Tick Tock...

It's quiet.

Too quiet.

I don't know what I did but there must be something wrong.

You know those horror movies where you're yelling at the girl (because it's always a girl) not to go in the room because you know its a trap?

I'm that girl and I don't have a choice anymore. I have to open the door and I have to go through it.

I'm terrified.

Like hide in a closet under a blanket, sucking your thumb and crying for your mommy terrified.

I have pictures of ghost towns on my desktop and they feel like my life right now.

It's been a strange week and every second I inch closer to my doom.

Help!

I can't stop!

I don't know what to do!

I don't want to be stuck in a dead-end job for the rest of my life. I don't want to move back in with my parents. I don't want to be in that rinky-dink town anymore.I want to start my life. I want to have a career that I love. I want to use the skills I have and go on new adventures.

How am I supposed to make this happen?

I'm so lost it has ceased to be funny.

Job please.

I needs it.

Okay, now to translate everything...

It's my last week of my college career. I'm cutting it short by a semester. At the moment I have one day and one sort-of exam (worth 5 points) left before I am officially done. I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do after that. I know that the plan is to find a job but I feel like I'm spinning my wheels on that one. I've been applying to an outrageous number of jobs since before Thanksgiving and I haven't gotten anything back from any of them yet.

It's nerve-wracking.

So I'm headed home with a lack of options and my tail between my legs. I don't feel like I've accomplished anything. I feel like I've been dumped on the side of the road and told to find my way on my own.

How long will it take me to go into panic mode?

I swear I'm wearing my big girl pants but I don't think they're working. I'm not brave yet. I'm not a hot-shot business women. I'm a shivering scared little girl clinging to my big girl pants because they're too big for me!

Calm....

Graduation is Saturday morning at 10:00 am "promptly"... I'll shake the hand of the president of the University who is about to sign off on cutting more staff... (yeah, that's a great idea, not). I'll get a thing that is not my diploma and I'll move the white tassel from one side to the other... maybe I'll even throw my hat in the air.... who knows?

After that the afternoon is mine.... sorta. I'll be hanging out with family and hopefully my boyfriend who is a great source of support. We will head to dinner which will begin at 6 pm at Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano in Perrysburg. I already know what I'm going to order... I may even have a glass of wine... it is a celebration after all.

I'm going to miss all my BG friends. Hopefully we can keep in touch and get together occasionally still. I can't promise that I'll be in town but I'd like to hang out with you all in the future.

A shout out to Taylor Hawes who will be on her way to Spain next semester!!! I'm excited for her. She's going to have a great time and so many adventures. I'm almost jealous even though I've already done it. Vas a tener que hablame por Skype cuando tienes un momento libre chica!

All my Christmas shopping is done. I'm a poor college kid so there wasn't a huge list to buy... It drives me crazy that stores are so messed up this time of year. I seriously had the worst time finding things and then asked store people and they basically told me that because everything is a mess, they had no idea. So helpful.

I could use a buckeye from Aunt Nat right now...

Hmmm... what else?

I'm at work right now but everyone is in a meeting so I've got nothing to do. My last day is tomorrow. It's only slightly sad though because this could be a stepping stone. Could be but I have no idea...

Oh! A shout out to Emily Berger who is awesome for reasons I can't yet say. I have to wait until after Christmas to explain. She's just awesome anyway so I'm not sure it matters! I had a great time over lunch with her yesterday. I feel like I've been so busy lately that I'm losing touch of some of my "First Chappy" friends.

I guess that I've run out of things to say.

I'd really like to just know what my next adventure is going to be...

but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

As always,

Blessed Be

No Snow For You!

Welcome to December!

Wait no!

December?

No! It can't be!

I'm not ready!

Where's the snow?

I don't see snow so it can't be December.

No, it's probably still October.

Yeah, October. That sounds safe.

But really, are we sure that it's December?

~

Okay, so I'm sure you all know what time of the year it is without me needing to remind you about it. I mean Thanksgiving was just last weekend. Unless, you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and believe me when I say you aren't missing anything super exciting. Not even the excitement of Black Friday Shopping. Nothing in a Wal-Mart is worth being trampled to death over (same goes for all other stores) and thus, I choose not to participate.

This year I got to bring my boyfriend home to join the family. Or what's left of the family when you take out the ones vacationing/working/living in Europe and the ones who live too far away to make the trek and/or have other family obligations.

That leaves me with:

Mom, dad, both brothers, the dog, and mom's parents.

Naturally, my mom was stressing about the event and doing everything she could to plan things by the day. Everything turned out wonderfully too, so we definitely appreciated all her hard work.

I should have stolen some leftovers to take with me...

The boyfriend and I arrived late Wednesday night since I had to work until 6 pm that day. (Hooray for ten hour days!) We basically crashed as soon as we got there so I don't have anything fun to report from that day.

We woke the next morning to Grandpa making breakfast and the smell of roasting turkey. Mom was puttering as is a normal occurrence for holiday meals and had deviled eggs ready as breakfast was ending. There were also, bacon wrapped peppers and stuffed mushrooms, all before noon.

We had the traditional Thanksgiving lunch, with dad carving the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, greenbean cassarole, corn, cornbread etc. and my only complaint is the plastic plate I ate it off. If that is a complaint at all because mostly it's not.

I think that was quite possibly the most comical Thanksgiving I've ever attended though. My family is a riot. The smallish brother decided to drink gravy and the middle child encouraged him to not only drink the gravy but to get the bar of chocolate from the freezer and dip pieces into said gravy. All of this while laughing hysterically because he knew it was ridiculous.

It snowed the whole day.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I did not see any snow until I arrived in Farwell Wednesday night and then I was stuck in it until I left Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon.

Good news is: my car does pretty well in the snow, even when it's full of boys yelling at each other.

Friday afternoon, my brothers and my boyfriend went with me to see Catching Fire in Mt. Pleasant. We all piled into my car and took off into the snow. The worst was the parking lot at the theater though, everywhere else the roads were clear.

The movie honestly made me cry, and I've read the books. I've even been called a fanatic once or twice. I think that they did a great job with the visuals but I think they played down the arena. They could have done a whole lot more with that.

I know, I know, time constraints.

I still liked it.

Saturday, my boyfriend and I headed back to Ohio for his grandpa's funeral on Sunday. Other than the drive, the day was pretty uneventful. The snow disappeared after we left Clare County.

Sunday, was the funeral so it made it a pretty somber day. I got to meet some of his extended family and I don't think any of them would eat me alive (or at least I hope they wouldn't). I wasn't shunned or run out of town either so I guess that's a good thing.

Today is a Monday. It is pretty normal as far as Mondays are concerned. I went to work and to class then back to work and back to class. I went to the store to pick up some groceries, came home and ate Spaghetti O's from the can like the college kid that I am and finished up a research project for French Culture class.

My thesis is pretty much done. There are a few final things I want/need to do to it before finals week but I'm not worried about missing the deadline.

I have an exit grammar exam for my Spanish major on Thursday this week and another small paper for my World Politics class before Finals then I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear.

I just might be able to do this graduating from college thing. It's scary but I might be able to make this goal.

Post graduation is a mystery right now. The two solid things that I do know are that I'm moving out of Sylvania and that I will not have a job with the company that I'm at right now. My last day there will be the 20th, the day before graduation.

Job applications are out in the world and I'm not done looking. I'm hitting the web hard until I find something. Somewhere. Anywhere. I don't even care.

My cat is leaving tomorrow. He will probably get put down. We discovered him eating his tail and the vet told us that the tail will have to be amputated which will cost like $1000. So the lady who gave him to us is going to pick him up tomorrow and I probably won't see him ever again. I'm going to miss him.

To end on a positive note:

Office Christmas party at the Toledo Zoo is on Friday and hopefully I'll have a date to take with me. I don't think I've ever been to this zoo and seeing it all lit up will be fun. I even heard a rumor that they have ice-skating. That should be fun and I look forward to it.

It can only get better from our lowest points. I am beginning to see the light and I'm going to hold on to it when I get close enough.

That doesn't mean I'm done though.

Just watch, I'll have many more adventures.

As always,

Blessed Be

Learning How The World Works

For those of you who don't know, I'm on my second month of the internship I began on October 16. I work for a market research company whose name I'm not going to mention. These are the people asking you to take surveys about stuff on websites like surveymonkey and in the advertisements on random websites and yes, we know which website you came from when you click on the survey. It has been an interesting month of work and hair twirling and today in the two hours I was there, I made a list.

Things I've Learned From A Month of My Market Research Internship:

• I'm not cut out for office drama.
• I'm not good at finding things to do that are productive when I have nothing to do.
• Excel is not a strong point of mine
• Free food is still good the second day no matter who turns up their nose at you.
• Surveys are relatively easy to fail
• FRUSTRATION!
• Working with family isn't always a good thing
• Pandora music player is a life saver
• E-mail is a lot more complicated than people give it credit
• Christmas is so important to some people that they demand that decorations go up as early as they can possibly be put up, even if that is the day after Halloween.
• Surveys are complicated mechanisms
• Mozilla or Chrome?
• Desktop backgrounds should rotate automatically always
• Roads with lower speed limits save gas... it's actually shorter to go that way and I didn't know
• Interns don't get to say that they're busy even if they really are
• If you are easily angered, your temper makes people do what you want because they don't want you to get angry
• The older generations don't do well with technology
• Making money can be the only reason to go to work sometimes, even in an office
• Sometimes multitasking isn't a good idea because time moves too slow
• If you're "special" you can make your own hours
• Being the boss is over-rated when your employees are not happy
• Central Michigan University still thinks that I should attend there... thank you Pandora advertisements
• Work tends to stop half an hour before you leave
• Cube space is sacred
• Don't piss off the cleaning lady

So yeah, life has been interesting and I'm learning things that I never really thought about before. I like learning in case you didn't know but learning has its drawbacks sometimes too.

My thesis is getting along alright. I work on it a lot... except for the time it took me to write this and then link it to Facebook where you will all probably find it. Thanks to those of you who answered my obscure questions about the WTO, your answers help greatly.

As December approaches, I'm getting more and more nervous about everything. Graduation itself is going to be a trip and getting there is looking scarier as I get closer. I'm terrified of what comes next and my lack of plans.

Encouragement is always welcome, by the way.

Stress has me snapping at small things and my poor boyfriend has gotten the brunt of them. If he can last through this then he's got life in the bag. I swear that I have to be the most difficult person to bare when I'm stressed out. I'm surprised that we don't shout at each other yet.

After graduation, the only plans I have right now are to move out. I don't know where and I have no idea what kind of a job I'll be able to find or anything like that but I'll have to figure it out some time soon I guess. I have however been applying to some places and I'll have to wait and see what comes of them. If my resume is as impressive as people tell me it is then maybe I'll catch someone's eye.

Next week is Thanksgiving and I'm planning to head home for the weekend. Mom's parents will be there and so will my brothers. I work on Wednesday and I may drive north that evening but I may not travel until the next morning depending on how tired I am. I plan to eat like the world will end the next day and then hope that my brain functions enough to allow me to work on my thesis and the research paper that I have for French Culture class.

Other than all of this, I don't have anything new to report. I've been pretty boring lately.

Things should pick up later, don't worry.

As always,

Bright Blessings

Thesis Research

Okay readers,

Its time to give me just a little help. Or not, your choice.

For my thesis, I'm conducting a sort of interview via email on the topic of the World Trade Organization.

I would really appreciate your help if you could take a moment to answer my questions.

Names will be substituted in the paper unless I have permission to use your name.

If you don't want to participate, don't send me anything.

Questions to consider:

1. What are your thoughts/ feelings about the World Trading Organization?

2. What are some effects that you have personally observed that may directly relate to the policies of the World Trading Organization?

3. In your opinion should, the WTO be reformed or torn down?

4. Do you believe that it is exploiting developing countries (such as Latin America) so that they have no choice but to continue their participation?

If you wish to participate, please send your answers to me via email or Facebook or however you feel comfortable participating.

My email is rholley@bgsu.edu 

Thank you for your help!

Blessed Be

I Got A Rock...

Considering that it is going to be Halloween this week, and I haven't written in a while, I figured this week I would compose some sort of post as my treat (or trick) to you.

First of all, the title comes from Charlie Brown for those of you who haven't seen "The Great Pumpkin". I highly suggest watching it because it's a classic and because this post will make more sense if you understand that part.

Let's see where I can start...

I've recently accepted an internship position with a market research company based out of Perrysburg. They are letting me work around my classes, getting about 23 hours a week. It's not what I expected and I've been trying to get them to see that they're underestimating my abilities but I haven't been with them that long either so my frustration is mostly internal.

The fact that I have time to write this post right now is proof of my lack of things to do, and yes, I've asked for more things to do.

What do I do at this company?

Well, when I come in at 8 am, I make myself a coffee and settle in to my cube, where both of my monitors remind me to be whimsical and adventurous as always because they have a Tardis floating through space as the background. It seems odd to me that no one has said anything about them yet but maybe my co-workers just need to warm up to me before they ask or comment on the awesomeness of my computer.

I went on a little tangent there.

After pulling up my office email and checking for things that need attention there, I go onto one of their survey websites and take surveys for them as part of a Quality Assurance process. Basically, I make sure that all of the internet stuff works and that the Survey runs pretty true to what our client wanted. It's not the most labor intensive thing in the world but it is a little draining because for the most part I'm answering questions about my age, gender, income, and place of residence over and over through what they call demographic questions.

Other than that, I'm learning how the system works and doing what I can to help the project managers or the people who run the survey for our clients. There are only 6 project managers plus the boss and then me on our side of the office. On the other side is tech and I haven't worked with many of them yet so I don't know all of them.

