This is where my life begins.

In the last few months, I've had some pretty cool opportunities come up in my life. The biggest one, though, is currently two days away from happening. I applied for a summer internship in Washington, D.C. about a month and a half ago, and two weeks ago, I interviewed and was offered the position. I mean, it's not like I'm going to be a huge person within this organization, and I'm only there until the end of the summer. But. When I think about how my life is suddenly spiraling out of the safety and control and comfort that (mostly) accompanied my adolescence and into the unknown future of my adult life, the butterflies start to invade my stomach. Growing up is scary. Honestly, the scariest part is also the most comforting part: it happens in parts, and each part seems like the "real" beginning.

I was talking to my friend about this the other day. You know when you look up some really successful person on Wikipedia, like Bill Gates or Steve Carrell, and realize that they were once an ordinary person who had an ordinary childhood? (Well, for the most part.) Then, they get some chance opportunity--maybe an audition or a low-level job. They work, then meet the right people, and then BAM! They're famous. The key, though, is that they didn't just... get there. They worked and started. They were brave and tried new things. They took risks. They accepted the low-level, unpaid internships because they knew that they had to start somewhere. I am at that age where my "somewhere" is right now.

My future is one big mystery at this point, with a whole lot of maybes and possiblys. Maybe I will be a writer for a magazine. I could possibly find an editing job. I may go to grad school in England. I could live abroad for the rest of my life. Or I could live in Utah for the rest of my life. Only one thing is for sure, though: I am living in Washington, D.C. for the next two and a half months. I am interning for a non-profit organization. I am taking online classes so I can graduate next spring. I am doing things. The summers of lazy days and Gilmore Girls marathons seem to be over. Even though that brings a twinge of sadness and a lot of chaos to my previous life of predictability, the prospect of a new life wholly overrides any fears that creep their way into my psyche.

What if, in twenty years, someone looks up my name on Wikipedia and sees this beginning? What if this story is what inspires some other 20-year-old girl to make something of her life?

Or, what if it doesn't do any of that?

Either way, this is where my life begins. Lives are lived one day at a time, right? One step each day for the next (approximately) 80 days will lead to the end of an internship and hopefully to the beginning of something else. I'm going to live my life with a little bit of fear and a lot of determination so that, when I have lived all of it, I can look back and be proud.

On that note, here are some pictures of my first summer adventures in the East:

My new shoes for my internship. Don't you think they look professional?  :)

Last hurrah before I left Utah. We even got to meet the band! (That will actually be a separate post. Stay tuned.)

My sorely depleted collection of clothing in D.C. I only had one checked bag, one carry-on, and one backpack to pack for a whole summer. 

Again, my shoe collection is woefully small due to a very small amount of space. I'm very attached to my shoes, and I left some of my favorites behind in favor of more practical choices. 

This is my Metro station. My apartment complex is called Crystal Plaza. 

My first day there, I met up with some friends (Steve and Zach) to traverse Washington. That's the Capitol. Obviously. 

This is quite literally twenty minutes after the pictures in front of the Capitol. The rain came and there was nothing anyone could do for my poor bangs. 

Reunited at long last. :) He has been in D.C. since May 6th. We ate at Good Stuff Eatery for dinner--delicious hamburgers and shakes! 

This is at the American History Museum. I think it's very interesting that the Typewriter was the object that brought women into the workplace. I may write more about this later. 

Josh, Steve, Zach, and I went on a little road trip to Philly. This is the Liberty Bell. 

Naturally, we had to get a Philly Cheesesteak. 

Do you think he's hungry?

This is the final resting place of Mr. Benjamin Franklin. You have to pay to go inside the cemetery. Suffice it to say that we settled for peeking through the gate. 

This is the room where the first and second Continental Congresses took place. Our nation's history is so fascinating! 

Independence Hall. 

Josh is being funny haha. But that is General George Washington in front of Independence Hall. 

I feel like this doesn't need a caption. 

Here we are in front of Washington's Headquarters in Valley Forge. Valley Forge is BEAUTIFUL. I, unfortunately, forgot my Cannon at my apartment before we left, so I didn't get to take as great of pictures. 

If any of you have seen Top Gear (UK), Jeremy, Richard, and James found this little city on one of their tours of the East Coast. Believe it or not, it is in Amish country. Josh and I couldn't resist taking a picture and sending it to Mom. 

Again, I only had my phone, so this picture didn't turn out exactly like I wanted. But this is a beautiful sunset in Amish country. If you look closely, you can see a horse-drawn cart. He's plowing the field. We went to an Amish restaurant, and the food was pretty fantastic. 

I'm already having so many adventures. I love being abroad and experiencing new things. I want to soak in every kind of culture I can for several reasons. I obviously love to explore, but I also love to love. In order for me to love everyone, I feel like I should try to understand them. Traveling and looking for opportunities to learn and grow from other people seems the best way for me to do that. Hopefully, I will be able to travel more and more as my life takes more steps forward.

cheers,
ka.

