Sunday Loving

Because of my ambitious sleeping schedule for the past couple days, I decided to sleep in for an extra hour or two before having breakfast at Starbucks with some friends. I wouldn't have been in any good condition if I attended mass anway. My body and mind were in desperate need of some downtime. Fully rested, I felt as good as new for sunday's agenda. 

Since I'm not a heavy coffee drinker, I don't usually step foot inside Starbucks. But today was the exception. Eating the same dining commons food since my first day at VSA, I needed to spice things up. And since it was free time, we were allowed to sign out before heading back for lunch at 12:00 PM. So a couple people from my proctor group and another good friend of mine, Ciara decided to head out for Starbucks. Once at Starbucks, I decided to try their oatmeal, an artisan bread and one of their drinks. Being one of the last of our group to wait for their order, I asked one the employees how much longer it would take. Apparently, they forgot my oatmeal, and was given a complimentary drink to aid the situation. I wasn't the least bit upset though, I asked right at the nick of time. 

Once I sat down, I immediately started eating my hearty oatmeal and artisan bread. I was overjoyed by my change in breakfast selection. Nothing has tasted as good for breakfast as it has today. I may be slightly exaggerating, but anyone would feel the same way. Although I've been dying to eat at the Pancake Pantry, it would be insane of us to eat breakfast today. Based on a couple people's experiences, sundays are one of the busiest days there. I am hoping though that my proctor Kaila, can take our proctor group one of these days. Nonetheless, our breakfast outing was a success. 

Before going back to Vandy.

My do-it-yourself taco salad.

Back at the Hank Ingram House, it wasn't too long before we came back that it was lunch time. I couldn't resist myself but grab a bite of some taco salad. I took full advantage of the do-it-yourself taco salad bar. Since my first day, hamburgers have always been readily available every single time lunch and dinner comes rolling around. Thankfully, the opposite side of the hamburgers, it tends to vary. However, it was the first time the Commons had a salad bar. So I justified my actions for eating again because it wouldn't be until dinner time that I'd be eating again. Anyways, I needed a little extra boost for our upcoming shopping visit at the Grand Ole Opry. 

The Grand Ole Opry was true to its name, it was grand. It reminded me of one of the factory outlets back in California. Because of its vastness, I understand why so many people come there for their shopping needs. With the upcoming dance being decades themed, I had a goal of finding something to compliment my tie dye shirt. I didn't have the need of finding a completely different outfit for the occasion. Instead, I found a flower headband at Forever 21 and plan on tastefully cutting my shirt somehow. Like my friend Carolyn said, "We took forever at Forever 21." I agreed, but I didn't mind making sure everyone's shopping needs were satisfied. Since I didn't need much of anything, I was mainly window shopping today. I did notice a good variety in stores, and even some stores I had never heard of before. Since the first day of my East Coast travels, I've seen a considerable amount of people sporting quilted bags According to Carolyn and Hannah, Vera Bradley's quilted bags are popular around here. Everything made sense finally. 

After ending our day at H&M, it was time to meet at 4:30 PM head for the buses. But before we could board, some people had things to pay for at H&M. Being one of them, I felt like I was waiting for an eternity. Talking to one of the customers next to me, she also agreed that the line was ridiculous. According to her, it's pretty new to Nashville. Since there's a good amount of H&M stores around the Bay Area, I don't have to same shopping craze. Getting further into the conversation, I found out that she'd lived in Seattle before making her way down to Nashville, Tennessee. She made the move because of her aspiring music career. When finding out where I was from, she said she'd move to Northern California if ever. It was nice to meet someone from the West Coast vicinity. 

Coming back from the Grand Ole Opry, there was nothing but silence on my bus. I could tell people were tired, and needed some rest from the trip. But Joanna and I chatted in a respectful matter of course. Since I haven't talked to Joanna much, now was the best time. We may be in the same proctor group, but there's only so much all ten of us can find out about each other. It was time well spent. 

After eating dinner, all of us separated into proctor groups and prepared ourselves for trivia night, also known as Trevia. Designed by Trevor, there were several rounds that ranged from pop culture to sports to history. For some reason, our group would have the right answers to some questions but end up getting. It was the process of elimination and no second guessing ourselves that was the problem. And for some rounds, none of us had no idea what the question was asking. The sports round probably hit us worst when asked to name the athlete based on their nicknames. None of us knew "The Answer" to answer. Although Kaila's Sailas(my proctor group) didn't do so well, we didn't do so bad either. We didn't come in last place! Fortunately, another proctor group of S-House ended up winning it all. I'm hoping that this puts S-House back in the game for all the marbles. The level of anticipation was at an all time high when finding out that S-House came back victorious. 

Natalie and Alex while getting ready for Trevia, 

Today marks the last weekend before heading back to the Bay Area. Everyday, I'm constantly reminded by how close friday is briskly approaching. With so many newfound friendships, it sad to think about the thought of leaving in less than five days. I can't reiterate just how much I'm loving every second of VSA. From the people to the academics, I can't seem to get enough. As corny as it sounds, all I can do is live in the moment.