I still try holding onto silly things, I never learn
So much has happened since I last wrote in this. This is going to be a long entry, maybe the longest one I've ever wrote. If you have a problem with that, don't read ahead, lol. Otherwise, I am just trying to quickly summarize what has happened, although quickly will still call for an overly long entry.
So, Bruins made the playoffs and were #1 in the eastern conference. During the first round of the playoffs, they dominated the Montreal Canadiens and swept the series. The next round was against the Carolina Hurricanes. Benny and I went to game 2 of this series, which, of course, they lost 2-0. Unfortunately, the Bruins lost the series in 7 games. It didn’t help that the winning goal scored was by Carolina’s Scott Walker, the guy who sucker punched Aaron Ward in the face and did not get suspended for it. I’m sure it also didn’t help that Kessel, Krecji, Recchi, Chara, Ference, and Ward were all playing with injuries. I think they had a great run, and definitely have the opportunity to have an even better one next year.
April 25th was Merrimack’s senior formal. It was held at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, and we got a room there for the night. I roomed with all my roommates in college: Laura, Kristal, and Christina. The other girls got a room, and the boys crammed into one room. All-in-all, instead of going into great detail, the formal was a blast. Although some people got out of hand and the event was just a complete shitshow, everybody let loose and had a good time with our last major event before graduation.
I finished my final semester with a 4.0 GPA. I finished college with an overall GPA of 3.86. I am so happy of the fact that not only did I exceed my expectations, but I also exceeded my parents' expectations. My parents always told me that my full-time job was school. They supported me financially and mentally and emotionally throughout college (and my whole life actually), and I am so happy that I could make them so proud. That's what really mattered to me - I know I can never repay them for all they have done, so at least being successful in college, above and beyond their expectations, was very important to me, and I'm glad I accomplished that. I moved out of my apartment at college on May 8th, and I am now back at home. It was difficult to say goodbye for the last time. I loved my roommates, and the whole independence that I had at college is now gone. However, everything is really surreal for me right now. I know that it's all over, but I don't think it will actually hit me until either when people start moving back into Merrimack and I'm not, or when I start my full-time job. On May 17th, I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Accounting. It was definitely bittersweet for all of us. We were all happy to be done with school, after four years of working hard and late nights of studying. However, most of us are not ready to enter the real world and leave, for lack of a better word, the "easy" life. Plus, we all didn't want to leave each other.
For graduation, Benny and I went to Disneyworld! We took off from Logan Airport on a JetBlue Airbus at 9:35AM on May 26th. I was petrified of flying, so I give Benny a lot of credit for dealing with me, especially when we hit turbulence and air pockets. Of course, on the flight down, I flicked on the Discovery Channel on the TV at my seat, and it was all about a plane crashing into a building and the investigation of what happened to it. I can say that didn't help my nerves. We landed at the Orlando International Airport at 12:25PM, about 20 minutes earlier than we were supposed to. We hopped on the Magical Express bus, which brought us to our resort, called Caribbean Beach. The resort was large and beautiful, and we stayed in room 3111 at Trinidad North. It was such a great location, because we were one of the first stops for when buses came for the theme parks, and we were right next to Old Port Royale, which is where the food court, restaurant, large community pool, and gift shop is located. Our baggage had not yet made it to the hotel (we had special service since Disney is partnered with JetBlue which delivered our luggage to our room), so we hopped on the shuttle and went straight to Epcot. Since it was later in the afternoon, we decided to do the World Showcase first. We got to Germany when we got a thunderstorm. We were stranded for a good half hour, but once it ended we continued our walk to all the countries. We then decided to spend the time before Illuminations going on Soarin' and Mission: Space. Both rides are unbelievable! Of course, about 15 minutes before Illuminations began, we got another thunderstorm, so Benny and I decided to call it a night, because we figured Illuminations would be canceled, and we could get a good night sleep for tomorrow.
The next day, we went to Animal Kingdom. It was the first time Benny and I had ever been there. We got there for the extra magic hours, and once the parked opened, we ran in and split up. Benny went to fast pass Expedition Everest, and I went to get in line for the Safari. Benny met me at Safari, and we went on an amazing ride and saw a ton of exotic animals. To make a long day short, we went on Expedition Everest twice, which was a blast, and also rode another ride called Dinosaur. We spent the entire day there, walking trails where we observed all sorts of different, beautiful animals such as tigers and giraffes and gorillas and tropical birds. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Café, which was delicious. After the Animal Kingdom, Benny and I went to Hollywood Studios to try to get on the two most popular rides there. We fast passed Rockin' Rollercoaster and got in line for Tower of Terror. Both rides are awesome, with Rockin' Rollercoaster being one of my favorites because it goes from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. We decided to leave MGM because we had plans to go back there later in the week, and Benny and I decided to go to the shops at Downtown Disney. We basically just toured the shops and ate dinner.
Thursday was our day in SeaWorld. If the NE Aquarium is a 1997 Kia, SeaWorld is a 2010 Maserati. When we first got there, we decided to ride the brand new rollercoaster there called Manta. It was definitely unlike any ride I have ever been on, and it was my absolute favorite. It was an upside-down rollercoaster where you rode facing towards the ground, as if you were flying. After Manta, we went to Blue Horizons, the dolphin and bird show. Then we went on the other rollercoaster there called Kraken, an upside-down roller coaster. We then attended Clyde and Seamour, the sea lion show. Right after that we headed to Dine with Shamu, where we had a lunch buffet right next to tank, and got a private showing of trainers, Baby Shamu, and another female killer whale doing tricks. It was such a great experience. It was delayed for a while though because there was a thunderstorm. After dine with Shamu, we went to Pets Ahoy, a show where dogs, cats, birds, rats, a skunk, and a pot belly pig did all sorts of tricks. Then we went to Believe, the Shamu and orca show. We sat in the soak zone, so we got splashed with 52° water. We also went to see the penguins, sharks, and sting rays. Later, we were first in line to feed the dolphins, which again got delayed due to thunderstorms. Waiting was so worth it though, because it was the coolest experience I've had in a long time. We got to feed them some fish scraps and pet them, and they were so sweet and gentle. One of the dolphins laid across the ledge right in front of us and let us pet his stomach and tail. Then we ate dinner and rode Manta one more time, and left earlier than planned because there was another thunderstorm coming, which canceled Shamu Rocks and Reflections.
On Friday, we went back to Hollywood Studios because Benny wanted to see what was going on there since it was Star Wars week there. We went on Star Tours and then on Rockin' Rollercoaster again. We then went to the Lights, Motor, Action Show, which is a stunt show where they show us how certain car chase movie scenes and special effects are done. We left Hollywood Studios and went to Magic Kingdom. Our first stop was Splash Mountain, because unfortunately Space Mountain was closed. We also had to wait in line because all of the fast passes were done for the night. We then tried to get on Big Thunder Mountain, but it was closed at the time. Instead, we found a spot along the water to watch Wishes, the fireworks show. After Wishes, we went on the Haunted Mansion, and then went back to Big Thunder Mountain, which thankfully was opened. We left the park around 11:30PM, and then decided to go swimming at our hotel. It was the first time I got to use my new waterproof camera under water, and I will tell you, it works awesome!
Saturday was the day we decided to spend at the hotel. We slept in because every night we were going to bed late and getting up early. Basically the day consisted of swimming, walking along the water, renting a boat, and relaxing in the room. It was a slow day, but a great one, and it was nice to just enjoy the weather and each other's company.
On Sunday, we got up for the extra magic hours and went to Epcot. We fast passed Soarin' and then went on Test Track, which we hadn't been on yet. It was fun, but definitely not amazing. We still had some extra time before our time to go on Soarin', so we went on Mission: Space one more time. Then we finally rode Soarin' and ate breakfast at the restaurant right next to it. We then went to the aquarium they have at Epcot, where they had manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks. We then went on Imagination, because both Benny and I loved it as kids, but then realized, that it was really just a kid's ride. We then left Epcot and went to Typhoon Lagoon, since we hadn't been to a water park yet. We went on a bunch of water slides, cruised down the lazy river, and went into the giant wave pool and got completely destroyed by the waves.
The next day, we planned on getting up early, but ended up oversleeping because Benny hit off instead of snooze. We got up and packed our bags, called bellhop services, and went to the custom house to check out. We had some time before we left, so we went to the closest bus station and decided that the first bus that showed up was where we were going. That bus happened to be Hollywood Studios, so we spent the day going to the souvenir shops and then eating lunch. We then had to go back to the hotel to catch the bus that would take us to the airport. We were both really sad to be leaving Florida. Of course, before the flight, we saw on the news that there was a plane that went missing, so it made us both nervous about flying. But thankfully, our flight landed in Boston safely, and my dad picked us up from Logan. I had the more fun in Florida than I ever imagined I would. I am so glad I got to share that with the love of my life, and now I feel we are even closer than ever.
Coming home from Florida also brought to light the harsh reality I have to now face. I am taking the Becker CPA Review course so I can start studying for the CPA exam. Because I was in Florida, I missed the very first class. The course requires that I study for 30-35 hours a week. That seems unbelievable to me to begin with, but that means that next week, I'm going to have to do 60-70 hours of outside class work. This is taking over my entire summer and all I can say is it's going to be a long one. I am still working at Shaheen & Pallone, but only two days a week because I need to focus primarily on my classes. Although my summer is mainly going to consist of school, work, and schoolwork, I'm not going to let it consume my entire summer.
