2 Days!

So there are 2 days until I leave for Italy! 

I am getting really excited and am doing a lot of last minute packing. I tend to over-pack and cramming everything I need for 2 weeks into a smaller sized suitcase has been a challenge to say the least. The weather for Italy, France, and the Netherlands looks really nice and will be in the 60s and 70s.

I will see you when I get back!

Chaio!

ps: I also created a Twitter account...and it is addicting

Follow me at: LaurenFischer88

Oh Finals.. how I have NOT missed you

It is that time of year again... Finals

I (along with many other students) have been dreading this and next week all semester. The good news is, is that I only have 3 exams and I am finished with school by next Wednesday! 

It has been hard reading everyone's status on Facebook (who does not go to Iowa) exclamining that they are FINALLY done with school.

I wish that was me... but in a week school will be all over and summer will be here.

AND...

I am getting very anxious... 14 days until I leave for Italy!!

“It always seems impossible until its done"

Happy 20th Birthday Jessica!

Sorry Jessica this is a little late….

Happy Birthday to YOU

Happy Birthday to YOU

Happy Birthday Dear Jessica

Happy Birthday TO YOU!

I hope you had the BEST 20th Birthday this past weekend! 

I really enjoyed being in Poky and visiting your family this past weekend!

I hope to make more memories with you in the next few years we have here at Iowa.

You are the BEST 1st College Roommate EVER! 

Support System

 So I just recently (this week) signed up to run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Chicago on August 14^th…. For those of you who know me this is not something I would normally do because I am not a runner. I never ran in middle school or high school… so you are probably thinking,  

“Why the hell is she even doing this?”  

and my answer to your question is the American Cancer Society.  All proceeds raised by the race go to the American Cancer Society.

 

My grandma is battling cancer for the second time…this time in more than one place.  And we just recently found out that my Papa has prostate cancer.

I wanted to do something that would help them and millions of other people battling some form of cancer…. It’s the least I can do.

So I thought to myself… Running 13.1 miles is NOTHING compared to fighting a deadly disease.

Both of my parents are running it as well (my dad runs marathons and half marathons all the time and my mom convinced me if she could do it so could I and plus she wanted a running buddy).

Needless to say I have looked to my friends and family for inspiration and support. Some of my friends were thrilled at the idea that I would sign up and support this great cause… 

others were a bit more skeptical.

You can do anything you put your mind to.  And no matter what, you should support your friends and family even if you may be skeptical...because you could be the biggest and sometimes only support system they have.  No one likes to be told that you can’t do something like run a half marathon or be made fun of for doing something that truly means a lot to them.  Friends and family are the best support system there is and it is important to be there for one another.

 So I am sure that as my training increases throughout the summer I will keep everyone posted on how it is going. I am very excited to do this and all of my hard work will pay off in the end!

I've been LAZY

So I've realized that it has been forever since the last time I blogged. My roommates love to remind me everyday how lazy I have become about blogging. 

So here has what happened since the last time I've blogged...

I have blown threw 3 seasons of Mad Men... I love it so much I watch at least 2 episodes each night before I go to bed. And I have successfuly got Maddie hooked on the show!

Spring break was nice and relaxing. I spent a lot of time with Wrigley :) as you can probably tell from the picture on the left. Kelsey got this ladybug mask in her "Birthday Basket" from her friends at school. We couldn't resist putting it on Wrigley! And shockingly kept it on for her glamor shot!

 

I spent more money than I wanted to shopping with my mom, but it was really worth it in the end. 

Charming Charlies is the cutest store! 

There is so many things in the store it is overwhelming for someone who has never been there before.

My "Golden Birthday" was during spring break so I am now officially 20! Its not as "special" as your 21st birthday but I am no longer a "teenager" and that's pretty special to me whoot whoot!! 

My sister also had a birthday over spring break.  For those of you who don't know my sister and I share a birthday and we are not twins. She was born on my 4th birthday. 

She was the best birthday present I could have ask for!

I am truly blessed to share a birthday with Kelsey.

Happy 16th Birthday Kels!

Getting back to school was a little tough... I had a bunch of tests when we got back. Getting into the swing of things was difficult but I made it! Today I finished my last midterm until finals. 

It is really scary to think that finals are right around the corner. 

But on a better non scary/stressful note... Italy is a little over a month away!

