The Start of Summer 2014

It doesn't feel like it should be summer yet, at least not to me.
I kind of feel like something is missing in order for it to actually be summer. What? I'm not sure.

This summer I'm back working at Pizza Ranch. At first I was quite upset about this. I didn't want to go back to my first real job, especially because of a) the reasons I'd quit and b) the circumstances as to why I needed to return.
However, I need the money.
Thankfully, I'm getting scheduled a decent amount so far at work, which is a huge blessing.
I've also been contacted by a family about nannying for their 8-year-old daughter over the summer! It wouldn't pay as much as nannying for the twins last summer did, but it'd be consistant hours, which Pizza Ranch can't guarantee. Sadly, taking the job would mean I'd have to cut down on Pizza Ranch availability dramatically, as I'd be nannying Monday-Friday 7:15-4:15. But I'd be enjoying my job so much more.

As it's probably quite easy to tell, this summer is full of work and not much else.
Thankfully I've had plenty of time with Trevor so far, which has been simply amazing.

Here's to an unforgettable summer.
Summer of 2014.

John Green | Paper Towns | 227

I'm quite a John Green fan.
I have accomplished The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska.
I am currently reading Paper Towns.

Here's an exceptional quote.

It must have been like this for Margo, too. With all the planning she'd done, she must have known she was leaving, and even she couldn't have been totally immune to the eeling. She'd had good days here. And on the lst day, the bad days become so difficult to recal, because one way or another, she had made a life here, just as I had. The town was paper, but the memories were not. All the things I'd done here, all the love an dpity and compassion and violence and spite, kept welling up inside me. These whitewashed cinder-block walls. My white walls. Margo's white walls. We'd been captive in them for so long, stuck in their belly like Jonah.

Relations

My aunt and uncle are officially getting a divorce.
They both already have significant others too.

Post by Marsha Mueller-Holt.




It must be so strange to be divorcing your second husband. Especially the husband you have two children with.
I can't even imagine what it must be like.

At least she's moved on to a "new" Tim..

Meet the Wenches

I've gotten pretty close with a great group of girls here at CUW.
It's going to be hard to say goodbye to them.
With these lovely ladies, I have felt open about being myself. Many of them don't know much about who I used to be, and that's kind of nice. I mean it's not like I used to be an awful person or something, but it was a fresh start with them.
We certainly had our ups and downs, but in the end I've grown to love these gals.
So who are they?!
Bekah:
Major: Early Childhood Education
Karlee:
Major: Special Education & Early Childhood Education
Sam:
Major: Pre-Med
Emma:
Major: Pre-Pharmacy
Kayla:
Major: Athletic Training
Carrie: 
Major: Athletic Training
Oh, and Me: Elisebeth:
Major: Early Childhood Education :)

Bekah and Me

Group Pile: Sam, Me, Bekah, Kayla, Karlee, Emma, and Carrie

Still a Group Pile: Sam, Me, Bekah, Kayla, Karlee, Emma, and Carrie

Emma and Me (Doctor Who buddies!)

Sam, Emma, Bekah, and Me (Photo bomb: Kayla)

Aren't we cute?!
Sam, Emma, Me, Karlee, Bekah, Kayla, and Carrie

Pre-Bluff
Sam, Bekah, Me, and Kayla

Carrie, Kayla, Emma, Bekah, Sam, Karlee, and Me

Sam, Emma, Me, Karlee, Bekah, Kayla, and Carrie

Strike a Pose!
Me, Bekah, Sam, and Kayla

No words necessary to describe what is occurring here.

Carrie, Kayla, Emma, Bekah, Karlee, Me, and Sam

Tearjerker Alert

I don't know if I've been in an especially "cryish" mood lately, but I found the most adorable proposal story the other day.
Not only did I cry, but my friend Karlee cried while reading it too!