On Thursday, there is going to be an office party for Halloween and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that yet. I haven't decided if I'm going to actually dress up as something or someone because I still have to go to class and all that so it could be a hassle to dress up and run across campus trying to make it to class on time. Lunch is catered though so that's cool. I don't think that they've decided who to call for catering yet but free food is always cool in my book.

Today, my geology class was canceled so I'll be at work, grabbing some extra time, until 3 so that I can get to my French Culture class at 3:30 pm. I have a feeling that it's going to be a long day.

Home life is different from what I'm used to. It's definitely not dorm life, that's for sure. My cousin is taking care of me for the most part...or maybe we take care of each other on some level. Who knows. We sort of adopted a kitten who I named Jack after Jack Skellington of Nightmare Before Christmas. He's all black except for a very small patch of white on his stomach. He's attached himself to me and because he wants all of my attention can be very annoying but I can deal with it for now.

My thesis is not going well at all. I need to spend more time on it and get it moving but with midterms I miss judged how much time they would take up. Now is the time to buckle down and get it done however I have to do that. One option is moving stuff to the study and working in there but I'm not sure how well that will work. I also don't know until I try it so maybe this week that will be what happens. Maybe sitting behind a desk when I go to work on it will make my brain function better than sitting with my laptop on my bed and the books all around me.

My stress level has been really high lately and I have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as that goes. There are just too many things going on for me to process like I am. They all need my attention too which makes things terrible for the stress level.

I'm lucky to have support from the people I'm getting it from. I know that I've closed myself off from some of you and I don't want you to think that I do that on purpose or with malice or anything like that. I do it without thinking because my life is so busy I just can't maintain the same level of contact that we once had. It's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just haven't figured out how to manage my time well enough to fit everyone in. That being said I also don't want to dump my stress on people, I do it enough to a few people and I feel bad about it every time I do.

So I have to send out a big THANK YOU to Noah who has been dealing with my emotional breakdowns and my crazy schedule. I know that sometimes I give him grief about some things but I only do because I care. I hope that he knows how much I care about him and how much knowing that he supports me and can put up with my tears when I snap means to me.

Also, a THANK YOU goes to my Aunt Heather for the phone call late in the evening. Talking it out with her made everything a little clearer and got me settled down enough to get some sleep that night. My stress was spilling over and getting the best of me but with a new perspective on it, I think that I can probably handle the next week at least.

I have to give a shout out to my girl Cassi, who is starting a novel for NANOWRIMO. I hope that she finds it challenging but also enriching. Sometimes digging deep for that challenge makes you see things in a way you never did before. It can also make times not feel quite as crazy as they are because its an escape from everything in your life for what your heart wants most. I wish her the best of luck in this and I hope most of all that she has fun doing it.

Another shout out goes to the crew at the Scare Fair for a great date night with Noah. I was so scared that I got the hick-ups (which has never happened to me before). These guys did an awesome job and I'm glad that I got to experience it at least once. I know that I won't be going through The Gauntlet ever again, that's for sure. I don't even care if that makes me a chicken because I'll own up to it. I was terrified.

For anyone interested in going next year, here is a link to their website. (Scare Fair) Noah is actually in a few of the pictures on their home page for those of you who have met him.

My little brother who isn't so little anymore, has a family thing November 2 which I will probably attend. I know that when there was a family thing at BG it was overrated but since he's not at BG maybe this one will be different. I just have to get information from someone about times and an address so that I know where to go and when to be there.

The baby brother is making his sister proud in the marching band and generally being a goof like his sister was and his brother too I suppose. I was really happy that I got to see him perform on Homecoming with their silly capes and inverted drumline. Sounds like they are having a good year for the band geeks.

As for getting a rock,

I'm going to use it as an analogy for my life at this very moment.

If the trick or treat bag were my life, and the whole knocking on doors thing were lets say, the job search after college. I'm searching but the doors don't open and the promise of candy is the only thing that keeps me going on to the next. Every door has a light on but no one answers when I knock. Maybe I'm not knocking loud enough but I can't tell because I can't see the other kids knocking on doors. I chose to go down the strange obscure street where all the people from other countries live. They probably don't celebrate the holiday at all but I wanted to go there because it was supposed to be an exciting new adventure. I keep searching and searching for the house that is going to give me that beautifully delicious piece of candy that will symbolize my triumph. Instead, my bag holds a rock, a rock that is pretty big and heavy. This rock is my thesis and impending graduation. It could turn out to be a geode and hold beautiful crystals but for now it is a heavy rock that makes me worry about all the unopened doors and how I'll ever be able to find one that opens for me.

So, yeah, I got a rock.

I think that about wraps everything up for now. I'll try to update again soon.

As always,

Blessed Be.

Somewhere Maybe

Somewhere out in the vast sea of knowledge and random crap is where I stand. I'm the one on the small island with a palm tree as my only friend. I am alone and trying to make sense of what washes up on shore and trying to figure out how to survive the rising waters. What happens when the island disappears? Will someone be there to save me or will I drown out here alone where know one knows if I'm alive or dead?

I will figure this out.

The crossroads is coming and my car has lost its breaks with the accelerator stuck to the floor. My choices are numbered and infinite possibilities that once excited me now terrify me.

Don't let me crash.

Negativity and darkness are swirling around them but I am King Arthur and I have my Excalibur. Hopefully, I know how to wield it when I need it so that I don't get killed. The bumps and bruises are a testament to my trials along the way but this is the precipice of something new and unknown. Do I even want to fight it?

I will be positive.

How did Juliet know that Romeo was the one for her? How did any of the Disney princesses know for sure that he was the one? Why did they not falter when their parents didn't support them in their love (where applicable)? If he makes me happy, if he makes my heart sing, if he is tender and gentle, why would anyone ignore these qualities? Why would you doubt my choice?

I choose him.

Cinderella slaved away day and night to please her step family, African slaves transported to the Americas worked sometimes to their deaths to please their masters, Maids get paid to slave away, immigrants get paid to be your slave (even if it isn't very much). If you wish to find one of these to please you then let me help you find one but I do not fit any of these molds.

I will not bow.

The leaves are changing. Red, Yellow, Brown, Green. The air smells of the coming chill of winter carried on the breeze that is whispering of adventures yet to be had in the swirling colors. This Indian Summer can't last forever, Jack Frost will remind us of it soon enough. For now, there are pumpkins to carve, costumes to wear, cider to be drank and apples to be enjoyed. Not to mention the great array of people who gather to enjoy your company while you enjoy theirs.

I am changing.

Whether you believe as I do or you follow another path, remember always that you are who you are because of the situations that made you. You grew according to what you were given and the choices you made. It is up to you to see or not see what you have been given.

Brightest of Blessings.

