Newly elected officer

Every Tuesday we have our Alpha Delta Pi chapter meetings, but tonight’s meeting was special because our president was announcing the new officers for the year 2014. My goal is to be philanthropy chair my sophomore year so naturally I ran for philanthropy chair assistant. I was really excited. I thought my interview went really well. Since the position I was running for was an appointed position, I had to wait for a phone call after the meeting from our new president asking me to either be philanthropy chair assistant or any position they thought I would be good as. Now I work every day from 2-6 and I am very school oriented so I study about 20 hours a week. So work, class, studying, and sorority functions take up pretty much all of my time. I ran for an assistant position because it’s not that much work but it would still get me involved. So after chapter meeting, I rushed home to make sure my phone was fully charged for the anticipated call. I was really nervous. Nine o clock was approaching and I was scared I would never get the call. But while I was leaving my dorm about to get on the elevator, I received a call asking if I would like to be the new patriotic chair. Patriotic chair has to do with anything veterans so fundraisers, t shirt sales, gifts etc. it’s a pretty big job and I’d have to speak at every meeting. Of course I accepted the position and I am overly thrilled that I will get to be a very honorable position for my sorority but on the other hand I am nervous for how busy I will be next semester. Hopefully everything will work out for the better.

Thanks giving

This break was very much needed! To start off the break I shadowed a construction manager for highland homes and had a great time and learned a lot. After that my family and I headed out to bandera to my cousins house! There we spent the whole time just shooting stuff and hangin out by the fire. The. Thanksgiving day came around and we all prepared the most good I've ever cooked. 15 pounds of fried deer steak 2 turkey's 8 pies and a tone of banana pudding. Our feast was short and we barel put a dent into what we made! We followed our lunch with more shooting a drifting 4 wheelers and just screwing around. Bobby, my cousin gave me his 700 dollar bow and everything with it cause he jjs it didn't use it. After we said our goodbyes from bandera we were on our way to gun barrel Texas to go to my aunts lake house where we did basically the same thing, sat by a fire and just hung out. I got to spend the last 2 days with my gorgeous girlfriend and my family putting up Christmas stuff and hanging out. And now were back at school stressing and crap about exams so Christmas couldn't come sooner!

Rommates and Massages make everything Better

Finals are coming up and I just had a test this morning in Chem. Let's just say that I am pretty sure that I did not do very well... I was so depressed when I came back from class that my roommate dragged me with her to go get a free massage. It was so nice of her and I am glad that we have become so close. Its weird looking back to move in day and us being so unsure of each other since we had never met. I got so incredibly lucky with my roommate and I really don't know how.

But that massage was amazing and even now I am still just so relaxed and happy and at peace from it. Seriously that was an amazing massage. Especially being for free! Now I'm ready to gear up for my two tests tomorrow and my finals next week.

Amazing Friend

Thanksgiving break went by way too fast! I was surprised because I actually enjoyed going home, so that made me feel good. Seeing all of my best friends was the best part of going home. Although I've made friends here, so far no one can compare to my friends from back home. We're just too out there compared to most people I've met here. We don't care about what others think and we are very open about everything. It was hard to say goodbye to them, but we will see each other soon. I'm excited for the spring semester because that means track and field season! Both of my best friends do track and field in college, and one of them will more than likely be running in the Texas Relays this spring. She's an amazing friend and even more amazing at track. She won the 100m dash at the state championship three years in a row, and if she didn't tear her ACL she would've won it all four years of high school. She won and placed in other events too at the state championship all four years. Her name is Jasmine Sillemon and now she runs for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs! It's amazing how much she has accomplished throughout her life so far, and I can't wait to see what else she'll accomplish. She inspires me to work hard for what I want every day, she never stops trying with anything she does, so I feel it is important for me to never give up and keep trying.

The break was nice!

The Thanksgiving break was pretty nice. I'm glad I got to spend time with my family that I haven't seen in 3 months. My thanksgiving break consisted of eating, watching TV, and sleeping. I did go out for black  Friday to get a laptop! I am so excited that I finally got a laptop! I also went to the movies with my family. it was nice to go to the movies as a family because we don't really do that. I've been to the movies with a family member and members but not with the whole family. During the break I did a little bit of work so I don't have too much to do after the break. I worked on my speech for my communications class and I did most of my online math homework. As soon as I came back from the break I went back to work. I was practicing my speech because I had to do it the next day, which was Monday. I also have a test on Thursday and then finals, which I am not looking forward too. December 13 needs to come quick because I'm ready for the winter break.

