Taking a Break

Today has been eventful to say the very least. Woke up this morning at 6:45am in order to board the bus by 8:00am fully clothed, bathed, and feminine (hair, makeup, perfume, deodorant, etc.) Let me just say that I would give anything to roll out of the bed and head to the bus without having to do all of the grooming. It's excessive. Boys don't have to do it. Ever heard of Title IX or Equal Rights? If y'all are socially acceptable during your nastiest days, then it should be fine for me to leave the house without my "face" on. Just saying.

Dejanae and I at 7:45am this morning. Awesome.

Dejanae and I at 7:45am this morning. Not Awesome.

Ok, so I woke up, bathed, put my lipstick on (it was poppin), added a spritz of perfume and out the door I went. Took the bus to SROW for our "State Meeting" aka the time set aside for you to introduce yourself to all people from Mississippi. We did the usual spill: Where are you from? What year are you in school? What's your favorite thing about Orientation?  After the State Meeting, we attended an educational session. Dejanae and I chose to go to "Ready, Set, Intern" hosted by 2 people from GA Tech. They did a great job. When we left Dejanae said "Do you feel like we just left church? Like, they were talking straight to us." She was right. I never lost interest in the meeting at all. We asked questions, learned a lot about the process, and got to meet some pretty incredible people from around the South.

Once the session was over, our team met up at the bus and went to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. We had a BLAST. (I know that sounds really cheesy, but it's true.) This was many of our first racing experiences. The best thing was that they actually had cars on the track since there is a race soon. They were test driving. We also got to witness amateur drag racing. I've never been the biggest NASCAR fan. Quite honestly, the only opinion I had of NASCAR was that I really enjoy sleeping through the races on Sunday afternoons. The tour of the speedway was intriguing, and I may actually have to watch a race. I doubt I'll own a complete set of NASCAR commemorative plates or post my favorite driver's number on my license plate, but I wouldn't be opposed to viewing a race. I did see a good handle-bar mustache today. Regret of the day: not getting a photo of this. Sorry readers.

Ok, so we leave the speedway and go back to the outlet mall for Firehouse Subs-round 2. Their staff was elated to see all 24 of us back in line again. I wouldn't be surprised if we end up there again tomorrow. Seriously.

After lunch it was time for the T-shirt Swap back at UNC-Charlotte. T-shirt Swap = mad craziness. Check out this photo footage.

I know all of you are supremely jealous of this experience. I walked away from the swap with 3 t-shirts. Alabama, Dalton State, and Southern Miss. It was hard work. But that's what I get for trying to channel my inner-OL. My tale should've been on top of the steps with the rest of the professional staff, but no. I just HAD to be in the middle of the madness. It was worth it.

After the swap we went to another educational session. The next one was put on my Southern Mississippi and was about keeping your fiery passion for students lit and not hitting a burn-out phase. This was a great testimony given by USM's Orientation Director. She did a great job.

So now it was time for mine and Dejanae's presentation/educational session. AHHHH. We get to the room and it is, no lie, 88 degrees in there. The air doesn't work, the door doesn't have a stopper, and we have a packed room. Body heat added another 10 degrees to the room. Once we got into the presentation, time seemed to fly by. We had a lot of great questions and positive feedback from schools. It was an excellent learning experience. NODA/SROW is down. NASPA to go on Monday. Say another prayer that it goes as smoothly as today's did. And pray for air conditioning. We'd greatly appreciate that, and I'm sure our participants would as well.

Block F = Our Presentation Slot

We are now back at the hotel taking a break until dinner reservations at the Melting Pot. I will be sure to blog about our dinner experience, but I wanted to take time to update my readers on our day so far. I'm so looking forward to taking a shower and putting on girly clothes. We have been doing the uniform thing all week. It will be refreshing to be able to put on my heels tonight.

I'll be back to update later tonight!

-BC

A SROWtastic Day

Hello world. It is 12:15am here in Charlotte, NC. Our team of Orientation Leaders and staff has been grindin since 10:00am. And we are exhausted. Or at least I am. I'm quickly learning that I am not a 19-year-old anymore. I need my beauty and sanity sleep. We started the morning off with the Sticker Swap. It was a complete success! And mad craziness.

