Grad school!

Image: My mom and me at her 60th birthday party


I haven't written in over a year, mainly because I have done nothing of interest in the last year. I moved home with my parents in August to save money and apply to grad school. The program I applied to is a Masters of Education in Second Languages and Cultures. It's at the University of Minnesota. So I've been planning this for over a year now; I had to do 100 hours of volunteer work before I could even apply. So imagine my disappointment when I got an email in February telling me I didn't get in. I was obviously very upset. I started making plans to do something else. I planned to teach abroad in Asia, probably in Taiwan. I have some friends who live there and love it.

But then the craziest thing happened.... on March 30 I got another email saying my admission decision had changed. And this time, I was accepted! I had been on the waiting list and I guess I was at the top of it, because they decided to accept me. So now I'm ecstatic!

I'm moving out of my parents house in May and to Uptown where all my friends live. I can't wait. I think school is going to be quite difficult, but I am excited for the next chapter of my life. I've been unemployed for almost a year and I'm excited to start working towards my career. I'm excited to have a goal and to possibly reach that goal. I'm excited to be challenged and be busy and write papers (I know, I'm crazy, but I love writing).

I also joined Lifetime Fitness in January, and have been going a lot. I'm trying to be more healthy and changing my lifestyle has been almost an obsession for me. I'm no longer eating processed foods or fast food and I feel great! I have a lot more energy and feel better about myself. I'm trying to buy mostly organic stuff (trust me, watch Food Inc. and you'll never not buy organic again). So I'm excited for the farmer's market to open this June and also my family and I are doing a crop share. Each week we will get a box of fresh produce from a local farm. This is our inaugural year for doing this, but I think we will like it so much it will become a tradition.

A lot is changing for me right now but I'm very excited about all the changes. 2010 is turning out to be a great year so far.

Image: Me and my friend's dog Lola on St. Patty's day