tanlines

1. i did nothing today. aka i laid out in the sun all day, (sort of) watched the baseball game, and got some tanlines. yay, sunshine. 
2. i went to a good dinner and then got ice cream. deeeeelicious. 
3. blogging is hard on the weekends.

not much to say again tonight. except i love spring! today was the first day of spring...which makes me so happy. the sunshine was live-giving today. and tomorrow will be nice weather again, and hopefully next week too! so yeah basically, i'm just happy about the weather and happy that it's spring. i love spring; it's possibly my favorite season. but i like summer too...

nm, u?

1. best afternoon ever: lunch with a friend, hours in the sunny, beautiful quad with friends in a new dress, great dinner. 
2. then, got in my first car wreck ever. long story, but i basically reversed into a girl's car. not that much damage, but still scary as all get out. 
3. then a good night, really fun night, followed by some minor drama...can't wait to sleep.

i don't have anything to post about tonight? does that mean that my new year's resolution was a failure? i don't think so. i said that i could post about whatever i wanted, and tonight, i honestly am at a loss for words in describing how i feel.

medicating the masses

1. had three classes today, and my weekend started at 4:45. baller! 
2. had a delicious and fun (!) dinner with my grad student friend. good times. that's all i can really say about that. 
3. i had a great night. except for that one part involving a ping pong ball and an oreo... 

so my subject line may be telling...but i am pissed off about overmedication. i think it is way to shove drugs at someone to attempt to solve problems. this issue is really personal for me in more ways than one, but in general i think it is a huge issue for western society today. what happened to just letting a headache be a headache? what happened to just letting a cold run its course? sure, the argument of "why feel pain if there is a medicine to remove pain?" is legitimate, and in some cases completely understandable. but pain is the body's way of alerting us to the fact that something isn't right and needs to be fixed. it's a built-in warning system--why mess with that? it means you're stressed or have been staring at a computer for too long or aren't getting enough sleep or aren't eating right. so...change whatever is off and make it better. but drugs mess this process up--they mask the pain, thus masking the body's natural response and inhibiting the proper action from being taken. i also look at this from an emotional standpoint. it's like feeling hurt/angry/sad/stressed and doing something maladaptive to mask that feeling. the actual problem doesn't get fixed at all, just the symptoms are taken care of. but that's not getting at the root of what is actually wrong. so by merely treating the pain and ignoring the cause, no progress or growth can be made; then how are people to grow as individuals? overmedication really bothers me. i wish i could say more right now, but i'm feeling a block building up inside my head--writer's block, i guess it's called.

"why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?"

1. no class today, but still a super busy day. 
2. the weather was b-e-a-utiful. it made me so happy.
3. three classes tomorrow, then the weekend! i have exciting plans.

i believe in fairies. i have posted about magic, greek mythology, being superstitious, and now i'm posting about fairies. my friend found out that i believe in fairies and was...incredulous. he shook his head and changed the subject. but really, i'm just the girl who never stopped believing in fairies and goblins and spirits and all sorts of magical creatures. i can't really explain this without sounding slightly mental, but i've already admitted that i retain a belief in magical creatures--how much worse can it get? so yes, i believe mainly in fairies and goblins, and the power of magic and its influence on life. there isn't that much more to say about it, other than think about it this post next time you lose something and have no explanation for the place it ended up, or the next time you find a flower blooming in the dead of winter.

step one

1. first classes since spring break ended--pretty depressing but still classes that i enjoy, so they weren't all bad.
2. played my first of several intramural softball games today! it was pretty fun, but still rather embarrassing at times. the plan is for me and my friend to start a kickball team, so that should be much more fun!
3. so busy all day tomorrow--volunteering from 10:30-4:30, meeting from 4:30-5:30, another meeting from 6-7:30. yeesh!

