A day in Hollywood Studios, FL

Day 1 in Florida has been spent exploring Disney’s “Hollywood Studios”. This particular park seems to be geared towards the older audience, which is probably why it’s my second favorite.

The best rides are the “Rock’n Roller Coaster” (aerosmith themed, sweeeet), and the “Tower of Terror”.  And they are right next to each other, which means less walking and more awesome-ness.

It wasn’t too hot, it didn’t rain, and we hit up all the good stuff in the park. The night was capped off with my faaaavorite night-time show at Disney, Fantasmic. I seriously cannot get enough of this show. As soon as the music starts I am completely content and watch it with the enthusiasm of a five year old. Good stuff.

This is me, displaying (but not thinking about) how I am clearly a college graduate. Because they wear Mickey ears and enjoy it. Right? Right.

This is the group (“kids”) waiting for the show to start. Post-ice cream. Which means we are happy.

I guess I’m an… alumn?

This is weird.

I walked across the stage, and shook a lot of hands.

I picked up my diploma, and thought about all the classes I took to get it.

I came back to an apartment full of families, food, and people relaxing.

I went out to dinner one last time in Stage College.

I packed up my room, and looked back at an empty space.

I said my ‘good byes’, and even thinking about that now makes me want to cry.

I drove out of town, and realized I don’t know when I’ll be back.

At our ceremony they said “Welcome to the Penn State Alumni Association”. That doesn’t sound right yet, but I guess I’m an “alumn”. And now I’m part of one of “the most powerful networks of college graduates”. Thanks, Penn State.

Now I’m en route to Florida for a family vacation.  We love us some “Disneyworld”, and I am pretty exciiited. I hope it helps to block out this whole “graduation” thing, because reality hasn’t hit, and I don’t want it to. So instead, I’ll spend my week at the Happiest place on Earth, having a Magical time.

Watch out for this Crazy Spring Break-er

I leave tomorrow to head back to the lovely (cold) state of PA, meaning I am wrapping up “Spring Break-2008″. 

I won’t be leaving with any hangovers, all-nighters, bankruptcy from bar tabs, or anything of the sort. I still have money in my bank account and only a few new purchases to travel back with. Instead of having the assumed College Spring Break experience, I have, as usual, done my own thing. My first spring break was spent showing my new (at the time) best friend (and future roommate to this day) the lovely Southwest. She had never been down here and it was so much fun. The next year I was at Disney, and last year I spent it with Jack at his apartment, lounging around and taking a weekend in Chicago.

This year, I spent the first weekend down south with the siblings, which did include the day trip to Mexico.  So I guess I did at least one typical SB thing.  But more importantly, I got to see my little sis all grown up and starting her college life. I got to spend another night hanging out with my brother and his buddies, sippin’ on drinks and playing beer pong at their house.  And I soaked in the fact that everybody calls us “triplets” because, despite 2 year age differences, we all look so much alike. I love that.

A friend of mine was there for the weekend too, so we rode up to F-town (home) together.  I was a little nervous about it being awkward at times, not because of our friendship, but the sole fact that 6 hours is a long time to be in the car with one other person.  Yet, we had a lot to catch up on, and we pick up right where we left off. Again emphasizing that I love roadtrips. Although I could have done without hearing “Low” (aka “apple bottom jeans…..” you know the words) FIVE times. Ew.

The rest of my break has consisted of long morning runs, reading books, beating my dad at cards (rare!!), renting chick-flicks with my mom, cocktails and cooking some delicious dinners and brownies! I’ve done a lot Less homework than I originally planned, but wouldn’t trade my sitting around and napping for that. Yesterday we went out to lunch, and got pedicures and went to Target. I don’t think it gets any better…

Today I’ve been playing travel agent and booking flights for my entire family to PA for my graduation, followed by a little excursion down to Orlando. After about two hours, everything is done and the trip is planned. Gooood stuff.

And now, rested up and ready (sad) to finish the semester, I end my last Spring break.  Tonight will be drinks and a movie with a friend, followed by the packing that I should be doing right now. Then it’s back to the college life!

My V-day Looove

I don’t plan on getting a dozen roses today, or even a box of chocolates. I’m totally okay with that. Jack and I have our gift-exchange, which translates to making each other awesome “care-packages” and sending them a week late because we are both bad about it. It works.

However, my mom sends the absolute best themed-packages for all special occasions. They are usually about a week early (why didn’t I inherit that habit??), and I can’t help but tear into them as soon as possible. One exception is my birthday, because who doesn’t love having things to open on the day? Anyway, I got my V-day love (early, as usual) on Tuesday. I opened it right up and here’s what I found….

