A life to travel

I don't know why I haven't felt like blogging in the past few months, well maybe I do, but its kind of a long story. I am back at school, back into the routine of life. Classes, homework, working out, friend time, sleep, rinse and repeat. Not to say that anything about that is bad.

This school year is turning into a very interesting one. My classes are fascinating; for the first time every single class I am in is something I enjoy. From History of World Christianity to Biochemistry to Lifeguard training. I have less free time than I had last year (if that is even possible) but I don't really care. I pride myself on finding that fine line between complete insanity and the appearance of insanity.

It is also strange to be back on campus without a few people of note. Having people gone means learning to trust and depend on different people, but it also means a chance to get to know other people at a deeper level.



Cheers!

Laura

Finals Loom

I'm half way through the last week of classes. Its hard to believe that this year is nearly gone. It seems like it was just yesterday I was moving in and saying goodbye to my family. And now, I'm going to be moving out of my dorm room in less than two weeks. Even though this year has flown by it seems like so much has happened. It is strange to think that some of my closest friends I didn't even know at the beginning of this year, and now I can't imagine my life without them. I am so thankful for the people that God has placed in my life, both at home in Oregon and here in California.

One of my favorite hymns is "How Firm a Foundation", and I especially like this verse:

Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed!
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

At the moment I'm just so very tired and stressed with some much to get done in the next year weeks. But knowing that my foundation is not in this world, but instead in Christ means that I don't have to go through anything alone.

I'm not even done with this school year, but already I'm excited for next fall. It will be a very different semester. Two of my closest friends with be gone in England, and a handful of others will also be spread out across the globe. But my class schedule could be more fun. I found out two weeks ago, that I am on the SBIC core team for next year. This is the team that plans the trip to SF that I went on for spring break. I'm really excited to be in a new role for next year, and to have the chance to serve and lead in an organization and place that I have come to care for deeply. Isn't it funny how God's plans work out? I really only wanted to go to SF to see if I could handle being in an urban environment, not to fall in love with the people, and fall at His feet for their brokenness.


Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: I'm reading a book called Awakenings. Its about Parkinson disease. Its sort of like reading a textbook, but a really totally awesome text book. Next on my reading list: rereading "A brief History of Time" and "The Universe in a nutshell".

Amendment 2: Did I mention that I can't wait for medical school?

Amendment 3: Ok, I can wait, only because I love my life here at W_______, and will miss it when I've moved on.

April has Arrived

As always, life is moving at a break-neck pace. With only a little over a month left until the end of the semester, school is becoming more and more time consuming. Which translates to less and less sleep.

My classes are still mostly fun. Lit. is probably my least favorite class only because our class discussions leave much to be desired. Philosophy oscillates from being enthralling to being down right mind numbing. It doesn't seem like there is a middle ground for me in philosophy, either I really love it or can't stand the material. Analytical chemistry is at times interesting. I really prefer the theoretical parts of chemistry much more than the lab work, so it isn't all that exciting to me, but it is still chemistry so I am still enjoying the class. Genetics is by far my most interesting class. The labs are very exciting. We have made antibiotic resistant E.coli, tested a potential mutagen, and are now crossing fruit flies to find out what traits are on the same chromosomes.

After numerous false starts, research is finally going well. We have been plagued with technical difficulties all semester, but it seems that finally we are getting good data. Which is very good in my opinion because it means fewer things for me to sort out at the beginning of the summer when I'm doing research full time.

On top of school social stuff is also starting to take up more time recently. But in a very good way. I sometimes feel like when ever life starts to calm down and become routine something new happens that adds excitement. That has certainly happened in the last month.

This past weekend was Easter break. I spent most of the break on campus, doing homework, and relaxing with friends. On Easter Sunday I attended my normal church and then spent the rest of the day at a friend's house that lives locally. It was so nice to be in a home, even if I was only visiting. I had forgotten just how wonderful being in a house, with people of different ages can be. I believe I have hit the point in the semester that I am really starting to feel like wanting to go home. I haven't been at home since early January, four months now. I have another month and bit to go, then a wonderful busy week at home, before summer research.

Cheers!

Laura

Amusing things learned in the past few weeks:
1) Facebook privacy settings are funny things, especially for friends-of-friends.
2) "Uhmm... friend" is a term that is apparently acceptable to use in some circles.
3) Cracking confetti eggs over friends' heads is a very fun activity.
4) Styrofoam $.99 airplanes can be surprisingly entertaining.
5) Nerf gun wars in a three story dorm building are not only good exercise but also ridiculously fun. Just watch out for "civilians" (aka other students).

Spring Break in the City: San Francisco

For those of you that don’t know, I spent last week (spring break) in San Francisco on a mission trip. In short, the trip was amazing. I had a great time in the city, but I also learned so much about myself, urban ministry, and about my fellow team members. There are so many wonderful stories I could tell, and an equally number of heart breaking stories. I feel as if I left a little part of my heart in SF.

