It's that time of year...

Hello, everyone! I hope your New Year has started off well. Mine has been alright...I'm very busy. With work and school, plus I am the Juvenile Detention Ministry Coordinator for the Newman Center, and the Newman Center's biggest retreat, SEARCH, is winter quarter. Also, my best friend Jimmy is having some trouble, and my best friend Laura S., whom most of you have at least met, and some of you know her, or at least know who she is, is having a baby, who is due sometime between March 10-14. Just to clarify, because I know you are all going to ask: no, she is not married; yes, she is fine, very happy and very, very excited. I am happy for her. I wish it were under different circumstances, but hey...I'm gonna be a freaking aunt! I'm more excited than anything :D

As for this quarter...I am taking 15 credits, all Psychology: Developmental, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Research Methods and Statistics: Applied Applications (which is ridiculously hard...I have to create an entirely new research experiment and then CONDUCT IT. I get a pool of about 800 undergraduate psych students to sign up for my experiment, they participate, I analyze the data and write a research article, all while going to lecture and taking tests in addition to that). I am DYING, there is so much work.

For those of you who didn't know, I am no longer a Special/Elementary Education major FOR THE TIME BEING. My current plan is to finish my psych bachelor's, which should be done next spring (don't worry, 5 years is average these days), and either continue on to Grad school or get my post-bac special ed degree. I don't know if I am going to do that right after I graduate or not, though. I might travel a bit, out of country. I really want to go to Italy, Rome, Ireland, Germany, Austrailia, and I really, REALLY want to go back to India. I miss Shishu Bhavan SO MUCH! That was the orphanage I worked at while I was there last summer. This summer I am traveling, but I'm not going very far.

Some of you may heard me talk about my PenPal Shawn, who lives in Louisiana, in LaPlace about 45 minutes outside of New Orleans. Here's our background: I met him through my 7th grade English teacher Ms. Vanbebber, when his 6th grade class wrote us letters. His was given to me, and we have been writing letters ever since. We email, talk on Facebook and Myspace, AIM, and we talk on the phone about once every 6 weeks. He is one of my best friends; I tell him almost everything. We have a ridiculous amount of weird stuff in common - we are both Catholic, we are both Liberal, we are both Psychology majors who want to teach and be counselors, we both want to work with youth (him with the older kids, like high school, me with the elementary schoolers), we both want to travel around the world, especially Europe (Italy and Rome lots)...the list goes on. I have to raise about as much money as I did last year, and about half the price for the ticket, to be on the safe side (my ticket to Calcutta was $1,685, I think, and I took a debit card with $650 USD on it to India). ANYWAY, I am going down there for his 21st birthday, which is 10 days before my 22nd. We are both really excited.

What else...I went to Vancouver, WA this weekend with my best friend Jimmy and stayed at his house for UFC 81 and the Superbowl. His family is so freaking amazing, I love them :D They're Italian Catholic, so his mom asks everyone every five minutes if they are hungry, or thirsty...or bored...or if we can see...or if its too cold...anyway, I love it. Him and his sister are super close, and I think of them as my extras. Jimmy is a lot like a brother to me :)

My mom's birthday was on the 1st. I meant to make her cupcakes like I did last year, but I totally spaced it. With that stupid psych class...good lord. I haven't been able to do anything. The anniversary of her death is on the 17th. I am going to be down in Federal Way for Laura's baby shower that weekend, so if any of yall want to drop of flowers for her to show me none of you forgot, that would be fantastic. All the flowers I bring will be pink, FYI. Don't forget to give Grandma and Papa flowers too :) Its just nice when I go down there and I know someone has visited. Because I don't get down there a lot. BTW, UNCLE PAUL! I will be visiting you this weekend (of the 17th).

On that note, Jimmy has his first Brazilian Ju Jitsu competition NEXT weekend (the 9th), so I will be at West Seattle High School. If anyone wants to hang out with me on Friday afternoon or Sunday morning/early afternoon, I'll be around if you want me around ;)

Well, that is all for me right now. Its 1:20am, and Jimmy and I drove back from Vancouver (only 5ish hours this time, on the way down there was a WICKED accident that blocked the entire freeway...at least 4 semi trucks had rear-ended each other, with cars sandwiched in between, and the last semis hood was welded to the back of the cab, as in where the hood joins under the windshield was through the windshield. It was intense), and I just ate some Taco Bell, so I've been sitting for about 9 hours straight. I'm gonna go do some yoga and go to sleep. I have class at 8:30am tomorrow morning.

Good Night!
~Briana~