Whew.

I finally have a free moment. Thank goodness. Things have been a whirlwind lately and I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it has been to do absolutely nothing for a change. I moved back to Des Moines on August 13th and since then I have been constantly going and doing things but I loved every minute of it. Going from our fall leadership retreat, to leadership week, new student days and the first week of class was insane, but I learned and grew so much in the last month and I'm so thankful that I had such incredible opportunities. Sometimes I have to take a moment to think of how wonderful my life is and how lucky I am to attend such a fantastic college that I love so much and just enjoy everything. Thinking back to last year's homesickness, I can't even begin to understand the growth that occurred in the last year. I didn't even go home for labor day this year because I wanted to stay with my friends and relax! (I do have to go home in a couple of weeks though so that may have had something to do with that decision...) I didn't feel like I really got a real summer break and at first that bothered me, but now I'm okay with it. I loved my summer classes (minus my May term History class) and I enjoyed my time at home in July as life changing as it was. July was absolutely insane when it comes to a relaxing summer. I never would have guessed everything that happened. I experienced grief I've never felt before and I spent a lot of my own time in and out of the doctor's office...so much for a relaxing break! New Student Days was a success and I loved meeting all of the new students and getting to know them. You also can't beat a weekend with the View Crew! I love those guys! Sure it was a stressful and busy weekend but I wouldn't give it up for anything. Now that school is starting I'm about to have zero free time. Great. I love being busy but this year is going to push me to see how much I can handle. 18 credits. A leadership position and two jobs on campus. I can handle it, but we'll see how the stress-o-meter handles it. I'm looking forward to a fantastic school year nonetheless and I'm super excited to see what the future brings, even with the stress that comes with it!

I Like (to Visit) Ike

I've been spending the last few days visiting my family in Manhattan, Kansas celebrating the Fourth of July and hanging out. Today, I had the chance to drive to Abilene, Kansas the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It's incredible how much the world changed during Ike's life. He was born in 1890 and died in 1969, living through World Wars I and II and the beginning of the Cold War. He lived through the Great Depression and by the time he was in office, color television had been invented! I've had the chance to visit the Presidential Center before, but I didn't really know what I was looking at or who President Eisenhower was in the first place so it was really interesting to see everything with an understanding of what was going on in the world at the time.

I had the chance to tour President Eisenhower's childhood home which was a really interesting thing to tour. Ike only lived there for a few years, but his mom lived there until she died. It's a tiny house for 6 boys and their parents. With only 4 bedrooms, I three boys shared one room, two another and the third tiny bedroom was reserved for Ike's oldest brother. I can't seem to wrap my head around how small houses were back during the late 1800s compared with houses today. Running water wasn't even installed in the house until Ike was 18 years old! How crazy is that? 

The Eisenhower Museum was also an interesting experience. There is a really cool exhibit going on from 2013-2016 that is about World War II which I found to be fascinating. I've always found WWII to be one of the most interesting parts of history to study so this exhibit spoke right to me. The best thing that I got to experience from this special exhibit was that there was a man who had really served in WWII and had actually met President Eisenhower when he was in command of the Allied troops in Europe that was touring the museum. He was telling stories to those of us that were around him and it was a really cool experience to hear some of it right from someone who lived it. I also had the chance to interact with with a man who had friends that had fought in WWII and was telling me stories that his friends had told him about liberating Death Camps. I loved this experience. 

There was also a wall that talked about Japanese Internment Camps in the United States during WWII which I thought was a really interesting read. 

Something I found to be interesting about Ike during WWII was that he had prepared a statement for if the D-Day invasion were to have failed. I hadn't given any thought to the chance that the invasion could have been a huge disaster. By no means was it an extraordinary victory, but the fact that General Eisenhower wrote a statement taking full responsibility for the failure brought a new light to the D-Day invasion.

There was a section of the museum about the election of President Eisenhower. My brother actually enjoyed looking through the various election materials and the I LIKE IKE buttons. 

I even got to visit President Eisenhower's final resting place. He's buried in what is called the Place of Meditation. It's like a small church, where Dwight, Mamie and their first son Doud are buried. There's a small fountain and it's a really peaceful place. 

Overall, I had an awesome time vising the Eisenhower Presidential Center. It's a beautiful campus to check out if you're interested! There's also the Presidential Library for research related to President Eisenhower's papers from his presidency. I would love to look through them some day!

4th of July

Happy Independence Day America! On July 4, 1776 the continental congress approved the Declaration of Independence, starting the United States on its path to an independent nation. Most people think that July 4 was the date that the United States declared its independence from Great Britain but that actually happened on July 2, 1776. Contrary to other popular belief, the Declaration of Independence is thought to have been signed in August, not July. When the continental congress decided to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, they dated the document with July 4 which is why we celebrate our independence on July 4. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to celebrate our independence on a day like September 3, that marked the end of the Revolutionary War, when we actually gained independence? Anyhow, we celebrate on July 4 so have a great day and remember why we celebrate. 

Pet Peeves

Like everyone else in the world I have a list of probably 50 pet peeves. I feel the need to vent a few of them because some people could really use some common sense.

1. Grammar

If you're over 18 and can't properly construct a sentence...we have a problem. I understand that not everyone has strengths in English, but when every single word is misspelled, someone went wrong somewhere along the line. If you're over 30, we have a major problem. Facebook has probably worsened this situation because that's where the majority of my pet peeves come from. If you are going to post a Facebook status, take the time to spell out the words. It's really not much more work. I don't want to see "u" or "r" it's "you" and "are." You're not cool if you spell "phone" as "fone" either. Stop. A final pet peeve in this category is: If you're going to curse online, at least spell it right. I get that I don't follow all grammar rules by any means, but I write intelligently (the majority of the time) and I don't spell every single word wrong. (Let's be honest, my biggest grammar error is pronoun-antecedent disagreement and if I'm thinking about it, I avoid using it). 

