Taj Mahal or bust.

It's done.

I'm going to India in December!

I haven't been to the motherland in about 7 years and I miss it. That might be just nostaglia talking but we'll find out soon enough. I'll spend most of my time in Kerala (the jungle and rice paddies) but am hoping to see Taj Mahal and other sights on this trip.

It's sad that I've lived there and taken plenty of trips but never seen this wonder of the world.
At least that will change before 2013!

Other things I want to see and take pictures of:

Houseboat
Teak
Carved wood
Banana tree
The clothing store
A sari heap
Home
My grandmother (aka: my future)
Sunrise
Sunset
The fish market

My heart's leaping in excitement just thinking about all this.
Can't wait to share all of this with all of you!

Let's hope I don't get dehydrated/food poisoning/infections/lice.
Sadly, I've been there and done that and do not want to do it again.

Conversations with my dad.

I bought an iPhone yesterday. My paranoid self couldn't decide if I was excited or scared. It's a big purchase and I was worried if I could afford it.

I shared my phone and concern with my dad and he asked...


"Why are you scared, child? You know what's scary? Making $3.25 an hour, having two children under 2 and finding out your mom needed surgery. But I had faith. God would take care of us if it was His will. He'll take care of you, too." 

His story belittled my problem in a good way. I wondered if the "He" my dad was talking about was God or himself. I think both.

A word from the wise-faith.

Happy Birthday Pup.

Currently, he's hiding under my bed. He took a pair of my "intimates" again and was caught.
While I think hard about my brother's comments on Ricky's ladylike tendencies, I will celebrate the fact that he is a year old!

As a present, maybe I'll buy him his own pair of undies. Boys, of course.

(wedding hoopla and mushy gushy memories to come from #clayoline2012)

I guess I can be friends with married people.

I have on fake nails. I haven't had fake nails since I was 16.

Today I have them on because this weekend, there is a special occasion. My best friends are getting married. To each other. And I get to witness this moment with many of our friends.

It's extremely exciting and nerve-wrecking, too!
This will be my first time at having married friends. And for a single girl, it can mean bad things.

Thankfully, I have friends that are mindful of their time and those around them but i'm aware that things may change:

First of all, Clayton won't have to come over anymore. Clayton will just be. 
I'll probably want to use the guest bathroom from now on.
No more trundle bed. 
I'll want to fall asleep before them.
No more just walking into Caro's bedroom. KNOCK ALWAYS.
Not all of the dresser drawers will be Caro's so check which side is hers before going through them.
We'll be listening to a lot less country.

Just to name a few.

Really though, this is the most exciting thing to happen. What more could a 23 year old that's still getting over college want? One of her two very best friends getting married to each other after a 3 year relationship that's destined to be.

I'll be balling my eyes out this weekend while thinking of all the memories to come.

To the graduating class of 2012

Inspired by my DPO Alphies, Beti and Gamma.
I thought it was necessary to let you guys in on a few secrets.

1. Use your age to your advantage. We've grown up on cell phones and the internet. Facebook, websites and hyperlinks are second nature to us. Believe it or not, the rest of the world is not plugged in the same way. Your tech-savvyness will come in handy everyday. You'll be able to solve problems for yourself and your team (maybe even your boss) before they ever have to call IT. Not only will you be considered a whiz and not as useless as they thought, but you'll gain the trust of your colleagues pretty fast.
2. Your major doesn't define you. Having a real job helps you visualize what you want your life to look like. When I was studying PR, I was under the assumption I'd be in meetings all the time. However, I'm usually in front of the computer. It's not horrible, but no one ever told me. Working for a bigger company also gives me a chance to observe other departments. I know what sales does and seeing it on a daily basis just affirms that I could never be a salesperson. Same for IT. But I wouldn't mind marketing and I'm thinking about going that route. Don't think because you're PR you have to work in a firm. Work for a non-profit. Transfer to a different department. Just do what makes you happy. 
3. Your job doesn't define you either. For the first few months of working,all I did was work. I thought it was the great life: work fro 8 hours, come home and veg. That routine got boring fast. Personally, I crave to make a difference every day. Staring at a screen doesn't feel very purposeful. In fact, I was drained. Until, I started giving back and spending some of my off-hours with people, helping them and serving them, I was not happy. Slowly, my energy was coming back. Try to find a non-profit to work with, no matter how small. 
4. It's going to be hard to adjust. If you're anything like me, you invested most in your college friends and your hometown friendships just drifted away. That's ok! Be open to meeting new people. You're going to have to put yourself out there...maybe even invite yourself to things. Some of you may be moving home. Yes, it can be demoralizing. But have the conversation with your parents about boundaries. You're not 18 anymore and you haven't lived at home for four years. If that doesn't work, show them you're independent. Pick up a bill or two (if you have a job). Help around the house. Eventually, they'll get it. If not, go back to plan A.
5. It's not that bad. Unfortunately, college doesn't totally prepare you for the real world. It's going to take some time to get used to, but continue to invest in your friendships from college but don't be afraid to make new ones. Grown-up world gets even sweeter when you bring in that first paycheck...and then the second. And then you'll love it when everyone is updating their status about finals and term papers and you're at happy hour. 
6. Last one: have faith. I wouldn't be this positive about my life if I didn't have faith that my God is in control of everything and He has nothing else in mind for me but good. I don't know what tomorrow holds but I know my God is good. 

Romans 8:28

The Power of Fruit

This morning I woke up with bug bites on face. On my lip and chin, actually. Don't ask me how I got them. I'm trying not to think too hard about that.
I thought I'd just cover them with some makeup but they continued to swell and well, I'm not confident enough to strut a bug-bit face at work.

After letting my boss know my predicament, I proceeded to figure out a speedy home remedy.
So of course, I googled. And I came upon this.

I didn't know what to think. It sounds like nonsense. A joke.
But I had nothing to lose.
So I did it.
I mushed up a banana and put it on my face. I tried to remind myself that I like bananas.
Sure enough, 90 minutes later, my face cleared up. In fact, I now wonder if my boss now thinks I was lying.

The lesson of this story: Don't underestimate the power of fruit. And Google.