I'm Back

All good things must come to an end... I regret to inform you that I am now back in Kansas. I left 78 degree weather in College Station, TX to come "enjoy" falling on the ice in Kansas! Yes, I know, it's wonderful. (I hope you can read my sarcasm).

Anyway, I had a great time on my conference trip! I learned a lot about leadership, relationships, myself and how to work with others. The food was great, I made a lot of networking connections, and I met a lot of amazing people. Besides the sessions we had to attend, there were also fun activities. There was a casino night, a comedian, a step show, and a party. I think the highlight of my trip was meeting Omar Tyree. He is a really good speaker and I learned a lot about the publication business. Oh, and there was also a career fair which was really helpful.

I love these conferences because I always meet people that I keep in touch with. The food was really good and everyone was really friendly and helpful. I wish I wasn't graduating so I could attend the conference again next year, but maybe I can in grad school. I will upload a few pictures from the conference.

First Week

The first week of the new semester is over, for me at least. I like my classes but I can tell they are going to require a lot of time. My portfolio class will probably be my favorite; only because I'm excited that I will be compiling my greatest "works" for my potential employers to see. In my Advanced Reporting class, we have to write a HUGE profile over someone who is dying. This will be my hardest project because I'm sure it will be very emotional. I like the professor, though, and he said he will try to make this as easy as possible. He said the reason he gives us this assignment is so we will know how to handle this type of situation when we are reporting after graduation, which makes a lot of sense and I'm glad I'm tackling this barrier now. It seems like it'll be an interesting class, well, all of them should be interesting.

I have one class tomorrow but as I mentioned before, I'm leaving for Texas! I'm really excited. I've never been to College Station and Texas has to be my favorite state so just the idea of going makes me smile. I'm going to buy snacks for the trip later this evening so I'll be ready to head out in the morning! I'm going to take a lot of pictures so I'll be sure to post them.

Today Marks History.

Today marks two important events in my life. First, Barack Obama is now the 44th president of the United States! This is a really important part of history and I am pleased to say that the first time I voted, I voted for the one chosen to become president. I put my faith in him that he will carry out his plans as promised throughout his election to make this country move forward. I watched some of the inauguration as President Obama was sworn into presidency and I think I smiled the entire time!

The second thing is that today will be my last "first day of class" as an undergraduate student! My first class is at 12:30 and I am ready for this semester. Also, I went to get fingerprinted today for substitute teaching. It's not the most exciting thing in the world and it was almost embarrassing walking into the jail. I didn't want anyone to think I was a criminal and I'm glad it's over.

I will let you know how my first day goes!

Random Stuff

Last night, I went to the movies with one of my friends to see "Gran Torino". This is a Clint Eastwood movie. I've never been a huge fan of Eastwood but I must say, this movie was very good! I would recommend it to anyone.

The puppies my dog had are doing fine. They're attempting to walk and it's funny to watch. One of them, named Miley, will try to stand up then falls and rolls over. It's really cute. The other one, named Simone, has her balance but won't walk. That's also really funny. They're eyes are open and they're attempting to bark, amongst all of their late-night whining (ha).

My internship at the magazine is going well. I really enjoy it. I'm looking forward to my trip next week, I just hope that the weather is nice there, instead of snowy like it is here. I don't like driving when the weather's bad.

School starts in 5 days. This semester, I have decided not to purchase any books until I go to the classes. This way, I can see if I will actually need the books on the list. It will save time and money. I'm not sure why, but I have a really good feeling about this semester.

Everything in Kansas is Flat!

Do you remember the saying "Not Everything's Flat in Kansas"? Well I'm here to tell you, it is! The ground is flat and my tire is flat! Yes, that's right, my tire! With all the other bad luck I've been having so far this year (I received my second speeding ticket the other day), I now have a flat tire. It's getting fixed but it's frustrating. I know this year will get better though, it's just starting off rough.

On the brighter side, I start my final semester of college next Tuesday! I'm so excited to be done but nervous about what I'm doing when I graduate. Also, next Thursday I'm leaving for a conference in College Station, Texas! I'm really excited about that!! It'll be a new environment and give me a lot of opportunities to network and socialize with fellow college students. The should be really fun!

Healthy=Hassle

In light of the new year, and new resolutions, I have decided, like every year, to eat better. At one point, I was honestly convinced I was addicted to Burger King's whoppers. It seemed that I couldn't drive by a BK without stopping, even if I wasn't hungry. I would always come up with an excuse saying things such as, "Well, the more I eat, the higher my metabolism will be" or "The commercials say it's flamed broiled so it's probably healthier for me". All I got from doing this was several pounds of weight gain! Now, I am proud to say that it has almost been two months since I've even been to Burger King! And I stopped cold turkey (ha)! I haven't even had a cheeseburger since Nov. 17, and yes, I'm keeping track!

I've tried to eat healthier this past week but I'm not sure if I'm using the right combination of healthy food. For instance, I've been making a sandwich for lunch and eating yogurt for breakfast but by the time I get to work, I've already eaten half of my sandwich. So for lunch, I eat the other half of my sandwich and get a smoothie from Smoothie King (which is amazing, FYI). For dinner, I've had chicken stir fry, a salad, or Sloppy Joe's. Yeah, I know they aren't healthy but I love them! Hopefully by March I can break all of my bad eating habits and see some results in my energy levels. I'll keep you posted.

Almost Over

Although I started back working today, after a two-week break, I still have a couple of weeks before I head back to class. This will be an exciting semester for me. It's my last semester of college and I have THREE internships and 13 credit hours! It will be busy but I'm excited. I will also be going to two or three conferences this semester. My first one will be toward the end of the first week of school, from Jan. 22-25 in College Station, TX. I'm really excited because Texas is one of my favorite states! The other one that I am going to is in Lawrence at KU at the end of February. I also have a change to go to Atlanta at the beginning of February for a conference! That would be really exciting but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make that one due to airfare.

Besides the internship that I have had since July, I also have one at the Wichita Magazine and KPTS-8. I start at the magazine today so I'm not sure what my duties will be. For channel 8, I'm doing marketing research for them. It's very interesting the things you can find over the internet.

Oh, and my break has been going well. My dog had puppies on Christmas night. They are so cute! I will post pictures as soon as I locate my USB camera cord.