Day 40: Preventing Explosions

Day 40 (1/29/11)

Another day, another problem. I had to take my car in today because the "Check Engine" light came on last night. And $120 later, I now know that a hose is cracked but not fixed (yet) and that I had an eroding gasket, which has been fixed.

I also learned what it means to have quality service. The stations I brought my car to up at school is the same company that I take my car to back home. Both places, I have received nothing but wonderful service from two completely different sets of people who probably have no idea that the others exist.

To be 13 hours apart, and receive such amazing service in both places makes me realize that there is someone, womewhere, who is running this company and "gets it." They understand. And not just the problems, either! They get what it means to be in the position of the customer and the worker and know what kinds of people it takes to get the job done and keep customers feeling safe.

And that is just cool.

Day 40:

- One ridiculously haunting cough

- Thirty-eight ICA papers graded

- One amusing student who has confused Billie Holiday and Billy Elliot

Day 39: Puppy Chow

Day 39 (1/28/11)

What a wonderful night to have friends over! I have the suite to myself this weekend, which is a nice break. I slept in late, got lunch with "upstairs girl," a.k.a. J.

Then tonight, a few girls from my dorm last year came over. It was spectacular. We consumed way too much food and spent way too much time pondering ridiculous what if questions.

Day 39:

- One surprising episode of sounding like a man due to my lack of voice

- One T.A. training session

- Copious amounts of choclate.

Day 38: All Shook Up

Day 38 (1/27/11)

Wuh-bam! Theo is donnnee! Well, as far as in the classroom, anyway. So concludes another large amount of money spent on something that just melts my brain.

Oh, well. Tonight, L, S, and I, accompanied by S's mom, went to go see All Shook Up at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. And it was awesome. We had a booth front and center, the cast was phenomonal, the music, well..... who can top Elvis? It was a wonderful night!

Day 38:

- One last minute shopping trip for a strapless bra

- One amazingly delicious serving of strawberry shortcake

- Six hours of traffic, food, music, and acting

Day 37: Keep on Trying

Day 37 (1/26/11)

Even with no rehearsal and virtually no time spent studying for my final exam tomorrow, I feel as though I have a very large responsibility - to get better.

The past few weeks full of stress, exhaustion, and even fun have worn on my immune system terribly. However, a great night at Goodwill spent dress shopping and one very unproductive meal at Perkin's later, and I am kinda feeling everything will be okay if I just know that things change when they change.

Day 37:

- One delicious cheese quesadilla

- One fantastic green polka dot dress

- One goal set to lose seven pounds

Day 36: One Down, One to Go

Day 36 (1/25/11)

Last quiz! Seriously - it is almost already over. Barely three weeks and I have five quizzes, one exam, and one paper done. One exam in a few days and Christian Theology will be taken care of. I have difficulty believing that I got everything worth knowing out of that class.

If Christian Theology were an ocean, I feel like I picked up a thimble full of water, sniffed it, tasted it, felt it - and threw it back in.

Day 36:

- One dose of Scripture

- One ten pound load of stress lifted off my shoulders

- Last night of rehearsal for the week

Day 35: Non-stop

Day 35 (1/24/11)

What a day! I left Marshfield this morning, only to return to school, remember that Iw as late for a meeting, and then rush to my three hour long afternoon class and then to rehearsal. Non-stop. It was just one of those days.

Day 35:

- One awesome pair of sweatpants that made life a little easier

- Seeing faces of friends that are so busy

- One burrito from Taqueria Line

Day 34: Football and Family

Day 34 (1/23/11)

Sometimes football and family is all you need. Along with a surprise party, a lunch buffet, and a few games of Chinese Checkers.

Day 34:

- One surprise party at Buck-a-neers

- Two football games

- A couple few Amish cookies

Day 33: A Surprise Full of Trouble

Day 33 (1/22/11)

If only I knew how to phonetically spell the fantasic noise that my Nana makes when she is surprised. I left slightly late this morning, picked up my mom at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport and finished the trek to Marshfield, WI.