I was slowly spiraling into elderly oblivion tonight. It's a wonder that I didn't just start snoozing during the Song, Skit, and Dance competition today. I would like to thank the spirited groups around us for keeping me alert throughout the entire experience. It is utterly impossible to take a power snooze when there are 50 Ragin' Cajuns right next to you chanting "R-O-C-K YOU ROCK YOU ROCK YOU ROCK!". Remind me to thank my mother for not making me do cheerleading because I'm not sure I could've survived cheer camp.

Ah, the God-given birth name. But check out that "Presenter" ribbon. V.I.P.

Our Orientation Leaders KILLED IT tonight in the Song Competition!! I was like a proud mom taking pictures throughout the performance. All of their hard work certainly paid off, and I am hopeful that they will place (hopefully WIN), but we won't find that out until Sunday. Thanks to Brent Thompson for this picture that he sent to all of us. Words to live by.

Tomorrow's schedule of events is as follows:

8:00am: Board the Bus to head to UNC-Charlotte for the morning meeting/Educational Session
11:30am: Tour the Charlotte Motor Speedway facilities (the OL's are so pumped about this!!)
2 something: T-shirt swap
3 or 4 something: Dejanae and I do our presentation (EEEKKKK)

In the program = VIP

Later on: Going out for dinner with the entire group. Finally get to look like a girl instead of a softball coach. Oh how I loathe collared, Clima-cool shirts. Thank the Good Lord Above that we weren't required to wear khaki pants, because I would've stayed home. I'm not joking.

I will actually write a decent blog when it's not so late at night. My mind is nearly gone. Maybe tomorrow's post will make more sense and contain more fun stories.

-BC

Greetings from Charlotte!

Hello to my captivated audience. It is currently 3:40am in Charlotte, NC and we are just now getting settled into our hotel rooms. It has been a long day of travel and I want nothing more than to assume the supine position and close my eyes, but I just HAD to write this post first.

You know, you learn a lot about some people on an eight hour bus trip. I so enjoyed living vicariously through the Orientation Leaders today. I am one of the "has beens" on the bus, but it was fun to listen to the aimless chatter, road trip games, and secret-telling that ensued during our journey. It got me wondering  what chaperones have thought about me and my behavior or actions in the past when I was where they are now. Gone are the days when I can host dance parties in the back of the bus or read embarrassing Cosmo articles aloud in hopes of making people squirm. Oh how I will miss the days of playing "Catchphrase"(this game got super competitive amongst the Alumni Delegates. Good times. Good times.)

It could always be worse, though. We could've been on the Yellow Dog.

At the age of twenty-four, I am thankful for the opportunities that have been given to me lately. This trip is one of them. This marks my first time to help chaperone a student organization anywhere outside of Starkville. The hard part is over now that we've made it through the drive. I will continue to post updates here for your viewing pleasure. Tomorrow's schedule is as follows:

10:00 am: Board the Bus to Outlet Mall
2:00 pm: Check into the SROW conference
3:00 pm: Sticker Swap (yes, they actually run around and stick stickers on each other and on members of other university teams. It's hilarious.)
5:00 pm: Song, Dance, and Skit Competition (WE BETTER WIN)
Sometime after that: Dinner at the Conference
Later in the evening: Pizza at the hotel (fourth meal, as Taco Bell would call it)

Sticker Swap from last year at LSU

So there's what you have to look forward to reading about. I'm interested to see how I function tomorrow after only about 5 hours of sleep tonight. Prayers are welcome.

Ok, I'm off to bed. I know all of you are already there. Congratulations. I'm supremely jealous.

-BC

Rainbow After the Storm

I am in utter denial that tomorrow starts "Spring Break" for those of us who are still reaping the benefits of college life. No, I won't be spending this break on the beach as I usually would. Actually, this year I'm traveling to Charlotte, NC (UNC-Charlotte's campus) and then to Phoenix, AZ for grad school-related conferences. I'm really excited about these opportunities, but WHEN did March 8th get here?? I've been thinking about these conferences for what seems like years (but seriously, it's been since October) and now they're finally here. One would think that I would have everything packed and ready, but you would be wrong. You obviously haven't read my procrastinator blog post. I'll forgive you this one time, but please go back and glance at it.

