Disney Here I Come

Many were stressing about getting into the intersession of their choice. Myself included. Sitting in my horrific AP Lit class  on Monday morning, all I could think about was getting into Disney YES! Performing Arts. There were several rumors going around about what time sign ups started, but nobody knew for sure. The only sure fact was that sign ups were sometime after school.

As class was coming to a close, I discretely opened up the intersession page on my phone. After unsuccessfully trying to sign in, I hit "refresh" with every tick of the clock. The clock finally struck 2:35. Reluctant to give up my refreshing while driving home, I made my little brother do it for me.

After making it through the traffic, driving home, and pulling into my driveway, my brother handed me the phone. On my first refresh attempt, the screen changed. At exactly 2:45 pm on Monday morning, I enrolled into my first decent intersession. 

I cannot be more excited for April. We are staying in the Disney All-Star Movie Resort - a hotel with a Disney movie theme. There are giant Toy Story statues, 101 Dalmatians, gorgeous 5-star pools, a food-court....you name it. 

Because there are 3 separate Disney intersessions, we each split up in the morning. For mine, Performing Arts, we visit both American Idol and Cirque Du Solei. For American Idol, we are allowed to either audition or just watch. For Cirque du Solei, we get to go back stage, meet the performers, and see how everything works.

Afterwards, each Disney group meets up for lunch to share their experiences. Right after lunch is when the real fun begins. Every day of our 5 day journey, we visit the amusement parks. Although I have been to Disney before, I was too young to truly remember the experience. Now that I'm older, I'll be able to fully grasp the true excitement of Disney World. 

I cannot be happier with my intersession.

Is It Winter Yet?

On the first snowfall of the year, the family gets an idea. Mom and Dad pack up the car. The kids grab their hats and mittens, ski pants and coats, and rush out the door. With the car full and the heat blasted, the family sets off.

Arrived at the mountain, the family puts on their gear. Mom takes the younger ones straight to the bunny slope. Dad and the two oldest rush to the lifts, trying to figure out which goes to the top. Carving down the mountain, the oldest almost falls while trying to avoid a small child learning how to ski. Dad finally makes it down the mountain without complaining that his legs are too tired. The second oldest is excited about the new trick he finally landed.

On the long ride home after hitting the mountain, Elvis Presley's version of Blue Christmas comes on the radio. Dad turns the volume dial up as loud as it goes. With screaming protests from the kids in the backseat, Dad reluctantly switches on Big Time Rush's version of All I Want for Christmas is You. Everyone in the car starts bouncing to the beat, singing along with grins from ear to ear. The album Now That's What I Call Today's Christmas plays for the rest of the ride home. The soothing voices of Gavin DeGraw, Rascall Flatts and Mariah Carey entertain the family.

Arriving home from the long ride, everyone rushes in to get warm. Dad starts up a fire while mom begins to prepare dinner. The kids settle in on the couch, fighting over whether they should watch Elf or Home Alone. The oldest sister brings out mugs of hot cocoa for all the kids. As mom calls out that dinner's ready, they all whine. Mom and Dad agree to have family dinner in the living room tonight. With Home Alone on the tv, Christmas music playing from the kitchen, a fire and hot cocoa, there is nothing that can compare to the perfection of winter.

Whaddup College

Over the past year, I have been ferociously hunting down colleges and universities that I think I would succeed in. Thanks to Naviance, a tool our school uses for college searching, I was able to narrow down schools that include everything I need or want. My must haves incude: a Varsity level softball team, in or near a city, division I, II, or III collegiate sports, good academics, and things to do around campus. Ha, I feel like I'm buying a house.

As a student athlete, I hope to continue my softball career in college. I have been playing softball all my life, and I would be crushed if that chapter of my life would have to end. I have emailed, called, and even texted coaches over this year, trying to secure a spot on a team.

Over the summer, I had over 50 college coaches come and watch me play in very important showcase tournaments; including Holy Cross, Boston University, Boston College, Bentley University, UMass Lowell/Boston/Amherst, SNHU, Assumption College, UConn,
and many more. And - hopefully - I think I did pretty well.

After the summer season ended, that's when recruiting really started to pick up. I've done 4 official tours of schools so far, and I have loved every single one. This very week, I have two overnight visits; one at Emerson College on Thursday, and one at Lesley University on Saturday. This is where I meet the team, watch a game or practice, take a personal tour with the team around campus, and just hang out with them. Then I stay in one of the players' dorm rooms for the night. I am very nervous because I am shy sometimes, but I'm also really excited because it sounds like a lot of fun.

The future scares me. Not because I don't want to grow up, but because I'm scared of the unknown. I don't want to pick the wrong school and regret it as an adult. I hope I have a great college experience, and that I make the right choice.

Walgreens

After months and months of searching for a job that will cooperate with my school and softball schedules, I finally received a call back from Walgreens a couple of weeks ago. In my first interview, I was required to take a "test", that quizzed my personality, my social skills, my money skills, and my ability to be professional in the workplace. After finishing the test, the computer gave me a score report. Not understanding what any of the stats meant, I got the manager to look at it. She looked at me and said, "Wow." Fairly sure of myself, I took that one word as a good thing.

Within a couple of days, they called me again. I went in for a second interview, this time with the store manager - no computers, thank goodness. She asked me questions about what I like to do, what volunteer work I've done, how I do in school, etc. The hardest questions she asked were the ones that started with "Tell me about a time when...." These were hard because it was difficult to think of a time where it fit the exact criteria and was actually significant enough to impress the interviewer. After an agonizing hour of question and answer, the manager once again said, "Wow." After walking out the door, I wasn't so sure if that was good or bad.

After a couple days of waiting, I received another call. They asked me to come back for a third and final interview, this time with both the store manager and the district manager. This time was very intimidating. I was asked essentially the same things as the previous interview, with the general same answers, only this time I was stuttering, sweating, and probably shaking a little bit. I really needed this job, and this interview was make or break.

Just hours after the nerve-racking interview, my phone rang. A serious voice on the other end said, "is this Alexandra?" "Yes it is," I replied. After a pause, an excited woman shouted, "Congratulations! You really impressed both managers today! I am so excited to offer you a position with us! Would you like to accept?" Surprised and in shock, I could only say, "Of course."

And that is how I got my job.

Planet Fitness

Over 2 weeks ago, I promised myself to commit to a more healthy lifestyle. It is my senior year and I want to feel good, look good, and be healthy. To do this, not only do I have to be more strict about what I eat, I also have to be more proactive about exercising and working my body. I decided to join Planet Fitness, because it is affordable, close by, and a lot of my friends are members there. I weighed my options: I could get a normal membership, which is $10 a month, with access to all work out equipment. The downsides to this plan are that I would not be able to use the massage chairs, tanning beds, vibration muscle relaxer, and I would be restricted to only my "home" location that I sign up at. My other option was the Black Card, a $20 a month plan. With this, I have access to every single thing in the gym, including all the fancy post-workout machines like the muscle relaxer. The huge benefit to the Black Card is that I also have access to any location in the United States, and I can also bring one guest for no charge. Clearly the Black Card was the better choice.

Since I signed up, I have gone to the gym every single day. I can already notice the improvement. I'm not tired after walking up the staircases at school, I have much more energy throughout the day, and my mood in general is just more positive. The positive, motivated atmosphere while at the gym pushes me to push myself. I start with a 15 minute warm up on the bike. This usually comes out to about 4 miles when the 15 minutes is up. Then, I do a 1 mile half walk/half jog on the treadmill. After that, I move on to the weights. My favorite machines to use are the abdominal workouts. I love the feeling of burning in my abs; it tells me that I'm working them hard. My least favorite are all the arm workouts. My arms are very weak, and a lot of the machines put stress on my left thumb, which is still very sore after an injury last May. I finish up my workout with a 1 mile full run. Following the workout I usually go either the massage chair or muscle relaxer.

Planet Fitness is a very positive experience. If anyone has the opportunity to join a gym but aren't sure which is the best choice, I highly recommend Planet Fitness. If you can afford it, sign up for the Black Card. Trust me, when you work your body to exhaustion, the massage chairs are like God's gift from heaven. It's also nice to be able to bring a buddy if you aren't comfortable or motivated to go alone. Planet Fitness is a very positive experience, and I am glad that I've made the choice to join.

Put Up or Shut Up

In today's music industry, artist's talents are masked by autotune, pitch correction, and several other technological effects. I have a deep appreciation for the artists that stay true to their original sound and talent. One particular band stands out to me. All Time Low, authors of the album "Put Up or Shut Up",  released in 2006, are very talented musicians who use little to no effects. "Put Up or Shut Up" is their first full length album, and with this masterpiece they certainly started their career off with a bang. Each song on the album has it's own sound; it's own style. From fast-paced dance tunes, to slow, solemn acoustic ballads, every song has its own meaning and can create a very powerful emotion inside the listener. For example, the song "Lullabies" was written in memory of the lead singer's brother, who had committed suicide. The song, although loud and fairly fast tempoed, can jerk a tear from anyone who happens to listen to it. On the other hand, "Break Out! Break Out!" could easily get anyone's blood pumping and ready to dance. All Time Low's debut album "Put Up or Shut Up" is not just an album, it is a work of art that everybody should have the privilege of listening to.