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Winter Break Recap

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Hi everyone!

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, and I’m excited to be back. Winter break gave me a much-needed chance to slow down, recharge, and spend time doing things I don’t always make time for during the semester. From reconnecting with old friends to enjoying cozy nights in and making new memories, this break was full of moments worth sharing. In this post, I’ll be catching you up on everything I’ve been up to over winter break and reflecting on what made it so special.

Wedding Time

One of the biggest and most special moments of my winter break was my mom getting married. Being part of such an important milestone in her life was incredibly meaningful to me. I helped with different aspects of the wedding planning, which gave me a behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into making a wedding day come together. On top of that, I had the opportunity to be their photographer, which made the experience even more unforgettable. Capturing such a joyful and emotional day through my lens was an honor, and it’s something I’ll always cherish.

Here’s some of my favorite photos that I took, plus just a few silly ones!

Old Christ Church – Downtown Pensacola, FL
Laughter and Celebration
Mom and I
Statue of Liberty as Mike calls it LOL

Seeing Old Friends

This year, I finally had some free time to reconnect with friends from high school. Since it had been so long, I was thrilled to spend time with my best friends, Sydney and Shelby. We met up at Sydney’s house to help her mom prepare for their family Christmas party. Sydney and Shelby took charge in the kitchen while I helped with the decorations. Once everything was finished, we ended the night by watching Titanic until about 1:30 in the morning. Although I was exhausted on the drive home, it was truly wonderful to see them again and catch up on each other’s lives.

Me, Sydney, & Shelby
Gotta Have Fun and Be Silly

Historic Trip to the USS Alabama

During winter break, my mom, Mike, and I also took a trip to visit the USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, and it ended up being one of my favorite experiences. It was incredible to see how much restoration work has been done to preserve the ship since I last saw it in high school. Walking through it and seeing the attention to detail really brought its history to life. I’ve always loved exploring places like this, where you can physically step into the past and learn through experience. Being able to explore the USS Alabama reminded me why I’m so drawn to history and how important it is to preserve these moments for future generations. I can’t wait to go back and see the rest of the deck being refinished.

If you love the SR-71 as much as I do, they have one displayed outside a hangar as well as many historic aircraft inside the hangar. Many are on loan from the NAS National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. IF you ever make your way here I recommend going. There is so much to see and explore.

Avion Time Even When Home

Even over break, I still got the chance to spend time with our PR Manager, Noelle, since she only lives about 42 minutes away. We met up and went to Bearfruit Bowls, where we grabbed acai bowls and coffee and caught up on everything going on over break. Afterward, we headed to downtown Pensacola and spent the afternoon walking around, popping into all the little cute shops. It was such a fun and relaxed day, and a perfect reminder that even during a break, it’s nice to stay connected and enjoy simple moments like that.

Overall, winter break was filled with so many meaningful moments, from spending quality time with family and friends to creating memories I’ll always cherish. It gave me the chance to slow down, reflect, and truly enjoy the people and experiences that matter most to me. As the break came to an end, I felt refreshed and excited to start my final year of college.

I’m looking forward to what this next chapter holds and can’t wait to see where it takes me. Keep a look out for more posts from me sharing with ya’ll the senior year experience and adventure.

Home & Holidays

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Happy December everyone! I’m currently blogging from Norfolk, Virginia. I’m home for the holidays and enjoying the rest and relaxation that comes along with it. I’ve spent the past couple days enjoying spending time with family, eating good food, watching the newest season of the Mandalorian on Disney +, going to Hot Yoga, and sleeping!

One of my favorite parts about being home for the holidays is spending time with family, including this Christmas pup!

I finished out the semester strong and I’m mentally preparing to take on spring classes and looking forward to summer plans! I’m currently applying to a few backup study abroad programs focused on language studies for my Arabic maintenance and improvement. Since this summer will be the last before I graduate and commission from Air Force ROTC into Active Duty Air Force, this will be my last chance to study abroad.

COVID-19 rules and regulations are paramount when considering any study abroad options and opportunities, but it can never hurt to keep your options open and apply to what interests you! I like options, so having a main plan and a few backup plans is my typical style. Since global and local conditions are ever-changing it’s hard to predict if I will actually be able to travel this summer, but if I am I will be!

I recently spent some time fishing with my dad for rockfish and it was so much fun! We left at about 3:00 am, drove 2 hours north to the dock, and stayed out on a charter boat until about 3pm with fresh fish! A very fun experience.

Fishing with my dad!

In preparation for Spring semester, I’m resting up and enjoying the break. Time to decompress is extremely important and while I am still doing some behind the scenes work for ROTC and Student Court on the break, I am definitely taking time to catch up on rest too. Keep on keeping on folks, will report back soon!

Finishing 1st Semester & Family Time

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Happy January everyone! I am currently blogging from Daytona Beach, Florida where I left after finals in 80 degree weather in December and returned to 80 degree weather in January. 

To provide a small bit of background, I set goals every semester, whether it be goals for my RA position, goals for my classes, my personal fitness, or my AFROTC position. I started off Fall 2019 semester riding the wave of my Spring 2019 semester GPA being the highest its been since I started my college career, so of course I made the goal of making Fall 2019 even better. I would like to officially report back saying that, while 18 credit Fall Semesters are not my favorite, I have proven fairly successful and I achieved my goal of raising the bar higher for my best semester GPA.

That being said, now I have a new goal to beat and maybe one day I’ll make it to that 4.0? Game on Spring 2020!

After finals, closing the residence halls, and a few plane rides, I made it back to Virginia safely for the holidays where I spent time relaxing, working out, watching the Grinch one too many times, reading, hiking, and drinking all the kombucha and tea.

Some of my favorite moments from Winter Break were going to an ornament making class with my family and a bunch of friends and cousins. (Yes, my non-conventional holiday experience included a Christmas palm plant instead of the traditional tree. I live by the beach!)

I made a clay gingerbread man ornament!

Another highlight from my time off from class was seeing my pup, she’s a pitbull named Kita and loves naps (JUST like me)!

  • Kita the cuddly pup who lives in Virginia.

We love a good restful vacation. I’m excited to be back to school though. Will report back soon. Big things to follow, stay tuned folks.

Home & Holidays

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Happy December everyone! I’m currently blogging from Washington DC. I traveled from Daytona Beach to Orlando then to Richmond, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach to see family and friends, and now I’m spending some time up north visiting with my sister. It’s starting to get so cold here, I feel like Florida has definitely gotten me accustomed to warmer climates. I’m definitely lucky to have been able to borrow my brother and sister’s warm clothes while I visited because my small carry on included jeans and a flannel that were not cut out for this 30 degree weather. Such a drastic climate change from blazing summers in Kansas and mild and humid temperatures in Florida.  

In other news, I have been enjoying my break so much. I’ve done a ton of yoga at a studio only two blocks away from my house (score!), have been running on the beach (in the cold yikes), doing push-ups and ab workouts, have gone on a couple hikes, and of course took my dog, Kita on walks with my dad, in addition to eating a bunch of good food, visiting local coffee shops, and sleeping.

One of my favorite things I got to do over break was paint a shed my dad built. Surprisingly enough painting the entire thing only took a few hours in the afternoon with my family all grabbing brushes.

Painting a shed! I promise the tiny brush was only used to cover nails.

Kita got painted too!

I also got to spend some time hiking with my sister and mom, which was great! Got to break in my new hiking boots I got for Christmas, broke in some new running shoes, and also some new ABU boots for Field Training Preparation (FTP) next semester. To say the least my feet are extremely sore, but better now than later.

On a hike with my mom and sister!

My aunt also took some amazing family photos for us that are currently being uploaded but will be sure to be included in the upcoming posts.

