advisement.

Over the past four years, I've never been excited to go to advisement. Although the late start is a great incentive to make the day great, all of its other aspects have no interest to me. First, all of the class times are off and it's impossible to remember when you get out of class. Sure classes are shorter, but you can tell teachers struggle to get something productive done within that hour. Lunches are later, and my stomach gets ready for food at the same time and then boom! Wednesday, I can hear it growling in the later third and fourth periods. Also, the friends I used to get to see during advisement have all succumbed themselves to PSEO, and I never get to see them. So here I sit in the semi-quiet surroundings of Mrs. Ambrose's room. Working on homework, and like today, blogging, is the only way to make it through.

dad's birthday

Today's date is November 29th, 2011.
That means that 48 years ago,
James Victor Olson was born.
(aka dad)
My father is your typical,
football-and-golf-loving man.
All of my greatest memories,
include him by my side.
His quick wit and hearty laugh at his own jokes
makes the whole room brighter.
He's stubborn, like all dads are,
but has that teddy-bear under layer that sneaks out
every so often.
Today being in the "Thanksgiving season",
I know he is one of the things I am most thankful for.
So for my dad
I wish
a mountain of Twizzlers and Diet Coke,
(his favorites)

Writing groups take four!

Today was the first writing group of our fourth, and final paper. The film critique was written off for me and many others as a seemingly easy paper. However over break, when I began to examine my movie I noticed that it was completely overlooked.

With a tough plot, my film proved difficult to put what I saw on screen down into words. It is such a fabulous and odd piece of art, unlike anything I had ever seen before... It was hard to know where to begin.

Once again, in my writing group I found some clarity on the paper. And now that I've been working on it since I've gotten home from school, I have taken my jumbled paper and really am beginning to turn it into something I am proud of!

The little things. (11-27-11)

People always say that it's the little things that make life enjoyable. I've come up with a two hidden gems in life that make me smile. The first being the perfect hug. Which consists of an embrace that isn't too short, but ends before it reaches that awkward hug stage of "let go of me!". Finding that balance. Another would be the mornings I spent at the bus stop, before the sun has risen. During the winter I would get there first and watch the shining snowflakes dance down from sky, glittering in the light of a lamppost. That feeling of being stuck inside a snow globe. Moments like these can make any day brighter.

be thankful. (11-26-11)

Since it's that time of the year, I thought I would make a list of things I am thankful for. This list includes, but is not limited to:
1. MY MOM
2. Cough drops
3. College acceptance letters
4. Down comforters
5. Take-out Chinese food
6. My dad (his birthday is tomorrow!)
7. My crazy little Molly
8. Finishing books
9. Big decisions ahead
10. Upcoming winter break
11. The comforts of my home
12. Heart-to-heart conversations
13. 2 more tris of high school
14. Stumbleupon.com
15. Life

Black Friday (11-25-11)

Instead of joining the masses and waking up at midnight to go shop, I slept comfortably though the night. And my Friday night consisted of something better than saving 40%. A few of my closest girls on the swim team decided to celebrate. One being it was Abby's 18th birthday! And the other was for Sheng, who is moving to California in a matter of days... it was a combination of happy/sad that really made a memorable night.

One thing that stood out to me the most was how much I was going to miss Sheng. She had swam in my lane the past two years, and I knew I would miss her, but I didn't think this much. I think the majority of what makes me sad is the fact that I'm scared to say goodbye to this one friend... and in a matter of months, I will be saying goodbye to all of them.

T-DAY (11-24-11)

Thanksgiving, a holiday of eating and family. But not eating family, "and" is the key word here. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's the fourth longest break we get behind Summer, Christmas, and Easter, so time off from school is definitely a plus. Thanksgiving day is always spent with my mom's side of the family. Which is a large collaboration of women that love to talk, and men that love to watch football. Perfect. This year it was at my house, and filled with great memories. My favorite part is the walk we all take after eating way too much. It makes us feel better after all of the calories we just had.

social networking. (11-23-11)

Although I am a user of both Facebook and Twitter, when you take a step back and look at the changes in the way we communicate now versus ten years ago... it amazes me. Phone numbers have changed to profiles and Twitter names, and even though the sites are fun, providing a great source of entertainment (as well as distractions) a part of me misses calling people on their home phone. I used to have my best friend's numbers memorized, ready at any moment to call and ask if they could "play". Maybe a part of that is just missing my childhood, but it's just taken such a spin to where things are now. Instead of looking someone up in the phone book, I could now log onto Twitter and check out the "tweets" from the people I "follow" on my "homepage". And instead calling Erin like I used to, asking for her when her mom or dad answered, now all it would look something like this: @Erin_Baumgarten wanna hang 2nite? #boredouttamymind. I mean it sure is fun, but trying to express your thoughts in 160 characters of less seems more cave-man like.

sick adventure (11-22-11)

This morning I woke up barely able to take a breath through my throat. And when I did I sharp pain overwhelmed me. My eyes seemed watery, and I was dizzy as I stood. Sick. Just one day before Thanksgiving break and I felt like I was ready to go die in a corner somewhere, anything to just not have this icky feeling. I convinced my mom to let me stay home from school, or rather my appearance did. I crawled back into bed, hiding under the comforts of my blankets, uninterrupted.

Until a few hours later my dad told me I had to get up to go to the doctor's office. Joy, joy. He's a teacher, and his school had the entire week off (lucky ducks) so he drove me to the Maple Grove doctor's office. As we entered the doors, there was a whirlwind of kids running about and looking at the fish tank. Their arms were flailing about, and constant screams were giving me a headache. Don't get me wrong, I usually love the little kids, but at that moment, everything was bothering me. Barely any of the kid's heights surpassed my knee. It was funny that Partners & Peds. said they would see patients up until they were 23, however to me it appeared that the average age was 2-3. Dad and I sat down in the sterile waiting area, listening for one of my nurses to say my name...

And hour passed.

An hour.

When I finally heard someone say, "Madeline Olson", I thought maybe I was hallucinating. I followed the nurse back through the maze of rooms until she finally put me in room seven, and told me that the doctor would be in in a moment.

That "moment" lasted 20 minutes....

The doctor knocked on the door, making me sit straight up in my chair. After a quick five minute analysis of my sickness he gave me a strep test and then exited my room saying it would take around 7 minutes to get the results.

More waiting.

Longer than 7 minutes.

