Last day...

Well,
I made it through. I have one final left and I am trying to breathe a little easier. Life for the day will be great once I make it past 1:30. I am actually going home today for 3 weeks. I will get to see family, some friends and not do any homework... I think I will actually be bored. ;)

I wanted to just wrap a few things up with all of you for this semester, I wanted to thank you for being a consistent reader as I tried to give you a little bit of a picture of Bluffton. I will be doing this next semester, so be excited to hear about internships, busy weeks, decision making, and probably a lot of tears due to it being the last semester at Bluffton.

I hope that all of you have a grand Holiday season and that you stay warm and eat a lot of Christmas cookies.

Sending lots of love to you during this season...

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

pictures....

AHHHHH....

This is crazy. I can't believe that finals are already here and I only have 2 left. I am stressed to the limit and I don't like it. Oh finals week.

I have been getting through it with the help of my best friends. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have someone to go to and vent, I wouldn't have someone to go to and complain, I wouldn't have someone to go to and hide in their room.

Tonight we are going to a finals breakfast to celebrate our all nights of studying... We are supposed to be dressing up for a costume contest tonight. Want to know a secret, we are going to be dressing up as the 7 swans a swimming from the 12 days of Christmas. :) What fun it will be. :)

I can't wait until we are finished! I can't wait until I can sit at home with a cup of tea, under a blanket and wait for my grades to come in while celebrating the holidays with my family.

I hope you have a grand week!!

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Last day of classes... and more.

We've finally made it. Today is our last day of classes on campus and then we have final week. Crazy to think that this semester is already over, but it is also exciting to think that next semester will bring new opportunities. This morning I worked at the Marbeck desk and my boss, Dan, came up talking about the upcoming finals breakfast that Student Life usually puts on for students during finals. The best part is that the breakfast is at 10pm. :) It is filled with music, food, activities an this year there is a costume contest. Obviously my friends and I are still in the process of figuring out our costumes. :)

This weekend Stephanie, one of our friends that has been student teaching this semester, has tickets to her school's Christmas musical... White Christmas. This is by far my favorite Christmas musical and movie ever!! I am so excited to spend the evening with friends and musicals.

The annual care package from our parents came in the mail today. The FCSA department puts them together from our parents that send money. It is filled with goodies and keeps up pretty content during finals week.

I am ready to take on my books this weekend for some studying.....

can't wait to update you on next week!

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

What is different?

Well,
Thinking about the past 3.5 years it is a bit hard to not smile. I have had so many incredible memories in this wonderful school that my heart could just burst. I've met my closest friends, traveled the world, lived in Northern Ireland, lives with 14 of my closest friends, rearranged my room about 8 times, have a pet fish, watched a lot of movies, cried in the arms of my best friends because of finals, papers, stressful events, etc., fallen off my loft, decorated for the holidays, planned some sweet events on campus, and witness this campus make incredible strides. There are so may things about this school that I love, but also so many things that scare me. Admitting that I will only be here for one more semester, admitting that I have NO clue where I will be next year at this time, admitting that I don't have all the answers. I am going into my last finals week. Next semester I will be out in Lima at an internship that will require me to do a number of hours of work each week but also give me experience in the field. In the FIELD. I can't even believe that my senior year is finally here. I remember freshman year thinking that my internship is miles away. Miles away, but here it is.

Christmas break is coming fast, and finals are beginning to get me in a panic. No worries, I will have plenty of time to study for everything, or at least I hope.

I am going to post a few pictures from last year, this semester, and really... from everything..

Enjoy.

I hope you stay warm during this crazy weather.
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

The first snow....

Well,
It has come. The first official snow, the first time I wore my red winter coat, the first time I prayed that I wouldn't slip and fall on the ice on campus. That must mean its winter. It is so fun to watch students reaction on campus to the snow... you have the people that are thrilled to see the snow, and onces that refuse to accept that it is cold out and grumble. I love this time of year at Bluffton because the town has the annual Blaze of Lights. Houses are decorated all over and Christmas Lights are all over. Students can jump into their cars and drive around to the houses and take a peek at the Christmas lights.
On campus we have multiple buildings that have Christmas trees all over. It makes me smile every time I see one. I love Christmas time and everything that comes with it, but before I get to that great week of activities and home, I have to make it through finals. It seems like this year I have more things to juggle and do before finals come. Papers and grades are needing to be turned in and then finals come. I will talk more next week about finals, because it is actually one of my favorite times of the year. (Not finals in general, but the week full of just 5 tests to take.)

I hope that you are all staying warm during this winter season and that you have very happy day today. Enjoy the snow and Christmas feel.

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Roommate...really??

Things that I say a lot to my roommate...
"Roommate, really??"
"Smash, come help me clean."
"Can I use your computer?"
"Don't go home this weekend."
"Love you."
"Did you get your homework done?"
"What time are we going to eat?"
"Do you need me to pick anything up from the store?"
"Did you feed Benny (our fish)?"
-----------

Things that I never thought I would be able to say to the random stranger that I was about to meet 4 years ago....
"Roommate, really??"
"Smash, come help me clean."
"Can I use your computer?"
"Don't go home this weekend."
"Love you."
"Did you get your homework done?"
"What time are we going to eat?"
"Do you need me to pick anything up from the store?"
"Did you feed Benny (our fish)?"
----------

I came into Bluffton my Freshman year as one big ball of nerves. The one thing that I was worried about the most was that the girl I was going to room with and I wouldn't get along. My sisters have had great roommates all the years they were in college and I was worried that I would be different. What a crazy thing to think about looking back. That first day of moving into Bluffton I met one of my best friends. Ashley and I have roomed together for 3 years and have been close friends for 4 years. There was only one year when we didn't room together and part of that was because I wasn't going to be here for a semester and she didn't want to have a single. It is fun to look back and laugh about what Ash and I have experienced within the past 4 years and I am so excited to see where she will go after leaving Bluffton. Next semester both of us will be student teaching/internship so we will be experiencing things away from the campus and I am very excited to talk to her about it!

I hope you all have a great weekend,
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

remembering things...

It is strange for me to think back 1 year from today. I was in Northern Ireland packing my suitcase for my final adventure in Europe. I've missed those adventures alot the past few days. It could be because the students that are over there now are actually flying home as we speak. That just means that the semester is actually coming to an end and its a bit scary. There are so many times throughout the semester when I have thought back to years past and wished I was in that place again. Maybe it is because life seemed easier then, or because I know how things actually turned out but being a Senior going into my last semester scares me. Just the other day my best friends and I woke up early to eat breakfast in Findlay at the Cracker Barrel (I work there and get a discount). Due to our busy schedules we had to get up extra early just to find time to spend together. As we were sitting in an almost empty resturant the question of "what was your favorite year" came up. We all sat there with a look of, "oh crap was has been our favorite year." It was so interesting to sit and listen because we all had our favorites for very different reasons. I truly love that about my 3 friends. We are so similar in many ways, but completely different.

Many people have been talking about how next semester will be here very soon and that I should prepare myself for graduation. There are alot of fears going through my system right now and the biggest one is what in the world am I going to do. There are many days when I don't feel prepared to be any place but back at Bluffton, but I guess that is how many people might feel.... I hope so at least.






I love this school and the opportunites that I have been given and the friendships that I've made but I never would have believed that I would be afraid to leave it. Hopefully those emotions figure themselves out by this time spring semester.... ;)

Stay warm today,
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

10 days and counting....

So here we are.
Down to the final countdown of classes left in the semester and I can count them on both hands. 10. 10 days left. Don't forget though, this is without finals week. The only crazy part about this is that within the next 10 days of class I have approximately 7 projects/papers to finish. 7. Wow. I am going to be crazy busy within the next few days, but when I turn in that last one it will feel like heaven.
Thanksgiving break was incredible and very much needed, but now I must get down to work with classes and finish out this semester strong (hopefully).

There comes a time when you get burnt out at school work, trust me, going on my 4th year of a fall semester, I know what its like. I also know that the semester will end, and then a new one will start. It will be worth it to hold strong. ;)

Today, my social work professor said that in the next few months I will soon be a Social Worker. One more semester is what is left between me and my diploma. What a strange feeling, but an exciting one in the mix too.

I hope that you are beginning to feel a little bit of the Christmas spirit. I know that Bluffton is beginning the decoration process. :)
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Interesting things....

Hello all,
I hope that you are having a restful thanksgiving break from school, work, or just anything. My break has been quite eventful. It is always good to go home and rest, but sometimes in College, school work comes before rest.... even during a break! I was online while sitting at home today and noticed that my roommate from last year, Lovely Maegan, wrote somehting on her facebook. Now if you don't have facebook it is a good thing to get when coming to college. You can meet new people at school, but also stay in contact with old friends. A very good connecting place. Well Maegan posted something tonight that I want to post on here for any of you that might be thinking about coming to Bluffton. (She knows that I am taking it, and I thank her for this)
Here are some things from another students perspective of Bluffton!! :)
--------
Random things I’ve learned at Bluffton, but not in the classroomShare

1. The dorm room walls are paper thin. You can pretty much hear everything your neighbors do. Kind of scary that other people can hear my conversations too…
2. Never buy your books in the book store. It’s basically like they’re stealing from you.
3. You really don’t need a car. I lasted two years without one.
4. I finally found out that the screeching sounds coming from the trees were not made by birds, but by squirrels.
5. When it rains, the Riley always seems to flood. Rain boots come in handy. Although, I’ve worn rain boots on days when it was supposed to rain but it didn’t. Therefore, I’ve looked like an idiot on more than one occasion.
6. Whenever I get tired of school, I want to go on a break, but after a few days at home I want to come back.
7. It is embarrassing to fall on the ice, but pretty much everyone’s done it, so they can feel your pain.
8. It is inevitable that you run into your professors in town.
9. It used to be that when you dropped your tray in Marbeck and broke a glass, everyone clapped. Fortunately, I’ve never done it. And there are plastic cups now anyways.
10. Marbeck trays are pretty good for sledding. I’ve never tried it…*cough*
11. When someone gets in a relationship or engaged, the whole campus knows within a day. News spreads like wildfire.
12. Our football team might not be that good, but I still like to go to the games.
13. It’s common to find bikes in the Riley…and it’s never funny, just sad.
14. The art building becomes like a second home for art majors.
15. Unfortunately, there is little to do on the weekends. Options include: MCB events, The Shannon, hanging out in someone’s room, or homework. However, I’ve had some of the best nights of my life doing some of these things.
16. You find out quickly to stay far from Lincoln.
17. It doesn’t matter how self-confident you are, it’s just down-right scary to eat in Marbeck by yourself.
18. A game called "tennis ball golf" exists.
19. Registering for classes is a pain in the butt.
20. Good things come from getting out of your comfort zone.
21. You have to put forth the effort if you want to get something out of your experience.
22. People know your name, and you don’t know how.
23. They actually have a Wii sports class?
24. I can do what I want without asking my parents.
25. Some of the things I cherish most are the friends I’ve made and the memories that I’ve created with them :)


Blessings of Peace,
And a Happy Thanksgiving ( a few days late! )

Anna

So Great.

