101 in 1001 Update

It's been 17 days since I started the 101 challenge. I'm happy to announce, I can knock three more items off of the list! Hooray!! Here they are, in order on the list:

#49. Attend a pro-football game.

Sunday before I left for Ireland, I attended the home season opener for the Chargers. It was bloody hot, almost 120ºF on the field, but a lot of fun. Dad, Uncle Steve, Liam, and Owen have season tickets and were able to get Aunt Christine and I tickets for the game. My seat was on the 45 yd line under the overhang, but I eventually switched with Owen and sat with the boys over in the in-zone. I enjoy NFL football live. The crowd was deafening and the game was good. Chargers took on the Seahawks from Seattle and won 30-21. I came home a bit sunburned, but overall, the game improved my attitude towards pro-football!

#71. Buy a grown up wallet

Okay, I know that this isn't a big major goal in life, but here's the deal: I've never had a real wallet, sort-a thing. I carried a Minnie Mouse inspired wallet through college that was super cute, but let's be real, at 19, I should probably have something that looks like I'm able to drive a car and live alone. Anywho, I got one for Ireland so that I could hold all of my important do-dads. It's green and from target. I love it.

#80. Apply for Credit Card and build credit

Again, not a major goal in life, but hey, another cool thing that makes me an adult! I finally got around to applying for a credit card, and I cannot express how excited I am to go home and get it from my parents this winter. Definitely not a life changing event to celebrate, but I'm excited to say that I at least will have one credit card in my wallet. Maybe I can apply for a Nordstrom's card or a Southwest card now ;)

First two days in Maynooth

This was on the luggage carousel in the airport. Just for a reminder!

I'm here. Thank God. I can't tell you if I like being in Ireland yet, but I hope I will. Yesterday was a hard day for me. I'm not going to lie. Tuesday was spent traveling all day and by the time I arrived in Dublin (4:45 AM I may tell you), I was done. I got off of that plane happy to be on the ground again, standing, and more than ecstatic over the free WIFI in the airport lobby.

Not that the flights were bad. Because my flight from San Diego to Chicago was so early (Dad and Mom dropped me off at 5:00 am), I slept the entire four time. Luckly, I had enough time to get from Terminal 1 in O'hare to Terminal 5 and grab lunch before I boarded my flight to Ireland. It was a six and a half hour flight to Dublin from Chicago. We got lucky with the tailwind. I sat towards the front of the plane, literally two rows behind first class. It was so nice! Mom did an awesome job finding me this great aisle seat, with no one behind me, so that I could stretch out. She also got me this spectacular meal. You can see it in the photo I've included. It was so tasty! I had this wonderful mixed green salad, with tomato stuffed chicken, steamed green beans and peppers, risotto, a fresh french roll, and cheesecake. Apparently, we were on Ireland time while flying because I was served a glass of white wine with my meal, no questions asked, no question of age. Needless to say, the wine was not that good. I had my one glass and asked for sparkling water instead.

Despite all of this, yesterday was still rough. I checked into my apartment and was so ready to crash. I cried when I got in. The apartment was so bare. There was nothing in it. I was given a mattress protector, a duvet, and a pillow but that was it. I think I was more upset over the fact that there was no toilet paper in my bathroom. I don't think you'll ever understand how upset I was over that. I ended up crying at least 10 times on Wednesday. I was jet-lagged, nervous, scared, tired, homesick, you name it. I probably made a great first impression on the people I was with.

Luckly, one of my flatmates and my on-site program coordinator saved the day. Abby, also an American, gave me a roll of toliet paper and a comforting smile that helped get me to orientation. Did I mention that despite the fact I checked into my apartment at 7 am, I really couldn't do anything because Orientation started at 9? Roberta, my coordinator, is basically a Saint Mary's girl's Ireland mom. She's the best. She came to campus after I called her in tears over how stressed out I was and that I was not having a great day. She brought me old bedding that belonged to a Smick from last semester, as well as a towel and an extra pillow. She was comforting as I cried in her office about how I missed my family and that I just wanted to be home in my own bed.

After that, things started to turn around for me. I was finally able to get the wifi working on my phone so that I could iMessage my family and Facetime them. I had something normal to do that got me in the zone– making a bed. I cannot stress how good it felt to make a bed. It was something that wasn't new. It was familiar and it saved my day. I took a good two hour nap after that.

I woke up feeling immensely better. Almost as good as I feel today. I am still a bit homesick, but the jet-lag is almost gone and I'm beginning to see the beauty of Maynooth University and Ireland. I've met all of my flatmates now, two of which are boys! It's so weird to live with men when Saint Mary's is all women. They're great guys though, so we shouldn't have any issues. It is nice that Abby likes to cook. We'll be making a lot of dinners together. I'm very excited.

Needless to say, these past two days in Ireland haven't been that bad. I'm still not super excited about being here yet, but I find myself more comfortable as the day goes on. I can't wait to start exploring the town and meeting more Irish people. Currently, only International and First Year students are on campus, so it's pretty quiet. I'll post again in a few days or if something exciting happens. Saturday is our first exploration trip of Ireland with Roberta. We will be going to Sligo.


