Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Hello, Hello!

I went on a six mile run this morning with Anjelica! It was so great- I haven't run that far in quite a while!! She's such a great running buddy (not to mention FRIEND). We even finished our run in about an hour (a tiny bit longer), which was better than I was expecting! My goal is to finish the half marathon in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes, so if I keep the same pace during the race that I kept today, I'll meet that goal!!

Study time. I am determined to do well on finals!!

-clg

Monday, December 3, 2012

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings!

Today was a jam-packed one.

After classes, I went straight to my first meeting of the day, which was with my new advisor. I had to rework my schedule to fit in some new classes, because I recently changed my major (from Mass Communications to Early Childhood Education)! As it turns out, I only had to add one class to my existing schedule, so I still have THE most amazing schedule possible (my first class Monday thru Friday is as follows: 10am, 10am, 10am, 11am, 2:30pm!).

After that, I had some free time, so I decided to make the most of it and go for a run! It was an especially lovely one today, for some reason (probably because I was running more slowly than I usually do). It was sprinkling, but not all-out raining, the entire time- love that. After the run, I went to my weekly seven-minute-or-less work study meeting with the campus newspaper. I was on a roll from the great run, so after that, I decided to lift some weights and walk on the treadmill in the gym at the student center. I feel good about my workout today!

From there, I ate dinner with Katie and Margaret in the caf, and then went back to my dorm room to shower off and get dressed up for my third and final meeting of the day- Rush Round-up! You read that right- RUSH! It's beginning so very soon, and I can't wait! The purpose of this meeting was for the Panhellenic to give the "rushees" more details and information, and also for the Panhellenic to get more details and information about each of the rushees! We all filled out forms about ourselves, answering legitimate-yet-awkward questions like "Why are you rushing?", "What good qualities do you have to offer?", "What are your hobbies and interests?", and all that good stuff. My friends and I had some fun debating about what would and wouldn't be acceptable to write. Not gonna lie, everyone is a bit paranoid about making a wrong move when it comes to rush! It's like this huge game that we don't know the rules to!

Each rushee also had their picture taken- sounds simple, right? WRONG. First of all, we were required to wear only "neutral" colors- meaning, colors that do not belong to any of the social clubs. This was semi-high stress- I've never been in a situation when it's been SO crucial to discern between purple and maroon! Girls were going up and down the hallways looking for the perfect outfit, and asking everyone for second opinions on whether they were "neutral" or not. So, the getting dressed part was an experience in itself.

Then- and I certainly didn't see this coming- it looked to me like lots of girls had a whole game plan about the face they were going to make for the camera! Most girls did smile in a semi-normal way, I admit. But there were definitely a couple of girls who tried to pull a Kristen Stewart for the camera (you know-deep, serious, contemplative...) . Hmmm. That wasn't my cup of tea, so I just smiled. Hopefully that's okay?!

So many girls who are rushing give off the impression that they have done this all before and know exactly what is going down. I'll be the first to admit that I have NO idea what to expect!! No idea. I'm just along for the ride, and I'm super excited!!

Now for a bit of cleaning and homework! Life is crazy, but life is good.

-clg

Sunday, December 2, 2012

A Very Texan Weekend

Well, I have returned from that fabulous land called Texas! We (meaning my family, Tim's family, Mimi, and Mimi's dog Lucy Belle) had the most amazing, action-packed weekend.

We headed out, all packed up and packed in, on Thursday around 5:15. After stopping for dinner at a restaurant that is about five minutes away from campus, we finally hit the road (for real this time). The ride was long and dark, and I basically slept and/or talked to Tim the whole way there. It wasn't too bad, not gonna lie! We finally arrived at our rental house in Austin around 1:00 in the morning- needless to say, were super exhausted! However, nobody hit the sack until checking out the house- it was SO. RIDICULOUSLY. ADORABLE.

Like... Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Anthropologie all rolled into one glorious masterpiece.

Anyhoo. We went to sleep, and then woke up the next morning around 8:00. I was in an extra happy mood, because guess what?! It was my BIRTHDAY! Next time you ask me how old I am, my answer will be "nineteen." Yes, it's true. I'm a big kid now. The whole gang went to Papa's house for an amazing brunch feast (I'm talking kiesh, muffins, eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit...the real deal, folks)!

After that, we all went to an awesome art museum (Blanton Museum of Art at UT Austin). I LOVED the museum- I also loved the fact that when we got our tickets, each of the three kiddos were given a case with markers and a sketch pad inside! Such a clever way to keep them entertained and out of trouble!

After the museum, we headed over the the Texas Capitol. Papa has a friend who has a high position in Texas government, and he gave us a VIP tour!! It was absolutely amazing- the building is beautiful, and so historical. We also got to climb to the very tip top of the Capitol- beyond where the general public is allowed! It was such an awesome/mind-boggling experience. Papa's friend even made sure to take a picture of our whole group in multiple spots throughout the tour- he knew what kind of people he was dealing with!! We are picture obsessed- there is just no denying it. A little documentation never hurt anyone!

From there, we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and then went back to the house for a night of relaxing and movie watching. Such perfection, and such a happy birthday!!

Now, on to Saturday (yesterday). We were all up by around 9:30 am. Dad, Mr. Joe, and Christian had woken up early and headed to San Antonio for their bike race. After throwing ourselves together and eating some breakfast (I'm pretty sure the kids even managed to squeeze a swim in), we headed out to San Antonio ourselves!

We were planning on seeing them all as they finished; Dad and Mr. Joe rode about 56 miles, and Christian rode about 33. Sadly, Christian had already finished by the time we got there! Not gonna lie, I was heartbroken- this was his very first race, and we weren't even there to see him finish!! He was in good spirits, though. He did an awesome job! We did see Dad and Mr. Joe finish, and I cheered like a crazy person, which stuck out like a sore thumb at this tiny, anti-climactic finish line. But seriously, who doesn't want to be cheered for at the end of a race?!

After the race, we all went to one of the old missions in San Antonio- SO beautiful. I took lots of pictures. I couldn't believe how old, authentic, and beautiful everything was there. From there, we spent the rest of the day at the Riverwalk in San Antonio. To say that it was amazing would be a drastic understatement- I had been before, but my memories had faded. Also, all of the Christmas lights were up, and there were Christmas carolers floating through the city! Total magic. We ate, saw the Alamo (I had seen it before, but it's always awesome to go. It was fun seeing Tim see it for the first time; he's a major history buff, so he was in his element), and took a boat tour at the Riverwalk!

After we got back to the house last night, we ordered pizza for a late dinner and went for a late night swim! The pool in the backyard was heated- not that it needed to be, because it literally felt like summer in Texas this weekend! I couldn't believe it- you know something's up when you are wearing shorts and looking at Christmas lights at the same time! Anyway, it was such a lovely time. After that, Tim and I watched a movie. Well, part of one at least. I left early to go to bed! I was a very sleepy girl after such a full day, not to mention that it was 1:00 in the morning!

Today, we woke up, packed up, and headed home. Might I add that we ate and the MOST amazing gluten-free restaurant that I have ever experienced?! French toast, waffles, pancakes, bread, bagels, fried chicken...they had it all- GLUTEN FREE! Not to mention that the restaurant itself was totally awesome- it was quite hipster if I do say so myself. (Company Cafe in Dallas- just in case you plan on stopping by).

Now, here I am! Back in my dorm room. It's always great to be back and see my sweet friends. I feel very blessed.

-clg