A very special lady...

So, I'm deviating from my daily entries for a damn good reason, if I do say so myself.I wanted to take a bit to share with you how cool my grandma is. And I'm fully aware of the fact that you all probably think you're grandma is the coolest one there is too... but still.... My weekend and/or Spring Break took a bit of a loop on Friday afternoon when I found out that my grandma was now on Hospice care and the outlook wasn't so hot.

Honestly, I thought about the blog. But if I'm truly real with you all and myself, if I were to list the ways I've been thankful it would be purely a "head-attempts-to-make-heart-feel-this-way" sort of thing. And yes, the memories and the qualities that I'm thankful for are playing through my mind like some weird combination of a slide show and home movie, but I'm not quite ready to settle into that part yet and instead I thought I would share just a few of the things that have played throughout this weird episode.

I had the pleasure of having my grandma, Gurley (blend of "grandma" and Shirley = Gurley) living in San Ramon with me for the first 14ish years of my life. I don't think I really knew how cool it was to be able to call her after a day in 6th grade and have her pick me up, take me back to her house, watch Jenny Jones and eat popcorn with me. Or how fun it was for her to take me to get my first manicure and pedicure (something I was always jealous of her for doing) and then taking me to Office Max and letting me literally SHOP till I was ready to drop with all the paperclips, pens, pencils, etc that I got. Or how she always had an open door for my friends and I to go swim in her pool during the summer. She would always attempt to buy us new pool toys, but would always get the cheaper pool noodles that left chunks on our skin before the summer was over. And how she would always invite me over to spend the night at her house, watch Annie with me which was one of the only movies she had, and let me sleep on the big comfy chair. Why I thought sleeping on the chair was better than a couch and/or bed I have no idea. But she laid in the family room with me until it was okay for her to go back to her own room. Or even how my best friend growing up, Kristen, would ALWAYS ask about her, and how Gurley would always ask about Kris. She was constantly welcoming, always friendly, and definitely always had my favorite snacks in the cupboard.

I was trying to think of some attempt at profound statements, or wisdom that I feel I can share, but I don't have anything. Instead... here are just a few random pictures I found on my parents computer that will hopefully give you the smallest glimpse into her loving sass that she had for everyone!

Day 30: Journaling

Life is getting fun again lately, and today I started journaling again! It felt SO nice to get pen to paper and write without thought or worry and get it down on paper. I've loved blogging everyday, but there is something different about it. Don't get me wrong, I love the clickity clack of typing. But I also love the crinkly sound a page in a journal makes from pressing down with a ball point pen. It's oddly satisfying.

I thought about why I hadn't been journaling. And my reasons suck. A lot of it has to do with not having the time for it. And my not "having" the time for it, I really mean not making the time for it. There is a reality factor in which journaling requires time, and sometimes a lot of it depending on what's on the inside. With the craziness of school and student teaching, and trying to find time for fun stuff, it just became low on the totem pole of what I wanted to spend my time doing.

I think there is another part of me that was hoping and thinking that if I don't journal, problems will sift through themselves. SO WRONG! SO SO WRONG! There is a hope I think to wish and want for things to connect dots to themselves. However, I've learned that that is not the case and it is important to allow time to process things and get them out in some capacity.

So my Blog World Friends.... if you're feeling heavy with stuff, take some time to think about getting it out somehow. It will help!

Day 29: An adventure to the movies!

So... Did you know that Hunger Games came out?! If you didn't... WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!?!? Last night a few friends and I went to the midnight premiere in Vacaville! It was so fun! I have to confess I haven't finished the book yet... but  I am in the process of reading it and I'm not going to give up!! I will finish it and it will be fabulous! It was nice to get together with some of the girls from Teacher World and be so un-teacher-world! Yay for friends and midnite movies!

Also, this is the most AWAKE I've ever been at a midnite movie.. usually I'm asleep and wake up for the credits! I only slept for like 10 minutes! At least I think that's how long I was out! =)

Day 27 and 28: Getting Caught up

Well, I said I would try my best while I was on my little road trip to stay up to date, and what do you know?!? I slipped. So in the spirit of keeping on the 40 Days of Gratitude... Here are a variety of things that have brought be some joy over the past couple of days!