The only things missing from this lovely display are the red & white peanut M&Ms. Please. Those were gone in about ten minutes. Yummmyyy. And the Reese’s hearts are well on their way….

She always sends me socks. It’s my favorite part. Because who needs a collection of holiday-themed socks (and multiple pairs for each holiday….)? Nobody. But I have them, and I love them. And they are always there.

Thanks, Mama.

Happy Valentines Day to all of you!!

I hope you are feeling as loved as you should!

Remember the Alamo?

Destination: San Antonio!

We are headed to the southern Texas city tomorrow to watch the Valero Alamo Bowl Game, Penn State vs. Texas A&M. We’ll be greeted with temperatures in the sixties, sunshine, and plenty of things to do! The game starts approximately 2 hours after our plane lands, so the plan is to get off the plane and book it to the Alamodome!

I don’t want to miss any of the pre-game festivities because this will probably be the last Penn State football game I’ll be attending for quite a while. In place of my roommates, I will be joined by my family for the first time! My parents did attend one game in Beaver Stadium during my freshman year, but obviously didn’t join me in the student section. My brother has never been a Penn State game. I brought home everything we need to be “decked out” for the game, so he’ll be sporting a PSU t-shirt and the blue & white beads I purchased just for this!

I’ve never been to an “away” game, so this will definitely be a different experience! As opposed to the usual sea of blue and white, I anticipate being surrounded mostly by maroon. Although, our alumni are all over the place, and they tend to be a little into this whole football thing.

I don’t know where the BlueBand will be, the entire stadium won’t take part in a “We are…Penn State” cheer, and I don’t know if we’ll get to sing “Hey Baby” before the fourth quarter (I hope!!). Either way, I can’t wait to watch our team run out onto the field, followed by Joe Pa in his rolled-up khakis and classy get-up. He holds the record for both bowl game wins and appearances (22 and 34, respectively)!

We are predicted to win the game, so let’s hope our Nittany Lions can pull through. Our last two bowl games haven’t exactly been performances to be proud of, but we did come out on top. Here’s to hoping that this game will give Joe his 23rd bowl game victory!

The rest of our time will be spent shopping, sight-seeing, eating, drinking, etc. I haven’t been to San Antonio since I was about 8 years old, so I don’t remember too much. The parents have already done a little “research” on what to do for New Year’s Eve. My brother decided we are getting “decked out”, otherwise known as Dressing Up! I was pretty excited about this. It gives me another chance to wear my black dress from our Classy Christmas Party and my new black patent leather pumps. Exciting right?!! I can’t wait

That just reminded me that I have yet to pack. We’re leaving in about four hours. ehhhhhh. I gotta get on that.

Sunday Afternoon Activities

We are in charge of bringing desserts to the Christmas dinner, so guess what we’re doing today?? Baking of course! Today’s lineup includes preparations for a Cranberry Lime Tart, Mississippi Mud Pie, and the classic Pumpkin Pie.

My favorite is the “mud pie”. It was my idea to include this one, only because I feel like there should always be a chocolate option. It’s nothing too fancy, but it’s so good! Chocolate cake topped with marshmellow cream, chocolate frosting, and coconuts. Yummyyyy.

The Cranberry Lime Tart is a little bit more complicated. I’m not participating as much in this production. I’m just sitting here writing about it and snacking on the dough of the crust: flour, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and almonds. Delicious! The tart is cooling in the fridge overnight and tomorrow we will put it all together. This recipe came from the cover of a December 2003 Bon Apetit. More on this later, when I can actually taste it.

Tonight I have a date with the family, Dinner and a Movie. The movie of choice tonight is “National Treasure 2″. I’m not big on the “sequel” movies, so we’ll see how this goes. Then we’re going to our favorite local Mexican restaurant, Si Senor. It’s one of those places you just have to go to when you’re home. The chips & salsa come with their special dip, we called it the “white stuff”. We have yet to decide what’s actually in it, but it’s some sort of sour cream/ranch/green chile mixture. I think? Who knows, but it’s spicy and it’s gooood. They make their own tortillas, so if you order fajitas they come fresh from the kitchen. Still warm, soft, and amazing. I can’t wait to get my New-Mexican-food fix!

Mi Casa para Los….Holidays

(Anyone who knows how to say “holidays” en Espanol??)

Finals are over, and the semester is done.
I’ve traveled afar, to a place that sees sun.
Back in the Southwest with my family and friends,
to celebrate the holidays and bring the New year in.

It feels wonderful to finally be back in New Mexico for a nice loooong break from school! With no homework or tests to think about I can actually relax. Since arriving last night I have unpacked, finished Christmas shopping, and baked S’mores brownies. My sister is always baking something, so these were the first of many delicious desserts that I’m sure will be made over the next three weeks. She is a freshman in college this year, but already plans on getting a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, and then going on to Culinary School to specialize in Pastry Arts. Basically, we always have good desserts on hand. We love to go through magazines like Cooking Light (be weary of the cookies, but everything else is usually So good!), Kraft (of course!), and Bon Apetit. The recipes in Bon Apetit are usually a little more complex, but she’s learning and every time I’m home she is making something more and more complicated. Yummyyyy.

Today we went with something simple, the S’mores Brownies. This recipe can be found on the side of the box of Brownie Mix. As usual, we added a little “twist”. Obviously if you love s’mores, it doesn’t get any better than this! Except for the fireside golden-brown marshmellow melting the chocolate on the graham cracker. BUT, since most of us are spending out time inside during the winter, these make a perfect match!

S’mores Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix
3 cups Mini-Marshmellows
5 Honey Graham Crackers (crushed)
1 cup Peanut Butter Chips

Prepare the brownies as directed on the box. Bake for the time designated in the recipe (Or, if you prefer your brownies a little “soft” like we do…bake for about 3 minutes less). After they have baked and are still warm from the oven, add the marshmellows and peanut butter chips on the top. Place the browneis back in the oven for 2 minutes. Top with the crushed graham crackers.

Eat & Enjoy!!!

Reconnected

My parents have finally made the switch!

Never again will I dread coming home to the slow, frustrating behavior of dial-up internet. Never again will I have to wait 45 minutes for the computer to upload 1 picture, or 10 minutes for it to even upload the website I’m trying to get to. Never again will I have to wait for the following; dial tone, static, dialing, static, ringing, static…………………………………..connected.

We finally have the luxury of wireless internet, and if you have it…don’t take this luxury for granted! Think back to those days of having to “dial-up” to be connected to the internet….and how wonderful it is that now you are Always connected. Now I can freely surf the internet, check emails, upload pictures, stalk facebook, and read/write blogs (of course)!!

Aside from being reconnected to the world wide web, it also feels so wonderful to be reconnected to the most important people in my life….the family . Due to the fact that I go to school on the other side of the country, I honestly do not see them enough. This time, it had been 5 months since I had seen my siblings. Thankfully it had been a mere 6 weeks since I had seen the parents, since they made the trip over for a little PennState weekend this Fall.

It’s gotten to the point where I associate being in an airport with “going home”. And if I’m going home, it also usually means that I am done (or almost done) with another semester of tests/papers/stress/school. Therefore it is my time to completely relax, enjoy doing household “chores”, and totally soak up the fact that I have nothing to do.

To know that I have a family that I can’t ever wait to get back to and a house that always feels like “home” makes me feel so lucky.

Family Matters

Those Winslow’s had it all right. Family Matters.
“As days go by, it’s the bigger love of the family.”

Oh, so true.

After a weekend that (to me) started Wednesday night upon the arrival of my parents, I feel content. It consisted of everything PennState of course; Creamery ice cream, football, classes, hiking Mount Nittany, lots of walking around campus, buying PennState everything at the Student Book Store, ridiculously long wait-times for a dinner out on the town, Cirque de Soleil (alright, that might not be “penn state”, but it was a damn good show!), the Farmer’s Market, unexpected torrential rain (although in State College’s defense, it was short-lived for once), surprisingly beautiful sunny weather, more Creamery ice cream and more football. Good stuff.

Despite living 1,000+ miles away from my family, I feel like they are as close as they have ever been. It’s amazing how a relationship with parents can change so much in just a few fast years. They are no longer just the people who watch over you, give you advice, take care of you, and tell you what you can and can’t do. Instead, they become your friends, confidants and comfort. They will always have the advice on life (should you decide to take it), the guidance, the experiences, and the time to focus on you.

It felt good to show them around the life I’ve made for myself at college and know that they are proud of me. It also felt good to legally order a drink with them at dinner, beat my dad at “Hearts” (this does Not happen often, he’s a tricky one), and to not care if I went “out” this weekend because I was just as content spending the nights “In” hanging out with my parents.

Although I did spend Saturday night on the town, once again hittin’ up Lulu’s Nightspot. Good stuff right there.

Saying good-bye is bittersweet. Back to this college-life of mine, which is nothing to complain about. And only 6 weeks until Thanksgiving break (counting down, of course ).