Good at Summer: June 2012

Thursday, June 28, 2012

A Weekend for Megan

Woah! Long time, no blogging. That's ok, this post will make up for that little hiatus!

This past weekend was quite possibly the greatest weekend of my life. Here's the story...

Last summer, my second cousin, Megan Willkom was diagnosed with a devastating cancer and in the last year her entire family - near and far - has rallied behind her. And after spending the weekend with her one would wonder if there has ever been someone Megan met that wasn't instantly drawn to her. She is stunning in every way and extraordinarily vivacious.

On Friday of last week my friends, Jackie, Molly and I hit the road and spent the next 12 hours in my 15-year-old, un-air-conditioned car. They were troopers... so was my car. Once we arrived in South Bend, Indiana I was elated for the entire weekend. My cousins commented on the fact that I seem to always be smiling and why wouldn't I be? I was surrounded by family that I haven't seen in eight whole years and met phenomenal people. A theme of the weekend was all the good that has come to the Willkom family even through such an unfathomable hardship that cancer truly is.

We spent those three days with my awesome family, exploring the gorgeous Notre Dame campus, and celebrating Megan and her life.

Here is the highlight of the weekend, besides Megan's benefit on Sunday.

On Saturday night my cousin Ross, his girlfriend Maureen, Jackie and I went across the street from our hotel to Applebees for a drink. We were making fun of ourselves for drinking at the 'neighborhood bar and grill' on a Saturday night but we soon realized it was the absolutely perfect place for us to be at that time. Through showing our ID's from various states the bartender asked why we were all there. We started explaining Megan's benefit and I passed around the fliers I had stored in my purse advertising the event and Ross and Maureen gave out rubber awareness bracelets promoting LMS awareness. As the night progressed we got to know our fellow Applebee's bar-goers and one amazing gentleman bought the entire tab for everyone at the bar and wrote us a check for $1000 for Megan's benefit.

It was truly the greatest moment of my life. Everyone hears stories about stunning gifts of generosity but it is the most peculiar emotion to feel when you are actually experiencing such generosity from a complete stranger. Crying into your drink brought on a different meaning after that moment...

Needless to say, we were glad we ran across four streets of traffic to hit up the family-oriented bar!

I was in awe of this part of my family the entire weekend. The Willkom family seems to be fully encompassed by a genuine positive energy that never escapes them no matter the difficulties that befall their family. They are so united and truly love one another, not just because they are family, but because they know they have been united to some of the best people on earth. You see this family and see how much they all mean to each other and you simply want to do something good for them.

Me and my cousin Beth

Me and my incredible cousin, Megan

Me and my cousin Katie's daughter Maddie

The trip was definitely the highlight of my summer and possibly the greatest weekend of my life.

Monday, June 18, 2012

South Dakota in Summer

This weekend I took advantage of all that South Dakota can offer for summer entertainment. Saturday morning, my friends, Katie and Jenny and I went to the Festival of Cultures at Falls Park. There was color everywhere and beautiful textiles. While Katie and Jenny noshed on authentic Ethiopian food I stroked silk bracelets, tried on rings made from semi-precious stones, and admired authentic dresses from around the world.

Then came Teapot Days which celebrates the lovely town of Tea, South Dakota, where my best friend, Jackie calls home. We attended a pork feed, explored the Tea Museum which contains exactly what you think such a museum would display and went to a carnival even though the Miles sisters were afraid of the ferris wheel.

Not a bad weekend at all!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Why I Love Meryl Streep...

To Summer School or Not to Summer School?

A new website geared for college students, hattoss.com, contacted me to post about their recent blog post discussing the benefits of college students taking summer classes. I am not the expert on summer classes because I was able to avoid taking any during my entire college career. However, practically all of my friends at Augie and other schools have taken several during their college careers.

My friend, Chris is taking Econ this summer to get ahead and not have to worry about taking it in conjunction with three science classes during a normal semester. I am super helpful and text him ridiculous pick-up lines to help pass the time and distract him while learning about supply and demand.

Here's my fave:

Are you a parking ticket because you have FINE written all over you!

So for those of you that are more diligent with your studies during the school year check out this new article here http://www.hattoss.com/education/2012/06/13/8-reasons-to-go-to-summer-school/

I poked around the website and there are a plethora of other beneficial articles for college students and young adults looking to the next stage in life to check out!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Should You Take a Gap Year?

I have once again been contacted by Onlinecolleges.com to comment on one of their blog posts "7 Things You Can Do During a Gap Year", which thrills me. This particular one was especially intriguing to me because earlier last week, my hall director turned best friend, Adam and I were discussing how he spent his "gap year."

Taking a gap year between undergraduate school and graduate school is a common option for many young adults. Adam spent a month living in St. Paul with his friend Paul (he didn't see the correlation there until I pointed it out), working odd jobs including acting as a substitute teacher for a middle school sex ed course, and traveling around Europe for two weeks.

In less than a year I will have to figure out exactly how I want my life, or at least the next year or so, to look after graduation. This article details the plethora of options college students can look into during their gap year, or even their gap summer which will probably be the case for me before I start my graduate work.

Here is what I think of their list:

1. Travel
Oh hells yes! As a PA I haven't had the chance to leave Augie's campus and explore all the nooks and crannies of the world that I know I will. My gap summer will definitely be spent exploring and seeing different versions of myself around the world. I know that me in Ireland or China or New Zealand would be different than the me at Augie.

2. Work
Obviously the least exciting option but quite necessary. So many of my friends that graduated just a couple weeks ago are on the job hunt. Do what you love and enjoy being wherever you are, even if it is work.

3. Volunteer
I really like this option and I think a lot of us young adults forget this very excellent way to spend our time. I was really impressed when my friend Jackie said she was going to volunteer while she is completely pharmacy school.

4. Study
So many of my friends and I consider ourselves lifetime learners and we haven't even lived that much of our lives. Studying doesn't necessarily mean sitting by artificial lighting forcing information into our brains. However I think reading a good book, people watching, and going for nature walks can all be considered studying. Or that just might be the hippie in me...

5. Meditate
Oh goodness yes. After a grueling, non-stop four years take some time to breathe and feel yourself touch the ground. Feel yourself centered and experiencing things as they happen not as they fly past you.

6. Get Healthy
College can often make us less healthy than we would prefer. Take the opportunity and ability to make grownup decisions and plan and cook your own meals and develop exercise plans that you enjoy. I think even maintaining your friendships makes you a healthier you. Healthy is a very broad term so determine what kind of healthy you want to be and what works for you.

7. Be Creative
I firmly believe that doing something creative even once a week makes us feel like a better version of ourselves. Get paint on your hands, push your intellect to write, make your own baubles and jewelry. Even updating our wardrobes and wearing outfits that are thoughtfully put together is an expression of creativity.

I try to stress this to as many people as possible and especially to anyone that really needs to hear it: As young adults we are in our prime. There is nothing we can't do and we truly can determine what we want our lives to look like. Decide what kind of person you want to be and utilize many different outlets to do so. Enjoy your four years and look forward to the next stage of cultivating the person you became in college to the person you will be for the next chapter and for the rest of the world.

Friday, June 8, 2012

One Year

I have now been writing "Good at Summer" for one year and two days. June 6th - the actual anniversary of this blog - was a crazy busy (not!) day spent at the DMV, drinking wine and catching some sun, coffee with Adam, and enjoying Mama Ladas complete with sangria with Kaycee. Obviously no time for blogging.

Before I start talking about this last year I must share my DMV experience. I finally went to get my official grown-up, super legal, 21-year-old license on Wednesday (five days after my birthday). I was there for an hour and half and while I was enjoying that long waiting period I was watching the videos about both families involved in an organ donation and of course, being me, I started to cry. Yes, I cried at the DMV! Thus the ONLY picture I have ever taken in which I am not smiling while showing all my teeth is on my license. The license that I don't renew until 2017...

I am ridiculously proud of the fact that I have written this blog for an entire year. I originally started writing it for a variety of reasons. I knew at the beginning of last summer that I was going to have three months of memorable experiences while living with my grandparents in Spearfish, working at a fish hatchery and not doing anything with fish, exploring other parts of the country with my aunt and uncle, and growing into being a grownup. It only made sense to continue writing it when I was back at Augie.

As I approach another summer of what can only be memorable experiences and my senior year that will be accompanied by a staggering list of bittersweet "lasts", I can only imagine what the posts I write in the next year will look like and how they will define another incredible year in my life. Here's to another year of being good at summer year round and two a second year of blogging.