Number 15

I have always felt that, being a very fortunate and blessed person, I should contribute and give back as much to society as possible (especially because of where I come from and the wonderful opportunities I have been afforded by having a "comfortable" life.) In high school I had tons of opportunities to give back: Hands on Atlanta, Mentoring, volunteering at the Breast Cancer 3-Day, Soup Kitchens with my Bible Study group, mission trips both local and international and the list goes on. I feel like it was much easier to contribute because I had much more time and a little more money.

I first donated blood my senior year of high school with my friend Laura. The drive was sponsored at our church. I found that it was a simple process and that it did not take a long time (the only drawback was not being able to workout for the next 12-24 hours.) I gave once more that year (one of my two 'bad' experiences... the lesson I learned is that Frosted Flakes is not a sufficient meal before donating.) When I got to Tech, I found all of my time (and money) consumed by school. I didn't even have time to think of places to volunteer or help out. Then, September 11 happened. MOVE shuttled donors to the Red Cross on Monroe Drive. I decided to go, since it was a simple process for me (this proved to be my second 'bad' experience... let's just say the guy missed.)

Since then I have been donating regularly. Today marked my 15th donation. The woman who took my blood pressure was excited... next time I get my 2 gallons pin! :-p

It's definitely not for everyone. I know people who always have a difficult time and get sick from donating. But for me, I always feel fine and fill the baggie within 10 minutes (that's a bad thing, right? being able to bleed so quickly... :-p) I'm glad I've found a great way to contribute that also is pretty simple and not very time consuming.

And it always makes the AE steps seem that much steeper...

Nothing I didn't already know

Vanilla Prude Whoa! You scored 3 Sluttiness Points and 21 Ethics Points! Interesting...

I'm not exactly sure why you bothered to take this test because you're obviously not a slut by any standard. On the other hand, you do seem to have a strong ethical code with regards to how you treat people. No matter where you fall on the slut spectrum through the years, your being considerate to others will keep you well and happy in the world.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 17% on Sluttiness You scored higher than 78% on Ethics

Link: The Ethical Slut Test written by PlayfulKissing on Ok Cupid

This doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but boy do I know some people who would get interesting grades on this test ;-)

Spring Break

Well, John still hasn't left to go sailing, which means that wasn't an option. Alex and Brian went to Cape Canaveral, and that sounded really fun, but too far away for just a couple of days. So I ended up going down to Will's parent's house in Columbus Monday.

I got there in the afternoon. We went out to dinner and to watch Robots. It was a really cute movie! Tuesday morning Will took me riding down there. The roads were so nice, I am very envious. There was a very strong headwind on the leg out, so that made me go really slow. We rode about 10 miles out in 50 mins, then came back in about 30. During the last few miles it started raining pretty hard, which was a lot of fun. It reminded me of when I was a kid in florida and would ride around in the rain. After a shower and lunch, we took a nap. We woke up to the Tornado Sirens going off, so we headed downstairs for cover. Turns out it was just a bad thunderstorm, though. After it cleared up, Will, his sister and I went "muddin" in the golf cart :-p I told him visiting there is like going to a different country. We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out, and we went to dinner with his dad and his sister.

Wednesday was the highlight of the week. We went to Callaway Gardens. I had never been there, so I was very excited. I was also really excited that Will didn't mind spending the day there with me. We took our bikes, which was really awesome. We rode from the Discovery Center to the Butterfly Center to the Vegetable Garden to the Chapel. Then we watched a Birds of Prey Presentation (which was awesome... everyone knows how we feel about things that fly) then we went to check out the Horticultural Center. It was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. While we were riding next to each other we started talking about how blessed we are that we can do things like that together and both enjoy them. Riding bikes around there was also one of the coolest things ever, and it occurred to me that Will is almost always present during my "coolest things ever." So that must make him the coolest person ever :-)

Pictures from Callaway...























