could you tell me why you're leaving

when you disappear on me
it's just like parades in the rain
and everytime i see you
you just disappear again

every time you're leaving...
i don't know what to say
i wanna see this whole town go away

so could you tell me why you're leaving
cause i don't know why it has to be so
could you tell me why you're leaving
cause i don't know i don't know i don't know

all these ending love songs come into my eyes
but every time i see you i'm alive.
i'm alive.

so could you tell me why you're leaving?
cause i don't know why it has to be so.
could you tell me why you're leaving
cause i don't know i don't know
i don't know...

wait out the days

i know i've said this before but i'm going to say it again anyways. because it's something i really feel, and really believe in. it's rare in life, in my life anyways, that i feel someone i have a real connection with.

someone you can talk to for hours. someone who knows you. likes you. doesn't want you to be any different. someone who wants to go somewhere a little bit quieter to talk. someone who wants to catch the sunset. would go out of their way in life to make sure that you never got hurt and were having a good time. who has the same amount of fun sitting in the grass talking about life or having a couple of beers somewhere... who you can tell genuinely cares about you. and you can tell because you can feel it. it's past words. it's way past sciences of any sort. you can actually feel it. and it feels like home.

i don't know a lot of people like that. i really don't.

it's like there's always something in the way. not enough depth. too much insecurity. too many twisted priorities. but when you know that you have that connection with someone, it's always there.

and it always happens to me that just when i realize how much i care about someone, or maybe not realize it but rather remember it, then they have to go away. just when you remember how good it feels, its over. so you're stuck with the same old sad love songs and overused cliches about how life goes on, and you know there's nothing you can do other than to let time do it's magic, by gradually and graciously reminding you that it's not the end of the world, and you're going to be ok. this too shall pass.

but now, for awhile, you're a little less whole. your house is a little more lonely. your car seems to be lacking conversation, and your bed just feels a little empty.

and for awhile, it always happens this way, these little instances, like shadows, they follow you. and i mean, they're good... like shadows of good times, and reminders of places you've been and things you've talked about. a song you heard, a road you drove down, a color you maybe wore, but for awhile, they just don't leave you alone. and everywhere you go, you're reminded that you're really missing something that's a part of you all of the time, everywhere you go. you're never 100% anymore.

it's so damn hard.

"I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that."

hanging on

if it means anything, i'm glad i met you. if for nothing else, than to provide some sort of inner glimmer of hope inside of myself, something that tells me that people like you exist. something that reminds me what it's like when someone cared for you at one point and how good that feels. something that keeps love alive. at least for me.

and maybe it means i'll keep those hours we spent together too close. maybe it means i'll hold on to them too long--whos to say? but it makes me whole. it's something i'll never be able to explain to anyone else, because it's just that deep inside of me. but really, it makes each song a little better, each bad day a little lighter, and each minute a little less lonely... so i don't mind.

___
Lastly...

"It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear . . . . It's like being between trapezes. It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There's nothing to hold on to." - Marilyn Ferguson

from two great songs

this afternoon with you felt something like a letter
the kind that someone writes but never sends
and when you're good to me
it makes me blue because someday it's gonna end.
-Ryan Adams, Friends

it hasn't felt like this before
it hasn't felt like home before you
and i know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel this way
and i miss you more than i should, than i thought i could
i can't get my mind off you
and i hate the phone
but i wish you'd call...
-Joshua Radin, The Fear You Won't Fall

and i wish it was a small world...

where do i even start? i've been internet deprived for a week, because i was visiting lindsey in LA. the thing is, i didn't care about the internet persay, or my email, but there were times i was like "dang , i really need to be writing right now. this is going to be some good material" and i just can't do the pen and paper thing anymore. so now i have my chance.

it's 2 am here, so that's midnight california time. my flight got in around 11. i don't know what it is about that place that gets me so emotional. i mean, maybe i do. but, on the plane i just started to feel really sad. not sad to be coming home. not sad to be in my own bed, and go to work tomorrow. but it's just that i saw a lot of really good friends whom i LOVE to be around, and i see them every couple of years. and i guess, this may be thinking too hard, but i can't help but wish we could all live near each other while we're still young. before people get married and have families and getting together just gets that much harder. and i know in a few days i won't feel like this. it's just the initial shock of leaving that behind me. and that some of my best friends live as far from me as they possibly could in the united states. i just wish i could spend more time with them.

and for a second, i believed i could. i mean, sometimes i'll have these really irrational thoughts like - whats keeping me in chicago? my job? my family? what if i didn't catch that plane home? what if i decided to just not go in tuesday morning? i'm not going to get arrested or anything. i think irrationally like that. then, once i landed here in chicago i remembered how much i like being here. and i know in a few days, when i'm back to my routine everything will make sense again. i'm just caught in a moment.

i love the song "raining in baltimore" because i think it captures everything i'm talking about with one simple line... "and i wish it was a small world." because i really do wish that. i wish i could see the people that i love to see every single day.

we all make our own lives, and carry on though. because that's what we have to do. and i know it's not that people forget about each other, it's just that the more time that goes on, the more preoccupied you get with things that are part of your everyday routine, and the farther in hindsight things from the past can get. even if they still mean a lot to you, they don't affect you every day. i'm no different. i have a routine. i wake up, i work, i commute home, i run errands, i go out on the weekends, and i do it again. that is my life. but, while it doesn't make much sense to dwell on the past, i can't help but to do that sometimes. i miss the simpler times. and the more you dwell on the past, the more you tangle yourself this little web of confusion. it's so much smarter to just live in the here and now. let things happen. and while i know that....easier said than done.

it's incredible how someone can impact your life so much. that years later, conversations are still easy. that for whatever reason in this world, in this lifetime, there are people that you just connect with. and that connection never goes away. no matter how far you live from each other, no matter how many years its been.

and you know that no one else will ever totally understand that connection. like, you can explain it forever and ever. but they'll never totally "get it." it's something that goes on between two people. or to quote high fidelity... it's a mystery of human chemistry and i don't understand it, but some people, as far as their senses are concerned, just feel like home.

i can't think of a better way to put it.

and so yes, i'd like to see those people all of the time. but i wouldn't trade the fact that when i do run into them it feels like yesterday, for anything in the entire world.

i had a great weekend. i learned a lot about myself, and a lot about these ghosts in my past that i just seem to hang on to. i learned why i do that. and i learned that it's ok. and i feel relieved. and proud of myself too. and i'm glad to be back home and back to my own life, after figuring a lot of things out. now, i just hope i can sleep.

i'll write soon.

pure randomness...prepare

been a month. shoot. i really thought i was improving my blog frequency. i guess i'll have to try a little harder.

