TRAVEL: Portland (round 2)

Only one month until I'm back in the Pacific Northwest for a weekend!  I'm so excited to finally visit after a long hiatus, almost two years.  I can't wait to see my friends who are still in Portland, and I definitely hope I have enough time to spend with everyone!

Some things I'm looking forward to:

BESTIEEE TIME!!

CST (Jan 2010)

It's been such a long time since I've seen CST! I really hope we can all eat out for ol' times sake (even though our favorite hangout is long gone. *sigh*).

DANCE OF THE DECADES!!

Totally rockin' those rad 80s prom dresses! YES! (DOD 2010)

Yes, even alumni can enjoy this popular CPB dance!  Not sure what decade I'll be dressing up as, but it'll be a good way to hang out with friends, dancing the night away to some totally awesome soundtracks! Woo!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!

With the playoffs starting next week, it'll be fun to see who makes it to the Super Bowl!  I've never watched a major sporting event at a sports bar, so we will venture to one. Yay! I really hope Kristina flies in on time for the kickoff! ;)

FOR THE SAKE OF THE BLOG!!

The adventures continue...

Who knows? There might be surprise blog posts...from you-know-where! hahaha

A-SUP OFFICE!!

The ASUP Team 2009-2010

My second home while in school. Things have changed, but I'm sure it was all for the better. It'll be good to visit the office as well as the current board and the Office of Student Activities. Oh those student government days! Good times.

THE FOSCHO SHOW!!

Well, I can't promise this will happen, but I really hope we at least get to spend time together.  But honestly, if we're together, we might as well make a video...or two.

DOWNTOWN ADVENTURES!!

Gotta venture down there at some point.  Maybe get some Voodoo or just walk around (depending on the weather)...

There's probably a half dozen more things I could list, but since it's only a weekend, I have to be realistic!  I'm down for anything, so come on Portland friends, show me what you got! ;)

More New Year's Resolutions

It's the last day of 2011! While I already started some of my resolutions for 2012, I've come up with a couple more.

5) Network! It's who you know... In this economy, it's evident that having a strong network is how people are landing jobs.  While this has been in the back of my mind of ages, it's long overdue to actually network with others in the industry, gain information about companies, particular positions, etc.  I definitely want to network in 2012, whether that is in person or through social media.

6) Reconnect with old friends.  Since I've moved back home, I realize I should have kept in touch with high school friends.  Sure, we're friends on Facebook.  We send birthday greetings, "like" or comment on status updates and pictures, but nothing more than that.  I'm going to try to reconnect; I just hope others are willing to do the same.

7) Get organized.  After moving from place to place over the past five years, I've accumulated a ton of stuff.  A bit too much.  I definitely want to reduce what I have, especially when I move again.  Garage sale anyone?

8) Volunteer! It's great to give back to the community, and I've somewhat done my part by donating blood.  Not much, so I want to volunteer more and get more involved with the community.

I feel like those are good realistic goals for 2012.  If circumstances are favorable (or not), I'd like to throw in these resolutions/goals as well.

9) Apply to grad school.  If finding a job continues to be a challenge, then I'll challenge myself to get into grad school.  It's still in the big picture.  I need to conduct more research and prepare for it if I want to make this happen.

10) Travel! I miss those college days when I got to travel to different parts of the US or study abroad.  It's been difficult planning trips around work and all, but the itch to explore the world is still there.  I know I have Portland in the books for 2012, but where else?

Alright. I could keep going on with these resolutions, but a year goes by fast and I should keep it focused on just these ten (for now).  What are your resolutions for the new year?

Let's make 2012 an amazing year!  :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

P365: Umbrella [014]

There goes my Portland-ness! Shoot!

That’s right…it started raining and I busted out my umbrella.  I guess they are pretty useful for staying dry but honestly, they can be quite the hassle…

Taken with Sony Cybershot.

Reality Check...

Being in Portland but away from all the 

UP Orientation activities was a reality check.  

I know I graduated 5 months ago, and I thought it hit me back then when I conducted my last CPB meeting.  The bittersweet feeling of graduating lingered throughout senior year, especially as the weeks got closer to that final day.

However, today, it hit me that I'm no longer a student at the University of Portland.  I LOVE the University of Portland and all my friends who are still there.  It's just weird not being on campus with them now, helping out with Orientation and welcoming the new freshmen like I have done for the past three years.

I'm thankful that I was able to see so many familiar faces while I spent time here in Portland, but I wish I was able to spend more time with them like we did before, whether it was around campus, in the library or in the basement during those crazy late nights. I won't ever forget the memories I made at the University, but I hope to continue to make new memories with the friends I made there.  I know it'll be difficult to plan out when and where we'll next meet, but I'm positive that it will happen!