Then, on a bonus points streak, Will took me to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse, one of my favorite places (there aren't any that are close to Tech or Dunwoody) Then we went back to his house, showered, and watched airplane shows for the rest of the evening. Talk about a perfect day. :-)

Thursday we woke up late and had a lazy day. I headed home in the afternoon. Overall it was my favorite Spring Break, tied with last year's airplane/Ft. Walton trip. I am glad that we ended up doing exactly what we wanted to do. We talked about how some people would call our break "boring," but I think we proved that boring and healthy can actually be wonderful.

The Coolest Thing I Have Ever Done!

Although Will and I have been dating for awhile, I had never seem him race. He says it's because he doesn't want me to see him being "competitive." This year the race hosted by GT landed on my birthday weekend. I asked him if I could go watch and he said ok (probably because it's my birhtday :-p) Anyway, then he said, or, you could even race.

I have always thought that I would try it some day, but perhaps not so soon. I have only had my bike for six months and have only been making real progress with my workouts in the past month or so. But, he assured me that I would help the team because even last place will score points (not enough girls to fill all the spots) so I thought what the heck. I had been noticing my own progress and so now I wanted to see how I could do compared to the other girls. So, as part of my birthday present, Will said he would pay for my membership with the Cycling team and I ordered my license online (hopefully I get a lot of points for letting him buy me bike stuff - a seat for christmas, gloves and dues for my birthday :-))

I had planned on only doing the road race (30 miles) but when I got there everyone said the time trial was a good preview of the course so I decided to try it. Originally the plan was for me to ride near/with Kelly, another girl on the GT team, but as soon as I got going I got excited and threw that idea out the window. The course was almost 8 miles and I wanted to do in in 30 minutes. That would mean an average speed of 16mph, which is easy for me to hold on flats but this course was very hilly.

Me and My Bike, after first hill of the time trial (Will raced up the hill after he finished his to take my picture)


So off I went. I got passed by the girl who started after Kelly after about 2 miles, and the girl who started after her after about 4. I was able to keep up with them (mostly) until the last big hill. My computer recorded a time of 31.14 (including cool down) and an average speed of 16mph, so I met my own personal goal. That is the fastest I have ever gone up some of those hills. I ended up getting 7th place, Kelly got 8th. The officials recorded my time at 32:30ish, and the girl ahead of me got 29something, so I know I have my work cut out for me.

We went and grabbed some lunch with one of Will's teammates and his gf who races for UGA, then came back. My legs felt dead. I was certain that I wouldn't be able to ride that course 4 more times. Well, I think I could. But, the grouped my women's group with the Men's C group, so I doubted that I would be able to keep up with them. I decided to try anyway. I wanted to get some experience riding in a big group, because until that point I had gone out with only 3-4 other people. Well, the race started and I found myself all alone before the first turn, with the exception of some poor girl that was behind me. My legs felt pretty bad, so I decided to just drop out of the race and ride in the wheel car behind Will's group so I could watch him. I feel like a quitter, because I know I can ride those distances, but at the same time I didn't want everyone waiting on me to finish the race and I also didn't want to hurt myself (this is supposed to be my recovery week anyway) I also knew that just finishing the race would score points for the team (15 places... only 9 girls) so I really wanted to do it for that reason, but I was at my physical limits.

I enjoyed following in the wheel car. Will was in the middle of his group most of the time, so I got a few glimpses of his helmet every once in a while. He did very well (in my opinion) especially since he's not in shape yet. There was a crash in his group and I was so afraid we were going to drive up and I would find Will splattered on the pavement, but he was fine. I've never seen bikes bent that way before though :-p I was able to get out of the car and watch his finish. I am so impressed with him. I knew that he was having a hard time but he really can push himself. Plus, he did all that after doing well during the time trial! And, I discovered that he wasn't kidding when he said he got all salty.

