http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie recent pleonast.com entries by user bulie en-us http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=595472 I just had an amazing birthday weekend, and am now 21 years old....wow!!! It is a shock to me at how much time has passed. :( Thank you to each of you who wished me a happy birthday and/or more! You all reminded me how truly loved and blessed I am! My youngest brother, out of three older brothers, came to spend the weekend with me. If you didn't get to meet him then you certainly missed out... :D My birthday night (Nov. 2) ended in the best way I can currently think of...with an INTENSE semi-final all-girls flag football game with my "BONECRUSHERS" team! (You are all amazing!!) Thank you SOO much to all those who came out to support our team...each of you had a huge impact on the game. Yes, we WON! and Yes, YOU are invited to come out to Penburthy fields (by Reed Arena) next Sunday night (Nov. 16th) at 9:45pm to watch us play in the Championship game!! WHOOP! Our team is undefeated so far...way to go ladies! Also, I am playing in the semi-final game tonight for my... 2008-11-04 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=569079 I never update even though I love reading pretty much everything you all post. School obviously has started...and I have gotten more sleep than I think I have ever had the opportunity to in my whole life. Odd? I know. The reason is that I have lots of projects assigned for me to do, but since we have not been placed in our middle schools yet I have not had class everyday...thus not motivated to do school work. I went home for an entire week right before school started, and since I didn't go home for the entire semester I was in Italy, as well as basically the entire summer, I sorta wish it was easier for me to drive home to visit. I miss my grandparents, the farm, my parents, my cousin(s) AND all three of my older brothers. I miss my brothers...A LOT. It has been a long time since I have seen them, the oldest one especially. I love my roomie...aka Kaitlin! :D She makes for a very happy day EVERY day!! Also, my piano lessons are going very well. I can play Jingle Bells and I... 2008-08-29 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=548421 Does anyone know of someone who would be willing to teach me to play the piano? I know nothing about music, but have always dreamed about being able to play such a beautiful instrument. I will be graduating in May and want to learn before then. Any ideas? 2008-07-09 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=540304 Ok, so I sat down to do my homework and fell asleep on my arm for 40 minutes in a half sitting position then woke up because my arm went dead and was NOT happy with me. Then I layed down for a QUICK nap and just slept from basically 7 pm until 2:10 am never waking up to a zillion text messages and phone calls from various friends...mind you both of my phones were on vibrate but they were right next to my pillow. Needless to say, my AMAZING boyfriend was stressed out of his mind thinking something terrible had happened to me because I was supposed to have called him about six hours before I actually did (which finally was at 3 am for him)...opps. Now that I have eaten supper...I'm going back to sleep. :D 2008-06-17 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=529675 Thursday, May 08, 2008 Howdy Everyone! After Spring Break, we began juggling sight-seeing with end of the year projects, tests, play production, and final exams. This turned into some fun and stressful times for all! A Countess led us on a tour of her ancient castle, Montecchio Vespucci, which I had been able to see out my window in the hazy distance each morning. To describe the castle’s history, the elementary school children performed a short play for us in the gardens. For those of you who have seen the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, based on a non-fiction book set in breathtaking Cortona, Italy, the locale is as picturesque as the book portrays. Cortona is only twenty minutes from Castiglion Fiorentino where I was living. Here we were not only mesmerized by the landscape and architectural beauty, but we also participated in a tour guided by our professor’s friend, Count John Carlo, a native Italian Count. He showed us the church where San Marguerita’s body is entombed.... 2008-05-18 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=510162 Monday, March 24, 2008 Ciao Everyone! It has been over a month since the last update, and much has happened since then! In Italy, we have visited Sienna where the famous, deadly horse races are held two times a year during the summer. During this medieval race nine horses sprint around the mattress padded, dirt-covered Piazza three times. Each year both horse and jockey are in extreme danger, and horses often are so severely injured they are killed on the spot. Actually, the only horse that survives the race is the one that wins. We have also visited Orvieto, a natural fortress city which is built on a hill that is completely made of stone! We rode a special train to get to the top and the town center. It is a beautiful city just like Sienna. I have just returned from two weeks of traveling. During the first week I traveled to Krakow, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic with my professors and classmates. Students and advisors joined us from Texas A&M University to ... 2008-03-28 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=493773 Ciao Everyone! What an opportunity I have been blessed with...93 days in Italy with free 3-day weekends each week while earning 15 hours of class credit counting towards my Middle Grades (4th-8th grade) English/Social Studies Education degree! I arrived in Italy on January 26, 2008 after a 10 hour plane flight to London to connect to a 3 hour plane flight to Rome to connect to a 3 hour bus ride to my new home, Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy! There is a seven hour time difference, and we are on military time which means when it is 5 pm in Texas then it is Midnight here in Italy! I am living in Santa Chiara which was originally a girls' academy, operating from the 1930's until the early 70's. Although soe sections of the stucture date back to the renaissance and earlier periods, the main structure was completed in the 1930's. The facility consists of approximately 500 square meters of classrooms, studios, dining areas, and sleeping quarters. Castiglion Fiorentino is built on top o... 2008-02-17 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=493206 Please take about 5 minutes to try this out! It really gets you to thinking and once you start...it is a lot of FUN! This is a quick write activity that I learned about and completed during my study abroad trip to Italy from January-April 2008. It is FANTASTIC! Instructions: First, you trace your hand on a piece of paper. Then, you fill the hand up with as many thoughts as you can think of which your hands remind you about. This is just an example of what I did on 2-14-08. (PLEASE do not read ALL of mine before completing your own, just get ideas from it...unless you you don't plan on doing one) My hand is filled with… • My hands are always cold and splotched with white, red, blue, purple • Climbing monkey bars • Making lists • My nails are unnaturally strong and don’t easily break but grow long • The basketball/football that I love to play • Holding hot chocolate mugs • The buckets of water and sacks of feed they have struggled to haul • The baby animals... 2008-02-15 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=487627 I am listening to acapella song recordings from the Kleinwood singing, and I am really missing my church family and being able to assemble together. 2008-02-02 http://www.pleonast.com/user/bulie?l=5&entryID=460326 I am headed home in the morning (Wednesday) at 6:30 to see my family and then will be headed back to College Station for the football game early, early on Friday morning to see KENNY!! Kenny goes home after the game :( but I have been very fortunate to have had such an extended amount of time to spend with him. It has been wonderful! I am truly blessed!!!!! Fortunately, his wrist has been healing nicely and his recovery is going well. Thank you to all who prayed for him during his surgery and recovery. I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and travel safely! 2007-11-21