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.