I'm Baaaaack

It was a short lived trip but I am back from Minnesota (in record time too!)  On Sunday we went over to my grandpa's senior home which is more like a 5 star hotel.  I told him he was livin the high life.  He rented out the party room and we had a party (what else do you do in those kind of rooms.)  We played RCL (a dice game) for money which I clearly didn't win and Catch Phrase which if Nolan and I had been on the same team would have gone so much better.  One time, probably a year ago, Nolan and I were on the same team and his clue was Barney's (the purple dinosaur) favorite bread.. my answer.. Pumpernickel (sp?).  Now, I thought it was common knowledge but apparently everyone else in the room was stunned.  Back to our party though.  His home has a movie theater in it which is pretty legit and we watched one of my Christmas presents, Despicable Me.  If you have not seen this movie yet, watch it because it is awesome and I know you will enjoy it no matter who you are.  The next day we went to Mall of America along with everyone else in Minnesota and their mother.  I hate shopping so it was not the most fun day in the world and I was kind of upset to find out that Camp Snoopy had a name change to Nickelodeon Universe (I guess the change happened about 8 years ago, clearly I haven't been there in a while.)  All that shopping wiped us out and we all got back together at my cousins house and ate fried chicken from Culvers.. this baffled me, I have never in my life seen fried chicken from Culvers, that must be where they get the saying, "you learn something new every day."  After some quality time in Minnesota it was time to come back.  Only after realizing that you can buy a hot dog and a pop (free refills) from Costco for $1.50.. where has this deal been my whole life??  Now that I'm home I'm going to have to try it.  The car ride was long but funny and now I'm back and starting a Dexter marathon tomorrow morning.. all are welcome just come over!  I'm pooped so I'm headed to bed but happy to be home safe and sound.

Apres Christmas

For those of you that don't know apres means after in french.  I would only know this because I took about 8 years of french but look where it got me.. I bring this up because everyone yesterday at Christmas seemed so cultured so I decided that what I need to do is buy myself a ticket to Europe, have a look around, and come back so I can officially participate in all the intelligent conversations of our favorite places in Italy.  Overall I would say Christmas was a success.  I got exactly what I asked for (the perks of creating a concise list of realistic gifts!)  And as I said, my family would not be short of stories.  My favorite however, had to do with Pat and Jed.  Over summer (somehow this story had passed through the cracks until now, how, I have no idea) Pat, Allison, Jed, and Meredith were eating on Pat and Allison's patio.  Jed felt Wrigley, Allison and Pat's yellow lab, under the table and proceeded to rub the dog with his foot.  He was going up and down, up and down, up and down.. I mean this is a pretty big dog we're talking about.  Meanwhile Pat is slowly staring at Allison as she wonders what is wrong with him.  He then looks at Meredith, same response.  As his eyes meet Jeds, Jed immediately puts his foot back on the ground.  He had not in fact been rubbing Wrigley, but rather Pat's leg.  When this discovery was made you can only imagine the laughter that ensued and hearing it a second time was even funnier.  There is no way I could do it justice without Pat and Jed telling it but hey, I try.  I am now headed to the Land of 10,000 Lakes or as they like to formally call it, Minnesota.  Didn't want to leave you guys hanging.. I'll be back Tuesday so if you don't hear from me until then, don't be alarmed, I am fine.  We're about to hit the road.  And as a side note, I have noticed that it posts a different time than I actually write all my posts.  Not a very significant detail, but I tend to get OCD about certain things.  Hope you all had an excellent Christmas!  Be safe, happy, and healthy.

Top 5 Reasons

The top 5 reasons I know that David and Karen are my parents.  The first being that we all look alike.  I am the perfect combination of my parents (perfect being the operative word.)  The second being that we are all thugs (don't worry mom and dad, that is a compliment.)  For instance, my dad the other day referred to Deron Williams as a "bona fide superstar," it doesn't get much more thug than that.  The third is that we are competitive beyond belief.  Tonight, Grace tried organizing a bumper pool tournament.  If you do not know what that is, come over and try it.  I had never played until tonight and now I know why.  I had to quit after three games due to my poor performance (had to save my reputation) and newsflash, I don't like things I'm not good at (but lets be real, no one does.)  The fourth reason is that we all love food.  The three of us once went to a tapas restaurant (again if you don't know what it is let me know and we can go together) and we spent almost three hours there.. it was awesome.  The fifth reason is that we're always looking to save a couple bucks.. next year I plan on having my roommates study by candlelight and take timed showers (sorry if you guys didn't know that...)  While this list is longer than I could ever even type out by myself and while I enjoy poking fun at them sometimes I wouldn't be here without them (literally) but I wouldn't be where I am today without them and I'm grateful for the every day.  Give your parents a hug this Christmas Eve and tell them that you love them (and I guess your brothers and sisters too!)

Almost Christmas Eve

It is officially almost Christmas Eve and I haven't even finished shopping yet!  I hate shopping with a burning passion.  I hate shoe shopping, clothes shopping (even for myself), and even grocery shopping despite my intense love of food.  Needless to say, the past couple days have been awful although I recommend online shopping if you have never tried it, it's quite fun and extremely easy.  Upon my return from college I have been trying to catch up on sleep and it has been treating me well.  Delicious food and not having much to do have been treating well too, I have not too much to complain about.  Olivia and I just got our eyebrows done.  My grandma is always the first to compliment me on my eyebrows (just one more reason to love her.)  But we don't get ours waxed, we get them threaded.  While this is a painful process, I have become accustomed to it and it isn't so bad anymore.  They always remember us at the shop and its pretty cheap so if any of you are looking to try something new, go for it.  Anyways I hope your shopping is going well and I hope to have some stories about Christmas (knowing my family there will not be any shortage of them!)  Happy almost Christmas.

The Dentist

Today Grace and I (and Lizzy actually) went to hell (and by hell I mean the dentist.)  I have never liked the dentist, EVER.  It always leaves a bad taste in your mouth, it hurts, and it smells bad in the office.  My dentist tries to make conversation while my mouth is wide open and she is scraping at my teeth (making that dreaded sound-like nails against a chalkboard-may I add.)  She is a nice woman but a perfectionist in all aspects of life and in the office is no different.  I think she probably has about 25 customers, 20 of which I am related to.  We usually have a lot to talk about but today there was a man installing shelves so the drilling sound kind of inhibited any sort of conversation (fine by me.)   Grace went first and mouthed, "help me" as she walked back into the waiting area.  I took a deep breath, and walked back there.  In the middle of the cleaning she picked up her hand and it was covered in blood.  She was wearing gloves but still, I saw blood.  My eyes grew wide, ummm I thought she was supposed to be cleaning my teeth, not ripping my gums completely apart from my teeth!  It was painful (I'm a baby when it comes to pain) but it was over in about 10 mins and I was cavity free, thank goodness!  Next time I have to go back there is June.  It will feel like way shorter when the time comes but I'm grateful for the 6 months I don't have to go back there.. I hope none of you have to go to the dentist any time soon!

Babysitting

Today I babysat for the same family I did over the summer.  As a matter of fact, they were kind of the inspiration for this blog (with a little help from Lizzy and a push from a whole lot of other people.)  There are two kids, Laura (10) and Michael (8).  They haven't changed much since the last time I saw them but we had a lot to talk about today considering I haven't seen them in months!  Over the summer, we had so many funny things happen to us that I never got a chance to share.  Like that one time Michael closed the garage door on his foot.  Or that time that I attempted to answer the phone on my bike and fell into the neighbors garden (I probably still have the scrapes to prove it.)  Or that other time that I used a pad to wipe Laura's bleeding knee at the pool.  We played COUNTLESS numbers of card games and board games and I got to feel like a 10 year old again for the summer, it was awesome.  Today we played the game Just Dance on the Wii.  I had the time of my life, partly because I dance scarily similar to way the game does and partly because I won every single game (after an hour and a half they asked to play a different game because i was winning too much and I was quick to agree-my arms were sore.)  You may not know this about me but I am disgustingly competitive.  If it is any sort of indication, I'm not allowed to bowl with my family anymore.. and today was no different, I didn't even have the heart to let them win a game.. some may call it a fault, but sometimes it works out for me.  After that we played Memory which I have been a pro at since the age of 4 so they didn't really stand a chance.  They then chose a game I cannot even work the controller to: Madden 2010.  I probably deserved it and I was grateful for the break from winning (just kidding) but I was pooped by this point.  Hope all your breaks are just as successful as mine has been so far!

