Farewell...

Hi! Well, the time has come for my final blog posting. I graduate in three days from a wonderful place and I can't believe my time at Bluffton University is about to be complete. I know that I will always have support and a great community here, though, so I just know that's it's not goodbye, even though I will never actually live here again. For my final blog, I would like to leave you with a little advice from my own college career. You surely do not have to take it, but these are the things that provided such an amazing experience for me these past four years.

Get involved - being involved in campus activities has helped me to meet so many people and have an awesome social life. In having things to do outside of the class work, I have learned a lot about being dedicated and working hard for something I am passionate about. I have met some of my best friends through those organizations and wouldn't trade my involvement for anything.

Keep an open mind - I came to college and met people that were so different from me and those people have taught me a lot about life. Being too set in your ways and unwilling to learn from others can keep you from meeting a lot of wonderful people in college and experiencing some wonderful things. Staying open-minded from the beginning allows a lot to happen and a lot of growth throughout your college years.

Take risks and be willing to have fun on a whim. My favorite memories from college are those times when we just decided to take a random trip or do a random thing on a whim. Stay up late and talk with people, even if you have an exam the next day - laugh a lot and take chances that you may not have taken in high school.

Enjoy every moment - at times it feels like college is going to last a lifetime, but when you look back, it goes by incredibly fast. I cannot believe that I am graduating so soon - it feels like I just got here. Savor the moments and don't take it for granted - someday you may look back and wish you could do it all over again!

I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog - it's been fun writing it. I wish you the best in your college careers and hope you have as great of an experience as I did.

Here's to college,
Mary

Spring Has Sprung

Hey!
Sorry it's been awhile since I posted... the end of the semester has gotten me pretty busy finishing up all kinds of papers and projects and whatnot. No worries, though, I am almost done with schoolwork for my undergraduate education... crazy!

I love this time of year on campus. Whenever the first string of warm days comes along the campus just wakes up and comes alive. I love walking around and seeing people laying outside doing homework or just chatting with friends, seeing people play catch or tennis or tennis ball golf (this game people play around campus - it's like golf only they hit a tennis ball and they have a course set up all around campus). It's great to just see people out and about being active rather than just hanging out inside because it's too cold.

Me and my friends have been no exception. We love laying outside just laughing and soaking up the sun. We've been doing that a lot lately since it's been warmer. The great thing is that we live right by a bunch of faculty and staff offices, so while we're laying outside our professors and other staff people are walking in and out just chatting with us. This is just another example of the kind of community that I'm going to miss when I leave Bluffton in a week and half. I love that we live in a place where we can just hang out in the sun and have our vice presidents come up and talk and laugh with us - the faculty and staff are so approachable here and definitely more of our friends than our superiors. It's such an awesome relationship adn something I'm super thankful for.

I love this time of year because you can just see the community on this campus and really spend quality time with people before the summer (and for me, graduation!) hits. I hope you're getting to enjoy the warmer weather as well.

Here's to Spring,
Mary

Down to the Wire

Well folks, 1.5 weeks of classes and 1 week of finals left and I am a college graduate. yikes. I cannot believe that we are this close to graduation. It seems like just yesterday I was moving in as a first year student - and now it's time to graduate? My, how time flies. I know this all sounds cliche', but time really has gone ridiculously fast here and the memories I've made are ones that I will hold close for many years. I know that these have been four of the best years of my life and I'm not sure I'm ready to leave them behind.

On a lighter note, it's the end of the year, and that definitely means papers and projects galore. Me and my friends have been writing like crazy the past few days trying to get everything done and in on time so we can enjoy our last week or so of college. I just finished a 15 page paper and 20 minute speech, and now I'm one paper away from being done with undergraduate college work forever - wow. That's the first time I think I've really thought of that. It's a stressful time of year for everyone, but it's also such a fun time of year because everyone is trying to spend as much time with friends as possible... there have definitely been a lot of laughs and good times these past few days and I anticipate a lot more of those days throughout the next couple of weeks. I am looking forward to graduation because I know life after will be exciting, but right now I'm just working hard to embrace every moment I have left here.

Here's to good memories,

Mary

pic: one of my new faves of me and scott...

Another Fantastic Weekend

Hi! So, I realize that always writing about my weekends may get a little boring, but they have just been so much fun recently that I can't help myself. This weekend was no exception.

On Friday I just hung out with my friends for most of the afternoon and evening. We just hung out in the lobby and chatted. Scott came over and we all played "Rock Band" together for quite awhile. One of my friends had her brother let us keep his Rock Band stuff for awhile, so we have had a great time playing with that and just enjoying some time together in the lobby. I haven't had as much time to play, but some of the girls have gotten really good at it - there's a Rock Band tournament coming up in a few weeks, so hopefully we can do well in that :). Then Friday night, Scott and his friends invited me and the girls to go to Denny's to become "lumberjacks." To become a lumberjack at Denny's, you have to eat the entire lumberjack breakfast off the menu, which is huge. I wasn't interested in beocoming a lumberjack, but decided to go anyways and one of my friends came along with me. It ended up that 30 people went to Denny's together. It was a total blast. Several people became lumberjacks, and the rest of us just had some random food, but well had a blast just hanging out and being together - we literally took up about half of the restaurant. The waitress and the manager just loved us and we all bonded together over the laughs (and lots of breakfast food). It was an awesome Friday night and definitely one of the best memories of college. I'm trying to embrace nights like that because I know that there just won't be many more before I graduate.

