So I spent this past weekend up in good ole’ STL cheering on the Bears and doing a little work for the MSU Bookstore. Overall is was an amazing weekend which sadly had to end in a loss that will leave our Bears and the Bears faithful waiting till Selection Sunday to see if the committee will give us a ticket to the big dance that we are so longing for! Sadly the NCAA didn’t agree and the Bears are now battling for the NIT Championship and will play the second round on Monday against Miami at 6 pm. I expect you all to be watching!!! Anyway, here’s a little recap of Arch Madness weekend!

Friday, March 4th: Woke up incredibly too early for officially being on Spring Break but managed to navigate my way from a friend’s house to downtown STL and Union Station were the Bookstore/Alumni Group/Athletics put together a place called the Hangout! It’s a place in Union Station where Missouri State faithful come hangout, buy merchandise and enjoy some free food! It was a blast getting to hang out with some die hard MO State fans and celebrate the Bears fantastic season. The Bears played 8th seeded SIU at 12:05 pm. Basically…the Bears had a rough first half. No one could get anything to fall and our free throws just made things worse. Despite the struggles we managed to not let SIU get too far away. However, with 2:48 left in the 2nd half, the Bears were down by a considerable 9 points. During those two minutes the Bears pulled off an upset never to be forgotten. Adam Leonard drained two threes and Kyle Weems hit one to tie the game up for the Bears with less than a minute left. Then Weems came through…sinking a game winning lay up with 1.4 seconds left! The crowd went…CRAZY…I went crazy! No one could believe it…the Bears pulled it out and advanced to Saturday to play Creighton at 1:30 pm. Here are some shots from the day!

Saturday, March 5th:
Once again, after a VERY late night of staying up sign making(I’ll post pic of that at the end), we were up and at em’ bright and early! The Bears had a 1:30 pm tipoff and a lot more people were showing up! We had an epic pep rally and then the crowd headed over to the Scottrade Center to watch the Bears take on the Creighton Jays. The last time the Bears faced Creighton was a fond memory for me. Down to the final buzzer, won by a point: true Bear fashion. A comeback for the books and I think all the fans were prepared for something similar. For the first half the Bears hung close behind the Jays and went into the half down by 5, 25-30. For me, I wasn’t too worried…this is how we do it: the comeback kids. Sparing the nervous of yesterdays game, the Bears took control with about 12 minutes left in the game and outscored the Jays 23-8 the rest of the game. Mallet had a huge part in those last 12 minutes and got a double double, getting 11 rebounds and 18 points! Needless to say Bears fans were pumped and ready to go into the Championship game to punch our ticket to the BIG DANCE! Jess & I personally celebrated with PF Changs for dinner and an early bedtime. Here are a couple videos from the day:
Bears Pep Rally before Creighton Game
Crowd after Creighton Win!

Sunday, March 6th:
Today was the day. Indiana State vs. Missouri State for the ticket to the Big Dance. We were fired up and ready to win it all. The day started out early again and began by sitting in line for about 2 hours for tickets. By the time they opened the ticket window the line for students was pretty long. I was impressed. Especially being that Indiana State had 2 people in their line for most of the morning. We came out strong, leading 9-0 to start and being up by 3 at the half. You all know what happened in the second half…or what didn’t happen. We went cold, icy cold. No one could get a shot to fall from…anywhere. Defensively, we kept up though, enough to make it possible. This was our game. Clutch time. Down by 3, we had a chance to tie it with Mallet alone on the baseline. However, the ball slipped out of Mallet’s hands and bounced out of bounds before he could get a shot out. Two free throws by Indiana State cemented the win 56-60. I am not going to lie…this stung. Bad. Everyone was looking around…looking for someone to say something, anything. But no one had words. Indiana State took advantage of our cold second half shooting and they wanted the big dance too. Here are some shots from the day:

Student Line before the game!!                                                                          Warm Ups!!

Jess & I before the game!                                                                             Student Section!!

Game Time!                                                                                          Still Valley Champs!!

Overall, I can’t put into words how proud I am to be a Bear after the awesome season we’ve had. Although the selection committee didn’t think we had a season to put us in the tournament we have to hold our heads up high and focus on what lies ahead. This past Tuesday the Bears did just that. In Will Creekmore, Adam Leonard, Nafis Ricks and Jermaine Mallet’s last game in JQH Arena the Bears defeated Murray State 89-76 to advance on to the second round of the NIT tournament where they will play Miami on Monday night at 6 pm. I am still proud as ever to be a Bear and it’s been an epic season to watch and be apart of. GO BEARS!!

