Graduation #2

[via MSU Website]

My second graduation, or should I saw commencement, was at the IZOD Center. You can just take a guess at how nervous I was! It was with the entire 2012 graduating class, and I couldn't believe that we'd be on the floor of the IZOD Center with our family in the stands.

I graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts, summa cum laude ... majoring in Family and Child Studies, concentrating in Child Life Specialist.

I was about to be the first person in my family to graduate from college. My mind was racing, as I tried to soak up my surroundings and how I felt at that exact moment. I was proud of myself for accomplishing so much, but couldn't believe how fast it really went. They say the years go faster as you get older, and I never believed it until now. I felt like I was just graduating high school with my group of friends, and there I was standing with my new friends, friends that I know will eventually become my bridesmaids.

I wish them all the best in life. I hope their college education and college life in general was what they expected and they made the best of it. I'll admit though, while I don't feel like I missed anything, I feel like commuting gives you a whole different experience rather than living there. I can see the differences when I visit my brother at the college that he lives at during the Fall and Spring semesters. I don't regret my choices, but I do wonder what it would've been like to live on campus.

Here's to the Class of 2012. May you follow your destined path and be happy.

I wouldn't have been seen there with the cap and gown though if it hadn't been for my support system, both family and friends, as well as my boyfriend. I tried making a speech at my own graduation party, but what I hadn't realized at the time was that I didn't plan it quite well. I should have made my speech in the beginning of that celebration, not the end. If you can only imagine, it wasn't the best speech in the world. Anyways, without my parents pushing me and encouraging me during every school year, I don't think I would have made the dean's list every semester, nor would I have graduated with honors. I just wouldn't have cared. They made me want to better myself, because they wanted better for me. My grandparents and extended family members were there along the way too, checking in on me and being there for me no matter what. My brother, who will eventually go to medical school, pushed me as well, though I don't think he realized it. I was never a great studier, but with my brother going to school to eventually become a doctor, I knew that he had it harder, and if he was studying every night for his tests, I could push myself to study for one lousy test. Due to finals though, he was unable to make the ceremony, and I was beyond upset. Thankfully, he was there to celebrate with me.

As for Sal - I don't think I could have made it past freshman year without him. Though he was the source of some of my stress, he was also the person that helped with my stress due to school. He was there pushing me to complete my assignments. I asked him to read my papers and assignments, and though I found out quite recently that he didn't read them from start to finish, it was good then for my piece of mind to know he had. He knew I had the potential to accomplish all that I put my mind to, and with that in the back of my head, I was able to. His love and support was just enough to put me into high gear all through college, and I just want to thank him, for everything he has given me and helped me with.

A Trip to Cambridge, MA

For the past few months I've been trying to visit Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, for Grad School. I had planned on attending the open house back in October, but got a job and was unable to take off. So I finally found a friend who wanted to take the trip with me, and we planned on going on January 3rd. Though we stumbled over setbacks [her having to pick up prescriptions, pushing our time of leaving back], we made it there around 11:30 AM. It was a 4 hour drive, and aside from the pain in my foot, it didn't feel at all like 4 hours, because well we occupied our time with tons of conversations and great country music.

When we got there we drove to the school to see where it was located, but then we drove back towards Harvard and found a park. We immediately knew we wanted to get out and explore, so we parked and began taking pictures. 

Afterwards, we continued to walk to Harvard's campus, taking pictures, and soaking in the scenery. Let me tell you, Harvard's campus is absolutely beautiful, especially on a cold winter day. Even though we were freezing, we kept walking, taking in all of our surroundings. The campus had incredibly big libraries, and not just one about three or four. Every building was just beautiful. We would've loved to go to grad school there, but unfortunately they do not have our major. 

Eventually we grew hungry and we decided to stop in Panera's because it was close to the school, and we didn't want to be late for our meeting. I know we should've tried a place that has seafood, but we were on a budget and didn't want to be late. It was pretty good, and the service there was awesome! The people were so nice and the manager was personally handing everyone their food.

We walked over to the school, a little early for our meeting. We eventually met with an advisor who was just as sweet as the employees at Panera. She gave us tons of information about the school, and the program that we would be in [Expressive Therapy]. Though the program was exactly what I was hoping it would be, having heard much about the school from my professor who attended there, the school itself did not meet my expectations. It's one building on the main street in Cambridge, and the bottom of it is filled with stores and shops. I was not a fan of walking up stairs to enter the actual school. 

After giving ourselves a tour of the school, we left with our hopes dampened. We decided to head into Boston to explore a bit, and it was well worth it, no matter how many times we got lost! I ended up finding Bunker Hill, without a GPS! We also found the North Church and tons of other buildings, including Fenway Park! I was an unofficial tour guide. Oh did I mention I actually hate driving? Surprisingly I didn't mind it that much while in Boston. 

