My Memory Book

So over fall break I saw this memory book in Barnes and Nobles. Basically every page is a date and you fill in the year. Next to the year is an entry spot where you can list your memorable moment of that day. I love journals and books suck as these. Of course I didn't buy the one at Barnes and Nobles because it was too expensive. I found one online that was way cheaper and it came into the mail today! I'm super excited to ready this five years from now to see how I have changed. Good stuff !

Mom and Me

Just thought I would post a couple of pictures of my super awesome Mom and myself! Below we are in front of the Christmas tree that is located in the lobby of CBN building. It is a beautiful tree!

 This was us in front of another Christmas tree that was downtown. We took this picture the night of the grand illumination parade! We love the Christmas trees!

Divine Intervention for Extra Credit

I am not a perfect student. Don't get me wrong, I certainly try to get all my work done on time to the best of my ability because that is not such a hard thing to accomplish but it doesn't always happen.

Right now I am taking a Script Writing class for my Cinema-TV major. We had to turn in a story bank of 13 ideas that we could work with over the semester. The goal is for one of those 13 ideas to become a full blown, awesomely written script! My story bank was not turned in on time. In fact it was turned in a week late which means I received a zero for the assignment. I didn't mean to turn the assignment in a week late! It just unfortunately slipped my mind and because of that I received my zero honorably and without complaint.

Well the following class my teacher offered extra credit but it was the type of extra credit that only required one person. All of us who raised our hands for a chance at the extra credit had to pick a number between 1-20 and the closest person would be able to complete the assignment. Before I picked my number I said a quick prayer and asked the Lord to let the first number that came to my head be the correct one. Before I even finished my prayer the number 12 popped into my mind and right as it did the teacher called on me. I said 12 and a few moments later I found out I had won the extra credit!

I cheered a little bit too loud when I found out that the number the teacher had chosen was exactly 12 but I...I don't want to say I couldn't believe it but I couldn't! A small prayer for a silly request and God responded so quickly.

The story gets even better because today as I was walking through the COM building to get to my History of Film and Television class I ran into my Script Writing teacher. He told me he would take the extra credit grade and use it towards my zero instead. What a blessing! A zero can have a huge impact on your total grade so I was more than happy that he offered this as an option.

God is so great always!

Me as of Now

I enjoy taking personality test every once and a while because I find it interesting to see how I've changed throughout the years. I just finished up taking a DISC personality test and here are my results! I feel like they hit the nail on the head. This is Me as of right Now.

So this is the pie graph of my personality I guess. If you can't see it I scored 44% Influence, 28% Steadiness, 20% Dominance, 8% Compliance

Dominance

Comparatively Low

Here are some traits and behaviours that describe people who are comparatively low in Dominance:

• tend to want peace and harmony.
• prefer to let others initiate action and resolve problems.
• are quiet and indirect in their approach to most situations.
• are usually cautious and calculate risks carefully before acting.

They are generally well liked because of their mild and gentle nature. Other people will tend to see them as being patient, calm, thoughtful and a good listener.

Influence

Comparatively High

Here are some traits and behaviours that describe people who are comparatively high in Influence:

• are strongly interested in meeting and being with people.
• are generally optimistic, outgoing, and socially skilled.
• are quick at establishing relationships.

Sometimes their concern for people and people's feelings may make them reluctant to disturb a favourable situation or relationship.

Steadiness

Comparatively Low

Here are some traits and behaviours that describe people who are comparatively low in Steadiness:

• tend to enjoy change and variety in their work and non-work life.
• are expansive by nature and tend not to like routine and repetitive work/activities.

They enjoy stretching themselves intellectually and physically.

Compliance

Comparatively Low

Here are some traits and behaviours that describe people who are comparatively low in Compliance:

• are independent and uninhibited.
• resent rules and restrictions.
• prefer to be measured by results and are always willing to try the untried.

Free in thought, word and deed, they long for freedom and go to great lengths to achieve it.
They feel that repetitive detail and routine work is best "delegated" or avoided.

Try it out for yourself and see what you get!    http://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/

My Mortal Enemy

Below you will see a picture of a simple button that has made my life pretty painful and embarrassing these last few days. Let me tell you why.

In the Commons there are four entrances to each building; front, back, and the sides. Each entrance has a button like the one fashioned below. As you can see in the image the button says "Push to Exit". Pushing a button to unlock these doors so I may exit the building has been a foreign concept to me. There have been many times now, I am reluctant to admit, that I have been in a rush to go somewhere and I race toward the door just to have it budge only the slightest amount. But of course an object in motion stays in motion so I, usually my upper body and once my face, slam into the door itself.

After a quick look around to make sure no one saw the fight I just lost with the door I reach over, push the button and let myself continue rushing away to my next destination.

WHAT! HOT AIR BALLONS!?

Oh my! If you haven't heard, CBN's 50th anniversary is coming up and Regent will be the party place for this celebration. I am so excited for this anniversary because not only is it historic in our university's history but it is also sure to be alot of fun. Since I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to check my emails again I noticed an email from Kimberly Sawyer about this event. I was lead to a website that gave so much more information about the anniversary activites.

http://www.cbn.com/special/cbn-50th-broadcasting/

What especially caught my attention was the fact that there will be HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES!! Riding in a hot air balloon is one of my bucket list items! I always get so excited when I have the chance to cross off a bucket list item. Nothing will get in the way of this girl riding on a hot air balloon on October 1st!

Sounds like advice my Dad would give me

Stumbleupon

I really love this picture. It is so precious.

Pros and Cons of On Campus Living

It has finally happened. I am now an On Campus Student! I love being close to everyone and everything but I am slowly discovering the pros and cons of being a resident at Regent University.

PROS

• I save gas now that everything is in walking distance.
• I can stay up as late as I want because I have no curfew to follow.
• I have access to a gym and my laundry is done without cost.
• All my friends are only a few doors away.
• I finally have a life group!!
• My church is right across the street. Shout out to New Life Providence!
• It is super cool to have a swipe key that allows me into The Commons
• I can decorate my stuff however I want. I love putting pictures around my desk and lights around my bed.

CONS

• I live in a studio and I hate hate hate my top bunk bed. It hurts my feet to climb up it and I've already hit my head on the ceiling three times this week. Also, if I get a phone call but my phone is not in the bed with me I have to jump down to get it.
• I can't cook so my meals have been consisting of left over pizza, dollar store mash potatoes, and microwaved hot dogs.
• I live on the 2nd floor and I'm afraid to play Just Dance II on my Wii. There is a lot of jumping and moving around. I don't want my 1st floor neighbors to be mad.
• I have to buy all my own stuff now! 
• Did I mention I HATE my bunk bed.

There you have it! My pros and cons list. Luckily I still have my home to retreat back to if things get too crazy...or I need to steal some good food. Either way I am just happy to be here at Regent for another year!

Oh yeah...the school part

I've been super excited for this new school year to start. I'm excited to lead RUC and give our Council a well needed make over. I'm psyched to be on campus living on my own! I can't wait to see all my friends again. It is going to be a great year for sure.

Then an unexpected email landed in my inbox.

It was an email from one of my future professors! This whole time while I was getting ready to go back to school I forgot all about the schooling part. I love the extra stuff when it comes to Regent but I am here to get myself an education.

It is time for me to get excited about the education part of Regent even though it comes with aspects I don't enjoy such as quizzes, extensive studying, and exams.

Drop the V but leave the P

For the pass year I have been the Regent Undergraduate Council's Vice President. After finding out about RUC this was a role I jumped to fill when I heard about special elections. As a freshman this might not have been the smartest decision as I was already trying to adjust to college lifestyle. Thank God everything worked out! I loved my role on the council. I loved all that we did and I had a good time. I ran for re-election in the spring elections and ran unopposed. I was ready for another year as RUC's VP....

BUT THEN...

*Dramatic Music*

...THERE WAS A TWIST!

After some unforeseen circumstances I have recently been promoted from Vice President to President. Yes World. I am the Regent Undergraduate Council President. It has taken me so long to blog about this and here the post finally is!

I'm excited because I have so many ideas to make this year the best one RUC has ever had!
I'm nervous because I want everything to work out just right.
I'm grateful because I have a team of people who are backing me up and supporting me through the important decisions. I've made myself a team of advisors!
I'm blessed because of this opportunity and all the glory always goes to God.

I just can't wait for the new school year to start; even though I know once it starts I will be waiting on fall break to come.

It is going to be a good year.

My Smart Phone!

I finally had enough money and a useable upgrade with verizon to buy myself a smartphone!! I've been loving the new technology that comes with these smart phones and after so much research I bought my own LG REVOLUTION!

I'm so happy with my new phone. I'm loving all the super cool apps! I have a weakness for new things but I never want my possessions to have any hold on my life. After I bought my phone I sat in my car, thanked God for allowing me the ability to purchase such an item, and then prayed I would never let material things have a hold on me. I might have taken it too far by telling the Lord if he wanted to I would break my phone right then and there just to prove my items don't control me. Thankfully the Lord didn't ask that of me. Whew! Still loving it and I just wanted to share.

This is a picture of me, trying to take a picture of my phone. Lol. Came out weird.

Jesus Always!

Today I had the radio on as I was cleaning my Aunt and Uncle's house. I was listening to Pittsburgh's K-love when I heard a woman who had called in say "If things were always going good why would I need Jesus?" She said this in a happy way and I think she was eluding to the song that sings about praising God in the storms as well as the sunshine (metaphorically). After she said this though I thought "Well, even if everything was going absolutely perfect in my life I would still need Jesus."

Let's say I have all the money in the world. My family and loved ones are happy. My life is filled with laughter, fun, and hard work that is meaningful to me. I'm able to spread God's love to everyone I meet. Even if all this stuff came true nothing would be better than having God in my life. This world is not my home and the only way I can truly get back to the place I belong is through Jesus Christ.

That just hit me today and it is a happy realization.

My mom and I were having our usual argument…that isn't really an argument. It is just us talking until one of us has the clever last word. Finally, I had the clever last word! Here is how the conversation went:

 

Mom: Leaving dishes in the sink over night is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Me: Why?

Mom: Because I don't like to wake up in the morning to a sink full of dishes

Me: Just don't look at the sink

Mom: I can't not look at the sink. I have to look at the sink. It is a pet peeve!

Me: You know what my pet peeve is?

Mom: …

Me: Terrorist. Let's compare pet peeves and see whose is worse.

Vote for Me and Henry!

For Cow Apperciation Day, I dressed up like a cow so I could get some free Chick-fil-A! Henry came with me. Vote for us here!

www.cowappreciationday.com/gallery/detail/535

My New Job

For the past year and a half I have been working as a cashier/hand out your ice cream gal at Dairy Queen. It was a minumum wage job that had flexible but odd hours. I enjoyed my time at Dairy Queen because I had fun, I met really great people, and I learned a few cool things about ice cream.

Yesterday on July 5th at 8 am my two week notice for Dairy Queen was final and I started my new job in Regent's Admissions office! That's right everyone! I work in an office now!

It was so great. I do transcripts which seemed crazy confusing at first but I think I am getting it down. Yesterday I did computer work, I stapled papers, I filed names, I shreded documents, I called other colleges and universities, I made copies, I learned how to use a fax machine!

Yes world I know how to use a Fax Machine! Bahahah

I know some of you may be thinking...Leila, why are you so excited about an office job?

Well concerned individual I'll tell you why. I like new experiences, I like helping people, and I like making money. I am doing all of the above at this new job. It also pays more than DQ does and I have more hours to work so that is a great plus.

