Thanksgiving Break

I have just come back to Johnson City from home in Nashville about 8 hours ago.  I'm so glad that I got to spend time at home.  I wish that I could go visit more often, but with school and work, it's a little difficult.  Anyway, to tell you about my break!

Ryan and I went home on Tuesday after I got out of my Physics test (the one thing that kept me in Johnson City for an extra day).  It was pretty late when we arrived in Nashville since we didn't leave here until about 7 (Eastern Time).  I couldn't tell you much about the traffic because I slept the entire way!  When I got home Mom and I talked for hours.  I don't think we even went to bed until 1:30 the next morning.  It was nice to catch up.

Wednesday, Christie flew in from Tampa that morning.  Daddy was off of work in the morning, so the entire family just hung around the house.  Dad went to work around 2 for his 16,18? hour shift!  Then us girls went to get our hair cut we went to eat at Toyama.  (Yay sushi!)  Again it was another late night.

Thanksgiving was great, as usual.  We had a little later of a Thanksgiving because Dad didn't get home until 8:30 that morning.  While he slept, Mom, Christie, and I cooked just about all of Thanksgiving dinner.  I cooked the Pumpkin cheesecake, jello pretzel thing, banana pudding (Mom's famous, secret recipe), deviled eggs and the potatoe casserole.  Mom claims I made a giant mess, but it was not too bad, nothing that a dog couldn't just eat off of the floor. ;)  (I'm trying, Daddy, to help you with you case for a dog!)  We ate Thanksgiving dinner around 1 at Grandmama's house.  It was very yummy.  I, again, ate WAAAAYYY too much and wore the wrong pants ;).  We then just hung around Grandmama's house until about dinner time.  We then packed up and went home to fix a plate (not me!) and watched Up.  Christie had wanted to see it since she got home, so we decided to do that.  It look amazing on Mom and Dad's high def. TV (Sony of course!).  It was a great story.  I will probably get it on Blu Ray sometime after Ryan sees it.  Then, after several late nights and a long day we went to bed.

Christie had a fairly early flight back to Tampa because she had to work on Black Friday, so we woke up early.   Luckily, Mom didn't want to go busting down the doors to the stores that morning!  We did shop all day (I know me shopping on Black Friday!  I swore I would never.).  We got a lot of things for Christmas.  I think we are pretty much done.  I still have a couple of things, but I will probably have to wait until payday.  :) 

Today was basically a traveling day.  As soon as we got back to Johnson City, we unpacked the car and I got ready for work.  This week has been a long, but great one.  It really did go by too quickly. 

Let's see, if I write what I am going to post about next time, I'm more likely to post...for next time:
-Christmas decorations
-Christmas shopping??
-Fabulous Christmas decorations at the Carnegie
-Induction? 
-whatever else comes to mind

Goodnight!

Wow. Twice in one week!

I know. I just blogged yesterday, but I'm in the mood to write and I have some time.  I've been at home all day because I have been feeling a little under the weather with a low-grade fever.  I'm hoping it will go away soon since I have to work tomorrow morning.  Ryan has been taking care of me for the past few days.  Anway, I'm sitting here curled up in my heavy blanket with Butch, who is sound asleep with his head resting on the arm of the couch.  I got online to get some inspiration.  I have a memoir due next week, but I have had very little inspiration, so I decided to look over some of my blogs and some of my mom's blogs hoping that maybe something will spark my eye.  It's always been pretty easy to write a blog, which in reality are just short memoirs.  The hard part about this particular assignment is that we have to incorporate various quotes that have caught our eye in our reading assignments.  Most of the quotes that I have picked are due to some bitter senitments that I feel are not worthy of writing a memoir over, but I won't elaborate on it.  Either way, writers' block sucks. 

