I want a t-shirt that says: I Survived Finals at ____ University!

I survived finals. Not that many of them resembled traditional finals. I had two exams, two presentations and two letters to write. Prior to all that madness, was the week(s) of the paper.

I think that everything came off well. I did my best. I didn't obsess though. The hardest part of finals for me is letting go of my expectations and perfectionism. I think I did well this time. I went to the Christian club Christmas Party. I celebrated a friend's birthday by going out to eat. Basically, I didn't hibernate with my books while biting my nails. I watched a Lord Peter Wimsey DVD and fell in love with his chair:

It's not the best picture but I really like the pattern and colors. I also sprinkled my studying with Lord Peter short stories.

Back to finals... (the thought process here is representative of finals week) :)

My exam on Monday for Learning and Teaching was straight forward but I think I write too much! The physics exam was straight forward. There were a couple of points I could have studied better but over all it was a good straight forward test. It helps when the TEN point extra credit portion came straight from the review session the day before. I am so glad I didn't skip!

The group presentation for culture went well. The professor brought pizza since we were the last and only group to present that day. How to ensure an audience: food. The presentation went well; my closing was inspired by God since none of us had prepared a closing. I had a lovely chat after class with the professor regarding adoption outside of one's ethnicity and culture. Adoption is near and dear to my heart and I was curious as to what I could/should do as a someday mother of children that may not look like me or be of the same culture.

I spent most of my study time working on a narrated power point presentation on national education standards. It worked out but was super time consuming.

For my major pro seminar class, I had to turn in an action piece for my critical issue. I ended up writing to my senators and representative regarding national education standards. The second half of the project was justifying my reasoning.

The last letter, was to the president of the university regarding student support of the climate change initiative. That was ridiculous as our lab data was totally flawed and not useful. It was nice though to write the letter with new friends.

To round out the finals week experience, I had my post-final dream. I always have a dream after finals where I'm late to class, forgot something or missed the final. This time I was there for the physics final but was too distracted to write! I was approached by another student in the dream to take their test for them. The teacher caught on to what happened (I said no) and the other student turned in their paper with my name written all over it. The dream ended with me trying to convince the professor that I should be allowed to finish my test. He was being non-committal (just like in real life). He finally asks me to explain what I studied. I blank, and when I start to give a really good explanation of what nuclear fission is: I wake up. At that point I have to give myself a reality check of what is real and that I did finish all my finals!

Friday I was car-less as the alternator went out Thursday resulting in a tow, finding a new auto shop and a fun evening out with friends culminating in a Trader Joes run. On Friday, I went to the graduating senior project/thesis presentations. I am now really excited about the possibilities for my project! I got my car back yesterday after a introduction to the local bus system and enjoyed a quiet evening. At least until I went to bed! But that is a story for another day.

I am off to the land of Spare Oom.
Enjoy the Holiday!

Music

(Photo by Lora)

I'm itching for music. I can't just turn on the radio or itunes and be satisfied. No, this itching is in my fingers. My fingers are itching for an instrument other than this (laptop) keyboard. In the absence of an instrument I've taken to typing my notes to music and keeping the beat!

I was in Target on Monday and while desperately looking for a piece of electronics that I will never use again save for this one class (ahem) I saw IT. A keyboard, on and waiting to be played. I stopped an played a bit but I couldn't compete with the Christmas music. Can you say discordant? :)

Over the Thanksgiving holidays, I had the opportunity to see my brother play piano for the first time since starting classes. I was impressed with his ability. He's integrated his drumming theory to the piano to create an amazing composition. My goal over Christmas is to work with him to transcribe it. One of my favorite memories from break is slipping into the music room at church after the Thanksgiving service and trading knowledge back and forth on the piano. This trading will be short-lived. "B" is taking music theory and will soon outstrip my meager ability.

Since being at the University, I've had little contact with musical instruments. Target, Thanksgiving and borrowing someone's guitar at a beach bonfire have been the extent of my musical moments. I'm looking forward to going home, being able to play on "my" piano, and celebrate the first coming of our Lord and Savior. Just one more week and a bit!

So I promised a post on thankfulness and/or Thanksgiving... Right now I am truly thankful to make it through this week! I had something due everyday but Wednesday and a lot of them were writing projects or research papers. Thus, instead of a long wordy post, I will rest my wrists and give you pictures instead!

I'm thankful for:

The sky to rest my eyes and renew my heart...

Pea blossoms (which grow up to become peas!)

A certain, special cat with discerning taste!

SNOW!!!

Fall color and fruits

Family, new and old friends, new and old churches, moments of rest, learning, teaching, loving, the past and the anticipation of what's ahead.

I'm most thankful that we have personal, loving God who through Jesus Christ took the sin of the world. During this season of Advent, I'm especially reminded of how we are to be watchful, desirous and yearning for his return.

And I'm thankful.

Spare Rooms

Anne considered them a thrill and an honor, a certain faun referred to it as the land of Spare Oom and I am currently residing in the one at my grandmother's house. I'm on a brief holiday from school; however, my family doesn't have a spare bed so I'm in the "front" (spare) bedroom.

I'm enjoying the holiday and I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. I have so much that I'm thankful for this year. Being at my grandmother's is a blessing and I'm enjoying my time with her and my family. I've also enjoyed visiting my church family! On Tuesday, I finished my volunteer work with my 4th grade class and we had a delightful class party.

One of the best parts of being home has been the delightful fall weather and colorful leaves. The trees at the University are evergreen and the few deciduous liquidambar trees have been holding onto their green leaves. I've had some long talks with them about fall and changing colors etc. Coming home has felt wonderful with cold and wet weather. The trees are decked out in the most gorgeous display and it finally feels like fall!


However, I don't have internet in the land of Spare Oom so I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to post until next week. I also have several papers, projects and assorted assignments due when I get back so it may be awhile before I post words. I will post some pictures though!

A week in the college life of Lora

This post is actually a part of the blog carnival happening over at the Young Ladies Christian Fellowship where lots of discussion about schedules and routines has been happening.

I started working on this when I first heard about the blog carnival but then I got sick and everything is a bit behind. Warning: long post ahead, read with caution... ;)

Here is my week:

I do dishes after every meal but cooking happens in chunks. I tend to cook enough for 3-4 dinners at a time so I cook about three times a week. The good news for me and the fridge space is: I have finally figured out how to make enough rice or pasta for just a couple meals. After cooking for the family it was hard to adjust to cooking just a little rice or pasta. Plus, I got tired of eating the same starch for a week!

My morning routine is get up, cleaned up, dressed and fed. I don't hassle with makeup and my hair is scrunch and go; so, it cuts down on how long it takes me to get ready, Evening routine: sometime after dinner and homework, brush teeth, wash face, get ready for bed and hopefully be in bed before 10 where I read until too late (Bible and/or pleasure or school books).

Here's a generalized week:

Mondays and Wednesdays

6:45 wake up (6:30 if I’m really being proactive)

7:25 out the door for the shuttle to main campus

8:00-9:20 Introduction to Teaching and Learning (it's fun community learning based class with great interactions between students)

9:20-9:45 “Studying” with friends in the Library

10:00-11:20 (I think… I have too much fun to think about the time) Physics

Depending on the day and homework load, I go home and work on homework or go to the library or computer labs and do more homework or I go home and goof off while making lunch. This also depends on if I made and brought a lunch with me.

1:25 Leave for Shuttle if I’m home

or

1:45 Start walking towards class

2:00-4:00 Computer Class/Nap Time – I’m being honest here… the class puts me to sleep. It would be easier if the teacher gave us the assignment and guided us with less lecture. Although she’s been starting to do that more…

After classes, I go home and do more homework, eat dinner and watch something on the computer. Sometimes I run and do a little shopping at Target but I try to keep that to a minimum. My goal each night is to be in bed by 9:30; I might still be studying but I’m in bed and hopefully asleep by 10:30.

Tuesdays and Thursday

In the mornings, I volunteer at a local elementary school as part of my classes. I’m currently working with 4^th graders in Math and English Language Arts (ELA). The goal is to learn about the classroom environment/management and teaching styles. I love the kids but it’s hard to see their knowledge gaps (I work with the lower performing students) and wonder how they’ll ever catch up.

