Being Sick at College

So for the past 3ish weeks I have been battling a nasty cold. Finally this past week I was feeling better and like myself again. Then we stood in the cold rain for hours watching our football "win" and the next morning I felt like death. I woke up feeling like my cold was coming back again. I wasn't happy but I had to suck it up because I had three tests to worry about this week. As the day progressed I felt worse and worse. By 7 pm I was in my bed under tons of blankets and in sweats trying to stay warm while also trying to study biology. My body started to ache like I was getting the flu. I was thinking to myself that if I got the flu right now it would suck so much because then this week would just go down the drain. I decided to call it quits for the night around 9, took some NyQuil, and fell asleep by 9:30. That night was the most restless sleep I have ever had that I can remember. I think I woke up a total of 10 times either in pain, sweating, freezing, or coughing. I woke up the next morning in the worst mood not wanting to go to class. I got in the shower and felt like I was going to pass out and felt super dehydrated. I chugged some water and went to class. When I got back from class I decided it was time to go to the clinic to figure out what was wrong with me. I checked in and sit with all of the other sicklings in the waiting room waiting in anticipation for my name to be called. I was called back,  got weighed, blood pressure tested, and measured. I got put into an examination room and was left waiting for the doctor. It was a weird experience sitting in their alone because I'm so use to my mom taking me to the doctor when I was sick. I didn't like being there on my own. When the doctor came in I told him my story of what has been happening to me for the past couple of weeks and then he decided to take a look down my throat. He got out his handy dandy tools and told me to say "ahhhhh". The doctor took one look down my throat and gives me a surprised look. He told me my tonsils were inflamed and swollen to no end and were covered in this white gunky stuff. He told me I had Tonsillitis. Tonsillitis is when your tonsils are swollen and are restricting you from swallowing and breathing and if not treated could lead to many complications. He gave me some antibiotics and sent me on my way. Ever since being on the antibiotics I have improved drastically. I can finally eat solid foods again and I'm not in as much pain as I was on Sunday and Monday. I am so glad I went to the doctor because if I didn't I don't know what I would be like today.

Lesson of the day:
If you feel like you have a cold or more than a cold don't wait to go to the doctor! Go as soon as you can! It will definitely be worth it in the long run.

     One of my best friends, Caitlin, is 19 years old (almost 20). We met in Ocean City, NJ thirteen years ago on the beach. Growing up we would always talk about our weddings and how we will both be each others maid of honors and stand by each other on our special days. Well recently she got engaged to her one and only love of her life Scott. Now, you might be thinking that that is kind of young, but he is in the military and it will be easier on their relationship if they were to be married. So,
after a year and a half of dating he popped the question to her on the sunny beaches of California.

     A few weeks after the big question I got a package in the mail from her. I haven't seen Caitlin for a year since she lives in California now with Scott because he is stationed there for the military. It's always bittersweet when we get something from each other in the mail that can remind each other of one another. After I ripped open the package I laid the contents of it on my bed. It consisted of a  hand made scented doorknob fragrance thing (I don't know what to call it) and a picture frame that had a picture in it and a post it note that said open the frame up. So I opened the frame and on the back of the picture was a letter from her asking me to be her maid of honor. Of course I flipped out and called her immediately telling her that I would love more than anything to stand next to her on her wedding day. I just can't believe that I am a maid of honor at 18. I feel so young and innocent and I have a big job to fill. From dress shopping, bridal shower, bachelorette party, cake tastings, venue looking, and so much more. I have a lot to do for my best friend to make sure her special day is nothing but perfect. With her living so far away it is definitely going to be hard and a struggle to always be there for her and make a lot of the decisions for the wedding with and for her. I just hope that I can be the best maid of honor for her because she deserves this day more than anything.
     I know that she is going to be beautiful on her day standing next to the love of her life sharing their vows with one another. I am so honored to have been asked to stand right next to her and of course hold her dress up when she has to pee (I had to say it). I am going to do all that I can for her because I know he would and will do that same thing for me.