Hello, sunshine!

Why hello, warm weather. It's so nice to see you!

If you readers haven't been able to tell, my life has taken a busy turn.
The only way anyone would be able to tell is if they noticed that I haven't posted anything since February. If any of you readers are in that boat, thank you for reading my little corner of the Internet! I appreciate your readership and hope that you're still with me.

I'm a college student. Not only am I a college student, but also I'm an over-achieving college student. This semester, I bit off much more than I'm used to chewing. Thus, blogging made it to the lower-reaches of my priority list. I barely had time to eat, sleep, and stay sane in between all of the writing, reading, and attending class. Luckily, the semester is over. However, there is no rest for the wicked. I'm starting my three summer classes tomorrow. Only one of them is on the actual campus, and it only lasts a week. My other two are online, and they will last until August. There are other tentative plans in the works, but we'll cross those when my summer is a little more solidified.

Updates for those interested (in no particular order):

1. I changed my major from Education to Literary Studies. My minor is still political science. I'm still interested in education, but I honestly think that I would be able to do more on a larger scale by acting as a voice for education rather than a voice within the system. I still may go into teaching, but my goal is to be some sort of policy writer or other kind of writer. Perhaps I will become a blogger for real. We'll cross that bridge when school is over. Which leads me to the exciting news that...
2. I am 100% on track to graduate in Spring 2014. Seriously. And...
3. This is Josh:

He's my boyfriend, and he's pretty awesome. :)
He graduated with two bachelor's degrees (International Studies and Economics) on Saturday.

My life is pretty awesome right now. Regardless of how stressed I was during this last semester, I had some pretty fantastic things happen. I won scholarship money, I'm on track with some really cool research, I feel like I have a good reputation in my department, I'm going to graduate a full year earlier than I thought, I have potential opportunities to present and/or publish my research in the next year, and I have a pretty solid foundation for my thesis.

In the personal department, I'm just really happy. Sometimes, with heart-breaking decisions come blessings beyond compare, and that's what I'm experiencing right now. This boy helps my happiness. Sometimes we take cute pictures, and it only increases my affection.

Hello, success. 

Hello, confidence. 

Hello, healing. 

Hello, happiness. 

Hello, new life. 

Hello, sunshine. Thanks for illuminating my path. 

cheers,

ka.  

p.s. do you remember that guy who told me to have fun on a Friday night, the one from one of my political science classes who told me to slow down? He and Josh are one and the same. :) 

Sometimes, my music is for me.

All of my life, I've been told that my musical ability was given to me so that I could uplift other people. I, apparently, have a special talent that will bring other people closer to wherever they need to be. That's a pretty hefty responsibility. At least, it is for me.

However, for me, music isn't just for other people. I mean, yeah. I like making other people feel good. But sometimes, my music is for me. 

A few weeks ago, I was very stressed out. Like, VERY stressed out. I honestly don't even remember why (I probably had tons of homework or something), but I do remember feeling like I was going to explode. I was sitting on my bed, staring at my computer, and I swear I was gonna pass out because I was so worried about whatever it was. 

However, no matter how much homework I thought I had, my gaze kept veering back to the keyboard against my wall. But I don't have time for the piano right now, my mind would tell my inner yearning. You have so much to do. Just a second ago you felt like you were going to explode from all of the stuff-worry. Remember? This is where it gets a little crazy because this is where my inner yearning starts fighting with my mind. (Since it's a different voice, I shall make it a different color.) (In fact, let's just make this a fun little dialogue.) 

M: No piano for you. 

IY: But... it's calling to me. 

M: No. Kolbie, you have so much stuff to do. If you sit down on that stool, you will not get up again for another half hour. That's a half hour you could have spent sleeping. Sleeping. 

IY: What if this is a prompting? What if playing the piano will help me right now? 

M: That makes no sense. 

IY: Of course it makes no sense, I'm not the one who gives myself spiritual promptings. It's not supposed to make sense. 

M: ALL THINGS MUST BE RATIONAL. LOGIC WILL RULE  EVERYTHING. 

IY: Now, now, let's not be too neoclassical... 

And that's where I must stop myself because I'm venturing into Literary Land, where all of my vocabulary from my classes seep into my everyday conversation. 

Let me just get to it: I ended up at my keyboard. And even though I knew I didn't have time, even though my mind was urging me to stop, I knew that it was right. Playing... anything on the piano helps me to unwind and focus. That night in particular, I was given understanding about something I didn't even know that needed understanding. It was a real blessing to mess around on the keyboard. 

This post isn't meant to be about my experience on the piano. It is, however, meant to tell you to take some time for you, whoever you are. I know that it's hard to break away from all of the work and stress and deadlines and drama and everything else in-between that makes up every moment of our lives. Believe me, I know. But you need to. You need to take the time to play your music. I need to take the time to play my music. 

My music is for other people, yes. But I think that I was really given this talent for me. God knew that at times in my life, the only time I was really gonna feel close to him was through a song of the heart. 

ka.