The End

This I Believe

It’s funny how you don’t notice you’re doing something negative to a group of people until you’re placed in that individual’s shoes. At least I thought it was amusing how terrible I acted towards retail workers until I myself worked in retail. This is why I believe everyone should work at a retail store at least once in his or her lives.

Retail is not what many would consider a good job. The hours, the pay, the customers, nothing really sounds pleasing about it. Nevertheless, someone needs to do it. I was a junior in high school when I realized many jobs that I would consider ideal didn’t want a young high school kid work for them, which is when I decided to move to either retail or a restaurant. I chose retail, Old Navy to be specific. I did not know what I was in for.

When I look back now I think of how ignorant and naïve I was before I worked in retail. I would have never considered myself a bad customer; I didn’t hide things like many do when they decided they no longer wanted it, I didn’t throw clothes on the floor, or even have a negative attitude towards the employees. Yet many things that I did I now consider rude. For example, I always got frustrated when the employees took forever to ring my items up or when they didn’t seem to know what they were doing. The truth is, it takes a lot of time and practice to fully understand the whole process. Working in retail really proved to me that I should be patient and understanding towards employees because they really do have a hard job and many of those individuals are doing the best they can.

I also realized how a nice smile or a nice comment could really make an employees day. I know when I was working on the cash registers, it always made me feel better and want to give people better service when customers were pleasant to work with. Just a simple how are you today or nice small talk is nice. It’s all of the rude and impatient customers that make individuals such as myself not want to give good customer service or even want to work in retail at all.

Although I no longer work at Old Navy, I am grateful for the experience. I now fold every shirt I pick up, am courteous and respectful towards the employees and remind myself when I am rushing to just be patient.


Last post, have a nice day.
Kendell

College Snow Day

My first college snow day was yesterday which was quite exciting. Although I really saw the difference between the different snow day years. As I spent the day shoveling and doing homework I remembered back to a simpler time. Elementary school snow days were spent outside playing in the snow and my mom making hot chocolate for me and my friends. Middle school snow days were spent trying to get out of the house and away from the parents, only wanting to hang out with my friends. High school was spent staying inside and cuddling up with a nice movie or going outside and driving dangerously in the snow. It's funny how the time changes things, or age I suppose. Either way, I have had enough snow. It's one thing to have to shovel my own sidewalk but also I found out that no one shovels or plows our alley so it was an adventure all in itself just to get out onto the street. Hm, what did I get myself into with this whole shoveling thing? Maybe next year I will be moving into an apartment rather than a duplex.

Speaking of snow and streets, some people really need to learn how to drive in the snow. I personally am just scared to drive not because of the dangerous road conditions but to all the people who do not know what they're doing. It's quite simple really.. just drive slow, don't make any sudden motions and don't over worry. Also, snow tires does a lot. My friend was extremely stuck in the snow because of the no snow tires. It really does wonders.

I cannot wait for Christmas! Family, friends, freedom will just be lovely. Plus I will be able to work more so I won't be feeling so crunched for money which is always a good feeling. I'm also very excited for my next semester classes, I hope they work out. I was planning on taking less credits for the upcoming semester but somehow it didn't really work like that. Hopefully I will be able to handle it.

Well, until next time,
Kendell

Change is never easy.
You fight to hold on.
You fight to let go.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (without me having to shovel)

It's officially December, where did November go? It was just the other day where I was saying it's officially November, where did October go? Oh well, time flies by when you're having fun I suppose. The days have been going very smoothly lately. School, work, friends.. everything has just been going really well. Minus my two weeks of terrible bad luck. Within these weeks I lost numerous things, ran into countless items, and been more up and down than I have been in a very long while. The two worst things that I did included losing my key drive and losing my car keys. My key drive that had all of my Graphic Design stuff on it and a number of other general class stuff. Of course I don't back up my stuff on my laptop either, oh well, live and learn. I now save all of my stuff and back it up. Although it is my fault of leaving it in a classroom, I still can't believe someone would just take it. They must have, that's the only way it makes sense. I checked all the lost and founds in the school and also gave them my number in case they found it then I checked the classroom that I left it in and checked with the teacher in the class after. Ludicrous! Oh well, I'm over it.. although I will have to redo all of my projects and assignments from previous classes for my portfolio.. but I'm not going to think about that for now.

The first snow fall happened today, at least the snow fall that has stuck. On one hand, I love snow. It's so beautiful and just the feel of bundling up in mittens, coat, and hat is truly amazing. Also cappuccino drinking, Christmas time, Rotary lights, etc. My absolute favorite though, I have to admit, is taking walks with people in the snow. (:

Thanksgiving was overall a success. This year I went to Michigan to have Thanksgiving at my uncles, this means that I not only got to have Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family but also my uncles girlfriends family. This includes four cute kids that I got to watch for most of the day. Food and family, what a great combination. Although the days after seemed to go by very slowly after the kids and my cousin and aunt left. Also, not much Black Friday shopping was done which I was kind of upset about, but oh well.

P.s. The semester is almost over! I know exactly what I need to do each day until the last day, crazy!

Until next time,
Kendell

It's cold and snow's actually on the ground of this no-snow town
And instead of cars, the street's trafficking in sleds
Men become boys again
And there's a war on the corner with no guaranteed winner
It's just a snow fall of snow balls, evidence of the winter
And I can feel my hands again
We're almost home
Hooray! - Minus the Bear

I once had a grip on everything it feels better to let go..

Alright, I am hoping that my "bad luck" streak is now over with starting today, I really hope I didn't jinx myself. For the past two weeks it seems like every little thing that could go wrong does. From the littlest things like waiting a long period of time to go to a class to forgetting my key drive in a class. I'm still a little frantic over me losing my key drive, I understand it's my fault that it happened but wouldn't someone turn it in? Especially seeing how much stuff is on it, all of my Graphic Design work for classes was on it and of course I didn't save it anywhere else. I learned my lesson. It sucks how lessons learned are usually learned the hard way. On that key drive, I also had my 4 page research paper that I had been working on for the past two weeks as long as all the notes I wrote. That wasn't fun. But I lived through it so far, the research paper has now been rewrote and some of my Graphic Design work has been remade. Now I'm just going to have to redo the rest so I can put it in my portfolio. That's not going to be fun.

I got another parking ticket also, I could have sworn I was far enough away from my first parking spot. I was also confused because it was on opposite sides of the day, once at 8:00AM and the other at 2:35PM. That's just silly to me, I guess I can't really fight it.

New Moon comes out tonight and midnight and I am very sad to say I will not be attending. My procrastination got the best of me once again and soon enough it was sold out. Not to worry, I will see it soon I can guarantee that. I have been subconsciously saving up and not going to many movies just so I wouldn't feel bad about spending a bit more on this movie. It better be worth it.

Four more weeks and I will be done with my first semester of college, scary! It's going by so fast!

Oh well, until next time..
Kendell

"Life is about getting up out of your chair and doing something.
It is about doing nothing. Making a mess. Moving your hand
and your body. Leaving a mark. It is about doing. Action. Finishing.
Experimenting. Trying something. Immersing. It is about absurdity.
A creation. Evidence that you exist. Using materials. Destruction. It is
about fun. Doing the opposite. Breaking the rules. It is about ideas. Getting dirty.
Making mistakes. I'm going to ask you to make a mark and it's going to be messy.
Don't worry about that, that's the point."

so why don't we go somewhere only we know?

I've been really feeling the need to get a new car lately, I went through the "crappy car" stage for my first car and I think it's about time to get past that. I wouldn't even really call my car crappy, it typically runs really well because my dad is pretty much my own mechanic yet it is a Ford Probe. Seafoam green at that. Pastel green. I hate it when kids right away when they get their licenses get nice, expensive cars. Not that I'm complaining, my parents paid for half of my car and I'm really thankful for that. The cars I would choose are nothing spectacular, either a Jetta or Cobalt, preferably blue or silver and two door. Now all I have to do is become financially stable so I can actually do this. I would also like to own subwoofers and have those cool lights that are on the inside of your car, but now I'm getting carried away.

