April

You guys! It is April already!

This month looks jam packed!

I am currently home in Green Bay for Easter. I head back to Saint Paul Monday. I am already quite excited to head back. I cannot wait to move there in August!

Anywho, here's what is in store for the month!

April 11th I will be interviewing for the Education Program at Concordia. I am beyond nervous for this-it decides my future. What could be more nerve-wracking than that? I have yet to find out about what time I will be doing the interview process, but I am eagerly awaiting the email that will tell me my fate.
April 17th & 18th I am babysitting my cousins overnight. I am super excited about this! My aunt and uncle proposed this idea when Trevor and I visited when we got back from Spring Break. I'm loving the idea of spending more time with my cousins, and I'm hoping we watch their favorite movie: The Sound of Music.
April 18th is Trevor's 21st birthday! We don't really have plans figured out yet-but I'm hoping we celebrate at a restaurant so I can be a part of the festivities as well. I'm still in the process of buying his gift-he's so picky!

In addition to the above dates, Trevor and I need to tour apartments and find one we will be living in next year. Trevor will also be shooting for a new client, and I may be second shooting with him.

April will certainly be a busy month, but I'm excited for the adventures it will hold! I think it will be a fantastic time of preparation for the wedding as well.

Witness

With my education program interview on the horizon, I have been doing a lot of thinking.

In my Our Living Faith class, my professor has been stressing that we don't have to scream doctrine at people. We are better witnesses by our actions and showing others love.
I think this is one of the best things I have learned from this course.

Currently, it seems shoved in my face that I need to know everything about Lutheranism. It's kind of freaking me out honestly. It's a rather complex denomination and my exit interview at the end of my student teaching already seems to be looming over me. I fear that I will not get my Lutheran Classroom certification because of not knowing doctrine well enough.

So then why does one of my professors bother making the above point if it's contradictory to what the school seems to tell us?

Because it's the truth.

This article really made me realize it too: Jesus Didn't Care about Correct Doctrine, and Neither Should We

I am a proud Lutheran. I wholeheartedly believe every ounce of my church's doctrine. However, the doctrine was interpreted by man. So I do not doubt that there may be errors in it. I'm not blindly learning this stuff in my theology courses, I am questioning it. I am trying to decipher it on my own. But while I still am making sense of it all, I know that regardless of what I deduct, I can still witness for Christ by reaching out to those who need a friend, just as Jesus did.

Interviewing

If you don't enjoy college-I feel sorry for you.
Well, that was a bit blunt. But honestly, college has held some of the best times of my life so far.

One huge milestone that will be coming up for me in college is my interview into the School of Education. By interviewing and getting accepted, I will be able to do my practicum and student teaching. Both of which are necessary to get my teaching license and to graduate.

I got the all important email today.

I emailed back promptly, saying that I will be interviewing this semester.

As much as it excited me as I emailed her back, it now terrifies me.

For one, I have not finished any required human relations reports. I have one in progress, but it has a bit to go.

Also, I am no where near done with my eFolio!

I have so much to do!

I voiced my concerns to Trevor.

He is such a blessing.

I love this guy.

To Do...Eventually?

Have I mentioned how much I hate growing up?!

I am so beyond stressed already this semester-it's crazy!

Last night my roomies (well the two that are also ED majors) and I are were discussing interviewing this semester to get into the ED program.
Scary,eh?
I still have one of my MTLE (Minnesota Teachers Licensure Examinations) tests to take {I signed up shortly after the discussion--FEBRUARY 10!}.
I have my entire efolio to do.
I have several letters of recommendation to have written.
I have two human relations papers to write for classes this semester.

That's just a little insight of what my "to-do list" looks like currently..
Maybe I should have bought that adorable Shit To Do book at Typo yesterday!

Lots of Thoughts

School always makes me look at things in a whole new way.
I guess I think about different things more philosophically perhaps.

