What I cherish...

to do. I should make a list... but I'm not that organized. After leaving work last night I was able to go and spend the last night with Shining Through. We had our final get together for the year. It was a time of prayer and food! :) Two things that as a group, we love to do.
After that gathering, I came back to my room to see where I could begin packing. There are so many things that I have been blessed with this past year, but I am going to tell you about one of them.
My dearest friend Megan was in Northern Ireland for the first half of this past semester. She loved every minute of it. It was a "growing period" for her, as she would call it. While she was over there, we bonded. (It seems a bit funny. The fact that the Atlantic Ocean was between us, but we grew closer.) Before she left, I knew that she would do amazing things over there, but actually hearing about them made it all worth while. I then decided to apply for that same abroad program and was blessed to get in. So as she was flying back with this wonderful knowledge, I was ready with questions.
My favorite memory of this year is when Megan was home for her first full day and came in and sat on my futon. She talked and talked about her experience and all about how amazing it was. We were lucky to look at pictures together and she was filled with this pure joy. She then brought in a mug. It is brown and blue and very little. Dainty, perfect for tea. She handed the mug to me and said "you get to experience the same thing I did."
That mug is sitting on my desk. It is something that I can cherish from this past year. It is something that a dear friend brought back to America for me.--How cool!

So, as I begin this post, I am laughing at all of the things that I have
So as I begin to pack my life back into boxes... I find memories like that. It is much easier to pack. :)

Blessings to you on this day,
Anna

My Last weekend until summer...

Wow. I know that I say every blog that time goes by so quickly, but I don't think that many of you realize how quickly. I was looking back on my week and it feels like just yesterday that I was studying for my first final on Thursday. Wow.
This week is finals week. One of the best and worst times on campus. This week is devoted to the finals of each class, but that is it. ALl you have to do is study and then you have the rest of the time to hang out with your friends. Trust me... we will be doing a lot of the hanging out. Like stated in previous posts, I am living in Riley Court which is themed housing. I am living with 14 of my friends in one building. The downside of this is that half of the girls that I get to live with are seniors. They will be leaving Bluffton in one week and I may never really see them again. They will move away, get real jobs and become a "real grown-up". There are times when I think about this happening and my eyes start to tear up. How has this year gone by so quickly??
I remember the first move in day.. mine was actually postponed because of flooding. It seemed much easier moving in because I didn't rememeber having as much stuff. It is funny how much junk you can accumulate over the past year. I am sure that I am going to have more boxes, more bags, and less space in my car when traveling home. I just started to dig through all of my junk today. I started cleaning out the drawers that have unnecessary things in them. Every time I pull something out, I laugh at myself, because I didnt ever need it. My life this week is going to be filled with goodbyes, packing, studying, and laughter. Those are some of the best things about finals week. We get to spend time with each other. Studying of course isn't as much fun, but after all of that there is endless time to just sit and hang out. It is priceless.

So after all of that I am going to be homebound.Summer bound. work bound. I'm not actually sure which one I am looking forward to the most... ;)

Have a wonderful week!
Blessings-
Anna

My Great Week!

Have you ever felt like you had way too much to do? Like you overcommitted yourself once again? Well... there are so many times this past year that I have felt that exact same way. It was as if I had more meetings that hours in the day and I had not enough time to do homework or even breath.
Well... I am here to say that the stress of all that is finally over! This past week was the last week of my busy schedule and I will finally have time to stop and breathe. For example, last week I had a 12-15 page paper to finish, present for 20 minutes and also 3 other projects. Maybe it is because I was procrastinating them all, but I was exhausted. There were hours in the night that I haven't seen in a LONG time. Well those projects and papers were due by this Wednesday... and guess what? It is Sunday! I made it through! It was a long process, but now I am able to relax until finals. What a great feeling!!
This weekend has been one of starting to work on study guides and relaxing. Riley Creek Festivle was this past weekend there was so much activity all around. It was a time to stop studying and start having fun! Last night a group on campus, Acting on Aids help a benefit concert for Nigeria. The duo Ellery came to perform and they were AMAZING!! SO many people showed up for this. It is a great way to minister to people.
Today, it filled with a whole lot of nothing for me. I will be working later tonight, but other than that I am free as a bird. I wish that it was warmer out so I could sit outside and read, but its a bit chilly.
When thinking about this post, I think back to when I first started writting. The funny things that I used to talk about. There was one post when I talked about Spring Break last year. That was one of the best times in my life. Three of us girls went to Chicago for a few days. By ourselves. This was probably one of my biggest adventures in college so far. It was a bit of a drive, but I was able to do it was some of my best friends.
This week has been a wonderful week. I can not wait to have another one just like it! :)

I hope you have a sunny week!
Blessings
Anna

Favorites...

