Tonight

There is a thunderstorm raging outside and I'm tucked up in my house with a proper dinner of roast chicken, freshly baked cookies and a new movie to watch.  Have a lovely evening!

Multi-tasking

On this lovely, end-of-summer Saturday night in New Orleans, I'm at home with my puppy as I study for my first exam. It's tomorrow {Sunday} morning, 9:00AM. I keep trying to get Tulip to hold up the flashcards for me, but she's more interested in snoozing on my bed. In the meantime, I'm breaking in a pair of stilettos for a friend's wedding in October {so excited!!!} and baking cookies. Can anyone help me out with an HLOOKUP? Call me. Thanks!

Whoa

I did my very first MBA, grown-up-girl presentation today. So, so scary! Somehow I managed to create the best slides of my whole class. Me? {Sammy, Mike, Ray, Jessica, Meaghan - thank you for helping, proofing, teaching, editing!} Somehow, I got up, gave an MBA - worthy presentation that I wrote all on my own, was organized, didn't trip over my feet, and even got a smile and a nod from my professor. They sure don't waste any time in grad school - this was only the third time the class had met! Now I've done it and next time it'll be a bit easier.

It really is the happiest place on earth!

Congratulations on your fairy tale engagement!!!!!!

And I've got miles to go before I sleep...

When life lessons re-manifest themselves to you

I am busy. So busy that I've been feeling like I barely have time breathe. I'm taking advantage of a wonderful opportunity to be in school and work really hard and look for opportunities to do more and push myself. The honest truth? I am overwhelmed. I'm tired. My brains needs a vitamin. I haven't pulled these kinds of non-stop hours since my days at NYU. Personal discipline is at an all-time peak. Time management is becoming my new favorite word. I also went to the dentist a few days ago and my teeth really hurt.

I was feeling overly overwhelmed a little bit ago and sort of complaining to myself about how much I need to get done and as I was waiting {impatiently} for the elevator, a girl on crutches walked up to me. She had a lot of difficulty walking from {what I've since learned is cerebral palsy} and made her way slowly over to where I was standing. I asked her if she was coming for the elevator and she smiled and said no, she was looking for a certain classroom and did I know where it was located? The classroom was unfortunately located on the complete other side of the school. I have her the information, and she gave me a big smile and thanked me for my help. My elevator arrived and I got onto it and she turned and walked/limped away.

I don't know - it just helped snapped me back into perspective. My teeth still hurt. I still have too much to do. I still don't have enough time. Maybe this is one of those "you had to be there" moments, but it was beautifully refreshing to remember that a smile makes things better, and that while it's tough, by golly, we're all going to make it through. Running, walking, limping, no matter what, we'll all make it through. And one of the greatest ones of all: that it's supposed to be hard. The hard is what makes it great. If it weren't hard, everyone would do it.

Tonight is a school night!

Tomorrow is my Orientation day. I'm so excited...I've been waiting for this for a year. I've set up my new laptop, packed my school bag, picked out my outfit...I can't wait!!!!!!!!

It's game day baby!

The first pre-season game is tonight and I am so excited! We got out our tickets this morning and I'm dressed in my finest

{and chicest and most work appropriate} black and gold.

Go Saints!

{I can't think of a title}

A week ago today I got news that a colleague died in an accident. Horrible news. Since then, I've been working non-stop with others in my office on all the logistics that need to be dealt with after something like this. I've helped her family locate documents, get her pets adopted, plan a memorial. It's been a shocking and devastating time for everyone involved. That's what I've been up to lately. Thank you to everyone who's helped me out recently - I've really needed it and appreciate it so much. xoxo.

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

Naomi Shihab Nye

Fantastic news about release of American journalists

Read about it here.