It's finals week! Hooray!

Yes, hooray.. I'm ready for this semester to be over. On Wednesday my sound final project is due, and on Thursday I have my short story final test (not comprehensive!), my intro to Christianity final test (also not comprehensive!), and my motion graphics final project. I am almost done with my sound project so that is a huge relief. And I am not too worried about the two tests. I am however worried about my motion graphics project. I just don't have the ambition to work on it for more than a couple hours a day because the work is so tedious. I am making a music video for the song "Fall to Pieces" by the band Ziv and I filmed my boyfriend Isaac singing. I am currently putting the lyrics to the song into the video, and to get them to move with Isaac I have to go frame-by-frame in the video and move them. And just so you know, there are 30 frames per second. That's a lot and that's why I don't want to work on it.

I have to stay on campus until Saturday because I am ambassadoring for graduation. I think I would have stayed no matter what though because my friend Theresa is graduating.

I can't wait to go home and be able to bake christmas cookies and wrap presents and decorate the house. I love all that stuff.

Well, after a short and sweet Thanksgiving break, it's back to the old grind. But it's only two weeks until Christmas break! And I have a lot to accomplish in those two weeks.

This week is the last week of regular classes and next week is finals. On Wednesday I have to present my final project in Writing and the Visual Arts. I wrote poems and made posters using my graphic design skills on the topic of breast cancer. Right now I only have three poems/posters which, in actuality, is a lot, but I think I will make one more (hopefully!) so that when I say I was shooting for 3-5 I don't only do the minimum :P

On Thursday I will be playing flute for the Living Nativity. I might also be hosting a track recruit.. so I will have to find ways to entertain her! Friday will be my busiest day of this week because I have to Ambassador for the faculty/staff Christmas party by serving drinks and their meal. Then its the choir's ugly sweater party. I have to go to goodwill tomorrow to see if I can find a super-amazing-deluxe-crazy-awesome-uber-ugly christmas sweater. On Saturday I have to play pep band for the basketball games and then that night there is a Christmas bistro dance.

Next week I have one final on Wednesday and three on Thursday. I have two projects, two tests, and a paper that goes along with one of the tests. I don't think it should be too bad since the two tests are not comprehensive and I have done well on all the past tests in those classes.

I just realized I have not yet told of my Thanksgiving break. Leading up to it I had been sick for two weeks and it got really bad last Tuesday, so on my way home I stopped at the hospital and got a new antibiotic plus some cough medicine and I slept that night for the first time in two weeks! But, although I was recovering from such a bad cough/cold, I did have fun over break. On Wednesday I went to my friends Theresa and Laura's house (Theresa goes to MMC and Laura graduated from here) and we had a game night with friends that we work with. On Turkey day, my brothers, boyfriend, mom and I had supper together at my house. Needless to say, it was delicious and I ate too much (how cliche :P). On Friday we all did a little Black Friday shopping, but didn't go until 9am.. I prefer sleep over crazy deals. However, I ended up getting some crazy deals.. I got a new suitcase, purse and wallet, as well as a sweater and earrings. And I got good gift ideas for my brothers, boyfriend and mom. That night I went to my friend Allie's house and she had a huge get-together. We played what we called "The World's Largest Game of Spoons." Spoons can get pretty dangerous when playing with 15 people!

I came back to school on Saturday so I wouldn't have to get up early to come back on Sunday because it was our choir concert, Vespers. We practiced for almost two hours in the afternoon before the performances at night. The choirs sang with members of the Sioux Falls orchestra, which was amazing. The orchestra made every song sound so beautiful.. I loved it! I have previously sang with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and this time with the Sioux Falls Orchestra was just as amazing. We had two performances and they were both packed. Afterwards I received so many compliments, which goes to show that it was quite the memorable experience.

Tonight I am going to try to get all my homework done for the next three days so I can go ugly sweater shopping tomorrow. Good luck to me!

I have been sick all week and nothing seems to be helping me get better. I have a terribly ugly cough that keeps my roommate and me up at night. Today during class I had a sneezing/coughing attack and had to leave! I have three different types of medicine that I am taking to get rid of this so they better start working and fast!

The visit last weekend to see my brother Tyler was a success! He gave my boyfriend Isaac and I a tour of Augustana and I realized it's not as big as I thought. It's a really pretty and nice-sized campus. We went thrifting with his roommate Dylan, who is a really nice guy, and I found some cowboy boots that my brother picked up a couple days later when they were on sale!

This weekend was probably the busy weekend I have had so far. On Friday night, my friend Theresa had her bachelorette party - or rather, we threw her the party! We rented a hotel room and played a bunch of games. It was such a blast.. I got to hang out with my soccer teammates whom I barely get to see now that the season is over.

On Saturday I had to be up bright and early to give tours to groups of prospective students because it was a campus visit day. One of the moms was a MMC alum and she seemed to enjoy the tour the most! Then I had to play pep band and I watched the girl's basketball game - they won! After that both choirs had a rehearsal that the public could watch. I thought we sounded pretty good and I'm getting really excited for our concert, Vespers, at the end of the month.

My mom came to Mass on Sunday because I was playing flute, singing with the chamber choir, and being initiated as an Ambassador. She got a late start and ended up just missing my flute duet before Mass, so it was a good thing we also played harmony parts to the Alleluias and Holy Holy Holy!

I have alot to get done before Thanksgiving break can start: my sound presentation on funk music/Prince, a title sequence for "The Wizard of Oz" for motion graphics, a literary analysis paper for my short story class, and I really need to work on my final project for Writing and the Visual Arts.

Soccer season is over and it is kind of a relief. I was getting frustrated by the end and now I have alot less stress in my life. Maybe its just because I have more time on my hands. Actually, that's probably it.

Today we had gorgeous weather. It was in the 60s and six of us soccer girls went for a run. It felt so good! I hope there is more weather like this for when I'm training for track. Speaking of training for track, practices start on Monday! Coach says he wants to work me harder this year than last year so I can get down to at least a 2:30 in the 800. And there are a lot of good freshman this year so I will have plenty of girls to train with. I really hope I can do well at the 800 this year. Its a new event for me and since I struggled so bad with hurdles last year, I really need a confidence boost.

For our next sound project we have to either do a research paper/presentation on a specific genre of music or do one of the projects that we already did. We have to know by tomorrow what we want to do and I still can't decide. If I did the project, I would do another 30 second radio ad because the one I previously did was not the best. But if I did the presentation, I would do some sort of indie/folk genre of music or alternative/pop-punk/rock. I just don't know what I want to do.