One of the main things I learned personally about myself was that I can do urban ministry. I grew up in a rural environment, always hating cities. Homeless people scared me, as did the loud, noisy smelly cities that I associated with them. But throughout the course of the week I came to realize that what people on the streets, or in horrible living conditions really want is just to be humanized, the same as everyone else. We spent lots of time passing out food to people that had literally next to nothing, but what they wanted and needed more than the food was the conversation and a smile. It makes so much sense and I can’t believe that I never thought about it that way before.

Being faced with so much poverty was at times overwhelming and very difficult. I knew that poverty existed in the US but I had never seen it so clearly. I realize now that while doing missions overseas, and in other countries is important, it is also important to do so in the United States. You don’t have to go to Africa to find people that are hurting, broken, and desperately in need of Christ’s love and compassion. (this is not to say that missions not in the USA are in any means bad, but just that we should also look to inside our own borders for places to minister). An entire family living in a 10x10 room, with no bathroom or kitchen should not be acceptable here. I have no idea what the answer is to some many of the problems, but things need to change. For the sake of the kids we worked with, things need to change.

Walking around and seeing places that were most certainly brothels or sweatshops was really hard. We went on a prayer walk our last day in the city and learned just how much pain and hurt was in the three blocks surrounding the church where we stayed. I’m not sure I can go back to normal life after being faced with trafficking victims and girls that have aged out of the foster care system being used as sex slaves. Walking around the neighborhood that we had been staying in and learning just so of the many problems that are faced by that community made me feel physically ill.

I am so thankful for the life I had growing up. I always had a roof over my head, food on the table, and parents that I knew loved me and wanted the best for me in everything. I never had to call home as a six year old to remind my parents to come and get me, and I never had to worry that my parents might not come home at night. We take so much for granted.

I was so encouraged on this trip to see a church that is really doing hard work. I have been feeling a little disenchanted with the Church recently, but to be able to experience a church that really was reaching out to the lost and the hopeless, and pulling people back from the precipice is something that I am so thankful for.

Christ came to serve, but I think sometimes the church brushes aside the people that are uncomfortable or difficult to serve. I realized walking around SF that our culture has made a new kind of lepers. In the Bible we read about the lepers, the outcasts of society, that people couldn’t touch; they wouldn’t even look them in the eye; they were completely ignored. How many of us do the same thing with people on the street? I know I am guilty of this. If we see a homeless person we just walk around them, not even giving them a smile. By doing this we have dehumanized them and deprived them of respect and dignity.

After this last week, I definitely want to go back to SF. I feel like there is so much more I can learn at the church we worked with. I went on this trip because I knew that where ever I end up for medical school it will mostly likely be in an urban environment. I wanted to learn something about the issues and problems that Christians face in that type of ministry. I came back with so much more. I feel encouraged that it is possible to find the balance between pure evangelism and just giving people a sandwich and a blanket on the road to Hell. I feel more confident that if I do end up working and ministering in an urban setting I can do so. I want to help the people that no one else is. The world is filled with broken people that desperately need Christ’s love and compassion. I want to find a small corner and stand between the gates of Hell and the hopelessness of the world.

~Laura

Church (big 'C')

Quote from Max Lucado:

"God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose—to carry us
safely to the other shore.
This is no cruise ship; it’s a battleship. We aren’t called to a life of leisure; we are called to a life
of service. Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are
snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons
of prayer and worship. Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew
members.
Though different, we are the same. Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, for each has received a personal call. He found us among the shanties of the seaport and invited us to
follow him. Our faith was born at the sight of his fondness, and so we went.
We each followed him across the gangplank of his grace onto the same boat. There is one captain
and one destination. Though the battle is fierce, the boat is safe, for our captain is God. The ship
will not sink. For that, there is no concern.
There is concern, however, regarding the disharmony of the crew. When we first boarded we
assumed the crew was made up of others like us. But as we’ve wandered these decks, we’ve
encountered curious converts with curious appearances. Some wear uniforms we’ve never seen,
sporting styles we’ve never witnessed. “Why do you look the way you do?” we ask them.
“Funny,” they reply. “We were about to ask the same of you.”
The variety of dress is not nearly as disturbing as the plethora of opinions. There is a group, for
example, who clusters every morning for serious study. They promote rigid discipline and somber
expressions. “Serving the captain is serious business,” they explain. It’s no coincidence that they
tend to congregate around the stern.
There is another regiment deeply devoted to prayer. Not only do they believe in prayer, they
believe in prayer by kneeling. For that reason you always know where to locate them; they are at
the bow of the ship.
And then there are a few who staunchly believe real wine should be used in the Lord’s Supper.
You’ll find them on the port side.
Still another group has positioned themselves near the engine. They spend hours examining the
nuts and bolts of the boat. They’ve been known to go below deck and not come up for days. They
are occasionally criticized by those who linger on the top deck, feeling the wind in their hair and
the sun on their face. “It’s not what you learn,” those topside argue. “It’s what you feel that
matters.”
And, oh, how we tend to cluster.
Some think once you’re on the boat, you can’t get off. Others say you’d be foolish to go
overboard, but the choice is yours.
Some believe you volunteer for service; others believe you were destined for the service before
the ship was even built.
Some predict a storm of great tribulation will strike before we dock; others say it won’t hit until
we are safely ashore.
There are those who speak to the captain in a personal language. There are those who think
such languages are extinct.
There are those who think the officers should wear robes, there are those who think there
should be no officers at all, and there are those who think we are all officers and should all wear
robes.
And, oh, how we tend to cluster.
And then there is the issue of the weekly meeting at which the captain is thanked and his words
are read. All agree on its importance, but few agree on its nature. Some want it loud, others quiet.
Some want ritual, others spontaneity. Some want to celebrate so they can meditate; others
meditate so they can celebrate. Some want a meeting for those who’ve gone overboard. Others
want to reach those overboard but without going overboard and neglecting those on board.
And, oh, how we tend to cluster.
The consequence is a rocky boat. There is trouble on deck. Fights have broken out. Sailors have
refused to speak to each other. There have even been times when one group refused to acknowledge the presence of others on the ship. Most tragically, some adrift at sea have chosen not to
board the boat because of the quarreling of the sailors."



