I know it's been a while!

Hi!

It's been forever and I would like to apologize!!!! I've been kind of stuck on what to write, as so much has been going on. It's post-midterm break of term 2 and it feels as though I've been stuck in finals week since the first day of class. Nursing has me busier than ever, but I love it. We are currently in the OB/Critical Care section of the nursing curriculum and oh boy! is it hard. I'm at Arnot for my OB clinical and Robert Packer for ICU, which I actually just got home from. My favorite rotation out of the entire term so far has actually been my day in the Emergency Department. I absolutely loved the adrenaline that accompanied the mass amount of people walking through the automatic doors of the registration area. I'm actually starting to feel like a real nurse!!!

With term 3 right around the corner I am counting down the days until April break, when I get to finally take my "other half" down to good ol' North Carolina to spend time with my Grandma and Grandfather :) I know she reads this blog so here is a little shout-out to my Grandma!!!! I can't wait to feel the warm weather of Coastal North Carolina as well as the anticipation for term 3. Typically term 3 is full of fun classes, warm weather, lawn games and swimming in the fountain. For nursing majors it is a totally different story. We will be in our Behavioral Science Clinical..... I'm nervous, yet I am really excited to see another side of clinical nursing. It's a busy schedule, but it is worth it in the end. When I see people hanging out in the fountain while I'm walking to my car for evening clinical, I will chant "I will have a job when I graduate, I will have a job when I graduate" lol.

Room-selection is looming around the corner, and surprise!! I've decided to take my Senior year off from being a Resident Assistant. I decided to take the year off to preserve not only my sanity, but to fully enjoy my last year in college before the "real world." I've lived with Freshman girls since my first day in college and I need a year with my friends. Our plan is to live in the brand new dorm, Meier Hall, and to simply have a BLAST. It will be a fantastic year, and I am so happy I had the support of my family, friends and the residence life staff with my decision to resign as an RA.

Just a few other things that I plan on blogging about either again tonight or tomorrow to look out for.... I'm going to post a few of my photographs from my photography course!!! and after the next two weekends I will be blogging about the admissions Honor Scholarship Days!!!!

Thank you for reading :) Please comment if you have any questions or comments !!!!!! <3

Turkey Day

As I flew in to Elmira this past Saturday from home there was snow on the ground, which totally caught me off guard, considering I was coming back from Virginia where it was 70 degrees during the week. Over break I had plenty of appointments, however I got to participate in some of my family's traditions. I spent turkey day with 26 members of my family and of course went shopping on Black Friday. It was a first and last experience!!!! Friday night it was the Hemphill illumination, aka when we decorate our house for Christmas. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday, therefore this tradition is my favorite. Here is a picture of my family tree!!!

Now that I'm back to school it's time to buckle down and study for exams, however there is a little bit of fun mixed in to the next three weeks. This upcoming weekend is Holiday Weekend, which includes Holiday Banquet and Holiday Ball. I'll post pictures and more things about Holiday weekend next week. Until then!!!!!

Ash

Sick of BBQ!

For the past day or so I have been preparing for my floor program, "Good ol' southern BBQ," which has had me cooking pork in my crock pot non stop! I have two more batches to go and I can't wait for it to be done, however I am very excited to bring a little home-cooked southern pulled pork bbq to my floor.

Last week was the Ralphie May concert, which was very exciting because I loved him on Last comic standing. With his rude, crude, hilarious humor he brought me to tears, laughing so hard. At the end of the show he was kind enough to stay and sign autographs and take pictures with people. He was surprisingly pleasant and polite when doing the meet and great and seemed to truly enjoy meeting everyone. My favorite part of the night occurred when the bells from the bell tour were going off. He stopped in the middle of a sentence and goes "do you hear that? what is that? I could have sworn we were coming to Hogwarts with the castle and all the purple and gold. Go Griffindor!" Of course he is referring to the new dorm on campus as the castle, which is a common phrase to describe Meier Hall. Here is a picture of me with Ralphie!

Only two days until Thanksgiving break, which I can't wait for because that means it's closer to CHRISTMAS!!!!! My break is going to be packed full of doctor's appointments and food. I'm not complaining about the food, however I am complaining about the doctor's appointments, which include the dentist (ewww). It has been a very easy week, probably the easiest week of my Junior year due to the lack of quizzes, tests and homework. Nursing has continued to be absolutely incredible, as I got to see an open heart surgery last Thursday during clinical. The operating room is definitely the place I want to be at the end of the day in my nursing career.

