I'm Back

Back to blogging. . . maybe. No guarantees that this is a permanent return. I think I know myself (and my schedule!) better than to promise that. However, I will try to give a brief run-down of what's been keeping me away from this blog.

1. Summer was pretty great. I worked at Camp David of the Ozarks again, as the Office Manager this year. It was another awesome experience, to get to be a part of changed lives. My friends Mark, Alida, Nathan, Ashley, Ian, Carl, Katie (and other I can't think of right now) also worked there, which made it even more fun! Grace, the camp director's wife, had a baby boy the first week of camp, named Jabari. He is precious and I just loved getting to spend time around a baby, and also getting to spend more time around Grace.

Zephan and Katie, who were married in June
and now live in Columbia with Alpacas.

Jabari (Grace holding him)

2. Summer wasn't all work and no play - I got to take a camping/hiking weekend to Johnson's Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks early in the summer, with Mark, Zephan, Katie, and Trent. Over 4th of July weekend, we had a nice family reunion at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Illinois. Early in August, my friend Alida and I took Isaac up to the other Grandparent's house, in St. Paul. After that, we spent the week hanging out in St. Paul and Minneapolis, which was great (except for the flat tire I got. . . 3rd one in less than a year). And then, the last trip of the summer was a week-long vacation in Colorado. Andy, Mark and I drove out there - our old friend Hannah, who lives in Denver, hosted us for the week, and our friend Julianna flew in from California. It was such a great time - Mark and I even had a day that we spent hiking together, and it was fantastic.

Group of friends in Denver

3. I'm back at school. Second year, new dorm, new roommate and suitemates, new classes. . . so far it's been pretty good. Nothing too amazing has happened, just plugging away like always! I've been really busy. SAB has been a lot more time consuming this year, but that's good - I like feeling more involved in it. CCF has been really good so far this year too - I feel very at home there, which is a nice thing to feel when you're away from your physical family . . . to feel apart of the family of My dear friend Ashley is getting married this Saturday, and she totally honored me by asking me to be her maid of honor! I was so excited and it's been great to spend time with her helping with wedding stuff. I can't wait to start calling her the Newest Mrs. Eldredge!

Ashley and Joel


That's all. :) You should e-mail me to catch me up on YOUR life now!

Much love,
Becky aka Rebekah

Sleep Walking and Talking

Well, it's official. I talk, and walk, in my sleep.

My roommate Blair, as you may remember, was in a car accident the third week of last semester, and did not live in our room for the remaining 13 weeks of the semester. She rejoined me at the beginning of this semester, and I am SO glad to have her back.

However, she has awakened me (no pun intended) to the fact that I talk in my sleep, and seem to walk as well. Apparently, 3 or 4 times a week, she hears me talking. I don't say anything very intelligible (or embarrassingly revealing!), but she says that sometimes it sounds like I'm answering my phone, but no one has called, and I normally say something like, "Why did you call, I'm trying to sleep!"

But last night was the first night that I walked. I remember it as part of my dream, but I had to ask Blair this morning what exactly I did. She said that I,
1. Climbed out of my (loft!) bed, carrying my pillow and blanket,
2. Put my pillow and blanket on the floor by my desk,
3. Left the room (I think I went to the bathroom - that was part of my dream, anyway),
4. Came back into the room, and stood still for about a minute, looking at where I had laid my pillow and blanket,
5. Laid down on the floor where they were for a little bit,
and 6. Picked up my pillow and blanket, crawled back into bed, and went to sleep.

It's not that weird, but I'm slightly concerned about myself. I had no idea that I walked in my sleep, or that I could remember and enter in my bathroom code, and use the restroom in my sleep. That's a little scary.

How I Go About Doing College

I have quite the reputation around here when it comes to homework. Rumor has it that I don't really study. Ever. At all. And it's kind of true.

A wise man once told me that studying is overrated. Okay - so it was a fellow college student, and I'm pretty sure he was joking. But I chose to take him seriously, and I haven't studied much since then.

Liz studies. She comes in here every night before we have an Anatomy quiz and I test her on diagrams of bones. Then, I always let her test me. But I don't really study it - I'm normally all over the room, cleaning up, making my bed, etc. while she's trying to get me to pay attention.

