la semana muerte.

Laura: "They call it dead week because they're trying to kill us."

These next few weeks are going to be very, very stressful, busy, and probably sleepless.

Oh, joy.

My favorite/least favorite time of the year.

Love Christmas, hate finals.

Time to get back to studying, adios amigos.

Thanksgiving.

Well, not having wireless at home put a damper on my blogging. I had this long list of things I was thankful for to post on Thanksgiving, and as you can see--that didn't happen. Here are the most important, sadly without explanation. It's go-time for school around here so this is my quick study break post.

1. God.
2. dad.
3. mom.
4. sister.
5. grandma.
6. brother.
7. Paisley.
8. brother-in-law.
9. camp.
10. Jordan & Sharon.
11. Lea & Griffin.
12. Shayla & Kristin.
13. Camp friends- Holly, Lindsey, Megan, Becca, Dave.
14. Brandon, Bryan, Quinn.
15. Jamison & Matt.
16. The fact that Nebraska has four different seasons.
17. music.
18. books.
19. bathtubs.
20. coffee.
21. Noodles n' Company.
22. opportunities.
23. growth.
24. my kids at work! (ranked way higher than 24, these little ones literally keep me sane.)
25. holidays.

18 hours

Well, it is finally Thanksgiving break and I get to go home in 18 hours!

The day should go pretty fast because I'm planning on sleeping in, watching the DWTS finales and packing before work. Jumping on I-80 straight to the Island after that. eeeeeek.

Bring on the kid quotes...
There is never a dull moment at my job.

My poor little Hope got quite sick, and I got quite lucky because if I had picked her up 3 seconds sooner..well, I probably would have been sick too.

The second after she..ya know, she looked at me, smiling and said "Miss Alyssa, I feel so much better!" Ahh she melts my heart. Poor thing was under anesthesia this morning for the botox injections she has to get in her legs so we're assuming that's the reasoning behind it.

This next conversation was hilarious, I wasn't there but I got a detailed play by play from their morning teacher, Angel.

Ruby: "I have a baby in my tummy!"
Angel: "Did you eat a baby, Ruby?!"
Ruby: "Noooo, I ate an egg!"

Angel: "Well how is this baby going to come out?"
Britta: "At the hopsikal!"

Ben: "Hey, I have a baby in my tummy, too!"
Angel: "Where did you get your baby, Ben?"
Ben: "At Super Saver!"

Yesterday we made cornucopias with ice cream cones, Runts candy and frosting. It was hilarious listening to the different ways they attempted to say "cornucopia". The most popular translations were "corkacolia" and "corlapokia".

Tomorrow is going to be a sad day. Ben and Harper, two of my favorites, (I know, I know, it's awful that I have favorites) are graduating from the Starfish room and becoming Rainbowfish. Ben asked me if I was going to cry, then promised me that he would give me a hug everyday at snack and still let me tie his shoes. :) What a guy.

So..after all that..
Today, I am thankful for...
*A wonderful first night of break. My friend Dave is back in Nebraska for Thanksgiving so we hung out for the night. So wonderful to see him and get a fresh perspective on so many new things.

*The fact that in 18 hours I will be sitting at home!
*Kids who make me laugh.

46 hours.

First things, first.
Today, I am thankful for...
*My dear Illinois friend, Adam. (whom I could not be prouder of or happier for)

He gave me a bit of an epiphany. Thanks, dude.

*Chai lattes.

*Gloves, a scarf and earmuffs.

*Mexican hot chocolate

(Completely aware that I'm starting to sound like an emotional eater/warm liquids drinker.)

*The picture of little P my bro-in-law just sent me.
*Bathtubs.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In 46 hours I will be sitting at home with my family.

One test, two classes, two days of work, and a 1.5 hour drive to go.
I'm way too ready to skip Lincoln for a few days.

First thing I'm going to do is hold my favorite baby on this planet. :)

Sunday [not so] Funday

Today, I am thankful for...
Jordan

ice cream

and a God who "makes all things work together for your good"

thankfuls for the day.

A friend's blog inspired me to write at least one thing I am thankful for everyday. I have a million and one things I am grateful for, but we'll do this day by day.

Yesterday, I was thankful for...
*Spending the afternoon with Shayla, my oldest friend. Running strong since age 6. :)

*Friend triangles who are always making sure one is looking out for the other.
*Getting to babysit for a wonderful family. The night consisted of Twister, Operation and Toy Story with three of my favorite kids.
*Not having a heart attack or mental breakdown upon realizing that I could no longer use my own computer for a ten pager that's due Monday morning. Stupid Microsoft.

So, today, I am thankful for...
*A good friend who let me borrow his computer at 6:30am on a Saturday.
*Coffee.

*Allison--for making sure that I'm alive and well, on her birthday. one of the most selfless people I know.

*One Year Bible. It always seems to have the message you need to hear that day.
*The willpower to deactivate Facebook, shut off my phone, and turn off my music.

Alright, friends. Time to get back to work. No more blogging for me this weekend unless it's a victory post for finishing this paper and having time to sleep.

kiddies again.

Today, I am thankful for...

having a bunch of three and four year olds who make me laugh until I cry.
A bad day can never continue once I get to work.
On Thursday, little Ben got his head stuck in a purse. Yes, that's right, a purse.
He thought it made a nice crown.
I couldn't get the purse off the poor kid's head because I was too busy laughing uncontrollably, thankfully he thought it was pretty funny, too.
It was hard not to giggle when I was explaining to his Dad why he had a red line around his forehead.
Oh, how I love my job :)
-------------------------------------------------------
A few kid quotes I forgot--
(Ruby's birthday was last week.)
Ruby: "I just can't believe God is making me turn 4. I want to stay 3!"

This one is also from Ruby. She had two timeouts in one day which is very unusual for her, this was her explanation to her mom.
Ruby: "Mommy, I had two timeouts today, but it's not my fault! The bad ideas made me do it! When we get home I'm going to flush those bad ideas right down the toilet and everyday before I come to school we're going to flush them again so I never have to get in trouble!"
This comes from the little girl who always prays for "no timeouts" before we eat snack. :)

You Decide

It's up to you, you make the call
It's always been your choice
Maybe you're right
And were all wrong
We're only some voices
Cause in the end it all depends
I'll step aside and let you decide

There was a season in your life
When everyone was smarter
The best Advice that they could give
You'll have to work much harder
Then finally someday you'll be wise
Realize only you decide

Cause everybody has to choose Sink or swim win or lose
No not everybody gets it right Fight or flight,
so will you Decide

So you bent the rules
Denied the truth
And all the strong suggestions
You never heard
Your parents say
They're giant misperceptions
Of who you really are, you've come this far

Here you are, you decide

Cause' everybody has to choose sink or swim win or lose
Know everybody gets it right fight or flight so will you decide

Make your move
It's up to you
Don't let the moment pass you by
All eyes on you
Whatcha gonna do
With all the swirling through your head
You've got to use your heart instead

No not everybody gets it right fight or flight so will you decide

Cause' everybody has to choose sink or swim win or lose
Know that everybody gets it right fight or flight so will you decide

You decide


--Brandon Heath "You Decide"

Random thoughts on a Wednesday

1. I'm so incredibly blessed.

God is waaaay too good to me.

I have heard a million and one absolute horror stories over the past few days.

I have absolutely nothing to complain about, and a million and one things to praise God for.

2. I have the most wonderful parents I could ask for.

3. I really, and I mean really miss camp. I kind of forgot how powerful of an experience it was until someone recently asked me what was so great about it. I couldn't even put it into words. I'm not sure I want to imagine what my life would be like had I not worked there. Okay, so it's not like I'd be in jail or anything, I just made incredible life-long friends there. I grew so much (although I still have a long way to go), and my faith grew even more than that. When you're put in a world surrounded by God's creation, no technology and a ton of awesome staff/kids, things change. So thankful for that.

