Finally a Break...Sort of

I survived the semester.

As I expected, the last few weeks of school were extremely stressful, but I pushed through. I didn't do as well in my classes as I am used to, but my grades are about what I expected considering all of the circumstances. I was able to come home last Tuesday evening and relax with the family. I was very productive the next few days with shopping, wrapping gifts, reading, and working out, but I fell ill Saturday and am still trying to recover. I woke up with a fever this morning, but I am hoping to feel better soon. 

Although I am now home and I do not have classes to worry about, I am still a bit busy. All of my Christmas shopping is finished, but I still have other things I would like to accomplish. I am continuing to work on my honors project planning and I have a lot of reading to catch up on. I have also been in a great mood for baking, so feel free to stop by my house if you like funfetti cookies or mini apple pies. The great thing about break is that I am not on any type of time schedule. Though I may have things to do, it is up to me when I feel like accomplishing my tasks. 

Now that I have updated you on the boring stuff, I have some great news to share with you:

I have been invited to my first graduate school interview at MUSC!

I am very excited and cannot wait to visit the school in January. I will be missing some class, but I expected that to happen. Hopefully I make a good impression on the Admissions Committee and they think I am a good fit for their program. 

That's all I have. Merry Christmas! God bless. 

“Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

I Have a Crazy Life

If you've been following my blog you already knew that I have a crazy life. I actually forgot I even had a blog it has been so busy. I apologize to those who have been anxiously waiting for a new post (*cough*mom*cough*).

I have been spending hours upon hours in the lab working on my research project. I took my last set of data today, so all I need to finish by next week is my poster and paper. What's a few more hours, right?

I have gathered a few volunteers for my honors project, and am in the process of recruiting more. (For those who are new to the blog or don't remember what my project is, I am planning and organizing a fundraising walk for the Alzheimer's Association). I have started to assign some specific tasks to people, and my dream is starting to become a reality. I really hope I can pull this off and raise a good amount of money for the Alzheimer's Association.

Classes are almost over for the semester. Although I am super stressed, it is amazing to think I only have one semester left. I am pretty pumped about it.

All of my graduate school applications are pretty much finished, so now we wait. Hopefully I will be invited to some interviews within the next few months.

Do you know what else I am excited about? Winter break. I can't wait to relax and catch up on my reading (Alzheimer's journal...Pathology book...), and of course Christmas!

However, I hate snow.

I think that is pretty much all of the news I have. I probably won't be able to give another update until after final exams. Hope all is well with everyone! Stay warm and enjoy the season of giving!

I Should Not Be Writing This

I should not be writing this because I have a lot of work to do, but I can't really concentrate anyway and it has been a month since my last post. Therefore, I decided to give everyone a quick update. I obviously have been incredibly busy, but I will be turning in my last lab report tomorrow and my online class ends Friday. Not having to worry about that extra class will be really helpful, and instead of writing lab reports every week I will be working on my research project.

My graduate school applications have been put off because of all the crazy school work I've had to do. I just need to write my personal statement for all of the schools I am applying to. Unfortunately that is the hardest part. I hope my creative juices start to flow some time soon.

My Honors project has started to roll a bit. I now have been given permission to use the cross-country course as my "venue". I will be asking for volunteers very soon because I will definitely need a lot of help.

My back issue has gone into relapse again. I have only been doing PT lately, but it doesn't seem to be helping. However, I did just sign up for a membership at a fitness club and they will be working with me individually on a program that will hopefully help me out. Being injured is one of the most frustrating things that I have had to deal with, especially because I am so used to being active all of the time. I really hope the new program gets me back to being able to do the things I want to do.

Scheduling for next semester is coming up, and I am pretty excited about it being my last registration. Even though I have so much to accomplish before walking across the stage, it couldn't come sooner. I am definitely ready to move on.

