The title of this blog pretty much sums up my life right now. I feel like I've been running around doing a hundred things this week, and I'm about to explode! So here I am, finally done with classes for the weekend... you would think I'd be glad that it's all over, right? Well I am, somewhat... until I realize that next week is going to be even worse. The main source of my stress is coming from my psychology study, which finally got approved by the Institutional Review Board last weekend. Although this is a good thing, it means that I now have a TON of work to do. The submission deadline for SEPA, the first psych conference this year, is October 10... one week away. I've been recruiting and running subjects all week, which means that this weekend/next week will be spent scoring protocols, entering all of my data into the computer, analyzing it, and writing up a report. Yikes! Oh the woes of being a psychology major...

The good thing? Next Friday, after all of this craziness is done and over with, my sorority has its semi-formal! At least I have something to look forward to, that should keep me motivated while I'm slaving away...

Wish me luck - and come visit me at my temporary residence in the psych department!

Saturday afternoon I got my first taste of the Indianapolis Museum of Art since about... elementary school, haha. I will say, it is much more interesting now that I'm at an age where I can actually appreciate art instead of just stare at it because some teacher told me to! I went with two of my sisters, Liz and Lynn, who had to visit the Asian Civilizations art exhibit for their Global and Historical Studies class. We didn't have time to look around any of the other exhibits, unfortunately, but we're going to try to make a trip back soon to experience the museum at a more leisurely pace. If you've never been to the IMA before, I would definitely recommend going - the building itself is architecturally beautiful, having been renovated in recent years. It's only about a three minute drive from Butler's campus, and offers an enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon!

Of course, as with pretty much anywhere I go, I managed to snag a few pictures... haha. I'm glad my sisters are such good sports!

Okay, so you are going to think I'm really lame for this, but I thought it was really cool! In my Global and Historical Studies class on South Asian Civilizations (yes, you WILL have to take it too... part of the core curriculum!) we are reading a historic Indian novel called the Ramayana. So while we're walking around the Asian exhibit on Saturday, we come across an auditory reading from the Ramayana in Sanskrit! Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language that is no longer used today, kind of like Latin, so it was really interesting to hear the story in its original form! Cool, right? Haha, well I certainly thought so!

Check out my video from Grill Off this weekend! :)

PS: If you want to see the full Phi Psi cheer, head over to Joe's blog - it's absolutely hilarious! (I take full credit for the screaming at the end, haha!)

On Friday afternoon my sorority had its fall philanthropy event, Theta Grill Off! This event is held every year to raise money for our national charity, Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA. CASA is an organization that uses trained volunteers to speak for abused and neglected children in court. The program was created in 1977 and has grown into a network of over 59,000 volunteers today, giving their time to help around 243,000 children (www.nationalcasa.org). Theta's all over the nation raise money for this cause, and it's great to know that our chapter is helping to make a difference.

Although the purpose of Grill Off is obviously to raise money for CASA, we have a ton of fun putting everything together as well! Throughout the week we were busy selling baked goods and t-shirts, serenading the fraternities, and making posters and flyers to hang around campus. Friday afternoon consisted of a softball tournament, enjoying some burgers and hot dogs, watching the fraternities perform their cheers (hilarious!), and a concert by Kelley James later that night! We had an awesome turn-out from the members of other greek houses and the rest of campus in general, despite the nasty rain and humidity, and everyone who came had a good time. Although the week was a bit hectic and stressful, it was totally worth it to see everything come together and to support the kids of CASA!

I'm posting some pictures from the event for you all to see, but I also took some video footage throughout the day, so be on the lookout for that soon!

Peace, Love, and CASA

Hanging out beforehand

Cheer competition

The champions - Phi Psi!

Theta pride

Kelley James concert!

If you've read some of my previous blogs, you've probably seen a few pictures and stories from the psychology conferences I went to this spring, SEPA and APS. In the past I've just gone along with my lab group to these meetings, taking in what I could about the world of research in psychology. I was a second author for a paper, but that basically just meant completing all of the grunt work that goes along with doing a study. Well, this fall it's all going to change, because I am finally starting a study of my very own! In Dr. Bohannon's lab, the majority of studies focus on a phenomenon known as "flashbulb memory". A flashbulb memory is an extremely vivid memory caused by a traumatic familial event. Students in the lab have previously studied memories for topics such as divorce of parents, the September 11th attacks, death of a loved one, and personal injury. For my study, however, I am interested in the differences between memories for events related to negative and positive emotions. To account for this issue, my questionnaires will ask participants about their best and worst romantic kisses. I'm hoping to get some pretty cool results so I can present my own poster at the conferences in the spring! (Did I mention we're going to New Orleans and San Francisco?!) It should be an interesting study, and I'm excited to see how everything turns out!

I'm finally back on campus after a summer that lasted entirely too long, and I honestly could not be happier!

