It's official. I am 20. And (contrary to previous assumptions) it feels amazing! Wednesday the girls and I headed to Palm Springs for a long weekend. It was three days of laying out, reading books for fun, and relaxing. On my actual birthday (Saturday) Mom surprised us all with manicures and pedicures before we headed back to Redlands, so nice! We had the prafin wax on our hands too and it was my first time, ahhhh I wish I could get that done every week. Ha. Thursday night the girls surprised me and LIZZIE showed up and the Italian place we were at for dinner--I was SHOCKED!! They completely pulled it off and it was the best birthday surprise EVER! She also came bearing Sprinkles cupcakes and they were delicious. Red velvet. There are no words.
So Liz stayed Thursday night and then we all went to Keedy's (yummy breakfast diner) in the morning after sleeping in. She had to leave earlier than she wanted to because of work but I was just happy to see her!
Last night we were on campus and went out to a frat house to celebrateee =) I was given a silver and purple tiara to wear and was easily spotted as the birthday girl!
May term officially starts tomorrow. I'm taking Images in Women's Literature class that meets four times a week, 1-4pm. Hil is actually taking it with me (me for my major and her because it fulfills grad req's) But I am so excited to spend this last month with my friends before I have to say some hard goodbyes until January!!! AHhhhh!!!
SIDE NOTE: WE HAVE A NEW PUPPYY!!!!!!! HE WAS BORN JUST A WEEK AGO AND PICTURES ARE ON THE WAY. HIS NAME IS STILL UP FOR DISCUSSION BUT WE ARE ALL SOOOOO EXCITED. (ESPECIALLY MOM...lol) WE GET HIM THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE!!!! UPDATES TO COME!!!!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
BRITNEY: THE CIRCUS
Last night we went to the BRITNEY SPEARS CONCERT!!! "~the circus" and had SO much fun! It was in LA at 8 so we left Redlands around 530 to prep for traffic. There were 12 delta's that went but a few of us were in different sections. Anyway, we had a blast! The Pussycat Dolls opened for her and then right before she came on they showed so real circus acts (kind of like Cir-de-sole?) So neat. The other super weird thing was that Lizzie got tickets too close to the same time I ordered mine and she was IN our section!!! Crazy, I know. She went with three of her girlfriends and I got to sit and chat with her for a little while :) which was really nice because I hadn't seen her since the end of February!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
to the end of my sophomore spring semester...
Like always, time flies when you're having fun. This saying was once again proven true when I handed in my last final today and realized that classes are done, finals are completed, and i have another semester to say goodbye too. Bittersweet I must say. I still remember everyone telling me college would be the best four years of my life, and I remember sort of believing them. But there was always a small part of me who doubted this notion because of the experiences I had in high school. It is weird to think that less than two years ago I was driving down here to embark on a whole new life. A new group of friends. A new family of sisters. A new way of looking at things. A new freedom.
I always joke that I could easily be 17 again and be a junior in high school and it wouldn't feel weird at all because I don't really feel any older. But I guess I would have to say that is no longer true. I manage to live independently (with the help of a gas card, debit & credit card) :) do my own laundry, go to class, maintain grades, foster amazing friendships with girls who have stolen pieces of my heart, and live everyday to the fullest. I am going to EUROPE in a little over 4 months and instead of being scared I feel so ready to add to my growing list of life experiences.
I feel alive, motivated, curious, intrigued, and ready. I have to say, it is quite an amazing feeling.
I always joke that I could easily be 17 again and be a junior in high school and it wouldn't feel weird at all because I don't really feel any older. But I guess I would have to say that is no longer true. I manage to live independently (with the help of a gas card, debit & credit card) :) do my own laundry, go to class, maintain grades, foster amazing friendships with girls who have stolen pieces of my heart, and live everyday to the fullest. I am going to EUROPE in a little over 4 months and instead of being scared I feel so ready to add to my growing list of life experiences.
I feel alive, motivated, curious, intrigued, and ready. I have to say, it is quite an amazing feeling.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
random update
Pictures from thursday and last night. We went to Paige's Dance Co. show last night at 8.. it was so good! There were all types, lyrical, hip-hop, tap, and modern. Finals are next week so lots of papers to write ahead of me, but the dance show was a nice break from the stress. Thursday night we went to Gamma Nu, a frat and went dancing!
Hil and I before the dance show
LJ and I :)
MY BIG and I (happy belated birthday alyssa!!!)
Witte, Erin, Hil and me at the D house
Hil and I before the dance show
LJ and I :)
MY BIG and I (happy belated birthday alyssa!!!)
Witte, Erin, Hil and me at the D house
Thursday, April 9, 2009
last non-fiction class
I cried for the first time in my non-fiction class Tuesday night. The drill is, we handout copies of our essays to the class, everyone takes them home to read them, and then next week we come to class having read the essays and ready to discuss them. Usually we get through about 3-4 in a 3 hr block class period. Tuesday was our last class for the semester and I even baked brownies for the class to celebrate :) ...that was quite an undertaking taking into account the kitchen I had to work with as well as trying to gauge an unruly oven that smelled like a gas leak was likely any minute.
