College Graduate

See the guy in the middle? Yeah, the one in the cap & gown. That's my younger brother and he graduated last Saturday {summa cum laude, I might add} from Oregon State University and we couldn't be more proud of him! My mom came up for the occasion and I couldn't get over how good it felt to have my family together for the first time since Thanksgiving.

My brother's next plans include working through the summer and then heading right back to school to complete the Pharmacy program at Oregon State University.

Way to go Dan! We can't wait to come back in four years for your next graduation :)

Weekend Highlights

*{While Thursday wasn't quite the weekend yet, I'm counting it on the highlight list due to it being close.} Alicia of Likely Badger hosted another after hours party at Anthropologie and Kristi and I had a great time trying on clothes and getting input from all in attendance!

*Remember how last week we had dinner with my brother after one of his pharmacy school interviews? Well, with another interview down {count: 2}, he's already received an acceptance! I couldn't be more proud of him!

*Saturday morning brought some much-needed catch up with my college roommate, Kelly! We met up in our college town, hit up two local coffee shops, and filled each other in on our lives. If only we could do this every weekend...

*When I got back home, we headed over to Charles & Kristi's house to hang out. The main reason we had gone over was so I could: sew some buttons on to one of Charles' suits; and assist Kristi in dying her hair {pictured above}. After completing my "tasks", we had dinner & then got beat by the boys in Pinochle.

*Lastly, today ended up being the most productive day at home I've had all month! After church, we got our taxes done, worked out, and then deep cleaned the house. Now I feel like I could sleep for days, but it is nice to spend the last few hours of the weekend relaxing in a clean house!

Hope you all have a good week!

Because it's Monday...

And I can't stop thinking of the great time I had with my college roommate on Saturday {drinking cider, eating cupcakes, and chatting like we still see each other every day}. Therefore, I'm hoping this picture will help me get through the first day of a long week ahead.


Happy Monday!

5 Years Ago: New Orleans

With the five-year-anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in the news recently, I thought I'd share a few of the pictures from the serve trip I went on 9 months after the devastation {March 2006}. These images instantly appear whenever I hear about New Orleans...

10.8.2004

5 years ago today. A day I once thought was just like any of the before. A day that now holds a "life changing" title. A day I (or my mom) will ever forget.

5 years ago today. I was driving home for the long weekend, mid-semester break. I recall getting up, packing up the car, and hitting the road. I remember a few landmarks along the first hour of my trip home, but once I passed the (one & only) rest stop, my memory stops. That is until I remember opening my eyes to my tiny Volkswagen New Beetle flipping midair and landing right side up against a tree, a mile away from the road. I had fallen asleep at the wheel.

5 years ago today. My initial thoughts were blank. I sat staring at the shattered windshield for what felt like hours (although looking back later, I'm sure it was only seconds) . My first reaction was to get myself out of the car and get help. Two men had seen my car and stopped up on the road. They asked me one question: "Is anyone else still in there?" They also told me that when they first saw my mangled car, they braced themselves for the worse (i.e. death) . They picked up my stuff (which was thrown all around my car from the tumbling) and drove me to the nearest town to call for help (because there is little to no cell service for over half of the Santiam Pass) .

5 years ago today. I remember calling my mom and telling her I was in an accident, but okay. Still in shock, I told her the men who had found me (and whom I had just met) said they could drive me to Bend. She wasn't comfortable with that and decided she would come herself. The police & medics came to access the situation & care to my throbbing finger (the only injury I had) , therefore releasing the men who had, in a way, rescued me. Pictures of the car were taken and statements of what I could remember were given.

5 years ago today. I was still in shock, and pretty calm, up until my mom showed up and I couldn't hold myself together any longer. The medic told her what had happened and shared the pictures they had taken. He told her to keep me awake until they could get to a hospital to have me thoroughly checked out. With a slight headache, a throbbing finger, and uncontrollable tears, my mom and I drove the reamining way to Bend. Once there, we made the stops: filled out paperwork at the DMV, called the insurance company, and went to Urgent Care. Still going off of only a couple hours of sleep, all I wanted to do was close my eyes, but that was the last thing I could do. Hours later, I saw the doctor and they removed a quarter size piece of glass from my right pointer finger (the cause of my throbbing finger) . They also said that I probably didn't have a concusion (the reason I had to stay awake) , but to monitor me closely. Then we went home and I fell asleep for two days.

5 years ago today. I woke up and thought my day would be just like any other. But it wasn't. I almost died. There is no doubt in my mind that God was watching over me that day. And that there were more than enough reasons for me to still be here today, alive & healthy. Words could never express how thankful I am for what has been done in my life since then (growing closer to God & meeting Sam, to name a few) . Since 10.8.2004.

Small World

Last fall, I was browsing blogs & landed in a group on Flickr called 'The Working Closet'. The idea behind this group is to post the outfit you wear to work that day and let people comment on it. As someone who loves seeing what other people wear on a daily basis (am I weird?) , I immediately fell in love with the group. One of the people in the group looked familiar, but I couldn't figure it out until she commented on one of my pictures asking if I had went to George Fox. To make a long store short, we both graduated from George Fox (a year apart) and are now living and working in the Salem area. I've also been following her blog and already felt like I have known her for years, but truth be told, I didn't actually meet her in person until last night!

