Positive's List

Last semester in Anatomy and Physiology with Dr. Boomsma, our group of friends would make a "Positive's List" every Friday. We would simply write good things that had happened during the week that we are praising the Lord for! However, this semester, we don't have lecture of Fridays (due to Dr. Boomsma's research). So today I decided to take initiative and start a Postitive's List on a Wednesday! So between Kathy, Hannah, Lisa, Andrea, and I, here is our praises for this week so far
+ It's Leap Day!
+Finished with the Micro exam
+T- 2 weeks until I see Ben!
+Dressed for Success
+We don't have the ebola virus, raibes, or influenza
+It's sixty degrees in February!
+No Micro test until after spring break
+Chapel this morning was fantastic and just what I needed to hear (second that)
+I like my hair today...for once
+Our cancer cells are growing like weeds and are countable (for our genetics project)
+2 days until Molly vists, and 1 month till Gungor!
+I get paid today
+No class on Friday
+The micro test was in English...I think
+The adjunct is not teaching this lecture

And I have another positive to add on now that I'm out of lab....

I checked my mailbox, and not only was there a paycheck, but a package slip! I was not expecting a package at all, so this was a HUGE positive! It was chocolate Easter eggs and shampoo/conditioner from my mom! Thanks Mama Kristi! I shared the chocolate with my friends right away, but Sprads will have to wait til Easter to eat it. She gave up chocolate for Lent. You go girl!

Another positive is that I can go to bed at a decent time, and recover from my ten, yes ten, hours of Micro studying last night. PTL! Also, One Tree Hill and Modern Family are on tonight. I hope they are really good, because New Girl was not on last night. Sad face. I look forward to going on a walk with Allison, Sarah, and Lisa because of the beautiful weather!

All around good day. Peace and Blessings, everyone! 

Highs and No Lows

Happy Monday everyone! Although blogging is probably the last thing I should be doing right now, I wanted to share how wonderful my busy day was.
Started off by awaking to Allison's alarm... which went off while she was in the shower. That was a super confusing moment, but at least I was awake! I was able to get a little homework finished right away in the morning.
For my classes. Well, today we learned about HIV/AIDS in micro class. I mean, most people know a good amount about this disease, but I still learned some really interesting things! Like how it gets into our human cells and reproduces. And how there are four different ways that our human cells kill the virus, which actually leads to the virus spreading more ferociously. In choir, we were finally able to sing straight through three of our songs, instead of only working on sections. That felt so good! We sing in a church in Lansing on Sunday, so we are pulling everything together for that. Anatomy... was a struggle to stay awake in to be honest. I love that class, it's just super long. But I learned how amazing small details of our respiratory system are! Like surfactant, a body fluid which prevents our alveoli from collapsing in on each other. Neat stuff! I also got my test back, and am content with my grade. Especially after I realized that the Scantron counted one of my correct answers as wrong!  2 more points back!
After that, I went into work. Discussed music with Kirstie for a while. I had introduced her to Over the Rhine last week, and now she is hooked. I accomplished a lot, and then headed off to a very short Student Association meeting with my task force.
Tonight was the first time this semester that I was able to go to Pass It On. As part of the Service Committee, I take a group every other Monday night (more often if students express the desire) to the Pass It On thrift store. Tonight was crazy busy, but I loved it. I took three girls, and they all worked so hard and were so pleasant to get to know! Only one of the regular volunteers was there tonight, and she had me help run the show since I knew my way around. It was pretty fun!
After parking the giant van (I still refuse to back that thing into its parking space), I quick went to the gym for Zumba. Well, in my rush of packing gym clothes earlier that day, I had forgotten about gym shoes. So I had to dance in my socks (I still rocked it though!), and walk all the way back across campus in athletic shorts and my fancy boots. Keeping it classy.
One of the best highs was Bible study with Lette's floor. She and her floor are so nice for inviting me in! We went over Philippians 4, which is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. I will insert a passage here. Read it carefully. It's so amazing! Paul gives so much guidance and reassurance for life.

Final Exhortations

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thanks for Their Gifts

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

So rich! After Bible study, Danielle and Sarah came over for a "less than one dollar gift exchange." We thought of this last night, so we had a day to come up with something that costs us less than a dollar. I made a country CD, since we all enjoy country music and I have a bunch of blank CD's just laying around. It went to Danielle, and she gave me a lil pig! But wait! This lil pig could open up, and it had inside of it a quarter, a Now and Then candy, and a picture of Zooey Deschanel. Love her. Makes me super excited to watch New Girl tomorrow!

