Unto Us a Child is Born

“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  All went to their own towns to be registered.  Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.  He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:1-7

Here we have the story of the birth of Jesus.  The passage this entire season centers around.  But let me back up a little to the story of Mary…

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.  For nothing is impossible with God.”  Then Mary said, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”  Then the angel departed from her.”  Luke 1:26-38

Think of the faith Mary must have had!  Imagine it happening to you!  What would I have done?  Surly my first thought would not have been “Here I am!”  even though I wish it could be…  Mary lays down her life for the Lord, everything according to His will. 

And the rest of the story…

“In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”  So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.  When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”  Luke 2:8-20

And there you have it, the birth of Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and Friend.  What more in this world could you possibly need?

There’s no place like home

There really is no place like home.  And I am so very happy to be back.

Things change.  Everything changes*.  And for the most part change is usually good.  Except when things like the lock on the front door changes so I’m locked out of my house at almost midnight…  But other changes, such as a garage door opener (unless you can still think you can still manually lift the garage door – like me) and a clean room are good changes.  It’s fun to see in how just 4 months, so many things change.

I love my church.  I really do.  I love everything about it.  From the glass window cross behind the alter, to children’s moment every Sunday (which included a moose in the nativity scene this week – only in Alaska…), to being welcomed right back into the choir as if I never left.  It’s where I grew up, my home every Sunday morning for the last 19 years, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it and everyone in it. My church changed.  They knocked out a wall in the kitchen, but that’s a good change.

Speaking of moose.  I knew I was home when less than 24 hours after got here a moose stood between me and my car preventing me from leaving.  I missed this place!

Another random thing.  I played the most amazing game last night.  Telephone Pictionary.  Instead of verbally passing a message around the circle, you pass an alternating phrase or picture.  The game starts with everyone writing a phrase.  Then you pass it to the next person, who illustrates the phrase with a picture on the next piece of paper.  The third person has to write the phrase again – or what they think the phrase it – based only on the picture the second person drew.  This continues all the way around the circle back to the original person when “one, two, knuckle my shoe” turns into “close the door,” and other such things.

So yeah, that’s pretty much all there is to this post.  I’m just glad to be home!

* Except God, but that’s a different post

110 Days Later

On August 31^st, I boarded a plane in Anchorage, Alaska that took me to Boston for my first semester of college.  Now, 110 days and a 20-hour trip later, I will soon be exiting a plane as the reverse of that initial journey.

My day began at 5:30 A.M.  I jumped out of bed after a fitful night of sleep and hurried to get ready to go.  At 6 I left International Village and got on the Orange Line to go to the airport.  This is a normal routine, nothing special or weird about it, until I arrived at the stop to switch to the Blue Line that would take me to the airport.  Apparently it was closed for some reason, and instead they were providing shuttle buses to the next stop.  Turned out not to be too much of a problem, caused a little worry, but eventually I made it to the airport and boarded my plane to Philadelphia. The highlight here was some man passing by with light up wheels on his luggage like little kids sometimes have on their shoes.  He turned out to be the pilot.  Awesome! 

I “slept” for the entirety of that flight.  I arrived in Philadelphia at about 10, and had 3 and a half hours to chill before my next flight.  I wandered around some, and then found my way into a bookstore.  There I picked up A Thousand Splendid Suns.  I read a little before finding lunch, and then hunkered down to read and wait for my flight.  The highlight of my time here was being pulled from my book by some faintly familiar sound.  Music had been playing in the airport in the background the whole time, but somehow this was different.  I listened more intently to discover with great joy that they were playing the opening act of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Awesome!  Anywho, I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  And then waited some more.  And then they tell us that the flight is about a half hour delayed, so I wait even more still.  At this point panic makes a brief appearance.  I need to be on that flight leaving Phoenix at 6.  I need to be back in Alaska at 10 tonight.  I need to see my family.  I can’t explain this fully; I wasn’t every really home sick or anything during my first semester.  For the most part I had a great time there, called home every so often, and thought nothing of it.  But this feeling of readiness has been growing ever stronger in my last couple weeks here.  It is time to go home.  This delay could NOT make me miss my connecting flight.  And so when the time finally came to board, I did so praying that the process would be quick, that we would be in air soon, and that we would make it to Phoenix before that looming 6 o’clock deadline. 

This five-hour flight passed rather quickly as I read my new book almost in it’s entirety.  When the time finally came to land and exit, I hurried to find my next gate (at a different terminal of course) and arrived as they were making a “last and final call for all passengers on flight 138 to Anchorage, Alaska.”  Last call.  A flustered Emily approached the ticket counter, handed her ticket to the attendant who could clearly read the anxiety in her face and was kind enough to ask if everything was all right.  Her reply: I just need to go home.

I boarded and found my seat.  Shaken by what force I honestly don’t know, but unbelievably relieved to be on the final leg of my journey.  I finished my book (which everyone should read by the way, great book) and then wrote this.  I have 2 hours and 14 minutes remaining until we land.  Until I am home.  And I have never been looking forward to anything in my entire life more than this.

