So it gets a little chilly outside in Minnesota, but I'm still having a blast meeting new people, hanging out with friends, taking classes, and generally doing the college thing. Here are some snapshots below of me and friends on campus and other places around the midwest, mostly Minnesota.
Here's what the campus was looking like in early February. By the time I got around to writing this text, in mid February, we'd already gotten a bunch of new snow. Anyway, this is the view out my eleventh-floor window. The pointy building is our chapel, and to the right is our commons and the library. These three connected buildings are the heart of the campus. This is where we eat, study, research, hold meetings, have concerts, rent movies, buy supplies, and get our mail.
At left is me and my good friend Jess, whom I met at the very first FCA event of the year. I don't ever expect the people I meet at those things to be people I actually get to know, but Jess kept asking me to lunch until we were good friends, without my ever noticing. She is truly one of God's surprise blessings to me this year!
This is me and my friend Leanne, with whom I went home for Thanksgiving break. I met Leanne the very first week I was here. I was a transfer, she was a freshman, and neither of us knew anyone yet. So she came and sat with me for lunch, and a friendship was born. She was also the person who finally dragged me to my first Thursday Night Bible Study, which is now the highlight of my week.
The last FCA of 2004 was just a night to hang out, frost cookies, and play games. Here in Minnesota I've discovered a game called Set, which some people really get into, as you can see above!
The lovely ladies took a break to smile for the camera: Meryl, Stacy, Sara, and Kelly.
Over interim I went with Thursday night Bible study on a "retreat," which meant getting off campus for a day. We had a broomball tournement, as are shown by the pictures above and below. I had never played before, but I had a lot of fun and earned some bruises (from falling; no one actually hit anyone else with those sticks, at least not on purpose). Above, from left to right: Dave O (Thursday Night Bible Study leader), Peter (a junior just back from a semester in Spain), Carrie (who'd NEVER played broomball before), Nick (master goalie), and Katie.
This is my friend Nicole, looking very stylish out on the ice. Behind her is Chandler, who takes his broomball *very* seriously. He was kind enough to not wear his special broomball shoes for the tournement!
That woman in the center with the dazzling technique is yours truly.
The first Christian event I attended on campus was hosted by FCA, where I've made some really good friends, especially on the fall break retreat/missions trip to the suburbs of Chicago. I met both Sara and Chandler, pictured here, at that first event I went. Sara is one of our FCA co-presidents (not to be confused with our other co-president, Sarah). They're standing behind our lovely FCA table welcoming people in.
After interim, St. Olaf takes a week off before second semester gets started. I got to go home with my friend Stacy from Kansas. I'd never been to campus before. Stacy describes it as, "A lot like here [Minnesota], but there's a better view, because there aren't so many dang trees." So there you go. Anyway, I had a lot of fun hanging out in Newton, Kansas with Stacy and her family. The last night we went up to her grandparents' lake cabin (yes, they have lakes in Kansas; I did not know this) and played games. I believe I've been adopted by her grandparents. In the picture are Poppy, Gracie, Stacy, and me.
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