What I've Learned

Okay so last year I decided to write 18 things i learned while I was 18... and I thought it'd be a good idea to do it again so here it goes.

1. I am incapable of being a "casual dater"

2. My family and friends mean more to me than I could ever explain.

3. People make promises they cannot keep. It doesn’t mean they’re lying it’s just that they are not mature or capable enough to keep those promises.
4. Your life means nothing without people to share it with.

5. You cannot no matter how hard you try change someone... they are who they are so just get used to it.

6. I am never going the person I want to be without God's help

7. Life goes on. You make mistakes and they seem like they're going to ruin your life... but everyone makes mistakes and I've yet to see anyone die from failing a class.

8. I will never be one of those people who only halfway loves their friends/family/bf whatever. I am either not interested or I’m in it for the long haul.

9. I need music in my life to be truly happy.

10. I can't wait to turn 21 so I can drink... even though I probably won't it'd be nice to know that I can.

11. Relationships are NEVER easy lol and the reason is because it's hard to understand another person and try to think of them before you

12. Money is way too darn important in this world. I wish I could just do what I want without having to worry about paying bills but such is life

13. Life is what you make it. So what if things are not exactly how I thought they'd be... sometimes that's a good thing because what I thought would make me happy doesn't even come close to the happy accidents that happen.

14. Not spending everyday with someone doesn't mean that you don't care about them. Sometimes distance strengthens a relationship.

15. All I really want is to be self sufficiant. I want to have my own apartment, pay my own bills and have a full time job I can count on.

16. Never make someone a priority in your life who will only makes you an option
17. I am a hopeless romantic hidden in a realists mindset. But no one wants someone to break past my barrier more than I do.

18. True love waits. I know I wrote that last year but I learned how important that was this year.

19. You can't wait around forever to get what you want. No one is going to help you because everyone is too busy thinking about themselves so go out and get it yourself!

I'm officially no longer a teenager... it feels good too :-)Here's to turning 20 and waiting to turn 21!

~Jenny

New Job?!!

So I was in the hair salon yesterday waiting for my appointment and the lady at the desk (Barbara) asked me how things were going. I told her that I was home from Purdue and that I was staying here and working at best buy but not getting a lot of hours. She then asks me if I was looking for a full time job. I said yes and at that exact moment a woman walked out of the tanning bed and Barbara said "Hey I found you someone to work full time for you!" As it turns out this lady owned a children's clothing business and needs a receptionist of sorts to deal with paper work and orders and shipping and so forth. And today I went to go see what the business was like and ...

I got the job!!!!!

Well I start on Monday and come in 9-5 and see if I like it for sure and after that I'm in! Can you believe it! All I've been wanting for so long is an actual full time 9-5 job and now I have an amazing opportunity to have it! I'm ecstatic! I couldn't thank God for a better chance!

~Jenny

So happy!

Great news! Grandma came home from the hospital today, I have a straight A+ in math and I figured out where to get my second job :-)

Oh and less than a month till my birthday wahoo!!!!

~Jenny

Riddle me this

I have decided life is too completly complicated. I have always wanted to go to Purdue ever since I was a little girl. Of course the reason I wanted to go to Purdue was because I wanted to be a vet... so I've been thinking lately since I changed my major to business management... maybe I should change my idea of where to go to school as well. Nothing is final yet but recent events in my life have made it quite difficult to leave Fort Wayne and even more difficult to live in West Lafayette. I will definetly be praying on it.

On a happier note my friend Jenn had her baby Jaylynn Annette Cox on October 11th and she was 5 and a half pounds and 18 inches. She's completly adorable!! I got to go see her the other day and I have completly fallen in love with her. Yay for babies :-)

Jaylynn

Jenn and I

Looking for a sublease!

So I'm in the process of trying to find a sublease for next semester at Purdue. (well technically I'm still planning on going to Ivy tech but I want to live in West Lafayette) The process is a little more difficult than I expected. I was lucky enough to find a lovely attachment to Facebook called "market place" where people can put up their needs for anything! So I've been looking through 75 different listings trying to find an apartment that's reasonably priced and that accepts rabbits as pets (yes I get to bring Mr flopsy) and I have it narrowed down to 7 options. My favorite though? There's one that's a 2 story apartment with 2 living rooms and kitchens and I would have my own bathroom... oh I hope I can get that one :-)
I must go do homework now though... yay for 3 papers due in one week.

~Jenny

I do

I was able to see one of my oldest friends get married on Friday. I never thought I would be one of those people who cried at weddings but oh my I balled. So here's a tribute to the happy couple!

Time to update!

Summer is officially here and I'm working at Best Buy. I work only 20 hours a week when I asked to be full time... grrr. But that does give me time to spend with family and friends and my boyfriend and of course work on cleaning and organizing my room. I had never realized before how terrible of a packrat I am! I have things from elementary school still! That's a bit much I think. . . well I'm off to walmart to try and buy some organizers!

~Jenny

Making progress

One final down 3 to go and the good news is that I just recieved a phone call from Best Buy asking me to come in for an interview! I'm very excited!

