It may be the end, but it's not over yet...

Well, it's another Sunday morning, and another day when I'm getting ready to head back to school after a break. This Sunday morning is different, however. I have just ended my LAST Christmas break, and am about to begin my LAST semester of college...holy crap.

As I look back on the last three and a half years, every semester seems to have some label of being an overall "good" or "bad" semester. I won't bore you with any of the details of previous years right now, but we'll just start with the most recent one. I mentioned in a previous post that this latest semester was neither good nor bad - we just didn't do a whole lot. We spent so much time working that I felt like we never really took advantage of the fact that this is our last year in the care-free world of college. Well, I am determined to change all of that this semester.

While this semester I will be busier than nearly any other, I feel like I will actually manage to have more fun. Every time I'm super busy, I always seem to manage my time better and make more time for the good stuff. I have a 3-day weekend this semester (which would be 4 if I didn't decide to work on Mondays), but that balance will hopefully help me to plan stuff out better. Here are some of the things that I'm hoping to do this semester (some of which I've already arranged, woohoo!):

1)Trip to Michigan Tech in February (already planned!)
2)Finally go to a Caps game (tickets bought!)
3)Go to La Tasca with my Spain friends
4)Go skiing
5)Try out lots of different bars (and figure out names of rail drinks)
6)Take advantage of weekend mornings and get off campus (maybe look for cafes?)
7)Make time for all of my different friends
8)Meet new people (or at least get to know others better - yes I know it's the end of senior year)
9)Do more service
10)Keep up my exercise routine
11)Keep my temper in check ;)

I'm sure there are plenty of other little things here and there that I want to make sure I do this semester, but this gives you the general gist. Plus, Dad just got home from the grocery store and we're getting ready to eat breakfast before heading back to school (I guess I should gather up those last few items scattered around the house). I really hope this semester turns out the way I would like. I know it will be busy and I know that I have a lot of responsibilities that I currently have to keep track of and that will be coming into my life in the next few months. I just want to make sure that I don't let this time slip away before I'm thrust into the real world.

Muddy Buddies and Glowstick Shenanigans

Before I get on with this post, I must apologize for the last one. It sounded a bit Debbie Downer of me, like the semester was going just the opposite of how I wanted it to and nothing was going right. Well, despite another jump in schoolwork to wrap up the end of the semester, the past two weeks have once again proven to be one of my favorite times of year in college. Sure there's a lot of work, but with it comes December, with December comes Christmas, and with Christmas comes FUN!!!!

I guess technically speaking I shouldn't be writing this post right now and should instead working on one of the three papers I have due within the next week. But I guess that shows what kind of a time this always proves to be...we always make more time for fun at Christmas. Last Saturday we made sure to do just that, me and my wonderful roommates - just my roommates - for a wonderful girls night in. Maura and I had already been planning our traditional "Love Actually" night, but luckily our other three roommates were able to join in as well.

We made the ritual batch of rummy bears before starting the movie, and this year, introduced a new tradition of the peanut butter/chocolatey goodness that is muddy buddies. Let's just say the muddy buddies - a recipe that calls for 9 cups of chex - did not last a full 24 hours. Then we all curled up in our living room and watched one of our favorite Christmas movies for the first time of the season, going "aw" and getting way too excited all the way through. Somehow we all wound up with crazy hairdos toward the end of the movie (Maura - funny bun at the front of her head; Heather - dweezle; Gab - Princess Leah hair; KB - pigtails; KP - ponytail with crazy clips/feather hair). We truly made it a night to remember...but it didn't end there.

Now that we had crazy hairdos, we had to actually act crazy...it just wouldn't be a girls night without it. And honestly, I'm not sure the rest of you could handle it. So here is a list, a brief summary if you will, of our awesome activities of the night...
1. Locking KP in the bathroom
2. Screaming out the window at random people walking down the street
3. Setting off Jim's car alarm to said walking people
4. GLOW STICKS!!!
5. Kati Bel getting glow stick stuff in her mouth
6. Realizing we can't hide from the people we're screaming at if we have glow sticks in our hair
7. Making up an impromptu, in-the-dark, glow stick not-so-choreographed dance to "Fireflies"
8. Tea time
9. Dance party!! (on video)
10. Scaring Joe when he knocked on the door.

