Every Step

Tex

2012-01-29T11:42:00.001-08:00

Another picture of my truck! Obsessive? Yes! But I don't care. I love it! I spent a couple of hours yesterday washing it and drying it off and by-golley, I almost needed a step ladder to get the job done. I'll probably need one or get a friend to help at least when I wax it.

So as you can see by the title, I've decided to name him TEX!!!!!! My friends Sarah J and Shiney both suggested it and it only took me just over 1,000 miles of driving to decide that it fit! I hope everyone had a great weekend and wish y'all the best for this coming week! I'm heading down south a few hours for a customer research event that will last the week.

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I Made It

2012-01-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

As most would assume, I made it safe and sound this go down to Georgia. My truck ran like a dream and I'm LOVING IT!!!!! Again, I do not recommend crashing your car if you are thinking about buying a new one. Still taking suggestions for names though. I'm still thinking a boy's name and now the options are down to Bruce, Brutus and Baxter. It is just a hard decision to make - I want it to be a tough name, but still unique and classy at the same time.

So far I've been trying to stay out of trouble. There is a pretty good group of younger employees down here so I've been out with some of them already and went to a hockey game with some of the product support people. I also have enjoyed running around my complex and just exploring. I LOVE my apartment. The shopping part of it was frustrating, but it is a gorgous complex and I have lots of space. My furniture looks great in it and I've had fun decorating it. Still need to go curtain shopping, but it definitely feels like home :) I have also made the decision to not get cable or internet in my apartment. You calling me crazy? Maybe I am. Here is my reasoning:
1- Save some money (especially since I'm making truck payments and also higher insurance).
2 - I have a smart phone so I can some basic internet tasks on there and the clubhouse to my complex has free WiFi and I can get into there 24/7 if need be. Also, with the smartphone - I've been listening to a lot of Pandora for background noise.
3 - I have plenty of books and craft materials to keep me busy.
4 - It is just peaceful.
5 - I wanted to make my college roommate, Kathleen Paola, proud of me :)
6 - If I want to watch a game or something, it forces me to be more social

I've definitely hit the ground running with my job. It has been a lot to learn, really fast! I'm so grateful for my previous Deere knowledge and experiences or I would be totally lost. I like the challenge and the fast-pace work style at a factory though or at least that is the way it is down here. The team is super supportive and I can't complain when a morning is spent learning how to drive tractors in order to get them ready for shipping to a show or something. Yes, I'm still learning how to drive lol! The smaller ones are super easy, but as they get bigger, they become a lot more complicated.

Well, that's my update for now - I'll work on some pics and all coming up. I'm checking out a church in the morning so I'm hoping to meet some new friends :)

Oh and since my sister-in-law gave me a shout out the other day - I want to do the same for her. Check out her really cute blog http://theartisticallychallengedcrafter.blogspot.com/.
Have a wonderful Saturday (its pouring here, but at least it isn't snow)!
Britt

Ps - the font I'm going to blog in while I'm down here is "Georgia." Seems appropiate? :)

RIP Gerdy

2012-01-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

So in order to tell everyone what happened, I figured I'd post the story up here instead of retelling it over and over again. I would love to put this behind me and focus on the positives that came out of the situation which would be my AMAZING NEW TRUCK!!!!!!

Disclaimer - Miraculously, everyone walked away without a scratch. Tuesday morning, I was about two hours south of Lexington after staying the night in Wilmore, KY with my bro and sister-in-law when the wreck happened. As most of you know, I was heading down to Augusta, GA for my new job with Deere.

The actual wreck is pretty much a blur to me because when my car started going out of control, I closed my eyes and was just bracing for some sort of impact. I was traveling about 75 mph on Interstate 75 when I braked to slow down because I was approaching a car in the far left-hand lane. 75 was three lanes where I was at. As best as I can remember, my back end felt like it slipped from underneath me to the right and I tried to swerve back and started over-correcting, which is totally easy to do even if you are a Nascar driver. At that point I starting spinning towards the right. Again, I was in the left-hand lane and crossed two lanes while spinning. There was a thud somewhere in there and I could tell when I hit the ditch and then a second or so later, my car finally came to a stop.

I opened my eyes and I was facing towards the northwest with the back of my car down in the ditch. I looked across to what I thought was the bottom of a semi but the semi turned out to be the bottom of a 5th-wheel camper. The truck that was pulling it was facing north and the only thing that kept it from flipping is that it was up against a guardrail. In the process of me spinning across traffic, I hit them somehow just back behind their driver side back wheel, which basically jack-knifed them.

The other couple GOT OUT of their truck and were WALKING too. I couldn't believe it! I kept myself calm to the point that the cop couldn't believe that this was my first accident. The best thing that the cop could come up with was that my back left tire blew and that is why it started acting all "squirelly" (that was his word) on me.

So not only did I figure out how to manage all the insurance information and figure out the rental for a few days and just what to do - I had all the moving stuff to deal with as well. Nothing really broke inside my car besides a couple of vases and my house plants were all toppled over. A body shop guy came over to the impound and told me it was pretty much totaled which was reaffirmed by the insurance guy today as I was sitting in the Dodge dealership buying my new TRUCK!!!!!

I wasn't too far away from Lexington, so Ben and Eva came and got me so I could recover a bit and get things ironed out and I was out truck shopping less than 10 hours after I totaled Gerdy. It was a lot to process, but I wanted to get some closure to all this and be done with it.

I have been researching trucks for awhile and was going to buy one in about 6 months when I could save up for a bit longer. This truck had all the features I wanted and the dealership gave me a great deal! I was willing to settle on some of my wants, but I found pretty much what I wanted with the basics being black and lots of chrome! My favorite color really is chrome :) So, I'm going to try this again, and head out down to Augusta in the morning :) Wish me luck!

I also had damage on the back right door by the wheel and a big crack in my back bumper on the left side. The tow-truck guy thought that my back wheels were bent and then also I'm pretty sure my radiator got busted too because I remember a hissing noise when I got out of the seat and there was some steam rolling off of my right front tire when it was being pulled up on the truck.

RIP Gerdy - you've been a great car.

Hello ___________ I'm taking suggestions on a new name for this bad boy!!!!

I've always wanted to take a pic like this :)

Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn - 5.7L Hemi - Quad Cab

Next Chapter

2012-01-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

And I'm off again on yet another adventure! A southern adventure this time though y'all!

Daddy helped me load the car tonight and tomorrow morning I'll be on my way to Augusta, GA for my next rotation with John Deere working mainly with the 5000 series, but also doing some other projects with the smaller tractors.

So I realize it has been two months since I last posted anything. My bad. Here's a quick recap:

- I left straight from homecoming to Sarasota, Florida for three weeks where I worked a training event and had a BLAST!!!

- Spent two weeks in Mannheim, Germany for a customer fly-in for 6000 series customers. This was obviously a phenomenal experience, especially right before Christmas with all the decorations :)

- My cousin Jonathan married my KC friend Miss Alina. I was so happy for them and the wedding was beautiful in a refurbished barn.

- Did my final report out for my last rotation and it went super awesome - I even juggled as an illustration. I guess I'll do anything for an applause?!?!

- Enjoyed some downtime around the holidays and spending it with the family back in Indiana and had an epic New Years as it served as a Purdue friend reunion in Chicago!!!

Yep, that's about the just of what's been up with me! Pretty boring actually :P

Boys can be nice - if they want

2011-10-23T08:08:00.001-07:00

So I got to go home (Purdue home), as an alumni this time, for homecoming and had quite the experience. Saw lots of great friends, went to an incredible Lee Brice and Luke Bryan concert that was extremely entertaining (with some unexpected twists), had great seats to watch my Boilers upset a ranked team and went to a Women of Wesley event that got crashed by the boys.
Now the story behind this is due to FaceBook always switching things up, my friend Erica had to make the event off of the general Wesley Foundation group page which accidently invited all the boys as well. This obviously couldn't happen because this movie night had some business to it as the women began planning for their WOW holiday dinner which is always top secret from the boys. So they were uninvited and I guess some feelings got hurt. Since the location and time had been disclosed, we were an easy target for this ambush. But we were all pleasantly surprised when it came in this fashion rather than a silly, immature prank. I love it and miss it when these boys go just a little bit out of their way to make us girls feel special! Well done boys, well done!

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Blue Like Jazz

2011-10-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

So I borrowed the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller from Purdue's Wesley Foundation at the end of the semester last year and I will be returning it this weekend after finally reading it. I actually have two chapters left that I have to get read on the plane tomorrow night on my way back to Purdue for homecoming this weekend.

It is a really, really good book that I think anybody who claims to be a Christain should at least take a peek at. It basically focuses on what Christian spirituality looks like compared to organized religion in a very funny, non-judgemental, witty and personal way through the author's life. My mom picked it up when she was out here this last weekend and was almost half way through it before they left for Indiana again.

It can make you uncomfortable as he tackels the major issues of worship, love, romance, community and money. How do these different areas reflect in a spiritual context and what has 'the church' morphed them into? And I don't mean like morphed in a bad context, just how have our human interpretations of the Bible or religious traditions made them to be today? He never points fingers or says one way is the right way, just that you have to find what clicks for you. Which is something I have always thought and said about individuals claiming one demonination over another is that you have to do what is right for your own faith journey, walk, path, relationship or whatever you want to call it with God while not judging others. Overall searching and seeking a pure truth.

Ok - that's my plug for this book. I'm eager to read the last few chapters and see how he wraps it up :) But go borrow, check-out, buy or download it! Definitely a great book - an entertaining and thought-provoking read!

PS - I googled it to find a picture of the book and apparently it has been made into a movie! Huh? Looks like I'll have to add that to my list of movies to see :)

Night y'all!

"Little Bit of Life"

2011-10-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love some Craig Morgan? Well, since it has been forever since I've blogged, I thought I'd catch everyone up in small installments and try to go in sequential order.

As many of you know, my grandmother wasn't doing well and passed away August 24th. Her last three weeks were spent either in ICU or hospice and were not very pretty. My mom and dad were visiting her up to three times a day during that time. She was ready to go and it was a relief that she finally passed peacefully.

Death is a part of life, but it still hurts as our "human" side misses the loss. My brother, Ben, actually officiated the service and his whole theme was explaining why we mourn so much because death wasn't part of God's original plan. I was so proud of him that he used this difficult moment to minister and teach to our family and friends. I couldn't believe what a great job he did! Grandma asked specifically for Ben to officiate the service and I know she was very proud!

Thanks for everything Grandma, I love you and will miss you!

Martha L. Cassiday

Dec. 25, 1918 - Aug. 24, 2011

ANDERSON, Ind. — Martha L. Cassiday, 92, of Anderson, passed away Aug. 24, 2011, at Saint John’s Medical Center in Anderson.

She was born Dec. 25, 1918, to the late William and Elizabeth Reeves in Rush County.

She retired from the Farmers Home Administration of Henry County and was active in NARFE and the Southdale Tower Cabinet. She was a member of Wilkinson Church of Christ and more recently attended First United Methodist Church of Anderson.

Survivors include a daughter, Ruth Anne (Curt) Pittinger of Richmond; a son, Richard (Dorinda) Cassiday of Anderson; grandchildren, Timothy Pittinger, Tina Landis, Benjamin (Eva) Cassiday and Brittania Cassiday; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mary Ruth Strain and Dorcus Canary; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Raymond Cassiday; and sister, Katherine Bombaugh.

Services officiated by Benjamin Cassiday will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Condo and Son Funeral Home, Wilkinson. Burial will follow in Center Cemetery near Mays in Rush County.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

100th Post for Matt Doyle!

2011-08-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Just over two years ago - I set out on the adventure of a life-time. Well, actually the adventure of 2009. I decided I would take some time and journal/write about it on here and have attempted to keep up with it since.

With my recent venture to PA, I spent a few days working at a dealership to get a feel for what it would be like to be one of our dealers. Specifically, I was supposed to be working with parts, but I did a little bit of everything while I was there.

The parts and service manager, Matt Doyle, was super nice and friendly and put up with all of my questions. He was such a nice guy and I figured I would use what little awareness I have on here to help promote his art. He is just 24 years-old, a few months older than me, went to fine arts school and I'm sure would love to take his passion further to make it a career.

So check out his stuff - I'm going to order a print or two so you should too! I'm sure he would work with you as well if you would like something done as an original.

Thanks for all of your help Matt and best of luck!
http://www.mattdoylefineart.com/

"Dancing in the Moonlight"

"On the Prowl"

"The Canadian Collection"

"Beautiful Things"

2011-08-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

I would much rather muse about my past few weeks and sit outside on my patio and enjoy the sunset than do my laundry or dishes. Life is just such a beautiful thing! God's creation is such a beautiful piece of art! And where life takes you - well that's the trip.

This past week I spent in Pennsylvania. PA is a state that I have only driven through just barely going out to DC, so I believe that makes my count on states visited 41/50! Sorry dad, that isn't a fraction that will reduce. (He is a math teacher fyi.)

Sunset at the Park where the ATV event was at that I worked

I was able to see some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. Driving through actual mountains covered with trees and alongside small creeks with old homesteads scattered throughout the land, was truly a breathtaking experience. Not to mention the deer, the fields that were about ready to harvest and the sky is gorgeous wherever you go. Even back here in Kansas as you can see from my shot from my balcony.

KC sunset from my balcony

My grandmother is currently in hospice, but holding stable to the point where they might move her into a nursing home hospice situation. It is at times like this that make you sit and re-evaluate your life and determine or re-determine what is important to you. What makes your life beautiful?

I have made a point to spend the last 5 or so New Year's Eves with her. Our big night would include some card games and puzzles and of course watching the ball drop! It always took me back to when I was younger and she would babysit for my brother and me while my parents got one of their few date nights a year with their best friends. She has always been such a great role model - lived a simple, yet content life. I will always look up to her for that. Her favorite prayer was "Grant me peace and contentment." With all the big dreams that I have going through my head at one time, remembering that helps to keep me grounded.

So enjoy every beautiful thing. From the human life of the new person you just met, to the beauty that nature beholds for us to the opportunities that we are blessed with everyday - remember it is all BEAUTIFUL!

Great song to ponder to:
"Beautiful Things" - Gungor

Too Good Not to Share

2011-08-07T20:31:00.001-07:00

My mom sent me this picture after a storm blew through this afternoon and after a weekend that didn't go quite as planned, it brought a smile to my face. I miss him a lot, but I know this is a time of growth for me and I know God is with me every step of the way. I've been seeing my yellow and black butterfly recently which has been another added reassurance. Soon my dog Chloe will be out here with me so she'll help keep me company.

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Epic Trip Follow-Up!

2011-07-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

So I knew going into this trip, it was going to be of epic proportions! Well it was! I got upgraded with my rental (still don't know why) to a 2012 Mustang! That thing was sweet! You know, I've always thought a sports car was not very practical; gas milage isn't that great and there isn't much room in them. Well, I stand corrected on one part - I got great milage in that thing! Like almost averaging 28 mpg! Being a small person, there was plenty of room for me - so while I'm still living alone, a sports car is totally practical :) Gerdie, my Buick, will have to do in the mean time though because I understand I do need to be somewhat practical about it and not go into debt when I still have a working car. You know, be grateful for what you have.

I saw a bunch of good friends from high school, college and 4-H. Which was great because I haven't really had the chance to make too many out here yet besides through work. As great as it is to go back, it makes me miss it soooooo much! School and showing! But I have a couple of good leads on some different barns around the area, so I'm hoping one of those will work out.

My dealer visits went great and so far the feedback I've given back has been well received and I really think this project is going to turn out pretty well! I also got a couple of movies in, Harry Potter VII part II for the second time and Captain America. Both were great!

At least I won't be alone this week - I have two little new best friends! Sterling and Madison! they are two little Yorkies that I'm dog-sitting for a friend who is on vacation :) I'm pretty excited about it. They are pretty cute :)

Super Pumped

2011-07-19T21:56:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow morning I will embark upon an epic week composed of dealer visits, some Purdue time, Henry County Fair and catching up with friends all along the way! Phew!

Life is good! Super busy, but good. Still working on making new friends through a couple different venues but I enjoy living by myself - so much freedom!

One of my favorite quotes from the new Harry Potter movie.
Harry: "Is this all made up on my head?"
Dumbledore: "Of course this is all in your head Harry. But that doesn't mean it isn't real!"

So dream away my friends. Afterall, everything has to be 'made-up' to begin with from someone. ;)

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Baby You're a Firework!

2011-07-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have Katy Pery rattling around in my head, can you tell? I can hear fireworks, but I can't see them from my apartment :( But.... I'm sure I'll be seeing plenty of fireworks over the weekend! I'm heading down to Wichita to see some of my family and to see the newest edition to the clan!

Just a quick catch-up from this last week. Work is going just swell. Today was my first pay-day and it is a 3-day weekend, so I'm doing pretty well! The marketing rep that has been cross-training me had her last day on Thursday, so I'm a little baby bird kicked out of the nest and forced to fly! Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but she has been wonderful and I'm very appreciative.

A few notables:
Monday - I went to a new young adult small group bible study. It went really well and I think I might have found a good church to start going to.
Tuesday - I went wake-boarding for the first time with my co-workers. I'm still sore 3/4 days later! It was wicked fun though!
Wednesday - I did absolutely nothing! I attempted to recover and stayed on my couch most of the night.
Thursday - "Hot Summer Nights,"is a concert series that goes on downtown KC and I headed down there with the other reps, interns and a few other co-workers. And it was hot! Literally! But still fun. Band Perry was playing and they were a lot of fun.

Well, thanks for checking in. Here are some Youtube videos that sum up my week as well:
"I Lift My Hands" Chris Tomlin
Wake-boarding wipeouts (None of those were me, although I probably looked like a few of those.)
"If I Die Young" Band Perry
"Firework" Glee/Katy Perry (I like the Glee version, especially after seeing them live!)

A Whole New World

2011-06-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

This title is appropriate for all sorts of reasons.
1 - The obvious one of me graduating, moving three states away and getting my first job.
2 - I'm making a new little home, even cooking for myself. I promise pictures of the apartment soon to come.
3 - That was the sermon title of the sermon I listened to this morning.

The Church of the Resurrection is a huge United Methodist Church with a couple different locations around southern and western KC. While I got up in plenty of time to go to church in person, time has this funny trick of disappearing and I didn't want to show up late, so I "tuned-in" online. I was really impressed with the live-stream and even more impressed with the sermon itself.

Rev. Adam Hamilton, pulled out three main points from the movie Aladdin and showed how the gospel can be seen through them.

1 - The first point he talked about was how God sees us for the "diamond in the roughs" that we are. Obviously Aladdin went from a "street-rat" to a prince, inside and out. God chose the most unlikely people throughout the Bible to carry out his works. Moses, Samuel's youngest son, the woman at the well and even the rag-tag team of disciples that Jesus chose are just a few of the examples.

2- The second point was living your life in a balance of piety and outward signs of living for Christ. BE YOURSELF. Be true to who you are and more importantly who God has made you to be. Aladdin was posing as a pompous prince, while Jasmine fell in love with the real Aladdin, not "Prince Al." He expanded and talked about how we should not do what we do as a Christian to impress anyone, but to impact others. So make an impact people!

3 - Lastly he asked us how we would spend our third wish. Aladdin stayed true to a promise he made to the Genie and set him free while he thought he was giving up his chance to have his "happily ever after." What a sacrifice! Hm? Sound familiar? Enough said for point number three.

So, needless to say, I totally dug this guy and I'm looking forward to visiting in person next week as the Disney preaching series continues. Here is the link to the sermon online, I noticed it wasn't up yet, but hopefully it will be soon. Aladdin sermon!

I'd also like to thank Joyce Hooker from Knightstown, Indiana for her submission to "The Taste of Home Cookbook." I used her recipe for Broccoli Chicken Roll-Ups for inspiration and made my own little twist on probable the closet to gourmet meal I have ever made!

What Not to Say to Kids

2011-06-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

I promise to get some pictures up soon of the new place. It is so cute and I love everything about it now! Plus, this "clean-freak" stage might not stay too long ;)

Tonight after work I had the chance to venture a little deeper into the complex and check out the basketball court. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it has all of the needed components :) There were two boys and their dad shooting around a bit and I asked if I could join. I was hardly hitting anything it seemed, but that was ok, it was just nice to get out.

The father then went into this spiel telling his boys, "If anyone ever tries to tell you playing sports is not about winning, then they're wrong." He continued on saying, "Why would you practice and train so hard if it wasn't to win? Don't let anyone ever tell you different." "Pain goes away. If you get hurt and you're not dead or have a concussion, then keep playing. Physical pain goes away, but the emotional pain of losing doesn't."

My heart just sank as the two boys ate up every word and agreed with him and started to repeat back what their dad had said to them, "That's right Papa!" I wish I had the courage to go against him to his face, but I just ignored him and then had some time with the kids later.

Later I was just playing with the kids after the dad had left and learned that they were just 6 and 7-years-old. They were so sweet and then their little brother who had to be like 2 introduced himself with a handshake and we played for awhile after that. I just wanted to tell them that their dad he was so wrong. Sports are GAMES! They should be for fun! Organized sports can teach you discipline, teamwork and dedication, but it is still a GAME!

I wondered what my good friend Mr. Tony Dungy had to say on this matter, so I acquired a few quotes:

"God’s definition of success is really one of significance – the significant difference our lives can make in the lives of others."
"Football is a vocation and an opportunity for ministry. But it’s not a life."

So then I stumbled across this great quote that actually goes exactly along with a conversation I had last night at the Kansas City Royal's baseball game, "Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war." Al McGuire.

I literally just had this conversation with a friend while watching the game. We enjoy sports, but they are not life and death like our troops are facing right now or the miracles that doctors perform everyday for people's loved ones.

Ok, I have ranted long enough! While my little time out on the playground angered me, the boys were so sweet and innocent and I hope my positive outlook and just playing with them made some small impact. I think I did because as they were leaving the boy yelled goodbye across the yard to me :)

Disney World to the Real World!

2011-06-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

This past month has been CraZy! From walking across the stage in Elliot Hall to receive my degree, to meeting Mickey Mouse and venturing through the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to starting my first, full-time job! Phew! So I don't think everything has fully sunk in yet, but it has sure been fun along the way.

This is my first weekend in Kansas and since I'm just taking it easy and trying to "decompress" as one of my co-workers suggested to do this weekend, I figured I'd post a few pictures and memories of the past month!

After 5 years of walking around the bell tower and never going under it, graduation was finally the day to walk under it for the first time!

M-I-C. K-E-Y. M-O-U-S-E!!!!!! And Minnie :)

Hogwarts Castle! No words to describe how excited I was to be in Harry Potter World!

"There will be a Day"

2011-05-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Jeremy Camp song, "There will be a Day," but just as I was sitting down to blog about today, that is what popped in my head.

I spent the day up North, past Ft. Wayne for a really good college friend's mom's funeral. She passed away Friday evening after a hard battle with cancer. It was truly a celebration of her life and I overall witnessed passed the human sorrow of losing a loved one, an atmosphere that was light and energetic as we remembered this remarkable woman.

I still cried like a baby through parts of the service for different reasons:
1- I felt sorrow for my friend. He has been there for me through some of the toughest things I have faced in my young-life so far and he was losing his mother at such a young age.
2- I was thinking, "What if that were my mom?" My mom and I have grown through the "parent-child" relationship and into the "best-friend" relationship and I couldn't imagine doing things in my future like planning a wedding someday without her.
3 - I HATE CANCER! I have known too many people either personally or who have had loved ones been affected by this selfish disease.

Again, the service was about a celebration and Bonnie wanted it that way and told one of the ministers to use her funeral as an opportunity to teach to those attending so that they might grow deeper in their faiths. To have belief, and what one of the ministers referred to more adequately as trust, in the gracious gift God gave us through Jesus Christ - Eternal Life! Can I get a hallelujah?

So I think that is why the Jeremy Camp song popped into my head, for there will indeed be a day with no more tears, no more pain and no more fear! There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more and we'll see Jesus face to face. Thank you Bonnie for giving me such wonderful friend in your son. I know you are continuing to love your husband, children and family in a much better place and that indeed you have seen Jesus now face to face!

Unrest

2011-05-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

The recent world news had some great timing - right before finals! Thanks! Honestly, the world happenings concern/worry me more than my finals. While yes, Bin Laden led an extremist group, I can't help but worry about what fighting hate with hate will do. I appreciated the Facebook posts last night that expressed unease, those that would not celebrate in the death of someone and the various postings out of the book of Ezekiel:

‎"Say to them, 'As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways...'" Ezekiel 33:11

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! Ezekiel 18:32

Don't get me wrong - I love AMERICA! I love what it stands for and I am terribly grateful for those serving for my country - for me!

I suppose being on a huge campus with people from all over the world, and probably through the help of my friends who have some great worldly perspectives, my eyes have been opened to a bit more beyond these wonderful shores of ours. Yesterday at the Wesley Foundation at Purdue, we dedicated a peace pole that sits outside our building. This pole has a message of peace written on it in all different languages. We have been recently reaching out to other religions and have had some great interactions with both Muslims and Jews. Yesterday was just the same. Someone offered a traditional Muslim prayer asking for peace and we ended the dedication singing a Jewish song for peace. Again, talk about timing?

The idea of peace has been resurfacing in my life a lot recently. My last post I talked about the words of my grandmother and how they impacted me during this time of transition for me - "Grant me Peace and Contentment," has been her daily prayer all her life. Also yesterday at the last Wesley service, Pastor Lana preached on peace while "Rethinking Evangelism." Evangelism is not always necessarily standing on the street corner holding signs or going out on trips to bring people to Christ. Lots of HORRIBLE things have been done in the name of Evangelism that I, as a Christian, disagree with.

"The Gospel in one word is Love," is a lyric from a song my dad used to sing when leading various worship services. "Love thy neighbor as thyself. Love. Love. Love." I wish the world would unite in singing this as a round together. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic or whatever - at least practice peace and love. While I personally believe it comes from God and the ultimate form of love was shown through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for anyone who will accept it, right now, I'd just settle for a little love.

Grant me Peace and Contentment

2011-04-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in my room, evening of Easter Sunday, 3 weeks before I graduate college and make the biggest transition ever in my life. I find it ironic that I'm surrounded by memorabilia of my youth right now.
My accomplishments: Horse show rosettes, ribbons, plaques, certificates, belt buckles, high school letter jacket.
Items of interest of mine: My English show saddle, my guitar and books.
Sentimental items: Stuffed animals, portraits, pictures and poems.

These next few weeks I know are going to fly by so I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on life. When I went to my bookshelf to read a book for a bit before I went to sleep, I found a book that I gave to my Grandma when I graduated high school that was filled with "blank memories" for her to fill out and then give back to me. Right now my grandma is in a rehab facility since she was in the hospital for over a week last month. She is 92 and has a heart of a 40 year-old. Unfortunately, the rest of her body is 92.

Reading through it there are some cute stories about her parents and her life on the farm. I asked my parents as we were driving down to Lexington this weekend to see my brother and sister-in-law for Easter why I was so horse crazy? Mom replied, "It is in your genes." I realize now it was not only my mom who passed on what some may say "the disease," but apparently my grandma was quite fond of these four-legged creatures as well. She was born in 1918, and that is how she farmed when she was little. She said one of her favorite memories was delivering water to the workers in the field with her pony and cart :) I wish photography was as easy back then as it is now - that would have been adorable!

When asked what her favorite Bible verse or memory from church was she wrote down, "Grant me Peace and Contentment." That is indeed how she lived her live. Humble, ever since her farm background, clear until today. She took everything in life in stride, never doubted or pouted about her situation and moved on through. It makes complete sense why this simple little prayer meant so much to her in her life. She grew up on a farm - a very practical upbringing. My grandpa served 4 years, 4 months and 21 days (she kept track) in the United States Army during World War II. She then raised two children on a farm. She found happiness in life itself rather than in possessions or events. She described the happiest memory of her life was when Ray (my grandpa) got out of the service and they started farming together.

So while I'm embarking on this next step, and dreaming about what my life is going to be like and how I'm going to get there, I thank Grandma Martha for reminding me to humble myself a bit, relax, be practical and ask God for peace and contentment, because only then can I be truly satisfied.

Bubbi

2011-02-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

BEAUTIFUL day! The sun was out, wind was calm and the temp was around 55! I had to get out and enjoy the day somehow. A student walking by with a Camp Tecumseh sweatshirt answered my prayers! He inspired me to take a quick afternoon trip out to camp and take a ride!

I had a long day yesterday, intense Bible study and then a friend had some bad news about his mom's health so this ride was just what I needed! And Bubbi (a bay Arabian/Saddlebred cross) was just the ticket. He hadn't been ridden since the Fall, not used at all during trail rides and due to his breeding, is slightly ADD. But he's gorgeous and super friendly (he practically came to me in the pasture) and did really well. He's super fancy too in the ring and a really cute jumper and he's FOR SALE!!!! I'd be tempted myself, but I can't buy a horse right now. He'd make a great pet, has packed around campers since 2007 but deserves a chance to show his stuff.

Back to the ride - On this great snow-covered trail by the river, I saw a deer, flying swans overhead and plenty of squirrels and shared with Mary Anne who is always a pleasure to be around! Pretty much magical and worth staying up late to finish my grading and forcing me to get up early in the morning to finish things for the day.

Welp, that's it - I'm trying to blog more so hopefully y'all will be more entertained!

Book Idea

2011-02-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

So - I know this is going to sound funny because I have been neglecting this blog so much, but I want to write a book. This is not a new idea for me. I don't really care about being on any sort of bestseller list or anything like that, but the accomplishment of telling a story would be something pretty sweet!

The first major problem though is deciding what to write about. Fiction? Non-Fiction? Romance? Comedy? Religious? Then, what kind of book? Novel? Diary? Collection of poems or random entries?

Well I thought about turning my college career and a lot of what I write in these blogs into a book, but didn't really like that idea because while I love the life I live, to me, it can be boring at times. I've been re-reading the Harry Potter books and am in awe of Rowling's ability to develop a whole new world and I just don't think my brain works like that.

I think what I am best at is telling stories that are real and have happened, and I think I'll be most passionate about topics that are near to me. So I would like to thank a fellow Mortar Board member for helping to inspire this idea I'm about to propose. He came into the meeting all dressed up and said that he was visiting the school where he'll be student teaching at. Then he talked about how cold it was today and relating back to the teaching theme, I told him that my parents had a two-hour delay today because of the cold. He was interested in the fact that my parents were teachers and then I got all mushy telling him how they have taught at the same small-town high school for over 30 years now together.

Eh? You see where I'm going with this? Seems simple - a midwestern couple, teaching at a small-town school, had two children and are active in a local church. But maybe being their daughter I can show how truly incredible those statements are?! Not only do they live together, they work together! There is not a whole lot of separation if they get on one another's nerves. And the cherry on top of it all - they are going to a marriage conference this weekend just because! How stinking cute?

Valentines Day can be something beautiful for people or can be extremely depressing. At the moment I'm playing Katy Perry's "Firework" on repeat while writing this to give myself a little morale boost! I got the idea from the latest episode of Glee where Rachel realizes she doesn't need Phin anymore. Now don't get worried, I'm not going to be a Valentines hater, down a six-pack on Monday in woe due to my misery of being single since like forever. I'm just boosting my ego a bit - a little 'mood-management.' I've learned in my communication class recently that it is a proven theory as people select what kind of music to listen to in order to alter their mood to a more favorable state. In the most humble way possible, I know I'm awesome but just need reminded of it from time to time. Thanks Katy!

Ok - rant on Valentines was to say I've been thinking a lot about love recently and what that little, yet oh so powerful word is and what it means. And I'm blessed to have been a close witness to a marriage filled with every sense of the word. So here's to you mom and dad! Hope you don't mind being putting on the spot but y'all mean a lot to me!

Two Posts in a Day - What a Treat!

2010-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

I'm spending as much time as possible working in the Animal Science Office these last two weeks of the semester to make a little extra cash. What is super sweet about this job is that if they don't have anything for me to do, then I can do whatever, well within reason. Like, I did a lot of my homework last week and studied for my final last night all day yesterday, while getting paid for it! Pretty sweet! Now to justify it a bit, I have to be able at a moment's notice be able to drop whatever I'm doing and help out wherever I can - sort mail, run some paperwork to another building, file some documents, make copies, answer phones, etc. So I have been helpful as well :)

But this afternoon has been rather slow, so y'all get treated with two posts! So I decided to write about something that is near and dear to my heart - Purdue and what it has meant to me. I suppose I'm getting melancholy as I have some close friends graduating in just a few days and I will be starting my last semester in January!

- Awesome spirit/pride! I know people get excited for their schools, but I was at a reception a few weeks ago and a lady sitting at my table told the entire group that she believes Purdue is on a whole new level than her former institution where she worked. All she had to say was "Hook 'em Horns," for us to realize she was talking about Texas University. I can't think of too many more enthusiastic and loyal fans as Texas probably has, but proud that she considers us Boilermakers in a league of our own!

- Friendships! "College is the best time in your life," so they say. I believe this is true. You are a grown-up, but yet still somewhat sheltered from the real world. Seriously - when working a full-time job you aren't going to decide to make a midnight Insomnia Cookies run with your friends because you wouldn't last through your 8 -hour work day! I have made the majority of my best friends here at Purdue.

- Possibilities! Meeting new people, travel opportunities, joining new clubs, professional opportunities, learning experiences inside and out of the classroom!

- Atmosphere! Campus is beautiful! I think the ideal day is a clear, warm, fall day when there is a home football game! The atmosphere is almost electric, yet serene and peaceful, if that makes sense?

- Growth! I have grown so much as a person. I have been through some of the worst times as well, but have been able to rise to the occasion through the help of my friends, whom I consider my Purdue Family. I have grown as a professional individual to go out into the Ag Industry, complete with a new hairdo :). I have grown so much in my faith to the point where I want to learn more and be able to share my passion for Christ and personal development. I have grown in academic learning and knowledge or at least that is what my transcript says.

So thank you all to my Purdue Family! I throughly bleed Black and Gold now! BOILER UP!

In front of the Purdue Memorial Union - rocking out my senior chords :)

Ice is not Nice!

2010-12-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

I know the word 'nice' needs the letters 'ice' to spell it, but I do argue that the adjective 'nice' should never be used with the noun 'ice.' Unless you're really hot or dehydrated and you add ice to your beverage to cool it down even more.

But it's December folks, so you can probably see where I'm going with this. December means pretty snow to highlight everything about the Christmas season. I'm not a snow-hater unless it is the dubious type of snow that covers up and hides sneaky, slippery ice patches in parking lots. Particularly ones beside my poor, innocent, sweet Gerdy (my car).

Ok - so I'm being a drama queen and I'll cut to the chase - I fell on the ice. And of course, the way I fell was in a compromising manner for my left knee. While I have a brand new ACL in my left knee, it can still be damaged and there is the possibility that I did something to it. Not completely sure, but usually new swelling and pain isn't a good thing.

So I'm going to 'baby-it' this week until I get home next week and then possibly go and see the doc if it doesn't go away by then. The whole ironic point of this all is that this week's physical therapy sessions were my last ones! So who knows what this all might bring?

So to snow this time, I do indeed say, "Bah-humbug!"

Last Steep Climb

2010-12-01T23:04:00.000-08:00

I have seen a few different documentaries/ stories on Mt. Everest and the analogy of the last steep climb before you reach the summit is very appropriate for me right now!

Reason 1: There are two and half weeks until the end of the semester! I am 2 exams, 1 presentation, 1 report, 4 Mortar Board Events, hopefully about 20 hours of work in the Animal Science Office and 3 finals away from the end of the semester! I know that sounds like a lot, but not really!

Reason 2: My therapy hit a new phase today and I was super excited after my glowing reviews from the Doc last Tuesday, then the reality of running for the first time in approximately 7 months hit me when I met Mr. Treadmill again after a long break in our relationship! I went 5 minutes and about died! Then we started some jumping! :) (that is a sarcastic emoticon.) I realized that my leg is still incredibly weak and it was pretty disheartening.

The one redeeming factor was that my therapist told me to go buy new shoes! That was music to my ears. I typically don't need a reason to go buy new shoes, I'm quite capable. But, to have my therapist validate an actual need for a new pair, versus my usual want for a new pair, totally made my day! So, with mommy and daddy's credit card (this was an "unforeseen medical expense", which is why it wasn't my credit card) I ventured back out into this first snowy day of winter to a local sports store and got a great new pair of running shoes!

So I'm going to try and use the excitement of the oh so-close summit as energy and motivation to the top! As Miley Cyrus would put it, "It's all about the climb! Keep your faith." It ain't about how fast I get there folks, but what I learn along the way :) So wise beyond her years!

Turkey Day Reflections

2010-11-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

So many things to be thankful for indeed!

1- I'm home for the holiday this year!

2- My brother's in-laws (basically Marla) was pouting that I couldn't make it over there this weekend, which means they love me :)

3- Met my new doggie nephew, Buddy. A black golden-doodle! Very Cute!

4- I'm on the verge of full recovery for my knee!

5- I have a wonderful home to come home to, which includes my family, pets and friends!

6 - It's now officially Christmas season :)

7- Although I may not know exactly what my life is going to look like in a year - I have been blessed with many talents and I'm excited to see how God is going to use them!

I miss my adventures. I'm making new ones everyday though in some way or another or at least making new memories. Mom and i have been watching a lot of Hallmark movies and they always make me feel good inside. There was one though that portrayed a big-time lawyer and she got magically put into a different life that had a husband and kids. I could empathize with her in both lives. She had a killer down-town office, then the next moment she was tucking in two adorable children. I hope to not have to choose one life over the other someday, but if I did, I would now find myself choosing the later. But why worry about tomorrow - there's a verse about somewhere in the Bible. So, I'll do my best not to and live in today! And my plans for the rest of the day are to help daddio put lights up, do a little grocery shopping and have dinner with two of my best girlfriends from high school! We are going to cook dinner, watch a movie and because we're old enough and it's yummy - drink some wine! :)

Boiler Up tomorrow! Oaken Bucket Game and my last football game as a college student, and I'm taking my daddy. Couldn't think of a better person to spend it with :)

Winterization 2010

2010-11-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

OMG is all I have to say about how I feel right now! Winterization was amazing! We had approximately 481 volunteers between those that went out and volunteered and the crew that supported the madness!

The best part for me was when I got to meet the lady that started the Winterization service project 9 years ago! To see what her idea and passion has turned into was such a rewarding experience. I was in the middle of registering volunteers, so I didn't really get a chance to talk with her, but it was so awesome that she came back and volunteered in this year's Winterization!

So today is your lucky day - this post is actually going to be the usual size of a blog post so I'll just give one last shout-out to everyone at Wesley who rocked it out today and all of our wonderful volunteers!!!!!!

PS - Harry Potter was AWeSomE last night/early this morning!!!!! Got together with some of my girls I don't get to see that often as we screamed, jumped and cried (I didn't, but they did) through the epic experience that this movie was!

Thanksgiving and Service

2010-11-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving season has offered me a few more unique experiences that I think and feel are going to allow me to appreciate this holiday even more. Through the busy times of college and drama that surrounds every normal human being, I have been offered some opportunities to serve and had some great conversations with a few people that I would consider my mentors.

The season started off with Mortar Board serving a Thanksgiving meal at the YWCA for the local women's shelter. I carved my second turkey in my lifetime, made a lot of stuffing and became the 'finder of all things' in the kitchen. I did not get to interact with the guests there that much, but it was still rewarding to take some time and put towards a great cause.

Then I would count my time towards getting things together for Mortar Board today as 'service.' I love this organization, but the fact that we are insanely busy as an organization on top of all of the students' busy schedules can be a logistical nightmare for me sometimes getting things together as the secretary.

WINTERIZATION is here!!!!! Well, Saturday and we have a RECORD number of volunteers registered. Almost 500!!!!!! This is going to be insane, but awesome-crazy insaneness working with all of these volunteers Saturday morning. These volunteers will help approximately 130 residents within the Lafayette/West Lafayette area who are not able to winterize their own homes. We are about to pull off the most epic Winterization ever and crossing my fingers to avoid any unnecessary jinxing, we are in pretty good shape as far as preparations go for registration, mapping/directions and food!

This coming Monday, I am helping with a leadership seminar with the Tomahawk group on campus. I'm super excited to be helping facilitate this, especially after attending the AFA Conference a few weeks ago. I get to be on the other side of the conversation by driving it and I'm already feeling the giddy excitement/ passion inside of me and I hope the students get a lot out of it!

So overall, I'm super excited to be able to give back in so many different ways this week and I feel it is with a new servant's heart when I volunteer. I had two great, random conversations with a couple of Animal Science professors that I would deem as two of my mentors. Both very strong in their faith and people who I admire. These just seemed to have came at the right time to add to my great week!

Through the busyness of life, it is times like these that rejuvenate my soul and keeps me moving on!!!!!

Feeling a 'Nudge'

2010-11-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went to the AFA Leaders Conference in Kansas City, MO. AFA stands for Agriculture Future of America. It was a great weekend filled with awesome speakers, meeting gifted students from all across the country, discussing issues in the agriculture industry and of course leaving me confused to my calling in life. But hey, many of us are most of the time, at lease I hope I'm not the only one?

The theme this year was "Our Voice, Our Vision," and the goal was to equip us with the tools to tell our story related to Agriculture to combat some of the craziness of other organizations that are against production agriculture due to their perceived "ethical and safety standards." I basically want to ask those opposed to production agriculture if they want to eat in 40 years when there are 9 BILLION people on this planet and we are utilizing less than 70% of the land and resources we have in today's agricultural production? Technology and innovation are key people to feed the world come 2050.

The food producers of the world are consumers as well. Do you think they would really produce something unsafe for their own children to eat? Same goes for the use of antibiotics in the meat industry, I would sure like to eat a healthy animal even if it was treated with antibiotics rather than a diseased one. This stuff has been tested and the science is behind it. I could throw out more facts and figures about the safety of our food system, but I think I've made my point, so I'll get off my soap box and move onto another topic.

What I think I got more out of this year's conference was another nudge towards ministry. Every Christian is called to some sort of ministry to share their stories of faith. But it was two years ago at this conference that I first felt a nudge. There were lots and lots of leadership presentations and I thought about how cool it would be to present a lot of this stuff, only with a "Christian twist." It got my mind percolating at least, but I didn't take much action from there, or did I without really knowing it? That's about when I made the first commitment to Disciple Bible Study when the craziness of my 2009 was over. That's about when I knew I wanted to grow as a person and jump into the craziness of 2009 and have experiences of a lifetime!

I've always liked leadership training and development. The Madison County Youth Leadership Academy was my first real taste of that back in 2005 and now I have a minor in leadership in college. I was sitting in my OLS class today and we talked about the spectrum from behavioral leadership to value-based leadership and I could see myself using this material down the road. Servant leadership was the main topic in lecture and it could not have come at a better time - leading for a moral and ethical purpose above your own purpose. Hmmm..... Christian Leadership?

What really gave me this nudge this year was recognizing the difference in my confidence between two different sessions. The first session was an executive forum where we had the opportunity to talk with executives in the industry about key issues and what can be done about them. This wasn't just a panel up there on stage where only about half the audience is truly engaged - it was six or eight students to one executive at a table and we had three rotations to meet other execs. For the most part I felt I could hold my own against these other crazy-ambitious students, but I couldn't come from a first-hand point of view about many of the issues. I couldn't really speak knowledgeably and therefore confidently about some of the topics and I left that session feeling kind of beat up on the inside. Not a complete failure, but definitely not feeling like a million bucks.

The second session was the fellowship opportunity on Sunday morning. It was not a typical worship service. There were a couple of songs and a few prayers, but it was more of a round table discussion again for about 30 minutes where the facilitator had pulled out some practical examples in the Bible that related to our theme that we have been discussing in an ag-related mindset, only now applying it to our faith. Basically, Christians' "Our Voice, Our Vision." Nobody really took the lead at our table to start developing discussion, so I just jumped in before I think I realized it - and it was AWESOME! We had a great discussion, I was pulling questions out of nowhere that helped drive the conversation with basically complete strangers. Well, I have a pretty good idea where I was pulling them from actually, or who was supplying them rather. There was a student from OSU who was at two of the exec. forum tables I was at and who was also at my table during the fellowship. I was impressed by him during the exec. forum because he was very well spoken and knowledgable about several of the issues. He then paid me a compliment after the fellowship session!

To spare this from getting much longer, as I'm sure I'll write more about this in my quest to hone in on what this nudge means, I'm now going to start researching different programs in Christian Leadership. Drumroll please......... that probably means some sort of seminary for me! Growing up, I always wanted to do what my brother did - pulled my two front teeth out when he lost his, played with Power Rangers instead of Barbies, wanted to drive when he started to drive and definitely wanted a letter jacket when he got his! But I still did my own thing: He was a bookworm - I rode my horses, he played with legos - I had my toy horses. Ok, yes, there is a pattern here, I'm horse-crazy - what's new? So now I suppose I'm still playing copy-cat with the idea about going to seminary someday. Although he did admit on the phone yesterday that we are kind of alike and there is a small piece of similarity between the two of us - which is hilarious actually!

Stay-tuned for where this nudge will lead me next!

Therapy

2010-10-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

So I had a bit of 'retail therapy' yesterday with my friend Sarah Jay as we started her registry for her wedding and I've been doing plenty of physical therapy (everyday for the last 2 and half months), so now it is time for a little bit of writing therapy! :)

To use one of my favorite words, I've been redonculously busy. But it has been a good busy. I've actually allowed myself some 'me time' in the midst of my ever so crazy life at school, be it that most of that 'me time' comes on a bike in the Co-Rec, but instead of reading my homework all the time, I download a random or sappy romance to read on my wonderful Kindle :) Multi-tasking at its finest folks, reading for pleasure while working out!

Mortar Board has been a wonderful experience this semester! We have had a busy last two weekends in a row and we WON HOMECOMING! Well, both the Boilers and Mortar Board that is. We won the window painting contest and then also the overall best student organization that did both a window and float, so I'm pretty stoked about that. Plus my mom painted my senior cords, as in corduroy pants, and they looked killer. If there had been an award for that, I pretty much would have won it - hands down :)
I love getting to know these wonderful people and have the opportunity to impact Purdue's campus in a positive way. I am so blessed to be a part of this organization!

Oh - some big news - I HAVE A JOB! Like a real-life, big-person, grown-up kind of job when I graduate. I am excited and feel old at the same time. I took my offer from John Deere to be a marketing rep starting in June, so it is nice to know that there will be something waiting for me after I walk the stage. I have no idea where I'll be and who knows how long I'll be with the company? They'll have better luck keeping me around if they put me in Texas or Indiana, just saying.

Ok - therapy session complete! Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and happy Halloween everyone!
Britt

Hola, como estas?

2010-10-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

So my roommates are trying to teach me Spanish since they are both pretty much fluent in it. I thought this everyday greeting would be appropriate since it has been forever since I've been on here and simply ask anyone who might stumble across this long-awaited post, "How are you?"

So big news in my life - I just accepted a job offer with John Deere today. As much as my heart wants to be back in Texas, I just couldn't find a way to make that happen just yet. John Deere will be a great way to start my professional career though and I have always enjoyed the challenging work environment along with the Deere culture.

My knee is coming along nicely. I'm up to 135 degree plus bend and am getting so close to full range of motion. The strength still isn't back yet, so I'm still dragging myself to the gym everyday, except when my roommate kidnaps me for late night study sessions with her with the promise of kicking me out of bed in the morning to make up for it.

So life overall is good, scary with the unknowns coming but at least I know I will be employed after I walk the stage this coming May. I love, love, love the girls I'm living with - Kathleen and Emily are two of the best roommates ever! I'm just upset that we don't spend more time with each other because we are all so busy! They are both hitting companies hard to find their jobs after graduation as well. I suppose the three of us could only drag out our Purdue experience for five years . . . we all have to jump out into the real world sometime.

I'm leading the DISCIPLE Bible Study again at my church. It has grown to have the possibility of 22 members in it, which is INSANE! It makes me happy though that that many students/young adults are willing to put in the time and dedication needed to take this class to learn about the Bible.

I have a new friend! Sir Nick, the white Beta fish :) His name was originally Casper until I discovered that some of my friends already had a white Beta fish named Casper. I was quite distraught and made them help me think of another 'ghost-like' name for him. Sir Nick is from "Nearly Headless Nick" in the Harry Potter books and movies. I really wanted a ghost name because this fish should truly be dead as he flopped into the sink while I was trying to transfer him and literally laid on one of the flaps leading down into the garbage disposal before I could scoop him up in my bare hands and throw him into his new home. And miraculously - HE LIVED! I thought about Lazarus, but that name seemed too intense for a fish.

I truly hope this finds you well and since I've found my writing itch, I will be trying to blog more often now. The book I'm currently reading, "Chosen by a Horse," is about a lady in her mid forties, a single social worker, but has her own little horse farm and four horses. She is nursing back an abused Standardbred racehorse and she still feels as if she has a book inside of her to write. Hmmm . . . sounds like me. I could see myself in another twenty years like her - lol! But hey, at least I'd have my horses :)

Hanging in There

2010-08-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Being laid up is not a whole lot of fun, but with a positive attitude, lovely parents/nurses, movies and pain meds - I've made it work.

The docs were very happy with the work that they did. It was textbook the way the operation went and I recovered rather nicely in recovery. No major upsets, except for my tummy on Thursday night - you can get the picture.

The docs were really impressed with my mobility the next day after my surgery and my 'chipper' attitude. Folks, I don't have that long until classes start up, so I'm doing the best I can without pushing it too much. I have a few friends that would be down my throat if I hurt myself more by just trying to get better faster.

It's been nice to spend time with my family though through all of this and I'm really excited that Ben and Eva are up here for the weekend as well. Ben is preaching at church in the morning and mom and dad are giving their witnesses or faith stories. I'd love to go to both services, but my little jaunt out to Blockbuster and GFS wore me out enough today, so I think one service will be quite enough :)

So I'm taking 'each step' rather slowly these days, on my way to full recovery!

The Black Knight has Returned

2010-08-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

After a much awaited re-appearance of the Black Knight, she has finally returned. After a long summer of craziness with her third summer with John Deere and being nervous about how the summer would turn out - the Knight is back! (Quick note - The Black Knight came as a nick-name from my girls in Ireland when they were on a Monty Python kick as for some reason I was invincible like the Black Knight was as he kept on going after his hand was cut off.)

Here's how:

1- Rocked out the rest of the summer at Harvester Works. I learned so much about the John Deere STS 70 Series combine, how it is made and a pretty good history base of John Deere. My final tour, a handful of my friends hopped on the cart and I was pretty nervous as two of them were engineers and one was a life-long farmer. I got the thumbs-up approval from all of them though so that was wonderful!

2- I am a real-life hero now according to some. To me, I just reacted as others would have, I just was somehow faster than the rest, even with a torn ACL. After our final presentations in Kansas City, a few of the interns were hanging out around the pool area. A family with three boys came down with the youngest being maybe 2 at best. We were all kind of worried for him because he didn't have floaties or anything on. Well, 20 or so minutes later I see this little blonde, curly-haired, blue-eyed cutie running full blast to the hot-tub. I was going to get up to just be like "Hey there, let's not run around here," and guide him away from the hot-tub. But the next second, I realized he was not stopping and was going in.

Here is what I remember: Jumping up out of my chair and then pulling the kid out of the water! I don't remember how many steps it took or what I was thinking. I remember seeing his face under water and making sure he was breathing as I pulled him up - my CPR training was starting to come back to me in the heat of the moment if I needed to use it, but as I pulled him straight up, he was coughing/spitting up water which meant he was breathing as well.

His mom was right there to take him from me and it was as I was getting out of the hot-tub that I realized I was sopping wet from toe to chest. My poor Justin boots and Express jeans didn't have a chance with as fast as I reacted. I think they'll be ok though, the boots took about two full days to dry but I should be able to work out the chlorine stains in them. The parents insisted on thanking me in some way and came back about 30 minutes later with a fresh bottle of the same wine we had already finished. Completely unnecessary, but nice.

3- ACL surgery this Wednesday! So the Black Knight will be fully on the way to complete recovery! My surgeon has chosen the route to take a part of my hamstring to make my new ACL. Apparently it's the best way to do it according to him because it is how Tiger Woods' surgeon did his. So if Tiger Woods did it - it must be the best right? I mean, it has always been my dream to immolate Tiger Woods. Ok, I'll quit being sarcastic and mean, I wish the man the best really on his road to recovery and back to grace and hope he starts playing better than he has this season.

4- I had a blast designing a business card for my family friend/ Aunt Sylvia for her business pursuit into a small sewing company after she retires - so feels good to have to have those creative juices flowing.

Erika, Mariel and Alyssa - fear not - BK is back!

Potential Dr. Phil Guest

2010-07-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't written in to be on the show, but there was a guest on his show the other day that I hope I don't turn into.

She was a young, pretty, articulate, friendly woman who had no idea what to do as far as choosing the right career. A career that she is passionate about and would be excited to wake up everyday to. She was a college-graduate, but transferred schools and changed majors about 5 times. So I have a bit of catching up to do in that area, but I totally saw where she was coming from. She was 'good' at a lot of things, but just didn't know that one thing that she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

Now, the major difference between the two of us was that I don't think she was willing to give a job a good shot. Once I do graduate, wherever I decide to go, I'm going to give it an honest try. As long as I'm trying my best, I'm pretty positive that some good things will come of it!

But there is still that fear of 'closing the door' on something else. When you say yes to something, then you're also saying no to something else.

- Froot Loops or Golden Grahams?
- Workout or Nap?
- The pink or green shirt?
- "Toy Story 3" or "The Last Airbender"?

All very good options, but unfortunately 50% are going to get rejected. So I'm going to have to be very strong to close whichever door I have to, because I know it's going to be a very heavy one. But I spent some money at the Christian Book Store on some devotionals based around staying positive, discovering my strengths and becoming a woman after God's heart. So I'm planning on keeping my faith strong and know that God will show me which doors to open and close.

Perspective

2010-06-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

So my last blog was pretty negative, especially for me. I mean, I did get some bad news, so I wasn't a very happy camper. But it's amazing to me how God works.

The very next day, I hosted and drove the tour for the Wounded Warrior group that was having a conference at the Rock Island Arsenal. My limp fit right in, but these guys were mainly from Iraq and a handful were young, not much older than me.

I feel I worded it best as yes, I'm bummed that this silly, semi-small piece of tissue is slowing me down and keeping me from the things I love such as basketball, frisbee and riding horses, but these guys went to a foreign country and put themselves in harm's way to protect my freedom to do those things. These guys were brought to tears to see the appreciation that the factory workers had for them. The factory was full of flags and banners thanking these guys for what they do. By the end of the tour, the soldiers were hugging me!

I'm still young and I will heal. These things are pretty routine and I have a good surgeon lined up back home that will fix me up in just over a month and within a year, I'll only have a scar to remind me of this and a set of crutches collecting dust in the closet. I'll also have a pretty sweet brace that will most likely become part of my athletic apparel which will make me look pretty legit :)

While I'll be missing my amateur return to the Henry County annual free-for-all pick-up football game and my last chance for a intramural flag football championship is shot - life could be so much worse. I have a sweet job for the summer, endless possibilities ahead of me, great friends, a loving family and a victory lap left in school before the real world hits! So it's all about the perspective. There's my usual positive self - hope y'all enjoyed having her back!

Well poop

2010-06-16T16:04:00.001-07:00

I know its been awhile since I've got on here. Life is going way too fast! The job is GREAT! I love working at the factory and everyone I have met has been great. I've been blogging on a company blog which is why I have neglected this one. Sorry.

So I've been physically slowed down recently though. I injured my knee at the end of May playing basketball here with the interns. The ER doctor knew squat - told me to rest and I'd be fine. So that's what I did. Three weeks no basketball, frisbee or softball! It was rough.

I hosted a big fly-in last week and it went super awesome! My knee was feeling better too so I decided to continue my happiness and try playing some basketball again! Bad, bad, bad idea. I drove the lane, went up for a lay-up and my knee twisted all over again. I made the shot, even though I didn't watch it go in because I was in so much pain again that I just fell to the court. So I literally scooted myself off the court and made an appointment at a sports med place to actually talk to some people who knew what the heck they were doing.

So last Thursday I got in and the doctor thought it looked like a torn meniscus, but wasn't ruling out any ACL damage either and scheduled me for an MRI. But that was good news in that 1- I had some better answers as to what was wrong with me and 2- the meniscus repair would be pretty minor.

Here's where the title of the blog comes in- got a call back from my doctor from my MRI this morning and although they were not the 'official' results, she said it was pretty obvious that I tore my ACL. So now its a matter of when and where I want to have the surgery done. I know some people let it go and let it heal without, but I don't want to worry about this knee for the rest of my life and if I ever want to play ball and all again without constantly wondering if I'm going to twist it again, then there really is no option. It's just kind of a bad situation as I want to finish my internship but not have it interfere with school either. So POOP!

Not sure if anyone will read this, but I feel better after my typing/blogging therapy. :)

New Adventure

2010-05-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Every day I get to cross the Mississippi River twice! I'm back with John Deere again this summer working in East Moline as Harvester Works, which is where they make those awesome green combines!!!! My goal is to become a combine expert, well at least as close to one as possible, by the end of the summer!

My Spring semester at Purdue ended nicely. Grades are available 8 am Eastern time, so I'm crossing my fingers for all A's. There is only one that I'm not sure about. But anyways, there was a quick turn around from finals to my new job.

So far the job is going well. Just a lot to take in and to try and incorporate what exactly I'm supposed to be doing. So far my manager and I are trying to incorporate all of my projects into one broader 'Customer Relationships' theme.

I haven't really reached out to the other interns yet because I've been dealing with sinus headaches during this transition. So by the time I get off work, then I'm ready to crash! But I'm really excited to make it down to Kansas soon to see some of my old intern friends and connect with the rest of the marketing interns :) There won't be any crazy travel stories this year, my project will be here at Harvester, but there is plenty to learn here. I have permission to go on any and as many tours as I want so there will be plenty of miles on the tram under the roof of the factory :)

Well, sorry this is short and I haven't written in awhile, but I need to get some food soon before Purdue's Latin and Ball Room Dance club is on Dancing with the Stars and Glee is on later tonight too :) Some good tv to chill out on tonight :)

Temporary False Identity

2010-04-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Just to give you all a heads up - I'm working on a project for my COM 252 class where we have to do a website for our final project. Creating a blog was one of our options, so I've made a second blog to act like the news room for the Jahari Dance Troop here at Purdue.

The thing is that my 'about me' carried over to that blog as well so I made up a fictitious little bio and all my information to temporarily match what I need for the project. It's going to be like this for a little while, so sorry for the inconvience and I'll be back to the real Britt Cassiday in about 2 weeks!

Sorry for not posting much - life at Purdue is keeping me busy but no really awesome stories like I had to share on my travels, at least I don't think so. Although, I listened to a Webinar the other day about personal branding, so I might start using this blog to do a little bit more of that, rather than a diary format. Not sure - so stay tuned!

Hello Strangers

2010-04-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

Whether or not I really have very many people reading this, I wanted to say hello to y'all because you probably feel like strangers since I have not blogged in awhile. Well, today is your lucky day, because I just finished up my homework for my next class that meets in about 25 minutes and I have nothing else to do. I mean, I set aside some quality time in my busy schedule to write to you all :)

Last time I wrote I was coming home from Spring Break and that seems like forever ago, even though it was just a short two weeks. When I mean short, I mean BUSY! The first week back I hit the ground running with assignments, exams, speeches, projects and papers. Yay American continual assessment teaching styles! Seriously, I did not feel this stressed out during the semester in Ireland. But this world is one of give and take and stress hit me like a BRICK WALL come finals. But, see it as I will only be taking 2 finals this semester for my 6 classes, granted I get a high enough grade in my Ag Econ class to be excused from the final, I don't think finals week will be too stressful except for the fact that I'm moving out the day of my last final because I have to report to work that following Monday! So ya, maybe stressful but in a whole new way. I love finding new ways to push myself to the limits! That right there folks was sarcasm at its finest, which I have been told I'm pretty good at ;)

Speaking of strangers, I had a repeat creepy foreign older guy trying to pick me up experience. Except it was here on campus and the guy was totally American, but definitely too old to be hitting on college girls. After having previous experience with this, I immediately realized what he was up to, said "Thanks and have a nice day," and walked off. In later discussions with friends we were trying to decide if I should be flattered or creeped out, we decided on a compromise of both! Why couldn't have that been a crazy cute, smart, funny, rich cowboy? I don't think I ask for too much?

Easter was a great weekend! Busy, so it fit perfectly into my schedule! Went home Friday night just in time for the Good Friday service with my parents and Grandma. Then we went to Dairy Queen afterwards, which is always yummy :) Saturday morning mom and I hit the stores bright and early and I got some cute dresses to wear on campus now that the weather is all nice and springy :) Saturday afternoon was a bridal shower for one of my friends at Wesley, which was way fun, even though I didn't know very people there it was exciting because she's getting married and all that bride/wedding stuff is always exciting :) Saturday afternoon/evening was my first of two Easter dinners with my aunt and uncle, grandma, parents and then a family friend who I consider an aunt as well. Then, mom and I topped off Saturday by watching the late showing of "How to train your dragon," which was AWESOME! Phew, and we're not even to Easter Sunday yet folks! Obviously church in the morning which was an awesome service. Very high-church, the sanctuary was all decked out and packed! Just a really cool vibe. Then it was nap time before meeting my brother and Eva in Indy from their way back from Eva's home in Illinois. We ate at Olive Garden (YUMMY) and then I made my way back to Purdue just in time for a few really awesome games of Ultimate Frisbee with my Wesley friends! So again, Easter weekend was pretty awesome!

Well, I hope y'all feel special that I set aside some very important time to update y'all. But in all honesty, my class is about to start and I get my grade back from a major paper that I wrote, so keep your fingers crossed for me please :)

Happy Friday,
Britt

Watching Airplanes

2010-03-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Blogging from the airport once again! I am writing from probably one of my favorite airports- Denver International Airport! I don't know what it is about this place, because it is a huge airport and I'm not one for crowds, but I just like the feel of it and the people movers are always fun!

Well, I'm on my way back to Indiana from Amarillo from Spring Break. Kind of a bummer to be leaving again. Amarillo is definitely a place where I could call home and will definitely be in the job search mix next Fall!

My week consisted of watching movies, hanging out with friends, riding horses up and down the road and two-stepping!!!!!! Oh my gosh, words can not describe how awesome it was to be back on the dance floor! lol! I heard from several of my Texas friends that I could fit in just fine down there and wondered if Texans and Hoosiers were alike, and I warned them most likely they weren't. I know I was born to the right family, I love them to death, but sometimes question my state of origin.

We had some crazy weather. It snowed like 3 to 5 inches Friday night into Saturday. Literally white-out conditions. I was glad that I wasn't driving so I could sit there and close my eyes and bite my fingernails off. It was kind of scary but my friend Cheyenne and then Alan drove their big, bad trucks through it all just fine!

I think the greatest thing accomplished this week was just an overall ego boost actually. I don't mean to sound conceded but whenever you're around people that appreciate you and make you feel very welcomed and loved, it does a lot for your self- worth. I can't express my appreciation enough for everyone down here and how I feel about them all.

I even got some sun this weekend. Besides our snow we had some good days with highs up in the 70's. Between riding and talking with Cheyenne and just being outside, I have a nice toasty red color to me :) Hopefully it'll fade into tan, hopefully.

I'm heading back to a busy week at Purdue. Nearly Naked Mile, Speech, advising meeting, then a paper and project coming due soon. It's all guns a-firing until the end of the semester and then I'm starting right away with Deere. I definitely need weeks like this past one in order to catch my breath. So back to busy, busy life, but with a refreshed attitude.

Oh-ya. Being in Texas made the Purdue win over Texas A&M that much sweeter! Everyone counted us out after Hummel went down, but we're going to the Sweet 16! That is about the only thing that makes me happy about this season of March Madness as my bracket is totally busted, thanks to Northern Iowa! And then the other unforeseen upsets. So my motto through the rest of the tournament is BOILER UP!!!!!!!!!

Oh and my comment on the healthcare reform- I'm leery, scared and concerned. I agree that something needed to be done, but this is going to be one huge mess! All we can do is pray and trust in God's plan in all of this and know that He will make the best possible outcome!

Amarillo by morning, Purdue by night!

Britt

Spring Break

2010-03-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Spring Break could not come soon enough! These last couple of weeks have been pretty rough with school work, so I'm definitely ready for a break. I mean, 4 midterms in one week plus grading another one and then various assignments due, I'm still suffering from a lack of sleep.

BUT- I'm less than 12 hours away from getting on a plane headed to TEXAS! Amarillo to be more precise! "Amarillo by morning" to see those "Amarillo skies"! It's been right at a year since my internship with AQHA and I'm so excited to get back down there!

I can't believe how time flies. I know I've talked about this before, but I can not believe the many blessings and opportunities I've had this past year. And now, my semester at Purdue is over half-way done with- CRaZyneSS!!!!!

So my time in Texas is going to be spent relaxing, running, riding, watching the tourney, catching up with friends and two-stepping! I'm not excited at all - lol! And that my friends was sarcasm, the simplest form of irony (we learned about that in my COM 204 class, good thing I was already a master of it).

Grades so far have come in good. I have all A's and a high B in my six classes. My big Com class, I'm one of 19 A's out of 175 students and then my Ag Econ class, I'm one of ten A's out of about 100 students. So ya, I think I fell back into the swing of things pretty well :)

Alright, I don't feel so bad now that I've given my blog some attention after neglecting it for a few weeks. I'm going to find me a bracket and fill it out and spend some time with the rents before I head for bed. I have a big day tomorrow, with a side-trip to Vegas before I go to Amarillo :) aka - I have a layover in Vegas. Fooled the parents with that one, it was pretty funny!

Boiler Up!
Britt

Yee-ha, it's the Boilermaker Ball!

2010-02-28T22:05:00.001-08:00

Friday night was the 3rd annual Boilermaker Ball. As a member of PASE BoD, I had duties to fulfill at the event. The primary duty of all of us BoD members was to be a bid runner during the silent auction. Sounds easy, NOT! Not when you have two tables to cover, bidding on 12 items and then winning 9. They didn't call us bid 'runners' for nothing, that's for sure.

Of course I was doing this in boots, chaps, horse show shirt and a cowboy hat. Sounds strange, I know, especially when the room is filled with Purdue University Trustee Board members, past Purdue Presidents and several other high-rollers who are big-time donors to Purdue Alumni. But, this year's theme was "Get on your boots," which allowed for the outfit.

My friend Jenna and I were two of the three 'wranglers' they had for the evening where were basically told to mingle among the guest, make sure they knew what was going on and then 'herd' them to their dinner tables when it was time to serve. While there were quite a lot of people there that got into the western theme, it was still a very formal, black-tie event at the Indianapolis Ballroom. So wearing the hat and all felt kind of weird, especially walking through the hotel to get to the ballroom, but actually, there were a lot of people who loved our outfits.

Jenna and I got to hang around Purdue Pete and help with the pictures too, which is always fun. Pete is a very flirtatious fella, but looked good in his formal attire. There are some recent pictures on facebook if you want to check them out :)

All in all, it was a successful evening and I got to network with some individuals that I'll be looking at applying to for a job when I graduate and the President of the Board of Trustees remembered me from the Mortar Board Leadership Conference. I was pretty excited about that :)

Hail Purdue!

Britt

Genesis in Today's Terms

2010-02-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

I'm the student leader for Disciple Bible Study at the Wesley Foundation. This is a huge commitment, with daily Bible readings, a weekly planning meeting and then a 2-hour class once a week! But I'm really enjoying it!

This past week was a lot of reading as we covered pretty much the last 2/3 of Genesis. While reading all the 'familiar' stories of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and his sons, including Joseph, I found myself picking out some little tid-bits that I didn't know before. So it was good to actually read them all the way through for myself instead of relying on those children book versions for all my factual and intellectual insight to those stories :)

Anyways, we got to do a little monologue about a character and let's just say things got interesting. I was Leah's servant, who had like 2 or 3 of Jabob's sons herself. Obviously, a sports theme found its way out of us as we were keeping 'score' of this baby race. But the funniest quote of the night came when Leah came back into the baby race for herself after having Jacob's first 4 sons, she then had his 9th and 10th. So then one of the students said, "Leah pulled a Brett Farve and had Issachar and Zubulan!" Needless to say, we laughed, a lot!

This is a great class and I love, love, love all of the people in the class as we grow together through the B-I-B-L-E! :)

Oh- random, but props to the female Canadian figure skater who skated beautifully after suddenly loosing her mother a few days ago.

Night y'all!

Britt

Technology

2010-02-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

I am now the proud owner of a new phone (well, reasonably new) and a new computer. I should get one of those 'house divided' vanity license plates and put it on my car as I am now a PC and Mac owner. Really, I see them all as just computers. I think my brother is more excited about my new computer than I am. Now the reasoning behind this investment: my HP had to be wiped for its third time during its lifetime, so it was just becoming slightly undependable, and my brother is my first go-to computer help guy and he's in love with Macs as in watches 'how to' videos for fun about Macs- dork, nerd, whatever you wanna call him. So I figured I'd get over the 'Mac learning curve,' with just a little practice and hopefully end up with a more reliable machine in the long run :)

As far as the phone goes, I got the Samsung Rogue and I really like it so far. I wanted to make the step-up to a Droid or a Blackberry, but the data package on those phones are just too much and kinda silly. But I can check my email on my phone which is awesome and I love the full keyboard :)

So ya, I think it's cool and all to have new toys, especially in a society that gets crazy excited about the new iPod or iPad and all. But, they are all really just pieces of plastic, metal and glass on the inside.

With all of that - my name is Britt and I'm a Mac and a PC.

To Mom and Dad

2010-02-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad,
So recently I've been homesick. Funny, right, I know but true. I think it might be that I'm finally so close, but yet I still have to get in my car and drive 2 hours (average depending on which way I want to go), to get home. Also, being back at Purdue, I'm under a lot more pressure and stress with the load of school work and extra-circulars I've got going. One would think that I would be more stressed out in a foreign country about school, but wrong again because I let myself embrace one of the major 'must-does' while studying abroad, and that is to allow yourself the opportunity to learn as much as you can outside of the classroom about the culture that you are in. Being back at Purdue, it is natural that this stress has come around, but it makes me think of how nice it is to go home as that typically means laying on the couch and watching tv with you guys and snuggling up in my bed with my dogs and attempting to sleep in.

Between being homesick and my recent speech assignment in my speech class, I have come to realize yet again how awesome you two are! My entertainment speech topic was giving a toast to both at you at your upcoming 35th wedding anniversary. The point of an entertainment speech is to be light-hearted and funny, but still get a sentimental point across to leave your audience with that warm-fuzzy feeling inside. A majority of the class gave wedding toasts and there were a few award presentations/ acceptances, but I couldn't think of a better topic than to toast to the two of you.

My speech talked about how unlikely it seemed on the surface the two of you were for each other, pointing out your differences but exemplified you as always keeping Christ in the center of their marriage, and being an awesome model to both my brother and me. The stories came out about dad taking mom to White Castle, football games and other 'classy' fast-food places on your first few dates. How dad blew the straw-wrappers at my mom, (yay for teenage-flirting tactics being pulled off by young professionals!), also came out. But somehow dad won you over mom, and needless to say, I'm glad he did.

35 years is a long time! I mean, you guys were married in the middle of the 70's! My closest connection to that decade is from watching Austin Powers. I know that you two have had your rough times like when dad attempted to put ketchup on your eggs mom. The divorce papers just about came out after that one, just kidding, but thank you for working through those rough spots and for embracing the good times and for just being awesome parents! I rarely heard the word 'no,' as you encouraged me in almost all of my endeavors, so when I did hear 'no,' I knew it was for a good reason. You made my childhood dream come true of becoming involved with horses and as I hope to have a career within that industry, I can not thank you enough for fostering that love and passion from an early age. And dad, I know it seems I'm picking on you a lot in all of this, but thanks for all of the hours in the saddle you've put in with me. Horses are very different than cows you had growing up and not too many men would dive into the world of horses the way you did, and I know it was out of love for me.

So again, here's to you mom and dad- I love you both with all of my heart and honestly can not imagine my life without the two of you :) Muah, and I hope this snowstorm doesn't keep me from coming home this weekend.

Love always,
Maddy

Leadership with Open Eyes

2010-01-30T13:35:00.001-08:00

Today was the Motar Board Leadership Conference, or MBLC. First off, I'd like to make a confession, as I have never actually attended it before and this was my first time and I was working it. Anyways, it was great!

I was one of the speaker hosts for Dr. Paul Robinson who is a joint professor in both the Engineering College and the School of Veterinary Medicine here at Purdue. His topic was about setting goals and then how to achieve them. He was a great speaker with an awesome Australian accent, which was sweet and reminded me of my Australian friends I made in Ireland.

But here is where the title of my blog comes into play. Originally, Robinson spoke of an initial goal or 'task' that he was confident he could accomplish - creating a low-tech, low-cost diagnostic technology for HIV/AIDS testing in Africa. Half of the problem is detection. He talked about how he pounded away at it for over a year with not much success, so he sat back and reevaluated and decided to climb Mt. Everest instead, as in 20,930ish meters high, ya, that Mt. Everest, to raise awareness of his original goal.

He had great tips on persevering, taking it one step at a time, relying on your team and learning from your failures. But what I saw in him personally at the end of his talk and being able to have some one-on-one time with him was his overall attitude and charisma. Now, I did not know Paul before he climbed the mountain, but he even confessed to being a different person after climbing the mountain. And that overall joy and exuberance just flooded out of him. And now he has returned to his original task with a different mindset about it.

Now, I didn't climb Mt. Everest, but I really see this past year as my 'Everest.' I have come back a much more relaxed and confident person. Recognizing and relying in my capabilities in order to get a task done and just to live my life in a better way on a day to day basis.

At the afternoon closing session Keith Krach spoke, who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Purdue University. You have to google this guy! His accomplishments in the business world are ridiculous! He was an amazing speaker, my favorite of the day. There were three keys that I took away from his talk and the first was the fact that he placed values right underneath vision when developing yourself and your leadership characteristics and goals. The second point that I liked in his talk was that he described his father as the best leader that he has ever known because he was someone that everybody liked to be around. Lastly, he talked about his junior high basketball days when trying to figure out why his teammate always had more points than him. After watching game footage, he realized it was what his teammate was doing when he didn't have the ball that put him in great position to be successful. What are you doing when you don't have the ball?

So between these two speakers, I got some great advice about leadership and really just how to live my own personal life. Even though the day started out early for me, I managed to keep my eyes open and now have a slightly different perspective on what leadership is and how I can apply that to my life.

I hope y'all are having a great weekend and that my friends down in Texas are staying safe and warm with all of the snow y'all have down there :)

Cheers,

Britt

Keys- not where they're supposed to be!

2010-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Two weeks of classes are almost in the books for me. Sorry for not being more consistent on here, my computer decided to crap out on me and I have now had my hard drive wiped 3 TIMES! Not a happy camper with the whole Purdue/ HP situation. Good news is that I'm starting to shop for a new laptop! I'm getting mixed reviews on what to get though- so any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Classes are great! I really like them this semester- even the one that I thought was going to be annoying, AGR 201 "Communicating Across Cultures." I don't know, I was under the impression that after taking ag classes in a foreign country for a semester would cover all the 'diversity' experience that I would need for my degree. But apparently not. On the bright side, talking about issues such as gender, race, sexual preferences, religion and disabilities with a bunch of Indiana farm kids and a confident African-American professor will offer some amusement at least twice a week.

Other classes are my 3 communications classes. Advanced Public Speaking (which I just gave my first speech, felt really good about it!), Writing for the Mass Media and Communication Theory. I have to actually 'read' the AP Style book and take quizzes over it. Seriously it is like trying to read the dictionary!

Then come my last two classes- an ag econ management class and horse evaluation. It's hard to say that these are my favorites, but anytime I feel like I don't have to study for a quiz and still do a good job on it- I like that class, which is what happened in my horse class yesterday over the parts of the horse. I really like my professor for the management class. I admire him for his witness as he started the very first day of class telling us a little bit about himself, his first words were, "I'm a Christian and if you are looking for a good Christian home/ home church here in Lafayette, I can help you find one." How awesome is that?

So my biggest 'oops' I've had in awhile is locking my keys in the car last night. Some friends and I went out to the Cactus and I was the DD. I didn't want to carry in a purse, so I took my car keys off the rest of my keys and put my money, ID's and phone in my pockets when I went in. After I dropped everyone off, I was reassembling everything and grabbed my lanyard thinking I had just grabbed all my keys and locked the car with the door lock like I always do. I got to the top of the stairs, thought that my key chain was a little thin and realized what I had just done, but didn't want to do anything about it cuz it was late. Spare set you ask? Ya, in the armrest of my car. I know, not a very smart place to put it, but with all of my moves and such, they just never made it to an actual usable location. So looks like I'm calling AAA later today or hitching a ride home with someone tonight or tomorrow, as those were my weekend plans. Ben and Eva are coming up, so it'll be nice to have everyone together. Now let's just hope that I can get there :)

Cheers,
Britt

Purdue!!!!!!!

2010-01-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

So a quick update that is much overdue again- sorry. Didn't know if y'all would still be interested in my life now that I'm just a college kid back at school.

I got everything moved back to Purdue safe and sound and before the big snow hit last week. Campus is absolutely beautiful with all of the snow! Sad to say that it is slowly melting away which creates slush and puddles to be avoided while walking to classes.

My apartment: I LOVE IT!!! Lots of room and my roomie is super cool. Good location, reasonable rent- can't ask for much more :)
Wesley: Awesome seeing all the old friends and meeting the newbies- I can't believe how much Wesley has changed and grown :)
Classes: Actually ROCK! I'm taking 3 COM classes- Advanced public speaking, writing for the mass media and communication theory. Then for my Ag classes I have an Agribusiness management class with a way cool prof, multicultural understanding (lame considering I've spent four months in another country) and horse evaluation! So, yes, it's going to be a difficult semester- I'm loving it so far :)

You'll notice the use of a lot of smiley faces- well that's because I'm super happy! There are a lot of awesome things going on around campus and in my life and God has started to make some things more clear for me. But man, am I tired! This whole going to class thing and working out is exhausting stuff! My sister-in-law, Eva, wants me to run a half marathon with her in Louisville in April, so that's my new challenge to shoot for. Plus buying new clothes after you loose weight is way fun!

Mom is here for part of the day. She came over for the Wesley Board meeting last night and stayed the night. I have class until 11:30, then we're going out to lunch and grocery shopping and then saying goodbye. It's nice having her around, I just felt bad because we were both soooo tired last night and I had reading to do for speech class about how to be a good listener! Yay, I feel like I'm back in 3rd grade! But I got a 5 out of 5 on my quiz- so worth it I suppose!

I have a feeling that there will be some good blogging material that comes out of my "Communicating Across Cultures" class. Imagine a bunch of conservative, Indiana, farm kids talking about issues such as race, religion, gender and sexual identity issues. Should be somewhat amusing at least. I already asked a guy to prove the statement "Males are biologically better leaders than females," after he agreed with the statement that the teacher gave out as a possible "trigger phrase." It was all light-hearted, fun- but I'm not afraid to throw what little weight I have in there :)

Alright... time to find my classroom for my last class of the day then I'm hanging with my mommio! :)

Boiler Up!
Britt

Too Heavy

2009-12-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

So it is late but the guilt of not posting since I've been home is hanging heavy, so I've decided to heave that weight off of me by finally sitting down to one of the four possible computers in this house and blogging. So much has happened since I've been home, that this could prove to be my longest post yet, but again, it is late and I'm tired, so I'll just hit the highlights for y'all.

My brother's wedding was wonderful! The bed and breakfast, the old county jail, was fun as it was all of Ben's friends and our pastor and family that had this whole place to ourselves. Too many jokes were made about the groom's side of this shindig staying in the "Slammer," but they never really got old. We had just enough snow Friday night to make everything pretty but not too bad to travel in. The rehearsal dinner was yummy, although I was the subject of abuse for both of Ben and Eva's impromptu speeches with the excuse being I haven't been in the country for the last 4 months, so they had a lot of 'catching up' to do. Saturday brought on the big day and an early start with a 10:30am wedding time. Us girls just did our own hair and make-up and everything was going well. You know, the typical bridesmaid routine, hold the flowers lower than you think you should, try to pretend your feet don't hurt in your killer shoes (pain is beauty, pain is beauty, pain is beauty . . .) and try not to cry as I have a direct line of vision to my brother so sincerely promising to love and protect, honor and cherish the love of his life for well, the rest of their lives. I blame the tears on the fact that I hadn't seen him since Easter!!! The rest of the wedding again, fairly typical, pictures took way too long, good food, sweet toasts, cake, yatta yatta and bang... they are off for the honeymoon and oh my gosh, my BROTHER IS MARRIED! But all along it just felt right. We were all excited but not giddy or overwhelmed because we have all had this contentment about my brother and Eva so it all just seemed natural I guess is the best word to describe. So they have now safely returned from a fun-filled week in Orlando and face the reality of work tomorrow and are ridiculously happy, which is actually really cute.

CHRISTMAS! Merry Christmas to y'all by the way. Christmas was nice here, even though slightly different than our traditional way to celebrate the wonderful holiday. First off, Ben was gone, the 11:00pm service at church was slim and didn't last until midnight, Aunt Sylvia had knee surgery and didn't come to Christmas Eve service with us, then Christmas day was actually celebrated with my dad's sister and husband, aunt Sylvia, Grandma and mom and dad. Every other year it has just been the 4 of us. And this year I thought I would tackle Christmas dinner all on my own, well most of it at least. My part of the amazing meal was the turkey, corn casserole, the pie, the veggies and cheese sauce and the potatoes. Mom had much more hair on her head this year as she typically gets fairly stressed about preparing Christmas dinner. Everything turned out great! I was so proud of myself! Sylvia graciously donated a 20.83 pound turkey, so 'Norman' was a doozy after our 10 pounder named 'Hamilton' in Ireland. Don't ask why I name the turkeys, I'm not sure of the reason myself. So on to the good stuff... the presents! Mom crotch ed a beautiful butterfly blanket for me that was by far my favorite gift :) Other nice things came in small packages, aka, jewelry and checks, but that blanket was amazing and I know there was so much love put into every knot of it :)

Preparing Christmas dinner was a lot of work, but so was going through all of my stuff in storage in the barns and moving into my apartment at Purdue. Mom and I had fun painting and 'speckling' my loft and then I had more fun than one should have with dad loading the truck with all of the furniture and my stuff and hauling it up three flights of stairs! I'm really proud of us for getting it done, but my arms are still slightly limp from all of the heavy lifting. But my room looks great and is only going to get better when I finish bringing over the rest of my stuff when I officially move in next Friday. Black and green are my colors and ya, its going to be awesome!

Wedding, Christmas, moving in, those are the biggies that I've been up to, but I've squeezed in some time for some shopping, saw Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, and rode Chip today over at New Castle. It's been a pretty packed 'break' so far and it's no where near to being over. New Year's Eve tomorrow night with Grandma; trip down to Kentucky to spend more time with the newly weds (I think they just want me to bring more of their stuff down honestly since they couldn't fit it all in their car); meeting up with friends; putting 2009 into the scrap-book; and gosh-darn it, I'd like some time just to read and chillax!!!!!

So there folks, the weight has been lifted, I feel no more guilt, Hallelujah!
Happy New Year Y'all!

Britt

So Close . . .

2009-12-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! One more final and a magical night then I'm on a plane going home!!!! I haven't been this excited about something in a really, really long time. And the excitement just keeps building with Ben's wedding on SATURDAY!!!!! My brother is getting married!!! I think the reality of that statement is just escalated by the fact that I haven't seen him since Easter which means March which is way, way too long ago!!!!

Ah---- Can hardly think between the excitement and the exhaustion. I practically pulled an all-nighter last night studying for my Equine Health and Husbandry exam this morning. Like literally, I woke up yesterday at 11:30, studying by 12. Then took a break to run and shower and get a snack at 3:30, back to the books by 4:30. Quick run to my friends to deliver some cold medicine around 8 and then back at it by 9. I literally did not take any substantial breaks until about 6:20am this morning and grabbed a few winks with my alarm set for 7:05 to catch the 7:30 shuttle to the testing center. At the testing center by 8 and studies until about 8:50 and took the exam for the 2 hours! It went well I think, it was just so much information to remember because I had no clue what she would put on the exam and how much detail she expected. EHV 1, 3 and 4, EVA (not to be confused with EAV), Equine Influenza H7N7 and H3N8, Rotovirus, Strangles, Rhodicoccus Equi, mycotoxins, MRLS, West Nile, COPH, EIPH, EIA, evolution of the horse, welfare, husbandry, parasitology, chronobiology, angular limb diformities and I could seriously still give you more topics that could have come up. I eventually crashed for a few hours this afternoon, but I'm soon to bed so I can get up early in the morning to finishing packing, cleaning and brush up for my economics exam that's at 3. Then ICESKATING!!!!! So excited to cap off my great time here with my girls! :)

Little plug for Purdue here as I was walking the Vet Science building today to find one of my professors and noticed that one of the offices had Purdue degrees in the window and sure enough it was Alan Gerrard, who used to be an animal science professor at Purdue. I used to put his mail in his mailbox for him when I worked in the animal science office :) So if there is a spare moment tomorrow, doubtful, then I'll swing by and see if he is in :)

K- going to spend the next hour happily finishing my packing and then going to bed so I'm fully rested for my last full day in IRELAND!!!!! I'll probably jump back on here at least one more time before I leave, just to once again express my excitement, but if not, then I'll talk to y'all again from INDIANA!!!!!!

Cheers,
Britt

Taking a Moment

2009-12-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, December the 5th flew right by me. The 5th marked the one year anniversary of my friend, John Romine's final journey here on Earth. But, I suppose it could be viewed as me continuing on with my life and living like he wants us all to do anyways.

It wasn't until tonight when I was leaving my friend's apartment and talking with Erica and reminiscing about this past year that I realized the date flew right by me as I was preparing for finals and going home soon. A part of me feels bad, but in a way again, I know John wanted everyone that knew him to continue on with their lives and I still think about him time to time as I will never completely forget about him. I still wear my remembrance bracelet to this day as I try to live by his example. Humble and selfless are the two main attributes that pop in my head when I think of John, followed by John Deere and Belted Galloway's, his two main loves in his life besides his family and friends of course.

So just wanted to take a moment and remember, reflect and honor a life well lived, one with much faith, all be it short. Thanks John. We miss you down here, but know you are in a better place.

Cheers to you John from Dublin!
Britt

Focus

2009-12-11T04:16:00.000-08:00

So funny story:
When we had our family vacation to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when I was probably about 12 (that's close enough) we were all walking out of a McDonalds together and there sat two Ford Focus coups side by side in the parking lot. We had been seeing a lot of those on the roads and as they were fairly new, and we were making jokes about being 'focused' while driving. Example: Me after seeing a Focus on the road, "Dad, Dad - FOCUS," said with an undertone that a teacher would have with a student while slightly reprimanding them. Dad: "Ok, ok, I'm focusing." Well, when we saw the two Focuses parked side by side, Dad turned to me using his index and middle fingers to point to his eyes and then to mine while saying "FOCUS." It has continued to be a little joke between him and I til this day.

Why did I just share a random childhood account with you? Well, its my blog and I can do what I want and two it just popped into my head when I was thinking about what to title this post as that is what I need to do to get through these last few days in Ireland with my finals and three, its better than just blabbing about my finals :)

But it is indeed so true, if I just focus I am quite capable of great things. Like cramming for an exam for about 8 hours and then rocking that exam out! I find that if I'm 'Under Pressure' (little Queen reference there if you didn't get it), I do so much better. I know its my last chance to really get this stuff and I think I would actually feel unprepared if I didn't cram, like it is now a vital part to my study equation. Oh- well, time efficient I say, that way I don't waste away every evening studying a little bit not as effectively, and I can be using that time for other things like packing (I have all of my clothes packed already) and other things to enjoy myself like watching Pineapple Express with my friends last night :)

Speaking of which, stupid movie, but funny all the same. But my friends have developed a new nickname for me, The Black Knight. I suppose it is from whenever we go to exercise classes together at the gym, I always push myself as far as I can go and have been called out by the instructors for doing a good job and there were a few circumstances where I could open a jar or get something to work when the other girls couldn't. More coincidence I feel, but at first when things like that happened, they were "Cassidisms," according to Erica. Well, the girls got on a big Monty Python kick and they then dubbed me the Black Knight because he never gives up even after having his arm chopped off in a dual and still going saying, "It's merely a flesh wound." I might actually have to watch the movie again now, but it's been an ongoing joke and it went to new heights last night as "Black Knight jokes" instead of "Chuck Norris jokes" starting coming out. Probably my favorite one was something like, "If the Black Knight is late, time just better slow the **** down," or "The Black Knight doesn't breath, she holds air captive." Of course these were made 10 times better because of Erica's dramatic delivery.

Those girls rock my socks off, literally as Alyssa especially has an obsession with socks. I'm really going to miss Erica and Mariel, but super excited to have Alyssa at Purdue with me so we can continue hanging out and all. Well, this post has turned into the complete opposite of my title, which is focus as I went off on like two or three tangents there. So I'm going to study for awhile and then the girls and I are taking a break and going to tour the Jameson Distillery since we haven't been yet. Should be a good time :)

Countdown:
Friday (Today): Study, Jameson and study some more!
Saturday: Final from 12 to 2, then starting to study for my finals on Monday and Tuesday!
Sunday: Studying and cleaning my room!
Monday: Final from 9 until 11, studying for my final the next day and final roommate dinner.
Tuesday: Final from 3 to 5, then hitting the town to admire the Christmas lights and go ice-skating with the girls for my last night in Dublin (has all the works for a magical last night!)
Wednesday: Catch the 10 am Aircoach to the airport for my 12:30 flight time back HOME!!!!!! Home by 8ish Eastern time :)

PS: Gma is being released from Bennett Rehab Center the 16th as well :) Yahoo!

Cheers from Dublin!
Britt

Scotland in Detail: Part 3: A Royal Day

2009-12-08T03:36:00.000-08:00

So apologies that this didn't come sooner, but I have been taking part in a practice that is done by students all over the world called, CRAMMING! Where one tries to smash as much information in their head and go over it and over it, so they can 'brain puke' (lovely term that I created from Mr. Thomas's Economic and Government Exams back my senior year in high school) it all back out in an answer booklet. Good times :)

But I do not want to neglect you of a full detailed report, or as much as I can remember at this point with all of this other information fighting for space in my memory, of my final day in Scotland.

Mariel, Sarah Jay and I decided to slow the pace down a little bit and picked a few things we would like to see and went from there. At the top of our list was the Holyroodhouse Palace, which is the residence of the Queen herself while in Scotland, typically during the summer, its warmer. The Palace was quite fittingly at the bottom of the Royal Mile, meaning it was a nice and easy downhill 15 minute walk from our hostel. We got a small discount on admission from the tour company the previous day and set out exploring the palace with the aid of a wonderful little audio guide :) Mariel and I tried to especially take our time and soak it all in as the tour told the history of the different monarchs and the story of Mary Queen of Scots. She had a rough life and I'm not being sarcastic in the fact that she was a monarch, because she ended up spending half her life in prison and was executed. Sarah Jay seemed to fly through pretty fast, but obviously enjoyed it because she signed up for free admission for a year! Or maybe she was trying to take advantage of a good deal? Probably a couple of the most bazaar pieces on display in the Palace was a loch of Mary's hair and a casting (I think and hope) of Robert the Bruce's skull. He was another 'freedom fighter' like William Wallace, but played the political game as well as he was a noble. So some claim him not to be a true 'freedom fighter,' like William Wallace was.

The Palace was beautiful in all of its decadence, but it was the Abby that the Palace was built adjacently to that caused reverence. Even in its ruined state, one can still picture the grandeur that this place of worship used to have and for that fact, still has. It was slightly creepy as there were graves all around, but the beautiful blue sky set a beautiful backdrop to the pillars and walls still standing of the Abby.

We meandered our way back to the hostel for some light refreshment and then inquired about how to get to Leif, as the Royal Yacht Britannia has been decommissioned and is now stationed in the harbor there and set up for tours :) Once again, we had a small discount on admission to the yacht from our tour the previous day, which gave us the idea to do it in the first place. The bus was super easy and I will never get over the feeling of excitement and the giddiness I get when I climb up to the top of a double-decker bus. The view is so much better and just that fact that I'm on a double-decker bus in a major European city! I have been here for 4 months and the effect hasn't worn off yet :)

We followed the signs to the yacht and I finally stepped foot on my boat! Well, I wish it were mine. A slight name change (take out one of the "n's" and add a second "t"), a few tug-boats and some comrades in crime and I'm golden. Any takers? Once again, we were equipped with audio equipment to guide us through the different decks of the yacht. Basically, the boat was split in half, with the crew's quarters and their working areas on one half and then the rest of the space was for the Queen, her family and any guests. Seems slightly unfair when looking at the sailor's little bunk, versus the Queens bedroom, sitting room, sun deck and huge dining room! But I guess the Queen gets special attention, being the Queen and all. I got a few kicks throughout the tour taking pictures next to things that had the name "Britannia" on it and filled in some of the staff as they looked at me kind of funny, so I explained that my name was Brittania. Considering you can't hear the spelling change, everyone assumed it was the same thing and in my mind, it was close enough!

The tour of the yacht took longer than the palace believe it or not. So then we had plenty of time to comfortably go back to the hostel, pick up our luggage, finish off our food and get the airlink back to the Edinburgh Airport. While at the airport, we ran into a girl from Ohio that goes to Taylor University in Indiana, who was studying abroad with their Freshmen Irish Studies program. Eva, my brother's fiance and soon wife, went to Taylor so I heard all about this program as her brother went on it. The world seemed to keep getting smaller, as some Notre Dame students who were also studying at UCD happened to be in Edinburgh over the same days as we were over study week and had the same flight back to Dublin.

So that brings me back to Dublin, with a mountain of finals standing between me and going home. But there was one big perk left- my article for the Irish Field came out!!!! It is such a cool feeling to see my name in print and the article turned out really good. I have gotten facebook messages and congratulations from my Irish friends over here. I bought two copies and plan on bringing them home to have mom laminate :)

So finals update:
I thought my econ exam was yesterday, but I got it confused with the "Intermediate Macroeconimcs" exam instead. So I showed up all studied and 'ready' for an exam that is worth 100% of my grade, only to realize that it is next Tuesday at 3! So I see it as time just miss-allocated and not time lost spent studying for it. It turned out ok though because it is still on before my flight home and the final that I put off studying for this morning turned out to be really good. I fudged up slightly on one of the ratios, but overall, I feel that my brain puke was adequate enough to maintain an 'A' for my Business Management class.

But here is where the coolest thing happened. As I was about halfway through, feeling pretty good as I had my little outline done for all of the questions and was now in the process of actually writing out my answers, I noticed something flying around. It turns out it was a butterfly. Our finals are at the Royal Dublin Society in two huge halls, with 800 some desks set-up in each hall. So this butterfly decided to land on desk number 494, which was my desk and stay there for about a whole minute, just as calm as can be. Now most of you probably already know what butterflies mean to me. They're my "God-symbol" and after being all worked up last night about the mistaken time on my final and the stresses of the rest of my finals and just wanting to be home, I took a moment to say some thank you's to God and to take a deep breath and I then knew its all good! It wasn't like Micheal or Gabriel coming down from Heaven, but close enough for me and especially now!!!!

Tomorrow afternoon is Farm Management, then Saturday Equine Industries, Monday Equine Health and Husbandry, then next Tuesday finally Intermediate Microeconomics!

So best of luck to everyone taking finals and I wish you the best with your cramming and brain puking! Don't forget that you're not alone while going through your exams or any of your trials in life - Yay God!

Cheers,
Britt

PS: Spellcheck on here always flags my name, but not the other spelling of Britannia. According to Mom, she wanted to spell it the same way, but Dad thought the double "t's" would be better as I would inevitably go by "Britt" and the double "t's" would be better suited. So thank you Dad for giving me a last name (surname) that always comes up in spell-check, I know you didn't have much choice in that matter, but when you did have a choice, you still stuck me with a weird name. Well, on the 'bright side', it just proves that I have a very 'colorful' name :)

Scotland in Detail: Part 2: Family History Lesson

2009-12-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry to neglect all of you that I know were hanging on by the edge of your seat to hear all about my second day in Edinburgh. Ok, maybe not, I just like being dramatic every once and a while. So I suppose there isn't a better way to start my day then by reminiscing about my trip still, despite having a final tomorrow that counts for 100% of my grade in my econ class :(

Day 2 started bright and early, as we booked a tour that included the nearby city of Stirling to see the Stirling Castle, a National Forest and Loch Lomend. Being the 'slow' season for tourism at the beginning of December- our 16 coach bus only had 7 people in it so the three of us got some great information just chatting with our guide Dereck, who was great! He was very animated telling his stories with plenty of sound effects. The only thing that made me nervous was that he kept pointing and looking at the map that was pinned up at the front of the bus trying to further illustrate and give us reference points during his stories and to show us where we were at and such. The roads in Scotland aren't much different than the roads in Ireland - narrow and curvy on the country roads and crazy busy on the major motarways. Even with Dereck's long arms and very capable driving abilities, I would have preferred that he kept both hands on the wheel, 10 and 2 preferably as well :)

First stop was Stirling Castle which was a lot like Edinburgh's Castle in that it was built on an old inactive volcano in the middle of the town. Stirling is known as the 'key' to Scotland as it was the major thorough fair between the highlands and the lowlands. It has a fair sized river flowing through the town and back in the day, Stirling was the only good crossing point and you had to do under the shadow of this intimidating castle. Even though it was freezing- literally around 32 degrees (Fahrenheit), we took the little guided tour of the castle and our guide was a very cute little Scotsman that was very enthused to tell us all about the castle. The most interesting thing I learned from the tour was that the chapel that was built by James the VI I believe for his son, James the VII to be baptised in was exactly 3 and a 1/3 smaller sized scale model of the temple that King Solomon built. This chapel was fairly impressive on its own, so it got my mind imagining how magnificent King Solomon's temple must have been to be three times bigger, especially when technology was even worse back then!

It was also in the Chapel that I had a 'deja vu' experience. No, I didn't see my horse from home (our Arabian is named Deja Vu), but one of the tapestries on the wall was the culprit to triggering this experience. My Mom is a nut about Scotland and all the history of the old time Kings and Queens, seriously she would have been a great tour guide and I could have saved a lot of money, not paying guides to tell me stuff she could have, but she's not here. So, our house if you have ever been to it has a um, 'unique' style of decor. Sometimes I feel like mom was decorating a palace when decorating/ designing our house with rich paisley patterns, a heavy metal fireplace, a huge stone wall in our family room, open wood beams in the family, dining room and kitchen, are you starting to get the picture? Well going down one of our hallways there are tapestries hanging as well. Not near the size of the ones that I saw in the chapel in Stirling, but one of them was the same image. A unicorn surrounded by small circle fence with a single tree. I was taken back at first and then just had to chuckle to myself as I realized how legitimately my mom was into this stuff.

After Stirling we were off through the forests and flirting with the highlands and lowlands divide along our route. There is a definite difference between the two and how people can live up there, especially without modern day heating systems, is beyond me. I mean the cows can survive because it looks like they literally have a shag carpet for their hair! The forests had an old-time, ancient feel to them. I was ready for the trees to get up and start moving as the woods also had a magical feel to them as well. At one point we were hiking around Loch Lomend and I just took a minute, looked up and around myself and once again, couldn't believe I was in Scotland! It was also along this ride that I found myself translating the questions and answers between a fellow tourist who was from South Korea and our guide. They were both speaking English, but just imagine a heavy Asian accent and a heavy Scottish accent, now you can see the need for translation. Dereck was trying to tell the guest that there were deer in the forests and my translation to the guest was 'Bambi.' He then nodded and smiled! Leave it to Walt Disney to be the ultimate translator!

It was after our lunch stop as I was going into the gift shop that Dereck told me part of the history of my family's name, Campbell. Campbell is my mom's maiden name and my middle name and will be the name of my daughter if I ever have one. As I was going into the gift shop, Dereck told me that it was the normal tartan stuff, etc., but then that's when I told him I wanted to pick up something that represented my clan and told him how my mom's maiden name was Campbell. He kind of chuckled and said I'll tell you some stories of the Campbells when we get back on the bus.

So there was this 'incident' where a good amount of the MacDonald Clan got wiped out and the majority of the guilty party were people from the Campbell Clan. See, the MacDonald's had not pledged allegiance to the new King in a timely manner and the government wanted to teach them a lesson and decided that they could blame it on clan warfare as the MacDonalds and the Campbells were not the best of friends. But Dereck informed me that it really was the government's fault as the Campbell's were just following orders and the order was found signed by the King and is now on display in a museum in Edinburgh. But Dereck then sang a little childhood ditty to me that Scottish children sing on the playground that wasn't the nicest about the Campbell clan :(. So yes, I still want to name my daughter Campbell someday, despite this little tale. They were a powerful clan back in the day, knew how to sway with the politics and obviously still produced some good offspring ;).

The rest of the tour was a little walk down by the loch and then, back to Edinburgh. We had about a 2 hour turn around until our show, "We Will Rock You," which was the time we had designated to try us some Haggis :) YUM! I'll save you the details of what haggis is on here and just trust you to google it, but I will tell you this, hot dogs are made in a similar process. But, I love hot dogs and the haggis turned out pretty good too! Then it was off to the show! It was great! Great music, good acting, awesome dancing and the actors weren't sore for the eyes either, even from our balcony seats!

Then it was back to the hostel as we had another jam packed day in Scotland. After our hot chocolate and tea it was off to bed! Phew, and we still had a whole other day to go in the city! The palace was the only thing for sure on our agenda so we decided to sleep in a little bit and go with the flow. But, our 'Royal Day,' as Mariel likes to put it, shall be saved for another time as I have yet successfully procrastinated some more from studying by writing this :)

Econ final tomorrow morning worth 100% of my grade! We'll see how this goes - say a little prayer please!

Oh and update on Grandma- she was moved to the Bennett Rehab Center in St. John's Hospital where she is going to receive the needed therapy to her vocal chords where apparently the tear is and if that works, then surgery will not be needed. In the mean time though, the feeding tube has to stay in until the surgery site is totally healed, as everything in that general area is very fragile. The general thought is that she had a minor stroke or something that caused damage to her vocal chords and that is what caused the 'pouch' to grow in her throat. So during the MRI's and such, early signs of Alzheimer's were found. But, the doctors and case workers still felt like it would be okay that she stay in her apartment at Southdale Towers as it is a retirement complex, so that gives her her independence for awhile longer now, but still means that we'll have to keep a closer eye on her. She's where she needs to be though in Bennett, but also means that she won't be going to my brother's wedding :(. That's disappointing, but traveling that far is something that the doctors vetoed. We'll have to take some extra pictures then for her.

The extra's:
- Picked up two copies of the Irish Field yesterday that had my article in it!
- 10 days til home!

Cheers from Dublin,
Britt

Scotland in Detail: Part 1: Canadian Guide?

2009-12-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

I highly suggest that if you ever tour any major European City to look into the free walking tours. The one that we went on was great! Well, since nothing is really free, the guides work strictly on a tip-base so they make the tours as entertaining as possible in order to keep you hooked until the end! And our guide, Kate, did just that! Kate is a young 25 year-old that literally fell in love with Edinburgh when touring about 6 years ago- and decided to make it her home ever since. She clearly answered two questions before we started the tour, one being about her "Scottish accent," which she obviously did not have since she was from Canada!

Our first day on this adventure started at 3 am when we got up to leave by 3:30 am to catch the 4:00 am Aircoach to the airport. I have missed the Aircoach before and at that time in the morning it only comes once an hour, so we were standing at the stop in the cold at 3:40 am surprisingly enough with a few other Americans who were studying abroad as well.

He touch down in Edinburgh about a quarter til 8 and hit up the tourist information where we pick up fliers, maps and book our tickets for the musical, "We Will Rock You," for the next night. It's starting to get light, so we hop in the bus to take us to the City Centre where our hostel was right on the Royal Mile. Seeing the city for the first time in the early morning light added even more to this magical city. I know it sounds goofy- but this city is seriously the most beautiful city I have ever been to. Once we got down into the City Centre and you see this huge castle sitting on a huge rock in the middle of the city, you seriously have to do a double take, blink a few times and still wonder if you are in a childhood fairytale or a dream. Seriously, a jutting rock in the middle of the city with a castle sitting on top of it!

We easily find our hostel which is right off the Royal Mile, get checked in, drop our stuff off and were out of the door before it was even 9 am. We book a coach tour for the next day so we could see some of the country as well and then we hiked up the Royal Mile to the castle gates just as they were opening for the day. We had about an hour and half to explore the castle before our walking tour was going to start at 11. Being that it was St. Andrew's Day, we got in for free and it was here that I truly appreciated the garment known as the kilt. I always rolled my eyes when my mom said things like, 'There is nothing sexier than a man in a kilt." GROSS MOM! But that was before I laid eyes on a guy that worked at the castle in the Great Hall. Ok mom, I see what you mean now! I was too big of a chicken to go up and start a conversation, but stayed and truly appreciated the 'Great Hall' longer than I think most tourist would ;)

And I looked around the rest of the castle as well, including the Honors of Scotland, the chapel, the prison and all of the bedchambers, etc. Could have spent more time there, but our tour was soon to start, so after a hot chocolate from Starbucks, we began our tour with Kate. Highlights included Sarah's ear getting mailed to the Cross of something, I can't remember the name, for stealing some haggis for me since I was hungry; Seeing the chapel where the Queen Knights all of the Knights in the Order of the Thistle, including Sean Connery recently; Learning about Greyfriar's Bobby (google it); Seeing the Elephant Cafe where the first two books of Harry Potter were written by J.K. Rowling; Learning the true story behind Dr. Jyckle and Mr. Hyde; Heard stories of murder and mystery and the epic tale of the Stone of Destiny! At the end of the tour I tipped Kate five pounds because she was really good and Sarah Jay and Mariel and I were getting pretty hungry and were freezing! So it was time to go back to the hostel, get some hot tea and hot chocolate and find a grocery store.

After getting some substance in us- we headed out to enjoy the fireworks to celebrate St. Andrew's Day that were going off at the castle! I was quite impressed with the display personally as I was still in my childhood amazement state of mind - I'm in Scotland, in a beautiful city and there are fireworks lighting the night sky! Then it was time to call it a night as we had been up since 3 am remember?

Fantastic first day in Edinburgh and we still had our highland tour the next day, tickets for "We Will Rock You," and another day to still decide what we wanted to do! But those adventures will come in Part 2 and 3 as I have wasted plenty of good study time uploading pictures on facebook and blogging :)

Some other tid-bits of excitement:

- My article is getting published tomorrow in the Irish Field!

- I got an A+ on my last Business Management MCQ on marketing!

- I got another A+ on my last Farm Management assignment!

- I'm enjoying my advent calander as a countdown until I go home and it says 12 days!

- Christmas Party tonight with the girls :)

Cheers from Dublin!

Britt

Scotland!!!!

2009-12-03T05:36:00.001-08:00

There is so much to tell about this trip and so little to write about in the next few days with finals, I have decided to blog in installments. Since I have some comments about my rather long, meaning you have to scroll, blogs in the past, this should remedy the problem :)

So this post is to serve as an overview of the trip! BRILLIANT! My mom said it was Heaven on Earth, and I agree with her, it was! Scotland has a unique landscape, different I feel from the rest of the United Kingdom, very proud people, a rich history and kilts. Need I say more? So these next few days, I'll break down the individual adventures as my friends Sarah Jay, Mariel and I packed in plenty of them within three days.

Our hostel was the High Street Hostel and was the perfect location! Set just a 20 meter walk off the Royal Mile and it only took us about 10 minutes to get up to the castle. The farthest walk we had to do, besides the walking tour itself, was down to the Edinburgh Playhouse were we saw the musical, "We Will Rock You," which was actually written by Queen and featured 24 Queen songs according to the flier! And that was only about a 20 minute walk max!

The trip consisted of both Edinburgh and Stirling Castle, Holyroodhouse Palace, The Royal Yacht Britannia (I was really excited about this!), Loch Lomend, small sample of the Highlands, tasting of haggis and the musical! Yea, we kept ourselves quite busy and out of trouble for a few days :)

But now, back in Dublin, with a slight cold and plenty to study I have to change gears. Update on grandma is that she came through her surgery on Monday fine, but failed her 'swallow test' the other day and a leak was discovered in her esophagus now going into her lungs. So that's not so good and requires the feeding tube to still be in place. Apparently she is slightly confused by the whole situation as most would be after undergoing the drugs, but then add to the fact that she's 91. Also, since she hasn't been able to swallow well, she hasn't been taking her blood pressure medicine and it has been on the rise with all of the added stress - go figure! My great aunt Mary Ruth, Grandma's youngest sister, has agreed to stay in town until Saturday, so at least Gma has some company and mom and dad have been visiting frequently trying to figure out where to go from here. So all in all, kind of scary, and means at least one more surgery. So continued prayers please.

And the count is down to 13 days until I'm home and 16 days until my bro gets hitched!
Cheers from Dublin and stay tuned for more about Scotland - I'll even throw in a few pics!

Britt

Off to Scotland!

2009-11-29T19:12:00.001-08:00

Its 3:15 in the morning and I'm leaving in 15 minutes to go to Scotland! I'm pretty excited, despite the wee hour of the morning that it is! I'm going with my friend Mariel and Sarah Jay. Should be a good last big bang to my time over here in Ireland.
Just wanted to ask a quick favor of y'all though before I leave. Please send your love, thoughts and prayers to my Grandma Martha today as she is having surgery today at the age of 91. The surgery itself isn't that major, but just worried about putting someone her age under.
So as I'm off for another adventure, I'm still remembering those back home :)
16 days - love and miss you all!

Talk to y'all again in three days!
Cheers!

Britt

Tis the Season!

2009-11-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

"Tis the season to be jolly . . ."
The girlies and I set out for a Christmas Bazaar about a 30 minute walk from campus held at St. Killian's School, which is a French and German school. This place was packed with traditional and nontraditional Christmas gifts from both countries, people with all sorts of nationalities and smells that truly whetted the appetite!

