The First "Non-First" Day of School

Today marks the first “non-first” day of school for me in 18 years. I was so awash in my current state of life, I almost forgot about it. Last night, when I realized that Sac State was starting up again today and I didn’t have to go, I did a little happy dance, but I also thought I might feel some tinge of nostalgia. Of missing getting new books, notebooks and syllabi and seeing what was in store for the upcoming semester. (Yes I’m a dork and actually liked back-to-school shopping.)


But the nostalgia really wasn’t there. I have absolutely no desire to be sitting in class all day listening to teachers talk – half the time about subjects that I didn’t really find interesting. Perhaps it’s because I’m still too close to having graduated to miss school. And I'm sure I will miss the creative writing classes, eventually.

But maybe it’s just because I’m really happy where I am now. I really love my job and the people I work with. I love the friends I have made and grown closer to over the last year. I love and am really proud that I am finally licensed to teach zumba as of this weekend. Even though my 50 + hr work weeks plus 8-10 hours at the gym leave me exhausted and in need of multiple glasses of wine on the weekends – I really am happy. I don’t need to define myself by school or what major I am or how long until I graduate anymore. I can just be. I can be an adult, I can be a piano teacher, a zumba teacher, a writer, a “communications specialist.” I can just be me.

So as I start my longest day of the week – Work 7-330, Teaching 4-530, Body Pump/Zumba 630-8:30 – I am thankful that I will not end the day with homework, stress and anxiety. But with my favorite people at the gym and then my husband, a glass of wine and “The Big C” on TV. Happy Monday!

And for your Music Monday -- One of my fav new zumba songs from Alex’s classes:

Suavemente – Pitbull ft. Nayer and Mohombi <3

Some Positive Thoughts for Your Hump Day

Despite the fact that I may have a cold this week, and some weird random lower back pain from probably doing something wrong in Body Pump - (Oops) – I am overcome today by the positive thoughts of some wonderful people.  And I thought I would share them on this hump day.

Two of these are stolen from my friend Brigid – who in turn stole them from someone else.  :)

“When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy." They told me I didn't understand the assignment and I told them they didn't understand life.”   - courtesy of Brigid

And here, an excellent post on what is truly important in life: http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2010/09/08/the-fisherman-and-the-businessman/ 

It’s not about how many fish you catch or how much money you make, but it’s about the quality of people who you surround yourself with and spend time with in life.

Bringing me to something my very good friend Stephanie told me several months back:  “Only surround yourself with people who make a positive impact on your life” It sounds simple enough, but it can be hard to follow.  But thanks to many fantastic friends, coworkers and family, new and old, I am so happy to say that I really making that happen these days.

And last – one of my favorite quotes that I have hanging in my cubicle at work:

“Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” Viktor Frankl

If you choose happiness, it will come to you. J

And if you open your heart to new friends, they will find you.

Happy Wednesday All!

Finding a Balance

As I felt the soreness of Saturday’s workouts setting in this weekend, I started thinking about finding balance.  

Finding a balance in my life and my schedule has always been a challenge for me.  And while as I’ve gotten older I feel like I have gotten better at it…I have definitely in no way mastered it. 

A good friend of mine has taught me in the last several months to let go and have a bit more fun than I used to do. Love you Steph! I have balanced my ridiculous amount of working 2 and 3 jobs with stress busting workouts – though I tend to overdo the quantity of them at times. J  I sleep more. I read more. I eat healthier.

But I forget that sometimes you need to just BE.


It's not a concept I'm very good at. But sometimes, you need to have absolutely no plans and walk in the park.  You need to read for hours and hours until you lose track of all time.  You need to do Yoga in the park and feel the grass and listen to the birds.  You need to listen to your body  and slow down.  Sometimes, as much as you hate to, you even need to skip said high impact workouts to spend time with friends.  Because a beer or a jello shot and a laugh can brighten up the darkest of days.

J Sometimes you need to eat greasily awesome grilled cheese sandwiches from the Drewskis food truck or drink 3 glasses of wine to dim of the stress.  It's gotta be a balance.

You also need to forgive yourself forgetting to keep that balance.  You need to believe that everyday is a new day and a new start.   No matter how bad the previous day was.  You need to break fridge doors and chairs and laugh until you can’t possibly laugh anymore.  You need to make new friends and embrace change.  Writing can heal.  Sometimes the dishes can wait.  Things are never perfect. 

“Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good”

The ultimate goal will always be to find the balance. My writing is fractured and so is my balance.

But I am getting there…

Choosing My Attitude

I have this quote hanging in my cubicle at work: 

“Almost everything can be taken from a person, but for the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”     

And I have really been trying to take this sentiment to heart in recent days, weeks, months.   It’s also great to read the inspiration from Ashlee Gadd over at Where My Heart Resides whom I don't know face to face, but who always inspires and chooses joy everyday, or my childhood friend Ashley over at Ashley Appreciates. 

That’s really what it comes down to – it’s all a choice.   Sure, everything might not be perfect in any given day or week, but there are things that are wonderful!  And we get the choice to focus on those wonderful things.  We get the choice to be happy. So often we look past the positive and choose the negative.  The bad days at work.  The financial issues.  The unhappy, ugly things that make life more stressful.  We keep telling ourselves that things will only get better when______.  You fill in the blank. 

I am guilty of that sentiment all too often, but I really feel like I have been making a better effort not to have those thoughts lately, and just focusing on what is good about right now.   Sure, things will probably be easier for us financially in October.  Sure, I am still exhausted at the end of every week.  But right now, the sun is shining and I get to see some of my best friends this weekend.   Right now, I always find the energy to zumba my heart out 2 or 3 times a week, and I get to play softball at 9pm and have it still be warm outside. Right now, I absolutely enjoy my job and even more so the people who I work with.  Which make the working 50 hours per week bearable, if not many times actually enjoyable.  Right now, I have been able to read nearly 5 books in the last six weeks.   (A near miracle for me!)  Right now, Chris and I can go to happy hours - or sometimes make our own at home - and go to weeknight movies on a whim.  Some nights, I drag myself home after 12 hours of work, teaching and zumba and all I have to do is just veg out on the couch with a glass of wine and catch up on Parenthood and True Blood.   

That’s my life right now.  And I choose my attitude to be happy.  Everyday.

July promises bring trips, concerts, going to the river, friends, family and Harry Potter!!   

It’s finally summer people,  don’t let it pass you by!

Music Mondays: Good Life

First let me say, holy crap – I graduated from college this weekend!

I don't think it will fully sink in that I don't ever have to do homework again for a while. But it certainly has sunk in that it is almost summer, and there are so many great things to look forward to during these next 3 months! Look for a post this week about it, as well as a crafty post, and some changes to the look of the blog. Because, it's time for something new and now I actually have the time to read, write and do things for myself. Well...as much time as you can have while working 50 hours a week. :)

I'd like to start off the week with this Music Monday song for you:

“Good Life” by One Republic. It's been one of my favorites lately. Such a feel good, happy song.

Enjoy.

Music Mondays: Send Me on My Way

So today is a quick Music Monday post because of the inevitable last busy week of school.  The last week.  I can hardly believe it.   I remember 5 years ago counting down the days until the end of high school.  It seems like both so much longer and so much shorter than that.  And just as that countdown did, this one signifies another huge change in my life.   Today I say goodbye to a job that I have had for 4 years.  One of many goodbyes that will probably happen over the course of the year.  But it is time for a change.  Now, I if anybody, knows that life is always going to be far from perfect.  But things will certainly be looking up as this week draws to a close.  So send me on my way.
Today's song is "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root.   One that always makes me smile.  This one's for you Nat.  Here we go, on our way.

What You Take With You

As the semester and my whole undergraduate education come to a close, I begin to wonder what pieces of it I will take with me and what will be disregarded. Which facts were merely crammed into my brain before a test and never converted into the long term.

Will I remember that this semester I learned that boys are more fragile in the womb than girls so most miscarriages are boys? Probably so, because that is something that I might end up being able to relate to in the future. Will I remember the year that Catcher in the Rye was written or the mechanics of human biology? Probably not. But will I remember the minutia of all that I learned in my creative writing classes and workshops? Absolutely. It is those classes that I will truly miss. The laughs and completely off-the-wall discussions that can only be produced by a group of crazy writers. And I say crazy in an affectionate way. Because those classes have made these last few semesters worth getting through.  Thanks Prof. McKinney, Rice and Grandbois.

