Saturday, December 31, 2011

Good-bye, 2011

Well, this has been an interesting break so far. And this whole year has just been something else. Let's do a quick recap.

In 2011:
-I changed my major.
-I saw way more doctors than I really cared to.
-I think I actually bonded with people.
-I lost just over 25% of my body weight.
-I learned how to say "no".
-I started to attempt the art of baking.
-I realized what a great community I've been blessed with.
-I gave up on some draining "friendships", and
-I built some better ones.
-I missed my best friend like crazy.
-I learned that even though we're used to being a long-distance couple, it gets harder all the time.
-I learned that I don't have as many limits as I thought, but also that
-I'm not SuperWoman.

I smiled, I cried. I laughed and sang. This has probably been the best year yet, and that makes me excited to see what comes in 2012.


Being the planner that I am, I've already been thinking about 2012 and what I'm expecting and looking forward to.
-Getting a roommate.
-Growing in everything.
-Loving more.
-Learning more.
-Trusting more.
-Finally getting answers about my back.
-Actually taking time to slow down.

And hopefully, those answers will be coming in the next few weeks. That's all I'm going to say right now, because I still feel like I don't know anything. As I am typing this, I am literally waiting on a phone call that will tell me what my next step is and what my near future will hold. Fun, right?

For 2012, I decided that I'm going to keep a gratitude journal. To keep ourselves accountable, my friend and I will both blog about some of our entries at least once a week. I am definitely looking forward to doing this! I'm getting myself a nice journal tonight so I'll be more motivated to keep up with it. Another fun project I'm wanting to do is keep a "memory jar" to go through next year on New Year's Eve. (There are so many good ideas on Pinterest!)

So, here we go. Just 7 hours left of 2011, and I am looking forward to the adventures that are ahead of me. Happy New Year!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Back after a long absence

Well, hi there! It's been a while since I've last posted. Since the end of August, I've just been going nonstop with school and everything. So, here's to playing catch-up!

On my Weight Loss:
     I have now lost over 50 lbs, and I am smaller than I ever thought was possible. This week, I bought a pair of jeans...in a size 4. My very first pair of size 4 pants. I am still shocked, even though I'm wearing them right now. I cannot thank God enough for the courage to start this journey, for the self-control to continue it, and the determination to carry it through even when it got hard. I'm not exactly done yet - I still have 4 or 5 lbs to go - but I'm getting closer every day.
     There are days and times when I look into the mirror and shock myself. I don't know if I just forget how I look, or if my mirror is playing tricks on me. But sometimes, I look into the mirror, and it looks like I'm tall and skinny. And I like it.
     It's been a struggle recently to not be "afraid" of food. I don't mean that I've been terrified of food, like I think it'll attack me or something. But when I would be faced with a situation where I didn't prepare my own meal, or I didn't have a chance to look up the restaurant's nutrition info before going, it would make me very nervous. I'm working on growing out of that, but I know that it will be a lesson to be re-learning for months to come. I am making progress, though.

On school:
     Classes are going well! I passed the piano proficiency exam last week, so I was very happy about that. I'm singing next Friday for regional NATS, so I've been working hard to prepare for that. I got some really positive comments from the judges at local NATS a few weeks ago.

On everything else:
     I've been experimenting in the kitchen these past few weeks. Mostly just trying out recipes that I find online. So far, I've had a lot of success, and my current thing to make is cinnamon applesauce. I could easily eat my weight in that stuff and be perfectly content. I love spending time in my kitchen and preparing meals. I can't wait until I "grow up" and actually have someone to cook for besides just myself.

And now, it's back to the practice room!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I love Sunday afternoons.

