VamPKE, Buck the Zags, Dormal Formal

So despite my belief that this week would pass by slowly it sped by like lightening!  After I hit the Wednesday hump, things went downhill (in a positive way!) from there.  That night I went to a fraternity social with a friend from WA which was vampire themed.  While I was a little nervous and uncertain about what to expect I ended up having a really fun time and got to meet some new people.  Thursday night was our big rival game against Gonzaga so my friends and I purchased our "Buck the Zags" ahead of time.  Unfortunately, when we got to Leavey we were told we had to turn our shirts inside out because they were inappropriate.  Apparently last year at the Zags game there was an issue with our fans "keeping it classy" and trash was thrown on the court so I think they were being very cautious about what went on at the game.  We played hard and were up through most of the game but in the last seven minutes apparently we only scored 3 points...oh well, it was a good game and we're playing Portland tonight so I'm sure it will be another battle this evening.  Finally, last night we had a campus wide formal dance called Dormal Formal, what a catchy name! Casey and I helped set up and we were so efficent and completed our tasks within twenty minutes, we had some getting ready to do :) It was so much fun dressing up and getting ready for a formal dance it definitely brought me back to high school.  I wore my senior homecoming dress which obviously was sentimental and we took homecoming style pictures in our dorm before leaving for the dance.  Jon, a grad student who does something official in my dorm, was the DJ and we seriously danced from 10:30-12:30 straight! So so so much fun!  With three super busy days and nights in a row, I am looking forward to this weekend to relax and catch up on some much needed sleep.  

Mariah left to go back to Idaho so she is continuously in my thoughts and I am so happy you get to see Max.  Enjoy family time and know that we are all looking forward to seeing you on Monday.  Love to you and your family.  

Lets get the Pilots tonight Broncs, to a restful&productive weekend with some fun squeezed in somewhere in between!  12 days and counting...

Happy Birthday MATT!

First and foremost...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!!! I cannot believe this is the first birthday I don't get to spend with you in four years!  What memorable times we have had; junior year tolo :) and senior year JA come to mind of course...wishing I was with you at Redlands but wishing you the happiest birthday I can all the way from Norcal.  One final year as a teenage then off into the abyss of growing up.  Like I said to you tonight on the phone, "age is only a number, not the way we act." Go prove me right :) LOVE YOU!

So this is the first birthday of a close friend from high school where I haven't gotten to be with them to celebrate.  So many of these "firsts" continue to pop up unexpectedly and it's crazy how many memories they cause to be provoked...

Community council meeting tonight--we have a campus wide "Dormal Formal" this weekend so I'm sure we will be discussing that as well as our next Cyphi (my dorm) Olympic event!  Last week's event was a success and we had a great turn out so hopefully we can encourage even more people to come out for Flag Football the week of the Superbowl!  

Today was a productive day filled with class, working out, soccer practice, more class, and of course homework.  Everyone is slowly recovering from their respective sicknesses so hopefully after my meeting and some much focused attention on homework I might be able to sneak in a cuddle/OC sesh with the girls :) 

Time Flys

This weekend sure passed quickly!  I cannot believe it has already been a week since the boys left SCU and headed back to Claremont.  I'm sure this week will pass more slowly even though we only have one extra day of classes compared to our glorious four day week last week.  I had another productive day today however somehow it seems so much later than 10pm.  I have been trying to finish up my OL application which is due this Wednesday...what a relief it will be once I submit it and the decision is out of my hands.  While I am nervous I realize that if I don't even try in the first place I will already know my answer so why not give it a shot!  This week is going to be a busy one; I have a Community Council meeting tomorrow night, a book report due Tuesday for dance, a 6-7 page Interview analysis for Ethnic studies due Wednesday, and a 3-4 page Comm paper due Thursday!! Wooo trying to not stress out when I type that but what a week I have in store.  Not to mention SCU is playing Gonzaga, a huge rival, on Thursday night!  I will have to use that as motivation to finish all my work so I can enjoy myself Thursday evening.  

