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Letter to the Class of 2017

Spoiler Alert: Senioritis is Real

Wednesday, May 15, 2016

Dear Class of 2017,

Its towards the end of the year now, and soon you'll officially be a senior. While you might think "finally, only one more year till I'm outta here", but trust me, slow down a bit and appreciate the things around you. Look at it this way, its your last year of being a kid. 

Don't Rush Through the Year
Trust me on this one. Ever since school started I was thinking "goodness, I can't wait to leave", and I admit that I thought about it too much. Don't  make the same mistake I did. Thinking that made me into a more grumpy person who cared less and less. Take things slow.

Spend Plenty of Time with Your Friends

Especially with the ones you won't see after graduation. The memories you make with them will put more of impression on you and them and create a stronger bond for when you do leave each other.

Don't Be Afraid to Lose Friends
I have many friends that are a year older than me, I found that when they went to college, even the local community college, that our friendship became lost. The transition between high school and college is very different and stressful. People grow up, and they may decide to let your friendship go (or vice versa). Don't harp on them, its easier to just move on. And don't worry, your true friends will still be there.

Spend Time with Family

If you're going away for college, you won't see your family practically everyday like you do now. Take the time to enjoy stories with your family. Get engaged with something, or go do something fun spontaneously with them. And do things for them if they're feeling stressed. Oh, and you will miss grandma's homemade meals when you're away for college (jus' sayin)

Get those College Apps/Scholarships In and In Fast

The sooner you get them in, the more dedicated you look to the decision committees. But don't rush to put them together. Take the time to evaluate the application too. (Remember - Scholarships=Free Moolah)

Don't Fall Behind In School
Senioritis causes a serious lack of motivation, don't let that take over your schoolwork. Colleges still look at your final transcripts. 

Stay Involved with School Activities

Staying involved with school activities keeps you engaged more with your classmates and the underclassmen. You also stay in touch with the coaches and advisors, which can result in some bomb reference letters. Plus, in many activities there are some awesome senior privileges.

Take Lots of Pictures

When the Timehop notification pops up, looking at those pictures take you back to those special moments, and may brighten your day down the road.

Listen Carefully to Your Teachers, Counselors, and Senior Class Advisors

These teachers have seen you grow up in high school, and truly do appreciate their students - that's why they are teachers. They have all lived through the teenage years and can understand practically any situation you're going through, and they can give you great advice. Also, listen to the Senior Class Advisors to make senior meetings and graduation practices run smoothly, no one wants to repeat and wait longer than they have to. 

Don't Forget to Breathe
Between graduation, college prep, schoolwork, and everything else, things will get hectic. The important thing is to breathe, relax, and think things through logically.

 Enjoy Yourself

 Overall, the most important thing about senior year is to enjoy the year. Make sure to wear a smile whenever you can and have fun!


Senior year is bittersweet, its sad to see all those last times come to an end, but it's awesome to know that you are moving on to better things. Even though the idea of "moving to the next chapter" isn't far away, value your the time you have left.

Rock out your senior year, Class of 2017!

-mb.

Just Hang In There

It'll All Be Alright

Wednesday, April 28, 2016
Two. Two more days till May, 27 days left of school, and 36 days till graduation. 36. Thirty Six.

At this point, I believe that I've hit the climax of senioritis, which is no other than the time crunch. Graduation isn't years or months away, its weeks. Only a few more weeks till I'm no longer a high school student. Believe it or not, it's scary.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited to graduate. I'm excited to move on to the next chapter in the book of my life, but I can't believe the the time is coming closer for me to turn that page. 

Now, when I say time crunch, I really do mean time crunch. Seriously, I feel that majority of what I do nowadays is in a deadline-induced panic. Writing my last dual-enrollment English paper, turning in scholarships, telling myself I need to make my graduation invitations sooner or later, everything at once just needs to get done.

All the last times have already happened, last homecoming, last marching band season, last state conference, last prom; the only thing left to do is graduate.

June 3rd, that'll be the day everything is done, completed, finished. Scary, right?