So…unless you live under a rock anywhere in Missouri, you’ve heard about the basketball frenzy that has been taking place at good ole’ Missouri State! And let me tell you…from a student and avid fan’s perspective it’s been AWESOME! The way that the university and city of Springfield has been backing our boys has been awesome! Let’s stroll…down memory lane a bit for Bears basketball

Creighton vs. MSU @ JQH on ESPN2
This game was EPIC. Although I sat way up on row 26, it was truly an awesome game! We were down by 15 points during the game and came back with a minute left with help from starters Mallett and Weems! This was a great test of the Bears to buckle down and climb back to grasp the W! Here’s a view from our seats and a post win pic of me and my best friend Jessica:

Indiana State vs. MSU @ JQH
This game was another great come from behind victory for the Bears! Everyone had a say in this win with all 5 starters hitting double digits and Leonard having a great 19 point game! This was a must win game being that the Bears fell behind in the previous two games. The fans were pumped and it ended with the team staying after to have an autograph session for fans! For this game, we made the best sign which made it to the jumbo tron a rockin’ 5 times! It ended with the entire team signing it for us here are some shots from the afternoon:

Wichita vs. MSU @ JQH on ESPN2
This was the game to beat ALL games. ESPN2 broad-casted this game to decided the regular season champion of the MVC! The excitement for this game began on Wednesday for me by sitting in line in the morning for tickets on row 4 to watch the Bears take on the Shockers. Finally, bright and early students starting filling the seats to watch their team win their first regular season title in school history! Again, unless you live under a rock…you know what happen! The Bears battled back for a 5 point win over the Shockers led by senior Jermaine Mallet! Finally, the buzzer sounded and it was official…the Bears were champions. The student section was emptied  in a matter of seconds and was swarming around the court celebrating the making of history! As a student who got to experience this history making day, I don’t think there are words to express how truly exciting it was. I’ll let the pictures do the talking now:  WSU vs. MSU

This has been an EXCITING season and isn’t over yet. Arch Madness was of course…MADNESS and deserves it’s own post so check out the next post for a recap of an EXCITING weekend

Break is coming to an end…sadly. I’m kinda relieved and excited. Ready for the campus to be alive again. I guess when you have nothing better to do you get to thinking. My brain has been chugging and I really want to be more involved. But not just more involved to say I have something to do…but something I really have a passion for. Something that has really affected my life and I want to pursue and make a real difference in. I’ve been searching and searching….trying to find a cause that really has shaken me up. MS. A dear friend of mine lives every day with this. He is someone who inspires me and deserves the absolute best out of life. I have seen for the first time how a disease can truly affect someone’s life and it makes me want to put up a fight. Get involved. I hate the feeling of being helpless in my life and to those around me. I want to help. I want to make a contribution.

As college kids we have minimal time to think or sleep…much less devote time to volunteering. I’ve been on countless mission trips and volunteered through a lot of different organizations. The rewards are… phenomenal. The feeling that you have made a difference and you have contributed feels 100 times better than going out and partying every Friday night. I’m not saying everyone has the time and energy to pick up a cause and run with it. But I really urge you to think about it…get involved. Find an issue that you have drive and passion behind and fight for it. I find when you have a vested interest in it you love fighting for it.

I don’t know…just my thoughts for the day/past few weeks. I hope you all do find something you love and get involved. It will make your time at MSU that much more awesome!

I don’t know about all the other students but Thanksgiving break felt like a tease. Haha, I’m ready for some REAL time off. This is the time in the semester I think everyone starts getting restless. Although the past month has gone by pretty fast!

Homecoming was, as always, awesome. The Bears won and all the festivities during the week were a good time! Sadly living off campus makes it harder to get to a lot of them but I heard they were great!

Probably one of the most exciting things is that basketball season has begun!! Woooooo! So far on the season we are 6-2. I, and I know the rest of the student body are pumped for the season to really get going.

Also, as of today our volleyball team made it into the NCAA Tournament and play Thursday against Auburn! So good luck  to all the girls.

Another thing I’m glad to have under my belt is scheduling for next semester!! I luckily managed to keep my no classes on Friday  and don’t start till 12:30 on Tuesday/Thursday! So needless to say I’m quite excited about that! And then having 2 years of college under my belt! The end is in sight

Unfortunately to get there I gotta get through finals. Technically only 8 more days of classes then 3 days of finals! I think I can manage.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I suppose the Christmas music can begin

First off…welcome back!! I’m really excited to see campus alive again with people EVERYWHERE. As of today at 2:40 I finished my first week of my sophomore year woooo! Yes, that means I don’t have class on Fridays and I love it!

I hope all the freshman are enjoying finally being on campus! It’s an exciting time so take advantage of everything that campus  has to offer. Because it’s a lot! And keep up on that homework

Wow, it’s August…kinda hard to believe that in about 20 days I’ll be back in a classroom. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was moving out of the dorms? Apparently not.

This summer has been a blast. Since May 24th I’ve been residing at the amazing wonderful Camp Galilee as a core staff for the summer. Every week a new group of kiddos come in and it’s truly been a blessing serving here all summer. I’m can honestly say I don’t want to leave this Saturday. But I will definitely take all the amazing memories back with me.

I also had the not so great time of taking an online summer class and I am VERY honest in saying I’m glad that is DONE. It did its job though and I got my scholarship renewed!

Now in just 5 short days I’ll be moving my things into my brand new apartment with my fantastic roommates I’m super excited to finally be in and seeing everyone that I haven’t all summer. School can just hold off for another month or two but everyone can be on campus again. Wouldn’t it be nice if it worked like that?

I am hoping to keep this A LOT more updated than last year starting off in a few weeks with the MANY activities that will be happening around campus to kick off the new year!

Ahh! It’s hard to believe its that time again…scheduling for Fall 2010 semester. For us ole’ college kids we’re a pro at this…right?! Haha, maybe not so much. For the newbies coming in scheduling can be a daunting task. I remember sitting in a foreign computer lab about to pull my hair OUT. I didn’t know what classes to take…where was my mom to tell me what to do? It can be quite a stressful process but with proper preparation it doesn’t have to be so daunting.

1. Make a plan—Most programs here at the school offer a nice and laid out degree plan. Now that’s not saying you have to follow that plan to a tee but it does help give you a guide to work with. Now with a lot of plans or most of them they never are concrete. So don’t expect that you have to follow it. But for most incoming freshman they really have no clue where to begin so having a plan really does help a lot.

2. Location, Location, Location—Remember…this isn’t high school. You have to think about the fact that you have to walk to different buildings in between classes and only have 15 minutes to do it at most. So..don’t plan your classes cross campus until you want to be sprinting to class. And that’s just no fun.

3. Professors?—When you see that name next to the class…use it! I know this isn’t an “official” rule or anything but use www.ratemyprofessor.com. It gives you ratings on professors based on past students that have taken the professor. Now don’t refuse a class because the professor doesn’t sound easy! But it will give you an idea of what you are in for, so to speak. I’ve found it really helpful in choosing a professor that past students have said are easy to understand and willing to help.

4. Have a back up plan—Don’t choose one schedule and put all your eggs in that basket. When you get on that computer at 7 am and one class is already full, you don’t want to be the student searching for a class at the last minute. Create at least 2, if not 3 schedules that you can rely on if one of your classes is full.

Scheduling for the first time can be hectic. Scheduling for the 9th time can be hectic. Just make a plan, have back ups and be at your computer at 6:55 and you’ll be fine

Now I know studying is no one’s favorite topic but even in only one semester of college I’ve learned you do a TON of it! Everyone learns and studies differently however, so what works for one person might not work for someone else. In high school, I’m going to be honest…I never studied! I didn’t need to, everything came easy for me. I knew it wasn’t going to be the same at college but I still think I got hit with a pretty tough reality check! You HAVE to study and there’s really not any way to get around that. Now like I said earlier every studies differently but I’m going to give you some tips that have really helped me:

FLASHCARDS:
This is probably the most helpful way for me to study. I make a set of flashcards for every test or quiz that I have. I think it’s so helpful because I learn best by seeing and being able to see the topic and memorize is really effective for me. And this is a rather inexpensive way to study as well. A pack of flashcards is about a buck and that lasts me for a couple tests or quizzes. I realize this may not be an effective method for everyone but sometimes you have to try lots of different options to see which one works best for you and I encourage you to try this one out.

PREPARATION:
This one is kinda an obvious one…but don’t wait till the night before a test to just begin studying. I did this my first semester because I thought it would be exactly like high school where I barely had to study at all and it kicked my butt. Start studying the second you get either a study guide or a good week and a half before the assigned test. For me with the flashcards I start making them when my professor assigns notes and I just study what they have given me so far so by the time the test rolls around I’m very comfortable with the information that may have been given weeks ago and can focus on the newer material. Now regardless of your methods of studying make sure you start early. It may seem redundant to study for a test that you don’t have for a couple weeks but it will really pay off in the end and leave you less stressed the night before the test.

