Thursday, January 16, 2014
New Semester
So I would like to take a moment to explain why I have not written a post in a good two weeks. First of all I spent the last week or so of my break reading Harry Potter and working on piecing two quilts for my sister. I am just starting off in the quilting hobby and I am loving it. These are the second and third quilts I have ever done with the first one being a queen size log cabin star scrap quilt I did for my room this past summer.
However the main reason I have not been able to blog as much as I would like is that my spring semester has started. Unlike my fall semester that was rather easy, not as easy as high school but all in all not bad, this semester has been a lot of work and I am only still in the first week of classes.
So why is this semester been so difficult and even at such an early part of the semester. I am currently taking a full 18 credits. With ten of these credits being honors based. For anyone who is not sure the honors program classes are not always harder than the regular counterparts but rather are more work and effort intensive. In addition to these honors classes I have Molecular and Cellular Biology and interesting class that will be great but will be a lot of work, mainly because I have a tough professor. My last class is more of a chill psychology class that is in my major which shall be fun.
While I have loads more work and am starting to find a love for coffee, I am really enjoying this semester. The honors course are all rather interesting and I love the fact that they make you think. You are held at a higher standard something that forces you to work at a higher standard. I love that. Most of these classes are seminar or discussion based learning with lecture of course. That is also another way that forces you to think. So while I am staying up til midnight or later doing work I am really enjoying this semester.
So enough about me. I would like to in the not to distant future add more the this blog about things I am doing like projects and books I have read. There will be a post or a series of posts that will come out about Harry Potter since I have know joined the fandom. (PS. I got sorted into Ravenclaw).
So look forward into the future of many thought provoking posts coming from books and or honors discussions. :)
Thursday, January 2, 2014
New Years Resolutions
Since we all just welcomed in the new year with family and friends, I would like to take a moment to talk about new years resolutions. We all have them, whether we admit them publically to family or friends in person or on social media. They are things that come to mind that we need to work on now that we are entering this new year. I like to think that its the fact that the new year is a clean slate to start over, but the truth is it isn't always a fresh slate. The new year is a time of hope and new beginnings for all which give of us a positive out look on life.
For me my new years resolutions include a few different things. Being that I have a new semester I will be starting in a few weeks I am able to have a fresh slate academically.
1) To spend more time on my school work and try to do better in my classes
2) To get back into shape and exercise more
3) To spend more time helping others and volunteering
4) To spend more time on my self learning pursuits like this blog or reading
I picked these for many different reasons. For one thing I picked the first one because while I did well last semester I feel like I could have worked harder and done much better. The second one has been something I have been looking at since Thanksgiving when I ran the Turkey Trot and didn't do as well as I would have liked. The third stems out of the fact that in 2013 I volunteered the least that I have in the last five years. While I do understand that going to school makes it harder to do all that I used to do. Being at school I should look for more opportunities to seek out and help others. The last one is something that I have been thinking about for a while. I have not been the best read person and when it comes to keeping up this blog as you all know I am far from good at it.
So while this is not all of my goals for the new year it is some. My hope is that everyone take some time in the next few days and reflect and pray on what they think they should be doing in this new year and then reach for those goals. The important thing is not just to write them down but to actually take them seriously and make a plan.
It is never to late or the wrong time to make a resolution every time you start a new job, semester or activity it is important to come up with goals and to plan what you want to do and get out of that experience. So new years resolutions are not just for the new years but it is a perfect time to start some.
For me my new years resolutions include a few different things. Being that I have a new semester I will be starting in a few weeks I am able to have a fresh slate academically.
1) To spend more time on my school work and try to do better in my classes
2) To get back into shape and exercise more
3) To spend more time helping others and volunteering
4) To spend more time on my self learning pursuits like this blog or reading
I picked these for many different reasons. For one thing I picked the first one because while I did well last semester I feel like I could have worked harder and done much better. The second one has been something I have been looking at since Thanksgiving when I ran the Turkey Trot and didn't do as well as I would have liked. The third stems out of the fact that in 2013 I volunteered the least that I have in the last five years. While I do understand that going to school makes it harder to do all that I used to do. Being at school I should look for more opportunities to seek out and help others. The last one is something that I have been thinking about for a while. I have not been the best read person and when it comes to keeping up this blog as you all know I am far from good at it.
So while this is not all of my goals for the new year it is some. My hope is that everyone take some time in the next few days and reflect and pray on what they think they should be doing in this new year and then reach for those goals. The important thing is not just to write them down but to actually take them seriously and make a plan.
