The promised creepy story!

Here it is!

She stares up at the natural wall of timber rising above, thrilled and made eager by their beauty. An edge of apprehension and wild rumination tickle the back of her neck and make her only more excited to enter this silently forbidden forest. The tall trees rise majestically out of the mist around her. She looks around in awe at the timberland’s stately beauty. She twirls with a laugh, amazed by the silence of the woods and the slight spookiness of its splendor. The young woman smiles and looked around again, wondering why on earth nobody ever comes here. Again, she feels a slight prickle along the back of her neck.

A small shadow stretches out underneath one of the trees, reaching toward her. She does not notice it at first, until she falls flat down on her face as it spirals around her ankle. The scrape along her cheek does not even match her bewilderment. Shadows and tendrils are reaching toward her from all sides. She stumbles upright, confusion translating into piercing fear as the darkness lengthens at her, seeming to open hungrily around her. Small cracks of darkness open at her feet, and she bolts away in horror as her fears spring to ghastly life all around her.

The young woman’s terrified running brings her sharply to the edge of a cliff. She scrapes to a stop, looking down into the yawning chasm with wide and sickly morbid eyes. A warm whisper of a breeze brushes her cheek, causing her to look around quickly. She steps back from the edge, and as exhaustion creeps into her muscles she stumbles away from the cliff edge and back into the frightening forest.

She can hear water running nearby. Thirst stabs surprisingly through her mouth and throat, and she pursues the sound avidly. Though she fears she cannot escape the horrors and shocks of this strange wildwood, she responds to the need of the moment. She finds a river curving tempestuously around an ancient oak tree. She drops to her knees at the water’s edge and drinks her fill of the cold liquid before straightening again and looking up. The branches of the venerable tree are winding and spreading in almost unbelievable ways. Admiration of the eerie beauty can only last until exhaustion strikes.

Her body sinks wearily down against the gnarled bark. The numbing chill in the air reaches deep into her tired bones. She seems to think she recognizes a vaguely familiar scent, but she dismisses her own intuition. Her journey through these woods has allowed the abstract and imaginary to run rampant already. She closes her eyes, and her toes slip into the frigid water. She can feel the chill of the almost glacially cold liquid spreading up her legs and through her body.

Suddenly, she can sense the warm feel of arms wrapping around her. Tired tears form under her lashes as the tender love of the closest one she has ever cared for envelops her. A smile drifts across her features. Somehow, even after the dizzyingly long adventure with its fears and contortions, she feels content and safe

qotd

So far, it comes from this.

My brother is playing outside in the snow, and all of a sudden my sister gets up and goes to the back door. She leans out and yells, "Leave Bart and his yarmalka alone!"

A few days before, she had made a snowman, named him Bart, and given him a yarmalka. He was leaning pretty heavily to one side.... A few days later, his head and yarmalka fell off.

Finals week=super busy

That is all.
*chu*

Dear Angie,

This is mostly to you, I guess. I hope you're having a spectacular week, and that your semester ends soon. I would like to try and get together with you, if possible!

First, I want to apologize for missing your call the other day. I was at a Christmas party. I hope you had a wonderful time at the art museum! I seem to have developed forget-your-phone-itis over the last few days. It's rather irksome.

Also, congratulations! I'm so happy for you and Matt! Please accept my best and most hopeful wishes and forward them to him as well. I can't believe that you've already come to this point in your life.... It seems like not so long ago that we were pretending to be ponies in your backyard... and now you're an engaged young lady! When did that happen?! Well, other than the obvious being about a week and a half ago..... The time really flies, right?

And finally, I've managed to do it again..... >.<# I was playing with a girl at church yesterday and I rechambered a kick right into a metal chair leg. Translation of that being: I slammed my heel into one of those metal chair legs in the sanctuary. It's not broken, just bruised up pretty spectacularly. I'm sorry!!!!

Anyway, I hope that finals (projects, tests, and otherwise) go well for you, and that you have a spectacular Christmas. I love you, darling!

With all the best,
-Lalaith


Note to anyone: Have you noticed that after the first ten minutes or so of icing (like with an ice-pack, not sugary-paste) it gets to be almost unbearable?

