What Happens at Grandma's...

What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's... oh yeah, and this blog :)

This past week has been crazy. We have had lots of fun, several health scares, long car rides, laughed till we've cried, had some intense pool, ping pong, and Hand & Foot games, and just had an overall great week seeing lots of family.

To end the night, Leah and I had a dance party... (The song is Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never". Bieber is VERY popular along elementary and middle school girls, and his music is played at camp to dance to, therefore, I know almost every song... here you see us goofing off and hanging out one last time before we said our goodnights and our "see ya laters")

Are We There Yet?!

The phrase "Are We There Yet" has been forbidden in our car for as long as I can remember... Today there were NUMEROUS times that I really wished I could complain and whine about how long it was taking to get up north.

After 16 hours, we have finally stopped for the night right inside Indiana. We still have 5ish hours to go in the morning, but we were all needing a break and needed to get out of the van for a bit. I have a massive headache (probably from going glasses-less/contact-less for about an hour while texting Carley. WERE WE THERE YET?!

No. And we still aren't here yet. But it's good enough and for now I'm going to enjoy some relaxation and a good nights rest in this hotel bed that resembles a ROCK... joy!!

5 hours of driving tomorrow seperate me from my extended family. CAN'T WAIT!!

This is only like our 25th time to do this...

You would think after 18 years of making treks up north once or twice a year, we would have the packing down to a fine art which would require no communication, where everybody would automatically be on the same page, and nobody would be frustrated...

WRONG!

Maybe one time this will be a smooth packing experience... but it is definitely stressful this time around!

Tomorrow morning our family will begin to embark on one of our longest road trips in the shortest amount of time. Thankfully some new DVDs and reading material has been acquired this time around, and added with the fact that college has enabled me to master the art of sleeping in any position, any where, with any amount of noise -- I am banking on sleeping a majority of the way!

Can't wait to see all of my family up north!

Officially Done

Well guys, it's official. NO MORE POLITICAL SCIENCE 207 for me :))

I pulled off a B in the class and after my first semester of college I will have a 3.56 GPA (my other B is a sore subject currently. Grrrr.)

But-- absolutely no more polisci!! This evening definitely contained a moment of celebration. WHOOP!

Home Sweet Home

HOOOMMMEEE!!! I am so excited and glad to be back in Cypress and home. I've spent the 36 hours since I've been here doing absolutely nothing. Well, compared to studying it seems like I've been doing nothing! I've actually made a bunch of cookies, ran errands, found cornstarch in Kroger (that's a challenge!), watched a Disney movie, crafted, picked Kole up from school TWICE, seen some of my favorite teachers of high school, beat my dad at darts, Skyped my best friend, and have even fit in a nap! It has been great to relax in the comforts of home and surrounded by my crazy, weird but great family!

Tomorrow I am finishing up crafting Christmas presents. Tomorrow night I'm going to go watch my dad's basketball team beat Smith in basketball. On Friday I'm taking Kole to school for late arrival and then driving down to Clear Lake to spend the day with Carley. We are crafting, creating "Vintage Christmas" costumes, and catching up. On Saturday morning we are driving to Livingston for a Honduras Mission Trip meeting (EEK!) and then staying for the Cho-Yeh Christmas party (double EEK!). We'll stay in Livingston Saturday night and drive back to Clear Lake on Sunday. Sunday is the Brabant's Cookie Party which I'm helping out at, and then on Monday we are making calendars. I am SOO looking forward to spending time with Carley and her awesome family!

On Tuesday I'm working at Fiest and helping out with Christmas parties and packing and possibly baking! And then on Wednesday we begin our trek up to the frozen tundra of the north. It'll be great to spend time with both sides of my family since the last time I saw most of them was graduation. Once we get back from the north I will be pulling everything together in order to head off to Honduras!

Sounds like the best winter break ever, right? YES!

D-O-N-E DONESKIES!!!

