Easy Remedy

If only all our worries were this easily remedied eh?

Trapped

All in a day's work...

Dallas and I were going to eat our lunch in the front display room at the office because we both had paperwork all over our desks and the spare desk was covered with product from a mini-consultation Dallas had done with a client earlier today. The front display room is pretty bare; only a table, one chair and a couple shelves. I grabbed another chair and the box of pizza we had ordered from the sketchy-yet-maker-of-surprisingly-good-food bar down the street. The phone rang just then and Dallas said she'd grab it. I set up our makeshift lunch area and waited for her to get off the phone. She walked into the room and was about to sit down and... Click. The door swung shut behind her. She jiggled the door. Locked. She tried the glass door that leads to the front entryway but we both knew that one is always locked. She turned to me and said "We're locked in here". No phones. Nobody else in the office. Stuck. With no air conditioning vents. A box of pizza. Half a cup of water between the 2 of us. Some napkins. And the quietness of being locked in a bare room that can't be more than 12x12. Now today had been the busiest day of our week. Phones had been ringing like crazy, emails were pouring in and we even had some walk-ins. Needless to say we were wanting a break. Guess we got what we wanted. If it hadn't been so ironic that this would happen to us on today of all days... I would have been mad. But I couldn't be mad. It was too freakin hilarious. So I laughed. We both did. Especially when we saw Aunt Norma's car pull up. We knew she wouldn't find it as funny as we did but that just made us laugh harder. She came and rescued us after quasi-jokingly calling us idiots. We were only in there about 15 min before she showed up... just long enough to eat our pizza and humorously plot how we were going to get out of our present situation.
I swear, the strangest things happen when we're together... couches on the interstate in South Dakota last summer, locking ourselves in the display room at the office today... who knows what the rest of the summer will hold...

2 Years!!

It's hard to believe yesterday was our 2 year anniversary. So much has happened in those 2 years and yet it seems like just yesterday we were flirting in Brumfield's Christian Home class.

To celebrate the occasion (which lands right in the middle of finals week!) we went to the Old State House in Little Rock. I love that he shares my love of history and cool old buildings! The Old State House was really interesting. Perhaps one of my favorite pics of the whole time we were there however is this one:

There was a room with a trunk full of dress-up clothes and you could take pics on the train platform. The fun part is that Matt initiated the silly dress-up game... so much fun!
After the State House, we walked along the river (above) and even stopped at a playground for some adventurous fun (below and below).

Then he took me to Sonny Williams' Steak Room - a fancy restaurant in downtown LR (above). The food was great and the atmosphere was elegant... romantic even. While we were eating however, it began to pour outside. We were parked several blocks away & Matt offered to go get the truck since I was in a dress but I figured if he had to get drenched, I might as well join him. And so we ran through the rain... water dripping down our faces and making our clothes stick to us... and laughing... oh, how I laughed... I laughed like a school girl on a swing. I have never enjoyed running through the rain as much as I did last night... Holding your hand and trying not to fall on the slippery bricks... I couldn't have been happier. I'll run through the rain with you anytime, Matt...We thought about going bowling but then decided to just drive around instead. We listened to music and tried to dry off. We spent the rest of the night just enjoying our time together, listening to the rain and talking.

It's been an amazing 2 years, Matt... I've lived and loved and learned so much with you in my life. Everyday I'm so glad that I'm with you and I hope I don't ever have to leave your side... Here's to many more happy years!

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

If you've known me at all in the last 2.5 years you probably know that I am a huge fan of the TV show M*A*S*H and watch it a lot in my spare time. Even though it was off the air before I was even born, I watched re-runs with my Dad when I was a kid and got the 1st season on DVD Christmas of sophomore year. Since then, thru Christmases, birthdays, sales at Hastings, etc, I have acquired all 11 seasons. Nikki and I started watching them 2nd semester sophomore year and made it our goal to finish all 11 seasons before we graduated. Well we did just that today. We watched the final episode this afternoon. It was entitled "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" and the title pretty much describes the contents of the 2 hr series finale. The war is over and everyone has to say their goodbyes. It was particularly dramatic being the finale and I must admit that we watched it in 2 sittings because we were getting too sad yesterday. And yes, when we were watching it this afternoon... I cried. It may sound strange but after 11 seasons, you kinda get attached to the characters and it was if I had to say goodbye to them too. But it wasn't just the drama of the show or the fact that our 11 season rally was finally all coming to an end. It just hit a little too close to home. I have some goodbyes of my own to say in a few days and I think this episode really made that clear. Some goodbyes will only be temporary... a few people will be back next year for one last semester or to get their masters too. But some goodbyes will be for a long, long time if not forever. And just like I can pull out those DVDs and watch any of the seasons again, I can look through pictures and remember the good times. I can even keep in touch with some of them via facebook and email and whatever new forms of social networking emerge in the next few years. But it won't be the same. Just as it won't be the same as when I watched the seasons for the first time, it won't be the same as when I could walk down the hall and see them or meet up at Midnight Oil for coffee and a long chat. All good things must come to an end... but that doesn't make saying goodbye any easier. And with that, I suppose I should go before this posts gets any more melancholy...

Trying to Soak It All Up

As the semester comes to a close and I realize I'm about to graduate college (where did that 4 years GO??) I've been trying to soak up as much as I can in amongst all the end-of-semester craziness. I've been getting my homework done (example: finished my last Strategic Policy case EVER this afternoon!) and trying to get things arranged for next fall (I found an apartment I like, Dad agreed to co-sign the lease, Matt is going to store some of my stuff at his place and Dr. Frazier agreed to let me store the rest of my stuff in his garage for the summer, etc). But in amongst all that homework and to-do lists I've also been having a lot of fun. Thursday night we had a mandatory hall meeting. Afterwards my suitemate Katie and I stayed in Loramy and Ashton's room and just talked and laughed. That then turned into a karaoke fest... Loramy and Katie singing a duet... they're so into it don't you think!
Here's the puzzle I started and finished in one night... this is what happens when you don't have homework and your friends are all busy haha! Then yesterday afternoon Matt and I played tennis (and I got my first official sunburn of the year! haha). Then we went to Riverside Park...

Matt climbing at Riverside

I like the angle of this shot... you can't tell how high off the ground I am haha!

Got this shot of the sunset as we drove out to the lake last night. We then sat on a bench at the lake and watched a bunch of fishing boats come in for the night. We had one of the best conversations ever just sitting on that bench and getting eaten by bugs (yep, pretty sure I counted 22 bites on my legs today!) I have been replaying parts of that amazing conversation in my head all day today. Then today after I did some homework, I went and sat out at the ball diamonds with Matt on the golf cart while he was working and looking after things at a high school ball tournament. It was fun to just sit and talk. The more time I spend with him the more I can't get enough. Mensch, this summer is going to be tough without him...

So overall... there is still a fair amount to do before grad but I am quite pleased with how some things have fallen into place and how I've knocked out a lot of stuff on my list. I'm trying to soak up all the time I can with friends... and I hope there's another random karaoke night with the girls coming up because that was a blast! The time I've spent with Matt this past week has been so great. Matt, if you are reading this... I love you and I'm going to miss you mucho this summer. I can't wait to see what the future has in store and I look forward to being by your side to experience it all :-)

Celebrating Success

Last Thursday night was the COBA Awards ceremony. Matt had to take an extended dinner break from work in order to make it but I was so glad he was there :-) The evening was nice. Dinner, a speaker, recognition of all the business clubs, competition teams and scholarship & award recipients. Here's a few pics from the night...

Our SAM plaque now that they put our names on it :-)

Dr. Frazier with our SAM trophy now that they put Harding University on it (bottom right)

Dr. Frazier awarding me with the Senior Management award

2 years ago Matt was my date for the COBA awards dinner before we even started dating... look how far we've come!

Me messing around back in the room afterwards... yes that Valentine's balloon was still floating on April 16th!!

A Good Friday

Okay this is a little delayed... but in my 2nd to last post I wrote about being excited to go hiking with Matt on Good Friday. The day turned out to be fabulous. We went to Lake Catherine State Park and hiked up to the falls. Then we went and toured around Hot Springs since neither of us had been there before. The hike was very pretty and Hot Springs is a neat town. It was nice to get out and get some fresh air and just spend all day together. Here's a few pics of our adventures...

A panorama of the lake from one of the lookout points

Sitting at one of the lookout points... I love this guy!

The falls

Cleaning Out My Desk

I found these quotes written on little scraps of paper when I was cleaning out my desk (I'm trying to get a head start on the end-of-the-semester cleaning nonsense) Thought I would share them with you...

"Eat it... Eat it... Crack yourself an egg and beat it!" - my suitemate Jody, while cooking

Nikki: "Don't leave"

Me: "I have to. My life is calling me"

Nikki: "Well then hang up the phone!"

"It would be so much easier being stupid" - our dorm mom Mrs. Timms

"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain & bought jewelry" - Rita Rudner, on a placard in our hotel room advertising her comedy show at Harrah's

Time On My Hands

I'm sitting in my dorm room trying to figure out what to do with myself. Nikki's asleep a few feet away from me. I can hear bits and pieces of the slightly dramatic "boy" conversation my suitemates are having in the living room. Thunder is rumbling outside my window. I guess the weather.com-predicted storms are blowing in for the night...
This afternoon I turned in my last project of the week. All of my classes tomorrow are cancelled for one reason or another. Yes, this means I'm done with school/projects until Monday (minus the 3 tests I have next week that I should probably study for over the weekend). I have taken full advantage of my free night by watching a movie, eating pizza, watching 3 episodes of M*A*S*H, talking to Mom & Dale on the phone, playing Bejeweled and now blogging. It's so weird to have this much time on my hands. The last few weeks have been so crazy...
Last weekend was the Governor's Cup business plan competition. Unfortunately we didn't advance to the next round but it was a good experience overall (and we got to stay at the Peabody in Little Rock for two nights for free!) I'm not going to lie, it was a bit of a relief to have all my competitions over with and be able to focus on my 16 hrs of classes! I had lots of little assignments and a big HR project due this week plus I woke up with a cold Monday morning, so it's been an exhausting week to say the least...
I believe I shall sign off for now. I really don't have much else to say other than I am really excited to go hiking tomorrow with Matt since neither of us have classes. We're going to pack a lunch to eat by the waterfalls and everything!! :-)

Nobody's Happy

Got this in an email today... It's funny and entertaining.... but perhaps we do need to stop being annoyed at the little things and think about how amazing life is?

We Are the Champions!

Aside from being an overused, yet loveable Queen song played at sporting events... it was the truth this past week for Harding University's SAM case team! The trip to Vegas was a lot of fun and definitely made all of the hard work we put in well worth it. And the fact that we won 1st place definitely didn't hurt anyone's feelings... well except maybe Flagler College and Villanova University (2nd and 3rd place, respectively). I've included a few pics from the trip (to see the rest, check out my facebook).

By the pool area right before our presentation on Monday afternoon

At the end of the awards banquet Tuesday night

Us girls lovin' on the only guy on the team.... Brice was such a good sport!
Brice pretending to drink out of the hardware

Our case was over Wynn Resorts so we thought this pic was fitting... it's probably one of my fave pics of the whole trip. What a great team to work with! :-)

It's official!

I was accepted into Harding's MBA program starting this fall!! I got my letter of acceptance yesterday. I had been pretty confident about it but really wanted that official letter to seal the deal. Now I have the GA job AND the MBA program... sa-weet!

I leave tomorrow morning for Vegas for the SAM case team competition. I'm all packed and have finished all my pre-Vegas homework assignments. It's kinda weird just sitting here and realizing that I actually finished everything I needed to do this week. All throughout the week I was wondering if I was ever going to make it. We will actually have a lot of free time in amongst the competition stuff so I hope to take a LOT of pics and have fun hanging out with my team now that we've worked so hard all semester!

I will be sure and update about the competition (and the fun!) when I get back... until then, wish us luck!

Spring Break and Other News

Wow how can you tell that today is the Monday after spring break? Maybe because I'm tired and really not motivated to be doing anything. I dragged myself through classes today (but luckily I only had 2) and have since been trying to catch up on little things and try and get prepared for the craziness that will be my life in the next few weeks. But first, an update about the past month since I haven't blogged in forever.

I finally finished my application and essays (3) for the MBA program and turned it in the Thursday before break. They said I should hear within 2-3 weeks regarding my acceptance. I'm pretty confident about it but I will feel a lot better when I know it's confirmed. *Crosses fingers*

I got the GA (Grad Assistant) position I wanted in the COBA office. (Anyone else think it's ironic that I already have the GA position and I'm not technically accepted into grad school yet? haha). I was offered 2 positions (the COBA one and one in the testing lab) at the same time. I felt good about the interviewing experience I gained from that ordeal and am very excited about working in the COBA office next year. I love the COBA faculty and I think it will be a lot of fun and a good experience to work with them.

Our business plan that we slaved over last semester and the first part of this semester made Top 12 in the Governor's Cup competition! We present in Little Rock April 3rd. Arkansas Capital is putting us up for free in the Peabody Hotel for the competition... niceeee.

Spring Break was great. Some highlights and a few pictures are included below.

-spending 10 days straight with Matt

-spending 10 days straight with Matt while not having classes/project meetings/SAM meetings/work all week (I would say without hw either but I did do a little over break)

-relaxing (aka watching TV, movies, playing pool, playing PS2, going for a drive around the lake)

-eating his favorite pizza subs from C.D.'s that he used to get before football games

-hanging out with some of his high school friends and finally getting to meet Tim now that he's back from Iraq

-seeing his brother Ryan perform in the Southwestern Michigan Vocal Festival (choir concert)

-Matt's mom making a steak dinner and cake for Matt's bday and then going out to see Gran Torino

-getting to look through a bunch of old photo albums of Matt and his family on vacations, etc when he was a kid... so cute!

