Top 5 of October

This month has just flown by! I honestly can't believe that November begins this week.  This month was full of lots of papers for school, multiple choir concerts, and me finishing my senior thesis paper! Well... almost.  Although, throughout the midst of school and choir, there were a lot of fun times.

Since I am not able to update my blog as much as I would like to, I'm going to start doing "Top 5's" (in no particular order) for various things going on in my life and it's also just an easy way to do a quick, but informative update.

Via Instagram

1. By the end of this month, I will have all the parts of my "Intent to Graduate" form filled out and turned into the school! It's hard to believe that these 4 years at APU have flown by so quickly.

2. Bel Canto performance have begun for the school year, and I am so blessed to have these ladies in my life.  It's so great to be able to worship and minister alongside them, as well as the other 40 ladies 3-4 times a week.

Via APU Bel Canto Facebook

3.  Like mentioned already, Bel Canto performance have begun! Be sure to check out our Facebook to see photos, upcoming concerts, and much more exciting information about our plans coming soon!  

4.  Meet Jen! We've had the opportunity to take at least one class a semester together, however this semester we have 3 classes.  It's been great getting to know her even better and I'm so excited to live with her after we graduate!  

Studying at Starbucks on a Sunday afternoon
Via Instagram

5. In the program that I am in at APU, I have been given the opportunity to overlap a little bit of graduate school with my undergraduate work.  I am so excited to be starting this next step in my journey and get started on doing what I want to do... which is teach little children!

Surviving

People always say that senior year is always the best year. You plan your life so your senior year is always the easiest. However it's always the busiest in the sense that you are on a deadline for everything. From making sure you graduate on time and have enough units and you've taken the right classes to making sure you have a plan for after graduation, whether it be a job or graduate school, to where you're going to live, it all comes down to surviving and getting through it all.

I always seem to bite off more than I can chew.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love everything I am doing.  I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't busy doing what I am doing.  From working on Bel Canto (BC) things to going to class, taking my online classes, and making sure I still have some time to breathe and relax a little, it's still a lot.  But I still love it. And in all honesty, I'd rather be super busy all the time and enjoy it, rather than having a lot of extra time on my hand and not use that time wisely.

Now that I'm onto my 4th week of school, I am slowly but surely, getting into the swing of things and just my daily/weekly schedule.  I honestly wouldn't change anything the way this semester is going for the world.  Even though I glance at my monthly calendar on my wall and start having mini panic attacks...

I know that through it all, God is going to help me get through it all, no matter what. Even if things don't go my way. I just have to remember to trust in Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will direct your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6 

School Year Goals

There's a weird feeling after venting and crying and letting everything you're stressed about, out. This week has been one for the records. Well, maybe the past 3 weeks?

Every year, it seems as if school starts earlier and earlier. This year, I got an email from one of my professors saying that we needed to have reading done before the first day of school. And after that, paper after paper was due, even on the first full week of school.  It seems as if things have become never ending.

With all the stress from school, and trying to figure out about applying to graduate school, and where to live, and who to live with, and how to somehow come up with the money to live on my own, I just needed a break. Oh, and did I mention I have a final tomorrow for one of my online classes??

This school year, I am trying something new. I am doing my very best to get as much homework done on Saturdays so I don't have to do anything on Sunday. They call Sunday the "day of rest" for a reason; so why not actually follow it? After coming home from church in the afternoons, there is something wonderful about eating a light lunch, and then taking a Sunday afternoon nap. Or watching a movie or just hanging out with friends, imagining what our lives would look like, if our Pinterest boards were our real life.

So as this school year progresses, my goals are to:
1) Not stress out TOO much
2) Take time for myself to just RELAX
3) Enjoy the moment. Enjoy senior year. Enjoy my friendships and continue to grow in them.
4) Oh, and of course, GRADUATE ON MAY 3, 2014!