I'm getting married!

Hey everyone! I have some good news. I'm getting married! I got engaged April 30th, 2017. I know what you're thinking, why am I just now telling you all about this? Good question. I could give you several excuses, or I could just say I've been busy enjoying my engagement to fiancé with my family and friends-- which is 1000% true. Plus, I have been busy wedding planning, which is both my favorite thing and the most stressful. 

On our way to our celebratory dinner

Anytime, I can share my engagement story, I do (thanks for listening:) ). My fiancé, Brett, proposed the weekend of our three year anniversary.  We had been talking about marriage for quite sometime, and we had even gone to look at engagement rings a couple times. When he went to shop for engagement rings officially in January he took my best friend, Grace, and one of my younger sisters, Victoria. Honestly, I was really surprised he kept it a secret because we aren't very good at keeping secrets from each other. He even at one point went and looked at engagement rings after having already purchased a ring, which really threw me off the tracks. 

The weekend he proposed, I was going at a bridal shower for my best friend, Grace, and afterwards we were supposed to go on a fancy date to our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate our three year anniversary. So, while I was at Grace's bridal shower, he was secretly getting everything ready for his grand proposal with his friend. What I didn't know was that Grace and her then fiancé, Quentin (now husband) were in on the secret (and because Grace can't keep secrets a good portion of those who attended the shower also knew). They were supposed to keep me busy while Brett was prepping the proposal location. The really funny thing is that several times during the bridal shower, I mentioned how it'd be really awesome if Brett proposed on our anniversary, but how I didn't think it'd actually happen. I don't know how any of them kept a straight face, but they didn't let it on that they knew at all. After the bridal shower was over, Grace and Quentin kept trying to get me to stay and come over to hang out with them, but I kept on insisting that Brett was waiting on me (which I thought he was). I then headed to Brett's house. When I got to Brett's house, I saw that his friend's car was in the driveway. Not thinking much of it, I walked up to his house, and when I was about to walk in, Brett met me at the door. He insisted that I go home and change into my fancy clothes for our fancy date. He also said that as soon as I am ready I should call him to let him know. I thought it was a little weird and suspicious, but didn't think much of it. 

At our celebratory dinner, eating 3 lbs of pasta. He even had dessert after.

After going home to change, my mother calls and asks me to come over to help her order something for her at that very moment. I didn't understand why, but I went over and did it anyway. After ordering what she supposedly needed, I headed over to Brett's house. At this point, I know something is happening, but not really sure what. When I get to Brett's house, and walk inside, Brett is standing in the middle of the kitchen all dressed up with about 200 candles lit with some very romantic music playing in the background. I, of course, instantly started crying because I know what's happening. He makes this beautiful speech and gets down one knee and pops the question that I say "yes" too (surprise). 

Red in his formal wear. Isn't he the cutest?!

After we shared our news with our family and close friends, I let everything sink in. I connected all the dots. He had had my friends, his friends, and several of my family members all involved. Even my mom, who didn't actually need anything ordered. He even had a video camera set up to record it. It was so sweet, and I was so surprised. He even put our dog, Red, in a bow tie. Sorry, for all the bragging. It was truly one of my favorite days of my life. 

Thanks for letting me share my special engagement story. I'm now in wedding planning mode. I will share more about that soon. 

Talk to you soon,

Andrea 

Taylor Swift 1989 concert

I have to share my amazing experience at the 1989 concert.It was one of the best nights ever. 

Taylor Swift singing "Wild Dreams" and "Enchanted".

I have been to Taylor Swift concert before. I went to the Speak Now World Tour. The Speak Now World Tour concert was amazing. I still reminisce all the time by watching the concert on the Live dvd. I still get emotional just thinking about it. It had a huge impression on me. I was already a huge fan, but after I completely immersed myself in her music and all things Taylor. 

Speak Now World Tour

My good friend and I bonded over Taylor Swift. She is the person that I went to the Speak Now concert with, and the person that I shared my obsession of all things Taylor with. It was really great. Several, years later we still each share that love of Taylor Swift. 

She had already been to the 1989 concert, but she loved it so much that she wanted to go again. I was game. We had a hard time finding tickets. We thought all was over until she won tickets from Xfinity. It was a dream come true. It was really surreal. Xfinity gave us tickets to the show with backstage tour passes. How did we get so lucky? Thank you Xfinity. You gave us the best night ever. 

Finding out we had backstage tour passes and great seats!

At our backstage tour, we got to see what goes into a Taylor Swift concert. We got see the costumes up close and the technology that brings Taylor close to everyone, even those up in the nosebleed seats. (Side note: At a Taylor Swift concert, there is no such thing as a nose bleed seat.) The best part about the backstage tour was the person giving the tour, Mama Swift (Taylor's mom). 

Meeting Mama Swift. She was so nice!

Mama Swift made a point to speak to everyone in our small group and to give everyone a hug. She gave lots of info about the 1989 tour and it's mouth-dropping statistics, but she also told little stories about Taylor. You could tell that she was one proud mom and was happy to help Taylor make her dreams come true. It was really great to be a little part of that, even if it was a very small part. 

Cardboard cut out of Taylor's cat, Olivia and Meredith. They were really big.

Every part of the 1989 concert was very tailored. Taylor took the time to dot all her I's and cross all her T's. She thought of every aspect, from the moment you walked in until the moment you left. She looked genuinely happy to be there performing. 

Taylor bringing the front row to everyone. 

If you have never been to Taylor Swift concert, you have really missed out. She gives amazing performances. Her shows are theatrical and very personal. You can't help but sing, dance, and cheer at the top of your lungs. You'll tear up at least once and revel in the wonderful night you were able to participate in. 

