New school year! Hooray!

I got a new job yesterday :) I work in an after-school program (I'm not even sure exactly where yet!) and I'm really happy about it. I had the same job last year, but it was only when they needed me, so I am happy to have a set position. Training starts tomorrow.

I also made some new friends and got a new computer yesterday. Needless to say, it was a goood day!


I'm loving this semester so far. I love my schedule, and the fact that I have more time to visit with people on campus, rather than just go to class and go home sort of thing. I guess the biggest thing right now is the fact that I didn't end up moving to SL, and that's been a huge want to do of mine for a while now. We had a place, our applications were approved and we were set to sign the lease the next day, but I didn't feel right about it. Talk about a crappy feeling! Things seem to be working out for me though and I am happier than I have been in a very long time. I think that timing is very important and it's going the way it's supposed to for me right now.

more later...

xoxoxo
ash

good news/freshman throwback

The workshop that I've been organizing for my internship is over. It's kinda crazy--we've been working on it since March and the two days that it was held went by so quickly. I guess it's nice that I have time to actually do homework and readings now though. Classes are so intense. I feel like I am drowning in reading all the time. My advisor at my home institution will be getting a visit from me when I get home--she was really picky when talking about credit transfer before this started. These classes are hard--def grad level (according to profs) and she just wanted to give me 3000-level credit. No way, Jose! I will get 5000-level credit. Anyway--good news--

good news #1: an apartment that my to-be roomies and I wanted a few months ago has opened up again because something fell through. I hope we get it this time, especially since we didn't get it before because of a very stupid situation.

GOOD news #2: I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do for grad school, and (long story short) I found some good programs for exactly what I want to do and have been networked with people that can help me get in to said schools. Yay! That is a large part of why I came here, so I would say it's been a success! Yay!




Finally...you know those times when you get looking back at old pics on your computer...yeah, well I did that today and found this gem:

Beardy. haha it made me laugh pretty hard. Freshman year, middle of the night, I'm sure we stayed up very late and laughed our guts out. (it's a hair extension) Anyway, great times. I would probably never do this now. funny how things change :)

another story--someone was talking about going to Elitch Gardens the other day, and the ONLY thing I can think of when I hear that name is when a group of my friends freshman year pranked called a Denny's (I believe) in Denver and they wanted to know how far it was from 'Bitch' Gardens (the google map made the 'El' look like a 'B.' I think the guy on the phone was pretty shocked...he was like, "You mean Elitch Gardens...?" hahahaha too funny.

gotta love reminiscing. at least I do :)

xoxo
ash

update to my previously posted summer bucket list:

ride on a motorcycle
and
learn to drive a stick shift--although I'd have to find someone with a car I could learn in. my mom already said she's not teaching me. ha

quick post

I've been in Boulder for 2 days now (well, three)
The first day, our travels took what felt like forever. We left SL around 1 pm and got to Boulder around 5 ish. Shouldn't have taken that long. Oh and, I was able to ride a tram/train thing at DIA. I've only ever ridden one in the Atlanta airport. anddd...for years, I was told that Davis High was modelled after DIA, and while sources are good, I'm still not sure if it's true. If it is, however, it totally resembles it. I can see it.
The second day, we walked around CU-B campus. For about three hours total of walking. It's a good thing. we live forever away and they call that on-campus housing. haha. technically, yes. seemingly to reality, no. That night, we went to downtown. really, I don't know why I am so in awe at everything. I'm writing about it anyway...my experiences; plus I doubt anyone reads this blog at all. It's one state away, not far, but the culture really feels so different. and i like it. it is just what I need. I needed to get away from Utah culture/my norm. my only fear is that I may not want to go back home when all is said and done. ;) wish me luck.
Classes started today. awesome. I've had Infant Speech Perception and I'm headed to Sign Language Development in just a few.

xoxo
ash

shout out to my fam who went to Hoggle (I purposefully spelled it that way; makes me laugh every time!) dead (zoo, but all the animals are always so dead looking!) ha. can't say I'm bummed about missing that fabulous spectacle.

