Little Blue Envelopes

So, to put it simply, everyone knows I love to read. Well, a year ago, I went to Barnes and Noble in Kansas, City and bought a book just because it looked cute and sounded really intriguing... It's about a girl traveling through Europe by way of her late Aunt's letters. I finished the book in less than five hours...

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

It took me a whole year to get around to securing the conclusion sequel. I actively looked for it at bookstores and online, but I never found one that was affordable enough. Finally, I ordered it off a website intending to read it on the way to Seattle. Sadly, it didn't get here in time, so I read it in Mulvane (in just a few hours.... it's such a fast read!). This time she goes back to Europe to continue her journey learning about Europe, herself and her aunt.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

After finishing "Last Little", it took a moment to collect my thoughts and figure out what I thought. First, I loved it, of course, but that is NOT the ending I was expecting. It was such a great journey and she was able to see amazing places in the story, but I just wanted a different ending, the same ending that the main character wanted. But after I continued to think about it... I realized that this ending was exactly right. It wasn't planned, it wasn't what she wanted... but it was SO life. Life never ends up how we think it should or in the path that we think we need to follow, so why should this story have a perfectly wrapped-up, happy ending?

It was very inspirational for me to read this and absorb the message. Life will NOT go the way I plan and it will NOT end up the way I expect.... and that's fine! I just need to keep telling myself that I can't see how my chapter is going to end right now, and I can't worry about it. It will probably end in a cliff hanger, but that's the cool thing of writing my own story: I can decide that for myself.

Summer of Firsts

School is finally here! But that also means I have been neglecting my blog all summer... my bad! I'll slowly catch up over the coming weeks with updates about my newsletter, past events, and future ones!

I'll start with all the cool stuff I did in Lawrence this summer!

I was offered my job from last summer again, and I took it instantly! All the interns lived in GSP Hall and had a great time getting to know each other. We made sure to have a lot of fun while we worked though...

Concerts

I got to see two amazing concerts this summer! The first one was The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20 in Kansas City with Hadley. I had gotten us tickets for her birthday and it was finally time to use them!! What was really amazing was that a few days later, free Michael Franti and Spearhead and Train tickets were given to me free by a friend... what amazing luck! Both concerts were incredible and easily tie for first in my book.

Hadley!

Goo Goo Dolls!

Matchbox 20!

Drew!

Michael Franti!

Train!

Broadway Shows

My first Broadway show was, of course, The Little Mermaid! I went with my co-workers and it was the coolest experience ever! I was singing "Part of Your World" for days.

Old Settler's Days

I have't had the chance to return to Mulvane during Old Settler's since before I moved to KU. It was a wonderful treat that I got to visit them this time! I didn't get to see everyone I wanted, but it was a great few days home!

Packing

I hate packing. I hate moving. It's all stupid and a pain in my ass...

I check out of Hashinger tomorrow and move into McCollum! This whole process starts at 8 am, but I don't have to be fully out of Hash until Friday at noon. So, basically, my body is telling me the Olympics are far more important... Especially since I woke up at 6am today.

Packing can wait..

Nineteen Years Young

I am finally nineteen!! (: I can finally say I'm the same age as my classmates.. for a few months lol

I had the most exciting day ever. Honestly, it was the most exciting week ever.

Last Friday, I left Lawrence on a Greyhound and headed for Wichita! I spent the long weekend with my family in Branson as a mini-vaca. We went to Silver Dollar City and my mom and I got to go out on the boat with my aunt and uncle for an afternoon. We also did a little shopping, but that just goes without saying. Tuesday, I left Branson and began an eight hour bus ride home... If I didn't love to travel, it would have been awful. But I thought it was really fun and it was good chillin' time. :)

On our way to Branson!

On the bus to Wichita!

The 4th was amazing; best holiday of the year in my opinion!! I spent the day with Hadley, one of my co-workers and good friend. We went out to Clinton Lake to soak up the sun and sit on a sandy beach. Who doesn't love that?! After, we went to Subway to get dinner and came back to watch Iron Man (very patriotic, right?), and finally, FIREWORKS! We went to the town's firework display and they were great! I'm not one to complain about fireworks, however, so I may not be the best judge of how awesome they were!

Clinton Lake!

