May 15, 2011

April Showers & Pretty May Flowers

Golly, so much has happened in the past month and a half! From saying goodbye to all the Emory seniors that just graduated, surviving finals (yay, GPA), saying goodbye (and hello) to friends, and driving from Georgia to New Jersey and then flying to Savannah, I feel like I haven’t even had time to sleep!

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Tuesday, April fifth, I gave my first solo Emory tour! Eeep! I was terrified, but I got though it okay and I don’t think I messed up too badly.

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That afternoon, my friend Maggie and I went to the East Lake Commons, a cohousing community in Atlanta. We visited for a class, and it was really interesting to see the site and meet some of the residents at a yummy potluck dinner (I made fudge!). I definitely think I learned a lot. Later that night there was a Philanthropy meeting for Gamma Phi, and then my ex roomie and I had a long catch-up chat, which was awesome. I miss her!

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On Wednesday Gamma Phi went to All-Fired-Up, in Emory Village, where we all painted pieces of pottery. It was a ton of fun; I really miss doing crafty things like that, and it was great to hang out with everyone. I picked a little square bowl, which I painted bright green on the outside and yellow on the inside. I also added little orange, purple, pink, and blue polka dots to the outside. I got it back a few weeks later, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Later that night I took pictures of an Emory student theater show, “The Odd Couple”, which was fun.

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On Friday, after class, I watched a few of my friends on the varsity softball team play (and win!). Gamma Phi also had a “dinner and fireside” that night, for the new members. We ate tasty Quedoba and chatted about Gamma Phi; and it was really fun!

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On Saturday, my friend Maggie and I went back to East Lake Commons, to Gaia Gardens, the organic farm on the site. We worked for nearly four hours, pulling weeds, learning about farming, and helping to lay new irrigation lines for the onion plants. It was a ton of fun!

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That evening Gamma Phi put on a “Crescent Classic Moonlight Movie”. I was on the Philanthropy committee, so I helped plan the event and set up. We showed “Date Night” and sold event tickets and food (popcorn, candy, drinks…), and everything went to our charity, Campfire USA. It went really well, and I totally ate way too much popcorn!

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Sunday the tenth was GPhi initiation! It was awesome to guide my Little through everything, and I didn’t mind the whole cake-afterwards thing, either. That Thursday was Gamma Phi Beta formal, which was a ton of fun! It was at Cosmolava, Beforehand I went to my friend Rachel’s to get ready, and I had a blast dancing with The Boy and taking goofy pictures!

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The next day, Friday, was another Water Oak Commons cleanup. We had “Machete Man” come out and help us remove invasive species, which was awesome! The site looks amazingly different now.

Saturday the sixteenth The Boy and I headed to Yeah Burger for some lunch; I got a super tasty red pea veggie burger with a wheat bun, grilled onions, and sliced avocados. Then, we headed to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, where we walked around the vendors, nabbed lots of free food (bars, cereal, coffee, and almond milk—golly, I love free stuff), and saw some awesome dog shows. Afterwards, we hopped over to 420 Sweetwater Fest in Candler Park, where we watched people fall off of a bull ride machine and some awesome, funky live music.

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Sunday morning The Boy and I headed to The Flying Biscuit for breakfast (hurray for soy patties and pancakes!), and then I got down to work for the week—I had five final presentations in my classes! Eeep. After surviving that, my cousin’s friend Craig picked me up after class on Friday so we could drive to Augusta, Georgia, for Easter. We arrived late Friday night, and it was really fun to see my cousin Anna, her fiancé Spencer, and their adorable dog, Henry. That Saturday we ate a tasty lunch at Crums  (I got a feta and veggie pita), and then took Henry for a walk by the Savannah River. Later that afternoon Anna and I headed to a Pampered Chef party being held for the bride-to-be, Anna. The party was really fun: there was a ton of tasty food and a fun demonstration to watch!

Easter Sunday was really nice. We went to dinner (aka lunch) at Spencer’s mother’s house, where there was lots of delicious Easter food. Spencer’s mom even gave us sweet little Easter gift baskets! After eating way too much, Craig and I headed back to Atlanta so that I could finish writing my last three finals. Whew!

