New Addition???

Alright Allison, it's out there on Facebook, so now what should the blog name be???? Four Girls, a baby and a truck?  Congrats and can't wait to share some of our wonderful memories with new Baby Matthies!!!

Sunday

The four girls are hanging out on Sunday night, without their truck or their fifth girl!  We are going to Lake Calhoun. We will call you, Amanda!

Finally time!

This blog was created almost a month ago, when four of my amazing friends graced me with one of the best weekends I have had in a very long time! In that month, life has been crazy, hectic, emotional, and lived one day at a time. In that month I have also been able to read some amazing blog posts that take me away from the insane life I am living for the moment and realize how special I am to have such a great group of people surrounding me in my life. I have thought numerous times that I need to post, think of something amazing to write, but, like Libby, my creative writing skills are not nearly as up to par as others in the group.

So, now that it is almost a month later, and I have a moment to breath, I am attempting to post something....

Life as I know it is insane... I know sometimes drama is brought upon us by ourselves, while other times, it comes into our lives without knowing what hit us. I feel my life is a little of both. With each day that comes my way, I find myself facing a new challenge that, with time, will be conquered. I find that breathing (yes I know I can do it, since I am a freak of nature and can do it the right way apparently), check-in phone calls, blog posts, and all the random emails I've received from our state golf crew 2000 the last month are keeping me sane!

So, for any of you reading, you just need to know, since this trip, we have had the most random string of emails going between this wonderful group of girls. It goes anywhere from how to word thank you cards (HAHA... how many drafts and pictures?), when our next meeting may take place, small updates of life, where my dad's GPS ended up (which by the way he still was confident it would have gotten us there if the cell phones didn't work), and, of course, when blog posts go up. I do have to say, in this string of emails, I read each, smile, and maybe get a response sent out once a week... I'm struggling with this lately. Its a reminder to me that what I have in my life is something special, something that I need to continue responding and keeping up with. Things can get very difficult at times, but dwelling on the negative can only make it worse, so why not embrace the love and silliness that comes along in life?

After running into ORouke (our former golf coach) this weekend at the golf course, I am reminded just how wonderful our friendship and golf team is. ORourke told me his golf team this year took second at state and that he had one medalist! Way to go Pony golfers! And all the while he is telling me this, all I could think was our goofy, quirky team made it state in 2000 and did we place or have a medalist? i don't think so, but one thing we did have, that I'm pretty confident this young group of girls does not, is a bond and friendship that will truly last a lifetime. We had a pretty good team at the time, yes, ORourke did remind me of that, but somehow, I don't think the skill and talent was what made us such a great team. We were and are a team for being who we are and, with the sharing of Lime Chips and Twizzlers, offer love and support to each other. We grew together, spent HOURS on the course goofing around and learning about what makes each person special. There never is or was judgement passed, which I thank you all for greatly!

So, with this random post, I want to thank all of you for being a special part of my life. In my mind, our Pony Golf Team was the best... and not for skill or talent, but for being amazing, unique women. Though we may drift apart at times or be crazy distances apart, I know that I can rely on each one of you to help me through trying times and celebrate the great moments! Keep up the wonderful blog posts and emails, and I can't wait for our next meeting! Amanda, if you aren't around, we will find a way to include you in the evening or talk soon!

Love You All!

Emily

Deep Breathing

I've been told this helps. Even though I got to touch Justin Bieber, Jason Aldean, and Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland last night, I'm still struggling today. I got to the airport at 8am ready for my 920 flight, and it's now 6pm. That's right, over 10 hours at the Nashville airport. Trying to keep the carefree attitude, but makes me wish I was traveling with you girls instead!! The car handled storms much better than every flight east of the Mississippi today.

Can't wait to tell y'all more of my adventures when we see each other, but for now, know I'm wearing my Penn State sweatshirt and thinking of each of you. Xoxo

(ps that pic shows you every flight I've been re-routed on today.)

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Seize the Day

I hope the rest of my summer continues to follow this theme.  This morning, Jake mentioned he had talked to an old friend, a guy from high school he has forever been close to (he was in our wedding) but he moved to Nashville and we don't talk to him much anymore.  He also mentioned that this friend mentioned having floor tickets to the CMT Music Awards this Wednesday night, if we were interested.