It started at the gate into the school grounds were we paid the 'family fare,' because one it saved us money and two, we truly have become a little family! Then once we finally got into the school, I would say about half of it was filled with vendors and decorated for the season. After having a spectacular Thanksgiving meal, I feel ready to move onto Christmas! To let y'all in on a little secret, I've been listening to Christmas music for about a week now :)

Of course we didn't leave this wonderful cultural experience with our hands empty! Erika got a little house that you're suppose to burn incense in, but she just got it for her family's Christmas village. Alyssa got a really cute pair of handmade earrings. I got two kikoys which are African pieces of colorful fabric that you can wear all sorts of ways, but I bought them mainly for being scarfs. I also enjoyed a pipe man, which was this yummy sweet bread shaped like a man and he was holding a pipe and his feet were dipped in chocolate to look like he had boots on! YUM! Felt slightly cannibalistic, but it was yummy! And the best part was that we all got the advent calenders that have little doors on them with pieces of chocolate behind them to count down to Christmas! I used to always get them as a kid and when we found them for a euro- Deal!

In other Irish news - the Irish rugby team beat the reining world champion South African team today in Dublin in a foggy, cold match. I caught the last 10 minutes or so of the match at my place and I thought my Irish roommate was going to have a heart-attack as the Irish held off the South African's final push and came out victorious 15-10. Professional rugby players are HUGE! Their necks are the size of a telephone pole! One of Irish player's shirt got ripped and it was seriously like the Hulk was busting outta his clothes, minus the being green part. So, yay! Go Ireland! :)

When I said a foggy and cold match, I meant it! It was cold today! The day started out very clear but soon this fog set in and it was kind of weird. Cool, but weird. And it was just cold all day! I didn't bring my big winter coat with me, so I had plenty of layers on and I think my saving grace was the fact that we were walking and not just standing outside. I can't imagine what it would be like to just sit and watch a game, but they had body heat going for them as the crowd for the rugby game was a sold-out one.

Upcoming events:
- Josh, my roommate that moved to Lyon, France for an internship is coming back for a visit. He'll be here tomorrow then most of the week.
- I'm leaving for Scotland early Monday morning! This has all the makings to be one of the best trips yet, except its not the whole crew going, but I'm super excited to go. But I do have to say that I think that my mom is even more excited for me to go to 'heaven on earth.' She has sent me some documentaries or programs that she has shown her classes that I still have watch before I leave.

- Finals! No joke- I am actually worried about these. My grade for my economics class is based 100% on my final. The lack of continual assessment has really been a major bummer for me and I probably haven't been the most studious student since I've been here, so after I get back from Scotland, I am going to have no life! But that will let the time go by faster and then I'm home!
- HOME! That is close enough on the radar for me to mention! 17 days now as it is now Sunday morning. I really can't believe it! 2 and half weeks and then stage three of three of this crazy year will be done! Then you know, no big deal, but my brother is getting married! So, no, no excitement over here! lol! Try jubilation, elation and pure joy! Again, disclaimer- Ireland is great, but Indiana rocks my socks and there is truly no place like home! :)

Alright- bedtime and I'm off to Scotland in a little more than 24 hours!
Cheers to you all!

Happy Thanksgiving - Again!

2009-11-26T15:33:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to put up a quick note to let y'all know that I didn't go without the traditional Thanksgiving meal today in Ireland. Although the International Office here on campus put on a Thanksgiving meal for us, my friends and I wanted to take it a step further and attempt to prepare a traditional meal on our own- no moms or grandmas! SCARY! Preparations for a 7:30 dining time started around 1 with the making of my pie crust.
With recipes in hand, us girls hit the kitchen and by 7:30 right on the dot we had the following spread:

Main Course:
An amazing turkey - fully basted and 'carved' by yours truly!
Homemade corn casserole - Alyssa's favorite Thanksgiving dish and impressively made with Ireland's lack of corn products!
Broccoli and Cauliflower with cheese and glazed carrots - even me, not liking veggies, ate these suckers right up!
Mashed potatoes - peeled and cooked the real way with gloves of garlic added!
Stuffing- that was actually used as stuffing inside the turkey.

Dessert:
Sugar Cream Pie - which is actually Milk Pie apparently in some other countries.
Carrot Cake - we like to keep some of our desserts healthy.
Brownies - our Australian friend felt like she needed to contribute somehow :)

It was a very delightful evening with music and candles and we did it all without our moms! Well, we got our recipes off of them and some substitution advice and probably learned everything we do know about cooking from them after years of watching - but we did it! And now I'm stuffed!

So tis off to bed with me,
without any football to see.
But I shall go happily,
for cooking is no longer a mystery.
Twas a Thanksgiving with lots of style,
spent here on the Emerald Isle :)

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T03:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I would especially like to wish a warm and happy Thanksgiving to my Mom, Dad and my brother Ben who are celebrating the day down in Lexington Kentucky. This year is kind of weird for my family and the holidays as I'm over here in Ireland for Thanksgiving and Ben will be on his honeymoon over Christmas.

Ben couldn't get off of work today to come home for Thanksgiving so the parents went to him. At first the plan was originally to eat out, but Ben still insisted on a traditional Thanksgiving with the three of them so Mom is up for the challenge today of cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen. I really hope that they take pictures because Mom is all about the presentation of the meal and all and I can just see it now- my brother's mismatched china, silverware and glasses compared to mom's antique china, sterling silver silverware and crystal glasses or pewter goblets. The one common thread though will be that they will have the family together. It'll be my turn for the one-on-one attention at Christmas, so I'm alright with that ;)

Alright- so here's a go at the traditional list of what I'm thankful for:

- Obviously family and friends! Being away from them has truly made me thankful for my friends and family back in the States after I realized that I miss them like crazy! And I'm thankful for my new friends here in Ireland too. Alyssa, Mariel, Erika, Ally, Miriam, all my Equine Industry classmates, the Equestrian Club members, and I could keep going. These people have made Ireland such a great time for me and I'm excited to share a great Thanksgiving meal with most of them later today :)

- My health. It seems especially cancer effects everyone in one form or another. Currently my neighbor is struggling with esophagus cancer and doing well, but cancer is such a scary thing. I'm thankful that I've had the motivation to work out over here and I'll probably be coming home weighing less or at least a lot more toned :)

- Using writing as an outlet. I really think the 'click-clack' of the keys on my keyboard is therapy for me. Through this blog, songs and other random writings that I've done here it's really been awesome for me to put words together and come out with a pretty cool product. This is a gift that I've just recently really used and I love it!

- This past year. I can't even begin to count the experiences and opportunities I've had this past year. Texas was amazing because it was me trying something totally new. New job, new place, new style of riding and I really fell in love with the lone star state. I developed a great family and community down there and I can't wait to go back for a visit. Then off to Reno. While yes it was a new place again, it was my second summer with Deere so I had an idea of what was going on, but my project was something totally new that threw a whole new learning curve at me and opened doors to places I thought I would only see if I'm lucky enough to vacation there someday! Now IRELAND?!?!?!?!?! I am truly a blessed person and I realize that and try my hardest everyday not to take it for granted but to seize the opportunity to its fullest.

So it is indeed "Right to give our Thanks and Praise" today and everyday. I try to thank God for the many blessings that He gives me everyday and I hope y'all have a warm, happy and very blessed Thanksgiving!

Cheers!
Britt

GGGEEEEZZZZZ!!!

2009-11-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

It's WINDY! I honestly have never experienced wind like this before. Its bad. My poor hair really doesn't stand a chance - especially with how long it is now. My low ponytail when my hair is straight is about a foot and half long now!

Its sad cuz I'll run in the rain and the cold, but not this wind. It would be pointless, you would hardly go anywhere. I'll jut be doing the classes at the gym more often I suppose.

So today is a strike day for the public sector. Lots of lectures were cancelled and the buses are pretty much not running at all. Good thing all my classes were already done and I don't need to go anywhere today. So today I wrote a letter of support for my academic advisor for an award that he was nominated for and also a letter of support for the field trips that we got to take for one of my classes this semester. The teacher has been getting some grief from the department about the cost of transportation and all. These trips were amazing and I happily wrote a letter for my teacher :) Then I went and bought my ticket for "A Nightmare Before Christmas" that the Drama Society is putting on that I'm seeing with my friends tonight :) That will be fun!

But, I have a test in the morning! A marketing MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) Exam. Really, I should be able to go over my notes for a little bit and be grand - even though its probably one of the careers I'll end up in, marketing really is just common sense!

Do you like the 'face lift' I gave to my blog? I do! Nice change of pace!
Countdown is at 22 days, so I better go and study, study, study! Oh Boy!

Cheers!

PS. How was that for a short blog Sarah Jay?

I'm Published Again - This Time in Ireland!

2009-11-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

This will be a short (short for my usual) but exciting post to let y'all feel the excitement that I have right now! Today in my Irish Equine Industries class we presented our media projects. We were to find a news story and write an article, then present all of our research and such to our lecturer and the editor of the Irish Field, a national Equine newspaper here in Ireland. I was excited at the very beginning of the semester when I heard about this project, but unsure what I would write about to appeal to a mainly Thoroughbred Racing readership.

I knew I wanted to do something to tie me being American and loving the American Quarter Horse to the Irish Equine Industry. First stop- the Internet and Google! What did I find? The Irish Quarter Horse Association. I thought originally doing a story on the Association itself and its efforts to grow and all, but then I came across a news blurb about Ollie Galligan, an Irishman who had moved to the States to open his own reining training business and his efforts to qualify for the World Equestrian Games. SWEET! Perfect- my favorite discipline, an Irishman representing his country in a sport that most of the Irish Equine Industry knows nothing about. Sounds like news to me!

I then contacted Ollie who was more than willing to cooperate and contribute and I was "off to the races," actually off to Galway where I wrote the article on the bus ride there :) So right, keeping this short- the article came out great! Had my friend Andrea Caudill from AQHA edit it for me so it was in tip-top shape and turned it in.

After going through pretty much the same story as I did with you to the class today presenting my article and showing them some pretty sweet YouTube videos of the different maneuvers of reining, I turned it over for questions and received nothing but wonderful compliments from both my lecturer and the editor of the Irish Field! Mark, the editor, even admitted to googling my article to make sure it wasn't something already published, because it was that good! He said that it was written so well that he could put it in, as is, for the next issue and that I really should consider becoming a journalist! This was all in front of the class, so I wasn't sure how to take it all really- humbly of course and say the most sincere thank you that I could. Definitely said some more thank you's to the AQHA publications staff as they took this fresh piece of canvas, with apparently some hidden talent, and painted a beautiful journalist out if it!

So I can't wait to pick up a copy this Saturday's Irish Field and hopefully see my article and I'm really excited to drum up some press for Ollie! He's a great guy with a great story who took a huge risk coming to the States and it's paid off well for him.

So what am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? Truly recognizing my gift of writing and using it to help others. God has blessed me with so much and getting this article published and receiving those wonderful compliments today, makes me excited to see what the future will hold and where else my byline might pop up! Even though the magazines at AQHA had an international readership, this is still way cool to be published in an Irish publication!

Cheers!

My 51st Post!

2009-11-21T04:19:00.000-08:00

Since I started this blog in the summer, my blog dashboard thing says that I am currently writing my 51st post! At this point I think I must have been allergic to that writing bug when it bit me last Spring! But, I haven't minded and I hope that I have brought some sunshine, entertainment into any one's life who reads this or at least provided them some time-wasting material :)

The count-down to being home now officially stands at 25 days! Again, please let me re-iterate that the countdown does not exist because I hate it here so much that I just want to go home, it exists because I'm really excited to finally be HOME! A year away is far too much for this Indiana girl- but its been great really! And Ireland is great- just wanted to clear that up!

I've been a nerd these past few days and plan to continue that pattern except for during my trip to Scotland coming up in about a week. I've been studying like crazy- cuz my finals count from anywhere from 60% to 100% of my marks here at UCD. Stupid really and I hate this kind of assessment- I don't do well with them, but its what they do here and I don't have a choice really. But I did go out for my roommate Ally's bday last night. We went to a new club that I hadn't been to before called The Palace. It was pretty cool I suppose- but really just the same old, same old: Broken class on the dance floor, annoying guys that won't leave you alone and the occasional alcoholic beverage spilt on you. I love dancing with my girls- and that's all I wanted- I literally had to shove a guy off of me three times last night... grrrr... was seriously going to deck him if he tried one more time! I was sober all night and I should be more positive because I tend to give that impression that I'm a positive person apparently, so I will say the music was cool, the lights and fog machine were redic and the place was decorated pretty cool. It was Ally's bday and that's where she wanted to go- so Happy BDAY Ally!

Last weekend's trip to Galway was Amazing! I know I blogged about it last Saturday night and the only addition I will make to it is a brief description of church on Sunday and then add some pictures for you. I went to a Methodist church Sunday morning like a 2 minute walk from my hostile. The main preacher was gone, but the associate gave me a warm welcome. I was actually the first one there, before the pastor before anyone and it was 3 minutes before the service was suppose to start! Once the music started going, I looked around to realize I was 1 of the maybe 15 white people there. The majority of the congregation was African, which was actually way cool! It was a very young church with plenty of little ones and it was a fairly high-energy atmosphere in the room. The sermon was somewhat scattered and long ( I had to leave before she was done to catch my bus back to Dublin) but the main part that stuck with me was when she talked about our relationship to God through our Spirit. This includes your conscious and your intuition- not feelings, emotions or thoughts. This was the kind of relationship that Christ has with God- so in tune with his SPIRIT that he could communicate to God in this manner. Something to definitely work on for all of us I'm assuming.

The Church

"Living on the Edge"
That's about a 100 meter drop!

Cliffs of Moher!

Going beyond the barriers - well worth it!

Again, living on the edge- these were smaller cliffs though.

I got an assignment back from my Farm Management class. Its a 400 level class and has proven to be somewhat challenging for me. This assignment was based on our farm visit to a dairy that we made and was basically a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for those of you who haven't had that ingrained into your head through marketing and management classes.) I was worried for a few reasons- 1) I'm not that familiar with Dairy operations to begin with 2) Definitely not familiar with an IRISH Dairy operation and 3) I sort of let the due date creep up on me like the night before at 11 pm. But here's the good news... I got a B on it :) Yay for having good writing skills. I think I lost the most marks on the partial budget aspect of it, but when the teacher was going over it I hit most of the main points that he was looking for and said that an A or a B were both very good marks :)

Alrighty... back to the books. Studying will help this time fly by and I'll be home soon! :) The Christmas decorations around Dublin aren't helping my case of homesickness.

Cheers!

Time is Ticking

2009-11-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

I know the subject of my last post was not very upbeat or happy- but it was definitely a good reality check for me, one I needed to appreciate the right things in life for the remaining time that I am here in Ireland. A month from Monday!
I'm sitting in my hostel in Galway enjoying the free Wi-Fi and figured I would take this opportunity to catch y'all up on the Tetrathlon in a little more detail, my week and then this fabolous weekend so far!

Tetrathlon- So I know I gave y'all the just in my last post, but it was truly an amazing weekend. I was so proud of myself for competing and finishing! The scores came in and it turns out I did not do that shabby for never of hearing of this competition until about 3 months ago. I ended up 21st out of 53 girls that competed- respectable in my book. Don't forget that 6th place finish in the shooting :) And just the overall 'craic' of it all- including rocking out the cowboy boots! Pictures keep surfacing from the weekend and its great to see them all :)
Quick funny story about the shooting though- you get a 4 minute practice round before shooting your two rounds of 5 shots. My first practice shot I took- I hit the light bulb above the target and must have hit some sort of wire as the rest of the 14 or so targets' light bulbs went out as well! Great start! Obviously needing help, one of the senior members on the team that was acting as a coach came over and gave me some pointers that were obviously very good as I was the best female shooter from UCD! :)
The jumping was absolutely thrilling! Every jump was such a rush! I was pretty excited to go over the last jump though and still be on top of the horse. There was a medic team there all day and I just about introduced myself first thing in the morning- you know, get the awkward 'get-to-know you stage' over with :) But that was unneeded and a lot of my teammates thought I did pretty good for my first time, the captain of our team found out after the fact that I have never jumped and said she didn't even realize! So I must of done something right :)

This week was good- just tried to get a lot of work done so I could take off for the weekend. I have a media project due for my Equine Industries class and I did my article on an Irishman that moved to America to become a reining horse trainer! Perfect! I really like how the article turned out and hopefully it'll get published :) Oh- this week was also used to catch up on my sleep from last weekend. Seriously, a 6-hour nap isn't normal- but it was much needed on Wednesday and the rain definitely helped sooth me sleep.

GALWAY!!! All of this leads me to where I am now! My friends Alyssa, Mariel and myself headed out Thursday afternoon to Galway. The first night we just cooked in the hostel and walked around town some and called it a night as we had an early ferry to catch to the Aran Islands. A bus ride was needed first to get to the ferry and it took us along the Galway coastline which was just the first indicator that this was going to be an amazing weekend. Then the ferry ride! Out on the open waters, which as a Midwesterner, I don't get much of that ;) Then we made it to the island, waded through all the guys trying to give us tours, found our hostel and got on bikes and away we went! The weather was perfect and we had about an hour or so ride to the other side of the island to get the fort ruins. Literally, we walked right up to the cliff's edge- absolutely breathtaking! Then we rode back along the coastline and even though we were beat- it was well worth the physical exercise!

Our hostel on the island was a bit shady to say the least, it was towards the outside of town it was basically a house that has been turned into a hostel. But it was a bed and an adventure to say the least, especially walking down the pitch-black road to go to the local pub for dinner. We were creative with our forms to find warmth as the hostel was somewhat cold. We lingered in the pub for awhile, I lit a coal fire and we cuddled under blankets.

The next morning started before the sun was even up and we enjoyed a sunrise ferry ride back to mainland! The views and the scenery just kept getting better and better. It was cold on the top deck, but totally worth it :) Once back in Galway, we met our friend Erika who came down this morning and we were off for the bus tour of the Cliffs of Moher. Again, very breathtaking and fabulous weather. As Mariel says, we are just lucky when it comes to weather- hardly a raindrop so far this weekend. Also, Mariel was playing mom the entire tour cuz I was going past those signs that say 'do not pass' and she was expressing her concern. But everyone else was doing it and I'm writing this blog aren't I? The bus tour took us to some other very scenic areas as well for plenty of photo-ops. I have had to be very conservative with my camera use though this weekend unfortunately. Silly me, working up until the minute we left on Thursday, forgot to charge my battery. So it came on very sparingly and used wisely. I still got some great pictures though, which I'll try to add later.

Alright... tomorrow morning I found a Methodist church like a minute from the hostel, so I'm going to check that out in the morning and I think us girls are just going to tour the town and then catch the bus back to Dublin at 4!

Seriously, I have been so blessed with all of these opportunities and to take in God's creation- literally this weekend, it took my breath away! A month left- still lots to do, plenty to study and then I'M HOME! :)

Reality - Life

2009-11-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

So this blog I know was scheduled to be a play-by-play blow of the weekend and all its great stories about the tetrathlon this weekend- well I'll give that a quick summary, because there are more important and real things going on in my life as of tonight.

Shooting- shot an 86 out of 100- good for 6th place out of the 55 some odd girls competing.
Running- took off about 10 seconds off my mile time.
Swimming- swam my goal of 125 meters in 3 minutes.
Riding- stayed on for a clear round with a refusal

Personally, I'm dealing with a lot tonight. I've had some major reality checks, cutting very deep. I was notified about the loss of Tyler Hatheway, the little brother of one of my good friends from high school, Josh, through a mutual friend on facebook. I know, sounds lame to hear on facebook, but being in Ireland- not too many other ways. I instantly starting crying- suddenly hit by grief for the family. I only met Tyler a hand full of times either at Josh's house during a study session or at a school function. He was Josh's 'little' brother, although he was physically bigger than Josh. Although they bickered and fought like most brothers do- I could tell that Josh loved him and even maybe liked him just a little bit.

Josh's dad was/ is a fairly consistent substitute teacher in the system as his other job allowed him the opportunity, and Mr. Hatheway truly saw it as an opportunity- he really connected with the kids and although he never came out and professed his Christianity while introducing himself to the class, you could tell he was one of those men who just loved God.

Josh was one of of my closer friends in high school and I regret the fact that this thing called college happened and we haven't kept in touch much. Now, I'm beginning to question why we got along so well cuz he would pester you and pick on you and debate with you until you were blue in the face. But that's Josh for you. I could have sworn that he as going to be a lawyer someday, but his love for physics got in the way for that. Josh and I tutored over at the middle school together and had great times creaming the kids in dodge ball and knock-out. We would occasionally let them win or gain a slight advantage, just to make them feel good about themselves, but we had to feel good about ourselves too :) We were also very active and involved in the South Madison Youth Commission together along with the same team for Teens Against Tobacco Use. Basically all that means is that we skipped a lot of school to do good things in the community :) Haha, it was definitely for legit reasons why we were excused out of class, but I'll admit we might have took our time getting back enjoying a Ricker's pop every now and then. Overall, we just got on really well and I'll admit, I even had a crush on him sophomore year. Obviously that didn't work out, as he is now engaged to a lovely young lady named Beth Brunner and I know they will both be extremely happy together.

His mother is lovely as well. Always extremely warm and welcoming and the kind of person that unintentionally stretches your grocery store run out by at least 20 minutes because its just nice to stop and chat for a bit if you ran into each other. I can't even imagine a mother's grief for a child. I hope I never have to. This past year I have known two mothers personally who have to battle with this grief. Carol Romine is about to witness the 1 year anniversary of her son dieing at the age of 22, and now, November 8th will always be in the back of Mrs. Hatheway's mind.

After seeing how some people treated the gift of life this weekend, basically abusing their bodies with personal choices made, and comparing it to a kid, a high school senior, who just lost his- a major case of reality has set in. What is really important in my life? Seriously, if I were to go, how would people remember me? Questions that are horrible to think about but you answer them with every choice that you make, everyday, every minute that you live. Ok, maybe not whether you want cereal or toast for breakfast, but you know what I mean.

So if you wouldn't mind, whether you know the Hatheways or not, whether you're a religious person or not, please keep them in your thoughts and pray for strength during this confusing, difficult and sad time.

Tetrathlon

2009-11-06T05:32:00.000-08:00

"Tetrathlon? What is that?" I'm sure that is what some of you are thinking right now. No, it's not a triathlon, but a tetrathlon where one competes in running, swimming, shooting and show jumping! And I'm crazy enough to do it! And I leave in 2 and half hours for it :)

I first saw this competition on the UCD Equestrian website when I was looking through the different sports clubs before I came here. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to compete and the time has finally come. So here's a breakdown of the events and then the events outside the events- aka the socializing that is going down this weekend as well:

4:00- leave UCD to Kells

Friday night- Rubik's Cube theme party where you show up wearing ridiculous solid colored clothing representing all the colors of the rubik's cube. Object is to end up in one color by the end of the night, but I kind of like the clothes that I'm going to be wearing, so no switching for me!

Saturday- Running: Time trial for 1500 meters, just shy of a mile.
Swimming: How many lengths of the pool that you can swim in 3 minutes (doesn't sound hard, but it is!)
Shooting: Pistols and you get a score out of 200, that's 20 shots w/ a bulls-eye counting as 10 points

Saturday night- FORMAL BALL!!! I'm super excited cuz the 'hard part' in my mind will be over and then I get to dress up and be pretty for the night :) I have a long black sparkley dress :)

Sunday- Show jumping! This will be my first full course to ever jump. Should be a riot especially since I'm going to be sporting the Justin, lime-green topped cowboy boots with a borrowed Hunt outfit- for those of you who aren't getting a hysterical visual in your head, pictures will be posted, but its going to be obvious that I'm American and I don't care that its obvious :) All my Irish friends think its going to be hilarious- which it will be!

Sunday afternoon- come back to Dublin and study like crazy for an exam I have on Monday :(

So this is it- I'm just going with a good attitude and what happens, happens and I'm just going to try and have a blast knowing that this will be one of the experiences that will make my Ireland adventure so memorable! So wish me luck!!!!!

Cheers :)

Freak Out!

2009-11-03T03:57:00.000-08:00

These past few days could be described as a series of 'freak outs.' Disclaimer: Nothing major happened, no bodily harm, no random attempts of any Egyptian business men picking me up, so don't hit the panic button or anything.

The first in the series I'm going to describe to you is just Halloween in general. I'm not really around children here in Dublin unless I'm in town and they are out with their parents, so some of the costumes I saw this weekend and last week (not just Halloween night), that ADULTS were wearing were a little frightening- the point of Halloween I suppose. I'll even include the moment when I was turning the corner and literally bumped into somebody who had scary clown make-up on. Somewhat comical now that I look back on it.
My Halloween was spent with my friend Sarah Jay and her friend from home, whose name was Sarah as well. I went as a cowgirl for just about the 4th straight year, but in all fairness I was 'Butch Cassidy' with my bestest friend 'The Sundance Kid' who was played by one of my bestest friends in real life, Miss Lindsey Junk. But, I promise, nothing remotely close to a cowgirl or Western themed outfit next year! We spent the majority of the evening at a really cool pub called the Bleeding Horse. Supposedly after some myth if you put the blood of a horse into a fountain in a nearby country-town, then you'll live forever- at least that is what an intoxicated Rockstar told me. It was a neat pub though with lots of steps and side rooms. Almost like a maze really. I was leading the three of us into the pub and as we were approaching the bouncers (who were also in costume as knights), one said to me, "Wait! Don't say anything . . . you guys are American!" Of course he was right- I think it was the John Deere camo hat that gave us away and the other Sarah had a Cubs jersey and hat on? How could he guess?

The next freak out was actually a very good one! It happened yesterday on yet another field trip that I took as part of one of my classes. We went to Jim Bolger's main training yard about 2 hours away from Dublin and this place was 'class, deadly and brilliant' according to my Irish classmates, my American adjectives used to describe this place would be amazing and awesome! He has 100 horses there in full training, enough walkers to have 60 horses walking at once, two all-weather gallops, two grass gallops, 2 horse spas and a treadmill! Not to mention the big 'lories' or horse trailers he had parked. Oh and a good looking John Deere tractor to keep the gallops maintained :) . The treadmill was the best part of the trip! He actually pulled a horse in and put him on and went through the gaits with us. It was awesome to actually see the horse in one spot going through all the gaits, you usually just observe this as they are passing by, but to see a horse in a run, pounding away at this treadmill was an amazing sight to see. I wish I would have seen this when trying to learn the gaits of the horse, cuz it would have made so much more sense as you could see the diagonal feet moving at the trot and the three beats of the canter! Sorry, I've switched over into horse mode, but it was just crazy cool!

Another 'freak-out' moment happened last night that I caused to someone else. My parents teach at Lapel High School and have for, um, awhile now, and their seniors have the option of taking a trip to Europe every year. One of the English teachers started it like 14 years ago and just has kept it going as they study British Literature, so why not take 17 and 18 year-olds on a 10 day whirl-wind tour of Europe? Anyways... my mom sent over a little care package that included my dress for the ball this weekend at the tetrathlon, with Jerry, the main teacher. So I had yet another adventure in down-town Dublin trying to find their hotel, which I successfully did :). I walk into the restaurant part and I see a boy wearing an Indiana State shirt and hear the American accents and walk over to the table where I recognize one of the boys as a kid from my church. He was too absorbed in his card game to notice me, so I said his name really loud in an accusing tone and he and all the other boys looked at me like, "What the heck?" The look on Will's face was priceless. I have already shared the experience with his little sister, which I'm sure she'll get a good, gut-wrenching laugh out of. Anyways, through the breaks in his stammers, I informed them that I'm studying abroad for the semester, yatta, yatta, but it was such a good 'freak out!'

So it was just freaky Monday yesterday as the final freak-out that I'm going to describe to you also occurred yesterday, but drug into the wee hours of this morning. I knew I had an assignment coming due in my Farm Management class, so I pulled out that paper to check on when that date was at 11pm last night, and sure enough it was today, November 3rd! @#$%!- yep that was pretty much my feeling last night and cause for a freak out for sure. So I stayed up until about 2:30 this morning with the help of chocolate digestives (cookies that are supposed to be eaten with tea, but are amazing on their own and typically really cheap) and orange juice. I got the majority of it done and then decided to get some sleep and finish it later this morning. So I went to bed and woke up at 7 to finish it and had a finished product at 8:30 this morning :) I get to class at 10am, have it all printed out and find out that it wasn't due until 5pm today. At that point though, I was done with it and turned it in. Maybe he'll give me a wink for having it done by class time. Some of the kids hadn't even started on it yet. I mean, I wasn't much better, but at least I appeared prepared, and its all about the impressions right?

Welp, I'm going to get started on another assignment that I know is due in two weeks, so I prevent a future freak-out. I hope all your Halloweens were great and that you're not having the amount of freak-outs that I've being having recently, although, not all have been bad.
Have a terrific Tuesday everyone.

Cheers!

News

2009-10-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

Extra, extra, read all about it!
So there has been some exciting news recently in my life pertaining to both things here in Ireland in the near future and then things in the semi-close future like this December and summer.
Let's take things in chronological order shall we?

1- I made the team for the tetrathlon competition representing UCD. It sounds like a lot bigger deal than what it is, but I'm a team of 4 with 3 others girls who are still competitive, but we're not the first ranked team, therefore not as much pressure to defend UCD's champion title. So I get to go and have fun, get a crazy good workout in for one weekend, get to attempt to not make a fool of myself jumping my first course (in my cowboy boots if the captain will let me), get dressed up for the ball and did I mention have a lot of fun? That's next weekend and I'm all paid up :)

2- Final Exam timetables finally came out! I find things here in Ireland are slightly less organized as they took forever to get the schedule posted! I have been slightly worried ever since I came over that finals would mess me up coming home in time for my brother's wedding, but dread no more- I have two days to spare! My mom's first thought, "Can you move up your flight?" LOL! I told her it would cost me too much and she'd see me soon enough! Finals are from December 7th through December 19th, excluding Sundays and I thought it would be just my luck that I would have one towards the end of those two weeks, but I suppose that 4-leaf clover I found on the side of the track one day is proving helpful :) Here's how those two weeks look for me:

- Monday Dec. 7th- ECON 20010 9:00am to 11:00am
- Tuesday Dec. 8th- AERD 20030 9:00am to 11:00am
- Wednesday Dec. 9th- AERD 40010 3:00pm to 5:00pm
- Saturday Dec. 12th- ANSC 30210 12:00pm to 2:00pm
- Monday Dec. 14- ANSC 30220 9:00am to 11:00am

All of the finals are at the Royal Dublin Society in the City Center, so that is going to be a lot of bus rides! I find it weird that they are all off campus. But, just in case a gorilla and a banana team from Purdue would want to come and streak through my finals- there you go! I think it would be epic- "Gorilla and Banana come to Dublin!"
So with all of that, I'll have two days to spare to pack, get around and say all of my goodbyes and not feel rushed when leaving for home :)

3- My summer plans have been decided as well. I have decided to go back with John Deere again this summer for my 3rd internship with them. I was looking into some different ways to spend my summer, but they just weren't working out the way that they needed to in order to make them possible. I'll be at Harvester Works this summer in Moline, IL, which is about a 5/6 hour drive, depending on how fast I push good 'ol Gerdy, from home. It'll be another great experience I'm sure to diversify myself within the company as all three of my internships have been and will be very different from one another. So that's a huge relief to have that all decided.

Oh ya... there is this little holiday called Halloween this weekend! Most of my friends went up north to Londonderry/Derry for the festivities up there, which I hear are suppose to be ridiculous, but I decided to stay in Dublin this weekend. I still plan on dressing up and doing the Halloween thing, just on a smaller scale. One doesn't have to be too creative to guess what I'm "fixin" to be. Something that is simple for me to do, doesn't involve going out and buying a costume and a part I feel I play very well. I'll let "y'all" figure it out :)

I hope you enjoyed my news as much as I did telling y'all about it! Have a safe and happy Halloween everyone :)

A Taste of Home

2009-10-28T04:01:00.000-07:00

The count stands at 49 days left, including today, in Ireland. I have been here for 58 days now- meaning I'm on the negative sloped end of my journey. Not negative in a bad connotation because there are still plenty of things to do and people to see here in Ireland for me! And its on days like today with the sun out, the leaves changing color and a decent schedule to fill my time that I enjoy!

This past Monday was a Bank Holiday here in Ireland. As my friend Sarah Jay put it- "It's like Memorial Day, Labor Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but they just don't name it." It is the only University scheduled day off- but I've taken a few more to get my traveling in ;) So with this long weekend I was finally reunited with a couple of the kids from the Ulster Peace Project Limavady- Anderson 2002. Words can not even start to describe how awesome it was to see them again and to be in a 'home.'

I started my trip early on Saturday morning and as I was about 200 meters from the bus stop, about 7 minutes early, I saw the bus I needed fly right past the stop. The next one wasn't coming for another hour- dang it- not the way I wanted to start my trip. Next course of action was to figure out the public bus system to get to the airport. I have ridden them back from the airport once, so I figured I could reverse the process. Then an angel in the form of a taxi driver named John McGennuiss pulled up saying he needed a two person minimum and would charge us the same rate that the bus I missed did! I was at the airport in plenty of time, along with a new friend who is also from America who was meeting her mom at the airport :) So, I got the bus to Belfast, on my way to meet Lucy and her dad, Basil :)

The weekend was great- minus the rain, rain and more rain. But I came here expecting it to rain, so I didn't let it 'rain on my parade' or 'dampen my spirits' at all. The North was still very pretty as Basil took me the scenic way home along the coast. The weekend basically consisted of eating, eating and then eating some more between Lucy's mom, Margaret's, home-cooking and then Lucy's and mine baking. But there was some serious hiking/ walking around Giants Causeway and Dunluce Castle on Sunday though in all fairness.

Lucy and I seemed to fall right back into our relationship with each other after being apart for so long. We would send the occasional email and then facebook was a great invention to keep us in touch during the years apart. I never thought I would be in Lucy's house someday when she came over to America. I think I'm the first one of the Americans to come over here, besides my friend Anna who studied for a semester in Belgium and my Irish friend Kevin went to meet up with her for a long weekend. I also got to catch up with Kevin as we had a night out in Limavady at The Corner Bar. The main part of the pub was your more traditional pub atmosphere I suppose and had a small group singing local Irish music. We escaped to the back room where a band was setting up to play but was quiet to start with to chat and catch up as Lucy and Kevin hadn't seen each other in a while either. I taught Kevin to two-step and Lucy and I got hit on by a couple of older local gents, but it was all in the name of fun I suppose!

The 'Northern Ireland/ local" things I did- Had Maud's Icecream, toured Giants Causeway and Dunluce Castle, had to wait for sheep to cross the road, drove around the coastline, had a homemade currey, tried the local Bushmill's whiskey, walked the walls of Londonderry/ Derry, experienced a wee bit of pub life and I even have a hand-knitted wool hat, thanks to Basil's insistence and hospitality, to remember my time up North.

Last Thursday I also got to celebrate my friend's Katie birthday by going on a Trek ride with her. It was one of the best rides I've ever had. No offence Chip, I miss you and all, but this was on a Connemara dark bay named Jake who loved to run up those hills! It was raining off and on and my pretty pink Northface rain jacket now has some mud splatters from Katie's horse, who was in front of me. But seriously, towards the end of the ride there was a good long stretch where the horses know they are close to home and they are allowed to literally run full-out! I haven't been in a saddle in awhile, not to mention an English saddle, so I was a little unnerved going into the ride. But the first big run was up a hill and I wasn't expecting it and Jake just went for it- after that- I had the need for speed! It was so thrilling and after I realized that Jake was a sturdy mount and he knew what he was doing, we just had a blast! But anyways- that last stretch, I stood up in the irons a little bit and time literally stood still as well. I was riding along a treeline and then a stone fence that opened up to a beautiful green pasture and then on out to the rolling Irish countryside. Even with the sheer power that was going at full speed underneath me, I was perfectly relaxed and trying to take in the moment. It just about matched the time I took Chip out early in the alfalfa field one summer morning bareback with the butterflies everywhere. Just peaceful and perfect!

Last night we had an apartment dinner to send our roommate Josh off with style. He left for his internship in France this morning and so we had a feast last night- breakfast for dinner- pancakes (with tons of toppings), bacon, sausages, toast, eggs, juice, banana milk and probably some things that I'm forgetting. We all pitched in and got a tour book of Lyon, the city that Josh is moving to, and then a scarf as a little memento from all of us. I'm going to miss that kid, he's from Indiana as well and did his undergrad at Purdue, so it was nice have some commonality so far from home. Depending on finances, might go to France to visit him- he's been tempting me with skiing/ boarding in the Alps- how amazing would that be?

Welp... better wrap this guy up and throw some pictures in it and then get off to class. I have some down-time these next two weeks before the big Tetrathlon weekend, and I need to get some serious studying done!

Cheers!

Some More Life in Ireland

2009-10-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry- I'm a slacker. I have some spare time here though, so I'll update y'all on what's been going on. Last weekend was fun, differed a wee bit from my initial plans, but its all good- just hung around campus and went out with the roomies on Saturday night to a comedy club, saw Zombieland, went to church, had an amazing workout on Sunday- the usual.
Now I'm back in classes for the week and the week is almost over :) Time goes by fast when you're busy. Classes during the day- training for the tetrathlon at night- there are not enough hours to the day!

Tetrathlon training has been going well. Monday night I got to shoot a pistol! I was pretty excited. It was under the water tower here on campus. It was kind of shady actually, cuz you go through this shady looking door, down a stairwell and it opens up into this room that kind of reminded me of the Gate Room from Stargate (sorry if you don't get the analogy.) But, I did pretty well for my first time- hit the target at least with all 20 of my shots. The instructor was happy enough with it, so I was too! Then I went swimming on Tuesday night. A few of the first years and I bravely got on a bus and found this pool about 15 minutes away from campus. Me, not being a huge swimmer, found myself right with the rest of the girls ability wise, and I had a good time :) Last night was a little rough- after a hard personal run on Sunday, then a hard run with the team Monday night, swimming (which I found new muscles sore that I apparently don't use as much when I run), I decided to call it quits early instead of risking injury on a cold, wet night.

So last night I was talking with my roommate Josh about setting goals. Like his is to ride a motorcycle across Europe. He's a big dreamer- but he'll make it happen, I know he will. He then turned the tables on me and asked, "What's something that you've always dreamed about?" You know, I had to think about it. I have never had anything huge like that since I wanted to be the first lady president, but that is a dream/goal long gone now. I suppose initially it was to show horses on a national/world level- but that takes a lot of time to build up to and lots of money- two things that I am currently lacking. He then tried to focus me on something that could be obtained within the next 5 years. I suppose my only response to that would be to be in all 50 states- I'm up to 34 as is. But you see, I'm not a huge traveller- like I don't have huge aspirations to go out and see the world. If it happens- great- but not necessary for me to live a complete life I suppose. Haha- sounds totally contradictory compared to this grand adventure I have set forth for myself this past year (grand in my mind at least.) To be honest, I'm ready to see Indiana again. I might go stir-crazy when I get back, but we'll just see what happens when I get back. But there is nothing wrong with goal-setting or dreaming- much better than sitting around, complacent, when you can do so much more. So thanks Josh!

Alright... sorry for the short update- but I am celebrating one of my friend's bday today by going on a horse trek! I finally get my butt in a saddle again! I'm pretty excited! It might be a wet saddle, but at this point, I really don't care, I'll take a change of clothes with me ;).

I hope this finds you all well. Oh- my friend Rachel has started a new blog- "Blonde Circus" http://theblondecircus.blogspot.com/ . She's a hopeful law student (which she'll get in, cuz she's just that freak'n amazing) and comments much more on society, politics and such than I do. Its pretty funny, although, I didn't really like the part of her "drooling over the Case IH website." Green is where its always been at dear, and always will be ;)

Cheers

I've Got an Hour to Kill

2009-10-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

So I was late to my Equine Industries class on Monday because of my awesome trip to John Oxx's place, which meant I missed the announcement that we wouldn't be having anymore 9 am lectures on Friday mornings unless my lecturer needed them. So I showed up to find a staff person vacuuming our usual room, instead of my classmates and teacher. Opps! But the computer lab is very quiet and I'm listening to my iPod until my next lecture at 10 and decided to jump on here and add a lovely new post.

It's been a pretty uneventful week I suppose. I had an exam on Wednesday morning that I felt went well. About the only downfall to the week was that you could measure the amount of time I spent studying on Tuesday night by the huge pile of Kleenex that accumulated on my desk, and yes, eventually the trashcan (excuse me, bin) when I tidied up a bit, from a silly little flu/cold bug trying to set in. Well I showed it! The past two days, I have taken like 4 hour naps on top of at least a 6 to 8 hour night of sleep! HA! So needless to say now, I am feeling much better and eating some yummy oranges to keep some extra Vitamin C pumping in me.

I feel pulled somewhat between really settling down here and wanting to be home. These past three weeks have been a whirl-wind with all the traveling I've been doing, but now that I'm in one place for 2 weeks it kind of makes me a little stir-crazy. Although, I do feel like I'm starting to fit in here. I have like 4 different groups of friends: My housemates, my girlfriends that I've been traveling with, my equestrian classmates and then the equestrian club members. The other day walking back from classes, I said hello to like 7 different people. Oh my gosh, I bet I could Lindsey Junk in the popularity game over here! Not really fair I suppose when considering the circumstances, but I'm sure she would find some way of knowing someone or having at least a mutual friend of someone through all those crazy connections she has and that whole thing of '6 degrees of separation.' I'm down to about 8 and half weeks left here, where I have 3 more weekend trips planned and possibly another two depending on the finances in the works. Then there are these things called finals that I will also be dealing with, so plenty to keep me busy and make the time pass.

Hmm... what else is going on? Well it is slightly painful to type this right now as Josh, my roommate (the guy from Purdue as well- still can't get over how random that is), showed me some new things on his guitar last night. It has been since Texas that I played, so like May. I was very rusty, but he was kind enough to pity me and teach me a thing or two and then loan me his guitar for practice. Its sad, because now I have say goodbye to my pretty fingernails :(. He is really good and I can definitely learn a lot from him, but he's leaving in like two weeks for an internship in France. I'm going to be bummed when he leaves as he's been a really good friend here, but this is an awesome internship where he is going to save the world- so who am I to stop that?

I spend a lot time on facebook- it is an addiction I suppose, but I have a lot of spare time here. Classes aren't really that demanding I feel, or maybe that's a sign I should be doing some more individual study? So that's been a good tool to stay in touch with friends back home. Feel free to drop a message in my inbox or slap something up on my wall and let me know what's up! I'm actually doing a really good job of updating pictures- for some reason I have much better luck uploading pictures here than I did in Reno- so take a peek at those as well. So two things that I've been really good at are updating pictures and keeping up this blog- got to keep my priorities straight you know- just figuring out what's important!

Weekend plans include going to a movie tonight "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" with Josh, then just hanging around Dublin, maybe do a little sight-seeing? I have still to make it out to Howth, which is a peninsula not far from here that is suppose to have some amazing views with the cliffs and the ocean and fancy smancy houses :) Church on Sunday- I've been missing that with all these travels- so it'll be nice to get back to that. I've been feeling a little disconnected recently and my friend from Texas, Shiney, posted a video yesterday that was extremely good and was something that I needed to hear. Thanks for that Shiney- sending your love all the way from Texas!

Well I've successfully killed 50 minutes, not bad, although my lecture won't start for another 15 to 20 minutes. I hope this finds you well and I'll talk to y'all later!

~Cheers!

England... No big deal!

2009-10-13T04:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie went to London two weekends ago and her facebook status was something very similar to the title of this post, "London for the weekend, no big deal!" Obviously being sarcastic as she was completely stoked about her trip, the same as I was for my trip to England this past weekend. It still blows my mind that in the past three weeks I have toured the Ring of Kerry, kissed the Blarney Stone, and have finally been to England after my entire family has been there. I used to make fun of my brother for being such a freak about England, but now I see why, and I could join him in that boat.

England was incredibly beautiful! This wasn't a 'touristy' trip like my others have been, even though I still snapped some pictures along the way, it was really neat to hang out with Brett (the friend I was visiting from Camp Tecumseh) and his friends and experience more of the culture from the locals! Brett is from Carnforth which is in Northern England and he was nice enough to drive me around the Lake District and the countryside. I finally saw all of those stone walls I've been waiting to see and lots and lots of sheep!

Let's see... the "English" things I did- ate fish and chips, had a lamb burger, went to a rugby game, watched more rugby on TV, had my picture taken by a huge yellow submarine and became a temporary member of the Leeds library to print my boarding pass home. Having a name like 'Brittania' brought on some attention as well- "Hail Britannia" came out a few times which I thought was great! We played some poker as well- which I broke even on- not bad for a Yankee :) About the only thing that I was bummed out about was that the Liverpool airport didn't stamp my passport, so no English stamp to remember this experience by, just my pics and my own good memories.

Overall I found England to be more like home- just the feel of the cities, the people and even the stores brought back a more 'homey feel.' Maybe it was because I was hanging out with British people that also made it feel more homelike. Brett has some really great friends that I got along with really well.

Back in Dublin now- no rest for the weary. I was on a field trip yesterday to John Oxx's farm, he's the trainer for the Thoroughbred racehorse Sea the Stars. Sea the Stars has won every major European race and still may be shipped over to the States for the Breeder's Cup coming up in early November. John's son, Kevin is in class with me, which is how we got the invite to go. They were breaking or starting, whichever you prefer, 35 new colts and fillies in two days. Typically the breaking process takes up to 6 weeks, a very gradual method is used. Not with these guys- I watched a trainer and his assistant/ jockey/ rider/ insane person for getting on these Thoroughbreds break 3 colts and 1 crazy chestnut filly in 2 hours! It was really awesome to watch. He used a mixture of the different methods out there and I'm sure it will be a good conversation for class today on what we thought about their methods that were used. The trip was topped off with being invited back to the house and eating a great lunch hosted by the trainer's wife and Kevin's mom! I wish everyday of class was that great!

Last night we had 'Canadian Thanksgiving.' I had never heard of it before, but my friend Erika who is Canadian and an amazing cook had a wonderful meal for me and my friends last night. Thinking about it, I was celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with a girl born in Germany, but now from New Zealand, a girl from the UK originally, but now from Ireland, a Canadian, a fellow American and an Australian girl whose mom was visiting. I find that slightly amusing and incredible as well.

Alright... I have written another novel of a post- my friend Sarah Jay who is also a blogger has given me crap about having my posts so long- but there is just so much to tell! :) I have an exam to study for tomorrow- wish me luck y'all- time to earn my "A's"

Cheers!

"Put a 'Cork' in it"

2009-10-07T03:51:00.000-07:00

That's just what I did this weekend! I put Cork into my Ireland experience! Cork is the second largest city in Ireland and my friend's roommate planned this massive trip for like 17 of us to go down for the Folk Festival, which meant lots of live music!

It was a lot of fun and we filled up our entire weekend with day trips to the near-by cities of Blarney and Kinsale. Both were very beautiful in their own ways. Blarney is where we visited the Blarney Castle, which was awesome! Kinsale is a very pretty harbor town that held a lot of its own unique history as well.

Take a wild guess at what we did at Blarney? We kissed the BLARNEY STONE!!!!! I was sooo excited for this! Who cares about Swine Flu, H1N1 or whatever you want to call it. So apparently I now have the gift of gab, although my parents would probably like to claim that I had that before kissing the stone. A neat little fun fact for me was that when my mom and dad came over here about 30 years ago- my dad kissed the stone as well. So we did the same thing, about 30 years apart. It was neat to think that I was taking in some of the same views and in the same spot as my parents, would have been better if they were here though!

Kinsale was a cute town and we had a guided tour and the guide was very informative and all the stories of the town were neat to hear. We then tried to hoof it out to the fort, but didn't have time to really get to see it before the bus left back to Cork, so we could catch the bus back to Dublin. But, we got to see some amazing views in our attempt.

The vote is done on the Lisbon Treaty as well, so that's something else that one can put a 'cork in.' All the campaigning, while not necessarily as bad as campaigning back home can get, got a little old. In the end, the "Yesses" had it, as over 60% of those who turned out to vote checked Ya over Na. Basically, this strengthens the EU and Ireland's ties to it. Honestly, I didn't pay that much attention and didn't really form my own opinion about the subject. It was interesting though to see all the signs and how they changed from down-town Dublin's "Yes" signs, to the country side's "No" signs.

School is picking up hardcore. I have found myself out of the system far too long, and a little hard to get back into it, especially being at another school. But, I'll find a way to deal, I always do. Friday morning I'm flying to Liverpool, England to stay the weekend with my friend Brett from Camp Tecumseh! I'm really excited about this, but not necessarily having to be at the airport by 6 am :( But I suppose that's the price I'm willing to pay to maximize my time over there. That last sentence sounded like I'm in an Econ class or something, wait, I am and it starts in about 20 minutes- better run!

Elephants!

2009-10-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

I don't care how old you are- everyone loves going to the zoo! I know I sure do, especially one that's not the Indianapolis Zoo. Don't get me wrong the Indy Zoo is great, and I'd go there anytime at the drop of the hat, but its always great to go somewhere new.

The rebel in me came out a little bit when I crashed another class's feildtrip. The Animal Health and Behavior Class was going to the zoo and specifically checking out the renovations done recently to the Elephant House and their techniques of training and care. My Equine Science friends were in this class which is how I heard about it. When they said their lecturer wouldn't even notice and that she wasn't even riding the bus but meeting us there, I said, "Why not?"

I did email her though, trying to do the right thing, but when I got no response, I just went anyways. The worst that could happen would be I would get there and have to pay my own way in to walk around the zoo for awhile. I had a bus pass, so I could always get back to campus alright. Sometimes you just gotta go for it and I did. I wasn't there to make any trouble, so I didn't see the harm.

I was totally in the clear- no attendence, no nothing. Just an enjoyable afternoon at the zoo learning about elephants! (FOR FREE!!!!) We got to go inside the Elephant House and the keepers talked to us about their training and overall maintance of the elephants and their facility. It was quite interesting to see all of the extra enrichment that they think of in order to keep the animals happy and give them an environment that resembles their natural environment as much as possible. They have five elephants at the Dublin Zoo, two sisters who are 19 and 25, and then their offspring which includes a brother and sister, 6 and 1 and then a half sister that's 2.

When I got home I was just hanging out with my roomies and the idea to go outside and play a little game of friendly American Football came up! So we went out on the little lawn in between the apartments and had ourselves a great craic! I've missed Football so much and it was great to get out there and stretch the arm a little bit :) I'm hoping the best for my Boilermakers tomorrow for Homecoming. Unforuntally I'll be travelling and won't be able to listen in the game. Here's a shout out to PASE and PASE BoD, Motar Board, Alpha Zeta and Wesley for all of their Homecoming festivities- I hope all goes well for you!

I'm headed off to Cork in a little bit! Another weekend out with the girls and then some other people! Its going to be a big group but should be a really good time! I'm excited to see some more of Ireland! Have a great weekend y'all and BOILER UP!!!!!!!!

Smilin Ireland

2009-09-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot to make me smile here in Ireland since my last post. I'm getting to know more people, the weather has been great, I finally got out of Dublin to see some country side and have been spending some time at the Goffs Thoroughbred sales! Yep, that would make me smile!

KILLARNEY!!!! I went with my friends Erika, Marial and Alyssa to Killarney for the weekend which included a tour of the Ring of Kells on Saturday, so a lot of country side was seen by all! It was truly beautiful and everything and more I would have thought of Ireland to look like. You truly have not seen green until you visit the Emerald Isle! Everything worked out perfectly! We never had to wait long on a bus, we found our hostel and all our destinations very easily, got some crazy good discounts and had a BLAST!!!!!

You may not believe me, but I felt as if I was partially on business for the Wesley Foundation at Purdue on Sunday. We rented bikes and biked a few miles to Killarney National Park where we saw the Muckross House and Abby, Turoc Waterfall and a lake. While admiring the beautiful country side, I was very intently evaluating the location for the next Bikers For Jesus location. Although I've never been on the trip myself, I think if they were to do it in Ireland, I would make some time in my busy schedule to go!

I saw a lot of my favorite four-legged creatures this weekend and week as well. Several of our stops on our bus tour included some horses in the scenery! The Irish Draft to the hardy Bog Pony- I saw the whole range :) Plus Killarney National Park was crawling with horse and carriages! We stuck to our two-wheeled transportation though.

Hmm... a few highlights from the weekend: Erika holding a sheep, meeting Seamus O'Connell (the Bog Pony), walking in quaint Killarney, finding the Killarney Methodist church, getting half of my souvenir shopping done and slamming on the bathroom door to open it until we realized you just had to push the handle down all the way! :)

I've also been to my first horse sales! And apparently I picked a good one for my initation! Goffs Thoroughbred Sales! The sale that just finished up this evening is the premier one and the top horses in this year's sale brought in up to 1/2 million euro! These were all yearlings being sold- so unproven on the track and the breeding shed. Pedigrees were the name of the game these past few days. Hours have been spent pouring through the catalogs and evaluating the black type by many before shelling out the dough on these horses. Crazy is all I have to say! I picked out a pretty grey, well balanced and a good moving filly in the parade ring, and sure enough looked her up and she had a sire that was pretty popular this afternoon and a proven dam- she brought in 140,00 euro. The popular sires from the ones that I saw today were Galileo, Holy Roman Emperor and Danehill Dancer. Saddler's Wells' mares' produce were raking in some big bucks as well. A manager from a stud farm came over and talked with us for awhile about the Irish Thoroughbred industry. He was filled with information after working in the industry all his life. He pretty much said that the Irish industry is pretty much monopolized by two stud farms and it is really hard to break into, especially if you're a nobody. He was encouraging my friends to look into the Thoroughbred Industry in either America or Australia- you can start out as a no-body, work bloody hard and make a name for yourself.

All and all I lack so much knowledge about the Thoroughbred industry, not to mention the Irish industry, so I was enjoying the atmosphere and the nice horses and just tyring to pick up whatever tid-bits of knowledge that I could. I still like my Quarter Horses and wish I was home to check out the Congress- the largest breed show in the World going on back in Columbus!

Alright- I have to do some homework and get things ready before my trip to Cork this weekend! I can't wait to see what puts a grin on my face this weekend!

Cheers!

Time

2009-09-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

All time is no time - When time is past - Make time, save time - While time lasts.

This little saying has come back to my mind recently when I realized that this past Monday, I have been in Ireland for a month!!!!! I first found it on a sun-dial in a little garden by the track that I've spent a good amount of time on as well.

It totally does not feel like that long and I am taking that as motivation to start getting outta Dublin and to also experience more of the social college life and to also really start on my studies. Phew- I'm going to be one busy girl, but what else is new? This has been one busy year for sure and soon enough I'll have accomplished this crazy goal of mine that I set out to do last Fall and be back home again in Indiana :)

It also really occurred to me that I just want to make the most of this opportunity- to enjoy it and to truly make a heck of a good memory with it. And now for the cheesy analogy- you ready?My roommate Josh got some different roses before he took off for France this week as a prep for his upcoming internship in November there, and I have some in my window ceil. These two roses I picked out are beautiful! One is a big open yellow rose and the other one is a peace rose, yellow at the bottom, then flaring into red tips. Even though I can change the water, add a German version of 'Flower Fresh' to them- they are only going to last so long- just as my time here in Ireland is only going to last for so long.

So, what am I going to do about it? Well, I have weekend trips planned for the next three weekends, with hopefully more trips to come depending on how long my money holds out. This coming weekend I'm going to Killarney with my good girl-friends I have made here so far. A local Irishman told me the other day that Killarney is where everybody goes to summer vacation, so I'm hoping that means it will be beautiful! The following weekend we are heading southwest, not just west, to Cork for the Cork Folk Festival! I'm making this trip again with my girlfriends and should be a good craic for sure. One of my roommates is from Cork and he was really excited to hear that we were going to be checking out his home-town. Then probably the trip I'm most excited about, if that's even possible, is Carnforth, England. Sounds pretty random, I know, but my friend Brett from Camp Tecumseh is finally back home in Carnforth for a little while and has extended the invitation for me to come and visit! Not only will I be getting out of the city, but out of the country! Granted, I won't be seeing London, but I think of it this way- it is much easier to set up a touristy/ vacaction type thing to the bigger places and cities at some other time, but to go to these festivals and experience more of a local lifestyle- definitely priceless.

And yes, I'm forcing myself to stay in tonight to study, seeing as it is "Arthur's Day," I have had loads of peer pressure to celebrate with the rest of Dublin tonight. I haven't really cracked down on my school work a lot, so its about time. Oh- what's Arthur's Day? Well Arthur Genniuss's birthday, and this time he's 250 years old! Talk about making a lasting impresion on Ireland? Needless to say, town is going to be crazy tonight and big, drunk crowds tend to not be my thing. But, enjoy the celebrations everyone, I'll be having a party with Economics and Management :) That was the plan last night, but my crazy German roommate, Miriam, drug me out. I was totally not planning on going- but decided why not, it'll be an experience and ended up being a good time. I can now say that I have experienced a European rave now- glowsticks, flouresant paint, black lights, techno music and all. Still can't get over the fact that any night of the week is a night to go out! I thought going out on Thursdays was bad enough back home.

I believe that party with my friends Econ and Management is starting soon actually, so make the most of your time wherever you are, I know I sure am! :)

Writing Inspiration!

2009-09-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

Being the fairly consistent blogger that I am, I go throughout my day not necessarily looking for things to write about, but they just occur to me. Some topics just pertain to my day and how classes are going and such and any adventures I go on, while others are just random little, and often funny or ironic circumstances that strike my fancy I suppose.

Examples of the random topics:
- I came back from classes today and had a short conversation with my Irish roommate Evan while I was fixing my lunch. He walked in with a D.A.R.E. shirt on. I thought to myself, "They don't have that here." So I asked him and he said that he just got it off of an Irish friend who bought it in Uganda this summer while he was working there. He then asked me what it was and I explained the concept of the program to him and what I remembered from it. My D.A.R.E. t-shirt has probably seen about 6 different Goodwills by now, while this particular D.A.R.E. t-shirt has been literally all around the world.
This conversation also included the topic of American peanut butter as I have found a new favorite snack- apples and peanut butter. I came up with this idea all on my own, and not through peer pressure when my American roommate, Josh, dared me to try peanut butter with an orange. At this rate, that 2 and half pound jar of JIF that I brought might not last me the semester.

- Lack of cereal selection. At home with our glorious, one-stop superstores, an entire isle is usually dedicated to cereal! Where in comparison, I think one isle in a Super Wal-Mart is bigger than most grocery stores here. So the cereal section or cereal row on the shelf is quite limited. Kellogg's is the main-stream company and my choices based on taste and economical reasons have either been Rice Krispies (the cheapest by far) or Frosties (also known as Frosted Flakes back home.)

- I have discovered the name of those birds that I mentioned in one of my first posts here- Magpies! What a hideous name for, in all fairness, a pretty bird? Apparently they are unlucky unless seen in pairs, so I sometimes search out a second one just to make me feel better.

Besides these random ponderings, there has been a lot going on. Monday is always by far my busiest day and yesterday was no exception. Classes all day, workout class with Shay where he pretty much rips us apart every week, but we love him for it, and then the Equestrian Club social last night. A lot of girls in my different classes are in it, so I actually went somewhere knowing people- which was great! I'm getting super excited for the Tetrathlon- training starts soon- so we'll see how 'fit' I really am.

Now, I'm trying to make plans for some different trips. I have a friend from Camp Tecumseh that is from England and he is home for a little bit, so I want to go and visit him. Then my friends here are planning trips to Killarney and Cork- so many options and places to see. I also found out that an old high school friend is teaching English in France, so that's another place to hopefully see while I'm on this side of the pond!!!!!!

Off to class and maybe some other random occurrences that will inspire some unusual, but interesting thoughts to share with you later!

Down by the Sea

2009-09-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by here in Dublin. This week was fairly uneventful, classes, a couple of 'international events' and just getting used to things here I suppose.

Probably the biggest highlight in my classes was when a representative from the Goffs' Thoroughbred sales came and spoke to us about their sale. It is a highly prestigious sale and it is coming up in a few weeks. I think some friends that I have made in my Equine Industry class are going to try and go when the actual sale is going on. We get to go as a class field-trip on the Monday before the sale, but there aren't any horses being actually sold then. Although about 97% of the horses sold here are Irish bred, there are internationally bred horses that are sold here as yearlings as well and buyers come from all over the world to get that special horse. So, pretty excited about that!

Classes are going well I suppose, there isn't much 'continual assessment' going on, so I suppose I've been slightly slacking on keeping up with readings as we go along. It is hard for me to stay motivated when I don't necessarily have an assignment due in a class next week. So, the goal for later today is actually read some of my econ and some of my readings for equine health.

I joined the Equestrian Club! They train for a competition called the tetrathlon where you compete in swimming, running, pistol shooting and show jumping! I'm crazy excited about this and hopefully can make it on the team. Apparently it is fairly popular, but what a thrill it would be to actually compete in this with students from all over Europe. The show jumping aspect is just a catch ride with a few practice fences allowed. Another American girl that was on my same flight over here is going to train for it too, it is going to be a great craic!

So far this weekend has been pretty chilled. Went over to a friend's place last night and watched a movie. Some of my closest friends here so far are not Irish, but either American, Canadian and in one case a New Zealander! Today was a nice little adventure as I got to see a different part of Dublin on purpose this time. My roommate Josh took me to Don Laoghaire today down by the sea. This is where my friend Alyssa and I accidentally took the bus our first night here when we missed our stop by the college. Reminded me a bit of San Francisco as far as the weather and the wind, but only in Ireland? There were people swimming in the sea, much too cold for me. It made for a nice stroll for sure watching the boats and my favorite, people watching. There were a lot of families out and about and lots of people walking their dogs! One lady sent in her Labrador Retriever to get a plastic bottle out of the water- so cute!

So I'm just taking everything in as it comes. I'm trying a new church with my friend Sarah J from back home tomorrow, it is suppose to have a more 'college-age' atmosphere, so that will be good! And plans have been made to go to Cork, southwestern Ireland, for their folk festival with some friends. Once my check comes through, I'm planning on making some travel arrangements to mainland Europe, Northern Ireland and Scotland! So many adventures ahead and so little time!

I'm kind of in the mood to watch "The Little Mermaid" now. Haha, random I know, but my friends were singing "Kiss the Girl" last night and being around the sea/ ocean today it sort of makes sense in my random mind.

A Walk in the Park

2009-09-13T15:14:00.001-07:00

I had a great weekend here in Dublin! It was the perfect combination of chill and socializing! It started out with me discovering that I'm really going to like my Friday schedule! I have two one-hour lectures back to back starting at 9. So I'm out of classes by 11am. I think my dad is eating his breakfast about then? So then I have the rest of the day with that light-hearted, the weekend is ahead of me feeling that puts an extra pep to my step. I used this extra little motivation to do a good workout, some studying and laundry! And I think I've already told you about my story in the laundry mat, which led to meeting more people and playing frisbee. So I won't repeat myself anymore other than by saying Friday just set the tone for the rest of the weekend I suppose.

Slept in on Saturday :) Woke up to another unusual sunny day in Ireland! I went and rescued my phone that decided to stay the night in a friend's purse and took a nap for the next few hours and then got ready to meet my friend Sarah J for the evening :) We had a great dinner, once I figured out how the hob or the stove-top worked. The company of my roommate Josh didn't help matters much as he was just hanging out for the sheer amusement of seeing me fuss with trying to cook spaghetti. It wasn't even like a 4-course meal or anything, but to be in a kitchen with two fellow Boilermakers in Dublin, felt pretty good :) Dinner was tasty once it was finally done, and after that, Sarah and I hit the town! First stop was her place to drop off my stuff as we decided to go to church in the morning together and it would be easier for me just to crash at her place.

We walked down to the Temple Bar area and finally decided on a pub that had some good live Irish music. It was a fun little place and I tried a new cider. It was pretty good and cheap! With more emphases on the cheap side! We enjoyed the atmosphere for awhile and just had a good time catching up and feeling pretty proud of ourselves for making this huge step for the both of us to study abroad.

We fell asleep listening to the Purdue-Oregon game being streamed on the Internet. Unfortunately, we woke up in the morning to hear the final outcome was slightly different than what had played out in our dreams. But my spirits were soon lifted as we set out for church to yet another gorgeous sunny day in Dublin! This is where we walked through St. Stephan's Green instead of around it and it was fabulous! The park was very pretty and just peaceful. There were plenty of people there, but mostly families or couples just out for a Sunday morning stroll. It was the closest thing I've gotten to being outside of the city, even though it is in the very heart of it, so I was very happy.

Sarah and I attended the Lower Abbey Street United Methodist Church. To our surprise, the store-front church actually had a pretty cool traditional sanctuary to be found once inside its doors. We were immediately leached onto by an old Irish man named Richie, extending his warmest welcome. He showed us to an empty pew and about 5 minutes later the pastor's wife came up to us and started asking 20 questions in a very motherly way to make sure we were all set as far as places to stay and what not. Very sweet indeed.

The congregation would be one that my pastors at the Wesley Foundation back at Purdue would love! It was a very ethnically diverse congregation, with very few native Irish people actually. The main minister was not there, but the lady that filled in his absence was really good. She's an actress actually by profession and just got back from filming a BBC show. So, it was kind of cool to meet a local celebrity as well. Sarah has been invited to another Methodist church in town that we're going to check out next week before we make any decisions. Today's church was a sweet little church with some great big, loving hearts! The music was a wee bit rough, but it was beautiful at the same time knowing the joy that those who were off-key were singing to the Lord.

The rest of today entailed us walking back and stopping at a little cafe to have lunch. Once again, it was nice to catch up with Sarah and have a confidant while exploring this big old city, which I finally feel comfortable navigating. Which showed when I hopped on a new bus and made it back to campus without missing my stop! :) I had a great run, made up for a day off and scarfed some leftover spaghetti. Sounds like a great Sunday right? Don't get me wrong, it was, but it was made even better by catching the last quarter of the Colts-Jacksonville game with a little help from a friend. I'm not going to go into anymore details, but thanks friend, you know who you are and yes, I am slightly spoiled to have such good friends! I chatted it up with my two Irish roommates as they were returning from their weekends home and now I'm all ready for bed. Monday is my extra long day- 4 classes and my workout class with Shay! :)

All in all, I'm starting to feel more relaxed over here. I'm just hoping the rest of the semester will be as pleasant as today's "walk in the park."

Keeping on the Sunny Side

2009-09-12T03:28:00.000-07:00

I believe it has been scientifically proven that sunlight helps to improve people's overall moods and makes them happy! Something to do with serotonin levels or something? I should google it. But anyways- it has sure had that effect on campus here at UCD. Even with classes underway- you can't help but at least half-smile when you step outside under a beautiful blue sky. I know this isn't going to last much longer, so I'm just excited while it does.

With this good weather, its made exercising much easier! Running in the rain last Sunday was a little rough. But I'm pretty excited about adding something different to the routine as I met a first year med student in the laundry mat (which is ridiculously expensive) yesterday and he mentioned that they were playing Ultimate Frisbee! I immediately perked up and said when and where? Now and follow me was his response! I wasn't particularly dressed for the occasion- so I went bare-foot and in sweats and surprised some with my pulling ability! My friends that were doing laundry with me came along as well, but chose to sit on the sidelines and observe. They were all really nice and the girl, Biatta, who was organizing it was crazy good. Maybe I could learn a thing or two off of her?

Classes went well this week. Only got confused once on the start time to one of my classes- but I didn't get lost and I wasn't late to any of my classes! The finance part of my Business Management class is going to be rough. Not in the sense of material, but the Prof is so dry. "Beuller ... Beuller ... Beuller, " doesn't even start to explain it. But I only have that Prof every other time for the first half of the course and the other guy is pretty good.

So the other night we finally got all 6 of the residents in Glenomena House 4- Apartment 8 together for dinner. It was a great time and the conversation continued on for about 3 hours :) We are all pretty different here in the 'house' but all got along very well. Hopefully we can continue to have dinner together at least once a week :)

Plans for today- hopefully playing frisbee again or resorting back to running, then meeting up with the one and only Sarah Jay Lewis! My friend from Purdue and Wesley arrived safely to Dublin for her exchange program with DIT. So I'm pretty excited to see her and share part of my Dublin experience with her :)

The 1980's?

2009-09-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I can claim to be a child of the 80's, but a claim is about all I can lay on that decade. Being born in the latter part of the decade, my greatest accomplishment by the time the 80's expired was probably either walking or being potty trained. You would have to ask my parents which one was a more momentous occasion. Where am I going with this? Well, when I was out on the town Saturday night with my roommate Josh and a friend of his, he was filling me in on Dublin, the culture, the people, places to go, places to don't go and women's fashion came up in that spiel somehow. He mentioned how they seemed "stuck in the 80's."

At first I thought the fashion was a more urban, hodgepodge with some funky colors thrown into the mix, but now with an attuned eye - the tights, big hair, Chuck Taylors and (to me) the missed- matched neon colors started to stand out. Even the fliers (which are everywhere) for the discos or clubs have an 80's feel to them.

The good old fallback of jeans and a T-Shirt might as well be me rolling out of bed and going to class with my pajamas! I have seen more skirts and tights than I ever have at any dance recital. A look I don't mind, and think it is actually fairly modest and cute and one that I did back in the States as well, but not EVERYDAY! So I'm going to be a standout here at UCD, academically of course, but in other ways as well. I haven't busted out the belt buckles yet, wore my more reserved 'bling belt' today but looked totally American with my Ariat sweatshirt that said- "Wild West Show." :)

The flip of the coin to this issue is the double standard about the guy's dress. Coming over on the plane my seat buddy from England said something about pants being trousers instead. Jeans were fine to say though. Now I understand why he made such a big deal, because jeans are not necessarily the norm for guys as well. Athletic apparel is though. I have seen more jerseys than I ever have and other kinds of trousers as well.

This double standard is seen of the evenings as well, when groups of people leave for their "social activities." The girls are dressed up and I mean dressed up- sequence and all, that hasn't come and gone like it has in the States. Little skimpy dresses and some forgo the fashionable tights and have to be freezing! Make-up and hair done up as well to finish out the look. Then there comes the guys straggling behind them in a graphic tee maybe and then possibly a decent pair of jeans! Seems kind of strange to me, but then again, so does the extreme "social atmosphere." Monday on campus was ridiculous! Kids were in "high spirits" since 10 am with parties and such going on all day and campus was crawling with drunk kids and neon yellow-vested security. Eat, drink and be merry with the focus on the latter two I think was the purpose of the day.

Even with classes in session, I feel like there is a lack of concern for studies around campus and more socializing going on. Maybe that is because classes are just getting underway, but all of my classes have been full lectures from the words "Good Morning/ Afternoon." Granted they don't start until at least 5 minutes after the hour, but there has been none of this "Hi I'm Professor X, here is the syllabus and I'll see you later," like we do back home. Oh and another extreme difference is the type of assessment that we'll be having- almost all my courses' final grades depend either fully or at least very heavily on my finals :(!!!!!! December is going to be a stressful time!

So, I had two new classes on Tuesday- Farm Management and Introduction to Irish Folklore. Farm Management is another small class and is going to be another good one I feel. All the kids in the class seemed to have known each other already and I haven't really cracked into that yet, but this class will include a lot of problem solving and some case studies where we get to actually go out to farms!!!!!

My other new class that I had yesterday was Introduction to Irish Folklore, a fairly popular elective by how full the classroom was. I'm just taking it for attendance only, which will be one less stressor come December, but a class I can attend for the sheer pleasure! lol! Actually, the lecturer is super cool and I had a moment to talk to her afterwards to explain my situation and she seemed pretty impressed that I would still participate and take the course for no credit. I met a California girl in my class who is also a senior and I've ran into her twice now randomly on campus, so another new friend made :)

Speaking of friends- all 5 of my roommates have moved in! Gearoid, an Irishman from Cork is studying law and business. Miriam, from Germany, is a Chinese Studies major. The most recent addition is Evan, another Irishman, is a politics and film major. Then the three Americans line one side of the hall. Ally from Boston doing her post-grad studies in European Studies is sandwiched by two Boilermakers. Myself and Josh who is also a post-grad student in some sort of computer security. There is a fancy name for it, but I can't remember. I busted out my markers this afternoon and made a sign for our first house dinner tomorrow night. I kind of took initiative and going to order pizza :) I'm pretty excited for all of us to sit down as 'family' and get to know one another. Any mixers or get to know you games that come to mind- let me know :)

So my out of class activities have mainly been dedicated to working out and my body sure feels it! I haven't been this sore in a long time! I finally gave myself the day off and have been drinking lots of water in efforts to flush out all this lactic acid that is polluting my system. I have also been napping a lot, trying to re-coop that way as well. I haven't found a scale over here yet, but I kind of don't want to. If I keep this routine up, that moment I get on the scale back home will be pretty sweet! But I can tell I'm already loosing inches. Some of my jeans haven't fit this well since high school! :)

So that has been my last few days in Ireland. I want to wish my friend Sarah J safe and happy travels over here to Dublin as she is starting another exchange program through her course of study at Purdue. It'll be nice to have another Boilermaker in Dublin :)

Once Upon a Time ...

2009-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was finally a student again! After 8 months of working two different internships back to back, I finally took my rightful seat in the classroom looking at powerpoint slides today! Ok, a little dramatic, but seriously, I'm pretty excited to be back in classes.

A rundown of the day started bright and early at 8 am with the cheerful awakening by my cheap phone. First lecture was at 9 am! I had already laid out my clothes and backpack the night before so I was in my seat about 10 minutes before class. It was a beautiful morning- the clearest skies I have seen since I arrived last Monday! Wait, here's the shocker- I even busted out the sunglasses!

First class of the day was Business Management. It's a three tiered course for Ag students that rotates lectures between business organization, business finance and business marketing. Considering I've had a good deal of finance already, I'm interested in marketing and the organization aspect of it is totally new- should be a good class!

I had an hour break before my next class, so I walked back and grabbed a quick bite to eat. My next lecture was at 11am and was Equine Health and Husbandry. My first lecture was probably close to 100 students and this one was a grand total of 5 students. Supposedly more to come as some of the Equine students are finishing their required work experience. This is going to be a really good class, challenging though as it has been awhile since I have taken any Animal Science courses. The lecturer is really good though and the class is all about horses- I think Ill be alright.

Yet another hour break! I hopped online and figured out the Blackboard system that most of my professors are using to post documents and information about my courses. I printed some notes and played around online for a little bit and checked out the pictures from the AQHA Amateur Select World Show that just concluded. Congrats to all the winners and other competitors, it looked like a great show! 1 pm and I was off to the another building (thankfully all my classes are only in 2 different buildings).

Intermediate Microeconomics! This was the largest lecture I had of the day with probably about 150 to 200 students in a larger lecture theater as they call them here. This course is also broken down into different segments, but is taught one segment at a time all the way through. First we get to peel away the demand curve and the consumer side of economics, next the supply and producer's share and finally putting it all together and looking at equilibrium. Once again, I'll claim my dorkyness and admit I like this stuff so I'm really looking forward to this class. My first professor for this class is American and really cool- but warned us that this was going to be a hard class- hmmm.... a challenge maybe? The biggest challenge is the fact that this course's only source of assessment is the final! 100% of my grade relies on one exam and one exam only- GREAT!

Finally- two classes right in a row without a break in between. Back to the Ag building for the class that I was most looking forward to, Irish Equine Industries! Yep, an entire class dedicated to the study of the horse in Ireland and the industry surrounding and dependent upon it! Once again, I went from a large lecture to a classroom setting with 9 total students this time! This was my longest lecture of the day as it was 2 hours long, but soon enough we'll be taking field trips to local sales and farms! A chance to break out of the walls of Dublin! Oh and get this, we have a final media project that we have to do at the end of the semester of writing a newspaper article! I haven't gotten the details yet, but seriously, how much cooler could it get? As soon as I heard that, I immediately thought, "Psshhh... I got that covered!" (No journalistic pun intended there.)

Exhausted from 5 hours of lecture today, I was totally content with a quiet evening and had already decided to give myself the day off from my workouts. Then a friend texts me saying that they were going to the gym to take a class. "Trainer's Choice". Hmmm? Why not? It was a blast and a good workout! Running can only get me so much, so this was great resistance and sculpting. The instructor was a riot and his name was Shay and he led us through a meriad of exercises in his semi-drill sergeant way, all of course in the Irish accent and very peppy about it.

So there we go- first day of classes, both mentally and physically! And it is way past my bedtime. Two classes tomorrow, Farm Management and my Equine Health and Husbandry Class.

Now let's just hope the rest of the semester goes something like ... happily ever after! :)

That Just Happened

2009-09-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ok- I know I already put up a ridiculously long post today, but I just thought I'd fill you in on the rest of my day. After deciding to sleep in, I figured I would go to church this evening as the Methodist Church downtown said that they had a 7pm contemporary service online. So after going out last night, I realized where I would need to get off to find this church. I get myself all pumped up and dressed up to go and by the time I got to the bus stop- the bus was right there. Perfect timing!

Downtown was crazy tonight! The National Hurling Finals were this evening in town and people were sporting their team's colors everywhere. I Even saw a tractor rolling down O'Connell street decked out in one of the team's garb. I should have snapped a picture but I was too creeped out at that moment and on a mission to find the right bus stop to take me back to campus.

Why was I creeped out you might ask, especially with my whole mission of going to church? I hadn't found the church yet and I'm standing at this street corner pulling out my map when a foreign man approaches me. He gets my attention and I'm thinking this is funny if he is going to ask me for directions, but again, map in hand I felt like we might be able to figure something out. Through broken English we establish each other's names and where we're from. He then asks if we are friends? I looked at him very puzzled and said that I am a friendly person yes, and realized something is kind of fishy from that point. I ask him if I can help him find something and he says no, and then proceeds to tell me he is a wealthy businessman from Egypt and is a tourist here, that he has a lot of money and staying in a nice hotel and asks if I want to get a drink. I tell him no thank you and that I was actually trying to find a church, thinking he would get the hint that I'm not that kind of girl. Well then he proceeds to ask me if I want to go shopping- clothes, shoes, purses? I again politely declined his offer and wished him a nice evening and walked on. The entire conversation lasted about 4 minutes. Seriously? I just wanted to go to church- not picked up by some Egyptian businessman!

I realized I had passed the church actually as it was part of the store-fronts and not a stand alone church. I found their signs where their services were listed different than the ones posted on the Internet. Totally creeped out and disappointed, I made a V-line back to the bus stop. I crowded to the front of the line because I just wanted to go home. I even managed to get the prime front seat on the upper deck of the bus :) Once off my feet I realized why flats are so popular here- Europeans do way too much walking to live in heels! At least I had a nice conversation with a first year coming back for school after visiting home for the weekend. About the only good thing that happened it seemed this evening.

I did muster up enough energy from earlier to go running. IN THE RAIN! That's dedication right there. My future sister-in-law's bridal shower was today (actually probably going on right now as I'm posting this). I hope its a blast and that she likes my gift ;) Its a little honery, but being the sister of the groom, I can get away with that! I gotta stay at least the same size or even better for the wedding in December and figured I should get used to running in the rain since it rains here so much. But, just as the rest of my day's plans seemed to go a stray, the rest of the afternoon has been very pleasant and semi-sunny- go figure! The other person on the track was even kinda creepy too- ugh... creepy men!

So, dressed up and no where to go, I think I'm just going to settle in with a nice book and make an early night of it because school starts tomorrow :) I'm not going to let today's encounters get me down! I'm super pumped for school- yes I'm a dork- I even took a facebook quiz once to see what I was between a dork, nerd and a geek, with the results of a dork!

Cheers!

What's happening in Ireland :)

2009-09-06T04:55:00.000-07:00

I will try not to go this long without posting at least something, because it seems that there is always something going on here that might be of interest to y'all. I finally got some good pictures to add to my blog and facebook, so we'll use that as my excuse for not getting anything up here since Wednesday. So now it's a test of my memory and writing abilities to get you caught up!

One thing that I've been loving is the fact that I've been sleeping in until about 11 every morning. I realize I won't be able to do this once classes start, but I didn't even get to sleep in while I was home due to all the errands and things that I had to get done. The drill has pretty much been sleep in, wake up, work out and then some random adventure to follow. The work outs have consisted of running on the track that's about a two minute jog or five minute walk from my flat. Yesterday was the first sunny day during my run and I think the sunshine gave me some extra energy as I did twice as much as usual. There was a father there with two of his sons yesterday and the youngest boy will be an Athletics (track and field) star someday. He had no fear and seemed to be like the Energizer Bunny with an unlimited amount of energy! He ran all the distances, had a go at long-jumping and even cleared the hurdles I had set out with decent form for his age. On my way out I told him he was looking good!

Ok- enough with my workouts- y'all probably want to hear about other stuff. Thursday I rode the bus into the City Centre to get a cell phone! Planning on facebook was such a hassle! So I got the cheapest phone I could and it's actually pretty inexpensive to dial back home! Skype is still the way to go though- look me up on there if you haven't already. Next stop was Dunns- which is about the closest thing to a Wal-Mart that I've found here. It has a grocery store in the basement, clothes and such on the main floor and housewares on the top floor. It's in a shopping mall, downtown so you get to ride escalators from one floor to the next :). Wednesday we had rain all day long, which is what today is actually looking like as well, so I knew a pair of 'wellies' or rain boots was a much needed thing. I found a cute pair of black ones with white polka-dots for 12 euro and I know I'll get some good use out of them! Later that night we went to a comedy thing at the Student Club. Unfortunately the only seats that were left were in the front- bad, bad idea for a comedy show! Ally had met some girls at a meet and greet thing for international students so we were there with 2 New Zealand girls, 3 French girls, an Italian and a girl from Holland. Definitely a diverse group! It was a great 'crack' for sure.

Friday was a semi-epic grocery run! Any major grocery shopping that you want to do here needs to be done somewhere off of campus. And it's not like you pile in the car with a bunch of your friends and go to Wal-Mart and come out with carts full of stuff. 1- You have to catch the bus. 2- Grocery stores are much smaller here and selections are not as varied. 3- Bring you own bags, they charge you here for shopping bags. 4- Keep in mind that anything you buy, you have to lug back on the bus. 5- Check-out lanes were not made for a lot of stuff. So I bought about 27 euro worth of groceries which should last me a while! I went with my friend and flatmate Ally and she bought more stuff than me and we had a great time hauling it all back :) After we got back, I was just wondering campus taking some pictures when I ran into a friend and she said they were going into town. Why not tag along? This was a more relaxed trip and we did a lot more sight-seeing this time. I got a little camera happy as we ventured into the Temple Bar area and crossed the river. It was a beautiful evening and I even saw a double rainbow over the river! :) Probably one of the best moments since I've been here :) Yes, yes, the cliche captions of the leprechauns and pots of gold came streaming into my head, but I resisted them all and just took in the moment.

Saturday I wondered around campus and the buildings where my classes will be to make sure I knew where all my classrooms were. I have five classes tomorrow, with some back to back, so I wanted to make sure I could get to them all on time. Turns out, I only have classes in two different buildings, so I'm going to be just fine :) I was planning on updating this last night, but then my flatmate Josh, the Purdue grad, asked to a movie with one of his friends. Why not? It was a great 'Irish' night on the town as we ate Chinese and saw District 9, which is based out of South Africa. It was fun though, I got to see some new parts of the city and tried some new food- shocking I know for those that know my eating habits.

Which brings me to today. I had full intentions on going to church this morning- even figured out which bus and all I needed, but the college student won out in me and sleep was the victor over all. There is a contemporary service this evening that I'm going to try to make it to, so we'll see.

So things that are happening around here is the re-vote on accepting the Lisbon Treaty. Ireland, as part of the European Union, is the last country to ratify the treaty. From what I have heard, the treaty basically strengthens the European Union as a whole. The initial vote was 'No' and after a lot of negative feedback from that, the people that are for it are campaigning hard to get it passed. There are signs everywhere in support of it. The vote is going to take place in October, so I'll be here for it and could be a historical thing if it's passed.

Politics back home are heating up too as I follow what I can. President's Obama's address to the school children was yes, initially, absurd. Especially with his proposed lesson plan of having the students writing a letter to themselves of 'What can I do to help the President.' That is totally pushing policy and a distorted image of the President to them. Now when the plan was changed to writing down their education goals, ok, whether you like Obama or not, the motivation coming from his position, I agree will help keep kids in school. My gut still doesn't trust the man, and I think he has better things to do than this particular address. Especially when you look at this situation from the educators' point of views. They are put in awkward situations- some being forced to show the address, some having the 'choice' and receiving pressure from their students and administration. Again, I just feel like he is stirring up yet another pot that doesn't need it. Last time I checked there was still terrorism in this world and a national debt that he has 'inherited' (I think he has used that word at least 1,000 times). Ok, enough politics. I should do something with this day, probably going to suck it up and go running in the rain, that way I can have my day off tomorrow with classes starting :)

CHEERS!

I'm Here!!!!!

2009-09-02T05:15:00.000-07:00

I'm over 3,000 miles away from home on this adventure in Dublin, Ireland! This whole travel/ study abroad thing really didn't hit me until the bus ride from the airport and realized that I was on the left side of the road, the steering wheels where on the right side and I could hear the accents all around! The driving on the left side didn't seem as weird to me as the steering wheels on the opposite side did. Overall the city is so very different than any city in the States. The architecture is old and crazy cool. The cars are TINY!!!! They make my Buick Century back home look like a Hummer! Oh and the shops- speciality shops everywhere. No Wal-Marts or big general/department stores that I've seen so far.

The flight over was good- 7 hours in all from Chicago. Watched a movie, ate a decent dinner and cat-napped. I had a nice British guy, Kevin, sitting next to me. He was visiting some friends in Kokomo, Indiana and on his way back. The flight entertainment system was pretty cool. Movies, games, TV shows, flight information (I could actually see and tell where we were at) and radio. That kept me entertained for a while.

We hit the ground about 45 minutes early at 7:45am local time. I flew over with two Purdue students whom I have never met before meeting them at the airport. We also found a girl in the customs line that was on our same flight who goes to Otterbein College in Ohio. So the four of us waited in the long customs line, not nearly as scary as I thought, and then claimed our baggage and hopped on the Aircoach to the campus. This is the bus ride that actually hit me- sweet I'm in IRELAND! So far it's just been the city that I've seen. It was really cloudy and rainy when we flew in so I didn't get to see much of the country as we were flying over it :(. I'm really excited for classes to start- that way maybe I'll make friends with the farm kids in my Ag classes and get an opportunity to actually see the country-side :)

Anyways, back to Monday. The bus dropped us off by the main campus entrance where we had to lug all of our luggage a good 1/2 mile to whichever residence you had been assigned. I was sweating bullets by the time I got in to register. No friendly BGR (Boiler Gold Rush) move-in people like from back home. But I've noticed that people don't bring as much here, even the Irish students. I don't see truck (I haven't seen a signal privately owned pick-up yet) and car-loads of stuff. As soon as I got into my room, I dropped my bags and crashed for a few minutes but got myself going again because I had to stay awake for the day to avoid serious jet-lag. So I unpacked and went on a little exploratory tour of the campus.

On this individual tour I found these weird birds! I mean like bigger than a crow, with long tail feathers and actually very pretty. They are mostly navy with some green on the edge of their wings and a white under-belly. I mean, they are common over here like squirrels are on Purdue's campus but just weird to me I suppose. Let's see- other weird things: the outlets are different but I knew that coming over and was prepared with a few converters, already mentioned the cars, the style (my cowboy boots and bling belts kind of stick out over here), the public transportation system, the grocery stores and food in general and I suppose just campus procedures and policies. I really shouldn't say these things are weird, just different. Oh and a lot more smokers here. Kids are lighting up all over campus.

These past two days have been pretty strictly administrative and trying to make sure I have everything I need and proper paperwork turned in. My friend from Purdue, Alyssa, and I took the bus into City Center on Monday night and got a wee bit confused on the way back. We thought that the same bus that took us there, would take us back. Well, it did, but coming back looked a lot different than going, so we missed our stop and thought, "It will surely loop around." Well by the time we reached the Dublin Bay, we finally got the picture that it wasn't looping around and that was the end of the line. At first the bus-driver seemed kind of peeved, but then we opened our mouths and told him it was our first day here and we were just poor little lost American girls (I didn't milk it that much, but its amazing what you can get if you're polite and respectful). So he said it was our lucky day and that that particular bus was going back to the 'carriage house' which meant that the campus was on his way home for the night. He was then super nice and giving us tips on where to go, things to do and talking about where we were and all. I offered him a tip, which he refused and shooed us out the door with a smile. Note to self- always catch the 10A back to campus!!!!

So far I have met three of my possible 5 flat mates. Two Americans and one Irish. Gearoid is my Irish flat mate and he is from Southern Ireland, not too far from Cork. He has been super helpful and nice and is a 'crack' (meaning funny) to talk to. He is a business and law student going into his third year of the program. Ally is from Boston, but goes to school in Vancouver, Canada as she has citizenship in three countries, Canada, Greece and the US! She is doing a masters program in European Studies and has spent a lot of time in Germany. Very nice and very well traveled- I'm sure we'll get along just fine! My third flat mate is Josh. He is a Purdue Grad Student here. Really random that we got put in the same flat. I haven't seen too much of him- just a few times in passing. There are two more rooms in the flat that I haven't met their tenets yet, so I'm hoping for some more Irish students :)

Indiana schools seem to send a lot of people to Ireland. I have met 3 girls from Notre Dame that are here for the semester as well. So I thought that that was weird that so many of us are here and that I happened to run into them.

Alrighty.... well I apologize for the delay in getting this post up, and I'll do my best in the future to keep this updated more often. But, I'm going to nap for a little bit and then head off for some orientation type stuff in about an hour or so. I hope all is well with everyone and wish me luck in Ireland! :)

Ready.... Set.... Go!

2009-08-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

I'm ready for IRELAND! This is the morning of my departure and I have finished a few last things and about to leave for church with the family! The WHOLE family- Ben, Eva, Grandma, Mom and Dad! Good way to spend my final day in the States for awhile.
I'm not really anxious or crazy excited- just kind of reserved about the whole thing. But yes, more excited if I had to choose one over the other.
Anyways- I won't be back on here until I get the internet situation figured out over there- so be patient please and send up a prayer for me please for safe and non-eventful flights :)

*This is the record for my shortest blog post*

Boiler Up!

2009-08-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great past 5 days! But, I'll tell you one thing that was really weird about being on campus- being around kids my age again and lots of them! As I was driving up Chauncey Hill coming into campus on Saturday afternoon, I kind of got the heeby jeebys thinking, "Wow, there are a lot kids here." Even though I was living in a college town in Texas, WT had 8,000 students. Multiply that times 5 and then you have the size of Purdue. Then being in Reno, I didn't have a peer group at all, so it was weird but fun and exciting at the same time to walk among peers again.

But, I realized I'm getting old! I know, I'm only 22, how is that old? But seriously, I had a freshman in the Varsity Glee Club come up to me after they sang at First Church on Sunday morning and called me out by my name. I was a little taken aback, but this kid looked familiar. I could not return the favor of immediately recognizing him and placing how I knew him so I cheated and read his shiny gold name tag. Turns out, he was a freshman in choir when I was a senior and in choir for a whole like 2 weeks, but couldn't stay in because I took AP German instead back in high school. And now, he's a freshman at PURDUE! Between that personal experience, seeing all the new 'little' freshman walking around campus and noticing the absence of those who have graduated already made me realize, I'm getting old!

I came home for a nice surprise as Mom as very adamant these past few days that I was home in time for dinner last night. After taking the long way home to avoid Indy traffic, which turned out as a great last drive through the Indiana country-side, the table was set for 5. I thought that was slightly strange and asked Mom why. She came up with some lame excuse like she was going to invite Grandma and counted up wrong as if Ben were here. Ya, I didn't buy it! I told her to her face that she was a lier and that Alyssa (my best friend from high school) and Stephan Seal were coming over, weren't they? She tried to squirm her way out of it, but she is a horrible lier and passed that trait down to me as well. Sure enough, less than 10 minutes later, Alyssa comes walking up the sidewalk to our front door. I was very glad to see her and it was great catching up on what is going on in her life. She is graduated from school now with a 'real' job and has been married for just over a year now. They're next big thing is looking for land to build a house! CRAZY! We were thinking in the next 10 years, we'll be meeting for dinner probably with kids! She's obviously a few steps closer to that than I am, but once again, I'm getting old!

The time I had in West Lafayette was great! Especially when it came to the Wesley Foundation. We had 70-some in the first worship and that was before classes have even started! Then, we had close to 24 at recreation that night and record-breaking numbers at our Tuesday night Bible study and communion service on Tuesday night. I was pumped! And I suppose the Mountain Dew LiveWire helped that out as well, but I was so excited to see this new inflow into Wesley. And we got a lot of really good feedback from the newbies as well. They were actively participating in the devotion that I gave and several made comments to Pastor Glen that they felt right at home and would be back! It really does my heart good to hear and see things like that- Wesley is still flourishing and growing strong.

I took care of some business type things as well, bank run, working out details for my apartment second semester, meeting with my academic adviser and stopped in at the study abroad office to turn in some last paperwork. But most of it was to visit and catch-up. I got to visit Camp Tecumseh on Monday and that was a blast. Got to catch up with the equestrian gals from out there and squeezed in some saddle time as well! Amie, Mary Anne and I went for a little trail ride and I got to ride a big ol' Percheron gelding. I was pretty excited as I think I was in a different weather pattern up there. He was a fun young horse with a huge stride! It was neat to hear about their summer and see all the changes that have happened around camp. I was a wee bit disappointed to see their new utility vehicle. It was not that I was disappointed that they had a new one, because the old Gator was on its last wheel (instead of leg), but it was the fact that it was a Bobcat instead of a Deere that pained my heart slightly. I'm just playing- it was the best deal they could get and it was a much needed improvement. It will be nice to be working trail rides in the Spring again when I get back, it is just nice to get away from school and breath in some horse dander :)

Speaking of horse dander, I got my preliminary schedule for Ireland late last night/ early this morning and I got into both of my Equine classes that I wanted! I'm pretty excited about that! But I should be going as I didn't get into some of the other ones that I wanted and need to figure out some replacements and also there is this thing called packing that I'm only about half-way done with. Toodles- I leave for Ireland in 4 days!

Green Grass

2009-08-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ok- so random title, I know. But every blog title I like to try and come up with something that I've been excited about or just embraces an overall mood or summary of what's been happening. And so when I thought about this past week being in Indiana and driving to Purdue today- I realized how much I have missed the 'greeness' of Indiana. And then also just reminiscing over these past 8 almost 9 months now- how many wonderful opportunities I have had or how 'green the grass has been' even in places like Amarillo and Reno! :) Then the third validation I'll make for this blog title is my next big adventure- IRELAND! A very 'green' country indeed.
This past week has been full of trying to figure out details and getting back into some sort of exercise routine again. Traveling this summer made it kind of difficult to keep anything steady- diet, workouts or sleep-patterns. After dropping 20 lbs last summer, I have somewhat maintained by only putting back on 6- not too shabby in my opinion, but my doctor warned me about rationalizations. So my motivation to get back into a routine and maintaining it is the fact that I already ordered the bridesmaid dress for my brother's wedding when I get back in December. SIZE 8!!!!!! And yes, I really just did put my size up there for the whole world to see, because I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully, mom will have to take up a few inches even when I get back. So if you talk, email, aim, skype or any other sort of communication that today's technically offers us at all these next 3 months- hold me to that size 8!
It is fantastic being at Purdue for a few days! Its so exciting to see everyone and hear about what they did with their summers and just to re-connect. I'm hanging out in my old room at Aldersgate (the house that is owned by the campus ministry, Wesley Foundation) admiring the bright green walls! I got to pick the paint color since I was the main person primarily living in this room for a year and half and I mean, they are bright green! I love 'em! The drive over today was great- I didn't even have to bust out a map or my Garmin- I know how to get here :) On my way I saw several Purdue license plates or stickers in car windows around 465 W heading to the good ol' town of West Lafayette! The last half-hour seemed to take forever, so I called one of my Texas friends to catch up with her and pass the time. I was ready to be here!
I came over today specifically for a bridal shower. One of my old house mates, Deana is getting married! It was my first bridal shower to go to and while she got a lot of cooking/ kitchen stuff- I was the one to get her the 'funny gift.' Yep- I got her some underwear. Just a cute pair of panties that had a bride saying on them and then a more practical gift- a laundry hamper as well. But it had a theme to it- so I thought it worked out alright :). Also got to design a bridal gown out of toilet paper for my 6'5" paster. We went with a mermaid style, very modern, to show off his physique. Accessories included a 'butt-bow' and detailing around the bodice and the entire ensemble also was comprised of a veil and a bouquet. I was the 'presenter' and had a great closing line after Glen (my pastor) made the comment that he really did feel beautiful in the gown- "It's amazing what the perfect dress can do!" My friends just stopped and said no wonder I was in marketing and informed me that David's Bridal could probably use a new bridal consultant!
It is just amazing to see how everyone just gels back together even after being away for a summer. My old room mate/ sister Lindsey and I were already starting to finish each other's sentences within an hour after seeing each other for the first time in about 5 months. You just get those special people in your life and it's amazing how the chemistry just works itself out. Now that's some good stoichiometry right there!
Well, I need to be working on a devotion for Tuesday night's communion service. I have some broad ideas but I want to combine my past two big adventures and some underlining themes from "The Shack" about God's love. So yes, very broad, now just have to narrow it down.
Wish me luck and Boiler Up!!!!!!!!

Sweet Home Indiana

2009-08-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

I still can't quite wrap my head around that I'm actually home and done with John Deere for another summer! I mean, this summer has been nothing short of incredible and exhausting at the same time. But, I made it! I just had a good attitude going through it I suppose, stayed positive.

My last few nights in Reno where spent at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. I did drop some money in the slots- ended up losing $20, but oh well, can't win if you don't play! I really didn't do any big celebration on my own, but my office threw a going away lunch for me, which was fun! There weren't many people left in the office as most of them have taken new jobs in the company restructuring, but those that were there made for great conversation- picking on my cube buddy Chad for wolfing down his pizza and cake, a purse one guy was having made for his daughter out of a certain body part of his water buffalo he killed in Africa (and not telling her of course) and then it was speech time for me. I thanked everyone once again for their help, support and encouragement throughout my summer and wished them all the best for wherever this restructuring is taking them.

The flight home. I was at the airport early- I was pretty excited to get home! I used the sky-cap service and I think I slipped by the overage charge on my bag, as they didn't have a scale out there and my big suitcase came through just fine! Both my flights were completely full, the one to Vegas was even in an over-sale situation. I at least inquired about other possible routes to Indianapolis, but she said she didn't have anything for the rest of that day. I definitely wasn't waiting until Sunday to come home! The flight attendant to Vegas tried to be funny. I'll give her props for her peppyness, but that's it. After having a hilarious flight attendant to Vegas from Kansas City about two weeks ago, this poor gal just didn't measure up. I sat next to a camera guy for a new NBC show coming out this winter, which I think he was sworn to secrecy about, because he kept avoiding my questions about it. He was heading to LA, surprise! Real nice guy- probably one of my best flying companions all summer! Then the flight from Vegas to Indy, I recognized a gal from my Reno flight and she recognized me too. She was a 14 year old that moved to Indiana from California about 6 years ago and was coming back after spending a month and half with her grandparents in California. She goes to a rival conference school of Pendleton's, so she thought that made us friends or something. At first I was like, "Cool, what a small world?" But then she kept on talking and talking and talking! She asked me to save her a seat, and out of the kindness of my heart I did. She seemed to strike up a conversation with this old guy sitting next to her- talking about her issues at home. Kind of weird I thought, but I had my ipod going and slept most the way home. You could tell that she wasn't excited to see her dad, he was waiting in the terminal and I don't think she even acknowledged his presence. Me on the other hand, as soon as I got to my parents in the atrium of the airport- dropped my stuff- and was immediately in a group hug that lasted a good 30 seconds or so.

Since I've been home- sleeping in my own bed with my dogs has probably been one of the biggest highlights. It was great going to the park service yesterday morning, because I didn't have to dress up, which meant I could sleep in in the morning! Well, sorta, the dogs don't understand the whole snooze concept when my alarm goes off. And unfortunately, I think they both fall under the 'old dog' category when it comes to teaching them new tricks. The horses seemed excited to see me. Chip is becoming an old grump since he hasn't been worked in forever, so he was just excited about the food I think. Dej has always been more of a 'people horse' and likes to check out what is going on- so it was good to see him too. Looking forward to getting at least some saddle time in while I'm home.

My 'to-do' list is getting longer and longer while I'm home though. Three doctor appointments, well one is a vet appointment I just made for the dogs this morning, ordering my bridesmaid dress for my bro's wedding in December and figuring out all the last details when it comes to Ireland. Health Insurance, tuition (which I just paid last night- there went a good chunk of John Deere's money), housing fees, bank account, phone, luggage restrictions and what to pack. Not to mention maybe wanting to spend some time with some friends? Then when I go to Purdue this coming weekend- I have a bridal shower, first worship at Wesley, visiting Camp Tecumseh, meetings with my academic and study abroad advisers and devotions Tuesday night at Wesley! Ha, it was funny on my flight to Vegas on my way home. I was talking with Rob (the camera guy) about what I do at school and stuff and he was like, "Wow! You're making me feel guilty about not doing anything in college!" The stuff I get myself into, but you know, I would probably be bored or disappointed in myself if I didn't keep myself this busy. I enjoy what I do and I suppose I'm a success junky? Or is that a stress junky?

Another thing still going on is my pursuit of some possible internships for next summer already. I'm looking into the World Equestrian Games, as they offer Public Relations, Community Relations, Marketing and Journalism internships. I don't know all the specifics and I'm waiting to gather all my recommendations and what not, before going any further. Also, Certified Horsemanship Association has an editorial internship that can be based out of a home office that I'm looking into as well. So many possibilities and who knows what Deere might throw at me next summer?

Well, I suppose I should start working on that 'to-do list.' I slept in longer than what I had intended and probably should stretch the legs and run before the humidity gets too unbearable. Oh, yes, got to love the Indiana humidity!

The Buick - Highly Successful - The Shack

2009-08-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

So, it turned out to be a great day even after experiencing an annoying, careless automobile incident that would normally tick most people off and would be cause for a horrible day. Ok, all that verboseness means simply put ... I ran out of gas this evening coming home from work. So that's when my manager, or as I like to call him sometimes, "Father Brad" came to my rescue. He arrived with some gas and then informed me that I was going out to dinner with him and his wife! So even though my errands have been put off to tomorrow night, dinner was great and the company was even better!

So why did my lack of gas not dampen my day? Well a few reasons ... 1- Less than 72 hours from now, I will "Back home again, in Indiana." 2- I had my final performance management meeting with my manager today and got a really good rating for my project this summer. This was such a great feeling as my summer project has been kind of a struggle making black and white out of gray. And I found out that there has been some great feedback from the TM's that I traveled and met with this summer! YAHOO!

And to top off a great day, I was flipping through the pages of my current book, "The Shack" for a quote that makes me realize how much God really loves us. It helps put some clarity to the whole predestination/ free-will discussion. It is when Mack, the main character, is in discussion with God in the trinity form, and asks why God didn't stop the violent kidnapping and murder of his youngest daughter.

Here's the passage:
"Mack," said Papa with an intensity that caused him to listen very carefully, "we want to share with you the love and joy and freedom and light that we already know within ourselves. We created you, the human, to be in face-to-face relationship with us, to join our circle of love. As difficult as it iwll be for you to understand, everything that has taken place is occurring to this purpose, without violating choice or will."
"How can you say that with all the pain in this world, all the wars and disasters that destroy thousands?" Mack's voice quieted to a whisper. "And what is the value in a little girl being murdered by some twisted deviant?" There it was again, the question that lay burning a hole in his soul. "You may not cause those things, but you certainly don't stop them."
"Mackenzie," Papa answered tenderly, seemingly not offended in the least by his accusation, "there are millions of reasons to allow pain and hurt and suffering rather than to eradicate them, but most of those reasons can be understood only within each person's story. I am not evil. You are the ones who embrace fear and pain and power and rights so readily in your relationships. But your choices are also not stronger than my purposes, and I will use every choice you make for the ultimate good and the most loving outcome."

2009-08-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Little different post this time- I'm pretty pooped from a long day so I'm just going to hit the highlights of what I have been up to and the ramblings in my mind:

- Friday after work I finally found my long-lost running shoes and went for a run on the hills across the street from the condo. I found Bucky, the horse that my friend Ruth from the pool told me about. He came trotting over all excited and then proceeded to walk away when he realized I didn't have any food for him. Sarah's friend Kevin came to hang out for the weekend. We went to Bully's, a sports' bar, and watched some of the baseball games. Kevin called it when A-Rod got up to bat for the Yankees that he'd end the crazy long 15-inning game! And sure enough, A-Rod hit a homer with Jeter on base.
We then caught a late movie. Even the 'baby', as in me, was pretty pooped by the time it ended. We watched "Funny People". It was a good movie, just a little bit long for a comedy and seemed almost more like a drama actually at times.

- Saturday we headed back to our 'back-yard' which most would know as Lake Tahoe! We checked out some of the shops at South Tahoe and ate some good food. Then it was time to hit the trails! Kevin is a big hiker and we started up the Mt. Tallac trails. Sarah and I pooped out around Fallen Lake Leaf but Kevin was dead set on reaching that summit. Sarah and I went back into town and did a little more shopping, which we were apparently ratted out by Kevin to some other hikers about. We had ice-cream at Camp Richardson while waiting for Kevin to accomplish his goal. I had some issues eating my ice-cream, we'll just leave it at that.
We got the call from Kevin that he had made it safely up and back down the mountain, so we swung by to pick him up and hit up Emerald Bay one last time. As soon as we got back, we all passed out! I was in bed by 10:30!!!!! I'm not even in bed at that time during the work week!

- Sunday morning came around and feeling refreshed and rested, I headed off to South Reno United Methodist Church for my last time. Well, I can't say it's my last, but most likely. Of course, this is the Sunday that I get drilled with 20 questions from everyone. I even tried to sneak past the pastors- ya, that didn't work too well. The associate pastor tried to place me, and I apologized and admitted that I hadn't introduced myself, but had enjoyed my time here.
So, on my bucket list when I came out to Reno included a trail ride at Lake Tahoe. That has now been fulfilled! My bum is still complaining that it wasn't in it's usual saddle. It was a beautiful ride with great views of the lake. The only downside I would say would be that I was on a Paint named Rodney. Being an AQHA girl, this was a hard pill to swallow. But I suppose I can get over it because Rodney got me up and down the mountain safely.
I hung out after my ride with one of the old cowboys who was my guide. He was pretty excited that someone actually came to ride that knew something about a horse other than the fact that they had four feet and a tail. He was full of great stories of old days in rodeo, working cattle and being a pack guide. He has met some pretty famous people while guiding in the Tetons and couldn't tell me enough about his mare, Rose.
I packed like a mad-woman last night and this morning and now I am resting my head at a Hampton Inn in Tulare, California after a JDAim training session at a dealership.

Some other things I've been up to is continuing my summer reading program, which consists of whatever looks good at Barnes and Noble, meaning I don't get too far past the best-seller's list! I'm working on The Shack and would like to hear anyone's opinions on it if they have read it.
And then a random thought after an observation. My drive to work is actually a rather pleasant one, with small horse farms and winding my way along a hill that overlooks the city. There were two horses, a gray and a bay (just like mine back home) at the beginning of the summer. This past month there has just been the bay, but now there are sheep as well. The interesting thing is that there is one sheep that is always off with the horse and the rest of the sheep are off on top of the hill. I think it's rather sweet how two different creatures have made friends! Maybe people should practice that more often, making friends with those are different than us.

Such a Good Day!

2009-08-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Phew! Gave my final presentation to management at the John Deere Ag Marketing Center, made a great contact for a possible internship with the World Equestrian Games and got the green light for an offer with Deere again next summer as long as their new Global Operating Model (re-structuring) allows. Then topped it all off with while attending a great game of the all-American passtime- baseball!

I'll start with the presentation. After a great dinner with my cousin Monday night, I had a new sense of confidence. As I have written about before- I have some patience issues being content with where I'm at and leaving the 'unknowns' in my life up to God. Jonathan reminded that the only thing I can find true contentment is in Christ. He also was an outside source of confidence in that he was so supportive and in all that I have accomplished over the last year. So as I was saying my prayers last night I really took it all in and realized how much I have really been blessed with as far as personal gifts and talents and realized that that all came from God. So really, it wasn't me, it was the gifts given to me presenting today. So that finally allowed me to relax enough to fall asleep last night and then calmed any little butterflies that were trying to fly around in my stomach this morning which resulted in a relaxed, easy-going and effective presentation this morning. Even though certian lines I had played out in my head didn't come out just in right sequence that didn't really matter or phase me and I just kept going. I had three great questions, one that was two-fold from the former Reno Branch Manager and was able to answer them all intelligably. After the fact I got some great comments to from some upper management. Then the suit jacket came off and the shirt came un-tucked because I was done!!!!

The day continued to get better as the VP of Marketing and Sales of the Ag Region 4 (New Zealand, Austrailla and North America) took a special interest in my project at lunch when we introduced ourselves. So the day kept getting better. Next came my 'exit interview' with HR, basically to discuss my internship, my performance and the possible future opportunities within Deere for me. Again, more flying colors came in as far as my performance and discussed my key interests within the Equine Industry and possibly tailoring another project for me around that! SWEET!

Finally I had a few moments to steal away to go upstairs and visit a little bit with my old department. I love Ag National Sales and the people that work there. I met the soon to be new manager for the department with all the re-structuring going on and smoothly mentioned to one of my advisors from last summer that I'm pursuing an internship with the World Equestrian Games next summer. He has some connections with the people at WEG and was more than willing to drop a resume and a good note onto them for me!

Then to top the day off- I got to enjoy one of America's favorite passtimes- a baseball game on a beautiful evening in Kansas City and in a beautiful baseball park!

So again- exhale! Trust and keep stepping my way through all these great opportunities. How blessed am I? Seriously? Oh and more good news came as my soon to be sister-in-law landed a teaching job in a small private Christian pre-school/ kindergarten in Wilmore, KY as their newest kindergarten teacher! Another answer to prayers as it gets her into a classroom and an actual teaching position! Go EVA!!!!!!