A New Kind Of Adventure....HAWAII!

Next Sunday (a little less than a week from today!), I will be on my way to Hawaii!  I will be in Hawaii for the whole month of January while participating in an Intercultural Communication course with the University of St. Thomas Communication and Journalism program.  I'm super excited and will definitely try to keep this updated along the way!  For the first half of the month I will be staying in Oahu and in Kauai for the second half of the month!  To say I am excited to have this experience is definitely an understatement.  Here's a couple of places I'll be visiting: 

 Diamond Head-Crater that formed from a volcanic explosion that occurred 300,000 years ago!

View from the top of Diamond Head: 

On New Years Eve we'll be watching fireworks from Waikiki Beach: 

Hawaii Supreme Court: 

Pearl Harbor:

Kalalau Trail: 

Nuuanu Pali Lookout: 

Smith Family Garden Luau: 

I need to get to packing, but stay tuned for many Hawaiian adventures!

EXACTLY ONE WEEK UNTIL THIS SEMESTER IS OVER!








but until then...

The Beginning of the End (Of Fall Semester)

The end of the semester is always an interestingly exciting, but extremely stressful adventure.  Luckily, I have an insane amount of awesome people in my life right now!  From coworkers at school, to my best friends near and far (okay Mankato isn't that far haha) and my family, I know that these people will always be there for me.  It was unexpectedly nice to find out my coworkers at my school job are so caring about each other and that they genuinely care when one of us is having a bad day.  It makes sense, we are like a little family on campus!

But also how freaking awesome my two hometown best friends are, Lei and Lys.  They are super duper awesome.  Not much more needs to be said!  It's nice being able to get away from the stressful vibe on campus during this time of year and be able to just chill and hang out with them.


The beginning of December has been much more friendly toward me than the end of November treated me.  I am finally registered for 16 credits next semester, which means I am most definitely on track for being able to graduate in 4 years! Uff da!  I just had an interview for a career related job for next semester and I have an interview lined up for an internship that I would be ecstatic to get in the spring!

The beginning of December has also been fun socially.  Last night I had the honor of accompanying a good friend of many years to the military ball. I had no idea what to expect before we got there, but it was so much fun!  And I got to meet a bunch of great people and make a couple new friends!  Good night, with good people.  Nothing better than that!  And having that much fun was much overdue.

But for now, it's time to get back to cracking down on studying for finals and finishing up end of semester projects!

Happy December (minus the crap snow and cold weather!)

Also, 21 DAYS UNTIL HAWAII!

November...The Month I Never Want Back

To say that the past month has tested my patience is the understatement of the year.  A lot has happened in the month of November that has definitely tested me... 

November was not only the return of the exes, but also the return of all the problems that come with them.  Exes can send you on one hell of a roller coaster ride if you let them.  Unfortunately I let them. One had good intentions, the other had bad intentions.  Lesson learned from this, you'll never find what you are looking for if you continue to look in the same place.  Exes are in the past for a reason.  I know that has been said a million times before and is so cliché, but it is so true.  So next time an ex comes around the bend, AGAIN, remember to keep your guard up.  They probably just want something or want to use you for something/someone.  So it is probably best to ignore them and any baggage that they bring with.     

November was also the month where I learned who I can trust....but mostly who I cannot trust.  I am someone who will tell almost anyone anything.  That is not a good thing!  I trust too easily and in November I ended up getting the short end of the stick for doing so.  Lesson learned from this, there is never a point in life where you can trust everyone that is your "friend," because you never know when they aren't going to be your "friend" anymore.  I honestly feel like a high schooler again for even writing that, but it is the harsh truth.  Good friendships are hard to come by.  When you get an honest to goodness great friend, hold on to them TIGHT!   

November was also the month of registration for spring semester.  Everyones favorite time of year....not!!!  "May the odds of registration ever be in your favor" I had not.  Although I think I have my spring semester classes all figured out now, there was a time (last week to be exact) where I thought I was not going to be able to go to school next semester.  With 2 classes at my home campus and 1 class at our sister school, plus two classes this summer, I should still be able to graduate on time.  Thank goodness for academic counseling and my advisor!  No thanks to the Communication and Journalism department for not offering enough sections of classes.  I hope that this was my one registration session from hell and that next years registration will go smoothly! Lesson learned? Always have a plan A,B,C,D,E,F,G and H for classes you would like to take.  Maybe even a plan I as well...?