Before we knew it it was getting dark and we were getting quite hungry. We wanted to stay outside of Boston, thinking it'd be cheaper. Little did we know, it was much harder to find a decent hotel outside of the city. After what seemed like hours of searching we finally found one. It was a Holiday Inn so we knew it was a good hotel. We ate at a small place right down the street, and had pizza. Why we ate pizza, I have no idea. I think we might've forgotten that we were in Massachusetts, and anywhere outside of Jersey & N.Y has horrible pizza. I'm sorry, but it's true. Try pizza in New Jersey, I promise you will love it! 

We settled in at the hotel soon after and then decided it was time for some research so we went into the 'Business Center' and typed away on the computers for the rest of the night. We found some other grad schools in various states, so hopefully one of them will satisfy our expectations! I am really excited to see what this year has in store, and hopefully it's grad school in a new state!

We went to bed quite early, at least for us, because we were extremely tired from running around and exploring the cities. The next morning we woke up, a little bit later than we had hoped, but early nonetheless. We made it just in time for breakfast, and then headed out. On our way home, in Connecticut, we stopped at several thrift stores, because who can skip over a great bargain! We finally made it home late in the afternoon.

The trip was pretty fun, but definitely tiring. I would explore any school with my friend again! It was a great experience to drive to a different state and explore the cities with no specific plan in mind.  

Secret Santa

In my one class, my group decided to do a Secret Santa, along with an end of the year party - filled with cupcakes, brownies, and cookies! I made homemade funfetti cupcakes, holiday style [check them out on my baking blog].

We sat around the table in the classroom and talked about the semester, gave each other advice about any problems that had come up over the semester, and just chatted about the news. It was great to relax and enjoy each other's company before finals start to kick in.

After we ate, we traded our gifts. I had the only guy in the group and ended up getting him Christmas candy & an Aluminum Yankees water bottle. My best friend ended up getting me. It was quite hysterical because she was able to hide it until the night before class - I kind of ruined it myself... but I still loved the presents that she got me.

[A scarf, cupcake bath products, and the Love Actually DVD - all in a cute penguin bag, it's like she knew I love penguins !]

I absolutely loved everything, and can't wait to watch the movie, because I have never seen it! 

I haven't done a Secret Santa since high school, and it's definitely something I'd do again! It's great for coworkers, students, and even family members! 

sweet, sweet school

I started my first day of classes today. I went 'back to school' shopping with my girls, Hayley & Alisa, yesterday. I got some great outfits. 

$69 dollars were spent at Forever 21 - I bought a Fall coat, 2 pairs of jeans (for $10 each!), and an olive colored cardigan. 

$52.00 dollars were spent at H&M - I bought a hat, a cardigan, a white t-shirt & tank top, and a black cardigan sweater.

$29.99 dollars were spent on Candie's boots from Kohl's (for half off)!

Unfortunately I couldn't wear any fall/winter clothes I had just bought, so today I wore a white t-shirt, denim shorts, and cute sandals from Mandees. I try and manage with what I have in my own closet. I usually don't buy clothes for myself, but thankfully I was able to treat myself this month. 

Aside from classes starting up again, I have been baking nonstop, and along with that I have started a baking blog. It will document all my baking adventures, including ice cream because of my brand new ice cream maker ;]

You can visit it here

I'm going down the shore this weekend with my two girls, while Sal will be camping with his friends. Lately we've been seeing a little less of each other because we are young and we need to get our futures in line. It was my idea, because I want to be able to have more fun going out with my friends. It's not like I want to be with any other guys, I just want to be able to hang out with my friends whenever and wherever. I also want to be more involved on my campus. It's tough being a commuter student [any tips would be greatly appreciated]. 

I actually just recently quit my job due to a feud with my boss about having inflexible hours [I couldn't work Tuesday nights from 5:30-7:00 PM because I have class]. Therefore, being unemployed, allows me to try and find an on campus job, which should help me get more involved. 

I'm looking forward to class this semester. 

Two paths, one life

Tomorrow is the day! Voting for my honor society ends and I believe I find out if I am going to be the secretary. I'm nervous, but I did my best... between my paragraph discussing the reasons why I should be secretary and my friends in my honor society who are voting for me.  

I will definitely let you know if I get it tomorrow! :] 

Thanks for all the support.

Anyways, I've been really considering my future career, now that I'm a sophomore in college, soon to be junior, I need to know what I want to do; therefore, I'm not wasting my time on classes that are unnecessary for my major. My choices, as I've said before, are either a psychology major with a concentration in early childhood education, to move on to become a play therapist OR become a child life specialist. I figured out if I stick with psychology, I could eventually become a child life specialist if I complete the internship hours. So, I've decided my best bet is to shadow someone in the play therapy field; therefore I am completely positive that I'm following the right path. 

