Hello 2011, You're lookin' mighty fine!

Welcome 2011, the year of our marriage, the end of school, and getting a job!  So far, I like you!

Let's take a moment to reflect on 2010.

In January, I began my last semester of undergrad, which turned out to be a wonderful semester.  It snowed several times, and that provided challenging conditions in my commute to the bus stop and class.  I turned 21 in February, making me realize that timing is flying!  In March, UNC fortunately (or unfortunately?) made it to the NIT and it snowed some more.  The month of April was a busy one in that I wrecked my sweet little gray Camry (well... a guy wrecked my Camry when he ran me off the road), and Parker bought our first home.  I also caught my first shark and saw the Harlem Globe Trotters play.  In May, I graduated from UNC with a BA in history and we got to work on our condo starting with the kitchen.  Our dear friend Charlotte got married that month also!  In June, I left my awesome college job at the pharmacy for graduate school at UNC and we finally finished our kitchen!  July was a laid back month starting at the river for the 4th, and continuing with some more wedding planning.  August started sad when my sweet friend & roomate Lauren moved to Virginia, but ended on a high note when Parker & I celebrated our 7th dating anniversary.  We also went to the Winterville Watermelon Festival for the first time in a few years.  September had its ups and downs too because Mom's brain tumors grew & she faced more treatment.  Parker & I had our engagement pictures taken at the Jolly family farm and I found out that I'd be working at Chapel Hill High School.  In October, we tackled our living room and registered for wedding gifts at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  November was a fun family time because Weston's baseball team won the Top Gun World Series & Parker & I celebrated the beginning of UNC's new basketball season at the Barton v. Carolina game.  Finally, December was a time of food, family, and fellowship over the holidays.  Parker & I decorated for Christmas for the first time, continued our Christmas Light Tour tradition, and rang in the New Year with the Morgans!

Now... in pictures.

Happy December!

Well this morning I woke up with what I think is the beginning of another cold.  Then I got ready and couldn't find my keys.  They were in my pocketbook - What were they doing in there?  Then I missed the bus and didn't make it to class this morning. [Pauses to blow nose.] I mean considering all this and all that I have to do before next week, I'm in a really great mood.  Since I didn't make it to class, I can manage to fit in a blog post into my cuh-razy life.  Yay!

Oh, did I mention that I spent Thanksgiving night in the emergency room with a "food born bacteria infection."  Oh yeah, that was fun.  IV fluids + no sleep + well, you know... = not a good night.

It's really a shame that universities have to ruin this time of year by giving students more work than they can possibly do without giving up sleep and/or the Christmas spirit.  Note to self: Don't be that kind of teacher.

Want to hear something funny?  The English MAT folks were complaining about the unit plans they have to turn in - 10 whole lessons and 4-5 pages of description/explanation.  Hilarious... ha ha he he ho ha... oh my side hurts...  Maybe they shouldn't complain to the Social Studies MATers who have not complained and have twice as many lessons and pages of description/explanation.  We love you guys, but we feel no sympathy.

If you're reading this as if I'm complaining and Ms. Negative Nancy, you obviously haven't heard my sarcasm :)  I'm actually in a decent mood - it takes a lot for me to be in a bad mood usually.  I have developed into a gal who rolls with the punches - Is that the phrase? I have no idea if I said that right.

And oh gosh - have you seen Carolina basketball this year?  Ugh... not again.  All of the fans are cringing at our tough start... yet we still have a winning season.  Oh Carolina.  And ESPN... I know you have a "secret" love for Duke and Coach K, but if I have to watch another game with you blabbing on and on about how awesome they are... I will... um... I'll.... MUTE YOU.  Take that.

I'm doing a research paper on the Tweed Ring.  I know, the excitement in my life is just too much for you to handle.  I found out that Tweed's name was not William Marcy Tweed.  I felt so betrayed.  It was actually William Magear Tweed.  Yeah, I know you feel more complete now with that information.

Thanksgiving day marked 7 months out for the wedding.  I got home Sunday and looked at the To Do List and was like "What?  I have a wedding to plan?"  I'll be giving an update soon, along with some awesome vendors reviews.

Well, that's all I can muster up for now.  I've got to run catch the next bus!  Talk to you next time.

Happy Birthday Amanda!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet friend, roomate, and maid of honor, Amanda!

This is the 20th birthday we've celebrate together between the two of us (that is, we've been celebrating each other's birthdays for ten years now)  Whoa!  On your 21st birthday, I just want to pass on the same advice you gave me for my 18th.  Words of wisdom.  Words to live by.  Best advice eva (foreva eva!)

1. Do not fail or inhale weed or get shot.
2. Cram in the gigantic "library" - ace test.
3. Little sleep, many partys.
4. Dorm=crib, nap in it.
5. If all naked & drunk always call me.
6. Dance every day hottie and smell good.
7. To be friends, no fighting.
8. Graduate and live girl!!
9. Is to dumb skip 101 classes.

I love you home-y.

Psuey?  Uranus.  Tall grass.  Whatever the inside joke, I will LYDBNQ FAFA.  Happy Birthday!

Love,
Imma Dork.
aka

Happy Summer!

Happy first day of summer!

Looks like I'm going to have a great time walking to class this week!  Yay grad school.

Oh yeah, and Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Happy Birthday dear friend!  I hope it is everything you wish it to be!  You're a wonderful friend, beautiful on the inside and out, and I am so thankful to be your roomie!  I love you!

Graduation Day

Now that I've been a Carolina alumnus for about a week, I figured I should post about graduation.  :)  The day turned out to be gorgeous - perfect weather and temperature.  A great day for graduation and Mother's Day!

Parker took lots of great pictures with my camera.  He snapped the photo above that looks like Lauren & I are looking at the camera, but really, we were trying to find my family in the sea of people!  Can you find us??

John Grisham, the author of many popular legal thrillers, was the speaker, and he did a great job.

His speech was hilarious, entertaining, and not a typical "go and make something great of yourself" pep-talk.  I loved it.  My favorite part was hearing the Clef Hangers (& Chancellor Holden Thorp) sing James Taylor's "I'm Going to Carolina in My Mind," one of my favorite songs.



I had many special guests including Grandma, Aunt Kay & her sweet family, Granddaddy, and of course Mom, Dad, Weston, and Parker.  It means so much that these special people shared in this memory.

Of course Weston had to break the seriousness of all the formal pictures by trying to tickle Dad in the middle of our family picture.  :)

I cannot believe how grown Weston looks in this picture.  He is almost as tall as I am (I know that isn't saying much)!!  Don't worry, that hot chocolate all over his shirt proves he's still a kid at heart.

Last but not least, the handsome photographer! :)

My official degree is a Bachelor of Arts in History with a concentration in American History, Graduate with Distinction.

I'll be working in Greenville at the pharmacy until mid June when I start my Master of Arts in Teaching.  ONE more year!

What does your fridge say about you?

So everytime I go to the fridge to get something, I get a kick out of the momentos we (my roomates and I) have chosen to display.  If your fridge was a representation of you, what would it say?

Our fridge has an assortment of artwork, calendars, pictures, good grades, sudoku solutions, and appliance directions.  If our fridge represented us it would say that we are close-knit.



We are family. HAHA - We got mail, its legit, remember?  Not only that, but our guys are close-knit too.



That picture of Parker & Cory cracks me up every time!!  The assortment of kid's artwork also indicates our love for children that 3 out of 4 of us babysit and the 4th volunteers at an elementary school every week.



We have funny magnets that represent our light heartedness and sense of humor, like this one:

Of course, they do represent us in more literal ways also.  :)  These magnets have the important job of holding up our good grades!  Here in the Chambers' family household, 70s are good grades!  If its passing, its good!  We're so proud! :)  No, really.  Especially since its on a test about nucleophilic acyl substitutions and such - I mean what does that even mean??!!??  And Carolina claims that grades are inflated - puh-lease!

Finally, directions to our most important appliances are clearly posted.

And let me tell you, the Mr. Coffee Tea Maker is VERY important.

What does your fridge say about you?

College Reflections

In the past, I have posted semester wrap-ups with reflections on my coursework, big events, special memories, etc.  Since this is my last semester as an undergraduate, I find it fitting to reflect on my college experience as a whole.  In many ways I find it hard to believe that I'm graduating in a week.  I've dreamed of going to Carolina my whole life.  It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was worrying about my application essay and recommendation letters.  I remember how excited and proud I felt as I opened my acceptance package the day it came in the mail.  I remember my mom calling to tell me that I had gotten the Teaching Fellows to UNC and thinking, "This is too good to be true."  And here I am now, donning my Carolina blue cap and gown, getting ready for graduation.

I remember arriving at suite in Parker Dorm, excited about starting college, yet so sad about leaving home.  My suitemates have become my closest friends... and I still go home every weekend. :)

I have loved almost every minute of my education (face it... some classes are not so great).  I've had wonderful professors and classes - Dr. Talbert in History of Rome, Dr. Williams in African American History to 1865, and Dr. Leloudis, my senior history thesis mentor.  I've read wonderful books and learned so much.

I've learned about history & education, geology & geography, politics & economics, art & literature, religion & country music.  I voted in my first presidential election.  I wrecked my first car.  I got engaged.  I rushed Franklin St. after a National Championship.  I saw two of my closest friends get married.  I learned how to cook.  I started a blog.  I got way too little sleep.  But most of all, I grew as a person and continued on my walk with God.

It feels so good to accomplish your dreams, but it kind of leaves you with an empty feeling - like, what's next?  You see, going to Carolina has always been one of my life goals, its something that has played a huge role in defining who I am and what makes me "me."  Now that it's time to graduate, its time to move on to other dreams - getting married, starting a family, establishing a career... but, that doesn't mean I'm willing to give up my title as a "Carolina Girl." 

Next week I will walk into Kenan Stadium for my commencement ceremony.  I will have officially earned a Bachelor of Arts in History.  I will be a month away from starting my masters and a little more than a year away from getting married.  I can hardly believe any of it.  I'm not nervous or scared about the future, but I can't decide if I'm sad or excited about the present.  It's kind of like how I felt when my parents dropped me off at college - excited about the future, but sad about leaving the past behind.

Apparently...

... I went to Mexico over Spring Break with my sweet college friends.

They were so kind that they made sure I was tucked in tight at night.

And properly protected from the sun with a sombrero.  So appropriate for Mexico! :)

But I wonder why I didn't get to be in this picture:

Now that would've been suh-weet!

Oh man.  I wish.

Wreckage

Well I hope you had a wonderful Easter!  Mine was eventful to say the least!  I was on my way back to Chapel Hill from my parent's house yesterday evening, burning up Hwy 264 like always.... when an older red pick-up truck merged off of exit 63, totally oblivious to me.

I was in the right lane with a couple of cars in front of me and 3 cars in the left lane right beside me, so needless to say, I had no where to go in order to get out of this guy's way.  I honked my horn, slowed down, eased over as much as possible, but he came right on over.  At this time, I lost control, spun around, and ended up in the median.  The bunghole (as my dad would say) never stopped.

However, some other nice people saw it happen and pulled over immediately to make sure I was okay.  There were like 4-5 cars that pulled over. Three sweet people stayed with me until my parents, Parker, his mom, and the patrolman got there.  We were all shocked that no other cars were hit in the process, because like I said, there were a ton of cars cruising along in that area.  We did not get his license plate number unfortunately.

All I could say was "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God... please don't let me hit the median... Oh God Oh God Oh God... keep me safe keep me safe OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD"  The longest 30 seconds of my life!!  When I finally stopped, my windshield wipers were on (comic relief???), my sunglasses had flown across the car, and my mountain dew was spilled in my lap (not cool).  I was not hurt - in fact, I pushed my car door open, got out, and walked around.  I was pretty rattled, and I started crying when I called my dad and Parker while one of the witnesses called the cops.

Just a minor bruise and scratch, and some serious soreness today.  Oh yeah, and some red ant bites I got after stepping in an ant hill.  (Seriously, I know) I am so sad about my sweet little car :(  Last night, my dad flipped through the car ads and found another '98 Camry and I asked him if I could have it (it was just like mine, with like 2x the miles) and he said "Um, I think we'll get you something a little newer."

The irony of it all - my mom just got cleared to drive (first time since July) last week & my car just had an inspection and tire alignment done ON FRIDAY.  I'm driving her car back to Chapel Hill today, and my granddad brought my grandma's old car over this morning for my mom to drive temporarily.  My sweet little car is at the shop on the tow truck :(

OH, and the tow truck man asked matter-of-factly, "Did you fall asleep or were you on the phone?"  Rude.

Thankfully, I'm okay!