Gearing up for Spring 2015

Spring 2015 Textbooks!

Christmas 2014

Christmas this year was very low-key. I woke up early and drove to my parent's house so that we could Skype Tyler. After our Skype session we had brunch with the Dunn Family for a little bit. Here are some highlights from the day.

Oh, and we got a white Christmas after all!

Skyping with Tyler in Madrid

Dreams

Last week was my 25th birthday, and I realized that while I have accomplished a good number of things in my life so far, there are a few things on my list of dreams that are patiently waiting to be fulfilled.

Accomplished Dreams as of now:

• Graduate High School in the Top 10% (Actually, I made it in the Top 7%)
• Live on campus at least one semester during college (not only did I live on campus for three semesters, I lived in the Humanities House for an entire year)
• Graduate College (I even finished a year earlier than planned)
• Intern in DC
• Buy my own car
• Write a book
• Get into graduate school (This one was tricky, I applied to three different programs over the course of three years before I got into my current program)

Dreams to fulfill:

• Obtain my Master's degree- I'm currently pursuing a Master's of Art in Community Leadership at Westminster College, set to graduate in Spring 2016.
• Travel to Europe- This one will be my graduation gift to myself after I've finished my graduate program.
• Get my book published
• Buy my own home
• ...and whatever else pops into my head!

Life is short, and there is so much to do! I can't wait to see where my path takes me, the people I will meet, and the adventures I've yet to have.

Stay tuned!

A Tyler Update

My little Tyler has less than three months left in his mission, 11 weeks and 1 day to be exact! I can't believe it. It feels like he left just yesterday, but even I know that's not true. A lot has happened since he left, and I can't wait to see him again.

He is set to return on March 3, 2015 around 7pm!

Birthday Party at the Paintmixer

My wonderful friends who celebrated with me

Chase and Me

Heather, Amy and I

Everyone who came to the studio for the workshop

Melanie, Myself and Sam

I had such a wonderful party with my friends. I enjoyed painting my wave picture, and now it's on display in my office. Turning 25 was such a great experience, and I'm so grateful I had so many friends who chose to share this night with me.

Kiddo Avatars

So, tonight while watching the kids, we were playing around with the avatar website I used to make my book characters a while back. They insisted that I make them using the program, so I now present to you what we came up with. I think that Kate's is exactly what she'll look like when she is a teenager. Anyway, enjoy!

My avatar, minus my new bangs

MACL*601 is over!

Commence with the celebrating, because not only am I finished with MACL*601, that also means my first semester of my graduate program is complete!

So, I know I've posted about my other two classes, but this one is special because these people are my cohort; and sadly, next month, our cohort splits up to accommodate the different tracks that we are on (international track vs. comprehensive/arts and culture).

I LOVED this class. I loved everything that we talked about, I loved the friends I made, and I love that we all want to try and save the world one step at a time. They are such an amazing group of people, and I'm over the moon that I get to learn with them.

What we learned:

• How to determine root causes
• The proper way to cite APA style
• How to prepare enough food for 30
• What it means to participate in the 'Sharing Circle'
• The sound of a rain stick means it's Peggy's turn to talk
• There are two kinds of people: those who save the world, and those who run the world
• How to make a causes map
• How to make a 'pretty' causes map
• Reframing pop and rap songs can be very fun
• Our cohort Facebook Group is more like our own personal public forum
• These are the friends we've been waiting our whole lives to meet!

Carly, Me and Melinda

Megan and Me

Me, Danielle and Rachel

Me and Jana (my newest favorite person in the world!) 

Me and Hannah

Me and Kira (she was my orientation buddy)

Me and Claudia (one of my other favorite people)

See you all next semester!!

My 25th Birthday

My birthday was a blast! The best part was not having class and being able to attend the Hillside FHE Christmas Auction. It had been almost two months since I've been able to go to FHE, and I was over the moon. Before the auction began, the entire ward sang to me :) I couldn't have picked a better way to spend my birthday than surrounded by a bunch of my friends and celebrating Christmas. I can;t wait for my party tomorrow at The Paint Mixer!

Me and Hayley

Me and Sam

McKenna, Janiece and Me

The cupcake from the Arts & Sciences staff

The cupcake that Victoria made for me

Alex, me and Rory

'Twas the night before my birthday...

It was the night before my 25th birthday, and I all I could think about were my grades, cheese fries, cupcakes, and paint.

I was excited.

My birthday is the one day out of the year where people lavish me with attention and I can just absorb it without worrying if I'm being humble. It's a day full of hugs, praise, cards, and cupcakes.

Wow. 25 years. That's more than a quarter of the average person's lifespan. Since I've already decided that my life will end at 98, technically my quarter-life began six months ago at 24 1/2.

I end this chapter of my life knowing the following:

• Pick friends who share your interests, but don't forget to spend time with others who can help you learn new things
• Wash your bed sheets every two weeks
• Get a pedicure every three months, you deserve it
• Pick an artistic hobby and pursue it
• Find some form of exercise that is fun
• There is a difference between a good kiss and a not good kiss
• Rent your textbooks, unless you absolutely want to own the book
• Take lots of pictures
• Sing random songs
• If you're not interested in dating someone, just tell them
• Decide who you want in your life, be nice to them, and enjoy your time with them
• Say thank you whenever someone opens the door for you
• Smile when you're happy
• Tell people that you love them

I hope you appreciate this shortlist of wisdom from a soon-to-be Quarter Lifer!

MBA*651E is over!

Okay okay, now that I've finished cartwheeling around campus, I've decided to write about how my second MBA class of the semester has ended.

The experience wasn't quite like it was earlier this semester, but I guess since I made three new friends it wasn't a total wash. I'm so happy to be finished, and I believe I will have my grade by next week. This class will be a wildcard, so I'm not really sure what to expect.

Clarke, myself, Nathalie, and Morgane at the Zoo while we did research for our Nonprofit case study