Life update and a few musings

I really should be working on a paper/ case study/ data analysis, but I realized that I haven't posted on my blog for a while due to the aforementioned graduate school chaos. Also...I really like to procrastinate. So, to all my avid readers (hah) here is a brief life update: Classes are going well and my grades should once again be good at the end of this semester. I've made a ton of new (and awesome) friends this semester which has been an enormous blessing in my life. Finally, even though I will be taking full times classes and working this summer, I am excited to be spending it in East Lansing!
OK, update out of the way, on to the brief musings section.
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and we were discussing things we wanted to accomplish/ do in the next few years of our lives (i.e before we are 30).  Here are some of the things I came up with.

• Find a job which I love and allows me to be financially stable. This job should preferably be located in a location that has either spectacular scenery or does not have light pollution. I want 4 distinct seasons and love snow. I am willing to stay in the Lansing area but would need to move out to the country and commute in. I'm not a city girl. Northern Michigan, the U.P, and mountainous regions out west are all high on my list.
• Travel. I desperately want to backpack through Europe, not just the main tourist countries like Spain and France but even the slightly sketchy formerly communist nations. Also, I would love a cross country road trip (with friends.....not the family.) I have never been to Maine and was too young to remember much about the road trips west with the family.
• Travel continued: I also really want to travel to Africa. (This is the point where if my mom read this she would begin to stroke out.) I would like to put my academic knowledge to use and volunteer with a humanitarian organization for a time.
• The whole relationship thing: Yes, I want marriage and a family and all of that wonderful stuff. Eventually. We'll see what God has planned for that.
• Own a non-dented or scratched vehicle. 
• Any other ideas?

What I should look for in a man: Eric's rules.

I've neglected this blog for a few weeks due to grad school craziness and midterms, however now that spring break is here I have a bit of time. I'm spending a few days at home with the family (yikes) and I now have a plethora of funny material to write about. In addition, I have a large post to write about the last few weeks but I will work on that a bit later. Anyways, the following scenario occurred this afternoon.
I was waiting for my email/facebook to load on our very slow dial up here at home when Eric plopped down next to me and said, "Emily, we need to talk about what you need in a guy."  I asked him to please enlighten me (note: sarcasm) and the following rules were established.
1. He should not be a terrorist.
2. He should not be secretly married to anyone else.
3. He should not have Herpes.
4. He should like video games. ( He added this in at the last moment because he says I suck at them and he needs someone good to play with. I can't lie.....he's right.... my hand/ eye coordination is lacking.)
In all...not too bad of a list.