Snow

I had my car packed and was ready to go. The only thing that stood in my way was finishing my last final before heading out. No such luck. I went in and studied early this morning before the snow started falling. 2 hours and 3 inches of snow later, JMU refused to close school so I took my final (which I think I did really well on). Went back to my apartment, where I'm stuck. Heading out hopefully tomorrow.

Finals week...

Finals is the absolute worst week of the year. No matter how much you've studied, no matter how well you've done, finals are always lurking around the corner.

I hate finals week. Pure hatred. I've studied non-stop for the past couple of weeks for these and no matter how long I work, I still feel unsettled when I come out of the exam room.

My apartment has been a total mess. I don't have time to clean or really to cook. Just study study study. And after this semester I am so ready for it to be over.

I ended up taking an extended study break this afternoon and cleaned the kitchen, my bathroom, and my bedroom. There's something about cleaning that's very therapeutic. I feel less stressed out and ready to go again.

I've got dinner plans and then I'm heading out to a study group. Yay grad school.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

We got the first real snow of the season last night. We got a couple of inches and of course the University is only opening 2 hours late since it's exam week. We're actually supposed to be getting more this afternoon. I'd like enough to cancel my neuro exams, but not to make them up. I'm ready to go home. Anyways it looks so gorgeous and calm outside.

Catching Up

Lately there's been a lot of catching up going on in my life. Over Thanksgiving break, I caught up with some of my best friends. I caught up with my family (and sisters!!!). I got back from break and I caught up on tons of homework. I'm waiting for Christmas break and so I can catch up with more friends. Especially my bffl. But this week, I've been catching up with God. I know it sounds kind of lame, but I didn't realize just how much I've let school and friends get in the way. I finally made it to church today -I hadn't been in such a long time. I finally found a really great church in Harrisonburg thanks to Joanna and Brittany. They go to this church called Valley church. It's definitely more contemporary and the pastor is amazing. I wish I had found this church at the beginning of the semester! Anyways, now I'm just trying to catch up on my studies. And I think on Wednesday I get to catch up with some of favorites. :)

Cold weather

I love the winter. I love curling up in my bed under the covers watching movies and sleeping in. I love sitting at the fireplace and reading books. There's just something so peaceful and relaxing about cold weather, especially if there's snow on the ground.

And I cannot wait for break.

Just a lot on my mind

I've had a lot on my mind lately with classes, Christmas, and just random things going on. Life is so busy and sometimes I get so caught up in the mess of things going on that I forget to remember what's truly important. This time last year my best childhood friend was serving as a missionary in Yap where her life was taken from her. She would have been 22 tomorrow. When I was growing up and going to private school, Kirsten and I were best friends. We had sleepovers, spent our days outside at the beach (she lived on the water), camped in forts, raced down old dirt roads on bikes, went to junkyards -all kinds of crazy things. We had all kinds of fun.

Then in 6th grade I transferred to public school. We still hung out, but not as often since we lived 30 minutes away from each other. By the time I hit high school we only saw each other two or three times a year. By the time I started college we didn't even talk anymore. Then my sophomore year somehow we got reconnected. I can't remember if she contacted me or if I contacted her, but we started talking again. She went to school in Tennessee and I stayed in Virginia. We chatted a few times but we were both busy with our own lives. Then the August before my senior year of college, we chatted. I remember it in particular because it was the time she told me she was going to Yap. A few other things were thrown in, but I can't remember what.

That Thanksgiving break I heard about what happened. Believe it or not, I found out through facebook. The following week she was sent back and her funeral was shortly after. And even though we hadn't been close friends -or even good friends since we were younger, I cried. For days. And even now when I think about her, tears run down my face. I will never doubt the impact one person can have on so many people.

Food for thought: Life is too precious and unfairly too short to worry about the "should haves" of yesterday and the possibilities of tomorrow.

Rest peacefully Kirsten.

In preparation for Maine...

I generally keep my thermostat below 70 degrees in the winter just because I hate paying a high electricity bill. And since I'm going to spend a few days in Maine over break (brrrr) I decided I should start to prepare myself for the ridiculous weather there. I looked on weather.com and even though I'm sure it will change, the high for Bridgton, ME on the 30th is 30 degrees, with a low of 7. Yikes! Anyways, I'm taking it day by day but this past week I've kept my thermostat on 60 degrees. It's pretty cold. I wonder how my roommate is coping....

Anyways, I've decided I'm officially going to freeze in Maine. Hope I get those Ugg boots for Christmas after all. :)

My to-do list

This is a list of everything I need to do school-wise before I can leave for break. I broke it down by class and professor. Seems kind of crazy.

Wenos: Development

Portfolio

Research Paper

Exam

Presentations

Russell - Yun: Therapeutic Media

Finish activity (mine is Scrapbooking)

Go to a metal show and write a summary on it

Write up a group protocol

Facilitate group during class

Activity Analysis (write a 30 page paper on facilitation/protocol)

Final

Write up 2 summaries on other group's facilitations

Loveland: Neuroscience Lab

Exam #2

Adaptive Equipment Research Paper

Sunnyside Project (performing assessments on an older adult and writing a paper on it)

Final

Gabriele: Neuroscience Lecture

Presentations on Stroke

Write up Study Guides for Final

Final

Believe it or not, I also have pop quizzes in there and random assignments that appear "magically" on the syllabus. These next 3 weeks are going to kill me. Will it all get done??? Somehow I'll finish it. But I just spend 3 hours studying for my neuroscience lab test for Friday and I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere on it yet. Yuck

But on the bright side, I got a 99 on my neuroscience lecture exam and it was really hard!!! It's actually helping me stay motivated for studying for both the lecture and lab. Well enough time here, I've gotta go get a few more things crossed off the list. Ugh.

Back to the grind...

I may have already used this blog title, but to be honest I can't remember. Thanksgiving break is over as of tomorrow morning at 9:05. I'm so bummed. I didn't do a whole lot of anything over the break (including studying) but it sure went by fast. Highlights? Those include spending exuberant amounts of time with Riley, Bailey, and Mattie, Christmas shopping, Christmas pictures (one set with mom, one set with dad), hanging out with my Soulmates, and spending a lot of time with my grandparents. In my opinion it was a break well spent. Just need to make it through these CRAZY three weeks until I can get home (and then to MAINE!!!). And by crazy, I mean I have 18 papers, tests, presentations, and/or projects due before the 17th. Yuck.

