There are only two days of school this week due to thanksgiving break! How wonderful. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the three days off. I MUST get most of my ENT 105 book project done. This could turn out to take a lot of time too...kinda stressful. I'm planning to get together with my global connect partner over the break, which will be great. I was thinking I could take her to Indy or something. I also want to visit Homer IL Thursday or Friday maybe.

Sarena, Janessa, and I want to plan something for the girl cousins before our get-together on Saturday. That could turn out to be a pretty fun time with some girls I don't get to see often. I really do hope that we can all be real with each other. Sometimes it's hard to get past the formalities with people you haven't been with for a long time. And then there's the complexity of trying not to offend someone else becuase your convictions are a little different...that can be hard. I'm sure it'll be good, especially if I put forth the effort to make it so. :)

So I have a funny story...it makes me look pretty dumb too. You'd better all feel sorry for me!
Saturday night I was with Sadie at a foreign exchange dinner and we were playing games and stuff. Well, someone asked if any of us could do the splits. It just so happens that I can! I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to showcase such an impressive ability! This is where it get bad...no stretching and not easing into it at all. I went straight into the splits and there was a pretty loud tearing in the back of my thigh. I was pretty far away from the group so no one heard it but me. so I acted like nothing happened and stiffly sat back down on my chair. Yeah. I just sat there not moving for quite a while...wondering if I could actually stand up while feeling a burning pain shooting through my leg. Not cool at all. so I'm waiting for one of my doctor relatives to take a look. Oh and, Christen just convinced me to sign up for the mini-marathon. This leg better cooperate and heal before then!
Happy Thanksgiving! I can't wait to gain ten pounds this weekend. :)

Tagged post!

1.) I'm realizing with many tears how much of a perfectionist(based on my pride of course) I am. It's probably one of the harder things I've had to learn this far...I guess I've been learning it through each diff. stage of my life. Let's just say Purdue is givin' me a run for my money and I'm sure it's good for me!

2.) I very much like to dance and I very much like African-American culture! Both of those are very known facts so I paired them.

3.) As a little girl, I carried the responsibility of every animal/pet upon my back. And now I pretty much don't want anything to do with them as a result. I don't like animals very much...I used up all of my positive regard for them long ago. Maybe it was due to the fact that I had a grey cat that was possessed...yes. he was! Ask my family for the gory details.

4.) I love chewable vitamin C...you could probably classify it as an addiction. I like to think of it as the one candy I don't feel a single bit of guilt eating.

5.) I love old architecture and anything dealing with old time-periods. Reading novels set back in the 1800's or anything like that is the best thing in the world. I secretly wish I could completely deck myself out in the latest 1800's fashion and attend a ball...similar to the Pride and Prejudice type. And then return home to my large manor. Sigh....how perfect...and how dorky that I'm confessing this to you!:)

6.) I really want to travel to Brazil before I die. It would be awesome to visit Ygui(our foreighn exchange student when I was a Junior in HighSchool). And, I'm sure my spanish will be astounding by then so I'll be able to understand some Portuguese...not likely.

7.) I don't prefer saxophones or electrc guitars....I'm not sure why. I do like most other instraments a lot though.

Ready for Fall break!

I'm so glad for this week to be over(it's seemed really long). I have five book reviews that I need to finish today and I also need to turn in my book plan for a children's book in Entemology class. For a 100 level class it's turning out to be a lot of work. I have to do my own illustrations for this book too(which I think will be pretty fun)...it's about a bug of my choice. I also have to make a bug costume that's due in a couple weeks. I'm hoping mom will help me with some of this...she's quite the wizard with her sewing-needle wand! Today, I had the nices librarian help me. He was so helful and considerate of my plight to find books about bugs. It made me realize how important it is to treat other people like they really do matter...it makes a difference!

Sunday night Leah and Emily decided to watch Emma! It happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I had a little bit of studying to do and I was feeling stressed with the thought of the two hard exams I was going to take Monday and Tuesday. After taking a refreshing shower I could hear familliar sounds coming from the living room...I got the best warm and fuzzy feeling when I saw that they were watching Emma. It was the perfect thing to relieve stress, and the after-shower clean feeling only magnified the wonderfulness of it all! It's one of those movies that I associate really good memories with and it made me feel completely relaxed and happy(which is quite contrary to how I would normally feel the night before exams). I love the music, characters, and storyline of it...not to mention the coolness of Mr. Knightly.

