Following HIS Lead

in my attempts to change the look of the blog..i did some playing around on wordpress and liked the ease and features over that of blogger.

so you can now find "following His lead" here

be sure to change your sidebar links :o)

grace & peace,

alisha

in attempt to give the blog a make over..i'm trying a new template with more pics...


its a work in progress.

so please bear with me.

now that i'm a fulltimer, my weekends are full of relaxation and fun.

2 weekends ago, thanks to the aggie game on Tursday, Valerie and I were able to attend night church on Saturday and then take a fun trip to Houston, where we made a stop in IKEA for my birthday comforter: I purchased a red and pink one and Valerie spontaneously decided it would be fun to have matching ones being that we're bunk mates and puchased a green and lime green one.

and then saw Once in this crazy hidden movie theater in some business district...and then we ate some yummy PF Changs.

it was a great day.
after our fun festivties in Houston we had to get back for AWANA. We are Sparks leaders: I work with the sweet kindergarteners and Val manages the 2nd graders. those Kinders are so sweet and precious...they are too cute!

This past weekend we celebrated Mom and Dad's 50th at the Burleson's house with friends & Wii! we had some yummy mexican dishes and dips and delicious homemade chocolate cake and banana pudding! I bet Val in baseball and then she knocked me out boxing. Mom tackled bowling. they are rvery excited to get their own system in a couple weeks for Daddy's official bday.

On Saturday I babysat and then Andrew and David came over since they were in town for the game. We played some 42, talked and had Mr. G's for dinner. Yea for college friends..we did find out that 80% of the Helena boys are working at Champion Forrest, how cute is that? roommates together :o)

Me, Tracy, Didi and Val went to a later showing of Across the Universe after our company headed home...I'd rate the movie about a 7 out of 10. it was pretty long and there were some parts that were just random and uneccesary. after AWANA, Val and I saw The Kingdom..it was good, pretty graphic/violent in some parts..it was bittersweet. The sad, depraved state of our world was vivid-some parts were very heartbreaking to watch.

on a pleasant note, I had wonderful fun with my bunkmate yesterday afternoon as we prepared our food for HOPE group tonight...cavatinni and homemade tiramsu..its going to be wonderful.

okay...back to work for me!

So...happy late birthday mom...you don't look a day over 30 :o)



I love you tons and am very blessed to be your daughter!

My birthday fun actually got to start on Friday night...
Val let me open my presents early..I got some pretty awesome gifts from her..like an official Dunder-Mifflin shirt, fun games and Dr. Pepper jelly beans!

we waited 1.5 hrs to eat at Texas Roadhouse...and we only waited that long because it was my birthday. She did not make me ride the bull..and even made sure that even though the waitress knew it was my bday..she didn't make me ride. Dinner was delicious. Afterwards, we came home and watched some of Season 3 of the The Office. and Andrea Carney came to town..yea..not for my birthday, but it was great to spend time with her..so Val and I went to Yell with her and her sister who is a freshman this year.

Saturday I got to sleep in...whoo hoo! My wonderful roomies got me breakfast and my wonderful parents did this:





Yes..a poster-size picture of me at 4 yrs old was sitting on our porch with 25 balloons in my truck! I loved it..and its now in my room :o) not so much the balloons.
The rest of the day was spent hanging out. I ran a few errands and then headed off to babysit for the game.

After the game, the real fun began. Val and Andrea made my guitar hero cake.
And then it was Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution.



I love me some Guitar Hero.

It was a great 25th birthday..thanks to all my friends and family who made it extra special!

okay, so i know most of you are waiting for pictures and a recap of the big 2-5 last weekend--tomorrow!

so I work for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas; specifically Brazos Valley.
If you are unfamilar with our organization click here.

My job is basically encompasses the last part in our organizational model: Match Support Specialist. I'm the gal who makes sure all of our matches are going A-OK.
I make Match Introductions i.e introducing the Big (volunteer) to the Little (child & family).
I conduct follow-ups and get monthly and quarterly updates via the phone, email and in person.
I am responsible for maintaining our site based program--instead of meeting 3-4 times monthly (thats community based). Bigs will meet weekly in the Little's school for lunch.
I handle all match closures & evaluations.

My day to day activities include emailing Bigs and calling families to set up Match intros and get updates, meetings and mail outs.

I'll be playing catch up for about the next month.
On the upside, I started the week with 101 matches in "My Queue" with 70 overdue and as of today there are 104 matches and only 49 overdue!

So far its really fun getting to talk with parent's and Littles hearing how great the matches are going. On the downside, i'm still trying to get in a routine..so the blogging has been a little bit sub-par, but its my goal to keep it up!

okay...pictures will be up tomorrow-late afternoonish.

so my awesome momma was getting on to me about how my blog has gotten dull & boring with no updates about my super crazy life..

okay..get ready!

peace out faithful readers,

alisha

so earlier this summer i made the leap up from my A&M leather 5 yr old wallet, to a fancy pants, quasi pricy adult wallet complete with a place for a checkbook.

then i bought expensive sunglasses that came with a warranty and a special case...definitely a step up from "sheek" Target brand.

...my initial steps into adultness

later in the summer came the letter that said despite my enrollment in school, i would no longer be covered under my parents health insurance, but i was more than welcome to take out a plan on my own with Scott & White.

Then began the search for "other options"..aka time to be for real about being an adult..cause 25 was coming soon!

so I applied for 2 jobs.

by August 10th, I was hired by Family Link, a private Christian foster/adoptive agency based out of Austin. Its contract work, i mainly am responsible for conducting Home Study Interviews for potential families in the process of getting licensed to foster or adopt kids from CPS.

Then, August 13th , I received a call for a interview with Big Brothers Big Sisters in College Station...THIS was the job i really wanted. my first real adult job complete with an interview, benefits, great starting salary, etc. so we prayed. drove to Austin. the interview went fine, i was pleased with how everything went..i mean it was my first real life interview..i even went and bought "business professional" like clothes..because when in the past 2 years have i needed them? yeah, i havent :o) at the end of the interview they told me I would hear a yes or no by the 31st, but hopefully before.

August 24th was my last day of work. There has been no mistaking the Lord's hand in all this. I finished and submitted my invoice to Family Link to get paid for my first home study on Monday. Because officially this week..i was technically unemployed.

AND THEN, yesterday I received a phone call that went something like this

"Alisha, we would like to thank you for applying with us at Big Brothers Big Sisters and we would like to hire you for the Match Support Specialist in College Station..."

