One of the themes in Disney’s movie “The Haunted Mansion” revolved around the idea that nothing takes just twenty minutes to complete. We’ve only been back in school for a week, and, looking at the schedule, things don’t appear to be terrible. I, for one, am lucky enough to have the ultimate luxury of only having class four days a week. Yes, you read that correctly – I don’t have to be on campus on Fridays. This weekend, because of the MLK holiday, I had four days off. After just getting back in to the swing of school, I was looking forward to having a relatively-relaxing weekend. I thought that this weekend would be a breath of fresh air after the hectic return to school, studying, and homework.

Needless to say, I was wrong. It literally took me seven hours to read through the material for Molecular Techniques Lab, and it took me umpteen hours to read through my biochemistry textbook and work through the corresponding problems. It seems as though Christmas break – which, for me, was full of relaxation, working at the Science Center, and catching up on missed television and movies – is a far-off memory instead of an occurrence that took place a mere week ago.

Even so, I’m happy to say that I’m looking forward to my classes because I think they will really prepare me for what I want to do with my life, which is laboratory research. In Molecular Techniques Lab, I will learn the basis behind some of the most prominent techniques used in research today, and biochemistry will strengthen my understanding of the reactions that make those techniques possible. Add in physics (which essentially explains the universe), evolution (which explains why life is how it is), and neuroanatomy (which is just cool in general), and I think I’ll have a fun – albeit challenging, demanding, and just plain stressful – semester.

So what did I learn from this weekend? In addition to learning in-depth information about chromosomal inheritance, genetic pedigree analyses, and the pH scale, I learned that Eddie Murphy’s character’s kids were correct – we should never say, “Twenty minutes tops.”

The first semester of the school year is almost over! I can hardly believe it, partly because I have too many tests and projects to complete in the next week and a half. I’m not sure if it’s even possible to do as much as I have to, but I’m sure every other college student feels this same way this time of year. I’m not going to complain. I’m just going to buckle down and get it done because after all the tests and projects are finished it’s Christmas break!

I am so looking forward to this break. Getting so much time off can be somewhat of a bad thing because after a month of being out of school I find myself not wanting to go back, but other than that Christmas break is wonderful! I will be spending some time on campus and some time back at home this break. The Griffin Girls do not rest, and are continuing to practice throughout break so I will be experiencing some of the holiday season at Fontbonne. I am excited to be home and spend quality time with my family, friends, and others I have not really seen since the school year began. I will be spoiling my cats with cat treats daily, making sure they receive lots of love because I absolutely adore them!

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I cannot wait to get a tree to decorate and do all that Christmas shopping I have yet to start! I love the cold, and hope that we do see some snow this season. Snow on Christmas is delightful. I have a positive outlook on this holiday season, and I hope it does not disappoint!

Wishing you a Happy Holidays (and luck finishing this semester)!

Until next time…

Well, now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to focus our attention on the most important part of December.  It may be a bit stressful to think about, but if you’re well prepared it won’t be a problem. The main thing is to go in with a game plan, stay positive, and don’t be afraid if things require a little bit of compromise and flexibility. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s time for…… CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!! (And Final Exams, which the prior advice is also applicable to.)

So how does the president of the Environmental Club approach Christmas gifting? Two ways: 1. Secondhand, and  2. Handmade.

First of all, you would be surprised at the gems you can find at the antique store or thrift shop. Beautiful jewelry (much cheaper than the mall, too!), vases, figurines, lovely containers, clothing, furniture, dishes – and it’s all unique and one of a kind. Check out the mall first, if you must, but then head down to your nearest secondhand shop (there are some great antique stores on Big Bend, by the way) and see how the selection compares! I love to buy secondhand things for myself, too, because it’s an easy way to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

My other gift of choice is something handmade. In the past I’ve made soup mixes, granola, body scrubs, candles, baking kits, blankets – the list goes on. And if you think you have to be super crafty to make this stuff, you’re wrong. Anyone who has a Pinterest account knows that there is a abundance of ideas out there to take advantage of, and most things won’t break your budget, either! Plus, you can take the care to know exactly what’s in your gifts – no weird chemicals or artificial ingredients. Giving someone a handmade gift shows that you care enough to spend a little extra time on them – and sometimes a little extra time is what people appreciate most. Happy Holidays!!

