Oh Sick Days

This is my first post in nearly a week. I apologize. I have been pretty busy with homework and sleeping whenever I can. I had a midterm yesterday..sounds harsh, right? We sat around in a circle for an hour and a half, eating snacks and drinking homemade blackberry juice, talking about environmental issues. We each had to bring in an article on environmental news. All of this added up to 100 easy points. :) Yay!

I have come down with something, although I am not sure what it is. I have a nasty cough which sounds (and feels) like my lungs are shaking loose. Haha. Hopefully this will clear up by Monday.

White Collar just came on, so I will bid you good night. It is a new episode - check it out!

Goodnight and God bless.

Does Your Hair Make You Giggle?

Today... well, today consisted of lots of homework completion. I finished a lab, a paper, and 6 thesis statements. I have a presentation to create for Tuesday, but other than that I am all caught up. Yay! :]

I am going to make an early night of it.

Please keep Kelly in your thoughts and prayers. She is having some tough times right now, and could definately use some help.
Goodnight and God bless!

Good Day, Good Friends

Some of you may have seen my Facebook status last night which basically stated that I felt like I have friends here, but I miss the warmth and complete friendship of my friend back home. I just want a hug. :) Haha. I got alot of comments on this, so I thought that relating my evening tonight would put many of you at ease.

Both of my roommates left for Madison this afternoon. S. left to visit her grandmother while D. left to spend the weekend with her friends and see a concert. So, I have the room to myself for the next few days. I was afraid that I would retreat into the silence as I am always surrounded by people now. I went next door and asked my neighbors if they would be up to going for dinner. They then invited me to go to the bingo night hosted by my hall. I agreed, and went back to my room to do a few hours of studying. Around 6:30, Hana-chan came by and we went to the sub shop. I then watched some t.v. and we then headed over to Cartwright to play some bingo! We met up with Dav-san and had a few hours of fun playing bingo (and not winning a single round). I accidentally overheard two guys talking about CRU and the Fall Retreat and their bible studies and I got so excited! Before everyone packed up to leave, I went to the one remaining guy and introduced myself, told him why I was interested in talking to him, and asked if I could give him a hug. He was really nice about my odd request and it looks like I made another friend! :)

Hana-chan, Paul-san, and I then walked back to our dorms (Paul-san lives in the dorm next to ours), and then Hana-chan and her roommate and I hung out for a while. We got to the stage of tiredness where we were loopy and slaphappy and laughed at everything. Hana-chan started on her laundry and Devon-san and I got ready for bed. It was a great night and I truly feel like I have a group of friends that I can call my own. :]

I am thinking of signing up to become a tour guide for school tours next year. What do you think?

Goodnight and God bless.

Funk: Arashi

Good evening!

Today the weather has been moody; covering the earth with grey clouds and sprinkling and then going into jagged outbursts of downpouring rain which quickly lighten up back into the sprinkles. My poor, poor bike. I woke up this morning and on my way to class, I noticed that my nice new bike seat was slightly damp. I decided I would grab a plastic bag and cover once I was out of class. Of course, an hour later when I was done with class, it was steadily raining. Ahh. :[

Last night I made the chocolate pie that my mother prodded me into buying this past weekend. It turned out pretty well in light of the fact that I used handpowered beaters rather than the directed electric beaters. It took half an hour longer and more messes on the carpet than normal, but I finally got the job done! Here is the final outcome:

I also just found some pictures from this weekend! I am putting my favorite up as the header for the blog. Thank you Sari-chan!

God has been very good to me, blessing me with wonderful friends and people who have been there for me, supporting me, lifting me up... I want to thank you. I feel blessed to know you - even more blessed to count you among my family and friends. Even non-Christians, I think, are used by God in ways that they know nothing about to lift people up and help them reaffirm thoughts and emotions that have been swirling around in the other person. That came out disjointed - I cannot think of a way to clarify it at the moment. Please ask if you want me to clarify!

Philipians 4:4-6
Goodnight and God bless!