'selfie' with Taylor

Another 'selfie' with Taylor.

Taylor talks to the crowd like she is talking to you personally. She makes you feel special, and it is so amazing (sorry for the overuse of the word, but it's all that really sums it up). You'll leave the night wonderstruck and feeling like you just went to a party with 15,000 of your closest friends. It's a feeling I can't quite explain. 

Taylor inspiring the crowd.

If you haven't been to one of her concerts and have the means and opportunity to, I highly recommend that you do.


Love,
                                                      Andrea 

6 things I realized my first semester of college.

I survived my first semester of college-- just barely. It had its up and downs. I made through with only a few scrapes and bruises. I'm just joking. I survived my first semester with out any major hiccups. You may even say that I learned something. Those long hours of typing up papers at the last minute and memorizing equations the last few seconds before a Calc 1 test were all well spent. All that is left to show for my first semester of college are the grades that I earned and the knowledge & experiences gained from the past four months. I did manage to earn all A's my first semester.
The thing about your fist semester of college is that everything is new-- new school, new home, new friends. I, however, did not leave my home; I in the end decided to go the university in my hometown instead of going to a university away from home. There were so many factors that in the end helped me decide to stay home to go to college instead of going out of town. 
I learned so much my first semester of college. Even though I went home to my own bed each night instead of a dorm room, I made friends on campus and felt as though I could make a home their. I have outlined six things that I learned my first semester of college. They maybe viewed as tips, or ,perhaps, they maybe me heading warning. 

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions. 
• Why did I make this my number one? First off, to succeed in college, I feel you have to be able to ask questions even when no one else does. If you have a question about an assignment or a particular point that the professor addressed, ask it. You won't look stupid; if you have a question about, someone else probably does, too. 
• I don't know how many times, I had a question about something but was afraid to ask it during class. I thought people were going to judge me or think I was dumb for asking a question that they may have felt was self explanatory. In the end, I learned, I and my parents are paying good money for me to be in this class, if I have questions I need to ask.
2. Be on time to class. 
• I know this may sound like a no brainer, but let's face it, during high school it was easy to be on time for class. You went to one class right after the other. Teachers and other students urged you toward your next class. There were people always on top of you to make sure you were there on time. You don't have that anymore. Your classes aren't always right after the other. Your parents aren't on you to move it to your next class on time. There are a ton of outside distractions that will tempt you to skip or just make you late. It's up to you to make it there and be on time.
•  Don't take this as gospel, but I think all teachers say the most important information at the beginning of class. They may outline what will be discussed during class, talk about the test coming up, or state material that will only be mentioned once (at the beginning of class).
• Don't just be on time for class, show up a few minutes early. That way if you have a question, you can ask the instructor before class. I found that most teachers were at class several minutes early to set up, and were usually happy to answer my questions or help me with my homework. 
3. Don't wait till that last minute to type up that paper. 
• Let's be honest, your probably going to wait till the last minute to type up that paper or speech. I'd highly recommend that you don't. I always tell myself that I'm going to type it up early, but then something fun turns up and so, I put it off. So, then it's a night or two before the paper is due, and something major actually does come up. Now your going to have to do that thing, and type up that paper till the wee hours of the night. 
• It'll probably happen, but that's the college experience, right? I don't know about you, but I'd like to skip that part of the college experience. I find that it always takes me longer than I thought it would to write and type up that paper. When I thought it'd only take an hour, it actually took several more than that.
• Make time to type up that paper. Make yourself reminders and stick to them. It's easier said than done. Maybe type it up in chunks. Type up one part one day and the next day do another part. That way it doesn't seem like such a big paper. Also you could make revisions while your typing it up. If your going to procrastinate at least wait to do that until the second paper.
4. Keep track of all your assignments.
• There were several times that I forgot about an assignment on accident. I had plenty of time to do it, but I forgot about it.
• Write it down. Write all of your assignments in a planner or on a sheet of paper dedicated to all the things that you have to do. I have a planner that I write down everything that I have to do and when it's due. 
5. Don't wait for someone to talk to you.
• So, your the only person you know in the class, and you have to sit by someone you don't know. This happened to me in every class I was in. I was pretty shy, and most of the time, I didn't even say anything to the person I was sitting next to. It was really awkward. Outside of class, I would see them, and we would make eye contact knowing who each other was but not acknowledging it. 
• Talk to the person your sitting next. This person your sitting next to you is just a nervous or shy as you. The person may be your coworker  or your boss in the future. You may even become friends. You already have something in common. All you have to do is introduce yourself. 
6. College = Work.
• Going to college is kind of like going to work. You are going to school with potential coworkers or teachers that could be giving you recommendations for future jobs or scholarships. I'd recommend that you present yourself as so. That doesn't mean you need to dress up, but act like you want to learn something, and that you care that you are paying to be their. College isn't cheap, it's an investment.
• I had a professor that often spoke about the secondary school system, and the future job market. He advised which classes to take with which teacher because some teachers had great internships or jobs that they offered. 
• I'd also recommend that you have an advisor or professor that you can speak to about your classes and stuff.
7. BONUS: Have fun.
• Don't let your classes always overwhelm you. Take the time to have fun. Spend time with friends, read a book, or watch an entire series on Netflix (hopefully not all in one day.)

By no means is this all that I learned my first semester. However, these are things that I came to realize during my first semester. I hope you gather something from this post. I hope it wasn't completely pointless that I wrote this. These things may seem obvious to you, and they were to me. But they didn't really sink in until my first semester of college. Good luck!

                                                      Andrea