Lil Sibs Weekend

This past weekend two of my “little” siblings came down to Marietta for Lil Sibs Weekend and these are some of our adventures.  Jordan (18 and 6’ something really tall) and Timmy (14 and looking me directly in the eyes) (hence the “little”) got to campus Friday evening just after dinner. We started the evening by going to the indoor track meet for awhile and watched pole vaulting.  Then we went to the rock wall where I work.

  

Next we went for a “walk” around campus and other parts of Marietta and climbed some roofs and such, as should be expected from Duncans.  Also, one of my soccer friends let us borrow a crap wheelchair she had used the previous week for a school project.  Needless to say it was quite fun.

 

At one point I was sitting in the chair and Timmy was in my lap and Jordan was sprinting up the hill and then he hit the curb and we flew into the plants…..”That was totally wicked!”

Next we went to the foof room. Foofs are these giant pillow like masses that are super fun and bring out the inner child of people, myself in particular.

   

 

After the foof room we just chilled out in my room and played super mario on the wii until we went to bed.  The next morning, I woke up and went running, my favorite, and after we had eaten and showered we started for our next adventure.  We planned on going to visit Auntie Linda in Fairmont WV since it is less than 2 hours from my college, but we made a stop along the way.  It was a beautiful day and so we pulled off onto this country road.  From previous experience (aka last year) we knew that when pulling off onto a country road in WV you never do know what to expect, which of course is why we did it.  This random road happened to lead to a campground.   So we got out and tromped around the woods for awhile which I can’t explain why, but it is so much fun.

After over an hour of exploring we got back into Jordan’s car but instead of going back to 50, we continued down the country road.  It literally took us to the booneys.  There were shacks for houses and no cell phone service and it turned into a dirt road and there was this older couple just sitting on their front porch so we waved to them, and they waved back.  We drove for about 6 miles and then turned around and drove back to 50, of course waving to the couple sitting on their porch as we passed again.  We thought about stopping to talk to them but didn’t.  I kinda regret it. 

Then after much more driving we arrived at Auntie Linda’s.  She cooked a wonderful meal for us of chicken-pot-pie and then fed us some delicious cupcakes. 

 

  

Before and after dinner we played Quelf which is this really funny board game where you just do a bunch of random stuff.   It was so good to be with people I love and have a good time away from campus and eat good food! 

We drove back to campus later that night.  Actually, Jordan let me drive…his car….it was interesting.  I’m definitely getting better at manual transmission but I still don’t quite have the hang of it all.  Plus I haven’t driven it since like August so, yeah.  After getting back to my room we played some dancing games on the wii and then went to bed.  The next morning we went to church.  I got to play drums for the first time and it went pretty well.  It was nice having my brothers there.  After church they left :( and it was sad to say goodbye.   We had a really good time though and made lots of memories.  I love my brothers and look forward to next year’s adventures.  

 

Sunrise

This morning I ran out of Marietta, past some factories, up a giant hill, and into the country.  It was dark and dirty at first.  The factories smelled awful. The hill was giant and by no means easy to climb.  I got to the top all sweaty and tired and worn out but it was so worth it because it was like I stepped into a whole new world.  The birds were singing, the hills were gorgeous all around me, and I got to see a beautiful sunrise come up over top of them.  And, bonus for this country lovin’ girl, I got to see cows! There was this one little calf that just stared at me and was so cute so I stopped to take its picture but it ran away.  Got this picture anyways and it brings me joy so I thought I would share it with you all.

Not sure what to put as the title because that is the hardest part of posting, these are just the things that happened in the last week. But “this past week” is a lame title so…..

Just a quick update since I haven’t really been on the computer since Wednesday. 

On Thursday I went on a date with my Daddy.  We attended the first annual college republicans fundraising dinner.  It worked out well because he was in Columbus for some meetings and had the night off.  It was wonderful to get to see him even if it was only for a few hours and even though he wasn’t feeling well.  After dinner we went to Walmart and he bought me some snacks for the week, namely animal crackers.  I love my Daddy.

On Friday after class I worked from 1-5 and because I had barely slept during the week, went back to my room at 5 and crashed.  I slept until 9 the next morning.  It was great.  My roommate said that I talked in my sleep but that she couldn’t understand me.  I think I’m funny. 

Saturday I invited myself over to the Lords’ house for dinner and to stay the night.  I’m glad I’m comfortable to do that kind of thing.  Pastor Hope is in town so he was there for dinner too. I had four helpings of the main stuff which was a yummy pasta thing and lots of bread and tons of dessert which was ice cream and crummy apples.  I also got more homework done that Sat. night than I think ever before.  I had the whole basement to myself and my own personal fire and everything.  It was a much needed break from the college life.  I love my family here, they take good care of me. 

Sunday I ran 12 miles, the most since my marathon over a year + 1/2 ago.  It was hard but fun.  There are lots of hills here which is good, and it is beautiful to run up and see where you just were and where you are going.  I also like running across the bridges and going to WV, it is just a good time here.  I’m sure I will blog more about running because it is so great.  Also on Sunday I had two soccer events so I was exhausted by the end of the day. 

Yesterday afternoon after class I played racquetball with Dr. Chase the head of the Petroleum Department.  He gave me some pointers and taught me the rules, then we played a quick game to fifteen points because he beat my really quickly (I only got 3). 

Life is busy and never seems to stop.  These are just the highlights of my week.  Classes are going well and I like them but I constantly feel like I am behind.  I had my first exam in Physics yesterday, I don’t know how well I did but it wasn’t too bad.  I really don’t like that class.  I have 3 exams coming up soon.  I run and do soccer stuff all the time, it is crazy how buff I am getting.  Always sore, always doing hardcore stuff, sometimes I  feel like I’m in the military.  I work lots of hours on top of all that which I enjoy but like I said, its all very busy.   

Until next time,

Peace!

Life this past week: School, Work, Soccer, and Parties

So, this week has been very busy for me which is mostly a good thing.  I've worked both my jobs, (which I will probably blog more about later when I get more pictures), I’ve run almost every day and been working out on top of that so I’ve been pretty sore.  I’ve been to meetings, classes and church so pretty much non-stop going all week long. 

So here is a story of Wednesday.  My friend Katie May’s birthday is July 19th.  She has said that sometimes that is sad for her because she never gets to celebrate it with her friends.  On her actual birthday this summer she worked for 9 hours.  Not cool.  So I decided to make a huge deal out of her half birthday on January 19th.  So last week I brought her roommate Lisa in on it and asked for her help.  On Tuesday night we went to Walmart to get the supplies.  We got back to my room and for over an hour blew up over 200 balloons.  Here is the progression of the fun.

 

The beginning of madness…

Lisa due to her light-headedness I’m sure

Lisa and Sam (my roommate who erroneously believed she was going to sleep right before we walked in)

The Progression….

Not done yet….

Still not done and extremely light-headed

Finally Done! This took FOREVER but so worth it

Lisa!

Sam really did have fun, I guess this picture just depicts her frustration at being awakened right after laying down to sleep for the night.

Me and Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me failing at getting a picture of all three of us from above

After we were done it was past midnight and Katie had already gone to sleep so we very stealthily crept into her room and transferred all of the balloons to her room.  They covered the floor and went all the way up to her bed.  She stayed asleep despite the balloons that popped and only rolled over a few times to scare us.  The next morning she awoke to amazingness and loved it.  She said that she had heard gunshots in her dream…..hmmm.  But the surprises weren’t finished.  I wrote a fb message to her Marietta friends and told them to wish her a happy half birthday.  Many of them did.     

 

 

Wednesday night after I got back from church we popped all of the balloons with tacs.  What took over an hour to create was gone in 30 seconds. 

 

 

 

 

The aftermath

Then we went to Dairy Queen because what is a birthday without ice cream?

The lovely Katie May

Bestest Buddys

 

Hap Bir Kat Ma!

Then after Ice Cream we gave her the gifts we bought.  Sticky things for her fridge and a piñata that we will bust open tonight! She was very happy with the whole day, which is good because that was the goal. 

 

Running

I am going to run the Louisville Marathon on April 30th.  This requires much training and mental and physical preparation.  I recorded the mileage from when I ran the Cleveland Marathon May 2009 and I ran over 200 miles for just the training.  This time around I have set some new goals.  Last marathon my goal was to finish, this marathon my goal is to finish under 4 hours without stopping to walk.  I feel like I know more now and these goals are reachable but it will be hard.  For example I’ve heard rumors that Louisville is very hilly whereas Cleveland was basically flat.  So I am training here in Marietta which is a good thing because there happen to be a few hills here.  So far the training is going well, I am extremely sore but its all good.

This morning I was scheduled for a 5 mile run.  Ok, no biggie, I’ve run 5 miles lots of times.  Well I forgot that I was already sore, and that 6:30 in the morning isn’t very fun.  But after I got going it was quite the adventure.  In case anybody was wondering, it is still dark at 6:30 in the morning, and there were about 4 inches of snow everywhere, and it was still snowing and windy, so pretty much a blizzard.  I feel like I use alot of commas.  None of the sidewalks were shoveled (on the parts where there were sidewalks) so there was quite a bit of resistance.  I only saw one other human being until I got close to campus and this person was dressed like a firefighter with a giant suit and reflectors and a huge backpack and his face was even covered with this reflector mesh stuff.  It was a funny sight but then at the same time I’m sure so was I. 

Fun adventures in the snow….yay.  I get to do it again in the morning.  Sometimes it is lonely but it is good thinking time.  I love to run. 

First Day of Classes

My first day of classes for this semester went well.  I was planning on getting up at seven to get a few things done but hit the snooze several times and then just gave up and slept until 8.  My schedule for this semester is pretty convenient and will be the lightest work-load yet.  Mon./Wed./Fri. I have class 9-12 with a lab on Wed afternoon,  and Tues./Thurs. I have class 9:30-12:15.  For those of you that are interested my classes this semester are:

Strength of Materials (engineering)

Physics

Advanced Engineering Mathematics (A math class for engineers)

Fluid Mechanics (another engineering class)

Myth and Folklore (a general education Literature class)

I am taking 16 credit hours in all so I will have more “free time”.  This semester my free time will be filled with work and working out.  On Tues. and Thurs. afternoons I will help build the sets for the plays the theatre department puts on and then go work at the rock wall.  I will also work the rock wall on Sun. nights.  In the mornings before classes I will train for the marathon I am running April 30th in Louisville KY.  In the afternoons/evenings I will be doing soccer training which means I will be buff.  In addition to my craziness I will also do homework and hang out and go to church etc…… 

So this is going to be a fun semester, I am looking forward to it but also wish I could just skip it and go to NM right now and then start my more fun petro classes that will consume my junior year :)

Here a couple of pictures from last semester

  

A white board at the library filled with one engineering problem, this was not even the longest one I had to do

Basically what happens at the rock wall when no climbers show up.  My co-workers don’t know I have this hehe

Doing secret important stuff with George

Christmas Break

So I have been on break for almost a month now and have no pictures to show for it.  One of the reasons I started a blog was so that I would take more pictures.  Fail. And I think that everybody who would read this already knows about my life but I'm bored and feel like writing. 

This break started out a little crazy as plans changed last minute about how I was getting home and everything.  It didn't help that my Physics exam lasted 3 hours.  I was expecting to get done and meet my parents in Marietta but that didn't happen, I ended up going to Parkersburg to pick up two birthday cakes and then driving to Cambridge where I met some of my family at Cracker Barrel.  Thankfully I had a car.  I have really enjoyed having my own transportation at school the last two months it will be sad going back without it.

Anyways I wasn't supposed to be home on Friday but it worked out that way so I got to be there for Joey's 6th birthday and he got a spiderman suit and jumped on me to wake me up in the morning.  A few days later Ironman (Micah) joined him in this daily joy.  So I got to be home for that and Timmy and Micah's piano recital.  I'm so proud of them.

For the first week after I got back Marriana and I had decided to help Mother with homeschooling Micah and Joey.  It is fun and stressful at the same time.  Joey is my buddy and is a hard one to keep focused.  And now that school has started for them again, lets just say this is also going to be a fun week. 

The Church Christmas dinner went well.  The youth group always puts on some kind of skit/entertainment for the people.  We did a kind of Biggest Loser thing with special guests from.....everywhere. It was interesting and funny even though we were scrambling to get it together last minute like we always do and say that next year we won't.

I always like Christmas for the family time.  There are no words to describe the atmosphere of family.  Sure I can tell you what we did, and I will, but it just brings a good warm fuzzy feeling when I think about Christmas in general.  Our family always does the advent wreath where we light candles representing different people in the Christmas story.  I'm very glad Marriana is here because I have always lit the second candle and so I still got to because she lit the first one for Daniel.  Another family tradition is good food and we had lots of it, so much I won't even put it all because it would take too long to read and would make me even more hungry.  Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathy and my cousin Terri came to visit for 2 days before Christmas and which was pretty cool.  Then Christmas day is always exciting and hectic.  I have to say my favorite present was the toothpaste :) 

The day after Christmas we packed up and drove to KY which happens to be my birthstate.  I love it there and had a great time with everybody (even the shopping part) and guitars and children everywhere and gator rides and gun shooting and visits from friends and the cave and the cows and the hay......yeah, it was pretty fun. 

Now it is the week before I go back to school.  This break has gone by very quickly but it has been good on so many levels.  I don't feel as though I have gotten a whole lot done but I am doing my best to be helpful to my mom with a happy heart.  Alot has happened in the last three weeks but I am looking forward to getting back to my routine and schedule and my family in Marietta.  Although I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to again to my family here.