Good Morning,
I hope that you've all had a restful nights sleep, if so, I am jealous. :)
Last night Shining Through, the music ministry team I've been talking about made our way to Marion Prison to worship and sing with the inmates. I loved this day. Everyone arrived on time to leave, pack up and drive about an hour away. We made our way through security with guitars, music stands, drum sticks and music and walked along the courtyard in a group. Security in this place is very strict, but so worth it. This is one of my favorite events of the entire year. Things went off without a hitch, we had a few minor oops, but I told Shining Through I would take a few oops any day if we always sang like that. Things went so well.... we "rocked for Jesus" as I told all of them to do last night before we sang. SO great.
One of my favorite things to do after we sing, is to watch how people interact. Up until this outing we have practiced a lot, but not necessarily socialized as much. People open up talking to different people, the vans get louder with people talking, and things just go so well. I love watching the interaction between this group. It is one in a million. ;)

After getting back last night, my roommate and best friend were sitting in my room just talking. We all got a phone call from an old friend who was coming to Bluffton for the evening and wanted to see us. We spent a lot of time catching up and talking about what he has been doing that we talked all the way till midnight. Hall hours are at midnight, so we said our goodbyes for now. It is always good to see how people are doing after graduating, it gives me a little hope to think that the world might not be sooo bad. ;)

There are a lot of events happening on campus this week and next. TONIGHT Ellery is coming to perform in Bob's place. Ellery is a music duo that seems to always make their way to Bluffton, and we love them. MCB is hosting this and they are having a hot chocolate bar that will include toppings and popcorn. What fun!! Friday there will be a Euchre tournament that will be taking place and then on Monday BINGO. A lot of events that are made for students to have things to do!!! :)

I hope that a lot of people find their way to some of these things, because they are always fun!! :)

I hope you have a blessed day,
Blessings of Peace,
Anna





MCB, Shining Through on tour, The Browns game with MCB, and Riley Court girls dressed up for the Christmas/Thanksgiving Dinner!

a few lasts....

Here we go again,
It is November 18th and I have absolutely no idea where the past 17 days went. It is a bit scary to wake up and realize that Thanksgiving break is in 1 week. Dont get me wrong, I am THRILLED for this break in the semester. What has been happening you ask??
Well, here is a bit of new news...

Sunday evening was the annual Midnight Madness that happens once a year on campus. It is supposed to symbolize the week that Basketball season begins. The student activities puts on this event and fills it with music, basketball events, the introduction of the teams (basketball, dance, and cheerleading) and a lot of cheering. MCB did a great job at this event this year> There were giveaways that included sweatbands, t shirts, door prizes: i pods, gift cards, fun nerf games, etc. It was a good event to go to.
Soon after that event Monday morning came along and I realized that it was the day to register for classes.... my last time to register. What a weird moment, logging on and picking the last batch of classes/internships to take for the next semester. I can't believe that I wont register for classes again at Bluffton. I have been having those strange moments happen a lot lately, stopping and remembering that this is my last year, last fall semester. CRAZY. I maybe shedding a few tears over that realization also, but I won't admit that out loud. :)
Tonight, Shining Through, a music ministry team, is taking our first road trip together. We are making our way to Marion Prison where we go and sing with the inmates. This is one of my favorite things that we do as a group all year. What a way to spend my Wednesday evening, in a prison singing. :)
This month there are alot of things happening on campus. We are having the annual LDP Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner on Sunday and I can't wait to post pictures.

That is all I have for today, and right now, but I can't wait to share about the experience of tonight with you.

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Loving things in Bluffton....

I am hoping to have this be pictures of some of the things that happen in Bluffton....












From my BASIC group making "fall art" to the city of New York, there are a few pictures of what has been happening the past few weeks with my life on campus! :)
Enjoy the weather,
Blessings of Peace,

Anna

Senior year.... really?

Well,
As many of you might already know I am a senior. Yes, that is correct. There are times within each week that I might question that statement, but apparently it is true. I officially received my "Anna, You're a senior, so you must fill all of this information out" paper in my mailbox. It is a bit intimidating, but I have to get over that fact, right??
This week has been a busy, stressful, frustrating week. Yes, we have those weeks as college students, sometimes I think I have multiple months in a row that are like that. Papers are due, tests approach fast than they were supposed to, interviews are set up for internships, resumes are to be edited and corrected. All of these things are happening this week, while I am trying my best to keep up. Today I am running on little sleep and a lot of coffee. What a feeling....
Sometimes I feel like I come to my blog with exhausting topics to inform all of you about, but the crazy thing is that I secretly love some of these crazy days. The studying and homework not so much, but laughing with my roommate as we watch the stress go from bad to worse in our room was one of the funniest things that could have happened yesterday, and today I secured my internship for next semester. What a feeling that was!!!

I made my way to downtown Lima this morning with directions and my resume in hand, searching frantically for this address. I made sure to leave 40 minutes early so I had time to redirect myself if I happened to get lost. I met with my field supervisor for next year and we both left the meeting very happy! I am thrilled at what will happen next semester and am even more excited that I have an internship to go to! :)

So busy days on campus aren't really that bad, they can just hit you at the wrong time and create some damage in ones mood.
I hope you have a blessed day, And Dan Stanowick (my boss) says hello.

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

a Weekend of things...

If you would come to visit Bluffton I would hope that it ends up being on a day when things are happening. Different student organization usually host a few activities throughout the semester. Some are large events while others can be small. This weekend I am very excited for an event that is happening on/off campus. Our FCS (Family and Consumer Science) student organization is putting on the CUP dinner. The benefits are going to a area group that needs donations. One of my close friends is a part of this and is encouraging as many people to go, but in general we will bring either a donation or canned goods and get dinner. I think that as a college student that is a pretty good bargain.

This week is filled with a lot of things on campus. We are hosting a conference for local Student Unions around the area. It is called ACUI (Association of College Unions International). Representatives from different Colleges/Universities come and learn about leadership, other student unions, ways to plan events, etc. This little campus of Bluffton is going to be packed with a lot of people. Going along with this there are going to be activities on Saturday for the conference members a maybe a few students.

