Another Year Over...

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my best friend??? This weekend has been fabulous, and it's not over yet!!!!

Grow

 

"I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake"
-New Soul by Yael Naim


I'm getting there.

Love Is The Movement.

What do you do when one of your best friends, brothers, decides to give up? What do you do when he tells you that God doesn't exist anymore and that sometimes he wished that he wouldn't exist either? What do you do when one of the happiest and funniest people you know doesn't laugh anymore? What do you do? What can I do?

It isn't supposed to be this way. He's supposed to be the one looking out for me-- not the other way around.

What happens when love isn't enough?

When You Start Talking, I Start Walking

OHHHHHHH, LOVE. I ♥ these boys! They never cease to amaze me!

Born to Run

I miss Doug, and British nights, and McTherapy (of which I definitely need a healthy dose right now), and random Zaxbys trips, and movie nights, and days with crack in the air, and just having my best friend to hang out with 24/7.

And I HATE Statistics. I so don't want to go to class today; I wish I could just skip. But, I know better, and I refuse to be bad and skip (alot) this year.

And I hate myself for avoiding the situation... I do this everytime. What am I so afraid of??? I guess it's mostly because I know better. But still... Why does God feel the need to keep testing me on this subject. I'm sick of trying to prove myself.

Truth

Here's a little something I wrote for class, and I thought I would share.


It is no little feat asking someone to write about their life. I don’t care if that person is 21 years old or 91 years old. Nevertheless, here goes my attempt at explaining a little bit of my history. Once upon a time in a land far, far away, in a house near the ocean a little princess was born to two loving parents: Richard and Linda Charnock. Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I was my parent’s first child and I was certainly the apple of their eye, at least for the first five years of my existence.
When I was born I think I completely surprised my father. He swore to everyone that mom was going to have a boy, and even worse, he swore to name me after his favorite Uncle Alvin. Alvin—like Alvin and the chipmunks-- so unattractive, thankfully, I was not a boy. My mother was ecstatic to have a little girl, and she named me after her favorite Aunt and Uncle: Mariah Lee. I am told that for those first five years my parents doted on me as much as any new parents would: I had the frilliest dresses, the newest shoes, and more Little Mermaid paraphernalia than any girls heart could possibly desire.
So, I suppose it’s my own fault, really, that the fairytale had to end. When I was five I begged and begged my parents for a little sister. When my mom announced that she was going to have a baby I was so excited! Finally, I would have someone to play with and watch over as only a big sister could. My dad tried to explain to me that it might be a boy, and as he did when my mom was pregnant with me, he told her that he was positive it was a boy. I think, instead of telling me not to get my hopes up, someone should have been telling him. On December 1, 1992, Olivia Nadine Charnock was born. From that moment on I knew that my life would be different—I was a big sister.
How can a five year old understand just how much a life can change in one single moment? She can’t. I didn’t understand what words like: central hypotonia, umbilical cord, and motor skills meant. All I knew was that I was now the proud owner of a brand new baby sister and it was my job to protect her. I did know that mom was gone for a very long time, and she almost didn’t make it home in time for Christmas. Christmas Eve brought the best surprise I could ever ask for, my mother and my little sister both got to come home.
After that life was never the same at the Charnock household. I don’t know at what moment it finally clicked that my little sister wasn’t like everyone else, but when it did I was devastated. I thought that it was my fault she was born the way she was, after all, wasn’t I the one who had prayed and begged and pleaded for a sister? Maybe if I had just been more patient and less selfish none of this would have happened.
Growing up I became more to Olivia than I ever thought I would have to be. I cheered her on at physical therapy, I was her translator for the first three and a half years of her life, and when she finally said her first words at almost four years old, I was there. I was there when she learned how to ride a bike, and when she began to read at ten years old. I was also there her first day of Middle School, watching, as the kids made fun of her for being different.
You may ask why I told my story in terms of another person’s life. I’m not sure even I can explain it. All I know is that Olivia has helped shape me into the person I am today. My friends and parents would probably be surprised to hear me say any of this. I guess our relationship isn’t quite what it used to be. Olivia is sixteen and I’m twenty-one. It’s hard to find time to spend with her when I’m up here at school. She frustrates me so much sometimes, but she also pushes me, unknowingly, to be a better person. She loves me for who I am no matter what, and she is teaching me to be patient one day at a time. My little sister might be autistic, but she has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. She is always telling everyone that I am her hero, but what she doesn’t realize is that she is mine too.

Slipping Through My Fingers...

Okay, so, yesterday was the first day of school, and it wasn't so bad. Kind of uneventful actually. I think I might actually enjoy this semester. I hope. I just have to kick some major German butt, and I know that I can do it!!! Horseback riding is going to rock, and my Historical Research Methods class is a joke-- a 12 page paper??? C'Mon!!!! haha I have Stat. later today, really later today at 3:30, so that means that every Tuesday and Thursday I have nothing to do. YAY! It would be nice if I could sleep in, but Fletch refuses to cooperate.

I'm on the way to buy Camp Rock now, and I'm so freaking excited! I hope I like it!!!!

