Day 192: Elmo's #1!!!

Today I went to play laser tag with my best friend and her family and friends for Sophie's birthday. It was so much fun (and great to see them again). One of the games we played I got 1st place under the player name "Elmo". The second game, Grace won! We obviously make a great pair of winners. We used are tickets we won at the arcade area to get temporary tattoos. Mine was a zebra and hers was a hippo. We put them in the same spot on our feet. Unfortunately, mine smudged when I put my shoe back on, so it's only faintly remnant of a zebra face. Oh well!

Before the party, I visited with my grandparents and aunt, which was also really great. Haven't seen any of them in a really long time, so it was really good to catch up. Welcome to LaLaLand, guys!

On my way home from laser tag, I stopped at Kaylee and Tyler's houses to say a quick hello/goodbye since I didn't get to at all this week. As always, going to miss my friends! Second set of goodbyes in the last week. I'm ready for some hello's instead. And on that note... most of my stuff is in the car. It is 11:55 and we are leaving here at 8am, so better get to sleep soon!!! Luckily I will be able to sleep quite a bit in the car.

Goodnight world! GOODBYE FLORIDA! That is one goodbye I do NOT mind saying! (High of 56 in Ohio for the next couple of days... YES PLEASE!)

Day 191: Majestic Celebrations

Today was the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine "Kate" Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. While I didn't wake up to watch it real time, I did catch most of it later in the day. I loved Kate's dress! But everyone else had some serious fashion issues (in my opinion). The little hats that they wore (fascinators) were just ridiculous. My mom and I had a great time laughing at them.

After I had enough laughter for a while, I met my friend Alex for a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie. We used to go there after the gym every once in a while last year, so we had to reunite there. It was great to see her. While we were there, friends Keilya and Christine showed up, too, so I got to see them for a little.

This evening was the town's Relay for Life. I went to visit some friends and show my support in this magical celebration of life. I love everything that Relay stands for and I'm sad I couldn't participate in it at college or home this year. Hopefully next year!

I left Relay and went straight to Danielle's house for a "Hooray it's summer and we're all home" celebration. She made pizza, mac&cheese, sweet potato bake, and green beans, and I made baked pineapple yumminess. Her dad made us bananas foster for dessert (among cupcakes and cakes brought by other guests). The food was marvelous! And the company was even better. There were friends from school and friends from home. Since some of us were from both, I luckily knew almost everyone. It was just a really great time to hang out and celebrate being finished with our first year of college. Although two girls still have finals and one is a senior in high school... But oh well. The night was just splendid.

After the Royal Wedding, T-Smoothie, Relay, and Summer party, I'm all celebrated out! Bed time! Goodnight!

Day 190: Pack-Woman

I am so glad we have never had to move houses. It's a pain in the butt just to move back from college and across the country just for a summer. Today was spent packing and organizing more for Ohio. Yippee!...

I caught up on Vampire Diaries and got to watch it "live" tonight! Missed Bones, but I'll catch up another time.

The rumbling thunder outside my window is really annoying me now. But I know that we are all very grateful that the horrendous tornadoes didn't come near us. My prayers are with the victims and the families of the most recent natural disaster(s).

Day 189: Mimi's Cafe

Today my mom and I met my aunt and cousin halfway between us for lunch in celebration of my aunt's birthday. We went to Mimi's Cafe which I'm absolutely positive I've mentioned before. Best restaurant. We had a great time getting to visit and eat delicious food. We went to a few stores for some shopping and on our way we found this cute little playground. So we pulled over and "played" for a while. My aunt is obsessed with butterflies and they were all over the playground, including statues. My cousin, Ryan, and I played on "Gopher Mountain", "Adventure Canyon", "Spider Web Hill", and a variety of other cute named locations. It was just the most precious thing ever. So after our exercise for the day and visiting a few more stores, we parted ways. It was just a really great chance to see family that we haven't seen for a while. Thank goodness for Mimi's and Birthdays!!!

Day 188: Squeaky Clean

My teeth are all squeaky clean after today's dentist appointment! I love that feeling, don't you? Other than that, my mom and I ran lots of different errands today and did lots around the house. We watched NCIS, NCIS LA and Body of Proof together (didn't get to watch intently, but I liked it!). I have been researching the dorms at Cedar Point and still haven't made a decision on to which one is my top choice. So many pros and cons for each one.... It'll work itself out, I'm sure!