Who Says You Can't Go Home

That’s right.  I’m going home.  At 10:30 tomorrow night I will be walking off a plane back to Alaska.  And I cannot wait!  At 9:12 this morning I finished my last final, and have been mentally counting down the hours ever since.  Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, but there truly is no place like home.

A Northeastern State of Mind

While my journalism class has given me one state of mind.  My entire Northeastern experience has given me quite another.  So here is “Northeastern State of Mind.”  Pretty much everything you need to know about my awesome university.

If you truly want to understand everything in this video, then come to Northeastern! 

A Journalistic State of Mind

Today I turned in my journalism final.  An essay, about how much I like journalism and why.  As I’ve written about in a couple other posts, I really enjoyed that class.  It was a new field I didn’t have very much experience in, and for an elective requirement was a great class to pick.  So here is why I like journalism.  Here is why I continue to blog.

A New Future?

I have never in my 19 years of life ever thought of becoming a journalist.  Lawyer, sure; doctor, sure; even astronomer at one point.  And then there was – of course – the ballerina, actress, and Olympian.  But for the last six or seven years, I have had my mind set on becoming a geneticist.  I enjoy writing – don’t get me wrong.  I have a blog and love to write opinionated pieces about anything and everything, but journalism as a possible profession has just never even crossed my mind… until this class.  Journalism as a whole is so much more than just writing.  Even disregarding broadcast, radio, and internet media, and just focusing on the medium of print journalism, multiple aspects of the profession (besides writing) come into play.  This class has opened my mind to the complexity and diversity of journalism and has sparked an interest that I will likely carry with me for the rest of my life.

Journalism is not simply writing; it is not simply reporting; it is not, in fact, simple.  A journalist must keep in mind public opinion, politics, democracy, ethics, bias, and objectivity.  Other issues such as freedom of the press, globalization and a changing media also come into play as well as the business aspects of deciding what is news versus advertising versus public relations.  Add to these complex issues the changing consumer demands for new media, and today’s journalist has new challenges to make his or her work marketable in the competitive, capitalist American system.  So why do so many people pursue a career in this field?

This class answered that question for me.  Good journalism brings its purveyor a sense of fulfillment, a sense of pleasure, a sense of competition, and a sense of making a difference in society.  What better than to be the first to the scene, the first to catch a breaking news story, and most importantly, the one on whom the public relies to get the truth out there?  With this opportunity also comes great responsibility.  The journalist is the liaison between the world and the public.  What the journalist reports, people read with the mindset that it conveys truth.  It is monumental for journalists all across the world to maintain that truth and uphold the very foundation of journalism as a profession.  Freedom of the press is based on this concept.  The truth can be printed and it must be printed without fear of repercussions.  It is the journalist’s job to search, find, and report the truth.

I took this class to fulfill and arts and humanities requirement.  Never did I think that it would pose a change to my whole career outlook.  While my heart is still set on biology, a new state of mind has been created: a journalistic state of mind.  I have found the need to dig deeper to ensure the truth is found, the necessity to check twice for objectivity, and the consciousness to view the world with a critical eye.  Biology is an expanding field, continuously crossing new bounds.  As research develops, controversial issues are brought to the forefront such as stem cell research and genetic manipulation and those controversial issues must be explained.  While I may never work for a newspaper, magazine, or television broadcast company, I pledge to continue to write – to the best of my ability – the truth, and always look for the bigger picture, the multiple perspectives that shape it, and most importantly, to help others understand.

Die Math Die

I like math.  I also dislike math.  And if you want to know why then look at my other post about math. 

Right now however, I hate math. 

Why?

Because x + 2y + 3z = 4.

Because of the derivative of (x^1/2)^(x^1/2).  Which looks simple until you try to do it.

Because of the standard part of H[(H^2+1)^(1/2)+H].

Because of eigen values of 1, -2, AND -2.

Because x' = 2y + 7x and y' = 3x + 2y.

And 9 other similar reasons that all share one thing in common:  they were on my calc final.

And because I don’t want to face reality at the moment, I am leaving to go escape into Narnia.

Adios!

You've got mail!

Everybody loves getting things in the mail, especially college students.  And that means me!  So here are a few of my favorite surprises of the semester.

Benjamin wins coolest birthday card this year with a self made graphic of Harry Potter Happy Birthday!  And a message that made me laugh.  Of course I will hire you as my encouragement consultant!

Care package/birthday present from my two favorite people.  Complete with giant marshmallows!  Thanks Uncle Billy and Lisa!

Gusties!  Thank you so much for these Ava.  They are perfect for when our room gets freezing because the heat decides not to work…

Reads:  Butternut squash is a real letdown.
No butter.  No nuts.
Just squash. 

The most awesomest card ever.  Enough said.  Thanks mom, dad, and Noah!

Care package from Brittney that arrived right when I was feeling the most left out of parent weekend.  Thanks for making me smile!

LOVE. THIS. PIC.  Thanks Christ First for sending out your love! (and a bit of Alaska weather) Miss you all!

And finally… SNOW!!! Emily you are totally awesome!  Thanks for sending me “snow” so I could have some of AK in my dorm!

And there you have it.  One week left and the semester is DONE!!! Can’t wait to go home!

Science Club for Girls

As I’ve stated a few times throughout my blogs, I love volunteering.  Why you say?  I’m not 100% sure.  There is no monetary gain, it takes time and can be difficult, yet every time I always go and do it again.  There is an intrinsic value associated with volunteering, that “good feeling” you get when you know you did something that helped someone, that made a difference.

My junior year of high school I created a Division A Science Olympiad program in a local elementary school.  I went in once a week and set up a lab and then went through the activity with the 20 or so 3^rd through 5^th graders.  It wasn’t always easy.  Those kids are pro at finding every loophole in the rules imaginable, but it was something I loved.  I loved science, and I loved sharing that with others.  I loved inspiring the students, and seeing them learn and explore fields completely new to them.  I took what I loved doing, and gave it to someone else.  Is there anything better than that?

When I was accepted to Northeastern University I found out that I was a part of the Community Evolvement Program.  I would have to volunteer at least 100 hours per year for my five years spent here.  I didn’t think it would be difficult, I’ve volunteered plenty before and it’s something I enjoy.  I was partnered with the group “Science Club for Girls” for this year.  Perfect right?  Science Club for Girls runs after school programs for grades k through 6 weekly.  Each grade has a different curriculum adjusted to meet their age level requirements.  College aged girls in science related fields work with the girls as mentors.  7^th through 12^th graders can be “Junior Mentors,” and work alongside the real mentors.  The entire program is very well developed to benefit all age groups and allows girls of every age to be involved.  Like my program back home, Science Club for Girls works to get students excited about and interested in science.  They however go one step farther, and focus on girls to help them excel in a predominately male field.

So there I am, the beginning of my first semester of college, and I get my assignment: 1 to 5 on Fridays and 9 to 1 on Saturdays….   Really???  I want to volunteer don’t get me wrong, but 8 hours on my weekend??  Seriously.  

So the following Friday I jump on the T and ride down to where I think I am supposed to go.  I get off at Harvard and then backtrack down Massachusetts Avenue.  Or at least that’s the plan.  Somehow I get turned around and am not able to find Mass Ave and end up wandering around Harvard for a good 20 minutes.  Eventually I made it to the Amigos School, and hesitantly found my way in to the cafeteria.

Let me just stop here and explain a few things.  Well, not explain, describe.  I approached what I believed to be the school building, what according to my directions was the school building, but what looked to me like a prison.  And not the kind of “I’m trapped in school like a prison!” or the Houston High prison building with the towers.  I’m talking like cement walls, no windows, fences all around, and cars parked haphazardly anywhere they could possibly find a place.  I eventually found the front doors and walked inside looking for some indication that I was in the right place.  The “art” on the walls was the only clue I could find.  No signing in at the front office?  Where is the front office?  And more importantly… Where is the cafeteria?  I mosey on down the hallway and around the corner, following the trail of tree paintings that I would guess were made by first graders, and to my extreme luck walked straight into the cafeteria.  

From there I somehow managed to find Rosalind, or rather, she found me.  It must have been the look of shear confusion and udder bewilderment on my face that gave me away.  And she told me to just sit tight and wait till she had time to tell me what was going on.  So I waited, and I waited, and I waited.  As students came in, sat down, had snacks, and then left.  I don’t remember the rest of that first day, but I do remember leaving with a sense of disappointments.   Assistant Site Manager?  I wanted to be a mentor!   Instead I have to organize the supply room and make copies and run around finding people what they need…  NOT what I was expecting.

Week by week I came back.  Each time trying to find a better route there that didn’t take an hour to get there.  In my entire career as assistant site manager at the Amigos School, I only found my way there without getting lost once.  Pathetic I know.  Anywho, my experiences improved slowly but surely.  One week I even got to mentor the 2^nd grade girls! (That was my favorite week no doubt)  The final week (today) we had science fest.  Total chaos might be a better name.  Each grade picked an activity to do and all the rest of the groups rotated through.  Three hours and countless paper towels later I exited the school, thankful that I was finally done, but kind of sad that this was over.  Next semester this won’t fit into my schedule.

60 volunteer hours later, I have finished the semester, and while I may not be at Amigos next year, I’m sure I’ll still have a great time with Science Club for Girls at Northeastern.  I am the treasurer for the club here, and with the president and vice president leaving in a month, I’ll have my work cut out for me.   I hope to be a mentor in the future, and continue to share the wonder of science with the next generation.

Living in the city definitely has its perks.

Here are some highlights of the past week:

Boston Common Tree Lighting

Unlike tree lightings that I’ve been to before, this time my nose didn’t freeze off.  We joined the hundreds of others in Boston Common for the annual Christmas tree lighting.  Hot chocolate, Christmas carols, smiles all around…  The perfect way to kick off the Christmas spirit.

The Nutcracker

I had never actually seen this performance before.  I honestly felt a little out of place walking into the Boston Opera House Saturday to watch a performance of the Nutcracker by the Boston Ballet along with parents and lots and lots of little girls in dresses.  However the experience was just as special for me as it was for them I am sure.  I loved it!

No Limits Dance Crew

A Northeastern group that performed Saturday night.  I had my fill of the arts that day.  However I’m grateful that I could go!  The group of about 70 girls and 2 guys had some pretty spectacular numbers spanning just about every genre of dance. 

The Blue Man Group

Oh my goodness one of the best performances of my life!  Seriously the only place you will need a poncho to protect you from the banana slime and paint and come home with a souvenir of toilet paper.  If you ever get the chance to go then DO IT! Totally worth it!  An exceptional display of light, music, magic, stunts, and of course comedy, the Blue Man Group brings it all. 

And that is how I have spent my last week here.  In culmination with the final episodes of Chuck season 3, and the last few classes of the semester.  A week and a half! Then home for me!

For my mom

Hi mom!

Guess what today is?  YOUR BIRTHDAY!!! And while you may want to be humble and keep it on the dl, I'm here to pronounce it to the world :)

So this is for you.  For all the things you've done for me, and all the years you've stuck by my side.  I am so thankful for your guidance and love throughout my life.  I love you, and I miss you, and even though I can't be there with you today physically, I'm there in spirit*.

Hope you enjoy this!  The result of less than two weeks of self guitar lessons has resulted in the following video.  Hopefully I'll be a little better by the time I make it home.  TWO MORE WEEKS! I can hardly wait.

Love, Emily

 

*And in a you tube video

Comic Relief

In realizing that the last post might seem kind of dismal, hopeless, full of despair...  I will explain.  Though inspired by a discussion focusing on all the horrible things going on in the world, it is meant to be taken in a satirical light.  The troubles of our world are numerous, and taken by themselves can provide a dim view of the future.  However they are not alone, they are accompanied by a slew of positives that add great weight on the subject.  Another thing to mention is the magnitude of worry and stress fear creates.  There is no reason to go through life worried that the next day will not come.  We’re here.  Now.  Use the time you’re given!  Let God take care of the rest.  The weight of his world is too great to attempt to bear on your own.  And while we have an obligation to do what we can to help, ultimately it is a problem bigger than we can fix, a picture bigger than we can see.  The final point of my little satirical demise of the world is the emphasis people put on issues like the world ending in 2012.  So much attention is given to minor issues such as this, and society seems to be missing the view of the real problems here and now that our world is facing.

While my normally optimistic self turned towards the pessimistic side, the mood was lightened (in the joyous way that it normally is) by a truly stunning performance of Northeastern’s NU and Improv’d!  I wrote earlier in the year of my first encounter with this group, and though impressed then, I was blown away this time.  Their last performance of the semester was met with a bang.  The room more crowded than I had ever seen it, full of students just like myself thankful for the study break*.  From Iron Man murdering people underwater with pancakes to excuses for being late to work because your camel encountered a bucket of acid and defeated it with a crossbow (yes that works believe it or not), they delivered just what the crowd wanted, and in my case, needed.

So lesson learned.  Don’t ignore the problems of the world, but don’t get dragged down in the insurmountable crisis portrayed.  And above all, always remember to smile.

~Emily

*A catalyst of my pessimism of the evening, when you do an entire homework assignment and get every stinking one wrong… The culmination of the end of the world and failing math doesn’t do much to put you in a good mood.  In theory I’m doing fine in math, it’s when the actual application arises that I seem to panic.  Regardless I was in desperate need of a distraction.

It's the end of the world as we know it

Super volcanoes. Yellowstone.  Look it up.

Global warming, not climate change, global warming.  That’s right folks, THE WORLD IS GETTING HOTTER.

Carcinogens.  Just about everything will give you cancer now.

Giant oil tankers exploding.  Yup, Boston will be consumed if the oil tanker that comes into the bay on a regular basis combusts for any reason.

Over population.  Crowded now?  Give it 10 years.

Religious feuds.  Can’t we all just get along?

Nuclear war.  North Korea my bring it sooner than we think.

Ocean rising.  When all the glaciers melt the sea levels will rise 21 feet.  Where will Boston be then? UNDER WATER!

China takes over the world.  Only a matter of time.

Oil shortages.  Heard enough of that I believe.

Water shortages.  The cause of the next World War?

California falling off the map.  EARTHQUAKE!

Omnipotent disease.  Wipes the planet clean.

Voldemort.  Harry Potter fails.

Asteroids.  Knocks the planet into the sun.

Alien invasion.  When Mars attacks!

World famine.  Cannibalism anyone?

And people are worried about 2012!?!?! I think we’ve got some bigger issues….

Still feel fine?

An ode to my grandmother

(Except not really, because it takes too much effort to rhyme at 6:00 in the morning)

I usually write because I want to, because I can, because I have something to say.  I don’t always remember that people are going to be reading what I write, in fact, it commonly surprises me when someone reveals that they have read my blog.  And although I’ve known for quite sometime now that my grandma has been on my frequent reader lists, it still manages to slip my mind.  Which is why this piece is dedicated to her.

A month or so ago I wrote a bucket list, though I capped the deadline at 30 instead of when I die (that is presuming I don’t die before 30).  The first thing on that list is to learn how to play the guitar, however a slight complication arose in the fact that I don’t own a guitar.  A tremendous surprise awaited me when I arrived at my grandma’s house.  My mom’s old guitar, now mine, sat in the corner of my room.  I never thought that something would ever come out writing a blog, I guess it pays every once in awhile, in the most random yet wonderful of ways.

My first real break from school, Thanksgiving weekend, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with my grandma.  I flew in Tuesday afternoon, and after the drive to her house that lasted three hours and should only have lasted one, she fixed me dinner while we watched the evening news before heading to bed.  The moment I walk into my grandma’s house I know that I’m home; the familiar scent of the house, the stencils on the wall that used to fascinate me as a small child, the intricate and tasteful way the rooms are decorated, each with a different theme, yet all fitting perfectly together.

I have been doing fine at school, and while at times I have been stressed or tired, I didn’t really think I needed a break from school, I could pull on through till the semester ended.  However once I got away I realized how nice it was to take a break from school and just relax, and what a better place to do that than at my grandmother’s house?

Most children love going to Grandma’s House.  No homework, lots of neat things to look at, and free cookies!  However it’s more than just that.  It the presence of someone who truly cares, and is ready to do anything to keep you content.  It’s the selfless love, the warm countenance, and the sweet voice of someone who loves you, and will keep you safe no matter what. 

Thank you Grandma, for letting me come visit, for taking care of me, for always being there, for wonderful surprises, and yes, for reading my blog.

So now, as I sit in the airport awaiting my flight, I am thankful that my grandma got me up at 4:45, so that I could arrive at the gate two hours early, and have time to write this and express my thanks for everything she has done for me, in the hope that I can someday match her kindness and love as well.

The day after...

The dichotomy here is ironic.  On one hand we have Thanksgiving, where we are thankful, giving thanks.  The next morning we have a rush of just the opposite, with people running in every direction to get whatever it is on their lists first.

Now I don’t want to write another “We’ve lost the true meaning of Christmas” piece, or one about how “Christmas is becoming too commercialized.”  But seriously folks, where does this path end??  Since when is stress, anxiety, and worry something that should be associated with the holiday season.  A time when family should be the most important issue, with the expectations and hardships of life pushed to the back burner.

My favorite part of Christmas has always been the Christmas Eve service.  I love walking through the church doors at 11:00 pm, and one hour later, after music, scripture, and candles, walking out on Christmas day.  This epitomizes Christmas for me.  This is what Christmas is all about.  The celebration, the joy, and the hope it brings.  Christmas doesn’t end there.  It continues through Epiphany, and never really comes to an end.  Each day is a celebration of the life Jesus led until the moment he died on the cross and three days later was resurrected from the dead, a continuation of the celebration of his birth.

I encourage you to keep this in mind, remember why we’re celebrating, and how it affects our lives, each and every day.

Thankful 4

Seeing as today is Thanksgiving…

I am thankful for family.  For being able to fly down to Maryland and stay with my grandma; for spending the day with my aunt, uncle, and cousins; for phones that allow me to talk to my mom, brother, and dad who are so far away; for love that only grows stronger with distance.

I am thankful for friends.  For those who have been there since before I can remember, and still remain by my side; for those I can call in the middle of the night and know they will be there to listen; for those I can share all of my quirkyness with, and won’t think any less of me; for those who put up with my constant teasing, and yet always retain a smile; for those who answer their doors an average of 3 or 4 times a day when I’m hungry, and most of the time come with me to find food; and for those who after months of silence due to the busyness of life, will jump right back into conversation as if no time was spent apart in the first place.

I am thankful for faith.  For Jesus who died for my sins so that I may live; for God above to lead me and guide me; for the Holy Spirit who lives in me; for knowing that I am always loved and looked after; for knowing that my life has a purpose and a plan; for others who join me in fellowship and praise.

I am thankful for freedom.  For being able to speak my mind, share my religion, and write my thoughts; for living in a country where safety and security are not things I have to worry about constantly; for having the ability to make my own decisions.

I am thankful for food.  For the certainty that my plate will be full; for the abundance that is shared with others; for being able to eat my fill; for the delicious taste of home cooked meals; for pie.

I am thankful for fun.  For laughter shared around the table; for stories told; for memories reminisced; for good times to come; for the hope joy brings; for smiles.

I am thankful for knowledge, and the opportunity to go to college and learn.

I am thankful for technology, that keeps me connected with those I love.

I am thankful for books, and the untold mysteries they hold

I am thankful for music, for making my own, and listening to others’.

I am thankful for sports, that I am able to run and play.

I am thankful for pictures, that capture a moment so that it may be remembered.

I am thankful for the sun, that warms our earth and faces.

I am thankful for nature, the beauty and complexity of our world.