I'm starting to feel the distance between myself and some of my friends that went away for college. I finally went up to visit my good friend at her college the other day and it was fun just to catch up again. I hate knowing that most likely all of my friends and I are eventually going to drift apart. Of course there will be the "reunions" and what-not but it will probably never be the same. I am grateful that I didn't move away right away and a lot of my friends are still here but even now it's hard to keep up with everyone with school and work and what-not. I plan on moving away for my career at some point also so obviously it's going to be hard with that also. Oh well, I just don't want to worry about it right now.

This weather change was quite unexpected. I even had to bust out my flip flops again and wear them, I finally got over the fact that I wouldn't be able to wear them anymore! Uhh, now I have to go through that process again, ha. Oh well, it was nice to feel the warmth again, I know it will be a long winter again this year. I think I will feel it even more this year because at my house, we have to shovel the sidewalks. Also, I will have to wake up earlier to scrape and brush the snow off of my car. Don't want to think about it again, I'm just hoping that winter will take its time in starting.

Otherwise life has been going very smoothly. Until next time,
Kendell

Make one person
HAPPY
each day -
even if it's yourself.

Oh another week, another ramble.

I can't believe it's already November. Especially considering this means that I only have about six more weeks until I'm officially done with my first semester of college, that's such a crazy thought. By this rate it's going to be just tomorrow that I will be graduating from TC and moving out into the world, whether that means a four year college or to be thrown into the work force although I do not know which one yet. At the moment I wouldn't consider myself the best worker. I mean, I go in and do the hours but most of the time it's very reluctantly. I basically just go in to do my time as painlessly as possible to get the money and leave. This is another reason I can't wait to be in the Graphic Design industry, I will be doing stuff I love and being creative all day. Of course, half the time I will get annoying customers and not end up doing the stuff I want but still. Also, the business' I have visited all seem to have a very laid back, professional, and fun atmosphere filled with interesting characters. Speaking of which I went on the first Graphics Design Club trip to Minneapolis this past Tuesday and it was a lot of fun. We went to three business' and they talked about a number of important things we as Graphic Designers would need to know. I liked a lot of things about each of the business' we visited. At the first business called 'TMM' I really liked how they were very put together and professional, you could tell that they knew what they were doing. At the second business we went to called 'Puny' I liked pretty much everything about it. I loved the gallery feeling atmosphere and all around just laid back. As we were walking around and seeing what each designer was working on, you could tell how talented they were. They also looked like they had a lot of fun doing what they do. At the third business 'Big Time Attic' they were pretty much comic book illustrators which was really awesome to see. I could tell how much they loved what they do and how much fun they had. Overall, it was a great trip and I'm really looking forward to the next.

Halloween was a success. Many of my friends had gone to Madison and the cities for Halloween but I decided against it. Instead, me and my roommate decided to compile the remaining friends that were in town and have a little get together. I wasn't really planning to do much or even dress up so it was interesting throwing together a costume, ha.

A few pictures from Minneapolis and Halloween:

Money can't buy happiness.
But it can buy marshmallows,
which are kinda the same thing.

Ha, until next time,
Kendell

Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed

The usual rambles begin..

I received some news the other day that made me very happy. This Thanksgiving I will be going to my grandparents in Michigan and during this time we will also be celebrating Christmas since we won't be going there this year. This year for Christmas I'm going to be extremely sad that I won't be able to get anyone presents pretty much considering I'm a poor college student. I guess I'm lucky though because I have the creativity to make something and call it a present, I guess those are the presents that mean the most anyway. To drive to Michigan it's a long 12-15 hour drive that is mostly annoying and time consuming, although I really like it at the same time. It gives me the chance to finally sit and relax for a bit. I end up drawing, listening to music, reading and catching up on sleep (I love sleeping in cars!). This year I am really excited too because since I have a laptop I will be able to mess around with Illustrator and InDesign for finally get some of these designs out of my head. I also love driving through different towns and seeing the different atmospheres and people in them.

