The Facets of Family

Call me a sap, but you know what, I don't care. Sap isn't necessarily a bad thing, people.

Family (defn.): a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household; a person or people related to one and so to be treated with a special loyalty or intimacy.

Boeding Family Reunion

Mom's family. I rocked that blue dress.

I just have one thing to say: I have an awesome family. Over the summer I had the pleasure of seeing all sides of my family- at the Boeding family reunion in Seneca, KS, celebrating Independence Day in SD with the Keisers, visiting Brunswick where I spent a lot of my childhood to see my Mom's parents and siblings. Mind blown. I've always loved my family, but these people are seriously cool. And at the ripe old age of 21, I suddenly had an epiphany: I am really lucky to have the family I was given. 

Coral sisters

My Sheeby

They are there for me. They stick up for me. They welcome me back with open arms. They evoke my dreams. They hug. They love. They laugh with me. They take care of me. They accept me for who I am. They spur me on in the things I do and love. They bring good memories. They represent good times to come.

I do believe family doesn't just have to be blood related. Let me give you some examples:

My beautiful friend Morgan

I'm a part of Coral (which is the name of our delightful, little, fading pink house), my cozy family of college friends who have been there for me, watched me grow, and helped me keep my sanity throughout the roller coaster ride that is Truman. They have taught me a lot about what it means to be a good friend and we laugh a lot. Just think dance parties (usually solo on my part), porch swings, and good company.

The old gang

I have the girls I still talk to from high school who I can catch up with and it's like no time has passed at all. We've definitely been through enough and know enough about one another to be considered part of the family. These are the people I actually want to see when I go home over a break.
 
My newest family is that of Indigo Wild. They made me feel like part of their tight knit family the minute I stepped into the factory as their summer intern. We listened to Margaritaville every day (I'm fairly positive that plays every day), always talked about food, and they invited me to come work over my breaks now that I'm back in school (not that I need school...okay not necessarily true). My love for these women grows exponentially and I am thankful they love me as much as I love them.

Indigo- they welcomed me with open arms

My conclusion: I live the good life. Yeah I have some struggles, but at least I have those people that I know I can lean on to get me through. The future weighs pretty heavy on my mind right now with graduation approaching (yes it's in May and I know it's 7 months away, but still) and though my circumstances will change, I know these people won't. And I like that.

(2) You know you're in Beirut when...

1. While you're stuck in traffic you notice that there is every kind of car- Kia, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki, Nissan, Citroen, Renault- but the most popular seem to be the big hitters- Land Rovers, BMWs, Jaguar, and Mercedes Benz. It's just different when children live at home through their twenties- they have more money to spend on the luxurious things in life!

2. Though you do see women wearing ridiculously high heels, although not the Blago five inchers I was used to, the popular shoes are Birkinstocks and Converse. Riddle me that.

3.You see posters and billboards everywhere advertising fashion, food, and old political leaders. 

4. When everyone I meet asks, "Where have you been? Have you been to the beach yet?" 

5. You can travel the whole country in a matter of hours. Border to border, it is so close and there is everything. Sea and mountains. Valleys and caves. Forests and a big city. It's gorgeous. 

6. When something happens that would shock the world, like most of what is happening in the Middle East right now, and they ask, for kids, "So there is school tomorrow?" and for adults, "What do you want for lunch?" (during the week)

7. You go to a "pub" and it is a mix between a pub (the talking atmosphere), a club (the music), and an outdoor bar (the tables).

8. You can see a mosque and a Catholic church right next to each other. It is a beautiful dichotomy. 

You know you're in Beirut when...

So if you haven't noticed, the title of my blog has changed because I am no longer in Eastern Europe enjoying my surrogate home, but have now ventured to a new, exciting and completely different place: Beirut, Lebanon.  I am staying with family and while I've only been here roughly five days, here are some observations:

1.  the Lebanese are very hospitable. Whether it's food, a drink, a bed, or just a warm welcome, they are willing to give you the shirt off their back if that is what it takes to make you comfortable.

2.  it's smoggy.  It gives San Fran a run for its money except it's pollution and not just fog.

3.  driving is ridiculous. Only the brave venture out and even then it's scary to ride; it's a LOT of honking, cutting people off, getting inches away from each other, not following lines, running red lights. It makes for a racing heart and a thank you to the Lord for getting me to point B safely. (parents, it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be...).

4.  the food is delicious and above all, healthy. I eat veggies and fruit everyday and the meals are really nice. The lunch eating time is similar to that of the Spanish, especially on weekends.

