Day 365

There are 365 days a year to set sail

To embark on a journey that you will never forget

Yet here I am now,

On the last day of time

Just catching the winds of destiny for the first time

All because I was too scared

Too afraid to raise the sail

I was a boat waiting in the dock

Waiting to not be so timid

I had 365 days each year to set sail

I never did

Until now

But now it is to late
Time is being taken from me.

I am a Kappa Delta Girl

Despite the stereotypes, being a woman of a sorority is one of the most incredible things I have ever chosen to do. From the moment I walked in and met the girls for the first time, I knew Kappa Delta was the place I was meant to be. It feels so great to have a place where women with similar values and goals surround you but who are also so diverse. It is always cool to look around to all the women who you feel so close to and get along so well with, and see all the different types of people who come from such different places and backgrounds.

Not only has being a Kappa Delta woman brought me a new family; it also has allowed me the opportunity to do so much community service. Although many people think all sorority girls do is party, fail school and get boys, this couldn’t be farther than the truth. Serving the community that we are a part of is one of the top priorities. We go help anywhere and everywhere that needs us, whether its sorting clothes at the ARC, helping out at the local YMCA or assisting kids at one of the elementary schools shop for Christmas presents for their families. Our sorority is made up of people who really care about the people around them.

We also work hand-in-hand with our national philanthropies, which are the Girl Scouts and Prevent Child Abuse America. We focus on building confidence in young girls, which is so important in this day and age. It feels so amazing to get to be a mentor to young girls in the Girl Scouts and to help them growing into inspiring young women. Through PCAA we get to save kids that can’t save themselves. Through both of these organizations I get to bring share my passion of helping others and that is one of the many reasons I am passionate about being a woman of a sorority.

Kappa Delta has also allowed me to grow as a leader, be involved on campus and make connections with people I would have never done so otherwise. Within our own sorority, there are ample amounts of leadership positions varying in responsibilities. I currently hold the assistant public relations officer position but some day I hope to hold a hire office in which I can make an even bigger difference in Kappa Delta. Also, we have the opportunity to hold leadership positions for Greek life as a whole, through Panhellenic Council. It is also a joy to see how many Greek life members are a part of the student government for the whole university. Everywhere you look you are bound to find someone in Greek life.

Just being in Greek life bonds you to so many people. You have so many people you can call your Greek life brothers and sisters. These people are there for you no matter how well they know you specifically because you share so many common friends. Although we are a somewhat large group of people, we are a close nit community!

I am so proud to be a woman of Kappa Delta and to call myself a sorority girl. I believe so strongly in what it means to be both of those things and I would never want to be anything else. It’s not just for four years, it’s for life!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

I love to think about how large the world we live in is and how many cool places there are to discover. Nothing excites me more than knowing how many more places I have yet to go and explore. This is why I think that travel is one of the most amazing things a person can do in his/her life.

Compared to most people in the United States, I have traveled quite a bit. In total, I have been to 34 states and three countries (not including the United States). What blows my mind is the fact that, although I have traveled a decent amount for my age, I have still only seen a miniscule part of the world.

One of my most favorite parts about traveling is getting to experience cultures other than my own. I love seeing how the mindsets of local people and ways of life change throughout different areas and countries. However, it is also cool to see the similarities between cultures because it shows that even though this world is a big place, we are all still connected.

My love of travel reinforces my desire to discover the unknown. When a person is traveling in a new place, every step they take is a new experience. There is something special about the feeling that you get when you see something for the first time, it is a feeling that can never be recreated. Each and every moment is different and can never be truly planned.

The fact that I have been traveling from a young age has made a very open minded person and instilled the importance of being culturally competent. I chose to not see people as according to where they are from but rather as unique individuals that make up the word as a whole. I love to learn aspects of all cultures so that I can attempt to have an understanding the individual people that make up our world.