-free laundry and some homecooked meals!

I found his football jerseys from high school in his closet so I just had to get a pic! Go Vikings! :-P

Me and the birthday boy!

A Day of Love

As promised, I will post about my wonderful Valentine's Day! Matt had to work on Saturday so we did our thing Friday night. First he met me in my lobby with a giant balloon and a bouquet of flowers. We have this thing that's becoming tradition... we get each other 2 cards b/c we can never decide on which one to get. So I got a funny one and a sentimental one and both of them were so sweet! And inside the card was a gift certificate for a 30 min massage! (Dang, he did good this year!) We went out for a tasty dinner at Doc's and then went and hung out in Little Rock. We took pictures at the Capitol Building and then walked and talked along the river. It was a wonderful evening and I've included some pics to explain further. Enjoy!

He knows I love balloons!

Top view of my beautiful bouquet... lilies and roses... my faves!

The State Capitol Building at night

(Trying out the panorama feature on my camera)

Shadows holding hands :)

I love you Matt!

Shouldn't Have Had Coffee...

...which is why I'm still up at almost 3 am even though I have to be up for church in 6 hours.

Matt had to work (as he does every Saturday) so we did our Valentine's thing Friday night. It was quite wonderful but to discuss it tonight would not do the event justice so I shall leave that for another day. Spending V-day alone today had the potential to be awful but I ended up getting to watch some good basketball games and see an old friend so not all was lost. However, I am extremely disappointed in the actions of a good friend tonight and I'm rather upset about it. I can't go into detail but let's just say I thought she knew better. *Sigh*

The coffee is slowly wearing off and my eyes are getting heavy...Perhaps I will go get some sleep now. I don't think there was a point to this post. Oh well...

Insert Creative Title Here

Alright, so it's been awhile since I posted again... it seems blogging has fallen by the wayside when it comes to my schedule. It honestly makes it on my to-do lists but in the name of prioritizing, always gets left undone. So here, I am updating in case anyone cares to read about the craziness that is life as a college senior in her last semester...

To describe my life as of late I shall use probably one of the most overused words on my blog: busy. Last week involved some group meetings about upcoming projects, a test in IT, some little assignments in various classes and probably the best part: enjoying the glorious weather we had last weekend. Wearing flip-flops in February? Woohoo! This week has been not too bad as of yet on the homework front although we did have a meeting about our business plan. I finally got to see a girls basketball game Monday night and I had the opportunity to hear the famous Ben Stein speak last night. Tomorrow is the Senior Ethics Seminar and I'm actually kinda looking forward to it. Saturday is Valentine's Day... but because Matt has to work Saturdays, we're celebrating Friday night. Not sure what we're doing but I'm sure it'll be nice :-)

I am dreading next week however... I have an IT quiz due, 2 SP cases due, FOUR tests and of course the ongoing research for SAM case team. Oh and the final copy of our business plan is due for the competition by 9:00 sharp Friday morning! Could be a rough week...

I leave you with the following quote from a book I am reading for 3rd hour credit in Fortner's Prophets: Jeremiah-Malachi class. I thought I would have to drag myself through this reading since I am not one to enjoy heavily theological books since they are usually over my head. However I'm actually kind of enjoying this one. Too bad I won't enjoy writing the paper over it quite as much. I really liked this quote though:

"The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing. The same royal consciousness that makes it possible to implement anything and everything is the one that shrinks imagination because imagination is a danger. Thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing alternative futures to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one".

(The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggeman, Copyright 1978)

As a sidenote, I'd like to extend my congratulations to Allison and Grady on the birth of their son, Connor! I love you guys! :-)

