Back in the midst of it...

I thought about how when i got home i would update, but then there was the famine of no internet that i experienced, and then i thought sometime when i got back i would update, but then we started classes about 15hrs after i got back. Then, i was thinking that i could update on a sunday when i'm at a house with internet access, but once again, i encountered a problem, none of the houses we went to had internet, so here i am finally updating in the twenty minutes i have before i run off to do something else. The semester is going well, i got a job at daycare last week, so ive been working, going to class, and trying to socialize like mad. I have no time in my life for anything, well except for the things already listed. Even for church, i've been trying to do homework on the way, or eating, if its a wednesday. Sorry that i couldn't update longer...im adding pictures of my church group :-)

The End of the Beginning

The curtain has almost closed on this semester. It's hard to believe that three months ago, i arrived on this campus knowing virtually no one and not knowing anything about the school. Finals are upon me, and the urge to go home is strong. I have really learned a lot this semester. Besides lessons in various classes i feel that i have really grown this semester. A guy i go to church with and i were talking about our decisions to transfer here. It's both of our first semesters, and we agreed that we couldn't have made a better choice. I'm so glad that i made the switch and if i had it to do over i would make the same decision in a heartbeat.

Here are some pics we took on extension yesterday...pretty much i go to an awesome church with awesome people....So here we are...in the back are ryan, alex (we don't know about his facial expression, which is why we had to take another), and aaron. In the front, betsy, me, lori, and rachel (who came for the first time this week but fit in perfectly).

O there you go alex, now thats a face we can use...

When we stopped at Red Robin, Ryan had to get a pic like Kramer :-)

12 days of Christmas...

So as i said, i would include pics of my floor when everyone finished decorating their door... so it begins with these banners to announce our theme... On the first day of Christmas, Marantha gave to me, a dorm sup in a fir tree...
On the second day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 2 concrete mixers...ok these are really from Culvers...
On the third day of Christmas Maranatha gave to me, 3 pairs of nylons....
On the fourth day fo Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 4 paper passes...
On the fifth day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 5 days of finalsOn the sixth day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 6 blow dryers running

On the seventh day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 7 girls a-shoppingOn the eighth day of Christmas Maranatha gave to me 8 couples skatingOn the nineth day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me, 9 cups a-brewin'On the tenth day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 10 nurses studying

On the elevnth day of Christmas, Maranatha gave to me 11 guards a lurkingOn the twelveth day of Christmas, Maranata gave to me 12 trains a chuggin'

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere i turn, Christmas is jumping out at me....and i love it! We decorated our floor with the theme, The Twelve Days of Christmas Maranatha style...pictures will follow when everyone gets their doors decorated. In chapel we sing Christmas songs everyday, half of which i have never heard in my life, and at times leave me longing for something familiar, but its nice to hear the Christmas cheer. Christmas trees are EVERYWHERE, and they are so beautiful. I just love Christmas; it puts everyone in a good mood, its a great time to be able to go home, and it reminds us of the miracle of Christ birth. Honestly, what more could you ask for in a season?

Speaking of Christmas, i was a little nervous this year about gift money. My family has never been big on gifts, but i just really wanted to get everyone something this year. On Thursday night, Rachel and i were decorating the bathroom door with our amazing construction paper fire place (ok, since ur BEGGING me to put pics up of the amazing door my roommates and i decorated, i guess i can put those up early, so check out below) when a girl that lives across the hall from us asked us if we wanted to make money...after serious consideration that lasted about .352 seconds, we said yes, and she told us about a cleaning job that needed done. So, this morning Rachel and i got up...(yep, thats right we can get up on Saturdays if we try) and we were off to clean. We had no idea what or where we were cleaning, we just knew to meet in front of the welcome center at 8. Well, we learned we were cleaning a museum...you know like one of those houses that gets converted into a museum. At first i thought it was a museum for dust sculptures, but once we started cleaning, i saw that they had some pretty cool stuff. So we cleaned all morning, and then the owner of the cleaning business took all of us out to lunch and let us order whatever we wanted...i got some amazing fajitas...mmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about them... So, now i have money for Christmas presents and to go see NT II over break...can i do all that for fifty bucks?? I can if im thrifty ;-)

On a completely different topic, pray for all the students and faculty at BJ. They are having a small outbreak of whooping cough, and as a result they are ending the semester a week early. I called a friend of mine there to make sure he was still alive and healthy, which thankfully he was, and he filled me in on all of it. Pretty crazy stuff...Anyhow, it was really great talking to him...i really haven't kept in touch with people this semester like i should...sorry about that...its been busy. Well...miss everyone at home, and can't wait to see you over break...12 more sleeps!

Look its my amazing roommates in our first room pic of the semester...with our amazing door!And here's the bathroom door that Rachel and i decorated...Yay! for construction paper fireplaces

Time for Change

As the days of the semester dwindle and going home seems like an actual possibility, we begin to be restless. Homework is no longer a satisfying way to spend our time...not that it ever was..., so we begin to look for other things to do. That is just what happened last night when two of my roommates and i decided to rearrange our room. For 25 minutes we shoved furniture and discussed the best place for that alarm clock, or this chair to go. We climbed over beds, squeezed through tight spots made by the desk that had taken temporary residence in the middle of the room, and gawked at all the things that our bunk beds had been concealing. Through the whole process, we were kinda wondering what our missing roommate would think of the change. We tried to be as courteous as possible by keeping all her things in relative proximity to her bed, and just crossed our fingers and hoped she liked that we turned our room on end while she was out. Well, when she got back, she opened the door and i heard...o...wow...i couldn't tell if it was a good wow or not, so i just waited...about three seconds later, after she had taken it all in she threw her arms in the air and yelled I LOVE IT! I guess its a good thing we were all ready for a change...

Thanksgiving BREAK!

So here i am at Erica's house, and I'm enjoying my Thanksgiving break. It really has been a break. There hasn't been any crazy running around, just time to sit back and relax. AND most importantly, time to catch up on some much needed Facebook. We had an amazingly delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I've also gotten to do my laundry (without scrounging for quarters). The only sad part of this weekend is that we came to the conclusion that our Tennesee trip just isn't going to work out this semester. It's sad...i really wanted to go and i was looking forward to seeing friends and meeting new ppl.

But the most important thing is: I'LL BE HOME THREE WEEKS FROM TONIGHT!!!! ok so im just a little excited about it. Anyway, we're about to go eat dinner in a little bit and i have to attack erica for trying to whip me with her hair. :-D

Coffee

Whoever thought of grinding up beans off of a tree, running hot water through them, and then adding milk and sugar is the winner of today's most important innovation of all time award. Tomorrow starts the beginning of our Thanksgiving break and this past weekend i went to Chicago. That leaves a lot of work to do with little (actually no) time to do it. So, i have become accustomed to...okay slightly dependent....alright already, i've become addicted to a cup of coffee on mornings that i wake up before 7:30am. Along with those "early morning" cups of coffee, i have recently been forced to stay up utill all hours of the night to finish assignments that have been piling up and refuse to be delayed any longer. Last night...or was it this morning, i was up until 4:30...yeah thats a.m, but i finished my paper, and i plan on enjoying a massive afternoon nap. I should have just hooked up a caffeine iv to keep me going. I am about to go to psychology...and try to sit through the whole class and stay awake. I need another cup of coffee...




On a subject that has nothing to do with (well except maybe to explain th reason as to why my paper wasn't done) my sleep depravation, Chicago was amazing. We left on Friday afternoon and arrived at Rachel's grandparent's house to a yummy dinner that her grandma "threw together" (it was amazing....i'd like to see a meal that she actually plans out). Then we went to her aunts house, after arriving, we went to Kohl's at 1030 at night and proceeded to shop until midnight. The next day we got up, and i went to David's Bridal with two of her aunt's friends while Rachel went to the airport to pick up her other aunt and uncle. Then we hit downtown! Chicago was amazing....i just loved being downtown anywhere. Overall it was an amazing weekend.

This is the Hershey's store in downtown Chicago.

Here we were just a little bored at Gap

Look!!!! It's Erie Street!!! I was so excited...and yeah it is in reference to Lake Erie!!! Can you tell i miss home???