A Very Lucky Girl

The presents have long been torn into and the wrapping gathered into trash bags and I'm left with wonderful blessings from a thoughtful family.  Several monetary gifts that make my journey to Scotland in Spring 2014 much less a dream and much more a reality. A beautiful pearl necklace. A new (stylish) pill case to hold my necessary drugs. Make up that will greatly aid my face. Socks to warm my toesies. Gloves to heat my handsies. Jewelry to decorate my ears and my finger. Garments to clothe my body. And one of my favorites, words to warm my heart.  I unwrapped a box from Sharbear that contained a slim, green notebook, sturdy envelopes, stamps, and a set of pens. Inside the journal I found an entry with instructions. Mother-daughter journaling by mail. One of the sweetest ideas I've ever heard and I almost want school to hurry up so I can write her back immediately! Sure, my school is only about forty minutes away from home. But that doesn't mean life doesn't...

The other day I was thinking about love languages. If you are unfamiliar with them, it's basically just the ways that people show affection and understand affection. And I think it's something important to learn for any relationship, whether it is dating or any friendships or family relationships, because otherwise disagreements can arise, ones that could have been avoided by learning how the other person feels cared for. Some awesome psychologist or something similar (Dr. Gary Chapman) put together a list of the 5 possible different love languages. Learn yours, and the ones of the people you care about. Because the best way to show that you care is to speak their language.  Words of Affirmation : This is one that I scored highest on. When people explain their feelings for me I feel cared about. This is likely because I place such high value on words.  Quality Time : I scored second highest on this one (it was actually a tie with words of affirmation). I don't need ...

I love holidays that involve presents. Not because of what I could potentially receive but because of what I can give! I love love LOVE to give people presents. It honestly makes me really happy. You could say it's an unselfish trait...but I love the feeling I get when I surprise someone with something that makes them smile. I crave that high. So, in that sense, I give selfishly.  That being said, I most love to give gifts with meaning. I hate Oakes' birthday because he has zero emotions and only wants cash. That's not fun to present. I try to make the card personal, but I'm fairly certain that my words go unread every year. But I thrive on holidays like Christmas and the birthdays of my friends, because they appreciate the thought I put into what I give them. For Christmas last year I gave Megan and my grandparents a memory jar. I compiled 52 specific memories that I have with them, wrote them on little scrolls of paper, tied with a ribbon, and spilled them all into ...