As the first semester wraps up, I look back on all my class and think to myself that I am really glad I went to Wartburg. Everyone is so nice and very willing to help anyone in need. I really feel welcome here and I don't think anywhere else would be better. I love how small the class sizes are because you can actually have one on one with the teachers and connect with the other students. I thought the debate that we had in IS class was really fun and the fact that we are able to do that is amazing.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been very stressed. I have just found out that I have to work ten hours a week in order to meet my financial aid requirements. It doesn't seem like all of hours, but because I have so much going on in my classes and in track, it's really hard for me to grasp the idea of working ten hours. I finally decided that I would have to work over Christmas break. Now, I am working at the local Hy-Vee in order to meet my requirements.

Today I had an experience that I will never forget. As a team, we all went to the track coaches house for a brunch. Coach and his wife made wonderful egg dishes and bought a lot of different kinds of bagels from Pannara. After we ate and all of the coaches got to say a few words, coach Newsome started handing out Christmas presents. We all got new hats and a lanyard we could keep. I really feel like this is my second family. I love the family aspect I get in any kind of team. Wartburg track is so inviting.  

Over Thanksgiving break I went to Florida. Because I am always cold I still thought 60 degrees was chilly. There was only one day that we were able to go out in the sun and spend the day on the beach. I still had a lot of fun with my family and was glad  I had that experience. On Thanksgiving day, instead of making a turkey, we made a dish called bubble pizza. We thought because we weren't doing a regular Thanksgiving, that we wouldn't do a regular meal. Even though it was a long trip to Florida, I had a great time!

One of my favorite people to be with is Ellie Seward. She is my boyfriends sister and is three years younger then I am. Ellie is a very spunky girl and is very outgoing. I think this is why we get along so well. We both have the same personality. Ellie is really laid back and is pretty much okay with everything. She could turn even the saddest moment into the best memory you have ever had. Ellie also ran track with me. She was a great sport and could always make me laugh when I was freaking out about a track meet. God places just the right people in your life sometimes.

Honestly I have numerous pet peeves. One of my biggest pet peeve is when people chew with their mouths open. It is almost like nail on a chalk board to me. Just the sound of the food smacking between their teeth makes me cringe. Most of the time the person I get the most annoyed with is my sister. She is twelve years old and should know that it is rude to chew with your mouth open. Whenever she does this, I can't help but just stare at her when she does it. I really try to control it when it is someone I do not know.

How do I describe summer? I describe summer by saying it's the best season there is. I love the warm weather. A perfect summer say in my eyes is spending it floating down the river with all my friends. There is something about the cool river water and the hot summer heat that makes me feel so relaxed. Summer is like a big vacation. Sure I still have to work, but after work I can go out side and just lay out under the stars and listen to music. Also bonfires make summer amazing too. There is nothing better than roasting marshmallows over a hot fire. Summer is my get away season.

One of the things I miss the most about high school, is my track team. We were just like a family on and off the track. I miss the girls looking up to me. Also our coach treated us just like we were all her own daughters. Sure there was some bad times when we all would get down on ourselves but when we were all together we could cheer each other up. I know I will be back at that high school cheering on my sisters at all of their meets and I know they will be cheering me on while I run Wartburg.

My boyfriend recently underwent surgery in his right shoulder to repair damaged ligaments. He has had multiple shoulder dislocations in that arm and he just couldn't put off surgery any longer. It was a simple procedure and he was in and out of surgery in about 3 hours. They gave him a pretty sophisticated shoulder sling for him to use and he has to be in it for 6 weeks. The total recovery time to get him back to 100% is about 12 weeks. He has been having a lot of pain since the surgery and they have prescribed him oxycodone to help block the pain. He seems to be doing very well and I hope you can get well soon!

One thing in my life right now am not very fond of, is the cold weather. Every time I go out side I can barley breath because the cold air is blowing in my face. Some days when I know it's really cold outside it makes me just want to stay in my warm cozy bed. I understand how people can get so depressed during the winter when it is this cold. The sad part is that it's not even the coldest it's going to get yet. But I guess I will have to just buy a bigger coat, thicker mittens, and a nice fuzzy hat. It's times like these when I'm thankful for the sky walks at Wartburg.

Since I became a college student soup has been the number one think I eat. It is so easy to just put the soup in the microwave and eat it within minutes. I know I have plenty of means I could be eating at the Mensa, but soup has been my addiction lately. I have been eating hearty cheeseburger soup every day for the past week. I love the big tasty potatoes mixed with the melted golden cheese. I don't know why but soup makes me feel soup warm and fuzzy inside especially is the winter. Soup is a very good lunch or supper for any college student.

Every year my family takes a relaxing vacation to Florida. This year, we decided we were going to go over thanksgiving break. I am very excited for this trip because it is always fun. We always come home with great memories that we will remember forever. The people in my family that go on these trips are my grandpa and grandma, my aunt and uncle, my cousins, and my family. The best time we went to Florida, was over my birthday. This was the time we got to swim with dolphins. These trips are so important to me because my family always comes first in my priorities.

Have you ever felt so uncomfortable in a group of people that you just want to disappear? Well, I have. My boyfriend and I have been dating for about two years and are both church goers. The only thing is we have never been to church together. I am a Baptist and he is a catholic. So one Sunday we decided we would go to his church together. When we got there I felt really comfortable and welcome, but remember that was only the begin. As we sat down I noticed that everyone as they walked in dipped their hands into what I guessed to be holy water. There were so many things that they did as a church that was so different then what I am used to. Then, since Catholics receive communion every Sunday Brandt turned to me and asked if I was going up. Now I normally do receive communion, but knew some how they would do it different then I was used to. Sure enough I was right. As I watched everyone file into line I saw that everyone was drinking out of the same glass. I just thought that was so different. Finally mass came to an end an we left. Even though I felt so uncomfortable, I wasn't going to tell Brandt that.

This past week, I has having really bad pain in my left knee. It even started to hurt when I walked so I went to the trainer at Wartburg. Right away everyone was telling me they thought it was a slight tear in my meniscus. When I found this out, my heart stopped. If this was the case , I would be out of track for at least six weeks. So the doctor at Noah Clinic referred me to cedar calls to get an MRI. After waiting a day that felt like 180 days, I got the results back. I found out that it wasn't my meniscus, it was my IT band. This was such a relief for me. I was so glad that I could recover in two weeks rather than six weeks. I just think it shows god was looking out for me.

During the week I had a chance to learn more about studying abroad. I think this is a great  opportunity for any college student and everyone should take advantage of it. Something I thought was interesting was that a student could study in Australia. I would love to take advantage of this opportunity because I have always wanted to go there and in my major I could pretty much go any where. I believe it would be a good thing to get out to new places and a good chance to meet new people. I am really excited for my future plans to study abroad.

Being a football fan takes dedication. Growing up I was always brain washed to like and cheer for the Steelers by my dad. Ever since I was little, I wouldn't miss one game. This wasn't that hard because the Steelers were always a pretty decent team and won most of the time. Now that we have received a new offensive coordinator we are not doing well. The Steelers record to this date is two and four. Under mike Tomlin as head coach, the Steelers record has never been this bad. Because they are doing so bad, it is very hard to stay loyal to this team. Tonight, the Steelers played one if their biggest rivals ever, the Ravens. We ended up sticking it out till the end and one the game in the last thirty seconds. I have never been so proud a this team. Even thought they haven't been doing to great, they could still pull it off to beat their rival team. I am forever a Steelers fan.

This weekend I finally got all of my things out of my old room. My old roommate were not getting along so I moved to a new room in Clinton. I love my new roommate. We get along so well and it makes me happy that I can finally start on a positive note. I feel that now I can be happy in my dorm I can be happy everywhere else at Wartburg. Changing roommates has not only been beneficial, but it has also taken a lot of stress off of me.

Today my mom picked me up and we went for lunch at Pizza Ranch. A lady my mom knew stopped by our table to chat about a new church they tried today. It's was a church where they speak in lounges. Growing up in a Baptiste church this fascinated me. They were dancing in the isles and talking but you couldn't understand what they were saying. Supposedly they are speaking to God and only God can understand them. I find its fascinating. How do u know what to say when you are not making sense? Does God really understand? Then I started thinking about other religions. Worshiping Mother Mary, the statue Buddha, and other statues. How does one choose a religion? Is it predisposed by what you grew up with? Do people usually follow the religion of their parents? If you were raised not believing in religion do you go your whole life not believing? All of these questions rushed through my head. I feel no matter what religion you have, there always going to be unanswered questions

I am beginning to think outfly is something that the alumni and upper classmen tell the freshmen as a prank. I swear everyone says " outfly is going to be tomorrow" everyday. This topic is so suspenseful that it makes me mad at the idea of it. I am the type of person who hates surprises so not know when outfly is, is hard for me. The things that people say are signs of outfly are seeing the president on campus, seeing the cut fruit for breakfast, and seeing the huge cinnamon rolls. I am looking forward to having a day of fun but I hate not know when outfly will be.  

This week I started my first pre season practices as a knight. The tasks we endured were not particularly fun but made us better. Monday and Tuesday we started off by lifting weights. Because I didn't do much weight lifting over the summer it was a struggle for me. I could feel all my muscles tightening up by the end of practice and I knew I was benefiting from it. On Wednesday, I went through one of the hardest running practice I have ever done. It was so intense that once I thought I had nothing left the coaches pushed us even harder to complete the work out. Thursday was a relief. We lifted weights but didn't add much weight. This was a chance for my muscles to relax and get a break. I am really looking forward to a wonderful season.

On Tuesday I had my first test out day for track. We first had to max out doing bench press and back squat. These lifts were not that bad but I could really feel it the next morning. After that we had to do two shuttle 300's. The best thing we did was how many sit ups and push ups we could do in a minute.

On Thursday, I hade my second test day for track. We had to run one timed mile. I thought I was going to die considering I am not a distance runner. We also had to lift. We maxed out in power clings and front squats.

The story be Crow Dog that I read for class on Wednesday was in my opinion very different. The children were beat multiple times and most of the time for no reason. I thought it was very disturbing that the nuns would give birth to a child and then kill it. Seeing those dead babies had to scar those kids for life.

what is the value of an educated life?

The value to an educated life is being socially aware of what is going on in the world. If we didn't have an education we wouldn't know what decisions the president are making for us and we could be potentially be taken advantage of. I feel like the reason I am here is to broaden my education. Therefore I am valuing my education and my place in society.