To Fridays.

I haven't written a "this week was great" post in a while, so I think it is about time. This week was such a good week. Though I felt tired for most of it, and I think I might be coming down with a little bit of a bug, the amount of time I got to spend with friends was plentiful and that's what makes my weeks so enjoyable. So, in channeling my inner Amanda, I say to you: Happy Friday!

- The week kicked off when Sara, Amanda, and I went to see Titanic in 3D. It was quite expensive to see the movie, but well worth it. All I wanted to do was to be able to say that I've seen the movie on the big screen and watch Rose and Jack dance and laugh in 3D, and now I can say I have.

- I had my second to last observation at my internship this week, and it went really well. My supervisor helped me to reflect on my lesson and offered some very flattering comments. I left feeling light as air and reminded that I can be too hard on myself sometimes and that I have to listen to what other people tell me.

- On top of getting a good review from my supervisor, I nailed down a job for myself for the summer. It is back at the garden centre that I worked at last summer. It certainly beats having to scramble around the city trying to find summer employment (which in this city is hard to stumble upon it seems).

- I think the major reason why I was so tired this week is because I've been packing almost every night. Tomorrow I'm moving out of the house I've been living in for the last year, and next weekend I'm moving into my own apartment. Now, I have to tell you that I absolutely HATE packing. I never know where to start, I get frustrated and distracted, and it just takes a lot of time and organization. However, I'm thoroughly looking forward to the unpacking, decorating, and setting up of my very first apartment! However, before that I get to be roommates with my best friend for a week - something I've always been curious and yearning to do :)

Before

- I chopped off my hair this week spontaneously. I had the appointment booked to get my hair cut, but had only intended on getting it trimmed. However, the night before in a frustration at the mess of my hair, I decided that I would cut it off so it would be less of a hassle and more "summery." And that's just what I did…and I love it!

After

- Last night, Amanda and I went to the public library and saw Sarah's Key. First perk: it was free. Second perk: there were refreshments (and they were free!) Third perk: The movie was fantastic, and makes me want to read the book even more then I did before going. Fourth perk: I got to spend time with a great friend, Amanda.

Happy Friday to you. What made you smile this week?

Life is Chaos

My life can be quite an adventure. In fact, sometimes it can only be described as chaos. I’m sure there are a lot of you reading and nodding your head up in down in agreement with this feeling. Easter weekend just past, and I ventured to my hometown for four days of relaxation, spending time with family, and getting caught up on sleep. What a great weekend!

Mom and Dad’s 25^th anniversary was on the 4^th of April. This is a pretty big milestone in their lives, and my brother and I both agreed that we should do a little more for them on their anniversary then we have in the past. So, after calling all my family members and combining our funds, we purchased my mother and father a new pub-style dining set. Here begins the recent chaos of my life.

As the clock struck 3:45 on last Thursday afternoon, I packed up my book bag and headed home from school. Not being proactive in my organization of the afternoon, I had yet to pack a suitcase to go home with. I was on a time constraint as the warehouse where I had to pick up the dining set closed at 5pm and the neighbour who kindly offered to hide it for me needed to leave his house at 6pm. After rushing home and throwing necessities for the weekend in my suitcase willy-nilly, I rushed out the front door yelling, “Have fun in Montreal!” to my roommate Amanda as I probably slammed the door behind me.

Oops, I forgot that 4:30 traffic in Fredericton can be insane – and that’s just what it was! I watched the clock tick minute by minute as I hit every red light possible and got stuck behind the slowest of drivers (or so it seemed, considering I was in such a rush). Getting to the furniture store at 4:45pm, I sped walked into the store to pay the remaining balance on the bill. Of course there was a customer in front of me telling the cashier her life story (might I add, the only cashier on duty, as well). I waited, arms folded, foot taping, watching the clock tick minute by minute edging closer to 5pm.

The debit card machine read “Accepted” and I fled the store to get to the warehouse with ten minutes left on the clock. I’m terrible with directions, and feared that I wouldn’t be able to find the building. After driving past the street it resided on, I u-turned and parked my car in front of the garage doors with five minutes left on the clock. I had made it and everything would be ok.

Nope. Wrong. Of course the table was about an inch and a half too big to fit into my puny car. The loading guys looked at me and smirked a bit after witnessing my distress. I remember saying “You guys need to figure out a way to get this into my car. I have no other option. It has to get home this weekend.” They hummed and hawed and I finally suggested that they take it out of the box. They warned me it could get damaged, but I said that as long as they were careful putting it in, I’m sure it will make it home safely. So, they ripped the tape off the box and carefully placed the table into the trunk of my car. I thanked them for their patience and zoomed off towards home.

Pulling into the driveway after dropping the table and chairs off to my friendly neighbour, Jay so he could assemble them for us, I sighed a huge sigh and became overwhelmed with anticipation to successfully pull of this surprise for my parents.

