Stars, Signs, and Symbols

I have never been a big believer in destiny or fate or the notion that the courses our lives take are predetermined. Thus, my interest in things such as my astrological sign and symbol has never been all too important to me. However, over the weekend at a family picnic I was at, (in between drinking a few too many and gossiping) we all began talking about what our astrological signs are. While I know that I am a Libra, my knowledge into the realm of-astrology ends. Apparently though astrology is a pretty big deal in my family because everyone else seemed to be much more “in the know” than I was and so I decided to do a little investigating into the odds and ends of being a Libra.

After doing a little research, I was surprised to discover that I do indeed appear to embody a lot of the characteristics typical of Libra’s. A few that really struck me were:

“Libra is also known as “The Scales” or “Balance” and in Greek mythology, Libra is considered to depict scales held by Astraea, the goddess of justice”—I am constantly trying to seek balance in my life, whether it is balancing work/school with my social life, juggling all of my commitments and obligations in clubs and community events, or even my obsession with making sure my checkbook is in balance (I am an accounting major after all!) I love to have a sense of equilibrium.

“Libra’s are all about partnerships and groups, they are the glue that holds a group together because they are the ones responsible for keeping harmony and peace. Libras have mastered the art of relationships, not just romantic but business, personal, and family relationships just to name a few. No one is able to see another person's point of view better then a Libra”—My family and friends are two of the most important aspects in my life. While I am not sure if I am necessarily the “glue that holds a group together” I definitely like “keeping harmony and peace!” I am not a fan of confrontation and disagreements; I would rather not get into an argument or altercation that could threaten a relationship. HOWEVER, that is not to say that I do not have strong opinions, I am very opinionated (ask anyone who knows me)—I just getting along with people and enjoying their company instead of fighting and arguing!

“Libra’s are also likely to hide or bend their own true feelings in order to bring peace with a group and to make others like them. Sometime this results in them not really knowing what their true feelings are because they are trying to make everyone happy”—Expressing emotions and feelings is definitely something I avoid. I have never been overly emotional, in fact, I have never even cried while watching a movie. I know, I know, how I could have never cried while watching a movie? The Notebook gave me a few sniffles, but beyond that, I have had limited needs for Kleenex at the theater. Now, don’t think I am completely cut-throat, cold-hearted and emotionless, I am extremely compassionate and empathetic, I just prefer to use these qualities to help change whatever situation caused them to arise instead of falling into a heap and crying over the problem at hand!



A few characteristics of Libra’s I did NOT agree with:

“Libras dislike hard work, they are lazy when it comes to getting their hands dirty and doing the work themselves”—I am an extremely hard worker and am constantly pushing myself to work harder and achieve more…or at least I think I am…! I love to make lists and goals and have something to work towards achieving, definitely no laziness here!

“A good way for Libra to become wealthy is through artistic endeavors. They can be painters, interior decorators, actors or writing screenplays or composing”—Unless I want to live in a cardboard box for the rest of my life...So, I think I had better avoid a career which centers expressing my artistic nature. My artistic abilities are lackluster at best, I have never been overly creative (i.e. I am an accounting major), I would rather hire an interior decorator to make my house look fabulous.

So, enough of about me, Do you all know your astrological signs? Do you agree/disagree with the characteristics associated with them? Tell me what you all think!

Moving In, Out, & On

My first weekend with the ability to blog and I am already falling short! Oh well, I will try and make up for it by writing an extra long post today. As I said in my first post, I am very close to my family and love spending time with them, however, in light of recent circumstances, talking about them via my blog presents somewhat of a problem because very few people who may read this know my family. So I may as well spill the beans now and get it over with--my eclectic family.Dad: When I was in eighth grade, my Dad passed away. While this was certainly a difficult challenge for my family, I believe it actually helped to make us stronger and closer.
Mom: My mom is one of my best friends. We have always been close, but since I have gone away to college, we have grown even closer, I love spending time with my Mom and while we don't always see eye-to-eye, we challenge each other to expand our horizons and she makes a great running partner!
Chris: My mom's fiancee and truly one of the greatest guys I have ever met. He treats my mom like gold and spoils me and my siblings as well. We feel so blessed to have him in our lives, even with all his quarks and eccentricities--like not being able to fall asleep until all the laundry is done and the dishwasher is empty!
Sean: At 8 years old, Sean is all-boy, all the the time. From football and basketball to Wii and Playstation, Sean is in constant need of attention and entertainment, not surprising but certainly challenging! While there are 11 years between the two of us, we are still very close. I am his go-to-gal for haircuts, ice-cream sundaes, and countless games of Trouble!



Erin and Andrew: In late April, my siblings, Erin and Andrew, were killed in a car accident. My sister Erin was 17 and was a Junior in high school and my brother Andrew was 13 and in the 7th grade. Losing my siblings has been one of the most challenging and difficult things I have had to deal with, and am still dealing with. While I have my good days and my bad days, my hope is to live my life in a way that will keep their memories alive as well as their strong and vibrant spirits.

Moving on...as a result of my siblings recent deaths, my Mom, Sean, and I have moved in with Chris at his house. As a pseudo bachelor for the past 10 years (he lived with his son, Cory, who is a sophomore at Baldwin-Wallace) it has been quite an adjustment for him and us too! It has been great getting to decorate a new room, I even got an upgrade from a twin sized bed to a queen! However, it is a challenge for me as well because I have never moved before. Not only have I unearthed countless piles of junk to sort through but I am also sad to be leaving behind the house I grew up in.

Well, hopefully I haven't scared you all off yet with all of my family drama! On a lighter note, I have also had to move desks at work since another employee was transferred. On the up side, I now have a desk with a window view, on the down side, I am closer to my bosses office and now am having more difficulty working on my blog!

Hopefully I will be able to devise an incognito way to get onto my blog tomorrow without having to look over my shoulder every 5 seconds for my boss! Otherwise, I will be back tomorrow after work!

Work? Maybe next week

One would think that beginning my first internship would be keeping me busy--instead it seems to have fueled a new addiction--blogging. First, I was content just reading others blogs, but now, I have decided it would be even more fun to start my own, so here we go!

I am not entirely sure what the protocol is for blogging, but from what I can tell, I can post just about whatever I want to, hooray. So, since I am at work and should be doing something 'work' related, I will just gloss over a few highlights about me to get things started!

-While I would like to think that things really are all about me, the name of my blog is not quite that shallow! When your name is Melissa Elizabeth Ehrbar, your initials precede you! Thus, the name of my blog

-I am going into my junior year at the University of Dayton, majoring in accounting and entreprenuership. My dream is to own my own bookstore someday, but for now I am moving towards finishing up my ungrad work and then going to law school. We will see, my indecisiveness has prevented me from deciding too much

-My family and friends are the center of my life, thus they will probably be the main topics in most of my blogs, hopefully the hoopla of our daily extravaganzas will provide some blog-worthy material! I am guessing it will... :)

So, thats it for now, hopefully my next blog will be a little my inspiring, or exciting, or at least have a picture or two included!

P.S. My internship is with the Vetern Affairs Medical Center, a deptartment of the federal government, so be prepared for a plethora of stories revolving around the ineptitude of our powers at be!

Ciao, Melissa