It is never to late or the wrong time to make a resolution every time you start a new job, semester or activity it is important to come up with goals and to plan what you want to do and get out of that experience. So new years resolutions are not just for the new years but it is a perfect time to start some.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
My year.... 2013
In the year 2013:
January
January was a rather quiet month as it usually is. I spent most of it working to keep up with senior projects for English, my three AP classes (Psychology, Biology and Statistics), and any final work I had for the one semester economics class. Indoor track was on in full speed and I had spent most of my time training either as a middle distance runner or a hurdler, many times both. I think the most interesting part of last January was for the first time I spend New Years not at home. I went with Cody, my boyfriend at the time, to his aunts house. It was definitely different to not be home with just my parents on new years but an experience I will remember.
Later that month Cody and I did break up. And yes looking back now I know it was the best thing that could have happened however in the moment is was one of the toughest things. I owe a lot to my great friends for helping me. There are two instances of great friendship, Rachel coming over the night we broke up and just keeping me company, talking to me and helping me see sense in what happened. But what I think moved me most was on a Monday morning (we were off from school) and Allison just showed up at my house, all she did was give me a hug and say you shouldn't be alone. While it does not look like much I would say it was one of the best moments to know that someone cared enough about me. I love having friends like that and these two are definitely amazing young ladies, I can never thank them enough.
February
February is always an interesting month for me. It is the meeting ground I would say of the winter and the spring. But what I think is most interesting about February is that it is the shortest but also always seems to be the most busy.
School wise February was full of the rush of AP classes now starting to truly pick up pace so that we have crammed enough information into our heads before the major tests the first few weeks of May. Another thing with school is that February draws to a close the winter season of indoor track. That means that events like the relay meet, sectionals and state qualifiers take place. This year was a rather full year in that regard. Myself and three other seniors, Karli, Megan and Abby, broke the school record in the Distance Medley Relay. This record was set in 1995 before any of us were born, interestingly by teammates of our coach.
One not so common event happened in February. I attended an overnight at college and was able to see more about what the school had to offer. This allowed me to meet with faculty and see a class so that I was more able to make my decision about which university I wanted to attend in the fall.
February also brought along my 18 birthday on the 28th. While it is not my golden birthday yet it was definitely a good day. Also in February is my brothers birthday on the 23rd.
March
March brought more schoolwork and less time. One thing about March that always makes me happy is the start of Dance Troope at Genesee Country Village and Museum again. Every year we take off January and February so that everyone can relax after Yuletide, but by March I always seem to be itching to dance again. Another event that comes up in March at work is the Maple Festival something that I look forward to working every year since I volunteered for it in 2009. This year I was able to spend two days in the maple camp and the other two working Heritage Chocolate with a co-worker Sam.
April
About all that happened in April was school, and a lot of work coming from school. However April was also Allison's birthday.
May
May brought a lot; APs, the end of my senior track season, my last dance recital.
I will always remember my last dance recital. Being in advanced pointe, African and modern as well as the opening I was in all three recitals. Including rehearsal I had four chances in which I jumped out of a hat. And while I did enjoy the opening to Magic and African based on the Lion King I think the most moving moment and memorable moment was my senior solo. A pointe solo done with a Celtic theme to a song called Dulaman by one of my favorite groups, Celtic Woman. Now what was really cool about this was that I had choreographed the whole dance myself so it was really special for me to perform it. I will always look back at the fond memories than I have through dance and at A Time for Dance.
May also brought the start of my second season working at Genesee Country Museum.
June
Two things happened this past June that really stand out to me. I graduated from Churchville- Chili Senior High School. I am now an official high school graduate which means the start of the shortest summer ever and the start of my future. In addition to graduating from high school I also had my college orientation conveniently all in the same weekend which really shaped the whole idea of the ending of one chapter and the start of another. While I did have the summer as a six week gap between these two adventures.
July
Beyond the birthdays of my father and sister, the biggest event in July for me was being able to spend a week camped at the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg. I could write or talk for hours about Gettysburg and never truly do it justice. I am thankful for the experience which in many ways was a reverent one. I was able to go out as a field nurse or ice angel during four battles including Picket's Charge. I can still remember the feeling of watching the charge an imaging what it would have been like to really be there 150 years ago. There was another moment when I was able to go a see the actual battle fields and there's that moment when you are sitting on Little Round Top or Devil's Den, you can't help but realize what happened there and how many brave men and maybe a handful of women gave their lives. Beyond the reverence of the week it was a great adventure of friendship and yes stressful but I will gladly do it again. I owe a huge thank you to the 2nd Texas. I met so many amazing people, Captain Tom, Sargent Zack and Kaite, Cornel Shane and his wife Amy and their sons, Lieutenant Chris, and really the whole 2nd Texas. Thank you for all the help in camp and one of the most memorable weeks of my life.
August
I left for college and started the adventure on my own. It is definitely a different experience being away from home. Having to live with people you really don't know and taking classes that are much harder than anything you've done. While yes there are not that hard yet there is a lot of work involved in college classes.
September
I joined the Ultimate Frisbee team at school and with practice 3 times a week and tournaments it has been an awesome learning experience. I have met so many great people. Ultimate is played like a mix of soccer and football though it has a lot of its own rules some of which look similar to basketball.
