College Memories!

So here I am, a college graduate. Sophomore and junior years, I thought for sure I would never make it! I repeatedly wanted to take a semester off, but somehow I kept pushing through and MAN am I thankful!

I want to take a few moments to reflect back on each year of college. I'll try to sum each year up in a few words.

Year #1 Freshman at Wheaton College.
Missed high school and family. Loved college! Modeling= Insecurity. Dorm life (floor: 3East the Beast)! Kevin Ryan+phone+long distance=first true love. Swing dancing. HIGH ROAD! (14 day hardcore camping trip. three days of fasting= closest I've ever been to God or others). Set goals. Loved life. Naive. Babysitting. Phonathon (<--sp?) A's. Sociology Major.

Year #2 Sophomore at Wheaton College.
Tea parties. Aubrey was my roomie! Back on 3E. Phonathon. Steel Magnolia's (I was Anelle). Kevin Ryan+more in love. Lots of trips to QC. Difficult British Lit. Amazing Bible classes. Questioning what to do with my life. Parents struggling. Swing dancing. Tennis! Running! my own car! Walks with Rainey. Rejected to be RA...summer in the QC. Costa Rica missions. Nanny. God is faithful! ElementaryEducation/English major.

Year #3 Junior at Wheaton College/St. Ambrose University:
Ice skating+downtown Chicago+Kevin Ryan=Engaged! Parties! Terrace Apartment+Kristen+Amanda+Aubrey! Excitement. Love. Confusion. Transfer. Move to QC. Senior trip to Destin! Pictures on the beach (haha). First half marathon in St. Louis! Craziness at home. Planning wedding. Living with Ethel from church (lol). Sweet tea entered my life. Got my own apartment. Lived alone for 1st time ever! Parents divorced. Became an English major. Missed my friends. Best summer ever. Nanny. Got married and LOVED IT! Honeymoon to Domincan Republic. KYC: Led a very successful small group and loved it!

Year #4 Senior at St. Ambrose University:
Won Vacation with Kev to Wisconsin. Worked full time at Channel 6 as Account Executive! Became a theology Major. Fell more in love with God and Kevin. Jack Canfield inspired me to dream big. First Christmas tree! Worked as Kevin's assistant. Overwhelming school. Led small group for girls seeking their Identity in Christ. Ran second half marathon. Completed thesis paper on "Christian Marriage." Started Crossfit! Misses living close to her family and friends. Loves kevin more than ever, has more direction and faith than ever before. Aspiring author. Graduated from Ambrose!

SO here I am on my last day off work before I start grown up life! Tomorrow I will become a College Intern Recruiter for Northwestern Mutual in Davenport, IA. I'm pretty excited to see how I can help my husband's Agency get even stronger reps. It's going to be a great adventure. God really provided this job for me, and we are so excited to see what he is going to do in our family and in our lives...

I see my mornings/nights filled with writing and brainstorming. Tennis and running. Passion and perseverence. I see my days filled with dress pants and meetings...hard work and successful progress! My 20s will be filled with living life to the fullest, if nothing else...

Thanks to everyone who supported and encouraged me to get through a long crazy 4 years of college...and the 13 years of school before that! If you are feeling overwhelmed with school, please be encouraged! It goes faster than you think it will and when you look back, you have some amazing memories with friends and family that you would have missed out on if you didn't go through it! Success doesn't come without hard work, and it definitely took me a long time to realize that I'm capable of achieving a lot. I just have to make it happen!

Woods: On our very first day at Harvard, a very wise Professor quoted Aristotle: "The law is reason free from passion." Well, no offense to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law -- and of life. It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.

	So in the words of Elle Woods, Congratulations class of 2009 -- we did it!

Audio mp3 delivered by Reese Witherspoon

Crossfit...here I come!

So, I jumped on the Crossfit bandwagon as of yesterday, April 30 2009...and boy am I feeling it!!

Apparently, you get rediculous fit in a short amount of time! My back and arm muscles feel like they're about to bulge out right now! I did 21-15-9 clean+squats yesterday with the bar, and then 63-45-27 dips on a block. My triceps are crying out for mercy lol.

