Senior Reflection

Today I attended my last two School of Journalism classes for my undergraduate degree. This evening is so bittersweet. On one hand, I’m just that much closer to being a college graduate. But on the other hand, I’m seriously depressed by the thought of being DONE.

I have had so many amazing experiences while completing my undergraduate degree. Interning at a full service public relations agency, helping with special events, and serving as a PR and Media Director for a real PR campaign.

These are just a few, as I’ve had more positive experiences than I have time to list. As I sit here trying to think of negative ones, I’m not able to come up with any. I have truly enjoyed my time at West Virginia University, and I owe most of that to the SOJ.

            I came to WVU as a Broadcast News and International Studies major hoping to one day work as a foreign correspondent for CNN. After two years I decided that wasn’t the path for me. I had no idea what I really wanted to do, but I knew I wanted some type of journalism degree. I love news style writing, but I couldn’t deny the fact that the newspaper track was going to be coming to an end in the near future. I decided to switch to Public Relations instead, and a new minor that was just taking off, Leadership Studies. I couldn’t have made a better decision with either.

            So many people are confused when I tell them I am a leadership studies minor. They think it is pointless or they don’t understand what I could possibly be learning. But I have learned so much since declaring the minor. How to speak in front of people, how to speak WITH people, how to lead, and most importantly, when to step down and be a follower. It has taught me so much about group work and I have already seen the theories that I have studied playing out in real life situations.  I would recommend this minor to any student, no matter what their major.

            Along with the skills, job opportunities, and networking that I have been exposed to as a result of the leadership studies program, I have made so many amazing friends, both classmates and professors.

            And speaking of professors, I’m not going to name names, because they know who they are, but I would not be the person I am today without their guidance and support. Over the past two semesters especially, I have gained so much confidence in my skill set, and myself as a person. And I cannot thank a few select professors enough for these gifts.

            Just this afternoon, a professor outside of the J-school asked me what I did, and after telling her I was a senior just weeks away from a degree in public relations, she asked me if I had a “back-up plan.” I was so shocked by this comment that I wasn’t sure how to respond at first. A back-up plan?

For the past two semesters I have spend most of my time surrounded by fellow journalists and soon to be journalists. I forget that many “outsiders” view our career path as risky and irresponsible. But I don’t care what these people say. I am on the path to doing something that I truly love, and I believe that being happy can trump what is sometimes seen as being successful. I hope that by doing what makes me happy, I will be helping others have a better life as well. So to the naysayers, say what you want. But I know that I, as long as my fellow classmates who will be graduating in 2012, have big dreams and all of the skills to make those dreams a reality. I can’t wait to see where we all are ten years from now. Who knows where that will be. All I know is that with the skills we have learned at the J-school, as well as the friendships and connections we have made, how could we NOT be successful?

Pink Day

Today was a really great day, because not only did I see one of my best friends, but I got some really exciting news which I'll share soon.

My friend Molly made a last minute trip into town this weekend and we met up with her at the WVU gymnastics meet. We don't get to see her often because she lives in NYC, so we wanted to take advantage of being in the same city for the first time in ages! It just happened to be pink day at the meet (in support of breast cancer), which was perfect for Kerriann.

She was so excited to put on her pink "party dress" and then proceeded to pick out her "ballet shoes," a pink bow and some rhinestone bracelets to complete the outfit.

Apparently she was thrilled to get out of the house after being trapped there all day with me the day before, because she also got out her purse and a pair of sunglasses and started gathering items to take along.

I told her to slow down at that point, because we still had a few minutes before the meet started, so she spent a little time playing with "Mick" and Minnie in baby Jesus' manger.

The following photos are stolen from Molly's Facebook page... hope you don't mind! ;)

We had a great time catching up with "Aunt Molly!" 

Kerriann loved watching the gymnasts perform and dancing along with the music. She was so worn out that she actually napped when we got home (allowing me to write a paper due tomorrow, yay!). 

It was so great catching up with Molly, and hopefully we will see her again soon!

8 weeks!

We're eight weeks in!