This morning, the worship pastor at my church (my school church) gave an awesome message. Therefore, my morning was awesome. After a good lunch with friends, I'm now back in my apartment relaxing and doing homework until I go to bed. Sunday afternoons always seem like a good time to just reflect, and think, and notice things. One thing I do is make mental lists, like these:

Things I Like
     -scented candles (vanilla is my current fave)
     -the morning sun shining into my apartment
     -pumpkin (actually, I love it.)
     -baking
     -reading in the sunlight
     -Brad Paisley
     -doing laundry and dishes
     -hugs
     -making lists

Apartment To-Do's
     -find some sort of throw pillows for the futon/couch
     -decorate my bedroom wall (ideas, anyone?)
     -finish decorating my living room
     -fill the empty picture frame on my bookshelf
     -coasters

General Goals and To-Do's
     -take more pictures!
     -slow down and relax more
     -day trip to Branson or Silver Dollar City
     -try something that scares me
     -smile.
     -be more crafty
     -get to goal weight
     -learn how to dress cute/fashionably

Things I'm Excited About
     -Lunch Buddies this year!
     -Fall weather, fall clothes, and fall in general
     -pumpkin puree being back on store shelves
     -having long nails for the first time since 3rd/4th grade
     -going home this coming weekend
     -my new voice teacher! so excited.

Somehow, I only make these mental lists on Sunday afternoons. Weird, huh? If you're looking for a weight-loss update, I have now lost 43 lbs. Only 13.6 more until I reach goal!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

No More Summer...

School starts tomorrow! Excited and dreading it at the same time. But, I'm completely moved into my apartment! I've been here for a few days now, and I'm loving it. I'm adventuring in the kitchen (nothing too crazy), I have my stuff where I want it, and I just have to figure out how I want to decorate, because I currently have no clue. Any ideas?

My weight loss is definitely starting to slow down. I've lost 41.6 so far, and I still have 15 to go. Since I've obviously been there for the entire thing, I forget how much my appearance has changed. I had 3 different people tell me that they didn't recognize me today! How crazy is that??

Oh, and you know how I said that school starts tomorrow? Well...I'm starting off my sophomore year with a changed major. My back was just getting too bad, so I am now a vocal music ed major instead of an instrumental music ed major. It was a really hard decision. And I do mean that. But I've decided to view this as a new opportunity rather than as a limit on my life.

Hopefully I'll have some positive things to post next weekend. If you remember, or if you have time, please pray for me this week that I might be comfortable in my own skin and confident in the abilities that God has seen fit to bestow upon me.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

16 weeks and 39 lbs Skinnier

I just want to start off by saying that this was a hard post to do. I've been thinking about it for awhile now, and I need to just bite the bullet. So...

Here I am. I started Weight Watchers 16 weeks ago, and I've come a long way. To show you just how far I've come, I grossed myself out and went looking for a picture to show you of how I looked "before."

This picture was taken just after my family arrived in Hawaii, December 2010. (from left to right, me, my sister Valerie, my sister Lisa)


At this point, I probably weighed somewhere around 190 lbs. I felt gross, and I had been wanting to join WW for a few months already. I just never managed to work up the nerve. Over the next few months, my weight snuck a little higher. I started hanging at 195-196, and those were very scary numbers to me. I was 19 years old. I stood 5'6". And I weighed almost 200 lbs. There was no way that I could let that happen.

I started out just trying to eat better on my own. Like most people trying to diet, I kept saying, "Oh, I'll start tomorrow (next week, a different day)." When I managed to discipline myself a bit more, I ended up eating a lot of salads, which didn't work for me at all. (I was on a really weird schedule with classes and eating, and the dining hall seemed to never put out fresh salad. Can I just say that lettuce that has been sitting out forever is gross? Because it is.)

So, in April, I went to dinner with one of my friends, and found out that she was doing WW. And that was the final push that I needed. I didn't have to go to meetings alone! So, April 16th, I got up early and went to a meeting at the crack of dawn. The leader introduced me to the program, and I learned about what was really going to work. No fad diets. No crash diets. Just real people, and real food.

From that day on, I started eating better, eating smarter, and exercising. I still indulge every once in awhile, I'm just smarter about when and how much. In fact, I've found that I can't eat too much of anything even halfway rich anymore. It's just too much! Besides, any "diet" where you completely restrict yourself is doomed to fail. You can't deny yourself all the time. It sets you up for failure. So, I just plan ahead for indulging. Or I get to the Muny and decide that instead of the pretzel I was thinking about earlier, I'm going to have the chocolate-covered cheesecake instead. And that's ok.

