Good Beautiful Morning, Everyone!

While some, or most, may not consider 6:30 am a wonderful wake-up time. . . I love it.


Why?
or
Why not?


Well today, for instance, yes it was quite chilly in the room . . . and outside. . . but it was absolutely gorgeous. While I don't have a class till 12:30, it is such a gift to be able to start one's day early. We are all blessed with this incredible life, why not take full advantage of each day. One of my favorite quotes is "Every step is a prayer." This really resounded with me during my morning run.


As my shoe soles strode in a one-two-one-two-one-two rhythm, I found the pace both comfortable and disconcerting at the same time. I found my legs and arms almost propelling me forward without conscious thought. . . while my mind was elsewhere in the land of the upcoming events for the day . . . classes, homework, the Fashion Show this evening. It was as if my mind and body were separate entities. . . despite one form. Until I "snapped" back to myself after the secondish mile, I made the conscious effort to just be in the moment. Listen to the sounds of the surroundings, capture what if felt like to breathe in the brisk morning air, and just . . . be. I found that when I embraced every step, the journey through the remainder of my run felt essentially more free and pure; the distractions of everything else temporarily set aside.


What if we could all embrace every step or moment in our lives as if it were a prayer?
Sure, it's perfectly natural for all of us --regardless of whether we are running, walking, or simply sitting somewhere--to simply find ourselves going through the motions of life. But today, or some moment soon, I would challenge you to simply stop thinking . . . well stop analyzing the next step. . . and truly be where you are. Life is amazing too amazing to skip the steps along the way.


Enjoy every moment.
- Anna :)

Best of Both Worlds

Hey, everyone! 

Sorry it has taken me so long to finally post on the blog. I guess I'll first start by telling you a little bit about myself.

 I am a Special Education major from Plantation, Florida, a small city near Fort Lauderdale. I have two younger sisters and a younger brother, as well as a cat, a dog, and a guinea pig. I love chocolate chips, peanut butter, the color purple, hoodies, cheerwine, balooga whales, disney movies (especially Beauty and the Beast), and baseball. Yes, I am a HUGE baseball fan, and even though I'm all the way in Charlotte, I will ALWAYS root for the Florida Marlins. I want to teach for Teach for America after I graduate, and then eventually enlist in the Peace Corps for at least two years. That's the plan anyway. Hmmmmm... What else??? I'm currently obsessed with the new Taylor Swift album, Speak Now, I was a baton twirler in high school, I can't walk too well in high heels, I tend to trip a a lot, I'm in the process of learning how to moon walk, I like to say the alphabet backwards as fast as I can, and I love my friends...obviously :)

Coming to Charlotte was a really big transition for me because I had never really been away from home for very long. Going to Wyoming, though, for twenty-five days really helped with the separation. I still miss my family more than anything, but I have a "college family" here with some of the greatest people I have ever known.

For me, being a Levine Scholar means that you really get the best of both worlds. We are just like any other college freshmen. We walk to class in the rain at 8:00 in the morning when we'd much rather be sleeping, we play intramural sports ( the Levine football team is awesome), we cheer for the 49er's at sports events, we go to movies, we join clubs and other organizations that interest us, and we study/hang out/laugh/relax with friends on the hall. However, we are also blessed with so many additional opportunities that some of the other scholars have already talked about.

Earlier today, for example, we had lunch with the advisory board for our program. There were many community leaders there who all came to hear our input on the program and see what we've done so far. It was so cool to meet these leaders from all over the community who have already made a significant impact in Charlotte. And lunch was pretty yummy too...

Here are some pictures from various things that we've been up too. Thanks for taking time to read this blog. Hope you enjoyed it :)


                                                                                                          Photo Credit: Caroline Brewer

My attempt at an inspirational half-time speech for our football game. I have the best teammates!



The girls are going out for dessert at Amelie's and NoDa Night :)


                                                                                    Photo Credit: Cassady Tetsworth

Our entire hall decided to order Chinese food for the night!


                                                                                                                    Photo Credit: Christina Neitzey
Christina, Cassady, and I cheering on the Panthers!