I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with my fall break. Mom extended the invitation of going with her, Aunt Joyce, and Aunt Connie to the Covered Bridge festival. That could be quite the adventure and my aunts are pretty cool. I'm planning to go to the Taylor Invite this weekend too. For some reason, I'm just not as excited about it as I should be. I'm sure it will turn out to be a great time. The five hour drive just doesn't sound the best.

Ok...I need to get those book reviews done!

Prayin' For You

Sadie introduced this to me a couple weeks ago and I thought it'd be cool to post.

A word about IDIS 376

I just gave a small presentation thing with a partner in my African American class. Basically, we had to summarize a chapter from a book we're reading in class. It wasn't a big deal at all...type up a paper with bullet points about the chapter and talk for like five minutes about it to the class. I usually don't mind this sort of thing at all...but in this class it's just a little bit different. The book is titled: "The Assasinataion of the Black Male Image." Not an easy to talk about topic. Since most of the class is made up of African Americans, including Mr. Tillis(my teacher), It feels different to talk about these issues. The chapter we had to present was one of the longer ones and had so much information...some of which I thought would be uncomfortable to talk about(how the African American male is viewed as sex-crazed and lots of other explicit things along those lines). The teacher chose our partners and, strangely enough, I was paired with another white kid named Ben(he plays baseball for Purdue and is a nice kid). I don't even think that was intentional on the teacher's part...I'm pretty sure he picked at random.

So, the presentation went good and I actually enjoyed standing up there to talk. I really like Mr. Tillis...he's a cool guy! Ben typed up the bullet points and when I was reading over it in class I noticed typo errors...annoying! So I mentioned it to my teacher after class. I warned him that there were typos and that it bothered me and he said I could re-type it if I wanted becuase he's that kind of person too. I guess most perfectionists do kinda understand each other...band together perfectionists!

Then while I was looking for Ashton outside of Beering after my class, I saw Mr Tillis walking by and he told me I did a nice job...which was good to hear because I was pretty sure it probably sounded scattered. We talked for a little bit. I'd say I'm getting to know my teacher well. I love teachers...and he's one of the cooler ones I have. I'm pretty sure this class is going to stretch me in some good ways.

Purdue

I'm very tired at the moment...beware!...this may be a borring post as a result!

I'm excited for my African American Male class tomorrow. And, I have tons of reading to do. Probably should be doing it now. I've been doing homework all day, though, and now I just want to write. My first week of classes went pretty well. After freaking out about my Spanish class to various people that would listen, I've decided that I can probably handle it. Most of my frustration was due to the fact that it was very late last night when I sat down to look at my assignments...porbably English wouldn't have even made sense to me. I think I'm getting plugged in to the idea of School. I guess I don't really have a choice, huh? Plug in or fail!
What crazy things should I share with you?-

My weekend was awesome. I spent it in IL(Denny and Mary Ann's of course) with Sadie, Christen, Ash, Bryan, and Kurt. Monday, the Steffen boys(Quinn and Justin) came out to hang with us. We had some great conversations out on the pontoon boat. It was cool to re-connect with them after kinda growing up together and stuff. Sadie and Christen were awesome as always, and I was so glad Ash and Bryan were there. It was a great weekend with lots of food and fun. I needed it too after my first week at Purdue.

OK. For now that's all I can think to post about. I'm planning to go on a bugwalk tonight for my Entemology class...if I can figure out where to meet. It's for extra credit, which I'm sure I'll need! Have a great day everyone! It poured rain today! It's funny to see people arrive to class in a puddle of water. I was able to stay dry thankfully.

Edge of The Dock!

I haven't posted in forever, but I guess time hasn't been slow moving either. I've finished my Summer job in IL at Uncle Denny and Aunt Mary Ann's house...this makes me sad. I've really grown to appreciate them even more (I didn't think that was possible!). Mom and I made a trip there Monday afternoon to spend some time. It was kind of my last visit before life moves on and summer vanishes completely. It just didn't seem right leaving the next morning after spending full weeks there all summer! It was a little sad and I'm feeling like Purdue doesn't quite sound as good as I thought it did a few months ago. It's weird that I only have the end of this week at home too...since I've pretty much not been home most of my summer.

