Lil Sibs Weekend!

Well, it wasn't officially Lil Sibs Weekend for the university, because that was a few weeks ago, but my little brother, Alex, stayed with me this past weekend instead! He's only a freshman in high school, but he already knows he wants to come to MSU, particularly to be a part of the Spartan Marching Band and on the MSU drumline. :] He already comes up every Thursday to participate in the clinics that the MSU percussionists hold for prospective high school students, which is a bonus for him since he has the next three and a half years to practice and build up his skills. It's a good thing he doesn't want to attend that other school down the road...

Anyway, I had a blast hanging out with him this weekend! I haven't been home at all since the new semester started, and I had been missing my family a lot. He came up on Thursday for clinic and stayed until just a few hours ago when my parents came to pick him up. Friday morning he didn't want to go to class with me (I mean, four classes in five hours.. I wouldn't want to either if I didn't have to..) so he slept and did homework while I was writing down notes and listening to lectures. We went to the hockey game later that night, and he had a blast! He had never been to a varsity sport before this weekend, so he got a huge kick out of our cheers, chants, and cat-calls at the opposing team. MSU won too, which made the experience that much better for him.

The next day, I had to do some more homework, so Alex waited around a little while before we played Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii! Then it was off to the final hockey game of the regular season.. it was also the last hockey game that our senior friends Anthony, Tim, and Lawrence were going to attend at Munn Ice Arena, so despite our shutout 2-0 victory, it was upsetting to see the boys together for the last time..

We decided to go ice skating after the game, just so we could be in the arena a little bit longer before next season starts. I had never gone ice skating with Alex before and I was jealous because he's a much better skater than I am! I just learned how to do cross overs last weekend, and now I need to practice stops and skating backwards.. I'll get to it eventually. :p

I was sad to see my brother leave this morning. But I'll be home in less than a week, and we can play hours and hours of video games and watch NHL hockey and scary movies then! :]

My brother and I at the hockey game! :D

Coexist.

The MSU Bakery is featured on the LiveOn website! I just thought it was funny to point out that both of two of my three jobs are featured on the same page. :P Go to the main website, www.liveon.msu.edu to see my friends Casey, Amara, Emily, and Kara in a video about the bakery!

Snowocalypse 2.0

I know it's February.
I know we live in Michigan.
But that still doesn't mean I enjoyed walking through a foot of snow after wearing shorts to class twice last week. I was so thrilled to see the grass and the tiniest piles of snow in the parking lots, and now everything is covered again. It wasn't a gradual snowfall either; it's like someone took a giant dump truck of snow and emptied it over East Lansing.

I am not excited to walk to five classes tomorrow.

Everybody's gonna love today!

Eu·pho·ri·a 

[yoo-fawr-ee-uh, -fohr-] – noun 
a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being

Word of the day. Or of the week, really. So  many wonderful things have happened over the past couple of days, and I have been in an excellent mood because of it!


-aced my Statics AND Linear Algebra exams
-accomplished all homework assignments without much stress
-went ice skating for the first time in a while
-IT'S BEEN SO BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE.
-the snow is disappearing, and I can see the grass
-have a wonderful weekend planned, despite studying for two exams 
-my brother is staying with me for a whole weekend during his Winter Break!
-I'm going to Disney World this summer for the first time with my best friend and her family! :D


I hope that this wonderful mood stays, it has caused me to be very productive lately! I hope that everyone else has been enjoying life as much as me! :]

La vita é bella! :D

I want a mom that will last forever.

I am not a fan of February 14th.

I'm not going to sit here and be a downer and say "I hate Valentine's Day, it's a dumb holiday" or "It's Singles Awareness Day" or "It's so commercialized and not worth the fluctuation in the economy." Sure, if you want to celebrate it by spending extra money and time with the ones you love, whether it be a friend or significant other, go right ahead; there's nothing I can do to stop you.

No, I have a different story.

On this day nine years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I was only in fifth grade, and the only thing I knew was that cancer could kill. I was so very afraid for my mom's life, I absolutely could not imagine carrying out my own life without her because there were so many things left unlearned and unsaid.

But nine years later, she's cancer free and has been for a few years now. I thank God everyday for giving her the strength and courage to fight this ugly disease, and for all of her friends and family that had stood beside her in that battle. I thank him for not taking her away from my brother, dad, and I, because I know that not all families are able to say so.

This day is dedicated to you, Mom, and don't you ever think that you "ruined Valentine's Day for me." I love you, with all of my heart, and I value every day I get to see you, laugh with you, talk on the phone, tell you all my stories, share my secrets, and watch Glee and hockey for hours on end. You're my best friend. <3

I'm on the right track, baby, I was Born This Way.

Now despite how you may feel about Lady Gaga and her music and social views, she is one heck of a music artist. She can sing, dance, play the piano, write her own music, and has basically created a whole new aspect to the music industry in general.

Today, her new song "Born This Way" was released. It has gotten some controversial opinions about being the newest "LBGT Anthem," but personally, I don't feel like she wrote it specifically for that cause. Just from attending one of her Monster Ball concerts, I could see why Lady Gaga has become such a new age idol, comparable to Modonna. She advocates self-confidence and happiness as being the most important qualities to a person, because to her, being happy with who you is the greatest feeling you can have. I have a great level of respect for her, despite some of her bizarre statements and opinions, and I definitely enjoy her up beat music. :]

Comment and let me know how you feel about it! :]

SUUUPER BOWL SUUUNDAY!

YEAHH SUPER BOWL! But in all honesty, I had no particular affiliation with either team, so I didn't really care who won. :p The Super Bowl is just an awesome excuse to set homework and housework aside to hang out with friends and eat tons of snack foods. While I do actually enjoy watching the football game, something that would not have occurred before I came to a Big Ten university with a highly ranked football team, I think my favorite part is the commercials in between plays. Sadly, I wasn't all that impressed with the commercials this year. :/ They just couldn't top something as good as this one from last year:

This one is just so so cute! :]

My friends' floor held a Super Bowl party in their lounge stocked with Pokey Stix, pop, and a ton of people! Basically the entire floor was there. You may ask, "how can you watch the big game in the middle of a study lounge?!" Simple: lots of electrical cords and a neat projector! The boys hooked it up so that the screen was as large as it could be against the biggest wall of the room. The high definition of the video was superb too! I wish this picture turned out, I was a little upset with the quality, or lack thereof, in the dark.

Either way, it's pretty cool, eh?

Well I guess it's off to do the homework that I've procrastinated on all weekend! But an excellent weekend it was. :]

She's a brick.. house.

After many months of deliberating, I have finally chosen, what I believe is to be, the best living situation for myself next year!

Way back in early October, my close friends were contemplating getting an apartment for next year, an idea I had mulled over since my freshman year. There are just so many different aspects to consider before making the final decision on where to live for an entire eight months of my life.

To be honest, I had a really difficult time choosing this year.

First of all, I know that I will have classes everyday, so that means I will be on campus and getting meals everyday. All of my jobs are closest to the complex that I am currently living, and I wouldn't want to live any farther away from the MSU Bakery and Police Department when I have to work early morning shifts. There's also the cost and decency of food and the time it takes to prepare it to consider. 

On the other hand, the apartment life sounds pretty cool. There's not any mentors or quiet hours or hall activities. It means that I would have to take more responsibility for my academics, cleaning, and general house life, though, something that will prepare me for the real world. There's also the added bonus of a ton of more space, plus your own room to settle in and make homey. 

But there's also campus life. It is simply one of my favorite aspects of attending MSU. I see my friends everywhere: in the halls, in the caf, walking to class. I meet new people all the time just because I happen to be somewhere interesting at the time. There's tons of activities going around on campus from blood drives to weekend movies to sitting and listening to the Well's Hall preacher. Not to mention, I just enjoy looking out my window at campus and all of it's unique beauty.

I kept going back and forth between living on or off campus for months. I discussed each option with my parents, my oldest friends, my newest friends, all to hear what they thought would be my best decision.

And in the end, I choose to live.. on. I even took it one step further and decided to live in a single room instead of with someone new. My current roommate, and my best friend since ninth grade, has been my roommate since the beginning of college, and I wouldn't want that to be changed by moving in with someone completely new.

I am also going to be suitemates with my two really good friends Julia and Carly, PLUS many of my other good friends are living on the other side of our hall. I am so very excited for next year now!

SNOW-MY-GOSH!

WHO GETS A SNOW DAY IN COLLEGE?!
MSU GETS A SNOW DAY IN COLLEGE!!!

We haven't had one of these things since HIGH SCHOOL! That is probably one of those crazy high school aspects that I miss the most. Remember all of the traditions we used to do of putting turtles in the window and wearing our pajamas backwards or inside-out just for one day of blistering, cold, snowy, weather? I remember how awesome it felt to sleep in on a weekday and put all our snow gear on and run around outside all day long.

And, finally, we can do it all over again. I feel like a giddy five year old, but I love it.