William and Mary+Financial Aid Worries+Oklahoma!

Hello Everyone! I know this is kind of late, but I wanted to say that I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving :). I'll be posting about mine tomorrow. On the evening of the 19th, my mom, sister, and I left for VA to visit William and Mary. We were on the road all night, and I drank way too much water, then we were on a hellish hunt for a bathroom which resulted in us being on backwoods roads followed by a bunch of guys piled in a truck (they followed us-we turned around three different times and so did they), then almost getting killed by about 20 deer, and STILL not finding a bathroom until we got back on the main road and were on it for about 13 minutes. I thought I was going to die. Eventually, we made it to our hotel, which didn't have the fridge and microwave we were expecting, but passed out anyway. Saturday morning was the tour, it was frigidyfrackenfreezing, I wore denim leggings under skinny jeans and two shirts and a coat and scarf and gloves, then on the way there my cup of coffee spilled all over me in the car. How awesome is that? I managed to clean up okay, then eventually showed up at the information session, which made me desperately want to go there. The college is amazing, and fairly competitive, and the way that the professors invest their time in their students and truly love their jobs is awesome. After the information session, we got a campus tour, and then after that I got to meet a financial aid person. My first question was what merit based scholarships they had, and was told that they did not have many merit based scholarships but that they had many opportunities for need based financial aid. When told that, I wanted to cry. Need based financial aid is based on the need that the FAFSA determines based on how much your parents are expected to contribute, based on how much they make. My father makes enough to pay for my education in full. He will not be contributing a single dime. Which means that the majority of financial aid opportunities, which are need-based, are out of my reach. It was just a very frustrating moment, after having spent the day at such a beautiful campus and getting really excited, only to be told just how microscopic my chances are by someone who doesn't understand my somewhat complicated situation. So yeah, that wasn't fun, but afterward we went to the Campus Bookstore/Barnes & Noble, and I got an awesome W&M hoodie :D. Then we went to a tavern in Colonial Williamsburg (which you can walk to) and ate a heckuva lot, and my sister got fried chicken and dipped it in butter. LOL, not kidding. After we ate we were lazy blobs who didn't want to walk anywhere, so we sat down and watched a reenactment, until it moved in the opposite direction of the car and we chose not to follow. After we went back to the room, we watched The Last Airbender (I'll do a review soon) and passed out. On Sunday, we went to see Oklahoma! I have to say, the entire cast did an AMAZING job!!! The performance was perfect-each actor was completely believable. The guy who played Judd Frye had me wanting to boo instead of applaud he did such an amazing job of playing a creeper. After the play, the cast got a massive and lengthy standing ovation-everyone was on their feet cheering and clapping. It was loud, and my hands KILLED afterwards, but it felt so... I don't even know how to describe it. Everyone in that audience was impressed, and we were all showing it together, and it just felt like a powerful moment everyone shared ^_^. No pictures or recordings were permitted, so sorry for the lack of them! The next day I kept singing 'Judd Frye is Dead' in my head.... and randomly screaming 'OKLAHOMA, OKAY-L-A-H-O-M-A!'. Plus 'People Will Say We're In Love' :D. After the play, which was kind of long, we went to whole foods and got our dinner-salads and wings and spinach artichoke dip and these delightful garlic butter French roll cracker things. Then, we feasted, and then I used the hotel's computer for HOURS catching up on blog posts and waiting for Henry to get online :D. I was chillin' in the lobby for a very long time, and wound up chatting while half dead, but I didn't want to say goodbye... then S (which will stand for sister from here on out) told me we had to go back to the room, so we did. On Monday morning, when I was in the shower washing my hair, I just turned my head and suddenly wanted to cuss like a sailor and started crying because something in my neck tightened and hurt like hedoublehockeysticks. I called my mom to ask what to do, and I couldn't move my head at all, and she tried to get me to stretch it and I screamed in pain. For the record, I'm really not a drama queen when it comes to physical pain. I've burned myself at work and not mentioned it, because it doesn't really make a difference and I don't want to be a wimp. But my neck... oh man. We packed up to leave as planned, and then drove over to Williamsburg to shop. I got told by own mother that I looked like a monster, and when near my sister went 'brraaaiiinnssss.....' and walked at her like a zombie XD lol. I actually just sat outside several stores fighting tears, said I wanted fresh air, because I didn't want them not to shop just cause I was in pain. Yeah, me the trooper :-P. My mom gave me some pain medicine which made me slightly out of it, and didn't seem to help as much as I was expecting. I did go in a couple stores, though, and found something awesome to give someone special for Christmas, which I'm excited about :D. Eventually, we left lovely VA, me curled up in the front seat flinching at every bump in the road. Overall though, I have to say, the trip was pretty great. It was fun to just be with my Mom and Sister, who both rock, just walking around and making fun of eachother and goofing off :D. The area is beautiful, and it really is an amazing school, so I'll still apply even if my chances of getting to go aren't that great. First, though, I have to finish the Presidential Scholarship application for a great college I'm going to call GU (Great Univeristy ;) ). and an application to Wake Forest University (I'm applying all over the place, aren't I?!?! lol). Those both need to be done by Dec 1... so please, those of you who pray, pray for me! I'm kind of freaking out. Also, thanks to Raisa Karim(Hunger Games Lover) for following! If any of you are Hunger Games fans, check out her site-she finds up to date info on the making of the movie. Thanks for reading everyone! -- "But you see, it's not me, it's not my family. In your head, in your head they are fighting, With their tanks and their bombs, And their bombs and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are crying..." ´¨) ¸.·´¸.·*´¨)*´¨) (¸.·´¸.·*´¨) * (¸.· Elizabeth *´¨) ¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨) * (¸.·´*

Music That Moves Me: < 3

Hello Everyone! First off, huge thanks to those who commented with their favorite love songs-I really appreciated it! Unfortunately, I was not able to find them all on playlist.com (the site didn't have a SINGLE Switchfoot song, and not much Underoath! How wrong is THAT?!?!), but I did find some by the same artists to add to the playlist and also some youtube videos to go with the post! Without further ado-your favorites :).

Enough to Let Go-Switchfoot:

You Had Me At Hello-A Day To Remember:

Speak To Me Gently-Future of Forestry:


And lastly, the playlist itself!!!

I think I'll let the playlist be one that keeps on growing, so if one day driving down the road you hear a love song that takes your breath away-you can still comment on the original post and I'll add it if I can :).

P.S. Thanks Tunafish(Jesus love you too! :D) and Toyin O. for stopping by!


--
"But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying..."


´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨)*´¨)
(¸.·´¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.·´*

Elizabeth the Human, What's Your Favorite Love Song?

"I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!!!!!"-Buddy the Elf... and yeah, I'm serious :). Plus, Elf is just one of the most amazing Christmas movies EVER!!!

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"

Anyway, I've been working on a favorite love songs playlist for several weeks, and Henry was a huge help. Then, the other day, when I saw Camellia Day's post with a couple of her favorite love songs, I realized Guardian Angel was perfect for my playlist-I just hadn't thought of it. Which got me to thinking (very dangerous), and what I've decided to do is ask YOU, fellow bloggers, to share your favorite love songs, and then next Tuesday I'll find them on all playlist and add them, and Wednesday I'll post the finished playlist here as my Music That Moves Me post! You can comment, email me at acollectionofreflections@gmail.com, or comment on the playlist's page here, and send your favorite music lovers over here to contribute as well :). The more people get on board, the bigger the playlist and more varied the songs! Any genre, any style, will be accepted, I'm only a nazi when it comes to lyrics :) (though I have to admit, the playlist is currently too pop-heavy... some deleting will probably take place, unless I get a lot of rock balads suggested to balance it out). I think it would amazing for us to work together and make an ultimate love songs playlist!

Also, I'm leaving tomorrow to go visit a college in Virginia, and will be gone all weekend. So this is goodbye for now, but I'll be back soon, and consider the post on Wednesday my official return to regular blogging and my weekly music post :).

--

´¨)
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(¸.·´¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.·´*

It's 3am...

and I just died laughing:
(image)

why? Because it is 3am.

P.S. I wrote an entire post about a tour of a biochemical research lab I went on last Thursday, and it magically disappeared from everywhere-I know because I've spent the last several days looking everywhere for it. Yeah.

Two Tags!

It's taggin' time! Weeks and weeks ago Eldarwen did a tag, and I asked if I could do it, then dropped off the face of the blogosphere and didn't publish my answers. Then, just a bit ago, Kendra tagged me with the same tag :). The rules are simple: answer the 8 questions the person before you asked, then make up 8 of your own and the people you tag have to answer yours. I'm answering both sets of questions, but just making one ;). First up, the questions from Eldarwen:

{one}-- Who is your role model/hero? Why? I would have to say my mom, and it is because she is the single most selfless person I have ever met-she has sacrificed everything for my future, and I fear that I would never have the courage to do that for someone else.
{two}-- What would you say is your God given talent? That is such a hard question! I love the arts, in all forms, quite passionately, but I'm not much of an artist. I know that I have been blessed with a mind, a capacity and passion for learning, and that logical thinking is my strong suit :).
{three}-- If it were up to you, what would you do with the rest of your life? Learn about everything I can, including God, and use that knowledge to make a difference. Whether I pursue biomedical engineering or choose to become a surgeon or chemist or lawyer, as long as I am learning and making a difference and doing something I love, I will be content.
{four}-- If someone told you they had the ability to let you foresee your future, would you wanna do it? Why or why not? NO. I have a tendency to be paranoid, so if I saw something good I'd constantly worry about 'messing it up', and if I saw something bad I'd just get depressed… I prefer the unknown world of possibilities :D.
{five}-- What is one of your pet peeves? When people say "for all intensive purposes", when they mean "for all intents and purposes". GAH!!!! and again, GAH!!!!
{six}-- What is one of your guilty pleasures? Real Housewives of New York, on Bravo (I'm totally gonna blame my mom here-it is our time to hang out and watch tv together, so I'm just there for her…. Lol)
{seven}-- If your mom gave you a choice between doing school, or chores, which would you choose? Hard question! I like feeling productive, so as long as I was completely off the hook for the other task… I don't have much of a preference.
{eight}-- What is the most daring thing you've ever done? I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you ;).

