Hello Everyone!!!
It has been a long long time since my last real blog post, at least a month. That's because my old computer died, the hard drive bit the dust and I finally got my new computer a few days ago and I have just been catching up on posting pictures and the like. I ended up getting a Toshiba 15.6" laptop, and I am loving it =)
Anyways back to whats important...LT!
This summer has been incredible and indescribable, but that doesn't mean I am not gonna try to describe it to you =P Everything about LT challenges me to grow in my faith.
I am working in the A/V department this summer and God has grown me so much in submission, joy and fellowship through working there. While we're talking about sound I have also been helping with Tech Crew for the Thursday night services for LT and Casey asked me to run the soundboard on those nights, so I have learned a lot about sound and I am super excited to bring back everything I've learned to Kent and help raise up some new leaders for Production Crew. =)
Something I look forward to every week is the time i get to spend with Jason Slack on Friday mornings. Jason has committed to helping me get better at playing guitar this summer and I am so grateful he has been willing to take the time to teach me. I plan on trying out for the H2O band in the Fall but I am kind of in the mindset that I will serve wherever I am most needed, if it's the band and they can use me then I'll do that but more often and more likely I will be heavily involved with Production Crew.
Mountains! O yeah did you y'all (that's for katy welch) know that the Rocky Mountains are a great place to hike? If you haven't checked them out yet I just posted all my pictures from all the hikes I have been on so far this summer. My favorite so far has been Black Lake, but definitely take some time to look at all of them. My repetoir (sp?) so far amounts to
-Eagle Cliff
-Moraine Park
-Emerald Mountain
-Estes Cone
-Twin Sisters
-Black Lake
And at this point I know that there is a plan for me and a group of people to hike Longs Peak on July 22nd. Pretty stoked to get to the top of that one =D If you're unfamiliar Long's Peak is the highest mountain in the Rocky Mountain National Park! I have some awesome pictures of Long's Peak in my "Estes Cone" and "Twin Sisters" photo albums on facebook.
God has worked so much in my heart this summer. =) There's too much to write "that if it was all written down i suppose there would not enough books in the world to record it all."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Skynet is real
To all of you who don't get the Terminator reference in my title...go watch Terminator =P
So my computer still is not fixed and I have held off on buying a new one because this guy Steven from Texas A&M said he could fix my old one. Even if he gets it working I'll probably invest in a new laptop anyways because it is time. I am currently on my friend Sam's computer that she so graciously has let me use these past 15 minutes, but i must go fold my laundry and go to bed. A summary of LT so far could be phrased this way "the most challenging time of my life and I am in awe by how God is working on me and calling me to be like Christ."
So my computer still is not fixed and I have held off on buying a new one because this guy Steven from Texas A&M said he could fix my old one. Even if he gets it working I'll probably invest in a new laptop anyways because it is time. I am currently on my friend Sam's computer that she so graciously has let me use these past 15 minutes, but i must go fold my laundry and go to bed. A summary of LT so far could be phrased this way "the most challenging time of my life and I am in awe by how God is working on me and calling me to be like Christ."
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Climbing Mountains
Hello Everyone!
So it has been a week since i have blogged last. Wow! This first week of LT has been something else!
Anyways I have been busy climbing mountains and such =P so here are my pictures from our hike up Eagle Cliff and my walk through Moraine Park with my friend Tim. I will write a legitimate blog tomorrow for now enjoy the awesome pictures! =)
Eagle Cliff
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150269407211131.370874.667211130&l=5ae817b7fe>
Moraine park
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150269358406131.370854.667211130&l=a740390865>
So it has been a week since i have blogged last. Wow! This first week of LT has been something else!
Anyways I have been busy climbing mountains and such =P so here are my pictures from our hike up Eagle Cliff and my walk through Moraine Park with my friend Tim. I will write a legitimate blog tomorrow for now enjoy the awesome pictures! =)
Eagle Cliff
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150269407211131.370874.667211130&l=5ae817b7fe>
Moraine park
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150269358406131.370854.667211130&l=a740390865>
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
There is No Rest for the Weary
Yesterday was insane, and today has been no different. Its all good though =)
We finished our drive from Kansas yesterday, we passed through the 30 miles of Nebraska on our route and reached Estes Park an hour and a half later than expected, but it worked out. The drive was average, except for this super sketchy gas pump we had to get gas at in Nebraska. And you heard right, that was not a typo, it was just a pump, not a station. There was one unleaded gas pump in this town that still had old dials that rolled back while you pumped. Amazingly this piece of petrol antiquity accepted credit cards, lucky for us. The drive through the Rockies to Estes Park was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. (pictures will come whenever Tim finishes editing his 1500+ pictures =P
ANYWAYS, once we got to Estes Park was when things started really popping. We arrived and got registered with the YMCA. The line was held up because the id badge machine broke for awhile. After that was done we found the staff housing and got everything unloaded and into our rooms. Just fyi I had been zombie dead tired since the last two hours of the drive, so I was being dragged along by grace alone the entire time. We met up with the staffers and other people from Kent. Jason, Matt, Andrew, Sarahbeth, and Kathy. We then all went to dinner, which was pretty good, and i enjoyed the fact that the line moves really fast. I've heard that the menu becomes a little repetitious, but I am ok with that, I'll get creative. I just need to stop eating too much at every meal :P
After dinner there was an optional prayer/worship time in one of the small chapels. It was scheduled to be from 6-9 and I stayed the whole time, partly because the Project Group Leader and Life Group Leader meeting was immediately after. O, by the way I am a Life Group Leader within our project group this summer. Life Group is our name for small group bible study, so i will just facilitate discussion during Life Group. I kinda thought about it at the time that i shouldn't have stayed at the prayer/worship the whole time because i really needed to rest and unpack. I thought i would have time after, but I didn't =/ After the project leader and life group leader meeting we met with the leaders in our project group for a while planning out a few things. My project group is pretty awesome from what I've seen so far! Once that was over and i got back to my dorm it was 11 o'clock. I had been going all day, and i was sick. I also didn't receive any sheets for my bed, so i slept on the bare mattress just with the blanket i brought, and a few hoodies as a pillow. The cough that i have had for the a week now had me hacking up a lung as soon as i was laid down. I ended up falling asleep for a few hours until started coughing again at 3am. I finally resolved to sleeping in the lounge sitting up in a chair with my legs propped up on another chair. I actually slept well at that point. =)
Today has been non-stop as well.
I woke up at 7am before my alarm. Breakfast had already started and orientation was going to start at 8am. The morning proved difficult because didn't have a towel (because i hadn't received my bed linens) so i had to hunt down and extra set of linens and one girl was nice enough to give me the extra set that was in her room. After getting ready I didn't have enough time for breakfast so i followed some other LTer's to where orientation was. Orientation lasted ALL DAY. It went from 8-12 lunch 12-1 and then it continued until 4. During my lunch break (after i ate of course, i was starving) I took the opportunity to meet my supervisor for my job in A/V. During lunch I actually met Ricky, one of guy's on my staff in A/V that helped me get the job in the first place. My supervisor's name is Ed Shields and he's pretty chill, and he's from Akron which I thought was cool. The A/V staff is one of the smallest staffs at the Y, consisting currently of only Ricky, his wife Julie, Ed and myself. Another guy named Dave will join us in June when Ohio State's LT group gets here. It was interesting trying to find Ed's office. It's in the Longhouse, which you can gather from the name is a long relatively long building. I went all around the building trying every door (all were locked) until i found the one for Housekeeping and a lady there helped direct me to Ed. We got to talk for just a bit before i had to go back to orientation and I will be starting Thursday morning at 8:30am. I am excited to be an official A/V tech =D No one is starting work tomorrow because LT has planned an all day retreat when we just rest and recooperate from travel and these last few days. I am very appreciative of this fact =)
