Phew, We Made It

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

I realize I haven't been stellar in the blogging area, but I am trying! Well, I finished my first college semester! Boy, am I glad it's over! Thankfully, I ended the year on a good note. (WELL, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. GRADE-WISE, I DID PRETTY WELL. HOWEVER, THE LAST THURSDAY NIGHT, I MADE A TOTAL IDIOT OUT OF MYSELF...OF COURSE.) So, wanna know my gades? Ok, I'll tell you. Here goes..:

NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY:            B-

PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY:              B

CHEMISTRY MATHEMATICS:            A-

INTRO TO GENERAL CHEMISTRY:    B

ENGLISH GRAM/COMP:                    B

MATH SKILLS FOR NURSES:              A+

Not amazing, but I'm satisfied! Of course, next semester, I will be getting all A's! But, anyways, it's good to be home! It's so weird..I feel almost as if I never left, but I know some things are different. It's nice though.

Of course, for the last few days, I have been stuck in my house! I have no where to go...not cool. But, today was kinda nice, because it was all dreary and rainy outside, so my sister and I rented a movie, and sat around doing nothing all day! lol And then, I got to cook, which I haven't done in FOREVER. And I didn't use a recipe..I feel like sometimes, the best things I make don't have recipes. It's like a feeling. Add a little bit here. Add a little bit there. You just go by instinct, I guess. Kinda like life. If you live your life just by what you're supposed to do, you don't experience anything. You just have bland, old, blah, and boring. No spice. No excitement. No color. Sometimes, it's good to think outside of the box! Experience. Live. Have fun.

Speaking of having fun, I better go turn of the stove before something catches fire!

Bring On the CHALLENGE

   Hey all you readers out there! (HOWEVER MANY THAT MAY BE) I apologize in advance, because this blog is most definitely going to be short, sweet, and simple. Because, you see, although it may be Friday, I still have homework to do, and somewhere to be at 6! So, here goes..
   Not sure how many of you are aware of this fact, but I STARTED COLLEGE MONDAY! Yep, kinda excited. And nervous! Because, let's face it..college in Florida? When the rest of my family is back in Virginia? Not exactly a cool thing. Because, well, you see..I love my family! TO DEATH. And, my sister and I? Yeah, we're pretty close. And, my brothers are too little to be left without their big sister! But, so far so good!
    Here's an update: at PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE for NURSING. Loving it so far. Roomed with my bestest friend, brace buddie, and retainer roomie, DEBBY! On the FIFTH floor of our dorm. Taking BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, BIO LAB, CHEM LAB, MATH FOR NURSES, CHEM MATH, ENGLISH 111, NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY, and I think that's pretty much it.. The food is pretty good.I love my schedule! If I have a morning class, it isn't until 9, which is nice. :)
   I guess college is kinda what I expected, but at the same time, it's not. Some parts are easier, some are harder. I don't know a single person in any of my classes, so that is definitely different. On the good side, my suite mate is a freshman nursing major too, and we have the same bio lab, so it's nice to see a semi-familiar face. lol
   Overall, I guess I'm embracing this phase of life. I still have alot to get used to, but in a few weeks, I'll be a pro at this!
   If you ever have free time, drop me an email! OR, send me a letter! I love mail. :D

nnewma5373@students.pcci.edu

It's Harder Than It Looks

     Saying "goodbye" is easy..unless you're the person who's leaving. It's easy to watch someone pick up their life and start it in a different area. It's easy to watch them get in the car and drive away. It's easy to wish them luck, give them a hug, and tell them you'll see them again in a few days, weeks, months, etc. But. when you're on the other end, when YOU'RE the one leaving..that is a whole different story. Trust me, I went through it..and still am, sorta.
     My first goodbye came on Wednesday night..it was pretty hard, and it kinda surprised me! I mean, for the past few weeks, I've been saying goodbye to friends who have been leaving, and that was fine. I didn't cry. I was still going home, to my house, with my family. But, when it came time for me to leave, I could feel the difference.
     It's not so much that I don't want to leave, and that I'm not excited. Seriously..I'm super excited! And, I look at this as my next adventure. :) BUT, it's hard to look at everyone (especially the monsters, and my brothers) and realize that life is going to go on for them..without me. But, maybe I should stop writing about it, or I might start crying again.

-.-

     So, I realize I wasn't the greatest at blogging over the summer. I know..I'm a failure. haha To bring you up to date, here's what happened: not much! I worked. I hung out with friends. I shopped (alittle too much) I went to church. See, nothing spectacular. Sad? Not really..it was a pretty good summer. A nice recovery after such a hectic school year!

     And, now that you guys are brought up to date on the past, let me fill you in on the future.

     For now, the plan is to head to Pensacola Christian College to study NURSING. In fact, we're in Pensacola, Florida as I type! I'm pretty excited..I've been looking forward to this for awhile. I've kinda known what I wanted to do, and decided in 11th grade where I wanted to go. See, I'm the kind of person that likes to have a plan..for everything. :)

I'm also a bit of an organizational freak. ;) But, don't hold that against me!

