http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/blog_undergrad Azusa Pacific University Blogs en-us Wed, 09 May 2007 10:38:00 PDT Wed, 09 May 2007 10:38:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/10411/ Hi Everyone!

Well, finals are finally over and I am now blogging from back in Denver! It was a tough past week, but it’s always a great feeling to know you finally crossed the finish line at the end of semester. It’s hard to believe the year is really over, but looking back on my experiences and what I’ve learned this year, I’d say it was the year that bore the most fruit as I feel like I have grown tremendously, both academically and spiritually. Saying goodbye to everyone was a little sad but it only makes me excited for next year when I get to see them again! My summer plans aren’t too exciting…I’ll be going to summer school starting in a couple weeks and going through August. I also want to try to find a job in a hospital just so I can learn more about the field of medicine by putting myself in that environment. I am actually leaving today for a medical mission trip to Mexico where I will be checking patients in and taking blood pressures so I'm quite excited; I hope and pray it is a stretching experience for me. Other than that, I plan to immerse myself in the word this summer so I can be well prepared for next year! I just wanted to tell you all how honored I was to have been able to get the opportunity to share my life with you… from moments of great joy to moments of great stress, it has been fun! I hope that this summer holds amazing opportunities for you all and I hope this next year bears as much if not more fruit for everyone! Have a wonderful summer! I leave you with one of my favorite verses…Ephesians 5:8

 

“For you were once darkness, but now

 you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

]]> Wed, 09 May 2007 10:38:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/10348/ Hi everyone!

Well its crunch week here at APU! Last week of classes…can’t believe it! This year went by so fast but it was a very fruitful year.

Ok, so let me catch you guys up. The week before spring break, my mom came and visited me. It was great having her here. She came to all my classes and loved them! I took her to Newport and we went to visit the Paul Geddes Museum and it was beautiful!

Over spring break, I went to visit my friends, Hannah and Bre, who spent this semester in Boston at Gordon College. They are coming back to APU next year and they are both my future roommates so it was super fun to see them again and to experience life at another Christian college on the East Coast. I loved Boston; the city was amazing but it was FREEZING! I ended up straightening my hair for the temporary extra heat! After a couple days in Boston, I went to Ohio to visit my best friend from high school who goes to Miami of Ohio University. So, I had an incredible spring break that I was very thankful for. As much as I would love to tell you more about my last couple weeks and show you all my pictures from spring break, I feel like this blog should be dedicated more to Virginia Tech and what happened there this past week.

It put such heaviness on the APU community as I’m sure it did all across the world. Through the tradgedy, I was really reminded of the importance of love. Most of 1st John is dedicated to love and how we, as Christians, are called to love others. I learned that there were two things that gave you membership to the church and those things were first, declaring Christ as Lord and Savior and second, loving our neighbors. It seems in today’s world we, myself included, forget the importance of loving each other; we forget that it is God’s second commandment to those who choose to follow him. Loving with a Christ- like love is our identifying mark as Christians. I wonder sometimes if what happened at Virginia Tech could have been prevented had there been more love there. APU is a smaller school with GREAT community already, but I’m sure there is always room for improvement. 

Barnabas was named “son of encouragement.” Acts tells us that he was a “good man, filled with the Holy Spirit.” When Paul was being rejected for defending Christians, Barnabas was the only one that took him in. Barnabas didn’t simply help him, he “took him in” which requires courage, commitment, and time.

May we be Barnabas when we encounter outcasts or people that are always found by themselves. May we be the ones that reach out and strive to be called “sons of encouragement.”. As an APU community and for everyone in their own parts of the globe, let us not forget the importance and the calling we have to love with a Christ-like love. My prayers go out to Virginia Tech. I’ll blog again soon!  

 

 

]]> Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:08:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/10254/ Hello APU and APU Prospectives!