And for a final note, I drove my 3 hour drive back to school today listening to a lot of Christmas music and a lot of Taylor Swift. And I just wanted to share this song with you all. It really is what this time of year is all about. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCwbeiBiOAk

What if ribbons and bows didn't mean a thing
Would the song still survive without five golden rings
Would you still wanna kiss without misletoe
What would happen if God never let it snow
What would happen if Christmas carols told a lie
Tell me what would you find

You'd see that today holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

What if angels did not pay attention to
All the things that we wished they would always do
What if happiness came in a cardboard box
Then I think there is something we all forgot
What would happen if presents all went away
Tell me what would you find

You'd see that today holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

We get so caught up in all of it
Business and relationships
Hundred mile an hour lives
And it's this time of year
And everybody's here
It seems the last thing on your mind

Is that the day holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to Jesus Christ who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
But here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something more

"My life be like Ooh, Aah"

Well, not really. Don't get me wrong, but nothing really interesting has happend in the past week or so. I came home for Thanksgiving break last Thursday evening and have been busy ever since. There are, of course, a million and one things that need to be done.

Emily and Kim came down Friday and we had a fun-filled weekend. We saw Harry Potter, went shopping, visited my dad, played Wii Sing It, etc. And then Sunday I drove to Richmond (with Kim and Em in tow) and we met up with Becky for the day. We didn't do to much of anything. Some more Christmas shopping - actually I found a few small things for friends.

Monday Riley and I both had dentist appointments. I also spent the day with my grandparents watching game shows and cleaning the house.

Today Riley had a Thanksgiving program at school (only a half day). Now we're just hanging out around the house. I've already finished one scarf and started to work on another one.

Though the days are pretty busy (I've been getting up earlier here than when I have class!!!), I am dreading the break ending. I know there is so much left to do in only the 2 weeks left. Not to mention exam week will be right around the corner.

Tomorrow I plan on sleeping in. And if someone wakes me up early, they will be pay. Haha.

Luck

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. - Thomas Jefferson

This is one of my favorite quotes right now. I feel that I've worked really hard in my life to get where I am. I came from a really small town where not a lot of people make anything of themselves. Going to college and getting out of there is something that not a lot of people can do. Even many people who go to college end up back there and still get sucked into the lifeless cycle. The town itself is not so bad, the people there though are really something else. Going to college is actually looked down upon. I know a few people who think that I think that I'm better than them just because I'm doing something with my life. And in all honesty, why shouldn't I? I know that comes off as really bratty and stuck up but I worked my butt off during high school (Governor's School), 4 years of college (with 2 degrees, a concentration, and a minor) and now even into grad school. And up until grad school, I held a job. In high school I worked for my dad's office and then in college I worked a student assistant in the OT program and as a server for a catering company. I got accepted into 2 of the best OT programs in the country and am working really hard to get my Master's through these next few years. I think I'm entitled to feel a little good about myself. It's not something that just happened or was lucky, it's something that I've worked really hard at.

I bring this up because tomorrow I'm going home and I know I'll see many "friends" who have poor attitudes towards my choices and ambitions. I'm tired of feeling like I should be "ashamed" of what I'm doing, because I'm not.

After all, I've had quite a bit of "luck" in my life.

I'm thankful for....

I have to say I am a pretty fortunate person. I have a great family who loves me and amazing friends that stand beside me no matter what I do. I'm really close with my family, especially my sisters. I miss them everyday and am so blessed to have them in my life. Even though we're not close in age, we've become some of the best friends. It's also pretty amazing how your friends become your family. I have some of the greatest friends in the world (you know who you are!) and they are nothing less than family to me. I know if I needed anything, they'd be there for me at the drop of a hat. I am so fortunate to have come across such great family.

I miss my family a lot. And of course those friends who are considered family. I can't wait to see you soon!

Oh yea, and I guess I'm thankful for education (because you're supposed to say that right?)

Beautiful Saturdays

I absolutely love Saturdays! Though they aren't necessarily homework free, it's so nice to have a day off from sitting in lectures and learning new material. Saturday is just a feel good day to unwind. And for me to be productive. Like today for instance. I went and did some Christmas shopping, mailed out Megan and Devin's wedding gift (oops!), studied for my neuro test, researched for adaptive equipment paper, baked some cookies and cooked for the OT Thanksgiving Potluck tomorrow. It was a really productive day! I'm even getting ready to go to a game night. I'm forcing myself to socialize with some friends not in the OT program (which actually is kind of hard!).

I get to go home for Thanksgiving on Thursday evening and then Kim and Emily are coming down for the weekend. I'm really excited. And so is Riley. Though she was disappointed that Bud wasn't coming. She asked me four times if I was sure that he couldn't make it. I think she has a little crush. :) Anyways, I'm excited to spend some time with great friends and good family. And that's pretty much all I got today.

Oh except that I really love this quote right now: "You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think".

"I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you"

It's been a while since I've posted so let me catch you all up to speed. Last week I only need two big assignments/tests on the agenda. Monday we turned in a paper on Assessment Tools (which was worth a test grade) and we had our first Neuroscience Lab test. Of course throw in my classes from every day plus the Pediatric OT Clinic Grand Opening at JMU (Thursday and Saturday) and I had myself a very busy week. Things died down towards Thursday which was actually kind of nice. After class Whitney and I decided to watch How to Train Your Dragon. Then we went to the Peds Clinic Opening, grabbed Panera for dinner and watched Toy Story 3. Friday, once class was over, I had a really productive, yet boring day. Ashley, Whitney, Morgan, and I went on a house hunt trying to figure out where we're gonna live next year. We found some good neighborhoods and are inquiring about those townhouses/houses this week. I'm not looking forward to moving again, but it'll be worth not having to pay as much.

