Freshman year is over?!

It's finally here!!! Classes are over and finals start tomorrow. Freshman year is finally coming to a close. I am so excited and so sad all at the same time! The year has honestly flown by. Sure high school seemed like a breeze, but nothing like college. I can't even describe how weird it is to try and come to terms with the fact that in five days I am going to have to pack up and leave. My little corner in the room I share with Courtney and Emily will no longer be mine, and I will no longer think of it as my room. I am so excited to go home. People are just starting to drive me a little crazy, probably because we have lived in such a small space for such a long time. Even though my friends sometimes drive me crazy I know that in about two weeks I will miss them dreadfully. I get a little sad when I think that this is the last time I will ever be a freshman. It's a little sappy, but it is still weird to think about.

The year has been filled with ups and downs, but mostly ups. I have made a great group of friends. I love them all dearly. Each girl is different, and yet when one of us is missing the group seems empty. I know that we will all stay connected over the summer. I am very excited for next year because almost all of us were able to get on the same floor. Those of us who aren't going away to work at camp for the summer will drive to visit one another. It will be weird not to see them every day. Chris and I will be a couple hours apart so we will probably only see each other a couple times over the summer. Knowing that I won't see everyone every day makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to hang out with them every day in college. Being apart will make me realize how important they all are to me. Honestly being away from my family made me realize that they are important to me and that I love them all, even my annoying little brother!

I am off to my last track meet, conference. Hopefully I will get some studying done. I am happy that they year is coming to a close and I won't have to have classes for three months! However I am sad to not only leave my friends, but Luther. The beautiful setting of the college makes me feel peaceful and calm. I don't know if I am ready to jump back into the fast passed life that awaits me in the cities. Either way, I have had a wonderful and memorable freshman year. Luther was the right choice for me. I guess you just kinda know what school is the one for you. Sure I have some friends transferring because Luther didn't quite fit for them , but I am fairly certain that they don't view this year as a waste. I wish them all the best of luck and hope that the next school they go to is the one for them.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog this year. It has been unbelievably fun writing about my freshman year at Luther. I hope you all have a safe and fun summer!-Leah

Slip Sliddin' in the Mud

As finals are approaching, the weather is getting nicer, and it is getting a lot more difficult to not only study, but pay attention in class. I find myself daydreaming about all of the fun outdoor activities my girlfriends and I can do on the weekends. However my plans have been getting foiled because the weather has not been ideal. If it is warm, it's raining, and if it is sunny, it's cold. Last night Sierra, Anna, and I decided to spite the cold weather and take advantage of the mud puddles around campus. We found a field that had a couple huge puddles of mud and had a mud fight. The three of us ran around in the mud and slid through the puddle, and then proceeded to have a fight. Needless to say we got fairly muddy. It was so much fun.

This is really our last weekend to do fun things like that because finals start next Saturday. People have told me that usually during the spring people go canoeing or tubing down the river, but since we have had so much rain the river is really high and cold. I guess it is probably good that we can't go canoeing because I still have a lot of homework to do this weekend. I am hoping however, that it will stay sunny and get a little warmer this week so I can study for my finals outside.

Defying Gravity

Over spring break I went to Chicago with my mom. She and I went to see Wicked. My favorite song from Wicked was "Defying Gravity." The other night I was up at midnight trying to do my chemistry homework and I realized that I was attempting to defy gravity. You might ask what kind of gravity I am talking about because it isn't the kind that you learn about in Physics. There is no definite quantity associated with this gravity. The gravity I was defying was the kind that was causing my head to want to fall asleep on my chemistry book instead of finishing my homework. Needless to say half an hour later I gave into the gravity, and gravitated towards my room and into my bed even though I was not done with my homework. The experience made me think, about how throughout my first year at college I have learned to defy gravity.