summer bucket list

-get lots of sun! I think I'll be able to handle this--I'm babysitting for my summer job since my regular job is only during the school year. Anyway, we go to lagoon and cherry hill every week. I'm already fried from cherry hill. oops!
-exercise. I've recently discovered Zumba and I love it. i'm sure I look stupid sometimes, but i don't care--I have so much fun doing it! Running isn't half bad either. I just love the way I feel when i exercise. So much more energy and it makes me happier.
-be random. I'm glad i have the friends I do :)
-read a lot of books {that are NOT textbooks, even though I'm in for summer semester}. Current reads are Ender's Game and The Great Gatsby. Loving EG so far. TGG though--I'm trying to convince myself that I don't hate it as much as I did my jr year of high school when we read it in honors English. That's not going so well!
-get out of my comfort zone.
-don't judge; be less harsh on people.
-two words: SUMMER CONCERTS
-Go on a picnic date :) hmmm that would be extremely fun. good luck to me finding a guy that would think the same.
-take full advantage of the state's newly lowered firework restrictions. as if I wouldn't have done this if the laws were the same as they have been before this year, psh! I always loved getting 'illegal' fireworks.
~4th of July is my all-time fave holiday!~
-save more money. research cool activities and stuff I can do for free.
-sparklers :)
-learn a ton at the ling institute in colorado--I leave on the 5th! can't wait. I will also try not to bore people with all the geekiness!

I'm sure that this list will need to be updated! Til then...
Cheers! xox
ash

summer happenings!

I am so happy that it is summer! I love this time of year. Bring on the warm weather and fun activities!

This past weekend, I threw my friend Kiri a bridal shower and it was a lot of fun! It was my first time hosting something like that. It was a lot of work and I am so happy that I was able to do that for her. It was good to see some people I haven't seen since high school and also meet some new people. We played some way fun, entertaining games and ate yummy food. Her wedding is the end of this week and I am very excited for her!

My besties and I also went to the RSL game on Saturday. They scored twice, but neither goal counted. bummer. Yay for access to cheaper tickets! I had never been to a Real game and it was so so much fun! I loved it. I've come to the conclusion that soccer is wayy more fun to watch than basketball--but baseball is still my favorite. Can't wait to go to a Bees game this summer. Just a thought on all sports in Utah...I don't really care if the teams suck or not. I just love going to live sporting events. It's a more recent development.

Today, I'm chilling with my grandparents in collegetown numero uno. I love them! I learn a lot from them. I miss my time here in this town. That might be a crazy thing to say, but I had awesome friends and experiences and I also appreciated how simple my life was my first two years of college. Now, it's a process of growing up and making the big decisions. I like that aspect sometimes...not being a kid anymore, but in other ways, I'd rather not. I'm afraid of screwing up my life! haha

Summer semester starts today! I'm taking mostly fun classes that just sounded interesting. I need some credits for GPA boosting. Last semester was bad. Oops! My department sucks at offering summer classes. There's only one I can take. Ohh...I'm taking ASL too! cannot.wait!

I am considering a double major...I'm taking the intro class for it this semester, so we will see if I like it or not :)

Still looking for another job--I have an interview tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well!

If I get said job--that means that I can move to collegetown numero dos--no more living with my family (nothing against them, but...it's time!) I'm excited to have more of a college experience. Me and future roomies are checkin out some apts tomorrow. yay!

I am really excited to go the Linguistic Institute in July. The only thing is that it's hindering my capability to get a job! I need something temporary or something that I can do when I get back in August. ahh! Jobs/finances are stressful!

Another quick note--
I do not understand why people cannot get along! I am sick of the drama in my life. Family drama, friend drama, you name it. I'm not a dramatic kinda girl. I'm just laid back and chill, not much bothers me. I wish others could be the same. welp...I guess I can't control that, but it's hard.

happy:
-sun
-getting my scholarship funding :)
-new U hoodie

YAY!

the worst semester of my life is OVER! Can't wait for adventures this summer. and moving. and ....whatever else comes my way.

That is all!

ash

Lucky Thursdays.

so for over a year now, I have had lucky thursdays! I know it's silly, but good things always happen on this day of the week. Good things happen every other day of the week too, but the best things...Thursdays! woot, woot.

But here's the kicker...nothing out of the ordinary has happened to me on a thursday since around my birthday in early february! This needs to change!

anyway...
I am taking a chem class next semester! When I first started college, I was a biochemistry major, dead set on medical school and becoming a pediatric neurologist. Well sophomore year rolled around, I was enrolled in chem 1210, so it shouldn't have been very hard, but it was. I freaked out, dropped the class, and changed my major.

Since then, I have been an English major, Communications major, considered business (I have no idea why, because I have always known that I could never love or even come to love a career in business/marketing/sales) and am now a Linguistics major. I have to tell you, I absolutely LOVE ling. It's so great and I wouldn't change it for anything. So I am graduating in Dec. 2010 with my BA in Linguistics, still undecided on a minor. For now, I think I am headed to law school, but am also looking at a masters in ling too.

Well...

I've been thinking a lot about choices we make and how we get to where we do and how. Way back when, when I dumped my med school dreams down the drain, I was POSITIVE that I didn't want that and I didn't have the passion for it that I once did. I was really naive and did what was best for me. I don't regret that in the slightest though, because I really thought and pondered on making the switch. It was not a light decision to make. I want to be clear on that. Very, very hard for me!

Fast forward to December 2010, just after Christmas, my mom and I were taking down our tree and she started asking me about when I switched my major. It was very different being in person, since the prior conversations were all over the phone, as I was two hours away. She wanted to know if I really gave it all my effort. I am able to say I honestly did.

Lately, though, I've been thinking I need to give Chem a second shot. Nothing drastic like switching my major or anything, but who knows? What if my second try is better? Then I may decide to go to medical school after all (mostly kidding--I think!) Med schools only really want you to have certain science/math/blah, blah, blah classes. No one said you can't major in Ling and be a doctor too ;) More marketable, right?! Ha

ash philosophy.

Ahh...the what ifs are attacking me these days. (that's an entirely different, long story) I think it's a curse that follows planners (like me) around everywhere! I need to chill and realize that I'll graduate when I have all my stuff done, in a reasonable amount of time, even if it's not 4 years from when I graduated hs and whatever else.

I guess I am just going through a wave of feeling content and then feeling so confused, so upintheair. I hope lots of people my age feel that way right now. so I'm not the only 20something who doesn't know exactly what I want out of my life. I have ideas, but I cannot see the end result, and all of the big picture. That's a big fear I have--> going forward with options and goals, then getting to that point and still being unhappy. Is this normal??? sigh. I hate worrying about stuff like this.

Finals time is here. Then summer. I will be breathing a sigh of relief. Really, I just need my syntax final to be over! It's a beast.

and I kinda dislike blogging because I start out with one topic and end with a completely other one. Not that that's a bad thing...just the methodology of getting from point a to ...Q? via blogland is weird for me I guess!

not sure what was up with the font in my last post...I can't fix it.

another thing--

"Happiness is celebrating the little things"


so...starting now, I am going to say three little things at least in every post that make me happy.

-the beautiful weather today! Seriously, go spend some time outside. You'll get some needed vitamin d
-heard my (second) fave band on local radio yesterday. Totally made my day. They're not really mainstream, and more people need to hear them.
-lucky thursdays! My favorite ever! :)
-Pandora radio!

xoxo ash

spring update.

Can you believe it's March already?? Mid March? End of March! (I originally wrote this in mid march haha). I cannot. The semester is going to be over before I even know it.
Time just keeps flying by!
but...
what I've been up to lately
-birthday season for the Nacey fam (feb-apr)
-school, school, school...it's my life!
-got some guts to ask a guy I really like (liked?) to a jazz game. so.much.fun (I never do stuff like that, so I thought it was an accomplishment worth mentioning.)
-playing with my awesome friendies every single weekend.
-laughing!
-learning every day!
-realizing that it's okay not to have everything so planned out. It's a vice for me; I'm such a planner. but...I have a general path, and right now, it's good enough.
--yeah, I used to worry about when I would graduate. Now I'm just kind of like whatev, graduation will come soon enough.
-It's all about enjoying the small things in life :)
-looking at the possibility of an internship in Washington DC...
so I can go on another internship to Madrid, Spain!! at the embassy...now, this would be the ultimate!
Ashlie's dream job=US ambassador to a foreign country, preferably Spanish speaking!! See the excitement here, people?? That would basically give me first hand experience at what I want to do for a living.
-got this amazing job opportunity to work with a professor in my department, preparing for a workshop at the Linguistic institute this summer. It's a big deal; there are going to be top linguists there and so much to learn about! Plus, I get to meet people from all over the world!
travel+new people+my chosen field=love!
seriously. I could not be in a better field to study. It is the greatest!
I talk about school a lot! Welcome to the life of an almost senior college student!!
I think that's about it!

peace
ash
ps, check out The Cave by Mumford and Sons. Excellent song