WHOOP.

I'm so excited. I start Friday.

Praise the Lord.
Thank you Jesus.
Answered prayer.

And HE gets all the glory for this process.
Man..all of this is good and full of HIS affirmation and hand working in my life and many others who have been praying and trusting and I can't help but give a shout out to my amazing roommate Valerie, who with her big heart and desire to see good things for me, sacrificially served to get me into adulthood from job searching for me while i couldn't to driving me to Austin.

The next week is gonna be super busy..with balancing this new job, trips to Austin and school.

there ya go..25 will be here in 10 days! and i think i'm ready to be an adult :o)

Well, friends.

I was given our first assignment for my online marketing class..introduce yourself to the class.

so i put the basic information....name, where i did my undergrad..what i'm pursuing in grad school...hobbies, career plans, where im from & current residence...

and...now, i just received an email from my prof...and he's an Aggie, class of '85!

i love being an aggie :)

thanks & gig'em,

alisha

this semester, my back-to-schoolness has been really strange...cause it's been not normal. no new student orientations, no meet & greets, no on-campus jobs...its kinda sad, i'm missing my classmates and the beauiful fall campus at ECU...but on the bright side,

its hopefully my last semester...thats right folks, i will have my master's degree in 4 months-CRAZYFACE!

so my online marketing class at ECU starts tomorrow, as long as my financial aid comes through..pray that the people at Wellsfargo get my paperwork processed quickly.

confessions: i was extremely non-productive on my field experience portfolio, meaning its now crunchtime, meaning, ideally i want to get them in before mid-terms in October!

I have a week til classes begin at TAMU, i'm a little nervous, bigger school so that might mean tougher classes..who knows?!? i've got Policy in Higher Education Administration and Development of the Spanish Language, should be fun.

thats about it...the job situation is still kinda up in the air. my prayer is that the Lord's will be done...more on that later..cause i just realized i never posted about my first REAL job interview in Austin with Big Brothers Big Sisters...more on that later.

happy schooling,

alisha

okay..so i just had to share this coolness.

My job this summer at the daycare has been a little more stressful than i imagined. The flexibility of my hours and inconsistency of tasks really threw my attitude, habits & mental stability out of whack. I've been praying long and hard about what to do come the school year, because i have to work & I want to do well in school and I just didn't know what i was suppose to do.

So, after some more prayer. I called up the bus barn-and they could hire me back. Good news. so then i have the issue of the daycare? I sit down with my boss & well, there had been a lot of miscommunication and so i needed to pray and figure out where the Lord wanted me. I know the Lord wants glory in my grades, He wants me to spend time with Him, He wants me to not worry and be stressed out and last honor my financial responsibilities.

More prayer. His answer was to not do the daycare and I would trust that He would provide because with only driving those yella-dogs, i would be on an pretty tight budget. Then came 3 openings: 2 part-time & one full time. I submitted my resume. now the waiting.

Today I gave my official resignation at work. It went better than I couldve asked! (thanks for the prayers mom!). still nervous, because I'm still waiting, right?

And then, heres the cool part: 2 hours later, I had a phone interview with the Christian foster/adoption agency i applied with & I'm hired-headed to Austin tomorrow and Friday for training and hopefully starting home visits Monday! While I can't depend on this job as steady income, (its technically "contracted"), I will be able to breath easier every month. PLUS, I'm really excited about getting to be part of meeting needs and giving precious children loving homes! Man, I'm definitely excited about this ministry because ever since i can remember, i've always wanted to be a foster/adoptive parent..but what an opportunity this is: to be there first hand!


okay. thats it, back to cooking some dinner!

grace & peace, lish

so this weekend was a wonderfully fun reunion...
Ms. Ashley Rodenberger is now Mrs. Ashley Pagenkof...yes is was a lateral name change :o)

Our little gang slumbered it up together in William's two bed/one bath apartment in Irving for the festivities in Aledo...it was definitely a fiesta!
7 people & one shower definitely equals tardiness

Justin..Hannah's fiance received his stamp of approval from us ladies.

I don't know how *;)* but we seemed to be the rowdy table at the Rehearsal Dinner..it was great having everyone together..catching up, reminescing & joking around, stuffing our faces with queso, tortillas & fajitas at Pappasitos

Micah and Hannah played & sung beautifully at the ceremony
Eric & Will were the best, most hansomest ushers in salmon.
Amy, Kayla & I strutted our stuff in the House Party...making sure not to fan our Japanese props :o)
And Ashley was a beautiful bride.
At the reception we danced the night away with the fabulous DJ stylings of Clayton Shepherd...by the end of the night our hair was up and make-up sweated off..and the cake was amazing..i think the best wedding cake i've sampled!

with us all growing up, being in the adult world..it seems our only chances of getting together are weddings..luckily, we have another one coming up in December..and with Amy catching the bouquet, who knows?!

ok, so i've a working number.

yea-my number didnt change..so you can still reach me at the same number!

i have my doubts about the life of my "new" (old & falling apart) phone, but for right now, it will have to suffice...duct tape & all. really i'm not complaining...on friday they told me i would have to pay full retail price (meaning about around $120-200) to have a working number & now I reactivated my line for free.

but, I wouldnt be opposed if you (or anyone you know) has a cingular phone that they aren't using & would like to donate to me, that will last for another 2 years...send it my way :o) i would be so thankful.

and again..if you havent sent me your digits...shoot me an email or facebook msg !

this will be a pretty random post, because well...i don't have much time, but my readers deserve something...so

first: thanks for all who participated on interactive blog reader day. keep your eyes open for another poll! and by the way, my favorite adventure happened a couple weekends ago..Val and i journeyed to San Marcos to kyak on the river, then we headed to austin to watch Michael Moore's new documentary Sicko and then we ate a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill, followed by dessert at the Cheesecake factory...it was a near perfect day!

moveing on,
apparently, bad things happen in 3s...
well, i just had a pretty exhausting week-which adds up to more than 3 bad things...

weekends are suppose to be relaxing right...well, while i did have fun this weekend with Libby and old college friends (am i old enough to say that?)..i think i need another weekend to get over the craziness!

for those of you that did not make the facebook group or email list...my newly upgraded phone was stolen on before i left for arlington on Friday. sad face. But, PTL, i found out today I can bring in another phone and reactivate my old line for free...and super cool Valerie has a mom that has an extra cell phone, which she graciously letting me use for the duration of my contract. cross that frustration off my list..


