fill in the blank friday

I've been neglecting my poor little blog again...

Over the past few weeks I had fallen into a nice little routine here at school. I was finally to the point where I knew my entire schedule perfectly - from when I should leave to get to class, when class really got out, when I had time to work out, when I should eat dinner, when I had work...everything was going smoothly.

I was well on my way to getting a 4.0 this term (I'm an overachiever), and then something came along and threw a wrench into my perfect routine...or should I say someone.

Now I'm not the type of girl to be all reliant on the man in my life...I'm fiercely independent, but I'm not gonna lie to you - if I have the option of being dependent, I take it. I'm in the fun, exciting, "getting-t0-know-you" stage of this friendship/relationship/whatever...this means nights spent talking for hours and hours, days spent texting non-stop, then spending every moment possible together.

This means less time to devote to things like blogging and catching up on my TV shows - not a bad thing at all, if you ask me! It also forces me to be more focused when I do my homework. It also means less sleep than I'd like...but hey, I'll take it!

This is why all I have for you today is a nice little Fill in the Blank Friday from Lauren's blog...play along and link up here! Hopefully this weekend I'll get around to doing a recap of my Thanksgiving fun!

Hopefully

1. Black Friday is ridiculous. The sales are nice, but I'd rather shop online...I hate that it creates all this crazy traffic, too! I've never partook in early-morning Black Friday shopping, and I think I'd like to keep it that way.

2. Christmas shopping this year will include budgeting, being creative, and trying to find gifts that are meaningful.

3. Holiday shopping makes me happy. I love giving people presents. I always want to tell people what I get for them immediately after I purchase it, so shopping also makes me antsy...I always end up ruining the surprises for my sister because I'm too excited to keep it in.

4. This year my Christmas list will include...I'm not sure! I never remember the things I want or need throughout the year. I would like a new pair of boots though. And a new pea coat.

5. Bargain hunter, or full price shopper? I'm a major bargain hunter...I once got a dress for $11.27, originally priced $34.50...love my coupons! But if something is perfect and in my price range at full price, I'll go for it.

6. The best and worst thing about shopping is...the best thing is finding exactly what you need/want at the ideal price. The worst is finding exactly what you need/want and being a mature adult and not buying it...sometimes me being practical leads to me having an un-updated wardrobe.

7. Online shopper or in-person shopper? I like to do it in-person if I can, but I shop online occasionally...usually if I'm buying something I've already tried on or bought in a different color or something.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

♥ abigail

busy busy busy

I've been a very busy girl these days!

Last weekend my dad and my uncle joined my sister and I here at OSU for Dad's Weekend, which turned out to be a great time for all sorts of reasons. I worked a lot, but my family was able to tag along, which made it far more bearable.

This week I've been busy staying on top of homework and midterms (don't get me started on my stance on having midterms during week eight...hello, the MIDDLE of the term is long gone by now!)...I'm anxious for this term to just be over already!

I've also been doing a whole lot of smiling for several different reasons...I'll give you one right now:

Say hello to Santander, Spain...also known as my home for spring term! I am going to be studying abroad from March 28 to June 2, and I am so excited, it's ridiculous!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

♥ abigail

fill in the blank friday

What a week! It was very productive and I enjoyed myself all the while...a great combination, if you ask me. Even though it was a good week, I am very excited for Friday and the weekend. It's Dad's Weekend here at OSU, so my dad and my uncle will be joining my sister and I for the weekend's events...on my end that means a lot of work (two volleyball games plus the football game), but hopefully my sister has some actual fun things planned for us to do!

As usual, here is today's Fill in the Blank Friday...link up here to play along!

1. The most spontaneous thing I've ever done was go on a road trip to San Francisco my freshman year. One week my then-boyfriend, one of his roommates, and I were completely fed up with the co-op we were living in. We decided we wanted to get away for the three-day weekend, picked San Francisco, called another friend, and hit the road the next day. I called my mom form the Golden Gate Bridge - then she instated a rule for my older sister and I that required us to tell either her or my dad before we left the state. Sorry, Mom...:)

2. The best gift I've ever received was my family. I know it's cheesy - but really, nothing material I've ever received even comes close to comparing to how great my family is. I was given two sisters I consider to be my best friends, a fantastic little brother, and my parents have taught me countless important lessons.