I am getting really nervous and excited at the same time.

Today I splurged a little bit and bought a new pair of shoes... but before you roll your eyes and say under your breath "that's the last thing she needs.. another pair of shoes"-- that's what Billy would have said before I told him they were purchased for a good cause. I bought a pair of TOMS Shoes. 

For those of you who don't know about TOMS when you buy a pair of shoes the company donates a pair of shoes to a person/child who doesn't have a pair. I am very excited to get them because I plan on wearing these in Italy because I have heard they are SUPER comfy! 

I bought a light gray color because I want them to be versatile and go with anything I wear.

So that's what I have been up to! 

I promise to blog more often now that all midterms are done and over with! 

Rick Warren

My mom loves to send me forwarded-emails that she gets from her close friends at work-- don't get me wrong I love getting them and they are enjoyable to read. 

Some include cute pictures, some include a funny jokes, and others teaches a life lesson. Whatever the subject it always brightens my day and takes my mind off of school sometimes.

This morning I received an email from her that really made me think about life and what it is all about. Recently my family has been experiencing "bumps in the road of life," and this email could not have come at a better time. 

This is what it said....

(It is kind of long but truly worth it in the end)

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales.  This is an absolutely incredible short  interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .

 

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life ?  And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity.  We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.  One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body -- but not the end of me.  I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity.  This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.  God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.  

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.  Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life.  

The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.  I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth.  I don't believe that anymore.  Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.. 

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.  And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.  You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems: 

If  you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.  But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her - It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.  Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder.  For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.  It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before.  I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.  So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence.  He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. 

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.  We made no major purchases. 

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back.  It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions?  Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures?  Guilt?  Bitterness?  Materialism?  Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?  When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better.  God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.  He's more interested in what I am than what I do.  That's why we're called human beings , not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD .

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD..

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen.  But it will just be nice to pass it on to a friend....just like I have done.

God's Blessings

HE ARRIVED THIS MORNING, WE HAD PRAYER; SPENT SOME TIME JUST TALKING, AND HE HELD ME FOR AWHILE BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A BAD MORNING. THEN, HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO YOUR PLACE.

 

Mad About "Mad Men"

So I recently started watching the show "Mad Men" on AMC.... and I am hooked on it! 

I can't stop watching.

I highly recommend this to anyone BUT will warn you about how addicting each episode is.

For those of you who don't know the story behind what "Mad Men" is about, 

here are the main ideas....

Mad Men is a nick-name for the competitive men and women on New York's Madison Avenue working in advertising. It is set in the 1960s; 

A time when advertising was crucial and at its peak.

"Mad Men" follows the corporate and personal lives of the workers at the

Anderson Cooper advertising firm.

(I don't want to give too much away about the show- So go and check it out!)

I decided to start watching the show after hearing nothing but good things about the series. 

I was also attracted to it because it deals with working at an advertising firm... 

something I eventually want to pursue as a career.

  This gives me an idea of how hectic and competitive a job at an advertising firm can be.

So this Sunday when you are channel surfing around 9pm stop by the AMC channel and just watch a few minutes of it... I guarantee that you will be hooked.

Summer Internship/Job Fair

So every year around this time the University of Iowa holds an internship/job fair for students. This allows them to "get their feet wet" and meet potential summer employers. I decided this would be a great opportunity for me and maybe land an internship for this summer. 

I took Maddie with me for moral support and because she was interested in some of the companies that were there. The email that was sent to the student body told students to wear nice business clothing. After long hours of deciding what to wear and calling my mom on the phone, we thought that tan pants and a dressy shirt would suffice....well we thought wrong. As soon as we got there we saw students with dressy attire on. We both felt completely under-dressed! Now we know what to wear for next years fair! 

 

Other than not having the right attire on, there were so many companies there that it was truly overwhelming! 

Maddie and I did our best and got our resumes out to companies that would benefit our majors. 

I have already emailed some potential employers telling them that I am interested in their position...

Now its a waiting game.

Hopefully her and I will hear back soon!

It's Been Awhile

Sorry it has been so long since the last time I've blogged... a lot has been going on!

I have been busy with a lot of school work and studying a lot for tests. I am happy to say that I am done with exams until after spring break! I can now catch up on readings and blogging of course!

Here has whats been going on... 

