So how do you define a "break"? Because I guess I'm in one. :(

Have you ever divulged personal information to someone that you either just met or knew in your past?

Well, for me the other night when I attended a birthday party for one of my dance teachers who turned 85, it turned out to also be a reunion of sorts. There were people there that I haven't talked to or seen  in over 5 years. Immediately when my friend Shawna and I arrived we regretted the decision. I was also glad that I decided to wear the summer dress rather than my original choice, jeans and a t-shirt. So... back to the ridiculousness... a woman walked into the festivities and I immediately recognized her because she was the mother of 2 younger girls at my old dance studio. She began to ask me about my future now that I graduated from Stetson. I gave her the rehearsed story that I said about 5 other times that night. Then randomly she asked me about my love life and I began talking to her about the boy. Yes yes.... we've been together almost 2 years now... no no.. marriage isn't anytime soon, we're still young. But then it was so strange... I told her how hard this long distance relationship is and how we both are really having our doubts. I swear the word vomit wouldn't stop flowing, I just kept saying things that I normally wouldn't say to a stranger and the odd thing was that while I was saying everything... I heard myself and thought why am I telling all of this to a woman I haven't talked to in 5 years?!?!

I find it strange that sometimes we find it is easiest to pour our hearts out to a complete stranger, yet we more often than not can't find the right words to say to those we love the most.

I graduate from college in 5 days.

I just returned from the Bahamas from my 3 night cruise. It was really fun. The weather was beautiful, the water was crystal clear and the food was plentiful. This was my 1st time on a cruise so I think I got my moneys worth. I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to. I went to Nassau for a day & then Cococay, Royal Caribbean's island. I went snorkeling and saw a sting ray and a bunch of fish. It was good to get away from DeLand, senior research and everything else. It really made me stop thinking about how fast graduation is approaching. But here are a few pictures

So Happy New Year first of all. Last night was the typical new year's for me, ending up being a bad night. Pre- midnight was fantastic. I went to Bradenton with the boy & went to a house party @ his friend's place, it was right on the water & beautiful. But by the end of the night I got upset with him for the same reason. I just don't think he stops and thinks half the time! It bothers me to no end. But I realize that I can only have so much influence over someone & you can't change people, they have to change themselves.

I've decided this year that I am not going to let anything tear me away from what I want to do. I am going to focus more on myself and my needs. I always am so concerned with how other people are doing and I need to devote some time to myself too. A decision that will be impending on that is my grad school choices.

I graduate in May and need to focus on what is best for me because if not, I won't be happy. I take the GRE on the 3rd, in 2 days. I am semi-confident. It's hard because you can never study enough for this test. I could study for 3 years straight and still not be fully prepared. All I am shooting for is 1000. I pray to God that I get at least that. I've been studying for a few months...



changes are happening.... hopefully

Well it's been about 6 months since the last post here, so I decided it's about time to update. I am at home in Clearwater for Christmas break working at Quiksilver & studying for the GRE. This test is going to suck & I'm not excited about it. I just want to get it over with to be honest. I have seen a bunch of people in the past 2 days that I haven't seen in over 4 or even 7 years! It was great to see them but they presented me with awkward get-togethers for the end of the break. I decided that I've lost touch with a lot of my friends. Maybe it's due to being in a relationship or maybe even just out of laziness. But I decided since I only have 1 more semester in collge that I am going to not have any regrets. I am going to "try" to get in touch with people that I haven't in awhile because it really is important to me.

I just haven't been feeling myself lately. Maybe it's the pressure of senior research, graduation, grad school applications & the GRE? Maybe. I hope this feeling dissappears soon.


I miss you guys!

I just came back from a week-filled vacation. I was in Savannah, GA fwith my mom visiting my best friend Cait rom Friday to Sunday then I left Monday with mom & the family for Key West until Wed. It was a lot of driving. But it was so good to see my old friend and hang with her like no time has passed between us & it was so nice to get to spend time with my uncle, aunt & their two kids together. I think I'm getting to the age where I actually appreciate the time spent with my family. Considering my definition of a family is severly dissheveled. When we were in the keys there was not one thing there that could bother me. Not school or any of my concerns. It was like when you were little and you just had pure fun. It's so hard for me to remember what that is because it has been so long since I've had it. It's the kind of fun you have when you have not one thing on your mind other than what you are doing at that exact moment. I wasn't the leader of this trip, mom & uncle were which made it nice. When they said we're going, I went. This is really different for me because normally I am doing the directing of trips and all that. I just sat back and whatever happened, happened.

