October 21

Wow. I have not posted anything for a long time! I feel horrible about it! Anyway, life has been super crazy. Trying to balance classes and homework and friends and work and a girlfriend. And trying to stay sane through it all... It's been quite the semester so far.

I just got back from fall break. I'm taking a canoeing class, so this was our class trip. We went down a river for four days in canoes. It was a lot of fun! I ended up tipping my canoe the first day, which made everything get wet for the next day or two. But everything had pretty much dried out by the end of it. :)

Definitely the highlight of the trip was getting back to my room and getting a note from my awesome girlfriend written on the bathroom mirror saying welcome back. :) And letters from her. But anyway, I'm super tired. I will try to write more regularly... Have an awesome night! :)

Monday night

So I feel really bad.  I haven't posted anything for several days now!  Life has been crazy.  Sabbath evening we had a pool party at Heldzingers' house.  That was a lot of fun!  It was dark and we turned the pool lights on. :)  It was slightly chilly, but that's alright.  Then we played games inside as well.

Sunday was the Health Expo at the church.  So that's what I was doing all afternoon.  I was in charge of the computer table.  We basically plugged a bunch of information into a computer and it calculated their health age.  Anyway, it was a success I think.  Quite a few people came out for it.

Today was spent in classes and homework.  And working on my car.  A hose broke going to the radiator on Friday...  Yeah, another long story.  But I'm trying to get that fixed.  Got the radiator taken out this afternoon and just waiting on parts to get here...  Then I had a Bible study and tonight we had our mentor's meeting.  Then Seth and I have been throwing around ideas for this promotional video he's supposed to filming tomorrow.  So yeah, now I'm going to try to head to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Monday night

Wow, I haven't posted in a long time!  But I've had an epic weekend!  Friday night I had my first vespers date. lol  Yeah, Lisamarie agreed to come with me. =P  So that was nice.  Then we walked round and round the church and the middle school and stuff for quite awhile afterwards.  And it was neat because it was a blue moon, so we took a picture with the moon too. :)

Sabbath we went to Eastridge, then ate lunch at Heldzingers' place.  After lunch Lisamarie and I went and visited her horse for awhile before going to a vespers/welcome back party at a friend's house.  Then we went to the official welcome back party here on campus.  So it was a really full day!

Sunday was spent in homework.  At least the morning was.  Then we played tennis, and then I played some board games with William Ashton and Isaac.  That was fun. :)  Then I met Lisamarie in the afternoon to do some reading.  And in the evening I had to be at both hall worships here in the dorm.  So that was Sunday!

Today was spent in classes, working on the Africa mission trip video, and giving Bible studies this evening.  And then a mentor meeting at 9:00.  And now I'm getting ready for bed!  So goodnight! :)

One Month!!!!!!

So, it's been a whole month!!!  And hopefully you don't sit back and try to figure out what's been a month...  If you do, you'll figure it out by the end of this.

Anyway, this morning was the first day of school.  I had only one class: Life and Teachings of Jesus.  It's going to be an intense class, but I'm really looking forward to it. :)  After that, Lisamarie and I went to the library until convocation.  It was the student dedication convo.  I really enjoyed it.  After that, I grabbed a quick lunch in the caf, then came back to my room and worked on some stuff before rushing off to a Bible study with Louise.  After that, I picked Lisamarie up for a date.  I took her to an Italian restaurant in downtown Chattanooga.  It was really neat!  She was surprised and really enjoyed herself. :)  Then we came back just in time for the School of Religion welcome party, where we sang, had a worship talk, did some activities, and then had Root Beer Floats.  Mmmm. lol

So yeah, if you hadn't figured it out, it's been a month that Lisamarie and I have been dating.  And I am so super happy.  But I am off to bed now, so will write more later!  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Today has been a long day.  So much has happened!  Got up and met in the gym at 7:00 this morning to get ready for Community Service day.  After a small breakfast and worship, we went in our different groups to different places.  My Southern Connections class went to this little church and helped them clean out a storage room they're turning into an office for the pastor as well as just clean the whole church.  Then I spent some time with Lisamarie walking around campus figuring out where classes are going to be and stuff.  After that, I worked on cleaning up our room for awhile before going to the Organizational Showcase in the gym.  I wore my SALT shirt and stood at the booth for awhile.  Then I rushed off for prayer meeting.  They started the suppers at the church before prayer meeting again tonight!  So I'm happy about that. :)  Anyway, after prayer meeting, Lisamarie and I stopped by the Religion building and caught the tail end of the new SALT class's orientation and met some of the students.  And at 10:00 we had returning student orientation here in the dorm...  That's over though and now I'm off to bed!  Goodnight! :)

August 28

So yesterday and today have been super busy.  I've had mentor stuff to do, and also running my brother around.  He bought a new car!  It's a really nice '96 Ford Mustang.  And then it somehow got a screw in the water pump, causing us to have to replace that...  So we've spent a lot of time under the hood of that car in the last two days.

This morning all of us mentors met and did a bunch of team building exercises.  That was tons of fun!  I think my favorite one was where a person would stand in the middle of this circle of people and close his eyes and put his hands across his chest, then he would just fall any direction and let the circle of people push him around.  It was so relaxing to be in the middle!  Anyway, tons of fun.

This afternoon was spent working on Seth's car and getting it finished up and then I took a walk with Lisamarie and visited with her awhile.  I hadn't seen her since Sunday!  She and Stefan came back from vacation late last night, but I hadn't had any time until about 9:00 tonight. :(

Anyway, I'm super tired, so I will say goodnight! :)

Awesome Weekend!

Wow, so I haven't updated you all in awhile, but I've had an amazing weekend!  I finished my Hebrew 3 class on Thursday.  That was quite the milestone!  No more Hebrew!!!!! :)  After that, I picked Seth up and then went up to Gatlinburg for the weekend with the Heldzinger Family.  That was amazing!!!  We were at this resort with a water park in it.  Anyway, so we spent a lot of time in that Thursday night and Friday.  On Sabbath we went on a hike to some falls in the Smoky Mountains, and then today Seth and I came back.  Our Student Mentor job started this afternoon...  So we had a really good seminar on leadership. And then we helped out with the welcome party.  It's fun running into all of our friends again!!!!  Anyway, I'm off to sleep.  Goodnight! :)

Tuesday

Today was pretty good.  Got up at 5:30 to work on homework and take a shower.  And study for the vocab quiz.  But I was still so tired that after breakfast I went back to bed for a half hour before class. lol  I needed it...  After class I worked on homework and random things before running to Staff Meeting at 2:00.  Then I ate lunch and worked on homework again.  Joe Reeves happens to be in the area for a couple of days, so he stopped by and we talked about Bible Work and stuff for awhile this evening.  Then Seth and I Facetimed for an hour and a half while I did homework. =P  Yeah, and Lisamarie's in Gatlinburg...  But we Facetimed/Skyped 3 times through the course of today, so that was nice. :)

Anyway, I'm off to get some sleep!  I have more homework to do before class tomorrow, but that's the morning's problem.  So goodnight! :)

Monday

Another week is upon me!  Yeah, it's crazy...  Hey, but today makes 3 weeks that Lisamarie and I have been dating!  In some ways it's hard to believe it's only been 3 weeks...  But I couldn't be happier. :)  Unless, of course, I wasn't trying to take Hebrew 3 at the same time... =P

The highlight of the weekend was the Chris August concert/album release party we attended in Nashville last night.  It was really amazing!!!  Mrs. Heldzinger, Stefan, Lisamarie, and I drove up to Nashville yesterday afternoon, ate at an amazing Chinese buffet, then went to Plato's Closet (a used clothes store) where I found some clothes that are really nice, and then we went to the concert.  It was amazing!

Today I had class and homework.  And Lisamarie and I did a Bible study this evening...  Then Heldzingers all left for Gatlinburg.  I'll be joining them on Thursday as soon as I finish my final.  Just three more days and Hebrew will be history!!! :)

Anyway, I'm off to bed.  I still have to get up somewhat early in the morning and finish a bunch of homework and study for my last vocabulary quiz...  So anyway, goodnight! :)

Friday night

I realized this morning that I had forgotten to update you all last night.  Oh well.  So yesterday went well.  School and homework as usual, and then Lisamarie and I did a Bible study with Jonathan.  We did it at a little restaurant in Chattanooga called the Yellow Deli.  It is a really cute place run by Jewish hippies. lol  Anyway, that was fun.  Then last night we watched the first half of the movie "Those Daring Young Men And Their Flying Machines."  It's pretty funny! lol

Today I had to take a Vocab Quiz.  And I worked on a bunch of homework.  And helped Lisamarie clean the kitchen and Michael clean the bathrooms.  And we watched an old movie called "The Cross and the Switchblade".  That was pretty good too.  Talking about a pastor who worked among gangs in New York.

But now I'm off to sleep!  Goodnight!

Wednesday

Today was pretty epic.  Started out by going to class.  Well, after biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  That in itself was epic. lol  Then class, where we found out he's postponed the vocab quiz that was supposed to be tomorrow until Friday morning.  We can go into his office before noon and take it.  So that is a big relief!  Anyway, after class, I took Lisamarie to the mall and a few other stores so she could return some clothes she had decided not to keep, then we went to eat at the Olive Garden.  I haven't been there for quite awhile! lol  Anyway, then I worked some on making flashcards, then ran to prayer meeting.  Lisamarie stayed home this evening so she could get some stuff done that she needed to do.  After prayer meeting, I did homework at their house until we had worship and then I came back to my room.  I'm exhausted!  So I'll go to bed now and get up early to finish homework in the morning...  Goodnight! :)

Tuesday

I have my car back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Wait, that was supposed to go near the end of this post, but I'm way too excited about it to put it down there! lol

Today I spent in class.  At least this morning...  And I had a vocab quiz.  I missed 3...  It's still passing though...  Then I dropped by Heldzingers' briefly to grab a bite to eat before staff meeting at 2:00.  After staff meeting, I had a study with Louise.  Then I came back to campus and played a couple of games of racquet ball with Andrew.  That was fun.  Then I went back over to Heldzingers' where I finished up my homework.  Then Dr. and Mrs. Heldzinger and Lisamarie finally got back home!  They had left after lunch to take one of their cars up to the shop and pick up mine.  But I think Dr. Heldzinger was having too much fun with my car to come home too early. =P  And they had shopping to do and stuff... lol

Oh, and I got my grade for Hebrew 3!  It is without the midterm test, but up until the test I have a 97.8%.  So that made me happy.  I wonder how far it will drop once they finish grading the tests...

Anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Goodnight! :)

Crazy Week

I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything for 2 nights!  This has been a crazy week so far.  Well, let's see.  Sabbath.  We went to church, ate at Heldzingers' house, then took blankets and chilled in the park for awhile in the afternoon.  We consists of Stefan, Katie, Lisamarie, and I, by the way...  Anyway, then we watched "The Prince of Egypt" in the evening.  It was pretty good. lol  And after that, we went bowling!  It was free for Southern students from 9:30 to 11:30, so we were there on time! lol  Yeah, it was a lot of fun!

Sunday I spent mainly on homework, and taking my car to the shop.  So it is actually done now!  I need to pick it up tomorrow.  But I'm getting ahead of myself. lol  I think that's about all that happened on Sunday, though!  Homework and worked on flashcards...

Today I went to class in the morning, then spent the afternoon at Heldzingers' house working on homework.  And then Lisamarie and I had two Bible studies this afternoon.  And we attempted to pick up my car, but the shop had closed...  Anyway, and then we came back and I continued working on homework and we did flashcards for my Vocab quiz in the morning...

Anyway, and now I'm off to bed!  So goodnight all!

Happy Sabbath!

Wow, am I glad it is Sabbath! :)  I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep this week...  But hey, my midterm was yesterday!  So I'm half way through Hebrew 3!!!  Pretty exciting...  Today was really good.  I did homework and read.  It's been so long since I've read a book for fun! Haha  So I enjoyed that.  And then this evening Lisamarie and I went to do a Bible study, but ended up not doing it.  And then we watched Ruth at their house tonight.  And Katie and Caleb came over, so it was a fun evening.  And Stefan is staying tonight and tomorrow night with me in the dorm, so this will be epic!  Anyway, off to bed!  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Today was a random and fun day.  Class this morning, lunch at Heldzingers', then some homework before going to prayer meeting.  That was fun.  Then after we got back from that, Lisamarie and I started to go on a short walk, but then one of her neighbors was outside, so she wanted to introduce me to them.  So we went over and ended up visiting with them for probably at least a half hour. lol  And then we finished our walk and she helped me with flashcards for awhile before I headed back to my dorm room.  And now I'm going to try to get a little bit of sleep before having to get up.  I have to finish over half of my homework and study for my midterm and prepare a worship thought before class at 9:00 tomorrow morning...  So this will be a short night. lol  Anyway, goodnight! :)

Tuesday night

Today has been a long day...  Didn't get much sleep last night because I was trying to study for my Vocab Quiz.  But I only missed on word on the test!  I was happy. :)  I had to know 160 words for the quiz this morning and there were 40 words on the test...  Anyway, so it wasn't bad.

Then I ate at the caf for lunch!  It was really good. :)  It's funny when you realize you've missed the cafeteria... lol  Then I had to rush to Staff Meeting at 2:00 at the church.  That went well...  Then I checked the mail for the church before heading back over to Heldzingers' for awhile.  Then I went and joined Lisamarie at the library where she was studying for her final tomorrow.  So that's how we spent our evening. lol  And now I'm off to bed.  I'm super exhausted!!!

1 Week!

Yep, it's already been one week!  I can hardly believe it...  And if you're asking yourself, "One week of what?", then you should go back and read some of my previous posts. =P


Today was pretty good.  Had class this morning of course...  Then went over to Heldzingers' house where I did homework and ate lunch.  Then Lisamarie and I had a Bible study this evening.  And after that, we went on a double date with Dr. and Mrs. Heldzinger!  We went to P. F. Changs.  It was super good. :)  But anyway, I need to get my sleep.  So goodnight! :)

   

Sunday

Well, another weekend is gone.  And another week is over.  Definitely quite the week!  But in a lot of ways, it was definitely the best week of my life. :)  Tomorrow marks one week for Lisamarie and me.  That's kind of hard to believe! lol

Yesterday we went out to Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness and went hiking with a bunch of friends.  It was a lot of fun!  Pictures are on Facebook...  Hopefully I'll get them posted on Google+ sometime. lol  Then I had my first candle-light dinner last night.  It was pretty funny.  Dr. and Mrs. Heldzinger had told Lisamarie and me that they wanted to talk with us Saturday night.  So the four of us head into their bedroom last night and they dim the lights and light the candles and we eat supper together. lol  It was really neat.  And then we spent a couple of hours talking about boundaries - both with each other and especially with other people.  So it was really good. :)

Today was spent working on homework, playing tennis with Lisamarie and a couple of other people at the tennis courts, and swimming for a little while.  But I'm exhausted now...  So I'm off to bed!  Goodnight! :)

Happy Sabbath!

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday.  Life has been crazy this week!  But thank God I survived! :)  Yesterday was spent with school, homework, and Bible Studies.  Then today I was free!  I was hoping to get more homework done, but that ended up not happening...  I went with the pastor this morning to visit one of my Bible study contacts for awhile.  That went well.  Then I did a couple of things before coming over to Heldzingers' house.  I worked a little on the computer, then when Lisamarie got home from class, we all went to eat at a Chinese buffet, the Hibachi Grill.  It was really good. :)  This afternoon we cleaned the house, then Lisamarie and I went on a long walk.  We were nearly heading back home when Lisamarie asked if I had been to Dr. Tryon's house.  He lives right near Heldzingers, so we walked to his house and ended up visiting with them for probably close to an hour! lol

This evening we spent visiting and singing.  I played my trombone for awhile again.  Then we had worship and now I'm off to bed!  I'm spending the weekend over here at their house again. :)  Anyway, goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Today was a really good day. :)  Had class this morning...  Dr. King is so funny!  So it went well.  And then I got my room clean!!!  I had just dumped everything in here when I moved in and hadn't had time to mess with most of it...  So today I finally got things clean!  Then I went over to Heldzingers' place where I ate lunch.  Today was Katie's birthday, so after lunch, Lisamarie, Stefan, and I tracked Katie down and surprised her.  So I have this app on my iPhone called "Find My Friends", where you can follow people and see where they are.  So Katie has the app as well and so I can always just see where she is.  So she skipped out on work this afternoon and I saw she went to the mall.  So we drove to the mall and finally found her.  We waited until she came out of a store, then we met her with cupcakes, a balloon, and a card, then sang her happy birthday. :)  Yeah, she was surprised. =P

Anyway, this evening Lisamarie and I went to prayer meeting.  It was really good.  After we got back to the house, there was a tornado sighting in the area, so we had to go down into the cellar for awhile... But I was still working on homework. lol  Anyway, that passed, and then we just sat at the kitchen table and continued with homework.  And now I'm off to bed!  Have to get up in 5 hours to get 2 more hours of homework done before class.  Because of a meeting Dr. King has, we have to start class an hour earlier tomorrow... Ugh.  Oh well.  Goodnight! :)

Tuesday

Wow, nothing too exciting today...  Had class this morning.  After I got up at 4:50 something to finish homework.  And I ate breakfast in the caf.  I've missed the caf over the summer!  Anyway, then I worked on homework and got some stuff accomplished in my room before heading over to Heldzingers' house around 2:30.  And then Lisamarie and I sat at the dining room table and did homework all afternoon.  Pretty epic. lol  Oh, we had lunch somewhere in there and a short swim in the pool as well.  Anyway, I think that's pretty much all the news I have.  I'm off to bed!  Oh, and below are the pictures I promised you all. :)

July 30

Today has been a really good day!  Well, started kind of not so good.  First day of Hebrew 3...  But it was really neat sitting in the old classroom again and seeing all my Hebrew buddies again. :)  But this class is seriously going to kill me...  It's midnight and I still haven't finished my homework that's due in the morning...  And I have a grammar quiz as well.  But I think I'm going to head to bed and get up early in the morning to finish the homework.