Anyway, back to my reason for talking about my class, this girl named Stephanie wrote a piece that we were to take home, read, and discuss. The drill. So I sit down Sunday night to read Stephanie's essay for class Tuesday. 11 pages, tears by the 5th page. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to read. Hilary was not in the room (thank goodness) so there I was, sitting on my bed bawling by myself, surprised that something written by one of my own peers could have such an intense effect on me.
The essay was about her mom. Her mom was diagnosed with colon cancer last July and passed away in March. This March, as in last month March. She is a junior, only one year older than me, and no longer has the one person who is put on this earth to guide and coach her. She talked about memories of her mom, how she doesn't want pity, she just wants her mom back, and details of the funeral. She wrote about how her sister, dad, and her just drove around their town the morning after she passed reliving memories and avoiding the sympathy calls and casseroles that were already appearing in large numbers. She wrote about how her mom would never be there to watch her get married, have kids, or go through menopause. She wrote about how even if her mom showed up on her doorstep tomorrow, she wouldn't be mad at her for abandonment but just happy to have her again because "Love is never having to say your sorry."
I lost it. It was so eloquent and well written but at the same time held more emotion than I could even begin to comprehend. Judging by my initial reaction to the story I knew I wouldn't be able to get through the discussion without having some sort of emotional breakdown but of course, that would be even harder for her to see someone upset when she is obviously trying so hard to be strong.
Stephanie's essay was the last one we discussed and I could feel the vibe in the room change. I think our prof noticed this too because instead of focusing on content and opening up discussion, she focused a lot on style and sentence structure. But even with her efforts, I would look across the room and see Steph, composed, compliant, with a pasted smile that I knew was for everyone else besides herself. I don't even know her well but when you look at someone and know the things there dealing with are so raw and everything seems unbearable, reactions are anything but inevitable.
I was actually impressed that I only got the pre-freak out stage, watery eyes and dab-able tears that I creatively disguised as allergies (thank you, hayfever!) I knew, though, that I couldn't contribute to any of the discussion because I didn't want my voice to break so I just kept to myself. I want to send her an email telling her how touched I was by her story and how brave it was of her to be so vulnerable to a class full of students she doesn't know well either. I want to make it clear that I'm not writing something to her out of pity, but just out of awe. I want her to know I read what she wrote and thought it was brilliant.
I think I will write her.
Anyway, back to my reason for talking about my class, this girl named Stephanie wrote a piece that we were to take home, read, and discuss. The drill. So I sit down Sunday night to read Stephanie's essay for class Tuesday. 11 pages, tears by the 5th page. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to read. Hilary was not in the room (thank goodness) so there I was, sitting on my bed bawling by myself, surprised that something written by one of my own peers could have such an intense effect on me.
The essay was about her mom. Her mom was diagnosed with colon cancer last July and passed away in March. This March, as in last month March. She is a junior, only one year older than me, and no longer has the one person who is put on this earth to guide and coach her. She talked about memories of her mom, how she doesn't want pity, she just wants her mom back, and details of the funeral. She wrote about how her sister, dad, and her just drove around their town the morning after she passed reliving memories and avoiding the sympathy calls and casseroles that were already appearing in large numbers. She wrote about how her mom would never be there to watch her get married, have kids, or go through menopause. She wrote about how even if her mom showed up on her doorstep tomorrow, she wouldn't be mad at her for abandonment but just happy to have her again because "Love is never having to say your sorry."
I lost it. It was so eloquent and well written but at the same time held more emotion than I could even begin to comprehend. Judging by my initial reaction to the story I knew I wouldn't be able to get through the discussion without having some sort of emotional breakdown but of course, that would be even harder for her to see someone upset when she is obviously trying so hard to be strong.
Stephanie's essay was the last one we discussed and I could feel the vibe in the room change. I think our prof noticed this too because instead of focusing on content and opening up discussion, she focused a lot on style and sentence structure. But even with her efforts, I would look across the room and see Steph, composed, compliant, with a pasted smile that I knew was for everyone else besides herself. I don't even know her well but when you look at someone and know the things there dealing with are so raw and everything seems unbearable, reactions are anything but inevitable.
I was actually impressed that I only got the pre-freak out stage, watery eyes and dab-able tears that I creatively disguised as allergies (thank you, hayfever!) I knew, though, that I couldn't contribute to any of the discussion because I didn't want my voice to break so I just kept to myself. I want to send her an email telling her how touched I was by her story and how brave it was of her to be so vulnerable to a class full of students she doesn't know well either. I want to make it clear that I'm not writing something to her out of pity, but just out of awe. I want her to know I read what she wrote and thought it was brilliant.
I think I will write her.
Monday, April 6, 2009
recitation
King Lear. 1.1 Cordelia to her father (the King) -->
Good my lord
You have begot me, bred me, loved me
I return those duties back as they are right fit
Obey you, love you, and most honor you
Why have my sisters husbands if they say
they love you all? Haply, when I wed
that lord whose hand must take my plight
shall carry half my love with him
half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters
To love my father all.
