In the dark

It was 3:30 pm.

The bingo-ers were hustling out of the activity room as fast as their little walkers and wheelchairs would take them. (I know what you're thinking, but some of them are actually pretty fast!)

A few of us CNA's were running the elevator system, working as efficiently as possible. (I'm a pro at filling the elevators, just saying.)

In the midst of the hustle, we saw a flicker and watched as the whole building lost power except the light in the elevator.

"Get them out!" someone said.

So we quickly got our residents out of the elevator, four in all.

The other aides rushed to their halls to get people's oxygen plugged into the working outlet. I was left upstairs to sit with the stranded residents.

"So," I started, "how'd we do at bingo today, ladies?"

It's refreshing to have a little chat with my residents once in a while. We talked about bingo, grandkids, family visits, and joked about who was going to be piggy-backed down the stairs first.

We decided we were very grateful that it was still light outside when the power went out, however it did stay off for another four hours. After realizing that the other elevator in the facility was connected to the generator, we got everyone back to their rightful places.

I've never heard the halls so quiet, even on midnights, as when the power was out. Throughout the night we had to do some major rearranging of resident's rooms to get either their beds or chairs plugged into the red plugs (which were the ones connected to the generator). Some of our residents were stuck in their recliners because the feet were lowered with a remote. I bet if a visitor had cruised through our hall, they would have wondered why they were seeing recliners and beds smack in the middle of resident's rooms!

It was quite a wonky day, if I may be honest. But I was surprised at how chill everyone was, for the most part. As we had dinner on paper and coffee in Styrofoam, we went around the room sharing what we were thankful for. That seemed to cheer people up.

Everybody has some type of interesting work story, so I figured I'd share my most recent one:)

In the midst of the craziness, we were told the cause of the power outage: a car accident. I'm not exactly sure what happened with the accident on 65, but my prayers go out to all the families and friends effected by it.

1/4 over

Yowza, it's been forever since I've blogged! Sorry friends (mostly Dad) for the wait. I figured with classes and exams being done, I'd spend some time in reflection over what has happened this school year.

Never again will I be a freshman! Woo hoo:)

First and foremost, I have to say that I love my school. I've enjoyed most of my classes, events we have on campus are awesome, and the friendships I've made here are incredible. It's hard to believe that I only get three more short years here...*tear*

Trying to come up with a select few stories to share with you is proving to be rather difficult! I guess I will start with one of my favorite professors who, sadly, retired at the end of last semester. Dr. Breems was the best at incorporating random phrases into his lectures which, surprisingly, contributed to what he was communicating! I believe some examples are in order:

"Let's meet at the square and shut those suckers down!"

"They don't just call someone a son of a bitch."

"Like low-hanging pants...they might change your knowledge of human anatomy!"

"The Taliban has jokes too."

"There're no laws for bulls!"

"I don't have sharp teeth. I don't have the urge to kill. Well, I do have an urge to kill, it's just not the same."

"Or if you really know swords and happen to have yours with you, your fight instinct might be more powerful."

I don't remember the context for most of these, but does it really matter? It's still hilarious. These are all the quotes I have, but I should also note that Breems made us a powerpoint full of just puns. Long story short, Dr. Breems will be missed.

And then there's the super cool events Trinity has all year. Trollstock was so awesome! It's amazing how much talent thrives on this campus. There was music, dancing, comedy, and more. I was especially impressed by Callie Bunker, who read a story about a fart and won a prize. I was falling out of my chair laughing! My friend Nick and I were even scolded by another student for laughing too loud, which honestly occurs on a daily basis.

One aspect of college that I did not anticipate were all the late night laughing fits, which really just consisted of me rolling on the floor laughing until my sides ached and my roommates standing there, laughing at me laughing. Anneliese, Madz, and Erin: you guys should've seen your faces! I'm glad we had so many joyful times and jokes to share. Even though we often laughed until it hurt, I'm thankful for those crazy weird times.

What I at first thought was a pain in the butt actually turned out to be my favorite part of the year, and that is the fact that I lived in South Hall. For starters, there is no air conditioning in this building, and the bathrooms aren't that great, but South quickly became my home. I'm honestly going to miss this building...all the dance parties, genuine joy, and spontaneous trips to, well, wherever! At first us freshmen thought the whole "Social South" thing was a joke, but we soon discovered it was actually true. And now we're all Southies for life:)

OPUS was a super cool event, too. Basically students get to sign up to show off their academic projects and adventures they had throughout the year. It was awesome to listen to other student's presentations and projects. I'm glad there are so many students that are passionate about what they're learning, and they want to share it with others.

I think what I and most of my friends loved the most this year are the odd dinner/mealtime conversations. First of all, a majority of people in our group are nursing majors, which means conversation often turned to the grossest medical stories or experiences we can share with each other. I guess I should apologize to my friends like Nathan, Kyle, Sierra, and others we have possibly grossed out. But then again, this is never going to stop, especially when we're actually in the nursing program. Sorry guys! Three more years;) Although some of our weirdest cafeteria conversations were not caused by the nursing majors!

I'm so thankful for the family that I've developed at Trinity. If I need a laugh or have something serious to discuss, I know I have people to go to. I'm thankful for Alice constantly telling me I should get out and do something and not be such a responsible nerd. I'm thankful for Nick's hilarious sarcasm and jokes, even though it flies over other people's heads at times. I'm thankful for Anneliese's dry humor and the funny faces she makes, especially when annoyed. I'm thankful for Maddy's obnoxiousness. I'm thankful for Kylla's smile and constant joy. I'm thankful for Nathan's well-worded explanations for everything (English majors be like). I'm thankful for Sierra's bubbliness and, yes, even her need to sing almost every moment of the day. I'm thankful for Kyle's laugh and genuine love for fun. I'm thankful for Taylor's love of laughter and just plain silliness. There are many more people I've grown to love at Trinity, but to write about all of them would cause arthritis in my hands, so I shall refrain. Just know that while all my friends are off having their crazy, exciting adventures, they will be missed.

When I was little and our whole family was gathered around the table for dinner, Dad would always ask how our day was. Us kids would take turns reciting the generic answers: "good," "okay," "boring," and "not too much homework."

Now, if I was asked how my year was and I only had a few words to express it, I would say that this year was one of challenges and blessings. I had a lot of obstacles to conquer, but the benefits of my first year at Trinity are truly astounding.

Hard times and good times.

Stress filled days and moments of laughter.

Challenges and blessings.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." -Proverbs 31:25

Thanks for reading! Our college adventure is 1/4 over. Here's to the next 3/4ths!