DG Bid Day

Yesterday was Bid Day at SMU and the Alpha Upsilon chapter of Delta Gamma got a whole new pledge class of baby DGs. This is the first time, in my 4 years at SMU that I have not been a part of this amazing celebration. Bid Day 2007 was cold, dreary and rainy - just like it was this year. But no matter the weather, the celebrations continue. DG was an amazing part of my college experience and I wish the best of luck to all the new baby DGs at SMU.

Here's a blast from the past...

Oh how awful those pink jerseys were! Thank goodness we got beautiful navy blue ones the next year. Look at us all with our rain soaked hair. Can you spot me way in the back?

Where are you winter?

(...sung to the tune of "Where Are You Christmas?" from How the Grinch Stole Christmas)

As you can see from the date of this post above, it's 4 days until Christmas and it is supposed to be a high of 80 degrees in the Dallas today. Where the heck is winter?? In lieu of my desire for mittens, fireplaces, pots of soup, and hot chocolate - my blog design if now representing the fact that in normal parts of the country, it is in fact, snowing at this time. Don't get me wrong, I love Dallas and all that is has to offer but it is certainly lacking seasons. On the way to work this morning, I wanted to turn on my Christmas jams but my iPhone corrected me by notifying me that it was 58 degrees outside and a more appropriate song would be "Let Love In" by the Goo Goo Dolls. No Christmas music for me when I have the air conditioning on in my car.

But then I reminded myself that there are lots of places that are warm at Christmastime. Last year, when SMU played in the Hawaii Bowl, my classmates were laying out on the beach in bikinis and Santa hats. People decorate palm trees instead of Douglas Firs. In other parts of the world, people actually put away their sweaters and hats at this time of year and pull out their shorts and sandals. I suppose you don't need cold weather or snow to make it feel like the holidays but to me, it just doesn't seem right.

Last February, it BLIZZARD(ed) at SMU. Everyone went nuts. It was as if this phenomenon people call "snow" only  happened on the moon. There was an all out, campus wide, snow ball flight on our quad. Dallas natives hit the grocery stores and cleaned out the shelves as if they were going to be snowed in for months. It was quite a sight to see. People in Dallas will always remember "The Great Blizzard of 2010"...

Rolling a Snowman like the PRO that I am. It's just in my blood, all that Northeastern(er) in me.

It's very practical to climb trees in the snow.

Well, hello October and hello fall!

I posted a record of 2 times in September. Ouch, not so good. It's not that I've been particularly busy, just not particularly inspired. Things have been sorta "ho-hum" lately and I haven't really felt very excited about anything. Let's get you all up to speed. The second half of September consisted of my cousin's wedding in Chicago and the infamous SMU vs. TCU rivalry game. The wedding was a BLAST and I had a great time catching up with my family.

The Boehm Family (Mom in white and her sisters and brothers)

Mom has perfected the pose!

Cousins!

I hadn't seen my cousin Tyler and his wife Erica since their wedding 5 years ago and now Erica is pregnant!

Me and my cousin Tyler probably when I was about 8

The SMU vs. TCU game was on a friday and it was also family weekend. I was able to sneak out of work at 4:30 and make it over to the boulevard just in time. The stadium was packed full with 34,000 fans in red, with a sprinkling of purple TCU fans. SMU was the first to score and was beating TCU at two points in the game but in the end TCU won out. I still feel pretty good about my Mustangs for holding our own against a #4 ranked team. So far SMU has a winning record in our conference!

I also finally was able to buy my bike! Action pictures to come!

Ok now on to the real point of this post. So far, I have the feeling that October is going to be a great month. I started the first day of October by attending the Citizen Cope concert at the House of Blues with some of my friends. We had such a good time! (pic) Then I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing on the couch and reading outside. The weather has been just perfect!
This morning I met with my small group for the second time. I've joined this 'bible study' through HPUMC for young adults. I was skeptical at first because it can be a scary thing, pouring your heart out to 'strangers' and discussing our spirituality. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually loved the group! I look forward to it every week and the 8 of us really get along so well! Last Tuesday when I got to work, I felt just a little bit different, had a bit of a spring in my step. We meet at 7am so I had to wake up earlier than usual so I expected to be a little more tired at work but it had quite the opposite affect on me. I'm really looking forward to more Tuesday mornings with this group and maybe I'll be inspired to wake up a little bit earlier each morning and have a little quiet time before the craziness of the day.

