FFA

After being an active member in the National FFA Organization since 7th grade, I was able to round out my career by receiving my FFA American Degree!

It was a super weekend beginning with some time in an airplane and an airport and then being greeted by my wonderful parents!! Saturday morning began with a little chill in the air, but I was super warm when I put on my Official Dress for the last time. Years of hanging out in my blue corduroy jacket and black skirt will never be forgotten, but it was a little sad to know that I will never have another event to put on my wonderful blue and gold!

After reaching Indy and the Lucas Oil Stadium, I made my way to my chair in the WISCONSIN section. I was able to meet up with many past state FFA officers who were also receiving their American degrees. After waiting for quite awhile, me and over 100 other WI FFA American Degree recipients headed backstage to have our pictures taken and then awarded our degree. It was super neat to receive the highest degree in the FFA and it was a super time to be able to go to Indianapolis and receive it on stage!

After the convention, Mom, Dad and I headed to visit some relatives in IL. It was great to play with the kids and just hang out. But one of the best occurrences over the weekend was meeting up with my spring semester roommate from Austria!! I forgot that she went to school in the same town as where my flight back to Manhattan was. So, I was able to call her up and we were able to meet for lunch and have a walk around ISU campus! It was so great to see Brooke!! So sweet!

But, all good things must move on eventually and I was saying good-bye to Brooke and my parents and was headed back on a plane to Manhattan, KS.

It was a super weekend filled with fantastic family and friends. What more could a girl ask for?

Normal Happenings

This week is just another ordinary one in my life here in Kansas. The week started out with an exam that I definitely could have done better on, classes that were not the most exciting, and work which proved to be dirty and unpleasant. A pipe broke in the basement of the Meat Lab flooding many storage areas. We had the privilege of cleaning out old, moldy and wet ceiling tiles!

The week continued with another day of work and class on Tuesday. Anatomy and Physiology was fun with our lab groups presenting different models and explanations of skeletal muscle. Plasma was my next stop, always an exciting part of my week! And then off to the Wesley for worship.

Every Tuesday, the Wesley has worship with great music, fellowship, messages, and sometimes food! This week the worship group led us through some great uplifting songs! And our ministry Pastor then talked to us about honesty and doing what it is you say you are going to do. It was a great night full of friends and fellowship.

Today is Wednesday. My phone actually has decided to quit getting service every now and then. Its frustrating, but hopefully I can fix it soon. Work began early this morning at 6. It was very slow and luckily I was able to study for my second exam of the week which I feel pretty good about how I did. Always a motivator! The rest of my Wednesday was filled with more less than exciting classes and many projects in the Meat Lab.

My evening also included my first and probably last University Homecoming activity! At our basketball stadium, frats and sororities joined together to perform different dance routines to a full house. It was neat to see the different routines and especially fun to watch because the theme is western related. I am not very big into sports and am not hyped up with 'school spirit' very easily. However, tonight at the stadium, it was neat to see so many people gathered together with such spirit and excitement for their school.

It hasn't been an over exciting week in the world of Dana here in Manhattan, but its been exciting enough. Should be a great weekend as I head to Indianapolis, IN to wear my FFA official dress for the last time receiving my FFA American Degree!

Take care. Stay healthy. God Bless!

Fall Retreat

I am into my fourth year of University, and if there is one part of my college life that I always try to keep constant is staying involved in a campus ministry or local church. That has not changed one bit while being here in Kansas.

After attending many different campus ministries and checking them all out, I have found a place in the Wesley group. This is the United Methodist Campus Ministry. It is comfortably small with super nice and friendly people and being in this group always lifts me up and revitalizes me.

This past weekend I had the chance to take a trip with Wesley to Camp Chippewa two hours away for the annual Fall Retreat. It was a nice group of about eighteen, and it was a great time together. We were able to hang out and just relax, go for walks or night hikes, and discuss our Spiritual Gifts as a group.

I was able to get to know everyone so much better and make a few new friends. It was a great weekend with friends and God!

I encourage everyone to take some time off and just 'retreat' for a bit! Whether that be just going for a short walk around the block, or taking a trip to see friends and family, time away and to relax and to be with God is always healthy!

Indian Cuisine

Food is always good. Especially when it is new and exciting to your taste buds. Today I was able to taste the great cuisine of India! I have an international buddy from India who wanted to share with me the food of his country!

We were able to travel to Topeka to find the Globe Indian Cuisine to taste this super food! It was a small restaurant with a cute buffet, but held lots of flavor. I was able to try the usual rice Indians eat with a yellow chicken curry, an egg dish, and Paneer. I also enjoyed Nan, a kind of bread that is flat and can be baked or fried. I'd have to say that the dish with Paneer, a South Asian type of cheese, was my favorite. However, it doesn't beat the sweet doughnut-like treat that I of course loved!

It was a beautiful Fall day today and I enjoyed it very much, the trip to the Indian restaurant was just a simple added bonus!

When you get a chance, go try some yourself, its totally worth it!

Simple Blessing

I am not a very technologically advanced person. I know enough to get by and that's it! A week ago my computer decided to not boot up and instead just gave me the evil bright blue screen.

Thankfully, the wonderful people at the IT Help Desk here on campus really know what they are doing! They fixed her up real nicely and also helped me get rid of some other things that annoy me on my computer!!

I am super happy that it is going to work just fine and that I was able to get such good help!

Just a simple little blessing to brighten my day!