Highlights

For some reason, I've been in a very peppy mood lately....and I like it! It seems like life should always be like this, but with endless school, homesickness, and never (and I mean NEVER) being able to get a good night's sleep, sometimes I start to feel down. But just by walking around the beautiful campus (West is my favorite, because I feel like I'm at Hogwarts), hanging out with friends, or taking a stroll downtown, it really has a way of lightening the mood. And the last couple of days I've really started to appreciate the small things, especially things that make me laugh. A life without laughter is no life at all, if you ask me. And so with that mentality, I've decided to try to make a highlight of my day everyday. (Multiple highlights get bonus points). Whether it be on facebook, this blog, or just to myself, I really want to try to do this everyday. It's fun, positive, and if you're like me, you will be happily surprised at how many charming, witty, and funny things are right around you, just waiting to be appreciated.

Can I transfer to Hogwarts?

      Like millions of people all around the world, I've read all of the Harry Potter books and seen all of the movies. But after awhile I forget how much I love Harry Potter...that is until one of the movies is on tv at 10 pm last night. I was tired, and of course I had already seen the movie before, but I couldn't say no. It has a way of just drawing you in. So I watched the movie. And during the movie I began to think about how great it would be to go to Hogwarts. If Hogwarts existed in real life, I most definitely would be transferring there at this very minute. But Hogwarts doesn't exist, and maybe for good reasons. Although I want to have two best friends that I go to banquets, balls, a lovable giant's hut in the forest, and crazy adventures with, that's probably never going to happen. Some people call the Harry Potter franchise a cult and don't get the hype, it really IS that good. I wouldn't consider myself a Harry Potter fanatic, but I still really enjoy it. There is something magical (no pun intended) about being able to open a book or put in a dvd and be transported into a world unlike anything you've ever experienced before. I have been lucky enough to go to the Harry Potter park in Orlando, and it was everything I could have imagined and more. I guess that closest I can come to living in this alternate reality at Hogwarts is to work at the park for my whole life handing out butter beer to little kids and double checking restraints on the Dragon Challenge. By the time I'm at retirement age, with my leathery skin from working in the sun all day and my questionable uniform, I may very well scare the kids more than Voldemort. But, I digress. Instead of hitting up staples at the end of August to get notebooks and maybe a cool new pencil pouch as the highlight of the trip, how awesome would it be to go into an alleyway that leads to a new place to buy an owl, potion books, and wands. I want to ride the train to school and get candy off of the trolly, not go on the crowded, smelly megabus stuck next to some stranger. And most of all, I really want to be friends with Dumbledore...like best friends. He can be my friend, protector, babysitter, I don't care, as long as I get to hang out with Dumbledore. Dumbledore is the coolest wizard that there has ever been, just saying. For now, I'll have to be content with my muggle status, but maybe someday I can take whatever the equivalent of the MCATS, LSTATS, or PCATS is, and become a certified wizard.

