[~life-changing moments]

It has been awhile since I last wrote; much has happened.
I should be reading The Tragedy of King Richard III, but it can wait.

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV!!! I am still celebrating this astounding victory. Anyone reading this blog should count themselves lucky that I did not update immediately after the Super Bowl because I would have gone on and on about the game. As it stands, the game has been talked about more than was absolutely necessary; I don't mind, of course, being so incandescently happy that my team fought against such odds in the world of American football to gain the highest title that rightly belongs in Green Bay -- after all, it is the Lombardi Trophy! The Packers were the first sixth-seeded team to win; that says something right there. Aaron Rodgers is only one aspect of this team to be reckoned with. I will admit that when I realized that we had won that night, tears came to my eyes. It had been such a long time, and I wanted to see Aaron Rodgers win a Super Bowl. The night was epic, in so many ways.

The night did not end there, however. I was still on a high from the victory of the green and gold when my boyfriend mentioned it was "the opportune moment" for something. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, still seeing the shiny Lombardi Trophy in my mind's eye, but all that fell to the wayside as he pulled out something else shiny -- a beautiful ring. He did not go down on one knee, but he did take my hand in his and gently remove the ring I had been wearing on my ring finger; this other ring is a purity ring from my parents, and I will wear it still, only on my other hand. Because of course, when Nate asked me if I would marry him, the only possible answer was yes. And he slipped the new ring onto the ring finger of my left hand.

It took a number of hours for the whole thing to sink in -- even now, I'm still surprised that, in less than a year, I will be getting married! Though it is definitely nice to have something other than homework to obsess over -- I think I like this whole wedding-planning thing!

When it was New Year's Eve, barely two months ago, I knew that 2011 was going to be a year of life-changing moments. I can see now that that feeling is coming true even more quickly than I imagined it would. The Packers won the Super Bowl (which no one could have predicted!). Nate and I are engaged. I graduate from Concordia University in May. Nate and I are getting married before Christmas. I will be officially moving to Wisconsin and away from home.

And yet, it's those life-changing moments that make us truly who we are. I cannot fathom the mind of God, nor would I want to. But I can be thankful for His hand in everything I do.

Loose Green Tea Versus Tea Bag - 7 Reasons Why It's Better

Loose Green Tea Versus Tea Bag - 7 Reasons Why It's Better

This article is quite helpful -- and spot on! Loose leaf tea is always better, for so many reasons.