I have always wished that my mom's side of the family lived closer, I pretty much only see them one to two times a year and it's really not enough. This past year before I graduated and my family came into town, my grandma had a mild stroke. It was so hard to see her repeating herself and forgetting conversations we had just moments ago. That's just another of the numerous reasons I want to visit them more often, age is a scary thing.. I don't know when I'm going to use them but the thought already brings tears to my eyes. Especially because I've never been one to deal with death well or even funerals. Most of the time I avoid them all together just so I won't have to deal with the pain. I am very fortunate to still have all of my grandparents, well, not technically. I never met my actual grandma and grandpa on my dad's side. His mom died around the time he was seven from lung cancer and so did his dad a couple of years later. Before he died, he remarried and this is who I now know as my grandma since my birth.. and when he died she also remarried and this is now who I call my grandpa. Kind of a weird scenario there. My blood grandpa died right before my dads birthday, I can't even imagine the hurt he felt. He's such a strong person and I am so grateful to have him in my life. I wish I could have met my actual grandma and grandpa though, my dad has always said that I would have loved them and we would have had a lot in common.

I have a feeling this years Halloween is going to be really lame. There's pretty much nothing to do other than follow the number of people who are going to Madison and the cities.. which I would rather not do. I guess it doesn't even matter, I don't have a costume nor have any ideas for one. I will probably just end up hanging out with a few friends like every other year.

Everything in life has still been going well, I have no complaints at all.

Until next time,
Kendell

Don't wish me happiness, I don't expect
to be happy all the time.. it has gotten beyond that
somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a
sense of humor. I will need them all.
-Anne Morrow LIndbergh

Trust Life A Little Bit

The sunset was extremely gorgeous the other night, taken from my parents house - home sweet home. <3

Wow, I really don't have anything to write about again this week. More rambles!

I know I have talked about my classes a number of times but I am going to be talking a little bit more. I am really happy with the Graphic Design classes I have been taking and learning about different programs. I love learning about the cool things I can do in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, it makes me really look forward to future classes that I get to take. I think I am going to take less classes next term though but still remain a full time student. I am also very excited to be in the Graphics Design Club too, we are going on a field trip soon to Milwaukee to tour agencies. Should be fun.

So I finally did it, I quit Old Navy. I have been working there for about a year and a half and enough was enough. It's right in time too, working during Thanksgiving and Christmas is ridiculous in retail. People are so rude and inconsiderate during that time of the year even though it seems like it should be the complete opposite. It always makes me so mad how Thanksgiving and Christmas became such commercial holidays. It lost it's true meaning completely. Anyways, off the subject. I think quitting is one of my least favorite things to do, the employer always looks so disappointed. Plus, I'm really bad at saying that I am quitting so I probably sound very indecisive like I don't even know if I should or not. I guess I just hate letting people down and disappointing them. This time was much better than the first job I quit, I worked at Hobby Lobby for barely six months and completely hated it. The only reason I stayed so long was because my mom kept telling me to work it out and stick through it. Anyway, I am very happy with this decision. I really want to find another job though, I was thinking maybe bartending. They make such good money and I think it would be fun and fast paced. Although I would never be able to work in an actual bar, I would have to work some nicer restaurant. We'll see what happens. I'm not in a rush to get another job right away, I will be getting a raise from KT in a few months here. (:

I finally saw Zombieland last night and it was hilarious although maybe a bit too gorey for my taste but that's alright. I love that actor Jesse Eisenberg. I have always found theaters to be an amusing place to be. It's interesting to see the different groups of people all paying an extremely large amount to see a movie that may or may not be good. I also love the previews, I don't know why. My least favorite part about movies are the awkward silences in between the previews, little middle schoolers being obnoxious, and the uncomfortable seats. Come to think about it, I can't believe I spent $8.75 to go see a movie when I can just see it in a few weeks for $1.06 at the RedBox. Stupid me.

Anyway, this is it for now, until next time.
Kendell

"Though my soul may set in darkness,
it will rise in perfect light, I have loved
the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
-Sarah Williams

P.s. me and a friend of mine finally ventured to Sonic the other day and it was amazing. I always hated that they played commercials and we really don't have one near enough to just go to and it always looked so good. (:

P.s.s. Finally got a nice enough day that didn't consist of work to go take pictures of the beautiful fall season. More to come!