Also I went to find ideas of how to organize my room. Did you know how expensive those organizers are? Goodness gracious! Owell once I get a job that pays anything better than kroger (which isn't that hard) then I can afford to buy those lovely devices.

Just a random question... does anyone know when the whole change to HDTV thing happens? You know how everyone has to buy a new tv just because the jerks decided not to make their way of broadcasting able to adapt to older tvs? grrrrrrrrrrr

~Jenny

Last Weekend

My last weekend before the lovely finals. I hate finals week... it's like waiting around for the inevitable. The good news is though that I'm starting to apply for jobs. I know I should've done that durring spring break but I was in Neon so that wasn't a possibility. I cannot decide where to apply. I know I should just apply everywhere and see who calls me back for an interview but the question is where can I apply that actually pays decently? I worked at Kroger for 2 years and was even a Front End Supervisor and still only made $7.40 but because of the union I worked an hour free every week. I'd love to work a factory job especially at Vera Bradley but I have no idea how to apply there. I've looked all over the internet and talked to so many people and still no answers. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Any ideas would be much appreciated from you :-)

~Jenny

PS in exactly one week i'll be in chicago seeing wicked!!! ahhh i can't wait!

Bring it on home

So I've finally decided something... I am going to come home for school next year. I am just spinning my wheels here at Purdue and to be honest I'm not doing so well. Not to say Purdue is a bad place it's just not for me right now. So I have officially applied to IPFW for some summer classes and the fall term. Hopefully I'll get in and then be able to work a decent job while going to school and helping my family with the whole puppy situation. This is the first decision I have been happy with in months so please don't think I'm wimping out by going home... I honestly am doing something that will be best for me. I'm excited! I'll get to be with my family again! I won't have to wait months to see them! Plus I'll be able to work at a job which is really good for me, it gives me discipline and a sense of pride to bring home money to help support my family.

So wish me luck during finals because this will be my last week at Purdue for awhile!

~Jenny

Help please

Oh it's that time of year when extra credit is all we can do to fix grades . . . so I was wondering if people could fill out this survey for me so I can write a paper for my psych. Thank you for helping!

~Jenny
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Please read the following statements and use the scale to indicate whether you agree or disagree.

1. Technology today such as cell phones, email, AIM and text messages helps bring people closer together because they strengthen communication.

1------2------3------4----

--5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

2. Having such a variety of ways to contact people makes you feel closer to people.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

3. Having the variety is actually a hindrance on the feeling of being connected to other people.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

4. The technology is good because you can stay in touch with someone without actually having to see them.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

5. It is better to get in touch with people using technology rather than face to face.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

6. You can feel just as connected to someone you see all the time as you can to someone you email/IM/text.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

7. Technology has no effect on the feeling of closeness to other people.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

8. People should use the technology only when they cannot meet people face to face.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

9. You tend to feel isolated from people if you talk to people using only aim/email/text messages.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

10. Technology has no affect on how close you feel to someone.

1------2------3------4------5------6------7
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Lets go!

This is the beginning of dead week... the week before finals when profs aren't supposed to give you any tests or new material so that you can study your butt off for next week. Evidently professors never get the same memo we do about the whole no test/material thing because every teacher has decided to give me a "quiz" (which just happens to be worth the same as a test) this week. I definetly love how Purdue has a rule book that students must obey and yet the teachers can completly ignore it.

The one good news about getting throuth these past two weeks is that at the end of it all I get to go to Chicago to see Wicked with Logan. That was the best Valentine's day present I've ever recieved and I can't wait to spend the whole day in Chi-town with my boyfriend. It's amazing that after all the bad stuff that has happened this year I have found someone who is unbelievably sweet and caring to me. I'm so lucky!I can't wait for the adventures of this summer!

~Jenny

Moving forward

So I realized that yesterday's blog might have seemed like I was down in the dumps so to speak... but really I was just thinking about the differences that can happen in a year... if I hadn't come to Purdue I would not have realized how much I really do care for my family, I never would've met the amazing people at St Thomas Aquinas-my church and I never would've went on the Neon Kentucky missions trip. That was one of the best experiences of my life and I don't think I would've appreciated it as much if things had not "gone wrong" earlier this year. I love being in church now and I love singing at the mass and I love now knowing people at church. It's the one place on campus I can always go to without feeling afraid. It's my place to go when I'm nervous before an exam(so you know where I'll be during finals in two weeks!). It's also where I go when I'm happy and want to praise God for the gifts He's given me. So yes this year has been hard, I'm not where I thought I would be but I am better off for it.

The amazing view after I climbed the tallest mountain in Neon!

My first waterfall ever! Also in Neon Kentucky

My inspiration

~Jenny

Have you ever...

Have you ever done that thing where you think about exactly what you were doing at this time one year ago? I do that kind of alot and I can't believe how much a person can change in one year. For instance... last year I was a senior in high school, planning my prom night. I was so focused on the fact that I was getting out of high school forever and that next I would be headed off to college where I'd be free to do whatever I want and I'd finally be an "adult." I thought that my job at kroger wouldnt last till the beginning of summer, I figured I'd get to work at starbucks or best buy. I thought my friends would always keep in touch, always have this closeness we always had... and lastly I thought I was in love with an amazing guy.

