The Alchemist

"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.

"You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love... the love that speaks the Language of the World.

"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.

"The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his wisdom.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.

"It's not love to be static like the desert, nor is it love to roam the world like the wind. And it's not love to see everything from a distance, like you do. Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. When I first reached through to it, I thought the Soul of the World was perfect. But later, I could see that it was like other aspects of creation, and had its own passions and wars. It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse. And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are."

-Paulo Coelho

God's little gift!

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a Jeep. Ask my parents, and they will tell you that as a child, my dream car was a hot pink Jeep Sahara. My dad quickly shot that dream down, by telling me in no uncertain terms that there was no way I would ever drive an open-air Jeep while I was living in his house. This did not kill my dream to drive a Jeep, though. Instead, I began to develop an obsession with Jeep Cherokees. I don't know what it is, but I have always loved these cars! Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that given the choice between a Porsche and a Jeep Cherokee, I would definitely choose the Jeep. As I started work this summer, I worked with the goal of earning a car. I wanted so badly to buy myself a Jeep, but I just didn't know if I would have the funds (I only had about $3,500 tops to work with). But God provided, and I just bought my very first car-and yes it is a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I can't even begin to explain how excited, and grateful, I am! God, you are SO good!

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

I just got back from the Rihanna/Kesha concert. Totally worth $10, not because it was amazing, but because I had so much fun. Yeah, the singing was terrible, and Kesha was high out of her mind. And yeah, Rihanna was really weird, and had terrible costumes, and bad songs (for the most part). But she closed the concert with the song "Umbrella". I forgot how much I love this song. Seriously. It's so cute! Every time I hear it, I smile. And I hadn't heard it in such a long time. So hearing it tonight as her closing song totally made the whole show worth it. So I'm sharing it here. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvBfHwUxHIk

Captivating

"A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man, it draws out his strength. She inspires him to be a hero.

"She is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. Woman. In one last flourish creation comes to a finish not with Adam, but with Eve. She is the Master's finishing touch.

"God desires that wherever and however you offer yourself to the Body of Christ, you'll have the protection of good men over you. Not to hold you back, but to set you free as a woman. Christ has made man his warrior, to offer his strength on behalf of Eve so that she might flourish."

5 Things (Stolen from T-Rizzle)

5 Things I am Looking Forward To:

• Heading back to school with Miss Jessica Lynne Smith.
• FINALLY owning my own car, because I am so stinkin' sick of having to share with my sister.
• Being able to sleep in (this happens once a week, and I treasure every Saturday).
• Seeing all my college friends.
• The Holidays. Yes, I know that I have a while to wait, but the Holidays are my favorite time of the year.

5 Things I did Yesterday:

• WORKED.
• Slept.
• Drove around several middle schoolers (Fi-Fi and her friends).
• Watched Toy Story 3.
• Slept... Again.

5 Things I Wish I Could Do:

• Relax and enjoy summer the way it's supposed to be enjoyed.
• Sing like Lea Michelle (Rachel on Glee).
• Get in a car and just drive wherever the day takes me.
• Dance like Shakira (Tara, if you happen to read this, we WILL accomplish this before the summer is over).
• Sleep more (I'm rapidly becoming way too obsessed with sleep, as I never can seem to get enough of it).

5 Places I'd Like to Visit:

• Greece/Italy. I'm beyond jealous that Megan is in Greece as I write this.
• Thailand.
• Morocco.
• Ireland.
• Tahiti.

5 Songs I'm Currently Obsessed With:

• Where Are You Going-Dave Matthews Band
• Undo It-Carrie Underwood
• Find Your Love-Drake
• Half of My Heart-John Mayer
• I'm In-Keith Urban

"For the first time, I had been struck by the excitement of the traveler who looks history in her subtle face."

-Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian

life so far...

I haven't blogged in such a long time! This is less to do with laziness, and more to do with there not being that much to write about. Life has kind of flat lined out here in sunny New Mexico. That is one thing I'm absolutely LOVING right now-the heat. I absolutely love hot weather and sunshine. And the hotter, the better. So living in this upper-90 degree weather is absolutely glorious! Unfortunately, I'm not able to appreciate all of this wonderful weather, as I spend most of my days indoors. This is not fully by choice, as I now have a job! I'm working at a law firm, which may not sound terribly exciting, especially since all I'm doing is a lot of grunt work (filing, copying, typing...). But I'm learning a lot. And it really isn't that bad, as far as summer jobs go. I'm working for two reasons: 1. To fill time. Last summer, I did not have a job. Last summer, I also wanted to shoot myself by the middle of June, because I was so BORED. This summer, I determined to not live through that again. So I got myself a nice little 9-5 job. And I'm experiencing something I never thought I would. I never thought it was possible to be more tired during the summer than I was during the school year. A lot of this has to do with the fact that, even though, I have to be up and out the door by 8:30 (at the absolute latest) every morning, I'm still mentally in full-on summer mode. This means that I'm inclined to stay out late enjoying these wonderful summer nights with my wonderful friends. However, one week of that was enough to leave me completely exhausted. I've had to completely change my full sleep cycle. This leaves out late nights, which was hard at first. But I'm adjusting to my schedule. In fact, you might say that I've turned into an old woman. Sleep is my number one priority. It's getting a little out of hand. (I blame my friend Jordan's influence-she's a grumpy octogenarian trapped in an 18-year old's body). The second reason I'm working so hard is because I want a car. I have a car to drive here at home, but it's not mine. It's my parents' on loan. And while that was fine all through high school, I realized that I could not take that car with me to college. And since I wasn't allowed to have a car as a freshmen anyways, it was not that big of a deal this past year. But now that I'm fully allowed to have a car, I really, really want one. But the only way that was ever going to work out was if I worked and bought one myself. Which I'm honestly alright with. I see buying this car as my first foray into adult life. So I'm excited to work, save, and at the end of the summer, buy my very first car! Beyond my job, which is what consumes most of my time these days, there is not much to relate. I'm enjoying being home and seeing all my old, dear friends, while also completely missing the friends I've made back in San Diego. Summer is looking brighter and brighter, with the brightest part coming in August when I can pack my car (yay!) and head out to California-stopping in good old Phoenix, Arizona to pick the lovely Jessica Lynn Smith along the way, of course! I promise to be a more faithful blogger, as it's been over a month since I last wrote something... But to sum up summer so far, I would have to use the word "busy". I feel like a busy little bee. But that's alright with me. Between work, friends, family, and home, life is pretty good right now...