Exploration Yields...

bubble tea.

the bookstore of my dreams.

a place where i could lose all sense of time.

surprises.

[Sidenote: I looked up Operation Beautiful as soon as I got home. Great mission. Excellent use of Post-Its. Beautiful way of drawing attention to beauty.]

[Another sidenote: It was time to change up the layout of the blog...but it may need more work yet. I'm not so convinced about this one yet. And adding a picture was tough and did not go as planned. Some research may be required.]

~"Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit." [-Frank Borman]~

Embracing A New Hobby

A big weekend meant loads of pictures.

The last 2 times I had loads of pictures (the trip to NC and the trip to Kemah) led to some dabbling in editing.

This time I plunged into editing. Last night I spent hours on it...because it was fun, and because I could legitimately waste time without feeling guilty about it. I'm taking some legitimate summer vacation time before beginning work on my summer class.

Anyways, here are some of the results:

A lot of my favorite moments of the weekend were captured in photographs, both of other people's and my own. That makes me smile.

~"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers the little things, long after you have forgotten everything." [-Aaron Siskind]~

And one more quote tonight...

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place...I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." [Elliot Erwitt]

Scenes from a Graduation Day

Graduation...wow, I still can't believe it's over and done with.

Thoughts as I walked across the stage : "Watch the sleeves. Don't trip. Am I smiling? How many eyes are on me right now? Am I walking too fast? Don't drop the diploma cover!" Not quite as profound as I thought it would be.

What I remember the most was turning around to my family after getting back to my seat, smiling as they smiled and gave me the thumbs up, and sticking my tongue out at them in response.

I can only recall a few parts of the ceremony, to be quite honest. What will stick with me the most from this weekend is getting to celebrate with family and friends whose love, encouragement, and friendships helped get me this far. Having them close for this big milestone means more to me than that diploma that I will be getting in the mail.

Here are just a few pictures from the weekend...

These two drove hours just to be there.

He made me proud by getting here after his surgery, just like he makes me proud to be his granddaughter everyday. And that's the face of one pretty proud Papa on graduation day.

And now I can legitimately call myself part of the...

Bring on the future.

~"Oh, the places you will go..." [Dr. Seuss]~

Highlights

Today...

Coffee and conversation to start the day.

Apartment hunting. Apartment found.

Exploring York.

Lunch with friends.

Productivity.

Family.

Hugging Pops again. ♥

Ready As I'll Ever Be

I love lists. I make them all the time. I think enjoying making lists this much should really be a diagnosed condition. It goes hand-in-hand with the Post-It addiction I'd also be diagnosed with. I actually had listed the lists I made today, but I deleted it because you already have enough evidence of my list obsession.

Allow me to make one more list before calling it a night. I call this one...

"Reasons Why I Am Ready To Graduate"

1. I got back into town on Sunday but didn't go to campus until Tuesday morning when I had to be there. My world is bigger than a college campus now, and I'm ready to live beyond that block. I used to be so impatient to get my feet back to that place, that campus, but now it's just...another significant place in my life.

2. I realized I know a lot about the walls of TLEC auditorium. There has been a lot of Ed program stuff in that room...and not all of it has been more interesting than the walls. There's only so much they can tell us. Most of the learning we have left to do will best be found being in the classrooms with the children.

3. I got to talking with one of my professors today. She looked me right in the eye and told me I'm ready for my own classroom.

4. I've been visiting as many home goods displays as possible, both in person and online. I'm envisioning my future home and how to make it feel like one.

5. I've been working on securing things for my place. I've got the basics for my bedroom, living room, and dining room. Now I'm excited to put them in place and use them.

6. I get to go home after graduation. I get to celebrate with my family. More importantly, I get to see my family. 5 months has been a really, really long time. The longest I've ever gone without seeing them, actually. (And hopefully the longest I ever will.)

7. If you see me staring off into space, I'm really just seeing my classroom and planning things for it.

8. I'm ready to spread my wings and see where life's going to take me from here. Alright, God, lead me where Ya need me.

~"What the caterpillar calls the end the rest of the world calls a butterfly." [-Lao Tzu]

Reconnecting

It is surreal to be b back in Seward, but so great to see the wonderful faces of people I have missed so much more than I realized.

This morning I actually was half awake and heard a noise that sounded to my half-awake self like a garage door. My room in Texas was right next to the garage so I would hear that a lot. I was quite confused when I opened my eyes and wasn't in my bedroom at all. Don't you love waking up knowing you were sleeping like a log? I think I sleep best after a long drive, too.

My phone died about two hours a after I got in last night. I was glad it lasted until after the trip...and a night without a phone made for a good dose of solitude. That should last me until the next bout.

A Stretching Heart

I realized while driving that I have so many places I call "home" these days. That means that I will have lots of waves of homesickness for different places, but it also means that I have many places that will cause the thrill of coming home again.

What a blessing that it was so hard to leave Texas. It really was a fantastic semester.

~"Couldn't wait to get goin', but wasn't quite ready to leave." ["American Honey" - Lady Antebellum]~