Well..... I'm off to cook some more BBQ. I'll fill you in on how it turned out!!!

Tis the season for Hot tea and coffee :)

I woke up this morning to a brisk 43 degrees outside, and all I wanted was a cup of hot tea before my crazy hectic day began. So far life has been wonderfully.... busy. With nursing, ethics and inequality in America my schedule is kept jammed packed full of reading, writing and studying. I recently switched clinical sites from St. Joseph's Hospital to Robert Packer Hospital down in Sayre, PA. This meaning, I have to wake up before the sun does. My usual clinical day consists of my alarm going off at 4:30 AM, me hitting the snooze button a few times until I actually wake up at 4:50. I usually leave the college parking lot at 5:30 in time to get to the hospital to do my pre-shift patient information before a starting time of 7 AM. I love working at Robert Packer and I am seriously considering getting a job there as a Care Partner for this upcoming summer. :)

On top of all of my classes I have my lovely Perry 3rd freshman that are "keeping me young." Oh the days of being a freshman feel like yesterday, they complain about the work now but they have no idea what is in store over the next three years of their college career. Next week is registration for term two classes, which blows my mind because that means I'm almost halfway through my junior year of college. eeeeccckkk I don't want to grow up, however I am excited that I will be done with all of my pre-requisites for graduation at the end of this school year. That means my senior year will be purely nursing clinical courses and fun classes. I can't wait to have the time to take photography.

Alrighty, it's time for me to head to nursing class, but atleast it's Friday. Have a good Halloween weekend.... I'm on duty!

-Ashley

Junior year?

Hello!!!!!

Can you believe that it is already October? Of my Junior year? I know I can't! So far this school year has been really busy with being a Freshman RA in Perry, Equestrian club President and working at our local Buffalo Wild Wings. I do still find time for some fun, for example, this past weekend was Apple Fest in downtown Ithaca, which I went to my Freshman year. Six of us decided to go together and we enjoyed the booths and we loved the deep fried oreos! It is going to be a great year for classes and friends, and I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Love,
Ashley

Valentine's Day

I have been curious as to what different people have to say about Valentine's Day. I know that this year my boyfriend had to work during the holiday and I found myself sitting in my room watching the Olympic Luge competition by myself. Every time a Valentine's day commercial came on I got really annoyed. It seems that Valentine's day isn't about celebrating the love that you have with an individual, but that it's simply an excuse for Hallmark to make money and for women to ask for materialistic things. I wanted my Valentine's Day to be a day when I spent time with the person I love to celebrate being with each other. I told him that all I really wanted was to know that he loves me and that we have each other, and that if he did get me a gift that it was something from the heart and not something he was pressured into buying due to commercials.

Please leave a comment and answer the poll, because I'm very interested in what other people have to say about the holiday.

halfway through the term already?

Believe it or not it is Tuesday, Feb. 16th. Since my last post a few things have happened that I've wanted to blog about.

I had my first experience in the hospital!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As a nursing student I've been anticipating the day that I could put my scrubs on and walk into a hospital to care for a patient. The first day was just orientation, but the next time we stepped foot into the hospital we were on our own (with the supervision of our clinical instructor of course). As we got off the elevator onto floor 3 of St. Joseph's Hospital (this is part of the Long-term care unit) my heart was beating near out of my chest. Nervous and giddy my partner and I walked into our patient's room. After providing our patient with Morning Care we looked at each other and realized "wow, this really isn't that nerve-wrecking." Our last time in the hospital until after break was amazing, because we took care of more than one patient and had hospital staff asking for our help, which made me feel like a nurse.

A group of my friends went out to dinner for a birthday weekend. 3 of the girls actually had birthdays all within 5 days, so naturally we used that as an excuse to get off campus and go out to dinner. We went to Legends!!! If you are visiting Elmira I highly recommend this place for all of their food but especially their boneless wings!

This upcoming week is MID-TERM BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am super excited about this break, because this term so far has been unbelievably busy and I really need a break. My boyfriend is driving back with me, and I can't wait to see how my boyfriend, born and raised in NY will respond to our southern ways in Virginia. I think I'm probably a little more nervous about the trip my dad is planning for the two of them. My father + My boyfriend + the Norfolk naval base to see the Aircraft carrier = lots of questions...... I will keep you updated on that progress. Hopefully it won't snow anymore down in Virginia.