Exhausted tonight. Feeling a cold coming on, so I need to get to sleep to sleep it off. Goodnight!

Day 187: Are You Gellin'?

Today I got my hair(s) cut. Really just a trim, but whatever. It looked so good coming out of the salon. I wish that it just naturally fell that beautiful. Afterwords, my mom and I went to Walmart, Target and CVS to get many things. The most important thing I needed were black work shoes for Cedar Point. We got some Dr. Scholl's at Walmart, and I actually like them a lot. They aren't all that attractive, but I'm sure that it won't matter as long as I'm comfy.

My parents and I had a variety of leftovers for dinner, which was actually quite scrumptious. We watched Jeopardy together and then started organizing more stuff for Ohio. Yahoo. Anyways, It's bed time. I love sleeping. Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 186: Resurrection Day!

Happy Easter/Resurrection Day!!!!

In celebration, I went to church with my friends (the teen mass was outside, so the parents wisely went to a different mass indoors). After mass, my friend Chris and I met his mom at Starbucks. I hadn't seen either of them in a very long time. Mrs. C is getting ready to move to Colorado (like... the day after I get back home in August, so hopefully I'll see her before that). Anyways. It was really awesome to get to spend some time catching up a bit.

This afternoon, I reported to Grace's house for a large youth group/family Easter celebration. We had an egg hunt, ate really great food, and played Pictionary on the Wii with all of the teens and up. It was so much fun! Grace and I got yelled at because we could easily guess each others just because we know each other so well. Which was hilarious considering there were several married couples, parents, and siblings. Hehehehe. Then we watched the last half of Tangled. Lots of different fun things going on at the same time. It was a great Easter spent with many different loved ones. I hope yours was great too, but most importantly, I hope that you recognize the true importance of everything that Jesus did for you by dying on that cross. I thank God every day for sending His Son to us.

So wrapping up the weekend, here's four amazing songs that you should jam out to.

Jesus Paid it All - Kristian Stanfill

Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. -Oh, Praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead.

To Know Your Name - Hillsong

I know You gave the world Your only Son for us. To know Your name, to live within the Savior's love. And You took my place, knowing You'd be crucified, and You loved, You loved, a people undeserving.

Resurrection Day - Matt Maher

It's the power of the cross, breaks away death's embrace. And we celebrate our freedom, dancing on an empty grave. Roll away the stone, Roll away the stone. We sing for Joy we shout Your name, we celebrate Your Resurrection Day!

Christ is Risen - Matt Maher

Let no one caught in sin remain Inside the lie of inward shame But fix our eyes upon the cross And run to Him who showed great love And bled for us Freely You've bled for us
Christ is risen from the dead Trampling over death by death Come awake, come awake Come and rise up from the grave Christ is risen from the dead We are one with Him again Come awake, come awake Come and rise up from the grave
Beneath the weight of all our sin You bowed to none but heaven's will No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown No burden great can hold You down In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim
O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He's alive! He's alive!

Day 185: Dye Job

I spent a bit of the day unpacking the car and repacking the containers from my room. And preparing some of them for Ohio trip. Woo. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean while I was doing that, though, so it wasn't too bad.

My parents and I went to our favorite restaurant where my dad and I got this delicious crab special. It was crab and mushrooms over penne pasta with a creamy sauce and smothered in cheese. It was sooooo good, but very filling. Brought home at least a full serving for tomorrow.

After dinner, I went over to my Tyler's house. Kaylee, Tyler, his mom, and I all played Quelf together. After our second round, we realized we had forgotten to dye our Easter eggs! So we spent extra time doing that. I didn't get home until almost 12:30, which is crazy late for me! But dying the eggs was a lot of fun! I love being home with my friends.

Mass in the morning, so have to get to sleep now. Goodnight! As usual, enjoy the song in preparation for Easter.

Above All - Michael W. Smith

Above all powers Above all kings Above all nature And all created things Above all wisdom And all the ways of man You were here Before the world began

Above all kingdoms Above all thrones Above all wonders The world has ever known
Above all wealth And treasures of the earth There's no way to measure What You're worth

Crucified, laid behind a stone. You lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a rose, trampled on the ground, You took the fall, and thought of me above all.

Day 184: Empty Room

Today was one of the saddest days of my life. I hated moving out of the dorm and away from my roommate and friends. It will only be a matter of a few months before we are all reunited, but I couldn't help being upset. I was the first one on our floor to move out. The room was so empty. It seemed more vacant than when we moved in in August! Special thanks to my mom, brother, Danielle, Kayce, Hannah, and Raychel, all of whom were invaluable in the un-moving process.

I'm still so super sad just thinking about it. But I will let the pictures relate this sadness unto you.

After goodbyes were tearfully said, my mom and I met Jenny for Mochi. I got red velvet flavor which was AWESOME! and my mom really enjoyed her fro-yo as well. It was her first time there, so that was exciting. Then we hit the road. Stopped to eat dinner at Cracker Barrel and had a great time there with our hilarious waiter. Plus, I got a new painting for my room next year. (I know, I just moved out of my dorm this year, how can I imagine next year?) It's beautiful!

"Come let us sing for joy" (The bird isn't mine. Google pictures...)

So. Now I am safely back home and miss school dearly already. My room is just not the same without someone to share it with.

But that being said, we move on to the great part about today. Well two great things. 1) it's EARTH DAY! and 2) it's GOOD FRIDAY!!!! Good Friday. The day that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us and our sins. Totally undeserving. So as you reflect on this bewildering action of love, listen to this songs.

True Love - Phil Wickham

Come close listen to the story about a love more faithful than the morning. The Father gave His only Son just to save us.

The earth was shaking in the dark, all creation felt the Father's broken heart. Tears were filling Heaven's eyes the day that True Love died, the day that True Love died. When blood and water hit the ground, walls we couldn't move came crashing down. We were free and made alive the day that True Love died, The day that Jesus died.

Day 183: Packing

Started packing up the room today! It's a pain in the butt. And very tiring. I'm so ready for bed at 2AM... Other than packing, today was really busy! My accountability group had our final meeting/party. We watched Princess and the Frog while we prepared posters for a fellow sister who was performing in a dance number tonight.

This evening was my dorm's banquet. We were in a "Leader Scholar Program" and were certified and "graduated" tonight. Along with the ceremony was a fantastic catered dinner. There was chicken parm (my FAVORITE) and huge garlic bread rolls and salad and pasta, etc. And a humongous Publix cake for dessert. With blue icing that turned everyone's mouths blue... hehehe

After graduation was the final CRU meeting for the year. It was super sad, but fantastic! We had a time of extended worship and prepared ourselves for the holiday weekend by listening to the Gospel according to Luke. I love Holy Week so much. Today was Holy Thursday, the day that the Last Supper was celebrated. Tomorrow is Good Friday, which I think I will be talking about tomorrow.

In the meantime, welcome to 4 days of music to prepare YOU, too! Tonight's song is Stronger performed here by Hillsong.

There is love that came for us Humbled to a sinner's cross You broke my shame and sinfulness You rose again victorious
Faithfulness none can deny through the storm and through the fire there is truth that sets me free Jesus Christ who lives in me
You are stronger you are stronger Sin is broken you have saved me. It is written - Christ is risen. Jesus, You are Lord of all
No beginning and no end You're my hope and my defense You came to seek and save the lost You paid it all upon the cross.

Day 182: Happy Summer!

Today marks the end of my freshman year of college!!! It is now officially summer for me.

Started the day off with Wednesday morning prayer (sponsored by CRU) with Hannah, Brooklyn and Jenny among other members. It was quite early, but a great use of our time. I then returned to my room for a quick nap and more studying before my Bio2 exam. Which went quite well. Then I celebrated by making myself a PB&J and watching an episode of House. Jenny came over and we watched Glee together. And then I just enjoyed the afternoon.

I went with some girls from my community group tonight to serve the homeless in downtown. it was definitely an experience to remember... Then I returned to serve dinner to Danielle and myself. Yumms.

And the rest of the night has been spent pondering how to best start packing up the room in an effort to minimize time spent packing. Which will be most of tomorrow morning/afternoon. :)

Today's theme song sums up my feelings for being finished with school and ready for summer.
I am Free - Newsboys

Day 181: 3 down...

3 finals down, 1 to go! I just discovered that I will be getting A's in both Aztec Civilization and General Anthropology, so that makes me VERY happy!!! I'm not sure about Forensic Anthropology since it came down to this last test as a third of my grade...

