So its the end of August which normally indicates that its time for school but as you may or may not recall... I'm a college graduate! Its been such a great summer learning about myself and trying to see where life is going to take me.
As most of my friends are in college still or having just recently gotten their big girl or boy jobs, it has been weird to not be back at school. My college life is still really fresh. It was interesting to not have to buy school supplies and there are not syllabi anymore.
I can't believe one year ago I was fresh back from my life-changing trip to London and Ireland and then gearing up for my senior year of college. Last year was such a great time for me. I started to change my perspective on the organizations I was a part of, I started thinking about life after college and I started to see who my real friends would be post-college.
London and Ireland was the best trip I ever took. I went to London with a few classmates from my school and students from two other universities. I was ready for a new set of friends and a new and interesting culture. My first trip overseas on my own. It was eye-opening and I still keep in contact with several of my classmates.
IN OTHER NEWS...
Lately I have been seeing more of what the big picture is in my life. I'm going to get a price for a tattoo that I've been wanting for a while and I'm realizing that I need to work on not sweating the small stuff. For instance, I think it is stupid to not use things that you buy. One of my pet peeves is when people buy new cars but they don't want to utilize them. "Oh don't touch that, and please don't put your feet up the side of the door!" When I hear people say these things I think to myself... Why don't you just save your money and buy a used car and put your feet wherever you want! I believe in buying things and using them. Also I would not buy new furniture and tell guests that they can't sit on it. That's just ridiculous to me! I want to use anything and everything I have and if not I want to get rid of it so that I can let others use things I don't need.
I am feeling great and really loving and enjoying my life right now. I am so thankful for all the lovely people I have been blessed to know thus far in my life. I thank them for their continued support and love and am inspired by them. I am looking at the big picture of how my life is and what is important to me. My goal is to start to not sweat the small stuff as much anymore. I will definitely be blogging about this adventure.
I'm gonna enjoy my day off from work tomorrow. Tomorrow is my day <3
Until next time..
xoxo
Mand
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My First Trip Post-Grad to MO
Last week was the first time I had been back to Missouri since moving home after Graduation. It was such a weird and exciting trip. I went out to Missouri for one of my sorority sisters weddings. I was so excited that I got invited and I knew that this was an occasion I could not miss no matter how far away I am! I did not have the money to fly, so I took a risk and took a bus all the way to St. Louis. It was quite interesting. I plan on writing a go-to guide of what to know about traveling on the bus and tips that I would tell other first time bus travelers. It was a 22 hour ride but it was worth it in the end.
I left PA at 4p.m. on Thursday and I arrived in MO at 12:30p.m. on Friday. I did manage to gain an extra hour of sleep due to the time zone difference. I read some of the way, slept a lot, and did lots of people observing. It was definitely an experience I will remember and one that I have lots of laughs from.
I went to the wedding which was in Lincoln, IL. It's a small town about 20 minutes away from Springfield, IL. In front of the hotel we stayed in there, there was a huge wagon with Abe Lincoln in the driver's seat. I got my picture taken by it! It was so big but really cool.
The wedding was beautiful. It was amazing to see all of my sisters that were in the bridal party. They all looked gorgeous and I even teared up! A rush just came over me as they came down the aisle and then when Rachel started walking, I was just in shock. She looked so beautiful and I looked at my sister as this strong woman that was taking the step to starting a new life. She was walking down the aisle to meet the man she is going to spend the rest of her life with. It was great to be able to be there and be a part of the whole celebration.
The reception was made by all of my sister because we just danced our butts off and had a great time. We all caught up on where we are in our lives and what we want to do in the future. Overall, the wedding was a great time and it was my first post-grad experience with people from SEMO. I would do it all over again and for another one of my sisters no doubt.
After the excitement and catching up with sisters, I went back to St. Louis to relax and spend time with my family. It was so nice to hang out with my cousins and just joke around. My 9 year-old cousin cracks me up and uses such big words. He was talking about conquering something and I was impressed that he knew what the word conquer meant. He is one of the first cousins that I have gotten to see grow up. I remember holding him as a baby. Its crazy and surreal.
Overall, my first trip back to MO was amazing. I got to catch up with some sisters that was much needed. I also had the chance to spend time with my brother which I loved! It was nice to see my Grandma and my Auntie Holli and the cousins. :) It was really hard to leave St. Louis. It has always been my second home and I have spent a lot of significant time there. I cherish all of my Missouri memories and I know that I will continue to go back. Every time I go back, I get the same exciting warm feeling throughout my body. Missouri has been my home at school and is a place I encourage others to experience.