So some other things that have been happening in life that may not be as big as in my last post.  Well, life has currently been filled with school and work.  If I'm not at school, then I'm at work.  If I'm at neither, then I'm probably torturing myself be sitting through meetings in which I have no speaking rights, watching TV that I have recorded because I'm too busy to watch the show live, or sleeping.  Lately at work they have been decorating for Christmas.  There are currently, since I've been in the hotel, 6 Christmas trees set up, and I have heard that there will be more!  I've never seen the Carnegie during Chistmas time, but I'm sure it will be beautiful.  Many of you might be asking yourself, isn't Jillian the one who can't stand to see anything Christmas before Thanksgiving?  Well, yes, that hasn't changed, but in this case I have no control.  :)  Besides, I'm ready for a little cheer in my life.  Who knows, when I gain a little strength maybe I'll start decorating the house for Christmas. 

For family that I haven't talked to recently, I turned in my medical school application.  After some long, tedious hours I have turned it in.  I'm waiting now.  I don't really know what is worse: filling out the application or waiting for a reply and hoping not to get that dreaded rejection letter.  Unfortunately, I have had a little bit of a pessimistic outlook on life recently.  I'm hoping for things to look up.  In the mean time, I am currently working on my application to osteopathic medical schools, thinking about a masters program that ETSU offers, TFA, and a potential job opportunity with PSP.  Who knows what is to come.

Anyway, I think that is all for now.  Sorry for kinda the gloomy, boring post.  I'm just bored.  If anyone has some ideas on what I should write about for my memoir, just leave a comment!  ;)

Catch Up

Ok.  So I'm still a slacker.  Oh well, at least I will be able to elaborate on just about everything that I listed in a previous post, so bear with me. :)

1) Posts about Fall Break
     Fall Break was fantastic.  I was able to get off work for a few days and go to Gatlinburg with Mom, Dad, Christie, Alex, and Ryan.  We had sooo much fun.  The cabin was wonderful.  The weather was pretty nice.  We did the usual and walked about the Gatlinburg strip.  We also went to a gun range to practice some shooting.  My favorite part of the whole break, other than getting to spend time with family and friends, was the food!  I missed Daddy's Filipino food and Ryan's grilling and Mom's desserts!  Hopefully we will get to get away again soon.

2) Posts about the fabulous new friends I have made in the past few months
     These friends would have to be from POLO.  I have made several amazing friends over the past few months.  This past Preview, I have gotten closer with several of the older leaders.  Even though I missed my co-leader, Shawn, very much, we still had a great Preview.  It's been great.  Since I went inactive from PSP, I have been able to spend more time doing things with POLO.  On Thursday, we have our Thanksgiving dinner, so maybe I will be able to put up some pictures from that!

3) Posts about Grey's Anatomy and Private Practive
     There's not much to say about it.  The Writers' blog has been less than, how do I say it nicely, entertaining this year.  Grey's Anatomy has been better the last couple of episodes, but the first few of the season were rough.  I have really enjoyed Private Practice though.  It's more like the original Grey's in terms of plot.  Remember it comes on tomorrow!!!

4) Posts about Halloween parties
     Ryan and I had a Halloween party on the night of Halloween.  We had a great turn out.  We had a lot of fun chatting, watching scary (and one not so scary) movies, and eating food.  We had some great decorations.  We had so much fun that we hope to host another party around Christmas time (hint, hint: Ugly Sweater/Secret Santa Christmas Party.  This idea came from some of my POLO friends last year.)

5) Posts, hopefully, about some amazing day trips
     Unfortunately, I have not been able to get away long enough to do some day trips.  Maybe sometime soon.  :(

6) Posts about my first true experience camping
     Again, no time.

7) Posts about the brilliant colors that the leaves display
     This year, the leaves changed after fall break.  It was pretty.  I think the leaves and the colors were prettier in previous years, but they were still nice!  Since Ryan and I live where there are lots of trees, there are leaves all around the house.  Many of them are bright yellow.  They are huge!  I haven't taken any pictures, but I know there are several on Facebook.  :)

8) Posts, well maybe just a mentioning, about a special license I'm about to receive!
     Well, I haven't had the money to do that yet.  :(

