Happy Valentines Day!

"Married men perform far better in life than single men, and are happier than single men, and live longer than single men, and earn more money than single men. Married women, on the other hand, make less money than single women, suffer more from depression than single women, don't live as long as single women, and are more likely to be the victims of violence than single women."-- Fun Facts from Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert


Now I'm not going to turn all feminist on you and denounce the institution of marriage, but this book has really got me thinking. The author (same women who wrote Eat, Pray, Love) is a marriage skeptic who is getting married so her partner will be allowed in the country. To prepare herself for marriage (again.. her first ended in divorce) she does a lot of research on the history of marriage, the social constructs of marriage, how to make marriages work, why marriages fall apart, motherhood, etc.

Pretty much, throughout the world and throughout history, marriage sucks for women! They are the ones who primarily give up their passions and dreams and sacrifice more for her husband and kids than most men do. This is changing, but the statistics still aren't good and I don't want to end up giving up everything about myself to make some man happy.

I still want to get married and have kids some day, but I honestly do feel a little more prepared for all that having read this book. I am not finished with it but I would definitely recommend it to anyone, whether you've been married for 50 years or, like me, are still single.

All of this in the spirit of Valentine's Day...
Kelsey

Plug for Gray!

Also, I want to give a shout out to my friend Gray and his wonderful blog. It brings me joy daily to see how people decorate their cars. I think it really does show something about someone. I know that when you look at my car you can tell instantly I went to UT Austin and am a HUGE fan! To see what others are saying via their bumpers check out: http://auto-garnish.tumblr.com/

Snow, snow, snow...

I am tired of snow!!! I know that Nashville is north of both Texas and Mississippi, but last I checked, Tennessee is still in the South!! But yet again, Mother Nature has blessed us with a snowstorm. I am tired of it, and it just makes me want to move back to Austin.

In other news, this is my off week in boot camp and I have done NOTHING! I am absolutely going to die on Monday when we get back to it. And to make things worse the aforementioned snow forced us to cancel the best part of off week: PANCAKE PANTRY!! It is a Nashville institution and it is way too busy to go on the weekends, so I look forward to this every month.

I also turned in my first paper of the semester tonight. It is for a class I don't really care for and to be honest, I don't think it's my best work. However, it is now in my past and there is nothing I can do about it now, so....

With all of these stressers this week, I am very much looking forward to going home this weekend. My wonderful mom's birthday is tomorrow, so Max and I are loading up and heading back to MS to celebrate with her. More on that trip when I get back!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Reasons I Love Boot Camp!

Poem by Luanne:

This Thursday morning at Butt Camp,
We were missing some of the regular crew;
Karens and Kelsey and Courtney and Michelle -
Where in the hoo-ha were you?
Sure, Karen has a poor bum back,
And Michelle probably had to work;
But as for the rest of you sleepy slim slackers,
Why today did you decide to shirk?
Just so show what you happily(?) missed,
Here's my brief recap:
We crunched and we lifted and we sweated,
And we ran (or ambled) for many a lap.
At the end Josh brought out the basketballs,
And you KNOW how he delights in our game;
Poor Tracy and Gloria had a teammate
Whose efforts were totally so lame.
We lost by a landslide to those other girls
Who were drafted by the WNBA;
You slackers just better be there tomorrow,
And that is all that I have to say!!

That was yesterday, but most of us made it out this morning:

Catching Up

I’ve wanted to start another blog since I started grad school. I really enjoyed blogging about my adventures in Ireland, but I had things to talk about then! But then again, I don’t expect many people to read this anyway, so here I go again!

I started grad school at Vanderbilt in August, so I’ve been here for a semester (3 to go!). I am studying Higher Education Administration – and no, that is not to be a High School principal! I’m not exactly sure what I want to do right away, but my dream is to one day end up back at UT either working for them or Texas Exes (the alumni association). To pay for my school, I was lucky enough to get a job as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of the Dean of students where I am getting a lot of experience that I hope will help me get a job after graduation!

Another thing that I have started since August is going to a fitness boot camp 5 times a week in the mornings. I wake up at 5:15, sweat my butt off, feel like I’m about to pass out most mornings, swear I’m never coming back, and then do it all again the next day! I have really come to love this part of my life, not only because I have gotten into great shape, but also because the people are wonderful. It is a women-only class and the ladies have just adopted me and provided me with invaluable support! I love you guys!

Anyway, my first semester went by fast, and I have a feeling the next year and a half will too! So, without taking up too much time/space, here was my first semester of grad school (pictures to come):

Boot Camp – Study – Work – Study

Titans game – Caught a pre-season game. Titans v. Saints. Honestly can't remember who won, but it was a fun experience (even if the stadium is smaller than most college stadiums that come to mind).

All for the Hall Concert – (Keith Urban, Vince Gill, John Mayer, Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, Charley Pride, Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, and Billy Currington) – Great seats, amazing show!!

Austin trip – Went back to check in on my Longhorns and friends in Austin. Great weekend, but made me a little homesick for my undergrad days. P.S. Have no fear, the Horns will be back next season with a vengeance and our basketball team is on its way for making up the slack!

GARTH BROOKS – 4^th row seats for $30 aka BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!

Boot Camp – Study – Work – Study

Yep, that’s about it.

Until next time!