I'm trying to SKISTRONG, Tal

It's been an "interesting" week thus far. And to tell you the truth... I'm exhausted. Monday brought the distressing news of a friend's attempted suicide, my suitemate Joni almost passing out and having to be carried into the dorm due to a blood sugar crash & pancreatic attack, and an IM basketball game where no one really subbed off and I only got to play for like 2 min. Tuesday brought me sleeping in and skipping my Bible class because I was ridiculously exhausted from the drama of Monday nite, taking my best friend to a counseling center and her getting the official label of Major Depressive Disorder (which we already knew but the title sounds worse), me almost passing out after giving blood, ridiculous weather [that was characterized by winds strong enough to blow down power lines, rip the copper roofing off the Reynold's, rip the sheet metal roofing off the half-way constructed new Health Sciences building (which meant that Matt had to sit for 2 hours blocking traffic off Park Ave and having people get mad at him instead of writing parking tickets), rip shingles off various buildings and blow down trees and numerous branches], and Matt's great-grandmother passed away. Wednesday brought an incredibly frustrating accounting assignment, an IM bball game where I got to play more but I wasn't really satisfied w/ my performance, over-analyzing Matt's quietness when we were hanging out last nite as something being wrong (when in fact he was just really tired), and staying up till 2 AM reading for Bible and talking to the aforementioned friend who attempted suicide (she was doing much better but still needed to talk to someone). Today I was absolutely exhausted but managed to pull off a 100 on my Bible quiz, squeak in a nap on my lunch break and made a 90 on my accounting quiz. I have no hw that's due tomorrow so that's a major relief. I hope there is minimal drama tonight... I'm not sure I can handle much more this week! There have been a few good things this week however:
-Nikki and Brenna have been AMAZING at helping me get thru the drama regarding the suicidal friend. Monday night I was so worried about it and so distraught at the unfairness of someone being in that much pain that I just about threw up... and ended up sobbing my eyes out instead. They helped me through that and I'm so thankful for that! And... the aforementioned friend told me that I am "the perfect blend of sister, friend, confidante and therapist"... you have to smile when someone tells you that :)
-Despite the crappiness of the IM bball games... we are still undefeated so that's kinda cool
-After my game last nite, Nikki and Matt and I played pool and blew off a little steam so that was a nice break
-I received my SKISTRONG bracelets in the mail today. It was kind of encouraging. The bracelets were made in honor of Tal Hofstra, the brother of a girl I went to high school with who was killed in a tragic skiing accident over the xmas holidays. Tal had an intense passion for skiing, but more than that he was all about living life to the fullest, so his brother got bracelets made that say "SKISTRONG" and *TAL* and they are using them as a fundraiser for Rescue Services and the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association. I was already back at school when I found out about the bracelets, but desperately wanted to feel like I had helped in some way, so I facebooked Tal's mom and she said she would mail a bracelet to me (and Dale can give her the money because they work together). She actually mailed me 2 so I gave one to Matt. I hope that despite the emotionally draining week I've had, I can still live the way Tal would have... living every moment like it's your last.
Here's to trying, Tal...

Hoopin' It Up

A good portion of the muscles in my body are aching and sore. Yet I'm not feeling totally miserable. In fact, I'm kinda smiling about it. Why, you ask? The reason is simple: they are sore because I finally got to play basketball last nite. I signed up for intramurals and it was our first game. We ended up winning 34-28, so that was a nice way to start off the "season". I'm incredibly out of shape so I was pretty beat by the end of the game but the satisfaction of being "back in the game" was stronger than my exhaustion. It was pretty sweet when one time I got a turnover and was on a breakaway... unfortunately my lay-up bounced off the rim though. However, despite not getting on the scoreboard, I feel like I played decently, especially for not having played a real game in who knows how long. It was a lot of fun. I'm glad I signed up.

While we're on the subject... HU played tonite. Both games were close. The girls lost by 8 and the guys lost by 4. They were both see-saw games the whole time and were pretty exciting to watch. And my friend Tex (aka Catherine) did a great job tonight... I love watching her play... I definitely live vicariously through her when I watch their games!

