Two Very Good Reasons to be Happy:

I can't believe it is finally here!  Today was the last day of classes!  Although I have greatly enjoyed our class discussions and learning new things, I am thrilled that the year is almost complete.  Only one more week to go!  Next Monday through Wednesday is finals week.  I'm tired just thinking about the seven essay outlines I have to write, nine lectures to memorize, two blue books and six tests due within a timeframe of 60 hours.  Besides that enormous black cloud, I am on cloud nine because I get to sleep in, wear jeans instead of business casual and no more classes.  (In case it hasn't come through, I'm overjoyed about the end of the semester.  :)

Another reason that I am excited is because I got published this week!  I got an article printed in one of our school's newspapers.  I wrote an article about the importance of farm subsidies.  The new edition came out yesterday.  You can only imagine my happiness!  I even had a friend tell me that the article convinced her of the significance of farm subsidies.  Yeah!

  

The finish line is so near.  I can taste victory.  :) 

So Busy Yet So Much Fun. . .Dancing: 

On February 20th we had another dance the Sadie Hawkins.  Unlike the Christmas and Liberty Ball where the guy asks the girl, this time the girl asks the guy.  While some girls have elaborate plans for asking, mine was simple.  The first guy I asked did not work out, but that is okay.  I decided to ask a senior I did not know.  The only thing I knew about him was that he was occupied the same barracks as Hannah's brother.  My strategy for asking was quite simple.  I knew that he liked anime.  Since Sara and I had just finished watching a Japanese anime show, I printed off a picture from that show with some of the characters at a dance.  Along the frame of the picture I wrote 'would you go to the dance with me.'  Since my blind date and I had different schedules I had my roommate Hannah deliver it.  He said yes.  

The day before the dance Hannah, Sara and I went dress shopping.  I already had my dress but Sara needed a new one.  When dancing swing, one must make sure their dress does not spin too high.  Unfortunately, Sara's dress had too much swing so we headed for the outlet mall.  You would not think that shopping for a cute knee length dress would be that difficult.  However, achieving our goal proved more challenging than previously thought.  After about five hours of shopping we finally found a dress and decided to treat ourselves to dinner.  We stopped at Friday's and enjoyed fabulous burgers and some lobster.  I've never had lobster before and actually it was pretty good. :) 

After classes on Friday was the dance.  While some couples go to dinner before the dance we had decided to eat afterwards.  The theme of the dance was Candy Land.  The dessert table was filled with every imaginable candy.  Yum.  :)

I think it is safe to say that out of all the dances I've attended I danced the most at the Sadies.  My date and I had a wonderful time chatting and dancing for almost three straight hours.  At most dances I always kick off my shoes like most of the other girls.  This dance was no different.  About half way through the evening I noticed that it felt like there was an air pocket under my right foot.  Upon further examination I noticed that I had incurred three large blisters.  Directly in the middle of my foot I had managed to scrape a thick layer of skin partially lose.  It looked like someone had taken a knife and sliced off part of an apple peel but left it hanging.  Despite my limp, the inflammation and the raw skin I continued to dance the night away.  

Afterwards, Sara, Hannah and I took our dates to The Greene Turtle.  At the Sadies it is customary that the girl treats the guy.  We all had a lovely time laughing and joking.  While choosing my dinner I decided to be adventurous and select the PB&J burger.  I know that sounds disgusting but it was delicious.  Strawberry jam and melting peanut butter on a burger was one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten. 

Although I suffered a limp for three days after the dance, I had a wonderful time. 

The Liberty Ball:

Last weekend was the most formal dance of the whole year the Liberty Ball.  This dance is held at a country club in a gated community with a live band.  

Although I had planned on attending this dance for a while, I almost didn't go.  The week of the dance Hannah came down with the flu.  While I avoided the deadly pathogens for most of the week, they eventually caught up to me on the day before the dance. :(  On the morning of the dance Hannah and I had to run some errands.  Upon our return I felt terrible and had firmly decided against going.  With my plans cancelled I settled down for a long nap.  When I awoke I did feel much better but still wasn't sure whether to go.  Hannah was all glitzed and ready to go and encouraged me to come but later with her brother.  Then and there I decided to go.  I had less than two hours before our departure.  Yikes!

The venue included a beautiful dance hall, a terrace overlooking the pool and golf fields and a chocolate fountain.  :)  There were so many lovely ladies decked out in diamonds.  One of my favorite parts of the evening was the live band with their talented vocalists and the upbeat waltzes and swings.  About halfway through the evening Hannah and I took a stroll around the lovely grounds.  I had a blast chatting with old and new friends.  I also had an amazing time dancing doing many spins, twists and dips. :)  

The evening continued late and by the time we arrived back at campus it was after midnight.  After we were back on campus, Hannah and I decided to get some ice cream at the local grocery store all while in our elegant gowns.  Despite the fact that the day started out on a low note being sick, it ended on a high note.  

Absolutely a wonderful evening!   

     

Crawfish, Oysters and Alligator:

Since the semester began there has been a fair amount of new and interesting stories.  When I returned for the semester in mid January, one would expect to see a fair amount of snow; however the ground was bare.  It wasn't until the end of January that we first began to have snow.

On the first Friday in February, our Model United Nations team hosted the Swiss Miss Sock Hop dance as a fundraiser.  Everyone was encouraged to sport the craziest socks they could find.  We had a wonderful evening of dancing swing and traditional 50's songs.  After the dance was over, my roommates and I along with another friend discovered a new restaurant, The Greene Turtle.  I tried a crab pizza which was wonderfully delicious.  :)
  

The day following the dance Sara and I prepared an elaborate breakfast for our wing.  We spent the morning cooking in a friend's apartment.  By far the smallest kitchen I have ever worked in, especially for two people.  Within two hours and with limited counter space, we had cooked strawberry french toast, two pounds of bacon, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry scones, mocha punch and yogurt parfaits.  We even had the table decorated with rose petals.  By noon our whole wing and some extra friends had arrived for a grant total of 17.  Brunch was delectable. :)

Valentine's Day was quite an adventure.  In the late afternoon Sara and I decided to go to a spa.  We had a lovely time getting our nails done.  Early that evening it started to snow heavily, but thankfully it wasn't too bad.  For dinner we decided to try something new (at least for me) authentic Cajun.  Between dinner and appetizers I had tried Crawfish, fried oysters and fried alligator.  It was amazing!!  This particular restaurant was located in a historic house, probably from the Civil War.  Truly a neat experience.  After dinner went shopping at my favorite place, White House | Black Market.  Despite having a lazy morning, the rest of our day was fabulous.

Two weeks later on a Wednesday, Sara and I and a couple of friends played Poker Hide n' Seek.  Sara is in the Strategic Intelligence intro class.  As part of an exercise, the class was divided into three teams.  The teams were responsible for recruiting additional team members.  I was recruited along with some friends.  Late that evening in one of the main buildings the three teams each had a dozen poker chips for which they had to hide anywhere except the workout room.  Over the course of thirty minutes, I was searched three floors from top to bottom.  During my search I found 5 chips.  They were anywhere such as underneath door stops, behind posters on the bulletin board and in the soil of fake flower pots.  Since I was not in the SI class, I could only find the chips.  Once you found a chip you had to text a member of your group who could retrieve it.  Besides seeing who could find the most chips this was an exercise in looking for secret information in a spy like manner.  Last week I found out that our group won the exercise! :)
I've had many exciting adventures which have expanded my horizons.  :)
  

Federal Bureau of Investigations:

Can anything be more exciting than a field trip to the FBI?  I don't think so. :) 

Yesterday (Thursday), a small group of potential Strategic Intelligence students awoke before the sun even dared to open its eyes.  Because I am not in the SI track, I did not officially make the list.  I was an alternate.  Even on the morning of, I was still not sure if I would get to go.  So I decided to take my chances that someone had forgotten to set their alarm and woke up at 5:30.  Fortunately, three people did not show up and I was admitted.

While at the FBI headquarters we got to listen and question some agents, analysts and the deputy of the Counter Intelligence division.  I even got to shake the deputy's hand.  :) Awesome.  After the discussion time, we got to see live demonstrations of past and present firearms in the indoor range.  Then we had time to mosey around the 9/11 and other related operations of the FBI in their own museum.  There was an abundance of cool artifacts and gifts from their various investigations.  

Before the bus headed back to campus, our group went searching for potential restaurants for lunch.  Sara and I settled on the Hard Rock Cafe.  It was a quaint place.  We got a table next to the window.  I ordered a hickory and bacon cheeseburger.  The most amazing burger ever!  

While I loved exploring the various aspects of the FBI and meeting wonderful people, this is not a job for me.  I am so grateful for the sacrificial men and women we have protecting us.  

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

November 22:

The week before Thanksgiving break our Eden Troupe put on the play "It's a Wonderful Life: The Musical."  Sara and I bought tickets to the final Saturday performance.  The whole cast did an amazing job and the singing was phenomenal!!!

December 3: 

The Christmas Ball came on the last day of classes.  Sara and I went out to eat and dance with a small group of friends.  We went to a local BBQ for dinner.  The dance was held at a local roller skating ring.  We had a wonderful evening dancing and chatting with friends.  After the dance was over, Sara and I watched two Harry Potter movies until about 3 a.m.  The whole evening was awesome!! :)  

December 4:

Thursday afternoon Sara and I went for a drive and spent the afternoon at Starbucks.  We were able to snatch two of the big comfy leather chairs by the fireplace.  There couldn't have been a more perfect place to study.  That evening I attended a Christmas party with a group of new friends.  Thanks to a local family we were able to have full use of their house for the evening.  We played Dutch Blitz, Telepictionary, had hot chocolate, baked cookies and sang Christmas carols.  The joys of the Christmas season.  :)

December 6:

On Saturday our choir and orchestra put on their annual Christmas concert, Lessons and Carols.  The evening began with a reading from Genesis and ended in Luke with the Savior's birth.  After each reading, the choir would sing a couple songs and then orchestra would play a solo.  The evening ended with a candlelight singing of Silent Night.  The chorale did a fabulous job!!  I was extremely proud of our school.     

December 8:

Monday was the first day of finals!  I began the day with a Western Civilization multiple choice.  After a quick break, I began work on my blue book essay.  I wrote about the Renaissance.  Even though I started my essay at 11 a.m., I did not finish until 2:15!! It took me over 3 hours!  I filled an entire blue book.  I stopped for a quick lunch only to realize that my Logic final started at 2:15!  I had previously thought that it started at 2:30.   Yikes!  Thankfully I was allotted a few extra minutes to finish my exam since I had just finished another.  When my Logic exam was over I took a nap.  I didn't get to take a long nap because we had another final and short essay at 6 p.m.  Even though Monday was an extremely long day, Sara and I finished the day by watching Harry Potter. :)

December 10: 

If I thought Monday was crazy, I should have waited until Tuesday/Wednesday.  I spent Tuesday night studying 7 potential U.S. History essay outlines and 5 lectures until midnight.  Then I spent the next hour packing.  At 1 a.m., I was super exhausted and took a nap for a hour.  Before leaving for break, each dorm has to clean their common spaces.  Sara and I were assigned to take down our dorm's Christmas decorations.  At 2 a.m., Sara and I deconstructed the trees and took them to the attic.  Afterwards, we spent more time packing and cleaning our room.  By 4:45 a.m, Sara and I called it quits and went to bed.  Our plan was to sleep for 2 hours and then study some more.  Unfortunately, Sara did not hear her alarm.  By the time we awoke it was 10:30!!!  What a hectic awakening.  I had to be at the airport at 6 p.m., so our day was super tight.  Beginning at 11 a.m., I spent 2 hours writing my U.S. History essay.  Then Sara and I spent the next 2 1/2 hours cleaning.  Before leaving for break, our room had to pass White Glove.  Everything from ceiling to the baseboards had to be perfect.  Our checkout time was 3 p.m. and we had to be out by then.  Unfortunately, we did not check out on time and missed the grace period by a few minutes and incurred a small late fine.  Once White Glove was passed we rushed to finish our exams.  Sara only had an hour and a half to write about the Reformation.  I only had 90 minutes to take 2 multiple choice exams.  :o  Despite my extreme time crunch I finished both exams with plenty of confidence.  Sara and I left school skipping, singing and dancing as we rushed to the airport.  

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  No more finals, essays or papers!  It's the most wonderful time.  It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!!   

   

A New Adventure:

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been several new adventures. Our first adventure we happened upon occurred on Thursday, November 20th.  Sara and I decided to attend a concert at the Kennedy Center.  We went to hear Stravinsky's Suit from The Firebird and Busoni's Piano Concerto, Op. 39.  It was wonderful to get all dressed up.  Sara and I met up with one of her friends and from there we walked to the Kennedy Center after stopping for a quick bite to eat.  Since it was only 2 miles from where we parked, it made sense to walk.  Our seats were in the balcony.  The concert was simply beautiful.  After the concert was over around 9 p.m., we decided to return on a different way.  Previously we had taken the longer route to the concert.  At first we appeared to be going the right way, but then we decided to double check our GPS.  Unfortunately, it said that we were going the wrong way.  Even though we corrected our steps it, throughout the evening it never got us on the right path.  Instead of taking us 20-30 minutes to arrive at our car, it took us an hour and twenty minutes.  We got lost.  :(  While Sara had brought flats to wear for the walk back home, I only had small, pencil heels.  Heels are generally not that bad except when you are walking on unfrozen November grass.  It was cold, in the mid 40s.  Once we reached the car I had trekked approximately 4 miles over 2 hours!!  Despite our mini-adventure Sara and I had a blast!  Adventures make memories!  

(I have several more stories to tell, but will get to those after finals. :( )   

Exciting Times:

The last two weeks have rapidly come and gone.  I can hardly believe that there is less than a month of school left.  Yeah!!

On October 23rd, Sara and I decided to just have fun and send any thoughts of homework flying out the window.  After my Theology class, we headed on a lovely drive towards Harper's Ferry.  The drive to Harper's Ferry was simply gorgeous.  The trees were abundantly adorned in every color of fall.  The first place we visited at Harper's ferry was where Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia all intersect.  We visited Jefferson's Rock and spent a fair amount of time climbing and exploring all around it.  Then we hiked on the Appalachian Trial for about 2 hours.  Even though we encountered many minor hills and it proved tiring, it was well worth it.  After we worked up an appetite, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant.  The quesadillas we had were fabulous.  :)  Sara and I had a blast.  The weather was perfect.  There was an abundance of sunshine and the temperature was perfect for shorts and T-shirts.  The day was absolutely perfect!

October 27th: I had an evening Research & Writing class.  Right before class began, my debate partner informed me that we qualified for a regional tournament due to our success at our local campus tournament!  I was speechless!!!  The tournament began only two days after fall break ended!  On Thursday, November 6th, not only did I have to pack for the tournament, but we also had to clean for Grey Glove.  Only 8 teams from our campus were invited/qualified for this tournament at another law school.  This tournament was unlike other tournaments I attended throughout high school.  Our first round began at 9 a.m. on Friday.  I really enjoyed this tournament because we were always ahead of schedule!!  Breakfast, lunch and dinner were also provided only for the competitors.  Even though there were only 28 teams at this tournament, the teams were divided into 2 groups.  This split caused there to be long intervals between the rounds.  After our first round we had 4 hours before our next round.  There are only 3 prelim rounds with 3 judges each.  Our first round went well.  We were petitioner which is the equivalent of affirmative.  I enjoy Moot Court, because each person only has 1 speech with the exception of a 2-3 rebuttal for the Petitioner.  Our second round began at 2:45.  This time we were Respondent.  This round was extremely difficult.  Both of the speakers were seniors and were amazing.  You never know whether your judge panel will be a hot bench.  As soon as I began my speech I was continually thrown questions for the remaining 9 minutes.  I answered the questions well and so did my debate partner.  The judges told us that this was an extremely close round.  The time between our second and third round was 2 hours.  The third round is a coin flip.  We had won the flip and were Petitioner.  Once again we faced advanced seniors.  All the prelim rounds were completed by 6.  After the rounds were finished, a pizza dinner was provided.  During dinner, they announced which teams would be competing in the octo-finals the next day.  All our teams advanced except my debate partner and I.  Even though I was momentarily disappointed, the peace of God filled my heart and gave me peace.
Saturday rounds did not begin until 9:30 which allowed extra sleeping.  :)  I had great pleasure in watching the rounds of our school and taking meticulous notes.  When it came time for the semi-finals, the only teams which qualified were teams from our school and they were all freshmen!!  :)  At the law school we were competing at, they had a replica of the Supreme Court in which the final round was held.  

Awesome!! Right?

Needless to say, our school won the tournament and 1st & 2nd speaker!!!!

On the ride back to campus at a late 9 p.m. my debate partner and I finally had the chance to review our ballots.  In our first round we won every single ballot.  :)  Looking through our ballots and pondering our coach's words, we just missed competing on Saturday by 1 ballot. :( grrr............

Despite this disheartening loss, I am extremely proud of our whole campus and how well my debate partner and I did.  

Besides the tournament and our visit to Harper's Ferry, life has been going well.  This week a significant portion of my time has been devoted to writing papers.  We turned in a Theology paper yesterday and have a 10 page Western Civilization research paper due on Monday.  For our Theology paper we had to reflect on whether A.W. Tozer is a mystic after reading his book, The Knowledge of the Holy.  I really enjoyed this book.  If you haven't read it, I would definitely suggest it.