*Beep beep* My iPhone goes off the next afternoon. I read a text from Jay. “Can you call me?” Cue pit in stomach. Jay asks if I could look in my car for a package of washers and bolts that might have fallen out of a box into my car. I already knew that there would be nothing in my car, but I took a look anyway. As I suspected, the package got left behind in Fredericton when they took the table out of the box. My mind was screaming. I was sure the surprise was over.

But, Jay being level-headed, put the chairs together and positioned the table perfectly on top of the old stools so we could still surprise my parents. After having a wonderful supper out at a restaurant called “The Crow’s Nest” we came home to new furniture. Once Mom and Dad realized what was going on, yells of “Is this really for us?” and “You’re kidding me!” filled the room. I was so relieved that the surprise was pulled off despite a few bumps in the road. I am also so grateful for the help that Jay gave both Brad and I, cause I know if I had been putting them together, I would have given up after five minutes.  

Moral of the story: expect the unexpected and be thankful for kind neighbours. 

25 on your 25th

Mom and Dad, this post is for you:

Today is your 25th wedding anniversary. This is a day to celebrate your love, your accomplishments, and what your life has become over the last 25 years of holy matrimony. I think that you both deserve recognition and congratulations for making it through the rough times, the happy times, the times when you felt on top of the world, and the times when you were thankful to have each other to lean on. I am so blessed to come from such a tight-knit, hardworking, and loving family. I just want to take the next few minutes to thank the both of you and show you how much I love you both more then anything in this world. There are thousands of reasons why I think I am the luckiest daughter in the world, but here are 25 highlights on your 25th Anniversary.

    1.  You have good taste in baby names. Even though my name was supposed to be Michelle, I'm super happy I ended up with the name Melissa. It's a great name for coming up with nicknames for. I love that my closest friends call me Mel and Missa.

2.  Even though you named me Melissa, I love that I grew up being referred to as Molly and in my teens and twenties being referred to has Maud. My heart swells with love every time you call me by those names.

3.  You have always provided me with a safe and secure home. I always knew that when I walked through our front door that I would be met with love, care, and happiness.

4.  You made sure I had a sibling. I don’t think I’ve ever told you how proud I am of the both of you for taking on another pregnancy after loosing Kristi at birth. I can’t imagine the stress and anxiety that came along with it. But I can’t imagine life without a Bradley in our family.

5.  You were firm in your actions when you needed to be, but you didn’t tie me down and shelter me from the outside world. I think that that has made me a well-rounded person today with many perspectives of our society.

6.  You have always encouraged me to follow my hopes and dreams. Especially when my life is about to take a big turn and shift in the coming months, you constantly listen to me as I reflect and you help me to explore all avenues of my future.

7.  Thanks for the red head gene :)

8.  Mom, thanks for all the homemade chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

9.  Dad, thanks for instilling in me my love for cooking. It’s nice to have someone to share such an amazing and creative passion with.

10.   Hugs. Oh, you both give the best hugs.

11. When I wanted so badly to quit school and come home in the beginning months of my first year of university, you stood your ground and encouraged me to stick it out and you never once offered to come pick me up. Though it hurt my heart at the time, I can’t thank you enough for making me stay. These last 5 years of university have been unforgettable, life changing, and allowed me to meet some of my best friends.

12.  You taught me to value the little things in life – like how the red metal toboggan will always slide down the side hill at the house in Bristol faster then any other sled.

13.   When I need help, I always know that one of you will be on the other end of the phone to talk to when needed. Thanks for the help with car problems, financial woes, and heartaches.

14.  Thank you for all the family trips. I have cherished every single one of them.

15. You taught me the importance of family. I am so blessed to come from such a supportive and loving family. You both allowed me to get to know all members of my family, and displayed how to love and get love in return.

16.  The laughs. Dad, you have got to be one of the funniest people I know. I brag about you all the time to my friends. I know that when I’m at a low, I can count on you to bring me back to reality.

17.  You let me talk. You listen, you give me advice, and you got me through some pretty sticky and tough times in high school.

18.  For introducing me to Michael Jackson. Enough said.

19. Supporting my ever-changing interests as a kid. Gymnastics, figure skating, piano, swim team, leadership, exchange trips, choir, and so on. Whenever I expressed an interest in something new, you allowed me to give it a try. Thanks for driving me all over the province and allowing me to explore my interests.

20.  My favourite time of the year is Christmas time. I thank the both of you for making Christmas time in our family rich in family time.

21. All of the pets. I know time and time again Brad and I would promise to clean up after them and take care of them everyday. And we all know that Brad and I sucked at keeping those promises. So despite our lack of follow through, thanks for bringing those beautiful animals into our lives.