And now you see where the "Glowstick Shenanigans" part of the title comes in. I apologize for not going into more detail about all the fun we had, but let's be honest...when I tell too much of stories it gets boring after a while. And I'm sorta out of my blog-writing groove, so you get what you get. Besides, I think all you may want is a general idea anyways...you may have wound up with a glow-stick to the face if you were actually here :P

This is how we locked KP in the bathroom...

Long Time, No Write

Well, as you can tell from the 2+ month gap in my posts, life has gotten to be crazy busy. While I would like to say that it is because I have been living up my senior year just as I'd imagined, sadly it's just the opposite. Professors have decided that, since we're seniors, it's time to crank up the work load. The worst part is, it's not just me...everyone else in my class has also been subject to the evil, never-ending flow of school work that continuously drains our lives. Even that friend that always encourages everyone else to take a break and have fun has been too busy with school. So much for enjoying the last year of the "easy life" before entering the real world.

While that all makes the year sound absolutely miserable, I can't lie...the year really hasn't been THAT bad. In reality, it's been about average - nothing too exciting, nothing too frustrating. And while I was hoping to get out into the city more, I've still been able to have fun with my friends, even if just for a little bit. And I must say, as excited as I am for Thanksgiving, I'm ready for all the Christmas celebrations that are bound to come when I return to school: Love Actually, rummy bears, peppermint mochas from Starbucks, all the classic Christmas excitement...the list goes on and on. Then next semester, I'm hoping that my new time management skills will help me keep on top of things so I can fully take advantage of - *drumroll please* - MY FOUR DAY WEEKENDS!!! You got it, I have off Mondays and Fridays, just the right way to wrap up senior year.

Now, you might be wondering what I'm going to be doing with those long weekends. Well, the hope is that I will be taking at least a couple of road trips to see my friends at other schools. As a matter of fact, one trip is already planned, but travelling by plane rather than car. Around mid-February, Mike, Lucy and I are going up to Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan to visit some friends and enjoy their winter carnival. You heard right, I'm going to the UP in the middle of February. Questioning my sanity yet? It's OK, so am I. But you know what, I think it'll be fun, and it will certainly be something different.

And now, for one last MCM Update...I FINISHED THE MARINE CORPS MARATHON!!! This has probably been the highlight of my semester thus far, and it was absolutely incredible. It was a bit of a rough start to the day since I couldn't find my pace group, but luckily I found them before the start of the race and they helped me through all the way to the end. I was so blessed to be able to train with such wonderful people and I couldn't have done it without them!

In Loving Memory

Just a few weeks ago, on August 23, 2010, we lost a very special member of the Phelps family--my Aunt Char, after a long, tough battle with cancer. An incredibly loving family member and friend, Aunt Char always managed to bring a smile to your face. A charming person through and through, she brought a renewed kindness to the world, a kindness that made life just that much brighter. I know I can't even come close to describing every amazing aspect about this incredible woman, but I'm going to give it my best shot with my own little tribute.

No matter what happened, Aunt Char was always there. She was there for me, too, but I never truly realized just how much until I thought about it recently. As a kid, I was always going over to Uncle Pat and Aunt Char's; whether Dad had a business trip or I was just going for a simple weekend visit, I always remember being there. Aunt Char was always taking care of me, and she amazed me every time I saw her. I remember going to the basement with her and looking around at her plethora of craft supplies, asking about what everything was and admiring her current projects. I loved to help her make tasty treats in the kitchen, while other times I just watched as she cooked away...often times getting distracted by her gleaming copper pots. If I happened to be spending the night, she would take the time to get me tucked in to the cozy little bed upstairs and would read me a book. And of course, who could forget the traditional giant globs of play dough we made at nearly every visit--each time a different color.

Then there were Aunt Char's crafts...from pots to baskets and everything in between, she was always making something. She made all sorts of little gifts for everyone around her, each one of them personalized. I will never forget each year at the beach, when we would all wake up on Easter morning and find special hand-made gifts from Aunt Char. She even made a scrapbook to capture all of those wonderful beach memories. She always brought such a wonderful spirit to the house, and I can still see her sitting on the beach in one of her giant sun hats.