Staples. That Was Easy.

Remember how I said I bought the wrong ink cartridges the other day? Well I took them back today, thinking that maybe they'd at least give me my money back for the unopened one. Turns out they took them both back and exchanged it for the right kind. AND I found the calculator I need for 10 dollars cheaper than the one I bought today in the bookstore (imagine that... the bookstore trying to rip us off... woulda thunk?). So I bought the one at Staples and am returning the one to the bookstore tomorrow. I was quite satisfied with the customer service I received... which made it easier to look past the one salesman that was definitely hitting on me and being incredibly awkward! :P

Wish I Had a Good Idea for a Title

Can't believe we're already into the 2nd week of classes. They are going well I guess. In 2 of them, today was the first day we even took notes or did anything really. The rest of them we've been having hw and online quizzes right off the bat. So it evens out. This weekend was good. Friday was dinner w/ Matt and then we met some friends in the Benson to watch Ratatouille. Saturday was sleep in, do a little hw, veg out, eat in the caf (a first for the semester lol) and watch the girl's bball game. My friend Tex and the rest of the gang pulled off an impressive win and a well-played game. It made me miss bball so much...glad I signed up for intramurals! Then that night we watched "Identity" and "Mr. Brooks". Both were thrillers and on top of that, qualified for Joni's nursing psych hw of watching movies involving characters w/ psychological disorders. I would recommend either of them for a thrilling viewing experience. Yesterday was church, homework, running errands, and going to Downtown (w/ Matt!). It was so great to be able to go with him. We handled the first weekend of his new work schedule quite well. He's pretty tired today after his long shifts... but I can't blame him, I'm tired and I didn't even work 32.5 hours this weekend! I'm really happy with things between us right now. Just little things he's been doing to show me that he cares and is trying to make this work despite crazy schedules :)
And now for that "annoying things" list:
-In my accounting class we have to read a 384 page business "novel" and write a 5 page paper over it. It's not due till April 3... but what's up with a book report in an accounting class... I thought this was for crunching numbers??
-Brenna's car got egged this weekend... seriously? Get a life, kids!
-I went to Staples yesterday to buy a black ink cartridge. I got there just as the store was closing so I was trying to hurry. I found a 2-pack that was a good deal, paid for it, brought it home and ripped it open... only to find out I had accidentally grabbed the wrong one... but b/c it's already opened I doubt I can return it... I was pretty ticked... in fact I'm still kinda irritated by it...
-I have to read the entire gospel of John by tomorrow morning... I have a couple chapters read already but mann...and we have a quiz over all of that plus 3 chapters in our textbook! yikes!

Well that's enough for now... I should go read some more of John... or take a nap since I'm ridiculously tired for some reason today...

Off to a Good Start

Well as the title says, this semester is starting off quite nicely. There've been some annoying things which I may post about later but this post is about good things:

-My books were only $246 (there have since been some additional things I needed but that would make this my "annoying" list...) but that is the lowest they have been in a long time...
-My Managerial Finance class looks like it's going to be kinda tough...but the teacher isn't quite the toughie I had imagined him to be. I mean he's tough but not impossible. And I got a 100% on my quiz over the syllabus...perhaps the only time in this class I'll ever make a grade that high so I better enjoy it :)
-I have friends in some of my classes...always a bonus
-I got ambitious Monday afternoon...I read a chapter for Marketing and took the online quiz over it...and it's not due till Sunday nite! Whoa...figured I'd better take advantage of that ambitious feeling before it fizzled out like it is known to do over the course of the semester... :P
-We have to read a book for my accounting class (to go further in detail would also be mixing this with my "annoying" list)...I did however find the book on Amazon.com for only $9.96 including shipping!
-Nikki and I always say at the beginning of every semester that we're gonna try to be more active. We decided the same thing this semester but perhaps we're better on our way to keeping that promise...Monday nite we went swimming for almost an hour. Not bad for the first day of school! And last nite I went for a walk around campus with Matt for like 35-40 minutes. AND I finally got up the nerve/didn't forget the deadline and signed up for basketball intramurals that start next week.
-Matt and I have managed to hang out for at least a little bit every day since we got back. yay for making things work despite schedules! :)

So...needless to say there have been some pretty sweet things happening so far this semester. Like I said, I may post later about the annoying things too but we'll see. I'm off to do my Accounting homework...

