CreComm: year one in review

September
I knew what was coming. The best and worst year of my life. I was excited to be pushed beyond my limits; to learn the secrets of the trade; to make new friends. We were thrown right into big assignments, strict deadlines, and a busy schedule.

A handsome young man, James, gave his number to me on a bus ride home. I texted the number and we went on a few dates, which then turned into spending every evening together doing homework. He quickly became my closest friend, then asked me to be his girlfriend.

I had to reduce the amount of shifts I had at work because school became so busy. This broke my heart because I love my job.

October
My new boyfriend dropped the L-Bomb ("I love you"). I freaked out. Two weeks later I returned the sentiment.

I received personal praise for an assignment from one of my instructors. After losing confidence in my writing skills, this gave me some more hope.

We covered the mayoral election at school, and I got to work election night from the comfort of my own workplace. It was fast-paced and fun and I was reassured working in a newsroom is what I want to do for life.

November
This month was a blur. I was running out of material and money for my blog (which used to be about thrifting).

I met my James' parents for the first time and fell in love with them.

I missed seeing my own parents.

I was an intern news editor at The Projector. It was a lot of fun, but maybe I'll stick to reporting for now.

December
I cried a lot. I was stressed about school. I'm always scared I won't hand things in on time, or do well on exams, but I always do and this was no exception.

I totalled my beloved CRV. A concussion from the crash stopped me from working some shifts over the holidays, which upset me because this was the time to make money to catch up on bills.

I got to go home for Christmas. It was nice to see family.

January
Going back to school was great. I liked the routine. I was scared of making new friends this time around though, since we were put into different sections. But I made some of the best friends ever — for life.

I wasn't doing well personally.

I wrote a blog post that received a lot of attention.

I realized James was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.


February
I turned 22.

James and I went on a short road trip to Minneapolis for the long weekend.

I was on the radio to discuss struggles with body image, stemming from my popular blog post mentioned above. It helped me realize I could help people with my own experience.






March
I finally had wheels again, thanks to my parents. A beautiful, little burgundy Ford Focus. I felt free and independent again.

I won the Eric and Jack Wells Award for journalism excellence.

James and I got engaged. We are getting married in 2016.



April
My cat developed an aural hematoma. I couldn't afford surgery. So we put him on medication and the doctor said it should clear up in a month.

I came home to a crying and bloody cat, and a blood-splattered hallway. His ear had burst. One vet
said I needed to do another unaffordable surgery. Two others said it would heal itself. So far, it is indeed healing itself and he now has an adorable floppy ear.

Classes are about to end. I'm so excited for summer, no homework, and sunshine. I am sad I won't see my friends/classmates everyday. I love them, and they make life exciting.

I'm so grateful for all my instructors have taught me, all the guidance they have given me, and all the fun they've provided for my classmates and I. I will forever be indebted to them.

Dealing with a pet in pain

I love my cat. If you know me, there is no doubt about that (or if you've seen my previous blog post about him).

On Saturday, I noticed Eugene's ear was flopped over. I didn't think much of it, but upon further investigation I found a large bump on his inner ear that closed up the ear canal. I immediately panicked. It could be a tumour, cancer, or something deadly. This couldn't happen. He's not even two-years-old.

With some Googling, my fiancé and I discovered it was an aural hematoma, caused by some kind of trauma to the ear. This trauma results in a blood vessel bursting and filling up the space between the skin and cartilage with blood. We also read that the worst of it was yet to come.

My sister took Eugene to the vet the following day. The two options were a $700 surgery, or putting him on medication and letting his body heal itself. Since I couldn't afford the former, we were going to try the pills. The outcome of both treatments is the same. His ear will shrivel up and shrink due to muscle damage, and remain that way for life.

At first, I was heartbroken. I felt like a horrible pet parent for not being able to save Eugene from his injury. I felt helpless as I watched him shake his head in discomfort, trying to dislodge the blood balloon stuck inside his ear. I felt cruel shoving pills down his throat. I felt like I had failed him.

I now realize there is no way I could have prevented Eugene's condition. I am also grateful it wasn't something worse, like a life-threatening injury or disease. I am so thankful for Eugene's life and will cherish him for life — goofy looking ear or not.

It breaks my heart to see people part ways with their pet because owning it isn't what they expected. There's a reason they're called your forever friend when you adopt. Your pet relies on you, in sickness and in health. The least you can do is be there for it.

As for me, I'm going to go home and snuggle the crap out of my little Gene-er. Time is precious and I want to make the most of the time I've been given with this little guy.

The best day of your life

I  ran into a colleague I don't see often at Thom Bargen last week. The last time I saw him was at the staff Christmas party.

I asked him how we was doing. His reply?

"Today is the best day of my life."

I asked him why. He said, "because I said so."

Everyday he wakes up and tells himself it will be the best day of his life. 

This concept is so foreign to me. I wake up, think about all the things I have to do and the things I'd rather be doing instead. I think about the events or people I'll encounter that will drain me. I think about the stress.

What I don't think about is how I'll deal with all the things the world decides to throw at me. 

My friend has it right. No matter what happens, he plans on making the best of the situation. 

Everyday is a new best day. 

While I won't get it right immediately, I hope to teach myself to make sure the days ahead until my death bed are the best and better than best days of my life. 

Fiancé is a weird title

Over the last week, I hummed and hawed about publicly sharing details about one of the most important decisions I've ever made in my life — on March 29, 2015 I said "yes" to spending the rest of my life with the most kind, thoughtful, goofy, entertaining, and loving person I've ever encountered.

After all was said and done, James and I decided to keep the engagement quiet (especially on social media) until we personally told our close friends and family. Every time I shared the story, my wide smile hurt my face. If I had a dollar for every time I said "I'm SO excited," I'd likely be halfway to paying for the wedding already.

It was nice to be able to tell people how James popped the question and see their mushy expressions. I forgot how important the art of storytelling is in building and maintaining relationships. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to everyone quickly in person, but I'm still glad to have been able to personally share my experience with others.

So for the time being, I'm going to refrain from sharing the story online (I've posted a few teaser pictures though). If you see me in person, I'll gladly tell you how brilliant and sneaky James was.

If you're lucky, maybe I'll throw in the movie-esque story about how we met on a transit bus.

Haven't seen me in a while? This is why.

Creative Communications (commonly known as CreComm) at Red River College is the best and the worst all at once. It is the most fun, hands-on work I've ever done in a school environment, but it's also the most stressful, time-consuming, and life-absorbing work.

Over the last semester, we were tossed into a group of people we hardly knew and were told to make a magazine. Long story short, we did. Many late nights, tears, and editing (and more editing, and more editing, and more editing) went into bringing 30 Below magazine to life.

Tomorrow it all pays off.

First-year CreComm students are hosting a magazine trade fair tomorrow (more details below). I encourage you to visit the Atrium The Roblin Centre campus (160 Princess St.) tomorrow and check out all of the magazines we have slaved over creating the past three months.

See you tomorrow!