Haircuts

A few minutes ago I gave Nolan a haircut.  I used to give haircuts to my friends and family towards the end of senior year.  I give one cut and one cut only.. the buzz cut.  I have my own pair of clippers and like to think that I am good at what I do despite the fact that a blindfolded monkey could probably give someone a buzz cut.  For a couple months I had a steady flow of people coming over for haircuts and right around prom time I had a ton.  One I remember in particular was Marty.  Marty had been a frequent customer and figured the day before prom would be a good time to come over and get his hair cut.  It was all going fine until I got to the right side of his head.  I heard something and turned my head quickly and accidentally nicked his head leaving a small bald spot.  I immediately started apologizing profusely and he claimed that it really wasn't a big deal but I still feel bad about it.  I just asked him not to take pictures from the right side so that no one could see and when I saw all the pictures from prom you really can't see anything but it was enough to degrade my confidence just a little.  While Marty doesn't usually come to get his hair cut anymore you are all welcome to come over and I would be glad to cut your hair :)

How I Met Brad

Before I start I just want to tell all those that are not done yet (Emily, Dana, Susan, Molly, and so many others) that YOU CAN DO IT!! If I did it, you can, so go rock those tests and in a couple hours you'll be free!  I also want to give Taylor a special shout out.  She had an extremely hellish semester and her finals lasted from last Friday until this Friday and she just deserves a pat on the back.  As the semester comes to a close I got to thinking back to the beginning of this year which seems like yesterday and years ago all at the same time.  One story that stands out in particular is how I met Brad.  It was probably the second day we had all been on campus, classes hadn’t even started yet.  I went out with Max and company and had no one to walk all the way back to Urbana with, so, I slept on apartment 8’s couch for the first time ever.  It actually took a lot of effort for me to get to that couch.  Dearest little Eddie had fallen asleep on the couch and there was no way I was about to sleep on the chair (it’s extremely uncomfortable, take it from me.)  I carried/guided him from the couch to the chair (I apologized in the morning don’t worry.)  I locked up and went to sleep.  In the morning, I awoke to a loud knocking on the door.  I opened it and it was the UPS guy.  He promptly asked me if Brad (in case you haven't picked up on it yet I don't use last names-I call it "The No Last Name Policy"-for all your sakes) was there.  I told the UPS guy that he had the wrong apartment because no one named Brad lived here.  He then proceeded to ask if this was apartment 8 of whatever their address is.  I looked at the door and it had an 8 on it so I figured it was a safe bet saying yes, he was in the right spot.  He looked like he was in a hurry so he asked if I would just sign and hope for the best.  Pretty sure this could have ended badly but just as I shut the door someone walked down the stairs that I had never seen.  I asked him if his name was Brad and he said yes.  I asked him if he lived here (in the apartment we were both standing in) and he said yes.  I then asked him where Max lived and he pointed up.  My heart sunk.. how could Max live in the apartment above?  Did he just leave me and Eddie here to sleep in some stranger’s apartment?  I could have sworn he said this was his apartment.  While I stood there freaking out on the inside trying to figure out how to explain myself to Brad, Max walked down the stairs and I let out a little sigh of relief but then I thought about it for a minute, what did he mean Max lived up?  He explained that by pointing up he meant Max sleeps upstairs not in an apartment above them (I have since come to realize that there actually is no apartment above them but it was early in the year so I gave myself a break.)  While Brad had just scared the crap out of me, I formally introduced myself.  Eddie had woken up by this time and was not pleased by the fact that he was squished on the chair but I apologized multiple times.  As I was leaving Brad asked if me sleeping on the couch meant that they would be seeing a lot of me.. little did he know.  Still in the greatest mood ever because I am so free and getting in the Christmas mood!  Back to the 847 later :) although I am sad to be leaving Champaign and not having Katherine as a roomie (our room looks so bare) im pumped to be home.  If any of you are not on Twitter you should totally jump on that bandwagon, I'm addicted. 

3/8

I am officially 3/8 done with my college career how scary is that?!  But I could not be happier that this semester is over or as I have been shouting ever since walking out of my last test DUNZOOOO!  I first want to thank Kath for that special guest blog it truly was awesome and I appreciate her more than SHE will ever know.  I am happy to be going home but I am sad to be leaving Champaign and everyone in it.  Now that I am done all I want to do is lay around but I have to pack up my room because for some dumb reason I am not allowed to leave all my stuff here at the house.. I would love to have a word with whoever came up with that rule.  I'm still convinced that if I ruled the world everything would run much more efficiently but that day won't happen for a long time so in the meantime, I have to sit back, relax, and take everything in stride.  Some exciting news, Tony and I are creating a flashmob here at school.  Song suggestions are welcome (we're looking for a classic.)  We need as many dancers as we can get so, please join and make history here in Champaign (location of this epic event is still TBD so we could use help with that too) but we will choreograph an easy dance so that everyone can participate and it will be awesome!  If you have never seen a flashmob/don't know what one is, I have attached a link that you should definitely check out!  I don't know why the link is on the word definitely but oh well.  Well I'm off to shower because I couldn't tell you the last time I did that..

Guest Blogger: Kath Cunningham

As I write this celebrity post, I am experiencing a little stage fright. This blog has become something I would have never imagined. But let’s be serious, anything Maris touches turns to gold. She’s the bomb diggity and here are some reasons why… Maris falls asleep with the lights on and the door open. Who does this?? No one normal and that’s exactly why I love Maris. I have never really met anyone like Maris before. I wish I was her sometimes (and by sometimes I mean all of the time). When I sleep through my classes, stuff my face with Dunkin Donuts, and waste my life away via facebook, I look to Maris for my inspiration. The girl doesn’t stop! Main library, group projects, running/falling down CRCE stairs, facebook stalking to a healthy degree. This girl has got it going on! (especially on the dance floor). I sleep talk, she doesn’t notice. I don’t shower much, she doesn’t say anything. I put up a very strange doorbell (it’s kick ass, come to room 211 for more information, but be warned, there is no heat in our room) and she fully embraces it. I am so thankful for paris with a m and she doesn’t even know it! So my advice for the day (and don’t worry, it is just today, Maris will be back soon) is to appreciate that person who you live with. You go through a lot in a semester. Let’s reflect on the hardships Maris and I have faced…only getting one bed at the beginning of the semester, having a router in our room but no internet, did I mention we don’t have heat in our room? Wow, those were a lot of struggles…I am not sure how we got through it, but we did, together. Next semester, Maris and I are upgrading to a new room and another roommate, Emily. To say that I am excited is an understatement. Emily was the woman who did our light installation for the Christmas season, which is beautiful. If you were looking for some festive decorations, let her know. You can find her up at all hours of the night and occasionally napping in Maris’s bed. So to conclude (I don’t want to bore you, I am no Maris Witry here), I just want to thank Maris for a magical semester. I will miss her over these next 4 weeks, but I guess that is why the girl has a blog.

Love Life Live the Dream,

Kath

Freshman

Last week Shakara came over for dinner and it made me miss last year.  I miss Rachel and Shakara and everyone on 2NE.  I miss everyone being mad at me and Rachel even though it was Shakara making all the noise.  I miss our dance parties and trips to late night for Flamin Hot Cheetos and blue Powerade.  I miss when classes were easy and I miss sitting in the cafeteria for hours on end playing the number game (we'd try to get as many guys numbers as we could.. Shakara always won.)  I miss everyone being so close together (I think it took me tops 4 mins to get to my farthest friend's room) and I miss studying in the basement of my dorm because while it felt like the library it only took a flight of stairs for me to get home.  I love this year and U of I but some times I miss the little things.. like during finals time when I can't seem to catch a break.  I have only three to go and then I am free.  My one today wasn't too bad but we'll seeee! Stay warm its like 6 degrees outside!

low battery

I wasn't aware that the tundra was located in central Illinois!  It is absolutely brutal out there which is why I am not leaving anymore today.  When I was walking today I fell (due to the ice not the wind but the wind did not help.)  Right now everything is on low battery: my computer, my phone, my ipod, my brain.. I can't wait until Thursday night when this is all over!  I want to take this opportunity to thank all my friends for helping me laugh during these long weeks of constant school (as Molly would say, sharing laughs and making memories.)  My family would obviously be really supportive if we were in the same place but I know they're pulling for me.  I also want to thank YouTube because I have discovered so many new songs and it is so convenient to get pumped up to study with so many options.  I'm gonna need to think of something like YouTube so I can get rich and drop out of school.. then I'll be living the life.  These last couple weeks of the semester mark the one year anniversary of Max, Will, and I being roommates on 3G (due to roomie issues in Snyder.. story for another time).. I still owe them for that, they were so nice and easy to live with I will forever be grateful.  3G was hands down the best floor in the entire six pack and I enjoyed living there for those couple of weeks.  If I could sum them up in a couple words they would be "cool babes."  For those of you from 3G that read this.. I hope I get the invite to the next Geo's outing.  One more thing I am happy to announce is that Max and I are officially the new match-makers here on campus.  I don't want to embarrass anyone in particular (you know who you are) but our uncanny teamwork and plethora of hot friends makes this a very easy and fun job!  You should ask us sooner than later because we may start charging .. just kidding, I haven't consulted Max on this one yet but I'm sure he'll be fine with it.  Stay warm this week!

meh

It's a very crappy day here in Champaign-Urbana.  The wind is whipping, the rain is pouring, and Molly and I are here studying our little butts off in the freezing cold library.  On the bright side Marty, Phil, and Katherine's brother were all born today so happy birthday to the three of them!  The Army vs. Navy game is today (Go Army, Beat Navy - if you feel any differently just stop reading now.)  I remember when I went to the Army vs. Navy game in Philadelphia.  It was absolutely freezing but one of the best experiences of my life.  The most interesting part of the game I thought was the national anthem because not one person in the entire stadium said one word until the last note was sung (unlike every other sporting event.)  Before we went to the game we visited West Point and that was cool.. we even saw Brian in class - I'm sure he was shocked.  And after the game we went to New York.  That is the only time I have ever been there and we took the speed tour given by my dad and Uncle Geoff.  We covered a lot of territory that day but it was definitely worth it.  I hope you are all staying warm inside and getting ready for Christmas!

