Home stretch!!

One final down, and one to go - almost there! During study breaks I have been hitting up Pinterest to look for Christmas treats to make.  My Grammy and I are throwing a PINK Christmas Party for all of our friends and family - it will be so much fun! Everyone was instructed to wear pink, and bring a pink gift for a gift exchange.  We are also going to serve a light buffet of - you guessed it - PINK food! A couple weekends ago when I went home I helped her decorate in all things pink. I can't wait!

I have been wanting to make French Macarons for some time now, so we are going to try those out. I've been looking for some good recipes and I thought these sounded so good (and look pretty too!)

These are so cute!

Recipe found here!

We are also going to make pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate with pink sprinkles, as well as marshmallows decorated with pink accents too! Maybe even cake pops! I hope they turn out like these - I found them on this website.

How adorable

Love these 

Who know what else we will make - but I will be sure to post about it!

Enjoy your day!

Love,

Study Strategies

I have two finals left to go - one Monday and then one on Friday.  I am glad they are spaced out so I don't have to focus on Friday's until Monday's is over, but I almost wish it was sooner so I could get home earlier.  I absolutely can not wait to enjoy the Christmassy season without thinking about studying.

These are a few studying strategies that work for me:

#1 Leave your phone and laptop in your backpack - I always find myself getting distracted with Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, texting, etc.  I've found that I am much more productive if I don't have these electronics out!  If you need your laptop for studying,  exit out of all tabs that could take your mind off of studying.

#2 Only focus on studying for one exam at a time.  It can get confusing and be overwhelming if you try to tackle too much at once.  Prepare yourself well for one exam, and then begin working on the other.

#3 Highlight highlight highlight!  And color code, too! I find it helpful to choose one color to highlight the main points of notes, and then use different colors to highlight supporting details.  This can break up long monotonous notes and makes it easier to follow.

#4 Make notecards to quiz yourself.  This is very helpful for me, and I think it also helps because it's proven that when you actually write something out, it's easier to remember.  Perfect!

#5 Study in study-friendly places.  Although I enjoy studying at my sorority house, it can be distracting with so much going on an so many people to talk to. And even though I love studying in my room [while laying on my bed], it's easy to get too comfy and fall asleep [oops].  I find it best to study in a library, study room, or quiet dining hall.  There are so many options - find one that works for you.

#6 Study with friends.  I honestly think I have spent more time with my friends this weekend than any other weekend this semester - and we've been studying basically the whole time (well we took a few fun breaks.. We even went ice skating for an hour or so on Saturday)!  But it's easier to study because you will have your friends to hold you accountable.  Even better if y'all are studying the same subjects.

#7 Take breaks! Your mind can only handle so much at a time - and you don't want to overwhelm yourself anyways.  Every half hour, 45 minutes, or hour take a 5 to 10 minute break to stretch, get a snack, get some fresh air, workout, or whatever! You don't want to get stressed - but make sure you get right back to studying.

I hope these tips help y'all do well! Remember: YOU'RE TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

Love,

The Reason for the Season

Wow wow wow! School and life have been so busy lately!

BUT on the bright side - IT'S CHRISTMAS SEASON! My favorite! Christmas brings so many fun activities, great times with family and friends, a break from school, and some free time to enjoy Christmas movies and hot chocolate while snuggled up on the couch!

Hot chocolate with my best friend!

Unfortunately, the glorious Christmas season also means the end of the semester (yay!) ... but also finals (ugh!).  As the semester comes to a close end and exams and finals are in full swing, sometimes we get caught up in studying and solely thinking about our grades. It can be easy to think that our grades, GPA, and success determine our worth and identity. But, thankfully - we are not defined by how well or how poorly we do in school, or in anything for that matter.

It's so freeing to know and believe that we will never be perfect - we will fail in so many aspects, time and time again.  And that is OKAY, because it is bound to happen!! We are broken people living in a broken world.  The only person who ever has been and ever will be is Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this time of year.  He came to earth as a baby, lived a life that was perfect and without sin, and died for us, for all people! God send Jesus to earth to bridge the gap between us and God - so that we can know Him, put our trust in Him, find our identity in Him, and spend eternity in heaven with Him someday! Grades and circumstances do not define me - Jesus does.  In Christ alone, my hope is found - because without Him, I am nothing.

So while we should try our best in school, on exams, in everything we do (Colossians 3:23), we can rest assured that when we do fail, Jesus will always pick us up.  He always loves, cares, and wants us!

[as working for the Lord, not for men.]

Although we are bombarded with final exams, projects, paper, and the hustle and bustle of the joyous Christmas season - remember that Jesus is the real reason for the season!  Let's strive to find joy in each moment - whether we are studying, baking yummy Christmas cookies, spending time with family, or watching Christmas movies, remember the One who gives you life - and celebrate Him throughout this Christmas season and every season that life brings.