Anyways, today Hannah and I went to the A Cafe to close it out for the semester. They had delicious cinnamon apple bread pudding! MMMmmm. My sisters, Elizabeth and Mirilyn, came too, so they joined us. Yayy for fun times in between tests!

After dinner tonight, I took a brief nap thinking I was going to be up until very very early tomorrow. But I have successfully finished 90% of my studying for Bio2 test and therefore am going to go to bed. I'll tell ya about tomorrow, tomorrow!

Goodnight world! In exactly 12 hours, I will be finished with my freshman year of college and summer will start!

Day 180: Finished Learning

Today I finished all my learning for Freshman year. I had the last Bio2 class. Hooray! Tonight was our last Phi Lamb as well. It was super sad. We said goodbye to the seniors and took pictures and had officer inductions and such. Plus a dessert party afterward! Yay! Definitely had a lot of fun, but I'm going to miss all my sisters so much this summer!

Hannah and I went to the Christian Study Center today where I actually got some work done! I had been studying in the student union before that because the dorm internet wouldn't work for me, forcing me to relocate. It's obviously working now, thank goodness. Frustrating stuffs.

3 tests tomorrow!

Day 179: Palm Sunday

This morning I accompanied Hannah, Brooklyn, and lots of other girls from our community group to First Assembly for church. Because it was Palm Sunday/the day before Passover, they had some Messianic Jews teach us about the Passover feast. It was very interesting!

Went to Publix for the last time in this city until the fall. Worked on some Biology2 studying, ate yummy dinner with Danielle, and had our last floor meeting. Danielle and I also made these reallyyyyy good Carmelita Bars. I know that there is oatmeal, chocolate chips, and caramel in them, but idk what else. Deliciousness. I drank a ton of milk with them. SO GOOD.

Anyways... only 5 days left at school for the year! And only 3 days of "school"!! WOOT. WOOT.

To make things even better, I was looking up some information on Cedar Point and realized that the high during the summer is only like 82. Can you say beautiful? I'm used to 95 all summer, so this will be gorgeous! Bonus: The first month is like 65-70. I'm dying to get up there. Today's weather wasn't too terrible here, so that was good.

Sad news: After only 2.5 weeks, my zebra print phone case broke. So sad! But hopefully they will make it right with the warranty coverage. Otherwise I shall be finding a new phone case soon. Because right now it just has the bottom and looks quite ridiculous...

Day 178: Study Sesh

Lots of studying today. Anthropological studies. Got all of my "homework" finished for the rest of the year, now I just have to finish studying for the finals. Fun Fun.

In my anthropology studies today, I watched Pocahontas. Well rather, I put it on in the background while I was reading over my notes for Gen Anthro. Yes, I actually did really study since I know every word to my favorite Disney movie. But as I was watching one of the scenes, I was astonished to find out that there is a song that was taken out of the original movie that I had never heard before! It's called "If I never knew you" and is sung by different voices in the credits. But in this part of the movie (when John Smith is being held as prisoner) it's sung by the characters. So I loved it. And got to immerse myself in anthropology at the same time. So great afternoon. Minus all of the work.

And now we are off to bed. Last weekend in this room - boy how time flies!

Day 177: Tour Guide

A friend from back home came up today (and tomorrow) for a school visit. I showed him and his mom around campus and the dorm. It was a lot of fun! They suggested that I be a tour guide for real on campus. Ohhh how much I would love that, but won't actually happen. Oh well!

Other than that went to class today (only 1 class left!) and then did homework the rest of the day. I have to find an article for Forensic Anthropology about how Forensic Anthropology helped solve a case. Unfortunately, most of the articles I've been finding don't emphasize the anthropologist's actions enough for me to write about. So I'm still looking...

Weekend full of studying and writing and other such work ahead. Woo. Hoo! But in 7 days I will be moved out of the dorm. And only 3 days left of school. I love college! <3

Day 176: Cello Bliss

I really love the sound of the cello. It's just gorgeous and rich. Today while watching an episode of House, I recognized a cello piece from The Prince and Me. So I looked it up and discovered it was Bach's Cello Suite #1 Movement 1 - Prelude. I've been listening to it and the other cello pieces on that page for most of the night. It's just so peaceful.

Tonight's CRU was very sad. We found out that our leader/director will be moving to Seattle to follow God's plans for him and his family. It will be great for him, but he will be dearly missed.