• Defying gravity is getting out of bed to lifeguard at 7 a.m. four days a week, when I was up studying till midnight.
• Defying gravity is staying up to study for a chem. test when my body and brain ache for sleep.
• Defying gravity is finishing my Bible paper on a week night when everyone else is going out to the movies
• Defying gravity is writing my blog when it's so much easier to waste time stalking people on Facebook or watching Tila Tequila
• Defying gravity is rewriting my Paideia paper for the tenth time when I'm really sick of reading it and can almost recite it from memory.
• Defying gravity is trying to be nice to and patient with my roommates and the second floor Olson girls I live so closely with, when we're all stressed about homework and tests.
• Defying gravity is making myself go to track practice every day when my times haven't improved nearly as much as I'd hoped and I would rather walk to the Whippy Dip with my girlfriends.
• Defying gravity is not giving up on the chem. lab that I have to keep redoing to get the right results

As the weather is getting nicer there will be more and more gravity for me to deal with. It is always more appealing to lay outside in the sun, walk to the Whippy Dip, walk by the river, or just goof off with the girls instead of going to class, band, work, or track practice.

I must be honest. I am not always very good at defying gravity. Often times I am not strong willed enough to resist the temptations in life. Maybe this is what we are supposed to learn how to do freshman year of college. In high school I did not have as many problems defying gravity. I suppose it is because instead of defying gravity I was defying my parents or teachers, which did not always turn out so well for me. However as freshman year has progressed I have become better at defying gravity. I guess I have done an okay job even without a broomstick!

Although I have become better at defying gravity, I still don't have any good advice on how to defy the gravity in your life. It is something that you will have to learn how to do, if you don't already know how. I leave you with my best wishes in learning how to defy the gravity in your life and a few of the lyrics from the song. Have a great rest of your week!-Leah

"Everyone deserves a chance to fly
And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free
To those who ground me, take a message back from me
Tell them how I'm defying gravity
I'm flying high defying gravity"

A trayless cafeteria?

This week in the Caf, we students are the guinea pigs in a little experiment. The experiment happens to be that the trays are taken away, and we can only use plates and bowls. Granted when we had trays we used plates and bowls and such, however now we do not have a tray to place multiple plates, bowls, or cups on. The powers that be decided that we, Luther students, were wasting too much food. Their solution to this problem was to take away the Caf trays. They thought that if people would have to carry all their plates of food they would not be as likely to take as much food the first time around. At first I grumbled and complained about this. Who wouldn't? Eating dinner, which at one point in time only required one trip through the food lines, would now require at least two if not more trips through the food lines. Plus getting something to drink would be a pain because where would I set all my cups? ( In college you usually do not just have one glass with dinner. It is common to have three or more). The idea of having to walk around the Caf to get more food or to get a salad to have with my main course sounded unappetizing. Previously, I thought that this week would be the worst week of my life because the trays would be gone, I was very wrong.

In general the food quality this week has improved. There has been fresh fruit at every meal, which is really nice. Also making two or three trips to get food really isn't that bad. Getting drinks is a little annoying, but I will live. Plus I do feel like I waste less food. While not having a tray may be a little more time consuming, it is not that bad. People are getting used to it. Will this be a permanent change? I don't know. After this week the powers that be and supposedly the students are going to decide if the trays will disappear permanently next year. I am okay with either decision. However if not having trays means the food will be better and that there will be fresh fruit and maybe some red meat every now and then, I would prefer to not have trays. I hope you have a great rest of the week and enjoy your school cafeterias with or without trays!!-Leah

Four and a half weeks and COUNTING!!!!!

Yesterday, a man named Tim Frakes came to talk to my Honors Conversations class about international issues. All year my class has been reading an article or two every week about a different international issue. He was so inspiring!! Mr. Frakes is a professional videographer, and he just returned from Kenya within the past month. I loved listening to him speak and asking him questions. For an hour we discussed various topics, which included ending world poverty, the world's view of Americans, how the majority of Africans are leap frogging technology, and the conditions in various IDP camps around Africa. Listening to Mr.Frakes talk about his experiences, especially those in Africa, made me want to drop out of school and go change the world. I hope that some day I will be able to help the less fortunate like Mr.Frakes.
I handed in my final version of my paideia paper yesterday. It feels sooo amazing to finally be done with it. We are now gong to read a book titled Useless Arithmetic which is actually rather boring in comparison to the Holocaust unit. Hopefully the book will get better soon. Even though the book is not very interesting to me, I don't have to write any more papers for Paideia this year!!!
It is crazy to think that I am going to be done with school in four and a half weeks. I feel like the school year just began. Even though I am excited for the end of the school year- because let's face it, who's not?-I am sad that my freshman year is almost over and that I will be separated from all of my friends for three months!! Sure people say that you can visit your friends during the summer, but I won't really be able too. Emily lives in Las Vegas, Caitlin is working at a camp in Montana, and Beth is working at a camp in New York. Yes, I have other friends, I am not a complete loser, but they are my best friends here at school and so not being able to see them will be really sad. Thankfully Chris, Jake, Courtney, Sierra, and Brooke will all be close enough to visit this summer so I won't be left all by myself. I guess I shouldn't be making myself sad by thinking about this summer before it hits, especially since I still have over a month left on campus. On that note, I am going to go be crazy with the girls before I go to bed! Have a great rest of the week-Leah

Spring Break

I don't think I ever expected myself to say this, but, I was soooo happy to be home over break. It was really nice to be able to relax, sleep in my own big bed, and not have to worry about work or homework or classes or track or trying to fall asleep in a noisy room. Actually, I had to worry or at least think about most of those over break, but for some reason it was much nicer and more relaxing doing all of that at home than at school. I was supposed to run and lift weights for track. I did do some running over break with my golden retriever Sophie. I had a lot of homework to do because later this week I have two mid-terms and my final research paper is due on Monday. Needless to say I have a lot of studying to do in the next couple of days!! It was nice having my own room again. I love my roommates, and the girls that practically live in my room, but there is something nice about having your own space. I have my own corner in my dorm room, but I don't really feel like it is entirely mine. In my room at home I don't really care if I can't see the floor because there are clothes everywhere. However in my dorm room I feel badly for my roommates if my corner is even a little bit messy. Thankfully there is very little space on the floor in my corner with my desk for me to put clothes!! I have to admit that it isn't that hard to be motivated to clean my room in college, especially since recently cleaning my room has become another procrastination tactic for me.
Although I had a wonderful break, full of spending quality time with my family and going to Chicago with my mom for a couple of days, I did miss my college friends. I am excited to be back on campus with everyone. However, I am not excited to be doing homework regularly once again. I am enjoying the spring weather, along with most of the rest of the students at Luther. It is fun to see more people out and about on campus because it is warmer. More and more often I am seeing people playing sports games like Frisbee on the Library Lawn or just sitting on one of the benches under a tree on campus. I love seeing people out on campus. I can't wait for even warmer weather and less homework!!!!-if that day will ever come;) I hope you all have a good week and enjoy the nice weather!-Leah

What is Paideia?

I have had a request to describe what paideia is. Lets see, how can I explain paideia?

Paideia is the freshman English course that every single first year student has to take. Even if you get English AP credit in high school, you have to take paideia. Every section of paideia, each class is called a section, reads the same books. Its nice to read the same books as all of the other freshman on campus because then you can talk about how much you like or dislike the books with your friends. However more often than not you over hear people complaining to one another about either the book it self or just the large amount of pages we have to read for homework. I enjoy being able to talk to my roommates about the books, especially before I start writing papers. First semester we read about seven books. During class we mainly just discuss the books. Honestly it feels much like the English classes I took in high school. Each book was different from the others. We read a Shakespeare play, a book by Martin Luther, the Odyssey, and a couple other novels. Each semester each professor gets to choose a book that only their section will read.

