Not really, but today is St. Patrick’s Day and I’m in New York visiting my wonderful fiancé. 

Chuck took me to see the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which ended up being super long (we’re talkin’ over 5 hours, people). Luckily, we decided to leave after a few hours to get lunch and walk around the city. 

FAO Schwarz was really cool.

I would love to live here some day. (NYC, not a toy store)

This semester, I decided to take Ballet 1 as an elective. Keep in mind, I haven’t danced since I was abou 8, so this could have been catastrophic. 

Luckily, it wasn’t. Not only is ballet an awesome workout, but it’s super fun. It also helps that I’m not terrible at it. 

Maybe I’ll take Ballet 2 next semester. 

This semester, I’m enrolled in an awesome class called “Advanced Writing.” It’s taught by John Miller of the National Review 

We submit essays to John and our classmates every Tuesday, revise each other’s work, and go over the revisions on Thursday. 

Here’s a fun article I wrote for the class and ended up submitting to the Hillsdale Collegian. It’s not too bad for my first published piece!

http://www.hillsdalecollegian.com/2012/03/bowties-beacons-of-hope-to-single-women/

I LOVE hockey. My brother used to play, and my family goes to minor league games all the time. I’ve always always always wanted to see the Red Wings play in Detroit, but never actually had the chance. 

This semester, the Student Activities Office at Hillsdale College sponsored a trip to The Joe— the tickets were only $20 and the seats weren’t bad. 

Of course, I went.

But, going isn’t enough— I wanted to get on the Jumbotron as much as possible. How would I do this? I would get my Pi Phi sisters to make t-shirts and signs with me and we’d all dance around like the drunken couple three rows over. 

It worked. Unfortunately, our seats were too far back for the cameras to show us as much as we deserved, but we made it once (which was more than anyone else in our area). 

My dream wasn’t the only one realized that night. My little (the cute one on the left of the picture, above) saw her first ever hockey fight. It was magical, and her face looked like a child’s on Christmas morning. 

Oh yea, and the Wings won. Duh.

Check out our story in the Hillsdale Collegian!

http://www.hillsdalecollegian.com/2012/02/from-central-hall-to-apple-orchards/

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Today was the last day of Chuck’s week-long visit. The CCA is over and he’s off to Naples, FL to photograph a FEE event. 

I am definitely going to miss my helper.

Fortunately, I have so many wonderful friends in Hillsdale that the next year shouldn’t be so bad. 

Last year, I was fortunate enough to land a job working for Dr. Tim Caspar in the CCA Office of Hillsdale College. The CCA (Center for Constructive Alternatives) is a lecture series put on by the college twice per semester. The topics range from Reagan to Science Fiction Films and the speakers are just as diverse. Through the CCA I have met both Peter Bogdanovich and Steve Forbes. 

Most students think that we student assistants are only responsible for passing around the microphones and preventing college donors from monopolizing the Q&A period, but we do much, much more. 

We coordinate guest meals; oversee the registration desk; select and supervise introducers, invocators, and attendance-takers; ensure that the needs of visiting speakers and college donors are met; and serve as an intermediary between at least 5 Hillsdale College offices. And that’s not including all of the prep work! I could seriously go on forever. 

It’s challenging (and sometimes pretty stressful) but, in all honesty, I LOVE this job.

Also, check out this “Behind the Scenes” piece from the Collegian.

Chuck is in town, this week, to fulfill his final credit before becoming an official Hillsdale College graduate. We decided to spend the day in Ann Arbor and have lunch at Zingerman’s Deli to celebrate. 

This is a #63: Abra’s Nutty Yard Bird
Chicken salad (chunks of hand-cut Amish chicken, mayo, onion, celery) & sunflower sprouts on toasted pecan raisin bread 

I have a headache from the bread, but it was totally worth it!

Since starting the Primal Diet, I have been in constant search of primal snacks that are easy (and cheap!) to make, filling, and tasty. These smoothies are the perfect solution. Just throw the following ingredients into a blender:

1 Banana
Strawberries
Pineapple
Vanilla Yogurt

I make these all the time, now. Bon appetit!

Occasionally, I babysit Dr. Kiledal’s 5-year-old son, Henrik. Dr. Kiledal is a speech professor at Hillsdale College. 

Today, we made Valentine’s Day placemats for each member of his family. Henrik had a lot of fun, and his mom was happy to see him practicing writing and cutting. 

Each placemat has a family member’s name, paper hearts, and heart stamps. When he was finished decorating, he sprinkled crayon pieces on top and laminated each placemat. The heat from the laminator melted the crayon pieces and left fun (Valentine’s-colored) designs.