Not really a break

Although it was nice to go home and go see family I really do not feel like I had a break from anything. I literally worked 40 plus hours at my job and I was utterly exhausted. I work at a clothing store and it was black Friday sales going on so the place was super intense. I had to deal with lots of bad attitudes and fold lots of dusty clothes. When I did get off from work I then had to practice a communications speech and write an essay. So basically I had no moment of relief this whole Thanksgiving break, it was just work and more work. Now I have to prepare for countless final exams and I will be miserable until the 13th when I can truly have a break from this place.

Writing es no bueno

I just really hate writing. Writing just isn’t for me. And right now I am having to write so much and I’m just not enjoying it. I’m sitting here in the library writing a 5-10 page paper for philosophy while also working on my 25 page research paper. Luckily they are both the same topic: pornography. That was originally my research paper topic but we got to choose our philosophy topic so ideally I chose the same thing to make it as simple and as painless as possible. My friends were working on math homework and chemistry homework so I gladly did it for them (with the compensation of Starbucks in the future but that’s beside the point), I enjoy working on math and science. I can write fine, grade wise. But I will never be able to go above and beyond and be creative. Creativity is not one of my strong suits. I enjoy working out problems and solving equations, I could do it all day. But once I start writing a paper I instantly start falling asleep. I don’t know what it is. Next semester I truly consider the hardest thing ever because I am enrolled in English 2. Taking the AP exam and skipping English 1 was probably the best decision I have ever made. I dread going to English class. It’s nothing against my previous teachers or anything, I just hate English and writing. Luckily after this semester, I will never have to take another English class ever again.

Procrastination and Vacation

This break I did nothing that has to do with school. I left it in the backburner. I spent every moment I could with my family but I hope that did not affect my school work!

I forgot to do an assignment though, which is bad...

My break consisted of food, shopping, family and friends. The day we go out for break, I went to 6th street and it was so much fun! I love Austin and dancing with friends no matter what day it is. We had a potluck at work which was pretty fun and we still got paid even though all we did was nothing and eat. The rest of the week was entertaining and I'm glad I got to spend it with my family even though I see them everyday anyway.
I cannot believe there is only a week of actual class left then finals begin. I am not sure how I feel about this but I hope things go well!

Break and Finals

My Thanksgiving Break was a pretty good break. I had time to relax and think about what my next steps in the upcoming months will be. I also got to see some family I hadn't seen in awhile and see friends that I hadn't seen since we all left for school in August. I think that was the best part of break. The only down about break was how much a tease it was. Now we all have to come back and work hard for the next two weeks on finals.

With that being said, its only Monday night and I am already over this whole finals thing. I've wrote my last paper for my English class and I've spent the last hour studying for my last test in my Psychology class. Needless to say this is going to be a long few weeks that I am not too sure I am ready for. Especially seeing my roommates aren't studying yet so I'm sure when they start to do the same, our room will be full of tension. This ought to be interesting.

On the bright side, my first semester of college is ALMOST over.

Break

Thanksgiving break was pretty great. I saw so many people I hadn't seen in a very long time. I also got to catch up with my sisters and brother. For thanksgiving my sisters, stepmom, and I cooked so much food! It was so awesome eating good homemade food. After thanksgiving the week went by pretty fast. I was excited to come back to San Marcos, because I just kept thinking we only have two more weeks of school. I really just want to get these two weeks over with and go back home for a whole month. I know these next two weeks are going to be stressful because of finals and everything so I can't wait for them to be over.

Thanksgiving break!

I can't wait for thanksgiving! This week is almost over! Before you know it, Wednesday will come  and i will be at home! Before i leave for the break i have to turn in my paper, finish my math homework, prepare for my speech, and take one more test. For the past two weeks, especially this week, i have been doing everything i need to get done before the break. Also this week, i felt so thankful because in my political science test i thought i got a d but apparently my professor messed up on the test grades so i actually got a c. All i have to say to that is thank you God because you know i needed that c! This week has definitely been productive so I'm just looking forward to thanksgiving.

crunch time!

