Thankfulness

There's a big thing on Facebook during November where you post one thing you're thankful for each day, for 30 [40] days. I started this, but realized quite quickly that I was having trouble posting one thing each day. Oftentimes I couldn't think of something or I just wasn't on Facebook, or whatever. Either way, it's still a good thing to reflect on things you are thankful {grateful} for, especially during the Thanksgiving season, and especially after a year of many changes in my life. Instead of 30 or 40 different things, I decided to come up with 15 {my room number is 375, 3+7+5}. Eliza and Billie, feel free to play along! (P.S. The number 0 counts as 3. Ex: 400 = 4+3+3 = 10)
Here we go!
1. I am thankful for my family, especially my parents, aunts, and uncles.There have been lots of ups and downs and changes over the year, but they've supported me in all my endeavors, projects, and goals. They're always willing to talk/listen whenever I call them, and they're really good at being rational when I'm not.

My drumline friends are awesome!

2. I'm thankful for my Iowa/Nebraska friends. I means so much to have people who have known me for years and that I have known for years that I can have fun with, have heart to hearts with, or just spend awesome quality time together. I'm glad that we can stay connected!
3. I'm thankful for the friends I have made at college so far, through my floor, The Navigators, and classes,
too. I continue to be surprised as how college is such a fast track to friendship. In general, if you're doing something with a group of people, like the Barn Bash I went to for Navs, lots of people will introduce themselves and be more than happy to strike up a conversation with you! For me, it was almost overwhelming (in the best way possible!) and I'm still playing catch up with remembering names of people I've met!
4. I'm thankful for the sweet older ladies in the dining hall. They're much better about "breaking the portion rules" than the young student whippersnappers. For example, today at lunch,  when my 1 scoop of Riggatoni with meatballs didn't have any meatballs, she continued to fish around until she got me some!

This was on the first night that she moved in.

5. I'm thankful for my roommate! Miranda is super great, and really the best roommate I could have asked for! We share many of the same interests/disinterests, are both big on studying, and we do a lot of fun things together when we aren't. For example, on Wednesday night, we watched The Rescuers. Such a sweet movie! I'd never seen it before! We experimented with peanut butter and Ramen (we live on the edge!), and we do things like go to Walmart and buy a brick!
6. I am thankful for music! Playing or listening, it is  a BIG part of my life! I especially love playing the piano!
7. I'm thankful for my sister! We're super close and I miss her a lot while I'm here at college! It made up for it a little bit when I surprised her by coming home for the weekend and when she first saw me, she started bawling. She was very happy!
8. I'm thankful for those cool God moments where you've been praying about something (worries) and then you pick up your book by Max Lucado and read the next chapter which just so happens to be about the exact same thing!
9. I'm thankful for all of my teachers from High School. I feel so prepared for College, and I credit it to all of their dedication and commitment. I feel bad for the other students I see who didn't have people that cared about them as much as all of my teachers did.
10. I'm thankful for my church families, both at Grace and here at Laura Street. Everyone is genuinely concerned about me and is always asking about how I'm doing and how my family is. This is especially true of everyone here at Laura Street. Even though I've only really been here for 3 months, it doesn't feel like it because of how much everyone is always asking how I'm doing and how my dad is doing.
11. I'm thankful for my job. Even though it is certainly NOT my favorite thing to do, and I practically dread going to work, it was certainly been a really good crash course in people skills. It's not that I didn't have people skills before, it's just that this job has helped me get over not liking cold calling people and has also helped me be a little bit more comfortable asking people for money. Bot only a little. It's still uncomfortable. I will be done with my Cat Caller position next Thursday, but I applied for a job as a library assistant, which would be a position that is right up my ally! I've working in a library since 5th grade! I love libraries! It would be so cool to get this job!

12. I'm thankful that my mom taught me to sew and cook and bake and that both my parents helped me learn how to fix all sorts of things! These are very helpful skills, people! Also, it means that when I get married, my husband will not live off of Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches every night! Huzzah for food! Huzzah for sewing!
13. I am thankful for sticky notes! Seriously! A list-maker's dream! (I know, I'm grasping at straws here, but all my other ones were really deep!
14. I am thankful that Northwest gives us all of our textbooks and a laptop too! A LOT less to worry about! I just walk into a room and grab a paper bag full of all of the books I need for the semester!
15. I am thankful for the mattress on my bed at home. I did NOT realize just HOW comfy it was until I went home last weekend! Oh my! And it doesn't make plastic-y wrinkly noises when I roll over or make any movement! So perfect! Ah!

There ya have it! Eliza and Billie, the ball's in your court!

Some Tuesday Morning Views at NWMSU

Today before I left for breakfast, I grabbed my camera and took it with me around campus. Here's some views from around campus. (It's homecoming week here at Northwest Missouri State, so most of these are homecoming-related.)

This is Centennial Garden. It's outside South Complex. That thing
in in the middle is a fountain. It's actually a pretty area. The shade is
making it look a bit funky.

This is the view from a 2nd story stairwell in South. This is part of the Lab
School and the playground. I walk by it every day and there are always lots
of cute kids outside!

This was my lunch today. Aside from the curly fries, it was good.
(Cheese grits, Mac 'n Cheese, and honeydew melon. Also milk. I love milk.)

The rest of these are pictures of some of the banners made by the sororities and fraternities. This is not even half of all of them. There were enough to hang them on all sides of the student union. I took pictures of especially impressive ones, creative ones, and Disney ones. (The theme this year is "Rollin' Out the '90s" which I find odd, since I was born in the '90s, but whatever.)

Power Rangers

Lion King

Candy Land

Spongebob

Dragonball Z (?)

Powerpuff Girls

Toy Story

Star Wars

These last two pictures demonstrate some of the can art that the sororities and fraternities do. They buy groceries, build things with them, and after the competition, all of the food is donated to the food pantry. Again, this is just a couple. These snaked all the way though the second floor of the Union.

Barbie's Dream House, Mr. Potato Head (my personal favorite!),
and some sort of helmet.

A Furby! This one made me happy!

A Day in the Life. . .

Wednesday was  interesting. Here's what happened. This is pretty typical as far as my days go around here.
7:00 a.m.-Alarm goes off. I accidentally turn it off.
7:48- I wake up and freak out. And then promptly get a nose bleed. Greeaaattt... I promptly proceed to throw on whatever is lying around, pop a piece of gum in my mouth and run out the door, all while dealing with this nosebleed. Halfway to my 8 'o clock class, I realize that I don't have the rubric I need, so I hurry like a mad woman back to my dorm, up the three flights of stairs, down the hall, around the corner, and back to my room. I grab the folder and rush back.
8:01- I get to my class, still kind dealing with a nosebleed, but it's minimal. And I'm late, but not too late. In class, I finished an assignment and worked on extra credit.
8:50- I head to the Union to acquire some food. I nosh on a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch while reviewing for my Mass Media mid-term.
9:10- I get back to my dorm room and breathe a sigh of relief. I don't have a class until 10. I put on real people clothes (and deodorant) and generally get ready for the day. I also make a list of things that must get accomplished today and a shopping list. So far: toothbrush, cookie mix, and
9:40- I slap some Nutella on a piece of bread, fill up my water bottle (I'm guessing the nosebleed stems from lack of water), and head to class.
10:00- Arrive at my Mass Media class. Take mid-term. Feel confident. Leave.
10:20- Leave Mass Media class and head to Administration building.
10:25- Talk to the HR people and set up direct deposit for my new job.
10:35- Head to Union to grab some mini muffins and start to type this post. The mini muffins were yummy!
11:00-Accelerated Comp. class. We talked about types of fallacies.
11:45- Head to the Union once again, this time for lunch. I decide on mac 'n cheese, carrots, a corn bread muffin, and milk. I sit down, eat, and then type some more on this. Also, I look at Facebook. And Pinterest.
12:10- Head back to my room to rotate my books out and get the stuff I need for my 1 'o clock class. I also check my mail. Alas, my daily dose of disappointment!
12:15-Hang out in my room looking up classical piano music. It's what I do.
12:45-Head to Stats. Woo hoo.
1:00-Stats. Anti-climatic
1:50-Head back to my room to fill out forms for my job and watch Netflix. And also eat a snack.
3:20-Head to the Union to grab a sandwich and fruit for a very early lunch. I eat it on the way to band.
3:40- Grab my bass drum and continue snarfing down my sandwich. The drum line boys offer me a ride up to the practice lot. I finish my sandwich.
4:10-Band practice. More of the same old same old. Marching, counting, getting a killer calf workout. . .
5:20-Load back up the drums in Wil's truck. Drive back to Fine Arts. Nels offers to put my drum away so I

That's Nels. I'm the one with the littlest bass drum. He's the one
with with biggest. And yes, our hats are on backwards. That's
band for ya.

