#29: Here Comes the Sun

April 18, 2013:

First, IT'S FINALLY SUMMER WEATHER! Let's see how long this lasts...

So here is my semester/ year countdown as it stands at this moment:
1 more week of classes.
2 more weeks until I leave.
2 more weekends to enjoy at my lovely new home.
6 finals.
15 days until the official end of the school year.
360 hours (until I pack my car to go home...)
21,600 minutes until summer!

Not too bad.

Looking back on this year and comparing it to the above list seems kind of surreal to me. I mean I will soon be done with 25% of my time here at Loma, and I'll only have 5 more semesters to go (1 in study abroad of course ;) ). I couldn't imagine one day being a Senior and looking back on all of that.

Another random thought that I had this week...

I've met so many people in this short 8 month period. I mean I look at old preview student pamphlets and the point weekly, and other Loma publications and all of those once foreign faces are now familiar and regular faces that I see around campus. Another freaky thought? You never know what the person (whether you know them or not) will do in their time here at Loma. I see/ hear of so many people I know that are already doing amazing things, getting recognition, or being talked about around the school. It's sometimes even those people that are the quiet and shy ones in class! Just remember, everyone here will one day do something great, so remember them!

Anyways, enough of that. I'm off to go enjoy some of the 360 hours that I have left here outside :)

Oh, and I probably won't post until closer to finals week. I mean, come on, let's be real (and honest) here.

Until next time Loma!

Soak up some sun,

-Em

#MyLife@Loma

 (ASB sure takes care of us...)

 That's me! (well mine...on the left...)

Sun, sand, and tanssss

#28: Remember Where You've Been.

April 6, 2013:

It's been a while. Again.

Only 27 days to go! Whoo!

It's around this time where blogging isn't the only thing I procrastinate regularly...Why must projects be done this next week!

Anyways, all of this counting down the days has gotten me in a nostalgic mood. I'm not joking when I can tell you exactly what happened during that first week here like it was last month. Crazy to think that me and the rest of my class will not be Freshman anymore soon! I have talked to some Seniors who say the same thing...A big difference is that this is their last final count down as an undergrad here at Loma.

Welcome to the actual real world Seniors.

Along with the procrastination, comes that oh so wonderful feeling of not wanting to do anything. Anything.

Plus I've been at the PLNU special Olympics event all day. It was absolutely amazing! I had alot of fun and I know those athletes did as well :) Point for Loma!

With that, I'm kinda done for today. Maybe I'll go take a walk by the cliffs with the million dollar view (or $38 grand a year), or maybe tan? (Be jealous non-socal college kids)

Until next time (I can't guarantee how soon that will actually be...),

Laters Loma!

-Em

#MyLife@Loma

p.s. I highly encourage you to enjoy these next few weeks and even take a trip down Freshman memory lane (or throwback lane for all of you hipsters.)

 

Because Chipotle is rad and they love us!

Because the soccer team makes for a b.a. set-up/tear-down crew!

 Because studying here never gets old.

 Because running here is perfection.

 Because that sunset never gets old!

Because I love living at this beautiful place <3

#27: Preoccupied at Point Loma

March 21, 2013:

Six days until Easter break! Is it sad that I am already stoked for this break even thought it feels like we just came back from Spring break? Oh wells, it's almost summer. I'll blame that.

So tonight is the first ever masquerade here at Loma. The tickets have been sold out, time after time, and the plans for the big night have been finalized. What am I wearing to the big formal dance you may ask?

I'm not going. With all of the whiplash from the ticket sales I decided to plan the next best thing for my Friday night, anti-prom. Didn't do it in high school, might as well start it in college right?

Anyways,

During this time of frantic fancy dress prep, extravagant dance plans, and just plain school craziness I've been thinking a lot of just how much I am blessed.

I do Wednesday night outreach every week, but this week was different. This week I truly felt what is was to count your blessings. While walking around the streets of downtown San Diego with our sack lunches, I frequently caught myself worrying about dances, and having the right clothes, and especially my phone (curse you snap chat!). My "aha" moment happened when I was sitting on the sidewalk talking to one of the homeless men with a couple of my friends from the group. During this fairly lengthy conversation we talked politics, family history, past experiences, and even family pets (he honestly had the sweetest pit bull named Brutus!) all the while people were walking by us laughing, chatting with their friends, and talking on their cell phones, not even paying attention to what was happening on the sidewalk in front of them. At one point in the conversation I looked up at the billboard above us which ironically was an ad for a cell phone. It was at that point that I realized that everything that I was preoccupied with at that moment didn't matter as much as the attention that I wanted to give this man who had worked so hard in his life, only to be left with practically nothing.

