"Head Hunger is a Battle of Epic Proportions"

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the delay. I spend almost every waking minute on my computer, but not for blogging purposes. I'm sure you are all so depressed ;)

The weightloss thing has been going okay. At the end of last week, I had lost about five pounds. Yay! Not for long though. Tim got his wisdom teeth out last week, so he's been off of the exercise wagon for a week, and I have no motivation without him (Sad, I know),so we've both fallen off. As a result we've eaten terrible foods and, while he's maintained his twenty pounds of loss, I've gained all five pounds back plus .3 pounds. Greeeaaat! Oh, well! I have a plan!

Tim's brother's girlfriend, Danielle a.k.a "my sister in-law...ish", and I are pretty much obsessing over our Disney trip next year. No, it has barely been spoken about, but yes, we have every detail planned down to the day, but not the minute 'cause that's just crazy talk. We have itineraries and menus and crazy stuff that only travel agents should make. Oh well, we love it and it makes the days go by!

ANYWAY , how does my weightloss plan work into this? Well, she and I both want to lose weight before Disney. She and I practically switched weights since we first met. She weighs as much as I did... aka she lost 40 pounds, and I, well, I weigh more than she did having gained more than 50 pounds, but whatever. We both want to lose weight, so how better to do it than together? Now, she lives in Wilmington, so physically doing it together is next to impossible. We are, however, going to do the same plan and keep each other accountable. We obsessed over creating a private website together where we could post our weights, pictures, thoughts, recipes, and whatnot so that she and I could see each other's progress or lack thereof. We're pretty stoked about it. We're calling it "Operation Disney Drop-It". Catchy, we know :-D Anyway, our plan is to do the C25k, or Couch to 5k, thing which is running/walking three days a week. That's the minimum requirement. I'm also going to go to the gym to tone-up a little! Yay! I'm always looking for a workout buddy, so if there are any takers!Well, that's that.

So what have I been doing with my post-graduate life? Nothing, and I hate it. I have been searching for a job non-stop. When you hear on the news that the economy is terrible and there are no jobs out there, it's basically true. There are jobs out there, but few that are entry-level for students who can't obtain their career goals yet since they haven't been to grad school. I've sent resumes to so many places, but to no avail. I'm really hoping for something soon. If anyone knows of anything - please, please pleaseeeeee let me know:) I'd be most appreciative.

The only other exciting thing is that we're moving to a new apartment at the end of July/beginning of August. I'm super pumped! I'll be my first adult apartment and I couldn't be more excited! I'm looking for some awesome DIY stuff, so feel free to post back with any ideas. I'm really into retro stuff. I love BIG flowers and BIG bows (notice my background on here). That kind of thing. I also ADORE color.

Well -- I think that's everything in a nutshell!! There is some exciting stuff coming up... like.. I'm going to a complete nerd convention called Dragon*Con, similar to ComicCon, in September. Totally NOT my scene, but it's going to be the experience of a lifetime! I'm going with some friends of mine that said I should go. It's in Atlanta so I get to see the Aquarium and the History of Coke museum. Yes, I'm more pumped about those than the convention itself. But hey -- I like Star Wars and Mythbusters... so maybe it won't be so bad! ;)

Well -- fo' realz. I'm hitting the sack. I'm tired of sending in applications. Please keep me in your prayers. I really need a job. Reaaaallllly bad.

Sigh.

Farewell, my friends!

Week 1!

Well -- this week was good and bad. I did really well on eating, uuuuntil this weekend.

First -- the good. I went to the grocery store and bought food for the apartment. I bought ingredients for easy recipes that I could either make individual servings of, or recipes that would hold up for a day or two so that I would have food:) I only bought fruit and these cinnamon-apple Quakes things that were AMAZING (and surprisingly healthy!! I didn't know it before I got them!) I did super well! I only drank water and milk(except for once when I forgot and got a diet coke at a restaurant). I am having a tough part with the milk part. I used to love drinking it, but it is super hard right now.. not sure why! I also bought a cookbook that has super delicious/healthy food that is easy to make. I make a chicken recipe out of it which was okay. Tim loved it -- I would eat it again, but change some things about it. I also found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was AMAZING. It took less than five minutes to make them and then throw them in the oven. They were DELICIOUS. Possibly the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had, and they were healthy!

