Out with 2014 and in with 2015

Please bare with me. This post may be quite lengthy. By the time I get home in the evenings, I tell myself it is too late to make a blog post. As I begin writing this post, it is 10:45 p.m. I won't finish tonight!

Reflections of 2014
I wanted to start with reflecting on years past, especially 2014. I've tried making resolutions just the opposite of what I really mean in order to motivate myself. "This year, I will gain 20 pounds." Since I don't usually meet the resolutions, maybe I wouldn't meet those. And if I did, I could at least say I finally kept one! But in 2014, things were a little different. I didn't really make a resolution at the beginning. After all, why wait until the beginning of a year to make positive changes? Resolutions can be made at any time of the year, not just January 1.

I knew I wanted to take more photos, improve spiritually and lose some weight. January and February weren't off to a great start for any of them. In mid to late January, I went through somewhat of a dark time, which I didn't really tell anyone about. It was a time of doubt and questioning everything I believed. I went through something like that while I was in college as well, but it wasn't like this time. I found myself sinking into a degree of depression I hadn't experienced since I came to know Christ, as I questioned whether God really existed. How did I know he was the true God? How did I know that Christianity was right and not Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Wicca, etc.? I feared what was to come next. I don't remember the order exactly, but my grandfather passed away March 1, 2014.

In late February or early march I began showing some signs of the flu and had a 103 degree fever. It was a Friday so all I could do was curl up in bed and take tylenol to lower the temperature. Monday evening I went to the doctor -- feeling much better and with only a low grade fever. It turns out it was merely a sinus infection. But something else came out of the doctor visit. The  nurse asked me if my blood pressure was normally that high. I don't remember what it was exactly but it was definitely higher than the last time I had taken it. When I got home and my family asked the diagnosis I told them, "I am officially on a diet now." I did not want to be put on blood pressure medicine at age 25.

Almost a year later, things have gotten a lot better. All of those other religions, including atheism, offer no hope. And I thought back to the life of Jesus and the empty tomb he left behind. If he weren't who he said he was, how did his body disappear from a guarded tomb? Why were there so many witnesses to him walking around before ascending to heaven? Why do so many people still believe today? And if Jesus is who he said, then that is the proof of God and his promises.

In August, I was finally hired at Heifer after a little more than two years as a temporary worker. God answered a prayer. After finally becoming an employee, I was able to get an apartment of my own. I weighed the pros and cons of moving to Little Rock and settled on staying in Sheridan for the time being which lead me to join First Baptist Church which I had been attending for about six months.

In October, I started what we are calling "Central Arkansas Young Adults Bible Study" in Little Rock. We are trying to emulate a group we were a part of in college in which we studied the bible, witnessed and provided each other with accountability. The new bible study group has put me in a place of leadership once more and I have felt God moving in my life through both my church and the bible study.

Faith has also been an important part in losing weight, which I must admit I haven't had the right focus lately and have fallen back into old ways of going back for seconds, eating sweets, etc. I did my best at losing the weight when I focused it on glorifying God. I took encouragement in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "19 Or do you not know that your body is a [a]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from [b]God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." The verse isn't talking about weight but I think it is still applicable, and realizing that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit means I should take care of it -- whether it be exercising, what I eat or what I do.

Looking Forward to 2015
I made excuses about writing this blog for five days now. Oddly enough, one of the things I want to challenge myself to write at least one post every couple of weeks in 2015 on whatever topics come to mind. They may be life lessons or completely random writing prompts I find online. But I want to write more. Not only that, I want to do things I love doing more -- hiking, camping, geocaching, photography, spending time with friends.

I actually spent my first day of the new year at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. And then Sunday, I went back for another guided hike "off the beaten path."

After the #FirstDayHikes, we returned to the pavilion for hot chocolate and a campfire. The ranger had pieces of paper for each participant to write down something from 2014 they wanted to leave behind in the new year. I thought about it and some of the ways God had been moving in my life. I wrote one word on the piece of paper: Fear.

In 2014, I was asked to help at the Fall Carnival at church. There were clipboards going around to sign up for different posts. The one I was going to sign up for never came to me, but the parking attendant came to me three times so I finally signed up. I had no clue what I was doing and was nervous up until the night of the event. I had signed up for a two hour shift and ended up arriving early and leaving late. And nothing went wrong -- no cars had a wreck because of me. God was in control. A few weeks later there was an incident at the gas station which I wrote a note about on Facebook. Fear took over and I didn't do or say what I had wanted. Finally, I received a letter that I was to serve as an usher at church for January and October 2015. Again, I had never done this, don't like getting up in front of people, but knew that it was important and there was a reason God had me there. The first Sunday a rolled around and went just fine. In 2015, I want to be fearless. God began showing me the conflict between faith and fear. I want to have more faith. I want to trust him more.

