Vacation is officially over... though it was fun while it lasted! The day I was supposed to leave to go home DC got a blizzard with two feet of snow. My flight was supposed to leave that morning around 10:00 am. I received a phone call from Southwest at 6:00 in the morning informing me that my flight was canceled and when I tried calling back, the wait time to talk to a representative was over 2 hours! I think the issue was that it was a few days before Christmas and everyone traveling to the East Coast had their flights canceled. Boston was expecting the same blizzard the next day and I was worried that Logan would be closed or that I would be on standby waiting for a plane for days after Christmas. So I took Amtrack home two days later, and my train was delayed... but I did finally make it home! My theme song of that weekend was "I'll be home for Christmas."
This was the first break from school that I didn't work. While it was nice having a whole month off to do nothing but socialize and relax, it also got really boring. The first two weeks were blissful. But after two weeks I didn't know what to do with myself. Being bored is overrated. I did some really fun things though-- hung out a lot with old friends, went to the Baltimore Aquarium, went to a fancy jazz brunch in an old art deco hotel in DC, spent time in Annapolis swooning over Naval Academy Midshipmen, and all the other usual Maryland stuff... I had a wonderful vacation!
Now I'm back and trying very hard to be productive but finding it very difficult to do so. A month of vacation + growing senioritis = me only having two more semesters left until graduation. Look I can do math! And at that statement, it is obvious that it has been a long day and I'm tired, so I will blog you later :)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
And done... well, almost
I'm such a slacker when it comes to keeping up with blogging. The last time I wrote was before Thanksgiving, almost a whole month ago. So I'll catch you up with what has been going on since.
I went home for Thanksgiving-- the flight by myself turned out to be just fine. I was able to stream some of the Macy's parade footage onto my laptop in the airport. But it was this website called earthcam so the view and the sound were not ideal. I complained a lot beforehand about having to be alone for the first half of Thanksgiving, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got to take a nap on the plane and when I got home my mom had warm homemade cinnamon rolls ready for me to eat. I ate way too much for dinner, as usual, and was overly-hungry the next day. We have a traditional wood stove at my house that burns real firewood. My dad made a fire after dinner and we sat, watched the fire and relaxed. I really do have so much to be thankful for in my life. My family and friends are incredible blessings. I go to a school that I love in a city that I adore. My work as an Admission Ambassador is so rewarding. It's so cheesy and cliche but I really do love everything about my life! Sometimes taking the time to appreciate what you have is exactly what you need to help you stop complaining :)
The following week I celebrated my birthday, the big 21! We had some fun festivities in the Faneuil Hall area to celebrate. The next day was the lighting ceremony of the Boston Common Christmas tree and lights. After my night class, I went with a friend of mine to the ceremony. Except we thought that it was supposed to begin at 5:00. It didn't actually begin until 8:00. After an hour or so, we figured that out. So we met up with friends, including some Ambassadors, and went ice skating on the Frog Pond. One of our Ambassadors, TJ, actually works at the Frog Pond. I had no idea how skilled he is on the ice! The funniest part of being there is watching all the people fall. It's terrible that I find humor in others' embarrassment. But it's funny and I find just as much amusement in my own embarrassment! You have to. There was this one little boy who wiped out and laid on his back for a good minute before his mother came over to rescue him. He wasn't crying or anything. I think he was just laying there in utter shock. Since we were busy skating, we missed the actual ceremony part of the lighting. I hear that Brian McKnight performed. It's ironic that we waited all that time for the ceremony to begin and only noticed it had when the whole Common lit up and fireworks went off.
The following weekend I went home again. My friend, Gina, who I have known since I was six months old, is pregnant and due at the end of the month. It was her baby shower and I absolutely could not miss it. The theme was a Winter Wonderland and the weather was perfect because it was also the first snowfall in Maryland that day. I was completely unprepared for snow. I figured that going home to Maryland for three days during the first week in December would be cold, but no chance of snow. Though I own three different pairs of snow boots, all I brought home was heels and ballet flats. Of course it wasn't just flurries or a dusting, it was an accumulation of at least two inches. Those of you from New England, two- four inches does not sound like much. While it isn't much, the capabilities of cleaning up snow are far less advanced in Maryland so it take a lot longer to get it cleaned up. My feet were wet and freezing the entire time I was home. I just felt so silly because I'm the one who lives in Boston-- I should be the one who knows how to dress properly for snow.