9) Posts about family updates!
     Mom is doing well.  She has been very busy working on the new catalog for her job.  Dad is doing well also.  He seems to be staying busy too.  You should look at Mom's blog to see what they have been up to.  They have had great fun with the fall leaves.  Christie is doing well.  I am sooo excited to get to see her in about a week.  She turns 20 on Saturday!  This makes me feel old.  Well, I have felt old since the beginning of the semester, but we won't go into that. ;)

10) Posts about Butch updates!
     Butch has been doing well.  He has loved all of the extra company that we have had over at the house.  A couple of weeks ago we had a little incident with our neighbor's son's pitbull.  When Ryan was walking Butch one morning, he saw the pitbull.  Well, Butch thinks he's a very larger Rotweiler, which obviously he's not, and decided to jump up to play with the pit bull.  Well, the playing lead to a bite that left a gash on Butch's should.  It looked more gruesome that it actually was, but we took him to the vet anyway.  With a little pain medicine and some anitbotics, he is healing well.  :)

11) Updates on how school is going
     School is almost done!  ;)  I have gotten to that stage where I am ready for new classes.  I have enjoyed these and I'm ready for new ones.  Next semester I will be taking Vertebrate Embryology, Animal Physiology, Philosophy of Art, and Writing/Literature/Technology.  I'm really looking forward to it.

12) Posts about Homecoming
     I had a lot of fun for Homecoming.  I participated with two groups.  The first event that I participated in was co-ed flag football with PSP.  It was so much fun, even though we were badly beaten.  The next event that I got to participate in was dodgeball with POLO.  It was so much fun.  We made it to the third round!  The last event was Homecoming King and QUeen campaigning for POLO.  Johnny, our POLO representative got Homecoming Prince!

13) Posts about anything! (I'm ending on this number because it is my favorite number! I know I'm weird, but if you would like to put it this way, it's Halloween season!)
     Well, I am officially caught up for now.  These are going to be a hectic few days.  I have to write a memoir, a video summary, and a manuscript for Cell Bio due next week.  I have a test next week too.  Hopefully, nothing else will come up soon.  Well, next time...maybe if I write a list then maybe I'll stick to the blogging...Thanksgiving dinner x3 (POLO, PSP if I decide to go, and the real one at home), trip back home, work, and the Ugly Sweater party!

Until then!

See I told You

See!  I posted that I would be better about writing a blog. ;)  Let's see how well I keep up with it this time.

Not too much going on this week.  I had a couple of tests, physics and cell biology.  One was fairly easy and the other, well, we will see on Tuesday.  :-/  Anyway, I do have a busy week ahead of me.  Well, kind of.  On Tuesday, I will officially have a Grand Little, when he receives his pin.  (I think it's Tuesday.   Don't freak out, Cade, if it's not Tuesday.)  His Big is soo excited and so am I because I get a Grand Little!!! I know some of you guys don't quite understand what's going on, just know that it is a fraternity thing.  Pictures will be posted later on! 

This weekend is when the fun begins.  On Friday, I have a wedding to go to.  My friend from the health clinic, Allyson, is getting married!!!!!!!!  I have heard wonderful things about her fiance and on Friday I will finally get to meet him.  It's a formal wedding, so I get to go dress shopping sometime this week.  ;)  Pictures from the wedding will be up sometime later too.  On Saturday, one of my little's, Carrie, is getting married!  Unfortunately I will be out of town, but I have already seen her dress and I know the wedding will be stunning!  I am soo excited for the both of them.  I wish them the best of luck!

This weekend, after I attend Allyson's wedding, I will be heading out with Ryan to Gatlinburg.  I will then meet my family there.  We don't really have any plans, but we do have a cabin there.  I am really excited about it.  There will be a lot of family time, great food, and a few surprises. ;)  Again, pictures will be posted later.  (Can you tell I'm going to try and work on my whole picture taking too? lol).  Anyway, that's all for now! 

