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. 

           

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!!!