Well, those were all my highs. Low... now I have to finish doing some homework. Ah well. I'm a student, and it's what I'm here to do! Goodnight everyone!

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY.

It's my best friend's birthday... tomorrow. To be technical. But I want to make sure I get this done, so I'm blogging this all now.
Marisa, here's to you! We met the day before pre-school, when her mom brought her over to see if I was in the morning or afternoon sessions. Sadly, we were not able to go to school together until high school. Yet, we met almost every day after school to play! We drew chalk towns, raced bikes down the drive way, set up farms with Patrick, and so much more. As the years progressed, we grew closer together....Through candy-grams, car rides to school, singing "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," watching OTH, hanging out at my house on Sunday nights, working at the shop sophomore year, tanning at the pond, cheering at basketball games, and sometimes even crashing each other's family events. Now I just get to see her during the summer and random weekends when I come home, but it's like we were never apart. So here's to you Marz!

Have a great day, and I'll see ya when the chips fly high!



do Aweosme things with Quality people and you will have Fun!

I'm sorry I haven't posted very much this week. Let's do a quick run-through of events.
Monday: Homework and Zumba
Tuesday: Dinner with my philosophy class from last semester. What a blessing! There were eight of us in this class, taught by Dr. Reppmann. He helped us learn so much by letting us explore on our own and together as classmates. We had a lot of good discussions, some good laughs, and some great Dutch snacks at our final exam! So we met up at the BBC for supper. They all laughed at me as I pulled my own coffee creamer out of my purse. I decided that I'm OK with coffee, but I can't stand the BBC's coffee. It's just too bitter for me, no matter how much creamer I put in. Guess I'll have to stick to hot chocolate and steamers. We did joys and struggles, and I realized how many blessings I have had in my life this semester! It was difficult to decide on a blessing, and also difficult to think of a struggle! God has truly provided for me, sustained me, and blessed me here at TCC! We all agreed that God has truly put us in the right disciplines, from seeing the joy on each other's faces as we shared our favorite classes this semester. I said mine was Microbiology, of course. I watched New Girl with the girls upstairs, and we had a lot of laughs! Then Sarah and Allison and I ran down to Kara's room for a hall council meeting. We brainstormed a few fun events for the rest of the semeser, mostly after spring break.
Wednesday- Woke up with a bad cold this morning, as did Allison. Sad face. But I was able to enjoy my classes. In choir, we sang a song that I did in Western Chambers. It had a solo that I knew, so I sang it out (even with my raspy voice)! Brittany and Cassie said I rocked it, but I wasn't able to overpower the rest of the choir, so not everyone heard me. Which is just fine by me! We learned about the veins of the body in anatomy lab, and I spent a lot of time in the cadaver. I also signed up for Boomsma's interim for disecting the next cadaver. That won't be until next January, but I'm looking forward to it! I took time out of my day to go to yoga, which was a blessing. Some people are really leary of yoga, because it had very mystical beginnings. But Dr. Colosimo uses yoga as more of a de-stressor, a meditation time to reflex on blessings and to release the tensions of the day, and building a community with each other. It's not all that weird inner-god stuff at all. Ate at the cafe for the third night in a row, but this time with the girls who had gone to yoga with me. Lots of fun! I also had a Student Association meeting this night. It was short and sweet, much to my liking! This way I was able to complete my micro assignment.
Thursday- Classes were great, especially with the surprise of not having our quiz in pre-calc! Mr. Hoving is super nice, and just wants to make sure we learn the material instead of trying to trick us on tests and quizzes. I was looking forward to Outcry all day, and it was a wonderful experience! We had a whole row of friends: my room, the girls upstairs, and the Tib 11 boys. The focus was on Christ taking on our sins. Throughout the songs, we were able to write our sins and shortcoming on slips of paper and nail them to the cross which is normally on stage for Outcry. Then Fitter and Andrew raised it up during the last songs, and we were able to see our sins nailed to the cross. It was a pretty strong symbol, especially the act of nailing our own sins onto the cross. I studied all night for my anatomy test on Friday, but I didn't even get into that strange of a mood! Usually, I go into panic mode, and Allison needs to keep me in check. She probably got sick of hearing me repeat all the enzymes of the digestive system, but I think it was worth all the studying!
Friday- What a day! I realy enjoyed my Micro lecture. Viruses have such neat life cycles! I won't bore you with the details, but it's pretty much similar to throwing about 700 Legos into a dryer for an hour, and having them come out as built houses and planes and such. That's about how viruses form in our cells. Pretty neat! Chapel was great, too. Now that we are in Lent, there is a lot of reflection time during our chapels, which I am enjoying. Usually after choir, I need to go straight to choir, but we didn't have choir today! So I had lunch with the girls and Mark D., then took my anatomy exam. I think I did well! Then I went into work for the afternoon. We had decided earlier in the week that we were going to clean out Kirstie's desk, because it was so disorganized! I wish I had a before and after picture, because we did work! It looks soooo good! Steve, the new admissions counselor, kept saying how awful it was that Kirstie was making me clean her desk, but it was actually my idea, and I love cleaning! So it's all good! I had to finish out the day with data entry, but I felt very accomplished when I left work. When we got to the caf for supper, there was all this fishing stuff all over the place! We could try casting into buckets to enter our name into a raffle. Justine won it, and the prize was the first season of The Deadliest Catch on DVD! So funny! I realized at the end of our meal that I still had my nametag on from work. How embarrassing. Such is my life.
Friday night- Girls night! Sarah had found this adorabel old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Tinley, so we went with Danielle and Bex. However, it was closed when we got there! How disappointing! After looking into a few other places, we finally decided to go to At The Office for dessert. We shared some delicious brownie sundaes, YUM!