What's to Come

Ok, now that I've updated the past three months of my life in the span of a few hours let's let the past be the past. October first. Here in Johnson City the weather is beautiful, or so I've heard. Fall is in the air. As some Preview leaders say fall air, the crisp leaves, the smell of new sweaters and hot chocolate are some of their favorite smells. I have not experienced them first hand yet because I have been couped up in the house due to the illness that almost every one of my co-workers have had. Today should be the last day. No fever, less nausea, a little bit stronger, almost over it. Hopefully I'm over it. So anyway, what's to come...

1) Posts about Fall Break
2) Posts about the fabulous new friends I have made in the past few months
3) Posts about Grey's Anatomy and Private Practive
4) Posts about Halloween parties
5) Posts, hopefully, about some amazing day trips
6) Posts about my first true experience camping
7) Posts about the brilliant colors that the leaves display
8) Posts, well maybe just a mentioning, about a special license I'm about to receive!
9) Posts about family updates!
10) Posts about Butch updates!
11) Updates on how school is going
12) Posts about Homecoming
13) Posts about anything! (I'm ending on this number because it is my favorite number! I know I'm weird, but if you would like to put it this way, it's Halloween season!)

Anyway, thanks to all that read my blog! Hope you enjoy. I promise that I will keep up with it! ;) (I know I always promise that, but maybe I'll actually keep it this time.) Leave me comments with questions, comments, what you think about my post, etc. It makes me feel good inside to know that someone out there is reading this! ;)

P.S. I saw up close 3 members of the Fray and actually talked to one of them, and NO I wasn't at the concert and I didn't see them on campus. ;)

September

Oh, September! One of the busiest months. Well, for me it seems like almost all of the months are busy. lol. The first weekend of September was awesome! Ryan and I got on a plane and headed to Destin where we would meet up with Christie, Mom, Dad, Grandmama, Uncle Wayne, and Shelley. I hadn't been to Destin since Paw Paw died, so it was quite a trip down memory lane. We ate at the Back Porch where almost all (Christie decided to be the odd ball) of us ordered the amberjack sandwich. YUM! We ate the cheese puffs at the Lucky Snapper. And of course, we spent several hours at the beach. Mom and I, as usual, got sunburned while Christie evened out her tan. This trip was about Grandmama. She had a blast! It was great to see her happy and in great spirits. Hopefully we can do this again.

Toward the beginning of the month, I made one of the biggest decisions that I will probably have to make the entire semester. I know many of you have heard that I am part of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. I have had many great memories and I have several amazing friends that I would not have met if it weren't for this organization. Well, the weeks leading up to school starting were rough. The week that I came back as an Active Member (the week after Labor Day) was awful. The next week I decided to go inactive. It was the hardest thing I had to do. I felt as though a step back from the drama (that I'm still being dragged into) and disrespect would be one step forward to an awesome senior year. I still have been working with the Initiate committee and participating in some service events, such as the Backpack Attack for Teach for America, but I hope to fully participate next semester. Let's just see how things go the rest of this one.

September for the most part has been school and work. Full time student with a full time job. Not too shabby. There has only been one crazy moment in September. Last weekend, on Saturday, I received a phone call around 11:30 AM, but I was in a class so I couldn't answer it. After getting out of class, nearly 5 hours later, I checked and my sister had called. Well, Ryan said she called him too. This was out of the ordinary. Most of the time when people call me and Ryan something is wrong. I called her and she picked up. I asked her what was wrong. "Um...um...I-I-I...um," she answer. "Ok. You can spit it out now. What's wrong?" I replied. "I-I-I'm..m..m..in..th-th-the hos-pit-al,"she stuttered. I broke down into tears. My bubbly, talks-a-lot sister, was stuttering for a reason I didn't understand. She slowly said she hit her head and that she was frustrated because she had so much to say but couldn't because it took too much effort. It all made sense to me why she called me, why Mom texted for me to call her when I got out of class and why she and Dad didn't pick up the phone when I called them back (they were on a plane headed to Tampa). "Pl-ple-please, do-don-don't cry," she begged, but i couldn't help it. I told her I would call her back so I could gain some composure. Here I was hundreds of miles away from my sister and at least 2 hours away from my computer (I was in Rogersville at the time) to search for the next flight out to Tampa from the hole-in-the-wall Tri-Cities airport! As hours passed by I got word from Mom and Dad that they were there and that she was okay. The next day she seemed to be doing better. I can't remember off of the top of my head, but she was discharged that day (or maybe the next). I've talked with her a few times since then and she seems to be doing well, other than a massive head and neck ache, which makes sense. So, if you were wondering about what was going on, now you know. Mom's blog has a little different perspective. I can't wait to see her later on this month! Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she heals. :)

