We're halfway there...

Well, a lot has happened since I last posted. Perhaps most importantly, I finished my thesis! This was a huge process that included lots of hours and a couple all-nighters. But I am so happy to have it done! This week is finals week; I can't believe the semester is almost over! The year is going by so fast!!! Looking at these pictures is beginning to make me nostalgic. I will miss this place when it's time for me to leave. 

That being said, I'm ready to go home for a bit. Christmas break is just around the corner! I'll be home in one week. I know though, that once I'm home for a couple weeks I'll be ready to come back to Gonzaga. I love this place too much to stay away for long. 

Next semester is looking awesome! I'll be taking 18 credits, but 4 of my classes are yoga, x-biking, guitar and bowling! And I only have (real) class on Tuesdays and Thursdays; four day weekend every weekend!!! Never have I had a schedule that will be so relaxing! I'm excited. 

But to catch you up on what's been happening here so far...

My housemate Kristine finally turned 21! Yay!

Gonzaga got its first snowfall of the year.
Do you see why I love it so much?

One of my favorite places at Gonzaga, The Kennel. Basketball season is here!!!

 I went to Helena, Montana with my housemate Erinleigh for Thanksgiving. She has a wonderful family and it was so nice of them to open up their home to me.

The open road...

We made the pies...

As soon as we were all back on campus after Thanksgiving, we decorated the house for Christmas!

 My thesis. I took lots of pictures of the process:

I can't do anything without a little motivation...

...and lots of coffee. 

This was my first pile of books. I ended up using about 20 actual books with lots more online sources. 

Adding some more books.

I had enough snacks to last forever. Avocado, pear, wheat thins, turkey, cheese, chocolate, etc.

My second to last night. Backpack on my back, bag of books on the arm, coffee in one hand and snacks in the other.

COMPLETE! The sealed envelope with my final thesis. Such a good feeling!
To make my day even better, I got Mom's Christmas cookie package in the mail. Delicious!

One of my favorite things at Gonzaga is Thirst. It's a student-run worship group that meets once a week. I always leave in a better mood and feeling closer to God. Their annual 'Christmas Thirst' was this week. It's all about the ugly sweaters:

Me, Hannah, Erin.

Kristine, me.

The most recent basketball game against Illinois. It was a heartbreaker, but we'll bounce back.

Me, Ashley.

Me. Kristine.

Our house hosted our annual holiday party, complete with cookie decorating and hot cocoa:

Me. Erinleigh.

My housemates! Mengya, me, Erinleigh, Kristine.

stories

Last night Gonzaga held its first Story Slam of the year. After participating in the Storytelling class here I have been really passionate about the idea of storytelling and last year helped to coordinate the ones held on campus. This year I just didn't feel like I had the time to do it well. The theme of last night's Slam was 'Going Abroad'. When they asked me to share the story of my experience in Jordan, I was honored.

But I was also a bit nervous. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to capture all of the emotions I felt and convey them to a room of friends and strangers alike. After practicing (a lot) and getting lots of input from a few individuals, I felt ready to go. I was last so I got to hear three other stories before I went; they were awesome. Stories of Japan, France and studying in the U.S. Suddenly it was my turn. It kind of felt like I was in a daze as I told my story but all the sudden I was finishing. As I sat down I felt so much adrenaline rushing through me; I could not sit still!

When the event was over I talked with many friends who had come to listen. It made me so happy to hear that they connected with it; that somewhere in my story, they felt a little bit of their story. That your story may not be the same as mine, but there have been times when you felt sad and alone or confident and proud. Because, after all, that's the whole point. In me is a little bit of you and in you is a little bit of me.


I don't have any pictures actually from the StorySlam, but here's a few from the rest of my life...

Dogsat for a friend a couple weekends ago...

Roomies. Kristine, Erinleigh, me.

CLP hosted Tom Mears, CEO of the Burgerville chain in Portland.

It was fall family weekend at GU last weekend. My family didn't make it out, but it sure made me appreciate them

The program director of CLP (aka one of my closest friends), Katie, and myself

We have found a new favorite restaurant. Wadells. Delicious burgers and over 30 beers on tap!

It's almost November and that can mean only one thing...BASKETBALL.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are back in the Kennel and ready to rock.

Great weekend, great friends, great outdoors

The internship I'm doing this year is funded by a group called the M.J. Murdock Trust. Each fall they have a retreat for their "Vision and Call Interns" (of which I am one). The retreat was at a camp in Yelm, Washington. It's a tiny, tiny town south of Seattle. It was about a 6 hour drive from Spokane. I went with 6 other interns from Gonzaga and then three interns at Whitworth University that is also in Spokane. Although the drive was long, it was fun and the whole weekend was just what I needed.