Sarah and Danielle, the upstairs girls, with their sundae!

 We had a bunch of Sweedish Fish in our purses from the caf earlier that night, so we decided to give them to the guys at the table next to us. Maybe not the best idea in hindsight. After talking a while, they realized we went to TCC. They were kinda rude about it and asked questions like, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed by now? Are you breaking curfew?" So we just stopped the conversation and walked away. However, one of the caught us at the door and asked if we'd like to stay to get a few drinks. I told them we weren't of age, so we wouldn't be joining them tonight. He said, "Well..neither are we.. but you know, we still could." Eh, no. So us girls just went to Target to get some nail polish, and did our nails while watching Sydney White. I decided if Terrance (my favorite nerd in that movie) was real, I'd totally go on a date with him! Sarah, add him to the crush list! Since my whole room was gone for the night, we pulled a spare mattress into Sarah and Danielle's room so we could have a sleepover! We had some good pillow talk, and then hit the hay so we could get up in the A.M. for breakfast
Today!- Sarah's brother took us out for breakfast at Lume's. I love that place! That's where I was when Mom surprised me on my birthday! (One of my favorite memories from last semester, for sure). Sometimes I get homesick when I see everyone with their families, but I am also grateful when my friend's families include me in their activities! Now, we are just working on homework and updating our blogs in the BBC. In half an hour, we will start listening to the Dordt game. Go Ben! Looking forward to a dinner date with Sarah and Danielle tonight, possibly to Applebee's!
Over all, this week has been another blessing! Great friends, learning about God's creation, wonderful weather (never dreary!), and good times at work.

23 Years!

Happy anniversary to my mom and dad!! Twenty-three years ago today, they were married in my Mom's church and began their live together. I have been blessed to have such loving parents, and to be able to see what a healthy marriage looks like. They are a HUGE blessing in my life, and I wish them so much happiness today and this weekend!

Also, Happy Birthday to my cousin Graham! He's growing up fast! 

No Such Thing as Dreary Weather

This winter, Chicago has been experiencing the strangest blessing of weather. We have only had snow on a few days, and most of it melts within a day or two. This past week, Allison and I were able to go for walks in just sweatpants and long-sleeve fleeces. What a blessing!
However, today was a struggle for me. Whenever I would ask someone how they were doing, they would complain about the weather. It had snowed during the night, and the day remained cloudy. Why do people complain about snow and clouds? Think about all the different kinds of clouds there are, and all the different shapes of snowflakes. It's amazing! Every day, no matter what the weather, is a blessing from God. A day is never "dreary," it's just beautiful in a different way. (In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm Lil Miss Optimist over here). But seriously, why should we ever complain about a day in God's beautiful creation?
As if God wanted to really stamp this idea into my mind, Dr. Colosimo showed us a video in my honors seminar today. This is by Brother David Steindl-Rast, an author who we have been reading in class lately. Although Chicago doesn't look like the pictures in this video, Trinity's campus is still beautiful.
A Good Day

I hope everyone enjoys this day that God has given to us, rain or snow, clouds or sunshine, warm or cold, busy or slow. Every day is a blessing from our Creator, Sustainer, and Provider!