Kendra's questions!:

1. What was your first word? I don't know, and don't have a parent around to ask (bummer!)
2. What are two facts about you that seem to contradict each other? I am logical and analytical, but also a hopeless-poetry-and-art-and-moon-loving romantic.
3. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? ELECTRIC GUITAR- my dream which may never come true (bursts into tears)
4. Do you know more than one language? If you do, what is it? If you don't, what language would you like to learn? I'm taking Spanish, but don't really KNOW it, and that is the language I'd really like to learn.
5. Do you like to travel? Yes, most definitely! (though I don't travel often)
6. Are you an open person? Not really, but I’m learning to be (thanks to you, Henry ;) )
7. What is your favorite season? I like the 'in-between' seasons, so either Spring or Fall… maybe Fall… but Summer is great too, and I do like certain parts of Winter… they each have different meaning to me :).
8.8. In ten years, where do you see yourself? Eating a slice of pizza while watching a movie with my best friend, completely ignoring the homework I should probably be doing, and not thinking about the fact I have to go to work the next day at a medical research facility… hey, I can dream, right?

And HERE are my questions, decidedly lighthearted:
1. If you could meet anyone currently living, who would you pick? Why?
2. What is your favorite band? Why?
3. What is your least favorite book? Why?
4. If you saw someone who was being rude and ugly and hateful, then they dropped their wallet as they walked off, what would you do?
5. What do you get in trouble for most?
6. Pets, what kind(s) if any, name(s), age(s), the whole deal:
7. If, in the future, you were happily married and had a son and daughter, what would their names be? Any particular reason?
8. If there was one question you'd love to be asked, ask yourself it here, then answer it: ____________________________?

[Laurea],
Jinnyd,
Emma,
Amanda,
Shaynie,
Ayla,
Camellia Day,
...and Bethany, consider yourselves tagged! And, if anyone whose name isn't listed wants to do it, consider yourselves tagged as well! Also, thanks-and welcome-to Bethany for following! Even though I didn't post for two weeks :) lol. You people rock!


--
"But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying..."


´¨)
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(¸.·´¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.·´*

The Past Two Weeks in 14 Pictures

Where to start? I haven't posted in… wow, two weeks? Since the last time I posted, my lap-top was confiscated, my grandfather stayed with us (for two weeks), I've spent two days at one college, spent several days working on the application to another college (including essays… arg), gotten my scores from the latest SAT (THEY WENT UP! W00T), wore two different Halloween costumes

[Black Widow(red hourglass, all black outfit down to the boots, super pale makeup),

and Green Bean(wore a green shirt and green scrub pants which were the SAME SHADE of green-lucky!-sprayed my hair green, green bling, and my name-tag said:

Bean)], had a rice krispies treat

(the first one within my memory), ate a LOT of comfort food (grilled cheese, pizza, cookies, brownies, and other bits of heaven), saw a sign with an error while stuck in traffic,

listened to '80's hits(We Built This City, baby!), babysat our new puppy,

got the most amazing piece of mail in history (a letter and poem from someone I love-most amazing gift I've received), laughed, cried, had a complete meltdown(I had three in one day, actually), and screamed with joy. The leaves have changed colors,

the air became cold,

my father bought some mums,

and a few surviving hanging flowers are still smiling at the sky.

These past weeks have been one psycho senior year rollercoaster of death, and I'm BEAT. I haven't had time to write a post (though I have been commenting on other's blogs more, so yay for that), but I wanted to let you guys know that I'm not dead and that I will be posting regularly asap. I'm just moving way too fast right now...

I've been offered tours of labs for tissue engineering (if you know what I'm talking about, YES ISN'T AMAZING?!?!?! If not, they grow working organs, and it IS amazing!) by my brother, who knows people. And my brother also offered to fly me to a college which offered me a free ride, including tuition and housing, which is out of state and I thought I wouldn't be able to visit. LOL, I was just flipping through my note book trying to find my Physics notes and saw this to do list:

Yeah, it was late at night and I was talking to myself... lol. But I've gotten a lot DONE this past week, including transcript requests and sending my SAT score reports to different schools, and on this very day I bought myself a lovely new watch! :D

I'm sorry for abandoning you, my faithful followers, but with my limited internet access I haven't had much choice in the matter. Thanks for bearing with me,


--
"But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying..."


´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨)*´¨)
(¸.·´¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨) *
(¸.·´*