Getting Lost

Hello! It is a beautiful day here in Wayne and the colors of fall are being painted all around us! I absolutely love it!!! This past weekend was a pretty lazy. We watched "Paranormal Activity" and Ghost Adventures, watched the men's soccer game, and spent loving with each other! I had my friend Max over on Saturday to watch the soccer game and then after, we were supposed to go to Thornbury Township park, close to where I live. I was looking forward to this because it was a chance to get away from reality and college and just be 10 years old again. But after the soccer game, we didn't end up going to the park. Our hall was having a little bit of a dispute (as all halls do) and so I decided to stay put. After about an hour of argument, we finally decided that we were going to go out to dinner (to Peace a Pizza) to use our FREE PIZZA COUPONS!!!!! After about another half an hour (sorry Amanda) of getting ready, we were ready to hit the road.
So, on the way to the car, someone brought up the fact that no one knew how to get there, but Megan insisted that she knew the way. We took a right, then another right, then went straight, and as per Megan's instructions continued straight. It took us about 5 minutes to realize that Megan HAD NO IDEA WHERE SHE WAS GOING!! Now in her defense, we all contributed by saying "Oh yeah she's right keep on straight", but the problem is that there is 2 Peace a Pizza's around where we are and we were all navigating to different ones! So finally, Sammie whipped out her Iphone and it told us that we were navigating away from Peace a Pizza. While all this getting lost is going on, we're all screaming, laughing, and just being loud in general. We did eventually get there after passing it twice, but it will be something that I will never forget!
This is kind of a piggy back on last weeks lesson. A surprise (well, sort of we all knew that Megan's not good with directions =b shout out to Megan LOVE YOU!) was thrown at us and it was the way that we responded that made it fun. At first, there was tension and up tightness but soon, everyone was laughing along because we trusted that the GPS would get us there. We weren't literally blinded, but we didn't know where we were going and that was what made it memorable. It was our own mini adventure and it's something that we can all look back on.

Moral: Take Life's surprises with fun and trust that you will get where you need to be =)

Life's Surprises

This past weekend was fall free days and no one was on the floor, so it gave me a lot of time to reflect on life and this past year on a whole. As I was soul searching and such, I realized something very important. I was happiest most when I had random surprises (good and bad) thrown in my direction. I am a control freak, I need to know what's going on at all times and when it is going to happen and all the little details because I want to be in control no matter what. When life throws surprises at me, it is so unexpected and it's when I can't see, I can see God and His plan for me, which is a beautiful thing. I have made the most beautiful and unforgettable memories in these times and now as I am back in control again, I long for that blind bliss. This summer I was so blind to my future and I was completely okay with it. It didn't scare me like it usually does, and now as I am looking back, I wish that I had done things differently because if I had, I bet that I would be a lot more happy than I am right now (this is not to say that I am not happy right now).

More recently, I was given the opportunity to an event that could potentially enhance my career but I had cheerleading at the same time. I had missed the week before and this weekend was horrible because I had both sides tearing at me with the pros and cons of the situation and in this time of conflict, I didn't see God like I expected. I think He probably wanted to show me that I really do need Him and that I cannot always be the one in charge (--actually I should never be in charge). In the end I decided to go to the job event but I still felt horrible for letting my squad down for the second time in a row. But this was one of those last minute surprises and as a friend put it "You gotta do what you gotta do". I am very grateful for these random surprises and I cannot wait for the next one thrown my way!

Moral: Embrace life''s surprises with blindness and trust that everything will turn out the way it's supposed to.

A lesson without learning

So as many people know, this weekend was homecoming/parents/alumni weekend. This meant that for me, this past weekend was crazy!!!!! I had cheerleading and SAB set up and break down for the dance and soooo much homework! Friday and Saturday were both filled up with the festivities and on Sunday, my hall mates and I were able to sleep in until 12 pm (which was a complete first for me). After we woke up and went to brunch, we had to get started in our homework. As I whipped out my western civilization paper without a problem, but when it was time to start my college writing research paper part 1, I couldn't focus. I tried to move on to my french work but had little luck. At 5, I went to dinner very frustrated that I couldn't get any work done! After dinner, I was determined to take down this college writing assignment which was successful. At 8 pm, my crazy hall mates decided it was time to bake a cake...a cake?! I had so much left to do but deciding against my better judgement I went to bake this cake, without doing any of my homework. At around 10 pm, we returned to G2 to go to bed/finish homework. This is when the craziness started.
I'm not sure how it all started but somehow my hall mate Megan spilled ice cream on my head (on purpose). So I (being the competitive type) took Chelsea's spray bottle and sprayed Megan which backfired on my and Megan got the bottle spraying the remaining water on me. I decided to go bigger and spill the entire thing on her, which again backfired and I ended up drenched. So, I went back to my room, lathered up with shaving cream, knocked on her door for a long time, got a key to her door and attacked her with shaving cream. A long time passed before anything else happened. I was hiding in Chelsea's room when she knocked on the door with my phone. It was innocent enough. We called it truce...for only a few minutes. As I was leaving Chelsea's room, she took the cake we just baked and smeared it all over my face. Again, naturally being competitive I smeared some on her and it ended with cake all over the floor and the two of us rolling around laughing. This created a huge mess and not to mention the fact that I had so much to do still, but I learned a very important lesson during this epic battle.
I learned that college isn't all about studying and doing homework. It's about making memories and sharing experiences with others. Now as I look at the experience, I wondered what would have happened tonight if I hadn't of made the cake with my hall mates, or if I hadn't of decided to seek revenge on Megan. And in a way, life is the same as a college experience. You can study all you want but in the end, you want to be able to reflect on a life full of wonderful memories not a life full of studying.

Moral: Make time for fun or let unexpected fun come into your life even when you have things to do. These little times will make a huge impact!

Oh Michael Buble...how you put thoughts into my head =)

So, this past week, I came back from home and on the way there, my dad, mom, and I went to the King of Prussia mall. We ended up going into Tiffany Jewelers for some random reason and we looked around. As we were leaving, I saw a book about how to pick out wedding rings. Since then, weddings have been on my mind!! As soon as I got back to school, I ran to tell my hall mates what I had recently become obsessed with and my hall mate Samantha confessed she thought about weddings a lot too!!! We went on to a jewelry website and designed our own wedding rings after first designing the most expensive wedding we possibly could and we plan to make a book about our perfect wedding which would include the perfect groom!
I'm still thinking about weddings excessively. Especially after hearing the song "Everything" by Michael Buble. The song talks about how this girl is Mike's everything and how much he cares for her. It's impossible not to smile while listening to it! Right after hearing this song, my older sister posted a video of this song playing with scenes from The Office's couple, Jim and Pam. For anyone who has seen the show, they know that Jim and Pam have just recently gotten together after what seems like an eternity of waiting for it to happen! The best part of their relationship is how you can see how much Jim cares for Pam. In the first couple of seasons, Pam is actually engaged to Roy, a man she had been dating for eight years. But, Pam had acquired feelings for Jim over time, while Jim had been in love with her from the second he met her. Fortunately, Pam called off the wedding because of these feelings and Jim waited just long enough to get together. They do get married and have children!
Roy was mistreating Pam while they were dating and this can be a real situation for so many women. They are holding on to someone who mistreats them because they want to feel loved. But the thing is, there is another guy out there who is going to treat you right women! They will do anything to be with you and they want to cherish you! That is what we have to believe. This song gives us hope for this future relationship and it makes me so excited for my husband! I'm so in love with him and I haven't even met him! At the same time, it is important to be in love with God, but don't feel like God made you to live in misery alone. He made us to be in relationships with people! Ones that will help us grow, not put us down.

Moral: Wait for that guy who will treat you like you're his everything, don't hold onto people who hurt you because if you're holding on, the right one might accidentally pass you by!

Girl you're amazing, just the way you are

So there is a new craze on our floor. Recently, the song "Just the Way you Are" by Bruno Mars has swept girls off their feet everywhere, and this does not disclude our campus. The song follows a young man singing to his love about how he thinks she is beautiful just the way she is and how she doesn't accept his compliments. The song gives the girls chills and leaves them breathless while it leaves the guys with eye rolling and exasperated sighs, which is a pretty funny scene to watch play out.
But the truth is, many girls sell themselves short. We settle on the guy that we really like but treats us horribly because he is something you don't want to let go of. A girl on G2 was talking to me about boys and she said that God made men to pursue women. So if you are a girl pursuing a guy, stop where you are. That is not your job. It is his job. This is not meant to be sexual because I know many couples where the girl made the first "move" and they are doing just fine. But, God's intentions were that the man was to pursue the woman.
This song also reminds us girls that we were made perfectly by God. We were made just the way God intended us to be, which automatically makes us beautiful because we are made by God. If you put God in Bruno Mars' spot, it is a love song from God telling us how important and how beautiful we are. G2 recently went out to dinner to celebrate how God is "just that into us".