So here is to the new chapter of my life! CHEERS! I am so happy even though currently I have a part-time job and not a lot of money. I am in a great place in my life and I am ready to continue to do and experience things for ME! I have had more closure on a past relationship which feels amazing and I am ready to take control of my thoughts and dreams and make things happen! I did some soul searching through my short trip to Missouri and it could not have happened at a better time.
Until next time...
xoxo
Amanda <3
I left PA at 4p.m. on Thursday and I arrived in MO at 12:30p.m. on Friday. I did manage to gain an extra hour of sleep due to the time zone difference. I read some of the way, slept a lot, and did lots of people observing. It was definitely an experience I will remember and one that I have lots of laughs from.
I went to the wedding which was in Lincoln, IL. It's a small town about 20 minutes away from Springfield, IL. In front of the hotel we stayed in there, there was a huge wagon with Abe Lincoln in the driver's seat. I got my picture taken by it! It was so big but really cool.
The wedding was beautiful. It was amazing to see all of my sisters that were in the bridal party. They all looked gorgeous and I even teared up! A rush just came over me as they came down the aisle and then when Rachel started walking, I was just in shock. She looked so beautiful and I looked at my sister as this strong woman that was taking the step to starting a new life. She was walking down the aisle to meet the man she is going to spend the rest of her life with. It was great to be able to be there and be a part of the whole celebration.
The reception was made by all of my sister because we just danced our butts off and had a great time. We all caught up on where we are in our lives and what we want to do in the future. Overall, the wedding was a great time and it was my first post-grad experience with people from SEMO. I would do it all over again and for another one of my sisters no doubt.
After the excitement and catching up with sisters, I went back to St. Louis to relax and spend time with my family. It was so nice to hang out with my cousins and just joke around. My 9 year-old cousin cracks me up and uses such big words. He was talking about conquering something and I was impressed that he knew what the word conquer meant. He is one of the first cousins that I have gotten to see grow up. I remember holding him as a baby. Its crazy and surreal.
Overall, my first trip back to MO was amazing. I got to catch up with some sisters that was much needed. I also had the chance to spend time with my brother which I loved! It was nice to see my Grandma and my Auntie Holli and the cousins. :) It was really hard to leave St. Louis. It has always been my second home and I have spent a lot of significant time there. I cherish all of my Missouri memories and I know that I will continue to go back. Every time I go back, I get the same exciting warm feeling throughout my body. Missouri has been my home at school and is a place I encourage others to experience.
So here is to the new chapter of my life! CHEERS! I am so happy even though currently I have a part-time job and not a lot of money. I am in a great place in my life and I am ready to continue to do and experience things for ME! I have had more closure on a past relationship which feels amazing and I am ready to take control of my thoughts and dreams and make things happen! I did some soul searching through my short trip to Missouri and it could not have happened at a better time.
Until next time...
xoxo
Amanda <3
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Big Picture
It's been quite a while since I have written a post, but I have finally found time to write.
Lately I have been working at Kohl's.I am finally on the schedule and I get called in on random days.It's good that I have an open schedule on most days because I am able to get more hours that I anticipate some weeks. I enjoy working there although you have the occasional demanding customer that wants double percentages off and to use their gift card, Kohl's cash and then their Kohl's Charge. Most of the time I learn something new each day or a customer is friendly and makes my day. I have worked there for so long that it's a little family there.
IN OTHER NEWS...
I have the most amazing family trip to Gettysburg! I haven't been there since I was about 8. I went with my Mom and my brother. We always have so much fun and love to travel and experience things together. We really appreciate the time we have together. This trip energized me and made me realize the true meaning of life. Life is all about the little interesting experiences that you have where sometimes you get that "AHHH" moment. I love to reflect on these moments when they occur and try to savor it.
DAY ONE
Our first day of the trip we went to Hanover, PA and got a tour of the Snyder's of Hanover pretzel factory. It was such a fun and unique experience. I got to see how all the pretzels and chips were made. There was a hanging area in between the chip area and the pretzel area of the plant that we got to watch everything from.It was as though the halls we were walking in were build into the blueprint of the plant so that we could tour the factory in the most effective way possible.We saw how they made the mini packs for Halloween and the peanut butter and cheddar cheese pretzel sandwiches. We also got to see a huge mail carrier rolling bin full of potato chips. It looked so good that I wanted to jump into it. We got two mini packs as our free sample and then spent over $10 in the outlet store and got two packs of free buttermilk pretzels. Of course before we left the factory Brandan (my brother) and I got our picture taken in front of the Snyder's of Hanover Corporate Headquarters sign! It was amazing.
Then for the rest of the day we walked around downtown Gettysburg and got to see statues of Abe Lincoln and historic buildings from Civil War. It was great to see buildings that were once battle zones in July 1863. I love history so a trip to Gettysburg is always going to be amazing to me. The rest of the night, we watched YouTube videos and told stories about fun times in our pasts. It was fun to be able to relax and not have a schedule. The three of us are pretty easy going people and we get along well!We researched places that we wanted to go to the next day and it nice to be able to explore our options on the web and relax together.
Day TWO
We woke up in our hotel and had breakfast. We gathered our belongings and we were super excited for Day 2 in Gettysburg. We had an idea of what we were going to do. We started the day off with walking downtown again and trying to figure out what we could see for free. We went to a old 16 mile railroad station that went from Hanover and stopped in Gettysburg. It was renovated and we got a personal tour from this lovely worker that told us some interesting stuff. She told us that they believe Abe Lincoln walked on their platform many years ago. There were also two entrances to the station because it was acceptable for men and women to be in different rooms. Men could stay with their wife and children unless he wanted to smoke tobacco or drink. He would then have to wait in the Men's waiting area. It was not acceptable at that time for women to buy their own ticket or to travel alone. There was a spiral staircase that led to the waiting rooms but that was removed and the room was open to make the museum bigger. We saw photos of what the place looked like before being restored. It was amazing. My Grandpa loved trains and so I relate anything trains with him. It was great that my Mom was in her glory and it felt like my Grandpa was there with us<3
We then went by the houses downtown and in particular house that is now a restaurant, you could see all of the bullets that hit the house as well as a sharp shooter/sniper window. It was cool and creepy all at the same time.Brandan and I did some wine tasting in between shopping and then we almost went to the the Schriver Museum tour that was about a young couple and their children and their perspective on the war. It was interesting to me because when you think of a war, civilians are not the first group of people that comes to mind. I would have loved to take the tour, but it was expensive! I would like to go back and be able to see it. We continued to walk around and bought some nick-knacks at some shops.
For an early dinner we decided to go across the border into Maryland. We were so close that we thought it would be great to travel to the next state and get some quality food.What we didn't know, was how quality the food would be and what a great dining experience it was! The place is called Chubby's BBQ. They are in Emmitsburg, MD. It was the most delicious southern BBQ I have ever had. I had some draft root beer that was to die for! I also had some pulled pork and baby back ribs. We got two sides and I had beans and cornbread. All of the sides besides my cornbread had pulled pork in it. My Mom and Brandan got delicious mashed potatoes :) It was sooo good. The owner was there and we got our picture with him. Besides having great service and food..They have a food challenge. You must eat two Avalanche burgers that consists of 6lbs of food and 6 patties of meat, and 6 buns. You must eat them in 1 hour and not get sick. If you complete the task than you will receive $100 gift card to Chubby's. They have been open for 9 years and only 1 small Chinese woman has completed it. She ate the burgers in 40 minutes, had two beers with the burgers, came back 1 hour later and ate some BBQ and then bought $110 worth of BBQ all in a day's work. It was so crazy to hear about this woman from the owner. We also got a complimentary sample from the chef of the Lobster Bisque soup that had huge pieces of lobster in it. I love seafood so I was in heaven. We left the place with such great service, full tummies, and amazing food. We went shopping at an outlet mall and then headed back the hotel to call it a night.
DAY THREE
Our final day in Gettysburg started by eating breakfast at the hotel and checking out. We went to the new Visitors Center where we browsed the gift shop and go to see a 3D view of the battlefield stops in Gettysburg. We also got to see old musical instruments from 1863 and even what the shells and bullets looked like and some of the guns used in battle. There was a video that showed how many people and how much time it took to fire a cannon. It's no wonder it was hard work and it was strenuous on the soldiers who has to keep doing the same thing all day long.
After the Visitors Center we headed out on the Auto Tour of the battlefields and we stopped at the hot spots. We stopped at Big Round Top where Brandan and I walked through the dangerous terrain up the hill to the top. We couldn't see much but it was a great hike! We came down and found Mom halfway up the hill. We all walked back together and then drove to Little Round Top. There was a beautiful view of the battlefield and we were able to stand on rocks and take great pictures of the area. While I was standing on the rock, I realized how insignificance I was compared to the things that were surrounding me. I felt really little but it was amazing to be able to see the battlefield and the amazing view from the rocks we were on. I loved it. I got a great picture of Brandan and I on the rocks. After Little Round Top we headed to Devil's Den. This was the stop where soldiers got caught in because it was wide open space and there was no place to hide. Soldiers were direct targets while in Devil's Den. There were huge rocks there and Brandan and I climbed all over them. I love when Brandan is around because he constantly challenges me!
So overall I had an amazing Gettysburg trip. This trip made me discover that no matter what job I have and what I end up doing with my life, I know that finding the little things in the big picture will make my life so fulfilling. I got to see historical places and I appreciate the process of history and how time had evolved. I realized I am not all that significance to the world as a big picture. I do have lots to offer the world but overall there are bigger things in the world than me and that's so cool to me!!
I know that my outlook on life may be different than others, but that is great. I want things out of my life that I think others may not really want. I'm re-energized and ready to start my new life and see what happens. I'm really enjoying the "AHHH" moments and trying to take everything I can from a situation and a negative into a positive. Its hard but so rewarding. I'm ready to find the perfect just for now job for me and I can't wait to see what is in store for me.
Until next time...
xoxo
Amanda :)
Lately I have been working at Kohl's.I am finally on the schedule and I get called in on random days.It's good that I have an open schedule on most days because I am able to get more hours that I anticipate some weeks. I enjoy working there although you have the occasional demanding customer that wants double percentages off and to use their gift card, Kohl's cash and then their Kohl's Charge. Most of the time I learn something new each day or a customer is friendly and makes my day. I have worked there for so long that it's a little family there.
IN OTHER NEWS...
I have the most amazing family trip to Gettysburg! I haven't been there since I was about 8. I went with my Mom and my brother. We always have so much fun and love to travel and experience things together. We really appreciate the time we have together. This trip energized me and made me realize the true meaning of life. Life is all about the little interesting experiences that you have where sometimes you get that "AHHH" moment. I love to reflect on these moments when they occur and try to savor it.
DAY ONE
Our first day of the trip we went to Hanover, PA and got a tour of the Snyder's of Hanover pretzel factory. It was such a fun and unique experience. I got to see how all the pretzels and chips were made. There was a hanging area in between the chip area and the pretzel area of the plant that we got to watch everything from.It was as though the halls we were walking in were build into the blueprint of the plant so that we could tour the factory in the most effective way possible.We saw how they made the mini packs for Halloween and the peanut butter and cheddar cheese pretzel sandwiches. We also got to see a huge mail carrier rolling bin full of potato chips. It looked so good that I wanted to jump into it. We got two mini packs as our free sample and then spent over $10 in the outlet store and got two packs of free buttermilk pretzels. Of course before we left the factory Brandan (my brother) and I got our picture taken in front of the Snyder's of Hanover Corporate Headquarters sign! It was amazing.
Then for the rest of the day we walked around downtown Gettysburg and got to see statues of Abe Lincoln and historic buildings from Civil War. It was great to see buildings that were once battle zones in July 1863. I love history so a trip to Gettysburg is always going to be amazing to me. The rest of the night, we watched YouTube videos and told stories about fun times in our pasts. It was fun to be able to relax and not have a schedule. The three of us are pretty easy going people and we get along well!We researched places that we wanted to go to the next day and it nice to be able to explore our options on the web and relax together.
