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

New Year - New Things

I like to change things up and I like new things. With a new year, new things need to be in order! Here are some new things I have gotten and have come across that I wanted to share with you and maybe you can try too!

Liquid Sand Nail Polish

Mariah Carey just came out with her own line of nail polish from OPI. We've seen the "shatter" trend and the "magnetic" trend. Now it's time for the "liquid sand" trend. You put two coats on two coats and it is advised not to put on a top coat. I was too scared to break the rules and put on a top coat, but it really doesn't need it. I didn't know how crazy I would be with this new trend. Jessica and I stayed away from the others, but we couldn't help but love the glitter look to it. Jessica was able to get me the hot pink and blue and also the thick glitter that is not sand from the Miriah Carey collection. I LOVE them. I recommend these because they are different and fun. And it actually feels rough like sand! Also the glitter is a lot like "Teenage Dream" from the Katy Perry line but even bigger glitter! Can't go wrong with that :)

Circle Scarves

Circle scarves were included in the fashion blog I had written for Emporia State. I really like the concept and how fast and easy it is to put on and go! Jessica got me a really neat one for Christmas and cant wait to wear it on campus. This is a great accessory for the colder months to quickly dress up an outfit easily. 

The Single Woman

I stumbled upon the Twitter account @TheSingleWoman because a friend had retweeted something from it. I have visited the website thesinglewoman.net a couple times and have read through some of it and learned more about it. It reminded me a lot of my blog and what I am doing. It is a girl from Nashville that went through a break up and is living the single life while writing. She is now working on a book. It is a great site that redefines what it means to be single and puts a positive outlook on it. Being single in your twenties, some people may think of us as desperate or lonley or something is wrong. This site makes you aware that it is okay if you are single at the moment and that single girls are some tough ladies and it can be empowering. One post I read from it was very uplifting for any single lady and thought I would post a link to it! Go check it out and bookmark it if you are single and ever need something to read to relate too!

The Single Woman Link

Ellie Goulding

I wish I had listened to more of her sooner, but so glad I finally discovered her. Jessica gave me two of her CDs to put on my iTunes. I did last night and I have been listening to her any chance I get! It is definitely something you can listen to while doing homework, writing, cleaning, working out or anything else of the like. I love the sound and her voice has a different sound as well. The lyrics are pretty neat too. She has a great cover of "Your Song" by Elton John you could listen to if you aren't interested in her albums in particular. Definitely a good choice in some new music for the semester!

New Calendar

There is a new app called "Awesome Calendar" or also seen as aCal Lite once you search it in your app store. I just did the free version of it. It is a calendar I believe through Google. It is a calendar that has a little more pizzaz than the calendar that comes on the iPhone. You can change the colors and settings to make it personal. You can also sync it up to other calendars you may have on your phone or through email accounts like Yahoo! or Gmail. I tested it out today and I am able to add things to my calendar on the Emporia Gmail account while on the computer and then it will show up on my phone. I am going to try it out and see about keeping up with it as well as my planner. This might help just in case I don't have my planner with me and need to check my schedule real quick. 

Trying new things for the new year? Please feel free to share with me!

Email: glitterandthegirlygirl@gmail.com

Twitter: @rachelnmsparkle

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel 

New sunglasses! :)

Book Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey

It was on page 2 when Tina Fey talked about her first experience as a kindergartner when she did a coloring and showed the boy sitting at the same table as her. He ripped it in half when she was expecting praise just like she had always been given with everything she did. She wasn't old enough to know the words she was trying to say, but in her mind it was something like, "So that's how it's going to be mother f@$#%r!?" That's when I literally laughed out loud and knew I was going to be in love with this book.

I had attempted to read it when I went to national conference. I got done with the introduction and that was it. I was on a mission to finish this book over Christmas break because I had been wanting to read it for a long time and I was getting a little embarrassed that the last book I had actually finished was almost a year ago and it was the "novel" by the Kardashian sisters called, Dollhouse. (I actually have a blog post on here with my review over it. If you are actually interested.)

I am proud to say that I actually finished this book and I absolutely loved it. I got to learn so much about Tina Fey. Things about her father, husband, daughter, how she got to be on SNL, how she started 30 Rock, and how she became Sarah Palin.

It was also really neat to learn about her views on certain things such as feminism, breast feeding, plastic surgery, photoshop and the like. I also could relate to her in areas such as having a lot of gay friends, being proud to be brunette even when you sometimes feel like being blonde is somehow superior, having awkward moments and her views on women in society.

This book is great if you are a democrat, all about women power, gay pride, and really want to laugh a lot. I probably can't count all the times I chuckled out loud as I read through it. She remains to be one of my role models especially after learning more about her and I have some pretty big respect for her too. She is a hard worker and really showing that women can do a lot and succeed even in big positions like being a television producer, movie writer, SNL writer/actor and also still be a wife and a mom.

Please put it on your reading list!

While we are on the topic of feminism, I came across this link to this article thanks to one of my role models, Eden Tullis, that graduated Emporia State last year. It is about Zooey Deschenel and her views on being a feminist. It has an interesting view that you can be a feminist, but still be girly dressed in glitter and bows. This is a really quick read for those interested in a topic like that! (Just click on the link below.)

Zooey Deschanel Feminist Article Link

I guess it is safe to say that I might be feminist?

Seems like it more & more! 

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel  

 

2012

What a year! I reflected on my year and things I’ve done. It was quite a big year. Probably the biggest one yet filled with so much growth in numerous ways and the busiest schedule I’ve had yet! So I am going to go through my year in how I have grown in different ways, lists a bunch of “firsts” for me and other cool things I got to do!

Growing as a leader…

I was elected Vice President in Ambassadors in the spring and officially started my duties in the fall semester. I continued to be President in BUILD Beauty and then just recently was chosen to be Vice President for Blue Key Honor Society. My leadership roles have definitely become bigger and more important to me this past year. I was also selected to be my sister’s Maid of Honor in her wedding! I had never been a bridesmaid before and here I was in the highest rank as a 20 year old! I kept telling the other bridesmaids that I was new to all of this. It was a challenge since I was 20 years old with no wedding experience kind of leading women that were older than me. Luckily, we were blessed with women that have been involved in a wedding or two and did so much for me to help me and my sister through the process! My August was insane as I had Ambassador retreats the 2^nd and 3^rd and my sister’s bridal shower to help host on the 4^th and then leave again on the 6^th I believe it was to go to Indianapolis for conference. But it all worked out and I loved it!

Growing spiritually…

I started a daily devotional book called, “The Confident Woman” by Joyce Meyer that I successfully read every single day (usually right before bed) except for 3 days. Only 3 days that I missed, but made up for the next day! That book has helped me grow spiritually but as a woman as well. I feel that it has helped my thoughts, patience, and outlook on things. I feel stronger and more content. I don’t worry as much and stress out as much than I have in the past I feel like. It is an amazing book and I recommend it. I am going to start it over this year and highlight things this time. I also made it a goal over summer to go to church every week when I am home. I have been pretty successful in that except for a few occasions. There were a couple weekends I was doing wedding stuff and my birthday weekend that I did not make. I attended Thursday morning bible study over summer with a few other adults. I was the youngest, by a lot. But I loved that little group and becoming closer with people in my church. They hosted a retreat I went to and I was able to get away and learn more and make friends!

Growing through goodbyes...
This year my cat that I had had since I was a little girl passed away. It was also the end of the show, Desperate Housewives that I had watched from the very beginning with my mom. We watched it throughout the years together and I fell in love with that show, the characters and the times watching it with my mom. I also had to say goodbye to people graduating. This would be people I've grown close to through organizations like Ambassadors and BUILD Beauty. But I can revisit old episodes and keep in touch with others through the many forms of communication the Internet has to offer!

Growing through disappointments…

There were some disappointments, but I like to take them as things to learn from and grow stronger. I had my first negative criticism about my blog and YouTube channel. At first, I didn’t know how to handle it, but I am blessed with great family and friends that talked to me about it. I also tried this brand new idea I came up with for recruitment for Ambassadors. I wanted to do a showcase that had funny skits and a new way to relay info to students interested in Ambassadors. I was stressed and a little anxious on how it would turn out. After a lot of thinking, creating, rehearsing and preparing, only 1 student showed up. We ended up not doing everything we had planned. I went home disappointed, frustrated, tired, and even a bit embarrassed. Again, I have an awesome Ambassador family that supported me and made me feel better. Had to keep moving on! I also had a tougher time with classes this year and didn't even think at one point I would pass biology. I never really experienced that feeling, but had to deal with it and get through it!

Growing through work…

It was the first summer I had a somewhat big girl job that wasn’t at a concession stand. I started work at Fazoli’s. It was an experience and another side of work I got to learn about. I met new people that gave me a glimpse into lives of other people. Definitely a learning experience!

I also accepted a second job at ESU as a writer for an online fashion blog. I would be working with another girl that would help with ideas, do a little editing and be the photographer. It’s been pretty fun and the girl I get to work with is a hoot! We have a lot of fun together so sometimes I think; I get paid to do this?

Growing through poetry…

I took a poetry writing class and also a seminar of creative writing class that was a capstone class and one that graduate students could take. It was hard. There were times I had thought about dropping the seminar class, but I toughed it out. I had never done a project like that. I had never been that nervous and unsure of my work when I turned in the portfolio. Those classes made me grow so much emotionally and opened me up through writing. It got me out of the box and more comfortable writing about just about anything. I am so glad I took both of those classes and stuck it out.

A year of firsts…

I got my first iPhone and I have been in love with it ever since. I was glad to get it with how involved and busy I have become. It helps me communicate in all sorts of ways which is really important for things I do, search things, get to places, give me reminders, and wake me up!

I golfed for the first time at an Ambassador Alumni event!

I went to the President’s house for the first time when I went to plan for the BUILD Beauty birthday party.

I had my first s’more with a reese’s!

I finally finally had Chipotle for the first time after so many shocked reactions when I would tell people I hadn't had it.

My first legal drink!

I ate out by myself for the first time and even had a day at the mall on my own.

I attended my first bridal show.

Ashley and I were the first girls in Emporia, Kansas to get the Taylor Swift CD at midnight! They had to get it from the back!

Being the first woman Vice President of Blue Key

Made it on to my first postcard!

Amazing moments…

Receiving the Susan B. Anthony award

BUILD Beauty birthday party! BUILD Beauty turned 1-year-old!

District conference for Ambassadors in Fulton, Missouri!

National conference for Ambassadors in Indianapolis, Indiana!

Making history in the Blue Key Honor Society

Spending time with family and getting closer with my nephews & niece!

Becoming closer with people and making new friends!

Glad to have met one of my new BFFs, Kirsten!

Late night shakes at Steak N' Shake in Indianapolis 

After walking back to our hotel in the rain!

A couple special ladies in my life! Tayler & Doricka

Produced a confidence book with the BUILD Beauty girls!

Went on a sophisticated date with Sammie to see Hairspray!

Went to Clearwater, KS to celebrate Paige getting married!

Been reconnected with Colin who is like a big brother to me! At a wine tasting event for a local politician.

...and Colin has given me a big sister! Been falling in love with Jane! 

Glad to have these people that I get to laugh and be weird with! Stayed and helped me after the wedding too!

My brother and stister. Love them lots.

Stister love :)

Glad to have an amazing family! 

Have gotten closer to my Ambassador family!

Getting to work with the Emporia State President!

And getting to be an intern at the Admissions office with this lovely lady , Jade! 

And living with this amazingly awesome lady that puts up with me and shares a room with me in Emporia! Had a lot of laughs, rants, and spontaneous times with her! :)

I have been sleeping a lot this Christmas break and taking lots of naps. I think I am making up for all the naps I never got to take this last semester. And after reflecting over this year, no wonder, I am tired! I am relaxing and getting refreshed for the new year!

I already know 2013 has some pretty awesome things in store for me.

I will have 12 Vice President committee members in the spring and I will get to work with

11 other Blue Key members.

I will be taking 6 classes this next semester.

I have 4 amazing girls to help me run BUILD Beauty.

I will attend at least 3 conferences and see Lady Gaga in concert 2 times and I have 1 amazing year ahead of me! 

Happy New Year!

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel