The BC Experience

This past weekend Zoe and I traveled by Megabus to Kansas City.  From there we drove to Atchison, KS and had a fabulous weekend visiting friends and meeting new people at Benedictine College.  Despite disapproving of Christmas before Thanksgiving... we hung out in a beautifully Christmas decorated apartment and played Just Dance 3. I learned that I suck at Just Dance... unless I'm playing it with young children... In the middle of the night we ventured to Daylight Donuts- the greatest place ever! Eating a delicious donut at 2am is quite a satisfying experience. Saturday was a bum day, but it was what all of us needed!! It was the perfect day to just eat, watch movies, and hang out.  Our evening was full of some BC's Got Talent, A Very Potter Musical, star "gazing," and more Daylight Donuts!! Most people were excited about gaining an extra hour of sleep this weekend because Daylight Savings Time ended, but I enjoyed having an extra hour of life and spending it have a fabulous time.  Sunday we ate at an amazing BBQ place in Atchison.  It was so delicious!! I really love BBQ... a lot... Then we watched some intramural volleyball games and worked on homework.  We had to get back to Kansas City in time for our Megabus back  to St. Louis. We barely made it there. I'm not sure what would have happened if we hadn't made it there in time... but we did!

This weekend was absolutely great.  The people I met and hung out with all weekend are truly awesome people.  I'm so glad I got to spend so much time getting to know new people, and I can't wait to go back! This weekend came at a perfect time. It was so nice to basically be on a retreat all weekend from life.  I got to just bum around and enjoy hanging out with great people.  I'm so glad I got to be with my friends at BC and see them.  It's so cool to meet all their friends and experience their lifestyle at college.  It's amazing how different their experience at BC is from mine at SLU. Just the whole atmosphere is completely different being in the middle of nowhere rather than the middle of the city.  Thanks to all the BC folks that made my weekend fantastic!! Hopefully I'll be back soon (except not until I get a visit to SLU from yall!)!

What a Whirlwind of a Week

It's midterms week here at SLU. That means a whole lot of craziness!! I was extremely stressed out this weekend and early in the week because I thought I was going to have 4 tests in two days while trying not to lose all focus by thinking constantly about my sister's wedding this weekend! Then on Tuesday I went into office hours for my physiology exam.  I freaked out a little because I realized how much I still didn't know, but thankfully I have the greatest professor ever! The exam is on Friday, but I'm going home Thursday night so I had to schedule a time to make up the exam. After the office hours and my freak out the professor asked me how I did on the first exam. After telling him he informed me he would not allow me to take this exam before fall break. So I have Monday and Tuesday to devote to studying so I can get a better grade on this exam! Thank goodness for generous teachers! Then a little later I found out that my nursing exam is actually in a couple weeks, not Thursday like I thought!! That means I was down to two exams this week! I finished them today and think I did decent on them! I did not do as well on microbiology as I wanted to, but there's still two more tests to make up for it!

So today has been spent not stressing and just trying to be patient while waiting to go home tomorrow night!! I feel so much more relaxed knowing I have more time to study for physiology and I don't have to pull an all nighter tonight for it. I'm pretty sure I'd fail any test after today anyway because I just can't even focus knowing my sister's wedding is so close!!!! I'm so freaking excited for it!!

To add to the stress of midterms week, my friends studying in Madrid next semester wanted to buy plane tickets. I bought my round trip ticket to Madrid for next semester!!! There's no turning back now, I am officially spending my sophomore spring semester in Madrid!!!! It hasn't quite sunk in yet that this is actually happening.  I never in a million years would have thought I'd be spending 4 months on my own studying in a whole different country that doesn't speak English. Along with the stress of figuring out the flights (THANKS DAD FOR YOUR HELP!!!!!) I also have been participating in a game called Humans vs Zombies. It's a totally nerdy game where zombies have to tag a human to turn them into a zombie. The human can throw a sock ball or shoot a nerf gun at a zombie to paralyze it so they can run away.  So I've been paranoid every time I walk through the main part of campus afraid I'm going to get tagged by a zombie. I finally got tagged tonight:( Now I'm a zombie, so I'm supposed to "feed" on a human in the next 24 hours (tag a human). It would be more exciting, but I live on the med campus all day, and no one over there is cool enough to play apparently...

Anyway I'm just glad all my stress is gone for now, and I can just peacefully sleep and look forward to my train ride home tomorrow night!! Then I get to see my friends that I haven't seen since early August and hang out with them!! Then it will be wedding time!!!! Can't wait for my amazing sister to marry her awesome fiance!!! May God bless their marriage!

I forgot!

I forgot to mention the immaculate weather we've been having this past week!! Truly incredible!! I've been able to lay out on my balcony and get some sun!!! I just love the weather, I can barely even handle it!!

Recoup, Relax, Rejuvenate!

Here's a quick recap of my crazy life since school started...

- I turned in all my paperwork to apply for a Visa to go to Spain next semester!! I am learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone so I can actually speak there... and figuring out housing with a few of my friends for the abroad semester!

- Two weekends ago I went home for my sister's bridal shower/ bachelorette party. It was so much fun! Then my other sister drove me back to school and we went to an AH-mazing all day concert! It was definitely a fun adventure for us.

- I was sick for a couple weeks with bad allergies, while having tons of tests to study for! AHHH that was a stressful week

- The next weekend I went home again for my great-grandma's 100th birthday party!! It was such a great day just relaxing with my dad's side of the family.  It was the first time in a long time that the entire family was able to get together and just hang out for the day.  As my dad and I talked about it we realized how lucky we are that our family always gets along and enjoys being together.  We're very fortunate to have such great relatives.

- more school and studying!

- This past weekend was a great chance for me o recoup, relax, and rejuvenate!! I officially declared Saturdays my triple R days! Yesterday I got to go to Planned Parenthood and pray a Rosary with some women.  Then I went to the Basilica Cathedral for an adoration hour with Daughters of Isabella. We then went and got Ted Drewes (a famous St. Louis custard shop) and I had a fantastically delicious pumpkin pie custard concrete! After that my friends and I went to a good Mexican restaurant and then CITY MUSEUM!!!! seriously one of the greatest places I've ever been. Everyone should visit me to experience this incredible place. Basically it's a giant playground for adults to, tons of slides and crawl spaces and ball pit... it's EPIC!!! So yesterday was an epic day in general and it really gave me a chance to just relax, recoup from all the stress, and rejuvenate for the upcoming weeks.  

- Today was also a great day to just relax. Some friends and I even got to go outside and play football on the quad for a while. It was totally what I used to imagine college would be like... it was fun!

Anyway, that's the low-down on my life lately. I left out a lot of details, but you get the idea! I've been busy, busy, busy!!! I can't wait for fall break when I can have a few days to relax!! Oh and I guess for Sara and Kel's Wedding!!!!!!!! only 12 days!
 

