21

So it is New Years Eve and I am stuck in Nashville. Eww... this was not what I had planned at all.....

They are taking us to Baltimore now? What? I think the fog should clear.

It actually makes absolutely no sense that they are taking us to Baltimore. I think they just want to waste gas in the plane and make everyone in this enormous room move (with their children in hand) over towards another door. Instead of moving with the massive herd of agitated passengers, I am getting on Facebook.

The Nashville airport reminds me of the Los Angeles airport, except I don't feel like I am going to get mugged or have my purse stolen. It sort of reminds me of the Hong Kong airport too, but that is mostly because when I left Hong Kong, the terminal looked alot like the terminal I am in right now.

And I will be 22 in five hours. 21 was good.


Hmmm....Happy New Years:)

Happy Endings

I hope that your Christmas season is incredibly happy.

Merry Christmas friends.

‘Til Next Year.

I've Got a Feeling

I've got a feeling....that tonights gonna be a good night.

The hot Black Eyed Peas song blared over the speakers at around 10 p.m. and people headed out dance on the marble floor of Robertson Hall.

It was a good night. Last night, December 5, 2009 was Regent University’s 2009 Christmas Ball. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Christmas ball, it is an annual dance held for Regent’s students both graduate and undergraduate.

Some people have been preparing for the ball since September when the ballroom dance lessons began. Regent offered a series of ten dance lessons for $25 hosted at a local dance studio.

The dance started at 8p.m. and was hosted in the lobby and three floors of Robertson Hall, a.k.a. the law building. There were a few waltzes, a few swing dances and much to my dismay – not many rumba dances. Then 9 p.m. rolled around and the crowds were pouring in the door. Everyone knows it is best to show up fashionably late.

The event’s theme was “Old Hollywood” but dresses of all kinds rustled on the floor and there were even a few glimpses of a tux or two – a very prestigious event.

Before coming to the ball I heard from my roommate there was a special dessert planned. Much to the wisdom of the party-planners, this special dessert was located on the third floor of the building right by the elevators.

It was a chocolate mouse-filled decadent cake. I could only eat ¼ of a slice and my friend had to finish the other ¼. Good thing we only took a half-slice. The cake was even decorated with flowers.

At 10p.m. the Regent dance team did a performance. It was a swing dance. I watched from the second floor, oohing and ahhing with the rest of the crowd as the boys swung the girls every which way around the floor - very exciting. Then the real dancing broke out. All the hip-hop you could imagine. There was an electric slide thrown in the mix too.

We have some talented break dancers at Regent. Unfortunately I did not get a picture, but they were bold enough to part the crowd into a small circle around them as they “broke it down.”

You definitely get a fair share of dancing culture at Regent. It is not a typical Christian college in the sense that they shy away from dancing or even hip-hop dancing for that matter. It makes for quite a varied crowd.

The Christmas ball was great. The only thing missing was champagne. This was a champagne kind of event. Then I remember we are a Christian university and don’t drink champagne - at least not on campus.

Anyways, it was a great night. If you went to the ball, you know what I mean. If you did not go to the ball, I suggest you go next year. It is definitely a defining moment of Regent culture and the Regent experience. ‘Til next year.

And for now, Merry Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all!

I sincerely hope that if you are reading this you had a delicious Thanksgiving, ate way too much, got your fill of family and are ready to finish up the semester....and of course go to the Christmas Ball!

Yey! See you there!

Cheap Gifts for Starving Students

I am a starving college student this year, as I was last year. Maybe even the year before. Having been in school now for awhile, I know what it means when the Christmas season rolls around and it is time to choose between buying the little brother a gift or buying milk.

Decisions, Decisions. I still see no reason why college students cannot give great gifts, though. I say, why not share the love with everyone this year? Just because you are a poor student trying hard to get by, does not mean that you cannot come up with some killer gifts for the fam or your beautiful, wonderful, oh-so-worth-it girlfriend, right?

Here are some great gifts that can be purchased for under $10

1. Bottle of Sparkling Cider. This can be purchased just about anywhere. Just make sure you complete the item with a tied red ribbon.

2. $5 Movies. If you are not yet aware of what I am talking about, then shame on you! Go check out any Walmart, Target, K-Mart or even grocery store and they will be there.

3. Magnets. Do you have a lot of gifts you need to give to the family for Christmas? Please, go find your best photo and put it on a magnet. Google photo magnets and see what happens.