I'M DOONNNEEE!!! For all of you wondering, I did survive my polisci final! AND IT'S OVER WITH FOREVERR!!!

Plan for tonight:
Laundry
Dinner with Kevin
Packing
Movie with Emily
Cleaning
SLEEP!!

Tomorrow:
Change out sheets
Double check that the room is ready for the fire marshall (UGH!)
HOUSTON BOUND!!

Tomorrow will begin my crafting/baking FEAST! Can't wait :)

Dear Polisci

Dear Polisci,

This has been a long time coming, and I'm sorry if you aren't expecting this. I just don't think we are going to work anymore. I have cried way too much over you. I have stayed up way later than necessary trying to figure out where I went wrong and why you hate me. I have tried to seek the counseling of my good friends Carley & Laura, and have sought the advice of my family, and although they have encouraged me to keep going all year, they have agreed that we just aren't meant to be. My roommate has seen the stress you have put me through, and she has decided that if I don't end this she will (and we both know that wouldn't be pretty). Tomorrow will be our last day together. I am going to come and take what is rightfully mine (passing this final), and then I am going to walk out with my head held high. You have put up a good fight, and although our good times were few and far between (or non-existant), I appreciate what you have taught me. Thanks to you I will never think about entering the government. Thanks to you I will never take a class with an average GPA of 1.4 out of 4. After our battle tomorrow we will be over, and I'm sorry if that hurts you. Please remember that there will be plenty of other naive freshman that will take your class next semester. Choose one of them to hate, because between you and me -- IT'S OVER after tomorrow!!

Here. We. Go

It's 10:10 and I'm already posted up in the library. In 31 hours I will be D-O-N-E with this semester, WHOOP!!! I cannot wait to turn in that stinkin' polisci final, to walk back to my dorm without a care in the world, to turn on music and dance like a free person, to throw laundry in the washer and not care that it takes 6 minutes longer than it should. I can't wait to collapse into my bed and NOT set an alarm, to sleep without waking up at all hours of the night thinking of things that I need to get done. I cannot stinking wait.

But. Until that glorious moment, I'm spending some good old time with polisci... There is a light at the end of the tunnel though! And I'm pretty sure it's not just a train!!

5/6

I am finished with FIVE out of six of my finals! WHOOP!! Only have one more left!! Unfortunately that will be the hardest one yet. Boo. But that's okay!

I'm so braindead it's ridiculous. I accomplished one thing this afternoon that I promised myself I never would do... I fell asleep in the library while studying. That's just more reason enough for why I shouldn't be studying anymore tonight! A) I'm exhausted. B) I can't think properly....

Lucky for me, my family is coming up tonight to go out to eat and then go through Santa's Wonderland (a huge Christmas thing up here in College Station). Afterwards I'll probably finish writing these postcards that I need to send back to camp to get sent out to my campers and watch a Disney movie :) Perfect Friday night!

And beginning tomorrow- it's me and polisci... IT'S GOING DOWN! Tomorrow night I have a Cho-Yeh Aggies Christmas Party, and then Sunday will be devoted mainly to polisci too. But come Monday night -- HELLLOOOO WINTER BREAK!!!

You Can Always Find Some Good....

After a VERY stressful day today dealing with advisors that didn't know what they were talking about, internet that didn't work, a roommate that was upset, there was a light at the end of the tunnel!

My LAST lecture of this semester is over with! WHOOP!
I got into the education class I needed to! WHOOP!
I will be taking 2 classes and a lab with one of my great friends up at A&M! WHOOP!
I don't have to take Aerobic Walking! WHOOP!
I made progress in polisci and geography studying today! WHOOP!
I went on a mini-shopping spree to spend Dining Dollars and got a bunch of gatorades! WHOOP!
I cleaned up my room today! WHOOP!
I got gloves today that you can text with! WHOOP!
I got an "Elf On The Shelf" from my family! WHOOP!
Genny hates the elf... muwahaha! WHOOP!
I bought a great new worship CD "Austin Stone Live"! WHOOP!
Breakaway is tonight & it's all P&W! WHOOP!!!