My pastor read this in church on Sunday. The message was about the Church universal, and what our place should be in it. I liked this analogy, especially because it really hit on some very important but very sensitive topics about the conduct of people in the Church.

I’m not sure why I’ve suddenly been thinking so much about the Church (as opposed to the church, little ‘c’). But it does seem to keep coming up. Even in chapel today, the speaker was a women, a wife of a priest from the Church of Antioch. This is an Eastern Orthodox church tradition. I didn’t necessarily agree with everything she said. And I also felt that she made some rash generalizations about the Western church that made me rather less likely to give her the benefit of the doubt on the things that I didn’t agree with. But on the whole it was a fascinating message. I have little to no experience with the Eastern church. Learning about the importance of art (icons) was particularly interesting.

But the Church universal seems to be on my mind lately. Perhaps, because I've been thinking and praying a lot about my future. Not the medical school part. At the moment I truly feel that that is where God is leading me. But I am also realizing that being a doctor will give me a unique set of skills that I can use almost anywhere in the world, and in many different settings. This opens a lot of doors, and gives a chance to be involved in people's lives that would otherwise be unreachable.

At the moment the questions that are floating through my head are these:

How can I keep myself from being lumped in with the perceived members of the Church that do not do a good job of representing Christ?

Which of my beliefs are matters of doctrine which are matters of freedom?

Does patriotism get in the way of the work of the Church?

If we have the Answer then why is the Church so ineffective at so many things?

Shouldn’t all Christians feel broken-hearted when looking at the world, because I’m beginning to think God must?

Is it enough for the local church to be concerned with their congregation or do they need to be involved with the larger Church?

Can one person really make a difference in a world filled with so much pain and hurt, but more specifically, can I?

How can I share the Hope I understand through Christ and the natural world with others?

What did Christ mean when he told the the disciples to buy swords, and am I strong enough and brave enough to fight when I have to?

~Laura

Random Thoughts from Lit. Class

A quote by David James Duncan:
When I was thirteen and my brother was dying, a clergyman told me that if I prayed hard enough and with a pure enough heart, I could save my brother’s life. And then my brother died. This left me with serious questions about the pastor who told me those things, and about the purity of my own heart. So to the extent that I had bought the old time religion, I was guilt-ridden—I felt like I had been given an ideal that was impossible to live up to. But the older I grew, the more the ideal seemed like Swiss cheese religion—full of some serious holes. I couldn’t figure out, for instance, how to make God compassionate when all the people on the earth are only given one life and everyone is supposed to accept Jesus… It seemed to me that any God that I would believe in would have to be merciful. I felt that the God of my childhood was not merciful, and became an atheist, at least in terms of that God. I mean, I believe in God devoutly, but if Pat Robertson’s God is God, then I’m an atheist. I make a distinction between God and ‘God’.

David James Duncan wrote a book called the “River Why”. I had to read it for my English lit. class last week. The book takes place in Oregon and is basically about this young man’s spiritual journey as he finds God (or something like God). In general, I liked the book. It preached the normal Pacific Northwest Christianity, obsessed with nature and the natural world, focusing on a loving God without any judgment, a God that can basically become whatever anyone needs him/her to be. I didn’t agree with a lot of the spiritual aspects of the book. But that is really neither here nor there.

On Wednesday, when my professor brought in this interview with Duncan (quoted above) I started to think. In fact, I got so lost in thought that I didn’t bother paying attention for the rest of the class. The quote above made me, once again, wish that there was something else I could call myself besides a “Christian”. Because, very simply, I don’t want to be associated with the clergyman that told Duncan if he prayed hard enough his brother would live, or with Pat Robertson who proclaims that the earthquake in Haiti happened because the Haitian people had sold their souls to the devil.

How often does the Church drive people away by casting judgment, making snap decisions about people, or by petty arguing? And please don’t think that I am not guilty of this as well. I have messed up plenty in the Church, especially while in leadership positions. The thought that I might have driven someone from the Church is a constant in my life.

