What I Learned In College
By: Matt Wright, B.S.: Recreation & Park Management/Criminal Justice from Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Missouri
University: an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. (Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus: Second Edition)
See? I learned that I should always tell you where I got my information! Plagiarism is frowned upon at any school, including Northwest. However, the line between plagiarism and citing a source is thin, and at times a bit transparent. You just have to know how to do it correctly so even if Turnitin.com says it’s 45% plagiarized, you know that the professor will see that you’ve correctly cited and let you use it anyway. Related: Why are there multiple styles of citation, you ask? I guess they teach that in grad school. They all seem similar enough to me. It’s like the Discovery Channel lately. Anyone who has a strange, dirty, dangerous, or otherwise taboo job can have their own TV show. (Deadliest Catch, Swamp People, Big Shrimpin’, Gold Rush, Bering Sea Gold) When in all actuality, these shows are all quite similar. You’ve seen one, and you can almost guess what the next one is about. I can’t wait to see what the next season of Gold Rush is about. That was sarcasm. Oh, and why can none of the ‘stars’ be understood without the use of subtitles?
Which brings me to my next piece of wisdom: Drugs are bad. Not to mention illegal. The only people that want to hang out with people who do drugs are other people who do drugs. Don’t be one of them. It seems like a lot of them get caught on campus especially. Not worth it.
Similar: Alcohol can be bad. Turns out, you can make it through college without partying. It is possible. Promise. Who would have thought? Briefly, here are 4 stipulations I have about alcohol.
1.It has to be done legally. Plain and simple. If you’re not 21, you shouldn’t have a hard time deciding.
2.It has to be responsibly. Just because you’re 21 doesn’t give you the right to make a fool of yourself. It also doesn’t mean you can endanger yourself or others.
3.You have to like the taste. Why would you put something in your body that you find disgusting? If you have an answer, refer to #2. Alternative: Gatorade tastes good.
4.You have to be able to afford it. Duh. Water is cheap. And contrary to popular belief, it’s not carcinogenic in Maryville.
Alcohol is not always the right answer. Unless of course the question is “What is C3H7OH?”
So many things are advertised as ‘free’ these days. Or at least implied as free. Example: “Every Northwest student gets a laptop!” True. But they forget to mention you pay $14/credit hour in ‘technology fees’ whether you use that laptop or not. I graduated with 144 hours. You do the math. There’s no way around it, just watch out for things that you think are free.
It’s ok to mess up. It’s going to happen. Learn from it. Next slide, please.
Try to find an on campus job. There are many, and for all types of work. Since the jobs are on campus, they put your schoolwork ahead of your job and make sure to work with your schedule to find times that best work for the employee and the university. I worked for the Environmental Services grounds maintenance crew over one summer and fall and enjoyed the outdoors and active working environment. I also worked for the University Police Department as a dispatcher. The best move I made in college was taking that job. I found out that I wanted to have a career in law enforcement, and am currently pursuing that career. Prior to dispatching, I had 4 majors because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do.
Speaking of UPD, the officers on campus are real. Not security guards that drive golf carts and can only chase you to the edge of campus. They are state sanctioned, which means their jurisdiction is the state of Missouri. Iowa isn’t that far away, but I doubt you’d get there if they were on your tail. And they just got a brand new Tahoe and Crown Vic. Oh, they have real guns too. With real bullets.
On campus, technically pedestrians have the right of way. This doesn’t mean that you should walk into the road without looking. At least 4 people were hit by a car on campus in the 4 years I was there. And it wasn’t the drivers fault. Don’t worry. The speed limit is 20 on campus, so they were not seriously injured. I realize we’re not all Usain Bolt, but most people who are paying attention to their surroundings should be able to take two sidesteps to avoid contact with a car.
Find a good teacher and take their classes. Even if you don’t need them. Two best professors at Northwest: Brian Hesse and April Haberyan. Of course that’s my opinion, but take a poll and they’d be near the top guaranteed. He’s political science/history/African studies and she’s Psychology/Sociology.
It’s not ok to be a teacher’s pet in high school. It is, however, ok to do so in college. People will still resent you, just like in high school, but you’re mature enough that you don’t really care what they think, and you’ll do better in the class than they will. Play basketball in the rec center on campus with Hesse? Check. Volunteer to help with a simulation exercise for another class taught by Haberyan? Check. A’s in every class I took with them. Boom!
Visit professors in their office if you have a problem. This can be for academic reasons or personal reasons. Two girls visited a professor one day after hearing him verbally disrespect Christianity multiple times in class. To their surprise they got an apology from the professor and never had to deal with that issue again. Take a lesson from them and have the courage to stand up for what you believe in.
