Busy Bee

Why hello there! I haven't been too good about blogging lately, and by 'too good' I mean I haven't done it at all. I really enjoy writing but I'm going to attribute my lack of blogging to my lack of time. I'm not quite as organized as I wish I were so I've kinda been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I graduate in less than 6 weeks which is flat out scary. I'm not sure I know how to be an "adult". The act of graduating isn't as scary as the thought of the decisions I have to make after I do. To be honest, right now I should be working on homework but I feel like my brain is about to explode so I'm not sure how much I could actually get done. I'm also watching election coverage so I'm a bit distracted. I guess for now I'll get back to those other things I need to be doing, but hopefully I'll be back soon!

Sum of the last month...if you will

Well it seems I've fallen a little behind in the whole blogging thing...it's been a while. I was trying to be clever with the title but I'm not sure how well that worked out. Like "sum" but also "some" as in not all...anyways not important.  I'd like to think my New Years resolution of writing more isn't totally ruined, just a little behind. Lots of things have been going on in the last month or so, maybe I can quickly catch you up before I have to jet back to school for accounting :-/ bleh.
First of all I did a 32 mile bike race in Abilene. Yes, me, 32 miles on a bike. I did it after very little training (maybe 4 miles on my actual road bike) so needless to say I am very impressed with myself. I'm definitely looking forward to doing some more races in the future. Events are so much more fun that the training...imagine that.

My bestie Alyssa and I getting ready to ride. She has since moved in with Quin and I so that's pretty exciting as well.

I've also been playing intramural softball with my sorority which has been an interesting ride. Not a perfect record but we are getting better. One of the umps has "recruited" me to play on his corec team for the playoffs so I'll have my first game with them Wednesday night. Pretty nervous about that one. I've also been playing on a coed kickball team which is crazy fun. Probably because you can throw the ball at people to get them out :D
My final exciting bit of news is that it looks like I'll be an aunt this week! Baby Smith, now referred to as Averie or AJ will be making her debut appearance sometime midweek. I'll know more later but for now I'll call it a wrap.
I know I've left a lot of semi important life events out but I'll just have to backtrack at a later date when I have more time!

Counting down the seconds

I'm so close to Spring Break I can almost taste it. One 50 minute class stands between me and the one week break I feel like I so desperately need. This week has been pretty crazy-3 tests in 2 days. All my teachers (the ones that give tests anyways) must have gotten together and decided to give me a test at the same time. All I can say is I'm so glad it's over! On Monday I'm leaving for North Carolina to visit my friend Brittany. I'm SO excited to see her again and I've never been to North Carolina so I'm looking forward to that as well. I'm going to be a bridesmaid in her wedding this June (in Virginia Beach-another place I've never been before!) so while I'm visiting we are going to do some wedding stuff. Yay. 

Today I got the official invite for the photo exhibit my study abroad picture will debut in. Here is the link in case any of you are interested.

http://www.iaff.ttu.edu/main/artExhibits03052012.asp

I'm looking forward to seeing the photos everyone else submitted. Maybe it will help me pick my next foreign destination! :)

If anyone would like to take over...

I feel like I have nothing interesting to write about, which is why I haven't been writing. But since my New Years Resolution was to write more I have to write in an attempt to keep it. I had my first speech this week, which was insanely stressful. There's a reason I've waited until my senior year to take my communication class, and it's because of the speeches. I survived though so I guess what I imagined it to be was much worse than it actually was. I need to get used to it because this semester has lots of presentations in store. My business management group is actually doing an event for Volunteer Center of Lubbock, so not only do we have to plan the event-we have to present our progress to the class as the semester goes on. School wears me out-part of me really wants to leave and go off and do my own thing. Out of state, out of country...I don’t know, somewhere else. Around the time I convince myself leaving is what I should do I remember my life is here, and that CJ just made the Tech football team. If he's going to be playing I don't want to miss it. If only someone else could make all these decisions for me... Feel free to weigh in. Whoever makes these decisions for me needs to make the right ones though-no pressure.

"Hurricane Richard No Mess Around"

I guess you could say by now I'm back on my daily grind. This marks the third full week of school and it's been...crazy. Last week I was hospitalized overnight for heart palpitations so if I didn't feel like I had enough work to do before I definitely do now. I haven't had my first round of tests yet but I've had lots and lots of homework. My classes aren't necessarily hard but I can already tell they are going to be time consuming. I found out today one of the pictures I entered in a study abroad photo contest was selected to be in an exhibit at Tech. This is my first "award winning" photograph so I'm pretty excited. There's even a reception to which I am allowed to bring my family and friends. That means I'll actually have to go :))

This is the picture that will be on exhibit. It was taken at the zoo in Belize where the paths are lined with hand painted signs that speak in rhymes (clever eh?). This particular picture is of a MASSIVE tree that was uprooted by Hurricane Richard. Very cool place to visit if you ever get the chance the chance-and I signed the ceiling in the entrance too so that makes it worth the trip. That's all I have for tonight folks-I'll update you all on where my super awesome photo can be found if anyone decides they want to attend the "Adventures in Study Abroad" exhibit.

School 1-Paige 0

It would appear my new year's resolution has already seen the effects of a new semester. As of today I've completed my first full week back and so far so good. Mostly because we haven't really done much for a grade and I've been present (and on time) to all of my classes. Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be my long days since I'm there until 5. I am in the new BA which is super amazing BUT I have 2 1hr20min classes back to back and BOTH of those teachers go over in time consistently. (I realize I've only had each class twice but both times both of them went over so they're batting a thousand) I know my teachers are aware that I have other classes but sometimes I think they think the other classes don't have any work involved...I wish. Looks like I'm in for a semester full of numerous presentations, numerous-numerous page papers, and tons of reading. We'll see how it goes.

In other news... 

I went to the doctor yesterday for what I'm pretty sure was equivalent to a 19th century bloodletting. That was fun. Clearly I'm at a loss for upbeat news...I'll go try to find some.

A SMALL STEP FOR (WO)MAN...

Welcome 2012...well, kind of. With the start of a new year comes the "resolutions" which I find to be stressful just to think about. It's already the 16th and I haven't even committed to writing them down. I guess I'm stuck somewhere in between "can't let myself down because TECHNICALLY I didn't make any" and "if I put too much emphasis on my resolutions I'll become obsessive and end up being counter-productive". I realize that writing things down makes you accountable, but I don't really know how much extra I can handle this year. After taking the last semester off I will not only be getting back into the groove of school, I will be graduating from it. Crazy eh? Don’t worry-I’ll be back. As reassuring as that is, it’s that much more stressful. GRE, deciding where to go, deciding what to do....I’m perplexed to say the least. I’m afraid I will miss something if I leave, but I’m just as worried that there’s an opportunity somewhere else I will miss if I stay here. I’m aware I can’t have it both ways, but this is where that “obsessive” quality gets super annoying.

ANYWAYS! Back to my resolutions. (or lack thereof)

A lot of what I considered writing down as goals for the year were things along the lines of oh I don’t know-my entire bucket list thus far. Maybe that’s why I’m so overwhelmed with the idea. With approximately 11.5 months left in the year I’ll give it a shot.

In 2012 I, Paige Parkhill, vow (or solemnly swear or whatever), to write more. I don’t mean just write because I write plenty. I keep a journal or two so there are plenty of collections of paper that know exactly what I think, but most of the time I’m too afraid to put it out there for anyone else to see just in case they don’t agree. I take non-confrontational to the next level. I know I have things to say-I think of situations in terms of how I would write it or tell it as a story and I monologue in my car when I drive (mostly in my head of course). If I want to write a book someday I guess I need to get comfortable with other people reading what I have to say. SOOO….in a nutshell I am going (to try really hard) to make the time for more blogging. I definitely will have to remind myself that it’s for personal development and growth etc and not to get my feelings hurt if I don’t have a following. It’s a step in the right direction.

Here’s to new years resolutions and not trying to fulfill mine by making myself over ambitious and writing about new goals I think I need to have for 2012. Cheers!