I have never understood people who have no desire to step beyond the boundaries of the United States, or even the state they grew up in. Like I mentioned earlier, this world is so big, why wouldn’t you want to see all it has to offer. There is always something incredible waiting around the corner; you just have to allow yourself to go find it.

The world is a place that I will never be able to truly see all of, but I sure am going to try.

Uphill Battle

For most of my life, I have been a person that is very focused on academics and perfection. It was not until my freshman year when this became a big problem. Where I went to school, 9^th grade was a part of the junior high, so instead of being at the bottom of the food chain freshman year, we were at the top; we were the oldest at our school. Throughout my time in junior high, I was majorly involved in many ways, but especially in leadership. By the time I was a 9^th grader, I had become the person that everyone looked to for help and guidance, which I loved. However, there was a dark curse lurking. There were many times throughout the year that I would end up in my teacher’s office crying because I felt like I had the world on my shoulders; I would come home and have panic attacks. It was no fun but I couldn’t figure out why. I knew that I took everything too seriously and I put too much pressure on myself but I couldn’t stop.

Then my sophomore year came along and I did the same thing I did in junior high; I became the go to person in leadership. I take pride in being this person for my peers and my teachers. But my need for perfection was still impacting me. Adding on to the pressure I put on myself to excel in leadership, I also put pressure on myself to get straight A’s, because that is what I have always done. All this made me sicker and sicker. After missing about a week of school because I couldn’t get out of bed, I went to the doctor and got diagnosed with severe anxiety and mild OCD.. Due to my anxiety, I missed about a third of my sophomore year. I was also taking some of the hardest honors classes available. Even though I couldn’t always go to class, I worked with my teachers and my classmates to make sure I stayed caught up. I was determined to not let my anxiety wreck the grades I have worked so hard to get. I ended getting my worst ever grades(A’s and one C), but compared to others in my grade, I was still above average. I was proud that I was able to make it through that year and still graduate in the end with a 3.7.

This is something that I will now struggle with for the rest of my life, but I don’t let it control my life. I have overcome it once when I was at my worst, therefore I know I can always make it through any obstacle, no matter how difficult.

It's rhetorical analysis time! This is the commercial I am choosing to do my essay on! Wish me luck!

That's a Wrap! (At Least for This Project)

Final post for this assignment! After this I will have successfully completed my first project for english 120! Yay me!

Today was kind of a crazy day but also a day where I realized how much stronger of a person I have become. For some reason, I am not always dealt the best of cards but I have always been determined to win the jackpot anyway! I don't believe is letting things pull you back because when you triumph and look at all you went through to get there, it feels so incredible. I am a true believe that everything happens for a reason. Some of the things that have happened recently haven't been the easiest to handle or see how they can turn into something positive. That being said, the best thing that has come out of things that happened in the fall is the fact that it brought my suit mates and me closer than ever (which I kind of mentioned in my last post). But something else that I have found is that everything has made me way stronger and stand up for myself and what I want in life. I am finally fed up with putting everyone else in this world before myself. I am honestly really proud of myself for finally realizing this all.

If you personally knew me this all would make a lot more sense (and does for those who do and are reading this). Sadly there's this thing called the internet where it is not always the best to share every detail. It is kind of nice having this to generically share my thoughts however.

Back to the point.

Today and last night, I finally stood up for myself, boy did it feel good. I have learned that 'no' is a word I have in my vocabulary and I can actually use it (against other people than just my parents). I also put my foot down and decided that I am done letting people make me feel scared. It is my life, I work hard, and I deserve to live it the way I want to live it. I have learned so much and grown so much the last couple of months. I never thought somethings would happen to me but they did. And being states away from my family, I had to deal with it myself. Thankfully I have made a really supportive community for myself here so I really didn't have to do it completely alone. And that is another thing that I have learned; it is ok to rely on those close to you and who care about you. I never used to think it was ok to ask for help, I thought it made me seem weak. I know I am a strong person, but now I am so much stronger when I also have the strength of those around me.