Thoughts From a Hot Day

I'll give you an update on life later in this post but I want to write something else out before it becomes as thin as the air from whence it came.

Life is confusing.

I'm confused.

I have all of this stuff going on and so do the people I call my friends. They are starting their lives. they are getting their footing and from the outside looking at them with all their smiles, I can't help but wish that I had their easy life.

I know better though. I know that when the time comes, someone whoever it may be will decide that they want me to be theirs forever. Someday I'll have that same smile on my face as the ones I've seen on facebook of the happy couples and the new mothers. Someday maybe I'll know that I worked hard to get what I have. I'll know that behind the smiles are the times we yelled at each other or that I never wanted to talk to him again because that's how a relationship works. The good and the bad together.

I know that my life may feel like a landslide right now, sucking me down somewhere deep and dark and where the final destination is a secret only the universe knows of, but I also know that with the circle is still moving and that good things will come if I only wait for the circle to come around again.

Moral of the story:

It's okay to be jealous because from this you can form your goals and work for what you want making it just that much more satisfying when you get what you want. The candy in your mouth will be the best you ever tasted because you know that you deserve it so to speak.

So as I look at my friends and wonder if I'll ever have what they have, I can know deep down that when the time is right all things will come to me because I worked hard when times were rough and scary.

~*~

As for that update, now that my musing has run its course...

School is going well. I don't have as many classes as I've had before which leaves for a lot of time where I'm not really doing a lot because I finish my homework fairly quickly. Nothing has been very tough so far.

The classes I'm taking this semester are :
Geology Lab Science
World Politics
Research Methodology
French Culture

I am also at the same time working on my thesis which has to do with International policies and trade organizations in terms of globalization and the poverty in lesser developed countries.

I promise that looks more organized on paper than it is here.

I live with my cousin Anne in Sylvania and if you need the address, just ask me for it. I find it a little lonely living off campus where no one really talks to me and there isn't a line for the shower because I have my own bathroom. I don't even have to wash other peoples' dishes but I also don't get to hang out and just watch T.V. or whatever it is we feel like doing that night.

Giant foam pit anyone? Oh, those were good times.

I quit my job at the dining hall on campus. I didn't even end up working for them this semester. We just cut it off and that was that.

So I'm currently looking for a job but that seems to be going well also because I have an interview already with the company Anne works for. Hopefully, something good will come of it. I don't like the feeling  of bills looming over me the way they are right now. I need stability.

My birthday was uneventful. Anne and Thomas took me out that night in BG for darts, pool, and dinner. We really weren't any good at darts or pool but that was alright. Friday, Noah took me out to Texas Roadhouse and it was nice to have a birthday dinner just the two of us.

Other than that nothing really happened. I just am twenty-two now as unexciting as that is.

The weekend before my birthday was Labor Day weekend or as I used to call it, Flavor Day. Noah and I met my family on Kelly's Island Friday night. We wandered around the festival stuff for a little bit and saw the parade (if you can call it that) on Saturday, followed by ice-cream and a tour of the island with Grandpa and Grandma as the tour guides. I got sick with a migraine on Sunday so I missed pretty much the whole day. That rolled into Noah and I having a crappy time at Cedar Point on Monday because we were both set on edge by the crowd that was there. We managed 4 coasters (not even big ones) then left. Noah wants to go back but after that time I'm apprehensive to say the least.

Graduation is for sure now. I know I've said that before or maybe not but I feel like I have so I apologize anyway. This time however I the proof in the $35 that I paid the university so that I can be put on the list. All I have to do is finish my classes (not failing them) and then when December rolls around I'll be walking up to take a diploma in my hand and know that I've accomplished at least part of my life's goals. It is going to feel so good to hold that piece of paper in my hands after all the work I am and have put into getting it.

I guess that I had better wrap up this post because it's starting to get late and I have class in the morning.

I may not have a lot to say all the time or I may not make the move  that is expected of me but trust me, that doesn't mean that I'm through with the relationship. I love you and could never intentionally hurt you without hurting myself. If you know me then you know that I need my quiet sometimes but that doesn't mean that I'm not thinking of you and wishing that you were there with me so that you could share in my adventures.

Bright Blessings to you all.

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For the App Follow: Reading App

 

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August? Where did you come from?

Okay, I'm here, I really am I swear.

And I'm still alive.

I'm working here in West Palm Beach and making a dent in the number of boxes that they have holding old files in the basement. There were way too many for me to even make it to the halfway point. That coupled with machine malfunctions and construction which makes for times when I can't scan anything means that I'm no where near an end.

I have to make it back however so the date of my trip is set.
I will be leaving West Palm Beach on August 22 headed to Atlanta where I will spend the night and continue on in the morning to Sylvania or maybe Lima for an overnight.

My uncles are keeping me super spoiled here. I know that they don't see it as a huge deal but I feel like I'm taking advantage of their kindness in a bad way... It's just a feeling though and they are both adamant about not letting me pay for food.

Yesterday before it rained, I got some good sun and then fell asleep in the hammock next to the pool. It was a wonderful thing and I woke up in time to put the hammock away before the rain. I'd say that I could feel the change in the air but then I'd sound crazy so I won't say it.

Things have been pretty uneventful here.

Aunt Jodie came for a week and helped unpack which was a super help because we weren't moving very fast and she got rid of most of the boxes in the house altogether. She and Thom even installed new fixtures to the sinks of all but one bathroom in the house. It took them a whole day but they got it
done and the next day they installed cabinets in the garage. They make quite a pair.

I made Taco Ring for them last week (which is one of mom's recipes) and it turned out pretty good. The left overs barely made it two days which is a normal thing at my house but I wasn't expecting it to happen with my uncles.

We've had some good times at Roxy's and Bar Louie where the staff know who we are. I get caught off guard a little when I am handed the drink I was about to order by the bartender who looks me in the eye and says "Hey, how are you?" and actually cares. It feels pretty good.

That spurs another thought. I love how I get called sweetheart, hun, and kiddo. I mean no I'm not a kid anymore and I'm not their sweetheart but it gives me the warm fuzzies when someone addresses me this way and isn't just saying it because they have to. When they say it because it's what they feel like saying then I feel like I'm being respected and like I have their attention even if it is for just a moment.

At work I've been collecting pictures that I find pretty. I have 3 folders of them now and I'm excited to start my plan when I get back.

What's the plan?

Well, for now I'm going to call it my green space. I want to make a large collage of everything that I've found and put it on a wall. I had originally thought that I would put it on posterboard but my collection is growing so big that I don't think they will all fit there anymore.

Let's see, what else...

I had a job interview two weeks ago that went super. It was for a before and after school program. Due to my class schedule, I will be a morning person and they hired me as a substitute but it has the potential to become an everyday job.

I am keeping the job with the dining hall on campus for evenings and possibly afternoons, depending on what they give me. I'll have a good cash flow though and living with my cousin should be interesting.

Good news on buying books for this semester too.

