Updates

Ok, so before I say anything else. I know that I haven't posted in, like, forever, but I have been a little busy. I was in Europe for over two weeks. (check out my pictures on facebook). But I will post another time about that trip.

Since I have been home, I watched two of my very best friends graduate as well as a handful of people that have meant the world to me in the my 19 years. Becca, Rachel, Kirsten, Joshua, Enoch, Holly, Brianna, Kevin, Ashley and others, you all rock, I'm so excited for you, and so proud that you all made it this far (I know it was in question for a few of you, j/k). Graduation also brought up the horrible thought that next year it will be Indie (my sister). It seems like just yesterday I was graduating and next year it will be her turn.

I have also had lots of time to hang out with friends, though I have been abandoned by a few of them this summer (Christie and Mariah, I love you guys, but...) It has been really fun to spend time with Charlyn, and other people that I haven't seen in so long. I'm still missing everyone at school, but there is nothing in the world like being home.

So far my plans for summer are house sitting for a friend at church, volunteering at the Gilbert House, being 50% in charge of my church's youth group so our wonderful youth pastor (that is a tent maker) can have time off, and spending lots of time with my family and friends.

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: Never ask for tap water at a restaurant in Belgium, they consider it to be VERY rude.

Amendment 2: I would be remiss if I didn't mention to all of you how much I appreciated all the phone calls, letters, and chats that you all made time for during this past school year (especially at the beginning of the year). They made the 900 miles seem like just a few, and cheered me up more times than I can say. Thanks everyone!

Amendment 3: A cool video of a popular song.

Home for the Summer

I'm home for the summer. Though I know that I will miss my school family, it is so so nice to be back with my real family, and the friends that I have known for so long. I didn't even realize how much I was missing my sister until I got home, and remembered just how close we are. Phones, email, and chat are truly wonderful things, and have made the last eight months seem a little shorter, and 900 miles seem like only a few, but there is no substitute for a big hug and a good face to face talk.

I have been done with school for only a little over a week and already I have been so busy. My mom picked me up in California last thursday (about 12 hours before my campus was evacuated by a fire again, don't worry, everything turned out alright for us). We then drove all night to Idaho to see a friend that I have known for years get married. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and the bride was, well, I'm biased, but Anna looked so perfect, despite being sick.

On Sunday night I was finally back home. The last week has been great. The weekend was filled with HSA events as four people from two different states were visiting. It was fun to meet new friends and at the same time see people that I hadn't seen since Christmas.

There was one sad goodbye this past week. My close friend Mariah has left for California for the summer, and will not becoming back until after I leave for school. It is a very sad that thought that I won't see one of my best friends until Christmas.

At the moment my family it trying to get ready for our vacation. This involves me unpacking, repacking, and cleaning all at the same time. My bedroom is finally starting to come out of the disaster zone that it was last week, but I can see that the next two days will contain more housework than fun.

I can't even describe how nice it is to be back in Oregon. Just sitting in my room, or taking a walk has been wonderful. I had forgotten how green it is here. In California where I live it isn't really brown and dry, but there is a deep green color of plants that can only be had with the inches upon inches of "Oregon Sunshine".

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: Wood smoke is so much nicer than "my campus is burning down" smoke.

Amendment 2: Yes, I will take lots of pictures and post them on facebook when I get back.

Amendment 3: I apologize for the numerous typos I most likely made, I wrote this a bit too fast, without the proper amount of time for proof reading.

To be a Science Student

As a chemistry major (and possibly a double major with a physics as well), I sometimes feel that I walk a fine line because I am also a Christian. But I was listening to Pandora Radio today, and I heard this song. The verse sums up for me what it means to be a science major and a Christian.

"A thousand sparking stars upon a midnight summer sky
the majesty and wonder of the ocean's wondrous tide
and the more I see the more I can't explain
how the one who set the world in place
could even know my name, I'm amazed, I'm so amazed."

Science is for me a way to understand God better. He created the entire universe as a testament of his love for us. To not study science for me would be to receive a present from a close friend and not open it; just to sit and look at the box. There are very few things in my life that I am as sure about as my decision to study science.

Here is the whole song if you want to hear it



Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Walking a Dangerous Road

Two blog posts in two days. That is a record for this school year. I had my last day of classes today. There are classes tomorrow but I just have labs so today was the last day for me. It was a bitter sweet day. In two of my classes my professor passes along some thoughts about college and life in general, and that was really nice. I love the fact that my professor are Christians. They really care not just about how we do in the class but also how we mature as Christians.

It was especially sad about my o-chem professor all he teaches is organic chemistry and knowing that we wouldn't be having him as a professor ever again was sad. When asked if we were one of his memorable classes he said "yes, very memorable, and very unique" We all choose to take that as a compliment, though I'm not sure it really was.