When we pulled into the driveway, I could tell the instant that my Nana knew my mom had come along for the ride because I could hear her making that joyous noise from inside the house.

Sometimes it really is just being there. That is what is important in life - just being there. You can say it, and on a surface level we can know it, but until you witness that simple joy, you can't really know it. And you can't usually see it unless you take the small steps to make it happen.

So take one...or two. See where it takes you.

Day 33:

- One fest of bird watching

- Two games of Trouble

- One homemade pasta bar dinner

Day 32: Quick Oats and Comfort

Day 32 (1/21/11)

Finally, the end of the week. After a ridiculous paper, too much stress, tons of rehearsal accompanied by tons of coughing, and very little sleep - the weekend. Although it will not be a restful one, I am sure it will be a fun one.

I am surprising my granparents tomorrow with my mom who is flying up for their 50th anniversary! Have a happy weekend!

Day 32:

- One bowl of warming oatmeal

- One slightly less cough filled rehearsal

- One viewing of Sister Act 2 with two friends

Day 31: Saving Grace

Day 31 (1/20/11)

Ahhhh - I love the smell of procrastination at night. This is said, of course, in complete sarcasm only because I decided to put off my six to eight page paper until the night before it is due...even though I swore I would start it early...yeah, right.

But, alas, after so much work and exhaustion, I finally finished a six page long, biased rant about grace.

Day 31:

- One last minute book arrival at the airport

- A revelation that I need to open my mind

- One cup of hot, caramel, apple cider

Day 30: A False Dichotomy

Day 30 (1/19/11)

In Christian Theology today, we began our discussion on providence. Needless to say, it was quite controversial. Does God know everything? Is God all powerful? Can God stop himself from knowing everything?

Who knows. Not I. I will suggest, even though I am not sure how much of the book I agree with, that should you ever struggle with some of these issues that you check out Tokens of Trust by Rowan Williams who is the current Archbishop of Canterbury.

Day 30:

- One challenging intellectual class period

- An incredibly heartwrenching rehearsal

- Two dozen questions floating in my head

Day 29: Ruach

Day 29 (11/18/11)

Ruach. It is the Hebrew word for storm and wind... and in its most common usage in today's culture, it refers to the Holy Spirit. I find it incredibly interesting in a very, unsettling and somehow reassuring way, that the third person of the Godhead can only expressed comprehensibly equal to a storm - a phenomena that we have still failed to completely understand as humans.

Not only that, but storms come in such a wide variety that I find it amusing and so fitting that this is the word that translates to what we know as the Holy Spirit.

Day 29:

- Three new pairs of jeans

- One Yellow Tag Tuesday sale

- A night of comfort

Day 28: What Family is For

Day 28 (1/17/11)

Today was filled with a bit of chaos. K's family had some issues but L, K, and I worked through it as family - because we are. It was an emotional roller coaster of a day. And after all of that, a waffle for supper.



Day 28:

- One mini roadtrip

- One McDonald's hot chocolate

- One perfect waffle for supper

Day 27: Killing Time

Day 27 (1/16/11)

A slow day. A very slow day. Sleeping in. Eating lunch. Watch A Very Potter Musical on YouTube. Watching Fear. Eating supper. Watching Josie and the Pussycats. Vespers. Perkins. Heavy life discussion. Watching Michael Clayton.

Day 27:

- One fantastic pair of incredibly warm slipper socks

- A wonderful day with my lovely roomies

- One amazingly scrumptious salad from Perkins

Day 26: For the Love of Nature

Day 26 (1/15/11)


It was beausitful day, despite the tensions in almost every aspect of my life. I woke only to discover one of the girls over in B2 making scrambled eggs after the slumber party. Eggs and orange juice on a Saturday morning. I don't know that life can get much better than this.



