What I'm Thankful For

I think we all get a bit sentimental on Thanksgiving.  I know I do.  Last year I sent out a mass text to all my friends and sisters telling them how much they meant to me.  This year I didn't...because this year I'm thankful for different things.

Lately, I've been questioning why I'm still part of my Greek organization.  I'd say the name, but (1) you all know it and (2) I could get in a lot of trouble for what I'm about to say.  The moral in my chapter has been low since before recruitment.  I think the yelling and arguing got to a lot of us.  It definitely got to me.  And the super strict rules, the trash talking of sisters, and the cliques have been making me question my decision to join Greek life.  To be honest, I was ready to sign my papers and walk away from it all.  That's how sick of it I was.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all of my Panhellenic sisters who have reminded me why I love being part of a Greek organization.  When things in my organization are tough, I have amazing women to turn to.  Some are in my sorority, some aren't.  But they've all reminded me why I joined a sorority in the first place.  I'm lucky to have such inspiring and caring women in my life.  If you think this is about you, it probably is.

I'm thankful for other things too: my family, the amazing fraternity men who have supported me this year, my SG buddies, my professors who have helped me find my passions, the opportunity to attend SIWC 2010 and fall in love with writing again, and many other things.

Honestly, I'm thankful for just being alive.  Last year, three family members were taken from us too soon, and I'm thankful for each breath I have the opportunity to take.  It's sentimental, but that's what Thanksgiving is all about.

It's that time of year again

Yes.  You've heard right.  It's that time of year again.  It's time for my birthday!!!


And this year I'm turning the big two-one (21)!!!

So for Christinapalooza 2010, I have to do it BIG!!  As you'd expect, I've already started the planning.

I'm still looking for ideas.  So to all my wonderful and dedicated readers, if you have any ideas on how I can celebrate my 21st birthday week, please comment and let me know.

Here's what I have planned so far:

Wednesay, Dec. 15: Dinner with friends then waiting until midnight to celebrate my 21st
Thursday, Dec. 16: My 21st Birthday!! Take my first legal drink at midnight. Go to the liquor store and buy my first bottle of alcohol. At night, go to dinner with my family at Parrot Key Caribbean Grill at FMB.
Friday, Dec. 17: Get my new license :)
Saturday, Dec. 18: Build your own 6-pack at Whole Foods
Sunday, Dec. 19: Stock up on alcohol for the cruise (we're using rum runner flasks)
Monday, Dec. 20: 21st birthday cruise!!
Tuesday, Dec. 21: 21st birthday cruise!! ((Nassau))
Wednesday, Dec. 22: 21st birthday cruise!! ((Coco Cay))
Thursday, Dec. 23: 21st birthday cruise!! ((Key West -- Duval Crawl!))
Friday, Dec. 24: 21st birthday cruise!!
Saturday, Dec. 25: 

Okay, so it's more like a birthday week and a half...but it's my 21st.  I have to do it big.

Got a suggestion?  Comment and let me know :)

FGCU's Pride Day: BE YOU!

The event we had on campus today was hands down my favorite event at FGCU.  The event was called "FGCU's Pride Day: Be You" and it was about celebrating being who you are.  It also promoted equality and shed light on many LGBTQA issues that young people face today.

Three incredible speakers were brought to campus: Davis Mallory from Real World: Denver, Rachel Robinson from Road Rules: Campus Crawl & the winner of the Duel 2, and Isis King who was the first transgendered contestant on America's Next Top Model (she was a contestant in cycle 11 but was a background model in cycle 10).

Last semester, Rachel Robinson came to campus and I left feel inspired.  I felt inspired to get more involved in the LGBTQA community.  But mainly, I felt inspired to come out and be myself.

I never got the chance to do that.

But today I got to hear and meet three inspiring individuals tell their stories.  Each of them had a different story, but they were all compelling and left me with the same message: don't be afraid to be who you are.

It's easy to hide behind a computer screen, and I know that.  But hopefully this is the first step in me coming back out.  I was "out" all throughout middle school and high school.  Everyone knew and it felt good.  It's not that I've been keeping it a secret, but rather that I haven't found the right time.  The right time is now.

I'm bisexual.  

Love is love.

