all [we] need is LOVE 2/14/13

As I wrote in my last post, I had been looking forward to Valentine's Day this year for about a month in advance. The wait was much worth while. This might have been my best Valentine's Day on record yet!

I had written the majority of my valentines during the Super Bowl. I finally got to drop all 18 of them into the mail box Friday February 8th and also brought Josue's present to the mail office to send on the 8th. I'm not a big fan of post offices, but the student working was so sweet. He assured me that they would get it to my valentine.

The beginning of the week was pretty demanding and included long hours spent at the library. I had my first writing assignment due for English on Tuesday, which was just an annotated bibliography, and our first chem exam Wednesday morning. The chemistry exam was followed by DPT class. I took the shuttle back to campus and stopped by the mail office to pick up the package I had received an email notification about the night before, after they had already closed. I texted Josue, assuming it was his package. To my surprise after standing in line I found myself picking up a package with my mom's handwriting on it! I excitedly took it back to my dorm to open it. Inside was a pink shirt that said "Happy Valentine's Day," a box of chocolates, 2 pairs of really soft pink and white socks, a card from her, and a manilla envelope. Written on the front of the decorated envelope was "To: Maddy frum Mrs. Bergfors Class." I was so happy to get the package, but my heart really melted as I opened and read each card from inside the envelope. I really appreciated each card from each kid in my mom's class. They were all carefully colored and decorated with markers and quite evident of the amount of time and effort put into them. Some of the cards said that they missed me and asked me to come back to visit them, oh how I wished! Other cards said I like you or I love you. Some said that they "hope you feel bedr." I was a little confused until I found one card that said they were sorry I was homesick.

I soon had to put the cute cards aside and finish preparing for chem lab. As Maggie, Elya, and I were standing outside with our fellow classmates waiting for the TA to open the door and let us in, I got another email notification from mail services saying I had a package to pick up. The lab was long and extensive. It started at 2:10 and we were allowed to leave as we finished, but would be deducted points if we were late and got out even a minute after 4:55. My motivation for finishing lab was not only to get finished and out on time, but mostly to get to the post office before it closed at 5. I turned in one of my messier lab reports and walked as quickly as I could to the mail room at 4:50, I made it just in time. I knew that this time it was Josue's package that I held in my hands even though I was confused why it would be in an amazon box since he said he bought the box from Staples and why the cost of the postage wasn't the same that he told me he paid. But I was just to excited to really question it.

Maggie and I stopped at ABP then met Evan and went to Ash Wednesday mass. I tried my best to listen and concentrate, but my mind kept going back to the unopened box I had with me. I was also thrown off that we didn't sing the song "Ashes" as our foreheads were marked with ashes, or at all during the entire mass for that matter:

"We rise again from ashes, 

from the good we’ve failed to do.

We rise again from ashes, 

to create ourselves anew.

If all our world is ashes, 

then must our lives be true,

an offering of ashes, an offering to you."

I did really like the priest's homily though. He talked about a field trip his all-boys school took when he was a teacher in the Philippines. If I remember correctly he explained that they bused their 500 boys to an amazing theater that was built so that the sound could be heard without the use of microphones. They figured they had the theater to themselves, and were surprised when they got there to see an all girls school there as well. The theater was special because it was built in a way that sound from the stage could carry so that the audience could hear the plays without using microphones. As the kids took their seats, excitement and talk buzzed all throughout, loudly echoing. Just as the performance was getting ready to start, an older teacher from the boys' school got up on stage, held up his hand, and said the name of their school. (The name of their school was just one word, that was significant but I can't remember the name or its meaning unfortunately.) Quickly a silence fell as hearing the name of their school reminded the boys who they were, and what they were for. The priest tied this phrase in that during lent especially, we are reminded who we are and what we are for. Oh- I was also happy that during the first part of mass it was still early enough that the sun came shining in through the beautiful blue stain-glass that we don't get to see illuminated during mass at 9pm on Sundays.

After mass we rushed back to Reinert, ran up the stair for the first time (the three of us gave up the elevator for Lent and it is much more of a challenge than I ever anticipated it to be), and dropped of our stuff in our rooms. Then Maggie and I left with Danielle, Elya, Danny, and Piotr. Danielle's mom picked up us and brought us to their house. We spent the evening baking and decorating cookies for Valentine's Day as well as making some chocolate covered strawberries. It was fun getting to bake and decorate with my friends (although the cookies and the frosting especially didn't compare to the cookies we made last year with my dad).

