Visiting home

This weekend I went back home to see my family. I had missed them so much. I only get to see them every couple of weeks. I spent the night talking with my parents, watching television with them, and eating dinner with them. I miss my mothers home cooking so very much and I was glad to eat one of my favorite home cooked meals by her. On Saturday I drove up to Mankato to see some of my friends and my boyfriend. I got to see my best friend and she showed me around her campus and I got to see her dorm room and meet her roommate. We went out to eat at Olive Garden after the MSU volleyball game. Later that night I went to hangout with my boyfriend. I haven't seen him in weeks and it felt so good to give him a big hug. His birthday is in a couple weeks so I plan on going back home to spend his birthday with him! I miss everyone back home and I can't wait to see them again.

Jurassic Park

I am so glad we are watching Jurassic Park in IS101 class! I have never seen the movie and I think its a great movie from what I have seen of it so far! I find it very interesting that Michael Crichton thought of the idea of how to clone dinosaurs! It's fascinating! The scientific ways of cloning something seems so complicated but in this movie, Crichton makes it seem like it was so easy. Its a wonderful movie with action, humor, and science fiction scenes. I am looking forward to reading some of his other books this semester! I can't wait to see what other ideas he has written in his novels.

My First Mission Trip

One of the best qualities of mine is that I have the compassion to help others. My motivation to assist people comes from a bible verse, Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." I admire this quote because I am selfless, I care more about others than I do for myself. Summer of 2010, I volunteered to go on a mission trip with some members of my church. We traveled to Martin, SD to a small Indian reservation. When we arrived to there, we began working right away. We only had one week to get things done and we wanted to get as much done as we could. Our church group divided up into smaller groups. Each small group had different responsibilities to do, such as: repair and paint homes, visit the nursing home, and accompany the young children in the park. Eventually throughout the week we got to switch up the duties, in order to give everyone a chance at each location. I personally enjoyed playing with the little kids. I met a little boy named Lance, who was 5 years old at the time. He was the cutest little boy I had ever met. He liked to read, so everyday he read to me his favorite books. He also liked to go down the big, swirly slide on the playground. We went down that slide at least 100 times! I had an amazing time with my new little friend, Lance. I miss him so much. Visiting with the elderly at the nursing home was probably my second favorite thing to do on the mission trip. I love to interact with other people. They had a bunch of activities to do in the nursing home. One activity I did was I went around with my youth director, Katie, to each room and sang songs to those who wanted us to sing to them. I also got to play checkers, bean bag toss, and other little games with the elderly. The best part about interacting with the elderly was seeing the smiles on their faces. They were so happy to have volunteers help out with their town and also make time to visit them. Nothing makes me happier than to put smiles on other peoples faces. The repairing and painting houses were fun as well. I enjoy doing hands-on work and knowing it is for a good cause. I learned so much about myself that summer. I learned that I have my church family by my side no matter what, they love me and I love them. I also became more close with God. My views toward my religion changed greatly over that summer, all because I made the decision to go on that mission trip. That mission trip changed my life.

Eat, Sleep, Play Volleyball

The hardest part of graduating from high school was having to leave my volleyball team. Volleyball is my passion. I love the feeling of being active and having fun while playing on the court. I am a very competitive athlete but I also have a good sportsmanship attitude. When I was told I could try out for the volleyball team here at Wartburg College, I was thrilled. I have the chance to continue my skills and passion for the sport I love. Over the summer I attended some of the Sunday night open gyms. I had the opportunity to meet some of the girls in my freshman class. Move in day for us volleyball girls was August 16th. I was nervous at first, but after being around the girls on my team I began to feel more comfortable. Practice started the next day. I thought it was going to be the toughest practice I have ever had. Turns out, it was actually pretty fun! For the next two weeks, my life was all about volleyball. I would wake up, go to breakfast with the team, have morning practice, go to lunch, have afternoon practice, go to dinner, have night practice, then go back to my dorm room to sleep. Every day was like that from August 17th to August 30th. I was overwhelmed the first couple of days. But once I became less sore and more focused I played harder and better. I am improving in my skills and I am looking forward to playing volleyball for the next three years. I am proud to be a Wartburg Knight!

The Importance of Family

I am beginning to find myself in a new home here at Wartburg. I have another family here on campus now. My teammates, my roommate, my classmates, my teachers, and my coaches have all made me realize how much I am loved here. There is nothing more I could ask for than to be loved and to be part of a new family. As much as I miss my family back home in Fairmont, I am finally feeling more comfortable here at college. My family back home still loves me and supports me which is much appreciated. My family here at Wartburg is just the same, everyone supports and helps each other. I love living in this new environment where everyone is loving, caring, and respectable to one another. That's what family is all about; loving each other, caring for one another, and respecting every individual out there.

The Value of Education

I believe that starting an education early in life is very important. As boys and girls improve their reading, writing, and counting skills, they will provide a better future for their families and also for their country. Education has the ability to make our world a better place. With advanced education, many more branches of studies can be developed. In order to earn a job, individuals must learn and acquire specific skills in their field of study. Education aids people to work of higher quality and generates the possibility to a sustainable economic growth. The affect of education to men and women around the world is the value of life because without education, our world would not function the way it is today.

My reason for being here at Wartburg College, is related to the A. Bartlett Giamatti essay: The Earthly Use of a Liberal Education. I chose to come to Wartburg College to challenge myself. I wanted to study at a liberal arts school because I think it is a great way to transcend, not only my education, but my faith, leadership, and personality as well. I wish to use these qualities to help others in the community and to teach others the importance of loving to learn.