Life Updates: Match Day, I See You.

After some questions on Monday's post, I realized that while I mention bits and pieces about med-school, I don't ever really talk about it in terms that apply to me. And I thought, well that sounds like a good blog post.

While I am not in med-school, it is a huge part of my life. I met Chris when I was 15, we started dating when I was 17, we got engaged at 19 (I know, I know, it's young), and married when I was twenty. We got married on his break during his first year of school, so our entire marriage has involved med-school. Because of this I feel like I have a pretty good perspective of it. One of these days I'll blog about all the ins and outs that would have been nice to know beforehand, but until then, if you have any questions--I'm your gal.

But, about where we're at now: Medical School is four years long. Chris is in his fourth year (#PRAISES) now. He's finished all of his tests and is now just finishing out the year working different rotations in different hospitals/clinics/etc.

By September, he has to have all of his applications for residency programs in. He'll go on interviews from November-January (which I'm kind of looking at as a bunch of cross country road trips...yes please.) and then comes match day.

Match day is a cruel and unusual punishment. Everywhere that Chris goes on an interview, he ranks. 1-5 or 1-100, they all get ranked. These places also rank Chris. Instead of just saying, "Hey, we like you!" Or, "Mmmm, not gonna work out!" Everything just stays a big secret. Until match day.

Chris will "match" with the program that he ranks and that ranks him that matches up closest. And because a simple phone call informing him of this would be too painless easy, some sadist invented match day.

Everyone in the entire class finds out where they match on this day. Together. All at the same time. They're given envelopes to open in front of everyone's friends and family. All together. At. The. Same. Time.

Again, a brutal system.

Right now, life is just a big, anxious, exciting adventure. Because on March 18th, we'll find out where we'll be moving and starting the next phase of the adventure. The planning side of me says that this is unacceptable, the hippie side of me is excited for a surprise and a new place to explore.

Anyway, it's a day that's four years in the making. And whatever place is written on the inside of that envelope, it's an adventure waiting to happen.

I hope that explains a little bit better about exactly where we are in the journey. And boy, is it a journey. But, my partner's pretty cute, so I'll take it.

Have any of you ever experienced a match day, or anything like it? 

Life Doesn’t Have to be Extravagant to be an Adventure.

Today is a good, good day. 

As I type this, Chris is taking his last ever med school test. 

No. More. Studying. 

I am so excited about this that I don’t even really know how to put it into words, so I’ll just say this: If you need me tonight, I’ll just be dancing of uncontrollable happiness somewhere.

Anyway, it’s made me think. When you’re younger and summers mean breaks from school, summer is all about adventure. And that never really goes away, except now you have to work and take care of things and most likely don’t have a responsibility-free summer. 

So the adventure is planned. It's sorted into vacations that we count down to, or road trips that we use our vacation days for. Summer still makes us excited, it still makes us want adventure, but that adventure doesn’t permeate each day, because we have things to do. We don’t have time for life to be extravagant, because we’re busy. Adventure has to wait until vacation. 

But I’m learning daily…life does not have to be extravagant to be an adventure.

Today is a good day, but it’s not extravagant. 

I’m going to work. Chris is taking a test, for goodness sake. I’ll have tons left on my to-do list by the time work is over. I’ll come home to a house that needs to be cleaned and laundry that needs to be done. 

But tonight will see celebratory chick-fil-a…giant cups of sweet tea cheering to the end of studying. Going swimming under the stars. Watching a movie just because. 

None of that is extravagant. I will still wake up tomorrow and come to work. My house will still need to be cleaned. My to-do list will still be overflowing. 

But it is an adventure. And a beautiful one at that. 

How do you make everyday life adventurous? 

just write: forgot to say goodbye.

I used to paint you pictures, 
now I just paint them in my head. 
I never knew our memories 
would one day wind up dead.
buried under sand and sea, 
buried in my head. 
because you walked away from me,
I still don’t understand. 
we had forever right in front of us, 
I thought I saw it in your eyes. 
But then you walked away from me

and forgot to say goodbye.

Deep Breath.

I love to-do lists. If they're made with pretty paper and pens, they very well may be my love language. Life is just easier when you have an itemized list written in colorful ink.

But there are times when the to-do list just seems out of control. When an already full page bleeds onto another, then another, and you realize there's a zero percent chance that everything you've told yourself you must get done today is going to get done.

These are the days where a vacation would be nice--Hawaii or a cruise or a tropical island somewhere  with a piña colada and no phone, no email, no planner or to-do list that is threatening to eat your time.

Unfortunately, this is reality. And here in reality, Tuesdays usually mean you have to go to work and do the things on your to-do list instead of lounging on a beach sipping on a fruity drink. So what are you supposed to do when everything is overwhelming and you have to be productive except there's no possible way you'll finish anything, ever?

Take a deep breath.

Sure, you may not be able to jet off to the beach, but you can take a break. Close your planner. Turn your phone on silent for five minutes. Open a window or go outside and take a walk. Productivity and the hustle and the to-do list are great, and they're important. But so are moments of quiet and stillness.

So take a deep breath.

And then dive right back in.

Cheers to a Tuesday full of productivity, hustle, and deep breaths.

8 Goals Everyone Should Have.

1. Complain less. Complaining usually doesn't help much, if at all. What it does do is bring you down, along with anyone who happens to be listening to you. Hanging out with people who complain all the time is exhausting. Also, being someone who complains all the time has to be exhausting. So do yourself and everyone around you a favor and start veering your comments to a more positive side.

2. Drink more water. What drinking more water does to your body is seriously magical. Your skin gets better, you have less headaches, you have more energy, you feel overall better...just by drinking water. There's no reason not to do this. Buy a cute tumbler and keep it filled all day!

