Things I'm Looking Forward To

As soon as 4:30 hits, I'm heading to Illinois for my Christmas vacation. Here is a list of things that I'm looking forward to over the next week.

1. Seeing how my new kitten enjoys my lovely singing on the 5 hour drive. Maybe he'll even sing along.

2. Seeing a tad bit of snow since the only snow we've had here never stuck to the ground

3. Not thinking about financial aid or Congress and new legislation dealing with federal student loans and such. It makes me angry enough thinking about healthcare. I hate politics. People are more concerned with passing their agenda than what actually is beneficial to everyone.

4. Listening to tons of Christmas music on my drive :)

5. Playing my parents' new Wii. I'm still in shock that my mom bought one.

6. Getting a chance to do some non-school related reading. Currently I've started reading Captivating. It is really good. Next on my list is Crazy Love.

7. Watching more cheesy Christmas movies on the Halmark channel along with some good classics like Rudolph and Frosty. And watching the Polar Express (with my nephews hopefully :) )

8. Getting away from stupid questions.....at least at work

9. Taking lots of pictures of my nephews

10. Seeing my friends whom I miss very very much!!

11. Spending time with family (especially those two adorable nephews of mine)

12. Sleeping

13. Celebrating the birth of our Savior who came to show us how to love and serve others by the way He lived His life and ultimately died on that cross and defeated death so we have the opportunity to have eternal life.

14. Oh and hopefully playing some catchphrase :)

15. And how can I forget about watching A Christmas Story all day on Christmas? LOVE that movie!

First Day of Winter

Well it is officially winter. My this year is going by quickly.

I guess I should mention that I have a brand new kitten at my apartment! His name is Moses. Sometime soon I will post a picture of the cutie. We call him Mose for short. He has a fascination with toes and fingers though. It is frustrating in the morning when I am trying to get ready for the day and I have a little kitten biting my toes.

I wasn't planning on getting a cat, mainly because my roommate is not a cat person at all. This same roommate surprised me on Wednesday evening when she mentioned that a lady she works with just rescued a cat and two kittens and is looking for homes for the kittens. So she asked me if I wanted one of them (recently we have seen signs at our apartments saying that pets are now free). I looked at her and my response was "would you let me get a cat?" It definitely shocked me that she suggested it. So of course then I told her what all we would have to do in order for me to get this cat like having a litterbox and where the best place for it would be and of course needing to get it declawed. So that evening we went to Walmart and I spent quite a bit on things for a kitten and then Aimee's coworker brought the little guy and his sister over.

He's cute, but of course he does have his moments of being a pain in the butt. But I'm happy to have him. Since we don't quite trust him yet, we have kept him in the bathroom at night and while we are at work so he doesn't get into trouble. Last night we attempted to let him in the bedroom and bathroom since he was being a whiney butt the night before and crying loudly in the bathroom. Let's just say he ended the night being locked back up in the bathroom. He hasn't quite figured out that we can't play with him anytime he wants to play. I was woken up a couple of times with a purring and meowing furball in my face and a scratching and biting on my arms. I think Aimee was the one to put him in the bathroom.

I also gave him his first bath last night. He was not a fan, but I did not get scratched. He quickly forgave me though and fell asleep in my lap. I'm glad he is now clean.

Well tomorrow after work, me and little mose are headed to IL for Christmas. I'm excited for everyone to meet him except for Whiskers. I'm keeping the little guy far away from that animal. Whiskers would definitely eat Moses.

Baby It's Cold Outside

It is absolutely freezing outside. The wind is just bitter cold. At least it is snowing (and I'm happy to say only because it isn't sticking to the roads or really the ground for that matter). My face is still aching from walking from the parking lot into the building. I think I need to invest in a ski mask. I am not looking forward to walking to the cafeteria for our division lunch party. Luckily we are to wear ugly Christmas sweaters and the one I have I can wear over what I'm already wearing, so that is added warmth. According to weather.com, it is 16 degrees but it feels like -1. OUCH!

Side note: I cannot speak well, especially in the mornings. While talking to one of my coworkers who was eating a quick cookie this morning I said "Don't worry, I usually eat brownies for breakfast sometimes" I know usually and sometimes are not the same thing, but that's what came out of my mouth. I think I added the sometimes because it I don't usually eat brownies for breakfast, only sometimes.

In other news, the semester is almost over. All I have left is a test on Monday. However, I still have to work so I won't be coming to the ol' sville until the 22nd after work. I do have off of work until the 4th of January which is nice. I'll probably be heading back to MO around New Years though because the youth leaders are having a New Years Eve bash, plus I'd like a couple of days of rest before heading to the business of work on the 4th.

Oh, last night I put antifreeze in my car all by myself without the help of anyone. I like being able to be independent. I am woman hear me roar! Just joking. I mean I did do it all by myself and I like being independent, but I would like to have a guy around for extra muscle sometimes like when I need the jam jar open. Or someone tall to get things out of high places without the need of a chair. This person I would label as a "step stool." My roommate and I joke around when we are out together and see a good looking man. We rate them according to their "step stool" ability. Example: "Hey Aimee, great looking stepstool at 10 o'clock"

That's about it for the time being. If more thoughts cross my mind, I'll probably blog again.

Lonely Days in the Office

So this week in the office, most of my coworkers are gone to a conference. This leaves me, the receptionist and 2 other coworkers. Yesterday, one of my coworkers (the one closest to me), was gone so it was just the three of us. It's really quiet. I don't know if I like all this peace and quiet. I need people around.

The nice thing is that the workstudies don't have other work to do so I get to give them projects to work on. My files are looking pretty sharp now. :)

A couple weeks left of classes. I have a lot to do though. I have a 5-7 page paper I haven't even started yet due Thursday. I have church right after work Wednesday so I don't have time to get it done then so I just have tonight. After I finish this paper, I need to begin working on an extra credit paper due Monday (it's another long paper). On top of that paper I have a presentation to give on Monday so I have to start working on that with my partner. Luckily after these papers and presentation, all I have left in the semester is a test.

I so badly need motivation to get this stuff done. I forgot how hard it is to get homework done when having a roommate. I lucked out when I lived in the dorms because I got my own room. Now not only do I share and apartment, but I share my bedroom too. If I start working on an assignment in the livingroom, the roommate will want to watch tv so I will move to the bedroom (which I have very limited desk space.) If I am still working on it later on in the evening, I'll have to trade spots because my roommate then will want to go to bed. I will admit I miss having my own space so I do whatever when I need to. It's never fun to try to work my schedule around other people, especially when right now I'm so busy and my free time is very limited. As it is I couldn't unpack my stuff from the weekend last night because I went from work to class and I got back after 9 from my class. My roommate was tired so she got in bed early so I couldn't do anything with all my bags since I didn't want to bother her while she slept and I needed the light.

I bet you anything when my roommate gets home tonight and I am sitting working working on my paper, she'll ask if I want to go see a movie or rent a movie or do something. She might ask if I have class first, but when I say no, those will be the next questions. Last time I was doing some reading for a class after I told her I couldn't go to a movie because I needed to get homework done, she began watching tv. While I was reading she'd then ask me what they just said on tv because she missed it. I don't know if she understands the concept of me reading for a homework assignment and not being able to pay closer attention to what is on tv than she can.

