BUMegan's Blog : Shawna

back in the swing of things...

BUMegan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:19:00 GMT

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."--Fannie Lou Hamer

Now while I don't know what this quote is entirely in reference to (and doubt it means what I'm using it for), it PERFECTLY encapsulates my feelings toward the past two weeks. I have been sick,and I think that being sick in the summer is possibly one of my least favorite things. I was out most of the last week of May and the first week in June and all the while, my doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Finally, yesterday, I received a phone call. Apparently, I have something along the lines of mono. Now before anyone can make any cute and clever remarks, I've already had mono. I'm not sure how I got what I have, all I know is that it took two weeks to feel better. Now, I'm just tired. (Apparently, whatever I have is very similar to mono. Produces similar effects and symptoms, but isn't as severe and doesn't last as long. Thank goodness:)

I had mono when I was a senior in high school. It's SO much easier then, to miss school, make up work and get better. When you're an adult, it becomes so much more complicated, with sick days and missing meetings and events and not being able to respond to emails and phone calls. Right now, it's 11 and I am SO unbelievably tired. I told BUChris this morning that it felt like I slept two hours, when really I got a reasonable 8 and a half. I am so grateful though, for my sister, family, friends and the people I work with at Butler. Everyone has been great and very understanding about it, and I've only been teased a couple of times about it. :)

Before the mess of my illness, our staff retreat was held at the Speedway, and it was AMAZING. I think our entire staff enjoyed ourselves, but we had beautiful weather, great food and the chance to tour the pit and garage area of the Speedway. Even non-race fans realized how cool that experience would be! I went down with a couple of the guys who work here, and we got to see Team Penske practicing their pit stops for Ryan Briscoe. (Who only know what drama he would cause that Sunday at the 500!!) It was really amazing to see something so up close, and just how FAST those crew members have to work. I was really impressed! My friend Klint, who works for Sarah Fisher, took us on a mini tour of their garage and we got to see her car and a bunch of other things. I had never really seen anything like it before or been that close to an IndyCar. Very cool-thanks to Klint for letting us do that:)

Then I was sick. For two weeks. So when I felt better this weekend, my sister and friends jumped at the chance to get me out of my apartment. So, we went to dinner at a Thai restaurant by our apartment, and to see the Sex and the City movie. Both were amazing!!! The Thai restaurant was a mom and pop type place (would you expect anything less?! Gotta love those type places:) and the food was phenomenal. The movie too, was wonderful. As a student (and sorority member) a lot of bonding took place in our sorority house TV room watching old episodes of SATC on DVD. The movie MORE than lived up to expectation-in fact, we've even talked about seeing it again!! (Yes, lame, but its good girl bonding!!)

This coming week is a little busy-I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, answering emails and catching up on everything I've missed. We are currently in the process of hiring a new director, and interviews for that position are taking place this week. I also have a college fair in Chicago on Saturday morning, so I'll be headed up on Friday for that. I'm SO glad Shawna is there, because now I have plans for Friday evening to dinner with her. (can't wait!)

Hope everyone is well-a shoutout to the little sister Caitlin who is in Europe right now (I think Florence?!) with some girls from her HS. I hope you are having fun and know that I am extremely jealous:) Miss you!!

yikes...it's been awhile....

BUMegan — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:30:00 GMT

So it's definitely been awhile...I feel kinda bad, but I've been on the road for the past two weeks in Chicago, and things have finally settled down here, enough for me to post a recap!

My travels to Chicago are always fun, and these past two weeks were no different. My first week of travel took me to the city of Chicago for a fair at Richard J. Daley College, and then to Rockford, IL for a fair at Rockford College. I think both fairs went pretty well, and it was SO good to see all the people I travel with in Rockford. I tried a new restaurant when I was there (new to me, as they've been around for awhile!) called Red Robin. I'm not sure if we have them in Indy, but it was SO good. I went with one of my friends, Mike, and he had a burger that had a fried egg on it. SO weird, I know, but it actually was really good! My burger was a little on the weird side too, as it was Teriyaki flavored and had PINEAPPLE on it! I know, I know...I was a little weirded out at first, but it was soo good. I think I'm one of those people who will try anything once, and it just so happens that trying both burgers actually worked out for me. :)

I also got to hang out with some friends from Butler when I was there, Shawna-who is doing rotations in Chicago right now, and Josh-who is spending the month of March in Chicago for some work training. We went to a place called Hackney's, a great burger place that was up in Glenview. It was SO good!! (There was a definite theme to my trip that week....) It was really, really good to see both of them. Shawna actually lived with my sister and I for awhile, and I miss her SO much. Josh too-because he lives in California, it was great to finally catch up and hang out with them both. Overall, an awesome week.