Moral: Girls, you deserve the best guy possible. So don't sell yourself short for a hunky jerk when there's someone else out there who is 10 times better for you! Also, God loves you and thinks you are SO BEAUTIFUL! and that is something to smile about =)

Here is the song and the lyrics: "Just The Way You Are" By Bruno Mars

Analyzing Study Habits

So in the upcoming weeks, the G2nd girls have a ton of homework and tests to study for so that we can all be successful in life. We all learn differently as well, which means that we all study differently. As I have been living on this floor for the past month, I have observed many of these habits, and now I am going to analyze these habits to determine which of us will be the most successful on this Bible Test (which is allegedly impossible...)
Ok so we have three extremes on the spectrum of studying. On the far right we have the radical studier. She spends many hours in her room, studying and doing homework until about 12 am. This studier also spends weekends studying and is almost never seen outside of her room (except for meal times of course...but even sometimes we don't see her when eating).
Next, we have the moderate studier aka the lukewarm studier. She can sometimes be seen in her room studying, but sometimes she goes out and has fun. She has a very balanced social life but is still on top of her school work. So on average, she does about 4 hours of studying a day.
Lastly, we have the slacker. She is rarely seen in her room at all and can always be seen hanging out with friends. Although sometimes she does study, her social life is more important than school. But this is quite normal because college is the first time that freedom is presented to us as students and some take full advantage while others don't use the privilege.
So there are mixes as well (Moderate-radical, slacker-moderate) but most of us fall in the moderate category. And the answer is painfully obvious. The radical students will always exceed what the teacher is asking for in a student. But at the same time, the moderate and sometime the slacker students succeed just the same if not more. I am NOT advocating for no study time at all, but I am saying that in order to live a good, healthy life, a balance is necessary. God didn't make us to study all the time, but He didn't make us to play all the time either. It's important to find the balance between time and study to get the perfect balance between social and school life. Because of the analytical process I went through, I discovered this and wanted to pass the wisdom along.
Moral: Find the perfect balance between school work and a social life.

Lessons on Taking Risks

The Guffin 2nd First Years!! (Left to Right: Kendel,Samantha, Megan, Chelsea, Sammie, Tierra)

Hello!! It's been a super week in Guffin 2nd!! After folding a batch of men's clothes anonymously a lot of Guffin 2nd went to the King of Prussia mall, which left Chelsea and I together for bonding (which was great because we have been wanting to bond over a movie for so long!). We chose to bond over the movie "High School Musical". While we were making fun of the cheesy scenes and predictable plot, we didn't realize that we were about to learn something that can really alter our life experiences.
Friday night was the sock hop here at EU. G 2nd has been talking about the sock hop since we learned about it. While Chelsea and I were walking to dinner, we passed a friend who invited us to go to the Swing Dancing Club. Despite the fact that we were both pretty nervous, we made a decision pretty quickly that we would go. We took a risk. We ended up having so much fun!!!! We learned new tricks and we also learned to take risks.
What if Troy and Gabriella never sang "The Start of Something New" on that News Years Day? What is they never took that risk? I'll tell you what would happen. High School Musical would have never made it to senior year. A lot of adolescence make fun of this movie (because sometimes, it's way to easy) but the truth is, it offers us lessons about life, like taking risks. If you have ever taken a risk, whether the outcome was good or bad, you have probably questioned what would have happened if you didn't take that risk. Sometimes, we benefit from risks and sometimes we don't but the truth is, if we don't take risks, life is just going to drone on. You are living life just to live life. I'm not saying to take huge risks everyday of your life (because some decisions require time and thought) but just taking a small risk everyday and bigger ones every once in a while can really transform our lives.Taking risks makes our lives interesting and sometimes the best things in life happen when you take those risks.
Moral: Take risks sometimes, you never know where they can take you