Happy November! I’m excited for this month because we have a grand total of five days off from classes! The reason we have so many days off is because of Homecoming, Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving. I’m not going home for Thanksgiving again this year because it’s too expensive and then twelve days later I go home for Christmas break. Some of my friends are also staying here, so we will have our own little Thanksgiving dinner. Homecoming is going to be a lot of fun—there are contests for all the clubs to compete in throughout the week, a parade, a tailgate party that Luke Bryan will be performing at, and then the basketball game. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures with my new camera!

Until next time,
Kaleigh

On Monday, I had my Economics test and I think I did a pretty good job. The last test had essay questions and I wasn’t too prepared for them, so this time when I was studying l tried to focus on those questions. Overall, I think it helped because I know I aced the essay questions this time! This semester I started something new and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I go to the gym for about forty minutes. Last year, I didn’t take advantage of the fitness center and I only went a handful of times. I have found that exercising on the days that I don’t have PT helps to wake me up and get me motivated for the day. In my BA 320 (Information Management Systems) class, we were assigned a project and it’s due right before Thanksgiving. In all of my classes, we do major projects that include a paper and/or presentations. Personally, I don’t mind it because I like projects and would rather do them than have assigned problems every night for homework. Engineering majors are more focused on the assigned problems because their classes deal heavily in math and science. On Wednesday, we had Lead Lab earlier than normal (6:00 instead of 7:00) and it was super cold outside. I’m pretty sure we could see our breath and we stood outside for two hours being briefed on first aid, cover and concealment, and how to do fire team tactics. I went to the Student Government Office after that and got a free cup of hot chocolate. The SGA office has a coffee machine that allows you to choose different types of coffee and hot drinks for free. I think it’s a pretty sweet deal! Thursday morning I went to check my mail box and found my absentee ballot! I have been waiting in anticipation for it and I was afraid that it wouldn’t arrive in time. I filled it out and put it right back in the mailbox! Also on Thursday, I registered for my spring classes and I’m pretty happy with how my schedule turned out. I carved a pumpkin on Thursday night and I posted a picture of it, so take a look! My Economics test was handed back on Friday and I got an A!!! This Economics class has been one of my most interesting classes this semester because the material is specifically related to aviation and the class has a lot of discussions. I was a cowgirl for Halloween and I went trick-or-treating with Silver Wings and Arnold Air Society for canned goods. Altogether we collected enough canned goods to fill the bed of a pickup truck! I wish I had taken a picture but I forgot to!

I hope everyone who visited campus had a good time and if you have any questions that you thought of – send me an e-mail, and I’ll be happy to answer them!

Until next time,
Kaleigh

Monday the weather was beautiful—it was sunny but the temperature was cool and it had a slight wind that signals fall. I had an Economics test coming up and I planned on studying with my study group again, so hopefully my grade will be as good as last time. My flight played volleyball against another flight on Monday night (there are two sand volleyball courts on campus). We all had some good laughs because a few people had never played before, so they were still trying to figure out the techniques involved. I went to an ERAU basketball game on Tuesday night as one of the people in my flight is on the team. Unfortunately, ERAU lost by several points but there was a guy on the other team that was 7 feet 8 inches tall. I was surprised when he stood up against some of the other players and they only came up to his waist! One time he had the basketball and went to make a basket and it looked like he didn’t even have to jump to get the ball in; just a slight tap. PT on Wednesday was held on the Speedway along with the Army and the Navy. We all ran around the track and I think it was a total of three miles. Then, the Air Force got a picture taken of all of us standing in formation. My favorite part of the run was the end when we stood in formation and recited the Air Force Cadence and the Airmen’s Creed as a wing. Friday after classes some friends of mine and I went to see High School Musical 3. I thought the movie was really good and I enjoyed the music so much that I think I’m going to get the soundtrack. Also, I went to my second hockey game and this time I was able to watch more than two minutes because the ice stayed frozen! On Saturday, I spent most of my day in the library studying and doing homework. This year I have found that I am most productive when I am in the library instead of my room because of all the distractions and the fact that I would rather sleep than do homework. A bonus for studying in the library is that my flight gets so many points for the number of hours we study in the library and every flight is competing against one another. Last week my flight won and we hope to keep winning!

