Christmas Update

Christmas presents, after
Christmas presents, before
me and the christmas tree
This picture just made me laugh when I was scrolling through pictures.

So, I don't have an excuse for not blogging, school is done for the semester, I have a month off, and I don't do much but sit around and hang out with my family. So far I have gone to Omaha twice, Pawnee City twice, and gone to two movies. Apparently I like to do things in twos over break!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree! Wie schoen sind deine Blaetter! I love decorating for Christmas! These are two of my favorite things...my nativity and my Christmas trees! All I need is one more star for the 3rd tree, and tree skirts. Minor details.

White Puffy Flowers

I was having a bad day yesterday, and Dave showed up at my house with flowers! I can tell you that my boyfriend has an eye for gorgeous flowers! I have no idea what kind they are, but there is a big, gorgeous white puffy flower as the focal point. The arrangement has a nice mix of flowers, berries, interesting greenery and baby's breath. He totally made my day!!! I could get used to this!

Urbanization in Turkey

Did you know that in Turkey there are settlements called "Gechekondu"? They are settlements that were built overnight as people moved from rural Turkey to the cities, such as Istanbul. I learned this because I went to an International Lecture/Potluck with Dave on Saturday. It was fun to meet his cohort and some of his professors. I also was introduced to a drink called "Hot Buttered Rum." It was give to us as a gift by the host and hostess. It seems like it would be very decadent, it pretty much consists of vanilla ice cream, butter and brown sugar all melted together. Then you mix it with rum. Don't worry, we can make the non-alcoholic version with hot water instead of hot rum. It will be our Christmas treat when we have the time to do anything other than school.

This weekend was also filled with lots of choir. I am in two choirs, University Chorus on campus (the non-auditioned choir) and The Heritage Singers, a choir that my friends Danny and Bryson created. They are both BYU grads and have created a choir with former BYU choir members, and other selected members---like me and Logan.

University Chorus had our final concert of the semester yesterday. The U of I has an annual Carol Concert each year in December. Every choir on campus sings a few numbers and we sing Christmas Carols as a large group. The audience gets to sing along. It is a lot of fun.

So, that was my weekend. Doesn't it sound like fun?

Lines for the Bathroom

Thanksgiving was great! I had an all time high of 7 out of 25 at the family turkey shoot out. Dave, not having shot since he was 9 beat me with 14/25. I was very proud of him. He did better than Logan and Caitlin. We ate way too much food, watched Hellboy 1 and 2 with mom and gave Dave a mini-tour of Lincoln. I was excited to eat chicken fried chicken at Lazlo's again, and to dip my fries in honey mustard.


On the way home we stopped for lunch in Cameron. Apparently everyone wanted to stop there, because there was a line of at least 15 women waiting for the restroom. I almost commandeered the men's restroom!

Thanksgiving break is here!

It's Friday, and it's official! Thanksgiving break at the U of I has begun! The undergrads are leaving in droves, my department is sparse, and the stores are selling canned pumpkin en masse! Yippee! I can't wait to make pies and relax!

Mom wants me to make this list...

8 favorite TV shows:

1. Chuck
2. Bones
3. Pushing Daisies
4. The Office
5. House
6. Colbert Report
7. What Not to Wear
8. Law and Order: SVU

8 favorite restaurants:

1. Siam Terrace (Thai food)
2. Chilis
3. Radio Maria (Caribbean Fusion Cafe)
4. Courier Cafe (down-home cafe)
5. El Torro
6. Perkins
7. Macaroni Grill (don't have one here)
8. Fortune Palace

8 things I did yesterday:

1. went to church
2. accompanied a musical number
3. got a new calling: enrichment committee member
4. made dinner: Hungarian Goulasch
5. sat on the couch in my pjs
6. talked to Mom and Dad
7. remembered to move my laundry from Saturday into the dryer
8. started re-reading "The Scarlett Letter"

8 things I look forward to:

1. Sundays
2. meals
3. sleep
4. finishing my PhD
5. eating lots of pie on Thanksgiving
6. road trips
7. the next time I'll be in Europe
8. going to the gym

8 things I love about fall:

1. the leaves changing
2. no more hot and humid days
3. mosquitos dying
4. fall-smelling candles: Salt City's Pumpkin Spice
5. all things pumpkin: pie, cookies, bars, jack-o-lanterns, seeds
6. Thanksgiving break
7. apple donuts from Curtis Orchard (and picking my own apples if I want)
8. corduroy pants

