Being A Grown Up Means…

…you repot your plants after you realize that the roots are taking up the entire pot. It also means that you throw said plants away when water fails to “perk them up” anymore.

…you resist the urge to yell “Stranger Danger!” when an elderly man outside of your favorite deli asks you to go in and order for him.

…you immediately put all of your Christmas money towards your tuition, school supplies, and a new pack of socks. That sweater you’ve been wanting for a long time will just have to wait.

…you keep track of the last oil change in your car, and when 3,000 miles has come and gone, you get it changed again. Seriously folks- I’m just now learning to live this way. “Cars need oil?”

…you stop finding excuses to text and drive. It’s dangerous, people! Nothing is that important! Don’t do it.

…you feed your animals and boyfriend before feeding yourself. Why is it that they are all hungry right when my butt cheeks are about to hit the sofa? Weird.

…you resist the urge to cry out when a six year old asks you to read his Lego Star Wars instruction book to him  one more time. Patience, Stacey, patience.

…you stop being afraid to ask for what you really want. In any situation.

…you take matters into your own hands.

…you learn how to use a leaf-blower, food chopper,  and a caulk gun all in one month. And then brag about it to friends and family. “Give me something to caulk!”

…at the gym, you pick the treadmill in front of CNN instead of Nickelodeon. Wait, I still don’t do that. Never mind.

…you learn to stop being so modest, and accept gifts when they are offered. Because “when someone offers you something, you take it.” <—wise words from my mother. Except drugs or candy from a stranger- don’t take those things.

…you get rid of “memorabilia” that never really meant anything to begin with. Yesterday I threw away a pen I had taken home to remind me of my first time eating at Hooters. Wow, what sentimental value that pen had.

…you learn to stand up for the things you believe in, no matter how different other people may feel about what you’re fighting for.

…you learn to take in every moment that you have with family. Never mind the fact that you only see them during holidays, it is still time together.

…going home with a sore throat because you gladly screamed your head off for your home team. 

…learning to control your whiny-ness when your boyfriend sits in the middle of the tool aisle at Sears for 30 minutes comparing the differences between two meters. “I have to make an educated decision.” *Rolls eyes and joins him on the floor*

…you live with an open heart and an open mind. You are always open for opportunity and education. You grow from where you come from, become your own person, and do anything it takes to make your dreams become a reality

Technorati Tags: random,life

Community to University

Well, I did it.

I took my last exam at a community college yesterday, and it feels. so. good.

I’ve put myself through community college since 2003 (with a few semesters off in between), and I’m finally done!

Two weeks ago, I attended a registration day at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While I love how personal and small a community college feels, I couldn’t help feeling a breath of fresh air and thrill when I walked onto UNCC’s humungous campus. Like I had finally made it…Like all of the money and time I’ve spent on community college had finally paid off, and I was where I was supposed to be

First of all- compared to Gaston College and their four main buildings, UNCC was like a huge maze, with a different building around every corner!

Yikes! While getting the tour, I made a mental note to come before classes start to make sure I know where I’m going.

I know this post is kind of corny, but you guys have to understand that I never thought I would make it this far. On my own. With no help. Matter of fact, right after high school, I applied to UNCC and various other universities thinking I would get right in, but they all rejected me because I was a bad student. So, community college it was.

And that’s where I spent the next ga-jilliion years of my life. (You could read the bad student post and it will catch up on my school years as of late)

Anyway, back to registration day at UNCC

So, we get there early in the morning, like at 7:30 a.m. And I am just beaming, so happy. I don’t even care that it’s a Saturday and I’m at school. I want to be there.

We have sections that we are assigned to. My sections are “Campus Tour” and “How to Get on the Right Career Path”. The campus tour was a bit overwhelming for me. It’s just so BIG (that’s what she said). But I’ll get the hang of it.