When I finally got my results, and half sprinted back to my dad in the waiting area I was ready to get out of this place! We had got to the doctors at 9:20 A.M. and the time on my iPhone now said 11:20 A.M. A perfect two hours. I honestly think that doctor visit made me more sick and tired that I already was...

glasses (11-21-11)

**Last week I attempted to blog, but we were having issues with our internet, so I will be posting those 7 blogs with the date that I originally wrote them. :)

After seventeen years and some odd months of life, I have finally joined the glasses club. Over the past year I have been getting these excruciating migraines that we just found out are from my vision. After an hour and a half appointment with a socially awkward eye doctor, he told me it was time to get glasses. Mixed feelings about glasses are what I have. On one hand it doesn't bother me at all, and glasses might be kind of fun. However, my younger sister Molly has had glasses since she was a little elementary school-er and she's had several issues with hers and sort of makes wearing glasses a pain! Either way, in a few weeks I will be braving the halls of Champlin Park with a new permanent accessory---or at least until I get contacts.

salons.

Saturday was my first time at a salon since Erin and I last visited Vivid Details for our ethnography. My salon, located in Elk River had just moved to a space four times bigger than the original. It was gorgeous. It looked so much more professional and the smiling employees seemed even happier in their new space. It totally made me affirm Erin and my conclusion about the salon we visited in Champlin. Those employees enjoyed a space like this one!

shoveling

Last night, while eating dinner I was smiling at the snow finally falling outside my window. The sparkling flakes where beginning to gather on the earth, building up a few inches. Too excited to stay inside, I pulled on my large boots and warmed myself in a big blue down jacket that I hadn't worn in ages. Then fuzzy mittens, my favorite winter accessory. I trudged myself out the garage door and grabbed the big orange shovel. Pushing the snow to clear the long driveway took over an hour. It was such a good workout, I could feel my arms beginning to ache, and my cheeks had that wonderful chilled feeling that made it feel like pure winter.

american beauty

For our fourth and and final paper of our writing portfolio, I am excited to be critiquing the film American Beauty.  It has always been a film that I have wanted to see and never got around to it. Film has always been a passion of mine. I've grown up in a house where my family watches all types of movies and we have the lines memorized of all of our favorites. My favorite type of movies are the ones that make you think about it; there's nothing worse than something predictable. When choosing American Beauty, I knew it was going to be one that I could watch over and over for this project. And after watching it for the first time on Saturday, my prediction was right. It's a movie unlike anything else I've ever seen before, and I am excited to watch it again. And again.

daylight savings

Ever since the switch a few weeks back, each night has gotten darker and darker, and it's been happening earlier and earlier. It's 4:50 P.M. right now, and the sun has already disappeared. I know we supposedly "gained" an hour of sleep in the morning, but I'm already tired. It looks like night time, so my brain keeps thinking one thing: bedtime! As much as I love winter, and that first snowfall of the year, that we haven't had yet... something in me is missing those summer nights where the sun is just beginning to set at 9:00 P.M.

what is something that you wish you were better at?

One thing that I wish I could excel at would be mathematics. Sounds boring, I know. However, I am one of the few people that actually finds math "fun". My favorite thing about it is how there is just simply one answer. I love how once you figure out how to do a certain problem, that you can do another one, and another. I'm obsessed with organization. And with math, that is quite easy. Forming exact ways of solving problems, organized on the page is nice. Some people even joke around with me saying that I have OCD, and for the most part I agree with them. If I was better at math, I would have an easier time doing something that I really enjoy, and love for the most part.

free time

Finally, the swim season is over. Instead of getting home at 6:30PM after practice every day, I get home around 2:30PM, which creates an extra four hours of my day! Today I drove my younger sister, Molly, home from school. I had a doctor appointment after school that my mom and drove to as soon as I got home. By the time that was over, it was not even 3:30PM. So, instead of rushing home to do my homework which I usually do, I convinced my mom that we "needed" to go to Barnes & Noble. There's nothing better than finding a new great book to read, and I was excited to finally be able to do some "recreational reading" rather than just reading for school. By the time we got home it was not even 4PM. That's two whole hours before I even am thinking about getting out of the pool. I wasn't even sure what to do with myself! This extra time feels like such a luxury, and I can't wait to indulge in it again tomorrow...

vacations.

The last real vacation I went on was in eighth grade. My family went to Mexico, and it was over both Easter and my birthday. Everything was so warm there, compared to now (I'm wearing layers upon layers of clothes and I can still feel the chill creeping in). I went parasailing in Mexico, and was suspended high in the air above the Pacific Ocean below me. The world seemed so huge in that moment, and I had felt so small.

Before Mexico, the next nearest vacation was Disney World. I was in third grade. I still remember the 'scary' rides that just my dad and I would go on, leaving my mom and younger sister to the baby rides. I remember all of the signatures we got of those people dressed up like all of the characters. (Sidenote: in my opinion, that would be THE worst job.)

Apart from that, we've gone to other places in Minnesota, and Wisconsin. I traveled to Las Vegas when I was in kindergarten for my uncle Mike's wedding, and the first time that I went on a plane was to Arizona, I was just a one year old. My family has never exactly been world travelers. That's maybe why I am so passionate about seeing the world and even just the rest of the United States in the future. My dream is to be able to bring my parents to wherever they want. They deserve a vacation, and someday I want to be the one that gives it to them.

snow snow snow (rant)

We live in Minnesota.
There should be snow here before:
Wisconsin,
Iowa,
and those people on the East Coast that think they are cool for experiencing a minuscule earthquake, a 'hurricane', and snow storm in the past few months.
We live in MinneSNOWta.
Well, that's not really the name.
I love snow,
I love snow.
Did I mention I love snow?
This cold air outside is taunting me.
Why should it be cold if there isn't snow along with it?
Last year we had snow by now.
It makes the world so quite, and sparkly.
But no, we only had a few flurries that didn't do a thing.
Until there's snow...
I'll be dreaming of a white Thanksgiving.

bonding time

Ever since I can remember, my mom and I have loved driving around looking at houses. Spring, summer, fall or winter, we will pile up in one of the cars and choose a neighborhood to explore. It becomes a game, finding which house we wish we could live in and the houses that we would fix up. Our favorite houses are on top of this large hill near our house. The neighborhood is constantly adding these gorgeous new homes to the mix. I was stressed out so my mom had suggested we go to that favorite area of homes. We know that the homes are ridiculously over priced, but to us they are gorgeous and it's fun browse. Relaxing even. I told her that I want a job that can get me one of these houses. I imagine in the future, when I'm looking for my first house, I know my mom will be there with me.

Nostalgia

I am officially done with high school swimming. I never thought this day would come, but after competing in the 100 yard breaststroke tonight at varsity sections I'm officially done! No more hard sets, no more three hour practices. However, I will miss the girls that I have grown up with. The ladies in lane seven are hilarious and caring. This team has always picked each other up when one member is down. As exciting as it is that I will get to enjoy my next fall for the first time in five years, I will miss these girls.