 PS: Here are some pictures of my room in my apartment! Not a lot of decorations, but can't wait to start decorating that cork board with tickets and pictures of our adventures here.

101 in 1001

Here is my list:

Start Date: September 1, 2014
End Date: May 29, 2017
Completed: 8/101

1. Come up with and complete 101 things (8/31/14)
2. Weigh 135 lbs.
3. Run a 5k without stopping
4. Run a half-marathon
5. Do a triathlon sprint
6. Do a triathlon
7. Pay for most, if not all of my bills (75%)
8. Have my own apartment
9. Graduate with at least a 3.5 gpa
10. Run for SGA
11. Hold an officer position in Swing Club
12. Learn basic french
13. Learn basic vietnamese
14. Take an art class
15. Get into grad school
16. Become head senior manager at baseball
17. Get blog up and running (aka blog on a regular basis)
18. Hold an internship (preferably paid)
19. Exit college with a job
20. Visit 8 new ballparks
21. Travel with Notre Dame's baseball team
22. Attend 5 different Swing workshops or exchanges
23. Visit a friend who doesn't live in San Diego 
24. Visit Charleston, SC
25. Visit NYC
26. Visit Boston
27. Road trip with friends
28. Take a spontaneous vacation (Paris, France 11/14/14-11/16/14)
29. Camp
30. Backpack through the mountains
31. Watch every episode of Doctor Who (including old who)
32. Get scuba certified
33. Dive in the tropics
34. Compete in a Jack and Jill competition
35. Visit each of my Aunts and Uncles once
36. Go vegetarian for a weeks
37. Read 25 non-school books (2/25: Lena Duhman's Not That Kind of Girl; Irene Carr's Jailbird's Daughter)
38. See a broadway play in New York
39. Write an article for the observer
40. Make homemade ice cream
41. Go on a blind date
42. Wake up and workout in the morning before classes for a week straight
43. Eat breakfast every morning for two weeks straight 
44. Learn to surf
45. Sail a boat
46. Visit 5 new countries (4/5: Ireland 9/17/14, France 10/28/14, Scotland 11/7/14, Italy 11/27/14)
47. Visit Disney World
48. See a pro hockey game
49. See a pro football game (Chargers, 9/14/14)
50. Try a new hairstyle
51. Don’t bite nails for a month straight (October 2014)
52. Find a new favorite restaurant in South Bend
53. Find 4 new “hidden gems” restaurants in San Diego
54. Play a round of golf with Dad 
55. Learn to properly eat with chopsticks
56. Have tea with friends (Not in Ireland!)
57. Post an Outfit of the Day post everyday for a month
58. Go to a concert (Hozier in Killarney 12/5/14)
59. Go out for drinks with friends after work
60. Take a photography class
61. See a Jimmy Buffett Concert 
62. Go wine tasting
63. Attend the Kentucky Derby or Opening day of the races in Del Mar
64. Go to Harry Potter World
65. Visit Rockefeller center
66. See a ballet
67. Take a solo trip
68. Do yoga every day for two weeks
69. Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans
70. Fly First Class
71. Buy a grown up wallet (9/6/14)
72. Go snowboarding/skiing
73. Learn to shoot a gun
74. Learn to shoot a bow and arrow
75. Go shooting with Kaitlyn and Kailyn
76. Go a month without shopping
77. Learn how to pick a good wine
78. Do Saint Patrick’s Day in Chicago
79. Make the Dean’s list for at least two semesters
80. Obtain a credit card and start building good credit (9/12/14)
81. Attend mass every week for three months
82. Drink only water and tea for a month
83. Buy a professional purse
84. Create an adventure jar filled with spare change
85. Learn to play guitar again
86. Take a cruise
87. Write a book
88. Invest in actual pajamas 
89. Visit Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket 
90. Visit the Atlantis Resort in Bahamas 
91. Go hiking three times
92. Try 5 Food Network Chefs’ restaurant
93. Make dinner for a friend
94. Make dinner for a significant other
95. Bake cookies/cupcakes for someone just because
96. Visit a lighthouse
97. Read at least 30 minutes before bed every night for a month
98. See a Rugby match
99. See a Soccer game live (Stade Renne 10/29/14; USA v. Ireland 11/18/14)
100. Go to a formal event that requires a nice gown
101. Actually get dressed in the morning for a month

September, September, September

September is one of my most favorite months of the year. In the past it meant the start of school, the changing of leaves (in every place except San Diego), football season, etc. I ring in the fall every year by watching You Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. My favorite quote from the movie is said by Tom Hanks in his opening scene.September meant things were going to change– usually for the better, but sometimes for the worst. 

This September brought about 2 things: 

1) Ireland is now in 2 weeks away. I feel like I am starting college over again. I spent two hours tonight working with Mom trying to figure out what clothes I was going to pack. Needless to say, this will be one adventure that will last a lifetime. 

and, 

2) The start of my 1001 day challenge. I was inspired by Mackenzie Horan (go read her blog, mackenziehoran.com) to do this sort of short-term bucket list. The goal is to do 101 things in 1001 days. Just over 2 and a 1/2 years. I'm posting this on here because I wish to record how I do and hopefully inspire others to make their own list. I'll be done by graduation senior year. I will post my list in a separate post so that I can go back and edit it as I complete each task. Here is my list.  

