Today was fun

Sooo...I did pretty much 3 things today...I woke up, I went to work, then I went to a track meet for 6 hours! Now...I'm gonna go to bed cuz watching people run in a circle for 6 hours really makes one dizzy :-S !!! I got to see a good friend from high school today. We didn't go to high school together but I met him at a track meet through another good friend of mine. He was running today so it was great to see him again and be able to catch up on what's happening in our lives.

Wow, I need to go to bed, I'm so tired it's crazy! Today was tiring and great all at the same time...*sigh* Goodnight.

Happy and still upset

Here's the scoop.

I'm in college...NOT high school OR junior high and most people would think that drama stops after high school...I wish that were the case. I just don't know what else to do, so if anyone has ANY advise PLEASE by all means, tell me!

My roommate and my next door neighbor are good friends, we got along up until about 2-3 weeks ago. They suddenly decided that they are going to study abroad next semester in Italy. 1. They are freshman. 2. One doesn't even know what she wants to do, she just "wants" to go. 3. They are pretty much broke, so daddy's going to pitch in...A LOT. Anyway, I was totally happy for them. I've always wanted to study abroad...when I was say a junior or a little bit older than just 19. They are both 18 and just kinda do things spare the moment and it's getting REALLY annoying. My roommate and I were planning on living together next fall as well...up until they pulled the rug out from under me and drop this platter of great news on me. I can't get a single room and I didn't want to get another roommate, especially after this. So one of my other good friends and I are deciding to room together, cause my roommate now says she wants to room with my neighbor and I should room with this other girl because it would be better, which is true, but they did this all during the week of reassigning for rooms, pretty much a day late. Well anyway! Now that they are going to Italy next year they're all happy and together and yippy aye yay mother...yeah so they don't acknowledge me or my other friends presence in a room. They stopped eating with us. If I come back from work my roommate will get up and leave the room until I leave...it is so awkward...I hate it!!! Also...they "claim" they are broke...I beg to differ. When my friend and I wanted to go see a movie about a week ago we asked them to come along, but no a 5 o'clock movie is too late and they don't have any money anyway. Okay, if that's what they want. So why did they go get their hair done and spend OVER $100 on just one head of hair?!?! seriously...the movie was say what...$5...ouch! talk about penny pincher...(ok whatever) then they go shopping the other day, just up and leave and come back bragging that they spend $150 in one store. I'm sorry, whatever happened to being broke?? I think I missed something, did they strike gold somewhere on campus and fail to mention that or what? I'm not quite sure. It's not my problem and I shouldn't bother me, but the fact they don't talk to my friend and myself anymore (btw we were GREAT friends during the first semester, but the true colors are coming out evedentally) really trips my trigger. They completely ignore us and we just want to know why. I tried this afternoon to confront one of them about the situation, but she failed to answer me at all. All I've got to say is that this whole "Italy trip" has got to their heads...let's see them make it through the summer, they live a state apart. BUT WHATEVER!!! I'm laughing inside, really I am, because this is jr. high/high school maturity level showing...I know my mentioning this on my blog is immature as well, but I needed to vent...BAD! (as you can obviously see) SO...I ask you...if you have ANY advice...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... tell me! I'd love to hear it! Thanks so much!

Thoughts of the day

Well another day has come and gone. I'm in the mood to watch a movie, but that's nothing new to me. I decided to write a quick entry before I go about the rest of my evening.

