Two

Day two was once again full of excitement, I woke up at 8AM wide awake and ready for action. I did find out that apparently breakfast is usually done being served at 9:30, what's up with that? Once we all met up, we went and got our amazing European vans, and ventured to Stirling Castle; it was GORGEOUS and full of adventuring and wonder. Amber and I shared some amazing mac & cheese which probably wasn't the brightest idea of ours.

After enjoying a long carsickness full car ride through roundabouts and twisty roads we finally made it to our destination, Hospitalfield. Wow, what an amazing place to stay! 6 of us are living in the cottage which is separated by a courtyard, while the rest live in the maze of the castle. We climbed out of windows to find secret porches, through secret doorways to find hidden staircases, and strolled through massive gardens to find magical oasis'. I can't wait to take photos tomorrow and think of some ideas for projects!

The night ended with a 30 minute walk to downtown to listen to some local music and finished with a quite long, but fun walk back.

Traci


Here are the two grounds puppies which are adorable and our "house" in the background

One

May 31 - June 1st

Well, day one of traveling is going to include all of our plane rides and our first day in Glasgow, Scotland. First of all, traveling went wonderfully and with ease. Nothing went wrong except for one student had an anxiety attack on the place. On my end, I got to watch 'New Moon' and played plenty of solitaire.

Once we arrived in Glasgow, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express(how original) and then ventured around the city to find some pub that served a some sort of amazing meat pie. Well, needless to say, that didn't sound so appealing so I enjoyed a burger and chips(fries).

No one was used to the six hour time difference so Sarah and I took a lil cat nap, two hours to be exact. Soon after we peeled our sleep deprived bodies out of our beds and went on a photo walk with my roommates(Tiffany and Sarah). I soon discovered that their chinese food is nothing like Chine King, it may have somewhat to do with the fact that is was a fast food chinese place.

The night was finished with a night walk along the river and finished off with my first night of sleep in a foreign country. I did realize that the sun is up high in the sky by 5AM and I have no idea why.

Peace and Love,
Traci

My First Time

This is what I did today. What did you do?

First time of the year.

Note how tall the mowed grass is by looking at the wheel. 

Then, compare the un-mowed grass to height of the mower. 

It was easily above my knees.

Life's Learning Lessons

I, Traci Adamson, would like to announce that I am now a senior in college. Wow, I can't believe all that I have accomplished and learned in the last 3 years.

• I moved to a new city
• learned to be independant(other than money)
• Went through good/bad relationships
• Learned that I am a strong woman
• I can accoplish anything that is thrown at me with the help of God
• It is possible to stay awake for 60ish hours without sleep
• My friends have been there for me and I will always be there for them in a heartbeat
• I may not start something when I should, but it will always get done in time
• Friends are far more important than boyfriends
• My sister will love me no matter what, and I will love her no matter what
• My Grandpa and Grandma Stoe had/have a love so strong for each other that I don't believe it could exist in today's world
• The fact that I have never and will never have to go through a parents divorce gives me tears of joy
• I'm a very loving person
• I've learned that there are more people then I knew that don't believe in Jesus Christ
• Even though relationships may change a person, I will forever stand strong in my beliefs even if it means ending a perfect the relationship
• I would much rather have one best friend than have 10 best friends, even if we live hundreds of miles away. 
• I have lead a very sheltered life, but I'm proud of it
• Photography makes me happier than anything
• Even though my brother is a nurse(just like my mom), my sister is a teacher(just like my mom), and I am a creative person(just like my mom), I am proud to say I got my business skills from watching my dad as I grew up
• Even If I chicken out on a lot of extreme sports things, If you ask me one more time I will do it. 
• I go through withdrawals from my computer
• I wish so badly that I could be more creative in the way that I dress.
• I have learned to accept myself, my body, and my beliefs.  

I can't wait to see what more I learn about myself in the next 2 years when I finish my BFA. I'm sure my list with be twice as long, but it will be amazing to look back and read this. In 17 days I will be flying out of Fargo on the trip of a lifetime. I'm so excited to see what else I learn about myself in the process. Please pray for safe traveling and safety over all 24 of us. Thank you so much!

P.S. Tonight I just took a leap of faith and made myself a photography page on Facebook. I'm so excited to see where it takes me in the photography and design world. I have contemplated this for months but finally took the plunge since I now have some free time.

To Do

Disclaimer: I know that no one really cares about this, but I'm blogging for my own sake. Feel free not to read. :)


Traci's End of the Year To Do List:
Photography Studio 
     Find female models
     Shoot images for 'final 5'(Jade, Sarah D, Sarah M, Amber, Katie H)
     Develop and Photoshop
     Print and matte (due May 4th)


Graphic Design Studio
     Cookie Packaging (due April 28th)
     Cookie Flash website (due April 28th)
     Flash notes and book outline (asap)
     Work on Annual Report
     Print and put together Annual Report (due May 10th)


Multimedia Studio
     Add Banner and Assignments to Assignments Page (asap)
     Work on Motion assignment (due May 12th)
     Shoot video for motion assignment


Greek Art and Architecture
    Start Researching
    Outline for presentation (present april 29th)
    Term Paper (due May 11th)




Other
     Order Neenah Paper (asap)
     Rent Lenses (asap)
     Mail back Contracts
     Clean the house
     Finish J+J e-photos and mail
     Pay speeding ticket (asap)
     e-mail about e-photos
     schedule sessions before I leave
     go to Jenna's Prom and photograph (optional)




I have two weeks to accomplish hundreds of hours of work. Pray for me. Please. 

Abroad

How do you feel about living here for a couple weeks?

I'm sure you would say that same thing that I would, "I sure wouldn't mind." Well that is exactly what I'll be doing in only 42 days! In six weeks I will be embarking on the journey of a lifetime, when 21 students and three of my professors leave the comfort of the United Sates and head to Scotland. Throughout our 29 day stay I hope to expand myself as a graphic designer and photographer all while learning more about myself. Here, in this castle, we will be spending the majority of our time including sleeping. I can't even imagine what it will be like to live in a castle! Maybe I'll meet prince charming and he will come to rescue me from the castle. I think I should stop daydreaming and get back to reality. 

Aside from this stay, we will be spending time in Glasgow, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, the Isle of Harris and plenty more! To end the adventure we have a five day stay in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I'm so excited to experience the culture of this area, drink some scotch with the scottish, and meet more MSUM students!

Graphic Design Field Trip - Spring '10

Once again, the graphic design department held a graphic design field trip! This year we attended Franke + Fiorella, Fame, Eighthourday, Graphiculture, and Initio. Make sure to check out their websites and see some of the amazing work they do for things you might see everyday! As always, this trip is a huge inspiration and it is wonderful to meet such amazing agencies. It definitely helps us all get prepared for the workforce and makes us see what we have to look forward to! I got to have a lot of one-on-one talks with my designer classmates, teachers, and meet many new designer friends! I talked to one of my teachers about my photography and he told me to do whatever I can to promote my self right now. Whatever I do now will be helping me in the future about the knowledge of networking, advertising, and promoting whatever business I choose to work at.

Again, make sure to check out all of the agencies websites! I better be getting ready for our little BBQ tonight and working on homework. Please pray for me about the next few weeks of school. This will be a crazy few weeks that includes an annual report, 8pg term paper, flash website, multimedia projects, many film photo shoots,  dozens of hours of darkroom printing, and MUCH MUCH more. Thank you and I hope you have a beautiful next few weeks!

Traci Adamson