My last thought that I want to leave you with tonight is that, always remember there is something great right around the corner, even if it is hard to see now, it is just hiding, waiting for the perfect time to pop out and surprise you!

When Life Has Got You Thinking

Do you ever have a moment where you think about where you were a year ago or who you talked all the time in the past?

In the past couple of months, I personally have had somethings happen that really made me think about life and relationships, romantic and not. The reason I think about this now, is because in the last couple of hours today I had yet another thing happen that made me do so. I am fairly sure that everyone out there has at least had one person in their lives that played a major role one moment, and the next moment they were completely gone. This happens, and it is a normal part of growing up. Friend groups change because the people in them change. However, looking back, it blows my mind because in that moment, that person (or people) is your everything. They are the first person you think of when you need help or just need to talk. I have had a few people in my life who were like this. But now, those people are gone. Luckily, I have a new person who is my best friend and second half. But then I think about the people before and I can't help but wonder, is this just a never ending cycle, will history just repeat itself? Honestly, the person who is my best friend now, I truly feel that we will be in each others lives forever. Yes, I know that sounds cheesy, but because of the past, I have learned what a true friend looks like and what is important.

The thing is, can forevers really happen?

I sure hope so.

The future is so unknown that all you can do is just enjoy today.

It is still unfathomable to me that one second you can be so close to someone and the next second it is like you never even knew each other? You can think you know every detail about someone but actually know nothing about them at all. This is kind of the same about life in general, you can know exactly where your life is headed one moment but then all of a sudden have no clue or have a whole new world open up to you. This happened to me half way through last semester. I thought I was heading down one path but then I was honest with myself about one small thing, and my world just exploded (in a good way). I have never been so excited for the unknown and pure possibilities. I have always been a person that needs to know exactly what is happening next. But for once in my life, I am okay with having just  a blank canvas in which I slowly get to add things onto in order to create my personal masterpiece 70 years down the road. It truly is the journey not the destination. I can't wait to look back when I'm old and see everything I have been through, all the amazing things I have done, people I have met, and place I have been. I have a feeling it will be a breathtaking moment like watching the sun set over the Cascade mountains.

Late Night Thoughts

To be honest, my mind is kind of a black slate right now. My day was really chill and for some reason I just don't have a lot on my mind. I feel like I could get going on something if I really tried to contemplate things but I more want to just relax. That has kind of been my theme for the day I guess, to just enjoy my day. Now that I think of it, I actually had more of an eventful day than yesterday. My sorority had house cleaning today so we deep cleaned the house, and during that, the Seahawks game was on so I would periodically check in on that (which was an emotional rollercoaster). Sadly, the hawks did not pull through in the end. They did however put up a pretty darn good fight in the second half, now only if they could have done that in the first half, things would have ended differently. Although I am crushed that we lost, Carolina really has had a hell of a season and they really do deserve to advance! To drown my sorrows, I got pad thai (which was DELICIOUS). I have literally been craving it since I got back for the semester. Then I did some retail therapy and got a new planner!! I am so excited about this! I feel like my life is 'zen' now that I have my new planner. I honestly have no clue how I used to survive without one. I find it so funny because in junior high and high school I would try really hard to use a planner, but I just never liked it. Now, it is life. After my very successful Target run, I had to record my weekly podcast. I do a podcast with my brother and some friends every Sunday. It is basically a podcast about all of us trying to figure out our lives and hoping our experiences might be able to help some other millennials (or at least be entertaining)! My brother started the podcast because he realized that all of his friends had skills in a variety of areas so why not find a way to bring everyone together, try to be useful and share our passions. We are also all in very different chapters in our lives which makes for great stories. Our goal is to share the pages of our books and hope that our successes and failures can help the other young people out there going through the same things. Sometimes our episodes go really well and other times they are a shit show, but thats exactly the reason we started it all, life is a crazy ride. If you want to check it out (because I know so many people are reading this blog, jk!) its called Podcast Lost In Space. We are on YouTube, Twitter (@PLISofficial), Facebook, and iTunes! There is my shameless plug for the night! Well, now I am off to bed! Catch you later! (some day I am going to have a signature sign off, that's my new goal in life)

