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!

The Space Between Grant and Worth

I have met a lot of people since the fall of 2008, when I first arrived in Maryville as a partially full-time student, which is the most descriptive phrase I can come up with for my current residency. A sort of Dual-Citizenship, if you will. Back to the point, these other halfway-residents of the fine community of Maryville that I have been priveleged to meet differ as much as one could imagine. People from California, Florida (the states, not to be confused with the towns in Missouri) who have now been initiated with one of the infamous Northwest Missouri winters. Big cities, small towns, and even "The Middle of Nowhere" are all represented on campus. More than once I've answered the question, "What do you do for fun in a small town?". And yes, even those who ask, "WHAT. IS. THAT!?" after witnessing a combine or row crop sprayer hold up traffic through town.
...I love it.
Some of the best people I have had the priveledge to meet are those that grew up thinking Maryville was a big city. There may not be a high person/acre ratio in the area between Grant City and Worth, but there are some quality beings hidden around on the backroads.
Every time I have a stay somewhere in Worth County, I get to experience something different. This last time was no different of course, and easily one of the best!
Note: This does, in fact, answer the question, "What do you do for fun in a small town?". You may use all or part of my answer...

Labor Day Weekend 2010:
I was priveledged to experience the greatness of Worth County once again. There were between 50 and 70 people at a large pond/lake celebrating the fact that no one had to work the next day. During my adventures there, I got to:
See a friend's newly purchased motorcycle, Shoot skeet, shoot bows, including a brand new Matthew's bow, which just may have ruined me on the fixer-upper I shoot, ride four-wheelers and dirtbikes of all sizes through a nicely cut trail in the woods around the lake, eat some good BBQ and fresh fried fish, play guitars around the campfire, eat s'mores (of course), walk a couple miles on a gravel road, just because we wanted to, watch some football on ESPN, hang a deer camera, and other great things that I enjoy. All in 2 days. It was great. That was my holiday weekend, in a nut shell, with some of the best people I know, and many I didn't..until now. And they ALL knew what a combine was, I'd venture to say.

P.S.- I like people from big cities too. Maybe next post, folks.

That Was Fast

Summer, at least for me, is drawing to an end as we start class next Monday. But oh, what a summer it has been!
My summer started off with taking two more classes at Northwest, my continuing effort to get a little ahead for my senior year. We (Alex and I) moved into the bottom half of a duplex about 2 blocks from campus, the perfect location! This will be my home until May 2011 comes around. The classes lasted only 4 weeks, but put 6 more credit hours on my transcript.
Then I moved back to Maysville, where I picked up working at the bank again for the rest of the summer. Shortly after I returned, however, was our annual family trip to Branson, which was a grand ol' time, just like usual! We are lucky to have mom as our vacation planner, and she always does a wonderful job finding things to do that everyone can enjoy! The Jim Stafford show, comes to mind when I remember our Branson trip this year. Jim is always a good show to see, I'm sure. More importantly, everyone in our family agreed - it was funny!
This picture is me with the Men In Black at the Hollywood Wax Museum in Branson.
Speaking of planning trips, mom worked her magic again when we traveled to Chicago for a friend-of-the-family's wedding. Although I prefer the small town life, Chicago is a really cool city, at least in my opinion! We didn't have long, but we made it count by taking the water taxi all the way to the Sears (Willis) Tower and going up 103 floors to be able to look out over Chicago, Lake Michigan and everything within 20 miles of the huge structure. I learned a lot about the building itsself while we were waiting in line, such as it can be seen from 4 states! I hope to go back to Chicago sometime when we have more time to explore. The particular time we were there, the filming for the new Transformers 3 movie was taking place, and we saw evidence of it, although we did not actually see the set.
Every year, I am able to go to a camp at Grand Oaks Baptist Assembly in Chillicothe. This year was my 15th week at this camp! I was a coach (councelor, leader, whatever you want to call them) this year in cabin H3, and had 8 young men and another coach in the same building. We had a great time getting to know each other and talking about important matters such as music, food, and of course, ladies. But the main focus of the week was on God, and I was pleasantly surprised when we had a fairly deep conversation the first night about theology and biblical matters. By the end of the week, we had all made new friends that will last a lifetime!
Speaking of friends... 8 of us Northwest-ers traveled to Branson (again) and had a few days to ourselves down there! One day, my favorite as a matter of fact, we rented a 360 hp 24-ft long ski boat and tubed on table rock lake one afternoon! A great time was had by all!
Other notable 'accomplishments': I also put a few hundred miles on the motorcycle, got my bow tuned up in anticipation for bow season (24 days, but who's counting?), visited friends from Illinois, Nebraska, and Worth and Gentry counties were also common destinations, read a 1200 page novel about WWI, attended a couple Royals games, and got to witness my sister get her driver's lisence, among other events.
Aside from these things, running, and the canoe race, which can be read about in the preceding posts, my summer was spent in town, working. It was a good one, and I have one week left! I hope your summer was as great as mine!

P.S. these posts should come a little more frequently now that I'm back also.

Race to the Dome

July 3, 2010, 400 hours: Dad and I depart Maysville on our way to Hartsburg, MO for the start of the 1st annual Race to the Dome, a 15.8 mile canoe and kayak race ending in Cedar City (across the river from Jefferson City, hence the dome).

We arrived a little early for our 830 scheduled departure in the second heat, which was the men's tandem division. They were a little late in launching the first heat, so we had more time than we had anticipated. Tom and Joy showed up to take our truck to the ending point of the race, and we used the extra time to talk with them for a bit.

There were people there in aluminum canoes, carrying a paddle and maybe a small cooler of water. There were also people there in carbon-fiber streamlined boats with their rudder pedals and Camel-Bak Hydration systems. Everyone who saw the sticker on the side of our canoe knew we meant business though. There is a skull and crossbones sticker from last year's Missouri River 340, a race from Kansas City to St. Charles (340 miles), that my Dad and Chad completed last summer on the side of our canoe.

Finally it was our time to launch. We waded into the 2-ft-deep (1 foot water, 1 foot mud) river, hopped in, and took our place along the starting line. For the first half-mile, everyone was pretty close, but we soon started to pull away from the majority of the pack. There were about 5 canoes our front with us. I was glad that dad had some previous river knowledge, and knew where to find the best current. While others were cutting across the corners, which seemed logical, we were in the swiftest part of the river, gaining ground. Err, water, actually.

Another way we could make up some time was by watching the paddlers in front of us and noticing when they would hit a patch of uneven water or a whirlpool. While they would turn sideways or veer off-course, we would either go around the spot or just paddle hard and power through it.

From my father's blog, Sons of Auxvasse Creek:
"By this time we were catching up with some of the slower canoes from the first heat and we were being passed by some of the faster kayaks that started in the heat behind us so it was difficult to tell for sure what position we were in. I thought we were in 3rd place about 50 yards behind the next tandem canoe. Matt and I made a charge on the canoe ahead of us and they responded by picking up the pace. We couldn’t close the gap so we backed down to our regular pace and followed them on in to the finish line which was pretty chaotic with the current, other craft landing and taking off, high water and mud. I was pleased to finish in 1:51 with an average speed of 8.6 mph and in what looked to me to be 3rd place."

We loaded up our things back to the truck, ate some complimentary brats cooked by the Old Brick House Deli in Jeff City, and waited for the awards ceremony. We were impressed with the boat that showed up for a test run before the MR 340 this year. It was a 20-person boat that will travel fast!

During the awards ceremony, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we actually finished in second place! It was rewarding to get our second place medals, and made it that much more enjoyable! This 16 mile race is something I enjoyed as a competition, but that only lasted under 2 hours, so I would venture to say I'll be willing to do it again next year. Afterall, we have to try for first place, right?

Running In Circles Again

Yesterday I started running again. Not just the occasional running of a mile or so that I have been doing during the last two years, but actually painful running - sprinting, to be exact.
I have a goal. I plan to run in one of the outdoor track meets at Northwest next spring. Anyone who is not on the track team can run 'unattached', as they call it, since they are not running for a school, just for themselves. Next spring, I will be one of those people, hopefully, assuming no major injuries or other emergencies happen between now and then (knock on wood!).
I realize that the meet is about 10 months away, but I also realize I will need every one of those months to get back into shape, build some speed and strength again, and mentally prepare for what I consider one of the toughest races: the 400m dash.
Track was one of my favorite sports in high school, and yesterday I returned to the chat oval on which I spent many an after-school practice for the sport. I've seen it in better condition, but I've also seen it worse. Sure, there are a few ruts running across it from all the water, a little grass in the corners, some bleachers taking up all but 2 of the lanes on the backstretch (imagine some lines separating the lanes), and if you look from above, one corner is longer than the other. But I am happy to have it. Day 2 training starts today after work.