Skype Sunday

Sundays are always blessings. Although this Sunday was nothing out of the ordinary, it was a blessing nonetheless. I went to church with Allison and Cassie. We are doing a series on real-life idols. I have really enjoyed it so far. After the service, the church had their monthly student lunch. The third Sunday of each month, our church hosts a lunch for all the college students in the area. It is such a blessing to have a homecooked meal! We sat with Anna and Mark, and Alyssa and Jake. Quality couples. The afternoon was pretty relaxing, and I was able to get a good amount of homework finished. In fact, I accomplished enough so that I was able to Skype with Ben! Now, I'm usually really bad with computers, but I was finally able to work out my sound problems so we could talk. Allison and Sprads joined me, and we had a good time. For supper, we went out with Abby and her mom and sister, who are visiting for the weekend. Of course, we had to get pizza for Abby! So we headed to Baracco's. So good! And an everyday occurance, Allison and I went for a walk and discussed everything under the sun. What's important, we discussed spring break! We are still working out the details, but it should prove to be a good time. Overall, a calm and wonderful day.

It was good to see you too!

STENTORS!

Everyone reading this probably knows I'm a huge biology nerd. There's lots of proof for that. But I honestly am amazed in every class at the details of God's creation in the world and in our bodies.
-Did you know that you have ten times more bacterial cells in and on your body than you have your own human cells? It's OK, those bacterial cells are good for you, as long as they stay where they are supposed to be.
-You have a microscopic tail of a cell that is as long as your leg. This allows you to have reflexes in your foot. Think it'd be easy to snap a string that long? Yet that tail, called an axon, stays together!
-The reason people say you shouldn't swim after you eat is due to your sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Normally, your parasympathetic nervous system is in action. Normal heart rate, smooth digestion, normal breathing, and such. However, when your swim, or do any kind of exercise, the sympathetic nervous system checks in. You may have heard of this as your "fight or flight." This causes digestive actions to slow or stop. So if you exercise after a meal, you will get a stomach ache.
-ATP synthase is the coolest enzyme ever. An enzyme is a protein that catalyzes chemical reactions in your body. ATP synthase is an enzyme that will take in Hydrogens through a channel. Then, the hydrogen connects to a crank inside the protein. This crank goes all the way around until the protein connects with the needed molecules, making ATP so you have energy! Isn't crazy how there is a crank inside these small proteins!?
-Oxygen is actually toxic. Yep, oxygen should be killing our cells. However, at the very very end of the process for making ATP, oxygen is the final acceptor of electrons, making water. So making energy for our cells saves us from oxygen, which we continually breathe in. Craziness!
-Ok, I just have one more thing that I HAVE to share with you. Stentors. These are eukaryotic cells (so plant and animal cells). We looked at these in our Microbiology lab last week. Macroscopically, they look like blue fuzzies in water. Under a microscope, they look like a blue whale! With their cilia (hair-like structures for movement), they swim back and forth from their 'tale.' As if this wasn't cool enough, Dr. Carlson gave us food for the stentors. So when we added food onto the slide, these little whales would stretch out from their tail to reach the food, pick it up with the cilia on their mouth, and then retract all the way back into the tale in order to eat. Then it would start swimming again to look for more food. If any of you come to visit me, I will ask Dr. Carlson to leave the lab open so I can show you. That's how cool they are! And they are only $9 per jar! Too bad microscopes are too expensive, or I would totally keep some as pets.
I hope you enjoyed these fun facts. I'm sure I will share many more over the next few years!

Welcome to Tib 22!

Today I would like to share my home here at Trin with my family and friends! This weekend, Allison, Spradley, and I worked on decorating and cleaning the room a bit. I'd say it looks rather nice! Our dorm is somewhat like an apartment. We have a kitchen/living room area, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. So here's a few pictures to give you an idea of where I live!