There are a couple of other races nearby that I would like to go to, with the plan of riding the road race. My goal first goal is to be able to finish one (Kelly has never finished) and my goal after that is to finish one not in last place. Maybe it is too soon for me to be riding, but I like the idea of helping Will's team, and, it turns out that I really am competitive. Who knew? :-p

All in all, that day was one of the best days ever. I've done some pretty neat things (fly-ins, camping etc) but this one takes the cake. I really enjoyed getting to see Will do what he does, as well as learning how to push myself and seeing what I physically can do. Cycling is the coolest thing ever!

At the end of the day I went away with only one feeling: gratefulness. If it weren't for Will, I wouldn't have the chance to try so many of the new things that I have been doing. We have travelled together, flown together, and he has taken me to do things that I have never done before. I am just really thankful that he was so patient with me when I decided to get a bike and now that he'll let me tag along during his "guy" time. I am a very lucky girl. Plus, he is the hottest one on the team :-)

Me and Will


I definitely feel motivated now and I want to contimue to improve. And, I'm also glad that I dropped all those classes because now I can definitely work out regularly and try other races. And I'm excited to find something that catches my interest like this does. :-)

The world (apparently) revolves around me

Will says if you're the only sane one surrounded by a bunch of crazy people, then you'll seem crazy. Well, I don't care which I am, I just know that I won't compromise my values for anyone.

Anyway, I was thinking, and since the only person to complain about my blog (I asked around, no one else was bothered by it) also said that they don't care about my opinion or the opinion of anyone else, then I can write about whatever I want and them not be bothered (contradictory, don't you think? Especially since they were the ones "offended" by what I wrote... If you don't care, how are you offended?)

Anyway, so back to writing about what I want to write about. My birthday plans are underway and we're going where I want to go. This same person called me self-centered because I didn't want to change my mind about where I go out for my birthday. This person felt that my birthday "compromised their safety" since they were under the impression that there had been a shooting at Underground. When I researched the info, I discovered that they were talking about a shooting that happened in Buckhead. Coincidentally, this development at Underground is the city's reaction to a this shooting and the need for a safe place to go out at night. Instead of admitting about being wrong, they continued with the story of safety, saying how a friend had been mugged there and they had been offered drugs there. I find that also interesting, since that can basically happen anywhere anytime and I don't seem them holed up in their room afraid to leave (When I was in high school two kids my brothers age were car jacked from outside the Vet's office on a sunny Saturday afternoon. One was murdered, one got away. Goes to show "weird things can happen anywhere, anytime.")

Anyway, back to the point. Will says their opinion is invalid since they don't live in reality. Linda said:
Linda1716 (10:05:14 AM): But she really has some nerve telling you that you're self-centered-----after all she's the one that thinks she's entitled to tell you where you ought to go for your own birthday!!!

Linda makes a good point. In all of my life, I have never been called self centered. I think Will was really irritated. He said something to the effect of "I don't see her planning birthdays for people she doesn't even really know just because she believes that everyone is entitled to their one day a year"

But really, I just wanted to know. Does going where I want with who I want on my birhtday make me self centered? If it does, I think I'm ok with that. I certainly have given a lot to my family, the kids I babysit for, Linda, Will, the flying club, my design group, and many other people over the years to earn one day of self-centeredness.

Born Yesterday

I actually have been meaning to post this for a bit but it actually came up again.

It seems like I put off this "Born Yesterday" vibe. You know, the I can be taken advantage of because I am an idiot or am really slow.

This has manifested itself in some things being told to me. They are all really far fetched and I find myself incredulous that people expect me to believe this stuff. First of all, that's not a cool thing to do. I think people should be honest (no matter the consequences) and I certainly try to apply this to myself. I am certainly one who thinks that a half-truth is also a lie. But second of all, if you're going to do it, don't you want to make it believable? The ones I have been told have been so transparent that honestly they insult my intelligence :-p

A lot of times it's difficult to just say you're sorry and even harder to say you're right to someone else. Why is it that we have such a hard time admitting that we're wrong? It is so much easier to just push it away then be hard on ourselves though, isn't it?

And hey, if that's my soapbox... well, then it is.