After orientation i had to run back to my dorm to get my car insurance and registration and take them to the Human Resources office to get a parking permit for my car. Also I grabbed my one remaining check for my new checking account so i could change my direct deposit for my paycheck. FINALLY at this point i am finished with any logistical requirements with the Y. I ran (actually biked, it thoroughly surprised me how difficult it was to ride! It felt like there was something wrong with my bike =P) anyways biked back to my dorm with just enough time to put my new found sheets and blanket on my bed and unpack one of my duffel bags. I got a quick shave in also because i was starting to look like a hobo. Then i went down to the Howard lounge (Howard is my dorm) and my project group met together for the first time. Of course no one was super chatty when we first met, but everyone got to talking and socializing really well at dinner =) They are some pretty cool cats. After dinner we all went to register for LT and now i have spent the last hour and a half in the Administration building writing this blog. That is where i am right now. This is a live blog here people =P In half an hour we have the first LT worship service of the summer! I am really tired but i am excited that we are kicking off this shindig for real now =D Tomorrow will be an amazing day of rest, reflection, prayer, fellowship and staring at the mountains. I am going to start reading "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan tomorrow, that is unless i have a ton to read for LT, I am about to find that out as soon as i crack open the manual. Until tomorrow everyone, take care.
We finished our drive from Kansas yesterday, we passed through the 30 miles of Nebraska on our route and reached Estes Park an hour and a half later than expected, but it worked out. The drive was average, except for this super sketchy gas pump we had to get gas at in Nebraska. And you heard right, that was not a typo, it was just a pump, not a station. There was one unleaded gas pump in this town that still had old dials that rolled back while you pumped. Amazingly this piece of petrol antiquity accepted credit cards, lucky for us. The drive through the Rockies to Estes Park was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. (pictures will come whenever Tim finishes editing his 1500+ pictures =P
ANYWAYS, once we got to Estes Park was when things started really popping. We arrived and got registered with the YMCA. The line was held up because the id badge machine broke for awhile. After that was done we found the staff housing and got everything unloaded and into our rooms. Just fyi I had been zombie dead tired since the last two hours of the drive, so I was being dragged along by grace alone the entire time. We met up with the staffers and other people from Kent. Jason, Matt, Andrew, Sarahbeth, and Kathy. We then all went to dinner, which was pretty good, and i enjoyed the fact that the line moves really fast. I've heard that the menu becomes a little repetitious, but I am ok with that, I'll get creative. I just need to stop eating too much at every meal :P
After dinner there was an optional prayer/worship time in one of the small chapels. It was scheduled to be from 6-9 and I stayed the whole time, partly because the Project Group Leader and Life Group Leader meeting was immediately after. O, by the way I am a Life Group Leader within our project group this summer. Life Group is our name for small group bible study, so i will just facilitate discussion during Life Group. I kinda thought about it at the time that i shouldn't have stayed at the prayer/worship the whole time because i really needed to rest and unpack. I thought i would have time after, but I didn't =/ After the project leader and life group leader meeting we met with the leaders in our project group for a while planning out a few things. My project group is pretty awesome from what I've seen so far! Once that was over and i got back to my dorm it was 11 o'clock. I had been going all day, and i was sick. I also didn't receive any sheets for my bed, so i slept on the bare mattress just with the blanket i brought, and a few hoodies as a pillow. The cough that i have had for the a week now had me hacking up a lung as soon as i was laid down. I ended up falling asleep for a few hours until started coughing again at 3am. I finally resolved to sleeping in the lounge sitting up in a chair with my legs propped up on another chair. I actually slept well at that point. =)
Today has been non-stop as well.
I woke up at 7am before my alarm. Breakfast had already started and orientation was going to start at 8am. The morning proved difficult because didn't have a towel (because i hadn't received my bed linens) so i had to hunt down and extra set of linens and one girl was nice enough to give me the extra set that was in her room. After getting ready I didn't have enough time for breakfast so i followed some other LTer's to where orientation was. Orientation lasted ALL DAY. It went from 8-12 lunch 12-1 and then it continued until 4. During my lunch break (after i ate of course, i was starving) I took the opportunity to meet my supervisor for my job in A/V. During lunch I actually met Ricky, one of guy's on my staff in A/V that helped me get the job in the first place. My supervisor's name is Ed Shields and he's pretty chill, and he's from Akron which I thought was cool. The A/V staff is one of the smallest staffs at the Y, consisting currently of only Ricky, his wife Julie, Ed and myself. Another guy named Dave will join us in June when Ohio State's LT group gets here. It was interesting trying to find Ed's office. It's in the Longhouse, which you can gather from the name is a long relatively long building. I went all around the building trying every door (all were locked) until i found the one for Housekeeping and a lady there helped direct me to Ed. We got to talk for just a bit before i had to go back to orientation and I will be starting Thursday morning at 8:30am. I am excited to be an official A/V tech =D No one is starting work tomorrow because LT has planned an all day retreat when we just rest and recooperate from travel and these last few days. I am very appreciative of this fact =)
After orientation i had to run back to my dorm to get my car insurance and registration and take them to the Human Resources office to get a parking permit for my car. Also I grabbed my one remaining check for my new checking account so i could change my direct deposit for my paycheck. FINALLY at this point i am finished with any logistical requirements with the Y. I ran (actually biked, it thoroughly surprised me how difficult it was to ride! It felt like there was something wrong with my bike =P) anyways biked back to my dorm with just enough time to put my new found sheets and blanket on my bed and unpack one of my duffel bags. I got a quick shave in also because i was starting to look like a hobo. Then i went down to the Howard lounge (Howard is my dorm) and my project group met together for the first time. Of course no one was super chatty when we first met, but everyone got to talking and socializing really well at dinner =) They are some pretty cool cats. After dinner we all went to register for LT and now i have spent the last hour and a half in the Administration building writing this blog. That is where i am right now. This is a live blog here people =P In half an hour we have the first LT worship service of the summer! I am really tired but i am excited that we are kicking off this shindig for real now =D Tomorrow will be an amazing day of rest, reflection, prayer, fellowship and staring at the mountains. I am going to start reading "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan tomorrow, that is unless i have a ton to read for LT, I am about to find that out as soon as i crack open the manual. Until tomorrow everyone, take care.
Monday, May 23, 2011
A journey to go where no man has [happily] gone before....Kansas
Yesterday was the long drive day, i think we covered 500 miles. We went through all of Missouri and most of Kansas. Western Missouri was really fun to drive! For about forty miles there were these tiny rolling hills
(more like bumps) and it really kept me on my toes going through there. Then we got to Kansas....and....Kansas is beautiful! It's true there is nothing in Kansas, but we took route 36 through the north of Kansas instead of taking I-70 or I-80 and it was breathtakingly gorgeous. Even the beauty did lose its novelty a bit after 300 miles, but still we all enjoyed having the beautiful creation to look at =) While i was driving Tim got Sarah's camera out and took 1100 pictures in a matter of 2.5 hours! He got some really good shots. At one point we had to avoid a truck tire, so I pulled the car over and got the tire off the road (Sarah said I got man-points for doing that =P). Anyways Kansas was about the most beautiful drive I've ever had, it helped the incredible length of the drive to be more tolerable. In one town we stopped for lunch at McDonald's. It was directly attached to a gas station that had gas for $4.39! We had just bought gas for $3.59 only sixty miles before that and half a mile down the road every other gas station was $3.69. I was really surprised to see that someone was actually trying to make money that way when other gas was only less than a mile away. Another awesome thing we saw was in Marysville, KS there was a sign that had a black squirrel on it and said something in the scheme of "the Marysville black squirrels" it made me feel like i was back at Kent again =) One more great thing we saw was a sign that said "Route 36 Shortest distance from Indianapolis to Denver." Whats great about this sign is 1. it proves that we found the best route through Kansas *score* 2. the sign was in Kansas and it didn't even mention anything about anything Kansas, it was Kansas-void. It's like Kansas was saying "congratulations you found the best way to minimize your Kansas experience, i am gonna go continue to be boring now k thanks." Those are about the only interesting things we saw in Kansas. We got to Oberlin where we are staying in a historic bed and breakfast that looks like its straight out of the 1800's (search "Landmark Inn" on google). It was nice for all of us to hangout in the foyer, which we wouldn't have had available at a hotel, and watch Despicable Me. Anyways I am late for breakfast and eager to get to Colorado so look forward to a post from me late tonight.
(more like bumps) and it really kept me on my toes going through there. Then we got to Kansas....and....Kansas is beautiful! It's true there is nothing in Kansas, but we took route 36 through the north of Kansas instead of taking I-70 or I-80 and it was breathtakingly gorgeous. Even the beauty did lose its novelty a bit after 300 miles, but still we all enjoyed having the beautiful creation to look at =) While i was driving Tim got Sarah's camera out and took 1100 pictures in a matter of 2.5 hours! He got some really good shots. At one point we had to avoid a truck tire, so I pulled the car over and got the tire off the road (Sarah said I got man-points for doing that =P). Anyways Kansas was about the most beautiful drive I've ever had, it helped the incredible length of the drive to be more tolerable. In one town we stopped for lunch at McDonald's. It was directly attached to a gas station that had gas for $4.39! We had just bought gas for $3.59 only sixty miles before that and half a mile down the road every other gas station was $3.69. I was really surprised to see that someone was actually trying to make money that way when other gas was only less than a mile away. Another awesome thing we saw was in Marysville, KS there was a sign that had a black squirrel on it and said something in the scheme of "the Marysville black squirrels" it made me feel like i was back at Kent again =) One more great thing we saw was a sign that said "Route 36 Shortest distance from Indianapolis to Denver." Whats great about this sign is 1. it proves that we found the best route through Kansas *score* 2. the sign was in Kansas and it didn't even mention anything about anything Kansas, it was Kansas-void. It's like Kansas was saying "congratulations you found the best way to minimize your Kansas experience, i am gonna go continue to be boring now k thanks." Those are about the only interesting things we saw in Kansas. We got to Oberlin where we are staying in a historic bed and breakfast that looks like its straight out of the 1800's (search "Landmark Inn" on google). It was nice for all of us to hangout in the foyer, which we wouldn't have had available at a hotel, and watch Despicable Me. Anyways I am late for breakfast and eager to get to Colorado so look forward to a post from me late tonight.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Day One!!! The Guitar Car and Mark Twain-ville
Today marked the first day of our journey from Ohio to Colorado. =) Tim and I took off from Pennsylvania yesterday and enjoyed the hospitality of Lauren Woolum's family last night. This morning all three cars took off, two from Marysville and one from Toledo. My car (consisting of myself and Tim) and Lauren's car (consisting of herself, Maegan and Kelsey) met up with Katy Welch, Sarah Watt, and Alyssa Nutt for breakfast at Bob Evans in Dayton. It was a wonderful time =) We then went to a Cracker Barrel just across the border to Indiana to meet up with the car from Toledo which consists of Sarah Haynam, Rachel Ferrance, Rushia Edwards and Whitney Foster. We arrived a little early at the meeting spot so I spent the time rearranging the luggage in my car and re-situating my bike on the bike rack, I was able to get it to set lower so there is less air resistance, score! We absorbed some of the stuff from the other cars because we have some extra room. Here's the fun fact of the day. There are 3 guitars in my car =P I knew i wanted to bring mine and that i was going to pick up Andrew Bruner's from Kent, but i also absorbed Kathy's guitar from Lauren's car. I am ok with it because its very light luggage so the car is lighter =) I have definitely been blessed with packing skills, part in thanks to 'playing tetris' with packing up the sound equipment for Production Crew. *shout out*
Anyways the Toledo people got to Cracker Barrel just as I was finishing fastening my bike to the bike rack. It was a great moment when we were all finally together =)