According to the Experts

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

GEORGE W. BUSH
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or it is against us. There is no middle ground here.
AL GORE
I invented the chicken. I invented the road. Therefore, the chicken crossing the road represented the application of these two different functions of government in a new, reinvented way designed to bring greater services to the American people.
COLIN POWELL
Now at the left of the screen, you clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
HANZ BLIX
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed access to the other side of the road.
MOHAMMED ALDOURI (Iraq ambassador)
The chicken did not cross the road. This is a complete fabrication. We don't even have a chicken.
SADDAM HUSSEIN
This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.
RALPH NADER
The chicken's habitat on the original side of the road had been polluted by unchecked industrialist greed. The chicken did not reach the unspoiled habitat on the other side of the road because it was crushed by the wheels of a gas-guzzling SUV.
PAT BUCHANAN
To steal a job from a decent, hard-working American.
RUSH LIMBAUGH
I don't know why the chicken crossed the road, but I'll bet it was getting a government grant to cross the road, and I'll bet someone out there is already forming a support group to help chickens with crossing-the-road syndrome Can you believe this? How much more of this can real Americans take? Chickens crossing the road paid for by their tax dollars, and when I say tax dollars, I'm talking about your money, money the government took from you to build roads for chickens to cross.
MARTHA STEWART
No one called to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the farmer's market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
JERRY FALWELL
Because the chicken was gay! Isn't it obvious? Can't you people see the plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the "other side." That's what they call it -- the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And, if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side."
DR. SEUSS
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, The chicken crossed the road, But why it crossed, I've not been told!
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
To die. In the rain. Alone.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.
GRANDPA
In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Someone told us that the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.
BARBARA WALTERS
Isn't that interesting? In a few moments we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart-warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting and went on to accomplish its life-long dream of crossing the road.
JOHN LENNON
Imagine all the chickens crossing roads in peace.
ARISTOTLE
It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
KARL MARX
It was an historical inevitability.
VOLTAIRE
I may not agree with what the chicken did, but I will defend to the death its right to do it.
RONALD REAGAN
What chicken?
CAPTAIN KIRK
To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
SIGMUND FREUD
The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
BILL GATES
I have just released eChicken 2003, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook- and Internet Explorer is an inextricable part of eChicken.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath the chicken?
BILL CLINTON
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What do you mean by chicken? Could you define chicken, please?
COLONEL SANDERS
I missed one?

Since I Last Posted...

...I've had Health & Safety Inspec, 2 SAM case team meetings (involving reading & research prior to meetings), a meeting with Frazier about the Governor's Cup competition (business plans), 3 cases due in SP, one of Fortner's famous "Timeline Quizzes", 4 IT reading quizzes, an excel assignment for IT, 2 deeply historical/theological articles to read for Bible, and reading & discussion q's for HR. Needless to say, it's been a little busy on the homework/business activities front!

...on a happier note I've also: got to see Kung Fu Panda on campus last Friday night and 2 plays ("Life in Technicolor" and "The Dumbwaiter") on campus tonight... had a fun girls day in Little Rock last Saturday with Nikki - art museum, shopping at the mall and Carino's for dinner... got to cook dinner for Matt during open house Tuesday... went for coffee and caught up with Diego yesterday... tried to capitalize on little moments with Matt in amongst our busy schedules - eating lunch together in the caf or SC after class, doing homework together in his lobby, etc...

On a slightly random note, I watched Save the Last Dance for the first time last nite (I know, I know, how have I not seen it before? I have no idea). Movies like that make we want to be black or at least have black friends so I could know how to dance!

On that note, I'm going to bed. It's been a long week and I'm greatly looking forward to sleeping in! (And not looking forward to the butt load of homework I have to do this weekend...)

P.S. Lucas if you're reading this - I'm not ignoring your comment about my "nose in a book" post about Jim Collins' book. I promise I will reply soon!

Nose in a Book

I thought I would have to put both Improving Your Serve and The Power of Touch on hold for awhile while I got settled in to school. I had decided that I probably would just be stuck reading textbooks again for awhile... but told myself that if the beginning of the semester wasn't too crazy, I would attempt to keep up with some other reading. I had heard a lot about Jim Collins' book Good to Great and I'm not sure what possessed me, but on a break in between classes the other day, I stopped by Dr. Frazier's office, knowing he had a copy, and asked if I could borrow it. I doubt I'll get to read much if it this weekend (even though we get Monday off) simply because I have the rest of the chapter to read for CB, a case to read for HR and I really should start reading the case for SAM team. However, on the break in between classes I managed to read the first 40 pages and the following are some quotes I found thought-provoking/inspiring...
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Good is the enemy of great.
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Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.
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We expected that good-to-great leaders would begin by setting a new vision and strategy. We found instead that they first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats - and then figured out where to drive it. The old adage "People are your most important asset" turns out to be wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are.
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"You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit" - Harry S. Truman
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The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedastal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extraordinary results.
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** All quotes taken from Good to Great by Jim Collins. Copyright 2001 **

Textbooks, Nosebleeds and Friday Night Gong Show

The 3 textbooks I ordered online came in the mail Friday. Just in time to do a whack load of reading over the weekend. I read a chapter for IT and took the online quiz yesterday and I started reading Consumer Behavior but decided to go to Sonic with Kristen and then watch a movie with her and some other friends instead. I hope to finish the CB reading today... but there's still 31 pages left! Boo for long chapters... but at least it's a marketing book which means there's lots of pictures and graphics :)

All my life I have suffered from random nosebleeds. Like not just when I get hit in the face with a basketball or something... just completely random. Since coming to Arkansas with the more humid climate I've had a lot fewer of them. However I always get one or two when I go home for Christmas due to the drier climate and sometimes I'll get one when I come back to school just because my nose is trying to adjust to the climate change. Well this time was no different. Except it's been going all week off and on. I will have a nosebleed, get it stopped, and the next day or two the "scab" will come off and it will bleed all over again. How irritating!

