Day 17- Epicness

Day 17- Talk About One of Your Favorite Memories

For today's post, I decided to talk about my JMU Police Ride-Along Epicness! I've decided to tell half the story today, and the other half of the story tomorrow since tomorrow's topic also goes along with ride-along.

            Taylor and I began our ride-along at 9pm. Pretty much every officer was working that weekend because weekends in April tend to have the threat of block parties in the forecast. Luckily, April 2011 was much quieter and calmer than April 2010. When we got to the PD, Sgt. Biller met us. We spent the first 45 minutes of our ride-along in the police station watching a baseball game on TV while some of the officers were eating… so thrilling. Around 10pm though, we finally hit the streets!

            It was very quiet for the longest time. We drove through campus, and neither Taylor nor I were talking because we didn’t know what to talk about or if we should talk. Sgt. Biller decided to take us around off-campus, but just as we were about to make the turn to go off-campus, a call came over the radio for a suspicious drug odor (aka marijuana) in Logan Hall. Well since Amy was the HD there at the time, I was like, WE HAVE TO GO! So, Sgt. Biller made a big turn in the middle of the road and we were off to Logan Hall. We were the last of 3 officers to get there though! We all went in together, & I got to see Amy, who looked less than pleased about the incident. The building smelt funky on the first floor, but it wasn’t until we went to the second floor that it reeked. The officers were asking Taylor and I where we thought it was coming from and such (it was nice to be included), and since Taylor & I practically bust people for pot as a pastime, we had no trouble zeroing in on a room. BUT, of course, no one was there. So nothing became of the situation. As we were leaving, Sgt. Biller needed to take his break, so he passed us off to one of our favorite officers, Sgt. Jones.

            Our ride with Sgt. Jones was very informative. We were talking a lot more at this point, and joking about incidents past. Sgt. Jones drove us along the perimeter of JMU’s jurisdiction, and Taylor & I got to see some super sketch back roads that made me question whether we were even on a road at some points! We headed back to campus, and that’s when a call for a suspicious drug odor in Eagle Hall came over the radio. We headed to the Lake Area and met up with Officer Mills (another fav of Taylor & I). I lived in Eagle my freshman year and hadn’t been in there in years, so I led the way to this incident. We met two of the RAs on the second floor, and it did not smell like pot anywhere. As soon as I opened the wing door however, I could hear the definite sounds of people partying in a room. The officers’ jobs were done, but we stayed for support. I motioned for the RAs to come knock on the room door. Both RAs were first year RAs, and even though it was April, you could tell they were still very nervous about confronting. I knocked on the door, and after several minutes of shuffling around, a resident finally opened the door. Once we asked to come in the room, the resident started babbling about how their roommate wasn’t there, and the girl RA was like, “I didn’t ask about your roommate.” Meanwhile, Officer Mills was trying to get Taylor to go in the room & Taylor was like, “No thanks, I deal with this all the time!” So meanwhile, the second Eagle RA was still standing in the hallway, so I was like come in and be this girl’s backup. They talked with the residents, but didn’t find the alcohol (it was in the closet the entire time which Taylor & I later informed the RAs of). So, as we were leaving, I told the residents of the room that I highly suggested they leave Eagle… which they did. So, as we were leaving Eagle, the two RAs informed the officers and Taylor & I that they didn’t know what marijuana smelt like. This led to like a 20 minute educational conversation about weed.

            Once we left Eagle and our newly educated Eagle RAs, we drove around for a little bit, and then Sgt. Jones met up with Sgt. Biller to give us back, and we once again were riding with Sgt. Biller. We finally got to drive off campus, but there was like nothing going on. We soon got an emergency call for alcohol poisoning outside on the sidewalk in front of MGL. I’m going to skip talking about this incident because the girl was really bad off and is lucky to be alive, and an RA really messed up and it just makes me mad to think about. As the head Campus Cadet put it, “How f***ing irresponsible of the RA!”

            Next, we headed to a call at the Godwin bus stop for a drunk in public. Well, there was a girl that was very drunk in public with her three friends. The girls were ridiculous: screaming, shouting, crying… and the entire time Taylor & I were just laughing because they had no idea that their one friend was totally going to be arrested. Officer Mills was the responding officer & we were just back up. Mills gave the girl a breathalyzer and she blew a .25…. yeah not drunk at all! LOL! Needless to say, she was placed under arrest. Her friends went ballistic and started crying and yelling some more. They were like, “Can we go with her?” And the Campus Cadet said under his breath, “You don’t wanna go where she’s going!” & of course Taylor & I started cracking up even more. Well the three bimbos were interfering, so Officer Mills had to be like, “There’s plenty more room in the backseat for more of you!”

