life, or something like it

so, consistency is definitely not a strongpoint of mine when it comes to this blogging thing. the sad part about it is that the more things i'm doing in my life, the less i'm blogging. one would think i'd have more to say, but i think i get so overwhelmed with it all happening so fast that i'm left just not knowing what to say except... "wow!" or, "what an amazing experience!" (i'm yet to have a really terrible experience... i mean, essentially, even my 4-day hospital stay in calcutta was one that i really enjoyed... how weird is that!?)

this summer has looked a bit like this:
--end semester.
--fly to india, two days later.
--india for 6 weeks: delhi, agra (gotta visit the taj, just gotta visit the taj), paunar (brahma vidya mandir ashram), sevagram (sevagram ashram), wardha, nagpur, kolkata (volunteering w/ missionaries of charity, hanging out in a hospital eating lots of mangoes w/ mother theresa's doctor as my own doctor), mumbai (monsoon, and that was pretty much it, although i did get asked to be in a bollywood film and did an arseload of shopping and watching the tour de france in a little sports cafe and drinking tea in barista while journaling).
--become a professional: boiled-water drinker, bottled-water drinker, ATM machine-user, squat toilet-user, rickshaw-hailing, rickshaw-riding with strangers on my lap and all around me, bargainer, bucket-showerer, terrible but merciless hindi speaker, chapatti and dal-eater, uber cheap budget hotel-dweller, hospital-perusing, vegetarian, socially conscious, liberally-minded peace studies advocate of sorts.
--turned 21 in india but forgot it was my birthday; was the most wonderful feeling to forget such a thing. was given a beautiful little pink flower as a birthday present, picked by a girl at the ashram, and thought it to be the most memorable present ever received.
--home from india
--weighed 15 pounds less than before india (oh yes, this is good)
--started an online course (christian sexual ethics... sweet!)
--recovered from jetlag and work on online course, simultaneously
--was a psuedo-actress for vacation bible school at my grandma's church, for a week
--decided that my bedroom here at home will never, ever be clean again (not if i keep traveling, and not if i keep doing this move home/move elsewhere thing/move back home thing
--spent a few days at andy's and em's place in columbia
--went to a bachelorette party... decided i'll never look at a man in a fireman uniform the same way ever, ever again... danced w/ my mom... rode in my first limo... drank my first smirnoff ice, green apple... took a shot w/ my mom (in the words of mom, "what kind of nipple was that?" "a slippery nipple, mom!" "oh yeah!"-- i've got incredible blackmail pictures, to boot)... woke up the next morning and go to church where i was the liturgist (convenient timing for that, huh?)
--spent hours and hours w/ dottie (strangely enough, my ex boyfriend's mother)
--went to starlight theatre w/ grandma, like every other summer
--bridal shower at my house; fun girly times
--marveled at the fact that my brother's really going to get married, and he was really going to wear a tux in the process
--watched my mom make about 20 cheesecakes for the wedding (yes, watched. i'm not quite the professional in the kitchen that she is... yet.)
--was a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding, which was the most gorgeous, well-planned event, ever (hoorah! i have a sister-in-law now!!!!! congrats, scott and tracy reynolds!!!!!)
--shared a dance with my father at the reception, for the first time, ever
--volunteered for a week at heartland, for service partnership. incredible experience, as always, particularly after 3 years away from the place i always considered to be my "home."
--watched a friend (who is really more like a brother to me) marry another friend (whom i worked with at camp), who is my age. i thought, how weird, people my age getting married already... how could one really be ready for that? i'm far from where i was a year or two ago, when something like that sounded good to me. maybe there's just too much in my life right now going on to really think about that sort of stuff. maybe that's for the best.
--saw my ex-boyfriend for the first time in almost two years. conversation was wonderful and comfortable and it was great to know that he's doing as well as what he is, where he is. also great re-affirmation of the fact that i've, indeed, moved on from where i once was.
--have sat for hours and hours at a little indie coffee shop w/ free wireless access, drinking organic green tea and ice water and getting coursework done on my laptop/writing endless emails/researching and whatnot
--have met somebody for lunch at a restaurant, and ended up in conversation that didn't allow us to leave until it was dinnertime, many cups of water and many bathroom breaks and laughs and discussions later
--have realized that i really only have a few good, loyal friends under the age of 25; the rest, range in age from 28 to 60, and those are really the people i enjoy spending time with the most.
--went to shakespeare in the park with bekah, was great to see her
--have considered graduate studies in peace education at the universidad para la paz (university for peace; it's united nations-affiliated) in san jose, costa rica
--have considered applying for the fulbright fellowship... hey, why not?
--have spent an hour or two in nature's pantry, a huge health foods store in independence, buying things like tofu and lentil and black bean soup and yerba mate in tea-bag form
--have expanded the amount of male friends i have with engineering degrees (what's with good men and engineering appearing from here, there, and just about everywhere? stop the insanity, please, for the sake of my own sanity)
--one good man i've remained in contact with (this month makes the 8th month), has presented a particular challenge to me that i've had to work through (and will continue working through). ever found yourself falling in love with somebody you probably will never be able to have due to any amount of circumstances? it's an adventure, to say the least, but i wouldn't trade it for anything (not this particular experience, anyway).
--have discovered the wonderful world of nitric oxide during dental work
--started the application process for post-college stuff... yav positions in guatemala and peru. (say some prayers for me, eh.)
--thought, "holy crap, i move up to school this weekend." (that's me right now. needless to say, i'm nowhere near ready.)

so all this leads me to where i am now. 21 years old, life flying by way too quickly, senior year approaching and me gasping for air to breathe. life's good, though... really good. i guess i could say that all in all, i have no complaints... just rollin' w/ the punches... takin' what God's givin' me, enjoying this journey called life and in no particular hurry to reach any particular destination as long as love, peace, joy, and friendship are on my side.