Cowgirl Up

Quote of the Day

2008-03-21T11:32:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wish I could crawl inside the heads of my students. Today we were talking to a boy that does not like school much. He likes hands on learning but nothing where writing is involved. He told us, "If I could get paid to go to school , I would LOVE it!"

Wouldn't we all!!!!!

Pass

2008-02-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

I found out this week I passed my Michigan Teaching Certification for elementary education and social studies. I thought it was funny reading my results that I scored the lowest on social studies section of my elementary exam. Then on my social studies exam I scored the highest on the geography section. Matt makes fun of me because I am horrible at geography. I guess last semester's geography class at LCC really worked wonders!

I am very happy I passed these tests. I knew I did well on the education one but I thought I bombed the social studies test. At least they are done and I can just concentrate on finding a job.

I am loved!

2008-02-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

Today we were sharing our plans in class for the weekend. I told my students I am excited to go to the MSU hockey game. One of them said they were going to make Rice Krispy Treats tonight with chocolate on top. I was just joking with her and asked, "Are you going to bring some over to me? I live really close to you!" I actually do live really close to her. I was just joking with her. I didn't expect her to bring me any.

I got home from school at 4:50. I layed down for a few minutes then heard the door bell ring. I opened it to a smiley third grader holding a plate of rice krispy treats for me. I gave her a huge hug. I guess some students do like me!

Were you born that way?

2008-02-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

A student of mine love to speak his mind. Last week he went up to my aide and said, "I hate to tell you this, but your hair does not fit you." I gave him a speech to keep his thoughts to himself.

Not two hours later he came up to me, "My mom would like to know if you were born with your nose that way or if it is from some kind of disease." I blew up at him. The kids stared at me since they had never seen me mad before.

What is up with kids these days?

Another Funny Conversation

2007-12-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is the conversation I had with a third grader on Friday.

Student: Do you have a daughter?
Me: No.
Student: Do you have a son?
Me: No.
Student: Are you husband?
Me: No.
Student: You should really get married. Aren't you lonely?

Back to the Funny Kiddos

2007-12-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

Last week I was teaching a science lesson. We were comparing the ability of solids to freeze. I showed the kids all the liquids we were using (corn syrup, vegetable oil, water, salt water, and rubbing alcohol) When we got to the rubbing alcohol, hands flew into the air. I knew some kid was going to ask a stupid question but I called on them anyway. The boy asked, "Is that what you used to make beer?"

No, you are in third grade. You shouldn't care how to make beer!!!

What?

2007-05-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is a grade I received in my CORE 300 class...
Academic Manners 250/400

Do you think that is because I read a really good book during his lectures every Wednesday night?

How do I get to Paris from New York?

2007-05-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Notice line 24!
1.
Head southeast on Chambers St toward Broadway
0.2 mi
1 min
2.
Turn right at Centre St
0.1 mi
3.
Slight left at Park Row
210 ft
4.
Sharp left at Frankfort St
0.3 mi
1 min
5.
Turn left at Pearl St
56 ft
6.
Turn right onto the F.D.R. Dr N ramp
0.4 mi
1 min
7.
Merge onto FDR Dr N
7.7 mi
12 mins
8.
Take exit 17 on the left for Triboro Bridge/Grand Central Pkwy toward I-278/Bruckner Expy
0.4 mi
2 mins
9.
Merge onto Triborough Bridge
Partial toll road
0.4 mi
1 min
10.
Merge onto I-278 E via the ramp to I-87 N/Bronx/Upstate N Y/New England
0.6 mi
1 min
11.
Take exit 47 to merge onto Bruckner Expy/I-278 E toward New Haven
1.9 mi
2 mins
12.
Take the I-278 E exit toward New Haven
0.3 mi
13.
Merge onto Bruckner Expy
5.0 mi
6 mins
14.
Continue on I-95 N
Partial toll road
Entering Connecticut
62.1 mi
1 hour 12 mins
15.
Take exit 48 on the left to merge onto I-91 N toward Hartford
36.8 mi
37 mins
16.
Take exit 29 for US-5 N/CT-15 toward I-84/E Hartford/Boston
0.4 mi
17.
Merge onto CT-15 N
1.7 mi
2 mins
18.
Merge onto I-84 E
Partial toll road
Entering Massachusetts
40.7 mi
38 mins
19.
Take the exit onto I-90 E/Mass Pike/Massachusetts Turnpike toward N.H.-Maine/Boston
Partial toll road
56.0 mi
56 mins
20.
Take exit 24 A-B-C on the left toward I-93 N/Concord NH/S Station/I-93 S/Quincy
0.4 mi
1 min
21.
Merge onto Atlantic Ave
0.8 mi
3 mins
22.
Turn right at Central St
0.1 mi
23.
Turn right at Long Wharf
0.1 mi
24.
Swim across the Atlantic Ocean
3,462 mi
29 days 0 hours
25.
Slight right at E05
0.5 mi
2 mins
26.
At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto E05/Pont Vauban
0.1 mi
27.
Turn right at E05
Partial toll road
17.3 mi
22 mins
28.
At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto A131/E05 heading to A131/Rouen/Paris/Evreux
Partial toll road
9.1 mi
8 mins
29.
Take the exit onto A13/E05/L'Autoroute de Normandie
Partial toll road
20.3 mi
17 mins
30.
Take the exit onto A13/E05/L'Autoroute de Normandie
Partial toll road
56.5 mi
47 mins
31.
Take the exit on the left onto A14 toward Nanterre/La Défense
Partial toll road
12.5 mi
16 mins
32.
Slight right at N13
1.4 mi
3 mins
33.
Turn right at Avenue de Neuilly/N13
269 ft
34.
At the traffic circle, take the 4th exit onto Avenue de la Grande Armée
0.7 mi
3 mins
35.
At Place Charles de Gaulle, take the 5th exit onto Avenue des Champs-Elysées
1.3 mi
3 mins
36.
Slight right at Voie Georges Pompidou
1.4 mi
3 mins
37.
Slight left to stay on Voie Georges Pompidou
440 ft
38.
Slight right at Quai de la Mégisserie
377 ft
39.
Continue on Quai de Gesvres
0.2 mi
1 min
40.
Turn left at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

Finals!!!