8 things on my wishlist:

1. a ticket to visit Ashley in Utah
2. a maid to clean my house
3. winning the annual family Turkey Shoot Out
4. weight loss
5. more free trips to Europe
6. free reign of my car
7. did I say maid? how about personal assistant?
8. I wish I could play the piano better

8 People I tag: (mom had to explain to me what tagging meant)

1. Mom
2. Marisa
3. Ashley
4. Caitlin
5. Shelby
6. Joanie
7. Genevieve
8. ??

Thanksgiving is on its way!

I've been trying to think of something worthwhile to post for some time now, and still don't have anything. I suppose it's that time in the semester when I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break with anticipation and dread. Anticipation because it's a full week off of school, dread because I know the second I get back from Thanksgiving we are in the throes of end-of-semester papers, presentations, and exams.

Although Thanksgiving is still a little bit away, it is the topic of most conversations around here. The professors talk about the work we have to get done before Thanksgiving. The bishop talks about making sure everyone has somewhere to go for Thanksgiving. I keep asking Logan if he actually has time off for Thanksgiving.

Here is what I would like to get done over Thanksgiving break:

• write half of my paper for my Weimar Republik class (8 pages)
• transcribe my data for my Conversation Analysis paper
• road trip to Chicago with Dave
• clean my apartment--like deep clean--dusting and everything!
• watch lots of movies in my pajamas
• make pies
• chill with the fam in NE

Do you think all of this is possible? We'll see...

To-Do List

I really like to-do lists! Today I wrote one with about 15 things on it, and I got them all done! That gave me this huge sense of accomplishment, although I'm sure I have way more things I can add to it. Nothing beats scratching out items off a list. OK, I can think of a few things that are better, but you get my point.

Also, have I mentioned how much I love the fall colors this year?

The Evolution of the Bavarian Creamer, Teil 2

Logan was Michael Phelps for Halloween. I thought it important to show the evolution of his costume as well. This is him getting ready for a swim meet! Just relaxin', listening to my ipod that he loaded "motivational, swim-music" onto.

Um, couldn't figure out how to delete a pic, so you get this one twice...but horizontal this time. :)

Logan went all out...8 gold medals, swim cap, my flip flops, etc. He even shaved his legs and arms!

Logan also had last minute preparations on Thursday night...he had to "earn" his gold medals...by cutting them out and stapling them to ribbon. I couldn't get him to carry a bouquet of red roses like what the Olympians got on the medals stand...oh well. He did commit to the costume in every other way possible!

Here's more of a close-up of my Roller Girl make-up, thanks Doug!

And, my favorite part...my hair! I'm totally keeping these!

The Evolution of the Bavarian Creamer, Teil 1

This is the story of how I actually finished my Halloween costume. I started on Thurdsay, October 30th at 9 pm. Thankfully, Mom had visited in July and cut out my costume then. (Somehow I knew I could never finish a project without her help.) I, however, did not touch the fabric again until the day before Halloween. So, after helping Logan with his costume, having voice lessons and watching "the Office" with Amanda I embarked on sewing my costume.

I think it was about 1 am when I had gotten to this point. I had called Mom a few times, asking for some help on inserting a zipper. I had never done it before, and for some reason I thought this was a good project on which to learn! I followed Mom's advice and didn't follow the pattern instructions. That's why my costume looks like a cape at this point. Logan and I had just returned from McDonald's...I had the sewing munchies that only a Big Mac can cure!

After chilling with Logan for a bit, I got down to business. A few seams had to be picked apart and re-sewn, but things were going well. Until at 4:30 in the morning I sewed a sleeve on inside out. It was then that I realized I should go to bed and finish in the morning. I only had to be to work at 9 am!

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. I came home from work and sewed the rest of the afternoon. I finished at 4 pm, just in time to make it to my 5pm hair and make-up appointment. My stylist was gracious enough to offer to put in my hair extensions, and do my roller derby-esque make-up. I was in complete heaven when I found a ghetto beauty supply store with cheap weaves for only $1 a strand. Here is the final result:

In the end I couldn't get my helmet on over my braids, nor could I find roller skates that were worth buying. (I wasn't going to spend $145 on a pair that I would only wear for Halloween, and it's hard to find skates anywhere else!)

