Sweet relief

I did it. I survived an entire semester of commuting to Chico AND having Redding classes AND having online classes. I'm confident to say that this was the hardest semester of my college career. However, with the annoyance of commuting, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am more dedicated to my education than I realized. I learned that I love pod casts. I learned that people at Chico really ARE nice. I will never again take for granted the fact that I only have to drive down the street to get to school. The Spring semester is the last semester of my undergrad classes. I'm not sure what's in store for me next. Maybe credentialing, maybe not. Maybe a year off, maybe not. A lot can change in one semester... I'm proud of myself for sticking out such a tough few months. Even with a rather catastrophic ending, I think I finished the semester off with pretty good grades. I'm excited for the next few weeks of catching up on sleep, organizing my life (you should SEE my crazy mess of a room), and re-entering the social life I've put on hold for 3 months. Graduation is just around the corner, and I can't hardly wait!

'Tis the season...

The holiday season is in full swing, and I must tell you all that I'm excited. About many things. Here are just a few of them:
-School being over (4 more days!!)
-School starting (last semester of undergrad!!)
-Going home for Christmas (I get to see my best friend of almost 20 years AND I get to see my amazing family!)
-January 11 (Heading to Utah to see another of my very best friends!)
-December 24 (my 25th birthday!)
-January 1 (the beginning of a whole new year!!)

I realize that most people dread their birthday coming, but for some reason I've ALWAYS loved celebrating my birthday! I love looking back on the previous year and seeing all the growth. I love recognizing God's work in my life. This year has been the best of my 24 years so far. I truly blessed, and can't wait to celebrate that on December 24th! What's even better is I get to celebrate it with Annette, my best friend since Kindergarten and my family. Although I can't always explain EXACTLY what it is that God's doing in my life to my family, I know they can see a change in me. A change in my attitude, in my behavior, in my LIFE. And I know this change is because of God... they may not know the Lord, but they know me, and HOPEFULLY they see Him through the changes in my life.

Along with the many things I'm excited about, there are a few things I'm NOT so excited about. Although this list is MUCH shorter, it exists none the less.
-My 5 finals (boooooooo)
-Driving 299 to the coast during the snowy-est time of the year
-Saying goodbye to some of my favorite buddies from English class

I'm now off to study my life away for my 5 finals. Hopefully the next time I blog I will be done with at least one of these dreaded finals!!

Adventures in Chico

What a fiasco today has been already. Every Thursday, I rise at the crack of dawn and drag myself to Chico for a full day of academics. I have three classes that span from 9:30 am until 4:00 pm. I usually try to leave the house by 7:30 to ensure I get a parking spot in Chico. Today, I hit the snooze a few too many times. By the time I was ready and out the door it was close to 8:00! In a panic, I jumped in my car and hit the road. Right outside of Anderson, I noticed I had just hardly a quarter of a tank of gas left. My plan was to stop in Corning and grab coffee (much needed) and fill up the tank. As I got off the freeway at Corning, I began digging around my purse for my wallet. After a good 5 minutes of searching the contents of my purse close to a MILLION times, I came to the conclusion I had left my wallet at home. At first, I was super bummed I couldn't get my latte.... but soon the reality of the matter set in: without my wallet, I was without any money. Without any money, I was without any gas. Without any gas, there was NO WAY I was going to make it to Chico and back. So, I got back on the freeway and zoomed home on fumes. Just my luck!