Life at 30

Wow. I suppose I'm kind of old now, aren't I? Hopefully my process of getting into college was successful.
As of now, I plan to attend either Iowa State or UW Milwaukee to pursue a master's in architecture. Then I hope to get a internship at a large architecture firm and gradually move up, having various promotions. I'm stretching it out a little far though, let's stick to around 30 years old.
I hope to find a "significant other" by this point and have possible plans for a wedding, if I think I could spend the rest of my life with him. Kids will be after the wedding, so that will come in the early 30's. I hope to have 2 kids of my own, a girl and a boy, and adopt one in need of a home, preferably a boy from Asia. Boys are so much less confusing.
I hope to stay in good contact with my immediate and extended family whether I end up moving back to the Twin Cities, staying where I went to college, or moving to a place with excellent job opportunities.
There are a few friends I would like to still talk to when I am 30 that I have now. Some of them though, I couldn't imagine trying to stay in contact with after high school.
I don't want to be wealthy when I grow up, or when I am 30, but I do hope that I have enough money to get by with a little bit of a cushion in case my car breaks down or I need a new computer.
That pretty much sums up what I think of myself 13 years from now. But between now and then, I hope that I make some lasting friends, have great experiences, and just enjoy my life for what it is.

Revealved Through a Picture

Train tracks, an object leading to a destination. Follow the tracks to lead you in the right direction. Winding through the city, venture off of the tracks to find different adventures waiting for you. Go back to the tracks, which will lead to the next destination. In the end, they always bring me home.

Fireworks are shot off the ground every year. On this certain day, families, friends and loved ones join together. Propped up in a sitting position, you’ll find me looking up into the dark night sky. We sit together, enjoying the sight of colors of lights, flashing before us in the abyss.

Lake Minnetonka, a place of relaxation. The waves lightly float across the top of the water, producing an almost inaudible splashing. The sound is in perfect harmony with my thoughts, imagining that same splashing on a cruise. A vacation spot close to home.

Snow, the white clouds covering the, once, green grass. The snow brings hours of entertainment, creating a snowman, throwing it in a snowball fight and sledding. After a snowstorm, you’ll find me at the bottom of the hill, laughing as I get up to find the sled.

A musician, a person who expresses their feelings and thoughts through song. Jump off the ground and fall back down to the beat. Catchy tunes with the ability to change a mood, to create a smile. You’ll find me with ear buds in my ears, my head bobbing, my foot tapping to the rhythm, and my mouth moving along with the musician’s words.

It'll All Be Worth it in the End

"Love the people who treat you right,
forget about the ones who don't
and believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it.
If it changes your life, let it.
No one ever said it would be easy,
they just promised it'd be worth it."
-Unknown

I came across this quote the other day and it made me think about my life, my past, present and future. Why do some people stand in silence, while others stand up for themselves when they are being talked down to? Why do some people take the hurt, the pain and the embarrassment, while others don't? I've always heard a quote along the lines of, "everything happens for a reason," but never truly thought about it until it was mentioned in this particular quote. We feel sadness to know what happiness is. We feel pain to know comfort. We have all these negative feelings to know the positive ones. What would be considered negative if everything was always positive? The next part explains itself pretty well. You need to take the chances that you are given and something good will probably come of it. If you get a chance to play on the high school basketball team, you should take it because you might end up playing for the NBA. Or, more realistically, if you are offered an internship in your field of study, you should take it. The opportunities you are given could change your life, you just need to let them. Some things are harder to accomplish or get through than others but with almost everything you pursue you can succeed. All you need is motivation, the right attitude and the opportunity. The world is in your hands, you need to take the opportunities that are handed to you.

Looking Back with the Help of Music

When I saw the topic for this week’s blog, I got really excited because I absolutely LOVE music. It was tough to narrow the playlist of my life down to 10 songs though because I have a lot of favorites, that all mean a lot to me for different reasons. Eventually, I came up with a list. Here it goes...

1. “Things Like You” by Sanctus Real –This song talks about how we need to let go and find an alternate way to live our lives, instead of clinging to things we don’t need. My favorite part of the song is when it says, “everyone wants everyone else’s everything. Sometimes the more we have, the less we really gain.” People today are so caught up with what they don’t have. They need to take a look at what they have and be grateful for it.