My Inspiration

I got a very sweet phone call and some video chatting time with one of my old friends from high school recently. We met my sophomore or junior year of high school when she was just starting out on the water polo team. I really bonded with the girls a year behind me, and having Mikaela in my life only made water polo and swim season better. I am so proud of this girl. She's been working an amazing internship at our local hospital, is a leader within our high school community and the San Diego community, and an overall inspiring young woman. She was trying to decide what school she will be attending in the fall, and while we were discussing Saint Mary's, we got on the topic of the people who inspire us.

Come on, look how cute my Mom is!

My biggest inspiration is my mother. Hands down! My mother is the smartest, strongest, and sexiest woman alive. She did not attend a university like my father and I, nor did her family push her to pursue a scholarly career path. My Mom is the prime example that you do not have to go to college to be successful. She has a keen business sense, having run multiple businesses in her youth and built up two businesses with my Dad. She's an instructor at her job, and has so much knowledge about insurance.

My mom is a marathon runner, a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, is training for a triathlon, and has completed all of this after tearing her ACL/MCL over five years ago. She's remarkable. My mom has fought against everything to be successful. Her path was not easy. Yet, here she stands, one of the most inspirational people in my life. I say my mother is sexy because she is. She's gorgeous, confident, intelligent, and kind. Tell me that's not the epitome of sexy!

Obviously I have mad respect for my Mom. I know I drive her nuts sometimes (okay, a lot of times) but I really do have mad respect for my Mom. She's honestly the best! I'm so happy I get to be with her on Mother's Day!

Personal Growth and Dreams

Coach gave an interesting talk to the guys last week at practice. He talked about self discipline and personal growth. There was a lot of emphasis on doing self evaluations every couple of weeks to make sure we are who we want to be and that we are doing what we want to. It made me really think.

I started writing this post immediately after practice, but I could not find the words to say. Last night, however, I was on the College Prepster's blog (I love reading Carly's posts so much. You should read them here) and she had written a post about a dream list. That really got me thinking. I wish back in August I had written down everything I wanted to accomplish in my first year of college. I sit back now and wonder what I would've put down. Good grades? Hopefully. Make lots of friends? I think it's safe to say I can check that one off regardless.

My plan is to finalize a list of dreams for the next year while I drive home from school. I'm not quite sure where I want to find myself in a year. I would've lived in Europe for four months, been in my second year of college, hopefully taken on more responsibilities with the baseball team. I'd like to think my GPA would be higher, my major and minor more solidified, that I would be living with my friends. That maybe I would be running for an officer position in Swing club and instructing one of the classes. There's so much I hope to happen over this year, it's unbelievable.

What's even worse is there are going to be things I don't have control over! Who knows what life will throw my way in this next year. All I know is that I'll have to face it and work with it. And that's truly exciting.

Crunch time!

This was a Koan in my Asian Studies class senior year of high school.
Still is in my brain since that day with Mrs. Davis!
Image from: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/do-not-dwell-in-the-2.png

It's here! We are now in the final stretch of the school year. 3 weeks, 8 days of classes, and 3 days of finals and then I'll be on my way back to California for the summer!

Hard to believe I'm practically done with my freshman year of college! This year has flown by. I feel as if I moved in merely weeks ago, and yet I've lived on my own basically for 9 months basically. I was remarking to my roommate this weekend while we were at her house for Easter how old I felt. She laughed at me, remarking "Leah, you're 19 years old. How can you feel old?" It isn't that I feel ancient and worn down, but rather, I've been looking around and noticing how different I feel in comparison to my siblings, my cousins, and younger teenagers we were around.

For example, we found ourselves at Burger King in Lake Geneva for some french fries and ice cream (which they sadly did not have since their ice cream machine broke just before we got there). After we ordered a group of sixteen year olds meandered in and were being goofballs. I felt so much older in comparison. These kids were the same ages as K and SK (Special K). It was weird watching them goof off, when I, a couple years ago, probably was doing the same thing. So much has changed in such a little amount of time. It only makes me wonder what the future will be like.

Isn't this view pretty?

Anywho, this year has flown by! I finally broke down tonight and made my way to the library. I have only been in the library on campus a handful of times, simply to print out papers and power points. Tonight, however, I broke down. I packed up my backpack with all of my work and my laptop and went searching for a nice table next to a window.

Boy, have I been missing out on a prime studying place! The view is remarkable. I love looking at LeMans (even if the sky is all grey and cloudy because of the rain). I think this table and I will be good friends for now on. Mom and Dad will be so proud that I actually found the library and put it to use. No joke, I went home over Christmas Break and Spring Break and the running joke was "Saint Mary's has a library? Oh, I should go find that one day. That could be helpful". The library is seriously nice. I'm currently eyeing one of the rocking chairs and wondering if I would actually get some reading done or if I would fall asleep.


If anyone needs me in the upcoming 17 days, I'll be in the SMC Library (and hopefully awake!)