Graduate

It has finally happened. I am officially an alumni of the University of South Alabama with a bachelor of science in meteorology and a minor in mathematics and it feels great!!

So what am I doing now? Not much. I am currently writing this blog post on my bed in the middle of my room. I moved back home for a while and currently looking for a job. I have applied to several places around the nation with the National Weather Service, including Hawaii and Key West, FL. Until I find a meteorology job, I need to find a regular job to get some income, so I have also been applying to odd-jobs including Best Buy, Lifeway, Walgreens, and Bi-Lo. Haven't heard anything from either job. So the search continues after Christmas!

On a more "nappy" sentimental note....

I miss my friends in Alabama like crazy! Don't get me wrong, it is nice to come home but I spent 3 1/2 years with those people non-stop and then all of a sudden it was cut short. The last week down there was absolutely emotional, especially Friday through Sunday. I spent as much time with my friends down there as much as possible. Saturday night I hung out with some of my closest friends (minus a few) for the last time before I left and we watched "The Smurfs" and just talked. I ended up spending the night at Micah's as it was almost 3:00 AM when everyone left hahaha. Sunday morning I left Micah's house and continued to pack and move out.

Yeah I'm going to miss all of them! I am already working on a trip to come back, most likely around February/March time.

Also if you live in Alabama and are reading this....you are more than welcome to come visit South Carolina any time!!!

Let It Begin!

It comes down to this....one week left in Mobile! Graduation is this Saturday and it is going to be crazy!

I am planning every possible moment that I have to spending time with my friends before I leave. Going to be honest here for a moment....I seem calm and collected on the outside, but inside I am freaking out! I am stressed, and distraught over leaving Mobile. I have spent the past 3 1/2 years down here building relationships and I am afraid that they are going to fall apart, even though deep down I know that they are not going to.

Back to graduation, I have one hectic schedule this week, but I am going to find joy in every single moment of it. Here is a breakdown:

Monday

8:00 AM - Go into work
12:00 PM - Get off of work
1:00 PM - start studying
7:00 PM (ish) - Go to BCM study break
8:30 PM (ish) - Back to studying

Tuesday

8:00 AM (ish) - Wake up and start studying
ALL DAY - studying/packing
7:00 PM (ish) - Softgoods Cookout
9:30 PM (ish) - Back to studying

Wednesday (the most hectic day)
8:00 AM - Meteorology Radar Final
10:30 AM - Differential Equations Fiinal
1:00 PM - Go into work
5:00 PM - Get off of work
TBA - Softgoods Christmas Party/Graduation Party

Thursday
TBA - Graduation Photos with Miranda
ALL DAY - Packing and hanging out with friends

Friday
TBA - Breakfast with Fatty (Jaclyn)
12:00 PM - Family Arrives

• Visit the bookstore so Mom can meet Boss
• Campus Tour
• Lunch at Wintzell's Oyster House
• More Mobile activities

Saturday
12:00 PM - Arrive to Graduation
1:00 PM - Line up for Graduation
2:00 PM - Ceremony starts
4:00 PM (ish) - Ceremony Ends
4: 30 PM - Department Photos/Family Photos
5:00 - 5:30 PM - Arrive to Golden Corral for graduation dinner
6:30 - 7:00 PM - Say bye to friends
7:00 PM (ish) - Go to Bellingrath Gardens
LATER - Visit with some friends for the last time

Sunday
11:00 PM - Check out of dorm
11:30 PM - Leave MOB and head to CHS
5:00 PM (ish) - Arrive to ATL to stay the night

Monday
Arrive to CHS as a meteorologist.

Yep......crazy week! Let it begin!

Another Boring Night

Monday night was extremely boring. Nobody was free to do anything so I sat around and watched TV. I feel like I have been in prison in my room due to the fact that I don't have a car at the moment. So I planned an event tonight (Wed) with some of the bookstore employees. Those plans fell through.

