Life Happens!

As I am sitting here trying to catch up on my blog, I am also making a mental list of everything that I need to do before May!!

First of all, I have three weeks left of school! That's all! I am almost done with my first semester of Grad school! Yay for me! However, with that being said, it's cruch time at school! I have huge projects and finals in all of my classes, and I am trying not to freak out! I am keeping from being overwhelmed by taking one task at a time! Once school is done for the semester, I have a week or two break, and then I start summer school. Summer school will not be so bad, as it will be just one class that is offered for only six weeks. So I will be done with that June 20th, which is exciting!

I also need to start packing everything up, because Josh and I are moving into a different unit on May 2nd! I am extremely excited, because we are upgrading. We currently live in a one bedroom apartment for $435 a month plus electric. We are moving into a three bedroom in a 4-plex for $675 and all utilities are paid for. We wanted to get something larger, and something more private away from the whole apartment, loud, party scene. We have kids every night running up and down the hallway shaking our whole apartment. We have people outside until the wee hours of the morning with their music blaring in their cars. We live on the first floor by the main entrance, and right by where everyone smokes. If our windows are open, the smoke blows right in, and it's annoying! We just wanted to get out of there! So we gave our 30 day notice, but we have to pay for all of May because we gave it after the first of the month! But the good thing is that we have more time to clean the apartment to a T, which means trying to recover as much of the security deposit as possible. Moving can be so overwhelming and exciting at the same time!

Plus I have to go home the next two weekends-this weekend is Joey's baseball tourney that we always make it back for and then next weekend is a wedding we have to go to! Add all of this on top of trying to make it to the gym and plan out meals to maintain my healthy lifestyle...there's not enough time in a day!!

I just took pictures of my office since I decorated it! I will be posting those sometime...we will see what time allows for!!

When do we really grow up?

So lately I have been resenting the college atmosphere. Okay, I love the grad school atmosphere, but something about the younger students bugs me! Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to get on my high horse and say I'm better now that I graduated, but at what point do we focus on the reason we are in school?

Case and point:
I am terribly sick of using the computer lab in the evening when the athletic-type (wouldn't be surprised if they were the athletes of this campus...that's a whole new story) guys are in there together. When I go to the computer lab, I go because I have homework assignments on programs only the school has. I am there to work, and work hard so I can get out of there as soon as possible. Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way. I know this because, silly me, I chose a computer a few spots away from these rowdy guys. While trying desperately to concentrate on the task at hand, I was distracted by these guys who were on facebook looking at pictures of "hot chicks" and rating how hot they were...oh and if they could "score" with them. Oh it gets worse...after about a half hour of that, one of the guys got on the phone to someone else asking about the homework assignment that was due. He was getting all huffy and puffy over the phone, because, apparently, the caller on the other end was not going to give them the completed assignment as agreed upon. When off the phone, we went on and on to his buddies about what a liar the caller was, and he should've never bought him the shot the night before. Apparently the shot at the bar was the payment for this particular homework assignment. Why put such a large investment into something, like school, to cheat your way through it? This type of scenario has happened the last two weeks in our computer lab, with two different sets of guys.

Case and point number 2:
Why do the girls here feel the need to "doll" themselves up?? I guess I have felt pressure from the type of girls who go to school here since I started my freshman year. I know that this materialistic type of girl is everywhere right now, heck I see her every time I open up a magazine, but why do we make others feel inadequate if they don't meet these standards? I have recently become somewhat angry at myself, because I fell to this pressure. My biggest beauty peer pressure vice since starting school has been tanning. I don't know why, but for some reason burning our skin makes us beautiful! I admit that I like how I look better when I am tan, but why?? For this reason alone, I haven't gone tanning since the end of summer last year. So why am I starting to feel like I need to go? The only answer I have to this question is the poor effects of the typical hollywood stereotype portrayed everywhere...particularly in the media. I dare to be different, and have always thought of myself in this way. I hate that I fell for the trap set out by beauty experts whose job is to frame the way society thinks about beauty. Never have I felt more beautiful than I do now. I have made a complete lifestyle change. I will be happy, and I will no longer succumb to shallow standards ever again.

DISCLAIMER: I will avoid tanning beds, however, I will never avoid the beautiful sunshine outside...let it be summer!

Coming soon: Did I mention I chopped all of my hair off?? I will be posting before and after pictures (pre-weight watchers and pre-haircut)!

What a great feeling!

I don't want to break my arm patting myself on my back, BUT I can proudly say I'm finished!! As of 1:48 this afternoon, I turned in my last project and finished my last test of my undergrad years! What a relief! I did fine on all of my finals (I think..), and I'm not worried about that! It's a good feeling, but it's almost surreal like nothing's different! I will graduate on Friday, and maybe things will sink in then!

That said, I get word yesterday saying that I was accepted on aprroved status to grad school! After waiting two months, I have finally heard back from them!! Approved status just means that I will be fully enrolled, and not on any provisionary terms (like probationary periods, etc.). I am proud of this as well! I think that maybe the reason why I haven't felt any different is because I still have two years! But things will be different at Grad SChool. No more fighting for great parking spots or carrying a ton of books at one time!

I believe I will celebrate with a stiff drink this evening! Cheers!

Okay, so I did it...

Friday after my test I finally broke down and bought the new Britney Spears CD. I thought that I needed a "treat," and it gave me something different to listen to on my drive home. I actually really liked it. All of the songs had a fast beat to them, and were mostly catchy. I just really like music with a beat that I can dance to or workout too, and this will definately be my new work out cd. Ideally...I'd have a cd ripper so I could transfer these songs to my ZUNE mp3 player. I was very pleased with the 9.98 (thanks to Target's sale) item that I bought. My only problem was the service I received when I went to check out my item. I went into a guys line with the cd (my only item), and he held it up to his coworker and said, "Hey ___ (whatever their name was), it's your favorite person." She laughed and said, "Yeah that's like only the second Britney cd I've seen come through the line. Sorry but her career is over." I just really didn't appreciate someone making fun of my purchase. Not great service in my mind. I have worked in customer service, and would never pick fun at someone's purchase... bad manners! But oh well...I think she's wrong about this cd...I keep hearing how many are selling and how this may be her top-selling album.

I'd recommend checking it out!!

My test

I took the Graduate Records Exam this past Friday, and it was no fun! I know that I don't do well on standardized tests, so I made sure to prepare (as much as humanly possible with everything else going on). There are three sections--Verbal, Quantitative (math), and analytical writing. Because the test was on a computer, I know how I did on the verbal and quantitative sections. But, since the analytical section was an essay, I will have to wait for someone to hand grade that. I got an average score. So not terrible, not great. I am not too bummed out, because I know I get tripped up on these tests. Sometimes they write the questions to try to trick people, by trying to make you eliminate answers and guess which questions the lower test takers would select. It should be more straightforward. BUT it's over so I'm done complaining.

They have to send the scores to UND, and this will take about 10-15 days. Once they get it, they gather all of my information and decide whether or not I am accepted. I am hoping to know by Thanksgiving. If I get in, I have to take my acceptance letter to the financial aid office to try to get more loans figured out (STRESSFUL!!). Then I can register for classes. I can only take three classes a semester, and so it will take two years to complete. I have already selected my classes for the spring (as long as I'm accepted). The schedule is really ideal for me. On monday, I'd have class from 3-5, Tuesday from 7-10, and Wednesday from 7-10. I will be working about 30 hours a week at my internship still, but it looks like they are trying to change my status from an intern to a part-time employee which will mean I will be eligible for benefits!

The best part is, I can breath this week!!!

My future

Obviously with the upcoming graduation in December nearing, I have been thinking more and ore about my future. I have sent out a handful of resumes and cover letters, and I've heard back from some and not others. Mainly I have been trying to take what I am learning at my internship and apply it to the "real world." Everyday I come here, I learn more and more. I know that, someday, I want to be the "big shot" in an organization (public or private), but have realized that there is a lot to still learn. While thinking about that, I had been looking more seriously into Graduate School. I always knew that eventually I would want to go back to get my Masters degree, but I didn't want to do it right after school. I wanted to get some experience, and then go back. After looking at some of the classes offered for a Graduate degree in Public Administration, I decided that it would be very beneficial to continue my education now. I think right now is a good time--I'm not really grounded. In a few years, it will be harder to pick things up and go back to school. Besides, I like my school, program, and professors so much that I want to do it in Grand Forks. Josh told me...even before I started thinking about grad school...that he wanted to stay in the area for awhile longer because things are going well for him at his job. So I think it's the perfect time.

So now I applied, got 3 recommendations, and next Friday I will take the Graduate Records Exam in Fargo. I have been studying a little bit, but I guess I have three other school tests next week! So next week will be a little bit stressful. I was really nervous for the test, because I am not the greatest at standardized tests, but one of the professors that I talked to in my program said that it's a small factor in determining whether or not a student gets into grad school. I feel a little bit better, but I still want to do well. The test is computerized, which will be nice because I will be able to see my score right away for all of the sections except for the essay portion. That will help ease my anxiety. After that, I just have to wait for the scores to be mailed to the graduate school at UND, and see if I am accepted.

Wish me luck!

My School

Okay so Grandma Carren asked me to post some pictures of my school on here, because I've been here for three years and many people have never seen it! Well I took pictures of the building where I spend most of my time, Gamble Hall. It's where the college of Public and Business Administration.

I also took a picture of the Ralph Englestad Arena, where the hockey team plays. It's an amazing multi-million dollar arena!