can run to work.
5:25-I head to the Alumni House. I had computer training for 30 minutes before my job started. What is this job, you ask? Well, I am a "Cat Caller", which basically means that I am part of a phone-a-thon. I call alumni, update their information, and ask them for donations. Those of you who know me well know that my two least favorite things to do are calling people and asking people for money. However, after last night, I am a bit more comfortable with it. It was kinda like trial by fire, actually. Last night I made 156 phone call attempts and I'd say that 89% of those calls ended with answering machine, wrong number, busy signal, and more. But just like Russian Roulette, you never know if the next call will have a person on the other end. I got more comfortable as my 3 hour shift progressed, and I even managed to raise some money for the University! It's definitely a God thing that I got through that shift without a complete freak-out!
9:00-I head back to the Union and get my second supper; this time, Reese's Puffs and fruit. Back to my room I go!
9:10- Give Mom/Kell a call to unwind from my evening. Talk for a while. It was much needed.
9:50- Began working on finishing my Freshman Seminar paper about the differences between high school and college.
11:30-Actually finish the paper. Miranda and I were busy in between trying to untag ourselves from a post on Facebook and generally talking.about all sorts of things.
12:00-Crawl into bed. Watch some Melissa & Joey and nod off. (P.S. Melissa & Joey is hilarious!!!)

Kara's Birthday = 19+1 questions!

It's my birthday and I have decided that that means that I can make all the rules!
Power! So much power!

Just kidding. I just thought I'd do something a little different as a birthday post. Here's what's happenin':
I sent Eliza and Billie 19+1 questions and we all answered them separately. I'm combining them here, and hopefully they'll enlighten and entertain you, or at least occupy your time for a while! So stick around to learn some interesting facts about the three of us! (As a birthday gift to me (or just for fun) you could play along and answer the questions in the comment section!)
1. What's your favorite beverage?
E: Egg Nog comes to mind. A big cold glass on Christmas morning, or in the middle of a hot summer (if you can get your hands on it!). Root beer is pretty darn delicious too!
K: Milk! 2% or Whole, preferably. I also like Orange Pineapple Mango juice. Seriously! Dole makes it and we basically only have it at Christmas or birthdays! Delish! And smoothie! Also smooties!
B: A good mango smoothie beats all else!

2. What are your thoughts on muffins?
E: Lemon poppy seed or blueberry
K: I like blueberry or cinnamon strusel. Also, the food court here sometimes has muffins with apple pieces in them, and those are good, too. Just don't give me a dry muffin. Dry muffins are sad muffins.
B: Love 'em! They're like healthy cupcakes! And I love me my cupcakes, healthy or otherwise!

3. What are your 2 greatest fears?
E: Heights and not getting to be a midwife
K: Throwing up and throwing up in front of people.
B: Hm. Deep question. Being a disappointment. Nothing else comes remotely close.

4. What are your favorite pizza toppings?
E: Sausage
K: Cheese! (or ham and pineapple, if enough other people will go in on it with me!)
B: The pizza better be from Casey's. Because I like pepperoni, but I love taco! But there are oodles of good ones out there. But Casey's is the best!

5. What is the title of the 5th chapter of your least favorite textbook?
E: I think it's about polyatomics or something.... Oh Chemistry...
K: "Input and Output" (It's my Computer textbook. Ick!)
B: "How We Work" from my Acting Out Culture textbook.

6. What was the last film you watched, and had you seen it before?
E: 10,000 B.C. and no I hadn't. Mammoths and saber tooth cats, oh my!
K: Miss Congeniality and I hadn't ever seen it before! It was hilarious!
B: Captain America and yes I had.

7. Imagine that your first child is a girl. What would you name her?
E: Camla. I just found this name and it rocks!
K: Catherine is one idea I have. I also like Cora, but that sounds a lot like my name, so I might go crazy.
B: Isla

8. Imagine that your first child is a boy. What would you name him?
E: Brody, maybe?
K: I've always liked James.
B: Jack

9. Grab the nearest book. Turn to page 27. What is the 9th sentence?
E: "It's a plate of the human female torso, pointing at the right atrium of the heart." from my anatomy textbook. #mylife
K: "God is saying the same thing to you." Fearless by Max Lucado
B: "You feel that more with me than you do with your grandmother, I expect?" from Murder with Mirrors by Agatha Christe.

