What I miss about home

I honestly never realized how much I would miss my family, until my first couple of weeks at Virginia Tech. I remember when I was younger (7th through 9th grade) that I couldn't wait to be on my own. Looking back I really wish I wouldn't have wished away growing up and being on my own, because its not as fun as I thought it would be. I always thought going to college and being on my own meant a lot of free time to just have fun... however this is sadly incorrect. Being at college you rarely have any free time and when you do its spend studying, doing homework, or just sleeping. Being away and always busy really can put a lot of stress on someone, so for this blog I decided that I would talk about some of the things that I really miss the most while away from home. Along with talking about what I miss, I thought it would also be nice to explain what I do like about being away.

The two people I miss the most would be my little brothers Zachary and Ethan. Even though they can sometimes annoy me and act bad I still miss all of the fun times I would have with them. Being away from them has been awful, even though I talk to them as much as I can its still not the same! What I really miss about my brothers is hearing them tell me about their day. Since they are in Elementary school, they always have so many conversations to talk about.

The next person that I really miss would be my mom. Ever since I can remember she has always been my best friend. I know a lot of people think that its impossible to have a parent as a friend, however this is not the case when it comes to my relationship with my mom. What I really miss the most is always having someone to share my thoughts with and having someone to listen to me. She is honestly the best friend I could ever have and I don't know where I would be without all of her advice and motherly wisdom.

Even though I truly miss my family, there are some things that I really love about being able to be a Hokie. The first thing would be the education that I am receiving. It's so amazing to know that in four years I will graduate from one of the best colleges in the nation. Being able to experience this journey is amazing and I know that anybody would love to have this opportunity. The second thing that I love about Virginia Tech is the food. Who knew that a college could have such amazing food! There is always something completely new to try and its never disappointing! It's nice to attend a large university and have multiple dining food places, instead of just one. Being here I have been taught a lot about growing up and being a Hokie. Even though sometimes the journey seems challenging it's always great to remember that all of this hard work and support from my family will one day allow for me to have a successful future.

Major Troubles

It seems like lately I have been having trouble with deciding on what to do with the rest of my life. It's honestly so hard for a nineteen year old to pick one thing to do forever. Which is why recently I have had some struggles with my major. My major as of right now is biology. The summer before coming to Virginia Tech, I was pretty confident that I would be just fine with taking college chemistry, college biology, and labs. However I guess I didn't realize how hard college science classes actually were.

The reasons as to why I'm hating my major so much is because I cant seem to truly understand the topics that are being discussed in my lecture classes. Even though I pay attention, take notes, and study a lot, the material that I'm learning just doesn't seem to click. Another thing that I really don't like is how useless it seems to me. Today in biology class we learned about a hairpin loop. For starters you would think science would have a better name for a pattern that occurs in DNA and RNA, rather than hairpin. I honestly feel bored when learning about science, which really isn't a great thing since I had originally planned on pursing a career with science.

The career path that I have always wanted to pursue is dentistry. Ever since I can remember I have always wanted to be a dentist. Many people think that working in someones mouth is gross and disgusting, however it's always been something that has just been an interest of mine. I have always been interested in learning new dental information, which seems really weird, but when you are really interested in something, you always try to get better at it.  Beore coming to Virginia Tech, I spent my summer working as a receptionist in my aunts dental office. All of the cool things I learned and got to observe, just really made me excited to one day be working in the dental field.

Being a dentist requires a lot of schooling and a great understanding of biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and along with many other sciences. All of this takes me back to my main problem. Not being happy with my major really hurts my long term goals and career path that I have always had. I really want to become a dentist but if I'm struggling to understand the general classes, how will I survive in the harder classes yet to come? In the end I either have two choices: change my major and not pursue a career that has always interested me, or work hard and try my best to really understand and become interested in my science classes. I really believe that after this year I will be able to make the right decision. Even if the biology major doesn't work out for me in the long run, I really think that I will still make the right decision for my future. As for now all I  can do is start to study more and become more interested in my major!

High School Memories!

As I scroll through my Facebook pictures, I can't help but smile and chuckle at almost all of them. Looking back at high school, it's nice to say that I made a lot of memories that I will always keep with me. I thought for my blog it would be a good time to just reminisce on the days where my only worries were playing softball, enjoying lunch with friends and goofing off while still being able to pass. These days were called high school. Even though I just made it seem like I was a bad kid in school thats untrue, it was just much easier to get by in high school and still have fun.

 The first picture that I scrolled to was the Skyline vs. Warren Country game. Just rethinking about that day still makes me nervous. With being seniors nobody ever wants to lose to their rival school. This game was probably funnest and most competitive game that I have ever played. The game started off at 5 pm and while warming up it started pouring down raining. I remember both my team and Skyline's team having to run beside each other, throw and stretch next each other. The funny part of having to do that was making the it a race. You could tell Skyline was trying to run faster, throw harder, and yell louder, which only made us to do the same BUT better. In the picture you see my team lined up on the home side (third base line) while Skyline is on the visitors side. Just looking at this picture can bring a million emotions and thoughts.

