William Woods Visit

Two Sundays ago, dad, Steven, and myself headed down to Missouri to tour William Woods University. We drove all day Sunday, spent the night at my sister and her husband's place in St. Louis, then Monday drove to Fulton to check out the school! Monday night found us back at my sister's and then Tuesday we drove back to MN! I was nervous for the visit, but everyone was so nice and I love the campus!

How nice is that?!

McNutt Campus Center {mail, admissions, cafe, ect}

One of two lakes on campus, this is Junior Lake {people can boat on it and whatnot}

Had to add a picture in of part of the fitness center! {down 20lbs!}

Campus Chapel {non-denominational}

This is Senior Lake

Oldest building on campus {half used to be classrooms, now that half are dorms}

Tucker Dining Hall {they have patio seating!}

Oldest building once again {Dulany Auditorium, this side houses a theatre with classes. The auditorium used to be the chapel so it has beautiful stained glass windows}

The ASL Lab, recently outfitted with new equipment, including Mac computers.

The Library, I think it used to be a stable. It's attached to the academic building {houses offices, including the deans, financial aid, etc}

It's very pretty there and the campus is nice and small. It's situated on about 180 acres and I think there are almost more housing buildings than classroom/office buildings. Most of the acreage is occupied by their stables and arenas {the school owns 157 horses}! Equine science/administration is their largest major. ASL Interpreting is their second largest with 47 students. Altogether, they have just under 1,000 undergraduate students. About 3,000 including graduates and adult learners. So a small campus with a small student population, I like that.

The cost of going to school there including living on campus, tuition, a meal plan, plus all of the other fees tacked on, is just over $25,000. Ouch. But for a private school, that is not that bad at all. St. Kate's, just tuition alone, is over $21,000.

But after looking over classes yesterday, I'm pretty sure I will be in school for three more years :(

I was hoping just for two, but I don't think it will be possible. And that would be for either WWU or St. Kate's. And if I went to Saint Paul College, it is two more years for the interpreting program, but then I would have to add on another year after that to finish my bachelor's degree {at least one more year}. So......six year undergraduate bachelor's degree, here I come I guess!

I might be able to triple major at WWU if it works out right. I've almost completed all of my generals and I need to be a full time student, so might as well get all the degrees I can in that time period!

Hahaaaaa...we'll see. :)

Duluth For Grandma's 5k!

My dad likes to run. A lot. He didn't start until later in life, maybe late 30's? He did Grandma's marathon 8 years in a row, has done Big Sur twice and Boston once. He doesn't really do marathons anymore, but lots of half's, 10ks, 5 ks, whatever he feels like for that day. Two weekends ago now, we were up in Duluth for a day because he ran the 5k Friday night! It was a lot of fun and he did awesome!

My dad's plan, this cracked me up!! We had a busy weekend ahead of us :)

We were able to watch the 'American Integrity' come in

Steven and dad posing in front of the bridge...it's going up!

Skipping rocks into Lake Superior :)

He's all ready to race! Go dad!

Waiting for dad to change and enjoying the gorgeous weather!

After running, dad jumped in Lake Superior, 'cause he's crazy! The water was super cold, but he said it made him feel a lot better! Afterwords, we went to dinner at Grandma's Restaurant and then headed home! It was a great day :)

More Happiness!

I was informed today that I was accepted to St. Kate's now as well! They awarded me with a $7,000 yearly scholarship! I am so blessed!

I'm trying to figure out the cost of attending St. Kate's vs. WWU now....I would be living with my dad if I went to St. Kate's and living on-campus at WWU, so there is a little discrepancy there, but when I tour WWU, they'll probably present my financial aid package to me and same when I go to St. Kate's, so hopefully by the end of the upcoming week I'll have a good idea of what it will cost me to attend either school!

Plus I will also know how many years/credits/classes I will have left at each school....I'm thinking 2-3 years at the most. I have a lot of general classes completed, although each school is slightly different on those. Guess we'll find out!

I am so excited!!!

Surprised Myself!

The past few weeks, I've been working out, pretty moderately. I've been running for about a half hour in the mornings with a 15-minute bike warm-up {stretching in-between...I love stretching} and many days finishing up with 15-minutes on the stair stepper.

Growing up, I played sports year-round. Soccer, basketball, dance, baseball/softball, track and field...I even did a year of gymnastics. High school meant soccer in the summer/fall, danceteam/basketball in the winter, and t & f in the spring, so I was constantly conditioning my body. I did it because I loved playing. I wasn't very good, but I didn't care {until I met certain asshats in high school} and even then I just kept playing. Because I enjoyed it.

