"Bye Mom!! I'M OFF TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL!"

Tonight was my first night at RCIA.

We talked about Sacraments, Grace, and Baptism. 

Sweet Sarah is like my mom when it comes to Catholic things-- she supports me, gets excited for me, and is proud when I'm off doing Holy things. It's pretty great to have someone there who cares about it, supports it, and helps me grow in it.

I shared a memoir with my tiny memoir class (a whole 5 people) and someone actually said that I made them re-evaluate their views on God. It was really exciting, and in my head I imagined a triple high five with Sarah and Father Mike. It was so exciting, because shortly after that comment, they said it didn't read preachy, it was just an emotional and deep story. I was really nervous about this memoir, I believe I mentioned it last week... but I didn't want to annoy them or make them mad that I was sharing a story about my faith.


Next week's assignment (assignment for next week?) is to write a PLACE memoir.

SUPER EXCITED!!!!

Peace out.



Oh, and this is the first... and probably the last time I sit in Kirby Lounge to do homework because I can't focus with the conversation happening right behind me. So much for being productive today. 

My books have traveled further than I have...

Today, I got a package.

Today, I got quizzed on chapters from one of the books inside that package...

Guess which happened first?


If you guessed that I got the package first.. you're wrong. I was really annoyed because I had asked the professor if I could borrow her copy of the book for a little while to at least start the reading before the weekend because I knew my package wouldn't get here in time... and she said no. Not only did she say no, she said I was irresponsible for not purchasing the book sooner so as to have it by the start of the semester....

Can I tell you the story of the books?

I ordered them on Amazon the first week of the month... giving them 2 1/2 weeks to get to me before classes began. I had them shipped to my house instead of my apartment because package pick up is a hassle here, and they were all scheduled to get there before I left...

All but two got to my house before I left... which is impressive because I had to order 14 books. Those two books came Monday (the day I left) so my mom shipped them Tuesday... last week. The shipper guy put the wrong zip code on the box... so my books went to Montana.. then they got rerouted to Colorado... and then to Georgia... and several other states... it was labeled so many times by the time it got here... I'm pretty sure the box saw more of the US than I have in my nearly twenty years.



So.. I got quizzed on chapters that I couldn't read. Luckily, I paid attention the past twelve years of English classes and could deduce the answers.. Thank you Mrs. Melton for teaching us about Literary Criticism and lenses and... everything. I would be starting this class failing if not for you.

Always,
H.Eilene

It's been a long day... time to watch some Army Wives and pass out early. Video is my favorite song, as well as the song Jordan and I call ours.. mostly because EVERY time we got in the car together or... not together but near each other it was on the radio, we danced to it, and he once learned to play it for me on his guitar.

6 Word Memoirs

What an interesting project! There is a whole website dedicated to 6 word memoirs.. and today we began writing in our memoir class by writing a few of our own.

Some of Mine:

Walking and walking until suddenly not.

Science gives answers where faith cannot.

Faith gives answers where science cannot. 

Coffee-- you glorious substance I love.

Friends and family I long for. 

College is where I seek truth.

I will forever love you boy.

Sunshine and rain are the happiest.


PLEASE: Comment with one or more of your own!! 

The glorious thing about these memoirs, is that they can be taken literally or metaphorically. For instance, walking and walking until suddenly not. If you remember a few months back my being hit by the car... I was walking and walking... until suddenly I was on the ground asking what the hell had just happened. But... it could also be very metaphorical... I find myself walking through life searching for answers, and continue walking along until I suddenly I find my answers. I often think too... we're living as students-- and it often becomes just the monotonous repetition of school, homework, sleep and work.  We're just moving through, one foot in front of the other.. and then suddenly something happens that knocks us off our feet. A friend dies, an illness, a family member gets sick or dies, money problems, natural disasters... things happen and they knock us off course.


Always, H. Eilene

Cheers

Sarah and I enjoying our sparkling grape juice

Good Afternoon!!

Have you ever read Moby Dick? Well, even if you haven't, I'm sure you've heard of Ishmael, our protagonist. He's a pretty sweet guy-- I mean, he's smart, funny, likes to work for his money, adventurous, he has a tendency to believe the stereotypes of his time, but his mind is open and can change. He's basically.. like the perfect guy for me.

I mean, I like intelligent people. Especially those who are both book smart and street smart. I love people who make jokes, including educated jokes. In Moby Dick, he manages to make a very sophisticated fart joke. Yes, that's right, even novels in the 1800's enjoy some childish jokes.