mother's day was tonight, it was good. i totally feel like my mom deserves a mothers day, maybe even a few. she's so unselifsh. she was even kind of upset that we planned somethign that required spending money. her exact quote was, "i would have been fine just cooking breakfast here." we went to a really nice brunch though. and i kept telling her that this is one day, that it's okay to let people treat her to things. she doesn't have to be a "mom" all the time. just accept that we want to do something nice for you. not everyone has a good mom. i'm lucky and i wanted to show her that i know that. so, things were well.

well, may 5th, i took the gmat. i did pretty good. i scored above average for loyola's admission, so i'm happy. of course, randomly, i do better in math than in english. remember what my degree is in? i don't know though--i'm a writer. that just flows. it's harder to diagram sentences and figure out that the linking verb is in the wrong place. in my opinion anyways. so, i rocked the math part. and i get my writing scores in a few weeks. then, i'll find out! and finding out means figuring out my living situation. i'm really ready to move out these days.

i can't figure out if i want to stay in naperville, or if i need to move closer to work (for my own sanity, and the possibility if i get into grad school.) i really go back and forth about this all of the time. that, and i am really going to try to buy instead of renting. that may not be even possible... but my car is paid off now, so that's a big deal. a lot more money in my pocket per month. i'd just need a down payment, and i'm wondering if my dad could help me out with that. once again, these are all just ideas. nothing set in stone. but, places i'd live: lagrange, oak park, naperville, and four lakes in lisle. i just can't wait for annie to move home. it's going to be just great.

job is going well. i just had my first review. ha. my department is so laid back. it was basically like my administrator taking me into a room and being like "i put some good comments about you and im sending it to HR." which is a predetermined raise (i think). and i just found out i get to go to this CINP congress in July, and they're putting me up in a hotel for a week. so that means a few things: 1. fun in the city with my international friends that i've become friends with via email. ha. 2. no commuting for an entire week. 3. playing "tour guide" 4. having my own hotel room (ahh, how relaxing, a getaway, sort of.) and 4. a week away from my typical office scene, escapes are always good. i'm so thrilled about tihs setup. i just really love my boss. he's on my side with everything. it's so refreshing. he's very supportive and encouraging about me starting graduate school... and he's just a good, good, guy. i have problems with one guy at work, whichi'm pretty sure i have goten my point across to :) he started to back off some. (he just has no social skills) but yea. the job is good. i just feel like i totally lucked out. i want to work at a hospital for a long time now i think. :) i've gained a lot of respect for these doctorst that literally put themselves last and pure solely about the care of other people. i'm not saying all doctors are this way--but my boss certainly is. and a few others i'm sure of it :) ok, enough about work.

i just want to say that i noticed all the younger girls (agds that were just babies when i was there) are about to graduate. i've been there guys! don't worry, it's definitely not the end of the world. i talk to janna, lindsey, and konah every single day. i'm not exaggerating. it's been two years. and even the rest of us, we talk frequently. i can't honestly say i've lost touch with anyone totally. at the same time, i can't believe it's two years. i still get somewhat of a rush every time i'm on campus (visiting). i just love purdue so much. it has a place in my heart.

the real world's not too bad though. you get bills yeah, but you get money too. and routine becomes someting you're just really used to. i'm proud of all of you guys though. :) it seems like i just graduated yesterday. i just can't believe that. but anyways, nonetheless... friends are friends forever, pardon the cliche. i still sometimes feel like i live with janna and lindsey. :) i love that.

well this is a long one. sorry for the ramblin! i'm going to get to bed. work tomorrow. ugh. sometimes i hate sundays... haha. i'll write more though. and maybe more interesting ones too.

until next time my faithful blog readers (ha) just kidding

i love this

in the picture
you're right beside me
arms around my neck
eyes like you'll never leave

a love lover
a sweet thing
i know we agreed
but i think i'll call you anyway

yeah hello
it's just me
a little distance
and i lost something in between

old friends

i just got back from visiting annie in new york... had a great time. of course, things to share. i was thinking on the plane ride home today how fortunate i am to have old friends. like, it's weird because we're all grown up now...and some things have changed, but it's so fun how you can get together and just become sixteen again. i love those memories most.

it's so great when somebody knows you so well that being you, simply you, is enough.

when i was picking out birthday cards for annie this year, i had a hard time and eventually had to get her two, one to mail, and one to actually give, because i couldn't decide which onei meant more.

one just said: "you're in all my favorite pictures."
the other: "even the people in my life who don't know you like you, just from the stories."

both so true of her.

we had a great time. the thing is: when people ask me what did you do? the answer is, i can't really explain it in a way that would do it justice. i mean, we literally just hung out. you know? but it was so much more fun than that makes it sound. it was exactly what i needed, to get away from naperville for a weekend and just spend some great sixteen-year-old and some great twenty-four year old moments with one of my favorite people in the world...

like the stars above

it has been forever since i've written. or at least i feel that way. it's weird, i think about it at the most awkward times, when i can't grab the computer (or a pen)... so tonight in the car i told myself, i'm going to get home, and i'm going to write. so here i am fulfilling that. ha.

just got back from a matt wertz show...good stuff. i love intimate concerts. i think there are two kinds of concerts: the summertime party get lawn tickets and drink concerts, and the small venue, you and an acoustic guitarist concerts... both have benefits. anyways...

was listening to the matt nathanson live cd which i just got, and, he covers dire straits 'romeo and juliet' which is just a damn good song to begin with, but i particularly love the line "i love you like the stars above, i'm gonna love you 'till i die...there's a place for us." and not to sound weird or anything, but i actually feel that depth of love for some people. like, i know i'm going to love them until i die. such a strong statement, but what a great feeling to have at the same time.

loving people is so interesting to me. it's such a bizarre thing how you can actually feel differently when you love someone. and i mean platonically too... i mean, i think everyone just has those certain people that regardless of what life's twists and turns may have in store for you, you have this little spot reserved in your heart for them. and you actually know that no matter what, you will love them. until you die. amazing, isn't it? i think so anyways.

i feel like work's taking over my life (i swore i'd never be one of those people...and i won't). it happens pretty quick somehow. i need to put a stop to that. too much other important stuff to do--like being spontaneous, living your dreams, etc.

i did however take the first step toward a very important goal of mine---and it's something i REALLY don't want to do. i registered for the GMAT. this scares me because, i've been out of school for about a year and a half now, and i'd say i stopped studying about 2 years ago. so, where to start? but i knew that i just needed to register for it, set a date, and get myself motivated. otherwise, i can talk myself into years and months of procrastination, and justify it! so, may 5, that's the big day. i ordered the prep book today too. i'm going to do this! i can do it. it might take several nights of me locking myself in the library or starbucks with the book, but i can do it. my application is done other than this test score... so, yeah. it's the necessary bridge i have to cross. i feel good that i at least have a date, and that i registered. now i just need to make myself study for it. :)

but life's been good to me. i wouldn't change much about my life right now--so that's always a good thing. i've been at my job a year, which i absolutely can't believe... but i'm happy that i somehow ended up in a good place.

that's all for now, i'll write again when inspiration hits and i'm not in a car... why is it always that way?

i love you like the stars above
i'm gonna love you 'till i die...

exhausting

ever just feel like you're trying to hard? and you're exhausting all of your efforts into something that one day you have the perspective enough to realize...will never be.
Or totally dedicating yourself to people who just do not seem to return the favor...and even worse do not seem to really care.
I guess I hate feeling disappointed, who doesn't? But it's worse when you really put your whole heart into a relationship with a person--and by relationship I mean any, a relative, a friend, a significant other--and realize far too late that you were giving 150%, and they were giving about 10. That whole time.