As Jake was telling me this story this morning, I shot up out of bed and immediately checked my work calendar.  Oh my gosh, I was thinking, how do I make this work?!?  I looked up flights (I even have credit on Continental), got in touch with his friend, and now I'm headed to Nashville for a midweek excursion!  

This is what it's all about.  Less planning, more doing.  I'm not even very close to this friend, but Jake absolutely loves him and I'm excited to spend time with him one-on-one (and two-on-a million country stars).  So I'm heading out Tuesday night and home Thursday morning, and I'm beyond lucky that I have the means to do this last minute with my job and financially.  

I can't wait to tell you all about it (and I'm sure, post some pics) when I return home!!

Penn State, Specifically

Amanda moved 1,000 miles away when she was 18. I get that this is normal for some people, but for me, this would not have seemed normal! This weekend, we got to see her true pride and joy - the place where she feels most at home - the Penn State campus.

I totally get it, because when I returned to Gustavus a few weeks ago, I immediately felt my heart beat faster.  The energy, inspiration, and hope on a college campus is powerful - especially a campus that is not scattered throughout a city, but the kind that welcomes us into its distinct community with open arms. The kind that gives us that invincible, open-minded, warm-hearted, and hopeful feeling.  I was so happy that she got to share her place with us.

Above, we're laying on the campus lawn, chatting, taking in some sun. This needs to start happening FAR MORE OFTEN in my life. (This is also where Libby helped us align our ribs for better backs - this part can still happen less often. :) )

Below you can see Em's pride for her school - Iowa - followed by a bit of Gopher pride for all of us Minnesotans.

On the way to the library, we got to see Amanda's favorite place in the whole entire world. Here she is, standing in her favorite place.  To be able to share moments like this and think about the times she experienced here is one of those little things that makes life great.  Look how happy she is!

Above was taken inside the library, which I just thought was pretty and interesting.

That college experience - it's one that if you've had it, you know what I'm talking about.  It lives inside of us forever.  Whitney told us about the sweetest thing that happened her senior year of college, when in short, she was encouraged to wander campus and reflect on every moment over her four years there.  I'm SO glad that during college I realized how great life was, because now when I pay my monthly student loans, I am honestly grateful for every moment.  I also realize how much I gravitate to college life and plan to be back there someday.  

Since our visit this weekend (and many more to come in the future), I consider myself an honorary Nittany Lion. (Bonus: I now have a new team added to my top Divison 1 teams to cheer on during football, March Madness, etc! My past Tarheel love will now be shared with the Nittany Lions. :) )

Moving Forward by Looking Back

One thing I really like to do is think back to what was I doing one week/month/year/etc. ago. It helps me get a sense of how my thoughts have changed, how I've grown, what things I was looking forward and what obstacles I successfully navigated. So today I find myself thinking about last week at this time.

I remember eagerly waiting to get through the work day as the minutes, slowly, ticked away. I went from checking the daily weather forecast to being excited about pulling up the hourly one. I kept thinking I needed to put together a better plan for the weekend than just "winging it". Knowing Libby's tendency of waiting to the last minute on things, (i.e. flipping a coin in the back seat of a van after a golf tournament on which college to go to the night before the decision had to be made) I chuckled wondering if she had even started packing yet. I was filled with elation knowing I was going to be able to show an old friend all the great new things life has treated me to.

What makes me truly happy, reflecting on where I was a week ago, is that I had no idea what was in store for me. Without any planning (at least from me) my life changed for the better and looking back I realize how often this has been the case. Some of my best memories come from times when there wasn't an itinerary to map out each second of the day or when the original plan fell through and instead I stumbled into something even better. I think this is how life should be lived: plan for what you can but be willing to fully embrace what you never expected.

So even though I physically find myself in the same spot as a week ago, and I am once again waiting for the clock to reach 5:00, eager for the weekend to come (I officially move tomorrow!), I am enjoying an entirely refreshed mental outlook. I find a tremendous amount of hope knowing that tomorrow, or any moment for that matter, can bring infinite joy, fun and adventure. And while I know any moment can also result in hurt and pain I am comforted by the thought that I am surrounded by loved ones or in another sense that "the world is looking out for me" and I know those times shall soon pass. Regardless, I know I am ready for tomorrow, no matter what happens, and it is up to me to make the most of it.