From Fiends to Friends

I was recently reminiscing about the high school years. More specifically, the sports that I played back then. I got a little bit of humor out of it when I thought about the friends I now hang out with the most.
First comes Kolby. He was (and still is) quite the basketball player, particularly in games against Maysville. You see, he and I were on opposite sides of one of northwest Missouri's oldest high school rivalries: King City vs. Maysville. Kolby, it seemed would always hit about 6 3-pointers during the game. He was fast and a good ball-handler = Problem. There was no dislike for him, per say, just the frustrating fact that he seemed to never miss a 3-pointer in the 4th quarter! This summer, however, (and the past year and a half) I have been spending many an evening at his house. We usually watch basketball or play video games.
Seth is another KC WildKat. I remember my senior year, during football, for the district championship no less, Seth lowered his shoulder and hit someone after the whistle had already blown, warranting many upset yells from our coaching staff, the players and especially the crowd (not to mention a penalty flag giving us 15 more yards, which we gladly accepted). This was on the first regular play of the game! Now we are good friends. Who'da thunk?
This just goes to show me that I don't know where I will be in a couple years or what friends God will grant me along the way. Also, that I need to keep an open mind when dealing with people who I just don't seem to like the most. They may someday be a good friend of mine.
Ironic, isn't it?

Who Let the Dogs Out?

We are finally moved into "The Lodge" as we call it, our home in Maryville for the next year. I am taking 2 summer classes, so I will be here until the first week in June. At that time, I will continue working at the bank for the rest of the summer. I am having a good time here, and it's going fast already. One week is already gone. After class, some days we go and volunteer to walk dogs at the Nodaway Co Humane Society. It's a really good way to spend an hour or so! There are a lot of really good dogs there. I have fallen for a Black and Tan Coonhound named Digby. He is by far my favorite. I would adopt him in a heartbeat, but the house we are renting for the year doesn't allow pets of any kind. I've been over a lot of ideas, trying to find a way to rescue this dog (which they don't really have it that bad, they're inside, get plenty of food and water, and with the college students that walk them, plenty of attention too) but none of them are feasible. Next year we decided we would look for a house, apt, etc, that would allow a dog. I can't wait.
To make things harder on me, Seth adopted a German Shepherd mix yesterday named Gus. He was the largest dog at the shelter, and the most gentle. He practically walks himself, at a slow pace and takes you to the door when he's ready to go back to his pin. He never barks and seldom even gets up to a 'trot'. But Gus is a great dog, and from what I hear, Seth and him got along just fine for their first night together. I am excited about Gus and maybe just a little bit jealous haha.
Someday I will have a dog of my very own. I am excited for that day.

Finally Thawed Out!

Spring is finally here! It's a welcome relief from the particularly cold winter we had. It's fun to get out and ride on the motorcycle, play some golf, go for an afternoon run outside, or just sit and enjoy the fresh air that is coming in the window. I've also finally figured out my summer plans. This just in: I will be taking classes in May. I'm actually kind of excited to move in to "The Lodge" as we have decided to call our residence for the next 12 months. I've figured out all my classes for next semester as well, and will have a full load, but it will be manageable. I am thankful to be able to work at the bank again this summer, as well. These last couple of weeks have been crazy busy with all the end-of-semester things to do. The warm weather isn't helping anything either. All us students want to do is be outside. It's nice to have a campus that can go from 3 feet of snow to flowering trees and 80 degrees in about a month. Don't like the weather here in Maryville? No problem, just wait a month, it'll be completely different! HA.

I am currently working (with a group) on writing and arguing a case for one of my Criminal Justice classes. It's about minors and the life without parole sentence and the 8th amendment and stuff. It's really interesting, and I find it quite enjoyable. Last night at work I spent a solid 3 hours typing away at this brief. I'm pretty proud of my work, actually. When we are completely finished, I'll post it up here in case anyone has a complete boredom attack.

I can't wait for summer. BBQ's, sand volleyball, swimming, and everything else! Things are moving at a fast pace right now, and aren't looking to slow down, but so far I'm keeping up and enjoying my final days as a Sophomore here at NWMSU.

Until next time...

Good Ol' Rockytop

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything.
I do have my excuses, legitimate or not..
First of all, the last couple weeks of March were really busy. I think I had an exam in every class except for Golf the week before Spring Break. It was insane! But good news is: I got the scores back, and it looks as if I'm going to pass another semester, provided the finals that are coming up go decent enough.
Speaking of spring break, I was in Tennessee for a whole week! Tennessee, you say? What could possibly be there that is Spring Break-worthy? Well, it's true there are not a lot of beaches (one of my favorite places on Earth, and a popular SB destination), but there is something for me to enjoy just about everywhere; the Volunteer state is no different.
I went with a group of 23 people almost 700 miles from Maryville to Smyrna, a suburb of Nashville. We left early Saturday morning, drove all day, and finally arrived Saturday evening. Our mission: Spread the love of Jesus to anyone we met - in particular a low-income housing area that would be our home for the week.
Our first day there (Sunday), we toured the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. My favorite part were the baby-grand pianos that were in the hallways. I may have played one..
On Monday we started working. We did everything from pouring concrete for sidewalks, laying flooring, running wiring, drywall installation, and even a little demolition. We got to meet some of the people who have been positively affected by groups just like ours. They were very thankful for what little they had. It humbled all of us when they would talk about how nice their homes were compared to where they had been. To us, they were run down, dirty and falling in. But thanks to groups like us, they are slowly being restored and made liveable again. We learned a lot, got a lot of experience, and made our friendships stronger - all while serving the Lord. It was another great Spring Break trip.

Pictures will follow this post.

"Ready to Rock!"

Yes, that is a song. (Airbourne - Ready to Rock)
Which brings up a point I had no intention of informing readers of on this particular early-morning 'blogging-while-working' trip. I just remembered: I have a policy. That policy, to which I've adhered as much as possible in the last 3.5 years, involves the naming of each and every one of my beautiful works of art also known as 'typed, double-spaced, at least a page long' papers. Yes, this all started back in my Junior year of high school. It has continued up til now, hopefully improving. I do not have my personal computer with me, so I cannot remember all of the papers I have saved on it. I've titled my papers everything from the Rolling Stone's "Sympathy For the Devil" (for a paper about the villains in Homer's Odyssey) to Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream" (for my research paper about the effects of sleep deprivation and external influences upon dreams). Anyway, they all have something to do with the topic at hand.
Now, back to what I previously was going to write about (also involving my taste in music).
I admire all the traditions here at Northwest...Except one. Sure, I love seeing the Bell Tower through the fog early in the morning or shining bright white as it reflects the sun on those rare occasions the sun decides to shine here in our little weather-challenged community, but the music that it plays leaves something to be desired..
First of all, there are no bells in the bell tower. There are, however, a set of speakers large enough to accompany a small rock band. The tones that are played are the traditional tones of bells that would come from a tower with about 30 bells of all different shapes and sizes. This year I've noticed that the control room operator has lightened up slightly from the classic chiming to playing familiar tunes, such as The Beatles' "Yesterday" and even "Winter Wonderland" around Christmastime. Although they make for a more enjoyable walk to class, they are still in the tones of bells to the tune of these songs. I vote for playing real music and utilizing the speakers we have instead of bells. If they wanted to keep it classical music, I'd be fine with that. I've grown fond of Bach's "Goldberg Variations, BWV, 988" for harpsichord. But if you ask me, some "Hells Bells" by AC/DC would really provide a smooth transition from straight bell tones to hardcore classic rock music. If you're not familiar with it, just listen to the first 60 seconds of it by clicking on the title of the song. There are no words, just bells and guitar.
If this song was played over the bell tower speakers, even if only once, I would be smiling for the next few days, no doubt. I realize I have very little chance of persuading University personnel to change their ways after 105 years of operation, but maybe, in true "Shawshank Redemption" fashion, (where the main character locks himself in the warden's office and uses the PA system to play opera music, which I've also provided a link to) I could lock myself in the computer control room for an hour with my trusty iPod and let Bearcats everywhere on campus enjoy the full potential of those "bells" up inside the tower.

