Jumping out of planes and simple living...

Hey ladies!!! Its taken me like a week to figure this out. So, I gave Jenna the wrong email address (since I forgot what my gmail name actually was). Then it took me forever to figure out that I needed to accept her invitation through gmail to actually get on, but anyway yay I'm here!!
Its great to see what so many of you are doing already. I've had an eventful summer so far. I went skydiving about two weeks ago which was completely amazing! The five hour weather hold must have calmed my nerves because I was smiling and cracking jokes the whole plane ride up to the 13,500 ft jumping altitude. Beyond the initial milli second it was really amazing. It was not at all like a roller coaster and free fall is just exhilarating. Once the parachute opened I was able to see Long Island below and its beauty was amazing! It was a much better view then what you get out of a plane window. I highly recommend it.
After skydiving I had an amazing fourth of July weekend with some of my housemates and then went up to the Poughkeepsie area for a few days with Nicki. There is this really awesome boutique in Hyde Park (Just south of the Vanderbilt mansion) that I finally checked out. It is run by this woman who survived two heart attacks at the age of forty five and decided to leave the corporate world and do something different. Her boutique features an eclectic mix of books, jewelry, accessories and clothes that have been collected from around the world. She supports a lot of local artists as well, and sponsors many different charity events. If you are ever back in the area you need to check it out.
And one last little bit of story that I promised Coleen I would share with all of you. I really believe in the simple living aspect that the Jesuit Volunteer Corps encourages, so I've tried to start living the simple life. I think for awhile I was taking it a little bit to the extreme, I refused to buy any new clothes and was very choosy about any other purchasing choice. It was getting to the point that it was frustrating my parents a bit. The pinnacle of my extremism came when I went to get an eye exam. I ended up needing a new pair of glasses since the frame snapped when they tried to adjust it. Anyway this meant the pair of sunglasses I sort of needed (to drive and not be blinded by the sun as I'm prone to doing, thus endangering society at large) would come at an extra expense not covered by insurance. I had a complete melt down when I realized how much it cost (mind you my mother was paying for it). I couldn't believe how much one pair would cost and how that promoted consumerism, and I felt guilty for getting them. I thought this was a complete destruction of the simple living I've been striving for. My mom tried to tell me I really needed them but I could not be reconciled for a while. I then realized that hey I did need them and simply living doesn't mean not getting what you need. Simple living is more about not living in excess and carefully choosing how you use what you do already have in a way that honors the simple life. So in retrospect my extreme attitude was amusing and certainly has been a learning experience.
I miss you guys sorry for the obscenely long post! I hope to hear from you all soon!!
-Mary =)-