Another picture that I helped to scroll by were my senior prom pictures. It's so sad to know that I will never have to spend hours and hours trying to find the perfect dress or spending a ton of money on my hair or makeup. I would have to say that prom was amazing! It was a lot of fun to be able to go with a group of friends and just enjoy the last big thing of high school. When I think of my senior prom I basically remember everything that happened, however telling you all everything would just be too much, so instead I'm gonna tell you my favorite parts and least favorite part of the night. My favorite part of the night was basically everything. I had an amazing date, a good group, the music was amazing and just going to Denny's and watching a movie after prom with my date was a lot of fun. Even though I had a ton of favorite parts about the night there is one part that I did not like. It was going to the restaurant that we had made reservations for three weeks before prom, only to get told that one of the hostess erased our names! The first thing we did was get really mad and then we ended up having to wait more thirty minutes until the manager said we could have two tables to fit the group! (Good thing!) These prom pictures bring back a lot of memories that I wish I could relive, however even though I cant it's still nice to be able to reminisce over them.

The great and magical thing about pictures is that they never change. You can always go back and be reminded of a thousand memories that you may have forgotten. It makes me so happy to look at these pictures and know that I had the time of my life.

Fall Break

Looking back at Fall Break it's sad to know that it's over. Even though it was only a short break it was still so nice to go home and relax. The best thing about this break was being able to spend so much time with my family and being able to sleep in my own bed! As for my blog this week I decided that it would be a good time to tell about everything I did!

Technically my Fall Break started Wednesday night! My boyfriend and I treated our self to the Jason Mraz concert, which was a blast! With the previous week being stressful, it was very nice to just be able to kick back and enjoy some good singing! I must advise everyone to try and go see Jason Mraz in concert someday! He was so nice and told so many jokes while on stage. He really made the whole concert amazing. Another thing that I really enjoyed about his performance was how natural he sounded. Since it was an acoustic performance every song that he sang just seemed to sound perfect in Burruss! This is an artist that I would love to listen to again!

After leaving the concert at ten something at night, we didn't get back to our town until one am. Even though we got back so late it was still the best feeling ever being able to sleep in my own bed with my dog! It seemed like Thursday went by in a flash because I honestly didn't do anything but enjoy some quality time with my two brothers and my cousin Storm! Being able to see my brothers and cousin made me so happy. Just getting to hear all of their stories about whats been happening to them was great. As Thursday went by, I ended up spending a lot of time with my grandmother and mother all of Friday. We all went out and enjoyed lunch and just hung out since the last night was forever ago! Friday was just a nice day to just relax without having to worry about school work.

My favorite day for Fall Break was Saturday, October 19th! For starters it was my nineteenth birthday (I feel so old now). For my birthday my mom and I went to get breakfast and then we headed to the mall and Target to get some stuff that I needed. As the day started to pass by, my family all went out to Outback to celebrate my birthday. It was so nice to have everyone that I love at that dinner. After dinner my mom and I then headed to the movies to watch the new movie called Carrie. The movie was pretty good. Some scenes were really scary while others were kinda dumb! As the night started to end I couldnt help but get sad thinking about leaving my family.

Leaving home is never easy. It's always really difficult for me since I'm so close with my mom and grandmother however even though I got upset it's nice to remember that at least I was able to spend some time with them. The best part about this break ending is knowing that all I have to do is work hard for a month and then it'll be Thanksgiving Break!

My thoughts of the week. Blog for October 11th, 2013

As I sit in my dorm room and start to think about my week it's nice to be able to say that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Normally my weeks are very hard and extremely stressful, but lately it seems like everything has been going smoothly. It's like life has started to slow down and allow me to feel somewhat confident in the work I do here at Virginia Tech.

Looking back on my week I would have to say that the best thing about it would have been attending the J.Cole and Wale concert. Even though the concert lasted way longer than I thought it was still a lot of fun to be able to dress up and go out with friends. The concert was held in Burruss Hall and let me tell you concerts in Burruss are a lot of fun! The best thing about attending a concert at Burruss is how big the room is. The room was able to fit in my opinion probably 500 people, which is a lot. Also it seemed like no matter where you sat you were able to see the performers from every corner of the stage. The only negative thing that happened during the concert was how hot it got with all the people. With over 500 hundred people sweating and breathing heavy, the room temperature really rose. The second and last negative thing would have to be people stealing your seats. I witnessed at least six different people trying to steal someone else's seats and some even got away with it. I really suggest that everyone go out and attend at least one concert at Burruss before they graduate from Virginia Tech, it's truly a ton of fun and worth any amount of money you have to pay!

Another wonderful thing about my week was that I have finally figured out a way to stay ahead with all of my homework. I have been trying my best to do everything and rushing to get it done, but I just now realized that the best thing to do is set aside a couple hours a day and really focus on what needs to be done, which means no twitter, Facebook, YouTube or texting. Just me and my laptop. Hardcore focusing on everything I need to do gives me more time to relax and less time to stress and worry about falling behind.

