I am so excited for Boston

I've been working diligently to earn money to go to Journalism Education Association Convention in Boston through sponsorships. This requires me going around asking businesses if they'd like to advertise with us. I'll ask five business one day and only one will say they'll think about it, which usually means no in a nice way. This trip is going to cost me approximately $1,077.00, but I've already earned 5 sponsors-close to $600 Hollaaaa. My goal is to get five more sponsors and only have to pay for food! 

We'll leave for the JEA convention November 12th and get back November 17th. I plan to make the best of those days! Wednesday morning I have to wake up early to attend a media tour of Studio 73 of Suffolk University and go to Fenway Park, the oldest stadium still in use! (You think I'll get a picture with the lone red chair??)  Then Michelle, my friend who moved to Boston, and I plan to get together and have some adventures once again. I've signed up for a write-off competition the same day... hopefully I come home with a Superior! To finish off the day I'll be going to a Celtics game double hollaaaa. The rest of the week I'll be trying to keep my brain for exploding from learning so much, but I love learning and I love what I will be learning!! triple hollaaa. 

Get ready Boston!

Epiphany

If I earned a dollar each time someone asked me the questions, "Where are you going to college?" or "What do you want to be when you grow up?", I would probably make 10 bucks a day. That's a solid 70 dollars a week. Hollaaa

I always reply with the same answer, "Oh. I don't know. I think staying in state would be the smartest thing to do, financially. I'm also leaning towards journalism..." 

The other day, Monday, I turned 18 years old. And today it finally hit me. 

I'm living in the prime of my life. When I look back to the best times and highlights of my life, I know I'll look back to these. I can become whoever I want and do whatever I want. I just need to remain confident, have a strong work ethic and stick to my morals. 

If I stick to the solid life I'm living now, I can accomplish anything! I can be a doctor, despite my uneasiness with blood. I can be a pharmacist, even though I'd rather suffer through death than do any chemistry. Realistically though, I should be a journalist, because I have a dream of helping others. I basically live in the studio anyway, and I don't mind it! 

The point is... I can be whoever I want.

God Bless...

God bless Shania Twain, because I don't know what a lot of broken hearted American women would be doing right now without her music. Probably sitting outside a gas station eating those $1 ice creams. Long live Shania Twain.

God bless Ken (from work) for giving me a Kit-Kat everyday at work. It keeps me going till we close shop. However I am now dependent on that little amount of sugar every night to make it through the shift haha! Jokes.
(No picture. Ken doesn't let us take pictures of him haha)
God bless the best teacher I've ever had- Mr. Riley. First, he's helped me discover my passion, broadcast journalism. But he's also the only teacher who really teaches you things you need to know. It's not the ridiculous math stuff you're never going to use, or the vocabulary words you'll never use in your life again. He actually teaches and tells you about life. He teaches a class where you need to work with deadlines and develop communication skills. I've started to view him more as that crazy uncle your parents don't want you around.. but he's still your favorite. :)

God bless my best friend, Skye, who taught me how to have fun. I'm the type that would rather work in the studio than go out to lunch with friends. I do it almost everyday haha. Yet, she forces me to live a little and take risks. Without her I wouldn't have had the best summer ever.

Humbling

Tennis season is now over. Now all I have left are the memories I made of the sport :) *happy tears
One particular tournament will always stick with me. My partner, Jessi, and I were up against girls that had just started tennis. It was unnecessary to ask. You could tell. They didn't have their strokes mastered and asked questions about the rules. Yet, they had good sportsmanship down. After each of my good shots they gave me a compliment, even if it was our point. After each game they made us feel so happy and confident with all their applause and flattering words. I have never played against such genuinely kind girls. It was such a humbling experience. We won more than that match. Plus they have the coolest names- Cheyenne and Echo. Talk about unique.
I also think back to the day I was playing tennis with my best friend, Katie. A young couple started playing on the court next to us just as we were leaving. As I left, I waved and told them to have fun. I don't know why. I felt kind at that moment, probably because it was the ideal perfect afternoon. The lady called after us, "Hey girls! We just started playing tennis and were wondering if you could give us a quick run through of the rules." "Of course!" They were the sweetest, funniest couple. I want a relationship like that. They weren't afraid to try new things and make themselves look pretty funny. Ironically, I ran into them later that afternoon. They were still panting from the workout. They said they had playing the game totally wrong. They were counting points like volleyball and playing til 20 something. HAHAHA. We literally sat on a bench and talked for a good hour. They encouraged me to go to a community college for the first two years. They told me of their lives... and I just left totally humbled.
And now today my idol, Preston came in to speak with us. This guy is a professional producer that focuses on documentary making. He sheds light on political and social issues he's passionate about. I'm always in awe whenever he comes in to speak or help us. First, he helped me film a few things for the upcoming show (You can watch our newest episode and previous at chswired.tv). It was so modest of him when he said, "Abbey, I'm here to help. You tell me what you want me to do." Can you imagine Morgan Freeman saying something like that to you?! I was literally shaking. Then that afternoon he invited me to come to the third hour class he was speaking in. Preston said I would really enjoy the surprise he had for the class. When he mentioned the word "surprise," I was sold. Love those things. I later found out that he was Skyping with Academy Award winning documentary maker, Daniel Junge. He had the class ask him questions about the process, his opinion and his advice. Talk about inspirational. Afterwards, Preston gave us advice that we could apply to not only the film business, but life. I think Preston's words hit me harder than Daniel Junge's.
"You don't have to go to college if you love what you're doing. You can learn on your own. I'm not saying college is bad, but that not every field requires a college education. For those of you going into film, you need to love it 100%. If you don't, you're not going to make it."Humbling.

I really miss my foreign exchange best friend

     These days I always hear my friends say how much they miss their college friends. I always want to slap some sense into them and say, "Hey be grateful and don't pout! At least your best friend isn't in another country halfway across the globe! At least you can see and chat with them. You don't have to wake up extra early just to chat with them or stay up extra late. When you need to talk to them or you just need your best friend, you can text them. I have to message her on Facebook because of insanely high international phone rates!" However, I always hold my tongue. That little pout sesh would definitely make quite the scene.
     Lately everything has reminded me of Skye, even the stupid little Emojis. I stared at one of the camels and thought of how her dogs always attacked me when I entered her house. Then I laughed when I remembered that I would call her every time I was outside her house because I was afraid of all 6+ of her dogs haha. Then I laughed even harder because a camel Emoji reminded me of this. Talk about pitiful. Geez.
     Then each time I skim through Daily Odd Compliments I think of Skye. I reminisce on those nights when we'd text each other our favorite ones. We sounded like such lesbians hahaha! (I bet I still do now!) I even experience moments now when I grab my phone and I'm about to text her a funny one when I remember that I can't text her! Oh well..

Wise Words of my Calc teacher

We were running really far behind in reviewing the previous night’s homework.
“OK. Let’s move on the next problem. Guys. What number is it? Number thirty? Well finally! It’s taken forever to get to the thirties! I remember when I was in my thirties…”
He was being exceptionally random that day haha. Later a fly landed on my desk and he started speaking to me through hand gestures. I thought he was going to kill the fly, but he approached my desk unarmed. He then caught the fly, with his hand first try! Next he ran, giggling like a child to the teacher’s room across the hall. Everyone sat wondering what the heck just happened. He came back all collected and calm and simply said, “We don’t have the fly anymore, the class across the hall does.”