Trips, hackers, alcohol & some other stuff- Friday Freewrite

I found this awesome new blogger who hosts Friday Freewrites & since I'm out of town this weekend & blogging via iPhone I figured this sounded like the perfect post for me today! So this weekend I'm visiting Rough Creek Lodge in Glenrose, TX for my dads company picnick & in a moment that couldn't be explained as anything other than temporary insanity, I left my laptop at home. So here I sit, blogging via iPhone wishing I had either a)stayed at the lodge (we're staying in the owners house down the road) with my dad & basically every other male member of my family like my uncle & cousins etc & convinced the bar tender to give me some drinks or b) brought my laptop!! Or both. Thank god for iPhones! Speaking of drinks we had a nice family dinner & the waitor asked me if I'd Like a cocktail. Naturally I said yes & ordered my favorite: a margarita! Then the waitor informed me they have a very nice margarita special. It's made with patron & grand marnier. I naturally said "I'll take it!" my review? I've actually had better. It wasn't that fantastic but definitely still good. Anyway remember how much I love trips & how they usually go so well for our family?! Well our road trip out here today was scheduled to take about an hour and a half. Well some geniuses (my dad & grandpa) set the navigation system to take the long way & we ended up taking all the back roads & driving through oak cliff. That was not in the original directions. So our trip ended up taking about 3 hours. Oh well at least we got a nice view of all the back roads! Ha as my dad said "I've always wanted to see what oak cliff looked like!" So apparently the world almost ended yesterday. I mean a hacker tried to take down Twitter facebook & google (& apparently livejournal but who cares about that?! Lol). That couldve been the end to social media as we know it! That would be scary! I may be misinformed (wouldn't be the first time) but I heard it all started with one blogger that the hacker was trying to take out. How much would it suck to be that blogger?! You would need one hell of an apology post, that's for sure! Can you imagine the hate mail you would get?! Like "how dare you cause Twitter to shut down! I had no one tell all the important stuff on my mind to! And as if Twitter wasn't enough you had to try to take down google facebook & livejournal too?! I hope youre happy!" glad I'm not that blogger (really I'm not!"). So this is my last weekend before going back to school. Pretty crazy. After video chatting with a few of my sorority sisters the other night I was a little More excited to go back. Something about seeing their faces again & catching up on stuff made me really ready to get back to staying up late & chatting & laughing. It will be really great to see everyone again. Well I'm about out of things to say for now so until next time, people!

"Are You Excited?"

I hear this almost everyday at least twice a day, probably more. It usually follows the question "When do you go back to school?" As soon as I answer, it always always follows "Are you excited?" This is where the dilemma is. I know the answer everyone is expecting. I know I'm supposed to say "yes! I can't wait! I'm so excited!" The truth? I don't know how I feel. Of course I want to see my friends, of course I'm looking forward to seeing them again, but excited? Not really. Not yet, anyway. When I think about this question, and how I'm supposed to react, it reminds me of an episode of Sex & the City (work with me, it's not what you think!) when Miranda finds out she is pregnant with a boy. She knows what the ultra sound tech is expecting; for her to get all excited! So, in her words, she fake orgasms. She acts all excited, saying "a boy! oh boy oh boy!" because that's what is expected of her even though she wasn't really feeling that way. This is how I feel when people ask me if I'm excited to go back to school. I feel like they expect me to shout for joy, maybe jump up & down with excitement. I mean, can you imagine if someone said "are you excited to go back to school?" and my response was "eh... not really."? I realize that most people that ask this are just being polite, and don't actually expect me to go into a long, deeply thought out answer. Which is exactly why I smile & "fake it" so to speak & say "Yes, I'm so excited!" Don't get me wrong. I love where I go to school. I love my friends. It's just hard for me to go back & forth, and it's hard for me to be excited. It takes me awhile to adjust to a new situation. It's the same coming home from school; when I first get home my parents are all giddy & excited I'm home & I'm thinking getmeoutofhereandbacktoschoolNOW! But pretty soon it starts to feel normal again, and I know that's how it will be once I get to school. It will take a little getting used to at first, but then it will be normal again, and I won't want to come home because I'm so happy there. Like I said here and here and probably 10 other times, I am lucky to be at a school where I'm happy. So, for now, when I get asked if I'm excited, I'll continue to fake it. I'll smile & nod my head & maybe even jump up and down like an idiot (ok, probably not), but inside hold tight to the knowledge that one day soon I will be excited, and won't be able to imagine a time when I wasn't. Or maybe I'll just answer "read my blog"!

