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. 

           

God is Good:

The last two weeks have been crazily busy, but God has helped me overcome any stress and is in control.  As of tonight, the remainder of this week and next should be slightly less complicated. 

October 6th: One of the piano teachers hosted a concert because she was leaving for the semester because she was expecting. :)  It was a lovely concert.  She played a Bach Fugue, Beethoven Sonata, and two pieces by Rachmaninoff.  After the hour-long concert, I returned to my dorm to discover Sara watching a Dr. Who episode.  It was then that I watched my first Dr. Who episode.  Sara had been persuading me for weeks.  Surprisingly I enjoyed this Dr. Who episode.  We like to joke that I am getting two educations.  One is in public policy and the other in the world of Dr. Who and sci-fi movies.      

October 7th was my roommate's birthday.  We had planned a surprise party for her after her last class which ended at 9 p.m.  Unfortunately, when the guests arrived, there was no Hannah.  After a couple of phone calls, it was discovered that she had a commitment, so we postponed the party for 45 minutes.  Once we actually hosted the party, it was filled with laughter, donuts, chocolate cake and a giant 52 inch teddy bear.  

October 8th our choir put on a wonderful concert.  A couple of the local high schools had been invited.  The choir sang some songs in German, Capella, and had some amazing harmony.  Sara is in the choir.  It was extremely enjoyable. 

October 14th was our first Theology test.  This is my first and only class on Tuesday and Thursday.  I like having tests first thing in the morning.  You can scare your roommates and tell them it was really hard. lol  I feel like the Theology test went well. (still waiting on the results) Later that evening Sara and another friend sat outside late that evening to work on our essays because it was an extremely warm fall day.  It was crazy trying to complete an insanely long Logic assignment and finish a paper due the next day.  I did manage to get it all completed before 1 a.m. :)

October 17th was prospective students day.  Since we have an extra bed, we hosted an overnight guest.  Even though I had homework due the next morning, it was wonderful to have a guest.  She was very sweet and even left a kind note on our dry erase board.  During lunch that Friday, Sara and I sat with a prospective student from Colorado.  I really enjoyed asking questions and getting to know them.  Next semester I want to get a job as a student ambassador.  Later that evening Sara and I attended a self-defense class that one of the girls from our wing put together.  That evening we talked about the physiological factors of self-defense.  I learned so much.  

October 18th was the most activity filled day I've had yet.  At 9 a.m., we attended the second session of self-defense.  Sara and I practiced with each other on various slaps, kicks, and quick-releases.  After that we only had less than 2 hours before our dance class.  One of the favorite parts of my week is dance class.  During class we learned the Cha-Cha and built upon other dances.  I hope to become a good dancer.  Immediately, after dance class we had to run (literally) to our extra-credit book discussion on Benjamin and William Franklin.  After that was over, we had only a couple hours until our Hoedown!!  The Hoedown was at an actual barn.  It was a bit chilly, but after the first line dance, we were all warmed up.  At the end of the dance, there was a pumpkin pie eating contest.  Sara had mentioned that she might compete, but wasn't really serious.  I begged her to do it and she did.  There were 7 contestants, 5 guys v. 2 girls.  They guys had to eat without any utensils or hands while the girls could use a fork.  Hannah and I laughed so hard until we cried.  Sara was one of the first ones to finish all of the pie, but she couldn't swallow the dry crust.  Unfortunately, Sara didn't win, but we were all very proud of her.  Sara had pie all over her face, because she had plunked her face into the pie at the beginning before using her fork.  We had a blast!  I don't think Sara will be interested in pie for a long time. 

October 20th was our second U.S. History exam.  The night before, Sara and I spent much of the evening quizzing each other.  It has been concluded that Sara and I have the best study parties.  When trying to memorize the differences between the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists, Sara drew an amazingly hilarious comparison chart.  It was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing. Nevertheless, it did help us to memorize.  This was an amazing test, because there was no essay!!! 

The day continued to escalate in craziness.  

This week is also our campus wide Moot Court tournament.  Our first round was that afternoon at 4 p.m.  I was the first speaker.  We don't get our results back until the end of the week, but I feel confident about that round.  I was able to answer all the questions well and used all 9 minutes. 

We also had a 6 page research paper due that evening.  Thankfully, I had written a significant portion of it in early September.  Despite my head start, by the time I had correctly finished formatting it, we had less than 5 minutes till class. 

After our class at 6 p.m., we went grocery shopping since we had missed dinner.  We purchased pre-cooked baby back ribs and cooked those in our microwave. :) I have learned how to cook many things in the microwave.  Each morning I enjoy hot Pillsbury cinnamon rolls.  Yum. :)  Pillsbury makes the morning so much more enjoyable.   

October 21st we had to register at 7 a.m. for spring semester classes.  I had awaken with plenty of time to get all the classes I wanted, but because I couldn't figure how to disable a popup, it cost me 10 minutes and 2 of the class times I desperately wanted.  Even though I don't have all the class times I wanted, during drop/add time, I think everything will work out. 

October 22nd was another busy day.  After all my morning classes, I worked with my Moot Court partner for 2 hours.  We had a round at 8 p.m. after our 6 p.m. class.  In this round we were Respondent, which means that I am the third speaker.  However, the round did not run normally because portions of the other team were missing.  The round began 15-20 minutes late.  Instead of being the third speaker I presented first.  I don't mind speaking first; in fact, I enjoy it.  Our round lasted longer than expected, but it still went very well.
Prior to the rounds, I had been slightly worried over the questions I would be asked and whether I would have persuasive answers, but God gave me the right words to use.  Despite my last two crazy weeks, I have been getting at least 6 1/2 hours of sleep.  Even though life gets crazy, God is good All the Time!    

Study, Study, Study

The last 11 days have been very busy with numerous tests.  Finally, I am over that hurdle for now. 

First, I would like to mention an exciting activity that happened a couple weeks ago Saturday, September 20.  As previously mentioned, whenever a guy gets engaged he is always "bobtized" in Lake Bob.  This was my first time witnessing a "bobtism."  Around 10 p.m. a large crowd flocked outside one of the main academic building while a dozen guys entered to kidnap the innocent victims. Within a couple minutes the guys returned carrying the 2 unsuspecting guys.  Then the unsuspecting guys were carried to the flag pole where several men prayed over the men.  Next, the procession headed toward Lake Bob.  The unsuspecting 2 guys were carried into the lake and then plunged into the semi-chilling water.  Usually the guys are "bobtized."  Our RA had never wanted a Candlelight Ceremony, so our wing kidnapped our RA and proceeded to pitch her in the lake.  It was awesome being getting to see 2 guys and 1 girl dumped into the stink of Lake Bob.  That has been one of the most enjoyable things I have participated in so far. 

Two Tuesdays ago, after I had gotten ready for class I discovered that our Theology class had been cancelled.  That news was so thrilling that I went back to bed for another 2 hours.  If only I had checked my email after getting up, then I would have known I could have slept.  Oh well. 

Last Monday was our first Western Civilization test.  This is my first class of the day at 8 a.m.  In addition to several multiple choice questions we also had to prepare for 2 out of 5 essay prompts.  It was not disclosed which essay prompts would be on the test.  Thankfully, my professor allowed us the choice of whether to take the essay on Monday or Tuesday.  Sara and I had chosen to take the essay on Tuesday.
  

On Tuesday, Sara and I prepared to take the essay at noon.  When we got our essay prompts, Sara and I both received the questions we wanted.  My question was about describing Alexander the Great's conquests and impacts.  Although I do not particularly enjoy Western Civ. because I have never studied this subject, I was able to hand write 12 pages on my essay.  The time it took me to write this essay took a grand total of 2 hours and 15 minutes.  I was extremely pleased with my essay.  The difficult part is waiting 2 weeks for the results. :(  (I just received my essay grade today, and I got an A!!!!!!)

After completing our multiple choice and essay portion on Monday and Tuesday, we also had a Logic test on Wednesday.  I enjoyed the logic test and feel that that I did pretty well.  Later that evening, Sarah and I celebrated our first wave of tests by watching Mission Impossible 4 and popping popcorn.  I am not a sci-fi or superhero movie fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  Wednesday night also marked the beginning of Homecoming.  The first kick off activity of that evening was dodge ball.  I chose not to attend dodge ball because of impending homework.  As might be assumed, the senior class won dodge ball.  

Thursday night homecoming activities included ice cream and the banner competition.  The four classes were given the challenge of designing a banner centered around this year's theme, around the world.  Once again, I did not attend Thursday's activities because of pending homework.  The results of this contest was senior, sophomore, junior, and freshmen.  

Also, Thursday was our second grey glove.  Since we knew what to expect, we weren't as worried and didn't have to dedicate as much time for cleaning.  Within 4 hours our room was spotless.  I am pleased to announce that our clean room passed with flying colors!  We are so happy because we have passed 2 times in a row.  

Friday was one of the best days of Homecoming, it was Spirit Day.  As long as you wore a college branded tee-shirt you could wear jeans.  The only thing that did not contribute to this wonderful day was the rainy weather.
If your class had a 95 or higher percentage participation in wearing Spirit attire, then your class would receive a 1,000 points toward the overall Homecoming prize. Unfortunately, our class missed the 1,000 points by 2%.
Later that evening was a competition of various acts of singing or skits.  Some of the songs were beautifully composed by the students and others were silly songs.  There were also several skits performed.  The show lasted for an hour and was super hilarious!!  I could have died from laughing.  

Sunday: 
Not much occurred on Sunday with the exception of that Sara and I learned a fabulous new card game!  It is called Schnapsen.  Also, over the weekend we had a couple guests.  Sara had a friend over and we also hosted a prospective student.  Our room was cramped with 5 guests in a room meant for 3 people which only had 4 beds.  Despite our lack of space, it was enjoyable.