A Fortunate Accident

(http://www.joejennings.com/slide163.htm)

It's weird to think of where I am going to end up. What job will I have? Where will I live? Who will I meet? It's weird to think about but it kind of seems like everything in life just falls into place. Take for example my major, Graphic Design. I had always loved drawing, being creative, and learning more about art. Although when I was in Middle School and we had to write an autobiography about our lives, one of the questions were "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I knew I liked art and wanted to do something with that but what? It would be extremely hard to be a professional artist but what kind of career would I be able to find that would also support my personal life? Speaking of which, I think it's crazy that schools try to make you think about what career you're going to have at such a young age. Aren't you supposed to enjoy your childhood while you can? Anyways, that was off the subject, as I was saying I was trying to find some type of career that could still give me a reasonable amount of money for life. I didn't really think about it until High School and the pressure of figuring out what you're going to be really started to happen. I kind of gave up thinking that I was going to find a job that would support my creative needs and life needs. I was even considering having a Marketing major which would be good financially but definitely not something I would want to do for the rest of my life. That's how funny life is, I joined classes for Marketing including Marketing Management, Accounting, and Internship and that is how I realized that I wanted to become a Graphic Designer. I was really hesitant going into my Internship class, in fact, I was kind of forced into it. I didn't enjoy Marketing or Accounting so why would I like Internship? We were trying to figure out what company we should Intern for and I couldn't think of anything. My teacher was a great help, she realized that I loved art yet so suggested I look into Graphic Design. It's sad but I really didn't think Graphic Design was for me when I first thought about it but I couldn't think of anything else so I just decided to just to see what would happen. I ended up going to a company called The Idea Center and interned under a woman named Beth. It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences in my life. It turns out it was everything that I wanted in life. Graphic Design gives me the creative aspect of my life incorporated into a financially stable job setting. I have started to take classes for this and am extremely happy with my little stumble into the career. It's funny how life works out like that. I've never really been a believer in the little saying "everything happens for a reason" but I'm thinking it may be true.

That reminds me of the movie Serendipity (amazing movie). The whole quote that the movie goes off of is "a fortunate accident." It's weird to think about destiny and fate, I can't tell if I really believe that kind of stuff or not..

On another note, I have a feeling I am going to be very miserable this winter. Ever since I have gotten my license, I have had a garage to put my car in. Now that I'm living on my own I do not. So the other morning when we had our little portion of snow come our way, there was a nice layer of frost on my windshield. Not only will the car thing not be pleasant but also our landowner deducted $50 for our rent a month if we took up on lawn care. So we have to mow the law, trim the bushes, and now since the snow is coming shovel the sidewalks. I didn't realize how much of a hassle shoveling is going to be now that it seems to be coming in the near future. Especially because we will have to shovel not only our little sidewalk but also our "duplex-roommates" sidewalks. That should be very interesting.

Well, that's all for now. Until next time,
Kendell

"Not all who wander get lost."

Dream With Your Eyes Open

(pixdaus.com 117634)

This week I have been doing a lot better with waking up, didn't miss any classes! Go me. I think my problem is being such an insomniac at night. Even if I try to go to sleep at a decent time, I end up sitting there thinking and doodling all night. I have to say I really love having windows in my room so I can look out at night. In my parents house, I pretty much always had my bedroom in the basement. When I looked out the window I saw metal, if I wanted to see any form of the outside world I had to turn my head at a weird angle and look up. I miss my old room though, I figured out that while renting a duplex, one of my least favorite things is not being able to have the freedom to paint the walls whatever color I want. It's even worse because the original colors my landlord chose happens to be a gross light brown color and almost a peachy tan color. At my parents house I had a lot of painting freedom. I think within the last three years I lived there I must have painted my room about five times. I even was able to paint a mural-type thing all along the main wall. I'm the type of girl who needs change, to keep things interesting. That's why I have had a number of different hair colors, clothing styles, music tastes, etc. I guess I'm kind of all over the place. I just realized my rambles started at my insomnia and progressed towards my randomness somehow, ha.

