Slacker?!

Wow. My bad. I meant to blog yesterday....and then I kept saying that for days..and then weeks. Oops.

Here's my crazy catch-up blog:

September 13-17

On Friday, September 15th, after the usual Edge, ... Let me stop there. I forget that not everyone knows about "The Edge." This is weekly event of Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) where students gather for free food and worship. Over 80 different people have participated this year!! WOO WHO! Anyway...back to the story...after The Edge most of the guys and gals in the crowd broke off into "Girls' and Guys' Night Out." We all headed to Rochester Christian Church where we girls played games, ate food, and simply had an amazing time! I don't know what the boys did; they were in another part of the building. I'm assuming it had to do with sports and/or video games. Just a guess.

Also during the night/early morning, we made breakfast casserole for our Saturday morning service project at WASHINGTON STREET MISSION. I've never seen so many eggs and sausage in one kitchen before!!

Here are some pictures of the night:



After leaving the church, I headed back to campus for a few hours of sleep. I woke up at 6:30 or 7 or something ridiculous, met up with the weary-eyed group, jumped in Amelia's car, and headed to the Mission. We were met by a wonderful guy named Scott, who gave us a quick tour and background information regarding the mission. We set up camp and prepared for the unslaught of people to come. The doors opened at 8 am to a very anxious crowd. I proceeded to pour coffee for the next 2 hours, joyfully serving the homeless and needy of Springfield. I'll never forget the gentlemen I served first. I asked him how he was doing, and he replied, "I'm blessed." Wow. A homeless Springfield man just told me he was blessed. It really put things into perspective! If he could sit there in filthy clothes with little to his name and say that he lived a "blessed" life, then how could I complain about ANYTHING? Suddenly all my "problems" (i.e. stress, exhaustion) seemed ridiculous. Wow. I'm still amazed, even weeks later.

Over 200 people ate breakfast with us that day. When we had finished serving and cleaning up, I headed back to campus...for a nap. I was exhausted.

After the nap, I spent a few hours running errands and working on little projects. I told my parents I'd be back home by 4. I got there at 8. Oops. I had too much to do!

I spent the night at "home-home" ("home" is my dorm room, "home-home" is my parents' house). It was the weekend of my grandparents' 60th Anniversary, so EVERYONE was gathered at our house. My parents had prepared a bonfire and 20-30 of us spent hours in front of the fire talking about...well, everything. It was great.

Sunday (the 17th) was my Papa and Grandma's party. 60 years together...isn't that crazy!! I can't even imagine what that must be like. Wow.



The party went really well. As soon as it was over I drove back the 100 miles to campus.

We played sand volleyball late that night...we probably lost. :-) No offense to my teammates.

September 18-24

Monday was a pretty crazy day. The highlight was seeing my younger sister, Jiletta. She plays volleyball for Illinois Central College (Peoria) and they were in town playing Springfield College and...someone else. They beat both teams easily. Jiletta did an amazing job! I was SO proud of her!!

Tuesday was...Monday-ish. I had back-to-back classes at 8 am (yeah...), 10, and noon. Then I worked the Front Desk from 2-4 and 10-midnight. In between my desk shifts was....BEGINNING BALLROOM DANCE LESSONS!! :-) I know you're jealous. I take them at Lincolnland.

Wednesday was full of class and meetings from 10-6. :-(

Thursday was another 8, 10, noon class day. I was on R.A. duty Thursday night. I decided to spice it up by taking pictures. Here's the photo version of one of my "rounds" (when an RA walks through each area (i.e. wings or courts) and makes sure no one is dying or died) on Thursday night, September 21st:



Friday and Saturday were spent...CANOEING!!! It was pretty sweet. Every year CSF has a fall retreat. This year's trip was to Huzzah Valley, MO. The weather was supposed to suck but it turned out pretty amazing!! We had a few difficulties with a university van...major delays...not cool...but it all worked out. The trip was amazing!! And very much needed!



We got back Saturday night and I turned around Sunday and headed north. My brother and sister-in-law were holding a birthday party for my nieces at their home in Washington, IL. The girls were born on the same day...one year apart!! Sydney is now 2 and Anna is 1. :-)



I came back that night for sand volleyball. It was cold and miserable. My feet hated me. If you ever have to play in freezing sand, don't do it. It was one of the worst campus moments ever. And we lost a match, too. :-( ...........BUT THEN WE WON A MATCH!!! YAY! Still, it sucked.

September 25-30

I was on duty again Monday. Thankfully, it was uneventful. Dance lessons again on Tuesday. More classes. More homework. More procrastinating. The week was pretty blah...

until Thursday.