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

The past week was my first week of classes here at SLU.  I am much more confident than I expected to be that this will be a great semester.  My classes are way less intimidating than I thought they would be, and I am very motivated to get great grades this semester.  I started my job as a lifeguard here. I work at the indoor and the outdoor pool, and it is teh greatest job a person could ever imagine.  The otherday I got paid for 4 hours to tan, it was fabulous! This weekend has been absolutely great! The weather has been perfect- I got to tan for four hours while working Saturday morning, then it thunderstorm right after my shift! Yesterday was great weather to go to the zoo with my parents, and today is the most beautiful weather I could ever imagine!
 My parents visited this weekend! We went to the St. Louis zoo yesterday afternoon which was so much fun! Animals are definitely interesting creatures.  Then we had one of the greatest meals ever at P.F. CHang's! Dang it was delicious food!  Then they got to experience SLU's Sunday 9pm mass! it is truly a blessing to be able to experience this mass every week.  It's amazing each week to see our entire huge church filled with students.  The music is always beautiful and it's awesome to hear and see everyone participating throughout the mass.  I'm so glad my parents finally got to see why I look forward to SUnday evening mass every week! Then this morning they picked me up bright and early to enjoy breakfast at their hotel and go rocery shopping. I'm not sure why hotel breakfast is so extraordinary, but I really do enjoy it!
Since the weather was so beautiful last night, my friends and I hung out on teh quad after mass. I got to finally sit in a hammock on the quad! The hammocks in teh quad are probably my favorite part of SLU.  After some of us attempted to learn how to shuffle (watch the music video for Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO) we went back to my room and played several games, such as Fruit and Signs! Now that my parents are on tehir way back home, I am sitting on my lovely balcony in this fabulous weather.  In a little while I'm going to the Cardinals game, which despite my hate for the Cardinals, I'm really excited. Watching a baseball game in this weather just sounds absolutely perfect on Labor Day!! I'm super excited! I hope everyone is having as great a Labor Day as I am! Enjoy your week!

I'm still alive!

Just so everyone knows! I'm still alive:) i haven't posted in forever...so I figure I should let everyone know I'm still here taking on life.  I haven't been able to get into my dashboard to blog...then finally today I realized I was just being stupid about signing in to it. Life is pretty good, I'll give more updates eventually!

Summer summer summer!

For most people summer is getting close to being over, but for me I still have 35 days left before I move into 312 Marchetti East! I still have some major huge plans to carry out before then! This weekend some friends and I are going to battle the heat at Six Flags St. Louis! Then on Sunday some more friends and I are going to see HP in Woodridge, but beforehand we're going to meet TOM FELTON!!! aka Draco Malfoy. I'm so freaking excited to meet him because he's been one of my favorite characters since the very first movie!! Next weekend is my friend's birthday, and we're having an end of the summer cookout, and Harry Potter's golden birthday (the character, not the actor).  All my friends will be home by the end of next week from being away for the summer- Katy and Matt are home this weekend, and Emily is home next weekend! I'm so excited for us to all have a couple weeks together! We're also trying to plan a camping trip. I've never been camping so I'm super excited! My cousin is getting married in a few weeks. Her wedding will be so much fun! I can't wait to celebrate and have fun with my entire family. Then I still have two weeks left of summer after that! I may not have gone on any super extravagant vacation this summer, but all the little things I've done are making it an EPIC summer!

I also won a game of Shark this week at in-service. There were about 30 lifeguards playing, most had been swimming or diving their entire lives, and I won!! I think everyone just forgot I was still playing...

I should mention that this post is dedicated to my friend Bridget, she reminded me that real people read my blog and I hadn't posted in a while!

Workaholics Anonymous

It's been an incredibly long time since I've posted-since I was back at SLU. Summer has been fabulous so far, but I am busy busy busy. I babysit four days a week and lifeguard the other three days and evenings when I can. I have still had time to hang out with friends and have fun though, just not as much as I would like.  This past weekend though began my trilogy of Chicago visits. I went to the NKOTBSB concert. It was pretty much the best night of my life! I may have cried a couple times out of happiness and almost peed my pants with excitement. They were just such fabulous dancers and performers and singers.  It was incredible- despite literally having the worst seats in the building. Then we got to ride back to Union Station in a stretch SUV limo. AMAZING!!! This next weekend I'm being picked up by friends from St.Louis and Kansas City to visit our friends in Chicago. I'm so freaking excited!! We've been planning this weekend for a while and I can't wait!! I miss all them so much! Then the next weekend I'm going to Chicago with my parents for a Maroon 5 concert! I basically just love Chicago. I am disappointed I have to take off so many days of work...but it will be good for me.

In Chicago this weekend we went to Mass on Saturday night.  At the church there was a bulletin with signs of what events and services the church offers.  There was a sign with all the support groups they had. Workaholics Anonymous was a group...it's apparently a real disease (disease isn't the right word, but I can't think of the right word...). I thought maybe my entire family should join... haha we're all a little obsessed with working...It definitely made me laugh.

Father's Day was great. I went to Sunday service in Decatur with my grandparents and a couple aunts and uncles.  It was very neat to experience a non-Catholic service.  There were some great sermons and reflections about father's and family in general. I'm so glad I got to spend the day with my grandparents and parents.  I appreciate them all so much and everything they have done for me.  I can't even begin to list all the things they've done for me throughout my life that have had a major impact on me.  I'm so grateful to have such an amazing and supportive family.  We also were celebrating my grandpa's 80th birthday and my grandparents anniversary (#59 maybe?).  I missed the real celebration with the entire side of the family...I was the only person not there because I was at the concert... Oh well, I got one-on-one time with my grandparents on Father's Day instead, and there was mention of all of us going to Florida again next summer!! I am definitely all for that idea!!

It has been a great summer. I'm working as much as I hoped I would and making money to help pay for college and study abroad expenses.  I really love both my jobs. The girls I babysit are pretty easy to handle even through their emotions and mood swings, and I LOVE lifeguarding.  It surprises me every year how much I love my job.  The people are great, and I just love being outside at the pool. It's just the best job I could ever imagine having! I'm glad summer is not even half way over yet, although it's real close, and I'm excited for everything coming up in the next few weeks!

And then there was one...

So a couple songs come to my mind right now, "i'm so lonely, i have nobody for my own..." "cuz I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me, my problems have all gone..." I'm really not that lonely, it's just that I am the last person left here at SLU. I mean the last of my friends, besides my RA, but she's busy checking people out all day. My roommate is gone, so I'm chilling on my futon without anything on the walls and only a few items left in the room.  It's really weird walking down the hallway and seeing all the doors without any of their decorations and then coming into the room I've been comfortable in for the past school year and it being totally bare. It's weird knowing that I can't just go across the hall to ask anyone a question or anything.  I still have two finals left to worry about though, so I guess it's good to have no one here to distract me. I'm planning on getting my take-home literature final done early this evening so my RA and I can have a Criminal Minds marathon tonight! Then I plan on waking up early tomorrow morning to study for my psych final at noon tomorrow.  Then it's load everything left into the van and back to Normal!! haha pun intended... I can't wait to get home for the summer with nothing to do but work and hang out with family and friends! I'm really excited about my jobs this summer and all the vacations I have planned! It's going to be a great summer and then it's back to SLU for sophomore year! I can't believe I'm getting so old so quickly.  Where did freshman year go? It'll be weird not living on 16G overlooking the center of campus and the entire city, but I can't wait to move into my apartment next year and have a kitchen! It's scary and weird growing up and moving on, but totally exciting! I guess it's time to get back to work for me, because unlike all of my friends, I still have finals to worry about.

It's Friday!

