#madisonfm

(Pictured above: my twin Madeline and my friends Sophia and Jess)

Take a look at this sunset (unfiltered) from the mountains up behind APU!

Something I cannot live without is moments like this. I talk about my friends a lot, but my praise of them is always warranted. College is not just where you go, what you study, who you date, or what you do on weekends. These things matter, yes, and they matter a lot. Where you choose to go to undergrad can impact your entire life path. What you choose to study will, obviously, orient you towards a future in the job market. Who you date can turn into who you marry or who breaks your heart. What you do on weekends highlights the things that are important to you.

But friendship? THAT is what makes college great.

If you do not have Christ-centered friendships where you are going to school, you lose the chance to share great moments with them. You’ll want friends to head to coffee shops with, to study with late at the library. You will need friends for support during relationships. And, of course, your friends are the people you will share the weekends with.

My girlfriends have made all the difference in my college experience. APU advertises a wonderful community, and you know what? It is true.

Amidst the lengthening to-do list that is ever present in the background of my mind, there is the always open box begging me to take a breather. Not to ignore responsibilities or shy away from the tough decisions approaching, but to find something I really enjoy and just grab it.

Such an occasion was this little thing called the Yosemite Night Hike, put on by APU’s Outdoor Adventures. I’d been hearing about it since Freshmen year, always wanted to go but never wanted to commit. This year, in a sort of last-minute decision encouraged by my friend Katie, who was a guide for the hike, I decided to go.

The hike began at 3:45 AM, and we were out at North Dome by the time the sky was beginning to lighten. It was quite literally as if God took up a paintbrush and created the world again, a new day. I feel as if just by sitting on that cold rock I participated in something sacredly breathtaking.

I love the rush of a busy schedule. I love to be doing something. I dislike just sitting there; what is the point? How is just sitting being productive? I’m not sure, so I tend to avoid it. But how refreshing is it to take a second to view God’s creation in action? I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more magnificent than the sun rising over the Yosemite valley, light settling over air so pure (especially compared to Los Angeles).

My next task? Go to the mountains just behind APU and see what God does in a sunrise up there.

We’re one month in. How do I feel about this?

Anticipation.

I am a senior. That means in less than a year, more like a couple of months honestly, I will be making another huge life decision, similar to the undergraduate college choice; only this time, it will solidify more closely my life path. Recently, I made the decision to go to law school. I am an English major and law school has not always been my goal, yet here I am. As to be assumed, there is a lot of fearful anticipation accompanied with this. Studying for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), taking the LSAT, applying to law schools, waiting to get into law schools, choosing a law school, paying for law school...these are all causes for worry.

But there is also a lot of excited anticipation. I have found something that I am extremely passionate about. I am unsure about many things (for example: where will I go and what specific law will I study), but I am completely sure that this is the right decision for me. This anticipation clenches my stomach with that nervous sort of excitement you get stepping up to the edge of the Grand Canyon. For those of you who have never been to the Grand Canyon, just imagine standing on the edge of a vast cliff, afraid of heights but absolutely struck by the beautiful view.

Stress.

Hand in hand with this anticipation comes the daunting stress. There are so many pieces that need to fall into place, so many boxes that need to be checked, in order to move forward into this next step. On top of it all, I still have my current classes to focus on, papers to write, tests to take. Stress about school is something that comes in full force freshmen year of college, just you wait, and it doesn’t go away. Now, it is just paired with the anticipation of post-undergraduate life.

Happy.

Hello, everyone! 

My name is Madison, and I’m so excited to be back sharing my snapshots of life with you! I have a passion for sharing stories and country line dancing. I am an English / Honors Humanities major with intentions to pursue law school next year, which places me in the same boat as anyone else in this intimidating application stage.

3 fun facts about me:

I was born and raised out in the desert of Arizona on a small ranch, with my family of six: Mom, Dad, two younger sisters, and a twin sister, who actually attends APU as well! I have a horse named Tiago, and he is definitely the best listener around.

I spent a semester studying abroad in Viterbo, Italy. A couple quick highlights: I had the best cappuccini of my life at a small café just a short walk from my Italian apartment, prayed in the magnificent La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and hiked a mountainous village in Switzerland.

