A life of th-treth.

Thtreth (or "stress" as others have heard it said). Finances. Emotions. Family relations. I didn't have these in ND, and it all takes so much work... I'm surprisingly approaching them head on, although my natural tendency would be to simply run away from these fears, emotions, and problems...BLAH. BOPPITY BOOPY. 

Christmas was fun, I got my ancient Greek new testament! WOOT! I think I might just sit on the plane with it open and pretend I'm awesome (but who needs to pretend???). My Pennsylvania cousins came up for Christmas and we had a few days of straight "activities". Yesterday Lars Arneson, my two cousins and I hiked to the saddle on skyline. As always, I got carried away and took off, and surprisingly Lars was able to hold back and wait for my cousins. I had mix feelings of conviction, irritation, and pure joy. I forgot my coat and was in my underarmor and a t-shirt... but the the weather was great! And the snow was soft and dry, completely dust-off-able. Anywho, I don't have many pictures of my own, but I have lots of this Christmas break on my facebook. However, I believe it would be wrong of me not to post a picture of my little sista on Christmas morning.

TOODLES!

Home again home again jiggity jig.

I'm back in my home of Alaska!!! It's absolutely beautiful outside, fresh snow has been falling (and staying on the trees! It's so pretty!), and the -10 degree weather has felt like a bombing 30 above (compared to Grand Forks with that terrible wind chill factor). Driving home from Anchorage, the moon was gleaming on the mountains and ocean, and I wanted to cry. I never took for granted Alaska, but being gone from it only increased my appreciation. 

What I also forgot was that being home does NOT mean vacation. I was put to work shoveling the next morning and have been awakened by my mother excited to share her week's plans with me while I was still in bed trying to "sleep in". The noise level is frighteningly loud, the sound of the kids' (nieces, nephew, and sisters) feet pounding all over the house and the barking of Jersey has made for sore ear drums. 

I've been able to catch up with a few friends since being here. I realize that although I have been gone, people haven't been putting their lives on hold for me (shocking, eh?). It's interesting seeing the developments occurring, relationships creating, and life progressing. 

My second night home, my niece Mereiedi spent the night with Damaris, and we as a family played the ninja game in the living room. Here are a few pics, and also, a picture of our "dog" (I still don't believe it's a dog. If it were on the road, I'd hit it).

IT'S NOT A DOG.

  

That's all that's happening in Slow-dotna, Alaska. gahhhhhhhhhh I can't stop staring out the window!

HASTA LA BYEBYE

-Donica

(Young adults scavenger hunt tonight [December 22], 6:30pm, Soldotna Bible Chapel.)

I love yoga!!!

I just have to say. I love teaching yoga. I love taking yoga classes. I had some friends come take my class on Monday night and it was HILARIOUS watching everyone try to get in crow plank. It's really an easy pose so I was a little embarrassed I wasn't explaining it well enough for them to understand... anywho, here is my yoga library of some of my favorite arm balances! They're sweet. I like to use these to my advantage, if I feel that conversation is going bad with someone, I just whip myself into side crow or peacock pose and continue conversation. That'll show 'em. 

Good ol' crow pose. Slowly lift one toe off at a time until you feel balanced in your hands. Spread your fingers! Come out backwards if you feel like you're falling

Side crow trying to get into a cool grasshopper pose but couldn't. For side crow bend your knees for balance. 

I cannot believe I got a picture of this. I can barely do it. PEACOCK POSE.

Try these out! They're soooo fun and really easy (besides peacock, that hurts my wrists....) it's just hard understanding how to get into them. 

NAMASTE!

-Donica

P.S., I'M ALMOST HOME!!!!!! YAY! I had finals drama but everything has worked out fantastically and the end of the semester is here. PRAISE THE LORD!

P.S.S. check out these guys! They do slackline yoga on campus! They're called yogaslackers and are also a part of the Northern Heights Rock Gym here, which I want to start climbing at and taking yoga at. So cool!

http://yogaslackers.com/vinyasa-yoga.html

Updating this blog like no one's BIDNESS

Tonight was our H2O Christmas party.  Instead of it being your normal red, green, and white Christmas, Alyssa had the fantastic idea of making it colorful. Colorful streamers, snowflakes, table clothes, and even outfits. We had some intense girl time decorating (decorating does NOT come natural to me...) three hours before the actual event. And then we had some more intense girl time doing dishes afterwards. It's not 1am and I just arrived home and am taking the time to blog (okay, so I can't fall asleep. Blogging isn't THAT important to me...) 

I just wanna point out that I was the only one who won all events.  If any Cottonwood-ers ever check my blog, just know that I'm saying that out of a humble heart... I also wanna point out the the word "wanna" is no longer incorrect with my spell check. It has officially become a word. ALSO, my white elephant gift tonight was interesting... I forgot we needed a gift and my ride was almost to my apartment, so I threw an "I believe" pencil, package of sticky notes, autographed picture of myself, and a workout band in a box. Unwrapped. I called it the "Everything you need to be awesome kit". I also wrote on the outside of the box "Pick me if you're desperate." It got stolen THREE TIMES. Three times was the limit. Who knew.

On another note, my ride to campus had to teach at 6:30 this morning and I was NOT about to wake up to go to campus at 6:30 so I asked my roomie if I could hitch with her... but she decided to not go to class so IIIII didn't go to class.  I want a car! Since the head gaskets went out, I had to sell my car for parts. I received mere pennies out of the deal. Sadness. Well, I guess I really didn't have anything to blog about aside from whatever it is I just said, so, I will leave you to look at a few of the pictures of tonight. 

HASTA LA BYEBYE,

Donica 

Alyssa's hand painted ornaments!

Alyssa's colored cookies!

Apparently this is a snowflake...

This was our winning tower. I think we're all engineers in the making.

When you're wearing a grinch outfit, it's only APPROPRIATE to sneak around everywhere, even if merely attracts attention to you. 

Need to start taking pictures...

I realized I've been pretty slack on using my sweet camera. I'll try to fit in time this week to take pictures of the cool frosted trees! 

So, Sunday afternoon I walked to Caribou Coffee to get some homework done... and as soon as I arrived and ordered a coffee, one of my favorite yoga instructors at the wellness center said she wasn't sure if she was going to make to her afternoon yoga class and wanted to know if I could teach it. I looked at the clock. I had a good half hour to walk back home, whip up a yoga playlist and come up with a class. I decided that I know enough to not worry about it and I'll just come up with it as I go. She made it back in time but still wanted me to teach so she could take a class and to give me the opportunity to try out a Sunday afternoon class. It was packed! I was expecting a decent sized amount (maybe 30), but when more and more came in I was slightly nervous. I looked out at everyone and realized that they would be listening to and doing everything I said. POWER. I think the worst part was the group of guys in the back. But that also turned out to be the best part. They were tumbling and stumbling, panting and sweating, it was sweet. And this wasn't the normal week yoga crowd (which is made up of mostly college students), this was the businessmen and women with a few scattered students crowd. Intimidating. WELL... my yoga playlist did not in fact synch to my ipod so I had to put on this terrible mix I had. It wasn't too distracting until Luciano Pavorrati's blaring opera voice came on.  Ugh. Anywho, after an hour, I ended the class. I wasn't sure how it went, but I knew that it was pretty organized and that I knew what I was doing so I felt like it wasn't TERRIBLE, but wasn't sure what others thought. The guys came up to me afterwards and said "That was the most intense class I've ever had. WE ARE SO COMING BACK." SUPER. I was pumped.

On another note, I've made a pretty suh-WEET friend who let me borrow one of his guitars (and who is my carpool now). I'm psyched. I think my roommates have bought earplugs. I'm plucking away at the guitar like no ones BID-NESS. Okay. I know there's a million things I could always come up with to say but I realize I can't say them all.... therefore, I will let you go. Enjoy these few photos.

Toodles,

Donica 

P.S., FINALS ARE INSANE.

P.S.S., I think I broke my hand climbing yesterday. The middle/inner part is swollen and bruised and I can't squeeze my hand.... ehhh....

I don't know... this seems like too much pressure to blow out all the candles...

Christmas Time!

Sarah suffocating Amy. This picture was demanded by Amy. 

Tis the season!

Could not for the life of me find a good setting for my camera. I wish I had time to figure it all out!