First, I'm only taking 12 credit hours (four classes) plus writing my thesis which means less books in the first place.

Secondly, Kindle books or electronic copies of the books I need are available for all but three of the ones on my list.

So instead of the $500 that I would easily drop on books this semester, I'm spending only about $300. It makes life easier. It also makes carrying books around easier because I won't have a million heavy books to carry.

For Labor Day weekend I will be on Kelly's Island with Noah and my family. Noah bought tickets to Cedar Point for my birthday so we thought that would be a great weekend to use them. Plus my wonderful family will get to meet him so it works out perfectly. Let's see how long it takes for him to run screaming away from us...

I know that last time I promised pictures but I'm still not able to post them at the moment. Maybe I'll just have to make a post of just pictures or something. No promises though. Things are rather busy in my life at the moment.

Okay, last but not least, my plans for the trip back to Ohio are as follows:

Thursday morning, leave West Palm Beach headed north on I-95 up the coast until Jacksonville where I'll head west a little to catch I-75 through Georgia.

I'm hoping to arrive before 6 pm so that I can go with my Uncle to The Complete Works of Shakespeare that evening.

Friday morning I will leave Atlanta heading north on I-75 up through Tennessee then Kentucky and into Ohio. I haven't decided yet on the destination for that day whether it is Lima or Sylvania but I will be sure that everyone knows where I'm at.

I'm praying for sunshine all the way up even if it is super bright because even that would be better than the storms I drove through to get here.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer just as much as I am.

Blessed Be!

Here I am!

I've made it and my adventure continues.

So I'm actually at work right now, only two blocks from the beach on a beautiful island. The weather is off and on rain but when you can catch the sun it is glorious. Though some of the locals complain about the heat. I'm a happy camper.

I had planned to blog from Atlanta and when I arrived in West Palm but things were so busy and time consuming that I haven't had a chance to get my mind in the right place to be able to blog.

It poured for my entire drive from Ohio to Georgia. It was pitch black and my poor car was not loving it. I couldn't use cruise control and I didn't want to because I would have been hydroplaning everywhere. So I didn't get so see a lot of Kentucky or Tennessee where I would have liked to stop and see the nature and the historical sights. The drive back will hopefully be better though.

My fourth of July was fun. I think I will start there because that's as far back as my trip goes for the most part. I spent that week with my boyfriend and his parents in Lima, Ohio. He bought a bunch of small fountains and poppers as I'm going to call them because they were pretty much just a flash and a loud bang. We set those off in his driveway before and after the city's fireworks which we could see from his back yard. Nothing spectacular but it was still fun even though I was worried that Noah would hurt himself while lighting the fountains and whatnot.

I left Lima to head south on Saturday morning. The weather was fine up until the moment I got into Cincinnati at which time the heavens opened up and the rain came down. I stopped for gas just after I crossed the river into Kentucky and hoped that the rain would let up but it stayed steady so I decided to trek on.

The freeway didn't have a whole lot of traffic but then again I couldn't see a lot of it either. I stuck behind a semi truck and had the wipers going full speed just getting down the road as best as I could without crashing.

I made it to Atlanta right around dinner time so after unloading my car, I showered and my Uncle Ed took me out to a restaurant called Tomatillos for a shrimp burrito. It was actually pretty tasty though it sounds very strange.

We got up the next morning and caught a movie at 9:30 am. We watched "The Lone Ranger" and it was alright but I guess that I expected more from Johnny Depp. From there we headed to the Martin Luther King Junior Historical Site and the Church where he was a preacher. I have always enjoyed seeing the places where history was made and the fact that these were just normal people makes it just that much more important.

For a late lunch we went to a Caribbean place named Mangos and had a stewed curry goat. It was good but man was it hot. I had to eat the fried plantanes just to get the heat out of my mouth. Next time I'll try something without curry. I might like it better that way.

I headed south from Atlanta on Monday morning and found myself enjoying the sunshine of the sunshine state as soon as the border got close. It was a beautiful drive though it was a little confusing and it was definitely too long for its own good. Thank goodness I wasn't headed any farther than West Palm or I might have gotten into a crash while falling asleep at the wheel.

I really liked the little service stations on the Florida turnpike. They were convenient and helpful.

Travel Tip: Taco Bell does not make a good car meal. I know from experience.

Currently, since I'm working, I thought that you might want to know where and what I'm doing.

I work for a small landscape design company named Nievera Williams Design. Thom is the office manager there and I am technically the records department all on my own. I get the fun job of taking all their old files that are stashed away in the basement and converting them to digital copies which get their own file on their server. Its tedious but it's not a bad job to tell the truth. Plus, I get to go out to lunch with my uncle, we carpool to and from work together and there really aren't any super strict rules as long as there is some progress being made.

I am helping or trying to help with the move from one house to another outside of work. Just this last Saturday, all the big furniture was moved and the boxes are for the most part there, so unpacking is the goal now.

Their new house is super awesome. The rooms are pretty big and I feel like I have my own hotel suite to stay in. They even have a pool out back which I haven't tried yet but I'm sure that I will eventually. Sunsets are seriously beautiful just looking out over the golf course that the property backs up to and I hope to have some pictures up eventually to show you just how beautiful it is.

I can't think of anything else at the moment so I'll get this posted and let you read it. I will have an update soon and hopefully pictures to accompany the post.

As always,

Blessed Be

Lima, Ohio

Checking in.
I've made it thus far without incidents and all is well. I miss my silly family already but I will be alright. I am sure that  once I make it to Atlanta I will get a goodbdose of family then on to West Palm Beach and I will have so much fun that I won't be able to stand it. Just teasing though.
I will have another update soon.
Bright blessings!

Where has my time gone?

Seriously, where did it go?

I swear it was exam week like... well okay that was a while ago and I know it was but I've been so busy that I barely have a single moment to myself let alone time to blog, so I'm making time tonight because I'm a little sick of studying to tell you the truth. I've been playing the catch-up game with my online class and I'm not getting anywhere fast enough.

I'm getting ahead of myself though.

Strap in, this is bound to be lengthy...

Alright so I'm going to start at exam week because honestly, to make me remember further back is going to make my brain freak out. I had exams Monday and Tuesday of that week then two online so it was a pretty relaxed week and I even got to spend time with my boyfriend before heading home. As far as grades go, I passed all my classes with high marks and I'm still on track for graduation in December.

Mom picked me up that Saturday morning, the 4th I think it was. Noah helped move all my crap out of the dorm and then we went to Bob Evan's for brunch. From there mom and I made a day of our travels north and meandered all the way home, hitting bars and thrift stores and a chocolate shop on the way. We even managed to see the Kentucky Derby from a television in a bar while sipping a mint julep... okay that was just me drinking the mint julep, and I didn't even like it so it was more for show than anything else.

