graduation

[the only masters students in our cohort to make it out by Spring]

 [the mountain I live on. and our backwards hoods...]

[would not have made it without this guy]

I am officially a Master of Science in Geography!

Grad school was hard, fun, stressful, fast, and intense, and I have seen myself grow up over the past 2 years.

I started this little blog to keep in touch with my family as I moved across the country to enter the Geography program at Penn State, and I will keep on chronicling the unknown life adventures to come (chronicle= one of those words that looks weird if you stare at it for a while). Part of me can't believe I am officially "done" with this step but a bigger part feels relieved and proud of myself! This has been a spring of major exciting changes, and I can't wait to find out what happens next! (aka, job....???)

p.s. Academic Regalia is ridiculous.

p.p.s. Thank you for all the sweet words on our engagement! Unfortunately the Great Blogger Crash deleted some of your comments but I have them saved in my email :)

a spring engagement story

This post is getting to be long overdue!

I thought that life was going to calm down a little bit after I finished the thesis....

Little did I know that the excitement and craziness was just beginning.

I turned 24 on April 26th. It was one of the first legitimately warm, sunny days of spring so Ben and I went on a birthday hike. We walked along a ridge line until we came to a huge overlook, where he knelt on the rocky trail and asked me to marry him with his grandmother's ring.

Yes, BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!
I am still getting used to not having a "boyfriend" anymore, after four and a half amazing years.

And I am so excited to marry my best friend and the love of my life!

rainy Sunday things

[mini calla in my window]

Rainy Sundays are for:

waking up early

watching baptisms

talking for hours at the coffee shop

and over paninis for lunch

browsing and dreaming at the kitchen shop

cleaning cleaning cleaning

fruit salad and yoga

Today is a much needed calm and quiet day after the most exciting week of my life.

Big things are happening in my world, stay tuned :)

Happy May Day!