My 22nd Year

Today is my 22nd birthday!

Every human life is a miracle at its very conception - and my life began today 22 years ago.  My life has been filled with infinite blessings, especially growing up with a beautiful family that has raised me to know and bestow respect and kindness towards myself and towards everyone else I am priveleged to meet.  Of course, life is also filled with struggle, but I choose to dwell on the beauty of my past - I hope you do, too. :)

My university has brought me so many miracles - my wonderful friends, the Marianists, and the most beautiful opportunities.  Last summer a 12-year dream of mine came true - I studied at the University of Oxford in England for 6 weeks researching my true literary heroine: Jane Austen.  The Bodleian Library, I am certain, possesses magical properties.  The library holds over 8 million novels - many of which are older than the 15th century!  I also met the most brilliant minds while in Oxford, including my kindred spirit Samara.  If you ever have the honor of meeting a kindred spirit, that, my friends, is a truly beautiful miracle.

And now, I am about to embark on another European adventure - I am to be an Editorial Assistant Intern at a well-established publishing company in Madrid, Spain!  My dream for many years now has been to be introduced to the publishing industry.  Here is my chance!!  The minute I saw the advertisement for the position, a lightbulb went off inside.  I knew that this was the chance of a lifetime.  What a perfect way to mold my double English and Spanish major by working in a bilingual environment.  I leave this Saturday and will be in Spain until July 15th. 

For the next two months then I will be blogging about the miracles of Spain!

For now, I will leave you all with the miracles of today - my birthday!
*I wake up at 8am to over 60 birthday messages from friends on Facebook.  Though I am an old soul, technology can be seriously amazing and awe-inspiring!
*My Mom has been trying to find me this particular skirt with a particular material, and when we went shopping today we walked right into the store and found the very skirt!
*Whole Foods is a miracle everytime you walk in the door.  Today we bought the ingredients to my birthday dinner: fillet mignon with a mushroom red wine sauce, herb cheese polenta, and salad fresh from my Dad's garden!  Oh, and we bought a scrumptious birthday cake too!
*It's a beautiful sunny day - can't forget that miracle. :)