I'm Back -- For Now

Here's the thing -- I know it's been awhile. I know I said back in October that I was trying to keep up with blogging, but here I am, MARCH FIRST, writing for the first time since then.

While blogging is still my favorite hobby and definitely helped me keep my sanity for a long period of time, it fell on the back-burner last semester and never really made it back to the top of the priority list.

There's quite a bit to catch up on here. I don't even really know where to start...

Let's go with the six THON Athletic Marketing events that I worked on throughout the year. THAT WAS FUN. Then there was working 20 hours a week in the basketball office, which has given me wicked awesome opportunities (S/O front row at Madison Square Garden), taking 18 credits (note to self: say no to 3 ECON classes at once), and trying to just embrace every moment and take everything day by day. Sounds cheesy, I know, but when I was averaging three hours of sleep a night back in October and November, that's what I had to tell myself in order to keep going.

Last semester flew by with everything that happened with school, work, and my beloved THON involvement. After five finals, two projects, a term paper, and my first speeding ticket in December, I was ready for some Netflix and sleep in good ol' Erie before a lovely gals' trip to San Francisco to visit Molly with Larz. Going into all of the details from our California adventure would take quite a bit of time, but just know that I got to see the Full House house, have a date with an octopus at the aquarium, hug a redwood tree, and walk around Google's campus in Mountain View with my best friends. IT WAS REALLY FUN.

When I got back to State in January, the craziness started right where it left off. With six weeks until THON, there was a lot that needed to be done. I kept track of time through THON events, from our PR Retreat weekend where we all loved one another to the Road To THON Celebration, where all of the THON Volunteers gathered for a fancy dinner at the three-week countdown mark.

Oh yeah, I also turned 20 -- how weird. I'm officially not a teenager anymore. Wowza.

Then I blinked and THON Weekend was upon us. I moved into the BJC with my Co-Captains on the lovely Friday morning a few weeks ago for the best 46 hours of my life. You've heard me go on and on about how incredible THON is, and here I am again. There is no true way to describe the magic that occurs during the weekend. Mama and Coach Rei were able to visit the event floor for a little while, so I was really happy that they could experience what I am so passionate about instead of them just listening to me ramble on.

I'm still out of tears from all of the THON Weekend happenings and I still hug my Co-Captains every chance I get because they stood by my side throughout the most challenging and rewarding year of my life. I'm thankful for them and all of their hard work. More importantly, I'm thankful that we're $9.7 million closer to a cure, FTK.

I could definitely say more about THON, but that will have to come later because as per usual, I'm still processing everything that happened during the weekend of running up and down committee member stairs and though the HOS hallway and into the locker room.

Alongside the craziness of Penn State came another basketball season in the Reilly household. I have to admit that this past season was pretty hard, being that things never seemed to swoosh our way and it's pretty difficult to watch the people that you care about struggle. The Gannon Basketball family never gave up on one another, however, and I've truly never been prouder to be a part of this loving group.

Sophomore year has been a whirlwind to say the least. I went from drinking 6 cups of coffee a day to only 2 cups a week (for the sake of my health and my meal points). I've accomplished a lot of what I set out to do, but I'm really looking forward to everything to come. I'm getting ready for future THON endeavors, preparing for internships in *California* next summer (FINGERS CROSSED), and laying the groundwork for a research project in India in the near future. Oh, and I'm having a lot of fun, too, just in case you were wondering. I might stretch myself a little thin every now and again, but I'm definitely taking advantage of everything Penn State has to offer. I'm living the dream in Happy Valley, folks.

I'm not sure when the next post will come, but I'm hoping I can get back to a solid schedule. As of today, my mind is solely focusing on Spring Break. I won't be going anywhere tropical, but I'll be heading to Toronto with MCash, so I'm sure we'll have our fair share of fun...

This post was pretty random, but at this point, that's what I've got.

For now, I'm back to writing and getting enough sleep. We'll see how long this lasts...

Toronto for Spring Break, Eh?,
Kirst

THON HOCKEY IS ON SUNDAY AND YOU SHOULD COME

Here's another post after two weeks on the run; I'll get around to getting back into the blogging routine at some point before the end of the semester... maybe.

Two weeks have flown by, but boy, there was a lot going on. Last time you heard about me surviving a week of three exams and meetings and homework and football. This time around, I've gone home for a wonderful weekend of relaxation with the fam, Homecoming week, Parade committee shenanigans, a long ECON exam, more time on the football field, front row at Beaver Stadium, and a visit from LARZ.

