Archives: Natalie Shadle

With midterm madness now well behind, us CBU students are finally able to begin busily and cheerfully anticipating the holiday season. This means a few different things, of course – primarily that our schedules have become so dense, we’re sometimes struggling to breathe. But reassurance is found in the fact that the density is a very, very good thing.

With the holiday season comes the everlasting joy of Christmas music, spilling its luminosity into every apartment on campus… November generally means cozy sweaters and snug boots (unless of course you live in Riverside, but who’s complaining?), and even a tangible excuse for every great pessimist to be thankful. Theoretically, the holiday season really is “the most wonderful time of the year.”

But is it, truly, for all those living beyond the gates of Cal Baptist? Often times as Americans, and especially as American college students who are fortunate enough to attend such a magnificent school, we become enveloped in the dangers of narrow-mindedness… and we forget to remember.

We forget to remember that 80% of the world’s population survives on less than $10 every day, and that almost half of the world survives on less than $2.50 every day. We forget about the millions of families around the world who will be unable to hide from winter’s cruel, cold grasp, instead of enjoying that annual Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey amongst the fellowship of loved ones.

Cal Baptist is striving this holiday season to help fight the misery that this time of year often finds so many children around the world in. This year, CBU will be hosting two “packing parties” to emphasize the ministry of Operation Christmas Child. Through this emphasis, CBU students have the opportunity to help provide thousands of less-fortunate kids between the ages of two and fourteen years old with a shoebox full of small gift items. Some of these kids will receive toys and candy, some will receive socks or mittens, and some might even receive some brand new school supplies or hygiene items… But all of them will be blessed.

The Bible says in Acts 20:35 – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

This holiday season, readers, enjoy that seasonal turkey amongst the fellowship of loved ones, and blast those Christmas tunes. Inhale the intoxicating cinnamons and nutmegs that spike the air in every craft store each November, enjoy a few candy canes, and steal a kiss under the mistletoe – do all of these things joyfully, as they only come knocking once a year, but understand that the presence of that joy is a gift stemming from the ultimate gift of Christ’s sacrifice.

Most importantly, readers, just take the time to remember. This gift is not one to be hidden away for our own advantage, but one to be shared generously with those around the world who desperately need it. So I encourage you all to think and research – decide on a way in which you can make a joyful impact this holiday season.

The opportunities are limitless, and simply require that we all remember.

Cheers! And all the best to you and yours this holiday season,

Natalie

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing countless complaints and gripes. Many conversations have entailed the stressed monotones of CBU freshmen experiencing their first round of college midterms.

I call it, “midterm madness.”

Now, as an art student, I never feared midterms, to be honest. This is mostly because, well, I only had two – one for Oral Communications and another for Design Thought Foundations. Studying for both just meant reviewing some notes and being prepared to write a lot, neither of which fazes me.

So when friends, or even a roommate, would vent their midterm madness stress to me, I did my best to empathize… but couldn’t. I considered myself lucky, almost unfairly so, and a little slacking, because as a graphic design and photography student, I don’t really have to worry about a boatload of midterms looming like a storm over my head for two weeks.

But just as midterms for non-CAVAD majors began winding down… the projects hit, and boy was I wrong about “slacking.”

I don’t mean to complain, because in all honesty I do enjoy creative projects. But when, for example, a CAVAD major suddenly has four projects and two essays due in one week, things get rough.

The last four days for me have entailed nonstop work. My eyes are a little fried from all of the computer screen time, and to be honest I’m feeling a little low on creative juices. By the time I’ve gotten to bed shortly after midnight each night this week, I’ve had a hard time falling asleep because my brain is still on high-speed productive mode. After trying for a half hour to fall asleep for a short nap yesterday, I eventually came out of my bedroom and said to my roommate, “Oh well. My brain won’t shut up.” Back to work.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the opportunity of the challenge to do multiple projects on top of each other within a time constraint, because I know that’s what the “real world” will be like after graduation, and this is excellent practice. But this week, readers, I probably won’t be giving an emotional goodbye to them.

If anything, after this week I’ll feel incredibly accomplished as a growing designer, and for that I am very grateful. I’d take that over “midterm madness” anytime.

As a graphic design and photography student, every week I am awed by new tactics and tricks that bring graphic art to life. But more than this, I am consistently awed by how determined the professors of CAVAD (College of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design) are to extend opportunities to their students to learn how to do these techniques on their own.

I remember as a high school junior coming to stay overnight at CBU for the annual “24” event that CBU offers to perspective students. During the morning of my second day on campus, I had the opportunity to attend a class from my chosen field of study. So, I attended a Photoshop class. This class experience was, in my opinion, the initial spark that sent me to pursue CBU as my college choice. I observed how small the class size was (which, coming from a graduating class of 13, was pretty significant to me) and how each student was provided substantial workspace and a huge Mac to work on. Granted, none of those things were good enough reasons to choose CBU, but they definitely inspired me to look into the school further. Sometimes, it truly is “the little things.”

Jake and his favorite guitar!

Now, as a student, I’m currently working on a studio photography project – which obviously means that I am required to use the CBU photography studio for my upcoming photo shoot. When we were first assigned this project, my heart skipped a beat because of how the idea both excited and terrified me. During class that day, my teacher took the time to show us how to use the studio, beginning to end, explaining everything from plugging the equipment in, hooking up the equipment to our cameras, testing the lights, etc. Already feeling a little overwhelmed by how complicated the process is, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear him slip a comment into the demonstration about how leaving the generator running after leaving the studio could burn the building down. Um, yikes!

I’m still hoping he was feeling sarcastic that morning.

Well aware that I had no idea of how to put all this fancy stuff to use, I reserved the studio for that Thursday evening–not to work on my project, but to mess around with the equipment and get familiar with it before attempting the assignment the following week.

My dear little sister and I! 🙂

My younger sister came to spend the night in my apartment that evening, which made for an extra fun experience that I was able to share with her and her growing passion for photography.  She, my boyfriend, and his roommate joined me initially in the studio and helped me to get everything set up. About a half hour later, my two roommates walked in, announcing as they entered that they had brought along four other people! Well, perhaps needless to say, this announcement added to the pressure of having no clue what I was doing.

Nonetheless I smiled, invited them to come pose on the set, and I snapped away. To my extreme relief, the process came pretty naturally, and in no time the ten of us were laughing, smiling, and having a wonderful time. I definitely remembered to turn off the generator (praise the Lord!) and, best of all, I left that night feeling like a pro.

I hope this post communicates what gratitude I feel toward my professors for extending this much freedom to their students, as aware as I’m sure they are just how ignorant and green the majority of us are.

Beautiful memories!

This week I learned that with some faith in myself, a whole lot of trust from my professors, and little bit of camera dust, I am able to produce beautiful memories. What a blessing that is!

It’s no secret to those who know and love me that I have a huge passion for kids, and a heart for those left behind or neglected. But a couple of years ago, my passion for mission trips was born. I went overseas to an orphanage in Guatemala, where I met some of the happiest kids on earth… only find out where they’d all come from. Some were abandoned in the hospital, some abused in their home, some encouraged to prostitute themselves for money, one even found as an infant, miraculously still alive, lying in the city dump. And yet I stand by claiming them to be some of the happiest kids on earth.

Why?

This orphanage provides not only shelter and three hearty meals a day, but also a loving, consistent family for the children living there. The bedrooms are painted individually to give the kids a sense of belonging, and the “family” takes outings to the movies, to church, and other activities, just as any other family would. Inspired by their mission, I came home with a new fire in my heart.

Sixteen months later, with the priceless help and encouragement of family and friends, I am now involved with a team of wonderful people striving to provide a healthy alternative for U.S. foster kids. Similar to the orphanage in Guatemala, we hope to be able to provide not only individually painted bedrooms and three meals a day, but also an envelopment of love, support, and passionate care… something many of these kids would otherwise never have the opportunity to experience while being tossed through the system.

When I officially founded Rose Again six months ago, I could never have dreamed of the support it would gather. I’ve heard countless times, “Why don’t we have this already?” and “How can I help to make this happen?”

Before coming to CBU, I had this vision in my head of, through being exposed to students in many different programs, meeting people who could assist in some way to make the mission of Rose Again a true reality, whether that be potential teachers of the elementary school we hope to offer to the Rose Again kids, caretakers in the home, psychologists, architects to help design the place, people willing to support us financially, etc… To me, it was a dream that I could only hope would become a reality.

But I’ve discovered in the last couple of weeks just how much of a reality the “family” of CBU is. I’m definitely an introvert, which means I struggle to “throw myself out there.” God has opened a few doors at CBU that needed to squeak on their hinges before I noticed them waiting there for me.

The first door swung open when a roommate of mine asked if she could interview me about the Rose Again Foundation for an essay. If anything, that meant one professor on the campus would now be aware of us.

Just a few days later, my Fundamental Design class was assigned our second big project: redesign a company or non-profit’s logo. We were given a list of five to choose from, and while Rose Again already has a potential logo, the idea of seeing more options from other creative minds and spreading the word at the same time excited me! So, I discussed it with my professor, who was thrilled to hear the story behind it and added Rose Again as the sixth option. If anything, that means a handful of design students and another professor have now been exposed to the vision of Rose Again… and hey, maybe we’ll be changing our logo soon!

Then to top off this train of events, this past Monday evening I met with my Focus leader for our required “1-on-1” discussion. After learning that I work with my church’s children’s ministry and teach piano, she asked if I was planning on using my passion for kids for a ministry of my own after graduation. With a smile, I gladly gave her the Rose Again spiel. J Then this morning, I received a message from her saying that she had been telling her roommates about the story behind Rose Again, and that they (who happen to write for the school magazine) were interested in possibly submitting a story about our team. If anything, our team has now been handed the opportunity to be exposed to many, many readers. How exciting is that?

I knew coming to CBU would mean that I would become involved in a new family. What I couldn’t have expected was the support I would gain – so quickly, in fact – for the foundation. It’s almost overwhelming (in a good way) what a small world it is here at CBU. The Rose Again team and I have been enormously blessed by the ways that people have reached out to us over the past six months, but I feel especially blessed to know just how much the faculty and student leaders at this university strive to be passionate about their students’ lives outside of the classroom.

Not only for the sake of spreading word of Rose Again, but also because I feel so incredibly at home at CBU with its true “family-feel” … I’m so glad I chose California Baptist University.

And thus, the doors swing open.

I’ve heard many times that, while academics is definitely a priority of the college student, a student cannot fully have “the TRUE college experience” without hobbies, friends, and time left aside for devotionals to keep their academic schedule company. By this time (almost halfway through the first semester of freshman year), a student has either developed that healthy balance or found themselves dangling on either side of the fence.

What’s nice about living on campus at CBU…  well, that’s an understatement. What’s great about living on campus at CBU is that opportunities to excel academically, invest socially, and thrive spiritually literally polka dot the everyday life of a Lancer.

I am a graphic design major with a concentration in photography – in other words, I’m involved the “art” program here (otherwise known as CAVAD – College of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design). This essentially means that my classes consist of observing a lot of photographs and vector graphics, learning computer tricks, and exercising my ability to think like a designer… which is pretty fun, I might add.

This past week was a busy one for sure, but I was definitely immersed as a student into the understanding of a balanced academic, social, and spiritual life. I found myself succeeding in this not because I intended to, but because of the many opportunities offered for me to do so.

For me, a very fine line divides homework and hobbies. When my homework consists of photo shoots and designing, I can hardly call it “work” at all. Over the past two weeks I prepared 400 photos to submit for my first photo shoot assignment. I used what knowledge I have gained so far this year every step of the way – I brainstormed, I sketched ideas, I found a model, I gathered props, I set up scenes for the shots, and then I programmed the camera to the proper settings. While it felt like a hobby, the shoot was actually about eight or nine hours total of academic pursuit… yet, I enjoyed every moment of it.