So with Thanksgiving right around the corner there is a lot to do. Teachers are cramming in last minute papers, tests, and quizzes and shoving tons and tons of information down our throats for finals. This, in addition to the lack of motivation I've had the past week is resulting in a lot of stress! I had straight A's and now my math class is getting really hard and I'll be lucky to end up with a B :/
It's frustrating how teachers save the complex subjects for the end. Because the lack of motivation towards the end of the semester makes them even HARDER. Not to mention I'm going to get a B in English which is so annoying because I like writing papers! I just can't seem to please my teacher enough...UGH
In other news I just got a job so I'll be making some money! And the break is almost here! So close! I know I' be working over some of Thanksgiving so I won't be home for long BUT after the Thanksgiving break is a little less than 2 weeks and then a month off for Christmas! wohoooo.
It's hard but I'm hanging in there!

No Sleep for Me

I think in the past week I have procrastinated more than I ever have in my entire life. I think I am just so ready for school to be done with. With this week as an example, I got more sleep in one night in high school than I do in an entire week in college. Sunday night I didn’t sleep at all, I saw the sun go down and the sun go up while still sitting in the same spot. I had left all the studying for my functional biology class for the night before. And to add even more, I never go to class so I had to teach myself the material that covered six chapters. (Although I would rather teach myself). After studying for 15 hours, I go to my eight am then to my nine am to present a power point that I hadn’t even looked at, luckily we presented it in a group. Then I proceeded to take my exam. When I thought this would be the toughest part of my week, I was mistake. I had a 25 page honors research paper about the first amendment vs. pornography spanning from the 1960’s to present due on Wednesday. Never in my life have I written 25 pages, I can barely read 25 pages without falling asleep. So again I sat till the sun went down and the came back up again. Its 11 on Wednesday night and I actually still haven’t slept yet. Lucky for me I have a ton of things to do tomorrow before leaving for Nola. I’m counting on my weekend to make up for this terrible week.

Fun Stuff/Stress

So far Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming up and i am super excited to get a break.For Christmas break me and a couple of my friends are planning a trip to Port A to go fishing and to just get away from it all.Im pretty excited to go on this trip with my stress free friends instead of accompanying my non outdoorsy parents.Other than all that fun stuff,Thanksgiving break and Christmas also means TESTS!I am more stressed out than ever and i feel like i will not be prepared for this test.I have also learned that when i am stressed i get blurred vision followed by migraines. Getting migraines is the most frustrating thing ever. They hurt so bad that i cannot get anything done and i end up trying to sleep off the pain the majority of the day. Not being able to get anything done just makes me even more stressed and these episodes continue.I don't know what to do to clear my mind, because i cannot let this take over my daily tasks

Returning to Texas State

   I'm finally back at school after two weeks. Jumping back into my classes has been very difficult for me. I had been keeping up with my online assignments and tests. I missed tests and quizzes. Fortunately, my teachers have been very understanding. I started the semester with the expectations of getting an A in all my classes. Now I am fighting to pass all of my classes.
   I am only concerned with passing my biology class. My other classes, I believe I can manage. My main stress is that I am aiming to be an RA next year. The requirements to be an RA is to have a GPA of 2.5 each semester of the applying year. Unfortunately, if I fail or even get a D in my biology class, I will not meet those standards. Maybe I'm not meant to RA. I believe everything happens for a reason. The only reason I am slightly content is that I didn't just blow off my class and get a bad grade. I was sick. It's amazing how many stories I've begun to hear of others that had to drop out a semester or fail classes due to Mono. It does make me feel better. It makes me feel like I'm not a complete failure.
   I am happy to say I have come back more motivated than I've been all semester. I went to the Library last night, by myself too. That is big news news for me. I have been really studying intensely. I got a 95 on my make up Political Science Exam. That was encouraging. I did turn around however, and fail a psychology exam: discouraging. I am really ready to buckle down now though. Let's see if I can pull it off!

priorities

I keep forgetting about this blog, but I'm soon to be on my way to the boat tour. It's awesome weather so I'm excited. My families been missin me a lot since I never really go home so I'm making it a point to have lunch with my grandma tomorrow and spend maybe a night this weekend, it's just really harder than I thought to leave my life here to back home where I've spent all my life. Thanksgiving break should be a good break away from school and back with my family for a couple days. I'm excited. I really should do better with my grades though, I was doing so well up until these last couple weeks. I just need to reset my priorities again.

