graduation 2013

Graduation day.
It was raining, again. Three years ago when I graduated from undergrad it was raining. Blah! This time it wasn't so bad though, just a little bit.
The auditorium was hot. I think they like to make the graduates really uncomfortable. The cap never fits on my head right. It's so awkward.
Masters students sit in the front, so we decided to sit in the front row. Out of order. They give you cards to hand to the speaker when he says your name so who cares. Last names: A, B, G, Q, R, A. Yeah - we're good like that haha. It was so much fun. I enjoyed it more than my undergrad.


Then the next day came the graduation party, with more rain.

Why am I so short!?
No really, I'm not that short - they're all just a lot taller than me; ranging from 6'1 to 6'7. So yeah.

It did rain again, but not terribly. We hung out in the porch area, ate tons of food and drank lots of beer. It was not as crazy as my last graduation party because it was on a Sunday. I was exhausted the next day at work. Good party.

I love my friends.
I am not sure what I would have done without them these past 4 months. I survived because they were there to support me through it all. My determination to finish and start looking for jobs was also a factor. It paid off. 4.0 GPA - can't beat that.


Thank you.
Thank you to those who supported me these last 2 years of school.
Thank you to the people who supported me for the last four months.
I am so very grateful for such amazing people in my life.

project life | february

I know what you're thinking... February!? It's May!
Well, I am a busy girl so getting it photographed and posted was not an easy task. It seems so long ago, February. It was about 3 months ago. So much has changed in three months.

I spent my first Valentine's Day alone since high school and it was just fine. I was never a huge Valentine's Day girl. Steve and I had always kept it pretty low key so it wasn't a big deal to spend it alone. At the time, I had convinced a friend to go see Safe Haven and he hated it, so did I though haha.

Friends kept me busy.
I became close with friends in grad school. We went out to dinners and laughed in class about who knows what. I felt like things were getting back to normal and my life was starting to look brighter.

I started doing yoga. Since then, I stopped haha. But I constantly workout throughout the week. With the dog and school, yoga needed more time than I could afford. Now that my parents are home and school is basically over with, I think I can spare some time. Fifa kept me sane on my lonely nights.

Words. Of. Wisdom.
It kept me sane.
My friends kept me sane. Quotes, words, hope. It's what helped me believe I was better off and it wasn't the end.
That blog post helped so much. I couldn't believe how true it was for me at the time.

The best part about February?
I got to watch my best friend get married. I got to take pictures for her to keep. I got to be her witness and sign her marriage papers. It was amazing.
I could not be happier for her. She deserves it. And although the distance sucks, we won't let it get in the way of our friendship.
It had been a while since I spoke to her so I called yesterday. I realized her husband, J, had left for a three week training. Even though she knew it would be like this, military life, it doesn't make it any easier. So we chatted for an hour and caught up.

I finished March this past weekend and will post that sooner than I did February.
I really do love this project. It has worked so much better for me doing it month-at-a-glance than doing it weekly. Especially since so far this year my weeks have been pretty boring with school.
Looking back on 2012 and 2013 when I'm older is going to be interesting. I will be glad I did it.

around here

It has been a crazy week.
Non-stop moving and I can not believe I graduate on Saturday - with a Masters! What! I am so beyond excited to be walking with a 4.0! Yes, four-point-oh. I mean yes, I still have a summer class to take but I am not going to let that mess it up.

I have been non-stop moving around since Saturday.
It's crazy how close I have become with K B & J. I have never had a close group of female friends. My best friend P is the closest I have come to a group haha. All of the girls I am friends with live in three different states along the east coast (MA, NC, FL). So, needless to say, it is really nice to have a close group at home. We mesh very well together and it works for us.

We went to AC on Monday night and headed to Philly the next morning.
Half of us didn't sleep until six in the morning on Tuesday. Yes, we stayed up all night dancing and gambling. It was fantastic. I don't think I've ever felt that amazing. One of the girls, D, did my hair and makeup. Yes, makeup. Now, that may not sound crazy to most people, but I do not wear makeup. Ever. So it was a strange feeling. But it looked great! I looked great! haha.
The next day in Philly was fabulous. It was beautiful outside and we spent the day walking around, eating, and hanging out at Fat Tuesday's. Exhausted, but great memories.

KBSJ. We decorated caps. Jammed out to music. Ate dinner. Fire pit.
They did hair. It was a real sleepover. How funny.

Graduation is Saturday night. Graduation party is Sunday.
I'm so excited to be done.
Applying for jobs. I am hopeful to be Cali bound this year. Maybe not this summer but some time this year. *fingers crossed*
Who knows what will happen but I can not wait until I can do something new with my life. Trying something new. It's all I want.

what we deserve

I've mentioned this before and it was brought up again today in random conversation.

We accept the love we think we deserve.

Well, we all deserve to be happy.
You should never let someone treat you as though you are second best.
You are beautiful and worth so much more.

Do not ever let someone make you feel as though you are worthless.

I have been in that situation where nothing I did seemed good enough. No matter what I did I couldn't seem to do right by him and I felt so small.
College was not that long ago and yet, I can't believe how much I have grown and learned since that time.

I told myself I would never put myself in that situation again.
I met someone who made me feel good about myself. He never made me believe I couldn't trust him. I wasn't the crazy girl I was in college.

Then I stumbled upon someone who had good looks and charm.
But I quickly realized it was a young boys game and I didn't want to play.
So I walked away.

We accept the love we think we deserve.


You always deserve someone who will treat you right.
But you don't need anyone to make you feel good.
I didn't need someone to toy with me and then I realized just how much I've grown since college.

Enjoy the loneliness.
Enjoy your own company.
Love who you are without someone else.