First week of classes!

I can't tell you how fast this summer flew by. But it's weird, because it seemed like the summer was going by at snails pace, except looking back, it flew. It's strange being on campus because working there all summer, it's been dead. Sometimes I felt like tumbleweed should blow through red square. Now, there are tons, tons, tons of people!

Last Monday and Tuesday my office had a tent in the Red Square Info Fair. We gave out goldfish (and other stuff too) as prizes. Getting the fish was actually kind of a funny story. First we called the locally owned pet store in town. They told us that every fish needed 10 gallons of water with air filtration so unless we had a 2000 gallon tank, they would not sell us 200 fish. Then we called petco and they told us that as long as the fish were being taken care of, they would sell them to us, no problem. Except when I called back and talked to a different guy, he told me that giving fish out as a prize was inhumane and I should call Petsmart. At that point, I was feeling rather rejected and shutdown. So when I called petsmart, I wasn't giving a lot of details. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi. I'd like to order some fish.
Him: Okay, what kind?
Me: goldfish.
Him: ......Okay?
Me: 250 of them, please.
Him: Yeah.......we have thousands of those, you don't have to order them.

It was awkward walking in and asking for 125 fish, two days in a row. My coworker, Jackie, and I got a lot of laughs out of it. Also, the fish were given to us in these tiny bags, which we also got a lot of laughs out of.

On Wednesday I started class! let me first tell you about the bus. I hate the bus. I hate it so much. On Tuesday night, I told my roommate, Caroline, that I didn't know how to ride the bus. I told her that I didn't know what to do if there wasn't a seat on the bus. She got up, put a hand on the wall, and did a half squat and said "like this!" Then she told me what to do if the bus stopped, which meant almost falling over, but then standing up really quickly to pretend like nothing happened. So when I got to the bus in the morning, it probably couldn't have gone worse. We were packed in there like sardines, and of course, I didn't get a seat. While almost falling over, I stepped on the guys foot behind me,  but luckily he just laughed at me.

The ride home was probably worse. I can't decide which part was the worst about that bus ride. The fact that once again, i didn't get a seat, the fact that I was so so motion sick from the way the bus driver was driving, or that fact that this girl got on the bus with two cages full of rats. yes, RATS. So gross! I still have yet to figure out how to know where a bus is going, where it's going to stop, where the next stop is, etc etc. I'm sure I will figure it out with time, as well as how to stand on the bus without falling over.


I really really like my Wednesday classes. My 9am journalism professor is a nut, which makes everything more interesting. (If either of the 2 of you that read my blog know George Rother, he's pretty much the younger version of him.) He makes weird comments about "butt clenching" and getting arrested, and he's not afraid to give us his biased opinion of how things are. He keeps things interesting. He also cancelled all of our Friday classes because we "are going to to have homework, so that will just cancel out Friday classes."

This quarter, I'm also taking a Communication Science Disorder class, which I think is going to be really interesting. On the first day, my professor had us go around the room and have some people say why they were taking the class. Since it's a large lecture, I of course did not talk. However, one girl wasn't afraid to say "When I graduate, I want to talk to animals, like whale and dolphins, and I thought that this class was probably the closest thing to that that's offered." I felt bad because I couldn't contain my laugh. But that's okay, because no one else could either, including the professor. Another thing that he had us do was write down an interesting fact about ourselves. On Friday he told us that he had to share the weirdest fact. One person wrote that they could say 'take your pants off' in 19 different languages. My professor's response was "that guy obviously gets around....... the world that is." he was also talking about going to his parents house and watching how they interact with each other, and it makes him go straight to the liquor cabinet.

First Day of School Picture!


On Thursday, the bus was not much better, still had to stand, but this time I didn't fall over. My only new class on Thursday was Greek, which is not really new at all, since I've taken it 3 times before.

It's crazy to think that I've been in Bellingham for a year already. I really do love it here! Things have changed so much from where I was a year ago. The friends I've made, the friends I've lost, the ways I've grown that I would have never expected. Through it all, I feel so blessed to have some of the most encouraging friends in the whole world, two amazing roommates, two of the best jobs in the world. I'm excited for this year and what it's going to bring!

You might think I'm dead, but I'm not.

