Graduation Update

So much has happened since I last wrote: I spent three months in Thailand. I student taught sixty-six crazy and beloved teenagers. I went through entry and culture shock and re-entry and reverse shock. I completed my undergraduate career. I will be graduating from college in two days with a B.S. in Secondary English Education, an endorsement in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and an Evangelical Training Association Diploma. I will graduating Magna Cum Laude and Dean's List. I will be moving in with my dad and stepmom (with two good friends) over the summer and searching for jobs in the area where my friends want to attend graduate school.

I am blessed beyond measure and overwhelmed to be at this point in my life. God is so good.

I am excited to continue posting about my 30Before30 project. Only eight years and twenty-one (and some parts) goals left!

Christmas Break Goal: Cooking

Well, Merry Christmas! So far this Christmas break, I have really enjoyed being able to cook for my family. In fact, cooking is one of the items on my list of things to do during this break. Let me share some of my victories with you...

• I made "surprise" taco soup for my family! I use a taco soup recipe my grandma, mom, and I have perfected in the last couple of years. However, this last time I made the soup, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and no one knew the difference! Organic turkey is so much better than beef, and I was really excited to try it out in an old favorite. My family's recipe to come soon.
• Applesauce Muffins: the Apple Barn, a family-owned restaurant, store, and cider mill in Tennessee, makes wonderful apple-based foods all year round. The last time my grandmother took us to the Apple Barn, I bought some recipe cards, one of which featured applesauce muffins. These turned out great, since I made them completely from scratch with all natural applesauce!
• Today, while trying to figure out what to eat among the miles of leftovers in our house, my mom and I whipped up a Holiday Leftover Pork Stir Fry. Google and the random stuff in our fridge helped make lunch much more tastier than dinner last night... Don't tell whoever catered our dinner. :)

More Updates to Come!

Summer in Pictures, Part One

These are pictures from the first portion of my Summer 2012 from May 12th - 29th. 

Remember that plant I was trying to grow last semester? My mom and I have successfully brought it back to life twice. I guess I need a bigger pot for it now.

This looks like an average morning for me about four days a week. This was Week One, Day Four of my Couch to 5k running plan.

Got a new ring that I bought on Etsy.com. God has used the butterfly to symbolize that he's got everything and that it's going to be okay for me.

Knitted a scarf for the Special Olympics! I just finished it and I started a Passport Holder.

Week Two, Day Two, I headed to the cemetery where I walked last summer to enjoy more beautiful scenery than the treadmills and sweaty old ladies the Y offers.

AND I WALKED A SUCCESSFUL 5K! 3.1 miles. Oh yes. 

Pedometer: $4.98

Walking outside under the sunshine: Priceless

I also headed to the Recreational Equipment Inc. in a nearby city to buy some things for my upcoming trip to Asia. That place was awesome. My guy friends were right!

Week three, Day One was yesterday. I completed it almost successfully. I slacked off a smidge on the last 10 minutes, because my legs and stomach were cramping. I did manage a nice 61 minutes, though, even if most of it was walking.

That little clump of fuzzy is a bird's nest with several babies in it! They're chilling out in my mom's ferns.

 

Lovely graduations of some dear friends.

Not pictured: the deer I saw in my backyard the second day of summer and the many exciting Skype adventures I've had with my best friends. Join me later in the summer for "Summer in Pictures" again.

Green Thumbs and a Box of Dirt

While I'm here at college in Northeast Georgia, my mom in Upstate South Carolina mailed me a package. I opened it to find several plastic bags from Lowe's with what appeared to be dirt inside. Yes, my mail mailed me a box of dirt.

Okay, not really! In fact, she mailed me these cute little ceramic eggs that are full of dirt and seeds. One ruptured during the shipping process, which is why I thought I had received a bunch of dirt.

When I got back to my dorm room after lunch, I cracked one of the eggs, watered it, and set it on my windowsill. Hopefully it will turn into a beautiful flower! If it sprouts, I will have completed another one of my goals for this semester.

Test

Thank you for visiting Alex's 30 Before 30 Project! This website and blog will go "live" on Sunday, March 11th, 2012. Until then, you can visit my personal homepage here.