Hi everybody!
This is my last week of the fall semester, and I can’t believe how fast it has gone! I had to pull a couple all-nighters to prepare for final projects, but I finished them all last week, so this week of finals is going to be a breeze (at least, school-wise). Last week, I attended President JoAnn Gora’s Open House for graduating seniors with my friend Kate. We talked with the President as well as the Honors College Dean, Teacher’s College Dean, and the Teacher’s College Associate Dean. They all have acted as a source of guidance and encouragement for me in my four years here at Ball State, so it was nice to spend the evening talking with them and expressing my appreciation. John Huffer from Ball State Photo Services was there taking pictures of the entire event, and I knew him from some headshots he took for me earlier this semester. He was nice enough to take a few pictures for me, which I’ve posted below.
My friend, Kate, and I with President Gora. Photo Credit: John Huffer, Ball State Photo Services
Associate Dean, Lori Mullen, and Dean Jacobson. Photo Credit: John Huffer, Ball State Photo Services
My friend Kate and I munched on some hummus and crackers, egg rolls, and pumpkin strudel while we checked out the house. It is beautiful from the outside, but it is even more elaborate and gorgeous on the inside! We were impressed! 
As we were leaving to go home, my parents arrived at Ball State for a slightly impromptu visit. I had missed them and was so grateful they decided to make the trek up to Muncie to see me! They took my friends and I out to dinner at Johnny Carinos, one of my favorite places to eat in Muncie. Allie and I shared the three-meat Tuscan-style pasta, which was phenomenal… and I even had leftovers to eat the next day! Score!
After Johnny Carinos, we went to Berrywinkle to get ice cream, and I mixed snickerdoodle and expresso ice cream under a blend of brownie bites, cookie dough, KitKats, Reese’s pieces, strawberries, and blueberries. It may sound gross, but it was actually really yummy! My mom also brought up dozens of Christmas cookies that she made for my house to eat. We may be a bunch of girls, but I think we’d all agree that we eat like a pack of ravenous wolves… especially when the food is free!
This week I got a flat tire on my van (yes, I am a soccer mom). It really cramped my style, because I drive to go to preschool, third grade, Zumba, and various other places throughout the week. I had to borrow my roommates cars or bum rides off of my friends. Thankfully, a friend was able to come over the next day and put on my spare so I could drive to Cooper Tire and get it fixed. They fixed it in a little under an hour, and it was only 15 dollars! I was psyched, because the way my tire looked, I thought it was going to be a pretty tricky job. They said I got a nail in it, and that’s why it was flat. I’m still wondering where I picked that up, but I hope I stay nail-free for the rest of the year!
Purple hair makes sense at 2 a.m. :)
I gave my last tour of Ball State on Friday in the pouring rain. One of the girls on my tour was from Las Vegas! I’m not sure the Indiana weather impressed her much, but she seemed to love the campus. I’m guessing it is very different from the colleges and universities in her neck of the woods! My friends and I have been trying to squeeze in some Christmas shopping these past few days, and it put us in such a holiday spirit! On Friday, we got together and drank sparkling grape juice and hot cocoa, watched a Christmas movie, and for some reason, dyed streaks of our hair purple. Not sure where that fit into the Christmas idea, but I’ll chalk it up to college randomness. We also ordered pizza at midnight and gave the delivery guy Christmas candy in addition to his tip.
Bungee Bull Riding!! :)
Late Nite on Saturday was a Whobilation (thanks to the Grinch), and there were over 4,000 Christmas cookies to choose from! We rode on a bungee bull and raced on an inflatable against each other. You know, those things you do only in college In order to get more in the holiday spirit, we also bought Christmas sweaters from Wal*Mart (in the little boys section) and wore them to a Christmas party. There were all kinds of awesome costumes there, including one guy in a sweater that lit up like a Christmas tree! College students are so creative and resourceful!
Christmas sweaters are the bomb! :)
This week is finals week, and I only have one final on Thursday! Somehow, I am still staying really busy, but my schedule’s often filled with fun things to do! Yesterday we went to the the movies to see Playing for Keeps, which was ADORABLE! It was the laugh, cry, laugh, then cry some more type of movie. Today we took advantage of the free Ball State fitness courses during finals week, and Allie and I went to Zumba at noon. Then I headed to the scuba shop to help out and grab some gear. Tonight, we’re going out for ice cream just because. Funny thing is, I did that Sunday night as well after eating at Puertos. I love ice cream! Tomorrow I’m going home for my grandpa’s 80th birthday party, and then I should probably think about studying for my final! This semester is winding down quickly… and we had our first snow! Woohoo! Have a great week!