4. Candy. You can buy candy. You can make candy. You can sell candy. Personally, I will be making white-chocolate dipped peppermint sticks this year. Yum.

5. Hand-made Cards. If you are a handy, dandy crafter, you might already have the scrap-book supplies to make these. All it really requires is a little bit of creative thought, some great paper, pens and pretty handwriting. Create-away! (You can also buy $4 packages of gift cards at Ross)

6. Magazines. Either buy someone a subscription or visit the closest thrift store and find some old magazines and wrap them up in a pretty ribbon. No one hates the gift of knowledge.

7. T-shirt. Three words: Walmart Photo Center. Check it out. (Maybe your younger brother’s secret wish is to have a t-shirt with your face on it)

8. Family Photos. Its always great to get everyone together and take a family photo. Being the one to initiate the event (call the photographer, make an appointment, pick the outfits) is a gift in and of itself.

9. Frankencense and Myrrh. If you are feeling traditional, wanting to remind people that Jesus is the reason for the season, Frankincense and Myrrh can be found at organic grocery stores. But please! Make sure you burn incense at least in a bowl, away from a fire extinguisher – it can get messy and smoky, though it makes a great satchel for someone.

10. Ross. One word: Ross. Check them out. They have aisles upon aisles of marked-down, home accessories from department stores. You can find almost anything, and it is likely to be a name brand like Calvin Klein too.

Happy Gift Buying! I hope you steal some deals on Black Friday! Rest assured, I will probably be nestled in my apartment writing papers instead of racing to get a toaster oven first.

Ida: A Picture Story

Hello Ida!

Hurricane Ida hit Virginia Beach this week. It went a little bit like on Monday I was warned a storm was coming. On Tuesday I figured it would just be torrential rain. On Wednesday I tried to walk through this storm to class and my umbrella was completely torn inside out and I got wet. On Thursday class was cancelled and I stayed home. And on Friday I drove in the pouring rain to Harris Teeter and ate free salami, cheese and cake samples.

The storm was more than expected. It involved rain, killer wind and broken trees. Unless the Regent University lawn crew has recently decided to tear down well-established trees for no apparent reason, then Hurricane Ida is left her mark. Eek. She even blew a kiss to Walmart.

Good thing for Walmart that kiss is easily fixed. In Colorado we call these kinds of things flash floods but they don't have the wind. I tried to leave the Regent Commons on Thursday but the foot-deep puddle of water on Centerville Turnpike was a little bit disheartening. I asked my little Honda Civic if she was up for an adventure through the puddle. Partly due to the instructions of my Old Testament professor not to drive through standing puddles but mostly due to common sense, she said "Absolutely not."

As much fun as it would be to spend all my Christmas gift money on getting towed two blocks back to the Regent Commons and having my engine saturated with water, I opted to go back home and watch television instead of dropping off my passport application at the Post Office. It is a good thing that I decided this because when I made it to the Post Office on Friday, there was a paper sign with orange magic marker scribbles saying, "Closed due to Power Outage." Darn for my passport.

When I woke up on Friday morning, there were little leaves like this one plastered all over my car. Best of all, though, was that my car was not a victim of the tree pictured at the top of this post. That would have been a dilemna slightly larger than getting stuck in the Centerville Turnpike puddle.

Life is still good, even with Ida.

I Won't Even Charge 25 Cents...

I made it late on Thursday night and it simmered until Friday morning. All the white beans, chicken, cilantro, cloves, green chilis and cumin rubbed off on each other all night long. Then only a few hours before dropping my chili off at the table with the twelve other chilis, I added a heaping 4 oz. of jalapenos and the result was a biting heat that hit your tongue a few seconds after a a tiny spoonful of the green chili goodness.

My chili at Regent’s 2009 Chili Cook-Off did not win any prizes, but in my opinion it was it was good, downright delicious. I did get a few compliments too. I even had a request that I post the recipe on my blog. So here is my not-so-winning, aromatic and innovative green chili recipe. I won't even charge you 25 cents for it like the last year's winners were charging for their recipes. Beware though, I did have one chili-taster tell me that he could not finish his sample because it was too spicy. Luckily, it was a one time comment. Otherwise the response to my recipe was quite positive.

The initial recipe for this white chili came from simplyrecipes.com. Just to put my own edge on the chili and make it a little personal, I had to improvise the recipe a little. Give it my own western, Tex-Mex touch. Green chili is nothing new to my family and now it does not have to be new to yours. Enjoy.