After a short breakfast, I picked up R in my car, which had once again been covered in snow, to venture down Snelling to help her catch the bus to go visit her boo over the long weekend. I think it is funny that two such liberal-ish girls have so much trouble accepting the large amounts of conservative energy on this campus when we constantly talk about keeping an open mind. I guess it is hard to keep something open when everyone else is trying push it close.



This was all followed by a wonderful bout of cross-country skiing and a relaxing evening on campus.

Day 26:

- One random, heart-shaped sculpture

- Two attempts at downhill cross-country skiing

- One case of the sniffles

Day 25: Giggles

Day 25 (1/14/11)

After a long day, and the ridiculously easy Christian Theology mid-term, it was a blast spending a night with friends. Rehearsal was fantastic, accompanied by a mini-lesson in Kentucky culture for my cute Minnesotans. Afterwards, a fabulous sleep over and an introduction to the game Quelf - which is just fantastic.

I am so blessed to have so many beautiful people in my life - here and back home. I love you all.

P.S.I will upload a video instead of a pic when I figure out how

Day 24: The Chicken and the Egg

Day 24 (1/13/11)

The famous debate of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Or, the even better question, does it really matter?

Was Christ sinless because he was divine? Or was he divine because he was sinless?

I can honestly sit here and say that I have no freaking clue what the answer to any of these questions are.

Day 24:

- One, lengthy, mind-boggling discussion.

- One mid-night viewing of Zombieland

- One night of struggling to pantomime stringing beans

Day 23: Brain Melting Causes Stumbling

Day 23 (1/12/11)

Literally and figuratively. For anyone who has not been challenged in your faith or for anyone who has never really explored their belief system, I highly recommend taking a college level theology course.

Although this Christian Theology course has pushed me and made me question almost every little thing that I have trusted in, it has also brought a feeling of security. I now have just cause for believing what I believe. I have looked at every possibility and have come back to where I started and for good reason.

And, so, after a day full of theology and theological discussion, the only logical course of action is to *drumroll* STUMBLE!

Day 23:

- Lots of funny pictures

- One neon flashing sign from God

- Solid evening of rehearsal and not doing homework

Day 22: A Day in Our Town

Day 22 (1/11/11)

I love that everyone was freaking out today about the fact that the whole date was made up of ones. I stood by and struggled to understand this fascination when I realized that none of them had given any though to what will happen on the 11th of November.

Which makes me sad. Almost no one that I talked to remembered at all that November 11th is a national holiday - Veteran's Day. It was heartbreaking to realize that even the youth, but also a lot of younger adults son't go out of their way to remember the men and women who have served our country in one of the most dedicated ways.

Mind you, I am not saying that every Vet is perfect or that every one of them was fighting for the right reasons or even necessarily the right causes. But anyone who is that loyal to our great country deserves some benefit of recognition.

Day 22:

- First rehearsal for Our Town

- Becoming a part of a family

- Three hours of theatre fun

Day 21: Manic Mondays

Day 21 (1/10/11)

Monday really was no that manic - not even close, really. This Monday was actually, very relaxed. Woke up late, called to make sure I had not missed a meeting, and then...nothing.

I had dinner with one of my theatre friends and then embarked on the adventure that was removing my nose ring for the first time!

Day 21:

- Three attempts at removing my nose ring

- One email regarding a theology paper

- One day remaining until Our Town rehearsals begin

Also on Day 21: one episode of a pseudo-nose ring flying across the room, one dinner with a close friend, five sketches of chracter costumes, two hours of catching up

Day 20: Life is a Comedy

Day 20 (1/9/11)

Sometimes a day should just be a few deep breaths of creativity. That's what today was. A deep breath of creativity.

Day 20:

- One great production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors

- Two bus rides with fantastic theatre friends

- One hour of unbelievable worship

Also on Day 20: four random guys who also wirship with their shoes off

Day 19: Electricity

Day 19 (1/8/11)

What a fantastic day! And to put it in the words of my good friend SA, "I can't believe we have such an awesome God who can make all of this!" I got to spend the morning with my roommate, the afternoon with three of my friends whilst cross-country skiing around Lake Valentine, and the evening out with three of my girls to go see Billy Elliot.