5.  it feels as though everyone knows how to speak French, Arabic, and English and when talking they use them interchangeably, so in a two sentence span you could possibly hear three languages. It puts my lousy English to shame. I really need to get on this language learning thing real quick.

6.  they call light brown hair blond. It's a cultural thing, but light brown is still brown. I would know what blond is; the stares say it all. 

7.  plans are kind of sporadic and made on the fly, which fits me perfectly because I tend to just go with the flow. And it's similar to in the Bulgs in that people are fashionably late (that's what we will call it).  

You know you LOVE Bulgaria when…

1.     you will miss Skappy’s ham and cheese toast.

2.     Blago knows you are leaving so he gives you a going away gift of spotty internet. I think he's really trying to get me outside to spend time with my people. 

3.     you will not miss seeing men coming out of the woodwork in track suits when the weather turns nice.  

4.     you go somewhere else and you say da for yes, despite being fully aware that that isn’t the way they say yes.

5.     you read signs in English and you start to see Cyrillic instead. H=N. P=R. Oh now I’m confused.

6.     you miss seeing stray dogs. Where did Horny go?! I can't find Jumper! I miss them!

7.     you go out to dinner and you don’t get your food at scattered times. What do you mean I don’t have to wait an hour after my companions are done eating to get my food? And, you can hear the person you are talking to. Hold on, I don’t have to shout anymore?

8.     you will miss getting banitsa at 3:30 am after a long night of partying at Underground or Piano Bar.

9.     you can actually watch tv without it being dubbed.

10.  the first thing you mention about missing the Bulgs is how cheap it was. A 2L Shumesko for 2,69 leva, yep, that’s real.

11. you can sit outside for 8 hours on a blanket with friends, having nap time and a picnic, only for it to become a party with cake and alcohol. It’s the good life.

I will miss you Blago, your beautifully luscious, green trees, your sunny afternoons, the sound of the rushing river as I walk back to the Skaptos, your Raffy’s ice cream stands, chocolate soufflé, kebabs and banitsa, Macarios futbol matches, Shumensko and Zagorka, Lollita, Underground, Piano Bar. I will miss you Blago, for you were the perfect place to spend four months getting to know crazy amazing people (I mean we all had to be a little crazy to come to Bulgaria in the first place), for teaching me about myself and my strengths and weaknesses, for showing me what the world is really like (at least some of it anyway) and for getting me out of my American bubble. Thank you Blago, for being nicknamed Blago. Thank you for being awesome.

Bulgaria, you captured my heart and gave me the semester of my life. You are a beautiful treasure the world holds and it is a pity more people don’t see the real you. Thank you for your lovely mountains and your cheapness and your nightlife and for AUBG and for bringing me new and fantastic friends that have forever touched my heart and made it light. To all who I spent the semester with, thank you for the good times, the great memories, and love I felt when I was with you. I wish you all the best of luck on your next adventures and remember, ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE! Remember the times we had and smile because they couldn’t have gotten any better! Nasdrave, my friends to one hell of a semester. We did it right.

MASH and other assorted candies

I wish I could go back to the days of Looney Tunes valentines and suckers and class parties in second grade. I wish I could go back to the days when it wasn't about love and whether you were single or in a relationship. I wish I could go back to the days when your parents were your valentine (thanks for being mine, Dad and Nikki). 

Yes, I know that it's a few days late, but I feel that it should be said. Valentine's Day is consumerism at its finest. Hallmark makes millions on the "holiday" that people either loath or love.  But really, there is nothing special about Valentine's that couldn't be celebrated any other day.  Men buy their ladies gifts and flowers and chocolate and take them on a usually expensive date while the single people have pity parties proclaiming they don't have someone special. 

I want to get back to the point where Valentine's Day is having a good time and celebrating life, whether you are married, dating, or single. Love is everywhere.  Everywhere. All you have to do is look close enough and realize it's not about getting chocolate and feeling lovey-dovey or depressed, it's about viewing this crazy life through the small window God gave us. And that is something to rejoice over. We all have valentines. And we are all loved. It's about moving past the physical love of this world and really looking for the heavenly love that we all have shining on us. 