This is the bedroom that Allison, Kathy, and I share.

My desk, Allison's desk. Yes, we do everything together!

The posters we put up today. Yes, that is a periodic table of elements and an anatomy poster.

No, we do not make Justine sleep out here. We just have an extra bed since this is supposed to be a six-person suite.

Kathy made all our these letters, so we hung them up today. So neat!



Tib 22 is somewhat quiet this weekend. Justine has Indoor Nationals in Ohio, so she left Friday afternoon already. Kathy is visiting her sister in Iowa with the rest of her family. Also, Tib 34 is MIA. Everyone went either to Wisconsin or Michigan, so it's pretty quiet here! Yet, we still manage to have a good time.
Last night, Student Activities hosted a black light dance in the Black Box. It. Was. So. Much. Fun!!!!! O my word it was a blast! The theater was packed, there was a DJ, people had highlighter all over, Glow sticks were hanging from the ceiling. Our group consisted of Allison, Spradly, Megan A, Lisa, Abby, and I. Of course, we met up with all sort of friends there. My favorite dance of the night was the Wobble. Of course, Jake and I went all sorts of crazy when the Interlude was played. Now that was a good time! Abby and I tore up the dance floor with the Dougie, and Colin stole the show with the John Wall. We actually did form a dance ring for The Jerk and the soccer guys showed off for a while. It was a great time!

Thanks to J-Rizzle and SA for the great pictures and a good time! However, once we got back to the room, Allison and I were absolutely wiped. So we decided to unwinde with a few episodes of "How I Met Your Mother." Good choice. There are 136 episodes on Netflix. Challenge accepted! 



Moms are the Best!

Yesterday, I was in the cafeteria for lunch. I waited in line a few minutes, and when it was my turn, I asked for carrots. The lunch lady just smiled at me and said, "Honey, your mother must have raised you right if you come here asking for vegetables!" I smiled back. "Thank you, I think she did a good job too." So this post is a shout out to Mom, because she really is the best!
She did teach me to eat my vegetables, but that's not even close to the best thing my mom has done for me. Chapel today was about how God looks past our faults to see us as a beautiful creation, just as moms look past our faults and see us as perfect children. I was reminded once again how much my mom loves me, and how much she has done through that love.
My mom made me go to piano lessons, although I complained every week for eight years. Thanks Mom, because now I really enjoy playing the piano to unwind after a stressful week.
My mom cooked wonderful meals and baked delicious snacks for me. Thanks Mom, because now I appreciate the blessing of a meal.
My mom taught me how to cook and bake as well. Thanks Mom, because now I can share treats with my friends. Some of my favorite moments are when we get to chat while making a meal.
My mom taught me how to take care of a house. Thanks Mom, because now I can keep my dorm neat and beautiful!
My mom made sure I did my homework each night. Thanks Mom, because now I am able to handle college, and really enjoy my classes! I feel like I should give a small shout out to my dad here too, because he made me practice math, spelling, and reading every night.
My mom encouraged me to get involved. Thanks Mom, because now I enjoy being in choir, service committee, and student government.
My mom taught me how to treat everyone equally and kindly. Thank Mom, because now I am able to interact with a variety of people that I meet throughout the day.
My mom gave me her beautiful eyes and laugh. Thanks Mom, because now I can see the beauty in others, and bring joy to my friends through laughter.
My mom (and dad) taught me what it means to work like a Dutch girl from Northwest Iowa. Thanks Mom and Dad, because now I am able to manage my time, complete homework, and get a lot accomplished in the admissions office.
My mom has been a role model through the way she interacts with her friends. Thanks Mom, because now I know how to make friends and maintain the friendships. I have wonderful friends now, and they are such blessings in my life.
My mom has been a role model through the way she interacts with my dad. I have been so blessed to have parents who love each other so much. Thanks Mom, because now I know what a healthy relationship will be like. I also thank you for the advice and conversations you have given throughout the years.
My mom has been a wonderful listener. Thank you mom, because sometimes all I needed was to speak my frustration out loud.
Most importantly, my mom has been a role model through her Christian lifestyle. Thank you Mom, because now I have a passion for the Lord that fulfills my life like nothing else can. And through my walk with the Lord, other parts of my life are based on Him. All of my studies, my relationships, my goals, and my activites are an offering to the Lord. Thank you Mom!
My mom is my best friend. She knows what I'm thinking and feeling by just seeing my face in the morning. She has taught me so much already, and I look forward to learning more. She surprises me with cards and packages now that I live so far away from home. My mom really is the best. I love you, Mom!

