Just About a Perfect Day

Green grass and blue skies - it was the perfect day in Rochester! It was also really my final Saturday to spend time with friends in Rochester, and I loved every minute of it!

My day didn't start off on such a good note, but advice from my roommate, Michelle, convinced me to make the most of the day ahead. I met Audrey and Jordan, two friends from church, at the zoo, and we wandered around looking at the animals and enjoying the sunshine. Audrey is working to complete her Rochester Bucket List before graduation, so we helped her fulfill the Seneca Park Zoo!

After the zoo it was time for shopping and errands. I had a giftcard to Target, which I enjoyed spending on fun items for me! I randomly met up with Michelle in the bathroom at Target, and after laughing about it, we chatted for a bit and continued our shopping.

After a few other stops, I came back to the townhouse, excited about my recent purchases! Thinking about the seals I saw swimming at the zoo, I was inspired to head over to the gym to swim some laps - that was very enjoyable and relaxing and something I did not do often enough this semester!

When I finished swimming, I had a text from Honna with fun plans for the night. I headed out to Holley, where Honna lives, and was able to see her place for the first time. She showed me some of her favorite spots in the area, including the waterfall in the picture at the top of the post. We walked and talked for a while, enjoying what sunshine was left in the day. I was greeted by two turkeys when I pulled into the driveway, and I also saw the chickens, geese, and ducks her family has! Honna spends so much time at my place on campus, that it was nice to see her place at home.

It was just about the perfect day, with four of my closest girlfriends in Rochester: Audrey, Jordan, Michelle, and Honna - Thanks for helping to make this a great day and a memorable final Saturday in Rochester!

A Year of Blogging

Today I am celebrating one year of blogging!

I began blogging because I had made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish before the end of 2010. Creating a blog was on that list, and that's the one I started with. I decided I would blog about each goal I accomplished, and I ended up blogging about a wide variety of topics and activities.

My blogs have included:

• Accomplished Goals
• New Friendships
• Vacations
• Memories from the Past
• Bible Verses
• Songs
• Books I have read
• Successes
• Frustrations
• Daily Activities
• And probably more!

I have appreciated the amount of reflection that has gone into my blogging, and it has created an organized record of many of my thoughts this past year. I hope to continue blogging as a way to keep in touch with family and friends, and really, as a personal tool that allows me to put thoughts into words as I reflect on the life the Lord has given me.

Happy Birthday, BlessingForLife17!

Business Awards Dinner

Tonight was the Annual Business Awards Dinner - something I have participated in all four of my years at Roberts. It is a night to recognize business students, especially seniors. The Business Department has four themes for the years a student is at Roberts. Each year, a different senior is recognized for each theme: Hope and Courage, Integrity, Personal Excellence, and Servant Leadership. Year after year I have seen seniors receive these awards, and I always looked up to them for the traits they exhibit. Ever since freshman year I have secretly hoped to be recognized with one of those awards as a senior. Tonight, my wish came true! I was awarded the Hope and Courage award, and tears came to my eyes as Carrie, the faculty member presenting the award and an encouragement to me during the past four years, shared about my time at Roberts. I have grown in many areas throughout my time here, starting out as a timid freshman, and now prepared to confidently take on what may come! The Business Department faculty and staff has impacted my life for God's glory, and I am thankful for their part in my journey.

Above are some of my favorite people and the other recipients of the business yearly theme awards:

Dave - Integrity
Laura - Hope and Courage
Honna - Personal Excellence
Lindsey - Servant Leadership
Mike - Outstanding Business Student

As is tradition, Professor Todd knighted all of the seniors - with a real sword! His charge ended with, "Be thou a good knight." It was a special night as we were honored and prayed for before heading off to new experiences.

Poem from High School

As I'm starting to pack up my dorm room, I have been going through old papers and trying to organize my life. I came across a poem I wrote for a class in high school. It was about my stuffed animal elephant - Ellie.

Remembering Days Passed

An old, old friend sits on my shelf,
All worn and faded with age;
His fur is thin on his left ear,
And the trunk is now deformed.

I would rub his ear and suck my thumb,
Back when I was young;
My elephant companion went through much,
So my mom had to mend him and such.