But I haven't told you the best part of the day!  So, Lisamarie and I had a Bible study this evening.  It went really well.  But on the way back, I asked her to be my girlfriend.  And she said yes!!!  I am super excited. :)  I had talked with her parents last night and they gave us their blessing and they are both very excited for us. :)  Anyway, I'll post pictures tomorrow hopefully.  We took some, but I left my camera in the car. =P  So anyway, have a great night!

Sunday

Yep, today was Sunday.  Didn't get a whole lot accomplished.  Although I did get the cover for the DVD done!  But that was this evening.  This morning after worship and breakfast we all went and played tennis for an hour and a half or so.  Except for Stefan because his wrist is injured, so he ran.  And boy was it hot out there today...  So after we got back to the house, we all jumped into the pool for probably a couple of hours. lol  Yeah, my face is burnt... :/  Then I finished the DVD cover before coming over to Southern to help with the Freshman Welcome Party.  That was fun. :)  After that was over, I went back to Heldzingers' for worship.  And now I'm back in my room...  So goodnight all! :)

Sabbath

OK, so it's quite late (or early), but I'll at least fill you in on the highlights of my day.  This morning I sang "Four Days Late" for special music at Chatt. First.  Lisamarie and Stefan sang back-up and Mrs. Heldzinger played the piano.  I think it turned out alright...  They're already trying to get me scheduled to sing that song at East Ridge. =P  Anyway, the video is below.

Then I went over to Donesky's house for lunch and to celebrate Orville's 50th birthday.  He's pretty proud about that. lol  So that was fun.  And I met Heather's roommate here at Southern.  She seems super nice.

I left their house around 3:30 and headed 2 hours north to Heritage Academy because I got a message from Johannes Harnisch saying that he and his dad were there for some meetings this week and they are leaving early Sunday morning.  So I went up there and visited with them for a couple of hours.  It was so nice to see them again!

I got back home to Heldzingers' house around 10:15 this evening.  They had some friends over still, so I visited with them until they left, then we visited some and watched a couple of Christian comedian videos.  And now it's 12:30 and I need to get to sleep!  So goodnight! :)

Happy Sabbath!

So today has been pretty good!  I moved rooms yesterday to the room that I'll have this next winter.  It had been re-done, but there were still a couple of things that weren't finished.  So they replaced the bathroom and closet doors today.  They look a lot better. lol  But I spent most of the morning trying to bring sense to my chaotic room...  Sarah Doe was here for a day to say goodbye to everyone before she moves, so several of us went out to eat for lunch at a really neat vegan restaurant downtown.  It was really neat.  They even had board games there for people to play, so after we ate we played Apples to Apples for awhile.  Then I had a Bible study with Louise, which went pretty well.  Then I came over here to Heldzingers' house.  I checked out of the dorm again, so I'm here for the weekend. :)  Anyway, I need to get to sleep.  Tomorrow's a really big day!  But I'll tell you about it after it happens. lol  Goodnight!

Tuesday

Wow, I realize I haven't updated you all in a while!  But the last few days have been hectic.  Stefan was staying with me for a few nights, so that of course made things more hectic.  And then I was in limbo about my car.  I thought I may have to replace it, but I don't think I'm going to now.  I think it's the transmission that needs replaced now and a friend is able to replace it for a reasonable price.  So it looks like we won't be separated for a little while longer at least. :)

Other than that, I've been doing Bible studies, working on the DVD label and cover for the Christmas play, and other random stuff.  The one week Summer SALT is going this week, so Lisamarie and I led song service for the opening meeting of that on Sunday evening.  That was fun.  Yves Monnier was the speaker.  He talked about ten reasons to do evangelism.

Anyway, I need to get to sleep.  Another day tomorrow!

Friday night

Today was pretty good!  I spent the morning making a couple of changes on the play DVD, then Josh finished his demolition of me on Axis and Allies.  By the time that was done, it was time for lunch.  Then Lisamarie had to return some things to the mall, so she, Stefan, and I all went to the mall for awhile.  That was fun.  And then Josh played trumpet and I played trombone for awhile.  We both need to do that more often! lol  But it was really good to get the trombone out.  And then we played the Pilgrim's Progress game.  It's been ages since I've done that!  I've never met anyone else with the game, so I was surprised when Lisamarie pulled it out for us to play tonight. lol  And now I'm back in my room.  Stefan is spending the weekend in the dorm with me, so we're having fun. lol  Anyway, time for bed!  Have a wonderful Sabbath! :)

Thursday evening

So today has been sort of a different day.  I finished up the play DVD and got it burned.  But now the disc is saying it's damaged, so I need to figure that out...  But otherwise, that project is getting wrapped up! :)

Then Josh and I started playing a game that he has, Axis and Allies.  He just got a huge game board, so we were trying it out.  He wants to play it as a group Saturday night, but he wanted me to figure out how to play it first.  So we played that all afternoon.  And evening. lol  It's sort of like Risk, except a lot more realistic.  Anyway, my Bible study canceled, so I didn't have to do that, so we played.  I am all the Ally countries, and he is slaughtering me.  The game is nearly over, but we had to quit for the night. lol  To be continued on the morrow.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Have a great night! :)

Wednesday

Today's been pretty good.  Did laundry this morning and stuff, then ate lunch with Heldzingers at a Chinese restaurant.  So that was fun. :)  Then I had prayer meeting and a Bibles study with Katie this evening.  Yeah, that's about it... lol  Anyway, I'm tired, so goodnight! :)

Tuesday night

Just a short note tonight.  It's late and I'm super tired.  This morning I started going through footage from Africa, which was exciting! :)  And then I finished up the last few things that needed changed in the play video and got the final one exported.  So the play is officially done!  As soon as I burn it... lol  Anyway, and then I had Staff Meeting at the church.  And a Bible study at UTC that Lisamarie and I did.  After we got back from that, we FaceTimed Seth for awhile, then I went over to the Fire Station and played soccer for awhile.  Yeah, I'm out of shape! lol  But it was a lot of fun!  And then we went over to get Frozen Yogurt, so I picked Stefan up for that.  Lisamarie has a test in the morning, so she had to stay home and study. :/  Anyway, now I'm off to bed!  So have a great night!

July 16

Hey Y'all!  I've had several people tell me that they really miss the daily emails every night, so I decided to give it another shot.  I won't promise I will post every night, but I'll post as often as possible. My computer got here today, so it makes it easier!!! :)  I am so super happy.  I had to wait around my room until 1:30 before the mail came.  It usually comes much earlier, but not today!  Oh well.  I took my car into the shop this morning and thankfully this mechanic gave me a much better price to fix the drive shaft on my car.  So that made me happy.

As soon as my computer got here, I walked over to Heldzinger's house for the afternoon.  Then Lisamarie and I did a Bible study in Chattanooga this evening.  It went pretty well...  After we got back home, we finished proofing the play video so I can get that burning tomorrow hopefully!  That would be super nice. :)  And now I'm off to bed.  So goodnight all!  Hope you're having an amazing summer!!!

Last post

Well, this is the last post on here - at least, the last regular post.  I've written nearly every night ever since school started last fall, but I'm afraid recently some of the posts have been slightly boring.  So from now on, I'll just post something when I have something really exciting to talk about. :)  In the meantime, make sure and follow my mission trip blog, missionsierraleone2012.blogspot.com as well as my regular blog, joelcsutherland.blogspot.com.

