Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Hmm. With finals coming up, the last two days of classes near, and winter fever setting in, I’m amazed that I’m actually studying at the Duderstadt library right now. Well, there’s a little bit more procrastinating being done than studying, but still.

Of course, it’s snowing beautifully outside. And North Campus is GORGEOUS during the winter. So looking out the windows is much too tempting for me. To prevent myself from jumping out a window and rolling around in the snow, throwing snowballs at everyone that passes, and making an infinite amount of snow angels, I’m cooped up in a group study room in the Dude, attempting to go through the terms on my study sheets for my exams.

I guess I am looking forward to a lot this week. Surprisingly, I don’t have much to do to study for exams. I feel really comfortable in all of my classes, which is the last thing I expect of college. But since I’ve been trying to keep up, now I can take a break and spend time with my friends before I leave for Spain.

This Friday, we’re having a Christmas party with my group at New Life Church. It’s going to involve food, games, and a white elephant gift exchange. I’ve never done one of those – apparently we just have to bring the most random thing we can think of and give it to someone – but I just know it’s going to be amazing. Also, at New Life, we’re having a Christmas concert on the 14th, which I’m psyched for. I absolutely love Christmas music…and Christmas lights…well, just about everything Christmas.

Tonight, I’m going to see the Friars perform in their winter study break concert. The Friars are this hilarious all-male a capella group that always leave me laughing so hard my stomach hurts. It’s 8 men, that wear those tuxedos with the tails, and they incorporate dancing into their singing, along with changing the lyrics of the songs they sing to make them kind of like a U of M inside joke. I know that that’s just what I’m going to need to do tonight to take a break from everything and just laugh really really hard.

Last night my friend Catherine and I ordered Insomnia Cookies…which are probably the best invention ever. They’re this company that operates at night and delivers fresh-baked, melty, delicious cookies right to your dorm. INCREDIBLE. And they have a truck that is usually stationed outside a dorm throughout the night, and you can just walk up to it and order a cookie, ice-cream-truck style. My favorite was when it was outside Markley at the end of last year, because although I lived in East Quad, I was visiting friends in Markley all the time, and I would run up and get a cookie and be SO excited every time.

After we ordered our cookies we watched some random YouTube videos. And let me tell you, that is ALL we do. To procrastinate, to have fun together, anytime when we just need to take a break…we search for a comedian that we like, look for a random funny new video, or check out an old classic that we know that we’ll love. YouTube is both the best and the worst thing at the same time. Awesome because it’s an easy way to get a good laugh, but worst because if you want to procrastinate, it’s right there for you. As a matter of fact, I might just go and watch some right now. ☺

All right, so I think this entry has been a little bit all over the place. But I suppose that is a reflection on the mind of a college student right before exams – we’re going stir crazy and want to go home, but there’s just so much more that we have to do here. Either way, I’m going to attempt to study some more now…or maybe just watch the snow.

Turkey Day!

So, in light of the fact that Thanksgiving is coming around soon, I thought I’d give a quick little list of some of the things I’m thankful for. Cheesy? Yes. But that’s all right with me.

I’m thankful for the Michigan football team, because even though we’ve lost WAAY more games than we’ve won this season, nothing beats walking down to the stadium, no matter the weather, and screaming your lungs out until your voice is completely gone.

I’m thankful for New Life Church, where I’ve been able to find this amazing community of friends that has become exactly like a family to me.

I’m thankful for chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate in the winter from Beanster’s in the League.

I’m thankful for my best friend Bri, who I met at orientation, yet we’re so close that people think we were best friends in high school too.

I’m thankful that they FINALLY put a Taco Bell on campus in the League so we can pay with Blue Bucks.

I’m thankful for the Residential College Intensive Spanish program, which allowed me to become more fluent in Spanish in one semester than I had been in 4 years of high school.

I’m thankful for IM sports that allow me to make sweet catches, play a sport although I’m not at all athletic and grow tight with a group of friends that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

I’m thankful for coffee shops like the Common Cup (my personal favorite) where you can study without distractions and have something tasty to drink.

I’m thankful for warm clothes, especially in the winter when it starts to get freezing.

At the same time, I’m thankful for big fat flakes of snow, and sitting in the 4th floor Tyler/Greene lounge in East Quad and watching it fall outside the window.

I’m thankful for the fact that Michigan has such an awesome connection with study abroad programs that’s allowing me to study in Madrid next semester as a sophomore.

I’m thankful that North Campus is only a short bus ride away…and it’s totally worth it to go to the Dude to study.

I’m thankful for East Quad and the people that live there (trust me, the stereotypes are NOT true…well, at least not completely).

I’m thankful for the Grad Library, with the high ceilings and beautiful paintings in the Reference Room.

I’m thankful that, whenever I’m at home, the smell of coffee immediately reminds me of school and the coffee shops that are on every street corner.

I’m thankful for walking through the archway to the Diag at 10pm and having the G-Men (a male a capella group) serenade you.

I’m thankful for dorms, where you don’t have to make food and you live practically within two feet of all of your best friends.

I’m thankful for the prayer room at the University Lutheran Chapel during the winter months…it was my safe haven last year.

I’m thankful for midnight movies (like TWILIGHT!) and the fact that movie theatres are within driving distance…because I’ve come to see movies as more of a treat than something to do every Friday night.

Most of all, I’m thankful for my past two years here. They’ve been pretty much amazing, and I wouldn’t take them back for anything.

U of M's Comeback Against MSU in 2004? I'll Top That.

This Wednesday, I played some coed intramural flag football with my friend’s team from our church, Southwest Toot Toot. It has something to do with a train, I think, but I’m not exactly sure why that’s the name. ☺ Now, let’s just say, I’m not a very athletic person. I’m not very coordinated…if any kind of ball is thrown at me, it usually hits me in the face. Seriously. When we were playing catch before the game, I went to catch a football while holding my bag and hit myself in the face with my water bottle, which was inside my bag. I have a nasty bruise on my cheek from it.

Once we were playing, though, it was great. I felt like I was part of an actual football team – like middle school flag football, but way more intense. I mean, I’m no Sam McGuffie (or I guess, Jake Long, since I was blocking most of the time ☺), but I got to block by using my shoulders (no shoving allowed, sadly) and get my team pumped up. I didn’t really understand what was being said inside the huddle, but I know that I was having fun trying to be hardcore and pretending I was a player on the U of M team.

All of a sudden, in the huddle, I was told to go be a wide receiver. I just laughed…of course, Brad, our QB, wasn’t going to throw it to me. I just ran after the snap like a crazy person, and I wasn’t covered or anything. After a few seconds of running, I realized I should probably turn around…I was WAAY downfield from the rest of the team. Laughing, I cut in and noticed, surprisingly, that Brad hadn’t thrown the ball yet. I jumped up and down and waved to get his attention, and he launched the ball.

I don’t think I realized that I actually was signaling to Brad to throw the football to me, implying that I would catch it, until it was spiraling towards me. Memories of softballs hitting me in the forehead flashed through my mind, but I kept my eyes on the ball, reached my hands up, panicked for a second, and then felt the ball slide into my hands.

I’m pretty sure I stood there for a solid second in shock. Then, realizing I was holding a live ball and an entire team mostly made up of men was hurtling down the field at me, I kept up my squeal of shock as I turned and sprinted toward the goal line. I think I only made it a yard before my flag was pulled, but the aftermath was epic.

It was like one of those scenes from a movie where the music starts to play and everything goes in slow motion…my teammates came down the field yelling and giving me high-fives, slapping me on the shoulder, giving me hugs…I was still holding the football like a trophy, and someone kept trying to hand me back my flag, but I just wasn’t paying any attention. I’m pretty sure I was laughing hysterically in a high-pitched voice the whole time, still in shock.

My team went on to win 6-0 (although, sadly, the touchdown was not caused by my sweet 30-yard catch), and since we’re 2-0, we’re heading to the playoffs next week. I don’t think I’m ever going to handle the football again during one of our games, but I’m pretty sure I’ll remember the most epic catch of my life and my teammates faces and yells as I incredulously held that football in my hands.