Elfin Forest Adventure

When I was Italy I had 4 months to do everything…and I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was there, in it all.  And now I have 5 months of college left…and in some ways I deny the fact that there is such a short timeline.  5 months.  That’s it.  Done. I’ve started making a list of things I want to do while I’m in this place and this community.  Some of them I’ve done before want to do more often, and others it will be the first time.  On that list was going to the Elfin Forest.  Not the Elf forest, but the Elfin forest because there was some confusion.

My friends Katie and Alison and I went on a Saturday afternoon adventure.  We went and got Costco samples as treats, then hit up the coffee shop for some warm beverages {otherwise known as hand warmers} before heading to the beautiful town of Los Osos.

The Elfin forest, not what any of us expected.  But it was beautiful and we took pretty pictures.  We watched the sunset and talked like girls do.  We laughed and looked at Morro Rock.  We saw the low {too low} tied of the marsh lands.  And we breathed the fresh air.  It was marvelous and one thing off the do list. 

Yay for Saturday adventures…and many more to come!

Sick

It’s been an interesting past week. Tuesday night was the night that the last month and a half caught up with me. Yuck! I struggled through Wednesday at school and came home to sleep. And did no homework.  And then decided I needed to go to school on Thursday.  I’m glad I did…Yay extra credit!

I came home and slept some more and then made a cake for my bible study girls.  No worries, it wasn’t taxing just fun.  And I substituted ingredients that I had in excess.  Even though I told them it was an experiment and they didn’t have to eat it if they didn’t like it they told me it was delicious.  Thanks girls!

Friday and this weekend is just for laying low and having fun.  {Already made pancakes for breakfast and spent time reading}

Oh…and I'll be catching up on homework

Livin' with Purpose

Yesterday I felt like I got nothing done but I ran around like a busy bee.  I can tell you what I was doing at almost every moment of the day…scary

Yesterday I thought about life.  I pondered what I’m holding onto, maybe a little too tightly.  I’m learning to let go.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Yesterday I got to realize that I knew more than my professor on a particular subject. 

Example: Dear Professor, if you are weighing whether I might know what I’m talking about when I say something about the EU, know that I have studied and lived there for a semester.  You on the other hand have presented only limited, and somewhat skewed information on your PowerPoint slide {yes singular slide}. I would say I know what I’m talking about.  Oh and you have that fact wrong… 

{talked about here and here}

 

Usually I’m not so disrespectful of my teachers or people in my life in general {even if I am talking in my head}. 

 

I think that it was a good wake up call.  I lived something amazing a year ago.  And it saddens me to know that it has been that long.  It’s been a year.  But I learned so much.  I lived so much.

I want to live like I lived there; with purpose, in the moment.  I knew that that moment may not come back again.  And that’s not to say that I want to be a busy bee all the time.  I want to be intentional and live with purpose.  And I want to learn.

Lessons for today, give your professor the benefit of the doubt…even when you feel like you know more, keep an open mind for future classes, and ask lots of questions to get as much information!

When I grow up...

It’s going to be a school year where I’ll ask myself ‘what do I want to be when I grow up?’  And I’m going to ask it a lot.  {I just have this feeling…}

It will probably come up on here as a topic of conversation.  If I’m being truthful it will be me, writing, sifting through thoughts.  Not a conversation, but a monologue.  It’s going to look like blurting out the mess of ideas that go through my head.   It’s going to be hard.  And I think that putting it into writing is going to be a challenge.  I think it will be a challenge to share my ideas in a way that makes sense to others.  I think it will be a challenge to realize the amount of limitations that I put on myself. And it will be a challenge to not feel like I’m failing…all the time.

This year will be the last year of college for me.  At least for while.  I need a break from school.  I love learning, but I’m not keen on the testing idea.  I’m excited to be done with the institution of learning {at least for now} and take some lessons from life. { Life, you are a rough teacher and having you on top of assigned papers and reading has been brutal at times.}   I’m excited to learn in a more unconventional way.

