The Power of One...

It's incredible.

There are currently about 7 billion people in the world. That number is unimaginable to me; I cannot comprehend how many people that really is...

But, alas, 7 billion people in the world, 308 million people in the United States, 5.7 million people in the state of Maryland, 50,000 people in my hometown of Bowie, more than 50 people in my family, 7 people in my "immediate" family...

...and all it takes is 1.

This past weekend, I opened my email and found that someone had anonymously commented on my old blog from Budapest. This anonymous person found my blog because he or she is attending the BSM program next Spring (the same program I attended in Spring of 2010). The comment read:

I am a student attending BSM next spring. I found the link to your blog and have been reading it obsessively since. I hope you do not mind this. It is just that your blog has amazing reflections and thoughts on life in Budapest and life in general.

Also, this problem was very well explained. So, within my limited knowledge of you, I would say that you do not need to worry about your mathematical abilities. You can- at the very least- teach/explain math very well.
Godbless

I mean...holy cow. I couldn't believe it. To some, I guess, this might not seem that great. But to me? Well...my eyes might have gotten a little watery. It's just that...never did I imagine that my words and my stories could reach a complete stranger.

So, to that anonymous comment maker: thank you. Thank you for reading my words, and thank you for making my week. I hope (and know) that you will have an amazing time next semester in the beautiful land of Hungary.

A Different Kind of "Home" Sickness.

This past week, I have been overwhelmingly homesick for Budapest...

The sounds, the smells, the public transportation, the people, the language, the food…the everything. I want it, I miss it, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Sometimes I forget how much growing and healing I did while I was in the wondrous Hungary. Then, like a gust of wind, I remember: “Gosh…Budapest was one of God’s greatest gifts to me.” Being able to go abroad, worlds away from my problems and my demons, in order to find myself...how many people get that gift?


Complete strangers became closest friends. A foreign place became a comforting home. A broken girl became a beautiful young woman. I became me.

I have changed so much in the past 20 months...

Budapest will forever be a part of me. Writing my adventure as Budagirl was one of the smartest things I could have done. My sister, God bless her, bound that whole blog and gave it to me for Christmas last year.

On May 30th, 2010, I wrote:

All the things that made this place home--the objects, the pictures, the bottles, and the tokens that made Caitlin and I call this little space ours--all of that is put away to soon become little, beautiful reminders of a chapter that is drawing to a close.

These things, things which made our whole semester wonderful and unique, are shoved into tiny little spaces in my suitcase.

This place, this little apartment on Margit Korut, this new home of mine, will always be alive in my heart. I will always have the Soviet shower ingrained in my brain. I will never forget cooking for 13 hungry tummys on Fat Tuesday in the world's tiniest kitchen. I will always remember the lice bed. And how could I possibly forget the view?

It's true. Almost a year and a half later, and those memories are still vivid and beautiful. I continue to have laugh echos when I have random memories creep into my head. And for that, I am very thankful. And I was right...I will never forget this view:

When it comes down to it, I would go back in a heartbeat. Even knowing, and completely understanding, that it wouldn't be the same. I just want to breathe the air. I just want to speak the language, taste the pastries, eat the gyros, drink tea in a tree house, and experience it all again. But, what I want most of all? To share it with someone I love. Wouldn't that be wonderful? To bring someone I love to a place that taught my heart to heal?

I look forward to the day that I get to experience that adventure...

But, for now, I'm perfectly okay escaping into the memories and thanking God for all the people and things I got to meet and experience...

Friends. Family. Love. & Math.

When you break it down, those four things are what my life is all about. Everything can be grouped into one of those categories, and, honestly, I think everything should be. During the past 9 months, my heart has experienced so much of these things. And I can't wait to tell you all about them...

Friendship

One friendship has been strengthened (and now my bed is less than 5 feet away from her's), and another one was formed (a beautiful girl, with a beautiful soul, and a love of Christmas that is admirable). While others continue to thrive, and others continue to be made.

Family

I had the honor of spending this summer with my sister and my two nephews down at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. My brother-in-law is currently deployed, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my summer than to help out and be there for them. It was the first time my sister and I had lived together...peacefully (for the most part). And I got to experience a nice little chunk of those boyos lives. While I know this past summer is something Lina might not necessarily look back on fondly (I mean, her husband's gone, do you blame her?!), I know that it will always be one of my favorites.

