So after some technical difficulties, here I am again.

Since the hard drive on my labtop decided to become non-existent, sadly, I have no fun pictures to go along with my post. I know. It’s upsetting.

Anyways, the soccer team is now currently 5-1-2.  Since Depauw (won in ot) and Emory (tied in double ot), it has been the typical season “rollercoaster.”  However, our first loss to Ohio Northern stopped that downward spiral as we came out of Wilmington on Saturday with a 2-0 win.  After seeing our team’s drastic improvement from losing one game and turning around to win the next,  I think I over-analyzed to another extreme:  I felt like there was a life lesson to be gathered from all of that, and here is what I came up with:

It seems to be very easy to dwell on the negatives in life.  Usually, they reflect some type of change from the norm and most people struggle to deal with change (myself included) in the best way possible.  Despite all of this, sometimes the best remedy for dealing with change is patience.  If we give whatever bad occurance or bump in the road a chance to morph into the big picture, it can end up with positive effects.  With some patience, debacles with friends may make you realize how important they are in your life.  A bad grade on a test with some patience may teach you that your study habits were not as well structured as you thought.  A fight with a significant other may spark renewed relationships with your peers, if you have patience with the problem.  Our team needed that first loss to make us re-visit some core values.  Patience from Wednesday payed off on Saturday.

Time really can be on our side. If we give our problems time, they might not really be problems at all!

After a tremendous summer (which I will be taking the time to blog about soon),

I am now, a senior.

I am now,  old.

If that is not a slap in the face, I don’t know what is… well, besides filling out my “application for graduation.” Yes I, along with the rest of my fellow seniors, have to actually apply to graduate. Wonderful. Who doesn’t love filling out a redundant checklist of all classes completed thus far at the ‘Berg?

My personal favorite are the classes taken freshmen year with those wonderful grades such as C and B- looming across on the same line. Maybe I should have tried a little harder? I would have thought that earlier, but in retrospect I have absolutely no regrets.  Typical “senior mindset,” I know.

Anyways, senior jargon aside, the soccer season is up and running. We opened this past weekend with big wins over Alma and Olivet, two teams from Michigan.  This weekend we travel to face Depauw in our first in-region game on Friday, and then we play Emory the following day.

Frankly, I will just be trying not to vomit before either game.  People ask me why I get so nervous before games and although I’m confident that it will fade, for now it simply is what it is: a new role for me.  After 3 years, I now have to re-learn how to channel adrenalin and nerves which is quite the task at hand.  Regardless, I am very excited for the games and the road trip.

And I’m excited to begin senior year of course!

That is all for now!

Mr. Roeble, I hope that you enjoyed this.

3 more days until Wittfest.

3 more weeks of school.

3 million assignments, tests, and papers to complete before being able to sit back and reflect on another year.

The springtime battle between being outside & going to class has started and I would say 3:1, being outside wins.

Besides all of this, it is still hard to fathom that the year is coming to an end.

I honestly do not think that the graduation of the 2008 seniors will really hit me personally until I return to Witt next fall without the company of some amazing people who have greatly impacted my life.

Aside from wishing well those who are leaving this place behind, it will soon be time to step up and start taking over a complete new role as a class and also individually.  I’m not really sure what either of those new responsibilities entail…but I am certain that they will eventually fall into place.

I feel like the last few updates have been somewhat repetitive: school is almost over, it is finally springtime, my love for this place continues to grow, soccer is great. So maybe I will go in a completely different direction and talk about…horoscopes. Yes horoscopes, those clever little insights to how great or crappy your life and love life will be each day. 

Lately, I have been incredibly freaked out by the overall accuracy of my horoscope. I feel like someone is punking me! I have become addicted for the simple reason that each time I sit down to check my daily Sagitarius outlook, I am left in utter shock.  The website is telling me (in elaborate astrological terminology) exactly what is happening in my life. I mean I admit that maybe the exact percentages on wellness, money and love are a little much…but other than that, I have completely reformed my once non-believing side. I am now a junkie who checks her horoscope daily (don’t judge).

Random, I know. But I figured maybe others could gain some powerful crazy astrological insight as I have. Basically horoscopes are right up there with Wittenberg: passing the light (I would say Witt is a little more experienced in that area).

Anyway, back to all of this ”only 3 more” business…since the year is winding down I suppose the only 3 things left to do are to seize each beautiful spring day, not let school become too stressful to have fun, and make the best out of everything - especially the company of those who will not be back next year. 

Carpe Diem & check your horoscope.

4 weeks left.

Really?

I keep flipping back and forth through my assignment notebook checking & re-checking to make sure it is true. And it is.

I also keep getting those “I love this place” feelings so much more these days due to spring finally being sprung & the steady buzz around campus:

porches, laying out in the hollow, bike riding, night time staying light longer, Wittfest… all contributing factors to my I-love-springtime-at-Wittenberg vibe.

Now that it is nice out, it has proved even more challenging to keep plugging through the insane amounts of schoolwork that have inevtiably been placed upon me.  Hopefully a little time management and good luck will help keep a balance.

Soccer has been going well. I must say it is nice to have that structure back in my life.  I guess sometimes too much time is not always such a positive.

Anyway,

That is all for now.

Enjoy this weather. Hopefully it won’t snow anytime soon.

After a much anticipated trek back to Cleveland for the weekend…I find myself sitting here feeling like a crucial part of my life is rapidly approaching.  As opposed to summers past, (yes thinking ahead) this summer will be filled with internships and working 24-7…in addition to training for a half marathon and mentally training for an entire new role on the Wittenberg soccer team.

