MIA

I have been MIA from the blog-0-sphere!!!!! Here are some updates:

Wednesday is my LAST class as an undergrad!!!! A week from Wednesday is my LAST FINAL!!! WOOO HOOO I can't wait to graduate!!!! 

A week or 2 ago I went to the Sugarland concert with Hans. Sugarland is my FAVORITE country group, and the concert was AMAZING. They are better live than recorded.... We had a blast!!!! In this first picture (which was during the encore), Jennifer and Christian (the 2 members of Sugarland) got INTO these huge inflatable balls and rolled themselves into the crowd. It was awesome! If you look closely, you can see them crawling inside. 

RIOTS

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S899192.shtml?cat=1

This weekend was Spring Jam, which is spring's version of Homecoming. There were riots. WOAHHHHHH who thought the U could get this crazy!?! Watch this news clip- police showed up and tear gassed people, shot rubber bullets, etc. I wasn't there, no need to worry!! I was at a bar nearby, thankfully :) Well, actually I was sleeping by the time this all happened. crazy people! 

Props to the Olden Days

This morning I made Oatmeal Raisin cookies for a potluck we had this afternoon for my Community Organizing class. WHEW. I unfortunately do not own a mixer- so instead use the hand crank mixer that belonged to Grandma Barnes. OH MY GOSH that is a workout. We are talking the hand crank style mixer. See photo below for a rough estimation... Bless those people who didn't have electricity or appliances, it is tough work cranking that thing through cookie dough. They turned out delicious, and I think all the credit goes to the mixer. Oh my. I can only hope someday I will own a mixer. Life would be good. 

busy. life.

AHHH Life has been busy. I apologize if I've been MIA recently. Quick updates- I'll blog about something more soon, I promise. 

-Nikki (my roommate) is engaged! I am her maid-of-honor, which is super exciting. On Saturday she bought her wedding dress, and we ordered bridesmaid dresses. They are black, tea length, and very pretty. CONGRATS NIKKI AND DAN!!!!

-Emily was accepted to the Occupational Therapy program at U of M! CONGRATS EM!! That is so exciting!!!

-Today was Student Day at the Capitol- an event sponsored by the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network where I volunteer. I organized the college fair, and it went really well. Here's an article about the event: 

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=636983&catid=14

-I take my last college final 22 days from now. I will officially graduate on May 17th. 

-I am moving out of my apartment on May 18th. Holy cow. 

-I am packing up the car and leaving for Texas in less than 6 weeks. Holy cow. 

-I am moving to Texas. HOLY COW. 

WOW life is crazy. Going to bed now.

7 things I CAN'T live without

I was tagged by Andrea to come up with 7 things I can't live without!!! Here goes.... 

1. My FAMILY - These people are the greatest on Earth (and the majority of my blog readership haha). But for reals, I couldn't live without you guys! You make me laugh, support me, and are all around wonderful. 

2. TRAVEL 

I absolutely love to travel. I got the travel bug young and it's staying strong! Being able to travel is crucial! I have seen some beautiful places, learned about other cultures, not to mention tasted delicious food. 

3. My laptop

I love my laptop and use it a ridiculous amount. Internet goes hand in hand with my laptop, because I am a compulsive email checker. Really- it's a little out of hand. 

4. SPANISH- I LOOOVE Spanish. I love hearing it and speaking it. It's like a little adrenaline rush when I can carry on a conversation with a native Spanish speaker. In Cozumel last weekend I talked to a cab driver for 20 minutes, and it was practically the highlight of my day. I remember being at Tokyo restaurant in EC maybe 10 or 15 years ago (woah)- there was a couple at our table who spoke another language. I remember being fascinated by it, and wanting to understand. I am proud of my ability to communicate with people who speak another language. ¿Hablas español? 

5. Food- Obviously I can't live without food in a literal sense. But I mean from a life satisfaction standpoint, I can't live without it. I loooooove good food. I like cooking/baking too, although I'm a novice. (Remember mom's blog post about how to cut a tomato?) 

WEll, maybe I can live without eating Guinea Pig!

 well.... I'm stumped after 5. I'm sure there are many more things I could think of, but this post has already taken me an hour. Soo to be continued!

Spring Break!!!

I had a FABULOUS trip to Mexico with Danielle. We left last Wednesday and flew to Tampa, and then boarded the ship on Thursday morning. We were at sea Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Saturday we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. We got a ton of sun, danced the nights away and ate plenty of dessert!!! Here are a few pictures--- enjoy!!! 

The ship

Personally, I was looking forward to the towel animals. I've heard big things. Unfortunately, I think our cabin steward was a novice. This was our first one, and was pretty good... Too bad it just went downhill from there. We also got a nondescript seal?.... and possibly a frog. Better luck next time Mr. Cabin Steward. 

Between the two docked Carnival ships in Cozumel 

Our cabin. Not too shabby, eh? 

From the highest deck of the ship.... notice the water slide peeking out from the tail of the ship. Not to brag or anything, but Dee and I were the first 2 passengers to zip down it. 

Here she is, the Inspiration