Officially DONE!!

Today was officially my LAST day at my internship!!! I can't believe I have finally completed 180 hours and another three credits. Granted it was a lot of time out of the semester, and all for free...it was an amazing experience that I am glad I was given the opportunity to partake in. I learned so much more at my internship at the Southeast Missourian than I ever imagined I would. While there, I had the opportunity to face real life, day-to-day experiences. I was treated more like a full time employee than an intern, which I loved. I got to sit in on meetings and webinars and go out on sales calls. I met so many great people in the process of it all. When I came in today, Stevie, who works in the department I interned in (and whom I LOVED having the opportunity to work alongside for most of this semester), had breakfast sitting at my computer waiting for me!! Including caramel flavored coffee since she knows I don't like the plain stuff : ) I was not expecting that at all. So nice! Then at the end of the day, Les, who also works in the department, gave me his "Socialnomics" book that I have been eyeing all semester...I borrowed it for a couple of weeks then told him I was definitely going to buy it this Summer when I went back home...and he gave me it me before I left! I don't think people realize how much it's just the littlest gestures like that that really make a difference, and that really made my day. : )

I have enjoyed all of the amazing experiences I have had at my internship these past few months, and thanks to that, I now feel much more prepared to face the real world. Bring it on! : )

Last Day!

My last day of my internship is officially TOMORROW!! I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone, and that I'm almost officially done with one of the last stages as a college student. I am asked today the second after I post about tomorrow being my last day at my internship, "What's next?!" My reply? "Graduate from college...and then we'll see!" I've been doing some searching and applying, but no luck just yet. Again with the craziness and busyness of this semester, I have had far less time than I had hoped. My original plan for this apparently "free" last semester of college was to use all of my apparent spare time to do nothing but search for jobs. Wrong. The only time I've really had time, is times like now...midnight and I have to be at work or class early the next morning. I will definitely be devoting a good deal of my Summer searching for jobs. I neeeeeed one soon because A. I am officially a poor college student, soon to be poor college graduate (postgrad of course) and B. I will literally have NO idea what to do without having class, a job, an internship, meetings, SOMETHING to go to every single day! A lot of big changes are certainly in store!

I should go to bed now. I'll keep you posted on how the last day goes.

Oh and side note, my absolute favorite color is pink. I wear a lot of pink and own a lot of pink things (even pens and Post-Its). They've definitely noticed at my internship and comment on a frequent basis...one of the workers even stated that the next intern must be asked in their interview what their favorite color is...in hopes that the answer is pink.

My point? I'm wearing a pink tomorrow in honor of my last day : )

The end is near!

Less than three weeks away from Graduation Day!!! Our last sorority formal was this weekend...Black Diamond Formal...which is when all of the underclassmen where black and white, and the seniors get to wear colored dresses! Everyone gets a lot of fun awards, and I think this was by far my absolute favorite formal since freshmen year! Now it's time to start thinking about doing my senior wills!! The week before finals (remembers there's only THREE weeks left now so that's not a lot of time!!) is Senior Week during which we have two nights of Senior Wills. All of the graduating seniors (11 of us this year) have the opportunity to will all of our old ADPi stuff away to the younger girls (T-shirts and such) and read something to everyone in the chapter recapping memories from the past four years. Always so exciting, but always so sad!! Every year the seniors say it's hard to imagine themselves finally in that seat, and now it's going to be me and the rest of my amazing class, and I really do feel that way!! Lots more to come in the next three weeks!! SO much to be excited for! : )

Now I've just to got into focus on this job search. I have not had near the amount of free time this semester that I thought I would have. I thought I was going to have a lot of downtime my last semester of college, but somehow I'm busier now than I think I've been throughout the past four years, just in a completely different way! That's definitely that I'm going to be focusing on throughout the first month of Summer that I'm back home from school. I will need to start getting my future all figured out! I thought I knew exactly what I was going to be doing and exactly where I was going to be...and when people ask me, I just honestly don't know what to say at this point! I am very focused and very determined, so I know I will find something...just what exactly!? I'm not quite sure at this point! I am very anxious to see where I will be just a few months from today. Postgrad syndrome coming on?! Absolutely.

Now I'm ready to start getting my things packed up and ready to go. I'm going home this weekend, and am planning to start moving some of my stuff back home. (I have so much so it's probably a good idea to get started now!!) This will officially be my LAST move from Cape Girardeau.

So bittersweet.