i can't believe the summer is almost over.

school will be starting back up..and well..i'll be buckling down to writing those 5 essays i think i mentioned earlier this summer..ya know, the ones i was suppose to finish this summer..yeah well, my major deadline is December.

i'll be driving those yella-dogs again in the fall..

okay..more later, its the little sister's bday today..so i gotta go bake!

its interactive blogtime my friends.

your mission (should you choose to accept it) is...to answer the following question:

And by adventure I mean any trip, activity, event or time spent outside of ordinary work or school..even if you absolutely love your job :o)

so i think this summer can be generally titled "the summer of moves".

i currently am in the processing of rearranging because my previous roommate has moved out and my future roomie is movin' in.

thankfully, i think i have everything i want in my room for the next year in the parameters of the master bedroom..in total disaray!

needless to say, i think val and i are going to have a pretty cool set up...a little office, a little living, split up by the bedroom. PLUS, we have roofing tin on our wall..thats right so we can display our totally rad magnet collections and leave fun notes to each other in letters!

all this rearranging is taking place beneathe our ghetto ceiling fan of whose switch has been ductape covered because we can't use it until Friday when the electrician comes to replace it...

our handy-dandy selves tried to fix it sunday and blew the circuit in our room...whoop! PTL that Val didnt electrocute herself. i'm glad we're not silly girls :)

pictures/virtual tour will soon follow..be ready for them up on our new house blog (1014foster.blogspot.com).

for now, its back to arrangin', movin', shakin' & organizin'.

..if you notice on my Blogs I Read list, there is a new addition!

Bananas Foster is our new HOUSE blog!


with the upcoming school year, and our oh-so-busy-crazy schedules, we thought it would be good to have a roommate blog to stay connected since meals & roommate bonding is a bit hard to find time to do with 5 girls who are in school/grad school & working.

the hope is that everyone will post once a week..(i think one of our weekly chores is going to be to come up with a topic)..so we'll see!

give us a couple days and i'm sure there will be quality reading about the happenings in 1014 Foster Ave

no..i'm not talking about the gross tobacco dipping that baseball players & cowboys do..i'm really referring to the thing that makes eating so enjoyable...

..DIPS and not just some fancy appetizer, but pretty much any liquid-type to cover a food.

Whoever can up with this art form of eating, was a genius, especially for types like me..or can sometimes be considered picky..

through the phenomenon of sauces & dips, any ordinary food can be made EXTRAordniary!

strawberriesas alone = yum
strawberries +chocolate or +whipped cream = DEE-licious!

theres your classics: ranch, barbeque sauce, ketchup & honey mustard, queso, avocado
the food: spaghetti'os & grilled cheese, broccoli & cheese, cookies & milk

what are your favorite dipping combinations?

some of my favs are:

potato chips & ranch
oreos & peanut butter
french fries & cane's sauce (yes I know i'm a heathen for liking Cane's)
chocolate & fruit

Day 2 of the Canton Young Filmakers Workshop..did you watching my award winning performance as the old lady & the Mayor of Cantown?!?? (in the previous post)





yea..fun in the sun at Perdido Key Pensacola, Florida...we applied sunscreen almost every 30 minutes..proudly spending two days in the sun without getting severely burned..no skin cancer for us!



Lambert's cafe...home of the famous flying rolls...yes they really chunk them at you!


reliving childhood vacations to the beach: go-karts. and sadly my kart was slow..i came in second!




Fun in New Orleans..yum beginets!

i'd like to thank the academy first...my family...friends...:o)

so i'm live from brandon, MS. i'm on vay-cay!
we drove in last night/this morning at 2am..
everyone's gone for right now and i thought this would be the perfect time to update somethings ive been on mind my mind lately...that i know are eager to leave the brain! so here's a serious post..

i love that life is an adventure. that i've learned to keep plans in the back of my mind..of knowing what i would potentially like to do with my life, but knowing full well that is all the Lord's and i've been given TODAY to glorify HIM.
it makes me excited that life is an incredible adventure and challenge-that i'm a messed up girl in need of Christ, but with Him NOTHING is impossible.


God is great and gracious. This community is a blessing. Last week, on Thursday, I had a really busy day..I had to open at the daycare, and then immediately babysit 3 girls (who are quite a handful) and then after that go to the bank so I could go to SuperWalmart (urgHh) for work..come sitting the motorbank, I was give out: stress and it seemed my to do list was just getting longer..this story does have a point....so in the midst of making a deposit at the ATM, I drove off and left my check card in the machine...yes thats how tired I was! BUT praise the Lord, the couple behind me, followed me into the SuperWalmart parking lot to return my card to me...who does that? i mean not that they would have tons of access to a load of moolah, but still...i was so overwhlemed with gratitude and awe..only the Lord couldve orchestrated that.

So Valerie got a slackline for her bday. in a nutshell: its like a tightrope except done with webbing. sunday after the rain, we set it up in the parental's front yard. and the Lord really taught me something. You see, the trees werent the best for setting it up at the height we needed & the wet grass made the webbing slippery. anyways, as i was attempting to balence on it with my left leg the whole contraption was shaking almost uncontrollably. Val was spotting me, and she kept saying "committ. put you other leg on and committ." so I tried, knowing full well that i wasnt putting all my weight on my legs, i still wanted the security of the ground. and what happened? i fell off, got wet and snapped my foot on the webbing, breaking my baby toe. And the Lord was saying "i need you to committ..all the way". not like a get saved, but a give Him all parts of me. I've ended up in a rut of complacency which for me is really easy to do without routine and my independent self which i know is sin. my daily schedule is always changing so its been hard for me to the time to the Lord He deserves. sin. i give some of me, but not all and its hurting me..and my broken baby toe is a sweet reminder to spend time with Him. i confess my schedule & pride is a sin and i want more intimacy.

following this honesty, I want to talk about communication. I think in the multimedia world we live in, its easy to fall into the trap of not confronting and trying not to communicate well. our culture is one of people pleasing and not "stepping on toes" which is so harmful and deterrmental to relationships. Biblical communication requires grace and truth, its about preserving love-real honesty that betters all who listen. I know i'm not the best communicator. I naturally flee from confrontation, but i'm learning that its not a bad thing and i can communication in a way that expresses my hurt/anger/frustration in a way that is not hurtful, angry or disrespectful. communication invovles having grace, patience & love from beginning to end including words, meaning, tone & volume. Communicate in a way that serves-that bring listeners closer to Jesus.

