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!