End of 2014!

Ello gang,
I apologize for being a long while, but the busier I get the less time I have to update you all on, well, everything that has happened since Halloween!
So let's get right to it, shall we?

Omicron Delta Kappa

In early November, I was happy to be nominated by a faculty member (or two, rumor has it...) to be inducted into the national leadership honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa. This particular group of people was one that I was always hopeful of getting into someday, and this semester by some turn of fate, I was deemed worthy enough to join. The induction ceremony lasted around forty-five minutes and I felt especially proud that people on this campus see me as a leader. To me, that goes a long way and I will keep striving for success in building myself and others as better leaders.

Anberlin: The Final Tour

That same day, I went to Silver Spring to catch one of my favorite bands of all time, Anberlin, one last time. After twelve years of making music, the band decided to release their seventh studio album and go on tour playing their biggest hits. I saw them once in January 2013, and wanted to make sure I got my last dosage of the incredible live performance they put on. So I took Evan to the show as well, it being his first concert ever, and we had a blast. I naturally found myself joshing, crowd surfing (while I was up there, the lead singer reached out and held my hand for about 5 seconds!) and rocking out. To my surprise, Evan had actually done the same! I wish could do that at my first concert...

Eventually I stumbled into old high school friends after the show and Evan and I headed back to Salisbury. It was quite the performance.

Phi Mu Gala Last month we held our 25th anniversary formal, aka Gala. We paid homage to our high school prom dresses (or if you're like me and wore incredibly short dresses to your proms, then you went elsewhere to buy one!) and treated our alumni to a night in Ocean City filled with music, dancing, food and nostalgia for the college days. Our founding sisters were honored with certificates at the dance (yay Emily's mom!) and it was wonderful getting to meet older alumnae as well as see recent alum who left only a semester or two ago. My favorite part was seeing all of the ladies wearing colorful and vibrant (see what I did there?) dresses that mirrored almost the entire rainbow spectrum. Well done, classy ladies!

Thanksgiving!

I am very lucky to have gotten a couple days off work to come home to see my family. My lovely Tía and Vóva (aunt and grandma respectively) came to visit and it was wonderful being able to catch up! Even though it was not a very long time back in MoCo, every moment counts and I cannot wait to see  my family again. Christmas needs to get here sooner!

Sig Tau Semi Formal December arrives and so does the wonderful winter dresses! Evan's formal was fun, being able to relax after big projects and prepare for finals up ahead. I have no clue why blue was the theme of my formal dresses this semester, but I digress...

Chancellors Holiday Party

I guess being important has its perks. Evan's position as the President of the Student Government Association at SU allows him to travel to meet representatives from other Maryland schools and University System of Maryland Counsel of Regents to discuss topics and make decisions in post-secondary education. Luckily I was able to tag along in a holiday party in the Towson area. We enjoyed some beer, ate delicious shrimp and posed in many pictures with many famous (educational) people! I was even fortunate to meet another sorority sister from Towson University! How cool is that?

Tiger Tones Performance

Whilst in the area, I was able to swing by Towson University to see a performance of the acapella group my sister is in, Tiger Tones. It was a series of performances with her group as well as many others, singing with style, authenticity and reaching a bunch of high notes. Nonetheless, my sister continues to make me proud as the singer in both of us lives on vicariously through her! Spending time with her truly made my day as well!

Finals Week

After a long week of finals...aka me taking one paper final and watching our classes' animation projects, I wound up earning my first 4.0 ever in the history of my education. This excites me because despite my numerous commitments outside of academics, I still managed to succeed both in and out of the classroom. This definitely will motivate me to do better next semester as well, as I hope to graduate next semester with honors. Fingers crossed!

You can watch my animation project here:

Winter Graduation 2014

Speaking of graduation, one of my very best friends completed her SU journey yesterday! I am so very proud of my dear friend Courtney for finishing the Communication Arts degree and graduating with honors! Soon I will be done as well...but until then, I can't wait to see what amazing things she will do in the world of media. Congrats girl!

