Hummingbirds and Priority Mail

Okay, so my New Year's Resolution was to blog more often. Every person has a story that is uniquely their own. A voice that only theirs can produce. And I have been neglecting mine. But, unfortunately, I have to be practical and knowledgable about all things "Leah." Whenever I say I want to be consistent in something, I usually am good. And then I get sick. Or busy. And my goal goes kaput in about 3 days or less. It's scientifically proven. How sad is that. But, in order to get around the Consistently Consistent Consistency Curse (okay, now is that a cool name or what?) I have decided not to make it a goal that I blog every X amount of days. Rather, I will blog when I feel the need and not put it off for a more convenient time. So, let's see how that works. I'm hoping it means more blogs and a less-frustrated-with-herself Leah. Help me out here! I think the funniest part of the whole blogging thing is that I open my page and I expect it to be different. For some reason. And it isn't. And I get irritated - until I remember that I am the one who can change it. Go me for being quick on the uptake.

So, first news of the month. Christmas came and went (just in case some of you were still in denial or living in an alternate, Christmas-is-in-July universe)! And with it came grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, Ipods, lil smokies, naps, and WAY too much good food. I liked the whole paid vacation part of it, but definitely did not jive with the having to go back to work after the vacation part of it. But, there went December. I am now 25, the proud owner of a blue Ipod Nano, and about 25 pounds heavier. The joys of the holiday season.

And only slightly behind the top story of the month in terms of importance, I turned in my college applications! Almost all of them!!! Please applaud, because I am, and only me applauding is, well, pathetic. I only have the University of Arizona left to do, and boy. With that out of the way, now I just get to....wait. Seriously. Wait. And wait. And wait. I think I'll find out in mid-March, early April. So, please bless I get a nice envelope that says at least one of these schools loves me. But, the most aggravating part of the application process. So, I got almost all of my professor's letters of recommendation back, except for the last professor. He's quite busy, so trying to get these letters done was definitely a crunch, but he did - on January 2nd. So, because I got his letters last, I couldn't send off my letters to York University in Canada until January 3rd. No biggie. Priority mail them and poof, they're there. Oh yeah. P.S. International mail is not so friendly. I go to the post office and wait in the ever-present postal line. I get the nice lady who is soft-spoken to help me. I explain my plight that I needed to mail the four letters to Canada ASAP. She told me that for 1.92 I could first-class them to Canada. It would take 6-10 BUSINESS DAYS. Deadline is on the 15th. You do the math. So the next option was priority. 6-8 BUSINESS DAYS. And that would be $9.62. Or - I could do 3-5 BUSINESS DAYS for $22.00. Yeah, guess which one I was forced to go with. GRRR with International Mail and their extorionist ways! Finally, to end my sad application story, I come home later that day to find that York had updated their application system and that professors could now just email in their recommendations. OF ALL THE.....

So, there it is. No more about applications until my doom is spelled out in the envelopes. One more tangent and then I'm off to do my bed-time routine of heating up my rice bag, curling under my many covers and reading a good book and scriptures before going to sleep...this is a good tangent, too. A friend-ish person and I were chatting today, and we hit upon a somewhat quirky game. If you - or the people you know and love- were animals in a previous life, what would you be? He came up with a sea horse for himself, because he loves the ocean and is a beach nut. I then suggested something akin to a hyena, because hyenas mooch off of other people and make you crazy listening to them. I don't think he liked that option. So he's a sea horse. Then he asked me what I was. I thought for a second, and came up with a hummingbird. It was the first thing out of my mouth, and strangely, it kinda fits. Go with me here on this. I'm attracted to all bright colors. In clothes, beddings, decorations, rainbows, fields of wildflowers. You name it- if it's a bright color, I will instantly label it as cute and therefore desirable. I am also so focused on my short-term missions and goals that sometimes I get quite tunnel-vision. Any of you who tried to help me be social these past few months will agree with that, as Applicationville took over my life. I am also so fast and flitting around doing whatever comes my way that no one can catch me. Hence why I am still single. Haha. Plus, I hate being tied down and just want to be free. And I believe soaring over the world qualifies as a singular type of freedom. Anyway, so I am a hummingbird.

Now the fun part - what would you be? Why?