I've had this homepage posted for almost half a year now, and I realized that I don't have much about myself listed. So here goes...
My name is Lori Marie Mildrew, and I was born on April 25, 1982, to two lovely parents in St. Marys, Pennsylvania. I have 2 sisters, 9 and 11 years older than me, but I couldn't have been born into a more loving family. Both of my sisters are now married, and I have 2 adorable nieces as well. If you've never had the opportunity to visit St. Marys, you're not missing much. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful childhood surrounded by wonderful people, but everyone seems to "know" everything about everyone (as in the case of most small towns). Our town has 3 Catholic Churches and 1 Catholic high school in addition to the public school system, so I feel that I was raised in a good, moral environment. While in high school, I was captain of the varsity basketball, football, and competition cheerleading squads while participating in many clubs and graduating as salutatorian.
I made the transition to college quite easily. I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time, and Penn State has one of the best programs out there, so it wasn't too hard of a choice. I was intimidated by the size of the school, so I enrolled in the summer session before my freshmen year to get accustomed to things on a smaller scale. As well as getting a headstart on credits, my current roommates all lived on the small floor of my hall. I feel that the hardest part of attending Penn State is not the size or intensity of the classes, but the ability to get lost in the crowd. After being so involved in high school, I felt disconnected and not apart of the larger organization. In addition, it was hard adjusting to a mixture of different faiths after coming from such a tight-knit Catholic community. Overall, though, I LOVE Penn State. Sure, I wish the classes were smaller and I knew more professors personally, but I also love being able to be my own person. I love how no one judges me or what I do on a daily basis. I got to pick my friends and acquaintances, and I feel like I've made a second home. Plus, there's always stuff to do here to unwind from the stress, like parties and football games (and that Zack Mills quarterback is just so dreamy). My classes are extremely tough, and it feels like all I ever do is study. (In fact, right now as I'm writing this, I feel guilty for not doing work, but writing is my escape.) I sometimes question whether all of the work is worth it if I don't get into vet school, but I'm going to keep trying! There's always other options, like Merck or graduate school, and I may find that when I graduate I don't want to go to vet school anymore anyway.
As you can see by the pictures on my page, I have a great network of friends. I don't know what I'd do without them. I don't have TONS of friends, but the ones I have are great ones. That's the way I like it, though...I learned my lesson long ago (but that's another long story itself). I'm really close with my parents, sisters, and grandma as well, and I know I'm really fortunate to have such a wonderful family. It's such a rarity in today's society, and I thank God every day for his blessings.
So, after reading this, I hope you know that there's more to me than the pictures. The pictures are of what's done when I need to relax and escape the pressures, hence the title, "Lori's Momentary Escape from Reality".
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