Well. Here we are, I've made my decision. I've decided what I really want to do with the rest of my life. It's rather exciting actually. What is that decision you may ask? I've decided that I am officially going to be a Social Studies teacher and also major in History. It's going to take an incredible amount of work to accomplish all of the things I need to so that I can get to where I want to be. The All Social Studies endorsement alone is 55 credits. Then you add the Secondary Education and History majors you've got yourself an adventure! I'm really excited for where I think this course will take me and the opportunities it will afford me in the future even with all of the work it is going to take. It amazes me that I would have even considered changing my endorsement from FCS to Social Studies but after changing it I feel like I've gotten really comfortable with what I want to do. :)
The first month of second semester of my freshman year is now over. It's crazy how fast the time goes, but it befuddles me how slowly the days can seem at times. I can't believe how fast the first month seems to have gone looking it it now, but the days seemed so long at times. The homework load of this semester is over the top ridiculous and I can't believe how hard it has been at times to get everything done on time. I'm not the best when it comes to managing my time and I seriously need to work on it. I get incredibly stressed out but I choose to procrastinate way to often. I need to get my priorities straight and get things done.
It amazes me how my classes don't seem to have gotten more challenging yet I feel much more overwhelmed this semester. My honors class is pushing me way harder than it did last semester although it isn't much more difficult, there is just more work to it. I have a love-hate relationship with the class the majority of the time. I love the material and the deep discussions and big ideas but I absolutely hate the amount of work it takes for me to even begin to understand some of the ideas. It bothers me the amount of effort I have put into the class so far this semester compared to last. I've probably put 3-4 times the amount of work into the class this semester ALREADY that I put into the entire last semester and yet my grades are lower. Coincidence? I'm not quite sure.
I love college overall. It's such an incredible experience and I couldn't think of my life without coming here. I'm seriously so excited to see how my life is going to turn out that sometimes I wish I could just fast forward through the next five years to see where I land.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Year
Well, 2012 has come to a close. It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in 2012 at Yuletide with new friends, yet so much has changed in the last year it seems like it drug on. I thought I would take this opportunity to review 2012 to see what has or hasn't changed or what events took place in the last year.
Let's start with last January- I brought in the new year in a new place with new friends. I think that was a precursor for the year to come. I celebrated 2012 at Guthrie Grove for the Yuletide Senior High Church Retreat, somewhere I had never been. I only knew three or four other people so it was an experience to make new friends. That set the tone for the majority of the year and made me look at my faith in a different light.
February- If I remember right, February wasn't all that significant of a month for me. According to my calendar, literally nothing happened and I'm okay with that. The months following February went in a fast succession that they're mostly a blur so I'm so glad to remember the break I had in February. February included a lot of preparation for State Leadership Conference which was in March so it's a good thing I had this break.
March- Oh March. One of my favorite months of the past year. The conclusion of my term on the Iowa FCCLA State Executive Council came at the end of March. I still feel like it was yesterday that we were elected so to think that so long ago we gave up our positions is beyond me. This experience is one of my favorite of 2012 because I got to spend three-four days with seven of the greatest people I know. Many of us haven't seen each other since, but I can't wait for a reunion (hopefully soon!)
April- April was crazy. My last full month of high school, my first part-time job, my eighteenth birthday (my mom's 40th!). This was a long month of waiting and stress. I remember being so excited for graduation come May, but being completely freaked out about graduating and not wanting it to come so fast. Some of my favorite high school memories with my class come from this last month and the week before graduation. My first job was kind of a big deal. I still work there on occasional breaks but its not something I would ever want to do for the rest of my life. My birthday was somewhat exciting, but really wasn't a big deal because what can you do when you turn 18? There is nothing special about it. Just another birthday.
May- May was such a bittersweet month. Bitter because it marked the end of my high school career. Sweet because it marked the beginning of the rest of my life. Graduation was such a ridiculous time that I don't even remember a lot of it and it's a shame. I wish those days would have gone by slower so that I could remember more of them. A highlight of the month prior to graduation was a class bonfire we had where we reminisced about high school and had a great time. That bonfire was one of my favorite high school memories.
June- June was the first time in my life that I didn't have anything to do. I worked and prepared for a conference I attended in July, but I was completely on my own to decide what to do and when to do it. It was glorious. I helped teach at the Ecumenical Bible School that my hometown puts on each year which I really enjoyed.
July- My favorite part of July was attending the FCCLA National Leadership Conference. I had the opportunity to present a workshop on Positivity and I got to meet so many great leaders and watch some of my best friends become National Officers. A great experience overall. Plus, I got to go to Harry Potter World and nothing can really beat such an experience. Buying a wand at Olivander's, drinking Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, etc...was incredible.