As far as what has happened over the last day or two.  Thursday morning was spent frantically packing and getting ready to head to the airport.  Deborah, Seth, and I all went down on the same shuttle and ate supper in the Atlanta airport before Seth and I boarded our flight for Seattle.

The flights went well and we landed in Fairbanks at 1:30 this morning (5:30 Eastern time...) where we met Mom and Charity.  We stayed at Eielson for the rest of the night, then came home today. :)  It's so nice to be home!  But anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Have a great night! :)

Wednesday

Our room is such a disaster!!!  But we have a lot of our stuff packed...  Anyway, today I had to take 2 finals and waive my Hebrew final.  But I am officially done with my first year of college!  Quite a few mixed emotions...  But it was a good day.  And this evening was spent at Heldzingers' place, so we had a lot of fun. :)  Anyway, Seth just went to work so I'm off to bed!  Goodnight! :)

Tuesday

One day closer to the end of the semester.  Tomorrow I will take my last two finals and then the next day I will be out of here!  So I am looking forward to that. :)  Today was kind of slow.  Got some edited on the play video, edited another episode for the mission trip, and went to the pharmacy and picked up our prescriptions for the trip and things.  So it went well.  Anyway, now I'm off to bed, so goodnight! :)

April 30

Second day of finals is over with!  Today has been pretty busy with catching up on things, running to the store, and taking my Christian Spirituality final.  Oh yeah, and I worked some on editing the play video... Anyway, then I finally got the video done and uploaded from the SMA retreat.  So make sure and go to vimeo.com/joelcsutherland/sma and watch it. :)

Anyway, I'm off to bed now!  Goodnight! :)

Finals Week!

Finals week has begun!  But it's actually a nice break. :)  I need to use this extra time to start packing and stuff...  But anyway, today I had my Intro to Ministry final in the afternoon.  This morning we had our SALT alumni breakfast, which was really good!  Nearly everyone made it, which was really neat. :)

Anyway, I'm off to bed!  Goodnight! :)

Sabbath

What an amazing day!  This morning I listened to two more powerful sermons by Derek Morris - Radical Dependence and Radical Protection.  They were incredible!  And then I ate in the cafeteria before heading over to a nursing home to sing and give a talk.  After that, we went out to Chickamauga Battlefield with the Chatt. First church and walked around some and explored, then went to East Ridge for vespers which was a concert by Magnify.  That was really good!

Anyway, it's late and I need to get to bed.  And we have a SALT alumni breakfast at 9:00 in the morning at Michelle's house, so I'm looking forward to that. :)  Anyway, goodnight! :)

Happy Sabbath!

If you're a student at Southern and you haven't caught the missionary spirit, I have no idea why!  Vespers tonight was a special vespers to consecrate the 24 graduating Religion Majors, the 86 of us who are going on ERC mission trips, and the 50 some-odd who are going as student missionaries for a year.  Derek Morris is here for the weekend, so he spoke a powerful sermon about the Radical Prayer.  And then we were all called up one by one, given a candle, and then we surrounded the sanctuary.  It was pretty powerful.

Anyway, I need to get to bed, so goodnight!  I have to get up and listen to two more sermons by Pastor Morris.  I can't wait. :)  Goodnight! :)

April 26

Well, today has been pretty good.  Had my last real assignment due this afternoon.  A big paper for Intro to Ministry class.  So I got that done this morning.  Convocation was different in each department, so I went to the Religion one.  It was really good!  It was Goodbye and Hello, and Dr. Tryon spoke near the end.  Quite powerful.  Then I ate lunch with Amy in the cafeteria before my last two classes.  In Intro to Ministry class, we finished watching a movie that we started last week called The Reading Room.  It was really good!  Definitely taught a lot of the principles of leadership we've been learning.  Anyway, then this afternoon I played racquet ball with Seth for a little bit before doing some follow-up stuff for work.  Then I watched Sarah Chang's championship soccer game.  And they won!!!  So we were really proud of the Seoul Sistas! :)  Then Descant had a concert at 7:30.  That's a group that a lot of our friends are in, including Rebekah Luchak and Anna Fink.  And now we're actually off to bed early!  So goodnight! :)

Wednesday night

Today has gone well.  My last Hebrew test is done and out of the way.  So is my final for Fitness for Life and the final for Web Development.  So classes are starting to get finished and out of the way!  Anyway, I'm tired, so will get to bed.  Goodnight! :)

4/24/12

Wow.  The closing notes of the oratorio "Neither Life nor Death" are still ringing in my ears: "Neither life nor death shall separate us from the love of God!"  Wow.  The first time I've ever performed in a choir with a full symphonic orchestra.  Definitely one of the highlights of my life!  There were several places in that piece that were just so amazing!  And then the feeling after we were done.  People hardly even waited for the last sound to disappear before they were on their feet applauding.  And then the composer came up and once people finally quieted down he said a few words of appreciation.  Then the family had a reception for those of us who performed it.  And they gave us each bookmarks that had Romans 8:38-39 on them.  And I had Tim Rumsey sign mine. :)

Other than that, my day has been packed with homework and classes.  I've been working on the Web Development homework ever since I rolled out of bed this morning and I finally finished it about 11:30.  It was being extremely difficult!  Between all of that, I took the final test for the Computer Concepts Class and had lots of choir practice and went to classes.  And then tonight I've gone over a little bit for the Hebrew test I have at 8:00 in the morning.  But I haven't really studied at all.  So I'll need to get up early to do that.  And since it's after midnight already, I need to get to bed.  So goodnight! :)

Monday night

Well, today has been long but really good.  Hebrew this morning, then I had my speech in speech class.  Well, actually that was after Fitness for Life where we had our post assessment with sit-ups and push-ups and height and weight and stuff.  Yeah, that wore me out.  Then I had my speech.  It went better than I was fearing.  After that, I stood at the SALT table that we set up in the student center for an hour before grabbing a sandwich and rushing off to meet with the pastor.  At 5:00 I had choir rehearsal again.  Boy, I still can't make it through the third and fifth movements of that piece without choking up!  And it's kind of hard to sing when you're that way. =P  Anyway, that got over at 7, so then I picked up Julie and we went to Louise's house for a Bible study.  Julie and Travis were the ones who knocked on her door back during the Summer of Evangelism, so it was nice to get them back together again. :)  Anyway, finished that and got back around 9:30, then I grabbed something to eat, visited with Eric and Seth for a bit, called home, and now I'm off to bed!  So goodnight! :)

April 22

In case you read this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite 9-year-old in the whole wide world!!!!!!!! :)  Tried calling you this morning and again just a few minutes ago, but realized you all are still out at Summit probably having lots of fun without me. :(  Just don't kill yourself on a snow machine or sled or something. lol  Anyway, I'll try to call tomorrow. :)

Now, to my day.  Got to sleep in until 9:00. :)  Then went over to Ryan's aunt's house for breakfast at 10:00.  They just got back from Thailand, so it was good to see them again.  And it was a really good waffle breakfast, too. :)  Then I came back and worked on homework for the rest of the day.  I have a speech in class tomorrow and I still have no idea what I'm saying...  I've written quite a bit down but I'm still not happy with any of it.  So hopefully inspiration strikes me in the morning.  At least it's only a 2-3 minute speech, but still...

At 5 we had choir rehearsal.  This was our first rehearsal with the full orchestra for the concert Tuesday night.  It is going to be amazing!  So if you're inclined, you can actually listen to the concert on April 29 at 4 PM Eastern at wsmc.org.  It's the Rumsey Oratorio.

After that, at 8:00, we had the Strawberry Festival.  It was a movie documenting the year here at Southern.  It was very well done!  I sure hope I can get it on DVD so I can show it to you all...

Anyway, I'm off to bed now.  So goodnight! :)

Sabbath

Wow, today has been a lot of fun!  Went to Chatt. First for church as usual, then Eric and I went over to Donesky's house for lunch and the afternoon.  We had lasagna for lunch, then we went outside and had a bonfire and shot BB guns. lol  It was pretty epic.  Then I had to meet at the church at 6:15 for Evensong.  The choir sang for it tonight...  So that was at 7:30.  At 9:00 we had the last Studio 4109 event in the cafeteria.  It was the only one I made it to all semester, but it was so funny!  It's like the comedy/music show that happens once a month.  Dr. Beitz was the host.  Yeah, and they had free pizza and drinks and stuff. :)  But anyway, now I'm off to bed, so goodnight! :)

Happy Sabbath!