What a waste of time and energy.

And maybe I shouldn't look at it that way. I mean, I guess you come out being the better, bigger person, but there's only so many times you can reassure yourself with that fact. And only so many times you can accept it as enough in return.

Maybe the solution is to just lower your expectation of others--don't set yourself up to be impressed, and you won't be let down. I don't know, but whatever I've been doing for the past 24 years can't be right. People either need to start caring, or I need to stop.

you sounded so good on the phone

you sounded so good on the phone

all moved up, and all moved on

me and gravity--we never did agree.

i can almost see the sky,

when i need to close my eyes--

you're the only thing that's worth holding on to.

there's something i love about having candles lit at nightime and writing. it inspires me, i don't know if that's because it's supposed to. but it does.

i've found that if you fill your room with little trinkets that feel like home to you, that make you comfortable in your surroundings, whether it be a unique vase, or pictures of friends, or just a cozy blanket... they kind of make you feel like your space is occupied, so you feel just a little less alone. i'm aware that might sound crazy--but really, i think it's true.

i stay up entirely too late. it's when things come to me though. it's the only time i am able to put my crazy thoughts in words good enough to keep. and sometimes, not even that.

wouldn't the world be a little different if we just did exactly what we felt? some people do i guess. i don't. sometimes i wish i could do that. well, i could. sometimes i wish i would do that. i've become much better at speaking my mind though--both regarding the way i feel about things and the way i want things done. that's something i can say i've definitely improved on.

can't believe we're already like 10% through the new year... seriously, where does time go? i still have to think about it when i write down my age... sometimes i guess i just don't feel 24.

they had my cousin's story on a & e tonight. it was a long time ago, almost 2 years, but i'm honestly sick of bad things happening to good people. i have a hard time justfiying that. i need some answers. i want to know why babies die and murderers live...you know? it's something i struggle with everyday--not that exact scenerio, but you get what i'm saying. i'm not one that does good with "just because." or "that's the way it is." why? i need to know why.

do you ever feel like you're going to be alone for the rest of your life? i do. it's a scary thing to think about. that could be a really, really, long time from now. i guess you have to know that you can make it on your own, without wanting to still--does that make sense?

and i guess you never know. but the possibility...scary.
i get bored way too easily to spend the rest of my life alone. :)

anyways, goodnight.

two discoveries.

konah introduced me to this website, which i just absolutely love. it's called storypeople. they are just story excerpts, but summmed up perfectly--even if they're mid-phrase. they all make sense to me in a bizarre way. i just adore them. here are some of my favorite things i found on there...

"the exact moment of night & it's the kind of thing you remember for years afterwards he just happened to glance up at the right time "

"In the end, I think that I will like that we were sitting on the bed, talking & wondering where the time had gone. "

"I moved a lot when I was young & I still ache a bit at the thought of all those autumns in new & unfamiliar landscapes. "

"Just because they die, she said, doesn't mean they go away. "

"This only weighs a lot if you've forgotten to do the stuff you wanted to do all along."

"You're the strangest person I ever met, she said & I said you too & we decided we'd know each other a long time. "

"She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short. "

"I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am "
---
and thanks konah, for the best compliment i've received in a long time today.
"you're such a great person... you never stop thinking about other people." she told me. and you know, i think you try to be the best person you can, but it really only takes one person, or a few people, to shoot you right back down. that's something that will stick with me for a lifetime, though, and will make me strive to always be a better person. thanks for cheering me up all weekend konah... and everybody.
lindseys, "you make my life worthwhile"
anne's "you make it worthwhile for me too, i love you."
kelly's "you've always been one of my favorite people, amy."
iss' "hang in there a."
i love you guys.
and as for all this other stuff, it doesn't matter when i have such amazing, dedicated friends. i know we will know each other for such a long time, i couldn't ask for more.

so true

i think you love people until you understand them, she said, and i said, what happens then?
and she said oh, that's when you move away.

you can only change yourself

a lot of times, and all too often, i find myself wanting to change things for people. let me try to explain. if someone i'm close to, or even someone i just know or knew, is living a dishonest life, or just living with something i couldn't... i think about it all the time. how could they do that? how do they face themselves? well it was just recently that it occured to me--why do i care? what good is it going to do? and, i knew this all along, but i guess it just set in that although everything may seem okay with them on the outside, you have to face yourself at the end of the day right? and chances are if you're doing something in your life that you don't want other people to know about--it's not easy to face yourself. i can't imagine how hard it would be to disapprove of your own lifestyle, but be stuck and unable to change it. so hard. anyways, just some ramblings. things i stumbled upon.

life's been ok for me. i've been working and that's about it--but that's okay with me at this point. i see my friends occasionally. i'm up for doing something every day, so if someone offers, you can assume i'm there. the job is great. still working on graduate school. i need to prepare for a test, and i haven't studied in a year. i'm not really excited about that at all. but hey, when it's done, it's done.

i booked a flight to see anne in NY in march, and to visit lindsey in LA in may. i'm excited. i needed things to look forward to, and things to spend my vacation time on, so i'm not just taking off days and sitting at home--feels too unproductive these days. i don't enjoy inactivity anymore. but anyways, so these trips were the perfect solution to both problems. and it will of course, be good to see my friends. i miss them very much.

but that's about it. pretty sure i am moving in with anne pretty soon when aj gets deployed again. probably in naperville for about a year. that's the plan for now anyways... sounds good to me. :)

some new great lyrics. well, new to me.

please remember me
happily
by the rose bush laughing
with bruises on my chin
a time when
we counted every black car
passing your house
beneath the hill
and up until
someone caught us in the kitchen
with maps, a mountain range
a piggy bank
a vision too removed to mention.

but please, remember me.
fondly.
i heard from someone you're still pretty.
and they went on to say
that the pearly gate
had some eloquent graffiti
like "we'll meet again"
and "fuck the man"
and "tell your mother not to worry"
and angels with their great handshakes
but always done in such a hurry.
-iron and wine, "the trapeze swinger"

well it's 2006

happy new year. of course after a long weekend and about 4 days off... i'm wide awake at 2 am. go figure. i figured i'd update this--it's been sort of awhile. for me at least.