I didn’t pick a major that led into a defined profession.  I wanted options to choose and discover more about myself.  I’m glad I did.  Now those options are still there.  Yes, a few have been thrown out, {but more came to the surface, which a whole different story} but still there are many options that remain.  This leaving options open method has led me to outside questions.

 

I don’t like not knowing the answer to the questions, ‘So what’s next for you?’

‘What do you plan to do when you graduate?’

‘What do you want to do?’

‘And what are you planning to do with that degree?’

Because I don’t know. I want to know, and if I did know, I would probably tell you.  But, I don’t know.  And no matter how many times I say it, it doesn’t morph into an answer.  Not an answer that is satisfactory to me. 

Here’s what I do know.

When I grow up…

 I want to be kind and love well.  I want to help others and live passionately.  I want to be a friend that listens and helps picks up the pieces of this messy life.  I want to give grace and lots of hugs.  I want to be an encourager and a hospitable hostess to everyone.  I want to be a safe place and a person who breaks down limitations by being bold and courageous.  And as much as the humanness in me strives for perfection, I don’t want to be perfect. I want to be the best me that God has created.

What do you want to be when you grow up? 
{I’m exploring options, and I need some more ideas!}

Friday Letters

Oh Friday...I'm glad you're here

Dear week, you have gone so quickly.  Where did you run off to?

Dear biblestudy, you were wonderful last night.  Just what I needed.

Dear summer projects, you are no where near done, but I feel like summer is ending.

Dear kitchen, I've been inspired to create deliciousness in you again.  Be expecting me to stop by more often!

Dear school, I like learning, but do you have to start again?

Dear coffee, we have to figure out a balance.  I like you, but I don't want to be needy. 

I'm linking up with Ashley.  Go say "hi"!

Happenings

Here’s what’s been going on {in no particular order}:

I moved…back home for the summer {don’t get too excited}

And rearranged my room in SLO; I moved many a bed let me tell you

My brother had prom

And then he graduated from high school {yikes!}

Awww aren't we cute

My other "brother" {so proud of you D}

I went through finals, but I think I came out ok

I learned how to operate a tractor…for class!

I made my way to the beach twice this week, which is impressive

I worked, don’t let the things above fool you!  One of the things I did was the event for the retired faculty and staff of the University; it went amazingly well

My two roommates graduated

I’m looking for a job at home

I’m really excited to make some changes around here and become a little more consistent!



And this is what you get when you tell us to look excited

Cute as a Button

Last week was stress week, this week is overwhelmed week.  Or at least that’s how I feel.  But I’m not going to let that get to me.  Unfortunately the blog is suffering for it.  School comes first…

Yesterday was beautiful May day.  It always sneaks up on me, so I end up celebrating with pretty flowers all month instead of just the first day.  Are you familiar with May day?  I’ve always wanted to create a tradition for that day…but like I said it always sneaks up on me!

Last week I had  to design and give a training session for my training and development class.  My partner {who also happens to be my roommate} and I did a training on sewing a button.  As a snack I made some easy sugar cookies and creatively tried to figure out how to make them look like buttons.  For some reason one of my roommates thought that we were going to sew the cookies to the fabric.  That would have been interesting!

In the process...here they come

Sugar cookies are so easy and these ones are no chill.  Bonus!  I end up eating way too much dough during the process so by the time I get to the actual baked cookies I don’t really want one.  Does that ever happen to you?  And I usually burn or overcook the first batch when I make sugar cookies.  I broke that streak this time!

So here are the yummy cuties right out of the oven:

Anyone interested in a recipe?