In response to a recent Zales commercial

Dear potential/possible future boyfriend/fiance,

If you ever knock on a window on my house, the likelihood of me being instantly smiley and happy to see you is virtually nonexistent. Please remember, I have grown up in a less than stellar neighborhood, and if you knock on my window, I'll probably dive for a baseball bat or something similarly effective for self-defense. It's probably a good idea to call me to warn me that you're coming over, or if you want to surprise me, just knock on my door. I just thought it would be good to warn you of this.

Future love,
-Lyssa

Hurrah!

One of my classes is done now, hooray!
Another one will be done tomorrow.
Very exciting!
The end of the semester is in sight!

Also....

YAY, ANGIE!!!!! Congratulations, you lovely darling!

Directions

I am trying to figure out what the best thing for this blog will be. It's a bit interesting at the moment, because I know that when I figure out things that are fairly deep or profound I want to post them here, but those things can be few and far between. Other than that, I have been trying different things when I think of them, but I'm not sure what you guys have thought of what I've tried. As soon as the semester ends, I'm going to post an essay that I wrote for class, but I don't want to take a chance on anyone thinking that I plagiarized in any way. So... a few more weeks until a lovely and creepy little story. ^_^ Yay? I think that if I think of any little stories to write, I'll put them up here, what's the thought on that?

Really, I'm trying to get a feel for what you guys think. Please comment and tell me.
Thank you very much.
*chu*

Yummy treats

So... my week has been a little rough so far. I've been very busy, and that's not really going to change over the next few weeks.

In light of this, I'm posting a few little treats that have brightened my week a bit. Mike, if you ever read this, I know that they're not good for me (for the most part), but I have been enjoying them. ;)

First is something I would not and will not get very often. It is a McCafe hot chocolate. It was surprisingly good! Very rich and yummy, a definite pick-me-up for a drizzly day.Next is something that really makes me smile. They are called kancho snacks, and are kind of like little chocolate filled cookies. I found them at a Korean market near my house. They are cheap, fun, tasty, and very cute.

When I have these, I typically
share them with any friends that I have around.
I also share them with my family. However, I like to make sure that I have quite a few left for myself, because I love them so very much. ^_^# This is one of the few things that I do not share freely....


The next treat is something that I think I invented! Someone somewhere has probably thought of it and made it before, but I just discovered it and it was VERY good.
You all know that I love green tea, right? Well, I do. I really do. However, I am a wimp and do not like it very strong most days. The other day I was making myself a lovely mug of green tea, but I let it steep for longer than I really enjoy. So... to save the cup of deliciousness, I added a little bit of my Mom's hazelnut creamer. Imagine my surprise when it was absolutely delicious! The cream sweetened the tea and added a rich... well, creaminess to it. Also, the sweetness allows me to steep the tea for longer and get more of its healthy goodness. I am definitely hooked on this as a delicious winter drink. (Sorry for the moderately crappy picture quality, I took it with my webcam.)

Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish anyone and everyone who reads this a very happy Thanksgiving. I might come up with some deep thoughts about it sometime, but now is not that time. God bless you and keep you safe during travels and family get-togethers. May you be filled with a sense of joy and an awareness of all of the things He has placed in your life. May his blessings go with you.

Soli Deo Gloria.

First I'd like to thank you guys for taking my survey. I'm thrilled by the turnout, and incredibly grateful.
Second, have I ever said how much I love the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron? Well, I love it. It is a truly spectacular movie, mostly because of the music. I love it so much! The music makes me cry.... *sitting in the living room crying* Wah!!! I love it!

I was talking with my Mom about it earlier today.

Me: I love this movie so much! The music is great.... And this movie gets more in touch with my emotions than most.
Mom: That's what music does. It gets you in touch with your emotions.

She is totally right.

PLEASE TAKE MY SURVEY!!!

Dear friends (and anyone else who might stumble across this),

This link is to a survey that I am doing for school. Please take a moment to fill it out, it is really quite short. Thank you very much.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/866GR9R



Also, I am going to be going out of town for Thanksgiving week, so... be waiting? I'm not sure if a week away will be more inspiring or stifling than usual life. Thanks!
*chu*

Dazed

So... I'm sick. I really don't feel good at all. I have spent most of today sleeping. I have class in the morning, and am (for the first time ever) considering not going to class.