I can hardly believe I am entering week 4 of my Winter Quarter, almost half way through my second quarter of college.  So much has gone on and I have had so many "firsts" within what seems like such a short period of time.  As of now I am currently missing an craving home-cooked meals, someone to do my laundry, and the comfort of walking down the stairs to a stocked fridge and pantry...hmmm primarily centered around food, funny how that works out.  Hopefully the girls and I will be able to find another weekend to escape to Nana and Gaffer's this quarter for some Chef Chu's and grandparent lovin' :)  

I skyped with Lauren and Linds this morning and am planning on having another Skype date with them tomorrow.  Let me tell you I got so incredibly seeing them I don't know how I'm even going to contain myself for the next 18 days!!!  

We were scheduled to play in our first intramural soccer match tonight at 9 but due to the horrible weather we had all last week the fields were closed.  I am super excited to get back in my cleats and on the field again...not in a managerial position.  Watching the women's soccer team practice and play has made me nostalgic and has made me miss being on the field and a player on a team.  Intramurals are going to be hysterical and our team, team INTENTS (get it?? like intense but tents?? funny I know :) ) isn't too serious about the game I'm in it to have a good time and get some exercise on Sunday evenings.

Only one more week until Mom comes down to visit, two and half until my Socal adventure, and three and a half until Dad comes for parents weekend.  Winter quarter sure is going to fly...xo

Focus&Relaxation

What a productive day...actually!! I was up around 10:30 and doing homework by 12!! I finished all of my homework for Monday, well pretty much, and still had time to treat myself to froyo at Blondies with David and Case. We ended our night again with another movie night and surprise surprise, I fell asleep within half an hour. I have really enjoyed spending so much time resting and finally catching up from all the lost sleep time from ast weekend. Although its been weird seeing so many people out and about I couldn't be happier snuggling up with some snacks and a movie with some friends on a somewhat rainy weekend night. Juliana, my roomate, and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together in the room which has been nice because a lot of the time we're not in there together. Unfortunately, it is due to the fact she cracked her rib and it popped or something not fun like that yesterday. Hopefully her pain will subside soon because she has her first real lacrosse game this Friday! Tomorrow I plan on attempting to have just as a productive day so I can start my week ahead. I would love to finish up or get close to finishing my OL application which is due this Wednesday...definitely nervewracking but can't know unless you try right?? I am lucky enough to be getting a massage from David as we speak, what a lucky girl huh. Nights like these make me realize how much I appreciate the close friendships I have formed in such a short period of time. Now I am planning on calling it a night, probably falling asleep to Grey's Anatomy like last night, what a way to end a wonderful evening :)

Lazy Days and Lazy Nights

So after a day hiatus, the Internet on campus is working again! Not a whole lot has happened however Casey came back from isolation!!! I slept in her room with her so she didn't have to have a third lonely night's sleep with no one else's company...unfortunately she is still sick and she "tossed her cookies" (apparently another way of saying throwing up??) tonight. Poor Case :( Everyone else is still recovering and I am finally feeling close to 100% Last night was my first substantial meal which was pretty exciting. I am still pretty exhausted and tonight has definitely been a very lazy night. Emily and Mariah headed home for the weekend and after class Casey and I decided to call in Jasmine Thai for her, me, David, and Noah. We walked over to Franklin Square and brought back the food to David's room to enjoy :) We turned on Anchorman and after eating I found some way to fall asleep! How cool am I, falling asleep before 9 o'clock on a Friday night haha. We all just changed into our pj's and are about to turn on Forest Gump and I'm pretty sure I will be passed out in a matter minutes. Looking forward to a weekend of re-cooperation and work, and of course some fun as well :) Hoping that laughter is truly the best medicine prescribed by the best doctors, friends.

20 days and counting...!!! xo

First for Everything

So while this might not be the most pleasant update I got physically sick for the first time at school.  I have no clue what happened but am assuming it was a bout of food poisoning.  I wasn't feeling well after dinner and was laying in bed attempting to do work but had the worst stomach ache ever.  After talking to some friends on the phone I attempted getting out of bed to go to my community council meeting but was unable to even make it to the door!  I climbed back into bed but soon found myself hovering over the sick.  Thank God for good friends, Katie and Kerry came and took care of me and luckily we were able to have a good laugh at the situation.  Unfortunately I woke up again in the middle of the night and got ill around 1am.  Needless to say today was a rough day.  I felt lethargic and weak all day and was desperate for an early night...something that obviously didn't happen. Everyone seems to be getting sick so it's important for me to try and stay healthy by eating well and getting a good night's sleep every night.  I don't plan on going out much if at all this week; this past weekend really wore me out but I wouldn't have done anything differently.  Sometimes it is easy to forget to take sometime to yourself and simply have some "you time."  I hope everyone is able to stay well and healthy in the weeks to come!  Wishing Lauren and Linds an amazing first day of classes tomorrow (29 days and counting...!!!) and hoping Case comes home tomorrow :)  Still looking forward to Mom's visit in early February and again when Dad comes a few weeks later for Parent's Weekend!  Love to everyone at home and wishing everyone a healthy rest of their week! xo     

We Only Part to Meet Again

Jake and Connor left this morning in what I would define as a flurry--up at 10:05 and out the door by 10:20! We celebrated our final night together and had a late night filled with lots of talking and reminiscing about the past.  The three days there were here flew by and we crammed in so many different activities.  After a late arrival Friday night, they were introduced to far too many people for them to remember.  We had a nice lazy morning, breakfast at Benson, then a spur of the moment trip down to Santa Cruz.  Unfortunately the weather was not amazing but then again it is January.  We found ourselves running from Swig to the CalTrain station only to arrive ten minutes early.  We continued to navigate the public transportation system and arrived in Santa Cruz only to be greeted by a pleasant drizzle reminding me of springtime in Washington.  We wandered down the the beach, strolled along the boardwalk and took pictures from the pier.  After a late lunch/early dinner, we followed our tracks home and had a fun night mainly inside the dorms with a bunch of friends.  After yet another late morning we decided to take it easy and watch a movie in bed.  We didn't really get our day going until the late afternoon when we all decided to take a much needed shower and head into Santana Row for a delicious dinner at The Counter--my favorite burger place I've encountered here so far!  After a lengthy dinner we all headed back to campus and enjoyed our final evening together.

I cannot believe I can genuinely say I do not know when I will see those boys again.  While I will definitely see them come June, the uncertainty of our next encounter made for a nostalgic goodbye.  With prospects of seeing them in a couple weeks when I visit the girls I was able to not get too sentimental as I have during previous goodbyes.  Saying goodbye has truly been something that has never been easy for me.  However, this summer was a true testament to the reality that some goodbyes are harder than others.  Unfortunately I have found myself becoming  almost numb to the act of leaving simply because leaving home or leaving school is now a frequent occurrence in my new, college life.

The weekend has really worn me out and with several friends coming down with mysterious sicknesses I need to ensure I am getting plenty of sleep and treating my body well.  These next couple weeks will be filled with papers, OL application forms to fill out, and I'm sure countless hours of other homework.  Before I know it Mom will be down for the weekend and a couple weeks after that is Parent's Weekend so a lot is going on and time I'm sure will fly.

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.  ~Richard Bach  

The Boys are Back in Town

I AM SOOOOO EXCITED! Connor and Jake are at the airport and are heading down south in less than two hours! I didn't let myself get too excited all day because I had so much to do and so little time! After talking to Jake and hearing he was at the airport and through security got me super excited and I can barely contain my excitement!!! I cannot wait to show them off to all my friends even though they know so much about them already.  It's been a couple of weeks and hopefully I will get to see these two fellows who mean so much to me when I visit Lauren and Linds but for now this is our weekend :) 

After a rather unproductive night last night and an early morning to start the day, I was ready for a nap after my morning class.  But it definitely was a power nap because I had to study up for my first quiz of the year en francais...I was proud of how focused I was and come quiz time it wasn't all that bad so fingers crossed!  The afternoon passed rather quickly and just having finished up on final assignment for the day I am ready to turn it in, head to dinner and anticipate the arrival of the boys!

