The end is in sight…

Here we are, about 2 weeks from the end of my first year here at UC. It still is pretty crazy to think about; it feels like just yesterday I was packing up to move to college in the first place. The past weeks have been pretty crazy too. Last Monday we had the first ever Monday Night Live at UC. It went incredibly well and I was so proud to have been part of the team that got to put it together. Next year we are going to have 3 MNLs a semester, so there is even more hilarity to come. Just this past Monday was Honors Day and my mom came into town for it. The ceremony was rather long and nothing too great, but she wanted to come anyway and it was great to see her. I was able to introduce her to my theatre teachers and most of my friends, which was awesome; I think they liked her alright as well. As for classes, I don’t have too much to do until finals roll around. I only have 2 real tests for finals too, which is pretty awesome. I have 2 presentations and then I have to perform my monologue in acting class, which hopefully won’t be too bad. Then we’re out!! I am pretty excited even though I am going to miss it here while I’m at home. I have enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and am ready to enjoy my last two weeks here.

“the sun in your eyes”

YAY!! It’s time to get out of the middle of nowhere once again! The play is over, which is sad… but all good things must come to an end, or so they say. It’s bittersweet having to take the set down. But it’s going rather quickly. This week has actually been rather fabulous, half of my classes have been cancelled, which, I must admit, has made my life so much better. I was able to do laundry today and get prepared to leave for home. And tomorrow I only have one class in the morning, so my afternoon is free for packing and resting. I’m really glad I have no major tests or stressing before I have to go home for a week. But I have this major research project for theatre history that I need to do some major research for over break. I am not so excited about that.
Break in itself probably won’t be too exciting. The first Saturday I’m home some friend and I are going to go to D.C. to check out all the lovely free museums. I am very excited. Then on Sunday my family and I are going to see Horton Hears a Who in the afternoon, it looks pretty funny. Other than that I am just working and doing research. I might knit some though, I really need to. I still haven’t finished my friend’s Christmas/birthday present which is several months past due…

But all in all this upcoming week should be a good one; I’m excited for the break and to be back home.

It’s still winter?!?!

It has been a CRAZY couple of weeks and it only seems to be increasing in the craziness as time goes on. The play is in full swing and we open tomorrow so it has been late night after late night in the theatre making sure everything is going smoothly and we are ready to go open. That has been taking the main focus of my attention and everything else has pretty much been on the back burner. Classes are going well, nothing too extraordinary had been happening, nothing too major due soon. In my Theatre History class I have this ongoing project/paper that will be our final grade and I’ve been getting more and more books in to use as sources which is pretty exciting except for the fact that I have not had that much time to peruse them. As for mid-terms, I’m not sure any of my classes actually have mid-term tests… which is perfectly fine with me. The major test coming up is once again for Theatre History and it’s on Friday, hopefully I will find some time in the next day to study. And today was just crazy because it snowed?!? It’s been winter and cold for months and then it warms up for a bit and decides to snow the next day? What is up with that? Not that I don’t like the snow, I was just getting used to the fact that we weren’t going to get any and I was ready for it to get warmer and then this happens. Way to be weather, way to be.

Oh the wonders of chocolate…

So yay! It’s February and I am still incredibly busy with so much going on. The play is in full swing and we are officially “off book” this week and it is going surprisingly well. It snowed today which was rather exciting despite the fact that I woke up late and was not dressed appropriately to walk to my morning class. My mom sent me a package full of candy for Valentines Day last week, so needless to say I’ve pretty much been drowning in chocolate this week. I have made a bunch of Valentines to hand out to friends, which got rid of most of it. The rest I’m going to take to rehearsal on Thursday and let all the actors devour it. I’ve don’t have any real plans for Valentines Day… The one thing I’m doing that’s a bit different is that my friend and I are going to the nice dinner the Grill is hosting on Thursday. We have to get dressed up, but we get to eat some good food, which is always nice. Then, it’s off to rehearsal we go like every other night this week. This weekend should be pretty fab though. I’m going dancing in Knoxville with a few friends and then I think I’m having a movie night with another friend on Saturday. Let’s just hope I actually get some work done this week because I have an annotated bibliography due on Friday that I’ve yet to begin. My teacher said she wouldn’t be opposed to pushing the due date back to Monday though, so I may be safe in that area. Let’s just hope she will be persuaded by some candy and chocolate…

Oh, what a night…

Well, ladies and gentlemen, things have been going rather well here in Williamsburg, Kentucky for this freshman girl. Her classes haven’t been too difficult thus far, so that’s not getting her down. She’s been keeping busy, which is always lovely, although she did wish she had more down time between work study and rehearsal.

Speaking of rehearsals, they have been going decidedly well lately! The play is coming along nicely. Today was quite the night though, an above average Tuesday if I do say so myself. I was able to talk to one of my dearest friends who is also a theatre major at a school back in Virginia. We were able to talk about how classes and rehearsal are going and it was just amazing to talk to her again.