Kaleigha & I met for dinner at Red Robin and quickly began exchanging questions & answers. It was honestly much more relaxed than I thought it would be. I was worried that I'd bore her or we'd have nothing to say but "Hey, I went to George Fox! Me too!", but that's the complete opposite. We both left dinner excited for the prospect of future hangouts & a new friendship, something I've been craving for the last year!

{photo by Kaleigha}

And if Kaleigha wasn't just a fun person to hangout with, she also has a lot of talent. Check out the new blog facelift! I love how unique it is to our blog and can't wait to show it off! Thanks Kali, can't wait to hangout again soon!

PICTURES FROM THE (previous mentioned) WEEKEND:

Just a couple of happy bridesmaids =)

The bride-to-be and 3 of her bridesmaids!
(sidenote: this bride celebrated her 22nd birthday this same weekend, while also graduating with the rest of us in the picture... we told her she was crazy a few times, ha)

Teary-eyed graduates, although you might not be able to tell behind these smiles...

THE BRIDE & GROOM -- Mr. & Mrs. Dabis!

3 of the silliest bridesmaids EVER!
I think we may have got more "they must be very young" looks than the babies at the wedding... too bad we were just having a good time!

Well, I'm done. Done with classes. Done with my undergraduate education. Done with George Fox. Done living in a town with my closest friends. It's hard to comprehend that, but it's true.

After a weekend full of a wedding rehearsal, a bachelorette party, a graduation & a party, and a wedding, I was one tired, but loved girl. I spent the weekend with those I love most -- I was loved in many ways.

With a weekend so busy, I was lucky to have some extra days to say goodbye and move out of Newberg for good. On the sad side of things, my life was already beginning to feel the repercussions of leaving George Fox -- I had to get a new e-mail address and forward my mail home for the last time. I also had to say goodbye to those who will be returning next fall for another school year. I cried, a lot, but that's no surprise to those who know me. The tears were definitely flowing for the last month.

Will they remember me? Will they want to e-mail/call/say hi to me in the future?

I wish I could say I can count on all of my friends to stay in touch, but I haven't always been shown that. Maybe it will be different this time... I would love to be wrong.

To my friends: Hopefully we'll run into each other in the near future and the smiles and laughs will be endless. Hopefully we'll go back to the George Fox days and reminisce about good times. Hopefully you'll remember me... I know I'll remember you.

Disappointment... it finds me often. A little too often, if you ask me, but sadly, I've learned to expect it in almost any situation.

From family troubles to friend troubles to life-in-general troubles, disappointment pops up all the time. I try to avoid it. I try to tell myself that I am happy and that everything works out in their own way. But in the end, I'm generally disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I'm learning that I need to persevere through the disappointment and find happiness, but life and God are just testing me in ways I can always figure out.

Today, I was disappointed. Royally disappointed. Disappointed in a department, disappointed in a project, disappointed in a professor. Everything that I had been told and believed to be true about our senior capstone business was shattered when we received that e-mail this afternoon. No offense to the team, but I'm not sure they should have won.

And I'm not saying that because Quaker Apparel should have been the team that won, but most of our classmates would probably agree with me in that another team should have won. I heard a handful of people specifically say that they were very upset about the decision, which is comforting, but doesn't change the fact of who the winning team was. It did help, for my sanity, that my team was behind me in being upset as well. We were all disappointed... and that sucks! It is not the way I wanted to end the class, but because it happened, there isn't much I can say or do now.

God, please help me forgive and move on because right now I feel like crying and yelling at everyone there last night. Please take this burden away and help me realize that we (Phil, Tim, Kelsey, and I) executed a fantastic business and as my friends told me today, the students knew who we were and enjoyed our product. I still smile when I see one of our t-shirts being worn... Thank you George Fox for accepting our idea and helping us make a profit.

DONE! Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can, but it's true -- Quaker Apparel is officially done.

We had our final presentation tonight and overall they went good. Quaker Apparel ended on a great note with a good profit and everything in line. I am impressed that we pulled through, but really I shouldn't because we worked hard this whole semester for this one night. And after months of stressing, everything came down to a 20 minute speech in front of our peers and professors. Wow!

There is a possibility that we may not actually be done, but I'm trying not think about it until it happens. See, the winning team (out of 6) receives a $400 cash prize and the opportunity to present in front of the auxiliary board on Friday. It's hard to say which team is actually going to win, but only time will tell.

It's been a good run -- Thank you Phil, Tim, and Kelsey. You all taught me a lot about running a business and I thank you a lot!

Thanks also to those who attended and didn't have to -- Kel, Jess, and Alan. That meant so much to me to see you there!!

Oh boy, realizing that Quaker Apparel is done is all much sadder than I expected because it means that we are really done with our senior year and deep down I wish I could go back and do it all over again... can I? Is that possible? I'll continue to wish and hope... that's all I've got anymore =(

What a restful/fun weekend...