Other things that have been stealing my attention this week are tests and grades. Okay, I'm not saying that I should quit paying so much attention to them because that's false. I just have realized that the OCD perfectionist little girl in me always takes so much offense at a lower than average grade or a harder to comprehend class. While I'm devoting so much energy to being negative is when I fail to look outside and remember the paradise that I am fortunate to afford and live in.

Who knows why God has certain people in certain circumstances. I may not understand that question right now, but I hope that someday I will.

As for now, I'm going to refocus my attention and keep on trying at this little thing called college.

"“The deep truth is that our human suffering need not be an obstacle to the joy and peace we so desire, but can become, instead, the means to it. The great secret of the spiritual life, the life of the Beloved Sons and Daughters of God, is that everything we live, be it gladness or sadness, joy or pain, health or illness, can all be a part of the journey toward the full realization of our humanity."      -Henri Nouwen

I'm also going to get ready to get chocolate wasted next weekend. 

Stay classy Sealions,

Em

#MyLife@Loma

#26: Take Me Back Tuesday

March 12, 2013:

Spring break is over, school is back in full swing, and the fog has rolled in. Thanks for that welcome Point Loma.

I don’t know about you, but the closer the breaks get to summer, the harder it is for me to come back. Don’t get me wrong, I still love this college life and all, but I don’t know how to describe this feeling.

Today was especially hard. Maybe it was just the crazy fog/sun/more fog weather. Maybe it’s because of all of the exams due this week. Maybe it’s because it’s Tuesday. Who knows…

Anywho, I guess that’s all I feel like blogging about today. I guess I’m just trying to see if there are more of us non-Seniors who have senioritis upon coming back to school.

For all of those out there, remember these:

Call home.

You will be alright.

Seven more weeks.

Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Go outside. You go to school in the paradise of San Diego.

Also! First FORMAL school dance! Go, dress up, use the excuse to wear a mask (not saying that you need one…Not saying that).

Well off to a night of homework I go!

Good luck Loma. It’s almost Easter ;)

-Em

#MyLife@Loma

#24: I Do Confess...

February 21, 2013:

Congratulations Sealions, this is the end of the 7th week of Spring semester! Only 8 more to go!

So a few things have happened since I last wrote...

One being ASB elections!
Congratulations to the newly elected ASB staff :) And shout out to Claire Schalin whom I may or may not be assisting next year...for which I may or may not be super stoked for...it's not like it's going to be the greatest thing to get paid to work with one of your friends or anything. I'm not officially saying anything like that. Officially.

Oh, and AJ Wolf for president? This should be fun... :)

And another thing, this whole PLNU Confessions page? Lemme rant about that one real quick.

PLNU confessions is like what, a week old? And at first this page on Facebook was super hilarious. I think it was inspired by the bigger universities' "hookup" pages, but I could be wrong. Anyways, it literally went Loma viral in a matter of days.

And then the creepy posts started coming in. You know, the ones where you're like, "okay, this stuff just got fake." Yeah well that's how it ended up looking like. And not to mention it became a perfect place to bash people. Hello people, cyber bullying? No? Personally, I was getting tired of not being able to see anything on my Facebook news feed but other peoples confessions so I hid it from my feed. One good thing, and probably my favorite post on there was the "bring Tony back" on and "Tony 2013". I miss him too guys, I miss him too.

But wait! It doesn't end there! Wouldn't you know that just recently a PLNU Encouragements page has been made. Now this seems reasonable right? Nice Christian kids using it as the ray of sunshine to combat the bullying? No. I think there are more haters toward the encouragements than there were to the confessions.

Now here's the deal. I don't think that either page is all that harmful. I also get that the confessions page is a great outlet for many students here. I mean come on, it's been an outlet for kids who aren't perfect, who don't want to pretend to be perfect here 24/7. Kudos. On the flip side, a little praise (be it anonymous or not) never hurt anyone. I still honestly believe that this campus has the nicest, best, and brightest students of any other California university, and maybe any other university period. So let the good kids have their fun too. Maybe they are those super grouchy, quiet kids who aren't perfect and don't want to pretend to be mean here 24/7.