Now this poor elephant serves only as
A memory of days in the past.

It's neat to have physical reminders of memories from the past. I have come across some things from my time at Roberts that I will hang on to as a memory of my college years - soon to be a thing of the past.

Traveling with Edwin

Edwin and I had quite an Easter Break! I probably spent 24 hours driving my car between Wednesday and today. I drove in four states - New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. - and clocked a lot of miles.

I have had my car since the summer after freshman year. And since the summer after freshman year, my bank account has dwindled. Just recently, here's an idea of what my car has cost me:

$280 - Speeding ticket
$130 - Charges from being towed
$175 - New rear sway bar links
$56 - A tank of gas

Not to mention that my car insurance has to be paid in June and inspection is due in May - it never seems to end!

Sure, a car is a major expense, but it definitely provides me with opportunities I would otherwise miss out on. Besides taking road trips, communting to my internship, and going to Wal-Mart every week, pretty soon Edwin will serve as a U-haul as I move out of my townhouse. Even though is has been a major expense, I've definitely enjoyed having a car during my college years.

Easter with Julie

I spent Easter Sunday with Julie! It was a day full of adventure, and Julie is going to guest blog to share about the fun we had:

I was thrilled to find out that Laura was coming to visit me for Easter, seeing as I was stuck in Waynesburg for the weekend with no car. A couple days before Laura arrived I got an e-mail from my Aunt Pam saying that their family was going to be staying in a cabin not to far from Waynesburg, and we were welcome to come for a visit. We gladly accepted the offer and got directions to the remote cabin on the top of "Mystic Mountain." We got a little bit messed up with the directions when we went 7 miles down a road instead of .7 miles. Oops. We eventually made it and spent a wonderful afternoon with my Aunt, Uncle, and 3 cousins. The day included a roasted ham, the Sound of Music, ping pong games, and AN EASTER EGG HUNT! When my Aunt said that they were going to prepare the egg hunt, my face lit up. I don't remember the last time I participated in an Easter egg hunt. I felt like I was 7 again, running around the yard, searching high and low, racing my cousins to get to the spotted egg, and trying to be the first to find your 30 eggs. In the end we were still missing one last egg. It started to rain, and we gave up searching. Somewhere out there on Mystic Mountain, there is a lonely lost egg, probably with chocolate inside.

And if you were wondering - we never did find that pine tree!

Day in Pittsburgh

Julie and I spent the day in Pittsburgh! We met her boyfriend, Brandon, at the Andy Warhol Museum and explored his artwork. He is famous for his use of screen printing, and we saw that demonstrated and made some cards using Warhol's classic repetitive pattern. Brandon, Julie, and I are above with a screen print of Andy Warhol - he had crazy hair in most pictures of him!

After the museum, we went rock climbing - bouldering to be more specific. I did this last Easter with Amy when I was visiting her in Philly. Apparently rock climbing is becoming an Easter tradition! Julie and Brandon had been there a few times before, and it was fun to try the various suggested paths. Above is me climbing a top off - you complete the climb by actually climbing up to and standing on the top of the wall - pretty fun!

We had some adventures with the GPS on the way home, but made it back to Waynesburg - Julie's school. We also skyped with the rest of our family back home and are looking forward to celebrating Easter tomorrow!

Spring Break Road Trip

I saw this sign a few times of my way down to Pittsburgh today. I felt like I had been driving for a million miles already! I left at 8am for my 430 mile journey to visit my sister, Julie, at her school. I hit road construction, rain, and slow traffic, delaying my arrival time to around 5pm - just in time for dinner at her dining hall!

It was a long day on the road all by myself, but I borrowed some books on tape - CDs actually - from the library after a friend suggested it. I lost interest around the last two hours of the story, but it was something different to keep me entertained. I have another one to listen to for the drive back to Rochester.

Julie and I have a fun day planned in Pittsburgh tomorrow, and we are visiting relatives on Easter Sunday. I'm glad to finally be here, and I'm looking forward to a fun weekend!

Easing into Life in Binghamton

I am spending the first part of my spring break in Binghamton. I loaded up my car with stuff from my dorm to bring home - for good. Since I stayed on campus last summer, it's been a while since I have had to bring everything home. The rest will come home after graduation - my parents will bring the van.

