Till Death do us Part

I've never been married. And quite frankly, the thought of being married terrified me. I've never been the girl who is just waiting for her Prince Charming to show up in his Maserati and whisk me away to Paris for a long weekend. No, I'm more of the 'I'll get married when I'm 60 and have the potential to be bored with the single life' type of girl. However, I decided to explore the reasoning behind my attitude a little bit. It's not that I don't think I can be happy with one person my entire life, its the fact that my future husband lives in a world that doesn't take marriage as seriously as I do. In 2012, the divorce rate was at 50%. That means that half of the people in the US don't fully understand what marriage means. So I'm going to explain its meaning. Marriage is a covenant (stronger than a promise) with God. It's not the next step in a relationship with the girl next door. It's not something you do to prove you love someone, just buy them flowers if that's what you're going for. And its definitely not temporary. No matter how many government officials, pieces of paper, or excuses you can come up with, once you get married, there is no getting out of it. I don' believe that marriage is about making yourself or another person happy, true joy only comes from God, not other people or circumstances. I believe that I am single because this is the status that I can bring the most glory to God. When God grows me and my future husband enough and knows that together we can bring Him more glory that we can separately, then and only then will I give into marriage. Luckily, God knows my stubbornness and fears so I believe when the time comes, He'll be fully prepared to beat me over the head with His instructions. I can only hope that my marriage will be accompanied with happiness, love, and at least 900 crazy adventures. I know that God's plan will work itself out in me and until that happens, I'll be here just enjoying the perks of being single!

Next post (before I get off my soapbox completely) on Divorce. Here's a preview:

People can justify their reason's for wanting to break this covenant 1,000 different ways, but according to the Bible, there are only 2 situations in which God will grant you a divorce. 1) Immorality: Matthews 19:9 and 2) Abandonment by an unbeliever: 1 Corinthians 7:15.

More Than a Supporting Role

I got the pleasure of going to Florida for a long weekend, and there is something about being close to the Ocean that makes God seem all the more present.

I decided to read the book of Jonah from the Bible and see how this overwhelming presence of God was translated. It's interesting when the actual story line isn't what hits home in a book. It's not always the main characters, but how the supporting actors can change the entire outcome. I never bought into the whole 'there's no small parts, just small actors' craze, but I will admit the idea is growing on me. The Ninavites, sailors and even the worm add so much flavor to Jonah's story. Without the context of others, he would just be an extremist, spastically running around countries waiting for destruction. With the addition of each character, a new understanding of Jonah's true character appears as I got to watch his story unfold. And the most amazing part was to see his interaction with God and how he became a completely changed man when he was following God's plan to a tee.

The thing that really got to me was seeing God's relentless compassion and hope in people. God told Jonah he would destroy this entire city unless they turned from their wickedness. I can compare this to when 9-11 happened. It was like America was Nineveh and we had an imamate threat of danger. Nothing motivates people to find God like the fear of losing their life. All God needed to see was a little change and He became overwhelmingly hopeful for His people. It is hard for me to imagine not only forgiving someone who has been slandering me, back stabbing me, and totally discounting my worth as a human being but also deciding to love and cherish that person as if they were going to be my best friend or family member. God is truly amazing and it blows me away every time I read about his unconditional compassion and forgiveness and hope in people.

Compare to Equalize

Its interesting to me how people are always looking for a way to get rich quick that doesn't involve a lot of effort. It's not the fact people want money that puzzles me, I can understand the desire to live in riches. It's the idea that people are so incredibly lazy and would rather be given a hand out than roll up their sleeves and get a little dirt on their hands. I know most people will blame the media for putting the idea of luxury in our minds, or the government who tends to blame the wealthy, but I think it really is just how our society works. We live in a world of comparisons. It's a constant battle of who is better than who, the richest, the most connected, the most well known. And now thanks to cell phones, twitter and Zuckerberg, we've been forced live in the competition with no escape. I can't simply hide in my house and escape the constant battle to out-do every other human that I encounter. I'm bombarded with alerts from endless facets on how many people are one-upping me. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely proud of our success and how well people have progressed, my thought is more on the lines of the continual, relentless nature of the competition between people. I think sometimes we forget that we are all created equal. That no matter how good the world measures you, it will never out you ahead of someone else because we are not judged on works, but simple on the acceptance of forgiveness. Unfortunately, I'm not perfect and cannot say that this reminder alone allows me to never reflect on my short coming, but it does serve as a kind of release from constant comparison. I don't have the solution to societies problems, but I do hear that admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

