Camping this weekend at the lake

So here I am at work doing nothing. It's not that I have nothing to do, I am just incredibly lazy right now and really don't want to be here.

On a more positive note, I had a great weekend and am looking forward to this upcoming weekend when I will get the chance to hang out with my girlfriends at the lake. We will have all the time in the world (and hopefully all the sun in the world) on Saturday as we camp out on the shores of Boyd Lake. I was really hoping to go with some co-workers to Mt. Bierstadt on Sunday, as they are traveling 1/2 the way up and then coming down (there are some that won't be able to make it to the summit), but alas, I cannot do everything.

This last weekend was a ton of fun! My BF Michael was best man to his brother Bobby. Bobby married his girlfriend of about 2 years on Saturday. They are just so happy together! They were married at a small church in Fountain, a town just south of Colorado Springs. They had a small wedding (only about 80-100 people) and had their reception at the VFW.

I am now at the age when everyone and their brother is getting married, and despite the frequency (I go to a wedding about every 4-6 months now), I love weddings and everything about them. Sometimes I think about wedding planning as a potential carreer path! I think I would be a pretty good wedding planner or assistant to the planner as long as I have learned a thing or two about what it takes to plan things like that.

I will get my shot someday (to plan my own wedding) but for now, I will focus in on helping my cousin Megan, as I am her maid of honor for her wedding next summer. I have paid close attention to the various things she is eyeing such as the kinds of flowers she wants to have in her bouquet, her bridesmaids bouquets, in the centerpieces, etc. She is also still trying to chose the colors of her wedding. I have accompanied her to one dress fitting session, and plan on accompanying her more to these types of events.

I myself need to loose some weight! I really don't want the pictures from my cousin's wedding to show me flabby and out of shape! I think this might just be the semester to accomplish that goal. I want to do it not only to feel better about myself, but to FEEL better physically. Lately, I have been feeling a bit slow. It takes me longer to go up a flight of stairs, and I get winded! Kinda scary. I am 26 years old. I need to start taking care of myself physically.

Anyway, yeah yeah yeah, weddings are my thing- and hanging out with my girls. What's better than roasting marshmellows in an open fire in the heat of the summer night? Sounds like a perfect weekend just ahead!

-E

Thank the Lord

Throughout my life, I have not been an extremely religious person. I was raised Catholic, but was encouraged to educate myself about other beliefs and religions. Today I am comfortable calling myself a Christian. I am happy to have a personal relationship with my lord and savior Jesus Christ. He (I know it sounds cliche) truly is My Rock.

Lately, I have thought a lot about the different things in my life that I have... A great boyfriend, a dog that absolutely loves the crap out of me, a loving and supportive family, a progressing education, and a good job. Oh! I also have some of the most amazing friends a girl could ever ask for. I treasure my life and the lives of others around me tremendously. And it's not until one of those things is almost taken away from you when you begin to realize how lucky you really are for having it in your life.

On Tuesday of this week, I received a voice mail from my boyfriend of almost 3 years. Michael had called and told me he had been in a bad car accident. As I listened to his voice mail, I felt my stomach begin to churn. He had hit a guy that ran a red light. He said he was okay, but knowing my BF, I knew that it could be way worse (he tends to downplay some scenarios, which I think is pretty typical of most men).

I was in class (my new Social Networks class) when I received the call on our lunch break. My class is in session Tuesdays only from 8:30am-4"ish"pm. Knowing that each hour is essentially a whole class period, I knew I could not leave. I would just have to walk back into the room to finish class for the rest of the day and do my best to keep my mind off of the accident.

I really didn't know much from briefly talking to him that afternoon. He told me he was okay and that he only got 1st and 2nd degree chemical burns on his left forearm from the airbag deploying. Still, I was worried. Luckily, the topics we cover in class are really interesting to me, and it was easier than I thought to keep my focus on my academics for the day.

Class let out early. I hurried up to my bike, which was parked in the computer lab in the adjacent building at school. I knew Michael would be home as he said the only thing he had to do after the accident was go to the Auraria Campus Medical Center to have his arm checked out. So, I petaled my little heart out heading home. When I walked in the door, I was (as always) almost knocked down by Otis, my psycho Australian Cattle dog/Rottweiler mix.

I called for Michael to see if he was home. As I set down my bike, Michael appeared from around the corner. He had tears in his eyes. He said he had just gotten home from the Medical Center, and just took Otis out for a walk. I could tell that now he was home, the significance of the event had finally hit him. At that moment, we held each other knowing the accident could have been much much worse than it was.

Often, it's events like these (accidents, etc.) that remind us of how precious life really is. I have been in several car accidents in my life, and have developed a true appreciation for rescue workers and emergency responders. They are really heroes. I am always touched at their ability to calm victims down and speak to them in a way that reassures them and lets them know they will be okay. I know Michael was greeted by these kinds of people just after he crashed... They were there for him when he was scared and shocked.

I have prayed a lot in the last couple of days... Not only for a swift recovery for Michael, but for all those people out there who have been in bad car accidents and may not have been so lucky. I pray that God may comfort them in their time of despair and need, and that they may find solitude in His love, peace and warmth.

...Today I am thankful for the emergency responders of my boyfriends accident, and to God for not taking home just yet... Thank you!

E

New Social Networks Class

Okay, so here goes! I have not blogged since the Apprentice Challenge earlier this year! After an extremely busy Spring semester, I decided to take it easy for a while. I have been obsessed with maintaining my MySpace (I know, I know, some of you may think I have no life, but I promise I am on it mainly in the summer when I have nothing to do at work) and reading a couple books.

I have discovered this about myself in the last few years... I am kinda one of those people who doesn't know how much work is too much, and when to say no! For example, I planned a kinda chill fall semester, but somehow I have already set myself up for volunteering at the Denver Dumb Friends League, interning, completing my math requirement (this is big for me... I am MATH RETARDED) and maintaining my position as president of a student organization here on campus! UGH! Why do I do this to myself? Maybe it's because I take after my father who seems to have the same problem! He is a land development consultant and has a well-established business of his own. My mom says it is easy for him to take on too much at once because he is somewhat of a "specialist" in his industry.

Anyway, I am getting off subject here. For those of you in my social networks class, I just wanted to make an announcement: The Apprentice Challenge will be starting up again this year! They will start recruiting for it in the fall, and will begin the second "Go-around" in Spring of 2009! For those of you who do not know what the heck I am talking about here, The Apprentice Challenge is an AMAZING new program here at Metro State created by the Alumni Association and the staff members of the Metro State Alumni Office (located in 9th street Park). The program has Metro State students participating in community projects that involve helping local businesses achieve short and long-term goals! Essentially, it is "the Apprentice" (TV Show) for academics! No one gets eliminated (they may have different rules this next year though) and everyone works together in groups to complete challenges/projects. It was one of the most valuable things I could have done here at Metro and it truly will help me in the future! I have already noticed how I have benefited from it from doing my volunteer work this summer... I am a better listener, and understand the importance of communicating with teammates. I also made a lot of connections (something we are talking about in class)

Regarding Social Networks class... I am soooo excited about this class! I can't believe how interesting it is already! I have to say, the book ain't bad either... A pretty easy read. I think studying the social networking websites we have chosen will provide us with a new perspective on the topic as well. I am really only familiar with MySpace and Facebook and had no idea how many others there were!

I am looking forward to meeting everyone in the class... I am one of those people who likes to skip around to various seats in class. I have never been the type to really sit in only one spot the whole semester... I enjoy getting to know everyone in the class!

Until next time,

Erin