On May 13 I will be moving to Mount Pleasant. That means I have 53 days left in Grand Rapids. 53 days of gorgeous West Michigan sunsets. 53 days with my friends and family in comfortable driving distance. 53 days of knowing my way around and being the go-to-girl for directions. 53 days to soak in the goodness that is the city I was born in and raised near. I've been thinking about leaving a lot - don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to start PT school... but I'm going to miss quite a few things about the wonderful West Michigan. So, I am making a little "wishlist" of things to do in the next 53 days (half of them involve food - don't judge me).
1. Go to Grand Haven for sunset and give the good ole Nikon a serious workout. If Pronto Pups & ice cream are involved - even better.
2. Golf at The Meadows at least once before leaving Allendale.
3. Have a late-night adventure downtown with a trip to Yesterdog.
4. Breakfast at Marie Catrib's.
5. Eat at Panera lots. There are none anywhere near CMU. Tragic.
6. Hang out with (babysit) my favorite three (possibly four?!) kids.
7. Say adios to working in retail.
8. Walk across the stage at Van Andel & get my diploma.
There are so many more things - but in reality - I am wrapping up my last semester at GVSU and working ~30 hours per week. With only two weeks of "summer vacation," I don't want to be too ambitious with my list - because I hope to check everything off! Some of these are 100% guaranteed to happen (ie #7 & #8). Everything else - I need friends to do them with - so let's make some plans!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
people.
it's spring break here at gvsu, and i am hanging out in allendale. i spent the first 3 days of my break (which began almost a week ago) wishing i was going somewhere cool... a warm beach, a cool city, a foreign country... anywhere but staying at gv. but then, my schedule started to fill up and i realized staying home is exactly what i needed this break... because i needed a break... time to catch up, relax and simply be. and i realized that even though i'm not on a beach getting tan, or experiencing an awesome new place, i am being blessed by the people in my life.
hanging out with my two best friends - catching up on life, hanging out and simply not caring that we aren't doing school work or going to bed at a decent hour. working with the best manager a girl could ask for - laughing at the little things, complaining about dumb people and situations, and reminding ourselves that "it's just target." making plans to spend time with my long-lost former roomie, friends that i haven't spent time with at all this year, and relaxing at home with my parents. these people are wonderful, and even though i would rather be in florida relaxing poolside, spending time with these amazing people is making this allendale spring break completely manageable.
hanging out with my two best friends - catching up on life, hanging out and simply not caring that we aren't doing school work or going to bed at a decent hour. working with the best manager a girl could ask for - laughing at the little things, complaining about dumb people and situations, and reminding ourselves that "it's just target." making plans to spend time with my long-lost former roomie, friends that i haven't spent time with at all this year, and relaxing at home with my parents. these people are wonderful, and even though i would rather be in florida relaxing poolside, spending time with these amazing people is making this allendale spring break completely manageable.
Monday, February 13, 2012
change is good.
well, another month has gone by. seriously, time is going so fast this year! everyone told me when i was a freshman that "the next four years will fly by" but i never believed them. until now.
graduation is in 75 days. grad-u-freakin'-ation. when did i get this old?
looking back on old pictures (something i love to do), it feels like i was living in North B 117 yesterday. but oh, how things have changed. i've grown up. i've changed. my friends have changed. my family has changed. everything has changed. but when? when did all of the changes occur? obviously, i can pinpoint big events that changed my family, friends and self - my brother's wedding, three spring break trips with Cru that stretched me and forced me to grow in so many awesome ways, funerals, friends' boyfriends and breakups, big decisions about the future... these are the events and occurrences that changes are made from. and in the past 3.5 years, even though i didn't notice most of it happening, things changed.
i'm glad. things aren't supposed to stay the same. if they had, i wouldn't have an amazing sister-in-law, i wouldn't have amazing memories from road trips and international travel and i wouldn't have the amazing best friends that i do today. i also wouldn't have a plan for my life in 75 days when i am done walking across that stage at van andel as a graduate of GVSU. i'm 99% committed to attending CMU in May for physical therapy school. that final 1% will likely come this week when i sign a lease with girls i know pretty much nothing about. but they're going to be my classmates starting May 14, and we will be going through the trials and tribulations of PT school together, so i'm excited that i will be living with them.
change is good. change is good. change is good.
i'm trying to remember that, in an effort to not freak out about the fact that i will be leaving everything i know in 3 short months.
yes, change is good.
graduation is in 75 days. grad-u-freakin'-ation. when did i get this old?
