I Need More Than One Title.

First I want to talk about last weekend. I went and saw PAUL. MCCARTNEY. It was AWESOME. If you didn't know, I consider myself to be a fairly big Beatles fan. Well as big of a fan as a girl my age can be I guess. I grew up listening to their music and actually  dressed up as Paul McCartney once for a talent show at church camp. Remember that Kayla? Those were the awkward days... Anyways, Gunnar, one of my best friends from high school and now college, asked me a few weeks ago if I would like to tag along and go to the concert. I am so glad I did. It was truly a once in a life time opportunity.

The rest of my week was spent being anxious about coming home. I was so ready, it's not even funny. I think just because I had so many tests last week and a major semester project due yesterday, I was so ready for a break. I haven't got to spend a whole lot of time at home since coming to college, so more than anything I think I was just ready to come sleep in my bed, see Henry, and spend time with my family and my friends from home. The week wasn't bad though, I shouldn't make it sound like that. There were a lot of great things about it. The best part was without a doubt, spending sunrise with some of my best friends yesterday morning. Our FLG group is becoming so close, and that makes me incredible happy. We have started having "family dinners" and hangouts, and it is really awesome getting to know all of them. Getting up at 5:40am to go see the sunrise yesterday was no easy task, but I was so happy that everyone got up and came! We drove out to Capen, walked up to the top and hung out there as the sun came up. Of course I have some pictures to look at below :)

Now I am finally back in the Grove! Let me just say, it is so nice to have a home to come back to and a comfy bed to sleep in. I am so excited for Thanksgiving and spending time with my family. Also, my schedule is fairly relaxed for the next week, especially during the daytime, so if anyone from home would like to hang out, give me a call or something! I miss everyone.

Credit to Miss Sarah Bell.

Photo Credit to Tori Vaughan :)

I'm Free!

It is always a good feeling when I complete my last exam on the weeks that I have 4-5 exams. I walk away from Middlebush just finishing my Psychology exam feeling so relieved and ready to conquer the world. Today was no different. I walked out of those doors and wanted so badly just to yell, "I'M FREE!" and then run all the way home to Ash Grove for Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately I still have a week before I can actually come home, but boy am I ready!

Tonight was good though. We had what I understand is our "Annual Plaza Canvas Group Thanksgiving." IT. WAS. AWESOME. I'm still stuffed. Talk about some good pie. Actually, everything was good. I was thoroughly impressed with our collaborative college cooking. Special shout out to Margaret on the mashed potatoes, I know she's reading this ;). Also, to my brother and Aimee who let us take over their apartment for the very last time. The next Plaza event at 'The Swifts' will be at their new house! How exciting. I am really happy for them and what looks to be an awesome next chapter in their lives as homeowners. Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. Tonight was good, and I am so thankful to have all of the people in Plaza be a part of my life. They make a really good family away from family, even though some of my family literally is in the canvas group... But again, that's beside the point. I am thankful for them, and that was my sticky note on November 4th (see below).

I am really excited to go home and spend time with my family though. I haven't been too homesick since I've been here, but it's time. I'm ready for the holidays and ready to spend time with everyone from home. Until then, I'm working on making every day count for something! Have a happy day everyone, I hope you feel very blessed.

Picture Time! These first few pictures are from Monday. Monday I got to go out to Capen with my core group and do a balloon release. I wont get into too much detail about it, but it I really enjoyed it, and the pictures turned out awesome too!

P.S. Margaret was there too, but she took the pictures! 

And for the rest:

Some of the best friends a girl could ask for.

^"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

It's November?

I only blogged one time in the whole month of October. And it wasn't even a happy blog. No wonder I haven't been as cheery lately. I think it goes both ways, you know? I generally blog more when I'm cheery, and blogging makes me just happier in general! That is why I am blogging right now when I should be doing things like studying for my 4 exams next week, cleaning my room, applying for more jobs, etc. Darn it, I just needed a little 30 minute break. 

Wow, so not a lot has actually happened in the last month I feel like. I've developed a routine, which makes for an incredibly boring monotonous lifestyle. All of my weeks look roughly the same. I guess it's good to have some structure, but I need to learn how to spice it up a little! However, there were some fun things, including: Morgan coming for a visit, going home for a weekend, starting core group with some really great girls from The Rock,  getting my jaw dislocated at the Imagine Dragons concert (which was well worth it by the way, they were AWESOME), getting my first tattoo, and Halloween! Okay, now is when I need to apologize to my father who just started coughing, fell out of his chair and had a heart attack. I didn't really get a tattoo, I'm just making sure everyone is still paying attention. Anyways, for the most part October was a pretty routine month. It went by fast, had a little bit of a roller coaster aspect to it, but nothing life changing. I wish there were never months like that. I'll do better this month.

November. Ah, November. November through February has to be about my favorite time of the year. Not to be prejudice toward the rest of the months, but there is just something special about these in particular. This is when the real holidays start. Halloween is fun and all, but Thanksgiving and Christmas warm my heart, and that's something that Halloween could never do. This is when I can justify listening to Christmas music (like I ever stopped), spend extra time being thankful for all of the things in my life, enjoy the good things, and try to help the things that aren't so good. It's not like I don't try to do this at all times of the year, but the holidays always seem to put things in a different perspective. It fills me with joy to see all of the gracious and giving people during this time of the year. I am so excited for all of that holiday spirit to begin!