I'm sure there will be other random facts and experiences that will creep into my mind in the future that actually did stick. But it's hard not to look at the large quantities of information that are no longer there. It's a little sad – to spend so much time and money on receiving that information - and having so much of it not get into my brain.

But I guess that isn't really what college was supposed to be about. At least not for me. For me, it was growing into the person I am now and learning about who I really am and who I want to become. There is so much that I have discovered or re-discovered about who I really am during these last five years, it really is hard to even pinpoint how I got from point A to point B. I am now an avid exerciser and not because I have to be, but because I want to be. I love playing softball. I want to do more yoga. I love to write and play music, in so many different capacities. I hope to be able to cultivate all of these in the coming months and years with the absence of school. I am now a wife, and we have a beautiful future ahead of us. Chris has made me a (calmer) and better person and continues to allow me to figure out who I am everyday and to support those continued changes.

School was a part of the path I needed to take, and it may be cynical for me to say but, in the end – it's only a degree. An important piece of the puzzle, but not everything.


So finally, I leave you with two things that one of my teachers this semester left us with on one of our last days of class. It may sound kitchy or cliché to say, but there are some things that are just so true that you have to share them.

“Seek out life experiences, not possessions."

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.” Viktor Frankl

So go out there and seek out all of the great experiences life has to offer!

And always remember that even in the worst of situations, you have the ability to choose your own attitude.  That is always a challenge for me, but one that I will always continue to welcome. 

And that, my friends, I believe is the greatest thing you can take with you out of college. Learning about life, and learning about yourself. The rest is just filler. :-)

Music Mondays: You Can't Always Get What You Want

I was torn today about which song to use for my Music Monday song of the week.  I came down with something over the weekend, so the sickness is bringing my strength down a bit.  And my ability to “just keep swimming” toward the end of this semester.   On top of that my news at the dentist was not super positive.  Not awful, but not great.  And that coupled with Chris’s dental problems has me a little bit on edge about figuring out how we are going to field those curve balls once he returns from Delaware. Inevitably, we will.  It’s just the interim of not knowing that is so frustrating.

But now that we are down to 11 days of both school and until Chris comes home...the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly getting brighter.  Not to mention the news that Osama Bin Laden is dead and that the Kings are staying in Sacramento today.  Not half bad for a Monday.  :)

So I leave you with: “You can't always get what you want” - the version from the movie 21. Because I watched it this afternoon while home sick, and because the lyrics give an 'Everything Happens for a Reason' vibe that I need today.

“You can't always get what you want...but if you try sometimes...you just might find – you get what you need.” 

 

A Simple Song

As much as I have been painstakingly counting down the days until the end of school...I've come to the point where looking back, I can't believe how quickly these 5 years have gone. I saw some old friends from high school who I haven't seen in a long time this past weekend, and I think it's those situations where the passing of time really hits you.

One of my friends, whose dance show I was going to see, I have known since preschool. It's amazing how quickly the time all goes by. I can hardly believe it has been 5 years since we sang "Seasons of Love" at my high school graduation. And in 18 days I will be done with college. In just over a month I will have been married for a year. Chris will be home, and our lives will be so completely different, it's nearly impossible to think about.

But in a good way.

Typically being eternally terrified of change, it's really great for once to be able to honestly say that I am excited for the change. Because this time it's not something to be afraid of, but something I want to embrace and leap head first into.

As I think about the finish line being in sight, I also realize that I am going to have to change the title of my blog. Because it will no longer be the last year of college and the first year of marriage. I think I may have settled on a title. One of my favorite songs by Michael Franti, "Never Too Late" has a quote in it:

"On the long road, you got a long time to sing a simple song"

That line has always stuck with me and I think it will suit the thought process behind me and this blog. It's a long road and though my meandering musings may not typically be huge in substance, their simplicity is what adds spice to my life.  Though, I know I have a few friends out there who read this, it's like a simple song I can sing to myself. 

Below is the song - and here starts a new tradition on this blog - Music Mondays. Every Monday (or at least most) - I will post a new song, be it an old song, a random song, a new song or one i just happened to run across on Pandora.
 