Well -- now the bad. As we all know, the weekends are usually the hardest to stay dedicated. Had I stayed home I would have been fine, but I went to Wilmington with Tim for his sister-in-law "ish"'s graduation. Well, that means cookouts, dinners, yatta yah. I did my best. I didn't go overboard, but I also didn't do as well as I should have. I couldn't say no to strawberry shortcake -- or to two yeast rolls instead of one. Dang cookouts! That's my favorite kind of food -- so of course it would be the hardest to say "No way, Jose!" to. Oh well -- c'est la vi.

Well -- in all, I've lost .5lb! Woooo! Exciting. Tim's parents proposed a little friendly competition. We're going to see who can lose the most weight in TWO WEEKS. Soo-- here we go!! There really isn't a prize -- just bragging rights I suppose.

Well -- that's that!! Any recipe suggestions from anyone?

Thanks for the tips Puebar!!

Back to cleaning!

New Challenges

Hello Folks!

Long time no talk. I have to say that Senior year was a lot crazier than I ever could have guessed.

In a nutshell, I was crazy busy planning an event called Class Day at Meredith, as well as busy finishing classes, my thesis, and getting things ready for Graduation.

I MADE IT out alive. I graduated and am now a gradumated adult. Who knows what will happen from here. I'm holding out for a year before I go to graduate school. I'm anticipating that will be married before the end of school, so I may as well take a year to enjoy being me for a bit before having to sacrifice all of my free time to family, as much as I am looking forward to it.

So what am I going to do for the next year? Well, I'm on a mission to become healthier! Yes, that's right. I've gained a ridiculous amount of weight in the last year and a half. I'm not really sure why or how, but I did -- about 60 pounds to be exact. I'm miserable because of it. So -- now that I have such ample free time, I'm going to prove to myself that I can lose weight!! Yess!!

Most of you are health/work-out nuts, so I want your advice, support, and suggestions! I'll keep you posted on my progress or lack there of. I joined weightwatchers too, so that should help me see my progress even if my body doesn't.

I'm going to do the whole "goal jeans" thing, only with a twist. There are some dresses that I want to buy, but they don't come in my size. So -- i'm going to by one of them two or three sizes down, and that way it will be a step toward the right direction. Once I reach that point -- I'll shoot for something different.

So -- any moms or health nuts that have suggestions for easy, healthy, quick, or healthy comfort foodish type meals, please feel free to share your secrets.

I don't really eat unhealthy to begin with. I think a big part of my weight-gain was the hours I ate (no breakfast, late lunch, super late dinner) as well as a bad sleeping schedule. That and my random workout schedule (some weeks I'd go four times a week and others not at all). Anyone with suggestions on how to stay dedicated to working out -- I could use those too!!

I really want this to work out. Without hiring a personal trainer (which I cannot afford) this is going to be very difficult! I don't have a car either -- so most of the time I'll only have access to my neighborhood or house. I am a member of a gym, and I go there on the nights that I do not work.

So that's that!!

In other news. I need a job -- I'd really love something administrative. Let me know if you know of anything!!

Well, I'm off to clean the apartment.

See you later folks!

Wow, I'm awesome.

So much for keeping y'all updated! I did so well there for a while.... then life took over.

It's been crazy busy the past few weeks. School is constantly tugging one end of my rope and work is pulling the other. When I'm not doing school work, practicing for Cornhuskin', or running around to meetings, I am probably either babysitting, running errands, or working. That's all my life will continue to consist of until November 5th. After that... well.... then it's GRE studying and then Grad School Apps. Woop.

The fun? I've gone to ALMOST all of the football games! In fact, the only ones I haven't gone to are the ones that State lost. Coincidence? I'd like to think so. I had the White Iris Ball last Friday -- and that was lots of fun. My friends and I made dinner and then got ready at Tim's apartment before heading to the dance. I've really taken a liking to Golf, so Tim and I have been playing a lot recently. I haven't made it to a full golf course yet, but.. one day!

Other than that, there's nothing really going on in my life. I wish I could say there was!!! I can't believe this semester is just about a month from being over. How does this happen?! Only one semester left?! Holy cow!!!!

Well - I'll try to get better at posting.. no promises!!! I will leave you with some pictures though!!!!

So you had a bad day ....

Well, now that Blogger is finally letting me on, I can post!

