High school

Thursday night I went to my old high school to take my younger brother's to their open house. So many memories came back from that place. Every hall I went down held a memory of some sort. They all came rushing back to me and I was feeling sad. I spent 4 years in that school. Some of my best memories came from different classrooms. I have stories that mean the world to me.

I went in one classroom and saw a teacher that I spent every morning with. I would sit in his room with my best friend's and we would all just talk. I laughed a lot in that room. The conversations we had were great. If the teacher wasn't there, we would sit outside of his classroom and wait for him.

Another classroom that holds memories is the FCCLA kitchen. I spent a lot of my time there too. I was in the cooking class so I got to cook in the kitchen a lot. I also would just sit in the classroom and talk to the teacher.

Another memory is of one of my history classes and just watching a lot of memories. The library was another building I spent a lot of time in. I was an aid for several years in there and I loved it. I have a lot from Senior year.

I have a lot more memories but they would take awhile to write and some are boring. I am thankful that I did attend that school. The teachers were so wonderful and the atmosphere was loving and easy-going.

Schedule

Since I will start college again in two weeks, I am going to try to continue posting every day. This may not happen depending on if my school load because too much. But I will try to post everyday. I am also going to do different themes for each day. These may change depending on my mood but this is what I came up with to keep me on track. Please let me know what you think or if you have a certain post you want me to do below.

Monday- Lifestyle
Tuesday- Travel
Wednesday- Goals/teaching
Thursday- College/education
Friday- Random/Get to know me/My feelings/Personal
Saturday- Overview of the week
Sunday- Life lessons

Monday- Lifestyle
This day will just be about anything that relates to my life. It may be just a day in my life, what's in my purse, or things I like.

Tuesday- Travel
I will research a place that I have visited or want to visit and I will let you know what the best things to do there is. Places to eat, see, and explore.

Wednesday- Goals/teaching
I will post my goals for the month, day, or week. They can be short-term or long-term. I will also be posting about my teaching experience and what I am learning.

Thursday- College/education
I will be posting college information, tips, and tricks that has helped me so far. I will also post personal experiences I had with my education and college.

Friday- Random/get to know me/my feelings/personal
This day will just be random things that pop in my head. I will use this day to catch up on my blog posts. I will also be just talking to you and if you have any questions, I will answer them.

Saturday- Overview of the week
I will be telling you my experiences from the week. It may be what I did, what I wore, or what I ate for the week. I will be summing up the week in these posts.

Sunday- Life lessons
These post will be life lessons that may be helpful to you.

Dear incoming College Freshman

Dear incoming College Freshman,

Your college career is starting. These are going to be the best year's of your life. School starts in less than two weeks and it is going to be busy. I know you can't wait to start college because you are an adult. College is a new experience. You will meet tons of people that will become some of your closest friends. Some of my best friends I meet my freshman year of college. These friends are the people I spent most of my time with.

College is an adventure like no other. You learn the real you in college. College helps you get out of your comfort zone. It allows you to decide the person you want to become.

Here are some tips that will make the transition easier:

1) Make friends- Don't be a loner. Be friends with your roommate or the person that sits next to you during class. Friends are what keeps you sane during the school year. Some of my closest friends came from my Freshman year of college.

2) Join clubs- They are good on resumes but they also keep you occupied. I was in maybe 3 clubs my Freshman year of college. Sophomore year, I was in 9. Most of my friend's was in the same clubs as me.

3) Go to school events. Going to the events will help you find friends but sometimes they give out free stuff and food. Go to the back to school event. Or maybe a college or career fair. Go to the events that has food. Go to sporting events. and homecoming.

4)Buy a planner and use it. A planner saved my life trying to keep track of everything I had to do. Every class, club, and personal events had a different color. My planner saved my life when I had to keep track of everything.

5) Buy your books used. Do not buy new books unless you have to! Used is cheaper and some classes, you may use the book maybe 5 times.

6) Do not take a 7 to 8 in the morning class unless you have to. They are the devil. You fall asleep halfway through the class and you won't pay attention.

7) Go to class. It is not mandatory except on test days but if you don't go to class then you will be behind. Going to class helped me and sometimes the teacher will go over the test a class or two before. Some teachers also do participation points if you show up to class and they add up.