3. A time that I was truly and genuinely surprised was when I was given a Luke Ridnour jersey in eighth grade. I used to be obsessed with him, and someone important in my life knew about it...he wrote a letter to the Seattle Sonics, told them about me, and asked for an autograph...they sent him an autographed jersey, which he brought to my house before Christmas when I was sick. I was so shocked and surprised that I cried.

4. I can't leave the house without ...well, besides the obvious (my clothes), the only thing I always have on me when I leave are my keys. I like to have my cell phone and chapstick, but have learned to get by without them. I also can't leave the house with my bed unmade

5. My favorite day of the week is Sunday because it just has a relaxing quality to me. I usually get up early for church, then buy the paper and spend the morning reading it and having a nice moment of peace and quiet. I proceed to spend the day in sweats doing homework, reading, or watching movies with my roommates...bliss!

6. Something that can always make me laugh is Friends. It never fails. It's my go-to "cheer up" show, and it never fails to crack me up.

7. My perfect day would include so many things. When I think "perfect day" I think of this summer in Manhattan Beach - sleeping in, waking up lazily, being surrounded by family all day, spending time on the beach and in the sun...that is perfection to me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

♥ abigail

an incredible compliment

I went a relatively small, private, Catholic high school and was fortunate to have personal relationships with all of my teachers. They all knew exactly who I was, who my siblings were, who I was related to on-staff, what I was good at, how I worked, my intellectual abilities, my likes and dislikes, and my personality...to name a few things. There are even some who know my shoe size, medical issues, and what happened on various dates I've gone on over the years.

I loved having relationships with my teachers like this, because I knew they were invested in my growth and development as a student and as a person.

I cherished these relationships, but I had come to terms with the fact that college probably wouldn't be this way. For the most part, it hasn't been.

Sure, there are teachers who learn your name in classes, and they recognize you vaguely when you appear in their office hours, but the personal relationship is often lacking - understandably so, considering they often teach hundreds of students and have a lot on their plate at any given moment.

I have been lucky to have two teachers (one a professor, the other an instructor) in college who know me a little more personally than just my name. It's not to the point that they know all about my family or my shoe size, but they have come to know me as a student, and I feel as if they truly care about me as a person.

I am in the midst of applying for a very exciting opportunity (referred to as '-' later in this post, since I'm keeping it quiet until I find out what's going to happen), and I needed to have two recommendations completed as part of the process. I immediately thought of my Spanish professor, who has taught me for three terms (currently working on the fourth). He submitted my recommendation, talked briefly about it with me in class, and that was that. I didn't even consider asking what he had said - I'm not an invasive person by nature, even though I'm sure he would have happily shown me what he submitted.

I then thought of my writing instructor, who I took two classes from last year. I liked his class, and he has helped me in a lot of areas. He's the one who suggested I apply for the internship I already had, and the one who recently told me I was a "special student". He submitted my recommendation today, and send me a copy of what he said.

I was blown away. It brought a tear to my eye - he said such nice things, and I know that he believes them. Take a look:

Since I first began teaching at OSU in 2004, I've had the good fortune to have Abbie Silva in two of my classes: WR201 Writing for Media and WR327 Technical Writing. From everything I have seen concerning Abbie's academic and personal achievements, I think she would be an excellent fit for the - . Her maturity both as a scholar and human being is outstanding. Above all else, I would like to call your attention to the nature of Abbie's work in my classes. Although students are able to write about many topics, Abbie always selected topics that involved social and cultural diversity, and working for the public good. Specifically, I would like to cite the two following examples. In my Writing for Media class, Abbie's profile story was an insightful and heartfelt look inside the life of Kari, a young girl who suffered from Cystic Fibrosis; a story which took substantial research and courage to write. In my Technical Writing class, Abbie took a leadership role in the final assignment phase, which involved students working on five-person teams to develop public presentations on a subject germane to their area of study. These presentations were developed from intensive analytic proposals the class participants had written earlier. After it was put to a vote, Abbie's team elected to do her proposal, which was a program to address problems of childhood obesity in public schools. In bringing this presentation to fruition, Abbie went above and beyond to call of duty, organizing, mentoring and enabling her crew to present a best practices presentation. In all such matters, Abbie conducted herself with maturity and aplomb, with a special sensitivity to the diversity of her teammates learning abilities and educational backgrounds. In short, both Abbie's choice of projects and her ability to think articulate meaningful results in a cross-cultural context are a dead ringer for what is expected of OSU students in the -. Of the more than 1,500 students who have entered my classroom during my time at OSU, Abbie truly stands out among the best.

