MONKEYING around at the zoo!!

Alright, asking for forgiveness here in my lack of consistency already for not posting my picture of the week this last week... blaming technology issues! So there will be TWO posts this time! How exciting!!

This first picture [from the week of October 12-18] is of a Saturday Anthropology field trip. We were required to head out to the Los Angeles Zoo to study, observe and chart the primates that so closely resemble us humans, with opposable thumbs and all...
It was a really enjoyable day, despite the 96 degree weather and how hurried we were, the L.A. Zoo is HUGE and also really nicely landscaped! I plan to head back out that way someday, maybe with the b-friend in tow...

This picture kind of encapsulates it all (expect for the primates) how bright and hot and beautiful it was, the walking in our group of comrades and me being behind because of my love for photography! enjoy.


Now, for the next week [October 19-25]... this week was pretty hectic and stressful and just plain taxing. I had all my midterms within 2 days, luckily this week we had the Torrey Memorial Bible Conference on "Sex and the Soul" which is a totally different and much more involved story. Any how, on Saturday, Katelyn came out to Biola to visit and hang out. We took the Metro out to L.A. and went to China Town and Olivera Street, signed some petitions, bought turtles, ate awesome tacos, weaved through bamboo stores, spoke to folks on the train and just had an amazing time! I love this picture because it's so candid and brilliantly colored. It makes me happy. It was a happy day!

The Death of a College Student & Correlation with Mid-Terms

I think it's a bad indication of how much pain I get from studying when I'm writing a blog instead of actually studying... considering my track record with blogging and all.
October is national "mid-term" month, when all Professors think it will be a brilliant idea to issue tests all at the same time!
[you would think an individual with a Doctorate would be more clever than that. Or maybe just more nice]

So I spent a lot of time on WebMD today, diagnosing the many "symptoms" I've been experiencing and one of my results was sleep deprivation! Ya' think!?
I propose that WebMD adds a new result labeled "midterm madness".
Similar to mad cow, but caused by the excessive studying and intake of facts that need to be crammed into our brains only to be spewed out in lead pencil in bubble format on a scantron.
The symptoms would include:

- The urge to check Facebook every 2 minutes.
- The sudden desire to e-mail Aunt Nansea on the east coast and tell her ALL about your life, even though you lost contact about 6 months ago.
- Eating obscure food combinations including, but not limited to: m&m's in peanut butter, apples covered in sugar, easy mac with fruit loops interspersed, and countless cups of coffee or some other form of caffeine.
- An immediate interest in cleaning your room, although you haven't done so since you moved in almost 2 months ago.
- Deep and involved conversations with your roommate about the dark inner workings of the phrase "same difference"
- The fascination with clipping your toe/finger nails

many other symptoms are involved, possibly too many to list.
But I guess I should get back to the books now, even though, at this point, the information is just going to leak out of my head...

A Photo A Week...

Ok, I have a new plan.
Since I am such a slacker and really bad with being consistent, I have an idea to help myself out...
I've decided to title it "A Photo A Week" which should be pretty self explanatory;
I'm going to post a picture that I take each week with a little update on my life and how that photo plays into all of it.
My objectives are to
[1] be more consistent in blogging and staying up to date on my life activities and
[2] to give myself the opportunity to get out and use my beautiful camera!

I hope this is helpful for all parties involved, I'm really looking forward to it!

Here's the first photo!

It's from this past Saturday when Erik and I went to Point Dume in Malibu to go hiking, get away from the stress of campus, relax and just enjoy the company of one another. The scenery was so amazingly beautiful, it was insanely windy, especially on the point. There were people rock climbing on the face of the point, a wedding being photographed, a family building a sandcastle and us taking a nap in the middle of a walkway (which we didn't realize was a walkway, opps!) It was such a relaxing day and we got to drive through Pepperdine University which is basically built into a canyon!

Update!!

Alright, so here's a quick one for those still reading this (a.k.a. my mom)...

Just wanted to say I'm alive and well, finally all done with floor decorations, well, for now. They are satisfactory for Erin and I but the residents will be super impressed! They move in in 5 hours!!! I'm very excited for that, so much so, I can't sleep! That's why I'm up at 4 in the morning!!

But I will attempt a better update later this week when the craziness of moving in and getting all the kiddies settled dies down, but I'm doing amazing!

I should start good habits now!!

I figure that since this is my first night back at Biola and in my new room for the next year, I should start off with a blog and a commitment to be more consistent with my blogging throughout this year!
I'm extremely excited to be back, this place makes me happier than anyone could possibly ever know! Tomorrow is when all of the big excitement takes place since the rest of the RA's will be moving in... I can't wait to see everyone and get all unpacked and organized. That's when I feel the most at home.
So tonight is a little creepy just because i'm in this big dorm hall all by myself! So I'll try not to think too much about it so I can sleep a bit, but I'm just so excited!!
good night!

I got the Job!!

I was selected to be a Resident Assistant for South Horton!!

I have been working so hard to get this job for next year at school, the grueling process began in January with information meetings and a very extensive application, followed by a group process and a personal one-on-one interview with the Resident Director. The results were revealed Monday March 17th and I was so ecstatic when I found out that I was chosen for SoHo staff!!

After all the stress, doubt, heartache and nervousness I can finally sit back (at least until August when my duties officially begin) and enjoy what God has blessed me with and know that I'm on the path that I'm meant to be on! God is good!!

"Stop The Traffik"

www.stopthetraffik.com

I'm finding that this topic is coming to be an extremely recurrent topic in my life this semester:

Human Trafficking.

Did you know that in the United States alone,  there is an estimated "50,000 people trafficked into or transited through the U.S.A. annually as sex slaves, domestics, garment and agricultural slaves [http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/USA.htm]." 

I wouldn't be surprised if this was new information. Way too many people not only in the US but globally are unaware and uneducated about this rapidly growing human slavery industry. 

Yes. Rapidly Growing. And, yes, Slavery.

It has yet to be abolished like we have for so long thought. 

And not only is this an issue in the US, but it is a GLOBAL EPIDEMIC. 

This blog is supposed to be a small insight into my life for those that don't see me all that often and some may feel that this is impertinent but let me explain...

This semester I decided to get involved with an on campus ministry and the one I happened to hear about was the Social Justice Ministry with a focus on Human Trafficking. I wanted to let you all know about how excited I am to be involved with this ministry, to finally be able to take action towards righting something that I feel is so wrong! This ministry is focusing on raising awareness but more importantly, receiving training on how to actually help victims of trafficking. We are looking forward to going into inner city Los Angeles (after we have received professional training) to take action against this destructive industry! I have been itching to be able to get out and get my hands dirty and do the work of God! 

I know how easy it is to participate in ministries where the focus is solely raising awareness, these ministries are so amazing and the people that are involved in them are using their God given gifts to further the Kingdom- they are doing what they are able to do. I feel that I have been enabled to go into the field, to get my hands dirty, to do the dangerous things that others are not comfortable with. God has given me this uncontainable passion to risk it all. That is how He has impacted my life, that is how He has taught me to trust Him with everything. I have been told before that things I'm involved in are too dangerous and risky and that I could be doing just as much good around my home. Well, here I am. I'm working around home and it is a dangerous and destructive place. And I am so excited to dive in.

- Once, when the Apostles were brought before the high priest in Jerusalem, where they faced death for teaching others about Jesus, this went down...

"A Pharisee named Gamaliel... addressed [the high priest]: 

'Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men... For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God'.

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."

-Acts 5:17-42 [emphasis mine]