Give it a look, but make sure you have some Kleenex within reach! :)
http://www.susanlinesphotography.com/2012/09/21/megan-john-a-virginia-proposal/

Funny Tweet

our generations will allow genitals in our mouths but not this part of a banana pic.twitter.com/2IzlQzIC0V
— FAT AMY (@RelatableQuote) May 8, 2014

I found this tweet on Twitter the other day...I found it funny and also quite sad. What have we come to?!
(Make sure you look at the picture)

Mother's Day 2014

As my first year of college comes to a rapid end, I celebrate my first Mother's Day away from home.
My family has never really done much to celebrate Mother's or Father's Day to be honest. We normally just say they get to pick where we go to eat and what we do for the day. Normally that means napping and watching a movie.
Being away from home however, it feels kind of strange.
Yeah, I made a nice Instagram collage of pictures of us together, but our relationship is so much more than that.
My mom and I have had a hard relationship. I've screwed up a lot. Through high school I was always jealous of the girls who had their moms as their best friends and could tell them anything. I never really felt like that. But as I'm sitting here and reflecting about it. I really think we could have had a relationship like that. The things I did talk about with her, even just briefly, tended to be deep and serious. Things you would only discuss with a best friend. So maybe our relationship is better than I was willing to admit. I'm not sure, but hopefully we grow closer this summer, after nine months apart.
I love you mom, even when I don't seem like it.

Letters

Two days ago I received another wonderful letter from Trevor. We have been writing letters back and forth throughout the year to make the distance easier.
As I read the last one we will ever have to send back and forth due to the distance, I cried. I pulled out all of the other ones and read them. I'm so excited for our future. And the letters remind me of that.
We're just about done with this distance, and we've made it work.
Countless phone calls. Skype dates, eating ramen together. These letters.
I'm so thankful for such an amazing guy in my life.
These letters are such a good reminder that life is good.

Exit Interview

Yesterday I had my official exit interview with academic advising.
I had to fill out a survey of when my official withdrawal date from Concordia would be and where I was headed.
It hit me kind of hard at first to be honest.
I'm leaving Concordia University Wisconsin in a week. And I'm not coming back.
I mean, I'm sure I'll come down at some point next year to visit my lovely gals here, but I won't be here.
It's crazy how plans change. I never thought I would be one to transfer, and especially for one of my main reasons.
But I know it's the right choice. And for once, not only am I certain of it, but it's kind of thrilling to be chasing it.

Cutest Video I've Ever Seen

Okay, maybe it isn't the cutest video, but his happiness made me cry.
Watch this video of a dad finding out he's now a grandpa!

Freshmen Fifteen

I used to work out all of the time. Daily, in fact, for sports.
I miss it so incredibly much.
As I left for college, I had one fear: the freshmen fifteen.

I hate gaining weight, well who doesn't?
I figured with a meal plan, I would be able to control my eating habits pretty easily and not worry about gaining weight due to that. Plus, CUW has two nice workout facilities. A nice, weight-equipped room on the west side of campus and on the east side a cardio-only room. So no issue with working out, either.

The issue, however, is motivation.
Like I said before, in high school I was in sports. I had to be in shape. If I wasn't I would have suffered tremendously. What is my motivation for being fit in college? Only the factor of not getting fat.
Now what is your definition of fat? Well mine varies. A lot. Honestly probably from day to day.

Next year, I need to be much better about this issue. I hope to establish an eating and fitness plan. Especially if my plans with Trevor work out as we have brainstormed, I will especially need to be sure I don't gain any weight before next summer! Next year at Concordia St. Paul, I will only have a half meal plan because I will be living in a more expensive dorm room. This means I will have better control over what I eat because I will be able to prepare my own food in my room and not feel like I'm wasting meal swipes! I will also have a fitness room in the same building I will live in, potentially the same floor. Even better.

Now, to stick with this plan!
Also, just a side note, I did not gain the freshmen fifteen. Probably only a pound. :)

Maturity leading to Self Acceptance

At what point do a lot of people actually grow up?
I'm not sure why I have been pondering so often about this lately, but maybe it's because I have been spending a lot of time alone as of late. With Trevor leading training at Pizza Ranch in Independence, he is unable to text me as often as normal. This has led me to a lot more time to think.
In the past, this "thinking time" has led to issues. Me over thinking every little thing. But for some reason, this time it's different.
I have been reflecting more so on who I am.
Not who I want to be.
That's the difference.