In Georgia we went all around downtown which I love to do because I adore that city. We searched for some dance studios for Cait to go teach at so she can get back into dance & get some free classes. I really hope she follows through with those. We ate out pretty much every meal & it was nice because all the places we went were so cute. Mom & Bob have a house on Tybee Island, it's off the coast in Savannah. So I slept there the 1st night. The next day the air conditioner broke. It was SOO hot in the house. I thought Georgia, a little more North may have some cool weather... NO. So then the 2nd night I stayed at Cait's house. She is staying in one of those old, historic houses with the wood floors & floor to ceiling windows. It was a fixer-upper but I loved it all the same.

In the keys I went to the beach the day we got there & the next day. We went to a place called no name pub on no name island. I can't  make this stuff up. Inside the pub there were 1 dollar bills hanging everywhere. I asked the manager how much they estimated was covering the place & she said roughly $80,000. Crazy. The day we left, we went snorkling off of Looe Key. It is supposed to be one of the best diving spots in the world, other than the Great barrier. But it was so beautiful. Mom & my worried/scared cousin Liz who is 12 went off together & me and my 7 year old cousin Matt were a pair. We were the best. This kid had no fear. He saw fish at the bottom and dove right down to try to touch them. It was so cute. The fish down there were so colorful. When I was about to get on the ladder back into the boat I saw a huge ass barracuda right next to me. Literally I turned my head & it was there. Freaked the hell out of me. Apparently they aren't aggressive unless provoked so I quickly got into the boat. By the time we had 10 min. left I definately got sea sick. I felt it before on my cruise to Egypt, Kb did too. But this wasn't as bad. It sucked because I was just swimming for about an hour & 1/2 & was sitting on a boat in the hot sun ready to vomit. It got better once we got back to land. It was really fun though, I'd recommend it to anyone.

So having my cousins around made that trip great. I always do not want to go on trips with little kids cause I know they will cry a lot or be annoying in some way. But my cousin matt is the cutest. I really had pure fun with them. I actually wanted to go snorkeling off the beach with them one time. It was out of the norm for me anyway.

It was really really good for me to go on that trip. I was so not into the waking up early thing but I definately benefitted from it. You don't realize the effect the time has sometimes when you are around family until after the fact. It was really great to have some pure fun & quality time with the family. Lord knows it's been way too long since the last time...

Well I am ready for school to begin. I am almost counting the days it's getting so bad. But I know that about a couple months into it I am going to want to go "somewhere" else again. It seems like I get so stir crazy in one place that I always want to keep re-locating. I really liked LA. Talking to my cousin about it again just brought back all these great memories. I am hoping to get a job out there again next summer so that I can earn money AND dance. Wouldn't that be the life???

I am going to be a senior in college and I hate the feeling of  "I don't know." It's hard to talk to people about because I feel like I am just bothering them. Oh well. I guess whatever happens is supposed to.

So this weekend was great. It was Kb's and my 1 year anniversary on friday. We went out to dinner to a Japanese restaurant & then we went to The Dashboard Confessional concert on Sat, yesterday. That was his gift to us. It was amazing. His dad didn't want us driving back from Orlando that night after the show so he got us a hotel there. It was great. 

Dashboard played amazingly. I mean wow.. Chris Carabba can really sing. He has so much talent. I couldn't have asked for a better gift. As for the two of us.. I really had a great time. There was minimal arguing which was nice. I really could see a future with him which makes me happy but just blown away too. Never would I have thought I'd be in a serious relationship at this point in my life. It was completely unexpected but I am so glad it did. 

Only 8 more days of the nanny job. I am counting them down. About 2 weeks till I go back to school. I'm ready to go because I want to see my apartment & everything. I heard that stetson is going wireless on the entire campus & that we are getting digital cable. Great upgrade!

I ate dinner with my crazy family & my cousin Dan came in from LA. If he weren't there I'd go insane. It was a classic family awkward dinner for us all. Mentions of deaths that could occur, how I'm supposed to get married & how my cousin is gay. I mean wow... I think I'm going to keep kb as far away from then as I  can for as long as I can. Better that way. Ouch!