See what I did there? ;) Kidding.

But seriously, this thing has really become a common topic of conversation. Even Jeff Bolster knows( to the person who posted on his good looks, you're grateful this page is anonymous now, huh?). If you want to read/research/find out more about this whole confessions thing just pick up the latest edition of  the Point Weekly. I told you. It's everywhere.

Well, I guess I should get back to my reading. I call it punishment for not being prepared for a psych reading pop quiz that I was not ready for today. The ONE DAY I don't do the reading! Sheesh...

One last thought. Zombies have returned. Not as big as last year, but I think it's because this new batch are strictly those hard core zombie game players. Makes for more ridiculously hilarious and awkward moments around campus.

Good luck with midterms next week guys!

Until next time,

Keep it classy (and confidential) Loma

-Em
#MyLife@Loma

It's Lent!~No more soda, caf cookies, or ice cream. :(

Because I don't have a cool Loma landscape shot, I only have a Loma lanyard shot...

When A Long Winter Turns Into Spring

January 8, 2012:

And just like that winter break was over, and spring semester has begun.

I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed my break. I am going to miss:

• 24 hour caf -AKA my fridge.
• My own bed that doesn't remind me of a summer camp bunk bed.
• My. Car.
• No alarms needed. Ever.
• Access to a gym that didn't frustrate me more than the workout itself.
• MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS FROM HOME.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. *tear*

On a brighter note... SECOND HALF OF FRESHMAN YEAR HAS BEGUN! New classes, new classmates, new material, and new chapel attendance to be filled! Come on, you know you're excited. Plus, all of your Loma family is here to catch up with. Now those are some people that I desperately missed over break.

Upon arrival back to my lovely home away from home, I've been met with a few new things:

• New students? What?! Transfers, returners, NSOhmy!
• The...caf? Cool setup, but I for one can't work those gosh darn soup pot container things.
• The weather. Is freezing. Now you colder region dwellers don't get mad at me. I'm strictly speaking "sunny San Diego" sterotypes here.

Well, I'm off to finish my homework...
Home work on the first day? Lucky me!

Peace for now Loma,
Em

#MyLife@Loma

Here, all is okay with the world.

#20: Conclusions

December 14, 2012:

And just like that, the fall semester is over.

For those of you who had six finals (like me), job well done.

And for those of you who didn't have all six, still job well done because FINALS SUCK. And they are over. Yay.

This has been one heck of a 16 week/112 day/2,688 hour/ 161,280 min./ 9,766,800 second filled semester.... Yes, I did that math. Last math until next year!

The silence has officially broken, papers and books have been returned or recycled (sustain PLNU y'all!) , and clothes have been packed (or in my case spacebagged!)! Because you shouldn't expect anything less from me, I would like to list some memories, highlights, school experiences that really stood out this semester....

* (Because I just got out of my writing final) I MADE IT THROUGH EVARKIOU'S WRITING 110 CLASS! Evarcuties, congratulations. You made it.
* Being a Freshman and making it through my first college semester, duhhh.
* Living in a hall. With 30+ other girls... And not killing each other. And actually liking them ;) Just kidding, definitely got blessed in the good hall category.
*Cross country. I may not have finished, but I'm thoroughly blessed to have had the experience. Great girls, great coach, and messed up legs. Yes. Pain.
* Fashion Merchandising! Four years with that group of ladies will be interesting. And fun. Lots of fun.
* Lomativities! All of them, movies in the Greek, musoffee, GLOW WITH THE FLOW, six flags, lomapalooza, December nights, and all of the other events like swing dancing, sporting events, homecoming, and powder puff. Congratulations of keeping us busy Loma.
* ASB! So glad that I joined student congress, definitely a keeper activity right there. Here's to running for ASB Exec Secretary next semester! #excited
*Random car rides with upperclassmen...or freshmen with cars... :)
*Learning to cook with what you have in one of the dorm kitchens.
*Having my classes picked for me....JUST KIDDING. That was terrible.
* Countless Cali burritos.
*Open dorm hours. Again, kidding.
*The weather, views, and other "Loma bubble" phenomena.
*Inspiring Time-Outs
*The laughs, cries, and frustrations shared with new friends, best friends, professors, and especially roommates. They are a category all their own. I personally adore mine. Keep on trucking little one :)
*Last, but not least, being able to walk anywhere on campus and see at least one person that you know, smiling, and then feeling that much better about your day then you felt before.

