6 weeks until Spain!

It's been awhile since I last wrote, but not too much has been going on lately.  I had a great Thanksgiving in Tulsa with my mom's family.  We had a Nintendo wii bowling tournament that was so fun!  My 89 year old grandpa even got in on the action!  Now I am just gearing up for finals.  It is hard to believe that this semester is almost over.  That means that I am getting that much closer to leaving for Spain.  I am very excited, but at the same time nervous since I am going to a country that doesn't speak english!  Hopefully I will get along with my roommates and meet some new friends!  And let's hope my "Senora" is nice (and a decent cook)!  While I am over there I will try to keep my blog updated so you can see what life is like in Espana!  First things first though, I need to get all my stuff into 2 suitcases...I dunno if it can be done haha!   

President Elect Barack Obama!

So election season is finally over and I could not be happier.  The past few months have been so stressful because I believe in Obama so much and really think that he will help our country.  He isn't going to fix everything because there is a lot to be done, but I think he will be able to inspire so many people to go out and help one another.  

Election day was definitely one of the most stressful days ever!  Student for Barack Obama made their presence known and we definitely tried to make sure that everyone exercised their right to vote!  I don't care who people vote for, as long as they vote because they do have a voice and every vote counts!  As the results started coming in, I was nervous.  Even though I knew Obama couldn't get every state, I was nervous whenever he lost a state.  But then, more and more blue states started coming up on the tv.  When I saw that Pennsylvania and Ohio went blue, I knew that we were close, but I wasn't celebrating yet.  Every few minutes, my mom and I would call each other, excited...yet nervous.  At 9:00, the west coast results came in and I lost it.  I started screaming into the phone, accidently hung up on my mom, and then literally fell to the floor crying tears of joy, relief, and hope.  At that moment, I was so proud of all the hardwork the campaign did here at UNC and around the country.  I felt like I had made a difference.  Because of the people I spoke to, the calls I made, and the doors I knocked on, I made a difference in the election!  That, I think, is the power of Obama.  He makes you feel like you matter and that he cares about every single one of us and wants to make our lives the best that they can be.  I also feel like we now have respect around the world and we have definitely shown the world what an amazing country we are, electing an African-American to the presidency!

Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, you wistnessed history being made.  I saw a great quote today that said: "Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King Jr. could stand.  MLK stood so Barack Obama could run.  What will Barack Obama do for this generation?"  As I spoke to a guy from France, he told me that if Obama was elected, it would send a message to the world, and it has!  Worldwide, Obama is being welcomed with open arms and I wish more people would at least give him a chance.  I know not everyone agrees with what he stands for, but at least give him the opportunity to help our country.  You might not believe me, but I would have supported John McCain if he had become president because we all need to stand behind our president and fix this country!  I would have been upset, but I would have given him a chance to show me what he can do.  I am not asking you to like Obama, but I am asking you to support the next president of the United States because he supports you.  Like he said last night, "I hear your voices" and he will be your president too!  There are not blue states and red states, but there is the United States of America.  Our country needs us to come together, put aside our differences and solve our problems together.  Please, just give him a chance.  Don't knock it til you've tried it!

Halloween!

Go vote everyone! 

Getting ready to go out!

So this Halloween was definitely, by far one of the best yet!  I thought it was going to be terrible because both of my roommates were gone for the weekend and I had no idea what I was going to do, but luckily my friend Sara (Pippi Longstocking above), invited me over for dinner with a couple of her friends.  We had amazing pasta and then got ready for the night.  It was quite interesting getting ready.  I was Daisy Duke so naturally, I had to make me some "daisy dukes."  Well, the first pair of shorts I cut way too short so I had to ruin another pair, but it's all good!  They turned out pretty well I thought.  We then had to get Sara's hair braided like Pippi Longstocking's so we put a hanger on her head and braided around that and it turned out so well!  We then made our way to the Rio and had a lot of fun dancing.  We also saw some really cool costumes like a guy dressed as Blossom (the tv show) and a guy made his own Halo costume (it was amazing) and a guy in a ginormous hooka.  At the Rio, I ran into a couple guys I used to work with at Nike tennis camp so that was fun.  We then hit up a couple of parties and I met another Obama freak so it was fun talking to him!  Definitely had a good time with these girls and loved my costume!  

My roommates!

So thus far, this semester has been so much fun!  At the beginning, I was worried about living with new roommates, not sure if we would all get along, but it was been wonderful.  I feel like we aren't just roommates, but we are really good friends and I can go to them whenever I need something.  We have movie nights all the time (scary movies are the most fun because we are all pretty jumpy, me especially) and just love hanging out and talking.  My roommates last year were great and and they are amazing girls.  I just needed a change, people that I could really hang out with and have fun with.  I just want to say thank you to Cait and Paige for making this semester awesome!  I will truly miss you next semester and I am already looking forward to coming back for more good times ha! 

P.S. Sorry for all the political stuff you guys have had to endure over the past couple of months, but it is finally over!  

Celebrities at UNC? No way!!!

This past weekend, Eva Longoria, Kal Penn (House and Harold and Kumar), and Adam Rodriguez (CSI Miami) came to speak at UNC!!! They were there for a Barack Obama rally, trying to get people excited for the upcoming election. As Eva walked up, she pointed directly to Riley and said something along the lines of "Aww." It was pretty awesome. After the event, the UNC Students for Barack Obama volunteers got to personally mean Eva, Kal, and Adam. As Eva walked in the room where we were waiting, she went directly to my dog, Riley and pet him for a couple minutes and told him he was an angel and she loved him. Then Kal Penn came by and told me he was going to take Riley, and I might never see him again. Finally, Adam stopped by to pet Riley and knew that Riley is a Wheaten Terrier (impressive). Overall, it was a really cool experience and they were all so nice.