4. My mind has a hard time focusing on the present.

Instead of writing my Spanish paper, I'm busy worrying about things that are tomorrow or next week or next year.

5. Just started rereading Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow.
Brilliant, deeply convicting stuff right there.
I highly, highly recommend you read it.
(Thanks for returning it, Jordan! I couldn't have gotten it back at a better time.)

Kid quotes

So it's been a while since I've posted kid quotes, I've got a few good ones, and probably way more that I have forgotten.

So Ruby's mom is 8 months pregnant, she came to pick up her daughter today..here's the conversation between her and a 4 year old boy.
Cole (poking her stomach): "Is there a baby in there?"
Mom: "Yes, there is, it's a little girl!"
Cole: "Well...are you going to name her Bubba? Or you could name her Ruby, too and they would be twins!"


Jared: "Miss Alyssa, are you married?"
Me: "No, for the one hundredth time, I am not married."
Jared: "Well, my dad is looking for a new wife!"

This one would be funnier if you heard the conversation and didn't know what was happening. We were playing with Play-do and Ruby had made a heart and Ben took it from her.
Ruby (crying): "Ben, you stole my heart! Give it back Ben, I want my heart back!"

Sara: "Lauren, do you know what a date is?"
Lauren: "Duh, it's like October 18th."

Ben (looking in mirror): "Miss Alyssa, do I look like Justin Bieber today?"

After stepping on Britta's foot...
Ben: "Britta, I'm so sorry! Are you still going to marry me?"
Britta: "No!"
Ben: "Britta, I'm sorry! I still love you and I'll buy you a hamster when we get married!"
Britta: "Okay, I love you, too!"

9 days until the Island of all things Grand.

When are you too old to admit that you miss your mommy and daddy?
Right now I feel like Grand Island might as well be an actual island.
I've never gone this long without seeing my family. It's been 5 weeks! It's probably kind of pathetic because a lot of my friends only get to come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I only live an hour away so home is very easily accessible. I absolutely cannot wait for Thanksgiving. Living next to the interstate is really dangerous for me. I left my apartment Saturday night to get some dinner and I was extremely close to jumping on I-80 with nothing but my purse. It's definitely a good thing that I didn't go home since I had so much to do this weekend, but it sure was tempting.

9 more days, I can do this.

Life is good.

Well it was pretty much a wonderful weekend. As previously mentioned, I got to see my sister, bro-in-law and Paisley. Then Saturday I was nonstop productive until about 10pm, then I took nice long break with a friend and watched Willy Wonka for the first time. (Yes, I've already heard that my childhood was deprived.) Then Sunday, I got to see Jordan again and we enjoyed some nice girl time over coffee. So thankful for this girl.

And you will never believe my Monday morning. Usually I hit the snooze four times and crawl out of bed right before I have to leave. Today, I woke up on my own at 6:45! I thought I might as well get up and get some things done instead of trying to fall back asleep. I worked out (!) and made a healthy breakfast. I did some astronomy, Spanish and had some quality time with the Big Guy. I felt happy, energized and like nothing could stop me today. What a great feeling, I think I should do this every morning. The only downfall is halfway through class my head started nodding and it was pretty hard to stay awake. Needless to say, I am now at home drinking some coffee before I have to go chase three year olds. :)

Snow, current obsessions/annoyances.

Last night marked the first snow fall in Nebraska.

I got so excited that I whipped out my Christmas music and made some hot chocolate.

There's just something so magical about snow, it just fills up my soul.

I woke up this morning and rushed to look out my window, and it was all melted already, which I suppose is fine for now--since I would really love to roadtrip to Denver next weekend with some of my very favorite people to see some more of my very favorite people. It will be the the best mini vacation. I will be losing my ice-skating virginity, and Colorado with my dearest friends is the perfect place to do so. :)

--------------------------------------
Current obsessions: Mexican hot chocolate & Spanish music.

One of my oldest and dearest friends is in Mexico this semester studying abroad,

I've been living vicariously through her for the past few months. I'm so jealous of all the Spanish she's learning, she is going to put me to shame this summer when we go back to Mexico!

She recently told me about Mexican hot chocolate--hot chocolate with lots of cinnamon! It's become a daily treat for me. (Fun fact: I read that cinnamon helps burn fat so now I put it in my coffee and cereal, too!) It's soo good and reminds me of a wonderful friend whom I miss dearly. She also told me about her favorite Spanish music, which has been playing nonstop on Pandora while I work on my Spanish paper. (Thanks, Michelle!) I figure it's a small way to help put some more Spanish in my life, although it really just makes me more jealous of all of her adventures and miss Reynosa. I can't wait to see this girl in December!

--------------------------------------

Current annoyance: Husker football dominates Lincoln.

The library is closed during all home games and the closest coffee shops are downtown--downtown Lincoln on game day is a disaster--lots of traffic, zero parking, and lots of drunk people. Productivity usually doesn't peak for me while I'm at my apartment, mainly because everywhere I go, my bed and couch are very close. (one downfall to a studio apartment) All my movies & books stare me in the face, too and I'm in the

cleaning/organizing mood. I must refrain.
Wish me luck!

Best study break ever.

Best study break I could ask for.

I couldn't go home this weekend like I had originally planned, so Paisley came to see me :) I love my family.

I hadn't seen her for almost a month, she is getting so big and cuter and cuter everyday. She smiled right when she saw me and she reached for me! I about lost it. This little one melts my heart and makes me so happy no matter how stressed I am.

Now I am refreshed and ready to get back to my paper!

Well, it's Wednesday! I thought I was going to able relax tonight after work since my last test was this morning, but my Spanish professor decided otherwise. Apparently, I need a new hypothesis for my 9 page research paper that's due next Friday. Awesome. Hoping all the new research goes smoothly so I can still go home this weekend, otherwise I'll be spending yet another weekend in the library. Good gravy, I should just move my bed there and get a campus meal plan.

Thanksgiving, where are you?

This weekend was a complete rollercoaster.

I'm stressed, sad, frustrated, unsure, happy and excited--each about a different thing.

I could really use a full weekend at home with no homework to do.

I'm hoping to go back to The Island next weekend, even though it will be for only 15 hours, 8 of which I'll be sleeping. (Those dang Huskers are controlling my schedule again.) I really miss my parentals and my niece. I just want my Dad to make me some real food. I want to hold my little Paisley without 6 other people in waiting in line. I want to hang out with my Mom and chat with my Grandma. I want to watch Kardashians with my sister. I want to go to Starby's and Hastings with Lea. I want to watch movies with Jord.

Sadly, if I even get to go home (research paper due), the majority of these things won't happen. I can only do so much between the hours of 9pm and noon.

Thanksgiving cannot get here soon enough.

Okay, that's enough whining. Back to homework.

Noviembre.

Dear Fall,

You make me so happy. and I will be much, much, much happier after Wednesday. (Three tests and one project to go.) I can't even begin to describe how much I love fall, especially this one. Even though it's toward the end of the year, fall always seems to have new beginnings, and I'm loving this one. I think I finally found my place in Lincoln. It's only taken two and a half years, but it was worth the wait.

After Wednesday, I get to start enjoying life a little more. My friend Hanna is teaching me to knit, which I am super stoked about. Also, I ordered C.S. Lewis's signature collection and the package has been taunting me since Tuesday. The third season of How I Met Your Mother awaits in my mailbox, and I get to go home on Friday. Quadruple win.

I think November and I are going to get along really well.