Prayer is another aspect I want to work on in 2015. I strongly believe in the power of prayer, but so often I fail at actually praying. If I pray in bed, I fall asleep. If I pray at my desk, my mind wanders off to other...squirrel! You see? So most of the time I just fail to pray all together. I have started 2015 with a devotional on prayer and we are beginning an eight week study, "Praying with Paul" in the bible study group. I led the first session yesterday and a couple of things stood out. I think my three biggest take aways were to be intentional/schedule time for prayer, use a prayer list/journal and don't be afraid to ask others for prayer. 

I need prayer that I would get up early in the mornings to pray. I am NOT a morning person. Waking up at 6 a.m., Monday through Friday, to be out the door by 6:30 a.m. and to work by 7:30 a.m. is difficult enough. Now I am attempting to wake up by 5:45 a.m. to allow at least 15 minutes of time with God before I begin my day. If I do not get up by 5:50 a.m. (or at least consciously choose to turn the alarm off), I have to solve 10 difficult math problems to snooze the alarm or one difficult math problem to turn it off. Again, I am not a morning person and do not want to do math problems that early. Hopefully it works! And eventually, I would like to move it back to 5:30 a.m. and maybe 5 a.m. I'm just not sure how I will function on an average of 5-6 hours of sleep per night.

And finally, I want to continue trying to eat healthier, exercise and reach a healthy weight range in 2015. I lost about 40 pounds in 2014 and if I can do the same in 2015 I will meet my goal. I currently need to lose about 35 pounds to reach the upper limit of my target range.

Only seven days into 2015 and it has already been a year of firsts. I hope it will continue to be so and continue to bring improvements.

Happy New Year everyone!

Bringing in 2014

Facebook told me last week I need to get out more, more or less. Each year the social media site offers a summary of a user's top 20 moments for the past 365 days. A couple of items on my summary were pictures from Petit Jean State Park, but sadly one of them was a Bitstrip comic of me telling my niece not to touch my computer. Somehow I doubt the photos from New Years eve show up in my summary for this year but hopefully they do for the 2014 review.

Tuesday night was the annual bonfire and karaoke night. About seven friends and an additional five family members attended. This was about the fifth or sixth bonfire we've hosted where some of my college friends come down and some of them bring a few other friends. Most of the time we have at least two or three new people and many of them are international students. This year we had our second snipe hunt. And of course, we can't forget the karaoke until past midnight. Since it was New Year's we all sang a round of Auld Lang Sine at midnight. We will see if the event shows up in 2014, but regardless, I have got to do more this year.

January 1 is the time to set resolutions -- those things we never follow through with. I've gone so far as to set my resolutions the opposite of what I really want to do; either I will actually do what I really want or I will succeed for once in my resolutions. This year I am trying a third approach.

Get outside more
One of my favorite things about living in Arkansas is it truly is the natural state. City parks, state parks and national forests are all over the state with lakes to swim and trails to hike.

Write more, photograph more
I love writing. I love photography. I don't do much of either any more. In 2014 I would like to write a blog every other week and maybe the photos will help. If I ever finish one of my "novels" I might even post some of the chapters of them on here. Feel free to suggest topics.

Travel more/plan more
I've been a lot of places, but as far as leisurely travel, Branson is as far as I got in 2013. In 2014 I would like to travel more in the United States. Of course, that means I have to plan more in my personal life so that I can take the time off and make the best use of my time. Not only that, but it makes finding friends to travel with easier. If all goes well, some of us are traveling in the first or second quarter of the year to Texas.

Welcome 2013

Last year when I made my new years resolutions, I decided to do something different. Since generally I and a lot of other people are bad about starting out well but not ending so well, I set my resolutions to the opposite of what I really wanted to do. Instead of losing 10 pounds, I set it to gain 10 pounds. I would either do what I really wanted or at least keep the resolution, so I thought about doing the same this year. In fact, last year, I did lose about 20 pounds. The only problem is, once I came back to the United States, I gained the 20 plus an extra 20 back. So maybe that isn't such a good idea. Instead, I am choosing to go with the traditional route this year. I have set three major goals for this year and now I am blogging about them for accountability. The first goal is the most important of the three -- so important that it is the only way I will succeed in the other two goals.

