Semester wrap-up

Well, the semester is finally over. A friend asked me to describe it in just a few words and I told her it was "hard and miserable but with glimpses of awesome." Let me break that down some more for you.

The struggles - even though I was only taking three classes - my lightest course-load I've ever had - there was so much work involved for those few classes that it seemed at times that my life had turned into one huge writing studio. Not a happy place. I haven't counted how many pages of thousands of words I struggled through, worried about, edited, handed in, emailed, etc. and I probably shouldn't. Other frustrations came from miscommunications, incorrect information, and seemingly impossible requirements and deadlines. Everything ended up working out fine-ish, but it was a long hard ride to get there, folks.

The glimpses - It all comes down to the people you surround yourself with. Over the past few months, I have tried to intentionally spend time building friendships and have loved every minute of it. Being able to invest in another person's life, working through the good times and the tricky times, is something I have come to value more than I might be able to put words to. It's not just me being nosy and wanting to know what people are up to. This goes deeper than saying 'hi' as you pass someone on the sidewalk. What I mean is those moments where you put aside everything else that you could/maybe should be working on to make room for that one person, to focus on their needs instead of yours. It means staying up late for an encouraging conversation or lending a hand when you're not quite sure where you'll get the energy to move. It's the moments where you'll gladly drop everything to offer a listening ear or shoulder to cry on because you know it's what the other person needs. It's road trips, and roller coasters, Denny's at midnight, Chipotle twice in three days, more study breaks than studying, making sure everyone has a ride to church in the morning, and sheets and sheets of cookies.

They say it's not what you know, it's who you know and, well, I know a lot of wonderful people who bless my daily life more than they know. Relationships are two-way streets. People around me invest in me, too, and I'm not sure I would have made it through this one without them. They are where I get my joy and I am extremely grateful for each one of them and the role they play in my life.

On another note, here are three random thoughts:

1. Good times at the Auto-shop: I was getting winter tires put on my trusty Ros and the kind gentleman at the garage said to me (in his lovely and rather heavy Spanish accent): "You've been here before, right?" Me (slightly confused): "Ummm... Nope." Mr. Smooth: "But you look familiar from somewhere." Not sure what to say: "Oh? Well, I dunno...?" Ultimate Textbook here: "It's probably from a movie! Or MTV! (big grin)" Trying really hard not to fall over laughing: "haha... yeah, that's probably it...? (awkward...)"
2. Very merry: I answered the phone at work today "CSD, how can I help you?" And then it hit me in all of his Christmas/sales person cheer: "HI! This is so-and-so from such-and-such and I think you can help me! First, you can help me in having a GRRREAT Christmas. Could you do that for me?? Bla bla bla..." Oh boy! I told him I'd try real hard to help him with that.
3. I think I'm going to donate clean water in my grandparents' names this Christmas. They're always hard to get a gift for because they really don't need anything, but this gives them a card, bracelet and DVD explaining the organization and gives a few people clean water for 20 years. Here's the link in case you want to learn more. The founder's story is really interesting. Charity: Water