#projectSMASH and Other Resolutions

Ohhh, the end of the year and a new beginning. That means it's time for resolutions that may or may not last until MLK Jr. Day. This past year, I did myself a favor and didn't set any resolutions for myself. To quote myself from my previous blog (whose last post was made on January 1st of this year):

"I'm not making any resolutions this year. I just want to see what the year brings, and grow from it."

The year brought a lot, and I did grow a lot - more than I could have expected! But this year, I want to give myself a little challenge. (Like I need more challenges outside pursuing my Master's... x_x) I want to try and journal every day in 2014. I went to Michael's while Christmas shopping and bought myself a SMASH book, and thought up this little challenge of mine and named it #projectSMASH. I explain it more thoroughly in this video, if you're curious!

I also really want to record more daily vlogs throughout the year! I love looking back at old videos and I would really love to have some everyday memories recorded to look back on. I may or may not have already started on this resolution... #excited. I probably won't post every single vlog here on fiveleveninety (though I may post some), so make sure you subscribe to my channel to get updates!
Those are my two major goals for 2014. I don't want to over-resolve (ha) so I think those two work just fine for me for this year!

What are your goals for the new year?

I hope everyone has a *fabulous* New Year's! 

I'll see you all in 2014! :)

Most Memorable Moments of 2013

Believe it or not, we're in the final days of 2013! Can you believe how quickly this year has flashed by?

As a blogger, I'm a huge fan of reflecting. It's just what we bloggers do. So as the year draws to a close, I'd like to share with you some of the most memorable moments of this past year, month by month. I say most memorable moments instead of favorite moments, as not all of these are memories that I'll look back and smile upon (see April, for example), but definitely ones that will not soon be forgotten.

Also, since this little blog of mine has only been alive and kickin' since March, you readers out there will get two months of never-before-read stories! Hooray! :)

So, without further adieu, here are the Most Memorable Moments of 2013!

Happy

I just returned home after a week long visit to my parents' for the holidays. It was wonderful seeing my family and spending time with them! I was way too spoiled and am ridiculously lucky for having amazingly generous gift givers in my life. Seriously, I was blown away. I can never express how thankful I am for everything I received! But most of all, it was refreshing to spend time with family who I rarely get to see during the school year. With my sister a few thousand miles away from New England, it's even rarer that all 4 of us together at the same time, so this Christmas was extra special!

Though it is nice spending time with family and friends that live in the area, it can be a bit exhausting to catch up with everyone, so it's nice to be home. It's strange calling my apartment home instead of the home I grew up in, but I suppose there comes a time in everyone's life when that transition happens. It's not that I don't feel at home at my parents' because I absolutely do and love spending time there, but as I sit on my bed typing this post and listening to Brett play the new XBOX game I got him for Christmas, I just feel happy. I feel like that's when you know you are home. When nothing special is going on, and you're happy for no reason in particular. You just know that's where you're supposed to be. :)

{source}

I received my grades back from my first semester of grad school!

Student Development Theory: A
Theories & Techniques in Student Affairs: A
Research & Evaluation: A-
GPA: 3.9

Hooray! All that stress and busting my butt has paid off. Now onto semester 2...

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday, and for those that are in school, 

I hope you got awesome grades for the semester!

Season's Greetings!

(Our 2013 Christmas card. Obviously.)

Hope you all have a great Christmas!

love, fiveleveninety <3

LudaChristmas 2013!

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody! I hope everyone's having a nice holiday, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you're having a fabulous week! I thought I'd celebrate the 24th by sharing some pictures from the Christmas party Brett and I threw on Friday! (Endearingly called LudaChristmas, because of my 30 Rock obsession.)

With the end of my first semester of grad school approaching and our perfectly sized living space, we thought it would be awesome to invite our friends over for a Friendsmas of sorts. Thus, the first annual LudaChristmas was scheduled, ugly sweaters were purchased, and delicious snacks were cooked to share with our bestest of buds. We listened to holiday themed music, played holiday themed games, and had an all-together holiday themed good time!

Two of my very favorite guys :)

Jimmy & Kristen!

 

Jimmy & Tywan getting silly

Ah, yes. The elusive Daniel Bryan photo. The story of this pic takes us back to October when Nick, Louie and I all ran the Hartford Marathon. Almost at every photographer the three of us ran by as a group, we pulled this pose. All of us were excited to receive that photo back from the photography company, as we all planned to buy it, print it, and frame it. Lo and behold, when the race photos were released, this one didn't make the cut. *le sigh* That race just never fails to disappoint. Oh well, at least we have the photo now, right? :P

Can't have a party without a little dance party action, right?

It was a spectacular night, and I hope to turn LudaChristmas into a yearly holiday tradition! :)

Causeway Street

There's a property in Brett's hometown that opens its gates to the public during the holidays and puts on a pretty extravagant light display for anyone who cares to see. All that is asked in return is to donate to the Salvation Army, whose volunteers waited patiently with their bright red buckets at the midpoint as you drive through. Brett took me on a bit of a holi-date last week to see the lights, and I was so thrilled to see the display that he had tried to explain to me in the days leading up to our visit!

Brett helped with the photography!

I love that Brett has been showing me a bunch of his usual holiday traditions. He grew up close to where we currently live, and it's nice that he has some knowledge of fun things to do this time of year! :)

What are some traditions you have during the holidays? 

25%

As of the publication of this blog post, I am officially 25% done with grad school! 

(Barring that I failed all of my finals. That would be awkward... >_>)

Yes, as of 6:40pm this evening, I am done with my first semester of grad school. I don't know how I survived, buuuut I did. Somehow. And aside from all of the migraines and stress it caused, it really wasn't all that bad! I'm happy with my decision to get into this program. I feel like I'm learning so much and am totally on the right path, even though most of the time I feel like this.

As much as I love my #SAgrad life, I'm beyond thrilled to have a bit of vacation (despite one of my professors already assigning one of my spring classes to read an entire textbook over break... -_-). I'm celebrating this evening by going to see Brett play some indoor 8 vs. 8 football and having a celebratory drink! (Yes, there's a bar at the field.) 

We're also having a wonderfully tacky Christmas party this Friday and ICAN'TFREAKINGWAIT. Ugly sweaters, egg nog, Christmas music, and pretty much all of our friends in one place. Yes, please. I'm so stoked. Such an incredible way to kick off winter break! Here's a little preview of my tacky sweater:

I rocked it during the Happy Holidays Half Merrython earlier in the month!

I'm sure I'll be posting shortly after our get together with everyone's horrible holiday get-ups! 

I hope everyone's enjoying their holiday season so far! :)

The Santa Workout Plan

Looking for a little exercise motivation this holiday season? If you're anything like me, you don't want to move from under your blankets when the weather outside is frightful! Try this festive work out to boost your Christmas spirit and burn all those extra calories from yummy holiday treats! :) (And the best part? You can do this from the comfort of your own home!)

Friday Five {#7}: Dream Vacation Edition

With the temps creeping down to their season lows and a nor'easter plotting to snow everyone in this weekend in the northeast, I find myself dreaming more and more of warm weather vacation spots. I thought I'd warm things up by turning this edition of the Friday Five into an opportunity to share with you where I'd LOVE to be this weekend instead of trudging around in boots and a jacket that makes me look like a giant penguin.

1. Orlando, Florida

Mouse ears and Butter Beers have been at the forefront of my mind lately. Maybe it's all of the end-of-semester stress that's making me regress a little bit, but all I want to do is go to play with Mickey and Minnie and dress up like a princess at Disney World, visit Olivander's Wands at Harry Potter World, and maybe even stop in for a drink at Moe's at Springfield, USA. If I could escape from grown up life, if just for a moment, I'd want to hide out in Orlando!

2. Bora Bora

Smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is this little island paradise. Just thinking about lounging on a floatie with a book and the sun during the day and spending sleepy evenings in a little hut while listening to the waves lap below me is enough to book my ticket right now! If only I had a few thousand dollars laying around...

3. Xcaret Park - Mexico

Xcared Park is an all-natural water park just north of Cancun. You can swim with dolphins, stingrays, and sharks, snorkel and scuba dive, and there's even a zoo, aquarium, and butterfly pavillion! A perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. Sign me up, please!

4. Giraffe Manor - Nairobi, Kenya

Yes, this is a real place. This hotel is famous for being surrounded by a friendly heard of giraffes! They'll come right up to your window and will eat a tasty treat right out of your hands. How cool would it be just to go for a walk and have a pack of giraffes casually stroll by?

5. Swimming with elephants in Thailand

If you know me at all, you know I love elephants! A group of students I work with at BSU is going on a trip to Thailand over break, and they get to ride an elephant twice. TWICE. I'm so jealous. If I could be in warm Thailand just hanging out with a bunch of elephants, I'd probably be the happiest human on planet earth.

Where are your dream vacation destinations?

Lately...

Hello friends! I know it's been awhile since I've given any sort of life update, so I thought I'd drop in and tell ya what I've been up to lately!

I spent Turkey Day with Brett's family! I mentioned a bit ago that I wouldn't be spending Thanksgiving with my own family, due to having extremely  busy lives and traveling far being a bit inconvenient because of that. Brett and his family gladly opened their doors to me and I spent a lovely day with them (rudely interrupted by a migraine -_-). Brett showed me the local Thanksgiving Eve tradition, we attended the Millis/Medway Thanksgiving Day football game, and I even got to try some deep friend turkey for the first time! :D Overall a really great experience, and I'm very grateful that they took me in for the holiday!

Brett and I braved the crazies and went Black Friday shopping! Being a retail veteran myself, I am not a fan of Black Friday starting at 6pm on Thanksgiving, as it prevents those who are working from spending time with their loved ones for the holiday. We waited like good customers until 1AM to get into Target for our brand new Nintendo 3DSXL's and Pokemon X & Y. It actually wasn't a terrible experience, either! We grabbed 2 DSs 2 games, paid, and were out the door in 10 minutes. Success!

I ran a half marathon and rocked an ugly sweater through the whole thing! Sunday was the Happy Holidays Half Merrython out in Gloucester, MA. Louie and I signed up right after completing Hartford, then promptly completely forgot to train. Well, I wouldn't say forgot, but life sort of picked up and I prioritized actually spending time on my homework over training. Pretty reasonable trade off, right? APPARENTLY NOT. My body was really mad at me, to say the least. Up until about mile 10 I felt generally good (which is still pretty decent!) but after that it was very difficult to finish the race. I know I made the right choice of prioritizing my school work, but I think I'm going to double check my schedule before signing up for a long distance race next time! Regardless, I had a wonderful time seeing my parents and Louie, so it all worked out in the end! (And I finished! YAY ACCOMPLISHING GOALS!)

What have you all been up to lately?

Favorite Holiday Things!

Brett and I have been really into this whole holiday thing this year. We've been decorating, singing (or at least trying to sing) Christmas carols, and playing into all the cheesy holiday traditions. I don't think I've ever been this excited about the holiday season in my entire adult life! It's great feeling this way, though. When you first start living on your own or with other people that aren't family, you get to create your own holiday traditions to practice each year! Because I'm feeling so festive, I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday things!

1. Lights!

Who doesn't love when the streets light up with twinkly lights? Everything just looks so much more magical this time of year. Because I'm usually hunkered down inside working as of late, we hung up hundreds of lights inside our apartment this year, so we can still feel the magic even when we're forced to stay home!

2. Tacky Holiday Sweaters

To be honest, I've never participated in any sort of tacky/ugly sweater event during the holiday season, but I've ALWAYS wanted to. This year I made it a point to have several occasions to wear some sort of hilariously horrible holiday sweater - the Happy Holidays Half MerryThon on Sunday, myoffice's holiday celebration next week, and LudaChristmas (the Christmas party that Brett and I are hosting. Yes, we stole the name from 30 Rock)! I picked out a nice kelly green sweater yesterday and I am SO PUMPED to wear it!

3. Egg Nog & Other Holiday Goodies

Of course, one of the best (if not the best) part of the holiday season is all of the delicious treats that come along with it! We bought our first carton of egg nog last night and practically chugged the whole thing - YUM. I have no shame when it comes to eating during this time of year. You're just adding to your winter coat! (And it helps that I continue to work out during the holiday season - it's all the more excuse to eat like a pig!) ;)

4. Holiday Movies

Nothing beats cozying under a warm blanket with a mug of hot cocoa and your favorite Christmas flick on the TV! My personal favorites are Elf, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (video above). What are yours?

5. Get Togethers with Family, Friends, and Co-Workers

Sometimes I wonder how often I would get together with all of my friends and family if the holiday season didn't exist. With how busy the year can be, work and other obligations kind of take priority over making the effort to get everyone in one place to enjoy each others' company. I'm glad that it's the time of year where everyone makes time for each other and you get to reconnect with those that you may not see too often throughout the year!

What are your favorite things about the holidays?

December Book Club Selection - Holiday Edition!: The Christmas Sweater

Guess what everybody?!
The Book Club is making a comeback this month for a very special Holiday Edition!

For this month, we'll be reading The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. I received this book as a Christmas gift a few years ago, but I have a personal rule that all things Christmas related must be kept between December 1st and December 25th. At the very least, until after the Thanksgiving turkey is consumed! I miss the days where Santa in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was the first thing Christmas related you saw each year...

I'm getting off topic.

Long story short, I haven't read it yet, and it's been staring at me from my bookshelf for a couple years, so what better time than now to check it out? (And it's also one of my December Goals, so killing two birds with one stone! #win)

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder — and money tighter — since his father died and the family bakery closed…Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning. 

What he got from her instead was a sweater. “A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater” that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don’t always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life’s most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie’s dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. 

It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family — and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell — to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.

Let's be real here. I'm not expecting this to be a great book, I'm not expecting to tear up with every turn of the page, and I'm not expecting to recommend this book to everyone I know. I'm expecting a cheesy, sappy, Christmas story that would be completely inappropriate any other time of the year, and I'm sure that's exactly what I'm going to get! And I couldn't be happier about it ;)

If this doesn't seem like something that's up your ally, but you're still looking for a holiday themed read, check out Let It Snow - a collection of short stories by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. I read it last year around the holidays and really enjoyed it! Check out this review to get an idea of what it's about. :)

Do you have any favorite holiday novels?

December Goals

Can you believe it's already December? 2013 has flown by!
Time for one last set of goals to finish out this year strong!

1. I already have 3 occasions that I'm planning to wear one, so I don't think that this will be too much of an issue!

2. We're having a Christmas party on the 20th and our apartment needs to look the part! (Aaand it's also pretty great to pretend you're living at the North Pole during the month of December.)

3. I mean... no pressure.

4. This may be a struggle... Due to my hectic schedule (and admitted laziness) I have not been running as much as I need to in order to be prepared for a half marathon. I'm just hoping that some of my pre-Hartford training is still sticking with me! 

5. What better time to go on some new kitchen adventures than the holidays?

6. Always does the trick to get me in the Christmas spirit!

7. Even though I'm usually on a pretty tight budget, I always try to donate something to a toy drive for children so they can have a happy holiday as well. This year, I'd really like to make an effort to give a little more. Change in the Salvation Army buckets every time I see them, Toys for Tots, donations to food pantries... any time I see something, I'd really want to make it a point to give something to those that need it more than I do!

Thankful in 2013

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thanksgiving this year is a little bit different for me. I'm spending it away from my family for only the second time in my life (the first time was when I was abroad in London in 2010), but I am spending it with Brett and his family which I'm sure is going to be great! One thing I always make sure I do, whether or not I'm home, is reflect on what I'm thankful for. (That's the whole purpose of the holiday right?) It's easy to get caught up in the negatives and the things that frustrate you on a daily basis, but it's so important to be aware that no matter how bad things seem, they could always be worse. Today is the perfect day to be Thankful for what you do have instead of focusing on what you don't. I thought I'd share with you what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Everyone I know and love is healthy and well. The day of the marathon bombings was terrifying. Knowing that my students and friends were in the city near the site of the attacks was absolutely the scariest moment of the year. I am beyond grateful that everyone I know was okay and we all made it safely home, and continued to be safe throughout that crazy week.We are all extremely fortunate to have been so close to a scary situation and to come out unharmed.

