Well its almost the end of my first week of school...and it has been soooo long...especially when the first day went horrible..lets just say the buses were running extrememly behind then once on the bus we had to make a couple of detours due to accidents which made it so i didnt get home till around eight when i normally should get home at sixish...so that wasnt the greatest start of the week..oh and it rained that day...so not expecting that one so me plus no umbrella equaled one wet and annoyed college student... So far the classes are going ok...im not procrastinating which is a first for me! so go me!  I actually started working on things the first day of classes and we already have a quiz on friday and the day that we come back from the long labor day weekend...which for me will be filled with homework im sure...I will be downtown on campus during the time so come and visit...just warn me first so i can clean..cause i really have not had the time for that since all i have time for is school, school work, oh and i include eating and sleeping into my schedule where i can fit it..but that is the life of a college student...so if you are going to college soon...be prepared! anyways i kind of went off into a seperate subject..i tend to do that...so back to talking about my classes...i feel a bit overwhelmed but i think im doing a good job of keeping up...oh and my immunoserology class sounds really cool..there a few labs outside of campus that we get to do with DNA, some forensic stuff..so that sounds really cool, since i have had an interest in going into forensic science at one point...man i really want to do many things after i graduate...so many things...not enough lifetime...hehe.. Well good luck to all my friends who start school after labor day...dont get to stressed...and i will try and talk with ya soon...im not dead..just been really busy...already...the first week..ahhhhh...

Sorry about not keeping up with the blog this summer..i was quite busy and i cant believe its over already. Well i might as well tell ya what i did this summer! so on with the story...

Well this year was my brother's graduation..ya i know...i cant believe he has graduated high school already...how the years fly. Well after the winter semester ended i decided to spend some time with my father and that way i can also be there for my brothers graduation...so the plan was to live with my father till after my bro graduated in the beginning of june then both of us would go out to stay with my mum in missouri...my brother was suppose to go and stay in missouri till he would join the air force..but things didnt quite go to plan..but that will be explained later on. So i stayed with my father and visited with my grandparents and cousins until my brother graduated...i was very proud of him..he did such a great job during his senior year...he ended up graduating with his first report card of straight As which was great for him..he always had a hard time with school...so that was a great achievement for him...After a couple of graduation parties, one held by my mum and the other by my father...(it was decided that they do seperate grad parties this time to relieve the tension that might occur, cant remember how much tension there was at mine..but i can barely remember what i did a few minutes ago anymore..brain cant function normally yet..still trying to get back into school mode..hehe) well after the parties me and my brother moved out to missouri to stay there....

I enjoyed my stay with my mum quite a bit...even though i had to work most of the time..i had a real great time...plus i think i saved up enough money to survive not working this year during school..which will be great...speaking of work..that was a whole experience in itself..for one thing i had never had a full time job before...and most of the jobs i had were office work, so pretty easy stuff...well this summer i got a taste of what it is like to work in a factory...and it bites...but i now have a whole new respect for those that do work there cause it is really hard work...for one thing having to deal with 100+ degree temps with a few breaks is exhausting plus you had to wear jeans and these sleeves which cover most of your arm...so your body is pretty much covered..for good reason though, but add that to the actual work you have to do and it equals one tough job...we got to the point of having to do ten hour shifts, mind you i was working second shift so my normal 8hrs i got out at midnight...so with the ten hour shift i didnt get out of work till two in the morning...its quite hard to function at that time of day...i dont know how third shift people survive at all. Anyways the type of things that i did was i worked on a 15 member line making car dashes for one of the GM vehicles..not sure which one...so i got to deal with working a welding machine that enjoyed shooting hot pieces of metal at me..fun fun...the most interesting part of the job was the people i met...i met a large range of different people..from a lesbian couple to kids younger than me that have already had divorces and are raising kids...to college students try to pick up some extra cash...most of the people there i really never imagined myself hanging out with or even corresponding with them...but you know what...im glad i did..cause my impressions of them changed after really getting to know them and gettting to know their backgrounds and where they came from and got to that point in their lives...most were only working there cause they could actually get health insurance for their families...they were good decent people deep down with a lot of interesting views...they were great to get to know...even though i dealt with culture shock at first...they were even sweet enough to get me a cake and crown to wear on my last day there...thanks guys!

Anyways..i did do some fun things this summer, along with some other things that really made me leap out of my box...one such time was going out with some of my coworkers to a dance club/bar..well it ended up that one couldnt make it so they had to bail..but i was already there so i decided to stay...plus there was a guy that had bought me a drink...and we were having a nice discussion...hey cant turn down free stuff! so i danced a little and talked a little and got to know more about the area...it was a fun time..I did get to discover a bit of missouri...but before i get into that i will address my brothers situation...my brother's original plan was to move out to my mums and stay there till he joined the air force..well after about a month of butting heads with my mum's boyfriend Thom...he decided to move back to my dads and work till he joined the service..it wasnt anything major..they just couldnt live together and that happens...some people are not meant to live with each other....now back to me discovering a bit of missouri..well the day before my brother left to go back to michigan..i decided to be silly and cheer up my brother by having us go on a road trip..well we only got to one place...Paris! yes me and my brother drove to paris...paris missouri that is..hehe..but we were just being random..we took a few pictures by some signs and took a couple of the town..which wasnt all that great to look at...i bet the real paris is much  much better..hehe..but it was a fun random time..i will have to show you the pictures after i go to mexico and use up the rest of the pics on my camera...and by mexico i mean mexico missouri..hehe..i crack myself up...anywho..my last big adventure in missouri was going to saint louis and seeing the Arch..it was really cool..i got some great pics...i will have to upload them soon!

Once i got back to michigan i had a week left before i moved..during that time i did get to go to michigan adventures with my cousins and aunt..which was a ton of fun...me and my cousins stayed in the water park till it closed and at that point we were starting to get the goosebumps...ahhh! so we moved to the ride portion...my cousin had a mission though..she was going to get me on my first rollarcoaster...and here is where i took a leap out of my box...more like a dive out of my box and i actually went on one...and it wasnt too bad...but lets just say i was ready to after that...plus everyone was getting tired by then..so i now can say i have been on a rollar coaster..woohoo..and i think i might go on another..sometime..hehe...

My last week before move in went really fast...and now im here writing in my blog in my dorm room..with no roommates!!!!!!! that is the greatest feeling in the world..but i need my peace and quiet this year cause i graduate in May! hopefully if all things go to plan...so wish me luck on my last year of college and i hope to update you guys soon...if not soon at least during thanksgiving break...hehe...well take care..oh and if you are curious here is my class schedule this semester:

BMS 416 Hematology + Lab, CLS 372 Diagnostic Microbiology 2 + Lab, CLS 410 Clinical Immunoserology + Lab, CLS 422 Clinical Chemistry + Lab, CLS 450 Clinical Practicum 1 (which is my hospital rotations..cant wait..starts in Nov.)

Well at least I am taking the summer off..its been my first summer off in the past three years...and boy am I enjoying it. Well lets update you guys about what happened during the last portion of my semester. Finals were tough but i did very well considering how loud my dorm is all the time...my roommates were definitely getting on my nerves during the last few weeks and I am not the type of person that starts confrontations so I just let it go...luckly the library was supplying ear plugs during finals week and they worked great!

Lets see grade wise I did AWESOME! I made the Dean's List (the good one) for the first time ever..(ya me!) with 3 A's, 1 A-, and 1 B+...i was so happy, especially since i worked my butt off during that semester...missed my friends that last month though...but you have to make some sacrifices right?...speaking of sacrifices...i will pretty much have to sacrifice my social life next year in order to survive...but its summer so I am so not thinking about that (sure)...

Anyway for this summer, I didnt get the intern at Mayo which I pretty much thought I wouldnt get it with all the applicants that they get and my GPA just making the cut off...but hey i tried and got my name in their system which is good since I still want to try and get in there after i graduate....so since the internship fell through i am chillin this summer and working of course...for the first month im hangin at my dad's in michigan (fun fun)...and then for the remaining summer i will go out to missouri and visit/work with my mum! oh and of course hang by the pool and get my tan going...(thats a must since im as white as a ghost...AH!  scary) I am also hoping to update my journal more this summer with things about my past and stuff that i am doing during the summer...im hoping to site see in Missouri..but i am hoping to get multiple projects finished as well..(hope is the key word in that phrase)..oh well I hope everyone else has a glorious summer and take care!

The Rabbit Spirit You scored 63% Creativity, 61% Compassion, 50% Strength, and 58% Intelligence!