busy

This last week was very eventful. My Girlfriends great grandma had passed away on monday night and my grandma had a stroke tuesday morning. It has been a very crazy time for my dads side of the family going through a tough loss of his sister and now his mom isn't doing so well. During the weekend my sister had her ceremony for receiving her ring for texas A&M. That was very hectic as well since my family has a hard time all getting along. But despite all that the weekend turned out great I went out dancing with an old friend I had met up with there and then I got to spend time with my girlfriend and her family. So far the week is looking very enjoyable I don't have class on friday so I'm join home thursday night and get to spend time with my family and Christi. Yesterday me and my buddy went fish in for catfish over by five mile dam and caught a few and were join back on wednesday for an all nighted under the stars with a fire and some fish in poles.

whudddduuupppp

This weekend was awesome! My friends and I explored a bunch of different places on the river. There were tons of chill spots that were gorgeous! We found a huge waterfall thing, too. Yay for discovering more and more about where I live everyday. I love it here. Just the other day my friends and I were talking about how we all feel totally at home here. Everything about San Marcos is pretty neat. On the other hand, the school part though.... Ha I have this English speech I have to present in a couple of days and I'm nervous! It's 8 minutes long and my partner is totally not in to it at all and doesn't help. No offense, man. But seriously he needs to get it together. I don't have much room to talk considering I am a huge procrastinator but that is not the point. haha. Well this weekend was pretty exciting. Except for Sunday. I had the prime example of a "lazy Sunday". Slept in until 3... woops. Then hungout with my friends all day and laid around...woops. Anywho, I'm excited for the boat tour. :D

Papers and Projects

You know that we are getting close to finals when all of a sudden all of your classes want you to do a group project or a paper. All at the same time. Its been a tough week and I know the next will be even crazier. Trying to schedule all of these group meet ups for all the different projects so that it fits everyone's schedule is basically impossible no matter what you do, which leads to late nights and long days as you try to fit everything in.

And on top of that I can feel the threat of finals looming closer and I know I should be studying, but frankly I do not have any time to study for any finals right now. Between research papers, several group projects and a solid week of tests right before finals I do not even have the time to even think about everything I need to study for even one of my finals. It's going to be a rough last few weeks, but I need to stay calm and not let the stress overwhelm me, even though it is definitely starting to peak.

Patiently waiting

   I've been patiently waiting for Thanksgiving break to come around. Yesterday, Monday, was the last exam I have until after Thanksgiving break. It's crazy to thick this semester is almost done! Seems like it was just yesterday that I was barely starting here at Texas State. Needless to say it has been a fun experience for my first semester. Now the only thing holding me back from Christmas break are at the last couple exams as well as Finals. It really stinks that the monday I get back from thanksgiving break I have an 8 am exam and a couple more that week. I'm going to have to study a bunch on the long road trip back from Minnesota. Hopefully all my hard work pays off and I get good grades this semester.

Lost Maples Trip

This past weekend I went on a quick backpacking trip to Lost Maples Natural Area. It was a blast; I do call it a backpacking trip because we had to hike to the campsite. But it was only a three or four mile hike so it wasn’t a full on backpacking trip. Lost Maples is west of Austin by about 150 miles and is awesome in the since that it has east Texas vegetation with central Texas hill country put together. The trees are tall Maple trees as you expect and it’s just beautiful. There is also a ton on wildlife, mostly birds. So we got there on Friday and did the hike and got to our campsite around five. We set up camp made a fire and just hangout around the fire. On Saturday we went on hikes in the surrounding area to just explore and finished the day off with smores. On Sunday we went exploring some more in the morning and started to break down camp around noon and got back home later in the afternoon. All in all the trip was awesome and everyone had a great time and hopefully we can get in another trip before it gets too cold for my friends because it doesn’t stop me.

Friend from home

It's been so long since I've seen any of my friends from back in Crowell, but this weekend I'll get to see one of them! One of my best friends, Taylor, is coming to San Marcos with her mom to tour Texas State. I am not only excited to see her, but that she is considering coming her for college. In my opinion, she should move down here for college to get away from Crowell. She hasn't been able to travel much and explore new places, and I feel that San Marcos is perfect for that. In Crowell the landscape is very flat, dry, and boring. Here in San Marcos there's beautiful landscape with lush green grass covering the hills, something very different than what we're used to. Since I've been here, I feel that the environment has helped make me a happier person in general. I used to feel down in the dumps a lot, and I truly believe that the landscape of the town has that kind of effect on us. When she's in Crowell I can tell she is also feeling down a lot, and I believe that if she moves down here for school she too will start to feel happier. Although I want her to come here really badly, it will be nice to see one of my friends from back home. I've made friends here, but I feel like no one can ever take the place of any of my friends from Crowell. They are all so different and unique than any other people I've ever met. When we are all together we don't have care in the world and just have fun, so it'll be nice to reunite with one of my great friends.

