Looking Back...

I cannot believe that it is already August. It's insane how fast time goes by....especially when you are enjoying it. A new school year is just around the corner and for the first time in my whole life, I'm on the other side of the fence. I get to stand aside for once and watch all of the craziness a new school year brings. It is the greatest feeling in the world knowing that I have completed my schooling and am a graduate of an amazing university. I realized just yesterday that I never wrote about my experience at APU, other than the little pieces I included over the years. So, here goes.

Freshman year at Azusa Pacific was probably one of the best years of my life. Not only did I meet the most amazing people, including my best friend Sam, but I also met my future husband, Joey, that year. It was a whole new phase of my life- far away from home, not knowing a single person, adventure, freedom, curiosity, growth. It's almost impossible for me to explain how much I grew as not only a person, but spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. I felt like I matured very quickly after being put in such a big, new situation. It amazed me to see tons and tons of people my age that were worshipping in chapel and then keeping that same kind of environment for school. Although I know that I grew so much in so many different ways, at the same time, I know that it's because I put myself in countless situations that I had never even considered before. I met all different types of people, people from all over the country, and even the world. I experienced so many things that I had only dreamed of before. Whether it be a beach bonfire, a huge campus picnic or concert, learning to longboard, or just really getting to know people to the deepest, it was the best year of college, by far.

Sophomore year was definitely a bit different. I would have to say it was the absolute worst year of my life. Why you might ask? ROOMMATES. Oh how I should have payed attention to the tell-tale signs of those two...but not that that would have really mattered. I never knew that girls could be so mean- all for NO REASON. It was a year of balancing my first serious relationship and my best friend, which is what started the whole thing. I never did a single thing to them, not one thing.....but for some reason, they chose to make my life a living hell even after my best friend moved out to do her LA term. Throughout the whole situation, I learned that well, girls are evil. haha. but most importantly I learned that true friends can work through anything and then they just become 20 times closer. As for the two other girls, who were absolutely miserable in their own lives, I still to this day do not know why they treated me so cruel and constantly did things to make my life miserable as well....like throwing away my toothbrush, talking about me 24/7 while I was in the house, glaring at me every time I come and go, telling me I'm an awful roommate who doesnt deserve their own room, etc. I don't even remember the worst of what they said and did because it was so painful I tried to push it out of my mind. Anywho....so that was my second year of college....very much different than my first AMAZING year...but hey, God got me through it and to end the year, I got engaged to the love of my life. Oh....and of course they glared at that.

Senior year was closer to Freshman year than the second year, but definitely wasn't the same at all. It was a fun, relaxing year, being my last, but it still had its little glitches. It was definitely the most stressful year because I was trying to graduate early, so all of my classes were a lot to deal with. I took 21 hours the first semester and 19 the second....it was nuts, but I'm sooo proud of myself for doing it. I had some wonderful roommates Dani and Ashley, who definitely kept things interesting and entertaining. We all went through a lot of hard times together. God definitely continued to change my life, especially preparing me for my soon-to-be marriage. There were some rough times, but it always seemed to work out. Some of the best times that year included my 21st birthday, where Joey got me a hummer limo (my first ride in a limo) with a bunch of my friends and we all went out to eat and celebrated. There was also my trip to Vegas with my mom and sis that finished my bday celebration- and WOW...that was incredible. Great restaurants, shows, shopping, exploring, drinks, gambling....haha you name it. It was definitely the best birthday I've ever had.

The end of my last year at APU was not only emotional, but exciting. It was amazing to have the excitement of the wedding coming up, the excitement of returning home, and really the excitement of my college career coming to an end. It was kind of crazy trying to think of the end of college....and wondering what I would do and how it went by so fast. I had always thought I'd feel so different...but I guess when you grow up, you don't really notice it's still you. I wouldn't change a single thing about my college career because I know even the lowest points were what made me stronger and changed my life for the better. Being at school in California made me really understand who I was, what I believed, and how much I really, truly loved home in Georgia. If someone had told me I was going to go to college in California, I would have never believed them, but now, it just seems so normal- my other life, that it's crazy to remember thinking of it being a big deal. I just know that I am so thankful that I had the opportunity, from my parents, to experience such a different life, to meet amazing people, and to learn from people who believed like me. I am beyond blessed for all the opportunities it brought my way and for how it changed my life forever.