I haven't written in FOREVER! Life has gotten just a tad busy down here--that's what grad school will do to you. So what has happened in my life since Tom came down to visit mid-September?
A few weeks after he visited, I was able to go home for one of my very best friend's wedding! It was a crazy and stressful weekend to say the least, but it was awesome being home with friends again. Surprisingly, the only day that wasn't stressful AT ALL was the actual wedding day--praise the Lord for that, right? They have now been married for one month! Happy one month anniversary, Whitney and Josiah!
While I was home for the wedding, my friend Rachael and I were able to catch up on life. We hadn't seen each other that much since high school, and we wanted more than just a few crazy days to catch up. So what did we do? We came up with a plan!
Two weeks after Whitney's wedding was when my fall break was, and Rachael and her husband Martin live only 8 hours away from me in West Virginia (only 8 hours--no big deal compared to the 16 it takes to get to MN), so I decided to rent a car and drive up there! It was a much needed time to get away from the responsibilities of school and life and just relax and catch up with some old friends. I even honed some of my domestic skills and got to see a college football game--it was a great weekend!
I have also become a sub at the Early Learning Center on campus--yay working with little kids again! It's really weird to not be working at New Horizon and with the kids from there, but it's still good. I've even been able to work in the infant room. Be still my heart, those babies are precious!
One month from today I'll be headed home to good ol' Minnesota. Not going to lie, I'm not looking forward to going back to winter at all, but what can you do? I'm excited to go home, not have homework, see the kids from New Horizon, and hang out with family and friends (and our pets) for a whole 5 weeks! I just have to make it through the craziness that is the month of November first.
Allyson
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
TN + Tom = Best Long Weekend Ever
Last weekend, my wonderful boyfriend Tom came down to visit! It was a very last minute thing. With only 3 1/2 weeks till I was going to come home for my friend Whitney's wedding, he decided that was too long to wait to see me in person again. Let me tell you, the four days between the Sunday that he bought the ticket and the Thursday that he got here were some of the slowest days I've ever experienced.
That Thursday morning also just crept by slowly. I had to go into the elementary school I was observing at early because of when his flight got in, but I booked it once 11:15 am came. I was hoping to beat him to the airport, but his flight got in early and he ended up surprising me by already being there! He couldn't check into his hotel until 2 pm, and it was only noon. So where did I take him first? Steak 'n' Shake of course! This girl has her priorities straight. :) The rest of that day we pretty much did nothing (which we love), complete with pizza and breadsticks, Psych, and some movies.
Friday was an interesting day, to say the least. I think we got lost going almost everywhere we went.... starting with Imagination Station. Normally, it would probably only take 20 minutes to get there from Lee, if that, but it took us an hour. Once we got there, though, it was all good. Imagination Station is this GIANT wooden playground--probably the most legit playground I've ever seen. Since we're like 7-year-olds when it comes to playgrounds, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. At this point, we needed to eat food, so we hit up IHOP! I think it was the only place we didn't get lost going to that day. Following brunch, we hit up the Chattanooga Zoo! It's a pretty small zoo, but for $9/person, I think it was actually really good. I mean, they have a camel ride. How many other small zoos have a camel ride?! The animals were animals--nothing new there. Until we saw the peacocks. They were just wandering around on the sidewalks. I freaked out the first time I saw it, but we figured it must be normal because we kept on seeing them. Once we got back to Cleveland, we just went swimming and headed back to campus for some homemade tacos.
Saturday was another adventure-filled day. I showed Tom the school that I was observing at before heading towards Benton Falls! Benton Falls is, well, a giant waterfall. It's not that far from Cleveland, at least to the base of the mountain. It's another 20 minutes up the mountain and about a 1.5-2 mile hike till you actually reach the falls. Sadly, it was semi-lame due to the lack of rain, but it was still a fun day. We did get to stop at some of the "scenic view" spots on the way down. It is so pretty! From there, we headed back to Chattanooga (side note: I don't think I'll ever refer to it as "Chat" as most people do. I just really enjoy saying the whole name) to find this glow-in-the-dark mini golf course. Mini golf is one of our things, so we were super pumped..... only to end up super disappointed. According to Google, there is one located in the big mall in town, but it's no longer there. :( Seriously so bummed after discovering that. We did, however, both experience Chick-Fil-A for the first time! Hello, deliciousness! I would be jealous that they're in MN now, except that they're all over the place down here including on campus.