Enjoy.
 

Adventures in San Francisco

I am not sure whether it is possible to leave San Francisco without some sort of story to back up the trip. Though some stories tend to be funnier and more random than others. Last Saturday was not to disappoint. For a fun, no specific plans day, my good friend Stephanie and I journeyed to the City by the Bay to do a little shopping and to visit Natalie. After scoring some 80% off shoes at DSW that shocked even the clerk, we hit up Forever 21, H&M and Ross. Yes, Ross. In the shopping mecca of San Francisco, we still took the time to go to Ross. Don't judge.

After walking off a week of Easter candy and filling our tummies with the cheapest, best sushi in the Richmond district, Natalie left us to visit Green Apple on our own. (Best used bookstore ever by the way) However, we encountered a problem when super creeper man started staring and following us around. When he clearly wasn't going to stop, we knew it was time to head on out of there. A few minutes of freezing SF wind later and we thought we had made it safely to the muni stop that would take us to BART and lead us toward home.

We were huddling under a doorway waiting for the muni when this shorter man in black comes running jaywalking across Geary heading for us. He was almost skipping and had his hair pulled back into a ponytail, native American feathers hanging from the side of his head, and wait for it... his face covered in black and white paint, which we took to be some sort of skull face paint...

He comes uncomfortably close holds out his hand and says "I'm (mumbles something unintelligible)."

Steph awkwardly takes his hand and says, "I'm Stephanie."

Guy:"What are you doing?"

Steph: "We're going home."

Guy: "Well I'm celebrating my panda birthday!"   (Duh, panda birthdays, we should've known?) WHAT?

Steph: "Oh wow, your panda birthday?" - (See we were both in too much shock to come up with a witty retort after the green apple creeper encounter)

Guy: smiling crazy "Okay, bye!"

Then our new panda friend proceeds to go in at Steph for a hug and kisses her quickly on the cheek before we even knew what was happening, and then skips merrily down Geary in the opposite direction. 

It was one of those moments where you don't know what else to do but just laugh. So we laughed and  - after hand santizing both Stephanie's hands and cheek - we laughed some more.

So San Francisco, thanks as always, for the laughs and the stories - and I hope everyone else can enjoy a panda birthday once in a while. :)

Rory Crisis Subsiding

After an extremely busy weekend of graduation picture taking by one great friend, seeing my best friend after a 5 month separation, seeing my mom and taking her shopping as well as a CCYW event with another great friend and the BP 77 launch -- plus all the usual weekend busyness, I was reminded of something I recently saw someone tweet.  (I can’t remember who, so sorry for no exact credit) But they said: 

There should be 3 days in the weekend, one for having fun, one for relaxing, and one for getting stuff done.   

I have to completely agree.  And with studying for school, I’d say there should be a 4^th one for homework. :) But luckily in 32 days, all of that will be over! (And Chris will be home!)

I also think this weekend has brought me somewhat out of my Rory crisis funk.   Now, my friends who loved (still love) Gilmore Girls, will recall the episode where Rory is about to graduate college and has a complete what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life meltdown.  And I know many of my friends have experienced the same crisis in recent years, months, days.

You feel like graduation is hurling towards you and while you are counting down the days – see above – it is still scary to not know what you’ll be doing after you move that tassel over.  It also doesn’t help that everyone around you seems to have post grad plans for masters’ degrees, law school, and/or other great adventures.  You find yourself saying, well maybe I SHOULD go to grad school, apply to law schools, get a teaching credential, find some sort of other internship to apply for… But then you have to stop yourself and say, why the hell would I want to do that right now?? 

By the way, if I see another job posting for an unpaid internship, I might throw something through my computer.   It is such total BS that entry level jobs (particularly in the editing/writing/publishing fields) have turned into unpaid internships.  By not being a trust fund baby, I apparently don’t earn the right to get that experience.  Okay, that rant is for another blog. 

Granted, I do have more of my ducks in a row than most graduating seniors who are typically looking at the prospect of moving back in with their parents. I have an amazing husband who now is in the training stages of a really great job, many internships and other professional experiences under my belt, etc.  But even I still don’t have it all any of it figured out. 