The Late Show

Well, it's past 5am. Usually, after working the night shift most people would be able to say "nothing happened", but not tonight. I've taken calls for everything from a leaky ceiling in the art studio to a stolen vehicle. So far this has been a great night to be dispatching. Of course I've gotten some homework done, but there have been many things going on either with our department or coming over the scanner for the area's other departments. Speaking of which, that's why I can write about those instances - anyone with a scanner in Maryville (and I'm told it's quite a few people) would have been able to hear it. I also stopped by the Station, the campus's equivalent of a convenience store, and picked up a breakfast burrito before I came to work. That turned out to be a great decision! It was delicious, especially about 4am!

The other night, driving from Savannah to Maryville on 71 Hwy, a bobcat leaped out into the highway in front of me. There was a ditch on the right side of the road, and it was dark, so I didn't even see it coming. As he bounded out of the snow, the license plate on my truck (which has been known to stop a few raccoons in its day) caught up to it before he even hit the pavement.* I stopped and backed up. To my surprise, and relief, there was hardly any damage to the cat. So what did I do? Picked it up and tossed it in the truck, of course! Don't worry, I called a Conservation Agent and he informed me since it was a vehicular kill, and out of season, I would need a permit to legally possess it. That is in the works, so no problems. I am thinking it would be cool to have it tanned and made into a rug. You know that kind- the ears back, slanted eyes, teeth-bearing, decorative rug. (refer to past post about decorating our house in Maryville for next semester...)

I'm going to just throw it out there that I am officially excited for the warmer weather. Specifically, to get the motorcycle out. And also partly the small things, like say, maybe seeing something green outside again...

*- There was no damage to my truck, luckily. Headline: Metal bumper beats fur.

Winter Jam 2010!

The last few days of February were spent with great friends! To start off, the BSU staff and small group leaders all went to Blue Springs for the Leadership Conference. We left Friday after everyone was out of class and drove down. We were glad it was only in Blue Springs because other than Missouri Western's BSU, we had the shortest drive of any of the colleges represented there.

We got to stay at the Mariott, so that was nice. The main speaker, Calvin Miller, was exceptional. I really enjoyed hearing what he had to say. He is an almost 80-year-old man who acts like he's 50 still. He is an accomplished writer and read many excerpts from his most recent one, "Life Is Mostly Edges" (which I plan to purchase someday). His humor, practicality, and love of others, his wife and family, and most of all God, were all easily detected. What a guy! I am still impressed with how he has continued to trust God with everything in his life. During one of the songs I saw him slip out of his chair and kneel down. I can think of people half his age that have trouble kneeling, and although it couldn't have been comfortable, he was there on the floor in the presence of The Most High. You can see a short video of this man that I was impressed with on YouTube at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-aKb06CBCw

Our weekend finished by attending the Winter Jam concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. It was definitely one of the best concerts I've been to. Some of my favorites were there! We all had a great time!

As we proceed into March, and warmer weather hopefully, I've decided to take this month off from eating unhealthy foods. I'm going to not drink soda, eat greasy fatty stuff and just be conscious of what I eat. I'm not concerned with my health or anything, just trying to stay healthy. It's hard to do in college where most things are fried or fatty. There are plenty of healthy options though, and I've been enjoying fruitful breakfasts, small, protien-rich lunches and tonight I even had some grilled fish. I'm just going to see how I feel at the end of the month, kinda as my own little experiment.

911, Where is your emergency?

I don't know how many people are aware, but I have begun working as dispatch at University Police here on campus. So far, I have really enjoyed it! It's been fun to learn about how much they do for the safety of the students. I like all the people I work with, including the other dispatchers, the supervisors, and yes - even the officers.

At first, all the officers were nothing but a number (a badge number) to me. "Northwest to 808," was all the contact I had with them. Soon after, however, I was able to spend some time with each of them in the office and get to know them. They are all completely unique and despite their professional, powerful, no-nonsense image they present - are all quite funny at times. I suppose that the best way to relieve the stress of being an officer is laughing, and these people are good at it!

I worked my first 8-hour shift on Friday night. I know, right? Friday night in a college town, 6 inches of snow, and I'm working dispatch. I got to experience 2 separate fire alarms. The first was for my benefit and was an office building in which everyone had gone home for the night. An officer pulled the alarm so I could practice what to do in that situation. Approximately an hour later, another one went off in one of the residence halls. It turned out to be a girl singed her hair with a straightener (the alarms are sensitive sometimes) but it was enough to register 5% smoke in the room, so who knows..

