Lately this weather...

In previous years here at CSU spring starts in late February. Often students are wearing shorts and tanks to class by early-mid March due to the mid 70 degree weather that we are blessed with. Every year it is a struggle to not want to skip classes and spend the day at the beach, or skip being a "good" student and spend all weekend at the beach. Sure, there are days where it may rain crushing all these hopes. However, since being at CSU I haven't experienced this kind of spring that we are facing now.

This one semester I have finally taken a lighter load of credit hours, and there have been many weekends where I look forward to relaxing by either studying while laying out at the beach, going to the pool on campus, or playing some sand volleyball with my friends. But, mother nature has had a different idea for spring in Charleston. Sure there have been beautiful, sunny days with a high of 80 degrees, but it seems like those days a l w a y s fall on a day where I must study for a test, or when I'm working. Yet, there have been more yucky, rainy, cloudy days that have taken over our spring season, consisting of jeans and longsleeve apparel due to the lower temperature.

Now that I am done with classes, finals, and well college (Praise The Lord) I was hoping to use this week before graduation not only as time to look for a grown up job, but also to wind down and relax. Want to know the forecast for Charleston this week?? It falls under the yucky, rainy, cloudy days as I mentioned before. Here it is:

 

So, how in the world am I supposed to enjoy all the beauty of this town when I get weather like this? I planned on spending ALL day at the beach, walking around downtown and using our new camera to take beautiful pictures, and play countless hours of volleyball to jump in the pool in order to cool off. Perhaps I've just been spoiled the past 3 years. I just have a strong feeling that once we move out of Charleston, or if I get another 2nd job that the clouds and rain drops will go away and seldomly make their appearance. Oh well, I know the Lord has the weather like this for a reason (maybe to motivate me to actually use my time wisely). So, thank you Charleston for all of your beautiful sunny days, and for all the rainy days that we've been blessed with.

Oh, and one last thing, to whoever is reading this can you say a prayer for the weather Saturday? (GRADUATION DAY) It would be really nice if it was sunny, low humidity, and the clouds, or potential rain, held off until later that evening. Thanks! :]

Newest Addition

Back in August Keven & I heard some really exciting news about his oldest sister Kara!! Her and her husband (Alex) told us that they were expecting their second bundle of joy. We were beyond excited for this new blessing in their life (if you knew the back story to it all, and all the complications that occurred last time, you would understand all of our excitement). This past Monday (04/22) we woke up to a missed phone call at 7:31 AM, and when we called Keven's mom back we received news that Kara had her baby boy (6 days early!!). So after our last final on Friday, we packed up and headed up to Greenville, SC.

We made a quick pit stop and picked up a new toy as a graduation gift for ourselves. We are very excited and love our new investment! Seeing as how I lost my digital camera charger and have been unable to find a replacement, and we can't find Keven's, we decided to invest in a Nikon 3100. It was very challenging trying to make a decision, especially after I do my own research and ask for peoples advice making a decision for myself, then going into the store and the sales associate trying to talk us up to a higher camera (I'm assuming they didn't realize we were poor college students looking for a good deal). Nonetheless, we are stoked about our new toy and had a great time taking newborn pics for Alex & Kara.

taken via iphone

Ok, ok, enough small talk. The main point about this post is to introduce our sweet nephew, who as of right now is 6 days fresh from the oven. I'm no photographer, but these pics I'm about to show you are straight off our new camera without any editing! 

Introducing, Baby Ryan Dakota Shrum. <3 

That face!!

Seriously, melting my heart!

Frustration with Finals

Before my first-last final. 

I am very excited to announce that yesterday, Friday, April 26, 2013, I took my last college final ever!! I am beyond excited to be done with this stressful semester and look forward to getting so rest. However, I would just like to take a minute to give my thoughts on why finals frustrate me.

Final Exams frustrate me more and more each year. Maybe it was senioritis kicking in, or the stress, either way this year felt worst with this frustration.

Frustration numero uno:    Lack of preparation.
 All semester you learn all sorts of material that you are tested on throughout the semester. Then, some professors like to teach new material after your "last" test and A) either include that material on a final, making it feel like a usual exam, or B) they incorporate that material along with all the other material you've forgotten learned over the past few months.This wouldn't be as bad if professors gave you more inclination as to what was going to be on it. But, is it just me, or does anyone else get really frustrated when you spend countless hours studying something and maybe 1/10 of it is on the test...I mean let's be real, they could've been nice and informed us of half the stuff they didn't plan on putting on the final.  This would have ensured a lower stress level experienced by the student(s).

Frustration numero dos:    Back to back.
Most universities have their finals in a one (school) week time frame. That being said, if you are like me and a lot of others who typically take 17 credit hours (equaling to 5 classes and 2 labs) then if you are lucky you have a final on EVERY day, or if you are luckier (sarcastic tone) then they get grouped together on the same days. [[yayy more stress!]]

Frustration numero tres:    The Pressure.
Most Professors are nice and use the Final as a way to boost your grade above that B+ mark, but seriously, when you are one week away from sweet, sweet freedom, who even wants to think about doing exceptional? I love when professors give you the option of dropping your lowest test grade, so if you are a good student and make it to every test then they allow you to let your final be the dropped grade. Then there are professors who make the final 25% or higher of your total grade, this is the difference between passing and failing!

Frustration numero cuatro:     No more reading day?
Most campuses allow the students to have a day before finals start, to gather all their thoughts and make a game plan as to how to attack these monstrous tests, but not CSU. Apparently, students were taking advantage of reading day and local beaches were filled with college students on the day the University allotted us to spend chained to the desks in the library. So now classes are either straight review the day before, or a cram session to get every last drop of info into the students notebooks. But I see it differently, we are all grown adults and if some of us want to study on the beach so be it. They shouldn't allow a few peoples actions ruin something for the rest of the University...but oh well, welcome to 'Murrrica.

Frustrations numero cinco:    See ya later sleep!
Everyone knows that when this week roles around students can all say goodbye to sleep and start getting "jacked up on mountain dew". However, one of the main things we're told is to get plenty of rest...I don't think I have ever slept more than 6 hours before a final. Maybe it's better for the students that don't have to work, I made the mistake of still working both my jobs during finals so that probably didn't help.

Anyways, congrats to those of you who are done with finals, or almost done. And a even bigger congrats to those of you who are about to GRADUATE (including kev & I). I hope after all your finals are done you can get plenty of rest, sleep in, enjoy your summer and family, and maybe even work to save up moolah for the next semester!

(Side note: Highlight to being done is I'll probably be posting a lot more on here. It may not mean a lot since there are only 5 or so people who check this, but thanks for checking it if you do!)

Before entering our fourth final...kind of over it by that point. 

Secure In the Unknown

photo credit: Michelle Priester 

 

   As my senior year of college is wrapping up I have so much left to do before graduation. After today there are only 7 more classes left until finals start! (insert excited yet not ready for finals tone here) If trying to stay motivated to finish strong and not give in to senioritis isn't hard enough, I also have to do my best to hang out with as many of my friends possible before we all go our separate ways. Oh and did I also mention that in between all of that I'll be working both of my jobs, and trying to figure out what the Lord has in store for Keven and myself?

Trusting in the Lord, easier said than done.  After I realized that we would not be attending grad school right after graduating, and that taking a year off is what the Lord had planned all along, I knew He had plans for us to live somewhere and would provide us with jobs. However, now that I literally have 22 days left until I walk across that stage, grab my diploma (being the first to accomplish this in my family), and enter the real world of adulthood, it's hard to not doubt what God has in store for us. Don't get me wrong, I know He will provide, He has shown that for us time and time again, but when you barely have time to even look at places to live, and you have already applied to ten or more jobs it's hard not to wonder what we are supposed to do.

So far we have a few options. Option number 1 is to stay here in Charleston, find somewhere to live, continue working at our jobs (adding hours of course), trying our best to find a second job, and volunteer at physical therapy places. [this option is favorable because it's convenient, and we would still be around our closest friend..however, God doesn't call us to be comfortable] Option number 2, move towards my family in NC, and find jobs and a place to live. Until that happens bumming off my dad and living in his spare bedroom. Option 3: moving towards Keven's family and pretty much doing the same thing. [These two options are great so we can spend more time with our families, and not just when we visit for a holiday]       O u r goals are to get a Physical Therapy Aide or Rehabilitation Tech job, and live in either an apartment or a really small house. However, those jobs are not easy to come by, especially in this job market, which is a bummer since it would look great on our grad school applications and possibly get our name out to some companies for when we actually do graduate grad school.
[[Side note, I saw an article the other day that said 2013 graduates will have the hardest time in history trying to find a job in this economy...well isn't that encouraging?]]

But, for now, we have to focus on all the last minute assignments and doing well on our finals. Thankfully we have until the end of June in our tiny apartment at CSU, so hopefully by then the Lord will open the next door in our life. If you're reading this and would like to say a quick prayer about where we should live and our job situation, I would greatly appreciate that!