August

August was a busy month. At the beginning of the month, I found that Christie was coming home, so I went home too! We had a great time. Great food, great shopping, and great company! One night we ate out with Grandmama, Uncle Wayne, and Shelley. It was Asian cuisine, and I thought it was okay, but we all enjoyed having dinner together once again. Daddy and Mommy took off work to hang out with Christie and me. It was nice. We went shopping all over the place. We got a few things for school and some other knick knacks. Above are some pictures from that week. Can you tell that our family loves Marble Slab and Red Robin?? Look how long my hair is in the first picture! Can you tell Christie has spent way too long in Florida by her tan (Gosh, Christie!). It was probably the greatest week of that month.

A week before school started, I received another week off; however, it is not how most people spend the week off. During that week, I began my final training as a Preview Leader. It was so much FUN!!! It was great to hang out with friends who I hadn't seen in forever (Kirsten, Scott, Johnny, my Co, Shawn, Ellen...) Although there was much time spent sitting through presentations, long hours of dance and skit practice, and eating Main Meal, I had a lot of fun. I got closer to several people that I would expect to. I was one of the leaders of Group 2. The students were great. I haven't seen many of them since school started, but I hope to get together with them soon! (I'm trying to get a date so we can grill out Group 2!) If you are on Facebook, check out the videos of the Preview Dance and of Risque Business. I'm in both! ;)

The last week on August, school started. I only have two on campus classes and two online classes. I never knew how awesome online classes were! I wish I would have found out sooner. Too bad there aren't any online Biology classes. I would have gotten my entire Biology degree online. In addition to school, I was preparing for several things to come in September!

July

I know. I haven't blogged in what it seems like years, but due to illness I have time to recap what has been going on in my life! First off, what do you think about my hair? This picture was taken at the beginning of June. Since then I have added maybe 3 more inches of hair. Slowly but surely. I can at least get it into a ponytail without having to use heavy duty gel. :)

July wasn't a very busy month for me. Most of the month consisted of working 40 hours a week at the Carnegie, which I didn't mind because I have a great job. I did have to work on July 4th, but that wasn't too bad. It was kinda slow at the hotel. Other than that I did get to work a little with Phi Sigma Pi and had a couple of booths during orientation. We will see how that turns out next semester (most of them were freshmen so they can't rush until next semester).

One thing that I was very honored to be a part of was I was a bridesmaid for one of my Brothers, Danielle Brewster. I helped with flowers and decorating the reception area. She was such a beautiful bride! I'm so glad that she invited me to share a part in her special day!

New Job ;)

Today was the first day at my new job, the Carnegie Hotel. I was hired last week. I get great hours and great pay. I love the job too! It is very similar to what I do at the health clinic for my scholarship job, except instead of patients, they are hotel guests.

I also took a tour of the hotel, and I must say it is absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend staying there, and I'm not just saying that because I work there. ;) We have some pretty great rates and packages. lol. Oh, I've gone into my little front desk associate bit. ;) Anyway, I just wanted to blog to let everyone know that I have started a new job and that I have a perfect first day!

Check out where I work at http://www.carnegiehotel.com

Tips for the International Traveler

Since Mom has gone into detail about our trip to Southeast Asia and there are plenty of pictures, many of which I have written captions for, I do not feel the need to write a blog for everyday that we have been out of the country. However, I do wish to blog about some things that I have learned or really been aware of along the trip. So, in this blog, you will find some tips, in no particular order, for anybody who plans to travel outside of the United States. Hope you enjoy.