Afterwards, I headed to Barnes and Noble and reviewed Neuro material with Joanna. I went home worked on a culture project, did some research on Huntington's Disease (which is for another assignment), did my readings for Monday, and finished my media project for the semester. Saturday morning I went to the clinic grand opening for the public. It was amazing! I played with kids all morning! It was one of those things that really made me feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be in my life. Even my professors said I looked so natural and comfortable with children. It was a huge compliment!

Then I drove to Richmond for the rest of the weekend. Kim and I listened to Taylor Swift, looked at some potential places to live, shopped, saw the Town (definitely worth seeing!) and watched How to Train Your Dragon (yes that was like the 4th time I had watched it this past week!). It was such a relaxing weekend with very little going on. I'm so thankful for friends, especially those who are just as spontaneous and random as I am.

Then I drove back. The normal 2 hour drive took me 4.5 hours! There was a bad accident on 64 and we didn't move at all. It was frustrating. I finally made it back to my apt. about 9:30 and just went straight to bed. The time change really threw me off yesterday!

Then today we got out Assessment Tool Papers back and my group got a 98! It's so nice to have such a high grade on an assignment, especially since she's a tough grader. Oh and did I mention that I go an A- on my neuro test??? Yea, it was a busy week, followed by a fabulous weekend!

Turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you

Usually I don't post more than once a week, let alone more than once a day. But I saw this picture of my sister in her Halloween costume and I had to put it up for all to see.

Definitely makes me homesick. When is Thanksgiving break again??

What A Wonderful World

Well, what a wonderful weekend. I spent the weekend in Arlington, VA and D.C. watching one of my best friends get married. It was an evening wedding. It started at 7PM and the reception started around 9:00. Dinner was served around 10:30 and then we danced until almost 2AM. I headed back to a friend's house where I was staying (to avoid those hotel fees!) about 2:30. It was a lot of work between driving there, the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding itself. Plus, I didn't really get to see Kim as much as I had hoped. It was still a great weekend.

Anytime I spent in the car (and let's be honest, there was A LOT of time in the car) I listened to my new Taylor Swift album. Which is honestly, AMAZING. I love it. My favorite songs right now are "Back to December", "Better than Revenge", and "Long Live". Check those ones out because they are incredible. I would definitely recommend purchasing the cd.

Lastly, I just finished watching How to Train Your Dragon. It is absolutely one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen, I definitely recommend at least renting that as well. For some reason, it always gets me at the end and I tear up. It's a great kids movie though!

Well off to finish studying for my neuro on test on Tuesday!

Against my better judgement...

Against my better judgement, I've decided that I like my beta fish. Of course you would think that I would naturally like hence the reason I bought him. Not true. When Riley came to visit over the summer, I spoiled her rotten. I mean, that's what big sisters are for. :) I bought her a beta fish (whom she still has!) and I got one as well. When I got mine I decided not to care because I had an incident with fish a few years ago when I lived on campus. Anyways, he's all red and really gorgeous and his name is Sebastian (he reminded me of the crab from the Little Mermaid).

Also, I went through my camera and found some pictures from the summer that I completely forgot about.

This just makes me miss 1. My sister 2. Kim and 3. Summer/My tan

Too much going on all the time

There's never a dull moment in grad school. And by dull moment, I mean a minute to myself when nothing's going on. All day every day I find that I'm just doing the same thing I did before. My life has become so monotonous. I wake up in the morning (feeling like P Diddy - well just this past weekend not on class days), get ready for class, sit through class, eat lunch, sit through some more class, study at the library, come home, eat dinner, go to sleep, and start the whole process again. My biggest decisions of the day include: whether or not I should study before class or what I should eat for lunch. It just gets so boring and predictable.

I've never really thought of myself as predictable before, but since grad school started, I do the same thing over and over again. And I get it. My job as a student has become this predictable pattern and I guess I'll get over it within the next two years. I just used to be spontaneous and really miss the freedom and flexibility of undergrad.

I know in two more years I'll be glad to be through the program and I'll finally get to practice as an Occupational Therapist, I just wish so many sacrifices weren't involved. Grad school should really come with a warning label: "will forfeit life for textbooks" or something of the sort.

At least for now, Anatomy is over. I finally finished (and passed no less) and we started two other classes in addition to the other semester long one. Neuro and Therapeutic Media. 7 weeks down and 7 weeks to go! Until then I'll be counting down the days until Thanksgiving and Christmas Break.

***Two side notes. I had an amazing weekend with my friends in Richmond. Picture of the week:

Lots of fun, food, and laziness.

Second thought - My dad saw this bumper sticker and thinking of my strong dislike towards Obama, sent it to me in a text. I need one for my car.

"We got nothin' figured out"

I was looking over the past couple of posts and noticed that I've been posting mostly on Sundays. I guess that's because I'm so busy during the week, I don't really give my blog a second thought. Hopefully, that'll change come the 15th of October. In case you've forgotten, my Anatomy class is officially over in one week. All of my classmates and I are counting down until the day. I literally spent a good 6 1/2 hours studying today, on campus no less and I still don't feel adequately prepared for my exams on Thursday. I spent all day Friday studying as well. And inevitably, I'll spend all day tomorrow studying too. It's a never ending cycle.

This is East Campus Library where I spend ALL (I'm not exaggerating) of my free time studying. It's actually a really nice place to study, especially up on the 4th and 5th floors. You get a really great view of the sunset up there.

Some pretty good things did happen this week. I got a package from Les and Bud filled with toothbrushes and toothpaste. It's an inside joke, but it was definitely welcomed with the long week I had. I'm thinking of a greater, more random thing to send to them now. If you have any ideas, let me know. ;)

Also, I bought Beauty and the Beast. It's definitely one of my top 5 movies. On Friday night, some friends of mine from the OT program came over and we had a movie night. We picked up some pizza and candy and had a relaxing evening after all that studying. It was fabulous.

Then afterwards, I watched the Braves game. I've been an Atlanta Braves fan for along time. In fact, as long as I can remember, I've always cheered for the Braves. It's pretty exciting that they're in the playoffs right now. The games started Thursday night against the San Francisco Giants in California. The first game was disappointing because the Braves lost 1-0. Friday night I fell asleep watching the game in the 6th inning. The braves were down 0-4. When I got up this morning and read the game reviews, I saw that they came back in 11 innings to win 5-4. So the series is tied up 1-1 right now. Play moves to Turner Field in Atlanta tomorrow at 4:30 so I'm excited to see the game!

