So I just got back from my first trip to the shore of the season! I miss it already. A bunch of my friends went down for a little overnight retreat before finals start. It was much needed with all the stress of classes. The ocean was a little cold but I still had to go in; up to my knees that is. I almost forgot how much I love the beach. It was so beautiful just being there with my feet in the sand. Here are a few pictures!

Here is one of my favorite pictures of all time. The sun was just setting the night we got there and it was breath taking. This picture just makes me so happy.

Jackie and I thought it would be fun to have a jumping picture. Apparently, I have problems jumping the same time the camera flashes so it took us a good 20 tries to get this picture. I'd put the others ones up but you may laugh way too hard. Here's the only good one.

For our lunch/dinner before we left, we had a nice bbq outside. The food was delicious thanks to Brad and Jack. Here's a picture of the guys.

My favorite part of the trip was probably just having some alone time and being able to appreciate nature and meditate on it. Here is my friend Jozef doing just that. I guess it wasn't so alone since I was taking pictures haha!

The shore was great, and I miss it already. On the bright side, only one more week of classes yet. But that means one more week to work hard and get my grades up to A's hopefully! This week will be long I'm sure and hard with all of the papers and studying I have to do. I'll let you know how it goes!

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Posted by Courtney Clarahan at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The title says it all!

One of the most amazing experiences ever! I can't believe that I actually got to see him. Temple got 46 tickets to go to the Papal Mass in New York City. We packed the buses at 6:30 and made our way up there. There were about 60,000 people there and it was a zoo. It was crazy trying to get in with all of the security and everything, but it was worth every minute of it. Before the Mass, there was a 2 hour concert featuring various artists and my moms favorite, Harry Connick Jr. It was great. That led up to the Pope's arrival. The Popemobile is a lot cooler in person. He circled Yankee stadium in it and then Mass started. Here's a view of it...

Our seats were pretty high up but we had the best view of the altar. We sat in the Philadelphia section which was about 3000 people. And we all got these white hats to wear so we stood out. Our section was the loudest by far. They turned Yankee stadium into a pretty beautiful setting...

And here he is!!!

I still can't believe it! I get chills every time I think of that. That has pretty much been the highlight of my weekend and probably the rest of my life. I'll write about some more less-exciting things soon; I'm not sure how to top the Pope!

"Do not fear, only believe"
Mark 5:36 (The Bible)

Posted by Courtney Clarahan at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I'm sitting here watching American Idol, and everyone always tells me that I look like the one girl Carly. It was weird to watch her because we do have similar mannerisms. And she's Irish too!

Today was absolutely gorgeous! After class, I laid outside by the bell tower where a lot of students hang out and worked on my tan. I did get a little color on my face so that was good. But it was just awesome to soak up the sun and have some time to relax. After that I went to the Networking Seminar hosted by Tourism and Hospitality. We basically got to sit down and mingle with vendors from a ton of THM related organizations. The ones I chose to visit with were the Phillies, Axiom Sports and Entertainment, Comcast Spectacor and Hyatt. It was really great to meet with them and hear what they have to offer as far as internships goes. I was able to hand out some business cards so I hope to hear back from them all. IT was a great event, despite having to wait an hour in the beginning for it to start. We were told it started at 4 but it really didn't start till 5! It was worth it though. The Senior Seminar class did a great job.

Tomorrow's another busy day but then it's pretty much the weekend! I've got a lot in store. On Sunday, I'm headed to New York where the Pope is going to celebrate mass in Yankee Stadium. Should be an awesome time. I'll be sure to update you on my weekend! Enjoy the rest of the week!

"Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."
-George S. Patton

Posted by Courtney Clarahan at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What a week!

Last week was one for the books. As is this one so far. I just have so much school work going on and outside work as well and I'm just trying to find a balance between them both.

So last weekend started out great. My two roommates and I went to the Phillies game. Pat Burrell, my favorite, hit an amazing home run. It was beautiful. The Phillies won too so that was a blast, and the weather was great! Then on Saturday and Sunday from 8-3 I had to give tours! We had Experience Temple Day where all of the admitted students got to come and see Temple. On Sunday I got to work in the Welcome Center where many students came to pay their deposit. They were all so excited, and their parents a nervous wreck! It made me remember the day that I decided to come to Temple!

On Saturday, a group of us decided to venture down to Center City to walk around and soak in the nice weather. Here are a few shots.

Anna, Jackie and myself trying to imitate the statues.

This picture just makes me laugh!

We had a really great time. It's not often that I get to relax and have fun in the city like that. The weather has been gorgeous and everything is starting to bloom. Spring has finally sprung! Here's one of my favorite pictures of Temple...This is how you know it's Spring.

These are the trees in full bloom on Liacouras Walk.

Today was a very exciting day. First off, I had to present my assignment where I went around campus in either a wheelchair, blind or deaf. It was very interesting to hear from the other groups and the places that they explored. Our presentation went well, we got a 15 out of 15! Also, today was Spring Fling! Basically a day where the whole campus really comes together for a fun filled day. I even was allowed to leave work early to go walk around and explore all of the different tables. However, my favorite part of the day just happened! Last night, I gave a speech on why I wanted to run for the Executive Coordinator of the Newman Center for next year. My opponent is a good friend of mine, Alex. No matter who won, we agreed we would support the other. Tonight, there was elections and I got the position! I was so thrilled. And Alex was elected Spiritual Coordinator so it all worked out. Life is good!

BUT, now I have to go write a 4 page paper that I decided to put off until the last minute. Don't procrastinate! It's on Charles Darwin and another book we read. I may be up all night! In any case, I hope that you have a great rest of the week! Talk to you soon!

"Nothing is impossible to a willing heart."
- John Heywood, sixteenth-century English poet

Posted by Courtney Clarahan at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey guys!

I'm sorry for the delay in my blogging but I have been extremely busy this past week. I finally have some down time though!

Let's see...classes have been going well. We started an Accessibility Assignment in my Leisure in a Diverse Society class. The assignment consists of us actually seeing what it's like to be handicapped in some way. Some of us our deaf, blind, or in a wheelchair. My group chose the Tech Center as out place we were going to explore. The walk from my classroom to the Tech Center is usually about 3 minutes tops. It took us almost 15 minutes being blind. My friend Dave was the blind one. He was given a stick and was blindfolded. If it weren't for the rest of the group there, he would have hit about 5 poles and got hit by a few cars. It was quite an experience. Tomorrow, we get the wheelchairs and get to see how they work out. It's really interesting because it puts you in a whole new perspective. There is a lot of work involved as well. We have to measure all the entryways and make sure there are ramps and adequate amenities to accommodate whichever handicap it is. So far, the Tech Center meets all of the requirements!

Although last week was a rough one class wise, it was all worth it by the weekend. The Newman Center had their first formal and it was a blast. I guess there were about 60 people there or so, great food, decorations and tons of dancing. The theme was "Red Carpet." I neglected to bring a date since not many guys I know will dance, so my friend Jackie and I went together. We joked around saying we would be dates and she bought me these fake roses. It was pretty funny seeing her stand at my door with them. I hadn't really been to a dance since my high school days and I very much missed them. Here are a few photos from the night!

Me, Jackie, and Bridget

Bridget, Me, and my fake flowers!

Karen, Steve, Jackie, and Matt singing along.

Saturday night Jackie and I met up with our friend Alexandra down at UPenn and went out to eat. She gave us a nice tour of campus and we just hung around. Then we came back to Temple and had a fun little dance party to a bunch of Celine Dion songs! Followed by an intense game of Cranium. Then on Sunday there was a little Spring Break reunion at church.

Later in the afternoon, my friend Jozef had to shoot a film for his one class and asked a bunch of us to be in it. Unfortunately we did it outside and it was freezing! I could never be an actress! It was a ton of fun though. After that we went back his house where his dad made us this huge bon fire and we roasted kielbasa and ate all sorts of Polish food. His whole family was there and they are straight from Poland so it was an experience. I felt like I had been backpacking across the country and just stopped in with a random family to get some food. It was a great time. My weekend was pretty awesome! But back to the work week. Let's hope this week is as great as my weekend!

"It is not length of life, but depth of life."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Posted by Courtney Clarahan at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)