Speaking of things I don't like about renting already, I have been thinking of other things. We have a side door that seems to always have something wrong with it. When we first moved in it slammed ridiculously loud, every time someone walked into our house we had to make sure they eased the door shut so we wouldn't upset the neighbors. After our friend fixed that our screen door decided that it wanted to be completely separated from the actual door frame. At this point we should have told our landlord just to replace the entire door considering this isn't the end of the problems with this door. Next, the inside door latch decided to fall off and within the next few days the outside latch came off the hinges. Yesterday, my roommate and I were walking up to our door when we realized it was completely opened. We knew that the door didn't completely close anyway so we just figured it was the wind that blew it open. Instead we realized that the entire "hydrolic" "swingy part" (sorry, I don't know the correct term) of the door completely detached itself from the door. This is nothing compared to our first Xcel bill though, it was somewhere around $120. This was in the summer and we had only turned on the air once, our bill was worse than my parents house! Uhh, I'm already looking forward to owning my own house someday and it's only my first year of being a renter, ha. Oh well, I realize it was my choice to move out and this is just life.

In other news I have my appointment to go give blood on Saturday. I wonder what happens if I end up fainting or what if I move when they're trying to put the needle in me? What if I have one of those nurses who do it wrong the first time and they have to do it again? I have so many worries about this, I'm afraid I will chicken out.

I guess we are who we are for a lot
of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most
of them. But even if we don't have the
power to choose where we come from, we can still
chose where we go from there.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
*great book

Until next time,
Kendell

P.s. 43 days until the theater premiere of Twilight comes out :)

I don't know what my problem has been lately, it seems as though I have a waking up problem. It used to be really bad in high school, I would have three or four alarm clocks yet still couldn't wake up. That's why I was thankful to have my mother wake me up. Now that I live on my own it's all on me, I thought I had been doing well. Many mornings I even wake up early enough to get other tasks accomplished yet others I just completely zone out and wake up way too late. I think this happens to many individuals, you lay back down for "just five more minutes" and wake up a couple hours later not knowing what happened. I personally go to turn off my alarm clock, change it to a later time knowing that I will fall back asleep, go lay in bed and tell myself, "Okay, after this song/after I count to twenty I will wake up and get ready" just to find myself falling back asleep once again. I personally blame my amazing, new, and extremely comfortable bed I have, ha. I've heard of these alarm clocks that sound pretty crazy. I guess there are multiple settings to this alarm clock such as an option to turn on lights, put a contraption under your mattress so it moves it, and siren sounds. I have been seriously thinking about investing in this although I am hoping that it doesn't get that far. If anyone has any suggestions as to waking up I would greatly appreciate it.

I have a paper that is coming up that seems to be coming to mind quite often these days. It is actually for the same class that I am writing this blog for, Written Communication. The assignment is taking something that makes you uncomfortable and nervous and to not only do this action but write about your feelings and reaction to this action. This quite frankly scares the crap out of me. So I got to thinking, what makes me nervous/anxious or scared? I'm not scared of any type of heights, rodents (although I don't like rodents and I would prefer them not be around me), any type of volunteer work or anything. Then I realized I have the perfect idea - donating blood. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of blood or afraid of needles in any way, shape, or form. Although the thought of MY blood coming out of MY body from a needle scares me half to death. I also hate the thought of veins, they are extremely disgusting. If I think about them too much I cringe and feel very uncomfortable. I have had an IV in my arm and I pretty much passed out, I just don't like the thought of something that's in my body being sucked out of me. I can't handle it. That is why this makes it so difficult, I know this would be the perfect challenge for me but I honestly don't think I can do it. Just the thought sends shivers down my spine. So I don't know what to do, I know that's the whole point of the assignment I just don't know if I can do it. I'm still trying to think of something else but so far there hasn't been anything..

Oktoberfest was quite enjoyable. Although the drunks weren't as amusing as I had thought they would be, in fact, they were the opposite. I saw people laying on the ground attempting to text people while crying when it was only 1:00, a girl body slamming a car multiple times for who know what reason, and people falling all over the place. Living in the area isn't fun either considering if I wanted to drive somewhere I had to watch out for the drunks who liked to sit in the road talking to people. Oh well, I still had fun.

I feel bad talking about the weather again but I just can't help it - I love it. I love bundling up in sweatshirts and blankets and the brisk cool of the wind. I love being able to start the oven in the house without feeling like I am in a sauna. Yesterday was perfect, sunny and cool, the perfect combination. Today, on the other hand, isn't so nice. Don't get me wrong, I still love this rainy cool weather also but tonight is the Torchlight parade and I would rather not sit there in the rain and cold. Especially considering the Torchlight parade is my favorite parade I would really not like to miss it. Another flaw about the weather lately is the windy part, it seems to be knocking off all of the leaves from the trees even when they haven't changed colors yet! So sad.