You're probably reading this thinking that I'm worrying too much about this, and I would agree. Sometimes I need to tell myself to breathe. I deserve this diploma that I worked so hard for. Even though things are "done" on June 3rd, it only leaves room for a new beginning. When the Class of 2016 graduates, we all will travel to different places to fulfill exactly what we want to do with our lives.

I just want to say, for any graduating senior, it will all be alright. Don't second guess yourself, don't stress too much, and just breathe. You know exactly what choices are best for your future. And, its time to celebrate! Be happy of your accomplishment, and be excited for your next chapter.

What I've noticed with senioritis is that it comes with a dwelling depression. There are days that I feel totally not motivated to do anything. I seriously don't know why. Am I sad to leave? Am I afraid to be gone? Honestly, I haven't figured it out. But the best thing for this feeling is to be around your friends. Sometimes my family can get annoying (sorry fam if your reading this, I still love you <3), but my friends keep me upbeat and that's when I'm truly the happiest. I've noticed within my friends is that even though we pick on each other and make fun, we really do want the best for each other and we want all of us to be happy.

But what scares me is that I won't be able to see them as often as I do today. While it scares me and probably scares a lot of other seniors, I know that things will be fine. Real friends will keep in touch, and when you're in college (or wherever you may be) you'll be surrounded by a new group of people, which only opens up to making new friends. (Plus social media is a wonderful thing).

Now this blogpost might just be me reminding myself, but what I basically wanted to say was don't stress. Don't stress on the future, and don't stress on the past. Everything will fall into place and be exactly how you want them to be. And in the end, it will all be okay.

Just hang in there. :)

-mb.

(Sorry I haven't written in awhile, you know, senioritis and such.) 

Six Signs that You Have Senioritis Just as Bad as Ferris Bueller

Life Moves Pretty Fast

Wednesday, January 27, 2015
If anyone is a netflix junkie like I am, than you've probably watched the classic 1986 John Hughes film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

After watching this movie, it was obvious that Ferris Bueller is one of the biggest sufferers of senioritis to exist. Even though the movie might be a little outrageous, Ferris makes some points that are relatable to practically any senior.

1. Ferris on Faking a Sickness
"The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom; I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but, uh... you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor's office. That's worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school."



2. Ferris on Tests
"I do have a test today, that wasn't bull***t. It's on European socialism. I mean, really, what's the point? I'm not European. I don't plan on being European. So who gives a crap if they're socialists? They could be fascist anarchists, it still doesn't change the fact that I don't own a car."



3. Ferris on Following the Rules
"Hey, Cameron. You realize if we played by the rules right now we'd be in gym?"



4. Ferris on Not-So Bright Ideas
Ferris: Look, it's real simple. Whatever mileage we put on, we'll take off.
Cameron: How?
Ferris: We'll drive home backwards.



5. Ferris on Sympathy
Cameron: What'd I do?
Ferris: You killed the car.



6. And Finally, Ferris on Life
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."



Ferris Bueller knows exactly what it's like to be a senior, and proves that senioritis is really more common than people think, or that teenagers really do need their fun. In the end, Ferris is right, life does move pretty fast, so why miss all the crazy adventures that you'll probably never have the chance to do again?

In the words of Cameron Frye, "Ferris Bueller, you're my hero."


-mb.


All quotes and pictures mentioned in this post are property of Paramount Pictures.

Here, There, and Everywhere!

Where has MB been?

Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Oh my! Its December already! You know what that means, CHRISTMAS IS IN 25 DAYS! I love the winter season, its so beautiful and full of traditions and fun. The hard thing to believe is that we have entered the last month before the year on the calendar matches my graduation year (which is super scary, tbh).

I know I haven't posted anything since September, mainly because I've been super busy. School's in full swing, and being a dual enrollment student in three college courses call for a busy life. By December 11th, I will have my first semester of "college" finished.

One thing about my junior/senior year I love the most is the opportunity to travel. (College visits, conferences, etc.) Back in late September my family and I traveled down to visit colleges ending in Atlanta. On that trip, Atlanta seemed a bit intimidating, maybe to big for this small-town girl. But as I'm sitting at the Atlanta International Airport right now typing this blog post, I learned that Atlanta really isn't as bad as I thought it was. I'm (hopefully) about to fly home from Atlanta for the second time. (Idk, my flight has been delayed twice already).

