We’re applying to Grad School now.. so this is just a temporary home, for now. Our lease is up in July, then we’ll figure out what’s next! It’s a pretty exciting time for us! We just celebrated two years of being together!!

I’m liking just hanging around and not doing too much yet since we haven’t gotten to start substituting yet and I don’t want to start, but I’m really ready for life to just move on! I want a real job, one that I actually like and I think going to grad school will do that, but then that’s another year or two years before I can do anything about it! Substituting isn’t quite the same as having my own class, you know.

I’m hooked on the Peace Corps. I can’t get it out of my head. I’m trying to plan out our lives and figure out when we can apply and go and get back in time to have some cute babies. But that involves figuring out when we have to get married by in order for us to be able to be placed in the same location overseas and that takes the excitement of not knowing when the proposal will come, but right now I’m just really excited about the possibilities of the Peace Corps and I want to help so many people.

Well, that’s about it, I spend my time researching for Inova and reading Peace Corps blogs of people’s experiences lol. And the rest of the time, I spend with my lovely boyfriend. I love him more than anything in the world!

I have so many things going through my head!

I woke up at 5:36 on Friday morning to watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton in England and it was so cool. I feel like I was part of history.. obviously I wasn’t there, but I watched it live! It must be crazy to marry an heir to the throne. I need to marry a prince! And then Pippa! What a beautiful woman! She’s got a pretty good life now too.

Osama was killed today. More history!!! So cool though. People are outside chanting USA right now. I’m kind of surprised this isn’t as big of a deal as it was when Obama was elected, people stormed outside and marched around campus..

But anyway, it’s really exciting..
And I’m graduating in less than three weeks!! What is that?!?! I’m going to be a real adult! I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. I don’t even have a job yet.

GO AMERICA!!!!

This year…
I fell in love. I spent a really fun week snowed in with my friends. I quit two jobs. I went to Maine for the first time. I drove to and from Maine. I swam so much. I went to three different beaches. I got stung by another jellyfish. I turned 21. I decorated the house with my boyfriend. I was offered four out of five internships. I slept in most days. I spent hours laying around with Andy. I moved out of my dorm for the last time. I cried, so much. I found more confidence in myself. I worried about my future. I got my wisdom teeth out. I moved my only sister to college.
But mostly, I lived and loved!

I love you.

I found this Post Secret that I really enjoy. Andy and I went to get a Christmas tree with his brother, sister-in-law and mother this year, but I can’t wait until we are getting our own Christmas tree!

I feel like my life has no meaning right now. What am I doing!! I quit my job, which is cool because I start working full time next semester and then work until I die… What’s the point. I don’t understand. I just do homework and go to class.. but for what? What am I going to do with my life. Even after I graduate and hopefully find a job all I’m going to do is work and then what.

I just don’t feel like I’m doing anything with my life and it’s pretty depressing right now. I don’t know what to do.

It seems like time is going by so fast. It used to be just days, but now it’s like weeks. It’s already the fourth week of classes this semester, we’re like a quarter of the way done with this semester already!!! How can this be happening. Soon I’m going to be tossed out into the real world with nowhere to go because I don’t know what I want to do, who I want to be. I don’t know where anything is going right now.
Do most people feel this way before they graduate college? Maybe before they move onto any new point in their lives.. I just feel lost.

But I still have NO idea what I want to do with my life. I’m really worried about it too. Andy keeps telling me to just wait it out and see what happens. Well what the fuck, that’s not going to work. I can’t just wait around. I need to try pursuing something, things don’t just fall into your lap. And what if I wait forever and nothing happens.

He won’t help me anymore either. And no one else seems to want to help me either. It’s really disheartening when I just want to figure out what will make me happy but I don’t have any idea what I want or what I even like for that matter. I just feel so helpless, I don’t know what to do.

Also I think I’m going to quit my Concierge job because starting next semester I have to work full time until I die. Fuck real life.

I don’t have anything substantial to write about today, just that I’m so beyond happy right now. Except that he works so much now!

Anyway, this is the lyric from Taylor Swift’s single “Mine”. It’s pretty good. Actually I think it’s really good!! And I think Andy is the best thing that’s ever been mine, so I’m pretty happy about that.
Here’s the rest of the lyrics:

Taylor Swift – “Mine”

You were in college working part-time, waiting tables
Left a small town, never looked back
I was a flight risk, with a fear of falling
Wondering why we’d bother with love, if it never lasts

I say can you believe it
As we’re lying on the couch
The moment I can see it
Yes, yes
I can see it now

Do you remember when we were sitting there by the water
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine

Fast forward and we’re taking on the world together
And there’s a drawer of my things at your place
You learn my secrets and you figure out why I’m guarded
You say we’ll never make my parent’s mistakes

We got bills to pay
We got nothing figured out
When it was hard to take
Yes, yes
This is what I thought about

Do you remember when we sitting there by the water
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine

Do you remember all the city lights on the water
You saw I started to believe for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine

And I remember that fight til 2:30 am
You said everything was slipping out of our hands
I went out crying and you followed me out to the streets

Brace myself for the goodbye
Causes it’s all i’ve ever known
When you took me by surprise
You said I never leave you alone

You said
I remember how we felt sitting by the water
And everytime I look at you it’s like the first time
I fell in love with acareless man’s careful daughter
She is the best thing that’s ever been mine

Hold on
Make it last
Hold on
Never turn back

You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine

Yeah, do you believe it?
Gonna make it last
And I can see it
I can see it now

Luckily, the weather is absolutely beautiful this week. It’s like perfect fall weather right now. I love it. I love fall.

Well, I hope everyone does something fun for the 4th!

I read Three Cups of Tea last year and was so inspired and interested in this subject that when I had to pick a topic for a research assignment for class, I decided to write about how access to education in Pakistan for women affects their self efficacy!
In April, with the help of my professor, I applied for a Research Apprenticeship with the University to further develop that research project… and I got it!!
Now I’m working on gathering research and interviewing women from Pakistan to see what their experiences with access to education are and how their self efficacy relates.
In September, George Mason University is hosting Fall for the Book, where Greg Mortenson will be receiving an award. I hope to be able to meet him and present my work to him. The work that was inspired by his dedicated work to bring education to the most remote people. I hope that my work will help to increase at least a little awareness for the need for education for everyone and how it will ultimately change the world.

So anyway, this book review.
Stones Into Schools was an amazing sequel to Three Cups of Tea. Where Three Cups of Tea he worked in Pakistan, Stones Into Schools dives into Afghanistan and bringing women’s literacy to the farthest reaches of the world where no one seems to care about them at all. Even their own government. It is very inspiring to read about how their work really does help everyone they come in contact with. They overcome so many obstacles to bring literacy to this region and don’t take too much recognition for it.

I guess that’s not really a book review. More of a short little blurb. But I really hope it encourages at least someone to read one of his books and then have some part in continuing to promote education for everyone. If my blurb didn’t work for you, read the reviews on Amazon!
Three Cups of Tea-> http://www.amazon.com/Three-Cups-Tea-Mission-Promote/dp/0143038257/ref=bxgy_cc_b_text_b
Stones Into Schools-> http://www.amazon.com/Stones-into-Schools-Promoting-Afghanistan/dp/0670021156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277869735&sr=8-1

Better yet, Buy the book while you’re checking it out!

Have fun!