BUMegan's Blog : Erin

finally here...this is crazy!

BUMegan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:23:00 GMT

So far, life is good. I've moved, unpacked (mostly) and am now working from home!

I don't have a lot of stuff, and am still trying to figure out my life here. Its definitely different from Indy, but I don't think that's good or bad. I'm excited for the new challenge of working as a regional rep, and al the opportunities that being regional holds. I hope, once we send out information to my students, that they will realize I'm a resource for them that's much closer now! I just hope everything goes smoothly in this transition period. It's been weird for me to work from home for the past two days, but good too. I've worked out at lunch (which NEVER happens) and it hasn't been bad to wake up early-coming from someone who is NOT a morning person, I'd say I'm making great strides!!!

I will be back in Indy on August 7th, and will be able to get some of my stuff that's been left behind. My sisters are still living in the apartment there, as our lease isn't up until the end of August. It's weird to think that I won't be living with Erin, but I think it'll be good for us. I've never lived alone, and its important to me that I do sometime in my life. I just want to make sure I take advantage of my life here, and do the best I can for Butler. There are a lot of people on campus who have heard about my move, and SO many people have been very supportive-I can't imagine getting through all this without them!! There have been a lot of little details to work out, things to consider and questions I've asked. Thankfully, I've had great support from other admission counselors/staff and my family. I'm very lucky. My dad and Erin helped me move, and Dad and I even got to hang out a bit. It's always nice to see both my parents, and spend time with them. They are great people, and I had a ton of fun when Dad was here!!

The one thing that will take getting used to? Grocery shopping for one. I went tonight, and it's WEIRD to think about just cooking for me... it's a challenge I'm ready for, and anything else that life throws at me!

I hope this finds you well. As always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Chicago here I come!

BUMegan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:07:00 GMT

I adore Chicago. It is the pulse of America.
- - - Sarah Bernhardt

Chicago is a city of contradictions, of private visions haphazardly overlaid and linked together. If the city was unhappy with itself yesterday-and invariably it was-it will reinvent itself today.
- - - Pat Colander "A Metropolis of No Little Plans" NY Times 5 May 85

But Chicago is a great American city. Perhaps it is the last of the great American cities. --Norman Mailer, Miami and the Siege of Chicago, 1968

My first day in Chicago, September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots, like the motherland. I knew I belonged here.
- - - Oprah Winfrey

So, it's official! I will be moving to Chicago and be working for Butler as a regional representative!!!! This has been a few months in the making, and I couldn't be more excited. :) I put the proposal together earlier this year, never really knowing that it would be approved. I still am in a little bit of shock about it, but very, very excited. Everything will be moving quickly from here on out, as I will be moving at the end of this month to my new place. There are still a lot of details for me to work out, not to mention getting furniture or anything else! (If anyone knows of good deals on furniture, let me know, ok! ) I'm excited, though, for what the future holds for me.

I've never lived alone, and I must say I'm a little nervous. Erin and I have lived together since graduation from Butler, and we've ALWAYS lived in the same city. We've never not lived apart, and I seriously cannot imagine what life will be like living without her. I think it'll be good for both of us as we near our 26th birthday. It'll be hard too, to not work in the office and not be around coworkers all the time. I LOVE working here, love my co-workers and our office. I will be coming back twice a month though, which will help with the "office homesickness!"

I'm hoping everything in the next few weeks goes smoothly...I've got a lot of things to do before I move, so I've got a bunch of to-do lists started:)

That's all from me for now-I'll be sure to post more updates later!!!!

on the road again...

BUMegan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:26:00 GMT

I haven't been so good at updating this thing...my once a week rule has turned into once every two weeks...at most...WHOOPS....

