Happy, Merry, Walking On Air

Today was a defining day for me. I changed my major. Even though college students literally do this everyday, I am finally happy. I know somewhat what I want to do with my life. I have a plan. I've never really had a plan. But here I am finally figuring out what.

This summer has changed me. I spent two weeks with strangers, most who I feel have become some of my dearest friends. This is the first summer I can remember that I've been completely single and full of happiness. I feel the closest I have to my brother and sister than I have ever felt. Life is good and I am overflowing with content.

My family and I leave Sunday for a week long stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I can only imagine the fun we are going have together.

I feel like once school life starts, I'll have more to blog about. Until then, I hope this works :)

Also, congrats to my very best friend, Ashley on her wonderful news!

Love,

Chelsea

Changes

Its hard to not miss the past. And by far, I've learned this lesson the most this past summer. Friendships change, relationships end, and I find myself wondering more and more every day whether I've made the right decisions. I've changed as a person these past 6 months than I have my whole life, but I still miss certain aspects of the old me. I'm going to keep trying my best to figure out what it is that I want.

Also, to the three people that consistently read this blog (my parents), I apologize for not updating more. Orientation is exhausting me.

Love,

Chelsea

All Mixed Up

I guess no one said itd be easy. Growing up can be pretty frustrating. After a long work week and a few hundred dollars spent on car repairs, id say i need a vacation!

And where better than good ol' Monterey! I just need to get away from this town, these people and this rut. Summer is almost half way over and i have yet to see the beach. The weather has been shitty and of course, on my days off, it doesnt get any better. I feel like im stuck inside a bubble, and im dying to get away. Thankfully part of my sanity, Chelsea, is there. What could be better than a vacation spent with a best friend? I cant wait! See you Sunday, Monterey!

Anxiously waiting, Ashley

Perfectly Lonely?

Here i am on a Saturday night. Alone.

My parents are livin it up in Havasu, one best friend is in Monterey, another is busy figuring out her love life, and the rest?, well theyre off doing their own things. This leaves me watching mindless tv while attempting to keep myself occupied on the internet. Tomorrow will be my 4th 8 hour day in a row at the aquarium. Yay for holiday weekends. And believe it or not, people DO come to the aquarium on the Fourth of July. At least i get off at 6, leaving plenty of time for me to get happy (as Chelsea would put it) with my wonderful friends. I must admit it is difficult working 40 hrs a week, but a girls got to do what a girls got to do. And honestly its better than sitting on my ass all day. Furthermore, the aquarium isnt such a bad place to work- great coworkers, awesome exhibits to look at during breaks and a fun atmosphere. Im generally optimistic, which makes many of my problems seem not so bad. But here i am, recently single, and finding the bright side of this dating game can be tricky.

WHY is it that when one person stops caring, the other starts caring? When will you reach the same page? When one starts the dating dance, they tend to seek another that is in the same book and maybe the same chapter, but why does it take so long to get on the same page? And once you get on the same page, how do you stay there? These are age old questions that will never be answered. And the one i have almost always pondered is, Why do we want what we cant have? Its almost like a radar goes off- Oh, they want me... Too bad they cant have me. Hence the "playing hard to get" begins. Screw that. Dating should not be full of games. Rather it should be quite simple and fun. If you dig someone, let them know. Show it, text it, say it. If not, dont lead them on. Thats the worst. We are simply too old for games. I find it MUCH more attractive when i know a guy is interested and shows it. This does not mean you put it all out there on the first date. I mean we do like to work for it a little bit, but when we are struggling to figure out if youre interested in us or not, we become hesitant about the direction of the relationship. So making it clear would be helpful. And if youre really just not that into us, dont make us guess. We would really rather not waste our time. Arent we all here just to get a little taste of happiness and love anyway?

Contemplatively yours, Ashley Kristine

Wakeup Surprise

Today I woke up with the most wonderful surprise.

My friend Tiffany (you can check out her blog, http://lovechocolateandthingsthatsparkle.blogspot.com/) had an amazing idea this past spring semester. She found an organization that allows people all over the United States to write to become pen pals with soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She then got a bunch of girls together, had us all sign up with much enthusiasm, and soon we had soldiers to write to!

I admit, I was uneasy at first. I felt as though my soldier at the time didn't really like the letters or care that I was writing them, so I took another pen pal, named Chase. I began writing to Chase this summer once I got home about my life and school. This morning when I woke up, I had a letter from Chase waiting on the counter for me!

I am beyond ecstatic. Chase is from Redondo Beach, he's 21 and has 13 tattoos. He wants me to send him pictures of the ocean (I've already printed 5) and wants to know why I started writing to him. I'm not sure if I had the right answer to that question yet, but I know I'll discover it. Today I plan on sending him a belated birthday package and I'm hoping this will be the beginning of a new friendship.

Also, if you want to sign up and write to a soldier, check out their website:

http://adoptaplatoon.org/site/

Love,

Chelsea