Welcome Back to Arkansas

Well I'm back in the booming town of Searcy, AR. The last few days at home were great. Highlights include: getting to spend a whole evening with Allison (and getting to feed the adorable Caitlin!!), finding bridesmaid dresses w/ Phil in only a couple hours worth of shopping (go us!), beating Dad at a fun game of ping-pong after meeting him for lunch one day, playing foosball w/ Dale (even tho I lost the 7-game series 4-3), the fact that Mom didn't have to go on her pairing afterall and could therefore spend more time w/ me and see me off at the airport, getting a new hair do and getting to see Ev one last time over dinner at BP ("Bye Cole. I'm gonna miss you!! *nicole melts*)

I didn't know if I'd get out of the country cuz the customs agent was whacked and didn't understand the concept of me having dual citizenship and therefore not needing a ton of paperwork to go to school in the US. But I made it on my WestJet flight to Phoenix just fine and then my 6 hour layover in the heart of Arizona actually went by fairly fast. My Southwest flight to Little Rock went by a little slower than I would have liked but probably cuz I was excited to get here. I did however get to read all of "Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself" by Alan Alda in one day...hooray for reading something other than textbooks!

Matt picked me up at the airport. Hooray for seeing my boy after a whole month of being apart! Then him and I got to hang out a bit tonite so it was nice to actually spend some time together. Today I spent fun time w/ the girls, got groceries and got my textbooks...the damage was only $246...that's a lot better than previous semesters!!

I can't believe classes start tomorrow. I'm not sure I'm ready for it. But at the same time I am. I'm not looking forward to the homework but I'm looking forward to the fun that being at school brings. There's things that scare me about this semester...my managerial finance class...Matt's work schedule...not feeling like I always know how to help out friends who are having a rough time... But at the same time I'm excited about this semester...the fun times...the new experiences...the things I will learn in the classroom...and more importantly the things I will learn in People and Circumstances 101.

Fondues, Hockey, and Anatomically Incorrect Cattle

My day with Mom on Friday was awesome. Got my eyebrows waxed (yess!) and then went shopping. Mom needed to pick up a few things and I bought some clothes with some money/gift cards I got for xmas. We came home and had a fondue that nite. It was so good. Especially the salmon. Best. Salmon. Ever. Period. And we had so many laughs...at one point I was lying on the floor I was laughing so hard. What a blast. Pics soon to come on facebook :)

Saturday Evan had a hockey game in Camrose. I went and watched (which made him really happy!). They tied 4-4. Lorie & Shakey had extra tickets to the Oiler's game so Mom & Dale went to that while Evan and I had a fun nite (him and I always do something fun when I'm home from school). After he showered and put away his hockey stuff, we played a 7 game series of foosball. Unfortunately I lost 4-3. Then we ate pizza and watched Barnyard. *NOTE: Does it bother anyone else that the male cattle have udders? The show was hilarious...but the producers didn't do their research!* Then we caught the last bit of the hockey game (Oilers beat the Rangers 3-2 in an SO...yeahhh!) We played like 5 min of Nintendo and then Ev had to get to bed. Yay for fun times w/ my bro! :)

Yesterday I woke up feeling so gross. I had tossed and turned all nite and kept waking up and looking at the clock. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach. So I went back to bed and unfortunately missed my only chance to see a bunch of people at church in Edmonton. I slept for quite awhile and still felt pretty gross when I woke up. But once I got up and going I started to feel a little better. I was feeling better by late afternoon and went to my aunt & uncle's for dinner. My cousin Dallas was there too so that was fun. We had dinner, played Rummoli and watched a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother. I ended up staying the nite there instead of having to drive home late.