^^^

Good luck on finals!
Xoxo - Roxanne

Weekend At A Glance

This past weekend was sooo much fun! Two of my best friends from home came to spend the weekend with me and it was so good to spend time with them. They got here Friday night and we went to Red Lobster to eat (yummm!) And Saturday we went to Block and then to the football game to watch Illini play Purdue. My big was with us too, and our outfits totally matched (like big like little!)

After the game, we relaxed a little bit and then went to supper and took a picture with the famous Alma Mater. After that we went to the Cru barn dance and square danced and sat by the fire and made s'mores!

My favorite day was Sunday because we went to the Curtis Apple Orchard and Pumpkin patch together - I am so in love with this place! We picked apples, took pictures with the pumpkins, ate carmel apples, and drank apple cider slushies! The weather was seriously so perfect!!! I can't get enough of fall weather and activities!

 Hope y'all have a good week!

Xoxo - Roxanne

My Week

This past week at school has been crazy busy, but also really fun! Within the last week I have had four exams, which required a lot of studying and many hours at the library... and at Starbucks!

Coffee makes studying a little more bearable!

Thankfully each morning though, I don't have class until 10:00 or 11:00, so I can enjoy my mornings and then study in the evenings. My favorite thing to do in the morning is to go for a run, and running in the fall is so beautiful! Of course sometimes I stop running to take pictures, because how could you not? The colorful leaves and the pretty blue sky are breathtaking!

Love love love

 Lately I have been trying to run farther without stopping, and it's difficult at times, but afterwards I feel so accomplished if I can do it.  While running, I love to listen to worship music and pray. Personally, this is one of my favorite ways to experience Christ: I get to be surrounded by his beauty, listen to songs of praise to Him, and focus on Him instead of running (I sometimes catch myself running and singing). It makes the time go by so much faster, and it's so uplifting, too!

God's beauty

God has been teaching me a lot about patience lately and reliance on Him.  In the midst of school and being busy, it is so easy for me to get distracted from God and not make time for Him each day.  When I fail to do so, I find myself becoming overwhelmed.  God is so deserving of more praise and love than I could ever give Him, but getting into His Word and focusing on Him does bring glory to God.

Last night with Cru, we had a community event in which we watched the movie "God's Not Dead." To me, the movie definitely showed the importance of boldness of faith to win hearts for the Lord.  It showed how even when it is hard, or when we are persecuted and not supported for our beliefs, that we should not be passive, but stand up for what we believe and proclaim God's name.  By doing so, God can use you to touch peoples' lives and change their eternity. What an encouragement!

Popcorn is one of life's little perks

Oh yeah, and HAPPY OCTOBER! Yay yay yay! 

Lilly and October - does it get any better?

I hope y'all have a great week! Xoxo, Roxanne

First day of Fall!

Fall is my favorite season, and today marks the first official day of fall! Yay! The weather is perfect today - cool and crisp air with warm sunshine! I am so thankful for this weather - what a sweet opportunity to be outside and enjoy God's beautiful creation.

Fall is my favorite for many reasons! Just to name a few, I like:

The beautiful colors of fall, especially when the leaves change colors

The fall harvest 

Pumpkin spice lattes (who doesn't like those?)

Pumpkin flavored cookies, cakes, bread...basically pumpkin flavored everything

Wearing sweaters, boots, and scarves

Going to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard

Bonfires (aka smores!!)

Apple cider

Fall scented candles

Barn dances and hayrides

Fall decorations

Fall sunsets

Baking yummy fall treats

And of course, fall break!

Trust me, those are just a few..I could go on forever about why I love fall so much!

Last year, I painted (gilttered) pumpkins, and I am going to a sleepover this weekend where we've already have a pumpkin decorating craft planned! (Yay!) We're also going to decorate pumpkin shaped sugar cookies!

I hope you guys are enjoying fall as much as I am already! Don't forget to take a break from all the stressful schoolwork and studying and enjoy what God has given us :)

Xoxo, love Roxanne

Post Bid Day!

Yesterday was Bid Day, and it was SO fun! After two long weekends of recruitment, it was so rewarding to meet our newest little Delta Zeta turtles, the eighteens as we call them (since they will graduate in 2018.)

The seventeens ready for new turtles!

Our theme was "Welcome to ParaDiZe" so we all wore leis and flower headbands (so cute and fun!) Our house was decorated in Hawaiian flower garland, streamers, lanterns, balloons, everything that was bright and fitting with our paradise theme. We had a photo booth set up with cute props to take fun pictures with!

Delta Zeta is laughter and ParaDiZe

We spent a lot of the day getting the house ready, decorating posters for our eighteens, being super excited to meet them, and somewhere in there we managed to go to class (even though it was so hard to focus!)

