Summer is HERE!

Hey there everyone!! It's been so long since I wrote, but with good reason! This past semester was pretty hectic - I got accepted into Sigma Tau Delta {insert STD joke here}, completed two honors projects, got re certified in Lifeguarding/CPR&AED, and did some re-enacting for Civil War Day at the local middle school! Alex & I even went to Lake Placid again with our friends this past weekend to enjoy a much needed vacation!

Please note I've also published the Easter post as well, it didn't want to upload from the "Blogger" application I have on my phone, and now logging into a real computer, found the issue. 

Here's a picture of my official certificate :)

This was from the museum, my Mom & I (President & VP, respectively) gave a tour for Girl Scouts before we opened for the season:

This was part of Civil War Day! HEY! HEY YOU! YES YOU! I have some information for you!

Did you know that this flag above (what people call the Confederate flag) is not actually the Confederate Flag/Stars and Bars?!? This was a battle flag, and never used as the official flag of the Confederacy.  This is what the actual stars and bars looks like:

For more information about the different flags of the Confederacy, go to: 

Click Here

Alex passed his Paramedic Class and his megacodes!! All he has left is finishing his ride time, the school final, and then the state exam, and then he is a fully fledged Paramedic!!

Whelp, I did get a job lifeguarding, so obviously this picture would have come sooner than later.  Come to find out, the sunscreen I used that day was in a report that was put out just a week before this picture was taken, saying that the sunscreen was "ineffective against sun protection". Hooray.  So now, I've done a LOT of research, and found myself some new sunscreen.  

Here's the traditional picture of Alex and our friend in Lake Placid!

And a find last night! A few days ago we found a bump underneath the carpet (which has never been there before).  Alex decided to see what it was, to make sure our floor joists weren't the problem.  We found this original hardwood underneath!! Two pieces of the wood decided to turn into a triangle (or go like this: /\  underneath the carpet).  Look at how gorgeous this is! Unfortunately, whoever put the carpet in went a little crazy with the staple gun and nails, and most of the wood we uncovered was warped a little.  We're going to find a person to come and see what can either be done about this, because obviously we're now missing part of the hardwood, and if we should just tear it out & replace with laminate hardwood (which we were planning to do when we bought the house, even before we knew there was hardwood underneath the carpet).  

 3 more semesters of undergrad, two months until Alex completes his school final and ride time, two months until the family reunion and meeting up with my cousin Remik, and just over 3 months until Alex and I go back to the beautiful Pawley's Island!!

Pushing Jen's Buttons.... School Edition

Now normally I'd probably write about just a few things here and there that I see on occasion, but some of these happen every. single. day. UGH. Maybe you can relate to some of these?

How to Push Jen's Buttons, School Ed.

...Seeing someone skip class and they wonder why they are failing....

...Seeing the same person make horrible excuses for not doing a take-home exam, even though they were given THREE WEEKS to complete it. A take home exam people.

...Those people who don't do the reading that's due for class and complain when they realize they forgot there was an in-class essay that day. No one said college is easy...
 

...Those people who talk bad about a professor and course contents.... HELLO!! You signed up for this elective!

...Those horrible people who consistently walk into class 10-15 minutes after class has started... What's worse is when you have this person in two of your classes and it happens in both. {Even worse, when you see said person in the cafeteria before class so you know they're awake, dressed, and ready!}

...People in the cafeteria who think everyone needs to listen to their rap music with swear words every two seconds. And then rap along with it.

...People who stand in the middle of the hallway just to talk.

Dont. Be. These. People! FOR THE LOVE!

Just another thought... I dropped off my niece for Pre-K this morning, and honestly, some of those parents do NOT know how to drive, or even make an effort to make sure the kids are wearing something warm.  Sure, it may be a heat wave this morning with temps averaging 17 degrees so far, but the wind chill is -3!  Come on now people, bundle up your kids!

And now, for some good news!

I GOT A FORM SO I CAN JOIN SIGMA TAU DELTA!!!! THERE WILL BE AN INDUCTION CEREMONY IN APRIL. YAY!!!!!



Back to School!

September 3rd, I get to go back to College! 

There is so much I hope to accomplish! 

I have orientation the 30 of August to find out more specifics of the College, hopefully find my rooms, and find out how I can get some help should I need it! I've already registered for classes and know my schedule, rooms, and teachers.  I was thinking about visiting before then to explore, and find the rooms myself so I'm not completely lost my first day! Ordering all the books, buying supplies, it's all making me more and more excited!

I'm going to be going back as an English Major, and although I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, I know that no matter what I've done all my life, I somehow manage to make my way to the English Arts, whether it is reading, writing, or researching.  

Heading back, I'm making myself a goals list to accomplish within the first 2 years:

1.  Keep my GPA above a 3.0

Ways to reach this:

Use tutoring, and don't be afraid to ask for help!

Do my homework

Keep attendance up! (Some take a whole letter grade off if you miss too many classes)

Stay organized, using my planner, and binders for respective classes

Stay at the college in between my classes to do homework and ask for more help.  

Have a teacher/tutor specifically for reading my papers

2.  Take my core classes within the first 2 years, and work on my "major" classes the latter 2. 

Take the advice of my advisors!

3.  At the end of the 2 years, make sure I am eligible for Sigma Tau Delta! 

http://www.english.org/sigmatd/

4.  Enjoy the whole college experience!

Things I've learned about the College so far:

They are all about checks and balances: When I went in to register for classes, I went to the Student Academics Services Center and was introduced to my Freshman advisor.  I was able to schedule my classes, have questions answered, etc.  On the way back to the Admin Building, I ran into my transfer counselor who was on her way out to give a tour of the campus, but asked me to stay to talk to her.  While she did that, I was able to go to the bookstore, find out about my books, and turn my forms in.  When I came back, my counselor was concerned about keeping checks and balances:  asking how everything was, if I had any questions, how I liked everything so far, etc.  Everyone I meet is genuinely interested in seeing the students succeed. 

While it is a small campus, it makes for a personable environment.  Average class sizes are around 15. I'll have that small town school feel that I'm so used to, compared to the big universities in the area!

I am determined to do my best, I know that my future depends on how I do now.  

GO HAWKS!!!