snail mail lover seeking pen pal

nothing brings more joy and sunshine to my day quite like snail mail.

and, i'm not talking about bills, advertisements addressed to "resident of current household," or even the newspaper.

i'm talking about envelopes addressed with your name on it in any color ink, possibly written in cursive, with a personalized card or letter inside.

every single day (well, except for sunday's a'course.) i compulsively peer out the window into my front porch where the mail slot is located in hopes that an envelope like the one described above is waiting for me.

but, as of recent the only mail i seem to receive is either an envelope telling me my loan payments are going to be starting soon, or it's something i bought myself.

bottom line- i love writing letters and filling out cards as much as i like getting mail.

and if you're reading this, and you enjoy receiving mail as much as i do, lets be pen pals.

xoxo

p.s. if interested (and i hope you are!) leave a comment, or get at me via twitter (@mrolla)

calling all "foodies"

that's right, i'm shining the "foodie" signal into the dark night sky. (or, well, this vast, vast world wide web.)

i'm what one would call a "wanna-be-foodie."

i'm not an actual food expert, but my goal is to be one someday.

see, like so many people, i have this struggle with food. it's a battle i've been fighting for as long as i can remember. i've tried diets and they've worked (but you know exactly what happens when you go off a diet...) and i exercise.

this, what i want to do here, its different. its not about dieting, its about learning. i want to learn about food. you know what they say, "knowledge is power."

i know the basics: eating fast food = not healthy, when shopping try to only purchase food from the perimeter of the store-avoid the aisles, note portion sizes, everything can be okay in moderation, and drink 8 glasses of water a day.

so, i shine the signal calling you here to help me. guide me. give any sort of suggestion that you think would be beneficial to me.

some websites i've been using are:

http://www.shape.com/healthy_eating/recipes

http://www.mybesthealthportal.net/nutrition/healthy-eating/

as well as some books i have around the house.

if you have any suggestions, (any at all!) please feel free to leave a comment.

much thanks.

xoxo

its way cooler than reading a history book!

you know the lyric "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," (from john lennon's absolutely lovely song "beautiful boy." if for some strange reason you haven't heard it, please take a listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uldu_1-JCJE)

well since graduating i have never understood those lyrics more. i had this idea of what post-grad life would be like and i was doing all i could to make that dream come true. while i was busy being focused on that dream a job fell into my lap, one i wasn't expecting.

i had been applying to jobs at colleges and universities looking to continue working in residence life or student affairs. but an assisted living complex for the elderly wanted to hire me as the assistant activities director. (and i was in no condition to turn down a job offer!) so, naturally i said "yes!"

during my first day at the assisted living complex i quickly learned that it was very much like college for the elderly.

they live in a "dorm-like" setting, they have "class," there are clubs, there's pub-time, and plenty of activities. (any of that sound familiar?) the only difference is the age group.

in the few weeks i've been there i've met many wonderful individuals. and i have learned so much.

its a mutual sort of learning. a give and take if you will. while i'm teaching them an art class or how to e-mail, i'm learning about their personal histories and what the world was like when they were younger. it's way cooler than reading a history book!

i guess what i'm trying to portray here, is that, even though this is not what i had envisioned, i'm appreciating the experience. i'm trying to take in as much as i can. i haven't given up on my dream of one day moving to oregon, but for the mean time and in between time i'm glad this opportunity came my way.

the three biggest lessons that the residents tell me they've learned are: take life one day at a time, grudges really are silly, and to just be happy- you only get one life.

hope everyone's having a lovely tuesday afternoon!

xoxo