[Source]

After I receive my master's, I'd need to get my degree in play therapy. The closest University that has a post-master's degree in play therapy is Monmouth, which is about an hour away from me. When I told my boyfriend he was quiet upset because although he wants to see me pursue my dreams, he wants to be with me as well. He's afraid that we'd grow apart if I lived there, or one of us would do something that would cause the other to become upset. I know that we're both in this for the long hall... but it's still scary thinking about the future. Therefore, I think I can commute the one hour ride instead, to hold on tight to our relationship.

[Source]

 I know this may sound silly because it's like 3 years away, but it's still something to think about. It's been on my mind, so I decided to write it down type it down.

Has anyone on here been in a situation close to this? Long distance relationship? Gone away to college to leave your love behind? Share your stories please. 

Finally...

This is the first time I've been able to relax all day between classes from 8:30-1:50, then super quick errands and half of lunch, and work till 6:30.  I am super tired but I feel the need to update you guys on what's been going on in my life...

I FINALLY got my books from Barnes and Noble. It took almost 10 days! Ridiculous considering I needed to be reading for class and haven't been able to do so. Thankfully the teacher was understandable. 

I'm having a pretty rough time not only balancing my five classes, but also my two part time jobs. I'm also trying to have somewhat of a social life, if that's even possible. Anyways, my point is, my classes are tough so I'm trying to focus extremely hard to keep up my high GPA. It's only the second week so we'll see how things go. Wish me luck because I will be a bookworm for the next few weeks! :]

Photo By: Tathei - Doesn't this place look so relaxing? I love it!

Here's a few tips that I hope to follow; maybe they'll be of interest of my fellow college students... Tips to Studying At Home

That website actually has great links for a college student, or anyone really. I'm actually happy I just stumbled upon it. :]

Exhausted: Synonyms- worn out, dreary, dead-tired, ready to drop

Yet, I feel as if I can just keep going like the energizer bunny. I have been so busy with class, work, cleaning, running around trying to get everything accomplished in a timely manner. Although I have all of this energy when I'm up and going, the second I hit the bed I am knocked out, as well as in the morning when I don't feel like waking up and I just want to lay there for the rest of the day, but I know I must go to class and do my daily routines. 

This week, being the first week of classes, was extremely stressful. I have classes Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday [not by choice]. It's not too terrible besides the fact that I don't have my books yet. Barnes and Noble is taking forever and they even had a problem getting two of my books, so helloooo bookstore and paying over the amount that any college student should. I mean seriously, don't overcharge on a book that I can get elsewhere for 5-20 bucks less. It's irritating. I also had to buy a ton of art supplies for my Beginners Drawing class, which should be included in the fee they charge you to take the class, but of course it's not. 

Anyways enough about me and my college annoyances.

I was recently presented with my first AWARD :D and as you can tell I was pretty excited about it. To know that my blog is actually being read and people care means a lot, more than I thought it would. While reading Alexandria's blog, like a comfy pair of jeans, I came across a blog she had posted [one I had not caught previously] presenting me with an award! I felt so honored. 

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.

2. Pass the award on to approximately 15 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great!

3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Now I'm new to this whole blogging world but I've recently found a couple of blogs [more than 15] that I think are great and have really helped me realize what blogging is all about and how each blog is extremely different. 

1. Alexandria [like a comfy pair of jeans]

2. Micaela [Dolce Vita]

3. Novelista Barista [Novelista Barista]

4. Lauren [dreams take flight]

5. Kerri [your wish cake]

6. Amy [my lala land]

7. Liz it's unbeweavable]

8. Katie [Loves of Life]

9. Belle [it's all make believe isn't it]

10. KaYris [In Unplain Sight]

11. Jennifer [I'm just a girl]

12. Christine [a lil sprinkle of sunshine]

13. Kattrina [365 Days of Happiness]

14. Joanna [A Cup of JO] 

15. Katie [Color Me Katie]

There are many others I enjoy reading, and it was difficult to just pick 15, but there they are :]

Hopefully it makes you all as happy as is has made myself.

Just a Cold Winter Night...

Winter break is ending in less than a week and I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty anxious about it, but rather bummed.

I feel as if winter break went way too fast for my liking. I thought I would be able to get a lot done but before I knew it, it was January 11th. Granted the holidays with family, as well as my birthday took up most of the time, I just thought I'd have more fun with friends. Unfortunately work took up most of my time. I have two jobs; one at Shoprite [which I hate and just keep for the benefits] and one at a daycare/preschool [which I am in love with - granted I am going to school to teach].

So I will be attending five classes for the Spring Semester. Recently I changed my major from Family and Child Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education, to Psychology with a concentration in Elementary Education. I have decided that I want to teach, as well as become a Play Therapist for children. I am intrigued and interested to study psychology so I can help children as well as teach them. So since I love reading, I intend to read books on play therapy to get me introduced to the subject. Any suggestions on books I should read?

Here's one that I was suggested to read by an actual play therapist who works at my college as a professor. Play Therapy

I'm excited to begin this new chapter in my life.

[Photo From]http://vanillachailatte.tumblr.com/