Mom and Me at Uncle Marv's Birthday.
For once, people said I looked like her!

Blessings on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Weekend at Dordt

This past weekend, I made the long drive back home so I could spend the weekend with my family and Dordt friends. Jared, Bryan, Alisha, and Adam came along, so we had a full car! The trip seemed to go fast enough with the good music and good conversation. I had told Ben that I wouldn't be there until after midnight, but we left earlier than planned and I got there a bit after ten. When I arrived at Dordt, my friends were making cookies! How fun! But I wasn't allowed to eat any, because they were Austin's WOW cookies. The boys proved they were smarter than the girls in a game of Battle of the Sexes. "You're a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science." If you recognize that quote, you just earned cool points.
Saturday was a fun-filled day! Patrick also came home, so we were able to hang out for a while with Mom. We put on the usual comedy act for her, complete with ridiculous pictures of us on her iPhone. I always have a good time when I am with Patrick. We goof off so much, but can still have semi-serious conversations every now and then. Sadly, Erin was gone all day taking her ACT. Bummer.

Typical.

 I went back to Dordt in the afternoon, and watched the basketball game with T-Pow. The Defenders won their game, making them the GPAC champs! My cousin Logan got an award for the points club at Dordt, so I was able to chat with my aunts and uncles and cousins after the game. And for the evening, Ben and I got to go on a real date! Since it was so close to Valentine's day, he gave me beautiful roses and delicious cookies along with a card. Yeah, remember Austin's WOW cookies? Those were actually made by Ben, for me. I had caught him in the act, so Austin covered for him. You sneaky Austin! We went out to eat at the Cedar Rock, where we ran into Ben's cousin and his fiance. How random! After dating for over a month now, it was good to know we could survive on an actual date together ; ) . For some reason, he thinks I'm funny sometimes, so the night was filled with lots of laughter! We attempted to watch Lord of the Rings at my house after. (For those of you who are thinking "That doesn't sound like Megan at all," that's because Ben loves those movies, and I thought I'd be nice enough to give it a shot). I made it through about an hour until it lost my attention and I fell asleep. And it wasn't even the extended version! Ah well, maybe next time.
Mom invited all my friends over for Sunday dinner, so the house was packed with college kids after church. I really enjoy spending time with all my Dordt friends, who have been such blessings in my life! It was a great way to end the already wonderful weekend. It's always hard to say goodbye to everyone, but it's also always nice to return to my home at Trinity.


I'd have to say he's one of my favorite Defenders

This week looks like it will be busy once again, but stay tuned for more adventures from Tib 22! Allison and I are already planning fun activities for the weekend. 

Thankful Thursday

Last year, Megan RA would always write the day, along with an adjective, on the whiteboard outside of her door. Today, for me, is thankful Thursday. Sometimes Tuesdays and Thursdays are a struggle for me. I leave the room between 8:30 and 9:00 in the morning, and don't return until 4:00. It's a really long day of lab, work, and classes. Also, pre-calc is on these days. Not my most interesting class. So today I asked God to help me truly enjoy this day, instead of just trying to get through it. I was a bit flustered at first, because I did not feel accomplished during microbiology lab. I don't think I stained my bacteria correctly, because I struggled to see clear structures in the microscope. Hopefully next week will be better. Larissa warned me that staining would be hard! However, the rest of my day did go well! Yoga during my psychology class was wonderful. Yep, we do yoga in class. Usually it's for the last half hour of each class, but today it was for almost 45 minutes! I also accomplished a lot at work, as we have a group from California visiting today and tomorrow. I hope they love Trinity! Like I said, pre-calc isn't my favorite class. Today I was struggling to pay attention, but the class ended with our professor deciding to NOT give us the quiz that was scheduled! He told us that he would just give us all A's in the gradebook! PTL! So already, this Thursday was turning out to be pretty good!
Allison, Danielle, and I decided we would skip the caf tonight and treat ourselves to supper at the BBC. Man, that really was a treat! Mark D. ended up joining us, and we had a lot of good laughs! We shared our back-up plans for if we don't pass the TEAS, get into med school, or pass the education program. Everything from marrying Tim Tebow to opening a sub shop! After supper, Anna and Kathy and I worked on some biology homework. These classes are challenging, but I really like the material! Tomorrow's micro lecture is a survey of bacteria. I know, sounds like fun! O wait, you probably don't know what that is. Well, that's when Dr. Carlson just lists of a whole list of bacteria and what diseases they cause and how to stop them basically. So it's an overwhelming amount of information. Good thing I have a long car ride this weekend to review it all!
The night ended with a wonderful Outcry. We sang a few of my favorite Outcry songs, including How Deep the Father's Love, Stronger, The Stand, How He Loves Us, and He is Good. And we sure did have a good time praising the Lord tonight!

Yester, Wednesday, was Whirlwind Wednesday! What a busy day! Micro lecture, chapel, choir, anatomy exam, anatomy lab, quick jog, lots of homework, and a Student Association meeting. I just joined Student Association this semester. One of our sophomore reps had to step down because she couldn't fit it in her schedule, so I interviewed for the position, and now I'm one of the sophomore class reps! Student Association works to bring all the groups on campus together to make sure we are all working together, and also works to improve Trinity based on the concerns and suggestions from students. The first meeting was a lot of information to take in, but I'm excited to join this team!

I really wish I could find a youtbue clip of Amy Poehler from Baby Mama, when she says "I'm so excited!" because that is how I feel about this upcoming weekend! As of ten minutes ago, the carpool was just me and my buddy Jared. However, while I was describing my Wednesday, Brian and Alisha called to ask if they could ride along! What a blessing! Now the roadtrip will be super fun. One more sleep! Here's a few pictures of my friends that I'm super excited to see!

New Girl Tuesday

I'm writing this post while watching New Girl with Sarah, Brittany, Abby, Justine, and Allison. Solid group. Abby loves that we watch this together, because it's a good study break routine! Plus it's a hilarious show to brighten my day.
This week is crazy crazy busy, but I'm really looking forward to the weekend!
To Do Monday: classes, work, homework, zumba, Bible study
To Do Tuesday: lab, classes, work, homework, study anatomy, New Girl, hall council meeting
To Do Wednesday: classes, lab, student association meeting, zumba (if I have time)
To Do Thursday: lab, classes, work, practice piano, outcry, pack for the weekend
To Do Friday: classes, GO HOME!
So I accomplished everything on Monday already, and most of Tuesday. Bible study was the highlight of my day yesterday. I go with Lette and her floor. They are so sweet to have adopted me! We are going through the book of Philippians, one chapter a week. It has been such a blessing to hear what the other girls have to say about the passages!
So sometimes when I have difficulty settling down for studying, as I did today. So Allison and I listen to this song, maybe to a little singing and dancing along with it.
Let's Study!
I hope this song is stuck in your head for the rest of the day!
O shoot. Time for Hall Council. Talk to you all later!

Superbowl Sunday

Another fun-filled day here in Palos. I woke up earlier than I normally do on a Sunday, because our Concert Choir was singing at my church! I was super excited, since this is my first semester in choir here at Trinity. We sang three songs for the offertory: How Deep the Father's Love, The Pilgrim's Hymn, and I Believe This is Jesus. The songs are all very different, but wonderful for praising the Lord! I couldn't help but have a smile on my face while singing.
After the service, our dear friend Dolores, had us over for Sunday dinner. Victoria, Abby, and I met Dolores last semester. We did a service day through church, and ended up working at her house. She has us over once last semester, and we really enjoyed a home-cooked meal, good company, and fun card games! Dolores called me Friday afternoon, telling me to come over on Sunday. What a great surprise! This time we brought Allison along, since Victoria is in Ecuador. Abby swept us all in Rumicub, but I pulled away with Skipbo. Dolores says she loves feeding us farm girls, because we'll eat everything she cooks, and that's the truth! Dolores is a blessing in our life. Victoria had prayed last semester for a woman like Dolores to enter our lives, and God answered her prayer! Something as simple as a home-cooked meal in a home can really make my week!
Shout out to the men at Dordt! Thanks for a fun time skyping! Those guys always make me laugh. We started out by catching me up with their Bible study, and ended with an improv song by Matt, Ben, and Austin about how we aren't FBO yet.... Sorry guys! Maybe someday. I can't wait to see them all this coming weekend!
The men here at Trinity in Tib 11 invited us over for the Superbowl. What great hosts! They even ordered pizza for us all. The girls' job was to bring snacks, so Abby and Justine made some Lil Smokies and puppy chow. Good food, good company, good game, and good commercials! We had a couple accidents throughout the night, which led to a lot of laughter. Cassie managed to spray Dr. Pepper all over the kitchen, making the pizzas taste like pop. Ben spilled a whole cup of Mountain Dew, and he also managed to drop his computer mouse on Brittany's head. We were a hot mess, in the words of Lisa. Lots of women jokes were made as Allison and I did the dishes! Over all great time with my friends. Here's a clip of my favorite Supebowl commericial this year.