I started work at Roger's Athletic (where mom works) in their sewing department on the following Monday. It was a little complicated with my lack of a vehicle and all but we managed and everyone got to where they needed to be. At work I am in charge of doing the screen printing or painting for the football dummies that we produce. If you look carefully sometimes you can see our stuff on television in the news when they show football practices and what not. We even make stuff for the NFL teams and it's really stressful because those parts have to be even more perfect than normal. We do t-shirts now, which is different from last summer and the process isn't too far off from what I do when I paint the football dummies.

Sometimes they even let me sew things. They're pretty easy of course but I have been proud of what I do for the most part. Just the other day I made a whole bunch of handles to put on parts and my boss made a point of telling me how good they looked. It's a pretty laid-back environment but we get stuff done and are pretty proud to send the finished products down to where they get stuffed with foam and shipped out.

On top of working for Roger's, I'm umpiring or at least I have been. The season is just about over at this point but it's been making for some long nights and money toward gas and such. I come home sore and tired but I know that in the end it was worth the two extra hours of my time because I'm kinda sort of giving back to the community by doing this. I mean, the main priority of umpiring at this level is the safety of the players in the game so of course I take my job seriously.

So work and work ...

As if there wasn't already enough on my plate, I also have an internship and a class both online. The class is kind of kicking my butt right now because the book came late and I'm playing the catch up game with the professor. Don't get me wrong, the professor is being very kind about my lateness, but if he had told me when I asked him weeks before the class started that I needed to buy a book, I probably wouldn't be behind.

Though I might still be because I got a stomach bug a couple weeks ago and was stuck in bed for awhile. It's gone now but I couldn't go to work and I slept for two days straight pretty much...

I guess that this stuff happens.

My internship is pretty cool. The lady I work for found me on a website where I was searching for an internship and actually proposed that I work for her. It's completely virtual or online so I don't have to be anywhere specific to work on it.

What I'm doing is helping her plan a trip basically, but this is a cross-country trip with a year long time span. She has other interns working on this trip as well and she has given us each a couple states to work on with her tentative schedule of the trip and the route her and her husband are considering. My job is to find places for them to stay in their airstream camper, attractions in the areas they'll be and stuff like that. I have Texas, Colorado, and Utah to work on and I'm making it a point to find places with Mexican Heritage since that area was once part of the Nueva España territory before it was bought by the United States after the Mexican-American War.

Yes, I'm making sure she gets a healthy dose of aliens too...

So with all of this going on you can imagine that my stress level has been pretty high. Getting up early and going to bed late means I don't get much sleep but I'm surviving. My head has been alright for the most part too, as far as migraines go. I have gotten a few that took me down but considering how many I've had and the time span of this stress, I'm trying to think positively.

What's funny to me is that I didn't get them bad like this when I was at school. My stress level was pretty high at times there too and of course I had nights when I didn't get much sleep but I never seemed to be taken down by a migraine. Maybe it has to do with being able to recover...

So, my brother graduated high school this year. Zac is now a college kid and that's a scary thought. It makes me feel so old even though I know that he's only 3 years behind me. You should see the awards he received and the scholarships. This kid was raking in money and he's got a solid plan for his college career. I'm proud of him and I really think that he's going to do well at the university he chose.

We had his open house over Memorial Day weekend and Aunt Heather flew in with her new husband Carlos on Friday but more on them later. The week before that he graduated in the whole ceremony thing and Grandpa Bill and Grandma Skip were up to be there for him, not that the rest of the family wasn't but it was cool that they could make it too.

His party was Saturday afternoon and lots of family were able to make the trip. It was great to see everyone even though I had to make a run to the airport in the middle. I was happy that I still got to see everyone and catch up with some of them about all the things going on in life. I had obviously neglected to blog in a long while...

Aunt Heather is now Heather Loyola.

She got married!

Let me start at the beginning though.

So Heather and Carlos flew in to MBS airport Friday morning and I went to pick them up at 8 am. I had a sign and everything, which was funny because MBS is super tiny. It was so good to see her again because I most definitely don't see her enough. There was a good five minute hug in the airport when they came through the doors.

After packing their single suitcase into the Trail Blazer, we headed to the mall in Midland to see if we could find shrugs in case the weather was cold on Sunday. Heather and Carlos were already technically married when they got here but we were going to have a backyard ceremony anyway and I got the privilege of being Maid of Honor. I was super excited!

We ended up having to wait for places to open because in our excitement we didn't realize how early it still was. So we wandered around in Barnes and Noble before the search began. Carlos stayed in the car, opting for a nap instead of shopping or trailing us while we shopped as it would have been. Heather and I are twins and we could probably go on forever if it were possible.

It took us a while to find shrugs because the stores we looked in didn't seem to have any anywhere until we went into the store we said was our last. Then, we found them and the search was over.

We did manage to find cute earrings and tops in Deb that we had to have also...

Saturday morning, Heather and I went to Clare for pedicures and I got a manicure too. The sun was out and bright so we were completely enjoying ourselves. We even managed to wander through a Dollar Store and the local grocery store for random stuff that we probably didn't even need in the end. It was fun anyway.

Sunday came and wedding preparations were in full swing. I think we actually started doing our hair about 3 in the afternoon and we were running late according to the plan but it still worked out in the end.

The ceremony was beautiful with Grandpa Doug conducting everything under the arbor that my dad made from saplings twined with ferns and a blue ribbon. I wore a blue strapless dress and Carlos's brother Thomas was the Best Man. They had a sort of Blues Brothers thing going on with their sunglasses and made me laugh a little. Heather had a beautiful strapless white sundress and looked amazing. I'm not afraid to admit that I cried in the middle of the proceedings. It was just so great to see her so happy and with a great guy who I now get to call uncle.

Unfortunately, they had to leave the next day but I'm grateful that I got to be part of their wedding ceremony and that I got to see them at all.

A week later, I bought a car!

I've named her Maggie. She's a little red Saturn SL with four doors and great gas mileage. I had to get a loan from the bank to get her but if my projections are correct, I might be able to pay it off by the end of the summer.

So far, she's been a great little car and I hope that I'll have her for a long time to come.

On that note, Maggie and I are going to be heading out on an adventure the first week of July. Some of you have seen that I'm going on an adventure from Facebook and have been asking me about it. I know I haven't replied to your questions and the reason is because I'm greedy for readers, or something like that...

What is the adventure?

Well, it has to do with a drive. A long drive. In the southerly direction...

Where am I going?

My destination list includes Toledo, Lima, and Atlanta...

My final destination will be West Palm Beach, Florida!

Why?

To see my fabulous uncles of course!

That and a job that allows me to hang with them for two months.

So yeah, I'm excited and a little nervous. I've never made a drive like this before but the challenge has been accepted and I'm going to do it in my own style. It should be pretty fun.

Looking toward the future, I'm going to be living with my cousin Anne in Sylvania and commuting to classes. I'll still have my job with the food service on campus and my class load won't be too big either. Everything is all set up for graduation in December.