I fly back to Florida in a few days and can definitely say I will miss the leisurely pace of a balanced life and no homework. RAs always arrive back to school early to decorate, inspect, and set up the dorms again before all the residents return for the upcoming semester. Until then though, I’ll be sleeping and eating well in preparation for FTP, as well as working on scholarship applications and internship applications for the summer.

Happy new year and I hope everyone has been enjoying their holidays. Will report back soon once the semester starts up again!

RA Life, AFROTC, & Rest

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Happy December everyone! Finals are over!!! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, but in a few hours I’ll be in Orlando departing from MCO, then I’ll be heading back home to Norfolk, Virginia. 

Just a brief recap of fall 2018 before the new year and spring semester begins: This has single-handedly been the most challenging semester of my life, but I passed all of my finals and my classes, friends, so thank you so much for the support. Key shout-outs here go to the boxing girls and my best friend Obie wan.

Many students have already left Daytona, but RAs are the last ones to leave (as well as the first ones back) as we do health and safety inspections and have to check all the rooms to prepare our residence halls for shutting down and for opening back up to residents. Fret not though, this process only takes a few days and after that is freedom. 

I am so excited to be able to relax over break. I’m sure it will be filled with all the things I love and only get to have sparingly while I’m in college, including but not limited to: lots of working out, home cooked meals with fresh vegetables, yoga (YESSS), seeing my best friend home from college, living walkable distance from the beach, my dog Kita, and also my family. I may read a book for leisure, shocking I know, as well as listen to lots of music. I also will be sleeping in glutenous amounts and will be going to all my favorite local coffee shops. Taking a break every once in a while is so well needed and deserved for both students, professors, and faculty. Everyone has been working so hard since August, we all really deserve this chance to reset, relax, and recharge before the spring.

Next semester in AFROTC will be Field Training Preparation which is extremely exciting as well because after that comes Field Training during the summer, which is one step closer to commissioning and graduation. Field Training in a nut shell is essentially a 15 day “boot camp” which is very strenuous and is a required step to complete before GMC (General Military Course) underclassman become POC (Professional Officer Course) upperclassman in fall 2019. Over Thanksgiving my early Christmas present was new running shoes and, although I feel I’ve broken them in, as soon as next semester hits I will probably rethink that.  

Some of my family from AFROTC and me after our final Pass in Review ceremony of the semester

Also here’s a picture from when I contracted around this time last year and swore into the United States Air Force, which if I haven’t mentioned before, was an absolutely amazing experience and I 10/10 recommend.

But for now, we are in break and de-stress mode and I will continue to get through the holidays with an open mind, lots of exercising and stretching, and good food. I miss cooking so much, but one thing I do not miss though is the cold weather. Perhaps I’ll have a white Christmas in Virginia? I do prefer the moderate climates a bit more though, as per expected with the majority of my year spent in Florida and other hot places.

For everyone traveling this holiday season, or even just driving a few minutes away, remember to de-stress and relax over break and state safe. Will report back soon! Happy holidays and almost happy new year!

Things I Wish I Could Tell My Senior-Self

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Happy February!

In this post, I wanted to do some reflecting and share some wisdom I have gained since coming to college… And I know, I know, what wisdom can a 20-year-old have? Well, going to college is like speed reading a “Discover Who You Really Are for Dummies” book where half the chapters are missing and even when you follow the book exactly, things still don’t always go as planned. After two years and three semesters, I feel like a pro. But watch, tomorrow I will accidentally go to the wrong room or pull a complete amateur move because let’s be real, even the wisest people aren’t that wise during an 8 am class.

Now, while I’m still getting the hang of this whole college thing, I can confidently give advice on things I wish I could tell my senior-self. This idea came when I was applying for internships – I know, scary – and needed my high school transcript. When I went to pull up my old high school’s website, I saw a new “alumni” tab. And that’s when it hit me… I’m an alum! Working in the Office of Development for Embry-Riddle, I always knew I wanted to give back when I became an alum of the university. It had never occurred to me I was already an alum, but of my high school! Long story short, I began to reflect on my high school days and realized I thought I knew it all but boy was I wrong!

