(RA)dical!

 I told you my life is busy! It's been a crazy, fantastic, slightly overwhelming, loud, insightful, exciting time since I last posted. Much of this due to the fact that it is my first year being a Resident Assistant (RA) at the one and only, Purdue University! I am convinced that there is not a better job that one can have while in school (maybe ever!) There are just so many perks...

I get to wear profesh looking name tags and polos 

Make cheesy...I mean...inspirational bulletin boards

Dress up for our Hall Club meetings (90's night)- I LOVE dressing up in costumes

Work with the MOST amazing people. seriously.

Don't be fooled by our inability to take a centered photo...we're great at working together;)

Make cool crafts (like dream catchers..more on that later) 

Watch football games

         

               Play Board Games

      

And receive sweet notes from just THE best ladies on campus 

(even if they do spell laughter without the "t")

I love them all and am so blessed because...we're not just any floor...we're NE4!

Slumber Party

As is evident after spending a short amount of time with me, I love working with kids...playing with kids, talking with kids about their dreams, even making fun of kids (it makes them stronger, yeah?) So, just because I knew it would be a lot of fun (and because I knew I LOVED having "older friends" as a young girl) I decided to throw a little sleepover with some very special young ladies. 

It started with an invitation delivered to each girl's home (because how fun is it to receive something with your name on it in some sort of professional manner?!"So fun!" is the response you're looking for)

Naturally, the first thing we did when they arrived was to go down the cardboard slide I had assembled on my staircase. I definitely suggest trying this at home because I'm pretty sure I could have provided just this for entertainment and we would have been set. Number one phrase of the Slumber Party: "Do you want to go on the slide again?"

Even though the slide was grand, my favorite part of slumber parties was always doing a craft, so that was a must. I found a presumably simple kit at Walmart to make these cute beaded critter keychains (not as easy as it looked apparently...but they did turn out very cute and there was enough that they could each make two and bless someone else with a gift later...so two thumbs up for that)

 The next thing to get two thumbs up was the Slip-n-Slide. Though there was some definite struggle with the whole sliding aspect at first (and no, not for me)...we added a bit of dish soap and before we knew it we were slippin past the plastic and into the grass (this explains the tiny scratches later to be found on everyone's legs...well, except Josie...she never really made it that far;) They loved it...

 ...Especially when they were splashed after I "promised" I wouldn't squirt them during the picture. Let's just say my fingers were crossed (duh!) and I had technically already taken the picture I was talking about. Yes, you must stoop to their level if you want to survive, the crazies!

All that slippin and slidin made us rather hungry, so we made ourselves an extremely nutritious meal, personal pizzas! (Don't worry, we totally had some fruit on the side....*dramatic voice* and that was the only thing of nutritional value we saw that day...) 

With our tummies full, we went out, seeking adventure. The first step in that process was dressing up in "crazy costumes" (This was actually their idea, but I'm never one to turn down the chance to dress up) So yes, I took them out in public and we played putt putt golf in such silly attire (let's just say the other putters were definitely a bit jealous...even if it's not true, let's say it...because that makes us feel cool)

At this point they had a lot of sugar in their systems so I figured I'd make them sit for awhile. We spent a delightful hour and thirty-one minutes watching Kung Fu Panda on the side of the house...oh, and filling their systems with more sugar...I guess I didn't think that one all the way through. Still, the mosquitos were very grateful for our sweet blood 

To finish the night off, we played a round of Apples to Apples...(I guess Josie was enjoying it a bit more than Maddie;)...but I'm pretty sure I heard them all laughing, so we're clear. I sent them off to their dreams with an (influential) bedtime story at a very decent, early hour...of course meaning early the next day...at 2...you're welcome parents!

They woke me up bright and early the next morning to frost our cookies we had made the night before (didn't see that one coming, did ya?!) Oh yeah, we were all over that...and if I do say so myself, they were rather delicious...

 I mean, just look at them. How could cookies this adorable not be delicious?! (Obviously I know that if the frosting were snot flavored they wouldn't be delicious, but you can keep the sassy comments to yourself and we will continue to cover entire cookies with a plethora of non-snot flavored sprinkles)

 Before I sent them all packing, they wished to dress up just one more time so they slipped on old prom and bridesmaid dresses, covered their nutritious cinnamon roll breakfast with leftover cookie icing, and feasted in style (pinkies up). It was altogether a wonderful time and I am so glad I was reminded of how blessed I am to have such lovely ladies be a part of my life. Thanks for coming to my Slumber Party!

Cruisin the Caribbean...yeah, you know it!

     What I am pretty sure started out as a joke became a reality. That's right, a week ago I was out in the middle of the ocean, on a lovely cruise ship with two dear friends (and one of their mothers). If you think you get to know someone by living in the same Res Hall with them, a boat is a whole new thing. The trip was incredible...even if we had to turn around and change plans because we bumped into a hurricane. Instead of boring you with every waking detail and making you super totally jealous, I am just going to put up some photos (and an impromptu rap video we made on the last day at Sea) to make you super jealous.