   

     Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to work in a surf shop. It was a local known name shop called Heritage Surf and Sport Shop. The stores main location is in Ocean City, NJ, but they also have three other locations off the island that aren't that far of a distance. I was able to work there all summer because my dad has a beach house there. Now, you might think that I am some stuck up rich girl who has a beach house. I mean how many people can say that. However, that isn't the case here. My family has been going to Ocean City, NJ for many years. I am the third generation to have "grown up" on the island. My grandparents have a house there, so that is how I was introduced to the island when I was 6 years old. My dad and stepmom, for a hobby, use to buy old, rundown houses and fix them or or flip them to then put them back on the market and sell them again. They decided that since we go to Ocean City so much that they should flip a house there. So, thats exactly what they did. They bought a house a few blocks down the road from my grandparents house and started fixing it from the ground up. It was a very strenuous process since the house was in such awful condition. When they were done with the house they put it on the market to be sold again. A few months after putting it on the market, of course, the market crashed. So, my dad and stepmom took the house off the market because they knew it was going to just sit there. They decided that for the time being they wanted to keep it and when the economy got a little better to put it mack on the market. Well, with keeping it for a couple of weeks, they decided to keep it for good. 

     So here we are 10 years later still in the same house every summer. Which leads me back to working at Heritage for the summer. I got to meet and work with some amazing people and get free surf lessons and get discounts on a bunch of name brand surf company clothes lines. Lets say that it was a job that people would die for. No dress code, flexible work hours, discounts on discounts, and so much more. It opened up many doors for me on the island. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime. 

     Ocean City is my safe haven and my second home. From the countless family and friends there and the many memories that have come from Morningside Beach, boardwalk, and endless summer nights. It is always hard to try to explain to people how we ended up in Ocean City, all of the family and friends we know there, and how important it is to my life. Yes, I might sound like some rich prissy girl, but that's not who I am. My family is far from being on the wealthy side of society. We were fortunate and lucky enough to practically be handed this house and handed this experience. To end, one of the best things to have come out of going to Ocean City all of these years is meeting one of my very best friends, Caitlin. I'll go more into our friendship later.... 

In picture: Zander (6), Kai (9), me, and Alek (21)

One Of Those Mornings

I don't want to start off my blog by telling you all about me and what I did growing up. I feel like you will gain a knowledge of me throughout this semester as you read my blog. Instead, I just want to tell you a story about what happened to me this morning... my first true college screw up.

The other night I was talking to some of my friends about how awful it would be to sleep through an alarm in order to wake up for class. I was laughing and joking around about how if that ever happened to me I would be a wreck. Well, this morning that is exactly what happened to me... I guess that's karma. 

I normally wake up at 8 o'clock in order to shower and get ready for my 9:05 am biology class in McBryde. This morning, however, I woke up at 8:57, looked at my clock, panicked, and started to wonder what I was going to do. I didn't think I was going to make it to my class on time. I also didn't want to start the school year off with an absence either. I was tied between trying to make it to class in 8 minutes or just screw it and go back to bed. I sat up in bed and yelled at my roommate asking her what I should do. Of course, she looks at me in the dark room and yelled "RUN!" I immediately jump out of my lofted bed (which wasn't an easy task) with my adrenaline pumping. I wear contacts so I knew I didn't have time to put them in so I threw my glasses on and went into my dirty laundry pile and grabbed the clothes I had on yesterday. I bolted out of the room with my back pack on, messy hair, no makeup, unbrushed teeth, and a mission to get to class on time. Now, you would think I would have sprinted to class. Well, you would be wrong. I walked as fast as I could trying to make it seem like it was totally natural to be walking this fast across the gigantic drill field. I finally made it into the building with no time to spare. I plopped myself down in the back row of the huge lecture hall, which is something that I never do. When I finally settled in and got my computer out to start taking notes I realized how gross and sweaty I was. I felt bad for the people around me because I didn't know what I smelled like or even how I looked for that matter. Lets just say that sitting through that class was not fun what so ever.

I learned this morning to always have two alarms because apparently you can turn alarms off in the morning without realizing it or remembering it. I definitely don't want to ever have to go through this experience again, especially once it starts getting very cold in the mornings!