First Amendment

Thanks to Rebecca for bringing up how my blog "sounds." She says some people may feel offended or talked down about or something. I guess my first thing is that I haven't wanted to mention names, but oftentimes the totally wrong people think its them. I have no idea why that is, but I suppose I'll quit doing that. There are some people whose opinions I don't care about, but if the ones that I do care about are being offended I will stop.

I did read over my blog, but everything sounds fine to me. Then again, it's my own voice. Perhaps people aren't used to hearing my opinion, but that's alright. It is my blog after all, so it will contain my opinion.

I did notice a couple of things. Well, I do have this theory. If you know me well, you would have heard it from me before. In my culture, drinking is different. It is not a way to shrug your cares or responsibilities. Therefore I think the way I was raised. It has been brought to my attention that people think I keep calling them drunkards. I don't know where this has come from. All I have ever said is that doing that sort of thing is not for me. I just think people should be responsible when they do it. I'll even drive you home when you do.

The other thing is what Will said. I figure maybe I shouldn't be putting his opinion here. But, then again, most people already know what he thinks about them. So oh well...

The third is my birthday. I reserve the right to do whatever I want that night. Sorry if you don't like it.

As for other things that could be possibly misinterpreted, misread, etc. These are just things that have been on my mind recently. Maybe they come out wrong, but they are my thoughts at that time. I don't mean to sound like I am better than anyone or anything like that. I am just learning what works for me as far as living how I want to live goes. This in no way means it's right for anyone else. I wonder why people always jump to that conclusion.

So I don't really feel like I should have to change what I say, because it is mine, but at the same time I don't want to be insulting people who are important to me. Interesting balance to strike. That is, once again, a line I have a very hard time with. I also feel like since I am not purposefully meaning to insult people (and if you know me well, you know that I try not to do this.)

I guess the lesson learned is that inflection helps. And that nothing is sacred. :-p

Not so bad

Best Weekend Ever

This weekend was really fun! Friday night John came down to do some stuff exchanging. I went out to dinner with him and Will. We stayed there for a long time just hanging out, which was fun. We also talked about sailing details :-) After that we went to a party at one of Will's Cycling friend's apartment. Just so happens that Lucas is friends with JT's roomie (Kelly) so we took Lucas also. It had a very different vibe from all of the parties I have been to recently... in a really good way. Everyone was just talking and hanging out and they (being large dorks) even watched a cycling movie. I had a nice time. And I don't think I've ever been in a room with that many male shaved legs... or that many nice ones :-)

Saturday morning I got up early and Will took me to try the Vinings loop. I was really intimidated because he labeled it "the hardest ride you've ever been on." But actually it went well. We did a shorter loop because of time and since I had no idea what my ability was. I was pretty excited because even though I was slow going up the hills, they didn't feel too bad and I think I could've pushed a lot harder. It's really cool to feel my improvements so quickly and definitely. Will is going to take me to try the longer route soon (hopefully). But, it was one of the most fun rides I've ever been on and I decided that I really like going fast downhill! :-)

After that we came back, showered, and Jason and Apryl picked us up to go hiking at Tallulah Gorge. I love that place. It's gorgeous. It was a beautiful day. Last time Will and I were there we hiked to the top, but this time we hiked to the bottom. It's not as long, but 2400 steps still hurt, particularly after a 17 mile bike ride! We had a good time though. I really like them. They're both really nice and respectful and that's very refreshing. They're also really cute together.

Some pics from the adventure...

Jason and Apryl



Will and Me :-)



Yeah...



Awww....



WT...?



Oh now I get it...



Ew!



I was so tired when we got back. We just took a nap and watched tv for the rest of the evening, which was really fun and reminded me of when I used to visit Will in greenville (and we still don't agree on what to watch :-p) Today I got up early to go to Maddy's birthday party, then ran some errands and came back for spinning class. My legs weren't sore today, but they sure will be tomorrow!