It was a secluded beach; perfect for anyone just wanting to relax!

Fireworks!

The next two days were filled with work and school. Mostly. I happen to have the coolest coworkers on earth, so we also went out to celebrate my birthday a couple times. Lots of ice cream has been eaten recently, but again, no complaints. :)

Friday night, I decided to do something crazy with my hair, since, traditionally, I dye it the day before my birthday. Red and Blue KU streaks were what I have been wanting to do for ages, so I asked Hadley if she'd do it, and she agreed! So that's how my 19th birthday began... rinsing dye out of my hair. ;) Honestly, though, it turned out great! After, Hadley made me s'mores as a late night snack and then it was off to bed to rest for the adventure to KC!

I love the city so much and I love exploring it and going to new places. I have been hearing about the plaza for YEARS, but I had never been. Jess hadn't been either, so I figured it would be a perfect place to shop; it so was!! It's soooooo beautiful and there are so many stores to go into, and it also has the largest Barnes and Noble and Forever 21 I have ever been into. I almost cried when I walked into the Forever 21 store. It was two stories of clothes, shoes, and more clothes. The B&N store? A measly four levels.... no big deal. We spent all afternoon there shopping.

The ASG baseball! And my Royals!

Fabulous picture!

One of the best friends I could ever ask for!

As we were leaving, we decided to pop in on Claire, since we thought she was working. We didn't know which theater she worked at, so we stopped at her house to ask, and it turned out she was home! We proceded to sneak up to her room and as we walk in, we were welcomed with a very loud, "WHAT THE HELL!?!?"  There is no better welcome. :) We stayed and chatted for a while, then Jess and I made our way back to Lawrence. I walked in the Hash front door at 11:59.50... The desk assistants wished me a happy birthday, and that was the end of my 19th birthday.

All in all, it was a fantastic birthday. I couldn't have asked or even dreamed of a better one. While it was the first that I was away from my family, and as I get older, I'm sure it won't be the last, I still had an amazing day with my extended family. What more could a girl possibly ask for?

<3

PS- I wish I was going to the All Star Game, but I'm not. :( I'll have to ask one of my coworkers all about it!

Colorado!

I'm on my way to Colorado! I'm part of the delegation (and will lead next years!) to represent KU Student Housing at NACURH, a national housing conference!

We are in the van right now, and there are nine of us total. Robert and Jessica are going too, so it will be fun! I actually think I'm the only one awake right now, except for Chris Sowa. He's driving.

It kind of stinks to be away from the other interns though. Granted, there are three out of seven interns in this van, but I miss the other four! We have all become a really tight knit group in just a week of training. And today was the first day of NSO, which is kind of a bummer to miss, but we'll have all summer to hang out! And we do, a lot. We like to watch the Celtics games, hang out in each others rooms, do room crafts at night and we are almost always together during the day working or eating lunch. It's been a real blessing to become friends with my coworkers because it makes my job just that much better.

And of course, all great jobs start with a fantastic supervisor, and I have tree! Alyssa is from Texas (Dallas actually!) and is just a doll! She will often be hanging out with us until 3 AM, watching the Game Show Network. Laura and Chris are Associate Directors of Student Housing and are just fabulous. Chris is also my AURH advisor (and driving this van down I-70), so of course he's fantastic!

I'll be back Monday with a NACURH post!

<3

Jess sleeping in the van!

Robert and Samy are OUT! Hey Dayona!

Summertime

Summer is finally here! I've spent my week home seeing all my friends and family I haven't seen much of lately. The thing that sucks about summer... Packing back up and going through clothes. I have too many!!!!

Home (:

My freshmen year of college is over. :(

I am horribly, horribly sad.. don't get me wrong. But I am more than ready for a break from difficult academics. My major is hard.. there is no way around it. And if I want into medical school, I need to step my game up, and I mean WAY up. Or, I need to figure out if I can live with doing something else with my life...

I honestly, don't know that I would be able to forgive myself if I gave up on my dream. So, I'm not quite there yet. However, I do have a great summer ahead of me to figure it out!

I have a job! A full time, 40-hour week job! I will be a Student Housing Intern for the Department of Student Housing (a future career in University Student Affairs? I don't think so..). I will be helping with New Student Orientation, giving tours, and I have time to prep for my system government duties (AURH).