looking back on old pictures (something i love to do), it feels like i was living in North B 117 yesterday. but oh, how things have changed. i've grown up. i've changed. my friends have changed. my family has changed. everything has changed. but when? when did all of the changes occur? obviously, i can pinpoint big events that changed my family, friends and self - my brother's wedding, three spring break trips with Cru that stretched me and forced me to grow in so many awesome ways, funerals, friends' boyfriends and breakups, big decisions about the future... these are the events and occurrences that changes are made from. and in the past 3.5 years, even though i didn't notice most of it happening, things changed.
i'm glad. things aren't supposed to stay the same. if they had, i wouldn't have an amazing sister-in-law, i wouldn't have amazing memories from road trips and international travel and i wouldn't have the amazing best friends that i do today. i also wouldn't have a plan for my life in 75 days when i am done walking across that stage at van andel as a graduate of GVSU. i'm 99% committed to attending CMU in May for physical therapy school. that final 1% will likely come this week when i sign a lease with girls i know pretty much nothing about. but they're going to be my classmates starting May 14, and we will be going through the trials and tribulations of PT school together, so i'm excited that i will be living with them.
change is good. change is good. change is good.
i'm trying to remember that, in an effort to not freak out about the fact that i will be leaving everything i know in 3 short months.
yes, change is good.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
transition.
college is a time of transition.
(topic of blog courtesy of my oh-so-wise brother).
transition from high school to the real world. from childhood to adulthood.
i'm graduating in 3.5 months. 105 days, to be exact. and thankfully, i know that i will be attending physical therapy school. i have at least 3 more years before i have to transition to true adulthood. but even so, this semester is going to be the biggest transition period of my life thus far. come may, i will be moving away from friends and family. i will begin a program in which i know nobody. i will be starting from scratch - transition seems like the biggest understatement of the century. my world is going to be rocked.
but the best part about transition - the awkward, uncomfortable, land-between phases of life - is that God can use that time to mold us, shape us, and prepare us for whatever lies ahead. as terrified as i am to leave allendale at the end of april, i know that God will never take me where he hasn't already prepared something for me. he created every fiber of my being and has taken me through 21.5 years of life... so a little move to a new area code isn't something He can't handle... and it therefore isn't going to be something i can't handle.
transition. world-rocking. i'm in it. it's going to get more intense. here goes nothin'.
Listen to this.
(topic of blog courtesy of my oh-so-wise brother).
transition from high school to the real world. from childhood to adulthood.
i'm graduating in 3.5 months. 105 days, to be exact. and thankfully, i know that i will be attending physical therapy school. i have at least 3 more years before i have to transition to true adulthood. but even so, this semester is going to be the biggest transition period of my life thus far. come may, i will be moving away from friends and family. i will begin a program in which i know nobody. i will be starting from scratch - transition seems like the biggest understatement of the century. my world is going to be rocked.
but the best part about transition - the awkward, uncomfortable, land-between phases of life - is that God can use that time to mold us, shape us, and prepare us for whatever lies ahead. as terrified as i am to leave allendale at the end of april, i know that God will never take me where he hasn't already prepared something for me. he created every fiber of my being and has taken me through 21.5 years of life... so a little move to a new area code isn't something He can't handle... and it therefore isn't going to be something i can't handle.
transition. world-rocking. i'm in it. it's going to get more intense. here goes nothin'.
Listen to this.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
new year.
Well, we are officially 5 days in to 2012, and I have yet to recap 2011. So...
2011 was definitely a year full of ups and downs.
January: Said adios to two amazing Spanish speaking friends for 4 months... sending one off to Costa Rica and the other to Spain. Not having them around for an entire semester was rough!
February: Said goodbye to another friend as she was off to study in Australia for 5 months! Getting through a second semester of physics without her to laugh and study with - also a little rough.
March: Left the USA for the first time, spent 9 days in the Netherlands, and talked to students from over 20 different countries about my faith and theirs (or their lack of it). I rode the metro, ate weird food, almost got run over by crazy Dutch bicyclists and a tram in Amsterdam, toured the Anne Frank House & Van Gogh museum, and even learned a little Dutch. It was by far the most amazing trip of my life.
April: Finished year 3 of college! Hokey petes, what a year.
May: Impulsive trip to Chicago to surprise the long-lost roommate at the airport. Her delayed flights home from Spain in combination with my work schedule resulted in my first shift back at Target being completed on zero sleep... But it was totally worth it!
June: Finished 2/3 of my summer classes, work work work, PT volunteer hours... and turned 21! With the guidance of my trusted big brother and the generosity of some strangers at the Pub, I successfully did 7 shots in less than 40 minutes. No puking or hangover occurred. Success.
July: work work work. PT hours. World Cup Soccer. Tigers game. Ikea. All in all, a good month!
