Crafts, Shoes, and Bella Napoli

Surprisingly, a lot has gone on this past week which was unexpected considering my lack of consistent work and being out of school. Last night, Lindsey, a "friend" of Jon's, asked me out to ice cream while the guys rehearsed for their gig on Saturday. It was so nice to get out of the house and spend time with a girl. As much as I love hanging out with the guys all the time, it's great to hang out with other people too. We talked at Dairy Queen for 3 hours until they kicked us out since they were cleaning and closing up. The rest of the night I spent listening to music and talking with Kurtis, Jon and Robbie who is staying with us for the next week to see if he wants to move in sometime.

Today I left the house around 10:00 which has become the new bright and early for me considering how late musicians stay up. I got some new shoes to wear with dresses but that are more casual and then I went to Michael's craft store which is a weak spot for me. Lindsey gave me a fun idea last night to make earrings which I got super excited about and got the supplies for. You take clear moonstones and glue an image onto the back and then glue them onto earring posts and then you can make whatever designs you want! I can't wait and I have enough to make 30 pairs of earrings so watch out. At that rate I can have a different pair for everyday of the month.

This afternoon I took a nap and watched the Office (tough life I know) and then met up with Kurtis to picket the crazy Italian guy's restaurant. We're pretty sure that his lawyer must have talked some sense into him because he stayed inside the whole time for the whole two hours. Last time he ran into one guy and then threw a sign at someone else. They made a video of it if you want to see the level of maturity we are working with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHuBlEtILp0.

After the picket, we went to Bread Co. to unthaw for dinner. My pinkey toes were actually white and numb after 10 minutes of standing outside and after two hours I was unsure if they were attached. Luckily they were and after my bread bowl and vegetable pesto soup I am all warmed-up. Kurtis is taking the day off from painting tomorrow so we are going to get some shopping done for his Mexico trip. Hopefully we will get to go to the bookstore we got a coupon to as well. You can never have too many books although Kurtis and I are apparently attempting to prove that wrong.

Tomorrow night Kurtis has a gig with The Sellouts, which is Stella but doing covers, basically just to get some extra gigs. It's at the J&M in Pioneer Square (don't worry Mama, I will lock my doors). Sunday I am hoping on coming up to Lopez for the day until I leave again until I come back up on Friday.

On Tuesday I worked for a family taking care of a two year old boy named Jackson and a 6 week old baby boy while the mom was there. We went to a bounce house, it was Jackson's birthday and he ran around laughing with a huge smile on his face. This next week I am going to be working Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for them too which I am pretty excited about and then 3 more days later on in December. Jackson is the sweetest, cutest little boy but to be honest, taking care of a 6 year old is a little nerve-wracking at first. It's good to get that experience though and it really is easy after you get the first few minutes down. So I am sure I will have some stories after those days so until then...

Washington Again

I am back home here in Washington and the northwest is playing up to its stereotypes. It has been raining here all day, can't even get out to go on a run. It is cozy inside though but not as nice as the wood heating up on Lopez.

I got the gelato from the groupon coupon that I had yesterday and it is delicious. I got 6 different flavors: pumpkin, lemon, strawberry (gelato and sorbeto), raspberry, and blackberry red wine. Now I understand what all the hype about gelato is all about.

Steve is coming up tonight, he will be teaching in a lineman school I think all week so he is staying over tonight. Kurtis and Jon will be out at their Apple Jamm practice so I'm going out to dinner with Steve I think.

I have been reading all day, I just started a great book that I got from the Thanksgiving Library book sale called "Elegance of the Hedgehog". Turns out it was originally written in French and then translated into English. There is a literary bell-waiter and a genius 12 year old suicidal girl looking for reasons to live who is extremely observant. It sounds weird, and it is, but it is very interesting.

Home Sweet Home

It is such a relief to be home. Although this quarter was not nearly as busy as usual (as you probably already know from my previous posts), I still feel immensely relieved to be back in the Pacific Northwest. I have been in the Factoria mall since noon today and it is quarter to 5 now. Kurtis had to record in Capital Hill and I wanted to get some shopping done. Surprisingly enough, I have not been bored even for an instant. Thank the Lord up above for Bread Co. and free Wireless internet though.

I got up early and made scones and scrambled eggs this morning which was a switch from Kurtis' usual bowl of Raisin Bran. Last night I made him and Jon BLTs too as a welcome home present to them.

There is a piano just outside of Bread Co. and a guy just started playing and he is really good! How cozy, haselnut coffee+live piano+christmas trees and wreaths+Kurtis coming to meet me for dinner. Life is good.

I am looking forward to this break. Turns out I will only be needed to work after the 29th of November so I am in the clear until then which is so nice. I can't wait to get to Lopez, the air is so clean there and it is so beautiful. I will always like going home to Lopez, that is a guarantee.

Kurtis has a Robbie Christmas gig tonight so we will be going to that and then up to Lopez first thing in the morning. I have been talking to people at the school about helping in classrooms during my 2 week spring break and I think it is a go. I can't wait to get the experience and get to hang out with little kids. Yay! Much love to my family, I love the holidays and I will miss Baba and Katie but I am happy for them in China, maybe they will have fishy turkey and fishy pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving (if they are lucky!)

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, there's only tomorrow!

I get to fly home tomorrow! So excited! I had my last class yesterday of Wildlife Conservation which only lasted for an hour and was just evalutating the class and then Spanish in the afternoon. We walked down about 25 minutes to the new bakery/cafe in Elsah to find that it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we walked back up to campus through a trail that meanders through the woods, over a bridge made of a fallen tree and planks secured with a single nail. When I saw deer running I was not so sure that we had made the right idea by walking through the woods considering it is hunting season but if a hunter is stupid enough to shoot into a group of Spanish speaking clothed deer, then we have bigger problems to worry about. When we got back to campus we had spent an hour walking which was great and we went to the pub. Tough life, I know.
I had a nice long talk with Baba and Katie last night, they are doing well in China, dealing with the lack of popcorn, egg McMuffins and Mexican food but just barely. I also got to talk to Jon when I called Kurtis last night which was nice, I am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow! Wow, how did that happen! This is the most relaxed end of quarter I have ever had hands down. To-do list before I leave tomorrow: 2 pg. Spanish reflection on movie, turn in 6 page Spanish paper (literally just turn it in), pack my room, and write my volleyball final. Not tough stuff, but I have still been putting it off for Harry Potter and The Event. Today I will put it off for The Biggest Loser which wasn't on last week and nearly broke my heart. I new they hadn't taken a break so really I was just missing out, being put on hold for a week! How dare they.
I just got my flight itinerary for Prague, and Ally and I will be staying until the 3rd of June instead of flying back the first and waiting around beautiful Illinois for graduation. I emailed Heather at Willamette yesterday with a few questions about experience needed, and tests so I am expecting to hear back from her soon. Life is good, can't wait for tomorrow!