I need to find a good place to get my studying done. No longer do I live in a dorm where I have a study room on my floor or a library right next door. I may end up having to drive to campus tonight and spend time in the oh so dreaded library. Evangel's library is my last resort. We are not friends. This mainly steming from my semester of Sophomore Seminar in Biblical Studies where all my homework assignments made me spend hours upon hours in the library looking up information for such tedious assignments. I remember getting so frustrated with the class where while trying to locate the books I needed to complete the assignment, I just sat down in the middle of the stacks. I have not had good memories in the library, but I do need to just suck it up.

So this blog ended up being longer than expected. I guess I shall end it here.

Ready for a Break

I come home tomorrow for Thanksgiving! I'm excited! I'm in need of a nice long weekend. I am also in need of a haircut...badly. My last haircut was 4th of July. My hair looks aweful. Hopefully my boss "ok's" me leaving at noon tomorrow so I can get home in time to get it cut.

Only a few more weeks of class before the semester is over. And since I only have each class once a week, this translates to only 3 more classes each. This is exciting.

Next semester I will be taking the full load of classes. I hope I can manage. I've been busy this semester with 40 hours of work, 4 credit hours, leading the 6th grade girls at church, and small group. I've been trying to keep my social life too. Sadly only a few of my friends get to spend time with me. It also means I don't get much sleep. Oh well. I do love it though! Next semester I will be taking 10 credits on top of everything.

Thanksgiving is soon!

Title says it all.

Also, I'm terrible at blogging. Sad thing is nothing new has happened since I blogged a couple months ago. I'll try to blog again soon

It's been a while...

So my last blog was dated back in June. I'd say it's time to blog again. I have a feeling it might be a long one though. Too much time has past to have a short blog, but I'll try to keep it a short as I can.

So I survived this summer living in Missouri. Definitely miss home though. I tried to go home quite a bit this summer. Right now I think it's been the longest since I've been home (since mid July). Yikes!

The lady who I was filling in for at work this summer as a temp decided not to come back. She was provided with an opportunity where she wouldn't have to put her brand new son in daycare and her and her husband can stay home with him. They decided in the office that they wanted to keep me so I am now officially the Financial Aid Counselor of Graduate and Professional Studies. It's pretty awesome! I have my own business cards, name on the door, name on my desk, and name tag (which I only where during times when lots of students are around). I have almost survived my first cycle of financial registration weeks. Today is the last day of that. Then next week will be extremely busy adding money to all the students' accounts. I'm enjoying it though (minus the few rude people I've had to deal with).

After going to North Point Church here all summer, I finally decided it was time to get involved. I knew for a while I wanted to help out, but wasn't sure where or how I wanted to. Luckily at the end of July at church, a guy asked me after service if I'd be at all interested in helping out with the student ministries. He gave me all this info about it. So after a couple of days I decided to contact him to let him know I was interested. So he got me started by having me come to one of the middle school services to see how they run things. It was great! Definitely fell in love with it. So now I am going to be leading the 6th grade girls at the 11:30 Sunday morning service (which now means I have to figure out what main service I am going to go to since I normally came for the 11:30 main service). These girls are absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to be a part of their lives! All the other leaders are really great too. It's nice to finally know some of the people I go to church with.

Apartment living is going great. We do have new wall neighbors who are noisy though. The other night I thought someone was in our kitchen so I creeped out of the bedroom to check it out. Nobody there, just banging noises coming from the apartment next door. Aimee and I get along really well though. We are so similar yet so different. It works. We both keep our bedroom clean and know the importance of keeping the kitchen and livingroom clean. Our third roommate however has a tendency to not put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher (we even have a sign that says clean or dirty to try to help her remember to put them in the dishwasher). If she does happen to put her dishes there, she doesn't rinse them off so then we have knifes with dried on peanut butter. She is going to be moving out come December, so I only have a few more months I have to be patient with her.

Grad classes started up last week. All my peers in my program have 4 classes (9 credit hours) they are taking. I didn't have to take Research 1 this semester since I took Research 3 as an undergrad so that's one less class. Also, I took Helping Skills as a grad class back in the spring, and this year they decided to offer it in the fall instead. That too is one less class I have to take. This means I'm taking only 2 classes this semester (4 credits). It's kind of nice to have an easy load since it is the first time I'm working 40 hours a week and doing classes. Plus, I'm now helping out at church which has taken up a bit more of my free time.

Basically I'm keeping busy. I'm beginning to feel more like an adult now (although there are lots of times where I don't feel like it). I have more responsibility, and I'm living out on my own. My parents still are supporting me in some areas (car, car insurance, cell phone), but I am paying my own rent, food, electric, washer/dryer (we are renting), books, gas... My parents also helped pay for half my grad school, and I was excited I was able to pay the other half myself. I still have a lot more growing up to do and take on more independence from my parents, but I feel like my life is a lot different than it was just last year.

Hopefully it doesn't take me a couple months to blog again. Sorry if I bored you with an update on my life. I'll try to make my next blog a bit more interesting.

I Am Not My Own

So this morning while balancing my checkbook and writing my tithe check I came to realize something. Well not really realize it, but its just something I've always known, just not something that I think about often enough. As I was writing my tithe check (which is for my church back home because I still feel like its "my church" so my tithe should go there, and it ended up being one check for 3 paychecks' tithes) I thought about how I shouldn't care about how this money is money I cannot spend on useless worldy things because it is God's money anyway. I suddenly felt peace when I thought about how I am only a steward of God's money so I shouldn't worry about having enough money for things. I am not my own. Everything I have is given to me by God, I just have to be sure to make sure I use His money for the things I need. God provides me with everything I have (clothes, food, etc.). I belong to God. Its an amazing peace to feel. Of course it always brings me back to the book of Matthew where Jesus preaches on not worrying. The birds never worry about having food to eat, and God provides food for them. The flowers never worry about clothes to wear, and God clothes them. How much more does God care for us, His children!

Like I said before, this is something I have always known, just never brouth to the front of my mind. Its amazing how God takes these things that you already know and gives you a new peace about it.

Homesick

So I am beginning to feel a little homesick. Well I always miss home, but I miss it more than usual lately. Saturday my dad called from Will's teeball game and told me that Jack was asking about me. Jack was too shy to talk to me on the phone though, but it was nice to know he misses me. Then last night Will and Jack were over at my parent's house and my dad called to ask me about something and Jack wanted to talk to me. So I talked to Jack on the phone for a little bit! He is so adorable. At the end of my conversation with Jack I said, "I love you Jack!" and his repsonse was a loud "I love you Manda!!!" I miss those two boys a lot. They grow up so fast when I'm not there. Luckily Father's day is in about 2 weeks and I'll be home once more.