August: Moved back in with the bestest roomie a girl could ask for, but this time in jank-a-lank land instead of Campus View. Weird, but good :)
September: The beginning of the semester from hell. Insane amounts of meetings, work, studying, etc. Submitted all my applications for PT School and began the waiting game.
October: My last Cru Fall Retreat. So great. Green River Ordinance & Boyce Avenue concert in Ypsi.
November: Trip to Nashville to interview at Belmont University. Loved it. Interviewed at GVSU. Hated it. After almost 3 years in retail, I worked my first Black Friday. Thank you, Target for opening at 12am.
December: Got accepted to CMU's program. Got rejected from GVSU. Made Belmont's wait-list. Finished the worst semester of my life (thank you micro, for wrecking my GPA). Worked like a crazy person over break. Brought in the New Year playing Blackjack with my two best friends.
All in all, 2011 was a good year. It was crazy stressful at times. I pushed myself harder than I ever have, and I've learned a lot about myself in the past year. Growing up isn't always fun, but it's going to happen whether I want it to or not... and I'm handling it the best I can... working hard and trying to have some fun while I'm still surrounded by all of my friends.
In 2012, I will be ... taking what appears to be the easiest semester of my life (knock on wood). Graduating from GVSU. Saying goodbye and moving away from Grand Rapids. Starting PT school (where exactly? TBD).
This year is going to bring about more change than I'm ready to handle, but I have the next four months to prepare...
Here goes nothin'.
2011 was definitely a year full of ups and downs.
January: Said adios to two amazing Spanish speaking friends for 4 months... sending one off to Costa Rica and the other to Spain. Not having them around for an entire semester was rough!
February: Said goodbye to another friend as she was off to study in Australia for 5 months! Getting through a second semester of physics without her to laugh and study with - also a little rough.
March: Left the USA for the first time, spent 9 days in the Netherlands, and talked to students from over 20 different countries about my faith and theirs (or their lack of it). I rode the metro, ate weird food, almost got run over by crazy Dutch bicyclists and a tram in Amsterdam, toured the Anne Frank House & Van Gogh museum, and even learned a little Dutch. It was by far the most amazing trip of my life.
April: Finished year 3 of college! Hokey petes, what a year.
May: Impulsive trip to Chicago to surprise the long-lost roommate at the airport. Her delayed flights home from Spain in combination with my work schedule resulted in my first shift back at Target being completed on zero sleep... But it was totally worth it!
June: Finished 2/3 of my summer classes, work work work, PT volunteer hours... and turned 21! With the guidance of my trusted big brother and the generosity of some strangers at the Pub, I successfully did 7 shots in less than 40 minutes. No puking or hangover occurred. Success.
July: work work work. PT hours. World Cup Soccer. Tigers game. Ikea. All in all, a good month!
August: Moved back in with the bestest roomie a girl could ask for, but this time in jank-a-lank land instead of Campus View. Weird, but good :)
September: The beginning of the semester from hell. Insane amounts of meetings, work, studying, etc. Submitted all my applications for PT School and began the waiting game.
October: My last Cru Fall Retreat. So great. Green River Ordinance & Boyce Avenue concert in Ypsi.
November: Trip to Nashville to interview at Belmont University. Loved it. Interviewed at GVSU. Hated it. After almost 3 years in retail, I worked my first Black Friday. Thank you, Target for opening at 12am.
December: Got accepted to CMU's program. Got rejected from GVSU. Made Belmont's wait-list. Finished the worst semester of my life (thank you micro, for wrecking my GPA). Worked like a crazy person over break. Brought in the New Year playing Blackjack with my two best friends.
All in all, 2011 was a good year. It was crazy stressful at times. I pushed myself harder than I ever have, and I've learned a lot about myself in the past year. Growing up isn't always fun, but it's going to happen whether I want it to or not... and I'm handling it the best I can... working hard and trying to have some fun while I'm still surrounded by all of my friends.
In 2012, I will be ... taking what appears to be the easiest semester of my life (knock on wood). Graduating from GVSU. Saying goodbye and moving away from Grand Rapids. Starting PT school (where exactly? TBD).
This year is going to bring about more change than I'm ready to handle, but I have the next four months to prepare...
Here goes nothin'.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
so blessed.
Driving home after a night of babysitting, the thought hit me - I am so blessed.
Why am I blessed?
#1. I was accepted to CMU's Physical Therapy program! It's not my first choice school, but regardless of the rejection I received from GVSU and the decisions I am still waiting on, I will be attending PT school somewhere next year, and I will be one step closer to my goal! God is good.
#2. My roommate, friends and family are amazing. Through the ups and downs of this semester, so many people have been there to listen to me vent, to laugh with, to study with and to just bum around with. Even though Fall 2011 will go down in the books as "Suckiest Semester of College" ... without all of the amazing people in my life, it could have and would have been a lot worse.