 

Its preview weekend here at APU! It was a nice change to be able to see some prospective students in my classes today! It made a good start to the weekend! I just wanted to write and share with you what my week has looked like this past week. Last weekend, some friends and I went to Huntington Beach, had a bonfire, and played some guitar. For all you prospective students out there, having bonfires on the beach is a pretty big part of being an APU student…and if there is a guitar there, then you are DEFINITELY an APU student! It was nice to be able to hang out at the beach again; it always brings some sense of peace to the end of a hard academic week. After that we stopped by In N Out (again definitely an APU student thing to do) and ended the night with a movie. Side note: I know they don’t have In N Outs in Denver, but for all of you that haven’t heard of it, it’s the best burger place EVER and its totally made FRESH! So next time you come out and visit APU, make sure to find some time for a stop at  In N Out! Anyways, on Saturday, a friend of mine had some people over, so I stopped by there for a bit and for the rest of the night, hung out with a friend and watched Aladdin! Most of Sunday was spent catching up on the homework that hadn’t been done yet. So, all in all, last weekend was a good weekend. This week was busy as usual as I spent some good hours in the library with my buddy Kevan! O…and on a study break, we went to Donut Man! It was his very first time so I HAD to take him because you can’t be at APU and have never experienced Donut Man! He told me it was his new-found favorite place. This weekend will be a fun-filled weekend of reading and memorizing my Anatomy textbook! I can’t wait :) O and a lot of guitar practicing…I’m more of a piano girl but I’m trying to learn the guitar too. This week is the last week before our Spring Break so most professors are nailing their students with papers and exams, but it’s almost over! We are almost there, APU! Keep those eyes focused on the finish line!!! My mom is actually coming to visit me this week so I'm quite excited!  Anyways, that’s been me and my life for the past week or so. I'll be sure to write again before Spring Break! Hope all is well! 'Til next time!  

]]> Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:11:00 PDT http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/10160/ Hey

 

As promised, I have the pictures of when I went to go visit my brother and sister in Texas for Presidents Day Weekend. It was SO nice being able to take a break from the world of science and exams. We had a great time together! My brother is in the Air Force, stationed in San Antonio and my sister lives in Baltimore so we decided to have a little family reunion in San Antonio since we don’t get to see each other as often as we like. My brother did a good job of playing host and showing us around the city. We did a lot of things: went out to eat at many well-known Texan restaurants (especially this one place…it was known for its infamous MONSTEROUS burgers…..probably the best burger I’ve ever had!), we played ultimate Frisbee with his friends one afternoon, went to eat in a needle that spins and overlooks the whole city of San Antonio, went to CHIPOTLE of course, we went to the beach, went to church together, and went to Midnight Rodeo where we learned how to country dance (that’s when I felt like I was REALLY in Texas :) Unfortunately, I had to bring my books and study between all the fun because the next week of school (which was last week), I had five exams, two of which were science exams so I definitely had my work cut out for me in the studying category! It all worked out though and still did me a lot of good to see them again. I really value education and all, but sometimes its good for the soul to take a mini-vacation! Anyways, enjoy the pictures!

]]> Thu, 01 Mar 2007 13:02:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/10122/ Hey Y'all!

Man did I have a busy week last week...EXAMS GALORE! But through my crazy week, I did manage to take some pictures for you guys with the things I did! First, late at night sometime last week, me and my speech and debate buddies, Russel and Jake, went to the this new, cool, hip place where a lot of students hang out.....the LIBRARY :) We stayed there for a while studying and I got so much done that I decided to  take a picture of my labtop and the work I got done after being there for a few hours! But it was fun seeing them, catching up, and studying! I think we left at 5 in the morning though....such is the life of a college student :) I also went to the infamous GOSPEL SING with my roomates! It's a pretty big event here at APU where our Gosel Choir performs, other gospel choir's from local churches perform, and the APU guys and girl STEP TEAMS perform! It was a pretty amazing performance and a great time of simply moving to the beat and worshipping! I have some pictures of that too! Oh, another thing...my RA Sean held a night of worship in his room on Monday night! He and another of my neighbors played guitar as a few of us around Bowles came together to worship. They said they are going to be doing that every Monday which will be a nice break from the world of stress and textbooks. Also, a couple nights back...I also went over to my friend Teresa's place to "study" :) For all you who dont know, she used to be an admissions counselor here. We actually go WAY back to my freshman year when she was my PROFESSOR for public speaking :) I know, I know, crazy story but I love her to death  and it was great being able to catch up with her again....and I have some pictures of us just so you all can meet her :)  Anyways, that's been me and my week outside of class! O! Ok...one more thing :) Last weekend for President's weekend, I went to Texas to hang out with my brother. My sister and her boyfriend flew out too so it was just the good ol' Harmoush kids for the weekend. We had a really fun time and it was so nice to see them again. I'll have pictures of that too in the next couple days when I get them from my sister. So, I'll be blogging soon! Hope all is well in the world outside APU! Enjoy the pictures!