This weekend was fun though. It was the first weekend since we moved in that Aimee and I were both at the apartment. The weekend before was my first full weekend at the apartment and Aimee was working all weekend. My friend Sarah came for a visit for the entire weekend. She arrived Thursday evening and left yesterday evening. It was a lot of fun. We stayed up so late talking. I meant to go to sleep at a decent time, but we couldn't stop talking. Friday we went and saw Land of the Lost. Not a bad movie. Pretty funny. There were several unnecessary indecent parts, but it is Will Ferrel. Saturday our friend Andy came to visit so the four of us (me, aimee, sarah and andy) hung out all day. We played the game of life and watched "the rocker." Andy made me mad while playing Life because he sued me everytime he landed on the lawsuit space. This was unfair because even though I began the game with the doctor career card which makes the most money, I lost my job and had to get a new one which was a huge cut in pay. Even after I got a new job that was the lowest paying out of the four of us, he still sued me. Luckily I landed on that space too and sued him to get my money back, but he landed on another one for the second time. He sued me again. So I screamed at him and told him that I hold grudges so he better watch out. But I luckily got the chance to sue him right back and get my 100,000 back. Basically, I learned that I am a sore loser, lol! even thought I didn't lose. I ended the game with more money than him. Luckily Aimee and Sarah thought my reactions were hilarious rather than embarrassing.

Sunday we all met up after church for lunch (sarah and I go to a different church than aimee and andy). After we ate, we went to a park to walk around. Then we went and saw the movie "The Hangover" definitely a bad movie...funny, but horrible. Aimee and I covered our faces for most of the movie. A lot of unexpected things would pop up.

I don't know why everytime I blog, it becomes a summary of my week or day. If you want to take something from this blog, then take this advice: don't go see the hangover. the end.

learning to confront

I am one of the least confrontational people ever. This isn't a good thing. It means I let people walk all over me without saying what I think. I just hate making people mad with me or causing uneccesary arguments. Well getting an apartment and having roommates does require me to voice my opinion. When we got our apartment my roommates talked about having a mini charcoal grill. We live on the fourth floor. They talked about how they are going to grill on the deck even though technically it's against the law. They said if anyone said anything they'd say they didn't know. Well day came to sign our lease, and the rules about grilling were included. We had to initial and sign. The rules for grilling at our apartment includes not only not grilling on the deck, but also needing to be a good 10ft away from the building (aparently one of the apartment complexes the company owns had a fire due to a grill be too close to the building).

One day a couple weeks ago my roommates decide to grill hamburgers. They begin grilling on the deck. I make some kind of sarcastic comment like, "I'm not paying for the fine if you get caught" trying to let them know I don't agree with them grilling out there. The next time they get ready to grill I bring it up again about how we could get into big trouble for grilling on our deck. It's illegal and we signed our lease. Technically we could get evicted if we get caught. Of course since I don't want to make a big argument, again I jokingly say all of this mentioning how they will be the ones paying for the fines. Well then they have friends over this weekend and they all decided to grill again. This time its a bit windy out so as they are finishing, we do get some smoke into our apartment. This worries me because I could just see our smoke detectors going off and we will get in big trouble if they do. Luckily they don't go off. I then realized that I was going to have to work up the courage to confront them about this issue.

Last night I went on a walk with one of my roommates. Somehow the conversation got on grills because we walked past a couple. I then bring up the fact that our smoke detectors could have gone off with that smoke in our apartment (which I had already mentioned during the time) and how I'm willing to sit out in the parking lot to do the grilling when we want something grilled. My roommate then said that we will probably begin grilling out in the parking lot from now on andhow probably all of us will just sit outside there with it. What relief! I finally got them to listen to me without a big argument. I think the reason they grilled out on the deck in the first place was becasue they were used to breaking rules and getting away with it, and I think they finally realized that maybe grilling on the deck is something we mgiht not be able to get away with afterall.

Ok I know to most of you (or probably all of you) this whole situation is not a big deal. To me it was something that had been bugging me for the past couple weeks. I knew what the right thing to do was, but I didn't want my roommates angry at me over something that small. I guess God just provides a way for me to do what I need to do. It was definitaly not my persuading that changed my roommates minds.

Maybe I'll take this situation, and be able to work up enough courage to confront when needed.

ready for some rest

so this past weekend was the third weekend in a row I came home. Luckily this was a longer weekend because I took Friday off for Ashley's rehearsal dinner so I got to come home Thursday night and then Monday was Memorial Day so I didn't have to head back until then.

I got my first big paycheck today. Not as big as it could have been due to taxes of course. I always forget that the bigger the paycheck, the more that gets taken out. Oh well. The main thing that stinks is the big chunk taken out for Social Security because I know this is money that I probably will never see.

Anyway, this past weekend was great although very busy. Friday I had went to my dad's school to help him out in his classroom, then of course afterwards went to the rehearsal dinner for Ashley's wedding. Saturday started bright and early because we all had to be at Maggie's shop at 8am. Around 10:30 or so we went to the church to get pictures taken. Wedding was at 2. After the wedding was more pictures then the reception. Didn't get to the reception till a little after 4. Didn't get served dinner till close to 6. Didn't get home till close to 10. All in all a very tiring day in a dress and heels. Sunday was church, helping my brother prepare his livingroom for paint, potluck at the church, and an evening full of catchphrase and daisy of love. Then Monday I slept in till 9:15 (first time I've been able to sleep in since before finals the last weeek of april), saw my nephews, at lunch with my parents, and headed back to ol' missouri.

I'm looking forward to this weekend to relax. It looks like one of my roommates will be working all weekend so I should have some nice time to myself to relax and do whatever. I can't wait! Not that I don't like spending time with my roommates, its just I haven't had really any time in the apartment to myself. I'm going to sleep in and clean and read and watch movies and maybe put together a puzzle.

In other news, normally I am freezing in the office, but today I'm sweating. I guess the people in charge of the air either know how to turn it on full blast or off completely. I guess there is no happy medium.

more tornados

So last night during the lost season finale there were tornado warnings for the counties next to the county I am in. Luckily we didn't get the storms till after Lost ended. At that time, our neighbor who goes to Evangel got off work and decided to come over incase the sirens go off and we decide to venture off to the first floor to see how are first floor neighbors are doing. Aimee and I didn't want to go down there alone since we have never met these people and as Aimee puts it, "we are just girls." Anyway, its 10:30 and I want to go to bed since I have to wake up early and I'm worn out. But before I do, Chad (our neighbor) comes over. I have never officially met him before. Within the first couple minutes he is inside our apartment, he breaks my siscors. Don't ask me how.... but this guy already bugs me within the first 5 minutes meeting him.

Anyway, I get in my bed and after about 15 minutes of lying there, the tornado sirens go off. So Aimee comes in and gets me and I go into the livingroom so we can decide on our action plan. We all decide that we are in agreement we don't have first floor neighbors because even the other buildings don't have the first floors filled yet and we are the newest one. So then Chad decides to say "I think we'd be just as safe by going into the most interior room of the apartment." I'm thinking "no...we'd be safer at ground level in an interior room....4th floor bathrooms are about as safe as any 4th floor room during a tornado. we will be blown away if a tornado hits the building" Of course I don't say anything because I'm really tired and anything thta comes out of my mouth will be something not nice.

So 5 of us (Aimee, Kim, Terence -Kim's boyfriend, Chad and I) go into Aimee's and my bathroom. And when I walk in I told them that there is no way we'll all fit so I walked right back into the bedroom turned on the tv and plopped back into bed. They all came out and sat down on the floor to listen to the tv. Terence goes out to the deck. We hear where all the funnel clouds and tornados are which luckily was on either side of us heading away from where we live. So we all join Terence on the deck to watch the lightning. There were crazy lightening strikes. It was fun to watch, but then it was after 11 and I wanted to sleep so I bid them all a goodnight and got back into bed praying that no more tornados come.

