Being Extremely Good at Summer

It is only May 23 and I have tan lines, sun-bleached hair and freckled shoulders and knee caps. I forgot just how good at summer I am. On Sunday my Solberg staff was able to move out of the dorms at 5 p.m. but we didn't leave until about 9:30 p.m. because we had spent the afternoon grilling at Matt's house and gorging on grapes and then jumping off docks into lakes fully clothed. Totally worth it. The rest of this week will include runs through neighborhoods lined with full, green trees, hiking at Devil's Gulch, movie nights, and then road-tripping to Spearfish with my mom on Friday. I will go horse back riding and hiking and run through the sprinklers with my sister and cousins all weekend.

This is the first time I am living at home for an extended amount of time in two years and it is a little weird. My mom's cat, Ted, doesn't know quite what to think of me. I joked with my hall director that I am PA-ing my house by utilizing our kitchen's chalkboard for passive programming techniques. And my mom and I are having one-on-ones frequently that involve going for a walk and sitting on our front steps with a bottle of wine.

Bachelorsdegreesonline contacted me and wanted me to share their recent post about the ideal ways for college students to spend their summers. Check out their awesome article for some inspiration.

http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2012/how-to-spend-your-summer/ 

Day 365

The last day of a year makes people reminisce about the last 365 days and look forward to the next 365. 2011 flew by and was absolutely wonderful and I have no doubt that 2012 is going to be even better, if that is even possible!

Yesterday I got to see my friend Laura for the first time since May which was delightful. I also have been able to hang out with Jenny a lot this break. 2012 will ring in our 9th year of being friends.

The Lovely Laura

Jenny-fer

2012 will make me a senior in college and will start my last year as a PA in Solberg. I will see some of my best friends graduate from college and will begin my 'grown-up' friendships with them. I will continue to see my two groups of girls do phenomenal things and I will meet the final batch of girls that I will be a PA to.

2012 is going to rock and I am going to do great 'Sanna' things!

Sparkle

Several times this semester when my girls have come to me with problems, I have suggested, in addition to giving actual intelligent advice, to buy something sparkly for themselves. One of my girls now owns sparkly Converse, a sparkly dress, a sparkly headband, and a sparkly cardigan. The combination of finals and feeling icky made me take my own advice over the weekend. I found adorable sparkly flats that have a lovely ballerina quality to them. Then when I was telling my best friend Jackie about them, she presented me with my Christmas present. This is why we are best friends... her gift to me was a large clear-pocket book with a pink sparkly cover to hold all of my ideas and dreams. She named it "Sanna's Great Big Book of Great Big Dreams."

She included this quote by Christopher Reeve (or Reeves as is written in the book!): "At first dreams seem impossible, then improbably, then inevitable."

So here I am sipping hot green tea and listening to the Classic Broadway Showtunes station on Pandora because that's what I do when I am sick and all I want to do is fill up my dream book! While also wearing sparkly shoes of course. But alas, I have to study for my Art History final.

Sanna's Great Big Book of Great Big Dreams

My Girls

I always refer to the residents of the two floors I have been a PA to as "my girls." I have 61 girls and by the time I am done being a PA at Augie I will have been a PA to close to 100 girls. I am certain that all of them come into my life for a reason and I love spending a year with them not only helping them get through their freshman years and adjust to college but also figuring out exactly what the reason is why we came into each other's lives. Today a few of my 1N girls took a study break and came back to Solberg (their first home at Augie) for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. I loved saying hi to my current girls in the building while spending time with my first batch of girls.

My 2N girls

Some of my 1N girls 

They will always have a special place in my life 

I have to give my sister, Brytten Noel, a lot of credit for why I am such a good PA and why I love it so much. Her endearing pain-in-the-assness has helped me deal with a wide variety of young women trying to figure out their lives. I have recognized something in all of my 61 girls that reminds me of Brytten. She was my first girl. 

Family Tree

Another one of my girls gave me a very Sanna-like Christmas present. One of the first days of the semester after moving onto 2N, Leah told me she thought we would be friends. We definitely are. She and her mom were searching for a Christmas present for me earlier this month and found this lovely bauble. Leah had it wrapped in a gift bag with "Joy" on the bag. I love anything with trees and birds and this gift seemed fitting for the family 2N has become.

Her mom told Leah I would always have a special place for it in my house or apartment (or dorm). I love that now I have received two gifts that will always be visible for me and will always remind me of my girls.

Tis the Season

I got my first Christmas present yesterday! One of my girls gave me an ornament that her grandpa engraved on. She often uses my middle name when addressing me, hence two thirds of my moniker was engraved onto the ornament. She wrote a very sweet message on the back of the ornament in a metallic marker. I told her that I would be perfectly content if this was my only Christmas present this year and when I have my own Christmas tree, this ornament will be front and center!

Half a Year

Today marks the 6th-month anniversary of this blog. On the first day I blogged I was sitting on the deck of the Green Bean, my favorite coffee shop in Spearfish, drinking a Blueberry Pomegranate Iced Tea Fruit Blast and listening to Coldplay. I was wearing shorts, a tank top and flip flops. Today I am sitting in my Solberg dorm room looking out to the campus sidewalks dusted with snow while drinking a cup of coffee with cinnamon and honey and listening to U2. I am wearing jeans, a sweater and boots.

It is incredible to think about everything that can happen in six months and I am sure I could babble on and on about all of the amazing-ness that has been the last six months including the adventures I have had, the exciting opportunities that have come my way and the never-ending feeling of love I am blessed to experience from a huge assortment of people. Instead I will present a sort of photo narrative.

June

Being 'Good at Summer' at the fish hatchery during my summer internship

Finn and I at the top of Harney Peak 

July

The day we became fans of rodeos! 

Camille and Grandpa on Duck Day

August

I climbed mountains! 

I have a married friend!!!

September

Four ladies at Touch of Europe

My lovely friends

October

She was truly the most deserving queen!

Queen Jackie and her royal court

November

Me and Leah and some November hiking!

Sam, Camille and I at Augie

I am sure some wonderful moments await me throughout the month of December!

June 6th-December 6th
6 months of Good at Summer!

Officially Christmas

Part of our PA job description is to put a new bulletin board up on the first of every month. Mine usually goes up around the 4th. This month I had mine up a whole five days early! And it is adorable! I took scraps of Christmas-themed scrapbook paper from last year and made a tree out of it!

With every bulletin board I have a question posted for my girls to write their answers on. This question is, "What is the best Christmas present you have ever received?"

I also posted "Other Holidays to Celebrate in December." I found a list of alternative holidays so that every day in December is festive!

1 Eat a Red Apple Day

2 National Fritters Day

3 National Roof over Your Head Day

4 Wear Brown Shoes Day

5 Bathtub Party Day

6 Put on your own Shoes Day

7 Letter Writing Day

8 National Brownie Day

9 Christmas Card Day

10 Human Rights Day

11 International Children's Day 

12 Poinsettia Day     

13 Violin Day

14 National Bouillabaisse Day

15 National Lemon Cupcake Day

16 National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

17 National Maple Syrup Day

18 Bake Cookies Day

19 Look for an Evergreen Day

20 Go Caroling Day

21 Look on the Bright Side Day

22 National Date Nut Bread Day 

23 Roots Day

24 National Egg Nog Day

25 National Pumpkin Pie Day 

26 Boxing Day

27 Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day

28 Card Playing Day

29 Pepper Pot Day

30  National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

31 Make Up Your Mind Day

Feeling Thankful- Ironic, No?

Saying, "now that I have gotten older," seems a little presumptuous at 20 but I am going to anyway.

Now that I have gotten older, I have realized the importance of friendships and feel incredibly thankful for the plethora of amazing friendships I have not only developed but maintained. I still have a group of my high school people for which I am truly grateful. It is amazing that I am going on ten years of being friends with Jenny! She proves that we should all have cute Asian friends!

Me and my oldest friend, Jenny

Here is a little gallery highlighting just a few of the friendships in my life that I feel blessed by every day! 

Rachel- She knows that grapes are included every time we are together

Cady Sea- I always refer to her by her full name. She is quite lovely

The Fab Four: Myself, Becca, Katie, and Jenny 

My kindred spirit: Becca

Laura, Tyler, Jenny and Myself

Haha Becca again! 

I feel like every day at Augie I develop a new friendship. Many of these are with my girls. Kirsten (like ear), Kirsten (like urrr), Katie, Whitney, Shandi, Emily, Leah, Haley, Ali, Echo, Sonora, and Crystal just to name a few of the many! I have no doubt in my mind that we will be at each other's weddings and will cheer each other on through the rest of our lives.

Three Generations: Katie, Myself, and Jackie

I still always refer to her as one of my girls even though she has moved up the ranks to one of my best friends

Kaycee, Coral, Abbie and Myself

Me and Miranda. I am super pumped that tomorrow our two families are celebrating Thanksgiving together in my second home, Solberg. As she says it, "It's like we are real sisters!"

Me and Kaycee, my first friend at Augie!

Me and Mariya!

I like to think back about how I first became friends with people. Jackie and I first met when she was my PA and helped me carry up all ba-jillion pieces of my wooden loft. Woah, lady! Through being involved in Viking Varieties this year I developed two friendships with Laura and Sam, lovely freshman women.

This post is devoted to Sam whom admits that she is an avid reader of this blog so I hope this post is making her smile! Today is an important day for her and she doesn't believe me when I say that I will be thinking about her all day but it's the truth. I was just walking dogs at the Humane Society with my hall director and I was thinking of her. I thought about her while drinking three cups of coffee so far today. I will be thinking about her when Sam and Camille come over for most likely a dorm room dance party!

Sam may 'get' me more than anyone else does!

I love them all to the moon and back! 

Palisades in November!

Happy November! I love this month- probably because in three weeks I get that Thanksgiving staple of broccoli, rice and Cheez Whiz, which I have to unfortunately admit is one of my favorite things!

Yesterday one of my lovely girls, Leah, asked if we could spend the afternoon in the Palisades because it was projected to be one of the last truly nice days of the fall season. Of course I was all for this idea! We hiked for about an hour and then spent another hour laying on a giant flat rock talking about life and looking at clouds.

It was a great way to ring in November- my third favorite month.

Jackie (S)Miles

Many of us have that one person that we look to for help, guidance, compassion, and love in basically anything that life that throws at us. That person for me is Jackie Miles. Jackie was my PA my freshman year and although we have now been on staff together for two years I still think of her as my PA. Our relationship has definitely grown beyond that and I consider her one of my favorite people and one of my best friends.

She is truly one of the most caring individuals I have ever known. There is no doubt that this girl is going places and I love that I get to cheer her on for everything. And.... she is up for Homecoming Queen this year for Viking Days! I am almost exploded from excitement yesterday!