I'm off to finish up HW and study for my 2 mid-terms. I'll blog again soon.

Ashley Hemphill '12

Term 2 begins

Back to school...........
Let me begin with before break. Finals week was crazy and intense, but I got through it and actually raised my GPA with my term 1 grades (to my surprise). Getting home on the other hand was deffinitly the worst way to start my actual Winter break. So here it goes:
Friday, December 18th
- Slept through 5 alarms and 20+ phone calls to miss my 6AM flight out of Elmira.
- Departed from Elmira at 3:30 to only land in Philadelphia to find out my flight to Richmon had been cancelled.
- Learned that the Richmond airport had been shut down due to snow. (yes, I said snow.)
- Booked a flight into Newport News, VA to not get stuck in Philadelphia for 3 days.
- Parents drove 1.5 hours to pick me up.
- Luggage didn't arrive.
- Drove 4 hours through blizzard snow to get home.
- Woke up to 14 inches of snow on the ground and no luggage.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday
- Snowed in...... NO LUGGAGE
Tuesday
- Drove to airport to get luggage.... FINALLY!!!!!

After the ordeal of getting home I had a fantastic break, but there was a chance of snow on the day I was supposed to return. I chose to fly back to Elmira early inorder to miss any possibility of being delayed or canceled again. I had RA winter training the Saturday before classes began, which was fun...... however I could really move my head too well due to a stiff neck. I didn't think much of it until I woke up Sunday and couldn't move my head. I went to the Emergency Room and come to find out I had sprained my neck. So with a neck brace on and pain killers and a muscle relaxer in hand I returned to my dorm room and entered a comatose state until classes the next day.

This term I am taking my first Nursing Practicum course and I am extremly excited to be wearing scrubs and doing something other than book work. Of course I am excited about my pink stethoscope and my pink bedazzeled I.D. holder. It is a very very very busy term, and as I told my residents I am sorry if I am not available as often as I should be. The first week felt like a month and I can only hope that the rest of the term doesn't follow in that trend.

The RA selection process has begun and today I spent my time evaluating candidates in the small group process. It felt like yesterday I was in their shoes, nervous and hoping I would get the position. It was a relief to be on the other side of the process, and I have a whole new appreciation and understand of what it takes to hire a staff. A lot of the current RA's are graduating so it will be a fresh staff next year and a brand new building, which will hopefully provide a breath of fresh air to Resident Life next year.

Friday night S.A.B. brought Mike DuBois and his act "Adult circus" on campus. It was a great time!!!! Here is a link to his website. http://www.theadultcircus.com/circus/home.html
My last little tid-bit for today's blog...... I highly recommend going to see the movie Extrodinary Measures.

Thanks for reading
Ashley!

November

This has been a whirlwind of a month! I started the month off sick, which isn't an uncommon trend for me this school year, but I finally found the cause of my constant sickness. I left my mattress pad in the basement of Columbia (storage area) over the summer, which left my mattress pad full of lovely mold spores. Before Thanksgiving break I disposed of that pad and got a brand new down mattress topper. That was the best decision of the school year, as it is very comfortable and it has zero mold spores. I am now feeling back to my normal self!!!!

Before break I was busy with classes and getting ready for my first horse show. I was riding three times a week, which is a lot considering the amount of work I have right now, but it was well worth it. The team went to Skidmore College on the 21st and we all did well. I placed 4th, which isn't exactly what I wanted, but for my first time ever showing in the IHSA show circuit. Many people don't realize that when showing inter-collegiate you do not know which horse you are riding until the day of the show and even then you have never seen or been on the horse. You get on the horse in the ring and the moment you begin walking you are being judged. It is a bit of a stressful situation, yet the adrenaline kicks in and it is a fun experience.

I am currently sitting in the Philadelphia airport on my way back to school after Thanksgiving break. It was a fun and relaxing break. I went to my great great Aunt's 90th birthday party and spent Thanksgiving at my uncles. I did not participate in the early morning Black Friday shopping, but my mother did. 4:40AM she was in line at Target (I though she was crazy). We decorated the house for Christmas and now I can't wait to decorate my dorm room for Christmas. I'm a huge fan of Christmas music and decorations!!!!!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break.

Ashley

Fall Break

Hello!