Wow, long day!  But an epic one! (I don't think I've used that word for awhile, so I should be able to use it again. =P)  Anyway, last vocab quiz in Hebrew 2!!!  Then I had the rest of the day to work on homework and pay the VISA bill and stuff before choir rehearsal at 3:00.  And that was the closest I've come to fainting in my entire life.  I hadn't eaten lunch because I was planning on eating at 5 when the cafe opened.  But the heat of the lights and being up front in the church during dress rehearsal really bothered me.  I started feeling dizzy, I couldn't even sing, and then I started sweating profusely, but when I felt my skin it felt like a refrigerator.  Yeah, not good.  So I had to stumble off stage in the middle of one of the songs and get some water and lay down for a bit...  But I made it through rehearsal.

This evening we had vespers out at the Goliath Wall and it was a concert by different students.  It was amazing!!!  And the last song totally blew me away.  It was a girl singing "In the Name of the Lord".  As soon as I heard what she was singing, I was like "This is either going to be really good or really horrible."  But she totally did that song amazingly!!!  Nearly as good as Sandi Patty herself!  Yeah, I was totally impressed...  But anyway, then a bunch of us went for a walk on the Greenway.  That was a lot of fun, but we had to rush back in time for curfew at 11:15. lol  But now I'm off to bed, so goodnight! :)

Thursday

Well, I slept from 9:30 last night until 6:30 this morning, so I was feeling much better today!  That was SO nice! :)  And I led the very last song service this morning.  I decided I'm not going to do that next year.  I'll be busy enough with the Southern Mentor job and my Bible work job.  And if I get into Destiny Drama (yes, I'm going to try)...  So yeah, leading song service is something I don't want to have to deal with.  So Anna Fink had the privilege of leading it with me for the last time. lol

Had a test in Intro to Ministry class, but I think that went well.  And the other classes went well too.  The choir has two concerts coming up, one on Saturday night and the other on Tuesday night, so we have rehearsal tomorrow afternoon as well as Sunday afternoon.  But they should go well and I'm looking forward to them. :)

Oh, and the last homework is due in Hebrew in the morning and the last Vocab quiz as well!  So I'm excited about that. :)  The semester is nearly over!!!

Anyway, I'm off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Today has been pretty good, although I haven't been feeling very good.  My stomach has been bothering me... :(  Anyway, besides that, it went well.  Classes and homework.  And I got the blog and video done for the mission trip!  So make sure and follow the blog.  Click here for that.  And then go and check out episode 1 of the video series!  It is here.  So that's my big news of the day...  Oh yeah, and if you're on Google+, make sure and follow the page I have on there as well.  But I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I'll go to bed to try to remedy this. =P  Goodnight! :)

Tuesday

Wow, it's late.  I need to get to bed.  I have to get up early tomorrow to finish studying for a paradigm quiz in Hebrew.  Today went pretty well, except I ended up with my sinuses hurting so bad this evening I had to come home early from outreach and lay down.  I actually slept for about a half hour, which was nice.  Anyway, I'm off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Monday

Wow, where has the day gone?  At least I got quite a bit accomplished.  Besides classes and homework, I met with the pastor and did a couple visits and Bible studies.  And I did a short video for my power point class tomorrow.  I have a speech to do and I'm supposed to have a video clip in it.  So I'll post the video below.  Anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Goodnight! :)

Sunday

Today went pretty well.  Got to sleep in until 8:00 or so. :)  Then I took a shower and worked on Hebrew homework.  This afternoon I played Tennis for awhile with Eric and Matt.  That was a lot of fun!  Then I ate lunch around 4:20 or so.  That was the only meal I had today, besides an English muffin this morning. lol  This evening, Seth and I filmed a couple more scenes for our various mission trip intro videos (Stay tuned for more info about that...) and then we went to a concert by the Wind Symphony.  I always enjoy those. :)  Then it was back to my room with Seth, Eric, and Stefan where we finished watching Pendragon.  I love that movie!  Anyway, then I called Mom for awhile and now I'm off to bed.  So goodnight! :)

Sabbath

It is very late, so can't right much.  There was a music program for church, which was really good.  Then we crashed the potluck at another church for lunch.  And I handed out Great Controversies with the East Ridge Church this afternoon.  This evening was spent hanging out with Seth, Eric, Stefan, and Ethan.  Anyway, I'm off to bed now!  Goodnight! :)

Happy Sabbath!

Today has been busy but good.  Hebrew class was spent in going over the results from the last test.  I got an 83%...  Next to the worst score I've gotten all semester...  Oh well.  Then I spent the next few hours working on my speech that I gave at 12:00.  Giving a speech with nearly no voice isn't exactly the best, but it worked.  I just wish I felt better...  Anyway, this afternoon I worked on Sabbath school for tomorrow.  How to Present Bible Studies...

Vespers this evening was the home show by Destiny Drama Association.  It was a play called "The Witness" and it was really good!  Talked about standing up for what is right no matter how many of your friends don't agree with you.  And then we had nachos in the guys' dorm afterwards.  But now I am off to bed.  I'm exhausted...  Goodnight! :)

Thursday

Yippee!  Another week nearly over!  Unfortunately, I have Hebrew homework due in the morning, then a speech I have to give at 12:00, and Sabbath School to prepare for before 9:00 on Sabbath morning.  Yeah, tomorrow will be crazy...  But anyway, my homework is nearly done, so just a little bit to finish in the morning.  And then a speech to work on...  But I already said that.  So yeah, today has been pretty good.  Lots of homework and schoolwork.  Convocation was amazing!  A Native American musician spoke.  He told his story about when he first realized that someone could love him.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the building by the time he was done.  I wish I could have gone to his concert tonight, but we had housing fair, so I had to go pick our room for next semester.  Anyway, Seth and I ate at CiCi's Pizza this afternoon.  Since we're both getting low on money on our account and it would cost more to eat here than there, we went there.  Boy was it good. :)  After that, I came back to my room and worked on Hebrew homework while Seth went and did more interviews for his mission trip video.  Oh yeah, this morning I started shooting the first part of the introduction video for my mission trip as well.  Can't wait to get that done and posted to the blog so I can share the address with you all! :)  Anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Gotta get up early in the morning...  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Well, today has been a typical Wednesday.  Sort of.  It's been really good, though.  It started with the SALT breakfast this morning at 7:00.  Deborah led out and we talked about the Law of Initiation.  How leaders have to react to things and initiate responses.  Then I had Hebrew class at 8:00.  That was fun.  When I got finished with that, I went over to the bank on campus and opened an account so I could deposit the checks I had gotten for fuel from the church into it.  That took a lot of my morning, but it was something that had to be done.  At 11:00 I had Fitness for Life class and today we could do anything we wanted to for 30 minutes!  So a bunch of us decided to play Ultimate Frisbee.  That was SO much fun!  I definitely need to play more often...  Then I had speech class.  One of the speeches today was given by one of the girls about women's ordination.  We've been doing persuasive speeches the last few class periods, and this is definitely a speech I had been looking forward to.  She at least brought me up to a neutral position, I think, until I have the time to study it out further.  Yeah, a couple of the people in the class have picked very controversial topics.  Another one was abortion.  Anyway, but back to ordination, the Southern Union just voted on Monday that they would not ordain women and they would stand behind the decision of the General Conference, which I was very happy about.  If the General Conference decides something, I believe that the Unions need to abide by that.  Unfortunately, several of the other unions have not done the same as the Southern Union, but I'm glad our Union made the decision it did.  But as far as women's ordination, I definitely want to study that out more.

After speech class, I went and ate lunch with Seth.  Or rather, Mr. Popular.  We finish eating and we're trying to leave, and he decides he has to talk with someone for awhile on our way out.  After that, I start heading for the door of the cafe and Seth starts heading the opposite direction.  He had found someone else he wanted to talk to. lol  At least I saw Valerie sitting at the very back of the cafe, so I was able to visit with someone I knew. lol

We met Katie and Amy at 2:00 for racquet ball.  This was a rematch of our game last week.  Katie and Seth beat Amy and I pretty bad, so we wanted to prove we could win.  Well, we didn't exactly prove that, but we came close.  So there will be another rematch next week. lol

After that, I worked on more homework, then did some work before supper and prayer meeting at the church.  Then Katie and I did our weekly Bible study after that and now I am off to bed.  So goodnight! :)

Tuesday night

So, I should not have eaten so much sugar last night.  Oh when will I learn?  Anyway, I'm trying desperately to stay somewhat well.  But I have a sore throat and stuffy nose.  Ugh.  Today was pretty good other than that.  Sarah Chang helped me with song service after I ate breakfast.  Then I hit homework.  For once it's 9:45 on a Tuesday and I've played racquet ball already and don't have any homework that still needs to be done by 11:55!  So that makes me feel very good.  But everything went well.  It's just a count-down to school over now.  Just a couple more weeks!  If I can make it...  So anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Goodnight! :)

Monday

Well, today has been good.  Long, but good.  Hebrew homework was postponed until Wednesday, which made me happy.  Other than that, I've been working on my speech quite a bit as well as preparing for a Bible study I gave tonight.  And meeting with the pastor for awhile as well.  Yeah, pretty epic...  Anyway, I'm off to bed now.  Maybe my brain will be functioning better tomorrow. lol  Anyway, goodnight! :)

Easter!