Today has been a great Friday.  I woke up and got breakfast, I haven't gotten breakfast at our cafeteria in a really long time! It was delicious. Then my friend and I layed on a hammock for a while. Then I got to watch Say Yes to the Dress for the fifth day in a row!! I love not being in classes at 10am on weekdays just so I can watch that show! Lunch with friends was good. Then I had an e-board meeting for Students for Life. We basically planned out Respect for Life Month. It should be really great, except Patricia Heaton will not be our speaker:( She's already booked, so we're back to the basics finding a good pro-life speaker with a semi-large name/credentials to bring in a crowd. Suggestions are greatly appreciated! It was a really fun meeting, and we got a lot accomplished! After that I helped the first of my friends to move out:( I'm super sad that everyone is starting to leave. All my friends, except my RA, will be gone by Monday evening. Monday night will basically be really lonely and weird because I'll be the only person here. It will be good though because I'll be forced to study then for my final on Tuesday, or my RA and I will just watch Criminal Minds all night! I watched Tangled with Daughters of Isabella as our last informal meeting, and then got ice cream with my CLC! Apparently all that excitement was too much for my brain, so I took a nap from 10-12:30 tonight. After I woke up I was wide awake and wanted to hang out. Unfortunately most of my friends had already gone to bed, but a couple were still awake so we hung out! Now I'm still wide awake but everyone else went to bed. I'm just chillin here on my futon with nothing to do. I know I should go to bed, but I took almost a three hour nap tonight so I'm just not very tired... I had my first final yesterday (Thursday) and it was extremely easy! I didn't really have to study and I'm pretty sure I got almost an A+! It was definitely a great way to start off my finals.  I also found out that anatomy grades will not be posted until the 18th. This makes me really disappointed because I'm so anxious about my grade! I just want to know if I passed or not... but patience is a virtue... well we'll pretend it is. So ya, I have a take-home literature final due Tuesday morning, human growth and development Monday morning, and Psychology Tuesday afternoon. None of these finals should be too difficult, I just have to do really well on all of them.  Then my dad will be here to pick me up Tuesday and it'll be SUMMER!!!! I can't wait to have nothing to do for a couple weeks except hang out and sleep. Then work will start and will become my life... but that's ok! I have a couple potential vacations planned for the summer to visit friends in Chicago and my fellow e-board members for Students for Life. It'll be a great summer! So I think I'm going to try and go to bed now... probably a wise decision for me... Good night!

Study Days!

I officially love study days here at SLU. Today there were no classes or anything to encourage people to study all day for finals.  Last night there was midnight breakfast (that actually was at 10pm...) to start of the study day.  After getting a late night breakfast my friends and I played ninja and other fun games on the quad for a while.  I grew a couple twins out of my face... aka i got a couple intense bug bites.  They were seriously huge bug bites. We also sat on a hammock for a while.  The weather was beautiful and there were SO many students out and about hanging around outside. It was such a fun way to begin finals week! Then this morning our awesome RA here on 16G got us bagels and coffee as motivation to get up early and start studying.  Instead of studying I went to a study thing for one of my classes and got free pizza! Then I lounged around all day and thought about studying... I never actually got to it though because I fell asleep for a couple hours.  I figure getting sleep is a good idea this week to keep my mind fresh and ready. I went to my last Students for Life meeting of the school year. We played charades! This means that I will officially be in charge of the next meeting with my other Executive board member- scary!  I'm excited for it though! I'd say was a pretty successful day even if I didn't get any studying done.  I relaxed and got myself mentally and physically prepared to crack down for the next week.  Nothing is too overwhelming because all my finals are spread out.  I'll have plenty of time to focus on each final.  This will be good because I have to do really well on all my finals to keep my grades where I want them.  Prayers are definitely welcome as I prepare to end this semester! I'm hoping the next few days will be super sunny and warm because I tend to be more productive when I can study outside for hours, but unfortunately I just checked the forecast and thunderstorms are predicted the rest of the week:( I guess I'll just have to be content inside. I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather, and hopefully yall have more sun than we do here in St.Louis. Good luck to anyone that still has finals...which is almost no one beside us SLU people. Congrats to everyone that is done with school!!

Crunch Time!

And it all comes down to this... I only have one week and two days left of my freshman year. I took my last anatomy exam on Thursday and I am totally relieved to be done with that class (assuming I passed... we'll see)!!! I knew everything there was to know about all the systems of the body, or so I thought.  I studied SOOOOO much and thought I was totally prepared for the exam, but then it was REALLY difficult... I wasn't the only person that felt this way though, everyone agreed it was much more difficult than we all anticipated. There's nothing I can do about it now except wait and see if I passed. Since prayers are outside of time, I'd appreciate any prayers you all could say for me that I passed! Now that anatomy is over, I have so much to do for all of my other classes.  I have a three page research paper due tomorrow, a five page paper for literature due thursday, statistics final thursday, human growth and development final friday, take-home literature final due next tuesday, and my psychology final next tuesday.  It's all spread out so I don't feel overwhelmed (yet) and I'm pretty confident none of it will be too difficult.  I just need to crack down and get it all done.  After it is all done I will move the rest of my stuff out of my room and head home for the summer!! I can't believe how the time has flown! It seems like I was just moving into my dorm yesterday and now it's all empty and bare again.  I moved pretty much everything except my futon out this weekend and brought it all home.  It will be really weird living in my empty room for a week with nothing on the walls or in my closet or drawers... It's definitely bittersweet being done with this year.  I'm excited for summer and to be done with this year of school, but I'm not ready to leave SLU and my friends here. It's so weird thinking forward to the fall when my friends and I won't be living on the same floor or even in the same building.  I'm going to miss just walking across the hall to ask a question or hang out, or just chilling in the hallway talking.  It'll be weird not seeing all of them for three months, but I am excited to see my friends from home for those three months (at least most of my friends). 

This weekend was a jam packed weekend! I came home early Friday.  My family enjoyed a simple meal then went to my sister's college graduation! I'm so excited and proud of her that she is moving on to the next phase of her life! Way to go Sara! The ceremony was extremely long and boring, but worth going to to support my sister.  My dad and I had a fun time people watching and making fun of people's names.  We had Mr. Babylon behind us- he wouldn't stop talking! It was quite ironic that we were at Sara's graduation with a guy behind us that never stopped talking... Then Saturday I went to a play put on by very amateur actors, but the informality of it made it hilarious! It was performed by friends of my parents.  Then today was Mother's Day.  I got to spend the day with my entire family and my grandparents.  We celebrated my niece's baptism! We're all so excited that she is a part of our faith community now! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be home for this special occasion and to spend it with my whole family.  I also got to watch the season finale of The Amazing Race!! my favorite show!! I'm so thankful for my mom and everything she has done for me! She's so amazing! Tomorrow morning I get to ride a train or bus back to St.Louis and crack down to get everything done to finish out my year strong! 

A story about my mom-

My mom offered me pudding once...

ANATOMY!!!

I know I should go to bed and get a good night's sleep, but I'm not even tired right now. I have so much adrenaline because I think I'm actually ready for this anatomy exam... I've never felt this way before an exam in this class. I just want to keep studying because I want to do so well on this exam!! I can't wait to be done with it! Hopefully I don't have major brain farts during the test and do badly, but I'm pretty confident that won't happen! AHHHH I'm just so excited for this day! It's CINCO DE MAYO... for real... and it's high five day here at SLU- give everyone a high five to spread some joy around campus- and I'll be done with anatomy at the end of the day!! I'm praying for everyone who has finals today. I hope everyone does their best! I'm going to finish studying this last powerpoint, then call it quits for the night. I'll have time to study all morning tomorrow because two of my classes are already done for the year! Pandora has done an AWESOME job choosing songs for me ALL day. I'm pretty sure I haven't skipped a single song and I've been listening to the same channel since about 1:00 this afternoon! Also I tried to order a new coffee drink today, but they told me they couldn't make it, but then one of the great workers invented a random new drink and it was absolutely delicious! Anyway it's been a good and productive day, even despite all my Facebook creeping and procrastination! St. Joseph Cupertino pray for all of us with tests today! Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone!

Ummmm...

I feel like posting, but don't really have anything to post about... So I guess I'll just talk about how I missed a free showing of the Winnie the Pooh movie that is coming out this summer.  The first hundred people got free snuggies to.  I really wanted to go, but I knew I shouldn't so I could get to bed early tonight.  I'm really disappointed I missed out on such an awesome opportunity though to get a free snuggie and watch Winnie the Pooh.  I was really tempted to wear my brown slanket and matching slippers to the movie because that's how I got my nickname Winnie the Shit... but I didn't even go to the movie, so that's probably a really good thing for many reasons.  Instead of going to the movie I went to 10pm mass in my dorm.  It was a really good mass, just like it always is!! Anyway that's all I have to say for now. Hope everyone is staying calm amidst the stress of life these last few days/weeks of school! I'm praying for everyone who has a lot of projects and finals to do for school! Here's a really cool video that one of my friends here at SLU showed me recently. I'm a little obsessed with it! Enjoy!

Woah

This weekend was quite awesome! It all started with SLU's The Price is Right.  It was a legit copy cat of the actually show. There were awesome prizes such as an LCD tv, blue ray player, bike, etc. I happened to win the best prize of the night though- a big stuffed Billikin.  I also got to see one of my best friends there who was visiting St. Louis for the weekend!

On Saturday a couple friends picked me up and we drove for what seemed like forever to get to Atchison, KS to visit Benedictine College.  We stayed until Monday afternoon. It was a great weekend and I felt like I was on a retreat the whole time because of how different it was from being in the middle of the city.  The hills on campus were a major strug for me the whole time.  Saturday was so much fun! It happened to be Springfest, so we got to have some fun on inflatables and then went to an awesome dance. The best part of the weekend though was watching the Beatification of JPII.  His feast was announced to be October 22nd, which happens to be the day of my sister's wedding! Sunday we "studied" all day and then hung out at Holy Grounds after mass. I had one of the best coffee drinks I've ever had!  Monday we went to breakfast and lunch then headed back to St. Louis.  The entire weekend SO much fun and I'm so glad I was able to visit BC.  It was a TOTALLY different experience than what I'm used to here at SLU. Now that I have visited BC I expect visitors here at SLU!! hint hint to all my BC friends!

Now it's back to craziness at SLU.  I have my final anatomy exam on Thursday and a ton of other homework and things to do before the end of the school year. I'm excited for this weekend to go home and watch my sister graduate college and my niece get Baptized. I have exactly two more weeks of my freshman year and it's quite bittersweet. I'm excited for the summer and to be done with my classes, but it's going to be weird being away from SLU and my friends here for three months.  I can't believe how fast this year has gone by.  I'm already a fourth of the way done college which means a fourth of the way closer to the "real world."  It kind of terrifies me how quickly it is all going by, but it's really exciting at the same time. I hope everyone has a good week and does well on all their tests/finals/ homework or whatever else they have to do!

Why I'm Pro Life

I wrote an article this week for the Heartbeat, which is a monthly edition of an online pro life newsletter for Saint Louis University.  It is a very short article about why I am pro life. I just thought I'd share with everyone.

Why I am Pro Life

By: Julie Schmitt

                Growing up I never knew what abortion actually meant.  By junior high I had learned what it was, but it did not really mean anything to me.  In high school I finally realized the magnitude of the effects of abortion.  I firmly believe that a baby in the womb has a soul.  It is not just a ball of cells, it is a living human being that has a heartbeat and can feel pain by the first few weeks of pregnancy.  Babies are a lot different than animals; they should not be killed just because they cannot defend themselves.  I believe they should be protected and treasured to be given the same opportunity at life that each of us has been given. 

                It was not until my senior year in high school that being pro life actually meant something to me.  It was something I knew I believed in strongly, but not something I necessarily took part in fighting for. When I found out my sister and her husband would never be able to get pregnant, I realized the importance of not only being pro life, but for fighting for the pro life movement.  The only way my sister and her husband will grow their family is through a woman making the most unselfish decision she could ever make- sacrificing her rights as the mother of her baby to give it a life full of opportunities and love.  Adoption means much more than having a baby and letting someone else raise it. It means making the ultimate sacrifice of love to give a child and family new opportunities to love and grow. 

                My baby niece was just recently adopted into my family.  Her birth mom may never understand the impact she has had on my entire family’s lives.  This baby girl brightens each of our days every time we think of her.  She was the gift of life to our family.  Her mom could have “taken the easy way out” and had an abortion, but because of her selflessness we get to cherish and love this baby girl and help her achieve the impossible as she grows.  My family will never be the same now that she is in our lives, and we are indescribably grateful for this beautiful child.  I am pro life because I believe every human being deserves their dignity from conception to natural death, but I fight for the movement so that my family may continue to grow.  I fight for my baby niece and her birth mom, and for all the women and babies that are affected by abortion.  I fight so that every baby may experience the love and joy that my baby niece will be able to experience as she grows up.  

                                          

                                                                                           

"Have no Fear"

“Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.” Pope John Paul II

I feel like this pretty much sums up what I'm supposed to do with my life right now.  I'm starting to take on new roles of leadership lately with Students for Life, my job as a lifeguard, interviewing to be on team for the next Encounter, etc. I feel like I need to be better about not having fear and anxiety about everything. I really need to start trusting that it's all a part of God's plan, therefore I know He's right there guiding me along.  He wouldn't have led me into all this if He knew I would just combust under the pressure and fail. He only gives us what He knows we can handle. Time to gather up some courage and actually be confident in the path my life is taking. "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called." I like the emphasis with the double "very" that things are well.


Watch out for more quotes from JPII as his beatification approaches!!! He's getting beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, the first day of May the month of Mary, and the Second Sunday of Easter!! Basically Sunday will be a great day!


Two posts in one day...woah. Except technically it's a new day because it's after midnight... but I haven't slept yet, so I consider it the same day!

One of thos Days...

Do you ever just have one of those days? Except I don't mean one of those rough days that never seem to end and everything just goes wrong. I mean one of those days where you wake up and the sky is cloudy, the air is chilly, it's super early in the morning, you have so much to do with not enough time to do it all, but yet everything is just awesome!!! If you've never experienced this kind of day, I'm sorry, but I'll do my best to try and explain the extraordinary feeling of such a day. I woke up this morning to my alarm and pressed snooze for about an hour, never really ready to get out of bed.  The weather isn't exactly happy and sunshiney, and my 8am class on the med campus is not exactly a thrill. For some reason despite all of this I am extremely happy today. I'm basically bursting with energy and feel totally ready to take on the world. I feel totally refreshed after getting back to SLU last night and doing nothing with some friends. I got a good night's sleep and feel refreshed from it. My literature professor informed my class this morning that our final would be take-home! I got delicious coffee before class, and I actually ate some breakfast.  Now I'm just relaxing and listening to some Fall Out Boy before my Psychology presentation. My internet hasn't been working the greatest today, but just good enough to facebook and blog creep.  I know I have a lot of things to do tonight with a Students for Life meeting and Gries mass and some homework and all that jazz.  There's so much to do and so little time, but I feel totally prepared for it. I'm excited to eat dinner with my friends that I haven't hung out with all weekend, and I am just ready for the day.  I usually nap during this time between classes, but today I'm not even tired!! This is seriously a big deal for me! Last night I even fell asleep right on my laptop wearing my slanket... my friend took a picture of it and sent it to all our other friends... thanks Bridget! So ya today shouldn't really be any more special than any other day, but for some reason it is. I'm bursting with joy and energy just thinking about how it's still Easter and I'm totally ready to take on everything I have left to do this semester. I have full confidence that I can get everything done well and totally own my anatomy test, all while still enjoying the end of semester activities that are planned. I hope everyone else is enjoying their day despite all the things that might be a recipe for a rough day. Happy Easter to everyone!!

"we are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song"

Since so many people decided to start reading my blog this weekend I figure I should give them something to read. Easter break was pretty much awesome.  Holy Thursday was full of some fun adventures.  I went Adoration Hopping with my friend... I had some major strugs along the way with my driving and walking, but no one got hurt, so it's all good! I reunited with my friends and met some pretty cool people.  Then Good Friday was not so good. I was stranded at home by myself because I got pink eye- gross. It turned out to be fun though because I got to watch the entire Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I with commentary with my dad. We're basically huge dorks, but I'm ok with that. Holy Saturday was EPIC!!! Easter Vigil at the Cathedral was totally great! My sister, dad, and I had a great time laughing through the entire mass because of the appearance of Saradactyl.  Sara got her obnoxious hiccups 3 different times.  Two of my good friends and my future brother-in-law all entered the Church! The priest that gave the homily reminded us several times that "We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!" Then we had the largest group we've ever had at Steak-n-Shake afterward. All of that adds up to an epic night.  Easter day was great fun! I just love Easter so much!! It's such an amazing holiday when you think about how Jesus resurrected and completely conquered death and we all now have the opportunity to go to Heaven! It's so great that it can't even be contained into 1 day, it lasts 8 days! My whole family gathered at my aunt's house yesterday to celebrate. We all basically just ate, talked, and napped all day! The little kids had an Easter egg hunt, which was absolutely adorable! I got to hide the Golden Egg filled with $100.  The adults searched for the egg and my future cousin-in-law (i guess that's what he technically is...) found it! We then reverted back to childhood and played with balloon rocket things and bubbles- both meant for the little kids, but the adults got more entertainment from them. Then today I had coffee for the first time since before Lent (besides a small mocha I had at Relay for Life)!! I had a white tuxedo java chip frappucino from Starbucks! It was absolutely delicious! Now I'm back here at SLU!  I'm totally ready to finish up the school year strong and do well on my my last tests and finals.  I had a super productive weekend, so I'm basically done with all my homework for the rest of the semester! Now I can devote my life to studying for anatomy! I really want to finish strong and do well on everything I have left. I especially motivated to study a lot this week so I can go visit friends at Benedictine this weekend!! I can't believe freshman year is almost over, but I'm excited for the end of the year and for summer!

thunder, lightning, tornadoes, oh my!!

I realized it's been a week since I posted, so I figure it's time for another update of my life.  This weekend was kind of epic here at SLU. Friday night my friends and I went to a really fun dance at the Sheraton Hotel.  It was hosted by Alpha Phi Omega which is a service co-fraternity.  It's a really great group here on campus. The dance was so much fun!! Then Saturday night was Relay for Life! Avada Kedavra Cancer won the Residence Hall floor team fundraising competition (we get a pizza party!)!! We were one of the few teams that stayed at the race the ENTIRE night!! We made it through the cold weather and tiredness all the way until the closing ceremony at 5am.  Basically my team is epically awesome, plus we had the greatest name ever! Then I went to a Students for Life barbecue on Sunday.  It was super fun. Finally I ended the weekend with mass at the College Church! Since it was Palm Sunday the service started outside and we all processed into the church together. It was really cool, and there were a ton of juniors in high school there for a visit that night. They stayed with students on campus and went to classes and all Monday.  It was neat that they got to experience such an awesome mass here at SLU- except the Gospel lasted over half an hour... but it was great anyway!

So that all brings me to Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week. Yesterday was a very frustrating day. I had to wake up at 7am on my day off of classes to register for next semester. The system got overloaded and wouldn't let me log-in until 7:24. Thankfully all of my classes next semester are giant lectures so there were still plenty of spaces left by the time I was finally able to register.  Then I tried to pick up a package that I was supposed to have by last week, but they couldn't help me at all.  Our mail services here take SO long.  Then instead of being productive all afternoon, I took a 3 1/2 hour nap.  Then I went to CLC and Upper Room adoration.  My friends won their intramural flag football game!! Unfortunately those games are during my CLC- I want to play so badly!! Oh well, life is full of sacrifices, I'd rather be at CLC, it's just disappointing that they conflict with each other. Yesterday I started getting sick again with sinuses. All of that combined just meant a frustrating day. I woke up today feeling like my head was going to explode, but after my first class I felt much better.  It was a long day because I was so exhausted, but it gradually got better! I went to an Encounter 40 reunion, then an e-board meeting for Students for Life. While we were having the meeting the tornado sirens started going off! I really love bad weather... I know it's weird, but I just can't help it! The tornado watch didn't last very long at all, so I went back to my dorm and went to get ice cream with some friends! Then I went to mass, and now I'm watching the lightning from way up here on the 16th floor! I'm going to miss this view SO much next year! I feel like the lightning is just right there in front of me and I love it! I don't feel sick anymore, and I only have one class, some packing, and a short drive between me and my nice comfy home!! I can't wait to be at home and see my family and friends and my car!! This Easter will be pretty epic and I'm really excited for it! I also can't wait to go to Starbucks and drink a delicious coffee drink after Easter! I hope everyone has a blessed Easter vacation, even if it's short, and hope everyone remembers the true celebration of what this holiday is!

My major strugs of the day:

So today my hair tie broke during class. I tied it together and carried on like nothing was wrong.  Then later after I showered I threw away the broken hair tie with the intention of getting a new one. Well I forgot to grab a new one before I left my room, but I really needed to pull my hair up. My Livestrong bracelet is now holding my hair in a ponytail... Not the greatest hair tie ever, but I make it work. As my friend said, my hair is just "living strong." Today I was exiting Au Bon Pon with a bagel in my hand. I miss-judged where the doorway was and ran straight into the wall. The girl near me witnessed the whole thing so we both started laughing and I just tried to brush it off- I run into things all the time, so whatever. Then I was walking up the stairs carrying the same bagel and I stumbled a little as I often do on stairs. Unfortunately my bagel slipped out of my hand and fell on the stairs. I thought I could just pick it up and continue on my way, but I looked up and saw a guy staring straight at me laughing.  Woops...

And my fail the other day also involved running into something.  We have sliding doors to get into one of our buildings on the med campus. Well i misjudged how much the door was going to slide open, so I ran into it. Not only did I run into the door, but I knocked it off it's sliding track. I pushed it back in place, but it didn't slide anymore... another big woops... Today it was back to sliding though, so I guess it all worked out fine! I'll try not to run into things too much anymore... but I've been trying to do that my whole life and it obviously hasn't worked out for me yet...

What a Weekend!

This weekend was probably the best weekend I've had here at SLU.  I went on Encounter 40 this weekend.  The entire retreat was all about Encountering, not just Christ, but yourself, Christ, and others.  It was truly amazing for me to actually acknowledge myself and my own personal faith, rather than just reconnecting with the simple faith I had before.  I can't even begin to describe how this weekend truly changed the outlook I have on my own life and faith in God.  I met some amazing people who taught me what the word "encounter" really means.  I am so thankful for teh opportunity I had to experience this retreat. 


When I got back from the retreat I walked toward my dorm and saw mobs of people out on the quad. I was so confused, but my friends quickly found me and filled me in.  There was "fire drill" so everyone was outside waiting to go back in.  So while waiting a large group of us played Ninja in the quad for a couple hours! Then finally a guy came out and announced that there had been an electrical fire on teh 6th floor and no one was allowed to stay in teh building for teh night. So chaos began to try and find a place to stay in teh other dorms and apartments! They let every floor go up one by one to grab essentials for the night from their rooms. Thankfully I already had everything I needed because of the retreat! No walking up 16 flights of stairs in the dark stairwell for me!! I really lucked out with that. Three other friends and I crashed with a friend in another dorm.  Unfortunately their air hasn't been turned on in that building and her window did open. It was definitely a roast-toasty night on the floor!! but it was still a lot of fun!