23 Days: A Year Later

A year ago, I wrote this post entitled 23 days about how close I was to making that final step in the transition from high school to college, and how scary that is. Now, a year later, I am back at that mile stone; the 23 days mark. (actually, a little bit past that, but work with me, people!) The overwhelming feeling, although I have many others too, is I can't believe I'm back here already! I remember writing that post so well. I remember those feelings of being unsure of what the future will hold for me. I remember being scared of those friendships that I had at the time, and what would happen to them? And now, a year later, it feels weird. In my post last year, I mentioned a get-together with students & alumns from Dallas that go to William Woods. Yesterday, I was back there again, only this time I was the one with the answers, with the advice for those new students feeling probably a lot like I did a year ago. That is weird. It definitely went by fast; it feels like yesterday I was writing this post about school ending. I remember that feeling of sadness the whole week before school let out. I remember wondering how I would ever survive the summer without my friends! Those friendships I was once so scared of losing have been lost, but replaced with better ones. I am lucky to be going back to a place I love and to people I love, even though I am leaving behind other people I love as well. Part of me is sad. I have had a great summer & have been blessed to be able to spend a lot of time with my family & strengthen those bonds. I'm going to miss them a lot, but I know I'll see them soon. Part of me is also scared. There is a lot at stake this semester... to be honest my grades weren't great at the end of the year. So non-great in fact, that if they aren't great or at least better this year, I'm basically screwed. Which is scary, of course. I want to believe I can do it, I'm capable of so much more than what I have done so far, but it's hard not to play the "what if" game. What if I can't do it? What if I try, and fail? Also, going back brings out some insecurities. Will they still like me?! Will they think know I got fatter? And, the hardest part for me is the back & forth. I like my comfort zones, & I don't like leaving them! But, I am doing my best not to focus on that, and instead focus on the things I am excited for, the things I have missed. My friends and sorority sisters, of course. Shower parties! Meeting and befriending new people. Partying (not too much of course!), and lots more. I know that it won't take hardly any time at all for me to feel comfortable again, and it will be like we never left! I have said it before, and I'll say it again! I am so lucky to be at a place I love & to have found friends I love. This is the most important thing, because above all else, I love where I go to school & I really love my friends & sorority sisters, so I know going back to school will be great despite all the insecurities & worries & whatever else! I just can't believe it's already been a year!

My Heart is Heavy...

It is hard to put into words the relationships we have with one another as bloggers because it is truly unique. The fact is, most of us don't know each other in person. Most of us have never met. But all of that is irrelevant because day in and day out, we read each others inner thoughts & feelings. We are there for the funny stories & the pictures of kids & families. We connect to each other in a way that is really special. That is why when one of us is hurting, we are all hurting. We feel as though we know these families, as if they are our IRL friends. This is why blogging is so special; we as bloggers can get the word out there that someone is hurting, that someone needs our thoughts, our prayers, and our words. Today, more than ever, this bond we share is needed. There are people out there who need us more than ever. And because we aren't there to hold their hands, give them a shoulder to cry on or just talk, all we can do is send thoughts & prayers, and encourage others to do the same. So today, I am asking you, my bloggy friends who are so special to me, to please keep the following families in your thoughts & prayers today. The first family that needs us today is one many of you are probably familiar with. You may recognize this button:

People all over the world were praying for Stellan, this very sick little boy, before he was even born. He was not supposed to survive the pregnancy; he has a heart defect that causes him to be in SVT, which means his little heart beats way faster than it should, which could lead to heart failure. Today, Stellan is hospitalized & is quickly deteorating. Things are not looking good for him, which is why he needs our thoughts & prayers more than ever. Mckmama, Stellan's mom, is updating via her Twitter page, so check there for updates. The next family is the Riggs family.

This adorable little girl, Abby, has leukemia, so sadly she is used to being hospitalized. This time is different, though. Abby is in the hospital with a serious infection which could lead to serious organ failure or may already have. And finally: Phillip is Amy's son with a brain mass. He's had 19 brain operations, and even more orthopedic operations. He has been suffering through countless seizures and has even had at least one stroke. Currently, his meds to keep his pain under control and to prevent seizures are not helping, and it looks like he is going to need another brain operation. For updates, see his Caring Bridge Site or Amy's blog. I could go on and on about how much these families need, but I know you know. I wish there was something more I could do for them, but instead I am passing this information on to you all, hoping that you will think of them during these difficult times. It's times like these when so many people are hurting and dealing with life or death situations, that all else seems insignificant. I simply could not post about my vacation I'm returning from tonight or the fun times I've been having with these people who are struggling in the back of my mind. So today, I offer my blog post to these people and families with a heavy heart while I continue to hope & pray for better things to come for them.

