Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone! What a pleasant way to wake up today; the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a perfect day! I looked out my window and saw a flourish of people wearing green which for some reason made me really happy! We said our goodbyes to Meredith this morning at around 3am...I am so glad I get to see her on Saturday because it had been so much fun spending time with her on the West Coast but in a few days time we will be living it up East Coast style! A lot of people have finished exams now so it is going to be that much more difficult to buckle down and get all the studying done I need to for my Friday final.

Today was a much needed day of rest and relaxation. I woke up around 10, worked out, and laid out by the Adobe wall with Katie for a couple of hours. We have been so blessed with 70 degree weather and having nothing to do all day on a sunny day makes for an awesome combination. After laying out for a bit, we had to listen to the final poster presentations our fellow students in our Ethnic Studies class were making. That class was seriously amazing and got me a lot more interested in Ethnic Studies and the importance of generating access for all people to higher education. Our professor, Erin, was the greatest and brought in delicious egg rolls which were to die for (obviously the posters were all right too haha)! After that we met up with Terra, Sam, and Emily and made our way to the pool. The concrete surrounding the pool was covered with fuzzy beach towels and pasty students trying to add to their tans. It was so relaxing just to lay out, soak up the sun, and enjoying the company of friends. Unfortunately, notorious me got a little burned but nothing I haven't seen before!

After coming back from the pool, all us girls had a celebratory dinner in Benson...HA! and came back afterwards to get ready for the nights' festivities. However, before hand Casey, Terra, Em, and I took a little cruise on the longboard. My obsession with longboarding started yesterday when we toured Mere around campus for literally 45 minutes. I took a bit of a spill which was a little discouraging but I felt so California cruising around campus on a longboard. Campus was so peaceful and the weather was tank-top/short weather. Lets just say we all have found a new love :)

Everyone looked so cute in their various shades and patterns of green all day long. It really reminded me of being home and always having such an easy time dressing up for St Patty's Day due to our school colors. I left so much of that at home but was lucky to have been given a flashing clover pin by Andrew last week :) We all went to a dance party at a house called Bermuda and it was seriously so much fun! So many of our friends were out and we ran into many more at the party. EVERYONE was dressed up and there was such a sense of unity in all the green-clad people. I danced the night away for a little while but just made it back to the study lounge to get a bit of reading/studying in as to lighten the load tomorrow.

Only a little more than 24 hours until Casey and I are MD bound! Gotta power through studying tomorrow then a 9:10 Friday final and I'm home free, literally :)

4 down, 1 to go!

And come January we're frozen inside
Making new resolutions a hundred times
February, won't you be my valentine?
And we'll both be safe 'til St. Patrick's Day

-John Mayer

One Down, Four to Go

Finals week, enough said. This weekend was full of study and beginning to feel stressed about all the work and effort this week is going to consume. The only light at the end of the tunnel is the fact that come friday I will officially be in Maryland and on SPRING BREAK!!! I officially started finals last Friday with a presentation on Latino access to higher ed for my Ethnic Studies class. Katie and I got to work together which was a lot of fun and another bonus was one less final this week! I had my French final this afternoon, and I have Comm and Dance Tuesday, presentations to attend Wednesday, and my last final Friday morning. We are all trying to keep one another sane and so far so good.

Friday night after finishing our last classes of the quarter, a group of our friends celebrated by going out to dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant, Jasmine Thai. David's friend John was out to visit so there was even more reason for celebration. Case and I split Vegetable Fried Rice and fresh Spring Rolls...so yummy! We out for a little that evening which was a fun way to wind down Winter Quarter. I cannot believe that after this week I will be 2/3 done with my freshman year of college! Time truly does fly by.

Casey's best friend from home, Meredith, arrived on Saturday evening and Mariah and I had the privilege of picking her up at the airport with Case! We picked her up from the airport and headed into Santana for a late dinner at Sino. I haven't been to Sino since move-in weekend and it was absolutely delicious! Since we were there so late the restaurant had turned into a club making us feel like the four girls in Sex and the City--the under 21 version therefore we were sipping on Diet Cokes opposed to Cosmos. We had a leisurely dinner and didn't get back to campus until close to 9:30. I finished a draft of a paper that was due today before meeting up with the girls again and we proceeded to have a wonderful night and we were definitely still up when the clocks sprung forward with Daylights Saving. Sunday was a full day of studying and before we knew it the day was over! However, not before an amazing jam-sesh with Jack and Mere behind the guitar. It was seriously exactly what we all needed before running head first into finals. We sang Taylor Swift, Ben Harper, and some good old country tunes. We are now so stoked for Spring Quarter when we can hopefully make a trip to Santa Cruz and have a sing-a-long and bonfire. Not only was our "campfire" in Cases' room relaxing and the perfect way to enter finals week but it also once again reaffirmed all my friendships here at school. We truly have generated such a family here at school and its times like these that I truly feel I have found a home away from home.