This photo's on my instagram!
I was visiting Atlanta again for the National 4-H Congress, and it was really a highlight in my life and my 4-H career. I got to interact with many people across the nation, as well as rekindling previous friendships with people I met at National 4-H conference and National 4-H Dairy Conference. It was wonderful for all of us to come together. The second go round of Atlanta seemed much more beautiful and enjoyable. I got to volunteer at a local elementary school, and try over 100 flavors of coca-cola products.

Just the architecture of Atlanta is outstanding. I got to learn about a guy named John C. Portman, Jr., who is an architect based out of Atlanta. He had a vision about easy accessibility around the city, connecting buildings with tunnels and underground centers, so that people could walk from place to place easier. He has designed beautiful structures in the city, like the Westin, the Hyatt Regency, where I stayed these past couple days, as well as other conference centers and buildings throughout the country. His design of flow for the city was evolutionary. This was hung in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta -->

He is truly an inspiration, and I'm glad I got to see his work and learn about him in Atlanta. It was another spark of interest that's driven me to study architecture in college. I'm certainly glad I gave Atlanta another chance.

This photo's on my instagram!
Another trip I had the privilege to participate in was the National FFA Convention. I got to travel with my FFA chapter, and competed in the Poultry Judging Career Development Event in late October. Blue Jackets filled Louisville, Kentucky, and I got to meet with so many interesting FFA members, and with college representatives. My brother, JT, attends the University of Northwestern Ohio and is the president of his collegiate chapter. It was great to see him and enjoy my first, and his last convention together.

Like I said before, I love the opportunity to travel, and if you ever get the chance to go anywhere, take advantage of it! It will certainly open your eyes to new experiences and cultures, like it has opened mine. Go outside your comfort zone, and see what the world has to offer. I'm sure that you won't regret it. :)

-mb.

7 Reasons Why I Love Fall, & Why You Should Too.

It's Not All About Pumpkin Spice
woops, not my photo. Can't remember who took it, but creds to you, Glen Coco.

Sunday, September 13, 2015
Today I experienced a day that seemed chilly, compared to the latest weather in my area. The temperature never rose above 70°F, and as my mother cried about how the summer and her pool days are over, the more I was excited, because my favorite season was on it's way!
Fall is definitely my favorite season. But there's not just one reason on why it is my favorite. To be honest, I could on and on with this list, but here's just my top 7:

1. Pumpkin Spice

It’s PSL season again!

How do I say this without sounding like a basic white girl? Oh yeah, I can't. But pumpkin spice is honestly life. I love having a warm PSL or a delicious pumpkin cookie in my hand, it really makes fall worthwhile. Although, today the idea of "Pumpkin Spice" has gotten wayyyy outta hand. Today, my friend sent me a Snapchat of Pumpkin Spice sparkling water, uhm, no thank you.

2. Apple Cider


Slow Cooker Mulled Apple Cider


Apple Cider is sooo delicious, hot or cold. If you haven't tried it, I would recommend grabbing a big ol' glass of it. When I was growing up my grandfather made homemade apple cider from fresh apples with his cider press, and nothing else was better than fresh!

3. Football Games



Football Season Marching Band Season is the best. Being a fellow marcher at my high school for what is the fourth season now, the music, school spirit, and pep are what I look forward to. But in Marching Band, we're not all about just hyping up a crowd at a football game, it's also about the competitions. Yes, we nerds at most schools take our halftime show to compete with each other. The bonds and the magic shared band to band are describable.

4. Sweater Weather


yellowsuitcasestudios.com


What else is there to say? Nothing's more comfy than an oversized sweater by a fireplace.

5. Scarves


53 Extremely Cool Outfits with Scarf

Yea, necklaces are cool and all, but nothing accessorizes better than a chunky scarf!

5. Flannel


Etsy - Vintage Flannel

AKA The softest material ever. Plus my favorite boys wear it all the time.

