Boys: The Semi-Annual Post

It was about a year ago when I first bravely made a post about boys. Then around six months later, I posted more things I learned. Now with the Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual sale starting, I’m taking that as my cue to do my semi-annual post about boys yet again. You can never stop learning, right?

I went to lunch with my Ambassador bro towards the beginning of the semester and we had a good chat. He filled me in on some things such as how boys operate, think, and do things. I told him I was at a point where I wanted to play their game. You know the whole play the field and make sure to put my feelings on a tight leash kind of thing. He told me I wouldn’t be able to, that I’d get burned. Eh, maybe he is partly right.

“I wear my heart up on my sleeve like a big deal.” – Calvin Harris, I Feel So Close

As if I hadn’t ran myself thin enough with everything I’m involved in and do, I was running my emotions, feelings, and heart ragged too. There was a point I felt like I was dragging them on dirt and gravel. I even made a whole meditative poem about my heart for class. I somehow keep finding ways to incorporate my heart in my writing lately. People tell you that when you are single, it is the best time to “play the field” and see what you like and don’t like. I have been, but is there a point in which you can play too much or too hard? Remember last year, when dates seemed really obsolete in my life? Well somehow, I managed to score 3 pretty legit dates in a very short amount of time. While part of me was feeling lucky to get the chance another part of me was not all the way there and I was just…exhausted and worn out. I was tired of having the same conversations over and over. Hearing the same lines and sentences, taunted me or they lost their meaning and power. By this time I was getting good at keeping those feelings on that tight leash and tried not to get attached. With everything else going on in my life, I just wasn’t all there. So I recommend trying the multiple date thing only when you are pretty well balanced and feeling good about every other part of your life and you are just looking to have fun. If you need to focus on other areas in your life or you kind of want to just focus on one person, eh, don’t do it. It can be overwhelming.

Fall semester seemed to be all about boys that had girlfriends that would try to talk to me. Now it’s the season of meeting the girlfriends of boys that once had interest in me and vice versa. Times such as coming across one at the bar and we start to chat it up and then I get the “Oh, Rachel, this is my girlfriend, ________.” Or how about this one. A boy that I’ve known started talking to me just about every day and there was some flirting exchanged and even a compliment or two. It was on a Friday night when the guy was texting me and then I see him Saturday night out and about with friends. We exchange a hug, have a little small talk and then the guy proceeds to walk away as the girl he was with grabs his hand and they walk down the sidewalk  together. I wish I had seen my face. I’m sure it was classic with my over animated facial expressions people tell me about. I paused and looked at my friend who immediately made a comment about the situation being weird. Then coincidently I start to walk on with my friends and see one of those guys in the first scenario once again out with his girlfriend hand in hand. “Oh hey.” These moments aren’t lost on me.

For BUILD Beauty, I was finally able to do something I had wanted to do for a long time now. We hosted a “Guy Panel.” I personally asked boys that I trusted to be pretty honest and brave enough to participate in this event. There would be a panel of them and they would allow girls to pretty much ask them anything they wanted to and pick their brains. I believe I had about 11 brave boys that ended up being troopers for the event. Girls asked them an assortment of questions such as, does make up really matter, how do you like girls to dress, who should text first and how often, who should say I love you first, how do they feel about shaving, etc. Discussion went on for over an hour and then they were allowed to ask the girls questions. They asked a lot of the same questions, turning the tables on us. I appreciated their answers and it was interesting to hear them open up about the opposite sex. One of the things I probably liked the most was this underlying motif of confidence. It kind of always seemed to come down to confidence being the key. Yes, they like seeing us girls get dressed up every once in awhile (don’t need to pack on the makeup) but they also like when we can pull off some cute gym shorts and a t-shirt and they like if we can do that even makeup-less while owning it. We can rock the sweats and look good if we wear them confidently. Now, make sure you don’t mix confidence with cockiness! Oh, and another thing. They are just about as clueless and confused as we are about pretty much everything too!