Take Two

here we go again. Yet another post of my writing continuously for 20minutes! this assignment is actually pretty cool! personally, i love doing a blog and now I am forced to keep up with it (at least until Tuesday)! hopefully this will create some good habits and I will keep it up! Today I honestly did nothing. I woke up late (10am, which is late for me) and had zero motivation to do anything because it was like -15*F with a wind chill of like -20*F. To a Pacific northwest girl like me, that is not normal and I will do anything to prevent myself from feeling that horrible temperate. I didn't even go to the dinning center to eat until 6pm! I just lived off the land (what I have in my dorm) and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Actually it was very enjoyable :) Especially because I finally got my package from my mom with my favorite peanut butter that I can't get here. So it was a feast I have been waiting for all week!! Around 3pm I decided to take a nap. You know, because feasting on pb&js and watching Netflix is so much work! When my roommate finally got home from her galavanting, she got me to get my butt out of bed and face the frozen land. Also! the other day it was 3 degrees colder in fargo than Antartica!!! that really should not ever be a thing. there are many a times that i think to myself "why on earth did i voluntarily move here". but then I look around at my amazing suit mates and sorority sisters and I forget all of my troubles! My suit mates are literally the best! We have the greatest time dancing around singing disney songs and making each other laugh. I never could have dreamed of living with people that make my life so much fun! like right before I started right this, we were watching funny videos on Facebook laughing our heads off. and funny story (or maybe not so funny to  you all) but one of my suit mates came in so excited that she got new pajamas and they are literally the exact same ones that my mom has! What are the chances of that! When I told her that, she got so freaking excited! We are all such weirds at times and it is nice to be able to just be ourselves! The even cooler part is that none of us knew each other before the start of the school year so it is complete luck that we were put in the same suit together!
Well now you know all about my very exciting day and my amazing suite mates! And perfect timing because my alarm just went off! Have a nice night everyone! I'll be back tomorrow!

20 minutes of my mind

And I'm off to the races! This is my very first elbow page in which I have to write my thoughts down for 20 minutes straight. It’s a “stream of conscious”. I thought that I would start by introducing myself to the world! I am a junior at North Dakota State University double majoring in strategic communications and international studies. Some day I hope to work for a global company (like the International Olympic Committee) doing some sort of public relations or community outreach! Travel is one of my most favorite things in the world, because it allows me to see the world! There is nothing more incredible than seeing a place to the first time and just soaking in the newness of it all. It is the only time that as an adult, you get to truly be like a child and see a place with innocent eyes. Children are so lucky because there are so many things out there that they have never seen or heard before of so they have an abundant of opportunities to be truly amazed over something and have that "ah" moment. I also love how travel has allowed me to see all the diversity that there is between the cultures of the globe. It fascinates me to learn how others do things and the different ways of thinking. Yet at times, you can see similarities that make you realized that we are all humans living in this world together, we really aren't so different after all.  It's funny because in my classes we keep talking about how globalization is make the world a smaller place. There is beginning to be less and less geographical distance between cultures, as well as non-physical boundaries (like cross cultural relationships). To me, this means that there is a growing opportunity to learn about and appreciate all different cultures. It gives us an opportunity to more easily know about the people "next to" us. I really hope that more people start to see this globalization as a new chance rather than the start to new wars. This world is an always-changing place. We as a whole need to embrace it and let it be for the best. There are so many amazing things that can happen if we do. The sky is the limit and that makes me excited! I can’t wait to see where my journey takes me. And who knows, maybe you will get to follow along if I keep this blog up!

Hey there!

My name is Alyssa and this is my blog for my english 120 class with Emilee Ruhland. I look forward to sharing my writing master pieces with everyone! I hope you enjoy!