friends who inspire

Since the start of post-grad life, I've been dipping my toes into a pool called "social life." The last time that I had an inkling of this so-called "social life" was...quite possibly junior or senior year of high school. The last four years have been a wild, non-stop ride. 

I've been spending some of my nights after the "9 - to - 5" job (yes, there's a reason for quotation marks) hanging out with friends. There's even the occasional Sunday Brunch after volunteering at Kid's Quest. Don't you know, the two main ways to my heart are froyo and brunch? It's crazy to think that some of my closest friends, JAKE, have been together since 5th grade. That's a doozy. We've literally seen each other grow up and pass through so many, SO MANY different stages of life. For all those wondering, JAKE stands for Julia, Alice, Karen, and Elaine. Yes -- the acronym is not only necessary...but we are actually known as that. Our boyfriends through the years have found it incredibly amusing. But, they know not to mess with any of us because we are more than friends...we're sisters. Ever heard of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? That's us...but in real life.

And then there's Lesley, whom I've known since freshman year of college. She's now moving to Paris to travel for a couple of months. Crazy, huh? What I love the most about this "social life" is that I get to slow down for a few hours and be present. The phone is off and I am 100% there soaking in all this friend time. LOVE every second of it. I love hearing what everyone has done, are doing, where they're headed, what they're thinking, and so on. 

Being a witness to so many transition phases has been awesome. What I've come to realize is, my friends are so incredibly inspirational! There's no doubt in my mind that they're each headed towards INCREDIBLE things: being a female executive, traveling the world, gaining new experiences, finding a cure for brain diseases, educating the nation about health issues, and the list goes on. I'm so crazy blessed to have each of these women in my life to inspire me. They push me in ways that I could not do so myself. They relay stories to me that I could never experience myself. As cheesy as it may sound, I truly hope that each of us have that circle of people who surround us with support, love, and inspiration. What better way to live?

thank you.

Countdown to Graduation: 3 days.

I've been crazy sentimental in the past few days about graduation. To be honest, I'm not sure why. I always knew I would graduate -- that was expected but what I didn't forsee is the finish line. The line that we cross at graduation that marks the next chapter. The reality is, we are all going our separate ways. During my commute to campus and to work the past few weeks, I would catch tears welling up in my eyes because I slowly came to this realization. The past four years have been ridiculous -- good times, bad times, hills and valleys, heartbreak, betrayal, isolation, times of joy, and celebration. The spectrum of emotions, they were all hit at some point. 

I have a lot of people to thank in the past four years. College wasn't about learning -- no way. If anything, college was all about creating these relationships, investing in the lives of others, and being invested in. I didn't necessarily learn in my classes. The life long lessons that I learned were from my peers. They inspired me in unimaginable ways. So, I'd like to say...

Dear ...

Mom and Dad: We didn't always agree on everything and I'm not the easiest person to deal with and I know that. But, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. I don't think I said that enough in the past four years....nor will I ever. You both worked hours on end and put me through college. These four years have been the toughest on us all, but especially the both of you. I could never thank you enough for the opportunities that you've given me and for allowing me to find my own way. You gave me space to make decisions for myself while still being there every step of the way to provide the advice that I needed. I'm going to do the best that I can to make you proud parents.

Whitney: Haha, where do I even begin? Thinking back now, I don't think that I ever imagined our friendship to be where it is today. Everything changed the first night I met you. You've been there through everything and were that shoulder to cry on. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being honest with me. Thank you for keeping me accountable. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for chasing after me and making me open up when something was killing me. Thank you for being the friend that I needed the most in college. I'm so crazy blessed to have you in my life. And, I'm thanking you in advance for the times that you will be there for me in the future. 

Kendall: All that I want to say to you personally is in that card en route to California. You are such an inspiration and a role model to me. Through the caffeine and craze of life, you have continually supported me -- cheering me on from the sideline. You may not know it, but you have influenced many of the decisions that I have made in the last 3 years that I've known you. College wouldn't have been the same without you. I could not be more proud to call you my Big. SERIOUSLY. 

Lesley: How is it that we are here now? Can you believe all that we have been through in the last four years? From meeting in Leonard 5 to now. We've experienced our first internships together, the ridiculous stories, crazy professors, sleepless nights spent on marketing plans, brunch priorities, dreams of the future, study abroad, Snowmageddon, endless amounts of cupcakes, and all things in between. Now -- graduation. I'm so proud of you Lesley and you have been the person who pushes me. The one who has allowed me to dream big. You are headed towards incredible things. I can't wait to see you writing the Editor's Note in Glamour in a few years. 

Kelsey L.: BFFR. One of my greatest regrets in college is not spending more time together. The best thing though is that no matter how much time has passed without seeing one another, when we do grab a 30-minute coffee date, it's as though no time has passed. We pick up right where we started and snark away. You my dear, are so incredibly strong. THE strongest person that I know. I'm so thankful for the mini text messages full of encouragement that have been sent in the past four years. Where would we be if we hadn't met that Thursday night...in front of Kay...while you were on your cellphone...offering me a cookie? I don't even want to think about the possibility of never meeting!