Financial Minstry: Next Steps

To be perfectly honest, I'm learning my lesson on acting on faith rather than a guarantee. After I decided to go into financial planning, I quickly learned that I was going to have countless opportunities to help people. Not only with organizing their finances, but also help them achieve their dream, fund their goals, and honor God with what they have been blesses with. God and I have had some conversations on how He wants me to go about helping these people, and I had it all planned out. I'd get involved in a church and start volunteering with the financial ministry and hopefully be able to do some one-on-one financial counseling eventually. However, life has not worked out how I planned. Yes, I did get involved in a church and attempt to join the financial ministry, and that is where the hang up has been. I made the assumption that after I got the direction on God's end goal for me, that I could map out the steps I wanted to take to get there rather than listening to God's plan on how He wants me to accomplish this. Since the church that I've gotten involved with doesn't actually have a ministry to help people with their finances, there has been a bit of a wakeup call that my plans don't work as well as God's plans. I've been extremely frustrated with the church for not fitting my plans rather than going back to God and asking for His plan to follow. At church this morning, I finally decided something was going to have to change. It's become clear to me that I am supposed to create financial material for education, presentation, and worksheets as if I was already working with people to sort out their finances in a way that honors God. This command is obviously from God since I would have never dreamed up doing all the work before the people came. However, I'm extremely excited to take the next step in God's plan because, as always, great things always follow obedience. I wanted to warn you all about my realization today because something great it about to happen, and I want you all to be aware that God is on the move. I'll keep you updated on the progress and maybe even share the material I'm working on as soon as it's finished!

Money Doctor

Money is one of those dirty topics of conversation that makes people extremely uncomfortable. After working just a few months, I've realized that financial planners are not like doctors.  If you tell a random stranger you're a doctor, people will be pullin' out their wounds and telling you way to personal details about their physical problems on the spot! Usually it's against social norms to open your mouth and force randoms to get a close up look at your teeth, but if you mention you're a dentist, people forget the concept of personal boundaries and act uncivilized. It's not as easy to get personal financial information out of people. It's like telling them your a dentist and they respond with 'Oh cool, I have some teeth somewhere...' So when people want to know what to do with their money, its a bit of a challenge to give advice if you've never 'seen their teeth.' But as we all know, I'm always up for a challenge, so I'm going to give you the best kept secret about money. The answer to how to have more money:

Self-control. I know this is a strange concept and not a magical stock you thought I'd give you to invest in, but it is what actually works. If you have enough self control to spend less money than you make, you'll end each month with extra money, guaranteed. And extra money isn't like a gift card with limitation, its good for everything! But keep in mind, if you spend your extra money, then the concept doesn't work. It is a vicious cycle.

Now I get this concept doesn't seem to match my doctor theme. People don't see how many pills they can get prescribed and then just line them up and watch them sit on the table. No, people take the pills they need. Just like you are going to spend the money you need. Don't overdose.

12 month goals

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated you all on the adventure that is my life. I apologize for leaving you hanging in the suspense. Unfortunately, things have gotten a bit routine. I say unfortunately because I am a big fan of change and challenges. If I could live in that room with the changing stair cases that Harry Potter gets to walk up daily, I’d be ecstatic. So to catch you all up to speed, studying for the CFP exam is overtaking my life. I eat, sleep, and breathe that exam and I’m not exaggerating. And because no one really wants to hear about that, I have been at a loss for words that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to learn to balance things in life. I tend to be an extremist. Like if someone were to ask me to make them a pie, I’d #1 be surprised because this person would have to be a stranger to request that I bake for them and #2 practice making pies for like 37 hours straight until I finally figured out how to do it. I don’t know whether this is a good thing or not, but I do know that one day I will have a lot of skills. Trying to figure out how to balance things has been a struggle because I just want to do everything, try everything and learn everything. Now I haven’t totally written off the idea that that is an attainable goal, but I have almost accepted that I need pick and choose certain things. So I’ve set some goals for myself so that I don’t get too stuck in a rut and miss out on all the fun things in life. Over the next 12 months I will (in priority order):

1)      Pass the CFP exam

2)      Get my concealed handgun license

3)      Create an app

4)      Get my commercial driver’s license (just to be prepared)

5)      Write an e-book

6)      Pass the series 7 exam

7)      Pass the AFC exam

Don’t ask me how I plan to balance these things yet, because that it the part I haven’t figured out yet. I mean those are only 7 goals, and I’ve given myself 12 months, so how much balance could they possibly take? Maybe this makes me look like an underachiever, but trust me, more things will come up. I’ll keep you updated on new adventures and goals I accomplish as they come!