Being in the Theta house with my sisters is absolutely AMAZING. As much as I enjoyed living in Schwitzer last year, it really just cannot compare. I never realized how different it would be to actually live under one roof with all of my best friends. Wondering in and out of rooms, going downstairs for dinner, walking to class together, and just hanging out when we're bored... I love it, every single bit of it.

It's funny to think back to how sad I was for Freshman year to end in the spring... I just didn't anticipate how much I would enjoy being a sophomore. It's so much different coming back to school and already knowing so many people - I think I gave about a million hugs the first night back! The best part is that everyone else is equally as excited as I am, because we all feel the same way about life at Butler. I know I've said this before, and it's hard to explain, but once you're here it just clicks. Absolute elation, no better way to describe it.

It really doesn't get any better than this, life is fantastic. :)

 
B12, my new home!

Decked out in KAO

 
Room lovin'

Five days.

FIVE DAYS and I will be moving into my sorority house for another fabulous year at Butler U. Words cannot even begin to express how thrilled I am right now! My final day of work was on Saturday, and as I was practically dancing out the door after my shift, my manager mentioned that he'd never seen someone so excited to go back to school. It's true though, I've been beaming happiness ever since, knowing that each day brings me that much closer to move-in. Twenty-four hours closer to being back on campus, seeing all of my friends, and living in Theta with my sisters! I'm even excited about starting classes again, believe it or not.

I've been using this week to sort-of gather my stuff to take back with me, hoping not to forget anything I'll need. I remember last year after moving into my dorm room, I actually bought many items after the move that I didn't know I'd need up-front. So I thought it might be helpful to pass on some of my dorm-living knowledge to you incoming freshman... enjoy!

-You will want to bring several fans, not just one, SEVERAL. It gets extremely hot and humid during the first month or so, trust me, you'll thank me later.
-If you plan on leaving your beds un-bunked, there is a ton of storage space underneath. The beds are really high off the ground and allow room for large plastic containers that can come in very handy. If you plan on bunking the beds, make sure to get the slender containers made for under-bed storage.
-Bring surge protectors. You can't use extension cords, but these work in the same way, plus give you the option of more outlets.
-Make sure you get plenty of money in quarters from the bank so you always have enough to do your laundry. I think it cost $2.00 total in Schwitz, $1.25 for the washer and $.75 for the dryer.
-Invest in some quality rainboots... you'll use them all four years.
-Carpet for the floor is crucial, but I would recommend looking around in the stores before coming to campus. There is a vendor selling carpet during welcome week, but it can get pretty pricey.
-Don't underestimate the amount of clothing you need to bring. I'll admit, I probably brought quite a bit more than most people, but you've got to realize that this isn't a vacation... you are actually moving your life to campus. I remember leaving many of my shoes behind when I first moved in, a decision I later regretted.
-Shower caddy = essential, as well as shower shoes (a.k.a. a designated pair of flip flops)
-I had a few baskets I used on the shelves in my closet that came in handy for the smaller stuff... straightener, make-up, hairspray, lotion, blow-dryer, etc.
-Bring a small dry-erase board for the front of your door... nice for leaving messages throughout the year, and trust me, you will use it.
-A personal printer is convenient, but not necessary. I had one in my room for the smaller print jobs, but whenever I had something big to print I always used the computer lab printers in the basement.

Okay, that's all I can rack my brain for right now, but I'll try to keep thinking as I pack-up this week. If I come up with anything new and important, I'll be sure to post it in my next blog. But for now, happy packing... and I'll see you in five days!

Yes, you read that correctly... I am now officially twenty years old! It's weird how "twenty" sounds so much older than "nineteen," like they represent completely separate genres of time. But on Wednesday I bid goodbye to my teenage years and turned to face the adulthood coming my way. Do I feel much older now? Well yes, I believe so. The past school year has aged me in many ways, and I've actually felt "twenty" for some time. I am still a college student, however, so I do think I'm entitled to spurts of spontaneity and child-like behavior every once and a while. :)

For my birthday I went shopping downtown with two of my best friends from home, Jordan and Kelly. We met up with some others in the evening for a showing of The Dark Knight in IMAX. I had seen the movie once before, but only on a regular-sized screen, so the IMAX was definitely a neat experience. After the movie I headed home to open presents and hang out with my parents for a bit. Just when I thought my night was coming to an end, my friends surprised me with a sleepover - complete with cake, ice cream, and a round of "Happy Birthday to You!" All-in-all, not a bad way to celebrate the day!

So apparently summer is sneaking by much faster than I had expected it to. Although I still have a few weeks until my return to Butler, one of my best friends from home, Lindsey, moved back to Indiana State today. She's involved in Sigma Kappa, one of the sororities at ISU, and had to move in early for recruitment practice. It's already weird with her being gone... she was a crucial member of my group of high school friends. However, it does make me realize how quickly summer is coming to an end. For the past few months I've been aching to go back to school, and now the time is finally almost here. It's crazy how fast it went by, but I am so, so excited to move back!