"when I grow up"

While working on our ethnography today in the IMC. Erin and I were talking about college, jobs and the future.

Erin mentioned, "Well when I grow up...." but we both paused and laughed Were we not grown up already? Or when were we going to be?

It's what we always say when we are younger, because this "grown up" part of us seems so far off. Now, however, we are talking about the "real world" and in only a matter of months we will be joining it.

Kind of a scary thought, but to me, it's more exciting.

home stretch

Bare with me, because this is the last week of swimming I am forecasting a lot of blogs coming up will be on the sport. :)

Two more practices. After five years of being a part of the Champlin Park Girls' Swim Team, I will only enter the Jackson pool two more times. And only one last section meet. I have been thinking about this final week ever since I can remember being on the team. It's always seemed so distant, something I never thought that I would actually get to. This is the time of the season that I desperately wish swimming was over. Seeing all of my other friends done with their sports long before I am even thinking about varsity sections. I have been in the pool six times a week since the beginning of August. That's about twenty hours each week in that pool. So many swim meets, practices, and pasta parties. Although I am still faithfully waiting for Friday, the first day I will get to go home right after school, a little sense of sadness is beginning to come over me. And definitely a lot of reminiscing. The girls in my lane are who I've grown up with... there are so many memories I know I am forgetting,  but so many that I will carry with me. I'm just hoping with this last week, we can really turn it into something great.

Friday Thought

sometimes I feel like a goldfish stuck in my bowl.
the walls are glass, clear tempting me with the sight of the bigger world.
but I'm stuck.
and yes it's safe here---
but there's only so much oxygen.

favorite holiday weather

The sky was a perfect shade of gray. The kind of gray that made you want to put on an extra pair of socks and snuggle up to the fire with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. The clouds loomed in the sky, threatening with the possibility of another snowfall, but I could sense it wouldn’t snow until tonight. I lived in this area to long… I could predict the weather here better than local news channel. I loved how the warmth of me at these very moments contrasted so much with the cold outside, just the wall of the house separating. Everything about the world felt so quiet, uninterrupted. The fire crackling in the living room gave me a sense of peace. Oh how I love, Christmas Eve.

ethnography character descriptions.

Peggy-

The frequent client is perched up in the vinyl chair, getting a perm. She sips on a cup of coffee and reads and outdated romance novel. Her bright pink lipstick contrasts with her dull colored grandma sweater.

Mandy-

The thirty-something manager’s heels click as she walks to the front desk. Her feather extension and gaudy jewelry show that she is trying to act younger than she is. Too bad it’s more trashy than hip.

Amy-

Known as the youngest in the salon, Amy doesn’t act immature. She treats difficult customers with respect and handles everything they throw at her. Her caramel-colored strands are pulled tightly into a bun and is both a part-time worker here, but also a physical therapy student.

Sharon-

Her thick hair is tendrils down her back. And Sharon’s black framed glasses sit upon the edge of her nose. Unlike the other worker’s, her outfit consists of a black velvet sweat suit. Underdressed. Her age also makes her stick out, being around sixty she is well above the mean age, but she somehow fits well among her young colleagues.

Megan-

Hidden behind her glasses and bangs, Megan peers up to greet us at the receptionist’s desk. Her bold, cropped hairstyle stands out against her no-makeup face. She talks with passion about her new found love of doing nails, and talks to others with kindness.

ethnography focus.

Erin and I have been going to a hair salon in Champlin for our ethnography for the past month. We've collected detailed notes and kept them in our matching blue and purple jot books. Every time we have gone the time has gone by much faster, and it has become a much more relaxing experience compared to our first time jitters. Now that we have done all of our "research", we somehow have to come up with a focus. And this focus has to span the ten-page-or-more paper length. Erin and I came up with our idea in class and luckily it uses a bunch of our notes from both observation and interviews. I can't wait to see how it will turn out!

laundry

Ever since I can remember, I have greatly enjoyed folding laundry. I love taking the freshly dried clothes out of the dryer and feeling that warmth. So snugly. To most this is a chore, but I race the bucket upstairs and empty it out on my parent's bed. First, I begin to sort: mom's, dad's, Molly's and my clothes into different piles. And then sort through the items of clothing. It is safe to say that I am obsessed with organization. Folding our families big fluffy towels is my favorite. There is something so relaxing about it all, so when ever I am feeling stressed I go and do the laundry. (:

the office. lost. mad men.

The DVR on my television is always stocked with the week's newest episodes of my favorite television shows. I don't have time to watch during the week, weekends at my house are always for playing catch up. 

My family started watching The Office when I was in fifth grade; we were all instantly hooked. I love the wit and jokes embedded in every second of the half hour long sitcom. My favorite character by far is Michael Scott played by Steve Carell. I was so upset when he left the show last season and I remember nearly tearing up on his last episode. Jim Halpert, however, I remember being one of my first crushes. 

I took both psychology I and II last year and at the beginning of psych II, Mrs. Weise had us watch the pilot episode of Lost. I remember over the years hearing Emma, my best friend, talk about how amazing it was, but I never took the time to watch it. After seeing it in class, it became my newest obsession. That same week was my seventeenth birthday and my mom bought me the first season because I was stuck at home sick. Snuggled up, watching a new show that I loved almost made being sick on my birthday worth it.  

My  family got Netflix over the summer and I had always heard great things about the show Mad Men; it was always winning prestigious awards... After starting the first episode about the drama set in a decade well before I was born, I was entranced. Seeing how things were in the past come to life on the screen made me want to keep watching. Also, Don Draper is one of my favorite television characters of all time. I can't wait until new episodes start again!

writing groups

The first time we talked about having writing groups in this class I was nervous to share my writing with others. Now that we are working on the trend paper, while writing my first 'crappy' draft all I could think was I couldn't wait to share my paper because I knew the other girls in my group would be able to help me in all of the areas that I am struggling in. I love hearing all of their views and new ideas, and am thankful for them catching all of my stupid mistakes! I am always more motivated to revise and edit after meeting with them and it's becoming my favorite part of the class.

the first house on the right

I have lived in the same house my entire life. Our house is different than any other on the block because the three car garage is perpendicular to the house, which makes a L-shape. The long concrete driveway extends far, curling around. I learned how to ride my bike on this driveway, and even though it's a pain to back out of, I much prefer ours over the standard small driveways that I see everywhere.

