Twenty-five hours.

And then this break is over. I'm sure you know how that feels - the last day of a long break, when reality and guilt over not doing anything productive start to creep in and you do your best to rationalize all of the lazy decisions of the week... Right? Surely it's not just me. Can't be.

Things I did do: catch up with all my Manhattan girls (okay, minus one who's way out in the wild wild west), catch up with my Wichita girls, hold my friend's beautiful daughter, laugh with mom, tear apart and then start to reconstruct my wedding gown (with lots of help), get crushed at Scrabble, turn down a free beer because 6 AM was just a little too early for me, run run run, remember why Fort Riley boys turn me off, get creative with the wedding photographer hunt, get not-so-creative (creative may be code for "thrifty"...) with the reception site hunt, hug my fiance, sleep and sleep, read ridiculous magazines like OK!, forget my flat iron, think I lost my keys, laundry, more laundry, watch "Walk the Line", and relax.

Pretty much.

On Tongue Tip.

I can't remember what I was going to say, but it involved peeling my sickly self off the couch and opening my reluctant eyelids to gaze into the mind-numbing glow of the monitor here, so I might as well say something.

I got selected for jury duty. Perhaps you're thinking that's not a good thing, but it's one of those things I've always wanted to do - like having a cast, wearing glasses, and having braces. The bad news is that I don't live in Riley county anymore, so alas I cannot serve. Jonathan got picked too. I hope he gets a cool trial or something.

There are things to do this week but my brain is tired. I haven't really done any significant community service in a long time and I'm not okay with that. What am I doing? Me me me. I miss working with kids. They always give a different perspective on the world and teach me so much. That's about all I have. Lo siento si pierdas que este fue muy mal, pero siento un poquito mal ahora y no tengo piensas. That was probably awful. Sorry to my Spanish-speaking fans.

** Edit: I was just reviewing this paper I'm writing and I came across this sentence: "The APA defines BPD in the DSM-IV-TR as..." . That made me laugh. Maybe it's just me... **

Get through this.

Wow. Who knew I could actually run 12 miles? Highlights of the Topeka to Auburn trek this morning: Groove Armada getting me up my last hill with a little "I see you baby...", learning that energy gel may taste good but it has exactly the same consistency as a giant loogie, learning that vanilla crisp Power Bars make me want to puke, tripping over the edge of the road and wiping out in front of my professor and the three fastest guys in the class, and a Presidential Escort for that last quarter mile. Amazing. I am on top of the world. Everyone should train for and run a marathon.

Big scary mid-term Monday... but hey - I survived 12 miles. I think I can swing it.

It goes on.

The music genome project is pretty much the coolest thing ever (www.pandora.com). I hope it can stay free for a while. You should check it out though.

School. It's always these two weeks before spring break... the weather's basically gorgeous, I'm tired of learning, the amount of work to be done by May is unthinkable, and alas the evil mid-terms and papers loom. I'm surprisingly okay with everything though. It'll work out. I'll survive. As my ol' pal Robert (Frost) says, "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." It's just not worth all the stress and worry that consumed me last semester. So, none of that.

I found this amazing bed and breakfast in Estes Park that I now have my heart set on for the honeymoon. It's just beautiful - right at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, sweet fireplace that goes through to right by the tub on one side and the foot of the log bed on the other side, yummy breakfast, and all of the hiking, riding horses in the mountains, drinking coffee, and chillin that is Estes Park.

Lay it all down.

Now we find ourselves at the beginning of the third month. Today was beautiful, from sleeping in with the sun shining on me and my kitty to feeling responsible for getting the oil changed to laughing with some of my classmates - my very own sanity-keepers. Keepers of my sanity.

I had this dream last night - I was in Australia. But you were probably there too. I was surrounded by so much love and laughter. It was phenomenal. And it wasn't one of those dreams that left me empty when I woke up - I still felt the connection that I had in my sleep. What I was going to say is that I just talked to my friend and it made me think. I love that.

Tell me all your thoughts on God
Tell me am I very far
Tell me all your thoughts on God
And ask Her why we're who we are