Winter Quarter Done

What a week. Finals
are done and it is spring break. It’s raining
and this morning it was hailing. It feels
odd to be done. I don’t have homework
due tomorrow. I don’t have a test next
week that I should be worrying about and start studying for…um, yesterday?
It’s done.
It’s out of my control.
And I’m letting go.
So here is recap of some highlights this week. It includes some things I’ve missed telling
you {those that read this}. I’ve missed
writing on this blog. I’ve been trying
to live in the moment. But I’m ready to
be back. I’m ready to share. So here we go…
Last Sunday Amazing Race aired the show that I got to see a
small taping of when I was in Torino, Italy.
And since I’ve had finals all week that is next on the list to watch. It’s my treat. I can’t wait to see my city again!
Pi day was the day I finished finals. So naturally I made apple pie. And I got gutsy and made a lattice top. It turned out and was yummy.
Thursday was dessert night with friends in Arroyo Grande. We had strawberry shortcake and it was
delicious.
Thursday and Friday I worked most of the day. I am loving excel and mail mergers. And unfortunately I’m not kidding. Excel is magical…
And today is Saturday.
And I had a wonderful morning in a coffee shop. Just taking the time to let go and
unwind. I got to journal and let
go. Do you ever find that you think
things through when you write them? The feeling
is not describable. I let go of so many
things this morning. And there was a
cheesy metaphor of the rain coming down and washing it all away.
So I’m going to leave you with my long week. And I’m going to watch and see teams race in
my crazy beautiful city. Oh how I miss Italy…
Enjoy your weekend, rain or shine!

Learn By Doing {Part 2}

It’s been a long week, but as promised…

For business majors we have a number of things that we do to
practice learn by doing. We do what are
called case studies. They are usually
written by the Harvard Business Review or a professor. A professor uses situations from their
experience. All the cases set the stage of
the problem, and then go through all the problems and then we have to fix the
problem. We talk about the ways it could
have been done and then what the company actually did. One of my friends that works in HR told me
this week that case studies are real life problems in the business world. I guess we are doing something right.

The other thing we do…group projects. And lots of them. I’m drowning in group projects. Can anyone relate? I am a pro a group projects. Not to worry, I have good group members this
quarter. My friends joke about my group
projects, and the fact that I’m a hard worker.
But really everyone is pulling their weight this time around. And guess what? We have a class that we have to learn how to
be effective in groups {well plus other stuff}.
So there you have it.
To be a good business major, know how to analyze problems and be able to
work in groups. Yes, there’s more to it…but
that’s the basics! :)

Learn By Doing

If you have ever been a student at, or known a student at Cal Poly you have probably heard this motto. You probably know that this motto is the base for every class taught. There must be something in the curriculum that teaches to this. It’s a wonderful {sometimes frustrating} philosophy.

Learn by Doing

Yes, you learn in the “classroom” how to do your major. It’s a wonderful opportunity. It means that biology students are required to take more hands on labs. Architecture students have endless amounts of studio time and often look as if they haven’t slept in days {which sadly, is true}. Liberal arts students are required to observe and to work in the classrooms of local elementary schools. Biomedical engineers not only take more labs but also take field trips into the area of study. Philosophy majors…now I don’t know what they do but that’s not the point. Business majors…Do you know what we do?
I’m in the midst of it so take your guesses. Next time I’ll let you in on how we down {I say this because our building is at the bottom of the hill or “bottom” of campus} in the business college “learn by doing”. Post your guesses in the comments section…

Beautiful End...to a weekend

The end to this weekend was precious to me. My family came down for the Monday that we had off in honor of President’s day. We spent Sunday night with my SLO “family.” Every Sunday I go to dinner with a family here in town and so the whole family joined this time.
My sister spent the night at my house with lots of other girls. But lots of girls in the house, that is pretty standard these days.
The next morning the family came over and we went on a quick grocery run {yes, my parents took me food shopping!} and then made lunch before heading for a walk. We wanted to go for a hike, but we went on a trail that was not a hike. It was still very enjoyable. It was a beautiful day and we walked along the bluff.
After that we went on my campus and met up with some of my brother’s friends who are freshmen this year. I am so excited; my brother is going to be at Cal Poly with me next year!
We picked up my cousin from campus {college is a family affair…if you haven’t noticed} and headed to one of the favorite spots in town. As a tradition we at Firestone grill before they headed out of town. It was so fun to see them and was a much needed break for me.
It was so nice that even though I didn’t get any work done, even though I knew that this week was going to be a little rougher because of it, even though all I wanted to do was to get lost in the hugs and love {which I did for while}, I had complete peace. It was going to be ok. My perspective was on the here and now and not the what ifs or what could be. It was truly a delightful feeling.

Headphones {listening}

I am not a headphone wearer. I like enjoying others music and don’t like being unreachable. I hate when I talk to someone and then realize they didn’t hear a thing I said...because their headphones were in. I would rather get to enjoy the music throughout the room then blasting my music into my lone ears.
While I was studying the other day {and no, I shouldn’t even being blogging because it’s crazy being back, in the states, in college, with my life}. I felt like my headphones had to compete with the noise. I was in the non quiet part of the library. I don’t know why I thought the library would be a good place to study. Every time I would turn up the music to help me focus, the noise level of the library would rise. Me not liking headphones is rooted in the fact that they make my ears and head and jaw sore or hurt {especially in the case that I listen for more than 20 minutes}. Let’s just say the focus issue wasn’t being fixed or helped by trying to block out the noise. I ended up with wandering thoughts, lack of study focus and the beginnings of a headache.
I find that headphones distance me from others and have unwanted side effects {see above headaches and overall frustration}. I feel like my generation does not listen well. I see it in the class room and in broken relationships. I hear others talk about how they don’t know how to listen and hear God. And while those may seem unrelated, I see the correlation. If you can’t listen in a broken, human relationship, how are you going to listen in the most important relationship?
I love this song, but maybe it’s because it’s a comfort tool after distance has already happened. I believe that God speaks to us and we just have to listen and focus on him. He has a message for us. All the other noise will fall away if we are solely focused on him. Too bad the same thing doesn’t happen when we focus on homework or studying!

Headphones

Perspective

She let out a yell that was a mix between excitement and a war cry. It was a shriek at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the circle stood there for a minute and then we all recovered and stared at her. The little huddle groups all around the room turned and looked to see what had happened. To make sure that everything was alright. My friend Matt turned to me and asked “, Have you ever gotten reaction like that when you say your studied abroad?” “Nope, can’t say that I have.” And yes, this was all because I said that I just got back from studying in Torino, Italy.
I don’t think that we always realize the little things that make an impact on us. All I did was to mention a place and there was immediate reaction to a commonality this girl and I had. Whenever I hear Italian I get the biggest grin on my face {but it’s common now, I look like a kid in a candy store whenever I recognize someone that is speaking a different language}. It’s amazing that things can change our outlook and even our reactions after what to me seems like such a short time.
I was in Italy for 4 months. In international abroad, learn a new culture and way of life time, that’s nothing. In travel time that’s a long time. And in the college quarter system it’s a lifetime. After 3 weeks in Italy, I was no longer taking Italian for 3 hours every day but rather for 2.5 hours 3 days a week. I had not done much traveling, but I was learning new things. I had eaten pizza 3 times and cooked for at least 2 nights worth of meals. Here, in 3 weeks I have: taken many quizzes, done 3 cases in classes, chosen what project groups I will be working with the rest of the quarter, had a long weekend, done 3 interviews, 2 job fairs and I know the dates of every week until the quarter ends. Life is planned out for the next 8 weeks. I haven’t necessarily learned more in 3 weeks, but I have been busier. I have gotten less sleep {and I’ve drunk the same amount of coffee as 3 weeks in Italy}. But…my mindset is totally different. My perspective has changed. And I am so thankful, that I can see life from a different lens.

What is something that changed your outlook?

Doing my first "Link up" with Casey. No endorsement, just love what she writes!