To begin, I was a good high school student. It’s not like I ditched class and I’m reflecting on how that was a bad idea. I had a GPA above a 4.0, took college classes, was the president of the National Honor Society and DECA, volunteered, and played a sport. Meanwhile, I worked two jobs and flew at the local airport. Life was busy but very fun. I always knew I wanted to go to Embry-Riddle. It had been my dream school since the 7th grade and my school counselor didn’t even try convincing me otherwise. Sounds like a pretty good time, right? It was! But, there are still things I wish I would have done or known and here they are:

  1. Take as many AP and dual-enrollment classes as possible: When you are paying thousands of dollars to learn basic biology, you will understand what I mean. College, especially ours, has so many interesting courses so try to knock out as many of the basic ones in high school.
  2. Do an internship: My high school offered an internship program and I really wish I had done it! Once you begin applying for internships, you realize that companies want experience and high school is a great time to begin.
  3. Find a mentor: Mentors are super important and I wish I saw this in high school. Always be on the lookout for networking opportunities. My sister’s friend’s mom (convoluted I know, sorry!) went to Embry-Riddle and works for Frontier now! It was nice to have her introduce me to people, write letters of recommendations, invite me to the Women in Aviation Conference as a senior in high school, and then be a great name to drop as an “in” when I attend Frontier events.
  4. Apply for scholarships: You’ve heard it a million times and I’m sorry but… It’s so important to apply, even when you are in college. Since many scholarships have similar essay topics, keep a folder with your essays and use those to quickly write more for other scholarships. Free money is free money and definitely worth 30 minutes of your time. My advice to high schoolers – look local. Even in my tiny town of Castle Rock, Colorado we had many scholarships being handed out by the local library and community organizations.
  5. Tour your top three:  As I mentioned, I knew I wanted to attend Embry-Riddle since 7th grade, so anytime I toured another school, I fell more in love with our unique university. The line was always, “But Riddle has…” If you are unsure where to go, choose your top three schools to tour. Touring a university gives you a great understanding of what your life would be like there. Try to see if you can sit in on a class or if you are touring Embry-Riddle – a flight! Just like you would test drive a car before buying it, tour the campuses of the universities you are most interested in. I say three because if you need to travel it adds up! The investment is definitely worth it! Once you see a campus, you can also begin planning your transition, like what items you need to start buying!
  6. Choose friends wisely: Once you leave high school, your life moves on. While you will see your friends during breaks, and social media allows us to always be connected, make sure your focus is on you and your future. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most. I remember it was so easy to get caught up in drama but once you leave those high school doors for the last time, everything else shifts up in importance. Don’t waste your time and energy now on bad friendships. That being said, keep your closest friends close and if you end up on either side of the country (like me and my best friend), dedicate one day of the week for catching up over FaceTime!
  7. Begin dorm shopping ASAP: Packing for college is exciting and stressful. It can be hard to know exactly what you need but even harder to find certain items in the summer once everyone is shopping for their dorms too. Think ahead and get big ideas, like a mattress topper and steamer now and keep them in your closet. No matter where you go, whichever dorm you end up in, you will appreciate the early access but also the spread of costs since moving can add up.
  8. Join your college’s accepted student social media page: Embry-Riddle and many colleges offer social media connections. Think of it as a mini social media site just for your new incoming class. I know many people met their roommates using this app, made friend groups who met up during orientation, or were able to obtain answers to a lot of their questions this way. There is also an admissions adviser who helps answer questions quickly, so be sure to utilize this app and make friends now!
  9. Enjoy home: Once you are away at college and there are no more home cooked meals, you have to do your own laundry, and no one checks in on you, you quickly miss home. There are many times when I come back from a long day and miss my mom having a meal made for me and being able to do homework with my family in the living room with me. Cherish these moments because you will definitely miss them no matter how close you are to your family.
  10. Use your resources: I recommend talking to your high school counselor and college counselor often. Do not be shy when it comes to college. Finances and academics are confusing as you make your transition over, but remember tons of people do it and so can you. Your counselors have helped many others before you and are there to help now! Be smart and utilize your resources. If you are too nervous, try to find a current student to reach out to. For women coming to Embry-Riddle, you have a Women’s Ambassador. On top of that, my mom’s friend’s daughter also attended school here, so I was able to meet with her during summer and have my questions answered! It’s a small world, you never know who you may know that could be useful! (P.S. Do you FASFA earlier rather than later! It was the most stressful part of starting college for me.)

