Amanda Kate

Day 85: Luck O' the Irish

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:49:00 -0400

Not really, but today is St. Patrick’s Day and I’m in New York visiting my wonderful fiancé.

Chuck took me to see the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which ended up being super long (we’re talkin’ over 5 hours, people). Luckily, we decided to leave after a few hours to get lunch and walk around the city.

FAO Schwarz was really cool.

I would love to live here some day. (NYC, not a toy store)

Day 82: Ballet

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:33:00 -0400

This semester, I decided to take Ballet 1 as an elective. Keep in mind, I haven’t danced since I was abou 8, so this could have been catastrophic.

Luckily, it wasn’t. Not only is ballet an awesome workout, but it’s super fun. It also helps that I’m not terrible at it.

Maybe I’ll take Ballet 2 next semester.

Day 76: Bow Ties

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:00:06 -0400

This semester, I’m enrolled in an awesome class called “Advanced Writing.” It’s taught by John Miller of the National Review

We submit essays to John and our classmates every Tuesday, revise each other’s work, and go over the revisions on Thursday.

Here’s a fun article I wrote for the class and ended up submitting to the Hillsdale Collegian. It’s not too bad for my first published piece!

http://www.hillsdalecollegian.com/2012/03/bowties-beacons-of-hope-to-single-women/

Day 70: Hockeytown, USA

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:02:21 -0400

I LOVE hockey. My brother used to play, and my family goes to minor league games all the time. I’ve always always always wanted to see the Red Wings play in Detroit, but never actually had the chance.

This semester, the Student Activities Office at Hillsdale College sponsored a trip to The Joe— the tickets were only $20 and the seats weren’t bad.

Of course, I went.

But, going isn’t enough— I wanted to get on the Jumbotron as much as possible. How would I do this? I would get my Pi Phi sisters to make t-shirts and signs with me and we’d all dance around like the drunken couple three rows over.

It worked. Unfortunately, our seats were too far back for the cameras to show us as much as we deserved, but we made it once (which was more than anyone else in our area).

My dream wasn’t the only one realized that night. My little (the cute one on the left of the picture, above) saw her first ever hockey fight. It was magical, and her face looked like a child’s on Christmas morning.

Oh yea, and the Wings won. Duh.

Day 55: Collegian Story

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:55:42 -0400

Check out our story in the Hillsdale Collegian!

http://www.hillsdalecollegian.com/2012/02/from-central-hall-to-apple-orchards/

Day 42: Genesis 2:18

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:20:08 -0500

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Today was the last day of Chuck’s week-long visit. The CCA is over and he’s off to Naples, FL to photograph a FEE event.

I am definitely going to miss my helper.

Fortunately, I have so many wonderful friends in Hillsdale that the next year shouldn’t be so bad.

Days 37-40: CCA III

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:09:00 -0500

Last year, I was fortunate enough to land a job working for Dr. Tim Caspar in the CCA Office of Hillsdale College. The CCA (Center for Constructive Alternatives) is a lecture series put on by the college twice per semester. The topics range from Reagan to Science Fiction Films and the speakers are just as diverse. Through the CCA I have met both Peter Bogdanovich and Steve Forbes.

Most students think that we student assistants are only responsible for passing around the microphones and preventing college donors from monopolizing the Q&A period, but we do much, much more.

We coordinate guest meals; oversee the registration desk; select and supervise introducers, invocators, and attendance-takers; ensure that the needs of visiting speakers and college donors are met; and serve as an intermediary between at least 5 Hillsdale College offices. And that’s not including all of the prep work! I could seriously go on forever.

It’s challenging (and sometimes pretty stressful) but, in all honesty, I LOVE this job.

Also, check out this “Behind the Scenes” piece from the Collegian.

Day 36: Not Primal

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:05:06 -0500

Chuck is in town, this week, to fulfill his final credit before becoming an official Hillsdale College graduate. We decided to spend the day in Ann Arbor and have lunch at Zingerman’s Deli to celebrate.

This is a #63: Abra’s Nutty Yard Bird
Chicken salad (chunks of hand-cut Amish chicken, mayo, onion, celery) & sunflower sprouts on toasted pecan raisin bread

I have a headache from the bread, but it was totally worth it!

Day 29: Smoothies

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:02:05 -0500

Since starting the Primal Diet, I have been in constant search of primal snacks that are easy (and cheap!) to make, filling, and tasty. These smoothies are the perfect solution. Just throw the following ingredients into a blender:

1 Banana
Strawberries
Pineapple
Vanilla Yogurt

I make these all the time, now. Bon appetit!

