Finals Approaching

As finals approach, everything starts to get super hectic and crazy.  Classes wrapping up, packing looming, organizations holding elections etc...

Over the past 3 weeks I've submitted 3 separate applications for various things (I've grown quite tired of talking about myself and trying to describe how great I am without saying "I'm great", haha).  I applied to be a Junior-Senior Companion on campus, and was recently accepted, so YAY!  I will be working through campus ministry next year to build community within the upperclassmen here at Loyola, putting on lots of different events both on and off campus.  I also submitted my first medical school application.  The special program through Loyola's medical school allows sophomores to apply to the Early Assurance Program.  The whole process was daunting and overwhelming, but I am very happy to have that finished.  If nothing else, I've gotten a great start for this time next year.  And my third application is for an Jesuit Honorary Society on campus.

Other than all those crazy apps, I've been doing lots of school work and spending lots of time in the research lab.  I'm hoping to have a post coming up soon talking about all the cool stuff we're working on the lab.  Last night I went to the Cubs game with a few of my friends. We got to see a Cubs victory with a walk-off single to win 3-2 against the Cardinals.  Totally worth the $5 we paid for tickets!! Here are some pictures of Wrigley and my friend Jess and I.

I'm also extremely excited because this Thursday I will have the honor to attend a lecture given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  I will also dedicate a post to that, so more to come soon. Below is a picture of the Henna tattoo I got at the Interfaith Fair, and a picture of the sand mandala that a Tibetan Monk worked on for 5 days here on campus. All of those colors are separate colored sands that he VERY carefully placed with this fine instrument. It was incredible to watch, and admire the amount of patient required!

Hope everyone is doing well, and I can't wait to be home in 12 days!

Easter Break!

This year I was lucky to be able to go home for a long weekend during Easter Break.  I loved being home and got to enjoy lots of great Marin things, including plenty of studying for my Chem exam :) But being home was a great recharge for the remaining 3 weeks I have until I'm home for summer time.

When I landed, Kristin and my mom came to pick me up.  The next day I went for a trail run with my mom, then Kristin and I went to get our nails done.  Being pampered is the best! We then got some good Marin food at Cafe del Sol, and came home to do some studying before Giant's Opening Day! I loved being able to watch the game on TV with my family and friends! I also got to enjoy fresh salmon... I'm usually pretty skeptical of fish in the Midwest.

The next day I met up with my running friends for a wonderful run on Mt. Tam.  We went all over the mountain and even saw "Bunny in a bucket" in celebration of Easter.  It's basically this hidden bunny stuffed animal hanging from a tree in a bucket.  Pretty cool though! Here are some pictures (I'm in the red shirt):

After the run, I came back home, did some more studying, and then watched the Giants second game.  Mom, Dad, Lainey, Maren and I went on a hike of Cypress trail, and saw beautiful flowers and got caught up on everything! We had a nice family dinner (there may have been a confetti egg fight-some confetti even made it back to Chicago), and then went to bed to wait for the Easter bunny to come!

Sunday morning we woke up early to say goodbye to Mom and Carl as they were flying to CO to visit a few schools. Phil and I ate plenty of cinnamon rolls and candy, and then the two of us went on a run on the MV bike trail! We had fun and then went to water our garden, plenty of little sprouts popping up! Later that day we watched the Giants game again, and then Dad and I went to a French restaurant for a delicious dinner.  Kristin later came over and all four of us watched a movie.  Kristin helped me pack and get all my stuff together for my flight then next day.

Monday I went to work with my dad and met Kristin for pancakes.  We had yummy "Jack Johnson Banana Pancakes" which totally made my day (he's one of my favorite artists). We had the chance to walk around USF for a bit before I had to head off to the airport.  The traveling was fine and I was back in Chicago, ready to tackle the last month of school!

Easter Egg Dyeing!

My friend Ally and I decided it would be fun to do some Easter egg dyeing.  We had a great time getting all the ingredients, hard boiling the eggs (cracking some in the process, oops!), and then coming up with fun things to do with all the colors.  Here are some pictures of our creations!

No Luck this Time...

Wasn't lucky with this ticket for the $620 million dollars :( Maybe next time...

Shamrock Shuffle!

Sorry it took a while to get this posted, it's about a week late.  I had to find the pictures in order to make this a fun post.

So last Sunday the Shamrock Shuffle 8K was held in Chicago to kick off the racing season in the city.  Over 43,000 runner participated, making this the world's largest 8K race, which is pretty cool. I took the bus downtown in order to check by bag and stretch and get to my corral (corral B, thanks to my marathon time!).  I met a couple nice men and we talk about running and the marathon before the race. It helped kill the time before the gun went off. Here are some pictures of me before the start:

So it was actually really weird mentally because the race starts the same way the marathon does, with the same corrals and everything. I could feel my brain freaking out and I had to remind myself it was only a 5 mile race, not 26! It followed the marathon course for a little while, then cut over and then followed the marathon's same finish course. I saw some really weirdly dressed leprechauns and men painted in all green (still nothing compared to Bay to Breakers though).

It was a great day for the race. I ran at 8:30AM, perfectly sunny, but still cool and with a nice breeze. I maintained a solid 6:45-7:00 min/mile pace for most of the race and finished in 35:19! I was actually the first 20 year old female to finish :) Sadly, since I've moved up an age group I now "race" against the 20-24 year olds... but I still can still make my own 20 year old category just for me. Overall, I had a really great time! Looking forward to some more races coming up soon. 

Spring in Chicago!

Spring has arrived here in Chicago! Last week was beautiful and warm, ranging from 65-85. Everyone is so happy to have the warmth back and are enjoying plenty of time outside. I've taken a few pictures of the gorgeous flowers blooming around the city. Can't wait for some more lovely weather!

St. Patrick's Day!!

St. Patrick's Day is a HUGE deal in Chicago. My friend and I went downtown to check out the river, which they dye completely green! It was definitely a sight to see! The whole city was  out celebrating and enjoying the wonderful warm weather.