1. Actively seek a stronger relationship with God through Jesus
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13). This year I want to put on the full armor of God. I want to have a strong relationship with him. Throughout my Christian life, I have been on a roller coaster ride. When I was first saved in high school, it started out well -- I was "on fire" for God. But when I went to college and left my youth group, it got even bumpier. After leaving behind some of the friends I made in college with which I could talk to about spiritual matters and study the bible together, etc., it has been mostly a down hill ride. Its time to turn around. This will be my hardest resolution -- going up hill is always harder than coasting down -- but it will be well worth it. It will be the only way I will be able to succeed in any of my other goals.

I don't think I have prayed consistently since college -- before bed, before meals, etc. I haven't really prayed before meals much at all since freshman year of college. And I don't really know when prayers at night ceased. I downloaded a bible app for my phone this summer and began listening to several chapters per day on my drive to work. But it isn't enough. And then there is the trust factor. So some of my plans are:

• Reorganizing my bedroom to provide space for a desk.
• A location to study my bible, and use a desktop computer with no internet connection for a study log and/or prayer journal.
• Make it a habit to pray throughout the day, whether long or short prayers. Prayer without ceasing.
• Attend church regularly; stop making excuses such as "I didn't get much sleep last night."

2. Be more outgoing

This will be another very difficult goal. I am shy by nature. I don't really make small talk very well, especially with people I don't already share some kind of connection with. I want to be able to talk to people I don't know, more often. Sometimes this little bit of interaction can make their day (see my previous blog post). I'm not really sure how to plan for this one other than pray, pray, pray and trust in God. I think this will also apply to sharing my faith.

3. Live healthier

Rather than simply state that I want to lose weight, I want to take it a step further. I want to exercise more. I want to eat healthier. I want to build my endurance. I love the outdoors but my physical state doesn't allow me to do a lot of things that I think would be a ton of fun. My fear of heights aside, I can't climb because I don't have the upper body strength required. I am out of breath after climbing 3 flights of stairs. I would like to go on a 100+ mile backpacking trip within the next year or two but don't think I have the endurance to make it. I would love to have a multi-night canoe trip down a river/survival trip camping off of the bare minimums (emergency food for backup, catching most food, etc.). So here some some of the plans to help meet this goal:

• Eat small portions of each meal so that when I go back for seconds (as I am sure it will), I will not be overeating
• Develop a schedule of certain physical activities for each week along with a backup plan if there is some kind of unexpected event such as rain
• Develop more self-control -- don't feed the sweet tooth. 
• Force myself to jog and to keep running even when it hurts to build endurance

So there you have it, my three goals for 2013. They won't be easy goals to meet. And the last two will be impossible without succeeding in number one. If you are reading this blog feel free to hold me accountable and ask me about these goals and any progress. I am going to attempt to blog about my progress on some of these throughout the new year as well. Have a wonderful and safe 2013.

Haunted House

Throughout college I wanted to go to a haunted house or haunted corn maze with my friends. In four years, we never did go. But this past Friday I finally got to go to a "haunted house," in Little Rock. My mom and I took my niece to the "Old Haunted Warehouse" in Little Rock, located right behind the Pulaski County Jail.

I wanted to go as soon as I saw the flier at Spirit Halloween Store and the clerk said it was well worth it. Not only is it a "haunted house," it is in a bad section of town, behind the county jail and visitors have to walk from the parking area to the warehouse. I loved it. Of course, I am almost 24 years old and male. I'm not stupid, I know nothing is really dangerous inside and that people in costumes are going to be jumping out at me. I was never scared, never even jumped. But I did laugh the entire time.

My niece is 10. It was dark inside but my eyes had adjusted. I could tell where there would likely be people hiding and I kept my eyes on all of the figures. When I walked around a corner, I put my back to the wall so that I wouldn't be surprised. In another room I was watching my surroundings -- that is all I can say because I don't want to give away the surprise. I will say my favorite part was the strobe lights. Again, I won't say more than that.

I think I may go again with some other friends. If the staff will let me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve (or at least one) that I would like to pull to further scare my friends since I already know the layout and whats coming. Anyway, if you are looking for a good haunted house in the Little Rock/Central Arkansas area, the "Old Haunted Warehouse" on Brown Street (off of Roosevelt) behind the jail is one good option.