One of the most requested and least favorite jobs of the officers is jump-starts. People call in when their cars won't start. First of all, everyone should have some jumper cables, just in case. If not, they should at least know someone who does. I can think of 4 off the top of my head who I know have a set and would come help me whenever I called. Gotta love friends! Sometimes I have to tell people that we cannot help them because either the battery pack is not charged (due to so much use), the officer(s) are busy, or they are out of our area - yeah, people from across town have called wanting a jump-start when we are the University Police, not affiliated with the city.

Funny thing about our officers - they have more jurisdiction than Maryville's police. They are state certified and can not only chase you off campus, but across the city, the county and sure, even the state. That's a common misconception of campus officers.

I was able to volunteer for an active shooter training drill put on by the University for the officers of all local law enforcement divisions. I got to be a civilian and sometimes a casualty. It was cool to see how quick and efficient the 4-man team was at clearing rooms and taking out threats using any means necessary. We would set up different scenarios every time for the officers and then, BOOM! The AR-15 filled with blanks would go off in the hands of the 'bad guy' dressed in camo. They would then have to navigate the building, searching, helping and asking questions of us civilians until they found the threat. I really enjoyed that.

Impromptu and Unplanned (and Possibly Redundant)

I have had a very productive week! The search for housing has begun in Maryville. Yep, the housing rut is in full-swing up here at Northwest. It started earlier this year than ever before, according to all the landlords around. That being said, Alex and I have decided not to repeat what we did last year. It went a little something like this: having no plan, whatsoever. At first, we were considering living off campus, and had scouted a few options around town. When those plans fell through, mostly because we didn't realize the speed at which open houses fill up, we decided maybe we'd just live on campus one more year. There was one problem, however - the 09-10 housing had already taken place on campus. That left us homeless. We were put on a waiting list for the residential halls here on campus and finally got a message in the summer that we had been assigned to a room. Stress was unnecessary and could have been avoided. So, I told that story to tell this story. This year we have already toured 2 duplexes, which we liked. We learned today that the one we liked the best had already been claimed. We now have scheduled 2 more tours for tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully we will find a winner there.

Now that we will be living off campus, our routines will change slightly, not to mention we will have to provide our own furniture, decorations (which will most likely be minimal and limited to only outdoorsy, masculine items and colors ha) and FOOD! We have tried our hand at the whole cooking thing, and so far it's working out well. We purchased a skillet, some Crisco, and a whole lot of napkins and have fried deer loin, catfish, and yes, even the squirrels made famous by the previous post.

I have taken 2 tests, which I am confident I did well on, although the results are not back yet. I also wrote 2 papers in the last 2 days.

For the Superbowl (resulting in a Saints win, with which I am pleased), a bunch of people, including myself, showed up at the BSU to watch it on the projector screen. It was a great time. Free snacks. We even played a form of fantasy football, where everyone drew a players name when they arrived and whenever that player did something note-worthy, a certain, predetermined number of points were awarded. For every 10 points, you could add your name to the prize drawing, which took place at the end of each quarter. Alison won a Nerf gun, so that means I won a Nerf gun (thanks AL!).

Yesterday I went home on a surprise visit for mom's birthday. It worked out perfectly. She was in the shower when I arrived, so she didn't hear me come in. I was sitting at the kitchen table when she came out and she was excited to see me. It was nice to spend a few hours at home too, since I haven't been there in a couple weeks.

Our Intermural basketball team, The Tune Squad, won our second game tonight. We are now 2-0.

I finished training for my new job working dispatch for University Police here on campus. After a few more hours of supervised work, I will be working the night shift (12am-8am) one night per week and possibly one night of the weekend, which doesn't usually get a good reaction, but remember - we're in college, we can handle the late nights (especially just one a week). I have some time during the day to nap too, before and after work, so that will help. I am really enjoying the job and am excited to continue working and getting paid too, of course.

Like I said, busy week. But it's been a 'good' busy.