But anyway, here I am 16 weeks after joining Weight Watchers. Right now, I've lost:

  • 39 lbs 
  • about 3 or 4 pants sizes
  • 3 dress sizes
  • at least 2 shirt sizes
And I've gained a lot of confidence. I still have 20 lbs to go, but I already feel so much better about myself. I'm not afraid of the mirror anymore!


current weight: 157.6 lbs

Monday, July 25, 2011

Wrapping up July

Well, it seems like the summer has just managed to slip out from between my fingers. I mean, really, where did it go? Two weeks from now, I'll be moving my furniture into my apartment, and in one month, I'll be back in school! And I'm not even done with my summer school until the end of this week...

I've been slacking on my exercising lately, but I'm not letting that happen anymore. Last week I was traveling between Springfield, Jeff City, and home, so trying to fit in a run just stressed me out more. Now that things are finally slowing down for a second, though, I can get myself moving again.

My weight loss has still been going well. I have now lost a total of 35.6 lbs, and I'm thinking of changing my goal weight. I am honestly curious to see if I can get lower than 145 (my original goal). If I can, then fantastic! If not, then I'll have learned what my body can and cannot do.

I'm still finding clothes to be both fabulous and frustrating. Although I now have a much wider range of options, I still haven't really figured out how to dress my new figure. Maybe that can be cured with a day at the mall? But lately I've been altering and taking in some of my clothes so that I can still wear them (like my two "church dresses"). Aside from that, everything that doesn't fit anymore and isn't worth altering is either being donated or re-sold.

Since I'm going to have approximately 2 weeks of summer, I've decided to make them count. Next week, I go to Branson with my mom and sisters for 5 days. Then, I get to come home and head back to Springfield the next day with my boyfriend so that we can get my furniture moved into my apartment. (I'm hoping to squeeze Branson in there again, too.) Hopefully I'll find someone to help us move everything in, since my back has really been bothering me again in the past few weeks. And maybe I'll even get to see some friends while I'm there! Then after this, I come home again, work a 4-day shoot, and then get ready to move back for real. So much to do, and so little time!

I'm really looking forward to what this year has to offer. So many opportunities to make new friends, and to see the sweet girls I already know and love. More opportunities to serve and love on the community. And I absolutely cannot wait.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Ramblings

My last post was sort of (well, really) whiny. To fix that mindset, I stood in front of the mirror every morning and complimented myself. It had to be something different each day, and it had to be sincere. After all, if I wouldn't lie to one of my friends, why should I lie to myself?

Doing this has made me realize a lot of other things that I've done, or things that are different than before. For example, I can tolerate more foods now--like milk! Before, I couldn't stand the stuff. It had to be chocolate milk, or I had no chance of being able to force it down. And then there's that other food I've been working on, sushi. I have wanted to like sushi for what seems like an eternity. I mean, it always sounds like a good idea. And today, I had a California roll again for the first time in a few months, and I liked it! This girl is excited. Another newly appreciated place is Starbucks. I am so excited to be getting closer to drinking real coffee.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to force myself to start liking everything that I want to. Carrots? Nope. I want to like carrots, I really do. After all, they're good for you, and they're an easy snack food. I just can't do it, though. Don't get me wrong, I'll still eat them in the hopes that maybe I'll like the next bite. But I'm still waiting.

This morning, I had my entire life for the next semester flipped upside-down. One of my best friends has decided that she won't be going to my school next semester. I'm thrilled that she's found something that she really wants to do (go to pastry school). I've been praying about that for ages. I was just really shocked that she hadn't told me until now, when she's known for 2 or 3 weeks already.

I think the biggest thing about that, though, was that I realized that this just may be another lonely semester. I don't know why I'm so broken. I don't know why I have trouble connecting with people and bonding. I don't know why I have so much difficulty making friends. This pity party is now over.

I've also decided that I need to start standing up for myself. Completely unrelated, but I would love it if someone would keep me accountable and ask how that's going.

I get the keys to my apartment on Monday! Moving little stuff down with my mom right away, then moving everything else who-knows-when. Either whenever my dad can do it or whenever my boyfriend can. It'll get done though. I'm not allowing myself to freak out about the fact that my summer is disappearing and has basically disappeared already.

32 pounds down!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

[Heavy Stuff]

I've been realizing some things lately. As much as I don't like to admit any of this, I feel like I have to get it out in the open. I'm not sure who to turn to about it in real-life, so this is as close as I'll ever get to actually admitting these weaknesses.