I am thankful that I am here today, alive and well, breathing and happy, surrounded by those I love in a warm house with enough to eat and I pray for those less fortunate than myself, that they may find comfort in these difficult times, and hope for the future.

10 Reasons I Love Boston (or at least this weekend)

1) HARRY POTTER!!!!!  This really has nothing to do with Boston specifically per say, however it did play a significant role in my weekend here IN Boston, so thus relates.  Thursday night I headed out with some friends at about 9:00.  Kinda early for a midnight release of only he most greatest book series ever??  No.  We got there and the line was already out the door down the street and around the corner.  It moved fast however, and the wait was made better on account of only the greatest game of all time*: Catch Phrase.  Upon finally making it inside the building we were only met with more waiting and more lines, though I must say the theater did a very good job of preparing for the madness that would no doubt ensue.  Between 10:30 and 11 (I can’t remember exactly) the doors to the theater were opened and a surge of college students pushed forward.  I cannot honestly believe that the first thing that popped into my mind was Schenck v. U.S.  You cannot “shout fire in a crowded theater.”  And now I understand why.  Upon securing seats we hunkered down for the next hour till show time.

2) HARRY POTTER!!!!! Yes, this gets two.  You see the first one merely talked about the experience of it, the actual film deserves it’s own shout out.  Although we’ve only seen Part 1, I must say I was impressed.  Perhaps it’s because I haven’t read the book in over a year, so I don’t remember all the details,** but I thought they did a fantastic job in sticking to the plot.  I am so excited for Part 2! It’s gonna be EPIC!

3) Volunteering.  I love volunteering, I really do.  And I’m happy to say that as I get to know people better and the organization more I’m becoming rather fond of Science Club for Girls.  Despite the 40-minute commute over a total of 3 miles into Cambridge, the Amigos School is a wonderful site and I love all the girls there and the mentors.

4) Andy Samberg.  Yup!  I spent my Friday evening with SNL star Andy Samberg.  A perk of going to Northeastern University and life in Boston.  Those people and groups who would NEVER in a million years journey up to Alaska can be found all to frequently in a place like this.

5) Heather.  Once again, not really Boston specifically, but she’s close enough to come and visit every once in awhile.  And this being her birthday weekend, I decided to make it a special one.  So the two of us went gallivanting off in the city Saturday night, SO MUCH FUN!  By the way, she now has a blog, you should check it out!

6) The T.  Yeah for public transportation!  We don’t really have this in Alaska; I mean it’s there, sorta, but not the most convenient way to get around.  I don’t know what I would do without it here.  So I jump on the Green Line to go pick up Heather, and it’s about as crowded as I had EVER seen it.  And let me tell you, that’s saying something.  The most hilarious thing was pulling into the Prudential station and seeing the looks on the faces in the crowd hoping to get ON the train, it wasn’t going to happen.

7) Mike’s Pastries.  I know there are probably hundreds more places to get wonderful desserts in the city, but I keep coming back here.  Click here for the full description.

8) Boston Common.  A huge park right in the middle of the city for those of you who don’t know.  It is absolutely amazing, tons of grass and trees, and a pond right in the middle.  Overlooked by the State House, The Boston Common is a beautiful place to spend the afternoon.

9) Random sandwich shop.  I don’t remember the name of this little café boarding Boston Common, but they get my vote for the best sandwiches on the planet.  Enough said.

10) Lights.  “Bright lights, big city, that’s the life for me***.”  One of the highlights of living in any city, the limitless lights represent limitless possibilities.  The excitement, the wonder, the energy…   GO BOSTON!

* I really love this game, and maybe no the greatest of ALL TIME, but certainly the greatest of all waiting in line games.

** I made the mistake of rereading the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th RIGHT before the 6^th movie, so with the details still fresh in my mind, the movie didn’t stand a chance.

*** James and the Giant Peach – Yes I still love that movie

Of Life and Learning

I sent this letter to the school board in support of the charter school application for the Boreal Academy of Science and Art.  It is a school that places emphasis on place-based and service learning, and I feel would be an asset to the Matanuska-Susitna community.  If you share these feelings, I would encourage you to write a letter, make a phone call, or testify in person tomorrow Wednesday, November 16 at the School Board meeting at 6:00 PM.

To Whom It May Concern:

Born and raised in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, I attended Tanaina Elementary, Teeland Middle, and Wasilla High in my 19 years of life in Alaska.  I am now a freshman at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, having graduated from Wasilla High last spring.  I believe my schooling in the valley has adequately prepared me with a firm educational base for life in the post high school world.  Through a vast array of classes and extra-curricular activities, I was able to connect what I did in school to life.  However I did not make this connection until high school.  

I remember one day back in elementary school, walking into the kitchen to talk to my mom.  I was frustrated with the school system.  “It seems like one grade is just preparing us for the next.”  My complaint essentially consisted of no long-term goal.  The purpose of 3^rd grade is to prepare me for 4^th grade, the purpose of 4^th grade is to prepare me for 5^th grade, etc.  When I asked a teacher why we were learning something, the response was “Because you will need it next year, in the next grade.”  There was no final destination that I could see.  What’s the point?  My sense of efficacy was minimal.  