To Prove My Theory

I believe I mentioned the other day the tendency for people here to not want to take responsibility for their actions. No one wants to be wrong, of course, but a large part of character is being able to own up to the times when you mess up.

I think particularly people our age and younger are not taught to consider the consequences of their actions. I believe that the growing numbers of lawsuits helps prove the point - people just don't want to own up to what they've done (and, they are sleazy enough to want to make money off of it)

Take a look at this: http://www.ksat.com/news/4246904/detail.html

Who's fault is it? Ford, or the idiots who decided to drink and drive? Or, do they get an excuse for their actions because they were drunk and didn't know any better?

The way I was raised, if you can't "know any better" when you're drunk you're way too immature to have a drink.

The end.

Why Birthdays are not my favorite....

Already there has been a ton of drama surrounding my birthday plans. John suggested a place last night that I've been wanting to go to for some time. But, more than that, I just wanted to go where I can hang out with the 20-25 people I want to invite. Some people would prefer to go other places.

My question is this: Why can't I just do what I want to do and have who I want there and it not cause such problems?

First there is the whole if I invite one person I have to invite another that's connected to them which means some other people won't like it etc etc. You know what? It's my one day of the year to be selfish (note: in the past year I have planned 5 bdays for people, and here I am planning my own) so I'd like to have everyone that I want there. Of course, there are exceptions. Last year Will got in at about 1am from a race. This year Alex has a meet.

The other thing is people trying to push me into what they want to do. Seriously, I let everyone push me around the entire rest of the year! Can't one day be saved for what I want to do? I understand that you prefer to do other things, but I am not going to spend my birthday like I did the past few years, with people that I don't like at a place that I didn't want to go to anyway. So, if you can't put off what you want to do for one day to come and celebrate with me, then I'm not exactly sure why I would invite you anyway.

So, my memory has been refreshed. Maybe I'll opt for a smaller group or just a "boring" evening with Will.

March Birthdays...

Why is it that so many people are born in March? I have always known a ton of people with March birthdays and many people who share my birthday also!

Anyway, I just realized that it's next weekend! That means I get to do birthday things (maybe :-p) They past few years were pretty sad... due to a combination of it being near/during spring break and some not thoughtful people to spend it with.

Anyways, I'd like to make this one super fun, so if you have a good suggestion of what to do please let me know!

March Madness

Getting ready for the midterm briefing was crazy... but everything went so smoothly! I am so proud of my team, they all presented really well and we had it really together. We also earned several "very nice presentation"s at the end, which was really cool.

Now I'm super excited because I can focus on catching up and anticipating the craziness that is to come... our design needs to be frozen in 2 weeks! Yikes!


I have been noticing some people lately and I wonder how to best handle them. To the outside world, they are clearly headed for a train wreck. But, they see none of the red flags in their behavior. So, do you stick around and try to catch their attention... or do you just give up because you realize that they are completely uninterested in learning from you? They have such apparent issues and handle them in such negative/unhealthy ways, but you can't seem to get them to see it. Quite the predicament... I guess the whole "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" applies here. Boy does that saying fit a lot of things. I know many people who try to force the horse and it gets them nowhere.

Anyway... what to do for spring break. Some friends of mine (Steve, Pokie, etc) invited us to go skiing in Vermont. Sounds totally awesome but very expensive, so that's unfortunately not an option. The second is to go hang with Alex and Brian in Daytona. The third is to go spend some time sailing with John... but we would leave from Daytona, so these two could be combined. The fourth would be going on what Will calls "Adventures" everyday, which would be really cool too. So many awesome options, we'll have to see.

John cracked me up on the phone today, he says "Wait, Daytona is a big Spring Break place, right? Like that one.. Pam or Palm City or something..." He meant Panama City. That's hilarious to me. Some concerns about 17 year old puke on his boat were mentioned. Sorry that you'll have to dodge that on your runs, Rebecca ;-) I'm sure you'll be fine! And, if we're sailing in the area, you could come with!