These are the lines I have to recite tomorrow in my Shakespeare class... wish me luck!
Good my lord
You have begot me, bred me, loved me
I return those duties back as they are right fit
Obey you, love you, and most honor you
Why have my sisters husbands if they say
they love you all? Haply, when I wed
that lord whose hand must take my plight
shall carry half my love with him
half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters
To love my father all.
These are the lines I have to recite tomorrow in my Shakespeare class... wish me luck!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
last day in san diego! :(
I came up for a few minutes to pack some things and wanted to write something about my weekend in SD. I came down here again on Thursday after morning classes and lunch with my friend Alyssa (her 21st birthday!). It has been so nice seeing the family and spending quality time together. Sometime I think I take for granted seeing them, but then when we get a chance like this I realize how much I really do miss them when I'm at school. I hadn't seen Austin since Christmas!
We had an amazing/delicious/ (i'm in a food coma) brunch this morning at the hotel and are now spending the rest of the day in the sun. Friday we got to see Megan's friend Soraya and her parents for a hike along this gorgeous beach frontier and huge eroded clay walls called Torrie Pines. Don't worry, I took pictures! It was really pretty and not a sight I would have expected to see between Rancho Santa Fe and San Diego. Friday morning we also visited the San Diego Zoo... lots of fun! My favorites were either the giraffes or the elephants. And we saw "Leo the Lion" for Austin ;)
Yesterday was another pool day and we took the passenger ferry into the Gaslamp district for dinner. We ate at Ocean Air... delicious fish/seafood. The waitress messed up on my order and my fish came out 5 minutes later than everyone else's so to make up for it she brought us out complimentary desserts. Oh no, not just one but 3 very large desserts. It was like the dessert parade! I'm serious. We had a banana split the size of Austin, warm cookies and milk, and this huge tower called Baked Alaska which she set on fire. We were already SO FULL and were trying to make the 9pm ferry back to Coronado so we pounded those desserts and rolled out of there...
I think I'm going to try and leave by 4 so I can make it back to Redlands by the dinner hour. We have a delta meeting tonight (like every sunday) and since I missed last week's because I was here I feel obligated to go. When I get back I'll put up zoo/dinner/sunny pictures!!!
We had an amazing/delicious/ (i'm in a food coma) brunch this morning at the hotel and are now spending the rest of the day in the sun. Friday we got to see Megan's friend Soraya and her parents for a hike along this gorgeous beach frontier and huge eroded clay walls called Torrie Pines. Don't worry, I took pictures! It was really pretty and not a sight I would have expected to see between Rancho Santa Fe and San Diego. Friday morning we also visited the San Diego Zoo... lots of fun! My favorites were either the giraffes or the elephants. And we saw "Leo the Lion" for Austin ;)
Yesterday was another pool day and we took the passenger ferry into the Gaslamp district for dinner. We ate at Ocean Air... delicious fish/seafood. The waitress messed up on my order and my fish came out 5 minutes later than everyone else's so to make up for it she brought us out complimentary desserts. Oh no, not just one but 3 very large desserts. It was like the dessert parade! I'm serious. We had a banana split the size of Austin, warm cookies and milk, and this huge tower called Baked Alaska which she set on fire. We were already SO FULL and were trying to make the 9pm ferry back to Coronado so we pounded those desserts and rolled out of there...
I think I'm going to try and leave by 4 so I can make it back to Redlands by the dinner hour. We have a delta meeting tonight (like every sunday) and since I missed last week's because I was here I feel obligated to go. When I get back I'll put up zoo/dinner/sunny pictures!!!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
an update... FORMAL&weekend travels!
Once again, I feel like I have been around the world and back again. And back for some more since I am leaving again today to drive and see the family in San Diego (Meg and Austin's spring break!)
I have pictures from our AMAZING formal in Santa Monica, which was both Friday night (camping), saturDAY (santa monica BEACH TIME) and Saturday night, (DoubleTree Hotel). I had so much fun I can't even put it into words. Wow. So, instead of hashing out every detail, here are some pics of my weekend adventure...enjoy!
On Sunday I was picked up (but I very large vehicle I might add) and taken to meet the fam in at the Del in San Diego. I got to spend Sunday and Monday with them and was back for classes Tuesday morning. Here are a few pics from Sunday night and Monday... I'm driving over again today and coming back Sunday.
I have pictures from our AMAZING formal in Santa Monica, which was both Friday night (camping), saturDAY (santa monica BEACH TIME) and Saturday night, (DoubleTree Hotel). I had so much fun I can't even put it into words. Wow. So, instead of hashing out every detail, here are some pics of my weekend adventure...enjoy!
On Sunday I was picked up (but I very large vehicle I might add) and taken to meet the fam in at the Del in San Diego. I got to spend Sunday and Monday with them and was back for classes Tuesday morning. Here are a few pics from Sunday night and Monday... I'm driving over again today and coming back Sunday.
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