Western Seminary? Where's That?

The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. As usual, the snooze button was pushed twice, but I didn't notice until the digital numbers read 6:18. I crawled out of bed and prepared for the day. When I walked out to my car, the darkness was barely dissipating as I got in my truck and began my journey.
My first claim is that the directions were wrong. That's all there is to it. They were wrong.
The directions told me to get on I-84 from the I-5. However, the exit to The Dalles told me to get on the 84 from the 205. So, naturally that's what I did. I obediently hopped on the I-84 east and began counting the streets until 58, realizing that the exits were rising numerically instead of declining. I exited the freeway and turned around. Going west now, I discovered that there was no exit onto 58th street! "They must mean 52nd Street," I reasoned. I found 60th (the next turning point) from 52nd and followed it to Hawthorne. The directions said, "Turn left onto Hawthorne." That would've led me over a curb, through a chain link fence, and across the very well kept lawn of Warner Pacific University. So, I opted to turn right instead. Hawthorne Avenue is a residential street set deep inside a residential area. There was no Western Seminary to be found.
I didn't know that Warner Pacific University was Warner Pacific University from the lawn and fence surrounding it, so, thinking that it could be Western Seminary I continued down 60th until I found an entrance...which of course had a large sign declaring the name Warner Pacific University to all passers-by. I went a little further, but it wasn't promising.
I then back-tracked, looking for the correct Hawthorne Avenue, or perhaps another 60th street to no avail. I got back on the 84 east, convinced that therein lay my solution, until I came to a sign saying ENTERING GRESHAM. "That's not right," I said to myself." I got off the freeway, found a parking lot, and pulled out the trusty map. I then discovered that one really could get to the 84 from the 5 without exiting onto the 205 and then the 84. One just had to go further north. Oops. I now knew my mistake.
I got back on the 84 - west and went as far as I could. When I reached the 5 I got off the 84 west and on the 84 east - now driving exactly according to the directions. Strangely there's an exit for 58th street driving east from the 5, but not driving west from the 205. Relieved and also a little annoyed because I was now an hour and a half late to the conference, I exited on 58th street and correctly followed the directions onto 60th...but...wait a minute! I've been here before! I drove a ways down 60th, just to be sure. Yep. Definitely been here before. I was done. Never mind about the $55 I spent to register and the gas that it took to get there and be lost for almost two hours! I was done.
I got back on the freeway and headed toward McMinnville, while in the process of calling Grandma Bonnie to see if I could invite myself over. I just didn't feel like going back to school. Besides, the day was still young (I was already ready for lunch by this time. My 6:30 breakfast had worn off). Kindly, Grandma Bonnie let me come over, she even let me go to lunch with her and her friend. Then we went back to her house and watched t.v. for the rest of the day and I got to lay on her couch and almost take a nap (I don't really take naps). I didn't have any homework with me because..hehe... I was expecting to be sitting in seminars for the entire day. So, what else could I do?
The excitement wasn't over, though. Alysun called me and asked if I could babysit that night. Sure! So, after a delightful breakfast-for-dinner made by Grandma Bonnie, I headed over to Alysun's to watch the girls. Mandy practically begged me to go to bed and Emma wanted me to sleep with her and so wanted to go to bed early too. We went into Emma's room, laid down on the bed with the light off and pretended to sleep. Then we whispered played silly games like peek-a-boo. Then Emma read me a couple of books. By that time it was bedtime, so I said good night and that I'd just have to come over again and actually spend the night.
Sometime after I got back to school, I turned on a movie and only watched an hour of it before I decided that it was too late to stay awake anymore. Finally, at 2:00 I turned off my light.
Everything that happened yesterday was completely unexpected, but very fun and exactly what I needed.

*There is a slight chance - considering my track record - that I read the directions wrong and Western Seminary is exactly where they said it was. But, I mapquested the directions just now and the ones that the seminary people gave me left out a couple of streets. Oops.

"Exciting" Story of the Week #2

Wednesdays have become "Coffee Shop Day." My roommate and I, as well as a couple of friends, love coffee. There are so many coffee joints in Salem that we decided that we would try one each week and take our homework along to do something productive. After we've gone to a coffee shop we rate it. We rate it on quality, price, atmosphere, ability to focus on homework, cleanliness, and safety. Last week we went to the Ike Box on Court St. Yesterday we went to the Governor's Cup, also on Court St. We still haven't combined all of our ratings together yet, so I'll let you know what the overall total is. So far, the Gov. Cup is still my ultimate favorite.
If you haven't been to the Gov. Cup before, it's a delightful hole-in-the-wall coffee shop between the bus station and the mall. It's tiny, two stories, and always crowded with people. I'm not generally the type of person who enjoys crowds, but the Gov. Cup has seats all over that make it very easy to people watch, which I love to do. There are also outlets so that one can plug in a laptop and there is free wireless internet as well. The service is pretty good and the coffee is quite delicious.
On our way to the Gov. Cup we stopped at Great Harvest Bread Company. Did you know that they give you a good sized slice of bread to sample? I didn't! As a bread lover, it made me very happy. Of course, you should always buy something, right? Oops. So, next time you're in downtown Salem and you need a little nourishment, hit the Great Harvest Bread Company for a free sample and then continue on down the sidewalk to get a delicious pick me up from the Governor's Cup Coffee Shop.