so i said that tonight i would get serious and talk about psychopathology. but i want to take this a different way and talk about stress management. i have become stressed as of...today...about a few things in my life. while i am still enjoying every minute, it's not like i don't have bad days or stressful times in my life. just because i'm overall really happy right now doesn't mean i don't also get sad/upset/stressed. but i just read this cool article about chinese medicine tactics for falling asleep. but it made me think about how i am dealing with the personal stress i am feeling right now (and will probably stick with me for awhile). i think that blogging helps, though i can't be really explicit with describing my problems. that is why i need to start a for real journal that only i have access to. but anyway, writing helps me get out any lingering thoughts from my day and see how they look on paper, as well as go back and read those thoughts later. but what is most pertinent for me is how to manage my career goals and my personal life. i want to help people, but am afraid i will feel too much and won't know how to separate myself from my work. also, i need to figure out how to not think about stressful decisions that are not facing me right now. i should stop thinking about may and the changes it will bring, graduation and graduate school, and writing a dissertation and getting a job. like really, what the heck is wrong with me that i'm worrying about things so far away? okay, may isn't that far away, but i still can't let the thought of may coming mess with my mind right now. i need to compartmentalize my life--something i have always been horrible at doing. i'm very organized and structured, but it is hard for me to compartmentalize my thoughts and my life into manageable segments. i have always been jealous of the male mind for this reason: they can shut out or allow in thoughts at will. how can one just...stop thinking? i would be terrible at meditation. and the lady from eat, pray, love was convinced she would be terrible at it too, but eventually became proficient. hmm, maybe there is hope. so this has been a bit rambling, but i am starting to take that as meaning it was inspired.
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/24717/sleep-solutions-from-chinese-masters/

realization

1. got back into the swing of things--kinda. didn't have class but had some meetings and lots of homework (that i am still not finished with...)
2. i had an appointment today about study abroad next spring! i have italy fever--i want to live there and eat there and drink there and study there and...be there, simply be. 
3. signed up for a coed intramural softball team (ha!) and am going to start a coed intramural kickball team with my friend. any takers? 

everything is starting to fall into place. i'm finding a place to live this summer, talking more about plans for this fall/next spring, focusing on my post-college plans, and enjoying every minute of every day, even if it's stressful or gloomy. i just hope that things continue to work out, and if they don't that i can find ways around the obstacles and fix the mistakes and accept the challenges. i feel like i'm starting to have boring blog posts because they are all about how happy i am and how much i love life. i promise, tomorrow i will blog about something important to me. i'm thinking...developmental psychopathology. cheers!

geaux tigers!

1. drove back to school today. i'll miss home, but will be back again for easter. 
2. the weather at school is beautiful! warm and sunny and blue sky, with blooming flowers and trees.
3. i'm excited all over again to only be in 12 hours this semester.

i knew that 2010 would be my year. it is the year of the tiger and a lot of my forecast for 2010 has been spot on (i'm the year of the horse). just look at this...

The Horse

Fun, charming and attractive sums up the Horse’s traits perfectly. They love parties and crowds and being the center of attention. They can also be egotistical, hotheaded and impatient. The Horse is a considerate and protective friend and partner and when in his company, there will always be excitement around the next corner.
Forecast for 2010
The Year of the Tiger will be an exciting and lively year for the Horse. On the home and family front, there may be some changes with family members moving in, moving out or relocating to another location altogether. On the social front, the Horse will be in much demand with invitations to parties and gatherings increasing as the year moves on. Health wise, with such a busy year and added pressures, the Horse must ensure that he looks after his diet and gets adequate rest. Otherwise, irritability and heated arguments could arise unnecessarily. Those born under this sign will do exceptionally well career-wise this year. However, they must follow up leads and career openings with vigor in order to take advantage of the fast paced energy of the Tiger year. A word of caution for the Horse – they need to keep a careful eye on their finances as overspending could happen very easily. August through September will bring fantastic opportunities for those looking for love. March through May will be lucky for changing jobs or careers while November and December will bring fun and lively social gatherings.
Interesting Horse Facts:
Zodiac Stone: Golden Topaz
Special Flower: Rose
Best Hours: 11am-1pm
Season: Summer
Horoscope Colors: Orange, White, Yellow

a lot of these things have already happened! my uncle just relocated houses and moved out of the one on our property at home. career opportunities...well my summer is shaping up to be awesome for my career but i'll have to remember to be on the ball at all times. overspending will be more of a hazard for me this year too considering i won't have a "summer job" and will be wanting to travel over fall break...and study abroad in the spring (the year runs from 2.14.10-2.2.11). and socially, it has already been pretty exciting! my life is just on fire right now and i hope a lot that it continues (it sounds like it will)! yes, i put some faith in horoscopes. couldn't you have figured that one out by reading my post about superstition? anyway, i just found all this stuff online and it made me pretty excited!

so my bucket list item for tonight: throw a baby shower and bachelorette party for someone!

long day.

1. i have had the longest day ever. dealing with the car wreck and the emotions following that, then getting breakfast with friends and my sister coming over. on top of all that, it's the last day of spring break and i haven't done that much work. oh well...
2. went to a delicious dinner with my parents and sister and had a wonderful time. i love my family, end of story. 
3. i have to pack...at some point...and head back to school tomorrow. i'm ready to go back, but at the same time, i'm not ready at all.

so i said i would talk about new beginnings, organization, well-being, and perspective. i spent all day thursday moving my uncle into his new house, like i previously mentioned, and it made me think a lot about the relationships between organization and well-being. i spent all day cleaning and unpacking and organizing and making a house feel like a home. that did wonders for how i felt about my own abilities to do things for others, but it also helped jump start a new life for my uncle. like i've said before, i love my family more than anything and to be able to give back and make life better for someone i love...that's priceless. but after last night i have a bit more to say about perspective than i do about the other three topics. see, this happens sometimes: i plan to blog about some predetermined topic and something comes along and just completely changes what i want to talk about. c'est la vie, oui? anyway, perspective is something that has always made me think...a lot. hindsight is 20/20 and if we only knew then what we now, things would be a lot different, right? maybe. or would everything just...be the same anyway? it's very butterfly effect and counterfactual argument but it's fascinating to think about. one second can make all the difference...or can it? it's so weird to think about because we can never really know what life would be like if we had made different decisions. and i've talked about this before, but after last night it is 10x more relevant. i keep wondering "what if" but i am forced to remember that if one thing had been different, the evening could have played out very differently, or exactly the same. but to tie the two events together (all day cleaning and car wreck), they both showed me that perspective is everything. a new life can begin with simply a new way of looking at the boxes; and events can change how i view life and people in my life. 'tis a strange, yet beautiful, life, eh?

driving in cars

1. slept so late today, it felt really good to be lazy. 
2. did some homework, relaxed some, had a lovely evening...
3. until i got a terrifying phone call...

so the post i promised last night is not happening tonight. i am exhausted and recovering from an extremely stressful end to my evening/start to my day. car wrecks=not fun. that's all i really have to say. no, i was not in the car wreck, but my guest for the evening was. he is fine, but shaken up. it just all brings me back to timing and "what if?" questions. i know that way of thinking isn't productive, though, so i'm trying to avoid it. anyway, the post i talked about last night will be written tomorrow. for tonight, i'm just grateful that everyone is safe.

organizing life

1. cleaned/organized/moved my uncle into his new house for 9 hours straight today. i am a cleaning goddess. and am now in the order of st. yaya. 
2. that's pretty much all i did today. oh, i watched the season premier of america's next top model. 
3. seeing friends tonight. yay!

i have a lot to say, but i'm not sure how to word it yet. and i'm also in a hurry to leave. so i may save this post for tomorrow because i have all day to do nothing (except homework and sleep in). and i want to sleep on this some (actually, i just want to sleep a lot) and figure out all the thoughts in my head right now. so i'll get back to this tomorrow night. but it will be about...new beginnings, organization, well-being, and perspective. giggity.

not much, you?

1. went snowboarding again today.
2. went to a yummy (but slightly dangerous) indian restaurant for dinner.
3. went to a beautiful overlook of the city outside my hometown at night.

not much to say tonight. but how about you? i recommend that everyone say what they want to say to whomever they want to say it. life is short (so short, so short) and things need to be said. so if you are reading this blog and feeling something you haven't verbalized, for whatever reason, take tomorrow to do just that.

reading

1. had a looong day of traveling yesterday. finally got in to the apartment at 12:30 last night and passed out. for a night of real sleep!
2. drove back home today and did a happy jig and yelled "home, sweet home" when i got in the driveway. ran around my house and giggled and played with my kitty and smiled a lot.
3. had delicious home-cooked food tonight--it was my uncle's birthday! and that meant red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. mmmmm...

i love to read! books are my escape. my mom read to me in the womb and i've been addicted ever since. my favorite books when i was little were "are you my mother?" "goodnight moon" "the very hungry caterpillar" "six by seuss" and lots of fairy tales, legends, and poetry. i started to love fantasy and historical fiction almost from the beginning; our bookshelves at home are filled with every imaginable title in these genres. my parents both love to read, as does my sister, and we all just read books on the weekends or at night; rarely did we have game night or movie night. and i thank books for my creativity, verbal intelligence, and imagination. my imagination...that needs to be tomorrow night's post. anyway, i love to read, even now. probably even more now, actually, since college definitely restricts my leisurely reading time. yet another reason i want to live alone: so i can read all summer, every evening and every weekend. books opened my eyes to so many new worlds and possibilities. i started to live lives that i knew weren't possible to live: as a princess, a witch, a badger, a tree, the roles are endless. and living those lives enabled me to imagine any life for myself. books strengthened my independence and gave me the freedom to picture myself doing anything. are you getting a sense as to why i love fantasy books? but historical fiction, such a different story (pun intended? yes.) because the books are framed around historical events, but fictionalized and woven to make for a fascinating story that actually could have happened (who really know, right?). it's like living in the past, which is something i can never do, but have always wanted to do. on that note, i'm going to search for new historical fiction books that i can read this summer. yay! and maybe find a new fantasy series for this summer too...