Sorry it has been a while since my last entry. The past two weeks have been interesting to say the least. The week before Parents Weekend I became very sick with some bacterial infection that caused me to miss 3 days of classes and therefore 4 exams. My average temperature was 101, which is unusual because I never get a temperature. My parents did not come up to Elmira for Parents' Weekend, so I used that weekend to do a significant amount of sleeping and studying for the exams I had missed. The week was very stressful, because on top of trying to stay out of bed for the full day of classes and doing the normal homework, I had to schedule times to make up the exams. I thankfully was able to take all of the exams before I left for fall break. Being sick prevented me from horseback riding, therefore I can not show at our first show at Hartwick.

I was scheduled to leave from the Elmira airport to fly home to Virginia Friday night. After the winter weather I figured I would be somewhat delayed, but all day it looked like my flight would be on time. On my way to the airport I received a notification informing me that my flight was delayed an hour. This would have been okay, and I could have made it to my connection flight in Philadelphia. When I arrived at the airport they informed me that the flight was not scheduled to leave until 8 pm. My connection left at 8:30. I made the decision to avoid sleeping in the Philadelphia airport and fly home Saturday Morning. Little did I know that this decision would cause me to injure myself. Saturday morning while walking down the stairs with my suitcase in hand I "missed" a step, twisted my ankle (heard a pop) and continued to fall down the last few stairs. My ankle continued to swell while in transit and when I arrived home ventured to the doctor's office with my mom. I sprained my ankle and am now wearing an air-splint. Yes, I am clumsy and yes, this prevents me from riding!!!! Story of my life...... I'm always hurt.

I'll write soon.

Ashley

Convocation and Mountain Day Singing

Hello!!

Sitting here on an overcast, chilly day ready to take a nap, a favorite past-time of mine. Figured I'd talk about a few things that happened last week and what's going on this week here on campus.

Last Thursday was Convocation for the Freshman Scholars. The Class of 2013 proved to show a lot of potential after hearing all of their accomplishments from high school. I played flute with the Concert Ensemble, which was frustrating on my end. I had a significant amount of homework due on Friday, so sitting on stage for 2.5 hours listening to names being called was the opposite of productive. I applaud the freshman scholars, however at the same time I needed to get work done. However, Convocation gave me the opportunity to wear my purple and gold heels!!!!

Saturday was open house, which was also my first time co-leading a gold key tour. It was a lot of fun and I was surprised at my comfort level in front of a group of perspective students and parents.

This week is Mountain Day Singing! I wish it would have been last week, because the weather this week is not what I want to participate in. I am working on getting rid of a 2.5 week old sinus infection, so standing outside in the rain and cold is not what a doctor would order. I'm hoping for a mountain day tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ash

First Couple Weeks of School

Hello!

Life here on campus has been crazy busy, but it's been good for me! Move in day feels like months ago, when in reality it hasn't been that long ago. I'm getting to know my residents more each passing day, which is very nice. Just as recently as yesterday I had two new additions to Columbia 3rd South which gives me almost a full floor. I have one empty room which is a bunk double....... and we all know that no one wants to move into a bunk double.

I never thought I would say that I am thankful for the freshman writing program, but I am SUPER thankful for the freshman writing program. Compared to last year I feel like I barely have homework, and the homework I do have I am getting it done EARLY. I am not the type of student to do things early, but I guess things have changed a little. My parents are so proud. :-)

A few exciting things! Horseback riding has officially started, which is a huge stress relief for me! On a sad note we had to get rid of my horse back home in Virginia, but it's a very good situation that will allow me to continue riding Bravo Charlie. My classes are going very well. It's nice to be in a Nursing course and to start talking about things that I'm going to use everyday in the work place. I can't wait to put my scrubs on and go to clinical!!!!!

Time to get back to homework!

Ashley

First RA training week!

Training is over, which means I get to sleep!!!! However OL training is right around the corner which means a few more days of sleep deprivation. On a wonderful note Resident Assistant training has been a blast. I arrived here in Elmira last Friday after a wonderful 9.5 hour drive and by Saturday at 2 I was moved into my cozy single on Columbia 3rd. All week we have been learning about the procedures and policies of the college along with many social issues that we will come across. These issues included 2 meetings with RCST (Rape Crisis of the Southern Tier), suicide awareness, and info meetings with resources around campus.

The only thing that made me nervous about training was the Behind Closed Doors program. This program is in 2 parts and it is when the RLC's and other faculty members have a scenario and act it out (to the EXTREME). The RAs in training then go around in small groups and at each scenario one RA is in charge of handling the situation. It was an amazing experience that I know helped me feel more comfortable as a first year RA.