As Monday evening approached, I tugged a sweatshirt on and grabbed a blanket, looking back to double check that my roommate was still coming with me. With big smiles on our faces and a “Go Lydia!” sign in hand, we headed out for the field to support our other roommate in her big flag football game against the leading

The Lydia Support Group 🙂

team. We knew there wasn’t much hope for them in this game (no offense, Tower Power! We love you!) but regardless, we were excited to support our fellow freshman girls out there. After a refreshing walk across campus, we were welcomed to the field with blaring music, whistling fans, and lots of adrenaline.

As Wednesday morning approached, we girls began to feel the pressure that midweek always brings with it. With our first college midterm the following afternoon, three projects underway, and work hours looming over our heads, it’s no surprise that we were feeling a little drowned when the Wednesday sun rose. But with the weariness of a Wednesday morning also comes the consistent reassurance of a CBU chapel. Nothing refreshes the weary college soul like worshipping the Lord with fellow students.

This week I was able to excel academically, invest myself socially, and also thrive spiritually as a college student. Sometimes, it honestly feels as though accomplishing all three of those is an impossible feat. But by whole-heartedly taking advantage of the academic, social, and spiritual activities that CBU has offered me, I’ve been inspired to try even harder in following weeks… because I’m confident that this week I felt what it means to have “the TRUE college experience,” and I enjoyed every moment.

My parents were married very young, and my mom always says one of the hardest parts about that decision was learning to cope with another person’s everyday lifestyle as a teenager. While that learning process is difficult by definition, as a teenager you’re generally less tolerant and open-minded.

So this week I’ve thought a lot about that lesson, as I’m surprised by how much it really does apply to living with roommates for the first time. The difference here is that, since we’re all girls, we don’t have to cope with really smelly socks in our laundry or blaring video games during study time (not saying that was you, Daddy!).

Regardless, the three of us have definitely learned an important lesson over the past five weeks, one that I’m sure will carry over into all of our marriages someday.

Tolerance.

While CBU has a great method of matching up roommates before the year begins, nothing can fully prepare a student for living with a new person (or in my case, two new people). We are all unique children of God, regardless of shared majors or backgrounds.

Right away, I labeled one of my roommates as neat and tidy (she literally cleans as she moves), and the other one as… less neat and tidy. Neither trait really bothers me because I tend to be right in the middle, but at first the stark contrast still added to our overall sense of culture shock when we moved in. That contrast between the three of us affects whose desk is where, how many dishes are in the sink, whose bed is set every day, and whether by Friday the floor is still visible. Despite all that, we’ve all learned to cope with each other with an unsaid understanding that everyone shares in the chore load and keeps their mess confined to their own space.

The survival rate of three monsters in one room is small to none – and let me tell you, about once every four weeks, the three of us gentle girls suddenly seem to fall into that definition. We become big, green and crabby, as our inner Hulk threatens to emerge. It’s during this time that I truly believe the best coping route is this…

…run away!

See, there seems to be a silent agreement in my apartment that space is necessary when our hulks come to visit. One of us flees for the library, one of us heads to a friend’s and the last puts her headphones in and focuses on a project. It’s simple enough, and it works.

Generally speaking, by this time we understand what makes who tick, who’s the optimist and who’s the pessimist, who’s sarcastic and who’s very blunt… and most importantly, that none of it matters, because we know how to deal with it and move on. We have a method. But we only know it works because our other experimental coping methods haven’t. Nonetheless, we’ve been patient and learned how best to tolerate each other and our differences. We’ve learned to tolerate and try again… tolerate, try again… and because of that, I believe next year we’ll be much better prepared for whatever (or, WHOever) comes our way.

One of my greatest fears about going off to college was the idea of leaving my family to be “on my own.” I’m the oldest of six children, the youngest of us being only five months old, which means I’ve often felt like the oldest of three and also the part time mother of three others. My family is often referred to as “The Shadle Circus,” or more often, “The Shadle Clan.”

So for me, the transition period meant not only leaving my parents and oldest siblings, but also leaving the three “little people,” to whom I have a different attachment then I normally would to a sibling. The idea of this transition both excited and terrified me, to the point where some days I just couldn’t wait any longer, and some days I silently prayed for more time.