Take a fun class. Or you could be like me and pick a fun major! There are plenty of hard classes out there. Economics comes to my mind first. Yuck. Spread out those fun classes, try to take one a semester to stay sane. Climbing wall=Fun class. Golf course maintenance=Fun class + Free pass to Mozingo Golf Course. Proof I learned something too: Did you know there are 63 chemicals used on the grass? Chemicals to make water puddle, to make it absorb, to make the grass grow, to stunt its growth, pesticides, fungicides, etc.
Get to know people. You can be who you want to be in college and there will be someone with similar likes and dislikes. To find them you may have to actually leave your room and meet people. It will be worth it. Bible studies, intramural sports, video games, working out, even riding motorcycles or playing guitar. These are all things I did my freshman year with people who lived in rooms whose doors I could see simply by sticking my head out of my room. Now I can’t walk through the Union without seeing someone I know. That is one thing I like about Northwest.
Don’t be a freshman. Of course, everyone is going to have a first year at college. But don’t make it obvious that it is your first year: Don’t dress up for your first day of class. Look nice, sure, but don’t overdo it. Don’t use the trays in the food court. You will soon find that they are unnecessary unless you’re holding a plate and drink for your friend on crutches, or I suppose if you’re really hungry. Don’t look lost. Getting lost is ok, people will feel sorry for you and help you out. Looking lost is different. People will still help you out, but you’re about to be someone’s newest Facebook status.
Get involved. There are 180 organizations on campus. That’s an accurate number too. I asked a friend who happens to be a tour guide. (See: “Get to know people”) There will be something for you. We have a bass fishing club for crying out loud.
GPA matters. After all, aren’t you going to college to learn? You may as well do your best at it. It’s costing someone a lot of money. You, your family, the government… Don’t waste it. GPA is what a lot of employers and schools and such focus on. You almost have to have a degree to understand what all the numbers and abbreviations mean on a transcript, but anyone can find ‘GPA’. Hint: the closer to 4.0, the better.
Don’t hate the Academy Students. They might be a bit immature at times, but you were there once too. And dang it if they don’t ruin every professor’s grading curve! But I suppose if you got your TV taken away for cussing, couldn’t leave the building after 10pm, and had to order pizza via the old ‘rope out the window trick’ (yes, I’ve seen it done) because even the delivery guy can’t get in the locked doors, you’d have plenty of time to study too. You’d also probably get a little wild when they let you out during the day. Can you blame them? No. Invite them to your study group. It then becomes a tutoring session. Everyone wins.
Enjoy the beauty of Northwest’s campus. We are fortunate enough to have trees and grass and rabbits and birds and a pond with fish. A lot of people work hard to keep campus looking the best it can, might as well enjoy it. Most other schools aren’t as fortunate; they’re made of concrete. Fun fact: Northwest is the Missouri State Arboretum. Another fun fact: I correctly used a semi-colon. I think.
Don’t chase the squirrels. You won’t win. Besides, they didn’t do anything to you. Admit it, you’d freak out if they chased you back.
Take some risks. So many people go through college hoping to blend in and avoid embarrassing situations. Don’t. At least you’ll be able to laugh about it with your friends later in life. When I look back on my time spent at Northwest the classes I took probably won’t be the first thing to come to mind. Let’s be honest.
“Dude, remember Professor Dr. Adam’s 1 hour and 15 minute long Zoology lectures on Tuesday’s and Thursdays at 8:15 a.m.? That was special. Oh, and how about Dr. Brost’s Literature class? So freakin’ sweet. Man, I wish I was back in class.”
That’s ridiculous. College, for me, was more about learning who I was and life lessons than it was about learning information. Of course, grades are important, and depending on your career choice, they can mean you getting into a better school once you’ve got your ‘pre-‘ out of the way. So don’t overlook them.
Parks & Rec majors aren’t a joke. While you’re off learning Freudian theories, what reacts with Potassium, the square root of 2, and other job-specific items, we’re learning universal skills. Leadership, people skills, programming/planning, etc. Oh, and when we’re climbing that wall we’re gaining trust, teamwork and self-esteem. Not to mention we’re getting stronger mentally AND physically while you’re sitting in one of those uncomfortable desks in Colden Hall with your caffé latte and mini-muffins. Related: Vitamin D doesn’t come from fluorescent lighting.
Take a chance every once in a while. Grow a mustache simply because you can, even if they are gross. Wear a rabbit-fur hat even though it looks goofy but it keeps your ears warm. Maybe it will become the new style (yeah, I take credit for starting that). Ask that hot girl from your Biology Lab out on a date. Who cares if she rejects you and says she is way out of your league and that you’re a loser. In 5 years, you will barely even remember who she is. Or who knows, maybe she’ll actually say yes. On second thought, consider shaving off the mustache before you ask her.