This year has been so eventful. It was the first time I left my family and home. And then there was the fire. In some ways the campus is still healing from that event. I know I for one won't be so calm when I hear a smoke alarm for a long time. But God has been SO faithful. He has healed wounds that I thought would have taken years to heal. He let so many things go well in a horrible situation, and He blessed us a hundred times for what we lost. Yes, the fire was a horrible event, but I wouldn't change what happened if I could.

I'm sitting in my dorm room. In exactly one week I will be sitting here for the last time. It is hard to imagine someone else living here next year. But change is a part of life, as hard as it is to accept.

Some times I wonder what things would have been like if I had chosen differently about college. It would have been so easy for me to end up in Michigan, but I didn't. I ended up here. I have already seen God work in so many different ways that I don't regret my decision in the slightest, but I also know that I will never stop wondering what I would be like right now if I had made a different choice last May. I'm not the same person that left Oregon eight months ago.

My parents put this quote on my cake for my going away party last August, its meaning has continued to become clearer to me this year. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to."


Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: I may have figured out a way to double major in physics and chemistry.

Amendment 2: Realizing that things are going to change just makes you appreciate the moments you have left more.

The Last Days of the Semester

Well, I am in the middle of my last week of classes for my first year away from home. I can't beleive how fast it has gone. It really seems like just yesterday I was leaving for college, and now the year is done. I'm really excited to be home for a while. I have missed being at home with my family, going to my church, hanging out with friends, ECD class, and just being in Oregon.

These past few weeks have been really busy. My o-chem synthesis is finally done, and yes it failed. For some reason that is unknown even to my professor it didn't work, but I'm just happy to be done with it. Though I really do like o-chem I'm starting to be ready for a break.

Bio is still boring; we are know talking about plants. Old Testament is a little more interesting, but I'm starting to disagree with the professor on a few things like when the book of Daniel was written. Physics is really the only class I'm sad to be done with. I really love my professor, and just the class material in general is fascinating.

Other than school there is very little to report, I get up go to class, do homework and go to bed. (Rinse and repeat).

Cheers!

Your Very Boring and Tired Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: I have hit the point in the semester where all I am doing is listening to Disney songs and doing homework. In other words, Beware of Laura.

Amendment 2: Having a hard time coming up with something to say here, but if you have a 1 you have to have a 2.

If you have to be late just don't tell them...

I found this on CNN this morning. I thought it was really funny and really good advice for anyone that has a job.

"If you've decided honesty is not the best policy for you (when you are late for work), don't try using any of the following excuses as the reason why you're late -- they've been heard before.

Here are 12 of the most outrageous excuses employees have heard for being late to work:

1. My heat was shut off so I had to stay home to keep my snake warm.

2. My husband thinks it's funny to hide my car keys before he goes to work.

3. I walked into a spider web on the way out the door and couldn't find the spider, so I had to go inside and shower again.

4. I got locked in my trunk by my son.

5. My left turn signal was out so I had to make all right turns to get to work.

6. A gurney fell out of an ambulance and delayed traffic.

7. I was attacked by a raccoon and had to stop by the hospital to make sure it wasn't rabid.

8. I feel like I'm in everyone's way if I show up on time.

9. My father didn't wake me up.

10. A groundhog bit my bike tire and made it flat.

11. My driveway washed away in the rain last night.

12. I had to go to bingo."


Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: Don't be late (or if you are don't give one of those excuses)

Amendment 2: The Quotes from this article are the property of CNN.com

Amendment 3: Yesterday, in physics class my professor told us a really funny story. We have an observatory on campus. When my professor was setting up his office in the observatory he wanted to have a very accurate clock, (something about keeping track of astronomical phenomenon). So he bought an atomic clock. However, this does present a slight problem. In an observatory there is a large metal dome, that happens to be very good at blocking the radio signals the atomic clock is supposed to receive to keep it on time. The obvious answer to this problem: walking the clock. One of the duties of the students that work for the physics department is to take the clock for a walk around campus about once a week, to make sure it can get a good signal.

La, La, La, La, La

This weekend my life is basically singing. We have been practicing for Spring Sing (its tonight) nearly non-stop. The songs basically require belting out lyrics at the top of my voice in one song, and then a high soprano echo in the very next song. In other words I go from singing as loud as I can in the middle of my range to some really high notes in a matter of minutes.

I am also singing a duet at church tomorrow. The song (Hosanna by Hillsong United) can get very high in places, and then, on the part where I am singing harmony, very low. This morning I had practice for church service and we had to sing it so many times (don't ask why) that I'm hoarse. We practiced for two and half hours! I have to sing again tonight for spring sing and tomorrow in church. I think by the end of this weekend I will be all sung out for a while. On the upside, I will find out tomorrow if I got into College Choir. I'm hopeful, but overly so that I will get in.

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: I think I need to not talk for the rest of the day, because my voice hurts right now.

Amendment 2: I also think I need to take a nap because I haven't been getting enough sleep because of Spring Sing practice, and I have to get up tomorrow morning at 6:00am.

Amendment 3: I only have four more weeks of classes, and one week of exams left, and then I will be home for the summer!!!!!!