Today concluded my classes for my Tuesday/Thursday classes! Just have 3 finals on Tuesday for them and two extra credit assignments to do, and then I'm home free! Still have quite a bit of Bio left to learn. But in 7 days, my whole room will be packed up and I'll be ready to head out of here! Scary thought!

Day 175: The Future Awaits

Today was the last time that I will have an 8:30 class for a very long time. For fall, my earliest class is scheduled for 12:50pm. And that's only on Tuesdays! Hooray!! So after finishing up the last Bio lab of the year, I headed home for a celebratory nap.

I changed my schedule around a bit today. I was checking the website to see if there were any seats open in the Biological Anthropology class that I had wanted to take. But instead of those seats, I saw that the Anthropology department had added several new classes! So I dropped North American Anthropology and joined Cultural Anthropology which gives me the added bonus of a Diversity credit AND puts be back on track for a double major in Anthropology. Only bad thing is that if I decide only to do a minor in Anthro, I will still have to take another class in Spring. Let's hope that I keep this decision going!

Other than that, found out some great/sad news. Danielle got a position as an RA for next year!!! Yay!! So happy for her and jealous of all the people that will be living on her hall. So now I'm waiting to see what will happen for roommate situation for next year. I know everything will work out fine, it's just disconcerting.

I finally got to go back to Community Group for the first time in the past 6 weeks! YAHOO! That was fun. We had a dessert social with yummy goodies.

Exhausted now, so I'm going to go to sleep. Again. I like sleep - but then again, who doesn't?

Day 174:Terrific Tuesday!

Today was just marvelous! It was a gorgeous 77 all day, with a little bit of a rain to cool it down even more. My mom and I went to lunch at the A Cafe, which was delicious, of course. She got to meet a couple of my sisters, too. Then I had more class. My Forensic Anthropology class got out 15 minutes early AND the teacher surprised us with an extra credit opportunity!! YAY!! For dinner, my mom, brother, and I went to McAllisters, the "gourmet deli" in town. It's so yummy there!

A package from my cousin Laurie arrived today! It was a belated birthday/St. Patrick's Day/Easter package. Inside was different cute candies/sweets and Glee nail polish. The names are really cute Glee inspired. So naturally, I had to paint my nails! I am wearing "Express yourself to yourself." The package was a pretty awesome part of the day.

I did my bio lab homework and caught up on some of my TV shows tonight. Yay! Ready to go for tomorrow. Only 6 days of school left!!!

Day 173: Cars Sticker

I had a doctors appointment this morning and got a Cars sticker at the end. Wore it all day and got many comments about it! Yay for Cars! And Cars 2 coming out this summer!!!

Anywho. Momma and I drove back to school, stopping for lunch at Zaxby's where we shared a birthday cake milkshake. YUMS. She dropped me off at my class early and I registered for classes. I successfully got everything that I wanted (after revising schedule last week). I only have 1 class on M/F at 2pm. Sounds great to me!!! Tuesday I have 5 straight hours of class. No breaks. Hopefully some of the classes will get out early so I have time for a snack!! They are all within 5 minutes' walk of each other.

During Phi Lamb tonight, we elected our new officers for next year, which was very exciting! Then I left early to get to work on my Aztec Civilization project that is due in the morning. It wasn't too difficult, but I didn't get enough material. It was supposed to be 2-3 pages but it only ended up being 1 page of text. I couldn't scrub together anything more at all. Oh well. Hopefully it will be okay. My city had less material than many of the others, nothing I could do about that!

Hannah and I had a worship music fest tonight while we were working/doing laundry. Here's the big song for the night!!! Always - Kristian Stanfill

7 school days left!

OH! Here are the classes I'm taking next year!
North American Archaeology
Intro to World Archaeology
Facets of Sustainability
Biodiversity Conservation: Global Perspective
Intro to Natural Resource and Environmental Economics

Day 172: Girl Scout Camp

This weekend was my home Girl Scout "neighborhood"'s annual encampment. Two other girls from our campus GS group came with me to help out. We met up with their prior troop member and mine (as well as my mom!). Kali, the girl from my troop, and I had a blast this weekend. We helped set up the tables and chairs, helped run a game station, and helped in the cleaning up of the camp. We were supposed to run a song session in the afternoon, but the pool time cut in a little bit and we didn't end up having any customers. So we played Uno with a normal deck of cards instead. And swung on the swings. We also went star gazing on the dock (Friday night) and watched the Sound of Music on Saturday night. The weekend's theme was "Rocking through the Years", emphasizing the differences in decades (ex: dances, songs, art, fashion, movies). So while the campers were showing off their talents, Kali and I retreated to embrace our studies of "Austrian music literature". It was great. Plus, being "big girls" now, we got to stay in the staff units, have a more relaxed schedule, and make PB&J's if we got extra hungry. Yay big girls!