Then today I woke up and went back to my dorm early, but fell asleep again until about 11:45.  Then I went to mass and lunch with some friends. Our dorm turned off our power for a couple hours during the afternoon, so after lunch we had nothing to do since we couldn't go into our building.  Instead we played ninja in the quad and layed in a hammock!! Then I had an interview to be lifeguard at the rec center.  The woman interviewing me had basically already hired me before the interview even started. I was offered a position as a lifeguard instructor, which is a higher position than just a lifeguard.  I will start as soon as I can get my paperwork filled out! I have to get Red Cross Instructor certified over the summer, but that's totally fine with me.  She also basically guaranteed me a job for the rest of my college career here at SLU.  It was a surprise to me that the interview went so incredibly well, but I'm definitely excited about it!!

So it's been a great weekend for me away from reality.  Now it's right back into the depths of work with a test tomorrow and two big projects to work on this week.  I had an anatomy test last week, so I at least don't have that to stress about this week.  I just pray I will be really productive during the week so I can enjoy a Students for Life barbecue and Relay for Life this weekend!! Speaking of, there's still a little time to donate to my fund!! It should be another amazing weekend for me as long as my productivity level is very high between now and then!

And all my friends did housing this week and ended up with great apartments!! A couple of them got the very last apartment in the building they wanted!! I know we all got extremely lucky, because so many other freshman were basically screwed with their housing for next year because the best options filled up so quickly. I'm so thankful we're all either in the same building or the next closest building to each other!! Just what we wanted! It'll be a great year next year!

Strange Days at Saint Louis U

I woke up this morning thinking it'd be a regular day... I was wrong. It quickly became a series of awkward events.  As I was finishing up showering, another person came in to shower. She took about a two minute shower then left and turned the lights off on me. I'm not sure why anyone would turn the lights off while someone else was in the shower, it was really weird.  Then I participated in a psych study about how personal traits effect performance in a task.  On my way to the study one of my flip-flops broke. I had to sit through the two hour long study and then walk all the way back to my dorm without a shoe... very awkward.  Then I arrived back in my room and the door was unlocked.  I figured my roommate was in the room. She wasn't but there was a male sleeping on my futon.  I couldn't tell who he was and I didn't know if he was supposed to be in our room or something.  I left my room and went to a friend's room, finally checking my phone and realizing my roommate had sent a text explaining her boyfriend would be in our room when I got back. It's too bad I hadn't checked that before going into my room and being very surprised.  After a while I went back into my room to see if he was still there. The futon was empty, so I assumed he was gone. I was wrong. I sat down on the futon and watched some tv then heard someone in the bed above me. He had moved up into my roommates bed and I wasn't able to see him. I quietly exited the room again because I felt super awkward being in there while my roommate's boyfriend napped right above me and my roommate wasn't even going to be back from classes anytime soon. Later I received a phone call from an unknown number and they didn't leave a message- not really unusual, but it rarely happens, and it happened to happen today. That was my awkward random day. None of it was horrible or made my day bad in any way, it actually was quite humorous thinking back on all of it. Everything was just so random and weird, and it all happened on the same day! This all basically just explains the chaos and randomness that is going on in my life right now. I'm hoping things will calm down a little, but let's face it, my life is pretty hectic for the next few weeks. I hope everyone everyone had a great Monday!

Christmas to Fourth of July in 7 days

A week ago it snowed four inches in a few hours and the temperature was obviously below freezing.  Today is a nice 85 degrees and sunny! I don't think I will ever be able to understand how the weather here in the Midwest can change so drastically in such a little amount of time. 

Last weekend I was praying outside in front of Planned Parenthood as the snow began.  After that my parents came and visited me in St.Louis!! We made a trip to Target and then went to Cunnetto's on The Hill for dinner. I LOVE ITALIAN FOOD!! Cunnetto's was absolutely delicious.  Then I learned what a real mall is like by walking around the Galleria.  We went in a few baby clothing stores- baby clothes are so freaking cute! The next morning we got to go to the Basilica Cathedral of St. Louis. It was so beautiful and awesome.  I showed my parents Central West End which is an adorable area of town right between SLU and Forest Park. We ate at Pi Pizzeria- delicious deep dish and garlic bread! then after a driving tour of Forest Park we all headed home.  I went back to BloNo with my parents to go to a concert with my sister. the concert was absolutely awesome, and I totally appreciate my dad driving me back to St. Louis at 4am on Tuesday so I could go to all my classes.  Basically last weekend was epic and so much fun! I'm so glad my parents were able to come visit me at St. Louis and see a little of what I've been experiencing since I came to school here in August.  This week has been pretty low-key and relaxing. Nothing huge for me to worry about.  This next week will be more stressful- I have an anatomy test on Thursday.  At the end of the week though I'm going on Encounter, which is a retreat here at SLU similar to Koinonia and TEC.  I'm really excited to have a weekend away and meet/ get to know people better.  It should be an awesome experience. 
Anyway that's all I've got for now!

oh how the time goes by!

So basically I've been way preoccupied lately. I'll just sum up my past two weeks quickly for everyone.  I got a niece! and spent pretty much as much time as I could at my sister and brother-in-law's house to visit her and help them out (they were unexpectedly busy what with about 3 hours to prepare for their baby) during my spring break. Basically this story of adoption has made me realize God really works in mysterious (kinda creepy) ways.  I've been telling everyone back at school the story because they've all been praying for them for a while now since the last adoption that fell through.  Each time I tell the story I get chills because everything just happened to fall perfectly in place in a really eerie kind of way, but a very Holy Spirit kind of way.  It just really shows how much God has plans for everyone.  The rest of my spring break was spent being a "real" college student by staying up half way through the night.  I'm used to being a "lame" college student and going to bed by midnight every night, including weekends- I really like my sleep! I've missed my friends so much so it was great to see almost all of them! I ended spring break helping out with NK 42 at ISU's newman center.  I had a very powerful experience in adoration while there and it was just really great.  I celebrated the solemnity of St. Joseph, who is such an awesome dude!! The saint for the koinonia that I went through was St. Joseph and the Holy Family, so then I came back to koinonia on his feast day- again with the God works in mysterious ways.  Not to mention I've been praying to St. Joseph a ton for his intercession regarding the adoption process for my sister and brother-in-law. I mean he had the ultimate family, so I figure he's a good one to pray to when it comes to family matters. The timing of everything was just perfect! Anyway then I came back here to SLU. The weather has been absolutely fantastically amazing!! I'm pretty swamped with work, but trying to stay ahead of it.  The bridge to the med campus is under construction for the next year and a half so the shuttles have to take a new route.  This new route was supposedly going to take an immense amount of extra time- it's actually almost quicker than the route we took before, so that's awesome!! I went to a prayer meditation thing tonight and learned about centering prayer- it was really awesome! I also ran into a couple girls that encouraged me to join the Daughter of something, the girl version of Knights of Columbus.  So I think I might do that!! My parents are coming to visit this weekend sometime which is really exciting!! Basically that's my life in a nutshell for the past two weeks! I can't wait to go home for Easter and see my baby niece (she'll be two months old by then and way bigger than when i left her!!!) and to see my future brother-in-law and a couple friends enter the Catholic Church!!, but i have so many things to look forward to between now and then- a retreat, a dance, Relay for Life (ASK ME HOW TO DONATE!!), and other things here and there!! These last few weeks of my freshman year of college (i put high school then realized I'm old and I'm actually in college...) should be a whirlwind, but I'm so excited about it all!!

