APU Blogs - Andie

plans

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:54:00 PDT

well it is official. i received my cap and gown. my rain tickets. and well,

graduation is this saturday. :)

i can't believe how fast these past three years have gone by! i relate to the freshman girls in my d-group so much, just where they are at and the emotions they are feeling towards the conclusion of their first year of college, and yet, i'm graduating! what a strange feeling. it's definitely bitter-sweet. and as weird as it sounds, i'm back to where i was senior year of high school, sad to be leaving friends, and yet excited for new opportunities and experiences ahead. i have made some amazing friends these past three years and it will be really hard to see a lot of them head off to new places and to leave some of them here in california. i will definitely miss a lot of things about being at this university. one of my friends finished his senior capstone project a couple of weeks ago and it was a film documenting his four years of college. he showed it last week on campus and it was so interesting to hear the insights people had to offer about their college experience and what they have learned, what they are going to miss, what they are planning on next. i was interviewed for the film and my one quote that made the movie was that in college, you can pretty much "do whatever, whenever". it sounded slightly less intelligent than i thought it would but i think it is true. college has been such a blessing in that sense. if you want to get coffee with someone, you can, no matter what time it is. if you want to drive to the beach at midnight just to run in and run out, well no one is stopping you. college is funny like that. there aren't a lot of people telling you what to do and when to do it, instead there is just this incredible support group encouraging you to live your life, have fun, experience things, invest in people, be crazy, learn, laugh, go at your own pace. college has been such a learning and growing experience. i look at the people around me and i can see the ways they have grown these past three years. everyone comes into this journey with something to learn, something to take away, whether it is new opinions, new passions, new dreams. some come with a closed mind and leave with an open one. some come feeling inadequate and leave feeling equipped. some come seeking acceptance and they find a savior. i have seen hearts restored and pasts forgiven. i have seen people find themselves. and yet here we are leaving and i feel like the process will soon start all over again. i have learned that life is a series of experiences. some last only a short time, some last a college career, but these experiences shape who we are. God has unlimited plans for us, and the one He had for me at APU was incredible and it has been fulfilled. i look forward to the next one he has for me and all of those who will be graduating with me. and also the one he has for those whose college experience is just about to begin.

5 weeks!

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:37:00 PDT

i have only five weeks till graduation...

which means i have a lot to do in a short amount of time. :)

i just got back from spring break! i spent the week in minnesota where it was snowing! quite the change from the california sunshine, though i enjoyed the cool weather and the snow. i got to attend a showing of the play jane ayre (picture), which being a literature major i of course loved. i also got to spend a day at the mall of america which was crazy! and spend lots of time relaxing watching movies, including classics like the karate kid and mighty ducks, and playing lots of scrabble. the best part of my break was that i got to see one of my best friends who i haven't seen in three years!!! we worked together at a young life camp in high school and i haven't seen her since but she lives 10 minutes from the house i was staying at so we got to spend a day hanging out in the cold!! (picture) overall it was a very relaxing break which came at a time when it was much needed.

sunday was EASTER as you know and i hope everyone had a great time celebrating a day that means so much to our faith!

i will keep you updated as graduation approaches!

themba

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:43:00 PST

one of the things i love about APU is the attitude of students that they can make a difference in the world. as you know, i went to south africa last summer and the situations and problems you see over there are often times very overwhelming especially on your return to the states. one of my friends just spent the semester in south africa and saw a lot of the same things i did: poverty, disease, thousands of lives and families destroyed by the AIDS virus. although the hope i saw in the eyes of the south africans was enough to convince me God has a plan for them, at the same time, coming back home, i couldn't help but feel inclined to do something. the thing with going out of the country is that you can't come back unchanged. a practical way for me to give back a tiny bit of love to the country that had blessed me in so many ways was for me to start sponsoring a child in ethiopia. although in reality we can't solve the problems of poverty or AIDS, most of the students I encounter at APU feel called to at least do a small part in fighting for change. my friend that just got back took a different route than i did. he decided to start a project called Themba. his idea was to collect new clothing (not the clothing we don't want and so often give generously to charity) but instead designer clothes, the clothes we love. then he wanted to resell these clothes to the APU community in a "thrift store" of sorts. although this started as just an idea, he has succeeded in making this a reality that is currently taking place on campus; the thrift store will take place in april. i share this with you just to say that i really appreciate being on this campus and seeing people who desire change in the world and work not to solve the impossible but to humbly contribute in applicable ways of showing God's love to people and communities around the world.