There are so many more things I learned in the last 3.5 years of my life that I can’t remember off the top of my head right now, so I will leave you with this: Don’t rush it. I made it out in 3.5 years. I took too many classes too fast! It worked out for me and my future career perfectly though. It was no doubt a ‘God-thing’. I’m just saying, if you have the time, it may as well be spent in college. It seems that every year was better than the last. It’s the last step before you’re in the ‘real world’ and have adult responsibility and have to get up before noon and all those other dreaded things you hear about. Enjoy college.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Guess Who Forgot They Had A Blog
Me. That's who.
I would apologize for not posting in such a long time. But that would only work if people had been upset that I hadn't posted. So I won't. Because they aren't that upset I'm sure.
I suppose I'll just start by giving a brief synopsis of the events in my life for the second half of 2011.
I started my last semester of college. Weird. It didn't even really sink in until about halfway through that I was going to graduate and be done with college courses. Forever. And it was a pretty good feeling. Also, knowing that I would be around for the Spring 2012 semester, and not have to take ANY classes felt pretty good too. I was lucky enough to find a house to live in with a few other guys, one of which is the son of the owners. That makes it pretty laid back and rent is really affordable. It's my first year living with more than one person, and has been a blast! All 5 of the guys that have been here (not all at once) are great roommates and all easy-going in general. We've had some good times, and I'm sure these next few months will be no exception.
I am still involved in BSU, even though I graduated. They let me come back to play Bass in the band again until I leave for good.
I am now on a city-league basketball team in Maryville with about 10 other guys. We won our first game last night, by the way. That would make us, by all accounts, undefeated!
I was fortunate enough to travel to Florida with one of my [former] roommates and the one that took his room for this semester. He was hired for an internship in Ocala National Forest just north of Orlando. We had a good time driving down, of course. We thought it was cool that Smyrna, TN - where we went on a mission trip two years ago - was within 3 miles of being EXACTLY half-way. So we called them up and they were able to give us lodging for a night on our way down. The second night we camped a short distance from the beach. Daytona Beach, that is! It was a little chilly, especially for Florida weather, but it was still nice to be in the warm state. After dropping him off, we flew back from Orlando. That is the way to travel! It took us 36 hours to drive the 1300 miles down, but 2.5 hours to get back and was about the same price for a ticket as we spent on fuel. Oh well, lessons learned. (also, he was reimbursed for fuel by his agency later on, so that is good)
Many people have been praying for me as I go through the application process to get into the Highway Patrol Academy beginning in April. I am very thankful for all those prayers, and am also pleased to say that I have been offered a conditional offer of employment! This means that I will still need to pass a psychological and medical test before a final offer of employment is given, THEN I will have to get through the 6-month training in Jefferson City. As I have been from the beginning though, I am still not worried about it. I know that God has a plan in it all and that I will end up where He wants me. (I would be perfectly OK with ending up as a Trooper, by the way!)
I have taken up every oppotunity to use the phrase "...back when I was in college" in the recent weeks, and probably will continue to do so throughout the semester.
I enjoyed Christmas, as I do every year! It's my favorite holiday by far. I was slightly disappointed (and still am) that we didn't have snow (and haven't had snow). Now that I have a 4-wheel drive truck, it doesn't snow. Seems like I should have gotten one sooner and we could have missed out on some serious weather.
Speaking of the truck, it was beat up by the Maryville hail storm in August! As much as I would like to have a dent-less truck, the damage is hardly noticeable and the insurance company offered about half of what was left to pay off, so that decision was fairly easy. Afterall, it's a truck, it'll just add character. Also, I will probably have it so long that whoever buys it when I'm finished with it will not care about a few hail dents because it will have so many miles on it.
I am now trying to find a job for the next 3 months, but no one seems to want to hire someone for a short amount of time. Hopefully something will come together as I will need a little imcome for rent money!
I'm sure there's plenty more I could write, but that should be sufficient for now.
I would apologize for not posting in such a long time. But that would only work if people had been upset that I hadn't posted. So I won't. Because they aren't that upset I'm sure.
I suppose I'll just start by giving a brief synopsis of the events in my life for the second half of 2011.
I started my last semester of college. Weird. It didn't even really sink in until about halfway through that I was going to graduate and be done with college courses. Forever. And it was a pretty good feeling. Also, knowing that I would be around for the Spring 2012 semester, and not have to take ANY classes felt pretty good too. I was lucky enough to find a house to live in with a few other guys, one of which is the son of the owners. That makes it pretty laid back and rent is really affordable. It's my first year living with more than one person, and has been a blast! All 5 of the guys that have been here (not all at once) are great roommates and all easy-going in general. We've had some good times, and I'm sure these next few months will be no exception.
