This song reminds me of freshman year at UK. My best friend and I LOVED boybands but my roommate didn't so we gave her this one, the worst one. So I thought it would be appropriate as another school year ends and summer begins.
It's important to remember the past with an eye on the future.
As you know, I started this blog to celebrate each day leading up to (and including) my 30th birthday. I've been celebrating each additional day I get here on the Earth. Lately, however, I've found myself thinking of the qualities and traits I want to make sure I have or hone as I get older. My friends in my masters program tease me and call me Momma Bopp. It's mostly because I can be counted on to have a band-aid or a mini-stapler in class. But I hope it is for other reasons, too. I hope people can tell how much I love. I hope that comes through in everything I do. I care and I love and I fight.
I listened to today's song twice this morning. Once for the dance with Barkley and once to really hear the words. I want to be woman that loves without looking back and dreams with everything she has. I want every laugh line on my face to tell a story. If I can die with a wrinkly old face and a smile, I'll be happy. Here's to hoping.
Also, this is finals/graduation week. I can't believe it's here.
#np - I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I only have two classes, one research paper, one group presentation, and one final exam left before I graduate. This venture back into academia has taught me a lot but there's one lesson far above all the rest: I won't back down. There was a time where my confidence suffered greatly. Where I questioned every aspect of my life. Where I cowered at the thought of something difficult.
Even though it's Monday, I wanted a really upbeat song for today. Maybe it's the scent of my future in the air or the fact that Pinterest finally sent me an email saying I could join (and I spent the weekend looking for ideas for my new apartment). Whatever it is, I'm feeling really optimistic today and I feel like savoring the feeling.
#np - I Don't Want This Night to End by Luke Bryan
Had a fantastic night with my Martin School friends last night. We had a great end-of-the-year picnic (despite the cold) and then dominated at trivia last on. Today, if I get all my homework done, we may go see The Lucky One at the theater. This is just a taste of the post-capstone life!
This is a really good weekend. Yesterday was super relaxing. I even finished a take-home exam for IT class. Today I slept in really late and I have a Martin School end-of-the-year cookout to go to. Then tomorrow I have an AGD luncheon and then I'm going to see The Lucky One with the girls. I love having capstone over with! There's no guilt when you do fun things!
Capstone is defended!!!!!!!! I passed! Today I'm taking Barkley to Fiona's (his grooming boutique), getting a spa pedicure, and then I'm going out with my classmates to celebrate tonight. CANNOT. WAIT.
Here we go, the day that they've talked about for almost two years now. Today I defend my capstone in front of a panel of professors, a practitioner from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, and my fellow classmates.
Game on, boyfriend.
Lets hope there's a beer afterward and then a mani/pedi on Friday. One can only hope.
P.S. I don't know what I picked this song except that it's my ultimate "pump me up" song.
Two days until I defend my crapstone. I'm really ready to get it over with. After that, my semester is pretty easy. Then I can start packing for the big move!
Well, yesterday was harder than even I expected. Going to Louisville by myself was really tough. The first apartment (the cheapest one) was a bust. The guy showing it may have been high and totally uninterested since I'm pretty sure he'd already rented it out. I did end up signing a lease in the Lyndon area after a pep talk from my wonderful brother. He'd originally offered to come in an help me look but I turned him down. He certainly came in handy though.
I'm not sure how I feel about moving. On the one hand, I'm excited for my new job. It's a good opportunity and I will get to travel a lot. That being said, having a dog isn't conducive to traveling. I won't have a lot of disposable income so paying a ton for posh pet hotels or live-in pet sitters isn't really an option. I'm also super worried about making friends. I know it sounds ridiculous. I know I'm a likable person. However, I've always had school or something to help me make friends. UK has been incredible in helping me socialize. So how do I figure out how to make friends in Louisville?
All these questions have made me a stressed out mess. If you're the type to pray or send positive thoughts, I could use some.