Sure, I’d love to work for a book publisher, but is that a feasible goal?  Do I want to work with people, in marketing, write for a magazine, a website, a university, or some other random company that happens to catch my eye on craigslist? The answer is – I don’t know.  And I think I am starting to realize that that answer is okay.  It’s okay if I don’t have the perfect job right out of college.  It’s okay if I don’t have the perfect job, one year out of college.  And while money wise, I will have to make sure I do have enough work to keep us rolling along towards our financial and pre-baby bucket list goals, but if in June I’m still pretty much right where I am now, then everything will be just fine. 

46 and the future

I’ll admit, as much as I try to live in the moment lately, some days it really is harder than others.  I had a nice week last week visiting with many friends and family that I haven’t seen in a long time and also added a new kitten 6member to our family.  (Post on him and our other new adopted kitty soon to come.)

But on this Monday, 46 days until Chris comes home, and 46 days until I am done with college, I am having a much easier time focusing on the future.  To having my husband back.  To being done with school. To just finally being able to start our lives for real.  To the time when I can read whatever books I want!  The list of books I want to read keeps growing longer and longer, and it is killing me to not have the time to read them. To the time when I can enjoy cooking dinner rather than sleepily throw some food in the microwave after a 12 hour day.  Having 3 jobs and finishing school while my husband is on the other side of the country is no badge of honor, and I sincerely look forward to the day when all of that is over. 

Inevitably though, getting through these 46 days is a requirement to getting to that happier point.  Because Chris getting through training and me having my degree is what will lead us to be able to fulfill our plans for the future.  

Europe in 2013, here we come.   

Pre-baby Bucket List, here we come.

Life -- here we come.

Yes, that may sound slightly over dramatic, but it’s completely how I feel right now.  But to leave you with something in-the-moment for today.  Train is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. And I love this song!

1 Day Down, 52 To Go

So Chris headed off to Delaware for his 8 week training on Sunday. In the rainy, windy 4am darkness at the airport, we had to say a very sad goodbye for 8 long weeks. Considering we have never been apart for more than a week in the 4 1/2 years we've been together...these two months are going to be hard. But like any other hard times that have been thrown at our relationship over the years, we will get through them!  No problem.

The good news is that the 52 day countdown also signals when I will be DONE with college. Completely done! So while there will be times during these two months where I am absolutely depressed, the end product will be wonderful.

But really, to get through this time, I am going to have to do my absolute best to keep a positive outlook, or as Ashlee would say -->  Choose Joy.

So here are some joyful things right now:

- I get to see 3 friends this week that I haven't seen in a LONG time! Plus my biweekly Fin's Fish Friday date with Stephanie!

- I get to visit with a ton family this weekend in Fresno, including parents, grandpa, tons of cousins and my cousin's new 10 week old baby.

- I hopefully get my new kitten! My cousin's cat had babies, and if they are ready to go, I get to take mine home. (Hopefully him and our adopted Abby-Bunny cat will make friends.)

- It's spring break, so I am not pressed for schoolwork this week.

- My new zumba shoes come in the mail tomorrow!

- And finally, look at the ADORABLE key pendants I bought on Etsy just now for only $7! 　

Please let the joyful things make these 52 days go by at lighting speed!

To The Future

"Don't fear the long road, cause on the long road, you got a long time to sing a simple song - sing along"  - Michael Franti

Sometimes it takes getting rid of a negative force in your life to appreciate all of the supportive and positive ones. That has been what this weekend was about for me. While the negative force was lifted from my shoulders, I was able to again be reminded to appreciate some very supportive friends, my amazing family, and my wonderful husband.

And now here, at a huge precipice for my immediate family's lives, as well as my husband and I's own lives, I have complete faith that we are all going to come through it all on the other side, as stronger and much happier people.

While my family said goodbye to our childhood house this weekend...we also said hello to a new era. While we said goodbye to the vessel that housed our hundreds of memories, we also promised to keep those memories in our minds forever. My dad said as I was leaving the house, “You came in at age 10, and you're leaving with your wedding dress.” Ain't that the truth. Going into that house, I was a kid, leaving that house I am an adult. And so is my brother. So mom and dad, while that house was an important chapter, it wasn't the only chapter of our lives. You have raised two children who have grown up to learn to make their own choices and to surround themselves with only the best of people. Now onward to bigger and better things, we all four go.

