"Spartan Snow Day!!!"

On February 1, 2011 the National Weather Forecast stated that the midwest was to be pounded with 8 to 16 inches of snow, frigid winds, and bone-chilling temperatures. Now, being a Michigander I've grown to learn that most weather people tend to exaggerate when it comes to the inches of snow during the winter. So normally, this type of forecast announcement wouldn't fase me or many other Midwest citizens.

However, this forecast brought about a celebration that hadn't been done since the late 70's. What celebration? Well, a SNOW DAY!!! That's right, the weather forecast declared weather conditions so severe, that the faculty of Michigan State University decided to shut down the entire campus and cancel all classes for Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011.

Word began to spread amongst various students around campus that had received the email announcing the suspension of classes via email from the Registrars Office. Students couldn't believe that this was happening. I was actually surprised myself, because like other students, I had never heard of a university shutting down it's entire campus- at least not due to weather.

So how did students pass their free time? Well, the options varied from partying, to catching up with friends, to homework, to catching up on sleep. You name it and students were doing it. I even saw a few students cross country skiing on the sidewalks. Various areas around the campus provided fun activities that students could participate in to help pass the time as well. Either way, students throughly enjoyed their day off. I know I did.

Just as a side note, here in Lansing we totaled 8 inches of snow, shattering the previous record of 2.5 inches around this time of year. So I guess maybe this time the weather people were pretty close :).

Also take a look at this epic blizzard taking place right outside the dorm.

"How Do You Measure Your Year?"

"525,600 minutes. 525,000 moments so dear. 515,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?"

One of my favorite musicals is the Broadway hit "RENT." Those above lines come from the opening scene of the play turned Hollywood film and helped viewers ask themselves how do they truly define a year in their lives. As I think about the lesson behind the story's plot, I realize that too often we get so caught up in our everyday lives that before we know it, another year has come to an end and we look back on the year and wonder, "Where did the time go?"

I once heard a famous comedian tell his audience that if you are doing the same thing next year as you were doing the year before, then you, my friend, are not pimpin'. Now granted, this particular comedian explained this life lesson in a more vulgar and comedic manner, however, the lesson still remained true in life today. Indeed if you are living in the exact manner that you were this year as you were last year, you cannot blame anyone but yourself. Too often I hear people blame society and individuals for their downfalls and "slacking' mentality. However, in reality, no one has control over your life except you. You are in the driver's seat and only you can steer, unless you decide to sit in the back seat of life and let someone else drive. For those individuals that tend to let others drive their lives while they sit in the back seat and complain, a little phrase from one of singer Rhianna's songs comes to mind, "Shut up and drive!"

At the end of the year we all hear some New Year's Resolutions that never seem to disappear: lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more, eat more healthy, go back to school, find a job. The list goes on and on. But isn't it obvious that some of the most simple resolutions that we can make for ourselves as individuals is simply changing a few ways that we do everyday tasks to make things even better for us? If you want to earn more money, find something you are good at and make it work for you so it doesn't feel so much like a job. If you want to help a child further succeed in life, try looking in your own neighborhood, church or even family. Even if you want to simply have a more positive outlook on life, simply try surrounding yourself with more positive people. Although these are simply three out of the billions of ways that you can improve your life, there are so many others. You have to determine what works for you, and what will allow you to move further in life with each passing year.

The story of "RENT" not only taught the lesson of living each day as if it is your last. But it stressed each person to look within themselves to find out how they measure the years in their lives. "525,600 minutes. 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes. How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?" Each of us will have to face the end of a year as each one passes by and opens the door for a new year. How will you change in the new year? How will you measure your time spent during that year? If you can look back and shut the door and feel confident that YOU can make things better in the new year, then you, my friend, are pimpin' this thing called life, and making it work for you. Make this new year count, and make sure that each one of those 525,600 minutes in a year work for you.

"Spreading Candy and Smiles for Halloween"

It's that time of year again for us West Circle Spartans where we dawn our scary apparel and grab mounds of sweet treats to pass out to our fellow lil neighbors of E.L. Yes, it's Halloween season and we Spartans know how to get involved in all of the campus's festivities. One of our faves of course is when all the dorm floors will decorate their halls for the holiday, according to what theme is chosen. This year, the main theme was Disney movies. How exciting!!! My floor had the privilege of choosing "Monsters Inc." for our theme.

Other themes included "The Little Mermaid", "Toy Story", "The Lion King", and even "Finding Nemo." All the floors did a great job and the local children and their families seemed to love it as well. This part of the semester has always been a fave of mine. Of course of students get the chance to dress up and have a good time with all our friends in our own fun Spartan-like ways. Lol.

Check out some of our fun times :)

"The Year of the Little Brother"

So ever since the beginning of time lol Michigan State has been known as the little brother of the University of Michigan. Well, for quite some time, MSU has definitely lived up to that name.

Now, I'm not the biggest football fan, but I definitely always want my school to beat its rival. And for the past 2 years, MSU has done just that, both on our field and "The Bigger House." Of course with this being my last year, I decided to get involved in the festivities in hopes that my school will once again pull out a win against Michigan...for the third time. So it was off to Ann Arbor with the buddies to have a great time with fellow Spartans to cheer our team on to a third year win!!!

Well, good news....WE DID IT!!!!! We Spartans pulled out an epic win for the 3rd year in a row and had an even more impressive record of 7 and 0. How awesome is that?!?! Truly it was a great day to be a Spartan :). Then again, when is it never a great time to be a Spartan?

Check out the headlining story here from our State News.

"Introduction of a Spartan"

So, this is my 5th year as a student at Michigan State University, and unfortunately, my final year :(. I know, right? It's been a long journey and as I look back on all that I have accomplished and learned these past years, I can do nothing but smile and see and bright future ahead of me. I truly love this school and all the people that I have encountered. Some have remained in my life, and some have made their exits. Either way, they have each taught me something about life and about myself.

In case you haven't read from my short bio, I am pursuing a career as an investigative journalist. I have a burning desire and passion for those big-name stories, and I plan to report on those types of stories that give the people a voice, and not simply get reported for ratings. I want to tell the real stories and use my own creativity to do such. So, to assist me in keeping abreast of news and keeping my journalistic skills fresh, I've decided to use this blog as a digital portfolio of my journalistic work in terms of my final year here at MSU. I want to make a saga recounting some of the things that go on here that others may not hear about too often in the news. You'll see photos, video footage and the likes here on this page. So sit back, relax, enjoy, and follow me as I chronicle "The Life of a Spartan Woman."

GO GREEN!!!! GO WHITE!!!!