During second semester we have to write a 12 page research paper on whatever subject our professor chooses. The research paper is actually the only paper we will write all semester. We are supposed to do various drafts, extending over a large period of time. We will continue to read books throughout the semester although I think we are only reading 5 or 6. In general I like paideia. The class is interesting, at times. I really like my professor, which helps a lot. If you do not like the professor you get first semester- you do not get to choose whose class you are in- you are able to switch for second semester. The part that I like about paideia is the writing, simply because I feel like I am understanding what the expectations are for writing at a college level. Even though I dread writing the papers, I know that it is a good experience and is making me better. I hope that this better explains paideia. Everyone will tell you that it is horrible, but honestly its not that bad. There are definitely worse things in life. Sure, sometimes we have a lot of homework/reading but for the most part it is manageable.

I have two more days until break, and I can't wait!!! I am ready to be done with school for a week. I hope you all have a great rest of the week and a Happy Easter!-Leah

Spring is in the Air

I finally finished my paideia paper!! It feels so good to be finished. Last night the girls and I watched movies and didn't do any homework in celebration of being done. We probably should have done homework because now I have a lot to do tonight. It is okay though, trying to focus on homework would not really have worked. Chris and I went to Wal-Mart to get some junk food to last us until spring break. He has a car, which is really nice. However I spend more money because he has a car than I would if he didn't have a car. The trip to Wal-Mart was not necessary, but kinda needed because I was out of food. I only have seven days of classes left until spring break! I can't wait. I am excited to go home and see my family. I am actually starting to miss my dad and little brother.

Sierra, Anna, and I have started climbing the wall after lifting practice. It is really fun. We have a good time, and it is a good work out. My arms and legs are sore from climbing!! Track has been winding down n the sense that we don't have anymore meets for a month. It's nice having a little break mid season. Granted the practices are considerably more difficult and longer, but it was nice having my Saturday free.

I am looking forward to this week because I am done with my paideia paper. Well, I am done with my first draft. Eventually I have to meet with my professor and talk about my paper. After I talk to her I have a week to make changes and then I have to hand it in again. Also, it is finally starting to get warm. It is supposed to be in the 40s a couple days this week!! I can't wait to finally be able to wear spring clothes and get rid of my winter coat! I hope everyone has a great week!-Leah

No sleeping in college

I wish that I had something really interesting to report. The only exciting thing in my life right now is that I am almost done with my paideia research paper. I have discovered how difficult it is to write a 12 page research paper with a thesis. In high school my research papers were more just reports and didn't really have a thesis. The paideia paper is due Monday and at this point in time I have a full draft written, but sadly it is not close to being done. I am a little overwhelmed with school work. I have two big Spanish projects due tomorrow, and I am feeling pretty sick.

I have discovered that it is a lot easier to get sick in college. Since everyone lives together germs spread pretty quickly. I feel pretty crumby right now and I ready for the weekend. Compared to high school, it is a lot harder to get enough sleep in college. I probably wouldn't not be feeling so unwell if I had been getting enough sleep for the past week or so. I stayed up really late finishing homework on Tuesday night, which did not help at all. Plus I find myself surrounded by people who just don't need as much sleep as I do. I might be done with my homework at night around 10:30, but I will stay up until midnight or later just talking to people. Track has helped me to get more sleep because when I finally finish my homework I am really tired, so I have been getting to bed a little earlier than before. Sometimes it is difficult to go to bed before everyone else because I feel like I miss out on quality bonding time, but I guess that is what I have to sacrifice so I can make it through the next day without falling asleep during class.

Today, I had a chemistry test today and then came back to my room and slept until lunch at 1. My roommates and I go to lunch together every Thursday at 1. It's a fun little tradition we have. It helps us stay connected. Anyways my life has been crazy busy this week- I won't even go into details- but thankfully the week is almost over! The highlight of my week was the Ben Folds concert. He was amazing live. I loved it. I am off to take a nap before track practice in hopes that I can get rid of this cold. I hope you all have a great week!-Leah

Homesick Blues

I have a confession. For the first time, since school started back in September, I was homesick. Friday was a rough day for me. I was stressed out with all I had to do over the weekend for Monday. Mainly I had a five page paper due and a concert that I was really nervous about for some weird reason. Anyways Friday I was rather emotionally unstable. My mom sent me a random I'm thinking of you card, that I got Friday. I read her note, that wasn't meant to make me feel sad or homesick, and I all of a sudden really missed home. From that moment on, all I wanted to do was go home and be with my family. It hasn't even been two months since I saw them last! For some reason reading my mom's card made me miss her. I became rather upset because I only wanted to go home, but I didn't have a way to get there. I didn't even want to go to my track meet on Saturday. It was really weird to be homesick. I have never wanted to go home so badly in my life. All I wanted to run to my mom and give her a big hug. I became upset again when I realized that I would have to wait another month until I saw anyone in my family again. It is weird looking back on my homesick blues. ( The picture is of my sister Lindsey and I at the family cookie bake).

I never realized how much of a routine I get into at college. It is fairly easy to have your own life in college without even talking to your parents. I tend to talk to or email my parents almost every day. Up until Friday I thought that I was a very independent self-reliant freshman. I didn't even go home to be with my family over J-term break like most people did! However being stressed out Friday made me realize that even though I have my own life miles away, my family is still a very important part of my everyday life. Being homesick made me realize that I am not as independent as I once thought I was. I am still 18. Being homesick also made me realize how important it is to have good close friends in college. Luckily I was able to talk to my roommates and Chris about missing my family. The girls were excellent listeners and Chris offered to drive me home. It was really nice to have friends to turn to. Sure they aren't quite as good as my mom or little sister, but they are pretty close. They made me feel a lot better. With their help I think I will be able to wait until Spring Break until I see my family again.
This week will hopefully be better than last week. I don't think I will be homesick, but I might be a little stressed out. I hope you all have a great week!-Leah

Track Meets

Let’s see, where do I begin? I can honestly say that I really did not do anything exciting this weekend, nobody came to visit, and the girls and I did not do anything too crazy. Friday night we went to see the Imani Winds concert. Imani Winds is one of the best woodwind quintets in the nation right now, they were amazing. After that I played guitar hero and went to bed. I spent all day Saturday-7am to 11pm- at a track meet. Needless to say when we got back Saturday night I promptly went to bed. Even though the meet was really long, I had a lot of fun.

Sierra, Brooke, Anna, and I goofed off for most of the day. One nice thing about the meet being so long was that we were able to almost fully recover in between events. We had a lot of fun cheering on the rest of the team while we waited to run. The four of us took a lot of pictures to kill the time. We tried to do homework, but it didn't work so well.

The infamous paideia research project has started. I have a five page research paper due on Friday. My class’s research topic is Auschwitz. I am focusing on women and the relationships they made during their time in Auschwitz. The topic is fascinating, but really emotionally draining. I almost started crying when I was reading a memoir written by a man who was in Auschwitz for a little less than a year. After the five page paper is done we have a twelve page paper due three weeks from yesterday, Monday. It sounds like a lot of time, but I have the feeling that I will be scrambling at the last minute to finish things.

I am practicing flute a lot because we have a concert this Sunday night for the Dorian Band Festival. Plus starting this semester my flute teacher added the rule that we must practice for at least six hours a week if we want an A in flute lessons. I have yet to practice six hours in one week, but I have gotten fairly close. It is difficult to find time to practice, especially since it is completely individual. I am finding that I have to be a little more disciplined this semester so that I can get everything done. I am excited for this weekend; I have another track meet which will be fairly long again and the concert! I hope you have a great rest of the week!-Leah

Second Semester Speed

Second semester has started in a whirl wind. My profs have not decided to ease into second semester, instead we have jumped completely in. No getting used to school here. I have been a little stressed out trying to balance homework, flute practicing, band, track, friends, work, sleep, and eating. My days are completely full. At times I feel like I am back in high school where I would be gone for twelve hours everyday. I have a couple days during the week where I don't go back to my room for almost ten or eleven hours. It is a little ridiculous. However it is necessary for me so that I can get everything done. At first I was freaked out about being gone for so long, but I have gotten used to it. Being involved in many different things has actually been really good for me. I am more productive and focused when I do my homework.

Today I had my first track meet. It went well. I was really really nervous!! My friends Sierra and Brooke and I were in a relay together, which was really fun. Track has been very enjoyable, and the people in it are really fun. Sierra, Brooke, and I laugh a lot and sometimes we are not very focused. Today was a good experience. It is really nice to have my first college meet over with! It wen better than I expected.

I hope that next week is not quite as crazy as this week, but I don't think so. Life goes more quickly in college than high school, I hardly feel like I am already done with one week of second semester! Hopefully life will slow down. I hope you have a great, relaxed week!-Leah

My Small Town Break

J-term is over! It felt weird to study for a final because I had only had the one class for a month. My final was not that bad, it was an essay test. I was happy to be done with my class, and homework. We had a break for five days before second semester started. The first half of the break I spent in Manchester with Chris and second half I spent in Hayfield with my girlfriends. Both were small towns, so my break experience was a little different than going home to the cities.

I went to Manchester with Chris Friday night after I was done with my final. His parents took us out to dinner in town. I realized how different life is in a small town. When we were at the restaurant Chris and his parents knew everyone. We didn't even ask to sit down right away, instead we chatted with people leaving. I really liked it. The next day we just hung out at his house, we went skiing and watched his younger sister play volleyball. Chris gave me the official tour of Manchester, which is a town of about 5,000. There was a little downtown consisting of a movie theater, a couple of stores, a restaurant or two, and even a street light! It was very relaxing. Sunday Chris and I went back to Luther where I met up with Caitlin and Emily.

Caitlin's mom picked us up at Luther Sunday night and drove us to her house in Hayfield, Minnesota. It was nice to be back in Minnesota. Hayfield is a town of 1,500 people! My high school was bigger than the town!! Emily, Caitlin, and I hung out and watched movies. Courtney joined us on Monday night. We made macaroni and cheese and valentine cupcakes! It was nice because I really missed macaroni. The four of us just goofed off and enjoyed being in a small town. Tuesday we were going to go in to Rochester, which is only about half hour away from Hayfield, but the blizzard conditions kept us from traveling. We tried to get into Rochester because Courtney needed to get home, but it was a complete white out. Right before we were going to turn around we ended up hitting a car who was turning around. Needless to say we got in a car accident. Luckily no one was hurt because we weren't driving very fast, but it was still scary. Shortly after the accident a man pulled over, he was the fire chief in Hayfield who Caitlin knew really well because she lives in a small town. The fire chief called Fred in town who had a tow truck. Thankfully Hayfield is a small town where everyone knows everyone else. I am glad that we were in a small town as opposed to being in the city.

My break was very relaxing, and enjoyable. I am ready and excited to start second semester! Have a great rest of the week!-Leah

My top 10 for J-term

The top 10 things I didn't do during J-term that I thought I would
1). Have free time
2). Read mutiple books for fun
3). Go skiing frequently
4). Play piano for fun
5). Practice my flute more
6). Write letters
7). Enjoy not having a lot of homework
8). Have movie night every night
9). Learn how to knit with Emily
10). Spend more time socializing

Top 10 amazing things about J-term
1). Being able to sleep in every day.
2). Being able to stay up later because I knew I would be able to sleep in.
3). Being on full board, which means unlimited meals.
4). Spending my J-term break in Manchester, Iowa with Chris and Hayfield, Minnesota with my girlfriends.
5). Track practice started.
6). Having only one class to worry about.
7). Celebrating a lot of fun birthdays.
8). My cousin Kayla from Maple Grove, Minnesota came to visit.
9). It snowed a lot so I was able to use my skies.
10). A lot of people had friends come and visit, and it was fun to meet them.

One Week and Counting!

So I only have one week left of my j-term class, and I am excited because it is almost time for the break! I am taking a philosophy class, and we are reading Plato's Republic. At first I did not really like it. The reading took me a long time to do because it was so complex and abstract, but I have started to get the hang of it. Plus the topics that we are discussing are starting to become more interesting to me. The downside is that I have a lot more homework than I thought I would. Every day I have about 70 pages of reading and then a 500 word response to write. On average it takes me between 2-3 hours to do my homework.

I have come to realize that people were wrong when they said j-term was a piece of cake. I think that the hardest part is having the motivation and willpower to actually sit down and do homework. The work itself isn't that bad, but getting started is the worst part. The problem is that people gave me the impression that j-term was easy and fun and that I would have a ton of free time. Boy were they wrong! And when my parents had J-term years ago at St. Bens and St. Johns, their classes were pass/fail. Not so at Luther! Since I started the term thinking that I would have endless hours of free time every day, it has been really difficult for me to switch gears and be productive and do homework. Even though many times j-term is a drag and I tend to feel overwhelmed more often than not, for the most part I like it.

The nice part about j-term is that there is a lot more time for socializing. My girlfriends and I are watching a lot more movies and chatting a lot more. However, it makes doing homework a lot harder. I am really busy this j-term because I am lifeguarding a lot, and I joined the track team, which means at least 2 hours of practice every day. By the time I am back in my room I just want to relax, but I can't because I have homework. It is more difficult to focus during j-term especially since my girlfriends don't get quite as much homework as I do and none of them are in a winter sport. They are all having more of the carefree j-term that I had anticipated for myself. Life is not fair!

Although I am enjoying my philosophy course, I am glad that it is only a month long because I have come to realize that I am much more of a science math person than I thought! Looking back I think that I will be very glad that I chose the j-term course that I did. Hopefully it will help make my transition into second semester a lot smoother. Only one week left. Can’t believe how fast the month has gone!

Caucus and Birthday Mania

My break ended up being pretty good. The only downside was that when I got my wisdom teeth out, they got infected. A last minute trip back to the oral surgeon and some penicillin has appeared to clear up that problem. It was nice to see my high school friends again over break, although I was definitely ready to get back to campus.

Thursday was Caitlin's birthday. We made her wear a crown, pink boa, and a sash that said Birthday Girl. As much as Caitlin pretended to not like her birthday get-up, I am sure that she secretly loved it! Thursday night was also the night of the Iowa caucus. We went to Jensen Music Hall, and caucused for Barack Obama- Caitlin was still decked out in her birthday apparel. It was much different than I thought it would be. We just sat in the performance hall in the section designated for the candidate we were supporting. There was a lot more waiting around than I thought there would be. It was a little boring, but the company made it fun. It would have been more interesting if I was undecided because then representatives from each campaign would have been working to convince me to support their candidate. I was glad that I went though, because it made me feel grown up.


Friday we went out for dinner to celebrate Caitlin's and Chris's (from first floor) birthday. We had a group of fourteen, so it was really fun. The girls on my floor are all really close. We hang out a lot. I think that it is because we live in Olson. At first I did not like living in Olson because the dorm is on the edge of campus and we are by ourselves. However now I realize that it has made everyone on my floor become better friends. For a bunch of young women often stressed, pmsing at various times or all at the same time, we get a long surprisingly well and laugh a lot together. Usually we eat at least dinner together, and I find that when people are missing, I miss the girls who aren't there. I feel lucky that we all have so much fun together. Plus I think it makes birthdays a lot more fun because everyone goes out to celebrate together. It's like the big extended family party you have at home, but no gifts from Grandmas or little cousins. It's so nice to be back on campus anticipating a change of pace with j-term. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season-Leah