it's all happening for a reason...

puddles and stars

2011-08-05T23:15:00.000-04:00

About a month ago, when my newspaper suffered from layoffs, my German cousin Isabel shared a beautiful sentiment with me.

"Head high otherwise you can see the stars only in the puddle."

I haven't been able to forget it since that day, and I've been thinking about it more often lately. Just thought I would share.

Twitter and lavender cupcakes

2011-07-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

Twitter is an amazing thing.

Delaware has a great social media scene, something I learned soon after I started co-tweeting for @del_editor. Delaware Twitter legend, @LaurieBick, tweeted this and Rhina (my fellow @del_editor tweep) picked up on it:

My favorite cookbook, from the Hummingbird Bakery, has a recipe for lavender cupcakes. Since I'm new at this whole grown-up thing, I had no idea how to obtain fresh lavender, so I pushed aside the idea of someday baking lavender cupcakes.

But alas, Laurie Bick sent out that magical tweet and was kind enough to share her beautiful lavender with us. I jumped at the chance to try the new recipe. I came into work on Tuesday to see this perched by my keyboard (actually, I think I smelled it before I saw it).

Rhina delivered my beautiful bundle of lavender. Made my day.

Tuesday night, I soaked some of the lavender in milk in preparation for the cupcakes. My kitchen smelled amazing at this point.

And last night, I was able to finish the cupcakes.

I've decided I cannot wait to have my own house just so I can grow lavender in my garden.

I found the cookbook and the measuring spoons at Anthropologie.

And here's how they turned out! As always, I was nervous and mentally preparing myself to have a test cupcake for breakfast just to make sure they turned out all right.

I became excited all over again when I realized I treated myself to an icing gun a few weeks ago! Now was the perfect time to break it out. In typical Ashley style, something had to go wrong in my baking adventure. I didn't have any red food coloring left (used it all on the red velvet cupcakes I made a few months ago), so I had nothing to mix with the blue. Le sigh.

Look at that icing job! I was so pleased. (Minus the fact that it wasn't lavender colored, of course)

I decided to top one of them with a sprig of lavender just for kicks.

The cupcakes were brought to work today to be shared with a select audience (the co-workers who would continue to love me despite a potentially poor attempt at baking). Luckily, I had good reviews and no one minded the blue icing, the one fault of the cupcake. Phew. Success. I will be having lavender cupcakes again in my future.

And thank you, Twitter legend Laurie, for making my dream come true.

A little Longwood

2011-07-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, I just need an afternoon for me. After a stressful (and unsuccessful) morning apartment hunting a couple Saturdays ago, I decided to just drive up to Longwood Gardens. Mama Dent and my mom bought me the yearlong garden pass so I'm free to visit whenever I like. I am loving it and I plan on getting it every year I live in Delaware (and probably even after that since it's worth the trek to Kennett Square, Pa.).

During my visit, and despite the humidity, I decided to explore new areas. When I visited the last couple of times, it was with some Ya-Yas. It was sad to go alone this time, but at the same token, it was good to see some spots I hadn't before so I know where to explore further when I have visitors again. Here are some of my favorite finds from the beginning of summertime at Longwood...

To quote Elizabeth, and Coldplay, "And it was all yellow."

The texture of the treetops against the sky reminded me of a Bob Ross painting. "Oh, that's good, that's nice, that's good, that's nice."

Straight out of Pride and Prejudice

A hidden little waterfall near the Italian water garden

Don't sting me as I try to get this shot!

So excited to finally see the lilies

One of my favorite inhabitants of the conservatory: Old Man Cactus

My little plant family

2011-07-05T22:35:00.000-04:00

At the end of March, mom bought me an orchid at Longwood's Orchid Extravaganza. It was a mystery orchid...we had no idea what color or pattern it would turn out to be! About a month later, my orchid began to bloom. It was beautiful. Sadly, I don't have the green thumb my mom does, so I sent my orchid to "Connie Camp" so it would continue thriving in her perfect sunlight. Here's what my little orchid looked like at its peak:

Once my orchid was at Connie Camp and my South African orange star plant (featured in this post) stopped blooming for the summer, I decided I needed some new pretty things to keep me company.

I went to Longwood for a Saturday afternoon and came away with two pretty plants.

First, I looked at this little Calandiva, which is so small it fits in my hand. I figured it couldn't be too hard for me to keep alive. =) I found a wee blue pot for its home.

As I wandered around the garden shop searching for the little pot, I decided my Calandiva needed a friend (because who wants to be lonely?). I kept coming back to this Wandering Jew (more info about this interesting little guy can be found here):

Its shiny leaves and vibrant purple drew me in and I decided that would be my Calandiva's friend. I walked back and forth literally 20 times trying to decide on a pot for my wanderer, and finally picked a mint green teacup. I felt it was very Ya-Ya appropriate.

I'm open to suggestions for names! I always like naming my little friends.

Let's get poppin'

2011-06-24T11:30:00.001-04:00

I had a sudden urge to make jalapeno poppers the other night. I know, quite strange seeing as I don't like anything remotely hot and/or spicy, but I knew this wasn't going to kill me. I had my very first jalapeno popper at the Sweet 16 Beer Bracket with my co-workers. One of our designers and his wife made these incredible hors d'oeuvres for us and I asked for her recipe right away. Months after trying my first popper a.k.a. Wednesday, I decided I needed to make them myself.

Never did I ever imagine I would have to buy or cook with a jalapeno

I got so excited I forgot to take pictures of what happened in between, but here are the hollowed, cream cheese filled, bacon wrapped beauties before they hit the oven.

Note: I got to use the new broiler pan I bought myself as a present last paycheck. Yes, I buy myself presents each paycheck...they usually consist of goodies for my kitchen.

A little close-up view before baking commences

Sizzlin' success

I made so many, I brought a ton in to work on Thursday so my friends could help me eat. I must admit, I inhaled six of them after I took them out of the oven and before bed. What can I say?

I can make pie!

2011-06-23T23:10:00.000-04:00

About two weeks ago, I successfully made my first key lime pie. You may or may not remember I attempted pecan pie months ago and gave myself a C+. And I also have to remind you (and myself) of my lemon cupcake fail back in November.

Well, let's just say my key lime came out stunningly better than I could have imagined. I don't give myself credit for much, but I am calling this a baking success.

It was my first time working with limes

I had to shave those little beasts clean!

Tossing the lime zest in with egg yolks and other ingredients. It was really fun getting to separate the yolks from the rest of the egg.

At this point, I was becoming concerned...it just didn't look all that scrumptious.

Fresh out of the oven! I was feeling pretty nervous at this point since I still had no idea how it would taste.

Making my own whipped cream was SO much fun

The finished product!

I would say there will be many more key lime pies in my future.

big day in the life

2011-06-01T09:18:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was quite excellent. For a day that started out fairly average, it picked up.

First highlight: I felt like a real reporter today when I got to write my first story for The News Journal. Here's the story (it's a sad one, for sure):

.....

Six horses were killed and three people suffered minor injuries in a barn fire early Tuesday near West Grove, Pa.

Firefighters from several companies were called about 12:30 a.m. to True Prospect Farm in the 200 block of Hood Road in West Marlborough Township.

Eleven horses were inside the barn, and fire officials said four of the surviving horses were sent to the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for treatment.

After the fire broke out, three people who live nearby -- Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman and Ryan Wood -- helped horses escape, according to the United States Equestrian Federation. All three people were treated at Jennersville Hospital and released.

The horses, owned by Boyd Martin, were trained in eventing, which tests the animals and riders both on flat surfaces and over fences.

The horses killed were Call Me Ollie, Charla, Phantom Pursuit, Ariel, Cagney Herself and Summer Breeze, the equestrian federation said. The horses undergoing treatment are Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, Catch a Star and Ambassador's Rose. The name of the 11th horse in the barn was not released.

The barn is rented by Martin from Phillip Dutton Eventing, the federation said.

A relief fund has been set up to help the farm, owners and riders affected by the fire. A link to donate can be found on Martins' blog at: http://boydandsilvamartin.blogspot.com.

.....

After work, Borg came into my life. Borg is handsome, shiny and about four feet tall. His job: Keeping me cool at nights. My bedroom is a sauna compared to the wonderfully chilly 68-degree downstairs, so I decided it was time to find a little relief. Thank goodness for Borg. And thank goodness for my Phillips head screw driver and my basic knowledge of IKEA-like instruction manuals. I was ready to take on the challenge.

The result:

Yes, I consider putting a fan together a great accomplishment. That was my glorious "Monday" of a Tuesday.

old, new, borrowed, blue

2011-05-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

A funny thing happened on the way to the cash register.

Is something wrong with a single gal wanting to buy wedding magazines? Well, when the cutest guy in Borders is waiting to check you out at the register, I think yes. Flashing my bare ring finger did me no good.

Just a bridesmaid, people. This is research!

My Oakey

2011-05-20T17:43:00.000-04:00

I give everyone and everything nicknames, so it's only fitting that I named my Elon oak "Oakey." I received Oakey on May 22, 2010, the day of commencement, and after seeing some beautiful new leaves on his one-month birthday, I decided to keep track of Oakey's growth each month...with photos, too, of course! Every Elon student receives an acorn during freshman convocation and an oak sapling after graduation. It's one of Elon's most meaningful traditions.
*Elon means oak in Hebrew.

2 days short of Oakey's 1st birthday
Oakey is growing from the bottom up this spring. I'll pick a spot to plant him soon after his birthday.

7 months: December 25, 2010
Oakey sees his first snow...no more growth, though, since it's winter.

6 months: November 22, 2010
46.25 inches

5 months: October 22, 2010
46 inches
Oakey has his first autumn leaf this birthday

4 months: September 22, 2010
Oakey, now almost as tall as me, has sprouted an arm!

3 months: August 22, 2010
36 inches
Oakey was given a bigger home before his 3rd birthday because he's getting bigger than me!

2 months: July 22, 2010
33 inches

1 month: June 22, 2010 Happy Birthday Oakey!
26 inches

Birthday: May 22, 2010
19 inches

ingredients for a good week

2011-05-13T23:42:00.000-04:00

This week, in short, was wonderful because of all the video adventures I got to go on.

Sunday was Point-to-Point at Winterthur. Not only have I always wanted to go to Winterthur, but as soon as I heard about the steeplechase tradition last summer, I knew I wanted to attend this year. The hills were covered with people dressed in pastels and fancy hats laying on their blankets and in lawn chairs. It was the first time I got to see a horse race, and I must say it was fabulous. The horses' names were most entertaining: South Monarch, Music to My Ears, Like a Bee, Flying Contraption and News Flash, just to name a few.

The horses and jockeys parade around in front of the crowded hills before beginning a race

About 12,000 people attended Point-to-Point this year

Video Daniel and I shot:

Wednesday, Justin Williams rappelled off a 17-story building in downtown Wilmington for Anything Once! His daring act was for a fundraiser for Special Olympics Delaware.

Justin in front of the building before his leap

A gorgeous view of Wilmington from the top

I felt so legit for being just a camerawoman

Another beautiful view

Justin goes "Over the Edge"

A much scarier view...looking down from the edge

Here's the video:

After my Anything Once adventure, I went to Aqua Sol in Bear for Signature magazine's June/July cover photoshoot. It was a beautiful location. The video going behind-the-scenes of the cover shoot will run next month. I need to rappel off a building and dabble in fashion photography...that's what I took away from Wednesday afternoon.

View of the marina from the ramps at the restaurant

To end my week, I spent today in Bethany and Rehoboth for "Foodie TV" shoots at Matt's Fish Camp and Victoria's. The videos will launch with the new series on June 1. Bonus: I got to try the duck dish at Victoria's and it was supremely amazing.

The patio at Victoria's had a beautiful view of Rehoboth Beach.
It was a perfect sunny day and there were huge waves.

And the final thing that made this week wonderful: Birthday flowers in bloom. You may have noticed by all the flower photos I post, but I love having fresh flowers in my apartment each week. My birthday bouquets have lasted for weeks and I couldn't be cheerier.

Bouquet from Mikey's sweet girlfriend Lauren. The flowers were from her dad's garden.

Bouquet from Mom and Dad

OK, so I didn't have any cupcakes this week, but just thinking about my favorite cupcakes from SAS in downtown Newark made me happy. These are the treats I got for my birthday a couple weeks ago. Flavors: Chocolate, red velvet, oreo, and chocolate with raspberry icing.

urban love

2011-05-08T19:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, a long walk is all you need to be reminded of why you are where you are at a certain time in your life.

When things are going badly, I learned that I just need some fresh air and beautiful scenery. While Winter Terms spent abroad used to be my outlet for beauty, I have to seek other means of adventure in the "real world." In Wilmington, Delaware, that means a walk around the city.

The Grand, my favorite building in the city

My two-month "Sex and the City" marathon concluded Friday night in tears as I watched the final episode. I had never seen the show while it was live - mostly due to the fact that I didn't have HBO, but also, I was never that interested in my teenage years. After years of my Ya-Ya sisters' pleading, I finally decided it was time to watch the show. A co-worker lent me her DVD collection and I was hooked. New York City was its own character in the story. And, I suppose, Wilmington is an important character in my story here. The day after finishing the series, I took my longest walk yet - 12 miles - around the city with a friend.

Wilmington has charmed me. On more stressful days at work, a short three-hour walk through the city before it gets dark is just what I need to feel better. The lights along Market Street and the reflections in the Christina River during twilight make my heart smile.

The riverfront

The Grand is lit up beautifully at night

The city was beautiful in its bare and cold state just a month ago, but it's even more therapeutic now.

Brandywine Creek in mid-April

Only a few weeks later, and the trees along the creek are in full bloom

Spring has arrived and the city is even more enchanting.

Josephine Fountain in Brandywine Park this Saturday

One of the many highlights along Saturday's long walk was getting to enjoy the gardens in front of the many beautiful homes in the city.

Atop Rockford Tower (a stone water tower), we had a beautiful view of the city and the Wilmington Flower Market going on below us.

Even though it suddenly became freezing cold and rainy, God rays came through the clouds at the Russel W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge.

And on the walk back home, I finally got to see the beautiful Kalmar Nyckel in the perfect lighting. The tall ship of Delaware is an icon I've been waiting to see since I moved here nine months ago.

pretty little things

2011-04-30T13:10:00.000-04:00

It's been a long while since I last posted something, so for that I apologize. Here are some pretty things I have been meaning to share...

I had several orchids in my apartment for a few months. A large green one, a little pink and green one, and a mystery orchid I got from Longwood's orchid show. This flower fell off, so I decided to give it a new life in little vase.

And then one night, the moon was perfect. Photo was from March 20, taken from my balcony.

A perfect Saturday afternoon at Longwood Gardens. I promise more photos on this adventure will be in their own post.

Darling Merlin

And sweet Paprika

An Easter photo

Tulips light up my life, especially when they remind me of the ones all over Elon's campus.

My orange star flower. Sadly, I had to send my orchids to Connie Camp, named as such by Mama Dent. My mom has a magic touch with orchids and since mine were not doing so well (she claims it's the poor lighting in my apartment), I sent them home with mom to be healed. While my orchids were receiving their own rejuvenation, I decided to heal my own heart by buying this orange star plant I found at Giant. It's South African and its prettiness and growth surprises me every day. After a month or so, I have five sprouting up and they are so heavy, they began to droop down. A quick fix: gold ribbon to keep them lifted enough to still bloom...

Tied together with a bow.

Brandywine Park, one of my favorite places in Wilmington, was bursting with cherry blossoms a couple weeks ago. I'm so glad I got to see them before they went away.

For Easter, Mom embroidered this lovely table decoration for me. Here's one corner...

...and the other corner.

Big bunny on my table!

One morning, this pretty surprise was waiting on my desk at work for me (from mom). It was wrapped up so beautifully, too.

Little ladybug clips on my Easter basket

Post Valentine's Day Love: Photos 442-453

2011-02-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, February 27, 2011
The little things in life make me oh, so happy

Saturday, February 26, 2011
A 10-mile walk around Wilmington starting along the Brandywine River near the zoo

Friday, February 25, 2011
I like to test the limits sometimes

Thursday, February 24, 2011
Rehoboth Beach

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Parfait

Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Little visitors

Monday, February 21, 2011
My first frontpage photo spread

Sunday, February 20, 2011
We know I struggle with choosing among puppy photos

Saturday, February 19, 2011
Rachel's new home in Baltimore

Friday, February 18, 2011
The ghostly moon

Thursday, February 17, 2011
An almost daily tradition - riding to Wawa with Daniel. This usually consists of hilarious conversations, hot chocolate, vanilla lattes, pepperoni parfaits, etc.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Valentine roses from Mom and Dad

Love and Valentines: Photos 435-441

2011-02-15T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Morning sun on my carnations

Monday, February 14, 2011
My gerber daisies are joined by a beautiful Valentine rose from Rhina.

Sunday, February 13, 2011
Gerber daisies, one of my favorite flowers

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Table setting for a Celebration of Singledom: A most wonderful Valentine's Day party with the most wonderful friends there ever were. Details coming soon!

Friday, February 11, 2011
The dress I was excited to finally have a chance to wear. Tonight was the opening of Fred Comegys' photo gallery at the Delaware Art Museum. It was a wonderful tribute to his incredible work from more than 50 years as a photographer at The News Journal. Afterward, a big group of us met at a bar in Wilmington to say goodbye to one of our favorite co-workers.

Thursday, February 10, 2011
Justin Williams looks up to receive instructions as he learns how to give a tattoo on practice skin. "Anything Once: Tattooing" runs next Sunday. It was an epic adventure....I'll give more details when the story runs!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
My dishes finally arrived! For Valentine's Day, my mom wanted to get me the set of dishes I fell in love with from...guess where! Anthropologie, of course! I began eying these dishes when I first saw them back in July when I moved to Delaware. I never forgot about them and so it was decided that the time had arrived for me to own them.

Photos: 422-434

2011-02-08T23:02:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Preview of my upcoming Friday night at Fred Comegys' photo exhibition

Monday, February 7, 2011
Morning sunlight

Sunday, February 6, 2011
Watching me leave

Saturday, February 5, 2011
Merlin thought he found a new chew toy

Friday, February 4, 2011
Sleepy Paprika

Thursday, February 3, 2011
My first attempt at fettuccine (I was really excited about the success of this one)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The sky after work (I rarely catch the daylight by the time I leave, so I had to settle for a cell phone picture)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Windshield iced over

Monday, January 31, 2011
You'll notice a theme: I love having these roses around

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Going through recipe books

Saturday, January 29, 2011
Roses from Rhina

Friday, January 28, 2011
Funny memories from a girls night out

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Staying warm: Photos 417-421

2011-01-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011
My morning rainbow

Sunday, January 23, 2011
New curtains

Saturday, January 22, 2011
Vase

Snowy cold Delaware: Photos 405-416

2011-01-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 21, 2011
Finally bought a wine rack

Thursday, January 20, 2011
Putting my Christmas present to good use for the first time!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Making red velvet cupcakes again

Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Snowy night

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sunday, January 16, 2011
Revisiting the bush

Mommy and Daddy

Saturday, January 15, 2011
Ice bush

Friday, January 14, 2011

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Morning snow

Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Lamp

Photos 399-404

2011-01-10T20:05:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 10, 2011
The leader books arrived today!

Sunday, January 9, 2011
Paprika

Saturday, January 8, 2011
Merlin

Friday, January 7, 2011
The drive to work after an early morning layer of snow.

Thursday, January 6, 2011
I haven't had a cooking adventure in a while, but today I tried a creative new salad

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2010: My year

2011-01-09T23:58:00.001-05:00

It was a big year in the life of Ashley Barnas. Growth would probably be the main word I'd use to describe my year, though it was about so much more than that. Of course, all the "so much more" came together to spark that growth...

JANUARY
Japan
My final Winter Term at Elon was spent in an incredible way...this time in Japan with one of my best friends, Pam Richter. We spent half the trip in Kyoto and the other half in Tokyo studying Japanese media and culture. It was an amazing adventure, as all study abroad trips tend to be, and I took thousands of photos, as usual. Here's just a few of them from old blog posts. Trip highlights were experiencing Coming of Age Day, and taking day trips to Hiroshima, Osaka and Nagoya. The best part of the trip for me (and for Pam) was visiting all the shrines and temples. They were all so beautiful and unique, but most of all, peaceful. We would walk around the grounds for hours just thinking, reflecting and praying. One of our favorites was Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto...yes, there was a phoenix on top. Yes, that was a sign since the phoenix is Elon's mascot.

Comet
The incredibly sad news of January was the passing of the best dog any family could love. Comet was 10 years old and he passed away while I was in Japan. It's not an exaggeration or cliché to say he touched and changed our lives for the better. Comet was an extraordinary dog and a member of the family. The story of how he came into our lives will be a children's book someday.