We finally got back and Reinert and I was exhausted. But I was so excited!! It was finally time to facetime Josue and open up our Valentine's Day presents! I brought the package and sat down in the hallway outside of my door. I showed him the package and he asked to see it again. He thought it looked strange, and I looked at the return address. I asked what his was and he answered 1004 East Main. This didn't quite match up with the address 1409 East Main that was written in green marker on the package and I quickly realized I still didn't have Josue's much anticipated present. The package was from one of my very best friends, Morgan!

The unexpected surprise made it that much more exciting! I opened it to find all kinds of the best things. Basically the contents fit the wedding phrase, "Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue." There was lots of memorabilia from the many years of our friendship such as the cover and an exert from a journal we kept, photographs, a blowfish, an OLAB program, and a scattegories sheet. She also sent me a bag of my favorite wintergreen lifesavor mints and John Green's The Fault in the Stars with such a sweet inscription. I can't wait to read the book! As for something borrowed, there was an old letter from someone else and a sailor hat from NCYC!! It also turned out that many of these cherished items are blue- different crosses we made for our mobile project in art freshmen year, the book cover, and hat. I am so thankful for a friendship so strong that I can always count on to make me smile. The letter she wrote explained the box, and though it wasn't intentionally a Valentine's present or even supposed to get to me around Valentine's Day, the timing was very fitting! As we learned at NCYC there's no way it was a coincidence..

Josue was a little disappointed it wasn't his box, as was I. But mine was made up for by the excitement and happiness of Morgan's. However, I got another package notification email that evening and knew this one had to finally be from him! I couldn't wait to pick it up, facetime with him, and open each others!!

Thursday morning I woke up to the illumination of my pink heart lights strung across my desk. I had forgotten to unplug then and didn't realize it until I was already up in my bunk so I decided it would be okay to leave them on and let them shine until the morning.

After waking up I got dressed, first in the pink shirt from my mom's package but at the last minute switched to another shirt that says LOVE on it. I also put on earrings that say love on them (and I especially wished I still had the piercing in the middle of my ear that I wore the cursive love earring in). My nails were painted for Valentine's day too-pink with the fourth fingers dark gray sparkles and a pink heart.

After IPE I checked my mailbox and was excited that I had to envelopes from my Dad! One was a Valentine's Day card and the other contained a black lenten reflection booklet. I was very happy to open these both and it meant even more when he told me how much my Grandpa Demeter loved and used the lenten booklets.

I also went to the mailroom and waited in line to pick up my box which was from Josue this time! Yayy! I carried it with me to theology class, lunch at Terre Ve with Maggie and Bridget, and english class. I was so excited to open it and see what was inside and for him to open mine! I didn't even nap after english, just waited.

Finally after he got home from school we facetimed each other and smiled as we took turns watching each other open our boxes. It wasn't quite the same as being together, but we made the most of what we could. I loved his reaction to each present as he unwrapped it. And I really loved the gorgeous gold heart necklace he got me and put it on right away! I was also thankful for the reese's heart that I pretty quickly devoured. It was so good to talk to him and see him.

I did end up taking a quick nap and woke up just in time to leave for dinner with my friends. Maggie, Evan, Danielle, Elya and I went to SLU's Valentine's Day dinner in the student center. There was lots of different food and best of all a fondue table for dessert. I also enjoyed the various love songs that played as we ate and the sweet food workers.

When we came back I saw Albert was leaving to go get food all alone so I went along with him, then came back and spent the majority of my evening facetiming my valentine Josue until the connection got pretty bad which was about the same time one of my roommate's and her boyfriend came in the room.

I overheard her boyfriend talking about train tickets and routes and was really curious so I turned around and asked if she was going home. She told me she was wanting to but wasn't sure. Her boyfriend continued to talk about the train and I told Erica I had actually just talked with my mom, telling her how I wanted to come home and that my mom told me if I found a way, they could bring me back. Erica knew what I was thinking about got really excited right away. Both her boyfriend and her said it would be totally fine if I rode back with them the next day (they both live in Zionsville, IN which is less than an hour from Crawfordsville). I called my mom to see if the offer still held true since I had now found a way home and she said yes they could drive Erica and I back on Sunday. Erica and I were both very, very excited to be going come! We couldn't wait! It truly was a Valentine's Day miracle!

