Memorial Day Weekend

At the beginning of last week, I didn't know that I would be going home this weekend. My mom came up with the great idea for me to catch a ride home with my brother. And I am so glad I did - it was the greateat weekend that I've had in a while. Friends, Family, Fun - it can't get much better.

It started off with taking the afternoon off of work on Friday which is always fun. The drive home was long (as usual). I originally thought we were going to see Pirates that night but we went putt-putt golfing instead. Eric won - even after I bragged about how good I was. And I was doing good - I fell apart at the end! After that we came back and watched The Family Stone - one of my favorite movies. Side note: that movie makes me want to have a big family, so I can have crazy holidays like that haha :)





Saturday me, Eric, Kyle and Andrea spent the day at Universal. And I am sad to say after five years, they finally took my ID. I am no longer employed there :( Thank goodness I brought an extra comp pass just in case. We had so much fun. The lines surprisingly were not long even though it was a holiday weekend. We spent most of our time in Universal. This led to two of the highlights of the day - Boris and Herbert the Dronkey!



Sunday we went to church at First Baptist. The service was commemorating those that have died fighting for our country. It really made me appreciate the fact that I am blessed to be an American. I loved learning about what each fold of the flag represents when it is represented to the family members of a fallen soldier at funerals. For those that may be unfamiliar, here is what the 13 folds mean:

The 1st fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The 2nd fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

The 4th fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

The 5th fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.

The 6th fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The 7th fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us of our nation's motto, "In God We Trust."

After the service, each member of the congregation received a flag that had a label with the name of a soldier who has died attached to it. We were directed to a field to place our flags in the ground so that when people drive by they will see that "we remember."





Then we went to lunch and the Florida Mall for Andrea to buy her new MacBook. Now she is a part of the cool club! :)

And my Dad came home! Which when I originally decided to come home, I didn't know he would be there as well so it was a wonderful surprise and it was so great to spend time with him. So we all went out to dinner on Sunday night and hung out and cooked out on Monday.

I would have to say that is a pretty amazing weekend!

I would like to thank Kyle of being the picture taker and documenting the whole weekend :)

I Wish I Could Update

There is nothing really too exciting going on that is blog-worthy. I just didn't want you to think I forgot about you ;) As soon as something comes up, you will be the first to know!

Side Note: I applied for my passport today! So if there are any aspiring world travelers, please let me know. I want to plan a trip :)

Alone

I went by myself to the movies tonight. And it was fun. I was surprised by that because I had never been to the movies by myself before. I was fearing that I would feel pathetic or lonely because I didn't have a companion. But it felt great that I could just be in my own company and feel comfortable with that.

It made me realize how many other people were there by themselves. What was their story? Were they alone because they wanted to be or because they had to be? I'm not sure.

It probably helped that the movie that I saw was really good. Georgia Rule. Yes, the movie with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan. I didn't really know what to expect from the movie. I had a vague idea of what it was about - it was chick flick - that is enough information for me to go see it :) I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to movies but I felt that the story and the acting were really good. Go check it out :)

So I'm having a pretty good night :)

Quick Thought

Nostalgic moments.
Deja vu.
Those are two feelings that I look forward to. They are always pleasantly unexpected. It's usually something simple. Like today in the Publix parking lot, I was brought back to Friday nights in high school, getting ready for a football game. I'm not sure why, but this is a memory that comes back often. I think it had something to do with the way the sun was setting.

I hope these feelings never go away.

Sometimes I feel like deja vu is a way to know that you are on the right track. Its quick. But its a feeling that I have been in that exact situation and said those exact things before. A moment like that excites me. Where did that feeling come from? How is it triggered? Maybe I'll never know.

I'm not sure why I wanted to share this but I hope that you all experience sweet memories randomly throughout your week. They make me smile.
So if you were in my past, most likely you are still in my present because some happening in my day brings you back to my mind.

I Got In!

It is been a while since I have posted because I have been trying to finish applying to Rollins. It has been so nerve-wracking! Yesterday was the last step - a phone interview with the admissions people for the MBA program. Fortunately, it went really well. They asked me questions I had answered before (I think after all my interviews, there isn't a question I don't have an answer to haha). But I was still nervous - there was nothing else I could do to help myself get in. I just had to wait...

Thankfully, they have something called "Decision in a Day" so I knew that I would know within 24 hours. Well, I got a call today at 2:30 exactly 24 hours from my interview yesterday.

I GOT IN!!

I have been telling everyone because I just can't believe that after all this time something is actually working out for me. I was prepared to just get an email saying that they had filled all the spots. That would have been expected. But, it was the opposite and I couldn't been happier. It just lets me know that I do have something to offer despite all of my rejection that I've had within the last six or seven months.

So I want to say thank you for everyone who has helped me and motivated me to continue trying. There have been times that I have wanted to quit but you have pushed me and encouraged me. Thank you and I love you all!

TGIF

One interview stands between me and grad school. I can't believe that is all I have left to do. I have been on such a roller coaster of emotions since I decided to go back to school. On one hand, I know this is the right move for me. But then on the other hand, I think, what if this isn't the right time? Is it possible to make yourself sick from stress? I'm feeling a slight sore throat coming on lol...

I am so thankful that it is Friday. It is finally the weekend and Eric is coming to Tallahassee! I was just informed by my brother that we are either going to Stetsons for some line dancing or going contra dancing (which is a folk dance that you stand in two lines - don't worry, I've never heard of it either). So either one we do will sure mean that it will be a hilarious night!

And then tomorrow is either the beach or Wakulla Springs. I'm not gonna lie - I'm a little scared of Wakulla Springs. I really don't want to end up with a tick, or multiple ticks. But maybe if we don't go treking in the woods we will be okay haha.

I'm still enjoying my hair cut. Usually when I do something drastic, I end up regretting it the next day, but this time things worked out pretty well. Everyone has seemed to like it so far - or at least they are saying they like it to my face haha! I haven't decided if I will keep it this way or grow it like my original plan. We'll see :)

So all in all, my life is slowing down again to a reasonable pace. There were a few weeks there that I was holding on by just my pinky finger. So now it's time for me to figure out what goal I have next for myself. I'm thinking I will go for my real estate license. But studying for another test just isn't high on my "that sounds like fun" list. Again, we'll see!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer time so far :)

Viewer Discretion is Advised

Skin Cancer...That is a scary thought. If you know me, you know that ever since my sophomore year of college, I have been addicted to the tanning bed. I choose my words wisely because it is an addiction. It becomes an image booster when you hit that point where you have to be tan to feel good about yourself. That is such a selfish act on my part knowing what my mom has been through for as long as I have been around. I had been hearing for a while that I needed to stop tanning because it is extremely bad for me for the obvious reasons and given my family history. But honestly it was going in one ear and out the other for a long time. The last time I went to the tanning bed was early this year. And only due to the fact that I was busy all the time with work did I stop going. It wasn't until I went home one weekend about a month ago after my mom had a skin doctor visit. She had several visible spots on her hands and her face that skin cancer had been taken off. This has been something she has dealt with twice a year for a very very long time. But for some reason, it hit me differently this time. I made a promise to her and Eric that I would never go in the tanning bed again. I also decided that I needed to know about my own skin. So I went to the doctor hoping everything would be fine. I'm young, nothing like cancer could happen to me, right? Well, I guess I was wrong. I had to get two biopsys that day, on my stomach and my ear, with the instructions that I would know the results in about a week. I heard back from the doctor and they let me know I had to come back in to have more removed from my ear because it came back pre-cancerous and they wanted to make sure it was all gone. So, not exactly skin cancer (thank God!) but enough to scare me. Enough to make me more aware of the spots on my body so I can continue to monitor them throughout the year and start to wear sunscreen on a daily basis. I may feel less positive about my body image, but that will change over time. I am just happy to know that I am healthy, and I could have added years to my life by changing my ways.

Here is a picture of my wound...

Viewer Discretion is Advised ;)

Its Official!

I will know in exactly one week from tomorrow whether or not I will be attending Rollins in the Fall.

I have the GMAT on Thursday morning...

...the second interview for the GA job on Thursday afternoon...

...an interview to get into the program Tuesday afternoon...

And then I will know on Wednesday the 16th!!

I just want to keep everyone updated!

Wish me luck!

Results!

Got my hair cut :) What do you think??

Hair! Help!

Ok so I have quite a few pictures of hair styles that I am considering. They are all pretty different so any opinions would be greatly appreciated! So comment away!!















If any of you girls out there have any suggestions of something I don't have here, let me know!! Thanks :)

Change

Sometimes change seems like such a big deal whether it is life changing or you are just changing your hairstyle. People deal with change in different ways and other people just try to avoid it. I know people with a range of reactions to change. For me, I'm scared of it, but I try to embrace it anyways. Right now in my life, a lot of things are changing. I feel like I have mentioned change too many times in my blog but it is just something that is so in my face right now I can't get away from it and I don't really feel like I have an unbiased person to talk to about it.

What my biggest hope is is that people would be sensitive to other peoples tolerance to change. Whether that means letting someone who is very scared to talk openly about it without judgement or ridicule or that may mean someone who is excited for change to share their enthusiasm with someone who may be hesitant. Whatever the situation may be, each person should know that things will work out the way they were supposed to all along no matter how much you pull for things to stay the same or pull for things to drastically change. It takes compromise and communication.