the holidays were great. in the past 7 work days--i've worked 2! ha. that is pretty worth it in itself. i've enjoyed my time off, spending it with my family, my friends from home. we were able to all get together, so that's always awesome. i miss the good old days but i'm glad everyone's doing well. still, when we all get together it's just like it was back then. i love that. and i know it will always be like that, which i love even more. i haven't stopped knowing them, you know? even though we've all been doing our own things for quite some time now. i still feel at home when i'm with them--and that's well, it's just awesome.

i guess every year i sort of make a point to reflect on the previous year and what has transpired... and so i'll make a little list of those things in 2005. as with anything in life, some good, some bad. so here goes:

• i got past this whole car accident thing. that's a major plus.
• i got a new car, stuck to my goals about paying it off, and it should be paid for in about april or may of this year. awesome.
• i paid off a few of my credit cards.
• i have my entire graduate school application done (including letters of recommendation! and my personal statement) i just need to take the GMAT!
• besides living with my parents i am completely independent financially! that means, no rent, but--double car payments, cell phone bills, credit card bills, student loans, car insurance, medical insurance, dentist/doctor appointments, prescriptions, and just everyday expenses. i'm proud of myself for that. i know that for everyone that's not a total 180, but considering how i was fully supported (and didn't work) during college--i think for me it's a long way to come in a year.
• i had a rough time getting a job for awhile there, and i was kind of hard on myself. this lasted a couple of months. but it paid off.
• i somehow, amazingly, landed a really good job. i have a great boss whos taught me a lot, and i can see myself there for a long time.
• i learned a lot about medical research, medical school, hospitals, doctors, etc. it has really been a big educational stepping stone for me. it's true you never know what you'll end up liking until you try it.
• my family moved back to naperville and i got to spend some quality months with my friends that live here again (before they move away...and before i move out.) also, i got to spend time with my parents after work and things like that. i know i'm getting old to be living at home, but honestly, i enjoyed doing it this last year. once i'm out, i'm out you know? i'm really grateful for this past year at home. i missed being around here. and my parents are pretty easy to live with. now i sort of feel ready to move on, but that's another whole story. i'm glad i did it while i could. it feels right.
• i lost my grandma this summer. i saw my, granted shes overemotional, mother go through the hardest time of her life. i realized how hard that is going to be for me someday.
• i got help for something i needed help for a long time ago. i found the strength to do that, and i'm so much healthier now because of it.
• i realized who my true friends are after leaving school.
• my best friend got married to a great guy.
• i stood up in my first wedding!
• one of my good friends from college had a beautiful baby.
• i threw my first baby shower (with the help of steph of course)!
• three of my friends got engaged.
• i was able to successfully rekindle with a lot of friends i had not so much lost contact with, but just had a hard time getting together with when i was away at school. i'm really happy about that. (that's you kara! among others.)
• i turned 24!
• christine and i finally had that joint birthday party we were always talking about growing up!
• i think i am (slowly but surely) getting a little less shy!
• i regained contact with some friends from school that i really missed. i'm so happy to have them back (mike, josh, pervis, etc.) i temporarily forgot how much fun we all have together.
• i talk to my college roommates every day. i don't feel any more distant from them than i did when i was living with them. i know we'll all grow old together.
• i really think that i did everything i could to be a good friend and a good daughter. i hope i'm right. i mean, i made mistakes. but for the most part, i think i did my best to fix them.
• i can honestly say i enjoyed my year.

and now i'm not really good at making resolutions. mostly because i hate making things that i end up not sticking to... and life sometimes can get a little busier than you expect. but in any case, my so called goals for the next year... well, here's a few.

• to stop obsessing over things that i really need to get over. to worry about my life, my own life, and to get over the past. to look to the future more. that's a big one for me.
• to take this dang gmat and get my loyola application in.
• to get a promotion, or a payraise, or both at work at my review this june.
• to continue to be a good friend and a good daughter to the best of my ability.
• to pay off my car.
• to keep paying off my credit cards.
• to figure out where i want to live, and once i do that (and my car is paid off) to get my own place.
• to visit Anne in New York and Lindsey in LA with my vacation time. Hopefully with friends!! Iss, Janna, Lisa, Konah...that's you guys!
• to keep the same relationship with my college roommates and my high school friends that i have right now.
• to always make time for my friends--no matter how busy i might feel. there are always more important things.
• to write more. to read more books. to do more. to travel.
• to get a healthier lifestyle--exercise, eat more wholesomely... in other words, less pizza, more chicken. less cookies, more apples.
• to give back. someway, somehow. and i don't mean just donating money. to actually physically do something for a good cause.
• to always remember how lucky i am. even on my worst days.
• to get one of my postcards on http://postsecret.blogspot.com
• to make someone's day. to make a lot of people's day.
• to not forget a single birthday of anyone i know. to make their birthdays great.
• i'd like a boyfriend--but i'm not going to get down on myself if i don't accomplish that. i think that has to sort of just happen. but let's just say i hope it happens to me :)
• to tell people what they mean to me rather than just thinking it all the time. to put my feelings on the table. i just think you never know when you can make someones day, or even save someones life. i think everyone has more going on than we sometimes realize. it's too easy to take people for granted.
• to be a little more outgoing. stop hiding so much. stop being so shy. reach out to new people! make friends at work, school, etc.
• to really and truly, fully believe in myself.
• to have another great year. to be my best.

well i think that about sums it up for now. it's quite possible that i'll end up adding more. to both categories, but in any case... i felt the need to address the new year after some great time with both family and friends. it's funny how i think life was over after college... i mean i knew better, but i couldn't imagine. and now i'm in a good place still. a very different world, but still a good life. i should spend less time thinking too hard maybe...

happy new year everyone.

so this is christmas

my parents and i went downtown last night to see A Christmas Carol at the goodman theatre... it's been a few years since we've done that. we used to go every year. but this year, as an adult it just meant that much more to me. i think my family is more important now and i've grown up a lot in the past 5 or so years. still every year i forget what christmas is about. i mean, i always know, but i'll have little glimpses of forgetfulness where i'll catch myself making a detailed list of things i want... but really it's much more about spreading joy and being with your family. and just, once a year, remembering what's important.

i love that play. it really puts things in perspective.

merry christmas.
remember what's important to you.

100 things about amy j

(thanks for the idea yerga)

1. i consider my bed to be a good investment.

2. i lived in texas for almost 10 years.

3. i was devastated when we moved.

4. for five years i hung every letter my best friend gave me on my wall--it took up a whole wall.

5. i went to private schools for 13 years.

6. although i'm not super religious, i'm very defensive of being catholic because of the way i was raised and schooled.

7. i don't think i'll be able to afford naperville when i'm older.

8. i am in love with my job.

9. i ended up doing something totally different than i ever thought i'd be doing, but i love learning and that's exactly what i'm doing.

