The Magical Movement into Autumn

I love the transition into the season of Autumn. The air becomes lighter and cooler and the sound of the wind brushing against the tree branches sings in my ears. I always get this fluttery feeling in my chest and I feel like twirling in the freshly fallen leaf piles. Colors of red, yellow, and orange blend into an array of beauty. I love curling up in my lounge chair with my chihuahua and sip a hot cup of coffee as the brisk air wraps around the setting sun. Such a joyous feeling fills my heart and I am just so thankful for all that God has blessed me with. I feel a greater closeness to nature and with my family.

Preventing the Atrophy of Relationships

My boyfriend and I have been dating for more than 4 years now. Our relationship has progressively grown since 9th grade, when we first became friends. In 10th grade we developed into best friends and by 11th grade we were exclusively dating. He gave me a promise ring our senior year and then college happened. The new and vibrant aspects of college life put a tremendous strain on the quality of our relationship, but nevertheless, we made it through freshman and sophomore years. Now in our 3rd year of college, I am more in love with him than I ever have been and we are planning on getting engaged later this year. The journey to get this far has been anything but easy. It has taken massive amounts of time, compromise and a lot of faith. One of the hardest obstacles we had to overcome was the "comfortable monotony" phase. This is a phase that majority of couples (married or non married) get themselves into all of the time. Every time we would see each other we would do the exact same thing: he would come over my house or I would go over his, we would watch a movie, we would talk, I would go home or he would go home and then night ends. There were a lot of excuses we used to justify this routine, the most prominent one being the financial issue. Finally, we realized that we had fallen extremely far into a rut and needed to get back the passion and spark in our relationship. Agreeing to "date night" at least once a month, we set out to rekindle our relationship. There are actually a lot of fun things to do locally that have little cost or are free. We went on an afternoon hike and picnic at a local park one week and then to a Saturday morning movie the next. These dates made us feel like we were just getting to know each other again and we began to treat each other with more love and respect then ever before. So my suggestion to anyone who is in a long term relationship is to make sure you make time for "date nights". It helps you rekindle the love and passion you once shared and develop a whole new perspective on your significant other once again.

Family Nights

Every Wednesday night my apartment-mates and I all sit down and spend quality time together. We watch TV, talk, and sometimes we play a game afterward. Its purpose is to remind us how important we all are to each other and to make sure we don't let the nuisances of life get in the way of friendship. I savor the moments we get to spend together because as we continue our journeys as college students we have less and less time for each other. As we graduate, we will obtain jobs and start our lives. Spending time together now and thickening our friendship bonds will hopefully help to prepare us for when we get enveloped in the daily aspects of life.

overcoming obstacles

This week I was faced with a colossal moral dilemma in one of my classes. I was put in a situation that I felt extremely uncomfortable in and felt that the assignment went against everything that I believe. However, there was nothing I could do...this was an obstacle that had to be overcome in order to leave class for the day. It was an impossible task that I myself was not able to complete. The only way I got through the ordeal was with the hand of God which guided me. For the next few days I felt like a horrible person because I had abandoned what I hold sacred just to pass a class. However, after much thought plus a lengthy and encouraging discussion from my mom, I realized that I am not a horrible person. God had heard my prayers and got me through the situation. Though there are going to be many more times this semester when I am going to be faced with very similar obstacles, I have faith that God will deliver me through those times as well.

To be or not to be... remastered

While soaking up the precious moments of Internet at the library today, I saw in my inbox a TV box set offer from amazon.com. Star Trek:The Original Series is now offered in a fresh and digitally remastered edition. Being a huge fan of the series, I hungrily ate up all of the advertising slogans that shouted, "See the Enterprise like you've never seen it before!" and "Feel like you are in control of the Bridge with these highly innovative graphics!" Personally, I would rather experience my favorite TV show with all of its low technology graphics and resolution flaws. It got me thinking, what if I had the opportunity to "remaster" my life...would I? Probably not. In theory, remastering involves restoring a film/picture to what it originally looked like when it first aired. Over time, the quality of the film/picture has gradually deteriorated and has lost some of its detailed features. Likewise, my life experiences have indeed molded me into a unique and matchless being. I have grown into an adult with continually expanding knowledge and would not "remaster" my life. Though I definitely have lost some of my naive features, I have gained more mature attributes that make me much more valuable...just like non remastered Star Trek.

Addiction to Technology

I never quite realized how significant a role technology played in my life until the commencement of this semester. Since I moved officially into my apartment on August 31, 2009, I have been lacking Internet service, have atrocious reception in regards to my cell phone service and no television. I have been incapable of fully tackling my studies and almost completely oblivious to the happenings of the outside world. The highlight of my day is picking up a copy of the New York Times every morning before classes and then eagerly rushing home to unravel my newspaper across my bed in sections. Where once my mind had succumbed to the euphoria of streaming bandwidth, it now must yield to the minute satisfaction of scanning headlines in the newspaper. Not having access to Internet on a daily basis has its advantages; however, they seem to pale in comparison to the disadvantages. I have gotten a chance to catch up on novels by my two favorite authors, Janet Evanovich and Nora Roberts. Spending time with my apartment-mates and talking has become a habitual convention as well. Some of my time is now dedicated to meditating and hypnosis, which are great ways to relieve stress and relax. I do always come back to one thought……

How did people manage to survive before technology??

Story Ideas

Dinner with 10 people living or dead: God, Anne Frank, Derren Brown, William Shatner, Michael Jackson, Leonard Nimoy, Noah Wyle, Jason Statham, Mr. Franz (my 10th grade English teacher) and Brad Pitt.

list of top 10 favorite things: chicken, Star Trek, medical based dramas, romance novels, Ireland, accents, day dreaming, clean rooms and lots of space, Internet and not having to drive!

Things that irk you (10): inconsiderate people, being late, driving short distances, long lines, hot and humid weather, dishes in the sink, not having something to do, unproductive people, losing my keys, green foods.

Health concerns: Breast cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure