Wake me up, when September ends (which would be tomorrow)

It's funny, the little things we take forgranted. What is very obviously a stump here was once the biggest tree in my yard at home, right in front of our house. I went home last weekend and its absence definitely wasn't something I overlooked, or even could overlook. It was a staple to our property, my yard looks funny without it. It was the tree I grew up with, the one my dad tied a tireswing to, which I'm not ashamed to admit having used within the last year :). I guess I'm going a little Fern Gully/Avatar here, but I miss that tree. The reason the county took it down was because there was a danger of it falling down and crushing our house, since the inside it becoming hollow. I guess that's a good excuse, but it's just unfortunate that such a pretty, old tree had to go. Ah well, things change.
Speaking of nature, it sounds like a natural disaster movie outside my window at my dorm. It has been a torrential downpour all day long, and now the winds are picking up badly too. And to think I had been waiting all week to go out tonight, ha ha. Nope, this girl is staying right in her dorm room and blogging, then watching Weeds :). Maybe I'll break out the hot cocoa finally. All of my first tests for my classes are out of the way. I think I failed my Nutrition one, atleast I feel like I did. Then Philosophy and Sociology were both good I think, I have those classes down pretty well. Journalism, I'm doing awful in journalism! This is the point where I have to pull myself together and get serious. I can't keep going to a journalism class without knowing what's going on in the world. Now I make sure to pick up a copy of both the New York Times and USA Today in the campus center every morning, and I make a habit to check the online news. Little by little I'm getting there. The more I do, the more interested I become in it all. I want to be one of those people who actually knows what is going on around them.

You know it has been a rough week when the lady making your parfait asks you what kind of granola you'd like and you reply "magic", when you meant to say maple.

Welcome to my life. :)

Currently reading and laughing with.
$4.99 at Borders, how can you go wrong? I have a friend who is attending the "Rally to Restore Sanity" at the end of October, I cannot wait to hear all about that :).

So I was in really high hopes last weekend to have a bunch of pictures from the annual Balloon Festival to share with you guys.. But the morning I forced myself to wake up and go, I got there too late with the traffic, and the balloons didn't actually take off anyways. Wind sucks.
Then that night I stayed out with friends way too late, so I didn't wake up in time to go the day the festival was actually good. I'm disappointed.
I'll get over it. In the future though, I'd really like to ride in a hot air balloon. I just think it has to be a totally weird feeling. It kind of scares me, but I think it would be awesome and undoubtedly worth it. I have to go home again this weekend. I really wish I had known that last weekend when I was making the decision of whether or not to go home, because if I had realized the next weekend would be my Grandpa's birthday, I would've waited, rather than making two trips like this. Coming home so often makes me feel like I look needy and homesick. I'm not.
I'm not really complaining though, I had a good time last weekend. Plus it's really awesome that Chris keeps driving down here for me, giving me rides. I'll remember all of his trips when I'm buying Christmas presents this year, haha :). I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday and this week is coming to an end. Goodbye September, you useless month. I'm ready for October and Halloween.
Anyone give their costume ideas any thought yet?? Right now I'm kind of down to Hermoine Granger, Olive Oyl, a scarecrow, or an old lady.

Greetings from College

It's a new chapter, the next phase in this crazy thing called life.

You will be surprised by how much change a person can filter if they only allow the winds of change to blow freely and stir everything up.

-Little something I came up with.

College.

Yes, I live up in that gigantic building haha, but only on the fourth floor. And that is basically what my side of the room looks like, except you can't see the closet/dresser area and we also have a common room and a bathroom, neither of which really were "photo worthy" in my opinion :P. Our common room is basically a narrow rectangle with six desks. I wish there was room for like a futon or something, but oh well. It's so strange how used to this all I am. Coming from the country, having my own room, no brothers or sisters. Now I'm in the middle of a city setting, sharing space with five other girls, one of them being my roommate. It's proving to be a good experience for me though, I love the independence. I love talking to new people and getting a feel for so many different ways people see the world.

Sometimes I think about how interesting it would be to just throw myself into new situations, just to see what it's like. Imagine going through prison for a week or so, I don't know, that example is a little extreme, but there are a lot of shoes out there and I think it's a good thing if we try on several pairs throughout our lifetime. If we continue to wear the same ones every day, they're bound to wear out fast. I guess all I'm trying to say is that I think it's a good idea to see as much as you can in this life, and from as many angles humanly possible.

As much as I love college it has its drawbacks-- my friends and family from home aren't here. I think we're all doing a pretty decent job of keeping the friendships alive though :). I've had quite a few visits since I've moved in down here and it really makes my day that my friends care enough to come see me, and even bring me back home in a couple of cases. I've got some great people in my corner :) ♥. Just this past weekend I had friends come down to see me.

It makes me really happy to see that this new situation and the distance doesn't make much difference. Sure I'm missing out on things back home, life goes on with or without me. But I am also making my own experiences and carving out a new part of my life down here at college. It's not that it's a whole new story down here, it's only a chapter, and the characters from before haven't vanished, the setting is the only thing that has changed, and of course the addition of new characters.

I also feel like I'm learning a lot, which is probably good since that is in fact what I'm paying to come here and do.. :P. Philosophy and Sociology are both really interesting to me, I actually like the content I'm learning.. Nutrition is okay, it's a little annoying with such a large class(500 students in a lecture hall..) Math is terrible, but I need to get it over and done with, it's the last math class I'll ever need ;). Journalism is a bitch, but it's something I want to master. I'm so bad at keeping up with current events, I've failed every quiz thus far. I hope I read this again some day and laugh at myself. I hope that someday I'm on top of my journalism game. But for now, I am pitiful and inexperienced. I have a lot of room for improvement. I love the class in general though, it's the most intriguing to me. I just need to work on my research habits.

I think I've mentioned this place before, but Bettie's Cakes--- absolutely amazing! There's a local cupcakery a ways from my house, but I actually found their double decker bus, their bakery on wheels, near my college!! It was amazing :). Shayla and I found it and got cotton candy cupcakes, delish.

When there is cupcakes, life is good. Hah, but really life has been good. It has been moving rather quickly though, I can't believe it's really been a month since I've blogged, AGAIN. It makes me want to kick myself in the teeth. I honestly have four drafts just chillen' in my posts.. four attempts at blogging, but I just didn't like them, or didn't finish them. Something lame or pathetic. But now I'm here again, trying this once more. Wish me luck.

I'll be attempting to catch up with everyone within the next couple of days, expect some comments from this stranger :). Miss you all, bunches.

♥ Olive