Valentine's Day!

Well, it's here, that age old holiday ... valentine's day. February 14th evokes different emotions for each person. Some people flat out hate it, either because they think it's over commercialized or because it reminds them they are 'alone' (hello Singles Awareness Day, aka SAD). For others, they love it and go all out, with sappy cards, candle-lit dinners, fancy gifts and hearts galore. This is not to say there isn't a happy medium of an impartiality of sorts, there is. Where do I stand you may ask. Somewhere in the midst of everything. But as I stand there in the middle of the crazy rush, I watch all the people swirl by and I'm struck by some of the things I see. Some of the people I see are so 'in love' that they can't take their eyes (or hands) off each other long enough to make sure their relationship is built on something stable. Some throw themselves into the fray, clinging to their new found love while still looking back to their friends. Others are perfectly content to watch people spin off into the crazy cycle of love, but others aren't quite so accepting. I see some people who stand off to the side, the look of longing in their eyes speaks of a deep sadness and sense of being left all alone. As the madness continues to swirl past my heart goes out to every person I see. For those whose relationship isn't built on something that will last, I wish they would realize that a relationship is so much more than a physical attraction, it's about a deep, long lasting friendship. My heart sings for those who have found a best friend and are now in love with them and I wish them all the best. I applaud those able to stand by and patiently wait for The One, I know their patience will be rewarded. Those who are lonely and feel left out, who feel like a hopeless case, my heart breaks for them. I wish I could tell them to be patient, that The One will come eventually, and that in the meantime, there is a love that will sustain them and never leave them. That is God's love. It is always present. Every day of our lives, God is there, loving us every step of the way. It's too bad that so many people are so caught up in being in a relationship and that it seems the only way to be fulfilled is by having a boyfriend or girlfriend. We can't forget that God's love is really the only thing that will completely satisfy us. No relationship can give us true happiness unless God has a place in that relationship too. On this valentine's day I hope you've been told that you are loved, because you need to know that you are. You are always loved. In fact, you are loved by the very one who created you, how amazing is that!? Know that in His great love for us, God has created a plan for each and every person. We need to trust in His boundless love and mercy, He will not neglect us. Even when you feel doomed to be an old spinster, a crazy cat lady or a old and lonely man, don't give up hope. God will guide you to exactly where you are suppose to be. We should never forget how loved we are ... but too often, we do. So if you're feeling alone, unwanted or unloved this valentine's day (or any other day of the year for that matter) know that there is someone who loves you, someone whose love will never falter, never fail, never end. To God, every day might as well be valentine's day because every day He shows us just how much He loves us. And that should be more than enough.
<3

The snow's here!

Today is a good day. Outside the snow is falling and sitting in the library in campus ministry sipping my tea, I feel pretty happy. Today PC canceled all classes, I got to sleep in and just now, as it approaches 3 o'clock, I'm getting settled in to work on some homework. Watching the snow fall wet and cold from the sky I am reminded of my childhood. Running around outside in my snowsuit, laughing and catching snowflakes on my tongue, sledding and making snow angels with my sisters. I look back fondly on the events of my younger years and half of me wishes I could go back to the good old days. The days of no homework, more sleep and just being carefree. But, as much as I would enjoy sleeping and having no big responsibilities, I wouldn't trade in what I have now for any of that. I used to look forward to the future in fear and wish I could stay a child forever. Now I see the folly of my childish wishes. I love my college life. It wouldn't be complete without the long nights of homework, and little sleep. But my friends and I still find ways to act like children again. Whether it's throwing food at each other at dinner, telling silly jokes or watching disney movies and singing along with all the songs, we find a way to release the child in us. The life I lead now is nothing like what it envisioned it would be, but I absolutely love it! Sometimes we find that God's plans for us are ten million times better than our wildest dreams. Sitting here in campus ministry, like I do so many times a week, I find that my reality is better than my dreams, perhaps that's why I don't sleep anymore. . .

Hello again!
Right now there are a million things I should be doing, writing one of my two papers due on Tuesday, Reading my English book, cleaning my room... But I'm not doing any of those things. All day I've been so unmotivated to do anything in the way of work. It's these days that are often the hardest. You have to really push yourself to get the smallest things done. Just to do something other than lay around talking with friends or creeping on facebook takes a massive amount of effort. But these are the days that test us. On these days we see if we have what it takes to push through. I won't pretend I'm perfect, I'll admit that sometimes I just don't seem to have what it takes and just give in and stop pushing myself. Life is all about balance though and I'm trying to find the right balance between giving myself chill time and working hard. It's a struggle that each of us has to go through on a daily basis. Leading a balanced life is a difficult goal to achieve, but it can be done. My family and friends are so wonderful in helping me maintain some sort of balance in my life, and for that and so much more, I am grateful. In the stressful times when I'm unmotivated I need to remember to count my blessings and realize just how blessed I truly am. To be surrounded by such an amazing group of friends here at PC and to have the support of my awesome family is priceless. There's a quote that goes, "Just because today was a horrible day doesn't mean tomorrow won't be the best day of your life. You just have to get there" and that couldn't be more true. So even though today I wasn't nearly as productive as I should have been or would have liked to be, I shouldn't be too upset, because, who knows, tomorrow may just be wonderful, but I won't know unless I accept the past so I can move on to the future. I need to understand that sometimes I fall short of my expectations for myself and I just need to work harder next time. It's all about growing and developing into the person we're suppose to be. That will take lots of effort and will be difficult, but what in life isn't? Besides, we have to remember that life's not a destination, it's a journey. Enjoy the ride.
<3

my college experience in pictures: a brief overview :)

Orientation, Day trip to Newport RI
(Left to Right): Emily, Kathryn, Meg, Danielle, Erin, Sabrina, Claudia, me

Midnight Madness at PC! Go Friars!
(Left to Right): Tommy, Claudia, Peter, Kevin, me, Joe, Emily

Halloween '09! Would you believe the large majority of us made our costumes earlier that day?! I wish I had pictures of the Halloween dance because it poured and the sprinklers came on and everyone was soaked. It was a blast!
(Left to Right): (back) Kathryn, Kevin, Jessie, Erin, Tommy, me (front) Danielle, Joe, Sabrina, Emily

In the library in Campus Ministry during finals week and all smiles!
(Left to Right): Tommy, me, Emily, Erin, Joe

My Friends and I made a Christmas dinner and ate together before finals week
(left to right): Joe, me, Danielle, Erin, Emily, Kevin, Trevor, Jessie, Sabrina

Evelyn, Niki and I in the snow over Christmas Break

Emily and I at the March for Life in DC

Andrea and I at the March for Life in DC

Meg, Sabrina, Emily, Tommy and I at the March for Life in DC

My Friend Erin drew this, she's so talented! This is my family at PC Brady Bunch Style!
(left to right): Me, Tommy Cody, Emily Corr, Joe Slattery, Sabrina Raulerson, Erin Fusco (the artist), Danielle Fontaine (my roommate), Kevin Lynch, Jessie Ngo

So...for those of you who are not able to see all this pictures on facebook...here's a brief synopsis of my life in pictures! I had promised pictures earlier, but never followed through, I figured better late than never. Hence this post.
<3>

La Vida Loca

Hello to all!!!
Gosh, it's been forever! So much has changed in the time that has past since my last post. When I wrote my last post I wasn't a senior in High School anymore but I also wasn't quite a Freshman in College. Now I can proudly say that I'm a second semester Freshman at Providence College. I am loving every minute here at PC, I really don't believe I could be any happier. Just last night I was talking with some of my friends about how we believe that God lead each of us to Providence College and worked in our lives to ensure that we met and became friends.
So much has changed in only a semester. I feel like I've grown so much. I never knew it was possible for so much to change in a matter of four months! I wish to God I had more time so I could update this more, but unfortunately the life of a college student is a rather busy one (I don't understand how some students can even find the time to party!). Don't get me wrong though, I'm living the crazy life, but I'm absolutely loving it! From my amazing friends to my crazy day-to-day schedule to nights of little sleep to stepping outside my comfort zone and exploring new territory, college is a wonderful, crazy experience that I am so blessed to be having. College is all about discovering who you truly are and who you want to become. Education is a gift we are blessed to partake of, never forget that and when your school work or insane schedule gets you down, think of how lucky you are, breathe, put yourself into God's open arms and trust that everything will be okay. Despite my hectic days and long nights full of homework and studying, I still find time for my fun with my friends, and most importantly, time for God. College is the experience of a lifetime and I'm grateful for every moment!
<3

books, ponderings and musings.