Thanks to Megan who is the cutest thing ever, I have already eaten two cookie bars, am loving the look of those bracelets around my wrist, and am planning on wearing our twin shirts to be tonight :) Missing you...

Here's to a weekend with all my friends, missing everyone at home and can't wait to fill you all in about this weekend's adventures.xo.

“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.”

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

So it's official, I am totally able to survive without media for 48 hours.  While this may sound silly and something anyone can do it's a lot more difficult when media truly does surround us in the 21st Century.  I submitted my first paper of 2010 this morning and have my first quiz tomorrow afternoon.  Classes are going so well and I'm really finding I'm more passionate about most of them compared to last quarter.  French is definitely going to be difficult but it has been so nice getting back into the swing of things in terms of language.  I really need to do the same for math and probably science but that's what Spring Quarter's for, right?    Also, I am absolutely loving dance!!! I forgot how much I have missed being in the studio and even though it is by no means the same I feel back at home.   

This week has flown by and I was convinced it was going to be a slow one.  With the anticipation progressively building throughout the week, tomorrow is the day two of my best guy friends will be here with me on campus.  I absolutely cannot wait!!!  One of Casey's best friends from high school, Caroline, is here visiting and everyone loves her!  I feel as if we've been friends our whole lives it's so exciting to have that kind of automatic connection with someone!!  She goes to school with Jake and Connor which shows it truly is a small world after all :)  It's about to be an amazing weekend with new and old friends and luckily I have a replacement camera to capture all the memories we're about to make!

Having Car here makes me that much more excited but impatient to go visit Lauren and Lindsay in a few weeks time!  It has made me so happy seeing Case with someone she has known forever but now they both live in new environments and have made new friends.  I have been slightly anxious about how visiting Laur and Linds would be and meeting all their new friends in their new environment but from what it seems like the meshing of friends is a relatively smooth process.  

29 days and counting my lovely besties, cannot wait to have the weekend (and Valentine's Day ;) ) of a lifetime <3

I'm looking forward to the three day weekend and will hopefully be able to catch up on some much needed sleep.  Besides catching up on sleep I cannot wait to show Jake and Con what Norcal is all about :) I have absolutely loved meeting new people on an almost daily basis, something I rarely got to experience back home.  Within all these introductions I have found myself valuing my old friendships even more than I could ever imagine but still loving the excitement of new, fresh starts.  But as the saying goes, the more the merrier :) :) :)

Media Fast 48 hours and Counting...

What a busy, busy weekend! Friday night there was a basketball game versus USD. How weird is it to think I almost went there?! Would I have made the journey up north to support the Toreros if I had been down there at school?? What a weird "what if" situation. I feel like these sorts of things make you realize how happy and fortunate you are in your current situation. I am truly so happy here and times like these really make you realize how everything really does work out for a reason. While I believe it's not what happens but how you deal with the situation, I am lucky to be where I am today.

While last week was a rough transition, I finally am feeling settled and back at home. I think having a fun and carefree weekend with those who matter most to me here at school really helped me to feel back at that normal feeling of comfort--that same feeling I had before we left for Winter break. After the game Friday night we had a night out on the town, my first time going "outside the bubble" since coming back last week. The next morning, Casey, Emily, Mariah, and I spontaneously ventured to Santana Row. We were so grubby looking it was hysterical! As little kids sauntered past us more decently dressed on the sidewalk and we walked past players from the Redwings Hockey team we couldn't help but laugh at our appearance. We went to the movies and watched Sherlock Holmes which was amazing! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers and mystery movies. We couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was for the rest of the day. We didn't really feel up to much of a dinner due to our consumption of two jumbo tubs of popcorn and a quesadilla from Wahoo's Fish Tacos, surprising?? After an epic cab ride/experience back home we began to get ready for another night out.