I also get to go to NACURH; a national residence hall association conference in Boulder, CO! Four days in Colorado on KU's bill with two of my best friends and I get to do AURH work!? It's heaven for me!

And you know.. I turn 19.. Pretty fun. :)

I am definitely ready for this much needed, and deserved summer break.

<3

Moved out of 407 :(

And into 218 Hash!! :) (this is just my summer room! I'll be back in Mac in the fall, room 1037!)

PS: Happy Mother's Day, Mom!! <3

An Accident...

Life lessons... you know.. those little things that manage to bite you in the ass at exactly the wrong moment.
I got a pretty big one this past Monday..

First of all, Saturday and Sunday I spent house sitting two different houses and I gotta tell you.. It was fantastic. It was like living on my own a little.. I cooked for myself and cleaned and took care of the animals. It was a pretty new experience since I'm almost always around others. However, I knew I was about to spend a few days with 15 other people... Peace and quiet was very appreciated!

Around sixish Monday I went to pick up Barret from his house so we could head over to our JC REUNION!! (: All sixteen of us were going to be together and I couldn't wait! On our way to Rod's...

I got into my first fender bender.

Yeah, I freaked out. It was not my fault and it was horrible timing since I was supposed to have 48 hours of fun... which turned into 24 of shock, fear and guilt. I'm so thankful I had Barret with me though.. He was the best friend and person to be with me at the time... He wrote my info down for me when I was shaking too badly, drove for me when I couldn't, held my hand and sat by me when I called my parents, and spent more time at a police station then either of us ever expected to. When I had to come home early on Tuesday, he came with me even though it meant cutting his reunion short. I felt so horrible: it got to the point where I would get hit everytime I apologized.

But everyone was so supportive of me and really, really helpful during this crappy ordeal. My grandparents that live in that area of Wichita came with us to the police station which I am very grateful for.. My parents allowed me to LIVE (: which is always a good thing!.. Rod and his mom were also super wonderful and I'm glad I was surrounded by my fifteen best and closest friends. (: I love my JC's.

So, to recap.. in the last two days I learned what to do, and what NOT to do when in a wreck (which includes being a little more mean and yelling when a dude pulls out in front of you), how to talk to an insurance company and give a recorded statement (which is suppper nerve-wracking!), and how to call your parents and tell them you did something bad (fyi: you need someone to hold your hand.)

I am quite sure no one is ever happy to be in a wreck, but honestly, I'm kind of glad it happened. Especially before I moved to Lawrence! And since I've been traveling around Wichita with my JC's so much, I have fairly exceptional navigational skills now that I definitely didn't at the beginning of summer. So I will take this experience with me to KU and learn from it and look at this as 'the glass is pretty stinkin' full'.

<3

Lindsey, Jordy, Carly... and Brogy!

Brogy, Rod, and Michael!

Vanessa, me.. and Barret walking around the river :)

Barret!

Fifteen of my closest friends in the world. <3

*More pictures and a recap of StuCo camp soon!

Goodbye July!

First off, I am SO SO SO Sorry I haven't blogged in a sold MONTH! That is so unlike me; it's just been super busy here. I'll give you a quick update on July and throw in some detailed stories when I get a chance!

July 4th

Absolute blast! Katie and I took a walk to Sonic (we take lots of walks now) and bought some noise maker fireworks. Then we met my mom and sister at my grandparent's neighbor's pool and swam and set off said noise makers! That night, after dinner with the grandparents, we went to High Park in Derby to watch fireworks instead of buying a million of them. It's been so long since we've been in town for the fourth; we didn't even know what was going on around here lol. The fourth has always been my favorite holiday though, and it was really nice to get to spend it at home this year. (:

Pre-fourth Fireworks :)

Shooting off noise makers!



Sparklers :)



Night of the Fourth :)

July 7th

FINALLY! I turned 18 this month and it was the best thing ever! That day my mom and I got pedicures, we all went to Olive Garden, and that night, my mom, Katie, and her parents and I went to the CASINO! It was fantastic, I was up 50, 60 bucks on the Black Jack table (which I'm really good at) and then they switched dealers and somehow I lost it all! Oh well... It was the best 18th birthday anyone could ask for :)

Road trip to OK!!

