April 7, 2008

Another week is gone, and I am now less than a month away from graduating college! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by. My plan was always to graduate in four years, but now that I look back on it, it seems like such a short amount of time.

My plan for graduating college is just one of the many plans I’ve made. I think planning things makes life much easier and less hectic. Because of this philosophy, I have always tried to keep myself from making spontaneous decisions. However, this week, I had an eye-opening experience.

I guess it all started on Wednesday when one of the girls in my speech class gave a speech about purchasing flood insurance. She told us about how a flood had damaged her home, leaving her family homeless until repairs could be made. Luckily, they had friends and family in the area who offered to help them through the hard time, but she said without their support, she doesn’t know what would have happened.

There are plenty of times in speech class when I don’t really care about the topic that’s being presented. In fact, most of time, I have very little interest in what is discussed. However, this speech really caught my attention. When she finished, the next person presented and before I knew it, the class was over.

I grabbed some lunch and headed across Library Lawn to report to work. However, my usual route was blocked by 21 shacks. Some were made of cardboard, others were made of plastic bottles, but they all had students living inside them.

Library Lawn changes almost everyday and there is always something different going on, but I had never seen this before. I was intrigued, so I asked one of the workers what the students were doing.

She explained that the event was a fundraiser for Stillwater Habitat for Humanity. The “Shack-a-Thon” was also intended to raise awareness about the growing homeless population in the United States. Students had four hours to build a shack with materials found in a dumpster, and they then spend the rest of the day living in the shack and trying to raise money for the organization.

After the speech I had just heard, I thought this would be a great opportunity to help someone in need. I hadn’t planned on making a donation, and I wasn’t even sure if I had money in my wallet, but I found $10 and decided to help the cause. Ten dollars isn’t a lot of money and giving it doesn’t make me a better person than those who didn’t donate, but the experience taught me that not all spontaneous decisions are bad.

Add that to the list of all the things I’ve learned in college.

	This is a picture of the shacks on Library Lawn on Wednesday.
	Last weekend, we took Kyle’s sister out for her 21st birthday. We had so much fun! (Left to right: Me, Jerilyn and Stacie)
	This past week was Greek Week at OSU. This is a picture of the Student Union atrium … so colorful!
	I went wedding dress shopping this weekend! Jessica, one of my bridesmaids, and my mom helped me try on TONS of dresses. It was hard to make a decision, and I am so glad they were there!