I want to go back to the days of MASH. To the days of being silly and completely myself. And yet, I am back to those days; I never really left them. I have found them here, and at home, people that I can be myself with- in the craziest of times and in the most serious. And that is an incredible thing. I spent Valentine's opening a package from my parents, playing MASH to predict our futures, and going out to a wonderful dinner with my girls, and it was glorious in its simplicity. I was glowing with happiness. That is what Valentine's is all about: being with people you care about and just enjoying the fact that you get to live in a day utterly overflowing with love. It's something that I've realized recently. So don't sulk because there is no one romantic in your life; instead, feel grateful that we get to praise the greatest love everyday. I have been blessed with great friends wherever I go and to know that they care as much about me as I do about them. Now that is truly something to celebrate. 

Finals Fiasco

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will  be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." --Proverbs 3: 5-8 

Disclaimer: this is lengthy. I hope you have like twenty minutes. Sorry if you didn't want to know this much about my life, but it's my blog so I do what I want!

"Ok, we will try to start processing this as quickly as we can. Good luck in your studies." 

Finally. Those are the words I had been waiting to hear for the past three weeks. I am now officially going to study at Blagoevgrad next semester and it took me basically three months to know for sure; but I'm getting ahead of myself here. So let me start at the beginning. 

All of my problems, stresses, worries started with the FBI. You are told that it will take 8 weeks to process your background check, but of course nothing can be that simple. So Thanksgiving break came and went and the 8 week mark came and went with it, leaving me somewhat panicked and surly talking or thinking about it. So, the week before finals rolls around and I've called the FBI on a few occasions to check the status of it and after 9 1/2 weeks they tell me it's been sent, in the mail, to my house, and I am ecstatic! So, in the essence of time my parents and I decide that I need to go to Chicago on Thursday night and turn in my paperwork on Friday to start the processing. 

I am stressed out to the max, crying at any little thing (this study abroad has turned me into bumbling bawl-baby), and then my amazing friend Chubbs (Charysse, appropriately nicknamed that because she is a skinny Asian-and no I'm not racist; but she really just has chubby eyelids- apparently it's an Asian thing and this is coming from her not me!) So anyway, out of her huge heart said she would travel with me so I wouldn't be alone and thus started the nightmare of Thursday and Friday. Planning and getting everything together last minute and i was ready to go and then we wait...one o'clock...three o'clock and at this point I just want to give it up but my parents insist so I call the FBI back to get the tracking number and at like six o'clock we find out they ended up not sending it. Yep, the whole day of worrying and everything ended up not working out, at all! But that is just God's timing for ya. Friday I drove an hour and a half to get that stupid report from my amazing Dad and you want to know what it said:  Kelsey Jayne Boeding........NO ARREST RECORD! Whatever. Frustrating and somewhat laughable.

So, I had hall desk for six and a half hours Saturday and I was originally going to go on Sunday, spend the night and go to the Consulate on Monday. I was train traveling in practice for Europe and because it was more efficient and cheaper than driving. So I got to thinking and Kait Hall mentioned Quincy and a snowball formed from there. I looked at tickets, called Amtrak and changed my previously bought tickets and I was set to arrive and leave Chicago on Monday. I was super excited. And super scared. Big city, little me. Yep. But it turned out all great and dandy. I went to Christmas service on Sunday and was really happy to attend- I needed that spirit to lead me into finals. Sunday I didn't get as much done as I should have and I went to bed at 9, which is the first time in what felt like forever, or at least since some time in high school. And so the adventure began. 

I woke up at 3:15 and left Kirksville by 4am. Yep, 4 AM. Early. And I drove the hour and a half to Quincy, IL. It was exhilarating! I had my coffee and poptart and I was set. I got there, got my ticket, boarded the train and was off by 6:12. It had been dark for the three hours I'd been up and then God graced me with the prettiest sunrise I had ever seen; granted, I don't get up to see too many, but this one really topped anything I had seen before. It was blood red and a dark blue that melded in the middle and as the morning drew out it became lighter between the two colors until there was a vibrant, bright pink. Awesome. I was in awe and right then I was giddy in knowing the day would be a really good one. The train ride was uneventful and boring-mostly because I was studying for my comm final which I rocked by the way- and got into Chicago at 10:45. Took a taxi to the Consulate and immediately stepped into surrogate Bulgaria. Everyone there was Bulgarian-American and only spoke Bulgarian to the attendants. Yep, needless to say I was the odd ball out, especially when I was the only blond hair, blue eyed person in the whole office surrounded by brunettes. Imagine my shock and panic. 