8) Sign up for the class that seems interesting to you. You may find out that you enjoy it.

9) Enjoy college! Be safe! And have fun. College is a huge transition but it is the best time of your life if you allow it to be.

Dear Class of 2017

Dear Class of 2017,

Your time is here. You are finally Seniors and this is the moment you have always been waiting for. I know you are excited to be out of high school and start on the rest of your lives but don't wish away your youth. I wish I was in high school again for several reasons.

I wish I was still in high school because:

1) I didn't have to pay for my books or tuition. Books and tuition were free. I just had to show up. I didn't have to pay thousands for tuition and books.

2) I didn't have that many responsibilities. In high school, I didn't have to pay anything. I didn't have a checking account or a car payment to take care off. High school was simpler for me.

3) I knew everybody in my graduating class. I basically knew most of the faculty and students. I had friends that I knew since elementary school. In college, I had to make new friends and meet new teachers.

Senior year is bittersweet and you may cry at graduation. Just remember to enjoy the last moments you will have. Enjoy the last first day and last last day of school. Cherish the first football game, homecoming, and the last football game. Cheer your heart out at the first and last pep rally. Make memories that you will carry with you forever. Buy a yearbook and have your classmates sign it. Just always have fun and enjoy the last moments you have a home and in high school.

College brings a whole lot of new memories and adjustments. Enjoy your town and your classmates. Senior year was the best year for me because I lived in the moments. I cried at graduation because I was sad about leaving.

Enjoy Senior year while it lasts!

Sincerely a College Junior.

Open letter to the guy that I thought loved me

Dear you,

I know you know who you are. I wanted to let you know that I am not mad at you. I did think that you loved me at some point but I guess it just disappeared. I really don't know when I started loving you. I realized it during Senior year of high school. We had know each other in school and flirted but I didn't like you. I actually thought you were annoying. But somehow my feelings for you changed.

It was my Senior year of high school when I realized that I had feelings for you. We reconnected and were talking almost everyday. I realized that I liked you and that I wanted to be with you. It just felt great talking to you but I knew that I couldn't be with you. You were in the military and just got stationed in Hawaii. You had met a girl and you married her. I was happy for you but I was upset that she wasn't me. When it ended, I was excited for us.

As the years went, I guess I just liked you more. I also loved you more. And I thought you loved me. My freshman year of college came and left. We were still talking and having fun and trying to see what would happen with us. I was going to move to Hawaii to be with you. I couldn't handle being away from you.  Sophomore year of college brought us some changes. You moved back and I was so happy. But I didn't get a chance to hang out with you or talk to you as often. I talked to you more when you were in Hawaii even with the four hour time difference. I saw you and hung out with you once for our high school homecoming and it was wonderful. We were wonderful and were close. I wanted a relationship with you but something always was in our way. A girl for you or a guy for me. Different states and just work and school.

But with every beginning comes an ending. This summer we talked and I realized that your feelings for me were just friendly. Sometime along the way, you didn't love me anymore. And I didn't realize it until later that maybe I didn't really love you. That I was just hoping for a chance with you and that I was just faking the love for you. Just remember that I am always here for you and that I cherish our friendship together. Maybe the love we had will come back but I hope you succeed in life. And find someone that really loves you.

Thanks for 5 years of friendship.

Reasons why I love my small town

Small towns are wonderful sometimes. Sometime they are not so great. I live in a small town in Alabama. My town has a population of about 5,000. It's not that big but it is bigger than other cities around me. My town is also the county seat so we have the courthouse. A little history about my town is that we are on 2 rivers and they meet at a point in a park we have. There are 3 red lights in my town. There is an elementary, middle, and high school. I am also about an hour to an hour and thirty minutes away from the beach. The school mascot is a black panther and our colors are black and gold. We are in the bible belt. We have had some famous people come out of my town. Another bit of history is that we have a big oak tree that is over a hundred years old here that thrives from the river water when the river floods.

Now that the history is out of the way, here are some reasons why I love my small town:

1) Nobody does homecoming like we do. Homecoming is a huge celebration with us. We celebrate all of the classes coming back for football homecoming. Homecoming in my town is celebrated a whole week. The high school decorates the doors to all of the classrooms according to the theme. The elementary, middle, and high school students dress up in themes all week. Thursday is always black and gold, our school colors. And Friday is dress nice day. In the high school library, I decorated a bulletin board with all of the classes coming back. I also cut out pictures and names of all of the returning students. Thursday night we do a bonfire and the Seniors do their annual pyramid. Then after the end of the bonfire, the Seniors and Juniors go out into a field for the egg war. The egg war is a battle with eggs between upperclassman. It gets dangerous. All week we also go around and roll student and faculty houses. Friday is the end to homecoming and it is busy. We have an assembly that morning where the classes are recognized and the homecoming court is crowned. Friday afternoon is the parade downtown where queens and classes ride in it. It is also a big event for Seniors where they ride on a trailer in the parade. The other high school classes decorate a float that is included in the parade. Our band marches so does our cheerleaders. The big event is Friday night. The homecoming football game. The stands are packed and everyone is cheering.

2) The River Festival is where we celebrate our rivers at the rivers. There is a parade on the Friday it starts and it ends on a Sunday. Famous people come and perform for us.

3) A reason I love my small town is that your graduating class is small. You basically know everyone and they know you. You know their whole family basically. We are literally family and we are so close.

4) You won't get lost riding around. You basically know every street and the people that lives on the street.

5) The teachers know you and your whole family.

6) Graduation season is the best. In my small town, graduation is a celebration. You have senior day on a Thursday where you wear dresses and dress clothes under your cap and gown. This is when we find out what scholarships we received. We also sing our class song. Baccalaureate is on a Sunday in a church and we do our class hymn. We have graduation practice and a class picnic on a Friday the day before graduation. This is an event where we eat together and enjoy each other's company for the last time. Graduation is 8 am on a Saturday morning and it is formal. And it is hot.

7) Traditions are really important in my small town.

8) People talk to you when they see you somewhere.

9) Everybody knows your name and your family members. I can't count how many times someone has came up to me and asked if someone was my family member and 9 times out of 10 they were right.

10) High School Sports: baseball, football, and basketball is worshiped.

Here are some disadvantages of living in a small town:

1) Everybody knows your business!

2) There is nothing to do most nights.

3) Downtown and shops close early.

4) River floods. Actually when the river floods everybody gets out to see how high it has risen and where on the levee it is.

Here are some random facts about my hometown:

1) Shane Owens is from here and one of his songs is wrote from his experience here.

2) Bubba Thompson is from here.
3) Casting Crowns visited here and inspired the Thrive album.

2 years and counting

If you would have told me 2 years ago about to graduate high school that my life would be the way it is now I probably wouldn't have believed you. These past 2 years have been wonderful. I have made a lot of memories. Good and bad. I have laughed, cried, and smiled with many of my friends. With these memories came change. I changed for the better. I have grown up so much these past two years.



Two years. It has been two years since I graduated high school and started a new chapter of my life called college. I didn't go the normal route as some of my classmates. I didn't automatical go to a 4-year. I decided to go to a community college. I felt that this community college was the best bet for me at this time. I am so glad that God placed me there when he did. I don't understand a lot of stuff but I know he has a plan for me.



When I first started ESCC, I did not plan to go attach to it. I just expected me to go to class and leave but God had other plans. I received a work-study job within the first week of school. I really didn't know what to expect but I loved it and I received so much experience from it. And I had the best boss in the world. I didn't know when I first started if I was going to join another club except for Ambassadors. My first year I just joined Diamond Dolls. My second year, I decided to branch out and sign up for more clubs. I am glad I did.



These two years has provided me with a lot of opportunities. I got to ride with the Republican club in a Christmas parade, read to elementary school kids, participate in an Operation Christmas Child event, and tons more. It has been amazing getting to achieve so much. If I went somewhere else, I probably would not have the opportunities. I couldn't have done it without the help of certain people. At ESCC, I have had the privilege to become friends with several students, faculty, and staff. I don't know how I would have made these two years without them.



The Ambassadors:


Thank you for two amazing years. I love y'all! I never thought when I joined that I would have so many friends. We have made tons of memories these past two years. I couldn't imagine another group of people to do tours, Operation Christmas Child, or trick-or-treat with. I have learned so much from y'all. We have had our moments. We have laughed, cried, and stressed together. I knew that if I needed to talk, I could have turned to y'all. Thank you for random laughing moments. The Christmas party was just what I needed to end the semester. Thank you for listening to me and not judging me for my mistakes. God knew that I needed y'all in my life.