Heading to Louisville today check out apartments for Barkley and I. I'm super nervous to be doing this by myself. I'm worried about picking a bad neighborhood. I'm worried about picking someplace I can't really afford. I'm worried about seeing the one person in Louisville I never want to see again. And all these worries bring up the worries associated with a new job in a new city - including my worries about Barkley. Right now he's curled up on my lap sleeping. I'll disturb him so I can get ready for the day and he'll act perturbed but he isn't, not really. But what happens if it turns out I am really not taking good care of him in Louisville? What happens if my biggest fears come to fruition and he ends up being shuttled to a pet hotel every other week? Will I be able to reconcile my wants with his needs? Can I be that unselfish? I'm not so sure and that scares me. Sorry for the downer post but these are the feelings residing in me lately.
Capstone is due today. I turned it in as soon as I was done last night. Then I proceeded to get the worst, most greasy meal I could find - a burger and fries from Five Guys. It was soooooooo good. Then I slept until about 1pm. Clearly I was tired from the consecutive nights of staying way too late working on it. Now I wait a week to defend the paper and then I wrap up the semester. I can't really believe it!
Wednesdays are the worst. Why? Because that's the day I have to wake up early for class. Every other day I have to be on campus in the morning but not by a specific time. But my 9:30am class on Wednesday kills me. Two years of easy mornings and late nights have not served me well. I'm anticipating a rough transition back to the real world where I have to be at work by 8. I'm also looking at a great apartment in Louisville that will require a pretty good commute in the mornings. This is going to be rough.
My mom tells me she wants more writing on my blog. I just wish I had more to write about that updates on my capstone (now affectionately dubbed CRAPSTONE) or the two other end-of-term papers I have due soon. The crapstone is due this Thursday and then I will defend it next Thursday. It's basically done except for a really extensive proofreading. You have to make sure that you didn't forget the "l" in "public" and end up saying "pubic financial management is very important." Somehow the entire subject of your paper changes.
Slow it down for the Monday that I'm running SUPER late. I probably shouldn't have started filling bins and boxes in my apartment last night. I did throw away 4 trash bags full of stuff. Still, I could've used that extra two hours of sleep.
Well, you all guessed right. I have a job for after graduation! I start May 15th! I'm very excited. The job is in Louisville (so I probably need to change my attitude about that city) and it requires a good amount of travel. The only thing I'm worried about is Barkley because he hates being boarded and I don't know how to handle this with this job. In looking for apartments I'm considering finding a roommate who would agree to take care of him. I'd be willing to pay extra rent or whatever. Ugh, the thought of leaving him so much is depressing. He and I have a weird attachment. I think we saved each other, so to speak. And after four years with him, I can't just give him up. So this is going to be harder than just finding an apartment in Louisville. That's fine, I'm up for a challenge. But I suppose I should expect some added stress along the way...
The last two days have been fantastic. First, UK wins the national championship. The second is still a secret (so I can tell my friends first) but suffice it to say something happened to me that eases one of the fears I've been blogging about a lot lately. I realize it's not just blue skies coming my way forever but I'm seeing an upswing in my future. :) Let's hope this feeling keeps me going through the next 16 days (I present my capstone on the 19th)!!
This day dawned and UK is playing in the national championship tomorrow. Yesterday was a good day.
Juanita and I watching the game at the Kentucky Theater
Cole and Juanita at the Kentucky Theater
And for those of us that celebrated responsibly, we can enjoy it without fearing that a video or picture will get us arrested. Personally, I walked through one of the crowded celebration sites near UK's campus, had a beer at a bar, and then got some cheese bread at a local pizza place.
They closed off the streets near a strip of restaurants to make sure people stayed safe
I don't really see the point in setting things on fire. And I don't think it's me getting older that makes me think that's stupid. FIRE IS STUPID! It is unforgiving and dangerous. And when everyone is drunk, it's hard to recognize the danger and control it properly. Thank goodness for the men and women of the Lexington and UK Police Departments for keeping the order.
They ensured we could all celebrate safely
The chaos of Lexington was restricted to a couple of areas that are full of off-campus student housing. Not all UK students or UK fans are like that though. Some of us just wanted to participate in the CATS cheer, share a pint of beer with friends, and then walk home so they can do homework the next day.
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