Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Denial

I am pretty much still in denial about leaving all of my friends.  Marcia leaves tomorrow so we had our last dinner tonight.  I was doing pretty good until Heather M. made the comment that she was leaving some of the best friends she has had in a long time.  I feel the same way so much so I have been really avoiding accepting that we will all be moving away.  Everyone keeps telling me that I will make new friends in Charleston and I am sure I will but... I cannot express in words how amazing the friends I have made in this cohort are.  They are strong, supportive, open-minded, available and just down right amazing.  And that does not even begin to explain how great they are.  I really truly miss them.  I am so awful at staying in touch with people and I hope I can keep in touch with them.  We are talking about making Spring Break trips to see each other and I hope we all follow through.  These girls are amazing and I will miss them so much.

But until then- Heather and I have plans to go a Grand Prix Saturday night and I am so freaking excited about it. I just focus on the positive.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Blogging?

So.. I completely forgot I had this thing that I am supposed to be keeping up with.  Oops!

Last weekend, Jon came down to see me again.  Kaede wanted next weekend off so he was able to come see me two weekends in a row.  It was wonderful!!!  Friday night, we had our School Psych end of the year party (more on that later).  So.. Saturday we were not feeling our absolute best since we stayed out until 3 am.  This old lady doesn't stay out until 3 very gracefully anymore.  Saturday ended up being such a relaxed and lazy day.  It was just what we needed.  We cooked a little bit, ate a little bit, napped a little bit and just hung out. I am really bad about feeling like we always need to be on the move so it was nice to just take a deep breath and relax.

I am all done with classes and work (technically) but I am volunteering at the Autism Camp at RU.  I started last Monday but because of classes and court (stupid 65mph and mean cops), I could only work Monday last week.  I was with the teenagers last week but got switched to the younger kids this week and I really like the younger kids.  The little boy I helped with was just recently diagnosed and tends to run.  His mom is still trying to figure it all out but she seems to do a great job.  A few hours of being on high alert for him to run absolutely exhausted me.  I can't imagine what it is like to be on high alert 24/7.  I have so much respect for parents who have children with disabilities. I need to remember how much they have on their plate when I sit in eligibility meetings.

After camp, I went to help with Quest Orientation.  I am done with my hours as an advisor in premajor but I just couldn't help but feel like I needed to help out.  Patti, Rachel, Martha, Katrina and Candace were so wonderful to work with.  They really helped me through so many terrible times and helped me to de-stress when I really needed it.  Patti was also a great reminder that things were always in God's hand too.  I think I needed that reminder a lot.  Here are the ladies of premajor.



About that end of the year party.  I am still in denial that my friends are leaving and I am moving away from them so.. I think we will just stay in denial a little longer.

Recipes of the weekend:
Angelfood Cupcakes with berries on top and then a mascarpone whipped cream topping.  Delicious!!!!  I think plain whipped cream would  have been just as good but the mascarpone held up through the heat well

Drink- Gin Basil Lemonade- Yum!!!!

Also Pizza Bites.  These were fairly tasty.  Not quite as good as the Highlander rolls we had at 3 am.. but a close second when you control for the grease and extra fat of the Highlander rolls.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

First Blog

I never really thought to blog but when I  read other people's blogs, I realize that they can go back and remember all the little things that start to slip from your mind (And I have a terrible mind).  I realized that I don't take as many pictures and that has always been my main way of remembering what I have done.  So... let's see how this works out.

Right now, I am in my last month of living in Radford, VA.  In less than a month, I move to Charleston SC.  I am so excited about the moving but also starting to realize all the things I will miss.  I have made the most amazing friends ever here in Radford!  I have been trying to do as much as possible while I still have friends to hang out with.  Last night, Jon and I grilled out with Casey and Emily and then Marcia came over for some drinks also.  We are a bunch of dorks so we are impressed with ourselves when we stay up past 10:00, let alone past midnight.

Another thing I will desperately miss is seeing Jon so much.  Right now, he is only 4.5 hours away but soon he will be 8 hours away.  That extra time is going to make a big difference in how often we see each other.  It has been so nice seeing each other on the weekends.  Lately, we have managed to see each other almost every weekend.  Last weekend, I went to DC to have dinner with his parents (at Columbia Firehouse- Delicious!!!)  The weekend before, he had come down and we went to Blue Ridge Winery, floated the river and grilled out with friends.





This past weekend was pretty relaxed.  We saw a movie (I will also miss Radford's $5 theaters), got frozen yogurt and grilled.

My favorite recipes from this weekend.  Since the AC is still broken, we tried not to use the stove unless absolutely necessary:

Greek Grilled Pita Pizza
-We put a cast iron pan on the grill to act as a pizza stone since my stone was too big.  Lightly oiled both sides of the pitas and then topped with mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta and grilled them.  After the cheese was all melty and bubbly, we took them off the grill and added basil.

Gin basil lemonade
-Mix Gin and Lemonade in a shaker (or in a glass if you feel lazy).  Add a few basil leaves and muddle with a spoon to release the basil flavor.  I found if you tear the leaf in half and then muddle, it lets out a little more flavor a little quicker.  Delicious!!!