Nine in the Afternoon

This weekend was the BSU's January Retreat at God's Mountain camp in Rushville, MO. The Northwest Bearcat BSU was joined by the Griffons of Missouri Western, Truman State Bulldogs and NCMC Pirates' BSUs as well. We arrived about 6 pm Friday evening, and got a game of floor hockey in before the first session. Speaker of the weekend was John Hill from somewhere in Ohio, I believe. He did a very good job and spoke on Apologetics - Why do we believe what we believe? He referenced a book, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist", which I have read and thought was a really cool book, explaining why after weighing the facts, it would take more faith to believe there is no god that to believe in the one true God. It was a good weekend, and it's always fun to meet new friends from different places. Especially friends who share an interest and love of God.

4pm Saturday afternoon, Alex and I arrived at my house. There was just enough daylight left to head out and shoot the newest addition to the Wright's arsenal - a .44 caliber stainless steel black powder pistol!

Sunday, 3pm: Alex and I had just arrived at my favorite squirrel hunting location and literally been there 2 minutes before we saw 2 squirrels. Of course, if you are familiar with the hunting tradition of myself or Alex, you will understand that these 2 squirrels had about a 1% chance of living after having been spotted by us. We traveled farther in the timber and managed to bring out another in a short time. By then we had to get back to Maryville for some meetings and what-not. Another good weekend, accomplished.

The Last Laugh

This morning, Alex, Anne and I, (along with many other college students) attended Calvary Chapel Church in Maryville. I have really come to like this church and the people there. It's awesome that their almost brand-new building, which isn't even finished completely on the inside, is full every Sunday! There is always about 20 minutes of worship songs, lead by one lady (who can really sing well!) that also plays the guitar. Then we take a 5 minute break for snacks, which are provided by the church. I am a fan of the cookies and usually have a banana too.

Yesterday, I traveled to Worth County to hunt coyote with Alex. It was extremely muddy everywhere, so we came back with some muddy boots. Which, while I'm on the subject, happened to be Muck brand Boots. If you ever need a new pair of boots, go with Mucks. They are awesome. Our feet stayed warm and dry the whole day of walking through creeks, snow, and even the occasional manure pile. That's my commercial for the day.

Anyway, we didn't end up shooting, or even calling in any coyotes, but we did hear them howling right as the sun went down. We were fortunate enough to see deer, turkey, and a few squirrels, so in my opinion, the trip was well worth it. It sure beats sitting around and watching TV all day.

Wednesday was the day Alison was able to cash in her birthday gift from myself, which was a pair of tickets to Allen Fieldhouse to watch KU play Baylor. We had a great time! I have not, am not, nor will I be a fan of the Kansas Jayhawks (I'm on the Mizzou side of the border rivalry), but after seeing the facility, which was impressive in itself, the traditions, such as the famous "Rock Chalk" chant, and the pride and sheer noise the fans can produce, I have a greater respect for the Jayhawks and their basketball program. You have to at least recognize them, they have won a title or two in their day..

I got the last laugh though. In the picture, I'm actually wearing my Royals' Greinke shirt. I made sure to wear something blue, so I didn't have to fight anyone. But I fooled them, eh? I was still representing Missouri and our professional sports teams. How many does Kansas have again?

BSU Announcements

For the 2009 Fall and 2010 Spring semesters, Alex (my roommate) and I have been given the task of creating announcements in video form for the BSU. We have been enjoying it, as you are about to see. I have posted some past videos of announcements. Enjoy.

Frozen Fog-Sickles

Maybe I'm easily amused. Maybe this happens all the time, and it was just the first time I'd noticed (or been up early enough to catch it). Today, however, I was able to see the product of dense fog + cold temperatures over an extended period of time = Frozen fog-sickles. On everything. I thought it was pretty cool looking, and worth sharing.

Your Grace is Enough

Today's reading and thoughts:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

^"7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul prays for healing from the 'thorn in his side' three times, yet doesn't receive it. Although he doesn't receive healing, he does receive grace, strength, character, humility, and an ability to empathize with others who may also be experiencing pain or disability.

God has a plan. A sovereign plan. And sometimes we don't understand why that plan doesn't include healing for us or our loved ones. But we still must pray, believe and trust.

