Blizzard Survival (read only if you are not sick of hearing about it...if so skip to the last paragraph)

Hmmm....here I am back in Yankton, at work once again. Yes, I have survived the memorable blizzard of Christmas 2009. If it wasn't for it's awful timing, I might have actually really enjoyed it to be honest with you. I don't know if I've ever seen 18 inches of snow all at once in my life and it's really kind of pretty outside. (haha. all of you fellow blizzard blasted people are probably laughing with disapproval right now.) BUT, it so happened that it was also the first time in my 22 years of life that I didn't spend Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house with all of my cousins. By that night, we were already stranded out in never never land (gravel roads...yikes) and the rest of the family didn't think it wise to risk blizzard blinded roads. I also missed midnight mass and was nearly devastated over the deal. The only way my family got into town to go to church at all was because of my dear old Dad and his trusty loader bucket tractor. He scooped us out before 5:30 p.m. mass Christmas Eve and then we all prayed the drifts wouldn't blow shut and leave us stranded in town that night. So when Christmas day rolled around, it didn't feel much like Christmas at all because there was no prelude. I spent the day watching movies, playing card games and preparing some things for a TEC retreat I'm working at on January 2. It was nice to have both of my brothers trapped there too, but after so much time together, we needed our space.

Now, I was supposed to be present back in Yankton the day after Christmas to work...hahahaha! yeah right. We couldn't even get out of our driveway due to the massive drifting of snow. I didn't feel too bad because the clinic turned out to not even be open due to the blast in Yankton as well. My brother Andy instead tied a sled to the back of the four wheeler and tried his hand in killing me as he burned around the cornfield with me in tow. I was quite the acrobat as I did some interesting somersaults and leg kicks when I was thrown off the thing. (My neck is really very sore still today....and my Mom wasn't slow to scorn at us and point out that dumb playing around like that is how kids break there necks...oh well...I survived and it was fun!)

Ok. So Sunday. I was supposed to work again. But, it so happened that highway 81 was closed. My other possible route was listed as blizzard. I had to call in once again and let my fellow employees know that I was in fact still stranded. Bless their souls for understanding (they even let me skip work on Wednesday in anticipation of the storm so that I wasn't stranded up here alone for Christmas). Turns out that 81 opened back up at about 1:30 yesterday afternoon and beings I had to work again today, I decided to make a go of it and finally come back and be responsible. BAD IDEA!! I thought I would die on the way back. I was super tense and at one point in time I even started singing the Hail Mary to the tune of the song on my CD. I have never seen such massive drifts!! I had to sit and wait for plows to blow us a path three different times and I pummeled through one lane passages on the highways way too many times. I just went through clenching the wheel chanting, "Oh God, oh God, oh God...please don't let anyone be coming through from the other direction and please, please, please don't let me get stuck in this thing. AND, I made it (it took an extra hour longer than usual)!! My only battlewound was a frazzled mind.

Ok. now that I bored you with yet another blizzard story to go with the hundreds I'm sure you've already heard...well....I really have nothing else to talk about. Except that I'm going sledding tomorrow!!! Woohoo!! I've arranged a group of my Mount Marty friends to come up here and make use of this ridiculous snow. Hopefully it's not freezing out. And then tomorrow evening I'm going to try and face my new fear of highway 81 and head back to Nebraska for a TEC reunion Christmas party, afterwhich I'll continue my bravery and head back home (this time hopefully with the freedom to leave when I feel that I've had enough :P). Wednesday I'll have the chance to watch my brother Jeff play basketball in holiday tournament action and then GOOOO HUSKERS!!!!!! And after that...well things are not planned...not well at all. I may be in Yankton and then back down to Lincoln, maybe even Omaha. We'll see where the New Year takes me. :) And the last week of break...well I'm heading back to Worthington and Adrian, MN to sled and spend time with more Mount Marty friends before heading back to Yankton to work. And then my last ever Mount Marty College break is over and my last semester here begins! ...and that's too much for me to wrap my head around right now...

Happy new year everyone!! Have fun, be safe, and watch out for blizzards!!!

P.S. The wedding that I mentioned in my last post - the former MMC volleyball player - it turned out to be a heck of a good time and a great reunion. The picture in this post is of the volleyball group that came for the celebration (mius the bride?? oops...). I love weddings!!! :)

Displaced Personhood

WHOA!!! To all of my dedicated blog readers (if there's any of you still out there..) I am very sorry for my absence. Things kind of got out of hand after Thanksgiving break. AND...here I sit at the beginning of Christmas break, post-finals, post-graduation, post two snow days during finals, heck, post-everything. :P

Where to begin? I finished the semester with stellar grades. My name will once again appear on the Dean's List for what it's worth. Right in the middle of finals week, some sort of arctic blast came through and we had two snow days. The yucky thing about snow days during finals week is that they have to be made up, though. Anywho, beings my actual finals week wasn't very demanding at all (mostly because I chose to make it that way by putting in a VERY minimal studying effort) I sat around and simply had a jolly old time for two days. It was absolutely fantastic!! The great thing was that I had a couple of nursing friends and student teacher friends who had no finals, so I got to spend my time being unproductive with them. I watched more movies than I have all semester. I participated in the making of a documentary for my friend who graduated on Saturday. I joined my Bede floor family for a mini-photo shoot to make Christmas postcards (I have included a couple of smile-worthy snapshots for your enjoyment. As our card said, "Merry Christmas...from our Bede family to your!!). I practiced my piano skills (I have a Christmas song book to celebrate the season) I played a bored game. I made candy cane reindeer. I even colored a few pictures! I LOVED it all! :) I was disappointed all of my friends couldn't have joined in the relaxation. Sadly, I even know a couple that were pulling all-nighters studying and writing papers. :( (BUT they're done now too and survived!!!)

So now I should be home eating a lot of wonderful food, cooking with my mom, watching my little brother play basketball, cleaning, shopping, wrapping presents.... but I'm not. I'm still in Yankton. You see, we are down an employee at the pharmacy so I am working nearly my entire break (convenient for my co-workers that they are short at the exact time of my break). I'm staying in an apartment with a friend now, on the days that she's here anyway. I visit my dorm room (we're not allowed to stay over break) during lunch breaks. I feel very much like a displaced person. Who knows where I'll be staying tomorrow night. AHHHHH!!! It makes me sad to think about having to work so much, but the income will be nice. I just have to keep telling myself that. Oh, and I was lucky enough to be able to make a quick trip home on Saturday night to watch my brother play. He's very impressive really...dominating force under the hoop! :)

AND on Thursday my parents are driving to Omaha to pick my sister up from the airport. She's flying home from Michigan for the weekend so that we can attend a former MMC volleyball player's wedding together. It will just be a grand ol' reunion all around. It's the excitement that's helping through this week. I miss my dear sister quite a LOT not to mention former volleyball friends as well. My break is going to be like that...I strategically plan my days off. I don't believe I'll be able to go home again until the evening of December 23rd. :( It could be more hectic than school. The next month will tell I suppose.

Anyway, I need to get back to work. These past 20 minutes have been the first time I've had a chance to even sit at work the past two days and 16 hours of being here. It's not a good time for people to be getting sick, but goodness gracious, they are. SO, I wish you and your families health and happiness and relaxation and love for the holidays.