2 weeks. Just 2 more weeks left of driving and hour there and back. 2 weeks left of me getting paid to hang out with someone else's kid all day. 2 more weeks & that makes me smile.. real big. I'm doing pretty well on the saving money plan that I had started at the beginning of the summer. Not sure if I'll still invest it... but it's probably better that I do. 

Just got home from shopping for stuff for the new apt. with ma. Got a cute comforter, bath mat and towels. The pillow and sheets are coming from Bed Bath and Beyond, one of THE most fun stores ever. I'm not kidding. I love that place. ESPECIALLY because they have the "As seen on tv" section. How much better can it get? I love that shit. It's pathetic, I know. 

Things are going well overall. I've been realizing that I really need to start planning out my life or else I'm going to be screwed. I think I am looking into the master's program at USF, St. Pete campus which is convienent. I've been thinking a lot about my future lately. I know this is how every college senior gets... I'm going to be a grown-up soon. I'm going to have a job. I've decided though that I want a job I like... for starters anyway. As time goes by I want a job I love. I would hate to wake up every morning and dread going to work, you know? I mean I know there will be those days when I just DO NOT want to go, but you suck it up. When i get back to school I'm going to talk to my advisors about future plans etc. It is so scary to think about. But I'd rather address the issue now than have it sprung on me right as I graduate and then I would just say.... Fuck. 



Side Note: I love Kathy Griffin. She is fucking hilarious. Did you know that she caught her ex husband of 4 1/2 years of stealing from her? He went into her purse every morning before she woke up & took ATM/credit cards that were not in his name too & stole $74,000 over a course of a year & 1/2. Wow... can we trust anyone?

So the summer is almost over & I've been a nanny for the majority... well all of it. It's an easy job. I am really looking forward to going back to school come August. I'm going to be a senior & it is going to be fabulous. I really can't believe that 3 years of college goes by so fast. I will have to live this year & have no regrets.

I want to go back to LA again. I want to dance again. I miss that. I miss all of that. Maybe that will come up again soon. I am excited about seeing Steph & Rachel. I am excited to talk to my advisors about my future. But I am not excited about my senior research paper. I have no ideas at all. Oh boy... that class is going to suck.


Not much else is going on. How is everybody elses summers?

So I have been here in Bradenton for almost 3 weeks now. I am staying at kb's house watching it for his family while they are away in Australia. I have to admit I think I've done a pretty good job. Normally I really freak out staying at someone's house alone. The house alarm keeps going off randomly though. There is a malfunctioning sensor on a door that enters into the garage. So I tried to by pass it and all that shit. It didn't work tonight so I just said fuck it. I only have 4 days until they get back anyway. I just wish that someone, anyone would stay here. It just makes me feel more secure to know someone else is in the house. 

All this past week I've had off from my stressful job as a nanny for a family here from 9-4. It is probably one of the easiest things I've done for money. I just run errands for this woman and watch her kids when 1/2 the day they are at camp anyway. It's nice. I'm saving money to invest it at the end of the summer. Saving is definately hard though. I've been eating the stuff that you wouldn't eat and just sits in your cabinet.. like soups. 

Kb comes back on Wed. I can't wait! I really don't know how people deal with the long distance relationships. That would kill me. 3 weeks was difficult. Next month we will have been dating a year. Can you believe that? A year! Wow. 

I'm starting to think about things in the future, like grad school or a real job. Jesus. Any ideas? Communications major, Journalism minor. Stetson doesn't offer any masters programs that would be beneficial to me. So that sucks. What to do.....

So I've been in TN for the past 4 days. We left Wed night & drove through the night and then arrived on Thursday & walked all around. I am here for the CMA festival. It is complete country-ness for these 4 days. It's insane how excited these people get about all of this. I've been to 3 different country concerts within the 4 days. There is one every night with different popular names in country music. I just couldn't handle another day of country concerts so I stayed in the hotel tonight while everyone went out.

