It's Almost Over

I have been at SPU a year and it has flown! Now I find myself studying frantically and packing all my belongings into UHAUL boxes. The feeling is a bit indescribable. I am so excited to be moving home, but it is so hard leaving Seattle. I have loved this year so much, and the people that I have met AH, amazing! I have been so blessed up here. My floor had a bonfire the other night to celebrate, then the night continued with a little mermaiding (skinny dipping.) That was a story in itself let me tell you. So I was set on not going. I was sure it was going to be freezing, and I did not want to swim in salt water, very uncomfortable. However once the girls told me we were going to a fresh water lake and it was going to be warm I really had no more excuses, "well alright lets go skinny dipping." I was one of the drivers so on the way there we blasted a little Lady Gaga, some Black Eyed Peas and Flo Rida. When we got there, there was about twenty or so of us, we all jumped out and headed to the water. I was walking next to my friends Heather, Shelly and Chelsea, all of us nervous and kiddy. Once we got to the water we all sort of stood there not know what to do, then our PA started declothing so that was that, we all started taking off our articles of clothing. Once we walked into the water up to our stomachs we all held hands and sumerged ourselves. However when I took hands with the girls on either side of me I realized that these werent my friends, I wasnt really even sure who they were, but one thing I did know, we were naked, holding hands in a lake...awesome. When we started to get out I put on my pants, the only problem was, they werent my pants. As I analyzed them I heard a small chirp from Vanessa as she covered herself "where are my pants?" Woops, here you go! Once I got MY clothes on I joking said "Lets go girls and skipped away, well obviously I did not see the curb and biffed it hard onto my face. Literally laying completely horizontal on the ground. Awesome I hear a chorus of half clothed girls laughing behind me, the only thing drowning them out was the sound of my own laughter. Needless to say it was a blast of a night. I am going to miss this place so so much!

Gorgeous Day with Family

Oh there is nothing quite like the beautiful outdoors of Oregon. I decided that early on Friday morning I would get up at 5:30 and drive down to Portland to hike Multnomah Falls with my family. So I met Tiff and Tony and the boys at about 9, and we drove to the falls, me sitting, no squeezing in between the two boys' carseats. When we got there it was beautiful outside, the perfect day. At first Curtis proceeded on foot, but after realizing that the kid doesn't get out of the house a whole lot and the overwhelming outdoors was giving him severe ADD we put him in the backpack. Tony took Curt, Tiff took Henry and I took the backpack, and we set out. Oh man as Tony was pushing ahead, Tiffany and I were panting in the rear, holy crap that is an incline, I am so freakin out of shape. But when we did get to the top, it was beautiful. I feel so blessed to be an Oregonian, and apart of God's creation. What a master artist!

So I switched it against better advice

I decided that I am extremely impatient (in some things) and probably completely naive and stubborn. I have really wanted to switch my nose piercing to a small hoop. I was going to get it done initially but I chickened out and have been regreting it ever since. So I resolved to do it myself. I went into a shop in University Avenue at UW to buy the smallest hoop they had. The guy asked how long I had it, I thought for a moment as I reached my finger up to touch the diamond stud, "Uh about 6 days?" As I said that he gave me a disgusted look and handed me a sanitizing wipe, "stop touching that and here, clean your hands." Awesome, he then advised me to wait at least 6 weeks at the very minimum. Yah ok I said, yah right I was thinking. For the next couple weeks I tried repeatedly to try and remove the stud, impossible, it was still sensitive and the stupid thing wouldnt come out. Everytime I tried all my friends would leave the room, "you idiot," they would say, they were right. Until one day i was determined. I went and got my friend Brie, she has her's pierced and knows a lot about them. She stuck with me and manuvered the ring out, it only took about 15 minutes to get it out, no big deal. then I had to get my hoop in, well the good news is that after about 10 minutes I got it in, the bad news was that I couldn't get my ball in the hole so I had to go back to the piercing place and have them put it in for me. The guy was furious and showed no mercy on my nose, which I guess I deserved. However now the moral of the story is, well there really isnt a moral, but I have a hoop and I love it, and its swollen and red, but I love it!