It was mostly just driving after we left from Cracker Barrel. We stopped at a rest stop in Illinois that had a playground, it was fun. Sarah broke the tire swing and time almost got stuck in this log climbing wall thing. Hooligans =P We stopped at one point to fuel up and get lunch. Our destination today was Hannibal, Missouri the birth place of Mark Twain. Literally everything in this town has Mark Twain's name incorporated in some way. It is a really nice town though! We got rooms in a nice Best Western that is one block from the Mississippi riverbank =) We got pizza for dinner and walked down to the riverbank, we had to dodge swarms of gnats but it was still very nice. Looking across the river to the forest covered opposite bank was very reminiscent of the Allegheny resivour =) On the way back to the hotel we walked up 128 stairs to the lighthouse. It was a nice view, even in the dark, and it made me feel like i burned off the pizza from dinner =P We were able to make it back to the hotel in time to use the pool before it closed at 10 but it was full.....FULL of small children. I would guess fifteen kids and eight adults in a 25x15ft pool. Needless to say we didn't go swimming but we are now enjoying a little chill time in the lobby. Tomorrow we are driving to Oberlin, Kansas. It is approximately a nine hour drive, 500 miles, most of which will be in Kansas. Pray for us to find a way to enjoy Kansas please =P I want to thank everyone who has helped me out financially to make this summer possible! Thank you for having faith and believing in the person God is growing me into! I want to thank each and EVERYONE of you who has been and is praying for me and the whole group of student who are heading out to Colorado for this summer of transformation!!! =) Please continue praying throughout the summer for God's transforming power to grow us all into the servant-minded son's and daughter's he desires for us to be. Please continue to read as well!!! I will be posting pictures when i take them and I'll try to blog at least twice a week (I'll post each night these next few days as we make our way to Estes Park and get settled in). Take care =)
Anyways the Toledo people got to Cracker Barrel just as I was finishing fastening my bike to the bike rack. It was a great moment when we were all finally together =)
It was mostly just driving after we left from Cracker Barrel. We stopped at a rest stop in Illinois that had a playground, it was fun. Sarah broke the tire swing and time almost got stuck in this log climbing wall thing. Hooligans =P We stopped at one point to fuel up and get lunch. Our destination today was Hannibal, Missouri the birth place of Mark Twain. Literally everything in this town has Mark Twain's name incorporated in some way. It is a really nice town though! We got rooms in a nice Best Western that is one block from the Mississippi riverbank =) We got pizza for dinner and walked down to the riverbank, we had to dodge swarms of gnats but it was still very nice. Looking across the river to the forest covered opposite bank was very reminiscent of the Allegheny resivour =) On the way back to the hotel we walked up 128 stairs to the lighthouse. It was a nice view, even in the dark, and it made me feel like i burned off the pizza from dinner =P We were able to make it back to the hotel in time to use the pool before it closed at 10 but it was full.....FULL of small children. I would guess fifteen kids and eight adults in a 25x15ft pool. Needless to say we didn't go swimming but we are now enjoying a little chill time in the lobby. Tomorrow we are driving to Oberlin, Kansas. It is approximately a nine hour drive, 500 miles, most of which will be in Kansas. Pray for us to find a way to enjoy Kansas please =P I want to thank everyone who has helped me out financially to make this summer possible! Thank you for having faith and believing in the person God is growing me into! I want to thank each and EVERYONE of you who has been and is praying for me and the whole group of student who are heading out to Colorado for this summer of transformation!!! =) Please continue praying throughout the summer for God's transforming power to grow us all into the servant-minded son's and daughter's he desires for us to be. Please continue to read as well!!! I will be posting pictures when i take them and I'll try to blog at least twice a week (I'll post each night these next few days as we make our way to Estes Park and get settled in). Take care =)
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