Christmas break was great, but I’m so happy to be back at Fontbonne. I had a fun, action-packed break, so bear with me for a little while because I just HAVE to tell you all about it.

I’m sure that most of you, by now, know that I love theatre. Over break, I was so happy because I was able to see two theatrical performances. I went to the newly-refurbished Peabody Opera House for the first time to see “How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical,” which was a great representation of one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories.  I was also lucky enough to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which is always a treat.

In addition to going to Christmas Traditions in St. Charles in order to see my Fontbonne Theatre friend Ryan Cooper – errr, Jack Frost – I joined some friends from CAB and RHA who met up in the Griffin’s Nest to paint.  Make sure to take a trip up there to see the improvements.

Break was great, but I’m happy to be back.  I have a full semester, complete with Organic Chemistry 2, Anatomy and Physiology 2, Kinesiology, Genetics, Department Research, and Oral Interpretation (for my theatre minor).  Yep, I’ll be busy, but isn’t that the fun of it all?!

“So, didja do anything fun over break?”

Five dollars says at least one person’s going to ask me that in the course of the next few days, and I’d better have an answer ready!

I didn’t go anywhere – my whole extended family comes into Saint Louis for Christmas  – but I had some great experiences, and I’ll share them with you, dear reader.  (Now don’t you feel special?)

1.  Ice skating! I have yet to learn how to skate backwards, but not for lack of trying.

2. Learning to play the ukulele.  I know some chords now, and I can play “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”  Be amazed. (Actually…don’t.  The uke is easy to play.  Go learn it.  Now.)

3. Coloring in coloring books.  I went big at the dollar store, and picked out two – count them, two – Strawberry Shortcake coloring books, which are coming along beautifully.  I even stay inside the lines!

4.   Painting the newly-expanded Commuter Lounge.  A great crew of six or seven commuters and residents transformed the very-blue interior of the 4th floor of Medaille Hall into a vibrant explosion of purple and gold!  Don’t worry – it sounds like an eyesore, but we used a bunch of light shades of both colors so that it’s energetic while not blinding.

5. Reconnecting with Ultimate Frisbee – I hadn’t played in a while, but seeing my high school teammates while they were in town reminded me how much I miss the game, so I logged a ton of disc-time over break.  I was also reminded of how much getting hit anywhere with a frisbee hurts when it’s cold outside.  We played on the days when it was 50 degrees, but we also played in the snow!  Gloves are good, but I throw much better without them, so…there were some painful moments during the game.  But there’s a reason it’s called Ultimate, right?

I’d say I have some good moments to choose from when I’m asked what I did over break.  Let’s hope this semester brings many more!

Every year I look forward to Christmas. Why wouldn’t I?! It’s the best time of the year!

But this year I am looking forward to it so much more! With my new job I have more money to “spare” and can afford to get my 3 siblings and my parents better presents than ever! For the first time ever this year, I actually waited in a line… outside… in the cold… for a Black Friday sale. Crazy right?! I agree. But my best friend, Katie, and I waited outside of Target for two hours Thanksgiving night before they opened at midnight. My goal was to get my mom a Kindle. Thank goodness this was a success or else I am sure Katie would have been a bit peeved she sat out in the cold with me. I am very glad I got her that because she deserves to get a nice gift for everything she does for us. She loves to read and has wanted one ever since they first came out, but with 3 children in college and bills to pay, she is not usually concerned with buying things for herself. I also got my godson a Cars pillow pet, and slippers I am very excited to give him those!

As for my siblings: My oldest brother (24 years old) is a pain in the butt to shop for because he has a good paying full time job so he buys himself everything already, so I am still coming up with ideas for him. For my second older brother (23 years old), I got some World Series memorabilia that I think he will like. Third is my older sister (21, 22 in January), and I ordered her her first pair of TOMs shoes. I have two pairs and she loves to steal them, but she has rent to pay, so shoes are not on her shopping list, so I am glad to buy her a pair of those… especially since the pair I got her have a small mustache on them because we love to say “I mustache you a question, but I shall shave it for later” or “I mustache you a question, but eyebrows Goggle for the answer.” Last year in my ceramics class, I made her a mug that had a mustache on it so that when she drinks out of it it looks like she has one. We are pretty odd at times, but I love it!

So that leaves my Dad. He is the most difficult person to shop for because he never wants anything… except “4 good children” I told him that was a success in 1992 when I was born, and he needs to get a new idea, but he never wants us to buy him anything!

