So, there has been a lot of talk on my campus these days about whether or not APU should have supported MTV’s “Rock the Vote” as it did. Many believe (myself included) that there are MANY other ways to get people interested, rather than supporting a venue such as MTV, whose message does NOT go along with our school’s motto: God First. Also, MTV has recently created a draft card with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s “signature” on it…ridiculous. They kept bringing up this rumor of the draft, even though there has been no proof that either candidate is thinking about drafting soldiers.

I received this press release today, from the California College Republicans. If you are in the area, I’d encourage you to attend this protest! If I didn’t have to work, I would be there.

Life is busy…midterms this week and next. Really difficult one on Thursday…Yikes! 🙂

It’s been raining for the past few days–SO awesome! Except for the minor flooding, it is greatly appreciated. Perhaps we won’t have major fires this November, like we have the past two years.

Many options for after graduation are coming my way…contemplating applying for some prestigious programs, even though I may not get in. Who knows–I have 199 days to decide! 🙂

I’m on a political panel next week, with one other Republican and two democrats…that should be interesting for sure! I have to really know my stuff.

More later…when life slows down!

We here in the University Park apartments at APU are easily amused, to say the least. And on Thursday nights we anxiously await the arrival of 9:15pm. Why, you might ask?

The APU Pool Club.

It is seriously one of the funniest things we have ever seen. At 9:15pm, anywhere from 20-30 guys run into our court, in shorts (some of which are WAY too short!)…they yell “pool club” as they run in, and jump in the pool.

They then proceed to get right out of the pool, and run somewhere else. Rumor has it that they run to an apartment (or dorm), soaking wet, and they get the apartment a little wet. We aren’t really sure of what they do while they are gone for about 20 minutes.

Then, they run back in and jump in the pool and begin their “rituals”…LOL…it’s seriously so funny because they get SO into it. They do various things before getting in a circle and yelling “We pee standing up!” Then they disperse until the next Thursday…

The railings are lined with people who come out to watch them…and it is the highlight of our Thursdays.

I will try to get some pictures next week. Tonight someone was taking pictures, and the guys freaked out–I wonder if they want this to be a “secret society” or something, LOL!!!

Anyway, the APU Pool Club provides my roommates and I with much joy. Can’t wait ’til next week!

I had forgotten about this site… Wow, that seems so long ago that I had these aspirations! Check it out–it is interesting, to say the least!

I just wanted to say that I am proud to say that George W. Bush is my president–and he did such a great job tonight! SO much passion, so much intensity…he was on fire tonight! And I was SO proud!!

Well, life is good. No complaints from the past two days…none at all. I’ve been feeling better physically, mentally, emotionally, etc., than I have in a really long time. Counseling is going well–in fact, I probably only have to go to a couple more sessions; my counselor today said that I have grown incredibly fast, and have made remarkable progress. 🙂 Praise the Lord! It is only by HIS strength and His mercy that I have come this far so quickly.

I cannot express how different I feel since I have decided to focus on becoming whole and on becoming more focused on God. It is incredible! I am so thankful! I have really dealt with some tough issues in the past few weeks, and have been set free from the restraints they placed upon my heart. Freedom!

This is week three with no dairy–and I have been amazed at how GREAT I’ve felt physically! Now I’ve realized why I have had stomach pains for years…it all goes back to milk. I’ve known that I was lactose intolerant for about two and a half years now, but I didn’t cut out dairy completely. Now I only drink almond milk, and I have developed a taste for soy ice cream–there are some kinds that taste just like real ice cream!

So basically, life is going really well…I can’t complain…:) Phillip Yancey is speaking in chapel tomorrow–and I am more excited about him coming than any other speaker this year!

God is good, all the time…

In my mind, there are appropriate and inappropriate places to campaign. For example, it is entirely appropriate to campaign at a university, or door-to-door, etc.

But a church is entirely off-limits in my mind.

The house of God is a place where people come to worship and adore their Maker…it’s a place where they often come to escape the happenings of the world, and to fellowship with fellow believers…

It is NOT a place for political candidates to come and speak and hold a political rally, basically, during the worship service. I do believe that it is important for church goers, as with the rest of the country, to be informed, and to know the candidates and their stands…but I do NOT agree that a candidate should come and speak during a worship service.

I don’t care if you are Republican, Democrat, Independent, or Bull Moose (yes, that is an actual party!)…church is NOT the place to campaign.

Why do I rant about this? Because Senator Kerry did just that today. I am appalled. He turned a worship service, which is all about GOD, into a political rally, basically, which is about KERRY.

Whatever…Just wanted to rant a bit… 🙂

I love traveling…I love seeing the beautiful earth that the Lord has created…and more and more I find myself itching to leave the North American continent…I want to see Eastern Europe, Italy, Russia…South America…Australia…

So today I looked into prices for flights within Europe, and hostels, and such, just for fun…and discovered that with food and everything, I can backpack around Europe for under $1000. A flight from London to Florence is (and I’m not kidding) 1.99 pounds!! That’s like $5!!! RyanAir is one of the best values within Europe, and I was AMAZED!!

The most expensive part is getting from California to London, which is around $500. That is AMAZING! Not that I have that much money, but it is more realistic than I ever dreamed!

I also am trying to get together a road trip for Spring break…I love road trips! A nine-state road trip is in the works…

Sigh…these are the times when I wish that I had money, so that I could do these things that I’d like to do. For now, I’ll just dream and plan about the day that I’ll finally be able to see the world…and that will leave me content.

So, I am now considering studying in Lithuania in May! A man came today to my International Relations class, to talk about the study abroad opportunities that our school has with Lithuania Christian College…and it has made me so excited! I have always wanted to see Eastern Europe–much more so than Western, and this would be the perfect opportunity! I have until March to apply, so I am going to really prayerfully consider this…it would be so amazing to get to travel all around Eastern Europe–and I wouldn’t have to worry so much about school, because I will already have my B.A. 🙂

That’s about all that’s going on right now…I’m going to watch Gladiator tonight, since we’re studying the Roman Empire in my World Civ. class…great excuse to watch it! 🙂