Kristine Brammer: 2011-2012

Almost New Years...

Hey everyone,

So I figured I would make a list of some things that I need to work on for the year 2012 and decided you all would loveeee to hear about it...

1) I will become even closer friends with Plumley's gym....that includes the track and all of its facilities.

2) I will dedicate more time to sleeping rather then running to Cumberland farms at 2am with my crazy floormates. :P

3) I will avoid the ice cream machine....even though everyone is addicted.

4) Gym...Gym....gymmm:)

5) Better grades...that's a good one I guess ;)

6) I cant think of anymore.....but I'm sure I will further down the road!

 

I have no idea what we are going to be doing for New Years Eve...We have to fly back up north from Florida on the 1st, so there really isn't too much to do. My family normally just celebrates up till the ball drops at Time Square on t.v.....and then they all pass out....but last year, I was actually on campus for New Years and my team and I had an amazing dinner made by one of the parents and we definitely had a crazy night! ...I definitely miss that group of girls like crazy!

Only 4 days till I am reunited with my girls and the season starts back up!!! I just don't want to think about returning to a few feet of snow after being in this Florida sunshine for the past week and a half! :(

Have a great New Years!

Much love,

Kristine

Christmas Break <3

Hey everyone,

So Christmas break is going great down in Florida. We are in Tallahassee, way up in the pan handle at my grandparent's house. It's been in the low 70's all week so far, but today was the only really sunny day we had out of them all unfortunately. I can't even explain to you all how hard it will be to go back to the cold weather up in Vermont, but I am definitely ready to be reunited with my team on the 2nd of January!!

Christmas was an overall great day....except for my Boston Celtics loss by only 2 points! :( They play again tonight, so they better not let me down twice in a row. Anyways, we had a lot of family over as usual in the house. I got a pandora bracelet, a Celtics Rondo jersey which I am definitely rocking out as I type this post, a winter jacket, and money etc....We made a huge dinner and could hardly fit everyone at the dinner table(s)....It's so much more difficult now that we are all grown up and take up so much more space! Oh, and my dad and I went running around the track at FSU down the street...trying to stay in shape for when basketball starts back up! It feels like it's been forever since we had our last practice, so hopefully I can keep  up with that, but so far, it's a success.

There were a lot of great things that have happened over the break so far, lots of surprises and fun memories have been made with my family and some friends, I wish it weren't going by so fast though. It feels like we just landed at the airport just yesterday. :/

Anyways, I really hope that you all are enjoying the holiday! It's almost 2012 can you believe it?? I cannot get over how fast my years at Norwich are going...already a second semester Junior....its kind of crazy!

Alright, I have to get going, the Celtics are about to play the Heat tonight and my brothers and I completely get all into the games, especially since we are split half and half with who likes Boston or Miami.

Have a great night! Much love,

Kristine

 

Day 3 of break...and I miss my team like crazy...

So it is now Christmas break, and I have been sitting around my house and doing absolutely nothing productive back in my town for about three days now...My friends here are probably getting tired of me and my complaining about how much I miss my teammates from back at Norwich, but that's not my fault! I miss those girls like crazy already and I have to wait until the second to see them. :( I know, it doesn 't sound like a long time...but you have to understand, that these girls are pretty much what my every day life at Norwich revolves around.

Finals week was insane this year. I mean, it was the absolute hardest set of finals I had ever taken for the most part. Normally, students have about 1-3 actual finals with the way their classes are set up...I had 7. Also, since half my finals dealt with Math...which is my absolute worst subject....my finals week prep was even more intense. However, I received all of my grades back and somehow I still kept a 3. 5ish overall GPA. Yes, it dropped a bit from some of the courses I took after this semester, but who's to say I can't go back to my original score like before? (....trying to stay optimistic)

Anyways, I can't post too too much. Today in the Bram Fam household we are actually celebrating Christmas #1. Why? Because one is just not good enough for us...:P Actually, my sister Katie, who just graduated from Norwich last year, now works in the NICU unit at Dartmouth Hospital *(thats a wicked nice hospital...so we are all so proud of her). This just meant that she has to work on Christmas day so she won't be able to fly down to Florida with us this year like we do every year to celebrate the holiday with my relatives from down South. We didn't want to leave her out so we are having Christmas dinner and presents and everything else that you normally would have today, before we leave for our flight tomorrow morning.