So I have him and my brother to shop for… worse comes to worst, I get them both gift cards to Home Depot or something manly like that.

Moral of this story: Christmas is about the giving, not the receiving, and I am very glad that I have the opportunity to give this year! My family also adopted a family this year, I always love giving to those who need it most this time of year. I thought that going into college I would have less money to spend on Christmas gifts, but I got lucky a new frozen yogurt shop, Orange Leaf, opened right up the street from campus. I am looking forward to the month long break Fontbonne gives us; it is a well deserved break and will make me very excited to return for the second semester!

Good luck to everyone on finals, and I hope everyone’s Christmas is as good as mine is shaping up to be!

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. There are just so many things I love about Christmas time. When I was younger it was that anticipation for getting Christmas gifts, but as I got older the reasons why I loved Christmas changed. I love going shopping for Christmas gifts for people and trying to find the perfect gift for my friends and family, I love making Christmas Cookies, biscotti and bread with my mom and older sister. And I love watching my favorite Christmas movie, A Christmas Carol with my family.

So with final exams coming up I know I need to stay focused so I can enjoy winter break knowing I tried my best on all my exams. Good luck everyone on your exams and have a wonder break!

It’s hard to believe that this semester is all but over.  It seems like just yesterday that I was trading in my sunblock and swimsuit for a monstrous organic chemistry book.  But here we are, at the gateway to Christmas break.

Yesterday, I was talking about the semester with my friend and fellow blogger, Carly.  We agreed that this semester has definitely changed us.  This semester has challenged us in ways that we never saw coming.  As for me personally, I definitely learned a lot more about my personal strengths and weaknesses, and I think I definitely realized what my true passions in biology are.

Even though this week has been stressful with lab practicals and classes winding down, I still have a lot to look forward to.  Tonight, I’m going skating at Steinberg in Forest Park with Fontbonne, which should be hilarious because I haven’t ice skated since I was in the second grade with Girl Scouts.  And tomorrow, I’m going to see Mustard Seed Theatre’s production of “Godspell” with two of my closest friends.  Next week is CAB’s scooter races event and the biology department’s Christmas party. 

So as the semester winds down, it’s time to wrap up all of the projects and studies that I still need to complete.  Which reminds me, I also need to wrap up some Christmas presents that I have yet to buy…just go ahead and add that to my to-do list. 

I’ve just finished my second of four exams, and I’m exhausted! Fortunately, I can use this weekend to study for the other two: Computer Science and Psychology of the Exceptional Child. No rest for the weary, right?

Even though I’ll be glad to have my finals over with, I think I’m going to miss this past semester. It was only my first at Fontbonne, but I managed to get some great teachers and classmates that I became friends with. Here’s one of the good things about being at a small school, though – I’m sure I’ll run into these people around campus even after we’re not in class together anymore!

Actually, now that I think about it, I didn’t meet many of my friends from being in classes with them. When I was in high school, I’d heard that most of the time in college, you don’t make many friends in your classes, and this blew my mind! Now that I’m here, though, I realize it’s partially true: I’ve made most of my friends from being in the choir, going to Salsa Night and the Toga Rave, hanging out in the dorms, writing for the Fontbanner, and just by talking to random people in the hallways!
However, I think the “college experience” at Fontbonne is a little different – that is, because class sizes are often under 20 people, you get to know your classmates and make friends in your classes. There are “inside jokes” that only students in a particular section of a class share with the teacher, and even though I might not want to go and do work in the class, class discussions or smalltalk are always make it worth my while!

Now that I’ve talked up how much I loooove school, I guess I should get back to my studies and make sure I pass my exams!

Here’s what’s keeping me going:  At 4 p.m. on Monday, I’M FREE!

Christmas Break, here I come!

Well, it feels good to be back in the dorms after a much-needed break. But now there are only two weeks left until I’m back at home again. Only two weeks? What is going on? These next two weeks are full of papers due, projects due, and of course finals. It is a super stressful time, and I will definitely be thankful for it to be over. Not that I didn’t love my classes this semester! Then I will be going home for a month or so. I don’t mind the break at all, but living on campus you see all your friends every day. When Christmas break comes around it’s almost sad to be leaving, knowing you won’t see your friends. But I will be glad to see my family, and be back in my home town.