What an incredible compliment. I feel so fortunate to have teachers who have my back in college, and to know that I can count on them to produce such nice recommendations for me. And I feel so fortunate to be the kind of person who has earned this particular recommendation.

I'll let you know how things turn out!

♥ abigail

the plumber's granddaughter

Yes, that would be me.

It's not something that defines me, but it really is one of the biggest things I know about my grandpa.

My mom's dad, Grandpa Ted (a plumber), died before I was born (although I've always felt special knowing that he knew I was on the way). He was only 54 when he died 21 years ago.

For some reason he has been on my mind over the past few days. My mom and I were talking about my student loans (side note: WHY is college so expensive? Yeesh!), and I made a joke about marrying rich to solve all my financial woes.

She laughed and told me that Grandpa Ted always used to tell her "You know, you can fall in love with a rich guy just as easily as you can fall in love with a poor guy!"

Sounds like grandpa was a funny guy.

He always comes to mind when my roommate and I are dealing with toilet troubles - in our case, the chain always gets caught in some do-hickey (obviously this is the technical term), causing it to run until someone jiggles the handle just so. Or the chain disconnects completely, leading someone (usually me, because toilets don't scare me) to stick my hand in the tank to reattach it.

It seems silly, but at those moments I really feel some semblance of a connection to him - the plumber - as his toilet-fixin', problem-solvin' granddaughter.

And while we're on the subject of grandpa, take a look at him...

I think grandma did pretty well for herself, don't you? He was quite the looker, in my opinion! My mom and her siblings look a lot like him...they have his smile.

So I may not have known him, but I know about him. I know what he did, what he stood for, and when I can see little pieces of him in those around me (and on those plumbing occasions, in myself as well), I feel connected to him...and those connections are enough to really make me the plumber's granddaughter.

♥ abigail

Sunday

I love Sundays.

Even when I have a lot to get done, I am always overwhelmed with this great feeling of relaxation and peace.

That feeling usually abandons me by Monday morning, but I enjoy it while it's here!

This morning I got up happily at 7:15 (thank you for ending, Daylight Saving Time!), went to church, and came home to get started on some homework. I am currently listening to the soothing sounds of The Goo Goo Dolls while enjoying a cup of tea and a slice of banana bread I made. Add in the sunshine streaming through my windows and I am a happy girl!

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday.

Listen to this song...it'll help push you in the right direction.

♥ abigail

a little rambling + fill in the blank friday

I really either need to stop saying I'll update you on my life later or start updating you on my life as it happens...because I never remember what I want to say or even what I was doing, if I'm being honest...mostly because nothing that happens to me is at all that interesting.

My life is pretty basic these days - classes, the gym, and homework every day; work a few days a week (mostly weekends - gross!); watching TV shows with the roomies a few times a week (our favorites include, but aren't limited to, How I Met Your Mother, Teen Mom/16 and Pregnant, The Big Bang Theory, and Grey's Anatomy, and Say Yes To the Dress. We also tend to indulge in a little Gilmore Girls on the side); and sleeping when I can.

See? You aren't missing much. Last week was particularly busy, but I don't know why I said I'd write about it later, because there really isn't anything interesting about three midterms in one week (two in one day even. Which is gross, but not interesting) and having three papers to write. One in Spanish.

As one of my favorite TV characters Lorelai Gilmore would say, "Oy with the poodles already!"

This week has been a lot calmer, but still very busy. Sometimes I feel like I'm running around like a madwoman, but at the end of the day it all pays off because it results in my to-do list being significantly shorter.

If there's anything more satisfying than crossing something off your to-do list, don't tell me...you'll totally be killing my buzz!