February

I really have not blogged much lately. It has been about two or three weeks since my last post, but not much is new. When I first started planning on coming to Spain, I thought I was going to travel a lot. I thought I was going to see most of the cities I wanted to in Spain and even some cities in Europe. I still want to see some, but with each passing weekend I have to re-prioritize. The absolute latest I can stay in Europe is August. But that requires me to pay expenses without an income.

I still hope to see a lot of places in Spain that I still have not seen such as: Pamplona, Santiago de Compostella, Salamanca, Segovia, Zaragosa and Valencia. I also would really like to see Morocco, Venice, Rome and Gibraltar if I am not able to go to any other international destinations. This weekend will be a four-day one and I am still trying to figure out where to go-- Valencia or Zaragosa are looking to be my best options. Transportation is very strange though. I can fly to Rome, round trip for cheaper than I can fly to many destinations in Spain, one-way. And buses are very inconvenient and uncomfortable. From Sevilla to Santiago is a 14 hour bus ride, or an hour and a half flight. I have a day or two to figure it out and try to find someone to go with me so I don't have to travel alone again.

In other news, we are finally seeing some warmer days. Of course, cooler temperatures are still in the forecast, but spring seems to be just around the corner. I look forward to when I no longer have to wear a jacket anymore, even in the mornings. I look even more forward to not having to wear a jacket inside my apartment.

I will post a video blog in the next day or two. I plan to take advantage of this nice weather and record it in one of the local parks. Unfortunately, I feel like my Spanish is getting worse rather than better.

Christmas Travels

It has been quite a while since I last blogged. Most of my topics were Christmas secrets which I couldn't put out here on the web until today.

Friday, December 23 began my long travel home. I got up at 11:30 Friday morning, caught a bus to Madrid at 10:15 Friday evening. I probably got 30 minutes of broken-up sleep on the ride to the airport. We arrived to Barajas at 6 a.m. and then I had to wait two hours for the ticket counter to open. The flight boarded an hour after its scheduled departure time. It didn't bother me too much as the airline automatically rescheduled my flight to Memphis from Atlanta which allowed me more time to make the connection.

On the flight over I didn't sleep. In the last three hours I began talking with the others in my row. One was from Mexico but had lived in Spain for several years. The other was an Auxiliar in Madrid. We ended up talking for the remainder of the flight, mostly in Spanish, and a little English. A guy in the next row kept staring at us.

I arrived to Arkansas around 11 p.m. We opened presents around 12:30 a.m. so that I could sleep a little longer the next morning before the big surprise.

I would say that it went well. On Tuesday I tried to surprise my dad for his birthday but he was suspicious and it didn't work out well.

Untraditional

Allow me to add a few more "thanks" to the previously posted list.

When I started cooking my Thanksgiving dinner, I had planned to have a little bit of tradition to the food. What I came out with had a little tradition mixed with creativity.

So I will start with the addition to the list: I am thankful I still have a place to live. I didn't catch anything on fire.

The meal was to consist of chicken breasts, sweet potatoes and a green been casserole. I had all of those ingredients plus some.

The casserole actually tasted pretty good. Last night I friend onions and made the cream of mushroom soup. This evening I mixed the soup and green beens and let them cook. While they slowly cooked, I prepared the chicken and sweet potato and left them to cook in the oven, along with some onions.

Because I was unable to find spices to make dressing/stuffing I decided to add pasta to the menu. I boiled it, drained it and added garlic and butter. After taking the chicken, onion and potato out of the oven I sliced the chicken and added it to the pasta. I added the onions to the green beans. I put the potato back in the oven for another 10 minutes as it was still hard.

I ended up adding spinach to the green beans to make it less soupy (and because I don't care for spinach and am trying to find ways to eat it without tasting it). I later added the fried onions. Everything was done cooking except the potato. When I took it out and it was still hard I was frustrated. I put it on the stove top and cooked it even more and it still stayed hard. I am convinced it wasn't a normal sweet potato or that Spain found some way to breed them with rocks.

I ate some of it. The green bean mess was actually good. The pasta and chicken mix was alright but not my favorite. The potato was horrible. That being said, if I am not sick tomorrow, I will yet again be Thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Un dia de gracias / A day of Thanks

El 24 de Noviembre de 2011 es el día de acción de gracias en los Estados Unidos. No puedo celebrarlo como celebramos típicamente, pero todavía tengo mucho por que estoy agradecido.

