Those are Joel and Jessica's trail names--they're officially finished hiking all 2,170 miles of the Appalachian Trail (they finished the Sunday before my exams, actually). We had a party for them tonight here at home. Yeah, they're pretty much my heroes. Next they want to bike across America. Just kidding, but Jessica's mentioned it. I think I'll tag along :).
Tomorrow morning I'm setting off for Canada with my good friend Amy. We're visiting Ian, a friend I met in South Africa, for about three days, as well as Emily from Yellowstone in Buffalo, NY! I'm pumped--especially since this is a VERY last-minute trip and it all just came together, as everything usually does (isn't it amazing how that happens?) :). Knock on wood.
I spent last night near Athens, GA with my good friend Ellen and her friend Martha partying it up at an 80s prom! Seriously--we looked amazing :). Ellen and I have glasses and wore our hair in side-ponytails so we pretty much looked like twins. She wore an authentic black 80s dress and I wore a less authentic white one. I'll post pix later. We spent today meandering about the COOL town of Athens, thrift-store and botique shopping, coffee drinking, and trying to avoid the rain with Martha's dad's huge umbrella. Athens seems like a fun college town. Everyone I saw looked like my closer friends from Clemson: artsy-ish, scarf-donning, intelligent, English or graphic design majors. Athens has its sororities and fraternities, too, I've heard. And football fans. It's funny hearing Ellen's artsy guy friends talk about the UGA football game tonight. Why shouldn't artsy people like football? It's good to be well-rounded, right?
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Christmas this year was delighful as usual. The only regret for everyone is that Alice was missing, and that we weren't on the Beach in Australia to hang out with her! We did our usual name-drawing on Thanksgiving and exchanged sister gifts Christmas Eve. I made photo albums for all the sisters for Christmas day. The took forever, so I hope they like them! :) Most of my gifts were hand-made or photographs this year... sorry--I'm broke.
It's wonderful having Grandpa here--he stays about two or three weeks every year. There's always laughter in his presence--actually, I can say that for the whole Droney family.
I've been sleeping in till at least 10:30 every morning... pretty much. Except for yesterday because I had a breakfast date (aren't breakfast dates fantastic? You HAVE to wake up early and get your day started. If I'm not meeting someone, I'll go ahead and sleep in. Call me and set up a breakfast date with me, now!). I say I'm still recuperating from this year's record high of all-nighters. I think I pulled one every other week--but you'd think I'd have recovered by now.
Other than sleeping in, I've been catching up with friends I haven't seen in ages: like Joy from Yellowstone! I saw her in Atlanta last week with her fiancee and his family, and our friend Ben from Asheville. And I saw Hannah, too! She got back from L'Abri the other week. I met her adorable Swedish boyfriend and went contra dancing with her family, whom I'm adopting as my own :). They don't know that yet. Also, Gideon (Alice's friend) came by two nights ago with Alice on the other end of his cell phone! We got to talk to her for a good while and catch up with Gideon, who's hoping to become and army ranger. That boy is HARD-CORE. He told us stories from his training that kind of opened up another world for me. I love when that happens--but the military is serious business; I love being exposed to a "new world," but a lot of his stories would be considered horrific to us (ie: non-military people). About a month ago I meant to blog about my new appreciation for the military after watching the opening clip of "Saving Private Ryan" in history class (US history 1919-1945) and reading "A Democracy at War"--a new favorite. Watch "Saving Private Ryan" and realize that the invasion of Normandy was pretty accurately depicted. Seasickness from a torrential storm. People dying before they'd even reached land. I have to say, WWII wasn't morally ambiguous. A point the book we read brought up was that if Nazi Germany had won the war, we'd be in the Dark Ages for a thousand years. The Holocaust would have continued. Normandy saved us. I am so deeply appreciative for our veterans.
Read up on the GI Bill, too and thank the American Legion your grandpa went to college (mine did because of it, anyway). That's a fascinating, indebting story. I'll tell you about it later, when you're older ;).
It's wonderful having Grandpa here--he stays about two or three weeks every year. There's always laughter in his presence--actually, I can say that for the whole Droney family.
I've been sleeping in till at least 10:30 every morning... pretty much. Except for yesterday because I had a breakfast date (aren't breakfast dates fantastic? You HAVE to wake up early and get your day started. If I'm not meeting someone, I'll go ahead and sleep in. Call me and set up a breakfast date with me, now!). I say I'm still recuperating from this year's record high of all-nighters. I think I pulled one every other week--but you'd think I'd have recovered by now.
Other than sleeping in, I've been catching up with friends I haven't seen in ages: like Joy from Yellowstone! I saw her in Atlanta last week with her fiancee and his family, and our friend Ben from Asheville. And I saw Hannah, too! She got back from L'Abri the other week. I met her adorable Swedish boyfriend and went contra dancing with her family, whom I'm adopting as my own :). They don't know that yet. Also, Gideon (Alice's friend) came by two nights ago with Alice on the other end of his cell phone! We got to talk to her for a good while and catch up with Gideon, who's hoping to become and army ranger. That boy is HARD-CORE. He told us stories from his training that kind of opened up another world for me. I love when that happens--but the military is serious business; I love being exposed to a "new world," but a lot of his stories would be considered horrific to us (ie: non-military people). About a month ago I meant to blog about my new appreciation for the military after watching the opening clip of "Saving Private Ryan" in history class (US history 1919-1945) and reading "A Democracy at War"--a new favorite. Watch "Saving Private Ryan" and realize that the invasion of Normandy was pretty accurately depicted. Seasickness from a torrential storm. People dying before they'd even reached land. I have to say, WWII wasn't morally ambiguous. A point the book we read brought up was that if Nazi Germany had won the war, we'd be in the Dark Ages for a thousand years. The Holocaust would have continued. Normandy saved us. I am so deeply appreciative for our veterans.
Read up on the GI Bill, too and thank the American Legion your grandpa went to college (mine did because of it, anyway). That's a fascinating, indebting story. I'll tell you about it later, when you're older ;).
Friday, December 15, 2006
Christmas Break
Half of my senior year is GONE. Oh, it's been such a good one--especially the past couple weeks. I kind of enjoy exam week: no classes, wake up kinda late, study, do last coffees of the year with friends, Christmas parties, etc. I think I did ok on exams, and hopefully on my art portfolio (because I pulled an all-nighter last night working on it) (probably shouldn't have gone snowboarding Wednesday!). Snowboarding--such fun! I went with Matt Cody, who's pretty good, and two other people. I probably wouldn't have carved or tried jumps if Matt hadn't made me. I definitely wouldn't have tried the jumps, actually :). It's so helpful snowboarding with people who are better than you.
Actually, it's helpful doing anything with people who are better than you at whatever you're doing. I remember studying 24 hours for my Western Civ. final with my roomie Kat last year and both of us acing it :). I probably wouldn't have studied that much on my own; I might have given up and taken a "B" in the class. But Kat's an excellent student and pushed me to "meet my potential." I wish I'd learned about study buddies earlier.
It sounds so cheezy, but do you know what a difference it makes when someone "believes in you"? I guess I'm a bit of a people pleaser, but if someone assumes I can do something great, I'll work harder to try to impress them and prove them right. But, did you know something most millionaires have in common? A "B-" college average, and someone who belittled them who they wanted to prove wrong.
Actually, it's helpful doing anything with people who are better than you at whatever you're doing. I remember studying 24 hours for my Western Civ. final with my roomie Kat last year and both of us acing it :). I probably wouldn't have studied that much on my own; I might have given up and taken a "B" in the class. But Kat's an excellent student and pushed me to "meet my potential." I wish I'd learned about study buddies earlier.
It sounds so cheezy, but do you know what a difference it makes when someone "believes in you"? I guess I'm a bit of a people pleaser, but if someone assumes I can do something great, I'll work harder to try to impress them and prove them right. But, did you know something most millionaires have in common? A "B-" college average, and someone who belittled them who they wanted to prove wrong.
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