My life consists of three things: Babysitting, School, and Meetings. Last week was pretty ridiculous. I thought that I was going to explode before the end of the week. I'll try not to dwell on the bad things, but here is how my last two weeks have been.

Babysitting has been fun. I've been babysitting for the same family for about 4 months now. I love them. They are so cute and so funny. Here is a picture of the little girl, Molly, in her makeshift cheerleading outfit and a picture of some of my lack of creativity drawings we do together:




Last week was one of those weeks where I was up at 6:30 a.m every morning and was running around doing one of the about list things and didn't get home until around 10 or 11 most nights. It was ridiculous. To top things off I got my first ticket trying to run around and get to different places. In my defense, I didn't realize I was in a school zone so I was going 47 thinking it was 45. No fair. But, life is life. Since it's my first ticket it should get reduced..... I hope.

In the past week I've learned to golf! Yes! I never thought I'd want to or be good at it, but it is actually a lot of fun and a really great release. I would recommend it to anyone. Here are some pictures!!





Well, on Friday, things started to get better... mostly because I was able to breathe. The first State game was this weekend, and I got to go! Yayyyy! It was an awesome game. More pictures :) The one of the scoreboard is when there was a glitch -- it kept scrolling through from 99 to 0 -- so it would say 99-7...98-7...97-7... etc. So that was just when I finally got the picture. The actual final score was 48-7. Yayyy!






Well, I finished out labor day weekend at Tim's parents' house. It was a lot of fun. We went to Carolina Beach's Boardwalk to get some Britt's donuts (yummmm). Here is a picture of Baby Asher eating them --



Well -- that's my life. It's on the up-and-up. I have to take the Psychology Exit Exam this weekend. I have to pass it to graduate... we'll see how it goes!! Wish me luck... keep my in your prayers. I'm really nervous!!

I'm outta here folks!! I'll post again soon :)

Tip of the iceberg...

Well, week one and I'm already about to go insane. My day starts at 6:30am and ends around 11:30 everyday. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a break in between all the chaos, but my day is "Go!GO!GOOO!" For instance, my schedule for today was:

6:30 -- Wake up
7:00 -- Drop Tim off at Work
7:30 -- Gym
9:00 -- Babysit
12:00 - Class
1:00 -- Meeting
2:00 -- 30 minutes to grab clothes from apartment
2:45 -- Babysit
4:15 -- Drop Laura off
4:30 -- Pick Tim up
5:00 -- Grocery Store
6:00 -- Work
11:00 - Get home
11:45 - start homework

Yep -- that's what my day looked like. This is what just about everyday looks like for me. Ahhhhhh.

My classes are pretty great. I missed one this week. Yep. Already. Here's the story. So. I am I taking a class at State this semester. Partly for the football tickets and partly because I wanted to take some extra Psych classes that aren't offered at Meredith. Well, I've never had to drive over there during the day. I thought leaving half an hour early would mean getting there 15 mins early. Well, I was VERY wrong. Two minutes after leaving the house (9:52), I turned onto Western (Street right in front of state) just in time to catch an accident that would put me at the parking deck right when class was starting (10:15). Well, the parking deck was full, so I had to wait in line for another 15 minutes just to get a ticket into the parking deck (now 10:30). I proceeded to drive around the parking deck trying to find a spot. Mind you, my gas tank was on E from the time I left the apartment. Well, after driving around the parking deck for another 15 minutes (now 10:45) I decided to give up. I asked the parking attendant to let me out without paying since I didn't park (she gave it to me, feeling bad). I pulled over, emailed my professor expressing my sincere apologies, and left to get gas. The class ended at 11:20, so, in my head, I would have spent another 10 minutes trying to park and then it takes another 5 just to get to class. So I would have gotten to class around 11:05. Pointless, right? I met with him the next day, and he was already joking about it -- so at least he's got a sense of humor!

Mini Blurb: I went to the eye doctor the other day and found out I've had an infection in my eye for more than a month! How did I not know?!?!?! I went to get a new contact prescription and came out with an antibiotic prescription! Whaaaaaat?!

Well, other than the chaotic schedule, I'm doing great! Haha. Other than tonight, I've been going to sleep around 11pm, which is great. I've been going to the gym, also great. Now if that would just translate into weightloss, I'd be set!