Friday night Matt and I were going to dinner before the Brad Paisley/Dierks Bentley concert (which was awesome!!! see Facebook for pics and vids!). We wanted to eat at Texas Roadhouse just off McCain and we put our name on the list even though the wait was going to be 35-45 min. Finally we decided we couldn't wait anymore and we'd have to go somewhere else. I figured we'd just grab fast food and get to the concert. But we saw Pizza Hut right across the parking lot with only a few cars there and decided to eat there. They sat us down and took our order (dinner for 2: medium pizza, breadsticks and 2 drinks). Our server Bobby** brought us our drinks but our breadsticks didn't arrive till HALF HOUR later (Aren't breadsticks kinda an appetizer... like you're supposed to get them right away kinda thing?...) Right after we get our breadsticks we hear the supervisor Kathy** say "Has anyone seen Bobby?" and some random worker says he saw him in the back. She goes back there, we hear some talking but we can't hear what they're saying. A few minutes later another worker says "Kathy, you just lost a server!" "What??" "Yeah, Bobby just quit." "He's not quitting, I'm firing him!" (At this point I'm in a state of hilarious shock... did our server really just quit/get fired in the middle of our meal?). Awhile later Kathy comes over and asks "are you still waiting on something?" "Uh yeah, the pizza we ordered 40 min ago!" She goes to check on it and finally Matt goes up to the front. Turns out with all the commotion of Bobby leaving and everything and because they were "really busy" (granted, they had a lot of delivery orders... but there were only 4 other tables besides us dining in!!) our pizza wasn't even in the oven yet! Matt said we couldn't wait any longer despite Kathy's attempts to persuade us that it would only be another 15 minutes. They didn't make us pay for the breadsticks and drinks and we just left. We had eaten 2 breadsticks a piece and we missed the opening act of the concert. It was kinda frustrating but yet hilarious at the same time. What a gong show!
*names have been changed to protect the identity of the ridiculous

Ever Wonder

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is it that to stop Windows, you have to click on "Start"?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Back in the Saddle...

...er, desk? Either way, I'm back to school. Yesterday's classes went pretty well and my one class so far today has gone well. I'm on a break right now and then I have 2 more classes.

After playing with my dogs in the snow (fun!!) and then a disappointing loss for the Oilers on Friday night (Evan and I had fun at the game though), I began my journey back to school Saturday morning. I flew back to Dallas and despite some delays, the day was long and tiring but decent. Then my uncle had a great sermon at church on Sunday (possibly a blog post coming from that later...) and then I had a nice visit with Papa & Nana before I headed back. Started the drive back and despite some boredom, I managed to keep the tunes cranked till I hit Little Rock where I picked up Nikki at the airport. Catching up the whole way back, we then unpacked a little and crashed into bed. Yesterday I finally got to see Matt (in chapel and 2 classes) and then we watched a movie on my laptop last night. It's good to be back :)

I found my textbooks way cheaper online this semester so I'm just waiting for them to come in... and I can't believe this is my last semester of undergrad...!

Sidenote: Matt's injury turned out to be a sprained shoulder and today is supposed to be the last day he has to wear the sling. He's pretty sore but with some pain meds and careful movement, he's doing okay. Aside from being asked a gazillion times what happened to his arm.