I have been a part of a church that went through a church-split. I know how devastating it can be. What would a visitor to the church have thought the Sunday when three pastors read resignation letters at my former church? I pray that they would have found somewhere else to worship, a church that was healthy. But what if they didn’t? What if that one event was enough to drive them to leave the Church for good?

Is the Body of Christ really a welcoming place? It should be. Everyone should be welcome regardless of race, political opinions, theology, past mistakes, or sexual orientation. Now, before anyone freaks out… There is a difference between welcoming someone into the Body of Christ as Jesus would, and being tolerant of blatantly unbiblical behavior.* Jesus came to sinners; there is no prerequisite for becoming a Christian. So why do we sometimes act as if people must first clean up their lives and THEN become Christians? We as a body of Christ certainly still have a lot of cleaning-up to do in our lives. Why should we expect others to uphold standards that we ourselves can’t maintain?

The 2nd greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Is the Church really doing this? The way we treat each other matters to God. And it matters to people outside the Church. If people on the outside look into the Church and see only a squabbling, hypocritical, and judgmental group, then why would they want anything to do with our God?


~Laura

*I’m not in anyway saying that within the church we should accept certain behaviors. However, there is a difference between being judgmental and correcting in a loving manner. This is a difficult thing to do, and I personally think that if we aren’t completely sure (and by that I mean, you need to be able to point to a specific verse) then we have no right to tell someone their actions are wrong. God is the ONLY judge. And once again, I am not trying to say that I am above reproach on any of these matters. Just by writing this I am in some ways being hypocritical. I am a sinner, that is saved by undeserved Grace.

Week One

Week one: Check.

I’m back at school for my second semester of my junior year. Christmas break was really wonderful in so many ways. I got to spend time with family and friends in Oregon. I also had a lot of time to relax and read. I think I read something like eleven books. It was so nice to just to get my head out of school for a while. Fall semester, while extremely rewarding, exciting, and just plain fun, was very exhausting both physically and mentally. So it was nice to be home and have time to sleep. The many conversations I had with my family and friends meant so much to me, and I was able to spend some time with most of the people at home that I care the most about.

That said break was also hard and challenging in ways. I won’t go into everything, but just knowing that I wouldn’t be home until May and then only for a week made the ‘goodbyes’ that much harder. Suffice it to say that I came back to school with a lot to think and pray about.

Last week was difficult to get through. I was still mentally back in Oregon, with everyone there that I loved, and trying to focus on school was nearly impossible. But as of this weekend I am now back into the swing of things. It was/is so nice to be back and see friends again. I now have my family at home and my school family. (I’m still trying to decide which family is stranger).

My class load this semester is a little lighter than usual. Analytical Chemistry, Genetics, Studies in Lit. Philosophy, Fencing, and research. Even though my classes are less work, I am also studying to take the MCAT in May so I’m about at busy as I normally am.

As usual, I am involved with pre-health club, running ECD club, participating in Martial Arts club, and spending what other free time I have hanging out with friends. (And maybe trying to sleep a bit as well).


Cheers!

Laura


Amendment 1: Fencing is, so far, one of my favorite classes. We just started learning to use a foil, and will later learn some epee and saber.

Amendment 2: In genetics class we have already made antibiotic resistant E. coli. Very cool and very fun stuff.

Happy 2010!

2010! Can it really be 2010? It really seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2009. 2009 was the first year that I spent more time away from Oregon than in Oregon, and in 2010 I will be spending even less time at my Oregon home.

I am leaving for school on Saturday, and I won't be back in Oregon until mid-May, and then only for a week. I'll go back to school after that for summer research. I will be home for about four weeks in August before going back to California to start my senior year of college.

Christmas break has been wonderful. I have had a chance to rest and relax. I have also been able to see most of the people I am close to here. I have finally been able to read for enjoyment again. I've gotten through a lot of books that I have really wanted to read: Three Agatha Christie mystery books, Dante's Inferno, Arcadia, Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency, Till We Have Faces, the Screwtape Letters, the Great Divorce, and the Hero and the Crown. A very productive break.

As usual, I ended up with a large number of additions to my personal library thanks to Christmas presents and Christmas money. Though I don't suppose I will have time to read any of them until I have another break, in other words, when spring semester is over.

Next semester will be a busy one with lots of classes, research, and preparing to take the MCAT.

Cheers!

Laura

Christmas Blogging

Another Christmas is over. It was a normal Christmas for my family, filled with everything that entails. I got home from school about a week ago. One of my friends and I drove up together. It was my first long drive without my family, but I had a wonderful time with one of my best friends. I think we actually managed to talk for the entire seventeen hour trip. It was so nice to finally catch up with her about our lives at college, especially since we hadn't seen each other for almost four months.

My semester ended well. It was crazy busy, but very fun. As always, it seems like life is complicated, but I suppose there is no real way around that. It was a relief to finish up a couple of my classes. My physical chemistry class is the hardest class in my major and it was so satisfying to finally finish it. I was also very excited to finish my third semester of calculus. It is the last real math class I have to take, and even though I like math, I am done with it!