Love Languages

Maybe because I'm surrounded by a ton of singles in their 20's, or because this past weekend was Mother's Day, or because I may finally be starting to grow up. No matter the reason, I've been hearing about this concept of love languages several times and finally decided to do something about it. Naturally, I raced to my best friend, Google, to get his input on what this whole thing is about. This trust worthy friend defines love languages as 'the ninth album by R&B/Soul crooner Teddy Pendergrass.' Yes, Google never lets me down. Anyways, there are five main ways that people recognize the show of love. This doesn't just apply to a boyfriend/girlfriend, but to family and friends and people in general. Knowing which actions portray the most show of love helps you to understand how to receive and show love at its full potential. Here are the five languages: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving  gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Some of you love birds can automatically pick out your top one or two. For me, I was convinced I didn't have a love language because I'm not really a mushy gushy kind of person. Thankfully, there is an online quiz to help you understand your love language: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/ 
My top two were receiving gifts and acts of service. Interesting to me, because I tend to be somewhat of a minimalist (with the exception of my weakness for necklaces and shoes). But the more I think about it, I can start to see how that is actually true. However, its reassuring to understand how I perceive love in my friendships and it's also kind of fun to guess what my friends love languages are. Challenge: do something to express each of the five languages to one person and see which they respond the best to. Be prepared to be known as the ultimate friend by everyone you know. 

Friends Without the Fine Print

People have always told me that girls and guys cannot be just friends. And although there are several arguments for that, I must admit that I disagree. I think its 100% possible to have a strictly platonic relationship with someone of the opposite sex because I've done it before. Yes, shocking I know. For all you skeptics, please hold your applause till the end. Now everyone may not be blessed with this gift, so I'm going to give you an easy way to tell if you're one of the lucky ones. If you've tried to be just friends but eventually couldn't keep your impulses under control and failed, then you probably can't. Basically if you somehow develop impulses for every person you get to know, then you may have a bigger issue that the inability to maintain platonic relationships. But that's besides the point. An honest friendship, by my definition, excludes sexual tension. So how do you establish this marvelous engagement? Just like building a house, it starts by building a good foundation. If you want to ensure your new friend doesn't fall for you, make that clear from the beginning. It's a lot less awkward to have the 'just friends' conversation before there is a chance of sending/receiving mixed signals. Guidelines also seems to be a new fad with opposite sex friendships. For example, not hanging out one-on-one with them can significantly decrease the chances of unwanted occurrences from happening. Supervised friendship is still friendship. An advantage of this, you won't have to deal with the all the nosey people wanting the inside scoop on your 'friendship' because they can witness it themselves. It's a safe way to avoid that 'so what's going on with you and...' conversation. On the other side of this, you could just be solely friends with unattractive people. Either way, its definitely possible to have that diversified friend group.

Unfashionable Purity

I feel that it is important for you to know that the concept of purity has been heavy on my heart for a while now. Because I have felt this may be a struggle for you as well, I wanted to share this with you. ‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteous.1’ Because my words have no power or grounds for drawing attention, I only plan on asking you read what God says, not me. So ‘how can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to [God’s] word.2' Now I’ve always been told that this is an issue that the world has tried to glaze over so that we never have to feel guilty for doing anything wrong. But I want to know what worldly people are hiding from me. One of the Ten Commandments says ‘you shall not commit adultery.3’ It goes on to define adultery by saying ‘anyone who looks at woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.4’ So not only the physical act of sexual relations but also the mental act is unacceptable. People justify this by all sorts of means, but ‘do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers… will inherit the kingdom of God.5’ I know this may sound harsh, but this sin will affect my eternity. I am not willing to sacrifice eternally happiness in Heaven for a temporary joy ride. You may disregard this instruction from God because it seems difficult to change or it’s inconvenient, but know that ‘a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.6’ Trust me when I say self-destruction is not one of my life goals. Take or leave this, but I have been told to ‘rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.7’ I no longer can sit by and let this go on around me without saying something. I know that ‘mockers resent correction, so they avoid the wise.8’ I am just fine with offending people if it means I can refine my friend group to ensure I am surrounding myself with only wise people. In addition to actually doing what God is asking, He says ‘you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but it sexually immoral.9’ I don’t believe this means to stop loving my friends who are being disobedient, but it does mean I am required by God to separate myself from them. I would like to point out that even though this post my offend you, I am not here to judge anyone. The Bible does say, ‘do not judge, or you too will be judged,10’ so that is not what I am trying to do. I simply am putting my beliefs out there for everyone to read.



