Florida | A Broad At Home

This morning I went to yoga and my teacher confessed that she was on day four of a juice cleanse, the byproduct being that she was “bubbling over with gratitude.” I loved this. She was giddy and giggly (that is until we were 44 chaturangas deep) and urged us to ooze gratitude throughout our practice. Rather than battle with my brain to stay on task, I found myself constantly coming back to areas in my life for which I am immensely grateful.

This little guy above is one. Last weekend I visited my lovely friend (and LYLAS) Whitney and her beautiful little family. Kai is just over one year and might possibly be one of the coolest kids I know. He is so chill and relaxed and generally at peace. He loves to people watch and dance in circles and drink his bottle of milk. I am grateful for his tiny presence in my life.

It’s easy for me to become overwhelmed by the status of my life: finishing graduate school, taking my comprehensive exam, finding a job, moving apartments. It feels like the list never ends. That doesn’t even acknowledge the relationships with people in my life that I try to nurture and grow, let alone my attempt to just be and experience and live contentedly.

I was reminded this morning to try to live a life of gratitude, not just around the holidays, but year-round, nay, life-round.

Whenever I step away from the blog for a while (and do a bunch of really cool things, naturally) I always feel overwhelmed when I come back and try to share it all. Inevitably I forget hilarious things that happened or the witty phrases I came up with to describe them. In essence, the post I write after a hiatus is never as good as it could be. Mostly because I am too busy enjoying myself and feel no real reason to interrupt my joy just to reflect on it. So, here’s my attempt to tell you about what’s been going on:

Adam moved Stateside for approximately 2.5 weeks and then left for his Big Asia Trip, which will have him traversing the other side of the world for about 5 months. For the first couple weeks of April we bounced around different parts of Kansas and logged as much “together time” as possible before I left for Florida (more on that) and he left for Russia. It was fast and furious, but it was fantastic.

The day before I left for Florida I decided I would accept the offer from the graduate school in Virginia. Before I could get home from a day on the plaza to do that I received an eagerly anticipated acceptance from another university. Perhaps this was the universe stepping and saying, “Hey, not so fast.” I’m learning more and more how to, how do you say, roll with the punches. So, I held off on accepting the offer and decided instead to tack on a trip to South Carolina at the end of my Florida trip. I heart surprises.

Finger-toes in the sand

For the Florida portion of this post I am afraid I can share very little. Mostly because it is highly inappropriate. I don’t know what it is about the six of us girls, but it appears that we revert back to the age we were when we first started hanging out (14-15) and develop a foul sense of humor. Our LYLAS (Love You Like A Sister–yes, we actually call ourselves that. While it is a true sentiment we all share, the name is mostly for comedic effect) crew formed through the church youth group. We knew one another for years and years but it wasn’t until our first high school mission trip that our blood bond really solidified. Truly, we are inseparable. Ten years of living in Kansas City and slowing spreading across the country has not shaken the foundation of our friendships. The last time we were all together like this was well over a year ago, but somehow we can always pick up where we left off. Our relationship is unique. I am thankful for these girls and feel so lucky to have them in my life. This past weekend will go down in history. Epic.

Hayley, Moi, Laura, Claire, Courtney, Whitney

Actual biological sister sets in the group

Infiltrating the local bar scene

Wailing on the guitar

After parting ways in the Jacksonville airport I made my way to South Carolina. Charleston to be exact. Here I strolled the streets of this picture-perfect town. Have you been here? It’s unreal. The trees, the shops, the flowers, the houses, the beach, the harbor, the boats. I love everything about this place. Campus? Are you kidding me? It’s like an old southern neighborhood. I always loved Kansas State’s campus, but this is a new element. More importantly, I really liked the school. I had a good meeting with the Department Head and a great visit with a current student.

It certainly was nice to visit another school, but now I’ve really got myself in a pickle. I’ve left myself with two amazing choices (I already eliminated Creighton in Nebraska, although they had a great offer) that have many similarities, but also many differences. Both places would be great, but alas, I can only go to graduate school in one location. I’ve got a little more thinking to do, but limited time to do it. My decision must be made by Friday, so I will know soon!