Sunday was the worst day of the four--Tom had to go home. It's been a week since he left, but it feels like it should've been at least two weeks. Only 12 days till I head home for Whitney's wedding and get to see him again, though. So excited!
Allyson
That Thursday morning also just crept by slowly. I had to go into the elementary school I was observing at early because of when his flight got in, but I booked it once 11:15 am came. I was hoping to beat him to the airport, but his flight got in early and he ended up surprising me by already being there! He couldn't check into his hotel until 2 pm, and it was only noon. So where did I take him first? Steak 'n' Shake of course! This girl has her priorities straight. :) The rest of that day we pretty much did nothing (which we love), complete with pizza and breadsticks, Psych, and some movies.
Friday was an interesting day, to say the least. I think we got lost going almost everywhere we went.... starting with Imagination Station. Normally, it would probably only take 20 minutes to get there from Lee, if that, but it took us an hour. Once we got there, though, it was all good. Imagination Station is this GIANT wooden playground--probably the most legit playground I've ever seen. Since we're like 7-year-olds when it comes to playgrounds, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. At this point, we needed to eat food, so we hit up IHOP! I think it was the only place we didn't get lost going to that day. Following brunch, we hit up the Chattanooga Zoo! It's a pretty small zoo, but for $9/person, I think it was actually really good. I mean, they have a camel ride. How many other small zoos have a camel ride?! The animals were animals--nothing new there. Until we saw the peacocks. They were just wandering around on the sidewalks. I freaked out the first time I saw it, but we figured it must be normal because we kept on seeing them. Once we got back to Cleveland, we just went swimming and headed back to campus for some homemade tacos.
Saturday was another adventure-filled day. I showed Tom the school that I was observing at before heading towards Benton Falls! Benton Falls is, well, a giant waterfall. It's not that far from Cleveland, at least to the base of the mountain. It's another 20 minutes up the mountain and about a 1.5-2 mile hike till you actually reach the falls. Sadly, it was semi-lame due to the lack of rain, but it was still a fun day. We did get to stop at some of the "scenic view" spots on the way down. It is so pretty! From there, we headed back to Chattanooga (side note: I don't think I'll ever refer to it as "Chat" as most people do. I just really enjoy saying the whole name) to find this glow-in-the-dark mini golf course. Mini golf is one of our things, so we were super pumped..... only to end up super disappointed. According to Google, there is one located in the big mall in town, but it's no longer there. :( Seriously so bummed after discovering that. We did, however, both experience Chick-Fil-A for the first time! Hello, deliciousness! I would be jealous that they're in MN now, except that they're all over the place down here including on campus.
Sunday was the worst day of the four--Tom had to go home. It's been a week since he left, but it feels like it should've been at least two weeks. Only 12 days till I head home for Whitney's wedding and get to see him again, though. So excited!
Allyson
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Day at the Lake
I actually had plans on a Saturday! Woohoo!
We got invited by my roommate's boyfriend to hang out on his family's boat today. It was so much fun! The guys that were there and one of my roommates went water skiing, but the other roommate that was there and I were too chicken to try it. We did, however, go out on the tubes together. Holy buckets, that was awesome. His dad pulled two tubes at a time--most of the time with two people on a tube. For those who know me and know that I'm not an adrenaline junkie at all, the fact that I even go tubing is amazing. I don't like thinking that I'm going to die if I fly off and hit my head really hard on the water or another person. Just simply not a fan of that possibility. But this was the most fun I have ever had tubing. I went twice and didn't fall off either time--and we caught some serious air a few times! Thankfully, his dad went slow enough for us to feel safe (3 of the 4 of us that went the two times I was on the tube don't like going super fast) but fast enough for it to still be fun. I loved it! And I got some sun and some new shoulder muscles to show for it all. :)
Here are a couple pictures from the day:
Allyson
We got invited by my roommate's boyfriend to hang out on his family's boat today. It was so much fun! The guys that were there and one of my roommates went water skiing, but the other roommate that was there and I were too chicken to try it. We did, however, go out on the tubes together. Holy buckets, that was awesome. His dad pulled two tubes at a time--most of the time with two people on a tube. For those who know me and know that I'm not an adrenaline junkie at all, the fact that I even go tubing is amazing. I don't like thinking that I'm going to die if I fly off and hit my head really hard on the water or another person. Just simply not a fan of that possibility. But this was the most fun I have ever had tubing. I went twice and didn't fall off either time--and we caught some serious air a few times! Thankfully, his dad went slow enough for us to feel safe (3 of the 4 of us that went the two times I was on the tube don't like going super fast) but fast enough for it to still be fun. I loved it! And I got some sun and some new shoulder muscles to show for it all. :)
Here are a couple pictures from the day:
Allyson
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Ready, Set.... Freak the Heck Out
That is actually what I did today.
