Home Stretch

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“We’re all pretty bizarre.  Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.”

-Andrew Clark, The Breakfast Club

This one’s for you, Dad…

#1: Apparently people like sports in the real world.  If I’m bein’ honest with everybody, I’d rather shave my eyebrows off than participate in or watch organized physical activity.  (That’s dramatic…apparently I’ve been known to be that on the rare occasion?)  Anyway, my sports allergies are in full swing what with it being March madness and stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the social aspect of watching a good basketball game and I love me my school (Goooo Heeeeeeels!!!) but now that people are discovering my apathy, I’m being harassed for not making a “bracket” and for watching Overboard instead of Carolina vs. Kansas City.  I’m told there’s a game tonight so everybody should watch!!!! (Charlie, if you’re reading this, I’m very sorry to disappoint.)

#2: I escaped from the real world for a little bit when I went to Florida for “Spring” Break last week.  It was WONDERFUL.  We laid out in the windy weather, slept in ‘til 11, and ate our weight in homemade guacamole.  Unfortunately, when I returned to the Hill, I was greeted by rain, wind, and 47 degree weather.  Bring on some sun pleaseeeeeeeee.

#3: In the real world, people expect certain things from you.  They assess your skills and then they ask you to use them in a job.  This blows.  Apparently my skills are reprimanding people and cleaning gross things up because this year I am serving as Risk Manager for my sorority.  Basically, I am responsible for making sure everyone is well behaved at our events and for handling the people who aren’t…this is not an easy feat.  My skills of being the bad guy were truly put to the test this weekend during Tri Delt Formal!!!! I spent a good portion of my night escorting girlies to buses back home and consoling crying girls in the bathroom.  I officially elect myself as not having a position next year… just kidding!  I actually had a really good time ‘cause as you know I love me a good long dress and 80’s cover band…both of which were in high supply.

Me and Betsy:

Me and my cute date Angus:

Me and moi friend Doyle:

#4: Home Stretch: I have finally come to the sad realization that we are always looking forward.  I read a poem the other day that talked about the weather in college and how as students, we are always looking forward to the next season.  In the winter, we just want to go on spring break; in the spring, we can’t wait for the warmth that summer will bring.  By the time Fall rolls around and football games are in full swing, we all want the relief of a Winter wind and Christmas dinner.  And then really before we know it, we’ve graduated and we’re in the next circle of the real world…terrifying.  Anyway, I’ve caught myself looking forward now that I’ve come back from break.  We had formal, we’ll have exams, and then we’ll be in summer!!! Hard to believe I’ll be a junior in college in just a few months!!!!!

Me and my roommate from last year, Mackenzie, at our "Duck Calls and Overalls" mixer:

To brighten your week:

Coming back from Spring Break sentiments:

yessssssss

And just to make you jealous of what I'm making for dinner tonight...Quinoa Mac & Cheese:

Hope you all are well.  I’d love to hear what’s going on in your real worlds.  Love ya.  Miss ya.  Mean it.

Kane

Sabbatical

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Always be able to look back and say, at least I didn’t lead no humdrum life.”

-Forrest Gump

Ok so here’s my excuse…every single class that I am taking this semester revolves around writing.  Apparently I have lost a bit of my creative drive when it comes to writing for fun and I apologize to you and to myself for this. Bluhhhhhhh.  Anyways I am surviving college (despite my wackadoo professors this semester) and I can’t believe we are already well into 2013!?!?!?!? Here’s what’s new:

This weekend my fave friend Ginny is coming to visit (consider this your official shoutout, Gin) and I am sooooooooo excited!  I am going to show her all around Chapel (t)H(r)ill and we are going to snuggle in the twin bed. Hehe!  Mind you this is all after I…

DANCE AWAY THE NIGHT!!! Yes friend, I am once again participating in UNC Dance Marathon…an abbreviated version.  I will be “moralling” the other dancers along during a six-hour shift and I need your support!! If you’d like to donate to my shift, I am trying to raise $60!!! If not, I would still love for you to send me good luck wishes via telepathy :)

Link to donate: http://www.crowdrise.com/fundraise_and_volunteer/donations/teammotivatorsunc2013/kanehollingsworth

Link to inspire you (via The Boss): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJ26h_cBqQ

I’m a dancing queen.  During my vacation from the blog I have mostly been dancing my nights away at various mixers and cocktails!  We had an Aliens and Astronauts mixer (which was way more fabulous than I was expecting) and a Disco Cocktail (which was just as fabulous as I was expecting), and tonight we have a Mardi Gras cocktail…which honestly I’m not sure what I’m expecting!

I was an astronaut...on casual friday:

Nothing says disco like a jumpsuit and platforms:

Just a few things to brighten your weeks and my own.  I promise I will try to get better about my recreational writing habits.  Love ya.  Miss ya.  Mean it.

St. Jude Children's Hospital is a magical place and I got to visit:

Memphis and Beale St. are amazing:

One of my BFFs is a professional tennis player!?!?!

Whit got a new puppy!!!!!!!!!! And she is BEYOND precious!! Her name is Benneli

My sentiments exactly:

Kane

P.S. I got an article published on a real live website! It's very dull (which is why this is an addendum) but check it out if you're a true fan! Link to article about proposed Voter ID bill in NC by yours truly: http://whichwaync.com/2013/02/05/north-carolina-democrats-could-face-uphill-battle-in-upcoming-voter-id-debate/

Study Grind

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

In the words of Jo Dee Messina:

“Beatin’ time is a losing fight, but I guess I’m doin’ alright.”

Silly me, it’s been forever since I’ve update y’all on my life in the real world.  In lieu of my regular rambling I am going to deliver my recent experiences in picture form.  Wahoooooo!  Anyways hope your Thanksgivings were as great as mine was!  Meanwhile, as I head into exams, you can reach me at the following address:

Miserable College Student

6^th Floor of Satan’s Lair Dr.