I'm thinking in the next week or so I am going to develop a tornado safety plan. If a tornado does hit our building, I do not want to be sitting in the bathroom of the fourth floor. No one likes to listen to me when I say that even the bathroom is not a safe place during a tornado if its not on ground level.

Let me just say, I'm tired of tornados already....we've had too many in the past week.

I would like it to get warm outside without tornados the next night or morning. Of course we are supposed to have scattered thunderstorms all day today. If a tornado does come, I'd like it to come while I'm at work so I could go to a basement instead of a 4th floor bathroom.

Great Weeekend Home

So I went home over the weekend. Got to see Will's first teeball game! It was so cute to watch!!!

I got to spend some time with my nephews on Sat and time with my brother Friday night and Saturday morning. Then Sunday I spent with my brother and parents playing Bible Trivia. It was fun.

I wish I had more time to hang out with other people...maybe next weekend. I will be home again because of Ashley's bachlorette party and nichole's baby shower and will's preschool graduation.

Things seem to be falling into routine here in MO which is great. To bad this routine consists of getting to bed early and waking up early....oh well!

Tornado Time

So this morning I wake up and get ready for work. It was so hot, humid, and muggy in the apartment. Yet it was still pretty dark outside. Its kind of stormy. Hear just little bits of thunder. Get my car loaded up (cuz i'm heading home for the weekend right after work) and the sky isn't the normal color. Get to work. Its drizzling a bit. Get into my office and I hear tornado sirens go off. Luckily in this new building at work there is a basement (well we aren't allowed to call it that....its the 1st floor). So everyone arriving goes down to the basement. I hear that there was a tornado spotted in Republic which is on the west side of Springfield. My apartment is also on the west side of Springfield. I text my roommate to make sure she and our other roommate are awake. They are to hearing the sirens. Since we are in a new building and pretty sure we don't have neighboors on the first floor just yet, they ended up staying in the fourth floor in the bathroom. I was slightly glad I was not back there. Their power ended up going out too. Meanwhile everyone in the office is trying to figure out what exactly the storm is doing. When we get back upstairs, there are a couple of big trees down in the front parking lot. It is still really windy and I watch out the window and see another tree had fallen down. Its crazy to see uprooted trees. The odd thing is there were new trees planted a month or so ago and they did not blowover..... Anyway, there were cars parked under some of these trees that fell. I think three all in all got smashed. Only one I think may be drivable. Poor people. I'm just glad I park in a lot with no trees.

Now the sun is shining and my lunch is almost over. Time to get back to work. Hopefully this afternoon goes by fast because I head home when I'm done!!!

Brand New Day

So as of yesterday afternoon, I was finished with my last final of being an undergraduate! Today I sign the lease to my apartment, begin moving in, show my parents where I work and my new apartment, have baccalauriate (yes, I still can't spell), and move some more stuff in.

So wanna hear an ironic story? wel I'm going to tell you anyway...
I've been in need of some furniture for my apartment since my parents didn't want to deal with the hassel of taking kolby's and tiffany's old furniture (sorry tiff). I wanted something still decent for really cheap. Hard to do. Here on campus, at the end of the year they allow you to put in the lobby of your dorms any unwanted things like clothes, furniture, shelves, etc. This pile goes to the auxillery garage sale. If you want anything placed in this pile you can go ahead and pick it up before they take it. Some people had taken chairs and stuff placed in that pile. I was on a lookout. Tuesday night there was a couch put out there, but it had no legs so I didn't want it. Now I remebered late Tuesdya night that last year 2nd semester when I got to have my own room in the dorms, my RA had a loveseat she was getting rid of. She allowed me to have it for my room. I took good care of it and it was comfy. At the end of the semester though I decided I was going to give it away because I had no place to store it for the summer. I gave it to a girl who lives in the same building as me. So tuesday night I was wishing that I had kept it so I would have it now. I had an 8am final yesterday morning. After getting done with that final I walked through the lobby and lo and behold, there sat that loveseat I was thinking of! so I immediately went to my room grabbed a piece of paper and a sharpie and wrote "claimed" across the paper. I then flew back down stairs and placed it on the loveseat and called my future roommate.

God definitly provides! lol!

ok, i know, lame story. but its the small things like this that make me happy and remind me that God will always be there to take care of my needs and more!

Ok, got to go. loading up my car!

Better Late Than Never

Ok, so I obviously haven't blogged in over a month. I guess its time for an update. So I survived midterms. I also survived Africa. It was so amazing!!!! I know I have told some of you stories. There are just too many to tell. So I'll tell you a few that have definitely made an impact in my life.

So the first day we were there, we taught some basic counseling skills and a theory to some of the college students in Nairobi (they were part of the Christian group on their campuses called Journey). Dr. Grant (facutly advisor) would teach them the basics then the rest of us would form groups and have the students practice them. It was difficult to understand what they would say because of the accents and I am sure they felt the same about me. At first I thought I would not be able to teach them these things well at all and that they would not understand the way I would explain the ideas. The students in my group made me feel better about my abilities. At the end one of the guys in my group (Nash was his name) announced in the big discussion about what they had learned in their groups that he thought I did a wonderful job and was impressed by me. Although I felt this compliment was undeserved, especially in front of everyone, it gave me some much needed confidence and let me know that this is what God wants me to do.

Another memorable moment that has impacted my life was working with the young kids at an orphanage called Kenya Kids. I worked with a group of 6 boys ages 8-12. These kids knew English (though some of them not as well), but did not know it well enough to understand things I would explain to them. The first day I felt like a complete failure because of the language and cultural barrier. I ended the day with just teaching the kids songs and games to get them to open up to me. Apparently it worked because the second day they all ran up to me when I got there and told me how they practiced one of the songs I taught them to be able to perform it at the assembly later that day. It made me happy that they were excited about it. They seemed a lot more warmed up to me and I was able to do more with them like ask them about how they got there (about what happened to their family) and have them act out David and Goliath. These kids were so happy the whole day. At the very end of the day their happy faces left and sad ones returned. They knew that I was about to leave and I could tell they were upset. I definilty grew attached to them, and knowinng that they don't have people visit them very often hurt. I cried. I still do when I think about them now that I'm back. I definitely pray for each of them. I learned so much from that experience, that when I am faced with a challenge I shouldn't give up because with God's help, I can find a way to reach the unreachable.

Another story was when I was working with the high school students at a school outside of the slums. These kids understood me a lot better and they seemed to open up to me really fast. I really felt in my element while working with them. I loved to talk to them about their goals and dreams in life. It was surprising and wonderful to hear how ambitious their dreams were. Some wanted to be a doctor, engineer, astronomer, nurse, a general. They had high hopes in their lives which is hard to have when you come from such a poor home. The kids discussed how it washard for their family to be able to provide for everyone. These kids were all at this school on sponsorship from people from the church. One girl mentioned how her biggest fear was to become a "bad girl" (prostitute). Her mother was the only one providing for her family and she feared that she might become a "bad girl" in order to help earn money for her family. I told her that she did not have to let her circumstances control her, that she did not have to be what she did not want to be. She was greatful to hear that her life did not have to take that route if she did not want it to. I told each of these kids before I left the last day that God is a God who keeps His promises. He has been faithful to them in the past, and He will continue to do so in the future.