Next weekend is Blue and Gold Days Family Weekend. On Saturday, prospective students will be on campus and I have to give tours for Admit. I also have to play pep band at the basketball games and sing a Vespers preview for choir. And then on Sunday, my friend Theresa and I are playing a flute duet at the family mass.

Thanksgiving Break is less than three weeks away and I can't wait for a break. This weekend I am going to visit my brother at Augustana in Sioux Falls, so that will be a nice little break from school until Turkey day comes.

So I have some exciting news... we won our game yesterday! We played York College and won 2-0! We played really well as a team and made lots of offensive opportunities.. I just wish we could have done that more throughout the season. We have two games left.. one tomorrow and one on Saturday. Hopefully we can end the season on a high note and win them as well!

I am pretty excited about my next motion graphics project. We have to do a 30 second commercial for the clothing store Urban Outfitters. Today I filmed my friend Gina in front of the green screen, just walking and skipping like she was on a path in the park. I plan to draw in her world around her with grass and trees and sky and flowers. So in the end, she will be a real person in an animated world. It's due Tuesday, so I really hope I have enough time to perfect it!

Something else exciting is that Motion City Soundtrack has a new album coming out. They are one of my favorite bands.. I have seen them live four times :) Anyways, I downloaded their new single and its really good.. so I CANNOT wait til next week when the album comes out!

Today I registered for classes for next semester. I will be taking 20 credits.. ahhhhh! I am taking Drawing and Painting, Advertising, World Lit, Writing and Publishing, Web Based Motion Graphics, Psychological Speed of Society (which is the honors class), and band and choir. It seems like so much, but I just have class at 10am, 12pm, and 1pm on MWF and at 8am, 12pm, and 1pm on TTh, plus band, art, and honors at night. I'm sure I will be able to handle it.

What's the most interesting thing that has happened to me in the past eleven days? Probably that I got stung by a bee at practice today. And found out I'm not allergic, woohoo!

Anyways, tomorrow I have a motion graphics project due. We had to make a 15 second "bump" for a tv channel... its one of those channel-ident space-fillers that says "You're watching MTV" or whatever. Mine is for the Food Network.. it's simple but VERY festive. Its parts of a cupcake that looks like a witch. It assembles and then the words "happy halloween" are written. Its definitely an A ;)

Speaking of Halloween, I will not get to partake in any of the trick or treats this year. We have a game in Lincoln that day at 6pm. Which of course means, we will be leaving later in the day (the only plus is that I get to sleep in), but we will not be getting back to Yankton until one or two in the morning. And the holiday will be over by then.

Alrighty, I'm done complaining about stuff. I went to a meeting for the English Club and it looks like we will be going to Canada in February. The trip is all paid for except for a couple meals and we get to go to a museum and a play over the course of a weekend. Best part? Just a week later I will be going on the choir cruise to Mexico! Two countries in two weeks! What could be better?

Tonight my johnmate Gina and I went to go practice our choir music for mixed chorus because we have a midterm tomorrow where we have to sing all of our songs for the director. Well, we asked him to practice with us and after the first song he said it was an A and that if we wanted we could sing the other songs and consider it our midterms. So we did.. and got an A! Woot!

It's October! And as I said in my last post, the cold is here! We went from summer to winter so fast that I think I missed fall. The trees haven't even all changed colors yet and the weatherman is forecasting snow for this weekend. Yuck is about the only word I can say to that.

So, on to more positive matters. We only have seven soccer games left in this season! It's going by so fast this year! We haven't won any more games, unfortunately, BUT we do always put up a fight. It's too bad that we let some of those goals get in because we don't ever play like the scores say we do. On Tuesday we played a night game in the freezing cold against Morningside. The final score was 5-2, but if you take away the two goals that were scored during the first minutes of both halves, thats only 3-2! Such a close match and I really wish we could have won our first conference game.

School is going alright. I hate it when I have to miss class for soccer games. We learn so much in my 3-hour motion graphics class and I have had to miss it a few times, which puts me WAY behind everyone else. Our next project is a 15-second tv channel bump/identification. I can't decide what channel to do! There are so many options... Food Network, Comedy Central, TV Land, Disney Channel... hopefully I can think of something unique!

My next project in sound is a 30-second radio ad. I think I am going to do mine on the Dairy Dock. It's a cute little ice cream shop/restaurant in town and they are closing for the season THIS WEEKEND. I will have to go to get my last Dairy Dock fix until spring and also get some ideas for my ad ;)

In choir I have been working hard on learning and memorizing my music. We are being quizzed on it in two weeks and I am getting nervous. There are so many songs to know and so many high notes to hit! I am going to have to practice outside of class to make sure I am prepared.

This weekend is a three-day weekend because it is Native American Day on Monday. I am so ready for this long weekend. Although I will have homework to do, I think I will try hard to get it all done in one day so I can relax the rest of the weekend.

It's so cold now! The weather changed from summer to fall way too fast. Yesterday while watching the men's soccer game I was not only wearing a sweatshirt, but TWO long sleeves under it. However, the cooler weather is much welcomed at practice, because now I'm not sweating buckets all over the place.

As for school, nothing exciting has really happened. Our next sound project is called "Sound Story" and we have to use many sounds to make a story of an everyday activity. I'm going to do a soccer game. Our next motion graphics project is a poem project. I'm going to use the song "Ode to Serotonin" by Nightmare of You. We have to animate the text to emphasize the poem.

I had my first exam of the semester on Monday and it was in Intro to Christianity. I was so worried about it because there was so much to know and I was afraid of forgetting something, but I got a 93%!

Other than that, all that's been going on is soccer. Our record is now 1-6, and I am getting sick of losing. I really wish we could play better offensively and score some goals. I know I am going to work harder to get it done, even WITH my toe injury. Which, by the way, doesn't seem to be getting better.

On the agenda for the rest of the week is pretty much nothing. There is Salsa dancing on Friday and I am definitely going with Isaac to that. And this weekend I am playing flute at mass again.

I've been contemplating what to blog about for the past ten minutes. And its not because I don't have anything to talk about.. its because I have so much that I don't know where to start.

Now, I don't want to bore you by telling about all my homework that I have had to do this past week. But seriously, it was outrageous. And just this weekend alone I think I did as much homework as I did all week combined.

But, I guess it wasn't just homework. I had to write three articles for the school newspaper, The Moderator, and I worked on some advertisements for it as well. One of the articles was on the band Ziv that came and performed on campus last week. I interviewed them and they had quite the sense of humor. Not to mention a ton of musical talent. I bought one of their cds because they reminded me of the Fray and Five for Fighting. They were very good.

I'm sure this week will be just as busy as last.. we have a game on Wednesday, so once again I will be missing class. BUT its our first conference game, so that is pretty exciting. My mom has come to three of our five games already this season. Its always nice to see her and my brothers.

Well, in the past week and a half (while I wasn't blogging) a lot happened.

School started. I had my first paper due.. my first quiz.. my first missed class. My first graphic's project is due tomorrow, in sound. Its a "Dance Party USA" themed song. Instead of using the cliched synth and moog and beat box sounds, I went with some worldly tribal beats.. it sounds amazing.

I injured myself in soccer and sat out for nearly a week while I healed. But then I was back just in time for our first game... we won! And I scored!! It was the most glorious goal the world has ever seen. Lauren passed it to me and I was open for the shot. I bet the goalie was stunned, because I sure was. I fell to the ground from the impact, only to jump up and down as my ENTIRE team came running towards me to hug and congratulate me.. it was my first career goal! We ended up winning 3-1, and my goal put us ahead 2-1, so I claim it as the game-winning goal ;)

We have our second game of the season tomorrow and another on Saturday. Its gonna be tiring, but I know we can pull it together. I am so extremely excited for this season, now that I know we can work so well together on the field during a game. We get Sunday off from practice and a bunch of people are going home, since Monday is Labor Day aka no school. I'm not going home, but I am excited for the day off because I finally get to spend some quality time with my boyfriend. We haven't seen much of each other lately, except for lunch and supper, because of crazy school and practice schedules. He made the school's a capella choir again, which this year is named "Smooth Benediction." Also, on another choir-related note, I tried out for chamber choir and made it!

Next week is opening mass and I will be playing flute during the Presentation of Gifts and I am very excited for that. I love playing at church.

Well, now is that dreaded time for homework. I don't have much tonight, which is a nice break from the crazy amount I had last week and earlier this week. Hopefully all the studying pays off :)

Two-a-days are over! Time to relax? Of course not.. classes start tomorrow!

Practice this week wasn't that bad actually. We did fitness training in the mornings (aka lots and lots of running) and soccer training in the afternoon (aka lots of possession). I'm glad I ran so much this summer because it helped me to do the workouts without dying. One day we ran a timed mile and I got 7:44.. not my best, but at least it was under 8. Another day we had to run a timed 300 meter shuttle run. Also, yesterday we ran the Yankton Riverboat Days 5K road race and I came in first for the soccer girls and even beat some of the soccer guys! My time was 25:44 and I placed 116 out of 269.

During our practices at the fields, I discovered that already I am playing better than last year. One day we practiced moves and I was able to do all of them with ease. Also, when we played world cup I was pulling moves left and right and taking lots of shots. I think its because I feel much more comfortable doing all that, now that I have more experience under my belt. It all comes more naturally to me than before.

Besides soccer, I haven't done much else this week. My roommate April and I got our room all decorated and put together. The team went out to eat for lunch one day at the Fryn Pan.. it was good team bonding. We only have two freshman to get to know, but its been fun.

Class tomorrow.. I got all my books so I hope I'm ready!

Last full day at home. Only 13 hours until I am back on campus. I got the cars packed up tonight, even vacuumed mine out in anticipation.

Last night my friend Allie suggested that we bike the trails in Jackson, but I had no way of transporting my bike there so I drove over and ran the trails while she biked. We ended up doing about three miles and it was really fun. All summer I ran by myself so it was nice to have a companion this time. After that we rounded up Audrey and Brynn and played soccer at the high school football field. I think it was the most intense soccer I played all summer! And a plus: it was great fun!

My cousin Kristen came to visit my family this week. She is from Pennsylvania and lives and works in Arizona now and has only been to Minnesota once and hadn't seen us in 8 years, so she figured now was a good time to visit! She had never been to South Dakota or Iowa before so she got to see Sioux Falls and Okoboji. We took her to Arnold's Park and she went on all the rides with my little brother. We also went to the beach, out to dinner, and shopping. I think she had a good time here, and I know my family had fun with her!

Next time I blog it will be coming from Yankton! I am extremely excited to be back on campus, playing soccer, and getting to see all my friends!

Warped Tour was on Sunday, and I can describe it in one word... amazing! It was the third time I went and it was still just as exciting as the first..

It started at 11am but we didn't get there until after noon because we made a pit stop at a candy store... but it wasn't just a candy store... they had apples and pickled everything and beef jerky and 36 kinds of root beer! PLUS about ten aisles of candy. It was a good way to start our day :)

Once we got to Shakopee (Warped was at Canterbury Park) we had to buy our tickets since we didn't ahead of time, and there were no lines cuz we got there an hour after the gate opened.

I ended up seeing ten bands: Meg and Dia, Senses Fail, Streetlight Manifesto, Chiodos, Sing It Loud, The Maine, Saosin, Less Than Jake, 3OH!3, and Bayside. Saosin was my favorite of the day... and they were actually the number one band on my list to see... also, to top it off, all the members signed my shirt (I was wearing my Saosin shirt, exclusively for the occasion) AND I got my picture taken with the lead singer. (In years past, I have met members of The Matches, Ludo, Family Force 5, and From First to Last.)

During Senses Fail, my friend Audrey and I got caught on the edge of a mosh pit and rushed across it to get to safety.. I thought I was going to see my life flash before my eyes, but we made it out okay. Less than Jake was really good... the lead singer's banter in-between songs was priceless. And he suggested that the crowd make a human runway with their arms... and they did... and people walked across it... it was ridiculously awesome.

I also really enjoyed 3OH!3... they had such great stage presence and the crowd had great energy... it was one big dance party!

All in all, I had a great day.. I saw nine new bands live (I had already seen Sing It Loud at a concert last summer)... and I got to see a bunch of people I knew roaming around.

Only two weeks left of summer break.. well, 16 days.. but who's counting? :P

Yes, yes, I am counting. But only because I honestly cannot wait to go back to school. I get there a week before everyone because of soccer. The past two years we have had two weeks of two-a-days, but this year we only get one.. it's kind of discouraging because I love all the extra practicing. It really makes me feel ready for the season. I guess we will have plenty of practice though before our first game, since it isn't until September 1.

Yesterday I went to the eye doctor and found out my eyes are getting even worse. The last time I went, in December, only my left eye changed.. this time, both did. Oh well, at this rate I'll be blind in no time!

