Oh my gooodness, this is fun!

Ohhhh, my dear readers. . . . I am free. No obligations until I leave for Europe!

*in my head that means I’ll do yoga like 13 hours of each day. That’s all but four hours that I am generally awake for in any given day.

You see, every single night is a Friday night for me until I go to visit my friends in England. Then it’s a Friday night for about ten days, then every night will be like a Sunday or Monday night because I’ll have class about six days a week.

Haha. Wow, this summer is going to be the best summer that I’ve had in a very, very, very long time . . . I’m looking at working at a café in my college town, or hometown, or near-ish to my home on weekdays and possibly working at a travel agency on weekends, depending on how life works out . .  . . . .  . . I’m going to visit old friends, I’m going to expand my little knowledge of one of the most beautiful languages I’ve ever heard,  and I am going to be saving SOOOOOO much money by living with my folks. ;P
I really don’t like to call my parents that, it makes me feel like I am old and like I’m calling them old . . .

Today was my first ‘free’ day after my semester because I was busy with a final exam/essay and french redactions (essays) yesterday. So, today I went into town and I printed my résumé and handed it to the coffee shop that I really, really, really want to work at after my trip this summer and on my days off from class next semester and after I graduate from college in December (maybe/possibly/hopefully), but that’s getting WAY ahead of myself. I’m going to be extremely blessed to get tomorrow, next week, my trip to Europe, or next month let alone the next phase of my life after college. So many things could go wrong between now and when I leave for Europe. I should try to set up plans, as I have, and just pray that I’m able to continue on to fulfill and ‘seize’ them! #carpédiem

As I wrote in my About Me (Sur Moi), my family motto is “to live is to conquer” and I should really stop taking it for granted that I have been saved by Christ to live this beautifully complicated life that I have. I have lived, despite all reasoning, and I have conquered by doing so. Now, I don’t know what is next for me, but God always puts His chosen ones through struggle as He did with Jacob,  Ruth, Saul, David, Job, Judas and Peter. All of those notoriously strong and devout people of God (hosen by Him) suffered immensely in literal, physical and/or emotional pain.

While, yes it may be argued that I have struggled enough for one person, none of those people only had one experience of struggle, especially as short of a struggle as mine was. I only truly struggled physically/mentally/socially and emotionally for about three years. Some of His people suffered for several decades. What makes me exempt from the suffering of His trials? I do not intend to say that I am (or that I probably ever will be) as good and or  holy as any of the aforementioned Divinely chosen people, I just acknowledge that God wants to use me for something. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think He is going to let me get too old (forgetful) before I do whatever it is that He wants done.

I have a feeling that He wants to use me as an example to future Traumatic Injury Victims and their families, .  .and there’s something else, . . . . . . . but I honestly have no clue what it is. I am so incredibly happy to meet other survivors of Traumatic Injuries and I absolutely loveeee connecting my family with theirs, and talking to their family members about how I felt in certain situations or phases of recovery to help their loved ones understand the situation from a Traumatic Injury survivor’s perspective. So, that’s probably definitely part of my calling. Honestly, I will be okay with not knowing the other part of my purpose, or even if there is another part to my purpose.

I sincerely don’t mean to be obnoxious here, but I have always felt that I was special in some way (not the mentally challenged way) because of how easily I can connect with absolutely anyone . . of any age. At current, my biggest struggle in many scenarios is language and the inability to comprehend and or respond to languages that I am unfamiliar with. . . . Haha, I also have a hard time with some people that are extremely shy. Because of my extremely extroverted personality some people immediately write me off as one of those rude snobby girls that doesn’t actually care, she just pretends to care. . . Once I can convince them of my genuine care, I don’t really have such a hard time. But, there are a few people, now and then, who don’t get that I genuinely care and they generally don’t want to hear it anyway, which makes me very sad. But, as my Momma always told me . . “You can’t be EVERYONE’S  friend all the time.” I learned that not all people want me to be their friend. 😥

As the French say “C’est la vie.” (“Such is life”) and I’ve learned to move on.

But, most people don’t mind me wanting to be their friend, or even reciprocate that desire entirely!

Oh, I love people! I love them as a whole. I love them individually! I love the gifts each one of us has been granted and I love it when people know their gift and aren’t afraid to share it with the world. ❤ I love it when people give themselves time to discover their personal gift(s) and learn how to properly share with others. Those people are the best leaders. The world needs more of those people.

Well, that’s enough rambling for me tonight, loves.

Jusqu’à la prochaine fois!

De tout mon Cœur! :*

~Alexandra Mae

XoXo

Two weeks from tomorrow

Hey loves,

As you can see from the title of this post, I have been excitedly counting down the days until I go to Europe . . . . . . THE TIME IS ALMOST HERE!!  JUST FIFTEEN DAYS!

If you haven’t read all or any of my previous blog articles, I am visiting my host-family from a weekend visit to Plymouth England during my first visit to Europe in 2008
(I think . . ?)  for the last ten (or so) days of this month. Then, I am enrolled in a month-long term of two classes taught in French . . . . . . . . . . .Yeah, I’m pretty nervous about those two courses, but the classes are both at a university in France, so I am hoping that BEING in the French culture makes it easier to understand and communicate in French. But it’s only for one month, so I don’t think that it’s going to be a life-altering shift in my (current lack of) bilingual abilities. Ah!! It’s going to be SUCH an amazing month! 😀
I can’t wait!! 😀 I am so excited that I can honestly barely contain myself.

To those of you who have spoken to me about it in person, you are probably wondering why am I so calm and casual about it in conversation (?), and that is a very good question. I think that I only think a lot about it when I’m by myself and when I have the time (I finished ALL requirements for my Spring ’16 semester just hours ago!) which hasn’t been too much lately with the end of my semester final exams and essays and such obligations. . . . Ahhhhhhhhh, life feels really good at this moment. I am completely done with my last spring semester of college .  .  EVER !!!!!

Wow . . I don’t know what to do with myself after I finish school in EIGHT months! Haha! I could almost have a baby between now and then! Jeeze. That’s crazy. . . . . . . .

Don’t worry, readers . .I’m not planning on having a baby anytime soon. . . . . . . Just *hopefully* before I’m 30. But, I need to be married first. . . (jeeze, this is complicated) Well, the point is that I’m not going to have a baby in the same year as graduation from college.

But, I AM going to work my butt off for a year (or two or three) at a coffee shop in my college town, if I am hired there . . . well, one can only have goals, right? It’s an easy job, and it will probably pay for my driver’s insurance and possible (likely) for my phone bill.

My first goal post-graduation is going to be living at home for two or three years and pay off my debts (I shouldn’t have too much), then save up a little (or a lot) until life carries me onto the next stage. By the rime I graduate and pay off like half of my debt, if not more, I should be 25 and ready for whatever life throws at me. I will be young, but accomplished (in more than my education) and I will hopefully have at least written a full-ish draft and arranged for my book (about my journey from TBI) to be published, along with having completed my undergraduate bachelor’s degree of French Languages and Cultures and survived the madness that is my family (siblings, cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents ). 🙂

Yeah, I’ve pretty much got it made. Don’t get me wrong, I still have gigantic struggles in many facets of life due to the TBI and it’s aftereffects, but I’ve never stopped trying my best and that continual and immense effort has gotten me pretty far. Until my degree is complete and probably after, I will be publicly writing relatively often on this blog, as well as working on my book. I hope not to stray too often from the public blog, but I apologize in advance if I get too caught up in my book and forget to write here.  😉    :*

De tout mon Cœur,

~Alexandra Mae

XoXo