Tuesday French Toast

I forgot how much I like French toast. Caitlin came to visit this weekend, and we got to go to the temple in St. Louis and to chill. It was fun to see Caitlin again. She claims I am a bed hog, I maintain that whoever falls asleep first gets free reign of the bed. I fell asleep first! Caitlin went home yesterday, and since we were too tired Sunday morning to get up and make coffee cake in true Luke fashion, I made French Toast for breakfast. I know according to the old Luke family breakfast schedule that French toast is traditionally eaten on Wednesdays, but I made an exception. It was worth it! I forgot how good French toast is with a little (or a lot) of mapeline syrup. Why don't I eat it more often?

Jazz vs. Bulls

Friday night the Bulls played the Jazz in Champaign at an exhibition, pre-season game. Amanda went to the bathroom, and while she was gone they put someone's picture up on the screen. The whole crowd cheered like it was some player I was supposed to know. Dave and Brooke thought it was Michael Jordan. I had no clue, so I agreed with them. Michael Jordan's son plays for the Illini, so it wasn't a complete stretch that he would be there. The Jazz and the Bulls currently have former Illini on their teams, that's why they were playing in Champaign. Amanda informs me that there is no way that it was Michael Jordan, and now doesn't want to go to the Illini games with me. Too bad for her we have already purchased our tickets and she's stuck with me!
Dave thought it was fun to be at the game, but he's neither a Jazz nor a Bulls fan. When he got bored he multi-tasked and played guitar hero on his phone. He really needed to beat the new songs he downloaded so he can get more. Unfortunately the songs are really hard, so he just had Logan beat them on Saturday night. Dave is a basketball fan, normally rooting for some Texas team, but pretended to be a Jazz fan for a night since he's lived in Utah for the last 7 years.

Brooke is a true Jazz fan, she even wore a jersey. Brooke was in my ward a few years ago, and is now living in Peoria with med school. We don't get to see enough of each other, so this game was a good excuse to get together. I have to admit that my favorite part of the night was watching the Bulls mascot entertain the crowd, and watching the various time-out performances. Most memorable was the male dance team "The Matadors." They were about 10 overweight men, like 300-500 pounds who danced, essentially doing the truffle shuffle and taking their shirts off by the end. It was one of those things that was so disturbing it was entertaining!

Oreo Cookies create Brotherly Love

Logan would like me to tell you how much he likes oreo cookies. They are his favorite next to chocolate cake. He ate the whole bucket by himself. Or he would if I'd let him. But I didn't and I got to eat a few myself.

Chain Smoker

Anyone who knows me knows that when I get a cold, it goes straight to my vocal chords. I apparently have a cold because I sound like a chain smoker. It's really sexy, I can assure you that. Logan has started calling me "Wayne" because my voice is so low. I was hoping that it wasn't going to be that bad, but yesterday I felt like crap. I slept until 10 am, woke up, showered, and went back to bed by 1 and slept the rest of the afternoon. By 10 pm last night I was still super tired! I guess I really am sick!

Culinary Master!

Logan has decided to take on the responsibility of making a chocolate cake every week. It's soo cute how he's following in Dad's footsteps! Of course, the first cake he made he couldn't find the baking soda, so it was a brick. I since have shown him where the baking soda is in the cupboards, and he's done well ever since! I am currently surprised that he and dad can just dump every ingredient in the bowl at once and the cake turns out well.

Whitney Luke, M.A.

I officially finished my master's degree last Wednesday! I successfully passed my oral exam, and can now officially say I am a PhD student. Who ever thought I'd be in school this long? Not I, for sure.

It's not a hickey!

So, funny story. I have a bug bite on my neck. I am slightly allergic to bug bites, they always swell up fairly large, even if I don't scratch them. Sometimes I'm better than others at avoiding the temptation to scratch...

After sacrament meeting yesterday my bishop asked me to chat with him quickly. I thought he was going to extend a new calling to me, since he had just released me from one that morning. Nope. He pulls me into the library at the institute building and says, "I just wanted to tell you to be careful." I had no clue what he was talking about!! Then, he made an elusive reference to my "bite," and counseled me again to be careful and watch myself. I just stared at him. As I slowly began to understand I started laughing (a little bit nervously, and slightly embarassed). I told him it was a bug bite, but he told me his counsel still stands: I need to be careful.

Needless to say, besides this being totally funny, I was slightly offended that he thought I was the hickey type. That is not my style! I would have at least tried to hide a hickey! I would also like to know who he thinks gave me the hickey! I was sitting by a guy at church...oh how the rumors might start flying!

Only my Oral to go!!

Well, it's been a rough beginning to the semester. Yesterday I finished my last written exam for my Master's Exams. I have had about one a week for the last 3 weeks, and my brain is fried! My oral exam is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, Sept. 17. Once I pass my oral exam I am officially master Whitney, and can start my PhD work! Yippee!

In an effort to reduce stress during this exam period I have had a lot of fun, too. Logan (my youngest brother) is now my roommate, and that has proved to be really hilarious! Not only does he keep me laughing, but he makes dinner and even goes along with my weird weekend plans. Like last Saturday, when we went to Karaoke! All I have to say is I highly recommend finding Asian-style Karaoke (you rent out a small room, not in front of everyone) and singing Britney Spears, Journey and John Denver at the top of your lungs!

I miss my sisters

So, I would really love it if my sisters lived closed to me. I call one or two of them every day. It's probably getting annoying, but I think they're so much fun to talk to and hang out with. Unfortunately we are spread out all over the country. I vote we initiate a sister's weekend in Chicago...who's in? Chicago is lots of fun! We could always go to Utah and visit Ashley and Shelby, but Chicago would be so much cooler!

Anders is dead

My betta fish died last week. I had his funeral this morning (I flushed him down the toilet). I'm starting to lose track, but I think he was my 5th fish. Muteki was my first, followed by Lubomere, and then Blue-bomere. I feel like thre was another one in the middle, but can't remember. I used to give them all names in foreign languages that meant invincible. I didn't do that with Anders, I got his name from the host of a Swedish sing-a-long show, Allsong. Maybe I should have named him invincible in Swedish: oövervinnlig. The question now is whether I get another fish. I really want a dog for some reason, mom says I should get a cat. That means that dad could never visit, he's allergic.

Half Marathon or Bust!

Caitlin and I have decided to run a half marathon in October, October 18th to be exact. Indianapolis had a great marathon/half marathon every year. That means we have 10 weeks to train, and today is the first day of training. Caitlin has me on a rigorous schedule of running, strength training, stretching, cardio and resting (my favorite part). What I want to know, is whether my Wii Fit counts as strength training and cardio...there are yoga and strength training activities on the Wii!

When I say Caitlin has me on a rigorous schedule, I mean she made the work out schedule on her fun computer programs that she knows. I would have just made something by hand. I'll let you know how the training is going. Maybe I'll have to figure out how to put some kind of ticker on my blog. Heck, if Marisa can have one for her pregnancy, I can have one for a half marathon!

Quilt Top, anyone?

It seems that all I do lately is work and quilt. My roommate Tiffany makes fun of me because I come home from work everyday and work on my quilts! With mom in town we found lots of quilt stores in the area, and I am super-motivated to make more and more. The trick will be acutally finishing one. I am really good at making quilt tops, but I never actually finish them. So, if anyone is in the market for a quilt top, I am your girl. If you want a finished quilt, I am not your girl.

Clarification

I drove to the Chicago suburbs and picked up Tina. Rather than paying to park in downtown Chicago we toook the train from the suburbs in. That's why we had to take a cab from Union Station to our car.

Union Station needs better signs!

Well, I can't exactly say that life in the states is boring. I went to Chicago Friday night to go on a blind date. My friend Tina wanted me to come along on her date, so I obliged. We went to the Chicago Art Institute. I love art museums! The museum is free in the evenings, but 3 hours was not enough! We were in the European section almost the whole time. After the museum we wandered around Michigan avenue in search of the Hershey's and Ghiardelli chocolate store. Tina swore that they were really close...after an hour of walking we finally found them.

Tina and I took the train into Chicago, so we had to get back to Union Station by 11:40 to catch our train. We ran the last 20 minutes to get there, but got there in time...only to stand and watch our train leave when we could have easily boarded. I blame it on the stupid public transportation in the states! It was impossible to read the train schedule, and it seemed like the train was delayed. Moral of the story is, try to get on the train, just because it's at the correct platform. That was the last train of the night, so we had to take a $60 cab ride to our car at the train station. Oops! Never fear, we made it back to Champaign by 3 am.

Back in the States

Well, after 30 hours of travelling I am back in the U.S. of A. My Mom was kind enough to come visit me and ignore the rest of the children. That proves I'm her favorite! So, Mom and I pretty much sit around and sew, watch movies, and cook. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Monday and now I'm craving everything else I can think of!

I have also undertaken the task to deep clean my apartment. So far I've cleaned out the fridge and changed my fish's water. I think he missed me the month I was gone. I also cleaned my bathroom...horray Whitney! I have also discovered a love of Baked! Ruffles, Cheddar and Sour Cream.

I gave myself a haircut and highlights yesterday and now it's Mom's turn. We're going to play salon today. Why did I just scrub my kitchen floor if I'm going to cut hair? Good thinking, Whit!

Music and the Spoken Word

During the week I spent a lot of time in class, and the rest of my time going to various music and dance performances. Here is a quick rundown:Last Sunday Joanie, Megan and I went to the Leipzig Opera House to see a flamenco performance called "Bolero." It was put on by a Spanish ballet company. It was really good! Makes me wish I could dance more than the macarena!
This is the "Gewandhaus". This is where the Leipzig symphony performs. I didn't see any performances here this week, but the first week we were here this is where we saw the University of Leipzig's orchestra performance. This is the 3rd performance house they've had in Leipzig. The first one burnt down (I think) and the second one was bombed in WWII.
Tuesday I went to a production (in German) of the musical "Kiss Me, Kate." Seeing this more modern version made me want to see the movie again. I think Mom and Dad own it, right? Maybe that's just the movie Roman Holiday and Arsenic and Old Lace...I believe I was forced to watch those once...
Part of my group waiting for the concert to start. Megan is in the black stripes. Joanie is in the white shirt. I would like to point out that they offered to buy me a treat at the store this week. When I did so, they neglected to follow through! I had to buy the gummy bears myself. Jerks! In actuality, I forgot I had them in my hand and just bought them. Joanie and Megan, however, felt horrible, and I wanted them to make history in my blog! We finished out the music portion of the week by attending an Operetta at the Schloesschen in Gohlis. (or the little palace that was a rich man's summer home in the 19th century) Students from the local Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater sang various Operetta pieces for us. It was really one of the favorite performances I've been to here. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the performance. The men were actually quite attractive!

I love to see the temple!

Hello, again! I just got back from a weekend trip to Freiberg (Sachsen). I visited my mission president for the weekend and was able to go to the temple. It was so much fun to play with my mission president! We went for a walk through the countryside, Helga (Sister Apel) fed me time and again, Frank (President Apel) told me story upon story about growing up in the GDR in Eastern Germany, and I got to pretend to be a good translator at lunch on Sunday. Helga and Frank had temple missionaries over for lunch, but they can't speak much German, and Frank and Helga don't speak much English. It was a pretty entertaining afternoon. You really learn the vocabulary you DON'T have when you're trying to explain how someone doesn't have a stomach anymore and the esophogus is attached directly to the intestine!

The best part of the weekend was being in an LDS home again. I loved to feel the Spirit and was able to discuss the church with Frank and Helga!! There were a few times when I wanted to cry I was so happy! The temple missionaries we were with were just called to be the temple president and matron in Samoa. I also found out that my uncle Randy is in their ward in Sandy!

Germinate

So, I've realized a few things over the years. (1) My English is getting worse as my German gets better; (2) I really like to be by myself...spending one month straight with 19 other Americans in Leipzig is starting to bug; and (3) I can see distinct blessings in my life from having served a mission. Unfortunately that doesn't yet include a spouse...good thing I love my job/studies!

Oh, and one of my friends here in Leipzig totally made me laugh yesterday! I would like to submit her definition of "germinate" to the people at Webster's: germinate: the state of having become more like a German in behavior, mannerisms and interests. This includes dying one's hair crazy colors of red and ceasing to shave one's legs. I don't plan to germinate any time in the future.

Two weeks down, Two to go!

Friday was a full day! We were in class all day, and then I went to two different concerts. The first was Motets from the Thomanerchor. (Thomas Choir). The Thomanerchor is Leipzig's equivalent of the Vienna Boy's Choir, and almost just as famous. It was really one of the best choral concerts I've been to. Right after that concert ended we jumped on the tram and headed to an open air symphony/opera concert. It was great just to sit on the grass and listen to great music!

Before I continue on with the weekend, I'll give you the rundown of during the week. It was another full week, as to be expected. During the week we were in class, had seminars about the oral proficiency test we can take at the end, went to pronunciation lessons (my suspicions were confirmed...I sound very much like an American!!), and went to the theater.

This Saturday was another group excursion. This time to the Harz Mountains. The Harz Mountains are almost dead center in Germany. Compared to the Rocky Mountains, they really are just hills, but they're gorgeous in their own right. It was nice to get out of the city and enjoy some nature.

Before we reached the mountains, though ,we stopped in a nearby city that is famous for its "Fachwerk Haeuser." In Quedlingburg there are more than 100 restored Fachwerk Haeuser (Half-Timbered Homes), and the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage site. The oldest home is from the 1300s, and you can see how the style of Fachwerk changed throughout the centuries. There are homes depicting the styles of the 15, 16, 17 and 18th centuries. After the 18th century it wasn't in style to use the wood anymore, but rather to build brick homes. I went to the Fachwerk Museum and bought a few books about Fachwerk Haeuser, so I'll become more knowledgeable and answer any questions later.

After our short stay in Quedlingburg it was back on the bus (and another dose of Dramamine) and off to the Harz Mountains. Once we got there we rode the ski-lift (Seilbahn) up to the top of the mountain. Then we went hiking to find the horse hoofprint from a legend told about the mountains. We hiked back down the mountain, and then took the tram (Kabinenbahn) back up the mountian to go to the Hexentanzplatz (Witch Dancing Place). Walpurgisnacht is the 30th of April, when they drive the Winter out, and they burn all of the left over fire wood from the winter. That is done at the Hexentanzplatz. Of course, it's mostly a tourist trap, but still fun.

One Week in Leipzig

Ashley wanted some pictures, so here you go. It was a full weekend. We went to Dresden on Sunday, and this is me in front of a Gondola that the former prince of Sachsen built. He wanted the area to become like Venice. We visited the summer palace before we did a city tour in Dresden.

Saturday we went to the symphony. It was really one of the best concerts I've been to! Unfortunately they didn't play the organ, but there was a cool soloist that played the marimba? I can't remember now. It looked like a xylophone, but wasn't. It was a Brazilian composer. The night before I went to the Thomaskirche, where Bach was the choir director. I went to a choral concert, and will be going to many more. The funny thing is I've been to other churches more than my own while in Germany.

We had to do presentations about different parts of the city. We randomly talked to people on the streets (enter mission skills) and ended up in a printing shop. The owner ended up giving us a complete tour of the place. They have printing machines (what are they called in English...that sounds weird) that are still in use from the 1920s. It was super cool!

Back in Germany

I am in Leipzig! I've been here for 3 days and love it already! Of course it's way too warm, but that's how it goes without AC! I've already eaten a Döner, Rotkohl, Sauerbraten, Klöse and amazing German pastries! Man, I am glad to be back in Germany!

My course keeps me pretty busy, but I've had plenty of time to wander the city and make some friends. There are 2 girls (ok, so when you're our age, you're not really girls, we'll say Frauen!) in my program who served missions here in Leipzig, so that is super fun! Yesterday we had to get to know different parts of the city and went out in groups to meet people and get a feeling for the city. The other members in our group were astounded at how easily we just stopped people on the streets and started talking to them. It was weird to not talk about the church (LDS) afterwards and offer them a Book of Mormon. We did get to know some really great people, though. The people here are really friendly. We randomly walked into a printing company and the man (who we know are on a first name basis with--Andreas) gave us a tour of the whole place and talked to us for over an hour! I'll post pictures soon.

Medieval Times and Roller Derby

Some of you might ask what a German grad student does with her time. Well, the past few weekends have been full of road-trips. Two weeks ago I went to the roller derby to see the Naptown Rollergirls in Indianapolis, IN. Just this past weekend some friends and I drove up to Chicago to go to Medieval Times. All in all it was a good time! After both of these activities I have decided to be a Roller Girl for Halloween, and to find a Renaissance Fair to visit in August or September.

Of course when I'm not attending what some might call "quirky" activities I am reading and studying for my exams this coming August/September. I am also getting ready to leave for Germany. I leave on Friday for Leipzig, where I will have to be much better at writing on my blog!