2007-05-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

I do not have any finals during finals week...the joy of being an upperclass-men.
Here is an education digital portfolio I have been working on. It is in the process, however it has been my life the past few weeks.
http://myweb.arbor.edu/ac229426/portfolio/

What I Learned Tonight

2007-04-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Don't mess with old people's way of playing dominoes.

1. Don't switch the direction of the playing order. If you do, a certain lady will yell at you everytime it is her time. "Don't you know you are going the wrong way?" (Ima)
"Ima, it doesn't matter, we are going this way now." (Dorothy)

2. Don't help teammates if they can't reach the place to put the dominoe. Because, Ima will say, "What are you doing Mega, playing for everyone else?" After that we decided to only play the ones we could reach.

3. Whoever starts the game, wins the game. Ima kept winning and the other ladies could not figure out why she always won. Well, she was always the first to play. I caught on, so I tried to play first so I could win. They still didn't let me win. One of them cheated!

For a class assignment we are spending time at one of the many nursing homes in Spring Arbor. They are funny to watch and even funnier to play dominoes with!

Me & Abbs

2007-04-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2007-04-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Puerto Rico

2007-04-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some belated pictures from my spring break missions trip to Puerto Rico.

The group drove to Ohio to catch a Jet Blue flight. Once we got there, we realized the flight was canceled due to maintenance issues. Instead, they chartered two smaller jets to fly us to JFK. Those planes ended up being two hours late.

Then from JFK to Puerto Rico I was watching the in flight map. I could see we were headed the wrong direction in PR. When we finally landed the pilot said, "Unfortunately we are in San Juan instead of Juana Diaz. There is a volcanic ash cloud over Juana Diaz. We cannot fly over that area." It took two hours for a bus to come get us and then two hours to drive to where we needed to go. It was a long day of traveling.

Again, the camp is right on the Caribbean. It was a beautiful week. (What week isn't beautiful when you are in Puerto Rico?)

Lydia and I had some fun while we were painting. We got the job of painting all the rocks around the parking lot and the palm trees.

The camp director said we were painting the trees because Americans come to Puerto Rico looking for white palm trees, so he doesn' t want to disappoint them. The real reason we painted the trees was so the ants don't ruin the trees.

Some of the girls looked beautiful after a 12 hour day of work. We painted in the morning then poured a cement wall in the afternoon. We did 80 bags of cement in 6 hours.

We went to Gilligan's Island for the free day. It was a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. We went snorkeling and swimming in the pretty blue water.

Lady Vols...Number 7

2007-04-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Do bad days always get worse?

2007-03-20T20:02:00.001-07:00

YES!

2007-02-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Grey's Anatomy has got to be the best show EVER!!!

Guatemala

2007-01-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

Girls Night

2006-12-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Jeanette, Liz, Me

I don't normally stay at school on the weekend, but I had my weekend packed with school stuff. Liz, Jeanette, and I decided a girls night would be fun. We had dinner at our favorite, Los Tres and then made strawberry slushes and watched Mean Girls at Jeanette's apartment. Her husband is a volunteer fire fighter, so he let us try on his gear.

Back to P.R.

2006-11-20T18:12:00.000-08:00

-Last week the leader of the trip last year, Ben, asked me to be the student leader of the Puerto Rico Spring Break Missions Trip this year. I was surprised to get the call, but very excited. I am looking forward to this trip because it is a chance to be a leader for my peers.
-This weekend, Ben, Jeanette, and I picked the team for the trip. It was hard to do, but I am excited about the group.
- Last year I was able to go to Puerto Rico with Liz. This year I can't wait to go with my other roommate, Lydia. She applied to go on the trip and was accepted.

Teacher Time

2006-11-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

I feel like all I do is lesson planning. Last week I spent over 12 hours working
on unit plans, bulletin boards, and learning centers. That must be the feeling of
a teacher.

2006-10-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Meticulous work is microfiche. In the library, there are 92 boxes with three levels in each box that have to be unloaded. Not only taken out of the box, but out of individual envelopes. This my friends is the definition of meticulous work. It took 6 hours to empty one box. There are only 91 more to go.

Matt & Me

2006-09-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Funny People

2006-06-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Right now, I am in an Intro to Computers Class. It is every Monday night. There are some funny people in here. This one guy just said, "I don't want to know what a kilobyte is. I just want to know how to run this dang computer!"

I am totally with him. Who gives a rip about this stuff. I just need to know a few things before I can take my other computer class at Spring Arbor.

2006-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me!"

Just a song I have been singing for the last two weeks!
Yes thats right. We have been mowing in rain.
I don't think it is ever going stop.

Go Tigers!!!

2006-05-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, the Puerto Rico Team went to a Tiger's Game. We had tons of fun.

WOW!!!

2006-04-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Some lady just came into my work and asked where the bathrooms are. First of all, she had a lazy eye, so I wasn't sure which one to look at. Then when she got out of the bathroom, she had toilet paper trailing out of her pants. Hilarious!!! Okay, maybe not to you all, but I have been in this litte room for 3 hours by myself.

Today I found out some good news about next year. First, I got accpeted to the Guatemala Cross Cultural Trip. Which means next January, I will be there. Second, I found out my housing for next year. I got a village. Which is sweet. There are two room and a bathroom for 4 people. I am rooming with Liz, Lydia, and Lydia's friend from home. Hallelujiah I finally do not have community bathrooms.

My Baby

2006-04-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

On March 30th I was actually home to see my baby calf born. I was on my way to observe at school and I stopped by to see how my heifer was doing. I was surprised to see the water sack hanging out. I called my dad to come home and help. In the middle of my math lesson, I got the call to come home. By the time I got there, hooves were coming out. Dad, Brent, and Papa helped pull the calf. Instead of putting my hands you know where, I sat by the momma's head and talked to her. I felt to bad for her. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and she stuck it under the feed bunk, so we couldn't see her. I was kind of worried when I saw the calf's tongue because it was blue, but as soon as the head was out she made the cuttest moo of all time. I was hoping the whole time for a heifer (girl) because I am too old to show steers (boys). Thankfully it was a girl. I was so excited. We have never had a heifer born at our farm, only bulls. I named her Cobalt. She is super cute. She already has a halter on, even though she doesn't like it.

What to do?

2006-04-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my venting for the day. I am trying to figure out my life. Right now, my plan is to be in school for 4 1/2 years. This would have me done with student teaching and graduating in Fall of 2008. However, I am considering making it a 4 year plan by taking 3 summer classes at LCC this summer and two next summer. This would make my student teaching in the spring of 2008 and able to get a job when the school year starts that following fall in 2008. This probably sounds really confusing...it is! Right now I am in between Spring Arbor and LCC trying to figure out what credits will transfer. I really like the 4 year ideas because then I don't have to pay another semester of SAU tuition. (a.k.a.- a lot!)

If anyone has any brilliant ideas, I'll take them. Sorry for the venting. Everyone does it!

Puerto Rico

2006-03-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

Finally! Here are some pictures from my Spring Break trip to Puerto Rico. It was a lot of hard work, but worth every minute of it. I will definetly never forget it!

Some of the girls from the Barrio loved playing volleyball. We would play until church started and then play again right after church.

The whole gang. There were 13, counting 2 leaders and a student leader.

This is the view from lighthouse on Coffin Island. On our day of, we took a ferry ride to this island. 6 of us made it to the top of the island. It was a rough hike since all we had were flip-flops to wear. The red buildings are where we started from.

Instead of taking the trail back, we ventured to the edge of the island so that we could walk the beach all the way back to the red buildings. (My favorite #2 picture)

Our leaders, Ben and Jeanette, Me, Angie, Kelly, and Mandy were the ones to make it up to the top.

Sunrise in Puerto Rico!!! (My favorite picture)

My friend Liz and I applied to go on this trip together. Thankfully, both of us made it. I don't know what I would do without her. We grew so close together. Next year we are Roomies!!!

Wednesday night we watched a movie at the camp director's house. He had a projector that showed the movie on the side of his porch. Right next to us, was the ocean. What a way to watch a movie!

Thank you to those of you who supported my trip and prayed for me. We got more accomplished for the camp then any of us thought we could do. God was definetly at work!

2006-03-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am off to Puerto Rico in a few hours. I'll post some pics when I get back!

2006-03-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

So I really shouldn't be blogging about this, but it kind of made me laugh today. At 8am I got up to go tanning before class. The sidewalks were a little icy and I had to chip away at the ice on my windshield. However, the roads weren't bad. As I was tanning I was listening to all the school closings there were today. Pretty much no one had school. I couldn't figure out why because the roads were not bad. Anyway, I go to park my car right before class. I pulled into a parking spot behind a car and applied my brake as usual excpet, MY CAR WASN'T STOPPING! BANG! I definetly just hit the parked car in front of me. I didn't just tap the car, I hit it. Luckily no damage or anything.

So long story short, I guess there was a reason for the school closings!!!

2006-03-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

Guess where Amanda will be in 10 days...

Ding, ding, ding... PUERTO RICO!

90 Degree weather, beautiful beaches, and serving God.

Sounds good to me!!!

Third Day

2006-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Sunday Matt and I went to EMU to see Third Day and David Crowder Band. I thought I would be a loving girlfriend and get Matt tickets for Christmas to see his favorite band, Third Day. I didn't think to look at the Nascar Schedule either. And if you know Matt you know he loves Nascar. Well, I bought tickets for Third Day, not realizing it was the same day as the Daytona 500. This is the superbowl of Nascar. I got a lot of crap for it from his friends and others.

It was a really good concert except for our seats. I bought floor tickets, but they didn't say where on the floor. When we got there we found out we had the last row on the floor. Plus there was a 6 foot girl in front of me. I could pretty much see nothing. At intermission we snuck into the balcony so we could actually watch the bands we paid money to see. It was a good concert. Definetly worth seeing. They did my favorite songs, Thief and Communion, so I was happy!

2006-02-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Last week that actual coach of the Titans, Coach Boone came to Spring Arbor for our Black History Celebration. It was pretty neat to stand in his shoes, knowing that the world looks up to him through seeing the movie and knowing what he dealt with every day. His daughter was there too, she teaches in Ypsilanti. He mostly talked about the possitives of Diversity. It was a once in a lifetime chance to hear him.

2006-02-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

After reading "50 things to do at Wal-Mart" we decided to pick up boxes of condoms and put them in random people's carts. Taylor discretly tried to pick condoms off the shelf while looking at the pregnancy tests. Abby yelled at her to not look at those and it would make us look even more suspicious.

So Taylor gets the condoms and puts them in our cart. Then we are on the hunt for abandoned carts to place the condoms in. First we couldn't find any carts, so Lydia stuck one box in the freezer. Then we decided to go to the produce section. Bingo, there was a full cart with no one around. I grabbed the condoms and didn't break a stide while sticking them in the person's cart.

Taylor decided that we should see the reaction on the person's face. Our face dropped when we saw the people come back to the cart. They were about 55ish. Yuck... Okay, so we see the victims and they are heading towards the checkout. There was another chance to see their reaction since they haven't noticed yet. As they found a checkout lane, I got in line behind them. The lady still didn't notice! Then she started putting her food up on the counter and she picked up this box...looked at her scrubby guy with a smirk on her face. "Did you pick these up." She smiled at him. She put the box down and gave her guy a hug. Then SHE BOUGHT THEM!!!

As Lydia said, "We just made some old couple REALLY happy tonight!"

When I told Jessica this story, Jessica said, "Amanda, you just probably created a kid." Mom and I stared at her and Mom commented, "Well not if they were using them!"

Anyways, this was probably the funniest thing I have ever done. I think you had to be there to see the reaction. But it was well worth it.

I HATE SNOW!

2006-02-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday night I went off roading. Not for fun either! I knew the roads were getting bad, but I had driven in bad weather before. Every time the weather gets bad, I am at Matt's house. Anyways, I was driving about 30mph then all of a sudden I was facing east, then west, then east, the west and down into a field. Just barely missing a tree! I knew if I stopped I would get stuck, so I just kept driving through the field until I came to a driveway.
I was pretty scared, but I definetly prayed the rest of the way home and thanked God for keeping me safe. My car was okay, it just had some corn husks wrapped around the bottom of my car!

Ewwww...

2006-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Gross! I was sitting at my desk and looked over to this marvelous creature. I hope I can sleep tonight!

2006-01-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

Spring classes have started. I am taking 18 hours worth of classes, plus working in the Education Lab 12 hours a week. I like most of my classes. I am not too excited about my history class, but I'll get over it. Last night was my night class I have Monday and Wednesday nights. This science class is going to be really boring. In the middle of her lecture, she stopped to inform us that she bought a class pet, a snake. Unfortunately, he escaped. So for the rest of class I don't really know what she was teaching about because all I was worried about was a snake that was going to wrap around my foot!

Pooped...

2006-01-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

I just ran 11 miles in 2 hours and played volleyball. I think I am going to die!

A Bit Uncomfortable!

2006-01-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so to say the least, Last night was interesting. Matt and I along with his parents decided to see Brokeback Mountain. I knew what it was about, but I everyone I knew who saw it said it was really good. I can't say that I can agree with them. First, my experience started out by getting out of the truck to see an old couple making out in the car next to us. Then Matt and I bought our tickets. I'm sure the lady wonders about the people that see this movie. Then walking into the theater we scooped it out to see if there were any gay couples. No...that made Matt happy. Then about five minutes later a couple of guys walked into together. This started to become uncomfortable. Then throughout the movie I wasn't sure whether to laugh or close my eyes. The movie felt like a lifetime.

I am not trying to be biased. But it was really hard for me to watch it. I know this happens in the world, so it is not unrealistic. Overall, I did not like the movie.

Oh, good news...I GOT AN 'A' IN ECONOMICS. This was probably the hardest class I have had in college so far. The tests were worth 85% of the class grade. I know I got an A- on my midterm, but I must have done good on the final too. Horray!!! You have no idea what this letter grade means!

Lion King

2006-01-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

Last night was amazing! Back in September Matt bought me Lion King Tickets for my birthday. We went to Coldstone before to get ice cream and then off to find the Wharton Center. Matt said he would just get popcorn at the show. All I could do was laugh. I tried to explain to him that this wasn't Nascar or the Breslin Center. Then he had to make a point that some people were wearing jeans. And I was the bad guy because I asked him to dress up. Figures!!!

The show was awesome. I didn't really know what to think when all the animals were on stage at the beginning for "The Circle of Life". I can't imagine how all the costumes were made. The little Nala and Simba were so cute and had awesome voices. The whole show was definetly worth the money. I didn't know what to expect going into it, but I was really surprised because both Matt and I actually liked it.

The only part that wasn't fun was the fact that we were surrounded by hundreds of people with strong colone and perfume. Talk about a major headache. Then we had the smell of Halls cough drops from the woman next to me that wouldn't stop coughing. She couldn't keep her legs on her side of the chair either. On the other side, Matt had a 350 pound guy sitting next to him. Talk about being squished.

It really was all worth it though. Matt did an awesome job picking out my birthday gift. Definitely something I will remember.

2006-01-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

Pepaw's funeral was pretty good. I mentioned before I wondered why I wasn't really crying as much. After reading Tricia's blog I realized why. It was because he was joining his "sweet mommy". When Memaw died it was so sad to see Pepaw's reaction. Knowing that he is with her made it much easier this go around.