Highlights From The Final Week

Well my break is coming to a close... but the final week has been pretty good. A little more laid back than the rest of break (which is nice) but still filled with some fun times...
-Saturday was lunch with Phil & Cheryl. It's become a tradition for the 3 of us to hang out at least once every time I'm home. Saturday night I hung out with Evan and watched Canada beat Russia 7-4 in the World Juniors semi-final. Then we played foosball, wrestled (proud to say I won that match!) and then Battleship.
-Sunday was getting to see a bunch of peope at church in Edmonton and a bunch of us went out for lunch. Met up with Dallas at West Ed for some bowling, glo-in-the-dark mini-golf and shopping.
-Monday was some errands with Mom, watching Canada pound Sweden 5-1 in the final (see Proud to Be Canadian), and then having a hilarious game of Catch Phrase with Mom and Dale. Sadly, had to say goodbye to Mom since she left Tues morning for the buying show in ATL but I know she's gonna have a great time.
-Tuesday was a Costco run with Phil and then laughing till we cried watching Get Smart back at Dad's.
-Wednesday was a relaxing day. I finished The Mad Trapper by Rudy Wiebe (that I started Tuesday nite). It's a book of Norm & Marian's that Dad had recommended I read . I interrupted Improving Your Serve so I could read The Mad Trapper and give it to Dad to give back to them. When Dad first described it to me it sounded kinda weird and not something I would really like but once I got into it, I was zipping through wanting to find out what happened. After dinner, Dad and I played some crokinole and watched M*A*S*H
-Today I went to Phil's and helped her make some cookies and then we played Wii all afternoon. While there is always a lot to laugh about whenever Phil and I hang out, perhaps one of the best quotes of the day came from my dear prego friend when she said "I thought I felt the baby kicking last night...which is funny cuz I don't think it has legs yet". (I love you Phil!) After dinner, I got to talk to Uncle Bill & Aunt Norma & Dallas on the phone and played a little Catch Phrase w/ Dad. Said goodnight/goodbye to him since I'll be leaving to go back to Mom's after he goes to work tomorrow.

Sidenote: and now I'm waiting to hear from Matt... he is at the ER right now w/ a possible sprained shoulder/broken collarbone. He hit a jump wrong snowboarding today and landed on his shoulder. I know it's not as serious as it could be but I'm still kinda worried...prayers would be appreciated!

Looking Back on Other Chapters

Just today I found this folder called "Special Emails" that I had saved from back in high school and my early college years. Some were funny or encouraging responses to those crazy email surveys that my friends and I used to send around relentlessly; desperately wanting to know people's opinions of us (and if they thought we were nice? friendly? more than a friend? funny? hot? crazy? etc). Some were sweet emails that people had sent during some rough times in high school or when I first went away to college to tell me to have a great time and let me know that I was missed. Some were a little more painful to read - they were from a certain boy that I deeply loved at the time and for a time I thought the feelings were mutual or at least growing in that direction (...until he unexpectedly dropped me and got back with his ex...)

Anyways, I thought it was interesting to find this folder and look back on all those times in my life. There was a lot of hurt back then... but there was also a lot of good times and good friends/family. And it's interesting to see how it all has unfolded since then. I was deeply hurt when the aforementioned boy dropped me but since then I have realized that although I dreamt about marrying him, it never would have worked. Not to mention that I have found a guy that I love even more and who treats me better than I have ever been treated. I dream of marrying him too but this time I think it's a little more realistic... :)

Oh yeah, if you haven't noticed, I'm feeling a whole lot better about things with Matt. We've been able to talk quite a bit the last few days. His words even made me cry night before last... but don't worry it was in an incredibly good way. I have never felt so loved, respected and special. He makes me feel like I can do anything and that I'm the only girl in the world that he wants. I can't wait to see him again in a few days...!!

Ok I'm sorry to turn this ridiculously mushy... but it's the truth :)

Proud to be Canadian

OTTAWA -- Canada won its fifth straight gold medal at the world junior hockey championships, beating Sweden 5-1 in the final Monday night.

The streak ties Canada's record of five consecutive titles in this tournament from 1993-97. Canada's 15th gold at the world juniors also matched Russia/Soviet Union for the all-time lead.
Canadian players jumped all over the ice to celebrate after the horn sounded to end their latest victory.

"There's nothing like it at all," forward John Tavares told TSN. "Listen to these fans. That's five, Canada. Five. That's what we were talking about."

Canada will go for a record six golds in a row at the 2010 world junior championships in Saskatoon and Regina.

Cody Hodgson scored twice for Canada, led by former NHL coach Pat Quinn. His team also got goals from Angelo Esposito, Jordan Eberle and defenseman P.K. Subban.

Tavares had two assists and finished tied with Hodgson for the tournament lead with 16 points. The 18-year-old Tavares, from Oakville, Ontario, was selected the tournament's most valuable player. He is a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2009 NHL draft.

"I can't say enough about all the guys, all 22 guys, the coaching staff," Tavares said. "There's nothing better than this."

Dustin Tokarski made 39 saves for the victory.

Joakim Andersson scored for Sweden and goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 shots.

The 20,380 fans at Scotiabank Place set a single-game attendance record at the world junior tournament. It was the fourth time a new mark was established in Ottawa, and it erased the previous high of 20,223 that was set during Canada's preliminary-round game against the United States.

The audience included Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"Throughout the tournament, Canadian players not only produced world-class hockey on the ice, they also represented our country with tremendous dignity and pride off the ice," Harper said in a statement. "I want to commend all of the players, coaches, volunteers, families and staff who contributed to this successful tournament.

