2010 In A Nutshell

You know when old people tell you that time goes quicker the older you get? Well, I think that might be true. When I was little a week seemed like eternity. But this year has really flown by. Really. Since the new year is quickly approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to do a bit of a recap of 2010. The good has definitely outweighed the bad and I'm very thankful for all the experiences I've had and all the people I have shared them with. So here goes:

January: Sam and I ventured out one Sabbath afternoon to St. Joeseph's Beach. We were really glad we did because the ice caves were so cool! The entire pier was covered in ice, including this lighthouse.

February: Celebrated our 2 year anniversary on the 16th. Sam hid clues all around his apartment that ended in P.S. I Love You and probably the sweetest note I've ever received in my whole twenty years.

March: Over spring break Sam and I flew out to Washington State and I met my beautiful niece for the first time. And I have loved every minute of being her aunt ever since.

April: The 30th marked the very last day of my first year at Andrews University. This month brought SO many beautiful flowers and blossoms. Also, I started writing this blog which I must say I have enjoyed immensely.

May: The first month of my amazing summer at home! And also my beautiful little sister's high school graduation. She's all grown up *tear*

June: The highlight of June was, of course, campmeeting. This year I got to see my cousin Zoe who isn't able to attend very many family get togethers. My sister and I used to babysit her all the time when she was little and we miss having her around very much. But we were very grateful to spend some time with her.

July: This month was packed full of family and lots of fun. My grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Pretty much the whole family was able to come and as you can see, it's really hard to fit us all in front of one backdrop. Of course july included fireworks and my grandfathers birthday party spent at the lake with lots of summer food and water tubing.

August: Got to see my one of my oldest friends! We were inseparable since we met in Sabbath School but sadly her family moved to the west coast when we were in the 5th grade (I think). We hadn't seen each other in years so I had to take a picture because this never happens.

I also got to spend some time with my favorite girls, hanging out in Chicago. It was splendid and I can't wait to see them again in 2011!

September: It's really sad that a whole month can go by without anything noteworthy happening... but it did.

October: Fall break was spent back at home and included a shopping trip of epic proportions. However I don't have any documentation of it. Sad day. I need to take more pictures. I resolve to do that in 2011, haha.

November: The Adelante Banquet! Which is basically a banquet that the spanish club at school puts on every year. Why, you may ask, did we attend being that we are not in any way spanish? I couldn't tell you. But we convinced some of our super cool friends to come with us and it was a great night.

December: There were many highlights this month, I might just do a whole separate blog. I have, however, narrowed it down to these two. My niece turned one year old! Seriously. Time flies.

Highlight number two was my families annual Polish Christmas Dinner. We eat all kinds of amazing things like perogie, golumpki, polish sausage with sourkraut and cream puff desert. The latter isn't really polish, but it's still super delicious and worth mentioning.

There it is, 2010 in a nutshell. It was really hard to pick out the best things from this year because there really are so many great memories. It may sound extremely cliche, but I feel uber blessed with the life, family and friends God has given me. So here's to the end of a spectacular year and the beginning of another.

School is out, bring on the snow!

Medieval Literature, done. Spanish, done. Spirituality & Faith, done. Communications, done. Linguistics, done and DONE. This is how happy I am right now:

It's my first morning home on Christmas break and I have woken up to fresh coffee with spiced rum creamer and a winter wonderland in the beautiful state of Wisconsin. And Wisconsin can do a winter wonderland like no place else:

In all honesty, this semester seemed to fly by. But the past two weeks have been so crammed with studying, I'm just happy to be home; watching the snow, sipping coffee, looking forward to all the family and friends the next few weeks will bring.

14

Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but O, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captivated, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy.
Divorce me, untie or break that know again;
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

-John Donne

The Art of Sticky Notes

Honestly, who isn't a fan of post-it notes. Not only are they extremely handy, but they are fun and colorful and they make me happy. Here are some pictures from an article in Newsweek. Maybe people have too much time on their hands? Either way, what they've done with their time is awesome... and I must share.

This last one isn't artistic, but the story behind it is cute. The wall, hidden behind all these wonderful post-it notes, is located in Verona and is said to be the balcony where Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet professed their love for on another. The post-its are love notes left behing by tourists. You may find it lame, I find it pretty darn cute and romantic... and now I have the Beatles All You Need is Love stuck in my head... Happy Friday!

The Human Castle

People in Tarronga, Spain really know how to have fun. Every 2 years they gather to build the largest, most intricate castle... made of humans. They call it Castellers. If gymnastics had more of this and less cheer-leading I would most definitely be a bigger fan.

Casteller from Mike Randolph on Vimeo.

Romeo and Juliet in Chicago

Just like I promised in my last post, I have more interesting things to say this time. Wednesday night marked my very first play at Chicago's Shakespeare Theater. It really was everything I hoped it would be.