Well, today has been quite epic.  Started with getting up.  Or rather, sleeping in. lol  That was the epic part.  We didn't get up until nearly 9:00.  After getting up, we went and grabbed something to eat at CK's, then Seth left for his kayaking trip while Dad and I went and visited Jordans for awhile.  We had a lot of fun over there.  After that, Dad headed home while I went to working on Hebrew homework.  And I worked on that and other things for much of the short afternoon before eating lunch and going over to the girls' dorm for their open house.  It felt somewhat awkward at first wandering the halls of the girls dorm, but we got over it. lol  We visited a bunch of rooms and ate lots of sweets.  Anyway, I think I might head to bed pretty quick.  Unless we watch Dad the Hero on Vacation.  Still debating.  Anyway, goodnight! :)

SonRise!

Well, today was quite the day!  Started the day with SonRise breakfast at 7:00.  Then our showing was the first one at 8:45.  All I can say is that SonRise is one of the most powerful things I've ever been a part of!  I was playing John and I was sobbing for like the last half of the thing...  Yeah.  Anyway, so I made it through show one, then Musgroves came and Dad came up to the church and they went through my second showing.  That one went better in some ways, but not in others.  Oh well.  After that, I showed Musgroves around campus for awhile, then they left and Seth, Dad, and I went to Donesky's house for awhile.  Then a bunch of friends threw me sort of an early birthday party.  We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, then we went bowling.  That was a lot of fun. :)  But anyway, I'm off to bed.  So goodnight! :)

Friday night

This morning was our Hebrew test.  That went decent, but not as good as it could have been.  I guess time will tell.  Anyway, I helped Katie with the movie they are doing for Psych class.  My car is in it's second movie now. lol  After that, I had speech class, then lunch and sound check for SonRise.  Then we had rehearsals all evening.  But Dad is here, so I am will sign off and get to bed!  Goodnight! :)

Thursday

Today has been pretty good.  Led song service again this morning for worship.  Anna Fink helped me - finally!  Things kept coming up, but today she was actually able to do it. lol  Then convo at 11:00.  It was the awards ceremony for all those over-achievers in the school. lol  Then choir and classes.  This afternoon I worked on preparing for the Bible study I had this afternoon as well as studied a little for the Hebrew test I have in the morning.  Then the study with Louise before rushing over to Thatcher chapel for the evening meeting where Deborah and I led song service.  Sarah Chang played the piano. :)  But I walked in right at 6:59, and it was supposed to start at 7:00.  I got several people worried. lol  (including myself...)  After that, I went to the last part of the SonRise practice for Pilate's Judgment Hall, then studied some more for my Hebrew test.  I really think I'm going to fail it, but oh well.  Now I'm off to bed so I can think in the morning!  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday

For some reason I've been thinking all day that today was Thursday.  But it was Wednesday.  And it didn't seem very productive to me.  No homework done...  But it was a good day anyway.  Sorry about not posting anything last night.  I didn't get to bed unit 12:30 or so and I was so exhausted I just plain forgot.  Yesterday was all homework.  Yeah, typical Tuesday.  This morning I was back up at 6:30 to try to memorize the vocabulary words for Hebrew at 8:00, then I went to the SALT breakfast at 7:00.  Then Hebrew.  Then I cleaned my room and organized my drawers and folded my laundry and stuff until Fitness for Life at 11:00.  Yeah, that killed me.  I had to run 2.2 miles on the biology trails.  I did it in 17:59 though!  I was impressed. :)  I think I'm getting much better than I used to be.  And I signed up for the 5K run that's in a couple of weeks.  I get 25 extra points for that. :)  Anyway, after lunch Seth and I played racquet ball with Katie and Amy for awhile, then I did some outreach before prayer meeting.  Then Katie and I did a Bible study and I'm back in my room now exhausted.  So goodnight all! :)

Monday

Today has been pretty good.  Kind of frustrating because I didn't get much done, but it was still nice.  This morning we had Hebrew, then wrote an essay in the testing center before fitness for life and speech class.  Then I met with the pastor, then attempted to follow up a Bible study before stopping at WalMart and coming back to campus to do laundry then go to SonRise rehearsal.  After that I played Tennis for Fitness for Life, then Eric, Stefan, Tyler, and I cheered for Sarah Chang in her soccer game at 9:00. :)  The only problem was that I realized I knew 2 people in the opposing team. =P  Valerie and Anissa, but oh well.  We still cheered for Sarah. :)  Sarah lost 0-1, but they gave the other team a long run for their point.  Anyway, now I'm off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

SMA Retreat!

Wow, the weekend was amazing!  Sorry I didn't post anything here, I didn't have cell service really and the internet was horrible in the cabins.  Anyway, Friday afternoon a whole bunch of us left for the Student Ministerial Association retreat to Cohutta Springs.  It was so much fun!  Friday night after supper Elder Ron Smith spoke for several hours.  On Sabbath, I had to come back to Chattanooga First for church, but then I rushed back out there in time to grab a bite to eat and then head out on a hike.  That was fun, then we went canoeing for awhile.  It was so nice to get back into a canoe again!  After that we spent several hours singing.  And whoever thinks that young people don't like singing hymns anymore should have stuck their head into the lodge yesterday afternoon.  There were a bunch of us young people with hymnals singing plain old hymns and having an epic time!  But maybe that's just a phenomenon that happens with the religion department at Southern. lol  After that, we had supper, a short vespers, and then we played all kinds of games.  Outside we played Man Hunt (in the dark, of course), which is sort of like hide and seek in teams...  It was quite epic!  Our team won. :)  Then we played Ninja and Mafia.  We got to bed by 11:00, then were back up in time for breakfast at 8:00.  And yes, I got up, packed, and loaded my car in 10 minutes and got to breakfast on time. =P  After breakfast I rushed back to campus for the SonRise walkthrough at 10:00, then worked on Hebrew homework for awhile with Kayla before the Home Show with the Gym Masters at 2:30.  That was incredible!  I decided that Caleb needs to get into gymnastics so he can join them when he gets here.  (And yes, Caleb, you'll probably end up here sooner or later =P)  But those guys are incredible!  There is this one guy that was insanely strong.  He would be sitting on the back of a chair, lay over backwards, then do sit-ups holding a girl who was standing on his hands.  Then later he was rolling on the ground balancing a girl from hand to hand as he was rolling and she was somehow keeping her balance.  But the part that reminded me of Caleb was the guy on the trapezoid.  He was doing all kinds of tricks on that thing.  Anyway, this evening I finished up my Hebrew homework, then put together a rough edit of the video footage I took over the weekend.  We'll see if I ever get something good enough to upload done...  But now I'm off to take a shower and get to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Retreat!

Just wanted to let you all know that I am safely at Cahutta Springs for the Student Ministerial Retreat.  So this should be good.  Anyway, talk to you all later!  Goodnight! :)

Picture

PS, I realized I forgot to post the picture. Here it is. :)

Thursday

Today has been quite the day.  A nice break after the last few days though...  Led song service this morning, then worked on homework that was due today.  Convocation was pretty good.  It was Asian emphasis, so a Korean doctor spoke for it.  Then I had classes.  This afternoon I played a couple games of racquet ball with Seth.  I won once then he won once.  Then I did a Bible study and dropped off a couple more studies by people.  After that, I worked on my assignment that's due in speech class tomorrow as well as practicing the paradigm I'm supposed to replicate in Hebrew class in the morning.  See the picture below. lol  Anyway, then we had our first mentor meeting at 9:00.  I'm looking forward to being a Southern Mentor next semester...  But now I'm off to bed.  Boy am I tired...  Someday I might catch up on sleep!  Hopefully...  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Wow, today has been busy but good.  Got up at 5:00 to finish Hebrew homework.  Then went to the SALT breakfast at 7:00.  Ryan talked about the Law of Sacrifice.  Then of course, class and homework, and more class.  Oh yeah, and we played Ultimate Frisbee for Fitness for Life!  That made me totally happy! :)  OK, so my team didn't make any points, but that was because only 2 of us had ever played before.  By the end of it, the rest of the team was starting to get the hang of it and we really held the other team off for quite awhile, but never actually got a point.  Oh well, it was still lots of fun. :)

