Spring Cleaning 101

The birds are chirping outside and one doesn’t have to scrape ice off of their car anymore. What kind of sorcery is this? It feels like spring is in the air! Finally, after a much awaited break from the hot and cold temperature pattern worthy of a Katy Perry song, it feels like spring is here. While for some this may mean “Brace yourself, exams are coming!” and to the others it is more like, “spring BREAK is finally here!” For me, it is a blend of the two. However, the best way to prepare oneself for the fun and excitement that is spring break (or exams…) is to get organized from spring cleaning. While that doesn't sound like a lot of fun, there’s just a certain excitement in being able to decorate your own space however you want it and know where everything is. Time to put those apple cinnamon air fresheners away and pull open your blinds because here comes the sunshine!

Use your mop as a microphone :)

Spring Break Destination

Destination for Springs Break 2014!

UT Tyler's Spring Break is coming up in just two weeks! Can you believe it? The semester is going by so fast and on the week of March 10-14, UT Tyler Patriots will be enjoying their much anticipated Spring break vacation! I have compiled the most visited college student's vacation spots for spring break.


1.

South Padre, Texas

South Padre, Texas: Everyone and their grandmothers have heard of South Padre. This beach is one of the most visited during Spring Break. South Padre is located on the coastal tip of Texas... at the very very VERY bottom tip of Texas. Sand dunes and empty beaches north of the city limit are perfect for camping, four wheeling as well as stunning view of the bay and Gulf of Mexico. It's the perfect getaway if you are looking for your very own private stretch of beach. Other attraction aside from  beach activities  includes Sea Turtle Inc, Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site,South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sealife Center !

Putting a Spring into Your Step at UT Tyler!

Now that we have been in school for a few weeks and we students are getting back into our normal, “oh good God, this paper is due! We have a quiz!” routine, it’s time to find a way to cope with this transient, fleeting time of the year. In the past few posts of mine, we’ve discussed how to handle not always excelling at things the first time around and the complications of Texas weather on fashion. However, this semester is going to fly by! I know it seems like it just started, but it is already February: the shortest month of the year with only 28 days. At the risk of sounding like that obstreperous Rebecca Black song, March comes after that! That means if you start now, that only leaves about a little over a month to plan the perfect spring break! It sounds like a really long time, but we all know how time flies when you’re taking quizzes, having perfect attendance in that 8 am class (am I right?), and studying late into the night for all those exams.

This bunny is in your home, studying your notes!

Here is a spring board of fun ideas to do over Spring Break and why they’re awesome! Check it out:

-We Will Rock You the Musical: this musical based on the works of Queen will be happening in scenic Dallas, Texas! They will be doing theatrical renditions of Queen’s biggest hits. This ‘killer queen’ is super excited and looking at ticket prices right now. Ticket prices start at $32! Come see We Will Rock You the Musical in Fair Park!

Hockey: Only thing manly when put on ice

-Ottawa Senators vs. Dallas Stars- come get your cheer on and watch a really great hockey game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas! :D Okay, so truth be told: I love hockey and really get into it, so bring earplugs because there are others like this. But seriously! Ticket prices start at $28. Face off, March 22 at 2 p.m.!

-Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center- Okay, anything that promises both liquid nitrogen ice cream and an IMAX theatre sounds really awesome in my book! For non-members, the combo fee to enjoy both the exhibits and the IMAX theatre is only $18! It’s fun, educational, there’s ice cream, there’s science… what more could you want?

I want all the brightly colored things!

-Jasper Azalea Festival- this sounds like a blast. On March 15, 2014, there’s going to be arts and crafts and a butterfly release, garden tours, live music, and vendors! When I checked the website, they said there was going to be a petting zoo. I know where I am going to be! Seriously, I am hoping there’s an alpaca. They are such mysterious creatures! The fun starts at the Jasper County Courthouse Square at 9 a.m. sharp! Be there or be square J

So, I know there’s quite a bit of time between now and spring break, but you don’t want to be stuck buying tickets at the last minute! (These can get expensive!) Happy planning and may the odds forever be in your favor.

A Word of Spring Break Advice

It's finally the time every student here has been waiting for...