FEBRUARY
Snowmageddon
Our side of the world was pounded with snow. I missed out on the craziness Maryland received, but Elon got its fair share of my favorite form of precipitation. Note: This photo is actually from another snow we had on March 2. I'm told the car belongs to the costume designer of Elon's theater department.

Bridal show with Alexa
I got to go to my first bridal show with my bride, Alexa Milan, to offer my opinion on cakes, photographers, dresses and more.

MARCH
You have a pet...WHAT?!
My month was consumed by my role as assistant producer for a documentary on the zany, crazy, cool pets at Elon. I had an absolute blast shooting, editing, producing and organizing the show with executive producer Laura Ward and the rest of our class. Best of all, I met some incredible animals. One of which I came very close to adopting.

Lenny, a bearded dragon, captured my heart as soon as I met him at the pet store down the road from campus. Lenny lost part of his tail after some rough-housing with the naughty little boys who first owned him. I was convinced he was the pet for me until I found out he had impregnated some bearded dragon lady and was soon to be a father...I certainly couldn't take him away from his little babies, so I decided to leave him where he was. Of course, bearded dragons are said to have no attachment to their young, but in my heart I knew I just couldn't keep him.

Other pet highlights: I shot video of a really scary snake, Cora the rat, Marley the hedgehog and Mittens the chinchilla. Ultimate highlight: Dipping for leeches in Lake Mary Nell.

Spring Break in Bay St. Louis
My freshman year at Elon, I remember walking through Moseley and seeing a booth to sign up for Spring Break in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for Katrina relief. I knew then that I wanted to take an alternative spring break trip while at Elon...and what better a time than senior year! Everything happens for a reason, and I was chosen to go on the trip with 14 other students. I was the only senior, so I felt really old. =) Here's my post from after the trip.

After talking to the trip's leaders, it was decided that I would take a video camera to document the trip. It was not only an honor to be asked, but a fun and challenging task to find the balance between service work and documentary work. It was so rewarding to finish the documentary though - it turned out to be two parts, one to present during an undergraduate student research week, and the other for our pure enjoyment, which ended up being a nice present to give my BSL friends the week of finals.

The trip, like my study abroad adventures, was life changing. I had never been on a service trip of this size before, and I encountered so many incredible people and moments. I can't imagine what Mississippi must have been like directly after Katrina beyond the photos and video we've seen. There are still so many things to be done and the biggest lesson we learned while we were down there is that listening and offering comfort can go a long way. The theme of our trip became "the small things matter."

Here's the video we presented:

A little dream come true
On March 31, I received a phone call from then editor-in-chief Pam Richter and then sports editor Sam Calvert saying something along the lines of "do not pass go, do not speak to anyone, get to the Acorn (coffee shop) patio immediately." When I showed up, I was told The Pendulum Online had been nominated for its first Pacemaker. I began to squeal and sob outside Acorn, which sits next to The Pendulum office. People were looking. I didn't care. My entire tenure as online editor-in-chief was dedicated to making that website the best it could be, and the hard work, tears and no sleep finally paid off. Here's the full post I wrote after finding out.

In true Pendy love style, a few of us celebrated with dinner at Varsity. Note the sheer joy on everyone's faces. lol

APRIL
Rip_Chord's final concert
When Elon's all male a cappella group formed my freshman year, I wrote about it for The Pendulum. My second-ever article for the student newspaper because my first-ever article as part of my unofficial job as Rip_Chord beat writer. On April 10, Rip_Chord held its spring concert, the last concert of the year. I will always be their biggest fan...and that is an official title. Here's a photo with my dear friend Josh Tate, then president, after the concert, and an old photo from when my roomie, Laura Wainman, surprised me with an a cappellagram for my birthday.

My final Elonthon
The 24-hour dance marathon for Duke Children's Hospital will forever be one of my favorite Elon events. I danced it every year and covered it for The Pendulum a couple times. It's always an incredible experience, especially when we get to meet some of the kids. My blog post after my final Elonthon. Highlight of the evening: When Rip_Chord performed and my darling Chris Beeson changed the lyrics of "A Whole New World" to include my name at the end of the song.

Here's my "GG" Gabby Szewcow with one of the Miracle Children:

SURF Day
There are five Elon Experiences and I was determined to hit them all in my four years at Elon: Internship, Study Abroad, Service, Leadership and Undergraduate Research. The final experience I needed to complete on my Elon checklist was undergraduate research. The summer after my sophomore year, I traveled to Seoul, South Korea, with fellow student Craig Campbell and Dr. Glenn Scott to spend a week at the OECD Ministerial Meeting interviewing people on their views for the future of the Internet. After Craig and I put all those videos and transcripts together for my professor Janna Anderson's "Imagining the Internet" project, I analyzed the findings and presented "Seoul Searching: OECD Ministerial Participants’ Views on the Future of ICTs" on SURF (Student Undergraduate Research Forum) Day. Here's the post I wrote after we returned from Seoul.

Hearing Nicholas Kristof speak
Kristof was the keynote speaker at our spring convocation for honors, and as my journalism friends would agree, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect fit for senior year convocation. My post from Kristof's visit.

MAY
May was a tremendously emotional month for so many reasons

1. I turned 22.
This would be the last time I would be the oldest person around. I felt OLD. Little did I know I would enter the real world soon and feel like the youngest person around. I now wish I had relished that old feeling a bit more successfully. My birthday blog post.

2. My mom and dad celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They're an inspiration of true love...and also an example that's hard to live up to since they are high school sweethearts.

3. Rave in the Pendulum editing vault
It was one of those necessary moments of insane fun. Nothing says it better than this animation Camille DeMere created based on the photos she took of me, Pam, and Corey Groom dancing.

4. Nerdy Journalism Movie Night comes to an end.
Almost every week, a group of us journalists would come together at my apartment to watch one of our favorite nerdy journalism movies. During that time, we watched:
-Shattered Glass
-Good Night, and Good Luck
-Network
-State of Play
-Helvetica
-All the President's Men

5. Graduation
SO many events and celebrations led up to graduation - including a picnic, gala, trip to Biltmore, final mass, and more - and I pretty much detailed them all in this post. I have a ton of photos to document the day (and days leading up to the big day), but I will re-share two of them, one being the iconic image of me coming off the stage as captured by the amazing Corey Groom (it's great to have friends in high places, i.e. Pendulum photographers).

JUNE
Baby Colin is born
My cousin Amanda and her husband Mike became parents!

Michael's graduation
My Mikey graduated from North Point High School. He made a speech. He hugged the random woman who gave him his diploma. He conquered.

Summer adventures
Ocean City with my Ya-Ya sisters, the barbecue festival in D.C. with Morgan Little and hiking Harpers Ferry/Maryland Heights with my Subway date Rachel Cieri.

First time in the First State
I interviewed for a job at The News Journal on June 22, the one-month anniversary of my graduation. That was my first good luck sign. My second was when a chipmunk scampered in front of me as I walked up to the building.

JULY
Another wedding to look forward to
My childhood friend Christine Cline got engaged on July 16 and asked me to be a bridesmaid

I become a real person
I started my job as lead video producer at The News Journal on July 21. I moved in to my first apartment that same day.

AUGUST
Mikey starts college
As always, I was a big helper in moving Mikey in to his apartment

Mom and Dad's 30-year high school reunion

SEPTEMBER
Football begins
It was a dream come true for me to be able to continue shooting football video. Every week, I got to cover a high school football game and loved every minute of it (even when it got to be freezing cold).

Sunflowers
It was a magical Ya-Ya trip to visit the sunflowers at Longwood Gardens

Primaries in Delaware
My little state of Delaware made national news when Christine O'Donnell beat Mike Castle to run for Senate.

OCTOBER
Homecoming
Going home to Elon was just what I needed for my soul. Saying goodbye to the Pendulum office before it's demolished was definitely a bittersweet moment, though.

NOVEMBER
Election Day
A really exciting day to live in Delaware. Highlight was getting to shoot video of Christine O'Donnell voting and then editing like crazy for the rest of the day and night.

Return Day
I got to help cover one of Delaware's most interseting traditions

Puppy Shower
My Ya-Ya sister Caitlin welcomed baby Westin into her life, so we threw her a puppy shower, Ya-Ya style!

New York City
A quick weekend trip to NYC when my penpal, Pam, came to visit from Utah

DECEMBER
End of Thousand a Day
On Dec. 2, 2010, I hit my final day of taking at least one photo every single day for a year. It was an awesome project I enjoyed so much that I decided to continue for another year.

My final post
My first post
Every post in between

My first Christmas tree
I was determined to have a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree as my first official tree as a real person, and here's how he turned out:

Welcoming Merlin and Paprika to the family
On Dec. 22, Paprika and Merlin became my new brother and sister

Holly jolly puppies and the holidays: Photos 383-398

2011-01-04T20:19:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, January 4
Pretty owl from Lizzie and Mama Dent

Monday, January 3
Anything Once today was learning how to butcher deer meat...screen grab on its way soon (though I'm not sure you'd want to see it).

Sunday, January 2
Forget the beds, Paprika wants the shelf

Saturday, January 1

Friday, December 31
Traditional yule log for New Year's Eve

Thursday, December 30
Longwood Gardens for Christmas and Lizzie's 23rd birthday

Wednesday, December 29
Christmas present from NeeNee...a bag holder for my kitchen wall. Love that she thought to make a bakery for me.

Tuesday, December 28
The incredible sky on my drive down to Lewes...thank goodness for carrying my camera in my purse.

Monday, December 27

In addition to a photo of the day, here's my video for the day. I got to go sledding for work! Greatness.

Sunday, December 26
Snow arrives in Old New Castle

Saturday, December 25
Merlin didn't want to part with his candy cane

Friday, December 24

Thursday, December 23
Meet baby Paprika

And baby Merlin

Wednesday, December 22
When it comes to puppies, you can't just pick one, so here's two..

Tuesday, December 21

Monday, December 20
I drove to Port Deposit, Maryland, tonight to meet the two new members of our family. These two puppies were playing under the dining room table when I walked into the breeder's house. The little boy (white with brown) cuddled on my lap right away while his sister (brown) playfully bit my finger and tried to crawl under my leg to get my full attention. I was in love instantly. Here they are with their mommy...

Snowy weekend at Elon: Days 380-382

2010-12-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

Sunday, December 19 My mom gets the photo credit on today's photos. She took these beautiful pictures in a neighborhood in Burlington.

Saturday, December 18
I had a beautiful weekend at Elon...as soon as I arrived, it began to snow. I couldn't have asked for more.