Laurel studies. We have "study" parties rather frequently - in fact, we're having one right now. Note that I am blogging during this designated "study party."

Blair studies. Boy, does she ever. I think Blair spends more time studying than she does doing anything else, except maybe sleeping. She makes me look bad, she really does.

I sure feel like I study and do homework a lot. However, I'm afraid that most of the time I think I'm spending on homework, I'm actually taking a nap, or e-mailing people, or talking to friends (and distracting them from studying). I know I studied a lot last semester, especially for math. I think I probably spent at least 2 days studying for my final in that class. I know it was probably 3 hours or more of time total, and that was just exhausting!

But I'm scared, guys - scared that one of these days this semester, I'm going to have to study! And then. . . well, then I will see that I probably should have been studying all along. But until that day comes, I plan to continue blindly upon my present course. So cheers, to those of you who study! Someday, I'll learn from you. . .

The College Life: A Tale of Poor Decisions and Great Fun

This is sun. In Kirksville. In the winter! It's really a miracle. And, on a Sunday afternoon, there is no way a group of crazy college kids wouldn't take advantage of such a miracle. The idea to play ultimate frisbee was had. So we did.

This sun was very deceptive though. . .

Because (although you see Alexander wearing shorts here),
it was a cold, cold, cold day. Very cold.

Liz and Shandra were ready! Which lasted about 5 minutes.

I was official photographer and guardian of the stuff.
Cell phones, ID cards, and keys are the staples of a college student.

Unfortunately, this official photographer discovered that

her hands stayed much warmer inside her pockets.
So there aren't many action shots. :)

Yes. Yes, he is wet and muddy. Fun, huh?

This is Jason. Poor guy - he was so close!

Jason after the fact.

So yes. This is how we, as college students in Kirksville, spend our January afternoons. As they say, "Make hay while they sun shines (even if it's still freezing cold)."

Alexander’s Birthday Adventure

Alexander turned 20 years old yesterday. Apparently last year, when he was a freshman, no one did anything about his birthday because it fell during finals week, and no one really knew about it. When he told me that, I felt this insanely strong mother-instinct to make his birthday at least somewhat special this year. So, I made cupcakes and my friend Amanda bought him a birthday present (a really fake looking tie from the Dollar store that has a button that plays music. Just what he needed). Several problems came up though – I realized that we couldn’t light his candles indoors without getting in trouble and causing the entire dorm to evacuate, which is never fun. So, we took the cupcakes outside. It was snowing!! SO beautiful! Here’s Joseph holding the cupcakes (and Greg, freezing because he didn’t realize we were going to be outside for an extended period of time and didn’t grab his coat).

Jason trying to light the wet candles in the windy, snowy weather.

We got one lit, and then sang really, really fast while Alexander blew it out. :) Oh, and contrary to the proof presented by these pictures, Joseph does NOT always have a strange look on his face. It just happened.

Alexander, blowing out his candle. It might or might not have taken him several tries. :)

Amanda and her mini-snow man!

 

Joseph Lieber takes a slide, after running around the entire math building without his shirt on.

He was home schooled, which I think explains this picture entirely.

We spent a while playing in the fresh snow, then came back to the dorm for some hot chocolate. All in all, a rather successful evening. Happy birthday, Alexander! Never stop laughing (because then we wouldn’t be able to find you ANYWHERE on campus just by taking a moment and listening for you, like we can now).

“Tonight’s gonna be a good night. . .” – Friday Nights at Truman

So, Friday nights are technically the prime time to go “out” here at college. But who  needs to go out when you can have a fun and crazy evening staying “in” ?? We made snowflakes, played MASH, colored, and talked. Kettle corn and water were consumed, and fun was had by all.

Shandra and Amanda, proudly displaying their work.

 

Amanda, attacking Shandra for eating all her Kettle Corn

 

Liz, preparing to tell Amanda about her future, via MASH. A very accurate source, by the way.