I hate this feeling that I have. It is hard to explain without going into unneccesary detail. It causes a lot of negativity on my part and thats why it hurts but it causes a strong desire for me to wish with all of my heart that I could go back to being a little kid. Back to a time when I didn't really know a lot that was going on with the world. And when I say world, I mean the people around me, because when we are little, that is our world. I want to pull the wool over my eyes and act like I don't see the world. All I had to worry about was who was going to be able to play after school that day. That was nice...

I know this post may have a different tone than most but I can't help how I feel. I try to be supportive and I try to handle all the change that is going on - but I don't know if I can do it anymore. It is important to me for me and the people I love to be happy - but it is easy to feel when they are not happy, no matter if they are saying it or not. I hope this blog causes some people to think. Or perhaps, if you are reading this and I don't know that you read my blog, you may be going through some changes too. And I want to put it out there now that I am thinking about you - whoever you are. I hope that your changes go smoothly and that you realize everything happens for a reason. There is that phrase again - I mentioned it in my first post. It is something that a lot of people easily say - but when it comes to their own life, for some reason to them, the phrase doesn't count.

Well I just want to say - it does count. Everything does happen for a reason. Everything happens so that you can grow as a person no matter if you are 6 years old or 60 years old. There are still experiences left to happen in the world. It will be scary and it definitely will be out of your comfort zone. But that is why you have people around you that enjoy the change that are there to balance you out. They are there to be your comfort zone while everything around you may seem to be spinning out of control.

I really feel like I could go on and on about this. But I hope I've gotten one thing across - I know that all that matters is that we have the ones we love around us. No matter if they are next door or a few states away. Love doesn't know distance. And if you are afraid of change, that's okay - just know that keeping a positive outlook will help. That is what I'm doing when it comes to graduate school. Orlando is my home town but moving back there is scary to me. But I know that it is just a stepping stone in life and if it doesn't work out there I will just look forward to the next step after that. Life is full of lessons and what is the point of it all and what lessons will I learn if I don't take any risks. And if you are someone who thrives on change, then be there to comfort those who aren't. Help them to see the adventure and the positive aspects of the change without making them feel bad for the way they feel. It is about support.

I guess thats long enough for now...

I'm On My Way!

Well...i did it! Like promised, I submitted my application last night. My emotions have been up and down about graduate school for the past month when I finally decided that is what I want to do. On one hand, I'm so very excited to continue school and move down to Orlando. I am looking forward to learning more about myself and hopefully figuring out what it is exactly that I want to do. So many of my friends (and of course Eric) will be in Orlando, so that is definitely another plus.

On a side note: I think my parents are relocating to North Carolina. I'm really excited for them because I know all of the positives that will come from this move. But I am sad that they will be so far away, especially when I finally have the chance to move back to Orlando. But I know everything will turn out the way it was meant to. I am just not the best with change so it will definitely take some adapting but this is a life lesson that I am guaranteed to learn a lot from.

I'm hesitant about going to school because what if I go back to school and go through the two years of the program and at the end I still not know what I want to do. That is a big fear of mine. One of the essays I had to write for my application asked me to explain why I wanted to get my MBA now and how it fit into my ultimate career goals. Honestly, that was the hardest essay for me to write. So many people my age know exactly what they want to do and know the steps they have to take in order to get there. But! I also know a lot of people don't know exactly what they want to do - and that makes me feel better. I know that going to school will be a growing experience and I will be a stronger woman for going. But change is always scary, so there is that thought in the back of my mind of wondering if I'm doing the right thing.

I also found out yesterday that I am officially on the roster to play lacrosse for Rollins! There were a lot of hoops to jump through with NCAA but because of all the time the coach put into finding out if I could play, I am clear to definitely play my first year and hopefully my second year as well. I need to start practicing now - it has been over a year since I have even picked up my stick but I don't want to look like it when we start practice in the fall.

I also heard back from the interview I had for a job on campus as a Graduate Assistant (basically a Hall Director of one of the dorms). I have a second phone interview this week! Its for the other GAs to get to know me and let me know more in depth what they do. So I think thats a good thing! woo! :)

So like I said - I'm all applied so I decided to take this day and just do whatever I feel like doing, whenever I feel like doing it. Right now is 12:15 and I'm still in my PJs and I'm loving it! :)

Clever :)

So I was just (very randomly) thinking...

Do you find it ironic that the word "verb" is a noun?

:)

Anyways, so I think I'm submitting my Rollins application tonight and I'll be home free to just study for my GMAT.

I will know a week from today if I will be attending Rollins! Wish me luck!

MIA

Don't worry, I haven't forgot about you!

I just have to focus all of my writing abilities on my grad school essays. I have to finish them today or tomorrow so I can stop worrying about them!

So until then - keep me in your thoughts that I am getting motivation to finish them!

And when I do - I'll be bloggin' again :)