So in true procrastinator fashion, I have found 100 other things to do besides clean and pack. I mean, I'm going on a week-long venture so first things first: I had to update my iPhone. New tunes for the road. After the iPhone was updated, I had to make a list of things to pack. To those of you who are not procrastinators, you may think of lists as ways to get organized. Well, if you were like me, you'd realize that making a list is just another means of procrastination. It keeps you away from the actual task, but makes you look semi-productive. I will often find myself doing meaningless tasks like this at work. Making me look super productive when in reality I'm just taking the long way around something. Y'all know what I'm talking about, right? Like when your coworkers or boss walks by and you stare really hard at the screen with that face that poses concern. Your coworker or boss automatically assumes you are working on something really important when, in fact, you are trying to figure out why your Facebook status won't update correctly or why that picture won't attach to your tweet you're composing or you're glancing at that girl's engagement ring trying to figure out how many carats it could possibly be. I'm a pro at this. This doesn't mean I'm not hardworking, because I am, but during those mental breaks that are so often needed, I have a way of looking really busy while trying to get away from work.

"The Look"

So now that we're all on the same page about how to look productive without actually accomplishing anything, let me now explain what I am currently doing. I have made a packing list, I have charged my phone (which is irrelevant because I will have to do that again later, but whateverrrr), I have placed my bundlesome suitcase upstairs (if any kind soul wants to help me carry it back downstairs, I'd be most appreciative), I have thrown a pile of clean clothes from my bed to the floor...again, and I have listened to the entire Adele album. I am so impressed with myself. NOT.

But do you know what I am impressed with? My boss. Today he offered me and one of my fellow Graduate Assistants an opportunity for more professional development. We will both assume more office responsibilities and will have the privilege of working more closely with the Admissions Counselors in addition to our campus visit coordinating tasks. I am so looking forward to assuming this role and I am now a firm believer of the saying "When God closes a door, He opens a window". I truly believe this is my open window. My sweet daddy texted me to tell me that "clouds may come just as you are beginning to enjoy the blue sky, but rainbows come after the storm." He is so right. I am going to enjoy this rainbow and look forward to the blue skies that are sure to come.

-BC

What I Learned Today

Today I learned several things.

1) I truly do have the best friends/support system in the entire world.

2) I have no idea what God has in store for me, but it's high time I trusted Him.

3) Opportunities will continue to come my way in some form or fashion.

It was a Manic Monday to say the very least. Filled with emotion. After a wait that seemed to go on forever, I found out that I was not entering the professional world of Student Affairs as quickly as I thought I was. I am honored to have been considered for this possible step, and I will take all of the knowledge and practice that I have gained throughout this entire experience with me for the future. However, to say that I wasn't a little disappointed would do you, my readers, an injustice. I was. I'm human. Isn't it normal to emotionally connect with situations that we are presented with? Isn't it normal to put 110% into every situation that we are given in life? Isn't it normal to be passionate about future plans? Yes. It is. And I am happy to say that I have no regrets from the entire experience.

I remember the disappointments that I had faced up until this point. In high school basketball, my starting position was taken away from me after an ankle injury. I was devastated. But do you know what I did? Worked my tail off and eventually got some quality playing time after the first month of games. I still got to participate in district games and play-offs and became more appreciative of the sport and my team after rallying back from an injury that kept me out of the game for the entire pre-season.

It's too bad you can't see my awesome ankle brace. I was a hottie.

During my undergraduate career I decided to try out for Alumni Delegates. After 2 times of going through the process and coming out unsuccessful, I bit the bullet and tried out the last possible year that I could. I made it, and I appreciated the organization a lot more because of how hard I had tried to get into it.

Channeling our inner Pernell McPhee

And now it's my graduate career and I decided to apply for a job...like most para-professionals do. I was fortunate enough to be called back to both rounds of interviews, but at the end of the day it wasn't meant to be. Much like I have done in my high school and undergraduate careers, I will rise to achieve the goals that I have set for myself. If it takes trying out 3 times for the same position or "watching the game from the bench" only to finally get my name called to go in and shine...it WILL happen. I can rest assured of that. I am looking forward to what my post-graduate career holds for me. I'm sure one day there'll be another blog post that is stating how excited I am to finally get that job that I've always wanted. And when that day comes, I will be one happy happy Student Affairs Professional.

Home Sweet Home

I hope that all of you are setting goals for yourselves. Otherwise, what is there to live for? We must have something that keeps us passionate and motivated to be the people we always knew we would be. We must be able to look back and say "Gosh, look at everything I overcame to get where I am today." There are no "hand-outs" in the world today. No silver spoons. Yes, some of us are pursuing a path set forth by our families, but even then we can make that path what we want it to be. Each of us has the power to control our own lives. So what will you make of yours? Stay uplifted. Stay positive. Stay motivated. Dream BIG.

