back to reality

...the day has come to finally go back to reality. last night was probably one of the most memorable nights that i have ever experienced...top 10 at least! Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS shoes, came to our campus to talk about his journey and what students like myself can do to shape the world in which they live. i would have to say that blake is just one of those people who i will always admire for his passion and motivation to help those who need it most.

so i stood there...shaking...waiting to talk to one of my personal heros...and words began to fail me...at one point, i believe i actually told blake that i loved him. i really can't remember. one of the best and most embarrassing moments but i enjoyed it nonetheless. if you can't laugh at yourself then why bother laughing at all?? i was just in awe of this man, who started a shoe company based on the belief of "one for one". simple enough. this memory will be forever engrained in my mind alongside of the memories of the dominican republic, where i first found out about TOMS.

after listening to blake speak about his endeavors...i began to think of what i will do with my life. i'm 21...a spring chicken....i should really only be thinking about when will i ever get to that dang bar *ahem retro rocks*!?...but no, i'm not like that. i thrive for helping others and giving back. i want to travel and experience other cultures and how they live day to day and possible give back anything i can to them...whether it be time, words, money, food, or manual labor, i really don't care, i'll do it. they need it. so maybe working for a nonprofit organization is in my future...helping to spread the word of their cause through my graphic design abilities...

it's time to move on to better things...set my mind on the right track. get in touch with those around me and do the best i can in whatever i do.

it's funny...every time i go home and see my sister in-law's family, her mother always says the same thing to me; "jenna, you are doing wonderful things in this world. i am so proud of you and you should be proud of yourself" and my own mother tells me "you have done more things for others and the world in the past 3 years than i have done in all of mine" and recently a colleague and mentor of mine has told me that i should be proud of everything that i have done for this world...

now mind you, i don't take compliments well, never really have. so my gut reaction is to just brush them off with a simple "thank you". but thinking about it, i am proud of what i have done...and i want to continue to do this as long as i can whether it be in michigan or anywhere else in the world.

i believe that it's important to surround yourself with those who support you and understand your motivation and i most certainly do. blake would have never come to this little university sitting in the middle of three large cities if it were not for *agd*. this girl is amazing, no seriously. we both found out about TOMS in the dominican together and she has the courage to contact headquarters to find out how to get involved. i would consider her one of my very close friends. so nanner....keep on trucking and doing what you do, don't lose that spirit that inspires those around you.

so now it's back to reality...back to the same old grind of school, work, resident assistant, homework, programming, etc....and i'm kind of bummed...but i know that God has put me here for a purpose...and i'm just one step closer to finding out what that purpose is.

song of the day: "so much more"-mark robillard

Reaffirmation

On tuesday, i had to present a Creativity assignment in one of my classes. I found myself to be stressing out and trying to figure out what the hell i wanted to present; it shouldn't have been that hard seeing that i'm a graphic design student. but in the end...i put so much thought into it my mind was completely boggled. after i sat down and just relaxed, i finally decided to just do the simplest thing and forget about having a "perfect" presentation topic, and just present my work that i have done in the past; a few prints, drawings, and an identity system.

tuesday morning rolls around, and i'm sweating buckets! i have never really had anyone other than my friends and family take a looksee at my art. i was anxious and had this ungodly feeling of nervousness in my stomach. i'm sitting next to one of my best friends, known the kid for 8 years, and he's joking around saying that i'm going to go up there and i'm going to be all shakey (if you don't know already, i'm always shakey). lo and behold, my professor calls my name, i gather all of my pieces and head up to the front of the class. my papers were flying all over the place and i was just a nervous-wreck! i have no idea why i was....i was in 8 plays in high school and had speaking roles in almost all of them!

so anyway, i get up to the front, hands shaking like an old man's, and i start to show my work. i could just feel all of the gazes upon my works. i get even more nervous! what was going through my classmates' minds...i have no clue. probably something like this "why is she being such a nutball!?"

i look up, and glance over at one kid in the class...and i just see a reassuring smile plastered on his face as i held up one of my favorite prints. this smile was what reaffirmed why i switched majors. (it also helps that this kid isn't too bad lookin' :P)

everyday i look for these little clues that God's plan is falling in place for me. maybe He wants me to start with my education and career before i find a man. i get stuck in these ruts where i never cease to doubt myself and think that i will never find someone to spend my life with. but these reminders help me to slowly get out of these ruts (feels like trenches sometimes).

so i would like to thank this particular guy for reaffirming my talents and abilities. you had faith in me and you may not even know this. so thank you :)

<3>

song of the day: "Separate Ways"-Journey

Home-Michael Buble

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
'Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

Michael Buble-HOME

j.e.m

newbie

so i'm completely new at this...but i decided to cave! mainly because i feel like sometimes i just need a place to put my ideas and thoughts. it's so odd that something so simple, as a blog, could make me feel a little more connected, not only to others but myself. i feel that i find myself always "on the go" and i never really take the time to explore my thoughts and just wallow in complexity so to speak. i often describe my life in lyrics of artists that i admire and enjoy, so be prepared for a lot of that!

jem