Interesting what a dose of Nyquil, and a Tylenol PM will do....

Ok, so I only had two classes today, Creativity in the Fine Arts (CIFA) and Freshman Seminar (Intro. to College Life, a joke, I KNOW) and a massive cold that kicked in around 2pm yesterday afternoon. One massive illness that has taken down half of my floor and working on more at the moment. You know the whole, I can barely breathe, sore throat, runny nose, blah blah blah, not fun. Considering I work in the Dining Center I thought that it would be a good idea to stay in... Before I layed down for bed last night I decided to take a personal health day and just sleep away this decrepit thing, took a dose of Nyquil and a Tylenol PM (because Nyquil has a reverse effect on my system.... it makes me hyper ;)). I guess it worked wonders on my sleeping capabilities, I woke up today at 3pm, that's over 13 hours of straight sleep!!! God bless America, was it nice. Although this bugger of a cold decided that it didn't want to go away.

This evening I went to Target to get some of my own meds so I didn't have to "borrow" from other ill people on our floor, I nearly had to sign my life away to get Tylenol Cold & Sinus!! It's an OTC for goodness sake! Apparently I could be a druggie to them, I don't know but what is this world coming to??? Hmmm, that Meth can be made of anything so the FDA has to make OTC be behind the counter and you have to give the Pharmacy your Drivers license number, and sign a sheet that you will use the drugs for medical purposes only...

The end of Homecoming arrived at 3:30 today... With the end of the Football game. A game that I still have little knowledge of its intricate workings. With a game that ended at 27-Bethel to 0- Hamline, I figured as much to know that we had "taken home" the victory. Even with the (what seemed useless) attempts at teaching me all that there is to know about the sport, I stood in the stand completely baffled about what the world was going on. Other than that Bethel wanted to get the ball to our side of the field. "I think I need a tutor!?" Because otherwise I will again stand through another game in a near daze, only cheering when my friends that knew what was going on did. I felt like a martian out on the bleachers today because I was probably the only one out there that was new to the spectating of this sport.

Okay, so the intra-campus battle is over, and the competitions determining who goes home with the "Royal Cup" and who goes home empty handed are all done. Unfortunately Bodien was not the residence hall to carry the pride of the school home, but more the weight of the world on their shoulders. Beaten, distraught, and broken hearted, these men and women came home, after the results were announced. Only moments before these 165 teens sat giddily awaiting the results. Then they came, eagerness filled the room... East, Heritage, hearts sank instantaneously... Nelson, Bodien.... All words beyond this were mush and dull. Fourth place, it had seemed as though some one had just died, seeing the somber looks on their faces as they returned. All hopes of being the best were lost....

With only 13 hours until the big game against Hamline University, the rest of the campus is pumped, and finding every single can of blue paint, every Bethel t-shirt that they can find... Blue and Yellow, the theme of the day. Hamline must be beat. How? I have no clue, random movements on a field and a mass number of injuries to get a piece of leather to the other end of the grass... Anyone feel like explaining the point system???

Homecoming week is already half over! It flew by so fast... Incredible. With 3 days filled with Bethel Homecoming Pride, and events to scoot. Monday was by far the most hilarious, and anticipated day so far, with only the big game to overcome it, in excitement levels. On Monday night at exactly 10pm, the student body piled into the RC Gym, not for any physical education reason, but for an event that does some serious strain on the vocal chords.... The Cheer Off. In total nine dorms, one outrageous group of "off kampis" peoples and one heck of a party. With groups having cheers that ranged from awkward to side-splitting, for example; Nelson - The Chocolate factory, West - The Pirates, Heritage - The Elderly. The list goes on. So, there we sat, for one hour in riotous laughter at the opposing halls uniqueness and relative humorous quotes. All groups crying in desperation to the dearest judges, all res councils praying that there cheer would go through without a hitch. Then the time came, the crowd was silent, all hoping that they could win the competition, knowing that it would enable them to stay in the lead for the majority of the week. Results.... Hearts pounding and throats aching, we sat 11-6 and still no mention of our hall, 5,4, and then it came, like a bullet to the heart, third. Behind Heritage, our lovely seniors.... And East taking the lead, sophomores... Them and their trees. We had beaten all of the freshman dorms along with the juniors. Could we keep this up?

Next came the tug-o-war, 28 games, mano-a-mano, 15 of our best to 15 of there's. One problem, we really have no big strong guys... As long as we don't come in last, that's all we cared about, we will not allow ourselves to lose. Never. Loss. Loss. Loss. Last game, moment of truth.... Loss. 7th place, surprisingly it only switched us from 3rd to 4th, within an extremely close margin.

Finally, the beloved relay race, a competition that involved twenty different obstacles, including (but not limited too), the six-legged race, toilet paper unrolling, saltine chew, flour toss, etcetera, etcetera. Bodien had the best crowd of cheerleaders, encouraging them on towards their goal... the Royal Cup. These wonderful men and women, pressed onward with no regard to what was presented to them to do. They did outstanding, coming in second with only three seconds lag between us and our arch-rivals... East. This score placed us back into our original lineup with East, followed by Heritage, then Bodien, the underdog that will prevail.

With only a miniscule amount of points that separate us from first place, every move is critical, we still have 7 residence halls tailing us waiting for us to fail. The two most dangerous: Nelson (orange) and Lissner (pink). News flash, orange is not the new pink and neither will it be the new blue. With two critical events left, we can not afford to lose our pace nor our focus...

1. I couldn't hit a Tennis ball for the life of me.
2. I have 2 tests and 3 essays due in the next 3 days.
3. My computer as a mind of its own.
4. Flex is running utterly low.
5. My stomach hurts and I only had 1/3 of a glass of milk.
6. My eye allergies are getting worse.
7. It's outside 77 and 83 in my dorm.
8. I burnt my finger doing Barista last night.
9. I can already feel the freshman 15...
10. It's only Monday.

"Homecoming is a big thing, people know about it"
Homecoming is officially in full swing, and with the big game only 5 days away. People all over campus are getting geared up and dressed up in their residence hall colors and their graduation year colors as well. This week will be hectic for me, guggling classes, dorm events, SA, homework, and sleep. So don't count on too many updates.

Every year we partake in a ritual of years past, some years there are few rituals, some there are many... this was one of the many... One that will never be forgotten. One that can only be ventured to be named .... The Camp Out.

Every year at the end of the fourth week of school, the Student Activities Committee plans an event that is characterized only by its intense vagueness, and mass confusion upon it the reality of what actually happens at an event that is dared to be called "The Camp Out" (at a Conservative Christian school at that). This is especially taken into account when a lowly freshman sees a sign hanging in the D.C. that says "Camp Out, Friday Night, Seminary Hill", now how many kids were left calling home begging their parents to overnight there tents and sleeping bags out to them? Or how many where caught out at Target actually purchasing these items?

Now, in reality no one actually "camps out" on the hill, although it does have some of the characteristics of a camp out; like s'mores, blankets & pillows, and a story by the camp fire. Although the story by the camp fire was not told by an rigid senior, but more by a 40 foot screen and projector. The story tonight is "Madagascar", the story of a motley crew of zoo escapee's in search of their "missing" friend. These lovable, yet hilarious characters find there way on to a ship where they are en-route to Africa. Now these captivity raised creatures must learn what it takes to survive in the wild.

Apparently the girls are better today, when I arose I noticed that the theme had changed, from "why life sucks" to "why life is amazing". I am glad to see that the ice cream depression is gone and the joys of life are back in full swing, although it seems as they still have a bit too much flex left and have been consistant in spending it instantaneously in the market. When I read this the hymn "I'm trading my sorrow's" came to mind, and replayed throughout the day.

For the Sorrow may last for the night,
But Joy comes with the morning.

Seeing this really reminded me of how people sometimes think that just because we are Christian's that our lives will never have issues, that we will never get depressed, or look down on our own lives. Wrong. We will, and do, we get all of the ailments of the outside world, we have no protective bubble that keeps all of the "bad stuff" out of our lives. Nothing that prevents people from falling into addictions, abuse, ill to cancer... Nothing, were just like the rest of the world. Except, we have hope that when we do fall that there is someone to pick us back up and gets us running again.

As I ponder upon this verse of the song I remind myself of it's double meaning, not only does God take away our pains and comfort us with his eternal love, but he sent His son to die. DIE, for ME!! Why? I find myself asking it all the time, why me? Why would He chose me, to die for? How could someone Love me so much that he would die for me to live? But then it always forces me to think, if God loves me enough to die for me, why does he let bad things happen to me?

A number 1 bus drove into a column of young Royal Marine cadets in Chatham, and killed twenty-three of them. They were ten-year-old boys, marching and singing on their way to a boxing match. The road was unlit. The driver didn't see them. It was a terrible accident. Nobody was to blame. Except... (pointing upwards) Now, where was He? Why didn't He stop it? What possible point can there be to such a tragedy? Isn't God supposed to be good? Isn't God supposed to love us? - Shadowlands (William Nicholson)

With that in mind, why does God let anything bad happen to those that love Him? The Holocaust, Famine, September 11 2001? Hmmm? Thousands of innocent people died in these events and yet we say we have a God that loves us. If He loved us so much why did he let a plane crash into the north tower at 8:46am, and all of the attacks that followed? Where was He?

God creates us free, free to be selfish, but he adds a mechanism that will penetrate our selfishness and wake us up to the presence of others in the world, and that mechanism is called suffering. To put it in another way, pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Why must it be pain? Why can't He wake us up more gently, with violin or laughter? Because the dream that we must be awaken from is that all is well.

God loves us, so much He makes us the gift of suffering. Through suffering, we release the hold on the toys of this world, and know our true good lies in another world. - Shadowlands (William Nicholson)

So where was God on September 11th 2001? He was very busy, He was trying to discourage anyone from taking those flights. The four planes held over 1,000 passengers and there were only 266 aboard. He was on four commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. On one of the flights He was giving wisdom & strength to passengers to try and overtake the high-jackers, so that others might be spared. He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World Trade Center. After all, only around 20,000 were at the towers when the 1st jet hit. Since the buildings held over 50,000 workers this was a miracle in itself. He was holding up two 110 story buildings so that 2/3 of the workers could get out. It was so amazing that the top of the towers didn't topple as the jets impacted. And when they did fall they fell inward. God didn't allow them to topple over as many more lives would have been lost.

And He does the same still today, He tests us and tries us, to show us that we are weak and helpless without Him. That without Him these pains that break our back and bring a sweat to our brow, would make us crumple, that we would snap like a toothpick, at the sight of pain. But He gives us something more, He re-enforces us, He is always with us and He will never forsake us.

"I am just a toothpick, duct-taped to a steel pole"

Today was probably the most productive day that I have had since arriving on campus, maybe in my whole life, but that is a far stretch. Today I was not only awake by 9am, but I had showered, ate, went to class, and checked my P.O. And that was just before 9am! The rest of the day had the same type of flow, I was able to cram into my schedule; classes, (I actually ate) lunch as well, a six mile Jog, BSA (Bethel Student Association, Student Activities) meeting, a three hour nap, homework, playing in the rain, and alias, and it is only 11:45pm. Wow, its been a while since I have been progressively able to accomplish all of this items in one afternoon. Not only was I able to do these elaborate things but as well, I have found my own "secret" secluded place on campus to do my quiet time, a place that overlooks the lake and only 2 people passed during the hour that I sat with the Lord.

The weather was quite dismal all day, with a haze and high humidity made the 66°weather feel like it was 90°, it was "hot" and very sticky, but still was nice weather to run in, thankfully the downpour didn't start until 10:30. I don't think I have ever seen so many teenagers running out in the rain at one time, when I returned from my BSA meeting there was about 30 shirtless guys playing football in the thunder and rain, while the girls were dancing humming "singing in the rain."

Although I had a productive and gleeful day, it seems my "neighbors" were not on the same page of the novel, apparently they had one of thdepressingistst (as that even a word?), See image left. As they made a list of "Why Life Sucks", and declared today as the "national 304 craptastic day". Sad and depressing, yet hilarious to watch and read about. I think its the rain, they'll (hopefully) be better tomorrow.

Until next time au revior!

Why should Caesar get to stomp around like a giant, while the rest of us try not to get smushed under his big feet? What's so great about Caesar? Hm? Brutus is just as cute as Caesar. Brutus is just as smart as Caesar. People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar. And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh? Because that's not what Rome is about. We should totally JUST STAB CAESAR!

- Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls

Every year on the second week of school, the Student Activity's committee plans an event that can only be given the name ...

Apple has just released another version of the everyday lovable Ipod, introducing the "Nano". The spec's on this baby are:

1.5 ounces
1.6 x 3.5 x 0.27 inches
Color display
Available in 2 & 4 GB
Black or White case
14 hour battery life
Click wheel

This precious new addition was a inbred of the Ipod photo and the mini that apparently got put into the "make it smaller machine". With the capability to place your photo's, audiobooks, podcasts and of course your tunes, on this gadget; will make this the fly off the shelf product of the year. Apple adds to its versatility with this one, having its infamous click wheel and 14 hour battery life enables it to be used for long periods of time, along with its astonishing 1.5 oz's makes it a wonder for taking on long runs. With a price tag of $199 for the 2gb and $249 for the 4gb makes it one to be on everyone's wish list this fall. Apple keeps out doing itself pretty soon all of the Ipods will be that same dimensional size and still retain their storage and battery life capabilities. Although I love this one, I am waiting and praying that soon they will revamp the Ipod photo 20gb to a more miniscule, shrunken version.

I did it! I made BSA!!! Bethel Student Association, Student Activities Committee!

It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
- Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins

It's been one week since the hustle and bustle of welcome week has died down and people are actually starting to sleep at night, and don't have the song "welcome week" running in their minds. Only a week ago it was a mass psychosis, of cars and extremely caffeinated college students run about helping new college students adjust to life at Bethel.

No longer can we sit in our dorm room, listening to their singing and chanting, as we survey the room that was almost instantaneously by this group moments ago after they hauled it from the car almost barbarously as they chanted our room numbers over and over again. No longer do we have to fear walking into the chapel and hearing "welcome week" in varying tones for 5 minutes. No longer do we have to run to Super Target 3 times in one day to find item after item that we forgot or overlooked. No more needing to sit for hours, wishing that we had taken Swedish so we could assemble our futons from Ikea.

As the week of festivities came to an end and the amount of caffeine that our bodies needed to function tripled we had one last celebration before we started the school year. We had all
already set up our rooms and set our schedules so that they fit with our sleeping schedules, but there was still one thing that we had not done yet, surrendered our lives, and our school year to the Lord. Before coming to Bethel we were required to sign "The covenant" but the Student Activities crew decided to switch it up a little and make it a public declaration of our commitment to our life at Bethel and as the Lord's children. Placing our handprint on this signified that we were dedicated to live our lives as God would have us to, to be Holy and pleasing to His standards, not our own. This mural is now on display in the hallway of the school signifying our surrender to His love and not the worlds views of a good life.

Classes started the next morning bright and early (unfortunately), thankfully the Lord blessed me with having a Tuesday and Thursday schedule that end at 11am so I can do finish my sleep after there end. Being a double major and not coming in with any credits, adds a bit of weight to my load that thankfully will not be added until next semester. This semester I am taking a total of 16 credits and am serving on Bodien Residence Council and possibly on Bethel Student activities.

On Friday Night the Student activities crew planned a 80's skate party at a local rink, for all of us who did not leave for the labor day break. It was awesome, and surprisingly a lot of people showed up and the outfits that many people were able to come up with, and establish as their own look. Many of the people that showed up looked as though they had been pulled out of their jazzercise class, while others looked as though they just came from the set of pretty in pink. The diversity of the evening was extraordinary and hilarious at that. The campus seems practically dead, in account for over 2/3 of the student population having gone home for the holiday. The upside to the decrease of the student body the decibel level at night and sleep is an actuality and not a miracle. The hilarious part is that people wake up about the same time that visiting hours start or later, the biggest parties going on this weekend are that people are hanging out in the 2.5 lounge and watching movies until 4am and later. Homework hasn't even made it's way into most students agendas and most likely wont until late tomorrow night.

The fun of the non-eventful weekend is winding down and my homework is slowly making its way to the top of my desk as is the deadlines of assignments for freshman seminar. With the shuttle system not being in effect over the weekend, and the weather has been stormy and cold, the "Bethel bubble" is the only thing that I have seen. I really hope that I can get a car for next year, I really want be able to have my own way of getting from point A to B without having to rely on someone else to get me there. With the "Bethel bubble" really taking an effect on me the only thing that I hear calling my name is my pillow telling me to hibernate until next summer.