Well I'm definitely done writing now. I have been writing for so long that I think my fingers are about to die. Maybe I should write more instead of trying to fit everything in one entry. Sigh.
LMD
So, Bruins made the playoffs and were #1 in the eastern conference. During the first round of the playoffs, they dominated the Montreal Canadiens and swept the series. The next round was against the Carolina Hurricanes. Benny and I went to game 2 of this series, which, of course, they lost 2-0. Unfortunately, the Bruins lost the series in 7 games. It didn’t help that the winning goal scored was by Carolina’s Scott Walker, the guy who sucker punched Aaron Ward in the face and did not get suspended for it. I’m sure it also didn’t help that Kessel, Krecji, Recchi, Chara, Ference, and Ward were all playing with injuries. I think they had a great run, and definitely have the opportunity to have an even better one next year.
April 25th was Merrimack’s senior formal. It was held at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, and we got a room there for the night. I roomed with all my roommates in college: Laura, Kristal, and Christina. The other girls got a room, and the boys crammed into one room. All-in-all, instead of going into great detail, the formal was a blast. Although some people got out of hand and the event was just a complete shitshow, everybody let loose and had a good time with our last major event before graduation.
I finished my final semester with a 4.0 GPA. I finished college with an overall GPA of 3.86. I am so happy of the fact that not only did I exceed my expectations, but I also exceeded my parents' expectations. My parents always told me that my full-time job was school. They supported me financially and mentally and emotionally throughout college (and my whole life actually), and I am so happy that I could make them so proud. That's what really mattered to me - I know I can never repay them for all they have done, so at least being successful in college, above and beyond their expectations, was very important to me, and I'm glad I accomplished that. I moved out of my apartment at college on May 8th, and I am now back at home. It was difficult to say goodbye for the last time. I loved my roommates, and the whole independence that I had at college is now gone. However, everything is really surreal for me right now. I know that it's all over, but I don't think it will actually hit me until either when people start moving back into Merrimack and I'm not, or when I start my full-time job. On May 17th, I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Accounting. It was definitely bittersweet for all of us. We were all happy to be done with school, after four years of working hard and late nights of studying. However, most of us are not ready to enter the real world and leave, for lack of a better word, the "easy" life. Plus, we all didn't want to leave each other.
For graduation, Benny and I went to Disneyworld! We took off from Logan Airport on a JetBlue Airbus at 9:35AM on May 26th. I was petrified of flying, so I give Benny a lot of credit for dealing with me, especially when we hit turbulence and air pockets. Of course, on the flight down, I flicked on the Discovery Channel on the TV at my seat, and it was all about a plane crashing into a building and the investigation of what happened to it. I can say that didn't help my nerves. We landed at the Orlando International Airport at 12:25PM, about 20 minutes earlier than we were supposed to. We hopped on the Magical Express bus, which brought us to our resort, called Caribbean Beach. The resort was large and beautiful, and we stayed in room 3111 at Trinidad North. It was such a great location, because we were one of the first stops for when buses came for the theme parks, and we were right next to Old Port Royale, which is where the food court, restaurant, large community pool, and gift shop is located. Our baggage had not yet made it to the hotel (we had special service since Disney is partnered with JetBlue which delivered our luggage to our room), so we hopped on the shuttle and went straight to Epcot. Since it was later in the afternoon, we decided to do the World Showcase first. We got to Germany when we got a thunderstorm. We were stranded for a good half hour, but once it ended we continued our walk to all the countries. We then decided to spend the time before Illuminations going on Soarin' and Mission: Space. Both rides are unbelievable! Of course, about 15 minutes before Illuminations began, we got another thunderstorm, so Benny and I decided to call it a night, because we figured Illuminations would be canceled, and we could get a good night sleep for tomorrow.
The next day, we went to Animal Kingdom. It was the first time Benny and I had ever been there. We got there for the extra magic hours, and once the parked opened, we ran in and split up. Benny went to fast pass Expedition Everest, and I went to get in line for the Safari. Benny met me at Safari, and we went on an amazing ride and saw a ton of exotic animals. To make a long day short, we went on Expedition Everest twice, which was a blast, and also rode another ride called Dinosaur. We spent the entire day there, walking trails where we observed all sorts of different, beautiful animals such as tigers and giraffes and gorillas and tropical birds. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Café, which was delicious. After the Animal Kingdom, Benny and I went to Hollywood Studios to try to get on the two most popular rides there. We fast passed Rockin' Rollercoaster and got in line for Tower of Terror. Both rides are awesome, with Rockin' Rollercoaster being one of my favorites because it goes from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. We decided to leave MGM because we had plans to go back there later in the week, and Benny and I decided to go to the shops at Downtown Disney. We basically just toured the shops and ate dinner.
Thursday was our day in SeaWorld. If the NE Aquarium is a 1997 Kia, SeaWorld is a 2010 Maserati. When we first got there, we decided to ride the brand new rollercoaster there called Manta. It was definitely unlike any ride I have ever been on, and it was my absolute favorite. It was an upside-down rollercoaster where you rode facing towards the ground, as if you were flying. After Manta, we went to Blue Horizons, the dolphin and bird show. Then we went on the other rollercoaster there called Kraken, an upside-down roller coaster. We then attended Clyde and Seamour, the sea lion show. Right after that we headed to Dine with Shamu, where we had a lunch buffet right next to tank, and got a private showing of trainers, Baby Shamu, and another female killer whale doing tricks. It was such a great experience. It was delayed for a while though because there was a thunderstorm. After dine with Shamu, we went to Pets Ahoy, a show where dogs, cats, birds, rats, a skunk, and a pot belly pig did all sorts of tricks. Then we went to Believe, the Shamu and orca show. We sat in the soak zone, so we got splashed with 52° water. We also went to see the penguins, sharks, and sting rays. Later, we were first in line to feed the dolphins, which again got delayed due to thunderstorms. Waiting was so worth it though, because it was the coolest experience I've had in a long time. We got to feed them some fish scraps and pet them, and they were so sweet and gentle. One of the dolphins laid across the ledge right in front of us and let us pet his stomach and tail. Then we ate dinner and rode Manta one more time, and left earlier than planned because there was another thunderstorm coming, which canceled Shamu Rocks and Reflections.
On Friday, we went back to Hollywood Studios because Benny wanted to see what was going on there since it was Star Wars week there. We went on Star Tours and then on Rockin' Rollercoaster again. We then went to the Lights, Motor, Action Show, which is a stunt show where they show us how certain car chase movie scenes and special effects are done. We left Hollywood Studios and went to Magic Kingdom. Our first stop was Splash Mountain, because unfortunately Space Mountain was closed. We also had to wait in line because all of the fast passes were done for the night. We then tried to get on Big Thunder Mountain, but it was closed at the time. Instead, we found a spot along the water to watch Wishes, the fireworks show. After Wishes, we went on the Haunted Mansion, and then went back to Big Thunder Mountain, which thankfully was opened. We left the park around 11:30PM, and then decided to go swimming at our hotel. It was the first time I got to use my new waterproof camera under water, and I will tell you, it works awesome!
Saturday was the day we decided to spend at the hotel. We slept in because every night we were going to bed late and getting up early. Basically the day consisted of swimming, walking along the water, renting a boat, and relaxing in the room. It was a slow day, but a great one, and it was nice to just enjoy the weather and each other's company.
On Sunday, we got up for the extra magic hours and went to Epcot. We fast passed Soarin' and then went on Test Track, which we hadn't been on yet. It was fun, but definitely not amazing. We still had some extra time before our time to go on Soarin', so we went on Mission: Space one more time. Then we finally rode Soarin' and ate breakfast at the restaurant right next to it. We then went to the aquarium they have at Epcot, where they had manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks. We then went on Imagination, because both Benny and I loved it as kids, but then realized, that it was really just a kid's ride. We then left Epcot and went to Typhoon Lagoon, since we hadn't been to a water park yet. We went on a bunch of water slides, cruised down the lazy river, and went into the giant wave pool and got completely destroyed by the waves.
The next day, we planned on getting up early, but ended up oversleeping because Benny hit off instead of snooze. We got up and packed our bags, called bellhop services, and went to the custom house to check out. We had some time before we left, so we went to the closest bus station and decided that the first bus that showed up was where we were going. That bus happened to be Hollywood Studios, so we spent the day going to the souvenir shops and then eating lunch. We then had to go back to the hotel to catch the bus that would take us to the airport. We were both really sad to be leaving Florida. Of course, before the flight, we saw on the news that there was a plane that went missing, so it made us both nervous about flying. But thankfully, our flight landed in Boston safely, and my dad picked us up from Logan. I had the more fun in Florida than I ever imagined I would. I am so glad I got to share that with the love of my life, and now I feel we are even closer than ever.
Coming home from Florida also brought to light the harsh reality I have to now face. I am taking the Becker CPA Review course so I can start studying for the CPA exam. Because I was in Florida, I missed the very first class. The course requires that I study for 30-35 hours a week. That seems unbelievable to me to begin with, but that means that next week, I'm going to have to do 60-70 hours of outside class work. This is taking over my entire summer and all I can say is it's going to be a long one. I am still working at Shaheen & Pallone, but only two days a week because I need to focus primarily on my classes. Although my summer is mainly going to consist of school, work, and schoolwork, I'm not going to let it consume my entire summer.
Well I'm definitely done writing now. I have been writing for so long that I think my fingers are about to die. Maybe I should write more instead of trying to fit everything in one entry. Sigh.
LMD