So my head gaskets have busted in my car, meaning, I have no car. ούν (thusly/so) I decided to give myself a night to mope around and relax. This didn't work out so well. After eating to my heart's content (what can I say... I'm female) I turned on a movie I have been supposed and meaning to watch: Alexander. I don't think I've ever had such physical pain watching any movie. I couldn't finish it. Besides the endless supply of historical inaccuracies, I was so distracted by the mix of Scottish and Russian accents! Really?! So I stopped the movie and just sat in my living room looking through my books to see if there were any I hadn't read yet. Then my roommate and her best friend Amy walked in with Christmas decorations. They decorated the tree, hung up our stockings, all the while Kaitlyn and I sat back and directed the placing of ornaments. It's only 10pm but I feel like I've successfully completed a night of relaxing. I have tons (how I'm surviving, I don't know...) going on, and even more going on in my mind. It was nice to escape for thirty minutes or so. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to pay for it at the gym tomorrow...

Hope all is well, 

χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίουἡμῶν.

-Donica

P.S., if you haven't noticed. The pictures are arranged like a Christmas tree. 

P.S.S. if you didn't already figure this out, the photos were arranged like that on accident. 

Finding the Joy in Everything

Wow. My weekend. I don't even know what to say. I had unending company; it was fantastic. We all cooked thanksgiving dishes and went over to the Hamline house (where the girls live) and had a gratitude feast there. Fellowship, food, and games started the night off well, and then we were invited to go out to Pastor Bob's house for dessert and MORE games. We got out there around 8pm... and didn't leave till about 2:30am. After touring town and seeing the tents camped outside of Best Buy, we realized a head start on black Friday shopping might be necessary. Thus, the ladies and myself made a pot of coffee and waited an hour back at the Hamline house until shopping time. Shopping was insane. I mean... INSANE. We could barely find a parking spot at Target, and when we entered, the aisles and circumference of the store made up for one... big... checkout line. We therefore had someone immediately just hop in line while the rest of us shopped, and rotated accordingly. This became our repeated tactic. I never use physical force, but I may or may not have shoved an old lady out of the way so I could grab the last deluxe plush Santa Clause teddy bear. Okay. That didn't happen. But if there ever was a deluxe plush Santa Clause teddy bear, I would push a THOUSAND old ladies out of the way to get the last one. Some of the ladies split and went home at around 7am while a couple of us went to the mall. The salesmen all greeted us with "Good morning!" and I think psychologically we were shocked, it felt like night and yet people were greeting us with good morning chants... I  finally got home at 9am and got in a few hours of sleep. I had to get up around 1ish to clean the apartment, workout, and cook because we were having a LOTR movie night at my apartment... And that concluded my birthday weekend (I believe I was sung "Happy Birthday" a good thousand times or so through the course of the week). After church I camped out at Starbucks, made slight progress on my homework, and now am at home, eating. It's terrible. I know I have less than three weeks to shed some good ol' lbs but as I reach for some fatty food I repeatedly tell myself "I'll start over TOMORROW..." and thus have put myself in an endless cycle. But for reals. I'll start over tomorrow. 


One last bit of news: it looks as though I have been brought out of Alaska for a reason... and it just may be permanent until I feel called elsewhere. I don't know how it is possible to have become content where I am (and I just so happen to be living in one of the most [in my opinion] uninhabitable places on earth), but I couldn't be happier. It made me realize it's not what surrounds me that brings me the "most" joy; and trusting God can bring about a surprisingly satisfying contentment not found by mere physical means. I'm praying about it, but I think I will be putting off graduation to December '12 instead of May and will be living it up here in Grand Forks, possibly taking a class that I need to graduate over the summer, but otherwise just wholeheartedly involving myself with the church and their ministry. This means I will most likely not be coming home again once I return after Christmas break. How I can spend a summer away from Alaska, only God knows, but we'll see what happens. Prayer. Prayer. And more prayer. And possibly some coffee. 

A few pictures from Thanksgiving, Bob's house, and black friday! Those were just a couple of the tents outside of Best Buy at 2:30am, and a mere portion of the line at Target. We were driving by and I was too embarrassed to take some SERIOUS pictures... 

Toodles!!!

Pre-birthday Birthday Presents

My birthday coat from ἡ μήτηρ and ὁ πάτηρ (Mom and Dad)! Lole winter coat from Midwest Mountaineering (the most heavenly store EVER) in Minneapolis!