"Exciting" Story of the Week #1

I've never been sick as often in my whole life as I have in the last six months. In fact, all three weeks of Christmas break I was sick three different times from three different things. I think I have it mostly figured out now, but it is frustrating. Stress combined with little sleep, an apparently sensitive stomach, and an influenza epidemic at school have all seemed to contribute to my ailments.
This weekend I spent holed up in my room. While it was relaxing and I accomplished a lot, I had cabin fever today. I wasn't feeling great, so I opted not to go to Dallas to the ranch. However, I wanted to get out of Balyo (my dorm). So, after classes and lunch my roommate and I went downtown. We walked around a little, and stopped in at the Book Bin - just to look. It was very nice (it would've been better if the sun were out, but no complaining), but hunger and lack of money soon drove us back to school. I wanted to shop so badly! I can't wait for my sister to come up so that we can shop together and I can spend the money that I have been "saving" for just such an occasion. Oh yeah, and to hang out. I guess that's an important aspect of her visit too.

Saturday

I suffer from the I-can't-sleep-in-past-ten-o'clock-even-when-I-stay-up-really-really-late-and-have-been-running-on-almost-no-sleep-all-week-syndrome. A couple times in my life I've made it to eleven o'clock, but even then I don't enjoy it. I hate losing half of my day lying in bed, especially when there are so much better things to do... like lounge in my big green chair in my sweat pants and read all day long (homework, though, it was homework).
My roommate had to work today, so I woke to an empty room. I made some blueberry pancakes and shared them with a hall mate. However, she had stuff to do and so did I. So, I went back in my room and shut the door. I read "Teaching to Save Lives" for one of my classes. I have a review on it due on Monday so I figured I should read it. I read most of it before making myself a toasted p,b&j. I watched the second episode of House M.D. and then read the rest of "Teaching to Save Lives." "The Isles: a History" was next on the agenda. I got about half of that done before baking a potato in the microwave and then heading off to the cafeteria to wash some dishes. Thankfully tonight was the winter formal, so there were hardly any dishes and we got out 45 minutes early.
A trip to the coffee shop was in due order. After which my roommate and I watch a movie made in the 1920s, "Modern Times." It was hilarious. I've never seen a "silent" movie before and was quite entertained.
Tomorrow's agenda: church, more reading (history books), college group, reading some more, and if my roommate is lucky, cleaning my side of the room.
Good night all. I hope you have a very delightful Sunday, and hopefully I'll have all sorts of exciting stories to tell you this week.

St. Patrick Green

I always thought that St. Patrick's Day, like Valentine's Day, was a little cheesy. I hated that everyone got to pinch you if you didn't wear green (people at my school definitely did pinch you if you weren't wearing green). The only good part was the candy or cupcakes that Mrs. Baker make. However, I've now decided that it is one of my favorite holidays because everything is green and green is my favorite color. Thus, my blog is now almost as green as it can go. I hope you don't mind because you're stuck with it for the month of March! Thank you, St. Patrick!

"In Christ Alone"

I expected a church service. I expected hymnals and a single organ accompaniment, perhaps a small choir in robes. I accepted my roommate's invitation to go to the hymn festival for lack of something else to do. I like hymns. I think they're a beautiful way to praise God when you think about the words and I prefer to sing them in church than the modern worship songs.
I was not prepared for the beautiful location of the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Salem. Nor was I expecting Corban's orchestra and full choir to perform a selection of beautiful hymns, accompanied by the church's organ and grand piano. Poetic hymns, put to the musical arrangements of the world's greatest composers filled the church with magnificent music. I don't sing well, but I appreciate well written and performed music. At times, I closed my eyes and let the music lift my soul to the heavens. The best part of the performance is that every note was played and sung to the glory of God. God's gift of music was given back to Him as the talented musicians performed exquisitely.

Update On...Me

Well, I'm not sure what to write about. I've been so busy, yet nothing has been exciting enough to blog about. Let me see...this morning a few friends and I went to IHOP for free pancakes. Did you know that today is national pancake day? Well, it is and so the beneficiaries are those who adore free food, and even more, free pancakes. (Does this sound familiar? Yeah, I like free breakfast anywhere!)
My camera battery died a couple of weeks ago and it makes me very sad. I took some pictures of something that I was going to blog about (and can't remember now) but was in the process of loading them onto my computer when the battery died, so you'll have to wait for those.
Oh yeah... the pictures from the last post were taken off my facebook page. Somewhere in the process something happened and I couldn't get them any bigger. If you really have a desire to see them (and I know you do) they're on my facebook.
Here's something interesting:
I went to urgent care last week for my hip. If you don't remember or have just started following my blog, I was thrown from a horse in November, decided not to go see the doctor, and so am still hurting. I decided that I was tired of not being able to run and, when my dad came he told me I'd have to go see Dr. So (the chiropractor) when I got home if it was still bothering me. I went to see the nurse, who told me to go to the urgent care in Salem. It is a rather scary place, especially when it gets dark. It's a thin, two story building with an echoing staircase that is perfect for any murder mystery. I didn't have an insurance card with me, so I had to call my mom and kept losing her, but at last I had the information that I needed. Once I was finally taken into the back it took about an hour to get everything taken care of. The nurse asked me questions, the doctor asked me questions and moved my leg around to see where it hurt, then I was taken into the x-ray room and discovered what that was like. Finally, three hours after arrival I left with ironic orders: my hip is sprained and I can't run 'til it is better (this sounds funny to me: my hip is sprained. Who sprains their hip?) So, no more running and I'll probably still have to see a chiropractor when I go home, but at least I went to the doctor.