The bus left school at 3:30pm and we were in Chicago by 5:00pm. The show didn't start until 7:30 so we had time to eat, walk around Navy Pier, and get some coffee at Starbucks. It's moments like these when I absolutely love being an English major. Talking about books and plays over a Cinnamon Dulce latte is good for my soul.

The play wasn't set in Shakespearean time. When I walked into the theater I wasn't sure if the road blocks I saw were actually part of the play or not. I was somewhat disappointed that the actors weren't in Shakespearean costume, but I got over that quickly enough. The stage was amazing as the dark, ghetto street set was contrasted with the bright and beautiful chandeliers insides the Capulet's mansion. I absolutely loved the whole set.

My favorite part of the play was, of course, Mercutio. This character adds so much to the written play, but seeing him perform in the flesh was ten times better. He is hilariously sarcastic but with just the flip of a switch he becomes terrifyingly serious.

The only problem with the play, I would say, is Romeo and Juliet; especially Juliet. Instead of seeing two innocent but passionate lovers, all I saw was two hormonal, obnoxious (especially Juliet) teenagers. Granted Juliet is only 14 in the play and they probably were hormonal, but you never see them mature throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet are two kids who very suddenly get put in a very adult situation. I would have liked to see Juliet rise somewhat to the circumstance and become a woman. There was little to no spark between the lovers throughout the play, and Juliet began at a pitch impossible to exemplify during the second half, and climax, of the play. Poor acting.

You might think that if the main characters of the play are horrible the whole play is, but you would be wrong. Romeo and Juliet aren't the really the main focus of this play. This is a tragedy, not a love story. The feud between the Montague's and the Capulet's is really the central issue and the actors here did a fabulous job illustrating the anger and bitterness between the two families.

Overall, this play was amazing. I would love to go see As You Like It, playing January 5 to March 6 (hint, hint Samuel Schultz).

HumDrum

Here I sit at the front desk. I've been here since 3:30am and only have an hour left to go. I don't actually have anything to blog about. It's just that I haven't really had anything for some time. Life has been pretty humdrum.
I have officially reached the point in the semester when I'm sick of all my classes. Each and every one. Ok, I'm not sick of Medieval Lit, but I'm so ready for Linguistics to be over. I'm finding it hard to see the purpose in such an intensive study of sounds within the human language. We have them, we use them; what else is there to discuss? Anyway, the fact that it's potentially lowering my GPA does not make me a happy camper.
After Wednesday I will most certainly have more interesting things to say because I'm going to see Shakespeare in Chicago! I've never seen a live performance of his plays, so I'm uber excited.

My 2010 Christmas List

Here it is; a (tentative) compilation of all the things I would be happy, nay thrilled to receive for Christmas this year (in no particular order). Feel free to add some of these items to your own. I know you'll want to.

1. I really love rice. I would love to make rice in my dorm room. This one is pretty and it's the perfect size!

2. So far, this is my favorite piece of Medieval Literature. As an English major, I feel the need to start collecting some great literature and I can't think of a better one to start with. What can I say, I'm a sucker for courtly romances.

3. I don't consider myself to be an environmental nut BUT I do think that plastic bottles are completely bogus; a waste of money and resources. I would love one of these water-bottles (can't decide which one) because they're stainless steel, so they won't taste like plastic, and they have a "big bite valve"... for some reason I hate open mouth water-bottles. Oh, and they look awesome.

4.This fluffy lil guy because honestly, who doesn't want to unwrap a puppy on Christmas morning?

5.The most epic way to drink coffee.6.Probably the prettiest computer I've ever seen, and the thought of being able to fit in my purse makes me smile inside.

7. I know it's bad to judge a book by its cover but how georgeous are these?! A classic book that looks this good is definately something I want sitting on my shelf.

6. Another book. But this one is truly magnificent; 10x better than the movie (and I really love the movie).

It's God's Cave

I'm sure by now most people have heard about the miners in Chile who have just recently been rescued. But just in case look here. I was thinking about this story; how slim the chances of finding these men were, how long they survived in the cave, and how mentally stable they were upon being returned to their families. Not to sound like a religious nut, but I believe that Jesus is coming back soon. It seems like I'm always pointing out the tragedies to mark His coming (and there are many tragedies that mark His coming); but I forget that as the end approaches, God is going to reveal Himself further in His power, glory and His love for us.

"In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him." Psalms 95:4

Our God is bigger than the cave the trapped the miners. My God is bigger than the mountains. And He watches over His people.

I'm waiting for...?