Right now it feels like I have a lot thrown at me.
I want to be an adult. But at the same time, I wish being a little kid and being carefree.
Planning for the wedding has not been as tedious as it was earlier on while choosing date and location and whatnot.
Last night Trevor and I were grabbing sodas from the vending machine. He mentioned how the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra was starting their new set of symphonies they would be playing. He said that he would love to again. The Ordway is a beautiful place to listen to amazing, high class music. I said I would like that as well. Being at the Ordway and listening to such fine classical music really makes you feel like an adult. Not old, but sophisticated and like you have your lives together.
With everything Trevor and I are handling right now, I certainly do not feel like we have our lives together or figured out at all.
We don't have an apartment figured out for next year. We have no clue where we will live at all.
We have basically no furniture for next year. I am not staying with a twin bed for two people!
We are both still in school and neither of us have schedules figured out.
I will have the option to student teach wherever I will like, so potentially out of state if Trevor and I would like to move from Saint Paul earlier than me graduating. That is something that will need to get decided on sooner rather than later for budget reasons.
We both are unsure of what our job situations will be like next semester. We only have one car so we will need to get new jobs closer to our nonexistent apartment.

It just feels like everything is compounding quickly.

Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited to get married to Trevor.
I do not want to push off the wedding or move in together before marriage or anything that may be suggested.
I am content with our decisions because I do feel they will be the best for us.

      | 196 days until we finally get married. |

Now to stop stressing and get some homework done!

Week One

Well the first week of second semester has come to an end.
Man did it ever drag!

I am taking six classes:
THL 270-Our Living Faith (m)
KHS 110- Dynamic Health and Human Movement (g)
BIO 100- Biology Today (g)
MUS 121- Listening to Life: Global and Popular Music (g)
ED 330- Human Diversity and Relations (M)
ECE 324- Language Development & Emergent Literacy (M)
    |m=minor|   |M=Major|   |g=gen ed|

I have a rather interesting mix of classes. Obviously I am still finishing up a few of my gen eds. I think next semester I will just have one and the rest will be for my major/minor!

Along with ED 330 and ECE 324 I am required to complete human relations hours. I need to do 15 hours for each class. ED 330 will have the focus of different cultural groups other than my own. ECE 324 will be focusing on English language learners. Some of these hours I will complete at work at PLUS Time, so I will not have to go out of my way for those. However, not all of my hours for all of my human relations reports can be done at the same location. I still have two more reports to do in addition to the two for these classes. One of the reports I have completed the hours for already.

It will certainly be a busy semester.

|In Wedding News|
Wedding plans had slowed down a bit last semester, but now they need to pick back up!
Exciting things to mark off the list: bridesmaids' dresses, officiant, possible catering services, ceremony musician, [invitations nearly finished, guest list almost completed]! Big things are happening! Only 198 days!

Books Blues

This semester I am taking 17 credits. The same as the past two semesters, so I'm not too concerned. However, this semester, 17 credits comes in the form of 6 classes and about 11 books.
Yes, 11 books.
How can I possibly afford 11 books?! 6 of them cost $420.
I don't think anyone should have to pay money for books for gen ed courses. I certainly don't want to be spending over $100 on a biology book.
I'm going to have to pick up a few extra hours at work to ever make back this money.
There goes anything nice for my wedding.

End of Classes

Today was the last of my classes for Fall Semester 2014!
I have exams starting Monday at 8 am. But nonetheless, I am done with all of the instructional material!
Now the fun part-studying.
Ugh.
Such a dread.

But the reward at the end will be worth it! I will be home from December 19th (late at night)-until December 29th! 10 whole days! I have not been home for that long since I left for school in August. It will be weird being home again though. I have become so accustomed to my Saint Paul ways after all.

Also if you haven't checked out my new photo website follow the link below!
www.elisebethannephotography.wordpress.com

Wednesday

Originally I was going to post this Wednesday--but I remembered (at the last second) that it was WISE WEDNESDAY.
Oof, that was close!

Anywho.
Wednesday I went to the studio with Trevor for a while. He's working hard on his junior project, which is due Monday. I actually quite enjoy going to the studio with him because I get to see him doing stuff he really loves. And his finished product always amazes me. I am so blessed to have such a talented man in my life.

Not only did Trevor get a lot of work done, so did I!

I finished the first version of my outline for my paper in Lutheran Confessional Writings. As much as I dislike that class, I don't mind this paper. However, a full sentence outline sucks-regardless of the topic. I'll take another look at it sometime soon. It's due Monday..

Alone

Well yesterday after classes began my Thanksgiving break. Crazy to think we have an entire week off!

During my week off my plans include:
-eating a lot of poptarts
-homework
-cleaning our apartment
-enjoying the peace and quiet of being alone
-snuggle with myself under my electric blanket

Trevor decided he wasn't going to go home for Thanksgiving, and we had already decided holidays were happening together this year. So that meant I was staying here during my week off. This is probably good, so I actually get my necessary homework done.
Today at work I brought my Ed Psych book and did homework during my hour off (I worked 12-3, 4-8). All my coworkers probably think I am a nerd now. Oh well. I have so much to catch up on and get ahead on..It's enough to drive me insane!

