All A's again.. I honestly don't know how I have managed to keep a 4.0 every semester in college. In high school I graduated with a 3.9 because of a B or two. I guess I've just been lucky.

Finals week flew by and I was done by Wednesday with all my classes. However, I had to ambassador five days in a row after that. So summer vacation didn't start for me until Saturday afternoon.

On Wednesday and Thursday nights we had to ambassador by serving dinner for the President's Society and the Staff/Faculty Recognition dinners. They went quite smoothly when compared to the Catholic Gala dinner we served, mainly because they had far less people and there weren't kids and people EVERYWHERE. On Friday we had our own appreciation lunch and then had to usher at Baccaularette. On Saturday we had to lead the procession and usher at graduation. Graduation was sad this year because I had friends graduating.. I'm not looking forward to next year when the rest of my friends (and I) graduate.

On Saturday afternoon, Isaac, Gina and I went to Council Bluffs to a Relient K and Paramore concert. It was outside at an amphitheater and the place was huge! Luckily it didn't fill up. It was a really good concert.. the last time I saw Paramore I wasn't too thrilled with their live performance but that was about four years ago and they had improved alot! They had so much energy and played all the good songs ;) Relient K was really good too.. I didn't know alot of their songs, but they are Isaac's favorite band so I know he was a super time. The band Fun played too.. the lead singer is actually the same singer from the band The Format and I LOVE THE FORMAT so it was cool to see them too.

This week is going to be pretty laid back for me. I don't start work until next Monday, so my days are completely free. I have my night class, but that is just from 6-8pm every night (and it goes from May 10-28, so its a pretty short class). Today I gave a tour, downloaded music for probably an hour, made lunch, made some sweet new earrings and baked some blueberry muffins. I hope I don't run out of ways to entertain myself before next week ;)

These are the earrings I made today :) I might turn the green one on the bottom left into a pendant for a necklace.

Also, if you would like to see my online graphic design portfolio go here: http://stephanie.mmcgdma.org/.

It's still a work in progress, so don't worry if a few things look a little off.

Its May! And you know what that means.. its almost summer!

This week is finals week and it will be the easiest finals week for me ever. I have a take home test that's due on Wednesday (but I already have it done!), a regular final test on Wednesday, and my graphics project and spring project for my honors class are due on Tuesday. So that means only three days until my semester is over.. and my junior year!

I am staying on campus this summer and working at the college relations office where I do work study. I believe I will start that on May 17. I was also selected as a summer housing assistant so I am very excited to start all of this. I am also taking a summer art class, which starts on May 10 and is for two hours every night. I have a class with that professor now and I asked if we could paint outside everyday and he was thrilled to do that!

I am making an online portfolio website for my final project in my graphics class. I am really really close to being done, I just need a little help in some areas. My professor said I can get it up on the internet after finals week, so in a blog post to come, look for a link to it!

Finally time to blog again. In the two weeks I have been away, much has occurred: choir tour, home from tour concert, Sioux City relays, Catholic Gala, Lia Sophia party, and oh-so much more!

Choir tour was successful. We sang at five high schools in two days. We pretty much had everything down by the time our home concert rolled around a day later. I had a flute solo in a Chinese song, which was probably the crowd favorite at each school. Not because of me, of course, just because it was upbeat and in CHINESE :)

Because of the choir concert, I had to miss the Friday events of the Sioux City relays (aka all open sprinting and mid-distance races and the hurdles). So, on Saturday I ran the 1500m. Its become somewhat of a tradition for me now - only because I also ran that event at SCR last year. This year however, it was NOT pouring rain.. it was gloriously sunny! And I ran the race in 5:44 which is about 20 seconds faster than last year. Needless to say, I am quite pleased with my performance in my once-yearly event. We are supposed to have out last meet before conference tomorrow at Dakota State but I'm not sure if it will happen... there is a 70 percent chance of rain! If I we go, I am scheduled to run the 100 hurdles and 800m.

Last weekend I also Ambassador'ed for the Catholic Gala. It was quite an experience. We served supper to about 200 people and an auction was going on the entire time. They had quite the spread of things to bid on - wooden patio chairs, purses, kids toys, fruit baskets.. you name it! And let me tell you.. these people LOVED to donate money! It was really cool to see how generous people are when it comes to giving back to their church.

I also hosted a Lia Sophia jewelry party this weekend. A bunch of us girls got together and basically just oogled at jewelry. Because I was a hostess, I got super sweet benefits and discounts on the jewelry.. and I ended up getting 9 new things! Ahh..

Since I am staying on campus this summer I applied to be a summer RA/summer housing assistant. I had an interview for that this week and I really hope to get it. I think it would be alot of fun, and since I haven't ever been an RA before (because I think I'm too busy for the commitment) I think this would be the perfect opportunity. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm getting so excited for school to end. I only have two books to read, an oral report, two tests, two papers (which are done, just needed to be handed in), a marketing/advertising plan, and portfolio website to finish. Its getting close!

On Thursday, I have to attend the noon forum for Paddlefish. My story "Existentialism and the Orange Chair" was selected for publication and also won the non-fiction award. My video "Ode to Serotonin" was also selected and awarded the motion graphics award. I have to read my story to everyone, so I hope they all enjoy it.

Oh, and Happy Earth Day! :)

Today was my first outdoor track meet of the season. The real first meet was last week, but I didn't go because it was during Easter break. At today's meet I ran the 100 meter hurdles, the 200 meter dash and the 4x400 relay. It was my first time running the hurdles in over a year.. last year I struggled to get my stride and steps down so I just took time off from it. This year, I have a teammate who is a very good hurdler and she has been helping me with drills and stuff. Its also nice to finally have someone to just hurdle with. Anyways, my time was 18.44 in the race, which met my goal. My fastest is 16.8, so I figured getting that or 17-something would be too high of a goal, so I figured I could get 18-something and I did! Hopefully I can keep improving and get my time down more before conference. The 200 wasn't bad, but I didn't run very fast. And I wasn't supposed to run the relay but someone got injured and needed me to run. I ended up running my split much faster than I expected.. 65. Thats the fastest I have run a 400 in a long time. So needless to say, I was very pleased with my performances today.

For Easter, Isaac and I went to his family's house for the weekend. I think he was really happy to be home for a while and to get to hang out with his siblings. I got to experience a Baptist Easter service, which was interesting. They had two baptisms and a child dedication which were also neat to see.

I feel like I am not going to have a break from school until school is actually over. Each week until the end of the semester I have multiple projects, papers and assignments due. Summer just can't come fast enough!

I have been so tired lately and am so looking forward to Easter break so I can catch up on sleep, among other things.

Over break I am going to get major research done for my oral report in World Lit and my research paper in my Honors class. I want to make sure I get that out of the way so I don't have much to worry about after break. I will also probably finish our current book in World Lit, so that will be one less thing to worry about too. For a while I have felt like I have had too much to do and too little time to do it. I guess I am just ready for summer break.

I have decided to live on campus this summer, since apparently there are no 3-month apartments available in town. But I still don't know where I will be working. I am still hoping vigorously that I will get a position in the college relations office where I currently do work study. But all of that is still in the works, and I am still on edge.

My current project for Web-Based Motion Graphics is to make a game in Flash. Mine is a puzzle of a palm tree (yep, one of my own photographs from Mexico :)). The plan was to finish it this weekend, but I got stuck when trying to make the restart button (which puts the puzzle pieces back to a jumbled pile), so I didn't accomplish much.

My first track meet is on Friday. I am hoping and praying that the weather cooperates, because last year was a crap-tastic year for track meets. I had one race last year that I ran in pouring rain. So I'm hoping this year will make up for it.

Isaac and I will be going to his house for Easter to celebrate with his family. It should be a different experience because they are Baptist and I am Catholic, so I will get to see how an Easter service works in a Baptist church.

I'm back from Spring Break but wish I was still in Mexico. I had so many great experiences - I got to see Mayan ruins, go snorkeling with tropical fish, see Mexican mansions along the coast of Cozumel, see white sand beaches and swim in the clearest waters I have ever seen. Not to mention, I got there via a cruise ship! I have decided to share my vacation through photos, instead of just talking about it.. :)

View of the "Lido" Deck from a higher deck on the Carnival Ecstasy.

First sunset on the ocean.

Eating sushi (I didn't like it).

Standing on the "Temple of the Seven Dolls" at the Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins, in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico.

The clear water in Cozumel, Mexico.

Towel animals! We got a new one every night.

Briana, Kelly, Me and Gina getting hit with a wave in Progreso.

The path our ship took during our cruise.. the circling was done during the fog when we were waiting for the port to open (we got an extra day on the cruise because it took a day for the fog to lift).

I am leaving for the cruise to Mexico in two days! I'm so excited! The cruise is on Carnival Ecstasy and the route is in the Western Caribbean. We are leaving on Friday at 2 pm and driving to Galveston, Texas. We are stopping in Missouri for midnight bowling along the way, too which will be a good start to a good week :)

We are boarding the ship in the morning on Saturday and leaving land that afternoon. There is a special late supper for us on the cruise and they actually have "dress codes" for the dinners on the cruise. So, basically, this means I will be wearing cute dresses and skirts very often! BUT I am also bringing five pairs of shorts (I hope thats not too many :P).

On Monday we are porting in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico and my friends and I are going to go shopping and check out everything that's there. On Tuesday we are porting at Cozumel and we booked a shore excursion for snorkling! We take a sail boat out on the water and then snorkle with the tropical fish and then come back and go to a beach party! I cannot wait to see all these crazy awesome fish! AND to top it off, I'm going to try to get a waterproof camera so I can take underwater pictures of these fish! Great idea right? Right.

We leave the ship on Thursday morning and then, since its a choir trip, we are singing at two schools in Houston and staying the night there afterwards at a sweet hotel. On Friday morning we are singing at two more schools in Texas and then driving to Kansas City and spending the night there.. I think we get to go shopping and stuff that evening too. Then on Saturday morning we will leave to come back to Yankton.

Did I mention how excited I am? :)