Round two to Chicago was spent in Oakbrook. I stayed in a REALLY nice hotel that was in a more secluded, quiet area. Very nice:) We had a fair on Tuesday at College of Lake County in Grayslake which was actually really busy for me. I met some great students who I will hopefully being meeting again in the fall. The other fair I attended was at Depaul University on Thursday night. That was a quiet night, as there weren't many students and families there. Overall all, though, it was a good trip. I got some quality time in with my friends on the road, and I am VERY excited for April and getting to spend more time with all of them. It's such a good group of people!! This was an amazing week, regardless. I'm just really happy with how everything turned out:)

I'm back in the office for two weeks. It seems so crazy that it's the end of March already. I was able, however, to spend my favorite holiday in the office-St. Patrick's day. LOVE IT! I posted a couple of pictures from our potluck lunch that was truly an Irish FEAST! I'm lucky to have such amazing co-workers!

This weekend promises to be pretty good-a good friend from school, Jamie, is getting married on Saturday. Josh and Shawna are coming on Friday and spending what will be a crazy but fun weekend here. So excited for it! I need to find a dress, but have a great date-so it should be a good time. I'll be sure to keep you posted. :)

The family also came in last weekend-it was my mom's birthday and Caitlin (the little sister) registered for classes. She isn't dead-set on Butler, but I can keep my fingers crossed, right?!

That's about all I have from here. Hope everyone is enjoying/enjoyed/will enjoy their spring breaks. I know that I'm definitely ready for warmer weather!! Hope everyone is doing well!!!

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!

it's december? really?!

BUMegan — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:55:00 GMT

"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December." --James M. Barrie

(With the weather being as it is... (aka cold, rainy and snowy!) I thought this quote was kinda cute:)

So it's been awhile since I've written last. We are DEFINITELY in the thick of application reading. I'm pretty sure that's ALL I've been doing as of late, and they keep coming. Don't get me wrong-I am SO happy that all these students have been getting everything in by December first, but it has kept me busy. (And that's an understatement!!) That mid-December notification keeps looming closer, so we have been working like crazy to make sure our students don't have to wait ANY longer than necessary for their decisions. :)

Life has been really, really good as of late, and kinda busy. Last weekend Shawna came in town and stayed with Erin and I. Even though she hadn't been gone that long, I really missed her. Because she lived with us for such a good chunk of time, I feel like she's more a sister than friend. We have moved passed the whole really good friend thing and now even my parents and little sister know she's more like family!! Friday was dinner with friends at a Mexican restaurant which was SO fun. We were there for 2 hours or so, just hanging out, talking and laughing. I had to work Saturday morning and we kinda just hung out for the afternoon. Saturday night was the men's basketball game against Ohio State. I really wasn't feeling well and didn't know if I wanted to stay for the whole game. I AM SO GLAD WE DID!!!!!! The first half was ok....nothing really spectacular, and we were losing by a pretty good margin. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm REALLY glad it did! The final score ended at 65-46. BUTLER WON! I kinda still can't believe it. It was an amazing game, and I'm hoping this gives our team a little more clout as we continue on in the season. I think people are starting to realize that mid-major or not, we've got a really talented team. Congrats to them, and to the coaches. It was a great game to watch!

Sunday was relaxing with Shawna and dinner at Naked Chopstix, our favorite sushi restaurant. Nisha, Shawna, Erin and I LOVE this place. I know I've mentioned it before, but it really is one of my favorite restaurants in Indy. The four of us just had a really good weekend hanging out-we have wayyyy too much fun when we are together, and I'm really lucky to have such good girls in my life. :) (yea, yea...kinda sappy/sentimental...but very true!)

This week was pretty uneventful...(obviously when you read applications all the time...that tends to happen;) I took a day and a half off, which was SO, SO needed. You don't realize just how much you need a break, just to relax and recharge. I feel SO much better about a lot of things! :) Now I can start this next week (which should be crazy as well!!) with a clear head. (definitely grateful for that!:)

Finally-Erin and I went to visit a couple of friends that live downtown. It was REALLY good to see them both and we made dinner and hung out. A very relaxing, low-key and fun evening. Life is just really good right now!!

The rest of the weekend is hopefully along those same lines of being low-key...and I'm MORE than ok with that! I hope everyone is doing well with studies, finals and everything else. Good luck with the rest of your semesters (makes me kinda glad I'm not in school anymore! I don't envy you all!)

(One final thing-our AMAZING e-comm guy, Brad, bought a house with his wife recently. Congrats to both of them!!!)