Hot Green Chili

6 cups chicken broth

1 can great northern beans

1 can cannelloni beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can navy beans

1 lb. chicken breast or boneless thigh meat

1/4 stick of butter

1 garlic clove, minced

2 medium onions, chopped (divided)

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 4-oz. can of diced jalapenos

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

1. Dice chicken into dime-sized pieces. Believe me, this will take a little while. Peel garlic clove, crush and mince into small pieces. Then sauté the chicken in a non-stick saucepan with ¼ stick of butter and minced garlic. Dice both onions and add to the chicken and sauté. After about five minutes add both cans of green chilis to the chicken mixture, then add cumin, oregano, cloves and pepper. Mix thorough and cover. Allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes.

2. In a large crock pot combine chicken broth and beans on high and allow to boil. Add chicken mixture from the skillet and allow to simmer overnight. Allowing the chili to simmer overnight will soften the beans and thicken the broth. In the morning the whole mixture should look more like chili than stew. Add the can of tomatoes and jalapenos and salt to taste. If necessary add more red pepper flakes, cloves or oregano.

Add the cheese and any remaining cilantro. Both items will enhance the taste as you eat the chili! Enjoy! You will have lots of chili!

The Titans Clashed

Yesterday, October 30, 2009, I went and saw the Clash of the Titans political debate. Yes, I splurged, decided to go without Starbucks for a while and buy the $30 ticket. It was money well splurged.

The four big prominent political figures Arianna Huffington, Howard Dean, Dick Armey and John Kasich showed up on Regent University’s campus to discuss the future of America. Joe Scarborough, the host of Morning Joe and The Joe Scarborough Show, mediated the debate.

Even when Pat Robertson waddled to the front of the stage to introduce the event, everyone already knew what they would hear for two hours. Capitalism will survive. It must survive. Still, it is much more fun to pay $30 and see important people in suits, ties and a black skirt say this for national television from our little, private campus. It makes it a little more nostalgic. It makes us feel a little more pre-eminent as we are inspired in the classroom to attack politics and all other spheres of society upon graduation.

In the meantime, I am still fascinated with all the speakers that come to campus. David Jeremiah, Vern Clark, the list this year goes on and on. It was a pleasure to see Arianna Huffington too. I first made my way onto the Huffington Post this last summer and realized it is no conservative hot-bed. Being the writer I am, I like to track popular blogs and I am sure that her blog is beyond the popular realm. It is more into the culture-shaping realm. It is definitely worth a minute of your time if you want to know where modern media is going.

To all the other debate attendees, what did you think of the event?

15 Cool Secrets For Regent Students

Let me start off by saying, if you have survived the last eight weeks of your life and you are a Regent student, I commend you. Whether it by the seat of your pants or not, you made it to fall break! Congratulations! You are a truly accomplished person.

Now that all the newbie’s, like myself, have been here for a full eight weeks there are some neat-o things we have found out about. This is the kind of stuff that makes Regent unique and not all of it is located on the website. Take a look at these 15 findings, maybe there are a few things you did not know:

1. There are free movies for rent in the library! The Communications school here at Regent has a running collection of Academy Award collections, cartoons and religious titles available for check-out in the library. Next time you are there check it out – 2^nd floor, S Room.

2. RU Ready? Luncheons. I personally found this to be a lovely surprise. Basically, these are free pizza lunches available to all Regent students that discuss life on campus, features of Regent and surviving at Regent. The information is helpful; the food is free - like class with free pizza.

3. Christmas Ball. The Christmas Ball is Regent’s one annual gala where all the girls and guys come out dressed up in their best formal wear to do one age old, forgotten past-time – dancing.

4. Ballroom dance lessons for the Christmas Ball. Because everyone wants to go to the Christmas ball, many people spend the three months leading up to the even in December attending dance class. Regent provides pro-rated ballroom dance lessons so students can learn to rumba, cha cha, salsa, swing, foxtrot and waltz. I believe it is $25 for 10 lessons.

5. Almost every event involves free food. There has been virtually no event I have attended on campus that does not involve a free lunch with some delicious hand-made items by the university’s chefs. They take feeding their students seriously.

6. Movies on the Lawn. Just a few weeks ago Regent students and their families gathered to watch Night at the Museum 2 on a projected screen in front of the library. It’s a good thing to do on a Friday night under the stars.