Thinking about how my stuff has multiplied during my four years of college, I began to wonder about it all fitting in my room at home. Since I accepted a job in Binghamton, I have decided to live with my parents after graduation. Growing up, I had the smallest room in the house, and my sister, Amy, had the largest. She stayed in Philly after she graduated, so I discussed the idea of moving into her big bedroom - and that's just what I did!

Tonight, my parents and I moved furniture around, creating a nice guest room and my new bedroom! There's still a lot of work to do, but I will organize it all once I bring everything else back from Rochester.

I have known since February that I am moving back to Binghamton. Moving into my new room made it seem that much more real. I was also able to work at Life Choices Center today - where I will begin my regular full hours at the end of May. It was great to get a better sense for what happens at the Center, and we all shared Olive Garden for lunch - delicious! I saw my office and began picturing how I will arrange and decorate it. I also read the latest newsletter, which I was included in. Toward the end of the day I was able to sit in with a client for a pregnancy test and experience the emotions that surround receiving the news from the test. I will be able to do a variety of tasks at the Center, and I am looking forward to this next step!

These past few days allowed me to begin picturing my life back in Binghamton again. I kept wanted to refer to Rochester as home tonight, but caught myself as I am now in this time of transition. It will be an adjustment, but I am excited for the adventure ahead!

Final Formal - For Free!

My housemate's boyfriend, Scoty, and I had a couple of bets going recently. I lost the first one and had to buy him Coldstone ice cream - but I won the second one, and he bought me a ticket to formal!

This was my last formal at Roberts. They have one every semester, and this was the first year that I went to both the winter and the spring formals in the same year - had to make the most of my last year! Usually we are served dinner before dancing all night long, but this year just a variety of desserts were offered. This allowed for more mingling with friends and a more casual setting.

I went with a couple of SIFE friends and had fun with my roommate, Michelle, and others on the dance floor! I helped make Michelle's dreams come true by taking her picture with our college president - P. Martin as he is affectionately called. She was in heaven! (Michelle, I might add, had perfect attendance at all eight of Roberts' formals we have been here for - impressive!)

Ross Corners' friends - I always think back to our Fruit 'n Nut days when I'm at events like formal. Oh the fun we had! Stupid brush, anyone?

Presentations: The Life of a Business Major

Wow! It's been a while since I have blogged! That's because I have been busy with class presentations! Five of them to be exact - this is the life of a business major. Let me give you a glimpse of what I have been up to:

Imbali - My group for International Business - see picture above. We just gave our third presentation and are now working on our second group paper. We have learned about South Africa, India, and exporting to or starting businesses in both. We all have busy schedules, so we tend to meet at 8am during the week.

PandaMonium - We are responsible for two projects for the same class! I work with two guys in my Strategic Management class on a weekly basis. We participate in a business simulation online called Glo-Bus where we make decisions for a camera company and are compared to other teams in our class. We were dead last for weeks on end, but are comfortably in second place coming into our final week of decisions! When we are not doing Glo-Bus, we are taking a close look at Panera Bread and preparing presentations for potential strategies they could implement. We are often given time during class to meet, and sometimes meet on Tuesday evenings or Wednesday afternoons as well depending on our schedules.

Team 3 - We did not come up with a creative name for my Human Resources group. The three of us have done four presentations throughout the semester. We either discuss the content in a chapter or present a case study from the chapter. We're pretty good at finding videos to help our class understand how the topic relates to real businesses. We often meet on Tuesday nights.

Health Care - We never came up with a team name for my Senior Seminar group, but health care is the topic of our upcoming presentation. We are informing the class about the new health care reform and various options they will have after graduating. My group of four often works on the project after class and e-mails information to each other throughout the week.

Powerpoints, research, videos, dressing up - these have all been a big part of my school work recently! When working in groups, it's always challenging to find a time to all meet together. This becomes even more difficult when you have multiple group projects going on. Thankfully, my teams have found pretty consistent times to meet. Just a few more weeks and these group projects for class will be a thing of the past!