Holiday Shenanigans

Celebrating the season with one of my coworkers the other night was amazing! The great thing about being in Salisbury until Christmas is truly getting to know my Salisbury friends and not worry about school getting in the way. I am beyond excited to see what this week will bring!

As the semester winds down, I am incredibly happy with how hard I worked to reach my goals, academically, financially and socially. Fall 2014 brought me so many incredible memories and challenges and I am so happy to be able to continue to achieve successes in my life. 

How was your semester? What cool things did you end up doing/joining? For those of you still on the Eastern Shore, please hit me up so we can hang out before I head home! I work tons but I am up to relax every once in a while!

Happy Holidays y'all! Eat lots, sleep in, and do the snow dance!

Halloweekend 2014

Halloween...oh, you all are just too creative!
Going on Instagram during Halloweekend is one of my favorite things to do because I get to see everyones multiple costumes for each night of the infamous weekend. Being in college, you can wear multiple outfits (yes!) and experience a whole new batch of characters in one entire weekend.

As most of you know, I was Lara Croft for Halloween, finally knocking off ANOTHER item off of my 101 in 1001 list! It was such a simple costume to put together, and the fact that in the series she has many costume changes helped a bunch.
For those of you who are not aware, Lara Croft is the main female heroine in the Tomb Raider video game series. Since 1996, she has travelled through ancient ruins, discovering lost artifacts, solving mysteries and fighting many enemies and bosses along the way.
Check out this video to see her evolution throughout the years:

Now that you know, let's see how Halloween went with my outfit:

Thursday night I was Lara Croft of course, sporting her signature french braid and a black crop top with black spandex and black boots. Additionally I had my black backpack, black fingerless gloves, gun holsters and of course the guns themselves (they just made sounds when shooting and reloading!). It was honestly hard to keep track of my guns because the holsters were both designed for the right hand, so I had to support the left side with the loop that is used to strap over the gun, keeping it safe. The right side worked fine however; the left side was very much open. Needless to say, I had a drink in my right hand and a gun in the other. 

With that said, I went to Brew River that evening! It was my first time going there on a Thursday night  in nearly six months...way too long! It was packed with very vivid costumes from many people, and I glad I got to see a decent number of friends and sisters there that night. I guess I can say that I rocked the movie version of Lara!

The next evening, I was wearing a whole neon 80's outfit during the Salisbury Jaycee's Treat Street event in Downtown Salisbury. One of my organizations, Lambda Pi Eta, signed up to participate in this for our semesterly community service hour requirement. It was a lot of fun being able to brighten the faces of children when they got to go trick or treating with their family right in the plaza! Windy but well worth it.

Following Treat Street, I was Lara Croft yet again (saving that money!) except this time, changing my top to a brown top, black spandex to black pants and black boots to brown boots. I definitely feel like I fit the video game version a lot more on this one.

I had gone to The Deli to celebrate one of my best friend's 21st birthday, Courtney! Joined by friends and sisters, we all had a great time singing karaoke by the end of the night. It was a blast and really made me appreciate my days and nights off.

To be honest, Halloween is actually my favorite holiday for many reasons, but a) you can dress up b) there is usual a fun social gathering c) you can be who you've always wanted to be!

What were you for Halloweekend this year? How did you spend your Halloween? Let me know, I'd love to hear your experiences!

Until then, I'll catch you on the flip side!

The Reality of Running for Homecoming Queen: A Recap of SU Homecoming Week 2014

As I emerge from a long week of studying, working and campaigning, I finally have had the chance to catch up on a bunch of life events as well as recap this week as a whole!

Homecoming Week 2014
As most of you have seen or heard, I was one of the candidates in Salisbury University's Homecoming Court! It broke down to an initial application process, auditions and the pageant itself. I was fortunate enough to have been accepted with my boyfriend Evan with our dance talent at the auditions. 
Running through the whole show at the dress rehearsal the night before the pageant was an interesting look at how everything would work. Now, I have participated in Sigma Pi's "Sigma Cutie Pi" event a year and a half prior to the competition, so I had a general idea of how talent shows are done. Seeing most of the performances that day gave me excitement for the following day of presentation. 
There was a lot of pressure from various sources; I was good friends with most of the Homecoming Court before the week, I was competing with my boyfriend in the hopes that we would both win together and most people on campus knew at least one person running. Despite this, we all made it this far, so there was no stopping us now!