Walking in the wooden front door, a feeling of relief always washes over me. I am so comfortable here, no other place comes even close. The kitchen is open to the family room, making it easy to entertain and spend more time together as a family. I love the nights my younger sister and I would have sleepovers in the living room, even though both of our rooms were right upstairs. Speaking of my room, it has been lime green since I was eight years old. It is blinding. All of the furniture in my room is white, and when the light shines through from the big window... everything feels so light and clean. My basement, however, is my favorite room in the house. For years it has been the home for me and my best friends main hang out area. I couldn't count the number of secrets that have been shared there.

When I think back to who built this house, I don't have to go very far. My mom and dad purchased the lot in 1991 and built it to their liking. I love knowing that we were the only ones that have lived here. This truly is the Olson's. This truly is home.

last swim meet

Last night was the swim and dive team's last dual meet; it was also my last dual meet ever, since I am a senior. There were lots of girls gone due to injury and sicknesses, so our normally sixty girl team seemed much smaller. The team we were competing against was the Blaine Bengals. We had competed against them during our first meet back in September and lost badly. But we were a faster team then back then so everyone knew it was going to be a close meet.

During warm-up, I was practicing my turns. Flipping myself in the water, I pushed off the wall and a sharp pain coursed through my ankle. I instinctively reached for my ankle, clutching it as if it would make it feel better. I somehow got out of the pool and hopped my way over to the office to get an ice pack. I sat down, knowing that I would still have to swim tonight. Not swimming wasn't an option because I knew we already had so many people gone.

I cheered my way through the meet, wincing during my first two relays as I had to dive off of the block. My bandaged ankle stung with every step and I desperately wanted to crash on my bed. The last individual event of the night is one that I always swim. The 100 yard breaststroke. I was nervous to say the least. I kept thinking that this would be my last event ever, besides varsity sections which was still weeks away. I dove off the block, once again trying to ignore the pain. I could see the girl next to me, and I was ahead of her so I knew... I was swimming great.

I ended up swimming that event with the worst time in five years. I was embarrassed and upset with myself. The Rebels ended up winning, thank goodness my loss hadn't cost the team.

accepted

A few weeks ago I completed my applications for my top four schools: Madison, the U of M, St. Thomas and Eau Claire. I love each school for different reasons and I am going to have a real difficult job deciding which one to call home next fall. Two days in a row last week I received two acceptance letters! Both St. Thomas and Eau Claire are eager for me to join their schools. I was ecstatic! There was a huge weight of relief lifted off my shoulders. For the first time since senior year had started it felt like I could exhale.

migraines

For the past few years I have been the recipient of frequent migraines. Joy, joy. It's by far the most distracting thing in the world, and one of the most painful. I can feel the pain begin to creep up my neck and surround my skull. I have to thank my mother for two reasons on this subject. First, a sarcastic thanks because I inherited these migraines from her, but she makes up for it. Being a physical therapist, she knows the exact points to apply pressure in the back of my neck, bringing me the sweetest relief. The worst thing about these is they often come out of nowhere just as I am studying, the least convenient time. Like right now.

the beauty of sleep

The alarm on my phone erupted, and read 1:55 AM. I had fallen asleep merely twenty minutes ago and it was painful to open my eyes. The seniors of the Champlin Park Swim and Dive Team had gathered at Laura, my fellow co-captain's house Thursday after practice. As tradition, we would be waking up the juniors on the team and bringing them out to breakfast. I had assumed that I would get around 3 hours of sleep that night, but I hadn't planned on one of the seniors insisting on keeping us up the entire night. I was glad we had set the alarm early, because just like I thought, getting ready took us a long time before we actually left and began our 'road trip'.

By the time we were eating breakfast, Friday morning, I was crabby. And sassy. Everything I didn't like to be. I kept thinking about the vacancy of my bed back at home, and I could practically feel my black and white printed comforter hug and warm my body. The idea of a pillow supporting my head and neck seemed like a luxury, not something I used every night. I felt like a drug addict; my drug was sleep.

Somehow I managed to make my way up the stairs at school and stumble into first hour. Marketing. I collapsed into my seat in the third row and hugged my purse while thinking about that bed once again. Alysa, my friend who sat next to me laughed and shook her head. She could tell by my t-shirt that advertised wake up call of what I was up to last night.

I don't remember anything about second hour.

Third period was Economics. I, unlike most of my classmates was very interested in the subject matter. The packet for our next unit was passed out by the strict sub and we were instructed to work on it. I was thrilled not to have to listen to a lecture with new information, because I knew I wouldn't have retained anything. I sped my way through the packet. The girl to my left was painting her nails, she wasn't even trying to pretend like she was working. The girl to my right had her cell phone taken away and received a referral. I laughed at their immaturity.  Even I, the girl who had gotten twenty minutes of sleep the night before was being more productive. At least until I fell asleep... I was finally comfortable. And then I felt someone tap me on the shoulder; my eyes awakened to the sub who mentioned something about sleeping in class was not allowed, I nodded my head and showed her my completed packet, as if it somehow justified my sleeping. My pulse was pounding in my head; I was never one to get in trouble. It was a huge wake up call.

The rest of the day was... better. There were no repeats of what happened in third period. I was finally awake.  But as soon as I got home after a three hour swim practice, I ran upstairs. Feeling sick, I somehow managed to leap to the bed I had been daydreaming about all day. Finally, I closed my eyes, beginning real dreams.

fishies

My parents have never been people to let my sister and I to have pets. To them animals are expensive, messy. For senior night, during our last swim meet the juniors gave us gifts like I mentioned. Part of that gift was eight goldfish. I was excited! Then I quickly realized that the eight fish look claustrophobic in their minuscule tank. I raced home in search of something larger; scrambling though my kitchen cupboards and searching the basement as well I looked for anything that the fish could call home for a little bit before I could find them a proper tank. I settled on a lime green bowl that was ginormous compared to the cage they had been swimming around in since Saturday. I fed them, probably over-fed them... thinking that extra food would make up for the fact that I hadn't been able to find a proper fish tank. I went to bed praying that the eight little fishes would still be there when I woke up the next morning. By the next evening my fishes had been transported into two identical bowls, four in one and I am sad to report that the smallest orange fish had to be flushed down the toilet. (Me being the one that gets attached to things too quickly, I cried). I do love that I have some little fishes to take care of. My next project is to think of names!

senior night

Last night we had one of our last swim meets versus Elk River. As a senior I would be honored before the meet with a presentation by the juniors and also receive my senior gifts. The previous year, I had been a junior. I remembered all of the time I put into senior night for the girls that graduated last year, how fun it had turned out to be. My normal pre-meet nerves had been replaced with excitement. For the past four seasons I had watched the seniors in admiration. Tonight was my night. I gracefully accepted my gift as they spoke about my favorite memories from the team and plans for the future. It hit me just then how much I was going to miss this. Champlin Park Girl's Swim and Dive Team. Sure I complained about hard practices and how exhausted I was... and let's not forget the constant smell of chlorine that I had in my hair for four months out of every year, but these girls were who I would I miss. This was such a huge part of my life. The rest of the swim meet I cheered extra loud, reminding myself I wouldn't be here next year. I swam extra hard in my races as well, earning a personal record for the season in my favorite event, the 100 yard breastroke. It ended up being my favorite swim meet of the season by far.