End of the Semester

   Well for the most part, I did exactly how I thought I would do in my first semester. I’m not doing horrible in my classes, but I definitely, could've done better, studied harder. I would say that most of my grades are going to be in the low 80s, and maybe even 2 Cs. I’m honestly not necessarily disappointed in myself, I’m just still trying to figure things out, develop better studying habits, living life. I can and will do better with grades next semester now that I see the flow of how things are and how I should keep up with assignments and prepare for tests. One secret I’ve kind of developed is to do everything early. It gives me less stress and less things to worry about when that assignment is due. Another thing is to isolate myself. I found that isolation (from my phone and other electronics, even people) helps me buckle down and retain information while studying.

Over all this semester was good and it went by pretty fast. My main concern is biology though, I didn’t have the world s best professor, but that’s no real excuse. I worry that I may have to drop it and try again, which I would hate to do but if it has to be done, I will do it. 

So after break, I just have to comeback with a clear conscience and a drive to study harder and get these basics out of the way. 

~Ilb4

Song of the week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNFpYlughkw

One more week

It is exactly one more week until I go back home. I'm super excited to see everyone back home. Today is my nieces birthday, and it is the first one that I am not spending with her. It makes me so sad that I can't be there for her birthday. I know I should get used to it since this is how it is going to be for the next four years, but it does get to me. That is one of the main reasons why I am so excited to be going back home. I am grateful that my sister is waiting for me to have my nieces birthday party, but I still just wish I could be there on her actual birthday. The good thing is that I only have exactly one more week until I can go back home.

One Semester Down

The semester is almost over and I'm feeling pretty good. I am not nervous about finals at all, they are all on different days with a day in between the difficult ones. I have been doing pretty well in all of my classes and I am on track to make straight A in most of my classes except this one. None of my books I rented are ruined, so that's an accomplishment. I haven't lost my dorm key. I haven't been arrested. The only thing that has been stolen from me was $100 worth of laundry. My car hasn't been towed. I haven't been accused of plagiarism or cheating. I haven't gotten attacked fortunately. So far I am really proud of my progress here at Texas State University and predict great things for my future.

still Sick

    This is week 5, that I'm sick. This is week two that I'm completely out of school. I am regaining back a lot of energy, but more importantly, I am falling behind in all my classes. I'm facing possible in completion and lost credits. This is not the first semester of college I imagined, more like a nightmare.
    Doctor ordered me to stay at home in bed rest at all times. I have infectious Mononucleosis. Basically, I had mono. Then I went to the Texas State University Health Center, and they told me that I had a head-ache virus. They gave me some antibiotics for my stomach, despite the fact that I told her I had no stomach pains. Going two weeks untreated really affected my body. It became infectious. Now, still to this moment, it's severely affected my organs. My liver is not fully functional, and my spleen is enlarged. That means that they are concerned that my spleen will rupture. I'm still contagious. On top of that, I had mono "complications." Basically, I last week I had a throat infection that caused my throat to be so swollen, I couldn't breath nor swallow. Thankfully, they didn't need to do surgery. After my cat scan, they decided that I just needed large amounts of IB prop-hen. For you that don't know, Mono is not treatable by medication. If you take antibiotics, it is likely that you will break into a body rash.
      Basically, this semester has sucked. My teachers are trying to work with me, though I totally understand that there is a point where you can't help much. With all of the school that I've missed, I've missed 5 in class quizzes, 2 midterms, 3 assignments, and all lectures. I've kept up with all my online work, with the exception of last week's blog.
     If I fail any classes, my financial aid will be revoked. I will be put on probation. There can't be anything more discouraging than this. At this point, I don't even want to finish college.

Dang you Bambi!

So ever since my brother hit the deer in my car, things have been spiraling out of control! Today I found out that the car is more trouble fixing than it's worth...Exactly $5,506.41 of damage NOT including any damage that may or may not be under the hood. (The hood is stuck and opening it might take it off, which would be very bad.) In any case, I am being forced to do everything! My brother is not taking responsibility and I am stuck to deal with it all... I have both my dysfunctional parents who want different things done with the car, and have been fighting back and forth on what should be done. So they've both been calling me non stop to tell me what to do and then complain about the other parent. Then I have to do all the research on finding a salvage yard and figuring out how I'm going to get to and from places without a car. I definitely have experienced middle child syndrome pretty hard this week. It has not been pleasant. So with this whole car situation going on I've been super stressed and haven't been getting a lot of sleep! Not to mention I'm freaking out because I don't know if I blogged last week. Plus I had the hardest math test ever! It should not have been that hard--a concept we talked about for maybe 5 minutes took up the bulk of the test! UGH. Oh AND I don't even know if I want to go home for Thanksgiving. My home is not really a home, more of a house really. I don't think I can handle all the bickering and fighting. I'm going home for my little sister though, because I miss her and I know she needs me to rescue her!
So in concluding, Bambi is what started the chain of horrible events that have occurred.

Almost over

I have had my tiny break after midterms and i'm sad to say that all the stress is going to be put back on me again for this last couple of weeks.Now i am starting to get the loads of work back from all my classes and i'm pretty bummed about it.Its reaching the end of the semester and i am just getting more work and becoming lazier.Im just going to push through my speech,papers,and tests these last few weeks we have left.A break is much needed from all of this madness. The closer we get to break the more i think about all the plans i have mad and the plans i am going to make. I cant wait to have my mind free of school for a couple of weeks.I just wish i was still a child with not a care in the world and my biggest worry was what swing i was going to swing on at recess.

Whoops

Nothing exciting happened school nor life wise sooooooooo here's an inadequate post that might get a couple points for effort

Great weekend

This week end had to have been one of the best weekends so far. I went to my girl friends highschool football game and had a really good time. The Saturday morning I bough my moped for just a hundred dollars! The rest of the day I spent with Christi we went shopping and just hi gout the whole day and it was nice to see her! Sunday we spent even more time together with her family building stuff for her brothers girlfriends brother and we had a lot I time just to be with eachother. Today Christi's great grandma passed away so it's kind of a bummer her having to go through that! But I had a great end to the week and a great weekend in general. I am excited for thanksgivin being able to see my family and have only a few more weeks of school!

Car-less people

     So my graduation present was a new car..I got it as a surprise and it was he best thing ever! I had been driving another car before that but not always or to school or anything. It was kind of just a car I used when I needed to. Once I got this car, I used it for everything and since I pay for it, it's obvious I would.

      I don't live on campus so I absolutely needed a car either way. Some of my closer friends from where I live don't have a car so they usually find someone to take them where they want.

     My friend and I started talking about how two of our close friends are always asking for rides and we are starting to get annoyed. I mean I understand  that they don't have a car but c'mon now!

    Anyhow, I'm just not the type to be used as a ride unless really necessary...oh well. 

Randomness

     Yesterday was Monday, and on Mondays, my roommate Loriel has the busiest schedule. So in the 30 minutes we're actually in the dorm at the same time, she decided to take a nap before she went to her next class. After she came in and laid down, I got up to brush my teeth and what not after my nap. When I came back, the room door was locked. Thinking that she was changing or something, I continued to knock on the door for a couple more seconds, then I realized that there was nobody on the other side of it. She locked me out of the room, and I had class in 10 minutes. I ended up having to use my second free key replacement, and when I told her about it, she said she sprinted out of her University Seminar class to let me in, but I already had my things. She told me that she was sorry, and didn't look for my belongings to confirm that I didn't leave the dorm, though she clearly didn't see my backpack on my bed, she was that tired. But it's alright, she owes me 2 swipes, so I can deal. 

     Other than that, you know what sucks? Paying for college. Many of my friends have parents that cant pay for the school, so they get financial aid that pays for pretty much everything. My parents, on the other hand, make too much money, so I received no financial aid what-so-ever. It just sucks that people who work hard for what they get don't get any benefits. Just because people make money and are comfortable with their living, doesn't mean they can just up and spend thousands of dollars in a few months. Thanks America. 