Finals, yeah right, I'd rather read Harry Potter

Yep, that's right. I started the 4th Harry Potter book last night if for no other reason but just because I can. I finished Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, last night and it was a great book. It was so nice to finally have time to read something for myself, I really miss reading.
I have been emailing back and forth with a woman about taking care of her kids while I am up for break and she wants to meet this Friday. The problem is, I have no car and unfortuneately the public transportation system in the U.S. is seemingly unexistant unless you have several hours to spend in route or you live in Downtown Seattle. Neither of these are the case for me so I am left not sure of what I will be doing. I would love to have a job, I hate getting bored and Kurtis is going to be so busy all the time that 3 or 4 hours a day, a few days a week would be great.
Thursday, Katie Duntley is coming up to campus and Katie, Sara MacDaniel and I are going to go to the Thanksgiving lunch together and then Sara is taking me to the airport. I said goodbye to Hannah yesterday, she is off to Alabama to see her Grandma and sister and little nephew for Thanksgiving. I'll be seeing her next quarter though because the Athletic Dept. hired her again.
I got an email yesterday that our plane tickets have been purchased for Prague! I can't believe that it is actually happening! Thinking about my family, Kurtis will be in Mexico, Baba and Katie will be in China and then France and I will be in Prague and Austria. You would think that we were from old money, think again! Or maybe Mama's real origins are not only German, Austrian, French, Scottish, African, Japanese, and Thai but stem back to the blood of Genghis Khan and we have inherited all of his riches. We'll never know although I am sure Mama is nodding her head readily in agreement.
I am looking forward to getting back, leaving in just two days, I can't believe it! I get home Thursday, Kurtis has a Robbie Christmas gig on Friday, Saturday we have a Seasol action at the Italian restaurant, Sunday we go to Lopez, then Wednesday is a Stella gig, Thursday Thanksgiving, and it just keeps going, can't wait. Plus now, I have started Harry Potter #4 so how can life not be awesome! I'm such a nerd, sometimes I trick myself into thinking that I did not inherit the unfortunate trait that my brother so readily took on from my father (sorry Baba, but you are a nerd, you call your ipad your "baybay", and sorry papa but if it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, then you call it a duck). Then I am quickly reminded of my love for Harry Potter and my lack of a social filter and I realize that I am yet my father's daughter.

Relaxed Finals Week?

I feel like I have stepped into the Twilight Zone...I only have two papers left for this week and they are both already written and only in need of editing. Really? Finals week my senior year and I am bored? Impossible, someone must have spiked the hot chocolate.

This weekend was a great way to wrap up the quarter. On Saturday we had the volleyball fundraiser at 9 a.m. and we got all the bags assembled and delivered by 11 which was great. After that I ran home to take shower and get ready to go to St. Louis with Christy and Ally for a cafe day. We drove all the way into St. Louis and commandeered a table for 4 hours to eat lunch, drink coffee, draw, talk, eat muffins, and tlak some more. It was the perfect day too. Christy and I had looked up the weather because we wanted to make sure that we were doing this on a cold and cozy day and we sure got it right. I think winter came that morning and now I can feel that it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

That night I ran into Kiersten and her roommate Owen and helped them bake a cake. We watched a movie, Bounce, and met Natalie for dinner. That night all of the women's dorms blew up 3,000, literally, balloons and filled the concourse with them. It was quite amazing. It was slightly terrifying and unsettling to see the lunch ladies pop the balloons that were making their way into the scramble room though. This one woman got this crazy look in her eyes and went berzerk on those balloons. I was witness to the balloon massacre of 2010, it was terrible.

Yesterday, I went to church and then to a play in St. Louis with the Prague abroad group. It was called Rock n' Roll and it was about the role of rock and roll in the Prague revolution but it was more confusing than anything. There was good music in between scenes but if that was the message that I left with, I am starting to think that I didn't really grasp the real essence of the play.

Anyways, last night we had a Christmas party in Howard. I was walking back from working out and it was freezing cold and then I could smell smoke from our chimney and then I saw the christmas tree all lit up in the window. As I got closer I heard the christmas music playing and girls laughing, it was so cozy. We had a white elephant gift exchange. I got a great mug and hot chocolate, peppermint bark, and a huge candy cane stick. The poor girl that got my present just got a bunch of candy, one thing of hot chocolate and a huge cookie, essentially the things I was not going to eat from my volleyball fundraiser bag. It was lots of fun and we had hot apple cider and popcorn and hot chocolate.

I am planning on taking a nice, long nap today, I am all tuckered out (as a 95 year old woman would say). I stayed up a couple hours later than normal last night finishing a movie and then talking to Kurtis, what a bad influence he is! We are starting to realize how long 5 months without seeing eachother is going to be, more than twice the amount of time we usually have to spend apart and that is painful enough as it is. This break will be our alst chance to see eachother until June 4th, ugh. We will have many fun stories though and fun adventures that I am sure we will be distracted from missing eachother too distractingly much. I hope so at least.

Home Stretch, Here I Come

I realize now how close I am to finishing this quarter-and thank the good Lord in heaven for that. I wrote two papers this week, finished a 12 source annotated bibliography, typed 15 pages of quotations, turned in my phase 5, got my capstone contract formed by nearly every staff member, had our volleyball banquet, and gave an hour long presentation in Spanish.
And now I am almost done! I'm at work right now, as you can tell they have me weighed down with loads of work. It has been one of my most productive places to do homework everyday. The other day I went shopping for the banquet and our goodie bag fundraiser supplies with Mary Ann, Hannah, Sara, and Gary. They took us to the Original Pancake House beforehand to start us off energized for shopping. In reality, I drank two cups of coffee and ended up just really having to go to the bathroom most of the time. When we came back, two girls on the team were auditioning their choreographed dances for the Dance Production that goes on in the Winter quarter. They did so well and we found out last night that they both got accepted. After that, I worked out and then Cat and I went into Alton to get presents for the coaches and eat dinner at Bread Co. Yum Yum.
I am so grateful that today is Friday, I will only have two more classes after today (I only have 1 today) and I think that one of those class periods will mean watching Planet Earth, I have a tough life.
Kurtis is still crazy busy with music, lessons, painting, and meetings. I am looking forward to getting home though, although I'm skeptical as to whether I will help his busy levels or not. Tomorrow we are doing the volleyball fundraiser which is always fun and then I am going out with Christy to have a cafe day. It is getting colder, that is for sure, and I hear that it is cold back home in Washington too.
My cousin Katlyn just got engaged, YEP, you heard it right! I just saw on Facebook. Isn't that weird, that we learn about people's personal lives on the internet now. No personal contact or intentional conversation but we still know what is going on in eachother's lives. I'm not convinced that that is a good thing. I'm actually thinking that it is terrible. I wish we still had to write letters to people and appreciated a good phone call once in a while. It's weird how the easier communication appears to get, the more ways we can communicate increases, we actually communicate less. How does that work? I think it's the laziness of being able to post something to the whole world and then not having to take the time or maybe even the awkward conversations to talk to each individual person. That's exactly what I am doing on this blog though, hmmmm...........

Two papers down!

I feel so productive after today. I got so many things done. I turned in a 4.5 page Wildlife Conservation paper and 4 pages of a Spanish paper of which I just turned into 6 pages which means that it is done! I also got my Phase 5 forms turned in and I will turn in my paper tomorrow which will mean that I only have Phase 6 left which is a great feeling! I also got the revised version of my Independent course contract for my capstone next quarter which means I can start getting signatures tomorrow. I gave a testimony in Org today too about my back/aching healing and Willamette unfoldment this past week.

Tomorrow morning I am going shopping with Mary Ann and Hannah for the banquet and fundraiser supplies. Our banquet is moved to Thursday night now which I can't wait for! On Saturday Christy and I are planning on going into St. Louis to a coffee shop and Bread Co. for lunch and being cozy while it is cold and rainy outside. She has been wanting to watch me draw portraits for a while now so we are going to bring sketch books and have a great afternoon, I can't wait.

It looks like I will be going to Lopez on Sunday rather than Saturday (sorry parents!). There is an action going on with SEASOL, following up on the crazy Italian restaurant owner, I think this time to establish a boycott on the restaurant. I'm looking forward to see the reaction of the owner this time around.

I am watching the Office at a nearly immeasurable rate. My new philosophy is as follows: when in doubt as to whether the office will disrupt concentration, eating, meetings, class, or sleep turn on the next episode and watch. I am starting to get worried about how I will react when the seasons end, I am on the 6th and it is bound to end within the week. Shoot! I just saw that I am already on episode 10! That's right it is on right now as I speak.

Work Work Work

I had quite a bit of homework last night, and tonight and tomorrow night will be the same. I wrote a 4.5 page wildlife conservation paper with a 7 source bibliography and a 3 page spanish paper, in spanish. I took a break after the science paper, since science papers try their best to suck out your soul which it was almost succeeding in doing, and worked out for an hour. It kept me sane. I hate sitting at my desk staring at the screen for more than an hour or two at a time.
Coming up, I have a Spanish presentation, 3 more pages of a paper, revising my science paper, finishing my annotated bibliography for French, typing up French quotes from the hundreds of pages I have read, studying grammar, finishing a pronunciation book, Spanish take home final, and turning in my Phase 5 to the writing center. Needless to say, I have lots to get done but this is definitely one of the less stressful ends of the quarter for me. No finals really, just some papers and then I'll be home.
We had our wrap-up meeting for volleyball last night, voting and lots of surveys grading the program and our coaches. I felt like I was cheating by going down the lkine of questions and putting the same great score on everyone but I really felt like they were that great. It was a good season. We are having to reschedule banquet because the women's soccer team is going to Nationals and they need an administrator to go along and Mary Ann is their only option so she leaves Thursday through Sunday night. I think we will be having it this Thursday then if she can get her flight delayed.
Kurtis is so busy that I think his head is going to explode sometimes; he keeps it all organized so well but he runs around like a chicken with his head cut off. During the day he either paints or gives guitar lessons, then nights he either has a SEASOL meeting, rehearsal for Stella, Apple Jam, or Robbie Christmas, or a gig all the while trying to prepare by studying Spanish and Mexican history to prepare for his trip. I'll have to be flexible about seeing him this break, he'll be so busy, I guess I'll get a lot of books read!

Home in a Week and a Half!

We have a wrap-up meeting for volleyball today to turn in all of our things and vote for awards and captains for next year. I am curious to see who is going to get it, I'm really not sure this year. Unfortunately, seniors don't get to vote on captains so I'll just have to wait until our banquet to see who gets it.

I finally got to talk to Kurtis last night after two days of him being in Victoria B.C. for a social organization meeting. He said it went great and everyone was very hospitable.

He told me a story last week about an action they did in Seattle. There is an italian restaurant where a woman was cheated out of a month's work without pay and now she is asking to get payed. So Kurtis went into the restaurant with another member of his group, pretending to be interested in ordering something to eat. They got the owner to come out and talk to him about the specials and the menu while the other guy went in the back to the other workers to hand out some information about getting help to not be exploited by this owner. Then, when the owner left Kurtis' table, he quickly got up and handed out information to everyone in the main area of the restaurant to let them know how the owner was exploiting his workers.

Well, they quickly left the restaurant after that to hand out information just outside of the restaurant to passers-by. The owner found out what they had done and called the cops, filing a report against them for trespassing on his property. Kurtis and the other members of his group maintained their composure although the cops were very uncooperative. Well, they kept handing out fliers and after the cops finally left, the owner came out onto the sidewalk and poured a pot of hot water on them! It mostly hit the man Kurtis was with but he got wet too. They STILL kept calm and Kurtis took out his camera to take photos of the owner and what he had done to have some documentation of his immaturity as this whole issue keeps going on. The owner, who had poured the water on them in a way to hide it from the people eating at his restaurant, proceeded to flip Kurtis off in the middle of the restaurant, pretending to be scratching his forehead.

To think that their group wasn't even asking for a boycott yet, I am wondering what the owner will do once they pick up the stakes. It's amazing how immature people can be when they get defensive.

So it's cool to hear his stories about all the things he is doing in Seattle, they won a case just a week ago. I am looking forward to going to the meetings while I am there during this winter break, it will be neat to get involved that way. Considering I am stuck in a bubble at school 30 months out of the year. I can't wait to get home in just a few days, this is going to be a great break!

Season Over

We had our last game of the season yesterday and it was great. While we lost, we played the best game yet and ended on such a high note. I got 22 digs and 18 serves with no errors and I have quite a few bruises on my hips and knees to prove it. After our game at 2, we stayed for the 7 pm game to see who the SLIAC champions would be. Afterwards, we had the awards ceremony and I was so surprised and excited to get one of the six all-tournament awards. I think Mary Ann put my name in and I got it! We also got the team sportsmanship award which was great.

As if the night wasn't good enough, we got to go to Bread Co. for dinner and after thinking that they had no bread bowls, I found out that they did! That was like a whole jar of cherries on top of my sundae.

Today will be a big homework day, maybe some working out and Office episodes in the mix. It was great to get an extra hour to sleep this morning but it is freezing outside. Fall is definitely here and winter is well on its way.

Next Sunday we are having our volleyball banquet and we are going to have Thanksgiving! I can't wait. Afterwards the freshmen always do a funny skit, seniors give out wills, and coaches give out the awards that we vote for tomorrow. It is always such a great way to close the season. Next quarter I am not sure how much volleyball I am going to do, I have ambassador, capstone, art, work, and I really like working out on my own honestly. Mary Ann has a women's club team that she is putting together too so I will have to see when that is meeting and how involved it is.

I am sure looking forward to the break in under two weeks, I'm glad I moved my reservation to Thursday instead of Saturday. Kurtis has a gig the next night and then we will head up to Lopez on Saturday. I'm planning on helping my dad out teaching his elementary language classes as much as I can this break to get some experience for my Willamette application. I am still so excited about the online program that they have now and I can't wait to actually live with Kurtis without having to leave to go back to school. I love how things work out so well.

So Much Good News!

This week just keeps getting better and better. First, i changed my ticket so that I would get home two days earlier this quarter. Then we had senior night which was absolutely amazing and so much fun. On Wednesday I had a great healing during practice. I was feeling achey and terrible and my back was in severe pain so while the rest of the team was working out I went downstairs and stretched out on the floor while I read a great article. It was all about not complaining and choosing not to give in to material complaints. I felt much better throughout practice and by the next morning by back was completely back to normal.

Last night I got a call from Kurtis telling me to keep my mind open. He had gotten an add in the mail from Willamette University who has just started an online program which also includes on-site teaching in a local public school. This is literally the best news I have gotten since...the day I was born. I will be able to move in with Kurtis now once we get married without having to move out again a year later to go to Salem for 10 months. I am so excited-everything is coming together! Kurtis' ticket form Finland to Mexico also worked out to be almost no extra cost which was not what we had expected for awhile.

And today if Friday! How much better can it get! I dare you to show me.

Tonight we have practice and then dinner at Mary Ann's house which I am very excited about. We always have so much fun together, especially after a stressful 8th week. Tomorrow if the SLIAC tournament which I am expecting the best for and ready to go all out. I think we have all been working really hard this week with a focus on mental toughness which is just what we need to pull through this tournament.

It is extremely windy out today and has been since last night. It makes it cozy inside though, especially when I have hot-chocolate. I can't believe that today could be our last practice...my last practice ever!

Last Week of Volleyball

Here is a picture of our senior night and the beautiful flower that we got. They are in a vase on my desk now. I wonder how many people think that Christy has a half-dozen children by know considering how many people she has represented at senior nights in the past.

I can't believe that it is Thursday already. I am torn between wanting more time to do all the work that I have to do but also wanting to get home asap.

During our senior night, some of the social events planners were sitting outside of the gym, putting people's names into a raffle. I didn't know what it was about but I figured I might as well put my name down. And I won! I have never won a raffle or anything like that so this is a very big moment for me. I can see now how some of those middle-aged cat ladies get so into filling out those sweepstakes all the time. It's exciting to win things. Remind me never to start gambling because Lord knows I am not lucky enough to start wagering money. So now I have a Target gift-card...the possibilities are endless!

Maybe I'll go crazy and get some nail polish or shoes, maybe a new dress...who knows.

Both of my classes, Wildlife Conservation and Spanish Film, were cancelled today. My professors love me. And Spanish is cancelled tomorrow too so all I will have is an hour of Wildlife Conservation. I have decided not to audit the Mary Baker Eddy class next quarter I think. With art, capstone, work, ambassador, Prague prep, and everything else, I think I'll just read the Peel books on my own.

I am in the middle of writing a French paper right now and I am starting to wonder how long it is going to be. The dang paper just keeps going and going. If these preliminary papers are this long, 25-30 pages might not be enough for my Capstone. I'll some serious editing to do. And to think that I used to think 5 pages was like writing a novel! I have found that I have a fondness for typing in general though so sometimes I wonder if I am really writing something of importance or just something that makes a nice noise on my keyboard. Then again, I write a lot of things just to delete them seconds later...typing just sounds so great! If only I had a typewriter connected to my computer! I'll have to look into that...

Skype with China

I got to skype with Baba during one of his classes and the kids were so cute. They asked all kinds of questions about college life, halloween, hobbies, travel and of course, the first question was "Do you have a boyfriend?" After traveling to Nicaragua, Japan, and France, and now having skyped in China, I have now concluded that kids everywhere are first and foremost concerned with relationship status.

I decided to take a leap and change my flight reservation to get home 2 days earlier than planned. Now instead of getting home on Saturday, I will be back Thursday, a full two days earlier. I can't wait to see everyone back at home and celebrate the holidays together. Kurtis has a bunch of gigs planned for the next couple of months and I am so excited to get to see him play again. I think I will be able to see him in all three bands too, can't wait. He has a Robbie Christmas gig tomorrow, I guess I owe them sandwiches for every gig I miss, they have informed Robbie of my BLT making abilities so I will be busy making sandwiches when I get home. Jon's reaction every time he takes a bite always makes me laugh. He just always seems so genuinely surprised by how much he likes them, it cracks me up every time.

I am looking more forward to Prague all the time. I looked into the weather, it will be smack in the middle of Spring the whole time. Our hostel is right on the main tourist road so we will be able to walk through the whole city along the main road or go one block to either side to escape the hustle and bustle and be able to see real Prague. I can't wait. Cafés every afternoon, drawing and writing in the streets, going to amazing museums, meeting great artists, eating good food and so many things I don't even know of yet. I hope the internet connection is good there so that I can keep up a blog for everyone back at home, in China, in Mexico...man we are going to be spread out!

Our SLIAC tournament is this weekend and we are going to be playing the #1 team, Greenville at their gym at 2 pm. We are working hard this week but Mary Ann is also letting us out early to get our homework done and not be stressed this week. I enjoy the extra time, but I am going to miss volleyball too.

I have been watching so many Office episodes lately. To my demise, I found that all of the seasons are on Netflix instant-on and I have gone through season 3, 4 and I am part-way through 5 already. That's what happens when you eat lunch in your room! I feel like a fool though when I crack up sitting alone in my room. What my neighbors must think I will ever know.

I am 99.9% sure that I got the ambassador job next quarter which I am so excited about. It will be so nice to spend those weekends with the other ambassadors and students, they are always such great weekends. Movies, dinners, bowling, and Clifton Terrace for breakfast! I will also be working my last quarter in the Language Department as secretary, leaving them to their own vices in the Spring. I have to keep my eye out for a replacement. That has been a great job though, good experience, nice getting to know the professors better, and frankly sometimes plenty of time to work on homework. So next quarter will be busy, but good, and then I will be set out into the world traveling to Prague. And to think that I wasn't even sure what country Prague was in just weeks ago. (High School geography, you failed me. They should be judged not me!)

Senior Night

Last night was Senior Night, marking our last home game...EVER!

We had a good game, and we got beautiful flowers and posters that everyone signed for us. Mary Ann also wrote up a nice thing about each one of us and read it after the second game. Christy Ellington was my stand in parent and we had to stand on the end line while they talked about us and took pictures for about 10 minutes.

It's been a long week but I can't believe that I will be home in 2 weeks from tomorrow. I took the plunge this morning and paid to have my flight changed from Saturday to Thursday since I have no finals and no classes after Wednesday. I am so looking forward to this winter break, I can't wait for some good relaxation.

This Friday, Mary Ann is having a short practice and then inviting us over for dinner at her house. It will be a nice end to the week, which has seemed much busier than usual. I am starting to feel the extra surge of homework from teachers who always seem to decide that big papers and extra reading should be piled on all at the same time. I have conspiracy suspicions but no hard evidence.

We watched Pan's Labyrinth in Spanish Film yesterday (El laberinto del fauno) and I had forgotten how violent it is. The little girl in the movie sure has a messed up imagination.

I couldn't believe a car drove into the Market the other day. That kind of thing never happens on Lopez! We will be talking about it for years I am sure. Apparently the EMTs and firefighters could practice their "mass casualty" procedures. This would not be comical normally but given the fact that only 4 people were barely injured and that it takes only 3 injuries to be a "mass casualty" scene, it is evident that Lopez is a very small place. So just in case the rabbits and deer get rabies and go berserk, the "mass casualty" techniques will be fresh in their minds, thank God.

So here is actual documentation of the hard work and dedication Kurtis put into his costume late last night. Take note of the multi-colored action around the eyes: a real artists touch. He followed pretty closely the real Peter Criss if I might say so myself. Boys will be boys.

Other than amusing myself with Kurtis' own amusements I have been busy doing homework and socializing in the pub- homework was first though I might add and I even did 35 minutes more than was necessary on French for today.

There are t.v.s around campus now that advertise sports awards and games for the week and results from recent games and we have also been able to add promos for upcoming games. So far we have done a Par-cour video, an interpretation of "Jessica's Daily Affirmation" (look it up on youtube if you haven't seen it yet) and some others.

This time, a group of the girls got together and rewrote lyrics to the song "Just the way you are". While they sing their new version, photos of us go by throughout our career here at Prin. I immediately started crying- I know it's corny, I am sure Papa is in awe of the whole idea, but I loved it and it was so sweet of them. So I am looking forward to tomorrow but I also know that I should wear no make-up in the sure event of my emotional tendencies especially with sports.

It's slowly turning into Winter here, I can't wait to get home where the winters are cold but green and beautiful, I can tell the orange, yellow, and read leaves are all going to be gone here in a week or so, I am hoping more.

I can see the light!

This weekend was great, my parents got to see me play some volleyball and I got nice and refreshed for the final 3 weeks of the quarter. Last night I was also elected to be second reader for Sunday services next quarter! I can't wait.

We have our senior night tomorrow night, our last home volleyball game...so sad. I can't believe that it is my senior night! Every year it seems so far away and like I will never be a senior but here it is, my last week in volleyball. We've had so much fun this season though, it's a great group of girls.

Let's see, I did absolutely nothing for Halloween yesterday but I have been laughing at the seemingly endless photos of slutty pictures on facebook where girl after girl just can't help herself in dressing as a rated-x ninja turtle, little red riding hood, or "angel". Where is the originality anymore? Kurtis dressed up as Peter Criss last night, full makeup and outfit. Still a kid at heart.

Practices this week are 30 minutes shorter than usual, hopefully this way we will be able to focus better and not get burned out during the last little push. Homework is piling up but luckily, I have no finals this quarter accept for one take-home exam in Spanish. This is definitely a first in my college history.

I couldn't help cracking up about Baba and Katie's latest blog entries about their peaceful and enjoyable baking adventure. I wish it had been filmed. The cookies better have tasted good at least.

Friday, Sweet Friday

I have been so productive this week but to my surprise this has had a good and bad effect on my mentality. The good is that I realize how much I really can get down without acting ADD by getting sidetracked by netflix, facebook, email, cellphones, noises in the hall, a fly by my light, or any other number of things. The bad is that I know realize how easily I have been distracted for the past couple quarters. So, I am once again resuming my Facebook hiatus, it is an evil invention that appears to make you closer to people but in fact allows you to know less and less about anyone.

My parents come tomorrow and I can't wait. Saturday we have two games against the 1st and 3rd place teams in our conference but after beating Westminster we will then be 3rd, playing Webster, our long standing rivals in the SLIAC playoffs. In other words good team is winning, we beat not as good team and then we play mean team.

Tonight there is a reading by Patricia Hampl in the School of Nations. The Prague abroad had dinner with her last night, learning about her adventures in the Czech Republic and her approach to writing. One of the most interesting things she said to us was that writing is rarely if ever an enchanting experience but it is turning a chaotic and disturbing process into and enchanting piece of work. It made so much sense. All of this time I had imagined true writers as having a magical experience every time they sat down to put pen to paper. Luckily for me, she dismayed my fears that I was unable to tune into this peaceful place and enlightened me on the true reality of writing. What a relief. Now I can't wait to write in Prague!

Weddings=crazy

Now I see how women are driven crazy when they start planning their wedding as I am quickly being drawn toward the nut-house. Fortunately for those around me, we have found a solution to the wedding crazies. Who would have thought that planning a low-key wedding could be so hard. Sometimes I think a traditional all-out wedding must be easier, no creativity, just following the 1,000 page planning books that spell out everything from embossed napkins to silverware engravings. So, we are bravely stepping into the unknown and unplanned territory of the low-key wedding. Step one: don't stress out. Step two: have a fun party. Step three: don't stress out. I think I can follow those rules...

So presently we are planning on having a strictly casual no-tie affair at Hildegaard's. Following the ceremony, we are going to have a fun and easy bbq with salads and drinks. I think my mom and I are going to make the cakes, I can't wait. This plan just sounds like the best and most relaxing yet. Kurtis seems really excited about it and I already feel so much more relieved. Moral of the story is: low-key weddings do not mean low-key planning.

I had a fieldtrip today 1.5 hours away in St. Louis but didn't go. I talked to the teacher this morning, explaining that I had another 5 hours of driving since I have a volleyball game at Lincoln Christian tonight. He said I was in a good spot in the class and not to worry about it so I can do homework and not sit in a car today which I so appreciate.

Kurtis is in the middle of figuring out all of his Finland to Mexico and back home schedule of flights for January. He has a crazy schedule that is for sure. Our lives are all over the place this next year, we will have a lot to talk about. Finland, Mexico, Prague, graduation, wedding, moving, jobs, music, grad school... I better stop before my head explodes.

Halloween is this weekend and as a stepping stone of maturity I plan on not watching a scary movie in commemoration of this terrifying holiday. Instead I will bake pumpkin pie with Christy and do homework. I want to be able to sleep next week and being in a single, I have little to chance of sleeping if I watch a movie scarier than The Labyrinth and even then those creepy little gremlins might keep me from sleeping.

Well, off to do some last minute homework before I have to leave for 2.5 hours of driving.

Surprise...Breakfast!

So this morning we had our 6:30 a.m. practice scheduled...presumably our last of the quarter. So we get there bright and early, not so bright actually, it was pitch black outside, and Mary Ann surprised us by taking us out to breakfast to Clifton Terrace. For those of you not previously blessed by the breakfasts at Clifton, this is a small family diner, literally ran by a family, the waitresses have been the same group of women for the past 4 years that I have been here. The outside, and the inside for that matter, look less than appetizing, all the more reason to go in. I had a pancake, a biscuit, eggs and ham and consequently was not hungry until 1:30 this afternoon even then only being able to put down a salad and an apple. They make their breakfasts hardy here that is for sure.

After drinking a couple cups of coffee I was able to stay awake throughout work and actually get some homework done afterwards as well. I crashed before lunch with the office playing in the background.

Now I am free for another 2 hours before practice which means I better start waking up...or should I take another nap?

The Future is pointing towards Prague

This last Friday I found out that I was accepted to both the China and Prague abroads for Spring quarter! Although I thought that I had my mind made up to go to Prague, I was surprisingly taken off-guard when I got accepted to both- realizing that both of these amazing countries were actual possible options. I thought about it all night and realized that getting out of school, getting married, and having to start a grown-up life will be happening so soon. When will I ever have time to spend figuring out who I am? Being creative? (Selfishly I admit) focusing on myself? Prague is the place for me to do this. It is all about creative writing and art, with on-site work everyday, going into the streets to write or draw about what you see or feel. It sounds amazing.

So I made up my mind and I am finally able to start getting excited about actually going to Prague! China would have been awesome but I think two Têtus in China is already more than they can handle.

I started looking into weather forecasts, we will be there right as Spring is starting, temperatures aorund 10-20*C so it will be just beautiful. Apparently it is the cleanest city in Europe as well. From my experience of Paris smelling like ass, this doesn't necessarily mean much but at least it's a step up from walking in urine on your way to the metro.

This week is a busy one. I still have a couple hours of French homework to do tonight to meet my quota of 15 hours a week. Then this week I have a fieldtrip on Tuesday to a bird sanctuary in St Louis for Wildlife Conservation, a game later that night 2.5 hours away. Wednesday we get the day off from practice, extra time to get some homework done or think about it at least. Thursday we have practice and Friday my parents get here! Saturday we have a tournament at Westminster, by far our closest game of the season was against them and we came out on top so I am hoping for the same conclusion considering how much better we have been getting. Our other game is against Greenville who I would love to beat but haven't so far. After the games, I have the weekend with the padres, bread co., target run, maybe the loading dock if there is some music playing although I am not impressed with anything but their salsa.

And then it all starts again next week.

Life has been crazy lately, crazy in a good way. Just a lot of big decisions and big things happening all at once. Kurtis' trip to Mexico is coming up, Christmas, Prague, Spring break, graduation, wedding, moving stuff back home, getting a job...the list goes on. At least I am not bored!

I keep looking forward to next quarter when I get to take a 3 hour a day figure studies class. Honestly the only class I was set on taking when I came to college and I finally get to take it my last quarter here on campus.

Let's see, I am now playing the libero position on the volleyball team and I absolutely love it. I have always thought that I should love a good kill or block more than anything but I realize now that getting a good dig is as good as it gets. Not only do you kill the other team's attempt at getting a point but you give your team a shot at doing the same. So much fun.

I am looking forward to Christmas break in 4 weeks. Week after week just keeps going by here, I am in denial about the volleyball season ending in just 2 weeks or maybe a little more but whatever it is, it is too early. I am usually ready for it to be over. To have my own time and be able to schedule my days and weekends the way they work for me but I'm not as ready this year. I guess that's what happens when you are a senior.

So, I'm looking forward to a productive week and a fun weekend, still a few hours left to this one...

Another Game and Still More Homework

Yet again, we lost our game last night. Bummer but now more than ever I just want to get better- starting practice this afternoon. I seem to have more homework than ever, well maybe not ever but almost. French is quite a bit different this quarter considering that it is independent and my teacher seems to be very busy so I have to make sure I get in 15-20 hours of work a week on it. Not a problem considering that I have 4 books to read (one of which is 425 pages), phonetics to practice, grammar exercises and grammar to study, and movies to watch and write reports on.

Let's see, I have been able to get some good c.s. study in everyday pretty much which makes a huge difference. I turned in my Prague application yesterday and I am turning in my China application today before practice. I am going in to practice early today because apparently I like self-immolation...and getting better at volleyball. There is only one thing harder than practice after a loss, going in early and working one-on-one with Mary Ann after a loss. I make her sound mean, not the case! We're just down to business now.

If you want to hear about a mean coach listen to this. So last year when we played the team we played tonight, they had heat lamps on in their gym until we got them to turn them off. Keep in mind it is between 80 and 90 degrees right now and about 120% humidity. So yesterday, Mary Ann tells us that when that coach gets upset with his players, he turns the heat lamps on which line the ceiling of the gym and make them practice. Isn't that illegal!? It sounds like absolute torture, I think I would quit. No I would pass out and then quit.

Well, off to do some more homework. Hopefully I can talk to my family a little more this weekend. I finally got to talk to Baba last night but I was so busy it was only for about 2 minutes. I even have a day off this Sunday, a whole day off!

Indiana Take Two

Finally got back from our second tournament in Indiana, I sound ungrateful when in reality I got to hang out with my best friends and play volleyball all weekend, not paying for a single thing I might add. In truth, the trip was fun, just a little stressful with all the homework from week 1. We won one game after a terrible first game the first day so we were able to refocus and play our game.

I played back row most of the weekend, hitting in the last game of the last match of the last day.

We have no practice today, turns out NCAA rules don't allow teams to practice more than 7 days in a row without a day of rest so, thank the Lord, we get a day off. I'll end up going to the gym anyways to bike, it's relaxing and I can do it while I read my homework. I think a few of us are going to play doubles for a bit afterwards too.

Week 2 already of my last fall quarter. I am getting done writing the essays to apply to the Prague and China abroad. Very exciting. My heart is set on Prague now; art, creative writing, architecture, it sounds great. I just hope I get in!

If not I will hopefully get into China and then even more hopefully get to see Baba and Katie but I am not banking on that. That's what you get with a country the size of Jupiter.

Kurtis is doing well, work work work. It is good to hear things are going well although sometimes it seems lie he is in a little too high of demand with never a second to breathe!

Papa's birthday is tomorrow, (don't forget!) so I am starting the card process... thought creating a new card idea is apparently difficult. I think I'll go for happy instead of mushy or funny this time.

Well, without practice today, I will have time to get ahead on my homework load, if I use my time wisely that is. Classes are great and I am staying busy enough but not so overwhelmed that my head is going to explode (always a good thing).

Volleyball, School, Eat, Sleep, Repeat...

This past week has been a blur, I feel like I say that every week. Let's see...Last weekend we traveled to Indiana to play four matches, one of which we won. Then school started on Monday but I actually had no classes, thank you Lord for being a senior. I think this quarter is actually busier than usual though because I have taken on the Language Dept. Secretary job yet again as well as volleyball. Turns out an independent in French may actually be more work than an actual class led by a teacher. I think they are worried I may not have enough to do so they over compensate by giving me grammar, phonetics, research, reading, and workbooks.

My other classes are Wildlife Conservation taught by a professor who works with sea turtles around the world, especially in Trinidad. Tough life.

Finally I have Spanish Film. Maybe the toughest class to stay awake in so far. From 2-3:50 a couple after noons a week, we sit in uncomfortable chairs and watch disturbing Spanish movies and are then expected to write a 2 page paper about the cinematographic elements employed by the director. I don't even know what cinematographic elements are! Let alone in Spanish!

But the first paper is down so at least I have on e under my belt- although I haven't gotten it graded yet.

Practice is after classes everyday from 4:15-6:30, the best part of the day except for maybe after dinner when you take a shower and get in comfy clothes to do homework.

We played against Webster last night and lost unfortunately. I personally had a good game, hitting and passing back row but the team didn't come together well and we lost in 3. Lame.

I can't believe I've already been here for 4 weeks, time sure flies when you are so busy you can't find time to look at a calendar. Well, I am off to practice!

Chicago

So after 6 or 7 hours of driving we finally got to our hotel last Thursday for a relaxing night before our tournament started. We played at 3 and 5 the next day, losing both matches but learning a lot. Mary Ann was skeptical about signing us up for the tournament in the first place so we weren't expecting to come out champions. With all the new players, we just need some time to compete and figure each other out. I played back row the whole weekend, being libero for two games which was pretty fun. The first time I went in as libero I forgot that the they can just run straight onto the court without waiting for the refs to signal an okay. Forgetting, I stood waiting at the 10 foot line, wondering why the refs were being so slow and clueless. Teammates were trying to help me out but all I heard was loud noises accompanied by waving arms and anxious faces. I eventually got the point, only after everyone was well aware that I was in fact the clueless one.

The second day of playing we had matches at 11 and 1. We took the first team to 5 games, winning the first and third games but losing in the end. After our final game we went back to the hotel where we got ready to go into downtown, shopping and eating dinner on Michigan Ave. We have become famous for getting lost no matter where we go so of course, we ended up driving in circles for 20 minutes on our way to the train station where we took the subway into the city. Of all the trains I have ridden, this one was definitely the closest to falling off the tracks. Every few seconds it sounded like it was about to fall into pieces around us but it got us there somehow.

We all ran straight to the forever21 shop, a three story extravaganza for teens and young women. Turns out, the new style is baggy, burlap sack fitting clothing, not exactly my style and I walked out empty handed.

We went to dinner half a mile away at Dick's Last Resort. How can I put it into words. Their gimmick is being rude I think, crude, sex and poop jokes swarmed us once we stepped through the front door. Our table was right next to the house band, a collection of overweight mid-western musicians, lead by a woman adorned with jeweled rings and hairspray who over sang off-key. The table next to us started throwing napkins at us, apparently this was expected as the entire floor was covered in wadded up napkins. To top it off, our waiter made us each a hat, yet another gimmick of theirs, made of butcher paper decorated with a witty and rude statement. For example my hat said, "eats like a bird, poops like a man". Some others were "no gag reflex", "slept with the equipment manager", "fake blond, real stripper", "my mom does porn", "I pee in the shower...so what?" and "my farts kill horses". Of course our coach got the most inappropriate and offensive hat reading, "I've had more balls in my face than a circus seal" made complete with a drawing of a seal. Yes, we had a great time and by the time we were done eating it was 10:30 at night.

Unfortunately, on our walk back to the train station, we realized that our hats not only resembled condoms but kkk hats as well. This was made evident when some drunken guys yelled in encouragement of the kkk. Needless to say, the hats quickly came off.

Sunday was almost as eventful when we tried to get to church. Apparently, it was only 15 minutes away but 30 minutes later after getting lost and then having the road closed due to construction we decided to read the lesson on our own in a park. As if it was going too well, we sat next to a noisy fountain that blew mist onto us the whole time.

Once we finished a mom and four kids came to play at the fountain. A half-eaten donut had been sitting on the edge of the fountain and pretty soon I heard the mom's voice question, "Where did you get that?!" The little girl, about 2 years old in a little pink dress had cheeks stuffed with donut, and powdered sugar covering her mouth. She looked pretty content.

We're all back home safe and sound now in Elsah once again, only to leave again Friday morning for another weekend tournament 4.5 hours away. FUN FUN!

Thunder, Lightening, Tornadoes, and Baby Squirrels

Where do I even start?

Last night we, the volleyball team, was planning on going to St Louis for a relaxing night eating dinner at Bread Co. and picking up Tara Edwards from the airport. Well, lesson one that we learned was to not plan on taking a van that is already out on another trip. The van we were expecting took two hours and a half longer to get to Prin than we were told so by the time we left, we were already late.

We wanted to eat in the loop but it was a Friday night and time was tight so we decided to try and venture out to a Bread Co. nearby and of course, the road was blocked. Well, we decided to keep rolling with the punches and just eat at McDonald's as much as that idea killed me a little inside. Of course, that would have been too easy and they wouldn't take our tax exempt card. On to the next plan...Arby's. We finally ate and things were looking up until we pulled out of the parking lot and heard the tornado sirens going off. Getting a little flustered by what we should do, we ended up going the wrong way and had to turn around, finally getting to the airport.

As if that wasn't enough, there were tornado warnings close to campus and torrential rain and flash flood warnings as well that we would have to drive through. We waited for a bit but decided it didn't look too bad and it didn't...until we got to the river road. I could see the actual wall of rain and we had to slow down to 20 mph with thunder and lightening everywhere. Across the river I could see two clouds that looked suspiciously like tornadoes but I didn't want to admit it at the time. The freshmen were nervous while I was just trying to hide my nerves, unsuccessfully I think.

Well we finally got back to Prin, in the heaviest rain I have ever been in and got safe inside, thank you God.

To make things more interesting, the storm from yesterday afternoon had knocked three baby squirrels out of their nest and they had fallen to the ground, soaked and cold. Some girls on the team rescued them and I think that they have all been taken back by their poor mother after having put them back.

Phew, that makes me tired just thinking about the craziness of last night. Fortunately we learned that our team can have fun whatever they are doing. No one complained or got frustrated, we kept laughing even through the storm, although I think that those laughs were more to keep me from crying than for a genuine silly feeling.

Stormy Illinois

Here I am back at sports camp already, I can never believe how fast summer seems to go. The whole team will get here tonight, right now we are just the three seniors, one sophomore, and the five freshmen. Practice starts bright and early tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. with testing which should be a nice awakening back to playing college ball.

A huge storm just went over us as Ally and I were walking back from the dining room. The thunder was so loud and the lightening looked so close we ran as fast as we could but with flip flops, that isn't very fast so we still got soaked.

I'm realizing now how nice we had it last sports camp when it was so cool. I don't think we'll receive the same hospitality this year with temperatures already up in the 90's and higher. The gym luckily has no air-conditioning so we can fully appreciate the insulating capacities of the gym which turn out to hold in heat extremely well while keeping out any cool air.

Tonight we are going into St. Louis for dinner in the loop and then taking the team to pick up our last arrival, Tara. The schedule for the next three weeks is going to be pretty rigorous with three practices a day almost everyday and then tournaments in Chicago and Indiana two weekends in a row. Lots of traveling, we won't be bored that is for sure.

Back to School

Last full week of summer before I head back to beautiful Illinois where the air is more dense than the dirt and it's too hot to even sleep with sheets at night. At least I have volleyball to go back to, I wonder how the other students do it - go back to school without having a team to go back to.
Fall quarter always sneeks up on me the same way every year. Summer seems like it could never end, it's over two months right! Nope, everytime without fail I realize that summer is over before I've been able to do half of the things I was hoping to. I can only dream of what it will be like not to have to leave next fall. No more deadlines of leaving home for 10 weeks or more at a time. No more fried mid-west food. No more living in a dorm. No more having your whole day scheduled around specific meal times. Man, what will be left...I can't wait.
Not that school isn't great, I am so grateful to be going to such a great school with such a great dorm and teachers and a team that I love but just like everyone I have talked to has said, I am grateful but I am ready to take what I have learned and go too. How I'll use it, that will be a whole other adventure.