What gets me is the person who was hosting it, I considered a good....possibly best friend.....decided to cancel the whole thing and even through I was the only one still coming. First of all I haven't hung out with me in almost two weeks and we could have still hung out. Rent a movie or something. What makes me really aggravated is that he text me and said that he was going to his girlfriend's house. Wow......................................................got ditched for the girlfriend. To be honest, made me pretty upset. So now I am once again stranded in this prison with nothing to do.

This is not how I was wanting to spend my few weeks in Mobile......stuck in a 4-sided cement prison.

Car = Freedom

In case you haven't heard by my post on facebook or following me on twitter (@samswindler), my car broke down outside of Atlanta on the way back to Mobile. After waiting minutes for the tow truck and waiting for the mechanic at NAPA to tell us what is wrong with the car, the fuel pump is the problem! The guy said that it was a 3 hour job and they closed in a hour. Meaning that we had to live the car in Atlanta! Yeah.....five hours away. We are scheduled to pick it up Friday afternoon in which my Dad will have to drive me back to Atlanta on his way to Jacksonville (5 hours) and then i have to drive me back (5 hours).

Anybody can do that basic math, that is a total of 10 hours of driving on Friday afternoon starting at 12:00 PM! Yea......so not looking forward to that drive. I just drove 20+ hours over the thanksgiving break and plus I will have to drive by myself. I am currently trying to convince some friends to go up with me so that I can have someone drive back with me. Not looking good so far.

On top of all this I have to depend on people for rides and such before Friday. I am very dependent when it comes to my car and rides to places. I feel like I have to pay them back for giving me rides, even though that is what friends are for....being there when you need it. However that is just me. Also I am going to miss the BCM Christmas party....my last Christmas party and I am going to miss it! Great. Stupid car.........great timing!

3 Weeks!

In exactly 3 weeks from today, I will be graduating from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor of science in meteorology. I have so many mixed emotions.

Happy - Excited - Sad - Scared - Terrified

I am beyond ready to be done with school but I am absolutely not ready to leave my friends down here. I am going to spend the next 3 weeks spending as much time as I can with them before I leave. I can already tell that it is going to get emotional!

ATL Takeover

Last weekend myself and 5 others made a weekend trip to ATL to watch South take on the Georgia State Panthers! We left Friday night and visited a Dwarf Chick-fil-a, one of the original restaurants, and then headed to our hotel for the night. Saturday we visited World of Coca-cola and drank a LOT of sugar! AFter that we ate in the CNN Center and then headed to the game.

At the game we sat by the VIPs of the university including the president (two rows in front of us), public relations guy (row in front of us) and the dean of student affairs....the boss of the bookstore (5 seats down from me on the same row). The only bad thing is that they are so boring and don't cheer much so we didn't get to cheer as much as we wanted to.

The game was alright until the very end. We had :08 seconds left in the game down by 7 and they make it to the end zone and through it in but it go intercepted but there was a flag on the play on the opposing team, so we go the ball back. We throw it in again and score to tie it up with :04 seconds left and the game went into OT. Neither team scored and went into double OT. The panthers scored and we did not so the game ended 27-20.....overall a good game.

After the game we went out to eat and then went to Braden's house to stay the night. We woke up to a great breakfast and then headed home. A great weekend full of great memories!!

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS:

The couch from American Idol!

Colin & Christina about to watch a 4-D movie.

Erika, Brandy, & Braden waiting for the movie to start.

Christina and me getting our free bottles of coke!

Eating at the CNN Center.

Sitting outside CNN Center getting ready to leave ATL.

Let's A Go!

 On Friday the BCM had their annual "Halloween" party and the theme this year was childhood cartoons. Some of the guys at the bookstore decided to dress up as a group and we decided to Mario and company. We had Mario, Luigi, Wario, Daisy, and Yoshi in bag form haha. Other people from the bookstore decided to do things differently and one was the Hulk and the other was Iceman from X-men.

There were many costumes at the party that were great! Probably one of the best "Halloween" parties ever at the BCM, that I have been apart of.

Softgood guys: Mario [me], Luigi [Micah], Wario [Ben], Hulk [Adam], and BJ [Iceman]

Me and "Yoshi," shouldn't it be reversed though??

The Mario Gang with Daisy [Micah's girlfriend]

We all have to dress back up for work tomorrow! Woohoo!!

What A Day....

Today has been one crazy day.

First of all it is homecoming week and so by default, pretty much everyday this week is going to be a crazy day. Today was especially crazy though. It started with my first public speaking speech this morning. It went well....made an 85! Woohoo! Then had an interesting conversation with my Mom and life in general (notice the casual insert of the blog title, oh yeah, that just happened!) and then a conversation with two BCMers while I waited to 10:30 so I could go into work. Ended up talking too much and was late....oops. Worked until 3 in which I came back to my room and ate some lunch.

However my bread had got all soggy and I couldn't make a sandwich.....very weird indeed. So i ate a half can of Pringles, obviously I need to go to Wal-mart. The chips were salt and vinegar flavored, in case you were wondering. Went back to the BCM to work on homework and then finished most of my radar homework. Merge started and we got fed tacos for dinner. YUM!!!

This is when it got crazy. From 9 - now (11:20), my world has gone the opposite direction I thought it was going to go....for now. A girl, who shall remain anonymous came up to me asking me about relationship advice. Totally would not have expected this from this person as our past has been rocky in our own relationships. Nonetheless she came to me and I helped her with a few things. Now I am pretty much setting up group dates for this girl and this guy that I don't really know. Weird right?

Next thing that comes up, is that I am planning an over-night trip to Atlanta to see the Jags play Georgia State. Would not have expected that tonight at all!

Oh man......crazy day indeed!

Friends....

Even though the post below says I am going to write about certain topics, I have changed my mind. I am just going to write about whats going on in my mind as graduation (Dec. 17th) gets closer.

Braden and me watching JAG baseball

The thing on my mind is leaving my friends down here. Over the past 3.5 years I have made some amazing friends down here at South. I have seen some friends lose contact but I know that there is a core group that I will keep up with and they will keep up with me. This core group, I have created several memories with and will cherish those memories throughout my entire life. On December 18th I am going to leave Mobile to head back home and from there I am not sure where I am going to end up. That is going to be a very tough day, leaving my friends down here.

I think it is time for a stroll down memory lane....let's being with sophomore year [freshman year took place in SC at Trident.....BTW I hate Trident]

Fred, Amy, and me dressed up as some of the Scobby gang.

Making new friends started right away when I got here and met my first friend through a facebook post that said, "Craving Cracker Barrel....anybody wanna go?" Braden Cheek chat messaged me and that friendship was born. I met Fred Schmidt (first roommate) and Miranda Hayes at the MET Club welcome week event. I got to know BJ Smith through a bible study for freshman/transfer students called FiSH groups and he was my leader. I met Colin Roeder through the BCM and his first time around me, he said that I ignored him and text people instead....hahaha, what can I say, I was shy. I met Jaclyn Tisdale (Fatty) and Ashley Davis through the MET club and being friends with Miranda. I learned that Carly Nichols had the same birthday as me [June 26] and Amy Cannon dressed up with me and Fred as the Scooby Doo gang. I got to know Jaclyn more through SeCAPS and Miranda and Fred more through a mission trip to NOLA....one of the best mission trips I have been on! Then there was this time Fred, Miranda, Jaclyn, and me all took a trip to Biloxi, MS which then turned into a trip to NOLA....gotta love spontaneous road trips.

Spontaneous trip to NOLA

I met many others at the BCM through various events such as Oozeball (didn't play, just watched), Urban Plunge mission trip to Jacksonville, FL, etc. Some people that met include but excluded to Lauren Walker, Kelley Greathouse, Katie Hepler, Omar Torres, Gillis Jones, and Daniel Wise.

Wow, what a great first year! It just gets better from here....next post will be junior year.

Cheers!!