-BC

Inside the Life of a Procrastinator

Based on my results from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) last year, it seems that I am straddling the line between being a procrastinator and a non-procrastinator. I'd say this is pretty accurate, and it all boils down to one simple fact: if I am interested in getting something done then it gets done. If I'm not, then it gets put on the back burner until the absolute last minute. Some things are just more important than others, ya know?

For example, this weekend I had sufficient down time. Some of which was supposed to be dedicated to school work and preparing for Spring Break aka NODA and NASPA conferences. Did this happen before late Sunday night? Um, no. What did I do instead? Well, like any normal human being I helped my friends celebrate their completion of Comps. This took place Friday night at a nice little place on Main Street called Old Venice. It's not a real popular place, so y'all probably haven't heard of it. From Old Venice, the party continued on to Zorba's. I was proud of all of us for staying out with the young crowd. We did so good! Even if we are somewhere between the ages of 23 and 26...we can still stay up until 2:30 am like champs. The true difference between old people and young people is the ability they have to recover after a late night. I had to spend Saturday recovering on the couch. When I was 21 or younger I could be up and going the next morning. Not the case anymore unfortunately. I am slowly turning into the most lame individual ever. Pretty soon I'm going to have to drink sufficient amounts of caffeine in preparation for a dinner date...just so I can stay awake and be personable. It's only going to get worse with age. I'll probably have to plan my wedding (which will be taking place in 100 years, so go ahead and mark it on your calendars because you're all invited) at noon just so the reception will be over before the sun goes down...just to ensure that I don't pass out from fatigue on the dance floor. Actually, I'll probably be in a walker by this time so dancing will more than likely be out of the picture.

I bet the nursing home chapel will be a REAL nice place for a wedding in 2112.

Ok, back to the procrastinator vs. non-procrastinator issues. Tonight, I got back from a bridal shower at my parents' house at 7:00 pm. This meant that I had give-or-take 6 hours to get some work done before going to bed around 1:00 am. That's usually the time that I'm in bed each night, so it was safe to plan on getting a lot done between 7 and 1. But what did I do first? Cleaned out my car. 30 minutes later it was on to the kitchen where I cleaned out the refrigerator to make room for the lovely leftovers that I brought back from home. Thanks Pearl and Mamaw for the spread! There's nothing better than living off of party food all week. Spinach and artichoke dip anyone?

So after the refrigerator was cleaned and promptly restocked, I had to load the dishwasher and start a load of laundry. Mandy arrived shortly after this took place and provided yet another distraction. Then I made the mistake of turning on the the TV. While flipping through the Netflix queue, I spotted one of Zach Galiafinakis' stand-up shows. Well that took up yet another hour and a half. So by this time it is nearly 11:00pm and I'm finally opening up my computer. I work on a powerpoint presentation that's due tomorrow for about 30 minutes while searching Spotify for a nice playlist. (I settled on a 90s playlist. Epic.)

Don't worry, you're allowed to be jealous. Especially if you noticed "Barbie Girl" was on the list.

It is now 12:15am. I have finished as much of the powerpoint as I was able to this evening and have located my article that I have to summarize for my stupid online class that I don't need but I had to take to keep my graduate assistantship. My car, kitchen, laundry, and floors are clean. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention earlier that I vacuumed. Round of applause for me. In true procrastinator form, I am putting off the online class assignment until tomorrow morning. It will get done. I'm not worried. I have til noon to turn it in. OVER IT. I am so ready for Spring Break. Seriously. And then I'll be ready for Easter. And then I'll be ready for May. My life is nothing but anticipation of the next holiday break. I'm sure some of you are the same. You live holiday to holiday. It's not a bad gig. I rather like it.

FACT.

Well, I'm off to find something else to do instead of schoolwork. Good night world. Happy Monday!