As I was sitting in my physical geography class this morning I had a thought come to mind. I've been known to change my mind a lot, and I don't see why this idea should be any different. I had a thought of what I might want to major in. Now I know people change majors all the time and that's its perfectly okay, I am aware of this. However, I thought this one through and I may have some potential in this field. I've been telling myself the last month or two that I want to travel and help others in far away places, but that costs money and a ton of time on my part. Not that I'm not willing to give up my time to help others, if I could travel and help out I would do it. Going to Africa is one of my goals right now...I really really REALLY want to go! But I fear that my mom wouldn't like that idea. My dad would probably ask a dozen questions then give me a kiss and a hug and say good luck, but Mom, I dunno about. She's always said that she would love to go see certain places around the world, I mean who doesn't, but just once I'd like to take her somewhere, ANYWHERE. I understand living on a farm gives one limited time to travel and do the things that others are fortunate enough to do in a lifetime. But she got to go to Colorado two years ago with my brothers and sister, I didn't go because I had to stay behind and help my dad on the farm. I was totally bummed, but I had got to go to Orlando the previous summer or the summer before, but whatever I can see how that's fair. However, I'm older now and I have a better appreciation for certain things, or I think so anyway. She's wanted to go to the field in Pennsylvania where flight 93 crashed ever since she saw the movie, and I would love to spend a week in the summer going there with her, but she probably wouldn't do it. I know that time is an issue, but we're not getting any younger and who knows what tomorrow will bring. I guess in a way I seem rather, greedy, is that what I'm feeling? I'm not sure, but I would love to take a mother daughter vacation with her and my older sister someday.

NOW, back to my idea. I thought of majoring in Elementary Education maybe between 3rd-5th grade. I've always been really good with kids. I worked at a daycare, I baby-sat a lot growing up, and I was in boomerang in high school-a program that goes around to middle schools and teaches 5th graders the six pilars of character. I guess with all my experience with kids I tried to avoid them, but now that I realize I'm good with them, maybe that's my calling. I'm just kinda touching the topic but it's and idea nonetheless. I was pretty excited when I thought of it. My best friend is going to school for Elem. Ed. after switching from Animal Science. I was shocked but it fits her perfectly and she loves her job tutoring kids. I'm going to try and find an organization on campus or a program in town that maybe I could get involved in that would be a good experience/job to get me more knowledgeable about the subject. I'm pretty excited and wanted to share my news!

Anyway, before I watch my movie..hehehe...I have to figure out what to write my informative speech on for my oral comm. class. I have a few ideas but still not real sure. I was thinking maybe childhood obesity/nutrition at school. Just an idea. I have the rest of the night to figure it out. Ugh...school is SO not my cup of tea. All well...I'll live : )

Thankful for things unknown

As I grow older I'm learning more and more with every passing day. I grew up on a dairy farm in Northeast Iowa. Growing up on a farm was an amazing experience and as I look back I wouldn't want to grow up any other way.

I can remember being about 3 or 4 years old and we had a milk cart that held the milkers, sanitizer spray bottles, water bucket and other tid-bits used during the milking process. I would sit inside the cart and hand my older brother and sister the rags to wash the cows teats clean. As I got older I would have to go out for chores and feed the baby calves their bottle of milk and their ration of grain. I also had to help feed the cows their grain and hay. My younger brother and I usually had this chore, while my older siblings had to help dad milk cows or take care of the heifers in the cowyard or the steers behind the barn. My younger brother and I also had the job of cleaning barn...yes unfortunately the barn doesn't clean itself. After the cows get down doing their natural duty...hint hint...we had to come in a scrape it all in the gutters so it could get pumped to the lagoon (first rule of thumb set by mother: NEVER go play around the lagoon without adult supervision) after scraping we had to spread bits of limstone which we called "lime" or "lyme" whichever I suppose (never looked at the spelling on the bag! after all those years!) and we had to chop straw for the cows bedding. After cleaning barn we threw hay and gave the cows their grain. Next came the sad part...letting all the cows back in the barn just so they could mess it up again. This process is a daily routine.

As a kid I can remember enjoying being outside with my younger brother doing chores and being with daddy. We would always goof off and try to make our chores into a game, sometimes stalling and making dad mad for being slow at getting our job done and keeping him out in the barn longer than needed. As the years progressed...my slowness got worse, just ask my mother. As a teenager in junior high and high school...chores weren't something that I looked forward to doing after I got home from school, however with older brother and sister gone at college someone had to help dad out in the barn. Not wanting to go out and help I was slow and usually got my butt chewed out for being slow by either one of my parents. Once I got out to the barn things got better and turned out not to be that bad.

