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.