You are a Rabbit Spirit. You are very sweet and kind, and can be creative. You are sometimes nervous and shy, and are very alert as to what's going around you. You have a couple good friends, and love frolicking in the meadows. Don't forget my two other spiritual tests: Sitakaliism Test Paganism Test, my political test: The Liberal Test, and my Biology Test

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 38% on Creativity You scored higher than 88% on Compassion You scored higher than 31% on Strength You scored higher than 43% on Intelligence

Link: The Spirit Animal Test written by sitakali on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Well im still trying to post on my journal...but  I have been super busy lately as the end of the semester approaches...I promise to update soon...a big update! Just wanted to let you know Im still alive and will continue to try and keep up with the journal...also over the summer I think i am going to post on here about my past life..the stuff before college so you can all get to know me really well...i bet thats exactly what you always wanted..hehe..well gotta get back to the books...hope to post really soon!

Hello again..sorry for not posting in awhile....of course lots of stuff has happened since the previous post so I wont waste time with idle chitchat and get straight to the point of the post.

My classes are going great. I love most of them...The only one I really dont like is health care mangement...its not like its hard or anything, its just something that Im really not interested in doing so I feel like its a waste of time. I love all my other classes. My anthropology class is awesome and its really got me thinking about going back to school and majoring in it...It would be a great addition to my health bacholor degree and it could lead to me being able to travel the world more often which is my dream! Of course I really love my racism and mass media course...best prof in the world. We have watched three movies including Crash and American History X...Crash wasnt great..I think that it more or less perpetuated the stereotypes already plastered into the mind sets of the world and did nothing to correct them or show an alternative version. American History X is a great movie...its deep and disturbing but its one of those must see movies...it also has a great message in it. I just love this class cause I learn so much and we have such great discussions. I had a class with this prof last semester and I got teary eyed on the last day cause we wouldnt be meeting anymore thats how much I love the prof...I just love it cause he gets you to think and you learn from it..I will really miss this guy when he leaves GVSU...to bad they wouldnt hire him...bad move on their part. Now on to my cls classes..well last time I told you guys that I would start phlebotomies...well that was an experience all in its self...talk about an adrenaline rush...So far I have completed four phlebotomies and one finger stick...and I have yet to miss a vein..go me! Im just really happy that Im excited about my classes...it means Im going on the right track when it comes to my career...ya!

In the past week I have done multiple fun things with friends...I just love them all to the point that they feel like my family away from home...They are all just great and I dont know what I would do without them. We went bowling a couple of times and that was so much fun. I had not done that in years and I actually did quite well..been breaking a hundred most of the time...oh today was great we went to this bowling ally where we had to score ourselves...it was a great experience...hehe..I had to warm up my mental math skills a bit...Oh and of course tomorrow is the superbowl...and we are getting together for a bit of a party..fun times! Go Steelers!

On a sadder note...two days ago marked the 1 year anniversary of my grandmother's death...I miss her so much and this year has been really hard..Im just glad to have the distractions this weekend to help me through it....thanks guys!

Another thing that has been going on in my life deals with my love life or lack there of...I dont know what is wrong with me...it gets really hard at times especially seeing all the happy couples plus valentines right around the corner to remind all us single people that we are alone...I just really want to experience what its like to date and be in a relationship...Ive never even had a first date yet and Im 21..how pathetic is that...I know im told that the right one will come someday...but do you know how tiring that is to hear...plus its even harder when you have a crush on someone that barely knows you exist or if he does...you know pretty well that he isnt in to you in a way thats more than friends and probably never will be...It also doesnt help that Im not the type of person who can go up to a guy she likes and tell him...I just dont have the guts when it comes to that...but I also have never been asked by guy either...sad...Im pretty sure that the whole me having no guts comes from stuff with my family that happened in the past...and even know I know thats most likely the reason I still cant bring myself to get over it. next post i will try and fill ya in on my past..it will be one of those really long post that im to tired to type tonight. anyway enough of me carrying on...got to get some sleep! Take care everyone and God bless!