m&m commercial

Dr. Pepper-flavored Pizza from Tib 11!

Roommate Bonding Day

Today I spent the whole entire day with my roommate Allison! She even woke me up so we could start off the day with breakfast at Lume's. Split the chocolate chip pancakes and cinnamon apple french toast! Spradley also came with us, and we had some great conversation about how much we have all grown together in the past semester. For the afternoon, Allison and I went downtown to ice skate at the Daley Plaza. Student Activities rented out the rink for a few hours, and provided Garrett's popcorn and hot cocoa! We had a bit of difficulty keeping our skates tied, but the day was perfect for skating.

With the other Allison

Megan RA and Megan Lois

While we were slowly but surely gliding in circles, a friend from Iowa was making his way downtown Chicago! We met my old friend Hilt at the bean. He had his camera, of course, so we got some nice pictures. I will add those as soon as he sends them to me. We wandered around downtown, admiring the people and the buildings. Sometimes the city seems way to buy for me, but today I enjoyed the bustle of the city. I secretly wished I was living there. I guess I could look into Loyola for med school someday. Who knows!
To continue the bonding experience, Allison and I went to the For The Win Improv show here on campus. It's a group of Trinity students who are super talented and super funny! I got an ab work out from laughing so much! They asked the crowd for a lot of prompts, and Kirstie had the best ideas. Jon had to be Snooki once, and he did a perfect job! Jon and Gina are probably my favorite. I was reminded of TrollStock this year, where they were the hosts. That was a great memory from first semester! A group of 8 girls got together, with Lisa as our leader. We made a glow-in-the-dark dance routine! It was pretty epic if I do say so myself.
Bonding experience ended with a win in Dutch Blitz down in Tib 11. We got a little too excited a few times (go figure), but we laughed a lot with everyone!
Having Michael here today was a great experience. He witnessed Trinity for the first time, and was really amazed by the atmosphere here. While we were in Tib 11, we discussed accountability for reading the Bible, because I had written the song "Read your Bible, Pray everyday, and You will Grow, Grow, Grow!" on their whiteboard as a reminder. He thinks it's so cool that our friend group is comfortable with discussing our faith and helping each other grow. I agree. Trinity has been such a blessing to me in this way! I'm so glad that Michael was able to see this blessing in my life. And my roommate Allison is included in this blessing, because I know we will be life-long friends, with our relationship founded in Christ!

Start of the New Semester

So many things are already happening this semester, including starting this blog. I know life can get busy quickly, so I figured this would be a great way to keep everyone updated on my Chicago life. Last semester, I switched my major to biology, so this semester includes a few classes which will prepare me for medical school, instead of nursing classes as originally planned. I also picked up choir in my schedule, and am really excited for our first "concert" at my church this Sunday! I continue working in the admissions office here at Trinity, helping Kirstie plan visits and give tours. Other random activities for the semester include Dutch Blitz with Tib 11, watching OTH with Danielle and Allison, Monday nights at Pass It On, Outcry on Thursday, Dordt visits, and Bible study with Lette. All good things!
Goals for the semester:
-Figure out spring break plans
-Look into a few medical schools
-Crash a wedding in Chicago
-Tell biology jokes as often as possible
-Visit Michigan and all the wonderful people who live there
-Run with Justine
-Touch my toes in yoga
-Visit Dordt at least one more time
There will be additions to this list as the semester goes on, I am sure! Keep tuned for the adventures of Tib 22!

Peace and Blessings