This semester I have been enjoying getting to know people at school better. Due to circumstances beyond my control last year, I didn't get a chance to make that many friends, and so it has been wonderful this year to finally have some really close friends at school. I've had the opportunity to get out of my shell a little more at school and get to know people on a deeper level.

This last week that I have been home has been really great. I have already gotten to spend some time with friends and also relax and sleep a little. I'm looking forward to getting some more rest before I head back to school for another long semester. Even on break life has a way of being busy. I need to start working on my personal statement for med. school applications, and spend some quality talking time with a couple of friends. The next time I will be back in Oregon will be in May so I'm trying to make sure I see everyone at least for a little while.

Blessings and Merry Christmas to you all!

Laura

For Friends

[Random update paragraph] School is going great. I only have one week left of the semester, a few days of exams, and then I'm home for Christmas. It really is crazy how fast this year is flying by. I have tons of things to be doing this week, but that's ok. I was telling my roommate this afternoon that I'm a mid-semester stresser. I tend to get all freaked out about half way through the semester about all the things I have to do, but then after that minor break down, I'm good and get on with the rest of my work, much less stressed, but still getting everything done.

[So these are some thoughts that came out of a conversation I had last night with some friends]

1) I would not consider myself a people person. I'm too introverted and reserved, plus at times I feel like I dislike more people than I actually like. That said, I'm realizing that though the list of people I don't like is large, I do love my friends and family. I love them to the point that I will do anything for them. Maybe that's why I don't make friends very easily, because I don't take friendships lightly. Once I have decided to be friends with someone, in my mind, there is no turning back. Its like some reversed and warped imprinting (like baby birds do). If I imprint on someone they can't really get out of it, they are just stuck with me. In other words, if I call someone a friend I mean it, and they need to realize the extent of my commitment to that friendship.

2) Caring to much is a huge blessing, but its also incredibly painful. This partially comes back to how I view friendships, but I have a tendency to try and take the burdens of those I care about on myself. In many circumstances I don't care if I get hurt, but if someone wants to see me truly mad* try and pull something on one of my friends. I'm not sure if this is caring to much, but it is how God created me. Sure, I get myself into the middle of things a lot. I can't say 'no' when someone I care about asks me for help. And when one of my friends is hurting, regardless if I had anything to do with it, I feel like my heart has been ripped apart. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm learning how much of who I am is rapped into caring so deeply: my desire to go into medicine, my stubbornness, and my heart for mission work (I'm still figuring out where God will lead me on this front). As an interesting side note: apparently people like this tend to be friends with others that are similar.

Cheers!

Laura

*For some reason people at school joke around that they don't want to get me mad. I'm not sure how this started, but I think its funny because I don't really get mad, unless its about a friend/family member, and then you REALLY don't want to get me mad.

Home Again

I have been home in Oregon for the last few days for Thanksgiving break. It has been really nice to be back. I have missed my family a lot, and it has also been nice to see some good friends as well. I have been gone for over three months now, but that is hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday I was starting my new classes, and moving in a with a new (and wonderful) roommate. But now the semester is nearly over, and I am back in Oregon for a few days.

This has led me to the question of when did the definition of 'home' become so difficult to nail down? Oregon is home. It is where my family lives. But school is also home. I have wonderful and amazing friends at school, and I am truly happy there. So how did two completely different places 900 miles apart become equally home-like to me? I certainly have no idea; it just happened.

Other than some random thoughts about what home means, life is good. I'm having a wonderful time at school getting to know some people better. School is going great. I'm really liking my classes. I just registered for next semester's classes. I'm taking one chemistry class, a bio class, two G.E.s, research, and fencing. I'm looking forward to learning how to use a sword. That should be fun, and one more thing to terrify my sister with when I'm home.


Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: We decorated the house for Christmas today. I'm glad I got to be around to help.

Amendment 2: I will be glad to be back at school. There are only three weeks in the semester left and then Christmas break.

It can't be November Already

This past week was certainly a crazy one. Three projects and two exams, is not a good way to get sleep. But the week is over, and this next one is looking much calmer. I just have to write a paper and study for one exam. I can't believe I will be home for thanksgiving in about two weeks. The last two and half months have flown by! I've been gone from Oregon for about three months now, and and at school for almost as long. I really wish I could hit the 'pause' button sometimes. Junior year is going to quickly.

I had my first official English Country Dance Club event this last week. It went very well. There were about 25 people there, which turned out to be a very good number. We even managed to talk a few boys that were playing Foosball in the lounge to dance with us. They are now members of the FB group :) At this rate I will convert the entire school to ECD before I graduate ;)

It has been a little strange being more involved on campus this year. Between pre-health club and ECD I have met a lot of students that I really wouldn't have had much contact with other wise. I'm still getting used to walking around campus and have people address me by name that I really don't know, only to realize afterward that I had probably emailed them about a pre-health event or introduced myself at the club fair in October. I suppose this is a good thing, since I'm tossing around the idea of running for a student government position next year. But still for someone that values privacy it can be a little disconcerting at times, not to mention the fact that I can never seem to remember these people's names.