Cheaters Gonna Cheat

Nothing bothers me more than someone cheating on a test.
Part of the reason I want to become a teacher--to stop the cheaters in the world!! (JK. Not much cheating happens in Kindergarten)

I had an intro to psych test today.
The girl next to me sat with her phone on her lap and continuously was typing into it. She even put her test in her lap at one point and took a picture of it. WHAT?!
I understand being desperate if you don't study enough. My test I had on Friday was awful, but I knew I needed to suck it up and do my best, even if I could do better.

Some people are okay with cheating though. They are okay with being dishonest about their knowledge.
From a future-teacher's perspective, this is incredibly frustrating!
How do you know if you're teaching well if kids just copy answers? How do you know where the students are at? Assessment is necessary to gauge learning! Yes, it sucks. But it's needed!

Sorry, rant over.

The End is Near

I just looked at my calendar.
It freaked the hell out of me.
Only like a month left of this semester..only 3 weeks of actual classes.
I take my MTLE next Monday--I am terrified!

So much is coming up so quickly.
School + 2 jobs + wedding planning = STRESS!

At least Ana is coming to visit in a little over two weeks, that will be awesome to take my mind off of everything coming up!

Clean

I love clean and fresh spaces.
Especially spaces I live in.

However, that has been lacking of late--especially in my bedroom.
It's so hard to keep on top of cleaning tasks in addition to everything else I have on my plate.

But today, I cracked down and made myself get some cleaning in.
You can see my floor! You can look at my bed and not assume I just woke up!
Woohoo!

So that was my accomplishment of the day.
Cleaning has been happening.
Cleaning will need to continue to happen.

Now for more relevant things in my life--studying for tomorrow morning's test.

Flashback Friday

In my Educational Psychology class last week we discussed memory.
One portion that really stuck out to me was "episodic memory."

Episodic memory is long-term memory for information tied to a particular time and place, especially memory of the events in a person's life. They are often tied to emotional or dramatic events in one's life.

These are those moments that happen with "dejavu."
Those moments where you have a flashback of something that happened to you pop into your when in similar circumstances.

For instance, when I moved to Green Bay from La Crescent, I had an episodic memory occur of leaving my grade school in Good Thunder, MN to move to La Crescent.

It's absolutely amazing how the mind works and how complex it is! Don't we have such an awesome God to have created us with these wonderfully well equipped brains?!


*Also, I have blogged for two weeks straight now! Awesome--right?! Well, the blog reboot has just about come to a close, and I'll be blogging more regularly than I had been before. However, it won't be daily like it has the past two weeks. But Wise Wednesdays will be a weekly occurrence! Have any ideas or thoughts for me, let me know!*

Crazy Week

What an absolutely crazy week!

Monday was just a day filled with post-break hangover. Classes suck so much more after break.

Tuesday I ended up skipping my only class. We had a 20 page article we were supposed to read and take notes on, I had completely forgotten. 

Wednesday I had just an outrageously long day..but Trevor and I made some decisions on our wedding and stuff is finally getting done! We have a date picked, venue figured out, and a timeline for the day done! Now to send in the paperwork..
Thursday I did not have any classes, but started my first day at Noodles & Company. It is strange to be working with food somewhere other than Pizza Ranch. I can not really tell if I will really enjoy it or not, however everyone seems really nice there. That will certainly help.

Friday was a busy day. A test. A group discussion on a required reading. A quiz. A paper. Enough said.

Upcoming Excitement

I have so much to look forward to in these next few weeks!
October begins tomorrow, which is exciting in itself. I love October--there is beautiful leaves, brisk autumn air, and a reason to drink warm beverages. PLUS everything is pumpkin flavored!

Thursday (10/2), my history class will not be meeting. This is a common occurrence for this class on Thursdays, which means I often have no classes those days! Also! It's Packers v Vikings Game Day! I'll certainly be wearing my Rodgers jersey here!
Friday (10/3), Trevor and I will be setting out bright and early to return to Green Bay. We're photographing a wedding for two of our Pizza Ranch managers. We have to get there by noon, so that means I will be doing my hair at an ungodly time in the morning. Also, I don't know that I have heavy duty hairspray here, so hopefully my hair feels like holding a curl that day!
Saturday (10/4), I will hopefully be making the journey from Green Bay to Mequon! I really hope that I can use one of our cars and go see my friends at CUW. I miss them! It would be wonderful to be able to catch up with my ladies again.
Sunday (10/5), Trevor and I will be returning to Saint Paul. We will most likely be meeting up with my grandparents to give them their purchases from my sister's most recent fundraiser. It will be exciting to be able to see them again! And for my grandma to finally see my ring.

Wednesday (10/8), I will be missing my night class and driving with my roommate, Katrina, to Wausau. She's able to get me that far, and then my mom is picking me up! I am excited to be able to go home two weekends this month.
Thursday (10/9), I don't have much on my agenda for this day, but I will probably just relax and maybe have some wedding discussions with my mom. That evening I will be driving up to Sevastopol to watch my sister's volleyball game! Also, I will have Trevor's 70-200mm lens along, so I am going to try to take some pictures of her.
Friday (10/10), I'm hoping that I will be working this morning at Pizza Ranch. Since I'm home, I might as well take advantage of making money! Then that afternoon, I will most likely be taking the beautiful Maddie's photos and we'll be sure to grab some coffee to catch up over.
Saturday (10/11), I am doing a surprise photo session this day. SURPRISE! I'm so excited about it honestly. I probably shouldn't say more, or I'll give away the secret!
Sunday (10/12), I will make my way back to Wausau with my mom to meet up with Katrina to head to Saint Paul.

I have a lot coming up. An absolutely crazy amount honestly.

Life Sucks

Do you ever have those days where everything sucks?

You have to take a really hard test. And don't know how you did even though you put in hours of studying. Your fiance doesn't bother to ask how it went. You have a ton of notes to be submitted by the next day. You can't pass that one level on the new game you're addicted to. You woke up early because there was supposed to be a fire drill--and then it didn't happen. You still don't have a job to pay for college or a wedding or anything anymore. Your fiance has to be gone all weekend. Your roommates are gone all weekend so there is no one to hangout with. 

Why does life suck so much sometimes?

The Internet Blues

CSP has been having an onslaught of Internet issues.
The past two weeks have been filled with inconsistent ability to go online.
This obviously causes issues with being able to see and/or submit assignments. The procrastinators are dying especially slow deaths.
For me, however, I am just realizing how boring life must have been prior to the Internet's invention. I mean, I guess I could have spent my time reading a book or something, but instead I sorrowfully stared at my ceiling while laying in bed. Really productive, eh?
But now, I can get back to blogging hopefully consistently.

Trevor is finally back from Iowa!
He was gone for a whole week.
I have no idea how we went so long last year without seeing each other.
I am so glad we live in the same city this year..
If only he had been here last week, I could have done homework at his apartment where there is semi-decent Internet!

Day One: DONE

So, today was my first day of classes here at Concordia Saint Paul!
I was super nervous and woke up like three hours before my alarm was supposed to go off.
I think it will certainly be an interesting semester.
Today seemed to drag on forever.

Mondays and Wednesdays I have:
Lutheran Confessional Writings (THL 441) from 8-8:50
Educational Psychology (ED 336) from 9:15-10:05
Introduction to Psychology (PSY 101) from 11:35-12:40
then a bit of a break...
and finally...
Photography 1 (ART 241) from 6-9

Fridays are the same except I don't have Photography.

Tuesdays and Thursdays I only have:
Introduction to History (HIS 212) from 9:40-11:10


So like I said, it will be an interesting semester. Taking to psych classes is going to kick my butt. Especially because one has evaluative reading assignments at the end of each chapter and the other has a quiz every Friday. In addition to the combination of these two classes, I haven't taken to of the pre-reqs for THL 441, so I'm going to struggle a bit most likely. I've taken both OT and NT, which are half of the pre-reqs, but not Church History or Our Living Faith.
Oh boy, it's going to be a long semester.

Good thing I get to throw in the fun of wedding planning into the mix too!
Oh and I'm second shooting for a wedding in October and possibly shooting for something else in October too!

Time to go work out and hopefully some of this unnecessary stress floats away!


P.S.
If anyone wants to send me mail, here's my address!

Elisebeth Hovland
275 Syndicate St. North
St. Paul, MN 55104

Letters & Love are appreciated!