Dreams...

My college career is coming to a close. Several times as I walk across campus, enter a building or talk to people I choke up. I wonder where this emotional person has come from. In the past four years there has been so many highs and lows and dips and turns. People I have met, trips I have taken, and new ideas I have tried. Each summer I have been fortunate to have be able to experience a new adventure from the wilderness in Northeran Minnesota to the Lutheran Bible Camps of NeSoDak to orienating at SDSU to the ballpark with the SF Canaries.

Here is a recap of the academic years/people/adventures...

Freshman: I didn't think I would last in college. I cried almost every night to my mom on the phone. My friends were worried I wouldn't make it too. My roommate was a sophomore and had her boyfriend living in our room. I was a mess. Luckily I meet Megan Wiemann and Melissa Fose and Kristina Stulken. They were amazing! I still remember Megs and I divided my 6 feet of bubble gum and stuffed it into our mouths. After chewing it we made dinosaurs and played with it. Ew! After that I could not eat bubble gum for quite some time. This was also the year I joined the SDSU Speech & Debate team. I was shot down so many times for having a different type of style. But I was so determined not to change it. I never did, and finally at the end of the year I FINALLY FINALLY earned a medal. I was so proud! My speech was on Bumvertising and would practice it while walking across campus while pretending to talk to another person on the phone... I thought I was creative. Freshman year really paved the way to who I would hang out with, what I thought would be "fun" and my decision on what would be important and not.

Sophomore: This was the rockiest year. I came back from my summer job malnurished and slightly in a culture shock. I will explain this later in the summer portion. Anyways, I was competitive on the SDSU Speech & Debate team for a semester. I traveled with them to George Mason University in the DC area. I really felt elite competiting against the IVLeague schools. But this was probably not the most impactful part of the year. Instead it was the individuals that stood next to me during the thick and thin. I meet an amazing person named Barbara. Everyother day we would meet at the SDSU swimming pool at 5:45 a.m. to water jog. This was our time. No one would bug us and we knew we could rely upon one another. It showed me that there are people out there that will never stand you up. Thanks Babs! Also this was the year that I was really impacted by my faith. Heidi, my cousin, was consistant to ask me to join her for Wednesday night worship at the ULC. It was a time to let everything disappear and reunite with God, friends, and my family. It helped me place my beliefs and values in the order they should be. Besides outside activity this was also the year I made a lot of cakes for Kyle, Justin and Nic. I am not sure why I began this but cake decorating became a high for me! lol weird I know because I definitely cannot cook. In return they were very kind to me with cooking me homemade meals, and being watchful. Finally this was the year Mel and I took a spring break road trip to Woodbury, MN. SHOPPING!!! We drove through a crazy snow storm and listened to Prince the entire way. This is one friend I cannot get enough of. She is the one with a helpful hand, cheerful laugh and always concerned not to mention the best roomie I have ever had! We decorated our dorm door with 300+ cottonballs to make a snowman. Yeah, we had the best one. Sophomore year really put in prespective who were my friends, what it means to be reliable, and provided me with one of the scariest/emotional rollercoasters of my life.