Not Missing Out on Miss N Out

Miss N Out is a cycling event in the spring series at IU. I had a previous engagement that morning so I only was able to watch a few of my girls compete. These girls light up my life. I am also glad I got to see two of my future roomies compete as well!

Be Positive, Be Preppy,

-Miranda Sue

Seeking Adventure

One of my traits is I get scared easily. My friends thought it would be a fun idea to walk around in the woods to an abandon waterslide. I do not let my torn ACL and MCL stop me from seeking adventure. I was not worried about my knee, but I was freaking out the whole time. My parents told me never to walk around in the dark, walk around in an unknown area, walk around at night in the woods, always know your exit plan, and never put a plastic bag on your head. We did all of these, except put plastic bags on our heads. As you can imagine, I was freaking out. It was also super muddy so we were sliding around, which made me super nervous about messing up my knee even more. We had a lot of fun despite me freaking out and Lauren falling into a pit of leaves. 

Be Positive, Be Preppy,

- Miranda Sue 

Sent It a Little Too Hard...

I have been skiing as long as I can remember. My family would go skiing several times a winter in Michigan. We would pack a huge lunch at stay at the resort all day. We would book a room for a week and ski way up north at Boyne Highlands.

My parents went on a skiing trip to Whistler Blackcomb in Canada in 2001. My mom tore her ACL on the first run. She said it did not hurt when it happened, but she heard a pop and could not move twist her leg after. She had surgery, but she does not ski now.

I was skiing with some friends on January 20th at Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. We had a super fun day. Towards the end of the night, I was stopping at the bottom of a run and I cut to stop on, and I hit ice and fell. What I thought I heard was my skis scratching on the ice, was actually my ACL and MCL tearing. I have already started my physical therapy and my surgery will be on March 8th.

I am not able to bike in Little 500 this year, and I will not be able to wakeboard or wakesurf until next summer. I was also planning on going on the IU Snowski trip during winter break next school year, and that is out of the picture now. My goal is to make a full recovery and be able to still do the physical activities I love, after my recovery.

Be Positive, Be Preppy,

- Miranda Sue

IU is Home

College is not just a place where you learn textbook skills. Everyday I am amazing to see the things that higher education teaches me. I have now experienced a small private Christian college education and a Big 10 college education, and I see pros and cons of both. I am thankful I have been given the opportunity to experience both and I have found a place where I feel at home. People always ask me how I am doing in Bloomington, and I am honesty with them. Life is a sticky mess. Things have been very challenging the past few months, but life is about learning. IU has taught me so much about friendships, communication, and valuing me time. I am so excited to see where this school takes me and for all of the ways it changes me.

May these paths shape my future, my personality, and my goals. 

Be Positive, Be Preppy

Miranda Sue

Meet my Little 500 Team

This year is the 31st year of woman riding in the Little 500, and I am blessed to be on a team. Most people only know Little 500 because of the massive party that goes on. Little 500 is actually a cycling race which takes place in April at Indiana University. This year the women's race will be on Friday the 20th, and the men's race with be on Saturday the 21st. I joined the CSF cycling and begin training just before thanksgiving break. I am honored to represent the CSF house and ride with these amazing girls. We just finished our winter training camp and we are starting to focus in more on our training to reach our goals as we head towards the spring series. We spent the past few days dialing in our training plans and relaxing before the semester takes control of our lives. This semester will be ver challenging mentally, physically, and academically; I am ready to sacrifice for my team. These girls have only been in my life for a few months, but I already love them so much and we will have a bond which will last a life time. There will be many more Little 500 posts to come so brace yourself. Now, I would like to introduce you to my lovely team. 

Emily Binhack

 Emily is our captain and the only female veteran. This is her third year riding for CSF. She is from Indianapolis, Indiana. She a senior in SPEA studying Non-Profit Management. Emily is basically all of our mom, because she is the only veteran.

Audrey Rich

Audrey is a sophomore in the Kelley School of Business and enjoys studying Economics. She is a spring rookie this year and is from Warsaw, Indiana. Audrey loves to read.

Riley Peppler 

Riley is a sophomore studying physical education. She is fall rookie and is from Angola, Indiana. Riley works very hard and is very encouraging. 

I am ready for this adventure to continue and pick up speed!

Be positive, Be preppy

Miranda Sue

Be Still While Staying in Motion

Happy New Year! I love to reflect on the year and think about how I have changed, what I have learned, and important events. I do not do a "New Year Resolution," however, I do reflect on the past year and I see where I need improvement in my life. This year I am going to focus on enjoying my time more and seeing positives everyday in every situation. Life is very stressful, but it is a gift and I want to see the beauty in everything. I got a camera for Christmas, and I am really excited to share more of my life with you! This year, take a step forward and stay in motion.

I want to share so moments from this past year.