You can watch footage from the panel at the ESU Bulletin website! They have 4 different videos that you can access on their YouTube channel through their site link I am sharing with you all. :)

http://www.esubulletin.com/2013/03/28/14711

Inevitably, I burned bridges. I lost someone that I not only really liked, but someone that was kind of like a best friend to me. But things happen for a reason!

“It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well.” – Taylor Swift, All Too Well

Like I said before, I ran my emotions and heart ragged and I got good at not having feelings. I hadn’t had butterflies in a really long time. One of my last posts included a poem about butterflies and stemmed from that period of time where I hadn’t experienced butterflies in quite awhile and I contemplated that feeling and what it takes to feel that. It was actually shortly after posting that poem on the blog, that I had a night where I experienced them once again. It felt good. Boys: Girls like to slow dance. We don’t get many occasions to slow dance, but you can always create an occasion yourself.

I’ve come to find out that guys talk just about as much as girls talk to each other about things. There were times I encountered guys that had friends that I was friends with too and I would say something to one of them and then sometimes not even hours later, I would get, “Yeah, he told me about that!” We may think they only talk about stuff like sports, food, cars, hot girls and the like, but they actually do talk! So watch out!

As of right now, I am keeping on the down low and more to myself about this area of my life. Heck, you will probably find out pieces in about six months in my next boys post, right? I kept this post pretty general and left out lots of details. Didn't want to get too personal with this one. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for further posts! Or if you just want to chat! :)

Take time for yourself and be confident. 

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23

Sparkle & Shine

Rachel

My Looks Lately

First of all, let me tell you, this glitter loving girly girl is loving that glitter nail polish is IN. Thank you, OPI! At first, I thought "Teenage Dream" from the Katy Perry collection for OPI was all that and a bag of potato chips when it came out because it was glitter, but it had some bigger pieces of glitter in it. I was in love and wore it for about 3 weeks in a row which is a big deal for me when I usually change just about every week. Two years later and OPI is coming out with bigger and better (literally) glitter! It is almost a given that their newest collection will include a glitter.

I recommend:
The Living Daylights from the James Bond collection
Polka.com from the Euro Centrale collection
Lights of Emerald City from the Oz collection
When Monkey Fly from the Oz collection
Minnie Style from the Couture de Minnie collection

The Living Daylights

Polka.com

Lights of Emerald City

When Monkeys Fly!

Minnie Style

Towards the end of the semester, you enter in banquet season. Banquets and celebrations galore! So I had fun figuring out at least 5 different dresses to wear to various events I was to attend. Mom told me I could get a new dress and I absolutely fell in love with the Calvin Klein dress I came across. I was so excited to premiere it and look forward to gracing it again at the dinner and dance in New Orleans for the CASE ASAP conference in August!
I love the bold teal paired with the black. I wore black opened toed heels with it.

I also liked that it came up pretty high on chest and almost to my neck. I endured a dinner with a strapless dress where my cleavage was prominent. It was uncomfortable for me and probably uncomfortable for the others at the table! For dresses for dinners especially the formal ones I attend, I like dresses that cover me up because it is professional and I don't have to worry about how much is showing and the guests don't have to be distracted! We can focus on conversation and any other event that is going on at the time!

I usually keep my hair down. I rarely will pull it up for an occasion. I decided to pull it up for my interview for the President's office. I was going for the Sandra Bullock look in The Proposal when she has her hair pulled back and she looks professional in the office setting. I pulled my hair up and left a chunk out and then wrapped it around the band. This made it more sleek and put together plus hid the fact that I was wearing a hot pink hair tie!

Summer is here finally! Sammie did a buy one get two free pairs of shoes at Charming Charlies in the winter and she let me pick a pair out. I got these super cute pink sandals and I have been anxious to break them out! Now I wear them often! This is from their first day out on campus :)
I wore a lavender v-neck and teal necklace. I had purple toe nails going on. I played with bold colors.

Over Christmas break I got two new pairs of sunglasses from American Eagle. I got a patterned one that is navy blue with white hearts on them and then plain black ones. I love the hearts pair because they are so fun and I love the colors. I usually wear them the most especially on campus. The black ones I will wear when I am more dressy or going into a professional setting or wearing a professional outfit!