Beyond that, I'm considering grad school but I still haven't made up my mind about it yet. I will by the end of the summer though. Or at least that's my goal.

I also don't think that I'm going to allow my parents to throw a party in December for graduation. I don't want anyone to risk the weather and I don't want to get in the way of plans like Christmas parties or heading south for the winter. Mom doesn't need the stress either.

Well, I think that may be all that I have for you right now. Expect pictures of my trip when the time comes. I should be able to stay more on top of blogging after I get there and get settled in.

Thanks for reading!

Blessed Be

To My Family

Dear Family,

To all my loved ones,

To the ones who came before,

THANK YOU.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you for teaching me how life works.

Thank you for teaching me morals and values.

Thank you for teaching me that a clean kitchen functions best.

Thank you for teaching me the value of sacrifice, because I know that in the end me doing all the dishes for a dinner I don't get to eat is not only a kind gesture, but also, the only way to not have dishes sit in the sink for weeks on end. No one wants to do them anyway.

Thank you for being the ones who know that I exist.

Thank you for showing me how to show gratitude for services rendered.

Thank you for telling me to grow up the right way. To stay away from drugs and illegal substances (and not advertise it if I had a little alcohol before I was of legal age).

Thank you for not giving me everything I ever asked for because I learned what I really needed in the end.

Thank you for telling me to eat with my mouth closed.

Thank you for telling me to never give up and to push through the tough times because I would be reduced to tears over a sink full of dishes and nasty kitchen by now...

Without my family I would be a completely different person.

I love them all very much.

I count myself blessed.

Back in the States

It seems funny to be back already. I was just getting settled in and now it's over. Something about life being gone in a flash seems like an appropriate post but I think that it would be better if I just told you about how the end of my trip was.

I guess that I'll start from Thursday since I left off with Wednesday. My jet-lagged brain needs the order anyway.

So, Thursday, we had sessions in the morning with Waddick Doyle and Cathy Nolan.

Waddick Doyle was a very interesting guy. I really appreciated what he had to say about visual media communications. I wish he would have had less interruptions about Tunisia because I'm sure that what he had to say about France was going to be awesome too but I did learn a lot about restrictions on the media and how things are done in different places.

Cathy Nolan is/was a celebrity journalist for People magazine. She didn't seem to enjoy what she does and called it stalking people which surprised me. She had some interesting words on this side of journalism though and she was certainly interesting as a person so overall it was an enjoyable presentation.

We were supposed to meet with Pietri Publicis Consultants that afternoon but we had to cancel because it would have made us late to dinner at the Huebner's home that night and the presentation by Walter Wells who was formerly the Executive Editor of the International Herald Tribune.

Mr. Wells was a very interesting character and he went back and forth with Lee Huebner who had flown in from Washington D.C. (despite the snowstorm) to be there with us. I liked the idea of a focused newspaper for when you're on vacation. This way you get the most important and relevant news not the crap about everything under the sun that is happening on topics that are more gossip than news

I had planned to go wandering and taking pictures that afternoon but found myself watching the news instead thus finding out about what was going on in the world. For example, the fact that Hugo Chavez died Tuesday while I was having a great time in Paris... Interestingly, the people of Venezuela were coming out in droves to morn their former leader. Could it be that America had it wrong about this guy? I'd like to see both sides of his story.

Dinner was pretty awesome. The bread and cheese alone were to die for. Yes, I had blue cheese and yes, I liked it. But besides that, there was an array of wonderful food and wine to go with it. I was reminded of dinners with my aunt and uncle in Hicksville. We're so classy and yet we're just family hanging out. That was how this dinner felt to me and here I was speaking with people who are inspiring me to try my hand at different things.

After dinner, some of us students decided to walk to the Arc de Triumphe from the house. I unfortunately don't have pictures because it was a little sporadic that we went in the first place, but I won't forget the way it looked all lit up and beautiful. That wasn't the only stop of the night though. My roommate and I decided to split from the group who were headed to a bar again and sat in the park that surrounds the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle when it hit the hour. It was spectacular to say the least.

Friday came and we got to sleep in because the Pope's stepping down had forced Jim Bittermann to cancel on us lowly students. It was a disappointment having seen him report for CNN just the day before and getting really interested in what he could possibly have to say to us about the media.

We therefore started our day with Daniel Dozier, founder of Cinq and Co. (a Public Relations firm). I loved his enthusiasm for what he does and I think that his company has a lot of potential. He basically takes firms as clients and gives them a social media platform to work off in French and in English. After his presentation, I got up the courage to go up to him and say something along the lines of "When you're interested in going multilingual, let me know. I'd love to help you get there." It sounded really corny but he smiled and seemed really excited about the prospect of entering new markets.

Maybe I'll get a job offer! I know my fingers are crossed.

Heidi Ellison was next to present to us about her work in the media. Right now her biggest project is a blog called Paris Update. It will tell you everything you need to know about what's trending in Paris right now in English. So if you're planning your next trip or if you just want to keep up one the best bits of the ever evolving Paris Culture, refer to this website and find out everything you need to know.

To round everything off Lee Huebner spoke with us. He told us a little more about writing for Parisian papers and how he decided to stay in Paris after his first visit. Now he teaches there and he seems very happy to be there. He even showed us a couple videos from Jim Bittermann's reporting.

After all the official stuff was done, my roommate and I ventured up to Montmartre to explore. We started on the street where Moulin Rouge is because it was funny to us that the whole street was composed of kebab restaurants and sex shops....  We even made it into the museum of eroticism....

I only took pictures of the Moulin Rouge because I felt that it was the only thing worth the pictures. Though, even that was a slight let down because all the hype around it isn't the truth... It's just a place holder between the buildings really.

On the other end of the spectrum of morality and about four blocks from this red-light district is the Basilica de Sacre Coeur where I met once again with the African men "selling" me gula-gula via a bracelet that they forced upon me. I have a few pictures from here as well...

We all met on the steps of the church here before heading out to dinner.

 This is where we ate.

 This is the plate of snails that I ate. They tasted like garlic with the constancy of octopus.

Beef Burgundy because I wasn't feeling like tilapia.

Saturday I got up and planned a trip with my professor who decided to buy me breakfast before we headed out to the Institut du Monde Arabe. I couldn't argue with that.

 My new camera is so awesome that I took this from the top of the Institute and it turned out awesome!

 The sun is in my eyes in case you can't tell... but Notre Dame is in the background!

This is what the institute looks like from the ground level...

After the institute, we headed off to the nearby mosque, which was super cool to experience.

When I got back I found my roommate and we went to dinner at the Tunisian place down the street because we liked it so much the first time. The owner was thrilled that we came back and got all emotional when we told him that we made a point to come back before we left and that we want to come back because the food was so good. He hugged us both and wished us good travels as we left to get our stuff packed for our 6 am wake-up call.