First, I went to my only class on Friday and worked on our Quaker Apparel presentation... boy, am I happy that I'll be done with it all come Wednesday night! Overall, I'm excited to stand up and share with those who attend all the hard work we've put into this project. Thank goodness for good team members!

Then I made the journey over to Sam's. That boy makes me feel loved, which is good because I'm marrying him =) We had a nice day of lounging around and playing with the dogs. When I said goodbye and drove home for the night, part of my heart was definitely left with him...

I woke up around 9 on Saturday and then Kel and I drove to the airport to pick up CHAD! Last Wednesday him and myself had talked about coming to surprise Kelly because she was receiving an award this weekend and instead we decided we would tell her and she was so excited, so he was here and it was awesome!!!! But sadly I could only hang out with the two of them for a short while before yet another India fundraiser -- a carwash!

So the carwash went good and we made a good chunk of money (in my opinion), so yay for Team India! But I have to admit by the end of the day I was ready to stop getting wet and stop cleaning cars and go home. On the drive back from Sherwood, I held Bethany's hand and didn't want to let go... two weeks isn't enough. Four years hasn't been enough. Why is it almost over? =(

When I got home, Bethany had a chance to meet Chad and the three of us baked mini cupcakes (which were actually for Chad's surprise party happening later that night, but he had no idea =) Kelly was also MIA because she was at a funeral). Kelly came home shortly after and we hung out some more. Then Kel and I went over to Marie's for a Mary Kay/Bridesmaids night. We got all dolled up and it was ridiculous (in a good way)! From there, we came back to the apartment to implement the "Project Chad: Surprise Party!"

The plan was for Kelly to take Chad on a walk and then people would come over and on Kelly's way home she would text/call me so I knew to prepare everyone for the big "SURPRISE", but sadly the plan failed. Kelly and Chad did go on their walk, but both of them forgot to take their phones so there was no notice before they came home. To say the least, Chad was still surprised and had a chance to meet some of the people Kelly talks about often. Despite being nervous to meet her friends, Chad did wonderfully and everyone loved him (just like I said they would!!!!!). All and all, a great day/night!

On Sunday, I slowly woke up and started some homework in bed. After a while, I got ready for Kelly's award banquet. Being the amazing woman that she is, she had been one of four seniors to receive the C.W. Perry Award and we all went to cheer her on/support her! This was the big reason for Chad planning this random trip and I think he was thrilled to be there supporting her. From the banquet, Chad, Kelly, and I went and got sandwiches at Fred Meyers and went and had a picnic. It was beautiful out and the company was great, even though I sort of felt like a third wheel... oh well! Then we took Chad to the airport and said our goodbyes. I really like that kid so it was hard to say goodbye. Maybe he'll come visit Kelly again and I can say hi sometime... we'll see.

Now it's back to homework and the last two weeks of my college career. If only I could go back four years and do it all over again... I would do it. Call me crazy, but it sounds much better than leaving these people whom I love so much. Maybe I can fit in all the last hangout sessions, all the last coffee dates, all the last snuggles in before these two weeks are up -- I hope I can do it! I'll keep you posted...

Tonight I had the privilege to have dinner with a dear friend whom has changed my life tremendously over the last year. We laughed. We teared up. We enjoyed each other's company. It was glorious beyond belief.

One thing she asked me was what I was going to miss most after graduation and after all the tears and frowns that have been had over the thought of graduation, I wasn't quite sure I could compose what that one missed thing would be.

I quickly flashed back to what makes me laugh and smile the most -- my friends! I've made some of the best friends a girl could ask for. I found friends who will hopefully be friends for a lifetime. I've shared experiences with each one of them that I will never forget. And after graduation, those times will begin to decrease at an increasing rate.

No longer will we be 5 minutes away from each other. No longer will we be able to snuggle on a couch until 3 in the morning. No longer will we be able to share each other's clothes. No longer...

As the tears start rolling down my cheeks, I try to think back to the good times. If I can only hold on to those for a little longer I might be ok... for a while anyways. I love my friends more than most things in life. They have been the kind you would kill for. The kind you long for. The kind that make you smile at the mere thought of them.

Thank you, I believe you all know who you are. You have changed my life and I hope the life changing continues when we grow up... maybe...

A friend of mine spoke in chapel this morning and it blew my mind. I know if she read/reads this, she would tell me “shut up”, but it really did. She was amazing and spoke right to many people’s hearts.

It’s hard to be in a place where everyone is thinking one thing and you are thinking another. A place where you ask so many questions that you no long believe what you originally believed in. A completely unknown, unfamiliar, perplexing place -- this might be where I’m headed.

Maybe I’m sad. Maybe I’m angry. Maybe I’m just tired. Overall, I’m not where I thought I would be 4 years ago. But in the end, I think I will be ok because I must be headed in the direction I’m suppose to be, even if I have no idea where I will end up.

Thank you for sharing your heart. Thank you for asking the questions that so many are afraid to ask. Thank you for being real. Thank you.