A Post for Kelli

DUDE! It is really lame being so far apart from my other half. I've been hanging out with Heidi and Hayley who are twins right down my hall, and seeing their interactions and sister bond makes me even more aware of how something is missing. You are my bestie and have been from the beginning (well, minus the 22 months you weren't in my life yet). I've been remembering all the silly videos we have at home of us growing up, and am so grateful God blessed me with a sister to share everything in life with. So excited that you are following God's path for you and hope you are using every opportunity to draw closer to Him. I know you will come back a much stronger woman than when you left. Think of you daily and excited for seeing you in spring! Lots of love from your big sis in Virginia :)

Thought of you when I saw the Christmas
candles at Kmart today :)

Fun with Cooking

Yesterday was packed with food adventures. First, a few girls in my hall went to buy apples at the farmer's market and brought them back and made 4 apple pies. It was so great! Only Sarah (our RA) knew how to make them, so we pretty much asked what to do every 5 seconds. Ha ha! But now we got the practice in for when we are Moms and are required to know how to bake pies :)

Here's some photos...

Pretty gourds and girls at the farmer's market

Heidi and Hayley peeling apples (they're twins if you can't tell)

Me and Hayley

Sammi, Meg, and Heidi baking away

Sammi and Sarah constructing masterpieces

Can you tell I made the one at the bottom?

Finished!

So much pie!

Then, last night, I decided to finally try out a pasta recipe that I found online. I'm trying to get more adventurous with my cooking, and it actually wasn't too hard and turned out SO GOOD! It was penne with corn and bacon, and I was pretty proud of myself for not screwing it up. Here's what it looked like...

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

New Regent President

Today was Carlos Campo's inauguration as the 8th President of Regent University. It was neat to be part of such a historical milestone at the school. Dr. Campo is such a devoted servant of God and pure blessing to every life he touches. I waved at him as he walked down to the platform and he waved back! So exciting! He embodies peace unlike anyone I've ever seen. He's the kind of man that you meet for the first time and it feels like you've been friends since 1st grade. Also, I heard rumors that his famous cousin was going to be at the ceremony. Some of you may have heard of him...George Clooney! Sadly, I never saw him (and I was looking!), so perhaps the rumors were false. However, I think it's way cooler that Dr. Campo is Rosemary Clooney's nephew!

Former President Pat Robertson and new President Dr. Campo

Prayer Request

I would love prayers for inspiration. Regent is having a contest where students make a 60 second film that answers the question, "Why do you believe in Regent?" The winner gets a free class, which would be an incredible blessing! I feel God tugging me to make a video, but I don't have any ideas. The judges are basing their criteria more on subject matter than quality (otherwise, the best filmmakers in the school would eliminate competition). So prayers for inspiration would be wonderful. Thanks!

My RA

I don't think I have a picture of Sarah up yet. That is unacceptable! Here is my lovely RA (resident assistant) Sarah, who is probably the most friendly person at Regent University. We love having movie nights! She is a true servant of Jesus and an embodiment of peace and grace.

Cuteness!

A Wonderful Surprise

Yesterday, I came back to find a rather large package in front of my door. It was from Sarah Dauphin (AKA Z or Zelix). She sent me the most amazing care package ever! It blows my mind how God used her to remind me of his faithfulness and provision. Z and I haven't seen each other for about 3 years, yet she continues to bless me with her friendship and many things that I actually needed/wanted to buy. My favorite thing was a card from Boulder Creek with a photo of the main street on it. She also sent an therapeutic eye pillow that smells like lavender. That is something that will truly help my sleep. Such a blessing! I asked her to send me a burrito since Mexican food is scarce over here, but she did the next best thing and sent instant tortilla soup! Ha ha! Another thing that was wonderful were cards with Bible verses and quotes on them. Can't wait to hang them on my wall and be encouraged and inspired by them daily. It's amazing how God has blessed me here in Virginia through new and existing relationships. Here's a photo of all the goodies...

So much goodness! And 3 pairs of awesome socks!

Home

First Trip to DC

Yesterday, I participated in the first ever End Modern Slavery Walk in Washington DC, Constitutional Gardens. It was my first time in our nation's capitol and I really enjoyed it! I left Regent with a group of students at 5 AM (ya, woke up at 3:30...not fun), and we embarked on the 3 hour drive. We made a stop at Chic-Fil-A (seriously don't understand why everyone is obsessed with that restaurant) and caught some sleep in the van. I got to see the sunrise. The orange tint outlined the horizon as it slowly made its morning entrance and gradually changed the sky from gray to blue. We got pretty lost trying to find the walk. After the adventure of parking a 15 passenger van in a parking garage we barely fit the height requirements for, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial to meet the rest of our IJM (International Justice Mission) group.

It's funny because I didn't actually do the 5k at all. Since we got there so late, it had already started and people were finishing it. I didn't mind because we walked so much the rest of the day that I definitely would have regretted it later. There were lots of people participating who are passionate about raising awareness. I discovered many organizations who have dedicated resources to fighting this injustice. Speakers included a former victim of sex slavery, the founder of Project 318 (who openly professed to be a Christian and got supportive applause for it), and the President of Shared Hope. It's really scary how much sex trafficking happens right here in the US. It's not an international crisis alone. Hundreds of thousands of children are forced into this in our own country. Check out www.polarisproject.com for facts and statistics. I dare you!

The Constitutional Gardens is gorgeous!

Raising Awareness is the answer to this crisis

Most girls forced into prostitution start at 13

Walkers

 Also had lots of time to be a tourist! The city is beautiful and I was surprised how similar the houses were to San Francisco. It's actually very similar to San Fran: rude drivers, no yards, hard to park, lots of stuff to see and do, but DC has more nature and fewer hills. Here are some photos...

Such beautiful buildings everywhere!

Veteran's Memorial...too many names. Quite humbling.

Me and Abe

The White House is right behind the Washington Monument

So much beauty

Washington Monument

After the event, our group went to lunch at Busboys and Poetry. It was a quaint little bookstore and cafe that would do very well in Santa Cruz. They emphasized being green, artistic, and organic. I had the best veggie burger of my life with a side of sweet potato fries! Yum! But to get there, we had to take the metro. It was quite the experience, and I'm really glad I don't have to do it everyday! Not a huge fan of a transit system that only gives you about 60 seconds to get on and off a crowded train that is located underground in a dark tunnel. So glad someone else was navigating.

Our tickets had panda bears on them :)

Looks like a scene out of a movie

When we finally made it back to the van, it was close to 4 PM. We were exhausted and did our best to sleep in the awkward positions that offered minimum comfort. Got to see the sunset as well. When I lost all the blood in my leg, I had no choice but to sit up and attempt to entertain myself for the remaining hour of our drive. I got so bored I played roadside ABC with myself (took forever to find a dang Z). Driving on Virginia highways is pleasant because both sides are mostly framed by forests not shopping centers. And the fall colors are beginning to show on the leaves. We got back at 8 PM, and then I freshened up to go straight to an engagement party for a friend (Jennifer from my 48 hour film team). I didn't get to bed until 12:30 AM which means that I was up for a grand total of 21 hours! It was worth it.

2 Months Down

Two months ago, I was doing my best to get some sleep on a red eye as I flew across the country on a new life journey. It's been a challenge to leave everything I have ever known behind, but I now consider Regent a home as well. And God has shown me repeatedly that I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Here is just one example. I have already edited two projects and am trying to become known on campus as an editor. Turns out that not a lot of students do it, so I'm definitely in the right field. I thought I had good luck for the first few weeks by editing films but was doubting that I would get more projects to work on with fellow students...but God works in mysterious ways.

I went to see the school's latest production, Our Town, tonight (great play by the way!) and sat next to a guy named Eric. Turns out he is an MA student with a major in producing. As soon as he found out I am an editor, he wanted my contact info so he could include me in his future films! Okay, not only am I already editing a project for the two best editors at Regent (seniors Dan and Derrick), but now an MA student who has tons of connections and really wants people on his sets who want to learn just happens to be in the seat next to me! God is awesome, and I trust Him more everyday with the place He has put me in.

P.S. In ballroom class today we learned the waltz, which was a dream come true for me. It's such a beautiful and elegant dance and I can't wait to perfect it!

Photo Shoot

Well, my team didn't win the film festival, but that's okay. I gained some good connections with fellow students an a lot of experience. We are planning to make more films together in the future. This past week marked the first half of the semester. I finished up my 8-week class and got an A! Yay! Now I only have 3 classes to focus on. But this week is our fall break so we don't have any classes. It is much needed! I have plans to hang out with friends, catch up on homework, do some knitting, spend some quality time with Jesus, and just enjoy the respite from classes. I'm also editing a video for some fellow students entitled "Blind Date: The Musical." It's amazing!

So today, a professional photographer came to Regent to take head shots of com arts students who were interested. There was also free hair and makeup, so heck yes I went! Not sure when I'll get those, but here are a few that I took. I don't even recognize myself! It was fun to get a makeover :)

48-hour Film Festival

I LOVE FILMMAKING!!! This weekend, I was part of a Regent competition to write, film, edit, and deliver a 4-7 minute film in 2 days. It was an awesome experience, and my team (we call ourselves Veritas Films) produced a beautiful film. I acted as the camera operator and editor for the project. The entire process made me so much more excited about the calling God has placed on my heart to work in this business. Although, we were exhausted, stretched, and cranky, watching our final credits role made all that dissipate. We all work very well together, and brought our specific talents to the project. So here's what happened...

On Friday night at 7 PM, we met in a room with 9 other teams to pick our genre. The categories were mystery, drama, musical, horror, sci-fi, romance, comedy, heist, mockumentary, and fantasy. That was not something we got to pick ahead of time, which added to the chaos of the project. No one wanted the musical! Thankfully, our team leader drew drama, which was a category that we already had a really good script idea for. Another element of the contest was that we had to incorporate certain items into our project. Every team was required to have the following things appear on screen: a popsicle stick, a character named Catherine Frost (agent), and say the line "I thought it would be heavier." So as soon as we were dismissed, we headed to Jennifer's house for a scriptwriting party. Jillian, Renee, and I got lost trying to find Jennifer's house...and then Renee locked her keys in the car! Exciting weekend right from the start.

Here we are looking for Jennifer's street

Thank goodness Jennifer makes amazing iced coffee, because we were up until 4 AM writing the script! We crashed at Jennifer's house, and after about 1 1/2 hours of sleep, it was time to head to our first location. We spent the morning filming at a bar (I made an appearance as an extra in that scene!), and then headed home for lunch. The rest of the day we filmed at Jennifer's house since our script centers around a young married couple at home. Amazingly, we finished all the filming we needed by 9:30 PM on Saturday, so we were able to get a full night of sleep. Here's a bunch of photos of the weekend...

Scriptwriting, brainstorming, planning, coffee

Kalani working on our team logo

Working late into the night...and early into the morning

Planning on the way to our location shoot

Veritas Films team...I love these guys!
From right: Jennifer, me, Jillian, Renee, John, and Kalani

Quiet on the set!

Our director John seems happy with my editing style

On Sunday, I got up at 7:30 AM to start importing our 37 minutes of footage and put a rough cut together before our meeting at noon. With my Final Cut Pro expertise and Kalani's animation skills, we ended up with a very compelling and professional drama. It took a while, but with my team's input, encouragement, and creative ideas, we finished the final version and John handed it in 15 minutes before deadline. The premier is this Friday, and we will get to see all the films and discover who won. All the projects are judged by non-Regent professionals in the industry. I'll let you know how we do!

Small World

Last night Regent had an invisible children screening. They showed the movie Grace and even had child mothers from Uganda there to personally tell us their stories. It was powerful, and encouraging to hear the updates on the situation. And then when I was talking to the volunteers, they saw my Camp Hammer sweatshirt and we found out that we have tons of mutual friends. And even better is that Jordan (who was at camp this past summer with Jacob) was on the tour! We reminisced about camp, and what a wonderful place it is, and how amazing the SDs are! It was such a breath of fresh air to talk to someone about my home that I love so much. Such a small world.

I start the 48-hour film today. Basically, I'm on a team of 6 who will be creating a 4-7 minute video in one weekend. It's a competition through Regent, and I'm so excited! We won't sleep much, but I think it will be such a great introduction for me to the film world. I'm the camera operator and editor for the project. If you have the chance, we would love prayer for good weather and safety for our team. We named ourselves Veritas Films. Look for updates about that experience on Monday!