Giving Thanks

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, now seems like the perfect time to reflect. It seems like after Labor Day, we are bombarded with holidays. Halloween in soon followed by Thanksgiving, which leads to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Winter Solstice, or whatever you celebrate around December. Also in the fall is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The new year symbolizes a rebirth and a fresh start. All of theses things, along with the falling leaves and the brisk weather, are all reasons why I love fall. If it weren't for the beginning of school, fall might very well be my favorite season. Anyways, Thanksgiving is coming up quickly, and I have barely had a minute to sit down and think about what the holiday is about. To me, Thanksgiving is about gathering with friends, family, and loved one, and really making memories and soaking in the atmosphere. For me, Thanksgiving has always been at my Grandma's house. My grandmother is one of the most loving, generous, beautiful people both inside and out that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I cherish my time with her, and I CAN'T WAIT to have her delicious stuffing. :) Thanksgiving is a time to cram into a small space with people of all ages. Every year there's always the child who gets hurt playing outside, the one uncle who has to make the awkward sexual joke, and the one person that you dread having to be stuck in the house with for however many hours. But it's all of these things that make Thanksgiving so special and funny. And who could forget the food? My stomach seems to magically stretch with every passing moment on Thanksgiving. The first step is scoping out the goodies. I always make a mental note of all of the things that I want to eat (aka everything). Next comes the actual meal, which would be enough for a full day's worth of food. At the end of the meal, I'm so stuffed that I can't imagine eating another thing. Of course, in about thirty minutes I'm already thinking about dessert. And after dessert comes meal number two. "Oh, I really could not eat another thing even if you forced me to....oh what did you say? The meatballs are ready?" But this is what Thanksgiving is for. Eating until your pants are about to pop. I might pull a Frank from Everybody Loves Raymond and just unbutton my pants and lay in my chair in a food coma. The real reason for Thanksgiving, however, is to give thanks. And I find that I often skip over this part of the holiday, even though it really is the most important part. There are so many things that I am grateful for, and my life is so blessed. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my mom, who sacrifices so much and never asks for anything in return. She is such a beautiful person, with a heart of gold. She makes me a better person and is the best role model in the world. I am thankful for my sister, who I can't believe is almost about to graduate college. My sister is a person I can always go to for advice and I know will always help me if I ask for it. I am thankful for my brother, my best friend. It's amazing to see him grow into a young man. He is so full of potential, and I know that he can truly do anything he sets his mind to. He always helps me whenever I ask, and he is kind and funny. I am thankful for my grandma, who always helps and does anything she can to help people out. I am so glad that I get to have such a close relationship with her, and I cherish my talks on the phone with her and my time with her. She never fails to teach me something new every time I talk to her. I am thankful for my house, my health, and my education. Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and to make memories, and it is important to remember that the people that are in your life will not be there forever. Life is fleeting, so please don't take a moment for granted, and make this Thanksgiving an opportunity to reconnect, laugh, and be in the moment. And of course, eat a lot of turkey!

Uhh, I think I just ate a nut, whoops

       So, for my exciting Saturday night, I experienced my first allergic reaction at college. Since my first lovely allergic reaction at Ruby Tuesdays eating a blondie sundae when I must've been only seven years old, I have had many more reactions to tree nuts. At the time they aren't too fun, but they always make for fun stories afterwards. My favorite reaction, if it's possible to have a favorite, has to be at the Dutch Apple. When I was about ten years old, I excitedly ran up to the endless dessert bar at the Dutch Apple and chose everything imaginable. My sister had a really good looking dessert, but it looked like it had nuts in it, so I asked her. "No, it's marshmallows, I swear." said my sister. I had a moment of hesitation before I gleefully took the dessert and gobbled it up. About ten minutes later, when we all visited the gift shop, I noticed that my tongue was "sweating", for lack of a better term, which is sort of like my sixth sense for determining if I ate a nut or not. Before I could run to the bathroom, I threw up literally right outside the door to the bathroom, and then again, literally less than a foot in front of the toilet. I basically threw up everywhere BUT the toilet. The saddest and funniest part is when the manager, who did not look happy at all, put some kind of cat litter product down to mask the smell. Ahh, sweet memories. Anyways, I always had the same thing happen to me when I ate a nut: tongue sweat, maybe a little bit of red splotches, and then I would throw up. But, this past May, I ate a nut, and I ended up not being able to breathe and had to go to the hospital, after my mom, who WORKS at the hospital and goes there every day of her life for the past 18 years, got lost going to the E.R. Honestly, if I wasn't struggling to breathe, I would've been laughing. You've got to laugh at the little things in life. Luckily, we made it there just in time. I rolled down the window and threw up on a random street, where a man looked at me with a completely unchanged expression. I guess the tough streets of downtown Lancaster had hardened him so that nothing could faze him. I then threw up about a foot away from the two ladies who were unfortunate enough to be working that night. I ended up staying the night at the hospital, which by the way had much nicer accommodations than many hotels I have stayed at, and left in the morning refreshed and ready to take on the world. Since that experience, I have been extra cautious about my allergy, because frankly, I don't want to die. But it seems that today at the dining commons, while trying to eat my quinoa, it got mixed with the broccoli and almonds in the next tray over, and, well you know how the rest of it goes. The only problem is, this time my mom wasn't with me. My mom was extra worried, because "Dr. Cheryl", as I affectionately call her, couldn't take care of me. So I ended up having to calm her down, instead of the other way around. But the story has a happy ending, as I am now safe in my room, writing my blog, waiting for SNL to come on. Who says I don't have crazy Saturday nights?

Back to Blogging...for now

It's been over two months since I've blogged, because I honestly just have not had the time at all. College during the school year is so much different than during the summer. Thinking back to when I was taking my six credits during the summer, which at the time seemed like a good amount of work, makes me laugh. I WISH I had the same amount of work that I had in the summer. I now have seventeen credits, of which a lot of the classes are science and math related. YAY! Anyways, it's taken a lot of getting used to, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of college, just in time for my schedule to change and to get to harder classes next semester. I am EXTREMELY excited that I get to go home in less than two weeks for Thanksgiving break. I can't wait to go home and get my mind off of school for a little while. College has a lot of offer, and I have gotten to do some fun things so far like going to a Penn State football game, seeing the homecoming parade, and going to the movie at the hub almost every week. I just scheduled my classes for next semester, which are a little bit intimidating. I am taking chemistry, biology, anatomy, and trig. Hopefully it will be alright once I take a couple of classes. I really want to try to keep up with this blog (even though I'm pretty sure nobody reads it) because it's a fun way to get out my thoughts and share my feelings with myself (and maybe the 1-3 people who happen to read it). I have some exciting things coming up in the future, so I really want to keep writing in this blog, as long as schoolwork doesn't take over my life.

Last Week!

I can't believe it, but from today I have one more week of classes until I go home! I have mixed emotions about my time here so far, but I am glad that I got to experience Penn State this summer. It was really nice to be able to take college classes and see what they were like, and I am glad I got to complete six credits. I am SO glad that I got to make some great friends while I have been here, and I will definitely keep in touch with them throughout my time here at Penn State. I struggled with being homesick, but after some time it got easier. I got to experience the fourth of July in State College with my friends, which was amazing. I have had a lot of new experiences in the five weeks that I have been here, and I can't wait to have even more in the fall. I am looking forward to going home for two weeks and relaxing with my family. It is bittersweet that my summer here at Penn State is coming to a close. To do research and celebrate the one week mark, I went to Kiwi (aka my second home) and got frozen yogurt with my friend Kira. Don't worry, I was healthy and only got fruit for my toppings. :) I can't wait to get more Kiwi with Kira and Maria, my two besties here at Penn State, during the school year. If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have never believed that I would spend the summer after my graduation taking classes at college, but I guess that's how life works. Things happen for different reasons, and they are not always what we wanted or expected, but they usually work out for the best. Here's to a great year at Penn State!

College Thus Far

So, I've been in college for a couple of weeks now, and I'm about half-way done my classes, so I thought now would be a good time to reflect on my college experience so far. First, my classes: I have English and math, and both of them take up a lot of my time. Like, almost all of my time. This scares me, because even though these classes are more packed into less time than in a regular semester, I don't know how I'm going to be able to handle having even more classes. But, I know I'll manage. People: I have a good couple of friends I have made, and that is mostly who I hang out with. I think in the fall I will meet more people because of classes and clubs. Lastly, home. I have been pretty homesick since I've been here, and I don't really know how to cope with it. I guess I will get used to being away from home, but I miss my family and being at home. So, all in all, I don't know how I feel about college. I love the campus and the school and everything, but I miss home. I know these are random and scattered thoughts, but they are my feelings about college right now.

Monumental Birthday?!?

On Saturday I turn 18!!! This is a very exciting time in every person's life...except I don't know how I feel about it. Sure, I can vote, which is a really exciting thing, but there aren't too many other perks. I mean, I don't smoke and I don't want to buy lottery tickets, so what else is there? I think the thing that registers the most with turning eighteen is that I will no longer be a kid. How sad... (cue the tears). Of course, like a lot of people say, I'll always be a kid at heart. I hope this is true, and that I don't turn into a bitter adult. This is just one major stage in my life, and I know looking back that I will feel crazy that I feel old now. I guess this birthday is bittersweet. A lot of new windows and opportunities open up, but many things change. I'm looking forward to my future as an adult in the world. It feels SO weird to say that. So for now, let's just CELEBRATE and have a good time!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Lately, I've really been wanting to go to Disney World. When I was younger, my family went for a couple of summers in a row, and it became a really fun family tradition. Since then, we haven't gone back that often. I know there are many people who have never been to Disney World, and I don't want to sound spoiled, but I really need a Disney fix. It's summer time, and it's been on my mind a lot lately. I don't care if I'm almost eighteen, I still love anything that has to do with Disney. There are a bunch of people who honeymoon in Disney World and have family reunions there, so I don't think I'm too old to love Disney World. I want to go all out...scream like a little kid and take pictures with Mickey and all of the princesses, get my passport stamped in all of the countries in Epcot, go on the Tower of Terror, and get waffles in the shape of Mickey's head. I want to watch the parade at night while eating an ice cream shaped like Mickey. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love Disney World and I always will. I will never be too old for it, and I am most definitely going to be taking my kids there someday.

CNN-my home away from home

    Is it weird that I really enjoy watching the news? I think it's perfectly normal, but my family finds it weird/annoying that the news is almost always on when I'm watching tv. My favorite news channel to watch is definitely CNN. I definitely have my favorite news anchors. Wolf Blitzer is just the absolute best, but Anderson Cooper comes in a close second, and I really enjoy his Ridiculist at the end of his show. I'm not a huge fan of Brooke Baldwin or Erin Burnett, but I love John King, Don Lemon, and TJ Holmes. Oh, and I really like Ali. Is it strange that I have my favorite anchors and I know their backgrounds and personalities? I don't think so. I think it's important to know who is giving you your news. It's always a lot of fun when there are round tables and the people start fighting on them...it's kind of like an academic version of Jerry Springer. Ok, maybe it's not. And don't get me started on when there is non-stop coverage of a special event. The Diamond Jubliee...my eyes were glued on the tv for a couple of days there. And I would be remiss not to mention Richard Quest, the lovable British correspondent. I also enjoy Piers Morgan when he has a good guest on, but I loved Larry King. Larry king is the man. In conclusion, I love watching the news and the anchors are a big reason why. I like to stay on top of what is going on in the world, and CNN is my favorite method of doing so.

Reunions

     Sometimes I find myself listening to a song and then I get sad because the group is no longer together. I just want them to get together one more time for a massive world tour so that my childhood dreams can be fulfilled...is that too much to ask? One of my top groups to see together again would be Destiny's Child. Or just Beyonce, I don't really care as long as Beyonce is there and she sings some old Destiny's Child music. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Kelly and Michelle, but Sasha Fierce, I mean Beyonce, is the real diva in the group. I would go completely go nuts if *NSync got back together. Even if I'm a middle-aged soccer mom, I will drop everything to see them in concert. Yeah, I'll be that girl. Basically I just want to relive the glory days...the 90's. And why is it that every group that I don't care about keeps going on reunion tours? I don't want to see Backstreet Boys (I was always team *NSync), and I certainly don't want to see them with New Kids on the Block, because I don't know one of their songs. So sorry that I don't get really excited when the radio constantly announces the NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys) joint tour. I guess until one of my favorite 90's boy or girl bands makes a big announcement about a reunion tour, I will just have to fantasize about me getting called up by JC to do the Bye, Bye, Bye dance and be content with belting out Independent Women by myself when nobody is listening.