Our flight left Paris at 10:40 am or somewhere around that time. We seemed to be taxiing for a really long time but everything went fine. We landed about 2:40 pm Detroit time and had to wait for the van that took us back to BG getting us back around 7 pm.

So with my jetlag and a small cold, I made it back and I'm getting back in the groove of school and everything. I'll live once I sleep enough to get rid of this cold. 

I hope I get another opportunity to go abroad and explore the world because it's something I absolutely love discovering. 

Thanks to everyone for following my adventures! I appreciate having readers.

and as always,

Blessed Be!

Disney Paris!

Time really does fly when you're.... well when you're busy. That's not to say that I'm not having fun though!

So, let's recap the past couple days for you. I've been pretty busy but I'm having fun and discovering new things along the way.

Monday

We kicked off the seminar Monday morning with a speech by Harriet Welty Rochefort introducing us to Paris and Parisian culture. She is a journalist and author of two popular books about cultural differences and similarities between the French and Americans. She was a great speaker, very engaging and informative. She told us about life in Paris and about her background of having been in Paris for around 40 years. She has a blog if you're interested, it's new to the press but it's up. harrietweltyrochefort.com

After that we were handed sack lunches like little kids and herded through the metro tunnels almost with the sense that someone would need to hold our hand in case we wandered off alone, until we arrived at a newspaper company (can you call a newspaper a company if it lives off subsidies and makes barely any money at all?) called Liberation. The Senior Editor Francois Sergent, spoke to us after we ate lunch trying not to choke on cigarette smoke in what I can assume is their sort of break room on the top floor. Mr. Sergent was very blunt and you could tell that he didn't want to be there but we made it through and then ran from there building (after we finally formed a group again instead of a sporadic mass) to head off to the next meeting across town.

Our last seminar related stop of the day was a place called Acenture where we had to go through security but were greeted with coffee, tea and water to go with our lovely speakers from the Public Relations and Marketing departments. They were gracious people and answered our many questions happily. They even had us video conference with other members of their team from London and New York, just to demonstrate how they do their business to us. It was a great experience and I think it gave me a few new ideas on how to direct my career, which is why I'm on this trip in the first place.

After our meeting at Acenture, my roommate and I decided to venture to a museum close to the same neighborhood as the company. We went to the Pompidou Center. It is like a modern art museum with some amazing exhibitions and wonderful galleries. We went through everything except the Dali exhibit because it had a wait time of 1 hour and 45 minutes according to the announcement that came over the speakers above us about every hour and the line that stretched down and back up the hallway. Everything else was really interesting though and if my feet didn't hurt so bad from my new shoes and tripping up the stairs, twisting my ankle, I would have loved to stay there and contemplate each work for more time than we did.

On the way back home we got dinner at an Asian restaurant and I was convinced to try sushi, which I did. I didn't like it but I tried it and I was getting the hang of using chopsticks by the time we left the place. My roommate says that it wasn't good sushi anyway so I'll probably be up to trying it again sometime.

I insisted on getting a Nutella-banana crepe on the way back to the hotel as well so we made a stop at the street vendor and got one each. This was like heaven. I think I forget the value of great cheap easy food until I have it again and want to savor every bite but end up devouring it in a few seconds because it's so good.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning we ventured off to the house of the lady running the program from the French side. She not only hosted us in her magnificent home, she hosted two speakers as well.

First was a woman who worked for the Wall Street Journal Europe and the International Herald Tribune. Her name is Kay Rolland and she now does independent advertising. She was a good speaker but I found it hard to connect to what she was saying. It didn't seem to be even the least bit interesting except the part about flying all over the world with other people's money. Yeah, I know that sounds greedy but it happens in the world and if you can do it, why wouldn't you?

Second was a businessman by the name of Adrian Dearnell. He created his own business after coming off many different internships and jobs including those for which he was at Bloomberg News. He really knew what he was talking about and even though there were others in the group who complained about his presentation, I honestly enjoyed it. He was genuine and he knew what he was talking about. He would make a great employer because he would push you to be your best and not let you just hang around. He works with really important business people to make them look good in the media and I was very impressed by him, which is why I gave him one of my business cards.

After lunch in a cafe back near the hotel, we headed out to the home of the American Ambassador to UNESCO. I can't say what we spoke about because the whole thing is off the record but I can tell you that I was super impressed and I think I may even try to pursue something along those lines or working on the ambassador's team. Something like that would just be one of the most amazing jobs ever.

Later that night, we went out to the house of some sponsors of the program to hear some of the stories of some international media students who are studying at The American University of Paris. They come from countries where freedom of speech is not a right and where you can be killed for having a different opinion from the government. Not all of them had super grave situations but a few made me feel super sorry for their situations but glad that they made it out and can continue their studies.

Wednesday

Today, we went out to Euro Disney for the day.

We started off in a meeting with their advertising/media department, behind the scenes getting the story on how they've had to work to get the image of Euro Disney into a positive light. When the park was being built and when it opened in 1992, there was a strong opposition to the whole place. They called it American Imperialism or Americanization and Europeans really did not like anything about it.

The media department told us that it wasn't until 2005 that they finally found a way to get the press into a positive light and out of the dark hole it seemed to be in. They explained that they were still working and that they would have to keep working hard so that every year there is something new that will attract more positive attention to the park. One way they are doing this is through celebrities who come to the park and hold some sort of press conference afterwords.

They ended our morning by saying "I'm sorry, but we have some gifts to give you," and handing us not only the promised free tickets but a notebook and pen each, some of their press release folders for this year, lanyards, and other random bits. I was a little shocked. First of all because we keep being told that Disney never does this (and I mean NEVER) and second because these people were going so much further than they needed to for us and I appreciated it.

So I got my first Disney experience in Paris thanks to these lovely people and came back with way more than I bargained for.

Here's some pictures that I took throughout the day today...

 I thought that it was super adorable to see all the little girls dressed in their princess best so of course I sneakily took a picture of one just to remember them by.

 Euro Disney lunch time... it was as if I had to eat a McDonald's because we couldn't find anything else that wasn't completely packed full of people.

 Instead of it being a poison apple, like the one Snow White took a chunk out of, here they call it "pomme d'amour" or Apple of Love. I thought that was funny.

 Stanley was too cool to dance for the picture but he agreed to take a picture with his dancing friend behind in the background.

 This is a Coke truck in case no one notices.... No, I don't ever think of my dad when I'm 50,000 miles away from him....

 We sort of accidentally stumbled onto parade time while going between parks (we thought we had missed it completely) and caught the tail end of this so I took some pictures.

Is it just me, or is Minnie super chic here? That dress is so not something I've ever seen her in when I was growing up. I would have remembered it better.

Tomorrow we have more presentations in the morning but the afternoon should be free and then we have dinner at the french AUP director's house (she hosted us on Tuesday morning). In which case, I should probably get to bed now.

I'll post again soon!

Blessed Be