I'm very excited cause this weekend we are going hiking with Jason and Apryl. I think we'll all have a lot of fun. And I got the cutest phone call from Jason, asking what he and Apryl needed to get. Perhaps we'll even camp one weekend.

I am LOVING spinning. And missing going out on my bike. But now it's fixed and hopefully I'll get to see what I can do later this week. And Jen Schur cracks me up when we're stretching in class! Rebecca - you gotta try one!

To drop or not to drop...

...that is the question. First, I was very torn between whether to drop Avionics or Aeroelasticity. Avionics turned out to be a pain in the butt for an elective (thank you Dr. Johnson), but on the other hand, I have had zero time to spend on Aeroelasticity, so although it doesn't seem to be too hard, I am still getting poor grades (lack of time bad grades.) After much debating I decided to just suck it up and stick with aeroelasticity...

...until tonight. Tuesday is our senior design Midterm Briefing. My plan was to have the aero homework done by now, but I've been very sick since last Thursday, so I was basically useless. Now not only do I not have the homework done, but I am also behind on my senior design stuff.

I hesitate to drop Aeroelasticity for two reasons. The first is that I will only have 9 hours this semester (... is that a bad thing?) and the second is that I *might* end up not graduating until the Spring of 2006. I have talked a lot to my parents about this, and brought up both the "I'm so old" and "I have no money" arguments against it. My Mom asked me what the big hurry was and reminded me that in the grand scheme of things, it's not that much money. I love that I have super supportive parents that come from a different culture where people aren't always trying to hurry through life and don't worry so much about things.

I would really, really hate for my other grades to suffer because of this one (and in my opinion, stupid and utterly useless) class.

Anyway, so basically I have pretty much decided to drop another class... but I guess I am still having doubts. Opinions, anyone?

Time Flies

Was it a weird week or what? Hey Katy, there was a full moon!

I've been meaning to post, but this week flew by just like all the others. It was a lab reports week, which means I had reports due in both Controls and Structures. Both Monday and Tuesday I left my room in the morning only to return at around 11 or 12.

I went to Krispy Kreme for the first time! It was yummy :-)

I think my body has been trying to get sick for some time and on Wednesday night/Thursday morning it succeeded. Since then I have not been feeling my best, hopefully it will go away before the end of the weekend (busy week this week... as usual) I haven't been able to go workout because of being sick, which makes me sad because I missed the good spinning class for the 3rd time in a row!!! Oh well... Will had also agreed to take me on a ride that he does frequently (I'm excited to see what I can do) but that was supposed to be this morning and I'm not well enough yet. I am definitely plannning on spinning tomorrow afternoon, though.

Next weekend we're planning a hiking trip with Jason and Apryl. I got to talk to her some at the Lair party and she's really cool! Speaking to her was refreshing, I feel like she is more like me than everyone else we know. We definitely have several things in common, including how much we like kids.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the whole Karma thing. I have been seeing lately that you definitely get back what you put out in the world. That makes me want to be very careful and only put out "positive" energy. That doesn't mean that bad things don't happen to good people, though. Maybe it is more of a "you reap what you sow" sort of deal. I just want to make sure I'm planting and investing in the right places.

I finally broke down and decided to get the tablet pc. Already it has been super useful. I was in the student center commons on friday trying to configure it and I ran into Little Adam (pokie) for the first time in a long time. It was good to see him, reminded me of several years ago. He invited me and Will to go skiing in Vermont for spring break, which would be awesome but sounds super expensive. I think I prefer the beach anyway (and Will agrees.)