"This is a well-deserved victory," he said.

The U.S. finished fifth at the tournament.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

In Case You Were Wondering...

...My new camera came in yesterday! I took some pics with it today and while I haven't had time to play around with all the features yet, I think I am very satisfied with my purchase decision. No cognitive dissonance here!

...After Matt faxed that birth certificate stuff from work I thought I would just have to wait for them to mail it to Mom's house (preferably/hopefully while I was home for the break). Turns out that when I got home I received a letter from them saying I needed to call them because my order had been suspended in the system (they had to write me a letter for this? why not call or email? why the heck did they ask for all that extra contact info only to mail me a snail mail letter??). I tried calling but of course the office was closed for the holidays so I had to wait till the 27th before I got through. The lady said I needed to send another copy of a piece of identification. Apparently you need 2 pieces although they never specified this on the fax form they so kindly told me I needed to use instead of an online submission. I ended up going with Dallas to the office one day when we were at their house and I scanned my DL and faxed it from there. There's no way it's going to get here before I leave so Mom's gonna have to mail it to me AGAIN. Now I just have to wait... probably for them to send me another letter that something is wrong with it...

...I don't know when I'm getting married. Just to clarify with everyone. Got it? So get off my back and stop the incessant questioning. I'm about to go ape on the next person that asks me that irritating question...

...30 hrs of distance + not getting to talk much + me nearing that special time of month when my hormones are out of control and my emotions tag along for the rollercoaster ride = me feeling really insecure about things right now. We had a little fight last nite via text messages (oh technology!). We ended up working it out (also via text message since he still wasn't home) and got to talk online after he got home but it still sucked. Also...the aforementioned incessant questioning isn't helping my feelings of uncertainty right now...

...I like ellipsis points...and I'm going to go before I say something I might regret...

The Concept of Self

Like I have mentioned, I have been able to read over the break and it has been glorious. I'm currently in the middle of 2 books (The Power of Touch by Dr. Phyllis K. Davis which I started during my travels home and Improving Your Serve by Charles Swindoll that I switched to after I got it for Christmas from Dad). However it is the latter of these books that I would like to talk about for a bit. I just finished the 2nd chapter as of last night but I came across this passage last night that I found interesting. Since the whole premise of the book is about becoming a servant, I thought it was wonderful that Chuck made the following clarification:

"Now before we get too carried away, a couple of statements need to be made to clarify the issue. First, a good self-esteem is not the same as selfishness. Without a strong belief in ourselves, we are easily crippled and wounded in life. A poor self-image is not to be equated with humility or the mark of a servant. As a matter of fact, without a healthy ego, we become fragile, easily bruised, counterproductive people.
I like what Mrs. Chuck Noll said about her husband, the former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers:'He's got a very sturdy ego, but as for vanity - none".
Let's not confuse a strong, sturdy self-esteem with vain selfishness. They are not twins, by any means."

I rather enjoyed this perspective on servanthood. I think too many times we think that to help someone else we need to become a worthless doormat and never be proud of our accomplishments. While I am fully aware that too much pride can be detrimental (one only has to read classic literature to discover the effects of this fatal flaw), it was refreshing to be reminded that it's okay to be confident with the person God has made you and the talents you have. It is only when we believe in ourselves that we can truly and effectively help others.

I'm sure I will have more to say about this book as I read through it but that's all for now!

And So Another Year Begins...

After 4 days of various (but fun) activities with the McNalty clan, Dad and I went down to the farm for a couple days. There's not much to do this time of year except feed cows and listen to Norm's views on women getting married, staying home and having kids and how Marian was already doing these things at my age. (Sorry, I love the man to death, but I didn't need those comments this time around). Alas, the frost and snow on the trees was pretty and I got to ride around in the tractor when we fed the cows so not all was lost. I came back to Mom's yesterday and after some errands in Leduc we just settled in for a cozy nite at home. We watched Canada beat the USA 7-4 in the last round robin game of the World Juniors (My Canadian pride was sure kickin in then!) and then watched the Oilers lose to Calgary 6-4 (boo!). Good friends of the family (Lorie & Shakey) dropped by about 11 and we watched various performers on TV and rang in the New Year. My boy called me at like 1:30 my time and talked for an hour and a half because the people he was hanging out with had already gone to bed but he wasn't tired yet. It was a good start to the year.

Like I mentioned in previous posts, I have been able to do a little non-school-related reading over the break. Here is a quote I came across that I found fitting for the New Year...

"Waste no time feeling guilty about the past; instead promise yourself that the future will be different" - Phyllis K. Davis, Ph.D

Happy 2009 Everyone!