Eva pointing to Riley

Eva and Adam

Group photo!

Rocking with the Eagles

Kelly and I were interns for the Eagles last season and we had some good times. After the Eagles lost to the Sundogs in the championship, we kinda went and partied with the Sundogs! This past summer, she moved to Dallas and started working for the Texas Brahmas. This past weekend she came back for a wedding and I got to see her. Her mom made us an awesome dinner and then we went to Windsor and this time, partied with the Eagles (and played a lot of Rock Band). Some of the guys knew who we were, but mainly because they knew we had partied with the enemy. It was fun to actually get to talk to them, now that it is allowed.

(When I was at the Avalanche game, I actually saw Les Borsheim. He played for the Eagles, but was in a terrible motorcycle accident over the summer. He was in a wheelchair, but it looked like he was having a lot of fun at the Avs game. He is in my thoughts and prayers and I really hope he makes a full recovery).

This was from the night we partied with the other team :)

Roommate fun!

On Wednesday, Paige, Cait and I met my friend Lauren in Denver for an Avalanche preseason game. On the way, we stopped at a Quizno's in Brighton and definitely wreaked havoc while we were there. We had a lot of fun flirting with the high school boy working behind the counter who couldn't stop laughing at us. At the game, I noticed a bunch of guys sitting behind us in suits. I had my suspicions as to who they were, but Cait and Paige asked and I was right: they were guys from the L.A. Kings. One of him had a hair on hiw jacket, so naturally I helped him get it off haha! We also flirted with some guys sitting across the arena from us. On the way back to Greeley, we rocked out to old school Britney Spears and Backstreet boys! We had such a good time!

At the game

Notice the guys in the suits behind us!

Together Again!

In high school, Danya and I were practically inseperable. We helped out at football games together, ate a lot of Taco Bell, spent time with her amazing mom and sisters, and had so much fun!!! After graduation, we lost touch and just a couple of weeks ago, we reunited! It felt just like old times and we felt like we were back in high school. The whole thing made me realize how much I missed Danya and regret losing touch with her. She is such an amazing friend and I am so happy to have her back in my life!

Danya came to visit me in Greeley.

At the Rockies game!

Barack and Roll

On Tuesday, September 16th, Paige and I went to Colorado School of Mines to see Presidential candidate Barack Obama speak! We had to leave at 6:00am in order to get in line, but it was worth it cause we had great seats! Actually, it was pretty amazing that we were able to "get" Paige a ticket. (The weekend before the event, I stood in line to get tickets to the event. Unforunately, we were each only alotted 1 ticket, which meant I didn't get one for Paige. Being the resourceful person that I am, I went to a scrapbook store and was able to find the exact same paper that the tickets were printed on. Yeah, I lied, but it was so worth it, and we only took up one seat between the two of us lol). When we got inside, everyone was sitting, and then people began chanting, some lady sang the national anthem from her seat, and random people told everyone why they were voting for Obama. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Governor Bill Ritter each spoke. When Obama came onto the stage, Paige and I started jumping up and down, screaming and I lost it and started bawling. I really feel like Obama cares about each and every American and really wants to make this country better for us all. As cheesy as it sounds, it really was a life changing experience. It inspired me and gave me hope. I believe that our country can be great!

Me and Paige with the stage in the background

Barack Obama giving his speech

Waving in our direction!

ELECTION SEASON IS UPON US...

Last week the Democratic National Convention took place and Barack Obama rocked the house! 40 million people watched his speech (that's more than the number of people that watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics). I just think that means that Americans are eager for change and wanted to see what Barack has to offer. Since 2004, I have been a Barack Obama supporter. I think he has a different view of the polictical scene and wants to unite all Americans, even if the may not have his same beliefs. Many people ask my why I support Barack Obama since he "has no experience." At first, I struggled to really come up with a solid response, but now I have my answer. I believe in almost everything Barack Obama stands for. I think gays should be allowed to have civil unions, which would give them the right to visit their partner in the hospital. I also believe that health care should be more affordable for Americans. We should have never entered Iraq and think it is time we get out of there. What is our reason for being there in the first place? Didn't Osama bin Laden attack us, and not Sadam Hussein? Ya, that's what I thought! I also think that we need to find alternative energy sources and do our part to help the environment. I think that McCain is out of touch with younger generations and has made it clear that he really doesn't know how to use a computer. He also thinks that our eceonomy is sound and has stated that he doesn't know much about economics. During this election though, the economy is a huge issue. Finally, his VP pick, Sarah Palin is a joke!!! She thinks that by being a mayor and a governor in Alaska, she has more experience than Obama. I think not! Obama has travelled overseas and has met with other world leaders. Palin just got a passport a couple of years ago! She also has 5 children, including a disabled child. If I was her, I would want to be able to spent as much time as possible with my kids, but if she becomes VP, she won't have any time! Finally, it is possible that McCain could have health problems while president since he is fairly old and has a history of skin cancer. (His father and grandfather also died before the age of 72, McCain's age). There is no way that Palin would be able to take over the presidency. It terrifies me that she is SOOO pro-life and doesn'y even believe in abortion in instances of incest or rape! I don't even know what else to say, I am just so insulted that McCain would choose this woman! K, that's my venting for now, but I am sure I am just beginning!