okay..that wraps it up..my plan is to be at the film workshop by noon..can i do it? maybe! more fun posts this week about making movies & the beach.

alisha

okay so the aforementioned birthday pics: (in no particular order)
me, the birthday girl & her cake, Valerie & the birthday castle & party people in the kitchen...


this is my sad face-as you can see i was SUPER disappointed..because for the 3rd time I have attempted to fly in the go-cart and the weather has been bad...maybe i'm not supposed to spread my wings....but it was a fun trip..my grandpa is a trip..we walked around downtown Wharton, ate at the Grand Buffet where i impressed my family with my mad chopstick eating skills & then had cake back at grandpa's while watching the US Open.

my apologies faithful readers...it seems a full time job where i actually do work & playing hard this summer has taken away from my updates. i never dreamed i would become a blogger that hardly updates this thing...

its been a busy month..i did give you the update on the muddy buddy...

so memorial day weekend we planned to go out to lake bryan & ride bikes..but due to rain our plans were thwarted...and that became the theme of the week..due to the rain we couldnt do ______...but i watched a bunch of movies, relaxed, played some 42 with the parents. the next weekend I headed out to Waco/Meridian for a reunion with the one and only Libby Leatherman. We camped it up at Meridian State Park complete with grilled hotdogs, Dr. Peppers, 2 thunderstorms, the longest walk ever and quality conversation. man i love that girl!

what else do i also love?
Living Hope.

I've been regularly attending since the move back & am going to join-i love this community. its refreshing, honest, and home...I went to Hope Group for the first time last week. We helped at the food bank & then headed over to the Palermo's house for dinner and Bible study and it was an awesome time to think about our mission field and sphere of influence in our daily routines & lives.

This past weekend Val and I took a little roadtrip out to San Antonio. Her aunt had free tickets to Fiesta TX;...her aunt's cooking was amazing, enchiladas, guacamole, rice...mmmm & a little cake to celebrates val's bday. Saturday morning she cooked us eggs & pancakes with coffee, orange juice & fruit..and then we headed off to the park. overall..we had fun, but for the most part it was frustrating..2 of the big rides we rode were broken..we waited for 2 hrs on one & 1.5 on the other AND got stuck while we were ON the ride!!! boo.

Yesterday was Val's 22nd bday. i'll post pictures when i get my camera back. good times: balloons, streamer, fajitas, icecream cake, friends & a birthday crown.
Valerie & I built a cake...yes built. A castle cake. It was an experience. I never want to be a professional cake maker.

This weekend my family is headed out to my granpa's...hopefully I'll have some pictures if we get to do the power parachuting..its like flying a go-cart in the air....anyways..i was suppose to do it at christmas but the weather was never good enough.

me, Val, my sister and one of her friends are taking my 13 yr old cousin to Schlitterbahn in two weeks..we're way excited; more on that later.

other fun summer things:
we attended free float night at sonic
ultimate frisbee
jj's sno cones
tuesday morning pancakes
lunch & doogie howswer, md.


okay..well, I have to get ready for work.
hopefully i'll start updating this more frequently...but mo promises :o)

i was going to wait until i was able to post a fully storyline of our adventure in austin this weekend, but unfortunately the pics on the website still arent up and andrea hasnt emailed us the before shots we took before the race...so i'll post some pics & give yall the low-down.

let me just say it was AWESOME. it consisted of 5 legs of which val & i alternated running & mountain biking to checkpoints where there were obstacles that included a balance beam, cargo net/inflatable slide, mini rockwall, a bar weave & last but not least a crawl/swim through a ginormously deep, thick mud pit.



with andrea, jocelyn & katie's help on Saturday night, we complied our costumes for the contest..we decided to be beauty queens..wearing the most spectacular 80's dresses ever, complete with tiaras taped to our bike helmets and official sashes that read "Miss Muddy Buddy '07".
we woke up bright and early sunday morn at 5am, got dressed, ate breakfast and drove out to johnson city for the race. after walking almost a mile to registration, we barely made it for the contest & unfortunately lost to the abiguously gay duo....maybe next year we'll get the adventure road atlas...

finally, at 8:45, the gun for wave 9 went off and val was off on the bike & i was running! from there we switched after each obstacle (which means I ran 3 legs & biked 2) & finally, after practically carrying the bike up a mountain on leg #4, we arrived at the pool of mud...there was no escaping! due to the tiaras atop our helmets, we were forced to army crawl through the mud, under the cargo net to the finish line..every inch & crevis was covered in mud...really dripping with mud! i have never been so dirty in my entire life....

was it worth it?!? HECK YES!
hopefully i'll get some more pictures up soon.

this was after we had been rinsed off a bit...can you believe how muddy we were?!? :o) every kid's dream!

now that school is over, i'm really enjoying the sabatical from "being connected" and feeling like Donnie (my laptop) was attached to me. but with vacationing away from my inbox, work & all things facebook, my poor blog readers have been left with nothing to keep them busy to read at work.

a lot has gone on in the past week..and it feels as if i've lived 2 weeks in 1...Final Review came & went..quite an exciting day spent with Val's family! I moved Val & Britney into their sweet new pad at the Enclave, and I'm officially living at Foster-whoop!

On the flip side, i've been sick-or rather coughing since Friday. I went and saw the dr and have meds, but they really dont seem to be doing anything...and i'm pretty sure i overdosed on something this morning..its been a long/rough day & i really havent done anything productive except make breakfast.