Still the day came, regardless of my bittersweet predicament. And as I move into October, reflecting upon my first month living without seeing them as often, I’ve realized how much I’ve grown as a person, and also how much I’ve grown in my relationships with my family members because of this transition.

I still go home on most weekends since I don’t live too far away, which has definitely helped to make the transition a smooth one. As my mom says, “You spend just enough time at school to get sick of it, and then enough time at home to want to go back. It’s perfect.”

But when I go home now, I’ve been surprised to find that I legitimately feel older and more adult. I can have long conversations with my parents as though they are my best friends, and I find that I am not finding reason to argue with my eighth grade sister nearly as often as I used to be (plus she actually hugs me now!). My 5- and 3-year-old little sisters are so much more excited to see me then they used to be when it was an everyday thing. I find myself more inclined to spend quality time with them, because I view it as even more of a precious treasure than I did a month ago. My 16-year-old brother hardly seems to deserve fighting with anymore.  And then there’s August, the 5-month old… Well, he’s always been cute

When I first moved in, one of my roommates was talking to me about her older brother who lives on campus. After listening to the adoration in her voice, I said, “That’s so awesome that you two have such a great relationship.”

Her response was first a laugh, and then, “Well, he moved out two years ago… and you know what they say — distance really does make the heart grow fonder.” Now I can appreciate how right she was.

As I reflect, I also can’t help but comment on how different the transition period would have been, had CBU not also helped provide the means for it to happen so smoothly. While here I have been pleasantly surprised by the warmth which immediately engulfs the freshman student body. Going into my fifth week, I am confident in the friendships I have established, the care my teachers provide, and the excitement going to class every day brings me. Believe it or not, my most exciting class of the week is my earliest. Eight o’clock is not the friendliest number on my schedule, but when surrounded by such a wealth of wonderful people and thrilling knowledge, I hardly care about what I’ve set my alarm to.

God’s really been working in my heart throughout this month, teaching me to have joy in new experiences and cherish the opportunity to return to familiar ones.

All that to say, as terrified as I was for this transition, I’ll be the first to call it a beautiful one.

“We should do something creative to TWIRP the boys! Maybe we should make ‘em some big posters, and decorate their front porch…”

At the time, my roommates loved this idea. We had no interest in being mediocre TWIRP-ers. After all, TWIRP week only comes once a year! We were determined to make this one memorable for our amigos over in The Colony.

And boy, did we ever!

Last Thursday afternoon, I told my boyfriend that I needed to run by Wal-Mart to pick up some art supplies. He was sweet enough to go with me, but didn’t really question what they were for. His brain was probably about to overload with that day’s influx of microbiology and biochemistry knowledge, so he wasn’t super curious.

Later that evening, after an intense game of Apples to Apples with our unknowing soon-to-be TWIRP prank victims, my roommates and I sat on our apartment floor, staring at the assortment of markers, glitter, sticky notes, ribbon and glue, wondering when the best time was to surprise them with these posters. Since we wanted to secretly decorate their front porch, we couldn’t simply walk over whenever we felt like it. After all, it would really be disappointing if one of them caught us—like that moment when you’re TPing a friend’s front yard, and they step outside and catch you, as your hands reach up to string the roll over another tree branch. Major whoops.

So we thought, Hey! It’s almost the weekend. We can lose a little sleep tonight.

Our masterpieces, at their finest. 😉

And, with that, we got to work embellishing our posters to perfection before dragging them to my car with us… at 12:30 a.m., of course.

As we left Tower Hall, we got some pretty awesome looks from a couple of the night owls still hanging out in the lounge.

“Where are you going? … Are you TWIRPing someone right now?”

“Yes we are!”

“…Are they awake?”

“Guess we’ll find out soon!”

Actually, we never meant to get them out of bed. We were hoping they’d still be awake, since they tend to be late-nighters.

After parking the car far enough away from the boys’ apartment that they wouldn’t see if we decided to make a run for it, we gathered up all our crafty leftovers and our posters, and headed to their porch.

