getting a tad bit crazy

what have we been up to well quite a bit if you ask me. research papers, homework, class, tennis (which is now over), and then some fun on the side. here are a few pics... first of that tree that i was talking about with the white flowers... well, not it's green, oddly enough. then a pic from 8th street grill in holland, then a bunch of pics from... well, lets just say from a late night. enjoy

green

who knew that leaves bloom???
well i didn't until about a couple of days ago. i wake up one morning, and i am walking outside, and then i notice that there is a shade of green covering all the trees. crazy, i think it happened overnight. and there is this one tree in front of our stairwell in our dorm that bloomed tons of these little white flowers. i will have to take a picture of it, because it is amazing.
seriously, spring is pretty cool. it's really neat to be able to notice the change from winter to spring... you don't really get that in california.
so, conference tennis tournament this weekend. we leave today, and get back saturday. this is the end of the season (unless we win conference and go on to regionals). i got to play doubles in my last match on tuesday, and we kicked some serious butt.
speaking of kicking butt, i researched and wrote an entire english research paper in 5 hours. i went to the library at 9:30 am, and i was out at 2:30 pm. done two days early... that's a first.
we just had our two days off for academic advising. so i put together my (hopeful) schedule, and i am SO stoked. get this. monday wednesday friday, from 9am to 3:30pm, with a lunch break and chapel break in between, i have class. tuesday thrusday... i have nothing... nada... nil..zilch... squat.
oh the joys of scheduling classes.
so i will find out on wednesday if that ends up working.

holland!

the familiar red lighthouse of holland state beach. after my tennis match was over, i headed out to meet my friends at my favorite place: holland. i haven't been there since it was all covered in snow... what a different sight (and feel)! so we were at the beach for a bit, and had some good fun with frisbees and cameras... cameras? yes. so me and my roommate have this little stunt we like to pull, but i can't exactly tell you what it is. anyway, i say the oscar goes to my roomie for a very convincing performance. after we left the beach, it was time for dinner... and where else but at my favorite place, 8th street grill... where we sampled all three of the soups, enjoyed a milkshake, and had a delicious sandwich. then it was back to the beach to watch the sunset, and then head back to calvin. good time? of course... any time in holland is a good time. i look forward to going back for tulip time. that should be fun.
enjoy the pics

this is the life

so, i packed up my laptop, got everything together in my tiny little backpack, and hopped on my bike for a ride down to reed's lake. the sun is shining, not a cloud in sight, and it is over 70 degrees. i had my heart set on going down to reeds lake, sitting on the grass in the little park area on the lake front, and either a)napping b)studying/doing homework c)reading. b) was doubtful because i didn't think such a place would have internet access. but by golly, i hunkered down in the sun a stone's toss from the lake, pulled out my laptop, and whaddya know... internet. so now, i am adding a new option... d) all of the above.
good times.
time to get working.

NVW dorm banquet

i realized that i never mentioned that dorm banquet was coming up. so ya, it was last night at Fredrick Meijer Gardens... it was so much fun... just another excuse to get all dressed up and eat yummy food and dance... and then of course go to steak 'n' shake for milkshakes afterward... in our formal wear, of course. enjoy the pics.

hullabaloo at kalamazoo

here's a pic of kalamazoo college's tennis stadium thing. these courts are kind of a big deal. boys' nationals for 16s and i think 14s? are played here... so agassi has played on these courts, as has roddick. pretty cool. anyway, it was the calvin college team that made a ruckus this time. we haven't beat kalamazoo at all in the past 5 years... but yesterday, we pulled a 6-3 upset. that's 6-3, where we won one of the three doubles, and 5 of the 6 singles. impressive, and pretty cool? i say yes. we're gonna try to keep that momentum going to tomorrow as we take on hope here at home! should be fun.
one other fun fact about kalamazoo. the guys tennis team there has won conference many times... and by many times, i am talking a winning streak of 69 years... and counting! 69 years in a row? crazy. its the longest winning streak for any sport and for any record. impressive.
well, besides the AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL weather we're having right now (enabling for leisurely bike rides and enjoyable walks to class), that's just about it.
hooroo

gather round for storytime with stina

this weekend, i had quite a few errands to run in quite the little amount of time. one of them required me to go to the bank down the street. so i walked in to the bank, and it was empty, save for a couple of ladies behind the counter (i'm assuming the bank tellers) having a pleasant conversation. so i walked up and told the lady i needed to make a deposit. she was very nice, and with a smile she began to fill out a slip. i just stood there, looked around, and did my best to look normal.

side note*** do you ever have it where, when you go to the bank, you feel like you have to work at not looking suspicious??? i always do. i walk in, and i'm like, okay: hands out of pockets, don't look around too much like you're scouting the place and assessing the situation, don't fidget, don't bring in a big purse...don't wear a ski mask... you know? i just feel like i am being watched super closely, making me feel like i look suspicious.
anyway.