4:00-5:50 Physics Lab (Tuesday only)

6:00- 7:30 Culture and Diversity class

8:00- ? Christian club (Tuesday only) Fellowship with great teaching and worship

Thursdays and sometimes Fridays are Library days and shopping days. I usually pick up meats, dairy and grains (or goodies) on my way home from volunteering at the school. Recently Thursday has also added writing lab reports up with my lab partner before our culture class. I also type my notes for Friday’s class and do the readings for Culture.

Friday

8:00-11:00 Upper Division Major Exploration

I spend the rest of theday working on homework if I have something due that evening or Monday, I may tidy things up or I relax and go for a walk, watch some tv or a movie, read or work in my little garden. Friday is also Fellowship Friday with the Christian club.

Friday and sometimes Saturday is Laundry Day. I have a good block of time to run everything through. The trick is I have to wait until after 12 on Saturday to do laundry or vacuum since we have some late risers here. The picture is of my "clothesline". I can't have a clothesline so I've used my table and chair to dry sheets and towels on sunny days.

Saturdays have been anything but consistent but typically sometime during the weekend I’m doing something with friends. Service Saturdays with the Christian club helps with that. Physics homework is usually a Saturday task.

Sunday is church time. This week I didn’t go to church since I was sick but I’ll go this week. Sunday School has been a different experience at this new church and I don’t know what to think about it. I really enjoy the church itself and I’ve been consistently attending the main service. I did check a couple churches out but this one seems to be the best fit at this point. After 18 years at one church, finding a good fit has been hard.

After church, I finish my shopping with a visit to the local farmers market where I round out my stores with fresh vegetables and fruits. This is the easiest and best place to find organic produce without driving 15 minutes. I usually come home and if possible not do homework but keep the day dedicated to God but honestly, that’s happened maybe twice this whole semester. Sometimes I go to the evening service at church but that’s also happened twice. Usually school or my procrastination/forgetfulness gets in the way of this.

This is my routine and schedule for now and in a couple days I'll know what my schedule for next semester will look like but for now this works. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've enjoyed this peek into my week!

Saturday!

So after 6+hours of staring at the computer screen yesterday, working on the research paper, I could close my eyes and the lines of print never went away... So I took a break of being on the computer and relaxed.

My body, however, had different plans for this morning. So instead of sleeping in, I was up at 5:00 and by 6:30, I had made flashcards, breakfasted, showered and was off to participate in a cause walk. I wasn't planning on going but I said that if I woke up in time, I would go...

Famous last words...

But, the walk was awesome... Well, maybe not the walk part since it was a bit anticlimactic but the memories we made! Driving with friends, singing along to songs, going to this cute little zoo, playing on the playground, In N Out and getting lost while trying to go home.

The oddest part:
being told by an automated voice that loitering (in the park) was prohibited and our pictures were being sent to the police department. Hmm... What do people do in parks other than loiter? And FYI, we were walking. Not stopping, just walking. Well, the police department now has great pics of our awesome orange and white homemade shirts.

My favorite part: calling my mom for directions on the way home. I told her that I was with friends and we went on an adventure and got lost. She asked me where I was. I told her ___ city (~ 2hrs away) which then spawned the rest of the people in the car to suggest other alternatives such as the following:

• Hey Mom, I went for a drive... Why do all the license plates say Wyoming?
• Hey Mom, there's this border crossing thing and all the agents are wearing red with funny hats...
• Hey Mom, I went for a walk and now I see this sign: where's Ca-nad-a?

More posts forthcoming... stay tuned!

How does the garden grow?

When we planted the peas, I wasn't sure how to support them without purchasing a lot of materials. As it turned out, Mom had saved some old netting and on a short visit home I found some unused stakes that I could use...

The netting is attached to the balcony railing with yellow yarn that I borrowed from another project. This will hopefully keep the weight of the peas from dragging the netting down.
There were also a few strategically placed nails on the railing (from the previous tenants) that proved quite useful.

The first planter.

I think this is mid-thinning...

And this is this week: