Quarter comes to a close...

So sorry I haven't been on! As usual, things have been busy and stressful. I have had midterms the past 3 weeks and several papers. I cannot believe the quarter is coming to an end! We only have 2 more weeks of school. I come home for Thanksgiving in 9 days! This quarter has flown by. Although hard to adjust, I think I like the quarter system. I am so excited to come home for a week for Thanksgiving! I am not homesick, but I'm just ready to take a trip home. In other news, I have gone to a few practices with the Santa Clara tennis team, which has been awesome! My roommate and I are getting along well; we have really bonded the past few weeks and have discovered we have a lot in common. I continue to meet people and our weeks are filled with studying, trips to Santana Row, Target, and the Valley Fair mall. Last weekend I went to the Stanford football game and I got a tour of the campus. It is amazing, especially the equestrian facility. Family is coming this weekend so that should be fun. We are going to go to San Francisco for a day. I get to drive there which I hate, but I'm learning how to navigate the city traffic. I do hate how the people drive down here though! They are so aggressive and fast-paced. If you don't know where you're going, look out! Ok well I have to go write a religion paper, TTYL!! Katy

Hi all!! Sorry I haven't been on lately! School has been CRAZY! I have had a lot of work and other stuff going on. School has been good, I got an A on my first Italian quiz! I have been having a lot of fun in my painting class. Art history is more difficult than I expected, but it is interesting. Religion has been fun too! I like my teacher who is a Franciscan monk. The other day we had a guest Jesuit speak. It was the battle between the Franciscans and Jesuits, which was entertaining within itself. From a social viewpoint, I have continued to meet great people. Rush starts tomorrow! It goes until next Tuesday. I am going to be veryyy busy! I went to the open house and loved it. I got a personal tour of each house and out of the four I liked Alpha Phi and Delta Gamma. Today a friend and I went to Stanford to shop for some stuff and we got our nails done on University Ave., which is ADORABLE. I love visiting the Stanford/Palo Alto area. On top of it all, I have a personal tennis try out with the coach on Thursday! So much going on... Well I must rest up for the big day tomorrow! I will try to update more... <3 Katy

School, Sororities, and San Francisco!

Well week two is in full swing! My first week went well, it was a little difficult at first because I didn't know many people, but by midweek I met a lot of people! I have meet some great people here and everyone is so friendly! Last Friday I went to San Francisco for the afternoon, which was intended for a fun afternoon with Lauren, but turned into a nightmare! Her car overheated and we had to be towed to the dealership. We were a sight to see in the city. We stopped at a gas station on Van Ness, a major road in SF, blocked traffic and everything! Tons of friendly people came over to help us and eventually it was all resolved. Saturday I went to a concert here on campus which was OK. No one was impressed. The work is definitely piling up and is more intense than USF, but I love all my classes! On a bad note, I am sick. Not fun. It is spreading all over campus. Also, I am rushing next week! Should be very time consuming and crazy, but hopefully it will be fun! On top of that, tennis tryouts are next week and Nicole is visiting. It will be a hectic week. Well off to the Benson (the cafeteria) to get some hot soup for my throat. Wednesday night is the night to go out here.... I think I will pass. Peace out, Santa Clara!

First day of School!

Classes finally started today! I woke up around 7:30 in order to prepare for my 9:15 class. Today was a full, and once again hot, day! I started with Italian, which was fun. It is a little different from Spanish so I have to train myself to pronounce everything correctly. Then I had painting immediately after Italian. The teacher is a typical art teacher, the class will be fun. The professor gave us a long list of supplies to buy and I had a long break before my next class so I made a run to the nearest art supply store. My last class of the day was religion. It focuses on the history of the Franciscans and Jesuits. The teacher is a Franciscan monk. He was wearing a robe with no shoes. The class seems like it will be interesting and the professor is funny. I only have one class tomorrow, art history. Oh! In other good news I have been in contact with the tennis coach and I am trying out for the team in the next few days. Should be fun. If I don't make it, it is not a huge deal. I just want to try! Ok well the floor is getting rowdy and it is difficult to focus so I'm off!! Til next time!

Proud to be a Bronco!!

So, I am terribly sorry I haven't updated my blog recently. A lot has happened since my last post. I enjoyed my last week at home by packing, riding the horses, and hanging out with friends. And finally the time had come to leave for SCU!! My mom and I started the epic journey at 7:00 AM Monday and made it all the way to Redding, CA that day. The next day we drove into San Francisco. I met up with some USF friends that night and we spent some time with Lauren. The next day, we drove down to our next destination, Santa Clara! Yesterday was move in day which was simple and painless. Transfers get to move in early so our hall was very quiet when I moved in. My roommate is very nice and I think we will have a fun year! There are only four people on the floor thus far so it is kind of lonely. Last night was my first night in the dorms, and today I had orientation. I slept OK, hopefully tonight will be better. I am EXHAUSTED. It was a long, hot day full of information. We were all so tired by the end of the 90 degree day. But I got my schedule: Italian 1, Religion: Jesuits and Franciscans, World Cultures: European Art History, and Painting! I am excited and can't wait for school to start on Monday. I also went to a SCU legacy BBQ tonight, which was held in one of the many beautiful courtyards here on campus, which was fun too. I met some alumni and great people. It has been a full couple of days. Tomorrow morning I head back to SF to help Lauren move into her apartment and then, in the afternoon, orientation activities continue!! Just when I thought it was over, Welcome Weekend starts tomorrow. Should be fun though. I have started to meet a few people. The action on campus is starting to pick up. I already encountered a few drunks outside my dorm tonight. Oh dear. Well, peace out Santa Clara!

And so it ends...with a bang!

So the summer is winding down for me.  I leave one week from today, which is hard to believe!  This past week has been a whirlwind.  Last week was my last week of work, I never thought I would see the day work would end!  It was sort of sad to think that I would not be heading back to good 'ol Sound Refining anymore, yet I was thrilled at the same time.  My week once again ended with babysitting Gavin on Friday night, this time at his house.  He was a little wild child, thankfully, Hailey came over to help again!  It was really fun though.  We read a ton of books and he showed me every single one of his toys.  His favorite book is "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed."  He even does the shaking finger motion.  Oh, and he says "night night" now, which is cute!  He went straight to bed with no crying this time.  The following morning I went back to Mike's for another English lesson and I think I'm getting the hang of it!!  This time I rode, Lenny.  He is a character.  He is an older, smaller horse, but he is fun to ride and made me learn a lot!  Later that day I had to rush back up north to go to the UW vs. LSU game.  Season opener! I brought Nicole and we went early to go to the tailgates with other friends and family.  It was such a fun day!  We met up with some of my friends that go to UW during the game too.  After, we went to my fav, Dick's burger and didn't get home til 1:30.  I will miss going to Husky games while @ Santa Clara, but I can still go to Stanford and Cal games.  Last night we had a little get together with some horseshow friends.  Good times.  On the menu: lobster tails, chicken cabobs, teryaki broccoli, a pasta salad, and tomato and mozarella.  It was delish!  We had a good time rehashing the horse world and such.  We also had fun trying on my mom's fur coat, and I found a diamond ring in the pocket which was exciting!  Well I must start packing?!  Wow.  Here we go, packing up my whole life for a second time...  Peace out boy scout!  

Horses, Concerts, and Kids!

Oh boy another epic weekend! Friday night I babysat my nephew, Gavin. It was a fun time, but he is a full time job! Hailey came over and helped me for a few hours. We baked some brownies and played with Gavin. He had a good time terrorizing the cat and walking up a storm. He stayed the night and I woke up to him making noises next door at 6:30 AM and thus I got little sleep, but it was all good. Bright and early that morning I drove down to Elma for an english lesson with Mike Lamb. I have been waiting to do this for years! This was my first time riding this seat. I have always wanted an English horse. It was so fun and the horse I rode was huggee. 16.3. It took me a little while to get a feel for this foreign seat, but by the end of the lesson I was getting the hang of it! After my lesson my mom, a few relatives, and I went to a Diana Krall concert at the Chateau Ste Michelle winery in Woodinville. It was so good! She is very talented. The venue was awesome as well. Well another great sunny day. I'm off to ride my own horse today, then maybe washing my car? Auf Wiedersehen! (Kiss, kiss. - Shout out to Heidi Klum, Project Runway)