One More Song Before We've Got to Go

It feels so weird to be moving in to another new apartment. Every new year of college I move, and it kind of sucks. Just when I get used to my living situation and get everything the way I like it something has to change. But, I guess my parents would tell me "That's Life..." whatever. haha

I think I'm going to like the new place, although it is rather small. Fletch and I will have fun, and hopefully "Aunt Tori" will come visit us.

T-Minus 2 days until I officially start my senior year of college-- I can't believe it!!!!!!!!!!

LoveBug

I currently am rocking out to the new JoBros album, and it must be pretty freaking awesome if it can get me to take the new McFly out of my CD player..... I feel like such a little kid for loving the JoBros and Camp Rock and Hannah Montana and Disney in general, but who cares??? Right? haha

POV

I ♥ McFly! And I ♥ my bestie for introducing me to them!!! They simply never get old and I swear every album just gets better and better... Now if only Tom would realize that he is hopelessly in love with me and not Giovanna my life would be perfect!

Hit the Lights

I think everyone should sneak into a movie at least once in their life. Tor and I went to see Sisterhood II today (which we paid for...) and we tried to go see Mamma Mia afterwards, but it wouldn't fit into our schedule. We saw Dark Knight instead, and it was SOOOOO good!

Batman is forreal my favorite super-hero... He rocks. And stupid Gotham; they just don't appreciate him. One day.

Today was seriously the best day ever. Tor and I had so much fun seeing movies and taking crazy pictures. It's good to be home.

Dang Right!

I'm BACCCCCCCCCCCCK!

Sehr Liebe

Guten Morgen!



This is forreal my last email... I had to pay for the internet again so Sarah and I could figure out what time the last train leaves. I think we're going to end up spending the night at the airport since it's 45 minutes away from the main part of Munich and we really don't want to miss our flight.



Any and all prayers would be appreciated. Hopefully I'll only have to pay for my luggage one more time, and hopefully everything I've bought over here will make it back in one piece. Not to mention that Lufthansa has a major strike going on right now, so let's all pray that our flight isn't one of the ones that is cancelled. We only have to make it back to Warsaw... Then to Chicago and the Atlanta. So tomorrow is going to be a very long and tiring day. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep most of the time. We should be back in the states by 1:30pm Central Time tomorrow. YAY! for time changes and what is sure to be some major jet lag.



I uploaded the last of the pictures that I took. See everyone soon! Ich Lieben Sie!!!



http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272



Aufwiedersehen, Mariah

Pieces of ME

I cannot wait to be home!!!!!!!!!! Only a day left and then I will be there, YAY!!!! And I get to see my one and only bestest friend Doug. Could life possibly get any better? I think not.

The Hills Are Alive!

Guten Tag!

I'm sitting in our hotel in Munich eating my Nutella & Go! and thinking that today is going to be a lovely day! Because guess what I'm doing today??? Absolutely NOTHING! Sarah and her friend are taking the train to Salzburg (the town in Austria where the Sound of Music was filmed), and I was supposed to go with them, but I have experienced a bit of a setback. When Sarah and I got to the Krakow airport on Thursday morning to check out baggage in, I was informed that mine was over the weight limit. Apparently, Lufthansa has changed their weight requirements, and I had to pay 315zl (or 130 American Dollars) to check both of my bags. So, now I'm going to have to pay to check my baggage with Lufthansa on the way back to Warsaw when we leave to come back to the states.... So that puts me here, in the hotel room, doing nothing today.

I guess it won't be that bad, the Hauptbahnhof (main bus station) is a two minute walk and there are tons of places to eat and buy stuff, so I'll probably wander down there during the course of the day. I'm not sure that I trust myself enough to take the S-Bahn down to the Marienplatz. We all know how well I do with directions. So, I'll stay here, surf the internet and read. It'll be a nice relaxing day.

Today will actually be the only day that I have internet access, I had to pay 17 euros to use it for the day! Ahh! That's $26 American dollars. What a ripoff, but since I had nothing else to do today and I actually have a small paper that needs to be turned in for one of my classes, I figured I sort of had an excuse. So, Dad, feel free to donate some money to the "Give Mariah the Internet Foundation", cause this is the only way y'all will be able to talk to me while I'm here...

The weather is nice today, which means it isn't super-hot like it has been since we got here. So, I'm hoping that I won't die of heat exhaustion in our hotel room. They don't have air conditioning here, and I think we'll all gotten used to it; the weather has just been unnaturally hot.

And, I'm so proud of myself... I've done really well with my German since being here. I can at least recognize most of the words on the signs, and I've been able to order food and ask for directions-- all without the person I'm speaking to realizing that I'm an American. Once the people figure out that you're American they'll talk to you in English, and that totally defeats the purpose. Now if only I could master the subway system.

I also thought I would mention that I have not eaten American food since I got here-- only German food. Which is AMAZING! I really didn't think I would like it, but everything I've had so far has been Sehr gut! Today I might break down and go to the BK in the Bahnhof; they have so very interesting things on their menu that just look to weird to pass up! haha

I'll try to upload the few pictures I've taken since we got here, and the rest will just have to wait until I make it back home. Thanks again for letting me share this incredible experience with y'all. This will be the last email, and I hope that you've enjoyed them. Much love!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272


Aufwiedersehen und Vielen Dank!
Mariah