Paul is proof that even Godly people are not immune. We must pray for healing by trusting our bodies to God's care. Nothing separates us from his love. Our spiritual condition is always more inprotant that our physical condition. God's power is displayed sometimes through weakness. "For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Ghost Town Bank Trivia

Last night Maysville received another 3-5 inches on top of our previous 10 inches of snow. It really wasn't a big deal to me. Once we pass 8 inches of snow, it's all classified as 'deep'. Obviously, school is not in session today. Here at the bank, however, a little snow won't stop us from, uh.. transacting? It has turned out to be a rather slow day though, which was expected. This whole week has been slower than average due to the weather and extremely cold temperatures. To occupy myself (and entertain some friends) I have been sending "Bank Trivia" via text message. The questions include:
Monday:
If you had one of each denomination of American currency currently in circulation, how much money would you have?
Tuesday:
What was the highest denomination of U.S. currency ever printed? Hint: It was only printed for 23 days, beginning on December 23, 1934.
Wednesday:
If you had $1 Million in one-dollar bills, how much would it weigh in pounds?
Thursday:
What time is on the clock of the Independence Hall on the back of the $100 bill, and what is the significance of this time?
Friday:
If you had $10 Billion and spent $1 every second, every day, how long would it take for you to go broke?
Bonus:
The number 13 (for the 13 U.S. Colonies) is prominent on the $1 bill numerous times. How many "13's" can you find?





Answers:

Monday: $189.91
Tuesday: $100,000 bill
Wednesday: 2040.8 lbs
Thursday: 4:10 - April 10th (4/10) is the 100th day of the year.
Friday: 317 Years
Bonus: There are 9 "13's"
1. 13 stars above the Eagle
2. 13 steps on the pyramid
3. 13 letters in ANNUIT COEPTIS
4. 13 letters in E PLURIBUS UNUM
5. 13 vertical bars on the shield
6. 13 horizontal bars on the shield
7. 13 leaves on the Olive branch
8. 13 berries on the Olive branch
9. 13 arrows

Brrr. That is all.

This past Monday and Tuesday, I spent a combined total of about 18 hours in the wilderness (a.k.a the white abyss) of Northwest Missouri. I was in search of a trophy whitetail deer. I was not lucky enough to bring back a trophy, but I brought back a lot of knowledge from the excursion.
1. I learned what could be an important life-lesson: When Foot Warmers say “Up to 6 hours of heat!”, ‘up to’ does not necessarily include 6 hours.
2. I learned that 15 inches of snow requires a lot of energy to walk in.
3. Speaking of the snow, I learned that just because a field looks flat with snow on it, does not mean the ground underneath is flat. One minute you’re walking in 10 inches of snow, the next thing you know, you’re waist-deep in the fluffy white stuff.
4. I usually enter ‘stealth’ mode whenever we arrive at our hunting location. The first day of the snow the wind was blowing about 20 mph, and the snow was coming down almost horizontally. Blizzard conditions, basically. As I was walking, I was thinking how I would have to abandon my favorite strategy of field-hunting, and move deep into the timber, where the deer would most likely be avoiding the weather the best they could. However, when I came around the corner, I saw two deer in the middle of the field! Apparently they had decided to brave the wind and snow in search of some soy bean remnants. They were too far for the muzzleloader to reach, and besides, they saw me too. Lesson learned: deer are [sometimes] unpredictable, and [occasionally] downright puzzling.
5. For whatever reason, apparently December 29 is National Woodpecker Day. They were everywhere! And a few different species. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they were all migrating and made it safely here (despite the -4 degree morning). My whole hunting career I have seen maybe 5 (maybe) of the Pileated Woodpeckers, which happen to be, in my opinion some of the coolest birds in our area! They are almost crow-sized, which is pretty large! But I digress. Anyway, on that particular day, I happened to see no less than 8 of these birds, both male and female. They also have a very loud call that sounds somewhat of a cross between a crow and a squirrel. There were other species there too. The most popular seemed to be the Downy Woodpecker, which is a very small bird that resembles the Chickadee.
Although I did not see a deer until it was almost dark outside, I enjoyed watching these birds fly around for a few hours. The only drawback: it sounded like a bird war zone with all the pecking!
I have enjoyed my time at home, and spent my whole New Years Day watching BCS Bowl games on ABC. I have also enjoyed my time at the bank. I still have another week at both, but I am almost ready to head back and restart the college routine I have become accustomed to. And to see the friends there too, of course.