Well this is my last blog post before the end of the tri. I'm pretty excited because I only have one more tri before I graduate. Then I'm on to bigger and better things. The best part I think will be going to college because one of by best friends is going to be there too. Before going to college I would like to get many thing accomplished. I really want to go in a trip with some friends. I will probably work a lot because I need some way to pay for college. Another thing I found out is that my sister got engaged to her boyfriend of five years. I was so excited when she told me and the ring is stunningly beautiful. I don't know when the wedding will be, but I can't wait to help plan it! Also go dress shopping so she can look extravagant in her big day.  With finals around the corner I have so much work to get done. Most of my classes have final papers or projects that I need to finish. My last day at the preschool was a success. They made me a thank you card and they all signed it. We also had a float party and they had orange, strawberry, and root beer soda. If never had any other than a root beer float so I decided to try an orange one. It was really good and I would definitely try it again. Spring break is coming up and I don't have much planned so I hope,I find something to do. One of the nights I will be staying at a hotel with one of my cousins and aunt. So I hope that will be fun because if never been to this one. I probably will help my mom with daycare and of course work a lot at Highview Hills.  

   Last weekend I had the awesome privilege to go to the Stadium Series hockey game. On Saturday the 20 it was an alumni game between the Minnesota Wild/ North Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks. There was another game on Sunday the 21 and that was a regular game between the Minnesota and the Chicago Blackhawks. I got the tickets to the game for Christmas from my mom. She also brought tickets for herself and my sister, but two of my cousins went also. The Sunday game was by far one of the best Wild games I have been too. I just loved being outside and if I had the oppurtunity to do it again I definitely would. During the Sunday game flurries of snow began to fall, it was the most beautiful thing. There were a lot of Chicago Blackhawks fans around and every time one would walk up the stairs the Wild fans around us would boo them. Right before the puck dropped the had a couple sections that were sitting by each other hole up pieces of paper that were by there seat. When they lifted them up it spelt out LETS PLAY HOCKEY! The best part of the whole experience was that we beat Chicago and not just by a couple. I took the panorama picture below during the National Anthem. It's just amazing how strong rival fans can go from booing each other to all sing the National Anthem and giving thanks to all the veterans. I'm really hoping i will get a chance to go to another Wild game before the season is over. Im really hoping that the Minnesota Wild will make it to the playoffs, but that's a stretch. They have not been playing that well lately. They just fired their coach and have a temporary coach. As of now they are playing better and are beginning to win more games. 

   

   The tri is getting to the end and I have so many things to get done. One of my favorite classes right now is service learning. This is because I am able to go to a preschool 4 days a week to help out. The teachers love having me there as an extra hand. Most days at the preschool they have stations where the teacher picks groups to go to each station. I help out most of the time at one of the stations where they play games and if I'm not there they like to not take turns very well. I have been at the preschool since the end of last year and they love it when I come. The teacher tells me that this one little boy asks almost every day when is Ms. Amy coming. Everyday when I walk in they all have to run to me and give me a big group hug and of course they do when I leave too. I'm going to be very sad when I am not able to go there any more to see them, but on the bright side I have another class next tri called mentor program. For this class I will be going to a clinic or senior living home to shadow a nurse, which is what I want to go to college for. I want to go to Winona State Universiry to study nursing. One of my good friends is going there too for nursing which I'm excited about. This will be helpful because we will be able to help each other with classes and studying. There are so many things to do in Winona and I'm just ready for that next step in my life. Winona is so beautiful and when I went on the tour last fall I loved looking at the trees and their changing leaf colors. I'm kinda scared about getting into the nursing program because they only let in about 100 people in the fall, 50 people Rochester campus and 50 Winona campus. When I was choosing what college to go to, it was between Mankato State University and Winona State University. I chose Winona State University because I just fell in  loved with the campus and how beautiful it was.

Jesus Take The Wheel 

Carrie Underwood

She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati

On a snow white Christmas Eve

Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat

Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline

It'd been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention

She was going way too fast

Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass

She saw both their lives flash before her eyes

She didn't even have time to cry

She was so scared

She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus take the wheel

Take it from my hands

Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go

So give me one more chance

Save me from this road I'm on

Jesus take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder

And the car came to a stop

She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock

And for the first time in a long time

She bowed her head to pray

She said I'm sorry for the way

I've been living my life

I know I've got to change

So from now on tonight

Jesus take the wheel

Take it from my hands

Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go

So give me one more chance

Save me from this road I'm on

Oh, Jesus take the wheel

Oh, I'm letting go

So give me one more chance

Save me from this road I'm on

From this road I'm on

Jesus take the wheel

Oh, take it, take it from me.

Oh, wow, ohhhhh.

  This song is filled with lots of powerful emotion and imagery. Both of these things help get the message across in the song. This song is telling a story about a girl who was driving to her parents house for Christmas as she looses control of her car and spins out on black ice. At this point in her life nothing is going right and she needs some help to get her life back on track. When she realizes she needs help she prays to Jesus to help her control the wheel. She is not just praying to save her from the car, but to get her life back on track and asking for another chance for her and her child. The lady  is asking for forgiveness and said that if he gives her one more chance that she will change the way she has been living Which gives me the impression that she has not been the perfect mom or role model for her child. I really like the imagery incorporated into this song. My favorite part is when she is praying to God to help her get back on track and I just imagine her crying and super scared for her life and her child's. 

    This past week I found out that the Wild tickets I got for Christmas will be coming in the mail soon. I'm super excited because it is to the outdoor stadium series game at TCF stadium. It is in about a month and I can not wait. The tickets are for the game on Saturday February 20, which is a alumni game between the Wild/Northstar team and Chicago Blackhawks. The other game is a regular game between MN Wild and Chicago Blackhawks which will hopefully be a good game because they are rivals. My mom bought them for me and my sister and she asked a couple of our cousins if they wanted to go. My brother and dad did not want to go because it is an outdoor game. I just hope that it is not below zero that weekend, but if it is I will just have to bundle up a lot. I have been to many Wild games before, but never an outdoor one and it is a once in a life time experience. A few of the games I have been to were in the suits and that is the best because you have your own room to walk and there is already food in there. We got the tickets from my dads work. The MN Wild have not been doing so will in January which is very disappointing. Right now they are on the all star break so I'm hoping the rest they are getting will get them back on the winning streak. I had no idea that I was getting these tickets, but my sister did because my mom had to ask if she could come home that weekend from college. Hockey is my favorite sport to watch especially when I'm lucky enough to go to the game. During the all star break they have an all star game which is the best of the best compete against each other and they also have a night where they compete on skills. It's sad to think about how I'm going to college next year and I won't be able to go to as many games as I have. So I'm hoping I could maybe go to a couple when I come back from winter break. I'm really hoping that I I will be able to go to a couple more games before the end of this season. 

    So this past week I found out that it's that time when we sign up for AP exams again. AP stands for advanced placement. This year I will be taking the AP psychology one and I'm kinda nervous about it even though I am doing good in the class. I have taken a couple of the exams before. I don't know if you have taken one, but they can be very stressful because they are timed and I felt very rushed during them. My goal on the exam is to get at least a 3, which I think I can do because I feel way more confident on this one. Right now we are getting ready to take a test on ch.11 which is the intelligence unit. I'm really excited about our next chapter which is developmental. We have a project during this unit and we have to work with children between the ages of 3-8. My mom does daycare so I am going to pick a couple of them to ask the questions to and finish the tasks. I'm very curious to see the difference in responses between the age limits. I'm doing the project with a friend so I'm hoping that goes smoothly. I need to sign up soon or I will not be able to take the exam which would be devastating because I have been putting so much work into this class since the beginning. The cost of it is $50 which is kinda expensive, but if it gets me out of the class in college it is a win win because it cost way more for a credit in college. I took the AP chemistry exam last year, but I got a 2 on it and I needed at least a three for credit. Even though I will have to take it again for my major in college it will be a lot easier that time around because I will not have to learn as much because I already have. I really enjoy learning psychology because it is so interesting. I have found myself lately using psychology vocab words during the day. Which is good because I will remember them better for the AP exam. 

I'm very overwhelmed right now, first day back from winter break not knowing how to get back in the groove of things. Break was awesome first Christmas then New Years no way to top that. I did get tickets to the stadium series wild game which is in February and I had no idea I was getting them. I am going with my two cousins, sister and mom.  Not ready for school, but I do graduate in less than 6 months and I still feel like a five year old and don't know what to do next. After graduation Winona is the next step, but who knows things change all the time. Once I was planning to go out of town with my dad down to Missouri and I came home from school to find out that my uncle has unexpectedly passed away. One thing that keeps my mind of things would definitely be photography. I love taking pictures and coming up with creative ideas and angles. I have taken a few photography classes through my school and being able to develop my own pictures in the dark room is one of the most rewarding things. My favorite picture I have taken is a picture of a metal flower and then we were able to take the negative of the picture so it turned out that the blacked turned white and the white turned black. I also love taking pictures during holidays like Christmas we had family over and I took a lot of pictures to capture the moments. My favorite one has to be the one of my aunts puppy opening her first present ever. She had a thought time to begin but it got better from there. After that she took a couple of other people's gifts which was pretty funny, but at least she didn't break anything. I hope to keep on with pictures as a hobby throughout my life. Maybe in college they will have a photography class or a photograph minor which I would be very I interested in. This would expand my knowledge on photography and make me become even better. Another thing I love is working with children even though they can be hard at time to handle that's alright. I babysit a lot and it's always a fun time and I love watching how excited they are to see me when I get to their house. I babysit mostly for the same family's so they really get to know me which is what I love about it.