Saturday my Mom came over and we shopped most of the day, then Saturday night was Mother/Daughter night in the hall I live in. We played games, ate lots of good food, watched a movie and had a great time hanging out together and with our moms. It was so much fun to have them all around and we deifnitely laughed a lot. I had a blast spending the weekend with my mom - it was good to see her and spend some time with her.

On Sunday we got up and went to a nearby church to see our Shining Through ministry team sing. They were awesome and it was a great service. After that me, Mom, Scott, and Slurp went out to lunch then I spent the rest of the day just hanging out with Scott. Another good day.

It was just a fantastic weekend and it was great because I got to spend a lot of time with a lot of people. It's wonderful to get the chance to just laugh with people and enjoy my last few weeks of college.

Here's to another great weekend,

Mary

pic: all of the people that were already or became lumberjacks at Denny's

Chapel

Hey!

So, Chapel this week was totally rockin'. I always love going to Chapel, but this week was especially great. We had a different kind of week at Chapel this week because we did not have a speaker... it was all Scripture reading and worship songs. We do that every once and awhile as the students really get a lot out of our time of worship. I love singing praise songs, so it was a wonderful time of worship this past Thursday.

As I may have said before, Chapel is not a requirement at Bluffton. We have it at the same time every week and there are no classes scheduled over it so every student has the opportunity to go each week if they choose to. I find this to be a great aspect of Bluffton's religious life. Everyone participates in the activities because they want to, not because they have to. Having to go, in my opinion, makes it lose some of its meaning and beauty. I love seeing peope worship in Chapel, attend BASIC (brothers and sisters in Christ) group meetings, Spiritual Life Week activties, Sunday Morning Worship, etc. out of their own desire to grow closer to God, not because the requirements say they have to attend a certain number of events. I definitely feel God move on this campus all the time and it's wonderful that we can share in a community that embraces that and encourages that. Even if it's just in the residence halls chatting with friends, most people are open to talking about your faith and are excited to work together to grow. And not everyone here is a Christian, and that's definitely another way we can grow here. Non-Christians are certainly accepted here and we can learn a lot from people that have a different faith. It's awesome how we can use this community in so many different ways. It's an amazing aspect of Bluffton and I have grown a lot in my relationship with God since I have come here.

Here's to the blessing of a faith community,

Mary

pic: our worship leader band playing at Chapel.

Lots of Friends

So, it was a very good weekend - I hope I have a lot more just like this before I graduate. It was great because I got to spend a lot of time with a lot of people just chatting and laughing together - definitely my favorite thing to do and something I'm trying to soak up these next 5 weeks.

Friday was a crazy day, so I think I'll share that one in more detail... a few of us went out to the first home baseball game and watch the Beavers play. It was freezing out there, so Scott and I left early but it was nice to actually be outside. After that me and Scott just hung out with Slurpy (Scott's best friend) and one of their friends from home that came to visit. After that I was in charge of an MCB event called "1 versus Marbeck Center." It was a game-show type of game where students played against faculty/staff. It was a lot of fun and I love it when we can get faculty/staff involved. One thing I love about Bluffton is how the staff are so willing to get involved in games like that and just enjoy hanging out with students. There is not a hierarchy type of faculty/staff-student relationship ... it's like we're all peers and can do things together, which is awesome.
After that game was over, me and about 8 or 9 other people went to Steak-N-Shake. We didn't leave here until around 11:30, so we went and there was hardly anyone else there. We just got a big table and sat around and laughed a lot. I love it when those random trips happen because it's always a really random group of people that gets together. After Steak-N-Shake we went to WalMart to get a few things, then back home. I was only home for about 10 minutes when Slurpy called me and and I went to the Flying J with Scott, Slurpy and some friends. We had a great time again just hanging out and talking. It was hilarious because I was hanging out with people from about 3:00pm when my last class was over until about 4:00am when we got back from the J. I love those nights when there are just so many people around and so many laughs. I love random trips here or there because there are always fun memories that come out of that.

The rest of the weekend surely didn't fall short of Friday. I don't want to bore you, so I won't go into much detail, but I got to catch up on time with the girls, go out to dinner and spend the day with Scott, hang out with Slurpy and Scott, watch a couple movies and get a lot of random stuff done. It was a great weekend.

I'm really thankful that I have so many people to spend time with and laugh with. I can't believe that in less than five weeks I will have graduated from this place. I'm really going to miss it.

Here's to great weekends,
Mary

Enjoying Life

Well, I just got back yesterday from my last college break ever. We got Good Friday and Easter Monday off and I am officially in my final stretch of college. Only 5 more full weeks of class and bam – here I come real world. This blog is seriously just my thoughts – I’m sorry, because it may be boring for you.
It’s been a roller coaster of emotion for me these past few weeks and now it has hit me how close I am to being done at Bluffton. Recently it’s become apparent to me that I have to take the time to enjoy where I am and where I’m going. I know that I am going to miss Bluffton very much, but instead of thinking about that all the time, I’m trying to just enjoy every moment here. When I worry so much about this being my last few weeks here, I miss those weeks and before I know it, they will be gone.
Although I’m going to miss Bluffton like crazy as soon as I graduate, weekends like this past one when I get to spend it with my parents, brother, sister, niece and nephew, I am reminded that life after Bluffton is going to be fun and exciting too. Being able to experience life in the professional world, living in a new city, finding a new church, making new friends, being close to my family and having the opportunity to experience life from a whole different perspective is something I'm very anxious for. I am trying to remember that I'm anxious for it, even though it’s very hard as I sit here in the lobby with my best friends laughing, playing “Rock Band” and having a great time.
I’m excited because even though one chapter of my life is coming to a close, I am really excited to see what is in store in the next chapter. As cliché and philosophical as that sounds, it’s exciting to open a new chapter. I’ve come to know and love Bluffton, it’s a comfortable place, but I know that it won’t take long for a new city, new job, and new life to become comfortable.
Here’s to enjoying where I am and where I’m going,
Mary

Weekend Recap

Hey Everyone!
This past weekend was super relaxing and really fun, so I thought I would just write a quick recap of that.

On Friday Scott and I hung out in the afternoon, then Friday night was Live Band Karaoke! This is one of my favorite events on campus and this was the third year in a row we were able to have it. We bring in a live band and they have hundreds of songs to pick from - you pick a song, then sing away with the band right there to back you up. Karaoke is always fun, but when you're able to sing with a live band, it adds a whole new excitement! They were here for about three hours - we had such a good time! I sung a couple of songs and had a blast listening to everyone sing. It was so great because there was a lot of people there and it was so good to see everyone having a good time.

After Live Band me and seven other people went to the Flying J truck stop - we go there a lot late at night because they're open late and it's fun to just go and grab a little something to eat and chat with people. So, needless to say, it was a really fun, but really late night.

I slept in on Saturday then spent the rest of the day just hanging out. Me and the girls here in our hall watched movies and laughed a lot, then later that night we went over and played cards with Scott and his friend. We were up late that night too, so we slept in on Sunday and then Scott and I spent the day together just hanging out and relaxing. We had some really great conversations, so it was a lot of fun and good to just get some rest.

I love weekends like this at college. It is so much fun to just hang out and have nothing to do. Live Band was a blast, then the rest of the weekend was just full of great times spent laughing and catching up with friends. I love those days when we can just watch movies and be lazy college students. I am trying to soak up these times, knowing I only have a few more weeks to do that...

Here's to lazy weekends,

Mary

pic: a friend singing at Live Band Karaoke

A Beautiful Place

So, Bluffton is definitely a beautiful campus. I love all of the trees, the way the sidewalks gently wind through the campus and the way everything is laid out in a way that makes it feel like a nice little community, not a crowded campus with thousands of people crammed together. There are so many times at Bluffton when I sit back and think "wow, this place is gorgeous." Those times are especially present when the leaves are changing in the fall or when the snow falls and blankets the campus. With that said, my favorite spot on campus is the bustling residence hall lobbies. Last night Scott and I were sitting in the lobby of my hall doing a puzzle (that is going to be amazing, by the way... I will post a picture when we get it done) and before we knew it, there were 5 other friends that just popped in to chat and ended up staying for a long time. We talked about everything from doing puzzles to the recent May Day/Baccalaureate Speaker elections to the concert many of us had just attended on campus. We laughed together and just caught up on life. And the other day... I was putting up a bulletin board in my lobby and ended up in there for a couple of hours watching some tv and just being with people...and later that night some difficult situations were talked through in the lobby. I love the way of the lobbies... there's no doubt that laughter will happen and people will connect. Not all residence halls have happennin' lobbies - some of them are quieter and those fun times just happen in everyone's rooms. Due to the nature of where I live, the lobby is generally the hang out place, but that's not true everywhere. But, no matter where your "lobby" is - people at Bluffton love to be together and have deep discussions, light-hearted discussions, and everything in between. I had no idea that college would connect so many people. I have gotten to know people I never would have expected because of random movie nights or chat times in the lobbies or in my friends' rooms. I love the connection people are able to make to each other and I find the most beauty on this campus in that. The community here is unmatched and unlike anything I could have expected or even understood before I got to campus, but it's by far my favorite thing about college life. There is so much physical beauty on this campus, but I find the real beauty in this community and the connections made in the lobbies, rooms, classes, and just walking on the sidewalks. What a beautiful place.

Here's to finding the beauty inside,

Mary

pics: a few of the random hang out times...

Spring Break!

Well, Spring Break '08 has come and gone... good times. It was a pretty eventful break and I had a lot of fun. I was here Friday night and Scott and I just went out to dinner and hung out since we were just about the only people around! Saturday morning we got up early and headed to his house to meet up with his sister and the three of us headed off to North Carolina. It took us about 11 hours to get there, but it was fun to see that part of the country because I had never really travelled out east before. The mountains were beautiful and it was fun to see the mountains. We got to North Carolina and just spent the next few days hanging out with Scott's brother and sister-in-law. We rode around the area, visited Duke and UNC, did a little shopping, went out to dinner, and even spent a day on the beach! The water was too cold to actually swim in, but we stuck our feet in. Scott and I took about a 3ish mile walk on the beach too, which was one of the highlights of the trip. We had a good time playing games and just soaking up some sun on the beach. On our last day there, Scott and I just played cards and we made dinner for everyone, which was fun. On Wednesday we made the long trip back home and settled in for a few days at home. I spent Thursday and Friday just hanging out with my parents - did a little shopping and just relaxed. On Saturday I headed back to Scott's house for a wedding. It was fun to catch up with his friends and just dance and have fun at the wedding. I was there until Sunday morning and I headed back home to spend the day with my family and finally came back here last night. It was a great break because I got to spend it with a lot of different people. Everyone seemed to have a pretty good time on random road trips and times with family and it was really fun to just come back and hear about all my friends' breaks.