A few friends and I headed to Peoria for a David Crowder*Band, Third Day, and Hyper Static Union concert. IT WAS SOOOOO AMAZING! We went mainly to see DCB (which performed BEAUTIFULLY), but let me tell you...those Hyper Static Union guys are AWESOME! I bought their CD...then had it autographed!! You should check them out. They have a cool sound, very different from most Christian artists. Third Day was great, too, but probably my least favorite. It felt too much like a performance and less like worship. I prefer the latter.



And then Friday came. I had 8 am lab...woo...RA staff meeting at 11:30...Safe Zone Training from 1-5. AND THEN THE MOMENT I HAD BEEN ANTICIPATING FOR WEEKS...happened...eventually. Liz and I headed to Bloomington to Illinois Wesleyan University for ANOTHER CONCERT!! Except, we got lost...err...misplaced. IWU is hard to find!!!! I won't go into many details...there are too many...but next time I'll remember a map...and I'll remember the name of the building we're looking for. :-) Note to IWU administators: You need more signs.

The artist we went to see was Jon McLaughlin, an amazing piano-rock(ish) twenty-something year old from Indiana. He's not uber famous...yet. If you don't own any of his music, BUY SOME. NOW. Everyone's life needs more McLaughlin. Check him out:



After the concert we drove back to Springfield, ate some Steak and Shake, and ended the night @ Brian's with Rush Hour 2. Good times.

So, needless to say, I've had a pretty crazy few weeks...and I don't see things settling down any time soon. :-)

Forgetting 9.11

Five years ago I’d never heard of the World Trade Center. Honestly. I couldn’t have told you it was in New York City, and I certainly didn’t know there were “Twin Towers.” Completely clueless, I knew precious little about the Big Apple. I didn’t feel the need to know more.

But that was then. That was a different world.

September 11, 2001, started like any other day. I was in my sophomore year at Saint Elmo High School (attendance: 120), and like every morning I had ridden the bus to school. After arriving around 8 a.m. (central time), my friends and I huddled around to talk about “important stuff” (i.e. boys). Hey, we were 15, give us a break.

The bell was just a few minutes from ringing when suddenly, my friend Lorrie came running up to us. Her eyes spoke excitement before her mouth. She then proceeded to go off on some rant about planes or bombs or something. She continued with sentences to the effect of “A plane hit a NYC building…watched the news during breakfast…another plane came…I can’t believe it.”

Then the bell rang and cut her off. Time for class.

I headed off to P.E. where I told a few girls in the locker room. I didn’t have very many details to share, and, besides, it didn’t seem that important anyway. Our gym class spent the hour playing kickball, forgetting all about the plane/bomb nonsense.

We were in complete ignorance.

As our nation contemplated war…we contemplated bunting.

As passengers of hijacked planes feared death…we feared getting out at first.

While the rest of the world stood in shock and devastation…we joked, laughed, and waited impatiently to kick a blue rubber ball.

Ignorance is ridiculous in hindsight.

As P.E. ended and I walked out the gymnasium doors, it was as if I had entered a new world. Little did I know that it wasn’t just a feeling but an actuality. This was not the world I had left an hour earlier! The hallways were empty when they should have been full! It was not supposed to be this quiet! I headed to my second hour class, but when I got there we were redirected to the library. There, in the small open area between the bookshelves, teachers and students sat side by side with eyes glued to television screens. No one said a word.

With tears running silently down my face, I took a seat and remained there for the next two hours. The “nonsense” wasn’t insignificant anymore. I remember freaking out because my Uncle Gordy was in Washington, DC, at the time. Other than that, the rest of the day is a blur. As is the rest of the week.

…

While timing is a blur, the return of patriotism is a certainty. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing “God Bless America” or the Stars and Stripes. Soon every thing from shirts to watches to books to mugs had a September 11th reference. This was a new world. We were UNITED again. We were one.

….

And now, five years and two wars later, I’ve never felt more affected yet disconnected to an event in my entire life. There is no doubt that 9.11 altered the lives of all Americans. Suddenly, sons and daughters were shipped into battle, terrorism became an everyday word, and the economy, well, we won’t even go there. Yet, even with all of these changes to life, to MY life, I still feel detached. It’s bizarre, really.

I spent the evening of September 11th this year by watching “United 93” and participating in a candlelight vigil, all here on campus. I hadn’t seen the movie before and was surprised at how little emotion it created in me. It got in my head, but not in my heart. Instead of weeping for those who died, I kept wondering…’what would it have been like to be the person who checked their luggage?’ or ‘what would it have been like to be the person who shut the doors to the planes?’ or ‘what would it have been like to be at the adjacent gate at the airport?’ These people were the last to see the passengers alive. What would it be like to be in their shoes today?