Homecoming Pageant

By the time the pageant started, I was incredibly nervous but ready to get out and show the world what I got. The hosts asked us questions about campus, school spirit and personal life. Throughout the show, contestants would showcase their outfits: casual, decades, school spirit and formal attire. Additionally, the contestants performed their talents at different parts of the show, sometimes between outfit changes and questions!

Below is the link to the video in which Evan and I performed our talent: a bachata/decade dance. Let me know what you think; many people LOVED the 90's (for a great reason too!). 

Watch the video here!

Campaigning Throughout the Week

It was sometime between leaving GUC after auditions to getting to my house that I invented the hashtag, #LebrockTheVote. I thought it was a clever and catchy way to remember the fact that I was running and wanted to receive a vote. Many people complimented me on the quote (and by many, I mean there was always at least one comment on each campaign picture that I shared!) and I decided to utilize that to the fullest extent that social media would let me...without becoming too annoying.

I hung up multiple posters and flyers with my face on campus so that people would see them and consider voting for me. One of the coolest experiences to prepare for Homecoming Week was being able to have a photo shoot with my friend Tom Sebert of Sebert Photography. Definitely check his portfolio out, he's really good and will do various shoots for a low cost!

With my pictures plastered across nearly every bulletin board in every academic hall, I tried to make sure people were seeing my posters. And oh yes, they definitely were. Even one of the advisors to one of the societies I am the President of had even told me that he saw me fifty-two times that day...all over campus. I was about to comment on his statement but then I really thought about it...

Voting for the King and Queen

I will be honest; I hated social media so much this past week. With the voting process finally opening up to the students, I was always posting about voting for myself and telling friends as well as random people to vote for me too. Would I have voted for myself if I had tried a ploy like that on myself? I don't even know! But at least some of you did, right?

With friends telling me left and right that they voted for me, I was going PR-crazy. I just HAD to convince the entire campus that I was worthy of being Homecoming Queen. Sure enough I, as well as everyone in the Homecoming Court, was qualified for the title. It was just a question of our performance in the pageant and the number of votes we received. I couldn't even remember how many times I told people the following:

"DID YOU VOTE FOR ME?!"

"HEY YOU IN THE YELLOW. VOTE FOR ME!"

"HEY I HAVEN'T TALKED TO YOU IN YEARS LOL BUT VOTE FOR ME!"

"VOTING CLOSES AT 5PM FRIDAY WHY HAVEN'T YOU VOTED YET?!"

"DID YOU SEE ME IN THE PAGEANT!?"

"HOW ABOUT MY POSTERS. DID YOU SEE THOSE DAMN POSTERS?!"

"I WANT TO WIN WITH EVAN IT WOULD BE SO CUTE IF WE WON TOGETHER OMG"

"BUT IF WE DON'T WHATEVER RIGHT?!"

"WE STILL CUTE HAHA VOTE FOR ME!"

"YOLO VOTE FOR JADE!"

"HERE'S MY COMPUTER VOTE RIGHT MEOW!"

"#LEBROCKTHEVOTE!"

Um...yeah.

Homecoming Parade

The final result of who would win Homecoming King and Queen would be announced at halftime at the Homecoming Football game that Saturday afternoon. Before the game even started, we had another important event to attend to: the Homecoming Parade and Block Party!

We all were allowed to ride on a fancy float with balloons and a banner hanging off the back of it. After all, we were royalty, right? During the parade, we were on the float, waving to the crowd and posing in pictures. There was even a kitty to pet! (I REALLY wanted it, by the way...)

After the parade, we all were dismissed until just before halftime, when we would learn who won the titles of King and Queen. I spent my two hours at the Block Party, where I got stung by a bee, ate free food and rode a zipline! It was a fun-filled afternoon for Jade, let me tell you!

