Oh hey!

I'm the worst! I have been so so so so busy that I haven't had time to sit down and write a blog post. I really miss it, and I really miss whoever still comes to visit here from time to time. When I don't even have time to put together a quote of the week, that's when you know I have zero free time. Until today! Saturday mornings are my absolute favorite time, especially on pretty October days when I can open my window and a nice refreshing breeze comes in.

Fall is my favorite season. I wish it was longer. It's even nicer because I get to be in New Jersey this year for autumn and it is so beautiful, and you can go to the farms and get apple cider and cider donuts and pumpkins and take your picture by cheesy things (see above.) That picture was taken two years ago, when I still had blonde hair.

So what's been going on in my life? Tons of midterms, lots of time spent at the internship (I've starting seeing my first clients!) and I've also been commuting into NYC to go to my classes a couple days a week. I took this picture of Washington Square Park with my phone yesterday:

Not bad at all for a phone, huh? Those darn droids. I spend a lot of time here between classes.

I also had my 23rd birthday last sunday! Because I took all last weekend to celebrate, I am seriously behind on reading and homework, but it was very worth it. I ate delicious food and laughed with my friends and my family all weekend. That'll be a different post, I think, with more pictures, but my sister put up a little post on her blog about what we ate that day.

This is my birthday cake, artfully decorated my Melina. It's vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and bananas in the middle.

I hope you are all doing well! I will try to catch up on my quotes of the week. I really love making them.

Hi!

I'm alive. I'm surviving the week. I'm doing well.
The first week is always the hardest. I've been waking up at 6:15 for my internship, staying there till 4, and coming home and reading. And by the time I am done with dinner I am ready for bed. I must tell you, it's been a challenge to stay up as late as I have, and I haven't stayed up past like, 9:45 all week. I thought I was an old lady before, but now I really am. I think I have a good excuse though. The good news is, I love my internship! And classes are going well. (Thursdays and Fridays I have all of my classes because they require us to have 3 full days a week of our internship). Its a demanding schedule, but I think it will be well worth it! It's only for two years, right?

September

So August kinda flew by, huh?

It was a very difficult month for me, so my apologies for not posting, like, at all, the past couple of weeks. I just haven't had the mental capacity to think about ideas for posts besides my quotes of the week.
I'd say things are about to get better, but...
it's about to get really crazy around here.

Tomorrow is my first day of classes.
Monday is my first day of field placement.
I am SO excited, but so much so that I haven't been sleeping well (hence the difficult month I've had).
My life is about to completely change and I think my body is reacting in the only way it knows it will truly get to me.
The good thing about it is that its forcing me to take much better care of myself than usual.
I am sure that once the scary first days are over and I settle into a routine that I will be feeling much better. But then I am not sure I will have much time for posting. Or you never know, I might post more, because this blog has proved to be an excellent procrastination tool.

I had orientation last week, and I learned a lot about the program and I think it's going to be really great. I definitely made the right choice by picking NYU. It's in my favorite part of the city, and I am so happy I can actually go there. Walking around, it occurred to me, that even though I am going to be so busy, I am going to have a great time. And my placement is only ten minutes from home, which is more than I can say for a lot of the other students I met at orientation!
So even though I have to travel to the city two days a week for classes, at least the other three I only have a quick drive.
I'm a lucky girl.

Anyway, right now I should actually be doing homework (eeeek!) so I just wanted to drop in and tell you what's going on.
Or I guess to tell you I don't really know what's going on?

Last Hurrah

Day at the beach- Check.
Night on the town- Check.
Day by the pool- Check.
Buying a new lunchbox- Check.
Night with the Food Network and You've Got Mail- Check.
12 hours of sleep- Check.
An entire Sunday to relax/read/eat/cook/clean? Check.

Grad School on Wednesday.
On the verge of some big changes.

Learning to Relax

The journey to relaxation is a difficult one. I have come to learn that I am not good at relaxing. This can actually be a blessing in disguise. But once in a while, when I have a little too much time, when I have a short list of obligations, I actually start to go a little crazy. Sometimes I daydream about living on an island somewhere, or in the mountains, just spending days left to my own devices- spending time creating, reading, cooking, relaxing. I think how nice that would be.

But then I realize that I would quickly go insane. I need assignments, I need obligations, I need to be needed. I need to have chores, errands, homework, conflicts. Or else I can get cranky. Sure, I can spend a few days just reading what I want to read, sleeping in, being lazy, doing inconsequential things. But as I'm doing these things, there's always a little part of me that's worried about what I am going to do next. God forbid I run out of things to do!

At this point in the summer I'm in limbo. I've had a great summer and I've kept myself relatively busy most of the time with fun things and some work. But now I'm only a couple of weeks away from school and I'm anticipating a time that I am going to be so busy, and life is going to change as I know it now. I'm looking forward to it. But at the same time, I'm looking forward to it, and in the meantime I am a little panicked about the lack of activity in my life at present. It's just a tiny lull, but my mind is humming with activity, a little nervousness, and a lot of excitement. This combination can be a little bit crappy.

It's okay though. I am coming to grips with the fact that I will have tons to do in a few weeks, but there's not much I can really do about it right now. In the meantime, I am doing what I can to burn off my excess energy- working out, and reading A LOT, and generally keeping busy in the silly little ways that I can. I am trying to enjoy it, because I know I'll be missing it soon enough.

Big Girl Work Clothes

I am starting an internship AND graduate school in September. Now, I've had jobs and school before, but I think the time has come that I should really present myself as an adult, more than before at least. That being said, I've been trying to find places where I can get reasonably priced, professional (yet youthful) and fashionable attire. So far I have come across Boden. Right now I love jcrew, but let's be real, I can't afford an entire wardrobe from there. And I feel guilty buying something there that I can get for a cheaper price somewhere else. So help?

Keep in mind that I'm going to social work school, and I am interning under the school social worker at an elementary school. I can't be wearing anything too flashy.

NYU

I have decided to go to NYU in the fall!
It's been quite the journey, figuring out what I want to do after I graduate, what schools I'm applying to, and then finding out who would even accept me! These past four years have been quite the adventure, and it took me so long to find my way in a world full of so many choices. But right now I am feeling absolutely fantastic about where my life has taken me. I'm just happy that I feel like all of my hard work at BU has paid off. I feel like everything I went through was worth it. So, in the fall, you can find me in the West Village.

Yay!

ps. Those are pictures I took last summer in Washington Square and from the roof of my sister's apartment building.

Grad School Update!

Hello my loves!

It is April 7th, and I have less than a month of college left!

I've FINALLY heard back from all of the grad schools I applied to (minus one that was my last choice anyway), so it looks like I'm deciding between Fordham Graduate School of Social Service and New York University Silver School of Social Work.

Both of these schools are great choices, and in great places in New York City, and both relatively easy to commute to when I live at home for a bit.

I have only a few weeks to decide, but I will let you know what I come up with!

(photo via igotosleeptodream.tumblr.com)

Guess What??

I got into my first graduate school today!

Fordham Graduate School of Social Service.

It's in Lincoln Center, NYC.

Looks like things are really happening!

1 down, 4 to go!

It's Been Done

So, they're all in.

All 5 grad school applications.

And now all I can do is wait the 4-6 weeks for the results.

I'm so nervous! Wish me luck :)

I hope by the beginning of March I will be jumping for joy!

The Countdown...

Well, its almost time to go back to school for my LAST SEMESTER AT BU!

I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to finish my undergrad and move onto bigger and better things. Though I have learned so much from my experience there, it hasn't been the easiest time in my life. Good or bad, I've learned a lot, and at this point I think I've learned the bulk of what I am going to. I could be wrong. but, now that I am 100% sure of what I want to do after BU, I am just excited to get to it!

Yesterday, I went to an information session at Columbia University School of Social Work.

Going there, hearing about the program, asking questions... after it all I felt this overwhelming sense of relief. I thought to myself, "I am making the right decision."

Finally, some direction! Even if I don't get into Columbia, just knowing what path I want to pursue and being so positive about it... it feels amazing.

