Photo 1: Holiday love

When we were kids, we always thought about what we were going to get for Christmas. As a 21-year-old who is finally copping to adulthood, I've figured out that I like giving gifts better than receiving them. I love watching people's faces when they open something I've put a lot of time and thought into. And when it comes to receiving gifts, I honestly find more pleasure in the thought put into what I've been given than the gift itself. (Except the Ped-egg I got for my social club's secret santa gift from Katie. I love that she thought to ask around and figure out what I wanted, but boy do I love that gift!)But other than that...

Today I received my first-ever care package. It was an exam de-stress box which, as you can see, included bubble wrap, a spa kit, crayons, assorted candy, beef jerky (she knows I love beef jerky), a Bible word search and a My Little Pony activity book. She also wrapped the package in rope, which I will use shamelessly as a toy and/or to tie people up.

I was so touched by her thought to make me a care package filled with things she knew I'd love, especially when she's under pretty severe financial constraints right now. None of the stuff was expensive (thank goodness) and it was truly the thought involved in the gift that made it so great.

I also received a random "happy" from my friend Bekah, (you can check out her blog at 'Message for you on the wayside'). The awesome guitar pic earrings are adorable and have flowers on them. I'm assuming her thought process involved something along the lines of: "These are cool, I should give them to someone as a gift." *purchases* "Sarah has ears. She likes jewelry, she always plays with mine (I at least try to play with all shiny things btw, Bekah.) I bet she'd like these." *gives earrings to me and watches me smile ear-to-ear-which-now-have-said-earrings-on-them* Once again, a great sweet thought which makes me love the holiday season.

What to do about life

Watching: TV Guide, Psych, Monk
Procrastinating: figuring out what's on my exam tomorrow
Eating: nothing for once, I went to Night breakfast
Hanging with: My Little sis, Clemmie
Quote of the Day: "What lies behind and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm sitting in my favorite plaid pajama pants thinking about my life and what I should do differently with it. Being just one semester shy of graduation, I still have no idea what I want to do with my life. Four years of study and I've developed a grand total of one skill: how to write for newspapers.

Having learned a skill that can be taken immediately into the work world(albeit in a limited field), I do feel that I'm better off than a lot of people coming out of college, say those with English, communication, math or science degrees that have basically spent four years preparing for graduate school. I wish my friends in these fields the best of luck furthering their educations beyond college, but I have no intention of going to graduate school at any time in the foreseeable future.
All that said, I don't want to work for a newspaper.
Yeah, that kind of throws a kink in the plans, huh?

The stress that accompanies newspapers annoys me. When you work at one, especially at a daily, you never stop. The moment you send one story to the "Ready to Edit" bin, you have to jump to the next one, which is invariably due within minutes. I would stay up late working on stories, get up early to do the same, and I would actually end up going home on my lunch break and napping instead of eating. It was terrible.

I did love meeting people and learning their stories though. It almost made everything worth it. I interviewed a 80-year-old couple who ride a two-seater tandem bicycle all over the continent; some girls visiting from Belarus, Russia to get some fresh, uncontaminated air and get modern medical treatment; and learned that everyone has an interesting story just waiting to be told, whether they're a banker or a person who cans green beans.

I love working with churches, summer camps, people; I love writing, helping people, doing things, really the only thing I don't like doing is sitting still. But I don't know what I'm meant to do with my life. I'm trying to be still and have faith that the good Lord will guide my path... and I know he will. But I sometimes wish He'd give me a little push in the right direction, a little clue, so I can prepare. Perhaps He has and I've just been too dense to hear Him, or maybe I'm not supposed to be prepared.

If anyone happens to stumble upon this, please pray for me about this issue.

Thanks!