I have officially had all of my classes now. Two of them only meet on Tuesdays, which is fantastic in theory but terrible when you realize you'll be sitting on your butt for 6 hours between 1-8pm. It's also terrible when you realize those classes are the ones that almost bring you to the point of wanting to quit, pack up, and go home.
Tuesdays have now won the award for "Worst Day of Allyson's Week," and Monday is nowhere near close to taking that back.
Now, have I had similar feelings to this before in my life, especially related to school? Absolutely.
Have I made it through the chaos that I thought would or did ensue when I had a crap-ton of assignments due within a few days of each other? Yes. Somehow.
Have I looked at syllabi thinking "Why the heck am I back here?" before? Pretty much every semester of school, yet I just keep coming back.
While I'm probably being dramatic about what I have to do since it is graduate school after all, I feel grossly unprepared. Maybe it's just because I've been out of school for 8 months, not putting most of my knowledge to any use and spending 5 days a week with 1-2 year olds (whom I love dearly, don't get me wrong). Maybe it's because I didn't really engage myself with the material in college--I just memorized and regurgitated it in papers and on tests. And, yes, I am woman enough to admit that could be a possibility. Maybe it's because what I've experienced so far hasn't matched up with what I expected out of graduate school. Maybe it's because I'm afraid to fail.
Yep. Yep, that's the one.
I can remember only one time in my life when I ever failed anything big--ONE. It was my driver's test. I was so nervous that I completely blanked on how to park a car on a hill (and other things, but really... who does that?). Other than that, nothing. Allyson simply doesn't fail at anything. I'm not saying that pridefully either. Honestly, I hate that I haven't failed at more things in my life, but, at the same time, I can't imagine what it would be like if I did. I mean, I'm the girl who would feel like a failure if I got a B+ or A-. It was just simply unacceptable. I don't know what it would be like to have the mindset of a B+ being good but that I'd do better next time.
Huh.... I need to ponder that.
Even beyond the potential failure, there are those assignments that just out-right terrify me. Tests? Nope, I'm a pro. Papers? Nope, I could write till the cows come home. Presentations/assignments requiring creative thought? You bet your butt those scare me. I like my strict box of 1+1=2, definitions, and this-is-that-because-of-this. It's one thing for me to introduce myself in social situations, which I'm still really bad at, but speaking in front of my peers, putting my thoughts out there, demonstrating whatever level of effort, research, and work I put into the assignment means I'll be critiqued on a completely different level that I'm uncomfortable with and can't really prepare for. I'm not a fan.
Now, the good news is that I love all three of my professors. One of them is younger and seems pretty laid back, but you can tell he is passionate about what he is teaching and that he really wants us to learn and understand what we're going to be one day implementing in schools. One of the them, the only woman professor I have, is, first and foremost, the most stylish professor I have ever met--or seen--in my entire life. She is also very funny, intuitive, and caring. My last professor reminds me of one I had at Northwestern for one of my education classes. He's not quite as eccentric, but he loves education and wants us to be the most effective educators/counselors that we can be. If for no other reason, it will be a good semester because I get to learn from them.
Well, there you have it folks.... my first rant of grad school. I don't doubt that there will be many more to come. I apologize for my long windedness, but I did say I could write till the cows came home.
Allyson
I have officially had all of my classes now. Two of them only meet on Tuesdays, which is fantastic in theory but terrible when you realize you'll be sitting on your butt for 6 hours between 1-8pm. It's also terrible when you realize those classes are the ones that almost bring you to the point of wanting to quit, pack up, and go home.