Remembering and Missing

Our lives have so many defining moments: The first day of school. Birthdays. First roller coaster ride. Getting your drivers license. Winning an important game. Choosing a college. Graduations. Weddings. Your first house. Raising kids. Moments we look back on and remember fondly. Moments we look back on and say, "I miss those days."

I've been finding my self thinking lately, "I'm sure going to miss this!" as I think about leaving Rochester and moving on from the college years in just four short weeks. A friend of mine must have been having similar thoughts the other day when she had the following lyrics in her Facebook status:

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

This is from a country song by Trace Adkins called You're Gonna Miss This - listen to the whole song here. Think back on the moments in your life that you miss and determine to make the most of the moments to come!

Last Test...Ever?

I've seen quite a few of these scantrons over the years! I spent many times filling in those bubbles racking my brain for information we had discussed in class. I started to prefer a presentation or a paper over a test, so I'm thankful my latest classes have been project-heavy.

This morning, I took my LAST test EVER! As I shared my excitement with a friend, he reminded me that post-college tests you have to take are often harder and cost money as he has found. I'm not sure what my future holds in test-taking, but for now I will celebrate the fact that they will not be a regular part of my life any more!

Living Through the Moments

Thinking about my time in school ending in a few short weeks, I am reminded of a story from when I was younger. My sisters and I used to have a movie with stories from The Book of Virtues. These were simple stories that had great life lessons. Are you familiar with The Magic Thread?

Peter was a schoolboy who loved to daydream. When it was winter, he longed to play in the sunshine, and in the heat of the summer, he longed to go sledding on the snow. He pictured a life with Liese, and was anxious to be done with school.

One day, an older woman came up to Peter holding a silver ball with a golden silk thread coming out of it. She explained the thread was Peter's life - don't touch the thread and it passes normally, but pull the thread, and his life would fast forward. Peter was thrilled! He decided to pull the tread a little each day, skipping over his hours in school. He then realized he could tug the thread a little harder and pass by all his years of schooling.

Peter continued to use the thread throughout his lifetime. He married Liese and pulled the thread during difficult times. He eventually reached the ending of his life. As he reflected back, he realized that he had not taken the time to appreciate what was happening in his life - good or bad. He rushed right through, wanting to know what was next.

The older woman met up with Peter again. He shared his disappointment in using the magic thread, wishing he could relive some of those moments again. She granted him one wish, and Peter asked to live his life over again without the ball.

Peter was then woken up by his mother - he was going to be late for school! He walked to school with Liese and enjoyed the sunshine, looking forward to his life ahead.

How many times are we like Peter? Wanting to move on to the next thing in life. As I prepare for my life's next stage, I am thankful for all the memories that have led up to this moment. I have come through good times and bad times, but all have added to my learning and growth as an individual. You can read Peter's full story here if you are interested and determine to life your life appreciating each moment as they come!

Frappes and Friendship

Mine and Honna's friendship really started over a couple of frappes from McDonald's. We were in Minneapolis together for SIFE Competition last May, and she kept talking about these caramel frappes from McDonald's. I decided I had to have one, and we headed to McDonald's for lunch. It was delicious, and Honna was pretty fun to hang out with!

Now, Honna and I had been in classes together for two years prior to our frappe experience, but we had never really initiated a friendship. I remember Macro Economics sophomore year - I sat by Honna every single day and even wanted to ask her to do coffee, but didn't have the guts to ask for some reason. We exchanged small talk, but nothing beyond, "What is Dr. N. talking about?" or "What word did he just try to write on the board? I can't read his scribbles!"

Well, after spending time with Honna in Minneapolis, I decided I needed to get to know her better. I was living on campus for the summer, and she was working at the church nearby. I sent her a Facebook message or comment to see if she would want to do lunch some time. After that, the rest was history! We had lunch several times over the summer and looked forward to more fun during the school year - and what a year we have had!

Today, Honna and I grabbed lunch - at McDonald's - and got frappes as we thought back to our time in Minneapolis. Why it took so long for us to become friends? We don't know, but we're thankful that we've helped make this an awesome senior year for both of us!

The Ultimate Planner

I have a book called His Princess that contains Love Letters from God, our King, to his daughters. The short letters have a way of making you feel extra special and loved. The one I read today was very applicable - it was about allowing God to be your planner, something I usually want to be in charge of!

