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Lessons:
A few days ago, I got a text. “He broke up with me…I am devastated so I won’t be in class today.”
I called my friend back, asked her to tell me what was going on. After a few moments of her talking through tears it hit me. In college, this may be the worst test of all for some. The test of a real relationship.
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When I was little, I use to always ask my mom about when I would meet the one.  What would he be like?  How do I know if it is love or not?  How will I know if that is what I am suppose to do or who I am suppse to be with?  My mom would always tell me, “Klyn honey, you will just know. ” 

How?  How will I know?  I would be so mad after every high school devastating breaking up, gut wrenching moment, that I swore I never would meet him.  I would fix so many little things in my life hoping to one day be able to lure him in.  How would I know?  What signs would there possibly be? 
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I have been engaged for about 9 months now.  Every love song, every sappy movie, every thing that has been connected to love in our media has it all wrong.  Everybody tries to come so close to defining love- but fail on so many accounts.  There was a saying I heard as a little girl, that was something along the lines of “There are no words adequate enough to express it- it is just a feeling.  It is the feeling that one would rather experience love for a day, than never to experience it at all”.  It is a deep profound connection to another human being.  It is intimate.  It is sweet.  It is a language of our own. Shared secrets, shared goals, sharing a life.

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I would rather have one day with him, than never live again.  Time flies so quickly, hours feel like minutes, days feel like hours, and years feel like yesterday… 

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I am so lucky in my life to have the life I have. How many of you are? How many of you are waiting, hopefully, to meet the one? How many of you wake up, go to class, and at the end of the day can only think about that special somebody or the void in your heart?

How does this tie into Iowa Western? I am not 100% sure it does. I am sure however, that as another semester winds down- I know deep down, I would not have been as successful at any other college.  I choose the right college to begin all of my life dreams. I also know in my heart, I found the one.
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To the girl who just had her heart wrenched out, it isn’t over. It is just beginning. You may have not met the one yet, but you have gotten just one step closer. (Congrats!)
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Experiences with friends, experiences with dating, experiences with class…all of these have shaped how we have grown as adults in our college venture.  Enjoy our upcoming finals week.  If you have somebody, take the time to let them know that you …just… know… and if your out there searching (I have a newly single friend :D)

Yesterday I took the test that determined how long I will stay at the hospital.  In between breathing tests, I took a break to do an all-time favorite pasttime.  I read my medical charts. 

This time around, in addition to a new floor, I also got a new doctor.  I saw a comment he wrote.  “20 year old, pleasant female, with no signs of lung distress.  Eager to live.”

Ironic.  I’m here, with more tubes in my arm than the back of my television, with no signs of lung distress.  I can’t help but wonder, how many of us are living on the edge with no sign of distress? 

I know college is suppose to be difficult.  It is a job requirement because it weeds out the weak.  But how many of us are living day to day anymore, with no signs or symptoms of that chronic word, distress? 

While we worry about tests (medical or classroom), while we worry about the evenings (parties or nurses), while we try to fix our success rates (life expectancies or good grades), are we just aimlessly living or are we living with purpose?

I encourage you all to look at your lives.  Whether or not there are any visible signs of distress while in school.  This is your chance in life to put your resume at the top of the pile and get the life you’ve been dreaming of.  Are there any hidden symptoms in your own life that you can curb before you are a “middle aged, pleasant person, with no sign of distress?” yet in a difficult situation? 

On a high note, I should be coming home Friday evening!  Thanks for your thoughts, cards, comments, and stories.  No wonder I am no longer in “distress”. 

Hey kids!
How dedicated you must be to check out the blogs while on winter break! Give yourself a hi-5 for that one.

So…The year is almost coming to a close and I was thinking today of how lucky a woman I am. Then I realized, maybe most people don’t see the good in their life because they never stop to look for it. I sat down, with a pen and paper, and literally came up with 100 things over the past year that I am thankful for. Try it. Maybe only 10-15 but still, after you have that list, you will be amazed at just how wonderful everything really is… I’m going to share with you (if you don’t roll your eyes and laugh at my optimism) the top 15.