mondays

Most people consider Mondays the worst day of the week, and today I have to agree with those people. Whenever I wake up and feel like I need a nap is when I know it's going to be a bad day. I woke up, the sky was dark. Never a good sign. The glowing blue numbers that read 5:59 AM were the only light in the room, and it was still harsh on my sleepy eyes. I pulled the blanket off of me, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. The cool air hit my bare feet and I quivered, wanting to snuggle under the warm covers. I shuffled my way over to the light switch on the wall. The final step I took before flipping the switch, I tripped over my Under Armor backpack landing painfully on the carpeted floor. I glanced again at the clock, 6:00 AM. One minute into the first day of the week and already managed to fall on my face. Not a great way to start off the day.

fall weather?

The leaves have changed colors and started to fall. October. This is one of my favorite months of the year; I love when everything begins to cool off and the holidays begin to creep up on us. After a long hot summer, I love the change from tank tops and shorts to jeans and sweatshirts, so comfy. So today, and the past week or so I've been disappointed. It's been so hot out! The leaves are still orange, and there is a constant breeze in the air, but instead of my favorite cool and chilly air, its been warm. Warmth belongs with summer and I want my Autumn back.

trend paper

The next paper we are writing in English is our trend paper. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to write; that's because I know we will work so much with these types of papers in the future. Personally, I know writing a more 'scientific' or research paper will be a challenge. I'm hoping the paper I write under my domain of Appearance will be a great one! I really enjoyed writing our last paper in this class, so I'm hoping this next one will have the same result.

randomness

10 facts about me:
1. I have a younger sister Molly and when I try to tell people that she is the loud one... they don't believe me.
2. On Easter in eighth grade I went parasailing over the Pacific ocean; my family was in Mexico for spring break.
3. My middle name is Herzog; it's my mom's maiden name.
4. I have a scar above my left eyebrow from when I was in first grade. I was trying to teach my neighbor Tanner how to swing a baseball bat and he accidentally hit me with the wooden baseball bat.
5. My favorite place in the world is the Boundary Waters, but I have only spent a total of two weeks there.
6. I am a big dog lover, but both of my parents are allergic to them so I've never had one. Once I have my own place I want to get a chocolate Labrador.
7. Although we didn't have a dog, my sister and I had two hamsters when we were younger that ended up having seven babies. We were told originally that they were both boys.
8. Every time I clean my room, I end up re-arranging the furniture.
9. My favorite television show is The Office. I own every season and have seen every episode twice. I also am obsessed with Lost and Mad Men.
10. In the future I hope to have a career where I can travel all over the world. I want to see everything.

first ethonography field day

Last night Erin and I drove to Vivid Details Salon in Champlin. We had our small blue and purple notebooks and pens in hand as we walked through the doors. The smell of hair and nail products was drenching the air with the strong scent. Both Erin and I were nervous as we introduced ourselves to the manager, Mandy. We sat in the black leather chairs and observed our surroundings for the next hour and a half. It was a Wednesday night and with only a few employees and customers there it was awkwardly quiet. We wrote and wrote in our tiny sheets of paper, eyeing the clock. It was an experience different from anything else. I'm hoping next time the employees will be more inviting, should be an interesting project.

revision and writing groups

Revising is one of the most important steps in writing. With this personal narrative, the multiple drafts have begun to shape into a piece that I am proud of. The writing groups have helped more than I thought they would. Hearing opinions and ideas from multiple people has shown me different things that I never would have thought of on my own. Also, reading our stories outloud has caught silly mistakes that I know would have been overlooked. My favorite part about revising and writing groups has not involved my own paper. The best part was during the first time our group met together. Hearing other people's stories.

goals

Last week the other swim team captain, Laura, my best friend had her appendix unexpectedly taken out. She's unfortunately out for the season, leaving me to step up my game as captain. It's not like I have been slacking, but this is 'Hell Week' in swimming, so it's extremely important to keep our team of sixty girls together and strong. I've decided to come up with three daily goals of how I could be a better captain. Tomorrows goals consist of teaching the team a new cheer in time for Thursday's meet, encourage the team after hard sets throughout practice and have a mini-meeting with all of the other seniors and remind them that they are in leadership roles too. I hope that with these daily goals I will make people even more proud that voted me captain. Wish me luck.

oh molly

I owe some of the happiest moments of my life to my little sister. On July 12th, 1997 at 7:10 in the evening, my Molly joined our family. I would call her "sissy" and we were joined at the hip growing up. Our simliar 'bob' haircuts and sometimes matching outfits (thanks mom) made us look like twins. We would spend our days playing gymnastics and 'school' with our best friends: Erin and Alex. I remember all of the times Molly would make me smile and crack up at her cute jokes, when no one else could. During the long hot summers, we would stay up late and have sleepovers in one of our rooms watching movies on the old portable DVD player. Molly would let me play with her hair, doing it in crazy looks as I pleased without even a complaint. I loved how close we were. We still are. We still are those same little girls, just a lot older and tiny bit more wise.

character descrption

She stood with a level of cockiness that told the world she was better than it. Her outfit seemed overly planned, everything so matchy-matchy. Her normally shapeless hair had been curled and recurled, you could almost see  the layers of hair spray that coated her fried yellow strands. Her nails were fake, just like her personality. The bubble-gum she was chewing was being snapped obnoxiously in her mouth, she was clearly disinterested with the world layed out in front of her.

the radio

The familiar sounds of K102 are playing lightly right now in the math resource center, I am a teacher's assistant for Denny and it can get pretty quiet up here. I don't know what I would do without the music. Music in general is something that makes people happy. I know for myself, my mood will instantly brighten if I here the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. There is simply nothing better than that moment when a song comes on the radio that perfectly outlines your mood, whether it's happy or sad. While I'm driving, music is a constant. Whoever sits in the passenger's seat next to me knows that as soon as a radio station turns to static, I like it turned immediately. Another station, for constant music. That's just the way I like it.