It's weird, on the inside I feel like I am done with undergrad. I keep forgetting that I have 16 more credits to fulfill before I can even be considered for grad school. So in the few days I have left before heading back to Boston, I have so much left to do:

1. Finish my applications. I have already submit my applications to NYU, Sarah Lawrence, and Fordham. I have to finish my Columbia application, which is a little more specialized, and also complete my application for CUNY Hunter.

2. Clean out my room. I am getting it repainted and refurnished for when I move back home. New start, new room, new productivity. Right now, as you've seen in previous posts, my room is a dark teal color. I am going to paint it a light yellow color.

3. Pack my things. I feel like this break went way too fast, so I am totally not in the mindset of gathering my belongings, saying my goodbyes, and driving back up to school. This break, this past semester, these past few years, they have really flown by.

I know that a lot of people say, "People never change."

Though people may never change, they certainly do learn, and I have learned so much. Mostly about myself and the world and how life really works. Though I haven't been completely thrilled with my experience at BU, I am afraid to think about what things I wouldn't have learned if I had chosen a different school, made different choices, etc. Weird to think about, isn't it?

(photo via tumblr.com)

Christmas is over :(

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Santa brought me a cold, so I've spent a lot of time relaxing and watching movies. I guess it's better to be sick now then at a time where I don't have time to rest and need to get lots done. Besides the fact that I have the sniffles, Christmas was really nice this year. No drama, lots and lots of good food, and some excellent presents. It's really just so amazing to have time to relax for once! I am also getting very excited to graduate and start making plans for the future! While I am home I am going to start re-doing my room (ex. picking paint colors, getting new furniture, etc.) for when I move back in. I don't know how long I will be moving back in for but I figure it's about time, and my parents will have an easier time selling the house once my room isn't a bright teal color anymore.

Now that Christmas is over, I have a lot to get done before returning to school! For example, I HAVE to finish my grad school apps. There are also a few people that I want to get together and catch up with. And also I want to make a lot of progress on my room! I am really excited for the new year, because I always consider it to be a fresh start. This year, I'm really going to pay attention. It's amazing to see the sort of things that can happen in one year's time. 2009 was not really the best year in a lot of ways, but one thing it has awarded me is a better knowledge of myself. I really think I am starting to know who I am, and what direction I am headed in more than ever before. I know there is a lot I have to learn, but I am getting a better idea of what I want out of life.

The pretty winter sun!

Me with the cam

My dad with our dog, Mickey

My cousin Dan and his wife, Kim, with my Grandpa Jim

me and my family by the tree in Rockefeller Center

My pup, Janey, in the kitchen

Our tree

Monday Evening Stress

This time of the year is always so crazy.
I am going to be nonstop writing English papers until December 19th, my last day of finals for the semester, along with various other assignments.
And I just finished midterms last week.
The work is seriously never-ending, and I'm dying for Christmas break, but I am trying to make the best of things. It helps to have something like Christmas break to look forward to, even though this year I'll be spending a good part of it finishing up my applications for grad school.
It's so nerve-wracking not knowing what my future holds. Being in Boston has been my life for the past 4 years, and those 4 years have flown by faster than you can even imagine.

Though I don't have a solid thesis for this post like I usually do, I still felt the need to write.
Tonight I traded in my usual Gossip Girl time slot for Intervention, probably in light of all the social work applications I've been working on the past couple weeks. I am really excited for that and I hope at least one school will accept me. I'm pretty nervous though, and I am so excited to move back to the tri-state area, eventually NYC, and of course eventually California.
I have not given up on that yet, and I don't think I ever will. It's been a dream of mine for at least ten years now, I think about how much I love it there every day. It's been too long since I've visited, I should probably make a trip soon, so I don't forget how much I love it. I think part of the reason I am such a big fan of Jack's Mannequin's "Everything in Transit" is because it has such a California vibe to it, but in a different way than I've ever felt it.

Sorry for rambling. My brain kinda feels like jello right now.

also, I've been listening to soooo much music lately its ridiculous, and I'm loving every minute of it. I'll have to do an entirely separate music post for you guys sometime this week.