Although the month of November was not a fun one, I am still thankful for the challenges that life has handed to me.  The challenges November so politely handed to be has given me the chance to learn from my mistakes.  I believe that the obstacles that I have overcome this past month have also made me a better person (again, cliché I know!).  

Life goes on.  It's not a bad life, it's only a bad day....or in this case a bad month.  

So cheers to the end of November and the start of December.  And cheers to the opportunity to kick off 2014 in Hawaii with a bunch of awesome COJO people! 

Listen To Your Friends

College is all about making mistakes and learning lessons the hard way.

Some harder than others for sure.

The most important lesson is to listen to your gut....and your friends....and your mom.  They sometimes know you better than you know yourself, which is freaky.  If a majority of your friends tell you it is a bad idea, than it probably is a really horrible idea.  Like thinking that becoming friends again with an ex is a good idea.  Especially an ex that called you some really nasty words when you didn't do anything wrong.  Now I'm not saying that one cannot be friends with an ex no matter what the circumstances are, because I think if there is common ground and you were friends before you dated, it should be fine.
I'm talking about the ex's that flipped your life upside down.  Okay, that's a little exaggerated.  But the ex that decided to treat you like a big pile of poo after you did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG!  (<---watch out for those).  Those are the ones you should never associate with again.  Because nothing good can come out of that friendship with someone that called you a word that makes most cringe and starts with a "C."  When your friends/coworkers/mother/sister/cousin/cat/etc... tell you it's a bad idea to even consider being friends with them again, LISTEN TO THEM.  Because you are young and gullible and they know you better than you know yourself at this point.  Your friends won't give them the benefit of the doubt because they saw how bad you were hurt when this person was in your life before. The real friends you should listen to are the ones that won't tell you "I told you so" when it all crashes and burns.  

Mistakes happen.

Friends will separate from each other for stupid reasons.  They weren't meant to be your friends.  

You'll fail a test you should have studied harder for.  Life will go on because life isn't about your grades.

You'll fall too hard, too fast.  You'll bounce back and learn that you deserve better.

College is a time to learn from all the mistakes you make.  No matter how small or how big the mistakes may be.

"Life is so precious and nothing can be done when it is taken away. Live a life full of purpose, love others, and realize that everyday is a gift..."

For You, Taylor

It'a late.  I find myself thinking about an old co-worker of mine.  The sweetest girl that I have ever had the chance to work with.  Her charisma is something else and the way she cares about everyone is extremely heartwarming.  Although we never became super close, I know that Taylor is the kind of person that you can go to about anything, and she will listen with both ears open.

Taylor's heart stopped on November 8, almost a week ago.  She was medically sedated.  She is currently off all medication for sedation and pain control.  Her organs are not responding and serious brain damage has occurred.

I sit here and find myself with tears trickling down my cheeks.  Someone so young and so grateful for everything and everyone in her life should not be suffering.  I remember working with Taylor at Caribou.  She ALWAYS had a positive attitude about everything at work.  I always looked up to Taylor, and still do, because of the faith and love she possesses.

Although it saddens me deeply to know that Taylor is suffering right now, I know that God has a plan for her!  This is all part of the plan he has set for you, Taylor.  Right now you are gone, currently an angel, a wonderful one at that.  Maybe God thinks that it's time for you to go to a happier place full of beauty and without cares.  This is a reminder that God knows what he is doing!

You never know when something might happen to a loved one.  It is a reminder to cherish the moments you spend with everyone and to appreciate the ones you care about and spend your time with.  Life is too short to let the small stuff get in the way!  I cherish the times we got to make all kinds of crazy drinks and memories together at Caribou, Taylor!

Taylor, you are a beautiful girl and I know that the man upstairs is doing everything he can to do what is best for you! I'm praying everyday for you Taylor!

Love and prayer.

'Bou buds forever!

2 Corinthians 4:16

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Taylor's Caring Bridge:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorburdick24/journal/view/id/5281568cca16b4932e3a79f0



11/14/2013 at 4:45pm
God gained a beautiful angel today as Taylor was lifted to heaven.

A Little Manifesto

A few things that I have learned every college girl should live by...

Growing up. Relationships flourish. Relationships fade.

It's strange to think how people come in and out of your life.  Some for reasons you understand, some for reasons you don't.  When you think about it, the life stage one is in depends on who they allow into their live...and again, who they don't.

As a junior in college, I feel like I have had a good number of relationships with people that just didn't work out.  From generic friendships to relationships, all of them happened because at the time, it worked out.  But we all change, and we all go down different paths.  I'm not close with the friends I had in high school that didn't choose the college route.  It's not that we aren't friends anymore, I still love to catch up with them on occasion!  We just went down separate paths.  And someday maybe those paths will cross again.  Then there's the relationships in high school and early college that just didn't work out.  But at the time were great.  But because of these relationships, lessons have been formed.

Each person crosses your path and comes into your life for a reason.  Different people come into your life for different reasons, different lessons and to experience different "mistakes."

Maybe it's the friend you meet in a college course.  You simply just help each other get through the class together.  Your path's crossed because of that class.  And maybe at the end of the course, your path's will go separate ways again, or maybe you will remain friends.

Maybe it's the guy you met while you were in the middle of ending a long term relationship that lasted two years.  You thought it was going to be great, but in reality you got to watch it crumble.  Maybe that person crossed your path for that brief instance to let you learn from your mistakes and to help you move on.  To learn that some things were just not meant to be and that it was time to let go.

Maybe it's the one girl in your large group of friends growing up that you never went to school with but always hung around with. Your paths crossed in and out for years and you end up becoming best friends.

Moral of the story, cherish the time you have with people in life that stick with you through everything.  Ignore the ones that only want to be in your life when they need something.  And definitely weed out the people that bring you down.

So many people will cross your path in life, through many different life stages.  All of the relationships you form are significant.  But realizing why each person has come into your life, and why people grow out of your life, will make moving on from all kinds of relationships that much easier!

A Little Bit About Me

1. I'm a junior at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. GO TOMMIES!

2. I am studying Communication and Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising.

3. My minor is family studies.

4. My dream job is to someday work baseball communications for the Minnesota Twins.

5. But after graduation I want to go work at an advertising agency in the cities.

6. But I'm not a huge fan of snow. So I might move get out of Minnesota and go embark on an adventure elsewhere. I don't know yet! Time will tell!

7. I'm super involved on campus!  I'm the Vice President of an on-campus organization and also on the National Student Advertising Competition team.

8. I'm a coffee addict.

9. I'm one of the biggest Minnesota Twins fans you'll ever meet, no matter how bad they do!

10. And I really like chai tea lattes. Sometimes dirty chai tea lattes depending on how I'm feeling.

11. MEOW. Cats are great.

12. I like to think that I am a creative person 

13. I live the barista life to pay my way through college.

14. I also work at a zoo. No, I don't have to clean up animal poop (commonly asked question).

15. My professors at St. Thomas are the best. I don't know what I would do without some of them.

16. Especially my COJO professors (shout-out to cb)!

17. COJO stands for Communication and Journalism (my major), I say it a lot.

18. When I was younger my dad gave me the false impression that I was going to be a rockstar when I grew up.

19. But the advertising/public relations life is close enough!

20. My favorite color is purple. Some think it's the only reason why I went to St. Thomas.

21. Its' not. St. Thomas is beautiful place to spend four years of life!

22. I like to stay busy. Busy like a bee!

23. Which explains the creation of this blog.

24. There are only 3 people in the world that spell their full name the same way I do.

25. Yes, even though I'm a Katie. That's not my real full first name!

26. I believe that life is short and you have to treat everyday like it is your last.

27. I have a younger sister. She's pretty awesome most of the time.

28. There was a time in my life (last spring) when I worked 3 jobs, had an internship, and went to school full-time. You could say I was highly caffeinated.

29. I love me some Minnesota summers.

30. Winters not so much!

31. I've learned that life is rough and to get a helmet.

32. I've also learned you cannot always be perfect, so don't try to please everyone!

33. Laughing can cure anything.

34. Country music is only good in the summer. Unless it's Luke Bryan or Jake Owen, than all year is acceptable!

35. I am going to study abroad in Hawaii this January!

36. I'm self-driven.

37. In high school I was super musical, I miss that.

38. I also played softball. Those were the good ol'days.

39. I'm 20 years young.

40. Coffee Bene has the best mochas ever. I highly recommend it if you're in the St. Paul area!

41. I like to think I'm witty.

42. But not too witty, just like the perfect amount of wittiness.

43. I used to be able to play the guitar and the piano. I don't know if my skills are still there.

44. I'm a freeze baby.

45. In the summer you can find me at the beach.

46. PMGs

47. My favorite hang out spot in St. Paul is Bread and Chocolate (with Maria!), you can find me there at least once a week! 

48. I used to be able to do the splits. I think I would hurt myself if I tried to do them today.

49. I try to be as optimistic as possible.

50. Follow my blog... ...more posts to come in the future :)