Can you believe that it's already the end of the quarter? I can't, but I won't complain either. This is been THE worst quarter ever. ( I could write a whole blog on that.) I'm excited for summer, I'm excited to move out of the dorm, I'm excited for sunshine! Random quick things that are on my brain at the moment.

1. I booted myself off facebook and dragged my friend, Matt, along too. Facebook turned into the biggest distraction of all time, and lets be honest, all I was doing was creeping on people anyways.

2. I had a job interview today and I think it went really well. I'm supposed to find out by the end of the week. I'm nervous because I think I pretty much got offered another job too, and they're both really awesome jobs.

3. I went to a Mariners Game last week with the girls on my floor. The Mariners lost, shocking I know.

4. I'm moving out next week. I'm moving into a lovely house on Lake Whatcom, with a family in my church. On July 1st, I move into my new house!

5. My first final is Tuesday and I have one Wednesday and Thursday, too. Not excited.

I can't think of anything else, but I will be sure to update you if I think of something, because I can't tell facebook.

Never forget you are loved

http://www.king5.com/news/cities/bellingham/WWU-student-falls--147615715.html


On Monday I was in class when I got a text that every other student on campus got. "A student died on campus this morning after falling from Nash Hall." Nash Hall is where I live. My home. Someone in my home died. DIED. I can't really explain what went through my head, because it all happened so fast, but it included panic, confusion, crying, and anger.The text didn't say who it was. There was no information in the text. But I knew it was someone from my home.

I didn't like Nash when I got back from class. It was quiet, for the first time ever. It was dark and everyone was crying and hugging. Before long, we knew who it was. Tim Crossan. Tim, just 19 years old, lived just one floor above me on the third floor, and he moved in only three weeks ago. On Monday morning, he went to the seventh floor, onto the sundeck and took on the incredible task of climbing onto the roof. One newspaper described this as being like "climbing the Space Needle." He then jumped to his death, landing 8 stories down on the concrete tennis courts.

Tim moved in just three short weeks ago and I met him last Thursday. We had an awkward introduction. Little to my knowledge, he was on the phone when I introduced myself to him. He had to tell whoever he was on the phone with to hold on, so that we could have our conversation. Let me tell you. It was really awkward. Walking away, I knew it was something that we would look back on later and laugh about. I never expected that what happened would go on just a few days later.

Nash is a community. Sometimes I complain about it, but in the end, it's beautiful and I love it. Since Monday when I got back from class, Nash has been different than it ever was before. It's quiet. There's a difference in the building that I don't know that I can explain with words. On Monday afternoon, the building felt heavy with grief. So heavy in fact, that along with my 4 other best friends, Matt, Alexander, Maddi, and Caroline, we left the building. We went to the park so we could be silent, we could laugh, and hug, and be there for each other. I am so thankful for all of them and I love them lots.

Tim's death was a terrible thing. However, there have been so many incredible things that have come from it. Over 200 people came to the "community event" that happened in Nash on Monday Night. People did whatever they wanted. They sang if they wanted to sing, prayed if they wanted to prayed, were quiet if they wanted to be quiet, but we were all there together and all there for each other.

Another incredible thing. Tonight, there was a ceremony with Tim's family and then a candle light vigil. Tim's mom spoke at the ceremony. She volunteered to do so and I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. At the candle light vigil in Red Square, Tim's sister thanked everyone for coming and said "it meant everything to them."

The most beautiful thing. The support from campus has been incredible. I'm lucky enough to get to walk past this every day: 

Tonight, Nash is finally turning back to normal. It's not silent anymore, doors are slamming, and pretty soon the boys upstairs will be playing basketball indoors again. To be honest, I have no idea why everything happened on Monday. I don't know what Tim's thoughts were. I do know that there was a reason behind it, I know that we are SO much stronger because of it, I know that the The Nash community is better than it was before. I love the people that live here and honestly, I'll probably even miss it a little bit next year.