I met with the Pastor at 2:30, then Joe and I had his last study with Louise at 4:30, then picked up Charles for supper and prayer meeting.  Then Anna and I went and did the Bible study I have after prayer meeting.  That is always interesting... lol  And now I'm back in my room.  I am totally exhausted, so will say goodnight! :)

Goodnight

Wow.  Long day, lots of homework, and the live broadcast of the documentary Monumental this evening.  That film is amazing!  More on that later...  I still have most of my Hebrew homework to do, but I'm getting up early to finish that.  Can't think right now.  So goodnight! :)

Monday

Today has been pretty good.  Classes, homework, and work.  Knocked on quite a few doors this afternoon, but folks weren't the most receptive in that neighborhood...  Oh well, I got one guy who said I could come back.  Oh yeah, and please pray for Dr. Parker!  He was crossing a cross walk this afternoon and got hit by a car!  He's in the hospital right now.  Haven't heard anything since his CAT scan...  There wasn't any blood or torn clothes or anything, just a lot of back pain.  So yeah, definitely will keep him in bed for awhile I will assume...  Anyway, this evening we had SonRise rehearsal again, then I was working some on homework, but Seth's already in bed because he has to go to work at midnight so that's making me really sleepy.  I think I'll go to sleep now and get up early in the morning. :)  And the video of Joe's going away party is below.  Enjoy! :)


A few clips from Joe's going away party we had this evening.

Sunday

Well, today has been pretty good and productive.  Unfortunately I didn't get any work in, but I got quite a bit of schoolwork in. :)  Being up until midnight last night with Asian night, it was nice to be able to sleep in until about 8:30 or 9:00 this morning.  When I got up, I got a few things done, posted pictures from Friday night and stuff, then read the few chapters of a book by Russell Burrill that I need to write a report on by Tuesday.  Wow.  It was incredible!  Talking about God's design for pastors.  How we aren't supposed to be hovering over churches, but our main focus is evangelism.  And how the early church and the early Adventist church had more of a small group mentality and the pastor just sort of oversaw the small groups and spent his time establishing new ones and training the leaders.  So anyway, very thought provoking!

That took a lot of the day, reading that.  I also got speech homework done...  And then we had the going away party for Joe.  That was really sad!  He leaves in just about a week for Detroit.  He will certainly be missed in this part of the world... :(  I got some video and put it together, but it's busy uploading right now.  I'll post it in the morning for you all.  Anyway, after that I came back to the room and learned the vocabulary words for Hebrew in the morning.  And edited that video.  And now I'm off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Sabbath

Wow!  Just got back from Asian Night.  All I can say is "Wow!"  But that's getting ahead of myself.  This morning we went to Chatt. First Church.  The pastor talked about fools...  Anyway, after eating at the cafeteria for lunch, some of us went to the nursing home and sang for awhile.  Then we went for a walk on the Greenway and played 500 with a football for awhile.  That was a lot of fun.  Then we went over to Heldzinger's place and watched The Pirate's Who Don't Do Anything.  That was pretty funny.  Anyway, after that, there was Asian Night!  They had seven different countries represented with a booth for each one with different food.  Then there was a program with dances from each country and videos between each one with different stories of people who were now "engaged".  Oh my goodness, they were so funny!!!  So yeah, it was an amazing evening!  But it's nearly midnight, so I'm off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Friday

Today has been pretty epic!  Started with Hebrew class, then worked on Sabbath School for tomorrow.  Still haven't finished that, but I'll get up early and finish that up.  After speech class, Seth, Eric, Katie, and I went and saw October Baby.  It came out today and it was really good!!!  Definitely a lot better than we were even expecting!  Highly recommend it.  Anyway, then I took a shower, got changed, and we went to Tim Taylor's birthday party.  It is his 24th birthday, but we were pretending it was his 4th.  So we gave him all kinds of little toys for presents and things.  Pretty epic.  After that it was time for vespers, which was really good!  It's Asian Heritage Weekend, so a lot of that mixed in.  But I am off to bed now!  So goodnight! :)

Thursday

Somewhat busy day today.  Led song service, then homework, convocation, choir, and two more classes. After that, I played 2 quick games of racquet ball with Seth.  I won him the first time and he won me the second time.  Oh well.  Those certainly wore me out!  Then I've just been working on homework pretty much ever since.  Besides eating lunch/supper when they served it at 5:00...  But now I am off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Wednesday night

So today has been pretty good.  Didn't get any homework done, but that's part of what made it so nice. :) lol  I got up at 6:15, took a shower, then gave the worship thought at the SALT breakfast at 7:00.  Then Hebrew was at 8:00.  After that, I spent two hours and cleaned my side of the room!  Finally, everything is organized again!  Ugh, that seems to be a job that needs done way too often...  Anyway, then it was time for Fitness for Life Class.  And Speech class after that.  Today was impromptu speeches, which were hilarious!  Then Seth and I went out to eat at PF Chang's for lunch.  An older gentleman who sat behind us at the Gaither concert took us there.  He is a sales rep for a company, so he gets in this area once in awhile.  He and the church group they had come with all got a huge kick out of Seth and I at the concert because we were like the only young people there. =P  So they've been talking about us ever since. lol  Anyway, so we went out to eat today.  That was nice. :)  Oh, and I found out that I got the Student Mentor job next semester!  And I'll be working with the Southern Connections class that Michelle will be teaching for the SALT students!!!  So that made me SO happy!!! :)  Anyway, then I met Joe and we did a Bible study before prayer meeting.  Then Katie and I did another Bible study after that.  And I just got back to my room, so goodnight! :)

March 20

Wow, what a day!  At least I'm feeling much better than I did last night! :)  The vaccine effects were short lived.  Anyway, today consisted of lots of homework and classes.  And rehearsal for SonRise.  And a Bible study with Joe after that.  And then a test and more homework after that!  And a really good conversation with Heather thrown in somewhere during that time...  But now it's nearly midnight and I am off to bed.  Finally got everything done.  I still am not totally clear on what I'm going to say in the SALT breakfast I'm leading out in at 7:00 in the morning, but I'll probably just get up a little earlier tomorrow and solidify my thoughts then.  So here's to six hours of sleep tonight!  Goodnight! :)

Monday

So today has been pretty good.  Hebrew class this morning, other classes during the day, homework in between.  And I picked up my new camera!!!  I am so happy!!!  I'll post a picture on here. :)  But then I met with the pastor, did some outreach, then had the first rehearsals for SonRise.  Anyway, I think the mixture of heat and the vaccine yesterday is killing me.  I have a fever and am all shaky and have the chills and stuff, so I'm heading to bed right now...  Goodnight! :)

Sunday

Wow, today has been very busy.  I attempted to get up at 6:30 this morning, but that didn't work.  For some reason, going to bed at 1:00 doesn't make it very easy when 6:30 comes around to get up.  Oh well. I got out of bed at 7:30.  We had the final part of the bootcamp from 8:00 to just after 2:00.  It was really good.  Except for the ending.  All of us going to Sierra Leone had to get the Yellow Fever Vaccination.  It wasn't too bad though. :)  Then we had Stefan's birthday party.  Finally left at 5:30 and did homework.  Then went to the Orchestra concert at 7:30 and finished my Hebrew homework there.  So glad to get that done!  And got double convo credit too. :)  And heard a wonderful concert. :)  But anyway, that's over and I am exhausted!  Just took a speech quiz online and uploaded my speech outline from Friday.  And I'm off to bed now!  Goodnight! :)

Saturday night

Wow!  Today has been quite wonderful!  Spent all day in Evangelism Boot camp, which has been great!  Dr. Parker and Dr. Martin were our main speakers.  And then we had practice preaching time, which was a lot of fun.  After that got out at like 10 til 6:00, we went for a walk on the Greenway.  That's always a blast when you do it with friends. :)  Then I had time to change into my 3-piece suit to go to the banquet/talent show.  That was certainly  highlight!  The winner walked off the stage with $1,000, and the group I thought should win, won.  So that was really neat!  Anyway, everyone was dressed up and they had refreshments and everything.  Tons of fun.  But I just got back to my room and it is after midnight, so I am off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Friday night