Still recovering from a long but amazing week/weekend

Greek Week is officially OVER! And it's taken me until NOW to write anything because I'm still recovering from the long and hectic week!! BUT it was beyond worth it in the end : ) I loved being on Steering Committee this year and having the opportunity to see everything from a different perspective...and the way that people freak out about the absolute littlest things!! After this week, I couldn't be more proud to be Greek and to be a member of Alpha Delta Pi (and to have played such a big role within the chapter the past few years). ADPi received a great deal of awards at All Greek Chapter on Saturday night. Not only did we receive chapter wide awards, and Greek Week event awards, but our current chapter President received the Greek Woman of the Year award, and I received the Chapter President of the Year award for sororities! I couldn't be more excited for our chapter! AND my boyfriend (who is a member and most previously President of Sigma Phi Epsilon) won the Greek Man of the Year award!!! What a great way to end my last Greek Week! And now here I am still recovering from such a long and exhausting, but very well worth it, week. Now I'm just trying to get through the rest of this week, and our formal is on Friday night!! Then just TWO weeks (and one one day of my internship!) left to go!!! And the countdown OFFICIALLY begins!! Couldn't be any happier : )

Internship almost done?! Already?

That's right!! I had another long day at my internship today, and after adding up all my hours, realized I only have FOUR more days left at my internship!!! I couldn't be more excited!!! I am an intern at the Southeast Missourian Newspaper here in Cape. I work in the semoMarketplace department, which is all online. I work a lot on the website (www.semoMarketplace.com), go out on sales calls, sit in on webinars and meetings...it's pretty cool because it feels so real!! It's been a great experience. Going into it I wasn't really sure what to expect, but It's been great because I've had the opportunity to get real hands on experience, and they treat me like a full time employee. Every time I go in I get more and more excited to find a real big girl job, and today just proved that I am already that much closer!! two weeks left of my internship. Four weeks left of classes. Graduation can't come soon enough!!

No time!

Not much time for anything I truly "want" to do this week...yet lots of things that I enjoy doing...if that makes any sense? Once again, it's Greek Week...along with everything else I do! Still have to go to class and meetings, still have my internship, and still have to participate in all things Greek! Not much time to write a whole lot right now either while I'm spending time working on making award certificates for the final night of Greek Week, All Greek Chapter, which will be on Saturday.

I've been pretty much going all day long today. Mondays and Wednesdays are supposed to be my 'free' days, but they always end up being busier and lasting longer than any other day of the week!!

I'll explain more in detail if I have time later in the week. Just felt the need to pop in! Now back to work...at 11:30 at night. Gotta love college!?

: )

It's the Week to be Greek!

And the start of Greek Week has begun! This is the last Greek Week that I will be experiencing as a college student, and I'm actually pretty happy about it. It's such an awesome and fun experience, but I am honestly burnt out on it. I can tell that I am so much older now than when I first experienced Greek Week my freshmen year at 19 years old. I know it's only four years difference, but there's an awful lot of learning and growing that takes place during those four years! In case you are wondering just what I mean by Greek Week, it is a week every Spring through which the Greek Community at SEMO does a variety of community service activities for the community in Cape as well as other fun events such as Greek Games and Greek Sing, which is the biggest event of the week that everyone gets so pumped up for. Greek Sing is like a musical done by the Greeks. Each year there is a different theme (usually very random because that makes it more fun and creative) and the fraternities and sororities are paired up to work together. The skits (Greek Sing) are a mix of acting, singing and dancing, with funny jokes thrown in based on SEMO, the Greek Community, or funny things going on in the media. This years themes are TV sitcoms, fairy tales, and music genres. These skits are so fun to watch. It's amazing to see what everyone can come up with and how awesome the props, costumes, and backdrops turn out. SO much time is put into this, with practices every night leading up to it sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning. Every year I have danced in our skit and absolutely loved being such a big part of it, but this year I chose to be on the other end of Greek Week and be on Steering Committee. Steering Committee is a group of Greeks that oversees Greek Week and does all of the planning, etc. that goes on for the week. It's a lot of work, just in a different way than actually being a part of the skit and other activities, but this is a lot of fun too. I'm definitely glad I'm having the opportunity to experience Greek Week from both sides. I am on Exec. being the Vice President of Public Relations, so I am in charge of all of the publicity for Greek Week which is a lot of fun, and very beneficial for what I am wanting to do! This is so much better for me at this time focusing on jobs and graduation.

Greek Week officially started yesterday with the Special Olympics, which is always a very rewarding part of Greek Week for many of the Greeks who participate. Today was Greek Games, which is when all of the groups participate in a variety of different events such as a soccer shootout, relay race, and kickball tournament. Everyone gets very excited about this, and comes wearing their Greek letters with their faces painted and chanting the entire day. From the outside looking in, it's very cool to see.

This weekend has already been exhausting, but two days down! The rest of the week consists of a canned food drive for the Salvation Army on Tuesday, a Mystery Event on Wednesday, dress rehearsal for Greek Sing on Thursday, Greek Sing on Friday, and All Greek Chapter on Saturday which is when all the Greeks get together for a formal meeting with presentations and awards given out for the week's events as well as yearly awards such as best in grades, member of the year awards, etc. It's going to be a busy week, but it's my last Greek Week so I'm looking forward to it! : )

Who am I anyway?!

I realize that I haven't done much explaining as to who I am, have I?! Well, my name's Kasey (obviously), and as I'm sure you've already figured out, I am a Public Relations major at Southeast Missouri State University...and I'm about to GRADUATE!!? Oddly enough, graduation is just one month away. Am I excited? YES! Am I anxious? YES! I can't even explain all of my emotions on the subject, but ultimately, I cannot wait! I never thought I would be this way. I love college, and thought I would never want to leave, but as the time gets closer and closer, I realize that I am more and more excited to experience so many new things in my life! Southeast is located in Cape Girardeau, MO if you haven't already figured out, but my home is in St. Charles. I have a boyfriend of five years, we have a puppy named Bentley who is a beagle mix that we got from the Humane Society here in Cape, and I have an amazing family (Mom, Dad, brother, Kyle, and another dog, Daytona, who is a German Shorthair Pointer). I am a dog LOVER! I already cannot wait to get another! Daytona is an absolutely amazing dog, and Bentley's getting there. He's only four months old though so he's got a lot of work to go, but he's an awesome little pup. It's just taken a lot for me to get used to such a little dog because I've grown up around big ones all my life! I have three roommates whom I love but roommates certainly can be difficult at times (one of life's greatest learning experiences though, I must admit). I love my life at college, but I absolutely love going back home too, and I am excited to be back home...for the Summer at least (while I am figuring out this postgrad life of course :) ). I am a very active member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and within the Greek Community on campus, as well as other other campus organizations. I am the past Executive Vice President and President of ADPi. I am very passionate about what I do, and I believe I even took it to the next level with ADPi. For two years, I did almost nothing but eat, breath, and live ADPi. I've stepped back a bit because I have so much else to focus on in my life right now, but ADPi has been one very great learning experience in my life. I love to shop, I love magazines, I love all forms of social media, I love my Mac and my iPhone, and I really love being a girl : ) When it comes to that, there's no question. I love all things pink, purses and shoes are the greatest accessories a girl can have, and you can never have too many. I love Post-It's and organizing and planning events. I love to decorate and I love to read and write. I love flowers and Springtime and being around happy people. I have a lot of love in my life, and I love a lot, and I love everything about it : ) I think you will learn a lot more about me throughout this blog. Enjoy! : )

Do you every just wonder why!?

Do you ever just wonder why people are the way they are? I think I may wonder a little too much. I have a lot of great people in my life, don't get me wrong, but there are a few here and there that I just question from time to time. I had so many people from high school that I could not wait to get away from, solely because I wanted a drama free life (not possible, I realize), but I wanted to move on to bigger and better things and not focus on so much negative. I am a very positive and optimistic person and negativity really brings me down! When there are negative people in my life, I feel like I need to escape, and I find ways to do so myself...even if it's just taking Bentley for a walk in the park or going to the mall.
I guess what I'm really getting at is the fact that we are in college now, most of us 22 (almost 23) years old, and some seem to still be acting about the age of 16. Are people going to act that way in the job world too? From what I hear, it never ends, and that's unfortunate, but I guess you just learn to deal with it! I've had to do so with hopes that one day everyone will just grow up, but I guess I'm wrong! I'm not saying I'm the most responsible or mature person at all times, but I do truly believe I am a good friend, a good girlfriend, a good daughter, and a good sister. Everyone is all these things in one way or another. You can't be perfect in everything or else life just wouldn't be life. We're here to learn things along the way, and take every situation for what it's worth.
Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that : )

Still FIguring Some Things Out

Well I still haven't had a whole lot of time to mess around with this yet (I wish I had more time in a day!!), but I figured I'd go ahead and post another for the day. Today has been a LONG one! I've had my internship all day, came home for approximately 20 minutes to eat dinner, then left again to go to a Minimum Standards (speaker that all Greek men and women are required to go to). This one was very good!! Sometimes they aren't the best, but tonight was definitely a powerful one. Glad Panhellenic and IFC brought him in!

I need to get to work on some more stuff right now. I've just been messing around on the computer for the past hour because I am not ready to get back into focus mode. I've had to be all day long!!

That's all I've got for now. Want to write lots more, but I need to get to work on some other stuff first. Maybe later.

Bye for now : )

Something New!

I've been thinking about starting a blog for quite a while now, and finally decided tonight that I'm finally going to take ten minutes out of whatever else I'm doing and get it going!! It's probably going to take me more than ten minutes though because now all I want to do is mess around with this! I am an avid Twitter and Facebook user, but I find that this will be more fun to me as I always have lots I want to say, yet can't always get it all out in 140 characters or less! I'm going to mess around with this a bit. Much more to come...can't wait!! : )