I do have a good excuse though...this time;) I am planning travel again! I honestly can't believe I am going into my THIRD travel season. It seems so crazy that I've been doing this for over two years. I'm VERY excited though, because I finally have a good handle on my suburbs in Chicago, and obviously love getting to go home to St. Louis for two weeks. I'm a very lucky girl when it comes to travel territories. It will be good to see all the other counselor friends I've made in the St. Louis/Chicago areas. I just can't believe it starts next week! I'll be going home on Saturday for two weeks, with fairs and visits to a lot of great schools. After that, its up to Chicago for 5 weeks. I'll be sure to keep you posted of ALL my travel adventures. :)

I feel like a lot has happened since I last posted. I turned 25 (gulp) and actually had a REALLY amazing birthday. My sister and I didn't do a lot for it, but it was a great birthday, one of the best I've had. ;) We also, last weekend, moved my little sister Caitlin to Butler. It was VERY surreal, to walk around Schwitzer and get everything from the van unloaded and moved in. It made me feel old! She seems to be doing ok, and for that I'm grateful. I definitely had a period of transition here, which I wasn't prepared for experiencing. I was homesick, and not truly comfortable until October. I wish someone could warn students moving to college that it's like for a lot of people. It would have been nice to know I wasn't the only one. (which I definitely wasn't!!!!) However, Cait is very adaptable and hopefully is enjoying herself. I love it here, and I only hope the same for her. :) All three of us have been teasing my parents, however, about their new "empty nesters" status. I was honestly more worried about them! Thankfully, they seem to be doing ok, and keeping busy. They both seem really excited about me staying with them for two weeks, and I must admit, it'll be nice to be a "temporary" only child. HA!

I think the thing I am most excited for during my trip to St. Louis is getting a new computer. Unfortunately, the laptop I've had since sophomore year of college died. Because Butler offers discount programs through Apple and Dell, I've decided to get a MacBook. I've never owned an Apple computer before, but have used them throughout school. Obviously, I'm expecting a period of transition to understand everything, but I'm really excited. I've always wanted to get one, and I finally am. Dad and I are going sometime during the two-week period I'm in town, so I'll FINALLY have a computer at home again. It's been rough...and shows me just how dependent I am on it!

Other than that, life has been pretty amazing as a 25 year-old. I had a great weekend with my sisters and friends, and it was a perfect way to culminate the end of summer and end of my normal life for the year. ;) APPARENTLY, BUJerry has decided he wants his blog to be read more than mine, which I think is hilarious, being that I don't REALLY know who reads this to begin with. I definitely appreciate anyone who does, and it makes me happy to know that someone could be enjoying the blog entries I come up with and write. HAHAHA Anyway, good luck to BUJerry on his quest. I would say I hope it works, but I like people reading MY blog....so read both?! HA!

Like always, if you have questions, let me know. I'd be happy to help!!

august is a great month....

BUMegan — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:46:00 GMT

BECAUSE MY BIRTHDAY IS THIS MONTH!!!

Now, I'm sure someone reading this will make fun...but I'm turning 25 on August 17th. I shouldn't really say anything, but I really do feel kinda old now. When I was little, 25 sounded SO old. I had all these big great plans that were going to be accomplished by the time I was twenty five. It was a lifetime away, and now it's definitely 12 days from now. Weird. I feel like I really want to celebrate though, but how I'll do that is undetermined. :) All I know is that I'm very happy. So maybe my 8 year-old self didn't get everything she wanted (a.k.a. married with kids and either a famous actress/author or chef....yea don't ask...) but right now, that really doesn't matter. I have a great job where I get to travel to some pretty awesome places (obviously a biased opinion), the world's best coworkers and boss, amazing friends, a really funny and close-knit family and tons of special people I've met along the way. My sister and I live in a great area in a nice apartment and I finally feel like I've gotten the "grown-up" thing down. It's definitely not as easy as I thought it would be, and my life is wayyyy different than what I expected. But I learned awhile ago to let go of expectations. That's usually when you get the best results;)

The last weekend in July, Erin and I went to a party in Connorsville, IN. My friend Tyler graduated from Butler this year, and is headed to med school at Northwestern in the fall. (I can totally visit him when I travel Chicago, which I love:)) Anyway, it was really good to catch up with some of the Butler friends, the younger ones who just graduated this year. It was also good to see Tyler and Greg (both of them, especially Greg Zahn, who my last entry was dedicated to!) and just catch up with how everyone is doing. It's easy sometimes, to let things slide and not keep in touch with people. I know that's happened with a few of my friends, but seeing some of the people there that night gave me a renewed confidence in that fact that if you are truly friends with someone, you'll always be friends. (Molly Pop, E-star, Laurie, Jamie and Leslie-SO good to see all of you!!!!)