After the tour and an academic fair, we were told that we have 30 minutes for lunch. I make my way through the crowd in the cafeteria, wondering around trying to figure out if there’s anything vegan. Hanging in front of me are posters like this (not exactly the ones posted below, but they had the same message):

and this one…

Um, have I died and gone to heaven? A school cafeteria that promotes vegetarianism!! Score! Everyone at Gaston used to pick on me for being vegan, or they wouldn’t even know what it was…This was the moment I truly began loving my new school ❤

While browsing for eats, I stumble upon a meat-free area. They have a yummy looking menu with things like “vegan tofu stir-fry” or “vegetarian wraps”, and another girl walks up to look at one as well. I ask her if she is vegetarian and she says ‘Yes’. And I probably shouldn’t have made such a big deal out of it, but I swear to you, I scream “I’M VEGAN!! OHMYGOSH!!!!”

LOL. That poor girl. She probably thought I was crazy. You have to understand that I’ve never come across another vegetarian/vegan that I didn’t already know. I asked her if she wanted to sit together, and so we did I spent the next 20 minutes talking about our classes (she’s going for Biology too) and why we became vegetarian/vegan.

Then this guy joins us out of nowhere, just out of nowhere! He just sits down. I LOVE THAT! I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. I LOVE THIS PLACE! I can guarantee that I looked like a beaming idiot the entire lunch but that’s okay

After lunch, and making two new friends, we all go back to the conference hall and prepare for registration.

I won’t go into that whole process, it was a long one. But I finally ended up with the following classes:

• Physics 1
• Calculus
• Spanish II
• Global Connections

A full schedule, weeeeee!! Another bonus: it won’t interfere with my work schedule!

After registration, we got to meet with different members of various student organizations in the college. That was really fun. There is a hiking/camping group I want to join and also a “Love Mother Earth” group too And I’m thinking of starting an animal rights group as well!

The last activity of the day was getting my student ID made.

Gee, I look so miserable in that picture  

So that was my day, and it was wonderful. I seriously cannot wait to start there in two weeks!

Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you guys! And now….(dadadadadumdadadadum)

A Simple Giveaway for you, my readers

This scarf is from Banana Republic, I’ve had it for a few years now, hardly worn. I only pull it out when the winter months come. But honestly- I have so many other scarfs that this one might get worn maybe four time all winter.

It’s super soft and long. (Longer than I am!)

See?

I do love the scarf, but after all of this time owning it, it was only the other day when I realized what it’s made of:

• 46% lambs wool
• 26% rabbit hair
• 19% rayon
• 11% nylon
• 4% cashmere

Yep. Those first two ingredients kind of bother me. I can’t bring myself to wear it anymore, so I figure that one of you might enjoy it.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your best college experience, if you didn’t go to college, then just tell me about your best life experience!

I’ll pick a random winner next Wednesday morning! Good luck And thank you for reading. Be sure to check out THCV on Facebook!

Technorati Tags: life,school,random

Horse Slaughter in the U.S.

Today I woke up, baked blueberry muffins for my guy and I, and headed off to school to take a Chemistry test that I think I did okay on.

Then I get to work, check Facebook before starting chores, and I see this article on my Wall:

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2011/12/horse-slaughter-in-us.html

Basically, what it says is that for the past five years, there has been a ban on funding of the USDA in horse slaughter plants. Meaning, that for the past 5 years it’s not likely that any plants will open because slaughter houses have to have USDA regulations.

And this past November, that provision was dropped from a Congress bill. Few tried to get it put back in there, but western senators are fighting it because they see big money in horse meat.

So as of right now, it’s okay to open a horse slaughter plant in North America. Horses can now be slaughtered for meat. There has been uninterrupted shipment of live horses from Canada to Mexico for their meat, and now it’s legal. No more bypassing the U.S.

First of all- What has our nation come to? Along with the other animals that are being slaughtered for food, horses are not meant for meat. They exist for their own reasons.

Why would anyone want to kill and eat such a beautiful, majestic creature?

I beg you to please take action by visiting this page:

http://www.causes.com/causes/618850-end-horse-slaughter-official-hsus

As a nation, and as compassionate beings, we cannot allow this to happen. We have to take a stand.

Sometimes I hear news like this and it just beats me down so much. It makes me feel like all of my animal rights efforts are in vain, and that there is no “fighting the law”. But I have to keep pressing onward, hoping that I’m making a difference. For humankind and the animals sake.

We have to be their voices.