It seemed like this week was easier in many ways, I  felt like I had enough time to do everything and not feel rushed, which is always an amazing feeling to any college student. As the week ended I was lucky enough to have finish most of my lab homework, allowing me to have a free Thursday night where I could relax and watch my favorite TV show. As for the weekend I plan to attend the Virginia Tech vs. UNC game and try to enjoy a relaxing/stress free weekend! I think attending the game will be a ton of fun and I really am excited to see how well VT performs! I hope everyone else had an amazing week and I cant wait to see you all at the game tomorrow! Go hokies!

Best Friends

Looking back at all of the friends that I have ever had its easy to say that I've had three best friends who have meant the world to me. The first would be my best friend Ashlyn from elementary school, my second would be my boyfriend Cole, and my third would be my best friend from high school Callie. Each one of my best friends has impacted my life in so many ways and without them I wouldn't be the person I am today.

The first time I met Ashlyn was in fourth grade, I remember thinking wow this girl is really nice and full of energy. After that day we were always together. She would always spend every weekend at my house and same at hers. Everyone knew that whenever I was that Ashlyn would be there too. Having Ashlyn in my life was what taught me the true meaning of a best friend. After fourth grade, she ended up moving to Tennessee with her mother, I was literally so  scared that we would lose touch, but somehow we didn't. Even though she was six hours away from me we still called and every summer she would come stay with me, this lasted up until the summer before sophomore year. It was really nice being able to grow up from childhood to now with her! Its nice to know that no matter where we go in life that she'll always be by my side.

(This picture was us in fourth grade, we had a problem with wearing weird matching shirts!)

Looking back on my friendship and relationship with Cole, its so nice knowing that hes always been around since freshman year! The first time I ever met him was my freshman year at a cross country race! Ever since then hes always been in my life. We've had so many great times together and we've also made so many amazing memories. Having Cole in my life makes me feel so lucky. I believe that if you can have a boyfriend who is also your best friend then that relationship is bound to be work out and be long term. Cole and I have been dating for 15 perfect months, and since then he's made me extremely happy! Its so amazing having someone to share things to, be goofy with and have by your side!

(Cute prom picture with Cole)

Lastly, looking back at my high school years its a great feeling being able to know that my best friend Callie was by my side! After meeting her sophomore year, we instantly hit it off and ever since that day in Math analysis we have been best friends. We both played softball and are super goofy with each other. Whenever I am around Callie I can act weird and its totally normal. Callie is the type of best friend that knows actually when I'm upset. We've had so many great memories from randomly getting strands of pink/purple in our hair, to almost failing high school Chem because we couldn't stop talking. It's very nice knowing that my friendship with Callie gets to continue for the next four years, since we are both Hokies!

(The picture above is the day that we randomly decided to go get one strand of pink and purple in our hair.)

I believe that it's best to go throughout life with three or four close best friends than have a dozen fake friends. As I continue to grow, I truly hope that all three of these wonderful people will be by my side because life without them would certainly be very hard!

my feelings about college

As I sit in my dorm on this very stressful and crappy Monday, I can't help to think about finally returning home this weekend. Even though I love Virginia Tech, I really miss my family, my pets, my friends, and the feeling you get when you finally walk into your house after being gone for a long time. In my opinion, the first month at college has been life changing and extremely challenging. I honestly feel like I have learned more in this last month than I ever have in the last 18 years of living. With that being said, college is a very enjoyable and it's also a very stressful atmosphere. Its really hard adjusting from easy AP high school classes and maintaining a 4.0 all four years to not making the grades I thought I would be making. Looking back at high school, I believe that the only thing that I really do miss is the all of the free time that I had during after school hours and on the weekends. Nowadays my life consists of waking up at nine am, doing homework, studying for classes, going to classes, doing more homework, and then sleep. This routine is never ending and goes on repeat every single day of the week, but the one thing that I try to keep in the back of my mind is that one day this will all pay off!

While being here, I've also started to change my mind about being a science major. I've recently been leaning towards a degree in education or maybe even hnfe. I honestly think it would be amazing to one day become a kindergarten teacher, which is right now why I'm leaning towards a major in education. Another thing that I have realized about college is that I am NOT meant to take Chemistry. For anyone that has yet to take it and is about to next semester, let me warn you right now and tell you that its the worst class ever. Don't be surprised if you wanna cry because of how hard it is because it truly sucks!

As for my favorite class it would have to be either First Year Writing or Math at the Empo, both classes are enjoyable and they are easy to understand. Whenever I have homework or have to take a quiz, I don't feel overly stressed and I feel like I actually know what I need to know for the quiz. I think the reason as to why I'm not enjoying my chem, or bio classes is mainly the size of the class room. Its tough going from high school class rooms with 20 people, to class sizes that contain 400 students. 

As the year goes on, I really hope I will start becoming more comfortable and familiar with my science classes, if not the good thing about being at college is getting the chance to try new majors and new classes! I am really scared, nervous, and excited to see what the next few months have in store for me!