I'm staying w/ my friend Laura for the week, and my name is Erin, and both of our boyfriends names are Aaron.  I wonder how similar it is to when my Aaron was roommates w/ an Aaron.  When people call here, it's easy to find out who the call is for, but this whole 'Aaron/Erin' thing is still quite humorous to me, and I suspect it always will be.  I'm still not used to the me-as-athird-person as a opposed to references to Aaron.  I used to recognize it as about me, that is, until I started dating Aaron, in which case, I assume it's about him (unless the context really doesn't work), and I also only answer my name being called half the time, even though we haven't even been in the same place for months.  But soon!! January! Januray! party!!

It's freezing cold outside, but there was a rainbow this morning!  and there aren't clouds, and there wasn't rain (at least that I'm aware of).  Welcome to winter.  Where will everyone be for Christmas?  me- Wisconsin w/ my family.

Do you sometimes really feel alive and sometimes like you're not even living?  Me too.  Right now it's ont of those 'I'm alive' moments- not exactly tons of energy, but the 'I can feel pain and can hear and feel cold- type.  Life's good.  I'm happy.  It's just sometimes I go into a mode like 'school mode' and I don't feel like I experience as much as I am right now.  Maybe 'cause I've had to slow down a little.
One cool thing I've gotten to do is pet my friends the sting rays!!  If you've never done so, and get the opportunity to, don't pass it up!!  'They're like puppies' the announcer-lady said.  Friendly, yes, but you can't cuddle.  They're so smooth they feel slippery or slimy.  It made the rest of my day just to play with them, and just tour the water tunnel in general.  I think more museums should be hands-on.  Art and animals should be interacted with on many levels.

Here tres amigos: mi old roommate, HOPE; and friends CHUCK and JON.  I don't know how much to induldge you guys in on these great people, I'll just leave it at: They are wonderful, smart, fun people, with two of them interested and/or involved in journalism, so you should check out their sites.  HOPE also has cute pet pics.

You know the spackled? glass in some showers- the kind that you can kind of see through, but it definitely changes the scenery?  well, that is what the ice on my car looked like this morning.  one side was clear of it, but the other ones looked so cool!!  it took awhile to scrape it for safe passage, though- but the heat from the inside slowly helped.  there have been a lot of accidents this morning across Minnesota, but not as bad as in some parts of the country, where there have been FEET of snow!!  there's a sprinkling here, but not enough to call it 'white' yet.
So what's new?  Just enjoying libraries and malls and scarves.  getting nervous about moving to a place that not many things are certain.  Excited about seeing my family before the week's out.  Sad to see some friends for the last time in a long time.
sorry it's been awhile.  I need to add some new links soon.
Enjoy this season!! and your family and friends.  they are precious.

school's out.  my life is basically in my car now.  or at least what was left of the semester.  i've been in Waupaca, Wisconsin the last two days, enjoying time w/ Amber.  and her St Bernard Annabelle.  i'd like to get a dog and forget the rest of the world.  kind of.  at least they are loyal and can't get enough of spending time w/ you.  and don't take much work.

i only half mean that.  i really do like people and getting to know them better, and it's always great to overcome and obstacle together, but I'm pissed off right now, twinged w/ sadness, so that's why i sound this way.

well, i'm going on the road now.  long drives w/o anyone but faceless voices usually does me good.  let's hope so.

on a brighter note:  plants can live inside, even when their outdoor counterparts are freezing to death.

my nails gleam red as I type this.  twelve hours from now, my parents will pull up to campus to hang out with me, or at least to see me accomplish all of these years of schooling.  a BA in TEFL- and the end of schooling for me, at least for now.  I don't mind continuing, but for this period of time, it marks an end of the classroom.  hurray!!  I've found a place to stay before Christmas.  It's with a cool friend kind of out in the country- she said something about dear.  She also talked about how wonderful it will be for solitude before I asked if I could join.  She was looking for a car, so I think it all works out.
I can't think of an 'on the road' song- the closest I can come up w/ is 'On My Own' as in Les Miserables.  But I don't feel all alone!!  It will be so much fun to road trip w/ Aaron in January!! Here's to safe passage: :!:

I'm back!  I disappeared behind the name of homework, papers more precisely, lately, but now I' m back! Party!  Life's pretty good.  It's already December!! and it's not very long before my parents come up for my graduation chapel, and a lot of important things will happen this month!! This includes: writing/completing the last of required essays and tests for a long time, maybe ever; seeing my friend Amber in Wisconsin before we go to opposite corners of the U.S.; no longer living in the dorms; celebrating Christmas with my family, while preparing to move far away.  Doesn't that seem a lot in one month?  I hope it goes by semi-fast- I want to enjoy it, but I'm SOOOO excited to see Aaron!!! The day's now set at January 7th- so now I have something more solid than 'kinda soon.' HURRAY!!!
Last night, I went to Songs of the Season, my school's Christmas concert.  It rocked!  I seriously had such a good time, that I wished every night would end that way!!  I was surrounded by familiar faces and families (not ones I knew), and everything combined just made me so happy, and relaxed, I wanted to go to sleep, and it was only 9:30!! (I didn't).  What is cuter than a little girl dancing with her daddy or a pre-teen playing with his mom's hair??  Or what is more invigorating than people 'singing' through sign language??  How can you top that one?  So expressive . . .