Here's the letter:

My Princess, Give Me Your Plans ~ I know you have an idea in your head on how everything should unfold in your life. Even today you have an agenda. Because I love you, I need you to give Me back all of your plans for today and for all your tomorrows. If you let Me have your day, I can then intervene with something special. My intervention will give you more joy in your journey than your good intentions. I know all that your heart longs for, and I want to do more for you than you could ever do for yourself. So give Me a chance to change your agenda from ordinary to extraordinary, because that's the kind of life I've destined you to live, My beloved. Love, Your King and Your Planner

I love to think about my future and make plans for what I hope to accomplish. This can be fun, but I must realize that God has ultimate control of my days. I have come to rely on my planner to accomplish all that I need to day by day. However, I want to be sure to not be so controled by the tasks written in my planner that I miss an opportunity from God. I want to make Him a part a my plans as Proverbs 16:3 suggests, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Final Weeks in Rochester

This is the City of Rochester. I cross that bridge several times a week as my internship and church are on the other side of the city from school. I have enjoyed my time in Rochester these past four years, and this past year especially!

As my time here comes to a close, I am trying to make the most of it. Here is what I will be involved in during my final month in Rochester:

Internship - I have completed my required 90 hours with Heritage Christian Services, but I am putting in an extra 30 hours because I recognize the value of my experiences in their Development Office. I will continue to go to Heritage two days a week until Easter Break.

Bible Study - I took a break from this for the semester, but my schedule has become a bit more flexible this past month. I joined a Wednesday night group that is studying Ephesians and hope to continue this until graduation.

Youth Group - I have been helping out with the youth on Sundays nights at Browncroft. I spend time with the 7th grade girls, discussing the topic of the evening and getting to know them.

Sunday School - I was asked to help with some sessions for the high school seniors about transitioning to college. I am planning to lead the week on expectations, something I can relate to from my experiences freshman year. I hope my insight will be helpful as these students prepare for their next step.

SIFE Involvement - Our team is preparing for Nationals, but there's more to be done here! Because of our partnership with a Rotary Club, I am helping to prepare Easter baskets for needy families and serving at a pancake breakfast in the coming weeks. I am also hosting a SIFE Girls Night this week for us to all hang out before the end of the year.

Group Projects - What would the life of a business major be without group projects? I have five going on right now, so that is fun to juggle everyone's schedules. Good thing making power points is a favorite activity of mine!

Ultimate Frisbee - I have perfect attendance for ultimate frisbee intramurals. I have played every year - and was an ultimate frisbee champ for two of those years! One final year to go out there and have some fun!

This is going to be a busy month! Throw formal, SIFE Chapel, classes, work, and Easter Break in there, and there will never be a dull moment! I'm looking forward to a great last few weeks in Rochester!

Expectations: Friendships

This is the Japanese symbol for friendship. I have been thinking about friendships lately and the expectations I had freshman year.

I have blogged before about my struggle to form solid friendships during my first few years at Roberts. I had high expectations coming into freshman year, thinking I would make all these great new friends! I have a few friends from freshman year, but most have fallen away over the years.

Eventually, the Lord answered my prayers and blessed me with many many friends in Rochester! Many of whom I have learned from and grown with spiritually. I have a full social life and many memories with lots of friends!

I am, however, leaving Rochester after graduation. I took a job back home in Binghamton where I have about two friends left from high school. Here we go all over again - my next big step and seeking to form new friendships again. I am taking the lesson I learned last time and trying to not place high expectations on creating solid relationships quickly. I understand that this takes time, and I will need to be patient as friendships form.

I hope to get involved with a church that offers programs for young adults. Some of my new co-workers are my age, so I am looking forward to getting to know them. I am also going to look into kickball or volleyball leagues similar to the one I participated in last summer in Rochester. I am hoping to meet new people my age and find fun activities to do in Binghamton.

It's my desire to keep in touch with friends from Rochester, but I understand the importance of having friends that are able to be with you on a weekly basis. I do not know what I can expect of forming friendships in Binghamton, but the Lord knows my needs and desires of my heart. I will wait patiently on Him and be thankful for the friends I currently have and hope to keep in touch with in the years to come!