And.... exhale...

Wow. Finals week is done. I did not think I would make it through. Travis helped me not stress too much but its been rough. Test after test after presentation after paper after grade..... it's never ending. It is enough to drive a person insane- case in point -> me. This school gives you a great education. You are not just a number, your knowledge is not reduced to merely the bubbles you scribble in on a scantron- the teachers truly care. They expect you to come out of their class fully versed in whatever subject it may have been they were teaching. Wonderful, great in the long run, overwhelming for testing purposes. Each professor expects multiple essays for their final. Needless to say, after this last exam this morning my hand could fall off. Through all of this I still have had to go to work, which I do enjoy but is a daily toll on my nerves. I love kids but sometimes- well lets just say I'm going to discipline the heck out of my own kids. No need for parenting class I already know what NOT to do. A couple of these kids could use a good swift kick in the behind- butI will not be the one to issue it to them for obvious reasons. Too, on top of everything are my duties as an RA. Everyone seems to think that it is my personality to be nitpicky- which it might be and very well could be a reason why I got the job- but alas, it is my responsiblilty to maintain the safety and clenliness of this house and ensure all rules are followed. Lets just say, I love my housemates (my friends), but they do not seem to take me seriously. I'll crack down next semester- I have no choice. Nyman beware. Christmas shopping has been going pretty well. Of course there is still more I need to buy and am constantly thinking of people to give gifts to. Usually I'm pretty cheap but this year I've gotten into the spirit of giving. I have a trickle of an income so I think its ok. Devestating news- Travis does not think he will be coming back to SVU in the Spring- actually its pretty much for sure. This place is not the same with out him. He is my very best friend- has been for a long time. We have made SVU our home. It is our little fun place and we have grown to love it. It won't mean anywhere close to as much if he isn't here. Therefore, I am dreading coming back in January- even considering running away to Aruba to avoid the deadness of this place without my best friend. Dad already paid tuition so we'll see how that goes. It looks like there is supposed to be a snowstorm tonight through tomorrow evening. Oh and when do I plan on leaving?- Tomorrow afternoon. This should be fun.

Early Christmas

Last night was the annual Buena Vista Christmas parade. There were lots of floats in it and tons of people from the town lined the streets to watch and cheer. It's not something that you'd see every day in Fairfax, thats for sure. I was in the parade with the YMCA float. The kids had a great time shouting "Merry Christmas" and waving from the float they were seated on. I handed out candy-canes to kids who were watching. I was pretty much famous :) SInce our float was near the front we got to get off and watch the rest of the parade. Churches, businesses, antique cars, organizations, and mostly fire and rescue squads from all over sent their vehicles. It really was lots of fun. I got made fun of by my co-workers because I was standing there watching intensly. Tomorrow we have another one- in Lexington. That one should be just as fun, if not more. In the morning I will be volunteering at a Christmas Party by Project Horizon for children. Santa will be there and we'll paint faces, decorate cookies, things like that. I guess thats it, Chiristmas season is offically here! PS- Totally got a 21 out of 20 on my oral Spanish presentation today. I'm pretty darn proud of myself next time. PSS- Sorry no pictures, still no camera. PSSS- THERE IS A MOUSE IN OUR HOUSE!! I saw it in the kitchen a few nights ago. Alyssa spotted in in my room last night and later heard it scratching inside the walls. We have mouse killer set out but it has obviously not been successful. Possible story on this to follow. Have a good one.

Weekend!

So last night our excitement consisted of going to Wal-Mart, a charity concert put on by SVU's acapella group- The Fading Point, and watching Hunch Back of Notre Dame. I fell asleep about 10 minutes into it. Fading Point is so good- seriously. Their main beat boxer guy won 1st at some compitition they went to and the whole group got 6th. I think they are amazing- Javi would be awesome with them. If you have a facebook you can check them out at their page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/thefadingpoint?ref=ts they only have one or two videos up but they're great. Tonight we're going to Roanoke to see New Moon. We're excited. Most importantly: Thanksgiving is just around the corner. SO EXCITED!! Totally woke up this morning thinking I was in my room at home and could walk downstairs to pancakes and the puppies, a brisk day- windows and doors of the house open, and the parents working in the yard- raking leaves. Oh memories. Lastly, next Saturday just might be the biggest football game in my fan-dom. Lake Braddock vs. Woodson for the regional title and extreme bragging rights in the Brionez vs. Mueller war. Its gonna be huge. Anyone who is anyone better be there!

Yes, Yes, Yes, I'm still alive

So- as you can see I got glasses. Let me back up. I am a member of the Buena Vista chapter of the Lion's Club. It is a global medical and humanitarian service organization. I joined to partially pad my resume honestly, partially because by friend Abby convinced me, and mostly because I wanted the experience. This weekend the group (there were just under 20 of us) traveled in 2 vans to Tennessee. If you think BV is bad this place is a huge culture shock. Doctors including dentists, optomotrists and general health care people came from all over the country from places like Ohio and New York. Lots of dental students too came to offer their help. I worked with one named Jeremy. (no mom I didn't get his number). I spent hours pretending I know what dentistry is all about and being totally clueless- especially concerning the different tools. I saw some pretty nasty mouths. Honestly I wanted to brush my teeth for like 6 hours after seeing these peoples' decayed, disgusting mouths. Saturday I worked in the optical area. I fitted people with sunglasses and even got my own eyes checked. I have 2 stigmatisims and apparently am more blind than I thought so I got a free pair of glasses for myself. I got to pick them out and everything. I like them- I look smart :) Oh ya- and I am totally going to be a nurse now!

Halloween- legit costumes!!

Halloween this year was ridiculous!! We had the greatest time dressing up- that was the best part of the night. After the football game (final score SVU 40 - Radford 20) we hopped into the car and went to Goodwill. Shhh... I'm not a huge fan of admitting that. Anyway it was fun trying on crazy things and deciding what we would be for the dance. Here's the lowdown on what we went as : Me and Travis ---> Rihanna and Chris Brown post- fight. If you're not up on that whole teen pop drama you better get in it. Alyssa ---> Facebook (very original!!) Becky---> a crack whore ('m sure her mother is proud) Brandon and Kenson ---> Drug dealers (mostly Becky's...) Colby---> a rooter Abby ---> Mormon mom (yep, old lady shoes, pregnant belly and all) Jeremy ---> Obama Becky got a sample of some really dark foundation in the mail which is what I used to try to make my face look Rihanna color. Not so successful but you get the gist. Travis and I decked ourselves out in lip-stick made "scratches" and I had a massive black eye. Yep, I had to dye my hair black and tease it insane to get it like that. It too a half an hour of painful combing and 3 shampooings to get it back to normal. I was so proud of Travis for playing along. Too bad the music at the dance was lame. Solution- we headed over to Lee Highs's (a random truck stop down the road) for a little midnight snack. It was one of the most fun Halloweens I've had!

Halloween with the kids

Uh yeah..... so if you follow my life at all you know I work for the YMCA at an elementary school in Lexington. We had a Halloween party for the kids on Friday and they were all coming dressed up- so I did too. Abby lent me the pants, mathathon shirt, and glasses that she had bought for geek party she went to. Getting ready was a lot of fun and I felt completely ridiculous but it was worth it. I could hardly see with those huge glasses on and the kids couldn't tell what I was. They thought I was a teacher or something. Geez- so much for that. I got a kick out of myself and so did my housemates. I had to make a treat to bring to our party. Remind me never to spend 15 bucks on fixings for those worms in dirt treats- you know, chocolate pudding, crushed oreos, and a gummy worm in a cup- that the little kids won't even eat all of. I prepared amounts large enough for people my size. Whoops- I guess I'm not used to making food for K-4th graders. So much went in the trash I wanted to cry. Its ok, lesson learned. This outfit was totally crazy. I went to pick up Abby from the soccer game and got some pretty questioning looks as I galavanted towered her. I miss Halloween!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY SOPHIE!!!

Thats right. Little Soph-a-dillie turned one on October 18th. We had her party at my family's house the day before- half way between her dad's parents and her own family's house. Our fam is a fam of intense amounts of food and as always this party had food. We had a good time together and Soph did great. She got lots of gifts, and had her own cake, just like her big brother Josh. Sophie was really sweet and even put up with wearing her Korean outfit (I'm not even gonna try and spell honbak in case im embarass myself) and playing the game where she chooses from among a bunch of items in front of her. In whatever order she picked them it meant she would have those qualities or talents- like she picked a spatula meaning she will be a good cook.

Soph LOVES watermelon. It is her favorite food apparently.

Haha she looks a little skeptical.

The girl sure likes to eat.

Before

After

She was whooped by the end of the party.

The Mountains and The Ocean

My parents and Javi came down on my Dad's birthday on the 4th. He got slightly shafted since everything closes in BV and Lexington on Sundays. There wasn't much going on in the towns-- at all. I took the fam up to see the view from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Dad enjoyed it- Javi and I did not take too much interest in driving up and down curvy roads but it was for Dad. After going into Lexington, walking up and down endless blocks of closed shops we went back to Macadoos- right where we had first parked the car. There wasn't much action that day but it was nice to spend time with the family. My parents own some property in Marina Del Ray, California. Over my Fall break I flew out to meet up with my dad to help fix up the place a bit. He left early Friday morning. I had classes, drove home from school, and then my mom took me to the airport. It was my first time flying alone so my mom and siblings were kinda freaking out for me. Honestly it was not a big deal at all. Note to self- do not pack two bags full of books, shoes, and other heavy things and not expect to be a sore, sweaty, mess when you get to the airplane. Ya- I decided not to check a bag. It complicates things and frankly I did not want to pay the stupid $20 fee for it so I crammed everything into my backpack (every book I own) and a duffel. It was nice to be able to spend time with my dad but he did put me to work too. I sanded the whole garage door and window sill and painted both as well as painted the gate to the fence. This may not seem like a lot but believe me, it is. As I was sanding the garage door the neighbor freaked out and made my dad go buy me a mask- thats right I preformed my duties looking like Darth Vader. We had a good bit of Chipotle and other Mexican food from like- Tito's tacos and stuff. I got to go to J. Paul Getty's house and museum. There was a whole bunch of old art work and statues. My dad had gone there when he was a kid so it was neat for him. It was a beautiful place. I also got to see UCLA- I used to want to go there so bad. It was like my dream school. The campus is HUGE and really nice. My dad also took me into Beverly Hills and Hollywood where I felt like a darn fool walking around in my every-day clothes. My dad took a bunch of extra time getting me close enough to the HOLLYWOOD sign to get a picture before we went to his Uncle's house. We hung out with my dad's aunt and cousin before heading home. Saturday, after doing some work and hanging out with more family, we went to the Santa Monica Peir and walked around the streets. The musicians were my favorite part. There was a violinist named Josh V... something and he was seriously awesome. Least favorite part- all the homeless people. It made me slightly uneasy but it was good I had my dad there. I am glad my dad had me go along. It was a short trip but it was cool to see the house, my family, and some sights. THANKS DAD!!