This weekend is the dualthon/partner race "MuddyBuddy" Valerie & I will be competing in in Austin. We're super excited.

anyways, more to come later when i'm feeling better.

alisha

so, I'm back working at the daycare.
man i feel old.
my babies I had in the infant room (my very first room) are graduating this week...it was pretty funny though when I was getting on to some of them and they looked at me and said "how do you know my name?!?" & I responded with "I used to change your diapers!"

sometimes its hard for me not to feel a little bit lame about going back to my first job when i'm really qualified for more challenging work..but I was really encouraged after talking with Ken. He was so excited to see me & loves having me there...just to be at the center..whether floating or in a room or in the office...because he knows my heart and passion--that i want to the kids & staff to see Jesus. I'm gonna be a more behind the scenes kind of gal, trying to make the center more efficient...yes its quite a task i have!
this (daycare) is definitely a hard environment to work in, and after being there an hour i could see the burnout & frustration on all the teachers faces--and the Lord has graciously given me the patience to love aggieland despite the hard times, to love on the kids, and have a godly attitude. and i will continue to pray for more as the summer & semester continues.

man, i've missed kids.
and today i got to play with some really sweet ones.
i love it...taking care of kids...mmm, good times minus the baby vomit & poo.

grace & peace,
alisha

I'm back, i've been back since Monday and been bumming around..i cant officially move into the house until around the 12th and i dont start work until Monday...

in other news...I passed all my comps so far...theres one class left needing grading & i should hear back in a week or two...i'm excited-the Ps mean i actually learned something :o) ptl

alisha

all my papers have been turned/resubmitted...:o)

i'm officially done with my first year of grad school..finishing with an A- gpa.

i'll be rolling back to CS in 3 days.

crazy.

now that spring has finally sprung out in the eastern part of NC..ive taken notice to some interesting fashion...

so apparently its perfectly acceptable to wear your swimsuit at anytime of the day as "unmentionables"...at first glance, i thought lots of ladies were headed to the pool, to tan...etc, but oh no..swimsuit top with a tank is normal....really-are you that worried about a tan line?!?

the second is the new style of longer tops..which i really like by the way, but i do think its unacceptable to wear those tops as dresses....or without leggings. sheesh!

good grief..we need some modesty ladies.

put some clothes on!

comps are over.

classes & work are done.

3 more papers to complete by friday.

tyron has sold.

my prayers have been answered...the checklist is getting smaller and my count down has reached the 1 week status!

the past 2 weeks have been a bittersweet time for me. i find myself eager to be back in Texas, yet sad to be leaving some really special friendships.

i'm so encouraged by what the Lord has done in my heart/life this season...its been challenging, a lot of struggle and reflection and questions beyond measure, but a time of growth and learning. i love how the Lord works..because its not how i would do things & if i tried, i would screw it up, but i love that His plan is always better, greater than anything i could ever dream up...i mean..really-i moved to North Carolina for less than a year to pursue a graduate degree? so not on my "to do list"....:o)

im glad that following Jesus requires risk and is an adventure..because it makes me trust and depend on Him when I'm lonely, when school is so overwhelming i need to cry & when I'm sad to leave my wonderful friends from MAIS--a community, my make-shift family.

ptl our God is good.

grace & peace,
alisha

tony is in qatar for debriefing..

because of his job, we won't get very much info, but he'll be heading into baghdad and be there for the next 6-9 months

please pray for his safety & protection.

mark your calenders.

my countdown has officially begun.


in 1 month..or 30 days or 4 weeks..or 720 hours or 43,200 minutes

my wonderful momma be be here to move me back to the great Lonestar state.


whoop.

until then, posts will be few and far between as i finish up school.

..my new study digs.

turns out there is a coffee shop with free internet & a pretty good choice in music, 5 minutes from my place out in the boondocks!! im excited. while the house is wonderful, its hard to get studying done without a proper work space...but thanks to my new find, no more procrastination or going to the library.

this morning i am enjoying a wonderful cup of joe & chocolate muffin as i read a report about the internally displaced Kurds in Turkey, for my 2nd decision-making exercise: applying the wealth of information i've learned about international conflict to a real life situation...we'll see if i can pull a B.

happy writing to me!

grace & peace,
alisha

okay. DC proved to be a wonderfully good time, full of some really great stories & laughs.
Monday we made the 5 hour trek up to washington to meet up with some friends...needless to say because of timing & phone issues, we didnt get to see any of my friends, but val's friends were super cool & fun, so that made up for it.

upon arrival, we parked and took the metro into town to meet up with Didi & Nikki..that didnt work out so much, so we grabbed dinner at union station, along with some yummy gelato and then headed out to college park to stay with val's leadershape friend karol. let me say..one funny gal.

on tuesday, we finally got up around 1030 and eventually made it into town to have a late lunch. the plan was to meet Didi after their capitol tour at 2:00. finally at about 3:00..i "talked" val into walking down to the Lincoln memorial..so we walked the mall...all of it..


finally at 5:00 Didi calls us. no they were not taken hostage at the capitol bldg, the tour was 2.5 hrs and then they wanted showers-(LAME)..little did we know that this was the beginning of a very confusing & frustrating 2 hrs...so Didi was staying close to the capitol..on C street, between 2nd & 3rd. val & i didnt have a map-BUT we've gotten through all our travels with just a trusty atlas...we've not been lost, and we both have a good sense of direction..so we can get to 3rd & C easy breezy..we arrive at 3rd & C and we're like "i dont think Didi & Nikki are staying at the Department of Labor"

so we're on the phone, walking, on the phone..by this time, i've taken over on directions cause i dont want val to yell at didi..

turns out, a genius designed washington DC and theres TWO 3rd streets...we were in the wrong quadrant...and apparently, it was our fault because we were the dumb ones without at map-even though we were not lost...
FINALLY, we made it to didi's friend's house..which was really awesome & got to hang out with fun geographers..we journyed together on the metro..val & i were meeting karol & candance for dinner and the geographers were going somewhere else for dinner...
back in maryland:
karol & candance are hysterical..val and i laughed so much with them...funniest part of the evening was when at tgifridays, karol pulls out my check card from the bill which has my photo on it and comments "you were a bit heavier" (mind you i just met her 24 hrs before)..then candance proceeds to scold her like a little hispanic girl in spanish..which just makes the whole thing funnier because val's going "hey guys..she knows spanish..she can understand you...."

Wednesday Karol skipped worked and we checked out University of Maryland (Go turtles!) and the coolest part of the trip: the International Spy Museum. Val and I were both recommended for future covert missions with the agency, so if my academic career pursuits dont pan out, i have a lead with the CIA :)

that pretty much ends the fun in DC
more to come about the rest of spring break..but im not allowed to post until at least 2 papers are finished..or at least started...so stayed tuned.

grace & peace,
alisha

its been a wonderful week.

I just got back from dropping off val at RDU and am procrastinating in starting my school work.

this week has been my first official break from everything. at TAMU, every spring break was action-packed filled with mission trips, working full time or traveling nonstop. we have rested this spring break and it has been a-mazing!

there are so many funny stories to write about, i dont even know where to begin...it will probably take a couple of posts...the travel adventures of me & valerie can not be contained in just one blog post.

first, we watched a ton of movies..i think our last count was in the double digits, some favs include the ultimate gift & bridge to terebithia

second, we slept a lot..like i'll admit our average was about 12-13hrs of sleep a day if not more ...not completely collective..but yes, we were bums-but isnt that what spring break is for?

thats all for this post..i've gotta get back to the piles of school work i have. soon to come: recount of DC including the Spy Museum & Dept. of Labor.

grace & peace,
alisha

Dr. Daneri is worth every penny i've spent in loans for grad school.