Next, we made sure we had a hiding place identified, where we thought we’d be able to watch them open the door after we knocked and ran.

As we strung ribbon around the porch to clip the posters onto, and dusted the ground with way too much star-shaped glitter, we listened carefully to make sure no one was going to come outside. Once the door was loaded with sticky notes for a final touch, Brittany and I ran to the hiding place. Then Lydia knocked and flew across the complex to catch up with us before anyone opened the door.

“Shhhhhh, stop laughing! They’re still awake, I hear them!”

Waiting… waiting… giggling… waiting….

No one answered.

Hesitantly, Lydia went back over and knocked again, even louder, this time sprinting back to us in case someone had been waiting behind the door for the second knock.

Waiting… waiting… giggling some more… waiting…

Still, no one answered.

Are they ignoring us?

Then my phone rang. I picked up, composed myself, and tried to sound innocent when my boyfriend asked if we were outside their apartment.

“What do you mean, ‘you think someone’s there?’”

“Well, someone keeps knocking. And when we ask who it is, no one answers. It’s happened twice, and it’s kinda sketchy.” He sounded irritated.

We all looked at each other. Ooooohhhh….

“Well… maybe you should just open the door.” I said, a twinge of guilt in my request.

“Oh. My. Gosh. Security is on the way!”

… Oh, shoot….

Well, evidently, we hadn’t figured that into our plan. Nervous and extremely guilty, the three of us made our way to the boys’ apartment, unsure of how this new situation would blow over. All three of them came out onto the porch – one fuming, one laughing, and the last looking completely aghast. He must have been the one who called security, I thought, feeling especially guilty now.

To my utter disbelief, the officer greeted us with a warm smile and said, “Hah. I figured this would just be another student’s prank. Don’t worry, you’re not in any trouble. Happens all the time.” All he wanted was my I.D. number, to double check that I was in fact a student, and assurance from us that everything was definitely okay. Astonished at his graceful mood, despite the unnecessary call to duty at 1 a.m., all I could muster was a continuous, “I am soooo sorry!”

Around 1:15 a.m. that morning, the three of us girls left with the bittersweet confusion of disappointment and relief, feeling only half accomplished.

So you see, that evening taught us just how easily light-hearted glitter can come to unfortunate gloom.

But, despite this slight let down, the three of us were able to discuss our mistakes on the drive back to our apartment, making note of how to make next year’s TWIRP a little more spectacular, and a little less stressful. Moments like these are all a part of the college experience, right?

And don’t worry, boys, we’ll make it up to you with this week’s TWIRP event “Create a Date.” We pinky swear it! 🙂

This past week was an important one for first-time freshmen here on the campus of CBU. We were introduced to some of CBU’s old and new traditions, including Tower Hall’s first ever ladies’ photoshoot, campaigning for the student government freshmen representative position, and the classic “T.W.I.R.P.” week.

I think my roommates would agree with me if I were to say that two days into this week, we’re already walking deadweights from everything that’s been spilling into our schedules—but in a very good way. I would definitely consider this past week to have been an introductory “true college experience” for all us freshies.

Last Thursday at 5 p.m., my roommates and I ran outside to catch up with the other train of Tower Hall ladies, pumped for our very first photoshoot. We quickly realized how alienated we were beside all the dresses and curls, so we smiled awkwardly, backpedaled, and came back more suitably decked out.

A few minutes later, all of us girls assembled ourselves in front of a rusty old truck, using fun props like an empty picture frame and rustic, unhinged door for embellishment, and snapped a bucket load of cheesy, adorable pictures. That next half hour was filled with childish giggling and girly bonding that I’m sure none of us will forget very soon. I can’t wait to see the finished products!

That same lighthearted Thursday marked one of the most pressured days of the school year for some of CBU’s determined freshmen representative candidates. I remember one of my sweet roommates, Lydia Nolen, staring a hole in her application as she scrambled to come up with the perfect statement of why she is interested in running for the position of freshmen president and thinking of how gosh-darn proud I was of her for pursuing such an admirable goal. (She’d make a great rep, you guys, just sayin’).