don't become overwhelmed, become inspired.

all things are possible with God.

life

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:42:00 PST

Some things that have been going on:

My boyfriend and I went to see the play "Of Mice and Men" in the APU theater. This is one of my favorite stories by one of my favorite authors, John Steinbeck. Our friend, Matt was one of the leads, Lenny, and he did an awesome job. The rest of the cast included other APU students, including one of my friends Jamie and a few other familiar APU "drama" faces. I was really impressed by everyone who participated. It was AMAZING!!!

APU beat Biola in basketball. :) and the rivalry continues...

Last night I got together with some of my teammates from my Africa trip last summer. Since we don't see each other regularly on campus we decided to have a reunion at one of the guy's apartments. We got together for pizza and just some catching up as we haven't seen each other in a while. I can't believe it will be a year in May since I went to AFRICA!!!

Yesterday morning I went to Flappy Jacks (a really good pancake place) with a bunch of my friends from freshman year. We all lived in Trinity together and so we too, got together for a little reunion of sorts as we ate breakfast together and caught up with everyone's majors, living situations, etc. etc. It was hilarious because as we were leaving my friend Brandon initiated a "Flappys" chant and we all put our hands in and said Flappy's on three. I'm not really sure why we did it, but it was funny.

The Crestview hot tub is currently lukewarm and so my roommates and I have reluctantly given up our spa privileges for the week.

American Idol has started for anyone who cares which I do. I love American Idol. Hollywood Week starts this week so I am super excited for that. We had a few little American Idol pizza parties at our apartments during the auditions but now things are getting serious. I'll keep you updated on who looks promising.

I had my first big test of the semester and luckily it went pretty smoothly. Only a few more and I will be done with tests and on to life. Less than 3 months till I graduate. Crazy.

Well that is just a quick little update about some of the happenings going on here at APU. Blessings to you all. :)

hiking

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:14:00 PST

Last week my boyfriend's sister was in town and we got to explore Azusa a little bit together. First I took her to this fantastic breakfast burrito place near school. They have giant burritos with eggs and sausage and avocado and stuff. It was incredible. Then we went on a hike up one of the local trails, Garcia Trail. It is probably a couple miles up one of the foothills and so we hiked up and then got to hang out at the top and take pictures. I got a new camera for Christmas so it was really fun to mess around with it. The weather was beautiful that day and we had such an amazing time. I love being outdoors and Garcia Trail is such a fun hike. The weather was short-lived though as it has been raining the last week...

back

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:37:00 PST

Back from break!

It is so great to be back at APU for my LAST SEMESTER! I can't believe I am graduating in May! This semester looks like it is going to be a good one though and I hope to make the most of it while I am here.

I am still leading a d-group and have the same amazing 5 girls I had last semester. Wednesday we met together in heritage (a place to eat on campus) and we had dinner together. It was so great to hear about everyone's break and just to be with these girls again. They bring so much joy to my life. We spent most of the time just talking about the awkward encounters that come with syllabus day at the start of every semester.

I have 6 new classes and so far am enjoying them all. I am taking shake spear which is exciting. And yesterday we made things out of clay in my art class. It was amusing.

Things are already getting busy with friends and school and different commitments. I love the dynamic of life in college, splitting time between Starbucks chats with friends and study sessions in the library.

Tambien, estoy en dos clases de espanol! I am taking two Spanish classes this semester as well.

Well that is just a brief little update for you. But I will post more exciting news soon.

christmas time

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:22:00 PST

so... it's the last week of classes!

and a lot has been going on these past couple weeks.

in my senior seminar class we were all required to write an extensive paper about an ethical topic of our choice. the class has been looking at "evil" all throughout the semester, reading essays on good and evil, reading books about just war theory, examining the holocaust, it has been really interesting. anyways, our papers needed to address an ethical issue in society and just kind of break down the evil involved or behind the issue. i did my paper on gossip and its different forms in society and the church and how often times gossip becomes a habit and is overlooked. i really enjoyed researching my topic. these past two weeks everyone in class has been presenting on their senior thesis and it has been so interesting to hear people unpack the arguments in their papers. i am so encouraged to see all these fellow students writing about things they are passionate about and seeking to change the world, even if its just in a little way like getting people thinking...

there have been numerous Christmas get-togethers both on campus and off. this weekend i am going to a couple different Christmas events including a potluck at one of my neighbor’s apartments and a Christmas sweater party at a girl’s house. students really get into the Christmas spirit here which is awesome, though i do find it kind of amusing that people get excited when it's still 80 degrees outside! i'm from the Midwest and when we get excited for Christmas we get excited for snow!

everyone has been busy studying for finals and working on last-minute projects. i have spent a lot of time in the library lately finishing things up. as stressful as the last couple of weeks usually are it is fun to pull all-nighters with friends and to stop studying periodically for much needed coffee breaks.

the soccer team won nationals!!! that is something exciting that has happened. both the guys and girls soccer teams here are incredible and they are so fun to watch. i have a lot of friends on the teams and i am so proud of them!

my roommate’s mom sent us a little Christmas care package filled with ginger snaps. they are delicious. just thought i would share that with you.

it was my roommate's beautiful sister Daisy's birthday last weekend so HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHIESH!

well that is about it, everyone is just busy getting ready for Christmas break and the holidays. peppermint mochas, cookie making, Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, holiday parties, Christmas chapel, i love this time of year.

hope you all are well and enjoying God's many blessings.

a story

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:42:00 PST

it's almost thanksgiving. and as cliché as it may be i know that the inevitable, "What are you thankful for?" question will be proposed sometime this break. and of course the inevitable "i'm thankful for my health, family, life, etc. etc." will at some point be chorused in response as an answer. though i am indeed thankful for those things, God has really been challenging me to think about the little things i am thankful for, the things that don't get recognition as "blessings" because perhaps, well, i don't know, maybe they are so minute, so inconspicuous, or happen so quickly that we forget about them once they have passed.

i remember three years ago during thanksgiving break; i flew to california with my family to look at schools. i was really interested in attending one of the universities in San Diego and as a result i scheduled an appointment with admissions there and when i visited i did the student tour, the meeting with financial aid, etc. etc. while at that school a professor asked me what other schools i was looking at while in california and i told him a couple others including Azusa Pacific, which i knew little about besides the few things i had read on the APU website. he encouraged me to check out these schools and was pretty adamant about looking at APU if i was considering a Christian school. after i left that college i was a little disappointed just because the atmosphere was not what i was looking for. however, the professor’s words stuck with me and my parents and i continued to check out schools and then ended up at APU. since APU was not a school that i was really interested in we had not taken the time to set up appointments or tours on campus and since we came on thanksgiving break everyone had already gone home for the holiday. and... it was raining. anyways, we decided to tour the school on our own and while roaming around east campus we saw a car pull out of the parking lot, back into the road, stop, and then a girl get out. as she came rushing towards us, leaving her car sitting in the middle of the parking lot lane, we didn't really know what was going on. when she got to us she introduced herself and asked if we needed help. it turns out she was an APU alumni and worked in the office of admissions. she told us that her shift had just ended but that she would be more than happy to show us around. she then returned to her car, to park it in an actual spot, and then took us on a private tour around campus. because of her assistance i was able to see a dorm room, meet a few students still on campus, and find out how to apply for scholarships. i received a ton of information and stuff from the girl and really got a great feel for the campus. when we left that day i made a decision, i was coming to APU.