October
I had fall break which meant that I could come home for a week. In that time I was able to go to a dance troope practice. That was cool to come back after a bit off. I was also able to work as a spook for two of the nights of spirits. It was different than last year with Stephen and more of the guys but it was cool to spook with Lydia and Rachel.
November
My first semester at college is starting to draw to a close and there is a lot of work involved with school. I am beginning to notice that everything always seems to fall in the same week. I was home for Thanksgiving and attend the last of the weekend Yuletide rehearsals. But the big thing I did over thanksgiving break was run the Turkey Trot with my family. It is a 8K race on thanksgiving that we have run as a family my aunts uncles cousins and my family for the last few years and its a lot of fun to do since thanksgiving we usually spend with the other side of our family.
December
This was a busy month at the end of the semester. I had a lot to do to get ready for finals and all I can say is that finals at college are definitely everything everybody makes them out to be. But I did survive and finished my first college semester with a 3.8 GPA!
Being away from school I was not able to be a part of Yuletide like I was in the past. This year was sort of a building year for me in that way that I spent part of the Friday I was home for shadowing a very experience tour guide Michelle. And then on Saturday I was able to do my own tour with Michelle observing me and then by events out of my control I wish asked to take someone else's tour as my first tour solo. While I was not an official tour guide this the experience was enjoyable, and I am now trained enough that I will be able to tour guide next year even though I am younger than what they normally allow.
Christmas was a great time with family. From my parents I got a piccolo and instrument I will be able to use to broaden my musical knowledge.
What a year 2013 has been and in a few hours I will put it behind me and head on to 2014. Its crazy to think that I have grown up and how fast time has pasted. I learned a lot this year but especially in the last few months. I learned that even though you move on to the future your true friends will still be there for you regardless of how you grow up and what adventures you take on. I learned that it is time to take responsibility for your future, meaning that the work you put forth will get out for you what you want. I am not saying that it will be easy but I'm saying that if its what you are called to do it will be worth it. So for 2014 my one goal for myself is to do better and being what I can be. That may mean in classes or in life but just to be a better me.
January
January was a rather quiet month as it usually is. I spent most of it working to keep up with senior projects for English, my three AP classes (Psychology, Biology and Statistics), and any final work I had for the one semester economics class. Indoor track was on in full speed and I had spent most of my time training either as a middle distance runner or a hurdler, many times both. I think the most interesting part of last January was for the first time I spend New Years not at home. I went with Cody, my boyfriend at the time, to his aunts house. It was definitely different to not be home with just my parents on new years but an experience I will remember.
Later that month Cody and I did break up. And yes looking back now I know it was the best thing that could have happened however in the moment is was one of the toughest things. I owe a lot to my great friends for helping me. There are two instances of great friendship, Rachel coming over the night we broke up and just keeping me company, talking to me and helping me see sense in what happened. But what I think moved me most was on a Monday morning (we were off from school) and Allison just showed up at my house, all she did was give me a hug and say you shouldn't be alone. While it does not look like much I would say it was one of the best moments to know that someone cared enough about me. I love having friends like that and these two are definitely amazing young ladies, I can never thank them enough.
February
February is always an interesting month for me. It is the meeting ground I would say of the winter and the spring. But what I think is most interesting about February is that it is the shortest but also always seems to be the most busy.
School wise February was full of the rush of AP classes now starting to truly pick up pace so that we have crammed enough information into our heads before the major tests the first few weeks of May. Another thing with school is that February draws to a close the winter season of indoor track. That means that events like the relay meet, sectionals and state qualifiers take place. This year was a rather full year in that regard. Myself and three other seniors, Karli, Megan and Abby, broke the school record in the Distance Medley Relay. This record was set in 1995 before any of us were born, interestingly by teammates of our coach.
One not so common event happened in February. I attended an overnight at college and was able to see more about what the school had to offer. This allowed me to meet with faculty and see a class so that I was more able to make my decision about which university I wanted to attend in the fall.
February also brought along my 18 birthday on the 28th. While it is not my golden birthday yet it was definitely a good day. Also in February is my brothers birthday on the 23rd.
March
March brought more schoolwork and less time. One thing about March that always makes me happy is the start of Dance Troope at Genesee Country Village and Museum again. Every year we take off January and February so that everyone can relax after Yuletide, but by March I always seem to be itching to dance again. Another event that comes up in March at work is the Maple Festival something that I look forward to working every year since I volunteered for it in 2009. This year I was able to spend two days in the maple camp and the other two working Heritage Chocolate with a co-worker Sam.
April
About all that happened in April was school, and a lot of work coming from school. However April was also Allison's birthday.
May
May brought a lot; APs, the end of my senior track season, my last dance recital.