Isn't it funny how naive people are?

Now here I am a freshman in college... thinking that I should've taken a year off like I wanted to. Wishing I could be home with my family I once thought I could live without seeing everyday... and I'm in a new relationship and only have 3 friends here at college while my high school friends are off in different areas of Indiana and Ohio.

I thought it was so complicated in high school... that college would be this great freedom and now here I am feeling like I'm trapped. Irony works in mysterious ways huh? lol

It's not that I don't like college... it has it's perks for sure I just now think that I would be more apt to accept college if I had stayed home a year and just worked like I wanted to. But had I done that, I probably would've still been stuck at kroger-hating my job, my boyfriend would've still cheated on me, and my friends still would've left for college without me. So ... was this really the better road? I don't know ...

~Jenny

Oh ps I'm sorry but it's bad weather right now and that means I have way too much time to sit in my dorm and think about life and such lol

New do...

So it's time for a change... a new hair do is in order I believe. My boyfriend surprised me on Valentine's day by buying me tickets to the broadway show Wicked in Chicago for the end of the school year. I'm so excited it will be my first broadway show ever and I'm in love with Chicago so it'll be super fun lol. (not to mention shopping on michigan ave!)

Anyways, I usally get tired of my hair after a few months so it's that lovely time again! I'm thinking I already like my length of hair I just need to add something new to the overall design... like more layers/new color? Don't know yet but I'm open for suggestions!

~Jenny

Wasting time...

Switchfoot is one of the more mainstream christian bands today and Purdue was lucky enough to host their concert yesterday. Some of my friends and I had been looking forward to it all week so we made sure we got there on time... only to be dissapointed. We got there at 3... and sat on the lawn for almost 3 hours only seeing 2 opening bands that were lower than subpar... so we decided to leave with our free tshirt and go find some food.

Of course about a half hour after we left the real band played and were supposedly "freaking awesome man!" as said by my friend lol.

But hey I got a chance to sit out in the sun, get a free (although extra large) t-shirt and a free bag which i plan on using when we hopefully go camping this summer!

~Jenny

In the market...

So life as a college freshman is ten times more stressful than I thought it would be back in high school... so as a way to "unwind" after this school year Logan suggested that we take a camping trip/explore indiana. I think this sounds like fun except for the fact that I have no idea where we should go? Or even if someone could go with us? I would love to visit some zoos and Logan really wants to go fishing/hiking...

Does anyone have some cheap ideas? Actually any ideas would be better than nothing lol.

Places I've thought of...

• Pokagon State Park-only problem I can't seem to find an official website for it so I don't know what all is there, the prices... etc.
• Indiana Dunes-will it be too cold for that in may?
• Potawatomi Zoo
• Chain o Lakes
• Washington Park Zoo

And that's all I have so far... please help me!

Thank you :-)

~Jenny

Starting anew

For the last two years I have had a bad experience on Easter for different reasons... this year however I was determined to have an amazing Easter and guess what?? I did! Though the credit for that goes to a certain easter surprise that arrived on friday... a brand new puppy (yet to be named). She is full of energy and loves to cuddle. The family has already fallen for her and the best part was opening the door on Easter sunday and showing her to Uncle Marc and Grandma and Grandpa and Betty. (Grandma's expression was probably the best out of all-pure shock lol)

It was a good day getting to see the family I havent seen in quite awhile... that's why it was so hard to leave. But the good news is only one month of school left then I get to come home and work a billion hours aweek... but at least I'll be home at last after this very long and too eventful year at college.

~Jenny

A tribute

For my dear Angel... you gave us 6 years of happiness, laughs, entertainment.... the list could go on. You were loved every day of your life and we will all miss you terribly... Goodbye my dear companion who meant so very much to me... to all of my family

Off to Spring Break

Today I'm heading off to a missions trip hopefully this will let me know how I like the whole aspect of volenteering... wish me luck!

Break free

College is not as easy as everyone thinks... nor as hard. Yes that statement contradicts itself but as Walt Whitman says "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."

If you really know what you want to do with your life and have a passion for it... then college really isn't so hard. You go to your classes, you get involved in the right clubs, even volenteer at the proper places and you're good to go.

If however, you are like me and have no idea what you want for your life college can be like a prison. I go to classes I do not care for, join clubs that have nothing to do with a possible future, and everyday I have an overwhelming feeling of restlessness and wanting to break free.

This is why today I began my application for Americorps. It's the peace corps but only in the United States. I figured this was a better alternative to joining the Marines or Air force which i have been seriously considering for a year now. I decided against it though because of my family's negative reaction to the thought of me being "in war". I have not decided where I would like to go (i can chose anywhere in the 50 lovely united states or even a few american territories) but I do know that I would like to feel like I'm doing something worth while...

Any advice please let me know