Late Night Serenades

Nov 19, 2009

 Have you ever just had one of those weeks that you couldn’t wait to be over? Well this was one of those weeks for me. There have just been so many things going on that I am looking forward to some relaxation over the weekend.

Don’t get me wrong there were good aspects to the week but I had projects and tests coming out of my ears. So I was thankful for the times of enjoyment. One night this week I heard that some of the guys in my dorm were going around and serenading some of the girl’s dorms. I must have argued with myself for more than ten minutes about whether to go or not. I finally decided that I could always sleep later, so I went out after midnight in the cold…wearing flip flops…to sing to some girls.

We went around to 3 dorms, staring with Pickitt, Keithley, than Cook. We got the best reception at Cook, our sister dorm. We sang some Disney songs and some sappy love songs and a bunch of songs that practically nobody knew. It was really funny; I am convinced that we must have sounded like a flock of geese because we were so off key even I could tell., or as my RA put it a bunch of geese going through a wood chipper. So that was one of the interesting incidents of the week that helped spice up my life.

Today was the busiest day I have had in quite a while; needless to say I am happy to see the day draw to a close. This weekend will be a breath of fresh air, hopefully enough to get me through the two days of classes until Thanksgiving break. I can’t wait!

Family Visitations

Nov 15, 2009

This was probably the best weekend I have had all semester so far. I had family visit me from Iowa. I am used to most weekends just staying around the dorm. So this weekend I was able to get out and do some fun things with family I had not seen in a while.

They came on Friday, but it was too late to do much, so I just showed them around the dorm. Then on Saturday we went around town to different places. We went to the zoo since we had a four year old with us. Then later we went to Rivertown Mall. There was Cornerstone event going on called Rivertown Ruckus, where some people dress up strangely and try to blend in with the crowd, while people in their small groups try and find them. Definitely interesting, there were some very creative sometimes and others that were slightly disturbing.

While we were at the mall we stopped at a toy store. I was amazed how much fun I had in there. I am in college and I still love playing with toys. It was definitely an interesting realization to come to. Then afterwards we did some shopping, I got some essentials…pop tarts! Then we went back to their motel and went swimming.

Then today we all went to church, went out to eat, and then sadly they had to leave. It was definitely nice to spend some time with them.

I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce my roommate. I am not sure if he has been in my blog before his name is Jared.

Canoeing with a Gator

Nov 14, 2009

This week in biology we had yet another lab filled with many adventures. We took a perilous journey down the raging rapids of a small stream into the….the….the…ok so there were no rapids….and it really wasn’t perilous, but….it was fun! This was the first canoeing expedition I have ever had the privilege to embark upon.

We left school at our normal time about half way through the afternoon, and piled into the vans for the short trip to the stream. We then partnered up and were let loose. My partner in the canoe was my friend Jared; he should be in the video I uploaded. If I have not mentioned it in the past, out biology teacher likes to be referred to at Gator, just so everyone knows for future references.

We started out just taking it easy, not paddling very much, but then we decided to pass one canoe; then a little while on we past another one, and the another. We didn’t finish first but by the end we had passed up quite a few people. Along the way we took a few detours into smaller channels and around some small islands in the middle of the stream, which were awesome to explore. At one point when we were exploring we got stuck in a shallower part between some rocks, it was slightly unnerving because I did not relish the thought of having to get out into the freezing water and dislodge the canoe, but thankfully we finally got out. We finished the trip without another hitch, and I would definitely do it again if given the chance.

Sadly perhaps the one thing I remember the most about the whole trip was the fact that I lost my student ID in the water. This is the second time I have lost one this semester, so I need to keep better hold of them. I can only hope that it finds a sufficient final resting place.
 

Thoughts of Winter

Nov 10, 2009

Winter is coming slowly but surely. I have asked people what winters are like in Grand Rapids, and I’ve gotten a wide range of responses. I have heard some horror stories about winters in Michigan, stories that make a winter in the Himalayas seem like a cake walk, but I am sure some of those stories are extremely exaggerated. Other people have said that it never snows that much here so I have nothing to worry about. So at this point I am at a loss as to who to believe.

Winters in the southwest corner of Germany where I have lived for so long does not have extremely intense winters. I think the most we have ever had was like 3 feet, but that was an extremely rare occurrence. The most we got on average was about 1-3 inches, sometimes a few more if we were fortunate.

My high school had a snow day tradition. It probably started about my sixth grade year. Each year the director of the school picks a random day during winter and cancels school. I always loved those days because it gave me an excuse to do absolutely nothing except relax and enjoy the snow. I am looking forward to finding out if Cornerstone has snow days too.

I have always liked snow…but I have not experienced it to the extreme excess like I am expecting I will see here in Michigan. So I am hoping I enjoy it and won’t curse its very existence…but hey who doesn't like a good snowball fight right? I am hoping this winter will be a good one too. I still need to get boots and a coat! So I wouldn’t mind if winter help off for a little longer.

This week we had the second of our bi-semester blogger meetings. It was fun, basically just checking up on how we are doing. We also were each awarded “Bloggie Awards.” I got most humorous. I try to be entertaining, but I honestly didn’t think I was that funny. Don’t get me wrong I think it is cool, but I was just kind of surprised.

As always thank you for reading. Please if you have any comments, positive or negative, please write me. My email address in my profile.
 

Search for a Church

Nov 8, 2009

 Before I even came to college people told me that one of the most important things to do was to find a church home. I heard that from friends of mine that were freshmen in college, and adults that I knew that were easily over half a century old. Everywhere I looked people kept saying the same thing; find a church you like and get settled.

It wasn’t until I came to Cornerstone that I really understood why people kept telling me this. Church is obviously first and foremost to have a place to can worship God, but second to have a community outside of college in which you can be part of as well. Don’t get me wrong I love the friends that I have made on campus…but sometimes I just want to get away from Cornerstone for a while. I remember my brother talking about this as well; he recently graduated from college so he knows what he is talking about. He found a church family in which to commune with. He had people in the community that cared for him, they would invite him over for the weekend, ask him out to dinner, invite him to be part of their families and lives.

Since I have been at Cornerstone I have tried different churches, but I just haven’t found the one that feels like a good fit. They are good churches but for different reasons I would prefer to look elsewhere. I am still looking for a church body that feels like the right fit. I know there is one out there; I just need to keep looking.

This may seem kind of random transition, but today was my dad’s birthday so I just wanted to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I was not there to celebrate with him, so I am glad I got to celebrate with my friend Josh whose birthday was today as well. The cake looks good!