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)

Crave

Tonight I went with Hannah and Toni to Crave, which is a college youth group at 1st Wesleyan.

I haven't really been to a youth group in about a year, since Aaron moved to Texas, so I was a little apprehensive about going, but it was an enjoyable experience.

The campus for this church is huge. There is the main building, but there is also a school (or 2? I'm not quite sure), a youth building, and some other buildings that I'm not sure what they are for.

Because it was the first meeting, it started out with more of a hang out session, then at about 10 we moved into the chapel area. It started out with a quick song of worship, then an introduction speaking session, and finished with more music. What was really cool was that they have these 'prayer books' out on some tables on the side. There are little cards on the tables and people can write their prayer requests/praises on them, put them in the book, then the youth leader (whose name I can't remember. I really need to find a way to remember names better) goes through and prays individually for each card and posts the praises on a board in the back. It's a really cool idea.

I would like to go back, and hopefully Hannah and I and whoever else can make it a regular thing :)

Altar

Altar is a student led worship that is held every Sunday night in the chapel.

Last night, just before altar started, the fire alarms went off. After waiting a few minutes for them to turn off, everyone decided to move to the front lawn of the chapel and hold altar there.

The band played acoustically and when Kyle spoke everyone sat around in the grass.

Everything felt so raw that it made the whole things really cool

This week I pretty much established my general routine. I know what each class needs and how much I time I need to dedicate to each one.
Marketing and Comp are my hardest classes homework wise because of the amount of work, but if I focus I am able to get them both done relatively quickly. I've started to work in the library so that I can get done what needs to get done without being distracted by anything in my room.

I also started my work study this week. I'm working in the General Office which is the university switchboard. I redirect calls, sort mail, and sell supplies to departments. I work M/W/F afternoons and T/H mornings for a total of 10 hours a week.

Friday night I was able to watch the Colts game :D even though they ended up losing :(

 Saturday I went to the volleyball game, and then worked on getting my room more organized. With how small this room is, it is hard to find a system of where everything goes so that it isn't in the way.


My sea monkeys are starting to repopulate which makes me happy. Lazarus is the biggest because he has been alive for about 4 days, but a few more have started swimming around in the last day.

In my free time I've been crocheting and watching movies. I made a new hat and am almost finished with a monkey. He just needs his arms/legs/tail and details sewn on and he will be done. :)

I think I'm going to try to update more often than weekly just so each post can be a little more meaningful than just recounting events.

:)

My First Week here

Saturday: Official Move In Day
All of my stuff was moved into my room, and I found out I have way too much stuff, especially clothes. My dresser is completely full, half of the closet is full of my jackets, and I have a suitcase in the top of the closet with more clothes in it. I should probably consider getting rid of some of them, but I don't really feel like it.

Toni is my roommate. She is from some place in Oklahoma that starts with a 'S', but I have no clue how to pronounce it. She got here the week before I did for volleyball.

We did a bunch of freshman things like group pictures and dinner and a welcome rally thing.

We also met with our core groups. A core group is basically a group of 10ish other freshman/new students and 2 returning students who are the leaders. We have a class that we meet together in for the rest of the semester that basically is supposed to help us get used to being in college.
My leaders are Jeff and Mysti, and they are both pretty cool. We did a bunch of group getting-to-know-each-other activities like the name game, and the human knot and cheesy things like that just to get comfortable with everyone.


Sunday:
I started the day by almost sleeping through Chapel. If Toni hadn't woken me up, I would have slept through it. But I did discover that I can make it from the room to the Chapel in 4 minutes, which I find pretty impressive.
We did some more freshman things that all blend together at this point.

Monday:
The rest of the students started moving in on Monday, so campus was a lot busier. We went bowling with our core groups and I got an amazingly low score of 33 the first game and 48 the second. I forgot how bad I was at real bowling.

(my lovely bowling score of 33 at the end of the first game)


There is this thing called 'Freshman Follies' where each core group is given a song (ours was Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid) and we have to come up with some sort of routine and perform it for the rest of the school. It was really fun to watch what everyone else came up with for their songs, and even kind of fun to perform (not that I actually did anything on stage, I was a sign holder :) )

Tuesday-now (classes):
Classes officially started. The first few days were just syllabus reading/explaining how the classes worked.

Homework so far has be a lot of reading. I know I will probably miss it later in the semester, but I get really bored with reading 5 different textbooks.

Friday Night:
We went on a photo scavenger hunt around town. The things we had to do included awkward family photos at the Kiddie Park, a group picture with a pink buffalo, and a group picture at the 66 sign (bonus if someone planked it). Our group ended up with 13 points by the end of the hour (I think the winning score was 20) but then we got root beer floats :)

This was kind of a condensed post, but hopefully I will be able to make more frequent, in-depth posts for everyone. And I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures so that everyone can see how thing are going :)

I wanted an easy way to keep everyone updated about what goes on while I'm here in Oklahoma, and thought a blog like this would be the easiest. Once I get it all set up I'll link my posts to facebook for everyone (since I never update that site myself).
I'll give it a shot and see how it works out.