Oh the Joys of Traveling

Traveling is so fun isn't it!? Don't you just love the stress, the deadlines, the baggage (both figuratively & literally!), etc, etc!? I know I do! Especially the kind of trip I had the other day. Allow me to demonstrate: 

5:00 AM- Wake up. Silently curse the fact that I am awake before the sun! WTF? The last time this happened... try NEVER! I like LOVE my sleep. 5 AM does not work for me. 

5:15- Finally get out of bad, finish packing. Still cursing the fa

ct that the sun is still not up & I am. 

6:00 AM- Leave the house and start the drive to the airport. 

I'm a little less bitter about the sun not being up because I know Starbucks is in the near future. 

6:05 AM- We have to turn around, my mom forgot her phone. 

6:45 AM- We get to the airport. This is where the fun begins! We try to check our bags they want to charge us like $1000 for them, so we decide to only check 5 of our 6 bags. Then, they inform us that oops sorry, it's 2 minutes passed the deadline to check in bags for your flight, so you'll have to put them on the next flight. The next flight is at 1 PM... our flight is at 7:30 AM. Which means we will have to go back to the airport & get our bags before we can drive to the beach house. The ticket desk workers don't listen to our arguing, and put our bags on the next flight. Fantastic. 

7:15 AM- Best part of the day so far. STARBUCKS! It's like Heaven! 

7:30 AM- on the plane. I sit back, relax & enjoy the flight! 

10:00 AM- Plane lands. As we are getting off the plane, we realize that remember that one bag we weren't gonna check? Oh yeah, well it's gone. As in, not with us! No one picked it up and brought it to the plane. The missing bag? MY suitcase. Fantastic. I'm thrilled, really! 

10:10 AM- We sit down in the Charleston airport & try to call the DFW airport. We try to give a description of the bag, but don't know the type of it. My dad tells me to google suitcases with frog logo's (because that's what mine looks like) to find the type of the bag. The guy on the phone looks, doesn't find it. Stress is building by the minute!

10:30 AM- hang up with the airport. My dad tells me there is probably a 3% chance of them finding my bag (he's always the optimist!). I'm thrilled, really. 

10:45 AM- waiting in line for rental car. This takes forever. Seriously, like 30 minutes. 

11:00 AM- We go outside to look at our rental car when my dad decides it is too small to fit all of our crap stuff. So we go back in the rental car place & get a new car... this takes 30 minutes again. 

11:05 AM- I am still bummed about my suitcase. But I get a text which leads to a phone call from one of my sorority sisters who promptly cheered me up! Also, she informed me that North Face now makes hoodies. It is now my mission to obtain one of these. 

11:30 AM- We are finally leaving the airport (for now)! Since we have to stay in Charleston, we decide to get some lunch somewhere & then go shopping for some new clothes for me since my entire wardrobe is lost. 

12:00 PM- We eat lunch at a place called Hymans where apparently every famous person has been! They have plaques on the tables that say like "Raven Simone ate here." (bad example, I know, but that was who sat in my sister's seat)

We get some half-shelled Oysters for appetizers & they were so delicious! Even better, when my parents order wine, the waitress pours me a glass too!! Woo hoo!! 

See!!? YUMM!!! 

12:30 PM- We walk around by the restaurant for a little bit. We go into this one shop that has these cute dresses that could apparently be worn as a dress, skirt, or top. My dad suggests getting one since I have no clothes, & my mom says "No, we'll just get her some clothes at Target or Wal-Mart." Nice, real nice mom! My entire wardrobe is lost & y

ou want to replace it at Target!? Come on. Now is not the time to be cheap! 

While at the store, I found this awesome button: 

Terrible picture I know, but it says "I'm much cooler online". How cool is that!!? I LOVE it! It's so true! I would've bought it except no one would get it except my online friends! 

1:00 PM- We've still got a lot of time to kill since our flight our bags don't come in for another 2 hours, so we go shopping at Target. More stress erupts on the way! We're trying to get directions off my dad's iPhone & read them to him. He makes a couple of wrong turns or something, and starts cussing & freaking out! Um... as if we have anywhere to be anytime soon! We've got nothing but time to kill! 

1:15 PM- We finally make it to Target & work on replacing my wardrobe. Not only does this include clothes, but also bathing suits, underwear, pajamas basically all the necessities in life. At this point, I am tired & I really hate picking out clothes, so my mom & my sister take over & find me some decent outfits. My dad goes off on his own; I guess he didn't want to stand there while I picked out underwear. Who would've thought!? 

