Halloweenie

Halloween weekend was so much fun! Friday night there was a huge party at Planet Hollywood that I had been looking forward to for the past few weeks but I was still pretty sick so I decided just to stay in... We actually had a great time hanging at the dorms with just a bunch of random people and it was super fun! Saturday was a pretty lazy day just lounging around. We went spearfishing for a while but with no luck. Then we went out to Fab and then headed over to Ralphy's. We danced and had a great time at both places! I just so happened to meet a pretty cool dude at Ralphy's and we danced all night :) Sunday we went over to our twin friends' house Cathy and Tina who are Vietnamese. Their mom made us some delicious pho (a common Vietnamese soup). It was muy delicioso! Then last night I went on a date with said dude from Ralphy's! It was so much fun! He came and picked me up, we went to a movie, got ice cream, then we met up with my roommates at bar Casa to hear our friends' bands play. It was such a fun and great weekend!

Happy November!

owwww!

So I have been battling a cold for the last week or so and it's no bueno. Thennnn today I accidentally popped my ear drum! Dang it! I went to the doctor and she said there is a whole in it so she gave me some pain meds and I'm on my way! 90 bucks later that is.

Oh well.. Halloween parties are crazy this weekend and it should be a good time! I am going as catwoman to the Planet Hollywood party tomorrow night and as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to a party Sunday night. It should be a good time all around. I have just one class tomorrow so I am definitely looking forward to that!

TGIF everyone!

long time, no blog!

So I just realized I haven't blogged in a while... Let's see... Nothing too terribly new or exciting to write about, I guess... The second installment of my 40 page paper is due in two weeks ont the same day I need to give a presentation in my other sociology class about my findings in the research study I am doing. Neither of which are even close to being ready. Every time I even begin to get excited about how close I am to going home, I realize I still have a 40 page reseach paper to finish along with two other research papers and then I just get super overwhelmed... One step at a time, I suppose. I will begin my surveying research tomorrow afternoon for both of my sociology classes and hopefully all goes well. This weekend is Halloween which is going to be so fun! I was going to go as a mermaid but decided I would just end up looking like a white chick dressed up as a stereotypical islander and really didn't want the islanders here to hate me so I decided to go as cat woman! I can't wait! So I'm going to return the things I got for my mermaid costume and I conveniently already have everything I will need to be cat woman. Saved some money! We are going to Planet Hollywood for Halloween because a group on campus is puttin on a wicked party there... It should be pretty legit. My thoughts and prayers are with Tove and Adam this week as they prepare to move across the state to Pierre. I haven't talked to Tove in a while but I imagine she is probably freaking out. I am soooo proud of her! She is by far the greatest big sis in the world, and no, I am not sucking up because I know for a fact she doesn't read my blog :)) But really, I look up to her so much and I don't think she realizes how amazing she is and important she is in my life. My life would suck with out her :) I can just barely see the sunsetting over campus right now out of the window of the study room I am in. It's beautiful! Orange and yellow. Guam is so beautiful! I can't believe I've only got a month a half left in this wonderland! As anxious as I am to get home I know I will miss it here like CRAZY! I am also starting to get nervous about my transition back home. I know that sounds dumb but I am very nervous. People at school that haven't seen me since May have gotten used to me not being around for 7 months and I'm afraid how I will have to re-socialize myself back in... I just don't want to be annoying or a nuisance to anyone. But I am very very excited for a whole list of things when Iget there!!: a car, cell phone, FOOD, mom and dad, bros and sister, my bed, my shower, cereal, milk, mashed potatoes, mom's cooking, friends, my new house in Brookings, not having rats living in my ceiling, not sweating allll the time, and of course CHRISTMAS!!! There is lots more but that's all I can think of right now. I discovered this delicious new concoction of food that is super easy for my lunches and dinners. I make pasta noodles, steam some frozen veggies with garlic in it, load it all with pepper, and then mix it all together with marinara and alfredo sauce mixed. YUMMMM!! Delicious! Well, I better get going on some of those research papers.

Peace & Blessin's

Geography Field Trip

Soo this week has been really fun! Thursday Leah and I went to the beach with our friend Boe for a BBQ. It was pretty rainy but we still had fun! Then last night we ust stayed in and watched a movie. Today we woke up early and our professor picked us up at 7:30 am for our geography field trip. We went all around the island looking at different geological areas and discussing them. We even got to go into some pretty wicked caves! It was so much fun learning about so many different things on the island! Check out my facebook to see pictures of it.

Tonight, we are either going to stay in and watch Indiana Jones or we are going out. I can't decide if I want to go out yet. I am exhausted so maybe I should just stay in...Ah! I can't decide!!!

Well anyway, I need to put supper away. Goodnight all and happy weekend!

Geography

zzzZZZzzz...