My Valentines day was amazing! I went out to NIU to visit Billy the weekend before Valentines day. It was a lot of fun. We went to a party Friday night because it was someones birthday. It was a high school clique themed party. Since Billy told me about this party the night before I left I didn't have much time to think of a good outfit. I managed to pull a few things together with the help of my roommates. I went as a prep and Billy went as a nerd. I spent the rest of the weekend studying for an exam I had on Tuesday. Monday I was totally surprised when I was sent 2 boxes of roses from Billy. One box had 2 dozen roses and the other box had 1 dozen! I was so shocked... I put them in my room and they smelled lovely.

I wish I could get fresh flowers every week because they put me in a good mood regardless of everything bad that was going on. He also got me a Pillow pet which I LOVE!

My parents sent a Valentines card from them and Wrigley. Getting the card and some candy made my day. I love getting packages in the mail especially from my family. 

Little things like cards in the mail from my family make all the bad days and stress go away.

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing"

I am looking forward to the arrival of spring....I am bored of all the cold weather and snow!

Only 17 more days until Spring Break...

AND 25 days until my golden birthday! 

Paintin' on a Snow Day

I am happy to report the University canceled all classes on Wednesday because of the snow! I was overjoyed when I got the text message from Hawk alert telling us we didn't have school. I was also wishing for a text this morning telling me I didn't have to go to class but it was no such luck :( 

So since we were stuck inside all day, I decided it would be a good day for all of us to clean our apartment. It needed a good cleaning to say the least! After we finished all of the cleaning we decided to rearrange of our living room. I love the new set up and it makes the living room more comfortable and cozier.  

Jessica and I were feeling artsy and decided to paint pictures to hang on the fridge and/or to give to friends. 

Overall painting went really well and it was fun to see the different pictures we created.

We got about 10 inches of snow and it felt like so much more when we had to dig our cars out last night. I am really sore today! 

It is going to be a very exciting weekend. The NIU hockey team is playing Iowa Friday and Saturday night and Dance Marathon is going on this weekend. Maddie and Jessica are both involved in it and will be dancing their hearts out for 24 hours for a good cause! 

Good Luck Maddie and Jessica and just keep dancing! 

Maddie and Jessica outside yesterday trying to find our cars!

Snow Day?

This is supposed to be a storm that will go down in history. The Midwest is getting ready for a snowstorm that will result in a lot of money for clean up. The University of Iowa has canceled classes starting after 4:30 pm tonight and classes before 10:00 am tomorrow morning. I only have one class (starting at 6:30pm tonight) that will be affected by the storm but it’s better than not having any of my classes canceled! 

KCRG (local Eastern Iowa news) is predicting a foot of snow by tomorrow morning and dangerous winds making it difficult to travel. This is a perfect time to stay in and relax with my roommates. We are making yummy potato soup for dinner and plan on watching TV and working on some homework for the rest of the night. We just have to wait and see how much snow we actually get...hopefully the University will cancel all classes tomorrow 

(fingers crossed)

Back home (suburbs outside of Chicago) is bracing for 2 feet of snow plus hazardous winds making it hard for people to commute. My dad is a schoolteacher in Arlington Heights and his school along with my sister’s high school called a snow day for tomorrow. I can’t wait to see pictures they send me of all the snow they get.  Wrigley (our dog) loves snow so I am sure she will have a fun time playing in the 2 plus feet of snow.   

Ps: 47 days until spring!

2011 NHL All-Stars

Congrats to Team Lidstrom for winning the 2011 NHL All-Star game today!

As some of you may not know but I have become a HUGE hockey fan (all thanks to my boyfriend for dragging me to his hockey games) and I enjoy watching talent from many teams play together.

But more importantly my future husband (I wish) Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks was the assistant captain on the winning team (a.k.a Team Lidstrom).

So Congrats on the 11 to 10 win today!

And I would also like to give a shout-out to the MVP of today's game Patrick Sharp who is also on the Chicago Blackhawks

110 Days

110 days from today I will be greeting everyone with a friendly "ciao" and admiring the beautiful breath-taking sites of Rome, Florence and Paris. The School of Art and Art History here at Iowa is offering a trip for anyone who wants to spend 14 days in Italy, France and Belgium. 

St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

We will spend the majority of our time in Italy and then travel via train to France. There is an optional extension to Amsterdam, Belgium for anyone that was interested.

Here is the itinerary...