Tuesdays have now won the award for "Worst Day of Allyson's Week," and Monday is nowhere near close to taking that back.
Now, have I had similar feelings to this before in my life, especially related to school? Absolutely.
Have I made it through the chaos that I thought would or did ensue when I had a crap-ton of assignments due within a few days of each other? Yes. Somehow.
Have I looked at syllabi thinking "Why the heck am I back here?" before? Pretty much every semester of school, yet I just keep coming back.
While I'm probably being dramatic about what I have to do since it is graduate school after all, I feel grossly unprepared. Maybe it's just because I've been out of school for 8 months, not putting most of my knowledge to any use and spending 5 days a week with 1-2 year olds (whom I love dearly, don't get me wrong). Maybe it's because I didn't really engage myself with the material in college--I just memorized and regurgitated it in papers and on tests. And, yes, I am woman enough to admit that could be a possibility. Maybe it's because what I've experienced so far hasn't matched up with what I expected out of graduate school. Maybe it's because I'm afraid to fail.
Yep. Yep, that's the one.
I can remember only one time in my life when I ever failed anything big--ONE. It was my driver's test. I was so nervous that I completely blanked on how to park a car on a hill (and other things, but really... who does that?). Other than that, nothing. Allyson simply doesn't fail at anything. I'm not saying that pridefully either. Honestly, I hate that I haven't failed at more things in my life, but, at the same time, I can't imagine what it would be like if I did. I mean, I'm the girl who would feel like a failure if I got a B+ or A-. It was just simply unacceptable. I don't know what it would be like to have the mindset of a B+ being good but that I'd do better next time.
Huh.... I need to ponder that.
Even beyond the potential failure, there are those assignments that just out-right terrify me. Tests? Nope, I'm a pro. Papers? Nope, I could write till the cows come home. Presentations/assignments requiring creative thought? You bet your butt those scare me. I like my strict box of 1+1=2, definitions, and this-is-that-because-of-this. It's one thing for me to introduce myself in social situations, which I'm still really bad at, but speaking in front of my peers, putting my thoughts out there, demonstrating whatever level of effort, research, and work I put into the assignment means I'll be critiqued on a completely different level that I'm uncomfortable with and can't really prepare for. I'm not a fan.
Now, the good news is that I love all three of my professors. One of them is younger and seems pretty laid back, but you can tell he is passionate about what he is teaching and that he really wants us to learn and understand what we're going to be one day implementing in schools. One of the them, the only woman professor I have, is, first and foremost, the most stylish professor I have ever met--or seen--in my entire life. She is also very funny, intuitive, and caring. My last professor reminds me of one I had at Northwestern for one of my education classes. He's not quite as eccentric, but he loves education and wants us to be the most effective educators/counselors that we can be. If for no other reason, it will be a good semester because I get to learn from them.
Well, there you have it folks.... my first rant of grad school. I don't doubt that there will be many more to come. I apologize for my long windedness, but I did say I could write till the cows came home.
Allyson
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Top Ten
I've officially been away from home for a week. Thursday marks one week in Tennessee, and Friday will mark one week living at Lee. I feel like I've observed a lot in the past week--some things I knew (or thought I did) and others are new things to ponder and adjust to. Here are the top ten:
1) Southern hospitality is no joke.
And this is coming from a girl from Minnesota where we claim the infamous "Minnesota nice." Dear folks back home, the people of the South put you to shame. We have to step it up a notch if we want to compete with this people. That being said, I am a huge fan of southern hospitality.
2) Blinkers, turn signals--whatever you want to call them--apparently are a thing of the past.
It's been a week, and I can't tell you how many times I've had to slam on my brakes because someone decided to turn last minute with no signal.
3) Speaking of cars, no one seems to speed.
I can't even remember one time where a car in front of me has gone 1-3 mph over the speed limit. If anything, many people drive under the speed limit.
4) Not everyone from the South has an accent.
This freaks me out. I have three roommates, and all of us are from out of state, except for one. She's the only one of the other three who doesn't have a southern accent. It boggles my mind.
5) "Bless your heart" is a real thing.
I had it said to me twice by the same person within about an hour.
6) Super Targets don't exist. Avoid Walmart Supercenters.