My Beetle outside Iron Gate Winery...clearly a necessary stop while at Elon.
Pretty berries somewhere along the road in Mebane...mom and I spotted the trees while driving back from Iron Gate.

Alamance all lit up...my favorite time of year at Elon.

The last picture I will ever take of the Pendulum office before it's torn down. So sad to think about that.

Friday, December 17
Sunrise from my balcony

My very first Christmas cards received as a real person with a real address. Thanks Alexa and Christine!

Lights: Day 378 & 379

2010-12-16T23:44:00.000-05:00

Thursday, December 16

Wednesday, December 15

Continuing the photo adventure: Thousand a Day, year two

2010-12-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

It really wasn't a question whether I wanted to continue taking a photo worth a thousand words a day. So here I am, catching up with posting the photos I've taken each day since the one-year anniversary of "Thousand a Day."

Tuesday, December 14
I had to get creative with hanging lights outside my apartment since nails and tape would not work, so I decided to twist them around my balconies instead.

Monday, December 13
A few favorite ornaments

Sunday, December 12
Tonight, I decorated my very first Christmas tree

Saturday, December 11
Christmas bouquet

Friday, December 10
My first attempt at banana bread: Semi-fail for two reasons. 1. I have no bread pan in which to bake the bread, thus I resorted to using a bundt and these mini acorn/pinecone/pumpkin/walnut shapes. 2. The bundt was in the oven too long...50 minutes must apply to the bread pan, not the bundt, so it wasn't as moist as it should have been. Sigh.

Thursday, December 9
Today was my office Christmas party and part of the random gift I picked from under the tree was a little bottle of Jack Daniels. Of course. I instantly knew this was perfect for Leo Smith Chompers Francis Whittington.

Wednesday, December 8
When my mom went to Germany this summer to visit our family, the one thing I wanted most was a genuine cuckoo clock from the Black Forest. Sure enough, my mom found a beautiful one for me and we got to hang it up in my apartment this weekend. The cuckoo bird pops out of his door, dancers twirl on the balcony and the little German men cheers their beer.

Tuesday, December 7
Tonight's brand new creation in the kitchen: salmon and asparagus pasta with sour cream sauce

Monday, December 6
Roses from Mom and Dad

Sunday, December 5
My bird lamp finally has a hat!

Saturday, December 4
Here's my new rule for round two of Thousand a Day: I can post multiple photos in one day. I did the same thing last year, but this year I'm making it an official OK move.

Mom and Dad were visiting this weekend and we went to the Brandywine River Museum to buy some of the critter ornaments I was introduced to at work when I edited a video about them. A bunch of the critters were on display throughout the museum and there was a room filled with elaborate train sets.

Friday, December 3
Tonight was the Division II high school state championship game, St. Elizabeth vs. Archmere. Damian and I journeyed down to DSU's football stadium in Dover. I shot from the roof above the press box while Damian shot from the sidelines. It. Was. Cold. But a great time as always. It's definitely depressing to be done with football, though...going to be weird having to work normal hours on Fridays.

Thousands of stories in 365 photos

2010-12-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

It was Dec. 3, 2009, the night of Elon's Luminarias, my favorite annual tradition at Elon when the campus becomes even more magical than usual as it is covered in lights for the holidays. That night, I took my first photo for "A thousand a day..."

It has been a whole year since I started the "thousand a day" photo project with my friend David. The morning of the Luminarias, David and I were sitting in the Pendulum office - at the computers in the center of the room, if I remember correctly - and he pitched an idea for a photo project. We would set out to take a photo every single day for a year. A picture's worth a thousand words, and we wanted 365,000 of them. Here is my very first "thousand a day" post. And this was the first photo I took that night:

I came to the bittersweet realization that our "thousand a day" project was coming to an end as soon as December hit. I remembered the reason David wanted to start the project and the reason behind the name. We wanted to take photos for us - not for the school paper, not for classes, not for work. These photos would be taken purely for ourselves, so we might start to see the little details in things and people we encounter every day. I quickly learned the reasoning was not selfish - we wanted to share the photos with one another, with our families, with our friends. And when I think about that, I also know the reason why I was able to stick to this project. I didn't want to let those people down. Any time I'd post my photos, I'd always check David's and a few of our other friends who tried the project with us. When I saw their photos, it was a comfort knowing I was not alone in the project. I had people to cheer on and they were there to cheer me on.

Finding a thousand words in one day to share with others was not hard. Every day has its mini stories, its big events, its exciting moments and its own adventures. Some days were far more telling than others and the challenge was greater on those days. I remember thinking to myself a few times, "Here I sit, it's 11 p.m. and I still haven't taken a photo of the day. Now what?" I was disappointed with myself for thinking it and then I'd manage to find some trinket lying around my home to photograph in a new light, a fun angle.

And then I would have a month in Japan, a photo adventure in an abandoned house in Gibsonville, NC, or 24 hours at a dance marathon. It's those days I would look forward to most because I knew I would take hundreds of photos from which to choose. I live for adventures like those, the ones that scream, "Photograph the heck out of me!" And I live to share moments like those with my friends and family.

Whether we continue the project or not, I know we had a wonderful journey. Photography was always on my mind. I was constantly thinking in terms of framing, angles, lighting, a camera setting I had not tried yet. I have always seen and appreciated the little things in life, but this project encouraged me to share that beauty. So, thank you for sticking with me for so long. Your comments and words of encouragement have made this project the happy success that it has been. I have loved every syllable of the 365,000 words and every pixel of the 365 photos I've been able to share with you.

You can see all 365 photos here, but here are a few of my favorites:

A thousand a day...the final day.

2010-12-05T13:56:00.000-05:00

Thursday, December 2
Mikey's 18th birthday...clearly, my excessive photo taking was annoying my baby brother, hence my choice in today's photo. This is a typical "Ashley, hurry up and take your dang photo" expression.

A thousand a day...365

2010-12-01T22:48:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, December 1
I must have miscounted somewhere along the way because this is day 365, yet David and I started this project on Dec. 3, 2009. No matter. Here is a little cell phone pic of my desk decked out for Christmas. Also note the photos, Elon cup, Rupert mug, Leo Smith Chompers Francis Whittington (the squirrel nutcracker) and my ladybug.

A thousand a day...363 & 364

2010-11-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, November 30
Cupcake fail.

Here's the story since I truly need to explain. This time, I called on my buddy Duncan to help me bake lemon cupcakes.

First batch: Fail. I didn't fill the cups enough so they were all sunken in and had mysterious (though I found out nonpoisonous) brown spots on top.

Second batch: Eh. They were bright yellow and WAY poofed up (since I filled them extra) and a little soft on top. I put them in the fridge over night so I could frost them this morning. And here's where I really went wrong...I put the frosting in the fridge. When I pulled it out this morning, that hard icing combined with the smushy yellow cupcake tops...you know the rest.

After much prompting from my co-workers, I went back home around lunchtime to pick them up and bring them to work anyway. I was originally too distressed to bring in my hideous baking fail. At least they tasted good...

Note: Bottom right corner was the last one I frosted. Can you tell I was angry?

Monday, November 29
Today was a fairly epic day in the life of Ashley Barnas. I went to Trader Joe's for the first time ever and my life was changed. OK, maybe it wasn't that epic, but it was certainly a benchmark in my life. How have I never been to Trader Joe's before? Thank goodness for my friend/co-worker Vikki, who decided it was time for me to take that big step. In addition to all the fun stuff I found, I had to buy the cute reusable bag, too. That means I'll definitely be going back.

A thousand a day...349-362

2010-11-29T00:29:00.000-05:00

Sunday, November 28
I know I've taken so many photos of Oakey's autumn leaves already, but when I came home for Thanksgiving this weekend, Oakey was almost all bear except for the beautiful red, purple and emerald leaves on top.

Saturday, November 27
Celebrating Mikey's 18th birthday while the whole family's together in one place

Friday, November 26
Colin's first Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 25
Through Oma's front door

Wednesday, November 24
My first attempt at making sugar cookies from scratch. I got the recipe with the Christmas cookie cutters Mom gave me and then realized I don't have a rolling pin yet! Alas, I was stuck with making your typical round sugar cookies rather than fun snowman and gingerbread man cookies. Looks like my next fun purchase is a rolling pin.

Tuesday, November 23
I have been hoping to find a hook to keep my keys by the door, and guess where I found one! Why, Anthropologie, of course.

Monday, November 22
Full moon

Sunday, November 21
Saying hello to an old friend. I have been wanting to dig up my Polaroid camera for a new photo adventure and my mom finally found it for me. Now if I can only track down some film...

Saturday, November 20
David Ledford, editor of The News Journal, gave me great tickets to today's University of Delaware football game. It was awesome to be able to go to the big game against Villanova.

Friday, November 19
This week's Anything Once adventure was learning how to bake bread at the Black Lab in Little Italy.

Thursday, November 18
Today was the day. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Shockingly enough, I did not see the midnight showing (as I have for the past six movies), but I did get to shoot a man-on-the-street and talk to some of the crazy fans decked out in their best Harry Potter costumes. Sadly, all I have to offer is this cell phone pic (which was taken the night I FINALLY saw the movie, Thanksgiving Eve...sorry today's photo is a big time cheat on my part).

Wednesday, November 17
After a blustery evening, I awoke to find the first leaves on my welcome mat!

Tuesday, November 16
An unusually slow day in the office means it's time to clean the keyboards

Monday, November 15
For the final "25 Who Matter" I got to visit the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association to meet some rowers and go out on the water with them. Difficult to grab a still image from all the movement on the water, so here's the video:

A thousand a day...344-348

2010-11-15T22:47:00.000-05:00

Sunday, November 14
More than four months ago, after my job interview at The News Journal, my mom and I explored the area around New Castle. That's when we first discovered the glorious Anthropologie in my mall. And that's when I fell in love with this bird lamp. I finally decided enough was enough...I caved and bought it for myself at an early Christmas present.

Saturday, November 13
Sunset in the nation's capital

Friday, November 12
It's a tie for today's photo. I was having a very reflective day in New York City as you can see.

Thursday, November 11
A night I'll never forget...seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Breathtaking.

Wednesday, November 10
I'm officially a real person and my apartment is complete now that I have a welcome mat!

A thousand a day...332-343

2010-11-09T21:55:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, November 9
Today was an AMAZING Wawa experience. Daniel and I left the office for an afternoon adventure. It's important to mention that this would be Daniel's first Wawa experience...something that is bound to happen sooner or later once you move to Delaware.