Anyways, I already have a "sort of" plan for how I would like the next few years to go: graduate, become an RN, get married in the fall (because, in my opinion, that would be the prettiest season!), wait at least 3 years, have kids, be a stay-at-home mom/part-time nurse until they are in school, then figure the rest out later. haha But that's just a rough plan. Trust me guys, I'm not a control freak..that's just what I think would be nice. :)

    
Anyways, I suppose I should get to bed. Tomorrow is pretty much a 'PLAY' day, which could or could not be super fun, depending on this stupid tropical storm. -.-

                 I REALLY WANTED TO GO TO THE BEACH, BUT THANK YOU WEATHER FOR MESSING THAT UP.

haha

Nighty-night guys!

The Beach Boys Can Fix Anything

Or so it seems..

Here I am, at the beach. (OUTER BANKS) First day: woke up at 7:00, because I couldn't sleep! Ate breakfast, went to the grocery store, made dessert for tonight (it had to refrigerate for awhile). After making dessert, my cousin, JOHN, and one of my bff's, BETHANY, went to the pool. :) After enjoying about two hours of the sun, it was time for lunch. Theeennn, off to the beach!!

It was so much better this year, since the jellies weren't going crazy! The waves were great, and the water was the perfect temperature!! And, I got a pretty good amount of sun to start my killer tan for the week. :)

After the beach, we made dinner..and ate it. Then, off to the beach AGAIN, to play around in the sand.

TO MAKE THE DAY EVEN BETTER, WE HAVE AN ATTRACTIVE NEIGHBOR :D 

 Pretty good day, huh?

Yeah, it was..most of it.

For some reason, I kept getting this feeling of being left out..or third-wheelish..I dunno. I almost hate myself for feeling that way. Especially since, HELLOOOO, we're at the beach!! And, I absolutely love the beach :) I would live here, if I could. AND, I'm going to college RIGHT BY Pensacola Beach, in Florida. So, if I love it so much, why am I feeling so icky? Who knows..it's super frustrating.

I guess because, although this year is way better than last year in many ways, it's also not better. You see, I'm the kinda person that doesn't like to much change, unless it's my decision. Which is super selfish, I know. Kill me. I can't help it. Being the oldest, I very much like to be in charge. ;) So, the changes this year are just hard to adjust to.

Like, for instance, the fact that I'm sitting by myself out here on the deck, at 10:00 p.m. I was kinda bored, so I decided to pull out my laptop and blog..which I haven't done in a long time, and kinda miss. So, I checked to see what I had last written about, and heard the BEACH BOYS song that was on my playlist. And, almost immediately, I was in a better mood. Yeah, that's how much I love them. Not sure why. Maybe because they remind me of the SUMMER. Or the BEACH. Or happiness. Seriously, who can listen to the BEACH BOYS and be unhappy??

Well, you can pick your happy songs, and I'll pick mine! Sorry if you don't agree with me on this..but, for now, the BEACH BOYS are my cup of tea. :)

OR COFFEE WITH CARMEL MACCHIATTO CREAMER, WHICH IS WHAT I'M DRINKING NOW

FINALLY, PRESENTING..

Well, it's all done. Over. Finished. I am no longer a high school student.

*BIG CHEER*

It's been almost two weeks!! Wow, I can't believe it's over already, though. In some ways, I feel old enough to be done..I feel like I matured some, and like I can handle it. In others, I still don't feel prepared..I mean, HELLOOO, in about three months, I leave for Florida, and I am so NOT prepared for that! But, anyways..we can talk about that later. Right now, I have some news.

So, do you remember when I was working on my cross-stitch? Like, constantly. -.- All the time. Nonstop? Yeah well...I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!

Technically, I would have been finished the day after state, if I had won, and gone to Nationals. I only had about two hours of work left. BUT, I was so fed up with that stupid thing, I was ready to rip every stitch out, take scissors to it,BURN it..you name it, I definitely thought about destroying it with that method. Trust me. I mean, that thing gave me enough grief that I was definitely NOT ready to pick it back up again. But, I forced myself to do it. Because, sometimes you just have to force yourself to do things you don't wanna do..

Like, sit through government class, for instance. :) Thank goodness, I never have to do that again!! That was almost as much torture as finishing my cross-stitch. And, ok, most of you will not understand what I'm saying unless you go through what I went through..almost a year of work, staying up late, pulling all-nighters, and literally making myself sick, and all I had to show for it was 2nd place at State competition. The other punch in the stomach was that, I could have totally beaten the competition at Nationals. Goodness, my cross-stitch LAST YEAR would have beaten this year's National competition! But, whatever..God has a plan, right? :)

Anyways..the point is, IT'S DONE! Finally!! And, here is a picture of the finished product:

It's not the best picture, but I'll upload another one after I get it framed. And, yes, I will be displaying it SOMEWHERE in our house..just not sure where yet. Or, I might just BURN it, like I origionally planned. ;)

But, for now, I shall just go to sleep..

