Christine's Column

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After a Week in Tallahassee, a 16-Hour Trip Home

After a week in Tallahassee, it was time to come home. In my last blog, I was in the airport about to start fall break; this week, I’m leaving the airport as my break comes to an end. I had a great time in Tallahassee. I ate good food and had some much-needed R&R. It was a great trip—until it was time to leave. My boyfriend flew back with me because his lacrosse alumni weekend happened to fall right after our break. We woke up at 3 a.m. Wednesday, which sounds dreadful—and it was—but I knew that by the time I got back to Ada, it would only be around noon. I’d still have the whole day to reset and get ready for classes again. For context, there are no nonstop flights out of Tallahassee, so we had a layover in Atlanta before landing in Columbus and driving back to Ada. While waiting in the airport, our first flight was delayed 60 minutes. That was fine since our layover was two and a half hours, giving us plenty of time to make the second flight. A few minutes later, though, ...

Typing This as I Sit in the Airport

It’s 3 a.m., and the world is still asleep. My alarm goes off, and for a second, I debate hitting snooze—but not today. Today, I’m heading to the airport to see my boyfriend in Tallahassee, where he’s finishing his MBA. We’ve been doing long distance since the spring semester ended in May, and between work and school, it’s been nearly two months since we last saw each other. Knowing it’ll be another two months until Christmas makes this trip feel even more special. The drive to the airport was quiet and calm, the kind of early morning silence that makes you feel like the world belongs only to you. Once I got through security and found my gate, I opened my laptop and dove straight into homework. It wasn’t exactly the most glamorous start to fall break, but I knew I’d thank myself later. My goal for this trip is to actually relax—the last thing I want to think about the next few days is school. As I was typing away, I couldn’t help but think about what Aggie shared in class last week...

Hot Takes!

This past week has been filled with school and work, which is boring to blog about. So this week, I thought I’d blog about something a little more fun: my hot takes. I got this idea while driving to work when I was stuck behind a slow driver. This brings me to my first hot take. Some may find this insensitive, but I am not a fan of the elderly. When I was driving, I passed that slow car in front of me, as I do when someone goes 35 in a 55. There are very few things in this life that fill me with such fiery, passionate rage as seeing that a bad driver was an older person. I hear my friends make comments about how bad they feel honking at a car, then finding out it’s an older person. I, on the other hand, have a wave of anger that washes over me when I see that the driver is old. This is not simply about driving, either. Have you ever gone to Costco in the afternoon on a weekday? Well, I have. Along with the rest of the retired population in Toledo. They’re slow, take up the aisle, can...

Pedal Bar!

This past Friday, I spent the night in Toledo celebrating my friend Jai-Lin’s birthday. For some background, I worked at a golf course for many years and, through that job, met some of my closest friends. Jai, Kayla, Lamai, Abby and I all worked together, and while we always have a blast during the summer when the golf season is in full swing, we don’t get to see each other much during the school year. That’s mostly because I don’t go to school in Toledo. Despite the distance, one tradition we’ve kept alive is celebrating each other’s birthdays. No matter how busy things get, we make sure to show up for those moments. Jai’s birthday fell on Thursday this year, but the official celebration took place Friday night. The birthday girl also requested a "cowgirl/country" theme, so of course we delivered. To mark the occasion, Jai rented a pedal bar downtown. For the record, we are all over 21. The group was bigger than usual because she invited several of her other friends, wh...

Prioritizing You in College

College life is often described as a balancing act between academics and work. While those two areas deserve attention, the real challenge — and reward — comes from balancing everything else too: self-care, friendships and simply taking time to breathe. Schoolwork and jobs can quickly consume many hours of the day. Between classes, assignments, client projects and part-time shifts, it sometimes feels like my calendar fills up weeks in advance. Organization helps. I rely on my planner, sticky notes and Google Calendar to stay on top of deadlines and take care of business. But here’s the thing: school and work alone aren’t everything . Those are important parts of my college career, but I believe other areas of life should be prioritized just as much. It’s important to put myself first sometimes too. If I ignore my health, my energy crashes. If I skip out on friends, I burn out. That’s why I see self-care as just as important as academics or paychecks. Going to the gym is more tha...

Already Ready for Post-Grad

As I finish my third week of senior year, I can’t help but think, “Can it go by faster?” I know, I know. Last week I wrote a sappy blog about senior year and “soaking it all up,” and while that is true, I also can’t wait to start my life after college. I have always been the type of person who dislikes school and wanted to throw myself into adulthood at a young age. While not everything about being an adult is glamorous, like taxes and bills, other aspects entice me. First and foremost, I love money. I love money so much that I believe the song “That’s My Lady” by Baby Bash is one of the most romantic love songs ever written, because what could you compare a woman to that is more beautiful than money? Anyway, I work while I am at school so I can fund my shopping habit, and I would be lying if I said I never struggled to manage work with school. My biggest problem is that I prioritize working over schooling, which sometimes spreads me very thin. I work a lot, but I still have t...