Ouside the casino!

This is an illigal pic.. but oh well!! :) i love it!

July 9th

I decided to have my party on a Saturday so hopefully more people could come and it was a complete success!! My friends and family came from all over to see me and it was so touching… I have the best friends and family ever. WE grilled out and had cookie cake and (even though it was still 102 at 10 PM) s’mores. It was so nice to have everyone together again before we all start to go our own ways... Definitely the most memorable birthday party <3

Levi (or anyone for that matter :P) didn't like my flash!

Sarah fell outta her chair! lol Love that girl <3

Just chillin around a fire in 102 degree weather ;)

Brogy and Trent!

The gang :)

Erynn and James got into it.. lol he won.

July 11th-12th

It's finally becoming more real! I am an official KU JAYHAWK! I spent these two days in Lawrence with my mom for my New Student Orientation. It's a long and tiring process... but it was so informative and helpful, and I mapped out (basically) the next four years of my life! (Those of you who know me super well are going, "Well, duh!") I also met some of the people I’ll probably spend the rest of my life with… how cool is that?! (: Move in day is August 19^th!! I can’t wait!

Biology- Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 - 9:50 AM
English- Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00 – 11:50 AM
Biology Lab- Tuesday 10:00 AM – 12:50 PM
Chemistry- Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 - 9:15 AM
Calculus I- Tuesday, Thursday 2:30 – 3:45 PM
Honors Program Seminar- Every other Wednesday 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Chemistry Lab- Thursday 11:00 AM – 1:50 PM

My Student to Student group! The three girls around me and the fourth guy in were my "posse" and we all still text and can't wait for move in!

July 15th


HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART II @ MIDNIGHT! I have to say, this night was something that I had been looking forward to, and dreading for a long time. I have grown up with Harry Potter… It’s engraved and intertwined into my childhood. I basically cried throughout the entire movie… mostly because I was so sad my childhood managed to come to a screeching halt in my mind… also because Harry and I were “graduating” at the same time, and I had just enrolled a few days earlier… It was a big leap of faith to take all at once; accepting my new age and social status as an adult and ending my ten year romance with the wizard with glasses… it was a very emotional night. It was absolutely amazing though. David Yates is a genius and I couldn’t be more proud.

ohh yeaah :)

Those glasses were awesome!

July15th-22^nd

StuCo Camp… (: So much to say… so little time! I will write one or two more blogs on this week because it’s so special to me, I don’t want to leave anything out! So here are some pictures to try to begin to explain why it was (so far) the best week of my life and how I am so irrevocably changed from it. <3

My AMAZING council :)

My second family (:

Best buddy Rod!

Council J.. we rock :)

Brogy and I rode up there and home together! He was a great friend and I'm so glad we got to ride together :)

We hung out in the JC Lounge a LOT!

Rod and roommate Jordy and our fabulous glasses :)

Jake :) this kid is awesome.

ELI!! (:

The running shorts gang. :D

Barret <3

Natalie and Vanessa :)

July 28th-30^th

I have never been the partying type… but this weekend I had a taste of what it could be like. Thursday, Katie, Allyson and I ventured into the world of clubbing! We went to Doc Howards Lounge and had the best time! We danced, had Monsters, and just enjoyed hanging out since I had been gone for so long. (: Friday, the Wichita area JC’s from camp got together and spent the day terrorizing Wichita! We ate at Chipotle, Orange Leaf, and Gobi Grill and I loved getting cultured by these guys. I was not a Mexican or Mongolian food lover… but I am now! We chilled at Wal-Mart for a couple hours, played Just Dance in Rod’s basement, and went to the Drive In and saw three great movies! I picked Barret up at noon and we didn’t get home until 5 AM! It was such a great day; I can’t wait for our big reunion soon! Saturday was Girls Day and the six of us went to Applebee’s for our traditional Back-to-School dinner and decided to go BACK to the club afterwards…. It was such an exciting weekend!

Thursday;; going clubbin!

Friday;; fun at wal-mart with Tabatha, Rod and Barret!

Besst Friennds :)

Saturday;; going clubbin.. again!

This is my July in a nutshell... such an eventful and exciting month… Let’s hope August is the same!!

<3

PS. good luck James;; we miss you already. <3