The Deathly Hallows

I'm utterly speechless.

Path of Divergence

It's starting to hit. 

**(warning: This may be a sentimental blog--something that isn't common with me, haha)**

With graduation nearly a month away, many things are starting to happen.  One of those things being my friends all going different directions.  Tonight I said goodbye to my close friend Ashley as she embarks on her new life in Seattle.  

Ashley and I were roommates freshman year and have stayed close ever since.  And even though we don't get to see each other all the time, we always try to stay up-to-date on each others lives.  I wish her the best of luck as she moves to Seattle to be with her Army husband. (Ashley and I freshman year)

Then there's the matter of the Fab5...which if you don't know already, is made up of the four best friends a girl could ask for-Siobhan, Vicki, Katie and Kathryn.  (One Fab5 pic from each year)

The first one to leave was Siobhan.  It's hard to actually say this because I don't think it had really sunk in yet but I'm not sure when I will get to see her again.  She was accepted into a fabulous masters program at the University of Tennessee and will be spending the next year there until graduation next August.  I miss you Siovy! (Halloween of junior year)

Then there's Katie...or what she will now be known as in her 3rd grade classroom...Ms. Freeman.  I'm happy to say that Katie will be staying in Auburn so I know exactly where to find her for the next couple of years.  And let me just say that she is going to be the most awesome teacher in that school! :-) (At a social freshman year)

Kathryn has another year of school left and then who knows where she will end up going-I'm hoping that she comes up to NYC! But California may be where she ends up. I know she will always be there to support me and actually I received a hand written letter in the mail today from her just saying that she wished me the best of luck during my interviews this week. She couldn't be a better best friend. (Kathryn visiting me when I interned in NYC last summer)

And lastly...Vicki.  Well, at the moment, her future plans are about as concrete as mine.  We are both hoping to make the move to the Big Apple but no final plans have been set. (Anyone need a fabulous journalist?? Because you should hire her!) (Vicki and I last summer in Central Park)

I'm not sure what I am going to do without them. Or without any of my friends that I'm leaving behind after graduation (Sorry that I can't name everyone but if you're my friend then I'm talking to you too!).  It's just not the same as leaving your high school friends. Now we are moving on to real adult lives. We are not just going away for college...we are really leaving and not coming back.  It's like I've hit a fork in the road and we are all choosing different paths.  Not that this is a bad thing...it's a great thing!! It's just going to take a little while to get used to.  

Am I still ready to graduate and move on? Absolutely! But going to dinner tonight with Ashley and her family definitely gave me a cold dose of reality. 

Once I get back from New York, I will only have 35 days left in Auburn. That's only 4 weekends to have saturday movie nights/visit friends/pack/move until I leave. Only 4. 

I am truly blessed to have the best friends in the entire world.  Thank you for a fabulous college experience.  I will never forget the impact that you made on my life. 

"Our finger prints don't fade from the lives we've touched." -Remember Me

USA-USA-USA!!

I wish we had taped the reaction I had when I was in class and my Blackberry updated me on the goal!! 

I just love this video and have to share! Enjoy!

ps. Please cheer for me tomorrow as I have to work all day!!! :-(

After 16 years--I'm DONE!!!!!!

I did it.

I finally completed my entire college coursework (minus the internship that I'm still doing until August).

Today I took my last final and man did it feel amazing to turn it in and walk out that door.  I wanted to scream with joy!! But, as I didn't want to scare any innocent young freshmen while they were at orientation, I decided to scream only on the inside. 

Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED college.  Being at Auburn as been 4 of the best years of my life and I will surely miss this town.  However, I have never been a school kind of girl.  I would rather learn by doing.  I want to be involved and experience it first hand.  Why should you judge me on a test I take when I can prove to you that I can actually pull it off in real life? 

Luckily I don't have to deal with that anymore!

So, Happy No More Classes Ever Day to Amanda!!!!!!!!!!

On a completely different note:

Maybe it's my detail oriented nature or my always on time (meaning I'm early) moto but I've been struggling lately to understand why people say they will email me and get in touch...and then never do.  Did they forget about it? Did they lie? Or what if they got my email address wrong and I have no way of knowing? I'm the kind of person that if I say I will get in touch...I will send you an email the next day.  I have been checking my email nonstop this past week with nothing in my inbox that I was expecting. :-(

But!! As frustrating as that is, I also understand that people have different styles and see time differently than me. 

If anyone has any advice for my interviews (seriously....i want to hear it!) please comment! This time next week I will have already had 3 interviews! Please send me good vibes as I travel to NYC on Wednesday!

PS. How about Team USA??? Amazing! Next game is Saturday at 1:30 Central vs Ghana! Unfortunately I have to work all day but I'll be cheering from inside The Chicken Salad Chick!!

The World Cup!

It's that time again...no not the Olympics, even though this is an only every 4 year event as well.  The World Cup is here!! South Africa has been hosting this event for about a week now and it is incredibly exciting.  Coming from a soccer family, I don't fully understand the sport but I do appreciate it and I enjoy watching this epic tournament. 

What amazes me the most is the fact that thousands of people around the world are watching this.  I mean, soccer/futbol is the most popular sport in the world! No matter what language you speak or what nation you come from, you can come together to compete internationally.  It's simply astonishing.  The amount of competition between countries is exciting but the sportsman-like attitude is something that can be seen as well.  

I find different cultures fascinating and I've been glued to my tv or computer watching as many games as I can.  So far I'm on my 10th game and I plan on watching many more as the tournament continues.  Of course I have my favorite teams-USA (duh!), Portugal (family heritage-gotta route for the Pinto's!) and Italy (I just have an obsession with this country).   

In my mind, the PR that is done during this tournament is tremendous and I can't even fathom the amount of time spent on it.  Whether that's advertisements, interviews or my favorite being the pregame segments.  I would love to work for an event like this! You literally spend 4 years or more perfecting it and because of strategic planning and amazing media relations, you get a nearly flawless World Cup event. 

I know that this isn't something that a lot of Americans appreciate because we enjoy games that actually have a winner (a draw?? what??) but I hope that you can at least understand how neat of an event this is.  I mean it only comes around every 4 years (I'll be 26 the next time it comes around! Yikes!)...so take some time to watch a little bit of the coverage going on in South Africa- you may learn something!

and PS. For all of you that have fb or twitter statuses that say something along the following: "I bet it's so hot there because it's in Africa!" --It's WINTER there people...remember that elementary school geography class?

Don't forget tomorrow is USA vs Slovenia at 10am/9 central!

Shopping trip proves successful!

Let me start by saying that I am not a shopper.  I do not enjoy trying on clothes.  If I could I would hire a personal shopper that could pick clothing out for me I would do so in an instant.  

However, as a 22-year-old college senior, I do not have that luxury. I do have two sisters and mom though who basically served as my personal shoppers on Saturday.  It was so nice to have my sisters go through the stores and pick out stuff for me to try on.  

With their help, I left with the two most perfect interview outfits for my NYC trip (16 DAYS!!!).  It feels great knowing that you can wear an outfit that you are comfortable and confident in.  I have been told a million times by professors and 'experts' about what to wear but I feel that you should wear something that tells the interviewer something about yourself.  Not anything too crazy of course but I want them to see my personality in more ways than one.  

Overall, I had an amazing weekend with my family, especially yesterday.  Spending the day playing/relaxing in our pool and watching the World Cup--the only thing that could have made it better was having one more day.  

But on a side note...not counting today...only 8 more days of class! EVER!!!! Ahh I'm so excited.  

Until next time! :-)  

Career in Acting?? And Happy Half Birthday to Me!

Hey everyone! First, I'm so sorry that it has been so long since I last posted! I've been working two jobs while juggling two classes and just haven't had the time to post.  However! I do have some fun updates!!

Today I had the opportunity to audition for a short film about student excuses that a professor at Auburn is directing and I was casted!! It is going to be a small part where I am talking to my teacher about why I missed the test and asking if I can make it up...however I'm lying about why I missed it. 

I'm so excited about trying something so new and different! This professor has been awarded for her short films at many film festivals and I'm just thrilled to be a part of it!  She said that it will take about 6 more months until the final cut is finished but she will send me a dvd of the finished film when it's ready. 

I've never thought about a career in acting (and I still don't) but hey, why not try something out of the ordinary? Maybe something good will come of it.  Who knows!

Hmm...what's next?

Oh! Well as of yesterday, I have only 2 months until graduation!!! This is exciting and scary and wonderful and so many other things!!

I'm heading back to Atlanta this weekend! I'll be going shopping for the perfect interview outfits for when I go to NYC...so if you have ANY suggestions/advice on what a PR girl going to NYC should wear...PLEASE tell me!!!

Less than 2 weeks left of summer school and I couldn't be happier. I am going to miss my Nikon D40 camera though.  I'll leave you with a few of the pictures I've taken for my Photojournalism class.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and keep checking back here with me for updates!!!

and PS. Today is my 22 1/2 birthday! (be jealous that when I was a kid my mom would get us half a cake and we would eat it on half a plate! haha!)

June is for end of classes forever, NYC and more!

June is finally here! A month I've been waiting for almost as much as I'm waiting for August.

At the end of this month I will finally, FINALLY, be done with classes FOREVER! YAY! Then I will be off to NYC for a few days of interviewing, Little Italy, going to Carlo's Bakery (Cake Boss) and of course seeing my grandparents!!!

So much is going on and I've had little down time with my two classes and two jobs.  However, I've been doing everything I can to stay positive and keep my eye on the prize.