Even though I was sick Will and I went out on a date last night. I think it had been a while since we'd been out alone, since we've been double dating and doing parties a lot recently. It was a lot of fun, it reminded me of what a good thing we have. We went out to dinner and saw Hitch, which was really good! We had a great time together... which is usually the case :-)

I definitely take him for granted a lot. He is so, so, so patient with me. This week when I was sick he was always there to take care of me. He brought me medicine and made sure I ate and tucked me in. I know no one else that takes such good care of me! I am a lucky, lucky girl. I often wonder how I was fortunate enough to end up with someone like him. Particularly since he doesn't mind that I am so 'old' (in fact, he prefers it) Maybe it's that whole karma thing coming around? If so, I must've done something really good! :-p

Several big decisions have come up recently. Or, maybe not so big. Anyway, decisions are always difficult for someone like me. The first was to decide which class to drop. I finally settled on Avionics, but I may end up dropping aeroelasticity as well (since life hasn't slowed down any, despite my having 1 less class). The next is regarding the Ovarian Cycle... the "century" ride is the same day as the Brasstown Bald stage of the Tour de Georgia. I asked Will awhile ago to take me to see it. I'm really disappointed that I have to choose between them. On one hand, it is something that I will (have been) training a long time for. On the other hand, how many times do you get to see Lance Armstrong race? Plus, would I rather ride indoor for 6 hours or up a mountain? Ugh... The third decision I can't write about, but I think I have settled on something that is healthy.

I can't believe it's March already!

The Learning Kind

I am not sure about everyone else, but I believe that college is not only a place to get a degree. I have a different idea of what the "college experience" should be (surprise, surprise.) I don't think that we should only learn from books. We should learn from each other, learn from situations and use these experiences to push the boundaries of ourselves in order to build character and self-esteem.

My question to you is: have you pushed yourself? Are you a better and stronger person than you were yesterday? Have you grown? Do those around you challenge you? If not, why not?

This this "senior" year I have learned more about myself than perhaps any other year before. I am so grateful to those around me because they continue to teach me invaluable lessons day by day. I think these lessons have helped build my character. I am "ok" with where I am today. I think it's very important to have strong self-esteem before heading out to the "real world" because as tough as things are now, they'll only get tougher. It's important that it's built on who you are and not what you do, because the day will come when we all fail at something. The question is: how will you handle it?

One of the things that I have been very challenged by this year is my "co-dependency." The definition is slightly misleading. Think of it as a "pleasing personality" - I like to make others happy, but often get walked all over during the process. I am a doormat, but this year I have been working on setting boundaries and respecting myself more. I believe that I have come a long way, although I know several people who would prefer it if I stayed the way I was. One example is the flying club. Boy, wouldn't they love it if I kept taking care of everything for everyone. But, I realize that this isn't helpful. I just feel over-run and the club doesn't really get a benefit, because I won't be around forever.

As a person with a pleasing personality, it is very difficult for me to have appropriate friendships. I have been reading a very helpful book (yep, I read self help books :-p) and it helps outline some qualities of a good friendship. According to this author, they are:

1. Confidentiality - what we say cannot be misconstrued or used against us
2. Purpose
3. Listening - it is important to be listened to
4. Without Judgement - being able to share fears without being criticized
5. A safe environment - a place to explore issues
6. Giving advice sparingly - offering advice is generally detrimental
7. Shared experience
8. Humor
9. Encouragement, not caretaking - ability to empathize but not become enmeshed
10. Challenging - they cannot tell us what to do or judge our actions but must find ways to measure challenges for us

I think these are great guidelines. How many people get this type of friendship from you? How many give you this type of friendship? I can think of maybe one person that I get it from, and maybe partly give to one also. Wouldn't it be great if all of our friendships were based on this? They would open up a whole new world.

I'm interested, are you?

Memories...

I heard that some people called my relationship with Will "miserable" and asserted that we must have no social life.

I have a couple of issues with that. First of all, I don't judge other's relationships. Also, I have always known that I enjoy different things for fun, and never have put down what other people do. I've just said that it's not for me. Saying
things of that nature reminds me of high school... and I expected us all to act like "adults" and handle things better!

So, back to the point. I was reminiscing with Will last night, we were trying to decide what makes us miserable and boring. Our first official date was flying an airplane to Athens, GA and throughout the past year and a half we have...

