Now, I am going to reflect back on the past 16 weeks. It has been one hell of a semester between balancing part time work with school for the first time to managing my time and money a little tighter to becoming a bride to be. Geez, I did not expect all the things that happened this semester to happen it has been quite the experience.
Starting out the semester on August 19, 2013 I did not know what to expect or what to learn. I had just switched from Information Technology to Visual Communications and I did not know who I was going to meet or who would approach me. I had just gotten a part time job 5 days beforehand working 5:30-10pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and 5:30-2:00am on Fridays with weekends only for my social life. But it turned out to be a good semester after all. I met and made so many new friends who were just a like in weirdness as I am. Some of the people I questioned talking to at first just because of how I thought they might think of me but they approached me and I met some awesome people in my graphic arts classes and as much as I hated getting up at 8 am two days a week I enjoyed the people in my classes and the projects I got to participate in as well.
Eventually I had to drop my Friday work shift for my fourth course, a math course that unfortunately I may fail but that's alright failure is a good thing because it gives us the chance to make it right again. Even though I hate math and the work I have to do with it I am still ready to try and make an effort to pass the class. I have successfully passed both of my graphic arts classes too which was an experience in itself really, I got a chance to be a part of a Doritos Superbowl commercial, invent new ideas for a phone just for the class, participate in a few contests and above all else I had fun in the process and drank a lot of coffee.
On September 14, 2013 another factor came into my life. I became engaged to who is now my fiance I had to learn how to make time for him, but he knows that schooling comes first which is honestly something great in a person to acknowledge that you are bettering your life for the both of you. But I will never forget the proposal either... I was just waking up and he was on his knee with the ring box open and asked me to marry him. I responded in a tired sense but happy that someone wanted to marry me and care for me as much as I wanted to care for him.
But as the semester carried on it brought on more personal worries, I walked out on my job but took it back two days later under the condition they cut my hours, I am struggling to keep just my math score up but my other classes are getting by smoothly. I ended Intro to Computer Graphics with a B- and I ended Strategic Concepts with an A. Tomorrow I take my literature final and turn in my final exam essay which right now I have an A in that class too but the only class I am really worried about is my math class which that final is not until Thursday morning So I am hoping to work my butt off on what's left of the online assignments and pray that brings my grades up but in the end I know I tried and that is all that matters.
But honestly this has to be the best semester of college I have ever had, I have a job, I have the grades and I have a fiance. That's a blessing :)
Paige Bagwell
Monday, December 9, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
By far the hardest and easiest semester in my year and a half of community college
I can't believe this semester ends next week. Just seemed only a few weeks ago it began, and this semester has changed me in so many ways.
I met so many new people when I switched majors and felt a part of things because the people I acquainted were just the same as I. I also learned how to juggle working part time, going to 5-7 hours of labs and lectures four days a week, make time to get homework and studying done and make time for family and my fiance. This semester really kicked my butt exhaustion wise but I'm glad I made it through, made me grow up a little more. I am probably going to learn for the first time what it is like to fail a class because I have never failed a class. Ever. But math is also not my thing, I don't like math one bit and I think it needs to go bug someone else but it is required and it is useful in life.
I learned a lot of new skills this semester such as study and time management skills and learning to take things one day at a time.... and I have known this but I know it more now..... COFFEE WILL BECOME YOUR BEST FRIEND IN COLLEGE. I also learned not to take things as seriously as they may seem either. I've had my ups and downs this semester, I have had my days where getting out of bed was a struggle because I was so darn tired but I did it.
Now finals are next week then I get to do it all again in January, more studying, more projects and more late nights with my headphones working and working on homework and studying for exams.
College will be easy.... SAID NO ONE EVER! but it is fun and I learn so much every semester and acknowledge my never ending addiction to caffeine. There are times that I do wish I could go back to high school and do it all over again but if I did I would not have the experiences that I have had ever since starting college. College is by far one of the best things to happen to me and by far one of the best decisions I ever made to do right out of high school. That honors high school diploma came into good use and the hard work I did in high school really paid off too. I wouldn't trade any of it really, it makes me into a more strong, smarter person and makes me anxious to see what is is in store for the next semester on what I am going to learn, who am I going to meet, what friends will I make, what is next on this adventure.