August- This marked the beginning of my college career. I didn't like August when it was among us. I actually despised most of it. The beginning was terrible because my friends from high school were going to college and yet mine didn't start until the end of the month so the wait was terrible. When I got to college I was incredibly homesick until I was able to meet people and I didn't know many people in August. It was a hard month, but I'm glad I got through it as strongly as I did.
September- This is when college really got started. I met so many great people and had such a great time. Overall, an uneventful month, but was necessary obviously to get to where I am today...
October- In October I spent a week at home while my mom had surgery. During that time I was able to attend the District 13-South FCCLA Conference in my hometown which was great. It was also homecoming week which was an interesting experience in college versus high school.
November- November flew by. I spent the beginning of November incredibly ill, but as the month progressed it was a great month. A stressful month towards the end with the realization of only a few weeks left in the semester, but I loved November. I really got into my groove.
December- Well here we are. Ending 2012. The last two weeks of first semester were fantastic. I rocked my finals and overall it was just a great month. I'm so grateful for my first semester being as wonderful as it was. I absolutely loved each and every class and I learned much more than I ever would have expected. Christmas break has been incredible. I don't think I have ever needed a break as badly as I needed this one.
Overall 2012 was a roller coaster. I had a blast and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings. I learned a lot about myself over the course of the last year and I don't think I would change a thing about the year.
Happy 2013!
Let's start with last January- I brought in the new year in a new place with new friends. I think that was a precursor for the year to come. I celebrated 2012 at Guthrie Grove for the Yuletide Senior High Church Retreat, somewhere I had never been. I only knew three or four other people so it was an experience to make new friends. That set the tone for the majority of the year and made me look at my faith in a different light.
February- If I remember right, February wasn't all that significant of a month for me. According to my calendar, literally nothing happened and I'm okay with that. The months following February went in a fast succession that they're mostly a blur so I'm so glad to remember the break I had in February. February included a lot of preparation for State Leadership Conference which was in March so it's a good thing I had this break.
March- Oh March. One of my favorite months of the past year. The conclusion of my term on the Iowa FCCLA State Executive Council came at the end of March. I still feel like it was yesterday that we were elected so to think that so long ago we gave up our positions is beyond me. This experience is one of my favorite of 2012 because I got to spend three-four days with seven of the greatest people I know. Many of us haven't seen each other since, but I can't wait for a reunion (hopefully soon!)
April- April was crazy. My last full month of high school, my first part-time job, my eighteenth birthday (my mom's 40th!). This was a long month of waiting and stress. I remember being so excited for graduation come May, but being completely freaked out about graduating and not wanting it to come so fast. Some of my favorite high school memories with my class come from this last month and the week before graduation. My first job was kind of a big deal. I still work there on occasional breaks but its not something I would ever want to do for the rest of my life. My birthday was somewhat exciting, but really wasn't a big deal because what can you do when you turn 18? There is nothing special about it. Just another birthday.
May- May was such a bittersweet month. Bitter because it marked the end of my high school career. Sweet because it marked the beginning of the rest of my life. Graduation was such a ridiculous time that I don't even remember a lot of it and it's a shame. I wish those days would have gone by slower so that I could remember more of them. A highlight of the month prior to graduation was a class bonfire we had where we reminisced about high school and had a great time. That bonfire was one of my favorite high school memories.
June- June was the first time in my life that I didn't have anything to do. I worked and prepared for a conference I attended in July, but I was completely on my own to decide what to do and when to do it. It was glorious. I helped teach at the Ecumenical Bible School that my hometown puts on each year which I really enjoyed.
July- My favorite part of July was attending the FCCLA National Leadership Conference. I had the opportunity to present a workshop on Positivity and I got to meet so many great leaders and watch some of my best friends become National Officers. A great experience overall. Plus, I got to go to Harry Potter World and nothing can really beat such an experience. Buying a wand at Olivander's, drinking Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, etc...was incredible.
August- This marked the beginning of my college career. I didn't like August when it was among us. I actually despised most of it. The beginning was terrible because my friends from high school were going to college and yet mine didn't start until the end of the month so the wait was terrible. When I got to college I was incredibly homesick until I was able to meet people and I didn't know many people in August. It was a hard month, but I'm glad I got through it as strongly as I did.
September- This is when college really got started. I met so many great people and had such a great time. Overall, an uneventful month, but was necessary obviously to get to where I am today...
