I'm back! And it has been a while...

     So I have decided to revamp my blog after abandoning it for over a year. I don't want to make any promises about keeping it updated, but I would really like to.

     I am trying to set up some order in my life so that I have time for the things I want to do, as well as the things that I have to do. One thing that I think will help me is having time to write about what's going on in my life. And this time I don't want it to be the mundane, mindless recitation of that day's activities. I want it to be something deeper and more meaningful for myself. One of the things that held me back before was my desire to keep up a facade for those that see my blog. I still wasn't comfortable with myself and my viewpoints to put them out there for those that I thought didn't know how I felt. I have come to realize that my friends aren't blind. I didn't have to explicitly say things; my actions were noticed. I say all of that to say, I will talk probably talk about controversial topics. This is a part of me being real. I have been struggling with things, and I think that I am at a place in my life where I can talk about things that we may not see eye-to-eye on, and my friends will respect where I'm coming from, as I do the same. And my hope is that there will be growth and understanding that comes out of this.

     I know that I have had one or two pretty deep posts on here before, but there have been a couple that I've typed up and published in the middle of the night only to take them down before anyone read them. And there have been a couple that I typed up only to delete before posting. I don't want to do that anymore. Granted there are things that are better kept for the diary beside my bed, I want to put myself out there (maybe only for one person, *coughs* Heather...) and maybe create a dialogue. And I'm not saying that every single post will be controversial. I want to get in to the habit of reading my Bible. I have the desire to read it for myself, so that I might receive my own convictions and not those that another has decided for me. I'll be up front right now, I have been in what I have been calling a 'crisis of faith.' I am at a point in my life where I feel the need to question everything I've been taught in church because, at some point, I just started regurgitating what I was hearing without understanding what I was talking about. And that scared me.

     So, that's what you have to look forward to: potentially controversial topics, my Bible readings, and my 'crisis of faith.' I plan on a redesign of my blog as soon as this is published, and I've already updated my profile and picture.

<3 Amber Marie

I am officially a college grad!

On Friday, May 2, I was inducted into the Franklin Honor Society for having at least a 3.75 GPA, and I walked across the stage of the Auditorium Theatre and graduated from Roosevelt University.

Graduation was fun. We had an amazing commencement speaker, which made me very happy because there have been some flops as of late. And I managed to make a new friend in the graduation line. (Okay, so we had met before, but we had never really gotten to talk to each other. Then we were in line together and bonded over disdain for an obnoxious girl sitting in front of us who, very loudly, expressed her desire for the ceremony to be over.) I don't know if it was because it was my graduation, but it didn't seem to drag on for forever. Maybe it was because I had a better view of it all...either way, I enjoyed it. I wore flats, so there was no concern for breaking an ankle, but my gown's sleeve got caught on the stairs going down from the stage, and I had a moment of panic. Also, the entire day, my cap way crooked because I have an odd shaped head that the board didn't sit right with the tassel...anyways, it was a mess, and I was constantly trying to fix it, so the entire time I was walking across the stage, I was like, "Cap, don't fall. Cap, don't fall." And it didn't!! After the ceremony, the fam and I went to Portillo's for hot dogs. And thus, my day was celebrated! :)

I finished my last semester with 6 As out of 6, finally achieving a 4.0 semester at Roosevelt (and the second 4.0 semester of my undergrad career). I cannot think of a better way to end my time at Roosevelt and my undergraduate career.

It's crazy that I have completed four years of college and now have a Bachelor's degree. And I'm going to be starting a Master's program in the fall.

I am currently still awaiting the notification from ULM, so I can officially say whether ULL or ULM will be my home away form home for the next two years, but I was told that I should get the email this week. (FINGERS CROSSED FOR ULM!)

I am moving back to Louisiana on May 31, and I should be back in the state June 2. I'll be spending the summer in the New Orleans area before I head off to school in August (hopefully to Monroe with my BFF).

For now, my days are composed of watching Netflix, packing, and working at Bath & Body Works. Two and a half more weeks of Chicago living.

Until next time,
<3 Amber Marie

I have news!

1. Hi. I'm nearing the end of my undergraduate career, and I am very busy. (I missed the month of March. Oops.)
2. I graduate in 14 days.
3. I am moving back to Louisiana sometime around mid-June.
4. I was accepted to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which is my second choice.
5. I am still waiting to hear from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, which is my first choice.

I'll be back soon. :)
<3 Amber Marie