As elections have commenced, so have the sightings of big rep campaign posters, entertaining rep videos, and a surprise from one of the reps, who decided to send her poster out to every nearby wireless freshman printer. Surprise!

While the photoshoot and continuing election process have both been significant influences this past week here at CBU, nothing has been as much as a standout as the classic T.W.I.R.P. week, which stands for “The Woman Is Required to Pay.”

Tuesday morning, my roommates and I rolled out of bed at 5 a.m., made our zombie trot across campus to the Community Life Office, and stumbled sleepily into the already very long line of girls ready to buy tickets for T.W.I.R.P. events. The line consisted of many pairs of yoga pants, scraggly knots of hair, and fuzzy blankets. A few sleepy troopers had actually laid down on the ground and fallen asleep (I salute them).

While I, unfortunately, never made it to the front of the line because of my once-a-week 8 o’clock class (it’s way too fun to be missed!), I and those who also were unable to buy tickets will still have the opportunity to take our men out for Monday’s free coffee house T.W.I.R.P. event and Wednesday’s original “create a date evening” (I’m still trying to convince my boyfriend to let me drive for that one). So truly, there’s something for everyone, and now all us girls are counting the hours until we get to reverse roles for a week and treat our significant others – or, simply a best friend – to a good CBU time.

Reflection upon this week has led me to become very excited about whatever next week will hold. CBU seems to offer endless opportunities to their students to learn, grow, and enjoy life together.

Blessings on this next week! You’ll be hearing from me very soon,

Natalie 🙂

Toothbrush, shampoo, mascara, phone charger, phone… oh, shoot!

Move in day, in a nutshell. You’re practically shaking with a blend of anticipation, excitement, and fear – altogether a complete nervous wreck.

Move in day. Today marks a lot of “firsts” for a first-time freshman. Your first time choosing your own schedule, first time being allowed to have coffee in class, first time buying your own cereal… But it especially marks the first time that a college student will have the perhaps daunting opportunity make every decision, day in and day out, on their own.

Your mind foams over with the typical, “What if I get lost on the way to class?” “What if I forget something?” “What if I don’t get along with my roommates?” and suddenly your hands go a little clammy.

Fast forward almost two weeks later. This morning I’m sitting at my desk in a freshman apartment of Tower Hall (by far the best freshman living, by the way – I highly recommend it!), sipping a mug of hot chocolate, still in my pajamas and calmly checking the time every few minutes (because I don’t have class until ten), reflecting on what an astounding two weeks I’ve already experienced here at CBU.

My lovely roommates and I at our first orientation chapel service. Lots of fun!

With proper preparation, all of the concerns voiced above can certainly be demolished. For those of you readers who may be in the boat I was in just a year ago – a high school senior looking ahead to the prospect of college – these are things you can certainly begin mulling over before choosing where to go.

I may be just starting out this “college thing,” but I definitely some “hot-off-the-grill” advice to offer. 🙂

The concern of getting lost before class? Well, that one’s easy. Have a friend show you around the day before, or even ask a professor or advisor on campus to help you out, before getting lost.

Make yourself a checklist to glance at each morning before leaving your room. Keys, ID card, books… and, don’t forget writing utensils! Yes, those are still used.

As for your roommates – well, an argument carries two ends. Be the end that refuses to argue. Be the end that simplifies issues before they become complicated. Take the top bunk if no one wants it… believe me, it’s worth that initial pain of trying to set your sheets without being able to see them (or, maybe I’m just short).

And most importantly, make the process of choosing a college a critical one. I’m blessed to be here at CBU, where advisors are always present (whether in the form of an adult or fellow student), and the culture consistently warm and welcoming. I chose this school on purpose, because I know what kind of a person I am, and what it takes to make myself feel at home.

All in all, I’ll end with this. College isn’t nearly as scary as it is sometimes made up to be. Remember to let God in on the decision making process. After all, His input is the key to developing what CBU so encourages to their students – a life’s purpose.

Good luck! Maybe I’ll see you around next year. 🙂