I must at least talk a little bit about the awesomeness of my Senior trip(hopefully I'll get pictures to post of that too). It was definitely the right trip for my taste...lots of cool cities, quaint restaurants, cute shops, and fun people. My favorite restaurant was located in Santa Barbara, State Street. It was an Italian restaurant that had these big red velvet chairs that were painted gold and a pretty little fountain that was very soothing. The structure of the building had stone columns and stuff. the ceiling had a skylight so it felt like we were outside in a courtyard. The food was obviously amazing too. I loved how dressy the atmosphere was, but at the same time very relaxed. It felt authentic and the lighting was perfect pouring through the open spot in the ceiling. I felt a little bit like I was dining in an aristocratic Roman home of forever ago! If I explained and described every experience I'd be typing all day. I will mention how cool it was to watch a polo game and tour a couple old mansions. Wow...I'm remembering all over again how much I liked this trip. Thank you so much Dad and Mom and thanks Ash for coming with me! I'm so thankful I was able to experience that.

OK...let me explain the picture above. This picture struck me as a good representation of how I've been feeling about life lately. The arrows represent how I've been preparing for my life(spiritually maturing, working hard in school, changing as a person...) and moving towards a certain something. At this time in my life I kinda feel like I've made it to a standing point where I can observe what I've done and think about what I need to do. Now I'm standing at the edge of a dock and I'm expected to plunge into the water. I don't even have my swimming suite with me...but I still of course must jump! And then I'm thinking-- what if I really can't even swim that well? The water is probably cold too! It seems a little scary and I can't even see the bottom or what'll be swimming with me.

I do need to say that I'm not all doom and gloom about it either...there are things about college that I'm totally excited about! I can't wait to spend time with the awesome Purdue group and get to know new people. I'm liking my apartment and roommates a lot too! There are going to be some great opportunities to grow and learn...I'm excited. It's just strange that it's all here so fast and all at once. With these thoughts, I'm going to go get things done...or maybe I'll just enjoy this day at home with no worries, because I have a feeling I'll really miss it when it's all gone.:)

~~~Things~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm home this week...no speeding off to IL. It's really nice becuase I have time to get some much needed things done. Here are a few of them:

1.) Finish grad thank yous...I know, I'm terrible. I do have some done already.
2.) Must paint my desk. This will be really fun. I'm going to paint it a bluish greenish, minty color with burnt orange accents on it. It sounds crazy and that's becuase it's going to be! I'm excited.
3.) Family camp this weekend! I'm hoping it'll be fun. A lot of my friends are going to be out of town though...sounds kinda like girl's camp was this year. I can handle it. Ash said she'd hang out with me. :)
4.) Order my laptop!!! This has already been done as of last night. I can't wait.
5.) Switch my Astronomy class becuase it interferes with the PYG Bible study and becuase I've heard it's way hard. I can't do this until July 21st though.
6.) Return some things, which means I can buy a new pair of shoes with money from the others(and not feel quite so guilty). I have to admit that I've been buying too much lately.
7.) Cover ugly box in cool paper to use as storage. I received a circle, hat box as a gift and the pattern isn't really me...a little too flowery girly.

Check out those beautiful pictures I bought on-line a couple days ago. The website is etsy.com...I would recommend it. It's similar to ebay only I think it's cooler. These pictures have sparkle details on them and they are authentically vintage(1940s art).

Yesterday I visited Grandpa and Grandma Bahler at Green Tree. I hadn't done that in a while and it was great. Grandpa was napping when I got there so Grandma and I talked for a while. Then when Grandpa woke up he wanted to see my car. haha...he never changes. :) Upon seeing it he said something like, "Wow, now that is sharp!" and then, "You're going to jump in there and speed away, huh?" He's too funny.

Oh and, I have some cool pictures to post about my 4th of July weekend! It was SO MUCH FUN. I hung out with Katelyn and Matt Vosburgh, Troy and Mitch Casey, and Jacob Ziolkowski. It was great to be with my old Tri-County friends again. They all met me out at Aunt Mary Ann's where we had a jolly old time. Anyways this is getting to be a long post, and I need to get cracking so I can cross some more things off my list.

My responsibilities

This week at Denny and MaryAnn's is a little different than the others. MaryAnn is away on a trip and Denny works most of the day. My responsiblity is to do some pulling weeds stuff, which isn't too hard. I also have to mow the lawn unless the rain doesn't quit. The real reason for this post is to exclaim that I've been made to take care of three sick puppies too...one of which is only two pounds. They are sick so they need a lot of care. Doesn't that just sound like my kind of thing--- you all know how I love animals. Yeah right! I'm thinking this will be good for me. The smallest puppy, Nan, really is adorable. They are rapidly getting better too. I was completely glad to help MaryAnn with her sick puppies and I'm not whinning in any way...I just think it ironic that I'm the one with the care of dogs for a week.:) MaryAnn told me to be "her" and I'll do my best.

Monday Mom and I went to day on campus. That means that my classes are scheduled(but could change of course)and I have my purdue ID. It was a good day. I tested out of two semesters of Spanish too(101 and 102). I was pretty happy about it cosidering I haven't taken spanish for a whole year. We then ate at the new, Cajun restauruant--Yats. The food there is really intersting and very good.
Ok...I must tend to the puppies!

First week

So, I've officially finished my first week of rigorous summer work at Aunt MaryAnn and Uncle Denny's. I ended up putting in a 45 hour week...which is the most I've worked in any given week(other than mission trips maybe). I'm pretty tired now, but managed to stay strong through it all. We did landscaping, painting, cleaning, and much more. We had to prepare their house to be viewed by some people form CA looking for a new home to buy. The house looked amazing as always...but, we're not sure how the home-buyers felt. They raved about the house, but also said it was a little big for their liking. I'm secretly hoping they decided against it :). Overall it was such a good week full of some hard work. I think I learned a lot and there is much more to be learned still. I'll be headed back for more work Monday AND THIS COMING FRIDAY IS SOUTH CAROLINA VACATION! Guess I won't be working that day...or the whole next week either. Two cheers for vacations!

While MaryAnn was cleaning out her already clean closets, she showed me this old pinkish calico dress. It's the coolest thing ever! It was made in 1977 but is in the style of 1777. MaryAnn had to wear it for some broadcasting thing she did that was celebrating independence day. Anyways, she gave it to me because I thought it was awesome. I know it sounds kinda dorky and all. Believe me it's quite authentic, which makes it cool. I also found something from Goodwill while in IL--- A blanket with all of this nice, soft, fluffy, stitch stuff on it. It's definitely vintage and unique. Don't worry, we washed it.

Kurt and I just drove back from Denny and MaryAnn's today around noon. As good as the week was, I'm still glad to be home. I missed Mom and Dad and everything about home. I'm excited to see all of you next weekend!

My Graduation thoughts

It's strange to get ready for something and prepare for it(all four years of high school) and then all of a sudden it's over. I've still got that after event tired feeling. It was so great to see all of the people that mean a lot to me. I was thinking how cool it is that we have milestones in our lives and we invite others to celebrate with us. There aren't too many times when like 300 people will come to your house just to support you...pretty cool.

We were waiting in the hallway in the basement of Elliot Hall to walk up to the stage for graduation. I could see the never ending line of blue caps and gowns with people laughing and smiling....I suddenly realized how strange it was that I hadn't been at my High School for a whole year. Not that I regret it...it just feels weird. I did kinda wish that I could have spent more time with the friends I had there. Then I think about how those friendships don't always last and the PYG group will. It was great being able to spend so much time with the Purdue Group last year! So I guess I wouldn't change anything from last year...but, feelings of regret are totally normal, huh?

Now that I'm talking about Purdue, I'll express how excited I am to move in to Marstellar...or at least I think I am. :) The girls I'll be rooming with are awesome...I'm gonna learn a lot from them. I'm glad that I do have a whole summer to make money and relax. So, I'm planning on working for Aunt MaryAnn this summer. Of course, these plans aren't set in stone!
ASHTON- We need to plan the senior trip!!! How was the lake house by the way?
Jenny- I missed you, Luke, and Luca really bad. Thanks for calling and also for sending your black sweater thing too. Can't wait to see you in SC!

Very cool video Janessa and I just watched!

Oh JOYFULNESS.

This post is in celebration of Jen, Luke, and Luca's upcoming visit.I searched for a picture that would fully convey my happiness and I found... This.

Jenny, when I think of you it's like I'm traveling into another world...a world where flowers and butterflies flutter about in perfect beauty.
I'm definitely looking forward to your visit!
I also thought it appropriate to show this movie of Milli Vanilli. :) This song makes me think of Spring Break. (Luke:"They were fakes!") I love you Jen!

First of all...Summer will be here in about two weeks. Very exciting. I have one final next week and two the following week, which isn't too bad. I'm realizing how much life is going to be different after this summer. The Purdue group is going to change quite a bit. This year was really good. I've been praying that next semester will be just as awesome.

Kurt and I are home alone yet again tonight...Mom and Dad don't get back from India till Tuesday or Wednesday (not sure which). We've been trying our best to keep the house clean...you'd all be very proud. Last night was really amazing. Kurt, Janessa, and I joined a few Purdue kids for some volleyball...turns out it was way to windy. It was nearly impossible to hit the ball in any kind of straight line. It made the game pretty interesting! We all had good excuses for not hitting anything. I think everyone was a little tired, which made for a not very competitive game...I didn't mind though. So after that Janessa came home with Kurt and I. We stopped for ice-cream on the way home. The best part of the night was when Janessa and I went for a late night run. Ok so, running isn't all that great, but the weather was so amazing. It was right before a storm so there were little flashes of lightning all over the sky. I can't even describe how beautiful it was. The wind felt so fresh and it was so peaceful. It was one of those times where God's power feels so real. We ended up laying on the road after our run to enjoy it for a while. At one point our relaxation was interrupted by car lights coming in our direction. Yeah, we screamed pretty loud. They seemed much closer than they were of course! It was a good night. :)

Good day

Today has been so relaxing and fun. Daveana and I went to Panera after class, which has become quite a ritual for us. I love being able to share thoughts with friends! It's so rainy and dreary out, but I happen to love this kind of weather. It makes me feel so...pensive(that word makes me laugh)...and reflective.:)

Speaking of sharing with friends, I'm remembering how cool it was to volunteer at LUM(Lafayette Urban Ministries-homeless shelter) with Christen. We had basically all night to burrow into life's deepest issues...and by golly we did! It was great. She is great. This world is great. There really isn't anything better than late night talks.

I've really been wondering what I should do this summer. I have some pretty good ideas...don't worry I won't bore you with them! I can't describe how excited I am about South Carolina vacation. ASH!!!!-- You need to help me plan my senior trip and soon. Time is wasting away!

Last weekend was Natalie Hoerr's personal shower...how weird. I can't believe my friends are actually to the stage where marriage is happening. It's pretty scary. I had a really good talk with Polly and Kaitlyn Hoerr. Those girls are really special and I don't get much time to talk with them. What a blessing it was. :)It's so fun to be able to talk with girls...I'm afraid to lose all of the freedom I have in my friendships after I get married(If that is to happen of course). I know I'll still have friendships they just won't be like they are now. I'm definitely not ready to give that up and I shouldn't be! Spending the night with Ash and Bryan was also pretty cool. It was Liv, Sadie, Christen, and I that stayed. We had some good talks...abusing Bryan with too many questions I'm sure!

This stage of life is a good one!

Pictures

So, I haven't posted in years. I'm going to quick post some pictures from Ash and I's spring break. Some of them are pretty similar to Ash's.

Worst day of my life...

so, I ended up babysitting a little later yesterday than originally planned, which would have been completely fine if it hadn't started snowing fiercely. It was horrible...the snow and wind mixed together were beginning to look more an more like a blizzard with every passing moment. Once I finally started on my way home it was a little after 5:00, which just so happens to be rush hour. There were cars everywhere and they were all driving about twenty miles per hour because the roads were covered in ice.

The vehicle I was driving doesn't have four wheel drive and it has this automatic breaking system that can be a real problem. It's supposed to be helpful in preventing the driver from speeding up too fast on ice, but it's not real good when it stops you from moving forward at all on the ice. I can completely floor it and not go anywhere because it stops the engine from actually working (I don't know if I'm explaining this well...I'm sure you know enough about cars and I'll stop trying!). Ok. On with my story--- I drove over the bridge above the wild cat creek and continued up a VERY steep incline. I'm talking about the huge hill on Eisenhower Rd. This hill is very winding and narrow. The guard rails on the sides protect drivers from certain death down the steep drop off. The car in front of me was going really slow, so of course my little two wheel drive vehicle had no chance. My vehicle started going slower and slower until it finally stopped altogether. yeah, there I was at a dead stop in the middle of the huge hill. The cars began to pile up behind me and I was panicking. I called mom and screamed at her for help. Then, I completely lost it with many tears and repeating of "I don't know what to do!!!!" I think my mental state was more alarming to her than the actually situation I was in :).

The cars began to go around me and I was feeling really stupid. MY VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE!!! I tried to back up down the hill, but couldn't do a very good job with the pelting snow and my iced-over windows. Not to mention I'm probably the worst person of all time at efficiently steering myself while driving backwards. Finally some guy stopped and asked me if I was ok. My eyes were red with tears and I was all nervouse...I looked PATHETIC(Although, I was sporting my new haircut I had gotten that morning...my only saving grace)! He ended up watching for traffic and guiding me backwards down the hill in only a light sweatshirt. What a guy! It turns out that he slid into the ditch while trying to back up after me, which he probably wouldn't have done if he hadn't helped me. I felt really bad. Luckily a policeman was coming along and he helped the guy. I found out later that there were a bunch of other vehicles that had gotten stuck further up the hill also. So, I didn't feel quite as stupid.

I was finally on my way towards a new route home when I got stuck on another hill that was less than a half a mile away from the one I had previously been stuck on. I'm really not making this up either! It was HORRIBLE. This time some guy, with his cute smiling girl-friend in the passenger, seat got out and pushed me. I'm not sure how he managed to get my vehicle to move. I'm thinking it must have been an angel or something :). After that...I made it safely home.

In my defense of the complete loss of emotional control I experienced, I had just taken a mid-term exam in my speech class that morning (stressful) and still had to finish writing a 5-7 page research essay for my English class(more stressful). My teacher is really not easy to please and she was requiring a billion resources for our work cited. I ended up working on my essay till about 4:00 A.M. that night. I did run before starting it, hoping to release some of the stress from my tragic icy hill situation.

All I can say is I'm ready for spring break. I'm waiting for it with open arms!!!

Spring break is just around the corner

Another week bites the dust! I can practically smell the sweet air of Florida...see the sweet smiles of Luca...walk the sweet streets of the village Haile...etc. I'm so excited! So, Ash and I are going to road trip it out to FL, which is pretty crazy. It's going to be great. My mind is already uncontrollably switching to relaxation mode. I need to pull myself together and execute this last week!

Last weekend was really great. Mom had Amy and Jon's wedding to take and Ash assisted her. I was like the other assistant...it was pretty cool. Their wedding was very big. It was so great to get to talk to people that I hadn't seen in forever. Mark and Lori's house was great too. It was very relaxing...they are cool people. Ash, Mom, Javon, and I ate at Panera in Fort Wayne after the picture shooting. That was also a good time.

Anyways...This post is pretty uneventful. Oh yes! I'm getting my hair cut next Tuesday and then Baby-sitting at twelve thirty for Liv G. while she gets her hair cut. Kinda ironic, huh? My hair is getting to the stage where it is awkwardly short and long at the same time. Like it can't make up its mind what it wants to be. It'll look much better once It's cut I'm sure.

I have a research paper that I'm kinda dreading to write. My teacher is very particular and she's a hard grader. Wish me luck! It's due next Wednesday, which means I need to be doing a lot of it this weekend. I do have a rough draft completed, but that's only the first step.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week!

About Valentines Day

I know Valentines day was last week, but I didn't post about it and I want to now. The Purdue girls planned a valentines dinner Wednesday night. We all met and had dinner and...um...we were all matched up with a cute Purdue boy for the night. We danced and laughed and...HAHA! It was a girls only party, of course! Anyway, Janessa and I decided to share a little poem we found with the girls. I think I'm going to post it here for you.--- It's titled LOVE ME.

Love me in the Springtime, when all is green and new,
Love me in the Summer, when the sky is oh so blue,
Love me in the Autumn, when the leaves are turning brown,
Love me in the Winter, when the snow is falling down.

Love me when I'm happy, and even when I'm sad,
Love me when I'm good, or when I'm oh so bad,
Love me when I'm pretty, or if my face is plain,
Love me when I'm feeling good, or when I'm feeling pain.

Love me always darlin', in the rain or shining sun,
Love me always darlin', after all is said and done,
Love me always darlin', until all our life is through,
Love me always darlin', for I'll be lovin' you!

- Amanda Nicole Martinez -

...We had tons of fun delivering this! It's probably one of the most pathetic poems I've heard in a while. The only thing it's missing is one of those cool drawings that Napolean Dynamite is so good at. It was a really nice night. Althought there were much laughs, we had time where we all shared something spiritual that was important to us and it was really good. It's nights like those that I realize how great it is to be a girl. :)

A black car pulled up to the West Lafayette church last Sunday and for one second my mind really did think it was Jen and Luke. The guy in the front, through the tinted windows, strangely resembled Luke. It made me feel really sad. You don't always realize how much you miss people until you are reminded of how great it would be if they were there. Jenny! I miss you more than words can say. Guess what movie Ash, Mom, Kurt, Dad, Janessa, and I watched a couple of nights ago? STOMP THE YARD...That guy reminds me so much of Luca. It's crazy.

About this weekend-- Playing the new Nancy Drew computer game was, once again, quite delightful. Yeah, it sounds pretty dorky. If you've ever tried them I know you'd be hooked too. Andria, Ash, and I are pretty close to beating it...Nancy Drew is such an inspiration to us. someday I hope to have solved half as many mysteries as that sleuthing fiend!
I had fun with you both! :)

I'm trying to decide if I have enough time/mental energy to drive out to Bible study tonight. It's so cold outside and driving to Purdue campus sounds terrible!

Friday

I'm so glad today is over ...weekend, here I come! I had to give a REALLY EXCITING oral report in my Literature class today. Let me tell you about it-- It was a three page essay highlighting the major events that occurred during the 1300's. I was able to put together a pretty awesomely great slide show for the visual aid too(It was only five slides long). I know all of you are wishing you were in my Literature class and all. Maybe if you ask really nicely I'd be willing to present my oral report for you sometime :).

So...about the crazy plans I have for this weekend. I'm thinking about hanging out with Sadie maybe! That would sure be nice. Or, maybe I should be responsible and get my homework and stuff done. I could always go to Indy and have a good time with my great family too. Hmmm...so many options...and so little time to decide.

Today we finally hooked up the new router for the internet. Do you know what this means?! No more waiting a half hour to get on the internet, and no more getting kicked off while using the internet. Ashton!- Now, that is the real reason for my absence of new blog posts. I had no motivation to do it! What if I had been in the middle of the best post of my life and then the internet disconnected. It was just(dramatic pause)too risky.

Ok...I'm going to go embrace the goodness of this fruitful Friday. I'm looking forward to a silly Saturday tomorrow!...and then a sultry Sunday, and then a maddening Monday, and maybe a tortoise-paced Tuesday, then a wacky Wednesday, and then a thrilling Thursday, and then we are back to Friday again! (Boy oh boy, that was fun!)

Snow....is my...best friend! (singing voice)

So, I was at Thursday night services and becoming increasingly more nervous as the night progressed, because I had tons of homework to do. AND sadly enough, it was all due the next day...oh boy. So, responsible me went to praise singing afterward too. I didn't feel like being social and I became increasingly annoyed throughout the night. Before I left for home I talked to Christen for forever about how much this and that irritated me and about how I was stressed. She's such a great friend to listen...she really was good to talk to. I made it home right before the snow storm hit. So it's beginning to snow and I'm sulkily sitting on the couch in the living room wondering how I'm going to get all of my homework done. I fell asleep on the couch without getting anything done(without washing my face or brushing my teeth...so annoying). I awoke an hour later wondering whether we had school and then continued to awake at odd times throughout the night. It was kinda awful. Then glory of all glories-- I found out that IvyTech. classes were canceled due to the weather! So here I am blogging...or should I say rejoicing at 8:00AM. Not really sure why I'm not going back to bed.

Ashton--
I loved having you here for as long as you were :). I think I'm liking the whole you commuting to Purdue thing...I know it's really an inconvenience for you though. Sorry if I seemed a little out of it and stuff. I think it was hard for me to adjust to school after such a long break. I guess I'm glad the first week is over and stuff. I'm in this mode where I want to do all of my homework right now so I won't have to worry about it, while at the same time I have no energy to do any of it. One step at a time, right?

This Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. day, we have no school. I want to plan something great and exciting! The Purdue group is going on a snowboarding trip...yeah, I really don't enjoy that. I've decided for as much money and time that it takes I'm not going to invest in it. I really don't enjoy being cold either (Andria can attest to that :)...).

I'm thinking that our family hasn't gotten together for some good hang out time for quite a while. I miss all of you! It was so great to have Clint here Wednesday night too...skip-bo was crazy cool(Except for the fact that I didn't get a single card out of my stack the whole game...stupid nine on top.)! Sigh...it sure does feel good to be Friday. Later! (I chose the picture because I'm ready for green to come back)

New Classes

I'm waiting for everyone in our house to get ready so we can go out to eat! It's going to be so nice :).

While I have time I'll share a little about the class I had today...
I decided to enroll my self in a speech class, because I'll then have it out of the way when I graduate and go to Purdue in the fall. I kinda expected my teacher to be intimidating and stuff...you know, have superior communication skills and such. Upon entering the class, I noticed some sloppy writing on the board announcing that he(Mr. Nelson) only had one of his two hearing aids, so we would need to speak loudly for him to hear. Knowing that I might have to repeat myself ten times I decided that I wouldn't attempt to say anything...I'm sure the other students felt the same as the class remained deathly silent. We watched him shuffle around the classroom for a while. When he began to introduce the syllabus I was surprised at how completely mono-tone his voice was. I thought that speech teachers were supposed to be somewhat exciting and engaging when they spoke...isn't it supposed to be what they're good at and stuff? Needless to say, my speech class turned out completely different than what I had expected! I guess it's a good thing that I won't be intimidated by Mr. Nelson...he said we could call him "Mr. Ed". This kinda makes me chuckle because he is nothing like the Ed Bahler that I call Dad.

I'm happy to announce that my other classes seem to be going pretty well. Janessa and I have the first two classes on Mon., Wed., and Fri. together!...It couldn't have worked out better :). I'm going to have a positive outlook this semester even if some of my teachers are a little duddy!

Bowling tonight

I start school this Monday! As my last freedomfulfun (new adjective I just created) activity I think I'll go bowling with some cool girls tonight(Katelyn V., Janessa, Sarena). I'm pretty much expecting to beat all of my bowling records...and probably all of yours too :). No, I'm not too hot when it comes to bowling, although I think it's great fun.

I should really be thinking about what to make for the wonderful dinner mom and I will prepare for the cool girls that are coming...considering We'll be eating in like two hours and I still have lots to get done before that time. Probably we'll have some elegant dishes and some candle light. Maybe some party favors would be nice...and, like, some champagne and stuff.
...No! That is Waaay too much work! I'm sure we'll throw together a delightful little spread. :)
Alright, love you all like...the lamp does the light bulb! Awww now that is a sweet little comparison. Basically I'm saying that I can't shine without all of you that I love. My life is dark and barren without your presence near me...need I go on or do you feel the deepness of my appreciation? :)

Nothingness...

So I'm back home after a long and crazy weekend in South Bend with Ann. Overlooking some pretty stressful situations the wedding went good...I was glad to be with Ann and help her out. I recently found out that I have another whole week of break!...so I thought I would be in classes today and here I am blogging...crazy. I haven't quite decided what I'll do with this extra week. Probably something amazingly productive (yeah right). So far I've managed to do nothing with my day. I had breakfast with Ann and her boys and drove back to Lafayette. Now I can't get myself to do anything. Maybe I'll clean my room, do some errands in town, etc. Anyways...on to more important things. I've managed to make a small sum of money towards the funding of our trip to Florida! I'm going to visit Jen if it's the last thing I do. :) I'm getting very Jennysick. Ok---I'm going to have to stop writing and start doing. Here I go to seize the day!