My craft for the month is this: 

Every day, Brooke and I are going to put a sticky note on the board with something we are thankful for. Visitors are welcome to partake in this ritual as well! I will take a picture at the end of the month to show how many sticky notes we put up :)

Here are some more pictures taken since the last time I blogged!

Driving home!

In Springfield :)

The Wizard of Oz, REMIXED! Love these girls.

P.S. I mentioned them earlier, but check out Imagine Dragons. Here is a video I took at their concert!

Be Careful Not to Get Amnesia.

It's been a while, I know. Five exams and a lot of studying kind of served as a road block for any blogging in the last week. I do have something I want to talk about though. WARNING: It is serious and is similar to a journal entry of some sort, so if you aren't into that sort of thing, sorry!

I think I'm in the process of learning a big lesson right now. I can't come up with any explanation other than I believe it's God's way of reaching out to me and telling me exactly this:

When I moved to Columbia a little over two months ago, all I could think about was recreating my identity. I took the move as an opportunity to start fresh, make new friends, and basically have a new life. It's not that I was ashamed of the person I had become, but like any normal person, I have made mistakes and I was ready to jump on the opportunity of moving to a large college where no one knew about any of them. No one here could judge me by my past, and my past wouldn't have any effect on my future, so I thought. Here's the problem with that philosophy: If God wanted me to be done with the life I was living, I think He would have taken care of that. I know that seems harsh. Here I have been though, living in my little Mizzou bubble for the most part, when all of a sudden everything seemed to come crashing down on me so suddenly. Everything I have been working to escape has came rushing back into my life and I am reminded of it all. As thoughts of the rough patches flooded my emotions, I vividly remembered my darkest days, my struggles. It was then that I stopped to think that maybe there is a reason for this. Maybe this was God's way of waking me up and reminding me of who and why I am. God has forgiven me for my mistakes, yes, but if they hadn't happened, where would I be today? Not here. If my past wasn't my past, I wouldn't be me, the person I am today growing in my faith and really just in life. Maybe college isn't supposed to be "a fresh start" as so many made me believe it was would be, but simply just the next step on my one, collaborative journey. 

So here is an overview. It has been so easy to get caught up in the newness of things. It is such a great feeling to know that I am making friends that could end up being my best friends for the rest of my life, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. The problem I think I am struggling with, is forgetting my past. A lot of my past has been really good: I have been brought up by the most amazing, supportive parents I could have ever asked for. I was blessed beyond belief in my upbringing and have always had a great support  system. I have friends and family from my past who are still willing to make an effort to come see me, which I think is amazing. And the parts that weren't so good, I think are still worth remembering. My mistakes can serve as lessons to learn from, and grow from. I have to remember that my testimony consists of ALL of my past, good or bad, and that is what has shaped me into Anna. I will never be perfect, nor would I want to. I have flaws and I will make more mistakes in the future, but I will be the best Anna I know how to be. I will live as the Anna today, as shaped by my past.

To lighten the mood of this post, as always, here are some pics from my last couple weeks :)

Two of my favorite Ash Grovians at the
Vanderbilt game!

So blessed to have this group of girls
in my life.

We rearranged the room!

Some of my favorite girls.

Before the torrential downpour at
 the Alabama game!

Better late than never.

I know, I know, this is a little overdue. I have just been so busy changing my major, learning to crochet (see my scarf below), and retreating with the best church family I think I ever could have been blessed with when moving to Columbia. It has been such a good week and a half since I blogged last though, really. I am constantly noticing God working in my life lately. While I know he has always been there, I think I have began to let him in and notice him working in my life a lot more. That is a good feeling, a really good feeling.

So yes, my major is OFFICIALLY changed. The paperwork is filled out and I am well on my way to becoming the best Social Worker, well that has ever been born to my parents anyways ;). I will be the best one I am capable of being! I am so excited about this decision that I have made, because I think it is really what I am supposed to do and I feeI like I am truly where I am supposed to be.

Secondly, I did take up the art of crochet. Brooke and I, on her birthday (see that picture below also) decided to teach ourselves, with the help of Pinterest and Youtube. We both wanted to make scarves really bad, so we did! We are going to make really great grandmas someday, eh? Haha, we laugh as we spend our nights crocheting instead of doing whatever normal 18 and 19 year old girls are supposed to be doing. Oh well, we love it ;)

Lastly, THE FALL RETREAT! Wow. What an awesome weekend. I am constantly reminded how blessed I am. As if I didn't realize it before, this weekend has really confirmed that I am where I was meant to be. I am so lucky to be surrounded with such deep, amazing, inspiring people. I am incredibly thankful for the friends I have made here. That includes the upperclassmen who have helped me and the other freshmen feel so at home and so loved, and my fellow freshmen, who I am so excited to journey with throughout these next 4+ years. I love you all.

Happy Sunday everyone :). Now for some pictures...

Here's my scarf :)

Brooke's birthday:

And the only picture I got from The Fall Retreat:

My girl Jordan :)

 P.S. This album came out this week. You should listen to it.

This one didn't come out this week, but it did come out this month, and you should listen to it too!