Its professor's like him that make grad school a wonderful experience.
Its classes like today that make being in Greenville bearable and bring a smile to my face.

So this professor graciously created this course for me & another MAIS student this fall. orginally it was a undergrad class over the Spanish Conquest & Imperialism, but he changed a lot of the course material and adapted it & made it graduate level so we could receive credit. He knows his stuff...he makes class so interesting...like i really feel bad when i havent given very much time to the material because i feel like it does him a disservice.

But not only does he give us great lectures, but he really cares about the 4 of us taking his class-he gives us academic advice, career advice...he's like a life coach. And today he topped the charts: every Tuesday before class starts we usually chit chat about whats going on, how the week is shaping up, etc, etc. so today i mentioned how im stressed about moving & the roommate situation and he offers to help me move...how awesome is that? it amazes me that this man (who is agnostic) exudes so much kindness and hospitality. i mean, he in no way had to offer, but here he is giving me his cell number, telling me that he teaches at 2, but could help anytime after 3 on Friday...just call or email him...he is the greatest.

i wish i could give him an award. i want to call the chancellor and tell him what an amazing faculty member he has in the Foreign Language dept.

three cheers for Dr. Juanjo Daneri!

grace & peace,
alisha

please pray for me...my headache seems to be growing with every passing minute.

the Lord is faithful.
our Lord is the Great Provider, Comforter, Peace.
the Lord is in control.
the Lord wants good things for me
He is dependable.

these are the things i've been repeating to myself since yesterday
as i write this post in the middle of my room, the door is closed, and boxes are scattered about-half full and empty as i pack up "in hiding" for yet another move in between trying to get some writing assignments done. the good thing: well, im an excellent packer..ive become a pro. this will be my 8th move since May 2005, double digits would've been more impressive, but 8 is still significant.

be thankful for lovely, caring, godly roommates...tell these roommates you are thankful for them.

its hard to love my roommate right now.

pray that my non-confrontational-self will have strength and courage to communicate my actions in love and respectfully over the next couple days. im scared, you know me..i avoid confrontation at all costs..im a sissy.

i am thankful for Christ and the power He gives me.
i am thankful for loving church members who graciously are letting me live with them.
i am thankful for spring break coming next week.

grace & peace,
alisha

with work being pretty slow these days & not the ideal study environment..i get to post sometimes multiple times a day & about random things.

so i've been on Juice Plus+ (thanks Mom!) for a month now..and while i havent notcied any super significant changes, I am sleeping better and my nails are breaking less.

Below is my first project I did for my technical & professional writing class: the purpose was to take an expert article and revise it for a general audience.

Here's to my academic side of life...cheers! unfortunately, you cant get the full affect of my article..the clipart wasnt able to accompanying the info...

Tired of apples & oranges?
Not getting enough fruit and vegetables?
Consider trying JUCIE PLUS+.

JUICE PLUS+ is a dietary supplement that gives you your full recommended servings of fruits and vegetables everyday and has been proven to decrease the risk of diseases, like cancer and heart disease, diabetes and stroke in healthy adults. JUICE PLUS+ comes in two capsules, an Orchard Blend and Vegetable Blend that you take once a day. The following information discusses the issues surrounding fruit and vegetable consumption and explains how the fruit and vegetable supplement JUICE PLUS+ can lead to a healthy life decreasing your risk of disease.

The Problem
Many surveys have found that the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables, which happens to be five or more servings daily, is rarely met. Fruits and vegetables are a huge source of nutrition, and that’s not just a cliché, your mother did know what she was talking about when she nagged you about vegetables! Doctors and scientists are finding that normal over the counter vitamins and supplements don’t necessarily provide the need nutrient levels found in fruits and vegetables. The single or individual doses of nutrients, like a zinc pill or vitamin C supplement or multivitamin, like Centrum, don’t take into consideration the chemical reactions with the antioxidants (or chemicals that help with chemical reactions taking place in the body that are found in actual fruits and vegetables) that are already in the body. JUICE PLUS+ is different in that breaks down fruits and vegetables providing the body with the exact nutrients found in fruits and vegetables so the body is able to react better as JUICE PLUS+ capsules mimic actual fruit and vegetables.



The Average Joe
Joe wakes up every morning at 6:15am. He has to be out the door by 7:05 to catch the metro into the city to be at work by 8am. He breakfast consists of a bowl of cereal and cup of coffee At work, there are usually low-fat muffins, donuts and coffee at any hour of the day to snack on. He takes lunch around noon, at the corner sandwich shop or at a restaurant usually with clients. Throughout the day, he has a couple caffeinated drinks to keep him alert through meetings and is back on the metro around 5:30pm. Once back at home, if his kids don’t have activities, it’s a home cooked dinner at 7:00pm, followed by dessert with some decaf, so he’ll be able to get to sleep after the evening news.

This could be described as a normal day for a majority of Americans, give or take a few details...Sound similar? In this situation, Joe has only three or four opportunities to get a serving of fruits and vegetables.
Americans are on the go all the time. 8-5 businessmen, stay at home moms, teachers and even doctors don’t have time to eat healthy 24/7. The Average Joe doesn’t meet the fruit and vegetable recommendations of 5-8 servings everyday; we are a fruit and vegetable deficient society, even when trying our hardest to be healthy. With constantly being on the go, working, having to eat out a lot because of work or busyness, maintaining family and social life, eating healthy usually falls to the wayside due to the conveniences of fast food, frozen and box dinners, and microwavable foods. While these are quick and easy solutions, needed micronutrients are lost in these processed foods saturated with preservatives, sugars and fats increasing the risks of diseases that with time hurt us more than we realize. The solution: Juice Plus+.

The Study & the Data
A group of about 60 healthy men and women were selected for a 14 weeks cross-over experiment to monitor the effect of the fruit and vegetable supplements. The subjects were divided into 2 groups; one group received the dietary supplement pills and the other group a placebo. At week 7, the groups switched pills. All participants maintained their normal dieting habits. All participants gave blood and urine samples before and after the trial period to monitor and evaluate the levels of beta-carotene, vitamin E, folate (vitamin B) and vitamin C, and selenium, (a mineral that protects the cells and immune system). All these are essential nutrients in maintaining a healthy body and preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke.