2. “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls – The lyrics in this song don’t really have any meaning to me, but it was my favorite Spice Girls song when I was little. My friends from elementary school and I would always crank up their songs, dance along and have singing parties.

3. “Jerk It Out” by the Caesars – I like to crank up this song when I’m driving. It’s one of those songs that has the ability to make you feel good because if you’re in a situation or a funk, you can just, “jerk it out”. It’s also mine and my best friend’s theme song, so I always smile when I hear it.

4. “Invincible” by Ok Go – Every time I hear this song I feel powerful, like nobody can stand in my way. It’s an upbeat song that has a catchy beat and I fell in love with it the first time I heard it.

5. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey – This song means a lot to me because it is the theme song for the Quest retreats and mission trips I go on. It reminds me of memories I have had with friends from my church and the awesome car rides across the country with all of them.

6. “4Ever” by the Veronicas – This one is another upbeat, feel good song that reminds you that life is right here, right now and you need to make the most of it. I like listening to this song because it reminds me how you need to live your life and have fun doing it.

7. “Pachelbel: Canon in D” composed by Johann Pachelbel – This is a piece that almost everybody has heard before. It means a lot to me because it is one of my favorite pieces to play and it is one that I have performed, on the violin, at two weddings with my family.

8. “Fall Away” by the Fray – This is a song I listen to when I’m in a down and gray mood. It reminds me that I can’t erase the past and I need to fight a way to make everything right. Usually by the end of the song, I find a solution and there is a large burden lifted off my shoulder.

9. “The Remedy” by Jason Mraz – This is an older one but I like it because it talks about how you are more than you think and there’s no need to worry about what other people think of you. My favorite part of the song is, “you can turn off the sun but I’m still gonna shine.” You are what you make of yourself and it doesn’t matter what the people around you think.

10. “Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C – I had to finish my list off with the widely famous song played in grad videos because I’m a senior and I’m going to be graduating soon, myself. It makes me think about what life is going to be like after I graduate. Who am I going to keep in contact with and who am I going to forget about?

Wow… this blog was really tough and it probably took a little longer than it should have but I enjoyed it because I was able to reflect on my favorite songs and the memories I have of each and every one of them. I hope you like it!

"If I Had Known"

Andrea's house is where we first met
We went together like a set
She became my best friend
My love to her, I did send


She and I used to go on walks
On these, we had long talks
We danced in the rain
And shared each other's pain

We would hang out every day
I always helped her in every way
In the end, she let me down
Saying words to make me frown


To look at her now, I could not bare
Her face send chills and a scare
If I had known, I would have seen
She was only fake and undoubtedly mean

A Little This, a Little That

Most passerbys would describe Briana Kelly as a very timid person, absorbing information in her silence. Her friends, however, think much differently. She can be extremely shy at first but once you get to know her, she becomes more comfortable with her surroundings and is able to let loose. Although she is not comfortable with meeting new people, she is very much a people person in the sense that she loves staying active and social with those around her. Her mother, Linda, has been known to describe her as one who is too obsessed with her social life and not focusing enough on important alternatives, like school and work.

Briana's everyday life consists of a balance between attending school, working 20 hours a week, and hanging out with friends. She is currently a senior at Hopkins High School and although some would refer to her as a slacker, she has made a point to include some challenging classes in her last year at the high school like AP Calculus and Honors Physics. Briana has held a job at Lunds Restaurant for 15 months now. She started out as a Host in June of 2006, seating customers, bussing tables, and acting as an assistant to the servers. By June of 2007, she became a Server, serving each table herself.

Briana's family includes a younger sister, Elisa, a mother, Linda, and a father, Tim. Her parents became divorced when she was only 6 years old. Since then, Tim has not proved to be a very good father figure, only talking to Briana when it is convenient for him. Linda could be argued as a good mother figure, supporting Briana financially, however, not emotionally. Like Briana, Elisa has been raised in a different way, making them more independent than others their age.

Throwing in her tough family life, Briana is able to manage taking advanced classes in school, work three to four nights a week, and still makes time to see her friends.