These next few months are going to bring about twists and turns in my life that will greatly impact the future in store for me. With these obstacles I see approaching,  I have to wonder: am I ready? will I succeed? am I making the right choices? The answers to these questions are much harder than they may appear.

Despite this, I still have to focus on schoolwork and not let the hard work I put in at the beginning of the semester become overshadowed by the “almost a senior” anxiety that will come with the end of the semester.  What a job in itself. 

Spring soccer is also something on my mind because our first practice is Tuesday.  I think I may have more thoughts regarding that than this page can hold so I will stick to the basics: I am so excited. I am so nervous. But, I am so happy to be back on the field.

This week is one of the few where I don’t have 203989875392878 tests in 2 days so hopefully I will be able to sit back, relax, and collect my thoughts.

Cheers to over analyzation.

As many students fret for this last week before spring break, my concern remains focused on the week that we return.

I don’t think I have ever thought about academics in the sunny Florida state…and now I will be lugging along notes, notecards and a few books to add extra weight in my suitcase.  However, I am NOT complaining because the simple thought of getting out of the snow, slush, and dismal weather that is Ohio, currently makes me extremely happy.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida here I come.

Aside from my excitement about Spring break, I must say that I recently encountered some of the most horrible luck with cell phones which to me (now that I have a working phone) was pretty comical:

Broke my phone last saturday (we had a good run, 1 1/2 years)

Got a new phone last sunday (happy)

Dropped new phone in water cup on monday (scary)

New phone got stepped on @ indoor soccer game on tuesday (mad)

Just got new NEW phone yesterday after 23987098 faxes, phone calls, and claim ID numbers later (happy)

It is quite sad how much we rely on technology today, yet,  being the text-message addict that I am I won’t deny that I am probably right up there with the rest of society.

Thats all I have for now. Wishing everyone a safe, warm and splendid SB-08…

and when I return, spring soccer begins so that should leave me with plenty to talk about

“Take my picture!”

(courtesy of my roommate)

It is absolutely crazy to me that with all of these hard classes, time keeps flying by. Before I know it I will be leaving for summer.

Nothing really is new in my life. I have been trying to study hard and balance soccer, friends and the sorority.

 So far, so good ( I think ).

Oh yes, I must brag a bit and say that I got my first ever 99% on a test.

I know, I was shocked too.  More motivation to keep up with the studies…

Anyway, although I am living in the present, I am also thinking about my summer plans because I know that with next year being my final, I will need some sort of internship/work experience under my belt.  There are so many opportunities for great internships…the challenging part will come with deciding which one is right for me & then actually applying.

Thats all for now!

I went home last weekend and although it was a great change of scenery, I am happy to be here at my 2nd home for the weekend.

 Cheers.

1 week back at Witt and already I am stressed.

Junior year spring semester = time to be a very legitimate student (not that I haven’t been before, but I do believe this is going to be my hardest semester class-wise).

Back to school means winter lifting for soccer, playing indoor, recruitment, and schoolwork. Since I suck at re-adjusting to my surroundings, I am still really not “back in the swing of things” however, good friends, great teammates, and some particular faces are helping me get there.   Maybe a little sunshine instead of snow would also be nice…last time I checked this was Springfield, not Cleveland.

I decided that I should not go abroad this semester becauseI know that traveling is in my future (and my past) so I really really hope that I made the right decision.  I also feel like the fact that it is 2008 is quite…intimidating.  Senior next year? I mean really? I have to grow up. Although that is frightening for me, it is probably awesome for my parents.

Anyhow, Wittenberg in the springtime is Wittenberg at its finest so I will be patiently waiting.

Well, 1 month and 1 day later:

I survived my 21st birthday. It was so much fun…minus having to worry about my finals on the following Monday.

Speaking of finals…they on the other hand were not so much fun.  But they are done and in the past so that is that!

Now I am at home and currently resemble a chipmunk who got smacked in the face with a lead pipe. Yes, I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday.  I thought that perhaps after having my tonsils out and having major knee surgery the whole wisdom teeth deal would be a walk in the park. WRONG. However, day one (the worst day) is over so hopefully its all downhill from here…

This break has gone by way too quick… I went on a cruise with my family and our best family friends. It was awesome. We went to St. Thomas, St. Marteen, St. Lucia, and Antigua.  Every island was so beautiful that it was hard to believe I was really there. The one negative about the cruise was that because of the limited time on the islands, it was difficult to really get a good taste of all of the different cultures on each island.  I guess I will just have to go back to each of the islands sometime after college.

Anyways,  7 days flew by and before I knew it I was back in the dismal Cleveland weather which is where I am now in attempts of recovery. 

 2008 is just around the corner…Cheers.

Well, it has been a while.

Maybe that is because I haven’t blogged in forever. Maybe that is due to the fact that 2 weeks until winter break = an insaneeeeeeeeely large amount of work. And maybe that is stressing me out just a little bit.

Anyway, we turned in our soccer gear today which was very bittersweet.

The “sweet” is that we had a great run and made it to the sweet 16 for the first time, and the “bitter” is that 9 phenomenal seniors are departing.

It is always a weird feeling to have all of this free time around the hours of 4-6 when practice used to be…but I suppose academics will somehow fill that void.

Thanksgiving break was great: time with the family, time with friends, and time to myself.  Oh yes not to mention, Thanksgiving dinner.  

On another note, it is extremely crazy to think that in just 2 weeks I will be turning 21.

I feel old and I don’t want to talk about it.