My life at MC...so far, so good.

Ashley Avans

Hey! So my time here at Maryville has been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-! I almost didn't come here, but I'm so glad I did because I definitely would not have the same opportunities if I went anywhere else. I also would not have the same friends or such great relationships with my teachers! So, here is a little bit of my journey for my past three years for you all. 

Freshmen Year:

Move -in day with my roommate Emily Freshmen year!  She was awesome! 

First snow day at MC! We had fun...and that sled was eventually broken. :(

We also like to get messy! One of my really good friends I made here got cake icing on me at a friend's birthday party, so this is me putting it back on her :) This a playful picture. 

This is Me, Corey (girl from above photo), and Jennie. Corey and Jennie were roommates freshmen year right beside mine and Emily's room. We were the three amigos. This is us getting back together over the summer because we already missed each other. Yeah, they're special gems. This is my posed picture.

Sophomore Year:

This is us at a friend's lake house. We had a bonfire, tried roasting marshmallows for s'mores, but ended up having a marshmallow fight. So, like I said, we like to get messy sometimes. 

This is my nature photo. This represents one of my favorite times of the year- Homecoming! That means that it is also Fall. Around this time of the year,  campus is SO beautiful. Our school colors are orange and garnet so the trees add to the decoration.

I also got to meet someone semi-famous. Of course this isn't a perfect picture, but I'm in SPB (student programming board), and we get a large portion of the student activity fees to bring people and events to campus such as TONY LUCCA from The Voice. I loved him, so I had to be a fan-girl and get a picture :) If you don't know who he is, go check him out!

Since we are college students, we have lots of work. To not be driven to craziness by all of it, we like to take breaks. By taking a break from homework, I really mean have a real excuse to play Just Dance. We like to laugh. Oh, did I mention I'm an RA and this was a program? This is also my candid picture 

 I also got a fish for college. Yeah, it was my first pet as "an adult". I also had a program for this. I had a floor meeting and as my residents' sign in, they had to suggest a name for him. The result: Oscar/ Alpha the Beta.
We thought he looked like Oscar from Shark Tales, but Alpha the Beta was catchy too. We couldn't decide so he had two names. Sadly his life was short lived, my mom killed him when I was in California for the summer. I was appalled and decided she is not watching my kids. 

SOOOO this is MY BEST FRIEND at MC. She was my RA (Resident Assistant) my freshmen year, and afterwards we just clicked. Anyways, this is Lauren and I at a baseball game. Go Scots! 

Every year Davis Hall has a Mardi Gras program. Davis is the all female freshmen residence hall. This is me cutting up chicken for jambalaya last year. This year is cut up shrimp. Yumm!

This is another special person who has made an impact on my time at MC. Hannah was a resident of mine last year. We have a similar relationship to Lauren and I. She is one of the kindest, most faithful people I know. I knew that she had a birthday coming up, so I decided to decorate her door at midnight. She found me right after.

This is another picture of Lauren and I on our way back from church. This is us being our normal, silly selves which is what college is about- finding out you are, what you want, going for things, and just being yourself. You will explore options, but in the end just remember that you should be yourself and be HAPPY!

This pic goes along with the above picture. This is pretty much my MC family together at church. It doesn't matter what we look like or how much money we have. It's about who encourages and stands beside you through everything. It's about people who will tease you while also letting you tease them and know it isn't serious. It's all about growing and changing, but also still staying the same. This picture represents that well to me. This is a black and white photo, but you can also see the gray areas in there as well. 

This probably the only picture out of place, but also in place. This picture goes along with the above two, and I believe represents MC perfectly. It's a diverse group of people being silly while taking a Christmas picture. While at college, please get out of your shell and explore things that may scare you. Also, spend time with someone who is from a different country. Besides the people in the picture above and the people I work with, I would say the internationals are my other family. We are all so different, unique, and so funny. We also each have so much to share, but yet so much to learn. I think there is 10 or 11 different countries represented here. Yeah, we are different, but we make it work.

Junior Year/ my current year:

This is a picture of my second year as a RA in Davis. At the beginning of the year, we have themes for Res Life and each hall has to create a different banner for that theme to welcome the year's incoming freshmen. This year's theme: Disney!!!

This is a picture I did not take. I'm in the tie-dye shirt and black shorts. However, it is a picture that catches everything. It has the gray storm clouds and the white clouds, the mountains, the soccer field, and the sand volleyball court. It's pretty much tradition to spend almost your whole fall semester playing volleyball with international students. If it's not, it should be because it's a great way to meet new people, introduce them to MC much less America, and once again, it's used as a study break!