Until next time,
Kaleigh

Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with topics. I have looked at the other bloggers’ entries to get ideas, but I never want to write about my week. Unlike them, I am boring. I get up, eat breakfast, go to a couple hours of class, come home, run, eat dinner and do homework. But, my boring life did inspire this entry. Since I spend most of my time on campus, I thought about doing a different type of campus entry. Now, I don’t want to talk about my classes because they bore even my teachers. I don’t think anyone is interested in what the cafeteria is serving and I certainly don’t want to talk about the ever-discussed guy-to-girl ratio. Instead, I thought about how I make my monotonous days interesting. I can’t say I am a rebel because I turn in all my homework and have relatively minimal absences. I stay up late studying and wake up early to be to class on time. But, there are times I stray from protocol. And those are the days I am writing about. They are my Nine Guilty Pleasures on Campus:

1. Skipping Class- You are probably thinking, “Wow, I skipped classes in tenth grade. She is just starting now?” Yes, I am. This is college, not high school and I probably should’ve skipped class back then. But, I am making up for lost time. Hence why I said I have a pretty decent attendance record, not a perfect one. There are some days I find myself sitting in the UC only to realize I had missed a class. No, it doesn’t happen very often, nor should it, but when it does I don’t beat myself up over it. After all, what will I most likely remember? The days spent with friends or the days spent in class?
2. Chicken and Rice from Props: Even while writing this, I was craving the meal I would pick if I was ending a death row sentence. I will make the inconvenient walk between the UC and Props behind the COA, just to get a to-go box of a moist chicken breast and steaming rice. I pour on some BBQ and by the time I get back to the UC, the chicken has already absorbed the BBQ. Just cut and stir and you have yourself the best meal on campus.
3. Watching shuttles take off: While I do not stop mid-step to watch a Cessna 172 depart (like my fellow classmates), I will go outside for the shuttle launches. True, it is better from Kennedy Space Center, but when they launch between classes, I get a great view. The sky lights up as the shuttle leaves behind a wake of fire streaks, clouds of exhaust and audible roaring. Your heart slightly flutters and you know that you are one in a few who actually knows that SRB does not just stand for Student Representative Board. This is how you truly know you go to Riddle.
4. Library at Lunchtime: How many people do you know who actually go to the library? At ours, everyone congregates on the first floor in the main study room, which is only full during finals week. A few wander into the upper floors, but most wander up for the same reason I do: a quiet nap area. I admit it. I love to take grandma naps during the day. I stay up late and get up early, so about lunchtime, I am ready to collapse. Luckily, there are plenty of spaces available. Just get there early to grab the prime couch positions. And please remember not to snore. This is a library after all.
5. Sipping on Starbucks: Everyone has a comfort food. Mine just happens to be a beverage. After China, I fell in love with black tea and my daily dose of caffeine. But, like the daughter of an English woman, I know tea should come in a teacup, be served with milk, not cream, and additions should not be stirred with a spoon but rather folded into the tea. Unfortunately, a cardboard cup, fake creamer and a wooden stick for stirring is the best I get. But, I make due because etiquette should be left for afternoon tea time, not before my 8 a.m. class.
6. Free coffee in the SGA office: With all those black teas, Starbucks can get expensive and there are only so many combinations of espresso and sugar left on the menu. To qualm my caffeine boredom, I take advantage of the newly acquired coffee machine in the SGA with additional choices ranging from hot chocolate to cappuccino. Best thing, the coffee is FREE and there is no waiting in the 20 minute Starbucks line if you are late for class and need a quick boost. Fake creamer included.
7. Parking in blue spots after hours: Lets face it, the faculty has prime parking space realty and student parking is basically in the next county. That is why, after hours, I love sneaking past the rental cops and parking in the faculty’s spots. No, it is not illegal, but if it ever did land me in prison, I already know what my last meal would be.
8. Checking Facebook: Like I said, classes can get boring. However, I really try to schedule my classes that are held in computer-equipped classrooms. There is nothing better during drab lectures than “taking notes” on the monitor while chatting with your classmate about not taking notes. As a communications major, I am predisposed to hourly check the news. News that also includes checking the Facebook “stalker feed” to see who dumped whom, where your best friend is hanging out tonight and if anyone has posted pictures from the political rally yet. Someone has to keep up with the campus news right?
9. Free movies on the lawn during the school days: Since I do spend so much time on campus, it is really convenient when I can mix class work with date night. Every Thursday, Touch-N-Go offers different new releases without the price of a movie ticket. Bring some popcorn or chicken and rice from Props and crash on a blanket on the West Lawn. It is free, so if the movie or the date is terrible, don’t feel bad about getting up to join the pickup football game instead.