My lower body was already pretty in shape from running, so the 8 sets of 20 second squats weren't bad at all today...but the pullups, pushups, and for some reason situps were KILLER.

This is what I read on another Crossfit blog:

"Who says Crossfit girls aren't sexy?
The great objection to women exercising-namely, the fear of becoming muscular-is quite without foundation. It cannot be too often repeated that woman is not simply a weaker man: she is physically an entirely different being ... In women the muscles simply become firm, close-knit, and well-rounded, and show under the layer of fatty tissue intervening between muscle and skin only in soft, hardly discernible masses, just sufficiently to give a delicate moulding to the form."

*I'm not gonna lie, I don't really buy into this. Some of the girls on the website have BULGING masses in their arms, and I'm not really into that... so we'll see how it affects me.*

I kinda want to see what I look like with some serious muscle though , rather than just being fit from running. It'll be really fun. I'm always up for a challenge! And hey, what better way to end my COLLEGE CAREER (in 7 days AAAHHHHH) than SORE AS HECK ?!!

Oh what we humans will do for a hot bod! lol

Yoga tomorrow anyone?! we'll be stretching like crazy people. (that is if I can move...)

It's Spring Fever!!

I am OBSESSED with Spring. This painting is called Spring Beauty, and I feel like I could be that girl. She looks excited like me. (I picked a pic of a girl, because it's proven that people look at a picture 8x longer if it has a woman in it, rather than a man or just an object. God made women beautiful!)

I didn't realize until this year that this feeling I get when it gets nice out is SPRING FEVER! My body literally aches to go outside on these gorgeous, fresh-as-cucumber days.

Here are the reasons I like spring in general:
1) Rain storms...a wonderful muse
2) A new beginning...winter blues are long forgotten!
3) I'm in the mood to be productive...and actually clean!
4) The chirping birds send waves of passion and delight through the air, awakening every molecule of nature...the tiny buds on trees sprout, and the flowers peek their little stems out of the wet soil, and midwesterners come out of hibernation mode!
5) It feels like track season so I'm in the mood to run.
6) It's almost time for me to not be pale anymore! (except, I'm kinda on a save-my-skin kick, so sunless tanner is the way I've been going...shhh)
7) Tennis...ahh finally
8) Easter!! thank you for coming out of the grave, Jesus. Because of you, we can live. Kinda a big deal.

Here are the reasons I like spring THIS year:

1) It was the year of a great (2nd annual) spring half marathon! I ran the St. Louis half marathon with my best friend, Aubrey (who posed as my husband because he decided a Cubs game that got rained out anyway was more important) and lil sis and her chillest-of-anyone-I've-ever-met roommate, Cindy! We all finished within 10 minutes of one another and I wasn't dying at the end this year like I was last year. Here's the link to some photos: http://www.runphotos.com/packages.cfm?file_name=69C/10767-5365-5366-69C_0645.JPG. this one is my favorite because Aubs and I are holding hands and our feet aren't touching the ground! It's like we're floating. (too bad it wasn't quite that easy!) The plan is to take it to the next level and do a full Marathon hopefully in the fall!!
Also, it's time for new tennis shoes. I ABSOLUTELY adore the feeling of light, white new tennies on my feet. *It puts a new 'spring' in my step.* lol. lame joke.

2) I am married for the first spring ever, and it just feels so peaceful and wonderful to go to sleep next to the man (or woman) you love after a beautiful day.

3) We're looking for a house! Another new beginning.

4) My muse is furiously working...a wonderful feeling that will hopefully lead to wonderful productivity

5) I am GRADUATING! May 9th, thank you JESUS!

Can I just say, if you haven't enjoyed the spring yet get off your little butt and go people-watch in the park, or just sit outside on your front porch. Or, whoa lets get crazy, GO for a walk or run in the park. Your soul will thank you!

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go. ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

In springtime, love is carried on the breeze. Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head. ~Emma Racine deFleur

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

What are you looking forward to the most?!

Okay besides Jesus coming back/Heaven, there are a few things that make my top 5 list of THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST IN LIFE! hmm, the pictures do not give anything away. don't be fooled! haha.

Here it goes from the things I'm least-most excited about to the most-most excited ;):

1. I can't wait to see who all 3 of my siblings end up marrying! My two sisters and one lil bro are a few of my very favorite people, and I can't wait to see the wonderful people that marry them!

2. I can't wait until I accomplish all the things on my 100 things before I die list. (it's an earlier blog entry if you want to see)

3. I am SO looking forward to growing old on one pillow with my husband. He will be a handsome old man. :) (We talked in my marriage class today about how our culture views sex as a thing only for youth, but older married couples are often the ones who get to enjoy it the most because of their deep intimate love on so many levels for one another...I think our culture way underappreciates the elderly and the wisdom they have about life.)

4. WHOA, 25 days until I am offically a college graduate. Need I say more?

5. Finally, and the thing I have wanted since I was 7 years old, is BABIES. And this, my friends, is the reason this blog is being written. I called my dad today to tell him of the AMAZING thing that just happened (which is that Kevin's mom's friend wants to buy 500 coupon books, so we have 5,000 dollars toward our MISSION TRIP!!! It's paid for, and probably part of our Africa mission trip too...Praise JESUS!) and I said, "Dad, I have amazing news! Guess what it is?!" And he said, "I don't know, you had 12 people at your yoga class?" and i laughed and said, "way better...." at which point I told him my story. But, when I got off the phone, I thought about how AWESOME it would have felt to tell him that the good news was that he was going to be a grandpa. We want to wait a couple more years, and even though I'm in full support of that, the anticipation is totally eating me away! This is definitely as bad as I couldn't wait to get married, but I know waiting is the smart thing. Financially, emotionally, and domestically we will be much 'readier' in 2 years. I just lovve BABIES and cannot wait to see what our little ones will look like. We want twins ...and then more! I want to stay at home to raise them, and write books on the side. I also can't wait to become a published author...so these two combined make up my biggest GOALS in life! God, if you want to give us a surprise at any point...bring it on! ;)

What are your top 5?

Our House

The living room looks weird because our curtains weren't finished yet, but you get the point. Also the blue lawn chair...um, not supposed to be there ;o)


So this is our house! I figured you should know where I'm writing from so you can know me a little better! My wonderful husband and I love our little condo, but it's about that time to start looking at houses...with the 8000 dollar tax credit, we don't want to miss out!

If you see any great deals, let us know. It doesn't matter where. As long as it's more south than here...haha. Just kidding. We're probably in the QC to stay!

I just want a popsicle

So, I've been in bed for 6 of the 12 hours I've been awake today.
Yes, I'm bored out of my mind so I decided to write a little poem.
It's called : Popsicle

I've got the spring sick blues
And I need new shoes
Woke up with a fever last night
Hate bein sick, don't you?



I prayed and tried to sleep
But I just feel so weak
I didn't throwup, but can't eat a thing
My day has been quite bleak.

I called the hubby to bring
just one quite little thing
but he said no, "he had to go,
to church real early to sing"

a Popsicle, A popsicle!
Is it really that hard to drop(-sickle)
off at the house, for your poor little spouse
who just wants a fruit flavored popsicles?
I don't care what kind it is
Cherry, plain, funny or fizz
One of those rockets would do the trick
Am I not more important than your biz?

I'll continue to wait right here
I'll be laying on the couch, my dear
just please come home without empty hands
I NEED a popsicle I fear.

If you get this soon, anyone, I will pay you to bring me a box of popsicles!

Adam and Eve...part II

...this is a continuation of the story. See below for first excerpt...

Adam and Eve laid together and became one flesh.  They were naked, and yet shame was not even a notion they could conceive of.  

I went down to the garden that evening to be close to Adam, "mankind." What a wonderful feeling it is when I receive my creation's praise and devoted attention! 

We walked through the garden-as would any father with his children-enjoying the sights and sounds and just savoring our time together.  I tried to express my love to the two in words, so they could somehow get a better understanding of "Agape."  