Day 16- Reflecting Time

Day 16- A Picture of You From Last Year, and How Have You Changed?

This is a picture taken of me last Christmas.

How have I changed in the last year? That's a tough question to answer. Well, my hair is different now! I think I have definitely learned a lot more about myself as a person, and also the type of person I want to be. Lately, I've been getting back into community service type work, and I realized how happy that makes me. If only I could find someone rich to marry so that I didn't have to work... I could volunteer everyday then!

I think I was also challenged a lot more during my Senior Year of college. I had to learn to survive college without my BFF and meal pal, Susan! I still had Amy to keep me sane though! Plus, missing Susan helped me become better friends with Nikki, Taylor, and Jessie... the start of a wonderful "moms" relationship. I survived a lot of ORL staff drama. I'm use to drama, but this past year's drama seemed extra special, and I guess since I'm older, extra annoying. I dealt with some incidents in the building that I never thought I would have to deal with. More "Tools in the Toolbox" as my old HD, Cover, would say.

In the fall, I fell in love with 3rd Grade at Guy K. Stump Elementary School - my practicum placement! I worked next to some of the most amazing teachers and students! Gosh, LOVE THEM! So going to miss that school! In the spring, I faced what it was like to be out of the classroom for the first time in over a year (IT WAS AWFUL!). I've probably never been so depressed as I was this past spring semester. My IDLS classes were awful, pointless, and kind of hard. My GPA took a hit (well... a hit for me- I still made the Dean's List this past semester & was well above the GPA mark for graduating with Honors). It just sucked, and I basically hated my life until the wonderful date of April 1, 2011 came around!!!...

So on April 1, 2011, an event happened that was 3 years in the making... My police ride-along!!! This was the one thing other than graduation that Taylor and I had to look forward to this past semester. I was like a kid on Christmas the morning on April 1st, and I just couldn't wait for 9pm to arrive! And when it did, it was EPIC. Possibly, the best night of my life! I couldn't believe I had never done a police ride-along before that! More to come on that tomorrow... 

Day 15- Half Way To The Finish!

Day 15- Your Current Relationship Status, and If Single, Discuss How Single Life Is

Current relationship status- single. How is single life? Hmmmm...I don’t give it much thought. I guess it stinks, but then again, when I look at other people that struggle with relationships it makes me happy I’m not in one. I guess sometimes I get lonely, BUT considering how independent I am, I usually hardly notice that I’m single. Plus, I think Amy has probably proposed marriage to me twice in the past year! LOL!

But for reals, I’d like to not be single anymore. I’ve had the occasional special person in my life, but it’d be nice to have someone now. Now that I’m in Grad School, I feel like I’m entering a new phase in my life, and I’m ready for change. I want to share the next part of my life with someone. I think my problem is that I always fall for people that are unavailable, emotionally or otherwise. No worries though, you get over it and move on. Emotionally, I’m not a very complicated person... I’m pretty famous for telling people like it is! I also have unbelievable self control and can bite my tongue when needed. I’m also pretty good at keeping everything bottled up inside (healthy, right?!), but the difference between me and everyone else is that I can function just fine and can seem normal when I do that!

Day 13 & Day 14- Better Late Than Never

Day 13- Your Day in Detail

Okay, so my day in great detail is going to be Saturday, July 23, 2011. As you’ll see Harrisonburg is so thrilling during the summer. My Saturday started really early before I ever got to bed on Friday…

·         2:05am- Phone call from one of my RAs about an incident in the building. I didn’t even have to get out of bed for this one though because I knew who had done what with just being told a room number. That’s when you know you’re good at what you do!

·         Went to bed listening to some country music. Woke up around 8:30am.

·         Texted with Amy because her parents were coming up to visit on Saturday.

·         9:30am- Received a phone call from the weekend on-call person so that we could discuss another incident that had happened on Friday evening (my residents keep me busy).

·         10:00am- Took a shower and then edited/submitted incident reports from all the stuff that happened on Friday night.

·         11:00am- Went over to Amy’s and met up with her parents and the dogs. Amy’s mom stayed behind at Amy’s with the puppies and we went with her dad to go pick up Amy’s new furniture! We went to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere to pick up the furniture so that was an interesting adventure.