College changed me entirely as a person for the better. :)
I met so many new people when I switched majors and felt a part of things because the people I acquainted were just the same as I. I also learned how to juggle working part time, going to 5-7 hours of labs and lectures four days a week, make time to get homework and studying done and make time for family and my fiance. This semester really kicked my butt exhaustion wise but I'm glad I made it through, made me grow up a little more. I am probably going to learn for the first time what it is like to fail a class because I have never failed a class. Ever. But math is also not my thing, I don't like math one bit and I think it needs to go bug someone else but it is required and it is useful in life.
I learned a lot of new skills this semester such as study and time management skills and learning to take things one day at a time.... and I have known this but I know it more now..... COFFEE WILL BECOME YOUR BEST FRIEND IN COLLEGE. I also learned not to take things as seriously as they may seem either. I've had my ups and downs this semester, I have had my days where getting out of bed was a struggle because I was so darn tired but I did it.
Now finals are next week then I get to do it all again in January, more studying, more projects and more late nights with my headphones working and working on homework and studying for exams.
College will be easy.... SAID NO ONE EVER! but it is fun and I learn so much every semester and acknowledge my never ending addiction to caffeine. There are times that I do wish I could go back to high school and do it all over again but if I did I would not have the experiences that I have had ever since starting college. College is by far one of the best things to happen to me and by far one of the best decisions I ever made to do right out of high school. That honors high school diploma came into good use and the hard work I did in high school really paid off too. I wouldn't trade any of it really, it makes me into a more strong, smarter person and makes me anxious to see what is is in store for the next semester on what I am going to learn, who am I going to meet, what friends will I make, what is next on this adventure.
College changed me entirely as a person for the better. :)
Sunday, December 1, 2013
My first one year relationship
Gezzel, it has been one hell of a month. From family members being in and out of the hospital to stress at my job to preparing for final exams with the worry of failing my math class because well, one I cannot stand math and math can go die in a hole and on top of that I am also not very good at it either and well life in general has been knocking me down here and there. But I have something to look forward to the next couple weekends. Next Sunday on December 8 I will be with JJ a whole year which for someone like me that is a big deal because I have never really been that much into being in committed relationships because before it never worked out... but he changed that when he put a ring on my finger and I know I haven't been with him too long but I believe it should not have a time limit if you love someone why deny it? That is something that we cannot help. And then I have a father daughter date with my dad the weekend of the 14th to go see the second part of The Hobbit! I am so excited to go see it the first part was really good and judging from the commercials and the trailers ooooohhhhhh it is going to be awesome :) but first is the one year anniversary with JJ we are planning out a formal date and I am beyond excited for it because well I made it a year with someone. That is a big deal to me, he has a nice suit he is going to wear and I went out and bought a really nice dress and heels to match it and this has to be a big deal to me because I don't wear dresses.... AND I SURE AS HELL HATE HEELS. But like I said this is a big deal to me and I cannot wait to see what he thinks of the dress and the card and present that I am going to get him to go along with it and well life seems to be looking up right now and I wouldn't have life any other way. I hope it stays that way too.....
:)
:)
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
"A kiss from a rose"
Recently I heard a song on the radio one day going to one of my graphic arts classes, I had heard it before but I never knew the lyrics or the meaning or who even sang it. Thank goodness for the app Sound Hound because I found who sang it and downloaded it to my phone. Now I know this is just a silly blog on a song but the more I listen to it the more it means to me in a lot of different ways. I think the lyrics that stick in my head most about this song is well, one, it is a beautiful song so beautiful each time I listen to it I fall into a trance
"baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray"
"Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the gray"
"There is so much a man can tell you so much he can say, you remain my power, my pleasure, my pain"
In my opinion, because everyone could look at this song in different ways, to me this could mean a lot. It could mean life, new life. One tragedy or one bad life event can open the door to a better thing. There is always something bigger and better out there it is just up to us to go and find it.
And now that you have found this better thing, a light hits the gloom on the past.
Also, I can dedicate it to my fiance in a sense, he always brightens my mood no matter what life throws at me he is my light that hits the gloom.
I've always been that kind of person to listen to any kind of music and pick apart its meaning, what the singer or vocal artist is trying to say and see if I can find any personal meaning behind it for myself. In my opinion music is life and without music in life, it would be grey, meaningless, lifeless, and boring. Music is my savior when I don't need it, it listens when you need listened to, it can describe an emotion, it can bring back the good and the bad memories, it can spark an inspiration, it can bring you down , it can spark a motive, it can do anything, for me it's a solace. When I get stressed out I listen to things like this song, Phil Collins, Journey, positive classical music. When I am angry I listen to faster music like Metallica or Avenged Sevenfold. But of all the songs I have on my playlist to listen to on a daily basis, "A kiss from a rose"inspires me the most because in my opinion it is more than a song, it is a beautiful work of art.
"baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray"
"Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the gray"
"There is so much a man can tell you so much he can say, you remain my power, my pleasure, my pain"
In my opinion, because everyone could look at this song in different ways, to me this could mean a lot. It could mean life, new life. One tragedy or one bad life event can open the door to a better thing. There is always something bigger and better out there it is just up to us to go and find it.
And now that you have found this better thing, a light hits the gloom on the past.
Also, I can dedicate it to my fiance in a sense, he always brightens my mood no matter what life throws at me he is my light that hits the gloom.
I've always been that kind of person to listen to any kind of music and pick apart its meaning, what the singer or vocal artist is trying to say and see if I can find any personal meaning behind it for myself. In my opinion music is life and without music in life, it would be grey, meaningless, lifeless, and boring. Music is my savior when I don't need it, it listens when you need listened to, it can describe an emotion, it can bring back the good and the bad memories, it can spark an inspiration, it can bring you down , it can spark a motive, it can do anything, for me it's a solace. When I get stressed out I listen to things like this song, Phil Collins, Journey, positive classical music. When I am angry I listen to faster music like Metallica or Avenged Sevenfold. But of all the songs I have on my playlist to listen to on a daily basis, "A kiss from a rose"inspires me the most because in my opinion it is more than a song, it is a beautiful work of art.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Designing CD covers
I took graphic design classes in high school since my 9th grade year. And I got advanced with it once I reached my senior year being able to import from Illustrator to DreamWeaver and all kinds of stuff and improving my drawing skills in the process. But I didn't realize how demanding of a field technical and graphic design was until I got into this semester of college, Fall 2013. I am a year and a half into college but I was originally an IT major until they cut out the web design and development track to I switched to graphic design to get some training done in Adobe software.
Just about a week ago we were assigned to design CD covers for a band. We had a list to chose from, I chose Evanescence mainly because I am a rock and metal music lover.... well I confine myself to that kind of music because I like the sound and beat of it. But we had to create it all using Photoshop. Normally for projects like this I would finagle the tools in Illustrator but Photoshop was what we are going over in class.
I am not real familiar with Photoshop but I couldn't figure out a design for the background of the cover so I went onto Google and Kunaki for some free templates and found a really cool background for the CD cover and added a photo filter to make it fade out of purple to blue because I chose to stick with the color scheme of Evanescence's What You Want album. The combination of the purple, blue, aqua and cyan green fascinates me and I thought that would make a good color scheme for a black background.
Monday, October 28, 2013
My daily inspirations.
I have 3 inspirations in life, family, music, and my fiancé. My family means everything and is everything to me, my family has helped me through everything from supporting me getting through college to recently being engaged. My family has held my hand through all the hard times, told me I would be okay and of course made me smile and laugh. I don't know where I would be without my mom, dad, grandmother, brother and sister. They all mean the world to me in so many ways. My sister impresses me everyday with doing what she does in her high school band class and her grades, my brother he serves in our Army, definitely something to be proud of. And, I am thankful, more than thankful to have such hardworking parents to make sure we have a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs and a bed to sleep in every night (or in my case I prefer a couch)
Music, no I don't make my own music and I don't major in music. Just listening to music gives me an inspiration to make my life more meaningful and beautiful. Music is life, without music there would be no emotion. I listen to all kinds of music, metal, heavy metal, hard rock, classic rock and symphony orchestra. Weird combination I know but each of these genres paint a mental image, story almost in my head that could give me an idea for anything (now if only it could do that for general education assignments). But anything I do, whether I'm at work or doing homework or even just bored shopping or sitting and thinking I always have music.
My fiancé James, (JJ) definitely inspires me to get through the day on a whole new aspect. When he was 9 years old he got hit by a car. That accident changed his life permanently, I can't imagine someone going through that kind of pain at that young of an age, he was told he wouldn't be able to speak again, or walk again but he proved it all wrong he can speak clearly, he can walk and he is so intelligent, he outsmarts me a lot in life to life discussions and conversations, then when he turned 16 he lost his father, that... that I just cannot imagine losing my father at that age when you need your parents most. He does talk about his father a lot and that is expected. This man has been through so much in his life but what inspires me and makes me love him so much more is that someone who has dealt with so much pain in life can still wake up and smile and laugh and move forward in life, he is definitely my angel and definitely brightens my day :) I look up to him as another role model in my life, another reason to be alive and to enjoy life because if someone can go through that much pain in life and work so hard to get back to normal and work harder to make their life better that means I am just as capable of doing the same, he always encourages me to never give up and to keep my head up and keep working harder everyday.
I don't have a favorite out of these 3, but they all mean the world to me and I would not trade any of them for anything, they all are just my world and make my life worth living for and I am looking forward to what the future has in store and what I can make of it as the future comes my way. :)
Music, no I don't make my own music and I don't major in music. Just listening to music gives me an inspiration to make my life more meaningful and beautiful. Music is life, without music there would be no emotion. I listen to all kinds of music, metal, heavy metal, hard rock, classic rock and symphony orchestra. Weird combination I know but each of these genres paint a mental image, story almost in my head that could give me an idea for anything (now if only it could do that for general education assignments). But anything I do, whether I'm at work or doing homework or even just bored shopping or sitting and thinking I always have music.
My fiancé James, (JJ) definitely inspires me to get through the day on a whole new aspect. When he was 9 years old he got hit by a car. That accident changed his life permanently, I can't imagine someone going through that kind of pain at that young of an age, he was told he wouldn't be able to speak again, or walk again but he proved it all wrong he can speak clearly, he can walk and he is so intelligent, he outsmarts me a lot in life to life discussions and conversations, then when he turned 16 he lost his father, that... that I just cannot imagine losing my father at that age when you need your parents most. He does talk about his father a lot and that is expected. This man has been through so much in his life but what inspires me and makes me love him so much more is that someone who has dealt with so much pain in life can still wake up and smile and laugh and move forward in life, he is definitely my angel and definitely brightens my day :) I look up to him as another role model in my life, another reason to be alive and to enjoy life because if someone can go through that much pain in life and work so hard to get back to normal and work harder to make their life better that means I am just as capable of doing the same, he always encourages me to never give up and to keep my head up and keep working harder everyday.
I don't have a favorite out of these 3, but they all mean the world to me and I would not trade any of them for anything, they all are just my world and make my life worth living for and I am looking forward to what the future has in store and what I can make of it as the future comes my way. :)
My fiancé and I :) April 2013 |
Myself, my mom, my sister, my dad and my brother Summer 2011 |
my sister, brother and I :) Summer 2011 |
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Life is beautiful
I have learned so much in younger teenage years. I am only 19 years old and I have learned so much about life and the way it works, and I have come up with my own truth that life has no rules and has no bounds and we all learn that life is life. But despite the ups and downs I have been through as well as other people with their experiences, I have learned that life is more than beautiful, it is only as beautiful as we make it.
My fiance is a perfect example of this of how beautiful we can make life. He has been through a lot of tough times in his life and is only 21 years old, but it is truly inspiring how I talk to him everyday and he's laughing, he's smiling, and he breathes in the same air as everyone else, just as human as everyone else. It's funny how it is the simple things in life that matter, but those simple things add up to the big things. Life is only what we make of it and I think we should always make it great no matter what life throws in our path. If life was meant to be perfect, it would be rather boring.
I don't know what tragedy is, I don't know what dealing with the worst kinds of pain is but I have experienced my own kind of pain. And, the way I see it is it made me stronger as a person and it has made into a better person today and tomorrow. And what I face today can be solved tomorrow, to me, tomorrow is always another slate, another chance to make it better. Life works itself into mysterious ways too, I never thought that a four wheeler accident I had a few years ago would bring me the man of my dreams but it did and that made my life that much more beautiful, I am a full time college student working every single day to make my life better for not only me but for my fiance too. It is no longer about me anymore in life, it's about him and my family.
So I know it just seems like I am just rambling on but in all honesty, this is how I view life, every struggle every good time everything that makes us who we are is also what makes our individual lives that much more beautiful :) and that is something to be thankful for every day.
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