Well folks. Sorry for the Debby Downer post, but, hey, I said I'd keep you posted with all things good and bad!! :)

Peace!

Why not me, why not now?

Hey folks!

Well, I had pictures, but my phone decided to eat the SD card so now it won't work -- yay.

So, this week has been quite ridiculous. While it has been a blast, this week was spent preparing the school for the incoming freshmen, transfer students, etc. It's a lot of hard work, but also fun. We spent the week making posters, banners, making props, running around campus finding supplies, and getting to know other students. It was on my college bucket list to be on the Orientation Crew. When I moved in, there were girls right at the front of the school cheering their brains out when I arrived -- I knew I wanted to do it too. I wasn't able to do it in the past because of other obligations, but I finally got to do it this year and it was amazing!

The biggest day of the week is Saturday when the freshmen move in. The O.C. meet at school at 5:30 to make a balloon rainbow: here is the one from my freshman year...



After we do this, we meet in the circle to cheer for the freshmen as they pull through the front gates and truly enter as a student. It was a great time to cheer with my fellow seniors. It is crazy to think that this is my last year. It is gradually sinking in.

Well, this week begins the home stretch. August 18 is the first day of the last year! Woo!!!

In a nutshell

I was hoping to have some sort of pictures for y'all to gander at, but I have a pretty boring life at this point in time! It's all work work work!

What have I been doing this summer, you ask? Besides work? Well, there isn't a whole lot. I got to go see my Meredith Lil Sis for her birthday. It was a lot of fun. We got to go to the beach and eat super delicious pizza. I got crispy fried though. That was a bit of a disappointment. I'm still living with it today!

I think that's about the only vacation time I've had a away from Raleigh. I've had the chance to catch up with some friends this summer, and that has been nice since I don't really know what next year holds in store for me.

The best thing about this summer has probably been FroYo. Tim and I discovered this place in Wilmington that sells self-serve froyo, and LOVED it. So I found a place in Cary that serves it too. YUM! That, or cherry limeade from Sonic, is my "After the gym" reinforcement (psychology nerd). It's worked so far!!!

I move back on campus in a week, and I couldn't be more excited. I love being around friends all the time. I love being able to wake up minutes before class. I love having a packed schedule (although you'll hear differently in a few weeks). I just hope I get to stay there! I'm still $5k short of being able to stay on campus, but they said I could live there until they figure out if there's a way to help me or not -- figures crossed.

Well, there is a lot in store this year. I am president of MEA (Meredith Entertainment Association). I am really excited/nervous about this. I want to bring MEA back from the depths. It's an awesome organization that puts on dances and picnics and whatnot. It's so MUCH fun! There's painting the senior tunnel, SENIOR Cornhuksin' (peace, love, corn), 11th night, and graduation itself which is May 8 for any who would like to attend.

Probably the thing I am most excited for is Class Day. I am a Co-chair for the event, along with my best friend Beth. It truly is amazing. It's the day before graduation. It's a day for our Lil Sis class to say goodbye, and also a day to remember the last four years that have flown by. It's really emotional and gorgeous. I am honored to be planning it! All the girls wear white sundresses. The Lil Sis class makes an ivy/daisy chain that they form the roman numerals 11 (for the graduating class) with later in the day -- here's a picture from when I was the Lil.



Well, I guess that's about it for now -- I'm tired and am ready for sleep!

Happy reading!

The calm before the storm...

It's hard to believe that summer has come and almost gone. What's even harder to believe is that I am going into my final year at Meredith College. I can't believe where I am today. It is going to be a great year. I have so much to look forward to, and, yet, so much to start saying goodbye to.

My intention for this newly edited blog is to keep everyone updated on the happenings as I journey through this final chapter of my undergraduate education. You'll learn about my stresses, my adventures, my successes and failures, and everything and anything else you could ever want to know!

I hope that you'll hop on board and follow along with me as I journey to May 8, 2011 when the class of 2011 will take their final steps across the Meredith College Amphitheater.

Stay tuned ....

What goes around, comes around again....

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have finished out my junior year at Meredith College. Hard to believe, I know. I cannot believe the direction my life has taken since June 2007 when I graduated high school. There are some things I miss, and others I do not. It has been a long, bumpy, and crazy road, but I would not change one bit of it. I am about to enter my second senior year of my life, and it is quite frightening. While the course-load itself is intimidating, it is the life after May 8, 2011 that scares me the most. While I have ample time to figure this out, there are so many options and I just do not know what will suit me best.