You all know how much I love Penn State and how I would never in a million years miss a home football game. Well, I really needed a weekend in good ol' Erie, PA (yes, I admitted it). While it rained a lot and it was pretty cold, it was really nice to kick back and relax at home and see the bros. Mark the count up to 7 days at home since July 5th...

I got back to Penn State and was greeted with a week of absolute craziness: Homecoming. It was incredibly fun, but I had a lot on my plate from working various shifts at the different carnivals and events and helping to set-up and run the largest Homecoming parade in the country! It was really rewarding to see all of our hard work pay off as all of the floats went by. It was a cool experience that I am thankful for.

The craziness continued from Parade day to Game day. I made an appearance on ESPN in the front row of Nittanyville (S/O to GA for the spot!) and took in the gorgeous weather as I hung out with the basketball team on the field beforehand. I could not think of a better day for football, and the win against the Hoosiers made it even better. After the game came a night of interesting adventures with my favorite group of penguins AKA Co-Captains. The PR team is definitely getting closer and closer.

On top of Homecoming festivities, LARZ was here for the weekend. Having the squad back together was both super fun and super shambly, and it's safe to say that we have some great stories. (S/O to Jack for trying to catch me as I face-planted and S/O to LARZ for superman diving onto the couch). Just your typical weekend.

This week has included waaaaay too much time at HUB Penguin (PR's official meeting space), quite a few hours at the basketball office, and a dreaded COMM 320H exam. Some fantastic parts of this week included GETTING OUR CAPTAIN QUARTERZIPS (this may not seem like a big deal, but it was one of the highlights of my week), spreading the word about #THockey on the radio, and a successful promo day for THON Hockey. My PR Co-Captains joined me dancing, giving away free stuff, and attacking people with giant polaroid frames to let the student body know that they need to come support THON and the Women's Hockey team this Sunday. I'm so excited to see all of the planning turn into an amazing event!

All I have to say at this point is TGIF, I can't wait for 75-minute Zumba with LIVE DRUMS tomorrow afternoon, and THON HOCKEY on Sunday. It's going to be a great weekend.

I promise I'm timely with everything else in my life,
Kirst

Pulling 19-Hour Days Like A Pro

While blogging is my favorite hobby, it's been pretty hard to find a bit of time around here to sit a relay all that is going on. In the midst of all of this craziness, I really need to pick a time each week that no matter what, is set aside for blogging.

ANYWHO...

So back to two weeks ago, starting with September 13th (ugh, wow, time is going by too fast). The week was jam-packed with lots of homework, dinner with friends, work, THON meetings and committee application drop-off, and my friends and I decided to live at Nittanyville for the week! For those of you that have no clue of what I am talking about, Nittanyville is the tent-camp set up outside of Gate A at Beaver Stadium. By participating you are guaranteed the best seats in the student section. Being that this was the annual week-long camp-out (they're usually only 3 nights) for the showdown against Rutgers, the long-nights sleeping on cement was more than necessary. 20 of my friends hung out for a week, jammed out to some tunes, ate some free pizza, and painted some big signs to be featured on the sidelines. What a week.

Gameday was incredible. I got to see my parents before going through the student gate, which I was super excited about. As campers at Nittanyville, we entered the stadium over 3 hours before game time. While this may seem boring, we started a section-wide game of charades, so it wasn't all that bad. In addition to our awesome seats, the stadium Stripe-Out that was perfectly executed made for an insane atmosphere. Blue and White filled Beaver Stadium to watch the Nittany Lions trample the Scarlet Knights. While I was sleep-deprived, I loved every single second of it.

After the game, I was able to catch up with my parents over foooood and I stayed the night with them in the hotel. It was so nice to have the fam in Happy Valley, even though it was only for a short while. Sunday was quite busy with saying good-byes to Coach and Mama Rei, THON Captain Mat Cleaning (we got down and dirty to help OPP out with scrubbing the mats for the floor of the BJC), a run-through of the Homecoming Parade, and a few hours worth of coding homework. While it was crazy, it was an awesome weekend.

Last week was also pretty busy (I'm sure you're surprised) between three exams, interviewing future PRCMs and preparing for another football weekend. Having five home games in a row is definitely a wild ride for all Penn State students, and the lack of recovery during the weeks is causing everyone to look pretty zombie-esque. But hey, we Staters are all about our football, so we're dealing with it.