Glasses

Fun's over ladies and gentlemen.  The libraries are packed (I couldn't sit in my normal seat), and the brain waves in here are almost visible to the naked eye.  I am actually studying the eye right now and it is just making me that much more grateful for not becoming an eye doctor.  Eyes creep me out when looked at medically but I love looking at everyones different color eyes (if that is grammatically correct.)  I have had glasses ever since I was two (my parents noticed that babies shouldn't have crossed eyes.)  I always hated the eye doctor.  I would actually squeeze my eyes shut so that they couldn't put the drops in.  Having your eyes dilated is one of the worst experiences in the world.  They used to make me try to pick out my new pair of glasses when I couldn't see anything.. must be why I now have glasses with butterflies on the side.  The eye doctor told me that by probably 8th grade my eyes would have naturally fixed themselves.  Well guess what Dr. M, it didn't happen!  In 8th grade however I got contacts.. I used to claim that it saved my social life but we all know that is a lie.  The first time I put contacts in it took me a solid 45 minutes and i looked as though I had been crying A LOT.  Contacts opened up a whole new world for me but to this day I hate putting them in.  They're worth it I think so I'm gonna stick with them but if you don't have to wear glasses or contacts you should be thankful!  Speaking of being thankful I recommend taking the minute it takes to watch this interview with God.  Not only is it beautiful, comforting, and inspirational but I almost just cried here at the library.  Love you all and enjoy it.



http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

Olive Garden

Tonight I was watching Glee (which almost made me tear up and if you don't know by now, I'm not a very emotional person.)  As I watching I saw a commercial for Olive Garden.  It reminded me of one time that Grace, Amy, and I went to Olive Garden together.  Our first mishap was that we didn't know exactly where one was and we had to call quite a few people to locate one.  Once we were on our way, I got a Michael Buble CD stuck and that was all we could listen to.  It would have been totally fine if we had not gotten lost and listened to the same CD for almost two hours (I still do love Michael Buble, I'm just not sure if Amy does..)  After finding the restaurant we ran inside half because it was raining and half because we were pretty hungry by this time.  When the waiter came by to ask what we wanted we were ready to order because we knew what we wanted, endless soup, salad, and breadsticks (what else does one get at Olive Garden?)  He asked Amy what she wanted and she ordered.  When he asked what I wanted I told him and when he asked Grace I politely interrupted and said, "we're just going to split."  He gave me a look and told me we were not allowed to split endless soup, salad, and breadsticks so I said, "well then she isn't going to eat."  It was pretty obvious that he was on to me but whatever.  We ate until we could eat no more and didn't have to pay as much.  That, my friends, is called being resourceful.  While Olive Garden may not be the best food in the world it sure is a good deal so I recommend trying it!

my celeb fam

My computer is worse than ever as i sit here typing with the screen at like a 45 degree angle.. if any of you have any idea how to fix this let me know.  As we speak my parents and some aunts and uncles are visiting my Uncle Art in Las Vegas who unfortunately doesn't look like he is going to make it through the week after his fight against cancer.  Say some prayers for him because they never hurt but we know he is going to a better place.  On the subject of family however I was having a group conversation the other day about who we would cast our family as in a movie (if that makes any sense.)  After much debate (and they are subject to change) I decided on my family.  I would have Steve Martin play my dad.  His performances in both Father of the Bride and Cheaper by the Dozen solidified his role.  My mom would be Allison Janney (the mom from Juno) she was so understanding and relaxed about everything (her daughter getting pregnant) she made a great mom.  My sister would be Reese Witherspoon because she is super cute, trendy, and seems like she would make a good friend, just what a sister should be.  My other sister would be Blake Lively, she is beautiful and super cool and I would need someone to help me with clothes and make-up.  My brother would be Matt Damon because he is so heroic.  As my brother he would be able to come in a save the day!  My husband would be Ryan Reynolds.  Not only is he a babe, but he seems like real hubby material :) I would have my child be the little boy from Jerry Maguire--the adorable one with glasses, obviously.  My dog would be Shadow from Homeward Bound because he was the most loyal dog to walk this earth.  To play myself I think I would Rachel McAdams.  She dyes her hair for parts all the time so she could match mine and she is an awesome actress that everyone seems to love so why wouldn't I want her to play the role of me :)  I think that pretty much covers it and I know I'm missing some people but don't worry when I make a movie about my life I'll let you all play yourselves no actors necessary!

Weekend's Over

The weekend is now officially over.  I have been one busy woman these past couple days!  On Thursday after napping, going to class (where we played a 3 on 3 basketball game with my TA before starting class), and eating dinner I got all dolled up and went to Tri-delt semiformal with Alyssa.  It was an absolute blast and Brittany and I had the prettiest dates by far! We danced the night away and were home by midnight (thanks to Ken giving Brittany and I a ride home).. my kind of night.  I had to sleep on the couch due to the frigidness of mine and Kath's room but I enjoyed the change of scenery.  Friday I got a package from my parents containing a sweet new vest which I will be sporting around campus, a cookie which someone else ate the majority of because I can't seem to find it, some sticky notes (always a must), and new make up.. needless to say I was a happy camper upon receiving a package!  But Friday was also exciting because it was my semiformal (Olivia's too, how ironic).  I can honestly say I think everyone that went had a great time.  We got going pretty early and by early I mean 6:30 because the buses were so early.  We picked up some pizzas (best idea ever) and other necessary items and went to Ben, Brad, Ken, and Max's.  Brad was a little late showing up because he lost his license and drove to Western to get his twin brother's ID so he could come, what a champ.  Unfortunately he never even made it and neither did Ben, Coy, or myself.  We decided the walk to the bus was too far and we would use a pledge taxi.  This would have worked much better if it had not been blizzarding.  The kid had to make three trips because there were 12 of us total.  He made the first two trips in what seemed like ten minutes but he didn't come back to get us (the final four) for an hour and a half.  When he finally came, we decided to still try and go.  On our way to Soma (which is in downtown Champaign) we got blocked by a semi attempting to go under an overpass that is probably 10 ft tall.  Meanwhile I have been getting calls left and right asking where we were and by the time we were almost there, everyone was leaving.  We had the kid turn around and take us back to the apartment, everyone was kind of in a bad mood but we made the best of it.  After we had been there for a while Phil walked in the door absolutely covered in snow and announced that he had just walked home from Soma (which as I said earlier is in downtown  Champaign).  Walking home the however many miles in a blizzard by himself, we were just grateful he was alive and was able to somehow find his way home!  The rest of our little crew trickled in and some of us then went to The Rouge Lyon for a night cap.  I ended up sleeping at my second home on the couch which I can offically dub as my second bed.  When everyone woke up, we swapped stories (specifically Max telling me that my semiformal was fun.. which he probably thought made me feel so much better about missing it), we ate Wendys and they dropped me off.  Everyone had some great stories back at the house (I actually probably added like 10 years to my life from all the laughing I did.)  Later that night I got ready again and went to Acacia semiformal with Will.  We had a blast and were literally tearing up the dance floor, LITERALLY, I'm sure everyone else was pretty jealous.  I saw Claire and Chelsea who I haven't seen in absolutely forever and it was awesome!  This encounter just solidified the fact that I love them and we should hang out way more often.  Jam and Laurie were there as well and Jam literally fell in the middle of everyone.  Being the kind, caring person I am, I pointed and laughed because I find it funny when people fall.  Another funny tidbit about Jam, she found out about Santa in 7th grade at the lunch table (learned that one today).  Now I'm sitting here in my jammies trying to get work done because finals are upon us!  This should have been split up into two posts, I'm actually honored if you took the time to read all the way to the bottom of this.  I hope you all had an equally epic weekend and are ready for the week to start!

WOOO!

Dunzo with most of my school work for the week!  I literally have slept probably 11 hours in the past three days but its all over and I could not be more grateful.  I just have one more class and I got a nap in.. score.  Tonight I've got a hot date to semi-formal.. Alyssa!  Last night we studied together until really late so I just slept over at her house and she was such a nice host she even gave me an extra toothbrush :) But the one downer this morning, it's FREEZING.  You want to know how I know it's winter.. my butt is chapped from walking around campus.  This may gross some of you out but think about it. My backpack rubs up against my jeans which eventually rub up against my butt in frigid temperatures.. its bound to be chapped!  Other than that I'm just looking forward to our lighting ceremony later.  In our room (211) Katherine and I have a Christmas tree and lights that we are going to illuminate for the first time tonight around 6.  We will sing carols, drink hot chocolate, and have a gay old time.  Everyone is welcome but I hear its filling up quick so don't be late!  I also want to give a quick shout out to Emily for folding all my clothes, I owe you big time!

Rainy Day

It's pouring outside incase you weren't aware.  My valuables are okay so no worries there but the rest of me is soaked and it's supposed to keep up all night :(  Don't get me wrong, I usually love rain just not when I know I'm going to have to be at the library the whole time it's raining.  On a happier note we have a new professor for MCB.  He is actually the one that wrote our book (intimidating) and he came in today wearing a button up with a fleece vest, he's bald and has a Hitler mustache (even more intimidating.)  When he started talking he had an accent which was somewhat difficult to understand but he ended up being one of the coolest professors I have had at this fine university.  I spent a majority of the class trying to figure out his accent and I've decided I think it is eastern european because he sounded like someone else I used to know.  This someone was named Dragan (no joke) and he was my soccer trainer.  For probably three years of travel soccer we met with Dragan three times a week and they were the three worst days of the week.  He was definitely a drill sergeant when it came to soccer.  I mean we were third grade girls, how good at soccer could we really be.  He used to have juggling competitions and we did the same passing routine every practice for half an hour (I can still dribble a ball like you wouldn't believe.)  There were some things he made us do that I hate though.  Example: he would have us stand on the midline of the field and he would be in the goal.  He would punt the ball and expect us to head it back to him.  Do you know how many times I got hit in the face doing that? Me neither, I spent most of the time with my eyes closed (always got yelled at for that.)  Speaking of yelling he would always spit when he yelled and when he headed the ball sweat would bounce off so it really sucked if he used your ball or you stood too close!  After a while he was forced to leave.. but all of us on that team will never forget him or his antics.. we can laugh about it now because he is long gone.  I forgot to mention that he was a singer on the side so if you ever hear a song by Dragan from Yugoslavia, you've got the right man.