Answered prayers!!

Today was one of the most stressful days I've had all semester... until about 12:30.  I've only had about 7 hours of sleep in the past two nights. Today I had to turn in a 5 page paper and a take-home midterm for literature. Then I had a psych test that was very tricky- not necessarily difficult but the answers could have been more than one but you had to choose the best, very tricky! Then I began to cram for my anatomy test during lunch.  I casually checked my phone while studying and saw the most amazing text I could have ever imagined from my dad!! He told me that my sister and brother-in-law were bringing home their baby daughter this afternoon!!!! I started balling (in the middle of the cafeteria) and ran outside to call my dad and sister to get more details.  After waiting for such a long time and going through an emotional rollercoaster, my sister is finally a mom!! We are all more than ecstatic about our new angel!! Welcome to the family Anna Clare Head!! She truly is a blessing and I am so thankful for her!! I'm pretty positive I failed my anatomy exam, but that's ok because I can make it up with the next two exams.  All I've been able to do since lunch time is smile and think about the little baby girl that I get to go home and see tomorrow afternoon!! My spring break happens to be this next week!! I've looked at all the pictures of her hundreds of times and just can't wait to actually hold her and see her for myself!! Truly this Lenten season will be a great one!! I'm off to the chapel to give some thanks to God for his magnificent gifts, then off to bed! Just a few hours of sleep, one class, a 3 hour drive home, then I will get to see my baby niece!! Can't believe I'm an aunt!! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers you have said for my family!!

so much to do so little time!!

i have less than 11 hours to: learn every muscle in the body and where it originates and inserts and what nerve innervates it, write three 1-2 page essays, and study for a psych test, and sleep... I've been working constantly these past few days getting everything done, and yet nothing has gotten done!! I can't figure it out. It just doesn't add up, I've gotten SO much accomplished, how do I still have so much to do!? I just have to get through tomorrow then I can get ready to head home and relax with my family and friends in my own comfy non- claustrophobic town, and get out of this tiny cracker box of a dorm!! I've been locked in here for way too long now!! I'm definitely starting my Lenten season off with some suffering. I'm excited for Lent though, it should be a good season! I'm gonna go de-stress by saying a Rosary in the chapel, then back to the long night ahead of me! St. Joseph Cupertino and St. Jude pray for me!

Procrastination

I'm trying to get into the groove of writing because I have to write a 5 page paper tonight that I should have written two weeks ago. I figure what better way to feel like writing than to write in my blog since I haven't done that in a week.  It's been quite a long week. I have tests in anatomy and psychology this week, along with a take-home midterm for my literature class that involves writing 3 1-2 page essays and 10 definitions with examples from books.  I also have this 5 page paper and three online quizzes for psych and 2 online quizzes for statistics. All of this due Thursday.  And a quiz in Human Development on Friday. I had absolutely nothing planned for this past weekend except to do homework and study all weekend!! Instead of actually carrying out these awesome plans of productivity I did absolutely nothing.  I was sick with horrible allergies all day Friday, so that was an excused day of sleep.  Saturday I was definitely well enough to work, but instead I went to the last SLU men's basketball game - the Billiken Blizzard White Out game- then sat around doing nothing all night.  Today I went to an anatomy study session, but other than that no progress on my homework.  The Team That Must Not Be Named won our intramural volleyball league today, because the other team in the play-offs didn't show up... but nevertheless we are the champions! So after that I sat around some more then got dinner and now I'm finally making a little progress on my paper.  I have outlined most of it, now I just have to actually put it all into real sentences and paragraphs.  Then later tonight I'm hoping to go watch the seventh Harry Potter movie in the Billiken Club.  I know I probably shouldn't, but I know I'm also not going to get anything done because I'll be thinking about the movie the whole time.  My procrastination has officially reached it's peak.  I know I work better under pressure and I always get everything done, but I really wish I wouldn't do this to myself.  The extra stress in my life because of my procrastination is totally unnecessary.  Life could be so much simpler if I would just use my time wisely and be productive!! Anyways, I really have to get to work. I can't wait for this week to be over and for it to be spring break!! I'm so excited to be at home with absolutely nothing to do for an entire week!! It will be so nice!! St. Joseph Cupertino pray for me! I should also mention that it was my sister's 24th birthday this past week!! So happy birthday to her and I can't wait to celebrate her birthday and my brother-in-laws birthday with my whole family later this week when I get home!!

So much to Say!!

I have a lot to catch up on about my weekend and week so far.  Friday was the most productive day of my life.  I sat in our little coffee shop called The Bean for 3.5 hours Friday afternoon and did some legit studying of anatomy.  It was so successful! Then my friends and I watched 4 hours of Criminal Minds, so I'd say it was a very productive day.  Saturday I rode Megabus home with a friend.  I ate at Pub II with my dad- so delicious- for lunch and had Avanti's for dinner- so delicious!!! Then I went to the IHSA girls basketball state championship game to watch my high school play for the title.  The girls lost but it was a great game!! Sleeping in my own comfortable amazing bed Saturday night was awesome. My bed here at SLU is not comfortable at all compared to my bed at home.  Anyway then I woke up and went to mass with some of my family! I got to see my dad lector which was pretty cool.  Then back to SLU I came.

Monday's are my days off, but usually I wake up at a decent time and get to work on homework or other stuff I need to do.  This Monday was a little different. I slept in way too late.  I gave blood at a blood drive in our student center, then I babysat at the parish center for our church on campus.  I babysat for a group meeting of moms that are also students here at SLU.  It is part of the Pregnant and Parenting Students Association (PPSA).  I put my name on a list so that when these moms need an emergency babysitter on campus during class or a meeting I can meet them and watch their kids.  It's a great organization on campus to support parents that don't want to have to choose between being a parent or a student, they get to do both! After that I went back to my normal Monday night schedule of CLC and adoration.  CLC was really entertaining this week. We played a fun game and got to know each other better.  Then we were forced to think about our future.  We had to make up a facebook status for 1 year from now, 2 years from now, 10 years from now, etc.  It was really interesting to see where people saw themselves in the future.  It was scary though to think that in only 5 years from now I'll be in the real world with a real job and a family (or in the convent, who knows?). It's a crazy thing to think about!!

So that brings me to today.  Today was a really long stressful day.  I went to all my classes and realized just how much I have to do in the next week and a half before spring break.  I have an essay, 3 tests (one being anatomy), and a take-home midterm that has 3 short essays as part of it.  Along with these tests and all I have a lot of busy-work to do for the rest of my classes.  I'm so stressed about it all, but the stress makes me really motivated to work hard and get everything done.  I want to prove to myself that I can handle everything and do well on all the tests.  I also know that as soon as I'm done I get to go home and celebrate my sister and brother-in-law's birthdays and see almost all of my friends and have nothing to do for an entire week!! Can't wait for spring break!!

I ended my stressful day going to the Students for Life meeting.  We had elections tonight for the executive board for the coming school year.  The other nominee for the internal vice president dropped out so I was automatically elected as the internal VP.  I'm really excited about this opportunity, but it also scares the crap out of me!! I don't usually like to be the leader of things, I like to follow and do what I'm told. The thought of being one of the leaders of such an incredible group of people is extremely intimidating.  I also am having major doubts because I want to study abroad next spring.  I feel bad that I'm committing to a position knowing that I might only be doing it for half the year.  The job of the internal VP is to keep track of the members and take care of the events calendar for the group.  I also would be overseeing the planning of the Pro-Life Trip in January.  (at least I think those are the duties...) I get to start going to some of the executive meetings to observe how they work and and what goes on. The other executive elect are such great people and I'm so glad I'll have the opportunity to work closely with them and get to know them all better.  So I am excited, but I'm going to need a lot of prayers trusting God with this plan of action.  We'll see what happens!!

