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| Well folks I have once again entered the vast forest that is xangaland. Its been a while since I've updated, but now I'm back at least for today. Xanga is definitely a time commitment, one that I'm not prepared to take on on a daily basis. Things are going well here at Vandy. I'm heading back to Delaware tomorrow to attend my grandma's 80th birthday party. Its a surprise so don't tell her. Shhhhhhh. I'm coming back on Saturday afternoon, so I'll be in Delaware for less than 24 hours. I'm at work right now with nothing to do except my GRE prep homework. I have been slacking so much regarding the GRE and I really need to get my act together and get the most out of the class I'm taking for it now. Nothing else is really new, I'm just chugging along here at Vandy, trying to get through my last real semester and preparing to student teach in January. I'm currently seeking God about my post-college plans and continuing to stay open to everything, regardless of whether or not it seems like its for me. I want to focus on God's will for my life and not my own because I know that many times the two are not similar at all. You guys are awesome. Talk to you soon xangaland. | | |
| Well, today is my last day in LA and tomorrow morning I will officially be home for the summer. Its been an awesome time being away for the last five months, but its definitely going to be nice to be home. I'm looking forward to lots of good cooking, including some fresh crabs, shrimp, and corn! It will be good to reflect on my time in Melbourne and to find direction for this next season. I definitely want to come out of it refreshed and renewed. My time in LA has been awesome. Eric and I got to hang out late last night and just catch up. Its been weird not talking to my best friend for so long. I also got to feed most of the students (everyone who was home) at the Severance House. I cooked them spaghetti with meat sauce, a salad, and garlic bread. It was an awesome opportunity to serve them and I got heaps of help from Megan and Eric, they made the meal absolutely amazing! There are 26 people living here in the Severance House and its absolutely awesome to have so many different people living together and sharing their lives with one another over six months. I'm definitely jealous. I'm glad that I've come out here and had a glimse of what life is like at the Every Nation School of Campus Ministry. I'll talk to you guys when I get back to Delaware.
Currently reading "The Confessor," seeing what this NY Times Best Seller is all about. I'm definitely ready to do some hardcore reading over this break. | | |
| Ladies and Gentlemen. I am officially back in the US and having a great time in sunny California. I'm currently visiting Eric, Sjhira, Megan, and J. Its been a great time. Last night we hung out, ate dinner here at the house, and went down the Diddy Reese at UCLA for some great cookies and ice cream (a homemade ice cream sandwich is only one dollar there). Its great to be back in the US, but I will miss Melbourne for sure. I find myself still using all of the Aussie phrases and still having a bit of an Aussie accent. I know I'll be back to Oz someday, however I don't know when. I'm currently writing this message from the infamous Severance House, where most of the students in the Every Nation School of Campus Ministry live. Its right next to USC (University of Southern California) and is an awesome place. There are twenty-six students living in this big old house and all of them are heaps of fun. Well I need to get back and be social. Shoot me a line to welcome me home!
PS The Cat Empire is an awesome ozzie (Australian) band and they're from Melbourne, Australia's best city! | | |
| Hey Folks. I can't believe that my season in Melbourne, Australia has finally come to an end. Its definitely been a sad month watching all of my American friends leave and saying goodbye to all of my Australian friends. This has definitely been my home for the last five months and this city and the people that I've met here will most definitely always hold a special place in my heart. Right now I'm waiting for my plane to leave Melbourne. Its been delayed three times and now won't be leaving till three hours after its scheduled departure. Its a bit frustrating, but gave me time to buy cologne in duty free, I got some really nice stuff! During my last few days in Melbourne I've just been hanging out with mates and enjoying the city. Yesterday I hung out with my mate Craig, from the UK, who I met on my tour through New Zealand. He's in Melbourne for a week and so I showed him around the city a bit. He's an awesome guy and a lot of fun. I got him to go shopping with me yesterday and I went crazy buying awesome Australian-style clothing. I had to get some new Australian outfits before I left the country. Its sale season around here and I got some summer clothes for good prices, since its winter down here. I was hoping for better weather during my last week in Melbourne, but what I got was lots of clouds and scattered rain all week. I didn't even get to show off my new sunnies (sunglasses) that I bought in Queenstown. They're awesome! The weather reminded Craig of the UK, it was good English weather. This week I stayed with James and Fi, a young couple from our Every Nation Church here. I stayed with them when I first got to Melbourne, they were the ones who picked me up from the airport five months ago and today they dropped me off at the airport. However, they definitely did not drop the same man off at the airport. This has most definitely been a six months of growth and change that I will never forget. Even though I am sad to go, I know that what God has for me next is better and greater than anything else I could ever imagine. Now I'm off to Los Angeles for the weekend and going to visit Eric (http://www.xanga.com/mightywarrior ), Sjhira (http://www.xanga.com/JhiG2214 ), Megan, and J. I cant' wait to see all of them. They're awesome. After sunny California I'm off to Delaware for a month before returning to Nashvegas. Talk to all of you soon. Hopefully my flight leaves sooner rather than later, however, now I may be able to check into my hotel room as soon as I get into LA. Hopefully I'll be able to get something decent to eat considering there's not very much good food in the international terminal and we can't get back to the main part of the airport due to customs. I'm trapped like Tom Hanks in the Terminal, however I am from the US and not some crazy country in chaos, but I digress. All the best to everyone. See you in LA!
PS Michael Franti is awesome, even though I don't agree with his politics I respect a musician who will actually take up and engage pertinent issues in our culture. So many people just don't have anything to say these days. | | |
| Well folks. I know that I told you guys ab out my adventures in New Zealand, so now I have some pictures to show all of you. These are my bungy jumping pictures.
This is the first jump I did in Queenstown, NZ. It was off of the side of a cliff at the top of the gondola. You could usually see the whole city, but because of the intense fog on the night I did it, we could only see a huge cloud of fog. It was awesome because it felt like we were jumping into the abis. The jump was 47 meters tall.
Here's me jumping. The other picture of that jump is on the background of this page.
The second jump I did was the first commercial bungy site in the world. It was off a bridge and was from 43 meters. You could get wet if you wanted, but I chose only to possibly get my fingers wet (which I didn't since I jumped out too far) because it was so cold when I did it.
Here I go!
There I am.
The third jump I did was the tallest bungy jump in New Zealand and the third tallest in the world. It was from 134 meters and was from a pod suspended by cables between two sides of a canyon. We had to take a gondola to get out to the jump site from the side of the canyon. Here I am right before I jumped.
There I go diving straight out into the air!
It was the most amazing rush ever!
I loved every minute. The most scary of the three was the bridge since I was diving straight down, rather than running like I did off the cliff, and because the ground was so close. Well I've got to get down to dinner. I'm over at the Staggers' house right now and have baby Sophie in my lap right now. Talk to you guys soon! | | |
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