Things to think about

1. Studying Don Q in Humanities brings up strange emotions inside of me. Super emotional emotions... right.

2. I get upset when people take more than their half of the lane. I'm like, "Seriously! Here I am, practically swimming under the lane lines while you're jaunting down the center! Do you even know what sharing is?"

3. Swimming makes me verrrrry tired. I'm in bed between 9:30 and 10 every night.

4. I am currently obsessed with chips. Sun chips mostly.

5. While driving one of the service vehicles on campus, I feel superior to most human beings... and then it stops.

6. Wheat Thins have become my way to survive my classes.

7. Painting little white strips across the top of my nail makes my nails curiously beautiful and I find that I like to admire them during class while teachers are lecturing. Oops.

8. Secondly. I still don't like nail polish.

9. Without fail, ABC's Castle always makes me smile.

10. I miss my friends. 

11. I really love my sisters. 

12. Chocolate is a gift from Heaven (but I already knew that, like, 100 times over)

13. Who names their company "Cackle Fresh Egg Farms"?

14. Kindle Fire? Awesome.

15. Toasted tuna for lunch on Sundays (excepting Fast Sunday, of course) is a tradition that I miss. :(

16. Lark Rise to Candleford is HILARIOUS! It doesn't matter who you are or what genre you prefer, it will make you laugh. 

17. Geography is one of the greatest things to study! If you haven't taken a class, you should!

18. I never play Words With Friends with friends. Only with my family. Odd.

19. If my father weren't LDS, he would probably be a preacher. 

20. That's enough.

21. One more... Books. Can't get enough of books.

Now I'm done.

If you can, I seriously recommend it...

Here's the dealio.

Starting this last Monday, I have been exercising consistently every day. The thing that makes this different and special and easier to keep up is that I'm swimming! It's so much easier on my body. I don't feel like my legs are going to fall off or that my knees are going to break, or that I'm going to roll an ankle. It's just nice.

Yes. 6:30 am is early. And yes, that means that I get up at about 5:45 to get ready and pull everything together for the day, but seriously, folks, it's worth it. No joke. I have been feeling so good this week! I'm awake and warm when I get out of the pool and  I get ready and eat a bit of breakfast before my first class at 8.

It's my first week and I'm so tired today. I can tell that I've been doing extra stuff that is taxing on my body, but it will get easier and I will get better and faster and more athletic and buff and skinny... those are all good things, right? Right! I'm not saying that I'm gonna be the next female Michael Phelps because that is SO not going to happen. I'm definitely one of the slowest in the pool, maybe even counting the cute old folks doing their water aerobics, but I feel good about myself and that's all that matters, true?

So what are you saying, Christina? I'm saying, come swim with me! It makes a world of difference despite how early it is! I'm happeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! (Okay, so there's no 'e' in happy, but you get my point)

Peace out, enjoy your weekend.

 

But honestly, check out that muscle definition! :)

A New Year

It's a new semester and a new year. A chance to start over, to act like the last 4 or 5 months never actually happened. Well, not to act like they never happened, but a chance to improve life. To learn from what's happened and come back stronger and happier. And I'm going to give it everything I've got.

It is custom to have at least one New Year resolution. I shall tell you what mine is. It is to have friends... or, more accurately, to have a social life. Last semester, I was a total hermit, cooped up in my room with my homework and that was all. I barely saw anyone who wasn't related to me. But now I am determined to step foot outside my comfort zone and be a real live person again. Life is going to be new and different and refreshing and AWESOME!

Now... there is a bit of a disclaimer here. I may need some assistance from those of you who are still willing to call me 'friend'. This means a short text inviting me to movies, dinners, parties, etc. Because you love me and I love you. Right? Right....

Let's celebrate the new year with big hugs, yeah? xoxo

This Is For the Folk Dancers...

If you get offended easily... you might not want to read this... sorry. :)

This semester has been hell for me. Perhaps part of that hell was self-inflicted and I accept that now. I alienated myself from my closest friends, including my best friend. I did try for a while, but any reminder of what I had lost and I felt torn to pieces, a million of them. Tiny little pieces. It was its worst when I would hear people complain about how busy and stressed they were because of everything they had to do and how much time folk dance takes up. I wanted to scream at them, "Be grateful! You get to do it and I don't. I would give ANYTHING to be where you are!"

I was angry for a long time. My grades suffered. I had no motivation, no concentration. Nothing mattered to me and I didn't care about anything. I felt lost and alone. Again, part of this was probably my fault, but I digress.