You gotta love a man who doesn't just take charity, and who likes to earn a living. Granted, a man who smells like fish and the ocean probably would not be the easiest for me to be around all the time. But he likes to work for his money, and that's what matters.

My awesome gift from a Cambodian

Also, adventurous people are the coolest. People who embrace life to the fullest, and enjoy adventure are the coolest to get to know. Then comes my favorite, a mind open with opinions that are malleable. Someone who isn't so set in their ways as to completely brush off the ideas of others. Oh! And he had morals. He had morals and beliefs about how a man should spend his night alone in his bed-- not with a partner other than a spouse.. I was impressed.

Finally, he's flawed. It makes him human. Because all those great things are wonderful, but a hero is not believable if he has no flaws. Also, a man is not as attractive if he has zero flaws. I could never handle dating a perfect person-- I would feel insignificant and insecure at all times, knowing that he probably had a perfect match out there somewhere-- basically he'd be wasting his time with me.

Ishmael, he was pretty perfect boyfriend material. Granted, I've got myself a pretty great guy. He's not a famous whaler or a character out of the Great American novel, but he is pretty perfect for me. Smart, handsome, open minded, moral, he's talented, respectable, works for his money, sure, he has a flaw or two, but they make me love him more. I like my modern-day Ishmael.

Have a fantastic Sunday evening!
Always,
H.Eilene

First Friday Night Back

Hello!

Happy Saturday

I woke up today feeling as though I had slept until 12 or 1 in the afternoon... but much to my surprise.. it was only 10:20. Heck Yes.

Last night, was a ROCKING party.. and by that.. I mean I was sleeping before midnight, and it was certainly not a party. Sarah and I started our evening with some Netflix, then cleaning the apartment, then Justin (my favorite comedian) took me to the store to buy supplies, then we watched New Moon and drank sparking grape juice. Sarah kept falling asleep during the movie, so I poked her awake.. and following the movie we both crashed almost immediately.

As much as I love knowing I have the freedom to do whatever I want while I'm up at school-- experimenting and such--- I love knowing that for a fun night, I just need one thing: my best friend.


Now, I'm off to write a memoir of an awakening. Enjoy my favorite song on the radio!

Enjoy,
H.Eilene

Awakening

As an assignment for my memoir class, I have to craft a story of an awakening I had. I've been thinking now, in the last 48 hours or so what type of awakening I'd like to write about. I could talk about my awakening on any given day, in a spiritual light, in an academic light, in my sense of self-- when I woke up realizing what my dreams and aspirations for... and then today in the middle of my American Lit class, I woke up again..

I for the first time today.. in the year and a half that I've been a college student felt as though I was a real college student. I don't know exactly what it was.. the professor, the students, our conversation about American Poetry or maybe just our physical room-- where we were.. but something inside of me said.. WOAH. I feel like a student in college now.

I'm clearly not going to recapture this moment in a three page memoir-- mostly because I don't know what it was. I don't know why, how, what moment it really hit me... why for the last year and a half I knew but never felt quite like a student... I don't know.

For the first time today.. I felt like a student, in a university, on the way to achieving their dreams, and it was a marvelous feeling.


Always,
H.Eilene

Classes for Day 2

Okay! Hello Again--

Happy Wednesday (again)!

First up this morning we had Natural Hazards *by we, I mean me... and now I feel slightly mental*. My prof for that class is fantastic, I adore her. We didn't talk about a whole lot because it was the first day and we went through the syllabus, course info, and introductions. I'm looking forward to studying the physical processes behind natural disasters as well as the geography of them-- looking at case studies of specific demographics most affected and so on..

Second was Shakespeare!!! All the world is certainly a stage for this professor. He is my adviser, though I had never met him until today. He is quite the funny guy-- reminded me much so of David Tenant the actor from Dr. Who whom is now a prominent stage actor-- featured in many Shakespeare productions now that his role as the Doctor is finished. He switched from his regular accent into British, had a few outbursts to keep our attention and was rather entertaining to listen to. I'm looking forward to more time with him as my professor and to hear his take on Shakespeare as we read his works.

Finally I had the Art of the Memoir. Quite a small class. Last semester the smallest class I had was 11. This class has 4 students. Potentially a 5th, but that is all. I can tell we will all be very close knit as a writing community, and it's going to be interesting. I also really enjoy this professor--  she's down to earth, much like a member of the class as opposed to our lecturer. I'm excited to get started on my first Creative Nonfiction piece for Monday.

Tonight... tonight. I have to get working on homework, I have plans with a friend, and I have to somehow manage to stay awake. Getting back into the swing of classes is rather exhausting.. and I could probably fall asleep right now.. no problem.

Always,
H.Eilene

Day 2

Call me Ishmael. 

One of the most famous lines in literary history. Of course being from the great American novel Moby Dick-- this line began and ended my first day of school. We talked about it in my first class, and I finished my last class' homework by reading the first three chapters of Moby Dick.

This semester I have a few goals that I am trying to maintain:
1. No Skipping Classes 
*this is both because I really want to work on my motivation and because I'd like to stay on the Dean's List (ending my time at UMD as strong as possible)
2. Finish my homework by 7pm each night (the night its assigned)
*the only shows I watch religiously on television are at 7 and 8, so I want to have everything finished by that time so I can relax and enjoy the rest of my evening... and lets be honest... my best work does not happen while burning the midnight oil
3. Regulate my sleep schedule
*I am far less cranky and far healthier when I am not sleeping from 3am to 12pm or cramming in a few hours here and there. This break I did a good job getting to bed at reasonable times and waking up by 8 almost every day, and I'd like to carry it on this semester.
4. Get to the gym
*I'm not so concerned with dropping pounds or getting ready for a race.. so much as I just feel better when I have done something active and productive.. I'm aiming to supplement my twice a week goal of making it to the gym with some random yoga and abs back in the apartment

I'm starting with 4 goals. So far... I have maintained the first and the third. I of course have gone to all of my classes and I've gotten to sleep almost 8 hours every night (all 2!!) Last night, I didn't finish my reading by seven, in fact.. I finished the reading today in my break from 11-1. But-- I still think it's a good goal to have.

News: Today, I have done it. I've tackled a whale of my own: finally declaring my Geography major.

It has been a long time that I've been saying I'm a Geography major-- I have completed almost all of my coursework for it, but I hadn't gotten the chance to finalize it with the head of the department, but today... I did it!
I'll post later about my classes, but this is long enough for one post.

Call me Hannah.

College Semester 4 Begins!

Well Hello!!

Happy Tuesday :)  Today is the first day of my 4th semester at UMD. I had only 2 classes today. My Tuesday and Thursday schedule, however, I've discovered was poorly planned. I have 2 hours of American Lit followed by 2 hours of Methods of Literary Study in the same exact room from 12-4. It is going to be a lot of sitting and I know I'm going to struggle to stay focused.

American Literature is going to be yet another great class with E.Brier. He's a great professor and manages to hold interesting discussions. I'm also very excited because this course is mainly comprised of poetry and short stories-- with one shorter novel. I also really enjoy that we're discussing post 1865 literature, because I'm a big fan of the pieces and writers who were major players in this era.

Methods of Literary Study is going to also be a very interesting and stimulating course. I'm excited because we're only reading one novel, and then a partnering textbook/related texts to the novel. I look forward to really dissecting Moby Dick-- Herman Melville being a really intriguing author to me. Today we mostly just talked about his background as an author, how he, unlike many authors who write about the sea, was actually quite familiar with whaling vessels and sailing. He had a rather sad life, as his father died young, he lost two of his sons at young ages, had a troubled marriage.. etc. But really interesting was his friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne, another great author.

Anyways, I'm really excited for this semester, my courses, and diving into tons of literature and sharing my thoughts on here.

Tomorrow I have:
Natural Hazards
Shakespeare
The Art of the Memoir

Happy Tuesday!!

PS. Burnt my pizza rolls... how does that even happen?!!?

Well Folks... Here we go

Happy Saturday-- the 19th day of the 1st month of the 2013th year.

Yesterday, glorious Friday was my last day of work for awhile... but they called me and said they didn't need me! I got to sleep until like.. 12 for the first time all break.. and the best part was being woken up by my wonderful Jordan playing his guitar. It was amazing :)

Hmm.. let's see. What is new?

New Things:
Drying Rack for all of my sweaters that are not dryer friendly..
Socks with foxes on them
Almost all of my books for the semester have arrived
I made Dean's List last semester!

