(Ways in Which Juana is Weird) Otherwise Known As 10 Things You May or May Not Have Known About Me, But Do Now

Borrowing the idea of my fellow blogger, Gwen, I'm going to post 10 quirky facts about myself :)

1. I don't like to wear jeans in the house...I have to wear sweatpants or shorts.

2. In order to check that my earrings or bracelets haven't fallen off, I shake my arms and head to feel them.

3. I often imagine what it would be like to live in the Egyptian Era and in the 50s.

4. Whenver I'm getting my picture taken, I have a "picture prep"; I lick my lips, stand on my toes, looks over my shoulder, and SMILE!

5. I have a thing for masks with feathers.

6. I would love to live by the beach so that I could walk along the shore every day.

7. I want to be a Southern Belle.

8. I love wearing my hair super big!

9. I love listening to classical music when I study.

10. I hardly ever go up/down the stairs one step at a time...I take 2 or 3 steps at once. And sometimes I misjudge and jumped too many...now that's scary.

Share your quirks with me! :)

Blessings!

Evidence of my silliness

Sugar sometimes makes it worse

But I'll look cute at the same time ;)

What a Funny Little Plane Ride...Kinda

So my trip to VA has ended...I know...boooooooo! I can't wait to go back in August when I move. However, I was quite excited for the plane ride home for multiple reasons. The first is that I couldn't wait to get home! The second being that I love plane rides, plus free cookies, pretzels, and drinks :) (My snack of choice is usually pretzels and club soda). The third reason I was excited for the plane ride was that the movies/entertainment is free! And I had my Delta headphones from my last trip, so I didn't need to buy new ones. So my mom, sister, and I arrive at the airport earlier than needed so that we wouldn't have to run to the terminal to catch the plane. Good plan. When we got to our gate, what did we find? Delay. Of an hour. Greeeeaaaaat. But that gave us time to sit down and eat and nice lunch. I had a bagel sandwich...chicken parmagiana! Yuuuummmmmmy! :) I had been craving coffee since I woke up and was planning on grabbing something from Starbucks afterwards. So my mom and I leave Alex at the gate and walk to the closest Starbucks in the terminal. As I am making my order, my mom's phone rings...it is Alex saying that they were boarding the plane. So we ruuuuuuuuuuun back to the gate (And got many looks from people!). I'm now out of breath, but we've made the flight. Then, we had to sit on the runway for a while as the runway was crowded with other planes due to the rainy weather. We finally took off and I fell asleep. Next stop: New York! We made our connection in New York by mere minutes! And it just so happened that they gave our seats away to other people so we had to sit in different seats next to strangers! *gasp* And once again, we sat on the runway waiting for clearance to take off...for an hour! But I took advantage of the free entertainment! Woot woot! Tv shows, movies, and music galore! Our plane eventually took off and I enjoyed my snacks :) Coffee and cookies this time. I watched Sherlock Holmes and Young Victoria (I recommend both!). I also chatted with my neighbor who is a student in New York. At one point she asked me, "Isn't that your third cup of coffee?" Haha! And yes it was! I also had several packs of cookies…it’s amazing that I wasn’t running up and down the isle! After what seemed like a super long flight, we finally landed back in CA. Whew! I hadn't slept for the entire flight, which amazed me (it was those cookies and coffee)! But that plane ride was one of the most positive, fun ones that I ever had! So it really was a funny little plane ride...kinda :)

Blessings!