So today was pretty good.  It was the end of the week!!!  Started with a Hebrew test.  Not sure how well I did, but I think I did decent.  Then I kept working on my speech all the way up until 12:00 when I had to give it.  But that went alright as well.  A little bit long, but oh well.  Anyway, I was totally brain dead after that, so I didn't do a whole lot.  Played tennis with Seth and Eric for awhile, then talked with DeWayne and Eric for a little bit.  Then Seth, Eric, and I decided to go see Warhorse.  It was finally in the discount theater here!!!  We were so excited, and this was about the only afternoon I actually was free to go see it.  That was one incredible film...  One of my new favorites.  Ugh, like the latest one usually is. =P  Anyway, we made it back just in time to get to the vespers we had tonight at the start of the Evangelism Bootcamp.  Dr. King gave a devotional thought, which was really good.  And it was neat meeting the other people going to Sierra Leone.  Then we had nachos in the dorm afterwards and I was getting ready for bed, until we ran into Eric and Stefan.  Yeah, they just left our room, so now I'm off to bed.  Goodnight! :)

Thursday night

Well, today has been good.  Somewhat frustrating at times, but overall pretty good.  This morning I had to write the report for Intro to Ministry class on the 3 interviews I did.  Then I took Seth to the mall, then came back to campus.  We ended up missing most of convo, so we just ate lunch instead.  But that way I got lunch today. :)  This afternoon I've been just working on my speech and studying for the Hebrew test I have in the morning.  So yeah, pretty epic.  Oh yeah, I played racquet ball with DeWayne for 45 minutes or so this afternoon.  We both were totally worn out afterwards.  I was sweating so bad!  He won me both times, but the second game it was a stupid mistake on my part that made him win, so he re-served and then I won. =P  But that was a lot of fun.  I feel like I should be stressed out about my test tomorrow, but it's near the end of the week and I am so tired I don't really care anymore...  So I'm going to get to bed at a decent time, so goodnight! :)

Wednesday

Today has been very frustrating, hectic, stressful, and wonderful all at the same time!  It started with the SALT breakfast at 7:00.  Sarah Chang talked about the Law of Influence. (We're going through the laws of leadership...)  Anyway, that was really good.  Hebrew class was at 8:00, and that was a lot of fun.  We talked about Genesis and then did some translation.  After that, I worked on my speech for awhile before going to Fitness for Life Class.  We only walked a mile and timed ourselves while wearing the heart rate monitor to see how fit we were.  So that wasn't too bad.  Then we had speech class, which was a lot of fun.  Today was the first day of speeches.  The whole class is divided into 4 groups in the 4 corners of the room so there are 4 speakers talking at the same time.  Interesting, but fun.  After lunch I worked more on research for my speech.  That's what I did the whole afternoon until I left for prayer meeting.  On the way there, Katie reminded me about the report that is due tomorrow in Intro to Ministry class on 3 interviews we've done with pastors.  OK, so I hadn't even gotten around to doing any interviews yet!  So that stressed me out.  But thankfully Katie and I interviewed Pastor Dale while we were eating supper before prayer meeting, then I called Elder Gibbs and interviewed him briefly after playing for song service for prayer meeting.  After prayer meeting, I had a Bible study with an older man.  That was a lot of fun.  Then I got back here to the dorm and called Pastor Thompson and interviewed him.  I just finished that, so now I'm off to bed.  I'll write the reports in the morning...  But anyway, I feel really good after talking with three different pastors about God's calling and their different experiences as pastors.  So yeah, I'm going to bed happy, although I seriously should be stressing out right now.  Oh well, I'll wait until tomorrow to get stressed again. :)  Goodnight! :)

Tuesday night

Or rather, that should be Wednesday morning.  Because it just passed midnight as I sat here.  Oh well, today has been crazy.  But I got everything done!  I'm jumping ahead of myself though.  This morning was spent working on homework.  Yeah, that seems to be all I do anymore.  I had to get the homework done for Presentation Technology and finish up the book report.  After I had eaten breakfast and led song service.  Oh yeah, and I stopped by Dr. Klingbeil's office because his grader had marked me off by two points on my grammar quiz because I had mixed two of the verb forms up.  Or rather, they had.  I did it in the order the book had them in and didn't pay attention to the order they had it on the paper.  So I asked Dr. Klingbeil about it and he was very merciful and gave me the 100% score.  So I don't have to retake it!!!  That made my day. :)  Anyway, then I had class until 3:00 (Dr. Samaan let us out 15 minutes early because he wasn't feeling well) and then I played racquet ball with Eric for a half hour.  It's probably a good thing that I'm taking Fitness for Life and have to exercise every day, otherwise I probably would not do it. =P  Anyway, after that, Seth, Eric, and I did our computer concepts test and I finally got the homework done for that class as well.  Then I rushed out the door to follow up a couple of contacts and give a Bible study (which went well) before coming back and tackling Web Development homework.  We're trying to learn CSS and it's kind of confusing, but finally after an hour and a half I got that done.  Just in time to go to the 10:00 worship where a guy from Little Light Studios was here talking about the dangers of super heroes and other Hollywood things.  I always enjoy hearing them talk.  But that went for over an hour, so we were late for night check, but thankfully they worked all that out and it didn't effect any of us. =P  So all I had left to do was to do the quiz online for Web Development before 11:55, which I accomplished, and then I helped Seth do his homework so he could get it done in time.  So yeah, now I'm dropping into bed exhausted, ready to be back at it again at 6:30 because I have a SALT worship/breakfast thing at 7:00.  And Hebrew at 8:00.  And a speech that I need to do research for and get written for Friday.  And the list just continues to go on and on...  So yeah, goodnight!!! :)

Monday

So today has been very busy!  Preparing for a vocab quiz this morning before class and then starting to read a book that I had to write a book report on before tomorrow kept me busy before breakfast this morning.  And that book report has kept me busy all day.  But I'm basically done with it now.  Just 50 more words or so to write tomorrow.  Then I've had classes and homework the rest of the day.  And a Bible study with Joe this afternoon.  Anyway, I'm exhausted, so I will say goodnight. :)

Sunday night

So today I didn't feel all that accomplished...  But I still got a lot done.  Went to breakfast at 9:00 with friends at the City Cafe.  That was good.  And time change was today, so yeah...  Then I worked on some stuff before heading over to Heldzinger's house and helping Josh shoot part of a movie he's working on.  Didn't get back from that until nearly 7:00.  Then I learned Hebrew Vocab with Kayla and stuff and now I'm off to bed.  Good grief I have so much due in the next couple of days!  If I survive, it will be a wonder!  But I have said that before, so I'll just quit. =P  Goodnight! :)

March 10

All I can say is "Wow!" Whatever has happened in the last I don't know how long was forever eclipsed after tonight. I was at the Gaither Homecoming 2012 Concert here in Chattanooga!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe it! Definitely one of the best nights of my life! Especially that "He's Alive" performance... David Phelps sang it of course with the vocal band and the rest of the homecoming people sang back up. It was incredible! And then there was "Please Forgive Me" and "Let Freedom Ring". And so many others! It was a four hour concert, so there was plenty of music! :) And I got some pictures with people! Wes Hampton and Michael English were the only two from the Vocal Band I got close enough to to take a picture with. But I also got a picture with Ben Speer. He's 81 years old now! So that was neat. :)

Anyway, as far as the rest of the day goes, there was potluck at Chatt. First which was really nice. And a bunch of us walked on the Greenway. So yeah. Anyway, here are some pictures. Enjoy and goodnight! :)

Friday night

Well, today has been different.  Got quite a bit accomplished I guess.  Finished the Hebrew homework this morning, then took the next quiz online for speech class.  After that, Seth and I went to Cici's Pizza and ate breakfast/lunch.  We're a little low on our school food amount, so we figured it would be cheaper in the long run to eat there while we had the time.  Anyway, this afternoon I worked on more homework and edited quite a bit on the play video.  So I feel somewhat accomplished. :)  But anyway, I'm off to bed at a descent time actually tonight, so goodnight! :)

Thursday

Today I feel like I've just driven most of the time.  It started with taking one of our contacts to the food bank to get some groceries.  Joe is out of town, of course, so that was left to me.  So that took a couple of hours.  I ate lunch after that (OK, it doubled as breakfast...) with Eric, Kayla, and Brent.  Then I worked some on homework before I took Kayla and Dara to Walmart and then over to Smith's house to ride horses. (and yes, Mom, they gave me gas money. =P)  While they were doing that, I got the powerpoint nearly done for Sabbath School and prepared for the Bible study I had tonight.  I picked up LisaMarie this evening and we went to Ary's house and gave her a Bible study.  I hadn't given her one since September, so it was really nice to finally start those up again.  After getting back to the dorm, DeWayne and Eric came over and we watched "National Treasure 2".  That was quite the movie!  Reminded me a lot of a Jonathan Park episode...  Anyway, then I called Heather and talked for awhile before watching all of Ironic Iconic America again with Seth and Eric.  And now I am off to bed!  So goodnight! :)