My New Addition

So I have been wanting a tatoo for a long time but of course the parental units are not totally keen on the whole ink for life idea. So I settled on a new piercing...my nose! I really wanted to get a hoop, I thought it was super cute and trendy, a bit edgy. I told my sisters and it turned out that Lo wanted to get hers done too. So for both of our birthdays Nicole and Tiffany bought our piercings for us. We got to go together all four of us, Lo and I held hands while we were getting it done. When I tried on the ring though I sort of got freaked out, it was so big and new, but now I am totally regretting it. So I might soon upgrade to a nose hoop.It was so fun! So now three of us have matching hair dos and three of us nose rings. I just love my sisters so much and miss when we cant all be together!

My New Hobby

So this last Christmas break I discovered making headbands, it started with me making them for friends Christmas presents, and when I wore one into the store and someone asked me where I got it, I said that I made it, she was like o wow you should totally sell them. HMM I thought, thats not a bad idea. I looked all around my house for old scraps of cloth, ribbon and buttons. Then I ventured down to the good old dollar store and cleaned them out of tacky kids headbands. I ripped away all the jewels and sparkles and started to create. I have continued to create here at school, I have multiple offers on them, and some that requested special ones. I am thinking that I will try and sell them to raise money to go to Africa next summer. Not sure where to sell them or in what capacity. If you know of anyone with little shops or bizarres please let me know! Thanks. Oh and please make any comments or suggestions, I love new ideas!!

There is no place like HOME

I realize it has been quite a while since I have updated. Well I guess I should get right to the point. I will be moving home this coming fall. I have decided that in the interest of saving money, it would be wise for me to finish my prerequisites at a community college before transferring into a nursing school. This decision is one that is daunting, scary, exciting, welcoming and saddening. I have had an amazing journey up here in Seattle. I love the mission of this school, how everyone is so people and service minded. I have met so many amazing friends that I am disheartened to leave here. I am excited to know though that the majority of these people live in and around Portland, and that Seattle is only three hours away. I will miss being around Seattle, this city is big and exciting and there is something to be said about being independent in a big city, but I guess I'm just hopping from one big city to the next. I am excited for a new adventure, living on my own (hopefully), and meeting new friends. Oh and being close to my family. I have always thought of myself as such an independent spirit and while I think that this is still in part true, I really like my family, there pretty cool. I love getting to spend time with them and loving on them. As far as cities go I have loved Seattle, but I love Portland so much more! My friend Chelsea from California was just commenting the other day, "It's so weird to hear people talk about Oregon that are from Oregon, they really love their state, they're so passionate about it, sort of in a weird obsessive way, I wish I was that excited about my state." Its so true I love Oregon!

So now I find myself waiting in anticipation for this new chapter, I just have to remember that this chapter is not yet over, and I am excited for that! I am excited to continue exploring and putting my heart into Seattle.

MOM, WE LOVE IT!

So for Christmas my mom got me and my roomate an interactive Cranium Calendar. On every page there is something to do, whether its charades, or pictionary, unscrambling or guessing the facts. We love it. We do one everyday. The best is when we forget and then we get to do a couple all at once. Its a ton of fun together and we find ourselves acting stupid and laughing really hard. The other day I had to act out a trapeze artist, and it was comical, heather had to do a vantriliquist (spelling?) I kept saying puppet, I just couldnt think of the word. Yesterday we had What cities do Super Heros protect, we said New York for Spiderman, Gotham for Batman, but we couldnt figure out Superman...do you know? NO Cheating!! Today we had the challenging of typing our names on a keyboard only using our noses and we couldnt peek, Heather was very unsuccessful with the E's she got HEATH345, a new sign on name possibly? I have to say I nailed my name, and I know what you may think...its only a.n.n.a but I did my last name too, and I did heather, what can I say I have all the skills that make up a....really...amazing...yah I got nothing, its really just a random not important skill, but it was fun! Thanks mom!!

OH CRAP!

So I have recently gotten a part time job as a nanny. The family and I interviewed right before break, and I accepted the job during break, and started this last week. The family is adorable, they live right by UW, in a beautiful suburban home, seriously pottery barn written all over it. The kids are adorable, they have a four year old Gavin, and two year old, Mason. They also have a new one on the way maybe sometime this week.

As some of you may know, I didn't get to bring my car up to school with me so I rely on buses and trains to get from A to B. Which actually is great (so far.) Being from the country, I have always wanted to be a city girl, thats where my heart is. So riding public transportation, walking downtown, sitting at the bus stops reading my book, or waiting for my transfer is very thrilling. I feel so street savy finding the numbers and streets in a city that is very unfamiliar to me.

So this week is my first week on the job, I want to make sure that I dont arrive late so I plan to arrive about 25 minutes early, just in case something happens. I have to make a transfer downtown, so while I wait I call up my mom, Im gushing about how exciting the city is to me and how good it feels and my first day. I get on my new bus (an express) whilst still talking. About ten minutes later my mom says "make sure you dont miss your stop" And I assure her that I know where to get off, as I say it we pull away from the stop I was supposed to be getting off at...awesome. No worries I think, I'll just get off at the next stop and walk. A minute goes by, then we cross a bridge, the bridge alone is 2 miles alone, ok no problem I will just get on a returning bus. Another Five minutes go by...Oh crap, I start to get worried, it has to stop soon, nother ten minutes go by. I panic, I start looking around the bus and there are a couple things I notice 1. The seats are comfortable, much more comfortable than a normal buss 2. There are personal lights above every seat, like you see on trains or planes and 3. The front of the bus reads Express...Oh CRAP! Im going to CANADA. I call Heather and tell her, She offers to come get me, I dont even know where I am, Heather isnt great at directions she'll be the first to tell you, and the bus hasnt even stopped yet. About another 5 minutes and the bus pulls off much to my surprise and relief. I hop off and call my sister to vent, as im running over the freeway to get onto the on ramp and the next bus. I call Heather to cancel and call my employer to tell her what a doof I am. I wait for the next express, which luckily came in the next 5 minutes, if I hadnt been there then, if would have come an hour later. I get on and travel the 15 miles back, in traffic I might add. I get there at 1:45, forty minutes later than I was schedule to be there. What an awesome first day! Can't wait for Thursday! TO BE CONTINUED...

Queen Anne/Peets/Studying

So we (Heather, Shelly, Chelsea and I) took a trip up to Queen Anne today to get some studying done. Queen Anne is super cute and trendy. Its at the top of the hill where our school is and its one of the nicest places to live in Seattle (LO I know I took you up here but it was really dark, it's basically a 23rd.) Nothing better than sitting in a coffee shops with friends and talking and laughing, as you can imagine we are getting a lot done, lol. This last term had its own challenges. But one of the biggest that stood out to me was missing home. Missing familiarity, family and friends. However this new term has been so encouraging to me. I am starting to feel at home here. I am getting to know the city, the little towns on the outskirts, and the buses (which will be a whole other blog.) I am truly appreciating being here though, the people and the city, the overall experience and what an experience it was and will be. I feel very blessed to be here, I think we all do. Since we are at a coffee shop the only fitting cliche sign off would be...CHEERS!

New Year, New Classes, New Hair, New Outlooks

Well I did it I cut my hair off! And thus begins another term at SPU. Being home at break was great. I spent a lot of really good time with my family given the crazy snow conditions, which by the way made world news. My roomate went to Europe for her christmas vacation and she saw the storm on BBC over there. (sidenote, for those of you that know Heather and I, I will try and talk about whats going on in the both of our lives as much as possible, because we all know Heather doesn't blog.) Which by the way, exciting news Heather and I got nominated for the Homecoming Ballot and Heather made top three!!! She might be crowned Freshman princess and if she wins she gets to donate money to her favorite charity. I am really proud of her. School is going pretty good for the both of us. Its had its own set of complications. Ever since Heather got home she has had some funky jet lag and has a wierd sleep pattern, but she is starting to figure it out. Last term I went to bed later than Heather, every single night. She was sort of a new mommy sleeper, however just yesterday she turned and looked at me and said "Ann were not in bed and its 11:30, we're real college kids" my thoughts are, no! I dont want to be a college kid, i have vowed to myself to try and be in bed by 10 or eleven everynight (except for nights I have meetings, or movies, or clubs, or homework...ya right) We are still trying to figure it all out. Well I should probably get off this now since I have Chem Lab in an hour and have to write my pre-lab, I would just like to pass along my favorite quote of the week thanks to Shane..."Buzz your girlfriend...WOOF!"