~ilb4

Song of the week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVeXbOWSF7E

"Baby it's cold outside"

     Come on Texas! What's with the Antarctic like temperatures?? I'm ok with the cold sometimes, but seeing as it's November, and that usually means we still have reasonably nice weather, I'm not happy with the borderline freezing temperatures. I'm exaggerating of course, but still.
     On a better note, I had a pretty productive weekend! Saturday was crazy busy with Strutters; we had to take a team photo at 7 am in the cold and the rain! Then we had the opportunity to walk in the Veteran's Day parade that goes through the square, thankfully the rain had stopped for the most part. That night though, we had our Strutter Casual, and it was so much fun! The officers and socials had re-decorated this old barn and turned it into something that looked like it came straight out of pintrest. Our theme was "A Southern State of Mind," and the location, the decorations, and even the outfits that all the girls wore really made the night so special, and it was great to get to hang out with the team outside of practice, games, or something else where we didn't have full freedom to just chill and hang out.
     I honestly can't believe that this semester is almost over. We have next week, then the week of Thanksgiving, one more week after that, then finals. Like oh my goodness we're literally coming to a close on this semester and 2013. It's almost surreal how quickly this semester went by, and it makes me excited to see how the next semester goes, school and Strutter wise.

Holiday Spirit away from Home

With November and the sudden batch of colder 'northern front' weather making all of us freeze, I've found myself more homesick then I have been this entire semester. I miss talking to my parents and to my sister. I miss curling up with my dogs in a pile of blankets on that especially cold day near the fire. I miss just being wrapped up in blankets on a chilly day with my family and being together. The cold weather always makes me think of the holidays and my family, but I never realized before now how different the cold weather feels when your not at home, or just not with your family.

Every day I'm reminded how little time there is left until finals and the winter break is here, which makes me excited because I cannot wait to go home, but it also fills me with this feeling of dread because that means that finals are almost here. I'm aiming for all A's on all of my finals, but I'm not sure how successful I will be considering some of the grades I have...

But I just have to make it through one more month. I just have to listen to Christmas and other holiday music and drink hot chocolate and remind myself I'm almost home. After all its never too early to get into the Holiday Spirit, no matter where you are.

hurry up thanksgiving!

   I cannot wait until thanksgiving break because it is much needed! I feel like we just finished taking mid-terms and now its already time for our third exams! This week is going to be an extremely busy one too. Tomorrow I have my chemistry exam which I am super nervous for because it's crucial that I get a good grade considering my not so good grade on the last exam. Then, Thursday I have another 8 am exam in political science! Also, next Monday I have my math exam, so it's going to be a long week/weekend of studying.
   Then, finally, it's thanksgiving break in two and a half weeks. Well for me it's starting a little early because my family and I, as well as my boyfriend, are road tripping to Minnesota to spend thanksgiving with some family and also to see my grandma since she's very ill.

Outdoor Lifestyle

Going camping for my scuba certification was the first time I went camping since the week before school started. It reminded me of how much I loved it. Growing up my family would go camping or backpacking at a minimum once a month, sometimes twice. As me and my sister got older we slowed down to the point were we only went 2 or 3 times a year in 8^th and 9^th grade. That’s when I took over and started to go camping on my own with friends in high school monthly again and having weeklong trips during the summer. Then college started and it just all stopped. This past weekend I went on 2 day hikes in Austin. One at the green belt and one at the wild basin wilderness preserve were my mom worked when I was a kid. It was awesome to be outdoors and enjoying the wilderness again. On the green belt I would stop and rock climb when I saw a cave or boulder I was having an awesome time. So this next weekend I already planned a trip to lost maples natural area in east Texas. I’m going to leave on Friday and stay 2 nights. The place were you have to camp there is 3miles away from were you park so it’s a short backpacking trip so I cant wait. I’m glad I’m getting back into one of my favorite pastimes.

Camping!

This past weekend the lacrosse team went camping at Pace Bend Park. I didn't really know what to expect because I haven't been camping since I was like six years old. When we got there Saturday morning, the first thing we did was go look around the campsite because it was so beautiful. Once we got that out of the way we had to set everything up. Setting a tent up when you don't know how is pretty difficult, but since other people knew how they would help us. The best part of the camping trip was finding out who our bigs and littles were on the lacrosse team. They had all of the littles in a tent so that we couldn't see them setting up. They put our names on a piece of yarn and we had to follow that piece throughout the woods until we ended up at our big. I have to say my big did a good job on making it difficult! I had to go through cacti, crouch through bushes, and climb up hills to finally get to her. Once I saw my big it was a relief that the mini adventure was over, but I was excited to see who it was too. This was one of the weekends I've had in a while, and I'm glad I got to spend it with my lacrosse girls.