The baby shower was so much fun! It was held at Gina's mom's house. Three of Gina's girlfriends including myself helped to host it and make sure everything ran smoothly. Of course we ran into some bumps in the road, literally. The cake fell over in my friend's car and she arrived at the house in tears with a cake looking like someone had punched it. Luckily we were able to fix the damage, after a lot of added icing. Cake disaster aside, the day went really well. It is so good be around family and old friends. Good times!
I came back for four crazy days of the last week of class. A test, a paper for a project, presentation, and a performance of a skit for French was a lot to get through after two weekends of flying back and forth. But I survived and was able to celebrate at Suffolk's Winter Ball. Every semester one of our student organizations, Program Council, puts on a semi-formal event for undergraduate students. This semester the venue was at the top of State Street Pavilion overlooking Faneuil Hall, the Customs House tower and most of Boston. One of the best views of Boston and it was absolutely breathtaking. Almost every Ambassador came to the dance (I will put up pictures next time I'm on my computer at home). It was so much fun! We danced the night away :)
Which brings me to this week-- finals. I had four finals total. Normally I have a mix of presentations, projects and finals and never have to sit down for more than two finals. This semester I all the above: presentations, projects, papers and four finals! Three are already finished and I have one left tomorrow. I cannot wait until that is over. I am so exhausted-- this semester has been a whirlwind of activities. I feel like I was just blogging about beginning all of my classes. It is unreal to me how quickly time has flown and that the semester will be over tomorrow! People always say that time moves much faster when you get older. I never believed them until now. What is even crazier to think about is that this time next year I will be graduated from college and setting off into "the real world." That is a scary thought... so we will just leave that be and instead be excited about going home for winter break.
I head home to Maryland on Saturday for a whole month. I love being home for Christmas and New Years! It will be so nice to spend time with my family and friends at home. I will be sure to post Winter Ball pictures... until then wish me luck on my last final. I'll blog you next year :) I've always found that joke to be so cheesy yet quite funny!
I went home for Thanksgiving-- the flight by myself turned out to be just fine. I was able to stream some of the Macy's parade footage onto my laptop in the airport. But it was this website called earthcam so the view and the sound were not ideal. I complained a lot beforehand about having to be alone for the first half of Thanksgiving, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got to take a nap on the plane and when I got home my mom had warm homemade cinnamon rolls ready for me to eat. I ate way too much for dinner, as usual, and was overly-hungry the next day. We have a traditional wood stove at my house that burns real firewood. My dad made a fire after dinner and we sat, watched the fire and relaxed. I really do have so much to be thankful for in my life. My family and friends are incredible blessings. I go to a school that I love in a city that I adore. My work as an Admission Ambassador is so rewarding. It's so cheesy and cliche but I really do love everything about my life! Sometimes taking the time to appreciate what you have is exactly what you need to help you stop complaining :)
The following week I celebrated my birthday, the big 21! We had some fun festivities in the Faneuil Hall area to celebrate. The next day was the lighting ceremony of the Boston Common Christmas tree and lights. After my night class, I went with a friend of mine to the ceremony. Except we thought that it was supposed to begin at 5:00. It didn't actually begin until 8:00. After an hour or so, we figured that out. So we met up with friends, including some Ambassadors, and went ice skating on the Frog Pond. One of our Ambassadors, TJ, actually works at the Frog Pond. I had no idea how skilled he is on the ice! The funniest part of being there is watching all the people fall. It's terrible that I find humor in others' embarrassment. But it's funny and I find just as much amusement in my own embarrassment! You have to. There was this one little boy who wiped out and laid on his back for a good minute before his mother came over to rescue him. He wasn't crying or anything. I think he was just laying there in utter shock. Since we were busy skating, we missed the actual ceremony part of the lighting. I hear that Brian McKnight performed. It's ironic that we waited all that time for the ceremony to begin and only noticed it had when the whole Common lit up and fireworks went off.