Yet, even in the midst of this intense reflection, my mind continues to see 9.11 as some distant nightmare. A story I once heard. It has become our nation’s crutch. If I hear a song about 9.11, I turn the station. Same with the television. Books, apparel, movies; it all seems like a marketing scheme to gain a profit. I’m tired of hearing about 9.11. The event I never wanted to forget is now the one that I most ignore.

Maybe if I had visited NYC or D.C. I’d feel differently. Or maybe if I had known someone who had lost a loved one.

It seems I’m forever affected yet increasingly disconnected.

Five years ago, September 11th filled my mind everyday. Five years later, I think of September 11th…only in the second week of September.

Some things you never forget…some things you do.
I would not have expected 9.11 to be among the latter.

Wow.

I wonder if they were avoiding homework, too...

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php

The Most Random Week Ever

This week was ridiculous.

It started off badly, mainly because I had lost my planner (a.k.a. my life). I'm one of those people who can't function without their planner at their side. I was lost with no idea what to do with myself! Thanks to one amazing classmate, Mr. Brian Kenner, my crazy life was restored after two days of chaos. He found my beloved planner (in the cafeteria?!) and returned it unharmed. He's pretty much my hero now.

After that drama, life took on the mask of exhaustion. I serve as an R.A. for the residence hall and last weekend I was "on duty". Basically, this means I had the pleasure of being ON CALL, literally, from Friday evening until Monday morning. The duty phone must be on and within reach at all times, and the RAOD (Resident Assistant On Duty) must be within walking distance from their residential area. So, basically, no leaving campus and for LRH (Lincoln Residence Hall) RAs this means that you are highly suggested to stay within the LRH building at all times.

So...yeah. This was my first weekend on duty and MAN, I didn't realize how constrained it makes one feel. Just the fact that I COULDN'T leave campus, not even for a second, was....imprisoning?

But I survived. And no one died. Not even me.

I made up for the "confinement" on Monday by spending ALL EVENING off campus. It's amazing how much comfort comes from shopping and eating. Awww...what a wonderful evening. :-)

Note: Also on Monday, the Acting class I'm in did a trust exercise. We lead each other around campus blindfolded. It was sweet. Thanks goes to my partner, John, for not killing me.

Tuesday night was also amazing. Wearing new clothes, I headed off to....BUSCH STADIUM to watch the Cardinals. This was my first time at the new stadium and I was flabbergasted! I LOVE IT! The stadium looks great! It's so spacious! Here are a few pictures of the trip:



Now, while the stadium was amazing....the Cardinals were NOT. The Marlins pretty much mutilated the home team. 9 to 1...it wasn't pretty. So, being the attentive and supportive fan that I am, I turned my attention to....the text message sign! That's right, for only $2.95 you can text a message to some random number and have a message come up on two fairly large signs within the stadium. I attempted to take a picture of the sign, but this is what I got:















I'm not really sure why I got such a kick out of reading the messages (probably because there was nothing to watch on the field). I saw a few "Will you marry me?" messages, as well as "You are so cool Bob" or "I love Jimmy." "Thanks for the tickets" was pretty popular, too. What I laughed at most though was these three messages:

1) "Nick loves ninjas."
2) "Eat strawberry jello salad."

and....my favorite:

3) "Mom, buy me more nachos."

Haha. Good times.

After the disappointing but still fun game, we were walking back to the parking garage when I saw....A SMART CAR!!!! YAY!!! I hadn't seen one of these since I was in Paris! I didn't even know they sold in the States! So, of course, I stopped and took a picture. Now you can all share in my excitement!

So that was Tuesday.

Wednesday was pretty ridiculous, too. My first class presentation was at noon and you'll never guess the assignment! It was..................LIP SYNCH!!! That's right, for Principles of Acting we each had to perform a song lip-synch style. Needless to say, I was scared out of my mind. Wow. I "sang" Bethany Dillon's "All I Need" (nervously) and sighed deeply when it was over. Looking back, it was a cool assignment....not that I'd want to do it again. :-)

Wednesday night was full of meetings, fellowship with friends, and last-minute homework.

Thursday was the less exciting part of my week. Class at 8, 10, and noon. Two meetings followed and then I was on RA duty for the night. I went to bed around 3 am. (More last-minute homework).

Friday started off with 8 a.m. lab...then a nap...then two meetings...then a nap. :-) Last night was the CSF's Tie-Dye Party and 1st Friday (sponsored by the Townhouse R.A.s). Here are the pictures I captured before my camera battery died:





I attempted to watch "V for Vendetta" last night as well...but I think I slept through half of it...oops.

Today is been pretty relaxing. The dorm is VERY quiet with most people gone because it's a holiday weekend. I think there are a whopping FIVE people on my wing. Acting like a typical college student, I slept in until noon and have yet to touch any homework. Maybe I'll do it tonight....yeah right.

So, that's a recap on my week. Have a great weekend! See you next week!