A little girl that came to see Pepaw before he died to him, "You better save up some of your energy because Memaw is going to want to show you all around."

Someone asked me what my favorite memories of my great grandparents were. Memaw singing 5 foot 2 is definetly the best. Memaw was also known for making afghans. When the family was deciding who got what from their house, all I wanted was one of her afghans, which I did get. For Pepaw it was waking up at his house one morning hearing him whistling. He was the best there was. This is surprising for me to say because I HATE when people whistle. But his was different, an actual song actually came out!

2006-01-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight was my Pepaw's visitation. Tomorrow is the funeral. Surprisingly I haven't cried yet. I think it is because my tear ducts have been emptied since we have had to go to three funerals in five months. I can't do this anymore.

J-Term = Not Fun

2006-01-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

This is what I get to stare at for 3 hours a day. (except with a lot more lines) I can't handle this!!! Economics class is not fun. Good news...only 7 more days of it. Bad news...midterm is tuesday and it is worth 40% of the final grade. More bad news...the final is a week later and it is worth 45% of the final grade. In other words, please pray for me!!!

2006-01-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Matt & I decided the 4th of July and New Years are two of the craziest traditions. First we watch colored things shot up in the air. Then we wait for hours in anticipation of a ball dropping. I don't get it. It must just be tradition. Anyway if you really think about it... it's pointless!

Christmast Update

2005-12-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

Since I am home for Christmas, it has been a catch up on doctors visits. I went to my knee doctor. He was very surprised that I have been playing volleyball lately. In the beginning of the summer I am going to have surgery to take out my staple that was holding my ACL in place. The next day I went to the allergist to see what I was allergic to. First they poked me 67 times with the things they thought I might be allergic to. Then I had to wait 20 minutes to see which ones I really was allergic to. It turns out I am allergic to most grasses, weeds, trees, mold, and animals. This doesn't really work out since I have a summer job involving most of these. Yesterday I got my first allergy shot. Not to mention I have so many allergies, I have to get two shots. Wow, this is going to get old. Every week for 6-8 months. My arm must of had a reaction because it now has a welt where I got the shot.

Now for the good news...I got my grades today...All A's!!! Yeah!

Xmas

2005-12-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

USAGE NOTE Xmas has been used for hundreds of years in religious writing, where the X represents a Greek chi, the first letter of Χριστος, “Christ.” In this use it is parallel to other forms like Xtian, “Christian.” But people unaware of the Greek origin of this X often mistakenly interpret Xmas as an informal shortening pronounced (ĕks'məs). Many therefore frown upon the term Xmas because it seems to them a commercial convenience that omits Christ from Christmas.
(www.answers.com)

After listening to Noels Jeezit, it makes me think about Christmas and how blown out of proportion. I have read a couple of peer writings about Xmas is taking Christ out of Christmas. They must have missed the Greek definition. Plus the issue of Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas. I have heard complaining from both sides here at school. Kind of annoying!

BLIZZARD!!!

2005-12-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

There is a gigantic blizzard outside!!! Liz, Lydia and I went sledding at Mount Beebe. The best part is that we didn't have any sleds, so we used trays from the dining commons. They worked like a charm!

2005-12-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

I am not really sure what to think of this movie. Matt came down to Spring Arbor last night and we went to see RENT. Because it was a musical, I thought he would hate it, but he said he would go see it again. I am not sure that I liked it. The singing was good, but the story was odd. I can't decided if I liked it or not.

Recycled food...yum!

2005-12-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

The dinning commons must be in a contest to see how many variations of rice and beef they can serve within 3 days.

Rice

Black beans and rice
steamed white rice
fried rice
mexican rice

Beef

Beef fajitas
beef turnovers
just plain beef
beef stew

Goodness...get some variety. I can't handle this!

Puerto Rico...Here I Come

2005-11-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

I found out today, I got accepted to go on a missions trip with SAU to Puerto Rico. We will be doing maitenance projects during the day and working with kids and youth at night. We stay at a campground on the Caribbean and of course get to do a bit of sight seeing. This is an awesome opportunity that I cannot wait for.

2005-11-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you, the tears were flowing yesterday. I went to see my Memaw (Great Grandma). She isn't supposed to make it through the week. She could hear us but not respond. The saddest part was when Pepaw (Great Grandpa) leaned down and gave a kiss to "My Sweet Mommy" (that's what he calls her).

Happy Halloween

2005-11-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

Last night Lydia and I went trunk or treating. The Spring Arbor church lines up cars and we go around to the decorated trunks to get candy. Then Karilynn and I trick or treated at all the girls dorms. Fun times!

2005-10-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, there is a mountain lion on campus. It has been seen three times this week. Now, tell me how I am going to LOOK BIG when there is a mountain lion starring me down?!?!

Flap Jack

2005-10-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

Matt took Jessica, Abby, and me to Flap Jack for Sunday lunch. We felt like we were in a nursing home or something like that. All of the waitress spoke really loud. I'm guessing because most of their customers can't hear what they are saying.
-The booth in front of us had a young couple and an older than dirt guy. The woman was talking about how she isn't afraid of dying because heaven is what is on the other side. Meanwhile, the guy across from her is about to die because he is so old.
-The booth across from us had an old couple. The woman didn't have the strength to feed herself. The husband was trying to feed her but his hand was shaking so bad, he couldn't get it in her mouth. Cute, but funny.
- The booth behind us was the only other table under the age of 75. The couple had three young kids. However, each kid was a different ethnicity.
Wow, it was an adventure!