it's early

1. so it's really early in the morning here in boulder, well, like, 10:29, but i have to blog right now because i'll be traveling all day and don't have access to a computer.
2. i'm sad my break is ending but i'm excited to go home!
3. i hope all my flights go well...and that i land safely and on time later tonight...

so i don't have much to say right now since i just woke up. and i've already blogged about sleep. but that's okay. i guess i can talk about new experiences. this trip, like i said a few days ago, has given me several new experiences. i flew all by myself and that was exciting/nerve wracking. any mistake i made was on my shoulders, but it also made me feel really grown up. colorado is the farthest west i've been in the continental united states (except the LAX airport for, like, an hour). it is beautiful in such a different way than the beauty i'm used to at home. and snowboarding out west has been incredible! i can't wait to come back and hit all these slopes. i'm so jealous that my friends live out here and get to do this every weekend from october-june (for a-basin, anyway). and i met so many new people and they all have such a different vibe than most other people i've met in my life. but i liked hanging out with different people and getting to experience life through boulder's eyes. as my mom told me, i have a "rocky mountain high." and now i'm about to come down from that high, but i'll remember it and i'll revisit it throughout my life. this is what i hiked yesterday...

almost there

1. went on an amazing hike today. the scenery was beautiful (of course) and the people were fun. i just felt, like, so happy.
2. watching the oscars right now! i love movies.
3. i almost forgot to blog on time because the time zone difference keeps throwing me off.

i don't have much to say tonight. i feel like anything i do say will just be repeating myself from the past few nights about how happy i am in boulder and how happy i am to be on spring break. but i guess, basically, i just love my life and my friends and i'm so grateful for...everything. the good days and the bad--they're all beautiful. i knew at the beginning of this year that 2010 would treat me well, and so far i'm right. there is just one part of my life not quite where i want it to be, but i'm trying to have faith that it will all work out. it's hard. really hard. but things will work out in the end, however long the end takes to get here.

get a reading from a psychic.

snow bunny

1. went snowboarding today at keystone and it was amazing. i've never boarded anything like that mountain before. and now i'm addicted.
2. getting ready for a good night.
3. i'm so excited that i got to start my break with my friend in boulder and then i get to go home and do that whole scene. it should be a good break from school.

today, i had some amazing time on the slopes. it was so exhilirating and indescribable. the last few runs just felt so good, i can't even believe. and the people i boarded with get to experience this whenever they want. it's crazy how much they take advantage of the beauty. i would just stop sometimes, spellbound by my surroundings, and try to point out to them why i was so happy. but they just seemed like it was second nature. the rockies covered in snow are...breathtaking. and it's just hard to put into words how the experience made me feel. it was so pure and i felt so connected to everything around me. it just really made me feel alive. it was something different than anything else i've felt. and it just made me so appreciative and so humbled. i felt peaceful and excited all at once. i am really having difficulty eloquently expressing how i felt out there today, but what's important i guess is that i know how it feels and i am able to keep that feeling with me. sorry for the short post again; i was hoping i could make it more in-depth, but i think short and sweet works for now. and plus, i'm on vacation anyway.

simply wonderful

1. SPRING BREAK!!!
2. SPRING BREAK!!!
3. SPRING BREAK!!!

that's really all these is to say. i am on spring break. i did two things today that i've never done before! i flew all by myself, and am in colorado! it's so exciting. boulder=beautiful. the vibe in this town is ridiculously chill and reminds me so much of the city near my hometown. sometimes i forget when i'm in college how much i love the area i'm from...the mountains will always call to me. but this place, these rockies, are a totally new kind of beauty. they are stark and formidable and barren and snowy and beautiful. i am just in the most amazing mood right now. something about this place and being with one of my besties from home is perfect. and this night will be SO FUN and boarding tomorrow will be SO FUN. and i'm here through monday (YAY). then, back to my hometown for family time and home time. then the second half of the semester, then summer. the best season ever. so yeah, right now, i'm basically just "simply wonderful."

safety

1. had three classes today; it felt amazing. it was a beautiful day here; i love gorgeous weather. i had a great night; spring break has started!
2. i woke up at 7:15 to do laundry this morning. i'm so dedicated (actually, i was just out of clothes, so i had no choice). that wasn't fun...
3. i talked to the grad student from the lab where i'll be working this summer. i'm SO excited! we got some more specifics figured out, and i'm going to start looking for housing when i'm home over break.

i am flying tomorrow. isn't it ironic that my mantra is "to fly," yet i'm pretty uncomfortable with flying in a plane. i just always feel so sure that something is going to go wrong and i will surely die. i know that the rates of car crash death are way more than plane crash death, but i can't help but think that if something does go wrong on that plane, my chances of survival are way smaller. and i don't mean for this post to be morbid, but i just think about it a lot before i fly. or travel long distances. but i never think about it when just driving around campus or around my hometown, even though that's when your chances of getting in a car wreck are highest. sometimes i can feel safe, though. i spend a fair amount of my time worried about dying young. but when i worry about this, i try to be rational and think statistically and remind myself that i most likely will live to an old age. but even as i'm typing these words, i am gripped with fear. a fear that i won't live out my potential. and what if i do get in a plane crash or a car wreck or something falls on me from the sky? then what? there is so much i haven't said and so much i haven't done. i'm just terrified. i mean, no one actually thinks that their plane is going to be the one to crash. but think about the people who are on those planes that do crash. i can't even imagine. but i need to remember my safety nets. i feel safe when i think about certain people or certain situations. so hopefully i can remember these people and situations and feel better when i'm lifting off tomorrow. let's fly.

funny how things happen

1. i love it when the whole laundry room isn't functioning because the main service box is "out of service." especially when i no longer have underwear or pants, and refuse to wear leggings as pants. thanks, dorm!
2. i dropped library science today. it felt great! that class was so stupid and i didn't care about it at all. first time that has happened to me in college.
3. spring break is so close, so close. and i am going to have the best time ever. and then i get to see my family and spend time with them in my beautiful hometown. and play with my cat! yay for spring break and the semester being half over.

the timing of life never ceases to surprise me. i got an email today from my church's listserve informing me that the service for sunday has changed and will be "a very different kind of 'Episcopal' service than normal." while this may seem insignificant to many, it's a big deal for me. i can't really explain it...but it's like as soon as i accuse organized religion of being rigid and imperfect, i get this message that it can be flexible and the innate beauty i used to see in church services can be brought forth again. and i very much appreciate the comment on my post from last night--humans cannot comprehend the mind of God. how very true. we all try to, but i feel like i question and judge and wonder even more than normal. that's hard to say for sure, but it's how i feel. but these two things have helped reinforce my faith, even if in small ways. like i said, faith is enormously personal and what is significant to me may not be important to anyone else. but i always look for signs in every aspect of my life. to me, these are signs that i am not alone and that some being is laughing at the dramatic irony. also, as soon as i started to feel uber confident about my work in the two labs, something happened that immediately grounded me and served as a sort of reality check. i am not perfect. this blog has given me a new mantra, "to fly," and while "i am not perfect" isn't a mantra, it's a good thing for me to remember. this life, i love how it just works.

"belief is a beautiful armor"

1. had class all day; it was pretty cold here but the rain/sleet/snow didn't start until evening, so that was a plus. but still, i just want sunshine and snow (spring break!) and sunshine and warm weather (this summer!).
2. saw the original manchurian candidate tonight for my history class. really good movie. made me think back to my post about the military and psychology and ethics.
3. i just want to sleep, for hours and hours and hours. that, and i want to wake up in hawaii. 

