Wait...it's finals time already?!?

Today is Thursday of Week 10, meaning that my last class of the quarter is tomorrow afternoon. The weirdest thing is, I have absolutely no idea where the time has gone! It feels as though Winter Quarter just started, and to think that we're more than a week into March is also mind-boggling to me. So used am I to my Cleveland weather with foot upon foot of snow and constant freezing wind and ice, I guess it just hasn't registered that it has been winter with only a few short-lived dustings of the powdery white stuff!

I have been keeping myself busy with all of my classes, but thankfully it seems as though it will definitely pay off. Last quarter, math ate up my GPA and spit it back out, leaving me feeling as though I got punched in the stomach. Let's just say...math and I don't get along very well. As in, this pretty much summarizes our relationship:

 

Okay, well maybe I'm not THAT bad. But me on math probably looks more like this.....:

And about that, I'm not sure I'm exaggerating that much. Seriously.

Anyways! Last quarter was not exactly up par with my standard performance, so that basically meant that I've had to work harder this quarter to do as well as possible in all of my classes and give my GPA a much-needed boost. Fortunately, I've been able to do so while still keeping up with some cool things outside of class, and from the looks of it I'll be getting A's in all my classes! And that sure makes a worried, nerdy girl very happy :)

Other than (hopefully) acing classes (fingers crossed), I've been given some awesome opportunities over the last quarter that I'm super excited to share! One of these amazing opportunities is Buckeyethon!!!

For those who have never heard of it, Buckeyethon is  a 12-hour dance marathon at OSU whose goal is raising funds for pediatric cancer treatment at Nationwide Children's Hospital. And yes, you read that right - it's a 12 HOUR LONG dance marathon! In the contract, it even says that you are supposed to stay on your feet...so no sitting for 12 hours! Hundreds of teams form to dance the whole night away and even meet with some of the children we're helping. All of the proceeds benefit cancer research at the Hematology and Oncology Units of Nationwide Children's Hospital.

And it was definitely one of the best experiences I've had at Ohio State! It was incredibly inspirational to see these kids who just have an incredible amount of strength. It's hard for me to even fathom! When my feet and legs began hurting after about the fourth hour, they reminded us to stay strong for these precious children who have to have the strength to withstand the attacks cancer and chemotherapy put their bodies under.

I definitely plan on participating again next year, and am hoping to get involved with being on the steering committee or a Morale Captain (who help your team stay motivated and moving all night!). it's an excellent cause that I'd love to support. I was born healthy, thankfully and gratefully, so why not help out those kids who weren't able to live their childhoods out to the fullest? Every kid deserves the chance to just...be a kid.

While I've gotta get back to studying for Finals and doing some end-of-the-quarter homework, check out just a few pictures from the memorable night below!

Color teams coming together in the Union Hall to meet
some of the kids we are helping and their families.

 

A very blurry picture, but one that I feel sort of encapsulates the
energy and vibe of Buckeyethon. Brutus the Buckeye cheers us on!

One of my best friends and me taking a jumping shot in the break room.
We were both proud to be on the Purple team...PURPLE NURPLE!

THE FINAL TOTAL REVEALED!!! We more than doubled last year's
fundraising total, and raised almost half a million dollars!

 

Until next time,

Cassie :)

A homecoming.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

As I sit in my room, oddly empty and bare compared to what I'm used to, it feels so weird to be home.

This first quarter as a college freshman has flown by insanely fast, full of amazing experiences, yet empty of my promised blog entries. Today is the first time I've been home since the day before moving down to Columbus, which ironically was the day of my last blog entry...being back in the old stomping grounds prompted me to get myself together and write another entry before tomorrow's turkey and pies knock me out for the weekend!

In all honesty, there is so much to share that I hardly know where to begin! The past two months have been some of the most amazing I have ever experienced, and it's hard to pick and choose which events are most worthy of being mentioned here. I'll try to keep it short and sweet, but give you a basic rundown of some of my favorite memories made so far:


Move-in Day. Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start :P Move-in day was crazy of course...imagine somewhere around 6,000 students relocating their entire lives' inventory to the small dorms & apartments of OSU and you get a vague idea. I arrived well before my roommate and had already unpacked everything, made my bed, and even decorated a little before she got there! In retrospect, that was for the best because until everything was organized away, the place was trashed. Leaving my family was something you can't really prepare for...at first, I had to say a quick goodbye to make a meeting for this very blog team. Luckily that wasn't enough for my parents (or really me), so we had a much less rushed goodbye afterwards, but I will never forget the strange sensation of turning to walk away toward my dorm and seeing them drive off down the street.

Getting a hug from President E. Gordon Gee! What a great man.

Welcome Week. Good thing OSU provides like, a thousand things to do for the whole first week, which helps to keep your mind focused on the future. I went to countless club meetings, free fitness lessons (take advantage!), random concerts and get-togethers, and ice cream socials to totally negate the free fitness lessons I took :P It ended up raining for the Student Involvement Fair, so we had to move it indoors to the Union, but I have never signed up for so many things in my entire life! Or gotten so many free giveaways. Including a plant who now lives in our room named Irvin :)

Game Days. Obviously, when choosing The Ohio State University, one has to realize the impact of sports on the campus - namely, FOOTBALL. Despite the fact that I don't know if I've ever thoroughly watched an entire football game in my life unless I was cheerleading for it, and maybe not even then, I'm not sure what prompted me to buy season tickets. But I have surely not been disappointed....the games are always a blast, and you can just feel the vibe shift on campus when Saturday rolls around. From being able to witness one of the best Buckeye games in a long time to storming to field and singing Carmen Ohio, I will never forget the memories made in the OSU 'Shoe!

Me on the field after we stormed it...unforgettable!

Laundry? Hmm, where to start...I'm terribly awful at it. The first time, one of the guys in our building, yes guys, offered to do it for me since I didn't want to mess it up. Disgrace to my gender I am. Also, I have successfully flooded our laundry room at one point...in my defense, it was the washer's fault and not mine! All I can say is kudos and thanks to my mother for doing laundry for all these years...I underestimated you.

Just an FYI: it was NOT this bad.

Food. I know, I know, the curiosity is killing you...did I gain the dreaded Freshman 15?! Actually, quite the opposite. I forget to eat. A lot. And considering I walk everywhere and work out from time to time, I think it's safe to say that I've escaped its evil grasp. Score! Although, really, I should probably remember to eat more than once a day...

Yep, that's a pizza with "Sorry" spelled out in M&M's.
Only my roommate! Princess Diaries, anyone?

Baker West.  A.K.A. the best dorm on campus! Okay well maybe not, but I love it to death. Even our flooding showers, clogged sinks, and odd smells can't sway me on this one. My floormates are awesome, and I've met a ton of people who are so funky and unique; it's awesome. Finding love, friendship, and family...what more could I ask for? BAKER LOVE! <3

Baker West

All in all, it's been the little things that have added up to mean the most - it's the all-nighters pulled and the life chats had, the rainboots bought and the chai lattes drunk, the friends made and the connections formed, the moments you thought you couldn't last another second and the moments that took your breath away.

And with that, I've been officially integrated into the Ohio State family - a family I never ever thought I'd fall so in love with. And as Thanksgiving rolls around tomorrow morning, I know precisely what to be grateful for!!!

Have a Happy Turkey Day :)

Laundry photo: http://www.gregoryrestoration.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Washer_Overflow1.jpg
All other photos: Taken by me!