Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my wonderful mother's birthday:)
Not sure what I would do without such an intelligent and insightful woman as my mother. I so admire her ability to make decisions...something I am horrible at doing...and she always has a piece of advice to give me in any situation that I come to her with (whether I want it or not, mom, I always remember it and use it) If she has one downfall it has to be her encouragement for me to spend money shopping with her whenever I am home:) But I love her anyway. Have a great birthday Mom! I miss you!

Back in the Swing of Things

Well...where to start


Christmas break was good...got pretty bored the last week when I stopped working so I am very glad to be back at school with my college friends even though i do miss my home friends. I also was able to spend more time with christopher and get to know him some more. He came to our new years get-together as a surprise to me because he lives down in gallapolis, ohio...about 3 hours away from greenville. Things are going very well with him and he plans on moving back to the dayton area sometime this spring (which i like!)

classes this semester are killing me already...my MWF schedule is one class right after the other...organic/biochem then chapel then anatomy & phsyiology II then foundations of nursing then spanish. Tuesdays and Thursdays i just have a 3 hour lab until volleyball starts in february, so i have taken up swimming again just so i can get some exercise in on a regular basis.

and just now as i paused to check on my coffee i realized that i didnt set my coffee maker to fill two mugs..only one..but i put in water for two b/c my suitmate alyssa wanted some too and i didnt change the setting...yes...you guessed it...coffee everywhere..hot hot coffee all over the countertop...luckily not much of it made it to the floor...good job marissa

FINALLY!

on wednesday, december 5, marissa danielle finch earned her first "A" (100 percent!) on an Anatomy & Physiology exam

and she is all smiles

Losing My Mind

Maybe I feel this way because I am not a professor, but why would a prof give a very very large test two days before the final? Or even 4 days before? Do they expect us to be prepared for the final after only a weekend of studying? Here is a look at my schedule:

Tuesday: Anatomy & Physiology Lab Final
Wednesday: Anatomy & Physiology exam over Endocrine System
UNV 180 Final
Friday: Microbiology exam over Immunology
____________________________________________

Monday: English Portfolio Due
Anatomy & Physiology Final
Tuesday: Microbiology Final
Wednesday: English research presentation speech


Lucky for me I already wrote the 4 papers that are due in my UNV 180 class this week over my oh so relaxing Thanksgiving break (sarcasm on the "oh so relaxing" in case you did not catch on to it)

I am getting stress/caffeine headaches every single day like clockwork and they last ALL DAY.
Luckily i was the target of someone's "Act of Kindness" paper (we had to write a paper about an annonymous act of kindness we did for someone) and i came back to my dorm to find a "finals care package" that included oreos, munchos, and two double-shot starbucks espresso's!!!

other than that this week sucks

My First All-Nighter

I have just successfully completed my first all-nighter! Ironically it was spent writing a research paper about sleep deprivation in college students...hmmm

oh well, i think i have officially completed this rite of passage and i never have the desire to do it again!

I am never having children, or getting married for that matter!

I have decided that i would make a horrible mother unless i decide to make a conscious effort to forget everything i have learned in microbiology this semester. My kids would not touch anything or anyone..they would live in a bubble (a bubble that i would spray hourly with lysol). I cant tell you how many times i wash my hands per day (its almost to the point of OCD!) i also clean the toilet about every day in my dorm room. I really really dont want leptospirosis or pinworm. I really really dont want to get a UTI after my honeymoon. I really really cant step into a hot tub ever again or sleep in a hotel or eat from a buffet. Thank you Prof. McNeely...for making me a paranoid freak!

I think i will choose to make a conscious effort to forget all the gory details of microbiology after this semester is over...

The "Almost" A

no, i am not talking about the tween bra size...but its a similar situation

all i want this semester is an A on one of my tests (in either microbiology or anatomy&physiology)
my last three tests grades have gone like this: 83% 87% 89%
all i want is an A! just one! one point away..its like freshman year of high school when i was just one size away from being that A....no laughs please

Responsibility stinks

This weekend i was basically punished for being responsible with my money. Here is the scenario..

Myself and two of my friends went to Tennessee this past weekend so one of my friends could see her boyfriend and i could see my cousin darah who both went to the same school. The plan was to get there and back on 3 tanks of gas..3.5 at most, which would cost each of us $30-35...a chunk of money but not too bad

i ended up spending over $70 on gas alone--not including meals
alyssa's boyfriend also gave us $55 to help us out b/c my two friends came with very little money in their bank accounts. I also had to pay for one of the girl's meals because she didnt bring enough for food. Thank goodness i actually had money in my bank account or else we would be stuck in kentucky right now. The two girls i went with insisted that they had enough money to pay for gas...one girl overdrew her account for the 20 something time so her parents refused to put any more money into it. The other girl claimed to have enought to cover every bit of gas we could possibly need-plus some...she didnt have that..not even close. So her poor boyfriend ended up spending almost as much as i did.

Now, there were other factors that played into the gas consumption of the trip.
A) we were set up on a blind double date that was supposed to be paid for..or so we were told by the boys...Nope...they first of all made US drive for almost an HOUR through knoxville where we used over half a tank of gas and then they picked an expensive resaurant where we got very little to eat..my friend and i split a side and both got drinks b/c we were afraid that these boys (noting how rude they were to us from the drive there) were not going to pay. They didnt. AND i had to cover my friend
B) we got lost on the way back to indiana but the driver would not stop and ask for directions anywhere so we drove around aimlessly for 45 min until she was too sick of me complaining that she was wasting the gas the I paid for b/c THEY didnt have enough money. we finally got back on track and then we needed to eat. My friend was set on taco bell and would not consider anything else as an option so she got off every food exit to try and find a taco bell (more gas wasted)...we couldnt find one after an hour and a half so we went to mcdonalds (note that she had told us she would pay for our meals with the little she had left).....we get to this mcdonals and she sees a starbucks across the street. She then very casually mentions that she cant get coffee like she wants really bad if she pays for the three of us to eat off the dollar menu....i end up paying again for myself so she can get her coffee.

the moral of this story is that marissa is practically broke and has no idea when she will get paid back for all the money she spent on this trip which ended up to be a complete bust and not fun. It sure "pays" to be responsible doesnt it?

So, its been awhile!

well i realized that the last time i posted was when i was still in high school. Not that long ago, but it sure does feel like it to me. I am almost done with my first semester of college! It didn't take me long to realize that all the studying i did in high school was nothing compared to what i have to do now. Back in mr. rismiller's anatomy class we had a month to learn all the bones and another month to learn all the bone markings--fast forward to college anatomy--one WEEK to learn all that information...luckily for me it was not as stressful as those who had never taken anatomy...i was able to recall quite a bit!

I guess i decided to start blogging again just so i can have a place to write my thoughts and give the occasional update on those who still want to know what goes on here at school with me! (mostly you mom!)

The Number 23

the number 23 is not only a movie...it is how many days of high school i have left!
TWENTY-THREE DAYS!
Graduation finally feels close

Prom is only 3 days away...which is also very exciting
I'll be spending the first part of the evening at FM's Prom, then heading over to the Elks for Greenville's after-prom. The best of both worlds, i'm hoping.

That's all for now, i guess...
I'll post more (with pics) after prom!

Thinking...(warning: can be dangerous)

I have had some time lately where i have been able to spend time with just myself and my thoughts. I have discovered a few things:

1) I will miss my family next year. Ty absolutely cracks me up. I love his odd sense of humor and how he cant help but laugh at himself when he does something funny. Cami....i just love to embarrass her, especially when i'm driving her somewhere and i dance around in the car to the music. Ryan and i have finally started to be brother and sister rather than enemies. We talked for half and hour alone, over beef jerky, when i went to visit him in january. Dad, he doesn't mean to do it most of the time, but he is hilarious as well (and when he tries to be, its usually pretty corny)...but we all love him for it. Mom...she listens to me no matter how boring my story is....no matter how bad her day has been....no matter how late at night it is. She cries with me and she laughs both with me and at me. (i cant believe i'm tearing up typing this)
so yes, as much as i'd love to deny it...i will miss them all

2) My best friend is amazing, and it blows my mind how God put us together at the perfect time in both our lives. Jen and I either show how much we are alike (i.e. army crawling anywhere, or "james bond-ing" it down the church hallway) or how much we are different (i.e. she yells at people when she's mad and i just cry like a wimp...then she yells at me for being a wimp!). We can have deep meaningful conversations, venting sessions, completely meaningless conversations, or just sit there silently and that be ok. When one of us is emotional, the other one is there to say "snap out of it and move on" or lend a shoulder if needed. I cant even begin to say how much i'll miss seeing her next year.

3) Old friends are great too. I have noticed that lately some of the most fun conversations i have had, have been with people that i used to hang out with all the time, and don't anymore. Just reminiscing on the "old times" has been so fun. Also, i have had fun getting back in contact with a friend that i hadn't talked to in almost a year. He is one of those people that i wish i had had more time to get to know because i feel like we could have been such close friends given time.

4) high school is so dumb. Without drama, what would high school be? Oooo ooo pick me! Pick me! I know! High school would actually be about preparing for college, not who hung out with who last weekend, not where prom is going to be this year, not who is on your data match list, not giving up and dropping out 9 weeks before you could graduate. The class of 2007 is setting the record for most students in one class to NOT graduate. My class could probably set the record for most kids born from unwed pregnancies too. Can you believe that there are over 40 girls in the Greenville school system that are pregnant? And almost that many already have one or two kids. That blows my mind.

5) I am 18...if i mess up...i will have a record...

As my senior year comes to a close, I keep thinking about all the things I am glad i did, all the things i wish i hadn't, and all the things i wish i had done. But mostly, i realize that God has had His hand in my life and He has a purpose for me and that the things i have or haven't done are all part of growing up and becoming who He wants me to be.

The only good mice are the Cinderella ones....

It all started about a week ago...

I was laying in bed and i heard scratching/chewing/running noises. I think to myself, "just another mouse....set a trap and go back to bed"....so....I do just that. Two nights later, i realize...there is no more noise....i check the trap...empty

So, now I'm thinking, "sweet...no more mouse." HA

Of course not!

Two days ago, i began to smell a faint smell of something dead...now...i have smelled this same smell before...dead mouse

no big deal right....find it, throw it out, and spray some air freshener.

no, no, no, no, no

The stupid mouse has died, yes....but INSIDE the wall behind my door

Fabulous, eh?

Road Trip!

This past weekend zach, jen, logan, jansen and i drove to Goshen to see Katie in a musical called "Seussical." It was very entertaining (logan especially loved the kid who played Dr. Seuss). We stayed over night and left sunday morning after way too little sleep. Jansen, in case you were wondering, snores like a FREIGHT TRAIN which was the cause for my lack of sleep. On the way home we made a few stops for some fresh air considering there were 5 people packed in an Ion and the boys hogged shotgun both directions. But we still had a lot of fun.






Many things stressing me out lately:

a) scholarhips (i hate writing essays!)

b) prom (i haven't even started looking for a dress!)

c) spanish (placement tests that i am sooo unprepared for)

Good things happening:

a) I'm pretty much sure that i wont be taking any final exams

b) I was able to meet up with a friend from lifeguarding whom i haven't been in contact with for a long time. I emailed zach to see if he was re-certifying the same weekend as me and he emailed back and we started to catch up with each other. So, he decided to come home from school this weekend and we met up for coffee. It was really nice to see him again and we had fun talking just like we used to.

Twisted Fun

My friends and I have come to love a very simple...very old...and very easily overlooked game

TWISTER

SENIORITIS - - at its worst

90 days till graduation!

thats all i cant think about!
i have a stack of homework that i SHOULD be doing and haven't touched...but im catching on to the whole "i don't even care anymore" attitude...people have been trying to get me hooked for awhile now.

Sorry this post is so boring...jen made me do it

Where to Start....

Lets start with swimming (or should i end with it because....) IT'S OVER!!!
The joy I am feeling is overwhelming:)
The season ended well though....we had fun at sectionals and some girls made it to districts. After sectionals the concessions ladies let us eat everything that was left and drink all the two liters (so of course we had to have a chugging contest in which i came in second with Meghan as the champ). So after pigging out, we went to Don Pablo's as is tradition. We ordered HUGE strawberry daiquiris and got way too much food.

FM HOMECOMING: the day began with me getting up to eat with my mom and then going home to finish doing my nails. While i was making small corrections to my nails i looked at the clock and realized that i was going to be late to swimming. On my way to the YMCA i had the air on full blast trying to dry my nails as quickly as possible. When i got to the YMCA ben helped me get all my senior night stuff in while i daintily picked up one of my bags. After tons of pictures i swam my one event (50 free) and set my personal record. Senior night came next. They announced all our names, clubs, etc. and the same with Arcanum. After that was over, i rushed into the locker room, took a shower and headed over to zach's house to get ready for the dance. Zach and i met up with the 20+ group at Tumbleweed where we ate. We got to the dance a bit late, but just in time for them to announce the homecoming court and all that jazz (pretty much our entire group made up the court). The dance was fun even though the DJ wasnt all that great. Afterwards we all went out to Zane's house for some games and movies. The night/morning ended around 3:30am as i headed home dreading the fact that i had to wake up for church in a few hours.

DARE TO SHARE: was the best it has been since my freshman year. The speakers were great as usual, but the skit and the setup of the program was just really good. The outdoor outreach was not quite as fun, but still a good experience. It was super cold and windy, so after 4 or 5 houses, we'd all pile into a van and warm up....that is, until one of our vans broke down and had to get fixed. Despite the cold, we collected probably 5 times more cans than we usually have in past years, and part of our group had a chance to share the gospel with someone. Unfortunately, because of the cold (and that fact that everyone had a dog or two), most could not bear to open up their doors long enough to have a meaningful conversation with us. Overall, a good weekend though.


SNOW DAYS: we've had so many lately! My anatomy muscle test has been postponed like 3 times! One day we decided to go ice skating on Liz's creek. It ended up being a game of vicious ice hockey in which people and sticks and pucks were thrown and or lost. Most of us took off the skates after about half and hour and just ran around with boots on. Well some of us could only try to run...logan fell flat every time he even thought about moving.

Whirlwind

Staying home on a Friday night never felt so good.

I have been running around like crazy lately...getting about 6 or less hours of sleep per night, waking up early, going to swim practice, working right after school until closing time, and all my home time is spent studying for anatomy. So tonight i decided to stay home. It feels wonderful...AND i get to sleep in for the first time in soooooo long!

Tomorrow should be a great day. Get up around noon, make clothing for my spanish project, make senior night posters for swimming, go ice skating, come back home.

DANCE OFF --> 2006

THE RESULTS ARE IN:

Marissa & Logan: are amazing.... struck everyone speechless
Jennifer & Bret: hmmm....I don't think you could PAY Lance to give them private lessons

notice how poised and confident logan and marissa look
notice how inexperienced and frightened jennifer and bret look

( now if you want to see how bad the boys were before jennifer and i took over...see me for videos)





see ---> so sad

Time flies when you're having fun...

My saturday was crazy!
The morning started off with teaching swim lessons at Versailles from 9-11:15 then going home and rushing to get ready to go to work at Broadway Joe's. When i got to work, nate, baker, and zach were sitting there waiting on me to say hi (i had said they should come and do so friday night, but didnt think they actually would!)...so then i worked for 4 hours and couldn't wait to get out of there and get to zach's house to see the second half of the game. Little did i know i was going to have to road-trip it home to clean the bathrooms (thanks mom). So i finally got to zach's quite a bit later than expected but we still had fun after i was through ranting to jen.
After the game, we all headed to the Night Sky to see nate, kelsey, brittany, and alison play for a half hour while we drank coffee and saw how many seconds we could slurp smoothies until we got the worst brain freeze of our lives. Gotta love jack and his bright ideas:)
THEN we all went back to nick's, grabbed our cars (there were almost casualties during an airsoft shooting) and began our long trek to alex's house for a bonfire/hayride. That was a lot of fun because i got to catch up with all the people i had met this past summer with alex. After last night, i pretty much never want to see a kernel of corn again! long story....
Next week jen, me, jansen, and logan are going to test our tennis skills (we are making jansen play right-handed so logan and i won't get crushed quite as hard). Until then!....

I lied...shame on me

i was looking at my posts from last year and i notice one in particular where i had decided that i would not swim this year. Oopsy...i lied. Swim season officially started a week ago and yes, i am swimming again.
Once again i will wake up at 5:00 am every morning, once again i will share 4 shower heads with 18 girls, once again i will smell like chlorine for 4 months, once again i will have icky hair, once again i will go without oxygen for extended periods of time, once again i will inhale large quantities of the most disgusting water each morning, once again i will go without shaving my legs for as long as i can stand, once again i will rely on coffee to keep me functional, once again i will have dry skin, once again i will wake up at 2 am with calf-muscle spasms (because i hate bananas), and once again i will probably complain all about swimming in my blog.

why do i swim, you ask?

i dont know either.