Warriors

Sometimes I listen to podcasts for fun and a few months ago I listened to one about happiness. A speaker revealed the true key to happiness. He said, "The key to happiness is low expectations."

There is a lot of truth in this statement. If you have low expectations, it becomes almost impossible to be disappointed. I'm definitely feeling a lot of disappointment right now. Occasionally I wish that I had no expectations for life or for love. How easy would things be if I didn't expect to find my true love? I guess it would probably save a lot of heartbreak, but it would also take away a lot of happiness.

I'm often pretty hard on myself for being so emotional. I am well aware that I fall very hard and very fast. Heck, after losing a guy that I have only known for three days or three weeks I spend the night in tears. It would sure be way easier if I wasn't so emotional. It all comes back to expectations. If I expected these little college flings to amount to nothing, I wouldn't be so surprised or hurt when they fail. If I didn't expect each "perfect" guy to be "the one" then I wouldn't be so upset when they inevitably let me down.

It seems like it is always too good to be true. Except one day it won't be. One day, reality will be as good as my dreams. Last night I was almost ready to just give up on love entirely. I realize how extreme that is but a devastated girl will often go to extremes. But me giving up on love would be like me giving up on breathing. Loving is essential to who I am. As many times as I get burned, I could not stop loving if I tried.

The good news here is that my friends are the easiest people to love. Honest to God, I would be lost without my friends. Last night was the roughest night I have had in awhile. One friend heard me bawling in the other room and ran to me. Another held me while I cried. Another made me laugh my ass off. Another stood up for me when I was powerless. Another let me walk in to her room, no questions asked. Even friends that are states away were there for me. This isn't the first time either. Any time there is a bump in my road, my friends carry me over it.

Not to be cheesy (although I do love cheese), but love really is a battlefield. My girls are my warriors. I would surely lose the battle without them. There is no one else I would rather have by my side as I take on this crazy world.

Since last night, there has been one quote that has been sticking out in my mind. It is one of my favorites of all time and I have probably used this Carrie quote before, but it is too fitting to not use here.

From one writer to another: "Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with."

We have to be warriors, but an army of one will never win. That is why I will continue to rely on the women I love when I am too weak to carry my own sword.

Team Spirit to the Max

When I decided to come to DU, I was a little upset. Ya see, I love football. It has been my favorite sport forever. I dreamed of the days when I would get to sit outside at a football stadium and watch my college team do some damage. DU doesn't have a football team and I was appalled that I would be attending a football-less university. I never imagined that I would love college hockey way more than I ever loved college football.

Since the beginning of the season, I have been pretty dedicated to this team. The dedication may be from the fact that I am a reporter and it is kind of in my job description to keep tabs on our most prevalent (sorry lacrosse) team. It can also probably be attributed to the fact that I fangirl way too hard over sports teams (Exhibit A: my undying devotion to Troy Polamalu). There have been very few home games where I have not been sitting on the boards, banging on the glass. Even for the CC games, I got to Magness an hour and a half early just to get those seats. There wasn't even any question about it either. The only time I was not on the boards was when I was in the press box. As awesome as the press box is, there is no doubt that I would rather be on the boards with my best friends.

Last night was probably the greatest hockey game I have ever seen live. It was senior night, which was a very emotional time for me for reasons I will not post on the internet. In the first period, we scored 4 goals. It was the most thrilling hockey experience ever. The fact that this team that I love so much was destroying the 4th best team in the country was just surreal. To be honest, I'm surprised that I have a voice today after screaming "JOEY!" and "1-9" so much.

DU is seriously the greatest place on Earth, maybe even better than Disneyland, although I can't say that for sure. Aside from my friends, this hockey team is probably the top reason why I love this school so much. Clearly, DU is going to be in the playoffs. I would not be surprised one bit if we won the Frozen Four. I know just how good this team is...from our freshman goalie to our senior defensive superstar. The fact that last night was the last home game of the season just breaks my heart. Knowing that 7 of our amazing players have to graduate and leave makes me unbelievably sad, even though only one of them might know my name. By the way, 3 of the 7 have been drafted by the NHL. Yeah, that's pretty impressive.

DU always gets quite a bit of shit for not having enough team spirit or school pride, but this girl has enough of both to go around.

40 Days and 40 Nights

It's Ash Wednesday! Ash Wednesday is a very interesting day in the Catholic Church. Symbolism and tradition abound, but the reason I like Ash Wednesday is because it marks the beginning of change. Lent is a sad season, but things are changing and something great is on its way. 

It is tradition to give something up for Lent, just as Jesus gave up his life for us. This year, I am doing something way different and way more challenging than usual. My best friend, Julie, and I are going to be putting ourselves on the Paleo diet. Yup. It is going to be one of the most difficult challenges in self-control ever. No grains. No pasta. No potatoes. No dairy. No peanuts. No refined sugar. No processed anything. Basically, the two of us will be eating fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and natural sweeteners. Of course, on Fridays we will be on the Bunny diet since we cannot eat meat and will have to resort to carrots and celery.

I am actually really excited for this Lent. When it comes to food, I basically have no self control at all. It's pretty terrible. Luckily I'm not 400 pounds, but I have a weak spot for chocolate and ice cream and french fries. Learning how to really control what I eat will definitely help me be more healthy in the long run. Also, I think about food quite often and now whenever I get hungry or want some pizza, I'll think of God instead. It's a win-win.  

I always had the expectation that going away to college would lessen my faith. I never imagined that my faith would become 10 times strong at a University. Maybe it's because I need God more or maybe it's because I am surrounded by so many incredible Catholics that I love a lot. Either way, I'm excited for these next 40 days and all the sacrifice, cleansing, and change they will bring. 

Full Speed Ahead

Second quarter has been incredibly difficult, way more difficult than I would have expected. In the next 7 days, I have an exam in every single class. This next week is going to be hell. The good news is that this quarter is over in 3 weeks. Then I get to travel to DC and when I come back, my schedule will be so much better.

This morning I registered for my 3rd quarter of college classes. I will be taking Italian 3, Organic Chemistry 2, Hard Choices in Public Policy, and Honors Writing. OChem 2 is definitely not going to be a walk in the park, but I figure only being in one hard science class is a step up from being in two. I will be in two Honors classes next quarter so that will be pretty tough, but they are mostly writing based and I like to think that I am good at writing. Hard Choices in Public Policy is a class that is taught by Richard Lamm, the former governor of Colorado. It's not everyday you get to learn about politics from a governor so I am beyond excited. I am even more excited that I will have no classes on Friday! I also don't start classes until 12pm on Mondays. It is definitely going to be a good quarter.

It blows my mind that it is almost time for quarter 3. The year is over halfway done. Part of me feels like I just got to DU and the other part of me can hardly remember what life was like without DU. Things have been moving fast and they are definitely not slowing down anytime soon.

Love is in the Air

Valentine's Day is a holiday for couples. It is all about the man buying the woman flowers and chocolate, there's usually a nice dinner involved, and maybe a screening of 50 Shades of Grey if you're into that. I know many people that feel like shit on Valentine's Day because they are single. Thankfully, I'm not one of them.

Valentine's Day can be about couples, but it is more about love. This is the first Valentine's Day in 3 years where I am "single". Yes, I am "single" but I am not alone. Not even close. I received so many cards and packages from my incredible family. I am surrounded by so many amazing friends that love me so much, and I love them too. "Single" or not, there is definitely no shortage of love. Valentine's Day shouldn't be about only a significant other, it's about love. It takes many forms and it is everywhere. Just look around.