Although if you told me there was something more satisfying, I wouldn't believe you anyway...

But let's not tempt fate, okay?

In other boring college news, one of my "running around like a madwoman" errands led me to an old (old as in former, not age) professor's office hours. I was checking on the status of a recommendation form I requested from him, and was so happy after our conversation. It basically turned into a "Let's say nice things about Abbie for five minutes and completely embarrass her - but in a good way" conversation.

He told me he was flattered that I had asked him, and was so excited for what I'm applying for. He also told me that it's not often that he sees "special students" like me who work hard amidst "a sea of underachievers" (I got A's in both of the classes I've taken with him). He told me that I am going places and am going to do great things with my life.

Needless to say, I left his office confident that he is going to give me a good recommendation. And feeling like I was pretty cool. You know, if we're being honest.

This weekend will take me to Eugene on Saturday (my sweet little bubba [aka my brother] is running in the state cross country meet), back to Corvallis for work on Sunday, then back to Eugene on Sunday night so I can be in town for my dentist appointment on Monday morning. Don't worry - my sister is driving us down on Saturday, so I won't be wasting gas going to and from home a million times. And by a million, I mean two. Clearly.

Thanks for sticking through all that rambling with me...and now we continue on to Fill In the Blank Friday. Link up with Lauren to play along!

1. My last haircut was before school started. I took my hairdresser a picture of Selena Gomez's cute shoulder-length cut with the side-bangs and had her recreate that. So adorable, but I'm lazy and never take the time to make it look like Selena's anymore...oh well!

2. My most daring hair moment was when I got my perm! I've always been obsessed with curly hair, and have spent my life trying to find anything to keep curls in. I finally was brave enough to get a perm, and it turned out fabulously. I did it twice, and it only recently grew out (this spring). Once my hair gets a little longer, I think I'm going to do it again - it fit my lifestyle so much better (I'm such a wash-and-go girl), and I really liked it.

3. A hairstyle I'd never be brave enough to try is anything shorter than my shoulders. My face is way to round to handle that. Plus, if I can't put my hair in a ponytail, bad things happen. Like stress. And nose itching. And stressful nose itching. Not good.

4. I've always dreamt of being a (blonde, brunette, or red-head) brunette...I love my natural color and can't imagine having anything else!

5. My go-to hair do is straightened and down, with a little bow on the side. I know it's bad to do it every day, so I try to refrain...but my hair is that annoying kind that almost is perfectly straight, but flips just enough to make it look like I tried (and failed) to curl just the ends.

6. My biggest hair disaster was when I was five and decided to cut my own bangs the day my mom was taking me to get my picture's taken...they were wet and in my eyes so I gave myself a little trim. Whoops! The picture features me with an extremely gelled half-ponytail.

7. A hairstyle I and dying to try is any sort of cute braid. My hair is too fat and doesn't like to stay in place, making this difficult to achieve, especially when my hair isn't super-long right now.

8. My best hair day was...I couldn't even tell you! I really loved it when it was the perfectly grown-out stage of my perm.

9. The worst hairstyle I ever had was when I was five. My mom thought it'd be cute with really short hair. Like a longer version of a bowl cut, but not by much. Apparently it was popular in 1995, because two other girls in my kindergarten class had the same cut. You know how everyone thinks kindergartners are cute? My mom ruined that for me...

10. My hair is annoying as all get-out, but I love it just the same.

Happy Friday!

♥ abigail

boys who can sing...

...never fail to melt my heart.

I'm not kidding.

Every single time I'm around boys with pretty voices who sing, I feel like I die a little bit. In a good way. Every. Single. Time.

You already know of my love for Tyler Hilton...

But what about my love for Brett Hite?

Can't forget about him. He's fantastic.

My sister introduced me to his music after he played a small show at her sorority, and I fell in love with his voice and his lyrics.

Tonight he played at her house again, and even though I'm not in her sorority, I was there to enjoy it. (As a side note, I feel that as her real sister, not her sorority sister, I should receive certain privileges. Like listening to pretty boys with pretty voices sing me pretty songs.)

He played for a little over and hour, and I fell in love with his music all over again...I definitely melted tonight. No question. I was a goner.

He's in the rotation of artists I listen to a lot, and he's definitely worth checking out...Listen to him on myspace or find him on facebook or iTunes...he's really good! I can't pick just one favorite song of his, but some of my top favorites are Wishing Well and Sing Me To Sleep. Give them a listen and let me know what you think!

♥ abigail

my happy place

While I'm not easily rattled, and while it takes quite a bit to ruffle my feathers, I have my moments where I can be extremely irritable.

I chalk it up to being female, and figure my mood swings will pass in a day or two, and I can get on with being my usual, cheery self.

Sometimes though, when I'm trapped in these funks I find myself getting even more irritated by the fact that I'm irritated...and that just causes more irritation. It's a vicious cycle.

But then there are days like today...days when I'm irritated at lots of different things for lots of different reasons (sometimes justifiable, oftentimes just me being ridiculous by holding everyone to my extremely-high standards), but I can't stay cranky for long.

Because the sun is out...because the air is crisp...because the sky is almost blindingly blue. And I can't stay upset for long when all of that is happening at the same time.

Throw in some gorgeous trees whose leaves are those fantastically beautiful shades of deep orange, pinky-red, and dark yellow, and you really can't make me mad to save your life.

So on days like today, I'm so grateful for the weather being around to drag me out of my yuck and get me here, to this place where happiness is the only option...no exceptions!

What never fails to drag you out of a funk?

♥ abigail

halloween weekend

Once upon a time weekend were for relaxing...they did exactly what their name suggested: provided an end to the week. An end to being busy, an end to work, and end to stressing over school. Somewhere along the way, this idea got lost - weekends became a waste of time. Why waste two days on doing nothing? Why don't we cram them as full as we can withstuff so that not a second will be spared?

Whoever decided that weekends should be an extension of the regular week is totally on my bad list right now.

Don't get me wrong - my weekend wasn't terrible. It was just far too full to provide me with anything resembling relaxation.

On Friday I finished classes, hit the gym, then worked at the volleyball game, then went to a mugger dressed as Queen Frostine...remember?

At the volleyball game I ran into an old family friend and her family. I hadn't seen her or her husband in six years, and they were sitting right behind my spot at the scorer's table; it was such a coincidence! So much has changed since I'd seen her last - I was 14 then, and her daughter was 6 months old, and her son hadn't even been born yet - so it was good to catch up.

She used to babysit me when I was little, and her mom was good friends with my parents and used to take my sibling's and I for the weekend so my parents could enjoy some kid-free time. She told me that her husband was playing rugby on Saturday morning and that I should come and watch...

So on Saturday, I got up and got ready for work and for rugby, and headed out in the rain to take in the action. It was good to get to talk to her more (rather than the sporadic one minute 15 second timeouts I had to talk to her during on Friday), and I hope that it's not another six years until I see her again!

I worked at the football game, then headed home for some homework before heading out with my roommates for a little Halloween shindig we were invited to (we went dressed as cowgirls, a cop-out of a costume. We're planning next year's costumes now to avoid copping out again!). The entire time we were there I was giving them a running countdown of how many hours until I had to get up...let me tell you, as the numbers got smaller and smaller, I started really dreading Sunday morning.

Sunday morning found me rising after 2.5 hours of sleep at 5:30 a.m. to head to Portland to watch the Oregon State crew teams at the Portland Fall Classic. Despite the early morning, I managed to make it through and actually enjoy the event - it was an incredibly beautiful day.

Right after I got home I headed to the volleyball game (this time to watch, not work, which was a welcome change...I actually got to cheer!). I then went home and did homework, hit the gym, came home to do more homework and watch Harry Potter with my roomies...it was then, at 9:13 p.m. that I conked out on the living room floor, Spanish notes acting as a pillow.

I woke up about an hour later and went to bed, and finally got some much-needed sleep.

As you can see, my weekend was busy and full. While it wasn't all terrible, I miss being able to not do anything on weekends...weeks and weekends seem to run together, the only difference between the two being that I don't have class on the weekends...this week is already looking a little calmer than last week, so I hope this non-stressed out feeling lasts me a couple days at least!

♥ abigail