I'm not going to lie and tell you that today was another great day, because despite the fact that it was 70 degrees and sunny, it wasn't.  I don't know what it was, but I've just been in a funk the past couple of days.  Maybe it's the fever and sore throat from over the weekend still dragging me down.  Maybe it's the presentation due Thursday and the portfolio due for my Leadership Minor capstone due tomorrow that I still have yet to assemble.  Or maybe it's just the fact that life can be so lonely during deployments, even when you're surrounded by people all day.  

It's probably just the fact that Kerriann didn't adjust her sleep cycles whatsoever due to the time change so we've been up at 6am the past two days (after falling asleep around midnight).  I'm really hoping that if I give her another few days she'll adapt.  Either that or we're moving from an 8pm to a 7pm bedtime.  Mommy needs her rest, too.

But enough about all of that.  I've been a total slacker the past week in the post department so I need to do some catching up.

My cousin Chris' birthday was Nov 5th, so we had plans for him and my cousin Brandon to stay with me over the weekend to celebrate and attend the WVU vs Louisville football game.  Unfortunately, the slightly sore throat I woke up with on Tuesday progressed into a much worse sore throat and by Friday evening I felt like I was coming down with a fever.  We had already made plans for Kerriann to stay with my Aunt Sherrie and Uncle John since I was going to have a full house, so we met them for dinner at Cheddars.  Christiane came along too, and after dinner we went back to my house to hang out until it was time to go out.  I just didn't think I could handle it, so I dropped off the others and went to bed.  I didn't really sleep that night, but there wasn't much more I could do than lay in bed.

By Saturday morning my fever broke (seriously, probably the shortest fever I've ever had, but I'm not complaining) and I decided I'd go over to Christiane's with everyone to tailgate before the game.  

I had a ticket, but just didn't feel well enough to go.  I hung out with her while the guys attended the game.  Unfortunately WVU did not do well... so after the game we went home to sleep off the loss.

Once we were all feeling a little more rested, we had a nice dinner at Outback for Chris' birthday (they have a gluten free menu-yay!).  Then we met up with a few friends and went out for a couple of hours.  

I played the DD role since I wasn't feeling 100%, but I still had a great time.  It was so nice to visit with my cousins and have their company all weekend.  I wish they could have stayed in town longer!

I spent most of Sunday working on my presentation that's due Thursday.  

After I'd logged a few hours working on it, I went to drop off Chris and pick up Kerriann.  It was so great to be reunited with her after the weekend!  

Weekend Re-cap

This weekend was extremely uneventful in our household!  It has been raining almost non-stop since my last post (and even before, I guess I should say since Friday afternoon).  I am so tired of this wet weather, but it looks like it should be clearing up in the next day or two so we have that to look forward to.  We have just been doing what we can to keep busy inside, including having dance parties in the kitchen, playing dress-up, watching tv, and reading books in the "castle."

(The above photo is mainly for Kevin, because Kerriann is always talking about her new sparkly shoes that he didn't get to see before he left!)

Yesterday we didn't do anything!  Kerriann and I went to Christiane's for a couple of hours in the afternoon just to get out of the house, but there wasn't anything too exciting going on there.  The homecoming game still went on even though it poured all day, and I'm happy to say that my friend and sorority sister Julie Diamond was crowned WVU homecoming queen for 2011.  She is such a beautiful girl inside and out, and she definitely deserved this honor!  She and many of my other sisters were out campaigning every time I walked to class the past couple of weeks.  I actually used their campaigning for one of my photojournalism assignments because I needed to get shots of people interacting.

Congratulations again, Julie!

photo via

This morning we went to mass for the first time since moving here.  This is really the first time that we've had a chance between moving in, traveling, and having company.  We chose St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church after a recommendation from Kevin's Uncle Paul.  I really enjoyed the mass there and Kerriann did a great job.  The church has a very untraditional set up and the seats are arranged stadium style.  I wasn't sure how I would like that, but it was actually really nice because we could still see and hear everything from the back row (which is unusual when you're short!).  I was really hoping that they would have a nursery since the church is so big, but unfortunately they didn't.  I did notice that there were a lot of babies and younger kids though so hopefully we can make some friends.  We are going to become members at St. Francis and try to attend as much as possible.

Well... I have put off studying long enough... now that Kerriann is in bed and my daily post has been finished it's time to get moving!  Here are a couple more photos of Kerriann having lunch this afternoon after church.  Peanut butter sandwiches have definitely become the go-to lunch food in our house lately.