In honor of Lindsey leaving today, my friends and I decided to have one final girls night with everyone before the end of summer. Last night we went over to Alissa's house for a "Red High Heels" party. Being the hostess that she is, Alissa had everything decked out in red - tablecloths, candles, plates, glasses - the dining room was absolutely adorable. After we finished shoving our faces with Olive Garden, we played games and chatted like we were back in H.S. I love these girls, and I'm glad we've been able to stay so close through college. As excited as I am to be back with my Butler friends, I really am going to miss them!

Friday morning I headed back to Butler for the day to join the touring staff for a BU101 session! The group of prospective students and parents attending the event was so large that the staff needed extra help ushering everyone around. Although I was actually helping to guide the tours, I felt like I was back in high school on my university visit. This time, however, walking across campus and through Schwitzer brought back so many memories and got me even more excited to move back in a few weeks! I really enjoyed talking to parents and students and sharing my enthusiasm for this school. Of course I got the "So why Butler?" question a few times, which gave me the chance to rant about why I think BU is so amazing. :) One of the parents even recognized my friend and I from pictures on my blog! All-in-all the day was very cool, and we even got free lunch at the end of the tours. Now only three more weeks until I'm back for good!

So I realize that I haven't blogged in a while, but to be honest, I really haven't had anything to blog about! I've been working so much lately that my off-days are usually spent laying around watching movies with friends... exciting... I know haha. This weekend did finally bring some change however. I miraculously had a random three-day break from Blockbuster, so I drove up to Crown Point to see my best friend Jenni again! We didn't really do anything different up there than I would have down here with my friends from home... the weekend was full of watching movies and numerous episodes of "The Office"... but I was just thankful to get out of New Pal for a few days! And although I'm back now, I can't be too bummed out because she's coming to visit me here next week!

And do you want to know what's even better than that? We move back to Butler and become roomies at Theta exactly one month from tomorrow. Hallelujah!

Last week I got to travel to South Carolina with my family for vacation. Every other year my extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... the whole nine yards) gets together and rents a beach house for an entire week. The Isle of Palms, this year's vacation spot, is an island right outside of Charleston, which made for a quick and easy ride to town for shopping and dining. Also, our house was only about a minute's walk away from the beach, which we utilized every day. I have an amazing family, and since I only get to see them two or three times a year, it was really great to have the chance to hang out and catch up with everyone!

And to top it all off... the weather was perfect... 95 degrees and sunny every day!

On the beach

Cousins!

Last dinner in SC

Every year the men of Phi Kappa Psi choose one weekend out of the summer to meet back at BU for Midsummer party. Friends of the fraternity are invited as well, of course, and this year they set the date for June 20-22… last weekend. Midsummer is basically just a lazy weekend full of grilling out, sand volleyball, slip-n-slide, and catching up with friends. Although it may seem simple and uneventful, it was without a doubt the best weekend of my summer thus far. Seeing everyone again just made me realize how much I love being at school, and I absolutely cannot wait to move back in August!

Friday night I went out to the Verizon Wireless Music Center with some friends from school to see Jack Johnson perform. Unfortunately, it was storming all day long, so we were extremely nervous that the concert would be cancelled. We were even skeptical as we pulled out of my driveway, but decided to go for it anyway. I mean, heck, we did pay $50 for the tickets! Luckily though, it stopped raining about thirty minutes before we reached the venue, and the weather stayed clear throughout the entire show! I had never been to a Jack concert before, and I'm glad I went - he was amazing! Even though we sat way out in the lawn section, we had a great time just hanging out and catching up. The only bad part of the concert was when we tried to leave - not only did we sit in the same spot of the parking lot for at least an hour, but when we tried to move, my car got stuck in the mud! For once I was glad to be driving... my friends had to get out and push, haha! My car may have been covered in the mud the next day (and my friends as well) but it was completely worth it! I'm just sad that it's over, and now I have to return back to reality.

The man of the hour

"It's always better when were together..."

On the way back from Chicago, I got to stop in Crown Point to see my best friend from Butler, Jenni! Throughout the school year we lived about ten steps from eachother, so this summer has been torture being so far apart! We're the type of best friends that do everything together... we're practically the same person, haha, so being together again was amazing! I only got to stay in CP for a few days though, so she drove me around to all of the local hot spots. We went to the Dunes (which I hadn't been to since sixth grade!), to her old high school, to her favorite ice cream shop... basically a grand tour of the places she goes while living at home! I didn't want to leave, but inevitably, I had to return home to NP. It was depressing... but the good news is, now I get to see her again in four days! :) 

The Dunes!

Jenni's high school

Best friends!