Visiting VA

As most of you probably already know, I attend Regent University in VA Beach, VA. I love love love it! The thing that you may not know is that I live in CA and take online classes. It has always been in my mind and on my heart that I would move to VA and attend on-campus classes. My plans to move last year were switched almost last minute...needless to say, I was heartbroken, but I knew it was the right decision. So this year, my sister, mom, and I decided to make the trip to Regent for their Preview Weekend. My sister is interested in attending Regent so the trip would be beneficial for the both of us. I really wanted to visit the student housing and visit with friends whom I had gotten to know over Facebook. And it was amaaaaaazzzzzing! :) We arrived on Thursday (A big thank you to my friend Isaac for picking us up!) and it was so amazing seeing the campus for the first time in 3 years! On Friday, we were able to attend programs that the university had set-up for prospective students (even though I already attend Regent ;) It was great getting to sit in on a Journalism class and being able to see how the on-campus classes operate! (And I shout out to my friend Josh Shook whom I met during the day). I met with the Dean of the Communications department and a professor who teaches some of the COMM classes. It was a great experience. Then, later on at the dinner we attended, the Dean's wife told me that I had a great face for television :) Woot woot! The next day, I explored the campus, which was amazing! I just fell in love! I wanted to cry, it is so beautiful! And I got to hang out with some more friends during the evening at the dorms and I got a feel for what it is like to live and breathe the Regent air :) And the next day, my mom and I explored the campus again. I just keep falling in love! I feel right at home and I'm so glad for that because I wanted to feel a deep connection with my school and my fellow students. I am super excited to join them full-time in August when I move. It'll be a big transition in my life, but I know that God is calling me to VA and to Regent. I can't wait! :)

Blessings!

Me in front of the amazing COMM Building

Me and Alex

The COMM Building

I love it here!

Mommy and me!

A Rainy Day

I'm sitting in my room on the eve of my finals week. It's raining outside and it's coming down pretty hard. As I fell asleep last night, the wind picked up and the rain pelted my window and lulled me to sleep. It was a nice way to end a hard day of finals. When I woke up, the rain was still pelting against my window; it was like a good morning song from God :) So I got up and made a good breakfast. Now, I am sitting typing this post drinking my second cup of chocolate coffee out of my Marilyn Monroe mug. It is quite relaxing to hear the rain and drink my coffee knowing that finals are almost done. The last time it rained this hard, my dad drove us to a little diner to have breakfast. Its fun to know that my rainy days are eventful days! I hope that everyone who had/will have finals has their rainy day. Blessings!

Things of the Morning

The things of the morning of are quiet, small, and quaint
Understanding the night has gone away, faint faint faint.
Dim and dark until the shine comes through
Waking, waking, waking to the new.
Rise up and roll to the world,
Unclenched fists, unfurl unfurl.
A splash of water, a brush of the hair
The things of the morning are shining and clear.
A rush to the fresh air and dash back in
A rush back out and in again.
A talk of words, a smile, and a see, see, see
And back again to watch Eve, Eve.
The cafe is sweet, the air is breathing its take
Here I am this morning, awake awake awake.

-An Original Poem by Juana :)

To Love and To Be Loved...

I heard these words in a movie once and I have been thinking about them since. Love can be such a powerful thing...it is not to be toyed with or faked. Love can heal...love can create...love can reassure. I hope that if I accomplish nothing else in life, I would have only wished to love and be loved. And I think that one cannot be complete without the other. I recently found some beautiful words by Elizabeth Barrett Browning in her "Sonnet 28": "To come and touch my hand...a simple thing/ Yet I wept for it". It reminds me of how much we yearn to be loved and how a simple act of love can stir up powerful emotions in us. And the act does not have to be outrageous in order for us to feel the intensity behind it. Just as Browning wrote, a simple touch can make us weep because we know that love is the driving factor. Another statement of love that I live by is from a movie called "I Capture the Castle"..."I love, I have loved, I will love". This statement captures the ongoing nature of love...it never stops. My heart swells with love and I take every possible moment to love those around me. I pray that all may find love in family, friendships, and beyond. Remember...I love...I have loved...I will love :)

Blessings!

Singing, Dancing, and Laughing!

Wow! It's my first post of 2010! Gooooo meeeeeeee! :) I woke up this morning in a particularly good mood. Later on, I just kept singing, dancing, and laughing...for pretty much the whole afternoon! In the car, at my computer, walking down the stairs, running errands everywhere! I didn't even care if anyone gave me crazy looks! They'll just have to deal with the fact that I'm a crazy, happy, and blessed girl!!!! And all of this joy got me thinking...why can't we be like this all the time? Why can't we express the joy of the Lord everywhere, anywhere, and anytime, even amidst suffering? He wants us to be happy and joyful! Moping will get us nowhere fast! Singing, dancing, and laughing with a joyful spirit will help us slow down and smell the roses! So be happy for a change! SING, DANCE, LAUGH with all your might!!!!!! You won't be sorry :) Blessings!