1) Timothy 3:16
2) Psalm 119:9
3) Exodus 20:14
4) Matthew 5:28
5) 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
6) Proverbs 6:32
7) Leviticus 19:17
8) Proverbs 15:12
9) 1 Corinthians 5:11
10) Matthew 7:1

The Interview

No matter what stage of life you're in, an interview is always involved. Although this may not always be a formal interview, the passing of judgments from a 'superior' to and 'inferior' is almost inevitable. Within the first 10 seconds of meeting a new person, there are certain categories that we automatically throw that person into in our minds. This may be simply identifying them as friendly, good-looking, or annoying. But once that first impression stereotype is put into place, it is extremely difficult to reintroduce yourself to the same person twice. Now put this in the context of searching for a job and the pressure is on. Employers want to hire someone who can not only do a good job, but someone they can stand to be around 40 hours a week. Because of the competive job market, landing you next big career takes more than a stellar resume. I recently interviewed students for an internship and got  taste of what the other side of the desk looks like. Although this was a quick turn around from interviewee to interviewer, it gave me a new perspective on the entire interview process. I'm sure its different for every job, but asking questions to read into a persons answers can be exhausting. It about presentation, being comfortable with yourself, a formal friendship with a twist of sales. My advice: talk a lot, do your research, take notes, and relax.

Its a whole new conversation

I've always heard that if you want to be taken seriously, then you should dress like it. I found out first hand that is true! Now that this professional stage of life has taken over, it's like I get approached in a totally different manor. 

For example, I went to Florida this past week for a business trip. Sitting in the airport, I had all my business stuff and was trying to be proactive and read important new articles just incase someone important asked me about current events. Now this is not what strangers normally see when they first meet me. However, because I was asked to upgrade from my 'free t-shirts and yoga pants just to enforce that I had no upcoming professional engagements' look, adults are suddenly treating me like I have joined their pack. I am not longer the college kid executives judge or wish they could be to relive the glory days. I may even to venture to say that I am their peer or equal. But back to the airport, I sat next to two gentlemen who were traveling for the national guard. Naturally, I want to hear all about the things they get to do and the cool toys they get to play with. So after becoming totally jealous of their passport stamps and thankful they are willing to do all that for people like me, the conversation turned toward me. I'm use to people asking where I'm going to school or what friends I'm going to visit because I'm much younger than the average business person. I mean the day I graduated from college, a lady asked me what I was planning to do after high school (still trying to take it as a complement rather than an statement of immaturity). Obviously I look like I'm still 18. These guys asked me about my business trip, who I was going to meet with, what industry I was in. They never mentioned school. Instead of asking me about classes, I was asked about my family. Was I married? Did I have kids? Did I want to see all their kids and new born grandkids? Now this may be a normal occurrence for some people, but no stranger has ever showed me their family pictures until recently. Every person I sat next to would whip out their phone and scroll through memory lane as I watch cute babies and random faces pause in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing a joy of people as they get to brag about the new family additions they are getting, but I was so taken back by people's willingness to share their lives with me, I couldn't do much else but exaggerate my excitement and egg on the slideshows. 

Now I still feel like I am playing dress-up everyday when I get ready to head off to my office. It is going to take me a long time for the fact that I am a adult to set in. But I think it's the little reminders, like airport conversations, that will slowly encourage me to accept my new reality. Let the adventure continue. 

Do what you love

Every person handles extreme life changes differently. They can either be overflowing with joy because of the new opportunities and great advances they have made, or they can be burdened by fear of what’s to come and depressed because of all the changing details. Now I’m not here to judge people who don’t like handling big life changes because I totally understand the mentality. I tend to shut down when big decisions I have never made before present themselves. However, it is not what happened in your initial reactions that determines the outcome, but what step you take after the shock wears off.

One of the biggest decisions I ever made was picking what I wanted to do with my life after graduation. And let me tell you, I was acting like a fish out of water with the flailing around and hyperventilating. There was so much pressure to be at the right firm, the right city, the right career. It’s like I thought one bad decision would cause the world to tip right over in space and then people would start walking on their hands. Let me make this clear, nothing I can do will cause the world to fall over. Although sometimes I like to think I have a lot of power and control, reality always hits and I don’t.