I got to go on the field with the Men's Basketball squad before the game; being able to be up close to all of the players during warm-ups is such a cool experience. MY JOB ROCKS. I magically found my friends after leaving the field, so I was able to hang out with them during the game and watch the Nittany Lions win yet another game before some post-game tailgating.

The night consisted of some PR Captain bonding over Pitch Perfect 2 and lots of laughs. If you haven't seen the sequel to one of the greatest movies of all time, I highly recommend it.

TTYL I'M SURVIVING.

All my meal points going to coffee,
Kirst

I Slept for 14 Hours on Saturday/Sunday

AH! Another week, another whirlwind of things going every which way. At this point, I can barely remember where my last post left off, so bear with me here, people.

SO! What I can recall without looking back is that I had just returned from a fabulous weekend with the Kennedy clan and I was getting ready to go meet the rest of the Public Relations family for THON 2016! Monday night was super exciting as the 25 PR Captains gathered on Old Main lawn with our Director to meet one another, learn about our positions, and discover our theme for the year... PRomise to Dream. I'm in love.

Tuesday was a day full of classes and work that led up to our first meeting as an official Captain committee. The potluck theme sent me home with a tummy full of cookies and pokey stix, so no complaints there.

Wednesday was probably the craziest day I have ever had at State. Class from 8AM-Noon, work from 1PM-5PM, cycling class from 5:45PM-6:30PM (my behind was mad at me the next day...), India seminar from 7PM-9PM, practice for All-Captain Orientation from 9PM-11:00PM, then I finally was able to eat lunch around 11:30PM. When I say lunch, I actually mean it... I didn't have time to think that day, let alone eat. All was well once I hit up late-night at good ol' Redifer, though.

Thursday included the usual class and work schedule, with an added visit to a potential place of living for next year. Becoming a real person and moving off campus is both exciting and stressful, but that's a whole different topic within itself. The night ended amazingly with All-Captain orientation, where I wore an incredible bucket hat to meet and greet all of the THON 2016 Captains, danced around ridiculously, performed various skits and musical numbers, and did the line dance! The energy in the room was absolutely contagious and I loved every minute I spent in Heritage Hall that night.

Friday came with major peace and blessings as I journeyed downtown for a shopping date with some friends (don't kill me, Mom) and some dinner before heading out for a night of fun. It was so great to have some time to relax and not be on a set schedule.

Saturday came super early but all was well because I WAS READY FOR SOME PENN STATE FOOTBALL! I headed to Beaver Stadium in the dreary rain to work in the recruiting lounge before kick-off. I helped check in the football recruits before assisting all of the basketball recruits with check-in. I also got to accompany them onto the field before the game, which was probably one of my coolest moments as a Penn Stater. I am in love with my job.

While it literally down poured during the entire game and I felt like I was caught up in an Indian monsoon, there was no way I was leaving the game early and missing the Alma Mater. A select group of us made it to watch the Nittany Lions secure their victory over the Buffalo Bulls, sing the Alma Mater, and take some soaked pictures before heading back to our homes for a warm shower and dry clothes.

We got back around 4 in the afternoon, agreeing on a dinner time two hours later. When I was all cozy in my room, I decided to take a nap before dinner. I definitely was not aware of how tired I was. I fell asleep at 5PM and woke up extremely confused in a really dark room. It turned out to be 3:40AM, not dinner time. I didn't really know what year it was or what I was doing, but I watched some TV before falling back asleep. I'm still a little bitter about missing Saturday night festivities, but I guess my body needed the rest. My parents were super confused when I talked to them in the morning, being that I had no idea that I talked to them on the phone the night before. College, kids, it'll make you exhausted, that's for sure.

I felt like a new person on Sunday after my Atherton hibernation and I was ready for the week. I was pretty productive with a brunch date, getting all of my laundry done, writing my weekly report, and getting all of my homework done. I was pretty happy with my efforts.

Yesterday and today have been the start to yet another eventful week. Tack on the usual classes, work, and meetings, in addition to participating in Nittanyville, a week-long camp-out at Beaver Stadium to get the best seats in the house for this weekend's battle against Rutgers. While I had to sleep on concrete last night, being in the front rows of Saturday night's Stripe-Out will be AWESOME.

Okay, time for bed...LOLZ jk. Time for some more work and I should probably start studying for the three exams that I have next week.

Am I alive? Yes. Am I getting enough sleep? No. Is iced coffee running through my veins? Probably. Am I getting everything done? Yes. Am I having a great time in Happy Valley? Most definitely.

