Halloween

So everyone knows that Halloween is the best holiday of the year.
This year I had a pretty amazing Halloween.

Hannah, Jessica and I dressed up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. During the day I went to classes and did the whole Monday thing. After dinner we all went to the basketball games. Hannah, Tim and I got bored with basketball and decided to go trick-or-treating (Because we obviously aren't too old or anything).

We started driving through neighborhoods, but not many houses were lit. We went by the Bonner's, and Mrs Bonner told us about the mall giving out candy. After stopping at a few houses that she told us about, we decided to go to the mall. We ended up with a pretty decent amount of candy.

We then went back to the basketball game, and watched the end of the 1st half of the guys game. At half the soccer teams were honored for being the conference champions. Then everyone who was in costume was invited to the court, then we found out we were playing knockout. Me not knowing anything about basketball didn't want to play (mainly because I have no clue how to), but Jessica explained it to me, and I went for it. I got the ball in on my first shot, and got Jessica out, but I got out the second round.

We watched the rest of the game, which the guys ended up losing in overtime. After we hung out in our lobby until we decided we were too tired to stay up any longer.

 

Me, Jessica, and Hannah in costume

October 29th

I first went to the girls soccer game. The game was a super important game because it determined where the playoffs or something like that are being held: here or Nebraska. It was a super tough game, and was so much more entertaining to watch than girls games usually are. The ref was a loser and penalized our team a lot, but never the other to the point of calling back a goal because of ‘interfering with the goalie’ or something like that on a corner kick. The game tied 0-0 after 2 overtimes, but I think that because of the other teams stats playoffs are being held in Nebraska.

After that we went to the Fall Festival at Hannah and Jessica’s church. We first went to the pumpkin patch and all the kids got to choose their own pumpkins. The best part was when Stevie, a little kid maybe 3 or 4, was carrying this huge (even by my standards it was pretty big) pumpkin back to the hay ride tractor that took us to the pumpkins. He made it across the whole field which was impressive. (Stevie is in purple)




After the pumpkin patch we went to the church for the festival. We played bingo and I won the first round :) After dinner we had a worship time, and then we had an auction followed by cowboy story time. Dr. Buxton shared a bunch of stories all about what a cowboy is, and of his time in the rodeo and a bunch of things like that.

We cleaned up, then Hannah and I went to the Barn Bash that the school put on. A huge barn is rented out for the night, and there is line dancing and a bonfire and it’s just a lot of fun. I did dance once with Hannah, though it was just a basic step for swing dancing. There were horses that we fed and I found a horse with a fauxhawk. The bonfire was the best part because I love bonfires. I roasted marshmallows and made s’mores and it was amazing.


Hannah and I on the carriage


Amazing campfire :)

I've been slacking about posting on here, but I have just been so busy that I didn't think to take time out to write on here.

A couple of weekends ago Nicky and Noel came out to Oklahoma and stayed with me for a couple of nights. The plan was to go to Tulsa to go to a show, but of course things never go as planned. On our way to Tulsa, Nicky and Noel were tweeting the guys letting them know we were on our way, only to have them reply that their bus had literally fallen apart while they were driving. Whoever worked on their wheels the day before didn't attach the axle correctly (or something like that. I don't know anything about cars) and one of their back wheels popped off while they were driving. Luckily no one else was on the road and they weren't hurt.

When we found out they weren't going to be at the show, we went out to where they were to hang out. They drove 12 hours out here, and they weren't going to give up on seeing them. Thanks to my amazing e-stalking skills (though Tony did tell us where they were shortly after we were on our way so it wasn't completely stalkerish) I found out where they were and we drove down to some random small town south of Tulsa to meet them. They were stuck in a parking lot outside of a Walmart waiting for a local car store to open because the Walmart people didn't have the parts the needed.

We spent the night hanging out with the guys, and came back to campus at the end of the night.
It doesn't sound all that exciting on here, but I had such a great time. I really missed people from back home, so seeing my best friend made me extremely happy.

This is our adventure picture that we took just as we were getting ready to leave Tulsa

You're like the Men in Black, but you're the girls in black. And the sunglasses are a nice touch-Tony

I feel so blessed right now

Things are going so well for me right now.


My classes are generally okay. There are a couple spots here and there that aren't so great, but overall I'm really happy about where I am.
Even though it gets to be a little overwhelming at times, I love my marketing class. I love learning the concepts and strategies that go into a business, and I don't dread doing the chapter readings (unless the chapter is extremely long. I don't enjoy those).
Psychology met for the first time in a week yesterday (Professor White had a herniated disk and wasn't able to hold class at all last week) and I realized that I missed that class. If I wasn't doing business, I would probably go into psychology. That class is definitely a highlight in my week.

