Oh life.

SO much has happened to me this year. I have learned a lot about who I am and who I want to be. I think that I finally have my head in the right place, finally, in my senior year (even though I will have whole other year before I graduate in May 2011...weird to think about). I have been working in my classes for my new major. I love it. I have met some great new people and have become VERY close with the people currently in my life. I think I have begun to straighten things out with family, but, still have more work to do there. Between breaking 3 bones within 4 months, boys, friends, family, I have had a bit of a wake-up call... and like I said, I think I am on a better track.

I finally got cleared last Wednesday to resume normal activity with my ankle, which is GREAT news! I have been going to the gym and my limp is minimal, so I couldn't be any happier. (Although I should be at the gym now.. I just have NO energy, so I am gonna finish this up and clean... and MAYBE get to the gym before 9..).

I have realized what great friends I have in my life. Jen (my roommate) and I have cleared up things that went sour last year, and living with her has been great. I think that we have become pretty good friends and it makes me truely happy that I don't dread coming back to my apartment. Jer and I have also made up, and I love him like a brother. Mark... well, he has a new girlfriend, so he is mostly MIA, but still makes some time to come over and goof off. I really am happy for him that he has found a good girl, I just hope he can stay focused on school and graduate on time! Mr. Kreshnik, I just found out last night, is graduating in December! WHAAAT!? That is so scary to think about. He is the first of my better friends to graduate and leave!! I guess I have to get used to it, since most (and when I say most, I mean a good 85-90%) of my friends will be graduating and moving on with their lives. I think that Lauren has become my best friend here. We have helped each other through the bad and celebrated the good. Hopefully, we can stay great friends after she leaves in the fall, but I don't want to think about that. Also, Adrian has become a really great friend (even if I am unsure about her boy situation, I still try to support her, because it is a really hard situation for her). The Polish boys (& Craig too!) across the hall are so great to me. They make me laugh and I just love going over there and hanging out with them. I am glad to have Ana and Deb back at UT (even if I don't see them as much anymore since they moved to the T building...).

In the past.. year or so, Marcella (my fcubeddd W2T) and I have become REALLY close. This really makes me happy. I have known her literally all my life and cannot wait to move up to New York to live with her. She has been coming to visit me at school and I am pretty sure she loves it, and I love going to the city to visit her, even if it doesn't happen as often as I would like... its just hard with school.

So Halloween is this weekend, and I am pretty pumped. Marcella is coming! Kyle and Nicole are also coming and I cannot wait to see them as well! I miss them being in State College, so I really appreciate when they come up and visit (even if it's not solely to visit me). I have two costumes planned out, but they are a secret. I'll let you know how it goes sometime later.. :P

I miss my sister. I haven't seen her in a long while. I feel like things are slowly getting better between us, even though we still fight a little too much (but its mostly when we are together). I know she is having a rough time at school and I wish I could go visit her, but I am legit out of money. :( I need a job.

Anyway, I think that is all for right now.
Peace, Love, and Bobby Sherman lol

Reflections..

So here I am. One year ago, this very moment, I was on a boat (yes, I know. I'm on a boat) en route to Bergen, Norway. I honestly cannot believe it has been a whole year. I was so nervous and so very excited to experience everything that was about to happen for the next 2 and a half months. The first person I really met was my roommate, Amber. She was a great roommate. Yes, we had our differences and got on each others nerves from time to time (which is bound to happen when your room is 2x2, haha), but overall she was a good roommate. Then I met Marissa, and we obviously became best friends on the trip and I miss her so much, and then her roommate Aimee and many more people from there.

As I sit here, looking at pictures and reminiscing, I feel like I learned SO SO much about myself through friends, the staff on the ship, the countries we visited, and the people I met in these countries. I certainly caught a BAD case of the travel bug after this trip, and can't wait for my next journey -- whether it be in the US or somewhere else. (Although, I AM looking to try and go again next summer......)

Anyway, enough sappy reminiscing. In 5 days, I am about to have a milestone birthday. Yes, the big 2-1. I am pretty excited about this, despite my lack of money to support being able to go out and drink with friends. I am just really excited that my good friends are coming out to see me (if they aren't already here) and celebrate my birthday! I am excited for everyone to come, but in particular, my SAShole -- Marissa and also my Fcubed -- Marcella! I miss them so much!

So. That's about all I have to say right now as I am EXHAUSTED and have 4 papers to write in the next 2 weeks... so back to that. I will write again sometime after muh birthday and let you (whoever you may be) know how it goes.

Until then...

Quite frankly, this seems like a more fun idea than studying lifespan development right now...

Soooo, it has been entirely too long since I have written in this blog. It is coming up on a year since I left for my Semester at Sea (June 15, 2008). I feel so blessed to have been able to participated in that adventure. I made tons and tons of memories - many of you probably read along as I went - and even more so, I made some really great friends that I will NEVER forget.

So this past school year was my first year at the main Penn State campus (thank GOD I am done with Altoona). I absolutely loved it! I have learned so much about myself, including that I do not EVER EVER EVER want to be in the hospitality business. (Ooops, expensive life decision...) I have finally figured out what I want to do with my life - be a speech therapist. Now I am not 100% sure where I want to go with this. I have a few options, all of which have good job placement and good pay. I am leaning toward working in an elementary school with children that have autism or just children with speech impediments, but after having a conversation with Marcella about her brother and people who were in the ICU, I am also leaning toward working in a hospital with victims of accidents and so on. I am so glad that I figured out what I want to do. I always knew I wanted to do SOME sort of teaching but found out that being an actual teacher was not in the cards for me (i.e. I decided against standardized tests, being moved around between grades, bad pay).

I have met some really great people here in State College. Most of my friends I met at my apartment complex, which I love. They have been pretty good to me and help me when I need them and vice versa. I have also made some great friends in the major I now call the "oopsie major". I am really glad to have met them. I really do believe that everything happens for a reason, and I did get something good out of a year of torture.

So now, it is summer break, and guess how I am spending it. Yes, thats right, SUMMER CLASSES. Ugh! But thats what happens when you change your major at the very end of your 3rd year of school. I am taking 2 classes and I am SUPPOSED to be working at Dunkin Donuts, but clearly they are overstaffed, so the new girl gets no hours. Great.

But, my favorite month is coming up! Yes, June. Why? Oh.. maybe just cause its my birthday month! Oh.. and 24 days till my 21st! Yayaya! But, honestly who is counting? I do have an exciting few months coming up a head of me, though. Firstly, my birthday is the 20th. A week after, on the 27th, I am going to the Kenny Chesney concert, courtesy of my friend Jordan! I am SOSOSOSOSOSO pumped for that. I have been wanting to see Kenny Chesney for soo long! Then I have finals and all that jazz.

July is going to be an exciting month! Two big things are happening for me. 1) Marcella and I are going to go on a trip for her graduation present from her mom. I think things are looking toward San Diego! I have NEVER been to California, so I am really pumped about it! We are gonna go to the zoo, shopping, beach, go out.. all the fun stuff!! 2) I am going BACK to CA a week and a half later to go see my SASHOLES! I will be flying into LAX to see Heather and Emily! Also, I will be really close to Christian, so I am gonna head there for a day or two or whatever and see her and her fam! I cannot waiiit!

So after all that craziness, I will be heading to the OBX with my faja and sistah the second week of August. Then all the fun is over and school starts again like a week or two after that. Sad Party. Buuuut I will be jumping right into my new major (provided I can get into my classes...but thats a different story).

Welp, that is all for now. I have to get to studying for my first summer exam that is happening at 6pm tomorrow!! :)

Peace out Boy/Girl Scouts