finish well

homework is consuming my life. completely. i have never spent this much time writing, researching, and reading before. like, ever. while normal people enjoy relaxing and refreshing weekends, mine looked a little like this:

friday

observation hours

4 hours of thesis work

dinner

oh, and then i actually had some fun. T and i rented Lincoln, and oh my goodness i loved it. the little history buff in me was just dancing off the walls, while T sat there saying, "i don't really get what's going on right now." that's ok babe, that's what you have me for. and the acting just blew me away - no joke, i think i had a little dead-man crush on Abe by the end of that movie. and yes, i cried, totally, when he died. 

saturday

this past weekend was my sweet friend Kelly's bridal shower - i can't believe she's getting married in just a little less than two months! time flies, people. the whole time, i couldn't help thinking about how excited i am for my bridal shower in just over a month (selfish of me, i know). i am so excited to see what Rachel has up her sleeve, and i just can't wait to have the most awesome women in the world all together for an afternoon!

and then the rest of saturday was a whole lot of work, work work, oh and a little game time with our best friends, because we are totally the kind of people who play board games on saturday night, and that people, is how we define fun. 

sunday

church

AND TEN HOURS OF HOMEWORK

TEN!

when T came home from worship practice that evening around 9:30, i was still going strong, and that wonderful fiancé of mine brought a latte with him, because "you deserve it, love." his supportiveness on days where i have hardly a second to spare amazes me. it gets me through, and it challenges me to step outside of my little world and do the same for him. i don't know what i'd do without that guy. thank you, Jesus.

monday

TEN MORE HOURS OF SCHOOL WORK

seriously, shoot me

but when i walk across that stage and receive that diploma, it is going to feel so good, and so well-earned. that makes this final push all worth it. because i will officially be a college graduate. i will have MADE IT. 

and for all of you other graduates or hard-workers out there, grab a coffee like i'm about to do and HANG IN THERE. 

a D.A.M.E. good christmastime

meet my girlfriends - emily, mel, & amanda. throw me in the mix and you have the d.a.m.e. girls.

our story is hilarious...God works in the most interesting ways. in 2008, while mel & i were still in high school, amanda & em roomed together at CSULB. a year later, mel & i met by chance on our first night in the dorm. at the time, she and amanda were rooming together. mel & i were both enrolled in the 49er choir, and it was there that we met emily (who, in case you forgot, was amanda's first roommate). the three of us became great friends in choir. at the same time, i started attending bethany church, where i met amanda for the first time. in march 2010, i started working at jamba juice, where amanda worked as well, and our friendship slowly grew. it wasn't until then that we put all the pieces together...that all 4 of us had met through different paths, but were all connected to each other somehow. in the winter of 2011, i roomed with amanda for a month, so that by the end of the story, amanda had roomed with each of one of us. and now, mel & i are roomies...in case you were totally confused by that, the point of the story is that somehow, the Lord had stitched our paths together long ago...and now 2 1/2 years later, i can call all of these girls some of my best girlfriends.

God is a great provider, especially in friendship. i remember feeling so alone when my family dropped me off at CSULB. i didn't know a soul. but that night, i saw mel sitting on a step outside the dining hall, and something prompted me to introduce myself. now, we're not only roomies, but also true friends.

our gift exchange was so full of laughs and memories, and i'm so excited to see where the Lord will take each of us this next year. next christmas will look very different, but i know i'll still be surrounded by their warm and wonderful friendship!

and p.s. look at all the colorful bowls i scored! yay for new dishes!!!