7. For Commons residents, free laundry. Let me say this one more time, FREE LAUNDRY. I believe if you do your laundry once a week, that would save you somewhere between $3-6. That means $12 – 24 dollars a month can be saved or recklessly spent on an impulsive item you most likely don’t need.

8. Carpenter’s Apprentice. This is a great online resource available to students that helps them manage their studies. It is designed to help students with goal-making, planning, and studying. With so many online courses at Regent, it helps to have a resource that helps a student manage all the work. And it is all FREE!

9. Free on-campus counseling from the Psychology grad students. I wish I this was a feature of all my schools in the past. Sometimes, school will make you loose your mind. If you haven’t lost your mind, you will want to loose your mind. It is much better to go and talk about it than to do other things with that feeling and at Regent it is free. You don’t have to spend $60 every time you want a buddy to bounce things off of.

10. Clash of the Titans. This is a debate event coming up at the end of October. Though it costs $25-30 for the Regent student, this is a once in a lifetime event to see key societal leaders debate all the hot issues.

11. Intramural football and the Chili Bowl. Nearly every time I turn around I hear someone ask about the football team. Unfortunately, Regent does not have one. The next best thing is intramurals. All the guys come out and if I am right, we even have a bowl game called the Chili bowl where they all duke it out coming in November.

12. An exclusive relationship with Bank of America. Regent has an exclusive relationship with Bank of America regarding student accounts. The small bank down the road at the Kempsville Shopping Center offers packages specifically designed for Regent students. This saved me a lot of worry time.

13. Visiting Speakers. It is not often that schools will see speakers like David Jeremiah, John Ashcroft, Rheinhard Bonke, American Idol contestants and many prominent people speak on campus.

14. King’s Pantry Food Bank. Created for students in need, this is a supplement for anyone at Regent who doesn’t have enough money to buy food. It is a very helpful resource if you are in need.

15. The fountain has special meaning. I did not find this out until my second or third week of school. The fountain students pass everyday on their way to class has special meaning. In one of the RU Ready? Lunches led by Joel Ladd, I found out that the way the water arches inward toward the center of the fountain is supposed to be a daily reminder of submission. This act of submission is intended to remind the student to continually submit to the will of God and his plan while learning to be at soulish peace during the time spent at Regent.

If you know of any additions to the list above, leave a comment :)

Pre-Conceived Notions: Lessons from Samoa

Many of you have heard about the Tsunami that hit the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific two weeks ago. If you haven’t then you can read about it here. In the Fall of 2006 I spent three months in Western Samoa doing missionary work. Three years ago today I was down in the South Pacific living with native islanders, visiting their homes, eating their roasted pigs, dancing island dances in their church services and wearing their traditional long wraps. Now, some of those people are hard to imagine. Some of them are dead.

No one I personally knew died but as I read my facebook feed, sad stories of family members and loved ones of the people I knew are rolling down my screen. If this thing would have happened three years ago, I could have been a casualty myself. My loved Samoans and YWAM companions could have been the casualties. Life would no longer be about pursuing youthful dreams. It would be about coming back home to the United States in one piece.

Samoa was a place of peace and beauty. Samoa destroyed my pre-conceived notion that God is only in the functional, the highly-spiritual and the overtly religious. God is in the deepest and furthest points of life too. He resides in midnight conversations under palm trees. He resides in the kitchen where people are making food. He stirs hurricanes and tsunamis from the depths of the ocean. He is in Samoa which is now cleaning up watery ash. More than ever when my ideas about the world are being challenged and re-aligned, I am reminded that I am not in as much control as I thought. In a time like this, when the aftermath of Samoa is staring at me in pictures I am reminded that the world is not in line with my pre-conceived notions. I am more on a puppet's string than I ever thought.

Inspiration: Fall

I attended Regent's fall Harvest Fest yesterday and it was great!

Harvest Fest, planned by Regent Undergraduate Council, is one huge let's-celebrate-fall party. There were pie-eating contests, bobbing for apples and free food. The only activity I participated in was bobbing for apples. There was even a costume-judging contest for everyone who came dressed up in fall attire. I went bobbing for apples. I got my hair, face and shirt wet. It took about twice as long as it should have for me to bite an apple. I bet I licked or gnawed on nearly every apple in the pail, it was not my most glamorous moment. Oh well. At least I hope I never see any of the photos on the Regent website!

