Memories Rekindled.

Tonight, as I was not studying for my final tomorrow, I decided to flip through my Facebook profile pictures. It's always interesting to look back on things like that. To see how far one has come since high school. I joined Facebook in the end of grade 11. I've changed a lot since then. Changed friend groups, changed life direction, grown up. I don't think any of it has been bad change, but it has been change nonetheless. I've grown apart from some people and grown closer to others. I've had my heart bruised a bit and then lovingly molded into something entirely new. I've learned new skills, discovered new passions. I'm grateful for the person I've become and thankful for the lessons learned along the way, regrets and all. It's taken me a while to say that I've come to terms with my regrets. I made a lot of dumb decisions in the first few years out of high school. Wait. Let me rephrase. I still make lots of dumb decisions. But I'm learning not to be as hard on myself. It's a good thing to learn.
That being said, if you are reading this and we used to be closer than we are now, I want to say thank-you for the things you taught me during our friendship. The memories are still just as fresh. All it takes is a picture to send me right back. If you are reading this and you've entered my life in the past few years, thank-you for the things you helped me discover about myself. Leaving my Christian high school bubble taught me a lot, and I'm certain you played a role in that. And if you are reading this and we are still as close today as we were when we first met, however many years it's been, thank-you for sticking with me through it all. We may not see each other very often, but I am so grateful for the friends and family that I can be amazingly close with, even though our hangouts tend to be few and far between. Thank-you for understanding that my life is crazy. Thank-you for understanding that I will always be grateful for a coffee and a chat, no matter how much time has passed. There's something to be said about the comfort in old friends.
~Jessica

Grown Up Pursuits

Tonight, I felt like a real adult. I mean, I'm only 21, so it's hasn't been that long that I've officially been "grown up". But tonight it felt.. concrete. My roomies and I had some friends over to play cards. I know, I know, kind of old fashioned. But it was heaps of fun! Playing cards is a pursuit that doesn't take a lot of focus to be involved in, so it allowed us to chat and laugh and tease each other (as all good friends do) and just generally have a grand ol' time. And it felt nice.
Since leaving my small, somewhat sheltered Christian high school, I've received plenty of bugging related to my lack of "getting wasted" affinity. I've never really understood the need to consume so much alcohol that I black out and forget what happened. I'm not saying that people who enjoy that are silly or ridiculous, but I just don't see the point. My high school friends and I were able to have fun and make memories (that we actually remember) without consuming any. So I've just decided to continue on that path. And tonight just reminded me again how right I am in deciding that. I mean, I do enjoy a glass of wine now and then (or a shot of tequila at the bar.. or a pina colada in Mexico..), but getting drunk is never something that I've enjoyed. "Drink to enjoy, not to get drunk." That's what my dad always tells us. I kind of like it.
As the girls were leaving our house tonight, we all decided that play cards and drinking tea should become a regular occurrence in our friend circle. We could have a tournament and all play various card games in different rooms. One could just float from table to table, as the spirit moved. It would be like in "Pride and Prejudice"! So fun. And so grown up. We also joked that we could say "No alcohol allowed." I don't think it's a bad idea. And once people get used to the idea, they might not mind either.
~Jessica

Back to Blogging

It's been a while since I was here. Strange how much has happened since then. New roomies (much better than before!), new program at school (living my dreams!), new job (making coffees is theeee best!), and a new outlook on life. Not that it's changed a whole lot, I've just matured a bit since last fall. I've learned to stand up for myself more. Not to let people walk all over me. Well, maybe I haven't learned that completely. But I know that I need to keep working on it!
If you've been to this blog before, you may have noticed a few things have changed. Mainly, the name. This blog originally started with a former roommate, Michelle. To put things succinctly, that living arrangement didn't work out. Unfortunately, neither did our friendship. It was unfortunate, but I learned a lot. About living with people, about being friends with difficult people and about standing up for myself. Because of those unfortunate circumstances, I've deleted Michelle's posts and taken over the blog just for myself. It's been about 8 months since we parted ways, and I've only now decided to get back into blogging. It feels good to be writing on here again. I decided, just to be fair to the past, that I'd completely break away from what was once here. Change it up a tad! I hope you enjoy the change!
That being said, I hope you will stay for the ride! Some days I will post a few short thoughts, some days I'll post recipes that were especially tasty. Some days I'll rant, some days I'll simply muse. But all in all, I just want to have an outlet. A place to share my thoughts and feelings. A place to share a smile or two. Cause in the end, that's what living a full and joyous life is about to me. Sharing what you have with others, in the hopes that they will smile in return. So stay with me folks! I'll do my best to make you smile and maybe, just maybe, it'll save your life!
~Jessica
ps: I don't actually think this blog will save anyone's life. But being a nursing student, it just seemed fitting! :)