My jobs at BSU and Dean. It's obvious that I would be thankful for them because they put money in my pocket and a roof over my head, but really, it's so much more than that. For the first time in my working life, I'm really happy to go to work every day. I'm interacting with some pretty incredible young adults on a daily basis and I learn something new about myself as a professional each and every day. I'm excited to read up and discuss issues in my field, and although it can be extremely stressful and difficult at times, my life in the student affairs field is so rewarding. I'm meeting new people and given so many new opportunities time and time again, and I don't think I would have gotten that anywhere else. I'm so happy I found a career path that is the right fit for me! :)

Having people to rely on. No matter where I am in life, I know that I have someone to turn to. Though I couldn't make it home for Thanksgiving this year, Brett and his family opened up their home to me. If I'm ever feeling overwhelmed, my family is just a phone call away ready with a listening ear. If I'm ever having a bad day, just spending 5 minutes with a student will make it all melt away (even though they may not realize it!). I have people all around me that will catch me when I fall, and I am so grateful for that.

What are you thankful for?

Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum!

photos by Sean McVeigh - more Cabaret photos here!

Dean put on a production of Cabaret last weekend, and I just knew that I had to see it. Brett, Rob, Emily, and I attended the Thursday night show and we were blown away! I had never seen Cabaret, movie or live performance, so I really had no idea what I was walking into, but I was pleasantly surprised. A few of the students that I work closely with played some of the leading roles (the Emcee and Ernst Ludwig were played by past and present CAs!) and they did so phenomenally! Brett and I could not get over how good the show was for days after, and we seriously considered going to watch it a second time. (I'm sure if I didn't have a paper to write we would have!) We were singing "Willkommen" and dancing around the apartment all weekend long, haha! It really was so great, and if you ever get the chance to see the show live I definitely recommend it!

photos by Sean McVeigh - more Cabaret photos here!

The show was picked up to compete in a theater festival - so exciting! Break a leg everyone! :)

Caffeine for Blood

If you can't tell by my Twitter and Instagram feeds, the past few weeks of my life have been totally run by school work. Just like how work ran my life in October, school has run my life in November, so sorry for the lack of updates! I've been wanting to blog, but I figured no one really wants to hear about my presentation on Kolb's Theory of Experiential Learning or my paper titled "The Impact of Social Identity on Campus Involvement" (unless, I mean, you do, and in that case... why? :P). I've been chugging coffee in order to trick my brain into working at a high enough level to process grad work, and I'm pretty sure my blood about 90% caffeine and sugar at this point.

That's what I came into grad school expecting, but expecting to experience something and actually experiencing something is completely different. So again, zoning out in front of the TV and sleeping during my free time have taken priority over blogging and even working out (working out during my free time made me feel guilty that I wasn't working on school work... is that weird?). I'm hoping to get back into the habit of regular writing and exercise during this Thanksgiving break (I mean... I have a half marathon to run on December 8th... ruhroh) now that two of my major projects are done. Let's see how that goes.

Basically, sorry for being a bad blogger lately. I have a few exciting things coming up that don't involve school, work, or eating my body weight in candy while watching How I Met Your Mother reruns for the umpteenth time and passing out in a pile of wrappers and shame, so stay tuned! :)

I hope you all are doing well and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

College Survival Series: Staying Afloat

The College Survival Series introduces and discusses different aspects of college life, and aims to prepare college students for all situations they might encounter during their college career.