Now that I'm back from break I feel like I need to hit the job search really hard - graduation is just around the corner and I have a feeling it is going to sneak up on me! I'm sure right now for you you're feeling stressed in the same way about choosing a college, but don't worry, it will all come together. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered for you to make the right decision for you and my advice would be, don't be afraid to ask those questions. Admissions counselors are there to help you on your college search and there is truly no such thing as a dumb question. Don't be afraid to call your counselor at the schools you are looking at and ask them whatever is on your mind. Getting these questions answered is very important and whatever is on your mind is important to those schools. Wow, that was a bit of a tangent...

Anyways, I hope your Spring Break was great if you've had it, or I hope you have a fun break to look forward to if you haven't had it yet. Soak up those times with family and friends... life is moving pretty fast.

Here's to Spring Break,

Mary

p.s.: check out that second picture... I got all my hair cut off!

Being a Kid...

So, I'm trying to not just write about what I do in my daily life at Bluffton because, to be honest, that gets boring for you. But tonight, I just can't help but write about playing in the snow on Monday. Wow, what a good time. Playing in the snow at various points in my college career have been some of the best memories of college and Monday was no exception.

It had snowed a lot around here and it wasn't super cold, so it was that sticky kind of snow that was perfect for snowballs, snowmen, snow angels, sledding, and all sorts of other snowy activities. Well, Scott came over to help me film my audition tape for "Don't Forget the Lyrics" (don't worry, I will let you know if I get on!) and all my friends were around when he suggested playing outside. Of course we were interested. Me, Scott, and two of my friends went outside and immediately became little kids again. We rolled up giant snowballs to make a ginormous (I learned from Jeopardy that "ginormous" is actually a word these days... it was recently added to the dictionary) snowman. Some of Scott's friends came over and helped out a little bit too and we made one awesome snowman. Then we saw someone sledding, so we went over and ended up snowboarding and sledding with him for quite awhile. After that we rebuilt our snowman because it had gotten knocked over, and finally called it a night after being out in the snow for a couple of hours. phew, what a good time.

It's funny how college kids can become little kids in a matter of minutes. It's so nice to just let go of all of the job, midterms, papers, projects, meetings, stress and just not worry about life for awhile. That happens a lot in college and it's something I'm so thankful for. I started thinking about things and just realized that all to often people get so caught up in busyness and forget to have fun sometimes. I never want to be "too old" to go and play in the snow or go sledding. Those activities can go a long way and really improve the quality of life. I don't like the thought of getting too caught up in the hustle and bustle that I don't have time to slow down, so I'm trying to make time to slow down and realize that the important things in life aren't the things that I sit and work on at my computer - it's things like going outside and playing in the snow with friends.

Here's to remembering to be a kid again,

Mary

Advice

Hi!
So, I realize that you did not ask for my advice, but being that you may be reading this as a high schooler looking at colleges, I figured I might as well talk to you a little bit about picking a college. It's hard. I will be the first to admit that - you get what seems like hundreds of things in the mail, each saying that their college is the best - big, small, private, public, close, far, etc. There are so many factors that seem to go around in your head and trying to sort thorugh it all is difficult. To add to that stress, there are family members and friends that all have their opinion on where you should go. My first piece of advice is to calm down. It will all come together in due time and you will end up at a good college. Trust me. And if you don't like where you end up, it's not the end of the world - people come in and out of colleges all the time, not just as first-years.

My advice for picking a college would be to first narrow down the major factors. Do you want a big school or a small school? Do you want to be close to home, or move far away? This is crucial and will make a big difference in what mail you keep and what mail you toss away. Having the entire college spectrum out there to look at is overwhelming and narrowing it down to a small or a large school that is close or far can help a lot. After you make those decisions, decide what is important to you. Is it important that it's a Christian institution? Is it important that they have a leading program in your intended major? Do you want there to be Greek life on campus (fraternities and sororities)? Are you looking for a certain athletic program? Figuring out the answers to some of these broad questions can prove to be helpful early in the college search.

After you answer some of these "big picture" types of questions, visit, visit, visit!! Visiting a
college campus allows you to really get a feel for what the school is like and experience the campus atmosphere. To be honest, all schools look pretty great in their admissions brochures - that what those things are for... but visiting a school gives you the chance to talk with people and learn more about what makes each place unique. If you enjoy your visit, plan a time to spend the night on campus with a student. Living in the residence halls is a huge part of college life, so staying on campus for a night can really give you a taste of what that is like.

Don't be afraid to apply to several schools - there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Once you apply you can check out what kind of scholarships or other financial aid you may receive and what colleges you are accepted to. If you're accepted to several schools, great! This is a great time to visit a few more times and visit with more people - talk to professors in your intended area of study and learn as much as you can about each institution. Once you make your decision, you can put your deposit in and start planning what color sheets you're going to get.

Picking a college is a big decision, but it doesn't have to be stressful. Start early to ease that pressure, and let it be fun... visit lots of schools, talk to lots of people to get a good feel for each school and what it has to offer you. Try and savor each moment of the college search - it's not something you do every day for the rest of your life, so remember that it is exciting.
Here's to picking a great school for you,
Mary

A Shoutout

Howdy!

Well, I am back on campus after being gone for a couple of days. Scott and I went to Indianapolis to see my brother and sister and their families and also to go to a job fair. We had a blast hanging out and catching up with my family! My niece and nephew think Scott is their new best friend, which is really fun. I loved hanging out all day just relaxing with them. Then on Wednesday we had a job fair in downtown Indy. It was a total bust - there were only 12 companies there so we didn't have much luck, but it was an adventure nonetheless and we had a great time. We came back to Spiritual Life Week here on campus with great events happenning. The speaker is Tony Campolo, and he has been a very impactful and wonderful speaker, so it's been great to hear him speak a couple of times the past two days. I won't say too much about SLW, it's amazing, but I'm thinking someone else will write on that, so I don't want to repeat too much.

I am going to devote the rest of this blog to two of my favorite professors. This seems lame and a weird thing to write about, but hey, good professors deserve a good "pat on the back" of sorts. Dan Fultz, my academic advisor and my professor in several communication classes, has made a big impact on my life and certainly on my college career. Bluffton is an amazing place because your professors are not only your teachers, but they quickly become your mentor and friend. There have been a lot of situations in college where I was unsure about what to do next and Dan has been right there to listen and help me out. He's great at giving his opinion and helping to present a different perspective, while still letting me make my own decisions. I have appreciated him so much and expect to keep up with him when I graduate.

Another professor that I have appreciated in college is Bill Lyons. Bill is a business professor here and I have had him for two courses I have taken for my business minor. Bill is a little abrasive at first and I wasn't always sure how to handle his classes and expectations, but I quickly got to know him and learned more from him than many other professors. He teaches in a very practical way. The projects we do for him are often somewhat time-consuming, but they teach us skills we will hopefully use in our careers down the way. His practical application is motivating and he does not just teach right from the textbook - he teaches us stuff he knows is useful and we will find helpful in the coming years. Dan and Bill have both inspired me in my time here at Bluffton and I am just so thankful for the way Bluffton encourages those relationships and the classes are set up in a way that makes them small enough to where we can get to know our professors and they can get to know us and mentor us. I feel like this is one aspect of Bluffton that is pretty unique, and something I cannot imagine college without!

Here's to good professors,

Mary

pic: so, I don't really have any pics of my professors, so these are just some random ones of fun times

Opportunities

Hi!

This past weekend was pretty long and definitely different than the normal weekend at Bluffton. We had the opportunity to participate in conflict mediation training here on campus and I was urged to participate in it by the director of residence life since I am a Hall Director. I knew that it would be really valuable for me to go through the training, but I will admit that I was not looking forward to it since it was a little over 20 hours of training over the weekend. It was 4 hours on Friday night, 10 hours on Saturday, and 8 hours on Sunday... phew! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was excited because I have been through some similar training in the past and had a lot of fun with it. Luckily three of my really close friends were in the training too, so we knew that we could get through the crazy weekend together! It was a lot of information really fast, but it was exciting at the same time. Bluffton is working to help with restorative justice across the surrounding communities and it was nice to learn some of the tactics used to facilitate mediation among people in conflict. The trainers came from Pennsylvania and are very well versed in performing these mediations and teaching on this topic, so it was great to have them there to share with us. There were times when it was really long, but the time went quickly overall and I am genuinely excited to have this knowledge under my belt. The weekend concluded with one of our professors coming and talking with us about how we could use this on campus and in the community as well as ways that we could alleviate tension and hardship on campus. It was great to have a casual, yet serious conversation with a professor and feel her heartfelt hope that she could hear our concerns and do something about our feelings. I am so thankful for opportunities like this on campus... I may never have been able to go through something like this if Bluffton hadn't made this available. Weekends like this one make me feel better prepared to face the real world that is approaching very quickly.

I'm also excited about the next couple of days... Scott and I are going to Indianapolis on Monday night thru Wednesday for a job fair and he has an interview. I am anxious to really get out there and see the job search happenning. I'm also very excited, though, to see my brother and sister and get to spend time with them and their families. I really miss them since I haven't seen them since Christmas, so I'm sure we'll have a good time.

I just feel very blessed by the opportunities I have.

Here's to those opportunities,

Mary

pic: me and Scott after we won FIRST PLACE in "the couples game" (so yeah, there was only one other couple in the game, but we were still proud!)

An Adventure!