The more weight I lose, the more time I spend in front of the mirror.

I hate seeing pictures of myself from before, when I was fat[ter]. (pretty much any picture summer 2010-now)

The thinner I get, the more time I spend on my hair and makeup every morning.

Even though I should be happier with my appearance, I keep finding more flaws.

I have a love-hate relationship with my body. (current status: moderate-to-strong dislike)


I'm afraid, because I don't know how I'll look after I've reached goal. What if I look like some sort of freak?


I don't know how to dress a thin[ner] body. I've never done it before.


I'm afraid that as I get thinner, I won't want to dress modestly.


I'm afraid that I'm setting a poor example.


Sometimes my reflection makes me want to cry.

I think I'm allowing my weight loss to be an excuse for vanity.


I still feel like I'm not [good, skinny, pretty, kind, smart] enough.


What if I can't love myself, even after all I've been through? I've really been struggling lately. I'm having a hard time accepting myself, and I know that probably affects how others see me, even though I try to hide it.

Right now, I need one thing: prayer. Because of this struggle, I'm having a hard time praying about it myself. So if you get a chance, or if you happen to remember, please pray for me. I need it.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Snickerdoodle Days of Summer

Lately, I've picked up a new hobby of constantly thinking about crafting, baking, and recipes in general. I don't know if this is because I'll be moving into my apartment in a few months or if I'm finally realizing how cool these things are.

One of my current obsessions is cupcake and cookie recipes. I've started following some blogs, and there is just so much cool stuff! Last night, I finally broke down and baked up a storm. My sister and I had the house to ourselves, so we did what any teenagers would do...we took over the kitchen!

The first experiment of the night was a batch of snickerdoodle cupcakes topped with snickerdoodle cookies. I got the idea and recipes from that link, but we used a different icing recipe, which I'll post when we get around to it.

The cupcakes went together pretty uneventfully. My part of the process went off without a hitch.


Valerie ran into some trouble with spooning out our cupcakes, though. Let's just say that some of them weren't very pretty.


The pretty ones turned out well, though.


As soon as we had those on the cooling rack, we moved onto the cookies. Once again, they were easy enough to make.

 There was no cinnamon in the cookies, so I made sure to roll them in plenty of the cinnamon sugar. I like my snickerdoodles to have a good kick to them.


Cheesin' while scooping out the dough.



And here are our pretty cookies! Val made up the frosting while I started on the blueberry muffins. Before I get any further, let me warn you: these muffins are usually done after about 15 minutes, instead of 20. They always come out really light and they don't look like they're done. But as i learned the hard way, if they're starting to get golden on top, they're probably burning, too. 

I made a batch of regular ones, and then I made a second batch and added the zest of two lemons. I don't think there was enough lemon in it, though...next time, I'll add more. Maybe experiment with a larger amount of lemon juice?


 Here's the icing recipe that we used:

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups margarine, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter at medium speed of an electric mixer; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add milk; beat until spreading consistency, then stir in vanilla. Yields about 3 cups.

What Val's doing here is piping icing onto the cupcake, topping it with a cookie, and then topping it off with another dollop of icing. (Actually, in this picture, she's messing around with the extra cookies.) Then, we sprinkled some of the cinnamon sugar left over from the cookies onto the iced cupcakes.



 And, here we are! These Snickerdoodles are ready to eat.


And the muffins don't look too bad, either!


All in all, I'd say it was a fun night. Probably a diet-blowing night, but still a fun one.

Milestones and Changes

Well, first things first. I feel like running and shouting this from the rooftops, but...

I reached the 25 lb milestone!

Actually, I've lost 28 lbs as of yesterday, and I don't think I could possibly be more excited. I've also dropped 3 pants sizes. Even better, I have a wonderful mom who is willing to take me shopping so that I have clothes that fit at all stages of my weight loss. She is fantastic, and so supportive, and I don't think I could have made it this far if she hadn't been doing this with me. (Sorry, had to brag on her a bit.) But 28 lbs? That's what my backpack usually weighs (it's pretty heavy), and I sure don't like lugging that around all the time. I'm really starting to be able to tell that I've lost weight, too. When I look in the mirror, there are more differences now than ever before. For example, my dresses don't get hung up on my hips anymore! I was pretty excited about that. After all, who doesn't like to look good in their clothes?