3. Compliment others. Compliments are so easy. They are free, quick ways to make someone's day so much better. If you like the color of someone's shirt, say so. If someone went out of their way to help you, mention it. Throw compliments around freely.

4. Practice being thankful. Complaining makes your day worse. Want to know what makes it better? Being thankful. For big things, little things, in-between things.

5. Get rid of what you don't use. I tend to form sentimental bonds with everything that I own...until said things are taking over my apartment. Listen: Throw stuff away. If you don't use it anymore, toss it. If you don't wear it anymore, give it away. Life is about experiences, not things.

6. Learn how to survive without takeout. I could easily eat Chick-Fil-A for every single meal and be a very happy person. But do you know who's not happy with that arrangement? My wallet. Also, my waistline. Everyone should know how to cook a meal or two at home. It's cheaper, healthier, and you can do so in your pajamas. So, we're looking at a win/win/win here.

7. Enjoy reading. Not everyone loves reading fiction, or even books in general. I get it. I don't understand it, but hey. Just because you don't like reading books doesn't mean you should swear off reading. Reading is a great way to learn--both really cool things and also completely unnecessary, but fun, things. There's plenty you can read without ever cracking open a book--magazines, articles, newspapers. Fill your brain with some good words.

8. Think before you speak speak, write, text, post, tweet...etc. I have a favorite quote when it comes to speaking out on controversial matters:

Does this need to be said?
Does this need to be said by me? 
Does this need to be said by me right now?

If you actually think about those things before saying whatever you wanted to say, chances are you'd regret a lot less.

What goals do you think everyone should have?

Life Goals.

I'm a huge goal person...weekly, monthly, yearly. I'm constantly journaling and making lists of goals. 

But there are some things that don't fit into a list. They can't be squeezed down to a year or a month or a week...they aren't things that can eventually be accomplished and crossed off the list, not to be thought of again. Things that are more like life goals.

Be a good listener. In my opinion, being a good listener is one of the best qualities a person can have. It's such a treasure to have a friend who will really listen to you, not sit on their phone and nod or obviously be thinking of something else. That's the kind of friend I want to be. 

Be a hard worker. I never, ever, ever want lazy to be a word that describes me. Sure, I enjoy lounging around and watching Netflix or spending the day reading just as much as the next person, but when it comes to the work I'm supposed to do, I want to be a diligent and hard worker. 

Be someone who brings other people happiness. There are people in life that make you happy just by being with them, and there are people in life that make you tired just by being around them. I want to be someone who is encouraging, not negative. Who leaves people happier than they were.

Be someone who doesn't always need something/need to be doing something to enjoy life. I love going to the pool. It's one of my favorite ways to spend a day. Recently, I've decided that people can be divided into two groups. 

There are people who can hang out at the pool with friends, and as long as there's food and drinks, be perfectly content spending a whole day just talking and swimming and hanging out. And then there are people who can hang out at the pool with friends for about a hour before needing to make plans for what's going to happen next, where they're going to go tonight, what they're going to do today. Personally, I think the first group is way more fun to hang out with, and that's the kind of person I want to be. 

I don't want my happiness or level of enjoying life to depend on what things I have or what plans I have. 

I've got plenty more, but those are some of my life goals I've been thinking about lately. 

What are your life goals?

just write: so much more to show you.

sunrises and sunsets,
raindrops cooling down your skin.
the world is full of little magic
if you just stop to take it in.
the stars poke holes in the darkness
just to say hello to you,
but you only see them through a screen,
making sure everyone else will see them, too.
the world fights for your attention
as you just fight for more:
more followers, likes, and comments,
when there's magic at your door.
sometimes, just for you
the world shares a little secret.
but when you try so quick to capture it,
then you completely miss it.
and when picking up your phone
is the first thing that you do,
you can sometimes hear the sky's sad whisper,
"but I had so much more to show you." 

Spending Your June: A To-Do List for Adventuring Through This Month.

1. Plan a staycation. Explore your own city-vacation without paying for a hotel!

2. Take advantage of how cheap fruit is during the summer months. Eat berries and cherries and melon galore.

3. Look up flea markets/drive-ins/farmer's markets that may only be open in the summer. 

4. Make a list of all you hope to do this summer. If it feels like you won't have enough time, consider giving some things up for a little while...like Facebook.

5. Take more pictures! 

6. Make a summer playlist. 

7. Pick a town in your state that you've never been to and spend the day there.

8. Take a comedy break and watch an SNL short. I highly recommend looking up the Shy Ronnie skits.

9. Make plans to see out of town friends or family before the fall. 

10. Learn a card game you've never played before. 

11. Work on your homemade ice cream skills. 

12. Learn one thing about each person who has announced they want to run for president. Look instantly smarter in conversations.

13. DIY a backyard game. Giant Jenga or tic-tac-toe!

14. Get new books from the library and spend the day reading. 

15. Spend an entire day at the pool. 

16. Make a Bachelorette bracket. It can hang on your refrigerator in shame.

17. Set up a little reading/writing nook in your house.

18. Experiment with iced tea recipes. 

19. Make S'mores. 

20. Download the GIF keyboard to your phone. And all of your text responses will win, forever.

21. Have a dinner party where you see how many versions of mac and cheese you can make. And by dinner party, I mean cook yourself dinner.

22. Go swimming at night. 

23. It's hot outside...go without all the makeup for a day here and there. Or all summer, because you can.

24. Order a Ban.do planner. So you don't have regrets when they're all sold out in August.

25. Plan a cookout. Or several.

26. Make your 4th of July plans. 

27. Make homemade lemonade. 

28. Send someone a thank you card. 

29. Invest in a popsicle mold. 

30. Throw a Hawaiian luau-themed dinner party. With these. And these. And definitely this.

What's on your to-do list for this month?