Matched

I’ve never believed in soul mates. I’m not even sure I do now. I’ve always liked to believe that there are many people in the world that would compliment me nicely, and that whichever path I choose will lead me to one of them.

I never thought I would find this kind of love. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find someone I feel so perfectly matched to.

There is no specific incident in recent memory that is causing me to bubble forth ooey-gooey-ness about the man I love. There wasn’t a specifically romantic moment that caused my heart to explode, or a random event that made me twitter patted.

No… it is a thousand, seemingly miniscule occurrences that impact me daily.

It is the way he always cooks my dinner first, then his own, in our very tiny pans.

It is the way he encourages me about my future, and our future.

It is the way he always lets me have the green comfy couch to lay on when I want to read.

It is the way he smiles when he sees me smile.

It is the way he knows me, and my quirkiness, and the thoughts I have, sometimes before they are fully completed in my own mind.

It is these small things, and as I said earlier, a thousand others, that remind me daily why I have fallen so in love with him. I couldn’t express accurately in words, no matter how verbose I might become in the future, how I truly feel about him. Even at the risk of sounding cliché, the love I feel for him is beyond words.

Thank you, man that I love, for being you, and for loving me.

The Official Grad School Application List - 2010

Here it is! Hopefully, I will get a LOT of acceptances, and have a horribly difficult time trying to decide between such lovely programs. However, here is how they rank to me:

1. Indiana University - Bloomington, IN

2. New York University - New York, NY

3. University of South Carolina - Columbia, SC

4. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR

5. Ohio State University - Columbus, OH

6. Vermont University - Burlington, VT

7. Ball State University - Muncie, IN

8. Harvard University - Cambridge, MA

9. University of Denver - Denver, CO

10. Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN

I am so excited!

I love how God works.

I graduated from college in May 2008 with a B.A. in Journalism and no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I was working at a restaurant, had just moved into my too-expensive apartment in Sierra Madre, and felt completely lost, wondering if I would ever figure things out.

After getting my job at Southwestern Law School in L.A., I realized I wanted to work at a college or university, and I knew I loved to write, so I began applying to M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs all over the country. Much to my chagrin, I was only admitted to 2 programs, neither of which provided me with a Teaching Assistantship. I didn’t even care about how expensive the program was. I wanted the teaching experience, and it was highly doubtful I would get it.

I moped around for months trying to figure out what step to take next. I realized that if I wasn't itching to apply for M.F.A. programs again, it probably wasn't the direction I was supposed to go, but had no idea what that meant for my future.

I applied for different positions at my work (Admissions Counselor and Event Coordinator) and was (luckily) selected for neither.

Then I found out about Higher Education master’s programs – programs where I would get training in psychology and counseling, and take courses about the history of higher education , college students today, and applying research. I can get a job working in Student Affairs, Greek Life, Residence Life or any other student centered department, or work in an administrative job similar to what I am doing now, but at a more elevated level.

I am so excited about the future today. I am excited about my life with my boyfriend, the exciting things in front of us, and this wonderful new path that will lead to so many adventures.