Turn Off Your Blinker

I just finished watching a music video and the lead singer gave me an idea for a post... pet peeves. We all have them and, as much as some of them drive me insane, I think that they are totally funny. So, you know what I always say... When in doubt, blog it out. (Ok, I've never said that, but it rhymes!)
My Top 5 Pet Peeves
1) Leaving your blinker on even after you change lanes (Hint: meaning behind this post's title)
2) When a person sneezes, and their friend, who definitely heard the sneeze, doesn't say "bless you."
3) When a person dyes their hair, but not their eyebrows. So, they have bleach blonde hair and brown eyebrows. (Hint: lead singer in the music video that I just watch)
4) When people finish their sentences with a high inflection. It leaves you hanging for more, even if the speaker has nothing else to say.
5) When people leave dishes out for more than 24 hours... Just take a minute to clean up your stuff.

A "Need A Hug" Moment

Have you ever had a lot on your mind and been in the middle of something when, all of the sudden, it hits your that the one thing that will make you feel better is a hug? I'm in one of those ruts right now and it seems awkward to walk up to someone and say, "I have a favor, will you hug me?" Even if they agree and give you a hug, it will not be the deep, comforting hug that you need. Call me crazy, but I truly only feel better after my mom or dad give me a hug. (It has to be a parenting secret.) I think that the worst part about being in a "need a hug" mood, is when you aren't 100% sure why or what put you in that mood. 

For me, I was and still am to a certain degree feeling a little alone in the world. I haven't seen my parents in awhile; I saw my brother yesterday, but he was with his friends, so it was an awkward hug/hello as I passed by; I am still trying to figure out who my dearest friends are, so you could say that I am a little lost. I feel as though I am being prepared for something. I can feel God's presence in my life every day (which I am eternally grateful for), and I can feel him trying to tell me something, but I am distracted by the hustle and bustle of our busy world. So, until I am able to decipher what the Lord is trying to call me to do, I am going to stick to prayers and hugs. 

My mind has also been wondering a lot this week, and I cannot figure out why. I have been easily distracted and have been having a hard time concentrating on even the simplest of tasks. I keep blaming it on the medicine that I am taking, but I feel that it is something more. I am restless. I feel as though my mind is getting aggravated with me because I am having a hard time hearing the Lord. I don't blame my mind, my entire being is getting frustrated. So, what do I do? Sit here until I am called upon? Well, if there is one thing that I know about myself, I cannot sit still for an extended period of time. So, I am going to keep living my life and trying to follow the Lord's light and, of course, keep on praying and getting hugs.

Biffles

We have all had those friendships. The ones that start and escalate quickly and you say after only a short period of time, "we'll be friends forever" or "she'll be in my wedding." We know the sayings and we use them a little too regularly sometimes. These sayings build a picture in our minds of our women or men sitting on the front porch saying "Remember when.." and "Ah, that was the day." So when the day comes that you realize that your "Maid of Honor" is no longer standing next to you in your wedding vision, it can be a tough realization.
Why bring up something so negative? Well, I'm not getting married anytime soon, but I am going through a time in my life where I don't know who I can call my best friend or biffle (best friend for life), as we're now calling it. I also bring it up because a friend (who's still in high school) text me yesterday about friend problems. Not to mention that Stages of Relational Decay was the topic of discussion in my Speech Communication class this morning, which yet again compelled me to analyze my own friendships. I recognize that I am in a transition of friends and it's a hard transition for me. In high school, I was surrounded by a solid, supportive, and amazing group of friends. I knew, or thought that I did, that my three high school biffles would be on the alter with me at my wedding and be the women that saw me through life's milestones.
Now, as I approach the end of my freshman year in college, I am looking back and asking myself, what happened? I don't even have an excuse; two of my three high school best friends are at the same school at me. So, what happened to our relationship? What happened to the constant text messages and midnight runs to Racetrac for slushies? I don't know. There is no question that I wanted those three friends to be the three that saw me through the rest of my life. Yet, sometimes we don't have a say as to who stays in and who quietly leaves our life. I like to think that it doesn't matter; I should be fine so long as I have my family and my faith. I'm not alright though. I miss my high school biffles with all my heart and there is not a day that passes that I don't think about and pray for them. The hardest part is that, no matter how desperately I want them to be a driving force in my life again, I can't seem to grasp the few remaining strands that are holding our relationship together.
All three of them will always be my friends, but we are moving on and growing up. God gives us the people that we need; people to lift us up when we fall; people to celebrate with us in times of thanksgiving. While I believe this, I will always need my high school biffles. Yet, I also believe that we are growing apart because other people need their amazing support; the support that got me through many tough times and positively changed my life forever. So, if you know one of them and/or consider them your biffles, take a minute and thank God for the gift that he has given you. They are truly three of the strongest, good willed, honest, and beautiful people that I know and will probably ever know.
The advise that I gave my friend yesterday is that when you feel as though you are slowly saying goodbye to a friend, recognize it. If you don't want the friendship to end, you have to work 24/7 to keep the friendship strong and fresh. If you don't mind your relationship diminishing from biffles to good friends, then enjoy and cherish every moment that you spend with them.

Attraversiamo

What does that mean? Attraversiamo means "Let's cross over" in Italian. Why did I name my blog that? When I created this blog, I had just finished reading Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In the book, Gilbert travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia searching for her purpose in life. Her favorite Italian word was attraversiamo. She loved it because of the way that it sounded; it embodied all of the beautiful parts of the Italian language. I just happen to agree with her... for now. I am taking Italian next year, so, at the moment, I love this word!
I think that attraversiamo can mean more than just the surface level meaning of "let's cross over." It can serve as a reminder that nothing in our lives are set in stone. We can always change paths and be better. God gave us the ability to make our own decisions, however he is always there to guide us in the right direction. So while attraversiamo has a direct translation, I translate it to be the ideal, a dream, and a hope.