Hey Friends!
This week has been an adventure! I love this aspect of college - it seems like no matter what happens, everyone can view it as an adventure, whether it be the floods that hit campus or just a random trip to Wal-Mart. We had one of those adventures this week. In a building attached to our little residence hall there was a natural gas leak, so they were worried that the gas would seap over into our part and be unhealthy, so we had to stay in a different hall for a couple of nights. At first hearing we were all bummed because we didn't feel like packing up a couple of nights worth of stuff and moving to different halls with friends, but then we decided to just make it an adventure and have fun! So we all treated it like a giant slumber party and had a good time. It was good to move back into our hall, but we had a good time on our little adventure for a couple of days. Again, it's so fun to see how we can make an adventure out of a not-so-exciting situation.
Yesterday was a great Valentine's Day! I just had a normal day during the day with a great surprise in the middle - Scott got me roses! It was my first time getting roses, so that was super exciting. Then in the evening we went out to dinner with some friends at a Habachi grill - it was my first time t one of those too, so we definitely had a great time there. It's been a really busy week, but great overall! I don't have the group pic form V-Day yet, so I will post that next time. Until then, have a great weekend!
Here's to adventures and Valentine's Day,
Mary

Family

Hi,

This weekend Scott and I went to my house for a relaxing weekend away from campus. I hadn't been home since Christmas, so I was excited to see my parents and hang out at home for a few days. We went home on Friday and just went out to dinner and hung around all night. Saturday we went shopping for a little bit, then played a game and watched a movie with my parents and Sunday was just church and relaxation. As you can tell, we really didn't do much, which was perfect.

For me, one of the hardest things about coming to college was leaving my parents. I am the youngest, so my brother and sister had already moved out and are married and although I see them fairly often, I knew that not seeing them wouldn't be too hard because I don't seem them everyday anyways, but I am really close to my parents and not seeing them everyday was going to be tough. Luckily I only live about an hour and half away, so it's an easy drive if I just want to go home on the weekend. I wasnt' really sure what to expect when I came here as far as homesickness goes. There are times when it is hard and I really miss my family, but it's amazing how the people at Bluffton pull together and form a family. Just like I miss my family at home, when I'm there I miss my Bluffton family. There are people from so far away here that only get to see their families on breaks (f that! some international students go years without going home), but I know that they can still feel that sense of family here and that seems to be what makes it bearable from them to be away from home for so long. Homesickness comes and goes, but my advice would be to not be too afraid of that when you go to school... you'll find family there too! The weekends are some of the most amazing times, and I love being here with my Bluffton family to enjoy those times too.
Here's to family, no matter where it is,

Mary

pic: me and my parents

Prayers and Adventures

Hi!

Well, excitement has once again hit Bluffton's campus. Yesterday another flood hit this area as we have had crazy rain/snow/freezing rain the past few days. We woke up on Wednesday and were unable to get to our classes on our "normal route" because one of the bridges that crosses a creek that runs through campus was totally under water. We found ourselves having to walk the long way around campus to get to our main academic building, Centennial, and our student union. It's funny when those kinds of things happen at college, though, because everyone seems to see it as a sort of adventure. There aren't many complaints or negative comments about having to walk different, longer routes, rather everyone is like "oh my gosh, did you see the creek!? it's crazy!" and it seems to be the talk of the campus for the whole day. It's amazing to me how, when you're in college, the little things seem to become the biggest adventures.

Big events like this also bring out the amazing community we have at Bluffton. While the flooding on campus wasn't horrible and there didn't seem to be much damage, many of the students immediately thought of the neighboring communities and how they are having to deal with the flooding. This summer, right before school started here, there was a major flood that hit this area and caused a lot of damage in homes and businesses all around. Bluffton even had a little bit of damage to the science building and many homes in the village had a lot of trouble. The prayers went out as soon as we saw water everywhere on campus because we knew that the people around here were suffering. I love the way the Bluffton community comes together in the face of hardship. It comforts me to know that no matter what happens, people will be there to comfort you, pray for you, and just be there with you when the going gets tough.

Here's to adventures, prayers, and amazing community,

Mary

pic: a picture of campus during the first flood right before school started.

Faculty/Staff Relationships

Hi Friends,

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post - it has been crazy around here! Fun has been the name of the game, though. Last week me and one of my best friends worked a lot on a special presentation we were set to do on Friday night. You see, this weekend was the LDP retreat. LDP stands for Leadership Development Program and is a program designed for the leaders on campus to grow closer together and work on their leadership skills. Groups such as the Resident Advisors and Hall Directors, MCB, Student Senate, and the leaders of several other campus organizations are in LDP and it's always a lot of fun to get together. Ths winter retreat has always been my favorite LDP event and during the winter retreat are things called "showcases" where people just put together random stories, dances, songs, etc. to perform for their fellow LDPers. LeeAnne and I have gotten really close to our assistant dean of students, Mark, and put together a dance for him. We made shirts with his face on them, made posters, and choreographed an entire dance as a funny "tribute" to him. We had such a good time preparing for it and he and everyone else seemed to love it at the retreat. He has encouraged us so much to grow in our time here at Bluffton and it was great to do something for him, even if it was a little silly.

Then, on Sunday I went with some friends to have lunch and play "Rock Band" with our director of residence life. We had a great time chatting with her and playing video games in her basement! It was my first time playing this game and it was a blast - I didn't really ever expect, though, to play it with her!

These two events of this past weekend remind me of how unique Bluffton is. The relationships that students are able to have with their faculty and staff members are amazing. I get to have lunch or dinner at my professors or faculty member's house, I have played video games, done dances and hung out with faculty/staff members, have their cell phone numbers for if I ever have a problem, etc. I just love that community that is fostered here at Bluffton and am so grateful for all of the relationships I have built here.

Here's to good relationships with the faculty/staff,

Mary

pic: me and mark, the guy we did the dance for!

Growing Up

This weekend was formal... always a great time. We all got ready during the day, headed out to dinner, then to formal to dance the night away. Formal in college is probably a little bit different than you might think. In high school, Prom is always such a big deal and it's so much fun to get all dressed up in formal dresses and tuxedos. I loved Prom in high school, that's for sure, but formal in college is very relaxed. Most of my friends all wore casual summer-ish dresses that we got for a low price on a random shopping trip. There are some people that wear old Prom dresses and things like that, but it's nice to just go to have fun, not just for the dress :). Formal is a great example, I think, of a change a lot of college students, including myself, have gone through. I only went to one of my Proms in high school, but even that was such a big deal because "you have to go to Prom." It's hard because there is such a social pressure to have the right date, the right dress, go to the right restaurant for dinner, etc. It almost seems as though people go to a lot of events in high school for the simple fact that your peers make you feel like you have to in order to fit in or be cool. Pressure like that fades a lot in college. People do things because they want to, not at all because people make you feel like you have to go. Everyone that was at formal bustin' a move was there because they wanted to have a good time and dance with friends. I think that college is a lot more fun because of that. Don't get me wrong - I loved high school a lot... it was a blast and definitely four of the best years ever, but since then I have had 3.5 even better years here at college because me and my friends do things that we want to do and things that we think are fun, not just things that everyone else is doing. I love that, and am so glad that it's part of growing up, and part of college. Man, I really love this place.

Here's to doing things YOU want to do,
Mary

Overwhelmed? Me too :)

So, I was thinking this morning about the job search. Yikes. It definitely makes me a little nervous. How will I find a job? How many resumes will I have to send out before I get an interview? Will I find the right job in the right city? So many questions seem to be flying around in my head, and I'm trying to keep telling myself that it will all come together the way it's supposed to - I just hope me and God are on the same page! I started thinking about how the job search and the college search carry some of the same questions with them. I'm sure right now you're wondering which college will be right for you, how you will know which one you're supposed to go to and whether or not you're going to be happy and successful there. I know that just like I see thousands of job postings on websites, you see thousands of schools out there - all look weirdly similar, but very unique at the same time. My advice, though, would be that somehow one of those schools will stand out to you. Whether they have the right community, are just the right size, offer the best classes for your major, etc., something will make a school pop out from the rest (I hope this happens with my job search too!). I remember being in the place where I had no idea which school was right for me. I had thought for a long time that I would end up at Bluffton, but was that what I wanted, or what my family wanted for me? I made the decision for myself that Bluffton was right for me, and that will happen for you too. The college search can be very overwhelming, but trust me in saying that your decision will come with time. You'll know where you're supposed to go and I hope that you'll be as happy wherever you choose as I have been at Bluffton. I hope you do come and visit Bluffton, though, because I have a feeling you see that spark here (i might be a little biased, but oh well!).
Hang in there - it'll all come together.

Here's to big decisions,
Mary

Long Weekend Recap

Hi Friends!

Well, it was a three-day weekend, and that always makes for a great time. Friday during the day Scott and I just hung out and relaxed after a long week. Friday night was Marbeck After Dark and we did a dance workout. Me and my friends have been known to do the Paula Abdul dance workout on a regular basis, so I decided to bring that to MAD... we had about 7 people do the workout together, and we even wore some awesome sweatbands. It was a really great time just laughing and getting a good workout in at the same time.

Saturday I slept in, which was really nice. Scott came over and we just chatted while I straightened my hair, then me and Carol went out for dinner and a movie. We went and saw "27 Dresses" which was super cute and then went out to dinner. It was nice to catch up and chat it up for awhile. After we got back Jill and Scott both came over and we all just hung around not really doing much. We watched another movie, played some video games and just relaxed.

Sunday morning me, Scott, and Jill got up and went to church in Pandora (a nearby town), then it was time for a Sunday afternoon nap (those are the best!). Sunday night Scott and I went out to dinner, watched a movie, and did our devotionals together. It was one year since our first date, so it was fun to look back at the past year and just spend some time together.

We had today (Monday) off because of Martin Luther King Jr. day, so that was really nice. Scott and I took a little road trip, then pretty much just hung around with the girls the rest of the day. I worked on my resume' a little bit (which is really weird), but mostly just enjoyed the extra time off. Back to classes tomorrow...

It was such a great weekend - these weekends of movies, chatting, and just being lazy are so awesome and one of the things I'm definitely going to miss about college life.