Instead of heading back to school, I returned home, went to church and dinner, and I'm now sitting on my own bed. In the air conditioning. Which I sorely missed this weekend. It was a hot one! Now off to bed! Registering for classes tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 171: Better than This

I am writing this blog super early because I am leaving for Girl Scout Camp in a few hours and will probably not have computer access to write this weekend. So here we go!

I stepped outside of the dorm and was greeted by the unfriendly hot and humid weather. Just as I was about to groan, my hermit crab Bahamas buddy, Ryan, walked down the stairs! Haven't gotten to see him in a few weeks even though we live in the same building, so it made my day so much better! I am even wearing my Bahamas shirt! :) Had to get to class, but it was still great. I zoned out infinitely many times in Bio today. Don't know why!

Now class is over. I have had It doesn't get better than this (ignore the video part, just listen) from The Prince and Me stuck in my head all morning, so I put on the movie while I am packing/getting ready for the weekend/eating lunch. Favorite movie = happy day!

I will let you know more about GS Camp on Sunday when I leave. Happy Weekend! <3

Day 170: Sleep Learning

Despite a full night's sleep, I still was really tired all day today. So why is it that I'm up at 1am? Good question... Mostly because I went to check the classes I'm planning on registering for on Monday. But alas, one of my classes has no more seats left, so I had to adjust my schedule quite a bit. Hopefully the new one will stay put until I register.

Danielle came over to drop off some "edible gifts" and we just talked for 40 minutes. Therefore I don't have more energy to write this blog and must surrender myself to sleep. Goodnight Blog-readers! <3

Day 169: Exhausted

Exhaustion has been taken to a new level today. And the worst thing is, I don't know why. Jenny and I woke up at 6 and spent an awesome hour talking with God from 7-8. Then was lab class. We got to go on a "field trip" ... outside to count moss. So much fun. Actually really was because it kept me awake and it was beautifully cold outside today! Went to class and then returned home for a little less than an hour nap. Which didn't help my exhaustion (that has been progressing since Sunday). Jenny came over for a little hang out time which I love sooo much. Just finished my biology assignment for the week. So... that's good to go.

Danielle and I got back to cooking tonight! We made omelets and baked sweet potatoes. Yummmyyy. Mostly because we used VEGETABLES. Wow. It's been a while since we've cooked together. Almost two weeks. Crazy.

I am now going delusional and obviously really need sleep. So at 10:53pm, I bid you Adieu.

Wow. Totally forgot that I went to serve dinner at the Salvation Army with Phi Lamb's brother fraternity, BYX. It was quite fun! Now it's 10:54. Pretend I fixed the above statement.

Day 168: Tangled in the Cool Rain

Even though it has been rainy lately, it has been pretty hot. So imagine how surprised I was to be comfortable in jeans and even have to go back to my room to get my jacket! It was BEAUTIFUL! My perfect kind of day - rainy and cool. So I really enjoyed just being outside today. Classes were normal, not extravagant. I bought a meatball sub for lunch because I could stomach the warm food (as opposed to the usual weather around here which makes it practically unbearable).

The other amazing thing today was that I finally got to see Tangled! The Disney movie based on Rapunzel, for those of you that don't know. We gathered on the floor to watch it in celebration of Kayce's birthday! I've heard great reviews about it and that it had jumped to many of my friends' top Disney picks list. It did not go on mine. I liked it a lot, but not enough to buy it or watch it again and again like Pocahontas or Princess and the Frog. I think that I don't like the fairy-tale attitude in movies as much as plausible scenarios. For example, while not historically accurate, Pocahontas really did exist and the presence of "magic" in her culture was their religion and legends. Makes sense. In The Princess and the Frog, Tiana is a normal girl growing up in New Orleans, working hard for what she wants. Voodoo, which really exists, especially there, gets her turned into a frog (okay, not completely believable, but seriously... magic hair? that DEFINITELY does not exist). She teaches you that you can't just wish on a star to make things happen but have to work for it, too. I just love that quality in her. Point being, I didn't fall head over heels in love with Tangled. I also don't really like that style of animation. Give me the good ol' 2D drawings.

Regardless, it was a cute movie and I recommend watching it. But you can wait a few weeks until it becomes readily available at your local RedBox. The horse, Maximus, was by far the best part.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to sleep. Jenny and I get to pray 7-8AM for ASK UniteNow Prayer! It'll just be an early day...

Day 167: Big Appreciation Day

Today was "Big Appreciation Day" for Phi Lamb. We were to give our Big sisters something to show that we love them. I made chocolate chip cookies (really good) for both Jenny and Amy (my "Fairy God-Big". Jenny is going to Paris for the summer, so I also got her some French language tools (CD's and a phrase book). Plus the Marcel the Shell that I made at DM this weekend. We all also got to do the line dance from Dance Marathon, which was a lot of fun again!

I wrote the extra credit essay for General Anthropology, which was fairly easy and painless. Finished it 24 hours in advance. I'm getting pretty good about not procrastinating!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is our friend Kayce's 19th birthday. She is our floormate and will be living on our floor again next year. Love her to pieces and so glad she's in my life! We had a she-bang tonight in the lounge at midnight to celebrate with Publix cake. So much fun!

And with that, I'm going to head to bed. But the DM song is stuck in my head. AGAIN.

Day 166: DM Part 2

This morning I headed back to visit the dancers at Dance Marathon (see yesterday's post if you missed it) at 5:15am. Stayed for the "YouTube" themed hour, which was awesome. Got to make a Marcel the Shell (Click the link if you've never watched him before. He's so cute!). I also got to learn the "line dance" a little and perform it to the best of my ability. That was so much fun! Check out this fantastic line dance here or here. (The second one was the one that I actually danced in!!)

Over 800 people participating just at our school. They ended up raising $716,053.68. Pretty impressive!!! Among the other people besides my sisters that I got to see were my orientation roommate and my cousin, as well as a few people from back home. Love DM! Can't wait to be able to work it next year. After a very long 26.2 hours, everyone else went home. I had gone back to sleep. Did laundry, baked cookies, and did my dishes. Productive day, starting at 5am.

Bonus, I have a new TV series I'm watching (huge shocker). Guess what it is. If you guessed Grey's Anatomy... you're wrong. Not yet. Started watching House from the beginning. Throughout the last couple of days, I've finished the first season. I'm not as addicted to this show as I am/was to Bones, but I'm sure it will get there eventually...

So in closing, Congratulations to all of the dancers and staff members of Dance Marathon. You have really helped make a difference in many people's lives. Thanks for standing for those that can't.

Also, I have had over 3,000 visitors to the blog!!!!! :)

Day 165: Dance Marathon

Dance Marathon started today! 26.2 hours of standing and dancing for the Children's Miracle Network. I went to visit my Dancer, Katharina and got to see what it was all about. Pretty awesome! There are just a whole bunch of people all standing around talking, playing games, building puzzles, hanging out, and so many other things. They learn a "line dance" throughout the day and then perform it about once an hour. It was a really cool mashup of popular songs and looked like a lot of fun. Something else that was awesome was a couple got engaged on stage during an announcement session. So sweet!

I'm heading back up there (just across campus) at 5:15 AM so I need to get a little sleep. Goodnight!

Day 164: Sam-Tastic

After class today, I had my friend/sister Sam over to help her with a writing assignment for her class. She's doing a "How to pick which is the right fit for you: dorm, apartment, or house." project. So she took pictures in the room and asked me questions! She got here around 1:30 and stayed the rest of the day. We joined our sister Katharina for a trip to the mall to get her new sneakers. Katharina is participating in Dance Marathon which starts tomorrow. DM is a 26.2 (marathon) hour period where the dancers participating stay on their feet, dancing. It raises money and awareness for the Children's Miracle Network which in turn gives the money to the local hospital. I believe that this year the proceeds are going to help the waiting rooms and entertainment facets of the children's ward.

Anyways... Sam dropped me off around 9 because I got a killer headache. And the boys above me have been jumping up and down pretending like their floor was a trampoline. AKA my head hurts still because the walls are shaking. Going to bed! Visiting the dancers of DM tomorrow! WOO!