The Adventure continues...post bar

2011-08-31T11:56:00.014-04:00

A Long Flight

2008-10-06T14:11:00.002-04:00

When buying my tickets for California, I came across a flight that appeared to be a direct flight, leaving Norfolk on Sunday, October 5th at 5pm, and said to arriving in Oakland 12am. I thought the website might have accidently put the EST arrival time on, cause I knew the flight to California does not take 10 hours!! Well, I was right about one thing, it was a direct flight to Oakland ... just with stops in Washington D.C., San Diego, and then Oakland ... just all the same plane!!! Haha!

So my arrival in California was actually 3 am for me! Oh the joys of jet lag. Thank you Lord for the safe flight. Stayed in a pretty nice hotel in Berkeley, right on the Marina.
Got to enjoy a new rental also, a gold HHR. Always wanted to know what a PT Cruiser drove like - this is just a little bit bigger. Pretty roomy, not a bad drive. :)

Trip Across PA - Waynesburg

2008-09-26T21:18:00.000-04:00

I have never seen so much of Pennsylvania, even after having lived there for over 10 years! Daniel and I literally traveled across the state of PA, from Newark, DE to Waynesburg, PA - all the way on the west side of the state! The trip took about 5 hours, but it was a nice drive, especially since I had company on the trip. And Pennsylvania in the fall is beautiful - the trees and their marvelous colors.

Waynesburg seemed like a nice little college town. I had a pretty good turnout at the Grad Fair and as it turns out, one of faculty's sons attends Regent Law.

Dan and I are going to spend the weekend with our cousin Brad near Geneva College. Should be a fun.

Trip Across PA - University of DE

2008-09-25T22:07:00.000-04:00

Okay, okay... I realize that Delaware is not in PA, but it was on my schedule, and I was already pretty close being in Philly. Daniel and I ended up switching hotels to the one right on the edge of University of DE campus because it had a pool & hot tub. That was a fun way to relax after after our fair. It is also where we learned about the YouTube videos of the "Trunk Monkey" from our friend Marnie of Albany Law School. They are halarious! (see post below - my fav is the chaperone!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avOiTUcD4Y

Trip Across PA - Drexel

2008-09-24T20:20:00.005-04:00

Next stop was Philadelphia at Drexel University. This was the biggest grad fair I have been to, to date. They actually held it in the train station in downtown Philly. That was pretty cool. Dan found a place to work on his school while I did my thing. We didn't stay in the city, but rather drove in from Delaware. Not sure I would have enjoyed going to school in the city. Way too much traffic and some "iffy" areas close by. Nice to visit though. Dan definitely agreed.

Trip Across PA - Lehigh

2008-09-23T22:11:00.000-04:00

My first stop along my whirlwind trip across of Pennsylvania was Lehigh University in Bethlehem. There I connected with some fellow recruiters I had met in Kansas City. It is always nice to see familiar faces when your on the road so much. Definitely enjoy having Daniel along though. Makes the car trips much better. I also taught him to play the new board game I bought called Acquire. Good times!

Company on the Road

2008-09-21T22:01:00.002-04:00

I was able to get home to see my family in Pennsylvania over the weekend of Sept. 20th. It is always good to get to see my family & also my nephew who is growing up so fast! I was also able to pick up a fellow travel buddy to go with me as I made my recruiting stops all across Pennsylvania - Dan, my 15 year old brother! One of the great advantages to being homeschooled!

Visit to Bryn Mawr College

2008-09-20T23:37:00.000-04:00

I visited Bryn Mawr College, just outside of Philadelphia, PA. It was only after I left that I discovered that it is actually an all-girl school. Haha! I didn't have many students come to my presentation of putting together a personal statement, but I believe those that did show up found it helpful. Bryn Mawr has a beautiful campus with many stone buildings. One of the students described it as Harry Potter "like".

More New Hampshire

2008-09-18T22:54:00.000-04:00

Here are some additional pictures of my visit to New Hampshire and Gordon College in Wenham, Mass. Actually while I was at the grad fair at Gordon, the recruiters at the table next to me actually new our secretary back in Regent Law Admissions! Small world.

Okay, just had to turn around and get a picture of this when I saw it. Not a bad idea for next vacation. Cuts down on packing. I believe you get a complementary towel too. Haha!

A Great Visit to NH

2008-09-18T16:40:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday I flew up to Manchester, New Hampshire to drive down to Gordon College in Massechusetts for a graduate fair. It has by far been my best trip for two reasons: 1) I got a sweet rental car at a sweet deal, and 2) I was able to visit my grandfather who I have not seen in about 4 years.

When I arrived at the rental counter, I asked what types of cars they had. Turned out they were having a special on upgrades, and she listed them off, all for a $7 upgrade. At the top of the list was a convertable Mustang. I did my best to hide my excitement, and said "I guess I'll take the Mustang then." Inside I was estatic! "No way?! I can't believe it! This a dream. I love mustangs!" Yes I was just a little excited. Haha. It was a fun ride, though never was warm enough to put the top down.

I also was able to visit my Grandfather (Mom's side) who I haven't seen in about 4 years or so. I called him to see if he would drive down from Etna, Maine to meet somewhere for lunch. Manchester is only about 3 hours from him, so I said I would meet him somewhere for lunch. He liked the idea and told me to find a Wal-Mart somewhere for us to meet at, since that would be easy to find. We ended up meeting in Rochester, New Hampshire. It was good to see Grandpa Bickford and Rose. We had a nice lunch at a little steak joint, and I updated him on Dusty's wedding and all I have been up to since school. They decided to turn their little trip into an overnight trip and I ended up canceling my other reservation near Boston so I could spend the evening with them. We watched the movie "The Bucket List" and then Rose and I grabbed some dinner next door at the diner. I was able to get a little work done later that evening and still grab some time in the hot tub. :) It was a very nice visit!

Visiting Villanova

2008-09-15T23:43:00.010-04:00

I had my first event this past Monday at Villanova University outside Philly. I road up the night before with my family after Dusty's wedding. It was a good trip, reminded me of our traveling days when I was younger, the car packed to the gills with bags, pillows, and snacks, with people all buried in the midst of it all. :) We stopped at a Red Lobster for dinner, and I had a good visit with my Mom while I drove part of the way, getting to hear more about their time in Hawaii. We didn't get into Philly until about 10pm. They almost spent the nite with me at the hotel, but Dad opted to finish the trip instead.

Thankfully my event was not until 7:30pm the next day so I was able to get myself organized and exercise before heading out to Villanova. I got there early in the afternoon so I had time to figure out where I was going. With 4 hours to kill, I went and introduced myself briefly to the Pre-Law Advisor on campus, visited the bookstore, and walked around campus. Its a pretty campus, with many stone buildings and a few churches on campus. I believe they are a Catholic school. There is a new building going up for their law school, which didn't even cross my mind to visit. I spent quite a bit of time in the library working on my future travels.

I had pizza ordered for the event and went over a little early to set up. With the help of one of the pre-law society students I manged to get my laptop set up for the powerpoint presentation and waited for the pizza to arrive. I had 10 students show up, which meant I had way too much pizza! I guess I should of figured that most would have already eaten by then. The students weren't too disappointed when they got to take some home.

This was actually the first time I gave the presentation. I think it went pretty well. I assured them that it was my goal to be finished in time for Monday Night Football, since it was Eagles vs. Cowboys. :) I started out with an introduction to myself and about Regent Law, and then began my presentation - THE PERSONAL STATEMENT: "The Silent Interview", which is some helpful tips on writing a personal statement for law school and other insights into the admissions process.

The students seemed pretty attentive, and I tried to keep it lively enough, interjecting some humor and personal stories of my experience. Most of the students seem to respect the fact that Regent is a faith-based school, and I assure them that they are getting just as good an education if not better as anywhere else - especially when it comes to experience the unique and encouraging atmosphere of Regent. They had a couple questions afterwards regarding the LSAT and my experience the first year of law school. I then had them fill out a card with their contact info if they were interested in recieving information about Regent and asked them to rate my presentation from 1-5 (bad to good), and to include any comments or suggestions. I averaged about a 4. The President of the Pre-law Society welcomed us back any time.

Overall, I feel like it all went pretty well. I had to glance up at the slides each time to see where we were going. I wasn't too nervous and as I get more familiar with the presentation it will go smoother. At times it seemed a little repetitative too. Flying to Manchester, New Hampshire next for a Graduate School Fair. Should be fun!

The Adventure continues...

"28 Tuxes"

2008-09-15T08:32:00.003-04:00

What do you think? Its the title for a new movie I am thinking about writing, staring me of course (who else? Of course, when I had the beard I did get a couple Russel Crowe compliments..hhmm). At this point I would only have 20 more weddings to go!

I was just in my cousin Dustin's wedding this past Saturday. That's number 8 for my career as a groomsmen, which started in 2001. I have traveled to Iowa, Tennesee, Ohio, Texas, the rest being in Virginia. I have only been the Best Man once, and that I didn't even realize until I showed up for it! For one bachlor party I helped plan, we actually took my friend to Chucky Cheese. One other interesting (or uninteresting) fact is that three of the weddings were for buddies named Matt. (Long live the Matt Party!)

In all seriousness, I actually enjoy participating and celebrating with friends when they get married. I love hearing (& sometimes indirectly participating in) the stories of how God has orchastrated bringing the two people together. It is a reminder to me that God is always working & gives me hope for my future. Haha. Not to mention the food is usually good and the dancing is fun (once I get past my self conscienceness).

Who knows how many more weddings are yet to come, but I keep hoping for at least one more... ;)

Birthday ID Blues

2008-09-12T18:08:00.000-04:00

So, I turned 28 this past week on the 9th. Not quite sure what to think of it yet. Not sure where the time goes. Can't really remember anything memorable about turning 27, but the lovely Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did give me a nice gift to mark this birthday. What was the gift, you ask? It was "one day". You see, a Pennsylvania drivers license gives you 4 years before expiring from your birthday. Well, mine was set to expire on 9/10/08. I'm in Virginia, mind you. So that either meant a day trip to PA or switching to VA. I was planning on waiting to get a VA license until I had a more permanent residence. Somehow I didn't think they would except
Mark Wohlschlegel
1 open couch
Virginia Beach, VA

At any rate, I decided to go with the VA license. It was interesting explaining to the DMV, "Um...yes, I have a minor emergency. My license expires today & I have no place to call home". It all worked out though, thank the Lord.

God is good. The adventure continues...

Kansas City

2008-09-05T13:55:00.001-04:00

I am on my way back from my first recruiting trip. I went to Kansas City my two co-workers, Tom & Kirsten. I don't recall ever visiting Kansas City or Missouri before, though I have flown through there before.

I left on Tuesday morning, on a different flight than my co-workers. I had been originally been scheduled to go, but was then needed in DC. That changed, so I was back on for Kansas City. I flew through Philly & was supposed to arrive about an hour after my coworkers, but I actually ended up beating them in because of the storm that followed us there. They were about to touchdown but then their pilot pulled up because of sidewinds & they had to pop up to St. Louis to get some fuel. I arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, and waited in the nice rental car site for over an hour for them to arrive. We stayed at a Hampton Inn.

That night we met a potential student & his family for dinner at a local Olive Garden. It was a very nice visit, and we look forward to him attending Regent next fall. This family turned out to be friends with the family of one of my roommates in college! Small world. It was also pretty cool that one of the passing waiters heard us talking about law school and asked us for some information.

I had put on my facebook status about flying to Kansas and Melonie, a good friend from my generation joshua days in Cali facebook me wanting to know where. I ended up being only a half hour away, so Kirsten & I met the Scifers for dinner. It was fun to see them.

The law school forums were pretty good. Our first one was at Kansas University. I didn't even think of it til halfway thru how unwelcome I might of been if I mentioned where I was from - Go Bucknell Bison! We had the table right inside the door - talk about prime real estate! Got to talk to a handfull of students interested in Regent. One even drove down from Tulsa just to see us. Another fun thing was getting to know the other recruiter from the other schools. Many of them are recent graduates like myself waiting on their bar results. No doubt we will be bumping into them again on future trips.

Kansas City was pretty cool. It rained most of the time we were there. Tom told us that rave about their bbq, and he was right. We must have been asked at least half dozen times if we had it. We actually did the night Kirsten & I went out with my friends. It wasn't half bad. Oh, and if you decide to go visit the "plaza" be sure to specify which one. There are like 3. We had some free time one day and went looking for it. Whenever we asked how to get there, the locals would argue how best to get there & how far away itr was. We did end up finally finding it, the Club Plaza, a nice outdoor shopping area, with spanish looking architecture. It had stores such as the Gap, Tiffany's, Tommy Bahammas, etc. It is known for having fountains all over the place. We didn't have that much time to look around. It was pretty cool though, and I recommend it if you have some time to kill.

I am back in Virginia now waiting around in the Norfolk airport waiting for Kirsten & Tom to arrive. Hurricane Hana is visiting, but thankfully did not interrupt my flight. Time to go for now.

The Adventure continues...

Back to Life, Back to Reality

2008-09-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

I know, I know... It has been a long time since I have made a post, over a year no doubt. A lot has definitely happened since then. I will just have to give you a brief recap.

Last summer I finally figured out what I had done to my knee the previous Spring Break when I was skiing in Colorado. I had a torn ACL. Had surgery at Christmas and have had a reletively quick recovery. It is still not 100%, and I can't be as active as I'd like.

