Petals on a wet, black bough.

Currently: sitting in the apt, drinking a day old Coke, looking at cameras, dresses, and waiting for work.

So...I ended up talking to my manager at work. He so graciously offered me the chance to have every Wednesday and Thursday off from work. Needless to say, I obliged.

So I'll be working 2:00 - 9:00 on Mondays, 2:30 - 9:00 on Tuesdays and Fridays, and then have every other Saturday off. And as always, relishing my Sundays off, as well.

Yes, my paychecks will dwindle. But...some things are more important than money. And that includes sanity.

This new schedule begins this week and I cannot wait to get a bajillion things done on Wednesday and Thursday, including getting a very big start on my ten-page Shakespeare paper, figuring out my recitation for said class, reading in the sun, and just simply taking a chill pill. Ahhh. Breath of relief.

It is very, very rainy today. I love the way nature looks on cloudy, precipitative days. The green grass and trees are so poignant against a backdrop of gray. It's very relaxing (and somewhat lethargic). This week is predicted to be very gloomy which in some ways I loathe but in others I feel is a blessing. Simply because I get more things done when it's rainy outside and I don't have that constant distraction to sit in the sun and do nothing.

Another thing that I'll be doing is volunteering at the Refugee and Immigration Center. I don't know when I'll start but I'm very excited. Yadda yadda yadda I love cultures and people and blah. But I feel as if that's already a given. Also, it looks really good to the admissions at the Peace Corps. Hooray for moi.

Another thing on my list of to-do's is take the Praxis to get admitted into the school of education at USF. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. The reading and writing is not what I'm worried about. It's the math portion. My life always revolves around math. Christ. On that note, I have summer math school on the day AFTER my 21st birthday. Can we say, uh oh? Yeah, we can.

And then, alas, we have Portland.

Portland, I cannot wait to see you and frolic around your beautiful city on a bike, with my camera, and with my best friend.

He's very excited, as well.

I feel as if when I leave Sioux Falls for a place like you I'll never want to come back. And I might end up staying. Bahaha I won't but I'd like to. Somedays...I would really, really like to.

Thou nature, art my goddess.

So I received some marvelous news today.

I will be graduating a FULL SEMESTER earlier than what I planned on!

Although I love USF I don't particularly want to spend more time there than what I need to...ahem...with almost $20,000 a year in tuition, I think my choice is understandable. This is a huge deal for me. I thought that I would be an undergrad for 5 years. Now it's only 4 and a half. I'll take it, by god.

Also, my work situation is just not...well...working. They told me that my hours would be drastically cut. I thus made plans to move out of my apartment that I had worked so hard to live in. I was financially independent and that was important to me. Then...they didn't cut my hours.

Not only did I move OUT of my apartment (and INTO my boyfriend's) but I was planning on having some more time to focus on my studies. Well...they failed at cutting my hours. And now I'm feeling stupid to have moved/made plans accordingly.

I shouldn't be complaining because a lot of my friends are struggling to even FIND jobs. I, on the other hand, am struggling with this balancing act of work, school, and finding time for me.

So I have decided to change my schedule at work. I'm going to begin working 4:00 to 9:00 every day instead of 2:30 to 9:00. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, that hour and a half could be half of a research paper or Act II of King Lear.

I'm feeling pretty relieved at my final decision. Even though there's only about a month and a half of school left, I need to focus and not be so scatter brained. I should have done this a long time ago. And next year will be even worse. I'm taking 2 extra classes then I usually take and I need to get my poop in a group, as they say.

Plus I'm in COLLEGE. This is the time to be poor. Duh.

Anywho. Had to vent. Funny because just yesterday I was saying how things were perfect. Jinxed myself on that one. :p

Monday, Monday, Monday.

Red Hot Drops

My lack of blogging is somewhat of a disappointment. Not to fear, I have some free time on this lovely Sunday afternoon and thus will blog my little heart out.

My life in the past couple of weeks has been comparable to a dream. Beautiful weather, changing my "fat kid" tendencies, and just enjoying myself. I'm relishing in this comfortable time because in just a few short weeks, my life will go from easy-going to full-on crazy. Finals. Final projects. 10 page research papers. The life of a double major. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it a little. I do...I love being busy and surrounding myself with things I love. That's the craziest part...I am the biggest nerd I know. :)

I wish I had more to write about. More interesting topics to converse about. To my amazement, things keep getting better and better. It's good to be back.

I'm just so excited to start summer. I will be taking the dreaded summer school class from June 2 to July 2. Not too bad.

I thought that that this summer would really suck balls because I didn't think that any of my close friends from O'G would be here. But alas, Courtney, Corbin, Dan, and most everyone else will be in S.F. for the summer! The only thing that sucks is that Danielle will be in Missouri. :( I plan on making at least one trip to Columbia to visit her. Fer sher. :)

Things on the home front are loverly. Justin and I have been having fun in our little home and getting super pumped for Portland. 95 days until complete awesomeness. (!!!) I can hardly contain my excitement. I NEED to get out of here. I love Sioux Falls. I always will. My life is so beautiful here but sometimes you need to leave to gain more. Sometimes I feel like my creativity is stifled here. I'm a writer. A painter. Someone who thrives off of change. I learned long ago that change in inevitable. Instead of being scared, embrace it. Throw yourself into potentially frightening situations. They're often the most beautiful. Hence, most of my life.

I just got done walking with my mother. We talked a lot about my life. Where I'm going and what I'm doing. She's finally accepted that I'm going into the Peace Corps after college. It took her a long time. I understand her hesitation. It's a scary thought to live so far away for 2 and a half years from my family and the ones I love. But it's something that I feel will make me into the person I need to be. I've wanted to do this since I was 14. I didn't go out searching for it; it found me. This chance to give up my needs for others'. To become apart of something bigger than myself. It's a beautiful thing.

"slowly draining with no pain. sinking and drinking in a thick way"

Agenda for the week:

Work

Start research paper for Shakespeare (and everything else for that class)

Register for classes

Apply to the Education school

Basically get everything done that I need to, and then some.

But also...write, walk, talk, wine, read, play, paint, kiss, hug, love. Ya know, the most important stuff. :)

What a cute little fire escape/balcony. Mine?

Happy April ♡