Hallie's Happenings

     All good things must come to an end, break has ended. While break was a week long, it still doesn't feel like we had enough time. From the moment I arrived at home, it had been "go go go." It feels like the only time I truly spend at home is when I'm sleeping each night. Let me take you through where my chaotic week has taken me, starting with Friday when I arrived.     Immediately after unpacking the car, I had to turn right around and pick my mom up from work. My mom had just gotten a new car, so she left it at the house for me to pick her up in. I was nervous driving because it was all so new I didn't want to ruin anything. After getting her from work, we ran to some of our favorite stores: HomeGoods, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. After window shopping and picking up some small items, we ended our night with a pizza from our favorite place, Carmela's. Saturday morning, my brother, mom, dad and myself went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast because it was my brot

     It's finally here! Only two more sleeps until I get to go home for Thanksgiving break. You thought I was unmotivated last week? You haven't seen anything yet. This week is already shortened for me since I don't have class on Friday, but I still seem to have no desire to do any of my work. I have multiple projects going on right now, my capstone and lots of papers coming due. While I have good time management skills, it's still important to take some time for yourself to relax a bit and give your brain a break. The problem I have is getting back to work once I've had my break.     One way I've tried to stick to working on all my projects is by not changing into comfy clothes when I get home. Once I change, I am in a mindset where the day is done and I don't have any more work for the night, when it's not often the case. I have also been staying longer at work to encourage me to work on homework. For the most part, my job consists of making social med

     Many people face "post break blues", feeling sad and unmotivated after a long break. I'm the opposite, I face "pre break blues". I've never found myself being so unmotivated and in a funk than I've been this past week. With papers pilling up, new assignments being given and trying to find time to just relax, I find myself falling more and more into this funk. I try different tactics to help keep myself on track, but some don't work so well.     The first thing I always do when I start to feel overwhelmed and unmotivated is text my mom. She always knows what to say to help change my mindset. This was not the case this time around. I told her how I was feeling very unmotivated and overwhelmed, her response "Me too". So rather than being my supportive cheerleader, motivating me to do my best, we both got hit with the funk. My next option was cleaning. I always tell myself one's room is a reflection of how their life is currently going

     This week is Zeta Week! Zeta Week is held the week of initiation for our new members. Each day, the new members have breakfast with the different pledge classes as a way to get to mingle and know one another better. It's crazy to think this could potentially be my last Zeta Week. Last year for Zeta Week, my little was being initiated so it was super fun getting to be alongside her.       This year my little, Abbi, got a little, Riley. Our fam may be small, but we sure are mighty. Everyone always tells us how we all are so much alike and it was as if we were meant to be put together. As the grand big, I'm the old lady. It's super fun to see the relationship Abbi has formed with Riley because it reminds me of how Abbi and I were. One day this week is dedicated to your Zeta fam. Since none of us are morning people, we've decided to go out to dinner instead. This will be the first time we've all gone somewhere just the three of us. While it's sad I won't ha

     I've never been one to actually workout. All my life, I've been involved with athletics, whether it be basketball, volleyball or cheer, I was always active growing up. Once sports started to get more serious, I decided to stick with volleyball during my time in high school. With summer conditioning, open gym and summer leagues, it's fair to say I was in great shape for my age. Come senior year, I injured my back while playing and was told to stop playing in order for it to heal properly. Deciding to stop playing was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, but I knew if I wanted to continue being active at all I should listen to the doctors and put a pause on my activities. Since then, I tried to stay active in a variety of ways, from walking around campus to running in the gym. It wasn't until this past year that I started to really dedicate myself to the gym.     I was going through a pretty rough breakup and fell out of love with myself. I really didn't l

     It's crazy to think the semester is almost over and my final semester of college is right around the corner. If I could, I would never leave my little "college bubble" I've been living in. I love having the structure of school in my life, but also the freedom of hanging out with my friends, going home during breaks or even just going to the gym for free. It's scary to think in just a few months, I won't have some of these things. I've always pushed off thinking about my next step after I graduate because "it's so far away", well "far away" is almost here, so I have to put my thinking cap on and get to work.     The degree I will have once I graduate will be a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with my focus in marketing and concentrations in social media and management. Ideally, after I graduate, I would like to pursue a career as a social media marketing coordinator. I've always been a very creative person, th