My last big story from Africa is a very eventful one. That thursday (that evening after my last day working with the highschoolers) before I went to dinner while taking a nap, I heard gun shots. Now that morning we were told that a sect leader had gotten out of jail and there were strikes and possible uprisings. Of course the most dangerous part would be in the slums which we were no longer near being back at the hostel. Well waking up to hear gun shots I immediately thought "uprising!" and ran to the door and locked it while my roommate was in the shower. I then jumped to the ground and grabbed a shirt to put over my tank thinking "what if they come in here and see me half naked!". My roommate jumped out of the shower and leaped down to where I was freaking out about as much as me if not more. She was in tears so then I knew I would have to be stronger and comfort her. So when the gun shots were over we went to my bed and we held eachother and I grabbed my Bible and began reading Psalms. It calmed me down. Then my professor Dr. Grant came and got us to make sure we were ok and told us there was a shooting on the other side of the builiding on the street. I went into the boys room where they were looking out the window onto the street below where crowds of people had formed around a white car and a dead body lay on the ground. Yes I saw the dead body. Apparently the guy shot was an activist causing the public transportation to go on strike. The assains were the police (but they left and the non undercover police showed up over an hour later). Where we were staying was on a university's campus. Well to make a long story short, my group went to dinner and before we headed back we heard that riots had started where the shooting was and there were rocks being thrown at police officers by the college students and gun fire and tear gas. I was terrified. Dr. Grant, after talking to tons of other people, decided we should head back because once inside we'd be safe. Well the problem was getting there. I do not want to drive through a riot that included gun fire and tear gas and being stoned. They called the tourist police (yes they have special police in africa for tourists) to escort us. This terrified me more because it was the police the students were attacking!! I started to freakout in the back seat. Tears were just coming like rivers out of my eyes. My friend Kayla held on to me in tears herself. In our van (there were 2 to transport us the whole trip), we decided to sing worship songs on the way back while also praying. Halfway there God reminded me about what I had said earlier that day to those high schoolers "God has always been faithful in the past and will continue to do so in the future". I have always believed in trusting God always. I always have. But I think in that van was the first time that my trust in God was all I had. After God reminded me of this statement, I felt a peace. When we got to the street everything was clear. Not a person in sight. Only after we got back up to the rooms did we hear people outside again. Before I went to bed (my roommate and I stayed in another room so there were 4 of us), we prayed for peace in the night. 5 minutes after we prayed, the riots ended for the night. God is great!! God answers prayers! He is a God who provides!





Well those are my Africa stories. I have plenty more, but that would make for an even longer blog. But this blog is still not over considering Africa was back in the beginning of March.

So I have an apartment here in MO for the summer since I am going to be going to Grad school in the fall. My next big worry was finding a job. Well I do workstudy in the financial aid department. Even though I'm graudating, the lady I work for, Sue, wanted me to ask if I could still do workstudy for the summer. I asked the lady in charge of workstudy if that was possible and she said no since I was graduating. She then realized that there was a temporary fulltime posistion available for the summer since one of the ladies in the office is going on maternity leave soon. So she talked to the assistant director (who I used to work for last semester) about the possiblity of me applying. Sheila (the a.d.) got real excited about it since I already know a bit about financial aid and how to run the programs. So I applied. Monday they interviewed me but it wasn't really an interview. It was basically a meeting to figure out how thing were going to work this summer and gettingme trained. They did not even bother looking at any of the other applicants. I got the job!!! They told me I was an answer to their prayers, but I knew it was the other way around. I am so excited about this job!! I will have my own office and everything!!!! I'll be working 40 hours a week at a very good rate!

In other news Spring Fling was this past weekend and the theme was In the Jungle. I dressed as the smoke monster from Lost and my friend Sarah was the numbers, and my friends kayla and andy were jack and juliette. We won the costume contest for best group!!!!

I also played Halo with Sarah this weekend and we beat the game! Oh and I got an A on my Personality test last week!!! (this is the class where the whole class failed the first test and I stilld din't do very well on the second so this is a big deal)

God is great!!!!

Sorry for the uber long post

Midterms and Kenya

So this week has been so stressful. I'm trying to prepare for my trip to Kenya in which I leave Thursday early morning. This week is also midterms. I had one test monday and I have two tomorrow (one in one of my 3 classes tomorrow and the other I have to make up since i miss it on thursday). On Thursday in the airport, I have to take my 4th test of the week proctered by that teacher who happens to be our facutly sponsor for the trip. That class is the class where the class average on the first test was 58%. So that is a stressful test. I'm so burned out. I hope I survive tomorrow!

Because Densie Wanted Me Too...

I filled out the Twilight survey that Denise filled out a long time ago...some of the questions are irrelevent due to the fact that I am taking this after the last book came out and the first movie.

Twilight Survey
Which book in the series is your favorite? Tough question...I loved everybook. Probably Twilight, then my next favorite is Eclipse, New Moon, then Breaking Dawn however all the books are just plain amazing!!!

How long did it take you to read the books? one day each....I couldn't sleep unless I finished them lol

Who introduced you to the books? No one in particular. the movie had just come out and there was a huge fan base and I thought it was the dumbest thing ever. Then a girl on my floor bought the first book to see what the big deal was about them thinking the same thing as me, we decided to go see the movie too, and we had two hours to kill so she read the first 2 chapters aloud to a few of us, and I was addicted and bought the books myself soon after

Did you buy them, borrow them, or have them given to you as a gift? I bought them all

Are you most looking forward to: Breaking Dawn, Midnight Sun, or the movie? Well I have read both, and watched the movie. I guess I am now looking forward to New Moon the movie which comes out to theathers November 20th!!!

What's your dream ending to the series? I liked how it ended. I would say what I would add or change, but that might ruin it for those who haven't finished reading the series...

Favorites:
Who is your favorite character? Edward, he has so much conflict going on and he always tries to do what is best for others and not think of himself. although he does give into his selfish side and becomes friends with Bella.

Who's your favorite vampire?Edward, but besides him, Alice, I love Alice!

Who is your favorite werewolf? Jacob of course!!

What's one of your favorite quotes from the stories? thats a tough one. umm i really like the quote "so the lion fell in love with a lamb. what a stupid lamb. what a sick masochistic lion"

What was your favorite Bella and Edward moment? There were quite a few. I think I would say the first night that Edward stayed in her room that she knew about. or wait, the afternoon they spend in the meadow. way better in the book than the movie.

What was your favorite Bella and Jacob moment? there are several. i like the part where he first teaches her how to ride the motorcycle and has to take her to the emergency room. but i also love the part when they go to the movie with mike and he promises her he will always be there for her, or the part after he becomes a werewolf and he comes to her room to try to get her to guess what happened to him. or in eclipse when he first kisses her and she hits him.

How about your favorite Bella and Alice moment? umm probably in the last book (i would explain which part, but i don't want to give it away); next to that would be the part when alice comes back when she thought bella killed herself

What was your favorite adventure/battle? It would be in the last book, or the battle with victoria in eclipse

Which book cover was your favorite? NewMoon

Are these books among your favorite books of all? among them yes! definitaly!!

This or That?
Twilight or New Moon? Twilight

New Moon or Eclipse? Eclipse

Eclipse or Twilight?Twilight

Are you more excited about Breaking Dawn or Midnight Sun? I read both...well at least what she has done of midnight sun online. I hope she finishes it one day. it is amazing!!!

Midnight Sun or the Twilight Movie? I read it and watched it. the movie was good, but the book is better

The Twilight Movie or Breaking Dawn? watched, and read. hmmmm breaking dawn

Who do you want to see Bella with most: Edward or Jacob? Edward

Who do you like more:
Bella or Edward? Edward

Bella or Jacob? Jacob

Bella or Alice? hmm...I really like Alice...but I'll say Bella

Alice or Edward? Edward but I do like Alice

Alice or Jacob? probably jacob

Rosalie or Alice? Alice cuz i do not like rosalie at all....even after hearing her story

Jasper or Alice? Alice

Jasper or Edward? Edward

Carlisle or Esme? Carlisle

Emmett or Jasper? Emmet...he's like a big teddy bear!!!

Emmett or Jacob? Jacob

Bella or Rosalie? Bella

Esme or Charlie? Charlie

Charlie or Carlisle? Charlie

Charlie or Billy? Charlie

Jacob or Sam? definitaly jacob. i don't like sam at all either

Sam or Quil? Quil

Quil or Embry?Quil

Who's the better villain: James or Victoria?James because he wasn't afraid to fight like victoria was

Werewolves or Vampires? hmm......i like the vampires, but its nice that the werewolves can be human, and I'm cold a lot so they could warm me up lol

Movie Stuff:
How did you first find out about the movie? from my penelope dvd. it had a behind the scenes of twilight at the beginning

Are you excited? not at the time cuz i wasn't into it. but I did end up seeing it like 5 times in theaters and I can't wait till it comes to dvd.

What do you think of the casting so far? I liked the casting, although im not a krisitn stewart fan, and I think she didn't do a very good job. i felt as if she made bella more her personality that bella in the book.

Are you going to go see it? did....5 times

Planning on going with anyone in particular? well i first saw with the girls on my floor, then i saw it with amber, then i saw it with jaide and tiffany, then i saw it with tiffany, then i saw it with tiffany and nicole.

Do you think it will stay true to the book? it was good, but the book was way better. the book did a better job at creating the relationship between bella and edward. if the movie could be like 4 hours, it would have been just like th book. but no one wants to see a 4 hour movie

Breaking Dawn Speculation:
Are you planning on buying this book as soon as it's out?I bought it but not the day it came out

Do you think Bella will be turned into a vampire finally? i know what happens...but i won't spoil it

Do you think she and Edward will get married? read above

Do you think Jacob might imprint in this book? same as above

Who do you think Bella will end up with : Edward or Jacob? i know

Do you think it will be a happy, sad, or shocking ending? it was everything

Who do you think will be the villain(s) of the book this time?i know who they are

How would you feel about a possible vampire / werewolf cross? anything's possible in twilight

Will Charlie find out Edward is a vampire? i know

Will the vampires and werewolves continue the truce they had in Eclipse? read it

If anyone, who do you think will die in this book? This is getting old

For a twist: there is alwasy a twist

Do you think Jacob will be over Bella by the end of the book? I know what happens

What do you most want to happen in Breaking Dawn? blah

What's your dream ending? I liked how it ended

A Few Last Things:
In which book did you like Bella's character best? Twilight or Breaking Dawn, its a tie

How about Edward's? umm....I would say Eclipse, but he is a jerk about the Jacob thing. either Twilight or Breaking Dawn. another tie

Jacob's? New Moon but eclipse is a close second although he is a jerk....lol

Alice's?hmmm tough one...probably new moon

If it were possible...who would you most want to meet in person? well moviewise robert pattinson...lol! but bookwise, hmmmm toughy...maybe jacob, but then again he's far too young for me. i'll change that answer to either edward or emmitt

The End.

An Interesting Day

So my day has been very interesting....

Started off with my 9am class which is psych of personality. We got our tests back that we had just taken on Wednesday. The test was really hard and the whole class had thought so too. My teacher began the class by giving us the class average on the test, reminding us it is the lowest he's ever had in all his experiences teaching. He's been teaching quite a long time. Class average: 58% which is 32/55. I got a 62% aka 34/55. I was just happy it was above average. Highest grade was 48/55. He curved it, so with the curve I have a low C. Luckily we do get to drop our lowest test grade. Sad thing is he says he isn't really going to change the tests. We tried to explain to him that he doesn't really lecture. We spend the first 30 min of a 50 min class on devos, then the rest on grading our quizes. The quizes is how we studied. Obviously didn't help. He says he's not changing his lectures, and refused to listen to why it wasn't working. Very frustrating. He also mentioned at the beginning of class how 80% of the test questions should have been covered in class, yet he then mentioned how 20 some of the 55 questions everyone missed. If it was covered in class, at least one person would have gotten it right.

So after class, it was time for chapel. Topic of today: "choosing the right car for you" aka finding the girl for you....I would say mate, but the sermon seemed to be focused more towards guys. So the car analogies were very excessive. Very uncomfortable, and a little degrading for a girl. I mean he said things like "don't just buy a car based on their wild looking paint job" or "don't go for the antiques, don't even discuss it, they've had many owners" and he mentioned things about not going for cars who have had several past owners. Oh and of course the whole "test drive, but with respect" whatever that is supposed to mean. And how it was important to make sure the "brakes work". At the very end of the sermon Pastor Sid says, "lets close with something out of the owners manual" and then the screen said S/S then some verse number. I quickly realized S/S stood for Song of Solomon. Then he began reading the passage about thighs, navels, and breasts. Then no explanation. Just quickly into closing prayer.

After chapel came lunch. It was pleasant. I was in line and a random girl told me that I am very pretty. Although I had wished it was a guy to have told me, it was still very nice. Its nice to get random compliments from strangers as opposed to just my friends.

Next class was a test for drug abuse and alcoholism. didn't sutdy too much for it. It was slightly frustrating because our teacher was not well prepared. He didn't have enough copies of the test and instead of going to make a few more copies, he decided that he would have some of us wait for a copy. We told him we could jsut tear the pages apart and share that way. He aslo got the idea to display a couple pages at a time on the screen. I was one of the lucky few that he didn't hand a test. I am oneof those test takers that tests and a different pace than everyone else. I am usually the first one done with m/c tests. Well I also couldn't read the screen because it was at an awkward angle and the words were small. so a girl on my floor would tear of each page as she finished to hand me. I was very grateful to her, but at the same time I had to sit and wait after each page cuz I answer the questions quickly.

My final class of the day, Mental Health, we got back our tests. She had made it sound like the grades were all bad. And as each person around me got their tests, dissappointment definitly filled the room. I was the last to get my test back, I look at the grade, 93%. A great relief considering I almost failed my personality test and the whole class did badly on that one too. The girl behind me had failed so she was a little upset that I had done that well. And the teacher decided to curve the tests. And I soon found out that my score was the highest. Then one of the guys who sits near me was like, "I want to know who threw off the curve" and then he found out it was me. but then he quickly drew back in his anger and said "well, i'm not mad, its just you are smart and I'm dumb. its not your fault". So anyway, I was secretly happy about my grade, but I didn't want others to be mad at me.

So that's my day. crazy! and its only 2pm! I am going to see "He's Just Not That Into You" tonight with some friends. Time for relaxation till then!

More Drama?

So today is beautiful out!!!! I love the warm weather and the sun! too bad I have to study for my test tomorrow before I go off to my 3 hour class tonight :(

I figured since I am almost done with college I can be done with junior high type drama. So two of my goood friends here at school who both happen to live on my floor had a big fight last night. I have no idea what it was about, nor is it my business to find out. But now they don't want to be near each other. I told them that I am staying neutral and am not taking sides. But now I have to deal with the drama of having two good friends that are mad at each other. For instance, one of the girls came in saying "I just thought I'd let you know that I probably won't be at dinner if Sarah goes, so its not awkward for her". Then 10 minutes later Sarah pops in and I then ask her what the plans are for dinner time. She said she was unsure and then decided she wouldnt go so Emily will go. Then Emily comes back in and asked "So do you know what Sarah's doing?" So I told her she isn't going to dinner so now Emily is coming.....

I have a feeling if this continues, I will feel like a kid with divorced parents who are fighting for my attention. I will have to designated half my time to one and half my time to the other. Hmm...maybe I should just take the apathetic attitude and not care how much time I'm spending with one over the other. I'll just hang out with whoever wants to hang out. I'll just let these two deal with their problems. They are old enough to figure things out.

Well on to putting my mind on something else...like drugs and alchohol since that is what my test is over. yes, after this semester I will be able to tell you all anything you want to know about drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. you best be excited! lol.

senior-itis all over again

So this is my last semester as an undergrad. My classes are pretty easy, nothing too hard. So far this week I have had 2 tests, and I still have one more Friday. Did I study for the two that I have had already? Nope....just barely glanced over the notes. I'm sure my grades will prove the fact that I didn't study. I just feel so apathetic about this semester. I don't want to do anything and I don't care. It is probably not a good thing, but hey, if you include preschool and kindergarten, this is my 18th year of school straight. Sad thing is I still have at least 2 more years of graduate school. So after I get done with grad school I will have been in school for 20 years straight. Isn't that crazy to think about? Then after grad school I will probably go for my PhD sometime. Most likely not right away.....I'm thinking I will need a break, plus a chance to start paying off my loans.

I need some motivation.....

Snow Day

So because of the lovely winter weather classes have been cancelled for the past couple days. I've definilty enjoyed my couple days off. Lets see, yesterday I slept in till around 10:30, ate some cereal for breakfast. Around 1 or 2 some of us girls decided to make a trek across the street to taco bell for lunch. We did not want to drive on the ice and since taco bell was right across the street we would walk. It was fun to run across the street and almost fall on the snow in the middle lol. Anyway, we then played some Phase 10 in my room and then took a short nap before going to dinner in the caf. After dinner we played a little bit in the snow, but we weren't all completely prepared for playing in the snow so we came back up for a little bit. I did make a phone call inviting someone to my office party that I'm having this Friday during open dorms. It was awkward since I had never called him before (and by him I mean the guy I went on that roommate a date with). He seemed excited. After the phone call of us girls got bundled up to play outside. It was loads of fun. There was some snow wrestling. I poured a huge thing of snow on a couple of the girls and they definitly got me back. I was pulled to the ground and had my face stuffed right in the snow. It was a lot of fun, and all the running was great exercise that I needed.



Then last night we played some more Phase 10 along with Texas Hold 'Em. We found out that today's classes were cancelled too. So today I slept till 11, ate a couple bowls of cereal for breakfast, then watched Prince of Egypt with a couple girls on my floor. A little bit later we went to dinner. Craig was there, but I wasn't near him I guess when everyone else on my floor talked to him. I was in a different line. Anyway, they said he was really excited about friday, which makes me excited, but I don't want to get my hopes up too high.



In other news, the light in my bathroom went out and I need to call Fixer here on campus to replace the bulb. I forgot to today, so tomorrow will be another shower with the door open so I can see.

I do wish I could have been back in sville today or yesterday so I could have gone sledding at the dam. Also it would have been awesome to hang out with everyone there which includes the visiting Denise. It stinks that she is there and I can't see her!!!!!!! Stupid school

Wallmate War

So yesterday was my first day of classes since friday. Of course my first class is the class I have to sit up front for and the professor is the one who likes to pick on me in class (he is also the one who is leading my trip to Kenya over spring break). So I knew with my new haircut he was going to say something. Basically everyone in the beginning of class were all complimenting me and making sure I knew that I got my hair cut (via "you got a haircut"). So of course Dr. Grant had to go ahead and say "yes, we all see that Amanda has got a haircut" or something to that matter, and then proceded to say, "and she hates it when I point her out in class, so if I don't return from Kenya, you know who the first suspect is."

Anyway, everyone loves my new do! I am getting a little better at styling it. I'm sure after a week or so I'll have it down.

In other news Tuesday evening my wallmates were playing rockband very loudly. This was around 10 and I was trying to go to bed early. Then I finally fell asleep around 10:30ish and about 11:10 I wake up to hear a loud scream coming from the hallway. Then girls were giggling and talking. Sounded a lot like my wallmates. So yesterday morning when I got up and was getting ready about 7:30am I decided I should begin my day listening to La Traviata which is a italian opera type song (is off of the Twilight soundtrack). So I causually turn up my volume like I would as if I was listening to it during the mid afternoon or maybe it was a bit louder than that, and turned my speakers towards the outlet in the shared wall. After some La Traviata, I continued my morning listening to Dead Poetic. Oh and lets not forget I decided to blow dry my hair right by the shared wall. So later yesterday afternoon when I was coming up to my room I ran into one of my wallmates in the dorm building near the stairs. She did a small forced smile, not even a hey, and then walked very quickly up to our floor so I was just far enough behind her that she wouldn't have to hold the door open for me. My guess is that she didn't quite enjoy waking up to La Traviata at 7:30 that morning.

Last night around 10 again they started blaring their music, but it didn't last long and they were quiet at 11 which is when quiet hours begin. My guess is they wanted to get back at me, but at the same time knew they'd get into trouble being that loud after quiet hours. anyway, anytime they are loud after 11, I am getting up early and being as loud as I want to. I even created an early morning play list so on the days I don't have to get up early I could wake up early to turn it on and put it on repeat then go back to bed and sleep.

Fun Weekend

So Friday after my last class I headed home. Of course I got home about 7:15ish so I just stayed at home and rested. Saturday afternoon I left to go to Springfield (IL this time) with Tiffany and Nicole to go see Twilight yet again in theaters. Nicole hadn't seen it so Tiff and I wanted to drag her there, also I wanted to see it again and it made a fun birthday celebration for me and Tiff since it fell btw our bdays. We stopped in at Charlotte Russe b4 the movie and we all found good deals. I got a pair of cute gray slacks and matching gray and black heels both $7 each. Saturday evening the three of us hung out at Brad and Nicole's house and played some catch phrase with a few guys from the band "sealife" (was that right?" that brad was recording. Loads of fun.

Sunday was church then in the afternoon I went to my sister's house for my youngest nephew's bday. He turned 2. Absolutly adorable! He thought his gifts came from Santa. After the bday bash I hung out with Kolby, Tiffany, Brad, and Nicole again and watched the Rock of Love Bus. Those girls are crazy.

And today, Maggie cut my hair!!! Tiffany convinced me to get it cut short so thats what I did. It took me a few hours to get used to it though. I went over to my sister's and she put blonde highlights in it which made me love it more. It was nice to spend that time with my sister cuz I don't talk to her much. I feel like she is finally deciding to be friends with me. A very nice change.

Tonight I played some phase 10 with my friend Jaide and her boyfriend. I was so close to winning. I was ahead for most of the game but I was stuck on phase 10 forever!

Anyway, this weekend has been so much fun. Its sad to say I won't get another long weekend like this till around Easter...which makes me think, I wonder if I can miss my night class on that thursday b4 so then I could leave wed instead of friday morning.....probably not, oh well.

Another Year Older

So yesterday was my birthday. Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! And thank you Maggie for your blog! lol!

I did not have any classes yesterday so I got up about 9:30ish and ate some breakfast and did some pilates. then I got myself all ready to go to lunch in the Caf. It was "Welcome Back Fun Day" so they had thrown rolls and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies they were passing out and you could get a funnel cake and put whatever you wanted on it. I put powdered sugar and strawberries. It felt as if the school was celebrating my birthday it was nice!

Then I went to work for a couple hours. Sad thing was that I got two papercuts. One right in the middle of my hand and right after that happened I got one on a finger on the other hand.

After I got done working I went to the post office to pick up a package I got from Denise. She sent me a copy of the Twilight soundtrack! It is amazing!! Then me and my friends went out to eat. The original plan was to go to Lamberts, home of the hot thrown rolls. I was excited because I had found out you get to eat free on your birthday. So I pull into the parkinglot where there were not too many vehicles and I was like "yay, not a long wait" then I saw the sign that said "Lamberts closed due to maintenance".

So we then went downtown to this little Italian restaraunt called Nonnas. I've eaten there a couple times before. I love the atmosphere and the food so it was great. Then when we got back we watched American Idol and a few episodes of the Office. I chose the three birthday episodes lol. My suitemate Mallory bought an icecream pie from Braums.

All in all I had a great birthday and surprisingly I did feel older. Maybe it was because I was sore from Pilates in the morning lol!

So I am coming home this weekend because we do have a four day weekend thanks to Martin Luther King. Plus its the weekend after my birthday and sunday is my nephew's birthday. Today it just clicked that I don't have classes on Tuesdays ever so I don't get a four day weekend, but I get a 5 day weekend! I get to stay in town an extra day. I don't have to head back till Tuesday afternoon!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!

What's the World Coming To?

What's the world coming to when your paper is no longer safe in your room....lol!

Ok so last year in the fall (fall of '07) I would have money missing from my room and some cherry coke and some food here and there. Very weird, and other people had money stolen and such. So then I started to hide my money in places no one could find it. Well after I switched rooms last spring I haven't had anything missing. I figured since it was easier to keep my room locked and the fact that I was a bit closer to the middle of the hallway. Well this past semester I didn't get anything stolen or so I thought. I had in one of my desk drawers 1 1/2 packs of loose leaf notebook paper. I used them when I took notes on what I would read. Well at the end of the semester I had to clean out one desk just in case I would happen to be assigned a roommate. I don't remember if I did move the packs of paper to the other desk, but I do remember having them that last week of classes. Anyway, last night I was doing some reading to prepare for a quiz in which I needed paper. I looked in the desk I had everything in now and could not find these two packs. I relooked in the empty desk. Wasn't there either. I looked on my bookshelf, I looked in my dresser, I looked in my closet. No where to be found. So I have come to the conclusion that someone stole my paper.

Now why would someone steal something as cheap as paper?? I mean I do have other more expensive things in my room like batteries or my digital camer or laptop or tv, or dvds, or food. I mean pretty much anything else in my room is worth more than that paper. Basically my thief is either not very smart or just wants me to be confused.

In other news I went and saw the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Long movie....almost didn't make it lol. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I mean its probably worth seeing at least once, but I am not going to see it again.

Oh I went apartment hunting too. We found these awesome apartments with vaulted ceilings, an electric fireplace, keyless entry, a coffee shop, a free movie theater, a pool, tanning beds, a pool table and shuffle board. It was awesome. Of course the only way to afford it would be to put a deposit down now and get this deal they are currently having. Another thing would be that one of the girls (there are three of us) that I'm rooming with will be leaving after december so me and the other girl would have to find another roommate to be able to afford the apartment when she leaves. Which then leads me to the apartments that we are wanting now, which are not as nice, but the rooms are pretty spacious and its cheap. only $425 a month with utilities a flat rate of $150 a month. That is less than $200 a person per month and after the one girl leaves, the two of us can still afford it. We would probably have to paint and get the carpets cleaned and stuff before we move in, but it still would be nice and it is really close to the school cuz I'll be havivng grad classes in the evening. So even though that one apartment complex is really awesome and amazing, this one is more practical and cheaper.

Well, I am going to do some more reading before class. I'll probably blog again soon considering tomorrow is my birthday and I am excited!!! We are going to eat at Lamberts and then have an office party where we will be watching the episodes with birthdays! I am way excited!

New Years Resolution

I'm not one for New Years Resolutions...mainly because I can never keep them. If I had to decide on one for this year I guess it would be to be more confident in myself. I am one of those people who when around new people I become really timid and shy. I like to try to sit back and figure people out before I put myself out there. I tend to try to show parts of my personality that I think these people would like. I've decided that I am my happiest when I am around my friends because I am myself. I just let all of it out and don't really care what they say, because it is who I am. So I am going to try to get over this timidness and shyness and just be myself right from the start. I'm not saying I will act all wild and crazy around new people, but I will be more open and talk more. Hopefully I'll suceed.

In other news, I am back on campus. I hope I can sleep tonight. I'm feeling homesick....this always happens after I've been home for a while. The worst part is that this whole break while at home I could never sleep too well. Almost as if I was homesick while at home...it was really weird. Like I was just anticipating something but there was nothing I am waiting for. It might have been the fact that after a couple nights in a new day bed that my mom replaced my old bed with I then had to sleep on a blow up mattress in the living room while my nephews were over for a week, then I had to transition back to that day bed. Then on New Years I had to sleep on the blow up mattress when we had my nephews overnight. I think home doesn't quite feel like home anymore....

Exciting news is I bought a poster of Edward Cullen...lol!! I put it up on the wall by my bed in my room here at school. Just plain amazing is all I have to say.

new year

This is my first blog of 2009!

I'm pretty sad that I have to head back to school tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I like my friends there and do miss them, I just haven't had that much time over break to spend with my friends here.

I can't believe I only have a few short months before I graduate....of course I still have a couple more years of grad school and then the possibility of more school to earn my PhD. It is all kind of scary.

Well, I don't have much time to blog, I am packing, doing laundry, and baking some cookies to take back with me.