10. i really look up to my boss.

11. i really look up to my parents.

12. i was adopted at birth and i really never think about it.

13. i feel completely part of my family.

14. i can't imagine my life any differently.

15. i did not care about where i applied to college.

16. i did not care which college i picked.

17. my parents have always cared way more where i went to school than i have.

18. i would have gone to naperville north if it wouldn't have disappointed my parents.

19. i'm really glad i picked purdue.

20. my best friend talked me into rushing a sorority.

21. before this i thought they were fake and i wanted nothing to do with them.

22. those sorority girls are now my best friends.

23. my dad always told me my friends for life would be my friends from college.

24. i didn't believe him.

25. he was right.

26. i have an extremely competitive personality.

27. if i could change one thing about myself, that would probably be it.

28. i really want to give back to society someday.

29. i don't know why i don't do something about it right now.

30. i have a really hard time letting go of things.

31. as with 30, i have a really tough time with change.

32. i'm disappointed easily.

33. i'm hurt even more easily.

34. i act a lot tougher than i am.

35. i'm sincerely scared i am not going to get married.

36. i cried about this once at jakes (i was drunk).

37. i want to apply to graduate school REALLY bad, but i can't seem to get my act together.

38. i take a lot of pictures.

39. i really only like black and white pictures.

40. but i still get mine developed in color most of the time.

41. my favorite color lately is green.

42. i think this is due to its absense in the rest of my life.

43. i think i was really cute in kindergarten.

44. i have owned two cars and they are/were both red.

45. i used to hate red cards.

46. i love love love love love love music.

47. i can not imagine my life, a bad day, driving, any aspect of life without music.

48. my favorite movies are good will hunting, meet joe black, dead poets society, love actually, serendipity, and finding neverland.

49. i hope to be like morrie when i'm old and sick.

50. i consider myself an optimist but i think i may actually be a pessimist.

51. i really want to go to italy.

52. i am terrified of alligators.

53. i used to be terrified of rollercoasters.

54. one time my parents went on the ghost tour of the Queen Mary in california and i screamed and interrupted the tour. oops.

55. all of my friends are starting not to use AIM--i consider this us "getting old."

56. i wish i had the patience to learn more about web design. i really like it.

57. i miss my dog every day.

58. the only thing i miss about california is the memories.

59. i wonder where i will be in ten years and i have no idea.

60. i'd like to read more than i do.

61. i love to write anything and everything.

62. i love the power of words.

63. that is one of the main reasons i love music.

64. one of my teachers at purdhe changed my life and he has no idea.

65. i always thought about telling him.

66. but i was way too scared.

67. in high school i thought the same thing of a teacher, but i told him.

68. i was getting a bad grade in his class but i wanted him to know that i tried.

69. he was really touched when i told him.

70. there are two things i want to do at some point in my life: make greeting cards or work for a greeting card company, and get published as an author.

71. if i do those two things, i will be really proud.

72. i owe my parents a lot of money that they would never let me pay them back.

73. i always wonder if i'll be unselfish enough to do the same someday for my kids.

74. i like shopping for other people more than i like shopping for myself.

75. i never in a million years thought i'd work in a hospital.

76. there are a lot of people that i wish i'd gotten to know in college, and in life.

77. i can not believe i am 24 years old.

78. people keep telling me that's young.

79. i think it's really, really old.

80. i think i am running out of time to get all of these things done.

81. i wrote a list when i was in 8th grade, 100 things i wanted to do before i died.

82. i wish i knew where it was so i could start crossing things off.

83. i tell my parents everything.

84. i treat them like they are my friends.

85. i think david letterman is hot.

86. not for an old guy, for any guy.

87. i love everything that tom hanks is in.

88. i think i am over dave matthews band.

89. i never thought i'd say that!

90. i could make a list right now of everyone i will know for the rest of my life.

91. it would be right on target.

92. Target is my favorite store.

93. i like shopping for stationary and candles better than clothes.

94. i like clothes too, just not as much.

95. i hate cold weather and snow except on christmas.

96. in texas we used to swim on christmas.

97. i don't really like carpet.

98. i get stressed out when people aren't down to earth.

99. i get stressed out way too easily.

100. i know better, but life can be tough to plan.

sunday morning, rain is falling

i have been thinking about someone every day for five years. i'm not tired of it. that's the worst part. i go back to old journals, pictures, letters, and i'm right back in that time. it is refreshing, but unfair.

i hate this. that you can be thinking about someone across the country for this long, and know that they've kind of forgotten about you. they're living their life happily somewhere else... and you're at home...missing them.

i miss the closeness. the conversations. and i'm sorry if that sounds corny, but i actually miss those things the most. i'm kicking myself for never saying things i should have said, and doing things that i shouldn't have done. i miss that time in my life. i'd do almost anything to go back and make changes. i could have done something. and maybe it wouldn't have mattered--but at least i'd know now. and i wouldn't be thinking so much about it and mentally exhausting myself over things i really have no control over.

i still love him...

and maybe...

and maybe i will never get it all figured out. i mean, maybe not. maybe i am not meant to. maybe i'll live my entire life by myself. but that's okay. maybe music will lead me through my life. maybe my writing will somehow catch a wild wave and make me famous or something... maybe.

but i'm not counting on any of that.

i hope to someday, watch the sunrise again in the same intent i did last.
i hope to someday, raise a family, as strong as mine.
i hope to someday, be respected for what i believe in. i hope for a solid life.

and until then -- i'll be dreaming.
first night of being 24.... goodnight world.

thanks

thank you to:
christine, iss, lisa, annie, kara, janna, lindsey, konah, foy, christina, ali, jenny, alex, ashley, yerga, rachel, melanie, jen, mike, nick, kelly, steph, miss allison mark, maddy, julie, B (such a nice, unexpected message.. thanks) carey and last but not least (and not that they will read this) my parents.

thank you so much for your birthday wishes. it's once a year you realize what you mean to everyone. i am so glad to know you all. thank you for being wonderful people to me. really... it's what keeps me going. every single day.

i'm really sorry if that sounds corny but i've realized a lot since college. who should be around and who shouldn't. so i want you all to know (or whoever reads this) that every impact means a lot to me. even the smallest notion of kindness impacts me. and i may seem like i'm always one to joke around or whatever, but when it comes down to it, this is what counts... to me.

so thank you
for phone calls, emails, and facebook messages. you all mean a lot.


love you.

amy

my birthday

i have spent my entire birthday... it is 4 pm, laying in bed listening to jackson browne.

it was exactly what i needed.

i cancelled all my plans, avoided conversations. i just spent my birthday with...me.

thank you.

sometimes i can't help but to think how nice it would be to pack up and abandon everything you know. go with just yourself. see where you get. don't let people's judgements get in your way. live a life that only you understand.