5. Supernatural



*Crowley Voice* Hello boys. 

Fall usually marks the dates that most shows air their season premieres, and Supernatural is no different. On October 7th, the boys will continue what they do best for the 11th year. Congrats to the show today, as it marks Supernatural's 10th anniversary for airing its first episode on TV.

6. Costumes



Get it? Pugkin Spice Latte?
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. You get to dress up as whatever you want, and don't forget about the Halloween candy!

7. Leaves Changing Color


Mike Martin

And finally, one of my all-time favorite reasons for loving fall, the color-changing leaves. Leaves turning color is an ultimate sign that autumn is here, plus it's scheme is just beautiful! Reds, Yellows, Oranges, the warm tones perfectly blend with the crisp air the season brings. The layer of foliage that cover the earth provides a wonderful crunch under your feet, and your never too old to jump right in a big pile of 'em!


So, there you go, 7 of my favorite reasons for my love of fall. Now you (hopefully) understand why I love this season so much!

-mb.




Senior Year Is In Session

woah. already?
This Photo's On My Instagram!

Monday, September 7, 2015
The first day of school is always exciting, at least for me anyway. You get to see what classes you have, catch up with some friends you haven't seen since June, and you know, rock those new pair of shoes you got last week. But out of all my "first days back to school", this year's was the weirdest. I had the typical first day picture that my mom goes crazy for and posts all over facebook, but when I got to school it was like "ugh, another day."

To me, school is a love-hate relationship. Some days I like being there and other days there are no limits on what I would do just to go home. In homeroom, my teacher was like "Here are the tons of papers you get every year and yeah, you know the drill." And the day was filled with the typical "You all are seniors, you know what to do" from every teacher, so, the first day was kinda "eh", like the spirit and excitement of the first day just died.

I've kept in touch with my friends that I really cared about over the summer. When I saw them on the first day of school I didn't turn into the giddy "OMG how have you been its been so long!" type of girl. I've either saw them at band camp or recently in some way, they graduated, or they moved away. I've just finished my first week as a senior and its weird without certain people there. I had two good friends move away this year, one moved to Georgia, and the other (who has been my "bffl" since 3rd grade) to Indiana. It's kinda like a weird hole in my life because I was so used to them being here. I do try to keep in touch with them, just because they're hundreds of miles away doesn't mean we forget about each other. 

In school, so far it's been "eh", but in life, Senioritis has been pretty great. The "senior year" pressure I think has lead me to become more organized and more interested in my paths ahead. I feel like I live more in the "now" than stressing on "what's next". I'm definitely looking forward to this year, especially since fall is soon! Football games, sweaters, and PSLs are the absolute best. (Call me a basic white girl because I'm fully aware of it.) Anyways, Senioritis is what you make of it, and it can be loads of fun if that's what you choose. (I know I am!)

-mb.

p.s.: the cover photo is of my kitten Stella, isn't she cute? :)







So, What Exactly Is Senioritis?

Its Different For Everyone




Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Just from my first post I've received a good amount of views and some nice feedback, but I feel like the definition of Senioritis is somewhat unclear. (Whoops, my bad on my part.) So I've decided to clarify what exactly Senioritis is. Let's start with a definition:
Is this definition correct? Yes. Is this definition incorrect? Also yes. This definition is right but also wrong because Senioritis is different for everyone. For me, I believe Senioritis isn't much of a "decline in motivation" but more of a "time to move on" type of experience. In my last post I talked about how Senioritis is controlled by time, friends, and also by your own actions. The Latin suffix meaning of -itis relates to medical terms, such as colitis, the inflammation of the colon. Because Senioritis shares this suffix, it's often referred to as a disease, or in the definition, a "supposed affliction". But Senioritis is far from a medical term, it's a personal experience we all (hopefully) get to experience in our lives. Not like a "puberty" type experience but more like growing up and finding yourself.

