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Monday, December 31, 2007

Age by Carly Hallam

Do you ever reach a point in life you when you just know things have changed? Like one day, all of a sudden you realize you’re an adult? It’s not like you start misplacing your keys or using phrases like “cool beans”. It’s like this creepy onset of maturity that just smacks you in the soul. Age has overcome me. But I should be ready by now. I’ve been given almost 21 years to prepare.
This year at Christmas I woke up with no more than an ounce of excitement. I was looking forward to spending time with my family and eating food prepared by my mother. But I was more enthralled watching others open the gifts I gave than opening presents for myself. Selflessness? Who I am Mother Theresa? Angelina Jolie? Easy comparison.
Today I was at the pool listening to a parent tell a child he wasn’t capable of swimming. I immediately thought to myself, I am going be a better parent than that. I seriously wanted to go over to the man and tell him that discouraging a child is probably the worst thing a parent could possibly do. But what authority do I have? “Listen sir, I’ve recently realized that Christmas no longer excites me, therefore, I have deep insight into the life of an adult. Don’t tell you’re kid he can’t swim. He’s trying. Be positive. No, you listen to me, you 45 year-old man. I’m experienced.”
Allow me cite the best example I’ve got. One of my roommates just got engaged. Holy shit. I mean, cool beans. When we graduate college in 5 months, she is going to commit to loving one person for the rest of her life. But she can do it. They’re both really good people. Nonetheless, that’s a really serious commitment. That’s not like telling your mom that you’ll clean your room once a week. It’s not like promising your chemistry partner that you’ll do the homework every other day. It’s like giving your entire life to someone else. It’s like laying down in front of a Mack truck in a sequined white dress.
People, especially adults (like me), keep asking what I’m going to do when I graduate. “So Carly, what are you going to do with your life?” What does that even mean? Well firstly, I hope that I whatever I “do with my life” when I graduate will not be my reason for living. I want to be a mom. I want to be loving wife. I feel like that will give me more of a reason to live than any career ever could. Call me old-fashioned but I don’t want my job to be my world, especially if I work in advertising. Imagine God creating this little 5’2 girl with brown hair and carny folk hands and saying, “Now that I’ve spent all this time making her, I sure hope she can trick my other creations into buying things they don’t need, especially with the use of sexual innuendos and celebrity spokespersons.”
So I’ve realized I’m an adult. I just have to figure out what that means for my collection of Britney Spears CDs and polka dot underwear. Is this what growing up is all about? It’s not the added inches to your height. It’s not the anticipation of your next trip to Disney knowing you’re finally tall enough to ride Space Mountain. It’s realizing you’re priorities have changed. It’s engagements and parenthood, it’s the giving unconditionally, it’s your job and your future.
Age is scary but I like it. It’s coming on so fast just thinking about it is making me thirsty. I’ll have to pause my epiphany because I’ve got a Wild Cherry Capri Sun waiting for me in the fridge. It should be cold by now. I’ve given it plenty of time to prepare.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Hitch Your Wagon to a Star!





Congratulations, Kara! My sister is now an official FSU alumni. Kara graduated with a degree in exercise physiology with minors in psychology and biology. She is entering the real world this January working as a medical assistant at a dermatology office in Tallahassee. Kara has a year-long internship and then plans to attend graduate school to become a physician's assistant.


Friday, December 14, 2007

Pink Daisies and Red Peacoats


TEBOW FOR HE15SMAN















It's great to be a Florida Gator! Tim Tebow, our super power-invested quarterback, made college football history when he became the first sophomore to receive the Heisman Trophy! He passed for twenty, rushed for twenty, and had 51 touchdowns total! My favorite part of the ceremony when was when he said "God is first, my family is second, school is third and football is fourth!" I'm thinking I would make a perfect number five... Just kidding!! =)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...



Jess the badass.


It's no secret that Jess is a stud at literally every sport imaginable. She throws a spiral football that turns heads. She blocks passes. She throws bows. She rocks at softball, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, flag football, just to name a few. She loves to play intramurals and is recruited to all the best teams. It's a huge deal at UF (if you have hand-eye coordination and actually play sports... not me!) to win the championship games in any of the sports because not only do you get the bragging rights but you get an acclaimed championship shirt. They are recognized on campus and symbolize being a badass. Jess is starting a small collection of these shirts in an assortment of colors because in the past four years she's won numerous championship games! Last week her co-ed flag football team got to play in the Swamp for the championship shirt and with 3 seconds left of 19-18 point game, Jess blocked a pass going to a 6-5 competitor that would have gave them a touchdown and she won the game for her team!! =)

Ostentatious Holiday Jubliee

My roommates recently hosted a very Ostentatious Holiday Jubilee in which we conjugated over friends, spirits, and ham! It was required that you wear a tacky holiday sweater in order to attend ... my sweater came complete with dancing reindeer, jingle bells, and blinking lights! No outfit would be complete without furry leggings to match ... here are the highlights...

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Nursing Formal

The singles... a rarity in nursing school...

First... and last... on the dance floor!
Kissy faces.