2005-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

What a Cutie! Elijah is 2!

Playing with his new bubble gun

Karilynn and I went to Midneight Madness at SAU last night. It was a sad spinoff of MSU's Midnight Madness. Oh, well we had fun at Denny's after!

Matty came for a visit.

Roommates

2005-10-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

Me and my roomie, Lydia. We have roomed together for two years!

Make Over

2005-10-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

Lydia, Liz, Karilynn and I decided to practice our makeup for Halloween. Karilynn did my makeup normal, but everyone else was either a princess, cat or something else. We had tons of fun!!!

The final Product

Me and Karilynn

The Gang!

Liz and Lydia

Dance Aerobics

2005-10-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided to exercise by dancing. At school dances I was the one that held up the walls by leaning against them, but last night I had fun!

Liz

Lydia

The Gang

Karilynn

Shake it like a polaroid picture, shake it, shake it...

Chicago

2005-09-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to Chicago with an SAU class. We saw Chinatown, Indiatown, and the Mexican community. The funnest part was free time downtown. Emily, Kazia and I walked around and of course shopped. There were many scary moments, but definetly lots of fun. I'll post pics later.

Quotes from the trip:
"Beep at a gang member and wait to see what happens." ~Kazia
"If I were homeless, I would eat you bird." ~Josh

Karilynn & Me

2005-09-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

What would I do without her?!?!?

Birthday Weekend

2005-09-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

So my birthday weekend wasn't exactly what I expected...
1. I stepped on a nail in the barnyard. I now have a hole in my foot.
2. Matt decided to slam on the brakes and spill a full Orange Hi-C drink all over my car.
3. My CD player in my car stopped working.
4. I got into the wrong car after church. I couldn't figure out why my car door wouldn't unlock. It helps if you try the right car.

Sometimes I Forget How Weird This Place Is

2005-09-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, my roomate Lydia and I are sitting in the Dining Commons. A older woman walks in with a horse riding uniform. She is wearing a tank top, tight pants, boots, and spurs. The whole deal! Her pants are so tight, you can see everything. With the straightest face, Lydia says, "My friends call that cottage cheese!" We could not stop laughing at the woman and how Lydia said it.

Then Karilynn calls me to tell me a really weird guy called her room. He was asking her strange questions and was being really creepy about it. I told her to tell campus safety. About an hour later, Karilynn got a call from the head of campus security. They had traced the number to a construction worker working across the street from her room. He was fired immediately. How scary is that!

Back to It

2005-09-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Back to the arbor for me. I started classes today. I found out I am going to Chicago in two weeks with my core group. That should be pretty sweet. We are going to eat at different culture's restaurants. Then we are going to a play and the Magnificent Mile. I can't wait.

And then I found out that my Aunt Gayle passed away this morning. Although it was expected, it was a reality check. God has our timing, not us.
Since no man know the future, who can tell him what is to come? Ecclesiastes 8:7

Good 'ole Dansville

2005-05-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Wow...the hour and a half Dansville parade was an experience!

1. Miles of tractors show up to be shown off
2. A beer bellied man was wearing a too tight stars and stipes tank top
3. Not only were horses in the parade, but Llamas, goats, and oxen
4. A high school reunion with the gang
5. A tractor held up the parade because it broke down and had to be towed by the other one
6. In front of the gas station someone parked their John Deere tractor

As I walked through town I could imagine coming back in 50 years with my family and showing them where I grew up. Then they would understand how crazy people can be.

Quotes from Brandon...The man who ran into the tree

2005-05-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

"Do you want to play unltimate frisbee...oh wait."
"I've got this hair thats like blinders. I'm like a horse, I can't see anything on the sides."
"My arm looks extemely long today."
"I kept reading the same word over and over, then I would write a word and forget what I was writing."
"I saw my guitar and touched it to make sure it was mine."
"Someone asked me how my car was after I ran into a tree. I said there was no car, I RAN into the tree."
"What is a concusion? The nurse told me, but how would I remember?"

Poor guy...maybe he should get back to bed. Or take less medicine.

2005-05-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

In my Gospels and Acts class, we have been studying the Sermon on the Mount. "Your're familiar with the old written law, Love your friend, and its unwritten companion, Hate your enemy. I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respnd with energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created sleves. This is what God does..." (Matthew 5:43-47)

When discussing this our professor asked us if as Christians we should be fighting in the war right now. Shooting our enemies; is that going against Jesus' command to love your enemies?

I am not sure what to think of this. I think it is different if we go into it for the protection of others. Hmmm....somethin' to chew on!

365 Days Ago..

2005-04-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, I don't really know where to start except for I have been doing a lot of thinking today. It was a year ago to this hour that I was in the emergency room after a motorcycle accident. At first I did not really think into it. I figured it was kind of ironic that we would hit a dog in the middle of Lansing. Later I was to the stage that I couldn't believe God would allow this to happen to me. This was supposed to be the biggest year of my life. I was going to finish my track season as the captain of the team, walk down the aisle at graduation, and then head off to college. My dorm room was paid for at MSU. My plans were set. God had a different plan. He was going to stretch me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And that he did.
Showing weakness is one of the hardest things for me. I had to sit back and watch my sister have loads of fun her last few days of high school with our friends, sit on the side lines of prom with my crutches as my only date, watch everyone zoom by me as they were planning our open house, and much, much more. Instead of being at school with my friends, I was lying in bed. Of course it wasn't too bad when they were all studying for finals, I was playing Go Fish with Ethan. (We became pros at card games)
Becaue of the small campus and my sister attending Spring Arbor University, I decided it was the place for me. I knew I was going to have a second surgery over Christmas and the smaller campus would make life a bit easier. I am sure Jess sometimes hated everytime I asked her for help, but she never showed it. (God may have stretched her as much as me!)
At first I did a really good job of putting on a mask, that nothing bothered me. After a few weeks into college I realized I put on the happy face for too long, hoping no one would really notice how much I hated not being able to participate in everyday activities.
Hopefully life will sometime get back to normal. This week was an encouragement because I was able to run for the first time. In two weeks I have a doctors appointment so I can get a knee brace. Then I will be able to play volleyball.
I thank God continuously for even being able to walk at all. I realized I took for granted being able to take a single step. That also reminds me of the amazing family that stuck with me and still does when I am having a bad day. Mom and Dad filled up my ice packs and gave me medicine at the craziest hours at night. I don't think they got much sleep for a long time. My mom always said she "became one" with my leg. When I was having a bad day, Mom and Tricia would make me laugh by saying, "You'll be alright!" They knew it would make me smile.
Through all the tears and questioning I have learned to keep trusting God. He is in control of my life.

You know you go to a Christian college when...

2005-04-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Only at Spring Arbor University would there be a Root Beer Kegger Party!!!

Here's Your Sign!!!

2005-04-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today was registration day for 2005/2006 academic year. The doors opened at 8:30am. I got in line at 7:00 and was about 15 people from the door. When one of the registration workers walked by he asked, "So, who was the first person here?" Duh, wouldn't the first person here, be the first one in line? Here's your sign!

My New Favorite Song

2005-04-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

My Glorious-
Delirious?
The world's shaking with the love of God
Great and glorious, let the whole earth sing
And all you ever do is change the old for new
People we believe that

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!

Clouds are breaking, heaven's come to earth
Hearts awakening let the church bells ring
And all you ever do is change the old for new
People we believe that

My New Baby

2005-04-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

This is the new arrival on our farm, Cooper. He weighs 96 pounds. Last night I was supposed to give him his shots, I pulled the cap off the needle, and freeked out. I couldn't hurt him. Then we had to give him his ear tattoo and ear tag. It was really sad. But he is super cute and really nice!!!

WOW!!!

2005-04-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today was officially, "Beat up on the Country Girls".
~First of all, I was telling Shauna my weekend plans.
1. Mow Fairways
2. Attend a pig meeting
3. Dig up irrigation heads
4. Fill steers' water tanks
5. Wash my steers
"Wow, you country folk are way superior to us mediocre city people." ~Shauna

~ Second, Jess, Lydia, and I decided to do sit ups in my room. We don't like to listen to the
cheesy work out music on the video tape, so I play my playlist off of Windows Media. My
favorite country song comes on, "Little Moments". This is kind of a love song, so its slow.
"I don't think I have ever worked out to country music." ~Lydia (my roommate)

I guess not everyone loves country music (tricia:). That's all right. I'll stick to washin' steers and listening to my awesome country music.

Me and My Bro

2005-04-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Weather Person

2005-03-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

I think I am going to become a meteorologist. I could have told you last night it was going to rain. Not because I am psychic, but because my knee hurt like heck. I couldn't believe it. I always heard that happening to older people, but come on, I am only 18. My knee also sucks because right now everyone is going to go jump on someone's trampoline, but I can't. Also, the girls go either rollerblading or running everyday. Guess who can't do that either! ME!!!
Sometimes I wonder why things happen to people. Like why did I have to go skidding down Cedar Street or why does my aunt have to have cancer? Hmmm....

Seriously!!!

2005-03-31T19:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, who really goes to bed at 11pm on a college campus. Last night I got yelled at by the girl in the room next to me. Apparently I was talking on the phone too loud. Give me a break. It is only 11!

3.30.05

2005-03-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I told Matt that Jessica had bought roller blades. After Jess tried them out, I thought I should give them a try. Nevermind the fact that I have a screwed up knee with not all my ligaments in the right spots. Matt told Wanda, his mom. She then told him, she would be right back. She had to run to the store to buy "Get Well Cards" for me and Jess.

Why does everyone think we are so accident prone?!?!?!?!

Sleep Deprivation

2005-03-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Today in Psych we learned about sleep deprivation. As our prof was giving the lecture on sleep, most of us were falling asleep! I think I have a serious case of this!

"Sleep"by Riley Armstrong
Album: Riley Armstrong
Artist Info: Discography
Song Clip: Real Audio

looking straight at the light
it never used to be that bright last night
but it's a new day with fuzz in my eyes
alarm is still ringing when I open the blinds
how do these people do it
they are like driving around like there's nothing to it
I imagine it's like the medication their on
or probably just the coffee but
one thing is certain in life
and that is that today I'm going to eat cereal
I mean come on let's get our priorities straight
but before I know it I'm out the door late
just trying to catch some rat or some race
or something I'm not quite sure what it is
so for now I just best keep moving
and by nine a.m. my brain and my body
finally decide to meet
and we come to the same conclusion as yesterday
that I never get enough sleep

{chorus}:sleep, no I never get enough
always waking up tired
sleep, no I never get enough
if I don't show up I might get fired
sleep, no I never get enough
always waking up tired
sleep, no I never get enough
if I don't show up I might get fired

Spring Break is Over :(

2005-03-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

My Spring Break was not the most exciting, but very relaxing. I did lots of stuff...
1) Shop, Shop, Shop
2) Worked at MSU
3) Observation Hours at Dansville
4) Hung out with the coolest cousins in the world!!!
5) Saw Justine, Ashley, and Cory
6) Watched Brent win a 3 on 3 Bball Tourney and get into a fight
7) Got a cold...not fun!!!
8) Hung out with Paytons and Parents
9) Hung out with Matthew
10) Watched lots of XBox

Spring Is Here

2005-03-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

SPRING BREAK!!!