In light of today's weirdness and my confusion and dazedness I am:
-Not good at writing
-Easily confused
-Thankful that the paper I thought was due wasn't due today
-Dazed
-Having chills and aches
-Odd. I gave my friend a new nickname today. He's now Bunny. Yay Bunny!

If I have a fever or throw up, I won't go to class in the morning, otherwise I'll be there I guess..... Crap, yeah, I've got to go on campus. *soft sigh*
Please pray my friends.
Thanks.
*chu*

*sigh*

So... seriously? I am having definite writer's block. I need to write an illustrative paper by Wednesday, and I cannot think of a topic to save my life right now.

Any ideas???

I think I'm going more insane from this.

On a better note, I've gotten my presentation for tomorrow almost completely together. I just want to come up with a few visual aids or something.... It's a 5-7 minute long presentation, so... I don't know. Should I do visual aids???
Grr....

Aiya... I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving break.

@_@

Today's inspiration: a busy day and sociology lecture on Race & Ethnicity:

#1) My classmates are a bit ridiculous this morning.
#2) When I talk in class, my face gets hot, and I totally think that I'm blushing brightly.
#3) Everyone is speaking bluntly today. O_O Like... really blunt.
#4) Discrimination against ANY race is racism.
#5) I wish that this didn't have to be such a problem....

Anyway, I'm going to re-emphasize the fourth point. That is, discrimination against any race is racism. It's not just when "white people" say or do something against "the minorities". If you are being discriminated due to your race or the color of your skin, it is racism.

I think that's it for now.
*chu*

Today is hopefully going to be very good. I'm putting a rough outline of my week here now.

Tuesday:
-Campus at noon for an International week event
-homework/chores

Wednesday:
-Optometrist appt. 10:45
-Campus at noon for another International week event
-homework/chores

Thursday:
-Campus at 9 for class
-International event at 11... I'll probably be late because of class
-Hang around campus for a while (hopefully get homework done[nope. no homework. just amazing internationalness!])
-Interment of Grandpa's ashes at 2
-hanging out with extended family
-Probably not YG [hai! I made it!!!]

Friday:
-homework/chores
-maybe Livonia?
-Curiosity about Angie?
-Free Trade event at 7

Saturday:
-football at noon
-probably Livonia

Sunday:
-Church at 10
-Discipleship Groups (fancy words for Sunday School) 'til sometime
-Start of Small Group
-homework

^_^
So... hopefully it will be a good week!

;-;

So... I'm not feeling spectacular today. Please pray for me, as I have quite a bit of work to get done today and this week. It promises to be a good, or at the very least interesting, week. I hope to have a wonderful time with everything I can. I do have something going on every day of the week other than today. If you were at dinner with my family tonight, I'm sorry I missed you, but I'm just not feeling up to it....

Anyway, here's a picture of me today.I gave myself a sucker because I needed a pick-me-up....=3 Hehehe....

Uhh... yes. This is fun and funny to me. Also, since I think boys never look at this, I don't mind putting silliness like this up. Also... I don't know if I would mind otherwise. This picture is of my magnesium supplement. I pulled it out the other day to see if it would decrease my chocolate craving, since I was running out of chocolate from Halloween.... It worked ^_^# Yes, I'm strange and silly. Anyway, here's this silliness.

I saw this news story about Madam Hilary Rodham Clinton. It seems that almost every time the Secretary of State goes to a country, or even plans to go to one, an earthquake strikes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101105/ap_on_re_as/as_us_clinton_quakes

Any thoughts on this one?

Anyway, I've been brimming with silliness and thoughts today, can't you tell? Also, I'm sleepy.

For my friend

Green Tea Ice Cream recipe.