FOCUS:
Now I know we all say we can study with the TV on or music blaring in the background, and maybe some people can. But I’ve found that in order to really soak in the material and understand it you have to be completely focused. I’m not saying that music playing in the background will cause you to lose focus. I generally have music playing in the background while I’m studying or doing my homework. But I really would encourage you to get to a place that you can have complete focus with as little distractions as possible. It will really help you focus on what you are studying and help you retain it quicker and have you feeling more comfortable with the information on test day.

Studying is never fun, but it’s kinda a fact of life in college. And it takes a lot more time and energy than high school ever did. If you prepare though and do the study methods that are most effective to your style of learning your stress level is going to hopefully be a little lower than waiting till the night before. And we college kids could use a lil’ less stress.

ps. the bears play in the championship game of the tournament we are hosting at JQH so…GO BEARS.

So if I’m blogging about Spring Break that means it must be over…sad day. I could definitely use another week..or two! But hey this means the semester is halfway over

This year for spring break I chose to go on a mission trip with my college ministry (Green Room Worship<–check it out). Not necessarily the “norm” for spring breaks but I was really excited to go since I’ve never been. And needless to say, it was such a blessing! Although for recovery time I might need another week! I wouldn’t have had it any other way though. We left on Friday the 5th at about 4:30 pm and drove to Jonesboro , AR. That night we stayed in a rather scary unlocked church building, but what’s spring break without a little adventure right! The next morning we got up bright and early to head down to NOLA! After a longggg day of traveling we finally made it! The remnants of the big Super Bowl win for the Saints still postmarked the ENTIRE city and you couldn’t drive down the highway and see a car without something Saints plastered on it!

Sunday was actually our free day to get to roam around the city! We ate at an amazing pizza restaurant in the French Quarter then set out to see the sites. Every street was full of people, people and more people! We walked around Jackson square first and looked at all the art by all the local artists. I wish I had been able to buy one because they were really neat! Then we watched a break dance/ comedy show across the street! That was definitely an experience . From there we attempted to find Bourbon Street as it would probably be safer for us during the day. Although we did find it, we also found some of the Bourbon Street locals and decided to get the heck outta dodge. We also visited some shops and had to see the rather dirty Mississippi River! Check out some pics from touring:

Jackson Square

Canal Street

After we left the French Quarter we went on a driving tour of the Lower Ninth Ward which is where most of the damage was done from the river flooding. I honestly don’t know what I was expecting to see before going there. But I don’t think I was prepared to just see nothing. For the most part there wasn’t a lot to see except a few new houses and the new levies. The only thing left of most of the houses there was steps and foundations. In my head I just see a neighborhood full of houses and now its mostly bare. Kinda scary what a river that looked so calm then could do just 5 years ago. Here’s a few pics from the Lower Ninth Ward:

A foundation and steps in the lower ninth ward

Right next to the levy, not even a road there

Finally on Monday we got to start work! We began by going to the church that was placing us at our job sites. They gave us a brief overview of their organization and sadly informed us they would be closing their doors in December due to lack of funds. After 5 years most organizations like this have closed from lack of money and there is still SO much work to be done! We also found out that the way the state pays back their loan from the federal government is by volunteer hours! For every hour a volunteer works the state pays off $19.05 of their loan. So people are still needed down there for many reasons! My group got assigned to clean a yard that really hadn’t been touched since the storm. Her front yard was completely dirt and littered with trash of all sorts. We also cut down and weeded most of her backyard which opened it up completely! It was an entirely new yard when we left. The best part was that these people are so utterly grateful for the work we did. Even though it didn’t seem like a lot, it means the world to them.

The next 3 days we were assigned to tile 2 bedrooms in a house for an elderly lady named Miss Emma. She really didn’t say much to us and mostly stayed in bed and watched TV all day. It kinda bummed me out that she didn’t seem to get much stimulation or visitors and I think she enjoyed us being there even though we were kinda a ruckus. The tiling was a job for sure! We had to lay down a layer of adhesive first and then put the tile over it. And by adhesive, they mean adhesive! We got more on ourselves sometimes than the floor! But in the end it was all completely worth it because the smile on Miss Emma’s face when we left made the scabs, sweat and soreness not matter one bit. She was so grateful and didn’t even need to say it, we knew. Here are some pics of the old floor and new:

old floor all torn up!

new floor all pretty

All in all, this trip…was amazing! I know it may not seem as glamorous or fun as spending a week on some warm sandy beach. But when I look back and think of memories I’m not going to remember the sandy beaches as much as that smile Miss Emma gave us when we came in and spent 3 days giving her a new floor! Beaches are fun, but the memories made helping and changing lives will last a lifetime and you are going to get SO much more out of them!