·         After getting the furniture, we came back to campus to pick up Amy’s mom and then the four of us went to lunch a Chili’s and had dessert at Sweet Bee’s.

·         Returned to campus and Amy and I took the dogs to go visit the Conference Service people while Amy’s parents stayed at her place.

·         2:45ish- Said our goodbyes to Amy’s parents and then hung out in her apartment for a little bit to cool off in the AC. Then we headed out to the glorious Valley Mall! LOL! Did some window shopping, and also went shopping at Old Navy so Amy could finish off her gift card.

·         Went to Regal to see the 4:10pm showing of “Friends With Benefits.”

·         7:00pm-ish- Returned to campus, and Amy & I parted ways. I went and did some more I-Doc writing, and then went to follow up with a bunch of residents that were involved in incidents.

·         7:45pm- Turned on the TV only to discover there was nothing on. Thought about cleaning and organizing my room, but I was in a bad mood, so instead…

·         8:13pm- I called my mom because I hadn’t spoken to her in FOREVER. Our conversation was 80 minutes, 47 seconds!!!

·         9:35pm- After getting off the phone with my mom, I was ready to go to bed. I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately, so I thought this was a great idea. However, I picked up my iPod Shuffle and started reading a book I have on there… Didn’t end up going to bed until like 2:00am.

Day 14- A Photo of Your City

I chose my current city, Harrisonburg, VA. Beautiful, yet boring during the summer!

Day 12- Home Sweet Home

Day 12- A Picture of Your Home

Well, I have two homes. My home home, and then my JMU home. Picture #1 is my home home out in the country back at Christmas last year, and Picture #2 is my current JMU residence hall home!

Day 11: And I Quote!

Day 11: A Quote You Love

Okay, so I'm super obsessed with quotes. Like a lot. I'd say collecting quotes is probably one of my hobbies! My collection ranges in quotes from Dr. Seuss to Walt Disney to politicians to my very own JMU professors.

Here are probably five of my favorite quotes:

1) "Stuff happens. It is your response that counts."

2) "What Goes Around, Comes Around."

3) "Everything In Moderation"
-Robin Brown and Dana Thompson

4) "Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone."

5) "Should everyone have the same assumptions? No, because then the world would be a boring place. Should we be conscious of our assumptions? Yes, or else the world would be a dangerous place.”
-Dr. Brubaker

Day 10- Woot Woot, I made it to double digits!

Day 10- A Photo You Took of Something

This is like the most generic topic ever. Hmmm... I've taken tons and tons of pictures, so it's hard to pick just one. I decided on the picture below because it makes me laugh every time I see it. This is a picture of my cousins' old horse, Rowdy, from when they lived in Tennessee. I caught him with his tongue sticking out!

Days 8 & 9- I'm Exhausted and Got Behind!

Day 8- Your Views on Religion

Ughhh... Who came up with these topics?! Religion... my view is that it exists. You got to believe in something or you’ll fall for anything, right? I don't push my views on other people, and I don't like it when other people try to push their views on me. I don’t know. Those that know me, know that I’m not very religious. I went to a Christian preschool, and I also attended a wonderful Baptist church when I was little. I even sang in the choir. Then, I got older. We just stopped going. I definitely knew a ton of Bible stories and all when I was little, but I only know the major ones now. About the only time I go to church now is for the Hanging of the Greens at Christmas because I’m a suck for Christmas carols! Doesn’t bother me too much though. My religion now is living by the Golden Rule. I try to be a good person, make good choices, and make the world a better place. Live by the Girl Scout Law! Heck yes!


Day 9- Your Zodiac Sign & If You Think It Fits Your Personality

I’m a Libra! Yes, it fits my personality. Libra is ruled by the planet, Venus. Venus is my favorite planet after the one we are on! Libras are charismatic (I have my moments), diplomatic, idealistic (I’m realistic), and logical, which enables them to get along will with a wide variety of people. Libras are the diplomats of the zodiac. They are charming, easy going (DEFINITELY ME!), and willing to suppress their own needs and opinions in order to preserve good relations (While I may do this, I still look out for #1!). Libras are just (Absolutely me!), reasonable, nonjudgmental (ehhh, I try not to judge, but I'll tell you if I am judging you!), and able to see both sides of an issue (This is why I was a good RA and will be a good HD...I hear everyone out). As a result, they are often asked to intervene in disagreements between friends, family members, and coworkers. Arguments often make Libras miserable. YUP... I think all that describes me in one way or another! As Taylor would say, this topic is “CHECK & DONE!”

Day 7- Listen to the Music!!!

Day 7: Put Your iPod on Shuffle and Write 10 Songs that Pop Up

1. “Tied Together With a Smile” by Taylor Swift
2. “You Don’t Know What Love Is” by Lonestar
3. “Long Trip Alone” by Dierks Bentley
4. “I’m From The Country” by Tracy Byrd
5. “Perfect” by Simple Plan
6. “The Remedy” by Jason Mraz
7.  “Carrying Your Love With Me” by George Strait
8. “One Day” by Simple Plan
9. “Don’t Take The Girl” by Tim McGraw
10. “Stay With You” by The Goo Goo Dolls

I’m impressed Simple Plan and The Goo Goo Dolls were able to make it in there with all that country music! And my homeboy Jason Mraz made it in there! Haha!

Day 6- Celeb Crushes Day

Day 6- Five Celebrity Crushes

Ok, so it took me a while to think about this. Number 1 on the list was super easy because I have been, and will always be, in love with James McAvoy. The others took some thought. Don't consider this my Top 5 list, this is just a general list of five celebrity crushes.

1. James McAvoy

2. Matt Long

  

3. Milo Ventimiglia

 4. Matt Marraccini

5. Jensen Ackles

Day 5- A Depressing Topic Today

Day 5- A Time When You Thought About Ending Your Own Life

REALLY?! WHO CAME UP WITH THESE TOPICS? Talk about depressing. I need to find better 30-day challenge topics. Well, I have never thought about ending my own life. I have a very strong sense of survival, self-preservation, and a super irrational fear of death, so ending my life would be very counterproductive to all of those. I do think however, other people have thought about ending my life. As Taylor and I would say all the time our senior year of college, we were probably the most despised people on campus. We received the glares of death all the time. Oh well! We were told that there was nothing wrong with that. Plus, we had the JMU PD to back us up if we needed them! J

In all seriousness, I can't imagine ever feeling so bad that I thought killing myself was the only solution. Unfortunately, in my time working with ORL, I've dealth with more people wanting/attempting suicide then I ever care to think about. Dealing with those sorts of situations brings a whole new meaning to crisis management. I would never wish anyone to be in some of the situations I have been in. As an RA, confronting something like that can be very difficult. It's almost even more difficult to come to terms with the fact that you saved someone's life. That probably sounds crazy. To me, I think, "I was just doing my job." But, in some of the situations I have been in, I have wondered, "What if I hadn't been there?"  "What if I hadn't walked into the bathroom at that very moment?" The "what ifs" can be very taunting on your brain. I like to think that everything happens for a reason, and those perfect timings aren't coincident.

Day 4 is another Picture Day!

Day 4- A Photo that Makes You Happy & A Photo that Makes You Angry or Sad

Well, I'll start off with two photos that make me happy! They are both of Kitty Cat!


A photo that makes me happy is definitely my baby Kitty Cat! She's not a baby anymore though... over 10 years together.



The reason I can never make the bed!



I decided to go with a series of photos that make me angry and sad. This is where my post from Day 3 about my views on alcohol and drugs come in.

Picture 1 of the photos that make me angry: No, your eyes do not deceive you. Yes the grass is green, BUT packed inside that Mason Jar is marijuana. This is what was hurled at my head from a third story window on Springfest Weekend 2010.





Pictures 1-3 of the photos that make me angry/sad represent the weekend where I only got 2 hours of sleep over a 3 day period. This is the weekend where I wrote more incident documentations then most RAs write in an entire year. It was absolutely one of the worst weekends of my life. This was the weekend where I felt ashamed to a associated with JMU. This is the weekend where I have never seen so many Virginia State Police in one place, or police in general, in my lifetime. This is the weekend where people were tear-gased, helicopters circled, and JMU was not at its best. I'm thankful that so many improvements to JMU's "alcohol culture" have been made in the past year though. AND, one good thing did come out of that weekend for me... Taylor & I had some super ORL-related bonding time and that is probably why we were such kick-ass RAs during our Senior Year! Only certain people really understand what Springfest Weekend was like for an RA. So, that is why these pictures make me very angry and sad.

Day 3- A Day Early

So... tomorrow is a very busy day for me. I have a planning meeting tomorrow for the TECHfacturing Camp that I'm working at next week. We are going to get a run down of the job, plan a few activities, and then go tour the White Wave manufacturing plant in Bridgewater. Fun Stuff. Then, I'm going over to my sister's house to join in the Harry Potter-a-thon Part 2. I'll probably have dinner with her, and then who knows what the rest of the evening will have in store. So, since there is no telling when I'll get to a computer again, I decided it was best to go ahead and post Day 3 of the 30 Day Challenge. Also, Day 3's topic is a good preface for Day 4's topic.