My friend needs a leash

So y'all probably all heard about wurst fest this past week. If any of y'all went y'all know how insane it was! those kinds of things usually are not my favorite but this i actually enjoyed. The only bad part is that my friend disappeared. The funny thing is that this it literally happens every time we go out. Its not that she disappears with guys in a scandalous way she just always makes new friends so fast and I will literally turn away for 5 seconds and turn back around and she is gone. She also always some how gets lost and has to depend on a random stranger to get back home. Since this literally ALWAYS happens all my friends and I have decided that she is getting a leash for the next time we go out and we are not even kidding. We are getting her one of the ones parents put on their little kids. I know its going to look absolutely crazy but maybe we will actually make it back home with her this time.

What Am I Doing?

What am I doing? I'm not even sure I'll be coming back to Texas State next fall because I hate being so far from my family, but on the other hand I love the friends I have made here and I love the campus. I just don't know how to find a happy median between my family and the friends I've made. They are all a huge part of my life now. And I know if I tell my family about it, they'll say transfer to be closer while when I tell my friends they'll say stay here and that it will get easier. I'm just not sure that will be the case. I was so excited to be further than 45 minutes away from my family when I started school, but now I realize how much I am missing out on when it comes to what they are doing. I'm not sure how to over come this problem, but I guess I have a couple months to figure it out.

Holidays

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can't wait to actually be home for more then just a weekend. I haven't been home since the beginning of October, and I am now starting to really miss my family. This is probably the longest I've gone without seeing them. I am very excited to go home for the break and eat a lot of great food and just hang out with my family. I love thanksgiving and it just makes me so excited for Christmas. Thanksgiving break will be great, but I will also have a lot of studying to do since I have two test the week we come back and then finals will be just around the corner. Thanksgiving break is kind of bitter sweet, because right after the break we have all of our finals, but then its only a little while after until we get to go on Christmas break. I am really excited for thanksgiving break and hopefully it is everything I'm expecting.

I'm just a lazy person

Laziness has really taken over. I don’t want to wake up in the morning. I never want to go to class. I never want to go to work. I never want to clean my room. I never want to get up and shower (even though I do). But I have just never been so lazy. Even in high school, I had a big work load but I never was this lazy. I don’t go to class. Which is partially okay because I still get good grades. I teach myself the material but on the other hand, I think not going to class makes me not want to do anything else. Eight ams are just so hard to wake up for. And I know I will crack down and get an A on the exam so why do the little extra work and little do quizzes that make up a small portion of the grade? I’ve had a reading assignment due for every single one of my “From White Slavery to Sex Trafficking” honors class but I have yet to read a single one, I usually just slide by by reading the first and last paragraph or spark noting it to get the information I need to right a paragraph. I do studying a lot though but I studying till like 2 or 3 am which makes me not want to get up in the morning. I think the solution here is to try not to have a job next semester and only have classes after 9 or 10 am.

It's almost Thanksgiving!

I am so excited for the thanksgiving break! I can't wait to take a break because school is stressful. Although this week wasn't as stressful because I had a lot more time to get things done. These next two weeks before the break I have tests, a paper to write, and another speech! I can't wait to have a break and spend time with my family. I need to get reenergized, and the thanksgiving break will definitely do that for me. besides that I love thanksgiving! I love the Holidays! I am going to eat so much especially the fact that I haven't had a home-cooked meal in a long time. I also love the holidays because as the year is winding down, it gives people a chance to reflect back on this year and think about what their thankful for.

break

Last weekend was much needed to give my body and mind a break. I relaxed and spent time with the people I love. I baked cookies and stayed in and watched movies and slept in. Other than last weekend’s news, I am so ready for this semester to be over. I’m ready to be stress free while on break and I have a lot planned. So far we are renting cabins for thanksgiving and I may be going to California with my boyfriend over Christmas. My boyfriend says he has a lot planned for us in California and I am really excited to get out there because I have never been. He was born there and tells me about how great it is and ill just have to heck it out for myself. I have been longing for a vacation. It feels like it has been forever since I have left Texas and these trips are giving my something to look forward to towards the end of the semester.