this is a really hard post for me. it's hard to admit that i am struggling with something i was raised to believe in. but then again, i think this is what people do, or attempt to do--question. i am a cradle episcopalian, meaning i was born and raised in the episcopal church. and i love my church family and i love how i was raised and the people i met through youth council and conferences. and i love the strength and the clarity my faith has given me. although i don't go to church now, and don't even know if i still identify with any set of beliefs, i just have this feeling inside me that some being is with me, helping me and protecting me. and when i am weak, their is a strength that comes to me. but i have a lot of issue with being told that i need to feel that presence in a church. don't get me wrong, i love the feeling that church gives me. the ritual and the ceremony brings me a peace that is unmatched in almost any other capacity. but i can feel that alone on the top of haleakala, or on the beach, or standing in the sunshine, or watching the rain. notice how those examples all dealt with nature. but what is most important to me right now is finding out who i am. and i have always been defined, in large part, by my religion. but i am struggling to keep that part of me alive. i don't go to church in college, i don't even really pray, except by just having conversations with myself. but as much as i feel cynical about organized religion, i feel this urge to have faith. i see religion and faith as two very separate, but related, concepts. i have faith in a higher power. while i have always struggled with the fundamental question "does God exist?", it has only helped me even more to explore what this life is about. there won't always be someone there for me, so i need to learn to rely on myself. but i also know that i have someone or something there for me. but then i hear the nagging voice wondering what happens if i'm wrong. isn't religion just a human creation based on a need to believe that this ephemeral life isn't all there is for us? or do religions stem from actual deities who spread their word among mortals? and this is a question i don't think anyone really has the ability to truly answer, though each person can answer for his/herself. but religion and faith...religion was born from a need to share faith with others. but what is so wrong with everyone believing in his/her own higher power? why the wars and killings and hate over which religion is right and which is wrong? and why the inability to separate religion from every aspect of life (government, relationships, the workplace, etc.)? it's because religion is a creation of humans. whether or not it's based in truth is a question i cannot answer, but organized religion is imperfect simply because humans are imperfect. i have accepted that. what is more difficult for me is figuring out where i fit in on this issue, and how decisions i make will affect others in my life (namely my husband and my children). but i think that's what these years (and this life) are all about--figuring out where i fit in the beautiful mess.

how sweet it is

1. good day! went on a recruiting adventure, had a fun meeting, and did homework. it was a beautiful day and spring break is almost here...friday, please come sooner.
2. the bachelor season finale was tonight. fml, he chose the wrong girl. america hates him and i hope he knows it...stupid jake and vienna. 
3. some of the work just got finished, but more was piled on. isn't that how hell week before spring break always is...oh well.

this episode of the bachelor has made me so cynical about love. he chose the wrong girl! everyone knows it! isn't it so frustrating when everyone can see that two people are wrong for each other, but the people involved can't see it. that's how i feel about this episode, as well as about other people in my life not directly involved with me but still connected to me. hindsight is 20/20 and i also think that the input of those around someone is incredibly valuable. the good friends and family will always be honest, yet tactful. allowing one to live life and experience mistakes and failure, but be there when the dust settles. so there is a lot to say about love. there is family love, friendship love, romantic love, sexual love, just to name a few. and the important relationships in my life are each characterized  by one or more types of love. but the whole reason i'm writing this post is almost as a tribute to the unique and enduring love my parents have shared. me talking about my loving relationships with other people can wait, or not be said at all. i'll have to see how i feel about it later. anyway, my parents have shaped so much how i think about love and how i think a marriage should be. and i know that everyone is shaped by their parents' marriage or divorce or absence. sometimes, i was afraid my parents would get divorced when i was little. i saw them fighting and loved each one so much that i was always confused when they fought and were upset with one another. but my sister calmly explained to me something that changed my perception of my parents' relationship (granted, it took some time). she told me that they would never get divorced and would always be together because neither could be with anyone else. it's so true, too. my dad and mom would not be happy with anyone else. they are just...so exactly what the other person needs. when my dad is stubborn and irate, my mom just rolls her eyes and points out his flawed logic and brings out the steely resolve that she has too. my mom always claimed i got my stubbornness from my dad, but really, she is just as stubborn, she is just more accepting of change than me and dad. anyway, when my mom is nagging and relentless, my dad can just tell her to stop being so overbearing and calm down. my parents need their alone time too, and both respect that. we were never a family that spent every minute together, not by any means. but we all worked and i think it's because they worked. they both taught me the value of independence--it is now one of the most important things to me and one of the most important things i preserve about myself. but back to the story, my parents love each other more than i thought possible, and it's taken me growing up to see that they truly couldn't be without one another and be happy. it's just how they function. they have made me believe in love. and them spending 30 years married is incredible to me. and raising two daughters during that time and going through so much together, i can't even imagine the difficulty. but their love and their bond has pulled them through and will keep pulling them through for the gold and diamond anniversaries. i'm not trying to paint a picture of their relationship being perfect, because it's not by any means. but it works. and in today's society, to me, that is a miracle every day.