I will always remember my last dance recital. Being in advanced pointe, African and modern as well as the opening I was in all three recitals. Including rehearsal I had four chances in which I jumped out of a hat. And while I did enjoy the opening to Magic and African based on the Lion King I think the most moving moment and memorable moment was my senior solo. A pointe solo done with a Celtic theme to a song called Dulaman by one of my favorite groups, Celtic Woman. Now what was really cool about this was that I had choreographed the whole dance myself so it was really special for me to perform it. I will always look back at the fond memories than I have through dance and at A Time for Dance.
May also brought the start of my second season working at Genesee Country Museum.
June
Two things happened this past June that really stand out to me. I graduated from Churchville- Chili Senior High School. I am now an official high school graduate which means the start of the shortest summer ever and the start of my future. In addition to graduating from high school I also had my college orientation conveniently all in the same weekend which really shaped the whole idea of the ending of one chapter and the start of another. While I did have the summer as a six week gap between these two adventures.
July
Beyond the birthdays of my father and sister, the biggest event in July for me was being able to spend a week camped at the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg. I could write or talk for hours about Gettysburg and never truly do it justice. I am thankful for the experience which in many ways was a reverent one. I was able to go out as a field nurse or ice angel during four battles including Picket's Charge. I can still remember the feeling of watching the charge an imaging what it would have been like to really be there 150 years ago. There was another moment when I was able to go a see the actual battle fields and there's that moment when you are sitting on Little Round Top or Devil's Den, you can't help but realize what happened there and how many brave men and maybe a handful of women gave their lives. Beyond the reverence of the week it was a great adventure of friendship and yes stressful but I will gladly do it again. I owe a huge thank you to the 2nd Texas. I met so many amazing people, Captain Tom, Sargent Zack and Kaite, Cornel Shane and his wife Amy and their sons, Lieutenant Chris, and really the whole 2nd Texas. Thank you for all the help in camp and one of the most memorable weeks of my life.
August
I left for college and started the adventure on my own. It is definitely a different experience being away from home. Having to live with people you really don't know and taking classes that are much harder than anything you've done. While yes there are not that hard yet there is a lot of work involved in college classes.
September
I joined the Ultimate Frisbee team at school and with practice 3 times a week and tournaments it has been an awesome learning experience. I have met so many great people. Ultimate is played like a mix of soccer and football though it has a lot of its own rules some of which look similar to basketball.
October
I had fall break which meant that I could come home for a week. In that time I was able to go to a dance troope practice. That was cool to come back after a bit off. I was also able to work as a spook for two of the nights of spirits. It was different than last year with Stephen and more of the guys but it was cool to spook with Lydia and Rachel.
November
My first semester at college is starting to draw to a close and there is a lot of work involved with school. I am beginning to notice that everything always seems to fall in the same week. I was home for Thanksgiving and attend the last of the weekend Yuletide rehearsals. But the big thing I did over thanksgiving break was run the Turkey Trot with my family. It is a 8K race on thanksgiving that we have run as a family my aunts uncles cousins and my family for the last few years and its a lot of fun to do since thanksgiving we usually spend with the other side of our family.
December
This was a busy month at the end of the semester. I had a lot to do to get ready for finals and all I can say is that finals at college are definitely everything everybody makes them out to be. But I did survive and finished my first college semester with a 3.8 GPA!
Being away from school I was not able to be a part of Yuletide like I was in the past. This year was sort of a building year for me in that way that I spent part of the Friday I was home for shadowing a very experience tour guide Michelle. And then on Saturday I was able to do my own tour with Michelle observing me and then by events out of my control I wish asked to take someone else's tour as my first tour solo. While I was not an official tour guide this the experience was enjoyable, and I am now trained enough that I will be able to tour guide next year even though I am younger than what they normally allow.
Christmas was a great time with family. From my parents I got a piccolo and instrument I will be able to use to broaden my musical knowledge.
What a year 2013 has been and in a few hours I will put it behind me and head on to 2014. Its crazy to think that I have grown up and how fast time has pasted. I learned a lot this year but especially in the last few months. I learned that even though you move on to the future your true friends will still be there for you regardless of how you grow up and what adventures you take on. I learned that it is time to take responsibility for your future, meaning that the work you put forth will get out for you what you want. I am not saying that it will be easy but I'm saying that if its what you are called to do it will be worth it. So for 2014 my one goal for myself is to do better and being what I can be. That may mean in classes or in life but just to be a better me.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
"I'll never grow up...."
I can't help but think about that song from Annie, "If growing up means it would be against my dignity to climb a tree I won't grow up..."
These last few months have been the biggest growing up I have ever done and sometimes I wonder if I really want to grow up. While yes I want the perks of being an adult and having responsibility in society I can't help but look back on some of the things I have to leave behind. Its a bittersweet trade off but one that everyone has to make at some point in there life.
In these last few months, I have had to cope with living on my own for the first time in my life. That is definitely different than living at home with your parents. Not that I would say that being on your own is a bad thing because it is not really its just different, very different. And with any change there must be time for adjustment.
