After a killer-whale of a week last week, it’s finally time to call it quits. There are only a few more tests to take, a lot of packing to do, and then I’m off and running back to Westminster for the summer. The feeling is definitely bittersweet; I’m very sad to be leaving my friends (many of whom I won’t be able to see for three months because they live out-of-state), but I’m so relived to be headed for freedom, like Free Willy (in photo). Let’s face it: I miss my pets, my family, and I can’t wait for the summer opportunities I have this year! Here are the things I’m looking the most forwards to this summer break:

1)      Working—Okay, I know this is a lame #1, but I love my summer job! I’m a lifeguard/swim-instructor/water aerobics instructor at an outdoor pool in my neighborhood. It’s hard work, but the people I work with are great and I love getting my tan on (with SPF 50, of course!)

2)      Volunteering—Again, seems like a chore. But this summer I’m trying to volunteer at Boulder Community Hospital in the Occupational Therapy department—I can’t wait to see more OT’s in action.

3)      Watermelon—I could probably eat an entire watermelon in a day all by myself. ‘Nuff said.

4)      Reading (for fun!)—All winter I’ve been building a summer reading list so I can finally read for enjoyment again. Who knows, maybe I’ll even join a summer reading program at the library near my house and try to win cool stuff!

5)      Water World—Do I really even need to explain this one?

6)      Relaxing—While I plan to keep plenty busy over the summer, it’ll be so relaxing to know that I don’t have to worry about any schoolwork. My brain needs a vacation, too!

7)      Beach trip—My family is going on a beach vacation sometime in July and—being the landlocked beach bum I am—I can’t wait to lay around and do some boogie-boarding in the ocean.

8)      My pets—I can’t wait to play with my dog and cat all summer long, I miss them so much during the school year that I ask my roommates if we can get a puppy or kitty all the time (even though our apartment doesn’t allow pets). I miss my cuddle buddies!

9)      Blogging—I know you’re all as excited as I am when I say this: I will still be blogging over the summer! *And the crowd goes wild!*

So there it is: my list of summer excitement. It’s kind of the only thing that got me through finals…

Question of the Day:

What are you most excited about doing this summer?

My summer between high school and college was spent working, dancing, and spending some time with my friends. I was both scared and excited for the big changes I was about to face, and I enjoyed buying tons of cute dorm room stuff with my less-enthused parents!

We finally made it! T.G.I.-freakin-F. Boy does time fly when you’re stressing out about school and hoping your misery will end. With just two finals on my radar, I am feeling absolutely, positively amazing right now. But as excited as I am for the semester to be over, that means that I don’t get to write to and interact with you all as much. *TearDrops* But the bright side is, the bloggers and I will still be writing at least one blog a week over the summer, so it’s not like it’s goodbye, goodbye; more like see you later alligator.

Summer Plans

Well, one would think that summer means no responsibilities, vacations, laziness, and maybe a few classes if motivated enough. That’s not the case for me. I’ve clearly proven that I like to stay busy and that I thrive when doing multiple things, so it should come as no surprise when I say that I’ll be working and volunteering over the summer.

I’ll be doing 32 hours at my Admissions job, which is a lot more than I have ever done. So if any of you prospective students would like to stop by and say hello, I would be tickled by the gesture. We always encourage people to visit campus. I will also be working 10 hours for my new marketing job in Colab. It should be a nice ease into the position before things get busier and I pick up more hours in the fall. And lastly I’ll be volunteering for Campus Corps a bit more as well. I’m still not sure how that’s going to fit into my schedule at this point, but I’ll find a place somewhere.

Later

I wanted to send you off with an official farewell. When I think of goodbye, I think of “So Long, Farewell” from the Sound of Music for some reason. I looked up that video on YouTube and the only video was really bad quality. So then I remembered that Kia used the song for one of its commercials, and I believe it works perfectly if you ask me.

What are your summer plans, and what do you look forward to for next school year? We would love to hear what’s up with you, so let us know on Facebook and Twitter. With that peeps, so long and farewell. Or till next week that is. ;P

Today’s Song: “Seven Deadly Sins” by Flogging Molly

Finals, as you may have noticed from these recent posts of ours, are a very stressful time for us college students. Some people turn their stress into something productive. Others don’t. But what I’ve found to be the best cure at the end of the day is comfort food.