The following weekend I went home again. My friend, Gina, who I have known since I was six months old, is pregnant and due at the end of the month. It was her baby shower and I absolutely could not miss it. The theme was a Winter Wonderland and the weather was perfect because it was also the first snowfall in Maryland that day. I was completely unprepared for snow. I figured that going home to Maryland for three days during the first week in December would be cold, but no chance of snow. Though I own three different pairs of snow boots, all I brought home was heels and ballet flats. Of course it wasn't just flurries or a dusting, it was an accumulation of at least two inches. Those of you from New England, two- four inches does not sound like much. While it isn't much, the capabilities of cleaning up snow are far less advanced in Maryland so it take a lot longer to get it cleaned up. My feet were wet and freezing the entire time I was home. I just felt so silly because I'm the one who lives in Boston-- I should be the one who knows how to dress properly for snow.
The baby shower was so much fun! It was held at Gina's mom's house. Three of Gina's girlfriends including myself helped to host it and make sure everything ran smoothly. Of course we ran into some bumps in the road, literally. The cake fell over in my friend's car and she arrived at the house in tears with a cake looking like someone had punched it. Luckily we were able to fix the damage, after a lot of added icing. Cake disaster aside, the day went really well. It is so good be around family and old friends. Good times!
I came back for four crazy days of the last week of class. A test, a paper for a project, presentation, and a performance of a skit for French was a lot to get through after two weekends of flying back and forth. But I survived and was able to celebrate at Suffolk's Winter Ball. Every semester one of our student organizations, Program Council, puts on a semi-formal event for undergraduate students. This semester the venue was at the top of State Street Pavilion overlooking Faneuil Hall, the Customs House tower and most of Boston. One of the best views of Boston and it was absolutely breathtaking. Almost every Ambassador came to the dance (I will put up pictures next time I'm on my computer at home). It was so much fun! We danced the night away :)
Which brings me to this week-- finals. I had four finals total. Normally I have a mix of presentations, projects and finals and never have to sit down for more than two finals. This semester I all the above: presentations, projects, papers and four finals! Three are already finished and I have one left tomorrow. I cannot wait until that is over. I am so exhausted-- this semester has been a whirlwind of activities. I feel like I was just blogging about beginning all of my classes. It is unreal to me how quickly time has flown and that the semester will be over tomorrow! People always say that time moves much faster when you get older. I never believed them until now. What is even crazier to think about is that this time next year I will be graduated from college and setting off into "the real world." That is a scary thought... so we will just leave that be and instead be excited about going home for winter break.
I head home to Maryland on Saturday for a whole month. I love being home for Christmas and New Years! It will be so nice to spend time with my family and friends at home. I will be sure to post Winter Ball pictures... until then wish me luck on my last final. I'll blog you next year :) I've always found that joke to be so cheesy yet quite funny!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving Plans
In my entire college experience, I have not yet gone home to Maryland for Thanksgiving. My first year I stayed in Boston and had dinner with my aunts and uncle. My brother also came up to celebrate with us. My sophomore year I went to Florida to visit my dad's side of the family. That Thanksgiving was interesting because when I left Boston it was snowing and when I arrived in Florida it was 80 degrees. We had dinner outside on the patio next to the pool. Not quite a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Last year the semester ended so early that it seemed silly to go home for Thanksgiving and then come back a week later for winter break. So I went to Vermont with my aunt, uncle and his family. My uncle's dad used to be the executive chef for the Blair House (which is where international guests of the White House stay when they are on official visits to DC). He made us dinner which was absolutely incredible! It was very quaint-- we stayed in a friend's log cabin on a mountain with only a few surrounding houses and a general store down the street. We got to sit in the hot-tub while it was snowing outside around us. So amazing.