I really notice this growing up when I had to limit my ability and commitment to Yuletide in the Country at the museum because of school. While I'm excited to be taking the steps to become a nurse and I cannot wait to learn what is needed to be a great nurse. There was a lot of times when I wanted to run away from the work. Yuletide in the Country has always been one of my favorite parts of Christmas in which you get to step into the past with friends and truly experience Christmas in the past. What I learned from this year is that you don't have to give up the things of your childhood but rather take the time to grow up to enjoy things from a different perspective.
I was able to do just that this year. This year instead of just being a part of the dance scene like I have in the past I was able to start as a tour guide in training. What this was supposed to mean is that I would shadow experienced guides to see how they handled tour guiding learn things along the way and next year I would become a guide. Since I am a lot younger than most of the guides it made sense to do it this way. However do to some unfortunate events I was needed to take over as a guide of a tour. I had one tour in which I was the guide but there was an experienced guide on the tour in order to make sure that if I needed anything I could ask. Later that night I was able to take my first tour out solo. I don't think I will every forget the feeling of being handed my own lantern and the list of people on the tour and sent on my way. That's what I think growing up is. Being able to still appreciate things but taking them on in new meaning. So yes during the whole month of December I did not want to be in my dorm room studying, I can appreciate growing up.
These last few months have been the biggest growing up I have ever done and sometimes I wonder if I really want to grow up. While yes I want the perks of being an adult and having responsibility in society I can't help but look back on some of the things I have to leave behind. Its a bittersweet trade off but one that everyone has to make at some point in there life.
In these last few months, I have had to cope with living on my own for the first time in my life. That is definitely different than living at home with your parents. Not that I would say that being on your own is a bad thing because it is not really its just different, very different. And with any change there must be time for adjustment.
I really notice this growing up when I had to limit my ability and commitment to Yuletide in the Country at the museum because of school. While I'm excited to be taking the steps to become a nurse and I cannot wait to learn what is needed to be a great nurse. There was a lot of times when I wanted to run away from the work. Yuletide in the Country has always been one of my favorite parts of Christmas in which you get to step into the past with friends and truly experience Christmas in the past. What I learned from this year is that you don't have to give up the things of your childhood but rather take the time to grow up to enjoy things from a different perspective.
I was able to do just that this year. This year instead of just being a part of the dance scene like I have in the past I was able to start as a tour guide in training. What this was supposed to mean is that I would shadow experienced guides to see how they handled tour guiding learn things along the way and next year I would become a guide. Since I am a lot younger than most of the guides it made sense to do it this way. However do to some unfortunate events I was needed to take over as a guide of a tour. I had one tour in which I was the guide but there was an experienced guide on the tour in order to make sure that if I needed anything I could ask. Later that night I was able to take my first tour out solo. I don't think I will every forget the feeling of being handed my own lantern and the list of people on the tour and sent on my way. That's what I think growing up is. Being able to still appreciate things but taking them on in new meaning. So yes during the whole month of December I did not want to be in my dorm room studying, I can appreciate growing up.
Friday, November 8, 2013
A little advice.... Write it down
A thought I would pop in for a bit and give a little advise. Over the last almost ten years I have been keeping diaries and journals. Now when I started I did not do it for any particular reason other than I had a blank book and I could write, but over the last almost decade I have learned what a blessing writing can be. You grow a lot over time and having the ability to write down how you feel and what's going on is a treasure down the road. I have looked back and reread old entries may times and its always interesting to look back on who you used to be. Sometimes I laugh at how silly I was and what I thought was a huge deal. But if for nothing else it is a great place to document what is going on and what life is like for you that day. I would recommend that you make sure to date your entries for future reference.
Keeping a journal is a personal way for me to reflect on my adventures and new life lessons. I would recommend this to anyone especially if you are going throw change or a difficult time emotionally. It will help you to reflect on the blessings that are present in every situation. I hope that you will consider documenting your life in this personal way.
Keeping a journal is a personal way for me to reflect on my adventures and new life lessons. I would recommend this to anyone especially if you are going throw change or a difficult time emotionally. It will help you to reflect on the blessings that are present in every situation. I hope that you will consider documenting your life in this personal way.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
A New Old Room
So I think I've had writers block. No matter how hard a tried I could not seem to find something to write about, and if I found something I wanted to write about I could seem to get it together to make it sound good. I have decided that a month is a little too long for me to go without a post so I am going to try.
Over fall break I finished my first quilt ever. Now I have always been a crafter and a lover of fiber arts. I learned to knit when I was eight years old and ever since then I have always wanted to learn more. This quilt was not a small undertaking for me. It is a queen size quilt 96 by 96 inches. I designed the quilt all by myself, it is a log cabin block in a star made completely with period fabrics and bright colors. But more about the quilt later when I can post pictures.
