So, I’m home for the holidays (and yes, I’m still writing my blog.  I love it, you guys.  It’s one of my favorite hobbies).  It has been pretty nice- lots of time with friends, family, and puppies- and I’ve been working a lot at the bakery I work at here- it is a pretty crazy time for us over the holidays so I’ve been putting in quite a few hours.

I’m currently sitting by the fireplace, my little brother is watching  movie (though I believe he should be studying for finals… haha, high school kids! Suckas!), and I’m thinking about Christmas-time and the gifts I still have to make for some people.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas gifts, actually.  You see, as a broke college kid, giving gifts is often tricky.  I have a pretty big family and a large group of friends, so usually I just get them all something pretty small (if I get them anything at all) in order to still have money to pay for rent, gas, and groceries.  But this year, I’m doing things a little bit differently.

Sometimes, I think that the amount of money some people spend on gifts is just ridiculous.  I’ve already mentioned Advent Conspiracy on this blog before, but I’ll reiterate some of that now, because I feel that it is really important, especially four days before Christmas.  There are so many people in need around the world that sometimes I just can’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on stuff people may or may not use in the next few months.  So, this year, I’ve made it my mission to spend less on Christmas presents in order to give more of myself to my friends, family, and the world around me.  And this is how:

1. Utilizing Woot and Groupon.

Duuuuuuude can you get deals here.  I’ve been checking them both since October-ish, and got one of my brothers his present as well as my dad.  Also ended up getting my parents their 25th wedding anniversary gift.

Go here: woot.com and groupon.com

2. The Truman Bookstore

You can never go wrong with those “Truman Mom” “Truman Dad” “Truman Grandma/pa” t-shirts, my friends. And typically the bookstore runs sales every year, so keep your eyes out!

Go here: http://www.bkstr.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&demoKey=d&storeId=213405

3. PINTREST

I will refrain from explaining my obsession with this website, but let’s just say there are really great ideas for homemade crafts, recipes, and anything else your creative little heart desires.  Even if you think you aren’t so crafty, I can tell you first-hand that you can find at least one thing on Pintrest that you are good at.

Go here: pintrest.com

4. Charities!!!

Here’s where I get all deep on you.  So far this holiday season, the greatest gift I’ve given is a $10 gift card to Living Water International.  My dear friend and sister, Kirsten, who’s name I drew for secret Santa in Cardinal Key, was the recipient of this gift.  I was a little nervous to give this to her instead of a “real present,” but the second I explained what her gift was, I knew (as I should have all along- my beautiful friend has the biggest heart on the face of this planet and I adore her for that) that it was more than okay with her.  She is able to go online and designate where that $10 will go to- what country, what town, what project.

Giving to others really is such a powerful thing to do.  In a world like ours, where poverty, disease, and famine are sweeping the globe and claiming so many victims, it just doesn’t sit right with me to spend so much money on video games, gift cards, and sweaters that the person will just return when you could give the gift of life to someone else.  And allowing another person to take part in that process will make them feel fulfilled as well.

Just think about it.  That’s all I really ask.

Go here: water.cc or gifts.rescue.org or really any charity or non-profit org that speaks to you! Just make sure they are reliable and do what they say they will!

Alright guys. That is my pre-holiday spiel.  If you are reading this post-holidays, keep this in mind for next year.

Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah/ Happy Kwanzaa/ Happy New Year/ Happy Winter/ YAY!

Sam

Man, you guys. This past weekend was SO wonderful.  I’m still in denial that it is not the weekend anymore (on Thursday night…), and here’s why I wanna go back to it:

The Cardinal Keys and Blue Keys teamed up on Friday night to have an unexpectedly AMAZING night babysitting for the KCOM (the med school in town) formal.  The night was full of crazy, hyper children, Capri Suns, choo-choo train rides, and I finally learned how to make a decent paper airplane.  Just goes to show how fun service can really be!

SATURDAYYYY! Five of my wonderful, lovely, amazing friends from all over came to visit and they had an amazing time in Kirksville (I’m looking at you, KB).  We went to LaPa AND Pickler’s Famous (as you will recall, two of my favorite places in K-Vegas), participated in the wonderful Big Lebowski festival (which was SO much fun, thanks to Todd and all those at Pickler’s Famous!), and… wait for it….

MET DONALD GLOVER.

Yep. That guy from Community.  Mystery Team. The writer from 30 Rock.  AKA Childish Gambino.  Him.  He came over to my house (long story) and it was quite an exciting evening.  In nowhere but Kirksville can I ever even envision that happening.  I still kind of can’t believe it did…

Sunday. My friends left me to get back to their own lives But that evening, I got to have some quality time with my Cardinal Key loves, and met some girls who were interested in rushing! Yay!  CK is something that  is VERY near and dear to my heart, so it makes me happy to see that there are other girls that are interested in dedicating their time and effort into serving others and loving on their friends.

I didn’t get a whole lot of homework done this weekend, but it was totally worth it.  This week has been pretty easy up until this point (I now have ALL of my final assignments, so I should probably start working on them…… I guess…..) so I’ve been able to carry on a little bit of the awesomeness of the weekend with me.

I know that this week is really tough for a lot of people, so I am certainly sending motivational thoughts and positivity in your direction.  Hang in there… in a few short days we’ll all be home with our families, friends, pets, etc.  Just get through this week and the next.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Sam

PS- Truman students, faculty, and staff– don’t forget to sign up for the MLK Challenge!  If you have read this blog at all, you know that this is my big project of the year, and I am very excited to see it come to fruition.  Sign-ups are now LIVE through TruService, and there are only 175 spots open, so sign up quick!  For more information, you can visit the MAC website (mac.truman.edu), or check out the MLK Collegiate Challenge 2012 Facebook page!  Alright.  That is my shameless plug for this post

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose”
- Dr. Seuss

This will be my last blog post as I am leaving Kirksville next week. I will be starting a student teaching job in St. Louis, working with a third grade class! I am very excited but have been getting nostalgic as well. I have had some amazing times here in this awesome city, made some lifelong friends, and grew in more ways than I ever thought I would!

This quote from Dr. Seuss is one of my favorites and has followed me throughout my time here at Truman. At my graduation party from high school, I was given this book as a gift, in anticipation for the new chapter in my life. Now, I find myself reflecting on these words again. You really do choose the direction you want your life to take. The choices you make lead you to new experiences. With these experiences come challenges and successes, tears and laughs, and you will grow (as I did) in more ways than you can imagine.

Here are a few things that I have learned during my time here at Truman State.

1. You will make amazing friends here! Be willing to talk to new people, keep your door open and you will be rewarded. Remember, everyone wants to make new friends at college!

2. There is more to Kirksville than a Walmart! I had heard the same myths while I was in school, but I was pleasantly surprised. Kirksville is such an amazing town and they have awesome things to experience from the local stores and shops, free concerts around town, cheap movies on weeknights, awesome sledding hills, bowling, and more. Take advantage of them.

3. Go to 1000 Hills State Park! In the middle of this true college town, there is a beautiful state park with a beach, hiking trails, places to have picnics, boating, and more. I don’t know how many hours that I spent enjoying the weather and water while studying! Its awesome!

4. Study hard (but have fun too). Truman is a competitive school, so it is important to study. Take classes seriously, but find a balance with being social and doing things with friends. There are so many lessons that I learned outside of the classrooms.

5. Talk to your professors. This is a lesson that I did not learn until my masters classes. I was, and still am, a shy person so talking to my professors with concerns or questions was just not going to happen. But after I began talking to my education professors, I realized it is true what they say: They are just people who want you to succeed!

6. Be silly. Truman, and any other college, can get overwhelming at times but having a sense of humor can help so much. Make jokes, jump in large piles of leaves or snow, or even pretend to be seals in the lounge of your dorm with friends (I have done all three!).

7. Volunteer! There area so many opportunities to volunteer your time and so many ways to do it. I joined a service organization (Alpha Phi Omega) while I was here and absolutely loved it! If you like children, there are schools always looking for people to help at tutoring or YMCA programs. If you like dogs, the humane society is a good place to go. Truman puts on a program every year where 100′s of students help out around the community. Its amazing how easy it is to help others, and how great you feel afterwards!

8. Get involved! No matter what you are interested in, Truman probably has a club or organization that you might be interested in. I joined APO which was awesome and i met some great people. I also played intramural sports with some of my close friends which I loved! We have so many clubs, and if we don’t have one you want, you can always create your own! So my advice to you is to get involved in some form. Its a great way to make friends, and find a love here at TSU!

9. Stay in Kirksville on the weekends! I had a lot of friends who would go home each weekend, and while this is all well as good, they were homesick more often than those who stayed here. During the week, our lives consist of school and activities and weekends are a good time to relax and have some fun with friends. I still called home each week, and still do. My parents love hearing about my week and I enjoy getting the news of what is going on at home. But the distance has been a good thing! It may be hard, but try to stay here and experience a Kirksville weekend every once in a while!

10. Find your place. For me, it was a bench in Truman’s Sunken Garden (a small garden that falls below the ground level that has a bunch of flowers and is just really pretty and peaceful). When it got colder, my place moved to a chair on the third floor of the library. For others, it was a special tree on the quad, a table in the library, or even a corner of the study bubble in their dorm. Where ever that place was, it was a constant. A place where no matter how confusing, stressful or happy I felt, I knew I could go there and feel at ease. It really helped make Truman feel like home. I think it is important to have that place, where ever you end up.

Okay, I better stop now before I actually tear up here at the office. Truman has been an amazing school for me and I am very sad to leave. I have seen myself grow and I think that is because of the experiences I have had and friends I have made here at Truman. I can’t wait to go on into the next chapter of my life. I hope that if you come to Truman, you find as much happiness as I have these past five years. Good luck, where ever life takes you and thank you for allowing me to share my experiences with you. I will leave you with that quote from good ol’ Dr. Seuss again in hopes that you find the power to take yourself where ever you want to go in life.

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose”
- Dr. Seuss

Hey guys,

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and adjusting back to every day life hasn’t been too difficult. Personally, I wasn’t too excited about going back to the grind after all the great food and family time but now there is only 1.5 weeks until Christmas break! And then my last semester at Truman /:).

This last year I have served on my fraternity’s Executive Board as the Brother at Large. It was a great experience that really helped me exercise my leadership skills. Plus it really helped me stay involved in the Chapter. We held elections over the last few weeks to select who would take over the positions and as a senior I was ineligible to run. One of my little’s actually won (yay) but it still stunk that I was now too old to run for something. Then last night we had our transition ceremony where the old officers step down and the new are reinstated. This was when it really hit home how close to graduation and leaving Truman I have come.

I don’t know what next semester will entail for me. So much of my time was devoted to my position and just in general doing fraternity related things like taking littles (I have 4!) It is going to be so weird just to be an average Brother again. I’m sure I’ll have a ton of fun with my family and hopefully will get some new members that I can spoil as a grand big but it won’t be the same.

It seems like I just rushed but its actually been 5 semesters. Over half of my college career has been wrapped up in that organization and the thought of leaving it and the University is freaking me out a little bit. Granted, I am ready to move on to the next stage in my life, but I didn’t think everything was going to fly by quite as quickly as it did. Oh well I guess I’ll just have to make the most out of my last semester here!

Clee

Wow! Where to even begin….

So, I guess I will start off by apologizing for my lack of blogging these last couple of weeks.  You might recall that I began a clinical rotation teaching in the middle school a couple of weeks ago, and that really took up a lot of my time.  But, guess what! I loved every second of it, and it went really well.  My mentor teacher (the actual teacher of the classroom) said that he thought I did a great job.

Being that last week was Thanksgiving and all, I’m going to say that I am so incredibly thankful for that opportunity.  It reminded me of just how much I love teaching and being in the classroom, and that all my hard work will pay off. I am very thankful to have found something that I love doing as much as teaching.

Enough with the super sappy and continuing on to more happy things…. I am super excited because I have my placement for my MAE internship.  Basically, the internship is a lot like student teaching, except I will be conducting some research and things. I will be at La Plata High School, just a stone’s throw away from Kirksville.  This experience in the middle school has made me super excited to get started and really get in the thick of things.

Also, now that it is past Thanksgiving, it is perfectly acceptable to decorate and whatnot for Christmas.  So, this morning, I am listening to Christmas music and baking peppermint sugar cookies. (Yep, that’s a thing. You should go try some right now.)  I love Christmastime, not just because of presents and a long break from school (although those two things are awesome), but Christmas is the time that I actually get an extended amount of time with my family.  At Thanksgiving, my brothers both had shorter breaks than I did, so I didn’t really get to see them as much.  But this time around, I get plenty of time with them, so I am super excited.

Also, this weekend I am heading to Iowa to visit my friend Zach for the first time since he started his PhD program up there. He went to high school and Truman with me, so this is the first time I haven’t gone to school with him in a long time.  I am heading up there with my fiance Kyle and my roommate and we are going to hang out and have “Friend Christmas.”  Basically, we all go to Wal-Mart and have a $15 limit and buy a lot of ridiculous stuff and then wrap it up and draw presents from the pile. It sounds a bit silly, and it is, but it is a lot of fun.

One last thing (I told you there was a lot of happy).  I am so incredibly proud of my school.  In case you haven’t heard, Truman was named the number one school in the midwest (again!).  I love this place, and have always known there was something special about it, and have spent my Truman career telling other people about the awesome-ness of this place.  I am so glad that someone has been able to quantify what I have always understood about Truman: the education is phenomenal, the faculty and staff are intelligent and helpful and passionate, the campus is beautiful, the activities are endless, and the students are some of the greatest people I have ever had the privilege to live and learn and play with.  I know it sounds cheesy, but choosing Truman was the absolute best choice I could have made (hence why I am more than content to stay here an extra year to do my Master’s degree).  If you want to check it out click HERE.

Sorry for the novel, friends. Until next time,

Kate

Thanksgiving break was great. It was really nice to be home and see family and friends for a whole week! We had family from Massachusetts visiting and it was a blast to see my two little cousins. We did the touristy things around St.Louis like the Zoo, the City Museum and the Arch. I also went with my 6th grade cousin to see the Muppet’s Movie which I wanted to see but this was a good excuse.

But now it’s back to routine here in Kirksville for the next few weeks. Then I will be moving back home for my student teaching. I will definitely miss things here in Kirksville, but not classes at all. So ready to be in the classroom as a teacher and not as a student. I will miss my friends here though, some of who are going back to St. Louis too, but a few are doing their student teaching here in Northeast Missouri. Ready to take on the next chapter in my life.

So, what is going on here in Kirksville? Well, Donald Glover is coming this weekend which will be a blast! He’s the comedian that TSU got for this semester and I can’t wait to go see him. Next Tuesday is the Holiday Lights. This is when the accepella groups perform holiday songs outside and they serve hot chocolate and cookies! Its a blast and really gets you in the holiday spirit