• Gracias a todos mis amigos y a mi familia por apoyarme a venir a España. Y tambien estoy agradecido por Skype y Facebook que me permiten hablar con mi familia y mis amigos.
• Gracias a mi compañero del piso aquí en Huelva. Si no fuera por ti, yo no estaría en España ahora. Los primeros días fueron difíciles y te me ayudo mucho.
• Gracias al Centro Bautista "Buenas Noticias," y el pastor quienes me recibieron. Cuando vine a España no sabia exactamente que Dios tenia planificado. Para poder a ayudar en la iglesia con la enseñanza de ingles y tambien, tal vez, un grupo pequeno en ingles, me alegre. 
• Y sobre todos, Gracias a Dios por sus bendiciones. Me traería a España.  Solo por su gracia he sobrevivido aquí. Estoy agradecido que él es el mismo en todo el mundo y en todos tiempos... ayer, hoy y mañana. 

---

November 24, 2011 is Thanksgiving en the United States. I am unable to celebrate it as we typically do, but I still have a lot to be thankful for.

• Thank you to all of my friends and family who supported me and helped me to come to Spain. I am also thankful for Skype and Facebook which allow me to talk to my family and friends.
• Thank you to my roomate here in Huelva. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here in Spain now. The first days were dificult and you helped me a lot.
• Thank you to the church, Good News Baptist Church, and the pastor who all welcomed me. When I came here to Spain, I did not know exactly what God had planned. To be able to help in the church, teaching English and possibly a small group in English, brought me joy.
• And above all else, I thank God for his blessings. He brought me to Spain and only y his grace have I survived. I am thankful that HE is the same in all of the world and always...yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Its the most... busiest time of the year

December. It's the most wonderful time of the year. There is no doubt about it (other than a few instances). Strangers helping other strangers and extending kindness. People being nicer to each other. Families spending time together. Christmas Carols. I love it!

But there is no doubt either that it is the most busy time of the year too. In the past years my friends and I have gone to two nursing homes to sing carols and visit the residents. We didn't have the time this year. Everyone was so busy with finals and classes and other festivities. I have yet to begin Christmas shopping-- 20 days left until the big day. It seems like theres an event practically every day.

I've even said that between adults, I wouldn't even mind if we didn't exchange gifts-- just give to the kids in the family and leave it at that. The rest of us just get to spend time together. It seems like that would make things a lot less stressful. Every year Christmas shopping becomes more and more difficult. I don't know what to get people and I don't know what to tell them I want. And if it spread to be a cultural thing of only buying for the kids then there might not be quite as much fighting over some of the items in stores on Black Friday and other major shopping days.

Whatever the matter... In all the business of the season... in all the time with family... all the time shopping... with friends... singing... getting into the Christmas spirt... Let's remember that Christ is the reason for it. God's gift!

The Edge

Thanksgiving break is coming to a close, but that doesn't mean ASU has some of the main buildings open. The Union is closed. The library is closed. That made studying a little difficult until today.

Yesterday we tried to go to the park to study. It was too cold. I did manage to get my Public Relations assignment done but my hands were freezing by the end of it. Later I did everything but study.

Today we came to The Edge Coffee House. I am here every Wednesday for Tertulia but very rarely come on my own. But today it provided a nice environment to study. I bought a soda and a hot drink and spent four hours there. Nice environment. Nice beverages.

Unfortunately, tomorrow it is back to the library.

Party party party

I think I have been to more parties last week and more to come this week, than I have been in my entire college career.

The Christmas festivities all started last Thursday. It was the annual carols and candles at TNT. Then Friday we practiced for caroling. Saturday was the Christmas party at Eric and Leanne's. Following it was Josh's Birthday party.

Sunday we went caroling at St. Bernard's Retirement Home. That went fairly well, though we had to do some re planning in the middle. We had printer errors and so some of us stayed behind to get songs printed out. Others went on to the home and stalled for time by visiting with the residents.

Monday we had a Christmas party in news editing, and also in newspaper staff meeting. Today we are going caroling at South Wind Heights Retirement home. It is at 7 PM. Wednesday is Christmas on Campus. Thursday I plan on baking cookies for Christmas. Sometime Thursday or Friday I will begin making a gingerbread house. Saturday night we will ring the bells for the Salvation Army.