A view of the lake on the grounds.

Beautiful Mount Rainier 

kate, katie, katherine (say that three times fast)

we might have broke the fence  when we sat on it...whoops.

We got to go nighttime zip lining. Quite the experience.
This is Josh, my boss and director of CLP and Patrick, my partner in crime also known as the other CLP intern. 

Our cabin :)

Hanging on by a thread

I've always considered myself someone who can balance a lot. Balance it all and stay sane. However, right now, I feel like I'm about to lose my balance and the thought of that scares me enough that it might be what pushes me over the edge.

I'm going one day at a time. I'm not sure if that's very good for my grades, I didn't walk out of my Ecology test this morning feeling very confident, but so far it's working.

Here are some photos I've taken recently. They remind me that when I feel like I'm barely going to get through the day, there are so many good things, things I am thankful for, things that keep me hangin' on.

My good friend Katie finally turned 21! Yay!

While Katie turned 21, Gonzaga turned 125. They had a big celebration to celebrate the 'historic first day of classes'
This is me and my housemates. L to R: Erinleigh, Kristine, Kate, Mengya

My parents are wonderful people. After a long conversation with my dad (me being very stressed out, him trying to help me cope) I received this in the mail.
It says:
Behold this marvelous gift of nature!
Yet, your talent surpasses that which produced it;
Your beauty exceeds it;
And your endurance will enable you to hang on through more challenges than it could endure.

The score of my first lab report! Yay! Although, this I know is mostly due to the help of my roommate Erinleigh who edited it for me. 

Erinleigh and I went to a concert last week. The Head and the Heart performed in Spokane. If you haven't heard them before, check em out, they're great.

Patrick, my fellow CLP intern, and Josh, director of CLP, were also at the concert.

I am currently fighting a cold. Lots of OJ and DayQuil.

Hope you all are doing well and I hope you have a great week!

Life is a Whirlwind

It's been almost four months since I last posted. Now, this blog is no longer necessary as a tool to keep in touch with friends and family halfway around the world or share my experience as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in the Middle East. Now, I want this to be an outlet where, hopefully, I will be able to think and reflect on what's happening in my life.

Quick recap: my summer was spent in Spokane working and seeing people I had not seen since December. It was great. Here are a few pictures from the summer.

Family canoe trip in May.

Laura, Micah, Ashlee and I. Reunited on my return from Jordan.

My friend Amanda's 21st birthday.

Mom and Dad came for about a week to visit me in Spokane. 

We went to Priest Lake in Northern Idaho. It was beautiful. 

In August I went home for Laura's wedding. Crazy to think my friends are getting married but so much fun. 

August came quickly though and for me, that means the beginning of volleyball season. We usually start practice the second week of August and have three weeks of practice before classes start. This is my fourth year as the manager and although I have loved it in years past, I can tell, this is going to be my favorite season. The coaches have given me a lot of responsibility which is something I appreciate but also take seriously. I've been able to travel with them too. So far I've been to Seattle and Las Vegas but this Thursday we leave for Tempe and then next week we begin conference on the road in California.

A couple pictures from Las Vegas. It was HOT!

The Comprehensive Leadership Program has also been a passion of mine at GU. This year I have the honor and responsibility of serving as one of two senior Murdock interns for the program. We're just getting started but I am so excited to work with Josh and Katie, two huge mentors in my life and Patrick, a peer I have so much respect for.

Of course, academics is also a part of college so I have about an eighteen credit course load. One of these classes is a lab science class. Cue uh-oh. Science is definitely not my strong suit but hopefully I'll be able to struggle through this class and get a decent grade. I'm also taking my senior project class. Essentially I have to write at 25-50 page paper on the topic of my choice. Cue uh-ohs again. I've never written a paper this long in my life. Half the battle is picking a topic that I'm interested in and will still be interested in after three months of research.

All of this is to say that I AM BUSY. At the end of each day I crawl into bed and am asleep within minutes. A couple of nights I've chosen to stay up a bit later to do me-things, things I've wanted to be doing but just couldn't find the time. Things like read a book (for fun), read the newspaper, exercise, watch Michelle Obama's speech at the DNC, wash the dishes and clean my room. It was almost an extra two hours but the next morning I felt so refreshed. It was a huge reminder to me that if I want to continue to do well in the other areas of my life, I also need to take care of myself.

I don't plan on slowing down, but if I want to stay sane, I know a few minutes each day devoted to something for me, will be a huge investment of my time.