The goal of education is to prepare us for life.  However I failed to see how school was adequately preparing me for the world ahead.  We have seen this all too much in high school, particularly is seems, in math.  How many of you have ever heard the complaint “I’m never going to use this!”  Students fail to see how what they’re learning in math relates to their careers in the future.

Here at Northeastern for the first time in my life I am truly seeing how what I learn in the classroom will translate to the work place.  Northeastern puts a very strong emphasis on “experiential learning.”  They have developed a program that allows students to take time off from school, and apply what they have learned to life.  During my five years here, I will spend three, six-month periods working in a field relative to my major.  Besides highlighting the practical applications of knowledge, this also allows students to explore different careers and options.

While I can see the value of education and its necessity, some students fail to see its connection to life after school.  Instilling the meaning of education in children at a young age is monumental in maintaining an interest at the high school and college levels.  This is done through community connections and learning though real life experiences, not through a textbook, not through a test. Students need to be able to see that what they’re learning is applicable.

As more curriculum requirements are placed on teachers, it becomes more and more difficult to bring that experiential learning into the classroom.  The most memorable part of my elementary school experience was the 5^th grade Homer field trip.  There we took what we had been studying for weeks, and actually got to see it, touch it, smell it, even taste it.  It was experiences like these that kept me interested in school.  The real life applications and scenarios made it all worth it, because it made me understand that this is all for a reason, all for a purpose.

I hope you consider this in regards to the application for the Boreal Academy of Science and Art.  Such a school poses to bring great strides in education.  The place-based service learning featured at this school would be a huge benefit to the children in the valley, and it has my full support.

Sincerely,

Emily Ripley

"Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise"

Sometimes when we sing, we don’t really think about the lyrics, or at least I don’t anyway.  Then, that one time comes around when I actually do pay attention, and my mind is completely blown away. 

Be Thou My Vision.

My vision.

But what does that mean?  This reminded me of all those times in school and work I’ve either had to write or have read “Mission and Vision” statements.  The mission of the company, organization, or group is defined as the fundamental purpose.  It answers the “W” questions.  Why are we here?  What is the purpose?  Who will be affected?  When will we be done?  The vision on the other hand is the “how.”  How are we going to accomplish this?  It’s the future, the inspiration, the framework.  It’s the guidebook, the manual, the roadmap.  Call it whatever you like, but one thing remains the same, without the vision, the mission doesn’t stand a chance. 

Be Thou My Vision.

For my mission to succeed, I must have a vision.  And only one vision can support the mission of life.

So there I am.  Standing in church this morning singing that oh so familiar line, Be Thou My Vision, and that epiphany that I had been hoping for in Calculus hit me smack in the face in the form of God.  Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

In any situation, in any dilemma, in any joy, in any trouble, in any relationship, in any decision, in any anything and everything!  Be Thou My Vision.

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall… Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best thought, by day or by night

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight

Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight

Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise

Thou mine inheritance, now and always

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart

High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son

Heart of my own heart whatever befall

Still be my vision, O ruler of all

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true, and with thanksgiving I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.

A series of events*

I actually began this list a few days ago, but life got in the way of finishing, so here’s a recap of the significant** events in my life over the past week.

Registering for classes

For those of you who have never done this, let me tell you, it is NOT something you should be looking forward to.  Essentially, you are given a time slot to register based off of (theoretically) the number of credits you already have.  So I, having more credits than a typical freshman yet less than an average sophomore, get to register right in between these two groups at 10:30 on Thursday morning.  Since I’m a declared biology major, and a freshmen, I’m already seeded into some of my classes, however because of AP credits some of those classes need to be dropped.  So at the beginning of the week I figure out what I want to take next semester, sort out my schedule, and decide where the rest of my life will go***.  However all those seniors and juniors and middlers**** and real sophomores and super crazy freshmen with even more AP credit than me***** get to register before I do.  So I spend the week watching the classes I want to get into slowly fill up, and I hope and pray that at least 1 slot stays open so that I don’t have to go through that entire process of making decisions all over again and fit them all into a week that can’t possibly have enough time in it.  Then the day comes when I actually get to register, albeit right in the middle of my chemistry class.  So there I am, fervently refreshing my browser every 10 seconds so I can get on at the EXACT second it will allow.  And finally it pops up and I can enter my changes to my schedule in and hit submit.  This is the scary part.  Because you don’t know if you made some itsy-bitsy error and messed the whole thing up, and you don’t know if in the time it took for you to enter in all the changes something filled up, so not only does it not let you into a class but it drops a different class you need and now you’re screwed out of chemistry altogether******.  So needless to say, I was a little nervous.  Of course I got the screen telling me I’d made a mistake, though thankfully I didn’t mess it up too bad.  I was able to fix it and eventually get into all but one of the classes I wanted.  My schedule for next year is as follows:

            General Chemistry 2

            Lab for General Chemistry 2

            Recitation for General Chemistry 2

            Honors Calculus and Differential Equations – Biology 2

            Genetics and Molecular Biology

            Honors Lab for Genetics and Molecular Biology

            Introduction to Experimental Learning

            Enhancing Honors – Science, Technology, and Human Values

            Financial Accounting*******

Barnacle enslaves crab

Yup you read that right.  That is the title of my biology project.  Now, without going into too much detail, essentially it’s about how barnacles of the genus Sacculina parasitize crabs by entering through the crab’s abdomen and laying eggs where the crab typically has her own egg sack.  The crab then cares for the barnacle’s eggs and becomes the life source for the barnacle.  This project however does not simply focus on the biology of what’s happening, no.  It focuses on the evolution of this behavior.  How many papers are out there on this topic??  NOT. MANY.  So we’re pretty much making it up and hypothesizing ourselves (which I think it actually another point of the project.)  Anywho, we have found a couple articles to help us out, so I set out to actually acquire them.  The first article was in some scientific journal in the library.  After much difficulty in learning how to use the call numbers and locate the book, and then realizing that in the 280 some volumes I wasn’t going to be able to find the 10 pages I needed very easily, I was saved by the fact that THE ENTIRE JOURNAL WAS IN GERMAN!  I was disappointed however.  A journal in German really doesn’t help me.  The other article I needed I requested to be sent electronically to me.  The next day I was surprised to see an email informing me that I should be able to access it.  Sure enough I could, however my excitement was deflated by the fact that EVERY OTHER PAGE WAS UPSIDE DOWN.  Ridiculous.

Surprises

Being sick really puts a damper on things.  I am now thankfully getting over that cold or whatever it was, but for a few days there it pretty much seemed like life sucked.  I was supposed to volunteer Friday, and even though I felt horrible I went anyway.  It turned out ok, but on the way home I really wasn’t feeling too great.  Then I remembered that I might have a package.  So I stopped by the post office and low-and-behold I had TWO packages.  This brightened my day considerably; apples and mangoes from my mom and gingersnap and no-bake cookies from my grandma.  Sounds about right!

Science Club for Girls

This is where I’m volunteering.  I love volunteering.  This however has not been the experience I had hoped for.  I signed up with the intent of being a “Science Mentor,” teaching girls in elementary schools about science and careers in the science field.  This is not my job.  I am an assistant site manager at the Amigos school and at the Northeastern site.  I help with set up and take down and organizational stuff.  This week both sites gave me all of the registration info of all the students there and had me enter the info into a computer database.  7 hours later… I emerged, significantly behind in studying/homework, and completely brain fried from mundane boredom.  This was made slightly better by the fact that we played with dry ice that week, and after the club Maureen and I went down to where they threw the left over out and brought it back up to the room to play with it.  Ah, some things never get old.

The rest of my week was devoted to either an essay or studying.  I finished the essay, (still haven’t gotten it back yet) took a math test (think I did ok on that one) and took a biology test (yikes…we’ll see).  Hopefully all turns out all right.  Today in biology we watched a movie.  “The Science of Sex.”  I’m just gonna leave it at that.

I counted today.  There are 15 days of actual school left.  On one hand: yeah! On the other: crap… 

And now consider yourself informed.

*Neither fortunate nor unfortunate.

**Sorta

***Not really, but with the amount of pressure associated with this I may as well be making those decisions.

****We’re on a 5-year program here at Northeaster, so that’s what they call that extra year.

*****I didn’t know that was even possible.  Kudos to them.

******You have to have a chemistry class, lab, and recitation all registered at the same time.  And if one of them doesn’t fit, it drops them all.  And getting back into an already overbooked class after you accidentally dropped it is just about darn near impossible.

*******This was the one thing that didn’t work out.  Instead of getting into the one section of this class for non-business majors, I am enrolled in the online class, which now that I’ve looked into it a little more, doesn’t look that bad and functions pretty much the same as a regular class.

Halloween Weekend

Skipton!

This is Skipton-Lou.  He is a beta fish and the left over of a biology lab, so I adopted him.  I think he likes his new home*, and he’s a good pet. 

Costumes! 

Halloween here is just an excuse to go out 4 nights of the week.  So naturally you need 4 costumes, one for each night.  Nope.  I was a pirate, and only dressed up on Saturday.  My costume consisted of an eye patch I got on Beyond Malibou summer before last (yes, I still had that in my backpack, and if you went on our Hatcher’s Pass adventure before Rachel left, you would know that there are an assortment of other random artifacts in there, yet no first aid kit), a hat made for a 4 year old, a pirate shirt, and my favorite: a sword made out of cardboard and purple duct tape.

Nametags…

We have nametags on our doors.  And I came out this Saturday morning to find two pieces of tape on my door and a crumpled orange ball down the hall… a very sad state of affairs.  Yet do not fear, my awesome RA made me a new one.  So now there is a blue Pac-man ghost with my name on it stuck to the door.  And all is well with the world.

And because I have an essay due soon, way too much reading for biology than thought possible, and an exorbitant amount of math homework, I will now enter into a self-induced coma of studying.  So long my friends.

*Actually I have no idea, he’s a fish…