I seem to have a busy week ahead of me a should probably use some of this weekend to catch up on some homework and such, but we will have to see about what happens!

Have the happiest of Fridays,
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Trying to keep up....

Well I honestly cannot believe that it is already November. October went by so quickly that I am afraid to see what will happen with this month. ;) It is funny to try and keep up with everything. There are some weeks when you are so busy that it is hard to sleep and then there are others when there is free time galore. This week seems to be one with a little more free time, but because of that time, I will be busy next week. Do you see where the problem is?? :) I believe I am overworked. Last night I was with a few friends and one said, "I wonder what college without homework would be like... because apparently we don't know."
Along with being busy, I am planning for my LAST semester at Bluffton. Where that time went, I will never know. Being a Social Work Major, my last semester is spend out at an internship around the area. This past week, I set up my first interview with a placement in Lima. It is scheduled for next week, so I will keep you posted on everything that happens with that. Other than keeping myself busy, and juggling semester things, I am beginning my search for what to do after graduation. It is that time and I should begin looking. On campus there is a wonderful resource, Kathy Dickson. She is the director of the CDC, Career Development Center. This woman is incredible, and nice. I am going to be scheduling a time to meet with her to go over my resume and talk about opportunities for next year. She should have a lot of information. It seems silly to start this process in November, but like I've said in the past few posts, time is flying by and I should hopefully try to stay ahead of the game in something.
This past week, I returned from a conference in NYC with MCC and the UN. This trip had a few bumps, but was incredible. I hope to post pictures when my camera is fully charged, and actually in my possession. Maybe next time??!?!

I hope you enjoy the Sunshine that is just coming up today (if you are close to Bluffton)
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

This week

Hello everyone,
Today on campus has been beautiful. The sun is out, the leaves are golden, and it is just beautiful. This week I am attending a conference at the United Nations in NYC and I am sooo excited about it. There are 10 students that are going and we are all going to support Bluffton University. I am honored to be chosen for this opportunity. :)
As of right now, we have started week 9 here on campus. Midterms are over, the month of October is coming to a close and November is following close behind. I cannot believe that I am so close to be starting my internship. Speaking of internships, I am a social work major and we are required that second semester of our senior year we are to go out into the community and participate in an internship with a Licensed Social worker. This is to help give us an overall education within the social work career. I have to contact my advisor so we can set up an interview.I is a bit intimidating to do because it seems so intense. I will try and keep you posted with what will be happening while I was at the internship and up to the internship.

This week is going to be fun. I will hopefully be able to post pictures from NYC, (I've never been there before) so it will be an experience of a lifetime, or so I'm told.

I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather outside today, at least in Ohio.

:)
Blessings of peace,
Anna

The Happiest of Birthday's

Hello friends,
It is a bit early this morning, but hopefully I will make it through my post with ease. This past week has been different than many of the other ones. I have had plenty of free time. I know... crazy. I have been able to take a nap in the middle of the day. It is a strange thing to do, but my friends and I seem to love it.
This past Tuesday was my 22nd Birthday. I'm not writing that to get alot of Happy Birthday's but I'm writing to explain the past few days.

On Monday Night at 12:02 my door opens and 2 of my best friends and roommate start to sing at the top of their lungs Happy Birthday. We have quite hours on campus, so it was a bit embarrassing, but wait that was nothing compared to the next few days. After laughing a lot and taking pictures, I was told that I was getting one present that night. It was from my Hannah. If you look back at old post you have probably a 93% chance that one of the post talks about Han. We walked up to her room and she sits me down. I opened up this incredible bracelet that is just so beautiful. The second thing that she gave me was a card. Hannah is busy with a lot of things one of them being planning her wedding. :) On this card, was a question that asked if I would be a bridesmaid. :) :) How exciting! It was an eventful evening and the start of a beautiful birthday.

On Tuesday, (my busiest day) I had 3 classes, 2 meetings, lunch with my mother, and lots of questions that asked about how my birthday was. It was overall a fun night, when 6 of us made our way out for about an hour of laughter, and love. It is an incredible thing, spending a day out with friends that you would have only met at Bluffton. I am blessed everyday with it.

Wednesday was the day after my lovely 22nd Birthday. It is funny, because I thought it was the end to the celebration. I was going out for coffee with my Ireland friend, Janna, and we were going to stop by our friends apartment. This was something that we did regularly last year when we returned from our semester abroad. It was a get together. Now Jen and Joe have student teaching, so we don't see them as much, so Janna said it was going to be a random pit stop of hellos for the evening. Well, when I go and knock on the door I was greeted with a surprise and birthday cake. What an exciting thing! I was completely amazed that I didn't even realize what was happening. We spent a few hours at their place and then I finally made my way back to my room to watch a regular TV show with my roommate, GLEE. :)
Overall this week is one for the books, and I loved every bit of it!! :)

Blessings of peace,
Anna

What day is it???

Today I woke up a bit earlier than I usually do on Monday mornings. This was because I am covering a shift for my dear friend Megan. So now that I am awake, I tend to forget what day it is. I usually only work at the front desk Thursday and Friday mornings, but it can't be Thursday or Friday already... right?!
This past weekend I will admit something to you.... I did very little, of anything. All of my friends either had previous things to do or they went home for the weekend, which left me here with almost no one to hang out with. I took that as a sign to get started on this weeks homework (don't judge me)That is exactly what I did. Friday night before my friends left, I sat and talked with many of them for a while. It was already a chill sort of evening. After that it was futon living and Say YES to the Dress watching. IT was incredible. Its been a long time since I've just sat down and watched television just to watch it. Saturday, I was able to sleep in later and started some of that homework. On the weekends I usually work once a night at Cracker Barrel in Findlay, so I was off to the CB to work. Overall it was a pretty good weekend. There were definitely times when I got lonely, but the idea of having an easier week because I started some homework seemed to get me through.

This week on campus is Spiritual Life week. There is something planned for each day that students can get involved in. Today is a Cookie Carry-in. (I am VERY excited about this!) Also being Monday that means I have BASIC tonight!! :)

Have a blessed Monday,(Not Thursday or Friday)
Peace,
Anna

Marbeck Desk

I don't know if any of you've ever called Bluffton before, but if you call the switch board someone will more than likely answer. One of those someones could be me. This is one of my campus jobs. I am a "Marbeck Desk Manager", or so it says on my paycheck and time sheet. Sometimes I like to think of it as an operator. Its funny to hear stories about when you would call the operator to be connected to someone else and my mother always wanted to have that job, and now.... I basically have that job for Bluffton. I sit at a desk out front and get a computer to surf on and the switchboard to answer. Many calls come from local community members calling to check on sporting events, or faculty calling to try and get a hold of their students. It is a popular place to be (sometimes). I have worked at the front desk for a full 2 years and I am on my 3rd. I like this job a lot. My dear friend Abby works in the mail room behind the front desk, so there are plenty of times when I'm laughing at work. We like to sing to people walking past. There are different times when the front desk gets rather busy, but I happen to be working, none of those times, so I have a lot of down time.
Working at the desk is a great job. I can meet a lot of people and the people I work with are incredible. Dan, Mark, Mark, and Marcia are some of the best at Bluffton. I recommend that if you ever visit, or go to school here that you stop by and chat with them. I bet you will laugh at one point in a conversation. :)

Try to stay warm... rumor is it might snow this weekend. :(

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Once again

Well my dear friends I apologize to you for a few things.
1. I am sorry that I haven't posted in a while.
2. I am sorry that you didn't get to see pictures from Homecoming week yet.
3. I am very sorry that this post might be more random than the others.

This week was a bit of "catch-up". I've been running around this campus from place to place with too much on my mind. It took last week (homecoming) to break me. My neighbors across the hall looked at me on Monday and asked if they would actually see me this week. What a sad thing. Two of the most incredible women live across the hall and I have rarely gotten to see them within the past few weeks, other than a random hello. This time of year on campus is the busiest. Whether it is midterms that we are studying for, events we are planning, or all of the above, its a bit more stress than normal.
I am going to do a bit of a recap from some of last weeks events. There was something planned for each evening/day during homecoming week. Some of them were small events that got large amounts of people out, and some of them were large events that had to deal a little with the weather. Overall it was a pretty good week. We had Bingo in Bob's place on Tuesday night, Chalk the Walk on Wednesday, a very funny Comedian named Jared Logan on Thursday and finally a Drive in Movie on Friday. We ran into a few bumps when it came down to having the movie outside during the rain on Friday, so we needed to find a rain location. It was difficult trying to adjust last minute for some of the details, but over all the week went very well.
This week it is already the middle of October. I have NO idea where the time went. Soon we will be having daylight savings time and November will be on its way.


I hope that it doesn't come too soon. Graduation will be upon me before I want it to be.
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

No place like home...

Well... the week of crazy is finally over. All that stands between myself and home is a few more hours at work. It shouldn't be that bad. :) Yesterday was a day that I wouldn't care to forget. The strange thing is that it wasn't a bad day, I think the stress of the past few weeks, and the big one to come is what got to me. I have been incredibly busy lately that my mind just seems to freak out when a minor stumble comes my way. Yesterday I didn't get back to my room to sit down until around 4:30, and then I had to be up and out within a half hour, from 5-11:30. Days like yesterday seems to be frequent visitors in my life these past few days. I think a lot of it has to do with homecoming week. I have been planning for this week since last April, and next week it will finally be here. I have stressed, cried, yelled, and been excited about this week. Oh the emotions. :)

This past week I have spent time painting windows, hanging up posters around campus, advertising all over campus and making a bulletin board. Sometimes I forget that I am actually at this campus to get a degree. When I say that, it isn't like I don't go to class... trust me I do. My schedule is packed full of events and projects just for class, but adding all of the other stuff is exhausting too. I am very glad that I can take a few days and go home. It is very much needed before this week ahead.

I will keep you posted on all the happenings of next week, (and will hopefully post some pictures) :)

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

What I love about Sundays

What I love about Sundays...
Well, Because I am writing this on a Wednesday, I'm sure that you all think I am crazy. This past weekend was a very uneventful weekend, but that is what made it good. :) Friday night was a "lazy" night. All of us girls were exhausted and just wanted to sit in a room and watch television... that is just what we did. A few hours of "Say Yes to the Dress" and we became very happy campers. It was a long uneventful night, until we broke out in a dance party. You see, my friends are hilarious. At one point they could be exhausted and ready for bed, and then the next we are turning on the Christmas lights and dancing to music.
Saturday was a different story. We had a job to do. One of my favorite things about this campus is how interactive the staff/faculty and student are. This weekend we (my best friends) and I had to house sit for the Residence Life Director. She was leaving for a night and has a BEAUTIFUL dog named Scarlet. Saturday the girls and I took time to sit in a real house, watch movies, laugh a lot, and play with Scar. What a great night!!
Sunday morning, I stayed with Scarlet and did homework while she had to sleep on the couch right next to me. This dog is very cuddly. She wasn't happy until she could lay on me. All in all it was a good weekend. Drinking coffee, playing with a dog, sitting in a real house, PERFECT!

Now this week of Crazy begins, and the next few posts will be about Homecoming week, which is in one week, and a very busy time on this campus. Enjoy your last official day of Summer.

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

What a Crazy Life...

So as I go throughout my days there are certain things that seem to repeat themselves, such as, class stays the same, work stays the same, dinner times stay the same. It seems like it could be a bit boring, and lets be honest, sometimes it truly can be. But the best times are when something random gets thrown into the humdrum of "normal Life". Whether it will be the fact that it is Thursday and its Shining Through night, or we made a random trip to Community Market for some Ice Cream, or when it is "season premier week for a lot of the television shows. This week had a few more random adventures than the last few.
Yesterday my friends Hannah and Abby, stopped in my room with their purses in hand. My roommate and I just looked at them and asked eagerly where they were going?>
"The Whippy dip" Han said.
This is the local ice cream shop in town that usually closes soon.
We laughed a bit and informed them that it was pretty closed for the season. If you could have only seen their face when the realization hit. They were going to have to go somewhere else for their ice cream treat. Deciding to join in with the adventure I jumped into the car and helped decipher where to go. Community Market was the unanimous decision and the next task was to get to the other side of town. Usually it is a simple task of getting on the one road that takes us there, but there is A LOT of construction in Bluffton lately so we took quite a few back roads. Wow. A trip of 5 minutes turned into one that took around 30. Oh the joys of road construction. ;)

I hope that you enjoy the weekend. It is starting to feel like autumn outside, so enjoy the weather before the cold starts to come. :)
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Benny and the Jets.

Well, it is official.
Drum roll please..... Our fish is named "Benny". I only say his name as long as I can sing.. "Benny and the Jets" with it. We had a fun time trying to figure out a perfect name. We went through a lot of "B" names like Button, Brendan, Bob..etc. We needed it to be a "B" name because he was a blue, boy, beta fish."B-b-b-benny and the Jets"

Today I had to get up early and go to a workshop/seminar for my social work class. Our class was to meet in Lima at 8:30 so that we could sit and be there in time for the speaker. I had 4 girls in my car (including me) and somehow we ended up way past the destination place. That always seems to happen to me when I drive anywhere... I always get lost. We finally made it to our destination and actually learned a lot. The seminar was called, "No more letting go". That is the recent book of a woman named Debra Jay, who deals a lot with intervention and addictions. It was truly an amazing seminar. It was hard a first because it was an all day thing, that took place in the morning. Naturally a college student doesn't become friends with the early mornings without coffee, and I had just that. :) After our adventure for the day I made my way back to the room where I answered emails, made some phone calls, and found my way back to my wonderful Blog in which I needed to update about "b-b-b-benny".

Tonight I have a night full of events. We have a welcome back "social work dinner" and then I have Shining Through Bonding to make it too. The dinner should be ok,(a little long, but I'll get over it) and bonding is going to be awesome! I will most definitely post pictures when we finish. :)

I hope that you all have a wonderful evening and that you find some time to enjoy the sunshine today!

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

It's a Boy!!

GUESS WHAT???
There are many things that my roommate and I get excited about and today... we were super excited!!

Ashley has been bugging me about getting a fish for the longest time. I told her that as long as she takes care of it, I don't really care. Well the new addition to our room arrived today and it was awesome. (I got just as excited about it as she did.) :)

The one problem is that we have yet to decide on a name. Does anyone have any suggestions?? We are rallying on the floor for some good ones, and the other fish owners are thinking, but we want it to be perfect. He is a blue beta. So, put on some thinking caps and we will come back with an update on everything.

We hope that you enjoy the video clip of the excitement!! :)

Blessings of peace! :)


Anna

Certain things...

There are certain things at Bluffton that I love looking forward too. Throughout my old blogs, and some new ones you will see those events, but one of my very favorite things is getting to know new people. Making new friends, and experiencing college. This year, I was a bit nervous because my roommate and I were placed on a different floor of the residence hall than our friends. (She is a Hall Chaplin and that is why we didn't get to pick) Going into Senior year, many would think that you have your set of friends. You know them, they know you, that is all you need... I was worried about not getting along with some of the girls, or just having an awkward encounter. Well, I am here to tell you that I have some of the coolest girls on my floor. We laugh a lot, prank a lot, and are becoming close friends. There are definitely days where my close friends hang out, but when everyone goes their separate way we still have some girls on our floor that Ashley and I can sit and talk to. It helps that our RA (resident adviser) is really fun and laughs a lot with all of us.

I'm going to post pictures that I have just from this year. We celebrated a birthday party with dinner out! Please note the birthday Hats!!
(No molly this was before you bought some for my floor, that will be coming soon!)

BINGO.

Well, yet another Bingo Monday has come and gone and I am still not a winner. MCB (Marbeck Center Board) puts Bingo on every other Monday night and tonight was Bulk Bingo. One of my very favorites. I arrived with the goal of winning the 8 pack of orbit gum or the frappaccinos from Starbucks. I had two Bingos, but didn't seem to be fast enough. Darn it. :( So I sit in my room, unable to enjoy a nice cold frappe or chew orbit gum, and the night was overall a bummer, but eventful. Even though I didn't win my hopeful prize, I accomplished quite a bit. My Readings for the week seem to be finished, and Homecoming is coming along and Shining Through officially starts this week. When the weekend comes I will be exhausted.

There are a few things that I am looking forward to this week.
1. My Basic group meeting.
2. Shining Through Practice.
3. Shining Through Bonding.
4. My Social Work workshop on Friday.

What a full schedule, and that doesn't even involve class yet. It is nice to actually be busy on campus. Sure there are days when I regret some things, but I love being busy. The days go faster and I feel like I'm doing something cool! I don't have a lot to talk about today, but just stay tuned. I'll try not to talk about previous things from years past, but I don't know if I will be able to do that. :)

I hope you stay tuned. Some fun blogs will be coming.! :)
Blessings of Peace,

Anna

I sit here on a Sunday morning ready for a day of homework. It is one thing that I like about the weekends. I can take my Sundays, curl under a blanket (even though the weather is warm), have the football games playing on the television and my reading in front of me. I am excited. Isn't that just crazy?! This past week went by fairly quick. We had Shining Through tryouts, Homecoming planning and school work to keep up with. It felt a lot like a normal routine.

One of my favorite things to do is to follow blogs of people I know. I have a number of friends that are studying abroad this semester and I am following their blogs. I'm not sure if you are able to see them from my page, but if so you should check them out. Bluffton has a pretty great program for studying away from campus for a semester. Washington DC as well as Northern Ireland. I did the Ireland Semester and LOVED it. Previous blogs have stated that.

There isn't much to tell you today in the world of a College Senior. I bet that most of the chaos will follow in future blogs and during the time that job searching begins. ;) I can't even believe that in a few short months I will be job searching. When did I become a senior? When did I grow up? :)

Enjoy your football Sunday,
Go Browns!

Blessings of Peace,

Anna :)

Senior Year.

Well,Here we are. Back again for the final year. What a strange thing to type on a computer screen.... my final year. I don't even want to think about it. Classes are on the loose and I am trying to run to keep up with them. This week is almost finished, which then put me at my 3rd week of class already. This past week, I have been struggling to keep up with the start of class, planning Homecoming on campus, and running tryouts for the Ministry team on campus, Shining Through. It seems to be that once I get one undercontrol another just falls apart. If this is what the rest of the year is going to look like, I am in for a tough time.

It is hard to think that one year ago, I was walking along the coast of Northern Ireland and learning the culture and history from some brilliant men. I miss that place, I miss my family and of course just the life there. Bluffton is as beautiful as ever, and I love this campus. It just can't quite compete with the vastness of Ireland.
Tonight we are finishing Shining Through tryouts. We don't have as many students as I would have liked to tryout, but hopefully we can get a good group out of them.

This year I am hoping to Blog a little different. I would love to have questions from you about what life is like at Bluffton, and I will personally answer them (or have some of my friends join in.) We are planning to run with a video blog. Lets cross our fingers to make sure that is will work!! :)

Blessings to all of you that are starting a new school year as well.
Keep checking to see what is new.
Blessings of Peace.

Anna

Senior Year... here i come

Well, after what I can call the hardest year of my college existence (so far) I can finally say that I am finished. My last final exam was at 8 am this morning and I am currently now back in my room with a cup of coffee and a sleepy body. I am so excited. I will be home in a few days for the summer and will get to work and hang out. What fun!!

Have you ever seen those Folger coffee commercials? The ones where when the coffee pot goes off the person wakes up? I had that morning today. The instant smell of coffee woke me before my alarm, and I dont know how I feel about it. At the time, I was glad that there was coffee, but now I am thinking that I could have used the last few minutes of sleep. ;) My exam this morning was one in a million. We all arrived to the hall way just to end up standing there for 10 minutes after it was supposed to begin. Our professor wasn't there on time. So I called the Registrar and let them know, and we were shuffled into the room to wait. Many students were not happy about this, but they did as they were told. It was a bit frustrating to have to get up and wait, but it was a final, so I was going to do just that. After taking that exam and walking back into my room, I realized that I am an official senior. My exams are finished, my final papers are turned in, all I have to do is pack and I can be on my way home. It is a strange feeling because it really just feels like yesterday when I found out my freshman placement of residence halls.

Today I will spend much of the day packing and taking this down. I am not really looking forward to it, but it is something we have to do. It is raining outside, which is funny in itself. Doom and gloom is what it looks like, but I think I'm the one who caused it to be like this. This past week, when it was hot out, I said the weather just jumped from winter to summer... no spring. Well it has been thrown back into my face the past few days. ;)

This is my last post for the year. I hope that summer is everything you want it to be and more. I will be spending it with my best friends and my nieces!!

Blessings of Peace to you all,
Anna

Finding myself at a loss for words...

It is coming to an end. This year that is. I look back on everything that I've done and accomplished and smile to myself. I've conquered one of the most difficult classes I've had yet, survived 4 months away from home, learned about a new culture in a new culture, and formed 5 new friendships that I wouldn't have ever imagined. I think I found 5 new best friends in those people too.

My semester abroad was something that I will rave about for the rest of my life. I recommened it to anyone who is willing to give a semester abroad a shot. It was very much worth it. I've found new family in Ireland, whether or not they are really my true family.
I have become more independant. Something that I have been striving for, for about 3 years. I know I can do it. :)
I am one year closer to graduation and life away from Bluffton, and that in itself is very scary. I have grown closer with my roommate this year, whom I love and adore and couldnt have made it through this year without.

There are alot of things that I can be very proud of.

As the week hits Wednesday tomorrow, students are becoming very antsy to get finals finished. It is about time for summer and graduation and what joy that brings!! I am studying for my last final... and I'm stoked about this. I can't wait to pack things up into boxes and make the drive home in hopefully warm weather with the windows down. It will finally be summer, or close to it at least.


Enjoy the weather. Grab a blanket and sit outside. Summer will be here soon.