I was fully set on getting a coffee, but then I saw - drumroll - a milkshake machine. Say what!? I knew I had to be adventurous and get - no, MAKE - a Wawa milkshake. I turned to Daniel and said, "You can make milkshakes in Wawa!? For real!?" And he just laughed at me and pointed out that the milkshakes are actually made by the "Milkshakes." brand. Even better, the milkshake mixes said, "F'real" on them. No lie.

After staring at the machine in awe, I decided on a cookies and cream milkshake and Daniel got the same. I followed the step-by-step instructions, taking it very slowly so as not to make a mistake and, quite honestly, to relish every moment. A man at the coffee stand looked at me, clearly baffled by my joy at the discovery of the machine, and said, "It doesn't take a college degree to work that thing." Yeah, yeah. Cut me some slack. I was entranced! So, that's my glorious story behind today's thousand a day. It was one heck of a Wawa memory.

Monday, November 8

Sunday, November 7

Saturday, November 6
My Ya-Ya sister, Caitlin, is now the proud mommy of an English chocolate lab puppy. We threw her and Westin a puppy shower and just cooed over him, in addition to giving him and Caitlin lots of fun presents.

Friday, November 5
It was my first time being captain of the football ship tonight since Andre was out of town. I knew I was in for an intense night, so I'm really happy I survived it. Damian and Daniel brought their game tapes back for me and I edited theirs first before working on my two games. Lesson learned tonight: I much prefer being Gilligan to Skipper.

Rather than try to take a still from those videos, here is one of the games I shot this week:

And here's a link to the second game I covered.

Thursday, November 4
I got to partake in a unique Delaware tradition today. Return Day is held the Thursday after Election Day in Georgetown, Del. (Sussex County), and celebrates the end of the election season. Marching bands and politicians parade around the square, the town crier announces the returns and the opposing candidates literally bury a hatchet. Well, they hold the hatchet up together and then pass it off to party leaders who proceed to place the hatchet in a glass box and then fill it with sand. The only downfall to this awesome day was the off-and-on (though mostly on) rain. Daniel and I got to team up for this assignment, so we combined our footage to produce two videos later that night (we captured the footage on the long drive back to the office...very MoJo - mobile journalist - of us).

Here's the sights and sounds video I edited:

And the official ceremony video Daniel edited:

Wednesday, November 3
Another adventure with Justin Williams for "Anything Once." This time, he spent a morning working as a toll booth collector on Del. 1. The story runs Sunday, Nov. 14.

Tuesday, November 2
Election Day! My first Election Day in a newsroom was quite an experience. My day started at Charter School of Wilmington to shoot video of Christine O'Donnell voting. When I returned to the office, I edited that video along with a video on early voters, Chris Coons voting, Glen Urquhart voting and Vice President Joe Biden voting.

Here's a still from my morning video after O'Donnell finished voting.

I had the afternoon off and returned to the office after the polls closed. I waited for Damian and Daniel to come back with the tapes of O'Donnell, Coons, Urquhart and John Carney delivering their victory/concession speeches. (Here is O'Donnell's concession speech and Coons' victory speech videos.) While I was editing, David Ledford, the editor-in-chief, came over to show me the front page design with its glorious headline. It was, as we like to say to each other, "off the hook."

Monday, November 1
Another adventure with Justin Williams, this time for a special feature other than Anything Once. We spent a morning in Smyrna learning how to harvest cranberries. I'll post the story and video after they run Wednesday.

Sunday, October 31
Daddy's adorable pumpkin with melon friends

Saturday, October 30
Baby meets baby at Amanda Maloney's baby shower. We played the baby pin game where each person gets a pin and if they are caught saying "baby," they lose the pin to the person who catches them. It's a struggle. Now, I can say baby as much as I want.

Baby.

Friday, October 29
Favorite tree outside my apartment

A thousand a day...329-331

2010-10-28T20:31:00.001-04:00

Thursday, October 28
I've always carved the typical snaggle-toothed pumpkin but decided to get creative this year. I got my "phat jack" pumpkin - named as such because of its long handle - at Coleman's Christmas Tree Farm after Justin harvested it for "Anything Once."

Wednesday, October 27

Tuesday, October 26
Pinecones

A thousand a day...318-328

2010-10-25T22:32:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 25
My new fall place settings

Sunday, October 24
Homecoming Day 3: Before leaving campus, I had to take a final walk around my favorite part of campus to take photos.

Saturday, October 23
Homecoming Day 2: Elon vs. Wofford. We don't have to talk about the game. If you must hear about it, Sunshine's story says it best:

With nine seconds left, Wofford College's junior quarterback Mitch Allen dropped back and launched a pass down the field. It was third and 15, with a tied game at 21-21.

Wofford's senior wide receiver Devin Reed was in double coverage. Elon University's sophomore defensive back Blake Thompson had him matched step-for-step.

In the midst of the action, Reed reached up to make the grab and fell to the ground in the end zone. After an extra point by sophomore kicker Christian Reed, the Terriers took the lead 28-21 to win the game...

Friday, October 22
Elon Homecoming Day 1: We decided to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Montereys, for dinner after a long day of homecoming activities. There were six of us and we refused to spend any time apart by driving separately. Blurry, yet this sums up the day wonderfully as Alexa, Sam/Sunshine, Pam and Conor crammed in the back of Jack's car. I was lucky enough to ride shotgun, thus documenting this greatness.

Thursday, October 21
A piece of good fortune from China

Wednesday, October 20
New frames, new decorations

Tuesday, October 19
Another gift to myself from Anthropologie

Monday, October 18
My guilty pleasure - those fun Pillsbury cookies with shapes on them for every holiday. This one's dedicated to Roomie, the cat lady.

Sunday, October 17
Brand spankin' new roof after the crazy hail storm of 2010 damaged it

Saturday, October 16
Oakey has his first autumn leaf! I couldn't have been more excited. My oak tree's five-month birthday is coming up in a few days!

Friday, October 15
Football Friday! Middletown at Newark for the Hornets' homecoming game. It's just too hard to grab good stills from these football videos, so I'm just posting the video this time for full enjoyment. Tonight was a record night because I was out of the office by midnight!

A thousand a day...311-317

2010-10-14T19:36:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 14 ....annnnnd done! Dedicated to Miss Lizzie Dent. I'm sending these red velvet cupcakes to you in York! Side note: This was a cream cheese icing fail (notice the unnatural meltiness).

Wednesday, October 13
My first attempt at red velvet cupcakes...fresh out of the oven.

Tuesday, October 12
Rather than take a new picture today, I think this photo of The Pendulum office captures my day a bit better. Today, the "shot heard round the world" was the fact that our college newspaper office is being bulldozed. We moved into the old bank building during my sophomore year. The building was renovated and transformed into our home, a home that really brought us together as a staff and a family. We had so much more space in the new office and direct access to our adviser, whose office is within our newspaper office, and were right across the street from the communications building. Not to mention we were right next door to Acorn, everyone's favorite coffee shop.

So here's my ode to our office. It's tough to remember that the success of our paper is not in the building but in the dedication and talent of the staff. But still, so many memories. This photo was taken during the summer after my sophomore year when I stayed on campus to start The Pendulum's first summer editions. It's become a favorite photo of ours since it's the first view of the office while walking on the brick path from the comm school.

Monday, October 11
I had the video camera sitting in front of me at my desk and liked the fun angle it captured.

Sunday, October 10
My Saturday was much more action-packed than Sunday, so here's a shot from the Delaware Auto Show, which I covered Saturday afternoon. This sweet little boy was so well-spoken and a simply wonderful interview.

Here's the video I edited, too:

Saturday, October 9
A wonderful morning spent very Mary Poppins style...learning how to be a chimney sweep with Justin Williams for Anything Once! "Chim Chim Cher-ee" has been on replay in my head the whole week.

Friday, October 8
First attempt at making coffee. Fail. Long story for some other time, I promise.

A thousand a day...304-310

2010-10-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 7
Tonight's kitchen experiment? Chicken with wild rice.
How did I do? Just fine, I think.
How did it taste? Not so great.

Yes, this was an unfortunate kitchen fail considering it took me a relatively long time to make. Quite honestly, I don't know why I thought this would taste good. The recipe called for orange marmalade and Dijon mustard, both of which I can't stand. Sigh. The chicken was salvageable. Can't say the same about the otherwise-delicious-but-now-ruined-by-mustard-and-marmalade rice.

Wednesday, October 6
A still from the video I shot of the press conference at the News Journal to announce the U.S. Senate poll results. Dan Cassino from Fairleigh-Dickinson University announced the results and we streamed it live to our website.

Tuesday, October 5
My first attempt at pecan pie...still baking with that oven fog over it

Monday, October 4
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Chris Coons visited the News Journal Monday morning for a video interview with a panel of reporters and editors.

Sunday, October 3
Baby Colin's baptism

And because my second cousin's so darn cute, he gets a bonus photo:

Saturday, October 2
A lovely outing on Mattawoman Creek

Friday, October 1
Friday Football again! Tonight, I shot the game and Andre edited, which means the voice over is totally ballin'. This still is from a touchdown that was made after a player knocked the ball out of the other guy's hands, and his teammate picked up the fumble (like my lack of football lingo there?) I'll make up for it now: He turned on the jets...and took it to the house.

Here's our video:

A thousand a day...295-303

2010-09-30T22:36:00.000-04:00

Thursday, September 30
Happy I finally got to use my News Journal umbrella today

Wednesday, September 29
A little man in my box of tea

Tuesday, September 28
A big night in the kitchen! First, chicken with sautéed apples.

Then, lemon cupcakes.

Monday, September 27
A final pre-press look at "The Legacies of Elon's Leaders"

Sunday, September 26
Time for another present to myself...the owl cookie jar I fell in love with

Saturday, September 25
A wonderfully thoughtful present from my Daddy!

Friday, September 24
Video still from Football Friday...Newark High School's band during its halftime show

Thursday, September 23
Pumpkin picking for "Anything Once"...yet another amazing day at work.

Wednesday, September 22
Trying to create a parfait

A thousand a day...290-294

2010-09-21T22:52:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, September 21 Counting down to Glee pretty much defined my day, so it has to be my representative photo, despite its unexciting nature as a photo. Glee season two premiere starts in about five seconds...

Monday, September 20
My newest kitchen decoration...a house warming gift from Lizzie.

Sunday, September 19
Bon voyage to my best friend and Ya-Ya sister, Lizzie, as she goes to the University of York for the next two years to study stained glass conservation (how amazing is that). See you across the pond soon!

Saturday, September 18
It's been a long time since I got to go to the Charles County Fair, so it was a wonderful treat to go this year with my parents. I love the animals, the crafts and art displays, and, of course, the caramel apples! ...but most of all, the animals.

