The last two spring and summer semesters have been the same: a class or two, maybe a vacation here and there, and tons of work! My daily life from 8-5 has been all work all the time. After a coupld of weeks, I have finally gotten used to it, and I actually find solace in the day-to-day grind. It's just strange when I have a day off that I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself. I find just lounging around all day makes me feel unproductive and poor. This is not the same girl from the end of the winter semester, I assure you! Classes seem to be more stressful during this time, too. My Spanish class is supposed to be a year's worth of material stuffed into a 4-month semester, but we're having to cram it into 2 months. That requires a lot of homework and a lot of studying, but it also means 2 hours and 40 minutes of total Spanish. If nothing else, I am still able to get studying done and spend good time with friends on the evenings. People like Mom, Dad, Tim, Brent, Kate, Dave, and Kathryn are making my nights very worthwhile.

There are still a lot of things to be done in the Spring and Summer as well. I need to contact my cooperating teacher at Livonia Franklin High School for my pre-student-teaching observations in the fall as well as talk with the principal at University Prep High School to figure out how my time there will be spent. I also have to get my wrist and arm checked out and possibly get (eek!) surgery done... Mysterious pain shouldn't be ingored for a year, just so you know. I also have to figure out how to spend my July 4th weekend (vacation!) as well as what to do at the end of August. Maybe a Myrtle Beach trip?

In my new fascination with running, I've also been regularly reading the forums at the Runners World website. Today, we posted our individual workouts for the day as well as the question of whether we journaled. One person said that, yes, he journaled, and to keep every day as positive as possible, he wrote down 5 things he was thankful for each day. So in that spirit, to close out the entry, here are my 5 things:

- Even if one limb seems to be finicky, I at least have 3 others that work very well.
- A stable job with great co-workers
- 2 parents who I still love to spend time with
- Waking up each morning to my cat's cute fuzziness and purring
- My new khakis that were a screaming good deal and fit beautifully! They also helped me realize my hidden tailoring skills...

Posted by Laura at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(um... believe me, I know it's been far too long since I've updated. Sorry, Grandma :))

This past weekend we went out to Boston for my sister's graduation. Melanie is now a proud double graduate from MIT, both undergraduate and now Master's degree, in Aerospace Engineering. Although she jokes that as cool as many people thinks it is, she feels it's just comparable to automotive engineering or train engineering, it's still an incredible feet.

The trip was from Thursday to Saturday and it was a well deserved vacation. Commencement was on Friday, and I would've gotten a picture had the "bouncers" of the event not sent me repeatedly back to my seat. So, in arguing with where I could/couldn't stand, I ended up not hearing Melanie's name. That was not nice at all. We also sat in front of a few families from Spain, so I did end up spending a good deal of time listening to the accent, key words, fun slang, etc. (how did I end up missing Spain this much?). So, what did I do for the other 2 hours? Yep, cross-stitching. It's a great way to pass the time while still carrying on conversations with the parents and Josh.

I also finally was able to meet Josh! He is Melanie's boyfriend of two years, and I was so hoping to meet him now that everyone else had months before. I joked that all I'd be doing is interrogating him and shining a light in his eyes, but he just was too nice and respectable of a guy that I felt comfortable quickly with him. But, I had to be just a little silly and hand him a peace offering - a cherry Ring Pop.

Early in August, Melanie will start off working in the real world ...again! She has a job in Washington D.C. with an aerospace firm, and it's making me want to be in her shoes. Graduation for me is a less than a year off, and it'll be nice to see what's out there.

Posted by Laura at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)