I know I've been super bad about blogging. I guess I've been doing just a lot of other stuff. That, and I haven't had a lot of ideas of what to write about. I had my interview for the London student teaching abroad program, which went really well. Now I just have to finish the application and get that in this week. Seems strange that such a trip could actually be a reality. In the more short range scheme of things, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving break....I know I'll surely need it. Only thing that sucks is knowing how much crap I'll have to do when I get back from break. That's why I should say I'm really looking forward to WINTER BREAK! Cuz that means I'm done with Block and I have a month off before I start next semester! Of course, during break I'll have to be preparing for my brother Scott's wedding. AND, that also means preparing for the trip to Aruba then too ;) I can say I'm excited about that :) However, I have a feeling that at least some of the trip will be stressful, but I'm willing to deal with a little stress for the chance to go on a one week tropical vacation. I know that being home that much will be difficult for me though. I wish that I could truly say I'm over and done with that whole issue, but it's a lot easier to forget about such things when I'm not confronted with them. Time and new experiences will heal things, I know...sometimes I get a little melancholy about it though. It's hard dealing with losing one of my best friends and having a strained friendship with another. I'm not sure how salvagable either friendship is.

On the brighter side though, I AM trying to make more sense of my life. I know that lately I've been kind of....wishy washy. More precisely, I've felt a little on the empty side...a little inadequate. BUT, in the past couple days, and especially today when I was driving and thinking, I really thought about the fact that---I've got this one life to live. And though there are MANY things that I have no control over, I CAN control the way I look at life and I can ACT in ways that will make my life better. I need to ENJOY the things around me! Like even just being happy with the environment I'm in--a pretty city, nice campus, comfortable room, great roommates, close friends, and loving family. There is so much GOOD....I just have to remember to stop and think about it sometimes. There is so much MORE to life than some of the things I and others sometimes get caught up in. Even school--I could concentrate more on some studies, but at the same time, I have to remember that I'm here because I CHOOSE to be. The classes I'm in, the route I have taken are things I have wanted. And I can change my mind at any time, pursue any dreams that I see fit to follow. And there can be ADVENTURE!!! At any given time, I can do something I've never done before. The only thing that stops me is...myself. And there is so much to do! so much to see!!

Yeah, I know I'm sort of babbling here (but that's normal ;) I just needed to give myself a little pep talk--to write down some of the thoughts that have been tumbling through my mind of late. I have some choices to make, things to do in my life. It's about time I take ACTION!!! ;) I have to remember one of my favorite quotes (which was also the subtitle of my old blog, Rising Castle: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." --Henry David Thoreau