Thank goodness the weekend is here!

Forgive me for the lack of blogging in the past few days lets just saylife at Millsaps decided to EXPLODE the past couple of days! 

I’ll spare you all the details and just hit the highlights.  I have been preparing the entire week to take two midterms on Thursday, the first of which was at 10:00 am.  I had set my alarm for 7 to fit in a morning workout which of course I didn’t make it to, and instead fell back asleep, and didn’t wake up until 9:01!  (I have work at 9:00…oops) I leaped out of bed, flipped on all of the lights (sorry roommate) and began the mad dash to  get dressed. 

I came across this this morning...HAPPY WEEKEND!

I made it to work only a minimal amount late, and began mentally preparing myself for the two tests that I was about to take.  One didn’t go as well as I would have liked, but the other…let’s just say I kicked its butt!  I ended up typing a ten page response to four questions (single spaced). Yep..thats what we Millsaps students get to do!  I showed that Industrial Organization test who was boss. (Beware of a future ranting blog about the actual results of the test….)

I finished off my busy week with some good times with friends, and since I am priveledged enough to be an economics major with no class on Fridays I began my weekend last night!  I head to Six Flags at 2:30 tomorrow morning, and from there I head to Washington D.C. for an Economics Department trip.

Real world here I come, and look forward to more updates in future blogs!

The college woman MUST have shoes..

There is one item that must be in EVERY woman’s wardrobe, and that item is a pair of rainboots. 

Rainboots like these can be seen all around campus.

Fortunately I entered Millsaps equipped with a polka dot pair of my own; however, many students were caught off guard that first Jackson thunderstorm.

This morning I awoke to the sounds of thunder and rain beating on my window, and of course when the alarm clock rang at 6:30 I quickly rolled over and didn’t get up until nearly two hours later.  When I finally did decide it was time for the Tuesday to begin, I slid on my boots, and headed out for the drizzly campus beyond.

You can always tell who is a freshman by the first rainstorm of the school year. Those that have been here before have learned that rainboots are the only bearable way to trek to that 8:00 am class, and the little freshies are the ones that have yet to aquire the much needed boots.  I can assure you that by that second storm, everyone freshman girl has bought a pair, and will never be caught again with sloshy pant legs or wet socks again!

For those of you heading off to college this year or in the near future, trust me along with the new bedspread and storage containers BUY A PAIR OF RAINBOOTS!  They will make your life THAT much easier. 

Enjoy your Tuesday, because I know I will! Jumping fearlessly in puddles all day long!

Football, Tailgating, and Salsa-ing Oh My!

Football game? Check. Tailgate? Check. Salsa dancing? Check.

I have officially crossed all of the above off of my weekend to do list.  The weekend began with the much anticipated meeting of the Trinity Tigers and the Millsaps Majors.  In case you aren’t familiar with Millsaps athletics, I’ll describe Trinity in three words: We Hate Them.  At 1:00 the rivalry commenced, and I will spare you the details of the game, and say that unfortunately we did not emerge victorious.  The Majors kept the game close with a final score of 10-3.

The most important part of game  day festivities took place after the actual game.  The Majors fans gathered at the nearby Cabot Lodge, and tailgated like no other.  My own parents came up from the Coast and of course brought a little home to me in Jackson.  We fried shrimp, mullet (fish), hushpuppies, and even hard shell blue crabs (I’ll describe these in detail in a later blog).  My friends and fellow athletes were able to hang out with the Cantrell family for hours, munching on Coast delicacies and enjoying the comaraderie and spirits of game day.  After a few lessons on how to properly eat the fried hard shell crabs, everyone quickly indulged, and I can confidently say no one walked away hungry! (or thin for that matter)

As evening approached those remaining decided to move the party down the road to a local salsa club in Fondren.  Salsa Mississippi holds free salsa lessons every Saturday night at 9, and let me assure you this is a newly discovered Millsaps student MUST!  My friends and I learned the basics of salsing for the first hour, and for only a $5 cover were able to take part in the “after hours slasa party”.  We never stopped dancing, and were able to dance with both professionals and novice dancers. (salsa is NOT nearly as easy as the professionals make it look!) Although I can not boast superb salsa skills, I can say that this weekend certainly increased my salsa-ing abilities!  I can not wait to return, and bring even more of my friends so stay tuned for more on upcoming visits to Salsa Mississippi!

…and swap season begins

I guess I will preface this blog by explaining what exactly a “swap” is.  A swap is a closed one hour party between a fraternal organization and a sorority.  Each of the sororities has a swap with each of the fraternities at some point throughout the year. 

"Flappers and Gangsters" swap...of course I was a gangster.

Each of the swaps has a different theme from “Grafitti”, to “Game Night”, to “Jarty”. (for those of you who are not familiar with a “jarty”, a “jarty” is a party where only jean items are to be worn)

Now that you have a better understanding of what exactly a swap entails, I shall now recount the Swap Season opener which occured last night. 

The first swap is often the most anticipated, and the anticipation was certainly high last night.  For our seniors, this would be their final swap with this particular fraternity, and for freshmen their first!  (I should warn you that this particular theme led to the boys being dressed in plaid skirts and knee highs.) After toasting the boys outside of their house, the festivities began. 

Ready for the night to begin!

We entered to a mass of fraternity men in clothes that not even the girls could squeeze into, but hey thats what makes college so fun and memorable right?!  Both organization’s new members were announced warranting cheers from everyone in the house. 

The above sentence may seem quite simple; however, I assume many of you have never tried to silence more than 100 people who are dancing and having fun on a Thursday night.  Put quite bluntly: IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. 

Midway through and INTENSE game of Twister at a "Game Night Swap"

Although the room was never quiet enough to hear all the names, after all the new members were announced a mad rush to the dance floor ensued.  We danced the night away to everything from “Electric Feel” to the “Wop” to the “Wobble”.  At one point I ran into my fellow blogger John Nolan Killebrew.  (I’m sure you have no clue as to whom I am referring because my blog is WAY more interesting than his could ever be.)  John Nolan and I decided blogging about the swap was a must.  Well John Nolan…I blogged first…I WIN!

Around 11:00 our hour had expired, and we were instructed it was time to leave.  After more sister/brotherhood chanting, the official swap was over.  We arrived, we danced, we conquered in only an hour…and every Thursday will be the same!

An “enriching” floral experience

I am definitely a few days late on this blog, but better late than never right?  Tuesday night (before the fabulous 21st celebration) I participated in one of my FAVORITE activities of the year: floral design class.

Yes, you read correctly, I participate in a floral design class where I learn to make various types of floral arrangements, and general care for flowers.  The class is a part of the Enrichment series offered by Millsaps, and students even get half off!  The classes are open to everyone in the Jackson community so when I arrived at floral design class (dressed in my 21st celebration outfit) I was without a doubt the only person under 45.  (Ok maybe there was a 42 year old, but thats just about the same thing!)

In order to further make myself look like Suzy Homemaker, I must admit something.  This was not the first time I had taken this class full of middle aged women…it was the SECOND!  But hey, I am comfortable with myself, and I can proudly say that these floral design skills came in handy when some flower faux pas occured during Greek Recruitment and I was called to the rescue!

The class focuses on a different arrangement each of the weeks, and this past class we made a smaller fall centerpiece arrangement.  See the picture below for a better appreciation, and YES I made this from scratch!

Excuse the evident mess in the picture. (Just wait until you come to college!…You will somehow forget how to clean too…)

I return to floral design next Tuesday night for the final session of the class.  Who knows what we will create?!

To see more about the types of classes the Millsaps Enrichment Series offers follow this link: http://www.millsaps.edu/quicklinks/enrichment_series.php

The BIG 2.1.

this was just too perfect to not add...

One of the many thrills of growing up is turning that long awaited….21!! Although I may not be turning 21 for almost a year (yes I am in the correct grade…late birthday), I had the pleasure of celebrating one of my best friend’s big 2. 1. last night! 

Whoa whoa before your thoughts begin to stray, let me explain the birthday celebration.  A handful of our friends gathered at Amerigo’s, an italian ristorante and Jackson favorite, to begin the birthday festivities. (the friend’s name is Katie…and Katie’s actual birthday is today) After ENTIRELY devouring the three plates of bread (we asked for more later in the night) we hungrily ordered a variety of pastas, salads, and more. 

A few of us tried to factor in the healthy eating idea…but wait we’re in college! So long story short… healthy didn’t happen.

After placing our orders, gift time began.  I proudly handed Katie her gift that had taken me an ENTIRE morning to purchase. 

Digression while I explain the gift:

Katie is an English major, and some may consider her a classic soul.  She loves knitting, classic novels, writing, and is SUPER competitive.  She had given me a fantastic birthday present, so in honor of her competitive spirit I knew hers had to be equally as fantastic.  The idea for her gift struck me one night as the sounds of good ole’ Sanderson (residence hall) were lulling me to sleep; I would travel to every public library in Jackson and purchase a used book from their used book sale tables.  On Monday morning I embarked on my library journey, and I am proud to say 5 hours later, I returned with 21 of the best handpicked books Hinds County library system had to offer.  I bought classics like “Of Mice and Men”, and newer pieces like “Is He the Right Guy for You?” to Katie-specific books like “At Knits End: Meditation for People Who Knit Too Much”.  Some looked like they were about to fall to pieces, others had inscriptions in the cover from previous owners, and some were even signed by the authors.  This may not seem THAT exciting to you, but trust me if you knew Katie this was by far THE perfect gift for her.

End digression and return to the story:

Katie began opening her gift, and 21 books later I had sucessfully brought her to tears!  WIN! This may not seem like the average 21st birthday gift, but uniqueness counts for something right?! 

I will save you from having to read about our entire dinner so fastforward to the anticipated FREE dessert!!  Of course we had alerted the staff that it was Katie’s 21st, and when they began approaching with the apple/cinamon/pecan monstrosity the entire ristorante broke out in song! 

The night was inevitably a success, and although Katie may not have technically been  able to order a “birthday drink” it was the perfect Millsapian celebration of a 21st! 

this is definitely NOT the birthday celebration...but it is a great pic of the two peas in a pod!

We are the champions!

Throughout high school I was involved in nearly every extra curricular offered.  From softball to basketball to cheerleading athletics was always a big part of my life, but when I came to college I thought that basketball and softball could continue no more.

Boy was I wrong!  I was introduced to this little thing called…INTRAMURALS, and, like many of my fellow teammates, I was given the opprotunity to relive those high school glory days.  Last year I played on the reigning Intramural Basketball champhionship team, a title that is coveted among the intramurals community. (most agree that basketball is the most competitive of the intramural sports)

Last night I was able to partake in the first intramural game of the season: flag football.  After a ripped shirt, a jammed finger, and some much needed exercise, my team walked away again victorious.  (Don’t let the afore mentioned scare you-the games are not always this intense!)  Our team is out to set a never before record to be the cahmpions of EVERY intramural sport.  Lets do THIS!!

More to come as the flag football season continues.  Happy Tuesday!

What do football and earmites have in common?….cheerleaders!

The first blog of my career..where to begin?  Should it be the hawk that flew about 6 inches in front of me? Or spending my Saturday afternoon in an Enterprise van with 14 other people? For the sake of gaining your interest…I will proceed with the latter. 

As a member of the Millsaps Cheerleading team, we embarked on the first road trip of the season this past Saturday.  All thirteen of us plus our coach sardined (yes I just made that a verb) into a white rental van, and set out for Pineville, Louisiana.  The team made the unfortunate decision to place me in the front passenger seat which gave me full control of the radio AND the directions.  In high school I was dubbed the “radio nazi”, and this trip proved no different.  What can I say? I simply don’t tolerate annoying droning songs, and the channel must be immediately changed!

Anyhow back to the trip.  The ride to Pineville went as scheduled give or take a turnaround in Tallulah, LA, a pit stop for fried catfish at a gas station, and the fact that I ONLY read 25 pages of my homework. (Try getting all 13 girls to be quiet all at once and let people study…long story short it is NOT going to happen. There will always be that one!) 

Around 4:00 pm we arrived at Louisianna College, and after a quick uniform change headed to the field to cheer on the Majors.  The game didn’t go so well, but the MAIN POINT of this blog is arriving I promise.

After leaving the game, and heading home we stopped for our first bathroom break.  Everyone was eager to return to campus so we tried to make the pit stop as quick as possible; however THAT certainly wasn’t the case.  While waiting for the rest of the girls to return our lovely cheer coach managed to confuse her eye medication drops with her DOGS ear medication drops and yes…PUT THEM IN HER EYE.  After a confused look, screaming ensued, and the few cheerleaders that had already made it to the van went into rescue mode.

We doused the coach’s eye (really entire body) with water, and eventually made a phone call to lovely Emily at Poison Control. (yep check “call poison control” off the bucket list) Emily assured us that as long as Jen had sight in her eye, and that we had flushed it for a full 20 minutes she would be fine to return home, and promised to call us back in an hour.  (She never called back)

Jen turned out to be fine, and the numbing sensation that remained in her eye was determined to be from the inssesant amount of ice water we had poured into her eye.  We continued on our way, and around 1:30 am arrived at good ole’ Mother Millsaps. 

Another great weekend to add to the college story books, and there will surely be many more to come!

Welcome to my blog!

Hailing from the Coast of Mississippi, Biloxi to be exact, I have just recently begun my junior year at Millsaps. After two years of being “Undecided”, I can now affirm that I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Public Management. I am involved in a number of campus activities from Greek life, to cheerleading, to Major Melodies, and in the Spring I will take on my most exciting activity to date; studying abroad in Vaduz, Liechtenstein for the semester. Happy reading as I chronicle my attempts to learn German in the next few months, my late nights in the library, and other joys of the Millsaps life!