Back to School

I'm back in Champaign thanks to PJ and Ryan.  Last night Maine South once again made history winning the 8A state championship for the third year in a row.  I wish I had been there to see it but I saw it on TV and that worked for me.  I had nachos for lunch today and tried an eggnog shake from McDonalds which was absolutely delicious.  I recommend you all try one although it was kind of expensive.. worth it I say.  We didn't get dinner at the house tonight which was kind of a bummer but I had soup and candy so I'm set.. kind of relieved not to be eating Thanksgiving leftovers to be honest.  I cannot believe its already 6, this day has just escaped me! I'm sad I didn't get to put the Christmas decorations up at my house but as I glance to my left I see boxes filled with a tree and ornaments so maybe someone here will ask me to help put it all up.  Off to write an article for The Odyssey (because I kind of forgot last week.. oops) have a good Sunday night.

Almost December

I'm back at the library (shocker I know.)  But this time I walked here with my dad and Eleanor-my dog in case you don't know.  It's much warmer outside than it seems.  As I walked in the door the alarm went off.  Since when does the Park Ridge Public Library have an alarm system?  It reminded me of the time I set the alarm off at the UGL in Champaign.  First of all I set it off walking into the library which was the first indicator that I did nothing wrong but the guy working the front desk still made me dump the contents of my backpack on the counter.  Once it was settled that I clearly did not steal a book, I was allowed to go free.. hope they don't have my picture on the wall know or anything.  My cousins left around 10 this morning because they had an 8 hour drive back to MN (just glad I didn't have to do that today!)  Due to the sleeping arrangements last night I went up to Glenview and slept at the Lutz's.  Got a chance to hang out with my Glenview buds--the ones I stole from David :) but we watched the show The Walking Dead on AMC.  It was a good show minus all the parts with zombies (so like half the show.)  I get scared very easily so its not the best show for me but some of you may like it.  I got up early to come back and say bye to the Legos so I'm pooped but tonight Maine South plays for the state title for the third year in a row.  The game is against Mount Carmel and should be interesting.  I'll keep you posted on the outcome.  Hard to believe I'm headed back to Champaign tomorrow.. time just flies.  Today is Mike and John's birthday so if you see either of them don't forget to say happy birthday!

The Aftermath of Thanksgiving

Funny story: our pipes got clogged from the two ply toilet paper!  Told you we weren't ready for such a big step.  I guess when I have my own house we're gonna need bigger pipes too.  Well I'm right back at the library (with Amy) and we're actually getting a lot done (surprise, surprise.)  I think I have decided to go on the Habitat for Humanity trip over Christmas (I refuse to call it winter) Break with Solid Rock.  I'm trying to get a group together to go so if you want in let me know.  I'm still working on logistics but I think it would be fun.  So far the list is Lauren (and fam), Burns, and me so jump on the bandwagon.  We can now officially start getting excited about Christmas!  It seems weird listening to music on the radio already and I plan on decorating our room at school with Katherine.. It's gonna be awesomeee.  Other than that not much going on, the Legos (my cousins--not the popular toys) are coming.  They're actually probably getting here now so I should head back home.. as soon as I'm done with some things I'll head back.  Have a great Friday and enjoy the sun today!

Thanksgiving 2010

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My stomach still feels like it's going to explode but it was totally worth it--I have a cousin that is a chef, another aspiring chef, and my mom is one of the best cooks in the world--needless to say dinner was delicious!  But I sprinted the marathon folks, and I am feeling the repercussions still.  I have so much to be thankful for this year, my family, my friends, my health, the list never really ends.  Today I got to celebrate it with some of my favorite people.  I heard some pretty funny things today and you all deserve a chance to hear them...

1. Molly told me what she was thankful for this year and here's what she had to say: this thanksgiving i'm thankful for Lupe Fiasco, safe walks, future apartments where disgustingly awesome dance parties will go down, white trash, hot TA's but not their girlfriends, amurica, and toilet paper that doesn't feel like i'm wiping with sand paper.  

2. As we were eating the skin off the turkey like "savages" as my cousin Jared would say.. Nolan provided us some words of inspiration: "pain is temporary, pride is forever".. in reference to just how hot the turkey skin was.. no need to worry, we ate it all despite the temperature.

3. We had two turkeys this year and after eating the skin off the first one, some people who missed out on it came up and were somewhat upset but my mom assured them, "they sell naked turkeys now.. you didn't miss out on anything." Mom's always know how to make things better.

4. My little cousin Jared was going around asking people to plug their numbers into his new phone and when he walked up to our cousin Meredith he said, "oh my gosh, I forgot your name!"  He has a bad habit of forgetting people's names.

5.  About halfway through dinner David said, "I'm gonna need a shot of Drano after this meal."  Trust me we all could have used one.. well said Dave.

6.  As the story goes, Aiden, who is probably 7 years old said the other day "Sometimes you just have to leave a trail of broken hearts." In reference to his 12 year old brother breaking up with his "annoying girlfriend."

I missed a lot of the funny stuff but as you can see I have one interesting family but I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.  I'd like to give a special shout-out to Brian overseas.. we missed you bud but we'll be ready for you when you get back!

Sandpaper and Fleece Blankets

WARNING: this post may gross you out a little but if you are a real human being it should have no effect whatsoever.  In my house there are two categories for toilet paper, sandpaper and fleece blankets.  Sandpaper refers to the super thin (one layer) toilet paper that literally feels like you're wiping with sandpaper.  This is the kind that we have used for my entire childhood.  The other is fleece blanket.  This is the kind that you only get to use when you go over to your friends house or the neighbors and this literally feels like you are wiping with a fleece blanket (two soft layers.. what else could we ask for.)  Yesterday I went into my parents bathroom for the first time in a while.  I reached for the toilet paper and it was the fleece blanket kind!  Could it be?? After 20 some odd years could we have made the epic change from one ply to 2.  We were finally gonna be those neighbors with the good toilet paper.  I ran to the other bathroom just to be sure and I was extremely disappointed to find that it was the same old sandpaper.  I guess you win some you lose some but when I have a house of my own, it's all gonna be two ply.

no school

This whole no school business is awesome, I wake up at 10:30ish every day.  Today, I went to the Elmhurst Library for a change of scenery.. just kidding.. I was working on a project with Emily but the change of scenery was nice too.  I got there a little before Emily and was forced to find a table by myself.  This may not sound like a daunting task but have you ever been in there before?  I was quite nervous.  I wandered around (pretending as though I were looking for someone) and after close to 10 mins, I found a place.  It was cozy and nice and a good place to people watch.  I did not get nearly as much as I should have done but I made a dent in the project so it worked out well.  Now, I'm headed to Mary's birthday dinner and I'm pretty pumped.  In order to be fully ready to go (I'm already dressed,  brushed my teeth, deodorant on, and contacts in -- my checklist before I leave the house, some call it OCD, I call it making sure the essentials are covered) I'm watching Ratatouille and Glee.  I'm going to watch the rest of Glee online, although, note to all of you: Hulu has started making you pay.  I always use Channel 131 and it always tends to work out.  Hope you are all getting ready for Thanksgiving and enjoying this extremely freezing (actually below at points) weather!

Going Nowhere Fast

Today marks the 20th birthdays of both Mary and Shannon, best wishes to both of you and because both of you are at home, I hope your moms made you delicious cake!  Right now, Claire, Courtney, and I are hanging out at the Park Ridge Public Library.  We are not getting a lot done but we can attribute that to our teacher that assigned a project that is virtually impossible to complete.. thanks Jenmy, we owe you one.. NOT.  But this library reminds me of so many different times.  As a child, I loved the library.  Most of you are well aware that I am a complete dork and love to read so I'm a big fan of the library but not today.  It also reminds me of that babysitting class I took in the basement.  I was so shy that I wouldn't answer one question and almost hyperventilated when we were learning CPR I was so nervous (that wasn't the only time.)  Junior year of high school in my PE Leaders gym class we had a CPR unit.  Our teacher, decided for the final test he would randomly pick one student from the class to demonstrate and we would all be graded on that performance.  Naturally I was nervous due to the fact that I fold under pressure.  Any one sitting near me knew just how nervous I was.. you think my hands sweat normally, you should have seen me then.  My entire shirt was wet from sweat and I was physically shaking.  Luckily, I was too short to be seen (the one time it has come in handy being short) and someone else was picked.  This year, I had to get re-certified in CPR and I did it online.  Is that legal? Debatable for sure but oh well.. I'm pretty sure I would be able to save most of you :)  A little off tangent from the library but I needed that.  Hope the rest of you aren't doing homework on this unusually warm Monday but stay inside because there's a tornado warning.. be safe!

Hamlin Ave.

Hamlin Avenue has been treating me pretty well let me tell you.  I have not done very much since being home but not a problem by me!  I have caught up on my Modern Family which is one of the greatest shows on television.  If you do not already watch this show, Thanksgiving is a great time to start.  Speaking of family I have spent a lot of quality time with mine.  Saturday night I went to my cousins (The Lutz's) and watched the Army vs. Notre Dame game.  Being an Army fan (for better and for worse) only the first five minutes of the game was really fun.. the rest was somewhat embarrassing.  But the food was delicious (thanks Aunt Cathy and Chris), and Meredith had a lot of fun thanks to Nolan.. overall, despite the score, it was a success.  This morning my family and I went downtown for church and out to breakfast--at Lou Mitchell's which was delicious.  At church, my dad and Nolan were the tallest people by about a foot and a half, communion was a free for all, and we witnessed 3 first communions and a baptism.. quite the experience.  As we were leaving my dad saw a girl walking down the street and claimed that she looked like Brandy.. I was impressed with the good call and found it funny that he knew who Brandy was (thank you Dancing with the Stars.)  Another funny dad moment... Nolan and my dad were driving a while ago and a skunk ran out in front of the car.  Nolan claims that it ran back and forth until finally there was no time left and my dad ran over it.  Nolan then claims that the smell just "wooshed" up into the car (which smelled for weeks.)  Seconds after hitting the skunk my dad said, "number one piece of advice while driving, never swerve for an animal."  That is a pretty solid piece of advice that you should all abide by.  My dad has a lot of good advice and we (my family and I) love him.  Some times we give him a hard time but he is the best dad in the entire world and he better never forget it!