All in all, a grand day exploring this amazing world and all of the talent that inhabits it.

P.S. I am pretty sure that there is a large Dino-bird alien dreeping in the Arden Hills area, along with a few camps of serial killers... so watch out.

Day 19:

- One lap around Lake Valentine

- Approximately six hours adventuring in Minneapolis

- One seat on the second balcony

Also on Day 19: Twenty minutes spent attempting get buckled into cross-country skis, five dollars for a parking spot, three attempts at finding a restaurant, a gazillion silly people fighting for the restroom at intermission, two adorable, small children on stage, one very talented 13-year-old dance star.

Day 18: Being a Kid Again

Day 18 (1/7/11)

Friday started off with a kick - L laid in bed most of the morning after cracking her neck and getting it stuck. This succeeded by a helpful but not very productive coaching appointment for my prose piece. Long day, blah blah blah.


Day 18:

- Two episodes of Friends
- Three girls having a slumber party
-One creepy noise from the utility closet

Also on Day 18: one trip to Panera for supper, two cute guys, one box of Toppo, two phrases in magnetic words, 1.5 hours putting magnetic words on the door.

Day 17: Dating Discoveries

Day 17 (1/6/11)

Alright, I am sorry I am posting this late due to technical errors. Now, moving on!

I may have been slightly misleading with the title of this entry. You see, when I refer to the fact that the night was spent discussing dating... I definitely mean Mystery Date. Which just happens to be the most ridiculous conception for a board game - ever!


Day 17:
- Three games of Mystery Date
- Twenty-four terribly awkard pictures of 1990's hotties
- Two hours of laughs and gigles with friends

Day 16: Goodwill Hunting

Day 16 (1/5/11)

So, ridiculous move title puns aside, today was a pretty interesting day.

The beginning of the dreaded J-Term. Nah. That is kind of a lie. J-Term is awesome...once you keep up with the work. It helped that I discovered that I thoroughly enjoy having a Theology teacher that has lived on three different continents for prolonged periods of time.

Tonight, S, my roommate, and I went exploring the closest Goodwill. Tonight it was filled with the riches of shoes and furniture from the 1970's and a super classy, blue, sequin-laden dress that weighed about twenty pounds.

We also discussed the fact that this month we are all going to make a conscious effort to be more involved with our own lives instead of just jumping through hoops. I know that seems like a weird idea, but it makes sense to us.

Day 16:

- One blue sequins-laden dress

- One pair of purple boots

- Five pieces of throughly decked out (and affordable) 1970's furniture

Also on Day 16: One new sweater, one adorable hat, approximately 13 gorgeous guys at Target, 7 food stamps slowing down that check-out line, three great hours with my roommate, S.

Day 15: The Journey Home... Kinda

Day 15 (1/4/11)

It was a ridiculously long day that I won't bore you with the details of because, well, the details are repetitive and boring. K and I drove through the night to get back up to school only to arrive roughly two and half hours before they opened the dorms again. Yeah. it was one of those days

Packing = approx. 1 hour

Re-organizing = approx 1.5 hours

Sleeping = approx. not enough

But, finally, we arrived (sort of) at our (sort of) home.

Day 15:

- One two hour time block before returning to campus

- Two slices of Cinnamon French Toast

- One return to the place that is almost home

Also on Day 15: Two hours of excellent sleep, one reunion with a roommate, one hilariously funny movie, one late ngiht chat.

Day 14: A Time for Goodbye

Day 14 (1/3/11)

What a crazy day! Our preparation for leaving Louisville included lots of laundry, packing, watching a movie, going to the mall, two games of Lazer Blazer and a much belated round of Christmas presents... chaotic, right?

