Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged, but my blog hasn't been letting me publish the posts :(

Last Thursday night we had an earthquake!! I was at home, in my bed, fast asleep. Then I heard my door rattling. I thought it was my brother trying to annoy me. But when I woke up a little more, I realized that my whole room was shaking. So I got up and ran to my parents' room. My brother & I got there about the same time & realized that it was the earthquake. Overall, it lasted probably about 30 seconds. The next morning I was at work and I felt an aftershock, too! It was around 10 in the morning, and I was one of the only people in the office that felt it too, which was strange. One of the other ladies in the office didn't feel the quake in the middle of the night and definitely thought that I was lying to her. It took us like fifteen minutes to convince her that there actually was an eaarthquake. It was the biggest earthquake since 1968, which was insane. And I've heard that there have been about 22 aftershocks. But overall, it was slightly strange.

I hope that everyone was ok. There wasn't any real damage or injuries that I heard of at least! Hope you guys have a good week!!

Spring Break 08!!!!

YEAH!!!! It's finally spring break and I couldn't be happier! :) So I figured I'd let everyone know the top 10 things I want to be doing on spring break:

10. Go shopping
9. Get a tan
8. NOT be cold
7. Hang out with the BF
6. Visit some friends in Indiana
5. Hang out with the old friends in Springfield who are on their break
4. Sleep
3. Go to Florida
2. NOT do homework or anything school related
1. RELAX!!!! :)

Of course, I will only be doing #10, 7, 5, 4 and 1 on my spring break, which is sad-no trips for me. :( But I hope everyone else has an amazing spring break!! :)

After coming up with my own list, I googled it and these are some other entertaining do's (and don'ts) of spring break:



Top 10 Spring Break Activities
Mar 2, 2006

If you're not sure how to keep your kids occupied during spring break, check out this top 10 list from Oxford Learning.
1. Head outside
Spring break is the perfect time to go skiing or snowboarding. Or if there's no snow where you live, work on a special outdoor project with your kids such as constructing a kid-sized garden or a birdhouse. Plan a special treat for everyone's hard work.
2. Head inside
Check out various community facilities for everything from swimming and bowling, to roller skating or other sports. Or investigate special classes or volunteer opportunities.
3. Experience the world
Spend a day at a museum, gallery, planetarium, aquarium, zoo or hall of fame. Learn about people, science, history, animals, art and more.
4. Plan a crafts day
Plan a crafts day. Drag out the paper, paint, crayons, scissors and glue and get creative. Make picture frames, put together a scrapbook or get an early start on a holiday or greeting card.
5. Take in a flick
Spring break is a great time to head to the local movie theatre and catch an inexpensive matinee for one of the latest releases. Or rent a few videos and have your own film festival at home.
6. Host a games tournament
Allow your kids to invite their friends for a video game tournament, then assign teams, create team names and have a small prize for the winners. Or if video games aren't your style, choose a board game or card game and have a tournament with them instead.
7. Have a pajama party
Pick a day and decide to spend the day in your PJs! Sleep in late, eat breakfast in bed and have a pillow fight. Stay in your pajamas all day long. Allow your kids to invite a friend for a sleepover.
8. Take a one-tank trip
Consider a short excursion in your region. Short trips are perfect for kids because they (and you!) don't get too exhausted. You'll save money on lodging and meals, so you can do other fun things that might seem too expensive.
9. Hire a babysitter
If you can't take off from work during Spring Break week, hire a teen-age babysitter to take so stuff with your children. Then, plan a special treat for the family for the weekend.
10. Keep your kid's mind sharp
By spending some time at Oxford Learning, your kids will keep up their hard-won learning momentum, so they'll be ready to jump back into the swing of school and do their best from day one when they get back from their break.
http://www.oxfordlearning.com/letstalk/top-10-spring-break-activities/


Top 10 things NOT to do on Spring break trips

10. The Sunburn So perhaps you’re a nice pasty, white Irish guy from B-town, there’s no way around it, your going to get some color. (Unless your trip involves staying inside while reading Bram Stoker for a week) So take it from the people who’ve done it, take the extra couple bucks and buy the good sun tan lotion before hitting the beach. Don’t be a tough guy put it on a lot, not just once.
9. Research Research some blogs and websites about spring break like studentcity.com and springbreakblogs.com for tips on ton’s of do’s and don’ts, like this one. Good job!
8. Travel Diarrhea Do not neglect taking precautions of travel Diarrhea, you’ll more than likely be on a plane for hours on end, if you’re the type of person who has little control, hit up the drug store and get some quick travel meds.
7. First Night Drinking The first night you get there, you will be well rested from the long boring plane ride and you’ll be ready to get partying. Do NOT over do it the first night. You’ll have many nights to party ahead so take it easy and do not over drink. You friends will be pissed at you if you get alcohol poisoning the first night. Also, if you pass out the first night, they may write all over you with magic marker and the next day, you’ll be the only person on the beach all marked up. (Then there will be very little partying going on in your bedroom.)
6. Dropping your Digital Camera It happens, but avoid at all costs dropping the camera holding all your photos of hot chicks and sweet waves from your trip so far in the water or in the sand. I haven’t, but on almost every trip my girl has ruined her camera. There are now less photogenic memories for us to look at and post.
5. My space/Face book beware Don’t think that your job, family and school aren’t going to be checking you’re online profiles for all the crazy, maybe regretful things that you did on your trip. So be cautious as to who’s holding the camera and who’s posting pictures online. Warn all your friends to not be stupid when there putting albums online. Also find an online place for spring break photos that your job may not find.
4. Ruptured Eardrums You’ll be getting off the plane, and your ears will hurt. You’ll be diving in and out of water, and your ears will hurt. Take extra care of your ears on your trip, it may seem trivial but there’s nothing worse then a bad ear infection on the beach.
3. Do not loose your marbles! Honestly, I’ve seen it myself.
2. Do not pay for sex It won’t be clean, It won’t be long, it won’t be cheap, it won’t be worth it in so many different ways. Find a nice girl reading on the beach to take home for the night. That brings us to number uno…
#1. Do not come home with an STD No joke, be careful, be smart, wrap it. Everyone will love your more for it.
http://pulsecity.com/2008/01/24/top-10-things-to-not-do-on-your-spring-break/

A week of weather in IL

So, welcome to Illinois, where the people are crazy but the weather is even crazier!!

So just a short recap of the past week:
Mon (1.28.08)-moderate, not too cold
Tues (1.29.08)-beautiful in the morning, up to 65 by noon, rainy. oh wait by 3:00 it was raining ice pellets that HURT. and by the time i got to my car around 5, my door was frozen shut. I felt bad for the kids who had worn shorts, capris, and no coat thought....brrrrr
Wed (1.30.08)-cold and windy. typical january day. but weather station said 4-7" of snow which usually means about 1.5"
Thur (1.31.08)- starts snowing around noon. by 4:00 there were a few inches & classes got cancelled!! :)
Fri (2.1.08)-All area schools closed, I couldn't get out of my driveway. we measured 13" of snow. My parents didn't have work. Our neighbor got stuck in his driveway; and our road didn't get plowed until 2:00 pm.
Sat (2.2.08)- luckily the snow was mostly cleared off the roads. get ready...50 degrees on monday!!! :)
Sun (2.3.08)-SUPERBOWL. extremely foggy in the morning but clear by around 8:00 (I know because I was up at 5). then around 3:00 the raining ice pellets begins again. We got about an inch of ice at our house.
Mon (2.4.08) all the ice from yesterday is gone. Most of the snow is leaving too; we've got about 3" left in our yard. but it's been extremely foggy all day and has been getting progressively worse. :(

Moral of the story, my grandparents were smart for leaving Illinois for the winter months. I think everyone should do that! :)

Sunday morning, my mom, brother, & I took my Dad & sister to the airport in St. Louis. They went to the Philippines for a dental mission trip for 2 weeks. I got a text from my dad this morning saying he made it ok and was getting ready for bed (they are 14 hours ahead of us). So I'm sure they are having a great time sleeping at this moment! :) Hopefully I'll be able to get some good stories from them and pass them on!

Lights, Camera, Action

Spring semester is going well so far! I survived the first 2 weeks and the first break (even though one day hardly constitutes a break!!). I also have survived the FREEZING cold weather of central Illinois...so far. I haven't really been up to much other than studying since classes are pretty tough. :(
But I have seen some movies (basically, by Friday night I'm so tired from school & work I just want to sit on the couch and veg!)

Reign Over Me-
It was a touching movie with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. It had some funny parts to it--however, it was pretty sad overall. It was unlike any other Adam Sandler movie I'd ever seen before. Overall I'd give it a B-.

I Am Legend-
This is one of those movies (for me) that when I left the theater I was like "Um yeah, I guess it was okay" but now looking back I'd definitely watch it again. The reason it wasn't jaw-dropping for me was because it was a very jumpy movie, which I don't usually like, and my friend had told me every single thing that happened except for the very end, which made it less exciting. This one gets an A.

27 Dresses-
I went to see this this past weekend with some girls from school. It has a premise of a girl being a bridesmaid 27 times. The key line is "the best part about this dress is that you can wear it again." What made this movie hilarious for me was that my sister had just picked out her bridesmaids dresses right before I went and had said that exact same thing. My older sister said it too when she got married over a year ago and to this day I haven't worn it again....Someday, Jen. Someday. So this romantic comedy gets an A also.

Casino Royale-
I'd already seen this movie a few times, but can't get enough of it. The blonde bond is great. Of course it gets an A!!

Sorry my life is so completely boring. I'll keep you updated on the best movies out there! :) Have a great week!!

Highlights of Winter Break

Winter break went too quickly, as do all breaks from school! :) But a lot of exciting things have happened in the past month.
First of all, and definitely most exciting, I got my license back!! :) The wonderful Secretary of State had it mailed to me in plenty of time for me to resume my driving privileges on December 22. So my winter break was made that much better by being able to drive myself around!!

Second, Christmas!! Who doesn't like Christmas?? I got a lot of clothes & gift certificates which are always great gifts. I also got some perfume & money. Overall, Christmas was great. I got to spend some time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and I got to spend lots of time with my sisters & brother-in-law who live out of town.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to do some traveling over the holiday. My family went to Florida Dec. 26th - Jan. 2nd. The airports were NUTS on the day after Christmas so we were 10 minutes late to get to our gate, luckily along with another 40 people so the plane hadn't left yet. But I seriously felt like I was in Home Alone when they all run through the airport. :) So we got to spend a nice long week in the Florida sun hanging out at the beach. While we were there one of my sisters (the single one) got engaged. Her boyfriend came down & proposed on the beach on New Year's Eve, so we then celebrated that in addition to welcoming in 2008.

We got home from Florida, were in Springfield for a day, then we traveled to Chicago. We went as a special thing for my little brother's 16th birthday. So we stayed downtown and ate at Grand Lux & Maggiano's and saw Phantom of the Opera. My brother & I had amazing seats--row D!!! And the show was very good. The next week I bummed around the house, caught up with friends from high school, and slept a lot!!! But on Friday night we left Springfield AGAIN to go to Indianapolis. My sister & her husband just bought their 1st house on Jan. 4th so we went to help them get their new house ready. It's in Fishers, IN, and my sister had lots of little projects for all of us to do: re-tile the bathroom, paint various rooms, put in light fixtures, take our the old washer/dryer, and clean the house so they can start moving their stuff over. We might go back this coming weekend again because we didnt' get everything finished that Jen wanted done, but we'll see. I also got sick while we were in Indy, of course the weekend right before school starts!! So I am feeling pretty crappy as I start classes up again.

This morning I started my Bio-organic chemistry and tonight I begin botany. :( It's going to be a long semester...

I-Card Issues

Hope you all enjoyed the last post--it was pretty high-tech huh? What with the picture and all. haha. Anyway, each week brings new adventures, doesn't it?? And every week must come with...humbling moments. :)

It's the last week of classes before finals, and I can officially say that I have no more classes in 2007...only finals. Hopefully no one has too stressful of a time with their finals; I know mine are going to be tough but hopefully I'll do more than pass them. I have one final on Monday (Organic chem); two on Tuesday (Microbiology & General Seminar); and the last one on Wednesday (Physics). Physics and micro will be the worst ones and the longest ones too! Physics is probably going to take the whole 3 hours and hopefully micro doesn't go over 2 and a half because I have another final at 10:30!

So far it's been a great week. I got to eat a Taco Bell picnic with my friend Jeremy on Tuesday. I did really well on my physics & micro tests. And I found out I only have to take half of my micro final. But now to the down side of the week :(

I lost my I-card!! I lost it on Tuesday night and didn't realize it until last (Wednesday) night when I went to go give my I.D. after using my credit card (*remember I can't just use my license because I don't get it back for another 16 days...*) and I realized that it was gone. Luckily I still had my school ID from last year at ONU! Basically, I remember last using it Tuesday night buying my dinner (a Snicker's) before my micro lab final. Obviously I left it in the vending machine in the basement of USB and someone else came by and saw it and took it. Right away I called the only person I could think of-someone from school named Stephanie. So like she told me to do, I first called the UIS police, who could do absolutely nothing for me. Then I went online and checked my balance (which had decreased from $26 to $19). On the I-card page online it gives a phone number to call and report a lost or stolen I-card 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But if it's not between 12pm and 5 pm Monday through Thursday, then you just leave a message and are out of luck...so much for 24/7 service. Some of my friends told me this morning to check at the Bursar's office if anyone had turned it in...but the Bursar's office wasn't open when I went by there a little before 9. So I had to wait until after classes got out around 11:45. Unfortunately, my I-card had NOT been turned in :( But good news was that the I-card office was open like 15 minutes early so I was able to get my shiny new I-card for a minimal fee of $20. Also, the lady working there enjoyed my story of eating a small, very unhealthy dinner before a lab final and had pity on me. So on my record it says my card was stolen rather than lost...so I look like less of a fool. She also printed out a record of where they had used it. So to whoever has my old I-card: I hope you enjoyed your 5 snacks and 3 sodas...and thank you for not using all my money...only $8. :) But truly on the bright side, my I-card now has a picture of me with my eyes open...but I had to take glare on the glasses. Oh well, you win some you lose some...

So moral of the story:
1. Always check vending machines after you get your food and make sure you have your I-card!
2. If you find an I-card, turn it in either to the Bursar's office or the I-card office (both in PAC) so that some innocent little person is not out $20+.
3. If you ever lose an I-card, call me and I'll tell ya what to do! :)

GOOD LUCK WITH FINALS EVERYONE!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

So, basically, there are 2 weeks left in the semester, which is AMAZING!!! I am so excited for winter break...but not so excited about getting there. Finals are never much fun. Plus I have some profs who like to give tests the week before finals...not cool. So I have a test on Monday and one on Tuesday then it's hardcore hit the books for next week.

Other than classes, it's definitely clear that Christmas is on the way!! :) I love Christmas!!! One fun thing that my friends & I do every year is go to the Festival of Trees out at the State Fair. It's put on by the Memorial Hospital & all the proceeds go to charity. Basically its just a bunch of trees and wreaths that have been decorated and purchased by different people and companies. Also, there's a ton of gingerbread houses that are made into a little town. Some of the area schools have their bands & choirs perform so there is live music. Also there's a little craft section for kids. But my favorite part is the gingerbread cookies!! :) Every year, my friends & I ask for a gingerbread cookie but without a little man painted on....we just get it covered in icing (it's much better that way!) We've been going every year since like 6th grade. It marks the beginning of the Christmas season for me but it was really special this year because one of my friends who goes to school in Texas was able to come with us, since we went over Thanksgiving break!!

Well now it's back to studying :( I'm sure that later this week I will be looking for an excuse to get away from the books for a little!