i tell you this story because as i look back on it i notice all the little blessings God poured out on me in my journey to get here. i am thankful that i stumbled across APU on some website talking about Christian colleges and was actually able to convince my parents to let me visit. i am thankful for the professor, who, seeing i wanted to go to Christian school really encouraged me to seek out another school besides the one he was working at. and most importantly, i'm thankful for stacy, the girl who took time out of her schedule to show a confused family all she could about APU. i still talk to stacy. when i got to apu and i got together with her and told her how influential she was in my decision to come here. if i hadn't met her t hat day i don't know if i would be here. last week we went out to dinner and laughed about how it has been three years since that happened. it’s crazy.

so really, what i'm trying to say is that thanksgiving shouldn't be the only time we thank God for the things He does in our lives, and the "obvious" blessings shouldn't be the only ones we thank Him for. God works so hard and in so many little ways to get us where He wants us. think about it. it’s ridiculous, but really really sweet.

tell Him thanks.

happy thanksgiving. :)

our d-group

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:54:00 PST

This semester Fallon and I have had the opportunity to become D-Group leaders. This has been one of the biggest highlights of our year.

Last spring Fallon and I decided we wanted to lead a group. We spent a lot of time in prayer over summer about our group and the leadership that would be required of us. When we got back to school in September we had a leadership training session and then a few weeks later we received the names of five freshman girls that would form our group. Since then we have gotten to meet with these ladies weekly and to begin to establish genuine friendships and spiritual accountability with each of them. It was such a blessing to see God's hand in the formation of our group. Not only does each of the ladies contribute individually to the group, but the group as a whole has such an amazing dynamic that could only have come from being hand picked by God. Each of the ladies, Bekah, Allie, Amie, Megan, and Amanda, has been so willing to share with the group and to genuinely open up their hearts in friendship.

Each week when we meet, we discuss a chapter of the book, The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis. This allows us to have group discussion about a relevant theme in our everyday lives like heaven, forgiveness, love, etc. Though we are just starting with the book, I feel like the insight of Lewis's writing has already spoken to our group and taught us a lot. Besides reading we also spend a lot of time in prayer. We take weekly prayer requests and are committed to praying for each other throughout the week.

Last week we had the opportunity to take our girls to the prayer labyrinth on campus put on by the office of the campus pastors. The prayer labyrinth consisted of 13 different prayer stations with different themes including prayer for other nations, rest, prayer for ourselves, confession, communion, and many others. The prayer labyrinth was a great way for our group to come together in prayer. It was really awesome to see how the girls reacted at different stations and to watch them get involved. At one station we even had to paint what we were feeling! We also got to take a picture and write our "God dream" on it, which for our group, was "to become women of God, as sisters in Christ."

I am excited to see this unfold throughout the semester.

fallon

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:22:00 PDT

if you have read my previous blogs than you have already been introduced to my wonderful roommate fallon. fallon is slightly ridiculous and that is why we get along very well.

fallon is a communications major here at apu. she also is a member of the Kaleo S.A.L.T team which is a group of students that take on leadership responsibilities regarding our Kaleo chapel. her input, dedication, and prayer are surely appreciated by the group.

fallon and i are also co-leaders of a D-Group (discipleship group) of 5 lovely freshman ladies. we have so much fun with this. every week the girls come over to our apartment and we spend a few hours in prayer, discussion, fellowship, and just laughing about all the ridiculous things that have happened the previous week on campus. i am so blessed to have fallon as a co-leader and to have the opportunity to lead a D-Group with her.

fallon and i have a few very important aspects of our friendship. one of these is reality TV. yea, i admit it. we love the bachelor and the hills. we also love grocery shopping but only if we go down every single aisle. and making cookies and brownies.

fallon goes to the gym more than me. i should follow her lead.

fallon takes the longest showers known to mankind. it's very bizarre.

and... fallon has an amazing family that she is very dedicated to. she has four younger brothers and is a great big sister. her littlest brother is named joshua and he sends her pictures he draws for her in elementary school. it's great. oh and fallon's dad is awesome.

yesterday fallon and i saw two sweet old ladies sitting together at a table eating lunch, just chatting away, to which fallon responds, "that will be us."

indeed.