This is the first year that I am going to Maryland to have Thanksgiving dinner in my own house. It is going to be kind of strange though because my flight schedule is really weird this year. It was going to cost over $300 to bring me home from Wednesday through Sunday. So I am flying home Thursday morning (arriving around noon) and then flying back on Saturday morning at the crack of dawn. I suppose it will be nice to miss the crowds and the chaos that is Thanksgiving travel, but I feel really strange about flying home by myself on Thanksgiving. I always fly by myself-- at least 5 times a year I am on a plane alone. It is weird to me when I actually do travel with people. But it seems like it is going to be so lonely on Thanksgiving morning! I know that a lot of people travel on Thanksgiving day, but generally they have family or friends with them. I can't have mom's traditional homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I won't be able to watch the parade, and I will be all by myself :(
But at least I should be thankful for the fact that I am blessed with a family who I love so much that I can go home to on the holidays. A lot of people don't have that. Maybe the travelling situation is not ideal, but I will be fine because I have so many things to be grateful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
This is the first year that I am going to Maryland to have Thanksgiving dinner in my own house. It is going to be kind of strange though because my flight schedule is really weird this year. It was going to cost over $300 to bring me home from Wednesday through Sunday. So I am flying home Thursday morning (arriving around noon) and then flying back on Saturday morning at the crack of dawn. I suppose it will be nice to miss the crowds and the chaos that is Thanksgiving travel, but I feel really strange about flying home by myself on Thanksgiving. I always fly by myself-- at least 5 times a year I am on a plane alone. It is weird to me when I actually do travel with people. But it seems like it is going to be so lonely on Thanksgiving morning! I know that a lot of people travel on Thanksgiving day, but generally they have family or friends with them. I can't have mom's traditional homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I won't be able to watch the parade, and I will be all by myself :(
But at least I should be thankful for the fact that I am blessed with a family who I love so much that I can go home to on the holidays. A lot of people don't have that. Maybe the travelling situation is not ideal, but I will be fine because I have so many things to be grateful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thanksgiving Dinner with the Ambassadors
Kristin had all the Ambassadors over this weekend for "Not your average Thanksgiving dinner" at her apartment in the North End. We each were responsible for bringing a dish. We had baked ziti, sushi, salad, eggplant parm, mashed potatoes and garlic bread. I made a regular cheesecake and a pumpkin cheesecake (which was an experiment but it turned out deliciously). Chris made a cake and put all of our initials on it. There were only a few Ambassadors that couldn't make it. We all got dressed up and had dinner together and took lots of funny prom-like pictures. It was so much fun! Ambassador Love <3
Prior to Thanksgiving dinner, Delia and I went to the annual tree lighting ceremony in Faneuil Hall. Wally the Green Monster, the Red Sox mascot was there as well as Santa. Apparently the tree at Faneuil hall is the tallest lit Christmas tree in New England!
The one below is my favorite! All (or most of) the Ambassador girls which now includes Andrew, naturally. He came to our Ambassador girl sleepover a few weeks ago and has been included in that group since :)
Prior to Thanksgiving dinner, Delia and I went to the annual tree lighting ceremony in Faneuil Hall. Wally the Green Monster, the Red Sox mascot was there as well as Santa. Apparently the tree at Faneuil hall is the tallest lit Christmas tree in New England!
The one below is my favorite! All (or most of) the Ambassador girls which now includes Andrew, naturally. He came to our Ambassador girl sleepover a few weeks ago and has been included in that group since :)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Playing catch up
It seems like I haven't blogged in forever! A lot has happened... well a lot and not a lot at the same time...
We had Open House on Saturday which was great! There is one day of the year that is guaranteed to rain from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm, and that is Open House day. I can't even remember a time that I was more wet, I haven't even ever been that wet in the shower! But it was one of those things where I decided in the beginning of the day that I was going to be wet and I was going to love it! And I do think Boston is magical in the rain, so I must admit that I did sincerely enjoy it to some degree. I was really surprised at the turnout and the general enthusiasm for the day. Although the weather could be described as dismal, prospective students and their families were excited to be on campus and to be learning about our programs. Usually people are miserable when they come for tours in the rain, but everyone was in a decent mood.
I was chosen to speak at the Welcomes-- first in the C. Walsh Theater and then in the Donahue Cafe. The theater seats between 300 and 400 people, so I can honestly say that has been my biggest audience to date. I was really nervous beforehand, but everything went really well. I was very proud of myself. As cheesy as it sounds, I enjoy reaching out to students by sharing my experience with them. When I was going through my college search, talking to other students about their experiences was the most important decision factor for me. It is nice to be able to do that for others.