First off the bat, credit for this recipe goes to the Royal Tea Company.
Second off, I have not tried this yet, so I don't know how well it will work yet.
Third, here's the recipe:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 large eggs

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons matcha (powdered Japanese green tea)

• Special equipment: an ice cream maker

Bring cream, milk, and salt to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan and remove from heat.Whisk together eggs, sugar, and matcha in a bowl (tea will not be completely dissolved), then add 1 cup hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking vigorously. Whisk custard into remaining cream mixture in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil).Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl, then cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour.Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

By the way, you can buy matcha at any asian market. It's fairly easy to find. You may be able to find it at your local grocery store (meijer or kroger... something like that) in the international aisle.

qotd so far

Josiah walked up to me, holding a gumball from his halloween stash. "Hey, Lyssie, this sounds like a flavor you'd like: Tea-berry."
I looked up from homework, wondering what the heck "tea-berry" is supposed to be. "Ooo?"
He smiled a little. "You can't have it. We can share the outside, but not the inside, 'cause that would be weird."
"Okay?" I said, raising one eyebrow as he walked away.
He came back a few minutes later. "It tastes more like cherry than tea-berry," he observed, offering it to me as I continued to wonder what the heck "tea-berry" is supposed to taste like. I licked the weird gumball for a minute, trying to get enough of whatever flavor it was to form an opinion.
"Huh." I handed it back to him and looked back to my homework as he walked away again.
A few minutes later he came back with a cup of water and chewing the gum. "Hey, Lyssie! If you drink water while you chew it, it tastes just like tea!"

...

o.O
Huuuuhhh??????
(As I write this, he is watching me type.)
My poor little brother. Clearly, I have not educated him enough about tea. *I just got my hand swatted for that* Speaking of tea, I just got a recipe online for green tea ice cream. The royal tea company had it on their blog. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll post it.

Oh, he just brought me the wrapper for the gum. It says:

Clark
Teaberry
Fruit
Gum Ball

How odd.....

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!!

Good morning everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't come up with anything really deep or thought-worthy this week. Normally those things come to me during Sociology lectures, and we had a midterm this week. *insert brain dribbling onto the floor here* So... unless you want to hear me whine about that some more, I'll leave off of that subject. I tend to get these sorts of breakthroughs or such when I'm getting a little frustrated or something like that. So... I'll do my best, but if I don't have much inspiration, I won't do too much on here.... Unless you all would like to get little snippets of writing or silly comments. That's also something you could tell me about. Please and thanks, y'all!

I just have a quick question today. PLEASE give me feedback!

Does the format of this blog make it easier or more difficult to read?

qotd

So far today:

"I'ma smack you!" (with a slightly "gangstah" inflection) from someone i never would have expected it out of .... Pfhahaha!

Financial Fairy-Tales

Maybe I'm just a small-picture person, but I don't really care why a doctor is paid more than a nurse. It just is. As long as I make enough money to be able to support my family (should I ever have to), it doesn't really matter to me. I enjoy helping people, and that's why I'm pursuing the line of work I am. I don't really care about prestige and power in the public eye. I want to glorify my Saviour in my life and actions. Does that mean that I have to fight to make sure that I'm paid "fairly"?

In my family, we were taught that fair is a relative term. What seems fair to an Arabic man, doesn't seem fair to an American woman. What seems fair to a rich celebrity doesn't seem fair to a homeless man and his family on the street. "Fair" doesn't really exist. If life were fair, Jesus wouldn't have died. Fair is an abstract concept, that has difficulty being real in the fallen world we live in.

When it comes to income and wealth (which are different, actually), I find that I think we shouldn't rely on others to save us from our position. Yet, I find myself in college with loans that will need to be paid. Do I want someone to pay them for me? Well, that'd be nice... but it's probably not going to happen, so why worry about it? I will have to pay them off, and I have that in mind as I come to school and continue getting healthy so that I can go back to work. Fortunately for me, I enjoy my line of work, and I find that it gives me a sense of progress. I think that the bailouts are... kind of silly, actually. I don't think they're as helpful as people think they are. I find that they confirm a fairy-tale sort of thinking that allows people to make stupid decisions and believe that something or someone will come through and save them from their financial woes. Hold on, lemme emphasize the next point.....

It's REALLY UNLIKELY!!!!!!!!!

My first thought was, "It's not going to happen!" But I'll probably get proved wrong by somebody somewhere... soo.......... It's highly unlikely. Really, we need to take responsibility for our own lives.

To recap:

-Why I will be paid what I'm paid isn't important to me.
-Fair isn't fair
-The money fairy doesn't exist
-Be responsible for your actions
-Jesus is awesome.

-_-

Well, Angie, it's happened again. I have a weird health thing! This time it's an infected tear duct. Weird, neh? It's a little annoying, but not too bad overall. No contacts or make up for a while, and I need to have good eye hygiene. ^_^# It feels weird.....

