Norse Notes: Leah

Freshman year is over?!

2008-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-04-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2008-04-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-03-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-26T11:16:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-19T05:49:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-09T18:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-01-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

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

Happy Holidays

2007-12-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I have not written yet! To be perfectly honest I feel that my break has yet to begin. I have been home for a little over a week now, but my life has been a whirlwind of activity. I'll start where I left off last time--finals week!

Naturally, finals were the last week of school. I had my Paideia final on Tuesday, and chemistry and calculus II on Wednesday. Monday and most of Tuesday I literally studied all day. I think on Monday I spent ten or eleven hours, and on Tuesday I spent close to twelve with my head in a book or a notebook. I went a little crazy studying, but I didn't want to underprepare for my very first college finals. I'm sure I sound like a dork, and looking back, I probably didn't need to spend quite so much time at the library, but for the first time all semester I felt confident going into all of my tests. In fact, I started freaking out before my chemistry test because I wasn't at all nervous about it. I had to call my mom at the last minute to calm me down. Needless to say, my finals were difficult, but nothing I couldn't handle because of my obsessive-compulsive studying. Will I study as much for my spring finals? I am not sure. Depends how hard my classes are. I tend to be a type A person and a little bit of a perfectionist, so I probably will study obsessively for my spring finals, then freak out at the last minute, then call home to freak out, then survive once again. Even though I might have gone a little overboard studying, all of my finals went really well, so it definitely payed off. I left for home and the holidays right after I finished my last final on Wednesday.

On Thursday, after Emily and Caitlin finished their finals, the girls drove up to St. Paul to spend a few days at my house. We decided we didn't want to end our first semester together all stressed out and crazed because of finals. We wanted to have fun, especially since we wouldn't see each other for almost three weeks! So Megan, Courtney, Caitlin, Emily, and I hung out in the cities until Saturday morning. Thursday night we went to the theater near my house and saw Enchanted! I love that movie, it is a hilarious spoof on fairy tale Disney movies. Friday we slept until 12:30!!! My little brother came home from school at 3, and was surprised that we were just getting ready for the day, oops! We spent the afternoon at the mall shopping, then went to St. Paul's historic yet trendy Grand Avenue for dinner and more shopping! Since I'm the city kid, I took the girls on a tour of the lights on Summit Avenue (and Governor's mansion) the sites of downtown St. Paul with Rice Park lit up for the season. Emily, Courtney, Caitlin, and I took a picture on some of the fake presents in the park. We had so much fun!! I loved showing them around the cities, especially Saint Paul because it is my favorite out of the two. I was sad to see them leave on Saturday, but I can't wait to see them after break!!!

On Sunday my boyfriend Chris came up to the cities to stay with me for a day. Chris is from a really small town in Iowa just a little south of Decorah. He was lucky enough to come up for the annual Forsberg family cookie bake. So for part of Sunday he made cookies with my extended family(lots of little cousins and even a few Hawkeye fans). I enjoyed it and I think he did too. On Monday Chris and I went to Block E in downtown Minneapolis, and he experienced a little bit of the big city. He left later that day and went to the Vikings-Bears game with some of his friends from Luther. I had so much fun with Chris and the girls, and I am really glad that they came to visit and could meet my parents, sis and cute little brother!! Their visit made the start of my break a lot more exciting. (It'll end with me getting my wisdom teeth out so that'll make for pretty dull material for blogging--or maybe not, we'll see.)

Last week, my parents decided we needed to squeeze a little more family time into my break, so on Wednesday we left for the UP--the Upper Peninsula in Michigan for a few days of downhill skiing. It was really fun, and the view from on top of the ski hill (not quite a mountain) was incredible. I felt a little slackerish because I was a Nordic skier in high school (or cross country skiing), so only skiing down the hill was a little bit of a change for me. It seemed too easy, but was fun nonetheless. The rest of my break has been spent preparing for Christmas, driving my little brother and sister everywhere, and running errands for my parents. All the driving and "to do" lists make me miss the simpler life at Luther, but I'm really excited for Christmas and spending time with our big, crazy extended family! I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday season, especially this weekend!-Leah

A Winter Wonderland

2007-12-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

So my crazy week is finally over. Yesterday I had two tests, and yes finals are next week. Today my research project was due. Tuesday night, Sam and I spent almost six hours writing our lab report and making our research poster. This morning we presented our research at the research symposium, but now I am finally done!!! Unfortunately, I am only done for a little bit, because I should start studying for finals either today or tomorrow. I can't wait to be done with school!!

Last night I couldn't study because my brain was so fried from the difficult academic day. The girls and I went to Christmas in the Union to get in the holiday spirit. We listened to Undeclared sing some Christmas songs, ate Christmas cookies, and took pictures with Santa. Caitlin, Emily, Courtney, and I all dressed matching and took a picture with Santa. We were in a goofy mood, and the picture almost captures our sillyness. It was really fun. The Union was all decorated for Christmas with trees, lights, garlands, and other decorations. I love Christmas, and being in the Union yesterday made me really excited for the holidays. Plus with all the snow outside it is really starting to feel like Christmas.

This weekend we played in the snow. The girls and I had a snow ball fight against Ross and Chris. It was really fun. Ross is from Oregon so he had never seen snow. The girls won, of course. After we had had enough of our fight we decided to go sledding. We picked one of the many hills on campus and took turns sledding down in our one sled. It was a little cold waiting for all of us to take turns going down. Next time we go sledding it is rumored that we will use lunch trays, but we'll see what happens. The rest of the weekend, I did my mounds of homework, drank hot chocolate, and watched Christmas movies. Last Thursday night when it snowed for the first time, we were watching The Holiday, but once we realized that it was snowing, we all ran outside. It was almost midnight, but we still ran around out in the snow. My roommates and I were taking a picture together, but then we decided that our surrogate roommate, Caitlin, needed to be in our picture. It was so much fun. I love snow, plus, the campus looks so beautiful. The trees all have snow on them. This weekend I will be studying for finals, which will be finished by next Wednesday. After I am finished Wednesday afternoon I get to go home. I can't wait to be done!! This semester has flown by. I am off to finish a paper for class tomorrow. I hope you have a great week!-Leah

Happy to be Back!

2007-11-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

I made it back to campus safely and happily. It is really nice to be back. In general I enjoyed my time at home, but I missed Luther. More importantly I missed my friends. It was so weird not seeing them and being with them at all hours of the day.

When I was at home I realized how much freedom I really have in college. At home I had a curfew and I had to tell my mom where I was going and who I was with. I missed college life; staying up all night, hanging out with who ever I wanted, and not having to tell someone who I am with. College is definitely different than high school. I love having the freedom to make my own choices. I was slightly taken aback when my mom told me to be home by midnight on Friday night, or to call and get an extension.

The only problem with having new freedom in college is making myself go to bed at a decent hour. I am still struggling with getting enough sleep, even though I have learned to survive with only six or seven hours of sleep a night. I know that six or seven is a lot for some people, especially college kids, but I am the type of person who needs a lot of sleep to function normally. I have problems pulling myself away from my friends so I can go to sleep or finish my homework. Even though it is difficult to be disciplined at times, I am slowly learning. This week I have made a greater effort to go to bed before midnight because finals are coming up and I can feel myself getting sick. Well, I felt sick at the beginning of the week,but now I am feeling better-- most likely because I have been getting good sleep.

Tonight I went to see Christmas at Luther with my roommate Emily. It was so much fun! We decided to get all dressed up to go. I am pretty sure we got the, "Oh look at those freshmen," look, but I enjoyed wearing a dress. I have to admit it was freezing and I could hear my father's voice in my head telling me how silly I was for wearing a dress in this weather, but I did not care. Anyways, the performance was fabulous. I definitely got the chills from some of the songs. I am one of those weird music people who tends to get emotional about music,every now and then, but the resonance in the CFL was incredible. Oh yeah, and the singers and orchestra members were quite phenomenal. I loved the show, and it was not too long so that I had time to do all of the homework that I did not do yesterday! One of my favorite parts of the show was when everyone one in the choirs had a lit candle--it was so beautiful. Plus with the music, I just felt extreme happiness. I do not think I have stopped smiling all night now!

This week has been rather slow for me. I have not had a ton of school work, which is a relief. Tuesdays I have chemistry lab for three hours. I am in advanced intro to chemistry here at Luther, and part of that is a five week research project the second half of the semester. So needless to say my lab partner, Sam, and I are deeply engrossed in our research project. Initially we were measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air and then comparing it to the concentration of carbon dioxide in our breath. However some of the equipment we were using to obtain our data was too restrictive so now we are just comparing the concentration of carbon dioxide in our breath. We will compare male verses female. Anyway, this is the first week that it actually really worked. The first week or two we spent setting up and determining the concentration of some of the chemicals we were working with. It was a huge relief Tuesday when our lab finally was producing the data that we wanted and needed. We are almost done, so we will finish in time without having to put in extra lab time. We have to write lab reports and create a poster that displays our procedure and our findings. Sam and I will present the poster a week from today, Thursday, at a research convention thing. I am not really sure what it is other than everyone on campus who has done some sort of research this semester will be presenting. I think people on campus come and look at our projects and can ask questions if they want to. I am not entirely sure. I will figure it out soon enough, I hope!!! That is about all I have been up to. I am very happy to be back at Luther with all of my friends and I am sad that I have to leave again in two weeks!!! The semester has flow by! Have a great rest of the week.-Leah

Home Sweet Home?

2007-11-20T12:46:00.001-08:00

So I am waiting for my ride home to get to campus so I can go back to the Twin Cities. Honestly I am not that excited to go home. Don't get me wrong, I miss my family and good food, but I love Luther. I am really going to miss Luther, I find myself calling my dorm room home. It is weird how all of a sudden a small room is now my home. Although I am not really excited to go home, I know that once I get there I will be happy. I will be glad to be with my family on Thanksgiving. Plus I will get to see all of my high school friends, which will be fun. I have only been back once since school started and that was for fall break. It was really strange being in a house, it seemed small. I guess I had quickly grown accustomed to the large dorms and having a lot of different places to go all while staying in the same building. Anyways, I am really really excited for a break from classes. Luckily the break is not that long so I will be back on campus before I know it!!

This past weekend my high school friend Jesse came to visit. He is a freshman at St.Olaf. It was sooo much fun to see him. We were always together in high school, so I missed him. He liked Luther a lot. In the picture from left to right is Caitlin, me, Jesse, Beth, and Emily. The photo was taken Saturday night. We went to the pool house, which is the cross country house, to celebrate the guys eighth place finish at nationals and the girls ninth place finish at nationals. At least I am pretty sure that is how they ended up doing. We had a good time, and Jesse enjoyed it because I introduced him to all the girls on the floor! I am not sure why his tongue is sticking out, he claims it is because every picture he has taken in college he has had his tongue out. For some reason I am not sure if I believe him. I was really glad that he came to visit because we had a fabulous time.

Yesterday's band auditions went really well. I was satisfied with how I played. I found out this morning that I am in Wind and Percussion ensemble again, but this time I am first chair. Naturally I am excited and honored, but right now I am nervous. Since I am first chair I am in charge of the section and I have to do the solos, which is really nerve wrecking. My friends Beth (she is in the picture above) and Tracy are both in Wind and Percussion Ensemble again, so I am happy. I love having them in band, even though we sometimes talk too much because we sit close to one another!! Not talking for me tends to be a little difficult! I hope that we will sit close again next semester. Well my ride is almost here so I have to run. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!-Leah

Music to My Ears

2007-11-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

So last night was my first band concert in college!! Well we had a concert over Parents Weekend in September, but this was the first real concert that was just us. The concert was almost an hour and a half!! My mouth was sooo tired from playing my flute! In general the concert went really well, which was a relief for me because I was so nervous. The repertoire was more difficult than anything I played in high school, plus we had nine songs! Although the music was hard, it all sounded really cool and beautiful. I have always loved playing music, but last night was really fun. In high school my band concerts consisted of four or five songs, and usually one of the songs I wasn’t crazy about. However I liked every piece we played last night. I also really like my conductor, Mr. Nyline. He tends to tell funny stories randomly in the middle of rehearsal. In the beginning of the school year it was sometimes difficult to follow his conducting, but only because he conducts differently than my directors in high school. I am used to it now, and I find it hard to remember how my directors in high school conducted. Anyways, the sense of satisfaction I felt after the concert was over made my aching mouth worth it. The only downside of last night was that my family did not make it. I guess it was weirder than anything else simply because my parents have always been at my concerts. My awesome friends Courtney, Caitlin, Mara, Emily and Chris did make it, however. They were my stand-in family.

This past weekend was really fun and relaxing. Friday night I went out to dinner with my boyfriend Chris. We went to Alberts, which had amazing food! Then Saturday night, I borrowed Chris's car and the girls and I went out in downtown Decorah. Downtown Decorah is nothing like the Twin Cities. It’s got stoplights, but no traffic jams, good restaurants and free parking! The girls and I went to Mabes for pizza and then went to Wal-Mart. I hate to admit it, but Wal-Mart is growing on me. After our Wal-Mart run we came back and watched movies and colored. We had a really good time. It was relaxing, which was exactly what I needed after a long stressful week.

Tomorrow I have to register for classes!! I am one of the last freshmen to register so I hope that the classes I want to take are still open. I am only really worried about the class that I want to take for J-term. Hopefully I will be able to get into the Philosophy course that is being offered. The rest of the week I will be busy practicing for my Concert Band flute audition. Concert Band is the top band at Luther. At the end of every semester anyone in band who wants to be in Concert Band or Wind and Percussion Ensemble (the band I am in) has to audition. I am rather worried. I am glad that it is already Wednesday night; the weekend will be here before I know it!!

The First One!!!!

2007-11-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hi!
My name is Leah. I am a chemistry major, with a possible minor in Spanish. This week has been and will be one of my craziest weeks on campus so far. TodayI had a paideia paper due and I have a huge chemistry test on Friday!! Plus my lab report that was due Tuesday is still not done because my data was screwed up. Needless to say, I am a little stressed out.

So far college hasn't been anything I can't handle, but it is definitely much different from high school. I get a lot more homework. The hard part is making myself do the homework. I have so much free time now that I am in college that I tend to just say, "Oh I will do that later today or tonight." I always get my homework done, but I tend to do it late at night so I don't get as much sleep as I should. Another reason why it is difficult for me to get my homework done is because there are always people to hang out with and fun activities to do around campus. My dorm room is the hangout. People are constantly coming in and out. My roommates and I call Caitlin our psuedo roommate because she is in our room more than her own, and some weekends she sleeps on our futon. Caitlin lives the floor above us in Olson, my dorm. My roommates, Emily and Courtney, and I get along really well. We are always together! Most people I have talked to like their roommates for the most part, they at least get along. I have not heard any horror stories about roommates. Here is a picture of me and my roomies!!! (from left to right: me, Emily, and Courtney).

Caitlin, Courtney, Emily and I just got back from a meeting about a possible spring break mission trip. The trip is to Mexico, which would be super cool!!! I hope that we can all go. I am off to the library to try and get some of my pounds of homework done! Tomorrow will be my crazy study/cram day so that I can do well on my chemistry test. Every test in college is huge because instead of covering one chapter in a text book, the tests tend to cover four or five. The hard part is learning all of the information. I have found that if I keep up on my reading, studying for the test is not so bad. I am only two chapters behind, so I won't have too much extra studying to do. Wish me luck!!! Have a great rest of the week!-Leah