Well, this is what has been happening in my life lately, have a nice day. :)

Kendell

Do you remember what you told me once?
That every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.
-Vanilla Sky

P.s. I have been searching for a good book to read, does anyone have any suggestions?

Blah, Blah, Blah

I can't believe the parking situation by campus. I actually am within walking distance of the school and that's how I typically get to class but the other day when it was raining I didn't have the option. I guess I should invest in an umbrella one of these days, ha. I don't know how people drive to school everyday though, I felt like I had to go so much earlier than usual just because I get worried that I won't get a parking spot. Thankfully I had my 8:00 class that day and found a parking spot easily but it was in a two-hour parking spot. As I was sitting in class I was seriously contemplating just not even moving and keeping my nice parking spot and just paying the ticket. As I came into reality I remembered I was low on money and maybe it wouldn't be that hard to find a parking spot.. I was wrong. I only had ten minutes in between class and it's seriously insane trying to find a parking spot but I finally I found one a half a block up from where I had parked in the first place. As I got out of class I was surprised to see a sopping wet lime green parking ticket on my windshield. Nice to know that they don't care if you've moved up the block but if you're on the same street you'll still get a ticket. This I find quite ridiculous, it is a campus and our school is already short on parking, why would you make streets that aren't even residential on a time limit? I'm extremely tempted to go and fight the ticket.. although it is just $12 and I know I would lose. I think the school needs to be doing something about this too, it's unfair that students, even ones with parking passes, need to fight to get a parking spot. I understand that we're a growing school and everything but still. Sad to say that this is the most exciting my life has been lately.

Oh wait, Oktoberfest is coming up! I always love going to the parade or just the fest grounds to see all the drunken idiots dancing around singing "e-i-e-i-e-i-o." Ha, it doesn't feel like it should be happening yet, it feels like just yesterday it was summer although the weather doesn't seem to be very fall-like. I have a feeling we won't get much of fall and it will just turn right to winter. I will be attempting to go snowboarding again this winter and I don't know if it's something I should be looking forward to or something I should be physically scared of, ha. I have never broken a bone and the thought of being strapped down kind of scares me, especially because my friend broke his broke his leg last year. I guess I'll just have to see what happens once it starts snowing.

School has still been going pretty well, getting busier and busier as time is going by but I kind of guessed that would happen. I'm actually kind of frustrated right now with my Adobe Illustrator class because I can't seem to get a hang of the layering too, I mean I understand how to do it I just don't know how to make it look right. I am looking forward to joining the Graphics Club though.

Movies I am very impatiently waiting to come out on DVD so I can rent them for only $1.06 instead of paying a whole $8.75 to see in theaters (which is so ridiculous).



Well, that's exciting as it gets for now, have a nice day.

Kendell

"What lies before us and what lies behind us
are nothing compared to what lies within us. "

P.s. I love, love, love The Office and I'm very excited for the new season!
Jim and Pam are my favorite <3

Whatever Tomorrow Brings

I feel like I've been under a lot of pressure lately, I haven't yet found a good balance between school, work, and still being able to have a social life. At this point, school comes first.. but I am already starting to feel overwhelmed with the lack of money I have. Obviously since I am a full time student I am not able to work as much as I'm used to and I dislike it. They say money can't buy happiness but I almost disagree. It would be lovely to not have to worry about working as much as possible just to keep up with bills and maybe go on vacation once in a while. I guess this is the life that my parents have been warning me about.. reality. I hope I will be able to keep my head above the water. Last weekend I finally got a break and went to Valleyfair and honestly it was a trip long overdue. I had so much fun just being able to relax and have fun with some amazing people, plus I love rollercoasters. Here's another factor where money would be nice, as I mentioned before I want to travel but unfortunately that means having money. I have an opportunity to go to both Las Vegas and Mexico within the next few months yet I won't be able to because I won't have the money to do so. -sigh- Oh well, I guess that's life.

