Monday+Marines+Mug

Welcome to the first Monday of a very very busy month. I was not looking forward to this Monday, not that I ever look forward to such an evil day. I actually woke up (before the alarm clock!) and thought it was Sunday. Imagine my disappointment when I realized that it was in fact Monday. Very disappointed.

But let me take you through my day, even if it is only 4 pm.

I arrived at our weekly meeting a few minutes late. A huge problem for me and something I actually have been trying to work on. It's the first meeting in awhile that I've been late to. Still not a good thing.

Meeting went as well as any of those meetings could possibly go. Friends and I went to lunch, which was pretty uneventful. Love them, but going to lunch is not a huge deal for us. Then part of my after-lunch-ritual is going to the mail room to check my mail. On my way back to the office, I noticed a couple of gentlemen in uniform. Marines, no less. (I love the Marines-if I have to join a military branch, it would be the Marines. Hands down!) Not something we see every day here. It's a small campus so I notice things like that. They seemed lost and instead of giving them directions, it was easier for me to just show them where to go. It seems natural for me to do something like that. Must be that Filipino hospitality that is so ingrained in my soul. Wish I was exaggerating.

They asked if that was on my way to wherever it was I was going. It wasn't. I just didn't mind doing it. So I chatted with them and we walked a little bit more since the person they intended to see wasn't in their office. I showed them a little bit of campus, talked about how beautiful the weather was (seriously! It's 68 degrees outside right now!) and how horrible the food was in the cafeteria, and how it can't be any worse than prison. We went our separate ways after a few minutes.

I went to my office then went to a meeting that I only really needed to be in for about an eighth of it. I just needed to present my program and move on. While at the meeting, my phone rang. When my work phone rings, I answer. Always. Unless it's the weekend, which this day isn't, no matter how much I wished for it to be otherwise. It wasn't so bad. It was a student worker who just wanted to inform me that I got a special present in the office. I couldn't concentrate on the meeting after that. I tried to come up with a million excuses to leave the meeting and go see what this present was. I'm such a little kid. When I wasn't thinking about how to get out of the meeting, I was thinking about who it could be from and what it could be. My birthday is still a few weeks away, so it couldn't be flowers. Any other packages would be sent to the mail room. It did cross my mind that those Marines left a note for me, but that's it. Then I wondered again if someone did think to send me flowers a month before my birthday. Unlikely, but my hopeful little heart couldn't help but wish such an impossible thing.

I almost bolted out of the meeting when it ended, but ended up running into the dear (ummm, wrong word. strong? intimidating?) Marines. They mentioned that they left a mug for me in the office. I was touched! Truly! The surprise was ruined, but I couldn't keep from smiling. I was so excited! It really was nothing for me to take these gentlemen around campus. I would like to think that anyone who had the time would do the same thing. I would want someone to do the same thing for me.

And so, even though I still have so much left to do and am still stressed with the amount of work, I have a mug to remind me that no matter how crazy and stressful life is, I need to take the time to reach beyond myself and love on those around me.

Semper Fidelis.

Dorm Design

I love home design. I'm a student of the craft. Not really. It's more a hobby.

One of the fun things about this job is getting to know the girls and seeing how they show their personalities through various ways. One of my favorite ways of getting to know them is talking to them while they're in their element, namely their room. That sounds creepy, but it's really not. It's where they feel the most comfortable. Even though they are only in that room for a few months, or weeks for some, they have put their own stamp there, albeit temporarily. For most, it's the first time they've ever called something their own since their moms usually helped them with their rooms.

When it comes to dorm rooms, there are few restrictions apart from the few pieces of furniture we give them. In our school, they receive a bunk bed, which cannot be unbunked, a pair of desks, a pair of chairs, a dresser, and, in my dorm, they're lucky enough to get giant closets. The amount of furniture and the lack of space is somewhat restrictive when it comes to design, but I've been extremely impressed by how creative some of the girls have been. You can truly tell their personalities. Unfortunately I can't take pictures of their dorms and show them on here because (a) that would be creepy and (b) I'd have to tell them about the blog.

One of my favorites so far was during my first year. The girls in the room could not be any more different and you could tell the moment you walked into their room. While they were both neat enough and the girls got along for the most part, the writings on the wall showed how very different they were. They were the only ones that had unbunked beds. One side had a Hollywood sign above her bed and 'I'm a princess' sign all over her side. There were pictures of her boyfriend, some other boys, and her friends. There may have even been a tiara. On the other side of the room were pictures of Jesus, Our Lady, and the saints. There was a very obvious dividing line between the room. I loved it. They kept their stuff on their side but didn't restrict the other from being themselves. I appreciated that.

Another favorite that sticks out in my mind were roommates who contacted each other during the summer and planned out their room. They had matching bedspreads and matching everything. Their room was very cute, very girly, and very them. I loved that they communicated well enough in advanced and agreed to having the same stuff. It obviously wouldn't work for everyone, but I loved that they did that.

My dorm room in college was ever-changing. I never liked to keep it the same and I had roommates who tolerated it, even though it drove them crazy. Within the next few weeks, I'm going to come up with dorm mood boards should anyone ever asks for my opinion. Not really, I just like doing it for fun.

Source for mood board above. These aren't what we give our kiddos, but it's the easiest way to make a mood board. Dorm room essentials by trendmaven74 on polyvore.com