And So it Ends: Sophomore Year in Review

Well, friends, I’m leaving Sioux City today.  I apologize that I haven’t blogged since my May term started; I guess I’ve just been too busy knitting!  And by the way, I finished my first scarf, which looks wonderful!  I’m currently working on two other projects, and have several on my to-do list.  I have absolutely no complaints about this May term, and I’m glad I took it.  It was a fun time.  🙂

Anyway, I’m lying here in bed, about to spend my last night in this dorm room.  After all the packing up I’ve done the past couple days, I can’t help but look back on my sophomore year.  In pictures and blog posts, it would appear as though my year was flawless and fantastic!  But the truth is that it did have its flaws, and while there certainly were plenty of fantastic moments, there were also some moments that weren’t quite so fantastic.  I took some hard classes, overbooked myself at times, and went through difficult things that I never thought I would experience in my life.  In all honesty, it was kind of a rough year.

For a while, I had been looking for excuses and people to blame for the struggles I was having.  I called what I was going through an “early life crisis.”  I tried to legitimize my problems by telling myself that they weren’t my fault, but rather someone else’s.  But many times, there was no one to blame.  Situations happen, you know?  I just couldn’t recognize that.

I think my main downfall was that in the midst of all my issues, I forgot to shine.  You see, normally, I’m a very shiny person.  I’ve been told that I have a contagious passion for life that will make anyone smile.  But for a while this year, I let life get me down, and in all honesty, I wan’t shining.  I was sort of just…getting by.  And that wasn’t ok.

So after a much needed pep talk from one of my best friends back home, as well as several heart-to-hearts with my roommate and a couple other friends, I finally snapped out of this rut.  And thank goodness!  I’m happy to say that I’m leaving Sioux City this year a changed and happier person than I was before, and once again, I’m definitely shining.

Because if you’re not shining, are you really even living?

I wouldn’t have survived this year if it weren’t for the amazing support I had from some wonderful people who are near and dear to me.  (Here’s that bullet-pointed list, one last time.)

A Million Thanks To…

• My mom.  Mom, you’ve been on my side through everything, and you’ve never given up on me.  Thanks for all your love and support, and for being my best friend.  I can’t imagine my life without you.  I love you!
• My friends back home, who never forgot about me.
• My school’s faculty, especially Mary, Bobbi, Sheri and Randy.
• Kyra.  I love you so much, and I have no idea how I’m gonna survive without you as my roommate.  Thanks for all the pep talks, heart-to-hearts, and most importantly, the laughs.  You’ve always got a special place in my heart, twin.
• My friends on campus, especially Kelly, Amanda, Linh, Lindsey and Kelsey.  Thanks for always being there for me.
• Daniel.  I can’t even begin to thank you enough for everything you do for me.  You love me unconditionally, support me, take care of me, and make me feel like a princess.  I am so blessed to be able to say that you’re mine and I’m yours.  I love you with all my heart, and I can’t wait to see what our future together holds.
• My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because through Him, all things are possible.

And so ends another year of blogging.  Stay shiny, Sioux City.  I’ll see you in 2014.

…Spain or bust.  😉

Second Semester Soundtrack

So I’ve been done with second semester for a few days now, but the reason I haven’t really gotten around to writing this post until now is that I’m still in Sioux City!  I’m staying on campus all month for a May term.  In other words, I’m gonna spend three weeks learning how to knit.  (Hope I can make you proud, Granny!)

Anyway, on to the point of this post.  If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that every semester has its soundtrack.  Now, I’m going to number these songs, but that’s just for counting purposes.  They’re really in no particular order, other than the order that they popped into my head.  So here we go!  The soundtrack to the second semester of my sophomore year of college.  🙂

1. The Tide is High (Get the Feeling) by Atomic Kitten
   Ok, I know Atomic Kitten isn’t the original artist.  But let’s be honest, this is really the best version of the song.  It’s in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (a classic that every teenage girl and twenty-something needs to see), and it’s an awesome song to dance to when you’re getting ready in the morning.  I may have done so a few times this semester, which is why The Tide is High makes my top 5.  Also, one of the girls dancing in the music video is totally pregnant, and she’s still got killer moves.  That’s awesome.  Kudos to her!
2. My Maria by Brooks & Dunn
   My Maria is a classic (I really do use that term a lot).  It popped up on my Spotify country radio a few months ago, and I’ve had it on repeat ever since.  I loved this song when I was a little girl, and that hasn’t changed to this day.  Also, my boyfriend’s mom’s name is Maria.  So here’s to you, suegra.  🙂
3. Just Give Me a Reason by P!nk, ft. Nate Ruess
   I feel like I’ve mentioned this before, but I love P!nk.  She’s such a BAMF.  Anyway, I love it when this song is on the radio in my bathroom, and I’m always singing the chorus when I’m walking around campus with my boyfriend.  I probably drive the poor kid crazy.  But really, P!nk has a beautiful voice, and Nate Ruess (whom I had honestly never heard of before this song) complements her quite nicely.  I’m a fan.
4. Nashville Without You by Tim McGraw
   I adore Tim McGraw.  Let’s just put this out there: he’s a hottie.  He’s old enough to be my dad, but whatever.  You can’t hide attractive.  But anyway, this song really speaks to 9-year-old me, who was convinced that Nashville was the most beautiful place in the world, because it was the home of country music.  Actually, I still think it would be awesome to visit Nashville.  I love this song because it makes references to so many classic (there’s that word again!) country songs that I love.  You just can’t help but get all nostalgic when you watch the music video!  It’s great.  Just great.
5. Cups by Anna Kendrick
   If you haven’t seen Pitch Perfect, you should probably do so.  It’s an awesome movie, and that’s all I’m gonna say.  I saw it for the first time this semester, and that was a GREAT night.  The link above is a video of her singing the song on David Letterman.  You can also watch the original movie version and her music video for Cups.  Enjoy.  You’re welcome.  

So that does it!  Now would be a good time for you to think about your own soundtrack for the semester, season, or whatever period of time you count in.  You might have some fun with it.  😉

I’ll do a semester wrap-up closer to the end of my May term.  And hopefully I’ll keep you updated on my knitting endeavors!  But until then, stay shiny, Sioux City.

To P. Hutch!

Friends, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the social aspect of my college career up until now, it’s that not everyone is going to make you happy.  There will be people who will rain on your parade.  Ruin your birthday.  Steal your scholarships and steal your spotlight.  Belittle you.  Put you in a corner.  Make you want to throw things at them.

But I’m writing this post to prove that there are people out there who really are better than all that!  People who will make you laugh, inspire you and make you feel awesome.  I guess if I were at some big fancy dinner event right now, this would be my toast.  To an awesome guy named P. Hutch.

P. Hutch (aka Professor Hutchins, but that’s obviously way too long) is our music department’s low brass guy, jazz band director and brass ensemble director.  He also helps out our symphonic band by playing with us at concerts.  Yesterday, he played tuba at our concert, and we sounded awesome!  

This morning, I woke up and checked my emails.  P. Hutch had sent me two emails in a row, which made me smile.  The first email was addressed to all six of us in brass ensemble, telling us that he had his root canal this morning, and now temporarily has a smile that looks like this :-/.  That made me laugh.  The second email was just addressed to me, telling me how proud he is of our section, and of me individually.  It was the sweetest thing, and it even made me tear up a little!   A little later, I learned that I wasn’t the only one who received a nice email from P. Hutch.  He had sent them out to several members of our band.  What a class act.

P. Hutch has this theory that even if we’re not playing music for the entire rehearsal, as long as he’s cheering us up, time has not been wasted.  He says that it’s his job as our professor to make sure we don’t go and jump off a bridge or anything.  (Those were pretty much his exact words.)  I like that theory!  I always get a good laugh out of brass ensemble, because, well, P. Hutch is the best.

So here’s to you, P. Hutch!  These are my last few years of making music, and I’m so blessed that I get to spend them under your direction.  Thanks for the words of encouragement, the emphasis on long tones, and the laughs.  I tip my metaphorical hat to you.  🙂

Kansas City: Take Two

For those of you who read my blog last year, you may remember that I went on a trip to Kansas City with some other students from my Interdepartmental Honors Seminar.  This year, we were planning on going to the Black Hills for the weekend.  But at the beginning of last week, our coordinator learned that there was going to be a giant snowstorm there over the weekend.  So we quickly changed our plans…and BAM!  Another weekend in Kansas City.

We had a much smaller group this year, with only five students and two faculty chaperones.  Honestly, I thought this trip was a lot more fun than the one we took last year, mainly because we had so much more freedom this time.  And it really was eye-opening, too.  Let me tell you about it.