I came here with Julie (because it's her 21st birthday), Brandon (Her BF), her younger sister, her BF and her other friend from UF Jenna. Brandon isn't so much a country fan but just did it to make Julie happy. I thought it was really nice of him. He isn't the biggest fan of country music, like me. But overall it was fun. I hadn't gone out to a bar & really drank in about 7 months. We took Julie out to get drunk for her 1st time. It was fun. Really fun actually. We have all these pictures from it that are great.

I hope everyone's summer is going well. I think everyone needs to update more please!

I am going to be in Bradenton for 3 weeks house sitting for KB while he is in Austrailia. So if anyone is there & needs a friend. I'll be there.

So I am officially a nanny this summer for a family in Bradenton. I have to drive about and hour & 1/2 to work in the mornings because of traffic which is the worst part about it. I run errands for the mom a good amount of the day & then I just sit around with the kids until I can go at 4pm. I start at 9 and go till 4. It's actually nice because I can do things at night & I'm getting paid under the table. I will be doing this until the end of July & then it's back to Stetson.

I hope it won't be weird there next semester. Everyone I hung out with that was older than me, graduated! I don't know how I'm going to be able to handle this. I hope that they will all keep in touch. But I'm sure I'll be distracted living in the new apartments next year. I can't wait to set everything up. I'm getting excited!

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my future. I know it's a scary thought. But my mom has been asking me about getting my master's degree at Stetson because that would be free as well. I mean it's free schooling. I just hate school. So I will benefit from it in the future, but I don't know if I want to stay at Stetson another year. I will just have to do some research & think about it more. I'll definately have time to do that this summer.

I'll be in Bradenton for the majority of the summer so if anyone has any ideas to keep me occupied here, it would be greatly appreciated.

Well I have 5 days left of my study abroad experience and let me tell you... I have learned ALOT. Not only about myself but also other people. I've traveled for 2 1/2 weeks in Europe and loved every minute of it. Some of the things I've seen in the past 4 months:

The Parthenon- Athens
Zeus's Temple- Athens
Eiffel Tower- Paris
Dachau Concentration Camp- Munich, Germany
The Pyramids- Egypt
The Sphynx- Egypt
Where Hostel was shot- Bratislava, Slovakia
Smoked weed in Amsterdam
Seen & Been in a Mosque- Turkish(North) side of Cyprus
Seen Hitler's Bunker- Berlin, Germany
Aphrodite's rock (birthplace)- Pafos, Cyprus


That's all I can think of right now. But let me tell you, I am so excited about coming back to the US. KB & I are counting down the days. 5 now to be exact. I've learned that the people on your trip really "make or break your experience." I think the group I was with almost broke my trip. If I wasn't able to meet a few cool people or have KB here I would probably have gone crazy... literally. But when I look back I'm going to remember that I saw the Eiffel Tower, now what shit was talked while I was here. I just don't have time to deal with people like that. Especially when they are 23 and STILL haven't graduated college yet. But I'm not saying anything. : )

I have 5 days till I come back to FL & I can't believe I'm saying that I am excited about it!!! I think that I will be working at Quiksilver in International Mall this summer if anyone wants to stop by. I need to make up some of the money that I have spent here. 

5 days. 4 exams done. 1 to go.

Well it is the weekend in Cyprus & honestly... there is nothing to do. Cyprus really isn't the place that I would want to live... here or come to again...ever. So that said I have booked an earlier flight home. I was supposed to leave May 28th but now I changed my flight to May 10th. I've done all I can do on this island. When it is just so hard to do stuff here. The closest beach is an hour away and we don't have cars so we have to call a taxi, which will end up being $50 American or a travel taxi which still will be about $30. So I have gone to the "coast" about 3 times the entire trip. So much for "island."

But good news, only 2 days till I go to Egypt. That is going to be awesome. We aren't going with any of the Americans that came on the trip THANK GOD. They are ridiculous. Don't even get my started. We are taking a cruise from another city out of Cyprus to Cairo. The food, accomodations & excursions to the pyramids & sphynx & cruise on the Nile are covered. I think it's going to be an awesome experience. First I saw the Acropolis in Athens which was a sight on its own, now I'm going to Africa!!! AFRICA! 2 days... just 2 days.