Occasionally I have to go with a laid back look like a braid and throw on my Aladdin sweatshirt! I continue to get compliments on it. I will Snapchat people when I am wearing it and a lot of people will make a comment about it!

I recently got my hair done finally! It had been way overdue since I was able to pull on my hair lightly and get a few split ends to come off! Don't let your hair get like that! I got it trimmed and colored the usual dark brown. Then got some highlights this time. They are pretty bold and gave me a little more edge. This picture doesn't really do it justice but snapped it tonight for the post!

Today I went to an awesome boutique here in Emporia called Twisted Sisters and got a couple bracelets I am in love with! Been wearing them ever since I got them and still need to plan my outfit for tomorrow to wear with them. :) Man I gotta take them off to sleep? One is a wrap around bracelet from the "Good Work(s)" brand. Part of the money is supposed to go to a good cause. It has a lot of encouraging words and phrases on it. For example: believe, faith, plant peace, come together, truth, accept diversity. I love the encouragement and reminders especially as I am about to enter my senior year and as I begin to focus on myself this summer. I have seen these bracelets at The Buckle and I am sure they could be found in other places and online. I also got a small bracelet that I paired with it that has a cross. I strayed away from my religion this semester as I got caught up in everything else and this was a great way to kick off the summer as I reconnect with God and and my spiritual being. Here's a pic!

As for my fashion wishlist this summer, I have my eyes on a pair of Sperry's (yes, I think I may break down and get some), a fossil watch possibly, and I really need to invest in some plain flip flops. I don't own any anymore!

Questions, feedback, suggestions, topic ideas, and more can be emailed to:
glitterandthegirlygirl@gmail.com

Thank you for reading! :)
Sparkle & Shine.
Rachel
@rachelnmsparkle

Where Do The Butterflies Live?

My poetry journey continues. This semester, I challenged myself and my poetry in different ways. The last poem of the semester that we did was the lyric poem. I was on a mission to make mine short and concise. I was inspired by one of the football players in my poetry classes. I loved how he could write short and concise poems with a big impact. So I wanted to shoot for something like him. Then I wanted to try to be more abstract in my thinking and in my poem as a whole. I tend to write in a narrative style and  also in the confessional mode. I am usually story telling or capturing a moment and telling the readers in a straight forward way. Most of the time, I am spelling it out for you. So I wanted to be more abstract like other famous poets. So here was my attempt at the short and concise while trying to be abstract in a lyric style poem. 

Where Do The Butterflies Live? 
Where do the butterflies live?
And how can I set them free?
I want to see them take flight,
I want to feel them in me.
They’ll burst bright into the open
like colorful confetti in the air.
I want to twirl around, be a little girl
and let them dance in my hair.
They can be ballerinas too
and bounce gracefully in pink tutus.
Let them swim in my brown ocean waves
to visit the mermaids in my mind.
They know the sweetest silence—
don’t share words of wisdom.
They left them in their cocoons.
They don’t need anything else
besides feelings and fluttering wings.
They are ready to fly, faithfully anywhere,
to spark something magical, to share
this feeling they’ve always felt. 
Can I let them loose all by myself or
does somebody else have to ignite
the light to let them flood free?

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

 

Semester Sweep

I knew going in that this semester would be my most challenging. For starters here was the leadership roles & other things I was filling:

Ambassadors - Vice President

Blue Key - Vice President & National Board Rep

BUILD Beauty - President 

Lambda Pi Eta - Member

Student Wellness Committee Member

Working as an assistant recruitment intern in the Admissions office

Writing/modeling for the fashion blog

Being put on the Homecoming committee towards the end of semester for next year

...and going to those six classes in between time. 

Those were just my roles, jobs, and duties to fulfill. There were times I felt pretty strained and I ran myself thin. I was also being stretched thin emotionally. Friendships have been tested and my reputation and who I am publicly have been tested. I took a leadership class this semester and I learned the costs for me as a leader has been time, stamina, and being visible in so many ways. On campus, out and about, and through the many social media outlets we have. 

