4 Years Ago..

April 16, 2007

4 years ago tomorrow was one of the worst days that I could have ever imagined. I wrote a whole post about it last year and I don’t want to just rewrite it, but I do want to take a minute to remind everyone to always live for the 32 people who lost their lives on that awful day.

“We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.” – Nikki Giovanni

Even though it makes me extremely sad to think back about that time, I also remember how proud I was (and still am) to be a HOKIE. That time even though hard and unbelievably heartbreaking was also a time that made the Virginia Tech community stronger and closer together. I still every year on that day talk to the 3 girls who I spent the next month before graduation practically inseparable from. We were already as close as could be, but somehow being there together at that time made us even closer.

Sitting in the gym the following day and listening to Nikki Giovanni’s speech gave me chills then and still does today. I will listen to it again every year on April 16th and will remember to live for 32 <3

******


On a happier note… It’s FINALLY Friday. For some reason this week has just seemed SO long. I am so tired today and really looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend.

We have no big plans and I like it that way. (We don’t make too many weekend plans lately since we have no idea when this little lady will decide to show up lol) It’s supposed to be nice here today, rain tomorrow (ugh), but then nice again Sunday so we were thinking about packing a picnic and going to a local park and renting a boat for the afternoon so Vince can fish and I can relax in the boat ;) Sounds nice, right?

Man, how my idea of a fun weekend has changed over the past year.. I looked at my old calendar and last year on this weekend Vince and I were going out drinking with friends lol.. but you know what even though we always had a lot of fun, I think I like these new low key weekends just as much ;) (which is a good thing since pretty soon I won't have a choice but to stay home on weekends with the little one haha)

Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Live for 32

3 years ago tomorrow I woke up to what should have been a normal Monday morning at Virginia Tech... but instead it was chaos. 

I was a senior living in our sorority house (which was on the edge of campus) with 30 other girls. For those of us in the house who weren't already up and at class we were woken up a little before 8am by the sound of alarms all over campus going off and the sirens from the cop cars down the road. 

We had no idea what was going on, but it didn't take long to find out that there had been a shooting at one of the dorms, which at the time newscasters were reporting as an isolated incident. Unfortunately we would soon find out they were wrong.

Obviously, everyone is aware of what occurred over the next few hours. To say that it was a horrible time for everyone at Virginia Tech would be an extreme understatement.

At the same time it was something that brought the whole community and school together.

The weeks following the tragedy made me prouder than ever to a part of the Virginia Tech family. It brought even the best of friends closer, teachers and students were all on the same level helping each other cope, and the entire community was healing as one. I had always loved my school before, but I grew an even greater appreciation for what it really means to be a HOKIE. 

So this year and every year on April 16th, I will take time to really remember all 32 of those bright and talented individuals who lost their lives on that horrible morning... and I will also take time to remember how truly honored I am to be a Virginia Tech Hokie. 

"I ask each of you to take the time to be a Hokie this week. Appreciate life a little more, take in every moment around you, count your blessings, tell the people around you that you love them, slow down, remember what's truly important in life. And live for those 32 that do not have that chance." 4.16.07 ♥

"While 32 of our friends and classmates are in heaven trying to explain what a Hokie is, I stand here sure in the fact that I wouldn't want to be anything else." 4/16/2007♥

My first tattoo :)

As I mentioned last week, my friend Amy was coming up this weekend to visit and we were getting tattoos together. It's something we have both talked about for awhile and really wanted to do together. Our other friend Ashley was supposed to go with us too, but found out last week she wouldn't be able to make it up this weekend... so I promised her I would still go with her soon to get hers too. (We actually had planned on all 3 of us getting them done when we all met up in DC last month, but we ended up deciding to wait until now) 

So now you're probably wondering what exactly we got and why.... 

Well we all went to Virginia Tech together and the year of the shooting we were seniors.. and to say it was a life changing experience would be an understatement. It's something that was obviously horrible and devastating and simply impossible to put into words, but at the same time it was something we went through together and it brought all of us closer, not only as a school but even closer with the girls who were already my best friends. 

It's something that really taught us just how precious life is and that since you never know what the future may hold you should always live each day to the fullest. We love Virginia Tech and we are proud to be Hokies, and we wanted something to represent that. 

We each chose to get something different.. Amy got hokie foot prints (aka hokie tracks), Ashley is getting the roman numerial for 32, and I wanted "live for 32" (because 32 people lost their lives that day)

SO, without further ado here are the pictures:

getting started (please excuse the frizzy hair, it was a very rainy day! haha)

Amy was sitting right by me getting hers too (and our friend Kristen came along too!)

ALL DONE!

(mine is on the inside of my left heel)

Amy's Hokie tracks :)

We had a really good time and are both so glad we did it! If you are thinking about getting a tattoo I would definitely say go for it! :) I was shocked at how quickly it was done (like 10 min!) and the pain was really not that bad at all!

The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun too, and I will post more pics from that later... but right now I am exhausted and going to be early for once! 

Hope you all had a great weekend :)

HOKIES

This made my Saturday..

Virginia Tech 48 - Boston College 14

I love college football (especially when the hokies win ;-) )

My Heart <3

With my best friends, at one of the best places on earth... what more could I ask for?

one of the best weekend I have had in a long time... can't wait to do it again <3

FOOTBALL Season

So summer is ending and fall is beginning and I couldn't be more excited. Now, don't get me wrong I like summer (who doesn't?!), but I LOVE the FALL! And really, what's not to love... leaves change colors, there's a nice fresh breeze (no more super hot and humid days), you can start to layer all your cute fall clothes without having to worry about being too cold yet, you have Halloween AND Thanksgiving (2 of my favorite holidays)... and above all else it's finally FOOTBALL season again! If I was a guy, football would be my sport! haha... I know some girls dread football season because their guys start spending all weekend in front of the tv, but I have no problem curling up on the couch with Vince all Saturday and Sunday watching game after game. With other sports it's different, I don't mind watching an occasional basketball game or going to a baseball game now and then (however watching baseball on tv is like torture to me, thankfully Vince feels the same haha).. but something about football I find so entertaining. 

I definitely like watching NFL games (EAGLES fan obviously), but college football is my favorite. I grew up being a Gators fan, but went to Virginia Tech for school and am now 100% a HOKIE for LIFE. (I'll still cheer on the Gators, just as long as they aren't playing VT). And really there is nothing better than a Saturday game day on a college campus... waking up to mimosas and bloody marys, tailgates starting at the crack of dawn, tons of excited fans in all kinds of crazy outfits and face paint, chanting your favorite team cheers until you lose your voice, enjoying all your favorite tailgate foods and games all day, becoming instant bff's with every fellow fan you meet... the list goes on and on.. but the best part: all of this is before the game even gets started! Seriously, how could anyone not have fun! lol

so if you're someone who doesn't like or even really understand football... maybe once this season just give it a try! if you can't get tickets to go to game, throw a little football party to cheer on your (or your guy's) favorite team. Worst case senario: you'll have an excuse to have a party, and even if you don't have a fabulous time actually watching the game, I'm sure your man will appreciate that you tried ;)

 

Ty and I in our hokie gear ;-)