November 18

So hard to believe that November is already almost over it feels like i just started yesterday!  And the best part about this November 18 is that I'm going home tomorrow!!!!! School has gotten the best of me but tests are over until after break!  I kind of have a cold but I don't even care because when I get home my mama is gonna make me feel so much better :)  I did my laundry today for like the third time since coming to school.. I'm literally wearing my last pair of underwear and my last pair of socks.. Cutting it close but oh well.  So last night after my test I went to sleep with a bobby pin still in my hair and just now I went to put my hair back in a bun and found the bobby pin sticking out of my hair.. that must have been a funny thing to see in my lab this morning.. glad I caught it now instead of during my next class.  It's really starting to look like winter outside and to be honest I love winter.  Mostly due to the fact that my birthday is in winter (February 19 in case you didn't know) but I love snow (at least until the middle of January.)  I am going to miss my Vitamin D though.. I think just a week ago was the most tan I have ever been in November before but I already lost it all.. so sad.  Still a good day though.. enjoy it be safe traveling this next week my friends!

Zero Time

There are simply not enough hours in the day.  I'm sure many of you agree but there is no physical way to accomplish all I have to without not sleeping for the next couple days.  I've been fueling up on sugar for the past couple hours but its not working.. my eyes are bloodshot and they burn.. oh the joys of exams.. my old life is back. I cannot wait to go home. Literally counting the minutes or as my mom would say, 4 more wake-ups! Got to go but Courtney just sent me all the Glee Christmas songs.. I can't get them to work but once I do, hopefully this night won't seem so long.

Dad's Weekend

Dad's weekend was a complete success!  I only wish he could have stayed for a little while longer but next year will be so much easier because I'll have an apartment and he can just have my bed.  My dad got here around 11:15 and we jumped around from tailgate to tailgate all day.  It was absolutely freezing (compared to the 70 degree weather earlier in the week) but we managed, barely but we did.  We stood near a fire and I even put hand warmers in my shoes which helped tremendously.  After eating literally all day we went out to eat for Chinese.  I'll be having the leftovers for dinner tonight (thanks dad!)  And it was still a productive weekend.  Friday night before my dad got here I dropped Lindsay and Bridget off at Kams, got food at Culvers (forgot how much I enjoyed butterburgers), and went to BIF to study with Taylor and Alyssa.  After being there for a couple hours, we got freaked out seeing as though we were 3/5 people in the entire building so we left.  When I got home I was over doing homework so, I used Channel 131 for the first time ever and watched the Halloween Glee episode that I missed.. kinda bizarre but whatever. I'm looking forward to this week's episode with Gwyneth Paltrow, should be good!  There is so much to do this week before break but I can't wait to go home!  Hope the Bears win today so we don't lose twice to Minnesota in two days (yes, it is embarrassing but U of I lost to Minnesota yesterday-- but we won in basketball!)  Have a great week and hang in there until Thanksgiving!

God Bless America!

God Bless America and everyone in it!  Especially the veterans on this very special Veteran's Day.  In honor of this holiday we are having an exchange themed, America.  It happens to be with Will, TJ, and Trevor's frat.. It should be a good time.  But we need to honor the real veterans (specifically those in my family!)  Today also marks the anniversary of Allison and Pat, I can remember their wedding as if it were yesterday and I don't think it was nearly this warm.. actually I remember being freezing walking to the car but the rest of the festivities were so fun it didn't even matter!  On kind of a different note I literally stepped on a squirrel yesterday (and by now you should be well aware of my intense fear of these little creatures)!  I was running and thought it was a leaf but I screamed when I realized it was one of their tails.. my heart was  pounding intensely for like 10 mins after but it made me run faster so whatever.  I could actually run outside yesterday due to the glorious weather!  It is supposed to end this weekend so this is the last time I'm gonna tell you to go outside and enjoy it.  On an even different note there has been a ridiculous amount of crime here at the U of I.  Tuesday, a girl got sexually assaulted in the shower in her dorm.. we really aren't safe anywhere.  But due to the fact that I don't have any tests this week, I decided to attend an exchange we had this week (first one I have been to almost all semester!)  It was a blast (with Rudy's frat) and the theme was S is for... Here is a little preview of what I dressed up as.. ATTENTION CHAMPAIGN: There will be no need to worry about crime tonight . Moira, Molly, and myself will be patrolling the streets as honorary SafeWalks. We are trained professionals and may or may not be armed so we say to the innocent, have no fear.. but to the criminals we say, don't even try.  SafeWalks is a campus program that will walk you home late at night for those of you that don't know.  I'm going to try to post pictures because we looked pretty legit and we even walked Alyssa home.  One last thing, I started writing for a campus newspaper, The Odyssey.  I kind of steal my blog entries and elaborate but it needs some publicity so tell your friends to read it!  That's pretty much all I have for you folks.  But get ready, Max is going to guest blog in the very near future so get pumped!

Package!

I'm sitting here eating candy from my Halloween package that arrived about 15 minutes ago and I could not be happier!  It included all my favorite kinds of candy, notes from my grandma and Aunt Bertille, and money.. too good to be true!  For the future, if you don't know what to get me as a present Frango Mints are always an excellent choice.  This morning has been great so far, minus waking up at 7.  I already went to class, finished my lab report, got a package, and haven't stopped listening to the song The Show Goes On by Lupe Fiasco.  I'm not very well versed in his music but this song is definitely a good one.  And the weather this week has been great so far and I hear it's going to stay warm for a while so get outside and enjoy it!  I have actually stuck to my 10 minutes of Vitamin D like I said yesterday and I honestly believe it improves my mood.  Someone yesterday even told me I looked tan.  I kind of laughed at that because I don't exactly look tan but hey, I'll take it.  I've never been in a tanning bed, they scare the crap out of me so I have to live up the natural sunlight while I can.  Can't believe it's only Tuesday but I can't complain, its been a pretty good day and Dad's weekend starts Friday so there is a lot to look forward to!

Babies

This afternoon Taylor and I were walking home from class and saw a group of people pushing babies in strollers.  It reminded me of senior year of high school when Zach and I took child development.  We planned it so that we got our babies on the same weekend and decided to go all out.  I named mine Ava and he named his Jackson.  We brought them to the grocery, church, and watched movies with them.  But the best was still to come.  On Saturday afternoon (it was early December) we took a trip to Walmart to take a family Christmas card.. trust me they're cheap, I wouldn't have done it if they hadn't been!  We both wore ugly Christmas sweaters and put Bitty Baby clothes on our fake babies.  Zach dropped me off at the door of Walmart and I hopped out with the two car seats.  I now understand how real teen moms feel I got some of the dirtiest looks I have ever gotten but I walked into that store and signed up for our picture.  We played it super cool not laughing or anything and to be honest once it was our turn to take the picture the woman taking it didn't even know they were fake until we posed for our first one.  We took a couple of different ones and when we got them back a couple weeks later, we gave one to our teacher Ms. Helton.  If I ever figure out how to post pictures on this thing I'll share one or two with all of you!  Hope your week has started out awesome and get your Vitamin D this week, it's supposed to be gorgeous all week!

Daylight Savings

This morning I woke up at 6:30, pressed snooze until 6:45 and had to get up to get ready to go volunteer.  Upon waking up, I texted Alyssa to see where we should meet/when she was going to leave.  I put my contacts in, brushed my teeth, put on deodorant (a daily routine) and came back to my room.  I laid back down for those 15 extra (and crucial might I add) minutes of sleep.  When I awoke for the second time, Alyssa still hadn't texted me back which was somewhat concerning because at this point we had only half an hour until we had to be there.  I called her and when she answered it sounded as though I had just woken her up.  I started to explain that we had to be there really soon when she interrupted me saying, "The time change was last night, Maris.  Go back to sleep and I'll call you to wake you up."  Well now I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.  Here I was supposed to be enjoying my extra hour of life, doing whatever I wanted with it (sleeping) and now I couldn't even fully appreciate it!  It ended up working out and when we actually got to volunteering one kid had shown up at 7 instead of 8 and never actually made it because he went back to sleep.  Hope daylight savings time went a little better for the rest of you!

I GOT AN A!