I did everything I thought I could to forgive the people I hated and forget about everything that had mattered to me. It took longer than it should have, perhaps, but not too long ago, I did just that. Now it's CAW time and I once again have the great sense of loss. So.... no. I will not be attending CAW. As much as I want to support everyone, it is better for me that I do not. But I DO want you to know, my friends, that I love you. And I'm sorry for the way I've been. It was unfair to you and I know that. I hope that you, in turn, can forgive me and that maybe (cross our fingers) I can be the supportive groupie that you all deserve.

Here's love and luck to all of you who are performing this weekend. Please please PLEASE enjoy it! You have no idea how blessed you are! Forget how deprived of sleep and injured you are and live in the moment. Share your love and light with everyone. I know you can.

When Your Life Flashes Before Your Eyes

So in the last 24 hours, I almost died.

... Taking in those words....

That sudden rush that stops your heart and build the pressure in your thoracic cavity tends to make you look at your life and evaluate. There are a million and one things that I want to do that I haven't done, maybe some that I've even put off. That stupid phrase "life is short and then you die" makes a lot more sense than ever now. Being happy is important. Not regretting choices or opportunities.

I sat there and thought to myself, "there are so many things I haven't done." I don't ever want to think that again. And maybe this came at the perfect time in my life. I am making a new, fresh start. And I don't want to regret it. So if you ever catch me about to do something you think I'll regret... stop me. And you will have my thanks. Eternally. Seize the day!

Taking a New Road

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was a genius. How much can one person do in their lifetime... it seems almost impossible to me. I have never felt like what I did amounted to much for anyone else. I wasn't striving to impact people in a big way. That wasn't my path. I followed the crowd, lingering a little bit behind as to allow them to pave the way for me. But now I've come to my very own crossroads and I have to make my own decision. There is no one to pave the way for me.

June 2010 in California, my sister Katie was walking on the beach with me when she made a prediction. She said, "Christina, I predict that you will find a major that will surprise you. You will travel someplace new and you will serve a friend and enjoy it." Now her predictions were for the coming year and they didn't come true then, but they are certainly starting to poke their heads out of the ground like late bloomers often do.

I am a late bloomer, I think. I am just now coming to realize things that would have made my life so different three or even four years ago. Everything happens for a reason and I simply need to trust that the Lord has His plans for me. But in truth, it is as Steve said. "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." How many of us have drowned out the emotional for the sensible? Now, I am most definitely NOT saying that everything we do should be emotional... there is a time and place for that. But when we allow our heads to direct our every movement and decision... I'll leave that sentence unfinished mostly because I feel as though the answer is different for everyone. You look back at life and realize that the things that made your world turn a year ago, hardly matter at all to you now. So look at the problems you're facing currently and remember that. Easier said than done, of course, but every little bit helps.

Life is plain old scary and often you feel like you have to face it alone. And in some ways, you do. I look into my future, terrified of what I don't see there. No husband, no job, no life plan. But then I realize that I'm trying to see far ahead of me... all the way to the horizon, the ultimate ending and that, my friends, is cheating. We've all heard the saying "take joy in the journey" and it may seem redundant, but it's true! As much as life sucks sometimes, what we become, who we are when we go to meet our maker, is found on this road. So don't choose the one your parents think is right for you, or the one that your friends are going down, or the road that everyone is traveling... Take the road that was meant for you. It may be covered in moss and leaves and look a wee bit scary... or a lot bit scary... but it was meant for you. And as long as you have faith, Heavenly Father will take your hand and lead you down that road.

And just in case you don't believe me, believe Brian Stokes Mitchell. His voice says it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a50HfPVpMZY

The Metaphorical Cliff

This is it. I'm taking the plunge. And when I say plunge, I truly mean it. You're talking to a senior here. Theoretically, I should be graduating at the end of April. However, due to my late start on my current major, and then my discomfort with where I was, I have fallen rather short of that 4 year stretch. I've found myself asking, "Why am I doing this? Why am I here? What's the purpose of this?" After months of this, I knew that it was time to step back and take a look at what my life has become.

I was on the phone with my good friend talking about the things that change our life paths. As she was reassuring me that things would all work out as long as I'm doing what I should be and putting my trust in the Lord. And then it sort of hit me.

I don't want to do Athletic Training. I don't want to major in Dance. And so I made a decision. A decision that scares me. I'm making a 180. I'm closing my eyes and diving into the abyss. I met with an academic counselor and I'm changing my major. What to? As of yet, I have no idea. I have no direction. But I know that it's right and I'm putting all my faith in God.