Just Another week

Some exciting things from the past week or so:
1. I got to talk to a bunch of the teens I worked with in Romania last week. It was good to hear their voices and realize that I still have a presence in their lives 2.5 years later.
2. My new computer came with photo software :-)
3. On a trip home last weekend I ran into my old swim coach / teacher / mentor / all around amazing person who I wanted to grow up to be just like. I don't think I'm quite there but who said I was grown up yet?!
4. I have a HUGE family and last weekend that was made clear when I got to see tons of different cousins totally unplanned!
5. My grandma cooked biscuits and gravy Saturday. It's all made from scratch and absolutely delicious.
6. Thanks to my mom, I officially own a Christmas tree and can not wait to put it up in my own place.
7. To go along with the Christmas tree I purchased my first gift and listened to my favorite Christmas song already
8. I've gotten a few new CD's and am totally addicted to the new Jason Mraz, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, and the Juliana Theory. I love music and the new stuff is definitely a good addition to my music library.
9. Last week I finished the book Long Way Gone...A phenomenal story about a boy who lost his entire family to war in Sierra Leone, Africa and ended up becoming a child soldier capable of killing TONS of people. The book is his story; memories of his childhood, documentation of how war first took his family and then how he took the families of others, and a testament to his recovery and eventual forgiveness of himself when he is given a second chance at a normal life. If you're up for the heartwrenching read, it comes highly recommended :-)
10. Also, thanks to my mom, I have a new shirt with a GREAT quote on it that I'd like to share with you here:

"Love this life... is about celebrating the moment
and that we're not guaranteed or owed another day
and how cool it is that what we hide can actually be
the fuel towards our glory
and that it's not so bad to be proven wrong

LovethisLife...is about welcoming the blind turn
and the possibility that there's no such thing as coincidence
and that empathy is incredibly sexy
and that it's never too late to pick up a guitar or paintbrush
or to make an amend
or to make a new friend

LovethisLife...could be about rekindling a past flame
or igniting a new one
or shapeshifting from a dreamer into a doer
or savoring the caress of a love long gone

LovethisLife...means whatever it is you want it to mean because

LovethisLife...is a celebration of you and your path

LovethisLife'cuz it could go at any second

you rock."

I think it is one of my new favorites actually. It's filled with great truths and a challenge to get out and live. That is something I aspire to; something I search after with all that is in me. I want to be a doer and a thinker and a feeler. I want to do all that I can, experience all that is out there, be challenged to grow and to change, while getting the chance to feel all of the happiness that this world has to offer. Yep, its a great quote!

And now, 3 cool pictures from my weekend in New Boston:

Sporting my Dad's Crown Royal hatBathtime with Gavin
Gavin loves his Grandpa!