When I got done with the eye doctor my friend Jolene called me and asked if I wanted to go to Sioux Falls for a Mayday Parade concert with her and our friend Casey.. it was so spur of the moment. We got to the venue, bought our tickets, and got in line. The first guy that played was Evan something-something.. at first I thought he was too fruity for my taste, but he was pretty charismatic and had a few good songs. To our surprise, the next band was Mitchell Musso.. yes, from Hannah Montana.. it was so ridiculous! And the strangest part was that he sang a song that we knew.. but we knew it by a different person. At least we were able to sing along! Then it was Mayday Parade. They were so good. Metro Station played last because apparently they were the headliners.. I thought Mayday was/should have been. Anyways, Metro wasn't as good as Mayday. But it was still a dance-worthy show and definitely worth the 20 bucks.

This weekend I have to work at the county fair... I just sit at the gate and sell parking passes.. easiest job ever! And on Sunday I'm going to Warped Tour! I'm so excited.. there are a bunch of bands there this year that I haven't seen live so its going to make it all the better!

Isaac came to visit me this weekend. On Friday afternoon we went to Valleyfair. I LOVE VALLEYFAIR! Isaac is afraid of heights but he still went on all the rides with me. My favorite is the Power Tower - the one that shoots you down tho, not the one that shoots you up. My favorite roller coaster is the Renegade.. its the newest one too. Of course we went on the Wild Thing, Steel Venom, and Excalibur too.

On Saturday we took my little brother to Arnold's Park because he was dying to go on the little roller coaster there, since we talked so much about the ones at Valleyfair. He really liked it, but I could tell he was still scared. That night we went to the drive-in and saw Harry Potter and 17 Again. I have only read the first three Harry Potter books, and that was when they came out.. years ago. So I was really lost, but it was still good. 17 Again was good too.. a little too teenie-bopper maybe, but some parts were funny.

Last night we had a card game night at my friend Allie's house. We played poker, hearts, and slaps. My friend Jolene won every game except one! So we ganged up on her, four to one, on the last game. She still won.

Last week seemed to go by surprisingly fast.. and the same goes for this week. Summer's end is coming on quite fast now. As much as I am ready to be done with the summer job and get back into the groove of college, I don't want to leave my friends here and I am definitely not ready for classes to start! I only have one month left of summer, as soccer practice starts August 16th and classes start the 24th.

Last week I had a girl's night out with some friends. We got dressed up and went out to eat, then watched a movie at Allie's house. It was good to see them all again, since we haven't had a good night out in a while. I think the last time we had all hung out was when we stayed at the cabin for the weekend.

On Thursday I went with my friend Sarah to see our friend Laura who lives and works in Estherville. She cooked us supper and then we played Wii. It stormed for a long time while we were there which delayed us coming home. There was hail, strong winds and even a tornado touched down! On our way home the roads were flooded but thankfully we were able to still drive on them. In the dark of the night, we could see thousands of fireflies in the ditches.. it was such an amazing sight! It was like the fields were sparking! I had never seen so many fireflies at one time.

On Saturday night there was a Beatles cover band playing in Arnold's Park, so my mom brought Teague and I there to listen and I met up with some friends too. It was funny to see my mom rock out at concert but was awesome that she knew all the songs!

Today I am supposed to be working from home, but I took Teague to the beach to look for rocks! My newest hobby is making necklaces from rocks.. I'm hooked on it!

Last week flew by, which was surprising since I was looking forward to the holiday weekend and usually the week seems to go slower when you are waiting for something.

On Friday I didn't have work and in the morning I got my new phone.. a Blackberry Pearl. I love it! Its the first 'good' cell phone I've had, since all my other ones were crappy cuz I would always break them :P

After I got my phone I left for Yankton, to spend the weekend with Isaac. That night he had a baseball game in Crofton and he was the relieving pitcher, so he didn't get much play time, but it was still good to see him pitch since the last game I went to he played short stop.

On Saturday Isaac and I went to see The Proposal which was hilarious and ridiculous. I want to see it again. We watched the fireworks from the hospital parking lot because it had a good view and we didn't have to travel far. Then we went and bought our own fireworks.. we did sparklers and fountains.. it was a blast.. no pun intended. After that we watched the movie "The Last Kiss" with Zach Braff.. it wasn't as good as I hoped and (spoiler) the ending sucks.

On Sunday we got all dressed up to eat at the River Rose only to find out it was closed. So we went to Murdos instead, which wasn't bad at all. I enjoyed the view of the river while I ate my lunch. Then we went mini golfing and go carting.. I thought I could get a tan since we were out there for a couple hours, but no luck.. I guess its better than burning though! Isaac was supposed to have a baseball game in Scotland that night and we drove all the way there to find out it was cancelled.

This week is just work and working out for me. It stormed tonight so I wasn't able to run outside, but tomorrow will hopefully be nicer.

Oh the rain. It seems like it rains everyday of the week. But then the sun comes out and make everything hot again.

On Thursday my friend Casey and I went to Sioux Falls to go shopping and we met up with Isaac. We did a ridiculous amount of shopping/browsing and went EVERYWHERE. Besides the mall, we went to Plato's Closet, Barnes and Nobles, Best Buy, Scheels, Target and Kohls. My best purchase of the day was new soccer shoes. Scheels had just got them in a week before and I love them.. can't wait to play in them! At Target and Kohls, Casey and I played dress up with Isaac and found outfits for him to wear.. he ended up getting one that he could possibly wear to a school formal.

The main point of our trip to Sufu was to see Isaac's baseball game in Tea. He plays for Wynot and he played the whole game at short stop. He did really well but I was disappointed he only got to bat twice.

Yesterday my friend Jessica wanted to go to Yankton to see her boyfriend and told me I should go with her so we took a spur-of-the-moment road trip. We left at 5 in the afternoon, got there at 7:30 and left at 11. It was the shortest trip to South Dakota I have every made but it was totally worth it! We went minigolfing and of course I got to see Isaac again.

This weekend is my town's SummerFest celebration. This morning I ran a 5k roadrace (on 5 hours of sleep since I got home pretty late last night) and my time was 26:12. Its not bad, especially under the humid weather conditions and little sleep, but my goal was to get UNDER 26.. I came close, but hopefully the next race I run I will accomplish that goal. There was also a craft show and some garage sales that I went to and this afternoon is the parade. My mom and youngest brother are on a float for the cubscouts so my other brother and I will watch it together at the park.

Tonight I am going to my friend Audrey's bonfire and there is a street dance with live music tonight also, so we will have some sweet free music for our get-together.

I have been very busy working. Last week I worked 35 hours, which is a lot for me. But it was totally worth it to get to the weekend because my boyfriend Isaac came to visit me! He got here on Friday afternoon and we went to see Year One, which wasn't as good as I expected. But I guess that's what you get for a Jack Black movie. Then we went to eat at Bracco's in Okoboji and we got a table on the deck that overlooks the lake and the sun was setting and it was just plain gorgeous. After supper we went to the Arnold's Park emporium and visited my friend Ashley at work and of course, went to the Sugar Shack, aka, the greatest candy store known to man.

On Saturday Isaac and I went to a restaurant called Ben and Lee's. Its a very hip cafe-style place. Then we did a bit of shopping and got the movie Marley and Me, which I had not yet seen. We watched it on Sunday afternoon and it was so sad! But I really liked it.. much more than Year One ;). We also watched Pirates of the Caribbean with my little brother Teague because it is his favorite movie.

Today it is 90 degrees outside with not a cloud in the sky. It would be more enjoyable if it wasn't so humid. I would consider going to the beach if I wasn't working, but alas, I am. My mom took my brother Tyler to register for classes at Augustana today and so I got some stuff to do at home today instead of at the office so I could babysit Teague. I think he is old enough to stay home alone, but my mom thinks otherwise. Anyhoo, I best be ending my break and getting back to typing up lease agreements and such. Joy :)

I spent this weekend at my friend Allie's cabin. It's on Big Spirit in the Iowa lakes area, just north of Okoboji. Its only like 20 miles from my house so I always feel like a local among the tourists during the summer. Its kind of ridiculous how many people vacation there, but its still fun to go to the beach and what not.

I swam in the lake for the first time this summer.. its been so cold and rainy lately that I just haven't had any desire to swim yet. But this weekend it was hot and sunny and gorgeous. I got sunburn on my legs which was a bummer, but no where else so that's a plus. I also went to the Taco House and Hey Good Cookies for the first time this summer.. I feel like I haven't been doing anything this summer! At least now it feels like the fun is beginning.

On Friday I had to work in the Jackson law office. My only job was to answer the phone, so I sat there for five hours reading my magazine and playing solitaire on the computer. They didn't mind, so it was all good. The phone rang only five times in the morning, then there was a two hour period around lunchtime when it did not ring at all. And it rang four times in the afternoon.. but three of the calls were from the wives of the lawyers. It was by far the easiest job I have even gotten paid to do.

Today is a very rainy day.. I hate rainy days.. they make me feel sick.. I thrive in the sunshine :)

My first week of work was good.. boring, but good. I did data entry the whole week. I won't complain though because I'd rather have a boring job than no job. And its not hard work, so that is definitely a plus. I get my first paycheck on Tuesday so I am stoked for that! SHOPPING!!!!

On Thursday my friends Jolene and Casey came over and we played board games... Trouble, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Mouse Trap, and Pictionary.. it was great fun.

Tomorrow is my brother's graduation party, which I had to help get ready for today... cleaning, making foods, etc. I feel like I helped more than my brother did, and it's his party! Ridiculous...

Tomorrow night my friend Allie is having a "barbecue" at her cabin in Okoboji. I have been there many times already this summer but I haven't gone swimming yet!!! This is definitely a first for me. I usually go swimming in the middle of May when the water is freezing but extremely clear. By the end of July the water is disgusting with algae.

After tomorrow I don't have much on my agenda to look forward to.. some bonfires, hopefully going to the pool when it opens, and just working. I am planning on going to my boyfriends baseball game in Tea on the 25th, but that is a ways away still.

Today was my brother's graduation. He had a much smaller class than me.. 76.. mine was 112. I still can't believe I graduated TWO years ago. I went to a bunch of parties, saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen in a long time. So it was a pretty good day.

This week I was sick with strep throat. It was nice to finally have an excuse to do nothing all day ;), but I wanted to start my soccer training this week. I ended up only running one time and I still haven't even touched a ball.

BUT GOOD NEWS! I got a job! A family friend who is an attorney in town hired me do computer-ish work at the law office. I will just be cleaning up the hard drives on all the computers and making sure they are all the same, as well as making sure everyone has the same passwords, email addresses on the same servers, etc. I will also have to learn about Windows Live Office and Amicus Attorney because they are both programs that I will have to deal with and I think eventually teach everyone in the office how to use! I am also going to ask if I can redo their website because I think that would be great for my portfolio and it is something they mentioned needed to be done.

So after work everyday I am going to train for soccer.. running, core/ab work, biking, touch drills, juggling, EVERYTHING SOCCER. I really want to improve this year, even though I improved alot last year. I WANT TO SCORE A GOAL THIS SEASON!

I might also have another job.. I interviewed at the grocery store in town for a weekend position and they will call me tomorrow to let me know if I was hired. I need to earn lots of money this summer because we are going on a caribbean cruise for choir over spring break next year and it is going to be expensive :S So my goal is to earn and save.

Besides work, nothing is going on this week.. but my brother's grad party is next Sunday so I guess I will have to help get ready for that.

This weekend I went to Yankton to spend the long weekend with my boyfriend Isaac. On Saturday we went to see Angels and Demons. Last summer I started reading the book but only got half way thru it and didn't have time during the school year to finish it. The movie was really interesting actually, and I felt like the half of the book that I read was only the first 20 minutes of the movie! So there was alot that I did not know what going to happen.

On Sunday, Isaac was supposed to have a baseball game in Newcastle and we drove all the way there to find out it was cancelled. But since we were only half an hour from Sioux City we just went there instead and went to the mall. I got a gorgeous purple dress to wear to my brother Tyler's graduation next Sunday.

Yesterday was the only nice day of the whole weekend so we went for a walk and got shakes from the Tastee Treat. Then, we went to walmart and Isaac got his ears pierced :S Crazy.

I still haven't found a job, but I have applied at a dozen places... its just a waiting game now. My mom did talk to the manager at the grocery store in town tho, and they need weekend help so they will be calling me this week. Working on just the weekend would be better than nothing like I have now!

Tyler ran at the sub-section track meet last Thursday and qualified for sections in the 4x2 and 4x4 relays so I will go to Luverne this Thursday to watch him. Then on Saturday my brother and I will go to Mankato to our cousin's graduation party.

It has been quite some time since I last blogged and a lot has happened since then.

Finals week flew by.. I ended up getting a 4.0 once again this semester, which makes it 4 in a row. It was kind of unexpected though, because I thought for sure I was going to get a B in critical thinking.. but I guess I earned and deserved that A.

Once I got home, I applied for a few jobs and had an interview at the county newspaper, but unfortunately I still have not heard back from them. I am getting very impatient and am in dire need of a job since I am not working at the restaurant I did last summer.. so I wish they would hurry up and call me with their decision!

I also spent the week making two scrapbooks for my brother's graduation.. one for letter awards/academic awards/concert programs/etc and another for newspaper clippings. I also helped my youngest brother with his state report. He research Nevada and did a report on it along with a display board. All the 4th graders had them on display at the State Fair last week.. they were all so excited and proud.

Tonight was my other brother's choir concert. This was the only concert he was ever in because he just joined choir during the 4th quarter of his senior year. At the end of the concert, the director gave a 5 minute thank you to him explaining how he played the drums for swing choir, acted/sang in the musical, sang a solo at the choir contest and received a superior rating, and then joined choir. I also went to his band concert at the beginning of the week and he received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award. He is an amazing sax player. I'm really proud of him.

Hopefully this week I can find a job and get hired. I am craving a shopping trip but need to earn the money first! Other than that, this week should be a lot less busy.

This week is going to be crazy. I have five finals Tuesday through Thursday.

Today was my last track meet of the season and it was held here in Yankton. I wasn't a conference champ but I sure felt like it because I PR'd in the 4x800... I ran my leg in 2:36. It was 11 seconds faster than last week and 5 seconds faster than my previous fastest time. I was really really excited about it... and still am!

Tomorrow is the spring sports banquet, so I get to go for track. They hand out awards and whatnot.. but I'm not sure if I will get any. Last year I won "Female Newcomer of the Year," but since I'm no longer a "newcomer" I don't know what award I could possibly win. Especially since my indoor season was basically my sophomore slump season.

I don't have any finals on Monday, which is really lucky. But on Tuesday I have my Art Appreciation final exam and my Technical Design project is due. My critical thinking paper is due on Wednesday, but I have it done already so I will probably turn it in on Monday. And on Thursday, I have my Literature of the Holocaust exam and my Video project is due.

I am staying at school until Saturday because I am going to video tape baccalaureate and graduation with the other graphics majors. I get paid for both of them, which is a plus, and I get to hang out with my boyfriend before I have to leave him for the summer.

As for a summer job, I am being considered for a writing position at my hometown newspaper, which I am super excited about. It would only be part-time, but I will definitely be happy with that.

Last night I had my spring band concert and my mom and brothers came down to watch it. I had a piccolo solo in an Irish jig song. We played nine songs and it was a lot of fun.

This week is going to be really busy for me. Tomorrow there is an event called Yankton Against Hunger and we have to help out with it by putting together food packages for the poor. On Wednesday I am going to an appreciation supper for the Moderator staff (school newspaper). Next year besides being a writer, I am also going to be the advertisement designer. On Friday all the graphic design majors are going to Sioux Falls to visit design businesses.

Saturday is my last track meet of the year.. its in Yankton, which will be nice and I will be running the 4x800 meter relay and also hopefully the 800 meter run.

Next week is finals week... I have a video project due Monday, an art appreciation test and a technical design project due Tuesday, a critical thinking paper due Wednesday and a test in my holocaust literature class. So since I only have two tests, it shouldn't be too bad. I am staying at school until graduation on Saturday the 9th because I have to help video it for graphic arts.

And then I get to go home!

At the track meet last week I ran the 1500 in 6:03... which made me the fastest runner for Mount Marty. How exciting.

I'm running the 800 again tomorrow.. I really really hope to run it in 2:35 cuz then I would move up 10 spots in the conference and hopefully qualify in it for conference.. if I don't, I will still be running the 4x800 or hurdles... I need to practice the hurdles if I am though.. I haven't in weeks..

This week seems to be dragging on. And yesterday I had a terrible day, so that didn't help. I did my debate on Monday and I thought it went really well.. turns out I got a D on it.. I was completely crushed when I found that out. My teacher said I had a "weak argument" which can't be true because it was a valid argument and we supported it well, so I don't know how he can say it was weak. Also, we did bad on our "Q and A" section, which is completely unfair because no one in our class asked us any questions, so how can we answer questions when nobody asks them? This D means I will get a C in the class, a B if I am lucky, and I will no longer have my 4.0 GPA.

On the other side of things, I aced my quiz in the holocaust class. Too bad I can't ace everything..

So I guess I have really been slacking on blogging... guess that means I've been busy and should have a lot to tell ;)

Last week on Thursday I had a track meet and I ran the 800.. something I have only done twice in my life.. once on a 4x8 relay in high school and once in indoor last year. But I didn't do too bad.. ran a 2:41.. but I had no idea how to pace myself and was able to sprint hard for the last 100 meters, so I guess I didn't go hard enough for the first 700 meters! I guess now if I do it again, I will know how to pace myself better and hopefully get down to 2:35 or better. Tomorrow I am running the 1500.. I've never ran that far in a track meet before.. I'm so used to doing 100 meter and 400 meter races!

This week I only had two days of classes because we had Monday off for Easter break and we were on choir tour on Wednesday and Thursday. Tour was a blast... we sang at five high schools in South Dakota and stayed over night in Madison. A friend of mine goes to Dakota State, so she stopped by the hotel to say hi on her study break.

Tonight was our "home from tour" concert. The jazz band also played on tour with us and played at the concert as well.. it was so much fun.

This week is flying by.. probably because break starts on Thursday! We get Thursday thru Monday off for Easter break, but my break starts on Friday because I have another track meet on Thursday. This time I'm running the 800.. coach thinks he can still turn me into distance runner.. who knows.. maybe I'm doing so bad this year at mid-distance and hurdles because I should be doing distance running.

Last week submissions for Paddlefish were due. Paddlefish is a publication by the college of poetry, fiction and nonfiction writings, as well media arts. I submitted a poem that was recommended to be submitted and some projects from my graphic arts classes. Last year I submitted some photography and they made it on the Paddlefish website, so hopefully this year some of my stuff gets picked again.

On Saturday, since our track meet was moved to Friday because of the pending snowstorm, I was able to watch the Wakefield Mysteries. Its a play about the life and death of Jesus. My boyfriend played a centurion and I was excited to see him.

We were supposed to get a foot of snow on Saturday and Sunday, but we ended up getting a couple inches and a lot of wind. Most of it is melted now anyways because it was 45 degrees and sunny today!

This weekend, I am shooting my promotional video project for my video class at home. I am doing my brother and his friend's band, Bace Line 22. It is supposed to be 50 or 60 degrees and sunny so hopefully I can film them performing outside.. I think that will be a lot of fun and they are all really excited to be in my video.

I didn't have a whole lot of homework this past week and I think this week might prove to be the same. It's nice to have a lull in that department, but it scares me because I'm sure it means I will be swamped in the weeks to come.

In critical thinking, I have two small papers due in the next week and a half and a revision for a big paper due on Wednesday, so that may be a bit stressful. However, my next technical design and video projects aren't due until after Easter break. I finished my projects for Art Appreciation and the Holocaust so I don't have to worry about them anymore.

Yesterday was our first outdoor track meet. It was kind of cold and windy, which didn't help my performance. I ran the 4x100, 4x400, and 10o hurdles. I did terrible in the hurdles, which I predicted. I wasn't even going to run that race because it was half an hour after the 4x1 and I didn't think I would be recovered enough, but at the last minute I decided to do it just for the heck of it. I got dead last with a time of 19.4. Last year I ran 16s and 17s so I am VERY far behind that this year. I don't know what happened between then and now, but I wish I could get my skills and speed back. I guess I'm just getting old and last year was my peak ;)

Last week I picked my classes for next semester.. Sound, Intro to Christianity, The Short Story, Writing and the Visual Arts, and Motion Graphics. Should be a busy one, yet again.

Tonight it is supposed to snow... up to a foot! I don't really believe it since it is almost April and I just want it to be beautiful warm weather. But, I wouldn't be opposed to a snow day!

It's been a long week and weekend. I procastinated my homework all week because I was busy with track and other various activities. This weekend we had a soccer tournament here on campus and we ended up playing four games. We made it to the semifinals and lost there, so we got 3rd place in the tournament. I had to work on my commercials for video, my brochure for tech design, and my paper for critical thinking this weekend too. It was crazy busy.

And now its another Monday. Its supposed to storm today.. hopefully it doesn't interfere with my track practice. I am very sore from soccer yesterday.. my back, hips, ankles, and arms hurt so bad! But I need to keeping running because our first outdoor track meet is on Saturday!

On Thursday I went with my boyfriend to his house for supper and to see his youngest brother. He just got out of a half-body cast. They were so excited to see each other.. it was so cute.

I practiced hurdles last week too for the first time in probably a month. And it made me so sore! I'm still having trouble three-stepping and I don't know why.. its something I've been doing for years. But, I tried four-stepping and I actually ran faster than I did all of indoor season.

Today's the last day of spring break. And I did absolutely nothing all week. I only worked out twice because I was so lazy, and I only left the house probably three times.. but its excuseable because there is nothing to do in my town or any of the other towns around here. My boyfriend came home with me so I at least had some company while everyone was at school. We baked alot since we were so bored... we made banana bread, cheesecake, tapioca, peanut butter bars, and cookies. I love baking when I'm home cuz then I get to bring back some good food to school.

I'm not looking forward to going to classes again.. but it's only 13 days until our first outdoor track meet! And its a home meet!

This weekend was amazing. The Omaha symphony was amazing. For choir, we sang the music of Queen with the Omaha orchestra and it totally rocked. The lead singer was part of a Queen cover band who sang with the orchestra and the chorus (us). He sounded exactly like Freddie Mercury and hit every note perfectly.

In the second half of the show, we sang the background chorus parts to "We Will Rock You," "We Are The Champions," "Flash," "Take My Breath Away," "Who Wants To Live Forever," "Somebody To Love," and "Bohemian Rhapsody."

In the first half, they sang "Killer Queen," "Another One Bites The Dust," and "Under Pressure," among others. During the encore, they sang "Fat-Bottomed Girls" and "Too Much Love Will Kill You."

The energy in the symphony hall was crazy! There were about 2500 people in the audience and EVERYONE got into the music.. it was like a rock concert! They sang along and clapped and waved their cellphones in the air.

It was awesome to be at a concert like this and not be in the audience. I was more pumped being on the stage than I ever have being in the crowd. The conductor was really amazing too... he cued us in everytime we sang and one time the lead singer held the microphone in front of the conductor to sing the note and we had to hold our note for what seemed like forever.. but it was so awesome!

This weekend I played indoor soccer in Sioux City. There was a 24-hour tournament but I only played one game. We got there and the other team didn't show up, so we automatically won. And since the ref felt bad for us, he let us scrimmage each other and reffed for us.

This week is midterms and I only had two tests. One on Monday that I aced, and another today that I think I bombed. It was in my Holocaust class and the test was ridiculous... essays galore and identifying the significance of minor characters and quotations in books.

For my video class, our next project is a set of two commercials for a product. I think I'm going to do shampoo and conditioner. Hopefully I can make it commical.

This weekend choir is going to Omaha to sing with the symphony orchestra. We are performing the music of Queen. I'm really excited.. we get to hang out in Omaha and I wish it was longer than just the weekend. After that, my boyfriend and I are going to my house for the rest of spring break.

I cannot wait until spring break.

I need a break from school, sports, and just life in general. I am getting way too stressed out.

Our next project for video is a movie trailer. Mine is "Where's Waldo: The Movie." At first I had a terribly hard time coming with an idea for a movie and my brother actually helped me think of this one. But once I had and idea of what to do, it was even harder thinking up ways it could be a movie. Basically, two people are searching for Waldo. It's lame and I hope it turns out okay, but I'm thinking its not going to be my best work.

I'm getting really frusterated with Critical Thinking. We have an argument paper due every week and I am not entirely sure I am even doing them correctly. Today we handed in our third one and we haven't even seen how we did on the first two. How am I supposed to know if I am on the right track or what I need to fix to improve my next papers if I never get to see how I did?

For the The Moderator, I am writing a music review on the new Red Jumpsuit Apparatus cd. A friend burned a copy for me and I am really digging it. Its not as good as their first cd, but that's pretty normal with most bands. A few of their songs have a different feel to them, perhaps like they are using different instruments, which I think is pretty cool.

Next week is midterms. Hopefully I can make it thru them without injury to mind or body.

TGIF! This week has flown by... but I guess that's what happens when you only have four school days.

On my day off, I went to my boyfriend's house to celebrate his sister's birthday. It was a lot of fun and he showed me around his town, which I had never been to before.

This week I was consumed with an overwhelming amount of homework. I had to read an entire book for a class on top of the usual stuff. I had a paper for one class, a project for another. I'm hoping next week won't be so bad.

This weekend is our conference meet in Lincoln. We are leaving in an hour and its about a four hour drive down there. I am running just the 4x400 and its at 7 tomorrow night. The meet starts at noon and we are getting to the track at 10 a.m... so I will have LOTS of down time.

My boyfriend is in the a cappella group Mt. Martians, and they are competiting in Missouri this weekend. They have three songs to sing and I really hope they do well! If they get first or second place they move onto the next round of competition, which is in Chicago.

Only two weeks until spring break!

As soon as Monday comes around I can't wait for it to be Friday. So you can only imagine how anxious I am by Wednesday.

This weekend is a three day weekend because we get Monday off for President's Day. I'm really excited to finally get more than one day off at a time. On Saturday I have a track meet in Sioux Center at Dordt. We have to leave at 7:15 in the morning, which is better than last time, but I'm still not looking forward to getting up that early. And we probably won't get back til after 6. I'm running the hurdles and hoping to qualify for conference. I did last year, but this year I just haven't been doing so well, so we shall see how it goes. I'm also running the 4x400 again, as well as the 55 meter dash, which is something I've never done before. I hope it goes well.

Saturday is also Valentine's Day. I think my boyfriend and I are just going to stay in and watch a movie. I actually have more fun just lounging around with him than going out.

If the weather is nice on Sunday, I'm going to Sioux Falls to meet my mom. I think we will probably just go out to eat. And Monday is my official day off. Yay!

I spent three and a half hours tonight working on my video. And its no where near being done. I have been really busy this week and its homecoming week. There has been alot going on for that, but I haven't done any of it.

On Sunday, some friends and I had a super bowl party.. we were rooting for the underdogs the Cardinals, so we were pretty disappointed when they lost. On Monday, there was ice skating as a homecoming activity but I didn't go because I had a lot of homework. Today there was dodgeball and a $3 movie, but I was, again, doing homework.

Tomorrow I run the 4x200 at the USD meet. We are only one second away from breaking the school record so hopefully we can do that. On Saturday, I have to run the 4x400 and I really really really hope I run faster than last week. That would be awesome because I have been working really hard the past two weeks to get better, faster, and stronger. I just want my hard work to finally pay off.

Saturday night is the homecoming dance. I'm really excited for that, but my boyfriend doesn't like dances, so I am still trying to convince him to go. That would also be awesome if he went.

Well, right now I am supposed to be reading for Art Appreciation, but I need yet another study break.

I recorded some of my B-roll footage for my music video. It's our next project in my video class. I am doing the song "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings. Today in class we were given half an hour to go around and shoot at different locations so we could remake the All-American Reject's "Move Along" video. It was hectic, but fun. I had to change clothes and sing, which I'm sure wasn't pretty, but we are putting the actual song to our movements, so that's good.

I'm so excited for Friday tomorrow! But, I have to go to bed super early cuz we are leaving for our track meet at 6:30 am! Hopefully I can sleep on the bus..

Another track meet today. It had its ups and downs.

I did the hurdles first, which was definitely the down part of the meet. I scraped the entire back of my right leg on the fourth hurdle which messed me up and slowed me down for the rest of the race. And my leg still hurts right now from that huge scratch.

BUT! the day got a little better. I ran the 200 meter dash, which is something I have not done since high school. I tried to remember some times I got back then, but today I ended up getting 30 secs. Its an okay time for me.. nothing special. I think the winner of the race got 26 or 27, so I was really far from that. But it was good to run something different.. and to have a race in between the hurdles and 4x4, because I usually just sit around and do nothing for four hours.

The 4x4 went a lot better this week. We were actually in the competition this time, instead of trailing 50 meters behind. I ran two seconds faster than last week and we didn't get last! I basically sprinted until my legs wanted to give out. The home stretch was terrible because my legs and arms felt like jello and I let the girl I was running with get away from me. But I honestly had nothing left in me.

I think I need to do some more endurance workouts along with my speed workouts.. then maybe I won't feel like collapsing until AFTER my race. :)

First week of school = crazy.

My classes are gonna be pretty hard again, like last semester. I have class at 9 everyday til 3 or 3:30.

For my video class, our first project is a news story. Mine is on the "Teddy Bear Killer." It's about somebody who attacks innocent stuffed animals... its pretty funny. I am going to shoot some of my "Yankton footage" today to use in it. Then tomorrow and Tuesday I am going to video my reporter, expert on the crime, and victim of the crime. I am excited, but also nervous that I'm going to screw something up. Since I am busy with so much else, I am crunched for time. And basically, I have one MAYBE two opportunities to shoot my story.

The first project for my technical design class is a directional poster. Using type and only images we create, we have to express directions from or to MMC from or to someplace. I really need to get that project finished.

Yesterday, I had my first meet of the season for track. The hurdles went well.. I placed approximately 10th. However, the 4x4 did not go so well for me. I ran the slowest split of my life in that relay. I don't know what my problem is, but I need to figure it out fast if we ever want to get close to nationals.

I got a letter today from my friend Lucia. She was a foreign exchange student from Germany. This summer I did a photoshoot with her and she was so photogenic.. she could definitely be a model! In her letter she said that she is saving up her money to come back to the US this summer! I am so excited and I really hope it works out that she can come back.

This week on top of classes and practices, I have pep band too. Only three left though, so I guess I can handle that. Then another track meet at USD on the weekend. Hopefully I can get my act together and get my time down to where it should be.

Well, it has been quite some time since I've blogged. Today was the first day of classes. It went well except for the fact that I am going to be just as busy this semester as last. I am taking Art Appreciation, Critical Thinking in Ethics, Technical Design, Literature of the Holocaust, Video, Band and Choir.

My last two weeks of break went really fast, even though I didn't do a whole lot. I got to see some friends that I hadn't seen in a long time, so that was nice.

I worked new years eve and on new years day some friends and I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was so good. When it was over I went to see what time it was and the movie had been three hours long. It didn't even seem like it. After that, we went out to eat and then went to one friend's house and played Partini. Its a party game that is made up of a bunch of different "games." You could draw a card that requires you to mime something, sing something, have others write something about you, etc. It was very fun.

Last week, I had to take down the xmas decorations at work and put up the Valentine's Day decorations. It was pretty cool because the two other people and I got to decorate however we wanted. We also started to clean out one of the storage corners in the basement and found lots of crazy things down there. We found a stash of plastic forks, still in their boxes, from 1996. We threw them out.

The first track meet of the season is on Friday/Saturday. I really need to work on hurdling. I'm going to do that today. Gotta get back into it.