What I Learned in Kansas City

• Don’t judge a book by its cover.  When we arrived in Kansas City, our first stop was Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse for dinner.  I was really confused at first, because it was in some little strip thing that looked like a place back home where they sell paint.  There was no way this could be the best dining experience in KC, like we were told.  But you know what?  It was awesome!  We had a guy grilling our food right on our own table, and he even tried to fling shrimp into our mouths.  It was sweet.  I was blown away.
• Being a Royals fan is really no different than being a Twins fan.  Because you know what?  The Royals aren’t very impressive, and in all honesty, neither are the Twins.  But we love our Twins!  And our friends down in Kansas City love their Royals.  Win or lose, we’re fans till the end.
• Newest item on my bucket list: be on a kiss cam.  Preferably with my boyfriend/fiancé/husband, because it would be really awkward with anyone else.
• Expect nothing, and then let yourself be pleasantly surprised.  We went to the Steamboat Arabia Museum.  The whole museum is about a steamboat (The Arabia, obviously) that sunk in the late 1800s.  Surprisingly, it kept my attention the entire tour, and I actually learned a few things.  I had really low expectations, and the Arabia easily surpassed those.
• Middle schoolers get more annoying the older I get.  When we went to Worlds of Fun, an amusement park in KC, I realized that I was probably about six or seven years older than the average person there.  But you know what?  I felt like a granny!  I found myself thinking, “Was I this annoying when I was 13?”  I caught myself calling these pesky little snot-drippers “teeny-boppers,” so I’m also turning into my mother.  Awesome.
• In KC, you really can have your cheeseburger in paradise.  And I did, along with chocolate nachos.  I couldn’t have asked for a better “last supper” in the city of fountains.  Which reminds me…
• KC has beautiful fountains.  Especially at night.  There’s nothing more beautiful than a lit-up fountain after sunset.  

I really did have a great weekend in Kansas City.  It was nice to just get away for a few days.  No complaints.

Thanks for the fun, Kansas City!  I know I’ll see you again someday.  🙂

How I Feel About Snow…in APRIL.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the middle of April, and it’s snowing.  Now, if we were in Alaska, or maybe up at the North Pole with Coca-Cola Santa, this probably wouldn’t bother me.  But this is Sioux City, people!  Just a few days ago, I was walking around campus wearing shorts.  Now I feel like I have to break out my mittens.  This is INSANITY!!!  Just to give you an idea of how the entire campus is feeling right now, check out these bullet-pointed lists.

Things I Can’t Do When It’s Snowing

• Wear shorts (as mentioned before)
• Play foursquare
• Sidewalk chalk
• Comfortably take walks with my friends
• Beg my professors to move class outside

What I’m Doing While It’s Snowing

• Feeling grumpy
• Trying really hard not to slip and fall on the sidewalk
• Shivering
• Complaining about the snow
• Reading Facebook statuses complaining about the snow

That pretty much sums up my feelings.  I’m not full of rage or anything, but I sure am annoyed.  My last day of school is May 7th, making my summer less than a month away.  It should NOT be snowing right now.  Grrrrr.

Alright, rant over.  Love y’all.  God bless Sioux City.

 

Still Crazy [About Drake & Josh] After All These Years

My roommate and I have bonded over some pretty interesting things over the past two years.  On this list are things like…

• Pretzels
• Call Me Maybe (which was just a phase, I promise)
• A short-lived reality show on TLC called Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust
• How loud and obnoxious our freshmen neighbors are

Our most recent obsessions are, as if you hadn’t already guessed by the title of this post, Drake Bell and Josh Peck.  Now, before you write this entire post off as juvenile or childish in any way, let me just explain.  This obsession is completely legit.

Sometime around 5th or 6th grade, I discovered the wonderful magic on Nickelodeon that is Drake & Josh.  And let’s not even pretend that I’m the only one who loved this show!  Who can forget Josh walking around with half a mustache, Drake accidentally marrying a foreigner, or Megan’s Peruvian puff pepper scandal?  Not to mention the boys getting stuck in a treehouse all day, and Bruce Winchell’s cotton-candy like hair.  (There are a lot of other classic D&J moments I could mention here, but this is a blog.  Not a novel.)  Don’t even try to deny that you used to love watching Drake & Josh.

But, like all awesome TV shows, Drake & Josh eventually came to an end.  We all watched the final episode and then asked ourselves, “Now what?”  Well, as it turns out, the “now what” was actually iCarly, but that’s really not relevant here.  I mean, what was to come of our beloved Drake Bell and Josh Peck?

WELL.  Let me tell you.

After creeping on a couple certain social media sites, my roommate and I found that Drake and Josh had gone from this:

to this:

Alright, I’ll just say what we’re all thinking: “Wow!  Drake is STILL a stud! But why is his shirt off?  And why is he wet?!?!”  Well as it turns out, Drake Bell is currently on ABC’s reality show Splash, where celebrities compete in diving.  Thus, his shirt is off and he’s wet.
But Splash isn’t the only reason people have been talking about Drake Bell, lately.  He recently posted a tweet jokingly making fun of Justin Bieber, and Beliebers all over the world were having none of that!  They started sending him death threats and other forms of hate tweets.  So you know what Drake did?  He retweeted them!  Not to mention he started to post tweets about how Justin Bieber has the worst fans in the world.  (And I’d have to agree with him on that one.)  He really had a you’re-all-insane-so-why-should-I-take-you-seriously kind of attitude about the whole situation, which I thought was awesome.  I just picture him sitting on his couch, kicking his feet up, looking at all these tweets, shrugging his shoulders and taking another sip of Mocha Cola.  Because to me, Drake Bell will always be that chill 16-year-old that we all know and love.

…and then there’s Josh Peck.

Need I say more?!

I guess what I’m so impressed with about these two very handsome men is that they haven’t gone crazy like most of today’s former child stars.  They’re just two normal guys who have the same sense of humor they always did!  Sure, they’re older now, but they haven’t changed into completely different people that we don’t even recognize.  Happily, Drake and Josh will always be Drake and Josh.  And because of that, I’m still a fan.

With that, let me just leave you with this:

You’re welcome.  🙂

4 Short Years

Yesterday in my Mayan, Aztec & Incan Worlds: Past and Present class, my professor was giving a lecture about something that wasn’t extremely relevant to the class.  I’ll admit, my head was in the clouds for a little bit.  But then she started talking about this famous historical figure who did something important when he was 24 years old.  Right after she mentioned his age, she asked a question that really got me thinking.

“How old are you?”

I’m 20 years old.

Now, I honestly don’t remember who this historical figure was or what he did when he was 24, but it got me thinking, “What do I want to be doing when I’m 24?”  That’s four years from now.  But before I could think about that, I had to ask myself, “Where was I four years ago?”  

4 years ago…

• I was 16.
• I was a sophomore in high school.
• I had just recently met my sister.
• I wore a uniform to school every single day.
• I had the best Spanish teacher ever!
• I had my driver’s permit, but was nowhere close to getting my license.
• I was more single than Kraft cheese.

So then I started thinking about how I’ve changed since then.

Today…

• I’m 20.  
• I’m a sophomore in college.
• I enjoy chatting with my sister via Facebook, as she is back in Korea.
• I wear what I want to class, because I live at school.
• My Spanish professor currently has me in the doghouse.  Apparently my class participation is stifling everyone else’s creativity.
• I have my license, and thanks to my not having a car in Iowa, I never have to drive.
• I have absolutely the most wonderful boyfriend in the world.

So this is the moment of truth: where do I want to be in 4 years?

In 4 years…

• I will be 24.  
• I will have been out of college for almost two years (if all goes as planned).
• I hope to still be in touch with my sister, and maybe even visit her!  I’d love to go back to Korea someday.
• I’ll be wearing pants suits, because I’m gonna have a high class job!  
• I will no longer have to be taught by any professor.
• God willing, I will live in a city where public transportation conquers all, and I will still never have to drive.
• I will be married to the love of my life.  (As long as he gets all the hints I’m giving him.) 

4 years from now could be awesome.  But until then, I’m just gonna shine as bright as I can!

Shine on, Sioux City.

Do it like a Dude.

My entire life, I’ve had very few friends of the male persuasion.  I can probably count all my male friends from birth through high school on one hand.  Heck, I can count them on two fingers.  Now, I’m not counting classmates, neighbors and guys I was forced to be sociable with as a child because they were my brother’s friends.  I’m talking about guys who I actually enjoyed talking to and hanging out with.  Seriously, I can think of two.  

Needless to say, I’ve had a lot of female peer influences in my 20 years of life. 

When I was little, one of my favorite songs was Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun.  I was so sure that that was my anthem.  7-year-old me was convinced that there was no way boys could possibly have more fun than girls!

So 7-year-old me would be shocked to find out that 20-year-old me has learned otherwise.    Recently, I’ve been spending almost all my free time with my boyfriend and, naturally, his friends.  And you know what?  I love hanging out with those guys!  As it turns out, they don’t have cooties!  Who knew?!

You see, ladies, guys are just much more chill than we are.  They don’t create unnecessary drama about who asked who to prom and who stole whose crush.  They just watch movies and turn up their music and talk about things they like!  And you know what?  They don’t get mad at each other and start ignoring each other and make their friends choose sides!  No, girls, they don’t do that!  It’s WONDERFUL!