"and while the future's there for anyone to change,
still you know it seems
it would be easier sometimes just to change the
past.
i'm just one or two years
and a couple of changes
behind you
In my lessons of loves pain and heartache school."

be careful with me

there's this jewel song i used to really like. because i used to really relate to it i guess. there is a line that said "please be careful with me. i'm sensitive and i'd like to stay that way." just thinking about that today.

i get my hopes up too much. really. i really got hurt today because i set myself up for disaster. i got really excited about something that was unrealistic. and guess what, it didn't happen. and now i'm here, hurt, two days before my birthday.

when this was all going on--my mom came in and goes "so nobody is planning anything for your birthday" and i seriously just started bawling. it is so weird, i'm not usually emotional that way. i just cried. i think she was confused. and so i explained to this person that hurt me that i'm fragile and i can't handle situations like that. i really can't take being let down. i swear, you take a chance with someone and you're always going to get hurt. it seems to happen to me all the time.

iss picked me up and tried to cheer me up. she always knows what to say. she is the best. one of those people you can't imagine your life without... you know? we listened to keith urban and i had tears in my eyes. i miss so many parts of my life that aren't there anymore. i miss so much from the past that i won't get back. it just doesn't seem right because you only live once you know? i want a lot of second chances that i will, unfortunately, never have.

check out these words (i know, i know it's country, still, they're so good)

I woke up early this morning around 4am
With the moon shining bright as headlights on the interstate
I pulled the covers over my head and tried to catch some sleep
But thoughts of us kept keeping me awake
Ever since you found yourself in someone else's arms
I've been tryin' my best to get along
But that's OK
There's nothing left to say, but

Take your records, take your freedom
Take your memories I don't need them
Take your space and take your reasons
But you'll think of me
And take your cat and leave my sweater
Cause we have nothing left to weather
In fact I'll feel a whole lot BETTER
But you'll think of me, you'll think of me

the strong part of me relates to that. the weak part doesn't. i'll always miss the greatness in my life that doesn't exist anymore. i'll always miss something. i guess that's a part of being alive. i just wish people weren't so hurtful. today was the first time, in a really long time, i felt really, truly hurt. i guess i should sleep on it some. 24 hours until 24 years old... life moves too quick.

Powerful

One of the most powerful moments of my life...

Middle of the night... "This song's for you Amy"

This years love had better last
Heaven knows it's high time
And I've been waiting on my own too long

But when you hold me like you do it feels so right
I start to forget how my heart gets torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Feeling, like you can't go on

Turning circles when time again
It cuts like a knife
If you love me, I've got to know for sure
Cause it takes something more this time
Then sweet, sweet lies
Before I open up my arms and fall
Losing all control
Every dream inside my soul
And when you kiss me on that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singing ain't this life so sweet

This year's love had better last

So whose to worry if our hearts get torn
when that hurt gets thrown
Don't you notice life goes on?
And won't you kiss me on that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singing ain't this life so sweet

This year's love had better last.
This year's love had better last.

I love this song. It's like - don't think too hard. Just go for it. Follow your heart. The third verse says it all...

giving thanks

we didn't do grace this year at dinner. i think it's because everyone feels strange saying it without my grandma around. not to be morbid but it's been 2 years since we lost her... time flies. i miss her. she was always so complementary of me. it's amazing to see someone whos lived your life in years times three and still has respect for you. it's a good feeling.

i've begun to appreciate everything. i think it's part of getting old, but really...

thank you to all of my favorite people. you know who you are. you read this. you make my life better. you make me who i am. i've made it this far because of you. thanks.

happy thanksgiving everyone.

i always think of things to write about when i'm driving. but then i forget them. maybe i should keep a little notebook in my center counsel or something for that reason. i remember in my college creative writing class, our teacher made us carry around a pocket notebook, like it was an actual assignment because he's like "you guys will run into things all of the time that you will just want to write about later... so, write it down." at first i thought it was weird/embarrassing, but he was actually right. interesting.

went to dinner last night with friends at cafe iberco. good times. i love that place. i love get togethers of any type. it's so great when people make time for each other outside of work, even if it's just a couple of hours. a working girl needs that ya know?

annes coming home this weekend. that will be great. she's one of my favorite people in the world to be around. she's just so neutral. it's relaxing, honestly. it's like there's never any rush for anything, never any complications of any sort... plus, she hasn't been over since we moved. should be fun.

sorry about my last depressing post. i know i can be really down on myself sometimes. i guess everyone can. really though i was just being honest. there's things i want in life that i know that i can't have... i suppose there are those things for everybody.

and that's part of life. getting by on your own.

i have a wonderful life...sometimes

weekend realizations:

i will always have a lot of really great friends for my whole life.
nothing makes me happier than being with people i'm comfortable around. being myself, and being really liked for that.
a different life takes over once you graduate, but when you go back to school with the people you spent time with there... it feels the exact same, and probably always will.
life can be hard sometimes--a release can fix that immediately.
sometimes escaping the norm is all you have to do to feel sane.
appreciation is stronger than it seems.
compatibility is a strange thing.

i still love the same guy that i did eight years ago. i don't know if i can ever change that, but i really hope so.
i wish it was okay for me to call him.
i wish he would call me.
i wish he cared as much as i do.
i wish my former 10 page single-spaced thoughts on paper after the last time i saw him didn't get deleted with the loss of my old computer.
i wish i could have him.
i know that i can't.
but i dream that i can to keep me feeling healthy.
i hold on to the good times. every single morning and night.
i still think of him every time i hear a love song. there's just not anyone else that comes to mind.
i still remember what it was like to sleep next to him.
that's the closest i've ever been to love i guess... hope that changes.

i feel like i'm getting too old to do this young love thing, and i'm going to miss out on a lot.
wish i had a little more on my resume in that area.

i love my parents. i'm really scared for the times when i'm going to have to go through what they just went through with their parents.... i hope neither one ever gets sick. i honestly, truly, don't know how i am going to ever be okay after that. i know it's depressing to talk about but nevertheless inevitable...

life life life
good and bad

That the sky would lift
That I’d find my place
That I’d see your face in the door
And the sun would glint
On a time well spent
On a time that ain’t no more

a late night halloween realization

3:30 a.m. i just woke up. i guess, happy halloween! ha. i just had a dream though so i felt like writing. because i woke up and i wasn't even in a daze. it's weird, i was like awake and started thinking. and i just went to bed at 11, so i really don't understand why... but that's alright.


it is kind of funny how things end up. i think about all of the people i've met in my lifetime... and allowed myself to become, at some point or another, close to. a lot of times that was setting myeslf up for disaster. but it's like, when i was younger and i guess in more social settings, i didn't really care. it was almost like i could have complete disrespect for somebody, and still call them a friend. that has, since college, all changed.