Remember how I told you I was gonna read a bunch of books over the summer . . . (it's okay if you don't . . . even the best of us have 'old people' days . . . meaning no disrespect to those oldies, but goodies, reading this!) Anyway, I felt compelled to write up a list of the books I have read so far. Here goes . . .
The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch
A very good book . . . everyone should read it at some point in their lives. It's not terribly long but it is oh so inspiring and uplifting despite the fact that when he wrote the book Mr. Pausch knew he was dying and leaving behind a wife and three young kids. It is a must read!
Timeline By Michael Crichton
For those of you who attend Rice . . . yes this was a book we had to read freshman year but can you blame me for feeling nostalgic just having graduated and all. But all poking fun aside . . . it is a great book. Very well written and it is a gripping thriller. I stayed up many a night far past the time I should have been fast asleep just to finish the next page which turned out to be most of the book. Gripping plot line with magnificent writing to complement it.
The Dream of Scipio By Iain Pears
Again . . . yes nostalgic overcame me and I reread this book from my freshman year. I must say that with no big boring project (no offense to Mr. Matarazzo or Mrs. Conroy) looming over me this book was much more enjoyable although it was still a book I had to push myself to finish reading as not all of it's 396 pages are necessarily the page turners of Timeline. But I believe it was beneficial for me to read it again.
The Diary of Anne Frank
This was my second time reading this book and as the last time I read it I was much younger and less intellectually developed than my more modern self, this time that I read it much more of what she wrote struck me as extremely profound , especially since most of the diary was written when she was 14 years old. The book is timeless and communicates the humanity that manages to exist even in times of great trial. It has stood as a testament to the cruelties endured by the Jews during Hitler's 'purification' period. So much wisdom comes from the words of a young, simple Jewish girl and all who read her diary are indebted to her. Another must read.
Number the Stars By Lois Lowry
After reading The Diary of Anne Frank I wandered across this book in my closet (where I keep many books of mine) and decided to read it while my mind was still on the subject. Although this is a fictional book it is, non the less, based on true and tragic events. It is written in more of a simplistic fashion. A very easy read, I finished in a matter of hours, but still it is yet another testament to the fact that even in times when the fate of humanity seems bleak, a number of people find courage enough to stand up against the oppression and stand up for what they believe is right.
This brings me to the end of my current reading list although I know that by the end of the summer I will have added quite a number of other books.
But going back to the theme of the last two books I read. Often times when I read books of this sort, or really any book in general, I tend to put myself in the place of one character or another. Well, you can imagine just what occupied my mind for the three days in a row when I was reading those two books. During the time I read the books and sometimes when I wasn't I put myself in Anne's place and in the place of the Jews forced into hiding. I wondered if I would be able to endure such hardship but then again if I were truly in their place I would not have any choice but to endure it. Musing over that I began to wonder what I would have done had I been a non-Jew during this time. I know for certain that I would not have been able to stand by and watch such suffering being imposed on a people of a certain religion out of pure and evil hatred and a misguided wish, more of an all consuming passion that would stop short of nothing if to only accomplish its goal, for a 'pure race'. But then again, as much as I am convinced I would not be able to sleep at night if I did nothing, I am, at the same time certain of only one thing, I do not, and will not, know for sure how I would act under such conditions as I have never, as of the present, been in such circumstances. However, I would very much like to think that I would be courageous enough to stand up against what I believed to be a great injustice and moral wrong. The book Number the Stars was written more from the perspective of those helping the Jews rather than the Jews themselves. Those brave, and often young, people who stood up to the Nazis faced many perils and risked their lives and the lives of their families to do what they thought was right and I can only hope myself that I am a morally sound enough person that if faced, which hopefully I never am, with a situation anything alike the ones faced by the people in the 1940's, I would not allow myself to run covering my tail and hid and that I would be forced by my conscience to do something about the inherit evil I perceived.
But as this post is turning out to be much longer than I originally intended and as all the rest of my room is waiting on me to go to bed and as my mom asked me to keep it short so as not to keep them up too late, I will be leaving you for now. I am very grateful that I got to flex my writing muscle a little . . . and now that you've gotten a taste of what I do when I get going (ie write long posts) I'm sure you'll be looking forward to the next time I get writing again. Until then,
~emily

The not-so-super-nanny . . .

Okay, yesterday was my first official day as nanny. But, fortunately enough for me, nothing very eventful happened, at least nothing eventful enough to write about here. They are good kids but I'm sure, knowing me, that something rather eventful will happen before its all over with. Please make book suggestions for me . . . I need to know what I should be reading before entering the 'real world'. I realize some of you, like me, haven't entered the real world yet but I trust in your suggestions! Let me know . . .
I've got to start getting ready to go 'cause its back to nannying for me!!! so I'll catch you later.
~emily

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3!

This is just a test post to see if the computer will get the time I post this right . . . very trivial yes, important to me, yes again!!! Well let's see if this works . . . cross your fingers!!! : )

I think the time is right now . . . maybe

think this works now ... so frustrating when things don't work the way they're suppose to . . . arrrgggg
thanks for putting up with this, your all so understanding!!!
<3
~emily