Highlights from my 1st Week in Tennessee!!!

Today marks one week since I loaded up all my belongings and moved 10 hours away from home.

Gah!!!???!!!

It has been a whirlwind but a wonderful one.

I am acclimating to Tennessee: I already bought some beef jerky and a bottle of discount liquor. Now all I need is a pair of cowgirl boots...

This week was non-stop new people and places and experiences.

Here are a few highlights:

1) I moved into my apartment with all my craigs list items and craft projects; I am nearly settled and pictures will come soon :) I am really excited because the location is even better than I realized - I am across the street from campus and near fabulous places like parks, a grocery store, a Walgreens, a police station, a coffee shop, a car service place, a verizon store and an ice cream shop... pretty much anything I could possibly need ;)

2) I started my new job. I have a great boss and 2 really nice co-workers + the work seems like it will be hard but interesting. My main focus is marketing and communication but also a bit of admin and leading trainings for a campus event program.

3) I explored campus. And, oh the irony! I found out that my first GRADUATE SCHOOL classes will be held in none-other than the HOME-ECONOMICS building!?! How appropriate for a Southern Belle Feminist ;)

4) I met most of my classmates. Our first event together was a service project which was so sweet. We went to a local boys and girls club and did finger painting, face painting, dance, sports, etc. I got back in touch with my elementary school self and played a pretty fierce game or two of four-square ;)

5) In the midst of all my errands and unpacking, I did get to do a smidge of touring with my boyfriend before he left.

Our favorite spot was visiting the Parthenon replica:

6) And, of course, I have already had several Sarah Grace moments. Here is one that my boyfriend managed to capture on camera ;)

So what I was trying to do was hug the column (like the first photo below) to give a gauge of how huge this building was...

But, here is what happened on my first try when I accidentally went in a little too close for the hug and banged my head on the cement. Fortunately, it didn't leave a bruise! 

Tomorrow and Tuesday are my orientation and then classes begin after that...

I'll keep y'all posted.

xoxo

Updates from a Summer full of Sarah Grace Moments

Outside my house, a huge u-haul sits in my drive-way holding all of my belongings and the promise of adventures and education to be found in Tennessee. I leave tomorrow morning!?!

But with all my excitement and anxiety and energy, I cannot bring myself to sleep so I figured I would blog.

It has been a busy summer as I have been: 

• The only staff person at BCM for the last 4 months with student orientations, remodeling of our facility, fall planning, etc.
• Preparing for graduate school 
• Finding, painting and sprucing up craigs list and goodwill items for my Tennessee apartment 
• Finally catching up with the rest of the world and reading the entire Hunger Games series
• Also, becoming (I think...?) the last Christian female to read Redeeming Love (clearly, I am trying to get in a casual reading kick before graduate school hits, ha!)
• Enjoying having my twin brother in town since he moved here a couple months ago
• Trying to see all my friends and family before moving
• Etc. etc. etc. 

BUT, never fail, in the midst of all that, I did not forget to document the many Sarah Grace moments that inevitably happened ;) 

Here are a few of my favorites:

1) "Pee" Stain 

I worked several new student orientations this summer. Let me set the scene:

Tables are lined up across from each other, running down either side of the street. For some reason, the college was inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on us as they scheduled orientations from noon-2pm  (in AUGUST in SOUTH CAROLINA!!!) and, naturally, my table was not in the shade... so I practically melted every time I was out there.

But sweaty gross and all, I still tried to look decent so I usually wore a summer sundress. The one this day just happened to be white. Of course.

Across from my table were the hilarious and fabulous (and stereotypically loud) Jewish women at the Hillel table who I became quite close to this summer. I turned my back to them to grab for my phone because I heard my phone alert me to this text:

Just heard something I thought you would LOVE. Robin Roberts' mom always said "make your mess your message"

The saying is very cute and cheesy and positive so my friend was right: I loved it.

BUT, the crazy thing was - and I kid you not - I had a chance to do just that.

No sooner had I finished reading that text, Marsha from the Hillel table hollered (in her loud, Jewish voice AND in front of the students and families), "Sarah, what's all over your butt?" 

I looked down to find what looked to be a pee stain right on the butt of my white dress:

All I can figure is that when I had gone to a coffee shop... oh, just about 5 hours before that moment... I must have sat in spilled coffee...? And with that obvious stain on my rear-end, I had walked all over town that morning and in front of a ton of people at the orientation. Real classy.

But, as for how to make that mess my message - I suppose it would be something like "If you are confident, you are beautiful - even after sitting in coffee and having an awkward pee-esque stain on your rear-end all day" Oy vey!

2) Pitiful Picnic

I may or may not have become addicted to groupon this summer in an attempt to affordably experience Charleston before I left.

But, you know what they say: you win some and you lose some.

This was definitely not a win.

First off, this was what it looked like the day our groupon catered picnic was scheduled to be delivered: great weather for a picnic, wouldn't you say???

Second of all, the lady was late to deliver it. While we were waiting on her, the rain started. We couldn't find shelter so - starving and wet- we returned to my house.

I was bummed because, on principle, I thought you simply couldn't have a picnic INdoors.

But, no worries, we really couldn't because my roomie was at the house watching tv with a friend - obviously, not very romantic background noise for my boyfriend and I to enjoy our PICNIC at the kitchen table.

Instead, we opted to eat the picnic on my front porch with a beautiful view of... the parking lot while we were being feasted on by about 5,000 mosquitoes.

But, wait, I haven't even mentioned the "catered" food:

• The "basket" wasn't an adorable wicker one but this plastic walmart tub
• The wine was a brand we later saw that sold for $3.47 for an ENTIRE bottle
• The food was pre-packaged and we think it was bought from Piggly Wiggly... some of the price stickers were clearly just scraped off
• What we thought were sparklers were really some strange incense 
• In the bottom of the tub, there was a dirty towel that I guess they had propped everything up on to make it look like there was more stuff in the tub than there really was...? gah-rosss.

It was so bad.

But certainly memorable ;)

3) Attacked by a bull

I recently went to a winery with my grandparents. In the vineyards, they had a bull just roaming.

He seemed docile enough and I had seen other people petting him and taking pictures with him earlier in the day. Since I feel the need to take photos all the time, of course I wanted one with him.

I approached and saw 3 girls near the bull taking pictures. I offered to take one of all 3 of them with the bull but they said they had taken enough though they offered to take my picture.

I said thanks and swapped places with one of the girls standing near the bull.
His head was facing away from me and I was about 2 feet away from him.
I was smiling big and ready to take the photo when all of a sudden:

• He turned around
• Stepped on my foot
• Rammed his horn into my thigh (where there is now a nice, dark purple bruise about the size of a golf-ball)
• He knocked me to the ground
• I thought he was going to trample me and I was horrified

The 3 girls rushed at me and asked if I was ok, helping me off the ground and shooing off the bull.

We don't have a clue why he attacked but it certainly was a Sarah Grace moment. 

And, after all that, of course I had to document it - just standing a little farther away from the bull this time... and by a little, I mean a lot ;) 

That was just a taste of some of my recent Sarah Grace moments; I am sure there are many more to come!

I suppose now that I need to force myself to try to fall asleep but I will blog again (hopefully soon) and next time from Tennessee =D