I am still involved in BSU, even though I graduated. They let me come back to play Bass in the band again until I leave for good.
I am now on a city-league basketball team in Maryville with about 10 other guys. We won our first game last night, by the way. That would make us, by all accounts, undefeated!
I was fortunate enough to travel to Florida with one of my [former] roommates and the one that took his room for this semester. He was hired for an internship in Ocala National Forest just north of Orlando. We had a good time driving down, of course. We thought it was cool that Smyrna, TN - where we went on a mission trip two years ago - was within 3 miles of being EXACTLY half-way. So we called them up and they were able to give us lodging for a night on our way down. The second night we camped a short distance from the beach. Daytona Beach, that is! It was a little chilly, especially for Florida weather, but it was still nice to be in the warm state. After dropping him off, we flew back from Orlando. That is the way to travel! It took us 36 hours to drive the 1300 miles down, but 2.5 hours to get back and was about the same price for a ticket as we spent on fuel. Oh well, lessons learned. (also, he was reimbursed for fuel by his agency later on, so that is good)
Many people have been praying for me as I go through the application process to get into the Highway Patrol Academy beginning in April. I am very thankful for all those prayers, and am also pleased to say that I have been offered a conditional offer of employment! This means that I will still need to pass a psychological and medical test before a final offer of employment is given, THEN I will have to get through the 6-month training in Jefferson City. As I have been from the beginning though, I am still not worried about it. I know that God has a plan in it all and that I will end up where He wants me. (I would be perfectly OK with ending up as a Trooper, by the way!)
I have taken up every oppotunity to use the phrase "...back when I was in college" in the recent weeks, and probably will continue to do so throughout the semester.
I enjoyed Christmas, as I do every year! It's my favorite holiday by far. I was slightly disappointed (and still am) that we didn't have snow (and haven't had snow). Now that I have a 4-wheel drive truck, it doesn't snow. Seems like I should have gotten one sooner and we could have missed out on some serious weather.
Speaking of the truck, it was beat up by the Maryville hail storm in August! As much as I would like to have a dent-less truck, the damage is hardly noticeable and the insurance company offered about half of what was left to pay off, so that decision was fairly easy. Afterall, it's a truck, it'll just add character. Also, I will probably have it so long that whoever buys it when I'm finished with it will not care about a few hail dents because it will have so many miles on it.
I am now trying to find a job for the next 3 months, but no one seems to want to hire someone for a short amount of time. Hopefully something will come together as I will need a little imcome for rent money!
I'm sure there's plenty more I could write, but that should be sufficient for now.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Summer
I just love summer. Float trips, fireworks, frisbee, friends and food! I am also employed at 3 different locations, so between those and trying to have a personal life (and get just enough sleep to still function), I've been busy. One of the reasons I'm looking forward to classes starting back up is because I'll get a break!
I won't have to wake up at 5:30am and start mowing and weed eating on campus. My most recent job is for the grounds maintenance crew at Northwest. I really do enjoy the job, but 5:30am and me just haven't found a way to get along quite yet. I've already learned a lot in the month I've been there and I've accomplished plenty of visible results, which makes the job rewarding. It also will earn me another paycheck, which is even more rewarding!
I'm still working dispatch, although I haven't logged as many hours there this summer. I still enjoy that job too. It is completely different than grounds though, for obvious reasons.
My big time commitment this summer has been my internship for Maryville Parks and Recreation. Every evening I can be found at the Community Center or the softball fields where I 'supervise' the events taking place at those locations. It's not a tricky job, I just have to help things run smoothly and help with set up and clean up. And although it doesn't pay me, I'm getting those valuable credit hours for doing it, which will help me to graduate in December as planned.
I am still involved in the application process for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. I'm not sure how many applicants are still in the pool, but I am certain there are more applicants than the 40 positions they will be filling with this recruiting class. My first ever polygraph will be the next step, and I hope all goes well with that. I can't think of much in my past worth lying about, so hopefully it won't be too stressful of an ordeal. I still feel that God has his hand in this, and that comfort alone is equal with actually receiving an offer of employment because I know that if for some reason it doesn't work out there is another plan and good will come out of it.
Due to my lack of free time, I haven't been home to Maysville much. I have been fortunate enough to visit a few weekends here and there and even attend church where I can see everyone that I grew up around again though. Driving to Lawson whenever I get the chance (meaning the time) also is how much of my free time has been spent. There's a particular lady down there for the summer that I've grown quite fond of. Another big reason I'm ready for classes to start - she moves back to Maryville!
August is the beginning of the end of my college career, and I'm somewhat nervous as to what's ahead, excited for a big step in my life, surprised at how fast 3 years have gone and glad to have been here and had the opportunities I have and met the people that I have been privileged to meet. It's not over, but the end is in sight. Bring it on.
I won't have to wake up at 5:30am and start mowing and weed eating on campus. My most recent job is for the grounds maintenance crew at Northwest. I really do enjoy the job, but 5:30am and me just haven't found a way to get along quite yet. I've already learned a lot in the month I've been there and I've accomplished plenty of visible results, which makes the job rewarding. It also will earn me another paycheck, which is even more rewarding!
I'm still working dispatch, although I haven't logged as many hours there this summer. I still enjoy that job too. It is completely different than grounds though, for obvious reasons.
My big time commitment this summer has been my internship for Maryville Parks and Recreation. Every evening I can be found at the Community Center or the softball fields where I 'supervise' the events taking place at those locations. It's not a tricky job, I just have to help things run smoothly and help with set up and clean up. And although it doesn't pay me, I'm getting those valuable credit hours for doing it, which will help me to graduate in December as planned.
I am still involved in the application process for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. I'm not sure how many applicants are still in the pool, but I am certain there are more applicants than the 40 positions they will be filling with this recruiting class. My first ever polygraph will be the next step, and I hope all goes well with that. I can't think of much in my past worth lying about, so hopefully it won't be too stressful of an ordeal. I still feel that God has his hand in this, and that comfort alone is equal with actually receiving an offer of employment because I know that if for some reason it doesn't work out there is another plan and good will come out of it.
Due to my lack of free time, I haven't been home to Maysville much. I have been fortunate enough to visit a few weekends here and there and even attend church where I can see everyone that I grew up around again though. Driving to Lawson whenever I get the chance (meaning the time) also is how much of my free time has been spent. There's a particular lady down there for the summer that I've grown quite fond of. Another big reason I'm ready for classes to start - she moves back to Maryville!
August is the beginning of the end of my college career, and I'm somewhat nervous as to what's ahead, excited for a big step in my life, surprised at how fast 3 years have gone and glad to have been here and had the opportunities I have and met the people that I have been privileged to meet. It's not over, but the end is in sight. Bring it on.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Big Month!
If you remember reading my post over a month ago of how I planned to keep this blog going [more] regularly, you're probably laughing at my definition of regularly. Frankly, this slips my mind most of the time. It's not that nothing noteworthy has happened. Au contraire. It is that so much has happened that I have forgotten about this, yet again. So much has happened in the last month, in fact, that I will probably forget something or get tired of typing before I finish the list of events. Let's begin.
First, and possibly most important for my personal future at least, I traveled to Lee's Summit for the Missouri State Highway Patrol Fitness for Duty Assessment and written exam. There were about 45 people to show up for the written exam, which was the first thing on the agenda. If the written exam is passed, the individuals are invited back in the afternoon for the physical fitness test. I passed the written examination.
The fitness portion of the day took place at the high school track, conveniently located about 100m from Troop A's headquarters. Push ups, sit ups, and some running were required in a timed fashion. Of the people there, save for three U.S. Marines, I was one of the few that had stayed [roughly] in running condition since the high school track days. Passed the fitness assessment. I will not hear anything from the department until July, they informed us all - probably to keep us from bugging them all summer (can't say that I blame them). So that is good. I am very much excited for this opportunity and am thankful that I have been able to, with the help of others and a little bit (OK, a lot) of prayer to make it this far in the selection process. We will see what God has in store for me in the future; beginning in July.
In other news, the BSU traveled to Stillwater, OK on a mission trip. About 40 of us spent the week 2 blocks from Oklahoma State University's campus, helping with construction of a mission house for Hillcrest Baptist Church. There will be a family of 8 (soon to be 10 - twins on the way) that has come back from being missionaries in China that will be the first occupants. The house will have multi-use, as the church sees fit.
We split up into smaller groups to work on various projects, not limited to: painting, drywall, demolition, framing, siding, roofing, etc. Pretty much, we had a gutted house when we arrived. When we left 5 days later, the exterior was finished, and the framing done, with a little drywall completed. I was in the siding group. I am now semi-professional at installing vinyl siding. We had our share of frustrations, but had a system going that worked quite well and were able to COMPLETE the siding, driving the last nail approximately 5pm on Friday, our last work day!
The electricity is something that none of us pretended to be qualified to work on - for obvious reasons. Here is an awesome story of God's perfect timing however:
When the house was to the point where it needed some 'professional' electrical work to progress further on the inside, yet there was no one qualified to do the work, a "God thing" happened. A gentleman stopped by one day and said something to the effect of, "I have driven by here every day this week. Your group has done a lot of work! I have about 50 hours of community service to complete, and I was wondering if there was any way I could help out with this church's project. Oh, and by the way, I'm an electrician."
