Happy Halloween!!!

I can not even believe that tomorrow is November! No way. This year is going too fast.

In honor of Halloween I have already shoved my face with more candy than I'd care to admit to (although that's not particularly unusual....) and tonight is another Halloween party on campus! This one probably won't last very long as we all have classes tomorrow, but it'll still be a blast!!

I love Halloween!!

~Jess

And speaking of angels....

This past weekend was a "Heaven and Hell" themed costume party hosted by one of the fraternities on campus. You could either go with the theme or just wear any old costume. My roommate and I went with the theme. I'll let you guess who's who... ;)

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

I don't know about you, but everytime I hear or read the words "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" the song gets stuck in my head for forever!! I bring this up because yesterday I was planning the Christmas pageant for my Sunday School kids and that song was in it....therefore it has been in my head for almost 24 hours now. Good grief.

In other news, the play Much Ado About Nothing opens tomorrow and shows until Sunday. I'm so excited to go see it! The productions here are always really awesome and the tickets are always free! My kind of entertainment :)

Also, SMAC is sponsoring a trip to Madison this Friday to watch a Badgers hockey game and I'm thinking of going- that would be a blast! I LOVE watching hockey!!

Anyway, I've got to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Toodles!
~Jess

Ask me if I ate two dinners last night...

Oh, yea! I sure did.

I went to dinner at the commons with two of my girlfriends at 5. Nothing unusual there. However, then at 6:45 my roommate surprised me with a dinner at Roadhouse pizza and invited a bunch of our friends along too. The food was amazing, and the company was even better. I'm such a lucky girl.

Anyway, enough with the mushy stuff...tonight I'm going bowling! There's an OC (Orientation Committee) reunion tonight at the bowling alley and I'm very excited to get out there!! Tomorrow I'm helping out with a haunted trail designed for kids that's being hosted at the stable where the Equestrian Club rides. It should be a good time! I just have to find a way to make myself look scary... I think I can manage ;)

~Jess

Wisconsin Days!

Today and tomorrow are "Wisconsin Days" here at Ripon College. It's a chance for prospective students to see the campus in full force- attend a class, see students in action, and get a real flavor for the atmosphere here at Ripon. Plus, they get to miss school for a day! ;)

Life is still busy, busy, busy for me! I'm not complaining though, I like being kept busy. And if I really put my mind to it I can make myself some free time. For example, last night I got some time to update my resume, take a nice long shower and just curl up with a book. It's been awhile since I've read for fun...I missed it!

The leaves are beautiful shades of orange, the wind is whistling, and the sun is shining...not more you can ask for in a fall day! :)

~Jess

Smoothie and a Movie = Success!

My living group's activity last night went really well! We made up a bunch of delicious smoothies and watched "What Women Want"... it was a nice break! :)

Today has been pretty ordinary. I did, however, stop into the Student Support Services office and pick up some information on internships for the summer, so I'm pretty excited to get my resume updated and everything started! There are so many amazing opportunities out there!

~Jess

Road trip anyone?

Last night Kent and I took an impromptu road trip to his house in Chicago for the night to see the 8 week old chocolate lab puppy his parents just got. I could tell you how cute it is, but I'm sure you can just imagine!! It was quite a drive, but totally worth it!

Today is simply beautiful outside! I'm thinking a walk through the prairie may be in order :) Also, tonight my living group is sponsoring a "smoothie and a movie night"... sounds like a good time to me!!

~Jess

Nine days are over already?

This past week of Fall Break just flew by! Still, I managed to catch up on some sleep, spend some time with the fam, and even carve a pumpkin or two! It rained almost non-stop the whole week, but I didn't let a little precipitation stop my fun! Kent came up to stay with me and my parents this past weekend, and as soon as he came it got sunny and beautiful. Mighty convenient! It was an awesome break- rain or shine!

Still, as great as it was to just relax, it's also great to be back and into the swing of things again. I can't believe this year is already a quarter over! Yikes!

In any event, play time is over and school is back in session! Speaking of which, I have some homework to do...

~Jess

No!! The Flu Bug Stung Me :(

I can't believe my luck! I held out so long from sickness, and then the day before my break starts I get sick. Only me. :(

The good news is I only have one more big midterm! As of 4:00 tomorrow I'm on vacation, and I can't wait!!

~Jess

Whew!

Today I had a big midterm and I think it went well :) What a relief!! I only have one big one left before break and then I'm free for a week!! Woohoo!!

I can't wait to just do nothing!!

Tonight my plans include a leisurely dinner and a walk through the beautiful fall leaves before it gets dark! Once the dark sets in I'll settle in and get some homework done, but until then I'm all about relaxation :)

~Jess

Is it a bad thing that I can't really feel my left hand?

I don't how many of you are "rollers," but I sure am. For those who may be unfamiliar with the term, a "roller" is a person who tosses and turns a lot in their sleep. On a fairly regular basis I wake up to find that I've been laying on my arm and it has therefore fallen asleep. I just pull it out from under myself with the other arm and all is good within a few minutes. Today, however, my hand fell asleep and it still hasn't retained full feeling...4 hours later!! I'm no doctor, but I'd say that can't be a good thing.

On a lighter note, the fall weather finally has returned! 64 degrees, sunny, and breezy; just how I like it! Today is going to be another busy one! I'm volunteering at Culvers from 3:45-9:00 to help out for a fundraiser to benefit the group of us going down to Panama to help dig a well over Spring Break.

After that, I have an Equestrian Club meeting at 9:30 to talk about our plans for the rest of the semester, and then it's time to study for my midterms!

~Jess

I hereby move that weekends should be 3 days long...

I don't know how this happens every weekend, but the days just seem to slip away and I'm left out of breath and right back in the swing of things! At least this weekend I got caught up on some sleep! Friday night I went out to dinner with Kent and some of our friends and it was delicious! We spent the next hour or so digesting and then planned to head over to the Reggae concert that one of the fraternities was sponsoring as a fundraiser to benefit the people of Jamaica who were affected by the hurricanes.

You see, every year a group of students from the college goes on a "Maymester" trip to Jamaica to help them build whatever they need and to learn more about other cultures. However, the hurricane that came through just recently destroyed all of the work last year's participants put in, so the concert was a way to raise money to re-do everything that was undone. Speaking of Maymesters, I've been thinking more and more about going abroad next spring and I think the London/Florence program in the Arts is the one for me! Maymesters are trips that last for a few weeks after the end of second semester in which students can choose from a variety of locations and are able to spend time abroad experiencing something new and exciting without the time committment of a full semester over seas. There are Maymester programs ranging anywhere from Madrid to whale-watching in Washington. The possibilities are endless!

The semester-long abroad program also offers TONS of destinations and makes for a longer immersion into a different culture. That's why I'm leaning toward a whole semester abroad...why not take advantage of the opportunity to the fullest extent?! The best part is that all of your financial aid from Ripon College follows you overseas to any Ripon College approved program (which are many!). That means I can travel around Europe and study in London for the same price I would pay to go here for a semester! It seems too good to be true, but it's for real!

~Jess

Oh, how I love Fridays!! :)

Today was a pretty crazy day! This morning I gave a presentation about the Equestrian Club to the Board of Trustees which was pretty exciting! Then I had lunch with a prospective student named Maggie who was SO much fun! She was into horses too, so we definitely had plenty to talk about! :)

This weekend I'm going to try to relax a little. Emphasis on "try." I might head out to the driving range and hit a couple buckets of balls on Saturday, and most definitely catch up on some sleep! Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my boyfriend and some friends at Big Stellas, one of the local restaurants which has amazing food and a really fun atmosphere! I'm excited already :) Mmmm! After that I don't really know what's on the agenda...it's Friday, I don't need itineraries! My girlfriends and I talked about a bowling excursion... who knows!

~Jess

If I had one wish...

It would be that fall would last forever! Well, maybe not...but if I had thirteen wishes...

This week has continued at its crazy pace! And even though life is whizzing by, I'm loving every second of it! Yesterday was my first golf practice and it was so much fun! We got to play nine holes at a beautiful course, on a beautiful day, and best of all- it was free!! What more could a girl ask for? After one practice I've already improved and all of the girls on the team are awesome! They're heading down to the Midwest Conference Championship tournament today. I wish I could have gone with them, but I have too many commitments here that I couldn't free up the time. :( Next year, though! I'll be there!

~Jess

My, what a week this has turned out to be!

It is only Wednesday, but it feels like this week has been going on for forever! I've made room for some hanging out time, but that means that the rest of my days have been busy, busy, busy! On Monday two exciting things happened (1) I got that 8 page paper back...the one I wrote the night before it was due...and I got an A!! Woohoo! It worked out this time, but I certainly don't plan on saving a paper until the last minute anymore! Also (2) a bunch of my friends and I went out to celebrate my friend Peter's birthday on Monday night. We went to a local restaurant that serves all-you-can-eat chicken wings on Monday nights and I chowed down 18 or so...and then felt a little sick. Gee, I wonder why.

Yesterday I also packed in quite a bit. I had to take an afternoon break and take a nap, though because my recent lack of sleep was really catching up with me. I felt tons better and was able to then get my homework done and still sneak in a round of bowling with some friends before heading to bed. On the way home from the bowling alley we saw the Men's Soccer team getting home from a game. They're doing really well this year!!

Enough chit chat, I have tons of stuff to do!
~Jess

Happy October!!

This weekend flew by...as usual. Friday night a bunch of us went to see the comedian who was on campus. His name was Rob Parovonian and he was HILARIOUS!! After the show SMAC sponsored a fireworks display which was amazing! It was far better than the fireworks display my town puts on for the Fourth of July!

On Saturday my parents came down to visit and went went to Oshkosh to have dinner with my great aunt Rachel. It was a nice change of pace and it was great to be with my family again! Saturday night was a movie night and it was the perfect end to a tiring day.

On Sunday my parents and great aunt came to church with me to hear me give my children's sermon and then we all went out to brunch with my boyfriend, Kent. We hit up Red Apple Family Restaurant, which has the best brunch in town by far! MmmMmm! Then it was time for some grocery shopping and tidying up of my room. My parents brought down all my winter clothes when they came and it was no easy task getting them all wedged into my closet! At 3:00 I headed out to the stable to help lead a trail ride sponsored by the Equestrian Club. Next came a quick dinner and then I was off to lead Youth Group from 6:30-8:30.

Wow, what a weekend!
~Jess