Anyways, I hope this coming of fall is treating you well. Happy October!

Famous Regent Grads

Lets talk inspiration from history. Regent University has some pretty impressive graduates that have been brought to my attention and I thought I would talk a little about them. Here are a few:

1.) Bob McDonnell. Bob McDonnell is running for Governor in Virginia's 2009 election. He was formerly the Attorney General of Virginia and graduated from Regent University School of Law in 1989.

2.) Jay Sekulow. Jay Sekulow has been named "One of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals" by Time Magazine in 2005. He has worked extensively in Washington as a lawyer and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA as the Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a Trustee for Regent University and also a professor in the Regent's School of Law. He recieved his Ph.D. from Regent in American Legal History.

3.) Tony Hale. Tony Hale is most famous for his portrayal of the child-like and eccentric Buster Bluth on the sitcom Arrested Development. Though the show only ran three seasons, Hale has gone on to be a guest on various television shows like Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia and ER. He recieved a master's degree from Regent's School of Communications and the Arts.

4.) Cheryl McKay. Cheryl McKay is a screen writer most famous for the 2006 film The Ultimate Gift starring James Garner and Abigail Breslin. Her screenplay Never the Bride has been adapted into novel format and was released by Random House publishers in June 2009. Cheryl earned her Masters of Arts in Film Aesthetics & Prodcution in 1995.

5.) George Thomas. For any 700 club fans, you may know George Thomas as an international correspondent and senior reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network. He recieved his Masters in Journalism from Regent's School of Communication & the Arts in 1995.

I am suprised at how many famous people have walked the same brick pathways that I take to class everyday. Have an excellent week everyone!

Pho Sure

If you are reading this, I am assuming that you have been surfing the web for a few minutes now and probably need a break. Now would be an excellent time for my Pho Soup Recipe.

One night about three weeks ago, I developed a recipe for this delicious soup. I think the same day I set off the smoke alarm in my apartment because I tried to make pastry crème and burned a nice black ring in the bottom of my only sauce pan. Instead of feasting on burnt cake icing, I decided to move onto more savory things -things like Pho.

Pho is a Vietmanese noodle soup that tastes something like….palm trees, if palm trees had a flavor. It is a slightly spicy soup made with rice noodles and herbs. If you enjoy exotic foods, you have got to try this, it is delicious. I had some great pictures but accidentally deleted them from my computer, oops. Here it is:

Pho Soup

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2lb. of chicken breast or tenders

1 pkg. rice noodles

1 bunch cilantro

1 pkg. fresh basil

1 jalapeno pepper

1 head Chinese cabbage

salt and pepper

1. Fill a sauce pan half full with water and place it on a burner turned to HIGH. Bring water to a boil and add the chicken to the water. Boil until the chicken is cooked and white in the middle. Drain the chicken and leave it on some paper towels to cool. As soon as it is cool, pull it apart until it looks “shredded”. It will be in many different pieces.

2. On a cutting board, slice half the head of Chinese cabbage into pieces ¼” in width. Set aside to be added to the soup. Take half of the cilantro bunch and chop into small pieces setting aside to be added to the soup. Pull the basil leaves from the and set aside to be added to the soup. Chop the jalapeno pepper and set aside.

3. Fill another saucepan with the chicken broth and the 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the package of rice noodles and cooked chicken. Simmer until noodles are soft, most likely 5 minutes. Then add the Chinese cabbage and jalapeno pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Take the saucepan off the stovetop and add the cilantro and basil. Use salt and pepper to taste.

The soup should store well for 5-7 days in the fridge. If you don’t like hot foods, don’t add the jalapeno. It is great either way.

"I Don't Know What I Want To Do"

I am hearing it all over campus from various different people in various different studies.

“I don’t know what I want to do.”

College has a way of pressurizing people. I think somewhere along the line we all thought that we were supposed to know what we want to do. Like knowing what you want to do for the next 50 years when you are eighteen years old is a normal thing.

I don’t think it is normal. I don’t think it is normal one bit. When I first started college as an 19 year old, I applied to Regent Undergrad as a psychology major. After being accepted and rejecting the acceptance, I reopened the application two years later as an English major.

Will I be reading books, analyzing philosophy and writing essays two years from now? Maybe. Is it more likely that I will be doing something completely different than I ever thought? Absolutely. Sometimes the open-ended, answer-less questions in our lives like What do I want to do with my life? Are the ones that leave the most room for God to work.