so she was working on the form, and i tried to look un-suspicious... when all of the sudden, my bank teller began to scream... she screamed and proceeded to run away from the counter. my first thought? we are so being robbed right now. so i looked around, but to to my surprise, no masked gunman with a big sack for money was there--just the other bank teller, also looking confused, and me. i was confused, until the screaming bank teller formed a word amidst her screaming... one that made complete sense to me... "SPIDER!"
i heard the word spider and i--who was at that very moment leaning on the counter casually and not looking suspicious--too began to scream and run away from the counter. the confused bank teller laughed at the screaming bank teller and promptly walked over to the counter to smash the spider. the screaming bank teller apologized and i was quick to forgive her, explaining that i too was very afraid of spiders. she then began to discuss the nature and apparently large size of the spider, to which i sadly had to confess that i didn't even see the spider. yes, i freaked out without even seeing the spider. so we laughed and went on with the business at hand, and then i was on my way.

oh how much i would pay to have copies of the surveillance tapes capturing that whole scene.

do you fondue?

last night, two friends and i went to the melting pot... a pretty sweet fondue place... for dessert. it was amazing, and we had some good fun.
well, that's about it for now... it's raining still... but according to the forecast, sun IS on its way. hopefully.

wilbur (if you are weak in the stomach, don't look)

so, it is the day i turn 19. crazy. and what a better way to start it than by waking up at 7:30am to walk over to my bio lab and dissect a fetal pig. note: sarcasm. i am HORRIBLE with dissections. absolutely hate them. but, i had to take a picture to show what we went through. pig dissection is not a good time to start quoting charlotte's web... "some pig."


now for some even more disturbing pictures... sarah, my roomie, and i trying on a blond hannah montana wig my parents sent me for my birthday... i always knew i should be blond.
and my roomie made this (the bottom pic) and hung it up on the wall in front of our door. funny thing is, i didn't see it this morning when i left for my lab... but i finally saw it... isn't it awesome?
good times. well, i'm off to get some studying done.
tootle

teaching the uni

as of saturday i've begun to teach my friends sarah and lindsey how to unicycle. they're picking it up fairly fast... and i must say, i haven't laughed that hard in a while. i have full confidence that they'll be up and going on their own in no time :)

in other news, weather has been AMAZING.... 65 degrees yesterday. we've been doing our homeowrk outside... and napping too, of course. today is hopefully going to be our first outdoor match, and it will be here at calvin, so first home match as well.

i'll keep y'all posted.

eighties skating, baby

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36330&l=87875&id=542566513 (for the complete collection of 50 photos)
reverse order.... start at the bottom.










so, it was an 80s skating party, with NVW and BHT... it was a freakin' BLAST. we went thrifting after dinner to get our outfits together. then we got back to the dorms, hung out a bit, and then began the preparation. hair, make-up, and awesome outfits. so, check out these pics.

so, how do you guys like my hair?

a psalm for the occasion

1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."
7 O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

these crazy people i call friends...

we had a little photo session... and i must say these girls are crazy. the air-bound pic is of carolyn and my roomie. i'm telling you... never a dull moment. good times.

it's here!

folks, it's here.
frisbees flying, bikes cruising by, flip-flops flappin, and smiling faces...
seemingly overnight, spring has arrived. had you asked me yesterday, a bitter cold and windy day, i would have said spring has yet to come. today, the sun shined, the clouds were no where to be seen, and the temps were above 50! the great thing is that everyone immediately noticed the change. the campus, which has been deserted except for those walking to and from class, is now peppered with students everywhere... tossing a disc around, playing volleyball, studying in the sun... it's wonderful. it's amazing what a little sun and warmth will do for the morale. plus, the forecast for the rest of the week is all above 50 degrees. isn't that great?!
i personally look forward to unicycling to practice and class, breaking out the frisbee, and just plain old being outside.
it really is wonderful. april is such a great month :)
i hope all is well for y'all.
toodles

hokey pete

http://www.tennis.com/backcourt/general/backcourt.aspx?id=123890

andy roddick is engaged... engaged! i had no idea he was even dating anyone.
engaged means getting married.
andy is getting married?! so wierd
i think i'll manage to get over the heartbreak soon.
cause i really thought i had a chance.
and it ain't an april fools, cause its the 31st!

we had some wonderful rain today. i wore my rain boots and splashed around a bit.
temps are rising slowly but surely.

homework
ciao

random

matt nathanson is my recent music discovery... amazing. i love his albums. i particularly like the cover and title of this one, so i thought i would put a pic of it up. still waiting for spring. oh so accurate.

hmmm. i ain't got much else to say, so i shall leave it at that.

wheaton

that's where i am right now... the tennis team had two matches in wheaton this weekend: one yesterday against wheaton college (the team lost) and one today against olivet nazerene college. so we're just in the hotel right now, waiting to check out. did i ever mention that the team played at notre dame a couple of days ago? rudy, rudy, rudy. pretty cool.
is anyone else shocked at how fast march has come and gone??? i mean, it's almost april fool's day! i've got the perfect prank that me and some friends are gonna pull... but i can't tell y'all yet. it's gonna be great though.
did i mention that it full on snowed on thursday night? and it stuck! ok, i love the snow and all, but i am kind of excited to put my flip flops back on and hang out outdoors a little more... i wanna ride my unicycle!
anyway, i guess i better be off... i want a quick little nap before we check out.

lost teeth, fist fights, and fourth graders

so today was the day i taught 4th graders volleyball.
what do i have to say about it? well, to quote my doctor a couple of days ago: "oh wow."
it was quite hilarious. the moment i started the first activity, my lesson plan was out the window and i just struggled to maintain some bit of control.
a couple of the things that happened:
-a girl comes up to me. "miss stavro... my mouth won't stop bleeding." so i asked to take a look. and sure enough, the source of the bleeding was a lost tooth. "seems to me that your tooth fell out." so i sent her to the actual teacher to let him know. she then went on to search the gym for her tooth. it was never found, so somewhere in that gym is a fourth grader's tooth.
-two girls got upset over something and started fighting... throwing punches and all. so i had to step in and take care of that. tiny fists of fury, if i may say so myself.
-the class consisted of 20 girls and 5 boys. two of the boys decided that it would be fun to tease some of the girls, leading the girls to come to me and complain, leading to me needing to separating the boys.
-one girl purely just did not want to participate and sat in the corner the entire time. i tried to figure it out, but there was just too much going on.
-the only way the kids knew how to hit a volleyball was to hit it as hard as they could. so: 25 kids running around screaming, 13 volleyballs flying in every which direction. insanity.
-one thing that made it all worth it. one girl was sitting down while her group was messing around, and she looked a little bummed. so i went and talked to her and asked why she wasn't hitting with her group. she explained that she just couldn't figure out how to bump... she said she kept trying but couldn't do it. so i pulled her aside and had my helper toss her the ball as i walked her through it. she hit 5 good bumps in a row, and as i gave her a high-5, she had a super big smile. it was totally worth all the chaos that consumed about 99% of the class period.

so all in all, fantastic learning experience. it was pretty sweet to get to do that. i'm pretty sure i'll always remember it. and if i ever begin to forget it, i've got it all on tape :)

ciao

"oh wow"

not exactly the words you want to hear a doctor say when they are using one of their fancy medical tools to look in your ear. "doesn't get much worse than that." another thing you don't want to hear. she then proceeds to look in the other ear. "i lied. this is worse."
so yup, i've got a pretty gnarly ear infection. what tipped me off that i might need to see a doctor?
well, with about 30 minutes to go on my flight from vegas to chicago, it felt like someone had taken 3 inch nails and hammered them into my eardrums. i guess the pressurized cabins do that to an ear infection. i couldn't hear anything for the rest of the flight, and then once we landed and i got out, it felt like i was wearing ear plugs. it was so bad that i refused to get on my connecting flight to GR, and waited another two hours on stand by to get on a later one. in those two hours i wrote a research paper for english. after a quick flight to GR, i then proceeded to skip the rest of my classes that day. and luckily, the tennis match for that day was canceled.
but now i am on some meds, and all is good.
back in michigan where it SNOWed today. crazy. i hope it starts getting a tad bit warmer soon though, cause i want to play tennis outside in the nice fresh air.
i've got quite the bit of homework tonight, so i should get on that.
ciao for now

surprise

this first picture is at grand rap airport... if you haven't found out yet, i made a surprise visit home. i left michigan thursday afternoon, making it in to LAX thursday night. i spent friday in bellflower, and then we left saturday morning to go to palm desert to surprise my grampa. so that's what all these pictures are. this pic with the fire trucks and cops is from thursday night when i got home. 5 cop cars, a firetruck, and an ambulance... some kids across the street were getting busted.
so then the rest of the pics:
i got to see allison and tessa on friday... good times. the weather was AMAZING, and we walked over to golden spoon (i've got one last trip to make to g-spoon... good thing there is one in palm desert). anyway, so i got to see them, and then when i went to old navy, i ran into rachel, malachi, and abram! so that was fun. then that night, my bros and ally came over. more fun. did i mention my dog is the most adorable thing ever. so much fun to see him too. so now i am in palm desert (you should have seen my grampa's face... i called him on the cell, and then as i was talking to him, i walked into the backyard where he was... hilarious). 90 degrees, not a cloud in sight, and awesome tennis. plus jenny is here, so that's fun.
so i leave from ontario airport at 10pm tonight, and i arrive in grand rap (after a couple of layovers) at 9:30 am tomorrow. sounds super fun... except i am super sick with a cold, and i've got a paper to write. should be interesting.
enjoy the pics.