These are just the few that I could type in the short amount of time before my dad gets here. Which will be soon. Then, I'm off on a road trip to Oregon with some of my closest friends here at Loma. Who says you don't make life-long friends in college.

Pushed academically, encouraged spiritually, tested physically, and strained mentally, the good always outweighed the bad.

Before I get all mushy,

Peace for three weeks Point Loma. We will be back for more next year.

-Emily

#MyLife@Loma

#18: It's The Most Stressful Time of The Year

November 28, 2012:

Long time, no post. Who could blame me though! It's been a week full of breaks, relaxation, and homework catching up. Just kidding on that last one. On a serious note, the Thanksgiving break was awesome. I don't know about you, but the first long break of Freshman year has been the hardest for me. Being home for more than a weekend is awesome; therefore, going back to school after not being there for more than a weekend is the complete opposite of awesome.

Word.

Since there hasn't been much class activity, it has just been a lot of getting back into the swing of "college life". You know, like DECORATING FOR FREAKING CHRISTMAS! I don't know about the other dorms, but Nease has gone above and beyond my expectations. We are talking wreaths, decorated trees in all of the lounges, Christmas lights EVERYWHERE, and there is even a "days until break" countdown at the front door. Plus, all of the halls have done what they can to make their hallways festive. My hall just put up our decorations yesterday. Can you say tree scented hallway? (thank you Bath and Body wallflower!)

All in all, I think I speak for everyone when I say that, although it's been three months, these next three weeks can't go quickly enough. These finals are going to be great...

Yeah right!!

Anyway, at least there are a lot of festive activities to choose from from now until that dreaded week. (Uhm free food? Enough said.) Like :

-Holly Jolly Jive

-Roots of Giving

-Cider Celebration

-Handel’s Messiah

-Christmas Karaoke Musoffee

-Balboa Park’s December Nights

Go to them. Just go.

Well, I had better get to my interview. Campus tour guide. School spirit. Lots of talking. School pride. Oh. Yes. Plus, I need to get out of here. Here being my new favorite study spot. Where might you ask? Not telling, but here's a hint.

It starts with "R" and end with "room"... Well it used to anyway.

That's all for now Loma,

-Emily

#MyLife@Loma

#16: Falling Into Place

November 12, 2012:

Eight days, folks. Thanksgiving break! Speaking of breaks, I seem to have caught one in my crazy homework load. Granted, I crammed out a research paper and midterm in COM last week.

Oh, did I mention that I went to another debate this past weekend? Before I go ranting on about that, I won't. Because I have officially debated for THE LAST time! Fifty points? Mine.

Points, grades, test cramming sessions, they all seem to be adding up. Figuring out about GPAs, and then worrying like mad about those grades seem to be the trend lately. You know what? Honestly I'm just ready to have more than a three days of vacation. Thank you pilgrims! And God (a big one to you of course)!

It also seems to be that time of year when, coming down to the end of the first semester, that awkward "so...roomates? With me? Next year?" question is asked between first time roomies. My poor roommate struggled when asking me that question a couple of days ago. She actually thought I would say no! To quote my debate teacher (yeah seriously) "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Good luck with crossing those bridges when you come to them guys!

Well, HOMECOMING WEEK is upon us! It all kicks off with the annual fr/so vs. jr/sr POWDERPUFF game! Be there or be square! Girls playing flag football, boys cheer leading at halftime in highlighter track shorts, FREE BBQ, cotton candy, and ice cream? You've been warned. #player6 <<<<My number in case you didn't catch that. In all honesty, I probably won't even play all that much. I'm all for the experience, okay?

Thursday is the concert band concert. Friday is CORONATION! Get your votes in! A quick shout out to my good friend Ryan Lamonde for winning Homecoming Prince (?) in the Junior class.
So proud :') AND the variety show! Yeah, yeah my school is pretty talented. NBD.

Thursday night is the big TWILIGHT BREAKING DAWN PREMIERE!!! I'm so excited :) I know what you are thinking. She's one of those dumb vampire girls. Yes, yes I am. Haters gonna hate. You can go and play your zombie nerf war game. Oh yeah, I went there. And as fate would have it, my Friday classes were all canceled. Meant to be!

Saturday is the BIG GAME! Women's basketball followed by the Men's homecoming game! Tickets and spirit wear on sale in the caf Saturday afternoon :)

Well, I think that's enough information for one post. I'm going to go put on three more layers. Curse you Point Loma. So much for a beach weather winter...

Until next time,

Peace Loma

#MyLife@Loma

#15: Coming Full Circle

November 5, 2012:

WEEK ELEVEN? Seriously?

So the home stretch begins. Research papers are being researched (or not...). Thanksgiving plans are being made. And it's dark at 5 p.m. now! <<< Winter is coming.

Last week was pretty eventful.

First college Halloween here at Loma. You can take the the kid to college, but you can't make the kid grow up. Can you say Trick-or-treating? Tons of candy? Blistered feet? It's okay if you can't, after that night I couldn't either. Jokes aside, I'm getting too old for this...

Princesses, toddlers in tiaras, "nothing"s, and slutty whatevers abounded that night. Nothing unusual. Except that it was all done on a college budget! Wooohooo! ;)

Then the next day was the first PREVIEW DAYS of the year! I, of course, volunteered my lovely roommate to help set up for the event, and we hosted a preview student that Thursday night. Hey, she got a pretty awesome shirt out of it okay? Geeze. HUNGER GAMES was the featured "movie at the Greek" that night, and it was okay. The movie is awesome and great and all, but they could have AT LEAST turned the Greek light off so we could see 80% of the stinkin' movie! Anyways, we kept it real with all of the random outbursts of laughter, commentary, and the occasional volunteer tribute. After all of that, I ran back to go meet my preview student. Mind you I could have toned it down and not been so hyper, but I wasn't about to lie to these girls. Dorm life is loud.

Our student's name was Haley and she was a junior. We spent the night answering her questions, talking about Point Loma, and filling her with In-N-Out at 2 a.m. Oh, and only giving her 5 hours of sleep. You know, just preparing her for college life. All in all this first preview weekend of Freshman year was pretty cool. Remembering my last preview day, which was exactly a year ago, really made me realize just how far I have come in the past year.

Well I should cut this post short, because I have a mile high stack of homework calling my name. Or maybe it's someone else's name...

Until next time Loma,

Emily

#MyLife@Loma

#14: It's All Downhill From Here

October 28, 2012:

So it's the end to another Sunday night. Homework is frantically being finished, coffee is brewing, and phone or Skype calls to loved ones back home are being made. I can honestly say that this past weekend has been one of my favorites by far here at Loma. Here's why...

1) It's nice to take a weekend off. Just relax. Get the homework out of the way and forget about it. When you're in that mindset of feeling the need to be busy doing things EVERY weekend because " I work hard and study all week so I deserve to have fun", it's good just to take a weekend off to do nothing but rest. By that I mean go with the flow. Don't plan things, just let them happen. Like going Halloween costume shopping with good friends. Who said getting excited over Halloween was just for kids ;)

2) Experiencing "first"s with people is a great feeling! Especially when that person is your roommate :) Whether it be Chick-Fil-A, timeout, or froyo, go do it! Making new friends along the way is also a bonus. You won't be sorry.

3)FAMILY WEEKEND! Okay so I didn't have my family here this weekend, but I'm still happy for it. It meant FREAKING GREAT CAF FOOD! Sure Loma is just sucking up to the parents, but hey, we get great food out of it! Can't wait until preview days start, more sucking up!

4)Lomapalooza. Sounds like a carnival, actually is a pretty chill outdoor BBQ with great music. Meg & Bryan headlined it, but there were a few other great opening bands too! Sitting out on the lawn, eating with friends, and enjoying great music on a perfect evening is definitely my definition of Point Loma Nazerene University. Eat your heart out UC's!

5) Watching your friends play intramural dodge ball. Aaaaah intramurals...I love those ninjas :)

and finally

6) Walking around campus on a Sunday afternoon. By yourself. Quietly. Just do it.

And that was my relaxing weekend in a nutshell. This week wasn't so bad. And you KNOW everyone is counting down the three weeks until THANKSGIVING BREAK! YAY!

And with that I will leave you with this. Courtesy of my freshman core values class :)

Peace Loma!

-Emily

#MyLife@Loma

P.s. Did you watch that tsunami? LAME.