Finallllllly, our little turtles came running home to Delta Zeta, as we were screaming and jumping up and down with excitement! We each had a girl to welcome, she is called our heart sister (these change every week up until big little reveal.) We made each girl a poster to greet her, and then we headed inside to get the girls their bid day shirts! After they changed, we took pictures, had a cookout, and got to know the girls a little bit :)

Ready to welcome our turtle babes!

They are seriously the cutest eighteens ever!

Precious

It definitely has been a fun couple of days, and I am so excited to get to know each of my new Delta Zeta sisters!

xoxo, love Roxanne

[Very very delayed] My Summer on VBSP14

Yes, summer is long over, but (thankfully) God's work is never-ending and his love is everlasting!

Spending all summer in Virginia Beach with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) was incredible – it was so great that it is impossible for me to find words to justify everything that occurred. One thing that I can say is that God is so good, so glorious, and so amazing in every single way, and He did amazing things this summer.

So much love for these sweet friends!

Going into Virginia Beach Summer Project, I excited to see what was going to happen throughout the summer, but God exceeded all expectations.  I could not wait to grow in my relationship with God and share His love with others.  While learning so much about God and growing closer to Him, I also realized a lot about my brokenness, which enabled me to see God in an even more glorious light. The chasm between my human self and God’s holiness and perfection is so wide, yet He loves me no matter what and sees me as his perfect child.

One (of many) of my favorite things that I got to experience this summer was strong Christian community.  This community was the closest thing to heaven that could be experienced on earth! I was constantly surrounded by other students and staff on project who love God so much, who desire to grow in their relationship with Him, and who long to serve, follow, and surrender their lives to Him. It was obvious to see Christ shine through each person on project as they were used to speak truth, encourage one another, and radiate joy. Being with these people, I not only learned how to live out the gospel with other believers, but it also allowed me to feel God’s love and care so much, which resulted in me falling more in love with Him. 

The best roommates I could ever imagine! They are such a blessing!

I can't even explain how much I learned from these beautiful godly women!

This summer I also really loved being a part of a small group Bible study, or action group as we called it.  Action groups typically consisted of four to five people, and provided the perfect environment to study and dig deep into God’s word together.  We studied Galatians for the first half of the summer and Colossians for the second half.  It’s so beautiful to study the Word with others and grow together!

Action group for the first half of the summer! Love love love them!

Action group for the second half of the summer! Love love love them too!

Another big aspect of this summer was to make God known.  We had weekly outreaches that we did as a project, and we also went out on the boardwalk throughout the week to share the gospel. At first, I had no clue how to go about sharing my faith with others, but it soon became more natural.  We had surveys that we used to start conversations, and then we would transition to a little booklet called the KGP, or the Knowing God Personally booklet.  This booklet outlines the fundamental points of the gospel, incorporating Bible verses and Biblical truth. God presented so many opportunities to share this awesome news that God loves you and has a plan for your life, but because of our sin and brokenness, we are separated from a relationship with Him, but He loves us so much that he sent his son Jesus to live the perfect life and die the death that we as sinners deserve so that we are forgiven and can have a relationship and eternal life with Him!  This news is so good, and as believers, it is our command to make it known!  Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  As it takes courage to share with others, it is something that we are commanded to do: to take a step of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God! 


I thank God that it was in His plan for me to go on Virginia Beach Summer Project 2014; it was definitely a life changing and transforming summer! Thank you to everyone on project for making it wonderful, memorable, and full of laughter, learning, and fun; I love each of you so much! Thank you also to everyone who supported me – financially and prayerfully – I appreciate you all greatly for participating in God’s work in Virginia Beach with me.

Left a piece of my heart in Virginia Beach, but had so many takeaways from each experience!

I could literately talk for days and never be able to relay to you how great this summer was! Thanks for reading, and ask any questions you have!

xoxo, love Roxanne

My first post!

Hi everyone! I've been following blogs quite a bit lately, and decided I would attempt to create my own. So, here it is - a place to talk about the glory and grace of God, to share the incredible things He has done and is constantly doing in my life, and to document some of the fun, pretty, and glittery things in my life! Here are some things about me:

I just spent the best summer of my life in Virginia Beach on Summer Project with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) with these incredible people

Students and staff members from across the Great Lakes region

I learned so much about God, and my relationship with Him and desire to serve and follow Him grew to new heights

Christ defines me, and I have hope for today and forever because of Him

 My family is super important to me, and I love them so much

Brother, mommy, me, & daddy

I'm a sophomore at the University of Illinois, studying Elementary Education, and I'm in Delta Zeta

My pledge class (Seventeens♥)

I love Lilly Pulitzer 

My bedding at college this year!

And I love baking, crafting, and being happy

xoxo, love ♥ Roxanne