7 Months, 1 Week...

           Pain, anger, fear, anxiety…I don't think any of these words come close to how I feel when I think back to the night of March 7, 2014.  It has been 7 months and 1 week since the boys passed away; life keeps moving on but sometimes all I can think is that it has been longer and longer since they were here. I wish so desperately to go back in time to hear Payton’s laugh and to watch him play basketball, to sit around the fire pit with Tyler, and to see John’s contagious smile. I know that this won’t happen again until I see them in heaven, so until then I have to keep their memory alive in my heart, and to follow the legacies they each left behind; to treat others with respect, to laugh and enjoy life, and to put God first…the list goes on. They were each unique, kind, funny, and smart young men.

            There are little things that remind me of each of them, sometimes they make me cry, and sometimes they make me smile. Some of my favorite reminders of Payton are; his note he left me in my Dr. Seuss book and every time I go through my ipod and get to the 14+ songs from the playlist he made for my brother. Of course they are all rap songs. I usually don’t listen to that type of music but I have actual come to enjoy a few of them. I couldn’t tell you what the names of the songs are because they are all listed at Payton 1, Payton 2, Payton 3, and so on… 

            With Tyler, it is the raspberry lemonade Blistex Chapstick I just had to buy the other night when I saw it (he always had one with him) or the song Afternoon Delight from Anchorman…there was a night when a bunch of us walked around Sleepy Eye and belted out the words.  The greatest thing that constantly reminds me of him is his mom, Deb. Deb’s strength through not only losing Tyler but her daughter Kaylie just 9 months earlier, is inspiring. She motivates me to be a better person, and to have a closer relationship with God.  Be Kind. Give More. Stay Humble.

            I didn’t know John that well, but I feel like I get to know him better through his Mom, Chris who is a great friend of my Mom’s. I always think of him when I see John 3:16- “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” As he wanted a tattoo of it. Chris, who used to say she would never get one, did it in memory of him.  
Thanks boys for the reminders. There is never a day I don't think about you three. 

Reference Blog: http://somewhereonlyiknow3.blogspot.com/2014/03/god-has-4-new-angels.html

No More Monday Morning Blues

   It's the beginning of another week at SMSU. The weekend has come and gone by too fast and you’re tired from staying up late on Sunday night finishing your homework for the next day. You're crabby because you have an 8:30am class, a speech to give, have to work at both of your jobs; you have a paper due tomorrow and a group meeting later tonight in the library. When you realize this you join hundreds of others on Twitter to let out your Monday blues by tweeting, #IHateMonday and later in the day you let out a sigh and again say, "Mondays suck”. Sound familiar?

      I'll admit, I am guilty of doing this a time or two; yes, I said guilty. Why do we hate on Monday's so much? I get that it is the beginning of the week and there are a lot of things going on, but what if we changed those negative thoughts into positive ones, the #IHateMondays into #MondayMotivation and the sighs and complaints into personal pep-talks to tackle the day?

        Monday's aren't responsible for all of the craziness going on in our lives; for the most part it is ourselves. We can take responsibility to finish our homework before Sunday night, to go to bed at a decent time, and to start that paper earlier. This is way easier said than done but like many other things, it takes practice and with practice comes success. Happy Monday everyone! 

SMSU Homecoming

       This was the first SMSU homecoming that I was around for the entire weekend (besides running off to my brother's football game for a couple hours). Considering that I am a senior, that is crazy right? Well if you knew what my schedule was like the past 3 years you would understand why I wasn't around.

Freshman Year: Went back home for my high school homecoming and to crown the new homecoming queen
Sophomore Year: I had to be in the University of Minnesota's homecoming parade to represent the Aquatennial
Junior Year: I had to work during the time of the parade....but I did make it to the game
Senior Year: I made up for my lack of SMSU homecoming participation by fully engaging myself in as many homecoming activities that I could...

Emceed the Mustang Idol event with my friend Josh. 