August has had a couple of firsts for me-my first trip to a Farmer's market, getting my ear's pierced and my first trip to downtown Noblesville. (Yes, random but I like it that way!) The Farmer's Market in Carmel was amazing. I love the idea of buying from local places. It was a really cool experience, and I'll definitely be going back. Later that day, I FINALLY worked up the nerve and got my ears pierced. Yes, me at 25 (almost 25) walked into Claire's amidst the Hannah Montana craziness that was going on in the store and got them done. I LOVE THEM! The novelty of them hasn't worn off yet, and I'm so excited that I got them done. It definitely didn't hurt as much as I thought either, which is good. I can definitely be a baby about that kind of stuff. :) Also-my good friend Jamie lives in downtown Noblesville, and getting to walk around their town square and get ice cream was so fun. I love her and it was great to catch up!

This week has been good so far, and this weekend should be more of the same. I'm SO excited for the start of the Olympics-I am definitely a junkie when it comes to that stuff. Also, one of my good friends from home, Ryan, is getting married on Saturday, so Erin and I will be heading home Friday for that. Its crazy because all my friends from school and home are getting married, while three people in our office have had or will be having kids! I'm surrounded by major life changes! ha! I'm just hoping that all of it will prepare me if I ever decide to get married and have kids. ;) (You'd hope, right!?)

These next few weeks will be crazy, with lots of things to do before travel season starts. As weird as it is to be turning 25, it's even weirder that I will be headed into my THIRD travel season this year. Blows my mind. Anyway, let me know if you have questions about anything-I'd be more than happy to help!

Enjoy the rest of your summer while it lasts...Class of 2012-Welcome to BU! (SO SOON!) I'm very excited to have you all here:)

how is it the middle of July already?!

BUMegan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:21:00 GMT

So I'm kinda in disbelief that it is already the middle of July. Time is FLYING by this summer! The wedding I attended over July 4th weekend was awesome-it was SO good to see a bunch I people I hadn't hung out with in awhile. Other than that, life has been relatively normal- I definitely feel a lot busier now than I did in June, and I'm happy for that. I'm one of those people that likes to have a lot of stuff going on. However, it is nice to relax once in awhile, and I unfortunately don't know when I'll be able to do that again.

A few major things have happened though, in terms of our office. Aaron Mooney, an Admission Counselor here, decided to explore an opportunity with another company and had his last day last Friday, July 11th. Andy White, the counselor for the Indianapolis area, and his wife had their baby this past weekend. It's definitely been crazy around here! Lucky for me though, I was given the opportunity to move offices and now reside in Aaron's old office. It's much bigger and I'm really excited about it:) I was in my last office for two years, so this was good for me! :)

This weekend I'll be in Chicago attending the Summer Send-Offs in Long Grove and Naperville. Our office and the Alumni Office hosts these events for incoming freshmen students and they seem to go over really well. I'm excited to be back in Chicago with an awesome rental car (black xterra!!!) and to see some some of the kids I recruited. Tomorrow though, is the first Young Alumni Board meeting I will attend since I was elected to the Board last year. I'm hoping that everything goes well with it, but I'm sure it will. It's a great group of people. :)

Finally-Caitlin, my little sister came to visit my sister and I this weekend. I was SO excited to see her and get to hang out. She'll be a freshman in the fall, so it's fun to see what it will be like come August. We took her to Naked Tchopstix today for lunch, and tonight we are going to see Dark Knight at the IMAX theater in Noblesville. She'll leave tomorrow, but thankfully will get to hang out with Erin before she leaves.

Life is definitely crazy right now, but I'm definitely in a good place. Everything's going really well, and I am SO excited to start travel again in the fall. It's cool to see so many 2009 students coming to campus, getting on the forums and emailing our staff. I can't wait to work with such a great group of students. It'll be the third class I help recruit, which totally blows my mind. I don't feel that old!!

Anyway, if anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to let us know. Have a good rest of your summers! Enjoy it while it lasts:)

Finally, to Greg-if you are reading this, this blog entry is dedicated to you, since you finally noticed I write for Butler. Hope you enjoy your dedication;)

summer breeze...makes me feel fine....