i realize now that i can't enjoy someones company if i don't respect their lifestyle. by that i don't mean that they need to be just like me, but i think you have to have a certain amount of respect for yourself, and respect for other people...to be respected. a lot of people that i used to call friends don't fall into this category, and i've noticed the distance since college. and the weirdest part? it feels so healthy.

i'm not saying i'm perfect. i am most certainly not. i have made a lot, and i mean a lot of mistakes in my lifetime. i have a lot of regrets. but i think i have learned from them, and i think that i can say with a pretty decent amount of validity that i treat my friends with the same respect that i feel for them. and people who don't do that in return...well, i don't need them.

i know certain people are evil. i know some people just do not seem to care if they hurt you or not. i've realized all of this. i've had plenty of friends through the years, come and gone because they were out for themselves and themselves only, and honestly did not care if they hurt anyone along the way. i was not built that way. i don't understand it. but i have realized that is how it is, and now, at almost 24, i've surrounded myself with people whom i have mutual respect for. this natural selection process so to say, has cut out a lot of the drama in my life, a lot of the guilt i used to feel for being gossipy, either first or second hand, and a lot of the paranoia i used to feel hanging around people that i knew would hurt me, had they had the chance. everyone in my daily life right now is a positive, and it feels very healthy.

wow, that was a lot to write at almost 4 am.
well, happy halloween. goodnight.

bored

i think this is actually the first time i'm writing on here because i'm bored. usually it's because i think of something, and want to write about it... today, just bored.

had a really good weekend. i went to see matt nathanson and matt wertz at the house of blues. it was a lot of fun. saturday night i went out downtown naperville with christine and her roommate. we had a good time.

been fairly unproductive today. i just kinda laid around. i just took a shower for the day... i'm just kinda feeling like not really doing anything, although i might rent a movie later on. i always get kinda sad on sundays because i know i have to go to work the next day... i mean i like my job, but after 2 days off, another wouldn't be too bad. oh well, such is growing up.

i think i realized i'm getting a little too old to be going to concerts. seriously i don't know what it is, but both this concert and the jason mraz one, janna and i were like the oldest people there. i don't know if it's because we like starting artists, so by the time they catch on the whole high school crowd is there, or because we're just....getting older. it's crazy though, now i realize how YOUNG i was when i used to go to all those concerts in chicago. i actually understand my parents concern now about me riding the train back at midnight... we were so young... but felt so old. it's totally crazy how when you're a kid you have no concept of being an adult. like i seriously was annoyed and could not understand, in my wildest dreams, what the big deal was for me to ride a train downtown at night with my friends. haha. looking back, i'm totally freaked out by it, and glad we made it out safe. being a kid was great. i miss it sometimes. just sometimes though.

i do not feel 24. i will be 24 in less than a month. i do not feel that old. yikes.

time in the adult world really goes quick. i can not believe i've been at my job for almost 6 months. actually, it's 6 months on wednesday i think... crazy. and a YEAR since i graduated college? are you kidding me? fastest year of my life. literally! it went so fast.

i'm happy where i'm at though. i just don't want to get old. but i guess, that's sort of inevitable. sorry, this post is really weird. i'll stop before it gets weirder.

four in the morning.

so it's four am. this is the first time i've been up at this time on a work night in a really long time. actually, maybe even the first time ever since i started my job. i don't know what my deal is. i went to sleep at 10, woke up at 3 and i can't stop thinking long enough to get back to sleep. i've been a little anxious all day. it happens sometimes. ugh.

the thing is, i have a really bad habit of freaking myself out about things i shouldn't be thinking about in the first place. and i have one of those minds, unfortunately, that once it gets going, does not stop. so here i am, 4 am, tossing and turning when i know very well i have to be up at 6:30 over things that i really need to quit thinking about.

i'm really freaked out about this whole youth thing being over. i guess i feel like i missed out on some stuff. like, i know i have great friends and family, and i had fun in school and all of that, but it scares me that you can't go back to being 16. i guess i have this image in my head of what being 16, and 17, 18, 19, 20, 21... is all about. and i just don't know if i did things right. i know that's a pointless thing to even spend time thinking about, but for whatever reason, i think about it a lot. and i tell myself "you can't go back." and i know all of that. but there is still something that i just feel like i messed up on.

when i was younger i feel like i never worried about anything. now, that may just be because the things i worried about seem stupid now, but seriously, now i'm worried about something ALL the time... i hate it. i wish i didn't think so hard. i really do. i seriously can not relax. it sucks.i'm way too hard on myself.

i wish i had a lot of answers about things. i'm scared one day i'm going to be old looking back on my life and wish i'd done things differently. i'm also scared i might never get old. i don't know. i have problems. i wish i had some more solutions.

sorry for such a depressing post. just needed to put all of this somewhere instead of tossing and turning... seriously, i felt like i was going insane. i feel a little better now. hopefully, tomorrow's a new day. hopefully, the next post is way more optimistic.

goodnight

statements of truth

i feel so disconnected from you these days that i feel like you could die and i wouldn't know in time. i wouldn't be on the list of people to call. but it still feels like yesterday, if that makes sense. time has gotten in the way.

i can not stand when people can not stand themselves to the point that it makes them rip others apart. i can see through these people. i can tell when their own insecurities make them evil and emotionally uncareful.

i read my old journals and realized that i've always been fragile and i've always been strong. both at the same time. they seem like two contradictory things to be, right? and maybe that's why i write. to untangle the two.

i think dying is the scariest thing in the world. i wish it didn't happen... to anybody.

i'm truthfully not jealous of anyones life--not anyone gorgeous, not anyone famous, not anyone rich, not anyone appearingly perfect. my life in it's own way, has been a challenge. it makes the good better, it makes the bad easier.

i enjoy life.
i'm glad to be here.

life in slow motion

on the new david gray cd my favorite track is this one that just repeats itself. really, there are like 7 lines and it just repeats in different melodies that for some reason i just love. i don't know what it is. and i've been really confused by it so i've been trying to figure it out. see usually i like songs solely based on lyrical originality, so this is confusing to me why i like this song best... anyway... before i go on, the song is called "Slow Motion" and these are the words:

While I was watching you did a slow dissolve
While I was watching you did a slow dissolve
While I was watching you did a slow dissolve

Did I imagine or do the walls have eyes
Did I imagine they held us hypnotized
Did I imagine or do the walls have eyes

Life in slow motion somehow it don’t feel real
Life in slow motion somehow it don’t feel real
Life in slow motion somehow it don’t feel real

Snowflakes are falling I'll catch them in my hands
Snowflakes are falling I'll catch them in my hands
Snowflakes are falling now you’re my long lost friend

seems pretty simple right...okay but nothing david gray writes is really simple! so i think i figured it
out today finally...not the song, but i think i figured out why i like it.

