Goodbye...

If you're reading this, it's good to know that you haven't given up on me. Yes, I am still alive, and I have to be honest with you, I haven't even been overly busy as the reason for my neglect of this blog. Actually, I've just been overly distracted/unmotivated/senioritis-affected. In fact, either I'm just super slacking here all of a sudden and forgetting about a million and one homework assignments, or by the grace of God, after four years of barely ever a free moment from studying and homework, I'm suddenly overwhelmed by them. Funny thing is, I spend most of my time wondering what I'm missing rather than enjoyng them. I forgot how to relax...and I think I'm also temporarily forgetting how to study, so come Friday when my first final hits, I might be in sorry shape.

Without the heavy burden of homework, I should be finishing my brother's scrapbook and figuring out my summer living and working situations and my Omaha housing situation for the fall. I have a ton of stuff to do, just not the motivation or heart to tackle it right now. Jeff (my brother) graduates from High School the day after I graduate from Mount Marty, which gives me less than 2 weeks to put together 2.5 years of his life (pressure's on...). I sometime need to let reality sink in and accept the fact that in less than two weeks I will be saying goodbye to my dorm room forever. I need to pack up and move out! I also need to sign my apartment lease, and figure out a way to find another part time job to work with my pharmacy hours for the summer (or keep praying that some random Omaha place will read my job application and call me...).

None of it seems relevant at the moment though. I feel delirious. I can't accept that my friends and I are really graduating...and then scattering. One of my closest friends is moving to North Carolina for grad school. It's going to be painful to say the least to part ways after spending every day with her for the past few years. And the rest of us might be in the area, but we'll be all over the place. And then there's my young MMC friends who will remain in Yankton, but who I'll miss terribly. I might just be a mess of tears on graduation day if I actually let it hit me by then. Life is an adventure and this is definitely a bittersweet time - definitely exciting, but also a bit scary and sad.

On a completely different note, on a whim, I decided to tackle the half marathon I had registered for and given up on on Saturday morning. I had doctor's orders not to do it due to high risk for a stress fracture in my foot, but my friends from home came up to run it anyway, and I couldn't sit by and watch them complete one of my dreams without me. So, I let my stubbornness and determination shine, and without training (the most I had run in the 3 weeks prior was 3 miles), I stood on the starting line and gave it a go. I RAN THE 13.1 MILES!!!! I let my rhythm take over and found some crazy inner drive to carry me through. It was soooo amazing to cross the finish line. My legs started cramping immediately and my lower back was throbbing, but I felt wonderful - exhilarated by my accomplishment! I finished in 2 hours and 16 minutes - just over 10 minute mile splits. It may not be a great 1/2 marathon time, but I was proud of myself for making that without training for the feat. It was a great time with special friends. :)

Alright everyone, come finals week, I'm sure to be all over the place physically and emotionally, so I'm predicting that this blog slips my mind. This could very well be my last ever MMC blog. Thank you to all of you who have been so dedicated to reading my exciting life story. :P I hope you all have a blessed summer and that you find another to keep you updated on the life and times of MMC (or perhaps you yourself will become a student and take over this very role!!!). It's been a pleasure to be your faithful informant. :)

Un-title Worthy.

Uh-oh. Here I am again way behind on what used to be consistent blogging. My apologies...

Easter break, though it now seems like forever ago, was wonderful. When I spend long periods of time away from home and then have the chance to go for such a wonderful span of time, it's always incredibly refreshing. I got to spend time with my grandparents on both sides of the family and show them my Mexico pictures. On Easter Sunday, my Grandma Starman even shared childhood stories with me that were quite fascinating. :) I also had a date with my mom in the theater to see The Last Song. I would give it very high ratings - both my mom and me left the theater after having had tears literally rolling down our cheeks. Both of my brothers were around and about, but they actually had to work a lot, so I had the house to myself during the days.

I was also lucky enough to spend some time with some very close high school friends. One of them had told me she wouldn't be making it home for Easter and then walked into church on Sunday morning and surprised me. It was WONDERFUL! :) I went on a six mile walk with two of these girls Sunday afternoon....and I should have stuck to the walking on Monday morning. Jackie, my friend who is registered to run the half-marathon with me here in Yankton on the 24th came to my house for a good seven mile run in the country. I was so excited to get to run with her and excited that the big day is getting so close. Well, if I haven't already mentioned it, I did something scary to my foot and have been having severe arch pain for some time now (not to mention weird grinding sensations, a bit of swelling....) Anywho, I had taken a week off, so this run was my big come back. I took ibuprofen before we left and felt great during the jog. We went a good 7 miles before turning into massive (and cold) wind gusts. We started walking and decided to resume running at about mile 9 (a mile from my house). Well, that didn't last long. To add to my problems, I had a blister develop on my poor little toe that enveloped the entire toe. Mid stride, I FELT the thing pop. It was sooo incredibly gross...and painful. I screamed as a mix of both feelings and we ended up walking/limping the rest of the way home. And now, well, my foot still hurts and I have doctor's orders not to run the marathon. It is very depressing. I was so excited and felt so close to accomplishing this goal. And I'm getting depressed talking about it so moving on....

Senioritis is hitting full force. It was my weekend to work, so that alone took a huge chunk of homework time away. But, that's no excuse for the pile I have waiting for me tonight. I just emailed my sociology assignment before started this blog. That's pathetic in that up until now I have always had these things done by Wednesday at the latest. I still have to read for three of my other classes. And the biggest strain? I have to fill out a study guide for a genetics test this week. That's super scary in that I have not been paying the slighest attention in class, so I have not the slightest idea of what's going on. When I say fill out the study guide, I mean attempt to learn four chapters of material here before the big test.

OHHHH and to top of the homework craziness, CHOIR TOUR IS THIS WEEK. We will be gone singing at high school on Wednesday and Thursday. I'm excited that we're heading south towards my home territory to sing this year. We're spending Wednesday night in Norfolk, finishing the tour on Thursday, and returning for our home concert in Marion Auditorium on Friday at 7:30. It should be full of lovely sounds, so if you're not busy, make the trip down!! :)

I can't believe it is April 11th already. I still do not have definite plans for this summer. Time left and I'm running in cirlces trying to catch up, but I've fallen pretty far behind. I'll just blame it on my foot crisis and my inability to run lately (the weather has been glorious for bike rides though!!).

OK. On that way behinded-ness note, I need to end this thing and start reading. Have a great week! Check out Mount Marty's website for choir tour show times and see if you can come on down for some lovely sounds. :)

Here Comes the Bunny....

It is an absolutely gorgeous spring day and I resent being trapped indoors working and doing homework. But, on a brighter note to match the bright sunshine, perhaps it's a blessing that I am in fact trapped. I ran a good 7 or 8 plus miles on Thursday afternoon, and since that time, I have been hobbling around as though my foot were broken. I believe I strained my poor arch and I have some creepy and painful sensations coming from my left foot all weekend. What's more troublesome to me though is actually not the pain, but the fact that it's prohibiting me from running on this gorgeous day. I'm hoping another good night's sleep will do it wonders and it will be strong enough to go tomorrow. I hear it's suppose to top today in sunshine! This is really very frustrating, because, you see, it's not like I just randomly decided to run 8 miles. I'm actually in the process of training for the Yankton half-marathon on April 24th. I was/am getting very excited about this challenge. One of my good friends from high school is coming up and running with me! :) ...I'm just nervous about this foot thing and my determination....sometimes it's a bad combination as far as allowing joints to heal....

Warm weather also means the return of the possibility of biking. My parents made a special trip up to Yankton on Friday afternoon to bring my bike back to me. I had sent it home for safe protection from the snow. Beings I was incapable of running this afternoon, I ventured out on my long-lost friend and got pretty excited for the coming of summer. I was also reminded of how much of a struggle Summit Hill is for me to pedal up.

As for classes, well, it's almost time to say goodbye to those disgusting creatures we call fruit flies in genetics. We are almost done counting the babies and my big task of the week is to put together a scientific report from the data. There is no paper I hate writing more than a scientific research one. They are so dry and numerical and excessively boring and complicated (a normal book research paper comes in a close second).

Wednesday also marks the deadline for literary submissions to Paddlefish, Mount Marty's literary journal. I'm submitting a couple of poems for publication consideration this year, so I need to find some time to put together a final revision. I need some creative power to come up with witty titles; I'm a terrible title-giver. :P

And WEDNESDAY is the start of EASTER VACATION!!! I am super excited to go home for a few days and to see my family and celebrate. I haven't been home since late January because of work and Canada and Mexico, so the trek to Elgin is long overdue. I'm actually hoping to motivate myself, even if it's from my favorite spot to curl up on the corner of the living room couch, to write my 10 page sociology research paper. That way when I come back for my final month of classes at Mount Marty, I'll only have one 10 page research paper to go (for Gospel of John) and a bit more time to appreciate friends....hahaha....we'll see how that plan goes. I've been rather lazy lately.

I'm also hoping to hit up the movie, The Last Song on my way home Wednesday night. Yes, I'll admit that I'm a Nicholas Sparks lover. The book made me sob, so I'll actually be disappointed if the movie's not a tear jerker. I'm working on coordinating Nebraska natives to stop in Norfolk on their ways home to watch it with me before we depart our ways for the holiday. :)

My normally enjoyable Tuesday will not be so carefree this week. I'm picking up what seems a very long 2-9 shift, which leaves me with virtually no free time for the day...very sad beings it's supposed to be so lovely out. I'm just thinking Wednesday. If tomorrow is not up there on my list of great days, the excitement/relaxation of the remainder of the week has promise to make up for it.

That's all for now. I've got a Moderator article to write this evening on top of a bunch of reading and reporting for classes. The article reminds me, I went to two of the three performances of the Spring Play, Rabbit Hole, this past weekend. It was a drama that followed the story of dealing with loss. It contained a whole lot of emotion and was quite gripping. I teared up during the performance and even let a couple of tears slip. So, kudos to the cast and crew for an excellent performance!!! I'll do my best to write a fitting review.

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have a blessed, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday with family and friends.

Oh, and I hope the Easter Bunny finds his way to your homes as well. mmmmmm...chocolate! :)

Post-Spring Break

Hmmm....I've decided to stay up to date on my blog...but I'm sitting here thinking and nothing really significant has happened this past week. I think I've been moving in some sort of auto-pilate mode since Mexico, still not ready to accept the fact that my vacation world is over and the reality of homework is back. Luckily, I had tests in most of my classes before Spring Break, so this past week was mostly just lectures over new material. I'm anticipating a pretty intense week coming up though. I guess after a week of virtually wasting a lot of time, I should expect it. :)

I do sometime this weekend between work (and hopefully some relaxation) have to find the time and motivation to write a five page case study report for my symbol and sacrament class. Maybe after work tonight I'll give it a go (at least for the early evening hours). Speaking of that class though, it never fails to keep my attention and often blow my mind. On Friday S. Marielle gave us a tour of Bishop Marty Chapel. Now, I've lived in Yankton for four years and been to Mass in that chapel more times than I can count, but I was amazed at both the symbolism behind the structure and art of the place and the accomplishment that it was to build such a magnificent structure at that time. What's more, there's a little museum behind a wall in the Peace Chapel that I had no idea existed! Bishop Marty's actual crozier is in there!! (not to mention many other ornate and beautiful and wow-ing things)

You know, now that I think about it, I actually have way more homework than I want to think about or admit. I was just trying to think of any other exciting tidbits of information from class this week and I felt overwhelmed by everything I've been putting off this past week. Haha...I guess maybe it's a good thing I sat down to blog and had this sad revelation.

Ohhhh, this week on our gorgeous 59 degree Thursday afternoon I ran outside in shorts and a t-shirt down by the river (Midway Beach). It was absolutely gorgeous, maybe still a bit chilly for shorts and a t-shirt only (probably why my room was pretty stiff) but nevertheless, it boosted my spirits and made me hopeful for summer. I love running on the bike trails down there!

Last night after work I went with friends to the movie Alice in Wonderland. It was an interesting show. I had a few good laughs and it kept my attention. Afterwards we had a random discussion night over while sharing whole wheat goldfish crackers. It might sound lame, but it was nice.

But, before that, I spent some time online apartment searching for a place to live in August when I move down to Omaha (or for the summer...I still have to figure out where this summer will take me) and when I was done I felt no farther ahead than when I started with the added benefit of being scared to my wits about the whole thing. I was looking at the information on one of the cheaper rental units I had stumbled across and there happened to be a few reviews on the place. After the first review that said the place was wonderful and so-and-so would happily live there all of his life, every single review was horrendous. There was even one in all capital letters that said DO NOT LIVE HERE! IT IS NOT SAFE. I FELT LIKE I WOULD BE SHOT EVERY NIGHT AT DARK! ....ummm....how's that for making me feel safe about this big city transition? ...

.....TOMORROW will be excting (well after work anyway). My little brother Jeffrey is making his first TEC retreat at Crofton so I will get to see him and my parents and many of my other worderful friends in the early evening hours. I'm excited for him and just plain excited in general!! :)

Ok. That's all for now folks. Radio says tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous early Spring Day, so make sure you all get out and enjoy it. I will be stuck indoors working yet again. So, if you're feeling ambiotious, run a few miles for me. :)

MEXICO!!!!

Alright, so despite the fact that it all feels like a beautiful, wonderful, peaceful dream, in reality, I really did spend all of my Spring Break on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico with the Mount Marty Choir. We returned to Mount Marty on Saturday night, and I felt like I had been gone for years because I though nothing of schoolwork and life back here while sailing away. As soon as we set foot on campus though, ironically I also felt like I had never left but instead fallen asleep on that dreadfull bus and dreamed everything that happened during the past week....let me try to make a weak attempt to take you into a corner of that dream.

The 50 choir members and our chaperones left campus at 2:00 on Friday March 5 to drive the 20+ hours down to Galveston, TX where our cruise ship, the Carnival Ecstasy, was awaiting our arrival and happily begging us to board so that it could take us far away to lands of sea and sky and food and Mexican shopping during our Spring Break. The plan was to drive straight through the night, and with such a tiresome task, it was necessary to stop in Oklahoma for a round of midnight bowling while the bus drivers rested their eyes. After us eager college kids used our energy to knock down a few pins, we boarded the bus to complete our southerly journey and our desire to flee the country. It's kind of a gross, groggy thing to drive through the night on a bus. I spread a blanket on the floor and slept (perhaps a better description would be "fitfully snoozed and rolled around forever conscious of a bruised hip bone) for some time. I remember waking up at some point, having spent the journey tangled in a mess of hopeful sleep, mp3 player cords, blankets and food crumbs from my friends in the seats above me. I had slept throught Houston and Dallas and tried to get up but was stuck because Cody in front of me had taken the opportunity to lay his seat back and thus trap me in my lowly position. So it is that you now have an image of the battered shap I was in as we boarded our wonderful ship on Saturday morning.

The ship itself....I don't know where to begin. It was a city of itself - a floating city of the sea with a theatre, a pool, a gym, a spa, multiple restaurants and bars, live music forever and always, 12 floors, a top deck jogging course, a put put golf course, and a water slide just to give you a broad picture. There were lights and sparkles and color everywhere, and there was never an shortage of things to do. Each day we were given a schedule of events and there were dance class, towel animal folding classes, ab blast workout classes, discounts for massages, a hairy chest contest (MMC's Leonard won that one!), trivia games, movies on a big screen projector, a talent show (the Mount Marty Smoothies performed along with Mitch and his paper plate animal cutting), comedians, karaoke, seminars on shopping and diamond buying....there was everything you could think of. The food deserves special note. Despite free frozen yogurt, ice cream and pizza 24 hours a day, every night we had fancy dining meals with the best, most cheerful waiter ever: Bobby Brown. Each night we were given freshly baked bread followed by an appetizer and a mail course which we selected off of a menu that changed each night and all of this was followed by an equally exquisite dessert menu. The menus were anything but processed and were definitely high class. I ate lobster, duck, shrimp, escargot, marinated fresh fruit, souffle....I felt distinguished...and disgustingly full. But, as Bobby said when I felt like I could no longer eat another bite, "You're on Vacation!!!" :)

Our first day we spent exploring the ship, the second day was a fun day at sea, the third and fourth were spent on Mexican islands (Progresso and Cozumel) and the last was another fun day at sea ....and the one after that. What you ask? Yes, that's right, we spent an entire extra day at sea because on the day we were scheduled to get off, the heaviest fog I have ever seen in my life closed the port of Galveston and we were thus succombed to spinning circles in the Gulf of Mexico. You couldn't even see the end of the ship if you stood outside on a deck in the middle of the ship. It was crazy. I really didn't mind the extra day at sea (even though you couldn't see the sea). I spent a good portion of it relaxing on the decks and reading and writing letters. However, the delay stopped us from making it to Dallas where we were supposed to perform for two schools in the city. And then, when we docked a day late, we were not far enough into our trip back north to make it to Kansas City to sing as was planned. So, essentially, due to fog, the only singing that the MMC choir did on the spring break choir tour was a short performance by the smoothies for the talent show, a very rough rehearsal Friday morning while waiting for word on the fog, and a poor rendition of a song for our bus driver upon crossing the South Dakota border. I guess we're just saving it all for the Spring Break local choir tour when we'll be truly prepared for it. :)

Ok. anyway. Let's back track because I would love, love, love to go back to Mexico right now. Let me tell you a little about my island excursions. When we stopped in Progresso, a group of us (Briana, Gina, Steph, Jordan, Becca, Dr. Vogt, and Bill Stahl) found a local guide who offered to take us to a place of Mayan ruins (the name started with a D and was something complicated I couldn't pronounce but sounded something like "chicken pizza"). It was mind-blowing, a great deal money wise, and totally worth the adventure (even though the bus driver scared us with the crazy "don't worry about stop signs just gun it down the streets" driving style of the area). Once there we actually got to climb on these fortresses. I couldn't believe it. I was standing on amazing structures that were built thousands of years ago. If those had been in America, I have a feeling there's no way we would have been allowed to get near enough to touch them much less climb them and take pictures. One of the temples was actually built so that it's two windows would reflect the summer and winter solstice sun perfectly. I think maybe those Mayan people were smarter way back in the day than we are today!!!!

And then there was Cozumel - land of great shopping (especially if you are in the hunt for quality, authentic jewels). A good majority of us girls took advantage of the Caribbean jewel business and bought real pearls for a bargain price of only $1.50 an inch!!! But, the most exciting part of the whole trip had to be my shore excursion on this island. Briana, Jordan, Becca, Bill, Dr. Vogt and myself joined a few random others and ventured out for a three reef snorkeling adventure. After an initial panic in the first reef of not knowing what the heck I was supposed to do and fearing that my ginormous flippers (the word for those things is slipping my mind right now) would weigh me down and drown me, I had a marvelous, heavenly time. I was like a little kid in a candy store once I discovered that the flippers were more of a floatation aid than a drowning doom. Then came the struggle of figuring out that I needed to take slow deep breaths instead of panic breathing. I swallowed a bucket of nasty sea water before I figured that one out...oh but when I did I saw schools of fish and bright colorful fish and coral reef and bright blue water. It was the most wonderful, enlightening, beautiful thing ever! And then in the very last reef, we saw a barricuda, or guide saw a shark down in the reefs and a few of us got stung by tiny jellyfish. Needless to say, we didn't stay for our full alloted time in that reef. As for the jellyfish sting, well, I think it's pretty cool to have the claim that I was stung by a poisonous creature. It just felt like a vaccination of some sort and afterwards, it didn't matter in the midst of my salt-coated, exhausted, but truly content self.

So there ya have it, Mexico in a nut shell....Mexico with so many, countless wonderful stories I have left out and not sufficiently given appropriate status too. It was a spring break for the records!! :D

O Canada

Oops. Somewhere during my two week trek across the continent I made a mental note to remember to keep you home bodies posted on my adventures, but there was so much excitement in the lands I travelled to and so little internet connection that the mental note must have crumpled and disintegrated.

Here I sit, back in America, back in Yankton, South Dakota, and back at Mount Marty for my final two months of undergraduate college....whoah. We're stopping that thought right there. That's too much to think about. Instead, let me take you back two weeks and a bit North. Let's talk Canada and then Mexico!!!! :)

Canada....let me think. I feel like that journey, though only two weeks ago, was a lifetime past. I remember a bus ride that at the time seemed quite lengthy, but in relation to a recent Mexico adventure was just a quick jaunt into town. If I remember correctly, we piled 11 people into a school van and headed straight north to Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada. The journey took approximately 8 hours (it was broken up by a rousing game of Catch Phrase and multiple homages to Canada as a few of the students took it upon themselves to learn and sing "O Canada" for the rest of the party) and us brave souls ventured up there for only 3 days time, but they were days packed full of culture and adventure.

When we arrived in Cananda on Friday night, we headed downtown to a historial area known as The Forks and ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory. The restaurant was really very quaint and if I remember correctly I ate more than my fair share of some scrumptous pasta.

Saturday was a very busy day. We woke up bright and early to head to a well-known art Museum (the name is slipping my memory right now, but grab the next edition of the Moderator for full details!). We browsed the exquisite selections for a couple of hours and then mafe our way to a museum (whose name has also been buried in the packed travel files). The museum was very interesting and offered a bit of interactive learning. We even got to pretend to be pirates for a few minutes on a full size replica of a ship (yep, you guessed it, I forgot the name of it as well....the Nonsuch perhaps....).

Late Saturday afternoon, we headed to the theatre for the first of two plays - the highlight of our English Club trip up there. I guess I failed to mention that the whole Canada trip was through the English Club at Mount Marty and all expenses, save a few of our meals and souvenirs, were supplied by the club. You can't beat that! Anywho, the first play was entitled Looking Back West and had a cast of one man. It was quite intriguing, unlike anything I've ever seen performed before. The single actor told his story of a troubled childhood and life on the streets, but the play was written in a picturesque manner and I was surprised at how well one actor could bring a very colorful story to life. After a quick lunch, we returned to the theatre for a production of Mother Courage. This 3 hour show proved to be very dramatic. It included some musical selections and lots of piano music (!!). It followed the story of a canteen woman and the devastation the Thirty Years' War reaked on her and her children. After a long, fun and adventure filled day, combined with drowsiness brought on by cold medication (the weather is rather brisk up north and my immune system didn't appreciate it) I hope no one will judge me too harshly when I admit that I dozed off a time or two during the productions. As a tribute to the performances though, even in my groggy state, I still managed to enjoy them and leave with an intact story line. :)

On Sunday morning we got up and attended a mass at the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in Winnepeg. This was a beautiful ceremony although I spent the entire hour completely baffled and dumbfounded. They chant their entire Mass in Ukrainian and make the sign of the cross about 16 times more than we do at a regular Catholic Mass.

After all of that culture, it was time to head back to South Dakota. Afterall, we had only 5 days to prepare ourselves for our choir journey down to Mexico.... !!!!! :)

Around and About

Wow. Another week has passed since I last posted, and I failed to deliver the pictures I have promised you. I am very sorry. I think I spent a good majority of this week attempting to catch up (maybe hang on is a better phrase...) on homework after last week's adventurous happenings. Yep, that must definitely be it. I feel sleep deprived as ususal and to be quite honest with you, Monday seems way too long ago to think about.

So, I'll begin with Friday. Yesterday was my fourth and final Honors Convocation here at MMC. I now have four certificates and four believer pins to signify my scholastic achievements here at MMC. To be quite honest, I got so caught up in my studies and in chatting with friends this week, that I completely forgot about the ceremony until about 5:00 on Thursday night when I decided to go pick up a robe for it (all the sholarship recipients were graduation robes). Rather than being all proud of myself and excited about the event, it actually just made me feel very tired and nostalgic. I had 30 minutes to wait around for the thing to start dressed in my robe and I couldn't help but think about graduation and how many people had worn that very gown in their own graduations from MMC. The big day is approaching almost too rapidly for me to comprehend right now.

So...let's switch to a much lighter anticipatory event - the spring break choir tour! Right after Honors Convocation yesterday afternoon we had our cruise orientation meeting. I am sooo very ready to leave for Mexico and the ocean and feel sun - bright, warm, sun-burning capable sun. The thought makes me giddy. The actual departure date seems unreal. We leave for Mexico in less than 2 weeks!!!!! The only part I am even remotely dreading is the drive across the country. We are driving straight through the night, which is great for people fortunate enough to be able to sleep on buses, but gross for tall people like me who sit miserably and fitfully doze off and on. It will be so very worth it though!!!! It makes me smile to think about over a week of sunshiney vacation with my wonderful friends.

Ok. Back to Friday night (I'm sure I'll have many future blogs about Mexico). After the cruise meeting, I headed over to Bishop Marty Chapel to watch the SD Symphony Orchestra perform. It was riveting, even if it was long. I felt very cultured. A few of the movements made me feel very emotional, and at other times I was really kind of creeped out by the sounds they were able to create. It's amazing what music can simulate! It was a very relaxing and beautiful (accoustics in the chapel are phenomenal) way to spend a good portion of my night.

And at peace from the music perhaps or just in a mood to be mellow, I returned to my room deteremined to not only work on homework, but to be productive about it. I put in the movie, UP and it made me super happy. I didn't really even watch most of it, but I'd look up and smile every time. It's darn near my favorite movie of all time. Disney made a classic out of it. Anyway, I had it on for background cheeriness, and I managed to whittle out a four page paper in two hours. I was so proud of myself that I climbed up into my loft at 12:30 (that's super early, especially for a weekend) and slept peacefully. :)

And that's such a happy note that I want to end in telling you that I will be in Canada in less than a week's time. Yep, that's right. On Friday morning I'm leaving for Canada with the English club to attend two plays over the coming week and experience a bit of culture. And yep, that's right. I will be in Canada next weekend, return Sunday night, and depart for Mexico that Friday. Try that one on for excitement!!!

I have to go. I'm spending this entire weekend at work, so hopefully I'll have time this week to gie you another brief post before my travels begin.

Homecoming

Hellooooooo!

I have about an hour of time here that is unscheduled for the day, and beings I've heard wind of disappointment in my lack of dedication to my blog lately, I figured I would give you all something to excite you. :P

Today is the conclusion of homecoming week, and so the last few hours of my claim to royalty. Despite all the fun and excitement of such a status, I decided when I woke up this morning I was ready to give this whole celebration a grand finale and bid it farewell. My bore feet ache from my bout in heels last night and I feel incredibly sleep deprived...

I'll give you a brief re-cap of the week. On Sunday night, I joined fellow Mt. Martians at the Family Fun Center for a couple of games of bowling. I think I bowled a 135 one game and was (sadly) super excited about it. Because of my uncoordination and uncanny ability to make things difficult, my bowling balls often see more of the gutter than the pins. So began a great week. :)

Monday night was ice skating night - always a painful experience. If uncooridnation at the bowling alley is a problem, at the ice skating rink, it's quite a dilemna. To begin with, I have this ridiculous fear of putting my feet into ice skates because I think they'll get stuck and someone will have to come and saw them off (go ahead and laugh, I already admitted this is ridiculous). My only attempt at a legitimate argument is that I've badly sprained both ankles, so they are permanently partially swollen and don't bend well, so it's a challenge to force them into those stiff skates. Ok. This next piece is super exciting: I MADE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT WITHOUT FALLING ONCE!!! How I managed this I have not the slightest idea, maybe I dreamed it.... haha. The royalty court also took part in a frozen t-shirt contest on the ice. I partnered myself with Cody Juffer (who was crowned Lord last night!!!!), equally uncoordinated. Our battle cry was, "We will suck together!" Needless to say, we didn't really master the challenge of unthawing our t-shirt. It was a very unique contest and quite entertaining. (My first picture is from ice skating this week)

Tuesday night offered a plethera of random activities set up in the gym. I took part in my first ever game of laser tag. It was really odd actually, beings it was set up in a ginat blow-up maze thing. More than laser-ing around, I think I got more out of running around like a little kid through tiny tunnels and random blow-up poles in my path. I also opted to see what the cartoon creating man perceived me as. I had a cartoon drawing done with Briana and Tiffany (friends here) and apparently I resemble a grandma with a tight, Laura Ingalls bun in my hair - I hope I don't really look like a grandma cartoon.... :0

On Wednesday night, the homecoming activity was to attend the basketball games and cheer on the Lancers. I failed to show my support here, however, because I had a big genetics test bright and early on Thursday morning. As a tribute to my lack of motivation this semester, I had the challenge of essentially teaching myself 5 chapeters of materials in one night. At around 2 a.m. I decided my genes didn't care about discerning the workings of DNA and I called it a night. At test time, I felt surprisingly alert, however, and I think I pieced together the mysteries of brown and white chickens and the results of their mating superbly. :)

After studying all night Wednesday (well and Tuesday as well for a symbol and sacrament test...) I was all about avoiding homework in general on Thursday afternoon and night, disregarding the fact that post-studying I had a lot to do. I went to the dodgeball tournament and later to the movie, The Book of Eli, as part of the homecoming festivities. When the movie ended at 1:30 a.m. I think my poor brain was screaming in retaliation of lack of sleep (poor thing).

And that bring me to the big night of the week - Coronation last night. Tiffany styled my hair very elegantly and I put on my black dress and sparkly jewelry and felt like I was going to prom again. It was fun to get all dressed up and feel like royalty for a while. However, the heels could have definitely been left out of the story. I walked down the stairs without falling and stood without collapsing. Congratulations to Kelly Schilling and Cody Juffer for their new status as Lord and Lady Marben!!!! I on the other hand....welll I kicked off my heels as soon as possible and walked around bare-foot chatting with all of my wonderful friends and my parents. :) After the coronation ceremony, I stuck around to watch comedian/magician Joel Meyers. He was really pretty good and I had a few good laughs over the deal. I left to chat with all of my alumni friends who came back (YAY!!!!) and an exciting and glamerous night ended wonderfully with long-overdue relaxing time with very good friends here at Mount Marty. I love all of my friends here and feel compelled to urge you all to count your own as blessings every chance you get.

Ok. I need to head down to the gym to cheer on the Lancers in basketball action. Tonight's going to be a great night. I'll put my dress back on, get all fancy, and dance the night away. :)

I'll work on posting pictures later. :)

Blog About Nothing

I have given up yet another of my prized Saturdays for the cause of work. You know, today it is really making me sad because I'm thinking of all of the sleep, personal endeavors, cleaning, and homework time that I have lost. :( So, I could make up for lost time by studying all night, but there's a very slim chance of that happening. You see, if I did such a thing, I feel as though I would suffer from a serious case of burnout. I need some play time. Therefore, I'll see what sort of adventure I can find this evening.

Meanwhile, it really wasn't a very exciting week. I spent both Monday and Wednesday night at work. I somehow managed to plug away at homework for the majority of the rest of the evenings...well minus Thursday night which I spent tutoring, and then watching ridiculous youtube videos for a purely "lack of motivation factor." Oh and Friday night which I spent at our choir potlock social and the Dear John Movie. That didn't really get me very far in the studying department, however. I have two pretty big tests coming up this week, smack in the middle of all of the homecoming mayhem. Speaking of homecoming, the festivities begin tomorrow afternoon at the 4:00 student mass. What better way to begin the celebration than with prayer?

That's about all the news my tired mind can conjure right now. I must be off for a long overdue nap before I seek out any adventures.

Happy Super Bowl watching!
P.S. I heard on Good Morning America that the Super Bowl Night is pretty much the Thanksgiving of junk food, so go ahead, indulge! :)

Catching Up/Chasing Time...

Wow...February 1st!!!!

I feel as though I've left you with a two week or more lapse on the happenings of my life. And you know, I'm sitting here now not sure where to go with this post. It has been the most unusual beginning of a semester for me yet at Mount Marty. I spent the majority of the days following my brief post about my grandpa attempting to give my life back some semblance of my crazy normalcy. Essentially, I spent the entire week and following weekend catching up on old and managing new homework. That in turn made the last week of January quite long beings I felt like I never had a weekend because I home-worked straight through it.

The past week seemed doubly long acutally because, once caught up on homework, I still locked myself in my room for nearly the entire week, still working on homework, this time trying to get ahead. You see, I found out I have been nominated as a homecoming royalty candidate for the festivities next week, so I needed to go somewhere this past weekend to find a black dress. It all worked out rather nicely actually. Though exhausting, I worked on homework double time during the week so that I was finished with everything I needed done for Monday before Friday at 2:00 rolled around. At this wondrous time, I departed for Lincoln, NE for a weekend of friends and shopping!!!

It was a super refreshing and much needed weekend in many ways. I saw some great and dearly missed high school friends on Friday night. Saturday morning, we got up and headed to the state capital building to participate in a short pro-life march. I met up with some of my favorite TEC friends there and it was very humbling to see the large crowd and participate in such a powerful and needed and moving event. Many of the state representatives gave brief talks on their support for our cause and they even played the tunnel walk before we took off! :)

All of that marching made me quite hungry, so my friend Jackie and I departed to the mall for some food and shopping. I was fortunate enough to find a dress I am pleased with, so I could relax in the afternoon and browse around for whatever my heart fancied. Surprisingly, we only shopped for a few hours until we were satisfied. I guess we just made quick business of the ordeal.

Saturday night I headed home for perhaps the greatest part of my weekend. I hadn't planned on making the loop through Elgin, but my heart pulled me that way in the end. The ache from the loss of my Grandpa is still pretty raw in my family, so home is where I wanted to be. My parents arrived home from Michigan at roughly the same time as me on Saturday night, so I chatted with them and then curled up on our coach to give myself a headache spawned by complicated genetics problems. On Sunday morning, I drove to my Grandma's very new home in the assisted living center and picked her up for a church and lunch date (Mom made chicken and rice at my special request!!). Later in the afternoon, I brought Grandma back on my way back to Yankton, but before hugging the wonderful lady goodbye, we went shopping together for a bird feeder to liven up the cute little tree outside her new window. We braved the cold together to securely hang it out there. Hopefully a few songbirds come home for spring soon...or perhaps a squirrel or two will find pleasure in the bird seed.

Hmmm....aside from my weekend what's college life like? Well, I will admit without hesitation that I despise my online introduction to sociology course. It's that one general education credit I've put off until the last minute (mostly because it would never fit into my schedule mind you), and now that I'm taking it, it seems like nothing more than a nuisance in my life. Who wants to write a 4 page research-ish paper every week. "NOT ME!!" says Kelly the senior with a slowly developing case of senioritis. Genetics....well, just appreciate that you are your own unique person because of the miracle of genetic diversity. It's probably not worth your brain's relaxation to attempt to decipher the reasons (although it is rather interesting....). Symbol and Sacrament continues to awe and ispire me and it is quickly become one of my favorite classes in all my years here at the Mount. That's enough for class run-down (mostly because I'm sure I've already sufficiently bored you).

On out and about area of my life, I have work at the Clinic tonight and Wednesday on the agenda with intramural basketball immediately following pill counting tonight. WHOOO! I love playing basketball. I miss it quite a lot even after a four year lull actually. AND, the new girl at the pharmacy is currently undergoing her first day of training. It will be fun to meet a new face when I walk through the doors tonight and it also makes me smile because a new body will lighten my workload for the remainder of the school year.

I should be off now. I'm thinking that a game-plan of: weekday afternoons and evenings (early anyway) = homework crunch time is a nice philosophy to keep for a while anyway. Having free weekends is quite lovely, especially if the days are half-stolen by work anyway.

Stay tuned next week for what I'm sure will be a full and lively (as always) recap/run-down of the homecoming festivities.

Happy February!!
(If you made any New Year's resolutions in January that have yet to be put into practice, now's a good time to start...new month! ....Actually, on that note, while in Lincoln, I was informed of a half-marathon run to go down in Lincoln on May 2. Now's a great year to check a top ten item off my bucket list...... :) )

Grandpa

It's been a very long and difficult past 5 days. My Grandpa Starman passed away on Thursday evening. He was out for his daily walk and slipped on the ice and hit his head...causing bleeding on the brain. My dad and his family had to take him off of life support later that night. It was all very sudden and very much a shock. He was well-loved, the father of my Dad's farm, our family's faith, an incredibly talented wood worker, a passionate accordian player and singer, and a dearly loved Grandpa and father and husband and brother and friend....I'm too tired and overwhelmed to blog anything other than the only thing that has mattered to me in the past few days, so I'm sharing with you the poem I wrote in his memory. Please keep him and my Grandma and family in your prayers...and have a blessed week.

The Carpenter

You say my Grandpa was a carpenter

who crafted perfection from wood,

but my Grandpa was an artist

who created beauty lik no one else could.

With music in his heart,

Grandpa was a carpenter who could sing.

His life and creations were a song

whose lyrics will forever ring.

A carpenter can construct a house,

not a home like Grandpa would build

as he tirelessly toiled for his family

who grew strong on the land he had tilled.

And as a carpenter forms wood,

Grandpa built a faith he held dear,

carrying it and sharing it with determination

to remind all that God is always near.

Carpenters need nails to close

the places Grandpa simply used his heart to fill.

He was building memories and lessons

that will remain inour hearts forever - building still.

You say my Grandpa was a carpenter,

but he's an artist, singing now above,

for God build a house in Heaven

where the carpenter can rest forever in love.

Annnnnddd We're Back.

My 8th and final semester at MMC is officially under way. I have successfully lived through my LAST first Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of a semester at Mount Marty. :P Haha. I'm going to be dramatic about this 1) because I can be, 2) because I've spent a lot of time in dear old Yankton and I cannot fathom leaving, 3) graduating and leaving my friends is a very depressing thought (despite the excitement of the graduation itself). I gave that LAST first line to a friend who's in grad school right now and he laughed at me and said that another girl from Omaha said the same thing to him that day. He attributes the sentimental value of it to "a girl thing." So, if you're male and think I'm crazy, know that other females are as well.

I'll give you a run-down of my classes this semester even if it is a boring thing to discuss because it's very probable you'll hear me comment on one or two of them before the year's over. I am currently registered for 19 credits (no rest for the weary) - Chamber choir, mixed choir, genetics, writing and publishing, chemistry seminar, symbol and sacrament, sociology, and the Gospel of John. After three days of classes, I'm still excited about the learning opportunities in this random array of classes. It's fun to be a senior and have the opportunity to fill your schedule in with random things that have no value to your graduation status other than general credits - credits that I'm taking for the general excitement of learning. Take Symbol and Sacrament and The Gospel of John for instance. Neither of these classes are doing a thing to fill requirements for graduation, but I'm ready to be enlightened by S. Marielle's impressive knowledge of the subjects. I'm taking the Gospel of John class as an independent study course with another friend and under the instruction of S. Marielle. We met for the first time yesterday to plan out an initial course of action and I'm already fascinated. Choir is always a fun adventure - in particular this semester as we will be going on a recruitment tour over spring break involving a cruise in Mexico!!! WOOOHOOO!! Writing...always a stress relief and challenge to my imagination. And Genetics, well what's a semester without a class of scientific fact and wild attempts to study late into the night in hopes of grasping the absurdity of the workings of life on earth. Oh, and sociology, well, that's my one lone general education requirement still waiting to be fulfilled. I'm taking it as an ONLINE course so it might pose a challenge in the motivational/procrastination department.

In the mean time, we are awaiting a new employee to arrive and tackle her first day of work here at the Clinic Pharmacy, which means that until that happens we remain short staffed and poor Kelly, originally contracted for 8-18 hours a week, is putting in a full 30 hours of work during this first week of class. My only comment for the time is that we need to train the new gal and train quickly because when homework starts raelly piling in, my brain will be too crammed to remember drug names for such hours. I'm counting on her to be my life support. :P

I also hopped back into the tutoring mode last night in attempting to help my outside MMC weekly tutee, a 7th grader, learn how to solve an algebra problem. All of you who understand letters mixed in with your numbers in math books, don't take it for granted. It's a devil to teach a new-be such a concept.

And what remains? I have somewhat of a rambunctious spirit right now - getting up at 6 a.m. to fit in a refreshing morning workout. We'll see how long that lasts. I had a little Christmas in my mail box here at school when I received 5 hand-written snail mail letters/cards. I was so incredibly excited that I kicked friends out of my room so I could savor reading my mail. I'm contemplating the best course of action for summer living/employment (to be or not to be in Yankton - other option = move to Omaha and figure out life there before I try to be a pharmacy student in the big, bad city....feel free to express your opinions on the matter). And my last comment, I haven't practiced the piano once since I've returned to school. :( There's simply not enough hours in my days. It's one of my life's biggest goals to learn to play - like really learn to play - and I'm failing for the time being. My lessons are on hold. Do I let it go for now and pray I can resume later/post-graduation? Ohhh such trying decisions!!!

Ohh, and my spirits have been soaring in the presence of all of my friends returned from break and with this warm weather...I even ran outside in the wet slush, muddy, remaining snow banks and mountains obstacle course. It was a wondrous adventure!

Enjoy the warm-ish weather, the mid-January air, and time with all of your family and friends. Goodbye for now. :)

Let the Year Begin (Blizzard #2...)

Well hello there! How exciting that this is the first time I have the pleasure of speaking to you this year! I hope all of your new year's were safe and fun and filled with love of family and friends. I'm writing to you in the middle of blizzard number two of the winter. This time, I happen to be stranded in Yankton rather than at home, so it makes for a new adventure I suppose. I should actually be at work right now (the reason I'm here in Yankton). But, I bundled myself up so thoroughly that I resembled a toddler (you know, that little two-year old child who is such a ball of winter layers that he can hardly walk and splats in a new snow bank every two steps) to walk across the MMC campus and over to the Yankton Medical Clinic to begin my long shift. Low and behold, I look up, nearly frozen and crying of no accord of my own, to discover a single vehicle in the parking lot. I think, "could it be?!" So, beings I am already frozen to the core, I continue on my trek across the street and find locked doors. Apparently even doctors take time off during blizzards. So, despite the fact that I nearly froze for nothing, I am pretty excited to have a day without plans to do whatever I please.

I have a few updates on recent adventures (pre-blizzard) for you. The TEC Christmas Party was refreshing and wonderful. It's always a surprise to go back and find people you haven't seen in months or even years show up. I was on a high from good conversation and hugs afterwards. :) And, that high carried me all the way down to Kearney, NE for New Year's Eve. I was beside myself with excitement at the opportunity to go there. My best friend from high school goes to school down there and I am only lucky enough to see her a couple of times a year. On top of that, one of my very good TEC friends goes to school there and so does Emmy, a former MMC volleyball player who transferred two yeas ago. I took Briana (my MMC buddy) with me and I was all smiles and excitement to spend the first hours of the new year with these long-lost friends. Never mind the fact that I drove four hours to stay less than a full day. I'd do it again!

The reason I had to rush away so quickly was that I had to be back in Wisner, NE by 4:00 on Jan 1st to finish final preparations for the Core Team (leaders of the whole TEC movement) TEC retreat that I had agreed to put together with four other wonderful people. The five of us put together a special day for these Core members who have done so much for the TEC movement. I gave a talk (super nerve racking) and one of the guys even wrote a song for them that we all sang. What a great 1st weekend of the year!

And then from Wisner I back-tracked back to Elgin where I spent the next day with my sister and her husband who were home again from Michigan. And my last adventure of break? Well, I then left with Worthington, MN as my destination for the second time in a month. I spent two days up there with Jessica and Brett (more MMC friends). We had intended to go sledding in Adrian on some hill notoriously referred to as "Killer Hill," but the plan was scratched due to freezing temperatures and icy conditions. I guess we decided we didn't actually want to die. But, I had a wonderful time all the same. Jessica and I rode to Redwood Falls with her dad and tried our luck at the penny slot machines for a while, we visited her friends in the area, and attended a couple of Adrian high school basketball games. It was a relaxing and enjoyable end to my break.

And now I'm back at school, supposed to be working, but instead enjoying my snow day from work. We'll see if the next three days make me as lucky. In the mean time, I'm ready for all of my friends to return and for the year of my graduation to begin...AHHHH!

I'm going to be crazy now and rebundle up to walk (my car is buried and I don't want to get stuck again) over to a friend's apartment to bake muffins and be cozy indoors. If I fail to post again, know that I froze to death on the way.

Stay warm. Enjoy your days off if you were so lucky, and Mount Marty students, come back soon!!