the best/worst of the week

The worst:
1. I lost my wallet
2. I called Fred Meyer to see if they found my wallet.
3. Fred Meyer didn't find my wallet.
4. I cancelled my debit/credit card.
5. I called Fred Meyer to see if they found my wallet.
6. Fred Meyer didn't find my wallet.
7. I ordered a new drivers license.
8. I called Fred Meyer to see if they found my wallet.
9. Fred Meyer didn't find my wallet
10. I bought a new student ID.
11. Fred Meyer found my wallet.
12. Today I was Easter dress shopping at Marshall's & I banged my head on the dressing room door and now have a giant goose egg on my eye :(

The Best:
1. I got a new car. I know I haven't driven it, but I already know I love it more than my current car.
2. I had a fun day with Seth.
3. I watched a lovely sunset yesterday!
4. I HAVE A HOUSE FOR NEXT YEAR WITH TWO OF MY LOVELIEST FRIENDS! :)
5. Yesterday for a little while, I was the only one in the office at work and all the supervisors were gone. I didn't know what to do, so I turned on Pandora, turned the volume up, and sang. I felt very rebellious.
6. My dad expressed mailed me money because of my wallet fiasco... he included a starbucks gift card. He knows me too well.

the last time I'll ever complain about English 101.

I just finished my final English 101 essay. (Although it was supposed to be 5-6 pages 12pt. font, mine was 8 pages, 11.5pt font) I am celebrating my essay being finished with a chocolate covered peanutbutter egg that my mom sent me in my finals week care package.

Being done with my essay means that you can analyze all my blogs now because I'm a really great writer since I've taken English 101. The class has mostly taught me about putting up with annoying people, laughing on the inside and not the outside, and to question what I believe since the class is teaching me the opposite of everything that I learned in 3 years of AP english in high school with a really good teacher.

On Friday in class we did course evaluations, and I wrote a book, it was so long. I was in the middle of making a Venn Diagram comparing the class to kindergarten, but then the lady that was proctoring the evaluations was leaving, so I didn't get to finish :(

Along with my  paper being due tomorrow, I have two finals. Needless to say, I can't wait for tomorrow to be over. My next final is the dreaded math final, but isn't until Thursday(thank goodness.) I have to work Friday morning, and them I'm OLY bound!!!


Lastlyyyy. Yesterday, I test drove a car for a first time! So scary. Because of the test drive, I now hate my car.


I'm off to study environmental sciences and then a greek study session. (yay.)

Exciting things.

Today in Environmental Sciences, the most boring class ever, the most exciting thing all quarter happened. This girl got up to go to the bathroom, and a minute later her computer started talking. It sounded like a baseball game or something and it was really loud. Loud enough for all 450 of us to hear, and for the professor  to stop. Luckily, my professor is really nice and he stopped it. But when the girl came back, everyone looked at her and was laughing. Not at her. But it was funny because she had no idea what happened. My professor tried to ignore it, but then he started laughing too. He told her what happened and she took it like a champ.

Today, I was getting gas, then i drove through the Haggen Parking lot because it's an easier intersection to cross. But then I saw a car get stolen! Some guys tried to catch the thief before he got away, but then he almost ran some people over and he drove up the curb, and he was out of there. If I were going to steal a car, which I never would, I would steal this car.

Not this car.

Also, while I was looking up "world's most expensive car" and "worlds crappiest car" google suggested "World's biggest dog." and "World's most expensive dog."

World's biggest dog:

 World's most expensive dog:

 This was under "world's most expensive dog." That is not a dog.

 And while we're at it: World's ugliest dog.

ice skating and ice cream.

I haven't blogged in forever. I should probably be fired now.


On Friday I got sushi and then went iceskating with my five best friends, plus Seth. Sushi was at a sushi go 'round. It was good except for when I grabbed this one because I was hungry and it was big and usually the big ones are the best. It came with three pieces. Seth and I both ate one and neither one of us liked it. As we were eating our first piece, someone looked up what it was. They said "Salmon Skin Roll" as I was swallowing. I wish I could accurately describe the taste to you.... but I can't. Crunchy fish, is the closest I cam come. Seth was a trooper and ate the last one for me.

After sushi, all of us went iceskating. I only fell twice, which is almost a record. There were SO many middle school kids there. Like everyone except for us. First, I felt like I was at a birthday party. Then, I felt creepy. They were all screaming, all awkward but thought they were super cool, and most had Monster energy drinks, which was rather frightening. It was obvious which ones were dating becuase they were the ones that were holding hands. The worst part was was when I had the realization that I was one of them once. If I ever have a middle schooler, I will probably not let them out of the house between the ages of 11-14. Or maybe I will hire someone to take them away for awhile while during those years. And if all of that fails, I could send them away to a boarding school on another continent.

