Shawna

One of my greatest friends in the whole world is moving across the world tomorrow. Shawna is moving to South Korea to teach English for a year! It's such an exciting opportunity, but I'm going to miss her like CRAZY! You see, Shawna and I met freshman year of college when she lived two doors down from me. We were awkward 18 year olds with no idea what was in store for us for the next few years. In that time, we have almost always been close, spent holidays together, travelled, laughed and cried over guys together and become each other's wingmen. To see the gangly girl in mom jeans (sorry, hun) blossom into to the girl with the infectious smile and hugs that tackle you and move across the world is completely mind boggling and amazing! You will do wonderful things!! I can't begin to express how proud I am of my dear friend.

Last weekend was Shawna's farewell party in Kansas City and we had a great time, but it didn't seem like she was leaving and I wouldn't see her for a whole year. Tonight, I was doing laundry and watching the last episode of Sex and the City on TV. For those of you that don't watch the show, Carrie moved to Paris, away from her best friends. In the end, she comes home and surprises them in a restaurant. I have to say, I choked up. Oddly, watching that scene was the moment it sunk in for me! I am truly blessed to have such a great friend! Well, friends.

I don't want to get to mushy here, because Shawna will have a GREAT time in a GREAT city! I hope to go visit at some point in the year. Here's a great quote I found...
Love Love Love, Shawna-na!

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page. ---Mark Houlahan

Choices

Have you ever taken a moment to examine the choices you make in just one day? Or even an hour? People think choices are big-- where you go to school, what type of car you drive, who you date; no. I mean, they are important decisions, but small decisions you make can make a difference too. Everyone's life is a series of choices. You hear it all the time, 'Had I not taken this class, I never would have met so-and-so' or 'Had I not taken this route to work, I would have never gotten in a car accident.' The what-ifs in life could go on forever and drive a person crazy! However, you can't help but notice the signifcance that a simple choice could hold.

Unfortunately I don't have a cute story to illustrate this point specifically. I just noticed the other day how many choices you make in a day! What time you wake up, what you wear, what you eat for breakfast, how you drive to work, what you do at work, what to have for lunch, etc. etc. etc. It's truly mind-boggling! What if EVERY choice you made were significant? When I was 17, I decided on the college I would attend. It was never a question for me whether or not I'd go to college, so it was just a matter of deciding. At that age, I was told that it was a very important decision, but it's not one I took super seriously. I wanted a good school that I could have fun at. However, in making that decision, I got a great education, met some of the best friends a girl could ask for and did things that others have never done and probably will never do. Inadvertently, I have made choices that seperate me from these people and made me stand out. Some small choices turn out to be signifcant ones so how would you know what outcomes your choice will have? When I was in 12th grade, I didn't wear my seat belt ONCE and that ONE time, I went through a windshield. Because of that ONE time, I have scars on my forehead and potential trauma behind my eye that effects my sight. With the significance of decisions and choices in question, this begs another question: why would people make bad decisions?!

I've made PLENTY of poor decisions, but had I known the outcome, would I have made them? Probably not. However, it could be argued that those decisions and results helped shape who I am today. Let's take someone who drinks, for example. You drink. You get drunk. You drive. You get into a car accident. Or arrested. Or, you feel so miserable the day (or for a few days, in my case) after that you swear off drinking forever. After a few vows of living a dry life, you KNOW the outcome drinking a lot will have, yet you do it anway. Why? You know the negative outcome!

So, I have a challenege. Just for 1 day, think before you make a decision. Whether it's what you have for lunch or what you do in your down time...just think about the outcomes before you do it. You never know what the significance will be!