life lately

i find that i barely take photos with my actual camera anymore.

instagram seems so much cooler.

1. beautiful peonies near my apartment

2. visiting old stomping grounds at WaHa with the fabulous Lauren!

3. National Portrait Gallery

4. Memorial Day Rehearsal Concert on the Capitol Lawn  

5. Tomatoes at the Farmer's Market

6. Fro-yo is sometimes the best answer to life's problems

7. The amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery

8. National Portrait Gallery

9. Most beautiful orchids

10. Sweat Pea flowers - I always wondered what they looked like

11. Mr. President

12. $1 ice cream from IKEA

Memorial Day

 

i woke up extra early on monday morning to meet up with some friends at arlington national cemetery.

each person received two roses when they walked in. you were to place one on a grave and keep one for remembrance. 

we were shuttled up to the amphitheater, sat down and waited in the basking sun for two hours until president obama spoke.

(best part was that michelle was there too...!)

definitely got my first sunburn of the summer.

following the ceremony i went to a bbq at my friend kyle and catharine's apartment.

they had a wonderful spread of food AND air conditioning.

it was much needed after spending the whole morning outside.

two things

 

two things i love about my time in dc so far.

1. seeing an honor flight of WWII vets from Missouri visit their memorial.

2. seeing tons and tons of youth visiting the capitol. ohh it makes me so happy and think fondly of citizenship washington focus. is it weird that charter buses bring a smile to my face?

home is wherever when i'm with you.

i have moved to dc.

i miss my family a lot.

especially since i was able to spend so much time with them.

here are a few photos from my last few weeks at home.

1. cutest lil' cow on the farm.  i named him oreo.

2. beautiful night on the farm.

3. i finally bought a macbook pro

4. chinese food with sista. 

5. my wonderful mama and i on mother's day. oh i miss her so much.

6. dad let jessica and i shoot some guns the night before i left. i love my dad and think he is so smart.

7. jessica and i being carefree and driving around on the four-wheelers.

8. cart full of flowers for mother's day.

9. the most beautiful sunset on my farm with a rainbow.

change is good.

change is hard.

stay tuned.

amish sale in minnesota

went to amish country in minnesota with mom and dad over the weekend.

enjoyed homemade amish donuts.

ahhhhhed & ooooohhhheeed over the hand stitched quilts.

bought a pecan and blueberry pie.

& thought about how different life would be without electricity, technology and exposure to outside life.

Echoing Good

almost one year ago, i accepted an internship of a lifetime.

TOMS.

to say i met some inspirational people would be an understatement.

people who work for TOMS are exceptional. driven.  and truly want to make the world a better place.

one of my fellow interns, molly, goes above and beyond that statement.

molly started her own nonprofit: Echoing Good.

"The mission of Echoing Good is to support small-scale projects that are community led and inspired.Through the funding of these projects we empower communities to create their own meaningful change. While the projects we support are relatively small in budget, the results are high in impact and most importantly, sustainable."

From Echoing Good blog:

"When Echoing Good began working to establish a sustainable school-feeding program in Gulu, we had about 340 students enrolled at Okwir Primary School. Now, I am proud to say, we have almost 500 (!!!). Given that we’re still waiting to finish harvesting the crops before serving the children their first meals, this is quite the accomplishment."

Echoing Good recently released their 'Echo Chain'

It's pretty impressive.  Go check it out for yourself.

Here is my Echo Chain - I'd love for you to join the cause! 

and then it hit me.

it hit me today that i am no longer a college student.

i drove to emmetsburg to work out at the wellness center. did a bit of cardio and some weights. got in the car.  picked up a few groceries for my mom. and headed home.

then a song came on the radio.

a country one.

one that i love.  one that reminds me of my friends. 

i didn't bawl.  but i definitely got choked up.

i feel so alone at home.

i miss being surrounded by my peers.

i miss having friends close by me.

i miss working out with friends.

i miss ice cream runs with friends.

some of my closest friends are an eight hour drive away.

i'm sad. and i'm going to be sad for awhile.

once a bearcat...

...always a bearcat!

that saying seemed fitting for my graduation cake.

shout out to my parents who threw me a small party after the ceremony.

Arizona

dad and i just got back from visiting family in tucson, arizona.

my great uncle, dennis, is 91 years young.

his daughter, deanna, takes excellent care of him.

deanna is an angel from above.

she provides for his every need.

she is currently battling cancer.

say a prayer for her if you can.

she inspires me to give.

give love &

time.

photo 1: waiting for the plane to take off.

photo 2:  we had a big BBQ with the family.

photo 3: Beyond Bread. Carbs. Nuff' said.

photo 4: twinsies ... #babyhungry

photo 5: deanna makes the best pancakes.  i ate them as i stared at the mountains.

photo 6: palm trees and mountains = love.

photo 7: more mountains

photo 8: the joys of being in mo, ia, ne, and az within a week.

omaha outing

 After graduation, I went to Omaha with my roommate Natalie for a couple days.

We met up with Ashley at Jones Brothers Cupcakes for lunch and a sweet treat Monday afternoon.

 Jones Bros. had just won Cupcake Wars the night before so it was a happening little place.

I am a college graduate!

 

 On Saturday I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a degree in public relations, advertising, and interactive digital media.

I am proud to say that I worked hard all four years and graduated Cum Laude.

Before the ceremony took place, we took some photos at Big Blue and had lunch provided by Connie Hesse.

 Proud ma & pa.

 The whole day was bittersweet.

It was hard to say goodbye to friends that became family.

The ceremony was very 'Northwest style'

Laid back, full of chants, cheers and even a few tears.

Governor Nixon, President Jasinksi, and Student Senate President Andrew Maddox addressed the graduates.

 Public Relations graduates.

Can't you tell it is a popular major amongst girls...

 One last lesson from my advisor, Dr. Walker.

 My family.

 Empty case.

Diploma arriving within 5-6 weeks.

 My lovely friends supporting me.

 Chatting with Dr. Baker about the presentation given to the Board of Regents on Friday.

The presentation was the last thing I did as an undergrad.  It was about my experience with Alternative Spring Break.

I bawled talking about how much the organization meant to me and how Northwest has prepared me for success.

How many students can say they have cried in front of their President and Board of Regents, right...?!

One last photo with my beautiful friend, Melanie.

I love my Alma mater.

The past four years of my life have been the best four years.

I am proud to be Northwest Bearcat Alumni.