There was also a death in the family. We lost a great man, my grandma's husband, whom was a grandfather to me. I haven't had much experience and tried hard to get through it for myself and also be there for my family. It showed me a lot. And it showed me love. 

I learned a lot academically too. I took a lot of core classes for my communication major and took my first public relations class. One of my classes was small group communication. We were assigned groups on day 2 of the class and we were to work as a group for the whole entire semester. This included taking tests as a group, writing papers, doing 10 hours of community service and doing a final presentation together for our final. This class kicked my butt and definitely showed me the ropes when it comes to working in groups. We formed a bond and even called our group Team Hammerpunch. I don't even know how many hours I spent with this group. It was very intense! Then I had a group for public relations and we had a real life client, the Granada Coffee Company. We got to work with them and present our PR plan to them as our final. Again, another challenging group project and my first hands on experience working in the PR world. It was fun and I plan to continue to keep up to date with the Granada Coffee Co.! 

Other highlights...

• Seeing Lady Gaga in concert TWICE!
  
• Escorting a Kansas Board of Regent when they visited Emporia State
  
• Starting my new job in the President's office
• Being selected to be a part of the Faces of ESU campaign and getting to do a photo shoot and filming for postcards and possible commercials
• Getting to help put on the Blue Key banquet recognizing 150 students at ESU
  
• Having dinner with Blue Key alums
• Becoming a member at my church in Kansas City
• Hosting the first "Guy Panel" for BUILD Beauty
  
• Going to the 150th Gala for ESU
  
• Having 3 poems published in Quivira, our student literary journal
  

The Blue Key banquet was amazing. Being on the other side and reading through the scholarship applications was really a neat experience. It was very inspiring reading over resumes, essays, and recommendation letters. It was definitely an amazing feeling to be a part of the selection process to narrow down who would potentially get scholarships. I loved giving back. And I can't wait to do it more often in the future. 

For my leadership final, we had to make a video about our leadership journey and what not. I had a blast making mine and going back and visiting old pictures and videos and reflecting on my journey, I was amazed at how much I've done and how much I've grown. Also, I love seeing all the pictures of the people in my life. I've been missing my family a lot lately and I was so happy they came and visited me last weekend. Yesterday, I was able to FaceTime my family as they were having a gathering at my house in Kansas City and tears were rolling down my face just being able to see them. I am glad it was invented. Now that I have digressed, I am going to include my video of my journey!

Our roommate has moved out and Kirsten will be moving in soon. I will be working here over the summer. Next year, I will be the public relations chair for Ambassadors and the President of Blue Key while I have Kristy lead BUILD Beauty. I will also be the scholarship chair for Lambda Pi Eta. I am anxious to see what the next year entails with the new leadership positions and changes in the my life! 

Kristy - Passing the BUILD Beauty torch to her!

New member retreat for Blue Key - Can't wait to lead these awesome people!

Thank you to everyone that has been a part of my journey and getting me through. Thank you to all that send me random messages and texts of encouragement or just random thinking of yous. It means a lot! You guys are the best!

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel 

@rachelnmsparkle

Tough Choices [Lately]

I've had to be a big girl and make choices and tough decisions lately. I've had to think about what is best for me. A little weird concept that we sometimes have to implement in our lives. I had an opportunity come up and at first I wasn't going to take it, but talked it out and decided to go after it. I am going to start working in the President's Office at ESU. This means I will be leaving the Admissions office that has grown close to my heart as I have worked there for the last two years. It was tough to tell my boss who has been the best boss I have had yet that was extremely flexible with my schedule and didn't mind gossiping with me about things and humoring me about my crush on Ron Baker from Wichita State. It will be weird having a new job since being so used to the Admissions.