]]> Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:14:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/10045/ Hey everyone! Im so sorry for the long silence...really thats never my intention but I have been in the books probably more than I have ever been in my life! These science classes are really hitting me hard! I have spent the last couple weekends here studying...and when I say studying...I mean NON- STOP studying! I have had Anatomy exams and Bio exams every Monday since I have been back at school. The highlight of my weekends were probably STUDYING in the park which by the way, I am planning on doing more of :) There is actually a cute park near campus, just 5 minutes, and its a GREAT place for studying! With the warmer weather of the last couple weeks, I was able to study and get me some color at the same time :) On a more personal note, I feel like God has really been moving my heart and teaching me some important things through the lonely hours of studying. I won't lie, these past couple weeks have been rough on me; watching my roomates go out and have fun on weekends was not something easy for me to see. As I sat there studying for hours, I felt somewhat alone as I saw my friends go out. I found myself saying no left and right to fun outtings. THIS WAS EXTREMELY HARD FOR ME but through it, God kind of reminded me that I need to put my focus in the right things, on the bigger picture. It's ok that I wasn't able to go out for a couple weekends, its ok that all I can say when someone asks me what I've been doing is say studying, its ok that my whole life for the past couple weeks has been studying....I need to look at the BIGGER PICTURE and have enough faith to know that someday, my hard work will pay off, that SOMEDAY what I've been studying for those past couple weekends WILL be used and needed, and most importantly, that SOMEDAY the things I am studying will be another tool I can use for God's glory. I need to not let myself get down just because of some studying but I need to stay hopeful in the bigger picture and what lies ahead. Anyways, thats something really  big that God has been doing in my life through academics. While I KNOW that I'm not the only college student or student in general that is having to deal with CONSTANT studying...I want to share a verse that has really been an encouragement to me...

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God"   I Corinthians 10:31.

 I want to be able to glorify God through my studies, my fun outtings, EVERYTHING just like this verse says. I won't preach or anything but I hope that verse can be an encouragement to you all as it was for me! Anyways I must get off to more studying, but if anyone out there gets lonely with their books, know that you can always come to me and find yourself a guarenteed study partner :)

]]> Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:01:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/9932/ Happy New Year! Christmas break was amazing and turned out to be well needed. The first half of it was not so wonderful though. I got my wisdom teeth pulled out, yes, all four of them. The blizzard was beneficial because it forced me to stay in bed and recover but it was beautiful waking up to a world of white. The surgery turned out to be a much harder surgery than I thought it would be appetite-wise but now I’m all better and I’ve definitely got my appetite back...maybe a little too much of it back! I got to spend a few days in Florida where I visited my boyfriend and his family. We went to Orlando and jet skiied on a lake, Meritt Island, Melbourne, and I finally got to see the infamous Ron Jons! It was a fun trip that continued as my boyfriend and I flew back to Denver to be with my family. We went from sunny Florida to snowing Colorado! It was a really special treat because my older brother took leave from the Air Force to come home and my sister and her boyfriend were visiting for a couple days too, so finally, the WHOLE family was back. The kids got to go snowboarding which was an adventure in and of itself! I got to catch up on seeing a few movies that were out because all of last semester, I didn’t get to go to the theaters…so I was WAY behind! We also went to a stock show and rodeo and got to pet the animals in the petting zoo! While the break did go by too fast, it was really appreciated and enjoyed. Now I find myself back at APU and facing my first couple BIO classes for my new major. I’m really enjoying my classes and seeing old faces but I’m still working on getting myself back into the swing of things. This weekend was a great weekend to get ahead and relax one last time before the start of the new semester. I have pictures for you guys some from break and some from this weekend; my roommates and I got to spend a lot of quality time together! On Friday night, our neighbors in Bowles invited us over for dinner so we went there and had an incredible dinner! The other pictures are from our “Roommate Night” where we went to a Middle Eastern Restaurant! Other than that, this weekend offered a lot of cold weather and studying! Well it was fun catching you all up! I will write more soon! Take care!

]]> Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:47:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/9811/ Hey y'all!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Mine was really good, I went to my friend Hannah's house and we had the most amazing Thanksgiving dinner...it was super fun! Her house is like my home away from home. I have pictures but they are on her camera so I'll try to get them so you guys can see! Other than that, I did some babysitting for my ministry (a four year old girl who was too cute!) but mostly spent the break cleaning the appartment and working on the loads of homework I have. I really wanted to try to work ahead so I could be able to fully concentrate on finals and I find myself now, Sunday night, with still A LOT to do :) So I'm going to go get on it, but just wanted to write you a quick blog! I'll write more soon!

Ps- The countown begins now.... 19 days till Christmas break!!! Let's go APU, we can do it!

]]> Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:26:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/9792/ Hi blog readers! I’m back with some GOOD news…… you are looking at the new applied health physicians assistant major! Boy was that a tough decision, but it feels good being on the end of actually knowing my major! But now comes the best part, registering for classes! Well I write to y’ all (for my southern friends out in the world J) a couple days away from break and I think we all are in desperate need of Thanksgiving break! I’m not going back to Colorado just because I was just there for the Speech and Debate tournament and because I will be going home for Christmas; thus, I will be hanging out here writing blogs J I have a LOT to do, but I will be spending Thanksgiving day with my friend Hannah and her family and besides that, I will be doing my ministry with the kids, maybe do some surfing, but mainly getting ready for the next couple weeks of explosive stress, and no I'm NOT exaggerating…but you know, that’s why we are all such good students at APUJ Anyways I have some pictures for you guys, finally, I know, but my laptop is getting repaired so it took me a while to retrieve these pics! They are of me and my roomies Megan and Heather at the last APU football game! It was a fun time… we had a little photo-shoot! Enjoy and I'll be sure to write again over break! HAPPY ALMOST THANKSGIVING DAY!!!!

]]> Mon, 20 Nov 2006 21:22:00 PST http://www.apu.edu/blogs/leslie/9722/ Peek A Boo!

I’m back from hibernation and boy do I have to catch you up! First and foremost, I spilt crystal light on my lap top one night as I was up late studying, so a lot of the pictures I wanted to show you, I can't anymore! Oh, but don’t you guys worry, I still have plenty coming! Okay, first of all, speech and debate, we have had many tournaments recently, one that was held at APU and a couple weekends ago, six of us went to my home town, COLORADO, for a tournament! It was a great tournament; it was my first time debating, which definitely was an experience, and I got to see my family again!

 

Now for HALLOWEEN! My friend Hannah Cooper and I went to this haunted house and game night APU held at the University Park apartments. With the scary haunted house, the games, and the overload of candy, we had a lot of fun! We decided to be extra creative and be Eskimos because it was so cold out! We took a lot of pictures with people; you guys can check them out!

 

School you ask? Well, its school! Midterm’s week was a little bit ago and it’s so nice being done now. I can’t believe it’s already midterms! That means its closer to the end of semester which means new classes! O yeah, that brings me to my next dilemma; maybe you guys can help me out! Okay, so since I’ve been at APU, I’ve had the most difficult time deciding what path to take for my future with a major (a lot of the admissions counselors can fill you in on the fact that since day one at APU registration when I was a senior in high school, I was worried about what classes to take and where that will lead me and what that will mean…like a kind of stress that made history in the admissions office) Well, because I STILL am confused, I haven’t been able to register for classes…BUSTED! I have it narrowed down which is a start I guess, but recently that’s been consuming most of my worries. But I need to figure it out and register by this week, so I'll let you know where I end up. Oh, and just so you know, for all you prospective students that are interested in the Business program here, it’s a great program, it just wasn’t really for me.

 

Ok well I think that’s a wrap on what has been going on with me! I will write more in the next couple days when I get new pictures of me and my friends at the beach last night! I won’t give you the details now….I’ll keep you guys in suspense so you are CERTAIN to check out my blog again this week! Ok I’m off to sleep…and by sleep, I mean write a paper, study for an exam, THEN sleep!

Bonne nuit!

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