what a strange turn of events

this is what sets the tone for my weekends, my amazing internship at Communicare Dental. i love going in there every friday morning, it puts me in such a good mood, i'm ready to tackle whatever comes next (in this case, it's a long weekend of studying for midterms, yuck). today i had an adorable seven-year-old girl come in and talk my ear off! she wanted to tell me about how well she brushes and flosses, and when i pulled out the mouth model she took the tooth brush and showed me! oh goodness, my heart melted. hanging out with the kids is definitely one of the best parts of my job, most of them are so excited and have such a positive outlook on going to the dentist. i definitely feel like i am making a difference already.

with my feet in the air and my head on the ground.

just a quick little post, i had such an exciting weekend i can't believe i forgot to write about it! lots of friends get-togethers, lots of laughs, and lots of painted stomachs? yes yes, i am officially one of many spirited gymnast enthusiasts. my roommate adee has a home meet last friday and we showed our support and then some! haha. here are a few snap shots from this crazy weekend :]

mama, i love you.

every once in a while i like to give a good shout out on my blog to the people that i am thankful for in my life. this has been a long time coming, but my mother deserves the biggest ovation possible. she has helped me out so much this past week, i don't know how i would make it through the rough patches without her. she always knows just what to do and what to say to make everything better. she is so comforting and supportive, there's no doubt in this world she's my number one fan and would do anything for me. i have always always always appreciated my mother for the wonderful person that she is, and it seems everything i need anything at all, she completely outshines herself and gives me ten times the love and care than i ever thought i needed. i know she is the one person in life that i can always count on, no matter what i do she is always there, ready and willing to help out in any way possible. she never gives up on me, and she never ever ever lets me down. she has given me so much hope in life, i can look at her and know that everything is going to be alright. mama, you never fail to pull me back from the edge, you've always been there for me in every way possible and i don't think i'll ever be able to express in words how much love i have in my heart for you. thank you so much for just being you, i couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect mother. you are my hero, my savior, and the best friend i've ever had. i love you all the way to the moon and back.


i didn't want to hear it then but I'm not ashamed to say it now
every little thing you said and did was right for me
i had a lot of to think about, about the way i used to be
never had a sense of my responsibility
back then i didn't know why
why you were misunderstood
so now i see through your eyes, all that you did was love
mama, I love you. mama, I care
mama, I love you. mama, my friend.

Mama by The Spice Girls

so this is the new year.

with a new year comes new problems. but if there's one thing i learned from last year it's not to over-react. i have a tendency to blow things out of proportion. i'll admit it. but this time i'm taking on a different attitude. sure, the situation sucks, but i just have to deal with it. i can't stop it from happening but i can control the way i think about it and how i choose to act on it. and surprisingly, i am calm. partially because i haven't really dealt with it yet. but as i look back on previous "life-changing" experiences, even those seem silly now. i found a quote recently that i fell in love with:

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,
it's about learning to dance in the rain."

i know i'll look back on all of this and just laugh.
like i did this weekend. i laughed a lot this weekend. it was our annual cabin trip, my fourth year going. every january a group of 20-ish friends rent a cabin in tahoe for the weekend. it's the time of year where we can all get away from our jobs, schools, and obligations and just hang out like we used to before we became grown ups. it was an amazing way to leave my problems behind and get some perspective.
and now i return to davis, winter quarter already in full swing. i had my first quiz this morning and my physics homework is patiently awaiting me.

so this is the new year
and i have no resolutions
for self assigned penance
for problems with easy solutions

i wish the world was flat like the old days
then i could travel just by folding a map
no more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
there'd be no distance that could hold us back.

"The New Year" by Death Cab for Cutie