I also have been having to think about next year and what all I am going to be involved with. The future of BUILD Beauty has been on my mind quite a bit and people have even been asking me. It's time for me to start letting go and letting others take the lead. I told a couple of the girls on my board that I am going to be handing it over. I still want to be involved, but I need to hand it over next year so I can still be here as support when they take it on. I need to get them into it while I am here that way I just don't leave and it totally falls apart. Plus, I need to cut things down as I pursue bigger positions and things in other organizations. I've had it on my mind and after attending the district conference for Ambassadors, it became clearer to me that I need to start thinking and figuring things out. I can't keep running myself thin. It's been rough this semester doing everything, so I need to reevaluate. Having just about every hour planned 9am-11pm every day is probably not the most healthy thing for me! I've been so preoccupied with everything else that I've kind of lost some of myself a little in the mix.

So in about a week I will be starting a new job and then Anna and I are getting a new roommate next month! This will be my first summer being in Emporia so I am anxious to see how that goes. I am ready for things to slow down a little for the summer and have more time to catch up with myself. Among the decisions and choices there have been a lot of things going on. A lot of exciting things at that. It's banquet season and life becomes a busy non-stop kind of thing once April hits. May is just around the corner and I can't wait to make a post about the things going on as I wrap up my junior year.

Now time for the reevaluation process and time to organize. Time to refresh. :)

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

Another choice I made lately, wearing bold lipstick :)

The Dotte: A Dedication

I was born and raised in “The Dotte.” When I tell people that are not from around here, I may get a look and a semi-sympathetic, “Oh” or a surprised reaction. People assume I am from Johnson County. Maybe it’s what I wear or how I carry myself, but I will chuckle and proudly say, “Nah, I’m from The Dotte.”

Some people may know some things about “The Dotte.” That it is indeed Wyandotte County, that we have this “Dotte Original” logo that can be found on shirts, hoodies, and license plates around town and that we may be referred to as “Crimedotte” from time to time. Since I have been raised here all my life, this was all that I knew besides the huge contrast of Johnson County. When I came to Emporia State, I had some culture shock because I hadn’t been around so many white people and I’ve had to learn that not everybody knows about city life or have had such a diverse culture to grow up with. It didn’t take me long to develop a sense of pride for my hometown. To be happy to say that I live in Kansas City, KS not MO. I also developed a sense of gratitude for being able to call this my hometown because it is so diverse and full of an array of people. I think people need that in their life or at least have the opportunity to be exposed to it at some point.

I learned last semester in one of my classes that Lyon County and Wyandotte County are the two poorest counties in Kansas. And I happen to live in both. Lyon County is where Emporia is located. Despite being poor in wealth, I can surely tell you that these counties are not poor in people. Everybody knows everybody. In The Dotte, I have the joy of being a part of this community of catholic school kids since I went to a catholic school until I went to Sumner. I got to run into quite a few at a little bar owned by one of them now called Chicago’s downtown in Wyandotte this Spring Break. It is close to Strawberry Hill that has rich history and was where my elementary school was. Full of ethnicity and I love it. It really does seem like catholic schools are prominent in this town. There also have been a lot of people that went to Sumner that have been successful and doing big things. It was great to see raw good talent in high school whether it was seeing strong emotions from an African American performing a forensics piece or our basketball team winning state. It made it even better when we succeeded when we knew that the well off schools and the Johnson County schools looked down on us because of where we came from, how we looked, and how we didn’t have the resources like they did. Yeah, we didn’t have all that they had, but it sure seemed like we had more talent and in some cases maybe even more heart.

I like going to places and seeing familiar faces. I like that we have small restaurants and bars that only The Dotte has. I like that we were chosen to be the first city ever to have Google Fiber. We were chosen out of over 1,000 applicants. I like the little attitude that comes with people that are from The Dotte. I like that we can still shoot off fireworks on 4^th of July. I like the beauty of our own little city that is developing with the Kansas Speedway, Sporting KC Park and more. I always have to look at the Kansas Speedway from the highway every time I pass by it. It really is beautiful. And it’s beautiful what has come about since its creation. Soon enough, all the revenue will come back to The Dotte and it will be beautiful what it can do for our little town that can.

So this is for all the Dotte Originals. We really are quite some original people and I love that. I’ll say it and I’ll own it when people ask me where I come from. I sure love talking about our town to people. Thank you for the memories, laughs, and good humor. Thank you for this home and for giving me this little spunk and extra flavor to bring everywhere I go outside of The Dotte. Thank you for helping me grow an extra big heart. Love you, Dotte.

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel 

History

The girls that attended the last BUILD Beauty meeting probably hated me for about 5 minutes when I first told them that we were going to be writing poetry during our meeting. I really do think a couple did. In the end though, I think they enjoyed it and were able to open up. I was really excited to introduce them to it and break them out of their shells. Poetry can really be a great creative way to express and delve into ideas, feelings, and emotions.

At the meeting, we talked about Danica Patrick and how she made history qualifying for the pole at the Daytona 500 and then making history by placing 8th. Somebody tweeted that they were celebrating more for an 8th place finish than the actual winner. It rubbed me the wrong way as a supporter of women. I've been a part of making history at ESU with Blue Key being a woman of firsts. I wouldn't want somebody to speak down to that. So I decided to write my poem about history and making it. 

History

History.

Let's make history.

History that's written in books

and makes a home in the records.

She may not have gotten first,

but she was the first

to do what she did

and that's big

just like winning it all.

That big.

Let's make history.

Whether it's first to fly

or first girl in Blue Key.

That's history.

First to lead.

First to succeed.

First to be anything

you want to be.

That's history.

It's big.

It's history.

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel

At lunch in Manhattan with a few members of the K-State Blue Key.

Make a Movement

If you want something to change, most of the time you need to do something to make it happen. Or at least get it started.

I was folding laundry and thinking about what we were going to be watching the next night at the BUILD Beauty meeting when I had an idea for a poem. I immediately wrote it down and started thinking about ways to phrase it just the way I wanted to because I wanted to post it in a picture. I wanted to make a bold statement. We watched Miss Representation at BUILD Beauty which is an amazing documentary about women being negatively portrayed in the media in numerous ways. I highly recommend it if you get free time. It is a great watch that should get you fired up about something. And it's on Netflix! It reassured me that it was okay to post the picture. So I did.

"Boys seem to care more about the numbers and letters that make up my bra size rather than the ones that make up my GPA. I've never been asked that before."

There is the picture! It didn't take long to spark some comments on Facebook. It was a good feeling seeing discussion on issues and seeing people thinking. It's a wonderful thing. Sometimes we don't talk about these things, but I think it can be good for us. It's even better when people talk about it to me face-to-face and not just through social media. It lets me know it can leave an impact and raise awareness for people. Simple awareness can be powerful.

So I don't want to stop there. I want to encourage people to post pictures with statements like I did to raise awareness about issues that deal with gender, stereotypes, relationships, self-esteem, assumptions, and the like. I don't know what I want to do with them just yet. I thought about making it into a collage, it's own blog post, inspiration for poetry, sparks for discussion in BUILD Beauty, and more. This is just the first step to a movement. Who knows where it can go and how big it can be. First thing is first and that is to take the first step and send in pictures!
Please feel free to tag me in it on Facebook so I can save it or email it to me at glitterandthegirlygirl@gmail.com.
You don't have to be a woman. Guys can participate too! You don't have to go to ESU. It can be anyone! Please be appropriate and kind. I don't want it to become an attack on anybody.
Thank you in advance and I encourage you to participate.

I had a discussion with someone about girls and boys. He talked about how there can be guys that talk about girls negatively and wonders how it can be changed. I told him it goes both ways. Girls can't simply blame boys for everything negative. We need to be able to stand up for ourselves and each other and speak up when boys may say/do something disrespectful. We also need to set an example and respect ourselves and each other. If we are okay with how things are and let things slide, that's when it gets worse. It goes both ways. So here's a chance to speak up.