After that amazing conversation I headed on over to the Gatliff Chapel for a special concert by this “sweet” band, Black Violin. These two guys played hip hop music with their violins with some mixing in the background. It was amazing! Students were literally dancing in the aisles. By the time the concert was finished it was absolutely pouring outside. Luckily I had on my boots and was therefore able to splash around in the puddles. It was easily some of the most fun I’ve ever had in the rain!

Welcome to the New Year

So, here we are, back at Cumberland… for 4 more months. Anyway, break was good. I had a lot of fun just hanging with my family, working, and going to the real Williamsburg for Christmas. This break was especially refreshing because I could actually get comfortable being home and I didn’t have any work to do, which was a tremendous relief!

This semester is looking pretty good thus far. I got back last week and have been going strong ever since. I’ve never been this busy in my entire life. My classes are pretty good; I only have to enter two buildings all semester. It’s crazy! I have some nice gaps between my classes where I can actually relax and get work done. However, from noon on I am busy with classes, then work study, then a break for dinner, and then finally back to the theatre for rehearsal. I’m really looking forward to the play we are putting on this semester. I think it’s going to be absolutely fabulous. We have a great cast with amazing chemistry and an amazing play. I am so pumped. My one concern this semester is that I am taking one senior level class, mainly just to get it out of the way. I think I’ll be fine as long as I stay up on assignments and don’t wait until the last minute to get things done. All in all I am quite pleased with how the semester has been progressing. I even made a New Year’s resolution that I am sticking to. Three nights a week I jump rope with 3 other girls and on the nights we don’t jump I take on the treadmill for half an hour with one of my neighbors. I feel fantastic. Things are boding well for me thus far and I hope they are for you as well.

Home for the Holidays

Yes!!! The end of the semester has occurred and I am home free for a whole month, well, almost a whole month anyway. I am so glad that classes are over and I don’t have to read any text books. Now I can just sit around and be lazy for a while. Finals were good. Luckily I didn’t have any accumulative tests. All my exams were pretty much just on the last chapter in the book or the last section we went over, I didn’t have to dig up old notes from back at the beginning of the semester. That was really a blessing because I probably wouldn’t be able to find all my old notes. Grades came out yesterday and I passed all my classes!!!

Now, on to more important things like… Christmas! There’s not really anything special planned for Christmas this year except for going to Colonial Williamsburg for the week of Christmas. I am so excited to go there again, I haven’t been in years and I really love it. But for the time leading up to vacation, I’m not really doing anything. I’m just working and finishing up some shopping for Christmas presents and just hanging out with friends from home.

I think the first semester overall went rather well, no major catastrophes. I met some great people and already have a roommate planned out for next year. My classes were fine, I mean it is school. I got along well with the people here even though I did have certain worries, but everything turned out fine. And I honestly didn’t mind being out in the middle of nowhere as much as I thought I would. Amazingly enough, I actually liked being on campus. So all in all it was a great fall, let’s hope spring can keep it up!

There’s No Place Like Home

It’s finally here! The last full week before Thanksgiving Break and therefore, my last week before going home! I can’t even tell you how unbelievably thrilled I am. It will be my first time home since the semester started. I haven’t seen my family in 3 months and I miss them a bunch. On the school side of things… the play is finally over, so now I can actually have a life again and enjoy my evenings. Classes are still the same old thing really. Finals are looming in the distance, but we’ll worry about that when we come to it. We only have classes on Monday and Tuesday next week, which means I will be skipping both days!! I feel like such a hoodlum, but it will be the first time I’ve skipped some of my classes, so I’m not all too concerned about it. Plus, by skipping I will have more time with my family and friends. On my way home, I will get to visit some of my friends in Richmond… Virginia, not Kentucky as everyone in this area seems to think whenever I mention it. My friend is stage managing her school’s production of Dracula and it should be really good. I am so excited to see the play and spend time with her. I only have two more days until I get to make the eight hour trek to VCU and then only two more hours until I make it home. If all goes well, I’ll be able to go caving on Friday and have one last hurrah so to speak before heading out for turkey day. So let’s hope all goes well. I hope you all are excited about Thanksgiving as I am, so have a good one!

Theatre Season

Hello everyone! The semester has officially progressed, and now its time to get down to business! It’s time for the fall musical! That means my life has been put on pause. We’re performing Quilters the musical and we open this Thursday. We’ve been rehearsing for weeks now and we’re pretty much ready to roll. I’m not acting in the show, but I am helping with the scene changes, which means I get to push large platforms around the stage. The show should be really awesome, so if you’re in the area, come check it out!

Other than that, I’ve not really had time to do anything spectacular. I’ve managed to make it to all my classes, despite my lack of sleep due to late rehearsals and homework. But now that this time has come, the next break is truly just around the corner. I have 2 weekends of shows, and then the following weekend I’m headed home for the first time since school started! I can’t even describe to you how excited I am. For break I get to stop by Richmond, VA to visit some friends. Then I get to stay at home for a full relaxing week, where I will enjoy tons of home cooked meals, including the best meal of all time: Thanksgiving Dinner! Can you tell I’m excited?

