Anna's Favorites - #1

UPDATE: I have made the move out of Ames. I transitioned for a few days in my own home in Indianola and now have officially moved up to Okoboji/Paradise. J This is not a very current update, but I’ve been neglecting my lovely blog…
(so sorry about that)

After WEEKS of posting nothing, I want to start a new segment called Anna’s Favorites! It’s going to be a reoccurring post whenever I think of something that anyone other than myself might be interested in.

Today’s favorite?

Driving past the windmills (wind turbines) on the drive up to the lake.

My very favorite part of what is supposed to be a four hour drive to the lake is driving through what I am going to call a “wind farm,” just south of Pocahontas. When I can just make out the tiny town of Pomeroy, its motto is “Town and Country Working Together,” I begin to see the fragile little silhouettes of hundreds of wind turbines.

The spindly little skeletons of the wind turbines from a distance.

And soon enough I’m speeding a little too fast and sitting on the edge of my seat to take it all in…the fields crops, the small farms sprinkled in between wind turbines, the chapel, the massive shadows...it’s incredible.

I’m not sure a what point exactly it is that my goosebumps show up, but I’m nearly positive it’s when I pass the first turbine that is close to the road and know that I am in the heart of something so much bigger than myself.

The Close-Up. Right alongside the road.

It’s hard to describe my relationship with the windmills. Since I was little, my mom has always had some fascination with old-time windmills making their homes on small farms. That fascination then turned into a collection of antique models of windmills that salesmen would carry with them. And now, with the recent energy movements, it only makes sense to update the interest to wind turbines. So, our family has watched this wind farm grow over the years and have seen the dozens of new wind turbines each year.

This wind farm has a magical quality to it. When I drive through I am humbled by the fact that there are hundreds of machines moving in sync with each other surrounding my little Saturn and myself. I love feeling as though I am in the midst of an alliance bigger than just me. It’s a fairytale moment every time.

But, what I have yet to mention is how often I drive through the area at night. You would think that when everything is dark there would be nothing to see, but FALSE! This is the most exciting time. All of the sudden you are being surrounded by red flashing lights for miles. On the right side of the road, they blink almost all together and on the left side they are a little less synchronized but still blink nearly all at the same time. Feels as though you’re entering an alien base of sound kind….sounds strange, but I dare you to disagree.

Although driving through the wind farm is only a short segment of my journey to the lake, it is truly a favorite time of mine. And if there is any time that I am at all excited while driving it is a small miracle. J

Roommate Fate...?

For the past nine months, I have lived with a girl who I was chosen to room with by Iowa State. There was no searching on Facebook for someone similar to me, no roommate searching website, just a whole lot of faith in Iowa State’s ability to choose someone normal for me to share my 15’ x 11’ room with for my freshman year of college. That takes a lot of faith.

The day that my roommate’s name was posted I was immediately on Facebook with my family creeping on this girl who seemed normal. Knowing that she lived a mere 40 minutes from my hometown was definitely reassuring and it appeared she was in choir, like I was.

Day 1 at ISU. Stranger roomies.

We had a few small conversations to decide who would bring what to our room, the color scheme of red, black and white, and to share some basic information about ourselves. This girl seemed really sweet, but with Facebook as my only source, anyone can make himself or herself seem normal.

Move-in day came along fast and soon this girl and I were living together. Our moms took the awkward picture of the two of us in our new room, basically strangers, and we were off. Our schedules were compared, our sleeping schedules decided, our space divvied out, and soon we had our own little home in Maple 818. 

Battle of the can opener. First semester adventure.

My roommate, Rachel, has turned out to be an unbelievably kind and caring person, but more importantly she has become a trusted friend whom I will be forever grateful for.

The friendship between two girls stuck in an extremely small space together may seem inevitable, but the two of us are very different. I am extremely social, sarcastic, loud, and probably talk more than anyone and at 100 mph. Rachel is much more quiet and subdued, a great listener and a determined student. (Well, she was originally not very outspoken at least.)

An image of our friendship. Dressed up and dressed down...

Two very different personalities have created quite the friendship. Our room is covered in post-its quoting silly things we’ve said. My computer is full of videos of the two of us dancing around and lip-syncing to a variety of songs. My TV provides the daily Friends episodes and Rachel’s microwave is the mastermind behind dozens of mugs of hot chocolate over the year. We’ve become quite the team.

If there’s ever a time when I’m having a weak moment, Rachel feeds me exactly what I need to hear or leaves me to my headphones and time alone. If she’s having a meltdown over something I think is hilarious, I do my best to try not to laugh and listen to her calm herself down by talking about it. We complement each other in our own special way, I suppose.

All dressed up!

Freshman year is hard and we’ve created our safe place of Maple 818. If this isn’t home, than I’m not sure what is. And if this isn’t friendship, I’m not so sure I know what friendship is. My first roommate, Rachel, will always be a wonderful, hilarious, and surprising memory in my mind and forever a close friend. ♥ 

A Year of Change

As I pack up my dorm room, ready to finish off my freshman year of college, I’m thinking to myself about change. If there is one thing I’ve learned in the past year of my life it is that change is growth.

In high school, I was appalled by the way the previous high school seniors came back and had completely different ways about them. They acted like they were so much different than myself and had new mannerisms and ways of speaking. But, after my year of change, I understand.

Leaving home and moving to college is huge. There is no other way to describe it. You quickly learn what’s important to you and what is not worth fighting for, which goes for people as well. Suddenly, the world is truly yours to take and you get to decide what mark you’d like to make on it.

College is change. Leaving is change. And as much as I’ve fought changes in the past, there is no doubt about it that I’ve learned to embrace them, because change is growing up.

I’m different than I was a year ago. I’ve been plucked out of the town I’ve lived in for 18 years and moved to places that I’ve created a new Anna in - a clean slate, but really just an opportunity. I’m different, but I like to believe that I’m better.

I am choosing who I am now. I go to church willingly, I call my mom often, I have joined a sorority, I choose my classes and if I want to attend, my standards are higher, my speech has changed, I sleep during the day, I believe what I want to, and the list goes on and on. But now, I am nearly positive that I am on my way to becoming the true Anna, meaning the one I am by choice. 

Now as I sit here, thinking of creative ways to get my entire dorm room into my car, I am sad to see this year ending. This year has brought me so much enlightenment and happiness that I am feeling bittersweet about this next step, but then I stop myself. I know better.

My world is changing again, but now I know to take full advantage of it. I have changed, but I am without a doubt still Anna, just a more developed version of myself.  I know that if I never step forward, I will always be in the same place. And there is far too much I’d love to see. J

Looks like today's a poem day

Couldn't help but write this poem about home, recently. Being at Iowa State has really made me more appreciative of my state and all of the wonderful, genuine people living here. I've learned to never underestimate the Midwestern folk! Hope you enjoy. :)

I am from Iowa.

I like my open spaces,

My spirits rise with the corn,

I live for friendly faces.

I take pride in my work,

Am grateful for what I have,

I am Iowa stubborn,

But there’s nothing wrong with that.

My smile’s always beaming,

I treat others with respect,

I live by a set of morals,

And sit more right than left.

I sing to pass the time,

Always keeping myself busy,

I eat until I’m full,

Meaning sweet corn ‘til I’m dizzy.

I love where I live,

These people are sincere,

Our communities are thriving,

People raise their families here.

I’d say that I’m well-rounded,

Try to think before I speak,

Always looking for new people,

Making the most of every week.

I am from Iowa,

And I’m oh so proud to say,

That this is my home,

Wouldn’t want it any other way.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

Welcome to Bliss!

Welcome anyone and everyone to my new creative space! I figure since I have all these silly thoughts and ideas, I should have a space to share them. I'm excited to get started on this new adventure of mine!
 

This blog should contain everything from ideas for projects to prayer requests to my opinion of an issue brought up in class, so I'm happy to have all of you along for the ride. :) If you like what you read, feel free to comment! Thanks so much for spending some time with me! I promise to entertain.