Can I get an 'AMEN'?
We had plenty of things to keep us busy after a full day of work as well. The first night was the church's open gym night. Naturally, we stuck around to play some pick up ball games with the locals! Tuesday, we were allowed to attend a class titled Perspectives. The speaker was Jon Zumwalt. At first glance, no matter how unbiased you claim to be, you would not think "Oh, that guy must be a pastor." His approximately 12-inch-long goatee and ponytail screamed, "Biker". He jokingly said the church down the street from his house visits him every now and then, brings him a baked good and invites him to church. He said he hasn't got the heart to tell them he's a pastor. Besides, they may not bring him any more treats! Obviously Mr. Zumwalt was a comical man. He was also very inspirational. He talked of - you guessed it - missions. Seems to be a theme here. We all left with a new 'perspective' of missions across the world to unreached people groups.
Wednesday evening we were invited to Chris's house for a BBQ. We were not aware at the time, but Chris was a retired doctor who's 'house' was more of a mansion. Complete with lake and dock. He was a great host and we all had a great time getting to hang out with each other and his family. They are great people and very hospitable!
Thursday we attended the BCM (Their name for our BSU) at OSU. It was a great time as we packed into the medium sized room and met some of the students that had a heart for Christ at one of the largest campuses in the midwest.
It was a great trip overall, as you can probably guess by now. We all had a great time. Oh, and I might mention I got to know a lovely young lady while on the trip who loves Jesus, motorcycles and Johnny Cash - and agreed to being called my girlfriend recently. (Insert cheesy smile)
Instead of the F150, I am now driving a Chevrolet Colorado. It has been great! I am enjoying the improved MPG, more seating, and especially the 4x4, although I have only really needed it once or twice thus far.
New truck, new girlfriend, new guitar, soon to be a new revolver and I was able to harvest a nice turkey Easter morning: I feel like I have the makings of a country song here! I am extremely happy with the past events, yet I realize it is not by any of my power that these 'good times' have been made possible. I have been inexplicably blessed recently. I thank God everyday for this. As the old hymn says, "Without Him, I would have nothing." I know that life will not always be butterflies and rainbows, and I am prepared to praise my Lord through the good times as well as the bad.
On a lighter note: Finals are over! Another semester down. This one seemed to be the fastest so far. Things are flying by. I'll be in Maryville most of the summer working an internship at Maryville Parks and Recreation, which I am looking forward to. Maybe I'll have time to keep this updated. Maybe.
First, and possibly most important for my personal future at least, I traveled to Lee's Summit for the Missouri State Highway Patrol Fitness for Duty Assessment and written exam. There were about 45 people to show up for the written exam, which was the first thing on the agenda. If the written exam is passed, the individuals are invited back in the afternoon for the physical fitness test. I passed the written examination.
The fitness portion of the day took place at the high school track, conveniently located about 100m from Troop A's headquarters. Push ups, sit ups, and some running were required in a timed fashion. Of the people there, save for three U.S. Marines, I was one of the few that had stayed [roughly] in running condition since the high school track days. Passed the fitness assessment. I will not hear anything from the department until July, they informed us all - probably to keep us from bugging them all summer (can't say that I blame them). So that is good. I am very much excited for this opportunity and am thankful that I have been able to, with the help of others and a little bit (OK, a lot) of prayer to make it this far in the selection process. We will see what God has in store for me in the future; beginning in July.
In other news, the BSU traveled to Stillwater, OK on a mission trip. About 40 of us spent the week 2 blocks from Oklahoma State University's campus, helping with construction of a mission house for Hillcrest Baptist Church. There will be a family of 8 (soon to be 10 - twins on the way) that has come back from being missionaries in China that will be the first occupants. The house will have multi-use, as the church sees fit.
We split up into smaller groups to work on various projects, not limited to: painting, drywall, demolition, framing, siding, roofing, etc. Pretty much, we had a gutted house when we arrived. When we left 5 days later, the exterior was finished, and the framing done, with a little drywall completed. I was in the siding group. I am now semi-professional at installing vinyl siding. We had our share of frustrations, but had a system going that worked quite well and were able to COMPLETE the siding, driving the last nail approximately 5pm on Friday, our last work day!
The electricity is something that none of us pretended to be qualified to work on - for obvious reasons. Here is an awesome story of God's perfect timing however:
When the house was to the point where it needed some 'professional' electrical work to progress further on the inside, yet there was no one qualified to do the work, a "God thing" happened. A gentleman stopped by one day and said something to the effect of, "I have driven by here every day this week. Your group has done a lot of work! I have about 50 hours of community service to complete, and I was wondering if there was any way I could help out with this church's project. Oh, and by the way, I'm an electrician."