The only other main thing that’s happening this week is scheduling classes for next semester. I’m not sure what I want to take. I do need to plan carefully so that I can get all my required classes in, especially now that I want to try to double major. I also want to plan on studying for a semester abroad. That’s got me planning all the way through my senior year. I need to know that I can still graduate while taking a semester off. Ahh, just thinking about it makes me stress. I hope everything turns out well considering I am scheduling my classes tomorrow morning, bright and early.

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun.

Wow!  I can’t believe I’m already halfway through my first semester at UC.  It feels like just last week I was moving into the dorm.  Now it time for fall break, and then in a month, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, and finally the end of the semester.
Well, for fall break I didn’t go home, but it was okay, because I got to go home with a friend who lives in Hamilton, Ohio.  It was really great just to be able to relax and get ahead on knitting Christmas presents.  I’ve already finished two scarves and I’m trying to knit my first pair of fingerless gloves, which is really exciting, I’ve never made them before.  The first one came out really nice and I was able to finish them pretty quickly too! It’s a good thing, because I have 3 more pairs to knit!  I’m really excited about knitting, which makes me a pretty big dork, but I don’t really care because it’s amazing!
Midterms weren’t all that tough at all.  I’m doing really well in my classes and I’m sure my parents will be very pleased! There was only one class where I actually had a test for midterm, which was a relief.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to study into all hours of the night the whole week before midterm.  I’m just glad the mid-term mile marker has passed, so I can go on to bigger and better things.  I am so ready for fall to really arrive, cold weather and all.  I want to wear my new coat!  Until next time…

And So the “Learning” Continues

Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy and excited to hear that life is… life.  Not much has changed really.  Classes are fine. I’ve taken a few tests, and managed to pass them by the shear grace of God. Just kidding, I’m not an idiot!  Weekends are still the best part of the week.  I went to Knoxville one weekend to get my friend a new phone. You should have seen her first one. It was absolutely destroyed. That same weekend, I got sun burned at the football game.  I’m still peeling from that one!

Family groups, which are small group bible studies on Thursday nights, have started.  Our group actually took a trip to Cumberland Falls a week or so ago.   The people in my family group are pretty cool. 

I’m already planning my summer vacation/mission trip. I bought my ticket for Germany, YAY!!  I am so excited.  I’ll get to hang out with my best friend for a few days (she is currently studying in Germany).  Then I will go to the most beautiful city in the entire world, Prague.  Needless to say there is still a bit of planning to do, but it is going to be absolutely fabulous! I cannot wait.  Not much has changed otherwise. The earth still rotates every 24 hours, and it continues to make its yearly revolution around the sun.  Teachers still teach and assign homework.  Students are still forced to do it, or fail.  That’s pretty much it for now. 

And so it begins

Classes have begun, which is a good thing.  I finally have stuff to do and more opportunities to meet new people.  My roommate moved in as well, and she’s pretty cool.  She doesn’t talk much, but that’s okay because I don’t talk too much either.    I like my schedule for the most part.  Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays I have classes starting at 9:00, which is a doable hour.  Tuesdays and Thursdays my classes start an hour earlier, but I can handle it. 

This weekend was fantastic.  On Friday night I got to go out with about 30 other people to go caving in these huge caverns.  I got so disgustingly muddy it was ridiculous; my clothes are never going to smell the same again.  There was also an underground river in the cave and some of us went swimming.   It was a blast, but I almost lost my shoes because the mud was so deep and sticky.

Saturday morning I left to go stay with a friend in Knoxville for the weekend.  It was a relaxing weekend which was great and it was great to be able to see her again.  We spent most of the weekend just sitting on her couch watching episodes of The West Wing, a show I now love.  When we weren’t watching TV, we were hanging out with some of her friends and of course, eating great food.  We also went to see Stardust, which is actually really good.  That was pretty much my weekend and now I have to catch up on some homework and reading… nothing major, which is a relief. 

Thanks for reading and God Bless,
Cary Anne

Realization Hits.

Well, I’ve recently looked at the calendar and have just realized how soon I am actually going to college. Wow, that was slightly unexpected. I mean, I knew I would have to leave eventually, but it was always sometime in the relatively distant future. You know, a couple of weeks from now, not in FOUR DAYS! Less than a week. Whoa, I’m so not ready for that. Now I have to psych myself up for this and pack. Oh my gosh, PACK! I have to take stuff with me to college?!

Just kidding, I started packing this morning and am relatively prepared for this major change in not only my life, but also everything I know to be real and true. The world is not completely flipping upside down, just a slight roll is all. I'm actually pretty excited for all my classes, I think they will be interesting, at least I hope so. What I'm most worried about is that period of time between the day we move in and the day classes start. That time where no one really knows each other and don't know how to act around each other. Yeah, that awkward period of time is what I am most worried about.

I'm sure everything will be fine, and all the freshman will be in the same boat, nervous and anticipatory. I just hope my roommate is cool!