 The love and support of T-Park and Buddy

Visiting my dad for spring break, and going to Venice.

This summer I met Bethany, I bought a kayak, learned how to wakesurf, and wakeboard!

This is Anna. She is my neighbor on Dewart Lake. She was so welcoming to me and we shared many great times together. She treated me just like family and has one of the biggest hearts. She is my "lake mom." 

I got accepted and transferred to Indiana University Bloomington to study Business management in SPEA.

Meet my roommate Marisa, and we hit it off right away!

Joined IU Waterski and Wakeboard Team

The biggest loss this year was the white Sperry's... RIP in peace

Started training to ride in the Little 500 for CSF.

Be positive, Be preppy,

Miranda Sue

Life is About Learning

One thing my mom has always instilled in me is that everything happens for a reason. There are lessons we have to learn through out life, and we can learn them in many different ways. We do not always know right away what the lesson is, but overtime our eyes and heart open and we understand. Some of these lessons are enlightening and joyful, but most of these lessons are painful and feel like the world is crumbling down around you. Even though there is pain, a lesson is still learned. Whether it be that you should not walk in the snow barefoot, or that you should have studied more for that exam. 

Often times we learn lessons from the people we spend time with. My mom also taught me that some people come into our lives solely because we are supposed to learn something from them. For me this is a hard thing to realize. I have met many amazing people in my life who I enjoy dearly, and I have lost a lot of those people. The people I have lost are the people who I have learned the most from. They have taught me things about life, things I value and find importance in, how I see the world, have I see others, and so many things about myself and what I want for my future. The painful fact, however, is they were just there to teach me a lesson whether they knew it or not. I am changed because of them. I have to accept the fact that things are not like they were, and thats okay, because it has to be okay. 

We do not enjoy the pains we experience, but we do learn from it. We have to take that pain, accept the facts, swallow our pride, take a step forward, and let it go, knowing we have learned something and have been changed because of it. 

Be Positive, Be Preppy

-Miranda Sue

Positive Living = Productive Living

One thing I have realized over the past few months is that I lack purpose. Last year I learned I am very productive when I have a very busy schedule. Right now, my life revolves around my school work. I have assignment due in each of my classes everyday. I have been pouring myself into my schooling and not into anything else that I enjoy doing. I am constantly doing work and reading, and I am not spending enough time doing things for myself. Life can become very overwhelming if you are not making yourself a priority. It is important to take a step back and look at how life is going:

Are you happy? Are you stressed? What are you thankful for? Who are you thankful for? What have you learned? How have you changed? Are you content with your current situation?

These types of questions are important to think about because it helps us realize our strengths and our weaknesses, and what is preventing you from becoming who you want to be. Goals are not met overnight, and success is not given out for Christmas. There needs to be a desire to strive and be productive. Many people have great ambitions, but lack motivation to take the extra step or any step at all. It all begins with the mind. Confidence is the first step to motivation. If you believe you will do well and be prosperous, then you most likely will do so, because it is imbedded into your thought process and you are focused on it.

Being truly confident in yourself is proven one of the most attractive human traits. If you love yourself, others will love you too. This does not mean be cocky and only talk about yourself, but have the outward glow of inner self confidence. Surround yourself with people who encourage you in positive ways and want to see you succeed.

If there are stressors and distractions in your life, you need to eliminate them. Taking one out at a time. Try not to worry about the small details of everyday life, and instead think about the ways that you have been blessed. Our brains are wired to look at the negative things in front of us, but when we stop, take a breath, and think about our situations, there is always things to be positive about. We cannot choose our situations, but we can choose how we think about them.

Thank you for all the love and support from my family and friends. 

Be Positive, Be Preppy

-Miranda Sue

Not Lackin While Kayaking

Everyone has different passions, and it is important to figure out what those are. While working this summer at Main Channel Marina I had the opportunity to learn more about boats, lake culture, and water sports. My love for the lake grew bigger everyday. Growing up I remember visiting my Aunt Kellie, Uncle Wilby, and my cousin Cassie at Dewart Lake, and I had the amazing opportunity to live on Dewart this summer thanks to them. This gave me the chance to explore the lake everyday and pick up on water sports.

I moved to Dewart in early May; there was not much activity on the lake yet. I wanted to get out on the water so I purchased a 10 foot Sun Dolphin kayak from Dunham's. (TIP: Dunham's gives a 10% student discount and a 10% military discount.) It was a spectacle watching me put this kayak on my car. After 20 minutes of me looking like a fool, a very nice man and his wife offered to help me.

Taylor Parker (T-Park) came and visited me for a weekend in July. Bless Taylor's heart, but she does not like the water. However, she was a trooper and kayaked to the island and back. By the end of her visit, she ended up loving kayaking.

 

Whether it is painting sunsets or shaving lamas, find your passion and do what you love.

Be Positive, Be Preppy

-Miranda Sue