Learn to make it

Even if it’s just Easy Mac. For me, it’s my dad’s pancakes. He makes the best pancakes in the world. I can make them (they’re never perfect but they’re pretty close), and I did so last night. Now, I won’t tell you the recipe, because well, it’s a family secret. But what is your comfort food?

Even if you’re in the dorms, there are kitchens or you can make friends with someone who lives off campus. Comfort food doesn’t just help with stress, it helps with homesickness. Now, to all those health nuts out there, I’m not telling you to eat your feelings, but every once in a while, comfort food is the best cure.

On to another subject

The time left in the semester is very little, and I’m not one to be working during finals. But don’t worry; I will once again be back next year, along with blogging and on Facebook during the summer.

Until sometime next week readers (haven’t figured out the schedule yet).

As my wonderful faithful readers know, I am proud to be a vegetarian (I just hit the 2-year mark back in March, yay me!). And let me tell you, I love my herbivore habits—even though this picture is sometimes what I feel like:

So I was ecstatic to find an ad in the Collegian a couple of weeks ago for “VegFest,” an event put on by a CSU student-run organization called ROAR (Rams Organizing for Animal Rights). Here is their Facebook page if you are interested in learning more about ROAR at CSU. VegFest was an intimate gathering of animal lovers and students interested in learning about Veganism—ROAR members served samples of a variety of Vegan foods from local vendors for free (it turned out to be an entire plate of awesome-ness), including Vegan burger patties, Tofurky sliced deli-meat (meatless, duh), Vegan panang curry, and Oreos, to name a few. I don’t have a photo of my plate to share with you because I am a piggy and ate most of the food before I thought about photographing the amazing moment. I am so sorry for my selfishness! To make up for it, here’s a photo from the event (taken from ROAR’s Facebook page, thank you!):

There were also four speakers at the VegFest picnic, talking about animal rights and Veganism in general. I couldn’t stay to listen to the speakers for very long, because I had a lot of studying to do, but it was really interesting listening to a different point of view than my own. For those who aren’t aware of the different “Classifications of the Herbivores,” let me enlighten you:

1)      Vegetarians: these people (me!) choose not to eat meat, but often eat other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

2)      Vegans: these people choose not to eat any animal products, including meat, dairy, or eggs.

Okay, okay. So the “Classifications” aren’t so black and white, there are tons of shades of gray in between. There are some Vegetarians who don’t eat meat but still eat seafood and shellfish, some Vegetarians choose to eat eggs and dairy products, and there are some who don’t eat any animal products at all! I personally don’t eat meat, but I still eat eggs and all dairy products (how could I possible give up ice cream or cheese?!) and oddly, I still eat canned tunafish (like on a sandwich). My motto is: eat what you like, like what you eat. It drives me crazy when I hear people say, “I’m a Vegetarian, but I really miss the seafood.” If you miss it, eat it! There are really no strict rules, just self-made choices.

P.S. To change the blog-o-sphere up a little bit, I’m ceasing the “Witticism’s” and adding a Question of the Day in every blog post.

Question of the Day:

Would you ever try Vegan food?

I can now say that I’ve tried an assortment of Vegan food, and it’s pretty darn good! I would definitely miss ice cream though…

Wow! Is it seriously Wednesday already? Oh my, how time is really soaring these days; which is perfectly fine with me of course. I can just feel the anticipation for the end of the semester just swirling around inside of almost everyone I come across. This spring semester has been an interesting one. The first half went by in a flash, and this second half did as well, but it most certainly dragged as we all counted down the days.

Cup Half Empty, In a Good Way

While it appears that my peers have cups that are absolutely overflowing with responsibilities and tasks, my cup is comfortably sitting at half empty. Today I have a final, which will only be 25 questions and is anticipated to be crazy easy. And that’s not overconfidence talking; it’s literally going to be that easy. Then I have a portfolio for my internship due next week, and I all I need to do is finish my hours for the semester, have my time log signed by my site supervisor, and then I’m done with all of it. Yesterday we got our final for my adolescent development class: 3-5 pages, 5 sources (not including course material), a very manageable prompt, and due next Thursday. I got this. And finally, I have a final next Wednesday for infant and childhood development class. Just a matter of studying and I should dominate. I must say, thank God for such an amazing conclusion to my semester.

Just one more blog this week and I switch to summer blogging friends. So be sure and stop by here again on Friday for an official au revoir. Till then, I’ll catch you in a couple of days.