I hope these tips serve you well! The biggest takeaway: it all works out in the end! These are just tips to be a little extra wise!

– Maddie Dietrich

Feelin’ Hot, Hot, Hot

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No, but seriously… is Daytona ALWAYS been this hot in May? The moment I drove over the Georgia-Florida state line I could feel the change in heat. Aside from fighting the curly hair struggle in humidity, I’m excited to be back!

Local restaurants and coffee shops like Tia Cori’s and Sweet Marlays’ coffee shop have been calling my name. I can’t forget Bethune Grill – home to the best wings in Daytona. It’s a must-have!

Five minutes beyond the mom-and-pop shops is the “Most Famous Beach in the World.” I’ve already pulled my beach blankets from storage and prepared an emergency beach bag equipped with sun screen, shades, a good book, and a Bluetooth speaker. I’ll always be ready for a spontaneous trip to the beach.

Even better, I have a few friends staying in town for Summer courses so we’ll be getting into the habit of $6 movies on Tuesdays. Wonder Woman, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Cars 3 are just a few of the movies on my list.

I’m a year from graduation, so this could very well be my last Summer in Daytona – home to enjoy a lot of local pleasures. I’ve already begun checking things off the list, but for every item I cross out I add three more. I’m not sure if this will ever happen, but I’ve just added Skydiving and Swimming with Manatees.

Home At Last (or am I?)

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It is crazy to me that I am sitting in my house in Washington, writing a blog post right now. Where did freshman year go?! Although it is nice to be back in Washington, it feels like something is missing. I’ve realized that something is Florida.

What people don’t tell you about attending college out-of-state is that you will no longer have just one place to call home. Home for me now means the house I grew up in in Lake Tapps, Washington, as well as my cozy room in McKay Hall back in Daytona Beach, Florida. My life for the next three years consists of moving back and forth from home to home. I now know that no matter which home I am in, I will never feel “at home” again. Each place holds a part of me that the other one cannot. Now, I’m beginning to realize that it’s okay. Lake Tapps feels like home because of my family, the lake, the mountains, refreshing air, and the Evergreen trees. Daytona Beach feels like home because of school, friends, the warmth, and the beach. Each location is unique in its own way and each holds special memories.

The view of Mt. Rainier over (empty) Lake Tapps

The view of Mt. Rainier over (empty) Lake Tapps

Sunset over Daytona International Speedway

Sunset over Daytona International Speedway

It is so refreshing to be able to switch from location to location and still feel comfortable. I feel so blessed to attend a school which became my second home. The people I met and the experiences I had, at ERAU during my first year, were amazing. I never would have imagined that I would be missing school after only a week of summer vacation! However, somehow I am.

For now, I will continue to look for a summer job, pray for some warm weather in Washington, and enjoy being in the presence of my family. I wish all of you a wonderful summer and I will keep you updated on my summer adventures to come!

Until next time,

Lindsey

June 2012

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What a busy few weeks it has been for me! To start out, right before I graduated from Embry-Riddle I participated in yet another IMAC competition. The competition took place in Jacksonville, Florida during the first weekend in May after finals! I had no practice going into this event mainly due to finals were the week before. I went to the contest just to have fun and ended up placing in second place! I was very surprise and happy with how well I ended up doing.

After returning back to Daytona after the competition I had to clean up and start packing up my apartment before graduation. My parents and family came down the Thursday before graduation to help me pack up. They ended up renting a U-Haul to take all of the furniture back to Georgia where I live. Graduation day was a very big day for me considering I am one of the first in my family to graduate with a college degree. My brother just finished his a few months ago. I had to end up doing degree complete considering I still have two more classes to take, but I am currently taking them at home through the Worldwide campus.

When graduation was over, we all finished packing up and hit the road. My family ended up driving back home while I went up to South Carolina for the whole week to attend the 30th Annual Joe Nall Fly-In. This fly-in is one of the biggest radio control air shows in the world. There are around 1,200 registered pilots with thousands of spectators. This event takes place in Woodruff, South Carolina, which is in the middle of nowhere! I had a blast for the whole week even though I ended up crashing three of my planes! One was my fault, but the other two had mechanical problems causing them to crash. Luckily, now I have replacements and have been busy building planes this past week!

Well now I am finally moved back home in Georgia with my parents. I plan on living with my parents until I can afford to build a house myself. We live on 76 acres and I plan to build my house next door to keep the land in the family. I am hoping to be picked up my FAA for Air Traffic Control in Atlanta this October. As for now I will be working on my CFI rating along with working at one of the local airports as a customer service rep. A few weeks ago I ended up meeting a few of my friends from Embry-Riddle at Stone Mountain, Georgia. It was very nice to see them again. We attended one of Stone Mountain’s Laser Shows. They will graduate this fall.

This month I have two competitions to attend with one being June 9-10 and the other on June 30 – July 1. Both are in Georgia and require just a two-hour drive to attend! So keep a look out for updates on how I do at these competitions! If all goes well I maybe attending the US Nationals Competition in Muncie, Indiana this July!

October 2011

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Six months ago, on April 28 at 12:30 AM, I received a phone call from my Mother saying that a tornado had come through at 12:15 AM. I was sound asleep when I received this phone call because the next day was the last day of my junior year at ERAU. My home, my Grandparents, and Aunt/Uncle’s home were destroyed. Luckily no one was injured and everyone is still with us today.

Today my Grandparent’s home and my Aunt/Uncle’s home are rebuilt. My home is still in progress, but we hope to be moved in by Thanksgiving. Over the month of October, I went home for the weekend to see the progress of the house. Everything is looking great and is on schedule for us to move in right before Thanksgiving. I would like to thank Embry-Riddle and its staff for being there for me through this hard time. Homes can be replaced, but family can’t.

On October 22-23 I participated in the 2011 Ocala Aerobatic Competition in the Advanced and Freestyle class. School comes first on my list and with my busy schedule I did not get any practicing going into this event. Having Friday the 21 st off from school for Fall Break though made it easy for me to leave for the event early and get to the field to practice the day before the contest. Friday I was able to get in three practice rounds before the contest started on Saturday the 22 nd .

The first day of the contest we completed three full rounds and I was very consistent and placed 2 nd and 3 rd throughout the rounds. By the end of the day I was in 3 rd place. I figure with hardly any practice this is not too bad! The second day of the event on Sunday we flew one more round and I ended up finishing 3 rd in my class. I also competed in the Freestyle contest and this is where all the pilots fly to a four minute music mix demonstrating all styles of aerobatic flying. I ended up coming in first in this class. Overall it was not a bad weekend. This contest was a test for me to see how much practice I need before the Southeast Regional’s Contest that is November 4 th thru the 6 th in Jacksonville, FL.

The end of the 2011 Aerobatic Competition is coming to the end and it all ends at the Southeast Regional’s, which is in Jacksonville, FL. This event is where the top 10 pilots from each of the five classes get invited to compete to see who is the best in the Southeast Region. I ended up finishing 5 th in the Region for the points race, so I was invited to compete against the top pilots in the region. School is still keeping me busy, but I have been able to sneak in a few practice rounds after class!

This is it for this month, between competing in Radio Control Airplanes, flying home, and school; I have been a busy student this month! Check back next month for updates on the Southeast Regional’s, and updates on the current progress of rebuilding home. Thanks for reading!