I am a very broud uncle of my now 6 month old nephew, much thanks to my sister Kariann and her husband Matt. His name is Brandon Scott, and he is the cutest little guy in the world! Another reason I love going home to visit.

I graduated from Regent Law school on May 10th this past year. A week later I went home to watch Mandy graduate from nursing school. Hannah also graduated from high school and has recently acquired her drivers license. Boy, am I getting old. :)

The celebrating was all short lived as I began studying for the bar. The best way I can describe it is as the "longest shortest summer of my life!". I was studying around 10 hors a day for 5 days a week, and some on the weekends. I decided to take the Virginia Bar because most of my contacts are down here & I love my church family I have been blessed with at Sovereign Grace of Chesapeake. I broke up my studies with church, friends & tennis.

I took the bar the end of July, making the trip to Roanoke with 1500 others. It was a pretty brutal exam, with a few surprises, but God was faithful. Because of having a last name near the end of the alphebet, my seat faced the very back wall of the huge auditorium, meaning I didn't have to look over the sea of people as I took my exam. I got a laughed when I saw my exam ID# 0666. To me it was just a number because my God is greater than that. I got a kick out of showing people it. I was glad that I got it as apposed to someone else who might of been distracted by it. I am happy the bar is over & am a free man until Oct 17th when the results come out. It was tough, and I feel it could go either way. It is in God's hands now. I just hope the graders were watching Michael Phelps in the Olympics while they were grading my answers! ;)

As of right now, I am a man without a home. I just working for Regent Law as a seasonal recruter. I will be traveling all over the country representing Regent at graduate & law fairs on different campuses. I am stoked, as I loved my experience at Regent, love to travel & enjoy talking to people. A great fit! The later part of my travels will put me back on the west coast in Cali, Oregon & Washington! This is in part my reason for reviving this blog, to share my adventures while on the road. I will try to be a better poster. :)

Well, that is all for now. The Adventure continues...

World Traveler

2007-04-09T23:34:00.001-04:00

Wow, hard to believe April is already here!! Where did the months of February and March go? I have been so busy lately that I feel like I have hardly had time to stop and take notice of how fast time is flying by. Alot has been happening over the past few months. I will try to remember myself to catch you all up to speed with text and follow it with pics in a future post.

FEBRUARY
I traveled to Chicago with a group of about 20 Regent Law students to the Federalist's Society's Student Symposium on February 23-24th. The topic was "Morality in the Law". It covered all the hot topics, from homosexuality, to Religious liberty, to what is morality. It was some heavy topics. As much fun as that was, I was even more excited to see and explore a new city. I had never been to Chicago, and from my experience I can say one thing: IT IS COLD THERE!!!! It was snowing just about the whole time, and while we were able to ride the train to different places, there was a lot of walking involved. It was still a pretty cool experience though. A group of us caught The Blue Man Group as well while visiting - they were pretty cool. If you ever been to a Chicago airport, you undoubtedly will notice their signs that say "Chicago: We're Glad Your Here". While that is a nice slogan, it should probably be added, "Chicago: We're Glad Your Here, So Much So, Good Luck Trying To Leave". Nearly half of my fellow students had their flights canceled due to the weather. Me and my friend Aimee (now girlfriend) ended up missing our flight too, but the crazy part was we were there in time, but sat at the back of the crowded terminal and never heard our flight called! Thanks Chicago!

MARCH
Started off with me being a student representative of Regent Law at the annual CPAC conference in Washington D.C. The school paid for a rental car and hotel in return for handing out literature and talking to potential students about the law program. This is the second year in a row that I have had the opportunity to do this, and I love it. I am very much a people person, and I love talking about Regent, so it is a good fit. Another reason I love going up there is because I get to see friends I haven't seen in a while from PHC. I got to visit the Katies' while I was there (Jackson & Doughtery) which is always a good time of laughing and catching up.

The timing for the conference was great, as that weekend led right into Spring Break. Aimee met me up in D.C. and we flew out of Dullus for Denver, Colorado, for some big Colorado skiing. Another friend and student from Regent was supposed to join us but he got sick (poor Evan!). We stayed with Aimee's folks in Greely, and got up early the next day to head to Winter Park. Again, I was excited to travel and experience someplace new!! The mountains were beautiful & the weather was perfect for a gorgous day of skiing. I have always heard of how great the skiing is, and I wasn't disappointed! I got in four good runs before I had a bad fall. :( I did a number on my knee. The fall earned me a 10 from those who heard it (wiped out falling over backwards!!). I tenderedly skiied on it the rest of the day, but it was swollen and in some pain by the time we got home.

Kick off to a new intramural season...

2007-02-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

Basketball intramurals kicked off this weekend here at Regent University! This makes this overworked and underpayed law student very happy (we get paid?). This years team brings back many of the same faces as last year. You missed a very exciting game folkes - more so then last nights Super Bowl, that's for sure!! (I think it was team "De-Appreciation Day" since we only had 3 fans in attendance :-) Down by 7 at the half, team GARBAGE TIME (don't ask) fought back and tied the game late in the second half. For the last few minutes the teams went back and forth with the lead, but after the end of regulation, the score was tied! It was clear in overtime who controlled the tempo (that would be us) and in the end we pulled out the victory. Not a bad way to start off the season. Yours truely contributed 2 points and few rebounds, though was a little winded from having refed the two previous games and being a little out-of-shape. Ha.

I was very pleased with the outcome of the Super Bowl last night, as the Colts pulled out their victory over the Chicago Bears! I have never seen so many turnovers in one game, and all one right after another. How crazy was that!?!

For those of you tracking at home in Pennsylvania, sounds like the house is slowing coming back together after tearing up the floor to place down pipes for heating the house. Of course, the big TV (a "51 that my brother ordered and had sent to us from Iraq) came in handy for the game. Wish I could have been back in PA to enjoy it with the fam. Sounds like it is onto "Operation Kitchen" next, which entails replacing the cubbards and doing some other remodeling will be next. Can't wait to get to see it.

Well, back to my regular scheduled program. Working in the law library till midnight, and trying to get some homework for tomorrow done.

P.S. Almost down to one month and counting for the Schwartz-Brobst wedding!!!

Some Pics From My Trip To Savannah

2007-01-25T19:07:00.000-05:00

MY FRIEND AUTUMN

GRABBING SOME STARBUCKS

MATT AND ME

A Brief But Long Overdue Update

2007-01-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

Greetings! I am currently working in the law library at school, and finding it a bit hard to concentrate. It was at this moment that I thought of something to do - post!

I have at this point completed half of the law program here at Regent University School of Law. It is hard to believe that much time has already gone by so quickly. Currently in my 4th semester, I am finding this semester to have the most interesting, but also the most volume of reading to do. I am enjoying my classes, two of which I have very distinguished professors for: Former Att. General John Ashcroft, and ACLJ's Jay Sekulow. On top of that I am also taking Constitutional Law II, Evidence, & Business Associations. Add the responsibilities of being Student Bar Association 2L Class President, Law Library GA, Career Services GA and now a member at Sovereign Grace Church of Chesapeake, and you can tell I am busy indeed! But I do enjoy what I am doing.

I had a wonderful Christmas break full of 3 of my favorite things -- Family, Friends, and Food! I also worked over break for a lawyer down the street who runs an Elder Law and Estate Planning Firm. I found the work very interesting and liked the personal touch of helping people directly. I plan to look into it further as potentially a way to use my law degree when I graduate. I thank the Lord for that unexpected opportunity.

My brother in Iraq is doing pretty well. Even though with all the activity over there being "same old, same old" for him and the rest of our soldiers, I am pretty sure he is in the thick of it sometimes, and do appreciate your continued prayer for his safety.

Had a recent opportunity to take a trip down to Warner Robbins, Georgia this month to see Matt, Katie, & Autumn. That little girl is a cuty growing up so fast! It was good to be with Swartz, Swartz-to-be, the Moughon, and Beth as well. We spent a day visiting Savannah, which is a beautiful town. We took both a bus & ghost tour of the city, but still feel like we only saw a fraction of it. (I will have to see if I can post some pictures, I was thoroughly frustrated last time I tried - grrr!)

That is about it for now. Have to go do a round here at the library. Only one more hour to go! Will try to post again soon! L8r...

Our God is a God of Inches

2006-10-18T15:56:00.000-04:00

Hey all, just recieved word this morning from my parents about my brother Brandon who is serving as a 2nd Lt. in the Army Rangers, leading a group of men.

This morning, his humvee was hit, seriously injuring two of his men, who had to be life-flighted. Brandon himself only suffered some burns and was missing a chunk out of his helmet when all was said and done. Oh, how the Lord has been answering my prayers and the prayers of many for his safety! I guess the Army wanted to call our family to tell them, but Brandon insisted instead to make the phone call so as to relieve any fears we would have about how he is doing. Goes to show Mom that he is thinking of you!! Good boy!

It is hard to describe the emotions one feels when someone close to them faces such a near death experience. I wish there was something I could do to help him, to protect him, but really I feel helpless. I am tempted to think, yes I can pray, but is that really doing anything? I strongly believe that the fact that his life has been spared is evidence that prayer is doing something, and God is listening. My Dad had a chance to talke to him a little, and was able to remind Brandon that it was the Lord who was protecting him. As someone put it to me recently, "Our God is a God of inches!"

When Brandon reported just a few weeks ago, he and his men saw the humvee in front of them go 100 ft in the air after being hit. They were the first ones on the scene. This time it was his. No doubt God is watching over him.

I praise God for His mercies, and I am so proud of my brother and all who serve us in the military. Please keep up the prayers. Thanks.

Its been two weeks...

2006-10-18T15:42:00.000-04:00

Its been two weeks and I still have two nice bruises from the Patrick Henry College Alumni v. Students tackle football game!! Lol! It was sure a blast, but it certainly took its toll on me. I have been to a chiropractor about every other day for the last two weeks. (does that mean I am getting old? - NEVER!)

It was really good to see everyone at PHC's Homecoming, and I was really encouraged when at our annual meeting some of the new faces of Administration took time to introduce themselves and speak about their roles. What stood out to me most about this group of highly qualified individuals was their optimism, their passion and desire to help the students of PHC. They are all on the same page and have a deep desire to glorify God in all they as administrators of PHC. I thank God for bringing them there, and believe that the school is in good hands. For any of you Alumni who could not make it, take heart!

In other news...my good friends Matt Schwartz and Faith Brobst got engaged!! How exciting it was to hear their story and see how the Lord was at work in their lives. So, come March 7th, I have the distinct privilege to be in my seventh wedding!

P.S. Thanks to all those that keep up with this blog. I can't tell you how many comments I got from people while up in N. Va who said they really enjoyed reading it. Sorry I am so bad at updating it - I will try to do better. Blessings!!

Ready or not...

2006-08-30T23:44:00.000-04:00

School has begun. I have to say that I was really not at all excited about getting back, but after 3 days of going to classes, it is nice to be back on a schedule (even though I may still be trying to figure out what exactly that schedule will be :)~ It is good to see some of my classmates I have not seen in quite a while, including my roommate Jeremy, who was working in Williamsport all summer, about 20 minutes from my home.

Summer went by all too quickly. I will be a busy bee this semester, carrying a load of 16 credits and working two jobs. I am also Class President this year, so that will add to the craziness. My schedule looks something like this:

(M,W,F) Don't start till 1pm but have three classes back to back to back. They are Family Law, Professional Responsibility, and Criminal Law. I don't think they will be too bad, but time will tell. At least one morning a week I will be going in to work at Career & Alumni Services too.

(Tu,Th) This will be my long day. Con Law I starts at 8am (thinking about dropping it??) and then have Appellate Advocacy in the afternoon. It is a 2-hour class and will require a lot of work (5 writing assignments and a couple oral arguments). Every Tuesday and Thursday night I will also be working in the Law Library from 6:30pm till midnight. It isn't that bad because I can also get stuff read for class.

Well, I better sign off now. My roommate and I don't have internet right now. We are actually in the library parking lot to pick up the wireless. LOL. We don't get our wireless till Sept. 7th. Oh boy. Night!

A Week at Home

2006-08-19T15:14:00.000-04:00

I have been home since this past Saturday, and as usual, it is go...go...go! Never a dull moment at the Wohlschlegel household! Let me recap.

Saturday: I got in about 6:15 p.m. Took me 8 hours to get home, though 30 minutes of that was spent in a line at Wendy's. Traffic was pretty bad coming out of Virginia Beach too. Kate ran really well though. Despite not having air conditioning, car stayed pretty cool with the passenger window down. I wasn't home for about an hour and then I went with my Mom and Mandy to Knobels, a local amusement park, to see a Beatle cover band. They were really good! They sounded and dressed just like the Beatles.

Sunday: Was nice to take it easy after church. There was a number of people in an out throughout the day. Thinking back, I believe I counted like 7 families represented throughout the day, either coming to swim, stopping in on there way through, or hanging out while some ladies were at a bridal shower. Of course we had Nascar going too! OH, and haircuts. Kariann came by and gave me a trim and got me looking pretty good again. :) That evening we caught up with our friend Orlando and went kyacking from Milton to Lewisburg on the Susquehanna. It was pretty fun to be on the river. I tipped my kyack once when we had to get out and drag it pass the shallow spots. S0 needless to say I didn't stay very dry.