#3. FINALS ARE DONE. IT'S CHRISTMAS BREAK. THANK YOU, LORD.
#4. I have some pretty awesome jobs. The library - easy work, fun people to work with. Target - stressful some days, super fun other days... but the girls I work with and the managers I have - so great. There isn't a shift that goes by, no matter how horrible, that I don't spend a decent amount of time laughing. How can that be bad? And finally, babysitting - the best of the three jobs! Two families, but all of this is true - the kids are smart, sassy and hilarious. Eating chicken nuggets for dinner, playing tag in a basement and watching Charlie Brown ... it's good for the soul. Not to mention, all of the parents are some of the best people ever - I love chatting about life with some wise moms when they get home from a night out and the kids are sound asleep.
#5. It may be 2:15am, but I have no alarm set. Sleeping til noon is 100% on the agenda for my Saturday, and after the longest 16 weeks of my life - that is a beautiful blessing.
See? I told ya I'm blessed :)
Why am I blessed?
#1. I was accepted to CMU's Physical Therapy program! It's not my first choice school, but regardless of the rejection I received from GVSU and the decisions I am still waiting on, I will be attending PT school somewhere next year, and I will be one step closer to my goal! God is good.
#2. My roommate, friends and family are amazing. Through the ups and downs of this semester, so many people have been there to listen to me vent, to laugh with, to study with and to just bum around with. Even though Fall 2011 will go down in the books as "Suckiest Semester of College" ... without all of the amazing people in my life, it could have and would have been a lot worse.
#3. FINALS ARE DONE. IT'S CHRISTMAS BREAK. THANK YOU, LORD.
#4. I have some pretty awesome jobs. The library - easy work, fun people to work with. Target - stressful some days, super fun other days... but the girls I work with and the managers I have - so great. There isn't a shift that goes by, no matter how horrible, that I don't spend a decent amount of time laughing. How can that be bad? And finally, babysitting - the best of the three jobs! Two families, but all of this is true - the kids are smart, sassy and hilarious. Eating chicken nuggets for dinner, playing tag in a basement and watching Charlie Brown ... it's good for the soul. Not to mention, all of the parents are some of the best people ever - I love chatting about life with some wise moms when they get home from a night out and the kids are sound asleep.
#5. It may be 2:15am, but I have no alarm set. Sleeping til noon is 100% on the agenda for my Saturday, and after the longest 16 weeks of my life - that is a beautiful blessing.
See? I told ya I'm blessed :)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
it'll get better.
it'll get better.
those are the words my dad said to me as he shut my car door when i was leaving home to drive back to school tonight. i don't know why those three little words set me off, but i barely managed to back away and start driving down the driveway before i completely lost it. i rarely cry, but when i do, it is usually because i'm ridiculously stressed. i spent the first 15 minutes of my drive back to allendale bawling. hello, my name is erin, and i am beyond stressed out.
thanksgiving "break" consisted of this girl spending three hours doing homework, working ridiculous hours (thank you, black friday) and spending time with extended family. there was no break involved. and now that i'm back at school, i have a huge exam to study for (in a class i'm barely passing) and a six page paper to write. annnnd yet, i find myself typing this instead of doing either of those things. oops.
even though the last five days have been anything but relaxing, and i'm exhausted and stressed, i'm not freaking out. i know that i won't be sleeping much the next three nights. i know that everything will get done. and i know that everything will be okay. i know that God has it all under control - every silly little detail of my life. despite me not having a clue what the future holds, God knows. and i'm clinging to that truth. because even though life is stressful, hectic and crazy right now... it'll get better.
those are the words my dad said to me as he shut my car door when i was leaving home to drive back to school tonight. i don't know why those three little words set me off, but i barely managed to back away and start driving down the driveway before i completely lost it. i rarely cry, but when i do, it is usually because i'm ridiculously stressed. i spent the first 15 minutes of my drive back to allendale bawling. hello, my name is erin, and i am beyond stressed out.
thanksgiving "break" consisted of this girl spending three hours doing homework, working ridiculous hours (thank you, black friday) and spending time with extended family. there was no break involved. and now that i'm back at school, i have a huge exam to study for (in a class i'm barely passing) and a six page paper to write. annnnd yet, i find myself typing this instead of doing either of those things. oops.
even though the last five days have been anything but relaxing, and i'm exhausted and stressed, i'm not freaking out. i know that i won't be sleeping much the next three nights. i know that everything will get done. and i know that everything will be okay. i know that God has it all under control - every silly little detail of my life. despite me not having a clue what the future holds, God knows. and i'm clinging to that truth. because even though life is stressful, hectic and crazy right now... it'll get better.
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