2005-03-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Yippy...spring break is only two classes away. I don't have anything huge planned except for a lot of sleep:)

3.7.05

2005-03-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

I walked into Gospels and Acts late today to hear from my fellow gals that we are going to drop out of school. They decided they we are going to drop out, get married, and have kids. There explaination..."Jesus didn't have to go to college. Why should we?"

Weekend Quotes

2005-03-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jess, Cory, Emily, and I went home with Kate. We had tons of fun and actually a lot of sleep. Very relaxing!!!

"Well see... Laundry... that's something I just don't have money for." (Kate at the movie store begging for quarters)

"I'm not afraid of you since you made those oatmeal bars." (Emily to Kate's Dad, Phil, who could be a little intimidating until you get to know him.)

"The horse just violated me." (Jess after riding the Meijers pony.)

"So do you want anything from Jamaica?" (My cousin Kyle randomly calling to tell us he is on his way to Jamaica.)

DOGS ARE THE DEVIL!!!

2005-03-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

I HATE DOGS!!! Tonight I was reminded of how much I hate dogs that run in the road.

1. In April I went skidding down Cedar Street because of a dog that looked like this one.

2. Two weeks later, Jessica got in a car accident because a dog was in the road in Holt.

3. This winter, Jessica Holeman went in the ditch in Minnesota to avoid a dog in the road.

4. Saturday while Jess, Jessica H., and I were on our way to a volleyball game in Bellevue, a dog was taking his time walking across the road right in front of us. Thankful we had enough time to stop.

5. On the way to a basketball game in Bellevue tonight I screamed at Jess to watch out for the dog running along side us on the highway.

Why don't people take care of their freakin' dogs!!! I would have a normal knee, our car would have had one less dent, and Jessica Holeman wouldn't of had to be pulled out of the ditch.

21st Century

2005-02-28T05:13:00.000-08:00

Last night Jessica, Brent, and I were watching the Oscars. All of a sudden it dawned on me that each of us was working on our own laptop plus Brent was on the family desktop computer as well. Talk about living in the 21st century by having four computers. (or as Brent pointed out, maybe we are just nerds!!!)

2.24.05

2005-02-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

Kickboxing Rocks!!! Today in my physical fitness class, we learned kickboxing. It's tons of fun especially watching very unathletic people!

Breakthrough of the Century

2005-02-18T03:41:00.000-08:00

I can actually have fun at college...

1. Taylor, Heidi, and John came for dinner. We went to Olive Garden...yum!!!
2. We went to an awesome worship service.
3. Matt called. Jess and Kate sang songs to him.
4. About 20 overworked college kids took a break with catchphrase. Fun stuff.
5. Kate singing in a horrible voice...but she is just kidding. I didn't think so!
6. I found a book on Jessica's desk, "The Truth about Depression". I asked her why she had it. With a straight face she looked at me with an empty look. Then I said, "Jessica, I am really worried. We need to have a talk." Apparently her roommate Kate is doing a project on depression. However they lead me to think Jess was depressed.
7. I am witnessing a temper tantrum from my awesome cousin Kate.
8. We are on our way to Meijers...more later!
9. Back from a fun 3am trip to Meijers. There are some creepy people at the store at that time.
10. Jessica and Kate dying their hair.

2005-02-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

(or as some call it here, Single's Awareness Day!!!)

Teaching Already...ahhh!!!

2005-02-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day of observation. First, I went to the wrong building. Apparently Jackson Christian Elementary is nowhere near Jackson Christian High School. Then the teacher I was supposed to work with wasn't there so I had to work with the principal. When she got a break to talk to me, she asked if I wanted to teach a heritage lesson each week. Hold the phone!!! This was my first day! So starting next week I am going to be teaching social studies to third graders. Considering I hate history, this is going to be a huge stretch!

Team - Thrift Shop

2005-02-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

My Core group went bowling last week. Our theme was thrift. So Jess and I went shopping at a thrift store in Jackson. I wore a sweet teal jacket that said "Country Kickers". Then I bought some cowboy boots to match. My group decided I wasn't thrifty enough, so I had to wear a leopard print shirt. Fun Stuff!!!

Fact or Fiction???

2005-02-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

Matt and I watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre this weekend. I had always heard that it was a true story. He of course didn't believe me, so we called Jess to google it. She couldn't find anything, so while I was at Tricia's we researched and came to the conclusion that it is based on a true story. There really was a guy that robbed graves and used there body parts for crazy things. So I guess the chainsaw part is fake. I DON"T GET IT!!!!!!

Marshalls vs. Hair Dye

2005-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

Last night was pretty fun for once. I went shopping with about 6 other girls from Spring Arbor. Then Kate and Annie decided to dye their hair. Wow, that was interesting to say the least. Kate dyed her hair and then accidently washed it out. You gotta love her!!!

I Can't Believe I am Doing This!!!

2005-02-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I am just trying this because everyone else in the world has one. They are fun to read but I don't think I want everyone to know every detail about my life.