Grumpy thought of the day.

Sociology is a science of a fallen world. *grumblegrumblecynicalgrumble* I have trouble seeing how this applies to my life (for the most part). I see it as sad, fallen people groping toward an answer that they refuse to accept. Please pray for me that I am able to find a way to apply a Christian worldview to this and still make it through the class without my brain exploding.

Recap Clarification

I want to clarify something from my last post. By saying what I did, I proclaim NO judgment over anyone. I love you all, and I want to love anyone that I come in contact with. I do not mean to judge you, and I do not want to judge you. Above anything else, I want to love you. In a way, that's because I want to show you Christ's love, but in another way that's just who I am.

Now, this doesn't mean I'm perfect. Far from it, in truth. I'm a jerk quite often. I'm mean to my family and friends, indifferent to others, and not the world's nicest driver, but I really do love people.

I also do not want to suggest to anyone that you should walk up to someone and point out their sin. You are a sinful creature, too. Go look at Romans 3:23.

We live in a fallen world, friends.

So... in summary, live in love. Ask God to change you so that you can be useful in this world.

Homosexuality: Sin or moral disagreement?

While I was on facebook today, I noticed a comment in which a young man (who is a proclaimed Christian) said that he thought that homosexuality was not a sin, but a place in which our morals did not line up with another person's. Here is what I had to say in reply. Please post your thoughts on the issue!


"On your view of homosexuality being a disagreement of morals instead of a sin, I have to disagree. I don't really like to make a big deal of things, but I feel that I have to make something clear here. Homosexuality is an issue dealt with in several places in the Bible, which is our guide for morality and our dictionary for what is sin and what is just disagreement. In Leviticus 20 (which in my Bible the heading for is "Punishments for Sin"), it says "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." (verse 13)

By listing this verse, I do not condone hate against homosexuals in any way. As I said the other day, hate against any person is a sin, and Christians are to love ALL people. However, I do believe that it is clear that God views homosexuality as a sin.

In 1 Corinthians 6 it says, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral not idolaters not adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders not thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (v. 9-10)

I feel that covers pretty much every one of us, and if not than we can refer to a more well known verse that says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23)

Now, that being said, we can return to 1 Corinthians 6. "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (v.11)

I believe that the Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin, but it is level with other sins, and that if we are saved through the Blood of Christ then we are saved and that's that.

So, I'm sorry for making such a long comment, but I felt that this was an important detail. Thank you for putting your thoughts out!

With love,
-Alyssa"

Once again, please post with thoughts!!!!

Hate vs Love (random thoughts)

Hate for any individual or person is unacceptable for Christians. Hate the sin, not the sinner is a cliched way of saying this, but it is rarely actually applied. God told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Hating someone who has done something we disagree with or hating someone who has sinned publicly is unacceptable for us. They will know we are Christians by our LOVE. Define love in a practical way, please?

*looks around*

I'm just wondering... do people really ever read this? So... I suppose.... If you read this post, please comment. I'm trying to find out if I have an audience.

Thanks guys.

To my friends

My dear ones,

I just wanted to thank you all for your support over these last couple of weeks. Losing Grandpa was hard, but you guys made it manageable.

Allie-- thanks for being there as often as you could get a driver. I know that Grandpa meant a lot to you, too. He loved you a lot, and always considered you one of the grandkids. Having your shining face, smile, and silliness around made the visitation and funeral livable.

Isaac-- thanks. You're always there for me even when you don't know what to say. That means more than I can tell you. Thank you for coming to the visitation and helping out afterward.

Rachel-- Thank you for being gentle with me and for being a girlfriend there when I needed one. You rock. Also, thanks for making me presentable for the funeral. ;)

Mike-- thanks for being a great little brother. You're awesome to hang with, and I miss you.

Angie-- Thank you for your phone call. I just wanted to let you know that it meant a lot to me, and that I know how much you love and support me.

Alysha-- Thank you for your support and prayer. You mean a lot to me, and your biblical reminders humbled and helped me.

Bethie-- Thank you so much. You are so precious, and I know how much you wanted to be there. In a way, you brought a priceless sense of normalcy to my life when I needed it badly.