So I am going to get back with the family and start to pack for our flight, but I hope everyone's holidays are going extremely well and I wish you all the best for this Christmas season!

Much love,

Kristine

Basketball.

Its simple. you either love it or you dont. You can either live with it or live without it.

You can either be there to win both in practice and in games or you can get out of the gym.

The true player lives in the gym and is never satisfied with only 99% of made shots.

A champion doesn't accept losing, they accept the fact that they need to work harder.

A real player dives for the loose ball, at full speed, with one focus; to own that posession.

Good is never good enough.

Accepting a missed layup or free-throw in a practice is accepting a loss in a game by just one point.

This sport is not just a sport, it's a lifestyle.

It shapes you into the person you are on and off the court.

A winning mentality is the only mentality.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

This is where five becomes one and individual accomplishment is transformed into a team accomplishment.

We don't play just to play..

We play for the love of the game.

We play for the glory, the wins, the gold.

We strive to be champions every day of the season and every day of the off season.

All of this is what makes basketball, basketball. If you can't accept it, join the chess club.

 

-NUWB-

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Hey everyone,

So Thanksgiving was obviously today and it was absolutely amazing. Who doesn't love food and football? I had an amazing day with my siblings and parents at home and we definitely made the most of it. We accomplished cooking for all 8 of us without burning the house down and we got to play our annual turkey-bowl football game in the side yard with some family friends like we do every year. (The foot of snow on the ground just made the game more interesting this time around).

Overall, today was exactly what I needed. This whole break so far from Norwich was much needed. My 4 brothers and sister are my closest friends and being with all of them at once really made it feel like the old days when all of us lived together before college.

I have so much to be thankful for this year and I don't honestly think I can name all of the things I've been blessed with but here is my Thanksgiving list for 2011.

I am thankful for:

1) MY FAMILY <3

2) MY FRIENDS

3) NUWB...(that's a given)

4) second chances

5) all the support I have been given through thick and thin, especially after this semester.

6-1000000) the countless blessings I am dealt that get me through every day...

Hope you all have counted your blessings and have been thankful for everything in your lives as well on this wonderful holiday. I have to get back to my family but I will post again soon. Have a wonderful day!:)

Much love,

Kristine

Quote of the day: Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.

Busy is an understatement.

Hey hey everyone,

    So in the past week, I have had an overload in homework, practices, teaching, work, and studying. We had a mid-semester break last weekend which was extremely relaxing. They gave us Friday off from classes so we were all able to either go home or somehow get off campus for a few days. It was a very necessary break I felt like, especially after completing all of my mid-term exams. However, like all vacations and breaks play out, thee first week back on campus always drags on forever it seems. I will have completed a total of 2 exams, 2 quizzes, 2 papers, a full lesson plan for my teaching course, and a completion of an IEP form for another Education related course.

        To top the studying and homework off, basketball has been picking up a lot lately. As a member of the NUWB team, you are required to attend the 6 out of 7 days worth of team practices, 2 individual practices which normally run in between your courses during the day, and 2 individual lift/workout sessions in the weight room. When you add it all up, add in the courses/hw/studying, work, and off-site teaching...there is really no time left in the days. I am not going to lie, it is really rough. Like today for example, I had a quiz, a review, 4 courses, one individual practice session with my assistant coach, and then I have the late practice tonight with the team after the volleyball game from 9-11pm. So right now, I have an hour in my room to blog, finish up homework as fast as I can, study for another upcoming quiz, and finish whatever else I can tackle before I head down to the gym. Busy is definitely the word of the week...no...month. But that is college. As a double major and winter athlete, you have to expect to have very little free time. Don't get me wrong, I hate to sound like I am complaining, I actually get to spend most of the time with my closest friends who just happen to be my teammates, so we are all going through the same work load just about.

    On a good note, this weekend is Regimental ball/Halloween weekend! I am not attending the ball, my roommate is and she seems quite excited for it, I am sure she will have a great time because she has a great date and a great group of people to spend the night with! I will be going out to costume parties on the other hand. I have a few friends with birthdays this weekend and also have some close friends from back home coming up to visit so I should be enjoying myself as well! It will definitely be a nice break after this long week!

Alright this is all for now! I have to run!

Hope all is well with everyone, God bless :)

Kristine

Quote of the day:   "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." ... ;)

 

OHH...p.s. Happy BiRtHdAy to my youngest brother JASON BRAMMER! :)

NUWB is officially in season <3

Hey everyone,

So basketball has officially started for the 2011-2012 season. Yesterday we had two practices, one at 10am and the second at 2:30pm. It was a lot of running and a lot of drills, however overall it was a great day of basketball. Our team is looking pretty great I think for this season! We were already breaking records on day one with shooting percentages and free throws. I cannot wait till November 15th gets here so we can play our first game!!

On another note, we have just finished up mid-terms last week and it was pretty rough of a week. I had 4 exams in a row. . . So Friday was my only day without an actual exam in any of my classes. I haven't received all of my grades so far, but we are looking at A's and B's and who knows what else for the other two classes. Now that basketball season has started, I have had to complete most of my homework over the weekend so that I have more time in the upcoming week to focus on practices as well. This is where time management officially comes into play. Being an athlete while trying to maintain above a 3.5 GPA is really challenging, but that's why I chose Norwich. They expect you to be challenged while studying here. It's more of a personal accomplishment within itself I think.

For fun this weekend, since midterms just ended, I went out to celebrate the weekend at Buffalo Wild Wings near UVM in Burlington with my friend Dana. It was so great to get out of Northfield and eat great food as well as watch several screens worth of football games. The mens football team here just had an amazing win yesterday and the game was played on a huge screen at the restaurant, so it was also great to see my team get such great recognition at such a crowded restaurant while we happened to be eating down there.

Today the girls and I went out to the Halloween shop to buy some costumes for Halloween weekend....and I cannot wait to wear them! They are hillarious and fun. There was something perfect for all five of us and I am sure the friends we run into on Halloween night will think so as well...so expect pictures in a few weeks with those amazing costumes on! :)

Other then that, there really hasn't been much else going on. I have tons of homework to get caught up on at this point though, so I will post again later when the time comes for some more great stories!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Much love,

Kristine

 

Quote of the Day:   "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” NUWB <3

Life goes on.

Hey everyone,

As you've read before, this week has been tough. It isn't a week you ever think can exist, but it does for most of us here. Everyone is pulling through though. Week one is almost through and those who were injured are on the roads to recovery. With lots of love and support from the school and outside friends and family, everyone is slowly continuing on throughout their days.

My teammate, just so you all know, is the toughest girl you will ever meet. She's got the biggest heart and the right mindset with inner-strength to eventually get back on her feet. She has been transferred out of a hospital and sent back home to have surgery there, but she's been telling us that she will be back up to the Wick in no time. This girl...knowing her...will stick to that plan, no matter what her doctors and parents tell her. No joke, when she gets back on the basketball court after recovering from her injuries...other teams will be so scared, that they might just forfit any games played against us. ;) Her number is 33. So remember that when she gets back. I think honestly, her strength is what has pulled our team through this hard time. This girl went through it all and still has the biggest smile on her face and is full of faith and determination. That's a Norwich student right there for you.

As for the others, they are also recovering from minor to larger injuries, but we know they will all be back with us soon. What we really need for all of them as well as all of the students and faculty affected by this is just for your thoughts and prayers. We've already received an overwhelming amount from so many people near and far that it is absolutely touching, but everyone can always use more of that.

Maybe not today or tomorrow, maybe not this week or month, but soon we will all be back in the swing of things. We are all just trying to stay positive and keeping the faith through it all. Although she is no longer here with us, her crazy comments, jokes, and heart will live on with the students of this school who she has touched in so many ways in such a short period of time.

"HMD!"   ---I know many who know her will know what it means...if you dont...please...just go with it. That was for you and all your friends Renee <3

Much love,

Kristine

 

Quote of the day: "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on" -Robert Frost

 

Heartbroken.

Hey everyone.

I apologize. This blog will not be upbeat and fun like the last blogs I have had. I wanted to share with everyone how amazing my weekend had begun. How Lee Brice, a famous country singer, had come to our campus and performed here for all of us down in Shapiro Field House. It was amazing. Such a great night. I wanted to tell everyone how great the overall experience was and how fun our homecoming was. How we won the football game. Many of my friends came up for the weekend and it was a great reunion. In the only words I can use to describe the weekend up to midnight last night, I would say it was absolutely perfect. Nothing could go wrong.

 

....

 

You never hear about many accidents or tragedies around this small town and when you do, it's never about someone you know. It doesn't hit you so hard. It is tragic and sad, but it doesn't really change any part of your life when it's simple words read in a paper or online about someone you never met. It only hits you when it's someone you know. Or in my case...People who are my teammates/friends that I know. I am really sorry, I should be blogging more in this post, but today is not the day. A terrible car accident has shattered the mood of this weekend and has changed the outlook on the rest of the year here. It's tough, and I can't explain in words what I'm feeling or what my friends and teammates are feeling. Heartbroken and drained are the only way to describe my mood. We lost a friend who was so young and had so much life in her. She was a beautiful and fun girl who my team loved. One of my teammates is critically injured and others have been injured as well. Our team is hurting badly, but we are pulling through by sticking with eachother this week and praying for positive outcomes. I need to be with my teammates and I need to focus on some things in this situation that shouldn't exist right now but sadly, do.

Staying optimistic for my teammates recovery, as well as the others to recover. My thoughts and prayers are with Renee's family. What a terrible ending to an almost perfect weekend.

RIP R.R. <3 We miss you and your crazy self girl.

 

Please stay safe everyone, much love,

Kristine

Quote of the day: Only the good die young.

Theres always time to celebrate birthdayss!

Hey hey everyone,

So I know it's been a while since my last post but I have been so incredibly busy in the past week and a half that it honestly took up most of my days....that is all of them except for last week on the 14th. My best friend/teammate, Jessalyn, had her 21st birthday which obviously called for a celebration. 21 friends, on a 21st birthday, all gathered in South Hall to meet up and go out to the House of Tang Chinese Restaurant in the next town over. We had such a blast together. After the restaurant, we met up with some more friends at the Rustic Sports Bar, which in our college town, is very popular...and we celebrated there till about 10:30 pm...we had to make it an early night because her birthday inconveniently fell on a Wednesday. Overall, the night was a blast. Everyone enjoyed getting off campus to have some mid-week fun away from studying and doing homework.

 
The crew :)

 
Rocking out the birthday hats with Dana:)

 
A photo with the birthday girl, Jessalyn!:)

 
Roomz (Michelle), Jess, Me, and Dana :)

 
The Boyss...AJ, Collin, and Ned :)

 

That is all for now, I am actually about to work on more homework...(on a Friday night) :( ...so lame. However, it is Parent's Weekend and so many people have left campus to be with their families so there really is nothing going on tonight. Also, my team is heading out to the Nascar Race in Loudon, NH for round 2 tomorrow for fundraising. (Fake security...we get paid the big bucks for this!) So the more hw I can get done tonight, the less I will have to worry about doing when I return Sunday night.

Hope all is well with everyone! Feel free to comment!:)

With love,

Kristine

 

Quote of the Day:  Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living.
-- Amanda Bradley