May, according to my iPhone...

May was a big month. I finished my last finals as an undergraduate, and graduated from Emory University with a BA in environmental studies and anthropology. I also started working at the Emory campus gym, saw my whole family for the first time in months, and started to plan my move (and cross country road trip) to Oregon! 

Here's life, according to my iphone...

-Hannah and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style; with margaritas with friends!

-My family and I got graduation weekend brunch at The Flying Biscuit in Atlanta.

-My parents, Hannah, and I went to Fernbank Museum, where we visited the rose garden.

-We ate a yummy dinner at Wahoo Grill in Decatur to celebrate graduation.

-I've been taking long summer walks, which are a great way to explore!

-Hannah and I visited Oakland Cemetery, where we saw Margaret Mitchell's grave.

-My family and I went to Red Brick Brewery in Atlanta.

-Hannah and I hiked Providence Canyon in southwest Georgia.

-I totally been living for my peaceful lunch breaks on campus during work.

Graduation

It's strange to think that I'm done with my time as an undergraduate. On May thirteenth I graduated from Emory University with a bachelors of arts in environmental studies and anthropology. Now that I'm done with school I feel a little at a loss of what to do with myself. I'm in an awkward liminal stage--not quiet yet a graduate student, not quiet still an undergrad--and it makes me realize how much of my identity has been based around my schooling.

I've been working on campus to pass the time until I move to Portland, Oregon, with my girlfriend. It's minimum wage, earned by spending my days in a windowless basement handing people towels and basketballs. But its a job, and I really can't complain about a steady paycheck. I have Fridays and weekends off, and today, after a busy morning spent running a week's worth of errands, I took a walk through Lullwater Park, on Emory' campus. It was wonderful to get outside, stretch my legs, and take it all in. There's nothing on earth quite like the smell of honeysuckle on a warm summer evening. I don't know where the time went, but two hours later I found myself back at my front door, feeling a sort of happy exhaustion that comes from time spent exploring outside. It also felt good to have my camera back in my hands; I've been missing it more than I realized.

April, according to my iPhone...

April was a fun, but crazy busy, month! In early April I traveled to Sacramento, California, to visit UC Davis to make a decision about graduate school. I'll actually be spending the next 2+ years in Portland, Oregon, getting a Masters in Geography at Portland State University (PSU), and I'm incredibly excited! 

Here's life, according to my (brand new!) iphone...

-Spring finally arrived in Atlanta! It took forever, but the flowers were worth the wait.

-We went camping at Amicalola Falls for Hannah's birthday, which was a ton of fun.

-We went to Ria's Bluebird for a tasty brunch the day after Hannah's birthday; I got a biscuit, veggie "sausage" patty, scrambled eggs, and roasted potatoes.

-Hannah and I walked around Grant Park and Oakland Cemetery (pictured) in Atlanta. 

-I tried my first Cheerwine cherry soda in Helen, GA!

-Hannah and I went on a weeknd getaway to Unicoi State Park, where we camped out!

-Emory Seniors at Sweetwater gave us one last tipsy night of fun before graduation.

-UC Davis in California; there were bikes everywhere!

-Gamma Phi formal, themed the"roaring twenties" in honor of the new Gatsby movie.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram - my username is gwynethmanser. 

GPhiB Bid Day 2013

The last two weeks have been totally consumed with sorority recruitment (aka "rush")! It's a pretty grueling process--lots of long hours and way too much girl flirting--but it was also a lot of fun, and I had a great time getting to better know some of the girls in my sorority. I did get to miss one day of recruitment to go to Nashville with my girlfriend Hannah; we saw Augustana (one of my favorite bands ever!) play a live acoustic set, which was amazing! And pretty much the best Christmas gift ever.

On Sunday we had "bid day", where new members get bids from the sororities. Gamma Phi Beta gave out 72 bids, which is absolutely huge (we currently have about 100 members)! That afternoon we picked up our new members and took them to Sky Zone, which is basically paradise if you love trampolines. Afterwards we came back to Emory to take bid day pictures and eat pizza. It was a long day, but a total blast, and I loved our theme: "lucky you, lucky me, lucky to be a GPhiB"!

Emory: Lullwater

Lullwater is one of my favorite places on Emory's campus. It's a large park nestled on the grounds of the University, crisscrossed with quiet forest trails surrounding a large lake. There are wild mushrooms and ferns, little glens, and places to sit and reflect.

A few weeks ago I took a walk at dusk around the pond. It was nice to watch the sun set over the lake and the resident herons stretch their wings in the fading light as the air cooled and the fireflies came out.

Things have been crazy lately with people moving back to campus and school starting (I have my first day of class tomorrow!). Somehow, in the middle of it all, I managed to get a terrible cold. In August. Who does that? Hopefully I'll be feeling at least a bit better by tomorrow!

A Night in Nashville

Did y'all have a good Thanksgiving holiday? I know I did! Food, family, and friends might be the best things ever. Two weeks ago, Emory's club field hockey team headed to Nashville, Tennessee to spend the night and play against Vanderbilt University! 

We had a total blast team bonding, going square dancing, and touring around the city. The next day we tied one game and won the other, which was awesome! Here are some pictures of the city and the game. 

The sunset on the drive back to Atlanta was absolutely stunning!

Historic Oakland Cemetery II

This is the second batch of shots from my anthropology class trip to Historic Oakland Cemetery (see part one here), along with some shots of Emory University's campus in the fall! 

My schedule is totally jam packed until Thanksgiving break; I have a midterm, three major papers, and a weekend full of sorority recruitment and field hockey, all before next Tuesday. Eeek! Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in a blog post about my trip to Nashville this past weekend! 

 

I just adore Emory's campus in the fall! It's so beautiful with all of the leaves changing.

What did you do this weekend?