Hello from the swamp!

So, the snow if finally melting! And...with that comes the thing we like to call the Gordon Swamp. It started to snow last night, then turned into a strong rain, and by the time I woke up this morning, I was already pulling out my wellies.

Things are really starting to get busy around here. There are three volleyball recruits coming to Gordon this weekend, one of whom is staying with me tonight and tomorrow. While I love seeing 6'2'' girls coming to visit from California (my sisters!) I am already feeling the weight of jumping from one right into the next. It should be interesting because Carmen is also having someone stay with her tonight. Shows you how much we talk...just kidding. Sort of.

I have my first rehearsal tonight. We're having dinner at Jeff's house and doing a read through. I'm excited and nervous at the same time, and ready to be underway with this.

Meredith and I are still keeping up with our workout. We're determined to be in great shape before spring season. My favorite day is when we swim on Thursdays. Meredith may be able to beat me in sprinting, but I kick her butt in the pool. Ha ha.

Violin is coming along as well. I have learned three songs, and two keys, and while I'm still far from violin glory, I'm really enjoying it.

I'll keep you all updated on how rehearsals and volleyball are going, as well as classes and everything else that goes into being a college student!

P.S. Our last men's basketball home game was the most amazing game ever! They beat the only team undefeated in their league, UNE. Needless, to say, I was so excited!

You thought the Pacific was cold?

Okay, so I just saw this and absolutely had to post something about it. I never want to hear another complaint about how cold the water is when you surf in the winter. Throw in some snow, lower the water temperature by about 25 degrees and the air temperature about 50, and you've got a whole new ballgame! Talk about a passion for surfing! I have seen a few people with surfboards before, but never in the dead of winter right after a heavy 24 hour snow fall when it is 20 degrees outside. Props to those guys for being so dedicated.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star...a different version.

Well, I had my very first official violin lesson today. While I don't completely suck, I am far from the symphony orchestra. The widely accepted belief that everyone starts out with "Hot Cross Buns" is wrong! My first song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, so go figure how that came around...
Needless to say, Sarah is a wonderful teacher, and I enjoy her special teaching methods that she uses on her six-year-old students. :) I am so excited to finally be starting on this. I've been waiting for months to be able to have proper lessons and really put myself fully into this. Who knows? Maybe by next year's Soup n' Sing, we'll have piano, flute, and not only bass and cello, but maybe a violin? If Gramma can stand the sound...hehe. Add in a few maracas and we'll be set!
Well, I can't wait to come back over the summer (since I don't think I'll quite have things down by spring break) and play for you! More music in the house...I love it!
And whoever is complaining about life can just come to me, and I'll pull out my violin for you...'cause I really know how to make that thing squeak!!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Shout out to all of my family and friends in sunny California! As of right now in the past three days, it has snowed, rained freezing rain, frozen over, melted and become a swamp, and currently the wind is sending the snow that is falling as well as the snow on the ground up in sometimes big snowy tornadoes. But class is not canceled. Oh well.
I am sitting on my bed writing this is sweats, a long sleeved shirt, and a beanie. As you can tell, I like to snuggle up when the weather is nasty. It is the perfect day to settle down with a good book. Of course, mine just so happens to be for school, but hey, it's the thought that counts.
Well, I may not be walking in a winter wonderland, but I sure am looking at it from the safety of my dorm room, pitying all the people who are walking to Bennett or to class.
I just got a nice new throw blanket in the mail from my parents, and proceeded to walk up and down the halls with it wrapped around my shoulders, just to have the snuggled feeling. I know, it sounds weird, but it's what I love.
Hey, guess what's coming up next week...no, not Valentine's Day! It's my dad's birthday!

SNOW DAY!

The storm has officially come in and the college has been closed. I think that is the first time that they have actually closed Gordon, as opposed to giving the professors the option of canceling classes. My very first snow day. It seems kind of funny though, because as of right now, the snow has not been falling that long. I've been looking at pictures in the mid west where ice has frozen around trees and power lines, giving them a sort of deathly beautiful look. We are definitely not at that stage quite yet, but a snow/ice mix is expected later today.

But no classes. Of course, I still had to get up this morning and go to work. But the snow means that it won't be as busy as usual, which is why I happen to be writing this blog from my post behind the front desk. I will admit, I kind of giggled very stupidly when I got the voicemail that Gordon was closed today. I was so excited that I woke up Karmen to tell her. She didn't mind of course, but then she went right back to sleep, and I danced my way through the falling snow to Lane to grab some breakfast before work.

Until next time, God bless...

Back in the Saddle Again...

Well, we are on the verge of a heavy winter storm, and nothing could remind me more that I am back at school. It was 80 degrees when I flew out of Santa Ana, and I was carrying a down jacket on the plane. If I thought 30 degrees was cold when I arrived in Boston, then I was anything but prepared for the below zero weather that was coming. It was a rough welcome back to school, but here I am, after being told several times that I was crazy to go to school on the east coast.

This semester holds several new experiences. Carmen and I have a new roommate, Lindi, and it is very nice to have another person in the room with us. I mean, we like each other and all, but we can only handle so much of the other for so long...just kidding. But it has been fun having a third girl in the room with us again. While I'm not taking as many credits as I would like, I think that it all worked out the way God wanted it to. I am working at the Bennett Center, the athletic facility on campus, which makes going to work out much easier. It saves me trips in the freezing cold, and motivates me, because I have to go anyway! Workouts for the spring volleyball season are going to keep me busy as well, but who knows, I might actually be in shape before getting back into the swing of things again! It will be good to touch a volleyball again, even if that does include sprinting afterward.

I am very excited for something entirely different this semester: I am taking violin lessons with Sarah Skinner, a good friend of the family. While I am the first to admit that I am the beginner of beginners, I am excited to learn a new instrument and finally get at doing something I have been meaning to do for years. Another new experience is that I am in one of the spring shows at Gordon! The show is called Joyful Noise, by Tim Slover, and is based on the story leading up to Handel's famous work, Messiah. Don't be fooled, however, the show is riddled with sex scandal and political unrest, something completely new to me. Look out Calvary! I'm stepping out of the bubble. I am very excited to be involved in another aspect at Gordon and meet new people.

I am currently working on my very first film length screenplay, something I have been looking forward to doing for quite some time. It has not come easily let me tell you, but after these past couple years of writer's block, I am so ready to try my hand at something new. Who knows? It may open up a whole new world to me!

As this is my first post, I am still getting the hang of things, but I hope to keep you all updated on everything from what events have been going on to how cold it's been lately, to whatever else may come up. Until then, God bless you all.