Here's to three-day weekends and good times,

Mary

Nerves Are Overrated

So, I remember being really nervous about college classes when I was in high school. "Yikes," I thought, "I'm going to writing and reading all the time." Let me be honest with you... college classes aren't that bad. Sure, they're different than high school, but I really wouldn't say that they are all the bad news people make them out to be. College classes generally consist of lots of reading, a project or paper or two and maybe a test or two. In the lower level classes there are usually a few more assignments, but they are smaller, less time-consuming tasks, and when you reach the upper level classes, it's usually just two-ish papers and maybe a test. The work is generally very applicable and you get much less "busy work" than in high school... everything is assigned to help you understand a concept, theory, or practice better. The work also tends to come in waves... there will be a few weeks of the semester when it feels as though every class has a paper due and you're super far behind on reading, and then there are weeks when there's hardly any homework to be doing at all. It's great to be living with friends at college, though, because everyone has those weeks where homework is crazy and me and all my friends will work on stuff together, and then when we all have those low-homework weeks, we hang out and just spend quality time together. I really enjoy classes in college alot because you take courses in your major, which you choose, so you are learning about things that interest you and will hopefully prove to be beneficial in the future. My favorite class in college has been Interpersonal Communications because, as a communication major, I found the class to be very interesting and something that I will use in years to come when I have a career in the communication field (hopefully!). Basically, my point is: don't be nervous. It seems like you've heard "well, just wait till you get to college... those are some hard classes," your whole life and really, I find college classes to be a lot more interesting and it's more exciting to go to classes that you're interested in. Nerves about college classes are overrated and unnecessary... trust me on that one.

Here's to being over your nerves,
Mary

The First Week Back...

Well, the first week back proved to be amazing, as expected. I am pumped about this semester because I am just so much less busy than I was last semester. I am still involved in all of the same activities, but not having the two internships that I had last semester has freed up so much time. I also have an easier course load, so that's been great.

This weekend was a great one. On Friday MCB had "The Office" Marathon and Lock-In. We showed the entire 3rd season of the tv show "The Office" and people could spend the night in Bob's place if they wanted. The event lasted from 10pm on Friday night until almost 8:00am Saturday morning. The whole time we were there I just kept thinking "only in college..." which always makes for a good time. I love that we stayed up all night watching a tv show and spent the night in Bob's when our beds were a 5 minute walk away! Me and about 8 or 10 other people stayed the whole time - I will admit that I slept for awhile though... there were lots of people that didn't get any sleep at all, so I was glad I had the chance to lay down and sleep through a few episodes. Scott was one of those "stay up all night" people so on Saturday we pretty much just hung around and did nothing all day. We napped, watched a movie, and just hung out. We went out to dinner and to Wal-Mart, then we went and talked at the park for awhile. We had what we like to call a "life pep-talk" where we just talk about life after college. We set some goals for ourselves with jobs and stuff and we're anxious about what 2008 will bring for us - it's exciting stuff.

On Sunday my roomie and friend, Hannah, spoke in Sunday Morning Worship, which was awesome. The rest of the day I just hung out and watched the Colts lose... which was a bummer. After the game me and my friends went shopping and made dinner to take to Lima where one of our friends that graduated lives. We spent the evening there and the five of us just caught up on life and laughed a lot. It was a great way to end such a fun weekend. I am so thankful that the last 3.5 years has allowed me to make such amazing friends. The relationships I've built here are unlike anything I could have expected and I am so blessed with such wonderful people in my life.

I loved playing games, watching movies, watching lots of "The Office," catching up with friends and just spending time with my friends and Scott all weekend. It was so great.

Here's to good conversations, tv shows, and "only in college" events,

Mary

pics: me and LeeAnne at "The Office" lock in and me and Scott at the park

Well Hello!

This is my nephew while working on some Christmas cookies

Well, here we go! I cannot believe that we are a couple days into second semester. It’s just crazy how time has flown and no matter how many times I tell myself, I still just can’t believe that I am in my last semester of college. It has been an amazing 3.5 years and I can’t wait for this semester to see what memories it will bring and what adventures I will go on.

Christmas break was amazing. I spent a lot of time traveling and got to see a lot of people. I started break off at home for just a day and we got a major snow storm – me and my parents stayed in and just watched football and laid around while we watched the snow build up outside. After just a day the roads were safe enough to drive on, so I went to Indianapolis for about 4 days to spend time with my brother and sister. I had a great time hanging out with them and my niece and nephew, and even got to spend an evening with Scott and his friends that were down there visiting some people. It was a great way to kick-off a three week break. After my time in Indy I came back to Bluffton for a couple of days because I was the hall director on duty, but my mom came with me and we just had a good time hanging around here. When we got back home my brother, sister, their families and Scott all came to our house and we had Christmas. It was wonderful to spend the weekend with my favorite people! After everyone left me and my parents just spent Christmas Eve quietly – going to church and checking out Christmas lights. I went to Scott’s house on Christmas and was there for a few days hanging out with his family and friends. After that we went to St.Louis to have Christmas with my extended family. We had a good time meeting each other’s extended families and spending time together. We got back home and were just back for one night before we headed off again. We went to Northern Indiana to spend New Years with some friends and we spend the night up there and had a blast celebrating and just hanging out with friends. After that we just watched a bunch of football and Scott and his friends headed back home. From there I just had a couple of days left at home and then I came back here. It was so awesome to travel around and spend so much time with family and friends. It was such a great break and a much needed rest after a crazy semester.

This is my brother, dad, and uncle playing the Wii

I am so excited about this semester and I feel like it’s going to be a great time to soak up our last few months at Bluffton. I’ve only been back for a couple of days and I know it’s going to be less busy and so much fun.

Here’s to great breaks and promising semesters…
Mary