-BC

A Cleaning Spell

If any of you are like me then you have a tendency to let housework get away from you. I have to confess that I have spent every bit of my down time the past two weeks on the couch enjoying Netflix. I have often looked into the kitchen at the dishes that fill the sink and wonder why they haven't washed themselves by now. It also amazes me that the 4 bags of trash that are on our back porch haven't walked themselves to the dumpster. And about that 8 foot pile of laundry in the middle of the living room...why hasn't it folded itself and marched upstairs to claim residence? It's astounding. And I won't even talk about  the flooring choices made by my landlords. I know I've been on the landlords' case lately in the blogosphere, BUT I'm not sure that this tan carpeting was the best idea. It doesn't hide anything. To keep it clean I would quite literally have to vacuum after every person who stepped foot into the house. You know why? They bring in bits of mulch, crepe myrtle debris (UGHHHHHH), and leaves from outdoors. And if it's raining, the just forget trying to clean the floor until the next sunny day because it's not going to matter. I can't wait to customize my own residence one day. It's going to be dark, hardwood flooring and tile throughout. I will finally be able to put my Swiffer sweeper and wet jet to good use. Instead, the only dirt it's picking up is the dirt in the laundry room where it is housed.

This is actually after returning from Christmas break, but the apt looked much the same today

Okay, so now that I've described the disarray in which my apartment found itself this week, I will now brag on myself. After going to dinner with my sister and a few of her friends at the Grill, I came home and  got straight to work. I began with the pile of clean clothes in my bedroom. I have spent the past two weeks moving this pile in hopes of actually hanging the clothes up. 10 days later I am proud to say that they are safely housed in their respective closets. Do any of y'all every find yourselves making mini-piles of clothes on your bed in the morning only to throw the clothes back on the floor at night just so you can sleep? Yeah, I'm guilty of that BIG TIME. This also goes for books, papers, shoes, anything really. I don't know why I think I'll be more prone to put stuff up if it's on top of my bed because when midnight rolls around and I'm hitting the hay, the last thing I want to do is clean. So into the floor everything goes until the next morning.

After! All better!

So after the clothes were hung, it was onto the clean laundry. 3 baskets full thanks to my sister, the maid. She did make time to fold some of the laundry, but the baskets didn't make it past the front door until tonight. Both of us just looked at them all week long. Well now they're sorted, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

At this point, the floor is clean and the bed is cleared off. The only natural thing to do next? Yep, you guessed it, strip the bed linens. I now have clean sheets, new pillow cases, and a comforter that is actually on the bed instead of on top of a pile of clothes. Amazing how 400 thread count sheets can make me feel like a million bucks. Thank you Ross Dress for Less for supplying me with new comfy sheets for only 19.99. 

Bedroom. Check. Laundry. Check. Closet. Check. What's left? The bathroom. DUM DUM DUM. My least favorite job in the entire world. I swear I just cleaned it like 2 weeks ago and it was already back in shambles. For my male readers, beware of sharing a bathroom with a female. You have it easy. You can take a 2 guard to your head and your hair is gone in 3 minutes and you'll still be socially acceptable. We, however, have to grow our luscious locks out in order to maintain a sense of femininity and style. So do not complain about the stray hairs that pop up. I heard somewhere that the average person loses over 400 hairs per day. Well I'd believe it, and I think I'm well above average. Gross I know. It grosses me out and it's my own freaking hair. EWWW. But anyways, now that we are sufficiently creeped out and don't want to share a bathroom with Brooke anymore, I will say that the bathroom is hair-free and the shower is clean and the smell of Clorox fills the air. So it's safe for anyone who may drop by for a visit.

When cleaning the apartment, I find it motivating to put on my Aretha Franklin Pandora station. If you do not have this station, I'm urging you to get it. And if you haven't had the pleasure of hearing me belt out my best Motown voice, then I am sorry to say that you have missed out on a fantastic performance, but if you're lucky you'll get to witness this sacred event sometime in the future. Just take a ride in the car with me or come to my house when I'm trying to get ready for an evening out. I am 100% positive that the Motown will be blaring through the iHome speakers. Here's a preview of the song that could be sung:

In closing, I believe that the apartment is never fully clean until I light that Tyler candle. "Diva" scent, of course. Nothing tops off an hour of cleaning like a candle. (This can also fool a lot of people. I'm guilty of lighting that sucker 15 minutes before having company only to watch them come through the door to say 'It smells SO good in here, Brooke.') Don't act like y'all don't do this too. Glade Plug-ins, candles, those scented stick things, potpourri, they all serve the same purpose...to make guests feel obligated to compliment the smell of your abode. Even if it looks like a tornado has come through your laundry room and scattered clothes everywhere. Even if you have 30 pairs of shoes laying in the floor. If you have something scented, guests are oblivious to the rest (unless it's my mother. She has a sixth sense for dirt, I swear.)

In the spirit of being clean, I leave you with this:

I'm off to snuggle in my freshly cleaned sheets! Until next time,

-BC