a fun and refreshing (or maybe exhausting) weekend.

I have been ordered to blog, so if you have any complaints you can file them at: Brenna's Happy Blog.

I would have blogged sooner but I have been waiting on pictures from last weekend to describe my cooking experiences and my new cultural experience: shuffleboard (which I am amazing at, I have to admit). Unfortunately, I don't have those yet, so you'll just have to do without.

This week has been great, I finally wrote a paper that really should have been written more than six months ago and I had the best week of volleyball class in the world. I love it! The first day we all went over to the rec center and took roll, heard about the basic requirements and then left. And then on Wednesday, I got an email telling me that the instructor's kids were sick so he had to stay home and take care of them = no class! Sometimes I wonder for a moment why I'm not majoring in teaching PE... but only for a very short moment.

I also spent a few hours with some eighth graders this week. We've been reading the same books and so I met with them and discussed the themes and plot and so forth. Although it was pretty fun (and I got to skip a science class) its pretty scary to think that in just a couple of years I'm going to have a whole class just like that as my responsibility. (good thing Brenna will already be in high school...whew!)

And tomorrow? I'm going shopping! As in get up at the break of dawn (at least 8) and go all day until my legs and feet hurt from walking, my arms hurt from carrying so many bags and I can collapse in the car amidst empty burger king sacks, receipts, full bags, a lighter purse, and boxes of cute heels. So glad I'm ahead of my homework!

a beautiful weekend.

My great accomplishment of the week:

I finished homework for Monday, yesterday. As in I did homework more than 10 hours before it was due!

So last night? I went out to dinner with some family and basically did nothing from six o'clock until I went to class this morning.

It was a rather interesting feeling, I'm sure that I've felt that before (maybe when I was 15) but I've completely forgotten about the joy of going to sleep without a thousand things running through my mind.

I'm sure you're asking why or how did this happen!? Did I plan ahead and keep my focus? Uh no. Acutally I pretty much won by default. Its Parents Weekend, so everybody's pretty much giving us slack homework so we can have some bonding time with the fam.

But since my parents are doing their own slacking off in Idaho this weekend, I have a whole weekend to write only 2 papers and read several books. which will be wonderful oh and its almost fifty degrees!

a good test score and some hot chocolate.

We woke up to more snow this morning, this time it stuck though. Except it didn't really last too long. I'm sure it will all be gone by the time we get some more in a few days.

So what does that mean? Shoe shopping! Ok, so pretty much every event in my life brings about the need for a new pair of shoes, but especially this one. I need some warm closed-in grippy ones.

Oh and tonite, I have to take the CAAP test to get into the Teacher Ed program. Yay for me. Oh its just like the ACT's everybody says. But wait, didn't I already take like 3 or 4 of those tests just to get here? Its all right though, I probably wouldn't have gotten that much done between 6:30-9:30 tonite...might as well spend it filling in circles on an answer sheet. And besides, we wouldn't want teachers who can't even get above the 17th percentile on a general assesment test, right?

Well a greasy grilled cheese and fries are calling my name... I have to trek out into winter now.

some rest, an aspirin, and a little direction.

I would just like to start off with a long, slow deep breath...in...out...ok.

Thanks.

This week is over. Ok maybe its only Wednesday afternoon, but in my throbbing head, it is over.

I refuse to look at my calendar and see the list of things to do before Friday or even Monday, because I have made it through tests and quizes and presentations and projects with only my grandma's chocolate bars to keep me awake.

And the best news ever? I survived as a Puritan in my US History class and even came out with an A grade. Me! the quiet little puritan churchgoer, who never yelled at those who were trying to tear apart our church, or interrogated the immigrants who were trying to be admitted.

I think I mostly got such a good grade because the prof was in such a good mood after his favorite team won (not the superbowl, by the way heather, we're talking about baseball....right?).

But I also am pretty sure that I even did okay in the exam in the same class today. I only had to leave out one king's name in an essay because I couldn't remember if it was James or Edward. But this is US history, not English history right?

And so now, I can finally breathe and take at least a few minutes to relax and feed my fish (poor thing), wash dishes, clean the floor, take a nap...all the things I've been longing to do for the past...uh has it only been three days?

Oh and I got to dig out my blue suede coat...mmm. I love it.

why? because its snowing!

Yes, I was in denial this morning as I walked to class in utter numbness and cold. I thought: no its not snowing, its October, cmon.

But now I realize that I've missed my gloves and hats and coats and scarves. And although my roommate won't ever let me forget how I told her that my favorite month was fall, I do love winter!

a relaxing and productive fall break.

For those of you who are wondering, Italy isn't gone, its still in the process. I just finished an application essay the other day. But I'm also applying to another program through my own school, although I'm not completely positive that I would go on the program even if the other didn't work out.

With that out of the way, lets talk about marching bands, yes the ones with the loud instruments that are supposed to march. Living a few blocks from the local high school, I have formed a special relationship with the marching band, which happens to practice before school. So the thought-provoking words of the early morning: "Heather? Isn't the marching band supposed to march? Why don't they march....away?" Somehow, its more practical to march in a circles around the football field.

and of course in other news: fall break! 2 more days!

Oh and one more thing. I was flipping through a World magazine this weekend in the library as I tried to distract myself from my homework and what did I come upon? Proof of a point that I've been trying to persuade my roommate of for over a year. Dutch people are tall. I was never short in high school, but now just about all my friends are taller than me. And supposedly Dutch people are the tallest nation in the world, with my own 5'7" being the average height of women. crazy, huh?