Love

:) :) :). Really, this category encompasses so much. Loving myself, loving my life, being in love, loving everything good about my life, loving the way my life is going. Basically, there's a lot of love over here. And I couldn't be happier.

Math

Oh, math. Math. Math. Math. Right now, my relationship with Math is having a rough time. We're going through a tough phase right now. Math, apparently, wanted to take a little break, and I'm over here pining away for it. Or maybe it's the other way around? Whichever the case, I miss it. A lot. And this break has made me realize just how much I want to go back to school for it. I'm just going to take this break as a blessing, because it really has made me realize that I love it so much. So, as a way for me and Math to work towards a more long-term relationship, I'm going to start doing Math Episodes again. It's something I did every Friday (almost) while I was studying abroad in Budapest. I think it's a great way for me to review all the reasons Math and I fell in love. Plus, I get to share my love of Math with you! And really, when you're in love, don't you just want to shout it to the world?! :)

So, these four things should keep my fingers busy for a while. Along with the Cousins posts I need to get back too. I need to get a working printer so I can start writing those again!

A perfect weekend.

Some things in life just seem too good to be true...

Actually…it’s not even that. It’s just that sometimes you find yourself in a moment that is completely perfect. It forces you to step back, take the best mental picture that you possibly can, in an attempt to be able to fall in love with that moment over and over again...

That’s what this weekend held for me: a handful of those moments; moments so precious and wonderful, in fact, that I felt a deep need to start writing again. Moments which led me to feel so incredibly lucky and blessed, that I had to start telling the world about them…

During the past nine months, I have traveled to Key West, Utah, Colorado, and North Carolina. I have graduated college and started a "grown-up" job. I have strengthened friendships and fallen in love. And I have started to see glimpses of what my life has in store for me...

...and let me tell you, it is quite the beautiful life.

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to have almost all (my brother-in-law is currently deployed) of my favorite people in one place. My youngest nephew turned one last week, and we decided to through him an epic birthday party. Let's just say...my sister knows how to throw a party...

Since our little Joey is all about jumpin', we decided it only made since to get a bounce house! It was the best decision and the most exciting part of the party. We've decided that every family function, from here on out, is going to have a bounce house at it...

It's really important to mention here that my 58 year old father had never been on a moon bounce before. Ever. Let's just say...his inner child came out. A lot. And his mood was then like that for the rest of the day...

Later, after the epic party, we all went to the pumpkin patch. There was no pumpkin picking going on, but we did take a couple pictures, and go on a hay ride. On the way to the pumpkin patch, we were blasting ACDC and my dad decided to stand up in my car and stick half his body out of my moon (sun?) roof. When he decided to join us again in the car, he looked at me and said, "You have to suck everything you can out of days like this...". And he was right. Saturday was as close to perfect as I've ever been.

After we got back from the Pumpkin Patch, Party Rock Anthem was playing in my car, so we opened up all the doors of the car, blasted the song, and danced in the middle of the street. Random neighborhood kids saw us and decided to join. Then my dad made some toasted almonds, we broke out the Sangria (yum!), and we went on the back porch, listened to music, talked about life, and just enjoyed the last few hours of an amazing day.

It really was an amazing time :).

Our car ride back to Maryland on Sunday was filled with crosswords, laughter, outlet malls (Harry & Davids? YUM!), talks about life, Bojangles (never.again.), Christmas music, and an unspoken mood of, "that was one of the best weekends ever...".



My life is beautiful. I mean, I could use a little bit more math in it, but if that's the only complaint I have right now...then I'm just going to shut my mouth and continue to thank God for the wonderful people He's blessed me with. Because, honestly, every time I think my life can't get any better, He proves me wrong...

To the best year of my life...

The year 2010 was the best year of my life, thus far. It was full of adventures and surprises. I got new friends and family, and became closer with the ones I already had. I got to experience a magnitude of mathematics, and realized just how much I want to keep studying it. I got to play field hockey again, and I realized how much taking chances and doing the things that scare you can affect your life in an uncountable number of positive ways. I skydived. I pierced my nose. I learned a new language. I stood on top of a mountain. I went to Hungary, Greece, Austria, Czech Republic, and Serbia.

I really started to live.

It was a year that I will surely never forget. I grew. I matured. I changed.

Thank you, 2010. I look forward to many more years like yours...

January

February


March


April


May


June


July


August


September


October


November


December

Happy Birthday to...

my one and only sister. ♥

Happy 27 years, seester!