Forgiveness

I think that God's forgiveness is so amazing.  Lately I have not given him much time or thought, but somehow he loves me just as much as when I do.  Isn't that wonderful?  It is so encouraging to know that he is always pursuing us and is always ready to forgive us.  I just need to ask for it more!!

Birthdays and Bonfires

If you ever want to extend your birthday celebration, talk to Stephanie Johnson.  Somehow she managed to extend the celebrations for three weeks.  Last night we had her birthday bonfire, which was a lot of fun, even if it was a little late.  It was such a beautiful night and so fun to be able to see everyone.  The highlights were delicious, sticky s'mores, almost getting washed away in the rising tide, and getting some quality conversation time in with wonderful friends.  

Lazy Day

It's been great to just slow down today and do nothing.  It feels like I haven't had a good day to just relax for awhile.  I had the chance to talk to Sarah, who is studying abroad in Spain, which was great.  Besides that, the only other remarkable thing about this afternoon was finally watching the new Grey's Anatomy (with which I have a slightly unhealthy relationship...).  It looks like the rest of the weekend is going to be crazy though, so  I have to enjoy being lazy while I can!

Today was quite a day, which is funny because it started out as pretty ordinary.  First of all, it was extremely hot.  Even my 10:00 class was unbearable, and by the afternoon it was up to 100.  Secondly, Laura, Caitlin, and I went grocery shopping, which is always interesting.  We always save it until we have absolutely no food, which means it takes forever and is nearly impossible to get all the bags up to our room in one trip (but we made it!!!).  The girl in the elevator told us that a duck and her chicks were stuck in the parking garage, so we then joined her and helped them save the ducks.  They were so cute!  Finally, tonight Caitlin and I went to listen to a Holocaust survivor speak on campus.  That deserves a blog in itself, so I will write more about him later, but he was so interesting and his story was fascinating. In short, it was quite day with the combination of heat, shopping, duck rescue, and this speaker.

Weekends

I love the feeling of the beginning of the weekend, very few things rival it.  Suddenly, everything is a little bit better.  Even though I have a ridiculously long to do list, I feel like I have all the time in the world to do it.  This weekend Caitlin and I are driving down to Santa Barbara to see Erika, which should be good.  Last time I was there we only had a few hours together, so hopefully this will be a little more relaxed.  Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures so I can have some to post; it's been awhile!

Catch Up

It has been way too long since I've written.  I will try to give you some highlights of the last week or two.

1. Easter with my parents and the Boeses.  They came down Thursday and left today, and we had such a great time.  It was nice to pretend that I was on vacation with them, instead of just in between school weeks.

2. Great Bible studies.  Even though it is difficult to put aside those couple hours every Monday, it's such a great time and always worth it.

3.  A great reread.  I just finished rereading Water for Elephants, which is a fabulous book and not so addicting that I couldn't keep up with school while reading it.

4.  Getting ready for summer.  I've been taking a CPR class for swim lessons and preparing for my mission trip to London.  I can't wait for June!

Unlike most quarters, this one is starting off really slow.  I feel like I've been here for months, not just three weeks.  But my classes are good and my friends are great (as usual!), so i've been enjoying it.

Confessions of a History Major

I'm starting to realize even more that I made a good decision when I decided to be a history major.  Yes, it may be difficult to find a job teaching.  But it's so much fun! When I was home for spring break last week my sister, my mom, and I went to the Civil War reenactment in Knights Ferry.  I have to confess that I enjoy it much more than is normal.  Not only is it tradition, but I just love looking at all the little details in the camps and the uniforms and dresses.  

I have two history classes this quarter, and it looks like they will be really interesting, but (as usual) a lot of work.  One is on the Holocaust, and is going to be really good.  Today was the first day of class and we all just sat mesmerized as the professor talked about.  The second one is a seminar on historiography.  Although it's not as interesting, I'm excited to be in such a small class (only 16) with a great professor.

So even though I am feeling a little apprehensive about the quarter after seeing the syllabuses (or is it syllabi??) for these classes, I am also kind of excited.  That's my little history rant!