I had 17 pictures which is a little over, but I LOVE pictures and memories. I had to have a few extra. There are so many more I could have used, but I believe that these pictures describe my life at MC thus far pretty good. 

Meandering Paths: The Faces of "Home"

Welcome to Maryville College! Where the skies are blue, the hills are green, and the people love to tell you all about it!

...But mostly, we just study. Don't let that mustache fool you. There's nothing enjoyable about this excursion.

MC is very multiculturally based. We have retreats just to make friends! This was our freshmen year. As you'll see later, a few of these people stuck around. Nothing brings you closer than nearly falling into a campfire!

...And sometimes you lose friends. The best part about small colleges is that they always seem to appear on campus. It's very rare that we don't encounter Allen at least once or twice during the way. Who cares if he graduated over a year ago?

MC, thankfully, isn't all about sweatpants and nap time. Sometimes, we like to feel classy. There are no bare feet here.
Regardless of where you are, girls still love their shoes.

Tennessee is tied to the mountains, so nature is a big deal at MC. We like to go on adventures. Very high ones.
On precarious mountainsides.

A liberal arts education is, by no means, an easy one. Sometimes, you really just need a coffee break.

When you live in a room with four girls, you tend to get into mischief. Namely, you wonder what happens when
you scan your faces. Long story short: it blinds you. :)

Our friend groups here are actually rather vast. Our social standing doesn't make much of a difference, in the end.
Here, we have a senior and two freshmen hanging out in my dorm room. Don't ask what we're playing
It's ridiculous. Just...ridiculous.

...But really, we spend most of our time finding ourselves and having fun.

Wanderlust & Other Adventures: Life At Home

Life at MC is all about the community, and our community of students is very close nit

You can't always be in class, sometimes when the weathers nice it's fun to get out in the water

You're guaranteed to find your group of friends, even if you're all a little crazy

Sometimes you gotta just get out and explore

"I'm on my phone, ON MY PHONE!"  Never take yourself too seriously

When finals get you down, just a little bucket filled with energy could get you through it

They say broaden your horizons at MC, and the mountains you can definitely see for miles

Sometimes you need a partner in crime, and it's always nice to be twins too

Take some time for yourself and make a nice meal, the cafeteria isn't always that great after all

Best of all, when you've got your best friend college'll never be dull

Brieana Kepley

Time is of the Essence...

Jessica Callihan

These are my "girls".  They love to play in the very little amount of snow that East TN sees....and so do we!

These are hand tied flies used for my favorite sport that I can still participate in: Fly Fishing.  Of course, my husband made them but whenever people ask and he's around...I made them!  The look on his face is priceless!

Don't let her sweet face fool you....she's a cold blooded killer.  Two more minutes with the stuffed toy and we will be performing a burial in the trashcan!

Her face tells it all!  When I come home from school, this is what I have greeting me at the door.

No manners!!!  Sticking her tongue out at me! :)

Remember the cold blooded killer????  Ta Da!!!

Home Sweet Home!

My husband Josh and his amazing snowman building skills!  Such a heartfelt and fun activity for us...until he starts a snowball fight.  You think he'd learn after 6 years...I'm from Michigan, snowball fights are second nature but my aim is second to none!

My other passion and what I am studying here at Maryville College...art!  This is a pastel drawing I did this year.

Fun times when Josh and I get out on the river together!  Makes homework much more doable when I am relaxed.

I am the queen of finding four leaf clovers!!!  My husband can look for hours and not find one; me, two minutes and I have a collection going.  (Personally, I think it's because of my ability to recognize pattern but I don't tell him that!)

A class I am in this semester...Printmaking.  One of the most difficult and challenging classes I have ever taken...I love it!  It involves design, math, creativity, mechanics, etc.  woohoo!

The middle process of printmaking...rolling on the ink.  Sounds easy right???  WRONG!

TA DA!!!!

One of my favorite-est :) views from Maryville College...the extremely old, extremely beautiful staircase leading to campus.  I will be honest...I admire them from afar, my foot has never passed the first step!

The most beautiful campus in America!  Blount County best garden winner too-not too shabby!

In a picture, far, far away, you can see the infamous Anderson Hall!  

With my supportive and encouraging husband doing our best "GRRRR" face! 

One of my favorite places to fish; Bald River Falls!!!!

Another pastel!

Thought I had better put a picture of me with a fish so people know I don't just go to take pictures.  :)

This is my wonderful life while attending school.  You cannot beat the surroundings nor the people.  There is just something about East TN that feels like home no matter if you are native or a "damn Yankee" like me!