Reading List:
Every time I blog I will try to either explain something I found interesting or a new book we are reading.  During our wing chapel, we have recently started reading A Prodigal God by Tim Keller.  It offers a whole new perspective on the story of the Prodigal Son.  Although we haven't gotten very far, I really enjoy it.

Cheers and hugs to all.  Fall break will be here in 3 short weeks!!!

A Good Kind of Busy: 

Within the last 9 days, it has been decently busy.  Not an overwhelming busy, but a healthy and exciting busy. 

Last Tuesday:

I signed up to participate in Moot Court.  In some ways it is very similar to policy debate, but it is more professional.  Moot Court mimics real court.  This year we are debating a case about abortion laws.  You are only allowed to use the cases and evidence cited within the Moot Court binder that the Moot Court association has compiled.  The binder is over 600 pages!!  This year the case is about whether it is constitutional or not to require any woman wishing to procure an abortion to have an ultrasound and require her to see and hear the baby.  She must also be informed of the risks of abortion through the state's pamphlet.  I am debating whether the "due process" clause of the 14th Amendment is violated because of Proposition 417.  I have to prepare a 8-10 minute mostly memorized speech for both sides, petitioner and respondent.  My partner is debating the 1st Amendment.  Under Proposition 417, the doctor is not permitted to answer any questions the woman has or refer her elsewhere for answers.  Lately, I have been working on the Petitioner side.  It has been difficult for our whole club to compile good points without compromising our pro-life stance.  Last Monday, while observing the advanced teams practicing I had a revelation.  Before the woman undergoes the ultrasound the physician provides a copy of the state's pamphlet.  After reading the pamphlet she is to certify in writing that she had understood the risks.  I am not allowed to use an outside dictionary, but according to the Oxford English Dictionary, understand is defined as, "thoroughly acquainted or familiar with."  Since the physician cannot provide answers if the woman were to inquire further about the risks, she cannot reasonably sign off that she has understood the risks.  That is my main argument why Proposition 417 is unconstitutional.  

Later that day my partner and I ran through our arguments with our coach.  He told me that he liked my argument and hasn't heard another team run that argument!!  That sure put a smile on my face!  

Thursday: 

Our whole wing, especially Sara, Hannah, and I had a blast planning a surprise party for our RA.  Our RA doesn't like to publicly celebrate her birthday, but we did it anyways.  Sara, Hannah, and I went to Walmart and purchased a huge card (probably 12x24in) streamers, balloons, and a mini disco ball for our dorm. :)  We also walked to the local grocery store and selected an Oreo ice cream cake and flowers.  As we were walking back we were constantly on the lookout for her.  Thankfully we made it safely to our room.  Our RA was in her room studying so it was difficult to plan a surprise party. We decorated our wing as quietly and quickly as possible.  We also inflated several balloons, probably around 40.  The whole floor was covered in balloons. :)  Then we knocked on her door and surprised her!! Afterwards we filled a sheet full of balloons and dumped them over the balcony and sang "Happy Birthday."  Then we had to decide how remove all the balloons.  Rather than carrying them all back upstairs, we took the balloons outside and proceeded to pop them.  It was awesome!!! 

  

Friday:

It was one of the best days of the week.  It was the Freshman Dance.  The dance began at 7 and was held at a local church.  Sara, Hannah, and I had a blast getting ready.  Sara styled all of our hair.  The Freshmen dance is low key and most girls wear knee length dresses and most guys wear jeans.  Usually whenever I attend a dance, I always kick off my shoes.  That night I wore heels and wore them the whole night.  My feet were not super sore, with the exception of a blister on the top of my toe.  For three hours, I danced most of that evening's songs.  Some of the songs we danced to included the; YMCA, I Feel Good, and You Don't Know You're Beautiful.  After a blissful night of swing dancing and some pictures we went out to IHOP.  I've never been to IHOP before.  Around 11:30 p.m. we ordered breakfast.  :)  I was delicious.  Other fellow students were also there. Although my feet were tired and we were stayed out till 12:30, we all had a blast.  

Saturday & Sunday: 

Most of the weekend was spent studying for the dreaded U.S. History test.  Sara and I were quizzing each over various facts.  Some of the upperclassmen bought snacks for the studious Freshmen.  After we got some snacks we were finishing studying around 11-12 p.m.  While we were studying we had great laughter over some of our silly answers.  At some points I almost cried from laughing.  

Monday: 

Test day!  U.S. History is my second class of the morning after Western Civilization.  The first portion of the test was a 50 question multiple choice.  These questions are not your typical 4 possible answers.  When taking this test you have to read the questions extremely carefully because there are 6 or 7 possible answers.  Thankfully, it only took me less than an hour to complete this portion of the test.  After lunch, it was 1 p.m., and we had 45 minutes to run through all our essay outlines. Students can complete the essay whenever and have as many hours as necessary.  Sara and I had decided to begin the essay at 2.  During the precious 45 minutes, Sara and I ran through all the potential 7 essay questions.  Once we arrived at class, I spun the "wheel of misfortune," to see which essay I would write.  My essay question was describing the Spanish, French, and British motives, colonies, and who had the most successful policy.  The essay can be as long as you want.  Previously, I did not think it possible to write long essays.  I ended up writing a 12 page answer to that question.  I could tell I had several people praying for me because I was not nervous and had no difficultly writing my response.  It took me 90 minutes to write my essay.  I feel like I did pretty well on my exam.  The difficult part is waiting for my score.  Thank you to everyone who prayed!! 

On a side note, in Logic we have been reading a book called, Love Your God with All Your Mind, by J.P. Moreland.  Every week we have to read a chapter and write a blog post about it.  If you are interested in a good read, read it!  Moreland talks about how the church is losing focus on the importance of the intellectual mind.  He discusses the various problems and solutions to those problems.  In the most recent chapter I read, he talked about the "empty-self."  Society has become increasingly focused on itself and has resulted in minds that are not able to think, reason, and tackle apologetics.  This has been my favorite book we have read so far. 

Next Monday, we have exam in Western Civilization.  It is also multiple choice with 5 potential essay questions.  Thankfully, the essay questions are not on the same day, so our brain has a chance to refresh!  We also have a Logic test next Wednesday.  We have to memorize 49 fallacies.  I don't feel stressed about the Logic test.  The West Civ. worries me a bit more because I have never enjoyed Western Civ.  Despite my lack of enthusiasm, West Civ has not been uninteresting.     

Cheers and love to everyone back home!!

Another Good Ole Week:

Last week wasn't super eventful, but here are some of my highlights.

Thursday:
Once a month, beginning September, is Gray Glove.  Before students leave for Christmas and in May, there is the rigorous cleaning inspection called White Glove.  Every inch of your dorm has to be spotless and if it doesn't pass inspection then you are fined.  In order to prepare the students for White Glove they have Gray Glove.  I am so grateful that I only have Theology on Tuesday and Thursday for an hour and a half, so I could spend the day cleaning.  It was 10:30 by the time Theology and our wing Bible study was over.  Immediately after that Sara and I got to work.  We worked until 1:30 and then we had lunch. After lunch were hurried to finish.  The inspector was expected to arrive between 3 and 5.  The thoroughness required was military style.  The air conditioner filters, the white grilles on the windows, the top of the doors/frames, the slats under the top bunk, and the top of the drawers underneath the bottom bunk all had to be spotless. The inspector is extremely thorough and last year most of the rooms did not pass the first time.  Sara and I had a goal of passing the first time. I'm proud to announce that we did pass our first Gray Glove on the first attempt!! Yea!!  Later that evening we decided to celebrate with a movie.  We eventually chose Megamind.  I wasn't too keen on watching it, but afterwards I really enjoyed it.  I was like the Incredibles but with a twist.

Friday:
We had no classes on because it was Faith & Reason day.  Since there was no classes we got to sleep an additional whole hour! :)  Everyone is required to attend Faith and Reason.  The dorm wings get really dressed up and coordinate their outfits.  Our theme was autumn colors.

That was the dress I wore along with my hair pinned up in a beautiful braid, black heels, large silver earrings and a pendant with my initial on it.  

The lecture was an hour and half.  Afterwards our group went to lunch and then to discuss the lecture.  During discussion time it is our job to compose a question to ask the panel.  By the time all that was said and done, we returned to the hall with the whole study body to listen to our questions being answered.  Unfortunately, there were several questions and ours never got answered.  The lecture was interesting.  The goal of Faith and Reason is to demonstrate how faith and reason and not opposing, but rather work together.  After the question time ended at 2:30, it was time for the annual study body picture.  The camera man stood on top of the second story roof.  It was difficult to look up into the camera and smile when the sun was shining in your face.  Thinking we were done with pictures I returned to my dorm.  I had only begun to kick off my shoes before I was informed of another photo shoot with just our wing.  These pictures were more enjoyable because we used old books as props.  When all the festivities had finally concluded it was around 4 p.m.  

One other highlight of the day was that I received 2 care packages in the mail.  The mail room sends you an email when you have a package.  I was surprised to find 2 packages.  Thank you so much to the senders!!!

After a long day of sitting we had to sit even more for our extra credit history movie.  We watched the PBS documentary, Into the Deep.  It was about the U.S. whaling industry and about how Herman Melville's experiences lead him to write Moby Dick. 

Saturday:

Sara had her sister over for the day.  I spent the morning taking notes on U.S. History.  Then I went to lunch with Sara and her sister.  After lunch, Sara and her sister went to the mall and I stayed behind to study.  Hannah and I studied for an additional 3 hours before heading out shopping.  We went to a local Goodwill and then went to Walmart.  I was in the market for a new phone, because my current one does not have enough storage.  Although we didn't have much on our shopping list we were out for quite a few hours.  Since we had missed dinner we stopped at Five Guys.  The double stacked bacon cheeseburger was extremely delectable.  :)  Mmmm.  We left campus around 3:30 and returned around 8.  I did stay up late that night till 1 a.m. to finish my history lecture.  

Sunday: 

Sunday was the usual routine of homework after church.  All my homework for the this week is completed. Yeah!

I am excited for this Friday because the first dance of the semester is rapidly approaching.  I can't wait.  

Monday: 

Today was a go-go-go day.  First, was Western Civilization where we learned about Ancient Greece. Then on to U.S. History for a non-counting quiz about the differences between Christian and Enlightenment views.  After a good chapel, it was onto Logic to discuss the Diversion Fallacies. After lunch I had to finish an online Library scavenger hunt.  Then it was onto Moot Court where I observed and took notes on the some of the advanced teams.  While I was listening I had a great idea for a new argument in our case!! :)  Moot Court ended at 5:30 which only left 25 minutes before Research & Writing.  I barely had enough time to shove down 2 mini tacos and 2 slices of watermelon before my last class.  Usually Research & Writing is my last class on Monday except tonight.  Our history professor offered an extra credit discussion on Worldly Saints: The Puritans as They Really Were by Leland Ryken.  

This coming week is going to be decently busy.  Next Monday is my first U.S. History test with several multiple choice questions with a mystery essay.  We don't know which essay we will be given.  So we have to write 7 outlines before hand and write only one when we get in class.  That day I also have a full Moot Court round.  I have to perfect my speech and work on polishing my memorization of all the related cases.  We also have an essay due about the 1st Amendment in two weeks and the professor wants all of us to have a session with the tutor to help us fix any weaknesses. Even though this coming week is going to get busier, at this point I really don't mind because I enjoy a busy schedule.  

Sending love to everyone!! I miss you!  

      

It's the Weekend!

You can begin to tell when fall/winter is approaching, because classmates/roommates begin getting sick.  :(  The top floor of one dorm is already sick.  Yuck.  Not much happened over the weekend, but here are a few highlights.

Thursday:
On Thursday, Sara woke up not feeling well.  Hannah soon followed with a cold on Sunday morning. Later that night, Hannah and I went to the local grocery store across the street.  It felt really good to get out after studying for a couple hours straight.
It felt awesome not to have to stress about any homework due this week because it was all done!!

Friday:
Sara went home for the weekend.  I had no excuse not to accomplish all my work.

Saturday:
I love the weekends, not because I have no class, but because I can sleep late (9:30 ish.)  That afternoon, Hannah and I went out shopping.  We visited the local antique stores and a couple thrift shops.  At one store they had a Medieval dress handmade from the tabs of soda cans.  It said it weighed 8 pounds and the asking price was $1,500.  That dress was awesome!  After exploring for 2 hours, we began our walk home.  The trails nearby are gorgeously lined with lush trees.  I stayed up after midnight to finish Theology before hitting the pillow.

Sunday:
Usually the rails on the top bunks are pretty sturdy, but I have not been so successful with mine. Within the last three weeks I have knocked off the rail at least 4 times.  Two other times I have popped out the pegs.  The rail is secured by a metal peg which allows the rail to slip over it like the cap of a marker.  It seems that the peg is not wide enough to hold the rail.  I shall hunt down a wider peg this week.  Thankfully, I have not fallen out of bed yet, although there was a student who had previously fallen out of the top bunk.
The freshmen dance is approaching withing the next 2 weeks!  Tonight there was a dance class for swing.  I have never done swing before, but I loved it.
I finally finished all my ice cream cake.  It was delectable!
Sara is back and is feeling better!!  Yeah!

Here's a joke I found.
Student: "Would you punish me for something I didn't do?"
Teacher: "No, of course not."
Student: "Good, because I didn't do my homework."

Thankfully I don't have to worry, because after I finish reading the Iliad I don't have anymore homework due this week!!!!!

It's My Birthday!!!  :)

It's my most favorite time of year besides Christmas.  Today is my birthday!  Today I had the pleasure of sleeping in till 6:45ish versus the normal 6:20.  Sara had a breakfast engagement so I decided to take a quick jog around Lake Bob which is right behind the dorms.  For class I wore my favorite white dress with black flowers from Kohls, black heel sandals and I put waves in my hair. After a quick breakfast of vanilla yogurt, pineapple, and watermelon, I headed off to class.  In Western Civilization we discussed the Jews and how their God differs from any other class of people's god.  Western Civilization was succeeded by U.S. History where we discussed whether the colonies were established for provide religious freedom for all.  After both history classes was chapel.  A local pastor spoke about giving God every second of every day.  Lately we have been reading from the book of Hosea.  Right before lunch we have Logic.  Once my classes were over I headed to the mail room.  I ordered a birthday gift for myself. 

These are my new dresses which I adore!

Thank you to everyone who sent me a card!!

I am pleased to announce that I completed every assignment due for this whole week on Labor day!!!  :)  Since I have no homework due this week I took a nap after opening my cards.  Right before Sara and I sat down for dinner, she announced to the whole dinning room that it was my birthday.  Everyone in the hall sang to me.  After dinner we had one last class from 6-7.  When the class was over, I couldn't decide what to do, so I told Sara and my RA to surprise me.  

Sara surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet!  :) 

My surprise party consisted of watching The Princess Bride, shortcake cups with raspberries and blueberries, and an Oreo ice cream cake.  The cake was delicious!! 

Thank you so much to everyone for all your thoughtful cards and texts. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!! :)

This Past Week: 

Tuesday: 
I have classes everyday of the week, however, on Tuesday and Thursday I only have one class, Theology, at 8-9:30 a.m.  I had set my alarm for 7:10, but for some reason I did not hear it.  Thankfully, Hannah remembered that I had class and woke me up at 7:40.  Unfortunately, I didn't get breakfast, but I wasn't late to class either.  I love my Theology professor, he is so incredibly funny.  After Theology we have wing chapel.  Our brother wing surprised us that morning and gave us chocolate, muffins, and tea.  I really enjoy Tuesday and Thursday because after wing chapel at 10:20, I have no more classes.  :)  All this week I have spent the entire afternoon outside studying beneath the trees outside our dorm.  The weather here this week has been mid 80s and perfectly sunny. :)

Wednesday:
My roommate, Sara, and I have vowed not to become victims of the Freshmen 15.  So we decided to get up at 6:20 a.m. each weekday to jog in the local neighborhood.  The sunrise was beautiful as we left the dorm that morning.  We started with a brisk walk and then jogged.  I didn't have my pedometer with me, but we probably traveled 2 miles or so.  It feels so wonderful to be out when the sun is awakening and the rest of the world is still asleep.  After a 40 minute hike we returned to get ready for class.  Wednesday was one of the best days this week.  We had a class at 6 p.m., where we listened to our Theology professor teach us how to order our days.  He said that we don't have to do the typical list of: God, Family, Work, Friends, Pleasure.  When God is first and foremost then the rest of our priorities will fall into place as he directs us.  Afterwards my roommate and I went to our second Candlelight Ceremony.  Whenever a girl gets engaged some of her friends will throw a candlelight ceremony.  The engagement ring is placed around a tall, lit candle. The candle is then passed around the room so everyone has to opportunity to look at it.  Then the candle makes a second trip around and whose ever ring it is blows out the candle.  There is always chocolate and classical music at these mini parties.  I love hearing how the bride-to-be met her fiance.  Candlelight Ceremonies do not announce beforehand who they are for. The girls have a sweet celebration while the groom-to-be gets tossed into Lake Bob during the night.  Lake Bob is the nastiest, smelliest, toxic (to some degree) lake ever. After the ceremony my roommate and I went to get pizza.  We had missed dinner that night because we were occupied.  A local pizza place gave each freshmen a coupon for a free small, 1 topping pizza.  I had sausage and it was delicious.  My roommate and I returned to our dorm and decided that we were going to lounge for the evening.  We watched "How to Train Your Dragon."  I have never seen that movie, but it was fantastic!

Thursday:
Besides rising at 6, having Lucky Charms for breakfast, and Theology, Thursday proceeded much like Tuesday.  Sara and I wanted to have a relaxing weekend so we both worked diligently until 10:30 p.m. on homework.

Friday: 
Sara and I have faithfully been exercising ever morning.  That particular morning was good because we found the local trail.  Previously we did not know where it was located and had been jogging in the local residential neighborhood.  After a full morning of classes, I got a significant amount of homework accomplished.  My goal for the weekend is to finish 2 weeks of homework in a weekend so I have almost nothing to do next week.  It has been said that week of finals is crazy, so Sara and I have decided to study early.  We have made sticky notes with our Logic on them and posted them around the mirror.  We can study and get ready in the morning! :)
Our dorm wing, which has 11 girls, decided to have dinner together at 5:30.  Dinner was a blast. Sara left after dinner to spend the weekend at home.  I had decided to attend a freshmen girls bonfire at 7:30.  We walked to a local farm, which is a stone's throw from here.  We played some icebreaker games and had chips and dip.  When it got dark some of the sophomores told us the life lessons they had learned. Afterwards we sung Amazing Grace.  By the time it was over it was past 9:30.  Upon returning to my dorm I settled down to study Theology for an hour.  After I was done, my pillow was never welcomed so much.

Saturday: 
Everything is quiet and laid back.  I had a dream that I was able to go home for the weekend.  I dreamt I was at the barn and called for Austin and he came running like a speeding bullet.  I miss my boy!  :(

Since I slept till 9:30, I decided that I would spend the first half of the morning relaxing.

                                                                I painted my toenails. 

The rest of my day shall be spent finishing homework.  I am aiming to finish all homework that is due next week.  

Here is my schedule with 2 weeks of homework on it.  As you can see I have accomplished a significant portion of it!! Yeah!! 

Monday: The First Day of School!! :)

I've never looked forward to the start of school, and college is no exception.  Despite the depressing thoughts school brings, today went well.  I dreamt that I missed my first class by an hour.  Fortunately, that never happened and I awoke with plenty of time to have breakfast.  My first class (Western Civilization) began at 8 a.m. and followed by U.S. History at 9:10.  The good thing about the first day of class is that the professors ask you to introduce yourself and explain the syllabus.  After the first 2 classes was chapel.  Since it was the beginning of the school year all the professors dressed in their robes and offered a message on convocation and prayed for all the students.  At 11:30, it was time for logic followed by lunch at 12:45.  I love my schedule because by 12:30 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, all my classes are over.  After class, I decided to study outside.  It was a gorgeous day with temperatures in the 80s and full sun.  After dinner I had a class in Research & Writing at 6 p.m.  By the time class was over I decided to take a jog around the lake.  I kicked off my shoes and ran barefoot around the lake for 3 laps.  It felt so liberating to feel the cool grass beneath my feet, and the wind rushing into my face.  :)

Here is where I sat for the afternoon.  The sunset is just gorgeous.  

Then when they began to mow grass I began to study my logic beneath the acorn tree until the sun set.  

School has officially begun.  :(  However, it won't be so bad as long as I can study outside. :)

Once Upon My College Life: 

It has almost been a week since I moved to college.  This blog is started with the intent of giving my friends and family a glimpse of college life.  I will begin the post by thoroughly explaining what happened Tuesday and then offering some of the highlights from the rest of my week.

Tuesday: 

This past Tuesday (8/19) marked one of the most significant changes in my life thus far.  Early Tuesday morning; my mom, dad, and I, headed out into the wee morning hours with our minivan packed full of necessary college stuff.  Despite all my need packing, the car barely held my 2 over sized suitcases, 3 pillows, 2 large blankets, 5 plastic stack-able drawers, and other miscellaneous stuff it almost left zero room for me.  According to my schedule we were supposed to check in between 9-10:30 a.m.  With my dad's race car skills we arrived around 10:20.  It should be noted that we did not break any speed limits, but rather that zero time was wasted during breaks, etc.  We were on a mission.  My initial impression was that we would arrive and check in and have access to my dorm by noon.  However, that was not the case. Upon arrival I received a seven point checklist.  For this checklist you had to register with all the individual stations and receive an official signature before you could move on.  By the time my checklist was completed it had taken a total of 2 hours. Around 1:15 p.m. I was finally able to move my *junk* in.  Next, my parents and I headed off to Jersey Mike's, a sub restaurant.  After lunch I returned to my dorm to begin the daunting task of unpacking.  During those couple hours I met my other 3 roommates even more stuff arrived.  At 5 p.m., dinner was scheduled in the gym with parents.  For dinner we had; corn on the cob, BBQ pork sandwiches, baked beans, and apple crisp.  After all the evening speakers had spoken it was around 9 before I returned back to my dorm.  Despite all the packing that remained, I got ready for bed and fell asleep.

Wednesday: 
When I awoke the next morning it was pitch black, so I assumed that it must be 5 or 6 a.m..  Unfortunately, my roommates alarm never went off, and by that time it was 8:30.  Breakfast was from 7-8 and mandatory chapel began at 8.  Ooops.  What a fabulous way to start your first day of orientation.  :(  In the scramble to get ready and get to our first session at 9, we didn't get anything to eat until 12. :(  
The final closing ceremony was at 5:30 p.m.  Our R.A.s (resident assistants) did 4 skits, one of which had me laughing hard.  After that they had the parents pray over their children.  I'm not usually a crybaby except that night.  I don't like crying in front of everybody, so I do math in my head and it usually can keep me from crying.  The good thing was that it worked for the most part.  After such a stressful night, one would think that students would be dismissed to bed, but instead we had chapel at 9:15.  At 9:15, all the students gathered outside, and had a worship service with several contemporary Christian songs and at least 3 passages read from the Bible.  In between the songs, the students were encouraged to pray out loud if they felt led by the Spirit.  Unfortunately, tears began to come to me during the latter half of the worship.  One thing I love about here, is that the student body is so compassionate and filled with the love of God. One of the students came and personally prayed for me.  It was so sweet.  The worship was great except that it lasted until 10:30-45, and when you are already tired and stressed it doesn't help to be out so late.

Thursday: 
We almost missed breakfast again.  Our schedule said that breakfast was until 8:30.  The dining hall doors were locked.  So we asked someone from the kitchen and she said that it was closed but we explained and showed her our schedule as evidence.  It took about 10 minutes, but she returned and admitted us.  Once again we were crunched for time and only had 5-10 minutes for breakfast.
Some of the other crazy things happening are, my student ID functions for everything except unlocking my dorm. :(
Before coming to school, I had requested one of the desks in our room.  When I got to school and saw the cramped quarters, I switched my desk for one of the cubicles that my roommate had. The cubicles are in a separate room between dorm wings.  After she moved the stuff out of her cubicle I was not notified.  So another student claimed the desk.  There are only a limited amount of cubicles in the room, so I was out a desk in the room and in the study room. :(   I talked to my R.A. and was told that I could study in the library or the lounge.  While that is not a bad option, I really wanted my own desk!
Later that evening, as part of getting to know the incoming Freshmen our RA and our brother wing went out to get frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog.  It seems odd that a frozen yogurt place is named after a frog, but it actually stands for "Fully Reliant On God."  The layout of the store is odd, because it is all self-serve.  You pick the flavor of yogurt and fill your container and then go to the bar and top it with any toppings.  I topped mine with; blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, whipped topping, and Reese's Pieces.  It was so good!

Friday: 
Friday morning we had to take 2 assessment tests.  One was a mini SAT and the other tested your ability to navigate the library and related research skills.  After lunch we returned for 2 more tests.  The first one was an essay and the other was a multiple choice about U.S. history, philosophy, general history, etc.  The question on the essay asked whether or not technology was too dominant in our lives.  While normally I would agree with such a quote, this time I decided I wanted to turn the tables.  So I disagreed with the quote.  As I was writing my essay I began to agree more and more with the opposing side.  I said that technology is not invading our lives because; it has simplified our lives especially when it comes to communication,  it has helped doctors and response teams to save many lives, and lastly it is not invasive because technology is not knocking at our doors, but rather we are knocking at its doors.  Anything can become invasive, it all depends on whether or not you let it.  The moral of my essay was, it is your responsibility on whether or not technology invades your life.  I scored high on my essay so I was pleased. The other tests I have not received my scores.

Saturday: 
Normally, I am not someone who enjoys sleeping in, but after all the exhausting and boring orientation, I was adored sleeping until 9.  I would have liked to sleep more, but couldn't so I decided to begin some of my pre-class homework.  So I began reading Genesis 1-11.  In an hour I read 7 chapters.  After I finished that. we didn't have anything to do until 1, which was a 2 hour session on how to survive the academics.  After that I came back to the dorm and crashed until 5:30.  At 6:30 that evening there was a Freshmen talent show.  I had signed up to audition on Friday, but when I got there it said to email for a different audition time.  Later that evening I emailed them.  I didn't see the email until next morning.  They wanted to know what act I wanted to perform.  After I told them that I didn't hear anything about an audition.  So my roommate and I went to dinner and then the talent show.  When we arrived at the show I was discovered and asked if I would still perform.  I said sure even though I hadn't practiced at all that day.  There was only 10 acts out of 90 freshmen.  I was the closing act of the show and performed "Final Journey" by Emily Bear.  On the last page, there is a passage where the music goes from the key of G to B.  For some odd reason I messed up the key change, but it was not even noticeable.  :)  After the talent show there was an ice cream social.  I had a delicious strawberry ice cream. :)  Then later that evening one of my roommates and I went to Walmart to look for more storage for our crammed dorm.  We found some great drawers and shelves and got back around 10:30.  Saturday was probably the best day of the whole week.

Sunday: 
I slept in again until 9.  It felt really good.  This was my first Sunday church hunting.  I decided on a local, non-denominational church to attend with one of my roommates.  We were planning to drive, but my roommates's brother took the car and we had decided to walk.  As we were about to leave campus the bus showed up and took me and my roommate and 8 other students to church.  This church is probably within 3 miles of campus.  I had wanted to walk to church today because I have literally done nothing in the way of physical exercise all week.  College has been okay so far, but I cannot stand all of this sitting around. I don't mind studying, but I need to move with a purpose!  I can't wait to find a local barn where I can ride.

I finally took some pictures of my dorm and desk.  I am pleased to announce that after living in here for 6 days we have most everything all organized and put away. Yay!  :)  Here is our dorm:

Upon entering our room, the closets are on the left side and each of us have our first initial on the front. Unfortunately, the closets are really small, but they are workable. 

The college doesn't allow full refrigerators, but we found a way around that with two mini fridges. :)

Upon entering, this is the mat below my top bunk bed.  :) Gotta love DD! 

The top of my bed is covered in Duck Dynasty sheets! Oh yah!

I even have a poster of the Duck Dynasty crew right above my bed.

We just bought this shelf last night, and it is wonderful!  Behind the black shelf are 2 desks back to back, neither of which are mine, but that's okay because I love my desk more.  

Behind the desks is our living room.  As you can probably guess the camo chair is mine.  It is the most comfortable thing in the world! 

This is Sara, one of my lovely roommates.  Sara has to cute soft pink and black polks dots bed and Kristen has the one below with beautiful pink flowers on it.  It is funny because their beds are pink and more pink while my other roommate loves blue just like me. 

Here is my desk until they install more cubes, but considering the view who would want a cube?  I have my horsey calender and my pictures of my horse at center.  With all the rumors of insane homework anything that calms me down is good. :) 

The hallways of our dorm wings are all decorated and here is one of the great quotes right outside our room. 

Thank you to everyone for all your prayers, texts and emails.  They all mean so much.  Keep them coming please!   :)