One thing I should mention that is a little off topic is that I went home last weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday. She definitely did not see it coming. It was pretty awesome. Thanks to my dad, sister, and brother for keeping such a huge secret for over two weeks. I'm not really sure how they did it actually.

Well I really need to get back to work on this lab report! Thanks for reading!

Things Are About to Get Interesting

My first two weeks of school were packed with meetings, but my classes weren't very demanding. Now it is turning around. I don't have many things on my schedule, but I am starting to have to do a lot more work for class. I now have a lab report due every week, and I have assignments for my online class every week. I even have to write a five page paper by next week.

On top of all that, I have started my graduate school applications. Luckily, my top three people I chose to write my recommendations all agreed to being recommenders. Now I need to write a personal statement and get my transcripts sent.

I have also been working on my Honor's project a little. I have drafted a letter asking for the use of my top pick venue and am just waiting for feedback from my project adviser before I send it out.

Team conditioning has started for track. I am a little out of shape due to my injury, and I am still limited in the things I can do, but it feels good to be able to push myself.

I'm hoping I have a little more motivation to get some work done tomorrow than I do right now. Honestly, I'm a little exhausted. Looks like it is going to be an early night for me!

Thank you for reading and thanks so much to all of you supporting me. I could not reach my goals without you behind me.



“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2

One Week Down

I survived the first week of school. It was kind of annoying to have to go to so many meetings, but classes weren't too bad. I have determined that I will be able to combine the projects for two of my classes, so that is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Luckily I haven't had too much homework to worry about, so my weekend was pretty relaxing. I'm still trying to figure out what my research project is going to be though. I also need to start getting my Honors project moving. My online class is supposed to start tomorrow. I almost forgot I was taking an online class, but I don't think it should be too difficult. My workouts have been going pretty well. I'm still concerned with my back but I am taking it one day at a time. I am going home next weekend for the holiday, and may be going to the water park and zoo. It should be a good time. I don't think I have much else to add. Last week went by pretty fast, so I'm thinking this year will probably fly by. I'm ready to graduate, but am doing everything I can to enjoy my last year here. As always, thanks for reading. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my posts this year! God bless.

Back to School...Again

Well class starts tomorrow. Luckily I only have one class, but I'm still not feeling ready to begin another semester. My room in my apartment is pretty much finished. I had to find some pretty creative ways to fit all of my belongings in and organize it the way I want. Now that I'm settled and have enjoyed my weekend with some of my friends, it is time to get back to business. I have an insanely busy week ahead of me with class, work, and meetings. It is definitely going to be crazy. The GRE last week went well. I now have to ask for some recommendations and start applying to PhD programs. I also need to get started on my Honors Project soon. I don't see many outside projects getting started this week, but hopefully once I can get into some kind of groove with my schedule I'll be able to work on them. I don't really have much else to add, so as always, thanks for reading!

Summer Wrap-Up

Things have gotten a little busy as school is quickly approaching. I move in to my new apartment this Friday. I am slightly excited, but I don't think it has hit me yet. I am definitely not looking forward to having to go back to class, but I would like to get this year over with.

Work has been a great experience. I have absolutely loved working as a zip line tour guide, and am so glad I had this opportunity. I am pretty sad I only have one more day of work. I met so many different people and definitely had some challenges along the way. I got the opportunity to experience everything from little children being terrified and having to encourage them to providing a great tour experience to someone with a mental disability. This job really was a blessing. Plus, I was earning money while having fun!

Besides working and packing, I have been studying for the GRE, which I take Thursday. I will be taking a practice test today to see how close I am to my desired score. I'm trying not to worry too much about it. I may feel anxious about getting into graduate school sometimes, but then I just have to remember that God will lead me down the path that He has chosen for me and all I really need to concern myself with is honoring Him.

My brother did move in with us last week, and it has been a little different. We now have five vehicles outside the house and we have another person to share the bathroom with. It has been nice to be able to see him though.

I've got quite a few busy days ahead. I better go take that practice test. Thanks for reading!