The purpose of this quilt is for my bed at home. I have been in need of a new quilt for a long time. My old one is falling apart, and is a little bit to young for me. So with finishing this quilt my mom has suggested that we redo my room so it fits the quilt. She suggested a colonel style room. The current rug in my room is a violet purple but there is hard word floors under it, however we do not know how good the condition of them is.
With this all being said I want to theme the room with the colonial or early romantic era theme and style. Most of the furniture in my room is antique and family furniture. Right now I don't know when this project will get done but I love thinking of what I want to do and how I want it to look. I keep thinking that I can make it perfectly authentic now I know that might not be possible but the idea is exciting. I'm opened to ideas. I would love to hear any of your ideas.
Over fall break I finished my first quilt ever. Now I have always been a crafter and a lover of fiber arts. I learned to knit when I was eight years old and ever since then I have always wanted to learn more. This quilt was not a small undertaking for me. It is a queen size quilt 96 by 96 inches. I designed the quilt all by myself, it is a log cabin block in a star made completely with period fabrics and bright colors. But more about the quilt later when I can post pictures.
The purpose of this quilt is for my bed at home. I have been in need of a new quilt for a long time. My old one is falling apart, and is a little bit to young for me. So with finishing this quilt my mom has suggested that we redo my room so it fits the quilt. She suggested a colonel style room. The current rug in my room is a violet purple but there is hard word floors under it, however we do not know how good the condition of them is.
With this all being said I want to theme the room with the colonial or early romantic era theme and style. Most of the furniture in my room is antique and family furniture. Right now I don't know when this project will get done but I love thinking of what I want to do and how I want it to look. I keep thinking that I can make it perfectly authentic now I know that might not be possible but the idea is exciting. I'm opened to ideas. I would love to hear any of your ideas.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
College: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly :)
Its weird to think that I've been here at Gannon for over a month. How the time flew. In some cases it seems like yesterday that I moved in and began the adventure. However I also feel like I've been here forever. My days seem busy but I enjoy them, the classes have been tough but manageable. So in being here I thought I give some advice to incoming students, it may turn into life advice we will see where this goes, and how I have started to work on living up to this advice.
Get involved on campus:
In my first week here, before classes (aka the craziness) started we had what is fondly referred to as Preview GU. One of the activities that was not mandated but was worth while at least in my opinion to go to was the activities fair. Now I'm sure most universities have on of these in there orientations before classes start. At the fair there were booths for almost all of the clubs and societies. All of the Greek life was represented along with club sports and groups like PATCHES or Service clubs. All the individual colleges or schools honor societies were there it was a really beneficial thing for me to go to get information and contacts for the clubs I was interested in.
So how this helped me.... I was able to get the contact information for the club Ultimate Frisbee team that I am now a part of. I love it and have all ready started to form a slight obsession for the game. We practice officially 2 nights a week as a full team a third afternoon is just for us handlers, and now we are starting to join a club league at one of the local schools. Frisbee is a lot of fun and the people are awesome. Having an activity to do that you enjoy that also keeps you active helps you to stay healthy and focused which makes it possible to not die with all the work that college actually has.
I have also joined the Symphonic Band here. Its a lot smaller than my high school band back home but I like it. Right now we are preparing for our Christmas concert so all our music is Xmas, which is fun and exciting. Being that we are a small group I was able to write an essay and do an audition and I now have a scholarship that is involved with the group.
My advice to any incoming freshman or rather anyone is stay involved, and try something new, you never know it could turn out to be your next favorite thing.
Meet new people:
This is kind of a no brainer your in a new place your going to meet new people. The important thing is to meet new people with an open mind, attend events and try to learn there names. For me personally the last thing was the hardest to do.
So your a freshman in college most of your classes are probably not your major, but rather general classes that are required to graduate. That means that every new class you go to you have a lot of new people in them or at least most of them are not the same. Be friendly meet the new people and try as hard as you can to remember their names. For me that is easier said than done. I'm still working on the name thing but I have gotten to the point that I know the names of at least one person in all of my classes. Doesn't seem that hard? You have to remember that I'm living on a floor with about 40 girls I've never met until now. The Frisbee team has about 30 people (6 girls the rest guys) None of whom live on my floor or wing. All of my classes have about 20 to 30 people in them. Plus there is a lot of people you meet at other events that don't fall into any of those categories. Do your best you can get there.
This really goes hand in hand with getting involved if you don't do anything your not going to meet new people. So trying to make new friends in things that interest you. While it may seem like there's no one that you have anything in common with once you get to know people things will work out.
Take things as they are:
I'm going to apply this to a few things, but you can really apply it to almost everything in life. Don't over think things, now I know I do this so its something to work on. Don't take things to personally.