I am literally on top of the world right now!  I JUST handed in my paper, only have one class left today, got an A (rare occurrence these days), decided that I think I want to be a PA instead of an AT, and we had stir fry for lunch!  I am just knocking them out left and right and could not be happier.  Plus its Meghan's birthday, now she's 20!  Party in the USA just came on my shuffle reminding me of the first couple weeks of school freshman year.. too fun.  The only downfall to this moment is that A. I now have to take organic chemistry and B. that every time I open my computer past an 85 degree angle, the screen goes black.  If you are a computer whiz please let me know asap because my computer has water damage (sore subject from last year), therefore, Apple will not help me at all.  Ever since this started, I have had to do my homework on the floor and life just isn't as fun from down here.  At this point I don't even care.. I have a week to catch up and will be in an excellent mood.. love you all and enjoy this Thursday afternoon :D

squirrels

My brother Nolan called me today and it made my day!  I never realized until fairly recently how similar we are and I'm already excited for him to visit me (whenever that happens to be.)  Yesterday, I was walking down the quad and a squirrel fell out of the tree under which I was walking.  It smacked on the sidewalk and then jumped right back up and ran up the tree.  I was on the phone with my mom and literally laughed for 5 minutes... it was so funny because you all know my intense fear of squirrels, I never really feel bad when they get hurt.  Yesterday for lunch Max and Phil came over (I finally got visitors) and they were a big hit among the ladies of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  And today I saw Shakara on the bus!  We bonded for a little while as we listened to music and danced around just like last year.  Sometimes I miss Snyder and by Snyder I mean the people in it (Rachel, Shakara, etc.)  But then I realize how much better living in an APARTMENT is gonna be and I don't miss it too much.  Plus, I just found out that I know so many neighbors its gonna be a blasty blast!  Can't wait and I also can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving and see everybody!  This is my first week (starting today minus a paper I have to do) since school started basically that I don't have a test so I plan on going to bed at like 7 pm every night.. so pumped.  Anyways I have to shower but its almost the weekend (finally) and tomorrow my TA, Sandeep, moved class from 8 until 8:30.. extra time to sleep, love it! Newest favorite TA :)

November

Its November! Insanity!  I walked outside today and it smelled just like burning leaves.. only the best smell in the whole world.  It was a pleasant change from the usual stench of manure (at least I think thats how you spell it) in Urbana.  While this weather is awesome its coming to that point in the school where everyone feels like giving up.. I'm here to tell you YOU CAN DO IT!  In mere weeks we're heading home for Thanksgiving and I couldn't be happier.  I absolutely love Thanksgiving dinner (aside from the turkey.)  You may ask, why the hell don't you eat turkey on Thanksgiving, it's basically the most important part of the main course.  Well, on Christmas a couple years ago, we were driving home from my cousins house.  We were literally 5 blocks from my house when I decided it was time to throw up.  While I was attempting to open the sliding door of our mini van (the one we still have) I threw up right there in the car.  Needless to say family was pretty mad at me and I have hated turkey ever since.  I hope the rest of you like it though, I remember it tasting pretty good.  One thing that still doesn't taste good to me is milk.  I drank my first glass of milk in probably 17+ years today and it was awful.  I'm one of those people that doesn't even eat milk with my cereal and to be frank, I still don't get why all of you like it so much but at least your bones won't be full of holes when you get older!  Hope you had the best Monday ever!

Halloween

As most of you probably know today is Halloween!  Personally I think Halloween is kind of an overrated holiday (I much prefer Christmas--but not until after Thanksgiving, don't worry.)  Please do not beat me up for saying that, I just don't really like the concept and way too much pressure.  Regardless though, I had fun.  I dressed up as a geeky mom complete with "mom jeans," my ugly Christmas sweater, and pretty great shoes (thanks to Katherine.)  Pictures will be up soon.  Max dressed up as my husband, and Courtney as our baby.  To be honest, I don't even think we took a family portrait, someone was always missing but oh well.  I apologize for the long wait, my week of hell part dos ended on Thursday night and then I had barndance, another success.  Friday I took it easy, watched the Real Story of Ted Bundy (creepy) and ate sushi.. my kind of Friday.  Saturday was the second to last block which is crazy, its even crazier because tomorrow is November!  Time is just flying by.  I'm also sad I'm missing my mom's chili party--what is Halloween without chili??  But I want you all to have a happy and safe Halloween and don't eat too much candy ;)

Bricks

Last night I was walking out of the UGL with Burns and we saw a pile of bricks.  Not only did this strike me as somewhat dangerous (lots of damage could be done with a couple bricks) but it reminded me of a funny story.  Going into freshman year of high school (the summer I took summer school biology--worst decision ever) we did an addition on our house.  In case you weren't aware, I live in a yellow brick house in Park Ridge, IL.  Its super cute and I never realized how rare yellow brick is until one day during that hot hot summer.  My parents had been on a quest to find matching yellow brick for our house but I guess ours was just too unique to match.  This became a huge dilemma in my house but no need to fear, my parents came up with a brilliant idea.. scrape the mortar off the old bricks and use them for the front of the new part of the house.  Originally I thought it was pretty brilliant as well, that was until I found out that me and my siblings were the ones recruited for the job of scraping off the actual mortar.  It took us a solid three days of no pay and minimal water.. child labor at its finest.  Well I was lying about the water but it was a character building experience and let me tell you, I admire the front of my house every time I see it.. please take a closer look next time and let me know how it looks!

new baby!

I officially have a new baby! Her name is Lindsay and she is absolutely adorable.  Grandma Bridget and Great-Gma Amy would be so proud! I talked to my real grandma on the phone today and I love that woman, she's so wise.  She turned 93 last Thursday.. insanity! I hope that I can still be in the kind of shape she is at this age.  She attributes it to walking everywhere (she never had her license) and going to church every day.  I'm not gonna lie, if I did both of those things every day I would probably live to be her age too.  Today I was sitting in Anthropology (the worst class in the world) and my teacher asked any of us if we had seen C-SPAN yesterday with that one guy... A male student in the front row looks around and says, "you just asked a group of college students if they watched C-SPAN yesterday."  Naturally I burst out laughing (you may sense a trend of my laughing attacks.. they tend to happen pretty often.)  Other than that I'm just really behind and could use some words of encouragement so get at me.. and sorry for all the typos here.. my eyes are so tired they hurt.  Going to be in like an hour and a half!

weekend winding down

I slept for 14 hours last night.. SUCCESS.  I barely slept all week so that was much needed.  Overall I would have to say this weekend was a complete success (minus missing last night.)  I saw almost everyone I needed to and even bumped into more surprise visitors yesterday.  After making the rounds, I went back home and slept forever, only waking up periodically to respond to text messages.  Now, I'm back to my study routine.  I would give almost anything to have one day to just sit on the couch and do nothing but watch all my favorite movies while eating Chinese food while some one played with my hair (I'd pay big money for it).  And now next weekend is Halloween.  If you have any costume suggestions, they would be much appreciated.  Hell week part dos will be over Thursday at 5:30 pm.  WAHOO.  But I really can't seem to catch a break.. I thought sophomore year was supposed to be easy! Don't forget to get outside today! It looks beautiful, I have yet to set foot out the door but I will soon enough, have a great Sunday.

Week from Hell Part Dos

Well world, I'm halfway there.  Thanks for the support.. you have all been too kind (that was genuine, sometimes its hard to tell in writing.)  Regardless something epic happened at the ARC yesterday.  I was on the elliptical and my ipod died.. bummer right? WRONG.  I was on one of those with a TV screen on it.  It has a little plug for ipods so I figure I would just try it.  I plugged it in and not only did my ipod begin charging, it showed a touch screen menu with anything I could have ever imagined.  I pressed shuffle just to see if it worked and sure enough it did.  But yet again, not only did it work, but You Make My Dreams by Hall and Oates came on.  I literally laughed out loud and the awesomeness of this situation.  Mind you, meanwhile, I was studying MCB and working out at the same time, but it was still awesome.  On a worse note, Glee wasn't new this week.  And in my anatomy lab we literally had to pick arms (yes real ones) out of a tupperware bucket.. nasty to the max.  Other than that just being my geeky, busy self.  Want to give a quick thanks to Abby for calming me down before my exam.. you're the best.

Tweets

I created a Twitter yesterday.  I think my name is mwitry but I was so confused and still don't know how to make friends or whatever so tweet at me or whatever the lingo is.  Last night I walked through the tv room and saw some girls watching To Catch a Predator.  What a funny, yet creepy, show.  It disgusts me to think that people like that really exist but I mean how dumb can you be.  Speaking of terrifying experiences.. yesterday, my contact got stuck behind my eye.  I blinked funny and all the sudden it was gone.  A couple minutes later (after some serious attempts to rub it to the front) I got this extremely painful feeling and ran to the bathroom.  Sure enough, almost as if I was crying, it came out of my tear (lacrimal if were getting technical) duct.  It was a happy but scary experience and ever since I have been wearing my glasses.  I need a new pair of glasses and I'm excited for that.  I have a tiny head (in case you didn't notice) so I had to buy my glasses from the children's section of LensCrafters.  They have little butterflies on the side if you look really closely but thats kind of embarrassing so don't tell anyone.  Alrighty if you're looking for a cool new song (not sure if it's new but whatever) listen to "Miracles"... its a mash up of like 10 songs or something-credit to Amy for that one.  Its super catchy so go listen!

Week From Hell

This week hasn't even started yet and I can't wait for it to be over!  Luckily though this weekend is U of I homecoming which means VISITORS from Indiana (the enemy)!! Looking forward to that I just have 4 tests standing in the way, hence, I haven't blogged in a while.  The word of the weekend was "babes."  It is definitely a fun one to call people.  On Saturday, I may or may not have been recruited to write for a new newspaper on campus due to this very blog... the opportunities are endless.  If anyone wants to study for me that would be awesome because honestly it's getting a little old.  Sorry this one's gonna be short and sweet but to end it I just want to formally (in writing) apologize to Emily for eating her orange chicken.. it was just too good to resist but I owe you :)

Thursty

Aloha! Its not really thirsty Thursday for me.  I went to Riverboat yesterday and it was basically like a wedding with no bride or groom or free drinks, just the dance floor but I had a blast!  The DJ happened to be a cute old couple that knew all the words to all the songs.. adorable.  We got back super late but it was worth it.  This morning I had my first cadaver lab (eeeeekkk) but it went much better than expected.  It kinda smelled but it was so cool (minus the eyelashes on them.. somewhat creepy.)  This afternoon I was sitting outside in our little courtyard (getting my daily Vitamin D obviously) and I thought to myself, I'm just gonna rest my eyes.  2 hours later I woke up outside and was somewhat confused but then I realized that I actually had things to do so I had to get on with my life.  Since then I haven't accomplished much but I'm working on it.  I know something else cool happened today but just can't seem to think of it.. when I remember I'll let you know.