After ice skating, we all played Pictionary. Seth and I kicked booty.

Yesterday, I went to dinner with some lovely ladies from high school. We went to a restaurant downtown and ate giant burritos. Then we all got ice cream and ate a lot of it while watching Wedding Crashers and SNL.

This morning I went to church and taught Children's Church. Seth and I tried to teach them a lesson, but they couldn't even remember our names after we told them 15 times, so I don't think they'll remember much. Oh well.

Also, today Seth and I are celebrating 365(or is it 366 because of leap year?) days of being together. A year ago, we ate octopus tentacles for dinner. He's kind, patient, and I like him a whole lot.

Sooo blessed.

Yesterday was Valentines Day. Seth asked me to be his Valentine, but he almost forgot.... I actually had to remind him. We went to Haggen together and I was lucky enough to pick out my flowers. But after that, he told me I had to go away, so that I would be surprised. He did get me the loveliest flowers in the whole store though. They are in my super class Starbucks Cup Vase.

We also had sushi for dinner together and then bonded over The Office. Then, I stayed up until three talking to one of my friends and doing homework. A poor choice, seeing as I had class at 9 this morning.

Today was even better than yesterday. I got a job! I applied for the job over a month ago. I turned my application in 2 hours before the deadline after it sat on my desk for a month, had an interview over 3 weeks ago, and was pretty positive I didn't get the job. I don't know what I'm doing because I threw the job description away when I decided I wasn't getting the job. I will get back to you on that one....
Location wise, it couldn't be any more perfect.

My dorm is the building with the green roof on the left, and the Alumni House is the house directly to the right.

Also today, I ate gelato with Seth and he watched MTV's "Friend Zone" for 2.5 Hours. (Don't tell him I told.) I was on the computer the whole time.

We decided this is what our relationship looks like when we're together. Half the time he's doing one thing, while I'm doing another. I'm sorta kidding, but not really.


 I got a new fish because Stupid Calvin only lived to be 12 days old before he decided to poop out and die on me. My goal is to make this fish live 13 days. Also, I'm not giving him a name until the 13 days are up. Mostly because I don't know what to name him. Also because I got too attached to Calvin in 12 days and my heart is still a little broken. ;)
Already fish #2 is wayyyyy cooler than Calvin. Fish #2 shows me that he appreciates me by eating when I feed him, unlike emaciated Calvin!

Tonight is study night. I have a test in Environmental Studies tomorrow and I wouldn't exactly call myself Environmental Extraordinaire.

 Alsoooooooooo. I'm really excited because I'm going home this weekend! :) Also Also, Blogger still won't let me rotate my pictures. Even when I rotate them and save them rotated, they come up sideways. So you can look at my sideways pictures. ORRRR you could teach me how to rotate them.  ;)

Anyways, I'm off :)

The Harvest of Fear

In my Environmental Studies class we are watching the longest most boring movie ever.

The movie is packed full of men with bad haircuts and early 90's huge glasses.

If that doesn't sound bad enough, it's from NOVA and Frontline.

I should of known that it was bad when my professor left as soon as he started the movie.

Watching this is kind of like torture.

I give the movie .5/5 stars, only because I laughed a little when one guy with a big mustache and bad mullet said "What the males prefer is big females." (talking about fish, obviously.)

Bellingham is beautiful

The other day I found a secret spot in Bellingham with my two lovely friends, Lauren and Maddi. It's on this beautiful road called Chuckanut drive and it's a really windy road on a side of the Chuckanut Fault that's right next to the water. (I can tell you all about the Chuckanut Fault, thanks to my Geology class last quarter.) We found a spot on the side of the road to watch the sunset. At first, it doesn't look like much, just a little pull out on the side of the road. But there's a little trail and you walk, not very far, and you're on the edge of a cliff, looking over the water and trees and the train tracks are right below. It's really one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Today I took Seth there. At first he was doubting me when I parked the car where I did, since it didn't look like much. But in the end, he was impressed. The little known spot is my new favorite part of Bellingham.

for the life of me, it won't let me rotate this picture. So you can look at us upside down :)

Three Things.