So...

Day 3: Your Views on Drugs and Alcohol

Well, I’m pretty much an expert when it comes to drugs and alcohol. This is a great question for someone that is a Hall Director! So, I’m not sure what views I’m supposed to have here. I believe strongly in everything in moderation... legal moderation. Is that clear enough?

I can say that thanks to three years as an RA in the largest Freshman residence hall on campus and now as a Hall Director, I despise the smell of cheap beer. The smell of Natty Light or Keystone basically makes me want to vomit, and I think anyone drinking Aristocrat in the dorm should hang their head down in shame. I mean... have some class! I really try not to judge though because people do what they want.

As far as drugs, I view marijuana the most. Haha, well it asked about my views on drugs! I hate marijuana. It's just a big headache for me...literally. I can smell it from a mile away, and I’m pretty sure I’m allergic because my throat gets all itchy when I smell it. Plus, during that wonderful Springfest weekend back in 2010, I had a Mason Jar full of pot hurled at my head. A girl remembers those sorts of things. That was a very traumatic weekend for me, and probably one of the few times when I've actually seriously considering beating someone up. Yup, great memories there. So, to be completely honest, nothing makes my happier than seeing someone get criminally charged with possession of marijuana. Also, I have no sympathy for people that get arrested for drunk in public. The most emotion I can muster up is a "That sucks for you." I'll have to share some stories from Taylor and I's epic police ride-along one day for you all to really understand!

Day 2 of the 30 Day Challenge!

Day 2: A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago of You

So for this Day 2 Challenge, I decided to pick out a couple different pictures from when I was really little. These pictures were all taken in our old house before our family moved to Hanover County.



Me, my big sister, and my dad back at our old house that I hardly remember!



Good times... oh the 80's!



This is one of my favorite pictures of Lesley & me! Proves we love each other! haha! Plus, my extra sister when I was little, Stevie, was there too for Lesley's Field Day!

 

I loved that Army Jeep so much! I put a ton of miles on that thing! Best toy ever!!!

 

Just me and my sister! 7 years apart, but we managed to not kill each other!



Let the 30 Day Challenge Begin

So I recently decided to embark on one of those 30 Day Challenges in order to inspire me to keep writing on my blog. I saw that one of my future RAs also has a blog, and he's starting a 30 Day Challenge--so I guess I may have stolen the idea from him! I figure if I write everyday, I'll be more likely to write on my blog once school starts. Of course, I wasn't satisfied with the 30 Day Challenges I found, so I took it upon myself to recreate my own 30 Day Challenge from a compilation of different lists.

So here comes DAY 1 of my 30 Day Challenge:

Day 1: Post a recent picture of yourself, and write 30 interesting facts.

Picture:

This picture is from this past spring's ORL RecCel! That's me on the far right... and those other lovely ladies and myself made up the staff "moms" this past school year! We all helped to keep each other sane, and I'm going to miss them all like crazy so that is why they have to come visit me all the time.

30 Interesting Facts:

1. I’m from the country!

2. I love country music.

3. I would live in the country forever if I could.

4. Blue and purple are my favorite colors.

5. My cat, Kitty Cat, is the one living thing I cherish more than myself.

6. I love animals!

7. I HATE BUGS!

8. I REALLY HATE SPIDERS!... I was bit in the face by one my senior year of high school and now I have a phobia.

9. I want to be a teacher.

10. I want to be a 3^rd grade teacher.

11. I want to be a 3^rd grade teacher in Stuarts Draft.

12. I want to be a 3^rd grade teacher at Stump in Stuarts Draft.

13. If I cannot be 10-12 above, I would like to be a teacher in Hanover or Henrico County.

14. My sister, Lesley, has been my saving grace for the past few years while I’ve been in college.

15. I would love to read more, but I just love movies way better.

16. I have a super active imagination.

17. I’m pretty sure I was a cop in a previous life.

18. I don’t have a desire to be a cop, so I live vicariously through my police officer friends.

19. My friends are all pretty positive I'll marry a police officer.

20. I earned both the Girl Scout Silver Award and Girl Scout Gold Award.

21. I talk to myself out loud when I’m alone.

22. I’m super close with my mom.

23. My dad’s side of the family is way cooler than my mom’s side of the family, so I like hanging out with them more!

24. My grandparents on my mom’s side are the absolute best and I wish they didn’t live all the way in Mississippi.

25. My favorite movie is any Robin Hood movie.

26. I’m obsessed with all things Disney!

27. I’m in love with Tim McGraw’s voice...and Tim McGraw.

28. I wished I owned horses and could go horseback riding every day.

29. My favorite vacations are always visiting my dad’s cousins, Jim & Patty, no matter what state they are living in at the time.