15. My mommy and daddy
14. That Travis proposed on 08-08-08
13. That my in-laws are actually pretty amazing people
12. My 4.0 Gpa (Thanks teachers!)
11. My chihuahua
10. My coffee maker
09. Sex and the City dvd seasons 1,2,3 and the movie (yay for growing collections)
08. I have ample supply of food, and plenty of reserve on my hips
07. I quit Vanity…maybe chaos isn’t a good thing
06. I am an ambassador for Iowa Western (I can’t wait to give freshmen the tours!)
05. That I was able to run 6 miles this year
04. That you, my dedicated winter blog reader, are still reading this
03. That my car still runs with 137,000 miles
02. This winter break I spent with those I love and those that love me
01. That I chose Iowa Western

How did everybody like their break?
All 4 days! I spent my time down in Kansas City with the in-laws. So much fun.

Priority registration is coming up and I am not at all excited about registering for a wii, but rather getting the classes I want in the exact time slot I want.

There are 3 steps to help get you registered which I found on SAIL. Here they are- so best of luck to you all.

1. Build your preferred sections in SOS.
2. Meet with your assigned program advisor.
3. Check your priority registration time in SAIL.

It’s actually pretty cool that we get such an advantage over new students for registration! (Sorry new kids!) At least I think it’s sweet. I plan on taking about 19 credits this next semester and every little time slot needs to be open in order for things to run very smoothly.

Best of luck to you all as well!
And go get that Wii!

Now my message here is very clear… I chose the right college. If you are considering it, quit over analyzing every campus, quit being a sucker for the advertising in flashy newsletters and online promising you the greatest college experience. Say yes. Come to Iowa Western.

Why you ask?

I put off writing my blog this week because I assumed naturally that as the week went on I would have something interestingly enough to write. I had no idea how much of an impact this week would have on my personal life.

Any other campus I could of selected, I would wake up go to class- meet a few friends- and eventually get a degree in hopes that my dream career would be attainable.

2 Things Happened to Me this week that are personal and I run the risk of a reader insulting it. But when it happens to them, they will understand that Iowa Western isn’t just a college to them anymore- it is a place that truly can impact their lives.

1. I started off the week very sick. I have a little something called Cystic Fibrosis. Www.cff.org. I was not feeling well at all, in fact, I was considering going into the hospital to get what they call a “tune up”. It basically means being plugged up to machines for a few weeks in attempt to cough out the phlegm that kills most patients. Monday came along, and I was not feeling well at all. In fact, walking from my car to class was enough of a strenous task that I went to the side of the building and coughed for about 4 minutes- making me late to class. By my last class, I confided in a teacher that I would have to leave early and go home. No big deal.

True…It’s college. Teachers can’t always hold your hand and tell you to attend. But this one teacher, has a strict policy on homework. It can not be turned in unless I myself am present. I got full credit. Come to Iowa Western because you will never be a number in a lecture hall of 300- but a STUDENT who WILL be cared for.

2. Now, I would not have mentioned Cystic if this 2nd incident did not occur. I had a class this week, that honestly moved me. Enough to change my major. To find out that deep inside I really could be whatever I wanted to be and to seize that opportunity.

The lesson for the day was not about motivation or about classes or about anything you would expect that could change your outlook on your entire life. It was about Maslow. That psych guy and his hierarchy of needs. The teacher showed a clip on what it means to be at the top of his famous pyramid. The part of “Self Actualization.” At the end of this 10 minute clip, I had tears in my eyes.

Something changed that day. I went home to my fiance. I looked at the life I am preparing for- a great career, a lovely house, an impressive investment portfolio and to be surrounded by loved ones- then I realized…If Cystic kills me before that, what happens? What happens to that dream?

I made a dedication to myself and to my fiance and to my life…that I would not be a statistic. No more. I would not let the symptoms of Cystic choke me to death the way it has for hundreds and thousands of other people before their 20th birthday.

I just signed up to run a half marathon. I have never run a day in my life. But, that video changed me. That CLASS changed me. It made me excited to push myself and LIVE. It made me EXCITED for the daily humdrum of college life.

Now…if you are considering Iowa Western…Let me ask you…

WHAT OTHER COLLEGE WOULD GIVE YOU THE SAME IMPACT???
Don’t look at a pretty advertising campaign…look at the real story. You won’t regret your decision.

Thank you.