The other night me and some friends went to cracker barrel for dinner and while we were walking in to be seated, one of them (Christina) pointed out that the restaurant's store sells Cheerwine in 4 pack glass bottles! I was in heaven!

First of all lets stop there.....if you are asking what is Cheerwine then let me tell you! It is one of the best sodas ever created and it started in the Carolinas in 1917 and it is a unique sparkling cherry soda (according to Wikipedia). Now it contains no alcohol or wind, contrary to what the name says. It is VERY exclusive and pretty hard to find unless you are in South Carolina, North Carolina, or Virginia. Before the other night the only place I knew that sold it in Alabama was in Birmingham. So now that we all know what this Cheerwine thing I speak of is....back to the post.

So yeah Cracker Barrel now sells it in their stores and I am very excited. You can buy it in the 4-pack or by the bottle. So most likely I will be getting at least a bottle every time I go!

GO CHEERWINE!!!!

Ready to Settle

I am ready to find that girl that I am going to spend the rest of my life with. I have been thinking about this a lot lately as everybody around is celebrating their two-year anniversary, or getting married, or are just happy together.

It sucks being the single guy and hanging out with a group of couples. No matter who you are and who I am with, there are times that I feel like the 3rd-5th-7th wheel. There are some days that I just need to get away from all the couples as it bugs me at some times.

But anyways back to the original topic. I am about to end one chapter of my life and begin a new one in about two months! I am not sure what is going to happen but it would be nice to have somebody there beside me, going through the next chapter with me, and all of the other chapters to follow.

Needless to say, I am praying, looking, and waiting for that right girl.

Remind me of...

As you become closer to friends, certain things remind you of that person. Here is a list of the things that remind me of certain people....

- Braden Cheek: Sports....anything related to sports, especially football
- Colin Roeder: Bicycles. Obsessed with bicycles....well maybe not obsessed.
- BJ Smith: Batman. Now he is obsessed with Batman.
- Morgan Blankenship: Politics or cockroaches. She is terrified of cockroaches and loves politics.
- Christina Harris: Auburn clothes. She is always wearing a South & Auburn logo at the same time.
- Melissa Snow: Cows. She is always talking about her cows at home!
- Taylor Hamm: Anything involving a peace sign. Such a hippie!
- Jerrod Brown: Cheerwine. Something we both greatly appreciate.
- Rebecca Lawter: Sonics. She loves some sonics and always wants to go there!
- Shanita Grimes: Saw franchise. Loves the saw movies....I call her weird.
- Jaclyn Tisdale: Surfing. She is even has a surfing sticker on her car!
- Fred Schmidt: Pittsburgh Steelers. If you have seen his car, then you will understand.
- Tim Tackett: Golf cart crossing street signs. Better if you ask him about this one.
- Ashley Davis: Alabama football.


If I missed you and you would like to know what reminds me of you, comment below!

Pet Peeves

A lot of things that bother me but there are a few things that drive me crazy...

1. If you are invited to party or had made plans with somebody.....follow the plans. Don't come halfway through and come up with your own plans. First of that is very rude and it is sort of a slap to the face to the person who planned the party. It gives off a vibe that you are not enjoying yourself or that the party is not up to your standards of entertainment. If that is true then deal with it! You are a guest and that person most likely put a lot of planning into that party.

2. I am nobody's secretary. I do not like when people go through me to try to reach somebody else. Drives me crazy. If you can't reach that person then its your problem and not mine. I have to much on my plate to deal with your problems and mine.

3. Favoritism. Can't stand it. I have never been able to stand this. It drives me bananas when I see a person in a leadership positions [church, work, school, etc.] shows favoritism toward a person. They might try to hide it but it is visible in ways you might not see. Trust me, I'm not the only one seeing it and I'm not the only one that is bothered by it.

4. If you burp at the table, you better not blow it on me! That is extremely gross and rude! Trust me, you do not want to do this to me.......I will be quite upset.

That's all I got for now. Might post a second part later.

Until next time....

Spring Semester

In about 2 hours I will be done with Spring semester!