It is finally starting to get a little colder here. I miss Oregon weather. Its nice to have a chill in the air at night, but there is something so comforting about dark clouds and rainy days. Finally, I can wear sweatshirts to class; I just wish I was wearing a rain jacket as well. There are perks to living in Southern California though. Its November and I can still read outside in a hammock on the weekends.

I am still attending the same church here and I'm starting to feel more at home there. If I can't be at my real home church then there is really no place I would rather be than the Naz. church here. My pastor has been going through the book of Ecclesiastes this fall. I think I had read the book before, but it has been quite a learning curve. I think it is amazing how God lines up what you are going through in life with what you are hearing in church. He has been teaching me a thing or two about balancing my hopes for the future with my life right now.

Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: I learned how to salsa dance on Saturday night. That was very fun, and I finally got to practice my swing dancing.

Amendment 2: Research is going well. I haven't had anymore issues with nearly blowing expensive equipment up.

Amendment 3: I don't remember if I put this on a previous blog, but here's a riddle. If you are told to choose one of three doors. One of which has a prize behind it and the other two don't have anything. You choose door number three. Then someone opens door number one and its empty. You are given the option to change your answer. Do you change it? If so why?

Random People

Ever had one of those days when you are missing someone and you just want to be with them? Well, I'm having one today, so I thought I would write a blog about some of those people that I really miss a lot. This is just a random selection of the people back home. It isn't really even based off of who I'm closest to, just who comes to mind right now for some wacky reasons.

My sister. So this should be obvious. My sister is like my other half. The half I fight with, hug, and get mad at for no reason. She is also the one that comes into my room late at night to talk and doesn't leave until early in the morning. She is also the main reason I have friends at college, since I would never have been anything close to social if she didn't make me. Thanks Sis! I would not be where I am today without you.

Becca and Rachel. Yes, I'm going to combine them, just because I almost always hang out with both at the same time. Becca is so funny. I love how quirky she is. Your mad drawing skills amaze me. Rachel is also funny, and I love how she teases her sisters without them even noticing.

My Dad. I miss just sitting in the living room with him not talking, just sitting. Maybe we will talk about important stuff, but just hanging out with one of heroes is a blast. I love being able to ask my dad any question about politics or history and him having an opinion whether he knows about the subject or not! Your lectures are famous dad! Maddy and I have learned never to get you started after 11pm because we would never get to bed.

Dewey (my pastor). Dewey is probably the funniest pastor I have ever met. His sermons are without a doubt the best ever. I have never met someone that can speak for three weeks on one word! Germaphobe though he is, I never get tired of his high-fives.

Mariah. I miss just sitting on the couch and laughing with her. Yes, she can be inflammatory at times, but someone that speaks her mind isn't that easy to come by, so I guess I'll keep her around.

So that is random smattering of people that I'm missing. There are lots more. People like mom, Christie, Nana, my dog, Britt, Katie, Charlie. But this will have to do for now.


Cheers!

Laura

Hit the Ground and Run

This semester really is flying by. I am now half way done, which means I'm a quarter of the way done with the year. I still miss being home a lot, but school really is home now. It is still strange to be happy in a place that is 900 miles from my family, but I suppose that is life. A series of adjustments.

Classes are going well. I'm still very busy with everything. Finally this week I finished a project I had been working on for the pre-health club, which I am an officer in. We went to a conference a few weeks back, and as the treasurer I had some bookkeeping things to do afterward. But I'm finally done with that minor headache.

It seems like I have been learning a lot lately about being a good leader. This summer with co-leading youth group, and now with the pre-health club and my ECD club. I can see that my leadership skills need some honing and practice. Being in charge is tough, and sometimes down right painful. I do enjoy it though. Having the ability to actually change a situation you don't like or agree with is a very satisfying position to be in. I'm learning to balance my show of confidence, (something important for a leader, and easy for me) with knowing when to ask for help and advice isn't always easy, but I think I'm getting better at it.

I have the first ECD club meeting on November 3rd. I'm very excited and a little nervous. I have no idea how many people will show up. We might have 20 people who have never danced before show up. That is a scary thought, trying to teach 20 new people how to dance at once. I will need to put some planning into the first event, and some thought into what dances I want to teach. I know I will do Marie's Wedding because I already have a request for it, and it is really simple, but oh so fun.

Next week a very exciting event is happening on my campus. Humans vs. Zombies. Its a game that involves an original zombie turning the other players (humans) into zombies and then they can turn others into zombies. I think something like 80 people are playing. I am not one of them, however most of friends are and I am planning being on hand with a camera for all the events. As is I don't have enough blackmail pictures on them already. Did I mention that I got a new camera for my birthday? Well I did. I should take a picture of it with my old camera and post it on FB it is really very cute and little with a measly 10 mega pixels.