Monday: A day for running some errands. I had to run by the bank, and it ended up some others had to cash some checks as well. So made a bank run to like 3 different banks for different family members. Also spent some time working on the Nissan that I will be taking back with me. Also the Bells stopped in on their way back from dropping Christopher to college (friends from NY). It was good to see them, and I know my parent really appreciated the visit with all the stuff going on right now at home. Praise God for good friends.

Tuesday: Don't really remember what I did that day, but I am sure it was full of fun and exciting stuff!!

Wednesday: Borrowed a motorcycle from one of my friends and tried to go get my lisence. I guess now you have to make an appointment to take the bike road test, and they soonest was in mid-September. Grr!!! That is kinda frustrating. It was good to ride again though.

Thursday: Got to go visit my x-youth leaders. We always played cards when I was living at home, and since it had been so long since my last visit I made it a point to get out there. Plus, it had been forever since I last got to play pinochle!! Their daughter Katie is playing now too. She did pretty good all and all. Paul and I whooped up on them though! I felt bad for keeping them up so late, but we had a great time of fellowship and were able to share what the Lord had been up to in our lives, and different struggles. Got to end the night in prayer. I was glad to catch up with them.

Friday: Dad took the day off and we joined some friends (Stamms) up at the Bald Eagle state park lake for some water skiing and tubing. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for it. And we practically had the place to ourselves. It was a lot of fun!

Saturday: I am sure sore today from the day at the lake yesterday. Got a little Pennsylvania sun to add to my Virginia tan though. Uncle Tim and Aunt Becky, and cousin Justin just arrived. Came down to visit for a few days.

Thats the week in brief. I am sure I am leaving stuff out, but oh well. It has been good to be home, and Tuesday will be here all to quick when I have to return to school. Got to enjoy it while I am off. Til next time....

One Last Run Home

2006-08-15T11:25:00.000-04:00

Its a bit of a miracle, but I was able to revive Kate for one more week in order to get me home! I called a mechanic in Virginia Beach and told him what was happening with my Thunderbird. He listened and told me that it sounded like something with the ignition. He told me something to try next time I had a chance. I was a little leery about his solution, but I decided to give it a try.

I felt like McGyver when I was able to start my car by popping the hood and taking a screwdriver and jumping the solenoid. No more tears or 15 minute ceremonies to get her running. Now the process involves turning the ignition on, popping the hood, using a screwdriver, a few sparks, and the engine is running again. This has been the routine all last week before I headed home this past Saturday for that one week I have been saving at the end of the summer to see my family. Some of my friends were a little worried that I would breakdown along the way, but I knew better. God was answering prayers of mine and my family so I could make it home. It ran beautifully! Granted, I didn't have any air conditioning but what was coming through the passenger window, but it wasn't too bad. Took me a full 8 hours to make it home, but I made it, safe and sound. Along the way, just over the Pennsylvania boarder, Kate flipped 216,000 miles!! How cool is that. I continue to be humbled and very grateful for the mileage I have gotten out of this car for the past 6 years.

As for a new set of wheels, I will be probably buying my sisters Nissan once we get a couple of things fixed on it. It will be my new set of wheels.

As for Kate, my Dad wants to hook up a "starter" switch just like they have in the Nascars in my Thunderbird. Her days might not be over yet.

Kate Is Retiring

2006-08-01T20:56:00.000-04:00

Well, we have been together for 6 years now, and ultimately I cannot complain. Kate has been real good to me, putting up with a lot (some of you know how hard that is). But this last Sunday, in my church parking lot after the service, she refused to go any further. *Sigh

For those of you who don't know (I can see the confused looks on your faces), Kate is the name of my white 1990 Ford Thunderbird that has been faithfully getting me from point A to point B swiftly and safely with relatively little problem. The Lord provided this car the week before I began a very big adventure of joining a little start-up college in Purcellville, Virginia. We have been through quite a bit together, and after 215,000+ miles has decided she will move no more. For a while, Kate had her share of little malfunctions. The drivers side window did not go down, the weather stripping is missing in the drivers side door, the passenger side seat belts no longer worked, overdrive was gone, the center console cover barely stays attached, and there are a few rust spots beginning to show on her body, as well as some missing molding. On top of all this, for the last month or so, to get her started took about a 15-minute ceremony that included praying, crying, and repeating cranking of the starter till she would come to life. Just this past week, the air conditioner went out as well. The only major problem I ever really had was a blown head gasket at one point, but other than that, she ran like a beut.

She got me through a recent move this week, as I moved my (and two other roommates who couldn't make it into town, GRr!!!) stuff from our townhouse to a 2-bedroom apartment near campus. It made for a long week, but she picked a good time to go, as I am completely moved now. Also, the church parking lot is quite a fitting place as well, because a) one is less likely to curse and beat a car coming out of a church service just having their soul fed, b) it was God's car anyways that He graciously blessed me with for these past 6 years.

I planning to make a visit home come mid-August where I will see about getting another set of wheels. In a conversation today with a friend about Kate, the comment was made that it is hard to picture me in any other car. I am sure many of you would agree.

Thanks for the memories and always getting me where I needed to go, Kate. You will be missed! (And praise God for extending the life of this car for as long as He has! Look forward to his provision in the future. He is faithful.)

P.S. Trying to insert picture, but computer not cooperating. Oh well, will upload some another time.

Look its a Blip on the Radar Screen

2006-07-11T20:55:00.000-04:00

Shocking, yes, its me. It has been a long time. Alot can happen in a month. Some of that includes...

A visit from the family for a week. They came down for a week late in June. It was a wonderful blessing to have them visit. They stayed at my house. I had to go into my internship a couple of the days, but we made it to the beach almost every day. I wish they could visit more often so I could take more advantage of living in Virginia Beach. We also got to go visit the Aquarium too. That was pretty cool. This is after Shark IMAX!

This last week was kinda crazy. I took off for Texas last Thursday after a marathon painting job to be in Daniel and Whitney's wedding (my sixth!!). I flew into Austin about 5 pm. I used Budget Rental in order to rent one of the new Mustangs. Well, I get there and the guy behind the counter said that they just recently had to return them to the dealership because they only had them for so long. I was so disappointed!! Aside from the wedding that was what I was most excited about. So they gave me a Honda Salada. Nice car, but NOT the same thing. The wedding was actually in San Antonio, so I drove there to meet up with everyone. All the PHC guys there ended up being part of the bunch I RA-ed their freshman year. It was good hanging out with them (Newcomb, Poe, Steeg, and of course Archer - the groom!) It was fun to hang out with the two families. Us guys ended up doing some pizza and poker for a low keyed bachlor party. Everyone was pretty pooped, but we had fun. I can now say that I have played "Texas Holdem" in Texas! And won, every game - 3 to be exact. I think my average bedtime while out there was about 2 am. And the funny thing is, I got more sleep then I had gotten since I've been home by sleeping in. The day of the wedding, a couple of us went into San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk. It was pretty cool. I have to say that I enjoyed Texas, especially driving. They have 70 mph speed limits!! Ha. The wedding was really nice. Daniel and Whitney looked very good together. I was honored to be there. The trip back was a little crazy. I had (what I thought) a 6:30 am flight out of Austin on Sunday. The wedding did not start til 7:30 pm on Saturday. We didn't get home till 12:30 am, and of course had to eat again. I got in bed by 2 am, and got up at 4 am to make the one and a half hour trip to Austin to catch my flight. I thought I was running a little late, as I got in at 6am to the airport. I got to the counter and the guy told me that they had no 6:30 am flights going out. I was shocked. It turns out my ticket was not till Monday. Yikes!! I ended up getting on an 8 am flight by shelling out an extra 50 buckeroos. I could of used that extra sleep!!!

It might not have been so bad having so little sleep if I didn't have my UCC final Monday at 6pm!! I pretty much had some time on Sunday evening to study, and then Monday. I am glad to have it done, and I think it went okay. Time will tell.

So, that is a very brief update. Scattered with a few pictures. Hope you enjoy. Next trip...possibly Hawaii to see Brandon by the end of the month. We'll keep you posted (at least I will try to do a better job of that). :)

This is what I did last week...

2006-05-16T01:03:00.000-04:00

This past week I was working with 16 other Regent law students for The Pro Bono Project in New Orleans, Louisiana. This picture was taken during a tour we were given in a neighborhood that was near the levy that broke and flooded the whole area causing much devastating and destruction. Even 9 months after Katrina, New Orleans is struggling to get back on its feet. On the way in, I saw whole apartment complexes and neighborhoods abandoned. Houses were missing their roofs, and some were completely collapsed. There is still a lot to be done, but city is hopeful and slowly rebuilding. It was a great experience.

To hear more about what I was up to check out http://probonoinneworleans.blogspot.com/ .

I plan to put up some more pictures later. Night all!

Already, I have left finals far...behind

2006-05-07T19:18:00.000-04:00

Checking in here from New Orleans!! Let me recap first though classes.

My last final, Torts, was on May 2nd. I am not sure how I feel about that one yet, but I am happy to have it behind me. It was part essay, part short answer, part mutiple choice - the latter which I found most difficult. It was hard to be motivated to study as well. Of course, it didn't help that one of my roommates friends moved in for the summer, and brought his 61 inch TV and PlayStation 2. It was a nice break though after our second to last final, playing some NCAA Football 2006.

Once school was out, I have actually been staying up later, hanging out with other students, eating out, watching a movie, etc. Thursday afternoon SBA hosted a cookout down at Sandbridged, at which we ate, played volleyball, and even a little flag football right on the beach. Fun times.

Friday night I helped with the Graduation Banquet for the Class of 2006. It was fun to hear some of the funny stories professors and students had to tell of their time over the past 3 years. Makes me look forward to my graduation with Class of 2008 (if I pass!). :) We worked till about 9:45pm, and then a small group of us went to see Mission Impossible 3. IT was a pretty good flick. I got home about 12:15am, with an impossible mission of my own - pack for the next morning!! I didnt' get everything around and in bed till 3:30pm!! Had to meet with the group for Regent at 9:30am Saturday morning. We were on our way by 10:30.

We are heading out soon for dinner. I will get back to talk about what I am doing here and how busy my summer is going to be. For now...L8r!!

God is good

2006-04-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

God is good! I really enjoyed my time quick trip home and am glad I made it to Liz's wedding. It was a short ceremony. As my Dad put it, very military (Liz is a Marine, and Tim is in the Air Force) like - get in, get your orders, and move on! LOL! Liz looked beautiful and the wedding and the reception were very nice. I got to enjoy most of it. Lol. I left after the father/daughter dance, which was about 4 o'clock. It was a very short stay but it was so good to see people, and to be there. My trip back was uneventful, and I reached home about 10:30 pm.

I have to say that I really felt the effects of all your prayers. Thank You! I came back and despite the quick trip, and one less day to study, I can honestly say that I never felt stressed (answer to my prayers as well) and I was able to focus with the time left to study. Somehow I crammed it all in there for the test. My poor roommate came home last night from a study group and was feeling a little discouraged because of struggling through some practice questions. So three of us started through our outlines and I found that I knew just about as much as he did (and he knew his stuff, he was just tired) so that was encouraging to me!

As for the actual test today, it was pretty tough. Basically there were 20 multiple choice questions with paragraph fact pattern. It always seemed as though there were 3 right answers! (lol) As for the essay, basically it was one long fact pattern with four questions. Each question we were instructed to talk about everything and anything that applied. Yikes! I didn't finish until up to 4 minutes to go!! And I could have probably done a good bit of adding here and there. 3 hours long! I am glad it is over. I feel pretty well about it overall, basically that I passed, the question just is "how well?". As far as from last semester in Property, my grade can only improve. It is in God's hands now. On to the next exam....Contract, Thursday.
Fun, fun. Thanks for all your prayers. Keep praying...Its working! Night!

Is there a differance between faith and crazy?

2006-04-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

This has been the question I have been asking myself very recently. You see, right now I am in the middle of the finals week at law school. However, 2 days before my Property exam I have come home for a good friends wedding. I am not sure she would have forgiven me if I missed it. :) (Congradulations to Elizabeth Knauss and Tim Clifton!!)

I left yesterday at 7:3o p.m. and pulled in at 2 a.m. No doubt this is a little crazy, but I guess I have always been one that believes the work will always be there, and that people are more important. This was not an easy decision because there is a lot to learn, but I am trusting that the Lord will enable me to learn what I need to know for test at 1:30 p.m. Monday. I can't always explain it, but somehow the work always gets done. This time though perhaps I am really going out on a limb. My law school buddies think I am crazy, and well ...maybe I am. :) Dare I call this "faith" in asking God to bless my remaining time to study, or is it just "stupidity"? I am pray it is the former. :)

I will have Sunday & Monday morning to study. I also have been listening to some Property reviews on CD, so all the time in the car wasn't lost. The wedding is at 1 p.m. and the plan is to be back on the road by 3 p.m. (maybe that is crazy, oh well...at least I will have a story to tell).

By the way, did I mention it was Kariann's birthday today?? Haven't gotten to see her yet as the girls are at a wedding shower. But it has been good to see the family. My brothers were sure surprised this morning to have me come jumping on them. :) It is always fun being welcomed home. How I love my family.

The End is in Sight

2006-04-17T22:31:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe I am almost at the end of my second semester & first year of law school (!!!) already. Whereas the first semester was kinda slow, this past semester has flown by! Last Thursday was our last day of classes. Four finals are the only thing I have left to face. Thought I would take a break from studying for my first final for a sec and post when and what my finals were so if you happen to be thinking of it, you could PRAY for me. It would be most appreciative.

