Thoughts So Far...

I have been home roughly a week, give a day or two and I would like to share some thoughts that I have had...

1. Wow! Goose Creek, SC has been given a huge facelift! The Charleston area expanded I-26 into 4 lanes and it is very nice! It makes traffic flow much easier. I'm not saying that traffic is absolutely wonderful because recently it is all about the Christmas traffic (btw....I cannot stand). The City of Goose Creek has been updated for a new downtown area and it looks very "civilized." Yes, the city of Goose Creek and the surrounding area has changed drastically in the landscape.

2. The cities surrounding Charleston have not only changed in the physicality but the people have changed. This has bugged me the most. All of my friends down have done one of the following: (A) Get married (B) Have kids or (C) Moved away and are only down for Christmas Break. It is weird hanging out with people around my age or younger that have kids and are married. It is hard to relate to them now it is not as fun as it used to be.

3. Something related to #2...the group at church has changed. Most of the people that I hang out with are the people from church and most of them are the people who are married and have kids. The college group at my church is made up of those people and naturally the bible studies are related to marriages and kids stuff. Also many of my closest friends have left the church and are visiting several new churches. I'm going to give Ridge one month and then consider looking for a new church.

4. Can I just say that it is weird to move home after 3 1/2 years of living by yourself?? Well I just did. It is very weird indeed. My living space has been shrunk down to pretty much half of a room. Luckily I have set up my TV and my blu-ray player and the wii in my room. This is my temporary break away from the world and my Mom haha. I'm kind of ready to move out already.....need a job first.

5. Speaking of the job front, I need a job. I am getting a little bored at home just sitting around watching TV. I have applied to many National Weather Service jobs from Hawaii to Key West, FL. No word from those yet. I have also applied to several regular jobs including Best Buy, and Bi-Lo. No word from those either. Prayers would be appreciated on this issue.

Yep those are my initial thoughts on life back in Charleston. I'm sure I'll post more later!

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!!!

T - 4

T - 4 Days and Counting.

It is Tuesday early morning and the countdown to graduation is coming to a close. Things are happening that signal the end...such as eating whats left in the room so I won't have to waste food, or spending as much time with friends as possible. Yes, the end is near. However it is a new beginning. A beginning that I am not sure what brings yet.

I applied to two regular jobs this morning for the CHS & MOB areas. I have found a new way to search for meteorology jobs and hope that is brings more opportunities my way. I continue to pray for God's leadership and wisdom in the coming days as decisions must be made.

I will be done with school completely by Wednesday at 12:30 PM and that will be a glorious time! I am tired of school and doing school work and currently digging deep to find motivation to study for finals...hence why it is 12:45 AM haha. Starting Wednesday at 12:45 PM, a very long party is about to start and will continue through January 1st. This is my mini-vacation from the world in which I will be spending time with friends and family. This includes leaving good friends down and reuniting with some old friends back in Charleston.

Yes, 4 days and counting.

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!

IDC

IDC = I dont care.

As graduation approaches, am I getting this attitude of I don't care any more. I don't care about school and I especially don't care about who I make mad or anything like that. Recently there were some rumors started around the BCM about how I liked a freshman female. First of all I hardly knew this girl and at the time i was not looking to be in a relationship. It really upset me that this rumor was started around the BCM of all places. I expect that from the MET department or the bookstore but not the BCM. This made me not like the BCM that much but I got over it. Now more drama has occurred and at the point where idc.

If you want to cause drama then go ahead. I'm graduating in less than a month and then I will be out of all this stupid drama. I hate drama. The end.

T - 33

Its 6:48 A.M. and I am awake, but I don't have class until 9:05 A.M. Why am I awake? Doing laundry.....one of the disadvantages of the dorm, you have to wait until they are empty which is usually in the morning and early afternoon. So what else do you do at (now) 6:50 A.M.? I obviously blog haha.

Some thoughts that have been going through my head lately....

The latest countdown until graduation is 33 days away!!! I am more excited than anything as I am ready to get out of school for a while. On the other hand I will miss my friends who are here in Alabama. I had to admit that other day that I would return as Alabama now runs through my veins, even though I make fun of Alabama. I am trying to plan as much stuff with my friends down here as possible so I enjoy these last few moments with them. I know that my friends in Charleston are pretty excited about me coming back and spending more time with them as I rarely got to see them throughout college. (WARNING: I am about to quote a Miley Cyrus song). Why can't I have the best of both worlds!!!???

The job search is pretty much going no where. There are jobs opening up in the NWS but everybody is applying for those so the competition is tough. I don't want to end up with some random job, as I have worked for 5 years for a degree in meteorology, not a degree in customer service or anything like that. Oh well, that is life I guess. Going to continue to search for a real job.

I have less than 33 days left at work as I probably won't work that last week since it will be so crazy. THANK GOODNESS!!!! Everyday I walk into the bookstore, the more I am ready to leave. The store drives me crazy with all the lazy people and the stupid drama. I am having no motivation to do anything and the boss sees that, which probably isn't good. We have a good relationship where we can mess with each other so I know she is not going to fire me and she realizes that I am pretty much halfway out the door. Our last football game is this week......GO JAGS! We are still undefeated at home, which is pretty cool!

As for the girlfriend front, not much change. I have been looking and one has been brought into my mind but I am still praying about it. We have had a tough history here at South and not sure if it would work out. Still praying about that.

I went to Walmart the other night to get a few things and I grabbed a box of pop-tarts and behind this box of pop-tarts [hot fudge sundae flavor] was another box of pop-tarts (revolutionary concept I know) and its flavor was funfetti cake! I got very excited as this is my favorite type of cake!!! I grabbed it immediately like a kid in a candy store and through it into my buggie (is that how you spell that????). To my disappointment, its not very good.