2. Facebook statuses about OTHER PEOPLE

I hate reading the drama of Facebook oh so much. I've tweeted about people before, but there's a difference, I'm not trying to stir up drama or anything, I just need somewhere to say it and it's not Facebook worthy. Don't post about others knowing that they will see it just to start drama. It's pointless. It's not worth my time to glance over your post, or anyone else's time as well. I get positive statuses about others, they're cool, but when people post negative things about others, that's when we have a problem. If you're over 30 and trying to start drama on Facebook, I really question the direction of your life. If you have nothing better to do than start drama with younger people on Facebook, you really need to reevaluate your life. 

3. The numbers 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 17, and many more.

4. When someone calls you and you call them back within 2 minutes and they don't answer.

If you're going to call me, be waiting for my call back, especially within the first 10 minutes after you call me. I don't always answer my phone (It's usually on silence) and when I call someone back, I expect them to answer. If I call you back within 2 minutes, don't answer and say you're busy. How much busier can you be now than you were 2 minutes ago? I don't buy it.

5. People who text in class

I've texted in class before and it's only for important things and I don't make a habit of it. I don't sit with my phone during class, I put it in my backpack and don't look at it unless there's a break or I need it for some part of class. You're in class for a reason; to learn. You have all kinds of time to be on your phone, so put it away. You're taking away from my educational experience and yours and we're both paying for the experience, so...let's not do that. 

How to not write a paper

Hello Finals Week! I have not had a week with so little to do at all this semester and I'm loving it, but it's fairly pointless. I have one paper and 2 finals standing between me and a week of glorious summer break and I can't wait. I've been working on writing a paper for my honors class for the last few days and it hasn't been getting anywhere, so I think I'm a pretty good source for information on how to not write a paper if I do say so myself. Here are key steps to not writing a paper:

1. Get on Facebook. It's vital that you have a facebook tab open while writing a paper. It's a great distraction.
2. Get on Twitter. If you follow many people, you will have a pretty steady stream of tweets coming your way. It's a great way to learn new, important information and a great distraction.
3. Get together with friends that are writing the same paper. You will gain vital ideas and get little to nothing done.
4. Watch a movie. Movies are great ways to get distracted which is absolutely important when trying to write a paper.
5. Find something that's going on around campus and go. For example, today I went to the Acting Class' final performances. It was great! Being involved on campus is a big deal so this will definitely help out in the long-run and its free entertainment!
6. Go out to eat. Who needs to write a paper when you have Village Inn and pie? No one, that's who.
7. Have a jam session. Belting out songs terribly is way more fun than writing a paper.
8. If all else, fails, write a blog about how to not write a paper.
9. Final step: Freak out because your final paper is due tomorrow and if you don't get a B you won't get an A in the class.

Things I've learned this year

With only finals week left in this semester, I've decided to make a list of the things I think I've learned in this last year. Many life lessons were learned and you would think I would have had the common knowledge ahead of time to know this stuff. Apparently not.

1. In the city, the left lane isn't the fast lane when on a normal street. 

2. Don't let dishes pile up. They smell.

3. Do laundry before it gets excessive. 

4. Laundry is expensive. 

5. If you're going to buy food, actually eat it otherwise it will go bad and get gross.

6. Cool words like pedagogy, modality, and dropter. (...way more cool words I can't think of...)

7. The Big Bang Theory is the best show to ever grace us with it's presence on Television.

8. Starbucks comes straight from God himself.

9. Sometimes you have to talk to strangers. 

10. Twitter is the best way to get through those boring classes.

11. Professors say the strangest/funniest things.

    -Don't marry a compulsive gambler.

12. Don't text and walk down the stairs. It doesn't end well.

13. Be yourself.

14. Don't let change get stuck in your printer. It makes death noises.

15. Sometimes the only thing you need are your grandma's cookies. :)

16. Sparknotes can be your best friend at times and your worst friend at times.

17. I've read some really cool books that I loved and some that I abhorred. 

18. It is possible to miss your exit on the Interstate, even when you know exactly where you are going.

19. Sometimes you have to get creative with your lunch.

20. I can lose at Harry Potter Scene It...not even sure how that happened.

21. I have met some of the coolest people. Ever. 

22. Intelligent conversation is one of my new favorite things.

23. Chipotle is the best place ever.

24. I've learned many inappropriate sayings/terms that I didn't know before...

25. I've watched some of the weirdest movies of my life. 

26. I've watched too many movies to count.

27. I've discovered my passions and found what I'm really interested in.

28. As much as you don't want to go to class....you probably should.

29. It is possible to hate your favorite class.

30. I've learned that you have to just cherish every moment and make life fun. :)

End of the Semester

I seriously think that professors email each other and coordinate deadlines for assignments. That's the only way this could work so perfectly. How is it possible that all semester I have had very little homework, but when I do, each class assigns it for the same time. I would much rather have a steady supply of homework than have sudden bursts of assignments. Come on, professors! Get it together. I'm so confused as to how some of my classes are going to finish all of the assignments on the syllabus before the end of the semester because time-wise it's nearly impossible. I have 4 class periods left of Tuesday/Thursday classes and one of them still expects another lesson plan that we are supposed to teach or something like that? How does that work? I don't believe it does. I just don't see how my classes are even close to being done but they are. Last semester didn't seem so weird like this one does. Maybe it's because I'm staying here through May and June to take more classes...weird stuff.