The Humble Abode

AY YAI YAI!!! Today marks the 3-week countdown.

3 weeks until we can move into our beautiful new home.

3 weeks until classes are over.

3 weeks until SUMMER!

I cannot wait.

Today, we got to go over to the house and jot down a few measurements of the rooms and windows and such so we can prepare for all the shtuff we will need to have next year. It got me even more pumped on how awesome next year is going to be. Every time I get stressed in the next three weeks I'm just going to close my eyes and repeat "My own room. A kitchen. A car. My own room. A kitchen. A car. My own room..." and all my problems will go away.

As creepy as I felt walking around the house snapping pictures while everyone who is currently living there were all home, it needed to be done. I'm a shameless blogger, after all! Like I said to my friends, it’s like the first day of school: You hate your mom for making you stand in front of the school with your new shoes and sack lunch, but now you’re glad she did. Same thing.

Highlights:

Here is the lovely living room.

Frances and Claire measuring the windows in the sun room.

Kitchen nook in the sun room.

Two thumbs up for living off campus!

We just can't contain our excitement.

MY ROOOMMMMM!!!! Technically, it's the dining room, and technically, it doesn't really have a closet, but it's MINE ALL MINE!!!

The kitchen where hundreds of delicious meals will be lovingly prepared and the dishes will always be clean and put away.

Suzy Homemaker.

This is when they all were so sick of me making them take pictures. But they did it anyway. Because they luf me.

YES!

Oy, do I have a lot to tell you.

So! Exciting things have been happening and I have to go back a week ago today to give you the full picture.

Last Tuesday I had a mediocre day followed by a mediocre afternoon and in the early evening, I picked up my phone to give my dear mother a call. After talking for a few minutes she sprang some very exciting news on me; Through a friend of a friend, there was an opening this summer for an internship at Marc Jacobs in New York! This opportunity is something that literally anyone at SCAD (in the fashion department or otherwise) would absolutely kill for and would work hard all year to even be considered for. She explained that essentially all I had to do was turn in my resume and I would be seriously considered for the internship. In my head, I knew that I was so insanely blessed to be given this chance and that if I were to pass it up, I'd be the most foolish fashion student in the history of the world. But the more she talked about it, the larger the lump grew in my throat and before I knew it, I was forcing out loud gasps into the phone and there were tears running down my face. I was so so so excited to come home this summer and spend time with my family and friends, but how in the world was I supposed to pass up this great of a learning experience and such resume gold? And in any other time or situation, I knew that I would probably be crying tears of joy. This was so not the plan. The plan was for me to work this summer and intern next summer. I was so caught off guard by the fact that in seconds my whole summer had taken such a drastic turn. If offered the position, I knew there would be no way in the world that I would turn it down, but that meant giving up the summer I've been day dreaming of for months.

So over the next few days, I prayed about what to do. I prayed that if this were the right timing, that God would open my heart to this new plan and reveal to me that this is where I was supposed to be this summer. If it wasn't, I prayed that He would close doors and give me another purpose for the summer. By Thursday, I had decided that I would definitely pursue the internship and see where it ended up. Slowly over the weekend, the idea of spending another summer in New York started to sound more and more appealing and the newness of the idea began to ware off. Real Julia came back to life and hit Fake Julia over the head and screamed "This is Marc Jacobs, you idiot! AND a summer in New York! Marc Jacobs + New York = A No Brainer! Why are you being such a stupid head!?"

Weeellllll, after e-mailing back and forth with both my contact at Marc Jacobs and my academic advisor at SCAD, I found out officially yesterday that I would not be able to do the internship until my sophomore year due to credits transferring.

Frankly, I was a bit relieved because I really did not feel settled about the timing of it all, but to be honest, it hit me suddenly that I really had nothing planned for the summer and that maybe that internship was something that may never come up again. That was last night. Then today, right after waking up from a glorious afternoon nap, I checked my e-mail and received the most amazing message!

This winter break, I worked for a few weeks at Studio Suzan Jewelry and had an amazing time. Well, lucky me-- they have a job opening for the summer!!! Still half asleep, I read the e-mail from Suzan explaining what I'd be doing and I had to re-read it a few times for it to actually sink in. This job is more than perfect for what I want to be doing and learning this summer and I could not be more excited. I get to have my Newport Beach cake and eat it too! I am so grateful that God blessed me with not one, but two great opportunities for the summer and then made it so easy for me to see which was the better choice for me this year. And hopefully (fingers crossed), Marc Jacobs can be on the agenda for next summer!