"Let your light so shine before the world so that he may see your good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven"
~ Matthew 5:16

Wait what...?

Not only was this my "favorite" phrase in high school (it donned the back of my SENIOR GIRLS shirt) but this phrase also accurately describes this time in my life. There are days when I wake up and say to myself "Wait what...?" I wonder how the heck I got to this place...it's the middle of September, I have officially been a member of the work force for about 4 months, I have to start investing in my 401K, I have a car payment, my friends are getting married....the list goes on.
I'm on an alumni committee for SMU called SeRVe which helps recruit prospective students. We called students from our hometown and help answer questions about SMU and the experience. A lot of times when I called, I reached the parents and it's amazing how they change the way they talk to you when you say that you're an alum. They totally change their tone of voice from the "I'm addressing a college student" tone to the "you are my equal/peer" tone. It really started to hit me that while I may still feel like a unprepared student of the "work force",  people around me don't necessarily see it that way.
I know that my world will keep changing every day....but sometimes I just wish it would slow down and let me be a kid again. Good thing I'm going to my cousin's wedding this weekend where I'll be the oldest, unmarried cousin in the family...I think it's the perfect excuse to act like a kid.

For the first time, no first day!

As SMU classes begin today and wide-eyed freshman pour into classrooms eager to start their 4 years, I am reminded of the simplicity of college. When I started school, everyone always said to me "Oh, these are going to be the best 4 years of your life!" Now I know that statement is pretty bold because I'm sure I will have some great years to come, but looking back those days really were the best so far. I know I shouldn't complain because I have only just entered the workforce but I do miss stocking up on fresh pens and blank notebooks. I loved getting my syllabuses and filling out my planner with all my tests, project, and 'no class' days. I had a highlighter color for every class and color tabs to mark pages in my notebooks and textbooks. I'm a school supply nerd and I'll be the first to admit it. The closest I get to "school shopping" these days is a short trip down the hall to the supply closet to restock my black and blue pens.

In the spirit of starting a new school year, I have started a few 'new' things as well.

1. I have decided to start studying for the CAIA: Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst. This entails taking a pre-test to judge my preparedness for Level I. The program suggests taking this test under normal testing condition, ie allotting yourself 2 uninterrupted hours and no outside materials. If you score a 70% or higher, then you are considered ready for Level I. If you do not reach that mark, you can use the suggested textbooks to do some studying and then take another practice test. I've reviewed some of the materials and I think I have the knowledge to take a stab at the pre-test. Since it's pretty slow at work, I might even be able to do it while I'm at work. The next round of testing is March 2011 so I have plenty of time to brush up on the materials before I would take Level I. Then, assuming I pass, I would need to take Level II. After completing both tests and a year of professional work experience, I would hold the designation.

2. I am becoming a Sunday School teacher at HPUMC! I'm going to be working with 9th and 10th grade girls from the Highland Park area. I'm SO excited to get to know these girls - I have a funny feeling I'm going to learn more from them than they will from me! When I was younger, I really wanted to be a 2nd grade teacher, mainly because I idolized my own 2nd grade teacher. I now have a few friends who are doing Teach for America and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit jealous of their current career paths. Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that education is blessing and a curse but I think it would be fun! So instead, I am teaching sunday school so that I can get my weekly fill of high school gossip and hopefully have a small impact.


3. Lastly, I'm going to get a bike...soon. I have been thinking/saving for it for a little while now, but it has just been too dang hot to even think about outdoor activities. As fall approaches, I think I'm ready to get my exercise on and bike the Katy Trail a few times a week! Here is the bike I want...badly.

Trek 7.1 FX