More wedding photos....

What have I been up to lately....

First of all, I got to see some digital photographs from snapphoto of the wedding. Above is one of them.

I am also looking for a car. I first went to a car dealership with Jen and it was a really bad experience-- the salesperson was...well...a used car salesmen. I don't get along with used car salesmen. Enough said.

So....I have decided to buy a car from a private owner for under $1,000....it will not be the best car but if it works for a year without any major repairs, I will be happy! Jen is being so helpful and supportive when it comes to finding me a car. I love her.

Also, I have been attending for a week now. I went to four classes and really enjoyed all of them, except yogalates was a little hard-- I went to it on Wednesday and am very sore still today (Saturday). I am very proud of myself though that I am getting involved with this activity! I much rather go to these classes then go to the gym (which I used to really like and go every single day)-- afterwards instead of feeling tired, worn, and worse than I started I actually feel rejuvenated, more empowered, more fit, and spiritually enlightened! Go yoga! hehe. I hope to keep going about four times a week and taking all the beginner classes until I feel more fit and then I would like to try ashtanga 1, then maybe yogalates and Pilate's....anyway, they have such a variety of classes, some are more breathing/meditative, some aerobic, and others strengthening. The yoga studio is in the perfect place as well, about a 15 minute walk from where I live. I would love to keep going when I start school as my exercise routine.

Great day!

This morning I woke up and felt really well...genuinely happy. Wow! Happy! The news of getting to work in my current job from Cincinnati after July 1st, starting my next job July 28th, getting a full scholarship for a PhD program, having my girlfriend visit me in Iowa and then moving in wth her-- all this news is just unbelievable and is making me feel so happy and ecstatic!! I just bounced around all day happy, content, and at peace. I felt pretty and stress-free on the outside and inside!

It seems like I don't know how to deal with all these positive feelings-- I've been so used during the last several years of having something to worry about that this is a deep deep relief. Of course I'm not expecting everything to go smoothly and problem-free, I am still prepared for challenges and for all the work that is ahead of me but I am also cherishing all these milestones and greatness in my life right now. I'm thankful for what is happening in my life all the time everyday and never take it for granted. :-)

Moving on....

Oh goodness! Sometimes I feel like I just don't understand so many other people and they don't understand me...today I got in a fiery emotional conversation with a colleague. I felt that she was being very unkind to me so I told her and said I didn't appreciate it. She did not like the confrontation and denied it until I almost walked out and confronted her again. Ugh, why did I even have to do that....I read all these books on dismantling my destructive ego when it just seems to not work in practice. It works when I'm by myself reading or what not but then when I see other people I become so difficult. I feel like I'm trying hard, but I guess not enough. I probably need to increase my awareness of other people, accepting and understanding their behavior, and how my actions could make them feel...good grief! The BEST thing to do though, is forget about the whole incident and move on.

BIG BREATH. Back to work.

Early early morning...

I'm back from France! I woke up at 3:45am this morning and went to sleep at 7pm yesterday. Hopefully in a day or two my biological clock will readjust to this time zone.

It feels wonderful to wake up at 4am because I am so efficient and get a lot of things done this early in the morning. I have known people who actually start work at 4am for that reason! I'm not sure how long this early awakening will last though, I don't think I can sustain it for long. But it would be so nice to wake up to the sunrise every morning, go on a walk, write emails/clean/catch up on things before the day even "begins"!

The wedding day was amazing....with white roses in michelle's hair and in the trees by the place they stood to get married, the weather was perfect and sunny, it was relaxed and casual yet elegant and beautiful...different people gave readings during the ceremony-- Thomas' sister Pia read an excerpt from The Little Price, and Michelle's cousin Jeremy read from Ernest Hemingway's Farewell to Arms. Afterwards everyone mingled over drinks and snacks, snapping photos and talking...then we had a really nice dinner. Michelle made place cards with name tags tied to bundles of dried lavender. It was wonderful to see michelle so genuinely happy during the day...releasing the most positive energy as possible from her special soul :-)

Thomas' mother gave them a framed picture of her and her husband with their actual wedding ring and their parents with their wedding ring and then the great grandparents with the wedding ring. That was one of the most special things I've ever seen!!

I took so many pictures at my sister's wedding and trip to France-- with the change in scenery and new beautiful things everywhere I carried my SLR manual camera almost everywhere I went taking photographs in Provence. I can't wait to develop them....I took one roll of black and white film and another to finish, which I'm excited about developing in a darkroom. The trip definitely reacquainted me with the camera I used to adore and forgot about...

One more day!

Ugh, I don't know if I can get through the day! I think because I'm leaving for France tomorrow, I am on the plane right now in my mind. It's difficult to work in the library every day-- with the freezing temperature and stale air. But then again, it allows me the freedom to listen to music on my computer and take breaks when I need to.

But I still wish that I could just go to Workspace in the Memorial Union at Iowa State University and work in the dark room all day. Maybe I should change my line of work, although I like working with math and numbers, deep down inside I think there is another creative path that was meant for me. I need to do the work to discover it!

The photo above from: http://www.colorsofprovence.com/

Good day....

I am having such a good day...it's funny how my days alternate-- I'll have a horrible day and then the next day will be so happy and wonderful. That was my story of yesterday. I love thinking about that....that both happiness and sadness never last. And that's okay :) That's life.

But today was so nice. I spent the day getting many things I needed to do in preparation for a bridal shower, birthday, and my sister's wedding. I talked with my sister, adjusted my bridesmaid dress with my step-mom, went to the public library to get dvd's of six feet under for this week...getting mentally prepared for my sister's wedding in Provence, France. Having nice texts with my sweetheart. Eating pizza along with wine for dinner. Lot's of good moments just added up....and then tonight I'm going out for a drink with one of my childhood best friends and her fiance.

I've posted a picture of lilacs, since they seem to be everywhere in Ames, Iowa....making the air smell so good! It's from: http://steph.sicore.org/archives/home/index.html.