Silly Bands

I am currently wearing some glow-in-the-dark silly bands that Grace gave me this weekend!  They compliment my "My Lucky Exam Shirt" (that now has spaghetti sauce on it) well.  I hope the shirt worked because I had a midterm this afternoon that was not nearly as bad as expected but with big tests you just never know.  I'm currently missing Glee (and I'm pretty upset about it.)  I'm having it DVR'd (if that is even a word).. and if it doesn't work I may have to kill Brad but any fellow gleeks would understand.  Yesterday I got fingerprinted (you're probably shocked to hear its not due to my criminal record but because in order to teach children in Urbana you have to have it.)  But when I went to have it done, my sweaty hands inhibited the machine so much so that it took 15 minutes to perform a what should have been a 3 minute procedure.  It was pretty ironic that I just told you all about this just the other day and then this poor woman had to deal with it first-hand.  Thursday we get to do the whole body cadavers!!! Three tests next week.. Kappatat on Saturday.. busy busy but I won't forget about you all.   And don't forget to enjoy these last couple nice days I'm gonna go out on a limb and say its probably going to go right from hot to cold weather so live it up my friends!

10/10/10

COOLEST DATE OF THIS YEAR!!! We've waited 2010 (almost 2011) years for this, how exciting! I hope you all have to turn in something today so you can write the date down, but if not, cherish these last couple hours.  Hope you all had an awesome weekend.  I want to give a special congratulations to everyone that ran the marathon!  What an accomplishment.  I don't think I'll ever actually be able to do 26.2 but I'm considering doing a half marathon this spring.  If anyone wants to train with me I'm open to getting a big group together do it.  But on a completely opposite note, my Aunt Cathy sent a bunch of cookies back to school, they're absolutely delicious but my favorite thing she sent were oreo balls.  To those of you that don't know this is the best dessert to hit planet earth (ask Courtney and Corby.)  It is a super easy recipe all you need is a package of oreos, an 8 oz. package of cream cheese, and a package of chocolate bark.  You grind up the oreos in the food processor, then mix the cream cheese in with your hands. Roll those up into balls and dip them in the chocolate (that you melt in the microwave).  Stick them in the fridge and break them out during your next get-together and I personally guarantee you are the hit of the party.  If you ever want to come over and make them I love study breaks and while I can feel a cavity coming on every time I eat one, they are beyond worth it.  Try it out for yourselves and then let me taste test.. not kidding, you know where I live.

Home!

Home has been absolutely awesome! The car ride with Kristin (thanks again for driving and glad the car worked the whole way home), Emily (thanks for ditching the bus.. totally worth it), Elaine (thanks for the pretzels), and Max (thanks for not being awkward) was a complete success.  Minus tons of traffic, we made it home safe and listened to awesome music so I didn't mind one bit.  My dad picked us up at Oakbrook and we were welcomed home by my entire family and some delicious lasagna.  My house looks so cute now (kudos to my mom) and it smells just like fall, you just have to come over to understand.  Last night I was so sleep deprived that I fell asleep on the floor and woke up to my dog, Eleanor the chocolate lab, snuggling with me.. I want to bring her back with me to Champaign but I'm pretty sure that is against the rules.  Now I'm excited to see my grandma!  As a child she dubbed me "giggle britches" because I laughed too much.. if you have never seen pictures of me as a child you wouldn't understand fully (I'll search for some good ones while I'm at home.)  Another thing that I don't think I have admitted to all of you yet is that I have extremely sweaty hands.  While it used to be embarrassing and everyone I met thought I was nervous to meet them--obviously not true, I have embraced it and am patiently waiting for the day that it goes away (that is if it ever does.)  Gotta go enjoy every second here in Park Ridge!

Gracie is 13!

Today is Grace's 13th birthday (my mom's last baby is now a teenager!)  Can't wait to go home and have a birthday party!  It brings me back to first grade when she was born and my grandma made pink cupcakes and then my neighbor brought them in for our class.. I think it goes without saying but it was awesome.  Speaking of birthdays Suzana is now an aunt (as of yesterday)!! I don't know her nephew's name yet but how exciting.. I love babies.  I just had my bone practical this morning and I think it went well--so relieved!  But there's a story behind that.  On Tuesday night, I went to open lab and left without something very valuable.. my computer (No need to worry, I have it back now).  When I realized it was gone, I ran, and by ran I mean I sprinted, back but the door to open lab was locked.  Naturally I started bawling by myself on the fourth floor of the Natural History Building because there was really nothing I could do.  All night I did everything in my power to get it back (and I probably made it a much bigger deal than it was.. I cried all night-embarrassing but true.. but that is one expensive piece of machinery let me tell you.)  After e-mailing multiple people and not getting any response I decided to go to sleep (didn't work out so well but I attempted).  I must have drifted into some sort of sleep because I was awoken by some loud buzzing sound.  What could that be? Oh yeah, the fire alarm.  At that point I could barely even open my eyes I was so tired and angry but I happened to be one of the first people down the stairs.  Hannah (our lovely house mom) pulled me aside and asked my to search everyone's room with a firefighter to make sure everyone was out.. what an honor!  I didn't know whether to be happy or mad but after reviewing the situation I decided to be happy because I didn't have to go outside in the freezing cold.  Anyways, Dana and I were chosen to walk around with these men and we happened to save 3 confused girls that are such sound sleepers they did not hear this obnoxiously loud sound.  After that was over, I stayed awake on my hunt for my computer.  Between that and class I got an e-mail around 11 that my professor had it.  When I went to get it he just laughed and asked how I could forget something so floral and big (he was referring to my computer case that makes it look like im walking around campus with a briefcase but I like it.)  We laughed for a while and then I left feeling happy as ever.  Thats pretty much everything thats happened in the last two days and this may set the record for longest post ever but whatever!  Happy Thursday my friends.

Glee!

Tonight Kid Cudi is less than a mile from where I am, yet, I am not there.  I am currently watching Glee (the best show on tv) but I am then headed to open lab to study all my bones.  The only consolation I have for not going to the concert is that I will be able to tell you all the bones in the body.. at least hopefully.  It also makes me feel a little better because I asked some people attending to call me during a song.  It reminds me of last year around this time.  Jay-Z made an appearance here at the U of I.  Max and crew went to the concert, so, I asked them to call during a song because I was missing this epic event.  Around 10:30 pm I received a picture (poor quality at that--he admitted that himself) of Jay-Z instead of a song.  Tonight is the night that Max has a chance to redeem himself and call me during an actual song!  But enough about Cudi..  I am soo excited for this weekend because I'm going home! Kristin, being the kind soul that she is, is driving Elaine, Max, and myself home (or at least to the Hinsdale Oasis.)  But so excited to see my fam and Gracie turns 13 on Thursday (TEENAGER!!)  Can't get prematurely excited though I just have to get through this practical Thursday!

BOOM

Today I got a very early start.  Claire and I had to get fingerprinted for our "how to be a gym teacher" class.  This sounds like it may be an awesome class and I'm not gonna lie, the first day was awesome (we played duck, duck, goose), but I have to warn you all not to take it.. too much work for what was supposed to be an easy class!  Anyways we walked the two miles there and found out that we needed not only paperwork, but a special code as well.  We sat in the office for close to an hour and called probably 8 different people all of which could not help us out.  We ended up having to leave without getting fingerprinted at all and walk the two miles back home.  No need to worry, we got it figured out and just have to go back on Thursday.. I hope it goes a little more smoothly.  Something pretty funny happened earlier as I was sitting on a bench outside the ugl (undergrad library for those of you who didn't get that lingo.)  A tour of prospective freshman walk past--looking all geeky and stuff--and the tour guide goes, "this is actually a pretty cool place on campus, we are currently standing at the highest elevation in Champaign."  Naturally I burst out laughing.. I mean come on, it takes exactly three steps to get to the highest elevation in the entire city, that has to be some kind of joke.  Needless to say I got a kick out of it.  But as I was sitting on that same bench I heard a group of boys recounting their weekends.. If I have an advice for you today, it would be to watch what you're saying in public.  You may not realize it but everyone knows everyone whether you like it or not and I heard some things I definitely wasn't supposed to if you catch my drift.  But I'm sure you are all responsible adults and none of you have that problem!  This one is getting long.. if Kendra has read this far (which I really hope she has) she will have seen her shout out. And Happy Birthday to my old roomie Will!  The big 2-0.. whatta stud! Have a good one folks.

Getting stuff done

Sorry for the wait! This weekend has been pretty busy but now its back to reality.  Sitting in the ACES Library I looked out the window and realized how pretty the buildings on campus are.  But that is just me attempting to put off my homework as long as possible.  Yesterday, I discovered that my newest theme song is Ghetto Superstar.  This weekend was extremely exciting because my family got to come for the game (which I may add turned out much better than I anticipated) AND then I heard my name from across the street and who was it but Claire (a very pleasant surprise I must say just wish we could have been at the tailgate at the same time)..  Last night there were some certified weirdos at Kams and I was so creeped out I had to leave.  Other than that I have not been nearly as productive as I should have been today but I hope the rest of you are getting a lot done.

Beautiful Day!

What a glorious day it is here in Champaign-Urbana!  I've read that every one really needs 15 minutes of exposed sunlight per day to keep up on their Vitamin D.  Well ladies and gentlemen, today is a perfect day to do just that.  It is also a great day because it is Lizzy's birthday (she was the inspiration for this whole blog.)  This weeks other birthdays also include Allison, Nick, Nina, and Burns.. what a week to be born! I met Nick's puppy, Lilly, yesterday and it made me miss my dog so much!  Her name is Eleanor and is a Chocolate Lab.  I want to say she is 9 years old which is 63 in dog years.  Yesterday in my computer class I calculated how many days I have been alive for.  It was somewhere around 7,140 (I cant' remember exactly) but how insane is that?  Last night I slept for 12 hours (7 to 7) and I could not be happier today.  I suggest you all get a good nights sleep some time in the near future because I kind of forgot how nice it feels to sleep for so long, ITS AWESOME.  I thought today was Friday but I'm not even mad that its Thursday because its so nice out! Alrighty I'm out, get out and enjoy the weather!

All Grown Up!

First off I want to start with a special thanks to Max! His post not only made me laugh out loud in the library but it was well written and very nice.. he definitely proved himself and will be making frequent guest (or celebrity) posts.  On a super exciting note Emily, Molly, Courtney, and I (and Moira and Nina) signed our lease today!! Starting in August 2011 you will find us all residing at 211 E. John and you are all welcome to come over any time! We are looking for decorating ideas so please let us know! Funny story that happened to me earlier today.. I was walking across the street and tripped over my own feet.  It was one of those like 5 stride save attempts and i ended up swinging my computer case and facing a 22N bus.  Too embarrassed to do anything I basically ran away and like 20 mins later I burst out laughing, looking somewhat ridiculous but whats new.  I understand that this is not nearly as funny as it was when it happened but just imagine me falling in the street with a bus coming at me.  And now Glee is on! Today is just a great day (I found a penny heads up which just adds to everything!) Word on the street is that Nick got a puppy! Can't wait to go see it! Have a great Tuesday night my friends!

APT Weekly Edition

Hello All,
This is Gregory Max Salah from the apartment where Maris is often found sleeping in. It's a pleasure of mine to write on this very creative blog (kudos to Maris E. Witry). Let me tell all you who Maris is to me! Funny story: How I met Maris? Well she picked out my group of high school friends in a 7,000 person UI assembly, looked at my buddies and said "Hello!". Then promptly introduced herself to me and said "Hey, let's be friends".  And I guess our relationship has not looked back. Tonight-----Maris, Brad, Phil, Ben, Ken, and myself witnessed the Bears dominate on the Packers. Great game for the family. For all of you who do not understand the family (A.K.A. all of you)----- well its the family members of this great apartment. We are kind of like a loving happy family. Brad and I do the dishes and keep the place clean. Ben is kind of like the husband who sits on his butt after a long day of work and watches TV. Ken just looks at his facebook all day so I do not really know what his role in our family is??? And Phil and Maris are the children who are in and out. After the game, we adventured to Geovanti's Italian Fine Cuisine on the gorgeous Green Street for some of the finest gourmet pizza on campus. Phil, the generous man that people know and love, bought everybody a slice of their $5.00 pizza. We are capping off the night with some ESPN. We know Maris loves that.

Thanks for the Blogspot
Salah
See ya next week

lame

We finally had a normal weekend here at the U of I and it was awesome.  I got to sleep in although I feel unproductive if I don't wake up by 10 (kinda weird but oh well.)  Yesterday was Keely's birthday.  I went to her party which was awesome and even funnier because I remember going to each other's preschool birthday parties.. too weird!  Today I went out to lunch with Katherine's parents (and her obviously.. Margaret and Mary came too) so many M names at one table it was ridiculous.  Olivia doesn't have a phone right now and its getting extremely difficult to communicate with her.  Sorry guys today I'm literally the most boring person in the world.  If you need me I'll be at the ugl all day... HOLLERRRRRR

Weekend

It has been far too long! In these past two days my mom has come to visit me, I have finished almost all my exams, I got a new phone, and I went to barndance (although I feel like the only people I saw all night were Max, Phil, and Marge.. it was epic)! I dubbed yesterday as "my best day ever" and it lived up to the expectations.  I wish that all those things could happen every day but its those extra special days that make life awesome.  Today I was walking on the quad and ran into my girl Shakara and while we were standing there talking two men came up to me and asked me if I was Jewish.  Unfortunately I had to tell them no but they still wished me a great day and so far it has been pretty nice! I also saw a girl walking her gerbil on the quad today.. what a fine university I do attend! I plan on sleeping until whenever the hell I want tomorrow so nobody come looking for me too early! I hope everyone has a great Friday night, yay for the WEEKEND!

Crunch Time

SO CLOSEEEEE!! In just about 13 hours I will embark on my 3 exam journey, I hope it ends well.  Say a prayer for me (I'm gonna need it!) Also say a prayer for Brian, so many chinooks have been crashing in Iraq recently and they need all the prayers they can get.  On the brighter side Glee starts in 15 minutes.. I've been waiting for this moment for a couple months now and could not be more excited! AND today is the 21 of September (not only is it Elaine's birthday) but there is a whole song dedicated to this day-- what could be better than that! This one's gonna be short and sweet.. hang in there and love you all!

HAHAHA

Toooo funny I'm studying at the bif and decided to take a quick bathroom break.  I must have forgotten which room we were in because I walked into the one we were in the night before, and clearly it was a different group of people than I am studying with.  I apologized and chuckled to myself thinking it is somewhat embarrassing not only because I walked into the wrong room but I am wearing what most people would consider pajamas.. I think they're comfy to study in.  So, I proceeded to the end of the hallway and opened the next door.  It just so happened to be the second door to that same room I had just accidentally walked into!  Everyone stared at me, yet again, and I quickly apologized (for the second time) and burst into such a fit of laughter I couldn't talk for a little while.  I think all this studying is getting to me.. not to mention I've been listening to Right Above It on repeat in order to pump me up for studying (weird thing is it works.) But at midnight that song will change to September by Earth, Wind, and Fire! (the one about the 21st night of September.. too fitting.)  It is also Jackie's birthday so send her a text or call whichever you prefer!  Too much fun for one night.. have a good one!  

Sunday Funday

Just doing my laundry for the first time since coming to school.. no worries, judging by what was left in my drawer, I was scheduled to run out of underwear and socks on Tuesday so I figured now would be a good time to get it done.  Last night Peter visited! I was laying in my bed when Olivia (who just left :( ) texted me and said that I had to come over to the Delt senior house immediately because Peter was here.  So naturally, I jumped on a bus and got there within half an hour.  It was quite fun and should definitely happen more often.  Now I'm just waiting for my invitation to be an honorary Delt.. word on the street is that its gonna happen soon but I'll be patient.  I also found out that so many people I know (Derek, Eileen, Liz, etc..) live in the sweet new apartments behind Sig Eps which means I'm coming over soon! I was walking this morning and legit stepped on a chipmunk.. I think I attempted to scream but nothing came out it was a terrifying experience.  Sundays are awesome because of Bears games but we are missing one thing, nachos.  Nachos are my second favorite food in the entire world and when complimented with a glass of Coke it is too great.  Maybe next weekend.. have a good Sunday and GO BEARS!

Game Day!

First home game (WE WON) was today which means block! The wake up call this morning at 6:45 was just the beginning.  We have our block (football tailgate) at Joes with Delta Chi.  It was really fun and super crowded because there had to have been at least 4 other pairs of frats--including my favorite Acacias--and sororities but it was so festive no one even cared (at least I didn't).  Highlight of the day (aside from talking to my junior prom date, Pat, for at least half an hour) was when the Boondock Saints song came on and Moira Irish danced for everyone.. I almost peed in my pants.  Olivia was a big hit at block, particularly due to the fact that she was wearing her backpack.  After that was over we headed over to my second home at 3rd and Green, hydrated for the walk home, and made the half hour trek back to the middle of nowhere, Urbana.  Some exciting news.. last night I acquired a new apartment to clean.. before we know it I may make it big but I'm still waiting.  And last night Nicole, Caroline, and Danielle made an appearance at U of I, that was a pleasant surprise when I walked into the bathroom and saw them! Hope they had fun and make another visit some time soon!  I took a nap today (best idea I've ever had.)  It was great and now I'm fueled up on coffee (don't worry I still think it tastes gross but 3 Splendas deep and its not so bad)... off to learn! Have a great Saturday and GO ILLINI

So Close

Well my practical is over! I threw up due to nervousness (anxiety at its best) but nothing I can do about it now.  I'm somewhat freaking out about next Wednesday because I have 3 exams on that day but I'm just gonna live at the library until then.  I will of course take a time out because Olivia comes tomorrow!!! We've got plans to do big things (I hope) but I'm so excited!  Hopefully Abby and Claire will invite us over to their sweet pad because I have yet to hang out there.  The one time I was there none of them were (I was apartment hunting and just walked in).  It is an absolutely awesome apartment and I have to make a more conscious effort to get over there.  Its not my fault I live in the middle of nowhere but I think this might be the weekend I make the trek to 2nd and Green.  I'm in the library now, sitting between two people that must have forgotten deodorant or something if you catch my drift.  They're probably making fun of me right now though because of the shirt I'm wearing.  On quad day, before school started, I won a free shirt that says, "My Lucky Exam Shirt."  I had an exam today so I figured, why not wear it.  It helps boost my confidence and one of my many mottos is "whatever floats your boat."  I mean it helps me sleep at night.  Gotta get back to work but I hope you all have an awesome Thursday afternoon.