Last night we had a great dinner with faculty members and all of the RAs. We got to dress up and I got to wear my purple and gold heels, which seem to be a favorite here on campus. hmmmm I wonder why???? Here is a picture of the entire staff (RAs, RLCs and RA alternates).
This was a great experience and I can't wait to have my 2013's in my building with me! Not to mention I had a blast making my door tags and bulletin board!!!!

Ashley Hemphill '12

Life as an OL

Hello,

Hope all of you have had a great summer so far! The last weekend of June I headed up from Virginia to Elmira for Summer Registration 1. I was super excited because I was reunited with my friends I hadn't seen since before my big Australia trip. I flew up and got to Elmira around noon which was the beginning of check-in for OL's. I hadn't mentioned that I was a Concurrent Session Group Leader, which means I, with two other OL's, took a group of parents to each information session.

We started training off with an ice breaker, which was a lot of fun! It was a great way to get all of the OL's in a laughing mood. We then had training all day Friday. This was when we made all of the door tags for the parents and the members of the Lucky class of 2013, made balloon arches, and made all of the other decorations that would be around campus.

Saturday we all woke up bright and early to get ready for the freshman to arrive. We did a lot of singing!!!!!! I was stationed up by towers to welcome members of the class of 2013. It was a lot of fun to be the loud and somewhat annoying people this time around instead of the scared and nervous freshman. It was a lot of fun to watch them go through the same things I went through a year ago. Except none of them were on crutches like I was for my SR.

The parents were great, nervous just like mine but great to talk to. It would have been nice to spend more time with the students in order to get to know more of them, but I can't complain. It was a great experience, I wish I could be an OL at the other two Summer Registrations.

Have a great rest of the summer!!!
Ashley

Australia 2

Hello all,

I am in Australia at the moment. So far we have gone from Sydney to Canberra and now we are about to leave Hervey Bay. While in Hervey Bay we went to Fraser Island which is the largest sand island in the world. That means that the entire island is composed of only sand which is a really cool characteristic if you think about it. We didn't get to see any dingos while there however we did see their footprints which was kinda cool. So far I have been able to check two things off of my "bucket list." Coming to Australia and putting my feet in the Pacific Ocean. I miss EC, but this trip has been amazing. I encourage any student to take full advantage of the term three trip opportunities!!

First Australia Blog

Ello Mates!!!!

I'm in the land down under for term three and this is my first blog from half way across the world. It is now 7:42 PM Sunday April 26th which means it is 5:43 AM your time. 14 hour time difference, yet the jet-lag was surprisingly easy to get over. So far we have gone to the Hyde Park Barracks, Australia Museum, Toronga Zoo, Circular Quay, and today we took a hike in the blue mountains. Wait until I post pictures of the Mountains!!!! They are stunning. I will be back before I leave Sydney for the next city.

Ashley

YAY

Just got done with the Concert Ensemble Performance (I play the flute), which went well. However the events that occurred post concert have brightened my spirits!!!

I am no longer an RA alternate!! I will be an RA in Columbia Hall for the 2009-2010 academic year! I am super excited and just felt the need to write a quick, short blog about it.

YAY!!!

Ashley Hemphill '12

Freshman Frustration

I would like to start off by commenting on the amazing weather that has graced the EC campus. It's been sunny and warm, which has allowed me to wear flip-flops which are by far my favorite type of shoe. This campus is especially beautiful when the weather is nice because people have been outside either working, or just hanging out. A group of us even ate lunch outside while others threw a baseball and a football around. It's a picture perfect campus during these spring days. I've also been able to run outside, which is a great change from the boring treadmill in the gym.

Most freshman, me included, are stressing over the Freshman writing program. I know that I have one 10 page paper, two 3 page papers, one 5 page paper for just my college composition class. I just keep telling myself that all of this writing is going to benefit me down the road. However, at this exact moment I want to throw my computer out my window.

This past weekend my friends from home did not come up to visit, which was a bit disappointing. However, my mother, grandmother and sister are coming up next weekend, which is going to be great. Every bit of home that I can get here is helpful. This past week we found out what our room selection lotto number is and knowing my luck I knew I would get a very high number. Guess what?..... 170. There are only about 215 girls in my class. I wasn't last, but I was pretty close. Luckily my roommate for next year has a low number. I'm thinking Perry is where we will try to be for next year. Speaking of next year, I had my Orientation Leader interview which was fun, I am hoping to be an Orientation Leader for a small group. I can't wait for the in coming class of 2013. I have been in contact with a few members of the class through facebook, and they seem very eager and excited just like I was during this time my senior year.