Staying Afloat
We are right in the thick of the fall semester. Many college students struggle with this time of year - weather's getting colder, the workload is getting heavier, and for some reason, all of your professors seem to have given you giant projects and papers on the exact same day. With Thanksgiving being on it's latest possible Thursday this year, it seems like the students I work with (as well as myself) are more burned out than usual. At times like these when there are pressures from all angles, it's easy to get lost, fall behind, or just plain give up. I figured now is a more appropriate time than ever to give tips on how to stay afloat.
1. Don't lose sight of what you love to do most. 
Of course, it's important to prioritize your schoolwork when it's coming down to the end of the semester, but it's also important to keep doing the things you love, even if it's less often than you'd like. Take a 15 minute study break every couple hours to shoot some hoops, play a couple rounds of your favorite video game, or even just watch an episode of your favorite show on Netflix. You'll come back recharged and ready to tackle a few more hours worth of assignments!
2. Less caffeine, more H2O.
I know that sounds INSANE at this point of the year, but at a certain point, caffeine can start having adverse effects on your body, and may make it even harder to study. (Check out this article on what too much caffeine can do to your body!) Your body needs lots of water to operate at its best (we're made up of 90% water - it only makes sense, right?) so make sure you're drinking at least 2 bottles of water between every cup of coffee or can of Red Bull! (Here's an infographic on the benefits of drinking water!)
3. Keep things in one place.
When there's so much on your mind, it's easy to lose track of things, no matter how important it may be. Come up with a system to keep things for each class in one spot (binders, folders, drawers, specific piles on your bedroom floor - anything works as long as you know your system!). That way if you need a specific source for your 15 page paper that's due in 3 hours that you know you printed out, you'll know exactly where to look!
4. Work in a space that makes you feel comfortable.
Maybe not so comfortable that you'll fall asleep, but you'll want to have a place where you'll be able to work without worrying about other people, time crunches, and other distractions. When I was in college, for example, I knew that studying in the library was not a possibility for me, as many of my friends were there and I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Our library also closed at midnight, and I was often doing homework much later than that, so that big interuption of packing up my things and walking back to my dorm room really threw off my concentration. So I opted for studying in my room where I could stretch out on my bed, snack on Ramen noodles, and not worry about someone kicking me out before I was finished with my work. Keep what works best for you in mind when selecting your study space!
5. It's okay to say no!
Lots of students who are involved in activities outside their studies may feel overwhelmed with how many obligations they've gotten themselves into when it comes to crunch time. Your advisors and fellow club members know that you're a student first, so if you need a day off to catch up with your school work, or if you can't take on that extra project because you're swamped with papers and projects, they will understand if you say no! There's absolutely no need to stress yourself out even more than you already are.
I hope these tips help you get through the end of the semester!
You can do it!!! :)

Everyday Heroes: NACA Northeast 2013

Taken by one of our lovely delegates for their conference blog! {source}

Two weeks ago I attended my first National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) regional conference! Bridgewater was super generous and brought me along to enjoy the weekend with them. I advised a delegation of 12 wonderful students, and my awesome supervisor was chair of the conference!

Bears assemble!

Despite being sick for virtually the entire weekend, I really enjoyed myself. I attended a handful of professional development and educational sessions which left me feeling energized and inspired about my jobs and the career I'm pursuing. I got to reunite with my friend Andrew from Lasell and hang out with him for a lot of the conference.

Of course we had to take a picture to send back to our former Director of Student Activities!

I got to see a number of wonderful performers which kept me entertained to no end all weekend long. I got to meet Dan Henig (what?!) and introduced him to one of our students who's actually really interested in bringing him to campus next semester (awesome).

He was so friendly and awesome! (And even retweeted me! :D)

And most importantly, I made some really great connections and met many other Student Affairs grad students that I could relate to, as well as get advice from those that are further along in their program than me. I felt (and still feel) so re-energized about this field which can be rather draining at times. I'm so grateful that BSU took me along with them. I'm so excited for next fall! :)

The Director of Student Involvement at BSU gave me that awesome orange button to wear around the conference, haha.

If you'd like to see the conference from the BSU delegation's perspective, check out their conference blog!

If you want to see more things that I did, check out the #NACANE tag on HESA Life!