My favorite cast member from Real World: Denver,

Davis Mallory :)

It's time for a Facebook facelift!

I'm revamping my facebook page and decided to change my bio section.  But before I do, I wanted to post it here because it pretty much sums up everything I've learned in the past year.



I'm beginning to realize that life is too short to be angry or hold grudges.  Enjoy the time you have here, and never allow yourself to get caught up in the petty things in life.  


I love you Grandma
Rest in Paradise ♥

What would YOU do for an "A"?

I realize that it's been nearly a month since I've posted.  For that, I am sorry.  I will try to post at least once a week from now on.

This semester I'm taking a class called Advanced Poetry Writing.  I'm a creative writing minor (it's official), and when I started writing, I wrote poetry.  So naturally I figured the class would be something I'd enjoy.

I was wrong.  Way wrong.


The class might as well be called "Advanced Nature Poetry" because that's all we read about.  That's what we're encouraged to write about.  I don't know about you, but I hate nature.

Before I go any further, let me clear something up.  The professor I have is supposed to be amazing.  And in a way, he is.  But the poetry he likes and the poetry I like are totally different.  The way we write is different.  When it comes to poetry, the only thing we have in common is that we both like Robert Frost.

My poems aren't great, and I'll be the first to admit that.  And I appreciate (and encourage) constructive criticism in order to make my poems better.  But in this class, I'm having a hard time making my poems better.  Why?  Because I'm not getting much feedback.  We turn in a poem, and he'll respond with a few lines of "this line is good, these lines suck, what can make it better?"  Well sir, if I knew what could make it better, I would have done it in the first place.

And then there comes the idea of revising.  In one of my poems I wrote about New York City, and my professor liked one line and disliked the rest.  Among the "rest" was my favorite line in the poem.  He suggests I take it out altogether.  So here's where it gets tricky.  Do I compromise my style of writing and take out the line completely or leave it in and risk having my grade lowered?  He always says, "it's your poem so it's really up to you."  But since he's the one giving me a grade, I feel like I'm obligated to please him.  Like I'm obligated to change my style of writing so he'll like it.

The idea of compromising who I am as a writer for a grade is tearing me up inside.  I only have two writing classes left to finish up the minor, and now I'm not so sure I can go through this again.  At the end of the day, I'm not willing to change who I am for any grade.  I'm willing to revise and make it better, but I don't want to give up all that I believe in just for a grade.

So to all my readers out there who are good writers, what do you suggest I do?

Song of the Week - "This Ain't Nothin" by Craig Morgan

I cry a little every time I hear this song on the radio, and I pretty much bawled the first time I saw this video.  The lyrics are incredible and Craig Morgan's voice is perfect.

I can't waste any more time

As I start my junior year of college, I'm full of so many different emotions.  I'm sad that I'm already halfway done with my undergraduate career, happy to start my upper division courses, and scared that I may not be on track.

I spent two years in majors that I hated - Secondary Math Education, Math, Elementary Education, and various combinations of the three.  I stayed within those three majors for so long because it was safe.  I knew I was capable of being an educator, I knew where to find a job, and I knew about the field.

Now I'm a Public Relations major (and Creative Writing minor), and I finally feel like this major is the right fit for me.  I'm taking two Communications courses which I am head over heels in love with, two writing classes which will challenge me in every way possible, and then there's my Public Relations course...and it absolutely terrifies me.

I know the Public Relations field is demanding and rewarding, but I'm still afraid that it may not be the perfect fit.  Even though I want to work in the non-profit field, I could still end up doing public relations work rather than event coordinating.  Even though I'm organized and always meet deadlines, I still have a fear that I may not be cut out for it.  And unlike education, I don't know much about the different jobs within public relations.

FGCU has a great communications/public relations program.  The professors are amazing and I know that they'll calm my doubts and answer my questions.  But I'm still nervous that I'll come out of this Principles of PR class realizing that PR isn't for me.  And then I'll be right back where I started...kind of. I know that I could always just major in Communication Studies, especially if I love my basic communication courses so much.  So maybe I won't be right back where I started after realizing that education wasn't for me.

All I know is that I'm a junior now and I can't waste any more time.  It's time to pick a major and stick with it.