BREAK!

So I know it's been a little while since I've posted anything...so here you go! ;)

I am currently on spring break...yay! I came home Friday afternoon...ended up working Friday night and Saturday night. Then Sunday night, my dad, brother, and I went to a concert in Davenport...with Third Day, Brandon Heath, and Revive. It was AMAZING!!! I know we all had a great time!

Then yesterday (Monday) I got my haircut...woohoo! It's short again! I love having my hair short :). Then I worked again...yippee...not. It wasn't too bad of a night...I guess... Because of how many people called in sick, we originally would have only had 6 people the entire night, with 3 closers. Not cool. The minimum amount of people we like to have there is 9...and that's on a slow night. Which Monday night is a slow night...so that's good. But 6 people was pushing it a bit. So the Cedar Rapids store sent 3 of their people over to help us out for the night...so that put us with 9 people and 6 closers...much better! Oh and I was the only manager there from like 4:30pm til close. So I was in charge the whole night...which was fine...but definitely different. I have been in charge before but not for that amount of time...usually there is another manager there until 8pm. But it was okay...because we were slow, we got a lot of things done early so we were done closing by 10:30pm (the store closes at 10pm) . The night went without a hitch...well, sort of... I had a young kid (probably 4) get sick and not quite make it to the toilet in time, so I had to clean up that mess. Then I had a lady yell at me for a good 5 minutes because her flavor of the day (strawberry shortcake) didn't have enough strawberries in it for her. She told me she wanted to be compensated...and then proceeded to tell me that she means she wants her money back. And I'm thinking...yes I know what compensated means...do I look that young? Anyways, then she somehow brought the bad economy into it all...I don't remember exactly what she said, but she was extremely irate. Anyways, I gave her her money back and gave her a new pint of custard, making sure that every inch of it had strawberries in it...seriously.

So that was my night last night...kind of a weird night. Today I haven't been doing much...laundry and packing mainly. Tomorrow morning (bright and early) I leave to go to Dallas to see Kristen, Heath, and Ainsley...woohoo!!...I am spending til Sunday with them :). Then Sunday I go back to school because classes start again on Monday. Fun fun. :)

"I don't know how to make good people!"

This is what I said to Jessi as we were walking back to the house tonight after our Greek Life Task Force meeting. In our meetings, we have been working on a strategic plan for Greek Life based on 6 areas we felt were the most important: Recruitment, Public Relations, Scholarship, Inter-Greek Relations, Leadership Development, and Community Standards. Tonight we were focusing on the last one: Community Standards, how we hold each other accountable. Bob (the Director of Greek Life) at one point asked us all how our respective sorority/fraternity was founded. We all answered similarly: a handful of people (3-8) got together and decided they wanted to start something new, something that bound all of them together and meant something. Bob's point was that we get so bogged down in the rules, regulations, and policies that we forget the reason we are in our sorority/fraternity. We forget what this is supposed to mean to us, what it meant to our founders.

He then asked us how that is connected to Community Standards. We didn't really know what to say. One guy piped up and said we need to make sure our members know our standards and live them. Bob's next question to us was: how do you live that out? How do you get your members to live it and not just know it?

This really convicted me for a few reasons: 1) Am I living out our standards? Do I know our standards well enough to live them out? 2) What is our house doing to educate our members on our standards and how to live them out? and lastly...as he was talking about this, I felt like he was asking us to make good people, to make our members good people who uphold our standards. Through talking to Jessi about this, I exclaimed, "I don't know HOW to make good people!" While that wasn't really Bob's point, it got me thinking. How ARE good people "made"?

The first thought that went through my head was God. Living for God changes a person, changes how they act and who they are. Yet there are many people in this world that are considered "good" people, not good according to God's standards, but to man's. So how do those people become good? The next thought that went through my head: parents. The way a person is raised has a lot to do with how they act and who they become. Growing up, I heard several people comment to my parents on how good we (the kids) were, how well-behaved we were, etc. I know a lot of this has to do with their relationships with God and the love for God that they instilled in each of us. However, I believe there is more to it than that as well. My parents were AMAZING parents...still are. No, they don't do everything right, they aren't perfect, no one is. But my parents brought up four kids in such a way that has been admired by many. They made good people out of us, with God's help. I can only hope and pray to be the same kind of parent someday. So, here's to you, Mom and Dad, and to all you have done for me and my brothers and sister. Thank you for making me who I am today. I LOVE YOU!

Update

Okay, so here is the promised update! Things have been pretty busy around here (obviously :) ). So here's what's been going on with me lately...

Last Thursday, I went to Springfield, Illinois, for a class trip. It was Lincoln's 200th birthday, so we went to the Lincoln Library and Museum, along with Lincoln's Tomb. We attended a session that started at 9 (I think), so we had to leave at 6am. Then we had a busy day going through the museum. The governor of Illinois was there, along with a Lincoln impersonator and his wife. After the museum we made a stop at the tomb, and then we drove back home. It was a long and exhausting day, even though we got back around 6pm. Here are some pictures from the trip...

Friday morning, the same class went on another field trip to St. Louis, and we left at 7am. We went first to the History Museum, where we sat in on some science sessions that were being presented to 9th grade students. After lunch, we had a tour on westward expansion. After that, we went to the Art Institute and had another tour. By this time, we were all EXHAUSTED. Actually by the time we got to the westward expansion tour, we were all exhausted. So the Art Institute was the longest hour of our lives, I think. After the Art Institute, we went to a pub (Drezzel's, I think?). We were all hungry and tired, but we still had a good time and the food was great. Then we went to our hotel for the night and basically all crashed, I think. Well, Angie and I watched one movie, and then we crashed at like 9:30pm I think it was.

Saturday morning...oh wait, I should back up a little bit. Friday night, our professor forgot to tell us when we were supposed to be ready to leave Saturday morning. So Saturday morning, our room of 4 girls decided to just be ready around 9:30ish. We guessed right. But we didn't leave until about 10:20 or so because our professor decided to lecture us in the lobby of the hotel. Anyways, we finally got on the road to the Science Center, where we spent the day. It was an awesome place, but we were all pretty tired, and it was a Saturday, so it was busy. Around 1pm we left to come back home. We got home around 5:15pm. Here are some pictures from this trip...

The model arch that Angie, Dr. Sherer and

I made

The model arch that Marc, Arif, and Kyle made

Saturday night, Angie and I babysat for one of our advisors, Tammy. She and her husband went to a party with the college president, so we watched their 3 boys and 1 girl. The oldest boy is in 2nd grade I think, then the next boy is 4 I think, then 2-3, and the girl is about 3 months old. It was a great ending to a long and exhausting day.

Sorority life is going well, busy, but well. Babysitting is also going well; Coleton always greets me when I arrive with a smile and a "Hi, Miss Kendra." It is the cutest thing! I don't have any recent pictures of him, but here are some old ones...

He loves Thomas the Train Engine!!!

Showing off his train table...

Also on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am tutoring a 2nd grade boy in reading, for one of my classes. His name is Douglas and he is a sweetheart! Things are going well with him...here is a picture of us together today...

Well, that is all for now!

Coming soon!

Hey all I know it has been awhile since I've updated you on everything! Just wanted to let you know an update will be coming soon! As soon as I get unbusy...haha. :)

So....

...just a random (really random) comment... :)

My window is currently open...like really really open!! Oh and for the first time in like 4 months, I had to open my window in my car today to get it to be at a comfortable temperature! I didn't have to turn the heat on, no air conditioning...I LOVE this weather!!!!!

Anyways, that's it, just wanted to share my excitement on the amazing weather! :)

Coleton

So as many of you know, I babysit here at school. I babysit for the chaplain and his wife. They have two boys, ages 4 and almost 2. The 4 year old is Charlie Banks (no, I don't know why they call him Charlie Banks, his name is Charles...no clue) and the almost 2 year old is Coleton. I have babysat these two boys since freshman year, so for a little over two years now. I love them! They are soo much fun to play with and interact with. This semester, I have only been watching Coleton because Charlie Banks goes to daycare.

Every time I am with Coleton, I am amazed. He is about 22 months old and is growing up so fast! He has quite the charming personality and is such a sweetheart. :) This morning I went to their house and watched Sara (mom) interact with him for one of my classes. He amazes me constantly! An example of how much of a sweetheart he is...he ran up to me to give me a hug when I got there, so I picked him up (of course :) ). He talked to me a little bit about how he and mommy (Sara) were playing outside in the wagon, etc. Then he said something and I didn't quite catch what it was, but Sara interpreted for me. He said, "Bubba's sad." For those of you who don't know, Bubba is Charlie Banks. Apparently, Charlie Banks went through a phase where he would cry every time they dropped him off at daycare, and Coleton would always say, "Bubba's sad." Lately, he has just been saying it randomly, even when Charlie Banks isn't sad. But isn't that so sweet? And he says it in such a heartbreaking, sad voice, my heart melts! Sigh...

Well, anyways, I just wanted to share with everyone the adorable little boy that I am blessed to know and be able to watch from time to time. I will post some pictures later, but I have to go to class now. :)

Been awhile...

I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything...sorry for that! I've been pretty busy, and then my computer decided to be crazy and not work...but, that is all taken care of now and I have my computer back! Yay! I was only without it for about two days...much better than the last time I had to get my computer fixed and went without a computer for about a month and a half and ended up getting a new computer because of everything that happened. Anyways, that's a whole different story, and a long one at that, and I am glad to have my computer back!

So, what have I been up to? Mainly just school and sorority and work stuff. I worked last weekend, except Sunday because our meeting for my sorority got moved up because of the Super Bowl. So that was my weekend, not all that exciting. This week has just been kind of a blur. My roommate and I have been having this weird phenomenon for two weeks in a row now. Our Tuesdays always feel like Thursdays. In other words, the beginning of our weeks seem to go really really slow. However, for me anyways, by the time I reach Thursday or Friday I am always wondering where the week went.

This weekend is fairly busy weekend for me. One of my sorority's national officers is coming to conduct officer training all day on Saturday. She is spending the night Saturday and then doing individual meetings with specific officers on Sunday (myself included). Then Sunday night, as usual, we have a meeting. I also have about 4 things due in my classes on Monday.

Well, that is all for now. I need to work on some stuff.