Speaking of upcoming months I am definitely excited about fall and winter. I find fall to be the most beautiful season of them all and I can't wait to be able to take a walk and just take pictures. There's just something about the crisp leaves and colors that just makes me feel happy. Winter should be interesting as well, I'm supposed to go snowboarding again this winter which should be an adventure in itself.

Of course nothing that I have written about means anything in comparison to the losses in Holmen that have been occurring lately. Within the past few years Holmen has lost a number of truly amazing people including Sarah, Tyler, Conor, Nate, Kimmy, Corey, Mark, and now Rachel. Yesterday was a tough day for me, although I had only talked to Rachel a couple times it rushed back thoughts of Kimmy and how a similar tragedy happened merely two years ago. The thought of death just scares me period and although death at all ages is terrible, it saddens me to see people that haven't even started their lives die at such a young age. The first person that had died that I was close to was an amazing guy named Conor, he had such an amazing outlook on life and it was forwarded to everyone he talked to. I couldn't go to his funeral, I couldn't accept that he was never coming back. When Kimmy died I brought myself to her wake and it killed me. I now avoid funerals and death whenever possible, I just can't handle it. My dad warns me that these are the years that I should be most worried about death, but it's just not fair. This fact also worries me because it seems as though all the graduating grades around me have lost someone.. except our grade. We cut it close when a boy named Chad got in a tragic accident but thankfully is doing a lot better now after months of being hospitalized. Who will the first person to die? Will I be close to them? Will I regret not being friends with them? These are the thoughts that could drive me crazy. One thing I am reminded of every time a death occurs is to live my life to the fullest, be nice to everyone, and don't regret a single day. You all are missed very much and you're always in my thoughts. <3

Until next time,
Kendell

"Don't ask what the meaning of life is - you define it."

A New Leaf

Hello, this is my first blog post and as I'm sure it is common for many first timers, I have no idea what to write about. I suppose in this post I will just tell you the most basic things about myself. My name is Kendell and I am eighteen years young, which means I am currently enrolled in my first year of college at Western Technical College. Although I am doing this blog for a class called Written Communication I am planning on majoring in Graphic Design. I enjoy various things including art, photography, traveling, music and of course hanging out with friends.

I am an only child and although I am now very close with my parents, it wasn't always like that. Now I respect and appreciate them both very much. Now that I'm living on my own I have truly have seen how much they have done for me throughout the years and how much easier it was living at home. I miss it and the comfort of home but I feel very excited to live on my own. I live with two girls named Whitney and Amanda, one my co-worker the other my best friend. We moved in mid July and have had a number of ups and downs so far. I knew living on my own and with other people was going to be difficult but I guess I didn't really expect it to be this difficult, ha. I'm sure I'll be writing more about individual "adventures" as time goes on.

A huge part of my life includes my best friends, I have a group of friends that have been there for me from the very start. Their names are Amanda, Leah, and Lynnsey. I met them all through school and it must have been since about 7th or 8th grade that we have been best friends. We are all small town girls, coming from Holmen, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Of course there have been the fights, the boys that split us apart, and just growing apart but even to this day I can still call them my best friends. I can't imagine life without them and to be quite honest I don't think I'd like to even try.

Ha, this is our "traditional" pose, ever since seventh grade before a dance we have been taking this picture.

Traveling around the world is something that I'm striving to do. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to finally go to Florida last year which was amazing. I love going to towns and seeing the different people and different all around feeling of that particular spot. I want to see new things and challenge myself to new and exciting experiences. If I had the choice to go anywhere in the world right now, no questions asked, I would choose either London or Los Angeles. Of course it would be nice to have money at that point, I hope someday I will be able to have enough money and time to be able to do everything I want to do.

One of the most exciting things that has happened to me lately is starting college. A new leaf, a new life, a new beginning. For me, I'm extremely excited and am fully welcoming college with open arms, I've been done with high school since Freshmen year to be honest. It is technically the second week of classes and everything has been going very well so far. It's really nice to finally be able to take classes that actually apply to my interests and degree, of course there are going to be general classes that I will be taking also but I'm sure those will be very beneficial as well. My Graphic Design classes include Adobe Illustrator, Publication Design, Drawing and Design Fundamentals.



Well, this is a little about myself. Until next time.

Kendell

"Laugh when you can, apologize when you
should and let go of what you can't change."