In other news, I got a haircut! I was trying to grow it out, but I just wanted to do something different for myself now since I've lost so much weight.


It curls better! The only bad part is that I have to straighten my bangs every day, otherwise I look weird.


That reminds me. Does anyone have any good tips to avoid getting zits where my bangs lay? Would letting up on the hairspray do the trick? Or should I take a few days each month and pull my bangs off of my face? Anybody been here before?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Re-discovered Inspiration

I came across this today while tidying up my laptop. It made me smile, because one of my friends sent me this exact paragraph when I was struggling with connecting to people this year.

Yes, Emily, you ARE different. In fact I don't know a single person quite like you. Some share the same love for music, or have a good temperament nearly all the time, but I can say without a second thought that you are separate from all others. Everyone is in some way (which I know is a textbook saying), but whether that difference makes us a better person or worse person is what counts. They never care to mention that everyone "being special in their own way" can sometimes be a special on the wrong side of the playing field. The good news is, however, you're all in the right side of the playing field. While you may be far different from me, having different interests and the like, I still hold you as my friend. Differences don't keep us apart, it's just those around you who are missing out by not enjoying you for those differences. You may find you're just not talking to the right people yet if the ones you're around now are causing you to question yourself.

It just gave me some inspiration, and I hope that I don't forget this again.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

June has arrived, and so have small victories!

Well, looks like June showed up while I wasn't looking. Where does the time go? My summer classes started today (History and Lifetime Wellness), and from looking at the syllabus for each class, it seems like Lifetime Wellness won't be bad, while History is going to be a bear. Good news is, my wonderful boyfriend is good at history and has already agreed to help me study. Hopefully that will make it less of a chore.

So far, my summer has been filled with running, sun, and buying smaller clothes. I feel so limited right now, because I have two pairs of shorts that fit me. I've been trying to pad my wardrobe by wearing any and all sundresses I have, but that isn't working out so well. This morning, I went to put on my favorite sundress only to find that it is now much too big for me. I told myself that it was no big deal, that I'd just wear a dress from last summer. I put it on and realized that I was drowning in the fabric. So here I am, wearing my third choice of sundresses and wondering what to do about clothes for the rest of the summer. Hopefully I have some friends that are the same size as me and would be willing to loan me clothes. If not, I'll start looking for a good thrift store around here or just ride it out until I visit Springfield or until August when I'll be sure to buy clothes that fit. Even though this is increasingly annoying, it's got to be a good thing, right?

I had a non-scale-victory this morning, too. Since it was already 85 degrees when i was ready to go running at 7:30, I stayed inside and ran on the treadmill instead. I'm really glad that I did, because I got to see how far I've already come. Just a month ago, I could barely run a quarter of a mile. Today, I ran a full mile without stopping, and I want to see if I can do better the next time I use the treadmill. Normally, I do all of my running and walking outside. My street is 2.4 miles from my house to the end, back to the other end, and then back to my house again. There are several large hills in there, so I get a pretty good workout. When I started doing this route a month ago, it took me 45 minutes to finish it. Now, I'm doing the same route in just a little under 30. I am very excited about this progress, and it just goes to show that success in weight loss doesn't necessarily have to come from the scale.

I am so excited about all of this. My friend and I might be going swimsuit shopping this week, so we'll see how that turns out!

Any tips for making the most of my weight loss or new-found fitness?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

May so far...

Well, there have been good things, bad things, and  realizations. Here's a quick summary:

Good

  • I'm home.
  • I finally get a chance to relax.
  • My boyfriend is fantastic. I am SO incredibly blessed to have him in my life.
  • I've lost 15 lbs since April 16!
Bad
  • Stress.
  • Bad hair days. (I know, that one is stupid.)
Realizations
  • When you're growing your hair out, good hair days are very few and very far in between.
  • I will never complete my daily to-do list. I just put too much stuff on it.
  • This summer will either make me or break me.
It just seems like there has been so much going on in the past month, but I just can't manage to think of anything! Still looking for a Zumba class for while I'm at home, hopefully I find one soon. I am absolutely loving this sunny weather, and I hope it's here to stay! :)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Making Some Changes!

Well, there is some stuff going on in my life! The first thing is that I've started Zumba. I love it! My church started offering a class, and I'm definitely going to enroll in another one when I get back home. It's so much fun, and you don't even notice that you're working out until your sides start hurting haha.

Also, I'm starting Weight Watchers this Saturday. I'm nervous. I mean, I'm 19 and I'm starting Weight Watchers? That just doesn't sound right. I'm also really intimidated, because I've been crunching some numbers lately. In order to get to a healthy BMI, I need to lose about 25% of my current body weight. That seems huge. And scary. And very hard. But I really want to do this. I want to look good, and more importantly, I want to feel good and treat my body well.

I've also started reading a really good book. It's called "Captivating." I can't remember who it's by, though...Ask me if you're interested and I'll get the author's names to you! It's really been wrecking me (don't worry, that's a good thing) and giving me a new perspective on things. Loving it!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

I am SO Blessed.

Let me repeat that... I am so incredibly blessed beyond belief. Just during this past week, I've been reminded of the awesome Christian women in my life. I have such great role models and people to guide me when I don't know where to turn or how to ask for help.

I have Marcia, who writes me letters every week. I look up to her a lot. Since she's my boyfriend's mom, she's sort of the closest thing I have to a Christian mother.

And I have Sara, who has just been so sweet to me. She's brought me into her home for dinner, and has always made herself available to me whether I need a shoulder to cry on or someone to encourage me.

There's Kara, who has been in my life since June 2008. I never realized how blessed I was to have her until just recently. How could I have been so blind?

Then of course, there are the girls who are my peers. Even though we're around the same age, I know I can still go to them for guidance and they'll do their best to guide me from where we're all at.

I don't know why I am blessed with so many encouragers, but please, just don't let me take them for granted!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Where has the time gone?

Second semester is almost over? Really? It seems like time has just flown. This semester has brought both trials and rejoicing. We'll start with the bad news just to get it over with quickly. Like a Band-Aid.

My back is still giving me trouble in regards to playing violin. So, I've resumed the search for a neurologist on my insurance who can hopefully tell me what is going on (and fix the problem). It's been hard, because it seems like nobody in Springfield accepts my health insurance! So now I need to start looking for one back home, I guess. It's really frustrating.

Along the same lines, this summer is going to have to be the summer that I get answers. This summer, I need to find out if playing the violin will continue to be painful for the rest of my life. I'm really afraid that I'll have to give up violin...but at the same time, I sort of want to give up now just so that I can get out ahead. It would hurt so much to have a doctor tell me that I need to give up violin...I almost feel like it wouldn't hurt as bad if it were completely my choice.

I'm really afraid that I don't have the kind of "Sun Stand Still" faith that I need to get through this. I'm so scared that God won't keep me holding on. I'm absolutely terrified that He'll let the sun go down on my music. Did I mention that I'm scared?


On a more positive note, I think I'm finally building some great friendships! I'm really getting involved in my church, and I love it. Especially volunteering at the elementary school! :) I miss my home church, though. But I am really thankful for the college ministry here, it's really fantastic, and I couldn't have asked for a better one.

I'll try to be better about posting on here in the future!


Additional thoughts: I've been doing a lot of reading on forgiveness and God's love lately. Really excited to see what He shows me.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Fantastic Weekend-to-Be

So, this is going to be a great weekend. Correction: this is going to be an EPIC weekend. My boyfriend and my cousin are here to see me, and I am still so excited. They're taking a nap right now (it really is a long drive), so I'm just doing some "internet-ing". Tomorrow, we're going shooting, going to dinner with some of our friends, and possibly hitting up the Landing. Once again, I am SO stinkin' excited!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Snowmegeddon!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I'm definitely not the most consistent blogger. Well, I'm not a very good blogger. Not a very regular one, anyway. This semester feels like it's been extremely long already. So far I've rushed Sigma Kappa (didn't get the bid-trying again in the fall), started teaching for String Project again, rearranged my dorm room, reconnected with some people, went to the MMEA conference at Tan-Tar-A, and now I have two snow days in a row!

It kind of feels like I don't even have time to breathe, but I'm getting used to it. I am pretty excited for a few things that are happening this semester, though. Some of the girls from High Street are doing a freshman girls Bible study, and I'm pretty excited about that. I'm also looking forward to hopefully getting a full semester of violin in. And even better, Mitch and I have worked something out to where we see each other twice a month. I'll be coming home once a month, and he'll be coming down here once a month. He came down to the lake this past weekend so we could see each other, and then he'll be coming down for Valentine's weekend (aka the weekend before. Who's idea was is to put it on a Monday?). I'm really excited to be seeing him more often. Here's a picture from when I was home last month: 


We went ice skating, had a fun dinner at a Hibachi restaurant in St. Peters, and just had a good time overall. Did I mention that we went ice skating? (It's one of my favorite winter-time activities.)

I'm also excited for the next time I'll be home, because that's the Daytona party! It'll be my second one, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Watching the race, spending time with the Satterfields, just hanging out-what could be better than that?

I'm also pretty happy, because I got to Skype with one of my best friends (Kaitlyn) two weeks ago. Definitely a high point for me. She is so beautiful, and I miss her oh-so-much.

I know this is full of random stuff, but my music box collection is growing! Kaylee and I went to the flea market last week, and I found a bunch of them! Don't worry though, I only bought one. It's so nifty, though! Kind of related to this, I am so thankful for Kaylee. It's nice having someone I know that I can try to do fun stuff with whenever she's in town.

Well, I have a snowball fight to get ready for, but I'll update this again soon!


Friday, January 7, 2011

It's been awhile...

So...I always had a plan and stuck to it no matter what. But recently, the plan changed. At first I was terrified, but now I'm okay with it. But that probably sounds a whole lot more dramatic than it actually is. Originally, I had planned to wait until I had the necessary number of credit hours and rush the professional music fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon. I had absolutely no plans to have anything to do with social sororities, because I had bought into the stereotypes that all social Greek is bad Greek. Needless to say, I was wrong and my plan has now changed. Immediately after fall rush ended, I was kicking myself for not participating. As the semester went on, I had joined CMENC (Collegiate Music Educators National Conference), because it was something that would benefit me in the long run, and because it seemed like something I should do. As time went by, I was still not enjoying it. It was all band kids, I was the only orchestral ed major. They were all really close and I never felt welcome. Sad thing is, the same people that are in CMENC are in Mu Phi. If I didn't enjoy being around those people in CMENC, what made me think I would enjoy being around them under a different name? Then, there was the meeting time. 7 pm on Sundays. At my Springfield church, small groups are at 6 on Sundays. If I went ahead with rushing Mu Phi, then I wouldn't be able to participate in small group Bible studies...and I was not okay with that. Mu Phi was not looking like the right decision for me anymore. At the same time, though, I was looking into and gathering information on the social sororities that MSU has to offer. I ended up being really interested in Sigma Kappa. I made a friend in my religion class that just joined this fall as a sophomore, and we became pretty good friends. I was even able to ask her all of my stupid questions about sororities and about Sigma Kappa specifically. The more I learned about Sigma Kappa, the more I felt like it would really be a good fit for me. One night after studying, Blaire (the girl I mentioned earlier) and I started talking. She asked me about Mu Phi, and then proceeded to call me out on not sounding like I wanted to really do it. That really made me rethink things. Blaire was right. I wasn't looking forward to rushing Mu Phi. At all. And that scared me. Because up until now, not sticking to the plan had NEVER been an option. And here I am, changing it up. I've decided to not go forth with Mu Phi. Instead, I'm doing spring rush for Sigma Kappa and I think I'll be a lot happier. I'll actually be able to make more friends. And that's really good, because right now I don't have so many in Springfield.


On a not-so-dramatic note, I got good grades! I have an MSU GPA of 3.96 and a cumulative GPA of 3.98. I was so excited! Especially since the professor for my religion class apparently bumped everyone's grade up. I calculated it, and there was no way that I could get above a B, but I ended up with an A! I was ecstatic! I got an A in everything except for my violin lessons (I know, I know, shame on me, should've done better).


And on an exciting note, Mitch and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary this week. I am so lucky to have him. I don't even have words for it. He is really good to me. And even though I don't deserve it, I love it. I only hope that I'm half as good to him as he is to me.


With all of this under my belt, I'm really looking forward to this semester!