From my self-induced traumatic decision-making experience, I learned a few tricks that calmed the anxiety. I asked myself one questions. What would I do with my life if money were no object? Everything is too centered on gaining power, which comes from gaining money and influence that this kind of stopped my train of thought and made me take a different approach. I examined my motives, what drives me to do things, my desires, what sets my goals, and my happiness, what brings me the most joy. Warning, if you have no desire to gain happiness in life, you should probably just stop reading now. I want to do something that I am going to love doing. There is no way that I can excel in an area if I absolutely hate every part of it. It’s better to have a short life doing what you love than a long life doing what you hate. If you need an example, brace yourself for a look into how my brain works.

Brain: What would I do with my life if money were no object?
Christy: I would help people enjoy their life and embrace happiness
Brain: How are you going to do that?
Christy: I am going to prevent stress to increase happiness
Brain: What stresses people?
Christy: Marriage and money
Brain: So what will cure this stress?
Christy: Well, since 55% of people who get married end up getting divorced, and the main reason for divorce is money issues, I am going to help people with their money in order to save their marriage.
Brain: Someone’s over ambitious…

Now obviously I know I am only one person. I know that I cannot possibly change the entire world’s population to be a happier people. I know that I can’t fix every marriage. However, I also know that if I can just help one person, then I have fulfilled my goal. I am not dreaming of changing the world, that’s God’s job. But if I can simply do what I enjoy doing, start accomplishing my dreams, and helping one person at a time, then I know there is absolutely no way the world will remain unchanged. Basically, God is going to change the world (I have no doubt), and God gave me very specific gifts and talents, and I think that if I start using my talents, then the world will change.

Now your dreams may be a tad smaller in scale to mine, or they could be way bigger, either way, doing what you love is the only way to excel in the real world. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will burn out very quickly and the people working with you will experience a taste of the flames. So for everyone’s sake, figure out what you want to do and then do it!

Will you be my friend?

I think the biggest question people ask is how do you make friends after college? We are no longer surrounded by people our age, bombarded with eligible soul mates, or forced to interact with strangers. It's like socializing has become totally optional and a bit of an up keep. I am starting to understand why people want to get married right out of college and avoid any self-discovery that my come with solitude. But why be tied down when this is your first chance to break free? I remember the moment my parent left me at college, sitting in my dorm room all alone, and I realized that I could do whatever I wanted yet I had absolutely nothing to do. A similar moment occurred again when I moved after college. With freedom come a lot of boring.
So naturally, I began plotting my attack on society and how I would lure these new people into my snare of friendship. Following the trends of TV and popular movies, I was lead to believe that just by walking into a coffee shop or taking any mode of public transportation a friend would magically appear. Reality check: TV is not real life. Random strangers won't magically strike up a conversation with you (unless you look like a celebrity or give them a dollar). This is a moment when practicing hobbies really pays off. Common interests are key in meeting new friends.
Church has proven to be the best place to meet people after college. Since it is in a classroom type setting and sometimes broken up by life stages (college, 20's, 30's, 40's, etc.), it's like friends are being handed to you on a silver platter and all you have to do it grab one. Taking a class is another good way to find people who want to be your friend. Toastmasters forced you to get out of your comfort zone and talk in public. Zumba or Pilates is more active and you can meet fitness gurus who can motivate you into an entirely new body. Go out and meet your neighbors. You never know when you'll be living next door to the creator of match.com or the event planner with free tickets to everything. There are always the more interesting methods like stalking, going to a bar alone, handcuffing yourself to a stranger, or throwing rocks at people until someone decides to chase you down.
Although making friends in 'the real world' is not as simple and effortless as it was in college. I think its a growing experience and helps build self confidence by continually putting yourself out there and trying new things. Ask yourself what you and your best friend would be doing right now and then go do it, because your new best friend is probably there waiting to meet you.

Relocating can be a MOVING experience

After college, its almost inevitable to move into a different home, city, or even state. And in my opinion, its a good first step into a new stage in life. So you've graduated and now what, you basically have three options when it comes to a place to live. 1) move back in with mom and dad 2) keep living in your college apartment with the party roommates 3) find a new place to start life. I chose the third options, and it was a good one. I moved 5 hours away from home, for my job, and it was a process. Fortunately, the week before I moved, my sister moved about 12 hours away so I got to use her as a guinea pig trial run for moving techniques. With this first move, we only took a small car and a small SUV, so organization was key. Everything you own must fit like a puzzle piece to get it all packed. Unloading everything reminded me of the parable in the Bible about the five loaves and two fish because that stuff just kept multiplying. I never believed that those cars could hold enough stuff to fill her entire apartment, but to my surprise, it turned out perfect. My move was a different story because all my stuff definitely would not fit in a small car. My dad and I unloaded all my furniture, drug it up three flights of stairs, and moved it several times to get it just how I wanted it. Then we went to the store where I bought my mattress from because I somehow forgot to mention that I would want to get it delivered so we had to pick it up and then move it in ourselves. Let me tell you, watching me and my dad juggle a giant queen size mattress and box springs up three flights of stairs, around tight corners AND in the rain was quite a sight. But from all the moving events, I learned a few things that I thought could be helpful to future movers.