thinking

thinking

no more worry about the coming hurricane

lie me down and sleep

with no tomorrow

crouching like a hungry beast

no more fear of what will be 

and what will shiver lost in freezing accusations 

I will not think

no never think again 

I will just live

pasta parties

I remember when I first joined the Champlin Park swim team in eighth grade I was very confused on what these famous "pasta parties" were. There was one scheduled the night before almost every swim meet. Only later did I discover the deliciousness and magic that occurred at these events. After a long practice, the team would be given directions to the location of that night's pasta party. It was always at someone on the team's house, a different swimmer every time. I would climb into our family's truck and my dad said he would drive me. When I got there, I noticed the mountain of various types of shoes that everyone had taken off and left in the entryway. I placed mine near the others, hoping that they wouldn't be lost in the sea of shoes. Walking down the hallway there was familiar chatter and laughter that I was used to. And the kitchen, the first time I saw it.... SO much food, it was amazing. I wasn't hungry before but after seeing the various types of pasta, salads and garlic bread, I heard my stomach growl. I filled up my plate and grabbed a glass of milk when I realized the dessert table. No room was left on my plate though! I made a mental note to grab a cookie later and sat down next to a group of friendly upperclassman swimmers. They greeted me and I smiled, taking my seat I began to nibble on everything. I looked around and saw the other girls wolfing down their food like it was some sort of Olympic event. One of them mentioned that they were on their third plate of food! Another girl had an entire plate of just garlic bread. It was like Thanksgiving, only with Italian food. It was so good, I quickly realized I was beginning to eat faster as well. "Carboloading". Apparently eating a bunch of carbohydrates before a big race was somehow beneficial to you. I'm not sure how that works, but all I know is, I'm a fan!

bridesmaids

On Saturday my family has a tradition of watching a movie together. I was excited for this weekend because I knew Bridesmaids was finally on On Demand. We were watching it in the afternoon instead of Saturday night because my family always watches the Gophers play football. (They would lose terribly to NDSU that Saturday, an embarrassment, but this is not a football rant post...) The movie was filled with tons of recognizable and favorite faces: John Hamm, who I love to watch as Don Draper in Mad Men, the actress that played "Sookie" in Gilmore Girls as well as two of my favorite Saturday Night Live ladies. It was hilarious, just like everyone had told me. Every time people had talked about it, they seemed surprised that I hadn't seen it yet since I am known for knowing everything about films. I laughed at every line, especially one of my favorite's of the movie where the mom mentioned that the movie Castaway had just been added to Netflix, saying "it's like Forest Gump on an island!"

college applications

Sitting at the kitchen table, I notice that I have over ten tabs open on my computer. Links to my email, my resume, all of my essays, the webistes for the different colleges I'm applying to and iTunes. I always imagined applying to colleges as this very exciting time... and it is, but I never pictured entering my information in thousands of sites. Applying to colleges is exciting, just not actual application part. That has evoked other feelings including anxiety and stress. My mom sitting near me, reading, is laughing at all of my mini panic attacks and exclamations that come out of my mouth every minute. After the long process of entering, and reentering my name and my senior schedule, etc. I press the button that says submit. A huge weight is taken off my shoulder, I've applied. And now that stress is replaced by the anxiety of acceptance.

slippery when wet.

Last night was our third dual swim meet. The new swimmers are becoming used to the rules and how everything works; there's no more mad rushes to get people to their races.

After diving, our team was getting ready for the second half of the meet. Lexi, one of our best swimmers on the team, was walking to check the line-up when she began to slip on the pool deck. I was standing behind her, and quickly grabbed her holding her up. She was screaming in pain and I noticed that her knee wasn't where it was supposed to be. It had been dislocated. You know when there's a scary situation, or something is going terribly wrong and it feels like it's moving in slow motion? That's how it was. I saw Lexi push her knee back into place and she then fell again, but arms still holding her, brought her to the ground slowly. I kept her head from splitting on the wet cold tiled flooring, just call me a lifesaver.

state of frenzy

Tonight, September 21st, 2011, is the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. As one of the officers this year, I will be giving a speech on one of the four pillars of NHS. My speech tonight is on the pillar of leadership; I have written and practiced my speech. Done. No problem for me, public speaking has never been a difficulty for me, probably because I enjoy talking too much.

The past few weeks during my fourth hour, which I spend being a Teacher's Assistant for Kim Denny, I have folded the programs, assembled the "candles" and printed out the certificates. Hours and hours of work just for this one night. This morning we had the practice ceremony during advisement, us officers went through and said everyone's names when we discovered that the spell corrections I had fixed on the program had not gone through. New member Logan's name still said "Lauren", oops. So after advisement, instead of going to my normal class, French level 5, Mrs. Denny and I raced back up to her computer, eager to fix the problem. We needed to print 200 new copies of the program and fold them by tonight.

As soon as we got to the room, we discovered another big problem. Denny was certain that she had left her jump drive---which contained the program template---at home! She gathered her things quickly and raced home. I sat and waited for a few minutes before deciding that I should keep looking around for that little red jump drive. The first desk drawer I opened contained the jump drive attached to a lanyard that said, "Rebels". I had found it! By opening the same drawer that I had seen Denny open to check if it was there five times. I quickly called her leaving a message of relief, telling her to come back to the school. Proud of myself, I sat down on her chair and typed in the correct spellings of names. Such relief.

sick days.

The clock glowed the time, 6:01 AM. I have never needed an alarm clock. My body would wake its self up at the same time each morning, and I have never overslept. This morning when I woke up, I still felt tired. No, more than that, my body felt like it had been drained of all energy, despite having been asleep for hours. I took another minute to find the strength to pull myself out of bed. Last night before falling asleep, I had been excited about the following day. Today. I even had my outfit that I was planning on wearing lying on the floor next to me. I stood up in my room, and turned the light on. My eyes blinked several times while trying to adjust to the brighter lighting. I took a deep breath, or rather tried to. My throat and nose seemed to be closed, making it near impossible to get a full breath. I had that weak body feeling that everyone gets when there sick, and one of my ears was ringing. I trudged my way to my parent's bedroom, just like any other morning. The news was turned on the television, and my mom was getting ready for work. I sat crosslegged on the foot of their bed and she turned around and commented something that I couldn't hear. The next thing she said to me sounded like, "go back to bed." And I definitely didn't need to be told twice. I collapsed onto my bed, thinking hour by hour of what I would miss today, I didn't make it past 2nd period before I said goodnight to the world once again.