My clothes are now in the dryer and I think it is time to move onto something else....maybe more productive? Ha. I doubt it.

Until next time.....

Beginning...

Graduation is 42 days away (who is counting?) and I am beginning to have thoughts about what is going to happen after graduation.....job-wise, school-wise, etc. I am terrified but excited at the same time. I am ready for a change....ready to leave the bookstore, ready to just live life and not worry about school.

I am learning especially now, that I need to rely on God and His plan for myself as I enter this new chapter in my life.

December 17th is not far away!

Single Life

There are pros and cons of a single life. I have been thinking about this lately as many of my best friends are in a relationships and there are many times that I feel like a third wheel win we hang out.

Pros:
- Save money....obviously
- Not pinned down all the time to hangout

Cons:
- Don't have anyone to be there for all the time
- Don't have that trust that comes with a person who is more than your best friend.

I'll be honest, thought the list was going to be longer but I am not an expert on love. Every time I around a couple, a desire that has been inside for a few months grows more and more. I am ready to find a girl that I will marry and live the rest of my life with. Trust me when I say that I am looking. I am relying on God to show me the right girl, a godly girl who is loving and caring.

I see all these couples having fun with each other and enjoying spending time with each other and I so desire that. I want to be able to go on double dates with my friends so I can spend more time with my friends before I graduate.

I have never really have had more of a desire for anything than my desire for this. I continue to pray and wait patiently and wait on God.

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.

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.

3 1/2 years!

Three and a half years in the making and it comes down to one event....GRADUATION!! So much has happened over the last 3 1/2 years that I could probably write a book from all of the lessons learned, but instead I'm going to write a series of blog posts that commemorate my time here at South.

These posts will include the following topics:

• Lessons I have Learned
• Some of my best memories
• Changes Made to South
• The Future After South

I will start these posts probably later this week or over the weekend. Should be fun to take a stroll down memory lane!

It Has Arrived!!

After 5 - 6 months of unbearable heat, fall has arrived here in Mobile! This is my favorite seasons as the leaves turn different colors and the holiday season approaches. This fall means something special to me, it is the time that I graduate from college and start a new chapter in my life.....that is a different blog post entirely. Back to Fall...

Here is the forecast for MOB and I'm loving it!!!

With Fall comes Fall Break, which is currently happening on the campus of South. I really don't have any plans for Fall Break and kind of making it up as I go. Right now I'm doing some much needed laundry and having a Transformers marathon considering I got all 3 of the movies on blu-ray yesterday. Tuesday will be the best day of Fall Break as Crowder's Christmas CD comes out that day as well as the newest book in the Percy Jackson series, Son of Neptune comes out as well!

Yes, Fall has arrived!

God is Amazing

God is amazing! He does things for you when you don't even ask.

This week was going to be a very long week! I have the first Radar test Wednesday and then my first Differential Equations test on Friday. Each course require a lot of studying and there was no way I would be able to study for both of them as much as I needed. On top of this I woke up this morning with a slight soar throat and I'm afraid that my allergies are beginning to mess up.

I went to Radar class today and he barely went over what was on the test and he told us how much we had to know. Kind of freaking out. I went to Different Equations class after that this morning and the first thing the teacher said was "we have a test this Friday, I am pretty sure that I am going move it." BLESSING!!!

This was a huge burden lifted off of my shoulder and I can breathe and relax a little bit now. As for the sickness part, I just woke up from a two hour nap and feel a little better.....enough so that I can study for Radar. The pollen in the air is currently being washed away by the rain, and its not over yet, there is rain forecasted for every day this week!

Yep, God is amazing!

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.

Birthday Celebration

Last Sunday was my birthday, in case you didn't know. It was a great birthday!

On Saturday night, a bunch of BCMers went out to eat to Olive Garden and then played Cranium and had cake. Sunday Braden and me went to church and then went to eat at IHOP (my choice). After that we went to go see Bad Teacher....not my favorite movie but it was pretty good. That evening we ordered pizza with Melissa and went to Best Buy. I bought Twister on blu-ray and an IPOD car player.

The celebration didn't end there! On Thursday night a bunch of MET friends went out to eat at Cracker Barrel and I had country fried steak....it was sooooo good!

That ended the celebrations. Great birthday indeed!

Bookstore Move

For the past week and a half the bookstore has been moving into their newly renovated store. The old store (on campus) was all lowered to one level and was expanded in size. The new store features 6 plasma TVs and a new snack area.

It is easier to tell the different departments now, with the softgoods (apparel) department being the biggest department in the store. All of the department got new fixtures and everything now matches. It brings the departments together and shows unity in the store.

A grand opening ceremony will take place in August, when the Fall semester starts. However the store actually opens up July 5th with a "soft" opening....meaning that the interior is done but exterior work is still taking place.

If you are on campus on July 5th, stop by!! The softgoods department has all new shirts, cups, etc!

Upcoming Week

I'm looking forward to the upcoming week, well technically next two weeks!

This week the BCM is having a cook-out for those in Mobile. Should be pretty fun. I have a test in Spanish on Wednesday, not really looking forward to that. On Friday I'm going to go see Green Lantern and eat at Buffalo Wild Wings! I can't wait to see that movie!

The following weekend is my birthday (June 26). I already have two events lined up and ready. Should be a fun weekend for sure! Oh and Transformers: Dark of the Moon comes out June 29th!!

June has and will be a pretty fun month!

Until next time...