Can I get an 'AMEN'?
We had plenty of things to keep us busy after a full day of work as well. The first night was the church's open gym night. Naturally, we stuck around to play some pick up ball games with the locals! Tuesday, we were allowed to attend a class titled Perspectives. The speaker was Jon Zumwalt. At first glance, no matter how unbiased you claim to be, you would not think "Oh, that guy must be a pastor." His approximately 12-inch-long goatee and ponytail screamed, "Biker". He jokingly said the church down the street from his house visits him every now and then, brings him a baked good and invites him to church. He said he hasn't got the heart to tell them he's a pastor. Besides, they may not bring him any more treats! Obviously Mr. Zumwalt was a comical man. He was also very inspirational. He talked of - you guessed it - missions. Seems to be a theme here. We all left with a new 'perspective' of missions across the world to unreached people groups.
Wednesday evening we were invited to Chris's house for a BBQ. We were not aware at the time, but Chris was a retired doctor who's 'house' was more of a mansion. Complete with lake and dock. He was a great host and we all had a great time getting to hang out with each other and his family. They are great people and very hospitable!
Thursday we attended the BCM (Their name for our BSU) at OSU. It was a great time as we packed into the medium sized room and met some of the students that had a heart for Christ at one of the largest campuses in the midwest.
It was a great trip overall, as you can probably guess by now. We all had a great time. Oh, and I might mention I got to know a lovely young lady while on the trip who loves Jesus, motorcycles and Johnny Cash - and agreed to being called my girlfriend recently. (Insert cheesy smile)
Instead of the F150, I am now driving a Chevrolet Colorado. It has been great! I am enjoying the improved MPG, more seating, and especially the 4x4, although I have only really needed it once or twice thus far.
New truck, new girlfriend, new guitar, soon to be a new revolver and I was able to harvest a nice turkey Easter morning: I feel like I have the makings of a country song here! I am extremely happy with the past events, yet I realize it is not by any of my power that these 'good times' have been made possible. I have been inexplicably blessed recently. I thank God everyday for this. As the old hymn says, "Without Him, I would have nothing." I know that life will not always be butterflies and rainbows, and I am prepared to praise my Lord through the good times as well as the bad.
On a lighter note: Finals are over! Another semester down. This one seemed to be the fastest so far. Things are flying by. I'll be in Maryville most of the summer working an internship at Maryville Parks and Recreation, which I am looking forward to. Maybe I'll have time to keep this updated. Maybe.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day
There actually was a Patrick. But he wasn't a saint, per se. Wasn't even Irish, actually. Here's a link telling the story of "Saint" Patrick. Very interesting. It's also interesting, if not perplexing, why a day in his celebration is known for beer. Hm. Also on my mind: Why is the sky blue? The things we'll never know.
Enjoy:
http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/17/st-patrick-one-of-the-greatest-missionaries-who-ever-lived
Enjoy:
http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/17/st-patrick-one-of-the-greatest-missionaries-who-ever-lived
Monday, March 14, 2011
Forgetting To Blog
Obviously, I have all but forgotten about my blogger account. There is no way I would be able to update on what has happened between October 2010 and now and not leave some things out. Nor do I have the time. A lot has happened. Memorable moments include:
I am still working as a dispatcher, and I still enjoy it a lot. Christmas 2010 was great, as is every Christmas. It's my favorite time of year. Snow deserves mention on the list as well. We've had a load of that since October. Classes were cancelled at Northwest for not 1, not 2, but 3 consecutive days. That is unheard of. Needless to say, students were pretty excited. But then we realized we were stuck at our appartments for 3 days. Even though no one wanted to go back to class, everyone was relieved to have something to do. I joined the praise band at the BSU. Love to make music. I play the bass every Thursday night now. I traded in my electric guitar and a little cash to make up the difference for a beautiful black Dean acoustic bass guitar and hard case. Easily the best large purchase I've made in a while. I could count the days that I have not picked it up on one hand. My birthday arrived. A bunch of my friends and I stayed in my hometown and hung out, then went to WinterJam 2011 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. It was awesome. There were people who were not able to get in - it was at capacity. Luckily, we got there early. Also, my parents helped me recently purchase a Ruger GP100 revolver in .357 Magnum. Since it was my 21st birthday, it is now legal for me to purchase a hand gun. So I did. Still waiting on the correct gun to arrive at the dealer in Maryville, but I'm pretty excited about it! This brings us to present, skipping more than a few things, I'm sure.
Now that it's warming up outside (finally!), I have been back to the Nodaway Humane Society to walk dogs a few times. This is something I greatly enjoy.