Homecoming Football Game

Waiting in the stands before half-time made me super nervous. I was excited and terrified at the same time, wondering who was going to come out on the other side as the victor. Additionally, I was worried that either Evan or I would win and the other counterpart would not. Many emotions buzzed through my head. Then I looked at our Homecoming Court: Evan, Jennifer, Philly, Katie and Paris.

In that moment, I realized that we all had something in common: the fact that we were involved with an organization on campus. Whether it was in Greek Life, Orientation, Residence Life, Student Government, Passion 4 Fashion or anything else, we all held leadership positions at this school. The fact that all of us had made it this far shows that people know us, recognize us and respect us for the hard work we put into this university. We all are LEADERS of SU, regardless of who wins.

King and Queen!

In the end, the committee presented Paris as Homecoming King and Philly as Homecoming Queen. We all congratulated them on their successes, and once we walked off the field, the six of us all huddled together. We shared an intimate moment that I will never forget. Each one of us LIKED being with one another in this competition; there was no hate, there was only love for the people who won and who participated in the competition. We all loved each others performances and grew closer to one another throughout this week. Even if the results did not go the way we all wanted, it did not even matter because we all had fun with it. And that is supposed to be what Homecoming is about: coming together because of the incredible times we've shared and growing from our experiences.

If there is anything I've gained this week, I've gained three new sisters and one brother (obviously I'm not going to call Evan that...ew moving on!).  I gained the respect and support of people that I already know and also just become friends with. Homecoming Court is something that I am proud to have participated in and you better believe that I am rocking my pin to graduation in May! 

Finally, I learned that it is not all about winning, it is about celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime chance that I can confidently participate in a friendly competition that I know that people will support no matter what. Regardless of the number of votes or the amount of money I put into this campaign. Everyone I know who even paid a glimpse of attention to mine or anyone else's campaign deserves a giant piece of cake. The love from everyone on this campus has been amazing.

I wanted to thank everyone who supported me in this competition, you are AWESOME and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Congrats Paris and Philly, you both deserve it! Homecoming Court for life!

Some Minor Annoyances

I'll just get right to the point before I am late to ballet class.
Usually I am a pretty headstrong person that won't let minor nuisances get in the way of my ability to thrive in an ever-changing world, but recently there has been just a few things that are annoying me about what people have said to me. Now keep in mind, complaining is for the weak, but ranting is for the strong who are sick and tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.
And it is about something that does not involve them: me.
Here are some things I hear almost daily, and what it going on in my head when you say them. Yes, I am judging all of you!
"Oh my god, I miss your Zumba classes Jade!"
If you missed them so much, I'd see you in my current classes on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
"Wow Jade, you work so hard! You really need to slow down."
If I slowed down now, I will never fulfill my goal of raising $4,000 for MY study abroad trip in a few months.
"Hey Jade, when is 'insert event here' happening again? I didn't check that email/text/post you made!"
Then maybe you should go look at it again.
"Why is your backpack SO BIG? It looks like it's hurting you!"
Obviously it carries my entire life because I am always on the move. And yes, it obviously hurts, thanks for reminding me that I have back problems.
"You always eat fast food..."
I don't have time or money to eat healthy.
"Do you ever like, sleep?"
I do. Just a lot less than many of you.
"When are we going to hang out?!"
Whenever I am not busy focusing on raising money for study abroad. If something opens up, I'll let you know.
"Why are you so mad all of the sudden? Aren't you happy all the time?"
I am easily irritated because of my current life and your silly questions. I can't say I know anyone who is happy 24/7.
Again, I don't mean to rant, but you have to understand that when I run into most of you from time to time, I don't have time to explain myself when your questions are so judgmental. I am a mainly positive person, but I am very driven to what I want. And unfortunately, I am at a time where I have a very large goal that needs to be met as soon as possible.
I love you all; but baby, all I need is time.

Happy September!

