Posts Tagged ‘experience’

An Overwhelming Blessing

Mallory Monday, October 17th, 2011

Hey everyone! This is my first blog post of this school year and it’s about time if I do say so myself!

Well I’m not a freshman anymore! (Not that there is anything wrong with being one..) It’s just that reflecting on “last year” (or 5 months ago), it was about time to be called a Sophomore! :)

Looking back at my Freshman experience, I am amazed. My last blog post included some of the events that we did throughout the year! To be honest, I do not know how I did it all! Freshman year is just like the one in high school, yet you are 5 years older and 5 years more experienced! You come trying to figure out where you best fit, trying to gain every single person as your best friend, and of course trying to find that “man” so you could get a ring by spring! Oh and of course, trying to balance that all with academics! But somehow I did it all… Except the ring! Still trying to work on that.. :P Looking back even know, I realized a lot of things I took for grantide. If I could give you advice, I would definitely recommend this. Engage in your classes. Make your fifty five minute to an hour and a half classes worth something to you. The pain of waking up for a 7:15AM or 8:05AM class will only last the semester.. but there could be worse! I engaged in some yet I regret not in others. So please take this advice to heart! Be eager to go to each and every one of your classes! Want to learn! Your brain is a powerful tool, utilize it!

So summer has come and gone as well as 5 or 6 (?) weeks of school!

I’m going to be really honest with you. I wish to be a Freshman again. I thought I would never want to say that! This semester is CHAOS! To start with.. I have enrolled myself in 6  classes (17 units) and I have a job on campus! And that’s pretty normal for a student around here! The problem I did was giving myself 4 BACK TO BACK classes on Tues/Thurs. I am in demanding lecture classes from 8:05AM-2:30PM.

-_________-

The piles of homework stack up each and every week. And it’s not just “busy work, it’s WORK WORK! Reflection journals, exegetical papers, business presentation, statistical analysis experiments, and of course just plain ‘ol health class! I truely am amazed with how I am handling myself. But to be honest, my roommate has the best cure for overwhelming stress, besides screaming out loud.. The best cure for stress is laughter :) And I could not be in a better place than my apartment with some of the funniest gals in the whole school!

Even though life is chaotic and it seems never ending, there is something much more important to look forward too. My focus on God has changed from year to year. Ever since I’ve come to APUit has been for the better! I truely can say that I see God working in each and every moment of my life. My faith has strengthened beyond ways that I never could have imagined! But I am no where even near perfect, or even have a “normal” faith; I still struggle everyday.

-Mal

The Freshmen Experience

Mallory Monday, April 4th, 2011

WOW. Is it alright if I start off by just saying that?

I cannot believe that it is already APRIL and I have spent SEVEN months here.

(Before I get started, I just wanted to apologize that I have not been keeping up with my blogs. College is crazy and finding the time to create them was a task within itself. So here is a MEGA blog of my most memorable experiences!)

Decades

1. Spirit Nights! One of my favorite nights was “Decade Night.” Many of these nights also come with performances by the dorms or dances that everyone can come to! It is a great way to take a break from the studies andDSCN3523 have some fun!

2. THE HOOTENNANNY! This event kicked off the year! The only request was to wear plaid and have a good time with all your new friends! There were jump houses, a swing set, racing bathtubs, cotton candy, snow cones and so much more!

Yacht Club 23. Yacht Club: This Black & White party is hosted in the UYacht Clubniversity Park around the pool. It’s a classy semi-formal event where students gather to enjoy music, food and each others’ company. The best part about the Yacht Club for me is getting to dress up! Everyone loves dress up!

4. Sport Events! APU has the most amazing sport teams out there! From football to basketball to tennis, there is nBiola Gameever a dull moment! There is nothing better than cheering for the winning touch down or buzzer beater shot during the games! Face paint and a black out shirt is all that is needed to rally up some spirit!

5. The Hike! One of the MUST DO evCrossents at APU is the “hike to the A.” Once at the top of the mountain, it’s only a few more feet and you get to see a spectacular site! At the top there is a beautiful cross and the most gorgeous view of the city. I went with my roommates at night and we got to excape the chaos of the city and sit in peace with each other and most importantly, with God.

6. The Location!  There is never a dull moment here because it onDisneylandly takes a couple minutes to find something to do! Azusa is perfectly placed besides the moutains and about a half hour outside of Los Angeles and the coast. My roommate and I Gleewent to Los Angeles one weekend and saw Matthew Morrison,  aka Will Schuester, from Glee for a concert! When the sun is out, like it always is, students find their way to the beach to relax! Hollywood and Disneyland are also just “down the street!”

7. Hall Events! Living in the dorms is what every teenager looks forward to going into college. Dorm life is GYRADwhere frienships are made and developed. So many events go on in the dorms and each hall is differnt. For my hall we had “Tea Time” where we would get together, drink tea and reflect on what God is doing in our lives. Some other popular events are GYRAD (Get You Roommate A Date) and BroomBall!

There will  be moments in your life that you pray will go by quickly, but this is definitely not one of those moments. Time is flying by faster than anyone ever told me it would. It seems like yesterday that I was walking across the stage to get my Diploma and now I’m finding myself packing up my bags for the second year of my college experience. No one is going to tell you that this is easy and let me assure you that it is not! But you have to remember one thing: God is working in your life everyday. Whether you recognize it or not, He is always with you. Through thick and thin, He should always be your focus in life.

Azusa Pacific was strengthened my faith in the Lord more than I ever imagined going into college. This college and this experienced is something that I would never trade. I am forever thankful for everything that is happening in my life here :)

Much blessings,

Mallory

San Francisco Art Trip for High Sierra!

JP Park Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t blogged in two weeks! I have so much catching up to do with you guys, and so much to tell you all! As everyone keeps saying again and again, college is super busy and time flies by so fast. I feel like it was just last week when I flew on a plane from Virginia to California to start college, when in reality, I’m already almost done with my first semester.

A couple weeks ago, me and the rest of the students here went to San Francisco for an Art trip, where we visited numerous museums and cathedrals. We visited the New St. Mary’s cathedral, Old St. Mary’s cathedral, the Mission Delores Basilica, the Grace Cathedral, the Legion of Honors museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the De Young Museum. It was so amazing!!! When I walked inside each of the cathedrals, I could feel God’s presence and aura all around me. We also took part in a Catholic mass, and that was pretty cool, too. The museums were all extraordinary. I saw art pieces of modern artists and famous ones like Picasso and Chigall(sp?).

In San Francisco, me and a few friends decided to hit up the party scene. The first night, I went to a techno club and it was awesome. I’ve never been to a club since I turned 18, which was in late August, so I was excited to go to one for the first time. Clubs aren’t as bad as everyone makes them out to be. The next day, me and a few other friends from High Sierra went to a huge club with a dance floor that lit up different colors. We had such an amazing time at the club. We celebrated my friend’s birthday, who was Candace from High Sierra. She had a blast at the club, and I’m glad we could all spend time together just to deepen our relationship. Here’s some pictures from our time in San Francisco, ranging from our museum, cathedral, and club experiences. San Francisco is definitely a unique and awesome city!

Grace Cathedral

Me and Jules in San Fran

Me and Jules in San Fran

View of some on San Francisco

View of some on San Francisco

Wandering through the graveyard at Mission Delores

Wandering through the graveyard at Mission Delores

Me and Candace in the busy streets on San Fran

Me and Candace in the busy streets on San Fran