So it seems to me that, in reality, while girls thrive on cat fights and drama…boys just wanna have fun.  If 15-year-old me would’ve known this, I’m pretty sure high school would’ve been a lot more enjoyable.  Oh well.  Now I know.

And from now on, if I’m not in class or at work, you know where to find me.  I’ll be with my boyfriend and his buddies, doing it like a dude.

[Fun fact: Spotify played Brad Paisley’s I’m Still a Guy for me while I was writing this post.  Coincidence?  The world may never know…]

 

For the Love of the Game

Over the past week, I’ve spent a lot of time wishing I could be back home in the great state of Minnesota to celebrate the return of professional hockey.  (That’s right!  For those of you Iowans who weren’t aware, on Saturday, the NHL finally kicked off its 2013 season, with, of course, a Wild win.)  Monday through Friday, whenever I bumped into a friend or classmate on campus, I would say, “Hey!  How are you?  Oh my goodness, the NHL season starts on Saturday!  I’m so excited!  HOCKEY IS BACK!!!”  Now, remember that this is Iowa, where no one cares about hockey.  So I was pretty much on my own for the excitement factor.

My party of one continued on Saturday morning, when I woke up early (for a college student, that is) and started watching FSNorth’s coverage of Hockey Day Minnesota.  Just ask my roommate or any of my Twitter followers–I was pretty obsessive about the greatest sport on earth that morning.  I was decked out in hockey gear and loving every second of it.

Unfortunately, the only hockey I was able to watch that day was two periods of a high school game, and then I was committed to basketball pep band for the entire afternoon.  The misfortune also continued into the evening at my boyfriend’s house, when I found out that FSNorth is not one of the very few English channels that his family gets.  So alas, I didn’t get to watch the Wild season opener.  I did, however, watch quite a bit of Mexican soccer over there.  Which brings us to a very important topic…

Maybe soccer, in its own unique way, can be just as thrilling as hockey.

Herb Brooks is probably looking down on me in shame right now.  But hear me out, State of Hockey.  My boyfriend, a straight-up, genuine-as-they-come Mexican, is easily even more obsessed with soccer than I am with hockey.  Not only does he love to watch soccer, but he loves to play it, too.  Growing up in Mexico, hockey wasn’t a thought for him!  It’s just too warm down there, you know?  Let’s be honest, hockey is a Canada thing, not a south-of-America thing.  So for our southern friends who aren’t raised on the ice, their hockey is, in fact, soccer.

And you know what?  Soccer really isn’t that bad!  I was watching a game for a little bit with my boyfriend and his brother this weekend, and I couldn’t help but enjoy it.  The sun was shining, the stands were packed, and everyone in the audience was just as passionate about their teams as we Minnesotans are at our beloved hockey games.  The way the fans cheered and the teams celebrated when a goal was scored was priceless–and it brought back a very familiar feeling for me.  

So as it turns out, whether you love hockey or soccer (or cricket or cup stacking, for that matter), the passion for a favorite sport is universal.  It all comes from team spirit and an unconditional love of the game.  

And that, my friends, has been a life lesson that I never would’ve expected to learn here in Sioux City.

There’s No I in Team…Except in Mexico.

After a much needed, highly relaxing Christmas vacation, I’m back in Sioux City!  It still smells like manure down here…so I suppose it’s good to know that some things will never change.  

Anyway, I’ve been back for about a week now, and while I haven’t quite settled back into a routine yet, it seems like that’ll be happening pretty soon.  Here’s why:

• I’ve already formed study groups in two of my classes.  And trust me, they’re going to be very necessary.
• Happily, I’m still working for Telethon.  Once again, I’m working at least two nights a week.  (But since Spain is in my future, three or four nights a week would be ideal!)
• My boyfriend’s family loves me (as I love them), and so it seems like I’ll be spending many a weekend with them.
• The library is calling my name…pretty much everyday.

So that’s all happening.  And while we’re at it, here are some random thoughts I just need to get out in the open!

• I brought Jillian Michaels back from Minnesota with me, and come hell or high water, I’m gonna start working out!  Pinkie swear.
• I need to find a summer job in Sioux City.  So seriously, hit me up, employers.
• Soccer is pretty darn cool.
• There is always delicious Mexican food at my boyfriend’s house.  So if you’re looking to hire a personal chef, I can hook you up with his parents!  They’re awesome!
• There is no “I” in “team,” but unfortunately, there is an “I” in equipo, which is Spanish for “team.”  (Hence the title of this post.)
• Basketball makes for much better pep band games than football, hands down.  Amen.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now.  I’ll let you know when I officially get accepted to study in Spain next year!  Stay tuned.  🙂