GOOD NIGHT WORLD. :)

We Still Have Some Time..

    Tonight was Parent-Senior Dinner. Basically, the parents said things (memories, words of encouragement, ect.) and the students said something, and gave the parents presents. For my parents, I made a video filled with pictures and small video clips. It was special for me and for them, since I do that kind of thing alot, and absolutely LOVE making videos! :) I'm putting it below, so all of you can watch it..it's not as good as I wanted it to be (I got kinda frustrated with the program..) but it'll do for now.
    It was a hard night though..I realized that everything is coming to a close. This whole week is working up to one big event: GRADUATION. Scary thought. I don't think I'm quite ready.
    Don't get me wrong. I'm totally ready to graduate!! I just don't think I'm ready to leave in the fall. Or be out on my own. Or never see some of these people. And, I'm also pretty bummed that I have to miss most of my sister's senior year. Kinda a big thing..bummer. -.-
   I guess there comes a time when you realize "Wow, it's all pretty much over." No more basketball games to cheer at. No more soccer games to play. No more band events..or winning at Nationals. No more youth group. Last math class ever..It just all kinda hits at once. And, wow, it's alot to take in. When you were in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, you could easily say "It's ok, next year will be different.." But, in 12th grade, you start to say that, and then realize, "No, I don't have next year.."
   As senior years go, I guess this one was pretty good. (I can't really compare it with others, since this was my only senior year of highschool!) Sure, some things could have been different. But, I think the CLASS OF 2011 did a pretty awesome job at being a good graduation class. We had a good run. We placed 1st in band at Nationals, and that was pretty big for me. We came together as a class..at least in most ways. I got an A in my pre-calc, and didn't have to take my final!! So, I guess we can say it was a good year. Of course it had its ups and downs. But, what doesn't have ups and downs?
   Plus, it's not over yet! We still have time to make some more memories!! Three days, actually..well, soon to be two, but who's counting??
   ANYWAYS...tomorrow is a pretty busy day. We have senior breakfast, cap & gown pictures, government final (not everyone has to take theirs, but I do), senior lunch, a few hours to do nothing, and graduation practice until 4:30! THEN, I have to work on my senior board, which I have not even STARTED, and head to church. Oh man, tomorrow is crazy. Maybe I should go to sleep. Yes, good idea. 'Night guys! :)

My gift to my parents. So they won't miss me so much once I leave.

Time Flies When You're Relaxing, Too

Spring Break.

Oh how I couldn't wait for this week to come! With ODACS Regionals, State, and AACS Nationals, I've been crazy busy. Sometimes so busy I can't even sleep! (Although that mostly happened when I was working on my cross-stitch..)

State was very disappointing, but let me tell you, winning at Nationals totally made up for it. That's right. We won.

Faith Baptist AA Band is number one in the nation!!

Yeah, I kinda like to brag about it..sorry. It's what I worked so hard for, and it means alot to me. Honestly, band is my life right now. (spoken like a true band nerd, right? lol) I don't know what I'm gonna do next year without band. To some, it's just a class. But to me, it's so much more. I can't even explain it!

Anyways, I much needed this break! I practically killed myself these past two months, being so crazy busy! I stayed up way too late, pushed myself to the point of getting sick..and, if we didn't have this break, I would probably be dead! Ok, not really, but I would definitely feel it!

I can't believe it's already Thursday though! On Monday I felt like it was almost over, but then I had to keep reminding myself that I still had a whole week! Tuesday was probably the best day, because I spent it with my sister, Heather, the little monsters, and the Hornbrooks..more about that later!!

Wednesday was a pretty blah day..and now that brings me to Thursday! Today is the day I start my first 'real' job. I know, you're probably thinking.."Wow, 18 years old, and this is her first job?? Pathetic.."

Well, sorry! I have put out so many job applications the past 2 summers, and this is the first time I've actually gotten a call back!

Anyways, I start training at Things Remembered today! I'm just alittle bit nervous..but, I know I'll do fine! Sadly, by the time I'm done training today, Thursday will be over..and Friday will be upon us. :(

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE SPRING BREAK! I totally needed it! But, it kinda put me in summer mode..and then I have to remind myself that summer isn't here yet! Bummer -.-

Yesterday, I was in Target, and I heard this mom telling her daughter that she wasn't going to buy the shoes she wanted because her daughter couldn't wear them to school..and I'm thinking "It's summer..you don't need school shoes!" And then I remembered..wait a second, it actually isn't summer. Only spring break. Darn. There goes my enthusiasm. On the super bright side, only 36 days until graduation! That includes weekends, breaks, Senior trip, finals.. So, I guess, if you break it down, we really don't have long!

Speaking of not having a long time..I gotta go to work!! Have a great spring break!! :D