This past Sunday I was working my normal shift: noon until close. It was a solid fifty degrees outside. The ominous gray clouds painted the sky; it was the kind of day that made you want to curl up under blankets and sip on hot chocolate. Definitely not want to work, especially at a golf course. Days like this at a golf course meant that it would be empty. Every minute would seem like an hour. I work in the golf course's grill. It's a two to three person job normally, but today it was just me and the bartender that worked across the room from me. After my "lunch rush", which consisted of me making a BLT for my father, who worked in the Pro Shop, it wasn't much of a rush. After about an hour of no customers, I got out my checklist that our boss gives us of things we have to do before the end of our shift. Starting early on it would mean, more work for me later. The next task I needed to complete on the form said, "Cut fresh vegetables". We technically have a machine that will do that for you, but I much prefer to do it myself, plus I had a surplus of free time. I was cutting the onions, my favorite, I loved making the perfect little circles when I made a foolish mistake. The sharp knife I had been using, sliced through my thumb on my left hand. With pure shock from the pain, I grabbed the nearest towel and applied pressure as hard as I could.

I have always been a wimp when it comes to anything blood related. At the doctor, I almost always faint while receiving a shot, or when they take blood from my arm. To put it simply, I will never do anything in the medical field. I know it isn't a big deal, and I try my hardest not to psych myself out put nothing seems to work. My face and hands starts to get clammy, and I feel lightheaded. My stomach is swirling around uncomfortably, and usually my knees begin to buckle.

I hold the pressure on my thumb a few seconds longer, trying to find the courage to take a quick look at my cut. One... two... three... I say to myself. I remove the towel fast, and just as fast the blood almost begins to squirt out at me. Now nauseous, I replace the towel back on my finger, and squeeze my eyes shut.

This is going to be a long shift.

autumn weather

A mere few weeks ago, the heat was pounding down on the pavement. The summer was filled with no homework and record-breaking hot temperatures. And then bam! Fall. Walking into school last week, I could hear the murmurs of complaints about the chill in the air. Me on the other hand, I was smiling. The sound of the breeze in the trees and the refreshing air I would feel in my lungs with every inhale, these things were my favorite. Autumn is the best season of the year, I picture the leaves changing soon. The vibrant oranges, reds and yellows. How they slowly fall and flutter around the ground, and bluster in the wind. I imagine the young kids that will stop by my house on Halloween, dressed in costumes. A young boy in a Superman costume and a little girl dressed as her favorite Disney princess. I will hand them candy, and see their smiling faces beam up at me. Then they will disappear into the night, the only lights coming from the glowing pumpkins that were carved earlier that day. I await that night that will be here in a little over a month.

weekend to-do.

It's Friday; the last day of school for the week. The weekend is in sight and most students are anticipating time to relax. I am counting all the things I have to do. After school for me will consist of a three hour swim practice. I was planning on going to the football game, but going with your hair wet and when you're this tired doesn't seem like the best fan to have in the bleachers. Instead I will get at least a few hours to myself, time to relax. Eat dinner and watch all of the shows that I had to record during the week. But I'd feel guilty relaxing that much when there is so much to do, so I'm sure I will be completing my economics work and studying for the test we have next week.
Saturday, the perfect opportunity to sleep in... not. I will be waking up at 7 am to once again swim at practice. And even though going back to sleep once that is over seems like a great idea, that won't work either. At noon I have my senior pictures until three. Then finally, finally I will be free for the night! To write my speech on leadership that I will be reading at the National Honor Society induction ceremony on Wednesday. Total party girl right here.

Sunday, I will get to sleep in at least until nine. Then perhaps work on more homework and get ready for work. I work from noon until close; the shift is longer than a school day. I will serve wealthy golfers, the cutest grandmothers in their pastel colored Polo's and plaid printed visors. Standing for eight hours will make my feet kill, but I will still smile.

Now that I am thinking about everything that I need to do this weekend, I'm wishing there was an eigth day of the week. One with nothing to do, but what I want---curl up under the covers and sleep the day away.

ethnography

The dictionary's definition of an ethnography is a branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures. Our task to immerse ourselves into a culture different from our own is a scary task. Humans by nature like to stay in their comfort zone; they like their version of normal. Before today, I know Erin and I were really anxious about how we were going to make this mystery paper work. The combination of today's field day lecture at the University of Minnesota and our class dicussion really cleared up all of the questions I know the class had. By getting an entire day to spend on this one paper, this one topic gave us so much time. By the end of class, Erin and I had felt confident in our sub-culture as well as our domain. And I know when we were walking down the hallway after the bell had rung, we both mentioned the weight that had been lifted off our shoulders from not knowing what to do before. That uncertainty was replaced by the excitement of taking on this paper.

9/13

Ten years and two days ago marks anniversary of 9/11. Yes, I know I already posted about September 11th, but today I was thinking about how America went into a war and all of the people that stood up to fight for our country. In some countries every young person must serve two years of military service. But the question is: Should we have a similar policy in the United States? It's a debateable topic, and I'm not sure if there is a right opinion, but I know my opinion.

Patriotism is important, so is nationalism and militarism, but I don't think the United States should install a policy that requires everyone to be a part of the military. The first reason being, America is the land of the free. By forcing everyone to participate in the military, you are taking away their independence. Also by having everyone join, you are forgetting that a lot of people are against wars. Fighting might be against their religion and it would be extremly insensitive to make them fight.

Probably the most important reason why a policy for everyone to serve in the military should not be intalled, is because those who serve choose to serve. I have a great amount of respect for those who defend our country, however I don't think all would possess the same passion for serving America like our men and women in uniforms today.

crabby maddy

Apparently You're supposed to catch up on sleep over the weekend, or that's what everyone says. Me? I feel more tired then I was at the end of the school week. My legs ache from standing during my entire seven hour shift this morning. Both Saturday and Sunday I woke up when it was dark outside, that is never a good feeling. Looking at my planner I still have quite a few homework assignments to do, joy. To add to my pile of annoyances, my younger sister Molly continues to pass by my bedroom door singing the most obnoxious songs, with her even more obnoxious voice. I usually have the attention span of a seven year old, but right now I think it's closer to that of a four year old, maybe even three. No motivation. No determination. I just came up with a new game, its called "Lets See How Many Times I Can Check My Facebook Without Realizing No One Has Posted Anything New." I am so tired I think I might start hallucinating any second now... two seconds later: I think I just saw a turtle playing a banjo.

just keep swimming, just keep swimming

I slide my body into the pool. I know it will be cold, but somehow I am still shocked by the frigid waters. A few degrees cooler and I fear there will be ice cubes floating in it, and I will be able to see my breath. And we are supposed to 'warm up' in this? A normal swim meet would have two teams, but since this is an invitaional there are almost ten. Ten teams trying to practice before their races, at the same time, in eight lanes. There are almost sixty girls on my team alone, the pool looks like it is about to expolde. Every girl is swimming the best they can in the miniscule space that they get in the water. My muscles ache as I pull myself along the water, my arms straining with every stroke. Probably from the three hour practice yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that...