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Mr. Sun

When waking up this morning all I could think about was the song I use to sing when I was a child, "mr. sun". I looked out my window and felt the heat of the sun shining down as saw the blue skies. It was perfect. I knew that summer was almost here. It is finals week on campus which means there is a lot of studying, no class, and lots of free time. I really like final week. It is a time on campus for exams (which I am not a fan of) but also packing up and moving out. This year, unlike any other year, I am ready to be home. Being away for a whole semester does that to you and I have been ready to sit at home for more than 2 weeks. There is still the issue of finding a summer job, and making money, but just the though of summer makes me smile. I have two nieces waiting at home for some aunt anna time!! :)
The other day a large group of us made our way to Bob Evans for a morning brunch. It seems to be a part of what the senior girls on my floor have called the 12 Days of Grad. It is time throughout the week were we have taken time out of our days to be together for their last week. What fun that Brunch was. We got good food, as well as fellowship. That is what I love. :)

Today I met up with Janna for lunch and an afternoon chat about life. Ireland seems so far away and it makes me sad. I loved that semester. I loved meeting new people, I loved life there. I really need to think about making a pit stop there along the way. It was good just to sit and enjoy our time today. We yelled at ourselves for not studying and laughed at old memories. What a friend I have in that woman. What a blessing.

I am off to study for the night. It shouldn't be too bad. :) Wish me luck. :)

Blessings of Peace.
Anna

Good Morning

It seems to be an early morning for me this cloudy Tuesday. I am currently sitting with a cup of coffee in one hand and my cereal in the other. This morning I am going to be covering for a friend at the front desk and needed to set my alarm clock a a few hours earlier than normal... do not worry, I plan on taking a nap after lunch today! ;)
Today is our last official "Tuesday/Thursday classes." This is because this Thursday we are adapting the schedule to have it fit with Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes. It is a complicated thing, but it all works out in the end. I am very excited to say that I only have a few more classes, sometimes the worries of school can hinder your day, but not to worry... it is almost Summertime. Yesterday I went throughout my regular day, working, class, working, homework, GREEK, and then Castle with my roommate. It was a regular Monday night and we have our favorite show on television. It is kind of our "roommate bonding" time. I am so grateful for my roommate. I can not say enough about her. She has made my semseter transition back to Bluffton so much better than it could have been. Trust me it was hard, and I had many tears to show for it, but my roommate made me get up and do things. She pushed me to go to MCB Bingo, she pulled me to Marbeck for dinner and gave me space when I needed to mope around by myself. I love her.

After work this morning, I will be heading to class, lunch, NAP, class, homework, dinner, and then back to work. I am actually opening and closing in Marbeck tonight.... what a funny realization. I am actually aboout to live here the next week with all of the hours I'll be working. I will not say this all the time and my family will laugh if they read this, but I really enjoyed getting up this morning. It was something about the fresh air that I was breathing in when walking to work, and something about the morning coffee (which is now cold) that I enjoyed the morning aspect. Now maybe some should wait to see what i'm like later tonight, because it could be a different story when I'm falling asleep at the desk, but I could work this shift again. ;)

I hope you all find your "happiness in the morning!!"
Blessings of Peace,
Anna

(some pictures from my traveling over christmas)
I wish I could do this more...

What a weekend

There are so many things that I can talk about within this post.
1. School is close to coming to an end for yet another year.
2. Shining Through had it's last Church outing for the year.
3. The sun was incredible this past weekend.
4. Riley Creek Festivle was AMAZING!!
5. I won more things that I've ever had in my entire life this past weekend!!

SO. As the weekend started the fun just kept coming. Friday night up until around 7 I made sure to knock out some homework and then the fun begins!! At 7 the new improv group on campus was performing for and hour and then the ABP was going to play some new songs. I left for Marbeck at 6.50 and was able to get a good seat! The Improv group was hilarious. I was impressed with all of the fun they had throughout their hour. It was a good time to sit with friends and relax. It seemed to me that this weekend was one where I realized that school was coming to a close. Things were moving along and people just seemed to have that end of the year hype. :) After my night in Marbeck ended with Trevor's mish mosh band, which I loved, I made my way back to the room to finally see my roommate after her art workshop. We gathered our stuff and walked to Ropp for Lets make a Deal, held by the Radio. What fun!! A lot of people turned out for this event and some really great prizes were handed out!! I won a MP3 player!!! I was sooooo excited! That was just one of the prizes that were given out within the next few days!

After a fun night with friends it was Saturday morning that I looked forward too. Shining Through was opening up the Riley Creek Festivle with worship for an hour and then the games began. The weather was warm, the sun was shining, and it was perfect. There were people all over the place with children running around and music playing in the background. I spent some time with Ireland friends and had fun at the flag face painting table. Saturday was just a good day in general. My best friend recieved one ticket for a game she played and won a digital camera. She already has one, but since mine was broken handed it over to me.!! How AMAZING!! After a fun filled night with friends, we made our way over to the Whippy Dip and then to the Drive-in movie on the lawn.
My weekend was eventful, and I loved every minute of it. :)
Shining Through came to an end, but it came in a good way. With friends, food and music.

Blessings of Peace,
Anna

Today..

Today is beautiful. The weather is nice, the sun is shining and classes are going just perfectly.
I wanted to share with you 10 things that are incredible about Bluffton.

1. The personable feeling that everyone gives. Friends are everywhere on campus and it is a good feeling to be able to have those people.

2. Friends from home are welcome. If they are your friends then they are apart of Bluffton as well.

3. When the sun comes out, people are happier. People can be found everywhere walking around on campus.

4. When it comes to school work, professors usually get overloaded towards the end of the semester... Don't think you are the only one.

5. When it comes to people, leave your door open. People are more likely to come and talk. :)

6. The education you get here might not seem worth it in the beginning, but that is not true. You will be blessed with this place and the education.

7. You can find you "nitch" of people on campus, but can also meet some of the greatest people outside of that "nitch" too.

8. Laugh when you can.

9. Bluffton helps people. Whether it can bring a sense of peace for some, or helping the community through a Blood drive.

10. It becomes home and can give you a world experience...

I am at Bluffton because I feel in love with it. I have had bad days, don't worry, but I have also had amazing days. I encourage you to find a place that you can experienced all of this. :) It will be your home.

Blessings of Peace.

Anna