365 questions: 131 - 140

131. How have you changed in the last five years?  Five years? Wow. Five years ago, I was 18. I was just starting school at the University of Idaho. I had just joined a sorority. I was heavier than I am now. I drank like a fish and was absolutely boy crazy. Five years ago, I was still stuck on the stupid ex I followed to school. I lived 8 miles away from my best friend and we had sleepovers in my twin bed. I was surprisingly much more involved in church than I am now. 


What's different now? I moved 2,000 miles away. I'm 2,000 miles from my best friend (though she still is my bff!). I live alone and am MUCH more capable of keeping my space clean. I am "wiser" than I was. I cry much more often. I am much quicker to anger if I don't watch myself. I have a much better relationship with my parents, and a worse one with my sister. I have stopped playing the piano - haven't done so in more than three years. I no longer sing, really, other than along with the radio. I am much more concerned now about success, as opposed to the fun I focused on five years ago. 


But in a lot of ways, I'm still the same person. I am simultaneously surprised by how much I've changed, and how much I am still the same person I was. 

132. What are you sure of in your life?  I am sure that happiness and success are both attainable. I am sure that good friends make the bad days easier and the good days brighter. 


133. When you think of ‘home,’ what, specifically, do you think of?  Normally when I think of home, I think of the house I live in and the memories I've created here. My wonderful little birdy that sits in the living room. If I'm referring to Alaska when I say 'home,' I usually mean the house my parents live in currently. The room I spent my high school years in. My hometown, where I have 21 years of memories. 

134. What’s the difference between settling for things and accepting the way things are?  To me, settling implies that you think you deserve better. It has a negative connotation. Accepting things the way they are has a positive spin to it - accepting that you can't change things that you have no control over and being okay with that. 


135. How many of your friends would you trust with your life?  A small handful. Erika. Ryan. Jacey and Mike. Kris and Dave. Probably a few others. 

136. What’s your definition of heaven?  Hmmm. Good question! I believe heaven is a place free from pain and suffering. A place of eternal happiness. I also believe that there aren't relationships in heaven as there are on earth. I'm not really sure how to put all my beliefs into words, to be honest. I haven't thought much about it. 


137. What is your most prized possession?  I wouldn't say my awesome birdy counts as a "possession," so I suppose I would have to say my phone or my computer. Those are the things I would rush to save in a fire, anyway. Phone, computer, purse/wallet. Everything else, I can live without. 

138. How would you describe yourself in one sentence?  I am a life-long learner. I think that sentence best describes me. I love doing new things, learning new things, trying new activities, eating new foods, traveling to new places. There is something to learn from every experience, and I want to experience it all!


139. What stands between you and happiness? Only myself. I am the master of my own happiness. If I am not happy, it is because I have not chosen to be happy. 

140. What makes a person beautiful?  I think surface/outward beauty plays a very small part in overall beauty. Beauty is a reflection of your inner self. Kindness, generosity, loyalty, service, sacrifice, dedication, honesty - your character is what makes you beautiful. I am a firm believer that you can be the most attractive person around, but if you are nasty and hateful, you are not beautiful.