Christmas brings so many things to do. There is so much to do and so little time. But it is great. There is no time to get bored. Of course it means finals are just around the corner so in between all the fun stuff it is important to make time to study.

To the students: good luck on finals and have a safe trip wherever you go over Christmas Break.

To everyone: Have a very merry Christmas and happy new year.

Last week of classes 2009

Last week of classes: That time of year students have a million things to do and only a week to do it. That is pretty much it.

I really don't have time to write this blog so I am going to keep it short. As my fellow college students will know, there are only two more days of classes left. YAY! Right? Wrong?

What that really means: It is time for everyone to turn in projects that you have had two or three weeks to work on. The problem? That is usually at least two or three projects if not more. And that is on top of all the other class work and extra curricular activities.

The good news: Only two more days until a whole month of stress free time. Who cares about finals, the final projects are more stressing than those little things.

Good luck to everyone on their finals next week.

Fall Break

It is official: fall break has begun. The sad thing is, as a college student the only break is at Christmas break and summer break.

Though I am out in the woods again, I had to bring homework with me. I am actually hunting from the front steps of the cabin right now. The gun is laying beside me, and leaves fall all around me. I have to charge the electronics in the vehicle because there is no running water or electricity. I am connected to the internet through my Dad's cell phone.

Occasionally I will look up for the unlikely chance a deer will walk out down the road from me. In the meantime, I sit here typing away at this blog and looking up information for my final projects.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone. There is tons to be thankful for!

Standing Out; Standing Up

Last night was the first time I have been on the third floor of the student union for a couple of weeks. Well, at least a week anyway. As I was walking down the hallway towards where we have a bible study, I could see reflections in the windows. Lights, colored balls, green trees and boxes sitting on the floor, all reflected through the windows.

Others commented on the trees that night. One person asked which one is our favorite. Some trees were highly decorated, some had no decoration. But many of us answered the white one. I don't know why a lot of people chose the white one, but I know why I did: It stood out from all the rest. It was the only white tree in the group of seven or eight trees.

What a perfect picture. As a Christian I should be set apart. I should look different from "the world." What I say, what I do, what I watch, what I listen to... It should all reflect who Christ is. I should stand out from everything, and everyone else around me. I should be like the white tree.

But, I know this is not primarily a religion blog so I will tie it in a little more.

I asked one of the janitors what was going on and if there was some event up there. He said he did not think so, that it was a fundraiser. The boxes at the base of the trees were wrapped, but the top is open. Different Greek organizations on campus had a box with their name by it.

To be honest, my first thought was "It's too early." Why are people already putting Christmas lights up? Why is the bell tower already playing some Christmas music? Why are stores playing Christmas music before Halloween?

Everyone spends the holiday differently. For some it is a religious holiday, for some it is just a time to spend with family. For some, Christmas is not even the holiday they are celebrating.

Now, I am not saying not to say Merry Christmas in stores or anything like that. My point is that it is just too early. Thanksgiving is still a week away. Have we completely forgotten about thanksgiving?

The decorations may not be as pretty or numerous, but there are still decorations. The meaning may not be quite as deep but there is still meaning. For the celebrators who do not celebrate for religious beliefs it shouldn't matter a whole lot. For those celebrating Christmas (Dec. 25) because it is Jesus' "birthday," Thanksgiving is a great time to just give thanks to God.

Be thankful for what we have. Be thankful for housing. Be thankful for food. Be thankful for water. Be thankful for family. Be thankful for life. Be thankful for Christ's sacrifice. Be thankful for our freedoms. Be thankful for countless other things there are to be thankful for.

Sophomore Year

Sophomore year I got to do some traveling. My mom had moved to New Jersey with my Stepdad. So after freshman year I went there to visit. I was able to see New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, Trenton, and many other places.

For sophomore year I moved to North Park Quads. It was much nicer than Kays, but building five was a long way to walk to classes. It is also the year I really started enjoying my time at ASU. I volunteered at the BCM with "The Bridge" the ministry for International students. By the time I graduated, more than half of my friends were probably international students.

During the winter we got snow as usual. The power went out and NPQ did not have a generator. So we played chess when we woke up. Classes were canceled; I found that out even though I had to call my Dad in Little Rock to find out.

On Christmas Break I went back to New Jersey. I got to see New York City around Christmastime.

Oddly, I don't remember a whole lot from my sophomore year.