When I first learned of Aunt Char's passing, of course I cried; but I don't think the reality had hit. While sad, we all seemed to take some sort of consolation in knowing that her suffering was over. Then came the day of the funeral; from the moment the casket was brought into the church through the entire mass, I couldn't stop myself from crying. The tears just kept flowing as I realized she was gone, remembering what a wonderful person she was and the joy she brought to everyone that knew her. While I know that she's in a better place, it still just doesn't remove that pang of sadness.

Yesterday's burial at Arlington was the last "official" event tied with Aunt Char's passing. It was a lovely ceremony, and the priest even requested to give her the honorary title of "general," one that she rightfully deserves. But while each service has come to a close, the pain that we hold is still there. We will each have to continue to work through it in our own way every day; and everyday we'll get just a little bit stronger, and know that with everything we do, she will be looking down on us, smiling.

Parrotheads Unite!!

I write here at the desk in the lobby of my dorm, playing the lovely role of HSA, at 1:03AM. While I would love to use this time to get homework done, I'm not sure how well I would actually be able to stay awake by just doing reading. So as promised, I now bring you the long-awaited post of the 2010 Jimmy Buffett concert.

The day started as any other Buffett day would...scrambling around the house, trying to get all the food cooked at the last minute, getting the booze safely packed away, and painting our classic Buffett phrases on the car windows. Dad was on edge as usual, trying to get out of the house as soon as possible. Mackenzie pulled up in her new minivan, and the men discussed their fears of being castrated just by riding in it; all in all, a typical Phelps family pre-departure gathering. This year, however, had an added twist. There was a miscommunication for my cousin Dennis getting to the house by 1:30 and he was not yet there. Long story short, the late departure put my dad even more on edge (as well as some other things), and I was one of the lucky souls who got to be in the car with his bad mood. Of course this was Ryan's first Buffett concert, to which he had an interesting beginning, and Kathy just kept pushing my dad's buttons. It was an interesting ride for the four of us.



When we finally piled out of the car at Jiffy Lube Live, we were ready to start the party. As it turns out, we were a little behind the times...all those riding in the "swagger wagon" (as Mackenzie's van was lovingly nicknamed) had drank all the booze on the way down and were already drunk. It was great. My dad had apparently also gained a new nickname from the passengers of the swagger wagon, "Uncle Mother-F***er." How that happened I have no idea, but it was entertaining as hell for the whole night. We then gathered up all of our stuff and headed over to Mike's trailer, where we had our own little setup, bathroom included. We had brought Grandma's beer bong along, which ended up being a huge hit to both family and strangers alike. I was introduced to the amazingness that is a Malibu bay breeze, and enjoyed the tailgating festivities as always. This even included my cousin Matt breaking his wife Kristi's camera, then proceeding to chuck it on the ground, at coolers, and eventually pouring beer over it. Needless to say Kristi was not exactly pleased; luckily we were all able to laugh about it, and the party continued without anything else being broken.



(This is the picture Matt took when he broke Kristi's camera--glad he didn't break mine!)

Now, with my recent milestone birthday of 21, there was quite the hype about it throughout the entirety of tailgating. We got way too excited about getting free non-alcoholic margarita mix from the Buffett golf cart driving by, and pretty much told anyone that would listen how old I was. We all got carded several times, but for me and my recent legality, I managed to get a few extra "happy birthdays" from the people checking my ID :)



The concert of course was fun as usual. We had pavilion seats this year, center section and decently close to the stage. But I must admit, I missed the lawn. We stayed in the pavilion for about half the show before heading out to hunt for the rest of the family on the lawn. After another awesome concert, we headed back to the trailer, ate and drank more for about an hour, then headed on our journey home and back to the real world.

Well, it is now 1:56AM as I finish writing and editing this post. I've killed about an hour with a few visitors here and there, and have managed to keep myself awake. One more hour til freedom and sleep!...after I ad pictures of course.