you know, in life, when something happens to you, and it's so impacting in some way, either because it's so incredible, or so perfect, or so sad, or just unbelievable, that life seems to sort of stand still for a minute? it's the kind of thing where you're like... "this could not be real. this could not be really happening. somebody, please, wake me up." well, that's what i think he means by life in slow motion. sometimes things seem to move a little slower and i think it's because we're trying to, to the best of our human ability, capture it and hold on to it, just a few moments longer. u know i have had a few of those moments, in fact, i kind of wish i'd had more. they're magical. but now i'm still not exactly sure what this song is about, but i did come up with that today in the car. haha, maybe i'm just crazy. but it is 1 am and i need to be up in 5 hours. so... goodnight.

completely content

you ever have one of those moments when you just realize you're completely content with everything around you? i mean, everything, down to the music, your peripheral vision, your company, background noise, weather, the whole scenerio. i love that. when you just think for a second... life is really something else.

it can amaze me sometimes. how easy it is to get upset over petty little things when in fact there are times like that and you just kinda see your life in front of you and think "none of that really matters." strange how the smallest of things can and do feel so heavy sometimes. but life always goes on... and the little problems just seem to get littler with time.

i'm so unbelievably happy lately. i mean seriously, sincerely happy. i have somehow landed a great job with a great, understanding, and patient boss. i am finally back in my hometown, living at home... which a lot of people mind. i don't. for a couple of reasons. one, because i'm literally never here. i come home, eat dinner, talk online, and go to sleep to get up for work again. two, i really enjoy my room. and three, most importantly i think, i have seriously developed a friendship with my parents. they trust me, they let me do what i want to do, and they take care of me. it's really not all that bad. i mean, i lived on my own for 4.5 years, it's not all so bad to come home to someone who cooks you dinner... for the time being anyways.

in the back of my mind too, somber as this may sound, i kinda feel like why not live at home now... i mean my parents are getting older you know, and once i move out, i move out. why not spend another year in close quarters with them? why not hang on to youth a little longer? i guess i'm kind of scared to leave them... because in a way, that's it.

i mean i feel the whole independence thing, you know. i want to get out and be on my own. just not immediately. i feel like i have the rest of my life to do that, and if things are pretty good here and i'm saving a bunch of money, really, what's the rush? i enjoy naperville. i maybe do\n't love the hour - hour and a half drive to work - but i really enjoy my living situation.

aside from all of those things i have future goals to go to graduate school at loyola, which is an incredible deal in itself (because its free). i don't know when but i know i want it to happen, and that's enough for me. no need to rush things. i'm happy. really. i love my friends.i love that i've realized at age 23 who i'll know for the rest of my life, who the real friends are... i love my family. i love the people that i know, i love that i really have gotten to really know myself and understand who i am, and i really like my adult lifestyle. sounds silly maybe but i'm completley at peace in my surroundings...

it's not all so bad after college :)
i mean, i still miss our apartment, but 10 months after graduation i can say... i'm happy.

such is life

as usual i've found myself overwhelmed with emotions lately. i've always been emotional--and by that i don't mean the type that cries at movies. but i think too much.

i had a really good weekend. friends from out of town came in and really the best parts about it were when were were doing nothing at all. life's so strange that way. how many hours of my life have i spent making really extravagent plans and when do the best things happen? when you've planned nothing at all. when you're least expecting them to. i wonder why that is.

growing up isn't horrible except that you can't do what you want to all the time anymore. that freedom sort of leaves, like the spontaniaty of it is gone because you have a pretty set schedule. sometimes i think it would be nice to just pack a little bag of things and go, just go, and figure out your destination later. but those days really are gone.

i had a quote in my AIM profile for a long time about how everyone's always in such a hurry to grow up and then when you turn 23 and start working full time all you want to do is go back to the days where you can be young. it's so true. i remember never being "old enough." always wanting just a little bit more freedom, and now, looking back,. i'd give anything in the world to be nineteen again. but i suppose that's all part of the plan.

in any case, i know great people and i'm a lucky girl and this weekend really made me realize how much i enjoy and appreciate my life.

Thanks.

this weekend i had a little get together, a bbq with some cocktails... i pretty much invited everyone i stay in some sort of contact with. that contact varies. either we run into each other sometimes and say we should hang out more, or we talk every day, or we used to talk everyday. so, the turnout was interesting.

it was what would be considered a random mix to most people, because they were from all different parts of my life, but to me it was just really refreshing. to see who cared enough to show up. i know obligations happen and not everyone can be there, and i understand that. it's just really great to see a lot of people i sort of expected to not come, to come. and not just to come over, but to welcome my parents back and chat with them, bring cards and bottles of wine. i was looking out the window at one point and just noticing how polite everyone was being and i thought to myself... i know some really awesome people.

i woke up today and i just felt tired, but i felt good. like almost satisfied, i guess. everything just went so great. it's so interesting in life how things just work out. how a year ago the crowd at my house would have been a totally different crowd, but how i'm so very happy with the crowd that it was. i really enjoy my life, i really do. i think i'm extremely fortunate and i hope i do my part in giving back to all of these people that just by being them, make me so much more myself. if that makes any sense whatsoever.

thanks everybody for being a part of my life.
i know that's really deep and stuff, but i really mean it.
i'm who i am because i know all of you. and i love being able to be who i am without any falsities or insecurities. i have you all to thank for that. in the process of 23 years i think i've stumbled upon who are my real friends and my friends for life and i'm so incredibly happy with the turnout. love you all.

ramblings

this weekend driving konah's car back from purdue, because my battery died, because i left the glove compartment open... i found myself beginning to really feel sorry for myself. we've all done it. the whole "my life couldn't be any worse." and then i took a moment to realize, wait, what am i talking about? i just had an amazing weekend with amazing friends--one of whom knew i needed to be home so bad that she didn't even hesitate to let me take her car home. what in the world is so bad about someone with that life?

i do it sometimes. i'll start to feel bad for myself. and convince myself i have it worse than everyone else... and i think it used to last, but now it's almost like i catch myself, like "shut up amy! you are damn lucky and you know it..." just a thought.

you know i miss school, but it's so different. i mean it's still fun, same familiar places, but for me it's missing a lot of familiar faces... it's just someone else's school now and i can respect that. i had 4 great years there. i'm glad someone else gets to too.

it's just sad how life changes. i know i've said that before. but i mean the way you picture your life 10 years ago is always different than it is... and that wouldn't be such a bad thing if we never lost people along the way, you know?

i've found though, and maybe i'll keep finding, but that if you do everything in your power to hold on to someone in life and they still resist, that you just have to kinda live through the memories. and it's sad. sometimes i'm not ready to give up yet... but it's just that you can't make somebody love you. you can't make somebody more like you, in that they care more, in that they try. you can't change people. so you give your all and make yourself someone good to be around, and you live your life. and that is all you can do... and maybe, just maybe, that's why we're here, and that's why life holds so many little surprises along our journey. to keep the faith that things are still possible.