Senior year hasn't officially started yet for me, but I've already had a few cases of Senioritis. In life there are right turns, there are wrong turns, and there are left turns too. When we are faced with decisions in life, your peers may choose right, and you may choose left. Does that mean your decision was wrong? In most cases, no, because taking a different path shouldn't matter what everyone else does, it depends on what's going to benefit you. That's how Senioritis is. It's the pressure to succeed, even though it may be different than what your friend wants to succeed in. When I move onto college in the next year, I want to study Architecture. I have friends that want to become a Lawyer, a Pastor, a Mortician, a Nurse, and a Veterinarian, just to name a few. But because what we want to achieve is different, our path to success is going to vary. The scary part about this is being separated from the people you are most comfortable around. My preferred college of choice right now is eight hours south. A good friend of mine I know wants to go away about eight hours north. A 16 hour difference is quite scary to think about in the next year when I'm used to spending almost every day with her. But Senioritis is a growing up experience, and realizing that the time to separate is soon, is almost like a whack in the face. Senioritis basically is the stress about "moving on" and the preparation to do it. Moving on to college, a career, the armed services, and moving on away from family and friends to hopefully find yourself. 

Thank goodness it's the 21st century, because keeping in touch is nothing but a text message or a Facebook post. Another point I wanted to mention in this post was that through thick and thin, you learn who your true friends are. This year, I know I will not be the only one living with Senioritis in my group of friends. Learning to support each other through a complicated year with tough situations is what friendship should be about. Yes, Senioritis is learning to grow up and move on, but it doesn't mean you have to disconnect with those you love. In the end, they'll still be there for you. *plays FRIENDS theme song*

-mb.



It All Started With the Summer

my first case of senioritis
This photo's on my instagram!

Monday, August 24, 2015
It wasn't until this summer that I realized that Senioritis was hitting me. Back in June was my first case. I traveled 8 hours from home to an Architecture summer camp at a university that I'm really interested to attend next fall. There I got to experience a little bit of campus life, by staying in the dorms there, interacting with current students and one of the professors, and to feel what a potential next home would be like. The thought of little ol' me moving on to higher education and living away from home to there was a big, scary thought, but it was a happy type of scary thought, if that makes sense. A lot of people don't like change in their lives, and I'm certainly one of them, but moving on to go away to college was a change I was ready for, for at least a year or so now. Don't get me wrong, I love home, but I'm ready to get out and experience something new, and that week long taste of "college life" convinced me even more. 

 Time is a big reason why Senioritis exists. The reason why my big, happy, scary thought of moving on to college was scary is because that time was itching closer to make that thought a reality. Time is scary too. Time's getting closer to fill out college applications and scholarships, time's getting closer to graduate, but also time controls all those "last times", such as the last band camp, the last first day of school, or the last prom. But time is constant, we can't slow down, speed up, repeat, or pause time (but man I wish we could!) so all we have is the right now. Everyone has a different "right now", depending on what situation we're in and what we do as a reaction to it. For my "right now"s I'm choosing to enjoy them as best as I can.

For the "right now" moments, our reactions to them are vital, because our reaction to one "right now" moment will effect the next "right now" moment. Another case of Senioritis I've experienced was just a couple days ago. I have good amount of friends that are older than me, including some of my closest friends. Today was their first day of class at the local community college. I've noticed, even just after graduating, they have changed, especially someone that I considered my best friend. Over this summer she seemed to act different. I know acting different is expected and normal when leaving high school and moving on to college, but she was acting different in a worse matter. Her attitude changed, and she did things that I'd never expected her to do. Every time we were together she seemed snappy and rude towards me, and if it wasn't her way, it was no way. A couple of days ago she started acting not-so like a friend to me, and as a good friend I told her what was going on. She says I "upset her greatly" and that "I thought we were better friends than that." A good friend tells a friend when something is wrong. If anything, she upset me more than I would've upset her. In this "right now" moment, I've decided to not let her bother me any more. It's my senior year, and if I can prevent complication, I am as sure as heck going to. She's onto college and so I have to let go. Senioritis hits when your friends move on. She moved on to college and I'm still stuck in high school for one more year. Just because I have one more year, doesn't mean it has to drag or go bad. I'm not letting a problem like this hold me back, because my last year, should will be my best year.

- mb.