1. Try not to be ethnocentric (Ethnocentric. Adj. characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior). You will learn a lot more and appreciate more when you have an open mind about the culture that you are visiting.

2. Research about where you are traveling. Know some basic information about the country you are visiting, for example, the type of currency, the type of government, the exchange rate, and special/interesting places to visit. If for some reason you do not have access to an Atlas or the Internet (which I doubt since you are reading this blog), ask someone. The more you know, the more you will appreciate some of the other information that you find along your vacation.

3. Be respectful. This goes back to doing a little research. For example, it is very acceptable and polite to shake the hand of a Filipino; however, it is uncomfortable for a Thai person to touch another person, especially foreigners. Simple things, such as a hand gesture or taking pictures of certain objects, may be offensive in a certain culture. Be sure to ask or find out what are the most common differences between the US and the country you are visiting.

4. If traveling to Southeast Asia, DO NOT rent a car. The traffic rules are very different. In fact, they are more like guidelines. Note: (specifically for Jesse K.) Asians drive extremely well. It is the Americans who have road rage, get in everyone’s way, and do not drive well.

5. If dealing with a foreign currency, bring a small calculator. It will help you with figuring out how much things are in US dollars.

6. Find out if bartering is acceptable in various places.

7. Either travel with a person who speaks the native language or get an English speaking tour guide. Often times it is easier to shop or order food outside of the hotel. You can also learn a lot more about the culture and the history of the country that you are visiting. Having a tour guide will also give you access to various venues/programs that are cheaper than those offered at the hotel.

8. Bring a journal. Jot down different facts about something you’ve learned. Write down locations that you wish you could have spent more time at. Write down various things you wished you would have purchased. Write down the places that you want to visit. Write down the dishes you liked. Write down anything you want. You never know when you are going to travel back to that country or what you will be asked when you get home.

9. Do not expect everyone to speak English. Speak clearly, not louder (just because they can’t understand you doesn’t mean they’re deaf), when speaking to someone who only has a limited knowledge of English. Note: A big smile often means that the individual has no idea what you are saying. ;)

10. Try different foods. In Bangkok, we saw many types of fruit that were very ugly fruit on the outside; however, they were very sweet on the inside. You never know what might taste good.

11. Also in regards to food, do not assume that you know what every dish tastes like. A picture of udon noodles in Bangkok may not have the same flavor as rice noodles in Manila.

12. Note: Just because a dish does not taste like it does in the US doesn’t mean that the dish is cooked wrong. In fact, what you have had before have probably been “Americanized”, even if it is cooked by someone from that country. (Example. All Chinese food restaurants in the US, even if prepared by a Chinese cook, have been modified to fit the American taste buds.)

13. Bring toilet paper. Not all bathrooms will have toilet paper, even in the malls and airports. Also in regards to bathrooms, bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Just think…if the water is not safe to drink and you wash your hands in that water and then eat, then what was the point?

14. Bring earplugs. This sounds like a really crazy idea, but when you don’t bring them, you will find yourself next to a screaming 5 month old because it is tired and hot and hungry, and you are tired and hot and hungry too and all you want to do is sleep, but you can’t thanks to the screaming baby. Trust me. It’s nice to have them handy just in case.

15. Be brave. Leave the hotel. Don’t spend time hanging out at the hotel pool if you are in the middle of the city. There are plenty of things to see outside the hotel.

16. If it is safe, go to the market. You can find many things at very cheap prices. You will also be able to find very unique items that make great souvenirs.

17. Do not talk American politics. Even though in the United State an Obama supporter can sit next to a McCain supporter in peace, it may not be that way in other countries. Be careful and respectful of what you say about American politics.

18. If you find a unique piece of clothing or different smelling perfume, buy it. It may be in style 6 months to a year later in the States. This is your time to be fashionable for much cheaper than you would find back at home.

19. Appreciate the things back home more. We take so much for granted. Take an opportunity to reflect on what we take for granted back home. It will make your vacation more regarding.

20. Be a tourist. Take pictures. Ask questions. Try new things. 9 times out of 10, the locals will know that you are visitor whether you act like it or not. Might as well get as much out of the experience as you can.

