A Boat with a Tale

Today was the Dragon Boat races on the Fox River for Fall on the Fox. I must say that aside from it being a blast, it was a totally new and very cool experience for me. Here's a quick run-down of our Dragon Boat races and heats:

• We raced a total of three heats trying for the best time we could
• The Fox river was used from approximately one bridge to another
• Each race covered roughly 383 yards (nearly 4 football fields in length)
• Three boats raced at a time

1st Heat: 1 min 27 sec
~ResLife won the heat in first

2nd Heat: 1 min 21 sec
~Against the two top ranked teams, ResLife came in third

3rd and Final Heat: 1 min and some odd sec
~We kicked butt and came in first by 0.046 sec! (That's calling it close!)

Overall, we finished 4th out of 33 teams competing and this was our first time with only one practice under our belts! We had a great team of highly spirited individuals who were also very committed and we all had a great time!

Yay for us!

Feeling Good

Jim and I recently (yesterday) celebrated our 2-year anniversary! Woot! I can't believe it's been that long... and in a good way, it feels much longer. I think that I've become so close to him that I feel like I've known him a good portion of my life... and things just keep getting better! Tonight we may spend some time together at a favorite date place: Funset Bulvd. in Appleton. I'm excited because it will give us some time together away from campus doing something we both love to do (him a little bit more so than I) and that is to play games!

Props to Jim as well because he's starting an AD & D (RPG) game at OshCon in October!! I'm excited to stop by (if I can) and see him in action! WooT!

Wedding plans are definitely coming along! Yesterday we reserved Jazz Express for the reception, a 15 piece jazz band! We're very excited but, for a little while I had some reservations about the tremendous size of the band compared to our site. I think it will work out fine though, and I can't wait to hear them again live!! Otherwise, Jim and I are planning on sitting down this weekend to really iron out some of the plans we'd like to see come to shape for the wedding. I'm excited by this because Jim is helping me out (as he has in the past) even though, as everyone knows, the wedding is mainly organized by the bride and her 'minions' (lol). Thanks Jim for all you've done thus far for us!!

Player's wings have definitely gotten hotter! But they're still good!... until you choke on a pepper and look dumb! lol :) Ps. I wouldn't recomend eating them with chapped lips... owie!

Saturday is the Dragonboat race... I'm not sure, but I feel mixed on the issue. I think that it's been talked about sooo much for sooo long that it sort of over-did-it. Now, I'm excited (because I get to drum and ride the boat) but I also just want it done with. I'm hoping my parents will choose to come up for part of the day. We're guarenteed three races... I just hope we don't tip over! GO RESLIFE DRAGON!!!

Eek!

I have not written a blog in a very long time!... a few weeks to be exact. However, now that I seem to have my new and entirely too busy school schedule down pat, I should be better able to write when it's appropriate. I have decided to change the format of my blog, however. After thinking about it for a little while I noticed that my prior blogs were a little negative and were really only written when something crazy happened or I simply needed to vent! Not any more. I will try to draw up the specifics (and less boring) parts of my day and any other tid-bit thoughts that run themselves down the length of my arm, through my fingers, and find themselves tapping on the keyboard creating actual words.

Weekend notes:

• Friday I accompanied Jim to an LGBTQ pot-luck dinner. It was a good time with good food and, luckily, I saw many people who I recognized and or knew. I did feel slightly out of place (due only to my mind) because most of the people there were professors from school, a few who I had had in many English classes. It was nice, however, to be treated like any other adult and not a young student! We talked with one of my professors (who is just awesome--Karl) about the wedding and he had lots to say and was very happy for us. He even asked if we could bring some pictures around some time after the wedding to show him. I told Jim later on a walk, how nice it would be to have him and his wife over sometime! :)
  
• Saturday night Jim and I drove up to Appleton to the North Lutheran H.S. to see The Pride of the Valley Barbarshop choir perform in a concert. It was excellent!!! We had so much fun! I have decided that it is definately more difficult to be a singer than to play an instrument!
• Sunday, I taught pre-school Sunday school and focused on the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den. I don't know who's having more fun, me or the kids! We made little lions out of paper plates and played out the story. I must admitt, though, I don't know anything about the Bible and so I feel a little bit uncomfortable about teaching things that I am also just learning myself.
  
• I also went with Jim to Kohl's to get him shoes and asked if we could stop at the WalMart next door. We did and he offered to buy me the Star Wars II Lego game for GameBoy Advanced SP. I've been waiting for that to come out because it's based on the original three... and it's a lot of fun!

One quick last thing... on a private note: I experienced my first real case of wedding jitters, well, actually it can best be described as my parents getting under my skin. To be perfectly honest, all my jitters have come from my family and not about Jim... odd isn't it... you'd think it would be the other way around--but it wasn't and has never been!!! And, for the first time in my life while talking to my mom and dad, I said what I wanted to in earnest and it turned out for the best. I completely feel back to normal again now that I know that they are truley happy for Jim and I and are completely on board with the wedding this summer. :)

Thanks for reading!

Fresh Starts of Early Memories

Today the incoming freshmen moved into their perspective halls. This is my first year as a regular student after being a CA for three years. I feel normal again. I don't know if I've ever told Jim this (I'm sure I have) but he has truly made me feel like me again, something I haven't felt in many many years.

I looked around tonight and realized I was looking through a different kind of eyes. I thought about what I would be doing as a CA, the people I would meet, the fun I would have, and the aid I could give. I thought about all the memories I had made throughout the last three years and how much I had grown since my first time moving into the halls. I remember I was so excited to come to college until the first 20 or so minutes driving and then all I wanted to do was turn around and go home. Now I feel as though that home isn't so much my home at all anymore. It's strange how much things can change. Last Thursday, I spent some time with my parents. It was the best couple of hours I have spent with them since I told them I was getting married. They acted normal for a change and I didn't feel like I was never going to see them again after the wedding. It was nice to have my parents back and not be so much on guard.

I hope I can remember as many memories as possible, but only time will make the decision which memory to surface and which to hide away.

Going Away

Last night Jim dropped some heavy news on me that our pastor is going away-- he's 'retiring' after everything that has happened. For the sake of the church, this was probably a good decision on his part. My confusion and disapointment comes in that this man obviously needed help. Yes, he probably shouldn't have made the decisions he had, and, yes again, he probably shouldn't have promised to pay for things that he knew he couldn't. And, being that it was most likely a good decision to leave, the church is sending away someone who could use some help financially since he will only be living off a pension of some sort.

Maybe, someday, Jim will help me to understand this all a little more fully than I do now.