College, Coffee, and Crazy

Well hello there!  It's me again, I'm back!  And I don't even know where to start, cuz it's been a while since we've talked, huh?!  Yeah just like, umm, over a month.  I *facecpalm* whenever I think about saying I'd try and post every week.  Haha...haha...haha.  

Wellp, I'll just sum up a few of the important events in my life lately: I got a job, I'm starting college, and I quit coffee.

Did you pass out?  

OK, if y'all are revived now, I'll elaborate!  

So yeah, lots of busy-ness and changes lately!  I've been praying about what's next in life for me.  I've dabbled in a few different ideas but wasn't really excited about anything.  Mom was asking me "what is it you love to do?"  Since I was little, I've always wanted to be a midwife.  I looked into doula training, but it just didn't seem the right fit for this time in my life.  Mom asked me if I wanted to pursue music more, and suggested talking to my piano teacher.  I sent her a text, and when she texted back and said she'd highly recommend getting a degree in music, I just knew it was what I was supposed to do!  I got excited and had a peace about it right away, and started looking at different college options.  I'm determined to pay my way through or bust, so saving money was definitely high priority!  So anyways, after a lot of help from people, phone calls, and research....I'm starting online classes through CollegePlus this next Monday!  I'll be taking 29 credits of generals through them, and they estimated it to take 6 months.  I'm gonna try and get it done sooner than that, but I don't know how possible that is!  But I should get them all finished up by September, Lord willing, and then I'll be going to Crown College to pursue my music degree!  I'll be commuting every day, because staying on campus is expennnnnsive.  So yes, it's nose to the grindstone, I've got five hours of studying to do every day.  And I'm excited!  Ask me again when I'm doing algebra and chemistry.  '_'

And a job.  Obviously a big part of starting college was making more money, and I was blessed with getting more piano students.  Then, while I was hanging out working on college stuff at a coffee shop, the owner came up and asked me if I needed any part time work!  He gave me a job application, and I filled it out and brought it in the next day.  To make the story short, I'm starting my job as a barista tomorrow morning at Papa D's in Dassel!  I'm super, super excited!  I mean, coffee lover's dream job, right?!  Which reminds me...

I quite coffee.  Yup, I really did.  I decided one day that I really need to learn to survive without it, so I quit, cold turkey.  In fact, I actually drank water instead.  The self control, I'm tellin' you!  Pretty amazing, if I don't say so myself!  So yeah, it lasted for 11 hours.  I quit coffee for 11 hours.  And then decided that life is too short to be tired, crabby, and coffee deprived, and I welcomed coffee back into my life with open arms.  <3  Haha!  That's the slightly dramatized version... :P

For other news?  Ummm life is kinda pretty much crazy.  But I've realized lately, I thrive on crazy.  I love being busy, always having places to go and people to see.  There is still those times of quiet though, reading scriptures, writing in my journal, and realizing how incredibly blessed I am.  I wouldn't trade anything in my life for anything else.  Even the tough stuff, it's all blessings in disguise.  God is so abundantly good to me.  

I have an Awkward + Awesome post coming up.  The amount of awkwards in my life lately....it's awkward. =P  Meanwhile, here's some pictures from the last month!

Me and my besties at Rachel's (far left) bridal shower!  

This is my mom's "we have coffee and chocolate in the library and we shouldn't!" face.  :P

This is me drinking coffee after my 11-hour fast.  #pureblissandhappiness

The sunrise was coming through the foggy window.  <3

Oh, y'know, just out for a jog in the freezing weather.  =]

Got to spend an afternoon with my big bro, Brandon.  He took me to the Porsche dealership where he works - it was so awesome!!!

Hanging out with Bran, his girlfriend Sam, and a friend of theirs.  The guys were not being photogenic.  

He took me for a ride in his new wheels!

A friend sent this to me.  I have a feeling this will be me in a few days.  :P

This is my awkward happy face after being hired at Papa D's!

Hanging out with my bestie friend forever!  So good to see you again, Serena!!  I miss her like crazy!

We are weird sometimes.

Solving the world's problems over Caribou coffee.

Leave me in a house with paint for the afternoon, and there may be more paint on me than the walls by sundown.  Yes, somehow I dumped paint down my leg.  I even had white freckles!  

Beautiful scriptures.  <3

The sister-of-the-bride and I at the groom's dinner.

Beautiful sunrise, dirty car window.  

I clearly have my priorities straight here.  I buckled in my thermos of coffee, because it is oh-so-precious.  This is on the way to the wedding.  After playing hockey for a few hours the night before (the most painful and injury-ful game of the season) and going to bed at 1am, I showed up at the church with a thermos in one arm and a large mocha (with an extra shot) in the other. Everyone started laughing when I walked in.  I kind of looked down and was like oh, yeah, this is a lot of coffee, isn't it?!  WELL I'M READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD!

I went skiing for the first time ever!  All day!  And I went over big jumps!  And box rails!  And I was so proud of myself!  And I feel like a 90 year old lady who got hit by a train now!  I can hardly walk! Yay!  And I'd do it all over again!  Because it was that fun!

This is Me, Joe, and Tim, heading up the lift.

Left to Right: Tim, Jason, Me, Joe, and David.  Jason is a friend of Joe's and David is a friend of Jason's.... this was supposed to be a class reunion for my graduation class, but the only people that made it were Joe, Tim, and I.  Party poopers!  And that's how I ended up to be the only girl, too.  Slightly awkward, but then I kind of felt right at home being I'm an only girl anyways!  We had a blast.  Oh, and this picture?  Umm yeah, they are totally holding me from going down the hill backwards there.  :P

The only picture I have of me skiing.  Don't I look like a pro?  :P  Trust me, I couldn't even get up the bunny hill at the beginning of the day.  Like I crashed when I tried to go up the tow rope.  And my friends died laughing at me.  Thanks, guys.  =}  And I crashed coming down the bunny hill.  And then after three or four times of that, the guys are like "Ok!  Now we go to the big hill!" And I was sure they were trying to murder me.  But by the end of the day, I was getting air on the jumps, and landing them too.  Ok, most of them.  Others, my skis were flying far away, and I was head over heels rolling down the hill.  I even got awarded the best crash of the day by the guy running the ski lift.  :P  Eventually, though, I mastered the big jump!  #feelingaccomplished

Hanging out with my bestie before the wedding!  I'll post more pictures of the wedding later!  

  

And now, friends, it's time for me to hit the hay!  Tomorrow I start my barista journey!  Wish me luck!  Over and out.