thing I did was check to see who all of our mutual friends were. Several Bellarmine folk from the NKY didn't surprise me, nor did Casey Countians who'd attended EKU since that is where David went to college. The name that did surprise was none other than the cousin: IAN ADKINS!

Now, obviously I know that Ian grew up and went to high school in Richmond and EKU is in Richmond, but during the years that David would have attended EKU, Ian was here in Louisville at Bellarmine. I got to the bottom of it this morning, and, of course, there was a mutual friend between David and Ian at Bellarmine. (Whom I actually worked in the residence life office with my freshman year.)

To top off all of this crazy small world business, apparantly through knowing Ian my coworker, David Hobbs, rented out Auntie Joanie's 4th Street apartment while still living in Richmond!

David whom I met last week at my new job, Kyle whom I met two years ago when working together as RAs for GSP, and Steve whom I have been friends with since running track with him at BU as a freshman, have all known each other since their high school days in Northern Kentucky.

New Job, New House

So the new phase has officially begun...

This past weekend brought for a lot of fun and excitement and a lot of farewells. Friday night the "Glory Hole," as our house was named by the one and only Josh Jaso, (Don't get the wrong idea by that name!) hosted it's final event: the "I'm Tanked with Gress" party. The party was a final farewell to Gress as he left this weekend for Columbus, Ohio where he is now working for Honda, a farewell to The Glory Hole, as we are moving out this week and a send off to the newly weds as they headed back to Auburn just yesterday. Thanks to my Uncle Cliff and my Pa, everyone was able to sport their very own "I'm Tanked" tshirt, and whether it was the magical powers of the tshirt itself or beverage consumption influeces, the night was indeed a memorable one. I'm not sure what life in Louisville will be like with out my substitute big brother. I guess there is another reason to visit Columbus besides the Buckeyes.

As of yesterday I am now waking up to head to my real job. The company's name is VuPal and it is a completely new web-based business here in Louisville. The idea is to create websites that are hobby/interest specific with the use of some blogging but mainly video casts. For example, the site I am doing my work for, as of now, is www.foodvu.com. I will be producer for one of the shows that has yet to launch, "FN Crazy", but is directed at all of the Food Network addicts out there, so I have been spending my days becoming an expert on the station and its many shows and hosts. There is so much more drama among the viewers than I ever woudl have guessed--all of their feedback and such about the new shows, old shows, hosts, etc. is rather entertaining.

Everything about this job is completely start up, as I am only an indpendent contractor right now--as is everyone. I sit around a circle of plastic tables with anywhere from four to 12 other people and we all work from our personal laptops. Nearly everyone here is in their early 30s or younger--including two other May 2008 Bellarmine grads. It's definitely going to be a learning experience and an adventure...something I'm always down for!

And finally, this is moving week! Becky, Dani and I got our keys to the new house last Friday and have been dropping stuff off at the house hit and miss. We'll get all of the big stuff over on Friday and get completely settled, which I am rather excited about. It will be sad to say a final goodbye to the Glory Hole...my wonderful purple room, the roof outside my window that was sat upon by so many, the fun backyard and its built in grill (also good for snowball fights in the winter), the fire place used to make s'mores and the wonderfully painted "Dr. Suess" downstairs. The new place, formerly known as the "Sam-Lally House" (we have yet to dub it something new) will be much nicer and easier to upkeep with its smaller size. We'll also miss Quincy the neighborhood cat on Gresham (His real name is Little Star but we didn't learn that until too late--besides, it's a horrible cat name!), but we already have a friendly feline who sits outside our steps regularly, just waiting for a name. The other exciting part about the new crib is our just-down-the-street neighbors: The Man Clan! That's right, "The Bunker" where Steve, Little Ben, Josh and Joe all reside is a walk across the road. This could be glorious or disastrous...we'll just have to wait and see...

A New Beginning (for life and for this blog)

I always told myself that one day I'd begin to blog again, and I have been hoping that post graduation would be the time, so let's see if I can actually follow through with that.  

I know I am fully capable of writing ridiculously lengthy entries, but I am going to do what I can to control what comes natural so these entries are actually of a reasonable length and don't scare people away from reading them.  

I think I'll start with a reflection on the much anticpated event of 2008: Nic and Michelle's wedding.  Since before his proposal I have spoken with friends and family alike about, "When Nic and Michelle getting married..."  What's amazing to me is that their celebration is all that I dreamed it would be and more.  I know that that happened because of the amount of love that was present on July 11.  Love of family, love of friends--old and new alike--and love of two people ready to begin a life together.  I will never be able to convey my feelings about that night and do it justice.  

Many of you joined me at the end of the night as the Backstreet Boys' song came on and we packed together and danced like fools while screaming the words out as if there was no tomorrow.  Some of you stood on the sidelines and wondered what in the world was going on while also noting the apparent friendship that existed among this crazy group of people.  I simply remember being in the heart of it and noting that every face I could possibly want to see was there--my beloved cousins, the girls I have been living with for the past four years, my man clanian friends, Nic and his 'Crew' who are all like big brothers to me, members of the BUTT (track team) from past and present.  

Sometimes I stop and try to wrap my head around just how blessed of a life I have, but even then I can't really do it.  How and why am I so fortunate and what could I ever do to show the gratitude I have for such a blessing?  

With so much of life as I have always known it coming to an end I can't help but be slightly sad and slightly nervous.  College is over--school is over.  Friends are slowly beginning to move away.  A "real job" is on the horizon.  My older brother is married.  My life has been full of so much fun and adventure and I hate to see this era coming to a close.  But then I remind myself of the many things that have come to pass that I hated to say goodbye to.  I can now see that had there not been that goodbye, the events that followed would not have come.  I am fortunate to be able to look to my parents' and aunts' and uncles' lives and see that adventure never has to leave my life as long as I want it there.  I can move ahead into the unknown and continue to make golden memories to add to the countless ones I already have in store as long as I keep myself surrounded by the people that make me happiest.