Day 1 Fly into Italy.

Day 2 Rome.

Day 3 Guided Tour of Rome (Visit Colosseum and Forum Romanum)

Day 4 Visit Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica

Day 5 Visit the Basilica of St. Francis

Day 6 Florence. Visit the Uffizi

Day 7 Florence

Day 8 Paris. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral

Day 9 Paris. Tour of the Louvre

Day 10 Paris

Day 11 Paris and Amsterdam

Day 12 Amsterdam

Day 13 Amsterdam

Day 14 Depart for Home

Needless to say, I am SO excited and I can't wait!!

I have been overseas before but to a completely different part of Europe. When I was a freshman in high school I got the amazing opportunity to travel to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Lichtenstein. I took 4 years of German in high school and wanted to experience a completely different culture. The trip was amazing and I hope to one day go back to Germany and experience Oktoberfest.

Ciao!

Balloons

Overall last weekend went really well and I was very happy to celebrate my boyfriends birthday with him this year. We got to NIU around 5:30ish and after Billy left for his hockey game at 7:30 (the game was at 10:30pm) we were instructed by Billy's brother John to immediately start blowing up balloons. A typical person would think a few balloons would be fine... John had other ideas...

This was Billy's room after three 75 count bags of balloons. Yes, do the math that is 225 colorful balloons that we all blew up with our own lungs. The picture does not do justice because we shoved them all into this closet! 

Maddie, Jessica and I had fun decorating his room with streamers and baking him a delicious birthday cake.

Even though he didn't come home until 2:30am we still had a lot of fun. The three of us (Maddie, Jessica and I) experience the game Dance Central for Xbox. It was a lot of fun and very tiring. We loved it so much we are thinking about getting it for our apartment here at Iowa. 

On Saturday night before his second hockey game my parents and sister met the four of us for dinner at The Yard House. It was very good and the waiter brought Billy a special dessert for his birthday! 

  

After dinner we all went to Billy's hockey game. This was a special game because this was Maddie's first hockey game EVER! Jessica had come to NIU before and had seen his hockey games before, so she was a pro! 

NIU played Loyola University and the ending result didn't go as planned for NIU. Even though NIU lost it was still a very exciting game. Maddie and Jessica got to spend time with my sister who they adore!

Jessica, Kelsey (my sister), and Maddie "watching" the hockey game.

Billy on the ice. Sorry it's blurry he was moving fast!

I am glad everyone had a good time and hope to return very soon!

Ready for the Weekend!

I know its only Thursday afternoon but I am finished with all my homework and ready for an exciting weekend! This is a special weekend because Saturday is my boyfriend of 3 plus years 20th birthday. Since we go to separate schools two of my three roommates (the same two that went to Wicked with me) are going to pack up and travel with me to Northern Illinois University to celebrate. It is a long and boring three hour drive from the University of Iowa to Norther Illinois but it should go by fast with Maddie and Jessica in the car!

Me, Maddie, and Jessica  (January 2011)

We have an eventful weekend planned for us because Billy (my boyfriend) is on the NIU Hockey team and he has games Friday and Saturday night. We plan on seeing the Saturday night game, which should be fun because Maddie and Jessica don't follow hockey. Billy introduced me to hockey and after 3 years of dating I am hooked on hockey and can't get enough! After the hockey game we plan on celebrating his birthday after with a LONG night out with friends!

Billy and I (December 2010)

Happy Birthday Billy, I love you and hope you have a wonderful 20th Birthday!

Wicked Sorry

It has been forever since the last time I blogged and I will admit it was out of pure laziness and nothing to blog about. School has started back up after what seemed like a 2 month long winter break. It is nice to be back in the swing of things and having TONS to do all the time. However, I am thankful this semester I have a lot of "free time" which will be put to good use. It is only the first week of classes and I already have a lot of things due. So much for Syllabus week being the "Best Week Ever!" 

 On a better note, I got the opportunity to go see Wicked (the Broadway musical) in Chicago with my two roommates/ best friends over winter break. The play was AMAZING to say the least even though our seats were the last row on the third level. I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves plays and/or wants to find out the untold story of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The plot was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire performance. I would go see it again in a heart beat!

Maddie and I in front of the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago

(Sorry Jessica)

"Life has been your art. You have set yourself to music. Your days are your sonnets." 

-Oscar Wilde