Sunndayyyy

Todays thinngggg is:

My parents coming to visit. It's always nice to see them after not being home.. even if it's just been a week since I was home last.

This trip was extra special. They, my two sisters, brother in law and nieces came up to Duluth to watch me get confirmed on the Easter Vigil. The mass was absolutely beautiful, with everyone holding candles and then getting confirmed, and then being able to receive communion for the first time as a FULL Catholic. All of the confirmees stood in front of the congregation and received the Holy Communion from the Bishop.

It was an amazing mass, except for one thing. It was 3 hours long!!!! My dad just laughed as he looked as his watch and made a comment about how when I do something.. I do it big.

My poor dad and sister are not Catholic, so they struggled through the looooooooooong mass, and none of us had really eaten dinner... so at 11:30 (by the time pictures finished) we left the Cathedral and headed downtown to Pizza Luce. YUM.

We then headed back to the hotel, slept, woke up, got continental breakfast (and dangerous spoons... we all cut our lips..), then we enjoyed the amazing water park and hot tub, packed up our things and went out for lunch/a second breakfast.

Epiphany

The first song is On Your Porch by The Format. My all time favorite band. I have been listening to them since my sister first introduced me to their music back in the fifth grade.

The second song, as you probably know, is Some Nights by Fun.

I have always thought that the voices sounded similar....


I wonder why? Do you know? If you do... I give you permission to laugh. They are the SAME PERSON. WHATTTTTT????


Epiphany. No wonder I love Fun so much.

Thinking Ahead...

Okay, I already mentioned that this weekend I might be a little distant (or completely absent). I have decided that I will do Saturday's Thing I love/will miss about Duluth now.

I love that anytime I want, I can take a bus (or find a friend) three miles down the hill to the lakewalk and enjoy the gorgeous weather on days like today. I love seeing tons of people walking about with their dogs, rollerblading, biking, or running in SHORTS at 37 degrees. 

Proud of my Pope

Catholics and non-Catholics world wide continue to be surprised by the heart of Pope Francis. Here's this great article showing his love and kindness as he extends his run of breaking traditions. 

Click here for the article!

Nifty Fifty and Forty Nine

I have a good reason for missing last night's reason for loving Duluth.

Thursday was abnormally busy. After class (4) I came home to get ready for the Seder Supper/ Holy Thursday mass. Sarah and I got all dolled up and wore dresses. It was amazingly fun for a long mass... but after mass we got to partake in the actual Seder Supper with roasted lamb and bitter herbs, and unleavened bread... etc.

Sarah (right) and I at the Seder Supper!

So my fifty and forty nine are going to be a two-in-one combo.
Newman Center.

The Newman Center is amazing. I absolutely love being a part of the Catholic community here at UMD. The friends I have made are amazing and encouraging. Not to mention, there's the whole thing of my faith that was really sparked up here.

I was always a Catholic, but I'll admit I was more luke-warm. Now, I'm "hot". This week at RCIA Father Mike told us a comment that one of his sisters (or friends.. I can't remember) said.

"God likes his Christians like I like my coffee, either hot or cold, but not in-between"

It makes total sense. Hot coffee: yum. Iced coffee: yum. Cool coffee that is supposed to be hot: yuck. Warm coffee that is supposed to be iced: yuck.



So, there you have it. The two in one: Newman Center. I like it because it re-ignited my faith and because of the friends I have made.

It counts. I promise. I make the rules.


This weekend I might not be able to post both days, so I'll make sure to catch up on Monday.
My family is coming up to Duluth to celebrate my confirmation (tomorrow!!!) and then they'll be here for some of Sunday. So I'm not sure how promptly I'll be making updates.

Always,
H.Eilene

Fifty One Days

This might be obvious.. and I might repeat for different aspects later on... but the lake. Lake Superior was one of the big reasons I wanted to come here, it's gorgeous, it's huge, it's far more exciting to look at than a city full of people and cars and skyscrapers. You can only barely see the lake at the top of the trees to the left of the picture.

Fifty-Two More Days

Hello Again,

As I posted yesterday, I only have 52 more days as a resident of this gorgeous city of Duluth. My goal for these 52 final days is to document something I love about the city each day. Maybe a fun fact, a picture, a story, something... Today is the LEAST obvious one: the weather.

