I can't say I expected to start out a retreat weekend with my car stuck on the way up a snow-covered hill.

I can't say I expected a lot of things that happened in those couple of days we spent in the woods.

That's the thing when you plan a retreat. You map out the logistics, the team-building, and all the fun activities that should bring everyone closer together. But you don't really plan on what happens when you burn lunch or what will be said during the big heart-to-heart at the end. That's also life. You plan for the good and not the bad. Even though everyone on this retreat wanted only the good I think the bad is what brought us closer together. That's life too. Unfortunately, tragedy is good at bringing people together.

I can honestly say I struggled through the weekend. Over the holidays I'd been robbed and had a dog die. I was very close to trying to get out of going to a retreat I had helped plan because I just wanted an actual break. But I picked myself up because I thought if anyone would make me feel better, it was this group of people. The people definitely made me feel better. Playing a condensed game of "Survivor" with them? Not so much.

There's a lot of factors that play into the game of "Survivor." It's a social experiment based on strategy and secrets. On the CBS show, the game lasts thirty-nine days on an island with a group of strangers. We played for about 18 hours in a small cabin with some of our best friends.

It was stressful, to say the least. We all wanted to go in and have fun but at the same time we got crazy-competitive and took the game a little too seriously. Walking up the hill next to our cabin was so refreshing because it felt like the only way to escape it all (it also was the only place with cell service).

Thankfully, like the first two seasons of "Survivor: Time & Change", season 2.5 is dead and we're moving ahead.

At the end of the day we all realize this is a game, and the most important part is the people playing. I can't imagine having this experience with anyone else and what my college experience would be like without all of them as a support system. We've gotten stronger through the good and the bad, and that's a testament to this game, this organization, and everyone who's ever been a member.

As for the game, I was honored to be the Queen of Ponderosa.