BUMegan — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:00:00 GMT

I am MUCH better at keeping up with this thing during the school year. I'm blaming it on the nice weather in Indy (FINALLY!) and wanting to be outside all the time! I just hope that's a good enough excuse;)

Life has been crazy hectic, but good. My main responsibility as of late has been to get out the June e-newsletter, which I hope everyone who received it liked it! Incoming freshmen students-if there are things you like (or don't like) about it, please let me know! My email address is morourke@butler.edu. I am definitely looking for suggestions for the upcoming months, and even beyond that. I would very much appreciate the suggestions:)

My sister Erin and I just got back from St. Louis, where we spent the weekend with my family for Caitlin's graduation party. It was a great weekend-super busy and crazy, but it was good to see family and friends AND meet some of Caitlin's friends. The party was all day Saturday, and I think our whole family spent ALL day Sunday recuperating. Erin, Dad and I watched The Departed, which is a GREAT movie. Pretty violent and really long, but overall a very good movie. I also got to see a good friend perform at The Muny, an outdoor theater in St. Louis. He was one of the leads in High School Musical, and he was AWESOME. He played Ryan (for those who know!) and he seriously did SUCH a great job. :) I'm so proud of him!!

Erin and I also tried a new sushi restaurant (well, the restaurant isn't new, but we've never tried it before:) It's called Wasabi on 82nd, and it was SO good. I love getting to try new restaurants (non-chains, for all of you who might not know yet!! :) and finding new sushi restaurants is especially a big deal. We finally have another place to go!

Work has been really good, if not a little quiet as of late. We've had some visitors to campus, and I've been working a lot with the Alumni Office on some projects. It's good, because as an alumna of Butler, I have a vested interest in what happens here. I love this place and I love being able to give back in SOME way here. The nice thing about the summertime is that we all have projects or charges we are given (the counselors, I mean) and we have time in these months to get a lot of stuff done in regards to whatever our project is. My two major projects are working with the Alumni Office and working on the admitted student newsletter. (hence why the feedback is so important:)

This week will be busy-I've been house sitting for two weeks, but they'll be back this weekend. My sister and I are also going to Chicago for the weekend for a wedding-two of our friends from Butler are getting married in Naperville! I'm so excited, because we'll get to see them and a bunch of friends that I haven't seen in awhile. Tonight is dinner with my good friend Jamie, and hopefully we'll be trying a new place. I'll keep you posted!

Finally-I am SO excited to visit the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art) this summer, because the owner of the Colts has given them a chance to put something on display-Jack Kerouac's manuscript of "On the Road." It's handwritten, on ONE sheet of paper. I really can not wait to go see it. I love this city and what it has to offer. Its one of my favorite things about Indy-how much there is to do here, and how much I still have left to discover. I'll keep you posted!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers! I know I am-have a great Fourth of July weekend everyone!

The sun'll come out...tomorrow....(is it spring yet?!)

BUMegan — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:12:00 GMT

A little sleepy today....It's gray and overcast and definitely a GREAT day for a nap. Its just TOO bad that I can't take one!

So how much did you love the weather yesterday?! I was in St. Louis yesterday, and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL there. Sunny and warm, it reminded me of how much I love spring, and how I can't wait for warmer weather! The trip to St. Louis was definitely an abbreviated one, as I had to work on Saturday giving presentations and talking to families. Each Admission Counselor works two Saturdays a semester, and this was one of mine. Erin and I got home and hung out with my parents before eating an amazing homecooked meal (can't beat mom's cooking!!!) and heading to Incarnate (my alma mater!) to see Caitlin in Annie. She was one of the main orphans, the one that says "Oh my goodness!" if anyone is familiar. She was BRILLIANT. She also had a tap solo, which was really cool to see. I always forget just HOW talented my little sister is, and she so proved (AGAIN!) that she can hold her own on stage. The show was a little long, but I really, really liked it. Incarnate has definitely stepped up their shows in the past few years and it's obviously worked, as this year they sold out!!

I got to do a little bit of travel in the end of February and went with Tara to a college fair in Chicago. It was SO, SO good to see Troy, Mike, Justin, Dan and Jae. It definitely got me itching for spring travel, which starts next week. The fair was at St. Ignatius, which is an absolutely beautiful school in downtown Chicago over by UIC. Tara and I got there kinda early, so we just hung out and walked around before an amazing dinner and a pretty busy fair. Can't wait for the rest of my travel, which is partially in March and a lot of April. It's nice because I get to meet so many of the students I'll be working with in the fall!

