Harry Potter 7 Part 1

I forgot how much I loved Harry Potter until this past week. My roommate and I and my two best friends from State started watching all the movies on Sunday and finished on Thursday, just in time for the midnight showing of Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Out of all the movies, this one was definitely the most fantastic. So what I didn't get back to the dorm until 3:30am?? It was DEFINITELY worth the experience :) I can't wait for July now... Part 2 here we come!

Throw Away Day

Sometimes things happen in life that make us want to play hookie for a day. So today is that day for me. Don't worry, I'm still sticking with all of my homework and assignments, but class was not an option. So I slept in, took a long shower, and just relaxed. Everyone needs days like that and if you don't ever spontaneously decide to turn off your phone and breathe, I suggest you do. We can only go for so long before enough is enough anyway.

Crazy CORN

So today was the first official Corn experience for freshmen. Let me tell you, we went out there and totally blew everyone away. Upperclassmen don't expect a lot from the freshmen class because we're newbies and only have a couple of months to plan for Corn instead of a whole year like the upperclassmen do. I heard several upperclassmen say they were really impressed, and it's going to be interesting to see if we can beat the sophomores (please!) After can art, I definitely felt more excited than ever about cornhuskin'; I guess it might be because I've started EXPERIENCING it ;)

Writer's Block

By nature, I am a writer. I write for enjoyment, I write for therapy, and I write when I have nothing else to do. In the 3rd grade, I won a short story contest and by 5th grade I had written my first "novel." You get the picture-- writing is a huge part of my life. Right now, I have several novel ideas. But now when I sit down to write anything, there is a block in my head. It drives my crazy to sit down and want to write and then not being able to think of anything to put down on paper. Sometime I'm just going to ignore everything else and sit and write. Hopefully during Christmas break, I can accomplish what I want.

Take me Back to Portugal!

The summer before my Senior year of high school, I spent six weeks volunteering at Acampamento Palavra da Vida (Word of Life Camp). I could go on forever about that experience and tell you all sorts of stories, but to keep it short and sweet, it was by far the best time of my life. Sadly, most of the friends I made at the camp are from far away places like Portugal, Spain, Argentina, and Brazil. There is one friend however who lives in Georgia, and this weekend she came up to my home town to see me! It's been almost a year and a half, and it was so good to see her. She even brought me some Portuguese cookies like the ones we had at camp. So all in all it was a pretty good weekend (:

Provoke to Action

Nicholas Kristof speaking at Meredith College 9/20

I cannot speak for all of you, but one chapter of Half the Sky brought me to tears. Hearing Nicholas Kristof in person only made the emotions stir up more. Seeing something in black and white is one thing, but a color image on a wide screen in an auditorium is another. If that didn't get people's attention and tell them the free women of the world need to stand up and make a change. I came to Meredith to pursue a degree in the education field, and I am definitely more pumped than ever to get going.

Just a Small Town Girl

South Stokes High School Spirit Rock for Winter Homecoming 2009

My high school was made up of a grand total of 700 students... maybe. It's one of those schools where everyone knows each other, and even if you don't know each other personally, you know everyone's name and a little information about them. Last year, I would have told you I hated it. People are constantly in everyone else's business, and sometimes there is nothing to do without driving at least 30 miles. This weekend when I was home, I was driving down the winding country roads and realized I really missed my small town. Raleigh is huge-- and although I love the hustle and bustle of the city, going back to Walnut Cove, North Carolina gives me a feeling like no other. The connection that a small town brings is irreplaceable. Never did I realize before I'm a small town girl at heart.

Yes, this is downtown- ONE straight shot.

I Need SLEEP!

When Karen and Amanda told us they wanted us to watch this video on sleep, I knew I was doomed. There are many times that I can't fall asleep or stay up to accomplish tasks. However I know myself better than anyone (I hope...), and I know that when I don't get enough sleep, I function no where near the level I could. This video reaffirmed some facts I already knew, even though the studies they did were remarkable. I had no idea sleep affected almost every area of our entire life. After this I will definitely be getting more sleep each night. Well... except for Cornhuskin' week.

Surprising Haven

Usually when you think peace and serenity you do not think video game competitions and soda guzzling contests, but for me, my best friend's dorm room at State is the place I want to go when I need to get anything done. My best friends since middle school, Andrew and Andrew, are rooming together at State, and even though they are typical guys (like I said, video game competitions), their dorm is a perfect place for me to study or just relax.

Wives and Daughters

As an English major, taking English 111 with Dr. Colby, the head of the English department, is somewhat daunting. After adjusting to the class and Dr. Colby's grading style, I believed things weren't going to be as bad as I had originally thought. And I was completely right... except for the cursed "Wives and Daughters."

Dr. Colby is famous for assigning this serially published, 19th century book and all of her previous students warned me it was going to be a rough and dreary read. However I didn't realize how true that statement was until I fell asleep four times while reading the first four chapters. I now have to set alarms for myself just to make sure I finished the assigned reading.

By October, we will finished this dreaded book, and as long as we don't have a final exam on it, I may actually continue being a potential English major. 

Freshman (Again)

One week ago I transferred cities and began my four year journey at Meredith College. After celebrating all summer of being a graduated high school senior, I am now again at the bottom of the food chain. Some people may find this annoying and frustrating, especially after working so hard for thirteen years to earn his or her high school diploma. I tend to see it differently. Yes, I am a freshmen again, and yes, there are annoying factors to that, however this is a new beginning for all of us. The Class of 2014 at Meredith College and all over the world can begin their year with a clean slate-- they can be whoever they want to be, even if that person is completely different than the person they once were. Being handed a clean slate is not common.

Plus, there are some pretty cool things about dorm life :)