Jello Cake

According to the dashboard for this site, a lot of people find this site by searching for “Jello Cake”

Jello cake!

I made Jello Cake again today, and realized that it was a year ago that the famed Jello Cake made an appearance on the blog. :]

So, in hopes of helping out the people who come here via search, this is how to make jello cake:

1. Bake a plain cake. I usually just use a box of white cake mix, and make it according to the directions on the box, in a 13×9 pan.

2. Let the cake cool, and then poke a ton of holes in it with a fork. Just go crazy – poking holes in the top of the cake. Make sure to cover the whole cake. :]

3. Make the Jello: 2 cups of boiling water + Jello mix + 1 cup of cold water.

4. Slowly pour the jello over the cake. Slowly – give it time to soak into the cake via the holes you poked.

5. Refrigerate the cake.

6. Serve the cake when the jello is ready! (With cool whip as frosting, of course.)

7. enjoy! :]

Post-Grad School Adventures

(hello everyone visiting this site after getting my graduation announcements!)

So…I graduated! After two years, two jobs, one massive 400+ page capstone portfolio and an insane amount of student loans, I’m all done with Oregon State and Graduate School! (at least until I have to start paying back said loans). Graduation was a fantastic experience – I got to go through 4 different ceremonies (LavGrad, College of Ed, General OSU and CSSA) and it was an amazing feeling to be able to celebrate our accomplishments with the 20 others in my cohort!

Getting my College of Education pin from the Dean!

Listening to Dawn "be my person" at Lavender Graduation

The boy and I graduated on the same day!

the skull made my cap that much more badass

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waiting for jess...story of our friendship :

most of the cohort - post-ceremony

I’m really glad to be done, and am ready to take off on new adventures. I moved out of my little apartment yesterday, and am at home in Oregon City for three weeks before I move! I’m headed to Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY to be a Residence Hall Director – very exciting! My dad and I are driving out there – 3000 miles in 5 days – so if you have any suggestions for ways to keep entertained on such a long car ride, let me know!

Between now and July 24th (my leaving Oregon City day) I have a busy to-do list: deciding what is going in the car for the initial move, packing up boxes to be shipped later, working through the Oregon Bucket List and saying goodbye to all of the favorites. So far I’ve emptied out half of my bedroom, and tomorrow, I get to see the Lion King with Dawn and Travis!

another batch of what i’ve learned in grad school

I’ve pretty much neglected this blog for a while. i’ll come back. soon. :]

’til then, here’s my latest additions to the “things I’ve learned in grad school” list.

• the only way to get students to respond to a question in class is just to stand there and look at them. and wait. until someone feels obligated to answer.
• skyping friends into class is fantastic, especially if they are recovering from surgery, and you can watch them watch ellen.
• If you live off campus, there are no “duty RAs” to call when your upstairs neighbors are being annoying.
• when people get drunk, they get mobile. (Just because I learned this, doesn’t mean I understand it.)
• people can be really mean about the OSU/UO school rivalry. It’s cute at first, but then it’s frustrating and demeaning.
• the best way to bond with classmates is to spend 15+ hours together on halloween. bonus points if you are wearing a monster headband.
• cooking for yourself is amazing.
• people moving away is sad, but the best way to say goodbye to them is to stand in the parking lot, sobbing and hanging on to their rearview mirror.
• birthday parties for two year olds are the BEST. especially if there involve bouncehouses that adults are allowed to use.
• twitter is a better distraction than facebook is.
• getting all 4 wisdom teeth pulled is a pretty fantastic way to spend a winter break – it’s totally acceptable to spend a week sleeping on the couch!
• Beginning to run is awesome. People are impressed and you have no choice but to be proud of yourself!
• Likewise, training for a race is a good project to work on that’s not school related.
• i’m really glad i’m in the 2nd yr cohort right now.
• being in a position where you “fit” can completely change your outlook.
• skype interviews are scary, especially when the only blank spot in the apartment to do the interview is sitting on the floor, next to a neon pink xmas tree.
• starbucks deserves top acknowledgment in my portfolio, thanks to free wireless.

On a side note, I’m really struggling to come up with a title for my portfolio. I think I might call it “Things I’ve learned in Grad School” and somehow use this list. (with some edits, of course!)

thanksgiving quirks

Nothing like a holiday to showcase the weird quirks that make me stand apart from my family:

 

1. when setting the table for dinner, i set each place the way i would prefer – which is the left-handed way. apparently annoying to my right-handed family.

2. my mom made corn, without pepper – to accommodate my extreme dislike for pepper.

3. every year, my mom makes “foam” – a delightful mixture of strawberry jello, blended pears and whipped cream. it’s my favorite part of thanksgiving, because i mix in salt and turkey – which (according to my brother) is disgusting.

 

first day #19

Tomorrow is my 19th “First Day of School”. I noticed that some of my co-hort mates have written facebook stauses about their last first days of school, and I think that is really weird.

I was driving away from campus the other day, and I was thinking about how lucky I am to be working in an education setting. What other jobs have such defining measures of time? Each year, we begin in September, end in June, and have the few glorious months of summer to recharge and revitalize ourselves. I love the sense of new beginnings that the fall brings, and the energy on campus. For professionals, or even students to a lesser degree, the changes might not be that dramatic, but they are still there. There are new committees to be a part of, new staff and students to work with, new classes to take or teach. New ideas to start working on, and new goals to reach. You can’t help but feel a little invincible at the beginning of the school year – it’s a whole new fresh start!

I don’t really like the idea that it’s our “Last” first day. it’s not. We’re going to be working on campuses – we’ll always have first days. Maybe we won’t be taking classes, but the students we will be working with will. And this is definitely not my last first day as a student. I have a whole other degree to go after!

I’m really really excited for all the new beginnings that this year specifically brings: a new job that I am loving, the opportunity to teach my first class, the portfolio that I am slowly working on, living on my own (off-campus!!) for the first time, and the new beginnings that a job search will bring.

anyone else really excited for the excitement of the new year?

portfolio baby steps

I started actually working on my CSSA portfolio last week. And by working on it, I mean that I spent the better part of the week looking for quotes to go at the top of each “chapter”. it’s a tad cheesy, spending that much time obsessing over finding just the right quote to head a chapter, knowing the quotes likely won’t even be read as my committee skims to the content. But, that’s part of the portfolio experience – obsessing over the details :]

If nothing else, these quotes will provide me with an opportunity to inject my personality throughout what could be an otherwise dry piece of writing. The quotes have provided me a way to work ‘Firefly’, Harvey Milk, Winnie the Pooh, Wicked, Fozzie Bear, Harry Potter and Mary Poppins into my portfolio, among others.

My favorite is the quote that will go inside of the cover, written over the first two pages: “I am a leaf on the wind, watch me soar” Wash, “Firefly”

(in a typewriter font, of course. another day-long decision)

more of what i’ve learned

first off, I have abandoned this blog too much lately. this summer has been both the best and worst . i’m still trying to figure out how this is all going to work. i mentioned in an earlier post that i don’t deal well with uncertainty. i still don’t deal well with it, but i am getting better. i live off campus, and love my apartment. i don’t have a job, but i’m not as scared. my cohort is supportive, and they are what matters. it’s upsetting not to be in my old job, but not for the likely reason. i’m uneasy about not having a job in general, but am quite happy to not be in that job. i can already sense a difference, and am already better with my outlook. i don’t know where i’m headed, or even what my next weeks will look like – but it’s going to be ok. i’m not just saying that to convince myself, i actually feel ok.

i originally started this blog with the intent of tracking what i have learned in grad school. as i begin working on my portfolio, i’ve noticed that i haven’t been as good with that as i had originally intended. so – i have another batch of things i have learned.

• Ÿ  “fit” , whether it be with a school, position, department, etc is a real thing. A real thing that matters.
• Ÿ  Sometimes, bad things happen. They just do. It may seem like the worst thing, but it’ll be ok. It may take some time, but it’ll be ok.
• Ÿ  You may think you have your career figured out, but that path may change. You may need to give up a thesis. You may discover that a job you really like is actually not a job you enjoy, and that an area that you had ruled out may end up being an area that you love.
• Ÿ  Working in student affairs means that you will do some ridiculous things, like rinsing a cotton candy machine off in your shower, learning how to fix broken automatic doors, flinging rubber chickens with a parachute and telling middle schoolers to not throw grass at each other.
• Ÿ  Friends are amazing, and talking to them is the best way to process and deal. That’s why we do teambuilders with our colleagues – because they are the best support system we have.
• Ÿ  When you are in grad school, you find personal time however you can. If that means sitting down to watch a favorite DVR’d show at midnight, then that is what needs to happen.
• Ÿ  Working Orientation is the best way to get a crash course in the inner workings of a university.
• Ÿ  Parents at orientation are fascinating to watch.
• Ÿ  If needed, I can be a really good robot.
• Ÿ  Twinkly lights, a bubble machine and some strategically placed streamers can turn any quad or courtyard into a delightful dance floor.
• Ÿ  The “cha cha slide” is probably the best song. Ever.
• Ÿ  Who you friend on facebook and twitter will determine the content you post on those sites.
• Ÿ  Leaving a job and moving is probably the scariest thing a person can do.
• Ÿ  Allies can be found in unexpected places.
• Ÿ  Leaving campus at 11pm, only to have to return at 6:30am makes you a little sleepy.
• Ÿ  Catering coffee is made better by adding in a packet of hot chocolate powder.
• Ÿ  Andes mints will make any college student happy.

My 23rd Year Project

So my goal in life for this year is to take a picture everyday that I am 23. Granted, it’s only been a week, but it’s keeping me entertained. And – at the very least, i get a chance to play with my camera more. 

 

Here is the first week:

 

 

June 27th: 23rd Birthday, seeing RENT with my dad

 

O-S-U Cheer during the student session at START

 

June 29: hanging out with Spencer in J's apartment

 

June 30: proof that I am living out of a duffle bag until I can move into my apartment

 

July 1: another trip up I-5 to Oregon City

 

July 2: IKEA run for the new apartment - bed, couch, dresser, nightstand...

 

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July 3: Breakfast. Costco Muffins. Awesome. :

 

July 4: Dad lights fireworks with a blowtorch.

 

July 5: Strawberry Jello Cake

pomp and circumstance

I love graduation season. I love the uncertainty for the next year that june brings, and the excitement of facing new challenges, in new places, with new people. 

 

Last June, I was looking forward to moving to Corvallis – starting grad school, starting this new assistantship, and discovering a new “city” (I’m using quotes, because really…corvallis is no where near a city.)

 

This year, I also was really looking forward to the stability that this summer was going to bring. I was looking forward to spending the summer in one place – not having to move apartments or switch jobs – I could spend a summer in stability. 

 

But, that didn’t work out very well. I’m back to the instability and uncertainty that June brings. I’m looking for an apartment and trying to figure out how I am going to pack up my current apartment, all while looking for an assistantship that is going to pay for said new apartment. As icky as this situation may be right now – it’s full of possibility. I really haven’t been happy this year in my position – that’s no secret. 

 

It’s scary to move off campus, and leave the comfort of working for housing. But – now I get to experience actual life. I get to live in an apartment (Off Campus!), cook for myself, and have my evenings and weekends back! I know that I will likely end up working somewhere as an RD after I graduate, so for now, I am going to relish the opportunity to have a normal experience. This year will give me a chance to take a break, be independent – so that next year as I am preparing to graduate, the uncertainty that graduation brings won’t be as scary.

this is my 50th post

GAY DUCKS!!