Last week, the Alumni Office hosted a Young Alumni event before the basketball game against Wright State. SO FUN! They had food and drinks and I got to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile and had a really good conversation with Tyler.(twice!!) The game was awesome, and it was good to see us beat Wright State in one of the last games of the season. Erin and I stayed to watch the seniors cut down the nets, and heard the announcement of home court advantage and a first-round bye. Definitely a great game to have attended, and I am very excited to see what will happen for the team in these coming weeks!

Other than that, this week promises to be pretty quiet. We've been getting a lot of random questions in the forums about housing, meal plans and the like. If you need ANYTHING or have other questions, please let me know. Hope everyone has a good week!!

happy president's day!

BUMegan — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:37:00 GMT

So I've been putting off this blog entry for almost a week now, and I figure now is the time to just buckle down and do it! I seriously can't believe how fast this month has gone. For some reason, it has been FLYING by, and I really can't figure out why that is, because life really hasn't been too crazy as of late. Last weekend, Pam, Chris, Andy and I went to a conference in Chicago. It was interesting, to say the least. I really couldn't believe just how cold it was there and how much I just did NOT want to go outside. Thankfully, I only left the hotel once in the time we spent there, and I was more than ok with that. It snowed on Monday and while I'm sure Chicago/IL/Iowa residents are done with the snow, I thought it was absolutely gorgeous outside. I'm not sure what it is about snow that I love so much, but it's beautiful to watch and fun to play in. Must be the little kid in me! The conference itself was fine. Some of the sessions were just ok, and a few were really interesting to me. It was a lot of fun to get to hang out with Pam, Chris and Andy though. I am SO, SO lucky that I have such amazing coworkers with whom I truly enjoy spending time. Overall, it was an awesome three days and fun to be back in Chicago again. I definitely missed it!

So Valentine's day was last week...There have been some random posts on the forum about it, which I thought was kinda funny. I'm really not a big fan of Valentine's day, but this year wasn't THAT bad....I guess;) Erin and I rented a movie that night, No Reservations, which was AWESOME. I think Abigail Breslin is such a good actress for someone who's so young. I was really impressed-I really liked it! Other than that, I didn't do anything, and that's how I prefer it. Definitely not a favorite! HA! (However, I promised I would give a shout out to Tyler Johnston. I saw him at Starbucks on Valentine's day, and said I would give him a call-out. So Tyler-YOU'RE AWESOME! how's that?? ;) )

This weekend was the first in awhile that I didn't have to work, and it was SO nice! Friday night, Erin, Nisha and I went to Don Pablo's and waited for Shawna, who got to Indy late Friday night. She had to finish a project, so came in for the weekend to finish it. It was so good to see her, and for the four of us to hang out. It's just so nice to have such amazing friends-we had a really good time going out on Saturday night together, but we usually do. I also got to go shopping on Saturday afternoon, which of course I loved. I got a lot of fun stuff, so I'm considering the trip successful!! All in all it was a really, REALLY good weekend. I'm really lucky to have such good people in my life! :)

This week promises to be busy, at least work-wise. We are finishing up with applications, meeting with families and I get to go back to Chicago for a college fair with Tara, the other counselor who covers Chicago. I can't wait for that!

That's it! One last thing- I have to give props to my little sister Caitlin-she's a senior who applied and got accepted to Butler AND she joined this site. Nice job! ;)

life is good!

BUMegan — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:19:00 GMT

I really just don't understand how it's almost February already. I really can't believe it!! Thankfully, February doesn't seem like it will be boring at all, thanks to having to work some weekends AND getting to go to Chicago a couple of times. So maybe life isn't exciting in the traditional sense, but there is definitely alot more going on!'

My parents and little sister Caitlin were in town this weekend. I absolutely LOVE when they come visit. I had to work on Saturday, but then we went out to dinner to a restaurant called Sahm's which was SO, SO good. Shawna (Mine and Erin's old temporary roommate and totally a member of the O'Rourke family!) was also in town, so we got to go out with her and Nisha too. I love when the four of us are together because we have such a good time and it is just really nice to have them here! :) Sunday was brunch with the family (Cafe Patachou=AMAZING.) and watching the game. Can I say that I was actually bored for the first half? I was really disappointed with how it was going, UNTIL the fourth quarter. TOTALLY BRILLIANT. Eli Manning was awesome-it was definitely worth it up to the final seconds of that game. I loved it! It was really good to see the Giants win-I am such a fan of the Manning family, because to me they are such good representations of how professional athletes should act and carry themselves. Glad to see the Giants pull of such an awesome upset...

