Old Town Winchester

This is the Old Town section of Winchester, Virginia, my hometown. It is the most wonderful place in the world. I was born and raised there, and will return there when I graduate from college.

The yellow building was the old Farmers and Merchants National Bank, but is now a BB&T.

The building on the right is the old courthouse, which was built in 1840. Winchester switched hands around 73 or 74 times during the Civil War, and during that time, the courthouse was used as a prison. Civil War soldiers left graffitti on the walls, and now the old courthouse is a Civil War Museum.

If you have any interest in the Civil War, you should really visit Winchester. Stonewall Jackson had his headquarters there, and now it is a museum. General Sheridan also had a headquarters there, which coincidentally is right down the street from Jackson's. Sheridan's former headquarters is now Kimberly's, an upscale furniture and boutique store.

Numerous Civil War battles were fought in and around Winchester.

In addition to the Civil War history, Winchester was also a home for George Washington's surveying company. His headquarters is still standing and is also a museum.

Winchester and the surrounding areas are absolutely beautiful, if you would like to see it, hurry, because numerous developers from Northern Virginia are building large subdivisions and destroying the land, the history, and the community of Winchester and Frederick County.

Field Trip; Mi Amiga Marisa

In mid-April, I'm going on a field trip to Washington, DC. I can't wait, even though I've been there a million times before. We are going to the Supreme Court and the Pentagon, which should be very interesting. I hope the weather is nice and that it is not too hot.

The best part is Marisa is going, too. She is one of the greatest people I know. She is always smiling and she can make you feel better when you're having a rough time. She is a real, true friend, and a great listener. She is one of those "old souls" who are very wise and insightful, always giving exceptional advice.

Spring Break; iPod

Spring Break was really good. I worked, shopped, cleaned, and slept. That's pretty much it. I know I didn't do a whole lot, but I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else.

Over Spring Break I bought a 20 GB iPod and I absolutely love it. The sound quality is great and its compact shape is wonderful. The style of it absolutely can't be beat; white and chrome, modern yet classic.

Drawing v. Work

Lately I have been more motivated to draw than do my homework, which I am not proud of. I really need to stay focused these next few days because I have a lot of things to do and two exams on Friday. Here is my most recent drawing which was done in Prismacolor pencils.

A Nice Weekend; My Feelings on Relationships; A Lot of Work

I had the best weekend I've had in quite a while.

I went to the college's women's basketball game on Saturday. They beat the George Fox Bruins, who were from Oregon, and advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four. Go Yellow Jackets! After the game, I went to a local coffee shop with a friend and some of her friends. We had an awesome time hanging out. Today, Sunday, I went to work on a Spanish presentation at a girl's house. She has such a beautiful, old home and the surrounding land reminded me of home.

I was reading my friend Nina's blog and she was able to describe what I have been thinking and feeling for a while.

She wrote:

"I operate on the basic assumption that once I have stopped entertaining you, once I show my nasty side or have a bad day or disappoint you, you will leave. That is a constant terror that I feel every day. And the closer I get to someone, the worse it gets. Which is unfortunate, because this year I have formed a few very close relationships for the first time in God only knows how long and every day I torment myself over what I have to do to keep from losing them. And no matter how much evidence I have been shown that disputes my assumption and no matter how many people make promises, it doesn't seem to help much."

This is the last week before Spring Break and I have so much work to do. I am so stressed out. Tomorrow I have to have a 3-5 page ethnographic review due, and I have yet to start writing it, even though it is nearly 11:30 p.m. I have already resigned myself to the fact that I will probably be up all night.

Trying My Hardest; Nice Exam Grade; Photography Job

I have been trying my best to get all of my homework done on time or ahead of schedule. Some days I have been able to do this, but other days I haven't. I'm still feeling really stressed about the amount of work I have to do. I keep trying just to take them one at a time and check them off the list, but some of the projects require a lot of time and effort, so I need to begin them now.

On Monday I have an ethnographic book review to finish. I think the hardest part of that will be analyzing the research methods used by the ethnographer. I can't wait to get it done so I won't have to worry about it anymore.

On Tuesday I got my first Microeconomics exam back. I received a 99%, the highest grade in the class. I am extremely happy about that because each of the three exams I have in that class is worth 30% of my final grade.

I am extremely nervous about tonight. My boss called me a few hours ago to ask if I would be interested in doing some work tonight. I really don't feel like I can say no because I have nothing better to do. Besides, I would be paid for it. I have to go to a reception with a "small crowd" and take some pictures of a man receiving an honorary degree from the college. Chances are I won't know anyone there, and I'll feel nervous taking pictures of a distinguished man I have just met. I never take pictures of people, especially really important people. I am so worried that I am going to screw up, and have no clue what I am doing.

I'll let you know how it goes later.

The Society for Success and Leadership

I am excited and honored to have been asked to join the college's chapter of Sigma Alpha Lambda. It is the national leadership and success society. My mom is really excited and proud, so I think I'll join just to make her happy. I don't feel like I have a whole lot of leadership skills, but maybe this society will encourage me to seek out more leadership opportunities.