Cheers!

Laura


Amendment 1: Fugacity is my word of the week. It is similar to pressure but is used for a real gas. It is defined as the limit as P goes to 0 then f equals P.

Amendment 2: I will be home in about four weeks. I can't wait to see you all!

Amendment 3: For my PE class this week I had to write down all the things I was doing this semester and then come up with a plan so I wouldn't get to stressed about it. I wasn't all that stressed until I wrote down exactly what I am doing this semester. Now that I KNOW I don't have time for everything, it suddenly seems so much worse than when I was just doing it.

How do I take my foot off the accelerator?

I just finished week seven of my first semester of junior year! I'm almost half way through the semester, and all I want right now is for things to slow down. I spend about 30 hours in class a week, and then another forty-fifty hours on homework a week. Somewhere I have to fit in sleep and meals, plus social time. Sometimes it seems that my life is one giant blur; one day fades into the next. All I want to do is yell "Stop". I love my life right now. I have wonderful friends. College is a wonderful place to be. I'm surrounded by the greatest profs. in the world. I would love to be able to take ever single class offered here. Well, maybe not all, but most. But life is flying by me.

I know its not going to get any better. Life only becomes more complicated and busy the older you become. This summer I take the MCAT and apply to medical schools. Hopefully, in less than two years I will be a medical student somewhere. Life goes on. I love the quote from the Lord of the Rings. "If you step onto the road, if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." Isn't life amazing? God has blessed me with so much, and I wish I had to enjoy every minute, but I guess I will just have to find my minutes between my classes, between study times, maybe on occasion over a meal (when I have time to eat :P), and in chapel.


Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: The sign on Sarah and I's door reads "Welcome to dragon country; mind the balrogs"

Amendment 2: Starting to get ready for the first official ECD club meeting a two weeks!

Amendment 3: For someone that doesn't know a thing about cars I really do like car analogies. My current favorite: if life is a highway it is sometimes necessary to pull over and check the map.

Six Weeks of Craziness

Six weeks of school! Six weeks! I can't believe it has already been six weeks! Ok, now I have that out of my system how about a nice long update.

School has been going well. I'm so busy that I'm starting to feel like I have no life but other than that I'm loving it. My classes are hard, especially p-chem, but very interesting. I had three exams this week and that was a little intense, but I survived (just barely) and now I have a four day weekend.

These last six weeks have been the most exhausting of my life. I feel like I have been going non-stop ever since arriving at school. I'm taking five classes, plus research, and running one club and helping run another. I'm also on the worship team at my church once a month. Life is crazy, but I love it.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go up to UC Davis for a pre-medical conference. Though the weekend was very tiring, I had a wonderful time. The other officers and I put a lot of work into all the details and I was so glad that things went off mostly without any problems. I learned so much about the medical school admission process and I feel much more confident about applying this spring. I also feel encouraged that I can and will get into medical school. It is a competitive world, but I know I can do it. It was great to hear that grades and test scores aren't everything, and that I am doing a lot of things that will help me get in.

Even all the work was fun (at times). I'm the treasurer of the club, and I enjoy all of the money stuff. Wow, I can't believe I wrote that! I sound like an accountant. Most of the details worked out fine in the end. There were a few minor heart attack moments in the week leading up to the trip, and a few on the trip as well. But other than getting no sleep and being sick (not a good combination) it was a wonderful time.

This weekend I don't have much planned. Getting some sleep, a lot of sleep. Doing some homework, and going on a day hike on Monday. Monday also happens to be my birthday. I think my mom is sadder that I won't be home than I am. Twenty just doesn't feel like a big deal. I'm excited to go hiking and spend the day with my best Westmont friends.

Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: No, I am still not dating/courting anyone. So you can stop wondering.

Amendment 2: My favorite quote from my p-chem textbook. "Because researchers do not have access to an infinitely large water bath... " It sounds like they just ran out of funds to buy one.

Amendment 3: My second favorite quote from my p-chem book. "any well-behaved function can be expressed in analytical form" What is a well-behaved function? Or a better question how does a function misbehave?

Amendment 4: I feel like this entry was all over the place. But I'm so tired I don't even care.

Amendment 5: Maybe when I'm less tired tomorrow or Sunday I will write some more details.

One Month In

I just finished my fourth week of school. It is strange to think that I've been gone from home for nearly six weeks now. Everything has gone so fast. There are only about fourteen weeks in the semester so being four weeks in, is really the middle of the semester.

I'm starting to have my first round of midterms. I had one this week, I'll have one next week, and two the week after. I think one of things academically I'm getting better at is exams. Being homeschooled for so long you don't really know how to take tests well. Thankfully, I feel like I am now a good test taker, especially in my science classes. While practice doesn't always make perfect is certainly helps, and I've been having a lot of practice with science exams.

It is hard for me to believe that I'm in my junior year now. In less then two years I will be, Lord willing, entering medical school. I have had a number of people over the years tell me I will be a good doctor, a doctor they would go to. I hope so... Being a doctor is a huge responsibility, and I think it would be fool-hardy for me to say that I am ready for that kind of responsibility. And the thought that I might some day, either by accident, mistake, or by just missing something, kill someone is terrifying. But I suppose being scared is probably a good thing in this case.

