Hello, all! Yeah, so it has been awhile since I last blogged...time to fix that! I recently finished off my first semester of grad school, and managed a 3.85 GPA! I am so happy about that...talk about a good Christmas present! I worked hard this past semester, and it definitely paid off. All that being said, I am so happy to be home. I missed it so much, and am happy to be seeing familiar faces. I came home on the 20th of December, which proved to be a bit of a challenge because of the snow storm that hit the East Coast at the same time. Although my train was delayed by about 2 hours, I made it home, and was even able to see my little brother play some ice hockey. After dropping my sister back off at FLCC (she still had some finals), I finally made it home, and was able to sleep in my own bed again...hallelujah!
This year, Christmas was awesome. Like every other year, my siblings woke me up at 7 am to go downstairs and open presents. I felt like Scrooge because I just wanted to sleep...ha. After I finally got up, we all went and opened presents, and it was a good time. This year, my sister's boyfriend, Andrei, joined us. At first, I was not happy about it not just being our family, but it turned out to be a good time...he is a good guy. After our family opened gifts, we headed to my uncle's house for the Schmieder Christmas gathering, which was a good time. It was great to see everyone in one place at one time. For Thanksgiving, I didn't come home and my uncle Andy was in Iraq, so not everyone was there. For Christmas, we were all there. It was a special time, and I am not sure how many more Christmases we will all be there for. The rest of the day was relaxing, which was really nice. NYC is crazy busy, so it was nice to have a change of pace. My siblings and I, along with Andrei, watched 'Disturbia,' which is a great movie. To end the day, we played Catchphrase and Diablo, two games that always prove to be a good time.
The day after Christmas was, in a word, crazy! I got up at 6 am to go shopping with Traci and Jaimee. While I didn't actually buy anything, it was so much fun to hang out with them. We started off the day at Dave's Christmas Shop in Lancaster. I had never been there before. Traci and Jaimee always go there the day after Christmas, so it was part of their tradition. We got there at 10 minutes before they opened, and there was already a line of people. I was shocked. I am not the type of person who goes shopping on Black Friday or the day after Christmas usually, so it was all new to me. People in the store were nuts. I have never seen people push their carts around the store so fast in my entire life. It was amusing and scary...not knowing who was going to try to push by you next. After Dave's, we went to Target, Best Buy, and FYE. Let's talk about FYE for a moment, shall we? It is probably my favorite store to buy CDs and movies from. Well, I was devastated that the one in Batavia and the superstore in Williamsville are both CLOSING! I was like "What?!?!" Luckily, the one in the Walden Galleria isn't closing...if that was the case, I would probably have an emotional breakdown. BUT, when we were there, the first volume of season 1 of Glee was already out!!! This is interesting because it isn't supposed to be on shelves until tomorrow!!!! Although I didn't buy it, I knew I had to go back and get it. We had lunch, and then I spent the rest of the day at Reed's house, just chillin', which included watching Mike Fisher, Carrie Underwood's future husband, beat the Sabres...ugh. I am so jealous...he is a lucky man.
So, yesterday was AWESOME! Every year, Reed, Mal, Pete, and I go shopping after Christmas, and go to Red Robin for dinner. We began the day at Chipotle, a Mexican restaurant that Mal and Pete wanted Reed and I to try. My overall opinion? It was ok, but I think I like Moe's better. We then went to the FYE in the mall. I went crazy. Because FYE has this deal where all CDs are 9.99 or less, I bought not 1, 2, 3, or 4, but 7...lol. My purchases were Adam Lambert's album (if you know me really well, you would not have expected this), Kris Allen's album (love his songs!), Lady Gaga's first album (I love her beyond words), Glee: Volumes 1 and 2 (I am obsessed with the show), Pink's newest album, Funhouse (love her!), and Lady Antebellum's first album (I cannot wait until their next album comes out!!) We went to a couple other stores, but all my purchases were done at FYE :-) We went to Red Robin for dinner, and it was uh-mazing! Because I am now a vegetarian, I had a Boca patty instead of a beef patty, and it was sooo good. Before returning home, we went to the FYE Superstore in Williamsville...and I bought Glee, Season 1: Volume 1!!! Let's just say that I have already finished the first of four disks...love that show!
Today, I am just chillin' at home...watchin' and listenin' to Glee, as well as enjoying the gorgeous snow. I love snow...it really accentuates the beauty of God's creation. I am looking forward to getting together with more and more people that I haven't seen yet. I hope you had a great Christmas!!! I can't believe 2010 is just around the corner...yikes.
'Til next time...
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Time to Blog...Awesome!!
So, I found myself actually having some down time, so I decided to blog! It is a good way to get my mind off of schoolwork for awhile...
Last week, from Wednesday to Sunday, Jacquie and Jaimee came down to NYC and stayed with me! It was so good to see them! To start off Thanksgiving, we went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was awesome. We are able to see Andrea Bocelli, Katharine McPhee, Jimmy Fallon, Cyndi Lauper, as well as some other celebs. The balloons were huge, and the floats were impressive, as well. After the parade, we went to the skyline by the Hudson River and relaxed, being able to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. For our Thanksgiving dinner, we went to a nice diner that Jaimee and I found the last time she was down here...the Good Stuff Diner. I had an amazing veggie burger. For those of you who don't know, as of the 1st of January, I have decided to become a vegetarian. It is not because I hate meat...I just feel that it is a better decision for my body, and something that will challenge me to be healthier. Throughout the rest of their time here, Jaimee, Jacquie, and I spent time at Rockefeller Center, Central Park, F.A.O. Schwartz, Union Square, and even took a ride on the Staten Island ferry. A highlight of their visit was when we walked from Staten Island to Central Park...it took two hours, and we did it because we wanted to save money by not taking the subway. Speaking of saving money, we eat a lot of meals at Subway, taking advantage of the $5 footlong! Overall, it was a great time and I look forward to seeing them again soon.
This past Tuesday night, I was able to see 'Oleanna,' a Broadway play, starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman. While I had heard mixed reviews, I was a bit nervous to see it, but I had to for both my Acting and Script Analysis classes. I have to say that it is a very powerful play, and both Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman did a phenomenal job. Interestingly enough, while I was outside of the theatre, waiting for the play to begin, Eric Siegel (a guy I went to Long Lake Camp with about eight years ago) was walking by and recognized me!! It was the weirdest thing! It was nice to chat with him and meet some of his friends, while finding out that he goes to school close to me, so I hope to meet up with him again soon.
Most recently, my friend Sarina and I attempted going to Rockefeller Center for the lighting of the tree, but because we both had class until 4:45, we got there and it was packed. Due to the rain and the crowd, we ended up leaving and having dinner in Times Square, which was fun. I also went to the American Eagle store in Times Square and found out they were hiring, so I applied! I am hoping to get an interview...we shall see!
Well, 17 days until I am home for Winter Break!! I am beyond excited...to see friends and family, get out of the city for a month, and relax. That being said, I know that I need to focus on getting all my work done just a bit longer. I am doing well this semester, and I am very thankful for that. I am continually blessed with having great friends here.
'Til next time!
Last week, from Wednesday to Sunday, Jacquie and Jaimee came down to NYC and stayed with me! It was so good to see them! To start off Thanksgiving, we went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was awesome. We are able to see Andrea Bocelli, Katharine McPhee, Jimmy Fallon, Cyndi Lauper, as well as some other celebs. The balloons were huge, and the floats were impressive, as well. After the parade, we went to the skyline by the Hudson River and relaxed, being able to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. For our Thanksgiving dinner, we went to a nice diner that Jaimee and I found the last time she was down here...the Good Stuff Diner. I had an amazing veggie burger. For those of you who don't know, as of the 1st of January, I have decided to become a vegetarian. It is not because I hate meat...I just feel that it is a better decision for my body, and something that will challenge me to be healthier. Throughout the rest of their time here, Jaimee, Jacquie, and I spent time at Rockefeller Center, Central Park, F.A.O. Schwartz, Union Square, and even took a ride on the Staten Island ferry. A highlight of their visit was when we walked from Staten Island to Central Park...it took two hours, and we did it because we wanted to save money by not taking the subway. Speaking of saving money, we eat a lot of meals at Subway, taking advantage of the $5 footlong! Overall, it was a great time and I look forward to seeing them again soon.
This past Tuesday night, I was able to see 'Oleanna,' a Broadway play, starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman. While I had heard mixed reviews, I was a bit nervous to see it, but I had to for both my Acting and Script Analysis classes. I have to say that it is a very powerful play, and both Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman did a phenomenal job. Interestingly enough, while I was outside of the theatre, waiting for the play to begin, Eric Siegel (a guy I went to Long Lake Camp with about eight years ago) was walking by and recognized me!! It was the weirdest thing! It was nice to chat with him and meet some of his friends, while finding out that he goes to school close to me, so I hope to meet up with him again soon.
Most recently, my friend Sarina and I attempted going to Rockefeller Center for the lighting of the tree, but because we both had class until 4:45, we got there and it was packed. Due to the rain and the crowd, we ended up leaving and having dinner in Times Square, which was fun. I also went to the American Eagle store in Times Square and found out they were hiring, so I applied! I am hoping to get an interview...we shall see!
Well, 17 days until I am home for Winter Break!! I am beyond excited...to see friends and family, get out of the city for a month, and relax. That being said, I know that I need to focus on getting all my work done just a bit longer. I am doing well this semester, and I am very thankful for that. I am continually blessed with having great friends here.
'Til next time!
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