• Spending some time in my friend's mom's classroom. It was fun to help and hangout but also observe for a couple hours. Good perspective, and further proof that teaching is teaching no matter where! 
• BEACH TIME!!! Kristen and I went to Huntington and chatted for hours! It was such a gorgeous beach! I honestly don't know if I've seen that much sand on a beach in California in a LONG time! Sounds so dumb and obvious, but it was beautiful tan and freckled sand and the waves were lovely to watch! And the sun was shining and my heart was happy!
• Street fairs in Huntington! It was fun to walk around the beach, spend some time at the street fair and just catch up a bit more!
• Bagels before driving
• Smooth, uneventful driving in a non-allergic reaction sort of way
• Granola bars that are also a wannabe microphone when driving one of the most boring drives ever and you don't want to think or you don't know what to think about it!
• Fun nights at Edge. I got Bryan out in Dodgeball TWICE!!!! I'm usually terrible at this game, but we put some spins on it and Once you were out you could help your team out from jail and I got him out!
• Going for drinks to celebrate Emma getting into UCD Vet School! It was fun to all sit around at De'Veres (our spot of choice) and spend time with friends and catch up
• Sleeping in this morning.... okay I didn't really sleep that late, but the option was super nice and to wake up and have a pretty slow morning has been relaxing. 

It is always nice to take a break from the normal routine, but sometimes it is nice to get back to it too. I had a nice visit with friends in SoCal, and as much as I'm not a fan of LA itself, it was nice to be in a new place. Well sorta new, new in the sense that it wasn't a place where I knew where every street went. I'm liking the idea of a new adventure soon, and I think it will come, I just don't know what kind of adventure. I think one of the hardest things is to find adventure with where you're at. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I'm not a fan of change, it freaks me out a bit, it's stressful, not always fun, exciting, exhilarating, unpredictable. All sorts of things. I'm feeling like I'm getting to a point where I need some sort of variety. But until I actually know what that is on account of God hasn't quire given me all the clues to solve the mystery yet, I'm going to try to find adventure and variety where I'm at in the best way I know how..... 

DAY TRIPS! =) 

Day 26: 4 Hour Chili's dates

Day 26: sitting FOREVER at Chili's with one of my best girl friends from college!

This is a continuation post from a few days ago... but I get to La Verne yesterday, the one and only hometown of my girl Kristen! I met her at a Chili's knowing that we would both be happy campers with chicken tenders and a margarita! Literally 4 hours passed. 4 HOURS! I can honestly, and proudly say that I had never accomplished such a thing before yesterday! It was so nice scratching the surface of what life has been like for the past few months for each other!

I've been trying to figure out this mystery, and I could be totally wrong and off, but I think I'm starting to get somewhere with it. I've had several conversations with a variety of my people about how we form our community of friends and the people we keep close to our hearts. I'm starting to think that we as humans sorta have this "Community Crunch Window" in our early 20s. During this time, we find people that make us feel complete and build our puzzle with ALL the pieces, edges, insides, everything! And we're not meant to spend our forever days with these people, but they hold such a special place in our heart and our lives that we will always have them as a foundation.

So basically, in other words, speaking from my own life at least, my friends that were my friends in my
"formative 20s" will always be my go-to.  I think about a lot of these friendships and even though i don't get to talk to them all the time and spend every day with them, they will forever hold a fond spot in my heart.

I'm also not trying to say that you can never add to your foundation. I've met some WONDERFUL people that have brought many laughs and happiness and all other good-feeling things that were not in my early 20s. I'm just saying that I think we as humans are sorta wired to absorb people in a slightly different, yet significant way. And maybe my early 20s just represent one of those "I'm-becoming-me" phases of young adulthood, which is a scary thought in itself.... but I'm just thankful for the people of that phase of life, and really all people. If you haven't noticed, I'm a people person, and people leave their marks on me in mostly good ways ;)

In closing, here's an all-to-true Bible verse that I think wraps it up nicely:

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Day 25: ponchos on splash mountain

Today, I'm thankful for ponchos on splash mountain! Splash mountain is one of my favorite rides, but being wet is one of my least favorite things! I was super excited that it was open when we went to Disney, and I was even more glad that I bought 2 cheap-o ponchos at Target! Got to go on the ride, looked good doing it and looked even better after! The proof is is the pictures, my friends!

Day 24: Getting places...literally

Day 24: Today I am thankful for making it to places safe and sound!

Spring Break started for me on Friday which meant that I couldn't wait to peace out for a few days and get to SoCal for a few days to see a couple of my people! But in typical Steph fashion it had to be slightly more complicated than just driving for hours on end in an incredibly boring part of California. I started by stopping at a Starbucks for a coffee. I took a few sips, started to feel funny, drank some water, read the computer label and found out that they put SOY in my coffee. Well uhm, I'm kinda allergic to soy as in throat gets scratchy and kinda closed.....

AHH! Are you kidding me?! All I want to do is get to So Cal and get some greasy food and they are putting soy in my coffee! NO FREAKIN WAY! I found some benadryl, took one, sat at a McDonalds and let it do its magic and finally felt okay enough to start driving!

Lots of bathroom stops later, some gas station coffee which might have had like triple the amount of caffeine by body is used to, and some random CDs later, I finally got to LA! Tomorrow is Disneyland!!!!!!!!!