We come back on Wed and then we leave next Sat for Western Europe. We go to 9 countries: Budapest, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Strasbourg, Brussels/Leuven, Amsterdam & Paris. 
 So we have a 2 day waiting period till we leave. We will be gone for about 2 weeks and 3 days and then one week of exams RIGHT when we get back and then we leave that next week. Not bad! I won't have to be around these awful people for much longer. I'm glad that I won't have to talk to them much after this trip. It's not the WHOLE group... but a large # of them are just awful.

We are 7 hours ahead of FL but when we go to Europe we will only be 6. Rachel Chiles is in Avignon, France so when we go to Paris she is going to come and stay and hang with us. I can't wait to see a friend that I know!! We go to Amsterdam too... oh boy... damage WILL occur. 

IF YOU KNOW OF ANYTHING I COULD DO IN THESE CITIES PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME. We don't have that full of a schedule so just feel free to let me know! Thanks!

Well it is the weekend in Cyprus & honestly... there is nothing to do. Cyprus really isn't the place that I would want to live... here or come to again...ever. So that said I have booked an earlier flight home. I was supposed to leave May 28th but now I changed my flight to May 10th. I've done all I can do on this island. When it is just so hard to do stuff here. The closest beach is an hour away and we don't have cars so we have to call a taxi, which will end up being $50 American or a travel taxi which still will be about $30. So I have gone to the "coast" about 3 times the entire trip. So much for "island."

But good news, only 2 days till I go to Egypt. That is going to be awesome. We aren't going with any of the Americans that came on the trip THANK GOD. They are ridiculous. Don't even get my started. We are taking a cruise from another city out of Cyprus to Cairo. The food, accomodations & excursions to the pyramids & sphynx & cruise on the Nile are covered. I think it's going to be an awesome experience. First I saw the Acropolis in Athens which was a sight on its own, now I'm going to Africa!!! AFRICA! 2 days... just 2 days.

We come back on Wed and then we leave next Sat for Western Europe. We go to 9 countries: Budapest, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Strasbourg, Brussels/Leuven, Amsterdam & Paris. 
 So we have a 2 day waiting period till we leave. We will be gone for about 2 weeks and 3 days and then one week of exams RIGHT when we get back and then we leave that next week. Not bad! I won't have to be around these awful people for much longer. I'm glad that I won't have to talk to them much after this trip. It's not the WHOLE group... but a large # of them are just awful.

We are 7 hours ahead of FL but when we go to Europe we will only be 6. Rachel Chiles is in Avignon, France so when we go to Paris she is going to come and stay and hang with us. I can't wait to see a friend that I know!! We go to Amsterdam too... oh boy... damage WILL occur. 

IF YOU KNOW OF ANYTHING I COULD DO IN THESE CITIES PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME. We don't have that full of a schedule so just feel free to let me know! Thanks!

So I was talking with my greek-cypriot friend the other day & we were looking at my pictures. They noticed that I still had a picture of when I was in tri-delt and was wearing the jersey. They saw the greek letters & was confused. So I explained to them what a sorority & fraternity was. It was so funny to hear his reaction. He said, "they are just letters of the alphabet." I thought about it & was like.. you know something you're right. So I was talking about what they mean & everything & he said, I think it's bull shit that you pay that much $ to wear greek letters. hahaha 

I realize that he can't fully grasp the concept of them but I thought it was funny all the same.

I'll end with a quote from him... " All it says is D D D."

So I'm just sitting in my apartment while my roommates go out to eat expensive sushi here in Cyprus. I went to the downtown area with kb today and we just walked around, went in some stores, had lunch and then went home. 

I definately agree that when you travel abroad, the people make the trip. I have realized a long time ago that the people on this trip are not the type I am normally around. At first, it wasn't in a bad way at all. But the majority of this group does nothing but hook up with eachother & talk non-stop shit about one another. It's ridiculous. 

It's only 4 weeks till we go to Egypt. I am counting the days, trust me. I think I'm going to sell my computer here. Supposedly electronics are double the price of what it is in the US. So I have had this computer for about 3 years now and it's about time to update. They say they can't get Dells here either, so they're in luck! I have one! Hopefully when I get back home in May I can get a new computer, preferrably the new Powerbook but who knows.

I really can't wait to get back home. There is so much I miss there. 2 months... that's what I keep saying.

Ok this is the most disturbing website I've seen in awhile.

Click on the SKINNY tab and look at the pics.

http://pro-ana.us/

Sonal I think you may find this sickening