A Challenge? Bring It On.

I'm a rules person. I don't like being told what to and what to not do, however I like following rules and guidelines. This is especially true when it comes to writing. When teachers assigned a paper in high school and gave me a prompt to follow, I was all set. Consider the paper written. If I did not have an assigned paper topic, I'm headed toward procrastination. It's a fact.

This is different though. I can think of things to write about, however finding the time to write them down is sometimes hard; however, I love my blog and want to use it! So, I've decided to participate in the 30 Day Blog Challenge. If there is one thing I learned from my childhood/brother: never back down from a challenge. I cannot guarantee that this will be the normal challenge though; it will probably end up being the 20 or so Day Challenge (What can I say? I don't like some of the topics.) So here goes....

15 Interesting Facts

1. I learned my right from my left by a "L" shaped scar on my left arm.

2. I've been up in a hot air balloon.

3. I have 24 cousins on my mom's side of the family. (Christmas is so crazy and wonderful.)

4. I'm addicted to working out.

5. I'm even more addicted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

6. If it's possible, I'm more addicted still to Crystal Bay. (The best drink you will ever taste!)

7. I have climbed a glacier.

8. I have spent the night in an authentic tee-pee

9. I have traveled to Australia.

10. I chose to come to UGA because I would be closer to my brother and because the security here is awesome!

11. I quote movies like it is my job. (I should get a raise!)

12. I am terrified of roller-coasters.

13. I have been on swim team since I was six.

14. My worst fear is drowning. (I'm a swimmer, but still...)

15. I'm really not that interesting.

Mom. Dad. I love you.

It's been a few weeks since I have posted. I'm sad at this fact, but that also means that I have not been procrastinating on my homework. However, I have been wanting to write on this specific topic for awhile and I figure now is as good a time as any.
First of all, my parents are amazing. Period. No questions asked. My brother and I had an amazing childhood, awkward pre-teen stage, and teenage years. (For my brother, I suppose this can go into adulthood, because he's officially 21!) We were trusted by our parents and disciplined when we needed to be. My dad gave me a love for laughter, classic rock, and never paying for something that you can fix yourself. My mom taught me how to deal with friends, act like a "lady," and hunt down a sale. In a quick overview, I freaking love my parents.
While I usually acknowledge and thank them for doing something for me, they deserve so much more. This year was the first year that I went on Spring Break with just a group of friends, no adults. Was it crazy? If you consider laying on the beach for 6 hours a day, cooking dinners, watching tv, and going to sleep fairly early crazy. Then, yes, we had a crazy Spring Break. On the way back home, I was going a little fast on the highway (Not ok! Don't ever do it! It's scary and dangerous!) and was pulled over. Let's just say that I was shaking so badly that I could not sign the ticket without really, really concentrating. It was my first, and hopefully my last, encounter with law enforcement. I was debating about whether or not to tell my parents. Well, I did in the end. They were not happy, I was not happy, but they helped me.
Family is there through thick and thin, good and bad. I know that a speeding ticket is not the extreme definition of "bad," but for me it was a terrifying event. They were there for me. I can't even say how much it meant to me. It still blows my mind how great they are to me. So, Mommy and Dear-ole-dad, I love you!

Thank you, Richie!

In high school, everyone is identified by what they do: academics, sports, and/or clubs. For me, it was a combination of those three. I pushed myself academically and I was a swimmer. However, I consider my defining activity to be student government, or Mane Link. Cue the weird looks. Mane Link, at my school, was one of the crucial pieces that made our school exceed and be recognized nationally. It was the best experience that I could have had. I learned so much in the two years that I was heavily involved. Although some of the things that I learned were based on mistakes that I made, I learned the most from the Mane Link sponsor and Assistant Principal, Richie. He was and still is amazing. He put all of his faith, financial and otherwise, in Mane Link. We had a large budget that we had to regulate, plan multiple events to plan, and be leaders in the school.

Now, I say leader, but what does that mean? I don't have an all-encompassing definition and neither did Richie (that I know of). Leader is defined in many ways, however my favorite definition of leadership is "a leader builds more leaders, not more followers." Richie was a leader and, at first, we followed his and the previous year's executive board's direction. Yet, the faith and motivation that he displayed shaped my perspective on my school work, my relationships, my future, and every other part of my life. (I love telling him this, because he did have such a positive impact on my life. I still don't think that he believes his impact on me, though.)

One of the best things that Richie did was praising our well planned and executed events, but always saying that we could improve the next year. I think some of my friends would like to hurt him for this because I always want to improve, do better, and help others. It frustrates me sometimes, too. If a person doesn't understand the point of something or has an awful attitude, I go crazy because I do have high expectations. I'm glad that I do, though, and I have him to thank.

Therefore, I am giving up on the thank you e-mails that I always send him, and, instead, I am dedicating a blog to him. (Highest honor, right here.) When I am asked about my role model, after the Lord and my family pass through my mind, I think of Richie. He always gave back; whether it was his energy, his money, or his time, he gave to others. I strive to make the personal, yet small sacrifices that he made to empower me and make me a better person. The right thing isn't always the easiest. Actually, I'd argue that it is pretty much never the easiest thing, but I always want to go the extra mile and do the right thing because, while my parents taught me this, Richie pushed me to that higher level. Usually, I tie in a biblical verse here, but I'm going to end this with his favorite quote.

"It takes a village to raise a child." ~ African Proverb