During the day I was also happy when my friends and family texted me about receiving the cards I sent them. It was so good to hear from them and I was relieved my timing worked out.

Friday I got up and went to psych, then spent the hour between classes finishing up and submitting my chem conclusion, went to chem lecture, then came back to Reinert to grab my duffel bag and get in Erica's boyfriend's car for the 4 hour ride home! I tried to sleep, but was too excited. That usually seems to be the case when I'm headed home from school.

I was very, very happy to be home and to see my mom and Maggie right away! Later I also saw Dan and Maria and Josue. I talked with my mom and Dan, watched the Pretty Little Liars episode from the week, and got a much needed back massage from my mom. Then, Josue came over and joined us for a yummy pasta dinner. Home-cooked food was so good! I drove Maria to her gymnastics sleepover (driving was exciting as it had been so long) and then spent the rest of the night watching tv and The Devil Wears Prada with Josue, my mom, Dan, and Maggie. It was so nice to be home!

Saturday I woke up bright and early and my dad picked me up to go to The Lord's Pantry. I was a little disappointed that Ed, the guy that assigns volunteers to hold people bags as they go through the line wasn't there, but that's okay. It was also good to be back there and again I was proud that my dad was the one to give the talk that explains the purpose as well as the history of the pantry and the man, Lucious Newsome, who started it.

When we got back home I watched part of a Valentine's Day hallmark channel movie with my mom, which ultimately turned into a nap. After I woke up we went downtown to surprise Josue while he was at work. Then we tried to watch the rest of the movie, and again it turned into me falling asleep.

(thanks to my mom for supplying this picture, as she took pictures each time I fell asleep)

I took a lovely bath then went to Little Mexico with my dad and Maria. I was so proud to hear that her bars score was 7.2 from her meet!!!! Quite the gymnast she is becoming! Little Mexico was yummy as always and it was fun sharing dinner with Maria and my dad.

The rest of the night I spent with Josue watching a Rob Lowe movie, talking, and sleeping. It was so good to spend my weekend with him as I was used to doing before I came to SLU. I felt bad that I kept falling asleep, but I was so drained from the week and just could not stay awake as much as I wanted to.

Sunday morning I woke up and waited from everyone to return home from church! I spent the morning doing laundry, packing, saying goodbye to my Dad, seeing Michael, and saying goodbye to Maria, Josue, and Maggie. At noon Erica and her parents pulled up and we loaded the car and were off to Saint Louis. Most of this drive I did spend sleeping. It was sad to leave, but not as hard as other times because I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be back!

When we got back to SLU my mom and Dan couldn't stay very long at all, which was sad but understandable. We did have time to run to Starbucks. It was a pleasant sight to see Maggie there studying! When I told my mom she might be there because she said she was studying there earlier in the day, my mom was excited to welcome her to the family. My mom and Dan said goodbye and I stayed with Maggie. This also made it easier, as I was happy to be reunited again with her! Oh and she also gave me my cute valentine :)

Maggie and I spent the rest of the day together. We walked to the Flying Cow to get froyo with Bridget and her boyfriend Kyle, then walked with them to the metro because Kyle had to take the train back.

Then the three of us went to Maggie's room to watch PS I Love You. Neither of them had seen it and I was happy to get to share one of my favorite movies with them, also fitting for Valentine's Day. It ended with just enough time for us to go to Cini for dinner than walk Bridget back part way as Maggie and I walked to 9pm mass.

Monday the love continued when Maggie and I went to ABP for dinner before exercise class and I went to my mailbox just to check, and found that it had two cards in it waiting for me!! A sweet card from my Aunt Elaine and a really cute one from Morgan. I was especially fond of what Morgan wrote inside of her card, not only what it said but the way she worded it all seemed so carefully articulated and pristine. I also love the way people pick out cards, even though it's with the person they're sending it to in mind, it always reflects something about themselves and their style as well. Each card I received this Valentine's Day was perfectly suited to me from each person in different ways, and I believe I could have correctly guessed who each one was sent from if they were unsigned. I love that about cards.