To any of the rest of you: You are amazing, and thank you so much.


I'm having to figure out life now, and keep up with school while trying to grieve. It's kind of hard to focus, but I think I'm managing all right. Thanks, guys, for your prayer and continuation of normalcy and gentleness.

Lifeline(my life story) pictures

So, I kind of promised pictures, but I ran out of time. So... I'm going to find some pictures now!
BUT!!!!!

If you're going to look at them, you have to promise not to make fun of me too much. I'm a silly girl, but I don't want to feel too bad about how much of a dork I've been through the years. ;)

I think I'll start with the first digital pics we have.

This picture is from when my little brother was born. And yes, I know I look really silly.










Aww... what an adorable little dork! Oh, wait... that's me.....
(And, yes, I did love turtle-necks, leggings, and overalls... shameful, neh?)















Proof that I played basketball!!!! (Yes, I am praying, and yes, we were doing that badly.....)
I went through a phase where I really disliked having a camera pointed at me. This is a shot from that phase.
(Actually, I'm still in it some days.) Really, in retrospect, I think this is a fairly pretty pic.



This pic is one my Dad took while we were hanging out with some other family. Awesome backlight, yeah? I like it.










This is from when I turned 16.













I took a senior trip with my Dad down to the Smokie Mountain National Park and we went hiking for a week. I sprained my wrist, but that's superfluous.
Then, the next year (last year) I dislocated my kneecap. (I'm really good at accidental injuries....^.^#) Below is a picture from last Christmas from while I was sick. The three of us kids made a ginger-bread house together. It was pretty intense, but awesome. It was the coolest one we've ever made. The next picture brings us to the present. Tada!

Lifeline- The story of my life in my words (and pictures) ^_^

To any of my friends or other readers: This lifeline is to introduce me to both my readers, and as an assignment for school. So... if you already know me very well, you can feel free to not read this. However, if you want to know some interesting facts about me, see some pictures, and maybe find something new about me, please read on!


Family & Location:
My name is Alyssa Therese (i won't put my last name out online, call me paranoid, I just won't do it). I am nineteen years old, and was born in January at St. Joseph of Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti. For a few years, my family lived in Haslett, and then we moved to South Lyon. We lived in South Lyon until I was four years old, and then we moved to where we live now, in Ann Arbor. My parents, Ed and Val, have been married for 25 years. I have two younger siblings. Rebekah, my sister, is 13 and a wonderful girl. I wouldn't trade her for the world. My little brother, Josiah, is 9, and he is great. He is an endless source of amusement.



Schooling: (picture of my little brother doing school in our living room)
I went to a public school in Ann Arbor from kindergarten through 2nd grade, and then asked my parents if I could be homeschooled. Apparently (and I just found this out last week), I had some homeschoooler friends and I was jealous of how early they got out of school. My mother and father did some thinking, and they decided that they would teach me at home. I'm really grateful to them for that. We pursued homeschooling all the way through highschool (where I graduated a year early).

Specializations:
I specialized in science throughout high school, enjoying biology and anatomy&physiology the most. I was part of several dramas, and studied Shakespeare whenever I could. I have 5-6 years of training with American Sign Language (which I plan to continue in college to get the certification to be in ASL translator). After I graduated I went to Washtenaw Community College for a certification intensive, which was about a month of 9-5 class and a set of clinicals. It was intense, but I'm a CNA (certified nurse aide) now.

Sports/Competitions: (picture of me at a swim meet in 2002)
In elementary and middle school, I was more involved in organized sports that I was in high school or am now. I spent several years on a swim team. I was never the most competitive person on the team, but I had fun and am a good solid swimmer. The thing that I got really competitive about was Bible quizzing, which I did for four years as a part of my AWANA club. I placed highly each year. When I was in high school, I became involved in Tae Kwon Do, which is a South Korean form of martial arts. I did not make it to my black belt, but I was not too far from it.

Health Issues:
I have been prone to injuries for quite a while, and that is a litany that NO ONE needs to be subjected to. When I was 15, I went suddenly deaf in my left ear. The diagnosis was SHL (Sudden Hearing Loss). I remained that way for over 3 months, and there was little to no hope that I would recover my hearing at all. Just when I was starting to resign myself to being half-deaf, I was stunned by a miraculous healing. Please feel free to ask me for more detail if you really want it.