Oh! For those of you that have read my previous entries, my sister has just started physical therapy and is healing properly. We are very thankful for that.
I should get back to writing my papers..... JOY!!! Have a nice day, and enjoy the weather!!

Ashley Hemphill '12

Start of a very busy month!

Hello again!
To update everyone on my RA status... I am going to be an RA alternate for the next academic year, which is a good thing because it is in the next step to being an RA. With the new dorm opening in Feb. of next year my chances of being "promoted" are high. My sister is doing well, so well in fact that she is on a cruise right now. A little bit upset with that actually. My parents, sister and her best friend are on a cruise right now... and here I am writing essays for freshman writing in rainy Elmira, NY. This also means that my sister did not come visit me for siblings weekend (sad face). My family going without me has made me realize that I am growing up, and that I am no longer going to be involved in most of the things my parents and sister do. I am a month away from basically finishing my freshman year of college, and I am growing up (tear).

Freshman Writing is without a doubt the reason for my high stress level at the moment. For the next 4 weeks I will be doing nothing but writing and editing papers. It's looking like I have about 20 pages worth of writing to do. I just keep looking at the light at the end of the tunnel, Australia.

That trip is getting me through this month!!! I can't wait for next weekend because two of my best friends are going to come visit me, and then two weeks after my sister, grandmother and mom are coming to visit. I can't wait for them to come up because my sister hasn't been here in over a year and my grandmother has never been to the Elmira. I had my Gold Key interview, and I felt that it went really well. I will not know about that until right before we leave for April break.

Last weekend I had a great experience that I really couldn't wait to share on this blog. I took the opportunity from the school to go to Greek Peak and go tubing for free. It was an incredible amount of fun that took our mind off of school work that made us feel like little kids again. Here is a picture of us!!!

Have a good week, and thanks for reading!!!
Ashley

Seven Weeks into Term II

Hi! I'm Ashley Hemphill, a member of the Astonishing class of 2012. I grew up in Richmond, VA, which is where my family lives now. I am a nursing student here at Elmira College, and I can't wait to start clinical work in my second year here at EC. I am a member of Christian Fellowship, the non-denominational christian club here on campus. At the beginning of the academic year I was a member of the Equestrian Club, however since being at Elmira I have had knee problems that has permitted me from riding.

At the moment I am home for Winter break, and I can't believe that I have made it to this point of my freshman year of college. Just a couple months ago I was nervously packing my car and my parents' car with everything that I was planning on having in my dorm room. Here I am 6 months later worrying about the 2009-2010 academic year. For the past 3 weeks I have been spending my nights in the library until closing (1 AM) studying for mid-terms, or working on one of the infamous Freshman Writing papers, and completing the application process for the job position of Resident Assistant. This process has been quite nerve racking, because it's something I really want. I had to put together my first resume, a cover letter, go through an interview, and a "small group session." After all of this, a first cut was made where the 100+ applicants were narrowed down to 37. When I received the e-mail saying I made the first cut I was more than excited, however the 37 applicants were split into 2 large groups. This large group session would be the final determining factor, and after the RLC's (Resident Life Coordinators) spent Friday the 13th in a day long meeting letters were sent out to all the applicants. These letters would either say "you have been chosen to be an RA," "you have been chosen as an alternate RA," or "thank you for your application, however we do not have a position for you." Sadly for me, I left campus to come home for a week on Friday, therefore my letter is sitting in my mailbox waiting for me. :( On top of this application process, I have put in a resume for the Gold Key Society, which is the group of students that gives the tours of campus for admissions.

This break has been good for me, because the week before I came home my sister, Taylor a freshman in high school, broke her C7 vertebrae in a horseback riding accident. She is doing well, and will have a full recovery. This break came at a perfect time because it has allowed for me to be here with my sister, and spend quality time with my entire family. Even though I have to finish my 10 page paper for writing, a microbiology project, a microbiology paper and reading for my sociology paper, I have still been able to go out with friends and shopping for clothes for my Australia term 3 trip with my mom. Yes!!!! I did say Australia!!!! I'm very excited and if you continue reading my blog you will hear plenty about this trip.

I will keep you posted on my sister, my RA and Gold Key status.

Ash