My Metolius rock rings! Hanging from my pull-up bar in the apartment! I told my little sister this is what I wanted, and low and behold, a beautiful REI box came to my doorstep with exactly what I wanted inside. I truly am blessed with the greatest family. 

In other news, I finally auditioned for being a yoga and spin instructor at the UND Wellness Center, and I think they both went well. I interview officially on Thursday. So exciting! The best part is that, through this whole process, I have been able to meet other people who love yoga (students, instructors) and we've been able to meet outside of class and have impromptu yoga sessions. It's fantastic. It really brings a sense of community, and it's fun growing in abilities with others.  Life is great. I love meeting people and doing new things. I love progressing through this life, gathering new knowledge, applying old knowledge; it's fantastic. 

So I feel a bit sluggish and bleh right now, but I have a reason. I just did a cleanse and my whole system in internals are feeling fresh and babyish, but my aunt and cousin sent me a care package with baked goods (aka: cookies). Normally I don't eat that type of stuff, but 1) I'm poor and 2) I was glad to get a care packaged! So, I ate them. Afterwards, my stomach felt horrid, I was queasy, and just plain miserable. I still feel miserable. I am NOT doing that anymore. Also, call me crazy, but I have a new food plan! A mix of food combination/raw food diet. Google it. As many of you know, I've taken on the world's task of exploring diets,         

eating regimens, exercise routines, detoxes, cleanses, you name it! I know portion control and moderation is the ultimate key to wellness, but for some reason, I cannot moderate on certain foods such as refined sugar and junk food. If I have a little... it turns out to be a lot. Therefore, I've adapted many different eating routines such as all-organic, raw foods, low-carb, low-fat, no-sugar, vegetarian, and vegan. I finally stumbled upon food combining, and it really made sense to me. Not merely the "food will putrify in your system if you drink milk or eat an apple AND a banana within the same two hours", but just the eating regimen in general made sense. Fruit for breakfast. Fresh veggies and carbs (breads, beans, potatoes, rice, starchy veggies, etc.) for lunch, protein and fresh or steamed veggies for dinner. I've heard that protein should be your last meal of the day, due to the length of digestion it takes and how it works overnight. Therefore, I MUST try this new system of eating. I will let you know how it goes (I usually give things like this a month minimum, unless they turn out to be well [I've been vegetarian this whole semester]). Oh to be a single woman...

Toodles!

-Donica

Mumford and Sons!

This Halloween weekend I had the opportunity to go to Minneapolis for the weekend (because I have a car).  It... was... AWESOME. So much happened and I wish I could just sit here and tell you all about it but I'll have to just hit the main points. I had three students I've never met before come up with me (they pitched in for gas) and we made it safely to Minneapolis. That night Kevnea, Ronnie Rainey, and I went to a place in Dinkytown (an artsy area by the U of M campus) called Mesa Pizza, and they have precooked pizza (sounds gross, but just wait till you hear the rest) of the weirdest varieties. Alfredo, taco, potato, quesadilla, nacho, spaghetti, chicken pot pie, and tonnnnnnnns of other kinds of pizza by the slice to choose from!!!! And they all tasted so good! After that, Kevnea dropped Ronnie and I off downtown at First Avenue where we attended a MUMFORD AND SONS CONCERT.


This was a fantastic night. I was nervous because we paid a butt-load for our tickets (125 each... they were originally 20 bucks...) and I didn't want to be disappointed. I wasn't. King Charles and Cadillac Sky were the opening bands, and I had never even heard of them. Ronnie and I had a plan to get to the front of the crowd, but that didn't work. We were, in the end, separated and I was pushed off to the side of the stage, but it was right up front. It turned out to be the best place in the house, here's why:


The opening guy, King Charles, stepped out onto stage in tights and a 17th century style suit with his massively long hair piled on top of his head. Needless to say, laughter erupted from the crowd. It didn't help that no one had even heard of this guy before. He came out and in an English accent said, "I must tell you, Cadillac Sky and Mumford and Sons are two of the most incredible bands in the world." He barely got this sentence out because people were laughing at his appearance. So, to spite us, he began to sing acapella.  Everyone silenced. We were shocked. This guy was amazing. He went on to do an amazingly fun performance. HERE'S THE BEST PART: During his performance these guys kept walking around me and squeezing by, and a couple of them were breathing down my neck.  One guy asked if I was single and looking and said he was single and looking... I declined his inference. I was tired of them brushing me and invading my personal space (or lack there of). Well... next thing I know, they left. I thought " I wonder where they went to... there's no room to move anywhere..." and as I thought this, Cadillac Sky began to play on stage. I looked up and there before my eyes were the guys who were bursting my bubble. CADILLAC SKY. HOW DID I NOT KNOW. I also got touched on the shoulder and winked by Marcus Mumford and shook King Charles hand. Why, you ask? I asked this myself. Turns out the door I was standing by happened to be the door the bands go in and out of to enter the stage. AWESOME NIGHT. Mumford and Sons were incredible, and they ended playing a song with King Charles AND Cadillac Sky all together. So fun. I loved it. So that was that.


I also had many other adventures in Minneapolis but don't have the time to write them (or the heart to put you through all of it). But I'll leave you with a video of King Charles and Mumford and Sons. If you want to see videos of the concert I was at, youtube "Mumford and Sons at First Ave" and "King Charles at First Ave".


 Toodles.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KkUeRPjc-Y


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIB0T8rUJxI

What to do?!

AH. GAHHH. UGH. SO STRESSED. 

I was supposed to have typed at least 5 pages out of a 10 page work on Socrates I'm doing to have it ready for review on Monday... buuuuuuuuuuuuuut... I didn't do it. And today I'm leaving for Minneapolis for the weekend (not that that's an excuse to NOT do it or anything...). I'm gonna have to bring my homework with me. I didn't want to do this, but it has to be done. Tonight I'm attending a Mumford and Sons concert with Ronnie Rainey and plan to wildly seduce Marcus Mumford and possibly join the band as their lead cowbell extrodinaire.  Also, I've been fantasizing about what to be for Halloween and, with the help of Steve Shepson, think I may have finally come up with something. The thought process went something like so:

Steve: What are you gonna dress up as??!?!

Donica: I HAVE NO IDEA!

Steve: Me either! I was thinking a transformer but don't have the time.

Donica: I know, same here! 

Steve: Maybe you should just put on a box and write something on it.

Donica: ORRRR I could just go as a box...

Steve: Even better.

But then I thought about what I could make the box into.... so then I thought "Welllll, what better than an oven? I like to eat, people like to eat, oven=eating..." and so this lead to convo #2:

Donica: I should go as an oven! But it'd be better if I was pregnant, than I could have a "BUN" in my oven huck yuck yuck...

Steve: Or you could go as an oven and have it open to your backside... then you could have "BUNS" in your oven huck yuck yuck,

Alas. My Halloween costume search may be over. Also I told Steve to go as Barbie doll Ken. Can you not see it?! He could draw lines around his neck and shoulders and anywhere else a barbie doll has limbs attached. Good thing he doesn't know about this blog...

More to come with pictures soon!

Let me just clarify...

So here's the dealio.  I must admit, I DO realize that my degree is pretty fan-flipping-tastic, but I also need to clarify WHY I'm taking this degree and WHY it's not meant for everyone.

1. I have ALWAYS been drawn to the Greek and Roman empires. Languages have been natural for me, and I have always thought critically and philosophically, ever since I can remember.  This is no fact to brag on, it's just a mere fact. This is how I've been.

2. I've never been good at much else. Music was the only other area I succeeded in. Although I loved Chemistry, I never was above par on the sciences or maths or anything else really. Psychology and sociology intrigued me, but who DOESN'T it intrigue??? 

3. When I discovered the Classical Studies degree, I felt God pulling at my heart. I had been looking into Philosophy, Journalism, Foreign Languages, History, Psychology, and Law. This was just the best possible combination of all those. 

4. Here's a few reasons why this is not meant for everyone:

• Although I feel learning about Classical Studies is great and essential, not everyone can make it their major.  Where would we find jobs? Where would we come up with our scientists, engineers, logistics, etc. people?
• My yoga instructor was talking to me about he is applying to med school. He was interested in my degree and the more I talked about it the more he was thinking he should switch over to that. He's about to graduate with his Biology major. He loves sciences. My question was WHY?! to which he responded "I feel that since I love science so much, it should be just a hobby of mine and maybe it's not what I should do for a career." I was a little irritated by this. I had to tell him that the reason I'm doing Classics is because I don't think about anything else and am terrible at sciences. So what would happen if the people that loved science AND the people the hated science all got together and started doing the same degree? It's hard to know which desires and talents that God has given you are meant for career or hobby. I know this from experience. I was really good at music. My family all thought I was going to go into music. I enjoy music. And I'm often sad that my life isn't going down the musician's path. But I found my calling. 
• I think everyone should have knowledge of the Classics era, and also a well-rounded education.  And it'd be fun for me to be the one to teach it. 

Wow. I'm too exhausted to really continue. I have many more points but really can't think right now (day three of master cleanse... from experience I know the first three days are the worst, so I can't wait until tomorrow!)

Anywho... Toodles.

Ugh ughy ugh boots

I'm exhauuuusted. I lost my student ID (which is basically a college student's LIFE i.e., debit card, identification, library card, card for the gym [they won't let you in without it]), I'm gonna have to buy a new one but am frustrated. I also lost my nalgene the same day. Twenty dollar nalgene, twenty dollar ID card: BLEH. Anywho. As far as informing the public of my current status (aside from being happily single), I am currently undergoing a process to become a yoga instructor and spin instructor at the Wellness Center (WOOOOOOOOOOT). 
On another order of business: Tomorrow I am starting the Master Cleanse. I will probably be only doing it a week (I'm heading to Minneapolis on the 29th for a Mumford and Sons concert! And halloween!), but I think a week should cleanse me mostly. I might have to have another round of if before Christmas and go a full 10 days but we'll see. I last did a soup cleanse in August, and that was good, but it's really not like fasting or juicing so I'm excited to get the refreshed feeling I do when I'm done with a fast! My favorite part is getting disgusted with the smell of fatty foods. The desire for sugar and fatty goes away, and I can't wait to get that feeling back! I will keep you all updated (that means YOU MOM) on how it goes, and I hope I can be successful. I used to be so great with discipline and fasted all the time, but I've been so lacking lately! I need to implement that discipline back in my life. Wish me luck! Toodles,
-Donica

First off: update time. I bought a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix so I now can finally transport myself places. I really have nothing else new or exciting, so onto my story.

Okay, here's the thing. I don't often get bored.  But I was slightly depressed tonight and didn't really feel like working on homework.  I ruined a canvas painting and it really got my spirits down.  It was sooooooooo awesome and then I became so inspired by my own pure genious that I continued to add and add... and it got worse and worse... In the end, it turned out TERRIBLE. It's hanging in my room.  So that part of my creativity was a no-go for the night-- therefore, I took to something I've never done before. I'm embarrassed. Humiliated. That I stooped this low just baffles my mind. So low, in fact, that I'm not even going to say what it is that I did. BUT. There is hope for you all. I'm giving up a bit of pride and am releasing this photo of my evening activity to all of you. No explanations. No comments.



 

Fall Retreat

Jaimie, Tamara, and Amberkay 

Beautiful Lake Bronson

Jaimie

Apparently walking flat trails is considered hiking, and the trail that goes around the lake is enough to form a hiking club. YES. 

This weekend I was able to go on a fall retreat with the college/young adult crowd from my church. It was fantastic. Canoeing, star tipping, ultimate frisbee, and fellowship with other believers made for an incredible weekend. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone, and the Lord has definitely changed my attitude and helped me be able to step out of my comfort zone and initiate meetings and greetings with others.  We went to bed at 3 each night and this morning (Sunday) left at 7am to get to church so we could do "Don't just go to church, BE the church" and participate in outreach and ministry. We all had bright orange shirts on with our slogan on the backs and joined various groups who were doing various tasks. Some of these included free car repairs, oil changes, lawn mowing, bathroom cleaning, landscaping, and anything that we saw the community needed. I participated in the parsonage cleaning and really enjoyed getting to work with everyone.  Afterwards was delicious barbecued food :) The body of Christ is amazing. Acts 2:44 basically says that we have everything in common with believers. It doesn't what our personalities are, or our personal tastes, because that shouldn't be what we base relationships on, for when we have Christ is common, we have everything in common. I won't lie, this was no spiritual revival or life-changing event for me, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable and meaningful. I really have been blessed to meet other Christians here who are sincere and genuine in their faith. It's encouraging and inspiring.  God bless.