The last thing I wanted to mention about last week was that I also got Kim's letter in the mail. She made me a really creative card. It was so sweet and nice to get a surprise like that. Oh and the new set of Adventures in Odyssey came! Now I'll have something to listen to when I drive to Richmond this weekend to see Les, Kim, and Bud. I'm super excited and can't wait to have a weekend all to myself (and them) for a change.

That's all for now but hopefully I'll be more consistent throughout the week with blogging.

This puts things in perspective

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64A_AJjj8M4&feature=related

Time flies when you're having fun (and not studying Anatomy)

My weekend was amazing. No other words to describe it. Some of my best and favorite friends made it up for the weekend. It never ceases to amaze me just how much we cram in, in our short time together. I mean, we only had two days or so together but we really do make the most of it! We didn't get our music video done as planned, but did go to the football game (which was great). We played a lot of board games and card games (including Dutch Blitz). We watched movies and spent time doing random things. It was so much fun. No matter what we do, we always end up having a ton of fun and just being crazy.

The downside? My only two complaints. One, I didn't get as near as much studying done as I needed to. And of course the leaving part. It's so hard to say good-bye to my friends, especially when they feel like family. I actually started to tear up. But only three more weeks until I get to see them all again. And celebrate mine and Les's birthday! Yay for fun, but boo for getting older. I definitely thought I would have accomplished so much more in my life by the time I turned 22. Ugh. Anyways, it's bed time for. I'm heading to the library super early to make up for some of the studying that didn't get done. Until next time, adios!

Oh Anatomy

This week has been ridiculously crazy. After starting new material for Anatomy, I am once again completely and totally overwhelmed. The information isn't too bad. It's just remembering all of the structures in every specific order (artery, nerve, vein etc.). So far I have a pretty good grasp on what goes where and how everything is working together. I already feel so more prepared for this test than I did on the last one. I even went to office hours today and talked to my professor about my grade. He said that I didn't get off to a great start, but can definitely improve within the next three weeks. So that was really encouraging. Of course, we went through the test and he was showing mistakes I had made that could have easily given me higher points. I started to get emotional. The stress, pressure, and straight up embarrassment really hit me hard. I kept everything together until he asked, "Are you okay?" and that's when I lost it. Tears started streaming down my face and I could myself turn red. I explained myself to him - the stress, all of the information, and just trying to balance it all and he was so understanding. He even told me some stories from his graduate days which was kind of reassuring. So I finally have a better game plan and a new way to approach this test on Thursday. So yay for finally feeling on top of things for once.

Maybe not the most professional days of my OTS career, but definitely a step in the right direction. I guess this means going into the lab on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and pretty much giving up any sign of a life that I had. Ugh. Looks like the only time I'll ever be able to enjoy the weekends, is when I have a job. Ironic isn't it?

I get by with a little help from my friends

Who am I kidding? I get by with a lot of help from my friends. And even more help from God. Just thinking about this week (and so far it's only Tuesday) I can't really imagine where I'd be if I didn't have good friends and great faith. The first few weeks of the fall semester have been really hard and I find myself struggling to stay on top of all of the material. There's so much information about the human body. It's so detailed and intricate. And everything I see in my lab/lecture class just confirms the beauty of creation in my mind. It's also really overwhelming.

Our class is only 7 weeks along. We had our first lecture and lab test last Thursday which was extremely difficult. It covered all of the muscles in the back, abdomen, thigh, and leg. On top of that, we had to learn the arteries, veins, nerves, cutaneous nerves, etc. I don't know if you've ever had to distinguish a nerve from an artery or vein on a human body, but let me tell you, it is no piece of cake. Our test only covered 3 weeks of information but man was it brutal. I studied more for this class in three weeks, than I ever have for any other class. And I usually study for tests a lot. It's ridiculous. Though complaining about it makes me feel a little bit better, it's not going to change my grade. So I'm moving on. I'm focusing on the material for the next test instead of dwelling on what I can't change.

Back to the God thing. Seeing my life in such a whirlwind right now, I'm learning firsthand the importance (and comfort) of relying on God. There's such a sense of security knowing that my life is in His hands! Even though I'm making the decisions, I know God has my long-term plan taken care of. While Anatomy is the task of the present, there's just something wonderful knowing that one day, beyond all this, something better is waiting for me.

I'm only me when I'm with you

After another stressful week of classes and anatomy tests, the weekend finally rolled around! I had made plans to drive to Richmond and see Kim, but I had to dog sit and I wouldn't have gotten there until 8PM on Saturday night. So she came down to see me instead. Friday night we went out to dinner and then watched Crossroads (yes the Britney Spears movie!) and just crashed pretty early. We both woke up at 7:30 on Saturday (which is the worst feeling ever on your day off). It ended up being really productive. I spent the morning cleaning and getting things ready for next week, Kim did some "studying" and I took care of the dogs. Then we decided we were going to make a music video. So we went to Ross and grabbed some Vegas-themed clothes and met up with Emily. Once we got back, we did the whole thing! We dressed up in Vegas appropriate dresses, poofed our hair, did outrageous make-up, and then found appropriate jewelry. It was awesome. For the very end scene, I had the brilliant idea of jumping into the pool (after hours). So we all jumped in with make up and hair (however just pajamas). We haven't edited yet. Hopefully it'll get done some time this week.

Next week we're making a music video to "I'm only me when I'm with you" which is a very appropriate best friends song. If you haven't heard it, check out the link to the music video or just read the lyrics. It's one of my favorite Taylor songs right now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlTfYj7q5gQ

US Open

The US Open Final was supposed to be on tonight, but it got rained out so it'll be on again tomorrow. Just in time so that I don't study for Anatomy...

Hopefully Nadal wins.

Long Days = Longer Nights

I have to say, I am absolutely exhausted. I had Anatomy lecture all morning and Cadaver lab all afternoon. Afterwards, our lab group met to work on our case study, which is due tomorrow morning. Being on my feet all afternoon is so tiring. I just want to come home and lay in my bed for an hour or so. Right now, I'm trying to relax and watch the US Open, but the match I want isn't on until 8 tonight. I'm missing CSU (Christian Student Union) because we had our group meeting. I should probably clean my room, but I have no energy left.