Anecdote of the day: One the way to pick up J so that we could play Lazer Balze, we ran into probably a million stop lights. L began taking pictures for her scrapbook which led her to see the cute guys in the car in the left lane. Once the windows got rolled down, a very ridiculous attempt was made to get K's number to one of the guys. However, they turned and we kept going straight when one of the guys yelled for use to meet him at Speedway. After picking up J, we got stuck at the same light and looked over to see this random guy running through traffic to get to our car for the last two digits of K's number. J and I were laughing hysterically and all three of us were praying for the light to change, as you might imagine.

Also - we got to witness one of our friends drink her first Icee ever. Momentous.

Day 14:

- Two rounds of Lazer Blaze with friends

- One lint-covered black shirt

- One half and half Icee

Day 13: Running, Running, Running

Day 13 (1/2/11)

Not too much to tell about today. Same old, same old. The day started with church, then brunch, and then a wonderful journey into downtown Louisville and the Waterfront.

It felt good to go have fun without much of an agenda.

P.S. Did you know that they make Blueberry Pomegranate Ice Cream? True story.

Day 13:

- One walk on the waterfront

- One and one half pair of gloves left in my car

- Three playgrounds

Day 12: Unforgettable

Day 12 (1/1/11)

A new era has begun! And to celebrate, K and I both slept in this morning - after falling asleep at roughly 2 A.M. It has been the typical errand-running, family-loving Saturday.

Today really made me think about the fact that families don't seem to really exist in America anymore - at least, not the way they used to. Tonight six of us sat down... and we laughed... and we screamed... and smiled, and sighed, and relaxed. And that doesn't happen very often. Actually, I don't know if I can remember the last we had that much fun without someone being addicted to a cell phone, television, or computer.

And that makes me sad. It breaks my heart that it took a guest coming into town and me standing up to get everyone's attention to say, "Let's play a game tonight!" before anything like that happened. I mean, if you think about it, at least for me, technology just means more stress. It is more conversations that I have to focus on. It is more plots that I have to remember. It is more people that I have to beat. It is more that I have to improve at and exert control over 24 hours a day. It is just another way to create envy and jealousy and boredom.

I am not going to sit here and start a debate over the educational value of techonology. It would be pointless since the argument can go in a million different ways. But I will say this:

I have missed that family - the family that I knew that sat down and enjoyed each other's company at least one night a week instead of one night a year. I missed the family that laughed at our own jokes and spontaneously broke into song. I missed the family that could get on each other's nerves and still laugh about it.

I am challenging myself on this New Year's Day to make every day with my family and friends unforgettable.

Day 12:

- Twenty-gazillion episodes of NCIS

- One impromptu rendition of "Unforgettable" with Dad

- Two fantastic family games

Also on Day 12: Two google-eyed black fish, three unfortunate accounts of witnessed dog-humping, two small Chihuahua puppies, eight plates of beautiful spaghetti shared throughout the house, one Helen Keller trump card rejected during Apples to Apples.

Day 11: The End of an Era

Day 11 (12/31/10)

Happy New Year's Eve!

It was/is the end of a baffling-but-brilliant year...much like many others. It was a year full of trial and error, heartache and joy, luck and fate. Fittingly, the day almost just like any other day. We did nothing almost all day until it then seemed like we had an enormous amount to accomplish before leaving the hosue.

We went to a New Year's Eve Partywhere I got to see a few of my friends from high school and church. We then rushed across the county to introduce K to my step-mom, A. Hoping to catch the Backstreet Boys' performance, we rushed back to Mom's only to find her half-asleep and discover that we had just missed the BB portion of the concert.

However, all was fixed when in the last 30 seconds of 2010, the three of us sat there with cups full of ... Cran-Apple Juice! I have never had a better New Year's Toast in my life. It is going to be a good one.

Day 11:

- Three cups of Cran-Apple Juice

- One insane round of Shout About Music!

- One missed Backstreet Boys performance

Also on Day 11: Two glimpses of my best friend's house, a plethora of chocolate-dipped strawberries, two tennis balls in one dog's mouth, five friend reunions.