Small town Homecoming Queen.

First of all, THIS IS MY 100TH POST!

So I just wanted to thank my employers/readers/friends for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences from MSU with you all. I have very much enjoyed being able to show everyone all of the cool things that I've seen or been involved with on this campus. It has driven me to be do more and more each day, just so I have the fortune to share my pictures and views with all of you. So once again, thank you!

As most of you may know, it was Michigan State's Homecoming celebration all last week with the inspiring theme of "Glow Green, Go White." I really liked this one considering I'm a huge believer in recycling and power and energy saving equipment. Unfortunately, my schedule was incredibly hectic so I was not able to participate in as many activities as I would have liked to. I DID skip my Calculus class on Friday though to get FREE DAIRY STORE ICE CREAM at the rock. Don't worry, my Graphic Communications professor said it was alright to skip, and it was definitely worth it (and I didn't even miss anything important in class.. win!). :D The MSU Quidditch team, the Spartan Spitfires, were also represented in the annual parade up on Grand River! Once again, I had conflicting events so I was not able to play alongside my team members, but I heard that they had a blast! One of my friends told me that a bunch of the younger kids, about elementary level, were ecstatic to see one of their favorite reading books come alive before their lives. She gave us the idea to host an event called "Kidditch" where a bunch of elementary students learn how to play a much toned-down level of the game, but can still run around with a broom between their legs throwing dodge balls at each other and volleyballs through plastic hula hoops. I just want to see their faces light up once they play. :]

Then there was... the football game. That was, and will probably remain, the greatest sports game I have attended at MSU. I had previously worked 18 hours for my Special Events/Parking job and I was thinking about skipping out on the game considering State was slated to lose, but I decided to stay and sit with my boyfriend and our friends in the top of the blue student section. That was the BEST decision I've made in a while. Luckily for me, I didn't get in to the stadium until after Wisconsin scored those initial, brutal points so I missed everything bad about that game. As soon as we got settled in our seats, MSU went for a safety, made it, and scored a touchdown all on the same play. I could tell that it was going to be a good game. Blocked punts and field goals, fumble recoveries, no penalties, complete passes, and a Hail Mary "Rocket" play at the end? I think everything that COULD happen in a football game, DID happen. The student section just erupted with elation when the refs made that final call with 00:00 left IN THE GAME. It was SO GREAT to be a part of that, MSU pride. :]

Our football team rushing the field to celebrate with the student section - October 22, 2011 :D

Apart from all of the Homecoming festivities this weekend, my friends and I went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday! It was a little but of a drive and we were all very squashed in the car, but it was fun all the same. We had decided to rent out the public kitchen in Holden so we could carve pumpkins and make a home cooked meal. I hadn't picked pumpkins in years, and I had almost forgotten how much I love Cider Mills. I bought an apple cider slushie while I was there, and a .5 peck of honeycrisp apples to take home, since they're my absolute favorite. :] It was wonderful to spend so much time with what I call my "Floor Family" since I hadn't seen most of them in a month and a half due to homework, work, and life. I'm still in the process of carving my pumpkin, but it is going to be AWESOME when I finish it. Also, the home cooked meal was delicious, thank you to Shannon's mother's recipe, and I loved cooking a huge meal with everyone else. :]

Picking apples from the trees.

Floor family and our pumpkins :]

Purchases from the Uncle John's Cider Mill!

Carving pumpkins in the East Holden kitchen.

Home-cooked meal with Floor Family! <3

Dinner was delicious, the weather was gorgeous, I didn't have ANY homework to do; I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Homecoming weekend at MSU. <3

Smash right through that line of blue!

I think one of my favorite Michigan State traditions is Sparty Watch. It happens every year in the week leading up to the MSU vs. UMich football game, no matter if we're home or away. It started out with just the band, but it has expanded to a university wide week-long event. There's even a Facebook event page!

The goal? Guard Sparty. The Spartan, nicknamed "Sparty", is iconic. It's a full circle thing too: freshman take photos with him when they first come to MSU, and graduates snap a picture with him in their caps and gowns when they receive their diplomas. Newlywed, particularly alumni who met at MSU, commonly take  pictures with Sparty if they get married in the Chapel on campus.

So what would the Walmart Wolverines try to do to demoralize us? Ruin our icon. Every year they plan a siege on our beloved statue, but we defend it. We're classy so we don't defend with force, but with strength in numbers. There's also this guy nicknamed Johnny Spirit who guards the statue 24/7. You all know who he is: that crazy guy who bikes around campus painted green with a giant white Spartan "S"on his chest. He brings a cot and everything. It had to be pretty cold at night this past week, I hope he was able to stay warm!

I wasn't able to attend this year due to work and classes, but my friend Jon took this awesome picture!

I hope everyone enjoys the game tomorrow! Remember be safe, make good life decisions, and BLEED GREEN! 

GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

All I do is win, win, win, no matter what.

So you know when you enter those silly contests where you have to "like" a Facebook page and you'll win something totally cool? Well, I did just that, and I won!

The CCHA: Central Collegiate Hockey Association Facebook page decided to hold a contest to get more "likes", so they posted to all their fans to pass the page around to friends and after a couple of weeks, one lucky fan would win a limited edition "Hockey in the D" jersey. One of my friends posted the link on her status, so I decided why not? I AM a fan of the CCHA anyway, considering I love Michigan State hockey. So all I had to do was click on the little "like" button at the top of the page and BAM! I won a sweet new jersey. :]

To be honest, I didn't even know that I had one. One of my other hockey friends posted on my wall wishing me congratulations for winning a jersey, and I had to go to the CCHA fan page to see the official post:

Unless there's another Aerin Klump that exists in the world who is one of 5,008 people who are a fan of CCHA on Facebook, I'm pretty sure that's me. :] This is what the jersey looks like too!

I have never won a contest before, so this is just tooooooo cool! :D I can't wait to see it in person! My goal is to have all of the Detroit Red Wings sign it, too. Great idea, huh? :]