Another night of hanging out with friends and dancing the night away in the Bronco really tired me out. This morning was a lazy morning that turned into a lazy afternoon. Homework and laundry consumed the rest of the day and now I am mentally preparing for a 48 hour "media fast" experience. For my first paper of the quarter for my communications class, I have to abstain from any use of media unless it is for homework purposes. As sad as this sounds, this will be a mental test...being technologically disconnected from the world. I was spoiled today getting to catch up with friends who had been out of the country (one for three weeks and another for a mere three days) and I want to keep talking to them to hear all about they adventures abroad. I had to plan ahead and I know the next couple days are going to be challenging. The small luxuries in life go unnoticed until you phycially take them away and are no longer able to use them...no IPOD when working out, no movies to fall asleep at night, no phone to call my friends, family, and loved ones. As you can tell I am soaking up every last second of media use. I am sure I will have many updates pertaining to the challenges and hopefully excitement I experience over the next 48 hours! Until Wednesday...

Full Speed Ahead

Hit the ground running, back in action, full speed ahead.  I am officially immersed in my second quarter as a college student.  I have gone to all my new classes and need to begin homework that is already due tomorrow, yikes!  It has been so good seeing everyone again, catching up, and simply enjoying the constant company my Swig sweet Swig and campus provides.  I finally am taking some "me time" in order to truly buckle down and focus on what needs to be done.  Yesterday I had an early morning (well...8 am) and found myself sitting back in a class room at 9:15.  I was nervous I wouldn't know anyone in any of my classes but I was surprised to see a friendly face in all five of my classes.  After two back to back classes Monday I treated myself to a little nap--a very rare occurrence for me--then made my way to my final class of the day.  Hanging out with friends, relaxing, and falling asleep to a movie was the perfect way to end my day.  

After a bit of a lie in today, I had my Intro to Mass Communications class for the first time and I am truly jazzed about this class.  My prof has focused her studies on the media's impact on youth development and who doesn't love kids.  She is having us keep a "media journal" these next two days and so far I almost have a full page of entries.  It is fascinating how the new millennium has generated a sense of dependency on technology and our surrounding media providers.  Also, today I had my first ever modern dance class!  Not having danced all last year was hard for me so being back in a studio was exhilarating and I can already feel my muscles yearning to be fully back in action.  

I am missing home a lot more than I anticipated however, when I reflected on the matter I realized I spent 1/3 of a quarter back home over break.  I really must have re-acclimated myself to the subtle privileges of living at home.  I know with time these feelings will pass but for not it is just another thing to cope with as I readjust back into my college life at Santa Clara.  

I'm looking forward to another amazing quarter at school and cannot wait for more unexpected adventures to pop out of no where.  With friends arriving in a little over a week's time, I'm sure those adventures won't be too far away...

A New Year, A New Decade

Hello 2010! As a New Year's Resolution I decided to start a blog to document my many adventures in college and life in general. I was inspired to do this by a friend who has been blogging about her college adventure and I have been an avid follower of her for the past year. So thanks Lauren for your inspiration :) As much as I love the concept of keeping an a diary, I have attempted to do so many times and eventually stop making entries after several weeks. While you lose the personal connection writing and personally inscribing your stories with today's technology I felt like this would be a lot easier to actually maintain. So here's to a new year filled with what I hope to be many exciting stories and memories.

What a weird thought, we are no longer in one of the most memorable years of my life...my graduation year. No longer is this "my year," it belongs to the many classes of 2010 worldwide. As I was driving up north to a New Years Eve party with my best friend Lauren, we reminisced about the past decade and the many milestones represented by each passing year. 3rd grade and our first stay-away trip with school, the earthquake that occurred during our 4th grade year, enter middle school, 8th grade beach hike, high school, siblings leaving for college, first relationships, first kisses, first loves and heartbreaks...and the final climax ending with graduation. It is hard to fathom that what has been one of the most prominent days of my life happened nearly seven months ago. How time flies. Since that date (June 6th, 2009 in case you were wondering) I have endured one of the hardest summers of my life, said several difficult goodbyes, and started a whole new life and adventure at Santa Clara. I have made new friends, had many new "firsts," and have fully

taken on the role of a university student. I am hoping this blog will help me to never forget about all these exciting times all of which I am sure I am never going to want to forget. Here's to another amazing year and decade, making new friends but keeping the old, and living life each day as it comes.