My perfect morning is a cup of coffee and a page-flipping, can’t-put-it-down kind of mystery novel.

I am so very excited to see what God has in store for me, and for you, this next year!

Being Thankful this Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, my family and I went to spend break with our grandparents in small-town Wisconsin. It was the most beautiful escape from the stress of college life.

Time in Wisconsin consists of long walks down the country highway, Nana’s wonderful cooking, and reading. It is a relaxing bubble, a time to slow down. About this time of year, everyone starts to talk about stress and feeling overwhelmed. I would rather talk about looking for the highlights of life, focusing on the small things.

How perfect that it ended up overlapping with Thanksgiving this year?

We all need to take time to find the small things in our lives that make us happy, whether that is a simple thing like taking a walk in the 40 degree weather or going on a horseback ride with your sister. In the clutter of college, it is important to remember that there are still beautiful blessings in life.

It is hard to be positive in tough seasons of life.

But God has given us life, and that is reason enough to find a smile.

God bless,

hello

We have reached that time of the semester where a freight train full of assignments hits everyone in the face. Instead of talking about handling stress and making deadlines, I want to talk about patience.

In our struggles, God can always find a way to reach us. Just because you are stressed out does not mean that He is. Last weekend, my friends and I went to Carpinteria for a getaway, an escape from the rough reality. I got to watch two amazing beach sunsets...have you ever seen the sky turn the ocean purple? I watched as God’s hand painted the colors across the sky, just for us, just for me. You have to wait for the vibrant colors to spring out, wait and watch patiently.

There is patience in a sunset.

There is also patience in feeling stable again. With all of the craziness of the semester coming to a heated point, how many times do we get caught up in the rush and lose our footing? For me, at least, this happens way too often. The feeling of instability overcomes me. What do we do?

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)

I am not saying that I am patient in my struggles; it is something I wrestle with everyday, something I need to constantly remind myself in order to make any progress. But there is so much power in the ways of the mind, and striving in patience for the rough times to pass on to the good is stabilizing. God is our stability, and He works in His special ways. Sometimes, we just have to be patient and pray; He will come through.

H A N G  I N  T H E R E

Pictured above is the wonderful Adams Hall Resident Advisors (RAs) doing some pretty rad ariel dance.

It was great to get off campus and do something that was physically demanding, like spinning in the air on those slings, with some of the greatest people I know! I love my staff. They are definitely an encouragement for me to take care of myself.

In times of stress, I have found that what helps the most involves physical activity. It is all too easy to shut down and curl up with Netflix (which I have definitely done before!), but it is much better for me to GET OUT and move! Hang up in the air, you know? Even amid the stress that comes with being a college student, it is so important to find time to hit the gym or just go on a walk. For me, at least! Even studying outside is better than being up in my dorm room.

I don’t know what it is, exactly, but finding time to take care of yourself during a stressful period is more beneficial than just focusing on ridding yourself of the stress. Many times, you just need time to process. Physical activity works the mind. For me, I process the best while being active. Even when I am not in the mood, going out on the track or even just walking on the treadmill in the gym helps me to organize and collect my thoughts.

To just remind myself to hang in there, because God is watching out for me. Sometimes, you just need to make yourself remember this.

God bless,

I’m relying on others.

You want to know something that college teaches you? Your STRENGTHS.

You are able to do things you didn’t think you could, handle stress you never thought you could manage, finish an impossible assignment, understand that thing that she-said-he-said-about-her-friend, go to six hours of class on four hours of sleep. You are stronger than you know.

You know what else college teaches you? Your WEAKNESSES.

This world is a lot to handle, especially as a twenty-something college kid with a huge future spreading out before her. I’ve found myself reaching out more and more for help from those surrounding me, help that I often do not want to acknowledge that I need. But I cannot go through these times alone. I thank God daily that He has given me people to walk through hardships with.

It is okay to take care of yourself. Treat yourself to a cappuccino.

Why? Because you deserve alone time.

It is also okay to need people. Get dressed up and go to Pasadena to study.

Why? Because you deserve to be with the people who love you.

Most importantly, rely on God. That’s easier said than done, especially when confronted with the things that make you weak. But He is the only way to be able to look at those weaknesses and see the strength in them.

God is ALWAYS a strength. Forever.

God bless,