Homecoming Parade 2011

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad it's finally Friday!

This morning I got up, did some cleaning around the house, and then met my Aunt Sherrie to pick up Kerriann!  She went to stay with her on Wednesday morning and I have really been missing her!  I've been using the time to get ready for my first midterm on Tuesday, so it was great for me to have some time to focus.  I know she always has a great time visiting Aunt Sherrie, Uncle John, and Harvey, as well as Chris and Brandon if they're around.  I'm told they had lots of tea parties and took Harvey for walks.  I know they really wore her out, because she took a 2.5 hour nap for me this afternoon!  This might have been an all time record for her!  It was great because I was able to catch up on my laundry and cleaning around the house that I've been neglecting to study.

After Kerriann's nap, we picked Christiane up and went to the mall for a little while just to get out of the house.  After we were finished there, we went to the WVU homecoming parade.  My sorority was having a "watch party" at their house, so that was our first stop.  We met up with one of my best friends, former roommate, and bridesmaid (you might remember her from the wedding!), Katie, and her boyfriend there.  Katie was actually the homecoming queen two years ago (I'm so proud! ;)).

The following photos are horrible, yet kind of hilarious, hence why I'm not blowing them up as big as I normally make the photos on here...keep in mind that we had been standing out in the rain for an hour and that Kerriann is not a very cooperative photo subject! ;)

There weren't many people at the house that we knew, and I think Kerriann was making the little pledges nervous haha... so we headed outside into the rain.  It was in the 50's so pretty chilly compared to what we're used to!  We lasted about an hour before I decided we should probably get home.  Kerriann loved the parade so much.  Her favorite parts were the marching band, the dance teams and their music, and trying her first Three Musketeers bar.  She actually had two bite size candy bars and she was in HEAVEN!  Her facial expressions were hilarious as she was eating them.  I have never seen her so happy in my life.  She probably could have stayed at the parade all night but we were all soaking wet and it was getting close to bedtime, so we headed home for a nice warm bath and snack before bed.  We were able to Skype with Kevin for about 20 minutes which was really nice since she hasn't talked to him all week.

The weather is supposed to be just as bad, if not worse, for the homecoming football game tomorrow.  I'm disappointed because I was really looking forward to taking Kerriann to a few tailgates so she could meet some of my friends that are in town.  Hopefully the weather will hold out for at least an hour or so so we can get out and see everyone that made the trip into town!

Oh, and I forgot to add that the girls at the Chi Omega house taught Kerriann to say "Go Chi O" and she even remembered it and said it to Kevin while we were talking on Skype tonight!  I think we have a future owl baby on our hands! :)

I survived!

Yes that's right, I survived the big game weekend in Morgantown!  Sadly, my Mountaineers did not win, but it was still a great weekend and there was lots of WVU pride to be found everywhere you looked.

I had Friday off but I took Kerriann to school and used the rest of the morning to work on an assignment that I forgot was due on Thursday evening (oops!)... after I turned it in I decided to head up to the Mountainlair green to check out the ESPN Gameday situation.

I was excited to see that there were a ton of people hanging around all ready, as well as a mini tent city of people camping out waiting for the broadcast on Saturday morning.

Poor Tiger...

I was so mad, because I JUST missed Erin Andrews!  I was chatting with these guys and right after I left she showed up and then wore his hat as she did a broadcast on ESPN!

There was a rumor that she was supposed to show up around 11, but after waiting for a good 20 minutes I had to leave to go get ready for lunch with a few of my good friends that were in from out of town.  I don't have any pictures, but it was so great seeing them and catching up!

After lunch, I picked Kerriann up from school and then we made the trip down to my mom's house.  Kerriann spent the weekend with my parents and from what I'm told she had a great time visiting!  She went out for breakfast with my dad both days and was able to spend lots of time exploring outdoors at both of their houses.

So Friday night I got back into Morgantown around 10pm and met up with a few of my girlfriends to go downtown.  It was really nice to see them, but going out is just not the same for me these days.  I just don't enjoy the loud music and smoky air anymore.  It was impossible to even talk and catch up so I bailed out early (even though early was still 1:30am!).  My cousin Chris and his friend came to my rescue and after a quick stop for a midnight snack and to say hello to Christiane and her friends, I was home and in bed so we could rest up for game day.

Saturday did not really go as I had planned, but I still had a decent time.  I went over to Christiane's around 1 and hung out there for the day.  I wanted to meet up with some friends but it just didn't happen.  Luckily I was able to meet up with one of my best friends from high school.

It was so great to see Chase and catch up... not only did we go to high school together, but we lived in the same dorm freshman year so we know a lot of the same people and it was hilarious to reminisce about the old days together.  He goes to law school in VA now so I don't get to see him nearly as much as I wish I could!

Around 7:30 we decided to head into the game... well... I didn't make it in... he had to go in through a different gate and I could NOT get in through my gate.  The line was so long and it didn't move for 30 minutes.  I finally gave up around 8:30 and walked back to Christiane's where I watched the game.

So, even though the weekend did not turn out exactly as I had planned, it was still a great weekend and I'm really looking forward to the homecoming game next weekend as well!

PS I can't end this post without a shout out to my awesome cousin Chris who stayed with me over the weekend...

When I came home from picking Kerriann up he had done the dishes AND he took out the trash!  Chris, you are welcome to stay at my house anytime... but I'm sure you already knew that! :)

College Gameday Craziness

If you're in any way connected to WVU or college football, you've probably already heard the big news.

ESPN's College Gameday is officially in Morgantown for this weekend's game vs. LSU.

I probably won't be around much the next few days because a lot of friends who I haven't seen in ages are coming into town, so I just wanted to give a heads up about where I'll be.

Looks like life in Morgantown is going to get pretty crazy.  People started camping out on the Mountainlair green earlier today in hopes of scoring a good location for when coverage starts at 9am on Saturday.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.... LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERS!

The Mountaineer's Journey

This week has been a busy one for us.  I've finally started packing for the big move next week.  It's been hard to get motivated, and Kevin has been gone a lot which I think adds to my lack of motivation.  I decided that my plan of attack would be to pick a room and start with the easiest items, so I began to conquer our bedroom first.  The majority of the "stuff" in our room consists of clothing and books, so I began sorting through them and labeling boxes that should stay in storage until we get to our next house, and things that should be unpacked for use in Morgantown.

As I was sorting through the shelves of books, I came across a book that was a gift from a friend titled "The Mountaineer's Journey Through West Virginia."  I know I read it as soon as I received it, but I honestly couldn't remember exactly what it was about so I decided to open it up and take a peak.  The first page I happened to open it to was actually the last page of the story.  It read "Finally, the Mountaineer made it back to Morgantown and WVU's beautiful campus.  He was happy to be home!" and I couldn't help but think about my own journey.

It's crazy to think about how I left Morgantown so abruptly in 2008, not knowing what was in store for my life.  It all happened so fast that I really didn't have time to think about if I would ever be coming back.  Months later I know that I had moments of sadness when I thought about the fact that I would probably never hold the title of WVU Alum, even though I felt that I would always be a mountaineer at heart.

I continued to read... "As he rested comfortably in his bedroom, he thought about what a wonderful vacation it had been.  He was proud to be a West Virginian." This sentence also seemed to parallel my life. 

There is no denying that the past few years of my life have been wonderful, despite the ups and downs.  It has been a long road, but I AM proud to be a West Virginian and I cannot wait to take those country roads back to what I will always consider my home a week from today.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to live in both Alabama and Maryland for a period of time, and I wouldn't trade my experiences living out of state for anything.

The final lines of the book read "The Mountaineer was ready for another year of learning and cheering the Mountaineers to victory.  Holding a football, he thought, "Let's go Mountaineers!!!"

And as I read those lines I couldn't help but get excited for what the next year has in store for me.  As sad as I am to be saying goodbye to Kevin, I feel like our lives have led us to exactly where we are supposed to be.  Things have fallen into place and I know that this temporary separation is going to be beneficial to us both.  It will give me a chance to finish my degree, and it will give Kevin a chance to gain some very valuable experience that I know will help him reach his future career goals.  God has decided that this is the right path for our family, and I am trusting him and trying to view this deployment in a positive light.

So with this newfound peace I feel ready to start off where I left off as a WVU student and tackle 12 credit hours this fall.  Please continue to keep Kevin, Kerriann and me in your thoughts and prayers during our move next week and as we adjust to life in our new home.