My Only Bedroom

Several weeks after coming to college, I got an e-mail from my Mum, informing me that my bedroom had been converted into a haven for the young ones in our home. I now sleep in the guest room. However, this is not as sad of a story as it may sound! Because, lo and behold, I have yet another bedroom (which is now my only bedroom)! And here are pictures. First, this is my roommate’s side. She was in a car accident in the third week of the semester, and has been living on the first floor in the handicap room ever since. She took most of her stuff with her, but will be moving back come Spring semester! I can’t wait.

And this is my side of the room. I really need to rearrange my pictures on the wall , and add some color, but I’m going to wait until Blair (my roommate) moves back and we rearrange furniture so that her bed isn’t lofted. Then, I’ll know better what kind of wall space I have to work with.

 

So there you go! My room – quite thrilling, actually.

Confessions of a College Student

I have poor time-management skills, and a bad habit of over-committing myself.

Phew. Glad that's off my chest!

In our Bible study, we were talking about priorities in life, and asked ourselves what we really put first in our life. Our leaders presented a way for us to honestly evaluate this - we were given a sheet with a chart that had all the hours in a day. They suggested that we pick any typical day of the week, and fill out how we spent each hour, then bring it back to Bible study next week and talk about it.

I was too busy to fill it out.

Sigh.

Little Joys

I was sent an e-mail by Truman today with a health survey to take. As a good citizen, I felt as though I ought to do so, although I really, really, really didn't want to.

The first question was "In agreeing to take this survey, you are confirming the fact that you are a student enrolled at Truman State University and are 18 years of age or older. Select yes to begin the survey."

I clicked no.

It said "Thank you. Your survey is complete."

Ahh. 17 is such a refreshing age to be!

The SAB!

I'm on the SAB!!!

Wow, I'm so excited, it's hard to type. This evening, I heard a knock on my door - I got up to answer it, and a group of about 30 people were standing in my hallway shouting, "You're on the SAB!" That was about an hour ago, and I'm still excited (and if you know me well, you know how hard it is to get me excited!).

Let me back up a bit. In coming to college, everyone I talked to encouraged me to jump right in and get involved. They said it made all the difference in their college experience. I decided to take their advice, and went to the student activities fair with my eyes wide open. The only thing that really caught my attention (besides CCF, which I had already decided to be a part of) was the SAB - Student Activities Board. They are responsible for planning basically all the events that happen on campus, from comedians, to drive in movies, to concerts, etc. You know - it's the group of people who are the first to arrive, and the last to leave. Who put in countless hours planning, preparing, setting up, cleaning up, all so that other people can have a good time.

Well, needless to say, this sounded basically amazing to me. The board is only made up of 35 students, so it's very selective. They had a pile of applications on their table, so I figured it couldn't hurt to fill one out and turn it in. I almost forgot about it, and ended up turning it in at the last minute - I also forgot to check the posted list to see if I had an interview, and got an e-mail asking if I was still interested, because I'd made the first interview round. The first interview was on Friday night. I wasn't nervous a bit, since I really hadn't done any kind of interview before, and didn't know what to expect. I think, however, that had I not been otherwise distracted, the fact that attire was "business casual" should have clued me into the fact that this wasn't going to be a cozy little chat.

Boy, was it intimidating! Sitting in a conference room on one end of a long table, with 6 people at the other end of the table looking at you. . . I'm surprised I formed words at all. They asked some really interesting questions, thought-provoking questions. By the time I left, I was shaking. Some one should have told me that I should have been nervous!

Saturday morning, I checked the posted list, and saw that I had made the second interview round that afternoon. That surprised me. But I went, once again, in business casual attire. It was a group interview, so definitely not as scary as the first one. I walked out of there entirely uncertain of how I'd done. I knew that they were taking 6 new members, and that there were 12 of us who made it to the second interview. They said that they'd contact us sometime on Sunday to let us know.

9:00 pm rolls around, and I hadn't heard anything, so I logged onto the Truman website, found their page, and sent an e-mail asking if maybe I'd missed something, and was supposed to do something else? Shortly thereafter came the knock. . . and the rest is history. :) The president of the board asked what I had been thinking, since I hadn't been contacted, and I told her about the e-mail. Her response, "Oh, that's terrific! You would, too."

I'm on the "Research and Development" committee, fondly known as RAD. I'm really, really excited about this, but it's going to be time consuming. There is one weekly meeting with the whole board, and each committee meets weekly as well. The events, of course, take so much planning, and staffing. And also, each member is required to have 1 office hour during the week. I'm nervous and scared, but SO excited! Pray that this would be one more way God would use my life on campus!

3 Weeks

Well, here I am - 3 weeks into my college adventure! Some moments, it seems as though I've been here forever, and yet at other times, the hours seem to drag by. Don't you hate that?

Academics: Classes have picked up quite a bit, and I now have homework. Yay! I'm taking Chemistry 100, Biology 100, Pre-Calc, and Dimensions of Professional Nursing, 14 hours total. For the most part, I enjoy my professors, although my Chemistry prof is a little eccentric (more on that later). I think that this semester, overall, shouldn't be too challenging, although I'm finding myself very rusty on some of the basic algebra things we're reviewing in Pre-Calc. But that's what studying was invented for, right?

Socially: Wow, there is so much to do at Truman! Everyone always said to me in my pre-being-a-student-here days, that the events on campus made up for the sleepiness of Kirksville itself. They were right - the activities fair on the Quad totally overwhelmed me. Some of the things I've done so far have been. . .
2 times a week Pilates class at the Rec, as well as doing lots of running/elliptical/biking. Some of the girls on my floor are pretty into getting exercise, so we go nearly every day.
Swing Dance Lessons! I've only been able to try this once, and didn't really get the hang of it, but it was fun going with other girls and laughing at ourselves together.
Games - I've been to one men's soccer game, and one football game so far - and I'm really looking forward to seeing some volleyball soon. So far, they've only had away games.
Theatre productions - A friend from my nursing class and I go to these whenever they come up. The first one we saw was called "Murdered to Death" and it was great - a spoof on Agatha Christie-type murder mysteries. It was fantastic! And then last week, we saw a production put on in a black box theatre. The plot was deep and thought-provoking and the acting incredibly solid.
Reading - the library here is full, and I've had the pleasure of reading a book, simply for the sake of reading (something I hadn't done in far too long!). Okay, so I realize this isn't social, but anyways. . .
Walking - to and from classes, to and from lunch, to and from the Rec, and even just for the sake of taking a walk! It's a great way to have conversations with people, both casual and more serious.
Farmer's Market in the downtown square. It's really cute!
Java Co. - cute coffee shop in the square.
There are so many other things going on that I haven't mentioned. It really amazes me that, if I wished, I could have a totally full schedule when I'm only planning things for myself - I'm used to a family of 8, which quite naturally means a busy life. Social math however, states that if you minus 7 people, then add moving away to college, the end result is the same.

Spiritually: This almost goes along with social life in many ways. There are many, many Christian organizations on campus, and it's almost too much of a good thing. I've been mostly doing things with the CCF group, but I also plan to check out the Lutheran Student Fellowship, and a friend of mine has invited me to Campus Crusade for Christ. The CCF here has been such a blessing for me! They have Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services, as well as small groups and miscellaneous social events throughout the semester. The services have been great - since the speakers are specifically addressing a college audience, I find that everything they say isvery (if not easily) applicable to my life. I've joined a Ladies' small group called "Live Like You Were Dying," and I'm looking forward to the encouragement and accountability of that. Several upperclassmen have befriended me, and it's been a lot of fun getting to know them and spend time with them. This past weekend was the fall retreat - very refreshing, and a great opportunity to get to know more people on a little deeper level. There are over 200 students involved in CCF, so it can be a little challenging to develop relationships in the larger group settings. Personally, I've had so much more time for pursuing God on my own - and I find that exciting and scary. Exciting, because isn't this what everyone dreams of - extra time to spend, just on God? Scary, because there isn't any excuse of "being busy" to blame my poor spiritual life on. It's been a learning and growing experience, and I pray that it continues to be so.