In response to the last time I posted, I did go see 27 dresses. A pretty cute movie (a little predictable) and James Mardsen is really cute in it. AshleighTaylor left a really good post about an idea for a girls night, and I definitely used her suggestion this weekend! Friday night Nisha, Shawna and I got sushi and just hung out. (There MIGHT have been some ice cream involved too, but it seems a little crazy to say that we wanted ice cream in February. No judging though, right??!!)

Last week was a little crazy as we had our Scholar's Forum program on Saturday, but also had the Bloggers chatting with students last Wednesday. BUBrad and I were here to witness the craziness that IS the student bloggers. Brad posted a lot of the video that was recorded on youtube (if you want to check it out, the website is: www.youtube.com/butlerbloggers) I had never met a couple of the bloggers and they are AWESOME. I definitely had a very fun night with them, even if I'm the...adult of the group....HA! On a side note....apparently knowing the Cupid shuffle helps with the admission process....thanks to ChristinaD for showing everyone how it's done!!! (HA...riiiightttt...)

Work might be a little crazy this week, with trying to read applications that are still coming in, making phone calls and plan spring travel, but I am definitely ok with crazy. I LOVE it when it is and when we are busy...to me it means we are doing something right, and I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to work here with all these wonderful people to get to do what we do. I've been presented a lot of great opportunties and have met a lot of great people along the way ( not to mention all the cool experiences I've had here!!!) so hopefully this year is EVEN better. :)

Another thing I'm excited for is a conference this weekend. (Ok yes, sometimes conferences can be boring, but I've got high hopes for this one!) Andy, Chris, Pam and I (all three are other Admission Counselors here) are going to stay at the Renaissance hotel in downtown Chicago for the conference, which is Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I absolutely LOVE downtown Chicago, so I'm excited to get a chance to travel there next weekend! I'll be sure to keep you posted as to whether or not the conference was boring ;)

Finally, if any senior has questions about the enrollment forms, Early Registration or anything, please let me know. Hopefully I can help!

somebody's got a case of the mondays....(on a wednesday!!:)

BUMegan — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:36:00 GMT

I'm back at work today, after a long and WONDERFUL break. (and much needed!) My twin sister Erin and I were home for a week and it was really good to just hang out and do nothing.

The drive home on Friday was boring, but I've done it so much that it's super easy now and I think Erin really appreciated that I drove. (I drive so much for work nothing really phases me anymore!) Caitlin had her party the day after we got back, and it was good to see some of her friends. I really like the people she hangs out with, even if they were REALLY loud;) Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all lazy days...it was rainy and gross on Saturday, but I did get what I needed to get done, which was good. Sunday, Erin and I FINALLY had a lifers reunion. It was AMAZING!! I am so, so lucky to have such wonderful friends from home. We finally all got to catch up, which who even knows when the last time that was! I didn't get to see Brian or Ryan, so hopefully the next time I'm home we can meet up with them!

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun, my family has a funny tradition for that day-we play board games, watch movies and order pizza. Its kind of a weird thing to do, but we've been doing it for so long, I think it's too late to change it. (And it's definitely one of my FAVORITE things about Christmas, sooo.....) Christmas is always with my mom's side of the family, and I'm glad we got to see all of them. Erin, Caitlin and I are usually the only kids there, so we try to make our own fun. ;)

All in all, break was really fun-everytime I go home, I realize how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family-they truly are people I enjoy spending time with, and such wonderful friends. Getting to see everyone was enough of a present for me!!! (I did get some VERY nice presents, new running shoes, some really pretty jewelry and a lamp for my nightstand!! let me tell you...it was a great Christmas;))

Crazy to think, however, that it's 2008. I'm not the biggest fan of resolutions, because I think they never last anyways. I do have some things I want to accomplish this year, some things I'd like to do for myself. I'm ALL about new life experiences, and trying new things, etc. I think thats the best way a person can grow-and you only live once, so why not?! 2007 was a crazy year, but very good and I can only hope that 2008 will be just as good. I'm excited to see what this year holds for me:)

I hope everyone enjoyed their breaks, or will continue to do so, since some people I know are still out!!

One last thing-if anyone saw Sweeney Todd, please let me know if you liked it. I saw it over break and I'm still not sure how I feel about it...