Apples, oranges, pineapples, papayas, cranberries and peaches were juiced and concentrated into a powder to form the fruit pill supplement. For the vegetable pills, carrots, parsley, beets, broccoli, kale, cabbage, spinach and tomatoes were juiced and concentrated. These fruits and vegetables were chosen for their high and rich levels of vitamins and minerals. Also included in these capsules were other essential vitamins and minerals including zinc, magnesium, chromium, thiamin and riboflavin, found in basic multi-vitamins. In the process of turning the fruits and vegetables into capsules, the fruits and vegetables are juiced and dried into powder form so none of their nutrients were lost.

Each participant was instructed to take the supplement pills everyday for a period of 14 weeks: 2 fruit pills in the morning along with breakfast, and 2 vegetable pills later in the day with either lunch or dinner. The participants on the placebo followed the same schedule as well.

Results showed that the participants when looking at dietary habits, the participants still did not meet required fruit and vegetable servings, yet those that took the fruit and vegetable dietary supplements (JUICE PLUS+) had higher levels of beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and folate in their blood samples after the trial period. These increased levels were reported to reach levels that have minimal risk for certain types of cancer and heart disease. It is important to note, that all the trial participants were healthy. If you are considering to take JUICE PLUS+, then it is advisable to consult your doctor first as there are small risks that may occur increasing your beta-carotene intake, specifically with smokers.

Conclusions
JUICE PLUS+ will decrease your risk to diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. These tiny little pills provide you with all the essential vitamins and minerals in 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables. While actually eating fruits and vegetables is preferred, the reality is that doctors and health specialists know that most people can not consume the number of servings recommended everyday due to the fast pace society we live in. Consequently, taking a supplement like JUICE PLUS+ is a great way to get the nutrients and stability we need for a healthy, long life –and the results are in JUICE PLUS+ works!

References
Kiefer, Ingrid et al. Supplementation with mixed fruit and vegetable juice concentrates increased serum antioxidants and folate in healthy adults. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2004; 23 (3): 205-211

so for more information, you can get in touch with my
mom, she's a Juice Plue distributor!

Monika Wojciechowski (pronounced Wa-chow-ski). its Polish, and i think she simplfied the "jcie" for us Americans). Monika is one of the Asst. Directors I work for at the International House. She makes work great. apparently, she thinks i'm a bit bossy..but its all in fun--me bossy?? This semester I have gained a plethora of work information and experience from her. I like her a lot. She is very talented and great to work under. If I could, I would totally be her personal assistant. And unfortunately, i don't have a picture of Ms. Monika.

My mom deserves a shout out these days for just being a wonderful momma. She is a wonderful friend and i am really lucky to have someone so special in my life such as her...soon we will be able to hang out and do momma/daughter things together. only 2 months!!



Trisha Campbell is another special friend who is very dear to me-who sadly i dont have a picture of! We met through Upstream, I was her awesome Upstream leader and she was my little freshman..and now, she is all graduated and preparing to be married! I'm so excited for her and this new season she is entering into and am so blessed by watching her trust the Lord. She is always quick to keep up with me, giving me an encouraging note that says "I'm praying for you!" or giving me the fun news about her upcoming wedding.

relationships are extremely important.

we were made for relationships & community. first and formost, is our relationship with the Father, Creator, Almighty. then comes our family..not just blood-but those people who put the something special/little things of greatness into your everydayness.
i think all too often we forget this and take for granted how important people really are to us & how much we need them. I think as we dig down into the routine of oursevles-the people that mean the most to us dont get those gold stars and ribbons they deserve for the little things they do. The Lord has really impressed that upon me lately. not only do i need to intentionally love and rejoice over the people who invest in me, but i really need to be intentional & selflessly be apart of my friends/family lives..even if i dont live in a 50 mile radius of them.

so, hopefully over the next couple of days/weeks i'll be blogging about some people that are important to me and know how to do friendship well.

[and this is not to say that if your pic doesn't make it on the blog that youre a bad friend :)]


if you dont know Valerie, you should.


she is one cool gal and amazing friend.
i love her to death.


what makes val so cool?
well to name a few,

1. if there was an "American Car Singing Idol"..hands down the winner is Val.
2. she has Sr. boots
3. she knows everything!
4. she's a professional recommender (at McAllister's)..for real, go to McAllister's with her and she can tell you exactly what you should get-i've never been steered wrong.
5. she's like a CareBear (...most of the time)-always sincere, caring & genuine. she listens, prods & is intentional .



Next is the oh-so-talented Mr. Eric B. Lee (and yes, the picture was stolen from facebook...)
what can I say? eric is gifted at many things. He's an extraordinary person.
He..
1. can build 3-D cookies
2. plans amazing parties
3. is wonderfully gifted in all the arts (theater, music, etc.)
4. cook delicious meals
5. is one of those guys you wish was your big brother-because he's sincere, honest, sensitive and reliable & open-all those great qualities that "truly amazing/ideal" big brothers have.

lastly, theres Fran.
Francesca DiMarco is one lovable Italian.
She is one of my favorite people here in Greenville.
Kind and hospitable like i've never seen before. The world's best host, right up there with Tracy Smith.
Fran is an encouragement to me & makes me laugh all the time and she has a sweet new pad.
Its been great hanging out with her and I will miss her when I leave Greenville.

so i'm completely bored today..nothing to work on so i'm going for a record 2 posts in one day...inconceivable!

so since i have a bunch of free time at work maybe i'll blog..

it is quite surprising to me that my first post dedicated to the horrible movie theater in town is coming now, when i've been in greenville for 7 months and have had many a problem and frustration with this theater...after taking my management class i have a keen eye for HR problems

i don't think i would have such a big problem with the way management or how the theater is run except for the fact they take advantage of the fact theres no need for improvement because they are the only theater in town...

