My REAL age.

By all indications, I'm 21 years and seven months old. At least that's what it says on my birth certificate.

However, after taking the RealAge test, I received quite the surprise. I thought that since my stress level is relatively high and I already put over 14,000 miles on my car in eight months, they'd say my "real" age was somewhere in the 30s or 40s. Not the case.


16.2? I was shocked, to say the least. I drive more than 150 miles per week, and last semester with my internship it was pushing 500. I have an insane schedule with work, my college activities, and my classes. But there are actually quite a few factors making my "real" age younger.

I try to eat right and exercise as much as I possibly can, so that was probably a big factor. I just thought it was very interesting that my "real" age was lower than my actual age!

What makes it even more ironic is the fact that up until about a week ago, I actually did look like I was 16 (and, yes, I actually heard this from several people). Thankfully, the braces are now off and I look more like a college student than a high school student.

Anyway, this test explains why I'm not ready to graduate from college. I'm only 16 years old, after all!

Little me!

Believe it or not, I was a young one not too long ago. Flashback to approximately 20 years ago, when I was almost two...

Sometimes I wish I were still that little.

I was actually about three when my mom took me to my cousin's dance recital. I watched all of the dancers in awe, and by the end of the show I was dancing in the aisles. My mom knew then to enroll me in dance lessons. My goal in life was to become a professional dancer and dance in New York City.

When I was six years old, I decided to abandon my dream of becoming a professional ballerina (I did continue dancing through age 18, though) and be a meterologist. I would literally sit in front of my TV and watch the Weather Channel for hours straight. I was fascinated with precipitation and humidity and wind chill and everything that had to do with weather. I would tell my parents at the dinner table that there was a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms that day, that the temperature in Phoenix was 109 degrees, and that the pollen levels were higher than normal in the Northeast. I loved talking in front of people, too, so it was a perfect job for me.

We had to do speeches in the third grade about what we wanted to be when we grew up. My classmates did speeches about becoming actresses, doctors, and professional athletes. I stood up in front of the class and said "I want to be a meteorologist."

The blank looks of my classmates said it all. What the heck is a meteorologist?

I then explained everything about weather and the Weather Channel and everything that a "weather girl" did. That was my goal for several more years. Then, I discovered the world of broadcast journalism. By the time I entered junior high, Diane Sawyer's job was looking pretty good to me.

I job shadowed at WKST (yes, the place where I am currently employed) in 8th grade and I announced a couple of community announcements over the air. I then realized that broadcasting was what I wanted to do.

And now, here I am...still unsure where exactly I want to be. Crazy, huh?

It's hard to believe how much easier life was back in the good old days.

Fast forward!

"Imagine waking up tomorrow morning in your 70s. What is the one thing you refuse to let yourself miss out on in life and just have to do before you’re gone?"

This week's blog prompt is courtesy of Miss Amy Lavallee.

I actually had to sit down and think about this one. What is one thing that I have to do before I die? I'm actually hoping that it will happen before I turn 70, but you never know. It's very difficult for me to choose one thing, though. I want to do so much!

One thing I've always wanted to do is go on a cross-country road trip. I'm one of those people who loves driving rather than flying because I love looking at my surroundings and seeing how other parts of the country are different from Western PA. Along with that, I have a goal of visiting every baseball stadium in the country. I think it would be the greatest thing ever to hop in a van with my closest friends one summer and take a tour of all the ballparks. That would be so incredibly awesome.

I don't want to limit myself to staying in the US, though. I would love to travel to Europe sometime in my life. I'd love to see Scotland, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic - the countries my great-grandparents are from. I am dying to see London, Paris, Milan...just thinking about it makes me excited. Oh, and I really want to stay in the ice hotel in Sweden.


This might sound silly, but I also want to go swimming with dolphins. I was watching the Travel Channel the other day, and they showed a commercial for Discovery Cove in Orlando. I have to go there someday.


I know a lot of this might seem far-fetched, but I really hope to achieve at least some of these goals before it's too late. Ambition is never a bad thing!

If I had a million dollars...

Thanks to Mike Wo for our latest blog assignment...

"For those of you who have seen Office Space you should know where I'm going with this, for those of you who haven't - shame on you. The purpose of this blog is to focus on your dreams and ambitions. Answer the question "what would you do if you had a million dollars and didn't have to work?"


What would I do with a million dollars? Well, I think I'd take care of some business first. I'd pay off my student loans, my credit card, and my car. Then I'd pay a visit to a financial expert and learn about investing...just to be sure that I'm secure for the rest of my life.

Of course, I don't think I could NOT work. I would probably keep my job just because I like keeping busy and I'm pretty career-driven.

I'd probably give a lot of money to my parents and my sister. My parents have spent tons of money on us over the years, and I'd feel terrible if I didn't give back to them. My sister has four years of college (and possibly more) ahead of her, so she could definitely use some cash. I find a lot more satisfaction in giving than receiving.

If I had any money left over, I think I'd purchase some Penguins season tickets. That is, if they decide to stay in Pittsburgh.

Because we all know we don't want this to leave the Burgh.

Skills are a good thing to have.

Our capstone assignment for this week is to list some skills that we have that would help us get a job OUTSIDE of broadcasting. Well, I hope to get a job outside of BC anyway, so this is a really good exercise for me.

Here are some of my qualities. I guess I have to turn off my humbleness for this.

• I am creative. During my internship, I learned how to work with what I had (which was Microsoft Word and Power Point) to make ads and invitations that were eye-catching and appealing. I'm pretty good at designing things, and I can't wait to learn PhotoShop.
• I am a good writer. I've taken several writing classes at WC (I think I took enough to add the writing minor) and I really enjoyed all of them. Writing is probably my biggest strength, actually. I am a spelling and grammar freak, so my writing is usually mistake-free.
• I am a fast learner. It doesn't take me long to catch on to something that's totally new to me. I'm usually able to figure a lot of things out by myself, too.
  
• I already have experience outside the major. Although I'm a broadcasting major, I have a lot of experience in other areas of communications. I write articles and I'm in charge of layout for the college newspaper, and I had an internship in media relations and marketing.
• I am always willing to help. If someone asks me to do something for them, I will do it with no questions asked.

I'd say those are probably the most important attributes that will help me outside of broadcasting. I hope future job interviewers agree with me!