To my teacher's:


Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for your time in teaching me and helping me if I needed help. Thank you for always having your office open. I am so blessed to have had teachers that care for their students and try to get to know them and their story. Everytime y'all saw me in the hallway, y'all said hey. I appreciated that. Y'all didn't have to do all that you did but you did. Thank you for being there for me as I finished my two years at ESCC.


To the administration:


Thank you for always checking up for me. I loved working in y'alls offices sometimes. I knew that if I wanted to talk, I could come to y'all. I learned so much from working in the offices. Even tho I complained about shredding and other things. When my boss left, y'all made sure I had everything and I was ok. Thank you just for being there.


To my 3-4 crew:


Thank you for listening to me complain some afternoons. I know if I needed to talk, I could go to y'all. You listened but didn't judge even if I needed it. We laughed so many times and some days I needed to laugh with y'all. I wouldn't ask for another group of people to end my afternoon with. I just needed our conversations some days.



To Courtney T:


Thank you! I don't know how I would have survived Biology lab without Darian, Alex, and you. I enjoyed our Miley Cyrus jamming out sessions either in your car or on the way to class. And you just being there and making me laugh. You made me laugh when I didn't feel like it. You brightened my day. Even when I didn't want it to be. You are going to do great things in And I am so glad that I got to meet you and become a friend of yours. I love you and I am going to miss you so much next year.



To Saege:


Thank you for being my voice of reason. Thank you for the talks and helping me through everything. Even though you didn't agree with me and my actions. You never judged me even if I needed it. I love your sarcastic remarks and your love of school. I loved having classes with you. Thank you for telling me there were other tests when I was stressing out about my classes. I enjoyed hearing your views on different subjects. Our conversations were what I needed most days.



To BJ:


Thank you for being my other voice of reason. Thank you for our talks. I loved that you listened to me and didn't overly judge me even if I needed it. You made me laugh some days when I didn't want to. I love your exaggeration of different things and how you think you are going to fail when you aren't. Some days I just looked forward to our conversations and what they meant. I could tell you anything. Fighting was sometimes the best part of my day.



To Samantha:


I am so glad I got the chance to become closer to you this year. I don't know anyone else I would spend all day at the baseball field talking about the baseball players and how they run. Or how amazing they looked in their baseball pants. I love your free nature personality and how nothing bothers you. Our talks about the guys that are bothering us are the highlight of my days. I don't know who else I can talk to about Lover Boy and Homeboy. Or about everything that has happened this year. I love you and I am so glad that I have got the chance to get to know you better this year.



Your New Friends


This one is for the classmates, the random heart-to-hearts in Mrs. Terri's office, the lounge days, and the ones who have become my new besties. This includes the freshman I met the first couple of days. These people have made my community college year's remarkable. Without new friends to experience all the ups and downs of this year, what would it have been like? It would have been so boring. So thank you to every new friend! I have made many new friends this past year. I thank God every day for y'all.



Your First Bad Grade:


You may not exactly want to give this one a huge acknowledgement, but it does deserve a little recognition. Your first bad grade of college is the biggest wake-up call you will receive. By doing poorly on an assignment, it gave you the opportunity to learn that even though college is fun, it's also a lot of work. There were days of stressing about little things like English paper's, speeches, History, and Literature. We all had the moments where we just wanted to break down and cry. But everybody pitched in together to make it alright. My first bad grade made me rethink everything.



Your School:


Last, but not least my wonderful, cool, beautiful and utterly amazing school! Without this marvelous institution, none of your cherished memories or amazing new traditions would have formed. Give a big shout out and a huge thank you to the best 2 years at the best school. This school has pulled me out of my comfort zone. I have done several things I would not have done. ESCC also allowed me to get to know a lot of people. I joined clubs I would have never joined before.



God:


Thank you to God for giving me the chance to meet this awesome group of people. I loved every moment of it! Thank you God for loving me. And for blessing me with an amazing support system that has supported me through everything. Thank you for never givng up on me. Thank you for your blessing. Thank you for placing me at ESCC when you did. I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't there. I know this past year has been rough but I love you.