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.