I waited for about an hour or so before I actually saw the Consulate General and turned in my paperwork. After that, it took some time, but it hit me that I no longer had anything to wait for, nothing to hold me back from going. And that was scary and exciting and overwhelming. So now I was in this big city by myself and it was lunch time and I was starving. So naturally I went and got pizza from Giordano's. It. Was. Delicious! So good (I think the secret to it's awesomeness is the crust, I swear it!), so the other natural thing was to go to Garrett popcorn and continue the yumminess. So I did. And then treated myself to Starbucks. From there I walked around, a lot. I went to Millennium Park and took pictures of the Bean, like any good tourist would do. From there I went to Books-a-Million and browsed before heading to the train station and then back to Truman. Crazy day and that was only Monday of finals.  My sentiments exactly! 

Tuesday I had three essays and one test final, so that was a busy day. I also had hall desk which sucked and was great all at the same time. I was just so done with anything I had for all of those classes so I was like, whatever I'm done! But that wasn't the case. I still had a paper and two finals left. So the craziness finally ceased for a little bit and then my just amazingly sweet friends Miranda, Elizabeth, and Jac presented me with a scrapbook they had been working on for half the semester...HALF THE SEMESTER. Crazy and they managed to keep it from me the entire time; talent? I think yes! But it was wonderful and I have been blessed with them but it just truly showed how much they cared and in all my sappiness I love(d) it. It's nice to know, you know? It was wonderful just being able to hang with them and be crazy like we always are when we get together with our fake accents and movies and just good fellowship. 

Wednesday was equally amazing. I had Christmas with the best roommate ever. She truly is the greatest roommate ever and why God would grace me with her in my life is still mind-boggling but I'm not complaining. So we both woke up at what's considered early for Reading Day- 9:30- and watched the Solar Express, I mean Polar Express, while eating oatmeal. It was wonderful and so very Christmas-y. Afterward we opened gifts and played Christmas music and it was the best. I had lunch with Marika which was great and then I had to say goodbye to Britt which was heart wrenching and hard but really good. I studied some with Anna for Bus Law and then went to CCF and heard the seniors talk and it was just inspiring because they were leaving and I was leaving (them in a permanent way though) and it was just really comforting. 

Thursday I had my Bus Law final and it went well I think. I have no idea about the grade, and at this point I'm ok with that because it's over. I had lunch with Heather Redel and that was just great as usual. Special one she is and just really cool and I'm really excited to see what God does with her next semester and her adventure with St. Baldrick's. So cool. Got to see her and then went to meet Elizabeth in OP to hear her play the piano. And then just a slew of people came and it turned into a fun fest of great people and joking around and it is the little times like that throughout the week that God blessed me with to remember and cherish. After that I had (the never ending) hall desk and from there went to accountability where we talked about the semester and God's faithfulness, which was huge in so many ways the last 16 weeks. And then I proceeded to turn the water works to full blast and just weeped about being happy and sad and overjoyed and overwhelmed at having the opportunity to go to Bulgaria and at having to leave Truman behind, even though it is going to be here when I get back. After that I had dinner with Chubbs and then finished an essay, so as a reward I didn't study for my mythology final and watched She's Out of My League instead with Anna. Watch it if you haven't seen it. Do it now! But it's one of those things that Anna and I do together because it's just better that way. 

Friday was the grand finale. Well kind of, but without the bang, but it wasn't really a whimper either. Whatever, that probably doesn't even make sense. Anyway, Anna and I had our beds like a foot apart the entire semester and people would always ask if we held hands before going to bed and I am proud to say we did on our final night of being in the room together. We woke up at 5:30 AM and had Roommate Rosie's. And it was glorious! French toast, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, a cinnamon roll, oh gosh the spread was just magnificent! And delicious! So good and the conversation was good too. I took my final and was officially done with the semester which was amazing and a relief and then I started to pack. And then I got increasingly more somber. And then Anna checked me out and Elizabeth helped pack my car. And then Anna had her final so we had to say goodbye and I can honestly say that was one of the worst just for the fact that it is going to be so weird not being able to come back to the room and see her shining face next semester. But I'm not thinking about that too much, as you can tell. Ha. I'm so ridiculous sometimes. But I had lunch with Elizabeth and then said goodbye to her which was pretty bad too and then I pulled away and watched Truman fade away as I drove down 63 toward Kansas City. And just like that, with my entire life packed in my car basically, I headed home for my final three weeks before I leave. 

I am going to spare you the details of being home- just the norm with going to the movies and eating Happy Gillis and reading and hanging out with my parents who are great and sleeping in which is all so much needed. And if you've made it this far, you truly do love me, and you know what...I LOVE YOU TOO! So thanks and I'll try to do better so these things aren't so stinking long!