Gee whiz, guys... three weeks left of Freshman year and then I'm a'comin home! Absolutely cannot wait.

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Urg. I just re-read that and this is why I hate posting stuff on here about whats going on in my day to day life because it's so daggum boring. I feel like I'm forcing you all to endorse the fact that my life is awesome. Fact: If I were to read this post on someone else's blog, I would probably-- no definitely make fun of them. Or roll my eyes at how annoying they were. Or make fun of them and then roll my eyes at how annoying they were.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Mommy, I love you. You are honestly the best mom in the world. And for all you people out there doubting me, I can prove it:

1. You're always happy in the morning. And you woke up every morning with us for 15 years even though you didn't have to go to school.
2. You never cut the crust off of my sandwiches because apparently, that's he healthiest part (which I still don't totally buy because it's made out of the same stuff as the rest of the loaf)
3. You always know what the weather is going to be for the next day. It's like you can read Dallas Raines mind or something.
4. You hug me when I'm crying. Even though at first I never want to be hugged, you know I secretly do.
5. You never say no to desserts. Except most of the time at restaurants because they are such a rip off. So we usually get ice-cream or something instead.
6. You have the best advice. With my friends, with my family, with my money, with my fears, you know the answer to just about everything. And you're always right-- which sometimes breeds conflict because I'm always right too.
7. You get frustrated ("I'm not mad, I'm just frustrated") with me. When I'm being a spaz and you say things like "You don't have to make everything into a joke. Sometimes it's ok not to be funny." you've stopped me from being an annoyingly-never-serious-person.
8. With that being said, a lot of the times I get out of being in trouble when I can make you laugh. Maybe Kaitlin doesn't think that makes you the world's best mom, but I appreciate it.
9. You're a real person. Something that I realized for the first time this year (that may sound silly or obvious) is that you are just a girl like me. A bit older and with a few more life lessons learned, but you have emotions and goals and fears just like me. This has so much to do with why you are such a great mom.
10. Everyone loves you. Even when I feel like I've met every single person in the world who says "Oh, I absolutely love Linda Patton," more and more seem to pop out of the woodwork.

They love you and I love you because you are an amazing woman who is not only smart and beautiful but a delight to be around. You are someone who I can learn so much from everyday and I am so so so glad that I am your daughter.

I love you! I love you! I love you!!!!!!!!

(For the record: there are way more than 10 reasons why you're a great mom.)

A Mother's Prayer:

Sunday is Mother's Day and for some reason odd reason, it feels like a really big deal this year despite the fact that this is the farthest I've ever been from dear Mummy in my whole life. It seems that I've been hearing a lot of motherhood lately. Their love, their fears, their goals, their courage, their celebrations and their darkest moments are all in the selfless midst of their commitment to take care of everyone else around them and consequently putting themselves in last place.

Even 2,429 miles from home (but who's counting), my mom is the only one who truly knows how to deal with my shenanigans through and through. Although most of our conversations take place over the phone these days, I can hear the all too familiar traits of a mom by simply hearing her voice: Genuine excitement when something goes my way, concern when her maternal radars start beeping, frustration when I'm being a SassyMcSassMaster and care when she can tell that all I really want to do is curl up on the couch in the red blanket that I miss so much and snuggle.

Recently, I've been hearing a ton of great things about Tina Fey's new book, Bossypants. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but today I stumbled upon an excerpt from the book called "A Mother's Prayer" and it cracked me up and I thought you all would like it too.

"First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her:

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes."

Tina Fey

Isn't that great? Judging by that, I'm a pretty OK kid!

I'm off to go work on some sort of Mother's Day post for little Lindy-poop. I don't know how in the world I am going to top myself from last year. It made her cry. Great.

AWWWWWW YEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHHHH....

I registered. It rocked. I'm a happy little clam.

Cold Sweat

Registration is tomorrow morning and I already feel a panic attack coming. Do you remember last time? Do you remember what a disaster it was? Because I do. Oh, I remember...

I have a plan of what classes I want (actually, need), but I'm trying not to become too attached to them because of how things usually change last minute on registration day. Like a puma, I wait in the wings ready to pounce on my classes at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Attack. Attack. Attack. Registered.

SO Torn.

or

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