Live from Washington D.C.

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS!

Since I am blogging out of state I feel that the title needs to sound something like the beginning of Saturday Night Live when they say "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!" So if you don't mind, please read the title again, but this time (in your head or out loud if you feel so inclined), read it in your best radio/television announcer voice that really grasps the essence of the SNL intro and the fact that I am not in McCordsville, IN.

This past week has been a whirlwind. I left last Tuesday morning for cheerleading camp at IU, got home from there on Thursday afternoon only to take a quick nap, unpack, pack again, and get up on Friday morning to head to Muncie for my friend Allison's wedding, which I was a bridesmaid in. I left the reception between 11:30 and midnight on Saturday night and was on my way to the airport at 5:15 on Sunday morning to attend a technology conference with the English department and administrators in Washington, D.C., hence the dramatic opening to this blog entry. After I got over being delirious due to lack of sleep, (I thought Sunday was Tuesday for the longest time until I asked someone) the conference has been fun. I am really disappointed that Obama didn't meet us at the airport like I was sure he would, but I've learned a lot about new technology for my classroom and I'm excited to get started making lesson plans to incorporate all that I've learned. Wait...it's June 30th and I just said I want to make lesson plans...that must be a mistake. A couple of pictures from the trip...

Me in front of a lot of books at the Library of Congress.

Reading at the Library of Congress.

Back to the wedding. It was awesome to see my friends and see yet another one of us get married. Friday consisted of the rehearsal and dinner at Puerto followed by a great tribute to Michael Jackson in Ashley's car while we were stopped by a train for a good fifteen minutes. Not only was it amusing to be flipped off by a car of girls that must have been jealous of our love for MJ but my friend Ashley successfully yelled Michael Jackson ad-libs to a police officer. And I have had "Man in the Mirror" in my head ever since. Then we successfully took pictures in front of both of the old college houses we lived in near campus (I only lived in one...but they claimed me for the other) while laughing to hard that I'm shocked a few of us didn't pee our pants. Saturday morning came and we helped Allison get ready for her big day. She looked absolutely beautiful and the wedding and reception were gorgeous and a blast. I don't think a beaming grin left Allison's face the entire day and the weather was perfect for her outside reception.

Ashley, me, and Nikki at the rehearsal dinner.

The happy couple, Chris and Allison, at the rehearsal dinner.

My friend Laura "acting natural" with my engagement ring on.

Allison, Minner, and Laura at the rehearsal dinner.

Nikki and Laura during our tribute to Michael Jackson.

All of the girls on the big day!

Me with the beautiful bride.

Me with the "chief bridesmaid".

The amazing wedding singer and me at the reception.

Cutting the cake!

After a crazy week I will be happy to get home tomorrow night and sleep in my own bed next to my wonderful husband (whom I miss like crazy) and with my over-sized kitty at my feet. My plan for Thursday consists of my pajamas, the couch, and over a week's worth of episodes of The Young and the Restless.

This is Not My Life

Do you ever feel that so much life is going on around you and you are completely missing out on everything? OK, don't get me wrong, I absolutely, 100% love my life with Justin. But I can't help but think lately that there is so much more that I could be doing with my life.

I had a sorority sister that coined a phrase, "This is not my life". Her name was Nicole Gallo, and well, in a brief description, she was awesome. She would use the "this is not my life" phrase when something was going on with her that just wasn't who she was. She taught us to use it if we were stressed or sad or angry and to simply beat your right fist into your open left palm while repeating over and over "This is not my life!" When it comes to how I'm feeling right now, it's the only phrase that sums it all up.

From the outside looking in, it seems that I have a great life. I'm married to one heck of an amazing man, I have a rewarding and steady job, a great apartment, awesome friends, a devoted family, etc. etc. etc. But something just doesn't feel right lately. I had a pretty big roller coaster of a year last year with losing my mom (the lowest point of my life) to getting married (clearly the highest point of my life). When not dealing with and celebrating those moments, I had school to distract me, and with cheerleading, the yearbook, and keeping my head above water in a sea of freshmen, I never had time to think that everything wasn't complete. But now that I'm out of school and have a lot of time on my hands, I find myself sitting within the walls of this apartment watching mindless reality television and soap operas and wallowing on the couch thinking about how mundane my life has been in these past couple of weeks.

Now that I've successfully thrown myself a pity party, it's time to not only say "this is not my life", but do something about it. There are changes I want to make that aren't going to make themselves. I just realized that someone reading this might be thinking that I'm being very vague, but to be honest, I don't know all of the changes I need to make. Clearly I'm not physically healthy and that needs to change. After completing Relay for Life (an entry on that is coming soon) I would love to get more involved in supporting cancer research. I want to write more. I just want to do more with my day instead of getting up, eating breakfast, and figuring out how I can fill 10 hours with television shows. I could be a better friend. I could be a better family member. I could be a better wife. I could be a better person. And it's just time to start making that happen.