Decisions Decisions!!

Yesterday I had my CLC (christian life community) then I went to adoration for an hour just like every Monday night. CLC was really interesting and we learned a little about making decisions with your heart rather than with your mind. It was really interesting and really made me think of the one decision I know I made with my heart and not my mind- my decision to come here to SLU.  I can't think of any other decision I've ever made that was truly made from giving it all up to God and following my heart and listening to what he wanted me to do.  I can't even begin to describe how much I love SLU and know that this place is where I am meant to be.  My confidence and happiness in this decision totally encourages me to keep trying daily to make my decisions with my heart and not just reason everything out in my head and over-think everything with my mind.  Sometimes, actually all the time, the greatest choices made are the ones made through prayer and trust in God!

Tonight I went to the Students for Life meeting.  We had nominations for executive board members for the next year.  I was nominated for the Internal VP position, which deals with the members and keeping them involved in different activities sponsored by the group. I am totally flattered that I was nominated, but I'm still thinking about whether accepting the nomination is the right decision. I get really nervous with leadership roles, and I feel like someone who could be there for the entire year rather just one semester (since I'm studying abroad next spring) might be better suited for the position.  Also the other nominee for the position would be totally great and amazing at it.  So I'm definitely trying to make this decision with my heart, whether to keep the nomination and see if I get elected, or to decline the nomination and wait for another opportunity in a year or two.  We'll see what happens!! Anyway then I went to Mass in my residence hall and I altar served and Eucharistic Ministered. I spilled the wine, but thankfully it was before it was actually the Blood of Christ.  Accidents happen! Besides that it's been a pretty uneventful couple of days in my life on the cool side!! I would say happy feast of the Chair of St. Peter, but it just turned midnight meaning that awesome feast is over.  Well happy Wednesday!

Random stuff

So i haven't posted in a couple days, but that's ok.  I've done a lot since then.  so I'll start with Thursday night. I went to mass in my residence hall then socialized afterward.  We ended up jsut exchanging funny jokes.  Some were really stupid, but pretty much just really hilarious! I also learned a really fun song about friday and a hippo.  It was so relaxing and enjoyable to just to hang out right after having mass.  then Friday morning came and i had a test in my growth and human development class. unfortunately i didn't really study much for teh test, but i still think it went alright.  Before the test I woke up early and went and got coffee and listened to the radio and studied for over an hour.  I'm really glad I did because I was able to get settled and relaxed before taking the test.  Then a friend and I volunteered the Hope Lodge Center for the American Cancer Society. We talked and played cards with a lady for a couple hours and just kept her company for teh afternoon.  while we were there some excitement happened! The fire alarm went off so we had to evacuate and all and wait for teh fire department to show up.  Not super exciting, but still out of the ordinary.  For dinner this same friend and I went to Salsarita's for meal swipe night.  We both missed it last Friday so we were super pumped for it last night! I got my usual chicken burrito and it was delicious!! I kind of went crazy with the hot sauce last night though (more than usual), but it was still super tasty!! After that I got a little taste of heaven with my friends.  We went to Bissinger's to celebrate a girls birthday. SO DELICIOUS!!!! It's this fancy chocolate/dessert place in Central West End.  It's a sit down Starbuck's meets Fanny May.  I got chocolate cheesecake. I was so content and happy with every bite.  My RA got drinking chocolate. If anyone has been to Italy and ordered hot chocolate, drinking chocolate was just like it! Basicaly warm pudding/mousse. It was also amazing.  THe waiter didn't write any of our orders down and got everything correct.  It was so much fun! then we of course came back and watched Criminal Minds cuz that's what we always do!! So ya that brings me to today.  This morning started off as any other Saturday morning, but then I did something new that I've never done before.  I went with the Students for Life group to Planned Parenthood.  We stood in front of it and prayed a Rosary and held a couple signs.  Nothing really happened, but yet I feel like I did something.  It was really cool and I'm really glad I went. Students for Life is going to start doing it every weekend, so I'm looking forward to more Saturdays of prayer and standing up for something that means a lot to me.  Anyway, now i'm just eating some home-made chicken noodle soup that I brought from home last week.  Super excited for something to eat other than dorm food!

By the way, I almost forgot to mention this, I did not get a position as an RA for next year, but I was placed in the alternate pool! This is what i expected so I'm content with it. Since I'm in the alternate pool there's still a chance that I could be offered a position anytime until the begining of the school year.  If an RA finds out that can't actually do it or if they need to hire more because of the demographic for teh incoming freshman class, then I could get a position. So we'll wait and see what happens! Either way I'm super excited to room with a girl I know if I don't get a position!! Just thought you all might want to know!


I also feel like I should mention that the quad got hammocks!! there's been these awkward wooden posts in the middle of the grass since fall and no one knew what they were for.  Then yesterday suddenly there were hammocks hung between the posts!! So cool and I can't wait for more great weather to just go out and lay in a hammock in the middle of campus!!

another beautiful day to be thankful for!

Today was absolutely B-E-A-U-tiful!! The temperature got up past 65 I think and I'm pretty sure the entire student population of SLU was seeing rainbows and butterflies with every step they took outside! Everyone was just so happy and excited to be outdoors.  I'm pretty sure the weather is what made me so productive today.  I did laundry and got all my homework done, and I actually did the homework really well, not just breezing through it to get it done.  I even studied anatomy more than usual (as in I actually studied a little tonight).  Now I'm listening to Miranda Lambert!! I love her music SO much and thankfully I get to go to her concert in Chaifetz Arena next week!! I literally can't wait!! Today was my friend's bday and I can say that I was the first person to tell her happy bday through text and on fb, I'd say that's an accomplishment (I happened to be awake at midnight last night to text her and write on her wall...). This weekend we're going to Bissinger's to celebrate, it's apparently the best chocolate/dessert place ever! Should be super fun! I can't wait for this weekend just to spend some time hanging out with my friends and hopefully spending a lot of time outside!! I just can't get over this weather!! It makes me such a happy camper! I also got to talk to my parents a little tonight on Skype.  Unfortunately it was a video chat so they showed the view of the ocean from their hotel window and I saw how tan they are. I'm so jealous, but they definitely deserve the amazing vacation they're on!! Well another great day is coming to an end, I'm going to go to bed a little early and listen to music while I fall asleep since my roommate is gone for the night (I assume she's gone for the night since she's not here right now and it's late...).  Anyway I hope everyone is taking advantage of the beautiful gift that this weather is!!

Also, I went to mass at college church this afternoon (the big cathedral on our campus) and the priest said something I thought was really great.  The gospel was about Jesus healing a blind man, but he wiped the guys eyes more than once to help him see rather than doing it right away in one effort.  The priest reflected on how God doesn't always answer our prayers immediately.  Sometimes we need to have patience and watch out a little longer for his answer, and it's not always the answer we expect.  I thought it was really relevant to my life, because sometimes it's so hard not to just know right now what God is calling me to do with my life.  It's so frustrating waiting for God's answer, but have patience and it will come!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this post today!! I'm surprised how much I really look forward to posting throughout my day.  I thought I'd just end up posting once a week or something, but I like rambling about my life every day!! Hope you all don't mind the detailed accounts of my days!!