21. Lastly, have fun!

Well. That’s 21 tips from the 21-year-old. I have had a lot of fun traveling and it has truly been a blessed experience. I cannot wait to come back to the Philippines. I will probably write more about various aspect of my trip when I get back home. Have a wonderful week!!! ;)

Much love,

Jillian

A Simple Thanks Will Do

When is the last time you said thank you? I mean really think. When did you say thank you and honestly meant it? Or was the last time you said thank you was because you felt guilty? Did you say thank you because everyone else was doing it?

Over the course of the past semester I have, along with several others, worked hard. Poured my heart and soul into a lot of things. Some may think that I do things to make myself feel better. Some think that I do it to receive praise. Some think that I do things irrationally. But most of the time, I do things because I care, not about myself but about others. That may seem a little conceited, but it's true. I love helping people. I love making people smile and give people the opportunity to have fun. I grew up in a family who always planned fun things and always did things for my benefit, either for me to learn, to give to my community, or to bond with those that surrounded me.

However, there is one small part of my experience from this semester that aches my heart. I've seen hard work gone without a single thank you. I've seen people put their sweat and tears into planning things or doing things for others and yet they receive no gratitude whatsoever. I, myself, have experienced it. Have I heard thank you in the past few weeks? Yes, I have; however it is from those who don't have to say thank you because they show their gratitude. Remember, actions speak louder than words. I have also heard thank you from those who felt guilty about maybe hurting my feelings, which I don't truly find sincere.

Why am I writing this? Well, two reasons. First, I almost made a terrible mistake. I was very upset about some things and I had decided that I would step down as team captain for my Relay for Life team. I figured why plan something that I truly care about to get my heart broken by those who don't simply say thank you for anything, big or small. I had my mind made up. I told my closest friends and my mom. I was going to quit. Then, yesterday I received a beautiful letter than touched my heart and made me cry. It was from my wonderful grandmother. She thanked me and told me how proud she was of me for being a team captain in memory of Paw-Paw, my grandfather who died of cancer when I was 9. I realized that I was so upset that I lost sight of why I was relaying. Needless to say, I am still team captain of my Relay team. I have turned a new leaf and have found new excitement in planning Relay this year. I'm not going to let anyone stop me from having the best time and the best Relay for Life team.

Secondly, I am writing this to make people aware. I want to make people aware that a simple thanks will do. Just a thank you for making dinner. Thank you for worrying about me. Thank you for spending so much time trying to fix something that went wrong. Thank you for caring. Not a thank you because I screwed up and I feel like I have to say thanks. Not a thanks with a tone of a 5 year old telling their parents sorry for disobeying, but a thank you. If that's too much to say, then show it. Give someone a hug. Wash the dishes. Smile. Spend time with the one who you want to thank. Anything. Just remember, a simple thanks goes a long way.

To all who read this, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this. Thank you all who have truly appreciated me and thank you for being my driving force.

Valentine's Day

This post will be about how wonderful my Valentine's Day was. Ryan and I spent the whole day together. It was great. We got to sleep in and when we woke up we went to Ihop for brunch. It wasn't too crowded, which was nice. We spent about an hour just talking and eating. It was a very enjoyable breakfast/lunch.

After brunch, we headed over to Austin Springs Spa. We had a spa day, including a couple's massage! It was great. The ambiance was amazing. There were rose petals everywhere, and it was just a great relaxing environment. The staff was great too. They were so ready to make Valentine's Day so special for all of the couples there.

We spent a good three hours at the spa. After that, we went to Olive Garden, which was crazy!!! There were a ton of people there, but we decided to wait the hour and a half since we were craving Olive Garden for weeks. As soon as we got seated, the service was excellent. The food was awesome, and the company was as expected fabulous. We took our dessert to go and spent the rest of our evening just watching tv at the apartment.

This was a wonderful Valentine's Day. Ryan and I had been planning this for a while. It was our Christmas/Valentine's Day/6 year anniversary present to each other. Can you believe it? 6 years in less than a month! It was a great day to just stop and be with each other without having to worry about anything.