I also have found amazing friends out here. Hannah, Jessica, and Kendra are all amazing people. Today we went from dinner to soccer (and fetching the soccer ball out of the lake) to joining the Orange Movement to deciding on Halloween costumes.

Nicky and Noel are also coming out this weekend and I am so excited. I miss my best friends so much. The idea of them actually being here still seems so weird, but it's actually happening. I get to see my best friends, I get to go out to a show (I haven't been to one in nearly 2 months and it's driving me crazy), and life will be amazing.

I also am almost finished with the afghan I started in July! I spent the whole weekend on it, and now all I have to do is weave in all the ends (which makes me want to die because there are a million of them)

As much as I miss home, being out here has been an amazing thing for me. I feel like in the 7 weeks that I've been out here I have already grown so much personally and spiritually. Minus the times when my alarm goes off in the mornings, I always feel so happy and excited about what is happening in my life. I enjoy going to most of my classes, I am able to manage my time to allow homework, friends, and 'me time'.

I am excited to go home for Thanksgiving because I miss Colorado. I miss everyone and my kitty, but there are a lot of things I still need to take care of out here (like finding a 'home' church. Right now I am going to chapel Wednesday/Friday, youth group Wednesday night, and Altar Sunday night, but not a Sunday morning service).

I am sure my stress level will spike in the next weeks since we are coming up on midterms, but for now I am allowing myself just to be happy :)

Finally, brothers, 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. -Philippians 4:8

 The book we are reading in formation is based on this passage, and it's basically about making your thoughts positive instead of negative. At first I thought the book was a little too annoying, but as I go through and learn to apply the ideas to myself, I find myself liking the book a lot more.

Skype Dates

Tonight I got to have Skype dates with Vickie and the boys.
The conversation with Vickie lasted about an hour, and we hung up on each other at least 3 times haha.
The second one with the boys was after Altar :)

I didn't think Skype was useful when I first heard about it forever ago, but now that I get to use it, I really like it :)

When I get my laptop in I'll be able to Skype more often/with a bigger screen than the ipod

Skype UN: SureAsLiz

I know it's been a while since I've posted, so here is a mass update

The past few weeks have gone really well.

Work:
I've figured out how my work schedule goes. My morning shifts are always busy. There are a ton of packages and letters that have to be sorted out, and I'm lucky if I get to sit down for more than about 30 seconds.
The afternoon shifts are a lot easier. The only thing I have to do is answer the phone and help anyone who comes to the counter. I usually work on homework during that time because it ends up being 2 and a half hours of nothing.

Classes:
My classes are going really well. I have had at least one test/paper in every class but US History (that test is on Monday) and they are going pretty well. I got a 92% on my first psychology test which I am very happy about :)
This weekend is going to be spent studying for my History and Marketing tests on Monday/Tuesday then I don't have any tests scheduled for a while.
I Had my first presentation in Marketing on Thursday over Trek Bicycles and their target markets. I think it went fairly well, but I don't like public speaking, so I'm sure it could have gone a lot better. But there are many more presentations throughout the semester, so I'm sure I will get better.

Everything Else:
Hannah, Jessica, Kendra, and I hang out a lot of the time (when they don't have soccer stuff). Last weekend we had a 2 night pizza party in Hannah/Jessica's room where we ate the pizza on Saturday and the cheesy bread/cinnamon bread on Sunday night.
Bekah and I have also been spending a lot of time in Doc's studying. Even though most people think we are crazy for studying in the coffee shop, we both focus really well in there. I've found that it is nearly impossible for me to study in the library because it is too quiet for me.

I decided to start my second sea monkey tank this morning :) I felt bad having all the frozen monkeys sitting in my room. But this set already looks better than my last one. There was a lot more water purifier, and the food (which I've been using on my first tank) hasn't killed any of them yet.
Speaking of my first tank, my sea monkeys had babies! There are 5 adults and 2 babies in there right now :)

I promise I will try to update this more often :)

Also, Happy Birthday Mom  :)

Meet Lazarus!

This is Lazarus, my oldest sea monkey!
After all of the sea monkeys died unexpectedly, he was the first one to be reborn.
There are now 5 monkeys in the tank :)
Now that I have food that isn't bad (thank you mom :) ) they should grow pretty quickly/have more babies
How awesome would it be if I got a giant fish tank and bred sea monkeys from a bunch of different packs? (The answer is totally awesome)