- climbed 4 moutains
- seen 1 gorge
- been to two different beaches
- 4 different airplane museums
- 1 airshow
- travelled to 4 different cities
- I learned to fly a stunt kite and will's airplane
- been to the symphony
- been to the fox theatre
- have eaten a ton of meat at a churrascaria
- 2 new years eves together
- bike ride dates to piedmont park in the morning :-)
- been to the north georgia mountains
- 1 backpacking/camping trip (my first!)

...and countless other good memories. Now, I realize that not everyone may enjoy these things, but I've gotten to try countless new things with him and broaden my horizons. I know some people may feel like college is the time to live it up because they'll never get the chance again, and this is true. They won't have a chance. But, I'm going to have even more fun when there's not schoolwork to hold me back!

Never Been Kissed

I was thinking about a line from the movie, where Molly Shannon is in the sex-ed class and is saying how her mother used to tell her

"No one will want to buy the whole ice cream truck if you're handing out popsicles for free."

This subject is one that is always on my mind. Throughout high school and college I've been called a "prude" a lot. This used to bother me. (Although, I just looked up the word - to check the spelling no less - and I think it's a little extreme to me but who knows what other people think.) Anyway, the moral is that it doesn't bother me anymore.
I suppose I always felt like it's a bad thing and that I should fit in more. Lately (over the past year or so) however I'm becoming more comfortable and even proud of my differences (I don't think I'm that different, I just don't know where all the others like me are!) I like how I was raised and I like convictions and my standards. I think it gives me the one-up on the whole self-esteem race.

Anyway, what is also important, is that it makes proud that I never have things to tell to Will that would disappoint him. And that each thing that we share is that much more valuable. Isn't that cool? It's the easiest way to invest ever!

Anyway, that's my opinion.

Valentine's Day

This year was by far my favorite Valentine's Day (it wins over last year because Will was actually here for it!)

Mondays are really busy days for both of us (I'm in class til 6, he's in class 7-10) so when I was asked to watch Colin and Maddy I agreed. We decided to have some dessert when I got back. So, I receive a text message asking if I'd had dinner, which I hadn't because Mondays are so crazy! Anyway, I head back after babysitting to be surprised by this:

Table for two please!

An AE dork's dream date

It was perfect! A yummy dinner (notice the airplane napkins!) and one of the best chocolate desserts ever - ice cream!

I know a lot of people speculate - there were no flowers, no stuffed things (except for me - haha!), no expensive gifts, but I like that it had Will's "flavor" to it. He definitely does things differently, and hey, that's alright with me! Different is really good!

Using my legs for the greater good

There are so many things that I have wanted to post but I've had no time. I think I'm going to make time, because like Jen said, I don't want to lose my words.

My first catch-up post will be about the thing that I am most excited about at the moment. Saturday Biff forwarded me an email about something called the Ovarian Cycle. It is a 10 week indoor cycling program culminating in a Century ride (100 miles) to raise money for Ovarian Cancer. I signed up right away.

I am very, very excited. Cycling is something that I grow to like more day by day, and I'm thrilled to use it to help those with cancer or even to prevent cancer. I'm also really excited because Jen is doing it also, so I've been getting to spend more time with her(which is lots of fun!) Registering for the Ovarian Cycle means that I get to attend the CRC's Spinning Classes, so Jen and I have been waking each other up at the butt crack of dawn to go to them. Good times!

I was a little worried at first because to participate you have to raise at least $400 dollars. This instantly brought memories of my mission trip to Jamaica back. But, I learned huge lessons about that back then, so I decided to try it out (plus, I know a lot more people with real jobs now!) I am always really pleasantly surprised and touched by how generous people are. My Mom's boss, whom I've met only twice, donated $100. My old friend from church J.T. (more my brother's friend... I haven't seen him recently) donated $50 last night. My sister gave $50 (bless her poor little heart.) And the list goes on and on... to where I've raised $300 in either pledges or direct donations in less than a week.

Makes you believe a little more that people are truly good, doesn't it?