It has been one CRAZY semester! I'm getting closer and closer to graduation and you would think that as you get closer to graduation, the less busy you get.....nope. Anyways, back to this semester...

As with any semester, it has had its highs and lows. I wouldn't say this has been the best semester in my college career but it is also not my worse. Here are a few highlights of the semester:

• Leaving (sort of) the Bookstore. I started to work only athletic events and not in store. This didn't last long as I am returning to the store in June.
• Mardi Gras --> Never been a fan of mardi gras lol
• Washington, DC Mission Trip: One of the most interesting and most rewarding mission trips I have been on.
• Oozeball: It was pretty fun.
• BCM Year-End Video: Colin, Braden, Craig, and me all worked on this video together and had a blast doing it! The video turned out great and was very well received.
• Tornado Outbreak: In case you haven't heard, one of the most deadliest tornado outbreaks occurred in central and northern Alabama in April. It was very devastating but interesting at the same time, from a meteorological view.
• Hanging Out: Just hanging out in general with friends (too many to name)
• Summer Movie: The start of the summer movie season with Thor (saw it twice)
• Disney World: Went to Disney World with the family. Had a great time!
• SeCAPS 2011: Rachael and me did a great job if I say so myself.
  

Yep, overall pretty good semester. Didn't realize how much happened until I listed it. Can't wait for Summer and the memories that are going to be created!

Fun Weekend

This weekend has been one of the best weekends of the semester so far!

Friday our Oozeball team made shirts and then some of us went to Chill. Afterwards I went to Best Buy and the mall to do some shopping. Of course I didn't buy anything because I got no money! Came back and add a big plate of mac n' cheese and then Braden and me went to BK and walmart.

Saturday was Oozeball. Our team (Superheros in Training) lost two games and were eliminated. I stayed out to support another team (Oklahomiez) whose record was 3-2. I got really sunburned!! Saturday night went over to Taylor's place to dye eggs, cook dinner [chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese, and broccoli] and watched Alladin!

Sunday I woke up at about 9:30 and started to do laundry. Did about 4 loads of laundry and then got a shower to head to the Jags baseball game. Jags won! Got more sunburned there [suffering right now because of that] and then went to the mall with Braden. Found out the Disney Store here in Mobile is closing down....sad day. Came back to the room and started on case studies, while listening to Disney tunes. Haven't done as much as I was hoping but it is a start nonetheless.

Yep, pretty good weekend!

After College

Even though I graduate in December, I am already starting to think about what will happen after I graduate college. Where will I work? Where will I go for grad school? Who will keep in touch with me? Who will I keep in touch with?

Not sure why but it hit me pretty hard last night and I lost a lot of sleep because of it. I have to make a lot of decisions in the next 5 months, some pretty tough decisions regarding grad school and jobs. I will be leaving Mobile in December to move back to Charleston for 7 months in which I have to find a job during that time. I will then move again to head to grad school (location still unknown).

I just need to hand it over to God and put it in His hands. I can tell you this though, the next 8 months are going to be rough...

Good times...

I haven't really talked about the funny moments from the DC trip, and believe me when I say that there are tons of them, but I would like to mention just one....my favorite one from the whole trip.

The train ride took roughly 19 hours one way to complete. On the way up there we were not prepared at all! The ride back though we decided to try something. Erin, Savannah, and me thought it would be a good idea to get some Tylenol PM to help us fall asleep. We got some at Union Station and boarded the train at around 6:30 PM. At around 8:30 PM Ainsley asked for some and then everybody started to ask for some. We had 13 people go with us and out of those 13, 7 of us took some of the drugs. Few of us didn't take ours until later but Erin, Ainsley, Morgan, and Zeb took it then. Erin decided she would try to fight it and Ainsley and her were hilarious.

Ainsley suggested that I take video of them, and anybody who knows me, knows that I jumped on that opportunity immediately. So I give you the two videos of them on Tylenol PM...

NOTE: This is raw, unedited video. What you see if the real thing.

Good times....