With graduation coming up, I plan on capitalizing on all the free stuff on campus, foods that are worth their price, shuttle launches that light up my day and friends who make my day worthwhile. Sometimes it is just the little details that make college so memorable.

Wow! It’s not much of an introduction, but these past few weeks have been FILLED with emotions and excitement. I can’t believe the amount of fun I’m having here at ERAU! My flight training is going really well and my classes are absolutely amazing. When I’m not in class I’m either at the Avion, at a TFO meeting, hanging out with friends or at an important meeting or maybe just at one of the fun events we have on campus. There is so much to do around here; I really do feel like I’m at college!

Flight, so far, has been AMAZING! I love getting up in the mornings on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to fly. My instructor is so amazing; he makes my flights both fun and informational. I have learned so much from him so far and I can’t wait to learn more about flying as the weeks go by. In my ground school, I have been excelling. I passed the last test that I wrote about in my previous post and had a test today. I also have a Pre-Calculus tomorrow. And as for papers, I have a 7 page paper due next week in my Intro to Computers and Applications class. I am researching Artificial Intelligence and so far I am having a lot of fun writing this paper.

In TFO, I am currently an active member of all three active committees and I am in charge of doing research on a few things. As you guys know, I ran for the position of Secretary but lost by 1 point. Even though I am not in office, I still want to make a difference on campus in any way possible. As for First Generation, we have a few events planned for the rest of the semester and we are now paired up with mentors/mentees in our mentor/mentee program. The Avion is crazier than ever! I love going there on Sundays to layout the Campus page. We have so much fun just goofing around. And the food is a BIG plus!

Outside of classes and clubs, I and my friends just keep coming up with tons of things to do to have a good time. We go to the beach every Saturday and play volleyball, and then at night we go out to eat somewhere around town. During the week, we basically try to get our class work done.

A few weeks ago we had a tornado warning issued on campus. The wall cloud literally moved right over campus! It was so scary and exciting at the same time. People were so excited and had a blast watching it go over. It was an experience like no other.

That weekend, we spotted a jetBlue A340 over at the ramp on the airport. No one knows exactly why it was there but it was really good eye candy for the pilots that were able to taxi past it for takeoff or after landing. It was very inspirational and encouraging for me because I hope to fly for jetBlue at some point in my career.

Halloween is approaching very fast and I need to come up with some ideas of what to do for that day. There are a few stuff planned on campus that I plan to take part of. For example, my dorm would be having some children from the community come to our dorm and trick-or-treat. I and my roommate are so excited to be a part of this. We got some candy and decorations and today I went costume shopping. There are a few more activities planned, for example, Doolittle Hall will be hosting a haunted house. Then after, I am planning on going to a Halloween party latter on that night!

Even though college is a blast, I still miss home. It’s not as bad as when I just moved in, but I think about home a lot. I think that apart from my mom, I miss my little brother a lot. We are very close and I miss not being able to hang out with him as I used to. I am getting used to the fact that my family is not here and that I have to do this on my own bearing in mind that they are behind me 100%.

For those of you guys that have contacted me, thanks for talking to me and I hope that I was of help to you. The rest of you guys, don’t be a stranger. Until next time!