Well, that's all for right now! Blog later!

This Past Week

Well, as most schools, ETSU had a holiday on Monday due to MLK Day. Well, little did I know, but Tuesday, we got another day out of school due to...SNOW!!

When I woke up on Tuesday, there were at least 4 inches on the ground. The roads had been icy all weekend, so we all figured we would get out of school at least for that day. Later that morning, Elizabeth, Marc, and I went sledding down one of the hills at the apartment complex. After some sledding, Marc showed us how to make a real snowman, not some dinky one that would only be 6 inches talk. Our snowman was huge! It was taller than me! It is the biggest snowman ever. (See pictures on Elizabeth's Facebook. I'll put mine up sometime.) After playing in the snow, we had some coffee. It was nice.

Let's see. Yesterday was classes as normal. Nothing too terribly exciting. Yesterday afternoon Ryan, Courtney, and I went and put up the bulletin board and flyers for Phi Sigma Pi rush for next month. That was fun. I will stop there about the fraternity stuff because I will just get upset because, if you didn't read my last post go read it, problems have not been resolved and probably won't ever get resolved due to...nevermind. I need to stop.

On a much more productive and entertaining note, tonight Sara and Courtney should be coming over to watch Grey's and Private Practice. It should be pretty FUN! They, including Ryan, are at their Kaplan class right now while I'm taking care of Butch and trying to stay warm. It's been fairly nice because homework hasn't been too bad yet, which is fine with me! Tomorrow should be pretty uneventful as well, but I'm excited to see the weekend!

Hope everyone has a lovely rest of the week and weekend. I should blog sometime next week. ;)

I need some advice

When you read this, please leave a comment or e-mail me. Thank you.

Ok. Two days before the hardest semester I will ever encounter. Part of me is extremely excited and the other part is terrified, but I'm ready. I'm ready for the challenge.

This is not what I need advice about. It's something that could make this semester better or worse. Growing up, I learned that if there is something worth fighting for, then fight for it. I have kept doing that through my life, however, I have hit a serious road block that makes me want to quit fighting. Now before some of you jump to the conclusion that it is in regards to medical school, have no fear. My dream has not changed. It's actually incredibly small and superficial and yet it has been the hardest thing I have dealt with in the past six months.

As many of you know, I joined a National Co-Ed Honor Fraternity. It has truly changed my life. I have very close friends who I met through the brotherhood. I am more involved in activities and I enjoy classes more because I have study buddies who happen to be my brothers. However, last semester a major conflict rocked our chapter's world. Honestly, nothing has changed. There is a particular individual who has personally attacked me and I feel like I should not verbally respond in fear that I might say something that shouldn't be said. (If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.) That's all I will say about the extent of the issue since it is a personal issue between brothers.

Over the break, the issue was dropped, until 2 days ago. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I feel as though I should stand up for myself since I, as well as several others, have been wronged, but I also feel as though I just want to quit. I have more important things in my life that require my attention. I've invested too much time to quit the fraternity, but the lack of accountability and support from other brothers have made me wonder if it is really worth it. I'm just having a hard time. What do I do? Do I fight? Do I risk saying something that shouldn't be said? Do I end up losing the friendship I have with some of the brothers that have become some of my closest friends? Or do I forget it entirely? Move on? Quit? I don't know.

I know, this is a childish, superficial post, but really that is all the argument is. I don't feel as though I did anything wrong. No, I know I didn't do anything wrong. You know when you're little and you do something that you weren't supposed to do, but you told your parents that you didn't do it, but deep down you feel guilty because you know it was wrong. Yea, it's not like that. I don't feel guilt for anything I've said or done. So why is this so hard? I don't know. Just leave a comment and give me a little advice as to what to do. What has worked for you if you have been in this situation? What would you do if you were in my situation? Now's the time I need advice that Yoda would give Luke Skywalker or Mr. Miyagi give to his Karate Kid. Seriously. Please comment.