The past week has been dreary, cold, and wet. I wore my winter boots on Monday since it was so cold outside, thinking it would keep my feet drier than my other shoes would. Wrong. It was pouring rain when I was on my way to get my contacts from my car after work. I had stepped in so many unavoidable puddles that I could feel water seeping between my toes whenever I took a step. Ew....

So I took the hint, abandoned my sweatshirt attire, and instead donned my wool winter coat that I had vowed not to wear for the rest of the semester. It's April, right? Spring time! ...I think not. It was so cold outside, that I could see my breath as I walked to class. Plus, it was raining most of the time. I couldn't even bear keeping my window open even a crack to cool down my room.

Yet there was a strange and sudden turn of the weather. One day it was mid-30 degrees outside, and the next day it was 60 degrees out. What a relief! I was getting sick of the cold and yearned for the sun after multiple cloudy days. It's 70 degrees outside today with no clouds in sight! I'm sitting outside by the duck pond with some geese standing three feet away from me. So beautiful....

Aside from my weather issues, I have some other news to announce!

My J103 magazine layout tied for fourth place when the students in my class chose the best layout designs. However, my professor (who seems to apparently adore me--the feeling is very much mutual ^.^) interjected and "used her power" to admit my layout into the contest. She said she didn't see why more students didn't vote for me. I'm not much of a contest winner, so my hopes weren't very high in the first place. But I do have to admit that it hurt a lot that I wasn't one of the three personally chosen by the students.

I found out yesterday that I actually won honorable mention for my layout design. The only other person to gain recognition from my class section was a graduate student! Wow is an understatement. The girl that I thought would most definitely win first place due to her beautifully conceptualized layout didn't even get honorable mention! I'm absolutely smitten and in a beautiful mood!

To make my Thursday even more awesome, I attended an open house for the Daily News, which is a popular student-run newspaper on-campus. My initial plan was to gain information about the newspaper so that I would be more comfortable when I started to work there next fall semester. What I didn't expect was for the other students to be so friendly and open. I was very blown away with the whole newspaper, and when I told them that I had won honorable mention for my layout, they offered that I could start working there next week!

To top it all off, Lynn's new boyfriend, Darren, showed up out of the blue. So we all (Lynnie, Darren, Luke, and I) went down to MT Cup to grab smoothies for Luke and me and Milkyways for Lynnie and her beau. Mmmm.... Peach smoothies are the best! When we came back to the dorm, I introduced The Sims 2 to Luke, who is an architecture major, and he instantly fell in love. Mwhaha...another addict I have created! ^.^

I feel like enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather further by walking a mile to my car. Oh, the spoils of being in a good mood, which I haven't truly felt in a long time. I miss my own boyfriend. This predicament that we're in is really hard to stand sometimes, but I'm hoping the hardships I have to endure will pay off in the end. At least Lynnie and Luke were able to pull me out of my "funk" with my head above the water. I wish life was easier sometimes and painless, but that's what makes one a stronger person, right?