And with Chris leaving for his eight week long training in Delaware next week, we too are on a precipice, but a precipice of what will surely be a great life together. And I find that now, more than ever am I secure in the absolutely ironclad strength of our love and bond.

Here's to the future!

 "The future is always beginning now."  ~Mark Strand

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! AKA - Read Across America day!  I am so happy that we celebrate reading for children on this day.  I loved hearing about the kids at my after school program's days and how their teachers read Dr. Seuss.  We read Oh, the Places You'll Go! and we also did some coloring pages from Cat in the Hat. Thank you Dr. Seuss for continuing to help new generations of kids love to read.

Here are a few of my favorite Dr. Seuss Quotes:

"I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you."

"You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act."

"I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you."

"Kid, you’ll move mountains!  So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!  Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting.  So…get on your way!"

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." 

"Today you are you, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

3 Great Albums

So, while it was a rough start to the week, I'd like to plan on finishing it out on a strong note.  Music is always good for helping with this concept...

And I don't know about you, but I rarely find artists whose full albums I actually like.  Usually, I will hit up iTunes for a song here or there, but usually not entire albums.  But here are a few full albums that I am loving obsessed with right now.

Science and Faith By: The Script

Favorite Song: "For the First Time"

Losing Sleep By: Parachute

 

 

Favorite Song: "She is Love" - the acoustic version

Backatown By: Trombone Shorty

Favorite Song: "Something Beautiful"

Check these out, I promise you won't be sorry! 

Do you have any suggestions for artists' full albums?

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Well, 2010 – you certainly had your highs and lows, your good days and bad. I got married to the most wonderful man in the world, and in the same year, I lost my baby cat of 15 years.

Kitters, I will always love you and still think about you and miss you everyday. I will never forget you. You truly were there for me through the majority of my childhood and growing up – age 8 to 23 - and you helped me through so many struggles. I will always love you baby girl, and I know you will lead me to find a new kitty (or two) someday when I'm ready for that. I also know that you came into my life for a purpose, as all animals do. You had to watch me grow into the person I am today, and you needed me to be settled in my life with Chris before it was your time to go. I couldn't have gotten through losing you without him. Losing you was partly losing an old chapter of life. It's hard and painful, and I am still grieving the loss. But because it's a new year, I want to focus more on making this new chapter wonderful and honoring your memory. You gave so many wonderful memories and for that I know you will always be with me, like pawprints on my heart – guiding me into this next chapter of life. 

My 2011 New Year's Resolutions

• Choose to be Happy – Simple as that.

• Read at least 10 books that I want to read this year

• Try one new recipe at least every other week and keep a binder of ones we like.

• Continue my Zumba and other exercise to keep stress in check and run the 5K Race for the Cure in May.

• Start checking off items on our Pre-Baby Bucket List (idea from Ashlee's blog) – we aren't having kids for a while and there's a lot we want to do before then. This year, possibly Disneyland and New York.

Who knows what joys and challenges this year will bring...but we'll be ready for them!

Enjoying the Journey

“Enjoy all you have, while pursuing all you want.” --Jim Rohn

Isn't perhaps the biggest cliché in the world that we rush from one thing to the next while not stopping to enjoy life as it's happening?

Well, funny thing about a cliché is that....often it's true.

In the last year leading up to our wedding, everything was so focused on just getting to that one goal, that we may not have stopped to enjoy the time as it was passing. If we could just get to that one goal, everything would be great. Granted, a lot of that pre-wedding time was extremely stressful and I can't say that I am sad to have missed parts of it. But in the end, the day was perfectly perfect and completely worth it.

See a slide show of our beautiful wedding here.

But now it seems we are just working towards more future plans – my graduation, his new job, my future new job after graduation, eventually moving out of Sacramento, getting out of debt – and even further down the line -- kids and buying a house.

And while all of those things are wonderful things to look forward to...I am making a promise to myself that I am still going to enjoy all of the things leading up to those goals. You only get one first year of marriage and one last year of college. And I don't plan on missing either of them.

I can't promise that some future goals, hopes, dreams and things I am looking forward to won't sneak in to this blog here and there. But here is my conscious and accountable effort to the enjoy day to day.