reunited.

i got the chance to hang out with one of my dearest friends, miss alyssa bray. she was on her spring break from ewu and decided to spend a couple days in seattle. i met alyssa, (along with roommate, bekah), when we were all put on the same floor. we immediately hit it off, and they both became two of my best friends last year.
alyssa went to spu her first two years and was a nursing major. she unfortunately didn't get into the nursing program at spu, and decided to transfer to ewu in cheney, which also happens to be her hometown. 
when i found out she was leaving and not coming back, i was heartbroken. here, one of the best friends i had made in college was leaving me. that sucks -- when you have such a genuine connection with someone, only to have it taken away from you. i felt bad for myself for awhile. but then i realized that it wasn't about me, and she was just doing what was best for her. i had to support her no matter where she decided to go.
alyssa is one of those people that no matter how long it's been since you've seen her, she makes you feel like you hung out yesterday. her laugh makes you want to laugh, and she is the best confidant. we have the same sense of humor and are always on the same wavelength. i wouldn't be quite who i am if i hadn't met her, and i'd like to think she feels the same way.
and while it sucks that she isn't in seattle anymore, it makes me that much more grateful for the times i do get to see her. it's so nice to stay in touch - it makes me feel like she isn't that far away.

 i had another reunion of sorts - a virtual one via oovoo - with my friends i studied abroad with. 4 friends, 3 states, and 2 time zones....i got to see them and hear their voices after almost 4 months. technology is so awesome. we talked for an hour and a half - catching up and reminiscing about our time in london. kaylee, sarah, and carli made my study abroad experience what it was and i miss them all the time. like sarah texted us all later that night: "it was so wonderful to have London back for a night!" and i could not agree more. we're planning a reunion in australia in winter 2015. and we're serious.

but i guess that's the part about college that i have trouble dealing with. things change so often and so quickly, sometimes my brain and heart are slow to catch up. and i'm the first to admit it. 
all this to say - i'm so thankful for the people i've met throughout the last few years. sometimes you don't know why they are put into your life, or just how much of an impact they will have on you. once they're gone, you truly know how much they've affected you and shape the way you see and treat other people. and that is worth more than words can describe.

photo montage!

due to both lack of time and brainpower, pictures will have to do for visually catching you up as of late.

 discovery park!

 homecoming w/hope

 :) superbowl sunday

 miss katie & i

 shameless selfie.

 & again.

 emily & i at the seattle art museum

 my valentine

 i made these for valentines day....just call me chef birky

 discovery park.....creeper shot.

 SO so beautiful. sunny days in seattle don't get better than this

 for our valentines day party

 we all take turns making dinner at my house....i made margherita pizza

my new favorite app: FATIFY. hours of entertainment

that'll have to do for now!

LOVE, C

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.....

(you know that david bowie song is going to be stuck in your head now...)

alright....so. trying to pick up where i left off here. partly because i haven't written consistently on this thing in way too long, and partly because i'm procrastinating my homework. typical sunday afternoon!
why the "changes" blog title? that's a good question. so many things have changed in the last couple of months, i'm still trying to wrap my brain around some of them. if you would have asked me 6 months, even 1 year ago where i would be today, i could not have told you. looking back over the last year, i am so proud, excited, and happy about all of the things that i've done. and looking into the future, i'm scared, nervous, and excited about all of the things i will attempt to accomplish. let's recap.

in the past 6 months........
first: 
i studied abroad in london fall quarter. HA....as if you didn't already know that. best three months of my life. i am so so so happy i chose to just do it, instead of dreaming about it. hands down the best decision of my college career. i recommend it to anyone...seriously. you will be so happy you did. i met so many awesome people, saw places i'd only heard about, and just learned to slow down and enjoy life for awhile.

second:
since being back in america, i've started school and moved into a house of 8 girls (including me), only one of which i've known already. it kind of takes me back to freshman year of college, when you are suddenly thrust together to live with people you don't know. but that's okay, because some of my best friends are from floors i've lived on. so far, it's so good....all of the girls are really funny and nice. AND beautiful -- i live with some hotties.
i'm excited to get to know them even more.

third:
you can probably guess this one by now. it starts with a 'boy' and ends with a 'friend'. a year ago - even 6 months ago - i NEVER would have seen that one coming. but that's the fun of it. i think in my head i just assumed that i just wasn't going to date in college.....and i was well on my way. i definitely didn't plan on it happening, it just did. and i couldn't be happier.

fourth:
i am less than 6 months away from turning 21. 21. i just.....wow. 
(feeling old yet, family?)

even as i reflect and write about the above, it's hard to believe so much has happened in such little time. college is such a time of growth and learning and moving. nothing stays the same for long - both good and bad - which is hard to deal with sometimes. i wonder if later on in life when i think about college if i'll miss all of these changes and moments of growth, or if i'll be happy that they're over. or both? it's hard to say.
even so - it's not over yet. i still have 14 months (aka 3 more quarters) until i graduate. THAT is crazy. i know i will be a different person then as i am today, just as i was different 14 months ago.

my housemates have all put up their new years resolutions in our living room and encourage the rest of us to do it. but i don't roll that way. (homie don't play that.....chelsea??) i don't like new years resolutions. mostly because i feel like i am setting myself up for failure because i'll feel pressure to achieve something that might never happen, or might not be the right time in life to do. 
so instead.....i have this:

one: 
to keep growing. to never stop learning. to realize and accept that it's okay to struggle. it's normal. to understand that God's timing is better than my own in every area of life. to be kind. to be intentional in my friendships and relationships. to love. wholly and deeply. to be a good friend. sister. daughter. girlfriend. citizen. and to quote Henry David Thoreau: "go confidently in the direction of your dreams & live the life you've imagined."


withLOVE;
C.

The Evolution of Dad Dancing

this. video. is. SO. funny. 
this accurately describes almost every dad (and maybe mom) i've ever seen dance. at a wedding. in the living room. 

you know who you are.


(personal favorites include the "ymuc" and the "clap and shake")
enjoy.

i'm alive!

i suck at blogging, in case you haven't noticed! the last month has been a whirlwind. and i mean it: two continents (and timezones...), christmas and its subsequent activities, catching up with old friends, making new friends, moving my stuff into my new house in seattle, and.....spending time with my boyfriend. i won't bore you with details of the other parts of my break, so i'll cut to the chase.....
long story short: our older sisters are friends, and they set us up. i guess they've thought for awhile that we should go out, and we finally did. turns out they actually do know us pretty well, as we hit it off (shout-out to my sister). it's all still pretty new, and i'm excited to see what the future holds. i won't get mushy, cause that's not really my MO, but.....i like him a whole lot, and i feel so blessed.

here we are in seattle :)