I keep waiting for my life to pick up and start. I'm constantly looking ahead to the days when I'll be finished with school, possibly married, with a career. I don't really want to spill my guts, here. But I will say that coming to the point where your future isn't as sure as you thought it was, is somewhat unsettling. I'm working really hard on enjoying the very moment I'm in. This moment is good because I'm earning money (doing virtually nothing but gracing the lobby with my presence), I have coffee to ease this early morning, and it's Friday and rest is coming. This week is good because a relationship stretched thin has made some changes for the better, I joined the communications club, and I scored a 97% on my Spanish test.

This month is good because it's fall, the colors are changing and the weather is getting cooler; I'm doing well in my classes, I'm going home for a "Once in a Century" shopping extravaganza, and I get to see my niece (who is, by the way, the coolest kid in life).

This year is good because I'm able to be at Andrews University with my friends, I've been blessed with two jobs, I was able to spend my whole summer at home, I have a car again, and most of all; I serve a God who loves me with all His heart and He won't give up on me, even when I play hard to get. So I don't really know what I'm waiting for. My life has already started and it isn't all that bad.

Come Lord Jesus, Come.

Today I came across "The Decade in Pictures" at stumbleupon.com, ironically enough. I as I look through these pictures all I can think is- how can this not be the end? I'm so thankful for the hope that I have. How can I not share it with you?

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I got to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope; because of the Lord's great love we are not consume, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21

And Finally, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5

This place is not my home.

I love...

...Freshly vacuumed carpet to sprawl on.

Really Meyer Briggs testing, really?

On Monday I took one of those personality tests for my communications class. On Wednesday we got the results and it's official. These tests are bogus. Before we got our results we were told to guess which personality type we thought we had. The result they gave me was not my first choice. It wasn't even my second choice. It was my third choice. Now the question is, which one is more accurate? What I know about myself, or what this test says about me. The personality type result wasn't what really blew my mind, but the career options that came with it. Things like race car driver, computer technician and dental hygienist. I've never owned a car I could drive over 70mph, I detest computers for anything but writing papers and using the internet and I hate the smell of dental offices. I think I'll stick with my English major, thank you. Which brings be to a happy snippet of information, I finally got a job in the English Department! It won't be anything too impressive; just helping Dr. Jones check resources and grade papers, but I'll finally be working enough hours to keep my head above water.
Today I will be attending "the ultimate team building experience". This is also for my communications class and I'm trying really hard to be excited about it. What isn't fun about spending 8 hours participating in team-bonding experiences? *side note: we've been learning how to create sentences in Spanish, so every time I type out a question I feel the need to put an upside down question mark at the beginning. there is no such key.*

Finally, I would like to give a shout out to my friends, and fellow bloggers, Ally and Sam who recently went to the Philippines on mission work. Check out their exciting life in another country in their blog. Photo: Allison Hanaway, Photographer Extraordinaire

Life of a Lamson Hall Desk Receptionist

Here I sit. 4 o'clock in the morning. The dorm is completely silent; absolutely dead except for the archies who sit quietly drawing their pretty little (but actually quite large) buildings. I've looked over the Lamson Hall Desk Log; here is the highlighted (important) information: only give one roll of toilet paper/resident, call housekeeping to bring more toilet paper in the am, read memo. Sometimes I feel really important... I did pick up my Lamson Desk polo. It looks pretty shnazzy, but really it's just a black polo. Watching the cameras is usually fun, although I feel like it gives me major creeper status, along with my ability to see who comes in and out of every building on campus. There is no mail to be forwarded. This is about the extent of my productivity. Enjoy.

I no longer have an excuse for not being able to swim.
If words had flavor...
I find this exciting... take me to Broadway please.
This makes me happy.

I'm starting to feel like I only post the events which happen during my weekends. This post really is no exception. Yesterday was magnificent. I attended church at PMC for only the second time this semester, and shortly after shared a delicious potluck with great friends. The rest of the afternoon was spent cuddled up with my boyfriend of 2 1/2 years. Things get so busy sometimes, it was really nice to spend some limited-interrupted time together. We played guitar hero and watched Singin' In The Rain. Here's to being perfectly content.

A Day in Chicago

This past Saturday I spent in Chicago with two of my very best friends. Only two of us are attending college in Michigan, while my other friend Allison, is done with school and working in my beloved Wisconsin. The three of us girls haven't all been together since the holidays so this outing was warmly welcomed. I was dying for some girl time. Chicago was the half way point, so that's where we spent our day. After a short detour through Chinatown, we made it to Millennium Park. I finally got to see the bean! Our day was spent walking through the park, talking, taking pictures and eating Cheetos and Chex mix. We had simple worship together and spent some time praying; so thankful for the time we got to spent together before Ally goes to the Philippines for a mission trip. So here's to weekends, the windy city, and friends. Best friends.

Photo Credit: Mariel Torres and Yours Truly.