1) Don't buy all new things because then it won't feel like your home.
2) Be creative with decorating, (ie: I made a headboard out of my old vinyl records).

3) Work out a lot before moving to gain strength to lift lots of heavy things.
4) Reusable grocery bags are easier to move than boxes.

5) Anything larger than a couch should be delivered. If you're moving higher than the second floor, anything larger that you personally should be delivered.
6) Movers are handy and do a fantastic job, but it saves a lot of money doing it yourself. Plus it's a good experience and memory.
7) Put paper/styrofoam plates between all your dishes as extra cushions so nothing gets broken.
8) Label EVERYTHING! even if it says miscellaneous, at least you know where to put it.
9) Be sure to bring a case of water or stop at the store before you start unloading.
10) Take everyone that helped you out to dinner as a thank you.

Roommates

I've lived with a few roommates, and I would say half of them where good. However, my most recent roommate experience turned me off from sharing an apartment. I lived in Arlington this past summer with 3 girls that I had never met. I had a crazy idea that since I was moving to a new city where I didn't know anyone, I should live with other people so I would have someone to call an ambulance if I suddenly discovered I was highly allergic to olives. Unfortunately, these roommates would of probably let me die on the kitchen floor if I ever had an allergic reaction. I remember one day I came home from work and one of the girls I lived with stopped to talk to me (a rare occurrence) and informed me about a birthday party she was having for her sister. Naturally I was excited for her and asked about the details. She proceeded to tell me the date and time and their plans, then politely told me that I could just stay in my room while they had people over. Needless to say, these three girls were not my biggest fans. By the end of the summer, I told my friends to hit me the next time I said I want to live with a random roommate. Now that I am getting ready to move again, I was set on living alone to avoid any awkward occurrences or unnecessary drama. That didn't last long... 

I began to pray and ask God to direct me in my living situation and show me very clearly what I was suppose to do. Shortly after, my sweet cousin told me that her really good friend just moved to Fort Worth (where I am moving in 3 days) and that she would be a perfect roommate for me. I met with her and she was nothing like my definition of a roommate. 

Previous roommate definition: n, a person who acts in a manor of impractical or senseless behavior while sharing a living space with another

Now I cannot officially say my definition is completely rewritten since I have not fully moved in with my new roommate, but I have a prediction.

Predicted roommate definition: n, a person who shares a home and acted with respect,  friendliness, and honesty.

For everyone else who hasn't had a successful roommate drop into their lap thanks to God, I've made a pro and con list of living with a roommate after college.
Pro

1. Someone will find you if you spontaneously combust
2. You can always get a second opinion on your outfit
3. You won't have to face robbers alone
4. You have a built in friend/connection to the area your moving to
5. You can split the cost of living

Cons

1. You have to be nice to their friends, pets, and plants
2. You cannot sing at the top of your lungs without anyone hearing you
3. You cannot steal their stuff (because they know where you live)
4. You have to hear about their drama, day, and diet
5. They could leave old cheese sitting around for 18 days

Color me... Professional?

I don't think it has actually hit me that I am done with school and am about to join in the world with professional people. But honestly, why should it? I haven't made any big changes from what I would be doing if I were to be going back to school next semester. There isn't any defining moments or activities that have awakened me into a new reality. So in order to start the process of accepting change and transitioning into a new stage of life, I have decided to update my wardrobe. Unfortunately, old shopping habits are tough to break. I went shopping looking for professional business clothes, rather than fun sweats and casual attire. I came home with neon green and orange blazers, bright fun shoes, and more workout clothes. Even without the ideal results, I think I finally started thinking about the idea of not returning to school. As I shop, I tend to picture myself in the situation that I will be wearing the outfit that I am trying on. So while I kept picturing myself in my office, or in meetings, I began to get more comfortable with the idea that I am about to spend an unnatural amount of time indoors at a desk. Change isn't the end of the world, it just the start of a new beginning. It's almost more exciting than scary to think of all the firsts I am about I experience.