The biggest candidate is graduate school. I do not know where I would want to go. Part of me wants to stay here, in good ol' Raleigh, North Carolina. My two options here would be to go to NCSU (preference) or UNC. NCSU only has a PhD program, which would mean I would be in school for at least another 4-5 years. UNC has Masters degrees, but not as wide of a selection. There are other options like the University of Maryland at College Park, Colorado State University, UNC-Charlotte, etc. It's finding the right fit.Anyway, I'll start talking about what has been going on with me instead of what will happen. Since the last time I posted about my life, and not school, I have done SO many things. I had my first Disney trip. I LOVED IT. I wish I could go back. I got to stay at Saratoga Springs, which was beautiful. We were there for four days and four nights. It was a great trip that I will never forget. Here are some pictures from the trip:
I got my Onyx! For those of you that don't know what that is -- it is the Meredith College class ring. Every Meredith graduate (who is willing or able to buy one) has this ring. It is our signature! I finally got in November of last year after much saving and a few donations (Thank you!). Here is a picture of my ring :)


The other exciting thing I got to do was go to New York City! I went for New Years. This wasn't just the normal NYC trip. We left at 3am on the 31st, drove to Trenton, NJ (catching every bit of snow along the way), caught a train at 10:30am, arrive in NYC at 12:00pm, roamed around for two hours, got lunch/dinner at 2:30/3, and then camped out on 7th Street until 12am. The ball drops, we're all frozen to death, we hit up a McDs to use the restroom, and then it's back to PennStation to catch the train back to Trenton. We get back home at 8am in the morning. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we took a 29 hour trip to NYC. It was stupid, it was fun, but we will never do it again! Haha. I don't have any pictures right now, because there are toooo many and they are too big to load on here. Sad!

Well, I think that's about all the excitement that has happened in the last year. I have two exams before it's time to hit the beach (or, rather, work). I am looking forward to this summer! I have lots of potential plans that I am super stoked about. I am hopefully going to Busch Gardens!!! I haven't been since I went with Puebar during my Sophomore or Junior year in high school. That's a long time! It's my favorite theme park. There are ideas to go to Texas with Tim's family, which would be fun! I might get to see my aunt there! A few of us crazy kids are considering a wild and crazy road trip. I've always wanted to go on one! My friend is working in DC this summer, and I've not been since fifth grade. I really want to go there and to Baltimore to check out the University of Maryland to see if it is where I want to go!

I'm going to try getting better at this! Let me know you're reading! It'll be easier to remember :)

See ya folks!

What have I learned?

EDU 241 has come to an end. I've learned to use so many programs in class. Before I took this class, I only ever thought about using powerpoint or similar programs in the classroom. Now that I've finished the class, I've learned that there are so many programs and methods to use. I think my favorite was the WebQuest. It is really interesting to pull together research and a lesson plan to create an internet scavenger hunt for students to do. I also think the database information is really useful. Databases can be used for everything and anything, not just teaching. This class has been very useful in my knowledge of technology and educational methods.

Powerpoints and Webquests?!

During the last week, and for the duration of the semester, we have worked on creating effective powerpoints and making webquests for our "students." This is actually a lot of fun. It's basically a scavenger hunt about a specific topic, but the students end up creating a final product to reflect on what they learned.

The crazy thing about powerpoints is that there is a "right" way to do it. It is not just piling stuff onto a page to present. It actually need to be thought through. Color schemes and choice of words are important for these kinds of documents

It is very interesting to learn about the different methods of learning, especially regarding technology.

Digital Story Telling Cont.

I mentioned last week that we learned to make digital stories. Well, I just turned in my assignment the other night. Let me tell you -- writing stories an portraying them through images is not as easy as it sounds! You have to make sure that you convey the right emotion and idea! It was really interesting to see the final work. After seeing the final product, I really think that it would be a fun project to assign students. Not only does it teach them another method through which to present and use technology, but it also gives them a way to take their ideas and thoughts and put them into a movie.

Digital Story Telling

This week we learned how to make digital stories with a new software. It's actually a lot of fun. Our assignment is to make a story discussing internet safety. While we are using it for a more serious topic, it can also be used for lighter and more entertaining purposes. I had an assignment similar to this one for my EDU 232 course. We had the option of using PhotoStory to explain our philosophy of education. I didn't use this, but the ones that I did were amazing. I think this is a great way to do any kind of presentation or share a story.

I think that this would be fun for students as well. This could be used for any year in grade school. High school students could use it to make presentations, and elementary school students could use this to make their own stories or to retell another story.

I think that this is a great program and it is really easy to use!

Technologically Advanced

This week I have learned to use a few new programs! They are both tools for education, but can be used for various purposes. I have to make a webpage for my education class, and it is turning out to be harder than I expected. One of the programs that I learned to use this week was Microsoft Expressions. It is a very useful tool for this project. I have not completely learned how to use it, but practice makes perfect! Prior to working on the actual webpage, I used Inspiration to make a "story" or rather an outline. The program is pretty cool! I can add different clip-art to emphasize or represent my story. These programs, especially Microsoft Expression, can be used in my professional career. They can be used in my own preparation for classes, or the students, especially if I teach high school students, can use if for projects. Learning how to use these programs will hopefully help me to integrate technology in an effective and creative way.

Four score and seven years ago....

Yes, it has been forever since I last updated. Life has been a crazy jumbled-up mess since August. Right before school started I was at Disney. These are my two excuses! Take them or leave them!

I will post stories, pictures, etc. after the next few events and I'll take it all out in one sweep. This month is..... White Iris Ball, my 21st birthday, Ring Dinner/Week, Meredith and a Movie, and Cornhuskin' soon after. I will explain all of these in turn after each event has passed. Until then, I'm going to meetings, practices, and work all in one day!

The other thing I wanted to inform you all of is the fact that I will be posting on here more frequently for a class. Yes.... my homework is to blog once a week. You will be hearing from me on a more academic basis for the next month or so. Doing this will, hopefully, allow me to post my pictures and stories in between homework assignments!

Well, that's it! Just wanted to give you all a mini-update! I'm alive! I swear:)

Don't forget to get your daily dose of CORN!

Sweet Summertime....

Surprise! I know, this is probably causing a coronary for all of you, but, yes, I am updating!! Wooo!

Well, not much has happened since I last updated! I've been working for the family I live with. I help the dad run his business. Woo hoo! This job also includes doing odds and ends around the house too. The biggest project of the summer, so far, has been painting the rooms around the Welsh's house. That was a HUGE hassle. I commend and empathize with those who've had to endure this wretched process. One of the rooms had wallpaper. Not the whole room, but a border. Better, yes, but still the worst thing ever. No matter how cute it is, or how much my children as for it, I WILL NOT put wallpaper in any room. Haha. Anyway -- the first
room took about 14 hours total -- one of the smallest rooms in the house. Yes. That's right. Stupid wallpaper. The second room was a gigantic FROG (family room over garage) with vaulted ceilings. Marvelous. Still, It only took about 6 hours to do, and I did it over a period of two days. After that, I took a break for a day or two, and then painted my room. I was sick of painting at this point, so I didn't put as much care and caution into my room -- so it's not perfect, but it is so much better than the stark white walls!! Here are some pictures of the FROG and my room:


FROG


My Room
Since then I've been to the beach:) Woo hoo!!! I went with my roommate, Jamie, and our friend, Eva. We had a great time. We drove down to Jamie's beach house at Holden Beach, NC. It was really hot down there, but it was worth the trip! Being only 30 minutes away, Tim came to visit! It was great to see him. We've only seen each other two or three times this summer, so it's always nice to fit in as much time as possible together!! The four of us went to the Provision Company for lunch. For those of you who do not know what this is, you are missing out. It's know for its seafood, but I love it for their cheeseburgers! I finally was able to get a t-shirt this time around:) Oh, and a koozie (or cozies, as I heard them called today). After spending about 4 hours on the beach (and minimal burns!) we went back to Lumberton to Jamie's house for the night. The next day we went to the pool for a few hours and then Eva and I headed back to Raleigh. It was my first beach trip, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Me, Jamie, Eva


Me, Jamie


Tim, Me


This summer has been about friendships. I've not spent much time keeping up with my high school, or college friends, really, so I've been hanging out with a lot of people that I've missed. I went shopping with Lauren last week for her birthday and for my trip to Disney World (t-twelve days!). It was a lot of fun!!! I haven't been on a true shopping spree since high school! Woo hoo! I've also gone out with Rachel, Annelise, Dustin, Livi, and a few other people. It's been a lot of fun, and really interesting to see where people are in their lives! Two years may not seem like a lot of time, but it really, and truly is.

Well, time is flying, but I can't say that I'm complaining. Summer is almost halfway over, and the end couldn't come fast enough. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is my chaotic schedule. I don't really know what to expect for the fall semester. I've already begun to feel the repercussions of my decision to get involved in everything possible next year... whew. We'll see what happens!!

Well, I'm zonked. I was up until 4am reading the last of the Harry Potter series. It's a tradition I had in high school, reading the series over again before every movie/book, but I stopped after senior year. So, I thought it was time to do it again. I have enjoyed the books more this time than any other time I remember reading them:)

On that note, I'm going to take a nap!!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the weather wherever you may be:)

xxoo

I got sucked up by a tornado.... yeah, that's it.

Sorry for the long empty void that is my lack of posting. I started about five posts, and then got caught up in something else.

Well, it's summer. It has been for about three weeks now. I can't say I'm thoroughly thrilled about it, but, hey, at least it's a break.

The last few months of school went by faster than expected. Some of my classes nearly killed me (Education mainly), but I made it through! I made a 93 on my EPG project (semester long project) and came out of the semester with a 3.6 average!! Highest yet!!! I'm workin' my way up. I was thrilled not to have a single C this semester(considering I had two last semester!! YIKES!)

Class day was amazing. For those who don't know what that is: It is another tradition at Meredith College (Yes! Another tradition!) The sophomore class and the senior class practice special songs dedicated to their sister class. The sophomore classes get up at 4am to go pick Ivy. We all meet for breakfast and then begin wrapping the ivy around a long, thick, heavy rope. After that's done, we put daisies in the ivy. These two things are called daisy chains. The sophomores carry in the daisy chain at the beginning of the class day ceremony. The ceremony honors the seniors, and allows them to reminisce their four years at Meredith. It's really emotional, but fun too. At the end of the ceremony the Sophomores carry the daisy chains into the center of the amphitheater (will post pictures below) and form the senior class' graduating year. It's a lot of fun and really exciting to think I will be there in less than two years now!! Oh and the two classes wear ALL WHITE... no other color whatsoever.

I went to graduation the following day, and then it was time to move out!! It was really sad, actually. I forget how sad it is to leave every year. I always look forward to it, but at the same time it's sad saying goodbye to a year of memories.

After I moved out, I was only gone a day before heading back to MC. I signed up to go to LeaderShape. This was a week long retreat at Fort Caswell, North Carolina. It was really exciting for two reasons. 1) I lived on Oak Island (where Fort Caswell is) for the first year of my life, and 2) because i gained some amazing skills, insights, and friendships that will hopefully last forever!!


Since then, I have just been hanging around Raleigh. Since most of my friends live out of town, I don't really have much to do. I've been trying to find a job, and I kind of found one. I work for the family I live with. That's given me a little bit of money. Hopefully, something else will turn up!

Well, that's about all I have!! I hope that everything is going well for everyone. I will do my best to post again soon!!!
This is the group I picked ivy with!!

Jamie (my roommate) and I working on the ivy part of the chain

This is the Daisy Chain after we finished it!!!


This is the sophomore class walking the daisy chain to the center of the amphitheater, and the seniors circling around


This is what it looks like at the very end!!! This is where everyone cried:)
Oh, and after they raised their arms up, they count to "9" and destroy everything.
Yes.... 7 hours of work, destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Jamie, Megan(Jamie's sister), MaryAnne(Megan's friend), Meredith (Megan's friend), and Myself. I will miss these ladies!!!!


Me, Hillary(My big sis), Sarah (My grand big sis, Hillary's big sis)
I miss miss Hillary so, so, so, so much:(

And let the countdown begin....

Hello fellow bloggers,

Well, by the magic instilled within me, I am somehow blogging exactly a month since I last posted. I do not do this intentionally -- I guess it's just my brain's functioning status at the end of each month. It's not hard to believe considering I become more and more wiped out at the end of each week. It's the last home-stretch though! Woop!

Nothing too exciting has been going on. It's been the usual stuff. Meetings, classes, tons of work. I think Tim and I have spent an average of 5 hours in the library every night. It's our new home. We just reserve a study room, go in with our stuff, and camp out until we can't keep our eyes open any longer. It's been helping, but I have been loosing a lot of sleep.

Tim and I have been working really hard to get into shape. I think it sucks that last year I didn't do anything, but I lost 20 pounds (of course, I gained that and more back). This semester, Tim and I have been going to the gym every day. We've been running, doing weights, ab workouts, swimming, and our personal favorite, racket ball, but I'm not losing anything. In fact, I gained about two pounds since we started. Explain this please?! Despite that disappointing bit of information, it does feel really good.

I've been doing pretty well in school. I got a Stats test back today: 97! I was so stoked. The average was an 74 I think. It felt really good. I studied my poor little brains out for that test. He said it was the hardest test too, so that's even more. My other classes are whooping my butt. I'm working really hard, though. If I can just make it through the next two weeks, then I will be okay. I really want to make at least a B in every class. That is more than achievable, I hope. There's only one class that I really worry about.

Umm. I'm not really sure what else there is to say. I applied for a job at Build-A-Bear. That seemed like a real potential. I got called back, and had to go in to take a test. I'm waiting for the results now. We'll see what happens. I really want it though. I'm trying to go to Disney this summer. I haven't been within my memory, so I really want to be able to do that. If I can't do that, then I will either save money to go on a road trip, or just use it for my Onyx next year:)

Well, I've got more work to do than I've ever had to do before. So -- I'm off to drown myself in it:)

Until next month!

Tradtion. Tradition!

Well helloooo,

Once again, it's been forever since I last wrote a blog update. I know. I'm such a slacker. I can't keep up with this thing. There isn't enough interesting happenings in my life. I'm just boring:)

Let's see. The last time I updated was a month ago. What happened within the last month?!

I think I mentioned last time that I was getting ready for a sort of leadership conference. Well, after a week from you know where, we finally made it to the conference. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I took full advantage of being away from school and being in a place where I knew next to no one. I met a lot of people, and, most importantly, I learned a lot about leadership. It was very inspirational:) Plus, I grew closer to the girls in my group! This is all of us:




Let's see. Because of my leadership hype, I started considering all the positions I would like to go for next year. I'm pretty stoked. I really don't want to overdo myself. I feel like I've done too much this semester. I'm applying to be a co-chair at one of the biggest events at Meredith. It's called the White Iris ball. It's a dance in the fall, and it always falls on my birthday -- so that's exciting:)

School has been going okay, otherwise. My grades are the best they've been despite the fact that these are the hardest classes I've taken. I've got three As, two Bs, and one grade that is TBA. I have no idea what I have in there, because we've not received any grades back. I'm assuming it's about a B though. The TBA grade and one of my B classes are the hardest classes I've ever taken at Meredith. They are thoroughly kicking my butt. I think part of this reason is that I'm taking three really hard classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This means that I have two days of work, per class, per day. Yeah -- that amounts to 6 days of class in just one 24 hour period. Keeping up with the work is so so so hard. I'm doing the best I can, though:)

I declared my first major the other day. Psychology! Yes, this may come as a surprise to those of you who though I was just doing Spanish. I am also doing psychology. I am torn between teaching and counseling. I figure that this way I'll have a choice:) I did the math after I delcared, and if I take at least 13 credit hours for the next four semesters, I'll be able to graduate as a double major with a licensure... ON TIME:) Yeah, that's right. I'm a beast:) I might have done my math wrong, so we'll see. Either way, I should be fine:)

Well, that's about it. It's been really chaotic despite how it may appear in this post. I'm officially on spring break now -- and I can tell. My brain is not functioning any more. It's my week to relax, so I'm going to do just that:)

I hope everyone is having an awesome year thus far!

xxoo

PS. We got our Meredith charms! It's a tradition here at Meredith to get a charm that says MC and your graduation year. You get it you sophomore year! Next year is our class ring, aka the Onyx. It's signature for Meredith. So if anyone wants to help pitch in for my ring, let me know. It's about 465, I think I totalled. I will take anything that anyone can offer:) Thanks in advance:)

This is a picture of the charm, except it says "MC '11" on it: (the charm is HUGE in person)

This is a picture of the Onyx:) I CAN'T WAIT!: (I'd get white gold)