To begin, today was both one of the most stressful and one of the most fun that I have had in awhile. I participated in a debate (or “informal conversation”) tonight, with Stuart as my Republican counterpart, and we did fairly well. It was a pleasant discussion, which made me really happy.

Believe it or not, I am NOT fond of political bickering. I don’t mind discussing and disagreeing, but there are times when it gets out of hand and I was nervous about that because I know the nature of my opponents (and no, that is not a blanket statement about Democrats). But, it was pleasant!

What made the evening extra fun was spending it with my girls (Leslie, Sara, Christina and Allison). We were finally able to watch our video from our road trip in March 2002. It had been misplaced since our trip, and was found recently. We laughed so hard at ourselves, and it only made me love these girls more–because we still have just as much fun together, though we are more mature now (that was DEFINITELY evident after watching ourselves on that video). So many memories came back…and it was just such a great experience!

I have been SO blessed by these girls (and not only these 4–Jessica, Cara and others are a part of the group as well!). I am so excited to see where our friendships take us after we graduate.

In response to my last post and the comments that were given…I know that they were quite partisan, and I am sorry for that. Believe me, I KNOW all too well that the Republican party is imperfect as well! I suppose the past few posts have been a reflection of the last few days, which have been tense and nerve-wracking for many reasons.

I know that the Democratic party is not composed of bad people. I know that they are not inept. Please understand that. However, at my school, the Democrats that I interact with on a daily basis often are uninformed and are the kind of people that give “fuel” to the Republicans. And being around them the past few days has made me frustrated.

I know the voter fraud issues are not solely Democratically caused–but when I saw that ballot from Cleveland I just couldn’t understand how that could be a mistake. At all. Still can’t.

So I’m sorry for posting without fully considering the implications of my words. I am a Republican, and my political posts will reflect those views. But I do apologize for the blanket statements.

And with that, I am going to bed…to fall asleep listening to the pouring rain.

Wow. My roommate Kaitlin posted this regarding Cleveland’s atrocious ballot. I mean, come on folks! This seriously appears to be a Democratically produced ballot–and it is ridiculous! Now, possibly hundreds of ballots will be marked incorrectly, with the loser in the deal being Bush.

Thanks a lot, Dems, for “fair elections.” Give me a break.

It’s going to be a long day, so just one quick note. (not like I haven’t blogged enough in the past two days, LOL).

I think I have accidentally killed my beloved plant that I’ve had for 5 years! 😦

I transplanted it into a bigger pot the other day, and I have never had problems with doing so in the past. However, now the plant is kind of wilting and looks pitiful! For those who know me, you know that my 5-6 plants are a joy to me because I love helping things grow. This plant has so much character! Its leaves turn orange and yellow when it is warm enough! So if it dies, I will be really sad…

Anyway, long day ahead. Have a blessed Tuesday!

Please take 3 minutes to watch this short film about Kerry…EVERYONE in America needs to be informed about this man…I certainly do NOT want him as my Commander-in-Chief…NO WAY.

Nathaniel Whitehead, 2nd birthday

My cousin/nephew* is so cute! Just wanted to share this picture with y’all–he’s so cute in his train conductor’s outfit! He LOVES trains.

*I call him both my cousin and my nephew because he is 20 years younger than me, and I decided that I wanted to be “Aunt Lesa”…so I am! 🙂

There is an ongoing (and never-ending) discussion in the library (in which I work) about which day is better: Monday or Friday. Usually, I just laugh and observe because I prefer Wednesdays. But today my mentor was proved correct in saying that Mondays are the worst days.

It started out okay…it’s “Global Vision Week” on campus, which is something I don’t always look forward to…but I won’t go there…Chapel was interesting–but it went ten minutes longer than it was supposed to.

You may be thinking “ten minutes isn’t a big deal!” and normally you would be right. However, my class after chapel is in one of APU’s satellite classrooms (meaning that is it not on either of our campuses, but rather in a shopping center across the street from our soccer complex). To get there, you have to catch the trolley and then you have to walk about a 5 minute walk.

Leslie and I were unable to get on the first two trolleys that came because they were full. So we waited…and waited…and by the time a trolley came, it was already 10 minutes into class. We had a MIDTERM today! We got to class TWENTY minutes late because of the trolleys. Unbelievable. It would have been faster for us to walk back to our apartment complex, get a car and drive over there…

Other things have happened today that just made me irritated…but at least the weather is beautiful! It is going to rain in the next couple of days, and the sky is gray. I love it.

Stuart and I have been getting ready for the “informal discussion” (otherwise known as a debate, as far as our “opponents” are concerned) that will take place tomorrow night with both Republican and Democratic representatives from within the Political Science department. I’m kinda nervous, because I’m not as educated on foreign policy as I am on domestic, but I have tonight and tomorrow to brush up. Stuart is definitely a foreign policy kind of guy, so he knows his stuff. We’ve got some great quotes and facts to throw at the Democrats when they try to use the same lines they always do. Basically, we’ve just got to use common sense–which isn’t always the case with “the other side” (i.e., bilateral talks with North Korea…what are they thinking?!)

Anyway, enough for now. It’s just another “manic Monday”, and this too will pass. 🙂

This past weekend was full of memories, and reflection upon the past…and I’m not sure why or what brought it on.

In particular, I thought of someone that I hadn’t thought of in a while, and began to miss them. (Don’t try to guess who this is, because it isn’t who most of you would expect…:-).

Memories of moments spent together, of conversations we had…places we went together…all these memories came flooding back…and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

It has always been hard for me to move on when friendships fade, because I hang on to the joy and the good times…I had done pretty well over time with this one. However, this weekend as I relived experiences with this person in my mind, I felt saddened and I felt as if I possibly was doing the wrong thing by distancing myself. All the good qualities of this person came back into my mind, and I have been waging a battle within myself to remember the reasons why the friendship faded away.

It’s ironic how in retrospect things can look completely different…people can seem like angels, when they really tore you apart inside…you forget the mistakes, the insults, the hurt, the deception…you forget all the times they tried to change you into someone they wanted you to be…and all you remember are the shining moments, the moments when you felt the most at peace with this person…when you loved this person a great deal, and it seemed like nothing could tear you apart…

I think that in this instance I’d have to disagree with the saying that “hindsight is 20/20”, because my vision is definitely blurred at the moment, pertaining to this person. I cannot seem to remind myself enough that if I hadn’t left this friendship, I would not be where I am today–working towards wholeness, and becoming more and more confident in who I am.

I just have to remember that the Lord gives and takes away (Job…can’t remember the verse), and that I have to continue along the path on which He has placed me. This person was in my life for a reason, and I am grateful, for I have grown and matured despite the pain and hurt that caused the growth…

“…I will walk through the fire if You want me to…it may not be the way I would have chosen…You never said it would be easy–You only said I’ll never go alone.” –Ginny Owens

I am in the process of creating an online photo album! I have about 30 pictures uploaded as of now, so feel free to look! Yay pictures!

This article makes me laugh, simply because of the problems we saw in 2000…

But, it also makes me nervous, because the last thing our country needs to deal with is voter fraud. That is something that happens in Third World countries–NOT the United States!

Florida…