1. This morning I was telling my roommate, Aki, about my weird dream. In my dream, I was with Seth, I overheard my mom was convincing Seth to break up with me. Then, Seth and I were in my mom's room. We looked out the window and there was a Native American Potlach going on outside that we were trying to hide from.

I was telling Aki about this and she looked at me and said "Sierra, that's what I wrote my paper about last night." (The second part of the dream, obviously.) She never told me about the dream, I didn't look at her paper. It's safe to say that we were both significantly creeped out.

2. This morning I was out of coffee creamer. I drank my coffee black and I feel like a grown up.

3. My best friend is coming to visit me today and I am SO excited! :)

Also, I know today is going to be a good day. I have a math test in half an hour AND I get to go to English today! YAY! My instructor told us the last time we had class that her director is coming to view the class today, so my instructor asked us to do things that make her look good. At least she's honest, right?

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

This week was a roller coaster

This week was definitely the most crazy stressful of the quarter, so far. It clearly had its ups and downs!

1. It took 6 hours to get back to Bellingham on Sunday.
Two Thursdays ago, I was on my way to my home group, stopped at the grocery store and realized I had a flat tire. Thank goodness for a friend from my church, Art, who rescued me not once, but the next day too, when I was on my way to discount tire and my spare tire was flat. I ended up having to buy a new tire. Well, last weekend, Seth and I went home. We left early to come back, Sunday morning, because we wanted to go to our church in Bellingham. Luckily Seth was driving, because we were on the freeway and a different tire blew out. (I probably would have swerved, let go of the steering wheel, then screamed.) Fortunately, we were right next to the South Center exit, and there was a Costco right there. We waited for over an hour for Costco to open, and they told us they didn't have the right tire, but I could go to a place right around the corner that had been open for two hours. Oh well. We ended up getting a new tire. (at this rate, within the next two weeks, I'll have 4 brand new (all different) tires. Also, Seth pointed out that we can look forward to the idea that it will never take that long to get back again.


2. I had two tests this week.
I did okay on my environmental science test. Math however.... well there were five problems and I know i totally messed two of them up, and biffed half of a third. My prof seems to be Pitty Point Happy. (Which I totally love.) Every Friday we have quizzes. Last Friday I thought I completely failed and got something like (4/15) but I actually got (14/15) So maybe there's hope!


3. Along with Friday's math test, I also had a big essay due.
The essay wasn't as big of a deal, but combined with the math test, it's safe to say that Thursday wasn't my favorite night. (Especially because the office never came on!) Maybe by the end of the quarter, I'm going to have written so many essays, that you will see a definite improvement in my blogging. I doubt that's true though. In my English class, we read essays that look like my blog, and then we analyze what the author means by them. Some people really don't understand. Really simple things cause a lot of problems. (like figuring out how to get a document from your laptop to the school computers.) A few people in the class seem to have something against email, but there are plenty of other ways to get the job done. NOT THAT DIFFICULT!


4. I broke another mug.
Not that long ago, My brother sent me a bunch of mugs. This is not the first one that he gave me that I've broken. Sorry Jeffrey. No joke, this is atleast the 8th once since I got to Bellingham in September

Enough of the bad things!
1. I had a job interview!
I think it went really well. It's with the Alumni Association and is literally right across the street from my dorm. It was be perfect! But I also know that they're interviewing a ton of people. Keeping my fingers crossed! I've been applying for jobs galore.

2. I stopped eating gluten.
My dad found out over a year ago that gluten was causing him problems, suggested that I should stop eating it, and haven't religiously done it until now. This is actually quite a difficult task, with the quality/selection of the dining hall food at Western. On Thursday, I ate a little bit ( a lot) of gluten to see what would happen, after I hadn't had any for a couple of days. I had a headache within a half hour, turned into a total meany to everyone around me, and my stomach said "Sierra, you suck, I'm mad at you." My new diet: Salad and french fries.


3. Friday, Seth and I went to Whatcom Falls.
 Neither one of us had ever been before, But it was really fun! We stood on the edge of a waterfall for the first time and fought each other with sticks. (That was only fun until i got hit in the booty and then I was mad.)

3. I went to the tattoo parlor!
This morning, you may have noticed my check in at "chameleon tattoo and piercing" on facebook. Don't worry, no tattoos this time :( Caroline, one of my favorite lovelies on my floor, and I got our ears pierced this morning. Caroline wasn't sure if she wanted me to put our picture on my blog or not, so lets hope her parents aren't reading this! My parents are also finding out for the first time :)

This is about to be monumental.

I am about to finish my first paper of college. How I made it through a quarter and some without having to write one yet? I don't know. Luck.

I haven't been blogging.

Because I haven't been blogging, here are two logical conclusions that one could draw.I'm not saying either are correct. 

1. I haven't been doing my homework. 

I only blog when I should be studying/doing homework.

2. I've been doing my homework

Because I've been doing my homework, I haven't been blogging.

Which do you believe to be true?

In other news: I went on the best walk ever through the Arboretum today. The woods were filled with snow and it was lovely. At the top, there was a look out tower that looked over all of snowy Bellingham/Bellingham Bay.

RIP Calvin 12/26/11-1/7/12

Yesterday my fish, Calvin was found dead by my roommate, Aki. He must have died sometime between Friday and Saturday. Calvin was only twelve days old, was way too young to die, but truly lived an incredible life. In Calvin's twelve days, he moved three times! He moved from the pet store to my house in Olympia, to Bellingham, where he resided in the window sill underneath a purple lamp shade. Calvin left behind two lonely roommates. Since Petco didn't want him back without a reciept, a funeral service was held for him in the second floor bathroom, where we flushed him down the toilet. Calvin was a good fish.

First Day of Winter Quarter: Complete!

Waking up at 8AM makes one very productive! I was also done with class by 11. Last Quarter, I didn't even start until 11:30, except for Thursday which was 2.

Highlights of today:

1. My math professor is Tom St. Clair's offspring, I'm convinced.
 I couldn't look at him because just his face took me back to Freshman year biology. The only differences? He has bleached tips. 1999 much? His facial expressions, the stuff he said? Tom St. Clair! He was even wearing an iron man shirt in class today. My prof swore a whole lot and he made me laugh a lot, and I learned more today than I did all of last quarter in math, even though what we learned today, I learned last year. Weird.

2. I am 1 of 450 in my Environmental Studies Class.
Also very weird and for some reason a bit frightening. It's the biggest class taught on campus. My professor told us that the class would never be that full again until our Final. He looks like Harrison Ford. He started out by talking about himself, then told us that we were going to go around the room and tell everyone our name, what year we were, where we were from, and our major. I'm not sure what I was dreading more. Having to talk in front of 450 people or having to listen to 450 people.

3. I went to the gym today to go climbing
I did terrible. Not working out for three weeks takes a toll!

A month worth of blog wrapped up into one.

So I haven't blogged in a whole month. Shame on me, shame on me times a thousand. The last time I blogged I'm sure I was complaining about my geology final. Guess what! Quarter's over, no more geology! Tomorrow, Winter Quarter starts. I'm taking Math, Greek, Environmental Sciences, and English. I'm really excited about all of my classes. I studied up, and all of my professors have very good reviews! So here goes the last month that I've neglected to update you on!

1. I survived my first quarter of college and passed all my classes!
2. I've taken up rock climbing and I love love love it!
3. I'm a mom! (to a betta fish named Calvin)
4. My Christmas was really low key and lovely. I got to spend it with all of my favorite people. I spent the morning with my mom and brother, the afternoon with my dad and brother, and after that I spent the evening with Seth's family. I'm glad Jesus was born so I could have such a fantastic day!
5. Over break, I faced my fear of seals at the Seattle Aquarium and it was so cool! (not the seals, but the rest)
6. My favorite Christmas Break Activity was Zoolights with Seth and two of our friends, Bryce and Marissa. It was really great to catch up with them and Zoolights will never get old!

I have class at 9am tomorrow! If I complain, I will sound like a bum, which would be terrible. But I really did love not having class until 11:30 everyday. Time to put on my big girl pants! It's going to be a good quarter :)