10.What is your favorite plant or flower?
E: Roses. The cool colored ones like white or yellow roses are especially neat-o.
K: My parents got me a big vase of coral colored roses from Chickenshed for graduation and I absolutely loved them!
B:Weeping Willows, but lilies are my favorite flower.

11. What shirt are you wearing and from where did you get it?
E: Oh gosh, I'm glad you asked! Tonight I ran out of laundry and asked our epically cool RA for a t-shirt on loan to go to dance practice in. It's actually from the little boy's department and has a picture of Perry the Platypus saying "I work out!". How great is that?! (Pretty great, actually!)
K: I've got my 7th grade cross country shirt on. It's the only Ballard sport shirt I own... All the rest are from Student Council and Speech/Theater/Musicals.
B: A 2013 Large Group Speech All-State T-shirt. I got it at All-State. BECAUSE I'M A BLOODY ALL-STATER!

12. How did you spend last night?
E: It (Tuesday night) was fantastic! I got to chat with my bro and joined ask.fm.com to answer random questions with a lot of sarcasm. There was also some YouTubing involved.
K: Last night (Tuesday night) I had Bible study and I also finished a short paper or two. There was much listening to country music and also procrastinating by sending Eliza YouTube videos.
B: (Tuesday night) I talked for three hours with my roommate and another set of roommates about racism. Eventually we ended up talking about how the animal kingdom has homosexuality, bisexuals, transgenders, and prostitutes.

13.What has been the most unexpectedly cool thing about college so far?
E: I just can't get over how at home I feel here. I just can't believe it! WHAT A BLESSING!!
K: Pretty much everyone holds open the door for everyone else. Pretty cool. Also, how much my roommate and I get along. It's totally a God thing. We just jive so well!
B: The phenomenal people on my floor! I feel like I've know them more than a month!

14. What is your favorite quote?
E: Probably anything Audrey Hepburn or C.S. Lewis said.
K: "People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the world your best and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway, for you see, in the end it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." -attributed to Mother Teresea, but actually by Kent M. Keith.
B: Crap. There are so MANY. But I like "A professional is an amateur that didn't quit."

15. What is your favorite Bible verse?
E: Isaiah 41:10- "Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness." Boom!
K: Jeremiah 29:11-"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
B: Isaiah 41:13- "For I am the Lord your God who takes a hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'"

16. Recommend a book in 3 sentences or less.
E: Moccasin Trail won the Newberry medal for being engrossing, historical, heart-touching, [and having a] fantastic plot. OH MY GOSH Jim Keath! I know these characters like my own family, have read it 5 plus times.... and now I'm way over 3 sentences. Gushing adjourned. 
K: The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers is probably the most gripping, heart-wrenching book I have read. It takes you through a whirlwind of emotions and sucks you in from the beginning. I think every teen girl and woman should read it because it will really make you think.
B: I've read many books in my time. Many fantastic, life changing books. And I have a favorite. (Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant)

17. What is one food you can make really well?
E: Bacon and Egg Melts. They're Pioneer Woman!
K: One thing I was thinking about was my Sweet Potato Casserole. It's yummy and I'm making it for Thanksgiving again this year. Y'all are gonna miss out!
B: Chocolate Chip cookies. I am the supreme cookie master at my house, and everyone knows it!

18. How long have you known the other two of us and how did you meet each of us?
E: Billie I have known since chorus in 8th grade (or maybe earlier at Cornerstone?) and Kara I've known since 6th grade at the Slater pool.
K: I've known Billie since 5th grade. I remember being fascinated that a girl's name was Billie. I vaguely remember meet Eliza at the pool, but I know the first time we really talked was at Youth Group at the beginning of 7th grade because I remember giving her a hard time about living in a funeral home.
B: I met Kara in 5th grade when we were put in a reading group with two other people in Ms. Tuttle's class. I met Eliza at an audition for a Christmas production when we were in 8th grade.

19. Describe an excellent evening if, say, you went out on a date or hung out with friends. (i.e. Sitting at home eating copious amounts of chocolate is not acceptable...this time.)
E: Go to an amusement park with a British guy and stay their until the lights come on and he buys me a funnel cake. Partaaayyy!!
K: Walking at with my significant other and then going back home and watching a funny movie while sitting on a comfy couch and eating chocolate and raspberries and drinking milk.
B: You want a night out on the town type answer? Cuz most of my fantasies involve popcorn, lemonade, a comfy chair, huge stacks of manga and books, and unlimited streaming of my favorite TV shows, cartoons, anime, and movies. BUT if I had a night were I was out with two or three SUPER close friends and we went out to eat, had dessert, stopped at a book shop on the way home, had a movie night and then delved into a deep conversation about various important topics and analyses at the end of the night... THAT would be perfect!

19+1. What are you most looking forward to in the rest of the year?
E: Leading two different missions trip teams to I-don't-know-where-yet. Pre-teens and 8-10 year olds. I can't even believe I'm signed up to do this!
K: Honestly, I'm looking forward to going home at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, [hopefully] Prom, and finally summer break. I just want to be home with my family and my stuff, and I want to make money over the summer.
B: All the cool things my floor mates are introducing me to! So many new experiences with so many new people!

So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this little game! Thanks for sticking around (and thanks to Eliza and Billie for answering all my questions)! If you'd like, answer one/some/all in the comments! 

Some Typical Views

There are some things I tend to see multiple times a day. Here are some typical views in my day-to-day life.

My desk (and my tablet). I like that it has lots of surface space.

The view from our window. It's the end of the track and a parking lot. It's actually quite a nice view!

The view from the end of our hallway. They call the 3rd floor the "football watching floor" and for good reason, although, I think that these guys are playing rugby... It's actually quite a good view!

Well, this isn't technically my view, but I do stand in a line with my little base drum every day. This is what it looks like to the casual observer!

A Little Game: Part II

I am like my dad:
I love history.
s
I work hard. (Sometimes too hard.)
I am dedicated.
I love to learn.
I tell corny jokes sometimes.
I love my family (and family history).
I don't do well with pain.
I am loving.

First and last day of public school

I am like my mom:

I can cook and bake. . . really well.

I like to research.

I am sympathetic.

I am resourceful.

I am dedicated.

I am sensitive.

I like learning.

 

 

 

 

 

I am like my sister:

I can be spontaneous.

I love a good laugh.

I love Bones and Psych.

I like long talks.

I love crafty, Pinterest-y ideas.

I love window shopping.

I am fiercely loyal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am like my brother.

I like old TV shows.

I like doing things with my hands.

I like books.

I like riding my bike.

I like spending time with good friends.

I take things too seriously some times.

I am caring.

 





 

 

 

 

 



"And she'll have fun, fun, fun. . ."

Well, I have no T-Bird, (and no car for that matter), but I can finally say that I have had some fun at college. It was a long time coming.
 Don't get me wrong. College has been enjoyable, but in the 3 weeks that I have been here, I didn't truly have fun. I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere. I became good friends with my roommate, and we had some good times together, but that was very isolated. I didn't feel connected to anything or any group. (Marching Band doesn't count. It's a completely different entity.) In fact I was getting pretty bummed out and lonely. I wasn't truly happy here. Like I said, I was having a good time over all. The "collegiate experience" (classes, living in the residence halls, eating at the Union, walking everywhere, etc.) was nice, but nice doesn't add up to much when you don't have anyone to share it with except your roommate.
Here's a few things that have truly been a bright spot in my past week(ish):

At the suggestion of some of the people at my home church, I checked out Laura Street Baptist Church. What can I say. The first service there made me smile. So did the second one. So did Sunday School. So did the people I met. Here's some specific reasons:

• The first day I went, I introduced myself to the pastor after Sunday School and before church. On my way out of church, he shook my hand and said, "Thanks for coming Kara. It was nice to meet you. I hope to see you again."
  If you didn't catch that, he remembered my name. After greeting a congregation, giving a sermon, and having other little conversations, he remembered my name!
• This week, (the second time I went), a bunch of people introduced themselves to me. I met a lady that helps with the Baptist Student Union, introduced myself and talked to her for  a bit. She offered me rides to church if the guy that is giving me rides right now ever couldn't, answered my questions, and was just so friendly. And here's the kicker: When I went to the BSU tonight for $1 dinner, she remembered my name too! It may not seem like much, but man, if someone can call you by name, you just feel more connected.
• The Sunday School class/teachers. Our teachers invited us over to their house every Monday (starting today) for a lunch. The wife, Teri Ann, was so nice to me on Sunday, and made sure I had a ride there and had her cell phone number and told me to contact her with any questions. Today at their house, everyone was so welcoming and it was such a good time. When it was time for me to head back to class, she gave me a hug and said how glad she was that I could come and told me to call them if I needed anything. (Yes, I realize this is kind of the college-town cliché, but it has really meant so much to have all of these people reach out, care about me, remember me, and be there to help.)
• The music. Ok, first y'all need to know that I love me some hymns. Like really love me some hymns. Like I have a Pandora station that is Southern Gospel Hymns. I love love love singing them. I think they tell a really cool story, they are pretty, and they have so much history behind them! I was happy that at Laura Street, they sing hymns, and then after the children's message, they sing more contemporary songs. This past week, there was such a great mix of songs! Let me show you:
  "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" (Hymn)
  Then a group got up and sang really old gospel hymns that I knew, but none of the college kids around me did. This part made me especially happy.
  "Victory in Jesus" (Hymn)
  "Worthy of Worship" (Hymn)
  "10,000 Reasons"
  "The Heart of Worship"
  "Refiner's Fire"
  And then another group got up and sang "Reign in Us" by Starfield, which is a song I really love!
  To close the service, we sang "Where He Leads I'll Go" (another Hymn)
  
  Does this shed some light on my happiness about church? Not only do we sing lots of awesome songs, a good chunk of them are the hymns that I love so much

Another group I have gotten connected with is the Navigators, which is a Christian group on campus. I'm involved with a Bible study with girls on my floor and also from another building. I can't wait to get more connected with them! They are all so sweet!

This is most of us playing telephone Pictionary. I'm over on the left side. (You can see my hands!)

I'm also starting to do some things with the Baptist Student Union (BSU) because a lot of the people who go to church at Laura Street go to the BSU. Tonight was $1 Dinner, so basically you pay a dollar for dinner (which tonight was pancakes and cheesy ham hashbrowns) and then after dinner you can hang around and play a game (which tonight was telephone Pictionary). It was an absolute blast! I met some more people, I got to see people I knew from church, and the game was hilarious. (We had 26 people playing!) On Friday, they are having a comedy group from Kansas City come, and I can't wait! Apparently, it's a lot like Whose Line Is It Anyway, which I love!

Lastly, I have been connecting with the girls on my floor some more. We have bonded over all sorts of things and have been able to go to lunch together a few times as well. Miranda (my roommate) and I have further confirmed the fact that we are a great pair by discovering that we both like PBS kids shows. We get along so so well and I can't imagine doing college with anyone different!

If you made it this far, I commend you and thank you for hearing me out on my happiness!

The Top Five Things You Learn Your First Week At College

The Admin Building shows striking similarities to a castle. (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

I've been here at NWMSU for a week now. Granted, I haven't actually taken any classes yet because I came down here early for band camp, but I've still definitely learned some things about college life (and in my case, college marching band) that weren't things I would have even thought of. Here's some discoveries I have made:
1.Profanity is widely spoken and, as a whole, is not disciplined. Maybe my naïve self was just being naïve, but I was pretty shocked as how many people will just drop a d*** or a f*** into whatever activity or difficulty they might be undertaking. And it's not just the students, folks. Both professors (who are both very nice, by the way) that I have come in contact with have cussed at some point, mostly to make a point. The only exception to this would be our very nice band director Dr. Strickland, who explicitly (haha, no pun intended) stated that profanity was not allowed. Of course, some of the members of my drumline do not pay any mind to this rule.
Let's be clear: I'm don't live under a rock. People cuss, and they have every right to. I personally do not, so hearing all of it was a bit odd at first, and really still is. I don't judge you about your cursing unless you find it necessary to insert an f-bomb in to every sentence you speak. Then I think that you lack tact, creativity, and self-control.
2. I can understand how the Freshman 15 is achievable. There's good food at the Union, there are yummy snacks at most activities, and people are always hosting mixers and BBQs etc. Delicious food is everywhere.
3. I don't understand how I could gain 15 hypothetical pounds. Sure, it's not all about eating lots of food. There's also a second, mini growth spurt going on, but check out #4 and you'll understand what I mean.
4. College Marching Band is awesome, tough, fun, crazy, tiring, strenuous, and rewarding, all rolled into one big bundle that, by the end of our long days of practicing has put me close to tears a couple times. Let me just be real with you: I have been here since Sunday at 1p.m. By the end of Sunday the 25th, a little more than a week later I will have spent 50 hours practicing marching band/drumline. That is 50 out of 171 hours that I have been here. When you figure that I spend 8 hours sleeping each night, you're down to 115 total waking hours this week. Basically 44% of my week has been devoted to band. (26% of that time was spent outside between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m., marching and carrying our instruments in the hot hot sun.)
Now this is all not a pity party. Yes it's hard. Yes, I get back to my dorm soaked (and that is not an exaggeration) with sweat. Yes, I have to lug around a bass drum. Yes, it's hard. Yes it's hot. But you know what, it's also super rewarding, and in two key ways: First, the end result is sweet! We get to play cool songs (which this year include Moves Like Jagger, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, We Are Young, and lots of other fun filler songs too) and we get to put on a slick, awesome looking performance at the football games. Second, it's a great workout, and a hard one. Bass drummers get core work, arm work, and a lot of leg work because all of our movements are done on tiptoe. As I said before, our marching practices have been between 2 and four hours daily. Feel the burn! When school starts on Monday, we will have marching practices M-F, Saturdays that we perform, and then our performances at the games! I get in a good workout all throughout the week!
In short, marching band is HARD work, but it is very rewarding.
5. My roomie and I get along great! Great in a totally God sort of way. We hit it off great, and the first night she was here, we went to Wal Mart together and then to Sonic for half price shakes! At Wal Mart one of the things we got was a landscaping brick that we are using as a doorstop!

We also have a Beta fish named Herman. Our door stop will be decorated, and its name is Frans, (suggested by my dad) which corresponds to our RA's doorstop that is painted like a turtle and is named Hans. We enjoy many of the same things, like organizing, Disney, the TV show Bones, and other things we are discovering day to day. We both go to church; her to a Catholic one and me to one that is yet undecided. Overall, I am super happy that Miranda is my room mate, and I think we'll have a great year! (We even have a Stats class together!)

So there you have it: 5 things I've learned. This list was originally going to be 10 things, but it's late. Maybe I'll make a sequel later.

 

Getting Settled at NWMSU

Well, here I am. I moved in on Sunday afternoon and it's been a weird, "thrown in head first" experience. You see, orientation activities for Freshmen begin tomorrow. Until then, you're kinda on your own. That's a bit tricky when you're like me and have almost no clue about what's going on! Also, there are only 2 other people on my floor, one of whom I've never seen, and the other who is veerryy extroverted. And I mean very. That's fine, I'm not at all an extrovert, but she definitely is! As in popping in approximately 6 times while I was moving in to talk about all her stuff in her room, how she brought too much stuff, and practically demanding that I come see her room. When I was coming back to my room on a break yesterday, she was lamenting about the lack of instructions for her loft. Then she immediately brightened up and said, "Hey! Wanna help me put it together?!?!" I'm sorry, chica. Not to be mean, but I've been doing 9 hours of drumline for the past few days, and now that I am on my lunch break, all I really want to do is sit down and eat.
Needless to say, I can't wait till my roommate gets here. We seem really similar!  I think we'll hit it off great!
Now about the past few days:
Sunday thru today have looked exactly the same: 8:30-11:30 drumline practice
                                                                          11:30-1 lunch break
                                                                          1-4:30 drumline practice
                                                                          4:30-6 dinner break
                                                                          6-8:30 drumline practice
Needless to say, it's been pretty draining. Unfortunately, it's only supposed to get hotter as the week progresses.
Well, I'm pretty much completely moved into my room. It's a bit more cozy now with some familiar things. Here are some pictures!

The view from the door looking left and my desk area. Once Miranda moves all of her things in, it should be pretty cozy!
More posts to come, of course, but right now I want a smoothie, and I have absolutely no access to one! Luckily, that will change tomorrow when the Student Union begins staying open for regular hours!

 

Food! Om Nom Nom!

College=Freshman 15.
College students eat like animals who haven't seen food in weeks.
College students only like eating junk.

Let's face it, my goal of staying fit, eating moderately, and (ok, fine, totally honest moment here) not gaining copious amounts of weight in college is laced with the grim dubiousness and skepticism of the general public. To speak bluntly, I am not athletic. I am not in tip top shape. I just want to not slip into the whole "shove my face full of food just cuz it's there" mantra. It's easy, I like food. Food is yummy. And prevalent in college cafeterias. I'm just trying to keep the thought in the front of my mind that all of the food that is available in front of me will be available again. It's not as if I am not going to see food again for long stretches of time.
End of that little shpeel.
On to other things.
Like exercise!
Well, I'm in drumline in the marching band, and let me tell you, that's a work out. We practice 1 hour a day M-F, and practice and perform on Saturdays. Heck, when my mom was in marching band in college (playing trombone) she lost weight instead of gaining the "Freshman 15"! All I'm saying it, it'll be a good workout. A good thing to do daily, basically through November.
Also, I won't have a car at college. (Really, it's fine. I haven't had my own  car at home either.) Honestly, I don't foresee a real problem (at least until the winter. Snow makes biking hard.) because Wal-Mart/Hy-Vee/the farthest shopping place is a slick 2 miles away. So doable.
Next, there is band camp. I will be moving in on the 18th to do band camp/drumline from 8-11, 1-4, and 6-8:30 daily for a week. Since I am in band, and my room mate isn't, I will have a microwave, but not a fridge (until Thursday, when she arrives.) The cafeteria will be open, but my meal plan for the year won't start working until Thursday at 11am. I didn't want to shell out money for each one of these meals/food, so I got to thinking and acquired some food that doesn't require refrigeration. Hey, it means peanut butter and honey sandwiches for 4 days straight, but could it be worse? YES! Today, I got some things that I think will last me pretty well through the week.

So here's the breakdown:

Peanut Butter (a gift from my aunt)

Oatmeal (a gift from a friend)

Strawberry Applesauce

1 Instant Kraft Mac 'n Cheese (not the best, but cheap, and better than Ramen)

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Granola bars (I had a coupon for $1 off!)

Kashi Go Lean Crunch (I had a coupon!)

1 Barilla Italian Express meal (I had a coupon!)

1 loaf of bread

(I also have honey)

Between all of that, I think I'll be pretty set. All of that cost about $9.50. Not too shabby! I'll continue to use coupons! Hopefully I can get my hands on some newspaper ones while in college!

Packin' it In

Well, recently a corner of my room started to look like this:

It may not seem like much, but in my little room (that I share) it was getting overwhelming.

The pile of stuff is off to the left. This is my whole room. Note the lack of extra space...

I needed to pack the stuff up! A friend from church (Thanks Sherri!) Got me some apple boxes and I went to work. I got three packed up tonight, and I think it'll only take 3 more to finish off everything! Here's how I did it:

First the kitchen stuff. Now I hear 'ya out there. "Why kitchen stuff? You don't have time to use that stuff in college, and if you DO want to make something, you can just check the supplies you need out at the desk!"

All of that is true, but I bake/cook stuff enough to make some kitchen supplies worthwhile. And besides, I did NOT buy nice cooking stuff overall. The most expensive thing I bought was the Pyrex bowl and the cheapest thing I bought was a Hercules plate for 59 cents at Goodwill. (Thanks Sherri!) In fact, I got a lot of my kitchen stuff at Goodwill. Here's what all went into this box: ("G" denotes that I got it from Goodwill.)

-2 tall glass glasses (G)

-2 ceramic white plates and 1 melamine Hercules plate (G)

-set of mini Ziplok containers (G)

-Box of Ziplok containers (Given to me)

-2 plastic cups

-2 melamine bowls (Scooby Doo and Humpty Dumpty) (G)

-2 Glass bowls

-Spatula/Can opener/Measuring cups and spoons

-4 sets of silverware (G)

-Plastic Sesame Street cup, bowl, and snack box (Gift)

-Palmolive

-8" skillet

-9x13 pan

-2 hand towels and pot holder (handmade gifts)

                       Aaaaaaand when you finagle and finagle, you can get it to fit into a box!

Complete with labels and an itemized list (cuz that's how I roll!)

Next up we have what I call utility stuff. It's the things like this:

-trash can

-Clorox wipes

-hangers

-Shout

-iron

-Tide

-Shoe organizer

-sewing kit/Goo Gone/safety pins/Super Glue/pocket knife (gifts)

-Command hooks (gift)

    And this all fit (quite a bit easier) into a box, sans Tide and trashcan, cuz those are big and easy to carry

Again, complete with labels and an itemized list.

The final box I packed up tonight was full of school and craft supplies. Making a list of all of these things would be ridiculous, but basically it's the notes and binders from senior year that will be useful, along with other random school supplies, a few crafty things, some books, and the 3 sole DVD's that I own. Yes, I only own 3 DVD's. They're expensive, people! I still have school supplies to buy and add to this box, so it still has some space left.

 

And, once again we add a lid, some labels, and an itemized list!

So, there's three boxes of stuff! I feel much more organized now, and I feel better about the amount of "stuff" I'm bringing. All I have left to pack are bathroom stuff and bedding, which will all have to wait till right before I go. All I have left to buy are another set of sheets, school supplies, and a backpack!