There is always good that can be pulled out of any bad day, you just have to look for it :)

Is it Really Only 10:40?

I feel like with the amount of crud that has happened today, it should be AT LEAST 1 or 2 in the afternoon...

12:15AM - Cops are back in the library and frantically walking around. One cop comes up to me (I'm obviously studying, I have headphones in, textbooks open, papers out....) and asks me how I'm doing and what I'm studying and if I've seen anything "suspicious"... Uhhh....
12:30 - Leave the library and walk back in the freezing cold to my dorm
1:00 - In bed
1:10 - My roommate is really upset, so I try talking to her and figuring out what is wrong
2:00 - Finally going back to bed
3:00 - Actually fall asleep
6:30 - Wake Up to Register For Classes
7:00 - Registration SUPPOSED to open
7:05 - Registration ACTUALLY opens (That 5 minutes is huge... promise!)
7:06 - Only 2/6 classes are available. Crud.
7:10 - Figured out why 3 of the classes I couldn't get into weren't working, now I have 5/6 I need.

My education class wouldn't go through, I tried several times, but NOPE! I finally went back and looked into the restrictions, and figured it out! My advisor told me I would be counted as a sophomore when it came to registering b/c I transferred in so much credit, and so I would be able to take this sophomore level education class. Well... she was wrong. It had to be sophomore credit taken at A&M. So, this class is no open for me. UMMM... Of course, today is the last day of registration for FRESHMEN, so most classes are completely taken. The only class I could figure out to take was a Kinesiology class (health kinda), and only ended up taking 14 hours (I was shooting for 16).

By this point it is 7:30 and I'm running on 3.5 hours of sleep. I shoot off an email to my advisor to try and figure this out, and also because I'm frustrated that the class she told me to take I can't get into which now has messed up my entire schedule. I was very polite in the email, but I let her know that I was aggravated. It's finals week, I really don't need anything else to worry about!

7:50 - Attempt to go back to bed, but so frustrated that I can't sleep
8:30 - Get up and attempt to pretend to look like I'm functioning and have my head on my shoulders.
9:00 - Decide that the only cure for this morning is hot chocolate. Pull out a gallon size bag of homemade hot chocolate mix only to have the bottom of the bag break and spill ALL over my floor. I scoop up enough of the mix that hasn't hit the ground, make my hot chocolate, and clean up as much of the hot chocolate as I can.

If I didn't have a final at 9:35 I probably would have just crawled back in bed and fallen asleep. But, I left my room, walked 12 minutes through the 28 degree weather and got to class. Lab final was actually not too horrible!

10:00 - Leaving lab final and talking with a friend who was able to register last week. I was telling her how I'm not going to be in the education class I'm supposed to, and how I'm stuck taking my Kines this semester. She asked which Kines it was, and I told her -- Aerobic Walking. She gave me a horrible look, and told me to look that class' ratings up when I got back. I quickly realized why that was the only kinesiology open... It's HORRIBLE!! Ugh. GREAT.
10:10 - I get an email back from my advisor and she says that I should be able to get into the education class that I need tomorrow when registration opens back up for everybody -- I just have to be ready at 6:00 AM. Joy!

I don't have class until 12:40, so I'm thinking an hour nap and a hot lunch are in order. Then probably coming back and sleeping some more until 4 when I have a study group. AH!!! Not. My. Day.

Hoax & Registration

So the bomb threat that had campus wired and freaking out for 5 hours yesterday was a hoax! We are all safe, all of our libraries and still standing, and classes/finals are still going on. Phew! (well, I wouldn't mind finals being cancelled...)

I'm up early to register for classes for my spring semester. Registration is a HUGE deal and involves multiple hours of making schedules, checking spots, realizing the class you wanted was full which causes your entire schedule not to work out, so you spend hours making a new one... it's a frustrating task!

Because I'm an education major, most of the classes that I need do not have huge amounts of room in them. For example, there are only 8 spots left in the lab that I need to get into, and 9 left in the English that I need. (Note that I said "need"... because all the classes I WANTED were taking a long time ago when seniors got to register!)

To register at A&M, you get assigned a day and a time. Freshman times began last Thursday, and today is the last day. Of course I would be assigned today at 7 AM... Hmph. Oh well, I gladly would have taken the 5 AM spots because that would've allowed me to register earlier!!

This is a really stressful process, and I cannot wait for it to be over. It literally will be done by 7:01 if everything goes according to plan. Key word, IF... If it doesn't, then it's going to be a long day because I don't think my schedule can work any other way... yuck! As soon as I lock in the classes that I need, it's back to bed for me! Then a lab final at 9:35, my LAST lecture at 12:45, and a much needed nap somewhere in there!!

...alright, going to register RIGHT NOW!!!....

It's 7:40 and I'm just now finished... yeah, that's a bad sign... but a blog post for later!

And I Thought I Didn't Deal With Stress Well...

I have always thought I was not somebody who handled stress well. I get all worked up over the littlest things that don't really matter, and tend to freak myself out and get way over stressed about things.

Well, after this past week, I have learned that I handle stress VERY well compared to some people!

On Friday some college-aged kid robbed a bank right off campus at gunpoint. Campus was covered with police all day, but the guy ended up getting away with it.

Today, there is a bomb threat on campus. Our two 6 floor libraries, the biggest computer lab, and another library I didn't know existed have all been evacuated. Cops are EVERYWHERE and they are awaiting on a bomb-dog-squad.

Geesh... I do get stressed, but even at worst all that happens is I get really rude and snap at somebody. Geeesh...

So 3 of the biggest areas for housing students (two libraries and the computer lab) are closed. That means campus is ENTIRELY too crowded and there is not enough room for people! This is the second day in a row that my library plans have been ruined... You know, if they just cancelled finals this wouldn't be an issue anymore! Campus sure would clear out really fast and it would be safer for everybody!!

I REALLY tried to study today... I promise!

After going to Renee's swim meet this morning and grabbing a quick bite for lunch, I met up with a friend and we hit the library together. We had reserved a room in the library (and quickly realized it was way too small for two people to be able to spread out stuff), and so ended up taking over a table in the library by the window so we could people-watch while we studied (it was shockingly cold and rainy out and it was funny to see people scrambling around outside wearing shorts b/c it hasn't been cold in so long). We disabled facebook and turned off our phones, and would study for an hour before allowing ourself a 5 minute break to respond to text messages. It was a REALLY good system, and we both kept each other focused. Then. All of a sudden.


ERRR ERRR ERRR!! "Please evacuate the building. There is a fire. Do not use the elevators. All fire-exits are able to be used. Please evacuate the building...."

WHAT?! Our 6 floor library was on fire? Great. We were on such a roll too! So we packed up all of our stuff and left Evans into the freezing cold and misty disgusting College Station weather. Gross. We waited around about an hour in another building, and when the fire-trucks still hadn't left and the alarms were still going off, we said screw it. We had gotten a lot done in the 2 hours we were there!

I came back to my dorm and decided that hot chocolate was in order, and maybe even a nap. Genny and I were talking, and I was flipping through my DVDs trying to find one to watch, when we realized Genny had never seen Elf. WHAT? Unacceptable. So we took an hour and a half and watched Elf together and laughed more than we have in a while. It was so nice to just spend time with her because we are both so busy we never get to just hang out.