Putting the Study in Study Abroad

San Luis Obispo, California is home to numerous coffee shops. It’s a college town and students flock to the different places to study. Each shop has a unique feeling even if it is has expanded to multiple locations. One shop in particular is called Linnaea’s Café. I’ve been there a couple of times for some studying. They regularly have local musicians come and play. The place has a fun vibe.
A couple of weeks ago I went with a friend to her favorite coffee shop in Torino. She claimed that it was the “Linnaea’s of Torino”. And so it is. They serve breakfast and lunch, have an amazing cappuccino and the lady behind the counter is sure to welcome you with a smile. {It helps that they have free wifi!}

So today, even though I want to talk about my weekend, I’m studying. I have a final in a couple of hours and an important presentation tomorrow. Here are some pictures of the beautiful, bright and cheery café that I’ve spent my morning at. And yes, it’s true… you do have to study when you study abroad!

Visits

This last week I have taken more pictures of cars than anything else. Yes cars. And yes, there will be more than cars in this post. As I’ve mentioned only a few times here on the blog {being completely sarcastic in that statement}, Torino is a city of cars. I had a school trip to part of the FIAT factory this last week. To be honest I was a little disappointed because we didn’t go into the production line like I thought we were. I did get to see some good racing cars though! We went to the Aberth racing part of the plant. Each car is especially crafted by mechanics and engineers. By that I mean that the engines and all the extras are put in individually and with undivided attention unlike the consumer cars we buy. Pretty cool!

A really famous racing car

Since I am a business major, focusing in International Business I figured that it would be good for me to try and see if I could go on an {international} business visit this week. Some other classes were required to go, but I went for…fun. {Yep, I think I have to go with the term nerd to describe that.} We went to two places and this is the first time that our school has been invited to visit. The first one was to Fontanfredda winery which is almost a royal winery. We got to go in the cellars and see the barrels. One of the things that would make me want to work here is that it is a little village and the employees live there. The man in charge of exporting their wines was our tour guide and he and his family live there. He said that it is like living with family. Their signature wine is a white dessert wine called “Asti Spumante”. It is a little more expensive than the competitors but it is world renowned for its high quality.

Which equation would you like on your wine bottle?

They are so huge! And they hold lots of wine. these hold the perfect amount for 2, 4, or 6 people

Down there in the cellar we had to walk through a creepy cave!

The second place we went was Campari. {yep, there is something with the alcohol here in Italy}. Before heading to the factory we stopped in a little town and grabbed lunch. So quaint! But the factory, smelled like a cocktail party. Well, it makes sense since Campari is home to a variety of “spirits” {as our tour guide called them} and liquors that go in all those fancy cocktail drinks. The actual liquor “Campari” recipe is a closely guarded secret. Fun little fact: at this production plant there are exactly 100 employees, {not very many people} making it another one of those tight knit communities.

I enjoyed my little adventure to these companies, and feel a little more educated in the production and consumption or alcohol and liquors.

Conference

Most people don’t like conferences. Well at least they act like they don’t like them. I sometimes pretend I don’t like them either. But really, secretly, I kind of like them. I like them when I know I’m going to learn something and my interest is going to be captured.

I knew I was going to learn something yesterday at our international business conference. And I think that my dad was even more excited than me about the speakers {even though he wasn’t going…sorry!}. You see one of the speakers was the famous car designer Tom Tjaarda. He is such nice gentleman that lives in Torino, born and raised in Michigan. He had some fun stories to tell us and admitted that he never really knew quite what to say when he was asked to speak. He told us about his life and how he got to where he is at. He showed us pictures of the cars and other products he has designed.
One of the other speakers was a woman who did the same program some years ago. She stayed with one of the families in the area and that family’s daughter is my Italian teacher! My Italian teacher, Aida, is such a sweet woman and the two women are good friends still. Mona has set up her own international business of gourmet wine and foods. She originally was going to sell in Dubai (she is originally from Iran but immigrated to the US at a young age) and China, but now the US is her target market. Her products can be found in specialty stores and are now available for order online.

I love that hearing someone else’s life story can inspire someone to live their life a little bit differently and can lead to some inspiration. Maybe that’s why I love conferences…