Chapel Hill, NC 2012

Well first of all, I think that it has been so long that you might not have even seen my Halloween costume yet!  I was a "toddler&tiara" from the popular TLC series and it was a fabulous use of my Irish Dance costume!

The Original:

And me:

We have a new puppy!!! Her name is Schatja (sp? but pronounced "shot ya").  She's real cute and also a little bit vicious.  My dad seems to think that it is just a puppy characteristic and that it's endearing...well he did before she bit his face.  We'll see about this crazy girl...

I can't imagine why she would bite this face...

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful!!  We had boatloads of delicious food and enjoyable company and I even squeezed a nap into the middle of the day, which was prime. 

My mom and I posed for prom:

My mom and Bo rocked the ukulele:

Gigi swung:

Fi made a friend:

Marshall, Violet, Bo, and I decided never to run the Turkey Trot again:

I'm gearing up for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this time of year and can't wait to be home eating holiday goodies and hangin' out by our awesome tree.  But until then, I'll be hulled up studying in my own mini college Christmas.

My apartment's Christmas tree.  Aren't we festive?:

My attempt at a gingerbread house.  I swear it looked good before it collapsed...I guess it wasn't structurally sound.  I got a little ambitious with the swedish fish shingles:

In other news, our coffee table broke:

This past weekend was a blast!!  One of the fraternities had an "End of the World" party and we dressed up as Mayans?  Well, we put face paint on anyway...I also did Habitat for Humanity and the house we are working on is getting so close to being finished.  It looks great and it's been such an amazing experience to see it grow from the ground up!

Me and Paulina:

Me and my big Amy:

Habitat group!  I'm in the grey long sleeve and grey leggings in the middle:

As the long break approaches, I am realizing how much I am going to miss the people at school!  Like my new roommate for next year, Betsy (we'll be living in our sorority house! yay!) and my lil' sis Holland, and my friend Haley who is transferring to Brown.  It has been such an amazing semester and I almost can't believe it's gone by this quickly!  

Me and Betsy:

Me and Holland:

Me and Haley (smarty pants):

          We'll talk after the study grind...if I survive it!  Love ya.  Miss ya.  Mean it.

Kane

Hop on Pop

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.  It will not lead you astray.”

-Rumi

            I’m officially the worst granddaughter ever. It has taken me five unforgivable days to get this blog posted and for that, I am very very sorry.  Nevertheless, November 9^th was an extraordinarily important day: MY PAPA’S BIRTHDAY!  Once again, I’m at a loss for trying to describe the person I love.  This is always so difficult for me because I feel like my words can’t always do my heart justice when I attempt to express how I feel about someone.  Anyways, I will do my best to praise one of the most important men in my life…

            I have great friends and they come from great families and they have great stories to tell about their great lives with the great families they come from, but honestly, they pale in comparison to my great family.  Sometimes I hear my friends tell stories about how sweet and nice their grandfathers are and I want to be like NO.  YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.  You grandpa ain’t got nothing on either of mine!  (Rest assured I do not in fact say this, as I would like to keep my friends.)  But honestly I have the best grandfathers a girl could ask for.  Pop is particularly special just cause.  When I was little I used to tell everyone that I was going to marry Pop when I grew up.  Creepy as that may have been, I was a very wise youngster and I meant it…not literally of course, but Pop is everything a man should be: he puts his family before himself over and over again, he is kind, he is a wonderful cook, he sings, he still dotes on my Dolly, and he makes very strong drinks.  If I can one day find a husband that is half the man that my Papa is, I will be a very drunk lucky girl.

            One year Pop was given the very formidable task of picking me up from camp.  This can be a traumatic experience for anyone as I spend the majority of the day weeping over friends that I won’t see for a year…yikes.  Anyways, Pop showed up with my favorite snacks and a mission: he had brought along a map and together we were going to try to find a license plate from all 50 states on the way from Nashville to Cleveland.  By the time we neared Cleveland, I think we had like 46 of the 50 license plates, and what did Pop do?  Took me to two Cracker Barrels, the alleged hotspots for tourists.  Honestly, I don’t even remember if we found the other four plates but I to this day remember the feeling of amazement and appreciation I felt for this man who was working so hard to make me feel special-he wanted me to have fun and not be sad about leaving all my friends behind.  I wish I had known what a good friend I had sitting next to me in that driver’s seat…

            I could sing his praises all day, but the last story I will tell is best described as “the ranking”.  I know this comes as a real shocker to you all, but I like to win.  Everything is (sometimes unreasonably) a competition and a few years ago (when my terrible aunts decided to infringe on mine and Whit’s reign as grandchildren by having three kids!?!?!) I developed a ranking system, 1-5, 1 being the favorite.  I, sassy as I am, of course claimed the #1 spot for myself.   This position has lasted for a number of reasons:  my brother has wonderfully been blessed with a sense of humor and the ability to look over my dysfunction, my other cousins are too young to care, and Pop wants to humor me I guess. As the years have passed, Pop and I have exchanged numerous emails/letters/gifts/phone calls with each other and each time he addresses me as #1 and I depart him as #1.  What I realized the other day when he responded (as so few people do) to one of my blogs is that he is my #1.  Papa, you have no idea how much you mean to me.  I think about you when I see Cracker Barrels, out of state license plates, pistachios (your favorite nut), western movies, or love in the world. 

            A very happy belated birthday to you, Papa! I will be waiting to see you at Thanksgiving, life savers and tomatoes in tow J

Love ya.  Miss ya.  Mean it.

Lei scarpini de bailare,

Kane