Hey guys!
So it is the first of September, which means many of you should be back in school and some should be starting school tomorrow (I'm looking at you, UMD folk...)
Either way, I have had a very interesting week of classes and adventures at Salisbury. As it is my senior year, I definitely want to take a moment and appreciate the awesome things I have done since starting the semester.
First off, I had a wonderful class schedule, only having one class a day. Yes, this includes a 3-hour Friday class, but regardless I'm taking classes that will inevitably help me become closer to my goal of graduating next May.
Before I get to anything academics-wise for this Fall, I want to talk about my summer! As most of you know, I had an internship with a fishing tournament in Ocean City called the Big Fish Classic. I registered for credit with my internship through SU's CMAT program which is one of three options necessary in completing the major. The academic requirement was making a web folio which contained an updated resume, work logs, work samples and a final paper. After submitting my website, I checked my grade a week later and... I GOT AN A! I am so proud of myself for working hard this summer to obtain four more credits as well as an unforgettable experience. Check out my website here!
Seeing my friends and sisters has also been a huge plus. Although I have not had much time to catch up with everyone I want to see yet, I will make sure to spend some time with some of you real soon. And if you wanna hang out, definitely hit me up sometime! 
In terms of my jobs this semester, I will sound like a crazy person. I have about three jobs on-campus and two off-campus. I am just getting my schedules for most of my jobs and despite the fact that it's a lot of work, my bank account should hopefully have more moola in it for savings purposes. In case you were wondering, I am traveling to Ecuador this winter and most of my funds raised this semester will go towards that total.  If you would like to help me out a little and chip in $5 or so, I would greatly appreciate it! Donations are accepted here!
Of course, I have to make time for me. This semester I will make sure I have some time set aside to develop on myself, whether it involves making more short films, practicing my languages, dancing more, or even visiting the gym more, I will reward myself with new life goals.
If any of you read my blogs and have a Bloglovin account, I encourage you to follow me! I try to post at least once a week, though sometimes the gap between posts are a little longer (that's because I'm busy as hell...or sleepy...). Regardless, I appreciate feedback and if you feel inspired or intrigued or any other emotion whilst reading, please let me know. I love conversations and I believe that blogs can bring people closer together!
Otherwise, have a great week of classes everybody. And to those who are graduating either in a semester or in May (like myself), cheers to senior year!

Actions speak louder than words...but what if they didn't speak at all?

Hmm.
I am very intrigued at the moment. Is it because there is something in front of me? Not physically...but emotionally, yes.
I want to know something right now. This might not be stemming from anything in particular, but I think this may have to be put out there. 
Why are people lazy?
No, that is not a good question to ask. I'll rephrase it: how are people not motivated to follow through on their words? On their dreams, their tasks, their promises? This has been starting to bug me since the summer, since I jumped into many commitments involving work and leisure. 
What I want to know, is when people say they will do something, why don't they actually do it? It drives me crazy to know that people will say they will go attend a friend's soccer game or mail out a postcard or make plans to go out, and it never actually happens.
Granted, I know things come up and situations arise, but it the responsibility of the person to at least either make it up or let them know what is going on. It is truly pathetic if one's actions don't mimic their words.
Why am I even talking about this? I'll tell you why. This year alone proved to me that some people don't follow through with what they say. At the start of the year, I decided I like to bite off more than I can chew. I love being busy, and it has become a lifestyle choice that I do not believe will ever change. I have been involved with Greek life, three executive boards, and worked five jobs all at the same time. Despite these commitments, I still make time for my friends, my relationship and most importantly, myself. I make certain that any plans I make follow through and if they don't, I would try my best to make it up to the person(or people). Even if I am busy as hell, I still own up to what I am able to do. My commitments are not random or sprung onto me because I want to see how much I can suffer, but I know I can follow what is expected of me and perform at my very best.
I know plenty of people with many commitments as well: school, clubs, sports, you name it. But you cannot be involved if you are not going to apply yourself. Some people I know are paying for school ENTIRELY on their own and making the most of their college experience, and some people are getting a free ride and not making anything of themselves. Yes, I know it is their choice, but it is still a shame to see someone work so hard and barely getting by when others just lounge around all the time. 
My main point is that if you are one of those hard workers who came to college for more than just an education, I tip my hat off to you. But before I even do that, I want to know and trust that you have been following through with your responsibilities. If you hold a position in your club, team or organization, do what you're supposed to do. Follow the guidelines of your position and do what you say you are going to do. I am so tired of seeing all the work get put onto one person, and lately, I feel as if that person was me. School and work aside, this also goes for relationships. If someone asks you to do something, do it. If a friend needs help, help them. If your partner needs some more love, give them that reassurance. If you make a promise, please keep it. I've lost so many friends because I could not count on them, and broken promises are hard to overcome. 
Please just hear me out: I am not blaming anybody for their actions. Whatever you may be dealing with, put more effort into it. I swear you will achieve more success if you just care a little bit extra. Be more motivated to fulfill your duties with style. Put more time and energy into everything you do. Your friendships will last, your jobs will reward you, your organizations will thrive and you will feel more at peace with yourself. 
On a last note, I will tell you a brief memory. When I was growing up, I was always told that I was going to be taken to DisneyWorld for a vacation. I am twenty-one years old and still have not had that experience. Please, for the sake of those who care about you, don't let forgetting, excuses and being "tired" be the reason why people can't count on you. 
Wake up and give a damn. 

