Almost Thanksgiving Break!

Sorry I haven't blogged in such a long time, things have been crazy busy around here. I've had so many tests, papers, and activities, but that's only because it's almost the end of the semester! Thanksgiving break "officially" starts tomorrow after classes, but mine is starting tonight as soon as I get out of honors seminar at 8:30 (gross). I may or may not be skipping my only class tomorrow (honors) so I can go home a day early... Anyway, I'm so excited to finally have a break. This is only going to be the second time I've stayed off campus overnight (the only other time was fall break). There are so many things happening over break that I'm so excited for: I get to go out to eat twice for my birthday (it was last Wednesday), obviously Thanksgiving, Black Friday (I'm seriously so excited for Black Friday, even though it's more like Black Thursday at this point, which is pretty ridiculous), I'll get to go to my church for the first time since August, I get to see some of my friends, and when I get back to campus after break, I'll be bringing a free foosball table for my room with me. And the whole way home tonight, I get to listen to the new One Direction CD, Midnight Memories, that released today and is absolutely perfect! Words cannot describe how happy I am that this CD is out. We went to WalMart to get it as soon as we could this morning (we went at midnight, but they didn't have it yet). This past Saturday was 1D Day, where One Direction did a seven and a half hour livestrean, yesterday they performed on the AMAs (and won 2 awards), tomorrow they're making their GMA debut and announcing "some exciting news for U.S. fans", which I predict will be their U.S. leg of their 2014 tour, and December 7th they'll be performing on SNL. So, I'm kind of on One Direction overload right now, which is possibly making me go a bit crazy...
After break, we only have one week of classes and then finals week before Christmas break, which is exciting, as well as extremely overwhelming. I still have to write a final film paper, write an honors seminar paper (due the day after Thanksgiving break), watch and write reaction papers on 18 movies, write an essay for discipleship, record 6 practice radio shifts, get 8 radio mentor hours, and on top of all that I have to study for finals. So the next couple weeks are going to be pretty hectic. Hopefully, I can get some of it done during break, but still have plenty of time to relax. I only have an hour and a half left of seminar until I'm free until next Monday! I'll try and post about break when I get the chance.

Weekend Adventures

This weekend has been kind of eventful, or at least what a freshman at a Nazarene university might find eventful. Friday night, while everyone was at the homecoming basketball game, one of my friends and I decided we would stay back at the dorms and watch a movie for our film class instead. We have to watch 25 films by the end of the semester and write a one-page paper on each one, and I had only watched four and a half before yesterday, so it was kind of necessary. We went to Family Video (we partied to the Jonas Brothers in the car) to get a movie from our list, and definitely were there for twice as long as we had intended. And we didn't even leave with the movies we planned on getting. Then we came back and instead of starting a movie, we spent 40 minutes recording a YouTube video. Most of it was of us playing this really fun game we invented (don't judge) where we take turns playing the beat of a song by moving our hand around in a box of pretzels and the other person has to guess which song it is. Yeah, we're just that cool... Then, we made a spur of the moment decision to go get a Little Caesar's pizza (this time, we jammed out to Ed Sheeran). When we got back with our pizza, we finally started our movie, Annie Hall, in the lobby. This started out as a good idea, because almost everyone else was still at the basketball game. Unfortunately, about halfway through, a bunch of loud people invaded the lobby and we were asked at least 20 times what movie we were watching. Eventually, we finished the movie and had to go to bed at midnight because we volunteered to get up at 7am on a Saturday to get mentor hours for our radio class. We had to help watch kids for 2 or 3 hours and it ended up not being as bad as we had planned.
Later that day, I went with some of my other friends to Newark to watch one of them get a tattoo and the others get piercings. I was going to get a tattoo, but my mother refused to pay for my car insurance if I got one, so I made the smart decision to not get one. The place was kind of sketchy, but not too bad. Mostly, I just went along because there was a Target (my favorite store) within 10 minutes of the tattoo place and I was promised that we would go. Thankfully, we did. It was absolutely fantastic. Seriously, you don't understand my love for Target. We got back to campus shortly after 8pm, but it felt like it was at least midnight. Then my friends who I had hung out with Friday, suggested that we, along with another one of our friends, go to Kenyon, which is an extremely nice, extremely expensive, college located about 10 minuted from ours. It was cool, yet also creepy because it's a secluded campus where all the buildings look like old castles and it was really dark and sketchy. Overall, it's been a pretty interesting weekend thus far. Unfortunately, I have to spend the last day of it doing homework that I've been dreading.

Throwback Thursday: My Most Traumatizing Experience

I've decided to share a really old story because anytime I tell it, everyone thinks it's hilarious for some reason. So, here's the most traumatizing experience of my life.
It all happened at the tender age of 7. It was my dad's weekend to have me and my sisters at his house. My dad informed me that my sisters were going to stay at my aunts house for the night and bake cookies and watch Halloweentown. I, on the other hand, was going to get to go with my dad, uncle, older cousins, and my dad's girlfriend to "this really cool place where you walk through the woods and people try to jump out and scare you, but they don't and it's really fun and not scary at all". I exclaimed that I didn't want to go, but my dad told me I didn't have a choice. Later that evening, we arrived at the Haunted Hoochie. If you're unfamiliar with what that is, it's a terrifying place where you go through a maze of multiple scary buildings and people jump out and touch you. I kept saying I didn't want to go through it when we were in the hour-long line, but my dad still wouldn't budge on his decision. About halfway through, when I was hysterically bawling my eyes out, I begged one of the "guides" to take me out and not make me go through the rest of it. The woman was going to let me leave and wait at the exit, but my dad told her I had to finish going through it. The very last part of the walk-through is a chainsaw maze where there's people around every corner with masks and chainsaws. About halfway through the maze, my dad left me behind. He went around one corner, and I was left there, terrified and alone. Thankfully, my dad realized I was missing and came back to get me less than a minute later. Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night. I know this post was really random, but people keep having me tell it to them lately, so I decided I might as well put it on here.

Final Election Results

The final round of voting ended last night at 9. We didn't get to find out the election results then because there was a tie for one of the positions (not the one I was running for). I was literally getting sick to my stomach on and off all day in anticipation of the final results. Around 7 pm, I found out that the results would be emailed at 9pm. I was still super nervous, especially the closer it got to 9. I decided to get in the shower shortly after 8:30 to try and quickly pass the last half hour of waiting. As soon as I was about to get out of the shower, I heard what sounded like a stampede of elephants running down the stairs and around the first floor. This was accompanied by the sound of multiple people yelling my name. I realized that one of two things was occurring: either 1)My friends were coming to get me because the results were about to be released or 2)The results were released early and I won the election for Freshman Events Director. The second I shut the water off, my friends ran into the bathroom and exclaimed that the latter was true. It was an extremely awkward situation. Aside from how weird it was that I found out, I'm extremely excited. I feel so honored and blessed that so many of my peers found me the most qualified for the job. Today has just been a good day in general. First, I won a Transformers thing for my brother from a Hasbro instant win game, then I found out I won the Events Director position, and then my youth pastor decided to let me have an old foosball table from our church for my dorm room. This week is definitely going much better than last week.

Random Update

Sorry for taking so long to post again, I've been really busy the past week. I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support from my last blog post. It made me feel better and I really appreciate it. On another note, I made it past the preliminary voting to the final ballot, which means it's down to me and 1 other person. I'm extremely nervous, like so nervous I'm getting sick to my stomach. I don't do well with suspense. Voting ended almost half an hour ago, so I should find out if I won either tonight or tomorrow. I'll be sure to post about what happens.

A Dark Place In My Life

So, this is basically just a follow up on my previous post and something I really just need to get off my chest. I'm not trying to sell anyone a sob-story or get people to feel sorry for me, I am just freely venting. What happened today brought up some bad memories from my past, and they are things I haven't told a single person about, including my parents. From about the 6th grade until somewhere toward the beginning/middle of my 8th grade year, I had suicidal thoughts. Being called names, including what I was called today, made me feel like I had no worth. I thought that everyone hated me and that the world would be better off if I was gone. I mean, I had already driven my dad off when I was 8 or 9, so I just assumed I was unable to be loved. I used to write suicide/run-away letters that I kept in an envelope and hid in my sock drawer, and then in my closet. I imagined killing myself and Googled the least painful ways to do it. I once even tried to suffocate myself with a pillow which, looking back, seemed like a really dumb way to try. I seriously hated myself so much.
Switching to a Christian school in 8th grade definitely helped with that and caused me to discover that I actually had self-worth. I slowly eased away from having suicidal thoughts and stopped writing the letters. When I was packing to leave for college, I found the letters and read through some of them. I started crying too hard to get through them all, but then I realized that everything in those letters was a thing of the past that I didn't need to worry about anymore. But then today happened. I didn't know that signing up to run for a class office would result in one of my campaign posters being ripped down and me being called a lesbian. I don't think people expected it to hurt me as much as it did, but it really made me travel back to a dark place in my life. I put on a smile and made jokes about it all day after I was told about it, until about 45 minutes ago. I spent about 30 minutes bawling my eyes out in the shower, wondering what I did to make people not like me or to think those things about me. I'm crying and shaking as I write this post, but I just felt like I needed to vent or things would just get worse. Again, this isn't me trying to get people to feel sorry for me, I just needed to get it off my chest.

Judgmental Bullies- Present Throughout Life

With the preliminary election tomorrow, campaigning is in full swing. Events director isn't exactly the most important position, but I've been trying really hard to get the word out on why I think I'm the best candidate for the job. I'm running against three other girls for that particular office, all of whom have done little to no campaigning. But today, two of my friends overheard two of the girls I'm running against talking in their math class, loud enough for the entire class to hear. First, they were just talking about how they are both running for the same position, but then my name was brought into the conversation. They were talking about how I really like Ellen DeGeneres (which is a true statement), and they proceeded to turn around and confront my friends. Giggling, they asked my friends if I was a lesbian because of how much I like Ellen.
First of all, if I was a lesbian (which I'm not), who are they to judge. We are called by God to love everyone. I love Ellen because aside from being absolutely hilarious, she supports multiple charities and causes, she always has a positive attitude, and at the end of every episode of her talk show, she says "be kind to one another". So, if someone is going to think that another person is automatically gay just because they support Ellen, then I feel sorry for them and for what they are missing by not loving Ellen.
Second, who asks someone's friend a question like that?! It's already an extremely judgmental assumption, but why would you ask someone, who you know cares about the person in question, something of that nature? Did they think that if my friends said yes, they could get my name removed from the ballot or something? I just found the whole ordeal to be rude. I don't have anything against people who are gay, but I just think that's an extremely offensive question to ask, even if the answer was yes.
Third, since they were talking so loudly, it's obvious other people heard them. With not even being two months into my college career, I really don't want any rumors like this to get started about me. While I am definitely not gay, people talk and something like this could spread very easily, especially with being on such a small campus. I've been made fun of for other stuff before in my life, and I really don't want to go back to receiving judgmental looks and rude comments, especially based on false accusations.Thankfully, my friends stood up for me and shot down the comments, but who knows what people will believe. It's just sad that we are in college and people still try and start stuff like this, but I guess you'll experience bullies and judgmental people all throughout life.

Halloween Costume DIY- Tutu

Since Halloween is only a few days away, you may be scrambling for a last minute costume idea. One thing you can make that has multiple costume options is a tutu. A tutu gives you so many options, so get creative. I'm going as a "Toddlers & Tiaras" character with mine. To make one, all you need is an elastic band (or a long strip of elastic, a needle, and thread), tulle, and scissors. I made mine a little while back, but if I remember correctly, I got a yard and a half of yellow tulle and then 1 yard each of 2 different shades of purple tulle. You can get as much or as little tulle as you want, just remember the more tulle, the fluffier the tutu. Making a tutu is super simple, but a little time consuming.
First, just measure the elastic around your waist and then sew it so that it fits. Unless you already have an elastic band that fits, in which case skip this step.
Next, Cut the tulle into 1 inch thick strips. This is the most time consuming part, just because you have to make sure you keep the tulle straight while cutting.
Then, just take the strips of tulle and tie them at the halfway point around the elastic band. Remember to alternate colors if you used more than one color of tulle.
Finally, fluff out the tulle and you've got yourself a tutu. Again, a tutu provides endless possibilities for costume ideas, so make one and get creative.

Campaigning

This has been a busy week/weekend, and a lot of that is attributed to the fact that I've been campaigning. I'm running for my freshman class events director and I've really been trying to get the word out. Thursday, I hung up posters in all 3 buildings that freshman live in. Friday evening, I discovered someone had maliciously ripped down one of my extremely well-placed posters. It's obvious it was ripped down because the tape and the corner of the poster were left there, which made me very sad.
I made a campaign video and put it on our class Facebook page so I could tell people my qualifications. I made sure to make the end of the video funny so that people didn't think I was boring. I also printed of little slips of paper that said "Make the Smart Choice- Vote Jessica Wells for Freshman Events Director" and taped them to packs of Smarties. I then traveled to the dark place yesterday- Oakwood (boys dorm) during open dorms- and passed them out while introducing myself to people and informing people of my campaign video. I also went to the other girls dorm and did the same thing. A lot of people seemed really supportive, and that made me feel so happy. Especially when some people had told me they already saw my video and that they enjoyed it. I'm finishing my Smarties campaigning tonight in my dorm building. The preliminary voting is on Tuesday and I'm really nervous, but I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.

Fall Break

So, fall break ended last night and today was our first day back to classes (gross). Fall break wasn't exactly how I had planned it to be, but it was still fun. Friday, I didn't end up going to the Pumpkin Show like I wanted because of how busy we heard it was. Instead, we got Chinese food (one of my favorites!) and my sisters and I watched old episodes Mary-Kate & Ashley on VHS. Yeah, we're just that cool. Saturday, I slept in until around 11, which was a really nice change. Then, I pretty much sat around the house all afternoon while my mom baked homemade peanut butter cookies and buckeyes. Saturday night I got to hang out with some of my friends from high school who I haven't seen since the beginning of July. I had fun catching up with them, especially since I originally hadn't planned on seeing them over break.
Sunday was probably my favorite day of break. I went to Kings Island with my mom, brother, both my sisters, and 4 of my really good friends, one of which I hadn't seen since I moved in to college. And I got my blue ice cream! I could seriously live at Kings Island. Monday, I didn't end up going to wait for Raising Cane's to open because the line was already wrapped around the side of the building 12 hours before they even opened. I didn't really do anything that day or Tuesday except hang out with my family, which was still nice. Overall, break was fun and relaxing. Plus, I keep thinking today is Monday and then I remind myself it's really Wednesday and that I only have 2 more days of classes this week! 

Midterms :(

So, it's 2 am and I'm up because of a crazy, college party. Just kidding, I'm studying for a midterm. Our fall break starts tomorrow after classes, but that means we have to get through midterms first. Thankfully, I only had two midterms this week and one of them was for radio, which means it was super easy and took less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately, my other midterm is in psychology. I'm nervous because it's only our second test in that class, but I'll be so relieved when it's over. So I only have to get through one class (film - yay!), chapel (which I might skip to study...), and the psychology midterm and then I get to go home until Tuesday night! I'm so excited for break, especially because I have a lot of fun stuff planned and will get to see some of my friends. I'm mainly excited for all the food I get to have during break though... Tomorrow, I get to go to the Circleville Pumpkin Show and eat like 10000 pounds of fair food. Okay that's an exaggeration, more like 100 pounds. And then I am going to Kings Island over the weekend, which means I get to have the blue ice cream they have there, which is seriously my favorite ice cream ever. And at some point over break, I get to go to Raising Cane's, my favorite fast food place ever! I've been experiencing Cane's withdraw, and there is a new one opening Monday that's literally 2 minutes from my house and the first 100 people to get there before 7pm get a $100 gift card. So, needless to say, I'm going to get there super early. Anyway, I need to finish studying and I still have to pack because I'm leaving as soon as my exam is over. And I have to get up for class in 5 hours. I'll make sure to post about everything I do on break!

Bucket List :)

So, I've made a few different bucket lists before, but I finally made one that's really long (75 items) and I plan on adding to it. I want to try and do some of the things on the list as soon as possible, so I'll be sure to share when I cross something off of it. Here's my list:

1.      Be on Ellen

2.      Meet One Direction

3.      Go on a hot air balloon ride

4.      Ride in a helicopter

5.      Walk through Central Park in the snow

6.      See the Northern Lights

7.      Write a book

8.      Human bowling

9.      Throw a dart at a map and travel to wherever it lands

10.   Play messy Twister

11.   Visit the Eiffel Tower

12.   Go into an airport and buy tickets for a random flight

13.   See a Broadway play

14.   Let go of 100 balloons at one time

15.   Put a piece of gum on the gum wall in Seattle

16.   Leave a note in a library book

17.   Pay a stranger’s tab at a restaurant

18.   Save someone’s life

19.   Watch the ball drop in Times Square

20.   See how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop

21.   Put a secret in a balloon

22.   Visit the Roman Colosseum

23.   Ride a Segway

24.   Give Christmas to a family who can’t afford it

25.   Visit Disneyland

26.   Send a message in a bottle

27.   Visit Pixar Studios

28.   Go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

29.   Visit a walk-through aquarium

30.   Take a photo every day for a year

31.   Watch the sunrise from the beach

32.   Ride the London Eye

33.   Visit Canada

34.   Go a whole year without buying any new clothes

35.   Take the midnight train going anywhere 

36.   Visit the Space Needle

37.   Play in the rain

38.   Make a 1000-square hopscotch

39.   Grow my hair to my waist

40.   Go a whole day without talking

41.   Go to a taping of Saturday Night Live

42.   Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain

43.   Finish a “Wreck This Journal”

44.   Learn to ride a unicycle

45.   Go to a big awards show

46.   Swim in an infinity pool

47.   Let go of a floating lantern

48.   Spontaneous road trip

49.   Go on a missions trip

50.   Scavenger hunt

51.   Make a time capsule

52.   Sing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song in West Philadelphia

53.   Visit Edgar Allen Poe’s grave

54.   Leave a $100 tip at a restaurant

55.   Write a letter to a different person every day for a year

56.   Make a paint slip n’ slide

57.   Go zorbing

58.   Have a massive Nerf war

59.   Visit all 50 states

60.   Have a 24-hour movie marathon

61.   Visit the “Up” house

62.   Write something in wet cement

63.   Go to Carlo’s Bake Shop

64.   Document my life every day for a year (video)

65.   Go to Coachella

66.   See a Cirque de Soleil show

67.   Find P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

68.   Ride a subway in New York

69.   Visit the Sky Deck in Chicago

70.   Build an igloo

71.   Go to the Olympics

72.   Play extreme hide and seek

73.   Sleep on a trampoline

74.   Finish an entire coloring book

75.   Find the end of a rainbow