Normal I grumble and groan about how cold it is in the winter and how obnoxiously long our winters are.. and basically... I complain a lot about the only season that I dislike here. Spring: gorgeous once winter finally leaves. Fall: amazing-- colorful, cool, absolutely beautiful. Summer: weather is nice, lake is cold but less frigid, beautiful hiking (with less mud). Winter: COLD and SNOWY and LONG.

Today, it was sunny and cloudy (at different times) the high was 37 but the "RealFeel" temperature was 45! That is the warmest it has been in weeks. It was amazing. Beautiful. I LOVED it.

Farewell,
H.Eilene

Check it out!

I want pie

So, even though I'm an English major, I love science. Apparently most people don't think its normal to like both-- hence the qualifier. I love science. I love studying the earth and earth processes, biology, ecology, and I love more than anything to look at the impacts humans have on animal and plant species. Hence my geography major. I get to do ALL of that without taking the technical sciences like chemistry and physics. I strongly dislike those things.

There's a really cool website that allows YOU to fund science research that YOU are interested in and then they send you their findings and you can keep up with the projects along the way. I'm not saying you should donate, but you should check out the site. It's really interesting just to read about all of the projects. CLICK HERE!

Coffee

This is Kayla

Spring Break is over  
(sad face)

• 53 days left at UMD 
• 46 days until spring semester's classes are complete (ie: finals commence)
• 41 days until Kayla's Birthday 
• 35 days until Sarah's Birthday
• 28 days until Courtney's Birthday
• 18 days until my next trip home
• 5 days until Confirmation!!!

Niece #2 

Spring break was great! I worked 9-6 almost every day (which means I'll be getting a paycheck in a week and a half!!). I got to see my boy every single day. I got to play with my adorable nieces. 

Jordan and I went to the zoo (with friends), and we got to watch the tiger cubs playing, as well as see the very active male tiger roaming around and GROWLING. I'd have to say that was the most awesome thing ever. None of us had ever heard a tiger roaring in person. 

Other than that, we just did random stuff. Hung out with people, ate food, gamed, etc. My last day home was probably my favorite though. Jordan dropped me off at home just before 10am, cleaned my room/did laundry, went to coffee at noon with Kohaut and her puppy Pippa ..

Violet is the STATIC queen
We watched Brother Bear this weekend

Then, I met up with JJ&V at Target and got to say goodbye to them. I went home and spent an hour or so with my parents before Jordan picked me up for our dinner date. We went to Ghengis Grill, an amazing Mongolian restaurant, picked up some ice cream, and then hung out with his mom and sister for a bit before he took me home again. Finally, I spent the last bit of time with my parents and my kitty and left for Duluth around 8pm. 

Vacation: To The Zoo on a Blustery Cold Day

Sleepy Monkey

Mama Sloth, Baby Sloth, Chinchilla

Tiger Cubs

Komodo Dragon: My Favorite 

Mama and Baby Sloth (again)

Tiger Cubs playing

Tiger Cubs

Tiger Cubs

Brown Bears Cuddling

Papa Tiger: GROWLING

Brown Bear Kenai 

Amur Leopards

Black Bear (new exhibit)

Jordan and Barnes

Beaver Tail

Black bear

Wild Jordan

Barnes pretending to murder Tyler

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Cuddles with my youngest niece

Wow, now that is one annoying title to have to repeat in the house of five boys who all asked at separate times. One would walk in after being outside, "Hey, what're you baking?" and then two seconds later, one of them sitting on the couch would ask, "Whatcha makin?" and so on.
I have learned how to make cupcakes in ice cream cones.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake Mix (I did dark chocolate because I can't eat milk chocolate)
- eggs and oil according to box
Buttercream frosting
Chocolate Chips (aim for minis)
Green food coloring
Peppermint extract
Ice Cream Cones (Flat bottoms)

This is what we're about to create: 

Step One:  Preheat the oven 350.

Step Two:  Put your cones in a baking pan just like in the picture-- unless you can do it better... because mine were pretty chaotic. I also had a baking sheet with three on it that couldn't fit in the cake pan. Make sure they're all relatively level. The point of packing them in is to keep them from falling down.