Goodbye Summertime

Hi everybody!
So I do sincerely apologize for the huge gap in between posts, and hopefully that will not have to happen again. I was so swamped this summer with many events and activities including my internship, jobs and my social life. As summer winds down however, I am finally gearing up for my senior year. 

Summer Lovin'

This summer I had the chance to work a lot and play a lot as well. With friends visiting, seeing my family and going to new and exciting places, I was able to learn about myself and the life I was living on the Eastern Shore. Occasionally I spent some money on nights out, concerts and a minor shopping spree, but I mainly started to appreciate the concept of saving and working towards my goal for Ecuador study abroad this upcoming December.

Some of the cool things I did this summer were:

- live in Salisbury

- work in Ocean City

- have an internship in said location

- attend a car show

- meet Mya

- work at one of the biggest marinas on the east coast

- film the Big Fish Classic

- start teaching Zumba at Fit Physique

- share many memories with my boyfriend

- knock a few things off of my 101 in 1001 list

- see one of my favorite bands, 30 Seconds to Mars, for the first time

- send tons of emails that make me seem like I am important

- bond with my coworkers

- serve as a New Student Orientation Leader for the last time

- be nervous as hell for the future

To sum it up, I'd like to say that my summer was pretty good!

Taking on New Roles

I can already tell that this year is going to be tough. As if being on the Executive Board of three organizations was enough, try factoring in my classes as well as my four or five other jobs too (see, I lost count). Nonetheless, it helps to surround yourself with people who happen to be as busy, if not, busier than you so that you both can understand what the other person is going through. In the past few years, I made it a mission to be with someone who is just as involved as I am in activities and other shenanigans, and now I have been dating the new Student Government President for over ten months. Jeez, where does this time go?!

Treasuring the Small Things

Some things in life come, and boy do they go fast. I had the pleasure of being an Orientation Leader this past week, and while it was long hours in and out of the crazy weather escorting new students everywhere, it was definitely a great experience to start off my senior year. These students are the same age as my little sister, so it was interesting seeing the age gap and putting that into perspective from what I've known my whole life. What these students gave me was excitement for the year to begin and for the semester to kick off with a bang. This was my third and final time being an Orientation Leader, and I will admit that this is pretty hard to shake at the moment. What I gained the most from this experience is seeing your students grow in four days and knowing that you made an impact on their lives whether they realize it or not. I thank the Gull Squad for giving me the time of my life for my last time as an OL. 

Well, as my last first day of school approaches, I sit on my bed with a smile on my face of all that I have accomplished this past year and summer. I am beyond eager to see what this new school year has to offer and what cool opportunities will come my way.

With that in mind, I want to share a song that I have always listened to the night before/the morning of school in my high school days. The song is called "Crumble", by Modwheelmood, and the choruses are what make the song perfect. I have always found the end to be my favorite part:

"Saturday is almost over, 

getting high off stormy weather.

Something to remember, sunny days just make you crumble.

Ask me why you don't feel better,

almost ten feet underwater.

Remember, goodbye summertime."

Check it out here:

 

Thank you, summer 2014. Onward to the best year of my life!

"You give the strength to me, a strength I never had." Powering Through Adversity

Hey guys!
So I tweeted once a couple weeks ago saying I knew what my next blog post would be. Now I can't promise that it is the same exact idea that it was back then, but it has more of a clear purpose today. As I continue to work 50+ hours a week with all of my jobs and an internship, there are times where I lose my way and start to overthink many aspects of life (ex. worrying about my future and where I will be, trying to figure out good people vs bad people in my life, how to not let people walk over me, etc.). Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that it's not really as bad as we may think it is and more importantly, take a second to stop and appreciate what you have right now. In other words, worrying won't get you anywhere. Unless there is a reason to worry, then don't dwell on it.
Sounds good? Good. Anyways, back to reality.
My life has had many ups and downs this summer. Ups include making money, hanging with friends, teaching Zumba again, learning more about Ocean City and overall just gaining more experience with life. Downs include lack of sleep, commuting, not eating healthy, not consistently working out and feeling left out from certain social activities due to work. As always, I try to find a middle ground between my activities, but sometimes it can be a challenge. There isn't always time for a nap or relaxation, a lot of the time I have to just keep going.
Sometimes there are events that turn your life upside down. The theft of my debit card information. The fact that someone hit my parked car and didn't leave a note. The passing of a friend whose funeral I cannot attend today because of work.  The fact that I still have a long way to go to save up for Ecuador this winter. It all comes down like a clap of thunder and there are moments where I just want to stop everything and take an extended vacation on my couch.
But then I realize, I can't stop. If I were to give up now, nothing would be accomplished. My motivation would diminish, my money supply would vanish and I am sure my connections with others would fade. This summer I made a goal and I choose to stick to that goal by putting my bad luck aside and keep moving forward. This is the only way I will succeed.
Summer 2014 has taught me a couple of things. So far it taught me how to depend on myself, ask for help when I have nowhere else to turn, build my savings and learn who I can count on. Being in Ocean City with everything I've got going on, I have been privileged with the connections I have made and the friendships that have been expanded. Even though I'm not serving at a cool restaurant or living at the beach, I have made the most out of what I have and I am making it all work. My family and friends are super supportive of everything I've got going on and without them it would be 100x more difficult to do what I do on my own.
To those friends who I haven't had the time to catch up with this summer, I apologize and hopefully my summer will give me more flexibility to be able to hang out and stuff. 
To my family, I love and miss you so much. It's hard enough being away from you for longer than I am but I will find time to come back and visit sometime, I promise!
To Evan, thank you for holding me close when I feel like breaking down. You give me so much strength and encourage me to do my best regardless of whatever it is I am pursuing and having you here with me this summer has made me the happiest girl on the planet.
I have learned so much while being here, and as always I don't regret a thing. Because none of it would make me who I am today. 

The Reason Why Yesterday Was Super Duper Awesome

Howdy y'all!
So I probably the BEST DAY of summer yesterday and, considering that it was actually the first official day of summer, I believe that had something to do with how my day actually went.

Ocean City Car Show 2014

After a long morning of marketing for one of my jobs in Ocean City, I was ready to head back to the Salisbury area when I heard that one of my favorite R&B singers Mýa was in town performing at the Convention Center. I drove by after work and saw that the Ocean City Car Show was in progress. I started to hang around for a bit and see what was going on. NOTE: I was by myself when I did this, so keep that in mind.

Because of a friendly gesture from an awesome employee, I was able to get into the show and roam around to explore the Car Show for all of its glory. Now keep in mind that I am in no way, shape or form a car person. I just own a car. But some of the cars I saw really caught my attention with the way that they were designed physically as well as the artistic qualities they had. To my surprise, many people came up to me (mostly dudes) and were baffled by the fact that I was by myself. Again, I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to check out something new. With that said, I continued looking at cars, collecting some free items along the way such as t-shirts, cozies, lanyards, etc. I ended up even getting a custom vinyl decal for my car...can you guess what it was?

By the time it hit mid-afternoon, I ran into a fellow media production friend Jake as well as my good friend Jason, who also happened to be working the event with Live Wire Media. Finally having a friend at the event, I was able to talk about how I wasn't originally there for the cars, but for the possibility of seeing Mýa perform in the evening. I was eventually invited to the VIP section of the event, hanging out with some cool people I had just met, as well as got to meet a few staff of the OC 104 radio station. I couldn't believe that I had met DJ STR8 UP, Tenacious Cubed, and the Hip Hop Coffee Shop himself, Bill Baker. I was thrilled to be able to be hanging out with one of my favorite stations on Delmarva.

Remember how I said I was by myself earlier? That really did come in handy at this point...

Dreams Come True

With some miraculous twist of fate, I was actually allowed access to go into Mýa's dressing room and meet her! My elementary school self was going crazy inside! She was so nice and friendly, and she had no problem posing for a picture or two. Most celebrities aren't usually willing to let me stick around after taking a picture, but she was so cool that I was actually able to have a full-on conversation with her! I told her how I bought her album Moodring when I was little and how I got it taken away from me when I was younger from my parents and she laughed. We kept talking and we got onto the topic of nose piercings and how I knew that she had one and that I had just removed mine as well. She actually told me that she had a fake I.D. and got hers done when she was 16 years old. You go girl!

Eventually we kept talking about her music in regards to her new E.P. Sweet XVI and about her song "Super Woman", as well as her role in Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. I told her that her eye makeup reminded me of my Brasilian roots and she smiled. We kept talking for what seemed like a while but it was merely a brief 5 minute conversation. I eventually asked to get a snapchat with her, in which she simply replied, "selfie!" It was definitely a huge fangirl moment for me as she laughed (AGAIN!) when I took the photo. I couldn't even begin to tell you how much I respect her for being so incredibly cool and sweet to give me an opportunity for me to talk to her and show her that I truly appreciate the music she makes and the beautiful person she is.

Super Woman

As her personnel and I walked Mýa to the stage (I still can't believe I was there), I exchanged a few last words and she took the stage. Fortunately I was able to actually stand backstage and take some pictures and video clips of her performance with my friend Natasha, who was also working the event. It was a performance of many of her hits, as well as a wonderful cover of Robin Thicke's "Lost Without You". As she introduced the next song, she said that someone had made a "request" backstage to play one of her new songs, "Super Woman". As much as I don't like putting myself on a pedestal, I couldn't help but wonder if she was referring back to our conversation when I mentioned that song. I don't believe anyone else had talked about her playing that song that night, and she was talking to me for a good amount of time for me to even bring up that song, so I'd like to think I was the person she was referring to that "requested" her to play that song! 

The last song she performed was "Lady Marmalade", which was a single she was in with Pink, Lil' Kim, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. She sang all of the parts in the song, and it was cool seeing her embrace that song all by herself. After that song, she left the stage and eventually got escorted away. Even though my phone had died at that point, I saw all that I wanted to see.

A day later, I am able to say that I was incredibly lucky yesterday. Either my karma was really good, or fate brought me to stick around Ocean City a little bit longer, and thank goodness I did. I was able to not only check out a totally new event in OC, but do so by myself. Sometimes it's a good thing to be able to venture out on your own and learn about new things. Not only did I have fun looking at the cool cars, but I had wonderful people that allowed me to experience meeting one of my favorite musical artists from my childhood. I guess you can say that everything happens for a reason, and I believe it fully. 

Oh, and you're probably wondering about that selfie right? If you missed it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, I'll just leave it right here for you to see. Have you got any pictures or selfies with anyone famous in your lifetime? I know the word "selfie" hasn't been around for long, but there are only a few people who will let you take that extra step and make your day.

Even if it's just posing for a picture.

I'll never forget this day. Thank you Mýa for making it the BEST!