So yesterday, Matt, Garrett, Will, Leah and myself went down to Ypao to check out the Micronesian Fair and get Will all registered and everything for his race this morning. Then last night I went out with a friend from the dorm (Joefis) and his cousin and her friends. What a riot! hit cousin, Kita, is such a sweetheart and I had so much fun with her! It was especially nice to go out with a different group of people just to get away for a while. I'm finding that being with my roommates and other exchange students 24/7 is making it hard to not get on each other's every last nerve. So that was a fun get away! We got home around 2:45 this morning which gave me just enough time to change, brush my teeth, and get on our way to take Will down to Ypao for his race. We left the dorms at 3:50 so I didn't get a wink of sleep last night (I know, totally my own fault). We cheered Will on has he took off for his race. There were tons of runners! He was competing in the half marathon. We then headed down to the beach, took a little snooze and watched the sunrise until it was about time for Will to be coming through the finish line. We cheered on every single runner until Will finally got there and then we hung out banner that we made for him out of cut apart and taped together grocery bags. It was so fun to see all of the runners working so hard and comleting such a monumental thing! Yay Them! Then we go home, I showered up, and Myg came and picked me up for church. I feel terrible because I had to concentrate so hard on staying awake I really didn't catch what was happening in mass. Then I took a solid 5 bour nap which might not be such a good idea when tonight rolls around and I can't get any sleep but ya win some ya lose some :).

And now... It's homework time! I can't believe how fast the weeks go here and how much faster the weeks fly by!

I hope you had a great weekend!

Federated States of Micronesia

Today, instead of hiking to Sigua Falls because we couldn't find a ride, we went with Garret and Matt and Will to Ypao for the Micronesia Festival. There were tents with people, souveniers, jewelry from all of the islands of the Federated States of Micronesia: Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae and also the Mariana Islands: Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. It was way fun! I spent maybe 10 bucks and got almost all of my Christmas shopping done..It was really fun and we learned even more about their cultures. What a great day! There were also dancers there doing traditional dance and such. It was so much fun and it was such a beautiful day!

Biba Guam!

Friday!

So Friday is finally here and I don't have much to blog about! Pretty uneventful week... I had a couple of intense tests and I am so glad they are out of the way! Party time! :) Mom and dad mailed me the card game Munchkin so I'll probably play that tonight..maybe go out, we'll see. I've been on a crazy country music spree this week, which is weird...but it reminds me of home! This evening I am going paddling (also know as outrigging here, basically intense competitive canoeing) with a couple of friends from the dorms. Should be fun! Hopefully I'm in good enough shape! Speaking of being in good shape, I have been working super hard and as of this week, I fit into three more pairs of shorts that didn't fit when I got here! Sweet!!! This weekend will probably be pretty uneventful as well. My friend Matt and I are going to do some arts and crafts tomorrow night to make signs for Will because he's funning a half marathon on Sunday morning.

Guam is awesome!

nerves...

My nerves are already setting in about that post I just put up. More than anything else, I am afraid that my siblings are not going to like me as much anymore... All of my siblings are the people that I look up to the most in life. I look to them for advice, friendship, and everything in between. They are the only people in the world, along with my parents, that I consider my best friends.... I hope this doesn't change anything!

I love God!

I love God. That's really hard to say. It makes people feel awkward and uncomfortable and not really know how to act. I even feel that way saying it (or even just typing it). I've experienced a lot in the last two months here in Guam, but the one thing I have been doing the most searching for is God. I've gone to several different denominational Bible studies and churches, and I've prayed a lot; and I've cried even more. But through all of the turmoil I seem to have put myself in over the past couple months, with trying to figure out this whole "faith" thing, I've come to the conclusion that God is simply amazing. He gave me my life, not to live vicariously for myself, but to live for Him, and to show His glory through my life. I've also decided that, as of now, I truly am a Catholic. I feel so at home in the Catholic church. I also believe, however, that knowledge is the greatest and strongest thing we can acquire, and I want to expand my knowledge about Catholicism and also other religions so that I can make an educated decision on where my faith belongs, and what church I will call home. I find calling a church home hard, too. I don't think God let Jesus die on the cross for our sins so that we as humans could create an institution. Jesus wants to have a relationship with us, not some political corporation. But on the flip side of that, I still find church very important; because, for me, it gives me a place to share in the works of the Lord with other people. I know I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn and probably even more things that are going to frustrate me, but that's why God has put so many amazing people in my life to help me along the way. And I hope I can help some people, too.

I know what people think when someone talks about God: "Bible thumper." They're gonna be all up in my face about God and about how their religion is best. I highly dislike those people. It are the subtle people in life that praise God but don't boast about it that make me want to be a daughter of God. People like my mom, dad, and especially, my friend Meghan O'Connor. They have all shown me how amazing God can be and how to let Him into my life without needing to stop being Maggie.

I'm afraid this enthusiasm for God is going to fade with time, and with my move back home. But I have faith that God will keep me on fire for Him so I can shine His light!

Whoa. I'm even freaked out by everything I just wrote. This is a huge leap of faith for me.

To each their own. To me: God.

I'm a big girl now, wow!

Tonight we went to Benni, a Japanese restaurant in Tumon. I tried wasabi, fresh avacado, seaweed, raw fish, sushi, and fish eggs. Who am I?! I tried all those things in one night when I thought I would never try them in my lifetime! Woo Hoo!! Now I am going to get ready to go out with some friends! :D

Happy Friday, everyone!

FRIDAY!

Last night I went to a Bible study on campus with a couple of the other dormies. Then after that I called ma and pa to talk about some of that Bible stuff cuz it gets me all kinds of confused. Then I talked to my friend Will about those things too. I got some great insight about everything. Then I went out with Jackie, Leah, Cabrini, Gem, Myg, Phil, and Keith to Livehous to see Ken's band Old Man Rebel play. After a bit there we went over to Ralphy's to watch the drag show...Which was hilarious! Then we headed back to Livehouse to end the night. Overall, it was a super fun day/night! Today I am headed to the library to get some homework done.. :( Not fun..but I gotta get it done!

So I'm gonna go get ready and head to the library.

God Bless!

It's Thursday?!

Whoa! How is it Thursday already?! Well the week hasn't been too eventful. Tuesday I just had classes and got homework done. Yesterday was about the same. I walked to the video store last night with Jackie and Leah and returned the movies we rented. I might go rent another one for this evening/tonight. Today I had class then I finally got to Skype into my meeting that I miss every week back home. I am the entertainment coordinator for the State-A-Thon at SDSU and they have meetings every week to plan and prepare. Unfortunately I have to miss them for class but class was cancelled today..so I skyped in! Also, they are doing this huuuuge raffle to help raise money for the kids. They are raffling a package deal of a signed Viking football, 3 player shirts, 1 night at a Marriott hotel in Minneapolis, a cooler, and tickets to the Vikings vs. Bills game on December 5. If anyone is interested the raffle tickets are $200 but there is a 25o ticket cap so there is a good chance of winning! Plus, it's FTK (for the kids)! Let me know if you are interested for such a great cause!

This afternoon I am going to get some more work done, go work out, and then hopefully just relax. The weekend is almost upon us! :D

Have a great Thursday!

Like a Camel

Today I went to my first two morning classes. Part way through my second class at 11 am I started seeing tons of spots and couldn't see anything on my computer screen or my professor. I knew it was the onset of another migraine... No bueno. By the end of class I was in agony from a terrible headache and I kinda wanted to puke... So I scurried back to my dorm, popped some ibuprofen and got about a half hour nap in... When I woke up I was still pretty miserable but feeling better. I ended up missing my 2 pm class but I don't regret it at all because this morning was rough and horrible! As the day went on I still had a pretty continuous headache but was definitely feeling better so I got some studying done. This evening I walked to the store about half a mile from campus to fill my 4 gallons of water. Then I went back to the dorms, dropped them off and headed for the super market about a mile and a half from campus. When I left the sun was almost all the way gone and getting darker by the minute so I tried to hurry. By the time I left Payless it was pretty much pitch dark and I was a little sketched out to be walking by myself but I made it back safe and sound! Will started made a delicious meal of chicken breasts, marinara and alfredo sauce, veggies and noodles. It is going to be so delicious!! I am not just sitting around waiting for it to be done so we can eat! I'm so hungry!!! I should be studying but I can't seem to concentrate while I'm waiting for my food. Right now Will is sitting next to me watching a ridiculous cartoon and chortling like a school boy. It's reallllllly funny to watch...

Happy birthday to Mom, Happy birthday to Mom... Happy birthday dear Mommy... Happy birthday to Mom!!!

:)

2 years!

Today is my 2 year mark from my surgery! Yay!! What a happy day! The doctors told me that if my tumor/cancer was going to come back it would come back in the first two years... Basically clear sailing from here! We went to the beach this afternoon and had SO much fun! It was a blast. Laid on the beach, played football, snorkeled. It was awesome!! I am about to go out for celebratory 2 years cancer free walk and also for mommy because she has been cancer free for 5 years! I am so proud of her! Aaaaaand it's her birthday on Monday! So I'm going to go walk 5k for cancer awareness! They are also doing the annual SDSU Breast-Cancer awareness run today (October 2) so I thought it would be a triple wammy to go walk/run my 5k from Guam!

Hope everyone's weekend is fantastic!

Friday!!

Friday was so amazing! I went to class, got a little studying done, worked out, and then went to a movie with Myg and Phil. Phil works at the theater so he got us free tickets to go see "Devil". I thought it was a pretty good flick. Kinda scary/creepy. Highlight of my evening was driving!! Myg had had a bit to drink before we went so I offered to drive and it felt sooooo good to be able to drive again!! Then I had to drive Ryan's car this evening as well after we went to a couple clubs because he was pretty gone. It's now 3:45 am and I am going to bed...

Goodnight/morning/afternoon!