22. For putting braces on my teeth. As much as I hated the 5 years of metal torture on my teeth, I am so grateful for my straight-toothed smile now that I’m older.

23. For never pressuring me to be someone that I'm not. You've always accepted me for me.

24. For going on all of the recent vacations without your two grown up rug-rats. You guys deserve it, and I always look so forward to seeing your pictures and hearing of your adventures when you get home. Take more vacations! 

And last but not least…

25. Thanks for always being the two rocks of our little family of four. You keep me grounded and level-headead when I make things out to be 10x worse then they really are. You encourage me, support me, and love me. I couldn't ask for better, more loving parents.

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad. I'm so proud of you.

Love,
Melissa xoxo

Oh, What a Weekend!

What a fantastic weekend this past one was. There was so much going on, but at the same time, I had lots of time to lounge around and relax and get caught up on some much needed sleep. 

Firstly, I went to see The Hunger Games on Friday with Sara and Amanda. After doing my first internship at a middle school in a grade eight classroom, I learned quite quickly about the newest phenomenon that is The Hunger Games. So, last month, I sat down and powered my way through the first book of this trilogy. I think this was the first time that I've read a novel where I quite literally couldn't put it down. Considering this was a novel written for young adults, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat as a woman of 23.  

Needless to say, there was much hype between my friends and I about the release date of this movie. We all knew it was going to be so fantastic. But much like any book fan thinks, it's hard to do a book justice in movie form. And I have to admit, I am a believer of this when it comes to The Hunger Games movie. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie. I give it a solid "it was good." However, I felt that some scenes of the movie were very rushed, especially the ending. Within a matter of two or three minutes, the movie wrapped up and skipped a lot of my favourite parts of the book. Also, I would have liked to have seen the realization that Katniss has about the origins of the wolf mutations. I feel like that is such an important part to the story and to Katniss' character. 

On the other end of the spectrum, there were some things that I thought the movie did well. *Spoiler alert (don't say I didn't warn you!!)* - the scene where Rue dies I thought was done very well. Also, the scenes that lead to the actual Hunger Games where the tributes are training I thought were done really well as well - especially when Katniss shoots the arrow at the Gamemakers. 

So, all in all, the movie was good. However, I did expect more considering all the hype. I feel like the movie tried to cram in as much of the book as it could, and as a result, some areas were done poorly and sped through too quickly for my liking. 

******

So, the weekend carried on and my excitement grew enormously on Saturday morning when I woke up remembering that this was the day I would see Hey Rosetta! for my fifth time. My dear friend Adam helped me to realize that in my five years of university I have attended a Hey Rosetta! concert each of those years. Whether they were opening for another band or were the headliner, I took every opportunity I could to take in their magical music. 

And this concert was far from a disappoint. They were fantastic! Sara, Tyler, Adam, and I arrived promptly at 8:04pm to get in line for the concert. I am always bound and determined to be in the front row of any of their concert in hopes that the gorgeous Tim Baker and I will make eye contact. WELL, this time I was so lucky to be in arms reach of time as his keyboard sat directly in front of me. Just the thought of how close I was as I write this gets me all giddy inside. 

A fantastic night with amazing, magical, and beautiful music. I just can't think of any other way to describe it. Just incredible.

Oh, and did I mention that I snagged a third playlist to add to my collection - this one signed by Josh (bass player/back up vocals) and Phil (drums). Yup, I did.

Take a listen to one of my many favourite Hey Rosetta! songs. I'd have to say that my favourite part of their performance Saturday night was when they sang this song. They truly are the best band to hear live. This is a studio recorded track, but it is still fantastic! Enjoy :)

Note to Self.

I think I win the award for the worst blogger ever…

The thing is though, I don’t always know what to write about. I feel this extreme pressure to write a post everyday, but I just don’t have something meaningful to write about everyday. Some days are just average. And to be honest, I love those kinds of days. In my life, average days consist of getting up early, spending the day with students at my internship, running some errands, making supper, and lately – watching Gilmore girls on the couch curled up in a blanket. Those are the kinds of days where I feel most relaxed.

And on those days, I just don’t feel like blogging. For me, blogging should be something that’s peaceful, reflective, and interesting. When I’m laying on the couch watching Lorelai and Rory sip coffee at Luke’s, and the thought pops into my mind that I haven’t blogged in over a week, I get a short feeling of stress and feel like I’ve disappointed my readers. But I started this blog for me. A place for me to write down my thoughts, feelings, ideas, memories, and rants. And slowly, this blog has turned into something not only for me, but for my readers. Which I love! I love that I have readers – I love that I can say I have readers. And I just want to thank all of you for taking five or so minutes out of your life to type in my web address, or click on the links I post on Facebook and Twitter to read about me.

Sometimes, I think of a post to write and then say to myself “Whoa! That’s way to personal to be posted on the internet.” And so the thought wanders away. I have a journal on my bookshelf. I don’t think I’ve written in it since the summer. I definitely can’t blame it on being too busy. If I have enough time to lay lifeless on the couch and watch three episodes of Gilmore Girls in one night, then I definitely have enough time to sit at my desk and write in my journal for thirty minutes or less. But I’m just not motivated.

And I have to remind myself that my posts don’t always have to be so personal. Sometimes I feel like I always have to write “this is what I did today/this week.” Some of the easiest posts I write are ones like this one. Reflection posts. Also, if you know me or are a member of my family, you know how much I love to cook. I should share more of my cooking experiences on here. And, with the end of another degree approaching, time and time again I find myself sitting and going over in my head the career possibilities for the fall and other pending roads in my near future. This blog should be a place for me to reflect on these decisions and make memory of this important stage of my life.

So, if nothing else, this post today was a motivation and reminder to myself as to why I started this blog. I started it as another means of journaling. Because for some reason in our technologically run world, I can’t seem to pick up a pen and scribble down some thoughts on a piece of paper routinely.

So note to self, blog more often.

March Break.

It always blows my mind how quickly weeks are flying by lately. This past week was my much anticipated March break. I spent an equal amount of time at my Grandmom's and at home with my Dad and my brother Brad, while my Mom was floating around on a cruise ship in the sunny south (now that's a way to spend a March break!)

Here are some highlights from this relaxing and rejuvenating week:

~ Driving all over Western New Brunswick to a new playlist on my iPhone.

~ Helping my Grandmom paint and redecorate the upstairs of her house.

~ Having a coffee date with an old friend.

~ Taking in two semi-pro basketball games with my Uncle, Aunt, two cousins, and Grandmom. Never thought I'd be one to get so into basketball, but when a game comes down to losing by one point, it's hard not to become an aggressive fan.

~ Eating some of my favourite and most delicious home-cooked meals made by my Dad. This week featured homemade hawaiian pizza, the best barbecued hamburgers and steak, and a delicious big breakfast Sunday morning.

~ Spending an evening at my Grammy Dickinson's. She made a delicious whole chicken dinner with all the fixings for Dad, Brad, and I. For dessert she made pineapple upside down cake, which was my first time ever trying. And boy, was it ever good. While she cooked, I sat on the stool at the end of the counter like I always did as a kid and watched her multi-task and we talked about school and life. It was nice having some one on one time with my Grammy, because it doesn't happen very often. I hope she knows how much that time meant to me, and I can't wait to make it back up to her house soon for another catch up session. Thanks, Grammy!

~ Spending one on one time with my Dad. Saturday night, he made a fantastic steak dinner and the two of us sat at the table sipping red wine and talking about school, work, the future, the hopes of opening a restaurant, what food we would cook, our favourite meals, and we reminisced about days past. I think we spent almost two hours just talking, and I loved every minute of it. I will cherish this memory for a long time to come. Thanks, Dad!

~ Talking to my brother about his future. As the two of us get older, we spend more time together without fighting. I know it seems like a simple pleasure, but I love what our brother-sister relationship has become over the years. He'll probably punch me in the arm for putting this on my blog, but I always look forward to spending time with him and I'm so proud of all of his accomplishments.

~ Getting to talk to my Mom and hear about her amazing adventures on her cruise. I can't wait to come home next weekend and see pictures and hear about how she got to swim with the dolphins. It makes me so happy that she gets to check this life long dream off of her bucket list.

~ Having time to relax and not stress about school work.

~ Chowing down on TWO Glenn's subs!

~ Coffee date with Jane. Looking good, girl!

~ Making some final decisions concerning the next few steps of my life.

~ Talking to Uncle David on the phone!

~ And, I ended the week with a wonderful Skype date with my great friend, Cara. I always feel so at ease when we finish talking. Thanks, friend!

Needless to say, my March break week was exactly what I needed.

Just A Reminder.

Don't Quit

Unknown Author 

As things go wrong as they usually will, 

When the track you're climbing feels all uphill, 

When you're salaries are low and your debts are too high;

You would want to smile but you'd have to sigh. 

When car is making you down a bit, 

Rest if you need to but do not quit. 

Life is hard with its own twists and turns, 

As sometimes everyone of us learns. 

When many a failure turns inside out, 

When you could have won if you had turned about. 

Do not give up even when steps are slow, 

You just may succeed with another blow. 

Success comes with failure on the inside to out, 

With that silver tint in the clouds of doubt, 

You may never tell how close you are, 

It could be near even if it feels so far, 

So stick to with your greatest, strongest and hardest hit, 

It's when things seem worse that you should not quit!

This poem correlates greatly with the long, full, and gruelling day I've had today. To all my BEd friends out there, two more days!