Rewind

I promised to return with a year wrap-up after I caught some sleep. So after a night of a solid 12.5 hours of shut-eye followed by a couple of hours of laundry and a pathetic attempt at a run (it ended early due to a malfunctioning left earphone, an aching hip, and an apparently far from healed ankle), in turn followed by an hour long nap, here I am.



The year was one for the record books. I tackled a total of 43 credits in two semesters, went on an "I'm going to be a pharmacist kick" but turned down an acceptance letter to the University of Creighton Med Center, said goodbye to my volleyball career (my poor left hip is simply not up to the challenge anymore...), keyed out a few tunes on the piano, meandered my way into the ranks of the MMC choir, decided pop was not all that evil, but instead a lifesaver with its caffeine every now and then, learned more about organic compounds than I ever wanted to know, turned the old age of 21, and made many new friends.



My reminiscing is blurring my mind with a whirlwind of exciting, challenging, tearful, hilarious, and unforgettable events. So, let me give you a list of a few MMC moments that standout right now.



1. CALIFORNIA!!! - jumping in the wave/being mauled by them/drawing in the sand, walking along the beach of the ocean with my volleyball sisters way back in August was amazing!



2. MISSISSIPPI - oh my goodness....everything about the Spring Break trip was refreshing/eye-opening/joyful/great

* singing in the van, leaving goofy posts on the Graceland wall, playing "zombies" with the orphans, being told to "hush yo' mouth" by those same adorable kids, finding pen pals in the grade school 6th grade math classrooms, and bonding with the Mississippi crew at night (0h and of course the Sioux Falls all night event the evening before the trip)



3. MUSIC - I can play "Jingle Bells" and "Happy Birthday to You" from memory on the piano! :) Hopefully when I am officially employed by some random place I can arrange to take piano lessons this summer. AND, choir tour and singing the same four songs over and over but loving them more every time was marvelous as well.



4. Back to VOLLEYBALL - The game that sticks out most to me as one of those where I played absolutely loving the game was Nebraska Wesleyan. Pushing the game to five sets after being down two games to none was definitely an adrenaline rush. Our blocking was definitely on and it was awesome!



5. Walking around BAREFOOT at the BEACH in the middle of WINTER - after a refreshing run with Ms. Brittany Sehr on the bike paths that run along the river, we took off our shoes and hopped in the puddles formed from melting snow - this of course on an unusually warm day in February.



6. Homework nights that turned into KARAOKE parties - this was a pretty regular occurrence, usually taking place in 3rd floor Bede classrooms with the occasional dance party in the Bede quad. Moral of the story: if you feel stressed, sing a song or dance!



7. PHILOSOPHIZING about life with friends - most notably in the RA's room (hehe) or the Learning Center (my place of employment)



8. THE DRUM-OFF! - On a night with an exceptionally long to-do list, I stopped in a dear friend's room to chat and ended up staying awhile until another friend wandered in and we decided to go ghost hunting in the Music Hall - an escapade that ended in Marion Auditorium, which was set up for the upcoming Band Concert. Our party grew to five and we held our own mini-concert/interpretive dance show. Words of wisdom: if you enter a drum-off with a nearly-professional drummer, you may sound like an idiot.



9. HOMECOMING - only taking two intense dives into the ice while attempting to skate and making it back in time to dance the night away at the formal with friends after a nerve-racking pharmacy school interview



10. And of course who could forget those many pressured moments of STRESS, though negative full of memories - Completing my research paper at 4:00 a.m., organic chemistry study parties with the guys in the nursing lab, starting a four essay (each requiring research and citations) take-home test at 11:00 p.m. (due in less than 12 hours) after arriving home from the TEC retreat and sleeping less than 10 hours in three nights (ended up having to re-do that one...), starting a paper towel on fire in physics and quenching my lab partners and the lab in general with ethanol in organic chemistry to avoid someone or something erupting in flames....the list goes on



....11. AND THOSE NOT-MOUNT MARTY EVENTS (all with Mount Marty People or alumni :)) - driving to Brookings on a Tuesday night, spur of the moment, to go to an Augustana concert, Saturday night trips to Dairy Queen, TEC, visiting my graduated (MMC '08) sister in Michigan... :)



It was one heck of a year, and all I can think presently is that it is really odd to be without a schedule right now. I think I'll be hitting my bed early again tonight as I'm still exhausted from the wonders of the year. I have a job interview on Wednesday, so I will be returning to Yankton very soon....SUMMER AWAITS!!!!!