I will be graduating in December if all goes as planned, so trying to find a place to live proved to be a little tricky, so as to not have to pay for a year lease when my roommate and I would only be there for half a year or so. We got lucky and found out one of our friends' parents have a house and he is the only one living in it for next year. Now there are 3 of us, likely another 2. With that many people, rent will be around $150/person, which is nice compared to our $225 this year.
I received an internship position with Maryville Parks and Recreation for this summer. I will mostly be supervising/helping with events that MPR does throughout the summer. Scheduling umpires and referees, unlocking equipment sheds, and anything else they instruct me to do. I am looking forward to it; I really enjoy outdoors/sports, so it's the perfect internship (and I get credit for it so I can graduate). I've also been asked to help with recreation at church camp this summer for a week, which I am looking forward to! Always a great time at Grand Oaks.
Spring Break is coming up beginning Saturday. The BSU is taking their annual mission trip this year to Stillwater, OK. Not exactly sure yet on what we'll be doing, but it will be awesome, of that I have no doubt. When we return, I will update on how that went.
Now that I'm once again in touch with blogger, maybe I won't wait so long until I write again. Time will tell.
I am still working as a dispatcher, and I still enjoy it a lot. Christmas 2010 was great, as is every Christmas. It's my favorite time of year. Snow deserves mention on the list as well. We've had a load of that since October. Classes were cancelled at Northwest for not 1, not 2, but 3 consecutive days. That is unheard of. Needless to say, students were pretty excited. But then we realized we were stuck at our appartments for 3 days. Even though no one wanted to go back to class, everyone was relieved to have something to do. I joined the praise band at the BSU. Love to make music. I play the bass every Thursday night now. I traded in my electric guitar and a little cash to make up the difference for a beautiful black Dean acoustic bass guitar and hard case. Easily the best large purchase I've made in a while. I could count the days that I have not picked it up on one hand. My birthday arrived. A bunch of my friends and I stayed in my hometown and hung out, then went to WinterJam 2011 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. It was awesome. There were people who were not able to get in - it was at capacity. Luckily, we got there early. Also, my parents helped me recently purchase a Ruger GP100 revolver in .357 Magnum. Since it was my 21st birthday, it is now legal for me to purchase a hand gun. So I did. Still waiting on the correct gun to arrive at the dealer in Maryville, but I'm pretty excited about it! This brings us to present, skipping more than a few things, I'm sure.
Now that it's warming up outside (finally!), I have been back to the Nodaway Humane Society to walk dogs a few times. This is something I greatly enjoy.
I will be graduating in December if all goes as planned, so trying to find a place to live proved to be a little tricky, so as to not have to pay for a year lease when my roommate and I would only be there for half a year or so. We got lucky and found out one of our friends' parents have a house and he is the only one living in it for next year. Now there are 3 of us, likely another 2. With that many people, rent will be around $150/person, which is nice compared to our $225 this year.
I received an internship position with Maryville Parks and Recreation for this summer. I will mostly be supervising/helping with events that MPR does throughout the summer. Scheduling umpires and referees, unlocking equipment sheds, and anything else they instruct me to do. I am looking forward to it; I really enjoy outdoors/sports, so it's the perfect internship (and I get credit for it so I can graduate). I've also been asked to help with recreation at church camp this summer for a week, which I am looking forward to! Always a great time at Grand Oaks.
Spring Break is coming up beginning Saturday. The BSU is taking their annual mission trip this year to Stillwater, OK. Not exactly sure yet on what we'll be doing, but it will be awesome, of that I have no doubt. When we return, I will update on how that went.
Now that I'm once again in touch with blogger, maybe I won't wait so long until I write again. Time will tell.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
MSHP
Last week I had the privilege of participating in the Ride-Along program put on by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. I rode with Trooper Reuter out of Maryville, MO for about 4.5 hours. He showed me the ins and outs of what they do and what they try to accomplish every time they go to work. He explained, of course, that there is no such thing as a 'normal' day at work, so he couldn't tell me what to expect for the time I was riding with him.
He asked what I had in mind for the ride; what I wanted to see. I replied that I am interested in a career in law enforcement, possibly with the MSHP, and I was along for the ride to get a feel for what may happen in a night on duty.
So we took off down 71 highway, radar-ing cars as they passed, stopping a couple for various things. Then went down some country highways and eventually back to Maryville. After a couple hours of driving around, we decided Taco Bell sounded pretty good, and while we were eating, got a call of a car in the ditch outside of town.
Off we went, found the gravel road and the car, but no one was with the car. Long story short, the officers had to have the vehicle towed, find the driver, etc.
As he said, you can never be sure about what to expect.
I really enjoyed the ride, and hope to go on another later on in the year. I look forward to whatever plan God has laid out for me, possibly in the law enforcement area. We shall see how things work out!
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