            The glorious Carnival Liberty

Waiting to get on with traveling buddies, Rosavear Deirdre and Kawela Makuakai

We came, we saw, and we conquered in Mexico (shopping and the beach)

We swam with Stingrays in Grand Cayman

                                   Relaxed at the famous 7 mile beach                                

       We drove 'bobsleds' in Jamaica (We also climbed a waterfall...nbd)

                                                                                                                                                                    

       We ate a lot of food...everywhere. (fresh mango in Jamaica)

        

 We made new friends

Needless to say, we returned home very well relaxed

Lil Debee, Big Boat

(It's playing a bit choppy on here, so click to watch on YouTube)

        

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Just Call Me Miss BeeSaver

      As an aspiring educator, I have many classes about identity. Not only do I have to know my identity, but I must help roughly twenty-five children also find theirs. A huge part of this in the early grades is one's name. It's one of the first things you learn to spell...even if your name is Chrysanthemum or something else ridiculously hard to spell. If we really hate our name, we're quick to come up with a nickname that "better suits our personality." So, of course, if you're a curious child you want to know what your name means. Deborah happens to mean bee. Yep, like the insect that flies around (pretty clever of them to make our shortened name Deb-bie). My family properly called me Queen Bee as they knew I would one day rule them all! Totally kidding.
    
      All the same, I have somewhatly involuntarily become associated with this striped insect which means I get lots of presents with said theme. Bags with bees on them, swimsuits that look like honeycomb, stuffed bears dressed as bees, Burt's bees lipgloss, (making a blog with said theme)...you name it...and by no means am I complaining! The ironic thing is...I am allergic to bees. Now, I haven't been stung by a one since I was a child and it may have "worn off" but who is really brave enough to test that out...not me, ok. So, as a rule I have lived my life following a general rule...don't mess with them, they won't mess with you. But today was a very different story....

      It was a day at camp like any other...blistering hot and humid. So obviously, we were outside for lunch. I was just sitting down when I heard a small cry. "NOooAhh" After clarifying that it was not someone calling for a child named Noah I realized it was a combination of both "No" and "Ahh" and was coming from a small boy on the playground equipment. It seemed that a bee had decided to join him for his meal. Now I am not sure what it is about bees, but people just go absolutely crazy when they come around...monkey see, monkey do...our children also respond this way. I calmly told him to leave it alone and surely it would fly away...remember, my rule. However, it instead rested on his shoulder. At this point he was about to panic which would lead to definite stinging and tears, so I joined him on the equipment. The bee had decided for some reason that it deeply desired to be in his shirt and was trying to crawl in his sleeve so I was calmly reassuring him to stand still and it would be ok as I rolled up his sleeve as the bee was walking so that it had nowhere to go.

       At this point the bee is getting a little upset, and keep in mind I am still as we know allergic, so I'd prefer not to get stung either. I gently waft my hand as if to say, "Dear Bee, I mean you no harm, see how polite I am being, please leave." Would you believe it, he did...he started flying away...and then about 18 ft out, I kid you not,  he turns around and comes speeding at us full throttle. Naturally I grabbed the small boy and spun around in a circle (the bee will be so confused he won't know where to sting if we're spinning around? Believe me, I am as confused as you are about my logic here). Next, I whip off my hat in an attempt to (really who knows what I was thinking here...catch the fuming hot bee in my hat that is thinner than paper?) save the small boy from any pain. I do manage to ward it off a bit and of course at this point, the attention of about half of the camp is on the bee.
  
       Another small child pipes up that he happened to bring his BugSucker to camp and offers its services to us. I am not really sure what was going through my mind at this point, but I accepted the offer. In a moment I was sure would lead to triumph I fired up the BugSucker 2000 (I added that 2000 part for effect) and aimed it straight at the flying buzzer from hell. As it turns out, that thing isn't even as strong as a vacuum cleaner, and our friend is very mad now...and might I add, still targeting the small boy we began the story with (I just keep intervening). When moments like this happen I tend to say something sarcastic and overly dramatic...it's just who I am. So, as a (half) joke I said in a silly voice, "We're all going to die!" As it turns out, six year olds do not understand sarcasm and if you recall, half the camp was watching and gathering around...so now I have a plethora of small children screaming as the bee circles around us and above us and through us like a predator seeking out it's victim. So I prayed real fast, and I yelled real loud, "Everyone calm down, that bee is leaving NOW!" I kid you not...it flew away, never to return again.
  
        Say what you will but most all of this story is not fabricated and also I'm pretty sure that bee was demon possessed. But in the end, no one got stung and I was dubbed hero. Miss Beesaver was my official name of the day as the small boy claims I saved his life! It really is rather funny how much commotion was caused over something so very small, and how quickly we can start to think irrationally. Really, in the end, it wasn't anything I did. In fact, it's very likely that I made matters worse. Yet, somehow, I came out a hero...and in one afternoon at that (took Hercules, what 18 years!? Nailed it!) You can take from this what you want...I just found it ridiculous and laughable.

                         Thanks for reading! I hope your day was just like that BugSucker...and didn't suck :0)