AMU

Beach Vacation '09

2009-06-08T09:57:00.001-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Aye aye!

2009-05-29T14:47:00.003-04:00

Pics

2009-05-29T14:37:00.002-04:00

Summary of Summer (so far)

2009-05-29T11:27:00.003-04:00

So, long time no blog. Today is vacation prep day so this won't be long:

The Ignatian Silent Retreat was amazing!!!!!!!! Though, I guess I missed talking more than I realized since I stayed up till 3 a.m. chatting and hanging out! :O I hadn't stayed up that late all semester! Then I woke up around 6 a.m. to say my last farewells to two friends.
My roommate, another friend, and I had a safe drive (despite the fact that we were all a little sleep deprived) from school to N. Fl. where my dad met us and picked up me and my friend.
My friend visited me for a week and we had a great time! We did everything from make-up to mountain climbing, movie watching, costume designing (she's going to sew me a 19th cen. gown!), shopping, visiting the Civil War Naval Museum, Dim Sum eating, Farmers Market exploring, and a driving tour (thanks to Gowasack & Co.) of the downtown and Decatur. It was wonderful to spend so much time with her! She is an amazing person!
Yesterday, I got my hair cut. Short. I won't say more than that; you'll have to wait for pictures.... ;)
Now we're preparing for a beach trip with the paternal side of the family. I've got my swim suit and reading list ready!
Off to pack!

That's all there is, there isn't any more!....or is there...

2009-05-07T09:11:00.001-04:00

I'm done with Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So that means........I'm a JUNIOR!!!!!!!! :O And I still feel like a freshman! :P

So my Latin final on Tuesday went not well. It was totally different from what I had expected. But I rather enjoyed taking it (even though I think it was GPA suicide) and I am now inspired to master Latin. I plan to brush up over the summer; I can't wait! I'm so excited!!!!

Yesterday morning, my oral final for Creation & Grace went very well. I really knew the material. After the test I went and got a celebratory iced mocha and chatted with a friend at the coffee shop.

After noon Mass and lunch, I packed up my college life in various boxes. I was so grateful to one of my friends for her help in putting everything away! Then my roommate and I loaded up her little toyota celica and headed for the storage unit. My stuff looked so small in that empty room....

Now it was time to party!!!!! Ok, not for me, but there was a joint surprise party for two couples who are to be married this summer, and two graduating seniors who have applied to enter the Dominican Friars (they won't know until mid-May if they have been accepted to the Order, so pray for them!!!!!) And a great time was had by all: cards were signed, cake was eaten, Tomism lauded, and the Archbishop of the Gulf of Mexico was installed (the "Sea" is no longer vacant!) by the papal nuntio to the Atlantic.

This weekend I do random cleaning and setting up for the various receptions following graduation (it's going to be so sad to see the seniors leave!) and then on Sunday I go into Really Great Silence as the 6 day Ignatian Silent Retreat begins that evening. Thus, I shall not be blogging (or e-mailing, or answering my phone etc.) until Saturday evening/afternoon. As one of the priests put it: "you're going to the mountain."

So much more to do!

This is Final!

2009-05-02T19:53:00.002-04:00

So finals week is now upon us. Several of my friends took exams today. Some even have an exam tomorrow (which is rather a freak occurrence, definitely not the norm). But just to bring everyone up to speed and because I am somewhat in coherent from working on my final ethics paper, I shall use bullet points in no particular order.

The last weekend of April I went home for the weekend for my sister's Confirmation. Praise God!!!!!! It was wonderful!
My American Civ. final consisted of three take-home essays which I completed upon returning to school. Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!
I should have started studying sooner, but I don't know what's wrong with me; I'm just not motivated
This past Thursday the Women's Discernment Program had an end of semester party which included pizza, ice cream, Irish fiddle (courtesy of yours truly by popular request/compulsion ;) and traditional Filipino dancing. It ended with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The perfect end to the semester
in Creation and Grace we watched an awesome documentary about Mother Teresa (everyone should watch it!)
Storage unit issues are all worked out and everything is all set except the insanity of packing
Supposed to be studying but having a really hard time focusing
Latin commentary looks pretty good ( when my prof. thought some of the comments were particularly good.) I am very pleased. :)

I have my Latin exam from 7-10 p.m. on Tuesday. I am dangerously indifferent to my performance....Creation & Grace exam is at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. All the information is bouncing off my head....Ethics Exam (which is really an 8 page take-home essay) is due Thursday at noon.

I CAN'T WAIT TILL FINALS ARE COMPLETED!

WYD Bake-off!

2009-04-19T13:03:00.002-04:00

So the World Youth Day Club had a bake sale fundraiser this Sunday....that means we did Walmart at midnight on Friday and baked like crazy on Saturday. Ok, so maybe the Walmart run was from 9-11:30 p.m. but still that's pretty crazy. ;) The description of Saturday, however, is pretty accurate. Baking began at approx. 6:30 a.m., took a break for morning Mass and breakfast, stoped in the early evening, resumed at approx. 9:30 p.m. and ended around 1:15 a.m. Many delicious things were made which will hopefully contribute to our sweet trip to Spain in 2011! (Can you tell I was up late??? ;)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-19T12:45:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter!!!!!!!! Good thing Easter season lasts for 50 days! And technically it is the equivalent of Easter Sunday because it is the last day during the octave of Easter. I love being Catholic! :)

I spent Holy Week and Easter Sunday at my friend's house in northern FL. It was great to meet her family. And her mom cooks amazing Philipino food! YUM! I was very happy! We had a very prayerful Holy Week which culminated in the Easter Vigil. It was wonderful! After the vigil, we baked bread and she opened her really late Christmas gifts. :) On Sunday we went to the beach with her family and their friends. It was too cool to swim but it was great just to be on the beach and to walk in the waves. He is Risen!!!!!!!! ALLELUIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Birthday & A Seder Meal

2009-04-05T14:08:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, for my friend's 20th birthday, a group of us piled into a '94 van and left on a shopping excursion to the outlet mall. It was great fun! Since no one was looking for anything in particular, we just wandered around and had hunting for good sales and trying things on. I succeeded in both activites and bought a hat from GAP for $3! ;) This is my "I am too cool to smile" look! (JK)

After scouring the stores we loaded up and made our way to the house of another friend's Aunt and Uncle to have a Seder meal with them.(this link has the prayers used for the meal; everyone should do it! http://www.wf-f.org/Seder.html) It was beautiful and profound. It was an amazing meditation on the Exodus from Egypt, and resonated with the Mass! It was great fun to spend time with such a wonderful family (and their pets)!

Fried Fish, Films, & Cocktails

2009-04-05T13:51:00.004-04:00

So, Friday was crazy! At 3:45 p.m. the World Youth Day Club began setting up for our second Lenten Fish Fry Fundraiser. It was really windy, and it looked like it might possibly rain, so we set up under the breeze-way of the Student Union. It was a great success! And it was really fun! A lot of families came to have dinner. :)

After the Fish Fry (approx. 6:30 p.m.) and a quick change of attire, I went to a cocktail party hosted by one of the philosophy professors. Some of my friends and I had beseeched her to have said party because she would often preface interesting (if not unusual) philosophical points with the statement: "And this is what you can say at a cocktail party...." So we finally had our party, and discussed contraception, being, and abortion.

Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur! (Whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver)

However, the symposium ;) adjourned early as the majority of us trooped down from our lofty pearch atop the Student Union balcony to attend the Ameture Film Festival. I am amazed at the talent on campus! There was a moving silent film about the heroic sacrifice made by our soldiers, and a poignant movie called "Second" (written by one of my classmates) about a mentally confused woman. They were excellent! "Second" won the official award of Best Film and the popular vote. It also received the award for best technical work.

Good times were had by all!

We're back live!

2009-03-28T17:41:00.002-04:00

Ok. So it's been a looooooonnnnnnnnngggggg time! I had a good spring break in Nicaragua. I got to know a lot of different people, and do a lot of new things. For service work we: did door-to-door evangelizing for the purpose of supporting Catholics (a lot of Latin Americans are converting to various Protestant denominations); put on a "Faith & Fun" program for children at an orphanage and a soup kitchen (i.e. singing, games, & skits); and led an afternoon retreat for local high school students. On the second to last day we helped the Ave Maria Latin America (AMULA) students to put on a mission. The AMULA Mission Club has one mission per semester. The Mission activities combined all our experiences from the preceding week: door-to-door evangelization, children's program, and talks about the Faith.

In addition to mission activity, we also did some sight seeing (hosted by AMULA). We went to two volcanos; one had a cave, the other a rain forest; visited Cuapa, the only approved sight of a Marian apparition in Central America; swam in a lake which was almost as big as El Salvador; toured the islands in the lake (we saw monkies on one island!); and sawm in the Pacific Ocean!

It was a good to experience a different culture, to see poverty close up, and to realize the universality of the Church. It pulls you out of yourself and into the service of others.

Getting back into the routine of classes has been hard. I've really had a problem with procrastinating and not studying. I've also felt bored and in need of something diverting to plan/organize/daydream about.

Today I went out to breakfast after 7 a.m. Mass with a group of my friends to celebrate one of my friend's birthday. Then we all went to an abortion mill to pray for a few hours in spiritual warfare to defend the babies and the mothers. NO ONE CAME FOR AN ABORTION!!!! Praise God!!!!!! And thanks to Our Lady of Guadelupe whose image we brought with us!!! We returned around lunch time. I went to a study session for Ethics, and have been doing homework ever since. Consensus regrading homework: the Holy Spirit is ineffably AWESOME, and Andrew Jackson was mean.

Spring Break: Voy a.....

2009-03-04T12:39:00.003-05:00

Guess what I'm doing for spring break.....................I'm going on AMU's mission trip to Nicaragua!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This past Saturday, totally out-of-the-blue, one of my friends mentioned that a student had her plane ticket double booked (turns out that she had signed up for both of Ave's mission trips - Ecuador and Nicaragua - so both groups bought her a ticket). Between Saturday night and Monday afternoon everything fell into place for me to go in her place. I'm exceedingly excited! I do not know what God has in mind for me during this trip, but if He went through all the trouble to surprise me with it I know it will be good! :)

Needless to say, I have been rather distracted during midterms. My two biggest tests (Latin poetry and American Civilization) are on Thursday so I would appreciate prayers. Praise God, my second ethics paper is done and I've printed it off to turn in tomorrow. I can't wait until Thursday evening when this is all done and I can focus on packing (so much fun!)

Midterms approaching...

2009-02-28T10:50:00.002-05:00

So, I only have a couple of minutes before beginning intense midterm prep (it wouldn't have to be so intense if I had studied more this past week, but oh well). I have one for Golden Age Poetry (Latin), for Creation and Grace, and for American Civ. The latter two I'm not terribly worried about as it will be multiple choice. But the study guide for American Civ. consists of a list of 100 significant places, persons, events etc. that I need to be familiar with....I think I know how this morning is going to go....

The retreat was good. It was really edifying to be with 140 other young Catholic women from all over the country and various circumstances. One really gets a feel for the universality of the Church! It was also fun to be around the Dominican sisters. Their joyful witness is remarkable. Oh yea, and it SNOWED!!!!! It was beautiful!!!!!

The World Youth Day 2011 Club has been collecting nominations for the Refiner's Fire Award which is awarded to the professor whom the students vote (by putting change into the professors jars) as the one who gave them the most time off Purgatory. As VP of the WYD club, I sent the nominations to the professors and thus far all who have been nominated have accepted. Some of them seemed pretty excited about it. I hope the students get into it too so that this fundraiser is successful!

Leavin' on a jet plane...

2009-02-20T09:28:00.003-05:00

Pray for me! I fly out at 1:10 for Cincinati. From thence I shall proceed to Detroit. There will be several young women other than myself whom the sisters shall fetch between 6:50-7 p.m. Our Lady Queen of Peace, and St. Dominic pray for us! :)

Ah life....

2009-02-18T16:35:00.002-05:00

So life is going on. The silent retreat was wonderful, as usual. It's always somewhat bitter sweet to come back to the world, but I've jumped back in. Just trying to keep my head above the homework, and starting to feel the pressure to study for midterms.

I received a good mark on my first Ethics paper, and was much encouraged. The next paper is assigned this Thursday so I guess I get to do it all over again. This one will be harder as we have been discussing the relationship between metaphysics, anthropology, and ethics. This includes such things as conjoint-disjuncts, moral equations, an ethical wedding cake, and the funnel concept of the human person. Not to mention a survey of moral methodologies and world views (ex. deism, postmodernism etc.)

I'm getting really excited about this weekend! I am going on another retreat, but this time it's with the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist in MI. So lots of flying will be done. :) I need to be sure I pack light so that I hop on my connecting flight with ease. Funny thing is on Sunday I have a layover in Atl (extrapolate emotions here)... Anyway, Please pray for me this weekend!

Tonight is the first officer's meeting of the World Youth Day club. I was chosen as VP so now I get to see what this entails. We have TONS of fundraising so that we can go to WYD 2011 in Madrid. Viva el Papa! :)

P.S. Weather is finally warm! Though not miserably hot.

Into Great Silence

2009-02-13T16:52:00.003-05:00

Ok, so the silence isn't that great just from Friday evening - Sunday afternoon. But still, silence is golden. Especially when it is spent with Jesus! Please pray for me and the other 80 young women attending the Women's Spring Silent Retreat this weekend! God has been very generous to me as I do not have any big assignments this weekend! I'm sooooooo excited! I'm all packed, spiritual reading, new sleeping bag (which I can't wait to use ;) and all! I even brought some home work for Ethics to read on the drive (a presentation of moral methodologies written by two Dominican priests).

Obtaining this reading was quite the event. You see, the teacher scanned the chapter from a book and then e-mailed the chapter in several installments. So I spent at least an hour printing all of this out. I read American Civ. when my direction was not needed by the computer/printer.

I am some what consoled after reading American Civ. Apparently politics has been a vicious game from the beginning. However, early on it seems that the majority of politicians, although far from total selflessness, were seeking what they thought was best for the country. And they had a more sound philosophical foundation to stand upon. Now it's just a messy relativistic power struggle. Ah well. We pray.

Random info: we're finally having FL appropriate weather :) (some students went swimming today!) I'm learning American sign language sporatically from a classmate; it's really fun! I'm trying to ward off a cold which involves taking Robitussin (:P) and cold-eez. But, Praise God, I don't have any symptoms other than some congestion. Classes are still enjoyable. The Aeneid is much easier to read than either Caesar, Cicero, or Horace, Ethics is life changing, and Creation and Grace is contemplation inducing. American Civ. is more tolerable now that I know that the short research paper is due after spring break.

Please Pray for me and my friends and for two special intentions! Into great silence I go....

Ramble

2009-02-10T21:41:00.002-05:00

So I 've started researching for my American Civ. paper. We get to chose a president and write a brief bio/critique of his presidency. I chose Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) because I knew I wouldn't have to sift through a vast collection of resources and because I thought it was funny that there was a president named Millard.

Saturday I went shopping with two of my friends. We left campus at 7 a.m. and went to 8 a.m. Mass at a parish in town. Amongst other things I bought new running shoes with insoles, sweat pants (on clearance!) and necessities. :)

So I've got to go pray vespers with my roommie!

FREEZING!!!!!!!!

2009-02-05T08:36:00.002-05:00

Just thought I'd let you all know that it is currently 33 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Can you say unusually COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, off to the races. I have forty lines or so to read of the Aeneid before class, need to work on my Ethical wedding cake, must start a research paper on an American president...I'm thinking Millard Fillimore.....

Say Yes to the Dress!

2009-02-01T22:06:00.002-05:00

19th Century Ball

2009-02-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

19th Century Friends

2009-02-01T22:01:00.003-05:00

An Elegant Repast

2009-02-01T21:58:00.001-05:00

19th Century Ball: The Preparation

2009-02-01T21:55:00.002-05:00

Procrastination and Papers

2009-01-30T23:13:00.003-05:00

So I got no homework done on Thursday and really no homework done today...This is not good. I have a 4-6 pg. Ethics paper due Feb. 12, and a 1 pg. Theology paper due this upcoming Friday. I have a lot of reading to do for Latin and American Civ. It would probably be smart to start researching for an American Civ. paper on a president. I am on the verge of trouble...

Tomorrow is the 19th Century Ball. I hope I can enjoy it with all of this looming over my head...

It's going to be 40 degrees F tomorrow but the weather web site said it would feel like 32. Needless to say, my roommate and I will be using the treadmills at the gym tomorrow instead of running outside. I'm starting to believe in global warming it's been so cold here this semester! ;)

Went on a Target run with some friends today. It was very fun. :) I bought crackers (so that I can actually eat my peanut butter like a spread as it was intended), laundrey detergent, and soap.

Sunday I'm going to a friend's house for some cooking fun. I'm going to show her how to curry potatoes and she is going to teach me to make something (I'm not sure what...)

Blood, poems, and clubs

2009-01-27T19:33:00.002-05:00

Hey! I'm really excited because I gave blood for the first time in my life! :) It wasn't bad at all! I'm also really happy because I read 4 of the 5 Latin Poems due for today. Yea! Tonight was the activities fair. There were several clubs I was interested in and signed up to receive more info: the World Youth Day Club, the Women's Outdoors Club, the Running Club, and Fencing (RANDOM!). But soon prudence and homework will kick in and I probably won't end up pursuing any but the first.

The Events and an Accident

2009-01-24T11:18:00.002-05:00

So school is going along. In theology we're reading some excellent excerpts; I hope to read some of the books in their entirity over the summer. In Ethics we have "The Daily Depredation" which involves reading recent articles or blog comments to controversial issues and then identifying the flaws and contradictions in the arguments and statements. In Latin we are reading Horace. Yesterday Horace was going on about how he would make a perpetual name for himself by his great skill as a poet. Rather prophetic considering that in 2009 people are still reading and praising his poems. Had to drop schola because of schedule conflicts, but this means I have more time to study. :) For American Civ. I'm just trying not to fall behind on the textbook readings which are rather long.

Last night my friend and I witnessed a horse-back riding accident. The horses were galloping on cobble stone and (it all happened very fast) I guess one slipped and the rider fell. Miraculously (and I am not speaking hyperbolically) the rider had no broken bones or serious head injury. Praise be Jesus in Mary! Praise be Mary in Jesus! So please offer Rosaries of thanksgiving to Jesus and Mary for the preservation of the rider's life and health!

Taxpayers should not fund abortion

2009-01-20T07:48:00.002-05:00

Please sign this petition to chairman Obey of the House of Appropriations Committee to ask that taxpayers' money does not fund abortion. Our Lady of Guadelupe, Pray for us!

https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?c=CHECKOUT&dmy=F40B01FA-9DD4-EB90-4ADEFA3CC005B3CD&CFID=10622944&CFTOKEN=bce45adf6c709e2d-F4096FA0-93C9-C630-2CBFC27805DC1864

Fun with Fake Snow....

2009-01-19T11:57:00.003-05:00

One down...

2009-01-17T16:25:00.002-05:00

So I have survived the first week of classes. I like all of my classes (though American Civilization not as much as the others) and am very eagar to study. There was a surprise birthday party for a friend two nights ago, and another party for another friend tonight! Birthdays never go uncelebrated here! My roommate and I went on our first Target run of the semester (she has a car). All's well at Target, and I got peanut butter, so I am happy. :) I auditioned and was accepted into the Women's Schola. We will be singing at four Extraordinary Form Masses thoughout the semester.

The Spring Formal Academic Convocation started the semester off with a bang, as Dr. Francis Beckwith gave the opening lecture. He is an amazing Catholic philosopher. I am reading one of his books in my ethics class. He signed it for me! :) I think everyone should read it. It's called "Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air." It's very accessible.

This moring I went with a group of students to pray at an abortion mill. We arrived back on campus just in time to make it to the opening Mass, at which the archbishop of the archdioces was the main celebrant. We got in just as they were processing in! God is good!

Had a liesurly lunch after Mass, learned a couple of words in sign language, got help with one of Horace's poems, and got some reading done. I really need to study hard this evening!

P.S. Please feel invited to leave comments as they have the tendency to brighten my day.

Pray for the defeat of FOCA

2009-01-14T09:09:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention this, but it's never too late to pray! Please join people across the country in praying for the defeat of the Freedom of Choice Act which affirms the killing of innocent babies in utero by taking a supposed stance of moral neutrality. Although no one is sure exactly what the implications of this act will be, speculations are anything but positive since the wording of the act is ambiguous and therefore prone to subjective interpretation.
Here at school we are praying a 54-day Rosary Novena every night at 9 p.m. An e-mail has been going around asking people to pray a novena from Jan. 11-19 and to fast (either on bread and water or a Lenten fast of two small meals and one full meal) if you are able, at least two days during the novena. The Rosary is a very powerful prayer and our country needs the intercession our patroness The Immaculate Conception. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! (Miraculous medal prayer)

And so it begins....

2009-01-13T10:53:00.002-05:00

The first day of classes went well (considering that I had only one class it would have been hard for it to go badly). I did the homework for that class this morning and loved it! We shall see if this continues into the semester.... :)
Today I have 3 classes in succession: Golden Age Poetry (Latin), Ethics, and American Civilization. I consider these the big three, although I don't think American Civ. will be too hard. I'm bracing myself for the other two. I know I can survive ethics, but today I will find out about poetry. Regardless of the difficulty, I'm really excited about these classes because I really want to learn what they are teaching.
It's been very foggy the past two mornings. Yesterday, I couldn't see the huge Church across the lawn from the academic building! Kinda spooky, but it cleared off. Today, however, while the fog is gone, the grey clouds are persisting. I'm enjoying my crocs and my new pair of fast drying flats ; I'm ready for the rain. :)

Happy Days

2009-01-11T23:14:00.003-05:00

Friday Jan. 9: Friends from NC drove down and spent the night at my house.

Sat. Jan. 10: packed breakfast, went to 7 a.m. Mass at the monestary. Hit the road at 8 a.m. Got on 75 S via a route I did not intend several exits before my intended point of entry. Drove, drove, drove. Great company! Good conversations. :) Got to Ave at 8 p.m. 10 p.m. rode with friend to pick up other friends from airport. Happy reunions! Got to bed c. 2 a.m.

Sun. Jan. 11: Woke up, unpacked clothes, got ready for Mass. Went to 10 a.m. Mass, prayed morning prayer. Breakfast, table companions and I decided that we must do something to enjoy the beautiful day so we decided to play soft ball at 3 p.m. Bought text books; I'm exceedingly excited about the selection! I can't wait to read them! 3 p.m. play ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) Afterwards took a quick shower, and went to Adoration. Went for a walk with a friend and got caught up. 7 p.m. ate home cooked Asian dinner with friends: GLASS NOODLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (vegetables and pork included). Ate with chopsticks and was very happy! :) Prayed Rosary on Rosart walk, vespers, surprise birthday party for Fr. Fessio!!!!!!!!!!

Classes start tomorrow. I only have one, so I plan to do such things as: make a weekly and daily schedule, organize class binder, sign up for choir auditions, read the syllabus for ethics, see if I can get the same tutoring job, return unneeded text book, homework, pray, go to discernment meeting.

It's so fun to see all my friends again! I am happy, and ready to start an intense semester of greater intellectual endeavors.

New Year's Resolution

2009-01-09T13:10:00.002-05:00

Having been rebuked for not updating my blog, I have resolved to add a new post at least twice a month. To be honest I didn't think it mattered any more, and I was a bit paranoid about studying last semester (although I really didn't end up studying more than usual...) But I feel very loved now that I know people check up on my blog so I will try and reciprocate by adding new posts. :)

Currently I am packing like crazy and waiting for my travel buddies to arrive. Tomorrow we are all going to head down south to second semester! I can't wait to see all of my friends again! I'm even excited about classes. Two of my classes (ethics and Latin poetry) will be particularly challenging. Pray for me as I offer my studies up for you!

The beginning of a semester is an optimistic time when you dream about all of the possibilities unincumbered by responsibilities. We shall see if any of these fantasies materialize.

Summer

2008-06-19T16:07:00.003-04:00

Yea, I know it's been forever since I last posted. The last couple of weeks of my freshman year (I can't believe I'm a sophomore already!) were hectic. I went to New York with the AMU Women's Discernment Program to see Pope Benedict XVI. Then I had two research papers to write; one for history the other for literature. After that (or during!) I studied for finals, took finals, put my stuff in storage, packed, cleaned, moved out of my dorm room, and drove home with a friend!
When I got home I had a week to re-group. That weekend my cousin graduated. It was a great celebration with family! Something happened the following weekend but I don't remember what that was now.
Memorial day weekend we went to the beach. Things got off to a rocky start as the house we had rented was infested with FLEAS!!! AAAAAhhhh! Fortunately, the relator found another place for us to stay and our vacation was saved. Praise God!
Other interesting facts, I'm working at a dentist's office. I don't know how to do much so I think of my role as doing the basic things so that more capable people can be where they need to be. So I clean up the operatories, sterilize the instruments, and develop and assemble x-rays. Outside of work, I've taken up lap swimming and am taking voice lessons.
This week is VBS week. Things have gone pretty well over all. It's not the most challenging group of kids I've worked with, but it does take effort to keep two 7 year olds, a 6 year old, and a 4 year old focused. I just need to rely on God's grace and Mary's intercession, do my best, and leave the rest to Jesus.
It's been an adjustment being at home. Especially since my friends aren't with me. However, I was able to visit with a friend I hadn't seen in several years because she had a lay over at the near by airport as she was returning from a year of mission work. We had a great time! Then, this weekend, one of my friends from school is coming in town and will be staying with me. I'm very excited!
Well, that's all for now. Until who knows when...

Procrastinating...never a good plan...

2008-04-12T23:38:00.002-04:00

Once again, a long time has passed since I last updated my blog. Life moves fast here, and its demanding to keep up with school. When I returned from Easter Break, I had a literature paper to write. April 4-6 I attended the women's silent retreat which was beautiful. It's wonderful just to have profound silence! It was a gentle encounter with God; all about His great mercy, and love. We never have a reason to distrust Him! Amazing how difficult trusting God can be...

Anyway, once the lit. paper was done, I kinda fell appart and just didn't focus as much as I should have on homework. So now I'm scambling to research and write a 5-7 page history paper assessing the alleged unification of Italy and Germany in the 19th century. I'm confused, overwhelmed, and short on time. I would appreciate prayers! A lot of Rosaries!

Though, I have had fun goofing off. Last night I Irish fiddled for my friends, and today I went shopping with friends. I needed to get travel sized shampoo and whatnot. It was very fun (and not completely unproductive since I read my histoy textbook for background info concerning the paper topic, read some of King Lear - which I find almost impossible - and studied the anatomy of a clam and a worm).

Ah well. Life. I need balance...I guess finding it is part of the adventure of growing up! It keeps things exciting, and reminds you to trust God's mercy when you lose control.

Back at AMU

2008-03-30T23:02:00.004-04:00

Got back to school yesterday after a good Easter break. :) I was really happy that I got to see so many family members and friends!
I'm happy to be back (despite the literature paper and biology test - both due on Monday next week - which are hanging over my head like a little black rain cloud.) It was quiet at first, but more and more people are returning. It's really fun to see everyone again!
The university is in the midst of an exciting but stressful time as everyone prepares for the dedication of the Oratory tomorrow! I'm sooooooooooo excited!!!!! But it was rather short notice, so people are scrambling to get things done. From what I've seen, preparations are going well. Today me and two of my friends helped prepare the music that the choir will be singing for the dedication Mass. This is where I really feel the time crunch: the choir hasn't gone over all of the music yet! I don't sight read well so this is a little unnerving for me! :O Prayers would be appreciated! (Oh, yea, also my throat has been sore ever since I've returned so I also ask for prayers for my throat. St. Blase, pray for me!) Check out http://www.avemaria.edu/ to get the link to watch the dedication via web cam broadcast!
So, you may ask, where did I find time to blog? To be honest, I'm tired of trying to write my lit. paper, and I'm trying to pass time while I wait for my friends to arrive back on campus. But they're taking a long time...I think I'll finish my assigned reading from Paradise Lost and then go to sleep. Big day tomorrow! Mary pray for us!

St. Patrick's Day Parade March 15!

2008-03-15T16:15:00.003-04:00

A student and the school mascot (his name is Jack!)

Festival of the Arts

2008-03-15T15:56:00.002-04:00

These pictures were taken after the AMU choir sang at the Festival of the Arts on March 9. One of my friends recorded the concert and I'm hoping to have my roommate put it on a CD.

Additions to the gallery

2008-03-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

These are pics from the Scythian concert. It was super fun and high energy the whole time! They're great!

Here's a short video clip. Though I couldn't really capture the atmosphere...If you clap along and hop up and down like you're an Irish step dancer you might get close... ;)

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2008-03-15T15:41:00.003-04:00

An indoor picnic!

O.k. Because I took such a long break from blogging, I'm just posting a bunch of pictures to up date everyone. This first set is of the decorated dorm room (though this was before I moved).

Long time no blog...

2008-03-12T23:39:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been a small eternity since I last posted something on this blog. There are several reasons for this. 1) Life moves fast here! I mean, lots of homework, and then just hanging out with friends. 2) I've gotten used to living here so I don't feel as compelled to record the ordinary events of daily life. 1 is the overriding reason. So I'll just ramble to bring everyone up to speed...

I joined the women's discernment program so that I could focus more on what God wants me to do with my life. So I moved to the neighboring dorm. My roommate is a theology grad student. She's really great! She is also the lab coordinator: thus she knows a lot about God and His creation!

Literature is the most difficult class I have this semester. I get confused a lot; it's pretty lofty stuff. Thus far we've read Beowulf and Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise inclusive!) The latter was deep poetry! I felt lost for most of the class. But I passed the midterm exam, praise Jesus!

It was crazy! The week before midterms we had a history paper due on the Friday before, and a literature paper due on the Monday of midterms week! Need I say more...The good thing was that Monday was a reading day, so there were no classes.

Midterms week itself went pretty well. Though I've only gotten one test back (literature) I wasn't panicked this time 'round. What a grace!

I joined the choir this semester. It's challenging, but very fun. The director is incredible! But he's not terrifying. We had our first concert on March 9 and it went well. I heard a recording of the concert which was taken with a small digital recorder, and even on that we sounded quite good! I'm hoping to ask my roommate to make a cd of the concert.

The concert was part of the Festival of the Arts. So we also watched a dance program, and the musical Guys and Dolls. There is no formal drama department here; it's all completely student run. They are outstanding!

Well, that's it for now. Of course there are more little things, but I'll have to leave somethings to tell in person!

P.S. I'm writing now because I forgot to do my laundry so I'm waiting up for the wash cycle to finish!

19th Century Ball

2008-01-20T12:53:00.000-05:00

There and Back Again

2008-01-20T01:32:00.000-05:00

And so ends the first week of classes. I have enjoyed it; thus far I like my new teachers, am actually excited about lab, and have not totally freaked out about studying yet!

Though there is not much to say other than that for classes this Saturday was the 19th Century Ball. There was a crash course in 19th century American dances on Thursday and Friday and I had a ball (haha...hum...bad joke...;) And the ball was just as good only fancier and with dinner.

That I went was something of a "miracle". I had been reluctant. My main excuse was the lack of a proper dress. Lo and behold, one of my roommates had a dress that didn't fit her anymore! So I went, and had the time of my life! :)

As we were walking back to the dorms we prayed a Rosary. It was slightly sprinkling. But by the middle of the third decade it began to rain! We took shelter under the library, but by the end of the Rosary it was still raining though a bit lighter. So we took our chances, and what do you think happened? It rained harder! So we were happy but wet!

Stay tuned for pictures...

The end is near...

2007-12-12T09:07:00.000-05:00

It's been a looooonnnngggg time! But, there has been a lot going on! A final lab report and an analysis of a biologically related news article, last touches on the last history paper, reading Virgil's Aeneid so that we could finish it in 4 classes, an open hall Christmas party which concluded with spontaneous caroling outside in the quad (I played my violin), a surprise birthday party, a Latin recetation which my roommates were in (I was one of a select group of freshmen who were given new text books as a gift for our good work this semester and probably as a ploy to get us to keep taking Latin ;), and of course FINALS!!!!!!!!

We've all been studying REALLY HARD!!!!! Especially for the history final which was on Monday. That was a scary test! It consisted of two essays and 12 identifications which are like mini essays! My Latin test was on monday, and Literature was on Teusday. Today is my last test-biology. It's going to be DIFFICULT because it's an applied knowledge type exam. At least it's open book so that I don't have to get hung up on the details.

It's almost time for Christmas break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!! I'M SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Aaah! But first I must study for my exam tonight at 7 p.m. On to DNA Replication!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T14:50:00.000-05:00

How Good is the Good God!

To whom it may concern...

2007-11-19T00:30:00.001-05:00

To that individual who left the comment concerning a certain basket ball game:

Yes, I know who you are.

In response I say it is your loss if you don't like certain people (i.e. me) because they are from certain places.

P.S. This is meant to be read in good natured sarcastic humor. Though I'm not entirely sure how good natured one can be if one is sarcastic since sarcastic comes from a word which means "to tear flesh"...

P.P.S. To those of you who are confused by this exchange, it's just teasing between friends, I just don't like to give names online.

Midnight Babble

2007-11-19T00:17:00.000-05:00

I'm all excited about Thanksgiving break! I'm trying to get my work done so that I can enjoy it. Thus far, things aren't really going as I'd like, but I am learning humility and am being allowed to experience my own limitations.

Last night my friend and I went to see the Rainmaker. It was a student organized play, and, while you had to sift through the secular morals of the play, it was well done. Did I mention that it was outside, under the stars, on a lawn like area? It was very scenic!

It's getting chilly here! Ya'know, mid 50's in the morning. O.k., it's not that cold, but when you've been living in the land of perpetual summer for three months anything below 60 is COLD! The weirdest thing though is how dark it gets. After 6:30 or so it's quite dark! But because we're out in the middle o' no where you can see a lot of stars! Soooo pretty!

Gotta sleep,tomorrow is monday!

Random movie night

2007-11-11T00:37:00.000-05:00

Today I went on the WalMart run, and ran around WalMart. I was quite lost for the most part. I thought it was strange that the brownie mix should be on one side of the building, and the disposable foil pans would be on the other side. Any way...I bought everything I had intended to buy with the addition of Ghirardelli brownie mix and a disposable foil pan, and some items for the Thanksgiving food drive. There's actually a competition among the residence halls to see which one can collect the most food. They say the boys always win, usually by questionable means...like counting how much the competition has and going out the night before the deadline and buying just enough to win by one item!

This evening, I didn't really get any homework done. Some of my friends and I went to watch a movie a fellow student had made. It was "The Fall of Gondolin", one of the episodes described in J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Silmilrilion (sorry I can't spell it!) It was approximately 2.5 hours long! While it was still a home made movie, I enjoyed it.

I think I'll go to 10 a.m. Mass tomorrow...

UpDate

2007-11-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

Long time no blog! So....

I cooked dinner on Sunday. I made cook-up (i.e. rice, pigeon pea, and chicken "stew") for my roommates and I. It was good! One of my roommates also made bread. Yum!

All Saints' Day we didn't have classes. I got a package from home...chocolate! ;)

All Souls' Day the AMU choir had it's first concert. It was beautiful!

Saturday I went to a student organized and written musical production that is known as Cabaret: An American Salute. It was quite good. :)

This week is pre-registration week. So I met with my accademic advisor today and registered for classes next semester. I'm going to be very busy Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Classes don't end until 4:20 p.m. But on Teusday I only have Latin and Lab, and Thursday I only have Latin!

People are already wispering about finals...

The weather is cooling off. It's around 60 degrees farenheit in the mornings. The high was around 80 today. I love this weather! Though I do miss real autumn. There aren't a lot of trees around here and the few that are around haven't really changed color.

I'm excited about Thanksgiving break! I'm just going to leave all school behind! But I will have a paper due the Monday after Thanksgiving, possibly two papers. And I'll have to perform a self-directed lab that Teusday. Oh, and I need to start working on an oral presentation for Dec. 4 (Biology). I need to get on it! It's soooo hard not to be lazy and procrastinate!

I've got to study Latin and read the lab procedure for tomorrow. Apparently, we're going to be isolating DNA from the skin cells inside our mouths, and then replicating it. And for Latin we have a quiz on a few irregular verbs. It's confusing because "est" can mean "he/she/it is" or "he/she/it eats".

Nolo studere. (I don't want to study). Volo ludere. (I want to play). Possum vincere. (I can conquer). Orate pro me! (You all pray for me!)

Fall Break!!!!

2007-10-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

I had my last midterm today: literature. I believe I did very well on the short answer section. I did what I could for the essay questions. And now it's done! I proceeded to return to the dorm and clean the bathroom because I couldn't stand it! Now everything is nice and clean! I also helped my roommate make chocolate, peanut butter chip cookies. YUM! I went to 5:15 p.m. Mass. I had expected to meet my family there, but they had called and said that they were caught in traffic. My friends and I prayed, and they made it! Then my family went out to dinner. Deep dish pizza! My sister is spending the night with me at the dorm. We're going to stay up late...

Ways to Study for History Midterm

2007-10-14T19:22:00.000-04:00

Inaugural Ball

2007-10-14T19:19:00.001-04:00

The Inaugural Ball! I love getting dressed up!

Our Lady of Fatima

2007-10-14T18:40:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the 90th Anniversary of the Miracle at Fatima. One of my roommates organized the Rosary procession.

MIDTERMS!!!!

2007-10-12T23:20:00.000-04:00

Midterms are next week!!!! It's so hard to believe that the semester is already half over! My history midterm is really making me nervous! Not only are there a ton of facts to memorize, but it's also comprehensive, so I have explain the historical significance of why things happened. And of course, biology has a vast quantity of things to remember as well. I could potentially have some wild dreams all about history dates and the Krebs cycle! (from 461-429 B.C. Pericles was oxidized into alpha-ketoglutarate!)
Literature, I'm not worried, but I should be because I'm seriously behind in the reading. I speculate that I'm in denial. I am thankful, however, that I don't have a Latin midterm because I was present (and did well) on all the weekly quizes!
My friends and I would appreciate prayers for the upcoming week and this weekend that we might be able to study efficiently, and effectively and that we could all do our absolute best!
It doesn't really help matters that the Inagural Ball is tomorrow (Sat.) If I'm dillegent all day, I won't deny myself some celebrating.

Holy Mary, pray for us!

Spirit Week: Decade Day (Freshman Decade: 0-10 A.D.)

2007-10-04T23:45:00.001-04:00

Don't worry, I don't really know these two guys!
10/4/07 A.D.

Spirit Week: Nerd Day~

2007-10-04T23:40:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Spirit Week: Crazy Hair Day!

2007-10-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

Monday 10/1

There and Back Again...Story of a Hungry student

2007-09-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

I've got a lot to do this weekend. I have a lab report to write, a literature paper due on Thursday, and a history paper due on Oct.8. But I feel pretty good. I don't feel as stressed as I probably should! ;)

Tonight they had swing dance lessons taught by two of the students. We learned some Charlston, and some New England swing. It was pretty fun!

Here's an funny story...
Tonight my roommates and I left the dorm at 6:30p.m. to go to dinner. I relized I hadn't brought my I.D. but I didn't think too much of it. When we reached the dinning hall, it dawned on me: I needed my I.D. so that I could eat! I began to walk back to the dorm, and realized I needed a key! So I turned around and borrowed one of my roommates keys. Now, this all wouldn't have been such a big deal, except for the fact that they stop serving dinner at 7 p.m! Praise God I made it back in time to eat. And that is pretty much the most ridiculous thing that has happened this Friday.

Psalm 4

2007-09-23T16:22:00.000-04:00

When I call, answer me, O God of justice;
from anguish you released me; have mercy and hear me!

O men, how long will your hearts be closed,
will you love what is futile and seek what is false?

It is the Lord who grants favors to those whom he loves;
the Lord hears me whenever I call him.

Fear him; do not sin: ponder on your bed and be still.
Make justice your sacrifice and trust in the Lord.

"What can bring us happiness?" many say.
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord.

You have put into my heart a greater joy
than they have from abundance of corn and new wine

I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Update & A look into a freshman's mind...

2007-09-20T23:31:00.000-04:00

Yea, it's been a long time. I'll just take a break from yet another lab report (this one is easier) to bring you up to date.

Last Thursday I went to the ballroom dancing class. Dancing is very fun! Unfortunately, the women outnumbered the men. My friend and I said a Rosary on the way back from dancing since we'd missed the Rosary walk.

Firday, I don't remember clearly at this time.

Saturday I participated in a "photo shoot". One of the students was taking pictures for the website (at least I think that's what it was) and he needed people to pose in the pictures.

Sunday I went to Mass at 10:00 a.m. because I wanted to sleep. Later that afternoon, some of my roomates and two others went to one of the music rooms in the library and played around with music. I need to find and Irish session...

This week, I've been trying hard to get all of my homework done because I'm going on a silent retreat this weekend. It will be good to rest, reprioritize, and reconnect. I don't want a lot of homework to worry about.

Some rambles to keep you entertained:

I find the third declension of Latin confusing. We're also starting to use the ablative case, and imperative plural.
My Latin teacher knows more than he betrays. He knows Latin, Greek, English, Polish (his first language), and French. He can understand Italian, and can read Spanish.

The league of Western Civilization I teachers thinks that we have nothing better to do than read history and write summaries and papers on history.

In literature, we finished reading the Iliad. It was very sad! "Such was the burial of Hektor, breaker of horses." Now we have to study for a quiz over books 9-16(or maybe only 15).

An audiologist spoke on Monday for the biology seminar the weekly biology seminar. She was very nice and sent me links to sites about audiology. One more career to consider. (It doesn't hurt that annual compensation is about $60,000 annually!)

I've started helping a family whose toddler has down's syndrom. Essentially, he just needs someone to play with. His mom is teaching me alot about down's syndrom.

I get to sleep in tommorrow till 7:30! Since Mass at the retreat will be at 8 p.m., I don't have to get up early to go to 7:50 a.m. Mass.