If you don’t know what you want to do with your life, wait. Give it time. These things come to us. After all, its not like your parents are still wallowing in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn, a nose ring and 4-5 friends saying I don’t know what I want to do with my life.

These things have a way of working themselves out.

Things They Don't Say in Orientation

I am already beginning to hear whispers around my classrooms. Its about the time when school gets tough and the sound of tears from the room over are not rare. The first year students are missing home…alot. The work load is starting to pile up as the realities of college life set in for all students. Here are five things that helped me get through freshman year and my years as a transfer student that they don't tell you in orientation:

1. Give it Time. Many freshman students leave after the first two weeks. Then some leave at Christmas. College life is a huge adjustment that can take up to a year to be comfortable with. When home-sickness is strong, reach out to others. The best places I have found to meet people are the laundry room, the fitness center, class, clubs and through just being a charming and out-going individual not afraid to shake a hand or smile. Friendships will come. Whatever you do, get your mind off of the fact that this huge life-change has thrown your life into a frenzy. Part of college is learning to be outward and intentional about social life. Its ok to take a time to adjust. In the long-term, you won’t regret it.

2. Decorate Your Room. If where you are living does not feel like home, it is likely that you won’t stay there. Try putting up some posters, or my personal favorite – curtains. The little things like funky cups, homey blankets, sweet smelling scents make a world of difference to how comfortable you feel. Its worth the splurge at Target or Walmart to make sure that you feel at home and are living in an environment that is comfortable enough to allow focus to be on studies.

3. Reward Yourself. College studies are grueling. They possibly equate to the most reading you will ever do in your life. According to the book Light on the Path, an undergraduate student typically reads as many as 150 pages every week or more! When the week is over and you have finally finished all the reading, discussion posts and papers, don’t forget to reward yourself. It can mean buying a candy bar the size of your arm or planning the world’s largest all-floor sleepover in the hallway. Just don’t forget that you matter and taking care of you is as important as reading is to college success.

4. Buy Good Food. Ultimately we are what we eat. If you fill your stomach with sugar and processed food, it will make the brain foggy and confused. If you fill it with foods that are part of a balanced diet, it will provide for more energy and mental function. If you are having trouble studying, try cutting out sugar, it will change how you feel. Good food is worth the splurge at the grocery store. Sugar will always be a staple in the college student’s diet but don’t forget about fruits and veggies, meats and dairy. It will make a world of difference.

5. Visit the Profs. Professors can seem so intelligent and intimidating even though they are paid to help students. When a professor holds office hours, don’t hesitate to visit. If you need help with an area in the class, go seek advice. Go and talk to them about why they chose to be a professor and what super-cool reason led them to Regent. This is supposedly the nation’s pre-eminent Christian university. The professors here did not come because no one else was hiring. College professors have great stories too. You never know, it could turn out to be a smart networking move for your future.

I hope these all help. They helped me. Best of luck this week J

Hello World!

I am stunned by how beautiful Virginia Beach is! Just a few weeks ago I made the 1800 mile voyage from Denver, Colorado over cities and plains to move to little, sea-level Virginia Beach to pursue a undergraduate degree in English at Regent University. People seem to catch onto the fact that I am a "Denverite" quickly. This is probably because of how much I stop to take a picture every time I see the beach or a Shoney’s.

I came to Regent University because of two things - God and writing. I started off college in public university where I quickly learned that if I wanted to write formally, and be communicating information with impact, it was important that I put myself in a position of opportunity. What is a position of opportunity? It is where there is the most possibility for good things to happen to you. Regent is a position of opportunity.

My second reason for coming to Regent was to find a someone to marry then become fruitful and multiply. That was a joke. I have to make sure we all have a good sense of humor here. There is a underground Christian motto about Christian colleges, the age old proverb, “Ring before senior spring or your money back.” I do not consider that to be something Regent Students start planning at freshman orientation. The mantras here are more like, “If I make it to Senior spring, I will have survived and will meet Pat Robertson at graduation!” Who doesn't want to meet the affectionate "P.Rob" as they call him here? I do.

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. My name is Julie and I hope to be blogging generally about my impressions of Regent, my personal college experience and the suprises about Regent they don't tell on the website. All of this will be seasoned with a little bit of sarcasm of course. So its nice to meet you. Please feel free to leave me comments.