Monday, December 31, 2012

366/366


Project 366 is through. I have not only taken a photo everyday, but have become quite a shutterbug in the process. Aside from the 366 official "photos of the day", there were an additional 5,808 photos taken this year (yes, I actually did the math)! It has been quite an experience that tested my patience, consistency, and battery life, but it is now done, and I feel better off having fully completed it.

It was a really busy year and I am so glad that I was able to capture some major experiences (good, sad, and life-changing) and being able to incorporate and share them through this project.

 Day 1: Start Project 366
 Day 17: Begin last year of Undergraduate education
Day 18: First Day of Work
Day 41: Say goodbye to Melissa
Day 42: My 21st Birthday

Day 63: Go to Ireland with some spectacular people

Day 91: Go to Savannah and Tybee for the first time
Day 111: Finish 9 miles for Relay for Life in honor of my family and friends
Day 154: Help Mom recover from surgery in the Outer Banks (what better place is there?)
Day 205: Say goodbye to Boni. Such a beautiful place for her to spend eternity.
Day 209: Take my GRE (and do better than expected!)
Day 240: My last Undergraduate semester at VT

Day 286: Visit our new home for the first time.
Day 311: Vote for the first time.
Day 355/56: Get into Graduate School, Graduate, and Celebrate!
Day 359: Celebrate Christmas (Eve) in our new home.
It has been quite a year, with its fair share of highs and lows. It has helped me grow and define who I am. I have met so many people this year, all of whom have affected me in major and minor ways. It will be weird to start a new year with its new challenges and surprises, but I feel so ready to take on whatever is put on my plate. I am looking forward to Graduate School, my brother starting college, and, hopefully, a bit more travel. So I say "Goodbye 2012. You were a fine year to live in." and welcome 2013 wide, open arms. Here's to a new year and, camera willing, plenty more photos!




Thursday, December 20, 2012

Ut Prosim


The time has finally arrived. I have completed every assignment, written every essay, and put my books away. I have finished my tests, shaken hands, met so many great people and have lost a few along the way. As I sit in my apartment, letting that fact that I am Done with a capital "d", I cannot help but feel a wide range of emotions. I am relieved to have made it, to have been fortunate enough to not only have been able to go to college, but also to complete it. I am sad because I do not want to be done, not just yet. I love being a student, it's what I have been best at for 15 and a half years now. I am scared because I know I won't be a student and have to enter a very new and significant part of my life. And then I am proud, because I have made it this far. I have built within myself enough skill and confidence to know that I am capable, I am experienced, I can enter the "real world", especially with the support of everyone that has given me such tremendous love since I first set foot in Blacksburg, especially my parents. I am feeling all of this in this moment, as I decorate my cap and sign my appreciation stole.

I am done. I can't believe it. So much hard work, so many memories made, so much learned. So much has happened. I think back three and a half years ago and what my life was like and what has changed...

-I wanted to be an engineer
-and a physicist
-and a graphics designer
-I was single
-I did not know what Ut Prosim meant
-I had never cheered for the Hokies with fellow students
-Pancake night at IHOP (Tuesday) was the highlight of my week
-The dining halls were the only place to eat besides IHOP
-I was still trying to grasp the idea of a "roommate"
-I could not dance (and still really can't)
-I could not do calculus (and still really can't)
-I thought that the BT routes could get you anywhere in Blacksburg/Christiansburg (Christiansburg has a historic district?!)
-A four page essay seemed like the epitome of difficult assignments
-3 weeks was a long time to go without going home
-I still had Grandpa
-and Boni
-and Melissa
-and Linda
-I had never been to a funeral
-I had never been to a wedding outside of my family
-Virginia wasn't so big
-I did not know that the Hahn gardens existed
-or the CRC
-or anywhere beyond the limits of central campus (besides Walmart. Walmart definetly existed)
-Deets was the place to be after 9 pm
-10 pm was late
-8 am was early
-I thought that college was going to take foreverrrrrrrrr

But here I am, with nothing left to do but wear my cap, gown, and five pieces of graduation regalia and try to successfully make it across the stage. I am ready. I am capable. I am a Hokie, now and always.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Christmas Cookies and Confections! (Plus a Recipe)

It's that time of year again. Finals are creeping ever closer, the end of the semester is rushing nearer every second, and, of course, this means it's time to bake! Time to break out the sprinkles and chocolate and so much butter. Time to forget about the stresses that the end of the semester brings and indulge, if only momentarily, in an all out baking frenzy.


This year I did something quite different. Normally I just pound out batches and batches of the same cookie, if only for the simplicity and convenience's sake. This year, I decided to make not only a cookie, but try a few pretzel confections as well. All in all, four kinds of treats were made: Chocolate Sprinkle Pretzels, Caramel Turtle Pretzels (my favorite), Candy Cane Pretzels (not photoed), and Amaretto Peppermint Kiss Cookies. All of them turned out deliciously and I want to share my spin on the Kiss Cookie.


Amaretto Peppermint Kiss Cookies

1 Bag of Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses (you should need about 48)
1 Large Egg
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Milk (I use 2%)
2 Teaspoons of Amaretto Flavoring (I use flavored amaretto sugar; 2 tsp of vanilla would work equally well if you don't like the taste of amaretto)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

1) Beat together butter, sugar, egg, and flavoring in a large bowl until well blended (approx.2 minutes on low).

2) Stir in milk

3) Add 1 cup of flour. Add in the salt and the baking soda. Add the remaining flour until dough is firm and sticky to the touch.

4) Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. A standard large baking sheet should allow for 24 cookies at a time.


5) Bake 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 3-4 minutes (otherwise your kisses will melt all over the place).

6) Press Kisses gently into the cookies. As you do, place finished cookies onto a wire rack to cool. I suggest completing this step quickly and getting them into the fridge. This prevents accidental melting and allows the cookies and Kisses to set nicely.


This recipe should yield about 48 delicious cookies. Enjoy!

I had a blast making these and I hope that you try them, too. There are a lot of possibilities, as there are a lot of different Kisses out there and a lot of possible flavor combinations.

The pretzel turtles were done by placing a Rolo onto a pretzel snap (the squares), heating them for 4 minutes at 350°, and pressing a pecan half onto the top. Easy, inexpensive, and to die for!

The rest of the pretzels were just dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. Who would want just a plain, boring, unadorned pretzel, especially around the holidays?

Again, I hope you try some of these out!

Until next time!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hokie Bucket List Update





With my final semester drawing to a close, it's time to revisit the Hokie Bucket List. Due to the weather, the hiking-related items on my list will probably no be completed. However I have been working on a few others!


  • Go to the Blacksburg Farmers' Market
  • Use the Pamplin Tunnel
  • Use the stepping stones across the Duck Pond
  • See the koi fish at the Hahn Horticulture Gardens
  • Find all 13 Gargoyles
  • Swim a consecutive mile (36 laps) in the McComas pool 
  • Go to a Burnt Creative event  
  • Eat at every establishment at Turner Place:
        Atomic Pizza
        1872 Fire Grill
        Q'doba
        Origami
        Dolci e CafĂ©
        Jamba Juice
        Bruegge's Bagels
        Soup Garden


  • Hike the Cascades
  • Hike the Cascades when it's frozen 
  • Hike Dragon's Tooth
  • Hike McAfee Knob
  • Eat at Gillie's
  • Eat at Sharkey's
  • Eat at The River Mill
  • Eat at Castle's Kettle and Pub
  • Eat at The Underground
  • Eat at Rita's
  • Eat at Cookout
  • Get a photo in front of the lit campus Christmas Tree
  • Ride every bus route:
        ♦ CRC
        ♦ Hethwood A &B 
        Hokie Express
        North Main
        South Main
        Patrick Henry
        Tom's Creek
        Progress Street
        Two Town Trolley
        University City Boulevard
        University Mall Shuttle

  • Visit Mosaic and buy some yarn
  • Visit the New River
  • Make a snow angel on the Drillfield
  • Go into Lane Stadium when it is completely empty
  • Go to a Hokies football game at night
  • Sit in the student section at a football game  
  • Graduate
**BONUS: Grad School** 

There are only a few weeks left, so hopefully I can manage to finish the doable items on the list. I really can't believe that my time at Virginia Tech is almost over. I truly love it here and, if I could, I would be a student for the rest of my life. However, it is time to start a new chapter that I am sure will be equally if not more exciting than college. I am terrified, but I am ready to check off that last item on the bucket list :)

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Hokie Bucket List


As many of you know, it is my final semester at Virginia Tech. As such, I thought that it would be appropriate to make sort of a last hurrah bucket list of the things that I've wanted to do (or should do) before I leave. This is long overdue and probably a bit incomplete, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

  • Go to the Blacksburg Farmers' Market
  • Use the Pamplin Tunnel
  • Use the stepping stones across the Duck Pond
  • See the koi fish at the Hahn Horticulture Gardens
  • Find all 13 Gargoyles
  • Swim a consecutive mile (36 laps) in the McComas pool 
  • Go to a Burnt Creative event  
  • Eat at every establishment at Turner Place:
        Atomic Pizza
        1872 Fire Grill
        Q'doba
        Origami
        Dolci e CafĂ©
        Jamba Juice
        Bruegge's Bagels
        Soup Garden 

  • Hike the Cascades
  • Hike the Cascades when it's frozen 
  • Hike Dragon's Tooth
  • Hike McAfee Knob
  • Eat at Gillie's
  • Eat at Sharkey's
  • Eat at The River Mill
  • Eat at Castle's Kettle and Pub
  • Eat at The Underground
  • Eat at Rita's
  • Eat at Cookout 
  • Get a photo in front of the lit campus Christmas Tree
  • Ride every bus route:
        ♦ CRC
        ♦ Hethwood A &B 
        Hokie Express
        North Main
        South Main
        Patrick Henry
        Tom's Creek
        Progress Street
        Two Town Trolley
        University City Boulevard
        University Mall Shuttle

  • Visit Mosaic and buy some yarn
  • Visit the New River
  • Make a snow angel on the Drillfield
  • Go into Lane Stadium when it is completely empty
  • Go to a Hokies football game at night
  • Sit in the student section at a football game  
  • Graduate
**BONUS: Grad School** 

 Again, if you have any suggestions, please let me know! I want to make this a very full sememster!