For me I can apply this best to me moving out of my original suite into a whole different room after being here for almost three weeks. Why did I move? Well the simple answer is that things didn't work out and it was the best idea for me and for Lexy. If you want to know more about what actually happened contact me personally if you don't have my number, well don't worry about it. What I learned for this whole adventure of dealing with this problem and then deciding to move is this, don't take it personally rather take it as it is. For most colleges your roommate your placed with will not be your best friend, your best friend will come for else where i.e. the first two topics, so if it doesn't work out try to just live together if that isn't working talk to your RA. The process of moving for me was stressful but once I started really living in my new room I'm glad I made the move. While Jaclyn and I aren't exactly the same person I think that we could be friends. The moral of this story is this take something at face value. You haven't been with these people long enough for it to have a deeper meaning.
This can also be applied to the workload. Now I can't complain too much its only freshman year and first semester for that matter the work is not that hard. But for sure its likely a lot more work than you have ever done. Unlike in high school you don't have to do the reading most professors are not going to hunt you down and make you go to class or do that paper. These are things of the past, so take the work as it is a lot more than your used to, but nothing that you can't handle. There's a reason you got into the college or university there's a reason you made it into the program your smart enough and capable enough to handle it so do just that handle it. I'm saying that there won't be things that aren't hard cause there will be but you can do it. For me the first test is always the hardest not knowing how the test is going to look or how difficult it will be is always a stressor, but doing what you know works for you and trusting that you do know your stuff will help. Don't stress is all I can say and personally I know its easier said than done. Just this Friday was our first judgment day as Dr. Meinchouse calls it for Sacred Scripture. All I can say is that I was nervous I had no idea what the test was going to look like and how nit picky the questions would be but sitting here right now I think I did fine. Take things as they are and you can do it.
These are just two of many examples for me of where you can apply this phrase. I challenge you to think about where this applies to your life and what you may be blowing out of proportion.
A friend is a friend is a friend:
Since my last post was kind of about this I'm going to try to not be to wordy on this :).
Your meeting a lot of new people, and forming new friendships, just remember that a friend is a friend. So that girl on the Frisbee team that you throw with almost daily can be just as good of a friend is that girl back home. Let your friendships grow. Also remember that you have friends and family back home that are here to support you. Call, text or do whatever you need to.
Homesickness:
You know that thing that you swore to yourself you would never let yourself get. It happens don't feel bad about yourself for getting it.
For me I said I wouldn't get it. This was a new adventure and a great thing for me a growing experience and I wasn't going to miss home. Now I can honestly say I got homesick am I ashamed of it not at all. It can be hard to leave behind friends and family and things you enjoy, but its important to remember that there still there if you need them. For I tend to focus on why I'm here, what I like about everything, cry a little and then move on. They will always be there. I like the fact that I have pictures to remind me of them. Keep in mind that this is a growing experience and not something that will happen over night.
You can do it!!!
Be yourself:
So I know that this is a new beginning and with new beginnings people tend to think of ways in which they are unhappy with themselves and then try to invent a new you. Don't there is nothing wrong with trying to better yourself but remember that your a great person. Be you!
For me there was a lot of stress involved in the whole moving shindig. The thing I stress most is that there is nothing wrong with you, sometimes things don't work out as they planed its okay to move on or to move out for me literally its not ok to blame something on yourself.
So there has been a lot of things I've learned in these first thirty some days, and that doesn't include all of the course work. :) You can do it :) You out there who is reading this may not be in college or plan to be in the not to distant future but my challenge for you is to try to apply these to your life and see where they take you. As always I will try to write more but I'm not sure how consistent I will be. Have a good week everyone!
Get involved on campus:
In my first week here, before classes (aka the craziness) started we had what is fondly referred to as Preview GU. One of the activities that was not mandated but was worth while at least in my opinion to go to was the activities fair. Now I'm sure most universities have on of these in there orientations before classes start. At the fair there were booths for almost all of the clubs and societies. All of the Greek life was represented along with club sports and groups like PATCHES or Service clubs. All the individual colleges or schools honor societies were there it was a really beneficial thing for me to go to get information and contacts for the clubs I was interested in.
So how this helped me.... I was able to get the contact information for the club Ultimate Frisbee team that I am now a part of. I love it and have all ready started to form a slight obsession for the game. We practice officially 2 nights a week as a full team a third afternoon is just for us handlers, and now we are starting to join a club league at one of the local schools. Frisbee is a lot of fun and the people are awesome. Having an activity to do that you enjoy that also keeps you active helps you to stay healthy and focused which makes it possible to not die with all the work that college actually has.
I have also joined the Symphonic Band here. Its a lot smaller than my high school band back home but I like it. Right now we are preparing for our Christmas concert so all our music is Xmas, which is fun and exciting. Being that we are a small group I was able to write an essay and do an audition and I now have a scholarship that is involved with the group.
My advice to any incoming freshman or rather anyone is stay involved, and try something new, you never know it could turn out to be your next favorite thing.