After Elf, Genny left to go to a sorority meeting, and I buckled down on some polisci homework. And I actually got a bunch accomplished! I took a break to go get some dinner, and then came back to work some more. I had thrown my phone on my bed so that I wouldn't be distracted, and when I had gotten on facebook to check something I had 3 messages from my best friend "why is your phone off? Your phone never dies and you only turn it off when you are really upset at something... is everything ok?" and a message from Laura "way to ignore my phone call and our weekly phone date... love you too!" I was so confused. I went up and didn't have a missed call, missed text, facebook notification or email. Weird. I tried texting a friend, but NOPE! My phone had decided that it didn't want to be able to send/receive text messages, or emails, or phone calls, or get internet... perfect! Guess this is a way of making sure I don't get distracted... if I don't have a phone, what else am I supposed to do during my LAST polisci lecture tomorrow? Oh yeah.. pay attention!

Genny didn't have phone service for a few minutes tonight, so I'm thinking maybe it's the crazy wind or something? I dunno. I really don't care, after spending 10 weeks without a phone for the most part, it really doesn't bother me too much!

Random thought: maybe this is also God's way of showing me how much my generation depends on materialistic goods?

Anyways, here is the plan for tomorrow.
8 AM: class
9-11: laundry and write postcards to campers
11-12: go pick up labs from TA
12-12:30: lunch
12:40-1:30: LAST POLISCI LECTURE!!!!
2-4: Library with Emily
4:15: Coffee with my old youth minister (although I'll probably get hot chocolate instead...)
4:45: Walmart run to get a ruler for my final on Tuesday
5-7: Study
7-8: Geography SI
8-9: REC :) [to run and watch Supernanny at the same time]
9:30-11: Study
Then SLEEEEEEP :)
That's the plan anyways... we shall see what tomorrow brings though!

Go Away Football!!!

I have never been a huge football fan. I thought coming to A&M would change that -- NOPE! I do understand football now and can make it through an entire game without asking too many questions (until we get into overtimes). But the fact of me loving football hasn't changed.

And right now, frankly, I HATE hearing about college football. On Thursday A&M fired our head coach, and you would've thought that a hurricane was a few miles from hitting College Station. Literally, all of campus was in a messy state of panic/excitement. People were running through campus whooping and hollering, some people were visibly upset over the matter. Wherever you went, that is all anybody could talk about. It was so frustrating!

In the long run, my life won't be affected by whoever A&M's football coach is. I don't care if A&M wins a bunch of games or goes on another 4th quarter losing streak. It really doesn't matter to me, and it honestly won't personally affect 95% of this campus. The football players, yes, it will affect them. But... that's it! I promise the fans will still go to every game and cheer like it's the last one ever to be played. It's not like the student section will be empty because of this new coach. I just find it slightly ridiculous.

And it made me think -- what if everybody got all hyped up about Jesus Christ who will win EVERY game like they do over college football? WOW! What a different world we could live in!

Am I Done Yet?

I absolutely cannot wait to be done with this semester.

1. Yesterday was crazy on campus as we were under a Code Maroon alert ALL day after a nearby bank had been robbed. Campus was insane and such a mess. I was taking an online final in the library and 4 times during a 45 minute timespan cops were running through that floor checking to make sure whoever they were looking for wasn't there. Frustrating and annoying!

2. Everybody is majorly stressing out and normal conversations are impossible to be held without somebody snapping. I know that I'm stressed as well, but being around 50,000 other stressed out college students is just stressful itself!

3. Sleep is essentially non-existant. Wednesday night I got 4 hours of sleep, Thursday night I got 5, yesterday I got a 2 hour nap and then 4 hours of sleep. It's like I'm getting used to not getting much sleep or just being awake at awful hours so that I can't sleep even though I'm exhausted. Either that or I wake up every hour or so. FRUSTRATING!! I get done with my finals on Monday the 12th, and I'm staying in College Station on Tuesday to just sleep.

4. I have SO much to look forward to this winter break. Spending time with Carley, going to camp, hanging out with Kevin, going to Iowa and Michigan, and Honduras! With all of that in the near future, trying to concentrate on finals and studying when you have spent the last few days doing just that and nothing else just isn't too exciting!

Nine more days. I have to make it through this!!!