Cue college. Because of said asshats, I decided not to play soccer in the fall. I didn't think anything of it until I met a few of the players and then I was kinda bummed I hadn't pursued it more. Oh well. Same with basketball. I did, however, join the pom squad {danceteam} and did t & f in the spring.

Anyways, cue college again. And a meal plan. And buffet-style eating. And three years later, after being introduced to that and not exercising, hellllooooo extra 40+ pounds. Now, I wasn't a small girl to begin with really {although, looking back, I was pretty normal. And what seems skinny to me now!}, I like to say that I have a farm-girl build: big shoulders and big hips, with plenty of natural muscle. Pack on those 40+ pounds and it wasn't good. I was nervous about exercising now because I was afraid my body wouldn't lose the weight easily since it wouldn't be as hard-core as back in the day, plus I was waaaay more into eating and chocolate now.

I was wrong. Like I said, past few weeks I've been working out, four or five or six times a week {when it fits in my schedule} and I've been eating a lot better - smaller portions and healthier options.

So far, I've lost 17lbs! I didn't have a scale and I thought the one where I work-out was broken so I wasn't really worried about it. I just knew I felt better and I thought I was losing weight, so I wasn't too concerned. Well, now someone showed me how to use the scale and I was like WHAAAT! I was pretty shocked. But happy :)

And that same day {Sunday} when I figured out how many lbs, my dad told me I looked like I had lost weight and the next day, a guy at work I haven't seen in a while asked if I had lost weight and said I looked good! Ummmm, cue happiness!!

Now 17lbs is not a lot a lot {to me} but that's also because I would ideally like to get down to about 150/140 {I'm about 5'8"} so I have a ways to go as I'm currently at 193lbs {did I really just post that for the world to see.....gulp}, oh well, now I'll be extra motivated!

Lots of happiness in this girl's life currently!!! :)

Summer Of....

Not relaxing, that's for sure!

It's nice not having homework and exams weighing on the back of my mind all the time, but so far, this summer has still been pretty busy! And the end of June will be the busiest!

We have decided to go to MO the 20th through the 22nd. So get-up, drive for 10 or so hours, stay at P and D's place, Monday tour the University, spend one more night at P and D's, then get-up and drive the 10 or so hours back to MN. A short {hopefully sweet!} trip that consists mainly of driving :)

Fridley 49'er week happens to begin June 24th through the 26th and as a former Miss Fridley, I am on the Miss Fridley Committee.

We've been busy getting things ready for the festival for a while now - we changed directors in the middle of the year - and that Monday that I'll be in MO I'll be missing the Queen's Tea :(
One of my favorite events, it's simply the candidates on-on-one interviews with the judges and a mingle event, but it's so fun and you really get to know the girls, plus catch up with people you haven't seen in a while! I was supposed to be the timer when the girls are in their interviews, but now we'll have to figure out a replacement. Then Tuesday is the girls' fashion show outfit fittings and I was supposed to be a chaperon for that, but I don't think we'll be back in time :(

Oh well, my mom has agreed to work the rest of that week for me, so on Wednesday will be the fashion show, Thursday the parade, Friday the street dance, and finally Saturday, the coronation of the new Miss Fridley royalty {one queen, two princesses}, plus a street dance and fireworks after the coronation. I will be helping out at all of the events and MCing the coronation! Super excited, except I still have not found a male MC and time is running out! I've asked about 15 different gentlemen and all have plans for that night...sadness. Hopefully someone can do it!

At the Queen's Tea, the candidates always receive a "goody bag" put together by the current royalty - typically coupons to various places like the tanning salon or a local restaurant, plus other items that are donated. For our candidates, Princess Megan hooked us up with some scrap booking supplies plus a free piece of jewelery for each candidate, plus all of the various coupons and whatnot we were able to get donated to us! This year, I've volunteered to make a flower clippie for each of the girls. We have nine candidates, so in between working this week and taking the car to get fixed, I'll be making nine red flower clippies with a pearl or two sewn on. I'm hoping they turn out cute and the girls love them! I'll post some pics once I get started on them and get them done! I'll have to have them finished by Saturday so that the girls get them with everything else in their bag!

This week I'll be working extra hours as well, because the normal day person is on vacation so Monday I'll work 8 to noon and then 1 to about 3 or so, I have a orientation meeting at SPC for the ASL Interpreting/Transliterating program! Excited to see everyone and learn what to expect if I stay at school there! Then Tuesday through Thursday, I'll just go in earlier than usual and stay until my normal time - 10 p.m. Friday I might be heading up to Duluth for the day with my dad and Steven, but if not, I might work a few hours.... and Saturday I'll work my normal shift. It'll be nice to make some "extra" money, though it won't really be extra because the week following, I won't be working at all! Hmmm, maybe I better plan on more hours than I originally thought....

Today has been the typical busy Saturday and the clock is moving slow....hurry up 4:30, I want to go home!!!

:)

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO SO SO EXCITED!!!!

I WAS ACCEPTED TO WILLIAM WOODS UNIVERSITY! WAAAHOOOOO!!!!!!!

And not only was I ACCEPTED but I also received two scholarships from them, a $5,000 and $3,000 which means $8,000 total! When my admissions counselor called me yesterday and left me a message, I thought she said only $1,000, but she cleared that up for me today {and that made me even MORE excited!}. And I automatically qualified for those! This means, if my math was right when I estimated the cost of tuition, room & board, and a meal plan, then right now my cost of going there is about $15,000. Expensive still, sure, but for a private school, that's pretty darn good...hopefully I'm a little high with this estimate and not a little low {fingers crossed}. Hmmmm, perhaps I should have Steven check out the costs and figure it....haha. I'm not the best with math :)

Wow. So happy right now :D

We're planning on going down there to visit either June 21st or 28th. Since my parents are divorced and not on the best of terms, it's going to be delicate to plan this and execute it. I want to go down there ASAP to tour the school because I need to make a decision right away so it's going to be a bit rushed. I'm trying to think of ways to make this easier on my parents to go down there together, it just stinks because I shouldn't have to worry about them, this is about what is best for my future and what I want {jeez I sound spoiled!}.

I'm hoping perhaps that one will opt to stay behind and if I decide to go to school down there, then in July, said other parent and I could go down together to look at the school. If both parents and Steven end up going, it could get pretty crowded because my sister probably wants to go as well. Which is fine, I just don't want it to get crazy like a zoo!

The school is located in Fulton, MO, about an hour and a half away from St. Louis {where my sister lives}. So close enough to family where I can go if I get homesick.

Ha, I sound like I am going there already, but I have definitely not made up my mind! WWU is, in my mind, the better of the three schools because a} the admissions counselor assigned to me is the sweetest and nicest woman ever! Never has another admissions counselor been so on top and in touch with me {this will be the third school I got to, and I've applied to a ton of different schools}. It's definitely showing me that they probably really do care about their students to be so one-on-one right from the start! b} they've been on top of all of my forms and paperwork, unlike {ahem) SPC. And c} the price isn't that bad, as I've said, for a private school. Now, this list may seem lacking, but since I don't know what the campus and professors are like, I can't include them. I just know that my sister has a friend who went there and loved it and the only downfall I can come up with right now is that it is in Missouri. Can I stand to be that far away from most of my family and my boyfriend, my friends, and my cat and dog? I'm just not going to think about that until I'm down there and see what it's like....I don't need to stress out anymore!!

And I have yet to hear from St. Kate's on whether or not I was accepted...which is weird considering that they are right here in town and received all of my paperwork at least a day ahead of WWU, but I suppose they do their admissions differently...or maybe I wasn't accepted! Haha, we'll see when/if I get something in the mail....although it would be nice to tour their campus before WWU. I don't know why, I just think it would!

Now to just hear back from St. Kate's, fill out the FAFSA, tour the schools, pick one, finish up forms, apply for more scholarships, sign up for classes, and then go :)

WWU's move-in date is August 18th with classes starting August 23rd. That's pretty soon!!

STILL EXCITED!!!!!!

That Was Fast...

So as I said in my last post, pops and I have been looking for a vehicle for me and Thursday we thought we might have found one....we went back Friday to test drive, weren't happy with the price, left to stew it over, decided to go back and purchase the vehicle, pulled in, spotted another vehicle to check out, and then purchased both vehicles, one for me, one for dad :)
I had to say good-bye to my trusty Chevy S-10 RC {Rocky Charlotte} and welcome a Ford.

Bye Rocky Charlotte, I'm going to miss you!

Meet Bessie, my new Ford Escort Wagon!

Bessie is a 1997 Ford Escort Wagon with only 66xxx miles! Her body is almost perfect, no rust to be found! Going from a truck to a wagon is going to take some getting used to, but I think I'll like it for the most part!

Last night Steven came over and dad grilled dinner for us - steak for us kids, shrimp and veggie kabobs for himself! Plus corn-on-the-cob {yummmmm} and pumpkin pie with cool whip for dessert! It was soooo good!

I'm trying to come up with some ideas for Father's Day, it's coming up quick and I want to do something extra special for him! He'll be in Duluth that Friday-Saturday and then he's talking about going to my Aunt's campground Saturday-Sunday, so I'm hoping to join him! I work Saturday so Friday I'm hoping to go up to Duluth to cheer him on as he runs Grandma's 5k, then I would head to Eau Claire Saturday after work. But what to get him...hmmmm...guess I just need to brainstorm a little more! :)

Just thought I would throw this pic of Gabby and Steven in....aren't they cute! Haha

I should also mention that when dad and I picked up our new vehicles on Saturday, as I parked mine in front of the house and started walking in, Steven goes "What's that sound coming from your car?" Turns out I hit a screw on the way home! Luckily pops knew someone who could repair it that night and we paid him with an apple pie :)
Two hours later, we were driving in dad's new car and his check engine light came on :(
so I took it back to the dealership today and turns out that he just needs a new gas cap, so I get to pick that up tomorrow!

It's always something....oh well!

Car Shopping

My mother is buying my truck so dad and I have been looking at vehicles for me....he wants to get me something dependable, especially if I will be driving to MO and back occasionally {if I go to school at WWU}.

We spent much of today and the past few days looking for cars that fell within our range and we've test-drove many! Mitsubishi Lancers, Saturn Vues, Chevy Aveos, etc. We're looking to buy by the end of this month....hopefully it happens!

I don't really care what we get....as long as my pops is happy with it, then I'll be happy with it! I do like the mid-size SUVs and they get better gas mileage than I previously thought, but I'll take anything as long as it's a good deal! Also, rear-wheel-drive = not happenin'! It's what my truck is now and I strongly dislike it, especially during the winter!!

All of the dealerships have told us that lately, it is really hard to find a lower-mileage used vehicle for a good price; people are hanging on to their vehicles longer and whatnot, so many prices are high for used vehicles now, boooo. But it's just the economy and how it's going right now, so oh well. Can't do anything about it!

Some Things From My Time Away....

I feel like I am missing some things, but for now, here's a look at what has been going on.....

Last fall, dad and I planted a ton of perennial bulbs and here was the first one that bloomed :)

A family get-together on my mom's side. Me, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Pat, my brother Jon, and cousin Sara.

Steven was a good sport and came with :)

At Steven's Aunt and Uncles' hobby farm, this is one of their llamas, Callica. She's a sweetie!

He's so sneaky....not really!

He's going to professionally show llamas one day, he's already pretty good at it! :)


ANNNND...... STEVEN GRADUATED!!

I think he was nervous, haha.

Walking across the stage and receiving his diploma! :)

After the ceremony, it was extremely sunny out that day!

I can't believe he's done with his undergrad degree....that's crazy. I managed not to cry, but it was hard :(
Time has gone too fast these past 5 years....and since my memory tends to be like Swiss cheese, there are a lot of things I have forgotten, but I hope his next 5 years are amazing....can't wait to see where life is going to take him!

Time Got Away From Me

Whoops, sorry about the break blogging world! Just have been busy with school ending and getting stuff finalized!

I can't believe it's already June ~ where does the time go! School got out about three weeks ago now..it's definitely nice to have a break from homework and exams! I received my acceptance letter into the ASL Interpreter/Transliterator program at SPC and my transcripts are on the way to St. Kate's and WWU, so after I find out if either of those schools accept me, then I get to decide where to go :)

SPC is NOT my first choice simply because the school is poorly run. For example, since the beginning of fall semester '09, I have been placed on financial aid suspension for having an amount of credits that exceed what I need for my program. You are allowed to appeal and I did, although I did not receive the letter informing me of my suspension until the week of. I appealed, they asked for three weeks time to inform me whether or not my appeal was approved or denied, it took two and a half months. Spring semester, same dealio except I never received a response back. However, this time for Fall semester '10, I did not receive the letter until the day BEFORE appeals were due!! And they don't send out e-mails or anything, just the letter. I was mad, but since I already had the letter and just had to change some wording, it wasn't a big deal. They were due Friday and I knew financial aid closes at 3:30 on Fridays so I got there about 2 and there were a ton of people in there working except guess what - they closed at 1:30 that day. WHAT. How are they even allowed to do that when they have paperwork due in from students that day??! I was so mad! Especially because they were all in there....I ended up going to the enrollment office and sort of tweaking and ended up putting my paperwork in their mailbox.....which they probably didn't check, but if they say my paperwork was not received on time, they're going to have a tornado on their hands. AND they never said anything in their letter about closing early the day the paperwork was due. UGH. So frustrating.

So that is one of the reasons why I would like to not be at that school next year :) although, they are the cheapest.....

I have a lot to blog about but I'm finally getting sleepy so hopefully tomorrow I can post some pictures and updates :)