Let it Happen

A Season of Change…

WOW it’s been way to long since i’ve posted on here. So much has been happening here. Christmas, New Years, and J-Term is over. I cannot believe it that my final semester is approaching so quickly? Seems like just yesterday i was handed my key to my dorm room, and searching the hall to find new friends. Ah this sememester i’ve been taking my time and enjoying the simple things, such as my friends. I’ve been to a safety suit, owl city, and parachute concert and attended a cavs and bucks game all in January. This spring semester is going to be harder with ending everything i once knew to be normal. My career in softball is ending, being on student government, and a full-time student comes to a close in less than 3 months. So with these last few months i want to live as much as i can and get out as much as i can. So i’ve devised a end of the year bucket list of things to do.

1. Pay for a strangers dinner

2. Met a new student and ask them to hang out

3. Learn how to play my guitar

4. Find God in new places

5. Finish softball with no regrets

6. Tell my friends everyday how much they mean to me.

7. Call my grandparents randomly

8. Apply for jobs i don’t feel i have a chance at

9. Ride a roller coaster

10. Take time to reflect on each days glories, not the negatives.

So here is my advice:

Enjoy the moment, live in the moment and don’t worry about a thing. Enjoy the laughter, the fellowship, and the simple moment of life. If you’re about to enter into college make a list of your own goals, or ideas you want to accomplish before you come here or any college for that matter. Maybe you don’t realize it now, but our lives are on the fast track to fun being over. HA So ENJOY THEM MOMENT!

Live it!

-Michelle G. Me and my friends at Parachute/ Safety Suit Concert – Jan. 12th

Thank Goodness it’s Thanksgiving Break!

Wow right now i feel my life has been spining! i’m involved with so much here on campus and on top of a 16 credit work load life has seemed to be flying by! Haha my friends say that’s a good thing since we’re going to be graduating soon, however i’m feeling there is not enough time in the day to finish everything! So many exams and so many papers it’s to drive you nuts! However with all this stress i’ve been loving haning out with my friends on the weekends! Seriously the weekends will become your rescue! I was also thinking of some fun easy classes you can take while here and these are my top two choices!

1.) Intro to Radio with Joe Rinehart

2.)Intro to Video production with Joe Rinehart

His classes here on campus are so interesting and you get to be on the radio here on campus. Which is 90.9 fm if you are near Mount Vernon. I LOVE these classes, one they are easy and two they’re so much fun and allow you be creative! If anything take it your freshman year! Because You will fall in love with everything you do!

Well thats all, i’m heading home for thanksgiving! Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!!!

Grace and Peace,

Michelle Gastin

Let good times roll…

One of the best months so far here at campus. So far i’ve been able to travel up to put in bay with my apartment only to find out that the island is literally closed during the fall season. However never stopped us from having fun and being able to see all the tree’s and the colors change! Also I was able to go over to one of my SGA co-workers house for a halloween party! They had such a good party with music, scavenger hunt, and even a mini haunted house in their basement. It was awesome to get off campus for awhile and just go dress up in my 80′s gear which i totally rocked out! I also was able to hang out with my apartment-mates and have a pumpkin carving competition! It was pretty dang sweet if you ask me! See in college you get to do all these awesome activities. No parents, teachers, youth pastors, etc planning events or telling you what to do. I’m 22 and i’m still in love with the fact of the freedom i have. College is amazing and words can not even describe all the good that comes with it. It fits me, and i’m going to miss it come May. However months like this, just you can never forget.

Grace Peace,

Michelle

What is Twrip?

This week here on campus is what we like to call t.w.r.i.p. which stands for the women (are) required to pay. This week is filled with events every night. Freshman – Senior girls ask out a guy out on a date. The girls then take the guys to an event on campus. Now really the women don’t really pay, everything is put on for free by SGA. I am the Campus Events Chairperson and last night i had free fondu, music, and pool tables  for anyone who wanted to take part.  We had about 200 students show up last night. It was awesome rocking out to some chill jams and enjoying not studying for a chance! 

 Here is a link to what is happening here on campus events. check out other mvnu videos if you get the chance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4jEOSMz9FM

Hope you enjoy it!

Grace and Peace,

Michelle

Fall into another school year!

Fall is probably one of thee most beautiful times of year here on campus. Second would be spring. Something about the beginning of a year and ending of a year. The taste and smells of the colors and the air seem so amazing! Here on campus you feel like there is so much to do. Between Volleyball games, cookouts, and soccer games. Life on campus is back. You see people working out on warm fall days, and just the atmosphere here is what it is all about.   I’ve visited a lot of my friend’s colleges and other sister schools in the fall, and I have to say MVNU best place to chill. We are in the middle of nowhere, BUT I feel it builds such a stronger community. You just either hanging out with you’re dorm-mates, or chill in your quad area with your apartment-mates. This is my last year here on MVNU I can’t say that I’ve LOVED every minute of school or the town. And maybe this year has become a reflection year of all the things I will miss or just finally realized how awesome this campus really is. I wouldn’t say either I came here for the school, but I can say that it’s a decision I have never regretted. Read my last post and you’ll see or hopefully begin to see how many, things can define MVNU. If you ask a random group of 10 people, I grantee 9 out 10 will say the reason they are here is because of friendships you’ll make. So this year I’m posting about the relational-ship part of my experience. Have a great night!

Grace and Peace,

Michelle

College = Friends

Four of us out of six in our apartment

 One thing about college is about having friends that you share the same interest in! When i came to school here in the fall of ’06 i wanted to make as many new friends as possible and try to branch out of my typical high school friends and get away from girl drama!. Coming here i found out it was drama FREE! i can honestly and truthfully agree that my freshman year drama was to a minimum!

Now tip number one: 

Find friends that care about you as a person, and share the same interest! The girls above where the first three girls i met her and we all played softball so that helped.

Tip number two:

You’ll soon find out whose the drama queen, and whose the laid back chill, have a good time person, hang out with the chill person! My friends are so ridiculously relaxed and chill that whenever we do, find something to do, it ends up being three billion times more fun! 

Tip number three:

Branch out! Met others whom you don’t think you would connect with! Some of my other best friends are into High School musical, Art, Fashion, etc! I’m a pair of chucks/nikes and a nice shirt or t-shirt kind of girl. and so are my friends! However others have opened my eyes to so much!

The best part about college is you’ll find people who share in the same excitement as you for example:

(sorry i’m just so tickled i got this i had to post it!)

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio Michelle Gastin, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University womens fastpitch softball team, has been selected as the American Mideast Conference Player of the Week for her performance in games played during the week of March 30-April 5.

Gastin, a junior first baseman from Mount Vernon, Ohio, batted .588 (10-for-17) during the Lady Cougars 3-3 week as she reached base safely in all six games and posted a .941 slugging percentage with six doubles and nine RBI.  The former Mount Vernon High School standout had at least one hit in five of the six games and at least one RBI in four of the six games.

Gastins best game came in the second contest of a doubleheader sweep of Malone University when she went 3-for-4 with three doubles and four RBI.  She also went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a 6-5 win over Point Park (Pa.) University in the first game of a twinbill, and she went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the second game of a doubleheader with Ohio Dominican University.

On the season, Gastin leads MVNU with a .410 batting average (16-for-39), seven doubles, and 12 RBI.  She has started all 14 games and committed just two errors for a .982 fielding percentage at first base.

My Friends shared this experience with me. And that’s what YOU should do when you come to college. Find your type of friends that are going to share in the things that matter most to you! 

Hope you’ve had a relaxing and refreshing spring break! 

Grace Peace,

Michelle

itunes top ten…

So i thought maybe i would share my itunes right now top ten favorite songs:

10. Superhuman – Chris Brown 

9. Dead and Gone – Justin Timberlake 

8. Shadow of the day – Linkin Park 

7. Spotlight – Jennifer Hudson 

6. Sweet Thing – Keith Urban 

5. My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson 

4. Right Round – Flo Rida 

3. Beautiful – Bethany Dillion 

2. Loving you, Loving me – Dave Barnes 

1. My Girl – Dave Barnes

Have you ever just had one of those days? Today was one, with softball practice just turning out to be not good. We are leaving here soon for Florida and we are looking very good defensively, however our offense is slowly but surely coming around. One of our pitchers had a great day pitching and made me look like an idiot! oh how i honestly could have kicked myself for the way i was hitting. 