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On Monday the 23th, The Boy and I endured our last day of classes (his last ever!), and then headed to Ikea. For a dinner date. It was a super fun date, complete with Ikea frozen yogurt and lots of giggling at the square footage of the display rooms. Tuesday, The Boy and I got lunch at Starbucks, and then I headed off to pack up my dorm room—basically a process that continued into Wednesday, when my parents arrived around noon to help me pack everything into my mom’s minivan. After I packed up the car, my sorority family and I went to a last family lunch at Taqueria del Sol . It was so nice to see everyone and catch up one last time! Kathryn, my great great grand big, had just come back from France and had gotten us all sweet Paris shot glasses and little packaged crêpes, and it was so fun to hear her stories! After lunch I went back to campus to see my senior friend, Ameena, one last time before I left. I’m going to miss so many people next year, when they don’t come back!

That evening, The Boy met the parents and we headed to Miller Union, a funky farm-to-table restaurant in Atlanta. I got a tasty watercress, fresh orange, and roasted beet salad, and a veggie plate for my main course (cranberry beans, beets, peas, braised greens, mushrooms, and carrots and turnips—yum!). We also got a ton of awesome desserts to share; I was stuffed! We actually sat next to one of my professors, which was incredibly weird and awkward (only because I’m awkward), but the night was really fun and I enjoyed spending it with some of the most awesome people in the world—The Boy and my parents!

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Thursday morning my parent’s and I finished packing up the car and then we hit to road. We spent the night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, so that I could see my friend Tracy! She had transferred from Emory my freshman year, and I really miss her. We had fun walking around campus, catching up over sandwiches and tasty ice cream, and I got to meet a few of her friends. The nest day my parent’s and I finished the drive back to New Jersey, which was exhausting.

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On Saturday, my first day home, my parents and I went to Grounds for Sculpture, one of my favorite places in New Jersey (I visited last in January), for an art reception. We got to see a bunch of the new work, talk to the artists, and eat some tasty snacks they were giving out. I also had a ridiculously fun time chasing the peacocks. I also finally got my Tamron 18-270 mmlens! I’m so happy, because it’s super versatile. It’s not as good at focusing as my Cannon lenses, but I still love it so far. If you've got questions about it, feel free to ask!

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On Tuesday, the third of March, I headed into Washington D.C. on a Mega Bus at 5:45 in the morning to visit my friend Marie at Georgetown University. I arrived around nine thirty, and we had a blast chatting, walking around the national mall, and visiting the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We walked to Georgetown to get lunch at a cute little pub, where I also met some of Marie’s good friends—Tim, Doug, and Sarah. Then, Marie and I wanted around the college campus until it was time for me to catch the bus back home, at five thirty.

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Most of the rest my two weeks home was spent unpacking and repacking, spending time with family, going to doctors appointments, and doing all the little things I knew I needed to get done. For Mother’s Day weekend, my dad, sister, and I worked on our garden plot as our gift to my mom.

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My grandmother also visited for Mother’s Day, and we had a tasty meal as a family (my mom made the best fruit tart ever), and I gave my mom and grandmother family photos that I took as a gift.

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Right as I was about to leave, all of my friends started coming home from college, so on Tuesday my friend Jess and I went to the craft store and went back to my house to paint and watch a movie, and on Friday some of my friends came to my house to play The Game of Life, watch Hitch, eat lots of popcorn, and catch up before I left for Savannah on Sunday.

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The week wrapped up with my mom and I traveling to Savannah, Georgia, for my marine science research internship at Savannah State University, which starts on Monday. I’m super excited! My mom and I went to Target for important things like laundry detergent and hangers, and tomorrow I check into my dorm and start the program—eeep! I’m super nervous and super excited, and I really hope I’m not the one who brought the most stuff. It’s seven weeks of research experience, and I know it’ll be a blast once it starts. For my “last dinner”, my mom and I went to Cha Bella, an awesome organic restaurant, where my mom and I split two salads: one with yummy goat cheese, tomato, and eggplant, and the other with a brie-like cheese, toasted pistachios and peas, and mint vinaigrette. We also split our main dish; a phenomenal vegetable fettuccini. Basically, the perfect way to get ready for seven weeks for trying to cook my own food!

Listening to:
Little miss can’t be wrong – The Spin Doctors