Thanksgiving is next week which seems unreal. I am always saying this, but I cannot believe how quickly the semester has flown by. I went window shopping the other day with my friend and we stopped in this Christmas store. Although I am so not ready for the holiday season yet, I must admit that I got really excited! A further confession, I had an eggnog latte the other day. It wasn't even that cold out and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but I really wanted one. It was delicious and definitely gave me some holiday cheer. I know it is ridiculous that I base my feelings about the changing of seasons on Starbucks' seasonal beverages. But what can I say? There is nothing like a pumpkin spice latte in the fall or an eggnog latte in the winter or a flavored iced coffee in the summer... Yay! It's almost winter break :)
We had Open House on Saturday which was great! There is one day of the year that is guaranteed to rain from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm, and that is Open House day. I can't even remember a time that I was more wet, I haven't even ever been that wet in the shower! But it was one of those things where I decided in the beginning of the day that I was going to be wet and I was going to love it! And I do think Boston is magical in the rain, so I must admit that I did sincerely enjoy it to some degree. I was really surprised at the turnout and the general enthusiasm for the day. Although the weather could be described as dismal, prospective students and their families were excited to be on campus and to be learning about our programs. Usually people are miserable when they come for tours in the rain, but everyone was in a decent mood.
I was chosen to speak at the Welcomes-- first in the C. Walsh Theater and then in the Donahue Cafe. The theater seats between 300 and 400 people, so I can honestly say that has been my biggest audience to date. I was really nervous beforehand, but everything went really well. I was very proud of myself. As cheesy as it sounds, I enjoy reaching out to students by sharing my experience with them. When I was going through my college search, talking to other students about their experiences was the most important decision factor for me. It is nice to be able to do that for others.
Thanksgiving is next week which seems unreal. I am always saying this, but I cannot believe how quickly the semester has flown by. I went window shopping the other day with my friend and we stopped in this Christmas store. Although I am so not ready for the holiday season yet, I must admit that I got really excited! A further confession, I had an eggnog latte the other day. It wasn't even that cold out and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but I really wanted one. It was delicious and definitely gave me some holiday cheer. I know it is ridiculous that I base my feelings about the changing of seasons on Starbucks' seasonal beverages. But what can I say? There is nothing like a pumpkin spice latte in the fall or an eggnog latte in the winter or a flavored iced coffee in the summer... Yay! It's almost winter break :)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Halloween and Such
So I must admit that I'm fairly new at this whole blogging thing. I tried uploading these photos aligned left instead of center (the way I normally do it) and this post looks like a hot mess! And I'm not sure how to go about fixing it other than deleting all the pictures and starting from scratch. That seems like way too much effort... so I hope you enjoy the mess of pictures and I promise I will make it better next time!I spent Halloween in Salem with my aunts. We did a corn maze the night before which was fun. I've never done one before. At first we thought it was too easy, but when we got royally lost I realized how creepy it is to be surrounded by dead stalks of corn at night with only one flashlight for five people. It is really nice that my aunts live in Salem because when we got tired of all the crazies on the street, we could go back to their apartment to hang out.
My costume this year was very lame-- I just wasn't feeling the excitement of dressing up this year. Although I'm from Maryland, I am through and through a Red Sox fan. For Halloween I wore a pink Orioles hat and my aunt's sweatshirt and went as an O's fan. I made a sign that said 2010 World Series Champs with the zeros in the 2010 the orange O's logo. Lame, but it was easy and cost me no money. It's funny because when I told my friends in Maryland what I was going to be, the reaction I mainly got was resentment that my costume was mocking. But when I told New Englanders that I was going to be an O's fan, pretty much none of them got it. Most of them didn't even realize I was talking about the Baltimore Orioles. It is so sad that Maryland sports are terrible-- one day they will triumph :) In the meantime, New Englanders will fail to understand the pain that MD goes through and I will continue to be a Red Sox and Celtics fan! Anyway, the best part of going to Salem is just looking at all the crazy costumes and decorations out there. People are so creative on Halloween, I love it!
On Tuesday the Program Council at Suffolk put on an event at the House of Blues on Landsdowne Street. Sean Kingston and Girl Talk performed just for Suffolk students. Tickets were only $15! It was a lot of fun. There were glow sticks and confetti and dancing. I didn't know who Girl Talk was prior to going to the concert. He is this insane DJ who started off mixing music and was shortly thereafter discovered in New York City. He was nuts! And he had some really awesome (and I mean hilarious) dance moves. It was a good time-- I saw a lot of ambassadors and my other friends there. I love going to these Suffolk events because there are so many people there who you know. It makes it all the more fun! I always love a good dance party :)
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