Strong Fam: So much has happened but no matter what, we put it all aside. The tears and the laughter? That's what creates a family.


love always,
Karen

she's my person

I've been following a lot of the #BlogEveryDayinMay posts that are going around the blog-o-sphere recently and am happy to participate now that finals are over!   Today is all about providing a piece of advice to others. ANYTHING.   My advice to each and every person out there: HAVE A PERSON.  

via   Any Grey's Anatomy fans out there? That's right...find your Cristina to your Meredith, your Meredith to your Cristina. Have that friend in your life that you can depend on. Somebody who you can talk to about anything...no judgment. I've been so blessed to have people in my life who are there for me no matter what. One person that immediately pops into my head is Whitney! She's there for the good, she's there for the bad. She's my person!   The thing about life is that jobs and opportunities come and go but what holds us down are good people. You need incredible people in our life to keep you grounded.   So, go out there and find YOUR person.  

R&R in Boston

This is one overdue post! Better late than never, right?

Right before the start of the semester, I took a mini two-day vacation to visit my best friend Whitney in Boston. **side note: can we please just pause and take a moment to freak out over the fact that it's my FINAL undergraduate semester??** While I loved exploring Boston, my favorite part during the two days was spending some quality time with Whitney.

Whitney and I have known each other since my second week of college and has quickly become one of my closest friends. It's crazy to think that we've only known each other for three years because it feels like a lifetime. We have both gone through so much together!

What did we do during my visit?

1. Be a Student
Both Whit and Josh are in seminary so I got a little feel of what it was like Friday morning when I sat in on a Missions class with them. It was absolutely fascinating. I wish I were paying more attention and not answering emails! Oops...

2. Be Tourists

As you can see, it was a wee bit cold when we went out and a wee bit cloudy/gloomy.

3. Eat our Hearts Out

I joked with Whitney that I would need to bring stretchy pants for the trip because as you all know, I live through food! We made a trip out to this AMAZING pastry shop in Little Italy called Mike's Pastries. The most delicious cannolis EVER. We got the cookies and cream one as well as the peanut butter chip. OH MAN. Whit and I were in Dessert Heaven!

As Washington, DC natives, we just HAD to make a trip out to Newbury Street and visit Georgetown Cupcake. People probably gave us weird looks as we were total tourists and took pics in front of the store. I actually LOVED the Newbury location. It was a very open space compared to our usual Georgetown and Bethesda locations. PLUS, at 3 in the afternoon, they also had the free flavor of the day available: Lemon Coconut! MmMm DELICIOUS.

4. Cardmaking/Painting Nails
Aren't these staples to a girl's sleepover!? Nothing like card making and painting your nails with the best polish: ESSIE.

5. Get hooked to West Wing

As many of you may know, over break I got myself HOOKED to the show West Wing (thanks to Kate, Kendall, and Peter!). I have legitimately become emotionally attached to Mr. President, Sam, Josh, Leo, Tobi, CJ, and Charlie. Don't laugh but I cried during the Season 1 finale and the Season 3 finale. I don't mean a few tears, I mean...waterworks. As I type right now, I am currently in the middle of Season 4. *SPOILER: SAM SEABORN YOU BETTER NOT BE LEAVING* I can't get enough of this show! WELL. During my visit to Boston, I successfully got both Whit and Josh hooked too. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

I would like to say that my mini-vacation to Boston was an absolute success. By Sunday, I didn't want to leave! Whit and I have decided that we need to see each other more often. This whole every 6 months thing isn't working out very well!

Weekly Gratitude

It's the end of the week already! What?? I'm linking up with Ashley over at Loving Life and Lilly for Weekly Gratitude!

As I sit here reflecting on this past week, I realize that I have so much to be grateful for. I'm so incredibly grateful for my friends and family. I'm truly blessed to be surrounded by a group of people who consistently support me and lift me higher!

...Club La Bamba???

I AM STILL ALIVE.

Finals has got me in a completely crazy state of mind. I never would have thought finals abroad would be stressful but let me tell you, I definitely underestimated Beijing. I have been swamped with papers, presentations, and studying for those finals. The amount of time that I've logged at Starbucks is quite impressive and the baristas all know me now (I do spend about 7-10 hours a day in there).

What my days have been looking like since last Friday.



Tomorrow night. 10pm. I will officially be done with finals! One more day of interning on Thursday and then I'm off for a two-week study trip down the coast of China. Unfortunately I still have a paper due a week after the trip but we'll push that aside for now. I'm qutie excited for this two-week trip because it pretty much equates to two-week time of relaxation and site visits. Not sure how I'm going to pack my entire room up though. ...I guess I should think about that now...

As we're getting ready to wrap up this semester, I realized that it's time to start saying goodbyes. I absolutely hate this part. Some of the greatest friendships have been created in the past few months with a couple of people outside of the CSI program. Tonight we decided to get together one last time for dinner! We headed to this fabulous place called La Bamba. My chimichanga was divine but the music was...questionable. We were having a great time eating and chatting away when all of a sudden the music was cranked up and the lights completely dimmed down. Oh hey, Club La Bamba?

But nevertheless, I had a fabulous time with my roommate Andrea and our friends Marcus and Leah. (Just realized we didn't take pictures!) It was a well deserved study break. I love the fact that we can have such a deep and meaningful conversation one minute and the next we're talking about Carly Rae Jepsen and other things that have us dying from laughter. I'm going to miss those two so much! Saying goodbye was too tough BUT we already have plans for a DC trip as well as trip to visit Leah and learn how to wind surf.

Alright, BACK TO STUDYING.