Since I only have three semesters left after this one, I have been planning very carefully what I need to do to graduate. I love my school, but we do have so many GE requirements. I have already fulfilled over a third of them and I still have 8 classes left to take! I have this horrible suspicion that my final semester will be me and a bunch of freshman some basic classes. At least I will have plenty of time for research :) The funny thing about my school is that the science departments are so small a lot of classes are only offered one semester either fall or spring. So next semester I will only have one science class with a lab, but next fall I will have three. While that sounds like fun to me, my friends are calling it suicide. But I guess that's what I get for hanging out with a bunch of English majors.

Cheers!

Laura

Amendment 1: Interesting Fact: I now know how to mathematically prove that you should slow down before entering a curve and then accelerate through it.

Amendment 2: Things I hate about FaceBook 1: People who put "In a relationship with Jesus" as their relationship status. That means any guy/girl that wants to date them must get that person to break up with God. Like that's going to be easy :P

Amendment 3: Time is precious here at school, so if my proof reading time goes down, please forgive me.

Why Do I Even Bother?

I have a cold, I am under a huge amount of stress from various different activities, and I still have hours of homework ahead of my today. It is at these sorts of times that I become introspective and slightly outwardly emotional. So you have been forewarned.

I was chatting with a friend this last week and he made a comment that really made me think about my life planning skills. He said something to the meaning "In two years if you get accepted to OHSU then you will be home". This is what I have been planning for the last year or so. Not just because of the cost of medical school, but also because I want to be home. All this made me look back at my track record for predicting my future, especially in geography.

Four Years Ago: I was planning on studying biology at a local christian liberal arts school. I was going to go to medical school. I wasn't going to live at home, but 30 minutes from home wasn't all that bad.

Three Years Ago: I had a change of heart. I decided I wanted to go to a more conservative school. So my original choice of the school close to home was out. You should have seen the look on my mom's face! I once again started looking at a school in Michigan that I had always liked. It started to look more like a possibility.

Two Years Ago: I graduated from High school early, and decide to take classes at a different liberal arts college in my home town. I wasn't ready to leave yet, but I wanted to make the most of this year. I was looking at colleges in earnest. But mostly the one Michigan. I went and visited it, and loved it. I knew then that's where I wanted to be, and I thought I knew where God wanted me.

Year and Nine Months Ago: My mom dragged me to CA to look at one more school. I knew I was not going to like it. I had my school all picked out, I was just there to go to Disneyland, and prove to mom and dad once for all, I knew what I wanted. Oops! I didn't just like the school, I loved it. It was very different from the one in Michigan, but I loved it just the same. It felt right.

Year and Half Ago: I had to send in my check that night. Both schools needed a deposit by May 1st. It was the night of April 30th. I had to make a decision. So I did. I chose to come to Southern California, a place I really hate to a school I didn't even want to go and look at much less attend. Yeah, this was an "Ok God, I hope you know what you are doing" moment.

So all this to say "Why do I even bother making plans?" Obviously I have to do some sort of long term planning. But it comes down to this. I'm just crummy at it. I'm not good at seeing the forest through the trees. And I certainly can't predict where I'm going to be next year (well hopefully still here, but not spiritually) much less in two or three years.

Cheers!

Amendment 1: Perhaps I can blame my parents. They always say that the only subject they failed at teaching me was geography.

Amendment 2: Or I suppose I could just sum it up to "Welcome to the world of not being God".

Amendment 3: There are a few things in life that I'm still reasonably sure about. One is going to medical school. Another is God is God and I'm not. The third is I have the best group of people around me that I could ever ask for.

Week Three Update

Well the semester is in full swing now. I am now ridiculously busy. I'm spending 20 hours in class a week, 8 hours in labs, and 4 hours in the research lab. Add in 4-5 hours of homework every night, 2 hours worship team practices every Wednesday night, all the time I spend on my two clubs I'm involved in, and that's like what a 60-something hour week. Life is crazy right now!!!

Even though things are really hectic, I'm still enjoying school a lot. My classes are really interesting, and I'm having fun with my upper level chemistry stuff. Research is at times a little overwhelming because of the complicated computer work that is required. I'm sure once I get used to running the optics program, the temperature program, the camera, and the other program I can't remember, all at the same time I will be fine. Physical chemistry is a really hard class. I needed one of the other students to explain partial derivatives to me yesterday, since I don't really know what they are, and everyone else has taken multivariable calc. already.

I still miss everyone in Oregon like crazy, but I'm less homesick now. Maybe just because I'm so tired and have so much to do, that I barely have time to think, much less miss people. I'm already looking forward to fall break in three weeks so I can take a little breather before heading into the second third of the semester. My birthday is also over fall break so, I'm going to drag Sarah and Faith on a really good hike that weekend, something long :)

Cheers!

Laura

Never Forget