The nights have been beautiful. The mosquitoes, not so much so...

I haven't received any mail all week, though I've finally remembered which mail box is mine!

I have to study for a biology test on Wednesday. Pray for me!

Pray for my friends too! We're all in this together! Hmm...sounds like a song...

Goodnight!

Mad Scientist

2007-09-13T00:13:00.001-04:00

I don't think this type of thinking is appropriate after 11p.m. I must be crazy...

In a solution of nonelectrolyte, hemolysis will occur only at very low osmolaritites. In a solution of electrolyte, a higher osmolarity is necessary for hemolysis to occur (due to the ionization of the electrolyte). Neither of the hypothesis formulated was supported...

On the contrary, the were contradicted and kept me up late! ;)

BEACH!!!!!!!!

2007-09-09T23:26:00.001-04:00

We went to the beach today!!! Need I say more?

P.S. We built an Oratory out of sand!

Happy Birthday!

2007-09-09T23:16:00.000-04:00

One of my roommates celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday! The rest of us had been planning on surprising her for about a week! Two girls were the shoppers, I was part of the decorating crew (who stayed up late the night before to hang streamers and blow up balloons while the birthday girl was asleep ;), and then there was a cooking committie who found creative ways to sneak out of the dorm room and bake cookies, and an apple pie!

She was surprised! That evening she opened her cards and gift, and we had semi-homemade apple pie. YUM! It was so much fun!

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words...

2007-09-09T23:07:00.001-04:00

So I guess that's 8000 words about life at Ave!

First Saturday

2007-09-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

Went to Mass at 9:00 a.m.

Ate brunch

Cleaned dorm. One of the first things we did as roommates was to decide what kind of chores needed to be done and how we could best divide the work. So after a discussion, one of my roommates made a chore schedule. Today my job is to clean the bathroom sink and mirror, and sweep the common room. I also had the option of mopping the common room either this week or next week. I decided to do it this week. The dorm is so nice and clean! I'm so thankful that I'm living with tidy girls! :)

Then I went to a just-for-fun kickball game between the seniors and the freshmen. I was part of the fan support. ;) We lost, but I heard that the freshmen beat the sophomores in the game before!

Ate chocolate cake. It was from wal-mart or something and it had been left over from the party on Wednesday. Since it hadn't been opened it was still good. YUM! Because we didn't want to waste it, we took it down to the loby of our residence hall and shared it. The last piece was taken over to Xavier (the men's residence hall) along with an unopened bag of potatoe chips from the same party.

Studied history. Read The Epic of Gilgamesh; it was a bit depressing. Began writing short summary of Gilgamesh.

Ate dinner.

Watched fellow students trying to ride the mechanical bull. (It was western night.)

Left as square dancing started, and returned to finish summary.

Went on Rosary walk.

Talked to my family on the bedroom phone, since cell phones only get service outside due to the hurrican proof buildings and our rather remote location.

Fiddled a little.

Checked e-mail.

Wrote blog.

Sigh of Relief

2007-08-31T23:02:00.000-04:00

*Whew* the first week is officially over (class wise that is). I didn't have any classes until after lunch so I read the two chapters of the Iliad I was assigned for Literature. It's really violent. Think about The Patriot. I also reviewed biology.

Today I used my digital vioce recorder for the first time in an academic setting. I recorded my history lecture. History and literature are the two classes that I really need to record because the teacher brings insights that aren't necessarily in the book. Biology on the other hand is pretty straight forward in terms of material that must be learned.

This evening two of my roommates and I set up my laptop with some computer speakers and watched part of The Sting. It's a really good, suspensful movie! It's complicated enough to keep you interested, but if you pay attention, you won't get too lost. ;)

Oh yea! We finally got our I.D. cards! I just have to go to the registrar sometime soon to get my picture taken for the I.D.

Well, I'm really tired. I'm so happy Mass is at 9 a.m. instead of 7:50 a.m! :)

The second day

2007-08-28T22:15:00.000-04:00

Today I went to morning Mass at 7:50, and was surprised to find that it was in Latin. Luckily, the readings, the homily, and the opening prayer, and the closing prayer were in English. Thank goodness! The only major problem I had was that I had a class at 8:50 (Elementary Latin, go figure!) and the Mass was a bit longer that the usual half-hour. At least I couldn't be late to class because my teacher was concelebrating the Mass!

After that I had Literary Traditions I. The Professor seems nice, and other students recommend him. I just don't like literature; I don't have that "muse" as the Greeks called it. Any way, the first book we're reading is it Iliad. I think it would be a good Monty Python skit(a clean version of course)...

Lab was from 1-4. It was an introductory Lab, so it was very easy. Unfortunately, I still have to write a lab report. :( Fortunately, I have really light class loads on Thursdays and Fridays, so I'll have time to write the report.

This evening there was a Eucharistic procession with the Rosary walk. Afterwards, the priest brought the Blessed Sacrament to each floor of each dorm. It was pretty cool!

Well, I think I'll try and get to bed at a reasonable hour! Good Night!

The First Day

2007-08-27T18:50:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of classes! It began with a quick continental breakfast and a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the campus. There were news cameras all around, so watch for me on the news! ;)

Then I had Elementary Latin. The teacher is a Polish priest. He has an accent, but I don't have any reall trouble understanding him. He really loves what he teaches. Thus far I like Latin. :[)

Opening Mass was at noon (the Masses here really help to lift my mind to God), followed by a quick sack lunch, after which I was on my way to Western Civilization I. Nothing really interesting there except I found out that the teachers had collectively decided to change one of the text books. So I had to return the one I had, and must buy a different one.

Then came Biology 211...*scary music plays*...I was overwhelmed by all the projects that were necessary. Lab reports, an oral presentation, and a self-designed lab! Of course they're not due all at once. The last two aren't due until December and November respectively. I also discovered that I had the wrong books for this class also (or quoque as I learned in Latin) so I had to return those and pre-order the correct ones.

Well, I'm going to read about the lab I have tomorrow! I also have a literature class. (Yuck!) at least I'm being taught by the renowned Joseph Pearce.

T'was the Night Before Classes...

2007-08-26T23:36:00.000-04:00

And all through the school...Don't worry, I can't write it all. That and one of my roommates just discovered that her cell phone gets service inside the dorm. (This is unusual since all the buildings are hurricane proof i.e. they're steel and concrete!) She let out a shriek of joy!

Anyway, tomorrow is the first day of classes. Breakfast starts at 7:30, and the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the university is at 8:00. Then I have a Latin class, then the opening Mass at noon. Followed almost immediately by Western Civilization I, and Molecular Biology.

I'm very nervous! All the university "officials", if you will, keep talking about how important it is to go to class and study. Like I didn't know that already! I mean, why else would you go to college! I just have to remember that I'll be just fine. I have the drive, and the support of all of you! And my roommates are all good students as well so I will have positive peer pressure.

I just have to remember the most important things: daily Mass, and prayer. I love being here at an authentically Catholic school! I mean, I can just turn to my friends and say, "Let's pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet," and they'll be like "Alright!" We're all on the same page; we share an important value. PRAISE GOD!

A Ramble

2007-08-25T22:43:00.001-04:00

There really isn't much to say about the party on Wednesday. Five of my seven roommates and their families all came over for a pot luck. We talked and laughed, and interogated and shared. The parents all chatted, and some of the siblings swam in the pool. All in all it went better than anyone could have hoped. (Except for God Who made it all happen!)

Not all of my roomates are pictured on this blog. One didn't fly down till Thursday and this picture was taken of Wednesday. My last roomate was a complete surprise! None of us knew anything about her! But she's great, just like the rest. :)

I actually went to Target with her and other freshmen today. I only needed one thing, but since she also flew she needed some really important stuff. So we ran around Target brainstorming items worthy of purchase!

If you are seriously interested in the details of orientation, you will have to check out www.avemaria.edu and click on students, then orientation schedule (I'm pretty sure that's where you'll find it.) But it's impossibly for me to sum up an experience like this on a blog. In a book, maybe...but I won't have time to write a book any time soon. :)

This afternoon, I discovered that several of my roommates love Irish music too! I'm hoping we'll be able to play music together (i.e. session) some time tomorrow!
Tonight we had some praise and worship, and heard a funny, but inspiring talk by Chris Padgett.

Well, I'm planning on going on the Rosary walk at 11 p.m. (it's only this late because of all the orientation events). Tommorrow I plan to attend 10 o'clock Mass (Yea! Sleep!) I hope it's not in Latin...I'm pretty sure it's not.

Busy

2007-08-25T12:42:00.000-04:00

It's been a while! There will be more detailed posts coming soon. But just so you know what's been happening: the pre-orientation roommate (and their families) party went great. Everyone was so happy we hosted it at a house instead of a restaurant. All of my roommates are wonderful!

Orientation has been going on since Thursday! Moving in, programs, games, discussions, and I only got internet access today! Hopefully I'll have some time later on to elaborate! WOW!

An unexpected party

2007-08-21T23:01:00.000-04:00

Guess what? Today, as we were strolling an outdoor shopping mall, mom received a voice mail from some friends saying that they were in Naples too! Their oldest son was looking at AMU and they had brought the whole family along on a Florida vacation. Some phone conversations later, we were all getting together at our house for pizza! It was a great surprise! Anna especially enjoyed having some friends closer to her age to play in the pool.

Tomorrow is the big gathering of the roommates, and I still have to buy some last minute things at Target. It's almost time for school!

Supplies 2

2007-08-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

Sorry! When I changed the template color the purple font could not be read. So here it is again, only clearer. (I like this template better because there's a lot of blue and the star in the corner reminds me of a sand dollar!)

Today we went shopping for school supplies at Office Depot. Crazy! Paper, notebooks, binders, post-it-notes, pens (which is harder than it looks when you're in a store that has a whole section devoted to pens!), a desk calendar, a day planner, stapler, pencil sharpener, etc. I won't take pencils for granted anymore. :)

Supplies

2007-08-20T22:03:00.000-04:00

Today we went shopping for school supplies at Office Depot. Crazy! Paper, notebooks, binders, post-it-notes, pens (which is harder than it looks when you're in a store that has a whole section devoted to pens!), a desk calendar, a day planner, stapler, pencil sharpener, etc. I won't take pencils for granted anymore. :)

In Naples

2007-08-19T19:49:00.000-04:00

Here we are in Naples! The house we're staying in is great! It's really big; it has two master bed rooms. I got one! :) It also has a pool out back.

Today, after Mass, we drove to Ave Maria town. It was soooo cool! Of course, there's a lot left to do and a lot of room to grow, but I'm so glad I can be a part of it all. It's kind of like being a pioneer. We also checked out some of the new houses. They are really close together, but I'm pretty sure that's a Florida thing. Andrew was ready to move in right then and there! We all had a good time.

Except Anna. She wanted to get back to the house and swim. So after looking at about 7 houses, Mom and Dad dropped us off at the house and went grocery shopping. Emma taught me how to stroke (free style, and breast stroke) properly. ;)

I'll close now; my leg fell asleep and it's killing me!

Color...

2007-08-18T00:21:00.001-04:00

Yes, I realize the blog color is green and my school colors are blue and white. Give me a break; I learned how to do this in under 15 minutes at about 11 p.m. ;)

The night before...

2007-08-17T23:15:00.000-04:00

O.K. technically it is the morning of departure for Naples, Fl as it is 12:05 A.M. However, I will still consider this the night before since the sun has not yet risen.

We will leave some time between noon and 1 p.m. tomorrow (literally today). I'm essentially packed. I just have a few last minute things to gather up; specifically pillows, toothbrush, and retainer (*blah*). Other than that I'm ready. I plan to re-read Leisure: The Basis of Culture on the way down, so that I'll have it fresh in my memory for the discussion/ice breaker that will be held either Friday or Saturday. I'm both excited and nervous about this discussion, but thus far the thought of university is nothing but an unusual mixture of excitement and nervousness!

I'm glad my last night at home was so fun! It was Ms. Linda's Birthday and she and Mr. Jeff came over for dinner, cake, and a movie. :) We also had our pick of five kinds of ice cream! Needless to say, I had the chocolate fudge!

I have no clue when I will "blog" again. Hopefully soon enough to share the craziness of my first week or so. Misery and joy both love company! But if I don't hello and good-bye at the same time! Also, check out http://www.avemaria.edu/ and http://www.avemaria.com/ for info about the university and surrounding town respectively.

Good night!

AMU

Beach Vacation '09

Aye aye!

Pics

Summary of Summer (so far)

That's all there is, there isn't any more!....or is there...

This is Final!

WYD Bake-off!

Happy Easter!

A Birthday & A Seder Meal

Fried Fish, Films, & Cocktails

We're back live!

Spring Break: Voy a.....

Midterms approaching...

Leavin' on a jet plane...

Ah life....

Into Great Silence

Ramble

FREEZING!!!!!!!!

Say Yes to the Dress!

19th Century Ball

19th Century Friends

An Elegant Repast

19th Century Ball: The Preparation

Procrastination and Papers

Blood, poems, and clubs

The Events and an Accident

Taxpayers should not fund abortion

Fun with Fake Snow....

One down...

Pray for the defeat of FOCA

And so it begins....

Happy Days

New Year's Resolution

Summer

Procrastinating...never a good plan...

Back at AMU

St. Patrick's Day Parade March 15!

Festival of the Arts

Additions to the gallery

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Long time no blog...

19th Century Ball

There and Back Again

The end is near...

Happy Thanksgiving!

To whom it may concern...

Midnight Babble

Random movie night

UpDate

Fall Break!!!!

Ways to Study for History Midterm

Inaugural Ball

Our Lady of Fatima

MIDTERMS!!!!

Spirit Week: Decade Day (Freshman Decade: 0-10 A.D.)

Spirit Week: Nerd Day~

Spirit Week: Crazy Hair Day!

There and Back Again...Story of a Hungry student

Psalm 4

Update & A look into a freshman's mind...

Mad Scientist

BEACH!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words...

First Saturday

*Sigh of Relief*

The second day

The First Day

T'was the Night Before Classes...

A Ramble

Busy

An unexpected party

Supplies 2

Supplies

In Naples

Color...

The night before...

Sigh of Relief