I told Adam and Eve that in the same way they loved and took care of the flowers, plants, and other creations, I saw them with a love so infinitely more profound.  I declared, "Eve, you see the flowers and meadows as incredibly beautiful...  But YOUR beauty enthralls me, for your gorgeous and pure soul coupled with your outer beauty leaves me speechless.  And Adam, your work ethic and wild heart is more powerful than the very mountains I sculpted, the ones you look at with awe and excitement.  Watching you two love one another and respect me makes us even more proud than we were when we witnessed our first magnificent sunset."  Adam kissed Eve on the forehead, smiled, and took her trembling hand.  My glory has a tendency to bring about wonderful, strange, and humble behaviors.

I told Adam and Eve that they, like the trees and animals, were to be fruitful and multiply.  They didn't fully understand, but knowing that it had to do with another exchange of passion-they were thrilled.  They were anxious to fill my abundant earth and govern it! They knew they would need my guidance and I promised that I'd be with them every moment of their lives. 

Then, I walked them around the garden and gave them a tour. I explained each of our unique gifts to mankind and so many intricate workings.  "The wind carries plants' seed and pollen and scatters it across the land so the flowers will multiply. Bees also help with the pollination, but they also create one of the sweetest flavors: honey!  They make this by gathering nectar from the flowers they find.  They fly the nectar back to their hive and place it in the perfectly built hexagonal honeycomb cells that they create from the outside in (another one of our little miracles). The honeybees carry the nectar, mix it with enzymes that have been built into a special pouch in their tiny bodies, evaporate water out of the nectar mixture to thicken it, and when it becomes honey they cap off the cell in the comb with beeswax.  And walah, you have delicious fresh honey." We spent hours just talking and I explained so many things! They loved it, and of course, I loved talking about it too!  They especially enjoyed the idea of  camouflage-they thought chameleons got the coolest camo abilities.  I wanted to share everything, but that would come with time.

We played the first game of dodgeball with the juicy pomegranates and pears, until the baboons started throwing fruit too and we couldn't stop laughing! We laughed at the crazy monkeys until we could hardly breathe, and when we were just about to wipe away our tears of laughter, we were swept up in a moment of reverence as a herd of majestic deer leaped right through the rolling meadow we occupied.  They were followed by seven valiant white horses, who strode through the trees with graceful beauty.  It was heavenly-that whole evening with my children. 

I could see Adam and Eve eyeing one another (and I could feel their pulses racing, for we were walking in such unity!) I decided to leave them alone, though they were sad to see me go back to the heavens.  For, my children, you know my presence summons a deep fountain of joy in the depths of your soul, and so it was intended to be when my creations walk with me and seek my presence!  

We marveled at the two- Jesus, the Spirit, and I.  I reclined in the glorious heavenly throne and closed my eyes, still governing each living thing with precision.  We smiled ceaselessly.  The wholeness of our creation was complete--*ahhh* and we were resting and rejoicing as our created universe swirled and cried out in adoration!  Our love for creation and creation's love for us was in this moment united; complete; timeless.  

We rejoiced both quietly and loudly that day... and especially the next day when we declared a day of rest! The perfect Shabbat, Sabbath. And how truly restful it was.  REJUVINATING and peaceful like it would fail to be for quite some 'time.'  

As you read, my children, I know that you understand the world and its workings in such concrete implications of time. But know that time is virtually nonexistent here in the heavenlies.  A million years can pass like a day, for the joyousness of heaven is incomprehensible for you at this point. You will be pleased, just know that much.  Please trust me!  I KNOW YOU, and I know what is good for you! I am omnipresent, and omnipotent. My child, I AM GOOD. I AM. And as Adam and Eve were walking with every ounce of their faith in me, so too can you! I will help you, and I know you're tired and burdened.  I want to give you my indescribable rest, the Sabbath rest and peace that surpasses your understanding!

So....I hesitate to go on.  For to think of the spiritual battle that ensued is for me a heartbreak that you cannot even start to comprehend.  

So again, picture in your wonderful complex mind the singing creation and us and all the angels in the heavens singing over it.  It all resonated LIFE like humanity hasn't seen since that day.  For what was about to happen next would change everything...