Relationships: This has been the hardest thing so far. I miss my friends and family in Rolla so very much. Often, I just wish I were home with them. But that desire is just about my comfort and security, and I need to realize that it's not what God has for me right now. He has given me new relationships, here and now, to use for His glory, and I'm excited about that. The girls in my hall are really fantastic - they have their quirks, but overall, we get along great and love being a "family." I've gotten close to 3 or 4 in particular, and really enjoy the chance to get to know them better. Community style bathrooms definitely take getting used to, but it's also a good place to catch up with girls you don't see as often, even if it's just a "Hey, hope you have a great day!" We haven't yet proved the existence of boys on this campus, but I'll keep you posted if we ever do. :) Just kidding, there are guys here and I think I now officially have met. . . four. I do find it challenging to be around primarily peers all the time - sometimes, I long for a little person to hold close, or a home school mom to talk with. My roommate is amazing. Those of you who think I'm neat - she's neater. Those who might consider me a good cook - she's better. You think I mother people? - she's worse. Scrapbooking, and anything crafty - she owns face. Blair is Blair and she is amazing. If you ever send me cookies *cough*, you should add a note that says hi to Blair.

Food: The cafeterias are really good, definitely no complaints there. Except maybe for the fact that they have dessert available at every meal. I've used the dorm kitchen twice, once to make cookies and once, spaghetti. I've gotten involved with the food ministry for CCF so I don't go into complete withdrawal from lack of creating delectable delicacies. I am not going to disclose my current weight, or a comparison of that number with my weight before August 22nd.

So yeah! That's my life right now, or at least what the past 3 weeks have looked like. I'd appreciate your prayers, because I know with total confidence that they are what has kept me going thus far. And please, feel more than free to send me prayer requests of your own - I'd love to know what's going on in your life, and lift my thoughts of you to the Father on your behalf.

-Rebekah

Adjustments – Things to Get Used to

1. Taking my keys to the bathroom with me.

2. Walking everywhere.

3. Having a TV (and people I don’t know) in my room.

4. People. Always. Nearly 6,000.

5. A chemistry teacher who stands on the desk.

6. The concept of frat parties, and the girls that go to them.

7. Strange sleeping hours.

8. Eating with a tray under my plate.

9. Free time.

10. Climbing into, and making, a loft bed. (Going to bed takes real commitment.)

11. Brushing my teeth with an automatic faucet. It’s harder than it sounds.

12. Closing my blinds to change. I’m afraid someone across the way, on BNB fourth floor may just need to get used to looking away. ;)

13. Climbing four flights of stairs to get to my room.

14. Making new friends.

15. Not having coffee every morning (which may change, since I’ve discovered our dorm’s convenience store).

16. Sarah Deleware.

17. Working out.

18. Initials – SUB, CSI, SAB, SA’s. . . they all have meanings too.

19. Being called Rebekah – I decided that I’d try it out, and not go by “Becky” up here. So far, I like it.

20. Remembering to ask for cell numbers or last names, so I can contact people again or find them on facebook.

21. Having my phone always on vibrate or silent.

22. Games of Humans vs. Zombies on the quad. Imagine massive groups of 18-25 year olds running around shooting each other with nerf guns and throwing socks at each other. It’s great fun.

23. Homework.

24. Having the time to pursue basically whatever I want to, including time at the gym, and more time in my devotions and prayer.

25. Being away from my family and friends. That’s the hardest one.

Miss and love you all! I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to call, e-mail, fb message, snail mail. . . whatever. . . me!

Rebekah

by Rachel Cohen

A Truman Bulldog!

Hey guys!
Well, here I am, blogging (for the first time) from my dorm room. Let me say that again, slowly - my. dorm. room. *Deep breath. Nah, it's been great, so far. All . . . nearly 12 hours of it. :) My roommate is super chill, and I've met a lot of great girls on my floor and in my hall. The hard part is remembering names, and room numbers. I'm starting to get used to the whole exchanging cell phone numbers thing, because there isn't really another good way to make sure you connect with someone again! I'm really looking forward to CCF's on-campus worship service tomorrow morning - hoping to find a group of strong, Christian kids to spend my time here with.

Okay, time to be a good college student and prop my door open, and socialize. Love, and miss you all!

Becky. . . oh wait. Now I'm Rebekah. ;)