Wed, April 19th Civil Procedure
This should not be bad, though as always, there is a lot of material to cover. Professor Ben Madison won "Teacher of the Year" for the excellent job he does in this class. God has gifted him with a passion for teaching and he helps spice up an otherwise boring subject of federal rules and regulations.

Mon, April 24th, Property
This class is the one that I had the most trouble with the first semester, and really hope to bring the grade up in this semester. I found I actually enjoyed the class a little more this semester, so I hope that helps.

Thur, April 27th, Contracts
This class is a hard one to judge. The professor is a great guy and teacher, but his tests are pretty hard and sometimes unpredictable. The pace over the semester was very slow and we had to pick it up quite a bit at the end. Hopefully we were able to cover everything we need to know for the test in class. My preparation for class fell off a bit near the end as the pace picked up.

Tue, May 2nd, Torts
This was probably the "thorn in the side" of many this semester because it was a long class, and the professor lacked a passion for teaching the subject. Sometimes it seemed like he wanted to get out of there as much as we did. Hard to say how this final will go. Hopefully some good outlines will help me prepare for the class where notes are lacking.

Following that, I will have completed a full year of law school and can tentatively take on the new title of 2L (i.e., second-year law student). Hopefully the grades will back up the title sometime in early June. :) As you can see, there is time in-between each final to prepare, so I will probably only be focusing on one at time. Praise the Lord for His goodness here. He certainly has been faithful. Thank you Lord.

Eventful weekend

2006-04-11T21:58:00.000-04:00

Man, was I busy this past weekend! As I may have mentioned earlier, last week was our two rounds Moot Court competition among the 1Ls. I thought both my rounds went all right. I definitely was less and less nervous the more I did it. Late Friday night I found out that I made it into the top 64 competitors for the Saturday Moot Court competion! I was kinda surprised. My round was 9:45 a.m.

Friday night was also the start of my motorcycle safety class. Spent four hours from 6-10pm watching videos and talking about general safety tips, like being aware of your surroundings as you ride. We went through our safety books highlightening the answers to questions that could be on our test on Sunday. After this, I threw on my tux shirt, vest and bow tie and went the last half of Regent's Barrister's Ball. Unfortunately I had missed the dinner and the live band, but there was still dancing going on with a DJ. I had fun with some friends out on the dance floor. Hey, when no one really knows how to dance, there is no pressure. It was fun. I stayed till the music stopped.

Saturday I went to my oral argument. I ended up drawing an argument that I had done twice already, so I felt pretty comfortable with it. It wasn't till I got there that they informed me that my co-counsel would not be showing up, so it was just me against two girls from my class. I actually raised my hand and asked the court (which may have been out of line) if they would like me to do my co-cousel's argument as well, to which they said no. I wasn't really prepared to argue that point, but I have been working with the problem for most the semester, that I was confident I could come up with something.

I won't ever know if I could have moved on because I had to go back for part two of my motorcycle safety class. This time we were actually going to be on bikes, practicing our stopping, steering, etc. Half way through class we got drenched!! It poured rain, but we kept going. I was afraid I was going to catch a cold, but the Lord spared me! Thank goodness. Sunday, I came back for the last part of my training. I had the hardest time with those figure 8s we had to do within the perimeter of box. This was more maneuvering for like a parking lot, though, and the instructors placed more emphasis on "road skills". It was a good course. Definitely gave me more to be aware of on the road, and helped build on my confidence. They can definitely be dangerous, but they are also a lot of fun. I passed and was able to call it into my insurance provider today, and saved 10%. Its the small blessings that make our day, isn't it?

I also found out this past weekend that I got a judicial clerkship for the summer. I will be working with the Chesapeake Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. Thank God for His provision. Sounds like it will be very neat opportunity. I also will be taking a class this summer, and hope to put my VA Security Officers license to work as well. Should keep me busy (but probably not out of trouble).

That's all the news I have for now. Get sworn in as President on Thursday. Oh, and this is our last week of classes. Finals begin the 19th and I am finished May 2nd. Time is flying...Until next time.

Grace & Peace.

Monday, mondays...whatever will I do with you

2006-04-04T20:52:00.000-04:00

It was one of those days where you get up, hit the ground running, just trying to catch up! This pretty much happened literally to me. I forgot to set my alarm the night before. I heard Jer walking by my door as I was waking up and turned over. My clock read 9:15 a.m., the time Jer and I are usually leaving the house for class!! Jer hollered up the stairs asking if I was coming before walking out the door. I yelled back a Yes as I threw on my jeans, grabbed a shirt, my socks, electric razor, my bag and ran out the door barefoot in less than 2 minutes of being awoken!! Jer just looked at me as I jumped into the car beside him and shook his head. Not how I like to start my days - shaving, and finishing getting dressed on the way. I spent most of my first class just waking up!

After a long two classes, I came home and I found a pink slip on my windshield. It was slip saying that my car's inspection had run out. I was not too happy about that because I had my car inspected while I was home. The slip said that if I did not remedy this by Thursday they were towing "Kate" (my car). DO these people not have anything better to do??!! If they would simply have looked in the corner of the windshield while they were placing the little pink ticket there, they might have saw the big numbers 03/07!!! Argg!!! Can you tell this has me a little worked up?? I had to put myself down for a nap after that. :) My Mom said the sticker for the license plate is on its way. Yea, a bright point in my day!

It was a day the Lord has made, and I am to rejoice and be glad in it. That is not always easy.

On a better note, TODAY I had my first real oral argument round. I was definitely not as nervous as the first time. They said that I had the hardest part of the argument to do, but that I did a pretty good job. My next argument is on Thursday. Fun fun fun for a few more weeks!!

Long week...Good Day

2006-04-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

I have probably just came through my toughest week in law school (yes, even more than finals). Monday started off with turning in the Appellate Brief. I also had to finish a explaining a case in Contracts that I had started on Friday for the professor. Tuesday I had the speech to give for my canidacy for 2L Class President. I didn't think I would, but I actually got really nervous speaking there. Thursday night was late one (3 a.m. Fri morning) preparing for my 8:15 a.m. oral argument. That went alright. I was a little nervous there as well.

Friday night I got a call. It was one of the SBA officers tell me that I won the 2L class President election outright. There were two other guys running for the position. I was expecting a run-off, but I ended up pulling over 50% of the vote. My first thought was thank you Lord . . . quickly followed by "what have I gotten myself into" . . . "help me Lord". :) I just want to do a good job. I don't step into the position till next year. The official results aren't out yet, so I am not sure all who I will be working with. God give me grace.

This morning my I got an early monring call (so it was like 8 a.m.) from some friends on their way down to visit. Matt S., Faith B., and her good friend Alisha came down for the day. They got in about 10a.m. (which is the time I got up - lol). Faith and Alisha ran to Starbucks and to pick up some food for the beach while Matt and I visited a while and then I gave him a tour of the campus. We met back up with the girls and hit the beach. The weather was beautiful. The water however was COLD!!! We had a picnic and spent some time throwing frisbee. After that I dragged them all to my softball game. They had me at pitcher. I went 1-3 with an inside the park homerun as well. We ended up winning in the end. Then Matt took us to his favorite seafood restaurant here, "Bubbas". It was great food. I got the Flounder catch of the day. Uhhmm ....good.

All, it was long week, but ended on a good day. One more day to enjoy tomorrow. Hate to loose that hour sleep. Oh well, probably would have lost it anyways. :) Night.

The burden has passed..

2006-03-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

...as of yesterday, the paper I have been working on, an Appellate brief, has been turned in. Its a little scary to think that those 21 pages represent 50% of my grade in that class (Legal Research and Writing). How do I feel about it? Well, to be honest, tired. Yes, my bed time as of recent has been between 2-3 a.m., one night as late as 4 a.m.!! But, by the grace and strength of God, I finished it. Overall, when I went back over it in the wee morning hours, it didn't look half bad. The graded part of the class is now over, and we now move to oral arguments. This is where the fun begins. :)

Today are the speeches for members running for class office. I am making my bid again for Class President. As usual, not exactly sure what to say, but I trust the Lord will give me the words, if that is where He wants me. I see it as another service opportunity. My first flyer for my campaign reads:

"DID YOU KNOW?
...in German, 'Wohlschlegel' means 'good hammer'. Let me serve as an Effective Tool to represent you. Vote Mark Wohlschlegel for 2L Class President."

Cheesy, huh? :p We'll have to wait and see what happens.

No word yet on what I will exactly be doing this summer.

Quick testimony of grace today:
My roommate and I pray everyday on our way to classes, usually asking God to help us remember what we've read, and to give the correct answers to the professor. Well, because of all the work with the paper this weekend, I was not prepared for class at all. So this morning, when I prayed, I asked God to be with my roommate if he got called on since he had prepared, and left myself out of it. Well, at one point in the class, the professor was looking for an answer that others were having trouble getting. Thinking logically, I raised my hand and offered an answer. Lo and behold I was right! He asked a follow up answer as well, which I also got right, and all this for not having read the case. I guess the training in thinking logically is working here. :) God is good!

You May Wonder, "To What Do We Owe the Honor of Your Post?"

2006-03-22T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I am ashamed to say, that I am not posting because of any "big" news. I am not posting because I all of a sudden remembered it has been a while (well, that is part of it). I am not posting because I am bored. Far from it - life in law school is as busy as it has always been. Are you ready for this...

I decided to post tonight because I needed a break from the Appellate Brief I am currently writing. I have been working on it straight pretty much since 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. In that time I have "crafted" five pages (lawyers don't "write", they "craft").

Now that I am underway, let me see if I can come up with any interesting news from my life....

- No news yet on where I'll be for the summer. I had an interview last week for a Public Defendant Assistant here in Virginia Beach. Should hear back about that early next month (which is coming fast!!). I also applied for a judicial Internship here in the area. The way I see it, I have rent paid up through July, so why not stay near the beach??? These positions also run about 20 hours a week, so that would enable me to work on the side, perhaps pick up a security job in the area. Still waiting to see what doors the Lord opens up.

- Regent is holding class elections again for our 2L year. This year's Class President is stepping down, so I have put my hat in the running again for Class President. Second times the charm, right? :) It is still very much something I would like to do, but there is always the question of how busy I will be next year. Time will tell. I had to laugh though. A girl in my class today just realized that after talking to me that I had NOT been our class president this whole time!! Go figure.

- I am down to only 3 weeks of classes left!!! Time is going so fast. Hard to believe finals are right around the corner again. Lord willing, I can up my grade average. My last final is May 2nd.

- Outside of school, I have been participating in intramural basketball. This has been a blast. I really enjoy playing. I have finally got to the point where I can play for more than 2 minutes without needing an oxygen mask! LOL! This weekend are the playoffs. Our team is like 5-2. Sounds like we will only be down to five men on Saturday though. Could prove to be a challenge. Bring it on!!! :)

- Recent visitors to Virginia Beach included Faith Brobst, and Marianne and Casey Wasson. It was good to see some familiar faces. I always enjoy company! (hint, hint) There is visit from the Schwartz tentatively on the calendar now too. Yea!

- I have been saddened by the sudden turn of events at PHC with four professors announcing their departure at the end of this year. :( Two of them have been there from the beginning. My prayers go out to the students and administration of the college. There are certainly alot of changes going on there. God is in control, and I believe that ultimately that God is doing what is best for the college. It has certainly created a stir on the Alumni Board.

- Kate, my 1990 Ford Thunderbird is still running strong for me. Praise God for passing state inspection over Spring Break. 211,000+ miles and counting!!!

- Personally, I find it has been hard to sit still as the weather has began getting warmer. I get so antsy, that it is hard to stay in the books. I have kept up thus far, and trust the Lord will carry me home thru finals.

- Spiritually, I have found that it is so easy to pass by devotions and time with God and dive into the day. This is not good! This catches up with you very quickly, and you find that your perspective on life is greatly changed. Praises to God that He refuses to settle for that type of relationship with His own. My prayer is that I will not settle for that either. For those of you feeling the same way, I encourage you to Keep on Keeping on!! God is always right there. Seek His forgiveness, pick up that cross and follow Him.

Well, I think that brings everyone up to date as of now. Back to "crafting" my brief. ;)

Grace & Peace. ~ Mark

Monday, Monday

2006-03-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

It is about 9 p.m. on Monday night and I am sitting down with some of my Mom's famous apple pie as I blog tonight and reflect on today. Today was my first day back to classes at RU, and I have to say, Monday was kind to me today. Despite having done next to nothing "school wise" while home (that is why "it is called Spring Break" as one of my classmates put it), the week has broken me in easy. (Can't say tomorrow will be as kind.) By this, I mean I wasn't called upon today to explain the cases I was frantically re-reading this morning in preparation. Thankfully I had worked ahead a little before I left, so most of my prep was reviewing cases I read a week ago.

The thought has struck me more than once since I rolled back in about 11:15 p.m. last night, "Have I even left Virginia Beach?? Did I even have a Spring Break???" Yet, the taste of the evidence is still tickling my taste buds. (No one makes an apple pie like my Mom! Yummy!) And I have to say, I do feel a little more rested. Lol! Isn't it crazy how quickly we can fall back into routines, even after a week break, and feel as though we never left? I can remember one pastor talking about the first thing he desires when he first wakes up (no, it is not coffee): MORE SLEEP!! I can relate. How quickly I forget to thank God for what He has already graciously given to me. Afterall, Ps.127:2 reminds us that God grants sleep to those He loves.

I have been looking at Ps.23 lately. I think it opens up with the secret of being content, which could read "[Because] the Lord is my Shepherd I shall not be in want" (vs.1). God already knows what we need afterall. How comforting is that. We can be satisfied because He is our Shepherd - a provider, protector and someone who leads us in the way we should go.

Well, I best be getting to bed. Grace & Peace out there.

Spring Break

2006-03-01T23:10:00.000-05:00

Though it has come a little early than usual, Spring Break started this past weekend. Began by kicking it off with a dinner and desert at the Baileys (a fellow classmate) Friday night. It was a good time to laugh, look back over the semester, and enjoy some good food.

Saturday, on the way home, I attended the afternoon wedding of Jonathan and Jenny Nelson. It was weird to watch a wedding from the pews (I am used to being on the stage). LOL!! There were a whole lot of PHC'ers there. It was almost like a homecoming. I got to see many old classmates I had not seen in a while. Matt, Katie, & Autum made the trip from GA too! It was good to see them. Autum is getting so big.

Made it home to Pennsylvania about 10:30p.m. Saturday night. It has been a nice break to be home. The two things that I have been hoping to accomplish while home is to get my taxes done and have my car inspected. So far. . . well, I have an appointment for my car. LOL! Still working on the taxes. As for school, I haven't done much, though I should probably read some cases for my next brief I have to write.

Watching the "Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman right now. Pretty good flick so far. Boys rocked on American Idol tonight. I'm calling it now. . . Sway & the black guy with the big smile. We'll see tomorrow. Good night America.

In view of Valentines Day

2006-02-15T00:26:00.000-05:00

One of my professors gave a devotion before class on Ephesians 1. He mentioned that it was a good reminder as to who we are in Christ! I didn't realize it at the time how much I needed that reminder until it really began to sink in that it was Valentines Day. This is our most important relationship. How much God loves us - check it out - Ephesians 1!

Past Couple Weeks

2006-02-14T23:41:00.000-05:00

Things have been quite busy the past couple weeks. Let me see if I can give you all a quick recap of what I have been up to so far in February...

(Acutally, starting Jan. 27th) My brother Brandon graduated from ARMY Ranger School (oo-rah!!). He completed his three phases without being recycled - only 20% of Army Rangers can claim that!! All of my family took the road trip to Georgia to see him graduate. Grandpa and Grandma W made the trip too. Even Ben and Elizabeth (friends from home who are now in Flordia) came up. Unfortunately I was unable to make it. I had an Outline due for Legal Research coming due, the next Monday. However, for some reason or another I chose to get sick on Thursday with a stomach bug that last a couple days.

January 29th - Family decided to pay a visit. They did not get in till 4 a.m.!! I was up working on my Outline. Slow going.

January 30th - Family hung out for a day. Was good to see them all (minus Kari who had to get back for work). This was Mandy's first time visiting. Suppose I can't bug her anymore about that. The Outline was handed in, for better or worse. Yuck!

February 2nd - I boarded a plane for Knoxville, TN following Property class. I was off to participate in my 5th wedding!! My best bud and first roommate in college was getting married - Caleb Duncan!! He picked me up from the airport and we went and made sure my tux fit. It did. We had rehersal that night and then the rehersal dinner following. His girl, Andrea is very sweet and matches him well. It had been a long time since I got to visit with the Duncan family. It was good to see them all again.

February 3rd - Ran errands with Caleb most the day. Poor guy was handling calls from work, calls for wedding stuff and practically loosing his mind! I did my best to keep him straight. Ended up going back to the church late that afternoon to set up the gym for the reception. Man, was that quite a job!! I had never seen soo much tooling in my life - used to create a cealing with white lights. Took forever for a large crew to get the large circle used as the center from which all the tooling ran hanging. Caleb and I ended up leaving around 2 a.m. to make a Wal-Mart run for his honeymoon the next day. The families didn't leave the gym till 6 a.m.!! Good thing this was an evening wedding. Caleb said he really enjoyed my company riding around all day.

February 4th - The big day. Had to be at the church and suited up by 3:30 p.m. for pictures. Wedding was supposed to kick-off at 5 p.m., but we actually ran out of seats in the sanctuary - standing room only!! I was one of four non-family members in the wedding party of 16. The wedding was a beautiful testimony of two individuals who loved the Lord whole heartedly. Now that is something worth celebrating about!! And celebrate we did. The dancing last most the night. Caleb and Andrea did not leave the reception till 11 p.m. - just another evidence of their hearts for people. What a long day.

February 5th - About one 'o clock that morning I decided to make a change to my flight schedule and fly out a little later so I could visit the Sovereign Grace Church with Sarah Duncan (sister to groom). It is amazing how much a like these churches really are. Was a great sermon. While my flight was supposed to leave at 2 p.m. it was delayed till 3 p.m., giving me a chance to catch some lunch with Mr. Duncan who drove me to the airport. Got in a little late, but had the Superbowl taping. Yea for Pittsburg!!

February 8 - On the road again, heading to Reston, VA to spend the night with good friend Matt. (I actually called ahead - imagine that!) Heading to the DC area on a recruiting trip for Regent at CPAC. School allowed me to upgrade my rental (at my expense) to a truck so I could bring a motorcycle back I bought from Knepper. Had a good visit with Matt.

February 9 - Was put up in the Omni Hotel in DC, very nice. Had a room to myself with a king size bed and a stocked refridgerator. (Glad someone warned me they charged for what was used!) Helped man a table for Regent with other recruiters from the School of Government. Had fun joking around with them, and talking to prospective students. Alot of them seemed genuinely interested in the school. Saw some familiar faces while at the conference - Michaela Smith being one of them. Also, some old co-workers from Freedom Alliance, including Calvin Coolidge (yes, that is his real name). Heard Rick Santorum speak at the conference. Missed an opportunity (that I was unaware of) to hear VP Dick Cheney speak, as I met former roommate Derek for dinner. Great to catch up with him.

February 10 - More recruiting. Caught a ride that evening with Katie Doherty back to the "girls house" in Arlington (Katie Jackson, sister Jess, Kristen Henderson, Rebekah McDonald, Layla Wilder, and Katie D.). They had some people other people over as well for dinner and to watch the opening of the Olympics. Great to catch up with the PHC crowd.

February 11th - Recruited till 2 p.m. Then went over to Jeremy Purves to pick up my motorcycle. The only one there to help load it up was his brother Ben. We also callled Dave Shaw who came over. Thought it might be difficult, but we found a bank to which I could back up and roll it on. Very heavy machine!! I secured it with straps, and headed back to the hotel. By this time the snow had started coming down pretty hard. Got back to the hotel and got a call from Matt wondernig if I wanted to come back to Reston for the night? I decided it was better than spending the evening alone, and packed up, left my king size bed, and made it saftely to Reston in the heavy snow. NOw, I am not a truck person, but I did enjoy the Chevy Silverado I was driving around (2005 with only 1400 miles on it when I picked it up). Matt had chinese waiting and then we worked on some homework. (First I had really done since I had been gone.) Then we watched the movie "BE COOL". Good times. It was still snowing when I went to bed.

February 12 - Matt and I listened to a C.J. Mahaney sermon and discussed it afterwards for our church. I packed up and headed out, but gave my cousin Jen a call in Chantilly. I was able to visit with her for a few hours before making the long trip back to VA BEach - which much to my disappointment had not seen a lick of snow (6+ inches in DC). Had a couple buddies help unload my motorcycle, which now sits out back till I can get a chance to recharge the battery. Its a 1980 Suzuki. Will be nice to have come late spring and summer!

Well, that should catch everyone up for now, other than the fact that I have my second paper due on Monday - a Trial Brief. Fun, fun!! Grace & Peace!

In town for CPAC

2006-01-25T19:34:00.000-05:00

Regent Law's Admission office contacted me this week and asked me if I would like to go as a student representative to the CPAC conference in Washington D.C., February 9th - 11th. I was honored. It would entail missing two days classes, but they would cover all expenses, including travel costs, hotel costs, and food expenses. In turn, I would be required to man their booth at the conference and greet and answer questions from potential students about the school and my experience. Not a bad gig. Something right up my alley too - presenting a vision of something I believe in.

That will be the second weekend in a row I will be gone in February. The first weekend, I have a small part to play as a groomsmen in Knoxville, Tennessee. Caleb is getting married!! I am excited for him and Andrea. It also means I get to see my buddy again!! Does not happen often enough.

My family is currently on their way down to Fort Benning, Georgia. Brandon made it!! He graduates from Ranger School on Friday! He called me tonight to touch base. He sounded good and feels pretty good. His plans are to get some more schooling at Fort Benning before heading to his post in Hawaii sometime in April. Sounds like he has a slot in jump school as well. Wish I could be there for his graduation. My whole family is heading down. Gonna miss being with them. (However, I was the only one to make it to his graduation in Fort Lewis in Washington state.) GO ARMY!

Pictures from Georgia Visit

2006-01-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

Hey all, here are some pics from my visit to see Matt, Katie, & Autumn (she is a cutie). Schwartz and the Moughon made the trip from D.C. as well. We had a good time...as you can see.

Saturday we helped with some home improvement projects.

As you can see, Georgia still employs the idea behind the "chain gang".
(Actually Schwartz & the Moughon were planting trees for Katie.)

We also got to visit the flight museum in Warner Robins. Up, up and away goes Joel.

Schwartz looked like he was enjoying his first visit to the South.
Shooting the muzzle loader was very cool.

Of course, the highlight was meeting Autumn, now almost 4-months old.

Here is a better picture of Autumn.

Here we are, the four Amegos. We had a good time with the Thorntons.
Thanks Matt, Katie, & Autumn!!

Signing on from Atlanta

2006-01-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

I am currently in Warner Robbins visitng Matt, Katie & Autumn for the 3-day weekend. Schwartz and Joel flew in from D.C. this morning. I haven't seen them since I spent the night at their house last January, about a year ago. Too long! And I finally get to meet Autumn, who is 3 months old now. She is a cutie.

So far today, we have been to Home Depot to get some shelving material, and a lunch at Waffle House. Yum, yum. Back at the house, all of us pitched in with the home improvement projects. Matt and Joel worked on planting some small tree for Katie while she supervised. Matt was trimming hedges and I was putting together a small shelf to go above their couch to display pictures. Stopping right now for a brief respot and a hot cup of tea to kick this cold or whatever I have. I'll have to stick up some pictures later.

Autum is entertaining us all. Check in later.

Happy (late) New Years

2006-01-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

Christmas break has come and gone already. I had a wonderful time at home seeing family, visiting with friends and simply enjoying the holiday festivities. Everyone made it home for Christmas, even my brother Brandon, who has successfully completed the first two phases of Army Ranger training. He had not been home since June, so it was good to have him back. Each year I wonder if it will be the last Christmas we will all be together as a family. Everybody is growing up so quickly.

Bringing in the New Year was pretty uneventful at home. Watched the ball drop in New York off the Tv, and put to good use the new ping pong table my Dad brought home the day after Christmas. The last thing I did before I left home was to soundly beat my little brothers in ping pong because I have a feeling that it is going to be harder next time I am home.

I am back now for the second semester, and trying to get back into the swing of things. It hasn't been too hard so far. They kept us in suspense as to our grades from our first semester till we got back. I could of done better in some classes, but at least I now have something to work with. :)

Home for Christmas

2005-12-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

Back by popular demand... lol! I have been getting some calls by very irritated fans that I have not updated my blog lately. Well... at least I had fans. (lol) I have to relay my homecoming story to you now.

My last final was on Monday. That night I went to another Regent 1st year student's house for a Christmas party and good food. I had been thinking I might not get home till Thursday or Friday, and told my family so. Our house definitely needed cleaning after a week and a half of studying straight. This was Tuesday mornings job. I decided to pack and start heading home a day early. Cleaning was a chore, but I got er done and got on the road. I was a little worried with my car making it home, but Kate (my car) she did fine.

I pulled my first surprise by stopping in at my favorite overnight stay in Reston, Schwartz & Moughon's Motel 2. Well, at first the surprise was on me because when I stopped in nobody was home but Tyco (the cat). So, I went to McDonald's, got a salad (i was feeling healthy) and talked with my buddy Matt in GA for a while. When I did get back to Matt's, I found him sitting in front of his computer in his PJs. He thought it was Joel at first. It is always good to catch up with old friends. I hadn't heard from Schwartz in a while. He was still in the middle of finals himself with one left. We chatted for a while, and got in a game of Acquire before calling it a night. It was good to see him.

The next day I spent some time with Justin and Jeremy in Alexandria. I ended up making a purchase while I was there too. (have to talk about that later) I ended up leaving DC about 3:45 p.m., but it took forever to get around DC. I ended up catching a good Italian dinner in Winchester with a friend, which allowed time for the roads to clear a little.

I ended up getting on the road about 7:30 p.m. I was sooo excited to be heading home, the time went by so quick. It was a great opportunity to listen to music and reflect on all the Lord has done for me in the past year. The trip went quickly. Now, my family was still not expecting me till Thursday or Friday. As far as they knew I was running around in DC. My Dad had called me earlier that day and told me that a big ice storm was gonna hit the next day. They had no idea I was gonna be home that night. :) When I hit Seilensgrove, I stopped into the Wal-Mart and picked up some flowers for my Mother (her favorite daiseys and roses). I pulled into the driveway unnoticed and called the home phone. Hannah picked up, and I asked to talk to Mom. It didnt' take her five minutes to begin getting on my case about not getting home with that big storm coming in the next day. Then she said, "You should be home! I wish you were walking through the door right now!" LOL, well that is my cue, I thought to myself. Boy were they surprised!! Everyone was sitting in the livingroom but Dad. They had me stand in the closet and Mom sent Dad there to get her a sweater. He laughed and swore he wasn't surprised to see me, but I think he was. I always love coming home and surprising my family. Brandon should be home sometime tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing him. It is sooo good to be home.

Yes, I did survive finals

2005-12-18T20:50:00.000-05:00

Hello there. Yes, it is me... Unbelievable, huh? I finished finals and all in all I think they went well.

(Pause now for President's address to the nation from the Oval Office - Live on TV! ...okay, I am back. Great speech! Stay strong Bush!)

I will not know for sure until I get my grades back sometime after Christmas. I don't feel like I failed any of my classes, so that is good. How well did they go... time will tell. Thankfully all my finals were split up by at least one day, which made it easier to focus on each subject. I ended up joining a study group with some of my roommates and friends, in which one would get up and kind of lecture as we followed along with our outlines. We came up with many acronyms to remember the many points for the tests. It was fun. We usually would get up about 5:30 a.m. on the morning of the test and meet at IHOP for breakfast to do some last minute studying. All our tests started at 9 a.m. Most of the tests were a combination of essay and multiple choice. We were able to use our laptops for the essay portion, which I really enjoyed. The professors love it too, because they don't have to decipher any student's handwriting. I think the worst of all my finals was Contracts because of the hard multiple choice questions which are similar to the MultiState Bar questions. Perhaps my best test was Torts, which was our last test. It was pretty straight forward. I still believe the hardest test I ever had to take was Paul Bonicelli's Comparative Politics at Patrick Henry College.

Now I have a few weeks off. Classes start up again on Jan. 5th. Then I get to do it all over again. God was very good. One semester under my belt. Five more to go. It can be done.

Poem "It Couldn't Be Done"

2005-11-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

Somebody said it couldn't be done.
But he wiht a chuckle replied,
That maybe it couldn't, but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you;
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you'll do it.

by Edgar A. Guest

T minus 13 days

2005-11-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

That's right, in 13 days, I will have completed my first semester of law school. Crazy to think about. I don't remember if I have mentioned this before or not, but I was feeling really overwhelmed on our last day of classes, not because of finals (though that is starting to set in a little now), but just over how faithful God has been to me this whole time. I am humbled and amazed to look back and see the road that He brought me through. Who would of thought that a small-town farm boy from up-state New York would make it this far??? (Many of you outside of family may not realize those are my roots!! - crazy huh?)

Certainly gave me much to be thankful for over the holiday. Had a good time with my family and extended family, returning to my roots in up-state New York. The Wohlschlegel gathering wasn't as large this year since we were missing some from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Michigan, but was still fun-filled and crazy none-the-less. Games, great food, jokes, and fellowship. I love it! Even made it over to Rochester to see our long-time friends, the Bells and Whitakers. Then got a little time at home. Very nice break.

I barely cracked a book at all, which is now what I will be doing for the next 2 weeks straight. My first final is on Thursday, Dec. 1st, and last on Dec. 12th. I have a lot of material to go over between now and then, and try to get the concepts to stick in my head. Will be pretty busy. Have to remember to commit the work to the Lord, since He has to bless for it to go anywhere. Time will go by fast, though right now it seems not fast enough. :)

NOTE: Reading in Proverbs 29 today (matching it with the date) and noticed it had a lot to say about Christians and the law & justice. Have to confess my first thoughts of where I regularly break the law is in the car - speeding!! The context however, may be referring more to the higher law handed down from God.

Who Needs Enemies with Friends like this

2005-11-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

Coming down to the last days of class. This past Thursday was our last class for Property, Civil Procedures and Torts. Can't say I am too sad, but man, time has gone fast. Hard to believe that we are at the end of the first semester already. Classes are completely done on Tuesday, then I get to come home for Thanksgiving!! yeah baby!!!

Okay, yes there is a story to the heading above, and it involves my great, great good friend and roommate Jeremy. We were in our last Civil Procedure class, one with a professor, who if you don't know, seems pretty intimidating. Jeremy and I sit next to eachother. As always, class starts out with devotions, and after that Professor Madison was saying "I wonder who will get the opportunity to get the last case of the semester?" Then he looks up and says, "Is there any one who hasn't been called on yet this semester? Not like you would volunteer that." Well, I didn't remember getting called on in his class, but I wasn't about to volunteer. It turns out that I didn't have to. My great, great good friend and roommate Jeremy was pointing to me!! Professor Madison said, "Mr. Wohlschlegel, you haven't been called on?" I looked over and Jeremy had that mischievous smile on his face. I answered honestly, "I don't remember." The professor went to his cards to look if he had marked me down for speaking. I couldn't believe Jeremy, my great great good roommate and friend did that!! I wasn't particularly happy with him. It wasn't that I didn't know the material, for I always try to be prepared for class, but I felt a little betrayed. Well, thanks to Jeremy I got to have the last case of the semester, which I explained well. I guess he didn't want me to miss out. When I asked Jer what if I had not done the reading, all he said was, "But you did." I don't know what I am going to do with him. Good grief.

In other news, I have a small fracture at the bottom of my left middle finger. I earned it in a football game ... 2 weeks ago. :) I just had it x-rayed this week. I have it in a splint right now, and am supposed to keep it in one for the next 2 weeks. I have to be careful when I am drinking something now a days. "Sorry mam', I am not really giving you the finger - its in a splint, see? Oops, sorry again." ; )

Words of Wisdom from a modern day great man of God

2005-11-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

Greetings,

Why the silly picture of me? Well your focus should not be on me, but rather the fellow with his back to me. This week former Attourney General John Ashcroft has been visiting Regent campus. This picture was taken after a class lecture he gave. I went up to have him sign his book, "Lessons From a Father to His Son" (which is a great read, by the way). A fellow classmate o"f mine (who is actually a homeschool mom - they are everywhere!!) made me stand back up there to get a picture with him.
(I think he may have been offended when I told him his feet smelled - joking!) :)

General Ashcroft also spoke in chapel today. I really enjoying hearing him speak. He is a very godly man, down-to-earth and quite humble considering all the accomplishments in his life. I really appreciated what he had to share and thought I might give you a few quotes:

"Do you know why they bury lawyers 12 ft. underground instead of the normal 6 ft? Because every lawyer is good down deep."

"Old lawyers never die, they just loose their appeal."

On the will of God: "A man so intent on doing the will of God wakes up in the monring and goes to his closet, opens it and says, 'Oh God, is it your will that I wear the brown suit today or the green?' After a moment, a voice comes from heaven saying, 'You dummy, I'm your Father, not your Mother!'"

On a more serious note:
"Freedom is the ability to change the future."

"Our decisions have future consequences for us and others."

"God created us to make choices. We are limted in one sense because we don't have the mind of God. But He has given us the Word of God."

"Instead of worrying about the will of God, fill your life with the Word of God."

"You never grow if your not shooting for something higher than you are - shoot for God's way."

The verse that he loves to quote is from Deuteronomy 30: 19-20
"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your decendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life."

What wonderful words of truth. Let me close with a few verses pertaining to this that I read from Proverbs 16 this morning:

(1) We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right answer. (Great comfort for a law student like myself about to take first round of law finals on Dec. 1st!!)

(3) Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.

(9) We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Grace & Peace all.

Mark is quoting poetry?!

2005-11-12T14:38:00.000-05:00

Greetings,

I came across this recently and really liked it, so I wanted to share it with you all. It is quite profound, and gives us in a picture of words what it is like to rise above oru vices and keep moving in an upward direction. The more we make the conscious decision to do the right thing (i.e., keep God's Word), the more the path will appear before us. I have to say that stanza 10 is my favorite, becasue it sounds like a law student ("The heights by great mean..."). Take a look see what you think. Enjoy!

THE LADDER OF ST. AUGUSTINE

Saint Augustine! well hast thou said,
That of our vices can frame
A ladder, if we will but tread
Beneath our feet each deed of shame!

All common things, each day's event,
That with the hour begin and end,
Our pleasures and our discontents,
Are rounds by which we may ascend.

The low desire, the base design,
That makes another's virtues less;
The revel of the ruddy wine,
And all occassions of excess;

The longing for ignoble things;
The strife for triumph more than truth;
The hardening of the heart, that brings
Irreverence for the dreams of youth;

All thoughts of ill; all evil deeds,
That have their root in thoughts of ill;
Whatever hinders or impedes
The action of the nobler will; --

All these must first be trampled down
Beneath our feet, if we would gain
In the bright fields of fair renown
The right of eminent domain.

We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But we have feet to scale and climb
By slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy summits of our time.

The mighty pyramids of stone
That wedge-like cleave the desert airs,
When nearer seen, and better known,
Are gigantic flights of stairs.

The distant mountains, that uprear
Their solid bastions to the skies,
Are crossed by pathways, that appear
As we to higher level rise.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

Standing on what too long we bore
With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,
We may discern--unseen before--
A path to higher destinies.

Nor deem the irrevocable Past,
As wholly wasted, wholly vain,
If, rising on its wrecks, at last
To something nobler we attain.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Yes, I am still alive

2005-11-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Greetings,

Yes, I am still alive and well... (a rather relative term seeing I am only 2 weeks out from my first bout with law school mid-terms!!). Have I been busy...yes. Is this a good excuse not to update everyone...of course not. :)

I was repremended by a friend for keeping everyone on edge so long about the Championship football game. Yeah..well...we lost. No big heroics from yours truely. Probably one reason I have not been so anxious to report. We only lost by a touchdown, but regardless, it was disappointing. We are continuing to play in a intermuel league now. Had a double header on Saturday and won both games.

Another reason I have been M.I.A. was a 10-page memo for Legal Research and Writing. This was turned in a week ago today, and as long as I worked on it, this past week I felt like I was not absorbing anything in classes. Hopefully my notes will make sense when it comes to review time.

While many of you probably keep better tab on whats going on in the world than I do, I came across two articles of interest on one of my favorite news sites, The DrudgeReport. I would encourage you to check them out.

1) France has been engulfed in riots since Oct. 27th. Seems that two youths, 15 and 17, were accidently electrocuted as they hid from police. Not sure how it all plays together, but it is still raging. " More than 1,400 vehicles were destroyed, two policemen were injured by birdshot and petrol bomb attacks were launched on schools, churches and public buildings." Remember to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters over there. (For more on causation see this link. )

2) The UN wants to take control of the Internet. What doesn't the UN want to control??

Anyways, that is all for now. Hoping to make it home for Thanksgiving in the next couple weeks. Once I return, we are given a few reading days and then head into finals. God give us 1Ls much grace!

Chili Bowl...here we come!!

2005-10-16T22:27:00.000-04:00

(TEAM BUTTERCUP - From Left to Right: Mike, Nick, Seth, Jeremy, Matt, Me, Jeshua, Matt, & Mark.)

Okay, first off, our team name assinged to us by the intermuel league was "Warriors", but thanks to Rindy & the girls, it has effectively been changed to "Team Buttercup". Believe me, the pastel yellow shirts were not our doing, but assigned along with the Warrior name. At least our new name makes us a little prouder to wear such a color...er.. soemthing like that. :)

This is for flag-football in case you were wondering. In our first game we were matched up against a team called "The Chariots", who were the champs of last year's Chili Bowl. [The "Chili Bowl" is the championship game played by the top two teams during Regent's Homecoming weekend.] The Chariots, aside from being part of this little tournement, play in a city league. They are pretty organized and have been playing together for quite a while. We were definitely the underdogs.

We put up a good fight. After giving up two touchdowns in the first half, our defense buckled down and held them scoreless in the second. Our offense needed a little bit more work, but it was, afterall, the first time we actually played together. We scored once. The loss was a tough one because it meant that we were put out of the running for the Chili Bowl. Instead we would be competing for 5th and 6th place in the losers bracket. This did not sit well with my highly competitive team. Then good news came before our next game. For some unnknown reason, the Chariots had dropped out, forcing the schedule to be revampt, giving everyone another another chance to make it into the Championship. WE WERE PSYCHED!! We faced 3 games. A win on Thursday, meanst a game on Friday. A win on Friday meant a win on Saturday. A win on Saturday would put us in the Chili Bowl.

This past week our team came together, much thanks to the leadership of our team Captain, Jeremy Puglia, and his organizing of plays. We won Thursday 6-0 against the Horsemen. Friday we beat the Swordsman (gotta love the generic names) 19-0. Again our defens held strong, and our offense put out its best effort yet! This put us up against the Commanders, the one other 1L team (who were actually the team who beat us in the softball tournement) in Saturday's game. Going into the game, we were the underdogs for sure. They had a bigger team, with some very fast players. We were missing one of our star recievers, Nat, leaving us with 9 players - 8 on the field, and one sub.

The Commanders came out strong their first possession, scoring on their first drive. They missed their extra point drive, however, leaving the score 0-6. On our drive, we came back and scored, then missed our extra point drive as well. Score 6-6. It became largely a defensive game after that.

I actually had a very good game, with some very big plays, including the touchdown that put us ahead!! On defense, I was playing cornerback. I had a big interception to stop one of the Commanders big drives. Seth, one of our go-to recievers, got injured, and I was pulled off the offensive line (where I was fighting off their big pass rushers) and had me fill his position on offense. This was my first time playing reciever for our team. While neither team scored the rest of the half, I quickly established myself as a threat at inside recieving, making 3 catches in a row, and gaining some good yardage. I almost had a touchdowns before the end of the half, but my lost my footing after going up for a catch. The second half was nearly all defense, as both teams would came near, but could not put it in the endzone. On our last drive down, I caught a pass that I almost put in the endzone, but was caught by their fast safety. We had 5 yards and goal. The first two plays were unsuccessful, one resulting in a penalty that put us back 10 yards. The clock had about 35 seconds left. I was alot taller than my defender, so they called a play for me, lone left side reciever, and Matt Sexton, our star quarter back was just gonna put it up. I ran straight ahead, and then turned around. The ball was in the air. I lept up and made the catch, falling back onto the corner back trying to stop the play, and into the endzone. TOUCHDOWN!! I think my roommate Jeremy was the most excited of all, hugging me and telling me he could kiss me right now. :) We missed our extra point. The other team had one last shot at a play. We played back giving them lots of room. The ball went up to my man, who caught it 20 yards from the endzone. I didn't let him get anywhere, pulling his flags, and essentially ending the game!! WE WON!!

While I am sore today, as is most the team, we are pumped!! We play The Kings, a 2L team, in the Championship next Friday. It sounds like they are pretty good, and pretty serious, practicing a couple times a week. They better be. Who would want to be beat by a team called "Buttercup" (joking - LOL!!) . The organizer is hoping for a good game, since last year it was a blow-out.

Again, it looks like we will be going in as the underdogs. That's okay. Our team has heart! Don't count us out yet. Practice on Wednesday. I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens. Watch out Chili Bowl...here comes TEAM BUTTERCUP!!!

Grace & Peace!!

My Day Came...and Went

2005-10-12T16:34:00.000-04:00

I have been tested. I stood my ground, and silenced my doubts. I can now sit back, more relaxed, and wait for the next day when I hear those words, "Mr. Wohlschlegel, why don't you explain this to the class." :) That's right, yesterday, for the first time since I have started law school (end August I think it was) I was called upon to answer a question in class. Now, I have spoken in class, but it has all been volunteered bits of knowledge to this point. Frankly, I was not surprised that my first class to be called on in was Christian Foundations, only because Professor Jacobs knows me. I am after all one of those stupendous Patrick Henry College students that he has been pursuing for a while. I am thankful to point out that I do not share this burden alone, for fellow PHC alumni Mark Leichliter is here as well. Together, we shall pave the way for future PHC turned Regent students.

At any rate, in case you were wondering (I would), I handled the question well. I have it on good authority from my roommate that I did a good job. He didn't have to ask a follow up question. So, "yea for me"! :) Now I can go back into obscurity, and watch the other professors fumble with my long German last name, give up, and reach for another card. LOL! If it only happened that way. No, no, my adventure is not done. I am sure this was simply a preview of what is to come. Just thought I'd share. So, with that, I must go prepare....

Carry on! Grace & Peace

Homecoming PHC

2005-10-08T02:40:00.000-04:00

RECOGNIZE ANY OF THESE FACES??

Wow! Hard to believe that a week has gone by since I was up in beautiful Northern Virginia for the 5 year Anniversary of Patrick Henry College and our first Homecoming!! Time flies. I had to miss two full days of classes here at Regent (well..I can't say I really missed not being in class - lol), but it was definitely worth it. I caught a ride up to Purcellville with the other PHC rep here at Regent, Mark Leichliter & wife Erin. (Thanks guys!) We drove up Wednesday night after classes. Mark and I were actually visiting the campus on the pretense of recruiting some less sane people who, once they graduate, did not get enough of a heavy work loads, late hours and classroom lectures and are looking to fill that void. ;) We met up with Professor Brad Jacobs to speak to a group of around 24 about life as a student of Regent Law School. The best way to I could describe it was "freshmen year PHC" all over again. Yet, to these seasoned veterns, I encouraged them that the work load of graduate school wasn't any more difficult then what they were already doing, and was very doable. I mean hey, I'm doing it here.

It was weird to walk around campus and see so many faces I didn't recognize. I was talking to students who I knew were there my last year, but for the life of me I couldn't remember their name...but I was so glad to see their face! :) I told the alumni this during our meeting, and said "Seeing you all here is like being home...But thank goodness it is not our home anymore!!" That got a good laugh. Friday evening, we had a reception at a beautiful house way out in the booneys with the faculty. It was bitter-sweet as we recognized Dr. Bonicelli for his investment in our lives and wished him well in his new position as (something or other??).

We held our general alumni meeting Saturday morning, which went really well. It brought back memories of our marathon Senate meetings inaugurial year, lasting about 3.5 hours - but very enjoyable to see everyone back in action. We reported on the progress the Board had made since our last meeting in December, both the high points and the low points. We presented the Bi-laws and after some minor changes, passed them almost unnanimously. We got a lot accomplished. Nominations for the 8 new seats on our Board basically looked like a role call of everyone present and not. I have one year left in my service.

Afterwards, activities included visiting the PHC bookstore and buying the special exclusive edition "Homecoming 2005" t-shirt to any one who had $10. (Its actually not bad.) Then there was the Alumni v. students informal soccer game. Danny Davis, Mike Hengumeule, Aaron Thompson, John Vinci (I don't think he's even left the school yet - lol), Stephen Shipp, and myself were there to represent! Didn't do so hot the first half, but came back with a near shut-out and big goals following the second. Yeah, some of us might have been out shape a little, but it was still fun. Then there was a cookout and concert out back of Founders Hall. Kelly Minter, a Northern Virginia native, now Nashville recording artist performed for us. She was actually entertaining and talented. I would encourage you to check her out!! kellyminter.com It was a great atmosphere to catch up with people I had not seen in a while. The majority of alumni who came were from our innaugurial class, including a visit of Kerri (formerly known) Williamson. I think there was an attendance of 50+ alumni. It was a very good weekend!!

another picture...

2005-09-26T23:56:00.000-04:00

Here is another picture of me and my friends the day of the softball game. (Left to right: Matt, me, Jeremy, Matt). If looks had talent, we would have been unstoppable!!! ;p

Wohlschlegel, please stand up

2005-09-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

Greetings. Fighting off a bit of a cold I caught over the weekend. (Might have something to do with a midnight swim in the ocean??) I felt really tired throughout the whole day of classes, especially my 8:15 a.m. Christian Foundations class. I have never fallen asleep in a class yet, including undergrad, and I would like to keep it that way. They tell me sleep is good for that...might have to try that out sometime. ;)

I still have yet to face that certain fear that grips every 1L daily in classes - to hear the professor say your last name (or butcher it in my case) and ask you stand up and answer a question infront of all your peers. I have been prepared for the most part for all my classes thus far, hence the late nights (though in the morning until I look over my readings and find the highlighted spots, I couldn't tell you what it was I read). There are some classes that I feel pretty confident that I could give the teacher what he is looking for, as in Christian Foundations. It all comes out of the readings. There is one class however that causes me to cringe everytime the professor goes to call a name. This is Civil Procedure with Prof. Madison. I believe we are all scared in that class. The subject matter is very foreign to me...basically it is all about what cases can be heard in federal courts, and what cases must be heard in state courts. Now the professor is a great guy, and does make it interesting, but the concepts are somewhat hard to grasp, which the professor openly admits. The professor could also be described as a pretty intimidating guy. There are times I feel lost in that class. One of my fellow students will be called upon and he will give take his best shot at an answer, and I will be saying to myself "Am I supposed to know that??" LOL, oh the joys of being a 1L. All and all, it is a good class, but definitely one that keeps me on my toes, as I wrestle through the concepts. My good buddy, a 2L at George Mason, warned me about Civ Pro. Turns out that he was not far from the truth.

At this point, I will not be shocked if next time I write I will be relaying how the rest of the week my name came up for every class. (Knock on wood.) That is just the way it works, right? Oh well, might as well get it over with. I keep hoping with a last name like "Wohlschlegel" they will give up and skip to the next name, but it seems that most all the professors are comfortable in pronouncing it now from taking rolls. So, I may be out of luck there. At least this week will be short for me.

This Thursday I will be at PHC for a "Regent Recruiting Trip". Friday & Saturday is the big 5 Year Anniversary of Patrick Henry College, combined with our annual Alumni Meeting. This means missing 2 days of classes, (one of each class). But as Vice President of the Alumni Board, I have duties to perform, and plus it will be nice to see old friends again. I am looking forward to it. Good times.

Well, I best go give that 'sleep' thing a try, though right now I am not feeling too tired. What am I going to do with myself. I'll have to get back to you on that one. Night.

It's Four A.M., I must be lonely...

2005-09-22T04:05:00.000-04:00

Not really. My roommate Jeremy and I just came back from a nice walk around our neighborhood. I think we both had a little too much coffee, this coupled with the fact that we were coming down from a "paper-writing" high. Our very first graded assignment is due on Friday for our Legal Research and Writing Class. Why am I working on it now, you might ask?? Well...last week, when I handed in our practice assignment (essentially the same thing), mine was hot off the printer because I had just finished it 12 minutes before class!! I was within 2 minutes of handing it in late. So, inorder not to repeat that episode (at least this week), I decided to get a draft done tonight, and have a chance to look over it tomorrow night before handing it in on Friday for a grade. I have to say, I feel really good about the paper, but...it is 4 a.m. and I could just be delirious. I really enjoy writing up these memorandums. Basically we take the rule and facts from one case already decided and apply them to a given similar scenario to determine how the court would rule. The reason I like these assignments is because this is where the rubber meets the road. This is in a real sense me applying what I am learning. I remember too enjoying this in Con Law back at PHC. Good times, then and now.

Oh, and about that election, I did not win. I am not sure how close it was, nor have I decided whether I want to know at this point. I think the guy who won will do a great job. While a little disappointed, I am not so much for it is one less thing to apply to my already busy schedule. I had left it in God's hands. My roommate Jeremy did not make VP either. There is always next year.

WATCH OUT!! THE "W" & "SILENT G" WILL BE BACK!!! :)

Thanks for all your support and prayers out there. Much appreciated. Till, next time...

Grace & Peace!

Final Results...

2005-09-18T01:16:00.000-04:00

...Still to come!!

This past Thursday and Friday were the votes for 1L class officers. I received an email late Friday night with the results...I am in a run-off with one of my fellow classmates for President. I have to admit that I did not do as much campaigning as I wanted to. I meant to get a flyer up with my picture on it for some face recognition, but ran out of ink for my printer when I made up bookmark to hand out. Since I am in a run-off I definitely going to get up some flyers around school. The vote will take place on Tuesday. It is crazy how fast they make this, but again, not a bad thing, for the campaigning time is not dragged out.

I learned today at my dance lessons (more later) from the candidate that didn't make it that I was the underdog in this upcoming vote. I don't know how true that is, but I do believe that this will be an uphill battle. My roommate Jeremy puzzle is also in a run-off for Vice President. Time will tell. Its in the Lord's hands.

Back to my mention of dance class...yes, I am taking dance lessons. Regent is offering a special, seven lessons for only $10. No, this is not ballet dancing (sorry Jon). It is more of ballroom dancing class. Today we learned the "cha-cha", and the "rumbling" steps. It is actually a lot of fun. I guess they offer this, for at the end of the semester there is some big December ball. I figured that dancing might be a good skill to have on hand - you know, to have on hand next to my numb chuck skills, and bow hunting skills. ;p Hey, if Jeremy Purves thinks that it is okay for a guy to dance, then it must be fine. Thanks Jeremy! ;)

Well, I better get back to being a law student. Sometimes I think I am having way too much fun to be a law student. So far I am keeping on top of everything...grasping it all...well that is another story. :)

Grace & Peace, out!

Its Official...

2005-09-09T15:40:00.000-04:00

Just got the email late last night. I am in the running for 1L Class Presdient of Regent's Student Bar Association (SBA), the student govenment body of Regent. My roommate Jeremy had decided he was going to run for Vice President, and said I should think about running as President. The position and is very similar to that of Patrick Henry College's Student Body President, i.e., serving as a liaison for the 1Ls to the upperclasses and the Regent Administration and Professors.

I have to say I am pretty excited about the possiblity. I really enjoyed my experience serving in that role while at PHC. I enjoy the challenge of brainstorming and finding solutions that satisfy both parties. If this a place from where my fellow classmates think I can best serve them from, than that is where I want to be. More importantly, if that is where God wants me, that is where I want to be. There are quite a few qualified fellow classmates running. If I don't win, that is fine too. God's will be done.

Missing my campaign manager from my undergrad days, who is now in Georgia. Need to revive the "Matt" party. LOL! My new group of friends are supportive so far. We'll see what happens. I will be sure to provide updates. I should come up with some flyer over the weekend to hand out. We have 1 week to campaign, and a speech next week (public speaking - yikes!). Here we go again! :)

Oh, and good news - my family is down visiting for the weekend. They are crashing here at my pad. It is good to have mother cooking again. ;) They came down to help me celebrate my 25th Birthday, today. A quater of a century old!!! Crazy, huh? Oh, and more great news! My roommate Jeremy saved 50% on his car insurance by switching to Geico!! No, really, I am serious.

Allow Me To Introduce...

2005-09-07T00:54:00.000-04:00

Allow me to introduce the Dukes of Glyndon!! "Why Glyndon," you might ask? Well let me tell you. That is the name of the street we live on. :)

These are my fellow roommates down here in Virginia Beach, all fellow 1Ls at Regent Law. Starting on the far right....

Jeremy Puglia (in dark gray t-shirt). Comes from Philly, die-hard Eagles fan. He is Italian as they come, and cooks his own spaghetti sauce. God brought us together in an unusual way - thru someone my sister met while cutting her hair. We basically decided to be roommates before we even met. It is he who found this house, and pulled this group togeher. We have the same exact class schedule, and are rarely seen apart.

Jamison Raspberry (dark blue t-shirt). "J-Mason", as we call him, hails from South Carolina. Plays guitar, and is quite the ladies man. He is a regular at the local Thrift Shop, and actually helped me find my current bed that someone was giving away for FREE! He is a resourceful guy, and the third addition to our abode.

James "Matt" Mundy (cowboy hat, orange t-shirt). Gotta love those good ol'e Tennessee roommates. Matt comes from Chattanooga, TN and is the elder of the group. He was the last to join our group, but a not a bad last edition. :) Makes great sweet tea.

The Lord blessed us with a great 4-bedroom townhouse - over 2,000 square feet!! We love to have people over, and in fact have started a weekly Wednesday night prayer time, providing many of our fellow 1L classmates a chance to come pray and fellowship for a while. We always have a lot of fun.

Well, that is all the introductions I have for now.

Grace & Peace ~ Mark

Still alive

2005-09-05T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hey all, yes, I am still alive. I have a feeling that I might be saying that a lot in the future. Things have been busy, but good. I am two weeks through law school, 11 more to go till my first bout with finals.

By the way, happy Labor Day!! My sister Kariann flew down this week to hang out with me. She has got to meet all my new crazy friends (give us all haircuts too - yea!!). She flew in on Saturday to Norfolk, and her luggage went to Chicago. This meant we had to get up early on Sunday to fetch her luggage, which came in on the 9:45 a.m. flight. Needless to say, we were a little late for church. Jeremy made his specialty for lunch - pasta! Then at 5 p.m. my roommate Jamison had this radical idea of going kyacking. Kari really wanted to go since she had never been, and well...it didn't take to much convincing on Jeremy and I's part - though we both had a lot of homework. It was alot of fun. Perhaps the highlight was Jeremy spilling his kyack - the face was priceless!!! I swear, that guy never gets embarrassed. We had a blast.

Today, I spent my morning of Labor Day laboring over Civil Procedure. I worked from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. straight (yea for me) and got done what I needed to for tomorrow. Then Kariann and I went to the beach. It was really windy and a bit chilly, so we walked around the Boardwalk.

Kari leaves on Wednesday. I am looking forward to this short week. Come Friday I turn 25!! I think the rest of my family will be down the end of next week. Yea, more family!!

Well, Kari and I finally decided on a movie to watch tonight. It took a while. Well goodnight. I will try to be better on blogging.

Nite.

Almost One Week Over

2005-08-25T23:32:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!! Sorry it has been so long since I last blogged. Let me tell you, I have been very busy!! It is very reminiscent of my PHC days actually. My Freshmen year consisted of late nights, lots of reading, and very little sleep (with an average bed time of 2 a.m.)!! There is always something to be doing. The only difference here is I was a lot younger back then. LOL!!! :) Things start out a little crazy because basically you are already behind! You are expected to come to class prepared, having read the material, and prepared to discuss it. The goal is to stay ahead of the professor. Sometimes you will not cover all a days material in class, meaning you already have some work done for the next class. This allows you to focus on another class that you may be falling behind a little in. Things will get better as time goes on.

In the midst of all this, I have to admit it - I am enjoying law school!! Of course, I have not yet been called on for any classes yet. :) My time will come.

Like PHC, perhaps one of the greatest things about Regent is the Christian fellowship. I have already met a number of great people, and look forward to building upon and cementing those relationships over the next 3 years. My roommates and I started a prayer time on Wednesday nights, to get a number of us together to pray for each other, especially on matters outside of school. We had a group of 14 this last Friday!

I have to say that I feel priviledged to be here at Regent. Let me tell you a little about my fellow 1Ls. First, we are Regents highest incoming acidemic law class yet!! The average age is 25 yrs old, with a range from 21-55 yrs. old. We have a guy to girl ration of 51 to 49, and cover 37 different states. We represent 138 undergrad institutions. Its a pretty good group. I think there are a 161 of us.

God has been very good to me. I can't tell you what exactly I want to do with my law degree, but I have a great peace about being here (also, reminiscent of my time at PHC). I keep going back to a quote I found a while ago that gives me great encouragment:

GOD DOES NOT CALL THE EQUIPPED, HE EQUIPS THE CALLED.

Good quote, isn't it? Well, I am excited to be here, that tomorrow is Friday, and...excited that I can go to bed early tonight (11:30ish, Yea!).

Grace & Peace !!

Last couple days

2005-08-20T22:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry about not being able to post the last couple days. Things had been crazy, so when we had a few days off, I took advantage of it.

First, though, on Wednesday, we had our mock test. It wasn't too bad. I actually messed up a little bit on it though. I made a quick outline, and if I had followed that to a "T" I would have been find. I missed one little point, which changed the outcome of the case. I figured it out half way through, and I knew what I had to write, but didn't get to finish the essay. The test was 40 min. with 2 multiple choice questions. I had one of those wrong. Even though I had to change course mid way through, overall I was pleased with the test. I came out of it feeling I applied the material well.

Afterwards, my roommates and I decided that we were going to get a group to go to the beach. We started inviting everybody, going up introducing ourselves and asking if they wanted to go to the beach on Thursday, our first real day off. The next day we had about 25 people come out from about 11AM to 3pm!! It was a beautiful day. We had some good games of beach volleyball and enjoyed the warm water and got a lot of sun (no burn for me, I got a good base tan - :). Afterwards we invited anyone who wanted to come back to our house for dinner, games and prayer. My roommates and I went home and cleaned and began putting up stuff on our bare walls (nothing like the presence of females to make one do something they have been putting' off, lol). My roommate Jeremy cooked some of his homemade true Italian spaghetti sauce. We had bread and salad to go with it. It was a good meal. About 15 people showed up. My buddy Jon Bell made it from Norfolk - got to see our house and meet some of my friends. Got to play pinochle with him and a couple other avid card players. Others got into some deep discussions in the kitchen (what do you expect from law students? - LOL). At 11pm we spent some time in prayer. Then with those that stuck around, we played a big game of spoons (which I won!!) and taught a bunch of people to play Four on the Couch. It was a blast. I don't think the party ended till 2am! Hey, pretty soon we will be in the books 24/7 - so we enjoyed ourselves.

Today was the rest of orientation, more of Administration stuff. We had a lot of material thrown at us this past week. Classes start on Monday, which we have to come prepared for!! So today I was working on first assignments. It will be a lot of work, but as a friend reminded me tonight, "Anything worth doing is going to be hard". Well put, well put.

Tomorrow I go back to sovereign Grace Church, this time with a bigger group of new friends! Well, more later. Jeremy and I are going to go for a run. Later.

Long Day 2 of Orientation

2005-08-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, today was long. I am tired. Could be a combination of not getting much sleep last night and that it is now 12:01 AM. Today we had a mock lecture on the two cases we preped for the night before. Lecture is done in the Socratic style - teaching having the students explain the material, and adding missing parts.

My roommates and I were happy about two things today: 1.To see that our briefs were pretty close to what was coming out of class, and 2. None of us where called upon to expound upon the cases (though we were prepared to do so). Other than this, it was a long day. Our assignment for tomorrow was to come with an outline of the general principles discussed in our mock class time, and be prepared to take a mock test - that's right, I said a test - on Day 2 of lawschool!! Crazy! And this is as easy as it is gonna get folks. For those of you who don't know, generally all or most of your grades in a class rest on just ONE final exam at the end of the year!!! That's it! You either get it or you don't. Talk about pressure at finals. Oh well, I'll just have to burn that bridge when I come to it. :)

Aside from our regular 4 hours of orientation today, there was also another hour and a half of lecture on the Importance of the OT by one of the Divinity Professors. It was very interesting, but after being in class all day, many of us were anxious to be done. I did enjoy the overview of the life of Moses covered. Here was a man who while in shepherding in the desert was asked by God to step out of his comfort zone and go lead a grumbling nation out of slavery. He felt completely unqualified for the task. He infact argues with God, listing all these reasons why he is unqualified (see Gen. 3-4). God refutes everyone and says, "Moses, your my man!" I can somewhat relate to this story. I too have stepped out of my comfort zone to enter law school. I also had used the original excuse of being unqualified with my own set of arguments why I shouldn't consider law as a profession. God, in His great patience and foreseeable wisdom, refuted my arguments, and now I am here, trusting He will carry me through. The point was made that we so often forget that this life is NOT ABOUT US! How true. (*sigh*)

After tomorrow, we have Thursday and Friday off except for a few social events. Can we say "beach here I come"?? LOL! Well, when I say we have "off" that is such a relative term. You see many of the professors have already posted First Assignment readings to be done before the first day of class. Let the fun begin. :)

I must head to bed! Keep on pluggin'!!

Orientation Day 1

2005-08-15T22:48:00.000-04:00

Professor Gantt started out the day with directing our attention to the truths of Phi. 4:13 "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me", and Jn 15:5 "...Apart from me you can do nothing". What a great reminder. I can see after only one day that it will not take long to come to the end of my own strength. God's grace must be my source of strength, brains - everything! Prof. Gantt made no bones about how we will be working hard during our time in law school. In some ways, this reminds me of my start at Patrick Henry College (PHC). God proved Himself faithful there, and I trust this will be know different.

Ran into Mark Leichliter today, a guy that graduated a year after me from PHC. Good to see a familiar face. He and his wife Erin are down here, and already extended an invitation for dinner sometime. You know that I am all over that!! Speaking of familiar faces, I am simply ecstatic that another PHC graduate is in the area, Nick Higgins!! We met for coffee last week. It is great to have a couple brothers down here. Thank you Lord!!

Needless to say, I survived day 1, which included 4 hours of lecture, plus the following assignments due tomorrow - briefing 2 cases (drawing out the pertinent information), and outlining a statute. My roommates Matt M., Jeremy P. and I sat around our kitchen table for about 2 hrs after returning breaking down our cases in preparation for tomorrow. We brainstormed, stumbled over some of the difficult wording, and came up with our initial briefs. Tomorrow we may be proved wrong by the professor, but at least we got some material to work with. Some of what I did tonight I vaguely remember from my days of Constitutional Law at PHC.

I hate to admit this, (shh...don't tell anyone) but I did kind of enjoy it. Twisted I know! I am sure I will be in my right mind a few weeks into the semester. ;) No worries. LOL. Right now I am glad to get started, and enjoying the challenge.

Well, I need to head out. Poor Eagles, they just lost to the Steelers! My poor roommate from Philly. (Did I mention that my roommates Matt and Jeremy are really into football!?!)

I'm outta here for now. Yea! I posted 2 days in a row!!
Nite.

2005-08-14T22:13:00.000-04:00

Well, it is not the official kickoff - only Orientation. It will only be a taste of what I am getting myself into. Classes don't actually start till the 22nd. That's right folks, Mark Wohlschlegel II (the second edition, as opposed to the first) is starting law school! I may find that as hard to believe as you do, for those of you catching this tid-bid of information for the first time. :) I am a 1L (first-year law student) at Regent University School of Law, located in beautiful Virginia Beach. Not a bad gig if you ask me. I will have to see how it goes combining "books" and "beach" - I'll get back to you on that one.

I officially became a resident of our 4-bedroom townhouse on Glyndon Drive this past Thursday. We are only 5 minutes from campus!! I have 3 great roommates - Jamison R. from SC, Matt M. from TN, and Jeremy P. from Philadelphia (I'll give better introductions later, after all, I have just recently met them myself). As one of Matt's friends put it "two Yankees with two Southern boys" *whistle*. We are all 1Ls who God has led to Regent with very little idea of what we want to do with a law degree. This gives me and my shipmates some comfort - to know we are all in the same boat (come on, did I have to spell it out for you, LOL). Emotions are high among us - excited to finally be here(!!!), and apprehensive about what we have gotten ourselves into. Overall, we are psyched!!! BRING IT ON - Lord Help US!!!!

I have a very good sized room with a large walk-in closet, and perhaps one of the best things about it - it is all mine (or mines - sorry Mom)!! You see, coming from a family of 10, having a room to oneself is rare, and in college they give you roommates, though I didn't have much success there either (had to get a new every year, LOL). So I am very excited about this. Other late excitement in my life right now include finding a dresser, couch, and coffee table cheap! I still don't have a bed, but I did bring an air mattress to start off from. Think I am going to try the couch out tonight and see how that goes (yes, this is in my room too - told you it was good sized).

Visited Sovereign Grace Church today in Chesapeake (only a 10 minute drive away) with roommate Matt M. Very similar to the others of Sovereign Grace Ministries. The worship was great and the message very good as well. The pastor spoke out of I John 2:15-17 about how "world" here refers to the aspect of Satan's dominion over mankind, and how this is polar opposite of God's system. Great spiritual food. The people were very friendly. I guess this church has a number of Regent affiliated students, both current and former. Matt really enjoyed the visit. We plan to go back. I am pretty sure this will become my VA church home.

Well there is so much more I could say, but it will have to wait for another time. Sleep is inorder at some point. Anyway, hope you enjoyed my first post. I will do my best to keep up with it throughout my time here.

Thanks for checking in!
Over and Out...................click!