As a college student I obviously don't have to do farm chores anymore, but I'm in charge of several personal responsiblities that no one is going to do for me except myself. Thanks to past experience growing up on a farm I've learned that being slow and slackish isn't the attitude to have towards college. Professors don't remind you that you have a missing assignment out and they aren't going to feel sorry for you when you come whining to them saying you missed the last two weeks of class because "you didn't feel like it". Reality is this is the point in your life when you start becoming who you really are and portraying your attitude towards the world around you and how you're going to deal with issues in everyday life. I'll admit, sometimes I can't handle it and I get stressed out to the point I just need to let it out and sometimes cry. Crying does wonders for me when I'm stressed out. Crying and sleeping does wonders..maybe this sounds babyish and immature but sometimes that's what it takes for me to get through tough situations. Mind you I do this in the privacy of my own room and NOT in public! That would be very immature!

I guess I just hope that people don't take things for granted. Growing up my parents always reminded me that someday I would thank them for making me do chores and having me wake up "early" or the fact that I wasn't able to go to all the fun things because other things had to be done at home first. I learned that way; at the time I hated it, but now I'm glad it went that way. I feel so blessed that I got to see my parents practially every single day of my life up until I moved to college. How many kids nowadays can say that? I want my parents to know that I am truly thankful that God put me where he did. I wouldn't want to grow up any other way. I wouldn't change a thing about my childhood, because of those days and memories I am who I am today because of that. Yes, mom if you read this, I enjoyed helping dad milk cows over winter break. We had good talks about random stuff and that was something that we didn't do a whole lot when I was in high school. And mom, I enjoy just talking with you about anything, and watching movies and sitting with the kitties. Miss Kitty was a gift from beyond the blue, without her in our lives who knows how things at home would be now.

So I guess I just want to say to everyone, recall your childhood. What was good? What was bad? Do you regret anything? What did you learn? Don't take it for granted because you're only young once.

Fear of the future

As a college student, I often sit and ponder the thought of what will I do with my life. As I said, I'm in college at the moment, and without a major. I'm only a freshman, but that doesn't make me feel any better about my "situation". I feel lost and scared. I have made three wonderful friends here at school and two of them have their minds set on what they want to do with their lives; while the other friend and myself sit back and I guess in a sense "enjoy the ride". We both talk time to time about how scary it is not knowing what we want out of life. I've contemplated several different options, non of which seem to ever pull through to my ever wandering mind. Commitment is an intimidating thing to a person who isn't as experienced as others (yes, I'll admit it.). I'm reminded that I'm still young and have plenty of time to make up my mind. I know they've been in my shoes, but as the present wearer of those shoes it isn't a comfortable situation. I've always been passionate about travelling. I've always pondered and wished that I could just travel for the rest of my life. I want to go to so many places, but travelling costs $$$...and to be quite honest, what person at my age is well equipped with $$$ for travelling? Very few, unless you're dad is Donald Trump. I've seriously considered the thought of joining the Peace Corp. However, I don't know if I could live with being away from my family and friends for two years. I've always had a dream of "going down in history"; when I was a kid I loved history, and I always wanted to be a part of it. Now that I'm older I feel that if I had the opportunity to help out others less fortunate than I, I might be able to accomplish my childhood dream and go down in my own history. I understand that I'm still young, in less than a month it'll be my birthday, and I'll be a year older and a year "wiser". However, the age I'm turning is so....boring. I guess I long for an adventure; but I guess everyone does at one point or another. I trust that God will show me my life calling with prayer and patience. I can't give up on God, he hasn't given up on me; it seems only fair. For now I think I'll sleep on the subject, because in the words of Scarlet O'Hara "...after all, tomorrow is another day."

off and running!

So I guess there's no better place to start than at the beginning. I'm new to this blogging thing. I found out about it through my mom, who is a big fan of blogging and got me interested so I decided to give it a whirl.

Rachel