It is different in college, than in high school because i was the top player on my team. I felt like there was such a difference between me and the other girls. Now it is a battle every day to prove you are a starter. Now i am a hopefully soon become a three year starter, i start first base for the Lady Cougars. Maybe some would say i have nothing to worry about, but they haven’t heard my story.

Last year after having a good season down in Florida i came back our first game and during our second game while we were killing Wilmington college i dove head first into second after a hit up the middle and dislocated my left shoulder. It was an emotional time in my life. I had questions to God, and i was angry at myself. I had to sit out all season and watch my spot be played by someone else. Now there was no bitterness towards my friend whom took my spot. I just thought to myself that man, i work so hard all year to reach that spot and within one minute, i lost it all. 

This year has been redemption and that is what i want to prove, i still have the heart and drive to compete with my other teammates and i need to prove that to my team and my coach. However it’s been so hard when i am going up against one of my closes friends on the team. She is good, real good. I would feel as if we’re equal in talent, maybe that’s just my selfish side coming out. 

However back to today, it was hard when i couldn’t hit nothing and had to watch everyone come up and making good cuts and great contact. Softball and sports in general are like this, a mental game. We are always trying mentally to out play someone else in our mind, and it becomes exhusting. My advice to anyone who ever plays a sport or can relate one once to what i’ve said is that someone told me this quote a long time ago and i just feel like sharing it and taking my own advice.

“Work Hard, Do Your Best! Your Lord Jesus will do the rest!”

We are going to be a solid team this year looking to go to the National tournament, and i hope that all of you can be able to follow us this season. Our first game in thursday, pray for no rain/and warm weather!!! 

Grace and Peace,

Michelle

check out some of this music on itunes or another station, you’ll love these songs!

Cabin Fever!

So as you know i play softball here at the college and the worst part about playing an outdoor sport is having to practice in the gym. I think that at this point on campus everyone is ready for spring break which is in about two weeks and i cannot wait! We are actually flying out to Florida here soon, oh and not to be confused with Flo Rida, i know an easy mistake! 

Anyways, so in preparing for spring break it’s been a tradition for us girls on the team to go tanning before we leave. Our general excuse is, “When we get down there we don’t want to get burnt!” Which is just a lame excuse for me to look better than my pale roommate.

So from today it is 14 days and counting till we leave and if anyone hasn’t caught on, I’m extremely excited about this!  The only down fall is that i will miss my new favorite television show LOST. It airs on ABC at 9 pm. If you’re looking to watch a good show, but i would recommend watching the seasons online! 

So playing a sport and dealing with school is defiantly  harder than it was in high school. College is more fast pace, and i even remember my first time as a Freshman running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. WORD OF ADVICE! when you go into college buy a $2.38 yearly calendar the big desk kind at Wal*Mart, and write out all your class schedules, practice times, campus events, etc. Trust me it’s basically like God to me: A life saver. 

Well, Grace and Peace to you all! 

Michelle

About Me…

What or how do you start to describe to people in your first blog of who you are? So Let me start to add a quick bit about who i am.

Well my name is Michelle Gastin, i am a Junior here at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. I am also currently the Junior Class President and a member of the Softball team here at school. What i’m hoping you guys can take at all from me is how life is so unpredictable so you just need to let life happen. School up to this far has been an amazing journey of personal struggles, and wonderful triumphs! The good so far has out weighted the bad, that i honestly can’t tell you much about my experience so far that i have not enjoyed.

I honestly have to give a shout out to all my friends on campus! Friends is what i found the most valuable part of school here. I have found people i click with and who are able to laugh at my jokes, and do whatever. The best part about college you’ll soon find out, is how spontaneous is a word you’ll use a lot when mom and dad ask you,”so how’s school going?”

My parents always joked around with me that i came to school to major in the social life, which now looking back so far would basically be correct. School is something that has changed me, and mold me into the person i am. I love being an athlete and being president. I see both worlds put together.

So hopefully you’ve learned something new about who i am, or at least a glimpse of what will come!

Grace and Peace,

Michelle

Welcome

Hey everyone, I am still getting used to this blogging world as this is the beginning of my blogging journey. Stay tuned for some more information. For now, I leave you with a challenge: patience.

-Michelle