Following HIS Lead

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!