Through high school, the times I had time to think on my own I was always comparing myself. I wanted to fit in particularly well with a group of four girls. At one point I honestly think I would have done anything for them to accept me. I really tried to become a part of their group and shrugged away from myself. The scary part is that it continued all through high school without me noticing. It actually took me until tonight to realize how wrong I was about myself in high school.
I'm not sure why I'm reflecting so much on high school at the moment, but it has offered kind of a new outlook on things, especially as this semester closes out. I hope I made some lasting friends here. If I was coming back to CUW, I don't doubt that I did. But because I'm transferring, I question this. I know I won't talk to some of them ever again most likely. I mean, over winterim I didn't even talk to most of them.
However, I realized this earlier in the year. At first this kept me from getting closer to these gals, but I regret that mistake already. I excluded myself from coming to movie nights and game nights often at the beginning. I wonder if that was what I did in high school, too?
The answer to that question is no.
I don't doubt that.
I know I wasn't one of them. And I still can't figure out why. But it doesn't bother me as much as it did then. I wouldn't go through the drastic measures I did then if I could do it all over.
They were fun, that's what made me want to be one of them.
I've never been one to be super outgoing, rebellious, or even ultimately that fun to be honest.
But now I am okay with that.

It's taken a level of maturity to realize that and to understand that that is me.
I am unsure of what pushed me to reach this maturity, but I certainly hope I am able to maintain this acceptance, especially as summer approaches. I know that I will be living much closer to these ladies again and I hope I do not fall back into the pattern of wishing I would be accepted by them. I don't doubt that I would hang out with them if I was invited, but I don't think the lack of it will bother me as much anymore. I used to have a really hard time whenever I saw them posting pictures on Facebook together, but that won't be the case anymore.

New Move Out Plan

My last final is May 16. The Friday of Finals' Week naturally.
I have no finals Monday or Thursday.
Originally Trevor was going to come help me move out Friday so that my dad could drive to Rice Lake and help my grandparents move into their new house. But with a change in Trevor's plans, my dad was recruited to help me move out Friday.
However, I don't want to be stuck here until Friday, especially with nothing to do Thursday. So now my dad may drive down Wednesday and help me pack everything up. I was hoping he would be okay with me going back to Green Bay with him and driving myself down for my Friday final, but that won't work. Luckily, Trevor's plans changed again. So now he can pick me up!
I can't wait to see him again :)
And I'm so ready for the year to be done.

Good Weather

The good weather is finally here!
Thank goodness!
However, next week and the week after are going to become quite, quite difficult to focus.
Here are a few pictures from my adventures with the girls at a nature preserve today!

Rebels
L to R: Emma, Karlee, Sam, Carrie

Carrie and Sam on a cliff

A cool rock Emma found

Group hug!
L to R: Emma, Sam, and Carrie

Sam and Karlee

Karlee and Sam holding hands

Piggy back ride!

The whole gang
L to R: Karlee, Me, Emma, Sam, and Carrie

Silly Picture
L to R: Karlee, Me, Emma, Sam, and Carrie

Fun Quotes from a Friend

"If I'm not married by my golden birthday, I'm going out and getting plastered."

-Anonymous

Let me know if you have any guesses ;)

Hamlet and Two Greek Guys

I loved my Literature class at the beginning of the semester (that's the class I have a gorgeous prof for.)
Now, not so much.
Over the last two weeks we have read Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and are now beginning The Aeneid.
I hated Hamlet. I've never been much of a Shakespeare fan, unless I'm listening or watching it. Reading it however, is awful. The only good thing about having read Hamlet in this class was that we watched screen adaptations of it, one of which included David Tennant.
Oedipus the King, was much easier to read than Hamlet. I also enjoyed the storyline more. And almost predicted the ending. Well it's a tragedy, so that's not very hard!
We have just begun reading The Aeneid. I don't understand it at all. Hopefully we aren't quizzed on it today because I had to reread the Sparknotes entry about three times already.

Thank goodness the semester is nearly over!