Greenville is labeled the largest, AND fastest growing city in Eastern Carolina and their cinema is the only one around a 50 mile radius.
It is a 'college town'.
You would think they would cater to these statistics...nope. they offer 4, sometimes 5 (only if its a new, popular release) showings 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 & 9:00, give or take a few minutes...& they only open 30 minutes before the first showing & no theres not a purchase with your credit card inside..(thats way to hightech!) so that means long lines, especially on Saturdays-i have to leave an hour before the movie starts to catch the previews!
I still haven't figured out the target audience for the scheduling of movies, so I really can't describe it, but an example of its randomness
Stranger than Fiction was in the theater for only a week, while Night at the Museum has been playing since Christmas. Facing the Giants was released 2 months after its original release.
Bad experience-So I get all excited about the new Will Farrell movie..cause it looks really good & I love books, etc. etc and so the week it comes out I check the listing...not showing; no big deal, it will probably come out later, so it finally shows up on the movie times & i plan to go see it before i leave for thanksgiving (which is just in a week...i show up-its gone! GRRRRR
The customer service is horrible. The employees know [fleeting generalizations] nothing, & the theater is run inefficiently.
Most every time I go see a movie..which is almost once a week. There is some problem-with the movie, a dirty theater, the times, or ticketing whether it happens to me directly, or I overhear a problem with someone else & the popcorn is yucky...
Bad experience-Children of Men comes out and for my Friday/Saturday studying break/reward I plan to go see it..so Friday morning I look up the times 1:20 & 4:10. I head up to the theater (which it takes about 15 mintues to get there..and i know this is lame, but thats one of the farthest places i travel to here in greenville)..and stand in like for 15 minutes, and posted on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper in Times New Roman 14 pt font says "Children of Men" will not be showing until Tuesday due to theater remodeling...GRRRR, you think the bad story would end there..so the next week rolls around and i've caught up on all my reading and homework, so I call on Wednesday thinking I could catch the 4:00..so I call this time & they proceed to tell me that is still not showing, should be up and running on Friday. Friday comes & I had planned to see another movie that had come out..so when I'm at the theater, it says that Children of Men is still showing so i make sure that the times arent going to change for Saturday and am looking forward to a 2 movie weekend..head up to the theater early on Saturday and what do you know...they are no longer playing Children of Men...double GRRRRR.
I have come to learn that "opening nation wide" doesn't necessarily apply to Greenville.
Breach, hasn't been released & doesn't look like its coming any time soon..sad day...I don't get to see any of the good ones..but I'm sure Stomp the Yard will be playing long into the summer, along with Norbit & Ghost Rider.

on the upside, apparently theres another theater being built, but i don't think i'm gonna be around when it finally opens.

So unless I give up going to see movies-i can't boycott Carmike.

so i wrote another post that i thought about posting, but its sitting in my draft box, because i really dont know if its public worthy...but in leiu of what happened in class tonight..i think it might just stay in the draft box or just get deleted...anyways..the setting for my dilemma is this:

tonight in class there was definitely a heated discussion about a topic that takes a little too much time to go into (orientalism..just google or wiki it) anyways, comments were said, some people probably said too much too passionately and some comments could have been clarified better as to not hurt feelings/offend or disrespect the guest professor..who i think got a little more than she bargained for...back to class, many left frustrated, worried and a little irritated. my point: discernment or discretion. As educated adults, we, you would think should know when and how to comment on something that is appropriate and intelligent has compared to something that is irrelevant or inappropriate...needless to say..this has left me wondering if my "frustration" in my draft box..my venting session put to paper, really needs to be shared or if it shall remain just an outlet of my feelings...

my conclusion: after rereading everything i wrote in the "draftbox article" & processing my thoughts today & tonight, i realized while I feel my opinions and thoughts are valid, clear and applicable & appropriate-..it doesnt live out ephesians 4:29 well. while I was in Columbia a couple weeks ago, Danny & Laura's sunday school teacher taught on the foundation of communication...and that was his princple verse "do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only that which is edifying to others, that it may give grace to those who listen". that has stuck so close to me these past weeks....which I will admit, that last week, I was not walking well in it..more than once my filter was off & I was responding with "I didn't mean it like that...did i really say that?"

anyways, thats all
and no, i'm not gonna tell you what i wrote about-quit being nosy

grace & peace,
alisha

so i just finished a 10 mile run in less than 2 hrs...

...and now i cant move-stratch that, i move like an old lady.


now im gonna curl up under the warm blankets and read my lovely book on liberation theology.

cheers.

alisha

So after many weeks of searching and waiting, browsing & debating whether i give in and order online...the last of the Christmas moolah was spent today on this wonderful pair of girly crocs! yeah for Great Provisions outdoor store. you made me one very happy gal!

got a little story for ya ags...

Everybody says change is a good thing right? Well, I would say yes, except if you are an 100 yr old university.
So when computers, record filing and admissons programing got big, ECU customized their own program, ECUMVS to meet all their computing needs, then they created the onestop.ecu.edu to meet the needs of expanding technology to accomadate registration, parking permits & forms of online paymen, etc.....well, in 2006, the wonderful administration at ECU decided that everything was outdated and we're moving to a new system...BANNER. All we as students and faculty heard all fall semester was how wonderful Banner is, how easy, and efficient and amazing Banner is, Banner is going to revolutionize the campus-all we need is Banner...yeah yeah yeah.

So January rolls around, slowly and gradually systems are being edited, redisgned and changed to run under Banner (and nobody is jumping for joy) The general consensus at least in our offices is that "we hate Banner" and heres the great climax of my story: guess what happens...security breach!
yes the world had access to over 65,000 persons personal data- here's a snippet of from the press release sent out almost 3 weeks AFTER it happened.

"It was a result of making a series of modifications to our systems to transition away from the use of Social Security numbers as unique identifiers on a portal on our web site that allows staff and students to perform a number of tasks such as purchase parking permits, check course availability and examine job openings.”

Personally identifiable data was potentially accessible by unauthorized users from Jan. 22 through Jan. 29, officials said. It included names, addresses and Social Security numbers. Credit card numbers for 21 individuals are believed to have been viewed, and those persons are being notified by telephone in addition to receiving letters.

Other information, such as parking data, automobile insurance information, job applicant data for faculty and administrator positions, student judicial incident reports, student housing records and graduate program application information, also was possibly viewed.

The vulnerability was discovered when an ECU student, who had been using the portal, unintentionally viewed a screen that contained names and other information. He reported the
situation to university police and the web site was secured within 15 minutes of
the initial report.

That means my info was possibly available to the world for a week straight...unbelievable...Banner is awesome! Luckily, I have not been contacted, nor have received the aformentioned letter, but I will be keeping a close eye on things. I'm reminded of those citibank commericials..ya know the one where like an old lady is talking but really shes a man lifting weights because of identity theft..anyways.

Thanks & gig'em Banner! [sarcasm included]