So after hearing all about Shining Through, the weekends at Bluffton and even some of the classes, some things that I would like to share with you are my favorite things at Bluffton. Whether it be my favorite sporting event to watch, my favorite place to study, favorite food in Marbeck.. this post is all about that!
When choosing Bluffton, I did choose to come here for a reason. That reason was because it was the best campuse environment that I had attended in my search for college. This in point being where my "favorites" begin.
This year I have had the opportunity to grow closer with people on campus, find organizations that fit my personality and finally get into sync with what fits my everyday routine. These different things are many of my favorite things to do on campus. After a long day of class I love that I can come back to my room and sit down with the television turned on in the background and begin a conversation with friends. I have grown closer with the girls on my floor and in Riley Court. This has been a blessing in my life because if I hadn't chosen Bluffton then these girls wouldn't be a part of my college experience. Other than growing with people, I have seen growth in organizations that I see on campus. It is a wonderful thing to walk by the boards in Marbeck and see another group advertising for an event that weekend. Watching new clubs form shows that as a community at Bluffton we are growing.
When walking into the Commons in Marbeck there are always days when you go in hoping that your favorite food will be served at lunch. Today I was hoping that Chicken Patty's would appear on the line, but they didnt. It was a bit of a let down, but I recovered with a ham sandwich and the "frost your own cupcake" dessert.

Bluffton has so many things that I can categorize under my "favorite" things. It is a place where friends are made. That is something that trumps the "favorites" list.

Have a splendid day!
Blessings
Anna

Weekend fun

Well, It is already April 13th. Can you believe it? Time seems to be going so quickly. (I know that I say this everytime but it does.)
This past weekend for me was full of excitement, laughter, and friends. A lot of times I talk about the women I live with, but I want to let you all in on a group of people whom I don't think college would be the same without them. (Well at least for me) Like previously stated in past posts I am in a group called Shining Through. They are the music ministry teams on campus and have a part of my heart. We are about 20 student whom have tried out to be on this "team" who love to sing, praise God, and give our personal testimonies.
This group of students are people that I see regularly every Thursday for practice and maybe Sundays during the second semester. So when looking at that, I do not hang out with them every night, nor do I call them regularly to chat. They are however some of my best friends.
How is that you ask? Well... when you are with people sharing about yourself, faith, and all of your beliefs you usually get to know a person. It just happens.
Well, this weekend happened to be our last Shining Through outing for the year. It was the last time that we would be able to stand and sing with the 3 seniors whom were leaving. We were able to travel yesterday (Saturday) to the location of the Church service for today to hang out. We all stayed in a cabin that was wonderful. A fireplace, good food, and beds was all that we needed to keep ourselves happy and that's what we did. We were able to stop thinking about all of the school work that we needed to get done and spend time playing games together.

Just taking time out to relax turned out to be one of the best weekends that I have had at Bluffton since I have been here. I have grown as a person and in my faith being with these people and that is something I will cherish forever.

As I begin to pack boxes up for yet another end of the year, I hope to make more relationships like the ones that I have with Shining Through. I am able to truly be myself within the group. I think that is why I am so comfortable with them.
There are so many things to know when walking into college for the first time... my absolute favorite thing is that not knowing everything opens up room for you to learn more about yourself. I have been able to do that.

Try to stay dry. (It is raining and cold outside)

Blessings~
Anna

Wow.

What can I say? I am so sorry that I haven't been on here in such a long time. The whole month of March flew by and I didn't blog once. Well, that just means that there is more to talk about.
While I was working my way through March, there were so many times when I would become stressed with work, but the worst part was that I wasn't just stressed with work but I was also amazed at how fast this year has gone. It was just a few days ago when I was wearing a winter coat and today I was sweating while walking into work. (I guess you can blame some of that on the Ohio weather) This year has been more of a transition year for me while at Bluffton. I wasn't a freshman so the whole college experience wasn't new anymore, but I also was yet to be an "upper classman". I don't have to worry about finding a job for after college yet nor about scheduling classes for my last year. I was in the phase of not worrying. I believe that is why the year flew by.
Even though there are only 3 weeks left (YIKES) I have so much to do. For many of my classes there are no Final Exams but more papers and presentations. I am currently in the middle of finding time to spend doing all of the needed work.

While you are in the midst of finding a school that allows for your personality to shine, look for a place you can see yourself walking around by yourself on a sunny day, or look for a place where you can sit and be comfortable.
Bluffton is that place for me. There are so many things that you can learn from this place and so many things that can effect you as a person.
I would like to dream of leaving Bluffton in 2 years and finding myself emerged in the world outside of Bluffton. I want to be able to walk away from this place and remember the fondest memories. Being able to apply what I have learned in classes, but also in every day life and use it. That is key!

Enjoy the Beauty outside.
Enjoy the Springtime.


Enjoy Life.
Blessings-
Anna