30. I have a huge fear of failure. Lately, I’ve been thinking that maybe teaching isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life, and that feeling scares the crap out of me. More to come on that topic another day though.

Why in the World Am I Starting a Blog?!

So... first post!

It's no secret I hate to write. Like, I REALLY, REALLY hate to write. I have always dreaded writing assignments. About the only thing I'm good at writing are incident reports for my Res Life job. I'm pretty much a professional at writing in the third person now. I also write pretty freaking awesome fictitious I-Docs, so I guess I'm pretty good at creative writing type things on occasion. For example, last August, I was really bored one day during RA Training. I decided to write up Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck for fun. Did you know that Daisy is a raging alcoholic? Yup... she is! One night, Donald dumped her, and Daisy hit the bottle pretty hard with Minnie in the dorm. There was some beer pong involved too. Best fake I-Doc ever!! Don't judge me, when you sit through the same training session a third year in a row, you have to find ways to entertain your brain. Don't get me wrong, I love RA Training... it just gets really bad when you can give the presentation word-for-word to yourself in your head!

So, you ask, "Why start a blog then?" Well, good question. I really don't have any answer other than I just want to give it a shot. I mean, why not?! Why not start something that I'm bound to neglect within less than a month?! LOL! I'm hoping this lasts more than a month, but I'm trying to be realistic. I'm not sure if I'm 100% invested in this little project I've started or not.

The guess the main reason I wanted to start this blog is to have a place to write down my memories of student teaching and being a Hall Director this year while in Grad School. I know I'm going to be super, super, super busy though. I feel like every moment of free time I have will NOT be spent posting on my blog. BUT, then again, you never know! I've decided that since I despise writing so much, this will be a part written blog and part picture blog. This also will not be a post something every single day blog. I'll be lucky to get something up here once a week. So, if you feel like reading my ramblings and seeing what I see through my camera lens, then follow me! Feel free to leave comments and topic suggestions. Ask me random questions. I'm pretty much an open book, and there's pretty much nothing I won't share my opinion about.

Oh, and if you are wondering about the title of my blog, The Screaming Backpack... I'll explain it. So, it's super hard to come up with a blog title... especially, when you are not creative. So, I turned to my Facebook peeps to help me out, and well, not so helpful.

Here were some suggestions I got:

• Robin's Blog - Yeah Dave, super creative. I almost titled it this though because I like things that are to the point.
• A picture a day and what the teacher has to say - Ok, so my Program Adviser, Carolyn, from back when I first started as an RA came up with this one. I LOVED IT! Carolyn's pretty awesome and is super creative, so it totally makes sense that she would come up with a super cool title. I just couldn't commit to the picture a day thing. haha!
• Teacher Travels - This title was thought up by my friend Sheri that I've known since high school. The only problem with this title was that I don't do much traveling anywhere. The only place I'll be going the next year is up and down I-81 to my practicum school.
• Sit Down and Be Quiet - This suggestion came from my aunt Sue! She's a super cool and totally groovy person! I liked this title, but one title just kept catching my attention...

The Screaming Backpack: Unique? CHECK!  Creative? CHECK! Catchy? I guess so...CHECK!
"The Screaming Backpack" was a collaborative effort. I was trying to think of something that dealt with school stuff, but that also had a ring to it. I won't lie... Dora The Explorer may have been some inspiration. Dora was singing that annoyingly catchy "Backpack, Backpack" song on TV, and I was like, "If I were her backpack, I'd yell at her for always being so darn needy!" My friend, was like, "Yeah, a screaming backpack." And so the title of my blog was born. Also, this title works perfect because I used to always say that my backpack was mad at me when I overloaded it with books. I've had the same L.L. Bean backpack since sixth grade, and the thing makes a funny squeaking noise if I put a bunch of stuff in it. haha! This title also works because kids scream and kids wear backpacks. How could I pass up such a good title?!

So there you have it. My first post, with lots of ramblings, complete!