I look forward to seeing pictures! Poetry in pictures. Believe in yourself, Un-do negative thinking, Inspire others, Live fully, Dream. :)

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

People

It didn't take me very long when I started my Happiness Journal (that I need to pick back up again) this pattern of people that consistently showed up. I was writing more about the people that had made me happy somehow that day rather than objects or moments. This really interested me and made me wonder why that is. It also confirmed my beliefs that being a communication major is the right for me. I am simply a people person. More and more lately, I have realized that I officially can't go anywhere without having a conversation with somebody. Just last night, Kirsten told a fellow Ambassador anywhere that you can't take me anywhere. Anytime we go out on the weekends we are stopped by people or I stop by people to talk. And I love that. But it goes even further than that. I have realized the abundance of people that I work with day to day to keep my life moving forward along with my jobs, organizations I am involved in, classes and more. I wanted to give you a glimpse of people in my life that make it bright. I may not get everyone or have a picture for everyone. It's just a little glimpse!

Family.
Family is first. And family is over everything. They are definitely my foundation. They have been supporting me in all kinds of ways and keep my life funny and exciting. I really do think sometimes the family could have our own reality show. Just the other day both my brother and sister texted me during the day while I was at work and it made me heart smile. My mom will send me back to school with home cooked food and my dad will send me inspirational quotes at random times. There is a whole lot of love.

My Stister & I at the Lady Gaga concert in Kansas City.

My oldest nephew, Logan who is my "idolee" :)

Friends. 
Of course my friends are important too and keep my life funny and exciting as well. Sammie will help clean my room and Jessica and I can talk about nail polish for an hour. It is nice to have a good set of best friends to go home to in Kansas City.

Roommate.
Anna. "She's the one I always talk about!" That's what I usually say to people when I introduce her when we are out and about. This lady puts up with me the most probably since we share a room and an apartment together. She deals with my dramatic ways of life and weird nature. She also helps so much with stuff around the place all the hours in my day are filled! She is a favorite!

Co-Workers.
I have been blessed with pretty amazing co-workers! Jade is the only other Admissions recruitment intern like me. So we have to tag team a lot of projects and make sure we get our stuff done! We aren't just co-workers, but friends too. It's nice to work, but also do a little gossiping too!

Jordan is my partner for the ESU Bulletin Fashion Blog. She edits and helps my writing and also takes the photos for it. We make it work and kind of hit it off. We enjoy talking in accents and being weird while doing photo shoots!

The Ambassador Family.
I've made so many great bonds through Ambassadors that now I kind of refer to them as the Ambassador Family. We get to spend lots of hours together with meetings, events, traveling and the like. We have each other's backs and are really great friends!

In Indianapolis

Michael & Hunter. Our Ambassador love bird couple :)

Heather & I at the Up 'Til Dawn event

My BUILD Beauty Ladies.
These girls have been a great help to me this year running BUILD. As I have gotten busier this year, they have been great to have because they can do things to lessen my load by emailing, updating Facebook & Twitter and also brainstorming ideas with me. They are all so funny and sweet and wish I could spend even more time with them! Definitely inspiration!

One of our planning meetings at the library!

My Vice President Committee.
I have a committee for Ambassadors and this semester I have quite a few that are so enthusiastic and helpful. They have been on a roll and can't wait to see everything that we have accomplished by the end of the semester. I think I forgot to mention they are pretty goofy too :)

Partners in Crime.
Now I am Vice President of two organizations so I now I have two partners to tag team and run these two prestigious organizations. Ashley is also one of my best friends since Freshman year here at ESU. We have been through Ambassadors since Freshman year and have done a lot together through the organization. This year has been so great tag teaming with her and doing big things!

Michelle is the President of Blue Key and we got to go to the national conference together. We hit it off right away finding out we have a lot in common! She nominated me for the national board position so I tell people she was my campaign manager :) This semester has been really fun so far getting to know her and work with her as we are establishing this organization!

At a bar in Toledo :)

Faculty & Advisers
The faculty and advisers here are amazing. They really do truly care. I don't know how many times I have felt that. President Shonrock and Gary Sherrer are our advisers for Blue Key. It is neat working and talking with such brilliant and influential minds. Michelle and I got to meet with Dr. Shonrock last week in his office to discuss Blue Key. I am sitting there thinking how privileged and blessed that I got to sit there.

Professor Webb is the adviser for BUILD Beauty, but also has been my teacher for 4 classes. She has been so resourceful in getting BUILD off the ground and running. But she also pushes me to apply for scholarships and makes sure I excelling. A few weeks ago, I left her office and soon had a few emails with deadlines and links to scholarships. Last week she was telling me which papers to use for one scholarship and who would be great for recommendation letters to get a good variety.

Then there is Dr. Rabas who is my poetry professor that is constantly encouraging me to keep writing and keep going. He is always filled with encouraging words on critiques he gives on my assignments, emails, and in person. Just last night I was at the 150 Gala and ran into him. He said, "I really liked your poem in class today" and continued encouraging and talking to me. He's also been a great resource in that area and a mentor. I always get amazed to think that he knows and has worked with Kim Addonizio who is one of my favorite poets!

Another lady that has always challenged me and has a lot of faith in me is Kenna Reeves in the Communication department. She has done letters for me, sent me things that could help with my speeches in class last semester, and now has been really helping me on my path to finding possible internships. She has been willing to take me on and advise me through internships which makes me feel a whole lot better since I don't have very much experience in that area!

Nikki Metz. This lady. She is our Ambassador adviser that puts up with us all! She has driven us for hours and hours to get to national and district conferences, spent hours with us in her office and in meetings. She gets stuff done. And she can tell it like it is. She has been a huge part in getting projects and programs that I have wanted to do come to life such as the T-Shirt exchange and Pay It Forward.

You guys are amazing and I thank everyone that makes me smile, laugh, challenge me, inspire, believe in me, push me, help me, take care of me and more. I am beyond blessed to have so many wonderfully amazing beautiful people in my life! Thank you!

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

Balancing as a Busy Bee

I'm in the car traveling again. Two weekends ago, I was in Toledo, Ohio. Tomorrow I will be on the road to St. Louis to see Lady Gaga in concert for the first time! The semester started off with a bang. I was going from sleeping in until 12:30pm and averaging 1-2 Dr. Peppers a day doing nothing over Christmas break to transition into one of the busiest weeks of my life. We had a two day Ambassador retreat, started school and I missed my classes Friday to catch a flight to Toledo for the national Blue Key conference. It was a beautiful university and I was able to make connections with students from University of Georgia to Kansas State University. I was voted to be a student representative for the national board. It's a two year deal. I was a little weary about it but I wanted to immerse myself in the organization and get Emporia's name out there while setting an example and bar for future members at ESU. I also had the ESU Blue Key alum who have contributed so much for us in mind. I thought this would be a way to give back. Plus, the board needed women representation. They were all guys!

My fashion blog partner and I have managed to get a post published already and even were featured in a large ad in The Bulletin!

I have an amazing Vice President committee in Ambassadors and they already have had so many great ideas for the banquet and the end of the semester! Their enthusiasm and great ideas makes me excited and proud to work with them!

We've had a BUILD Beauty meeting already and have one this coming Wednesday. We made "I Sparkle" boards. I loved one of the girls designs she did. The "I" in BUILD stands for "inspire others." And they sure do that for me. I made friends with people from K-State that is helping me get in contact with resources to better the organization there as well.

For Blue Key, I am on a committee that is putting on a leadership banquet at the end of the semester as well. We are recognizing 150 students that have changed lives at Emporia State. We plan to even award some scholarships that night too.

It's been becoming quite an experience planning two banquets and all the other programs and activities I'm involved in. It's still weird for me to grasp that I'm part of putting on these things that involves thousands of dollars.

I've been feeling more and more thankful, blessed and privileged to get to work with the people I do, the connections I've made and opportunities ESU has given me!

Last night, I was in power yoga class and I found that I really enjoy the balancing poses. I was so focused and steady balancing on one foot. I was in the zone. And I couldn't stop thinking about how comfortable I was with that. Now if only I could balance the other things in life. That's what I've struggled with since starting the semester. Balancing 3 leadership positions, 17 hours of class, 2 on campus jobs and everything in between. This busy bee will be a happy camper when she finds a good peaceful balance. I'll keep working at it and enjoy every minute and every person a part of it!

Thank you!

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel