Good Morning Sunshine! Oh wait...

It is officially fall. How do I know? Well the air is crisper (Yes, I can definitely tell), its quite cold in the morning and at night, AND it is still dark when I leave in the morning for work.
For the past month or so, the sun would still be behind the mountains but it was still at least mostly light out.

Like this :]

But this morning it was still DARK!! As in "I had to turn on my headlights" dark. I don't necessarily mind that it is dark, it just makes it way harder to get up and get ready when I have to get up in the dark. Bummer. But I'm totally excited for fall! It's my favorite, and I love that from now on it is officially Holiday Season. Love it!!

Also, I miss Disneyland. 

Sing! Sing! Sing!

We started learning this dance tonight in class and I just had to share it...

Fosse

Recovery

This weekend's focus was recovery.
Saturday was pretty awful, and I woke up feeling terrible. My terrific boss allowed me to have the morning off so I was able to sleep in until noon (If that isn't an indication of sickness then I don't know what is...), at which point I dragged myself to my friend D's apartment for Shabbat lunch. A small glass of Kosher wine along with some challah (my absolute favorite) and broccoli kugel (I sincerely hope that I'm spelling that right) and I was feeling a little better.

Before I go any further, I would like to clarify that I am not Jewish. My beliefs follow "Christian" lines. However, with that being said, I try to partake in Shabbat with D as often as she is in town for it. In fact, she is the only Jew in attendance at our Shabbat dinners more often than not. But I have been exceedingly fortunate in the friends that I have found at school. I believe (and I am not alone in this) that is of the highest importance to support my friends in all that they do. I love that D keeps her religious holidays and I am more than happy to celebrate with her as often as I can. I believe that there are few things more important than fellowship with friends and I have heartily enjoyed learning about her beliefs and partaking in them with her. We absolutely do not try to convert each other, or undermine each other's religion, we just accept it and support it.  She is one of the best people I know and I am so glad to have met her. Plus, the food is fabulous :]

At any rate, the rest of the day was dedicated to resting and sleeping and being cared for by A. Gotta love him <3 I showed up for my second shift of work only to be given a great big hug by my boss before sending me home. I love that she truly cares about her staff and that somehow she always knows just what to say and do to make me feel better. I am truly blessed.
So as a result of ridiculous amounts of sleep, I was feeling much better this morning. As I mentioned in my last post, my friends and I were planning on hiking to the "C" today and I was feeling up to it, knowing from past experience that exercise usually makes me feel better when I'm sick (I know, I'm weird). So we grabbed our waters, put on our shoes, and struck out on a beautiful day with perfect weather for some hiking.

 

 

 

 
Me and A being super silly

 
Me and my boys <3

I only legitimately fell down once coming down, which is something to celebrate for me. Haha, I only have a few scratches, so I say that the trip was quite successful. Once we were done we all came back, had lunch together, and then I tried to take a nap :]
And now I am taking a break from doing some homework, reading The Odyssey and drinking a glass of wine. I'm feeling better than I have in two weeks and I am really stoked about that. Tonight everyone is coming over to our house to watch The Walking Dead (it's been a tradition since the show started to all get together and watch it) and I plan on going to bed right after.
I finally feel ready to take back control of my life, and I'm pumped for this week (even though I have another midterm). I still feel tired, but not exhausted. It's more like the tired you get from a fun day, which I can definitely deal with.

I finally feel recovered.

Although I am still quite behind in my homework, so I guess I should get on that :]

Juggling and Struggling

I have officially been a commuter student for three weeks now. What have I learned?
1st: I have to leave my house before 7am and sometimes not return until 9:30pm.
2nd: My backpack is super heavy when I have to cart so much crap around everywhere.
3rd: I rarely get to see my man because our work schedules are so completely different.
4th: Eating out a lot is expensive but constantly preparing food to carry around with me all day (not to mention bringing enough with me to last the whole day) is such a pain.
5th: I have to admit that juggling 2 jobs plus school is a little harder than I was counting on.
6th(And most importantly): Afternoon naps are absolutely necessary.
I have also learned that sometimes I need people to lean on. I am eternally grateful for my friends, family, and my boss. Without the support of those that I love I'm sure I would be in way worse shape than I am in right now.
This week started off great. I had an awesome weekend complete with a fancy date night with A, courtesy of a present from my brother.

Aren't we cute?!

But between work and recovering from a really stubborn sickness, and studying for two tests (okay so one was only a quiz, but still) and all of my other excuses: the stress and exhaustion completely got to me. An impromptu therapy session with my boss later (with some great support from my new dance studio family and a good cry) and I am well on my way to recovery.

I even managed to walk home from school today instead of driving. Endorphins can do wondrous things, plus my wallet thanks me for not using gas :]

I am so glad that it's the weekend and I can finally recover, catch up on homework, and enjoy my peace. My friends and I are even going on a hike on Sunday to the "C". Super stoked!

In other news, my room is a mess and I'm hungry.

Let me just say...

I hate having multiple tests in one day.

The Miracle of Skype

This morning I got to talk to my best friend who is having the time of her life studying abroad in the Eternal City. It was amazing to talk to her about her adventures there and to reminisce a little bit about when we were there in Europe together after we graduated from high school.

 Us at the Colosseum in Rome and also in Florence - June 2009

As much as I miss her, I am so excited that she has found such happiness there and I can't wait to come visit her eventually... Once I have the funds :] I am so proud of her for branching out and trying something new. Thank God for technology that allows us to keep in touch with the people we love that are far away. I can't wait to see where this adventure takes her and I am truly blessed to have her in my life. 

Beginnings

Let me start off by saying that this blog is for me. It's not going to be anything fancy or even super interesting.
I love to journal but find myself unable to make time to commit to keeping one. I am hoping that this is an easy alternative for me to simultaneously keep track of my life and share it with others since I am exposed to computers all day anyways. This is such an exciting time in my life and if any part of my life should be documented, it's now. Hopefully this will be an outlet for my thoughts, a compilation of memories and pictures, and a way for me to better learn how to use this technology.
<3
My name is Elaina. I am in my final year at a University of California, studying Ancient History, which absolutely fascinates me. I go to school full time and work two jobs. I am in love with an incredible guy and I can't wait to see how our lives grow together. I am a "Christian" and am a work in progress. I try to show my faith in my actions and lifestyle but am guilty of mistakes just like everyone else.
I am sincerely looking forward to this process and I hope that I gain what I want from it.
Au revoir mes amis, pour maintenant.