Tonight around 7:30/8:00 we're having a class bonfire for all of the September birthdays. It should be fun. It's actually funny because a lot of the undergrad students are older than I am. I don't plan on staying too long because I plan on coming back to study (since I have lab again tomorrow at 8:30AM) and also to watch Nadal's match. I'd love to go to bed early tonight but there's really no chance of that with Anatomy and the US Open going on at the same time.

I'm so exhausted by the end of Tuesdays and Thursdays. I've been listening to a lot of music to help cheer me up. Right now one of my favorites is Mine by Taylor Swift. The music video is so cute. I'm also enjoying You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC, Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, and Soul Sister by Train. Hopefully these will help get me ready for socializing tonight. Then this weekend I'm going to Emily's. We're going to watch the VT/JMU game and maybe go out on the jetski. Could be fun. Super excited to get away from the lab, though I know I need to be in there studying. Oh the joys of grad school.

I've been in a weird kind of mood over the past few days. Being back in the swing of school is very overwhelming and leaves me physically and mentally drained at the end of each day. I'm studying Anatomy all the time (or so it seems) and still trying to get my reading/busy work down for the other class that we're taking right now. I've only gone to the gym twice and usually I'm able to make it six days out of the week. My social life is barely existent at this point. Obviously school comes first, but any socialization or "me" time seems is precious and rare at this point. I've been in school a week but I feel like I've already been here a month. On top of the school work, I got a physical, TB test, and drug screen all in the past week. And I still have to get a back ground check and sign up for a CPR class. There's so much going on that I am just exhausted. Grad school has turned me into an old lady! I've been going to bed between 9:30 and 10:30 every night so far (except for the weekend and that was because I was babysitting).

On top of all of this, I'm really homesick. I miss my family a lot, but especially Riley. I got to talk to her on Tuesday and then again today. Sometimes I feel like it's easier not to call home, just because I won't have to deal with the homesickness later. I also really miss my friends. Even though summer was so incredibly busy, my friends and I managed to spend as much time together as possible. And now, I just feel out of place without them here or me there. It's just been a long, exhausting week. I'm hoping that next week will be busy and take my mind of things.

On another note, Nadal moves into the 3rd round of the US Open. Hopefully he can win this one to achieve his grand slam dream.

A little bit heartbroken...

Classes started up this week and so far everything has gone really well. I've gotten a lot accomplished in the past two days. Anatomy started full force and we just jumped in dissecting our cadavers. It's definitely a different experience. When I'm in the lab, I can't think of it as a person or I get a funny feeling in my stomach. Weird, I know but it's easier to go through thinking about this neat contribution to science they've made instead of wondering about their family and loved ones.

On another note, my roommates dog attacked my bunny (Rainbow) which is a stuffed rabbit that I've had since I was three. Three! And I guess maybe it didn't really attack it as much as she thought it was a chew toy. Anyways, she completely destroyed it's face. And I got really emotional! I started crying. Not because I was really mad, but just because it's so sentimental. My grandmother gave that rabbit to me when I was so little and he goes EVERYWHERE with me. I mean, he was even in my suitcase in Maine this summer. So yea, he means a lot to me. My roommate Rachel felt horrible too. I know it wasn't on purpose, it still sucks. So tomorrow I'm taking it to Cookie (who can fix any and everything). Hopefully she can give Rainbow a "new" face since both his eyes and nose is gone. Keep your fingers crossed...

On another completely different topic...

I stumbled upon this quote and felt that I had to share it.

Amy Carmichael: "Father, I'm not soaring today. Help me."
God: "Daughter, soaring is not always flying high above the world. Sometimes one is soaring only two feet above the ground, just enough to keep you from getting tangled in the thorns and crashing against the rocks."

Food for thought

Since this summer has been pretty packed with class and traveling, I didn't really have the chance to read as many leisure books as I would have liked. However, I did get to read a few books and I enjoyed most of them. I read some books by Jodi Picoult (who I would highly recommend). She is probably my favorite author. Her books always have an interesting conflict, all of them different. This summer, I read Vanishing Acts which describes the life of an anthropologist married to an abusive actor. Suffering from a sever case of amnesia (due to abuse, no doubt) the anthropologist must relearn who she was in order to return back to her comfortable life. Easier than said, she discovers she did not like her "new" self and ultimately must decide between her baby (oh yea she's pregnant!) and her abusive husband. The answer is obvious right? Wrong. Jodi Picoult writes the story in such a way that I often find myself cheering for the bad guy or rooting for what I know is immoral. Not just in this book but in many others written by her, it is easy to see life through the eyes of the guilty. Her books often leave me hanging on by small thread of hope that the bad guy really isn't the bad guy and some loop hole will be introduced before the end. But as luck would have it, the bad guy turns out to be the bad guy (who would have seen that one coming?). All in all, her books are very good and introduce a lot of factual information into the storyline.

Other books that I read this summer (other than my textbooks) included Wicked, Pants on Fire (Cabot), Dreamland (Dessen), Lock & Key (Dessen), the Pact (Picoult), and Nadal's Bio. All of them great in their own way. However I couldn't help but notice a common theme threaded between the pages. With a few exceptions, all of these books were and are obsessed with love and giving the characters their happy ending. While these may create a fun, bubbly read, I can't help but wonder how these unrealistic love stories have jaded some readers. I'll be the first to admit, I love a good love story. I'm all for happy endings (and seeing the princess come out on top despite how horrible her actions were). In fact, I'd love that happy ending -what girl hasn't dreamt of that at one time or another?

But the bottom line is that real life is not like the stories we read or the movies we watch. It's just not that simple. Truth be told, there are real consequences for our actions. While it's great to live through our favorite characters (movie or book), society has really pushed upon happiness coming from a great love story. I agree that love is a big part of happiness, but it is not the only part. Maybe it's because I'm young and naive, or maybe it's because my priorities are so different from societal views, but I think each person holds the power to create or disrupt their own happiness. I'm the only one who can decide how my happiness is affected. Other people can play parts in this but ultimately I'm the one who decides how I react and feel towards everyone else. I guess what I'm really trying to say, is that we should be able to decide for ourselves where happiness comes from. To one person, it just might be that great love story; happy ending; fairytale. To another, it could be job success or raising a family. The possibilties are endless. Reading books and watching movies gives us a nice break from reality. There's absolutely nothing wrong with either as long as it doesn't dictate what can and should make us happy in life.

"Is this real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality..."

As my last week of summer begins to end, I have this gut wrench feeling, that I don't really know what I'm getting myself into school wise. The summer semester went really well and I passed every class with flying colors. I'm a little bit nervous about the intensity of the anatomy class. I've heard from students in the class above mine, that once you get past anatomy, you can make it through any class in the whole program. Talk about pressure.

On another note, this past week I went and visited Emily in Roanoke. It took me 4 1/2 hours to get there from my house in Montross and it of course rained the whole way. We rested on Tuesday and then we did some school shopping hitting up Staples, TJ Maxx, and Old Navy on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday we took tennis lessons from Miss Pat (who is an amazing instructor!). I learned so much from her in just two lessons. Not only did I learn the strokes and volleys, but I also learned WHY certain things are done which really helped me understand the importance of changing my habits. Playing softball for about 8 or 9 years, I really had some "not-so-nice" grips and strokes. Miss Pat worked with me on that even showed me things that I could do from my softball skills that would benefit me in tennis (i.e. footwork and serves). I worked on my serve some and feel pretty comfortable in my abilities now. I'm going back in September for another lesson. By then, my new grip should be put on my racket which might increase the comfort level for my wrist. Anyways, it was a ton of fun and I can't wait to go back!

Just hanging out and relaxing was a nice break from all of the busyness that I've participated in this summer. I love being busy and I love having tons of plans, but the driving and planning can sometimes get complicated and strenuous. Although, I am already missing all of my friends that aren't at JMU. Hopefully, there will be enough room to make a visit here or there during the semester. Just got to work on that financial aid now...Ugh

"Today was a fairytale..."

Actually, these past few weeks have been a fairytale. Once classes were over for the summer, I flew to Maine for a week, drove to Georgia for 5 or 6 days, and hosted my little sister Riley at my house (without any parents). These past couple of weeks have been a blast! I've spent a lot of time in Harrisonburg but come home a few times too. I've visited friends in Hampton and Richmond and really made the most of this summer. It's so sad to see it go.

Last week both Leslie and Kim came to visit (seperate visits) and I had Riley with me. We went to the pool most days, shopped some, played at two different parks, shopped some more, made fun dinners, went to Riley's favorite place (McDonald's), visited the SPCA, and so much more. It was a very fun, but packed week. I enjoyed visiting with some of my favorite friends as well as little sister. I brought her back yesterday because she started school today.

So today, we took Riley to her first day of first grade. I really can't believe she's getting so big! Afterwards Bai and I went with our mom to Fredericksburg and ran some errands. After I got home I went over to my grandparent's house. I visited with my grandparents for six hours. We watched Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal. We had a great dinner and watched "From Russia with Love". It's actually a really good James Bond movie. It's an older one -so old in fact that Sean Connery is James Bond. All in all it was really good and I had a blast just spending time with my grandparents.

I love the summer. I'm really sad to see it go. I remember being a little kid and feeling like summer lasted forever. I remember playing outside at my grandparent's house for hours. Sometimes Laura and I would explore down to the pond, sometimes we'd go for a walk in the Apple Orchard. Whatever we did, it was outside - we were so good at entertaining ourselves. Those days have certainly past. A couple blinks of an eye and school's right around the corner. I'm definitely trying to make the most of this last week. Tomorrow I'm heading to Roanoke to spend some time with Emily. I'm pretty excited. The summer has been short, but it has definitely been full!

3 Showers, 7 days...

Alright, two weeks later and I'm finally ready to post all about my Maine trip. To sum it up in one word: A-MA-ZING. I'm not even gonna lie, this post will probably be a little lengthy but to do my trip justice there are few details that I can leave out.

Just getting there was a process. My first flight got canceled which of course caused me to miss my connecting flight in North Carolina (why fly South and then North, I don't know). I had to get re-routed and ended up barely making another flight that headed into Philly. I had a 1 1/2 layover in there and then I was off to Maine. It was really nice though because there was practically no one on the plane and I didn't have to sit beside anyone. I got into Portland around 10:20 (earlier than scheduled). Bud and Leslie picked me up and we drove to their house in Bridgton, Maine. By the time we got there it was around 11:30 or so and I was exhausted. Les and I talked for a little bit and then we headed to bed.

So Tuesday we got up and hung out around the lake. We went swimming, kayaking, and played some volleyball. We stayed down at the doc and played with the dogs. It was really relaxing. Then Tuesday evening we watched the Sailboat races and had a campfire. Bud and Mr. Spangler shot off some fireworks which was pretty amusing.

Wednesday we went to this other place that I cannot pronounce and will only butcher the name. I'm just going to call it Andrew's. Haha. We went there and climbed down into some of the pools and went swimming. The water was so low that people could get down to the bottom. Then when, Leslie's mom made us take pictures in the waterfall. It was kind of silly and REALLY cold, but it's another memory to look back on.

We also went to Frenchmen's Hole (that one I can pronounce/spell). We jumped off the rock into the water below. It was actually a lot of fun. Les and I swam further down and explored. Maine/New Hampshire is really beautiful. The sunsets and various scenery had me constantly reminded of what a wonderful God I have. I thoroughly enjoyed just spending my time outdoors.

On Thursday we did some hiking. And of course took more pictures. This bench was the perfect photo opp.

If you look closely, you can see some of my bruises on my legs. They were pretty banged up.

We also did went caving. We crawled through (literally) on our stomachs, hands, knees, etc. to go through all of the caves. It was awesome! This was definitely one of my favorite day trips that we took. I definitely banged my legs up some more though. I should have gotten a picture of that instead.

We also went to the Cascades. It's basically a natural water slide with a few rocks thrown in. It was a lot of fun. I tried going down on the tube which was fun, but going without the tube was a lot better. It was kind of rough though. At one point I went down without the tube, hit the three main sections and then got turned around by the water. I turned myself around and right as I did, I ended up banging my knee and leg into a huge rock. It left a pretty wicked bruise, but was definitely worth it.