Good luck this year Pilots! It'll be another great year on the Bluff! :)

UP History

On Facebook, the University of Portland put up some old photos of the campus.  It's so interesting to see how the school has changed over the past 109 years.  UP is rich with history from its founding in 1901 to its expansion in 2009 with the purchase of River Campus, the establishment of Fields and Schoenfeldt Halls, the Bell Tower, and the renovation of the Engineering Hall (aka Shiley Hall).  Even with all these physical changes to campus, UP still rings true to its mission of Teaching, Faith and Service.

So it's fun Friday, and they made a game out of these pictures.  Whoever guessed the correct year first for each picture won!  They gave away soccer tickets to the men's game vs. Oregon on August 25. GO PILOTS!

But yeah, check this out (all photo credits go to the University of Portland archives):

1938

1950

1971

1985

1997

(I won soccer tickets by guessing this one correctly after two guesses) 

2009

Isn't it amazing to see how UP has expanded and changed over the years?  I can't wait to see where the future takes UP.  I know it will continue to grow and establish itself as a distinguished institution. 

Ah! Can't wait to visit UP in a couple weeks! See you at the game! :)

P.S. I feel like this should be on the library blog...oh well. 

TRAVEL: Portland

For all my friends up in Portland (or heading that way in August for the commencement of school), I'll be visiting from August 24 to 30.

Please let me know if you're available and want to hang out.  I have a list of fun things I want to do while I'm in town, but it would be awesome if you were apart of it.

Can't wait to see you all! Hope you're doing well. :)

TRAVEL: Future trips

One week until Colorado! 

I've never been there, unless you count the times I went to the Denver International Airport (once to change planes to Nashville and another time to change planes to New York City).  Nice airport. It'll be nice to actually step out and explore the Mile High City.  However, for this week long trip, we'll be spending time in Colorado Springs area.  

Not only that, my family and I will be attending my cousin's wedding, so the whole fambam - cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. - will be there to celebrate!  It'll be good to see everyone because we haven't seen each other in awhile.  :)

I'm not sure what our exact itinerary holds, but I'm positive that we'll have some excellent adventures, seeing that Colorado is surrounded by wondrous natural sights, especially within the Rocky Mountains.

I'm really excited about heading to Colorado! YAY! :)

--------------------------------------------------------------

In other travel news, I booked my flight today with Southwest (thank goodness they have awesome sales), and I'll be heading to Portland, Ore., for a week or so in August to visit my friends at the University of Portland.  I know they'll be busy with Orientation and getting ready for the beginning of the fall semester, but it'll be nice to see everyone before they are swamped with school work and such.  Another exciting trip ahead! Sweet!

--------------------------------------------------------------

 Interesting fact about these two places:

Both of them were listed in Yahoo! 

as the top summer destinations. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

I'm hoping for some more travel opportunities in the future.  Still need to make that travel wish list...

Dear Family & Friends...

As much as I love telling you all individually what's going on with my post grad life, I figure it might be easier to just blog about it, but I'd love to keep in touch with you too.    :)

This new chapter in my life is quite different from the rest.  I'm so used to knowing what's coming next and what to expect later, but now, my future seems to be a big question mark.

So back tracking to high school, my goal was to get stellar grades and participate in a ton of extracurriculars to get into college. Then major in Communication Studies to become a journalist. After graduating college, it was off to grad school to further enhance those journalism skills.

My original plan was right on track until I got to after college graduation...and that's where this blog begins.

It has been 1 month, 13 days since I graduated 

from the University of Portland in Portland, Ore.

In my graduation announcements, I announced that I got an internship in Portland, Ore. Unfortunately, that is not that case. I was qualified for the position at this public relations (PR) agency, but due to my lack of reliable transportation in the city, I was turned down.

Side note:  During my senior year, I increasingly became interested in PR and event planning as a possible career. However, I'm still fascinated with journalism. Needless to say, my options just widened by a lot.

So I'm at home, searching and applying for internships/jobs (more about this later), but no such luck.  It feels like summer vacation, and I'm still in the mind set that I won't be here after August, even though I will.  As much as I love this infinite summer feeling, it has been frustrating that I haven't found an internship or job yet.

I really want to gain more experience so that I have something to work off of in grad school. Yes, that is still part of the plan. It's just a matter of figuring out what I want to focus on.

Well, that's my current scenario in a nut shell.  This blog will record my post grad life, including updates on the job hunt, future goals, adventures with family and friends, random thoughts and more.

Until next time...