Daylights Saving right before finals week does not make for a good combination. However, the day was not over before my girls and their basketball team, the HotShots, won their intramural league championship!!! CONGRATS LADIES! So proud to be #1 supporter from the sidelines :)

Well just wanted to drop a quick blog before the rest of the week gets crazy but hopefully I will find time before leaving for MD to fill y'all in (Mere goes to school at Clemson so her little southern drawl is wearing off on me :) ) Good luck to everyone taking finals and have a safe and fun spring break to everyone who is enjoying the leisurely break that comes this time of year!!

4 days 'til MD & 9 days til home sweet home :) xo

“No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrafice and toil and doubt”
-Max Beerbohm

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

So this weekend was pretty relaxing and rather productive! After getting out of class on Friday afternoon, Terra, Emily, and I navigated the bus system and found ourselves in Santana Row by dinnertime. We were hunting for a formal dress for Terr which was successful! She is going to look absolutely stunning this weekend :) We shopped around a little more and finally found ourselves wasting time before our movie outside this cute little Mexican restaurant. The three of us shared some of the most delicious guacamole I have ever had (it was prepared right in front of us at our outside table!) and talked about some of the most random things. We all reminisced about high school, particularly our last days of high school. What memories were brought back and I quickly found myself sitting in silence listening to the other two missing everything about home. How quickly conversation can turn into memories that draw you back to times you didn't realize how much you miss. After more than an hour of people watching and conversation we mosied our way across the street to the movie theatre. Katie met up with us and we watched the premiere of Alice in Wonderland. It's official, I'm obsessed. I have been looking up quotes all weekend and cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of the book. Everything about the movie captivated me and for whatever reason I left the movie with such a sense of empowerment and contentment. Maybe it was because at that moment in time everything just felt right...I am so happy and blessed to be where I am in my life and while I recognize this each and everyday it is something that is easy to take for granted. I have less than two weeks left in Winter Quarter and before I know it I will be done with my freshman year of college. But lets not get too ahead of myself. I have dead week to get through and of course finals. Then Case and I will be jetting off to Maryland!!! and in 17 days...HOME♥Lauren just told me that she is going to be home that Thursday night so I get to see my best friend in 18 days, after having spent 6 whole days with my other best friend...pure bliss.

I think this morning was the epitome of a perfect Sunday morning. Katie, Terra, and I had yet another sleepover and this morning Katie and I decided to start the day with a nice run around the Campus Loop. I took it nice and easy due to the fact after not having gotten to work out for nearly three weeks due to illness I feel completely out of shape. It has been so nice getting back into the swing of things in terms of working out and the last two times i've gone on a run it has been a beautiful day. Terra and Mariah met us outside of Swig when we were done with our run and we had a nice leisurely walk across campus to the Starbucks across from the main entrance. I felt like such a soccer mom; going on a walk, picking up Starbucks, and grabbing a bagel from Cramer's, and soaking up the gorgeous California sunshine (not to mention I had my sweatshirt tied around my waist on our way back :) ). The four of us talked about our families and childhoods which put me in such a good mood. I got that much more excited to see Andrew on Wednesday--I have found myself missing his terribly the last several weeks and cannot wait to see him even if it is only for a couple of hours. We came back to campus with uplifted spirits and very little motivation to do work. I put in a solid hour of work before cheering my girls on into the Championship next week for Intramural Basketball. The Hotshots won a very exciting Semi-Final match against some sophomore girls which leaves them playing in the Finals next Sunday. After watching the game we spent the next several hours enjoying the peace and quiet of the St. Claire room. We left feeling somewhat accomplished, picked up dinner to go, and watched the Academy Awards. I have a little more work for the morning but don't have class until 2:15! I wound down the night with a lovely and much needed Skype session with Mekenz who I have missed dearly and am about ready to shower and call it a night :) Wishing myself luck in Week 10!

You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are. -Alice in Wonderland

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream --
Lingering in the golden gleam --
Life what is it but a dream?

-Through the Looking Glass