Monday...Welcome Back to Reality

It is Monday, and with that comes a cold dose of reality. Getting snapped at by my hall director early this morning for knocking on her window because I got locked out of my dorm was not a great way to start the day off, but way till you hear the ending. I was studying for my anthropology test when I decided I would check out my grades for my labs. I noticed that Lab 4 was graded while Lab 3 was not. I then checked the dropbox (where you turn in the work) and it said that I had not turned anything in. I started panicking, but I checked my e-mail for a receipt that said I had turned it in - only to find that I had not. I clearly remember submitting Lab 3 to D2L, so I e-mailed my professor letting him know that I have a copy of the finished Lab on my computer, so I was not lazy and did not do the work. I know that at this point (3 weeks later) I will not get credit for the work...but I did it! I spent 4+ hours on that lab! It is so frustrating how a technological error keeps me from getting any points at all! :/

I miss my family and friends so much! I am in desperate need of an Adam-kun hug... I also need to sleep in my own bed. I think this is because I am so stressed and upset, that I want the comforting feel of my big comfy bed.

I am off in search of warm comfort food. Oooh! I will go make that No Bake Jello Pie thinger. Thanks Mom for prodding me into buying it! I love you!

Goodnight and God bless.

Iowa!

I had thought of a clever intro for this during class, but now I forgot! So, welcome back - buckle up and get ready for some tales. :)

This weekend was fantastic - I am 100% glad that I went to the retreat. Even though I only really knew one or two people who went, I really felt welcome and at home. At first the worship and studies were kind of light and fluffy (I mean, they were on some deep topics, but the way they were presented were...cotton candy-like.) The messages were good though, and the discussion groups that we had after every message were thought-provoking and interesting. It was nice to hear others ideas on the presented topics, and receive and give support to the members. The second day (Saturday) evening was really when things got into deeper waters and really opened us up. After the last message, our discussion group met for the last time. We continued talking and answering questions about walking the path of Christ and getting lost and finding your way back to the path. (Basically). Then we started talking about love and how we are supposed to love everyone because Jesus did. This then led into talking about living with the sadness and fear of a love one not becoming/being a believer. It was such a good discussion!! Of course, this was merely a prelude to an incredible night. =) At 11:30, we began extended worship, which essentially is a few hours of singing and praising God, and just a time to pray and talk to God, listen to what He is saying, and just really sort things out. Let me just say that this was my personal favorite part of the retreat - I listened and confessed to God everything that I have been holding back. The tiniest, most trivial things that have been building up, I let loose. I told Him my fears, my joys, my dreams, my hopes, my worries...and even though He knows, it was the communicating of them that opened me up to Him. What relationship can prosper without communication? Prayer is communication with God, and even though I have been praying, I really was not saying what I needed to say. So now I feel refreshed and ready to do what God would have me do. Still scared - needless to say, that will always be there - but I feel like I can do it, with God guiding me.

Now onto the relationship aspect of the retreat! I met great people there! If you have ever been to my campus, you know that almost anyone you smile at will smile back at you. At Fall Retreat, EVERYONE smiled at you, even if you did not smile at them. They were friendly and loving. If they saw you by yourself, they would come up to you, introduce themselves and start a conversation. It truly was a great experience. I met a fellow vegetarian and food snob, as she likes to call herself, and it was interesting to see how much we had in common. I also met two girls from Taiwan and one from Japan. :) The Taiwanese girls have agreed to help me practice my Chinese (definately just typed English and did not notice!) and they are impressed that I even know of Taiwan - and that I want to learn Chinese! Hehe. I met some impressive Christians this week who are very strong in their faith; I felt incredibly comfortable around them. One of these seems to be willing to meet with me for bible study - she gave me her number and said to call her anytime. That did not come out the way I wanted it to, yet I cannot think of another way to phrase it. It was not quite so impersonal...hmm. Well, it looks like I made quite a few Christian friends this weekend, which is fantabulous!

This weekend I also learned about English Corner, which is every Thursday in Cartwright an hour before CRU. A bunch of international students and some English-speaking students come together and just chat, which helps the internationals practice their English. It is sometimes hard for them as some people do not like to talk to them because of their lack of knowledge of the language or their accents. I am excited!! I want to learn Chinese, but I would love to help them learn another language. ;)

I was trying to do a lab in the basement with Soni-chan today while my laundry was running, but we ended up getting into a philosophical discussion. It all came up because I was talking about how we (children) can never really comprehend the sacrifice a parent gives/goes through for their child. It was such a perfect opening, I had to take it. I just had to ask her if she knew the sacrifice Jesus gave for her. Well, that opened a floodgate of questions. =D We shall see. I truly pray that her unique perspectives will bring her about to accepting Jesus' love... her thinking process is very one of a kind. [Mom - before you freak out, she has been "soul-searching" as she calls it, and has been attending Crossroad's weekly meeting.]

Thank you for all of your support and love!! I pray that you will keep Adam in your prayers - he truly needs support right now. Mom - remember that roommate who bit me at SEMO band camp? I think there is just something about roommates at SEMO... Also please keep Soni-chan in your prayers.

Praise God!

Fantastic Weekend? I Think So!

Start gearing up for a lack of posts from your one and only, ladies and gents - this chicklet is going on Fall Retreat with CRU! This means that at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon, I will be leaving in a car with other Christians to some place in Iowa for the next two days. Yay!! I am told that it is a wonderful experience! I have also been told that it is going to be cold - it is expected to snow!! Therefore, I am packing not only my comforter, but all my little throw blankets, some of my roommates blankets, my peacoat, my sweats and hoodies, and of course, my parka. Hehe. Can you tell I am from Missoui? ^.^ I am getting very excited for this weekend - who would not? I think this will be my last post for the week, so enjoy it! ;)

I have a test in approximately 9 hours - I am nervous! It is my first test of the semester, so I really do not have a clue how it is going to go. Please pray for me. I also would like to request prayer for Barb, Jason, Katie, Kelsey, Mom, Tasha, Tiana, , Dad, Scott & Cindy, Joe, FBCF, Crossroads Campus Ministry, the Lutheran Campus Ministry, and all of the CRU members going on the retreat this weekend. Please keep them in your prayers.

I have praise! Adam is in a better mood - thank you all for your prayers. Let us keep lifting him in prayer. =)

If I think of anything else, I will definately come back and update this post. Dad - I took some more pictures of the trees for you today. I know that you probably have not noticed, but I added the last batch onto the slideshow. Once I upload the new pictures, I will create an entirely new slideshow solely for your pictures of the trees. :)

Goodnight and God bless!

My Way or the Highway to Hell

Hummus and apples and mint toothpaste do not mix well. Yuck.

Hullo all! It is good to sit down once again and chat with you. I found out a few days ago that my bible study was planning a night bluff hike tonight to do our bible study! Yikes! I was going to go, but I decided to be studious and did my homework instead. I will be going to CRU tomorrow, as well as, perhaps, going to bagpipe lessons. That is right: BAGPIPE lessons. FREE bagpipe lessons, might I add! I am also going to be studying my brains out, so I might have to nix the bagpipe lessons for this week. I have a test on Friday morning as well as a test next Wednesday, I believe. I need to do some major studying for these classes which I am not quite sure what the tests are about..!

I got my computer fixed! I took my baby to the ITS tonight for my appointment, and the tech guy got me online again, and installed a different kind of anti-virus program (the kind that the ITS center does not support) until they figure out a solution to the Symantic problem. Once they do, they will call me back in and will re-install Symantic onto my computer and we will be as good as new! But for now, it is nice to be able to go online in my room!

I should probably get to bed - I want to get up a little bit early to start studying. :)

Please keep Barb-san in your prayers! She has both the flu and bronchitis right now, and she is an asthmatic. :( Please pray for her swift recovery and a good day back at work on Friday.
Goodnight and God bless!

A Pain...In The Butt

Today, I literally had a 'pain in my butt'. Or as the doctor put it, in my 'buttocks'. =D What happened was this: I have had a low-grade migraine for the past week. It was small enough that it caused me some pain when exposed to bright lights and loud sounds, but nothing some sleep, a hot shower, and a few Alleve could not handle. Yesterday and last night, however, I do not know if it was because of a lack of sleep from the previous night, but around 5:30 I got fuzzy and could not focus on anything going around me. The lights and sounds twirled together in a slightly pretty fog, and everything I did hurt. Pressing on my head hurt, touching my eyes hurt, talking hurt, listening...etc. So I hopped in the shower which helped a bit, and then tucked myself into bed. I drifted off, and hoped I would wake refreshed in the morning. No go. I woke up a few hours later (could have been as little as 3 or 4 as when I awoke my roommates were still up) and the very pressure from lying my head on the pillow made the pain in my head hurt worse. I tried out different positions on the pillow to no avail, but somehow I drifted back to sleep. I then awoke some more time later with the same problem, only this time I could not sleep again. I got out of bed, downed a tablet of Maxalt, then stumbled back into bed. I fell asleep and then woke up a few more times throughout the night. When my alarm went off at 8, I was instantly wide awake and in the same crippling pain. I knew I couldn't go to class, so I started getting ready to go to the health center. I had to wait an hour as it did not open till 9, but once I got there, everything happened quickly. I saw a nurse practitioner who had seen me before (and remembered me, strangely enough) who prescribed that I get a pain shot called Toradol. She led me to a quiet, dark room (man, I love those!) and had a nurse come in a give me the shot...in my 'buttocks'. The nurse ripped out the needle and made me bleed, and then wiped the stab wound with an alcohol wipe. It stung for a bit, let me tell you! ;) Then they had me lay down for about 40 minutes (they wanted me to start to fall asleep) and then came in and checked on me. When I first went in, the pain was about an 8, and when they checked on me, about a 1.5. It was fantastic. The nurse practitioner thought that I had a combination of a migraine and an inflammation headache due to the week of migraines. She therefore had me take a dose of Alleve with my dinner meal. They then said I could stay there to sleep, or go back to my room, but they did not want me to go to classes at all. :/ I had to make do by doing all the reading and homework I could.

That was really the most exciting part of my day, and I was pretty out of my mind with pain during the whole thing. It really feels like a dream, actually... I did finish up most of my lab, though. I only have three paragraphs left to write on the genetic makeup of persons with Downs Syndrome, Turners Syndrome, and Klinefelter's Syndrome and their phenotypes. Should be simple enough. :)

Well, I am going to turn in. Before I do though, here is a link to the Silver Falcon Marching Band's performance this past weekend at Washington. Check it out, you will not be disappointed! Try to find Tasha! ;) Where's Tasha?

Goodnight and God bless!

Discoveries

I have discovered in my attempt to try new things, that I like chipotle sauce/dressing. I discovered that I also like falafal on pita with cucumber sauce, and that the best sub at the sub shop is a toasted cheese trio on wheat with lettuce, pickles, onions, a scant line of ranch dressing and chipotle dressing. YUM!

Today I have been pretty out of it. I had a few hours (4-5ish) of sleep last night, and I am just not used to it anymore! My head is pounding, I am spacy, and the simplest concepts take ages to process and make sense in my mind. I am thankful the lab we did today I had done in AP Bio, otherwise I would have no idea what we were doing. I am going to go shower and then go to sleep.

There is a Packer vs. Viking game on t.v. tonight, though, so the hall is going to be fairly loud. Thank goodness for headphones!

Goodnight and God bless.

The Fall Foliage: For Papi

Stereotypical College Student Day

Today was stereotypical to the extreme in that both my roommate and I slept till the indecent hour of 2pm, stayed in our pajama pants all day, had pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, have done nothing but watched t.v. and movies and talked to people online. Here is a snapshot of our room: two pizza boxes scattered about, one on a desk, the other on a bed. S. lounging on a bed of cushions on the floor glued to her laptop in front of the television which is playing, "My Neighbor Toroto," me sitting cross-legged on my bed with my laptop watching, "The Magicians of Love," updating my website, and playing games on Facebook.
We cracked up for probably about 5 minutes about how stereotypical we were today. Us, who try so hard to be ourself and not follow the norm. It was just amusing.

So, I repayed S. today by buying her a pizza from Little Ceasar's. I straightened my hair today, because it has gotten to that longish-shortish stage where it looks awful wavy/curly. Unfortunately, it was misting when we went outside to walk to Kwik Trip (to get some floss, seeing as I ran out this week.) I did not find any floss, so I am going to have to go to the C-store to see if they can sell me some exorbantly priced floss. -sigh- We then continued on to Little Ceasar's and came back to the room. That was our outside experience for the entire day. NUTS!

My ride to church went home for the weekend, and I have not been able to contact a girl I know from last year to see if I can get a ride with her. So, I have a morning planned out to sit in front of the t.v. with my Bible, notebook, blankets and pillows and hoodie, and several weeks worth of Pastor's sermons. I am excited - it is going to be a good morning!! Then I have to fit in a few hours of homework before I venture out into the gloom (it has been rather wet and gloomy lately - which means that my mood has never been higher!) to Gospel Choir. We are learning new songs this week, I think! Here is a link to one of the songs that we are singing.

It was so good to hear from you, Jason-kun! And Kati-san, I am super pumped to see you! And Sari-chan! And Mom! I want to share my life here with you!! I had a moment tonight that I just know that you would share in with me!! I was watching "The Magicians of Love," and for some reason the subbers had not edited out a section of advertisements. I was dying of glee!! The ads were not subbed, so I got to listen to Mandarin and watch Asians and it was fantastic!! There was a McDonald's commercial, a Johnson & Johnson commercial, and some kind of shampoo commercial...oh man. Excitement! :)

I just found my favorite (I think) Taiwanese commercial. If you have ever seen "Meteor Garden," then you will know who these guys are. They are a band, called "F4", and they are advertising tourism to Taiwan. Check it out! Click here.
And Kati-san, this one is for Silvana-senpai.

I do not think I have much more to say. So I shall say farewell for now.

Please keep Adam-kun in your thoughts and prayers. He is having a rough time at school, much like I did my first year. If you know what I went through, just add having relationship issues to that, and you have Adam-kun's problems. Lift him in prayer!
Goodnight and God bless!

Rainy Thursday

Heyo. How are you all on this lovely rainy day?

Last night after I posted, I ventured to the Drake Hall bible study. I am so glad I did! I spent an hour with other Christians learning from the Bible, discussing issues we were dealing with, and really trying to learn everything we could about what the Bible teaches on forgiveness. It was fantastic! I then stayed for another hour talking to two of the study's leaders (one of which was my neighbor last year). I was bouncing up and down with excitement and could not stop smiling and laughing! I am incredibly happy to have Christian friends who understand my joy and love and devotion to God, who understand how difficult the path with Jesus is, but how oh so rewarding it is as well!!

Kati-san, I am going to be teaching my bible study on how to maintain a Christian walk while in college (how to deal with peer pressure, financial stresses, how to fit in and find people with whom you are comfortable with, who believe in your beliefs, how to come to Christ, how to discuss your faith with others, etc.) Because the Campus Ministry is devoted to teaching the students, I basically want it to be a place where they can come, be accepted as Christians, bring up their problems/worries and look to the Bible for answers. We decided this would be better than an indepth study in a certain book as not everyone has time to come to study and they would miss stuff that is important. What do you think? I think that I will be able to do this, and I *hope* that it is helpful to the students!

My head, sadly, is pounding once again. Why am I typing this blog? My roommate had a friend come over and they started watching, "Batman". It was loud, and I did not want them to not have fun on my account, so I came downstairs to avoid the noise. I am tired and want to sleep, yet it is only 8. I took a nap this morning before the environmental studies field trip for about an hour and a half, but it seems to have had no effect.

The field trip! It was fun; we learned how the power plant creates its power and how they are environmentally friendly. I could not stop thinking of Mom the entire time - it was something she would have loved. (In fact, she drilled me on the information afterwards. Hehe.)

I think I am going to go find a quiet [dark] place to go crash.

Please keep Kati-san and her family, Soni-chan and her mother, my family, Sari-chan, Aimi-san, and FBCF in your prayers.
Goodnight and God bless.