Well I have to go get ready for work now! I hope you all have a good day. Even if you don't have a good day, a wise professor once told my class "Enjoy your toils..." He said a lot of other really inspiring things but I don't remember them good enough to put it in quotes.

My Favorite Things: Week 1

Website: http://www.createmytattoo.com/

I have wanted to get a tattoo for the pass two years that is based on the bible verse Psalm 139:14 which says "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." This verse holds a lot of meaning to me and I want a beautiful yet creative design to represent it. Well after a long creative process of my own with no results I found this website, creatmytattoo.com! I can give a description of what I am looking for and then hold a contest for a community of artist to design my tattoo! The winning design receives a cash prize that I provide and I receive a product of my own.

Museum: Newseum of Washington D.C.

The Newseum is exactly what its name implies. A museum of news! Now this may sound boring but it is the best museum I have ever attended. There are six floors of wonderful exhibits and after six hours I only visited the first three floors. There is so much information and every single bit of it is captivating. I viewed Pulitzer Prize winning photographs dating back 20 years, I touched a piece of the fallen Berlin Wall, and I left a thank you note on a memorial that was made for journalist who died in the field. Luckily, my ticket is good for two days because I am going back tomorrow to visit the last three floors. Highly recommended to anyone visiting D.C.

Show: Hawthorne

Wooo! Hawthorne is my summer show! Jada Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, a RN at her hospital. This season opened up very dramatically and has continued very dramatically. I have an alarm on my phone for every Tuesday night at 10 pm so I catch my show.

Purchases: Seed Paper Cards

I found these cute, mini cards in an art store. They are made of seed paper so each card is full of flower seeds. The idea is to write, plant, and grow. You write a note to someone, they read it and then plant the card, and then the card grows into a beautiful boquet of flowers. I bought three cards each. They are in the shape of a flower, a pot, and a heart. I am going to use these cards to write notes to God. Then I can plant the seeds and watch my prayers grow. Check out the website if you are interested. http://www.bloomin.com/

P.S. sorry for the awkward spacing on my last few blogs. I don't know why that is happening.

My Netflix Personality

If my Netflix Account defined my personality it would look something like this:

Critically-Acclaimed Dark 20th Century Period Pieces

Goofy Movies

Feel-Good Fantasy for Ages 11 to 12

Witty TV Comedies

Witty TV Dramas

Stand up Comedy

Haha.

A Floor to Myself

I really enjoy living in the commons while I am a SOAR leader but I must say it is a bit creepy to be on a whole floor by myself. Steph, the Purple team leader, went home for the night so it is just me with a bunch of empty dorms.

Only a few hours ago these rooms were filled with excited incoming freshmen but they all went home. It is like the life was sucked out of the 2^nd floor.

Of course Regent is holy ground which makes me even a little more cautious as I am coming around the corners of the empty halls. One story I heard last year in class was about a group of students who were praying the evil that had crept into the commons out of the building. As they were praying they saw a huge angel come through the halls and smack the small dark figures of evil out. I wasn't there and I don't know how accurate this story is but I am going to assume the evil was in the form of demons. One of the cool things about this story is that the mighty angel was smacking the demons out of the commons with a small bat. The demons were not a threat in any sense as they were scooted right out of the building.

I know angels are nothing to mess around with. They are powerful spiritual warriors and I'm sure it is no hard task for them to push evil away from those who are trying to combat it. It is wonderful to think that demons are nothing but small shadows that quiver and run in fear of the holiness we have inside of us. As long as we don't let them stay and manifest themselves we are always protected.

I think that is why I am a little bit cautious when I round the corners of the second floor. I am always nervous but hoping that I might see an angel in the hallways watching over everything. What a blessing it would be to meet or even get a glimpse at something so mighty, holy, wise, and close to our Father. Gives me good goose bumps.

Well…since I have this whole floor to myself I think I'm going to go take all the mattresses and make a fort in the hallway. Wish me luck!

Before SOAR

This week has been pretty snazzy.

I started working as an OL which stands for Orientation Leader for SOAR which stands for Summer and/or Student Orientation And Registration!!

I remember attending SOAR last year and at the end of it all I wondered "How could I be apart of something this fun and helpful?!" Well all it took was an application and an interview and here I am today. The Orange Orientation Leader for the upcoming freshman.

The students arrive next week on Monday and the second group arrives on Thursday. I am super stoked just because I know it will all be so much fun. I've been vlogging a lot during what I like to call pre-SOAR so I can put a video together at the end of it all. I was going to post a clip of some of the fun stuff we have been doing to prepare but blogger won't let me...sooo just pretend you saw a funny and exciting clip that you enjoyed immensly instead.

Summer, SOAR, & So Much More

Well Summer 2011 for me started around 2 months ago and it has been a good season in the life of Leila so far!

I ended my freshman year at Regent with a road trip to Ohio with my new best friend Chelsea Adams. I had never been to Ohio before and my time spent there was fun. The Ohio country side is very hilly, something I didn't know as Chelsea sped down the narrow streets in the darkness of the night. It was like a surprise roller coaster that made me scream.
After my week in Ohio I came home and spent my time working at DQ, hanging out with friends, and searching for more scholarships.
I had the urge for a personal change so I cut all my hair off. Well, not all of it but it is the shortest it has ever been in my life. I love it! It is easy to manage, style and it is a lot cooler than my long hair in the summer.

So I have been working and having fun. I started a second job with ESI which stands for Event Staffing Incorporated. I am officially an unarmed security guard! I secured a job in the fall at Regent as well as a tele-counselor. I'm pretty much good on the job front.

In more exciting news SOAR is coming up in less than a week! I will serve as the ORANGE Team Leader!! Orange all the way OOOOoOOOooOOoooOOOOOO. I am super excited and can't wait to start working with the wonderful student service team. It is sure to be a good time!

Tomorrow I get on a bus to head home. I've been in NC for the weekend with my Dad. His birthday was on Monday but I came down on Friday because the whole family had pulled together to throw him a surprise party. I know I will never be able to top the gift of surprising my Dad with a party and then surprising him again by calling him on the phone, pretending I'm at home, and then coming out of hiding. He was so surprised and happy that he cried which only made me cry which only made our whole family cry. It was a beautiful mess. Hahah

It has been a great summer so far and the best part is there is so much more to come!

Two Days Left

Oh gosh...I love school. I love Regent. I have loved my freshman year but now I am getting anxious. I have two exams left. That is all! Just two and then I am done with my freshman year. It went by so fast!

My best friend Chelsea and I are leaving on Thursday for OHIO!! I am super excited because one of my life goals is to travel to all 50 states and I haven't been to Ohio yet. Plus Chelsea is a whirl wind of fun and our road trip is going to be awesome! I can't even put into words how excited I am. I just wish it was Thursday morning already!

But alas, I have two exams, a film shoot, an interview, and some DQ work to do before I can actually start my summer. There is no time for summer-itis at this stage in the game. There is time to finish up strongly and move on to the next stage of life.

Alright well it is time I got back to studying. I just needed a little break and I thought a blog post would be a good excuse to stop and chill for a minute or two.

I'll end this post with the reminder that Dr. Lyons gave us in class: Enjoy your toils! Basically enjoy life at every stage you are in because we are only here once. Constantly wanting to move on to the next stage of life too soon is not a good thing because you miss out on the adventures in the present.

Be blessed and have a great week all!

Wooohooo!

All hope is not lost!

I came, I saw, I conquered....my Old Testament Paper!!

A minus baby!!

Fail of the Day

My favorite worship song came on the radio so like I always do I started worshiping. I was singing, clapping, and jumping around. One of these things did not go over too well while I was in the shower…

Another Awesome Assembly!

Don't miss out on this one guys!

Credit Cards

Well I just learned my lesson. Credit Cards are of the devil!