Wow...I realized I have not posted here in a long time and so much has happened since my last post. Lets see where to start. Well as last stated my mom was having problems with her back. She had to have a MRI to really find out what was one. We found out that she had a herniated disc in her lower spin...which was also pinching her nerves causing the numbness in her right leg. Within four days of finding this out she had surgery...ya it was really quick. The surgery went fine...I was a little worried cause so much can go wrong when you are working around nerves and along the spin. She is now walking fine but her body gets fatigued easily so she isnt able to be as active as she use to be. She has a bit of permenant nerve damage in her right leg...but it is just some numbness.

There have been other things going on with my mom lately. During the time of her surgery and her recovery..she and her boyfriend decide to move. The big thing about that is that she decided to move out of state. I was shocked and very emotional when it came to this issue. She has been such a big part of my life...we are more like friends that mother and daughter. This is due to how close we became after my parents got a divorce...and finding out that she was going to be move 8 hours away was devastating to me. Then she tells me that she wants to do this before the weather gets bad (since we live in michigan) so whe decides to move at the end of my semester right before christmas...It made things a lot more complicated for me for the holidays. For one the holidays is not a completely happy time for me cause it was during this time that my parents were splitting up so the holidays are a constant reminder of that time in my life and now my mom wants to complicate things by moving away around this time. It use to be I got to visit all my realitives on both sides right on christmas...mom's side in the morning and my dad's in the evening...now that wasnt going to happen because of this move..it was just such a big change in my life. Well we ended up working the schedule out....me and my brother would stay the first half of the break in missouri with my mom..so we spent christmas with her....then we would come back and spend new years with my dad and finish up break. It worked out ok...except that during the whole time I was at my mum's new home i was very emotional especially near the end. It was a sad period in both my mum's and my life...since we were so close and it was a sad goodbye.

Before I get talking about the rest of my break I might as well finish up what else happened during the rest of my fall semester. Well it was a very busy and hard and long semester. I was sick several times including the week of finals. I got this horrible stomach flu and barely got through my finals. Overall the semester was on of my best...I was so close to getting on the Dean's list. I want to at least once! But overall my GPA did go up. OH and also during the semester I found out about the Mayo Clinic..Its this great hosipital and now Im considering working there after i graduate with my BS. There are three major locations. One in minn., arizona, and FL. Im considering minn. to start out with because they have the program that i want to go further in...cytogenetics...Im very excited cause they really want people right out of school and because of the field that im in I will get right into the interview process. Im also looking into trying to get a internship there for this summer...its a paid internship which is even better and it will better prepare me for the clinicals in my senior year. So I hope I get it...applications due in March.

Well back to my break...Christmas was great..I got my Ipod...i was so happy...I love it...and I also got my coat from my dad that I really wanted..So christmas was great..My mum's new place is really nice...plus the fact that there was no snow while i was there...yes! I really am not a big fan of snow but I love having four seasons so I deal. Her place is so country and I love that...so many trails to explore and the woods...plus she has horses surrounding her. I told her to get good with the neighbors so maybe when i come and visit I will get to ride...That would be awesome. There was also some sadness that happened during my break..My cousin was pregnant and she went into labor about a couple months early..She gave birth and the baby boy was still alive but they discovered that his kidney's had not developed yet, so they went ahead and pulled the plug and lost the baby. It was very sad time for her..and it didnt help that she lives so far from family so there wasnt that much support around her. She has gotten a bit better with it but she wants to start trying for another baby as soon as possible...this is mostly due to the lost of the child but another reason is that her husband is going to be going back to iraq in aug. and who knows when he will be back. So i wish her all the luck with that....Well on a lighter note...my birthday was during break and i turned the big 21! It was a lot of fun. My dad took me to my favorite blues club and I got to see the band going to Nashville for the national competition...they were really good and I had seen them prior as well..I started off having my first "legal" drink...which I ordered a Bicardi O3 which I have had before...then my dad goes and orders me a very strong drink called Love Potion..I guess it was equivalent to a Long Island Ice Tea...all I know is I felt really relaxed at the end of the night..but I really dont like the feeling of loss control...Well i get home that night and pass out right as my head hits the pillow...It was a good time overall....no hang over or anything which made me happy. I also visted my grandma that day and my great grandfather...she made me my favorite meal which is her spam and cheese...oh its so good..and we played a couple of rounds of peanuts..(a card game)..it was so much fun...my great grandfather was hilarious during the game..he couldnt play but he had fun helping us cheat...it was a riot..

Well now its been a week into my new semester. Here is the list o' classes for this semester:

• Cultural Anthropology
• Diagnostic Microbiology
• Intro to clincial lab
• Health Care Management
• Mass Media and Racism

Its going to be another long and hard semester again! Woohoo! oh well it will be interesting especially when i start drawing blood this monday! AHHHHH! Wish me luck and I will talk to you all real soon I hope.

Well I know I have not been keeping this journal up to date, so I decided to catch all you people that read this up to speed with whats been going on in my life, which is a lot of stuff..so grab your popcorn and enjoy the ride.

Lets see, I had my first big week of exams. I had three in one week, which creates this extremely stressful time period of a person's life in college. You have to budget your time wisely thats for sure. Its a horrible thing the professors do to you and I believe that there is some kind of conspiracy going on in the biomedical science department where all the professors get together and decide on a week for their exams just to make the students crazy with anxiety... Anyways the weekend before the big week i devoted it pretty much to studing, except on the friday of the weekend. I went over to my friend Jolene's place and hung out. It was a lot of fun, we just played games and I got to learn how to play euchre. I know I know living in michigan you would have thought that I would have learned sooner, but no. Well that I know how to play its really fun. We also played uno attack which is an extrememly fun game...I loved it. That night really got me to let out some steam and stress and get ready for the week ahead. In the end I did fairly well on the exams pulling a A, A-, B- on the three exams. GO ME! That was the best first week of exams ever. Normally the first exams are the worst since you dont know what to really expect and to what depth you need to really focus on your studies. Oh and one thing you grow to love while being in college is HOMEWORK! Yeah you people in high school must be saying im crazy but when you get to college and realize that your grade is based mainly on test...you praise any prof that includes homework into the mix of your grade. I know I never expected to enjoy the thought of having homework to do.

The next big key thing that has happened lately is an issue concerning my mother. Last jan. my mother had broken her tailbone and it took awhile for her to get better. Just a couple of months ago she went to pick something off the floor and there was this ping that went off in her back. Ever since then she has had this awful pain that has traveled down her right leg. Well while I was down for labor day weekend I ended up taking her to the emergency room twice. After the first time she was sent home the pain was still in her leg and from her knee down was numb. That really scared me cause she could not walk at all. Well when we went to the emergency room the second time the doctor finally scheduled an mri for her (which should have been done in the first place in my opinion). Well I had to go back to school before that and it took a long time to get the results of that. Well the doctor finally called my mom and we found out that she has a herniated disc in the lower part of her spine. Well in any case dealing with the spine its a big deal and problem. So now she has to meet with a neurosurgen which freaks me out cause if she needs surgery there are so many problems that can arise. It also pains me to hear my mom cry because of all the pain she is in and how she cant work and all she really is able to do is lay around all day being taken care of. I know if i were in her shoes i wouldnt like the thought of being confined to bed rest and not being able to do anything you wanted to or to feel like a nusaince to others. She wasnt able to schedule the meeting until Oct 10 which is coming up soon. I really wanted to be able to go with her but it had to fall on another week full of exams. So I hope everything ends up well and that she wont need surgery and that she will beable to get back on her feet (literally).

Well on a lighter note. This past weekend was a ton of fun. I went camping in the UP. It was the furthest north I have ever been. It was just gorgeous and I did not want to leave. We camped out in tents and took a long hike and just bonded as a group once again. Last years camping trip was to Mackinac which was my first time and that was really fun. I love going and doing stuff with my group of friends, my family away from my family! I love those guys sooo much. We have so much fun together and do lots of crazy stuff including this past weekend going swimming in lake superior...brrrrrrr it was cold....hehe but hey you only live once!

Well that I think was a pretty good update to what has been going on. I hope to keep up with the journal better but i find that to be wishful thinking on my part.

Help people in need! Donate today to the Red Cross. Lets help and pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina!

Here is something from a group that i am in on facebook. It comes from the "I hate George Bush" Club.

Well here it goes:

A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, "What are all those clocks?"

St. Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move.


"Oh," said the man, "Whose clock is that?"
"That's Nelson Mandela's. The hands have never moved, indicating that he never told a lie."
"Incredible," said the man.

"And whose clock is that one?"
St. Peter responded, "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his entire life."

"Where's Bush's clock?" asked the man.
"Bush's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan."