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!