Meet new people:
This is kind of a no brainer your in a new place your going to meet new people. The important thing is to meet new people with an open mind, attend events and try to learn there names. For me personally the last thing was the hardest to do.
So your a freshman in college most of your classes are probably not your major, but rather general classes that are required to graduate. That means that every new class you go to you have a lot of new people in them or at least most of them are not the same. Be friendly meet the new people and try as hard as you can to remember their names. For me that is easier said than done. I'm still working on the name thing but I have gotten to the point that I know the names of at least one person in all of my classes. Doesn't seem that hard? You have to remember that I'm living on a floor with about 40 girls I've never met until now. The Frisbee team has about 30 people (6 girls the rest guys) None of whom live on my floor or wing. All of my classes have about 20 to 30 people in them. Plus there is a lot of people you meet at other events that don't fall into any of those categories. Do your best you can get there.
This really goes hand in hand with getting involved if you don't do anything your not going to meet new people. So trying to make new friends in things that interest you. While it may seem like there's no one that you have anything in common with once you get to know people things will work out.
Take things as they are:
I'm going to apply this to a few things, but you can really apply it to almost everything in life. Don't over think things, now I know I do this so its something to work on. Don't take things to personally.
For me I can apply this best to me moving out of my original suite into a whole different room after being here for almost three weeks. Why did I move? Well the simple answer is that things didn't work out and it was the best idea for me and for Lexy. If you want to know more about what actually happened contact me personally if you don't have my number, well don't worry about it. What I learned for this whole adventure of dealing with this problem and then deciding to move is this, don't take it personally rather take it as it is. For most colleges your roommate your placed with will not be your best friend, your best friend will come for else where i.e. the first two topics, so if it doesn't work out try to just live together if that isn't working talk to your RA. The process of moving for me was stressful but once I started really living in my new room I'm glad I made the move. While Jaclyn and I aren't exactly the same person I think that we could be friends. The moral of this story is this take something at face value. You haven't been with these people long enough for it to have a deeper meaning.
This can also be applied to the workload. Now I can't complain too much its only freshman year and first semester for that matter the work is not that hard. But for sure its likely a lot more work than you have ever done. Unlike in high school you don't have to do the reading most professors are not going to hunt you down and make you go to class or do that paper. These are things of the past, so take the work as it is a lot more than your used to, but nothing that you can't handle. There's a reason you got into the college or university there's a reason you made it into the program your smart enough and capable enough to handle it so do just that handle it. I'm saying that there won't be things that aren't hard cause there will be but you can do it. For me the first test is always the hardest not knowing how the test is going to look or how difficult it will be is always a stressor, but doing what you know works for you and trusting that you do know your stuff will help. Don't stress is all I can say and personally I know its easier said than done. Just this Friday was our first judgment day as Dr. Meinchouse calls it for Sacred Scripture. All I can say is that I was nervous I had no idea what the test was going to look like and how nit picky the questions would be but sitting here right now I think I did fine. Take things as they are and you can do it.
These are just two of many examples for me of where you can apply this phrase. I challenge you to think about where this applies to your life and what you may be blowing out of proportion.
A friend is a friend is a friend:
Since my last post was kind of about this I'm going to try to not be to wordy on this :).
Your meeting a lot of new people, and forming new friendships, just remember that a friend is a friend. So that girl on the Frisbee team that you throw with almost daily can be just as good of a friend is that girl back home. Let your friendships grow. Also remember that you have friends and family back home that are here to support you. Call, text or do whatever you need to.
Homesickness:
You know that thing that you swore to yourself you would never let yourself get. It happens don't feel bad about yourself for getting it.
For me I said I wouldn't get it. This was a new adventure and a great thing for me a growing experience and I wasn't going to miss home. Now I can honestly say I got homesick am I ashamed of it not at all. It can be hard to leave behind friends and family and things you enjoy, but its important to remember that there still there if you need them. For I tend to focus on why I'm here, what I like about everything, cry a little and then move on. They will always be there. I like the fact that I have pictures to remind me of them. Keep in mind that this is a growing experience and not something that will happen over night.
You can do it!!!
Be yourself:
So I know that this is a new beginning and with new beginnings people tend to think of ways in which they are unhappy with themselves and then try to invent a new you. Don't there is nothing wrong with trying to better yourself but remember that your a great person. Be you!
For me there was a lot of stress involved in the whole moving shindig. The thing I stress most is that there is nothing wrong with you, sometimes things don't work out as they planed its okay to move on or to move out for me literally its not ok to blame something on yourself.
So there has been a lot of things I've learned in these first thirty some days, and that doesn't include all of the course work. :) You can do it :) You out there who is reading this may not be in college or plan to be in the not to distant future but my challenge for you is to try to apply these to your life and see where they take you. As always I will try to write more but I'm not sure how consistent I will be. Have a good week everyone!
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