Be part of THE BOARDROOM and
VOTE for ME!
The 2008 Apprentice!
May 1, 2008~Tivoli Turnhalle~7pm
Purchase tickets at
www.mscd.edu/apprenticechallenge

"THE APPRENTICE" will be named THIS THURSDAY NIGHT!!!

Wow! What an amazing trip this has been. I am so happy with the way things have turned out this semester. I worked hard, kept my head up, and never gave up. I am really proud of myself. I have learned so much too. I have learned that you have to be patient with the process that comes with taking on a lot in your life. You have to have faith that things will get done and that they will work out in time. I am still learning the value of putting forth positive energy and thoughts towards things. I am beginning to see how powerful the human mind really is. It IS TRUE that when you put your mind to it, anything can be accomplished!

I am looking forward to Thursday night. My family and friends will be there to cheer me on... which is more than anyone could ask for. I have the most amazing supporters- everyone including those I work with to those in my classes have encouraged me along the way by asking how things are progressing and letting me know there is a light to the end of the tunnel!
For that, I THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Thank you to Karen Krupar... As my academic mentor, you have inspired me to keep my head up no matter what and to put my best foot forward.

Thank you Wendy Petersen for helping me with school assignments this semester and your words of encouragement... Our conversations have meant a lot to me!

Thank you Dad and Mom for giving me insight when it was most needed and for helping me stay grounded. Thank you for reminding me that life is more than just school. You have taught me to keep in mind the entire picture... to remember that everyone makes an impact in the lives of others no matter how big or small you think you are! You have reminded me of how much I have grown and that I AM a good role model for others. You are the most amazing parents anyone could ask for... I love you soo much!

Thanks to Meg, Pattie and Brynn for giving me "free moments" (those moments when we can just be girls... When our conversation provides laughter and smiles and takes me away from the everyday stress of school and other forms of work) Those"girl" moments have helped me through... They remind me that life is not all work, that it is smiles and fun too!

Most importantly, Thank you Michael. You are the love of my life and my companion. You are my best friend and have been so much more than a shoulder to cry on this semester. You have encouraged me, reassured me, and comforted me the most. Your positive attitude has rubbed off on me. I am so honored to be the girlfriend of one of the bravest, strongest, biggest-hearted veteran on the planet! You ROCK! I love you babe!

I am happy and sad that things are coming to an end. On one hand, I can see how much I will miss our Apprentice Challenge projects, and on the other I will be happy to just have work this summer and just one class!

This program has given me insight into my future. I can now truly see myself working as a professional ...on a team with others who love working together to get things done AND working independently. I can see myself accomplishing great things throughout the rest of school and after graduation. I never imagined the amount of confidence this program has given me. I will take this experience with me forever, and will always be PROUD to be a Metro State ROADRUNNER!

~E~

Will miss Winter, but lookin forward to WARM WEATHER!!!!

So I haven't blogged in a while... I have been working on school projects and getting ready to move. This weekend we (Michael and I) were pretty productive with getting things cleared out and hauled to Goodwill. It's really amazing how much stuff accumulates over about a year or two.
SOOOO...







I AM SELLING MY SKIIS AND BINDINGS(size:180), SKI BOOTS (size: 8 or 8.5) and LARGE WHITE COLUMBIA SNOW PANTS!!! I am keeping my ski poles because I still use them for snowshoeing. If anyone wants these, let me know! The ski pants are going for $20 (I got them last year, they are in great condition, as they have only been used once). The skiis are Elan brand skiis and are about 4 years old... need to be waxed and sharpened. BINDINGS ARE SOLOMAN. Boots, bindings and skiis are going for $50. If anyone is interested, please email me at ekasch@mscd.edu. Thanks!

Anyway, I am selling this stuff because I have used them enough to know that I do not skii on a 180 ski. When I bought them, I thought a 180 would be right, but as it turns out, I ski best on 155's. Plus, I do not get up into the mountains near enough anymore. I only get up there to skii every once in a while, so I would rather rent.

Anyway, speaking of skiing, I had such a blast at Winter Park with my teammates. The ski train was awesome! Ill have to remember that for next year! Poor Noah... He hit his head hard that day several times... I was kinda worried about him. My parents are great skiiers and have told me lots of stories of people needing to be hauled off the mountain from their days of being ski instructors at Breckenridge. I thought Noah was gonna be one of those peeps! I think it was a combination of being dehydrated, hitting his head from falling, and just having tired muscles from learning how to snowboard.

Thats why I skiied at Winter Park rather than learn how to snowboard. I wanted to be able to walk the next day! I give my teammates props though for learning. They all did a great job! Michael also skiied with me that day. We had fun in the morning. While Kaleigh was teaching the group how to snowboard, Michael and I got several runs in all over the regular mountain. I didn't ski Mary Jane in the afternoon because I got separated from Kaleigh and Michael.

As much as I am going to miss the winter, I am really happy it is finally spring! There are flowers blooming all over campus. Every day that it is nice out, I am having an increasingly hard time being indoors to work or do schoolwork. Later this week, my spring fever will really kick in because I am getting my hair done! I am putting a ton of blonde in it! Yay! I am soooo excited! I have never had a whole lot of blonde in my hair... I have had highlights before, but not the whole top of my head. I am planning on leaving brown underneath, and only putting blonde on top! I am kinda nervous about it... but I know it will be a good change! Gotta love those tax returns!

Anyway, I should really get back to my reading. I have a lot of it for my various papers and projects.

Signing off!

E

Start of our 4th and Final project...

Well, well well. We have finally made it to the fourth and final project. (sigh) What a trip it has been! This program has really been more of a challenge than I ever thought. But now that we are almost through, I have realized I am capable of a whole lot in my life.

We had our assignment day just this last Friday. We will be working with the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado and the Green Heart Institute to conduct an "Eco Audit". This project will have us working with a local restaurant to evaluate thier impact on the environment. We will also work on proposing ways for them to minimize thier impact using the Eco Audit.

I am learning a lot about sustainability and what it means to "be green". I have to say, I have not really put much thought into being green, but now that I am, I am noticing everyday how much more I want to conserve. For example, I am now paying attention to turning out the lights in my house when I am not using them. I also want to start buying energy-saving light bulbs. I have talked with my boyfriend Michael about the whole thing... He is pretty excited because a lot of what we are doing is right up his alley. Michael is an environmental science major at Metro State. His is a sophomore and is really passionate about helping people and the environment. I have enjoyed our talks about "vertical farms" and what a "carbon footprint" is.

I really feel as though I have grown through this whole process. I have learned that I tend stress about all the little things A LOT! Through out this program, I have learned that there is only so much you can do in a day. The best thing to do is make a "map" of all the things that need to be done in a given day, and then do your best to get JUST THOSE THINGS done. Thats all you can do. I have learned that I am only human, and that there is only one Erin Kasch. I do my best... and that is all I can ask of myself. There is no reason to freak out and stress about things that will get done at a later time.

I read Benjamin's most recent blog today. I think he makes a really good point. Have FUN! Enjoy life. I think sometimes I take things too seriously. I have figured out that I do that because I have already been through a time in my life when I didn't care at all. About 6 years ago, I didn't take anything seriously. Life was just a big party. I was the biggest partier ever, and had absolutely NO DIRECTION in my life. Since then I have developed this "seriousness" I think because I am afraid of what I might be like if I am not serious. I am a naturally free spirit, and have the tendancy to be a crazy scatterbrain from time to time, so lately I tend to be a litte more "unaproachable" or "serious" because I want so badly to make something of myself. I now want to be proud of myself and my accomplishments.

Now I am happy with where I am. I have come so far! I remember when I first decided I wanted to come back to school to finish my bachelors degree. I had about 54 credits that I had transferred into Metro from UNC in Greeley. I remember my first visit to Karen Krupar's office (my advisor and mentor). My first thought after our meeting was "I have a long road ahead of me and it's gonna take forever to get through school". Now I am almost a senior! UGH! Amazing! Time just flies.

I am a proud Metro Student. I have a tremendous love for my school because I have had the most amazing professors and mentors to talk to. There is also something different about the school's environment. Sure, sure, it IS a commuter campus and it can (sometimes) be difficult to get students "plugged in" to the school and all it has to offer but in reality, the campus is the most diverse place in Denver! I enjoy days when I can just sit outside near the flagpole to "people watch". Fashion is the first thing I notice about the students when I sit and watch. So many young people on this campus express themselves through their clothing choices. I like it. I always think to myself "What would this world be like if we didn't have diversity?" ...My dad always said that when I was little, which has taught me to value diversity of all kinds.

Ugh, I am starting to ramble. I should wrap it up!

We have new teams now! Me, Ben, David, Noah and Heidi are a team, while Giedre, Kaleigh, Ashley, Cindy and Chris are a team. We were all suprised to see during project 4 assignment day that they (alumni staff) were going to have us choose our duties and our team randomly out of a hat. We were randomly placed in new teams. With that said, I would like to say "Welcome" to Ben. It is good to have you on the team!

This switch up may be a good change. I know Ben will bring new ideas to the table, which will help us develop new strategies. I usually have a very open mind with regards to change, which is why I think it might be a good thing.

On the other hand, it may not be such a good thing because if we loose this one, Ben will be the only one out of all ten of us that didn't win a single project. If we win project 4, then Kaleigh, Ashley, Chris and Cindy will have lost 4 projects. =( Thinking about this has me thinking it may not be fair the way it ended up. It may have been better to keep us all in our original teams not only because of this, but also because both teams have learned a lot from each other so far. Both teams have developed a trust and cohesiveness with each other regardless of wins and losses.

Oh, well, it is what it is now. We are all moving forward in this last project. I am excited to see my teammates tomorrow. We are meeting up at a new place instead of the typical Starbucks across the street from campus. It will be refreshing to meet somewhere new.

I will end with that. I think spring is beginning to take effect. A new team, new meeting place, new project. Oh! And soon I will have a new house! My boyfriend and I are moving to the fifth floor (east side) of our apartment building in Capitol Hill. Things are changing and evolving all the time... and that change is certainly a good thing!

E