Holy Cow I'm Slacking!!

Wow wow wow!! I did not realize how much time had passed since I updated this darn thing. So much has been going on. I will try and give a synopsis of my life the past month: I got a job working for the YMCA as an after-school counselor. I end up working just about 15 hours a week but with the driving and the hard work it seems like more. I really enjoy it and for the most part the kids are pretty good... some days :P I have one day left in my training for Project Horizon. It is a domestic abuse shelter down here by school that requires a 32 hour training course to become a volunteer. I have been learning a lot of saddening things and after tomorrow I will be qualified to answer the 24 hour abuse hotline-- well how prepared can you honestly get to do that? It will be a good experience for me and to volunteer for a place like that is great. I can't stop the horrific things that happen in the world but by doing this I hope to alleviate some of the pain for the innocent survivors. Since the last post I have been home twice. Abby came with me the first weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday. The entire family came over on Saturday, dad and I had picked out a lot, and I mean A LOT of food to have, and we had a good time. There were even enough left-overs to bring back to school and feed me for a week!! Sunday we went into DC and saw some sights before we headed back to SVU. The next weekend was Josh's 3rd birthday. Lindsay was brave enough to invite 12 of Josh's friends to a party at McDonald's. He was a really sweet boy that day and seemed to have a great time. Afterword we had a family party back at the Spivey's. Josh got so many presents that he was gifted out! We had a really good time there and again there was great food. That weekend I got my flu shot and also had to get TB tested for work. It was really inconvient to do and I had Javi came along. I told him it was in case my arm hurt so bad afterword that I needed him to drive home-- it was really just because I was tired of bring alone. I had just spent 3 hours in a car driving to No Va alone!! A long time ago- well, a couple weeks ago- my family came down for the day and to watch a football game and visit. It was so much fun!!- We went to a nearby petting zoo that was totally legit! We rode an elephant, pet llamas, fed giraffes and so much more. It was probably one of the greatest experiencesof my life. Javi was so freaked but me and mom really had a good time. We swung into this thing called Foam Henge afterwork. It is a foam replica of Stone Henge- no joke. Some guy sure had a lot of time on his hands. Since the last post I have had 4 exams- Abnormal Psycholocy (didn't do too hot on that one- shhh don't tell my mom), Early Childhood Education, Spanish, America and the Enlightenent (Of which I got 95, 91, and 99%!!), and Family Process (Which I have not gotten back yet). My friend Cari tore her ACL, meniscus and a couple other things in her knee playing volleyball. She decided not to stay to finish out the semester since it was just a wek or two in and went home so her family could be there for her after surgery. We miss her but before she left we had a really fun night. We went out for ice cream and ended up at a concert on campus- we even got a picture with the band!! They were surprisingly good- the name is Shapiro... and some random girl jumped in our picture. ug. I had a surprise party at my house for my friend Kylie. Ya- I planned it in 1 day!!- talk about stressful. I'd say about 25 people or so hid and jumped out at her. It was very sneaky how we did it. The people who got her over to my house were so worried since she decided to shower about 20 minutes before she was supposed to arrive. I baked all day- honestly for hours- and cleaned too. It was so much fun. We cranked the music and mostly enjoyed hanging out. Today I got a package from my dad :) I know... I know... it's sad- he didn't send cupcakes. It was cookies. Also, my mom's co-worker Laura sent me a completely surprising box of bubble gum and a card. It was really nice and totally unexpected of her. (HEY LAURA!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!) I went to a "date auction" and purpously didn't bring any money. Guys had been nominated and were auctioned off starting at 10 bucks to girls who they would take on a school provided date. Some girls paid up to 70 bucks on these guys. I say if you have to pay for them- pffft not worth it. ... I also got a hair cut recently and the girl thinned out about a third of my hair. NO JOKE! It is much better. I was skeptical at the beginning but whew- it feels so light now. As you can see I am staying very busy- and you don't even know the half of it. I have RA responsibilities, to work out, to eat, to do homework- which is neverending, sleep, shower..... things that take up every moment of every day. Above are a few from the of copious amount of pictures I have taken this past month. See if you can figure out what activity each are from. Thanks for hanging in there and reading all about my life <3