Fast forward to the one hundred meter breastroke, my event. It's the last indivdual event of the night, which basically means I had the entire meet to psych myself out, to worry. I stand at the beginning of lane six, half watching the JV swimmer finish her race before I have mine. Just like every basketball player has a routine they do before shooting a free throw, every swimmer has their routine they do before every race. I stretch out my muscles one last time and retighten my goggles that I had just adjusted thirty seconds prior. The girl that just finished struggles to pull herself out of the water, breathing heavily and face red. Funny, that will be me in a little over a minute.

I step up onto the block, curling my toes around the edge of the platform. Finding my balance I wait for the ever familiar: "Take your mark...", then the starter noise. The reaction is so quick, I am not even sure how my brain told my body to dive that quickly. After my body pierces the water I finally begin to swim. Finding the right tempo and speed is hard when you have no idea what the clock says. The last twentyfive yards is when your muscles just die. It feels like my body is going to give out, but it's the last lengh and I can see the end... so all I have to do is just keep swimming.

the eleventh day of the ninth month

If you ask anyone where they were during the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001 they will be able to give you a detailed response to where they were when they watched this tragedy unfold. And my story is no different.

Like all of my fellow classmates, I was in the second grade. It was the beginning of the school year and all of us that we were so superior now that we weren't the youngest in the school anymore. Unlike my classmates, I wasn't at school that day. My younger sister, Molly and I were both sick from school and home with our mother.

I remember sipping a juice box, bundled up in blankets and watching the Lion King for the thousandth time when my mom received a phone call. It was my aunt, I didn't hear what she said but all of a sudden my mom turned off the movie and changed it to a local news station.

There were images on the screen of a really tall building that looked like a piece was missing from it, and there was lots and lots of smoke. I remember asking my mom what movie this scene was from. When she told me it wasn't from a movie and that it was happening now I was confused. It was so sad. When the camera first showed the people jumping from the building, my mom made us leave the room. It took me a few days to process what exactly had happened.

Now, ten years later... I can tell you where I was on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attack. At work. I work in the grill at Fox Hollow Golf Club; I had the opening shift today so I had to get up early. The cleaning lady was the only one there before me and she was sitting in the clubhouse watching the news. For a half hour I listened to the people at the 9/11 tribute read off the names in alphabetical order of those who died. A half hour. And when I looked on the screen they were only in the "C's". They had barely made a dent in the alphabet. In that moment of discovery, I got a shiver down my back and I could feel the water pooling in my eyes.

It had been ten years, but it still felt like it was ten had been 10 days. And I knew I would still hold this same memory on the 50^th anniversary of September 11^th

win me over in five minutes or less...

There is always an awkward moment when it is just you and one other person standing in an elevator, such a confined space for silence... I pressed the button for my floor and turned around. In a matter of a few seconds there were a few details that let me know who this was. The Badger mascot embroidered onto this man's shirt and the multitude of folders that all spelled out the same word on the front, admissions. This was the admissions counselor for the University of Wisconsin Madison. This was my chance to get into the school of my dreams.

The nerves coursed through my veins, anxiety coming over me quickly. I couldn't mess this up. Then the words just stumbled out of me; I heard myself introduce myself to the counselor and then the words coming out of my mouth seemed to be coming from my heart, not my brain.

I just applied to your school, what are the odds? I chose Madison, but why should you choose me? I believe strongly that my presence will enrich the school's community. How do I know this? First off, I am a selfless person. Making people happy and helping others is something that is of my nature. One of my strongest things I live by is helping a "we" before "me". This belief also leads me into my next reason for why I can enrich your school. I am a leader. My entire life I have gotten a jump start on things and pushed to get people moving. It started when I was born a week early, I guess you could say I wanted to get a jump start on life. My personality is outgoing, to say the least, and that has encouraged me to be a leader in the school and my community. I am captain of the swim and dive team as well as the golf team for the past two seasons. Being a good role model is something that I have always strived for and expected in myself. And I was also given the opportunity to increase my volunteering when I became a National Honor Society officer. This expereince in leading large groups of people and learning how to run an organization has given me important knowlege and life skills for college and beyond. One of the life experiences that I owe a lot to is my time spent in the Boundary Waters. In the middle of nowhere you learn a lot about yourself with the silences. I learned how to become independent, but also the importance of working together with others to get things done. Patience and problem solving is what I was taught in the middle of the woods, and this experience has shaped me into who I am. And given the opportunity, I am confident I could shape the Madison into an even greater learning community.

typical morning in the boundary waters

The sun had just begun to shine, and the water on the lake was still unmoving and calm, only a slight breeze making the water ripple in delight. The grass was covered in dew, cold against my bare feet. The air was cold and fresh against my city-smelling nose. Silence was the only thing to be heard, I wondered if everyone else was quiet like me, admiring the baby blue sky, the dense pine trees and the glistening water. It was like a world of green separating two worlds of blue. The Boundary Waters if my favorite place to visit during the hot summers. The weather is cooler here because it is located near the northern tip of Minnesota. The trees across my island seem to dance in the wind, never completely still. The water is like glass, mirroring the light from the sky in a muddled reflection. My legs itch from the bites of the ruthless mosquitoes; but I am distracted by the site before me, holding my breath. The lone canoe that transports me from the lakes and rivers clunks against the shore. It is a familiar sound that I fell asleep to the night before. I remember the water being icy that morning during my swim, the rocks slippery covered in moss and slime. The seaweed, brushing against my leg was a snake for a moment. The landmass across from me is foreign. Technically, I stand on American soil and just a mere hundred yards separate me from Canada. The stunning quality of the way the trees contrast the water is something that doesn’t matter what country you are looking at, either way I can’t take my eyes off it. Time for breakfast.

what's my writing process?

Before beginning any writing assignment, I approach the topic with my writing process. The first step of this process is to make sure I completely understand the writing prompt. There's nothing worse than beginning to write something and then realizing you are answering the wrong thing! Then, I begin to think of multiple ideas that would answer the prompt completely. When you have more ideas it makes it easier to write, which is helpful when tackling a bigger paper. Once I come up with my main idea, I start to organize my thoughts onto paper. This helps me know where I am going with my writing, rather than have jummbled thoughts. Next I would finally begin to write! Rough drafts are never perfect, so when writing things through the first time I rarely slow down to check things because that is what editing and re-editing is for. :) During editing of a bigger or important writing, I make sure to have others read what I have written. A second set of eyes always helps catch errors that have occured. After editing it's time to wrap everything up. Making a fresh new copy and reading though my work a few more times I have gotten into the habit of checking for certain things. These things include: a strong opening statement, supporting ideas and a well-written and complete conclusion.