Overseas:
When I was 16, I was blessed to have the opportunity to go on a mission trip overseas. I went to Romania with a group called Global Expeditions (which is a part of Teen Mania Ministries). It was a month-long trip, and was absolutely spectacular. I have many stories from the trip. Please feel free to ask me about them.

Ministry/Leadership:
Also when I was 16 (after I got home from Romania), I was inducted to the TOHTTLES, which is the sub-leadership team of my youth group. It was a great ministry, and I got to help the kids of the YG in ways I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Also, I planned a great deal of things and liked to celebrate as many birthdays as I could. I just resigned from that position this summer.

Madonna (and why I'm here):
When I was looking for colleges, I already knew the major I was going to pursue, and had for a while. So, looking at schools was narrowed to schools that had good nursing programs. While that narrowed it down a bit, I kind of wanted to have a less competitive, more friendly, like a family, nice campus, sort of place. I wasn't really sure that I wanted to go to Madonna, but then I went to one of the open houses. I really loved how homey the campus seemed, and how when you were there you felt like part of the family. On top of that, the nursing program is great, there's ASL, and it's a Catholic college (no, I'm not catholic. i'm protestant, but by coming to a catholic college there are some things that i can avoid, and i appreciate that). So... really, I love the atmosphere of Madonna, and that's why I'm going to school there.

The Last Few Years:
Hmm... the last few years have been pretty intense for me. I'm going to go mostly with '09-'10, so let's try to get through it! I got a job last June as a CNA in Plymouth. It went pretty well, other than my first day my Mom got sick and had to go to the ER. That was nerve-wracking. Anyway, training went very well, and I worked Afternoon shift one day before moving onto Midnights (11pm-7am). I started to get sick at the end of August, and ended up in the ER. We were unable to figure out what was wrong with me, so they pumped a bag of fluids into me through IV, and sent me home. School started, and I kept working. Now, over the next month I ended up back in the ER three times. I was sent to a cardiologist and given medication to raise my blood pressure. In the midst of that, my Grandpa went in for a surgery that worsened his Alzheimer's, and made it so that he could no longer live on his own. He moved in with my Aunts, though he was not too thrilled about the change (at all). Everything seemed to be working together until October, when I started losing consciousness. I passed out once at home (alone), and hit my head on the corner of our kitchen table. I passed out once at school (alone), and hit my head on some tile. I passed out one at work (alone), and hit my head on the concrete floor in the stairwell. After the last fall, I was admitted to the hospital for 5 days. And really, much of the year after that is foggy. I have very few real memories of the last year. I know that a few days after Thanksgiving I started having pain all over my body that lasted for 4 or 5 months. I also know that if it weren't for a great friend, I would still have no answers for some serious health problems. She suggested that we look into Adrenal Fatigue. Mom started looking it up, and it really seemed to fit what I was going through. Eventually, at the beginning of the summer, we found a doctor who believed in the disorder, and was able to treat it. And there began the road to recovery, on which I am still traveling. This semester has been rather nice so far. Actually, the hardest part of this semester so far is that Grandpa died a week ago. God bless his soul, I'll miss him.

Silly facts:
-I love dogs
-I think that all socks should be interesting and fun, and I have days where I refuse to wear boring socks (even if it means I have to go barefoot)
-I love to write stories, particularly with my friends.
-I go to a Civil War Reenactment (in costume) every year [sadly, i missed it this year due to my health]
-I think Sharpies are great!
-I absolutely love music. I play the guitar (and have for 6 or 7 years), sing (since I was 3), and plunk occasionally on the piano (I can't play it, and can't read music). Someday, I would love to learn how to play piano, cello, violin, and the clarinet.
-I love going hiking in the mountains
-I really enjoy drawing (even though I'm not really good at it yet) and I hope to improve my skills over the next few years. Doodling and drawing helps me to think, so often I will end up drawing in my class notes. I'm still paying attention, though!!!
-I am a very loving and compassionate person
-My friends and family are extremely important to me
-My faith is also very important to me
-In Nursing, I would like to specialize in birth, pediatrics, and geriatrics.


Sometime in the near future, I will post more pictures of myself and things I enjoy.