SPRING BREAK!!!!!

Just like half of my classmates here, my brain has been shut down for about a week now and my sleeping schedule is all thrown off.

I know a lot of people going to the beach or some other exotic location for spring break, and I urge you all to PLEASE be careful.
However, I also urge everyone, regardless of whether you will be home, working, partying it up on the beach, or hanging out at a lake, to GET SOME SLEEP.

It's only a week, and with the spring time change everyone should get a nap in on Sunday.

Monday is going to be horrible, I can already feel it.

I'm going to get as much sleep as possible over the break and I hope you all do too!

Spring Break Spectacular... In Tyler!!

Well, it’s just another Spring Break I’ll be spending in Tyler, Tx. But My chin is up because there is actually a good amount to do in Tyler if you know where to look.While I’m going to be spending a good part of it car shopping (The car from my last blog was indeed totaled) I’m going to grab some friends and have some fun. Want to know where and how? Here’s a few local fun places that are worth a visit:

• Are you an animal lover? The Caldwell Zoo is a great place to meet with friends and have some fun learning about animals. If you love big cats especially, consider visiting the Tiger Creek big cat reserve just north of the loop! It’s really awesome!!
• Thinking you might want to go for a splash at a waterpark? Bet you didn’t know there was an indoor one just south of the city limits at The Villages Waterpark building! It has all the things that make a waterpark worth going to, and the water is warm year round!
• If you don’t already know about Green Acres Bowling Alley, or the Putt Putt place just down the road from UT Tyler, I’m disappointed in you. Two great places to compete with your buddies.
• In fact, full-sized golf is available around Tyler at a number of places, too!
• Looking for some go-karts and bumper boats? Fire MountainAmusements in Tyler is a hub for all the fun things that used to get you going as a kid. Check it out! There are games in the arcade there, too!
• Interested in Flowers? Visit the Rose Garden for a look at one of the largest rose hubs in the world. It’s also a great place to play tag with your friends!
• Try the Azalea Trails in Tyler, which officially open next Friday for a lot of fresh air and beautiful flowers!
• If you’re not interested in the flowers but love the outdoors, try visting a park! You can try Rose Rudman, Bergfield, Faulkner (which is a sports facility as well) and even the Children’s park just up the road!
• If all else fails and you’re stuck on campus for the break, Check out the schedule at the Herrington Patriot Center (or HPC) to find some fun activities over Spring Break! I hear the outdoor adventure club might be taking excursions, too!

If none of these things float your boat, there’s still plenty more to do around Tyler! Check out this website, which offers and extensive list of interesting and exciting things to do around here! Happy Spring Break, and stay safe everyone!

Spring Break = STUDY?!

   So, as we approach this joyful time of Spring Break, remember that while the freedom might be invigorating, it is also limited. Take this well deserved time off to ( wait for it ) … actually study.

   I am serious, don’t laugh or scoff! Think how rare it is that you actually get THIS much time off school ( and work, in some cases! ). You have  great opportunity to be able to carve out some serious “you time,” but you can also get a LOT accomplished to make coming back after mid-terms a breeze.

-          Re-read older material and look through upcoming material in your classes.

-             Take breaks and have fun, don’t just “study, study, study” all the time. Maybe every other day?

-          Think on things you normally get to do … and do them! ( but then, study! )

   I don’t advise you study because I am a sad-sack with no friends! I love them and seeing them means a great deal, but so does not wasting a week when I could finish a draft of three papers AND study up for a test that will be two weeks after I get off break.

Manage your time.

Have fun.

Study hard, where allowable.

Succeed!

Spring Break adventures!

I took a trip to Florida with my boyfriend and his parents to Florida last year and somehow created two blogs out of that slightly adventurous trip to the beaches.

While reading over my old blogs, ironically I'm taking a similar class to my tech 2323 but less business-y and more Microsoft focus that is stacking the stress with a mid semester project and the first test.

Even better we have a test to come back after Spring Break over lectures (the other is over Excel and Word).

Spring Break... is over.

I cannot believe it's taken me a week to write this blog! Seriously! The end of Spring Break has brought on a tidal wave of work and some tests. I'm surprised I haven't lost my mind, but believe me, I came close. This time last week, I was wrapping up my awesome vacation. It was a good one, to be honest; probably the best one I've had. Last year, something told me to star saving up for this Spring Break. I'm so glad I did; it was well worth it. My roommate and I spent the break in San Antonio. The drive was pretty arduous; nearly six hours in a car is pretty hard on my old woman knees.

When we got there, The week was filled with food. And I mean serious food. Not McDonald's or Taco Bell, but real grown-up food. We went just about everywhere on the Riverwalk from Hooters to a Spanish cafe with expensive entrees. It was awesome just to be there, spending money and not worrying about much anything (except the homework I got assigned over break. Thanks professors.)

All that being said, I think the real highlight of my Spring Break was the day trip we made up to Austin. Even more luckily, we got caught up in the sweet chaos that was the SXSW (South by Southwest) festival. Seeing as how I've wanted to go to SXSW forever, I was absolutely amazed at the fact I was lucky enough to be in the area while everything was going on. We didn't actually get to see the shows, but I definitely plan on attending next year and it will be awesome.

The rest of the week was more food, walking, and (expensive) parking. The weather was great for the most part. The first two days we were there it was cold, windy, and rainy. The sunshine and warm air more than made up for it, though. And pictures. Man, did I get pictures. I have photos of people, buildings, skylines, food, whatever. There are far too many to put on a single page, but I'll have them up soon. But for now, back to work.

Spring Break is Over!?

Um time out! Where did the week go? Seriously, spring break is already over? Dandy. Getting up this morning was needless to say unpleasant. It's amazing how one week can utterly erase your sleeping pattern. Upon walking out, I saw my fellow students walking like zombies to their classrooms and soon realized I wasn't alone. This week is in a sense karma. This is the week when you have to get used to getting up early again, going to work again, and also studying for those tests your professors were waiting till after the break to give. Oh yea, real dandy. So when's the next break? Took a peek at the academic calendar and found there's none! Sad I know. Guess we'll spend the next two months gearing up for summer. At least it's nice outside.

My Spring Break!

Hey guys, I've been awesomely out of town since Friday. I went and drove nine hours to Perdido Key, Florida with my now ex boyfriend and his parents.
   and stayed at this place:

This place had an indoor and outdoors pools and hot tubs not to mention the beach was like 10 feet away from the pools.

So I have an awesome story to share to go along with showing ya'll where I had an awesome time at.

There's a pier owned by the resort that across the road. We had brought fishing rods to do some fishing. I guess. I thought they were ornaments or just pretty things to look at. Anyway we went for some late night fishing after spending some time on the beach. I tried casting a couple of times and failed horrendously. So I stood next to my boyfriend, doing what I do best, looking at the pretty surroundings. We're on the end of the t-shaped pier when this:

Spring-Break-itis

The week before spring break is always a peculiar one. You're excited to get a week off and wanna blow off doing anything and everything. There's a definition for this by the way, it's called spring-break-itis. Of-course though, professors are always on the prowl to ruin such plans and feel the need to give their last minute test before the break. It's really quite a dilemma. It's hard to process a test when all you can think about is the sunshine hitting your skin on a beach or even chilling at home playing video games and blasting music. But I guess you have to weather the storm before you get to paradise. In the meantime hang in there people.

Pre-Spring Break stress!

The week has hardly started yet but the stress of the week before for spring break is coming slowly and surely. 

Students are having multiple tests and projects due this week while they prepare to go off and spend the break relaxing...mostly. So this me, Emmy Conn, being proactive and synergised! against this mound of stress that is about to beat me up and call me a sissy! (oh snap, at least it didn't call me a lintlicker, then I would have to metaphorically have to do the boxer tango with stress) 

So to be proactive against this monster 

I have created a list of what i'm doing to stay awesome this week: 

1. For Monday morning

2. Studying

but not 

3. and lastly 

DIY Free Spring Break

Instead of going to Padre or skiing, I'm staying on campus this Spring Break.
Coined "staycation" by some person with too lax an understanding of words, I plan on having fun near home for cheap. I'm making a trip to home to Oklahoma for a music festival at the ending of April, and hopefully a trip to France this summer.
I'm thinking a free Spring Break.

Free Things I Plan on Doing:

• walking around the woods on campus
• making collages out of old magazines
• silly workout, best if done with a friend (pop in an old workout tape and laugh while you gesticulate. Bianca says Jane Fonda)
• listen to CDs all the way through
• sew up all my clothes differently to make them cool B)
• swim!
• color my hair with Kool Aid (purple?)
• rub my head and pat my belly
• beautify my resume with watercolors
• use old paint to refinish ugly furniture, pictureframes, corkboards, etc
• find a free art show

Okay, maybe you want to play basketball instead. Whatever. The point is, I'm going to have fun, and it won't cost much~

The Return From Spring School Work "Break"

            Well, I don't know about you, but for those who had to spend their spring break doing school work, I feel for you. I was one of those students who had to enlist a lot of internal discipline to actually sit at my computer for days while the weather behind my window promised me a life of sweet freedom. I spent days working on two research proposals for my senior sociology classes. I must say that I felt quite miserable there for most of the week.

         But I had relief. I was to take a weekend get-away trip to visit some family. With my eyes set on the light at the end of the tunnel, I worked and slaved over my school assignments. Each day I had a work goal that I tried to meet in order to prevent me from burning out too quickly. The end goal, which was to complete everything by Thursday afternoon was not met, but I came very close to meeting it. At some point you just have to stop working & set everything aside for a little while & not think about it.

The Aftermath of Spring Break

          Did anyone really feel like getting up this morning? Seriously? It's only been a couple days after Spring Break and we're all still on holiday cruise control. I guess it's just the Tuesday syndrome; Monday wasn't any better really. In my classes, about half the usual people showed up, and the ones that did just kind of sat there like brain dead zombies.
          I think I can safely assume it was this way in almost all the classes at the university. The sun has been out all day and I've been walking around in a sleepy fog. I'll be happy for a slight break tomorrow since I get the night off, but as for the rest of the week... Well, lets just hope our brains reboot enough to finish out these last 8 weeks

End of spring break vlog

The Simple Things in Life!!!!!

             With spring break here, most students’ schedules are filled with vacations and road trips that will not soon be forgotten. While agreeing with the vacations filled with laughter and jaw-dropping memories, I sometimes rather have the simple things in life. The comfort of just being back in the city I call home, the basketball courts that are filled with memories, my neighborhood that’s like none other, the bed that I call "my bed”, and the house that I have been living in since I was born.
            Even better than all of the material things, are those people that I call my family and friends. Just being around my family and friends is just enough to put me in the best of moods (no school work also helps :)). Going to play football and basketball at or behind the school is one of my favorite things to do. All of these irreplaceable things reign supreme when compared to the other trivial things.

So with all this said.........I AM HEADED TO PADRE!!!! You all be safe and love you all!!! Have a good one!!!!

Spring Break

So...I am soon to graduate. I have A LOT of school research stuff due before then. I have only 2 research papers, but the individual pieces are due a few weeks apart, not all at once. My Spring Break, like the Thanksgiving one, will be filled with working on school assignments. This break will be filled with analyzing data, searching through scholarly articles, and trying to type up complete research proposals to match the proposal outline I've submitted yesterday.

But....The good news is: I work on campus, so I won't have to come into work for the week.

Which means....? ;) I get to take all the time I need to finish up all these approaching assignments due the week after we return.

And then.... I am going to take a weekend trip to visit some family out of state. ^_^ I am going to an old past time lake house to be free for a bit before returning home. I think I'll leave my cell phone in Texas...

Check out this great MSN video: Spring break safety tips

As we know Spring Break is drawing near and students as well as faculty continue to post Facebook posts on Spring Break. However, no one has blogged about it so I feel like it will be a great time to remind everyone about safety during spring break.


Check out this great MSN video: Spring break safety tips

Test

Well I have my first medsurg test on Wednesday, and I expect it'll be fairly difficult.
Clinicals are almost done with. Then it will be spring break yay!