Talked to some of my Indian friends today and it made my heart smile,
Kirst

Long Weekends Are For Friends, Pokey Stix, and Road Trips

Wow, what a crazy week and a half!

Since I talked to you lovely people on Thursday, quite a bit has happened in the life of Kirst.

Friday took a turn for the interesting when my ankle swelled up like a balloon and I was barely able to walk. I was suffering from awful blisters from some really cute new work shoes, which caused me to walk like a gimp the entire week. Turns out I was walking so bad that my foot swelled up from all the extra pressure, so I ran home Saturday morning to get it checked out. While everything turned out to be fine (I'm still in a bit of pain and the antibiotics for my blisters made me throw up in class... YOLO) and I definitely could have waited to go to UHS on Monday, it was nice to see Mama and Coach Rei for a night. I also found this really cute throwback picture, please enjoy.

The week was full of all sorts of busy schedules and craziness. I'm back to seeing my friends all the time, which is super amazing. The combination of work, school, and planning THON Spikes led to a less than adequate sleep schedule, but it was more than worth it. The first event of the PR season was a total success; it was a beautiful night for baseball, we sold more tickets than ever before, and raised a good amount of money For The Kids. I love what I do.


Friday flew by with a few classes and a shortened work day, which allowed me to have a great fam dinner with some friends at the dining hall. Believe it or not, I've actually missed dining hall food, so it was nice to get back to the buffet life.

Friday night was a blast with my Co-Captains, as we all bonded over dancing and pokey sticks (pokeys are these super cheesy pizza bread things that are to die for). We had so much fun being around one another and it made me even more excited to spend the entire year working with them. Also, just an FYI, Luke and I will be dropping our mixtape soon, so stay tuned.

Saturday was lovely after I slept in almost all afternoon. Considering I hadn't slept much during the week, I didn't feel bad snoozing for awhile. The afternoon consisted of more lounging and watching the first Penn State football game. While I almost cried while watching my beloved Nittany Lions fall to the Owls, the thought of being in Beaver Stadium this upcoming Saturday created more excitement than sadness.

Following the game, I hopped in the car and headed off to LARZ's house for an impromptu visit. I was greeted with open arms from many Irish accents and my best friend, which is always just plain fantastic. It was so awesome to be reunited with Laura after two whole months apart. We spent the night catching up and celebrating her graduation from the greatest university on the planet.

Yesterday consisted of a trip to Hershey Park, which turned into a day full of laughs, rollarcoasters, Dippin Dots, and Laura almost crying as we boarded every ride. To top off the fun, we arrived home to a kitchen full of John Kennedy specialties and an adorable bulldog, so I don't think the day could have gone any better.

After saying my good-byes to the Kennedy fam, I headed back to State with a slightly swollen foot (the dang amusement park didn't exactly help the cause) and a new Spotify playlist. I already miss LARZ, but she's visiting in a few weeks so NO WORRIES.

Tonight is about to be super exciting because the rest of the PR Captain Committee is being announced. I can't wait to meet the rest of our purple family!!!!!!

Maybe I'll get around to unpacking everything I brought here two weeks ago,
Kirst

Full Speed Ahead

Ayyo!

Please excuse the lack of blogging recently, the past few weeks have been quite the whirlwind. Now that I'm back at PSU, I'm hoping that I can figure out this whole routine thing soon and get back to a normal schedule of being a real person.

Sooooo my time in Cape Breton was absolutely wonderful. I spent a week with the MacAskill crew and we had a great time catching up (while I've visited with my family, I hadn't been to Nova Scotia in a few years) and exploring different parts of the island. The seven days were full of scenic hikes, road trips to the beach, lots of visits to chip trucks, and some interesting nights on the town in Sydney. It was a great way to end the summer.

By the time I got back in Erie, I had one-and-a-half days to get my life together to move back into school. I basically just threw a little bit of everything in a bunch of laundry baskets and boxes, packed up the Jeeps, and headed out to Happy Valley at 4:30AM last Thursday. We made it to Atherton Hall around 8AM and were happily surprised to see that we were the only people moving in during that time, so the craziness of dodging 7,000 people on move-in day was avoided. After putting a couple of loads of all the things I bought in India into the new room, I was off to a THON meeting before putting the finishing touches in my lovely dorm.

There was no time to relax after unloading and setting up everything because the Reilly's were then off to the Big Apple for the weekend. We had lunch at the Corner Room in State College (ahhh, delicious!) and did some shopping downtown before the drive to our hotel in New Jersey. We basically went to bed as soon as we got there (it had been quite the long day) and woke up the next morning to head to our hotel in the city. Our hotel for the weekend sat smack-dab in the middle of Herald Square; its location right in front of Macy's was absolutely fantastic.

We spent Friday exploring monuments and museums. We took the boat out to Liberty Island to visit Lady Liberty, then visited Ellis Island to explore. It was fascinating to go through the halls and rooms  where so many people entered America and the history nerd inside of me loved reading all of the stories and side-notes written throughout the entire place. I took my time wandering around (my parents at times were trying to pull me along) and it was a really great visit.

The next stop on our tour was the 9/11 memorial and museum. I had visited the memorial before, but the museum was not completed the last time I was in NYC. We spent hours going through the extremely well-done exhibits and taking everything in.

After a little shopping, people-watching, and grabbing some food in Times Square, we headed back to the hotel as some super tired tourists. We got some sleep before an early start Saturday morning. We decided to browse through Macy's before hopping on the Subway to Yankee Stadium, which resulted in us getting separated and slightly lost in the mass chaos that is the world's largest store.

We finally gathered ourselves made it to the stadium and into our seats with the Gannon group and enjoyed a beautiful day of baseball. We watched Jorge Pasada number be retired and the Yankees earn a victory over the Indian. What a great afternoon for a sports fan.

Next came some more subway surfing, wandering through stores, a trip through Central Park to see the bridge from a scene in my favorite movie, Made of Honor, and trying to dodge the masses of people. I have to say that crossing streets was actually a breeze compared to crossing streets in Delhi, so the traffic was not a problem whatsoever.

After scouring the shoe department at Macy's (you couldn't pay me a million bucks to work in the clearance rooms in that store), it was time to hit the hay. While I was so pumped from the awesome weekend spent in the city, I was pretty exhausted and fell right asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.


Sunday brought a visit to the giant Toys-R-Us with Coach Rei and a  last-minute trip to Macy's (I was trying to find a shoe that had gone missing from the clearance room) and a longgggg ride back to Penn State. I finally made it back around dinner time and had time to reunite with some friends before trying to organize myself and get back into school-mode.

This week has been nuts. Between classes, working in the basketball office, trying to start the planning for next summer's adventure, and just staring at my schedule for the next few months, I'm in major need of a huge nap... and it's only the fourth day. I guess that's what I get for only having five days at home since July 5th...

While I'm sad that I had to say good-bye to my amazing summer of adventures, it does feel pretty great to be back at the best school on the planet and getting back into the swing of things with my pals.

If things weren't super crazy, life wouldn't be any fun,
Kirst

Next Stop: Cape Breton Island

Bonjour!

Currently lounging at yet another airport Starbucks, this time in Toronto and not some crazy city in Asia. I think I can venture to say that these places where planes take off have become my new natural habitat. After the past month, I really think I should be a member of one of those international travel clubs or something.

After just four full days at home, I'm back on the international travel scene. I'm still not fully adjusted from my extensive time travel, but my body isn't fighting me too much. I've only had one incident where good ol' American food didn't sit so well, so I guess I can be okay with that. I did, however, just eat red meat for the first time in a month... this could get interesting.

While I did a lot of chillaxing the last few days, Coach Rei and I went on a few trips to Chautauqua Lake, one of my favorite places to visit in the summer. I've definitely missed walking around by the water and enjoying the scenery. Although it was short-lived, it was nice to get back to some slight normalcy for a few days. I was also able to catch up with a few friends before we all head off to college. It's crazy to think that when I get back home this time next week, I'll be less than 48 hours away from my sophomore year move-in.

I literally feel like I haven't been home in years and now it's about time to settle back into life in Happy Valley. I'm more than excited to be reunited with my peeps at school, but I have a lot to get done between now and next Thursday. In addition to moving in to Atherton next week, the Reilly crew is heading for a weekend trip to the Big Apple. Life is definitely not slowing down anytime soon.

This post is pretty random, but at this point, I have nothing else to do after taking a few laps around the airport. I can probably read one of the 37 books I have in my backpack, but that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Just two and a half more hours before my departure to Nova Scotia... at least I get to see the MacAskill fam squad tonight!

Compulsively trying to figure out how I'm going to decorate my dorm room,
Kirst