Day 25: Henrik

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:26:20 -0500

Occasionally, I babysit Dr. Kiledal’s 5-year-old son, Henrik. Dr. Kiledal is a speech professor at Hillsdale College.

Today, we made Valentine’s Day placemats for each member of his family. Henrik had a lot of fun, and his mom was happy to see him practicing writing and cutting.

Each placemat has a family member’s name, paper hearts, and heart stamps. When he was finished decorating, he sprinkled crayon pieces on top and laminated each placemat. The heat from the laminator melted the crayon pieces and left fun (Valentine’s-colored) designs.

Days 21-24: Recruitment!

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:07:00 -0500

Day 21 marked the first day of formal sorority recruitment for the Hillsdale College greek system. The first day is always open houses, when we dress in our matching pencil skirts, wine-colored sweaters, black pumps, pearls, and arrow pins. I remember how excited I was to watch the women of Pi Beta Phi stride out of the house, singing. I sincerely hope that this year’s potential new members were equally blown-away.

Day 2 is always skit parties, where members of each sorority put on a little show for the potential new members. This year, our Vice President of Member Develpment, Erin Alderson, took it upon herself to rewrite our skit. It was such an improvement! The new theme is “Angel Airways” (we used to do “Grease”) and each stop of the “airplane” represents one of our six core values (Integrity, Lifelong Commitment, Honor & Respect, Personal and Intellectual Growth, Philanthropic Service to Others, and Sincere Friendship). For this round, our name-tags were stewardess wings.

Day 3 is dessert parties and day 4 is preference parties (where girls make their final decision as to which sorority to join). This year, we were fortunate to welcome 18 beautiful new angels into our sisterhood.

Day 20: Back to Hillsdale

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:01:00 -0500

Today, I made the 2.5 hour journey back to Hillsdale, Michigan. It was wonderful to be home and see my family, but I’ve really missed my Pi Beta Phi sisters and all of my other wonderful friends at school.

I did’t tell any of my sisters that I was engaged, until tonight, because I wanted to tell them all in person. I am so glad that I waited because the experience was much more special.

Day 13: Breakfast

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:31:00 -0500

About 6 months ago, Chuck decided to try out the Primal Diet. Not only has he lost weight, but he sleeps more soundly and has more energy throughout the day. Although I was super skeptical at first, Chuck benefited so much that I decided to give it a shot, too.

I have been primal since New Year’s Day (except for the other night, when I fell off the wagon and ate a half-bag of truffles). I, too, am sleeping more soundly, waking up with more energy, and I don’t find myself exhausted after lunch. I really can’t believe how good I feel!

This is the delicious breakfast I made for myself this morning:

fresh spinach and scrambled eggs, topped with a tomato.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Primal Diet, visit www.theprimalchallenge.com (did I mention Chuck writes for this blog?)

Day 7: Our first gift!

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:34:18 -0500

I found a wonderful surprise waiting for me when we got home from Georgia! My grandmother (Mimi) had sent us our very first gift.

Since my grandmother is an artist, she paints her own cards.

I can’t wait to use this in our home. :-)

Day 4: Amicalola Falls and Canton, GA

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:29:00 -0500

The day after Christmas, Chuck and I headed to Georgia with his parents to visit some family. On the second day, we all (Me, Chuck, Linda, Jr, Rhonda, Kevin, Lindsay, Wyatt, Mumaw, and Pupaw) visited Amicalola State park and climbed the 600 steps to the top of the falls. The view was beautiful in the middle of winter, so I can’t imagine what it must be like in the summertime.

Later that night I went out to the backyard with Chuck, his dad, and his cousin, Wyatt, to shoot some targets. The top photo is me using Wyatt’s .22 and the bottom is me using Mr. Grimmett’s 9mm automatic.

Day 1: Amherst, OH (Home, Sweet Home)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:13:00 -0500

Chuck and I have been together for over 3 years, now. We went to high school together, accidentally ended up at the same college, and fell madly in love. Last month, he was hired on at The Foundation for Economic Education, so he decided to graduate early. We had been talking about getting married for a while, and I figured that an engagement ring would come soon. I just didn’t realize how soon it would be!

Chuck’s plan was to wait until we went to visit his family in Georgia, show me around downtown Atlanta (where he will be working), and propose over a nice dinner in the city where we will begin our lives together. He had the ring for two days before he just couldn’t take it anymore. He proposed at 12:30am on Christmas Eve in the park where we first kissed.

We will be married after I graduate from college in 2013.

While I finish college, Chuck will spend 6 months working for FEE in Irvington, NY and then move with the company down to Atlanta, GA. We will be apart for most of this time, so I thought it would be fun to start a blog documenting my adventures over the next year and a half from the perspective of my engagement ring.