My sophomore and junior years I was hypnotized during homecoming week. This
year I planned on not being hypnotized but I even though I tried to not be hypnotized
I somehow managed to have it happen to me. I guess I am extremely susceptible to it
because I went under before the hypnotist had even started the process on the entire group.
In this picture I was showing off my superhero move and announced that my superhero name is
Supersonic Surprenant girl.

I love my job in the admissions office. On Wednesday I had it easy at work as I helped
decorate the outside of our office for the door/office decorating contest. We ended up
getting 2nd place...but we all think we clearly deserved first. ;)

On Thursday I emceed the homecoming coronation. Congrats to all of my friends
who were on the court!

Worked at the 25th University Gala as a greeter/usher. I love this event not only because
it is a night that is all about raising money for student scholarships, but that the most fun
people attend this event. I loved talking to the alumni and guests who came. After just an hour
of working, I had several people recognize my last name because of my dad who went to SMSU.
I guess he was kind of a big deal when he attended SMSU ;)
I plan to someday attend this event at an alum.

-After working I rushed off to Wabasso to watch my brother and his football team defeat the Wabasso Rabbits

The homecoming parade started at 11am, I was there at 7:30am. Yes, nearly 4 hours
in advance to set up cameras for the KSSU broadcast of the parade. Doing this is a
requirement of my TV production class. My job this day was to make sure the camera guy
didn't trip on the cables, stop parade traffic for interviews, and to pick up the tons of candy
that people threw at us. Why they think it makes sense to throw candy at the camera guys who
can't pick it up beats me. 

Tailgating before the game. Great time with awesome friends.
 We won!

         It was an awesome last homecoming as a student. I look forward to the years ahead where I can come back and celebrate this awesome university as an alumnus.

Not the Best 4 Years of Your Life

          College; they say it is the best four years of your life. Well I sure hope they aren't because that would mean the rest of my life isn't going to get any better from here. Saying this doesn't mean that college has been horrible; it has been a tremendous experience. However, I think it is up to us to make the best of every day, every week, and every year no matter what we are faced with. So I plan to make these 7 months I have left of college, the very best!

           I would say that my college experience has been a little different than the average college student. There were circumstances in my life during my freshman and sophomore years that didn’t allow me to be around Marshall on a regular basis. This caused me to have limited involvement on campus. If you know me, you know that I like to be busy and involved...so you can imagine how I was feeling in my first two years at SMSU. This changed during my junior year when my schedule was clear. I became more involved in clubs and organizations and was able to meet more people. However, there are things I still want to do before I graduate. To make sure that I don't have any regrets during my time at SMSU I have made a bucket list.  This isn't the craziest bucket list and that is fine. It is simply a random collection of things I have yet to do.

These are things I have already completed this year:
1. Play mud volleyball (yes, I am a senior and I have never played during orientation)
2. Get a job in the admissions office
3. Join the Student Activities Committee
4. Attend the 9/11 service at Memorial Park


In the next 7 months I will:
1. Go to Bello Cucina
2. Ride the Community Transit Bus
3. Do a running workout on this hills at Independence Park
4. Bike the entire Marshall bike route 
5. Explore areas of campus I have never been... this seems impossible on our campus but I know there are places I haven't been to. 
6. Attend an SMSU soccer game
7. Attend the Homecoming Parade...yes, I am a senior and have not attended! (10-11-15)
8. Go to the fudge shop
9. Go all out on my outfit for Hawaiian Night (1-31-15)
10. Go on a spring break trip
11. Take a class that has nothing to do with my major...definitely happening next semester (Sports Psychology) 
12. Go to an SMSU theatre improve show
13. Get a picture with Stanger...Yep, hasn't happened yet. (1-31-15)
14. Research my family history at the History Center on campus. http://www.smsu.edu/campuslife/attractions/historycenter/?Id=5748
15. Eat at the restaurant that the Culinology students create during spring semester.
16. Go to Camden State Park

I know for a fact that there are more so I will add them as I think of them.
 Ready. Set. Go!

Mud-Volleyball with my friend, Dillan.

9/11 Service. Spent that time with my Aunt's 3rd grade class. (The age I was the day the attacks happened)