Okay.. so the top 3 weren't very important or interesting.. though.. I'm a big fan of the socks (which took three tries not to spell sox because fox sox sounds cool). Really the only big news is the Dean's List thing. My sister asked me why it was so important.. why I cared.. and to be honest.. It's because last semester I worked harder than I have ever worked.. and I was so happy that it paid off. I set the goal with Lucas over the summer that I wanted to make Dean's List in the fall, and I did it!

Goal Number 2: Make Dean's List again this Spring Semester.

I head up to school Monday morning-ish. I have mixed feelings though-- you know.. I love my life up in Duluth, my apartment, my church, my friends... but I love not having to do long distance with Jordan.. I love watching my nieces grow, and I love having coffee with my sister.


AH! ONE LAST NEW THING!!!! I got a hair cut.

Peace Out!

Goal Number 1

Okay, so today has been a ridiculous day. I finally broke down and bought a stupid computer case, because I have been just carrying it around, and knowing my ability to walk... it's just not a good thing. I  can't afford a new computer.. so I decided to buy a case so I don't have that problem anytime soon.

I bought it based on the measurement my sister took for me. 17 in. I thought, hmm... that seems big.. but I trusted her knowledge, because I had no reason not to. Found a bag for $30 on sale at Best Buy, and thought, well, that's a decent deal, but it's ugly and huge... but if that's what fits then I can somehow make it pretty. I got home only to find that my sister was wrong. She measured from bottom left to top right of the OUTSIDE of the computer... when to get the measurement, you're supposed to measure the bottom left to top right of the inside screen. So... I was frustrated because I had seen a cuter case that was only $5 more of the right size, had been almost positive that it would fit my laptop but didn't want to chance it because I trusted her... Two hours later I returned to Best Buy, exchanged the bag for the cuter and right size one... had my laptop with to test it just in case, and now I have protection for my laptop. It was just a 4 hour affair.

My goal for this month.. because I don't think a week will be long enough.. is to learn Sound of Silence on the Ukulele.. because.. did I mention that I got one for Christmas??

Potential video to come of the song... if I learn it successfully.

--H.Eilene

9 days til I return to D-Town.
4 months and 5 days until I leave D-Town and move home for good.

Scary.

Family Movie Night

Well Hello!

Happy Wednesday! Today was a great day. Two people bought me coffee.... how wicked sweet is that?? And I got to hang out with Violet at school today!  By hang out, I mean I worked in her classroom today. It was awesome. I worked in Preschool for breakfast, Toddlers until the end of lunch, went on break, went back to toddlers until they woke up from nap, and then went to preschool, then to babies, back to toddlers and then ended my day in preschool. HOLY MOLY. I don't mind bouncing around though-- makes the day go faster.

I got my first paycheck of break... I'm pretty excited because I have another full week and a half of work/break, and then I go back to school. That's 2 paychecks! :D

Sarah just got back from Seek on Monday, and I'm really excited to meet up with her to talk about everything she heard on the conference. I can't wait. I miss her so much. I also miss my other roommates. I'm excited to see them in two weeks.. but I'm not excited to leave work, my family, and my Jordan.

Tonight is going to be an early night-- I work at 7 tomorrow!

Always,
H.Eilene                                                                                                                                            

Happy New Year

Good day my friends!!

I realize it's been a few weeks since my last post, but in my defense, I have been soaking in the wonders of winter break. I have been working every day Monday through Friday-- playing with my little kiddos in preschool. I have been enjoying every possible minute with my wonderful man praying our time together doesn't have to end-- knowing full well that in two weeks we'll be back to phone calls, sparse visits, and lots of missing each other. I have been reconnecting with my friends and family while we're all in town.

There hasn't been much to report, aside from the excitement of rekindling relationships and the droning hours of work.

Before Christmas I was able to meet up with Ryan, Seyha and Sarah (from Duluth) and we enjoyed a day of Cambodian food and exploring a Catholic store. I was able to find a St. Lucy medal, which I know wear proudly. I made the decision to get confirmed, and to be honest, it's the one decision that I know I'm completely sure of. I have thought about making this decision for four years when all of my friends in high school were getting confirmed. The reason I'm so excited for it-- is that I am making this decision for myself and my relationship with God-- not because my parents told me to.

For now, this is all I have. I'll be back with more soon.

My New Year's Resolution is to be on top of this blog and my relationship with God... to never lose sight of my love for God and His love for me. I feel that's the best resolution I can make-- I don't need to diet, I don't want to lose myself this year-- with a lot of big changes coming, I want to keep my feet on the ground planted firm.

Always,
Hannah Eilene