October- In October I spent a week at home while my mom had surgery. During that time I was able to attend the District 13-South FCCLA Conference in my hometown which was great. It was also homecoming week which was an interesting experience in college versus high school.
November- November flew by. I spent the beginning of November incredibly ill, but as the month progressed it was a great month. A stressful month towards the end with the realization of only a few weeks left in the semester, but I loved November. I really got into my groove.
December- Well here we are. Ending 2012. The last two weeks of first semester were fantastic. I rocked my finals and overall it was just a great month. I'm so grateful for my first semester being as wonderful as it was. I absolutely loved each and every class and I learned much more than I ever would have expected. Christmas break has been incredible. I don't think I have ever needed a break as badly as I needed this one.
Overall 2012 was a roller coaster. I had a blast and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings. I learned a lot about myself over the course of the last year and I don't think I would change a thing about the year.
Happy 2013!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Big Decisions
I'm at that point in life where I have to start making those big decisions about my future and I'm not taking them lightly. Its scary to realize that the choices I make today, tomorrow or next week are going to be affecting my future in such a major way. I've been doing a lot of thinking about myself, my thoughts, feeling and beliefs lately to figure out where they would fit best and I think I've figured it out I just hope I'm right, otherwise I'll be wasting a lot of time. I'm not going to talk about what exactly those decisions are until everything is officially decided but I've been thinking a lot about what the right path is for me and I think I've figured it out.
I've been working my tail off lately to try to get all of this last-minute work done for the end of the semester, and its killing me. I have lost the majority of my motivation and thinking of spending three weeks back home is not sounding like the most fun. I love being home, don't get me wrong, but I LOVE to learn and as much as I'm looking forward to break I'll miss good ole Grand View. A break from homework though is sounding really enticing.
I wish there was a lot more known about next semester's schedule right now, like who our Logos prof. is or who my sociology prof. is going to be just because I like to know those things, and the two Logos classes show different books on the bookstore website...it's a dilemma.
I've been working my tail off lately to try to get all of this last-minute work done for the end of the semester, and its killing me. I have lost the majority of my motivation and thinking of spending three weeks back home is not sounding like the most fun. I love being home, don't get me wrong, but I LOVE to learn and as much as I'm looking forward to break I'll miss good ole Grand View. A break from homework though is sounding really enticing.
I wish there was a lot more known about next semester's schedule right now, like who our Logos prof. is or who my sociology prof. is going to be just because I like to know those things, and the two Logos classes show different books on the bookstore website...it's a dilemma.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Philosophical Thoughts
The other day I heard someone bring about that "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" idea and it got me thinking. The dictionary defines sound as, "Vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear." and when you think about it, if there is no person or animal around (which is probably impossible, but in these instances we will assume that there is no person or animal around) there is no sound. Its the fact that there is no one around to hear it because so the vibrations go nowhere. Crazy, right? I started thinking more about ideas like this and came up with a similar idea: if you're in a completely pitch black room (can't see your hand in front of your face) and there's furniture or something in it (you can't see it) is it there? I could argue no, due to the fact that for you to truly know that something is there (without walking around) is to see it (which according to Descartes, is debatable). If you can't see it, then who is to say you aren't imagining it. The senses deceive according to Descartes and on that notion you will never know if that tree in the forest made the noise or if there is anything in that dark room. These are my deep philosophical thoughts right now. Any comments?
Monday, November 19, 2012
Thankful
Well, look at that. I forgot to do the last eight days. Man, I'm great at this, aren't I? Just kidding! I guess I have eight things to be thankful for now!
12: I'm thankful for my car, without it I wouldn't be going home tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and I wouldn't be able to drive around town to go to stores or out to have any fun.
13. I'm thankful for having too many points left on my meal plan. Its quite the hassle to try to use them all up in these last few weeks of the semester, but its kind of fun to buy all kinds of ridiculous things from Stacks.
14. I'm thankful for my FCCLA family. I love that I can talk to those guys about anything and everything. I keep up with my FCCLA friends from high school more than the actual people I graduated and that means a lot to me.
15. I'm thankful for Des Moines. As a city its fantastic. I've learned a lot about the differences between people in small towns and people from the city in the last few months with regard to how they treat you. Here people don't make as much eye contact and at first it was really awkward, but I'm coming to get used to it. Its a city of SO much promise and I'm thankful for that promise. As the city continues to grow, it will provide numerous jobs for so many people who need them.
16. I'm thankful for Pandora, because without it I would not get my daily music fix. I swear, every day I'm on Pandora listening to music. I'm in LOVE with Michael Buble's music, Frank Sinatra helps me study, and sometimes I'll turn on my Today's Hits radio just to pump me up.
17. I'm thankful for Saturdays to relax. Last Saturday I took the day and enjoyed my relaxation and did absolutely nothing, I barely left my room. It was glorious. I watched the entire second season of The Big Bang Theory. I'm obsessed now. Saturdays are just great days, because I love sleeping in and they're great to write papers that are due on Monday. ;)
18. I'm thankful for opportunities I have with the President of my University. A select group of us get to spend time with him and discuss various topics, and last night's topic was Vocation. It could not have come at a much better time. It was really interesting to learn about finding vocation in our lives and figuring out what exactly we were meant to do with our lives. It was really interesting.
19. Today I'm thankful for my Logos class. Its one of my favorite classes in an I love to hate it type of way. It has made me think about so many different abstract topics that I never would have thought of otherwise and I love those challenging thoughts. I also love that tonight we went and saw the movie Lincoln as a class and I have a new favorite movie. Abraham Lincoln is now one of my favorite presidents. (I seem to be asked quite frequently whom my favorite president was and now I have a solid response) regardless of party affiliation. It was so interesting to see how the political ideology of the time was so different when compared with ours. I'm thankful for that chance to see a movie I probably wouldn't have otherwise.
12: I'm thankful for my car, without it I wouldn't be going home tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and I wouldn't be able to drive around town to go to stores or out to have any fun.
13. I'm thankful for having too many points left on my meal plan. Its quite the hassle to try to use them all up in these last few weeks of the semester, but its kind of fun to buy all kinds of ridiculous things from Stacks.
14. I'm thankful for my FCCLA family. I love that I can talk to those guys about anything and everything. I keep up with my FCCLA friends from high school more than the actual people I graduated and that means a lot to me.
15. I'm thankful for Des Moines. As a city its fantastic. I've learned a lot about the differences between people in small towns and people from the city in the last few months with regard to how they treat you. Here people don't make as much eye contact and at first it was really awkward, but I'm coming to get used to it. Its a city of SO much promise and I'm thankful for that promise. As the city continues to grow, it will provide numerous jobs for so many people who need them.
16. I'm thankful for Pandora, because without it I would not get my daily music fix. I swear, every day I'm on Pandora listening to music. I'm in LOVE with Michael Buble's music, Frank Sinatra helps me study, and sometimes I'll turn on my Today's Hits radio just to pump me up.
17. I'm thankful for Saturdays to relax. Last Saturday I took the day and enjoyed my relaxation and did absolutely nothing, I barely left my room. It was glorious. I watched the entire second season of The Big Bang Theory. I'm obsessed now. Saturdays are just great days, because I love sleeping in and they're great to write papers that are due on Monday. ;)
18. I'm thankful for opportunities I have with the President of my University. A select group of us get to spend time with him and discuss various topics, and last night's topic was Vocation. It could not have come at a much better time. It was really interesting to learn about finding vocation in our lives and figuring out what exactly we were meant to do with our lives. It was really interesting.
19. Today I'm thankful for my Logos class. Its one of my favorite classes in an I love to hate it type of way. It has made me think about so many different abstract topics that I never would have thought of otherwise and I love those challenging thoughts. I also love that tonight we went and saw the movie Lincoln as a class and I have a new favorite movie. Abraham Lincoln is now one of my favorite presidents. (I seem to be asked quite frequently whom my favorite president was and now I have a solid response) regardless of party affiliation. It was so interesting to see how the political ideology of the time was so different when compared with ours. I'm thankful for that chance to see a movie I probably wouldn't have otherwise.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Veterans Day
Day 11: I am thankful that I get to live in the greatest country on this planet. I'm so thankful for all of the veterans that put themselves in harm's way to defend my freedom. Thank you to all of the veterans that have served, those who are continuing to serve and those who will serve in the future. I'm thankful for each and every one of you.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Day 2
Yesterday I started my November days of thanks and today I move on to number 10.
10. I'm thankful for my roommate. This week I've been incredibly sick to the point that I missed the majority of my classes for the first half of the week and didn't get to enjoy my family day weekend last week, but my roommate was a doll and took great care of me. She made me soup, got a wash cloth for my face and went with me to pick up my medication. I greatly appreciated it. :)
Hayley
10. I'm thankful for my roommate. This week I've been incredibly sick to the point that I missed the majority of my classes for the first half of the week and didn't get to enjoy my family day weekend last week, but my roommate was a doll and took great care of me. She made me soup, got a wash cloth for my face and went with me to pick up my medication. I greatly appreciated it. :)
Hayley
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