Day TWO
We woke up in our hotel and had breakfast. We gathered our belongings and we were super excited for Day 2 in Gettysburg. We had an idea of what we were going to do. We started the day off with walking downtown again and trying to figure out what we could see for free. We went to a old 16 mile railroad station that went from Hanover and stopped in Gettysburg. It was renovated and we got a personal tour from this lovely worker that told us some interesting stuff. She told us that they believe Abe Lincoln walked on their platform many years ago. There were also two entrances to the station because it was acceptable for men and women to be in different rooms. Men could stay with their wife and children unless he wanted to smoke tobacco or drink. He would then have to wait in the Men's waiting area. It was not acceptable at that time for women to buy their own ticket or to travel alone. There was a spiral staircase that led to the waiting rooms but that was removed and the room was open to make the museum bigger. We saw photos of what the place looked like before being restored. It was amazing. My Grandpa loved trains and so I relate anything trains with him. It was great that my Mom was in her glory and it felt like my Grandpa was there with us<3
We then went by the houses downtown and in particular house that is now a restaurant, you could see all of the bullets that hit the house as well as a sharp shooter/sniper window. It was cool and creepy all at the same time.Brandan and I did some wine tasting in between shopping and then we almost went to the the Schriver Museum tour that was about a young couple and their children and their perspective on the war. It was interesting to me because when you think of a war, civilians are not the first group of people that comes to mind. I would have loved to take the tour, but it was expensive! I would like to go back and be able to see it. We continued to walk around and bought some nick-knacks at some shops.
For an early dinner we decided to go across the border into Maryland. We were so close that we thought it would be great to travel to the next state and get some quality food.What we didn't know, was how quality the food would be and what a great dining experience it was! The place is called Chubby's BBQ. They are in Emmitsburg, MD. It was the most delicious southern BBQ I have ever had. I had some draft root beer that was to die for! I also had some pulled pork and baby back ribs. We got two sides and I had beans and cornbread. All of the sides besides my cornbread had pulled pork in it. My Mom and Brandan got delicious mashed potatoes :) It was sooo good. The owner was there and we got our picture with him. Besides having great service and food..They have a food challenge. You must eat two Avalanche burgers that consists of 6lbs of food and 6 patties of meat, and 6 buns. You must eat them in 1 hour and not get sick. If you complete the task than you will receive $100 gift card to Chubby's. They have been open for 9 years and only 1 small Chinese woman has completed it. She ate the burgers in 40 minutes, had two beers with the burgers, came back 1 hour later and ate some BBQ and then bought $110 worth of BBQ all in a day's work. It was so crazy to hear about this woman from the owner. We also got a complimentary sample from the chef of the Lobster Bisque soup that had huge pieces of lobster in it. I love seafood so I was in heaven. We left the place with such great service, full tummies, and amazing food. We went shopping at an outlet mall and then headed back the hotel to call it a night.
DAY THREE
Our final day in Gettysburg started by eating breakfast at the hotel and checking out. We went to the new Visitors Center where we browsed the gift shop and go to see a 3D view of the battlefield stops in Gettysburg. We also got to see old musical instruments from 1863 and even what the shells and bullets looked like and some of the guns used in battle. There was a video that showed how many people and how much time it took to fire a cannon. It's no wonder it was hard work and it was strenuous on the soldiers who has to keep doing the same thing all day long.
After the Visitors Center we headed out on the Auto Tour of the battlefields and we stopped at the hot spots. We stopped at Big Round Top where Brandan and I walked through the dangerous terrain up the hill to the top. We couldn't see much but it was a great hike! We came down and found Mom halfway up the hill. We all walked back together and then drove to Little Round Top. There was a beautiful view of the battlefield and we were able to stand on rocks and take great pictures of the area. While I was standing on the rock, I realized how insignificance I was compared to the things that were surrounding me. I felt really little but it was amazing to be able to see the battlefield and the amazing view from the rocks we were on. I loved it. I got a great picture of Brandan and I on the rocks. After Little Round Top we headed to Devil's Den. This was the stop where soldiers got caught in because it was wide open space and there was no place to hide. Soldiers were direct targets while in Devil's Den. There were huge rocks there and Brandan and I climbed all over them. I love when Brandan is around because he constantly challenges me!
So overall I had an amazing Gettysburg trip. This trip made me discover that no matter what job I have and what I end up doing with my life, I know that finding the little things in the big picture will make my life so fulfilling. I got to see historical places and I appreciate the process of history and how time had evolved. I realized I am not all that significance to the world as a big picture. I do have lots to offer the world but overall there are bigger things in the world than me and that's so cool to me!!
I know that my outlook on life may be different than others, but that is great. I want things out of my life that I think others may not really want. I'm re-energized and ready to start my new life and see what happens. I'm really enjoying the "AHHH" moments and trying to take everything I can from a situation and a negative into a positive. Its hard but so rewarding. I'm ready to find the perfect just for now job for me and I can't wait to see what is in store for me.
Until next time...
xoxo
Amanda :)
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