And now here I sit...munching on chips & dill pickle dip (since I can't find any of this delicious snack south of the 49th!) I better go have a shower and maybe clean my room. I'm supposed to hang out w/ Allison again tonite...woohoo! :)

Good Times, Good Times

Life is pretty good right now. Yesterday I got to see Allison & Grady and finally got to meet their ADORABLE daughter Caitlin. She's soo freakin' cute. We went for lunch and then hung out back at her parents' house. I ended up not getting home till like midnight. We played w/ Caitlin, watched a few episodes of Arrested Development, played a ton of Wii (seriously so much fun!!) and had dinner in there somewhere. In addition to my night of fun, I think I finally figured out my schedule for the rest of the time I'm home and I'm pretty much able to do everything I want/need to do while I'm home (what a task!). I talked to Matt tonight...it's nice to hear that he misses me. He even tagged me in a video on facebook because it was the closest he could get to me actually going snowmobiling with him :) I got to sleep in till 1:00 pm today. I finished my laundry and packed to go to Mom's tomorrow. I helped Dad take down the xmas tree and played 3 games of air hockey w/ him (I'm still undefeated!). I had a good chat w/ Dad over a cup of tea this evening. He's actually shared some personal stuff w/ me over the break which is unusual for him...but pretty cool. Actually, this past 10 days has probably been the best span of time I've had w/ him for awhile (when it comes to breaks home from school). Sweet. Period. And I'm excited that I get to see Mom tomorrow. I haven't seen her since xmas day and up until today I hadn't talked to her since last year! She had a pairing this week that had her all over the continent (inc. Ft. Lauderdale for New Year's...not bad!). Her and I are spending the day shopping/running errands together and then I get to spend the evening RELAXING at home w/ her and Dale...yessss!

Like I said...life is pretty good right now :)

As I've Matured

Here's a few little things I got in an email forward...some of them are rather amusing...and most of them are rather true :P

As I've Matured...

-I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in...
-I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.
-I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just jerks.
-I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
-I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
-I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others -they are more screwed up than you think.
-I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
-I've learned that it is not what you wear; it is how you take it off.
-I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
-I've learned to not sweat the petty things, and not pet the sweaty things.
-I've learned that ex's are like fungus, and keep coming back.
-I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
-I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.
-I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
-I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
-I've learned that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.
-I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the butt are permanent.

:)

Hello 2008!

After going for lunch and then shopping with my cousin Dallas yesterday afternoon, I rang in the New Year at the church in Camrose last nite. They had a movie and games nite with lots of food. I ended up eating lots of junk food and playing dominoes all nite and it was a blast. I slept in on this first day of 2008 and then Dad made me sausage, eggs and toast. Then we went to Sherwood Park to take Russ (Dad's cousin) up on an incredible offer...they had too much stuff in their basement and something had to go...so we got their air hockey table! We got the neighbor to help us carry it in and then Dad and I set it up. I am currently undefeated...although we only played two games haha! Between the air hockey table now at Dad's, the foosball table at Mom's, the ping-pong table at Phil's and the one at Dad's work... I just need to find somebody with a pool table and I'm all set ...well I do know somebody that has one... but I'd have to go all the way to Michigan to play with the special guy... which might not be such a bad thing... ;-)

I'm currently reading the original Wizard of Oz (lent to me by Brenna since I have never read it and up until this fall at Harding's Homecoming musical I had never seen it). I got 3 books for xmas and a gift card to Chapters/Indigo so I bought another one with that. I have some serious reading to do over the break...cuz I know I never get anything but textbooks read at school!

Here's a little thing I got in an email...thought it was appropriate for a New Year's post:

May the New Year bring you:

Troubles that last only seconds
Giggles that last minutes
Chuckles that last hours
Laughs that last days
Smiles that last weeks
Happiness that lasts months
Friendships that last years
But most of all
LOVE that lasts a lifetime!

:)