I just find Targets without a whole host of groceries incredibly weird. Walmart, on the other hand, is always busy. I've gone in the afternoon, later at night--it's always busy. And, let's be real here, it's Walmart; no one really ever wants to go there unless they have to.
7) Farmhouse?
I had it for the first time tonight. It was actually pretty good yet way different than I expected. I was picturing Famous Dave's type of food (and maybe they do have that), but it wasn't. They do have really good mashed potatoes and cake, though. They're also known for their chicken casserole, which was delicious! Speaking of Famous Dave's, they have one down here! Praise Jesus!
8) They're not kidding about that whole Bible Belt thing.
Churches are everywhere down here. It's fantastic, and I love it. I just didn't realize how true it actually was.
9) Steak 'N' Shake
Best fast food ever. Better than any Culver's I've ever had. People of the North, this is the next thing that needs to invade after Chick-Fil-A is done making their mark. My goodness, it's good.
10) I feel like I'm living in a small town. It's great.
There's something that's always spoken to me about southern small towns. Maybe it's the history, maybe it's the community, maybe it's the southern charm that they always have. I get all of that here at Lee and in Cleveland. Lee itself could be considered a small town, and Cleveland can seem like one at times. I've always wanted to live in the South, and whenever I would picture that, I would picture a small town, a house with a porch, and a dog sitting by me on the steps. One can dream, right?
BONUS:
11) I love southern accents.
They're so much more fantastic in person. The word "y'all" is amazing.
12) Unless you know you like it, don't drink sweet tea.
Enough said.
Well, folks, those are my top 12 things I've noticed in a week. At some point, I'm sure I'll write about school, which is why I'm here after all.
Allyson
1) Southern hospitality is no joke.
And this is coming from a girl from Minnesota where we claim the infamous "Minnesota nice." Dear folks back home, the people of the South put you to shame. We have to step it up a notch if we want to compete with this people. That being said, I am a huge fan of southern hospitality.
2) Blinkers, turn signals--whatever you want to call them--apparently are a thing of the past.
It's been a week, and I can't tell you how many times I've had to slam on my brakes because someone decided to turn last minute with no signal.
3) Speaking of cars, no one seems to speed.
I can't even remember one time where a car in front of me has gone 1-3 mph over the speed limit. If anything, many people drive under the speed limit.
4) Not everyone from the South has an accent.
This freaks me out. I have three roommates, and all of us are from out of state, except for one. She's the only one of the other three who doesn't have a southern accent. It boggles my mind.
5) "Bless your heart" is a real thing.
I had it said to me twice by the same person within about an hour.
6) Super Targets don't exist. Avoid Walmart Supercenters.
I just find Targets without a whole host of groceries incredibly weird. Walmart, on the other hand, is always busy. I've gone in the afternoon, later at night--it's always busy. And, let's be real here, it's Walmart; no one really ever wants to go there unless they have to.
7) Farmhouse?
I had it for the first time tonight. It was actually pretty good yet way different than I expected. I was picturing Famous Dave's type of food (and maybe they do have that), but it wasn't. They do have really good mashed potatoes and cake, though. They're also known for their chicken casserole, which was delicious! Speaking of Famous Dave's, they have one down here! Praise Jesus!
8) They're not kidding about that whole Bible Belt thing.
Churches are everywhere down here. It's fantastic, and I love it. I just didn't realize how true it actually was.
9) Steak 'N' Shake
Best fast food ever. Better than any Culver's I've ever had. People of the North, this is the next thing that needs to invade after Chick-Fil-A is done making their mark. My goodness, it's good.
10) I feel like I'm living in a small town. It's great.
There's something that's always spoken to me about southern small towns. Maybe it's the history, maybe it's the community, maybe it's the southern charm that they always have. I get all of that here at Lee and in Cleveland. Lee itself could be considered a small town, and Cleveland can seem like one at times. I've always wanted to live in the South, and whenever I would picture that, I would picture a small town, a house with a porch, and a dog sitting by me on the steps. One can dream, right?
BONUS:
11) I love southern accents.
They're so much more fantastic in person. The word "y'all" is amazing.
12) Unless you know you like it, don't drink sweet tea.
Enough said.
Well, folks, those are my top 12 things I've noticed in a week. At some point, I'm sure I'll write about school, which is why I'm here after all.
Allyson
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