2:30- Leave Target. Go across the street to the grocery store so my parents can get wine. My sister & I wait in the car. They take forever. We got bored. So we took pictures of ourselves on our phone! 

3:00 PM- Drive to the airport to get our bags. Praying that somehow my bag turns up with the rest of our bags. Holding on to that 3% chance! 

3:30 PM- Arrive at airport. We got a text that the plane arrived, but clearly they were lying because we had to wait like 30 minutes. Some professional wrestler dudes were there and people kept taking pictures with them. *Yawn* Who cares!? 

4:00 PM- Our bags finally come. My bag is here!!! All is not lost!! Turns out it was our cosmetic bag that we forgot at the airport & it somehow got to the airport anyway! Woo hoo! I'm now working on a plan in my head to convince my parents to let me keep the new clothes. My mom claims she is returning them. Not gonna happen! 

4:30 PM- We finally leave the airport & head to the beach house! It's about an hour & a half drive. I'm just happy we have my clothes! Even though I was excited about getting an all new wardrobe, there were some things in there I wanted back like my AXO t-shirts! 

6:00 PM- Finally, we have arrived at our destination!! After a long day of stress & traveling seeing all my family was a great way to end the day. Not a lot of better things than sitting around talking to family & listening to crazy stories! 

So what did I learn from this? Stay calm at all times. As my ex bf says (in a really funny fake southern accent no less) "Do not panic! Everything will be okay!" When someone who is super optimistic slightly negative tells you there is only a 3% chance of something happening, don't listen! And, as cheesy as it is, at the end of the day family is almost worth it! (Almost!) 

If My Tweets Were News...

So it's no secret that a bunch of celebs are on twitter, right. I mean, come on, everyone whose anyone is on twitter! lol Well, I like to keep up with Entertainment news, you know read a few gossip blogs watch E! News sometimes at night & lately I've been noticing a trend. If you're a celeb, your tweets are like headline news! Which, I mean really, shouldn't be surprising because as a follower of celebrity gossip I am aware that if they cough or sneeze, it's headline news but still. Anyway, it got me thinking what if my tweets were headline news?! I don't know what they would say about me.. my tweets are actually pretty boring, but apparently it doesn't matter if you're interesting or not. Ashlee Simpson (@ashsimpsonwentz) tweeted about mac lip liner she liked & that made news! So what would my headlines be?! My last few tweets are: My sister double pierced only 1 ear... is it me or is that weird!? why not just do both ears? Apparently that's the cool thing these days..? I can't believe Family Guy got Emmy nominations... what?!?! It's not even a real show it's a cartoon! I really, really hate that show! blah! Working on my post about sororities & sorority life, etc. Have questions?! Ask away & I'll answer them in my post! :) So what do you think?! Newsworthy?! Totally, right!? I can see the headlines now: Patrice's latest tweet: (insert random tweet here)... she's so cool & down to earth! Ha she even tweets about her sorority's philanthropy foundation thingy! (I know it's so professional sounding, right?! I'm sure the real thing would be slightly better!) So, what about you? If your tweets were in the headlines what would they say about you?! Don't tweet? Check out my top 5 reasons why you should & your mind will be changed!

We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming...

It's been a really long commercial break around here for, oh, only the last week and a half or something like that! Did you miss me?! Did you know I was gone?! lol I'm sure you totally knew & you totally missed me, don't lie! Anyway, I have a totally legit excuse for not being here, don't worry, I wouldn't just leave you for no reason! I was on vacation for a family reunion with my mom's side in Sun River, OR. It was beautiful! And even though I had internet access and everything, I just didn't have the time to sit down & like, write a whole post! Well maybe that's not true either, but whatever, the point is I'm back now & that's all that matters! So my vacation was pretty fantastic. It was really great to see my family; we only get together every 3 years or so, so it's really great to see everyone when we get together! I have a cousin my same age (only like 3 months apart) so that makes it even more fun since I get to hang out with her! So anyway, we did a lot of fun things! We took a trip up to Crater Lake, it was pretty fantastic. You can read all about that here at my post for College Lifestyles! We went White Water Rafting... that was a blast! Probably my favorite part! We also did some black light mini-golfing, that was pretty cool! All in all, it was a great trip, but I'm glad to be back home and of course, happy to be back with you all, my bloggy friends! I know you were just missing me so much! For pictures of my fabulous trip, check out my facebook! Are we friends? We should be! So, yeah, this post is kind of lame. But I just wanted you to know I'm back in action! More to come soon, don't worry!