Step Three: Put batter in the cones. I wouldn't fill them far above the obvious dent in the cone, but they turn out (visually) better if it's a little above the line. Stick them in the oven for 25 minutes, or until done.

Step Four: Mix buttercream frosting with peppermint extract (I started with a tsp and then added until it tasted minty enough.. totally personal preference), three drops of green food coloring, and chocolate chips (again, add to your taste).

Step Five: Remove cupcakes from the oven, and place them on a baking sheet that is not hot (they'd probably fall over on a cooling rack). Let them cool (until they're cool enough not to melt your frosting). Note: The cones are NOT hot when they come out of the oven. They work almost like tin foil, where it doesn't really burn you but it holds in whatever needs to be cooked.

Step Six:  Frost. Eat. Enjoy. They're so good.. that Jordan couldn't wait until I finished taking the picture to steal one.

Anyways, that's my break so far.

Always,
H.Eilene

Spring Break!!!!

Hello!!

Happy Spring Break!!

That's right, this girl is finally on break. Meaning: Tomorrow at promptly 1 pm I will be embarking on the journey home. Somewhere between 4 and 5, I should be arriving at my parent's house. Then, I will be driving over to visit my favorite other father and then off to bake cupcakes for a friend's birthday. WOOT.

THEN:

Birthday / Going away party for a friend.. that basically lasts all weekend.
Random visits with people
Oil Change on the truck I will be driving for break
And starting Monday: WORK!!!!

I am more than excited to get back to my preschoolers. Can't wait!!

I'll update through out the week-- so don't go away!

A Question of Morality

So, as you know (or should know if you follow this blog regularly) I'm Catholic. But, I'm not a confirmed Catholic yet. I get confirmed in 17 days. Part of the confirmation process is to go to RCIA classes to learn about the doctrine of Catholicism . Today we talked about morality. We talked about how to make moral "Catholic" decisions.

Catholics get a lot of crap. Okay, I got comments today about the pope, about child molesters and how evil priest are. Yes. There were some bad Catholic priests who did horrible things. BUT. There are people who do evil things to children everywhere. It doesn't have to be a priest. It can be anyone, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Mormon, Atheist. The religion doesn't define the evil doer's decisions.. and those decisions don't define the religion.

We learned today that inside every person is an innate dignity. This dignity cannot be taken from the person. It's our human nature.

A moral decision will not affect the dignity of another person negatively.
A moral decision will not hurt another person.
A moral decision must have 3 GOOD parts to it:
1. The Act itself
2. The Motivation
3. The Circumstances
Even if you are robbing a bank to feed the poor, the act itself is stealing thus the decision would be immoral.

Anyways... Now, I'm thinking. What things can I do to be more virtuous? More moral?

It's interesting.
H.Eilene

PAPA FRANCESCO!

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/europe/vatican-pope-selection/index.html

Congratulations Argentina. Congratulations to our new pope, Pope Francis I. 

It is truly a beautiful and exciting day. We're so lucky to have this great man to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. What a happy day for all of us!

Viva Cristo Rey!!

 

The Exam

ALERT. ALERT. CODE RED. CODE RED. MIDTERM EXAM 3/12/2013. COME PREPARED.


Okay, so mayyybee they aren't THAT dramatic. But, I swear the phone reminders I set for exams and due dates get more hostile and terrifying each day. Today's scared the donuts out of me. I actually started shaking. 

Midterm Exam:
Close Reading (pick 5 of 6, give: author, title, speaker, close reading and significance of text)
Multiple Choice (10)
Fill in the Blank (15)
Short Essays (5)

Get to the exam.... 

"Good Afternoon. I've decided to double the length of the exam. The sections will each have twice as many questions. Good Luck!"

I filled 2 blue books. 2. I have NEVER needed 2 before, and I don't skimp out on my answers!!


Anyways, my hand feels dead.. and it's been 6 hours since I left the exam. Goodnight! 
Always,
H.Eilene

To Cure a Grumpy Mood...

Mascot Change

Hello Friends!

I'm officially a rodent. No longer an intense and intimidating Bulldog. No, I am a puny little (maybe rabies infested) Gopher.

I don't quite understand why schools have mascots that are not fierce.. a gopher? What's it going to do? Dig a tunnel under your crops and run a risk to your livestock? WOOOOAHHHH Scary.

Whatever. The mascot doesn't matter, in my heart, I'll always be a Bulldog.

BUT... I'm officially accepted into the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

:) from the Twin Ports to the Twin Cities... Here I come.


Always,
H.Eilene

OFP: Obsessive Fish Photographing

I cleaned his bowl today because he had some weird white fuzz floating around on him and in the bowl... now he's happy and clean!!  Enjoy. I like the last picture, mostly because it shows my favorite picture of Lucas and I (miss ya bud!) and, it cracks me up because my fish sits and stares at it a lot. If fish could talk, I bet he'd say Lucas looks like a pretty cool guy. 

Also, isn't Queequeg kinda creepy? Where is right eye should be.. is ACTUALLY just a hole. Freaks me out every time I scrub it clean of the fishbowl scum. Yuck. 

So... about being Brilliant.

I am not.

This paper sucks.

Also, there was an added "Paper writing guideline sheet" that I read yesterday... bottom of the back side

Perfection in writing is not only desirable... it is imperative.

Further down...

Follow these guideline and you are guaranteed a C. You must have a brilliant and perfect paper for an A.

Oh Goody.
No Pressure.
Cue Mental Breakdown.

--Ksjakljfeaojfaksjfi

And then the blizzard came outta nowhere

So we went out for coffee... to do homework. 

Happy Saturday!

Always,

H.Eilene

The challenge to write a brilliant paper

Okay, so I'm not bragging... intentionally.

When I get stuck on a paper, it's mostly the lack of confidence. So, I saved all of my A or A- papers from the past two years of college (and any of my extremely exciting high school papers) so that when I lose confidence in my writing ability... I can remind myself that I'm capable.

I needed this reminder today as I attempt to write a "Brilliant" paper, but it isn't working. Thanks Dr. C, you demolished my confidence for this paper by throwing in the added advice to "make sure your paper is brilliant"... what if what I have to say isn't brilliant? What if it just sounds semi-intelligent? What if it's adequately educated? 

Define Brilliance. 

Mixing up a Life

A Social Life: 

1 part people

1 part fun

1 part energy

.....

I have none of these ingredients.. so instead of a social life.. how about I mix up some chocolate chip cookie bars? Starring my favorite ingredient:

Then, I add all the other good stuff.. like butter... and sugar.. and brown sugar.. and eggs.. and flour and salt and baking soda...

And you can't forget the best part: the part that makes every college girl who feels lame and homesick happy:

Bake for 25ish minutes at 425 and you have a pretty solid Friday. 

Just kidding. I'm still lame, and I'm spending my Friday night watching the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet to write my paper. 

Always Lame,

H.Eilene

P.S. if you actually want to make cookies/cookie bars I used THIS recipe (though I have gotten pretty good at eye-balling the ingredients to make 'em just right)

Add this to the list of things that bug me...

This is why I hate Chalkboards. Try ignoring the smeary writing when your professor is talking.. and when he starts to write OVER the smears... try to not get a headache catching the words.

Good Luck.
H.Eilene

Some people obsessively post about their dogs

I don't have a dog.

But I have a fish named Exodus Richard the Third.

He likes to cuddle with his creepy pirate guy 

(his name is Queequeg).

It must be the end of the week

Today my sister Jen called me around 11:15.
"You're going to be an Auntie!!"
"Yes..."
Okay, normal people would be excited.. but I already knew.. for like.. 5 months.

"You're going to have a nephew!"
"AHHHHHHHHhhhh!!!! YAYYYYY!!"

Okay, so I knew that March 7th was they day they were going to find out.
I marked it in my planner.
I forgot what day it was today.



I am officially tired enough to fall asleep.  I have been since 4.

Also, I fell on some ice today. My back is bruised. It hurts like a.... like a rhino sat on my back.

It's not even 8pm... but Goodnight.
-H.Eilene

Summer

Oh... How I miss the warmth of summer.. wearing shorts... walking barefoot in the waters of the Brule... 3 more months..