And a bonus photo, even though it's a bit blurry

Friday, September 17
I covered my second high school football game today: Brandywine vs. Mount Pleasant
I'll snag a still image tomorrow...one of my famous near-death football incidents.

BONUS! Here's the video:

And here's my other video from tonight (Damian Giletto shot this one and I edited...and I got to say "take it to the house" again. It's my coin football phrase now.)

A thousand a day...289

2010-09-16T20:52:00.000-04:00

So, I totally went to the store and bought Glee season one on DVD the day it came out and I've basically been watching it non-stop every day after work. What can I say? It's the one thing, next to watching Ellen, that can make me happy no matter what. And, of course, I had to inclue my true love, Artie, in the photo.

A thousand a day...282-288

2010-09-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 15
Hot off the press, today's primary election results paper was delivered around the newsroom by one of the pressmen just around midnight.

Tuesday, September 14
Primary election night in Delaware made national news this year because of Christine O'Donnell's win over longtime Delaware politician Mike Castle. I was stationed at Michele Rollins' campaign headquarters to shoot video and then edited Rollins and Caitlin O'Donnell video when I arrived back at the office.

Monday, September 13
I feel like I'm doing my own Julie/Julia project here, first with my lasagna and now with my next dish. The only difference is I'm not trying to be like Julia Child (not yet at least, though her cookbook is on my kitchen counter waiting for me to graduate cooking kindergarten). My project is to just learn how to cook things that don't turn out like my first spaghetti: hard noodles, cold sauce and overall pitiful.

I'll have to make this an unofficial recurrence on my blog. So, in my second installment, here is my attempt at stir fry!

Sunday, September 12
Today was a day to catch up on the sleep I didn't get Friday after a long day of crabbing early in the morning and an even longer night (into the next morning) of football. But as I was laying on my couch, I decided to be somewhat productive and crafty by trying my first punch needle...

Saturday, September 11
Earlier this week, I read an article and edited a video about Longwood Gardens' new display of 22 acres of sunflowers...half a million of them! And I knew instantly that I needed to go see them. Sunflowers are my favorite, after all, and it worked out wonderfully that my mom, Lizzie and Ya-Ya mama Dent were visiting me this Saturday (sunflowers are the official flower of the Ya-Ya sisters). It was so stunning to drive around the corner and arrive at a field of gold.

Friday, September 10
"Tonight's gonna be a good good night"...the Elon football memories (and of course the Black Eyed Peas song that played before every Elon game) were definitely coming back to me as I got to shoot my first football game tonight. I covered the Middletown vs. Appoquinimink game...a HUGE rivalry since it was one high school split in two since it grew so much. High school football is definitely different from college football. And, of course, I was missing my Phoenix Phootball Phun crew. Here's the link to my video (with my first attempt at a "football voice").

Thursday, September 9
Cheating again...this photo (video still) was actually taken on my Friday morning adventure on a commercial crabbing boat for "Anything Once." Justin Williams and I set sail in Delaware City with Captain Bob Wiso and his crew to catch crabs for three hours.

A thousand a day...276-281

2010-09-08T22:58:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 8
My favorite glasses

Tuesday, September 7
Invitation for a bittersweet occasion

Monday, September 6
Giant orchid

Sunday, September 5
The first great grandbaby Barnas (and my favorite baby in the world), Colin

Saturday, September 4
Mommy's photo of the day

Friday, September 3
Nature's symmetry

A thousand a day...273-275

2010-09-02T21:39:00.001-04:00

Thursday, September 2
Stunning sky before Hurricane Earl heads toward the Delmarva Peninsula

Wednesday, September 1
I finished reading "Eat Pray Love" last night and started reading "A Year on Ladybug Farm" tonight...so I though using my Japanese bookmark would be appropriate.

Tuesday, August 31
A favorite decoration...gotta love Anthropologie

A thousand a day...270-272

2010-08-30T21:55:00.000-04:00

Monday, August 30
Flowers from home

Sunday, August 29

Saturday, August 28
Old New Castle

A thousand a day...266-269

2010-08-27T22:39:00.002-04:00

Friday, August 27
A few memories placed on the wall tonight

Thursday, August 26

Wednesday, August 25
Lasagna: My very first official home-cooked meal (all by myself) = success

Tuesday, August 24
Small preview until I grab the better quality screenshot from my video (which I'll post this weekend)

A thousand a day...261-265

2010-08-23T22:29:00.000-04:00

I'm gonna cheat again...and it's only because I had a LOADED weekend and would rather use those photos in place of my otherwise quiet-life-in-Delaware photos. Please forgive me for my Thursday/Friday/Monday-that-are-actually-Saturday/Sunday photos!

Monday, August 23 (actually Sunday)
My soon-to-be Salisbury Seagull

Sunday, August 22
Day 2 of my parents' reunion...the picnic! What's not fair is I try to throw a football and end up breaking my finger. My mother, on the other hand, is a pro.

Saturday, August 21
I was the photographer at my Mom and Dad's 30th high school reunion and had an absolute blast wandering around taking photos all night. This is one of my favorite artsy shots of the DJ:

Friday, August 20 (actually Saturday)
Mikey all growed up and moved in...

Thursday, August 19 (actually Saturday)
Good luck for Mikey's college career!

A thousand a day...260

2010-08-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

Fleur de lis

A thousand a day...252-259

2010-08-18T11:04:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, August 17
Rachel and I had our first monthly dinner get-together in Baltimore tonight! A delicious dinner on the water after walking around Canton to see the charming area...

Monday, August 16
My mission: Assemble towel rack

Sunday, August 15
Supremely wonderful food after picking Mikey up from Salisbury

Saturday, August 14
My first lasagna attempt (as assistant to mom) = success

Friday, August 13
On the ride home to Maryland

Thursday, August 12

Wednesday, August 11
Since I can't shoot great stills and great video at the same time, I have decided to start pulling still images to use on the days I get to shoot video (unless I'm able to start multi-tasking)! Kind of cheating, I know. But here is a still from the video I shot for the "Anything Once" series with Justin Williams. This time, he learned how to play polo. I'm working on editing the video right now to run in two weeks.

Tuesday, August 10
Bedtime

A thousand a day...248-251

2010-08-09T21:14:00.000-04:00

Monday, August 9, 2010
Today, I put together a lamp. Yes, it was an accomplishment for me.

Sunday, August 8, 2010
Runner

Saturday, August 7, 2010
Taking flight

Friday, August 6, 2010

Daddy's first watermelon of the season...grown with love

A thousand a day...247

2010-08-05T21:10:00.000-04:00

Today was an amazing day. I traveled about two hours down to Rehoboth and Lewes to shoot two assignments. First, I learned how to blow glass with Justin Williams for his bi-weekly feature "Anything Once"...where he'll try anything once! So far, he's taken surfing lessons, tried mushroom farming, motorcycle racing, massage therapy and so much more. It was an absolute blast.

Then, I headed ten minutes down the road to a West Rehoboth community to feature a woman who started an after school program to promote education and respect with the children in the area. Her story is one in a series called "25 Who Matter," which features other inspirational people around Delaware.

For my dinner break (before heading back to the center to get b-roll of the kids), I met up with Carolyn! We had the best pizza in the universe and ate on a bench overlooking the lovely beach.

A thousand a day...230-246: Delaware Edition

2010-08-04T22:30:00.002-04:00

Allow me to preface this by saying I've been a very bad girl. But not intentionally. My last post was on a Sunday and I was packing up my Maryland life to leave for Delaware. Since then, I have lived without Internet for TWO WEEKS! But! I finally have my Internet (and cable, praise the Lord), and can once again be a good girl and post all my photos on time. A second reason I've been a bad girl: I haven't explored much. By the time I get back to my apartment, around 6:30 p.m., I'm just too tired to go anywhere to take cool photos. Thus, 90 percent of these photos are from around my apartment, which can be exciting, too, since it's a new part of my life...and I'm still decorating!

Wednesday, August 4
Some of my favorite kitchen gadgets

Tuesday, August 3
Dusk

Monday, August 2
My first present to myself in celebration of my first paycheck: a candle holder with owls on it. My favorite find while shopping at a cute shop in downtown Newark.

Sunday, August 1
Kitchen flowers

Saturday, July 31
Cool wall art in downtown Newark

Friday, July 30
Pam came to visit and the first thing she needed to do was go to Wawa and get food.

Thursday, July 29
Using my shiny red pan for the first time! I have this thing against Martha Stewart because she snipped at sweet old Julia Child once, but I couldn't say no to her red pots and pans.

Wednesday, July 28
I got to visit David and his wonderful family for an evening and was SO excited to meet the famous Jacks!

Tuesday, July 27

Monday, July 26
My first ever bill! ...which arrived before my first ever paycheck!

Sunday, July 25

Saturday, July 24
My favorite part of the apartment

Friday, July 23

Thursday, July 22
Oakey's two-month birthday with me

Wednesday, July 21
Time to head out to my new home away from home...

Tuesday, July 20
Mommy and Daddy reupholstered their old kitchen chairs so they would be new and beautiful for me!

Monday, July 19
My mom and I took a quick trip to Old New Castle while I was in town for my drug test and apartment visit

A thousand a day...229

2010-07-18T21:48:00.000-04:00

Packing up for my big move...

A thousand a day...224-228

2010-07-17T23:09:00.000-04:00

Saturday, July 17
My new home in Delaware!

Friday, July 16
The text that made my day...

Thursday, July 15
ACCOMPLISHED Summer Goal (just before midnight): Watch Dawson's Creek in its entirety. Oh, the lessons I've learned.

Wednesday, July 14
Fondue

Tuesday, July 13
IKEA time!

A thousand a day...219-223

2010-07-12T22:54:00.001-04:00

Monday, July 12
Flicker

Sunday, July 11

Saturday, July 10
Peeking

Friday, July 9
Boiling eggs

Thursday, July 8
Dangling

A thousand a day...217 & 218

2010-07-07T22:48:00.001-04:00

My first cars...and having to say goodbye to one of them.

Being boys

Fireworks!

2010-07-07T16:40:00.002-04:00

For once, I went to the fireworks prepared to take great photos. I've never known what setting to put the camera on for the perfect fireworks photos, but this time, I relied on Manual and my Ritz tips e-mail, and shot some photos I'm excited about!

A thousand a day...212-216

2010-07-05T19:32:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 5

Sunday, July 4
Utah Kyle's first crabs. Photo of the day courtesy of Mommy Barnas. =)

Saturday, July 3

Friday, July 2
Our baby watermelon

Thursday, July 1
First tomatoes of the season

A thousand a day...210 & 211

2010-06-30T21:48:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, June 30

Tuesday, June 29

A thousand a day...204-209

2010-06-28T10:42:00.003-04:00

Monday, June 28

Sunday, June 27

My Subway date/day trip buddy Rachel and I decided to go hiking in Harpers Ferry this beautiful (yet stifling hot) Sunday. We hiked two miles up the mountain and two miles back, drank through tons of water, were forever grateful for the lunch at the bottom of the mountain, and even more grateful for the air conditioning in the car ride home. Wildlife spotted: one squirrel (yay! though not as friendly as our Elon squirrels), daddy long legs under the rock we borrowed for a rest stop, and several beautiful butterflies. Unfortunately, no bears, though we looked really hard for them.

Saturday, June 26

In keeping with our barbecue tradition (another great Pendulum journalism experience), Morgan Little and I went to the National Capital Barbecue Battle in Washington, D.C. for lunch. SO much yummy barbecue to taste and so little time. Overall, I think the festival earns 4 1/2 piggies out of 5. I think North Carolina still wins our hearts as far as barbecue is concerned. We ate at the BBQ joint with the most trophies, obviously...

Friday, June 25

I'm on an orchid spree...hard not to be when my mom has so many gorgeous orchids all over the house.

Thursday, June 24
Just blooming

Wednesday, June 23
My brothers just before spending a week hiking along the Appalachian Trail.

A thousand a day...203

2010-06-22T21:18:00.001-04:00

After the storm

A thousand a day...202

2010-06-21T22:27:00.000-04:00

A thousand a day...201

2010-06-20T23:26:00.000-04:00

A new friend who has taken residence in our garden

A thousand a day...197-200: Ocean City

2010-06-20T23:24:00.000-04:00

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Friday, June 18, 2010

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A thousand a day...195 & 196

2010-06-15T19:08:00.000-04:00

A thousand a day...193-194

2010-06-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

My dad's beautiful new garden fence is finished with a gorgeous gate. Not gonna lie - the fence is epic.

And just for kicks, it was SO hot and humid today, that my lens fogged up and gave me this:

A thousand a day...190-192

2010-06-11T23:50:00.000-04:00

The Elon Bucket List

2010-06-11T10:08:00.002-04:00

Sometime around the end of sophomore/beginning of junior year, I started an Elon bucket list of things I wanted to do before I graduated and my friend Camille suggested I post it to see what I accomplished! Roomie and I added to the list during the past couple of years (I have to see what she did, too!) and today I decided to look back on that list and see what I scratched off that list...

~~Covet a brick~~: Done and done.
~~Study Abroad~~: Even more than I expected! Freshman Winter Term in London (with a trip to Paris), Sophomore WT in China (with a few days in Tibet), Sophomore summer research in Seoul, Korea (got to see my darling International Pavilion roommate, Hyowon, and my dear friends Dollan and Hye Man), Junior Fall in London (with trips to Wales, Rome, Germany and Prague), Senior WT in Japan.

Here's video of a special moment in China...our favorite little restaurant in Lijiang had a wonderful entertainer who claimed he was Nicholas Cage. He loved us and sang "Carolinaaaaa" to us.
~~Movie on the Lawn~~: My first time seeing "The Hangover"
~~Take a kickboxing class~~: Done. And DONE! And it kicked my and Roomie's butts, too!
~~Do the Group X Superstar challenge~~: Roomie and I ended up with tons of stars on the superstar chart and fell in LOVE with Zumba, but alas. No prize for us....other than our health and happiness, of course!
~~Fountain Challenge~~ (take a dip in every fountain on campus): My last night at Elon...it might have happened.
Attend a frat party: Though we had every intention of going to some school girl party (Roomie has had a skirt ready since freshman year), it never happened. Oops!
Polar Bear Plunge: You miss out on only one thing when you go abroad every Winter Term...but I made up for it with my #9!
~~Take a dip in Lake Mary Nell~~: ALWAYS wanted to do this and it was a highlight of my senior year. I got to take a dip in Lake Mary Nell when I went wading for leeches. I'll do pretty much anything to get the job done, and this time it was in regards to a documentary I assistant produced called "You Have a Pet...WHAT?!"
Ride a Cushman: It was a goal of mine to write a Pendulum story (and shoot video) on a day in the life of a Cushman driver, but it just never happened.
~~Rave in Belk~~: It wasn't even on the original bucket list, but once this greatness took place, I felt like adding it just so I could scratch it off.

~~Dance in the Pendulum office~~: Pretty much one of the greatest places to dance is the place where you work. Lightens the tension of the newsroom atmosphere.
Swim to Florida: Never had the guts...though I did go in our pool at least once!
~~Elonthon~~: I've loved dancing at least a chunk of our 24-hour dance marathon all four years. The photo below is of Audra and I crashing after Elonthon my freshman year.

~~Attend a basketball game~~: Yes! And shot video once, of course. The next game - when I was allowed to be biased in the bleachers - I got to root really loudly for Adam Constantine and see Dr. Danieley wave his white towel in the air. It was the EPIC Davidson game where we lost in LITERALLY the last second.
~~Attend a baseball game~~: And thanks to Conor and Corey, I understood it! And learned some cool new lingo. ...and learned it's very boring to shoot baseball video.
~~Write for every section of The Pendulum~~: Arts & Entertainment - the section I began writing for first week of freshman year. News - I was the editor for a semester, so there is an abundance of news articles. Features - no problem...it's my greatest passion in life! Special Projects - contributed to several spreads. Sports - WOO! I learned so much by writing sports stories about football, cross country, soccer, volleyball and cheerleading. I finished my goal in the last edition of the fall semester just before my term as Online Editor-in-Chief was up. My last piece was for the Opinions section. Usually I just don't have a strong enough opinion, but Morgan Little (the opinions editor) helped me find one for me by suggesting I write about the Twilight craze.
~~Shoot video of every sport~~: SO close, so I'm going to give it a scratch anyway. I've shot and/or edited: football, soccer, volleyball, cross country, baseball, basketball, and cheerleading. I'm missing softball, track & field, golf and tennis...go figure, the last two sports are the ones I play and fully understand.
~~Christmas at the Maynard House~~: I've always wanted to go and finally got to celebrate Christmas at the president's house my senior year just before the Pendulum party.
~~Luminary Ceremony~~: My favorite Elon tradition - the campus is lit up so beautifully to celebrate the holidays. This year, I was brave enough to go to the third floor of Alamance and climb through the bathroom window to stand on the balcony and get a bird's eye view of the campus.
~~Service trip~~: Spring break of my senior year, I went on the Katrina relief spring break trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, had the time of my life, made 16 new best friends, and will never forget a minute of it.

~~Accomplish all five of the Elon Experiences~~: Study Abroad (check! x4), Internship (check! x4), Undergraduate Research (check! presented my research from Korea this year at the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum: "Seoul Searching: OECD Ministerial Participants' Views on the Future of ICTs"), Service (check! Bay St. Louis spring break 2010), Leadership (check! Leadership Fellows, Pendulum editor positions, SPJ president)
~~Eat sushi~~: And love it. ...at least the Philadelphia rolls as of right now. ha Not brave enough for much else.
~~Festivus~~: It was time to let loose, put aside the homework for an hour, and roll in some mud. I had to have that experience no matter how germaphobic I am.
Help with polling: Sadly, I never got to call people to quiz them on their political views. It would have been quite the experience, though, so I'm sad I missed out on the character builder.
Attend the Greek Week Dance: Really wanted to go senior year to see some friends, but had to attend dress rehearsal of "Love's Labour's Lost" instead.
~~Visit Biltmore~~: Make the trek to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, the last week of school. Biltmore was beautiful.
~~Move into the Oaks~~: WOO! "Worth the wait" was the saying when the Oaks apartments were first built. I wish I hadn't waited so long!
Play volleyball on campus: Sadly, no. Maybe when I visit Elon again!
Ride the mechanical bull: This needs to happen at some point.

And I suppose I should make my biggest bucket list goal graduation! It came down to the wire - and a full 18 credits the last semester - but I graduated with my journalism and communications (broadcast & new media) majors and international studies minor.

Can't wait to head back for homecoming...I have a few things to cross off this list still!

A thousand a day...188 & 189

2010-06-08T23:59:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Graduation announcements

Monday, June 7, 2010
My Mikey makes a speech at graduation. So proud of him.

A thousand a day...187

2010-06-06T23:16:00.000-04:00

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

A thousand a day...185 & 186

2010-06-06T00:43:00.000-04:00

A high school graduation party is not complete without a T-Rex pinata.

Connor makes a toss in a game of cornhole.

A thousand a day...184

2010-06-03T23:38:00.000-04:00

A proper Ya-Ya tea (Typhoo...only the best of Britain) and red velvet cupcake (topped with a fresh an delicious blackberry). Then followed by episodes of "Glee." Ahh...beautiful Thursday afternoon.

A thousand a day...183

2010-06-02T23:15:00.003-04:00

My second cousin/nephew was finally born yesterday (I've been anxiously waiting since graduation) and I was so excited to meet him today. My mom, dad and I drove to Georgetown to meet baby Colin Anthony Pheulpin. 7 lbs, 11 oz., 22 inches. Babyyyy!!! I brought him one of his first stuffed animals, a monkey my cousin Amanda decided to name George.

A thousand a day...182

2010-06-01T15:05:00.003-04:00

Boys are hilarious. My brother and five of his best friends are having a joint graduation party next weekend, so today we had a photoshoot to get one solid photo to go on their cake. Problem: They are too hilarious/adorable to narrow down! Whether this makes the cake or not, here is my pick:

And here are some fun ones...

A thousand a day...180 & 181

2010-05-31T23:28:00.000-04:00

Monday, May 31, 2010
Saving the fallen flowers

Sunday, May 30, 2010
Daddy building a perfect new fence around our garden.

A thousand a day...177-179

2010-05-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

Ya-Ya sisters many years ago...

Super Troupers! My mom and my Ya-Ya mom are the last two dancing to "Mamma Mia!'s" hit song, "Super Trouper." Now that's one heck of a graduation present!

Just a quick photo after Panera in Waldorf.

Elon will never leave me

2010-05-29T02:06:00.006-04:00

I will never forget the late August morning in 2006, the morning of New Student Convocation at Elon University. The class of 2010 dressed up, walked among our soon-to-be professors, gathered Under the Oaks, received our acorns, and were told by President Leo Lambert that we would leave Elon someday, but Elon would never leave us. The morning of May 22, 2010, the morning of our Commencement, I realized the true meaning of that.

...Another morning, August 29, 2009, the beginning of my senior year at Elon, I was reminded of President Lambert's charge to our class. I was covering freshman convocation for the class of 2013 for The Pendulum and sat in the front row, next to Father Gerry, crying my eyes out during Phil Smith's prayer, during the singing of the Alma Mater, during President Lambert's speech. Good thing I could cover it up by looking down at the notes I was taking. I knew then that saying goodbye to Elon would be one of the hardest things I would ever have to do in my life.

This year has been a blur for me. So many incredible things have happened and I finally made time for myself and for fun. But it all went by so quickly. With all the deadlines and running against the clock moments I've experienced in journalism, nothing can compare to the ticking away of every second during the week leading up to graduation...

Sunday, May 16:
Final mass at Elon, the tears began. Singing in the CCM choir these past four years has given me an outlet for music, a driving force in my life. Choir and theater consumed my life in high school, and singing in church was my one way of continuing that. This year, Melissa and I are the only seniors.

Monday, May 17:
Rehearsal with my fellow Leadership Fellows for "Leaders of the 21st Century." We got to practice on the stage in McCrary Theatre, which is always a cool thing to do. I'll have to eventually post the video I shot and edited for our presentation with the help of Noelle Clemente, who tossed in tons of photos from the past four years...lots of fun memories with the fellows. That night, I got my first real introduction to Justin Bieber when I had dinner with my London roommates and friends for life, MoMo and Stacey.

Tuesday, May 18:
One big thing crossed off the bucket list: a trip to Biltmore!

Wednesday, May 19:
Senior Picnic and Gala, one of the greatest nights of my life because, thanks to Chris Beeson, I finally got to dance! I also learned how to drive a stick shift in 10 minutes...a real accomplishment.

Thursday, May 20:
My final Subway date with Rachel. Our weekly life chats mean the world to me, so much so that we've decided to make them monthly in the Baltimore/D.C. area.

Friday, May 21:
The festivities begin and my family arrives. We had a really nice time at the Communications reception, Baccalaureate and Leaders of the 21st Century.

Saturday, May 22:
I woke up around 6:30 a.m. the morning of May 22 with "Defying Gravity" in my head. I've always said my life is a soundtrack - there is always some song running in my mind. A small phrase can trigger lyrics. A flicker of an experience in a day can launch into a song comparable to the moment. "Defying Gravity" seemed appropriate in my mind that morning, I suppose. Keep in mind Elphaba's situation was far more desperate than my own:

Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!
...
I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down.

Commencement was beautiful. It went so quickly for being a three-hour ceremony. I clung to every word that was spoken, I cheesed it up as I received my diploma (did my pre-planned dance down the ramp) - mostly to hide the part of me that wanted to cry, I watched proudly and smiled and waved as my friends passed by me to line up on stage for their diplomas (gotta love being a "B" and sitting in the front row), and I sang the Alma Mater, one of my favorite songs in my life soundtrack. And as President Lambert shouted "Long Live Elon," the lump in my throat allowed me to repeat it, something I've been looking forward to since I first shouted it that August morning in 2006.

Sharing that moment with my family and friends could not have been more perfect, especially since our prayers (and Father Gerry's) worked and the rain held out until the very end. So much love...

For Leadership Fellows this year we've had several "capstone dinners" where we gather to reflect on certain things and to listen to a speaker. Phil Smith, Associate Chaplain and Director of Religious Life, and one of my favorite people at Elon, spoke twice - once in the fall and once in the spring. His dinners will always remain my favorite. In the fall, he talked about the inspirational and humble leadership of Dean Smith, retired head coach of the Tar Heels men's basketball team, of which Phil is an avid fan. The second time, Phil had us think about who at Elon has had the greatest impact on us. To whom would we have a hard time saying goodbye? Wow. My list was long. And I had to hold back tears at my dinner table. (If you're seeing a theme of tears and bittersweet sorrow here, you have caught on to my life's theme this year.) It was then that Phil quoted lyrics from "Closing Time." As he recited them, not only did I finally let a tear go, but I was stunned at how appropriate the song is to our challenge of having to leave Elon:

Closing time - open all the doors and let you out into the world.
Closing time - turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.
Closing time - one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer.
Closing time - you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
...
Closing time - time for you to go out to the places you will be from.
Closing time - this room won't be open 'til your brothers or your sisters come.
So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits - I hope you have found a friend.
Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

The sunset and sky on the Sunday after Commencement were picture perfect. I cannot imagine leaving Elon any other way. I know who I want to take me home, but as we've been told, and as I now fully understand, we will leave Elon someday, but Elon will never leave us. What a blessing.

*Thanks again to Corey Groom for some of his marvelous Gala and Graduation photos!

A thousand a day...176

2010-05-26T22:13:00.001-04:00

A thousand a day...174 & 175

2010-05-25T21:28:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010
One of my most incredible graduation gifts...my mom cross stitched this phoenix for the cover of a scrapbook filled with photos of my time at Elon. My entire family helped with it.

My first of many photo adventures

2010-05-25T18:37:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, May 16, Justine and I set out on a photoshoot adventure. We had no idea where we were going to go, but Justine had a hunch. And we took it. Driving about 10-15 minutes off campus, we found this incredible abandoned house.

It was remarkable to see how beautiful the home is and how many interesting features it has. We had to wonder why the family left the home. Did they choose to? Or did they have to?

The outside was so interesting - plants and flowers were still in bloom, a bird bath was left crumbling, a swingset remained standing but without swings. We guessed there may have been a fire since a charcoal smell hung in the air in some parts of the backyard.

Couches on an outside patio were torn apart, springs visible, wires poking out, cushions flaking up every which way.

The stars all over the cinder block walls were curious enough until we discovered the indoor walls were starred as well. Yes, we were brave enough to go inside the house. A roll of paper towels was on the floor, spider webs clung around the window corners. The bathroom was eerily dark despite the sunshine forcing its way through an aged-over window.

Outside the front door, we even heard an animal creepily scamper above us. We questioned who or what lived in this house at different points of its abandonment.

It would have been amazing to explore the house even more...maybe even climbing the winding staircase to see what was on the second floor. But we needed a little more bravery to do that. And, we decided, perhaps a boy to go first. ;-)

We left our abandoned house and drove to a street in Gibsonville. We found some cute new shops and some really old shops. Justine and I learned there is quite a contrast in architecture and life style in Gibsonville and we determined it's incredible what you learn when you drive just a few minutes off campus and away from the botanical garden that is Elon. It's something we should do more often.

A few other favorites from the abandoned house...

And a few from our little street in Gibsonville...

A thousand a day...169-173

2010-05-25T00:07:00.001-04:00

Sunday, May 23, 2010
Goodbye Elon. For now.

Saturday, May 22, 2010
Too many wonderful photos were taken before, during and after Commencement...none of which I actually took. But I pick this family photo hands down because I love it SO much. It's one of the best ones we've ever taken together.

Friday, May 21, 2010
My parents arrived at lunchtime on Friday for a Communications reception and Leaders of the 21st Century where all the fellows were recognized. After that, my mom took today's photo of the day - a beautiful swan in Lake Mary Nell.

Thursday, May 20, 2010
Every week, usually on Tuesdays, Rachel and I would have a Subway date. We'd catch up on life, talk about our job hunts, and just bond over stories of love, drama and gossip. I will never forget those lunch dates...they helped me get through my week.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Chris playing and singing "February Song" in Holt Chapel...

A thousand a day...167-168

2010-05-18T22:25:00.000-04:00

An amazing day at Biltmore (more photos to come)...which is why I skipped Monday's photo - I knew I would have too many to pick from today!

22. Not that bad after all...

2010-05-17T00:04:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my incredible family and friends, this birthday was a truly marvelous one. And I'm pretty much STILL celebrating 15 days later. I still think 22 is a scary age, an age where you have to be a "real person" so to speak, but it's not so bad when you're surrounded by the people you love most in life. And then those people make me feel truly loved, which makes a birthday so much more than could be expected. So much more.

1. Dinner with Rebecca, April 28
Rebecca gave me just the pep talk I needed to realize 22 is not the end of a life of fun. It's just an age and it just makes me a real person. And there are SO many wonderful memories and opportunities ahead.

2. Nerdy Journalism Movie Night, April 29
After a half-hour of sleep the night before, and a full day of FutureWeb conference, I was not feeling human. But it was Nerdy Journalism Movie Night, where a dozen of my favorite people in the universe gather at my apartment for a journalism movie. We're all just sitting around my living room waiting to start "State of Play" and all of a sudden, Rebecca emerges from the hallway with a cake all lit up in HAPPY BIRTHDAY candles. It was wondrous. And I had no idea what was coming...I even let her, Sunshine, Pam and Gabby in the door when they were carrying the cake!

3. Big surprise from Amalexa, awesome show, pre-birthday greatness, May 1
The day before my birthday began with me getting blindfolded and carted off to a surprise destination with Amanda and Alexa. Let's just say that was a cultural experience. ;-) Then, we went to see "i.d.," a show written, directed and produced by our friend Christopher Staskel. It was part of his honors thesis and lumen prize and it was absolutely breath-taking. I had goosebumps the entire time not just because of how incredible the play was but because of the thought that one of our classmates envisioned and WROTE the show.

4. The Big Day, May 2
I began my day by doing two things I love - shooting video and helping a friend. I helped Justine shoot her music video for class and had so much fun. The lighting was perfect for her movie that morning and her video turned out GREAT!! She did such a good job on the lyrics and her vision for it!

My family came down and we got to walk around campus and bond all day long. We went to Iron Gate for a wine tasting - they just had to experience my favorite winery on the planet. We had a wonderful lunch at Mellow Mushroom and dinner at Red Bowl, two of favorite restaurants.

At church, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, something I was not expecting...and probably blushed.

That night, Justine came by and surprised me with the most delicious marble cake with chocolate icing. SO good. She is wonderful.

5. Surprise Dinner, May 7
After going to Target and Barnes & Noble and the post office with Pam, I arrived back at my apartment to find my incredible friends and the table set for a surprise birthday dinner. And then I realize I was being distracted and stalled from returning to my apartment. I just couldn't believe my birthday could get more magical. Sunshine made reallllly yummy sour cream chicken enchiladas, and Jack, Rebecca, Pam, Laura and I had a wonderful dinner together. I LOVE my friends.

In conclusion
I have the most incredible family and friends ANYONE could ask for. So many blessings.

A thousand a day...162-166

2010-05-16T23:32:00.000-04:00