Around Christmas time my Dad took me shopping as a gift. We went to Maurices which turned out to be this beautiful store with super friendly employees. They had such great clothes that I rang up a 100 dollar bill. When I was checking out one of the employees, Amanda A. (I call her Amanda A. because both of the employees names were Amanda), asked me if I wanted a credit card at Maurices. Right away I said No. I didn't want any credit card because I didn't want to make payments and I knew then that credit cards could get me in trouble. Well of course she told me all about the benefits and all the great deals I could get. Then Amanda B. chipped in about how she cancelled her credit card right after she got the 10% discount and I wouldn't have to keep my card if I didn't want to afterwards. I was still hesitate but then my father said, "Get the card Leila. I will pay it off." Awesome deal! I get the clothes and my dad gets the payments!

WRONG!

This credit card is the devil! Of course you have to pay off a certain amount by a certain date. I didn't know that and neither did my Dad. So my original bill has now sky rocketed. I told my Dad but everytime he tries to go to the store they are closed. He gave me 100 dollars to pay off some of the bill but since I have already missed two payments a 100 dollars doesn't even cut it. Plus they are charging me all these fees. They tried to charge me a fee today for same day payment. I don't even know what that means but it was 1o bucks more so I didn't get it.

Anyway I just called my Dad and he told me he would send me the rest of the money today for the payments. He also told me he let me get the credit card because he wanted to teach me how to use them correctly. Now that was a smart lesson plan! No more credit cards for me.

I Know I'm Going

Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I just have a little bit to say about this very special day. On such a commercially run day as Valentine's Day you are bound to run into at least two types of people. There are those who are in relationships and those who aren't. Those who aren't usually address today as Single's Awareness Day and then they mope around like they have nothing better today. Today I woke up and the first thought God gave me was "Share My Love with someone else today". I was so startled by the thought because it rang as clear as a bell in my head. If there is one thing I've learned at Regent it is to follow God whenever he takes the time to speak. So that is what I will do today. This Day of Love I will share with others who perhaps never experience God's love before. I implore you all to do the same. If you run across someone who is in a bad mood today take the time to show them they are loved. This could be the simplest gesture and it might make the biggest impact on their day. Love you all!

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.s. Don't forget to hit up the stores tomorrow because all the Valentine candy will be 90% off!

A lesson from Babies

I just finished watching this documentary called Babies and I had a sort of mini revelation. In this movie there are four babies that live in different parts of the world that are being documented for the first year of their life. I have never been outside of America so it is cool to see the different cultures that come along with the different babies. This was definitely a multi-reaction movie for me. At first I felt so small. In the whole scheme of things I really am just a speck of dust on a speck of dust but I can live with that because I know God loves all of the little dust balls. This feeling of smallness did make me question some of my life choices though. I know I need to seriously reevaluate how much time I spend on meaningless things. Then I just felt so happy. Happy that the love between parent and child is universal. Happy there are still places in the world that technology hasn't taken over. Happy to see more of the good in the world than the bad. Usually when I am watching a story on another country it is something negative like a natural disaster, genocide, or the corruption of mortality. After all that it is hard to remain optimistic but this movie certainly helped me see the brighter side of things. Said all that to say I strongly recommend this film and I hope you have the best day today and every day that follows.

ZUMBA!

Whew.
Zumba is intense.
I just finished this new workout at my local rec center and I know I will be feeling it tomorrow. Heck, I'm feeling it now. Though it was hard I have to admit it was fun. When I couldn't keep up I just danced how I wanted with the music. The instructor was cool and she had a great taste in workout music. It was funny to watch her sing along to the songs as she told us which way to move. Some of the hardest songs for me to dance to were the ones that are also on the wii game Just Dance II. I have this game and I've played it so much that I feel like the dance moves are now programed into my body. I hope they play those songs at the Valentine Day Dance that SLABE is putting on because I'll be tearing it up on the dance floor for sure. Well time for more homework.

Be blessed everyone!

RSU Assembly...you should go!