Visit to Marquette

Out enjoying the northern winter weather!

Making CRAZY faces at our snowman - Mr. Henry Jeremy

"A friend is someone who understands your past, beleives in your future,

and accepts you just the way you are."

On a Jet Plane

"Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or when the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change to the point where we're not still friends."

-Anonymous

Taking this weekend off and going to visit my best friend Beth up in Wisconsin. (this is her and I as little girls jumping off the edge of life)

Outside the Window

So I have taken up a new habit of going to the wellness center at least once every other day. My nutrition class is rubbing off on me, what can i say : ) My favorite place to work out is on the third level, which can only be accessed by going up tons of steps (get the workout started early). Not to many people venture up there. But I find that for twenty minutes a day it's nice to stand at a vantage point that is above the world and look down below at other peoples lives for a change. I don't listen to music.... I just quietly look down at the first floor, and often my eyes gaze out of the tip top window and onto the street below. I see many things from that high window of the wellness center. I even like to make up stories about the peoples lives. Today I saw a boy skateboarding while holding onto the side of a moving car, go figure, but for some reason it made me smile. I thought of my cousin back home, little nathan who LOVES to skateboard, and laughed at myself because I know that when he becomes that age he will probably be doing the same thing. There was also a car pulling out of the parking lot very fast, and I simply assumed that he just found out his pregnant wife was having the baby and he had to get to the hospital immediatly. A boy in a green sweatshirt walking out (he decided to go the gym for a quick little bit before he propossed to his girlfriend later that evening)

I know it sounds funny, but I just love looking out of that little rectangle window. For twenty quiet mintues I view the humanness of life. The joy, the pain, the laughter. You never know, what's just outside the window.

Balancing Act

Life as a metaphor;

A young man in the classroom one day asked his philosophy professor how to balance out everything in life. The professor nodded at the young man, and stared off into the distance for a long time contemplating this impossible question. The next day the professor walked in carry a brown paper bag full of different things. Without saying a word, the professor emptied the contents of the bag onto the front desk. It contained an empty masons jar, rocks, pebbles, and sand. First the professor tried to fill the jar with the sand and rice and then the rocks, but all of the sand took up too much space and neither the pebbles nor the rocks could fit inside. The professor emptied the contents of the jar onto the table again and then procceded to add the pebbles. Still the rocks would not fit. In his final attempt the professor added the rocks first, then the pebble, and last the sand. It all fit perfectly.

Life is like an empty masons jar. We often try to fill up our jar with sand first- things like meetings, busyness, emails, phonecalls, the small stuff- but become confused as why life seems so hectic. But if we would only first make time for the rocks of life- God, family, friends- then everything else would just fall into place. If everything else was taken out of the jar besides the rocks, life would still have meaning. How are you filling up your jar?

Recipe: Happy Thursdays

Ingredients:

1. ABC blanket
2. bright yellow sunshine
3. a good novel, Three Junes
4. pink lemondade
5. Palm trees

Feel free to share this recipe with the ants!

Valentine Suprises - A day late

Valentine's day has to be one of my favorite days of the year. Not because it is the day of flowers. Not because it is the day of chocolate. Not even because it is the day of lovers.

Valentines day is to remind all those around you that they are loved. Valentines day is a day of sweet surprises.

I'm most excited about my mom. Little does she know that she has a beautiful bouquet of flowers set to arrive at her office today. Roses and colorful heart candies bring some of the spring Florida colors to the white winter land outside of Northwest Community Hospital! I can only imagine her face as the delivery man arrives and announces that he is looking for a "Ms. Christine." My one regret is that I won't be there to experience it, but I know what my mom wants most of me right now is to move ahead and be persisent and active in my school work. Know that I'm working on it mom, and that on this day of hearts YOU ARE LOVED!

Nursing Banter

DID YOU KNOW:

that the average human being only eats about half the amount of fiber neccesary for a healthy diet? On average we are supposed to eat 25-30g of fiber per day. Fiber can not be digested through the system and it aids it bowl movements and weight loss. Fiber can be found in foods such as bread, pasta, and my personal reccomendation: fiber one cereal!

Eat your fiber!!!

Heaps, Mounds, and dirty laundry

Over the past weekend the amount of clutter in my room has grown to be massively huge. My laundry bin has gotten to big to slide under the bed. My arts and crafts have been skewed all over, showing promises of color and creativity. And my side of the room in general reflects a massive heap. And i've noticed that since this new development, I can't seem to get anything done or truely relax in my space. I can't feel nice, neat, and tidy.
I think its funny how something as simply as dirty laundry can affect ones mood and personal accomplishments. It's so trivial: yet so completley true.

Goal for tomorow: do laundry! and clean up the piles!

Thought for the day: no wonder guys always have a hard time getting stuff done ;)

"What you put in your mind is what you get. Put good things in there."

Da Bears!

Tonight, I am proud to be a windy city girl. I have my cubs shirt on (due to a lack of a bears shirt) with an orange t-shirt on right underneathe! I even have my blue and orange "life is good" pj pants on too! The superbowl is taking place in my college town of MIAMI.... and I am watching DA bears game on my little apartment television. My mom calls me to tell me to go out and support these bears, and I tell her don't worry mom - I am.

Go chicago bears! Just because I am in Miami, I have not lost my team spirit. I know where I come from : )

TGIF

Thank God it's Friday!

Happiness

Most people ask for happiness on condition.
Happiness can only be felt if we don't set conditions.