Christmas is in the Air!

Hello everyone!

So, Christmas is just around the corner! I am so excited for all the magic that the season brings! As sort of a Thanksgiving-Christmas mash-up, I want to share some of the things that I am most grateful for and excited about this holiday season. It's been three years since I've been home for Christmas, so this is something I have been looking forward to for quite some time!

First of all, I love my family. This is up in Idaho, so it's missing almost everyone (although Chanelle's boyfriend Brooks somehow snuck in!), but I am so excited to see everyone again! It's gonna be awesome!!

It wouldn't be Christmas without great Christmas music, and this year, Pentatonix really delivered! If any of you haven't heard this amazing A Capella group sing, it's not too late to get on the train before Christmas is over! Seriously, these five folks have made my last few months merry and bright as I cheerfully anticipate that special day. Heart-melting!

I am so thankful for this amazing girl! I'm still amazed at how quickly and perfectly it has all worked out, but I am so thankful for Miranda. She is such a great example to me and truly motivates me to be better. And her smile just brightens my day! I'm sure gonna miss you over this Christmas break, Miranda!

When Opportunity Knocks...You'd Better Open the Door

I have had some recent life experiences that have helped illustrate an important principle. That principle is the one of "seizing the moment" while the moment exists. Because if you don't, it can quickly get away from you. And often, those moments won't come twice--if you miss it, it's gone.

I think this is so important for all of us to recognize. How many times do we go through life with a certain checklist in mind, only to miss out on some of the most important chances when they are literally right in front of us? Yeah, I've missed some opportunities throughout the years. But I've also recently acted on some very important ones. And it makes all the difference.

So from here on out, I'm going to make a conscious effort to pay extra attention to what I'm really looking for. What's the purpose of living if it's just to settle for an uneventful, boring routine? When opportunity starts knocking...well, I'll make sure I don't wait. Cause there's still a lot more knocking to come around.

Remote meetings are so easy...

In my business writing class, we just finished a group research project. To make things easier, we held one of our meetings through Google Hangouts. I think that this is one of the easiest ways to coordinate group projects these days, especially when everyone lives in different places with different schedules. It made it easier to share ideas while still analyzing documents and websites in real time.

Not really much else to say, just wanted to put in this plug-in about the advantage of modern technology. You should all try it sometime, it's great.