Thursday night we also played some games and even though I didn't win Yahtzee, I still beat Bud.

Friday we went on a kayaking trip down a river. It was a lot of work but so much fun! I kayaked a little bit before in high school but never like this. I really enjoyed it and am looking at some places in Harrisonburg where you can rent kayaks and go on day trips. Afterwards, we went home and went out to a movie. We had planned on seeing Salt but when we got to the theater, Bud agreed to see Charlie St. Cloud (which was horrible) with us (he must have been in a good mood that night).

Saturday we went into town to the library and roamed some of the shops. We went to a town fair that ended up not being as fun as we thought it would. We went candle pin bowling which is really hard. Small balls and ten pins is not a good mix.

Sunday we went go karting which was awesome. We had to wear these full length suits, neck braces, helmets, the whole getup and sign our lives away in legal forms. That's how fast these indoor go karts went. It too was awesome!

We went to downtown Portland and wandered around some shops. I tried Bubble Tea (which I still haven't decided if I like yet or not).

After getting lost for an hour or so on the way back, we finally made it home. Afterwards, we decided to venture out again for another movie. This time we did go see Salt (which was pretty bad too).

Monday we just spend the day jet skiing and sailing. I can't remember when, but at some point during the week we went tubing. I had one wicked wipe out (which left me with more bruises) but a lot of fun.

I loved driving the SeaDoo and sailing. We played some volleyball and some other games. Then I had to say good-bye and they dropped me off at the airport. It was so much fun! I was so glad I got to experience Maine and spend time with such a fun family!

Kim picked me up from the airport that night and of course we had to catch up too. I was sad that she couldn't make it to Maine when I was there, but I'm so glad that she lent me her family for the week. The next day we headed to my house and hung out at the lake at my house. We went and saw Inception (which I loved-a lot of thinking but so good). Then I went home and got ready for my trip to Georgia.

All in all, Maine was probably the best week of my summer. We did so much and got to spend so much time with each other. I know I'm leaving out so many details that I had wanted to include, but so much went on that I can't remember everything.

It's sad now because all of my Spanglers will be in different place. They're all only two hours away from me, but it won't be the same as heading down to Lynchburg. Hopefully we'll all be able to make it to someone's apartment or house.

It's weird to think how as you grow-up, all of your friends become scattered around. A few of my friends are at JMU but are leaving Spring semester. I have some in Richmond, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, and Colorado. And those are just the people that I'm closest to. My plans are to stay in touch with these people because they all means so much. Hopefully I'll mean as much back to them, as they do to me.

As for now, Adios!

"You said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night"

Tina moved to Georgia! This is just one of the many pictures of the cars we loaded up to get down to GA! She had a lot of stuff, but luckily we made it all fit down on the trip! It was a lot of hard work. We unpacked, packed, and unpacked some more.
We also had a lot of fun!



We played around, went to a couple of bars, and even went to a Braves game at Turner Field. We ended up getting free tickets right behind the dugout! Eventually we found out that the seats were box seats and we got to sit in the AC. It was really cool. Josh and I drove back on Tuesday and I got in late Tuesday night. It was a great trip, just a lot of work. I'm still trying to recover from my summer. Looks like I'm heading to the beach though! I'll be sure to post all of my Maine adventures and pictures soon!

Sweet Virginia

After 2 1/2 weeks of traveling from Maine to Georgia, I'm finally back in good 'ole Virginia. I literally just got back to Virginia about thirty minutes ago, but wanted to write something about the past couple of weeks.

Classes ended on the 23rd of July. I went home and spent a few days with my family and then headed out to Maine. I spent a glorious week there doing all of kinds of fun things with the Spangler family. Then I flew back to VA, hung out with Kim for a day, and then headed to Georgia to move Tina into her new apartment (she's going to UGA). I just got back today and am so ready to sleep in my own bed. I'm so exhausted right now that I'm going to save all my Maine adventures and Georgia stories for later posts. I have lots of pictures to share and fun things to talk about. Can't wait to share the rest!

Goodnight!

"Well I'm going home, to the place where I belong"

I'm so excited! Today is the first day of freedom! I'm going home to see my sisters. I'm so excited to have some time away from school and enjoy time with family. I'm also going to Maine on Monday. I'll be there a week and then I come back and leave for Atlanta a few days later. I probably won't be able to post for a couple days or so. So enjoy your summers and I'll see you all soon! Hopefully in person!

"I don't know what I want, so don't ask me..."

I don't know what I want, so don't ask me, cause I'm still trying to figure out, don't know what's down this road I'm just walking, trying to see through the rain coming down, even though I'm not the only one that feels that way I do...

I don't know why, but I'm really in a Taylor Swift mood - especially the first CD.

Anyways, this picture is of me and Laura -my most favorite cousin ever! This is one of the summers that we went to Ocean City, MD. I loved those summers - spending time with family and literally not having a care in the world. And now my summers are spent in class. 3-5 hours a day when instead I could be out in the fresh air at the beach or at least visiting friends.

Freedom begins tomorrow! I took my last midterm today (and I think I did really well!) and I have a presentation tomorrow. Afterwards it's pool time with some classmates and then packing for home/Maine/Georgia. So ready to finally have some time to enjoy! The best part is, my classes start a whole week later than I thought! We don't go back until the 30th of August. So now I have 5 weeks of relaxation before the fall semester starts.

I can't wait to see my friends and family again. I'm going home on Saturday and will hopefully get to spend some time with my sisters! I miss them a lot.
Until tomorrow!

"I hope you [have] the time of your life"

So I changed these lyrics in the title of today's post. Originally it's "I hope you had the time of your life" but I changed to go along with today's picture. This picture is of my OT class. There are 22 of us but I think that one or two of the girls couldn't make it to the BBQ. These past 6 six weeks have been crazy busy, stressful, and fun. We've all put time into our work and really focused on getting to know one another. Grad school is hard enough as it is, but it's hard to stick 22 girls in one class and have everything run smoothly.

I think 99% of the time, we've all gotten along really well. Nothing stands out to me about any one person not getting along with another or about any drama that happened. If people plan events, everyone gets invited. When we talk about stuff, whether inside or outside of class, everyone's views and opinions are respected. We mesh really well together!

In only six weeks, we've grown so close as a whole class but also through the friendships we've developed. No one person is the same but we can relate with and empathize with one another through the experiences we've had. The program itself is really hard, but with such great peers/colleagues/friends, it makes it just a little bit easier to deal with.

My hope for us as a class, is that as the next 2 1/2 years unfold, we dwell on the good, remember the bad, and move forward towards our future. We'll look back and remember the late night study sessions and laugh at ourselves at obsessing over these finals. We'll realize that while these tests are important, so is the time we put in to our relationships. We'll remember the tests, the stress, and being overwhelmed. But we'll also remember the potlucks, the constant laughing, and the inside jokes. Our purpose is, of course, to learn about our profession and become Occupational Therapists. The journey is about all the things we'll do together on the way.

I hope when we graduate in 2012 (wow that's so far away!) that we'll look back and realize we did have the time of our lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc

"Laughing so hard it hurts like hell..."

So I chose these "laughing so hard it hurts like hell" lyrics because it pretty much just sums up the picture. Let me give a little bit of background information. Sophomore year at JMU, Amanda, Emily and I lived in a triple (yes that's 3 beds in one room!) on the quad. We actually had a really nice room and bathroom so it wasn't that bad. We got into the habits of filming different movies and being super random. One night right before bed, I finished brushing my teeth and came out of the bathroom. Right as I opened the door, there was Amanda waiting to scare me. The funny thing was that I saw her, but didn't react right away. Then she scream "boo" and I ended up screaming bloody murder. This all happened in a matter of ten seconds. It was pretty funny. We heard people in the hallway asking what the noise was. It was pretty funny. We laughed so much. If you couldn't tell from this picture. I was literally rolling on the ground.

Come to think of it, I'm like that with pretty much all of my friends. Once I get going on something, it's really hard for me to stop. Like yesterday in class. A group presented their hour long group facilitation on humor. I was thinking this should be fun, I think of myself as humorous and felt like I would really enjoy class. And let me tell you, I did. It was ridiculous. They showed some video clips and the first ones were funny but not that great. And then they showed "A tire hit Mary in the face" by Dane Cook. I don't know if you've ever heard this or not, but it is pretty great. And by great I mean ridiculously funny. At one part, Dane says that you can't even say that without laughing. And boy did I try. And it didn't work. I busted out laughing so hard and all the girls in my class were laughing too. So I finally recovered somewhat and they played a "that's what she said" clip from the office. Now if you know me, you know that I LOVE a good that's what she said joke. This did it. I was in tears. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stop. I actually had to get up from class and step into the hallway to regain some composure. And it worked. For about 30 seconds. I got back into the class and it just started all over again. My professor couldn't even stop laughing. I would look up and see my friend across the room and that was it. It was ridiculous.

I had to explain that I use laughter as a stress release. And this week just so happens to be the busiest week of the summer. So of course I laughed a lot. And I needed it too. It just reminded me of so many good times where my friends and I end up laughing for hours about nothing.

So, listen to the Avril song "Runaway" because it inspired today's picture. And if you want a good laugh watch the Dane Cook and the "That's what she said" clips. Enjoy!

Avril - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkGacEwwb9A
Dane Cook - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk9Fq5QT3ps
TWSS - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAAi_42uIkQ

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Right now my favorite things include:
-diet sunkist (orange, delicious, and caffeine-filled)
-Nadal
-staying in VA
-laughing uncontrollably
-summer
-Hannah Montana Forever aka anything Miley Cyrus
-being 4 days away from the end of the summer semester.


Some of my not so favorite things?
-Diet Dr. Pepper
-Federer
-Moving/living in states other than VA
-headaches from laughing too much
-the end of summer
-Frank on the bachelorette
-2 exams and 5 projects in the next four days

"When everything is wrong I'll come talk to you, You make things alright when I'm feeling blue"

Okay, so I absolutely love this song by Weezer. I guess it's because everyone somewhere can relate to having a best friend who would drop anything for you. The lyrics are so fun and every time I hear this song, I always think of my best friends.

I love this picture too. It's me and my BFFL after the Redskins/Giant game. It was too cold to remember the score, I just know that Giants crushed the Redskins (surprised?). I loved being able to go and I love the fact that I went with Tina.

We've had a lot of great memories. So many, I couldn't even begin to start writing them down. We've been through a lot together. Even through the fights and tears, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know she's always got my back. That's why it's going to be really hard to move her to Athens, GA in 16 days. It's bittersweet. I'm really excited for Tina to start her new life and grad school, but I'm also really sad about losing her. The road trip will be awesome and there's no doubt that we'll have a lot of fun. I'm just not ready for goodbye.

Anyways, if you haven't heard My Best Friend by Weezer yet, listen to it. It's really good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC4bZH2zTOg

"I said it's hot outside, let me go swimming in your eyes..."

A new day equals a new blog. I haven't been the greatest keeping up with blogs in the past, but I figured that it couldn't hurt to try it again. One of my main goals for grad school is to try new things and be more adventurous than before. Of course, I'm starting this new journey in Week 6 of school.

Speaking of which...it's the last week of class. Of course this means it's finals week. So not only do I have 2 exams this week but to top it off, I have five final projects. It'll be a lot of hard work, but once I get through it, I get to enjoy a little bit of summer.

I actually got the idea for this blog from Leslie. She created one for herself and her memories. It was such a good idea that I had to start one of my own.

So today's picture is one of my favorites because I'm with my favorites. This picture has so many funny memories attached to it. We met some of Kim's friends at Skyline Drive and hiked about a 1.5 miles down the mountain. We stopped at a waterfall along the trail and went for a swim. What this picture doesn't show was the before and after. Before we hiked, we locked Kim's keys in her car. It took a while and some minor damage, but we got the keys out. Afterwards, we camped at the campsite (imagine that!). By the next morning we were ready to get out of there. All in all, a great couple of weeks spent with my Soulmate and Soulmind. Can't wait to see them again!