Thanksgiving: Day 15

I'm thankful for nurses.  No, I'm not a nurse and I never wanted to be a nurse, but I am very thankful for them.  Today, Ryan and I took a CPR/AED and First Aid training course that was led out by MSHA nurses.  Let me say, they did awesome, primarily because they were so patient!  There were a lot of questions asked the required the nurse to be very patient (yes, I do believe there are things as stupid questions).  Anyway, this is just one example.

I've met and worked with several nurses.  I have several friends who are becoming nurses.  The amount of knowledge, skill, and patient that they need is great.  Most of them are compassionate.  There were a few nurses that I worked with that helped me learn quite a few life lessons.  Had it not been for the doctors that I met while working at the hospital, I may have pursued my career path in medicine because I knew that I would have wonderful assets on my team, nurses. 

Anyway, so if you have an encounter with a nurse, be nice and say thank you.  They may or may not hear that very often.

Thanksgiving: Day 14

Today, I'm thankful for my singing voice.  Okay...here's the inspiration...Glee.  Yea, yea, I know, it's Glee, but I have enjoyed the show.  Granted, I never really wanted to be a Broadway singer or even the next pop star, but I do love to sing.  Most of my current friends don't know that I sing.  I sang in my middle school choir.  I would have continued in high school, but I had to choose between flute or singing and at the time, I wanted to focus on my studies in flute. 

Now, I mostly sing...in the car.  Adele, Joss Stone, Melody Gardot, and artists like them are in the genre that I like to sing.  There's a jazzy, blues feel to them.  I love that.  To me, that kind of music really showcases the artists voice (not the incredible ability of some sound studio technology). 

Anyway, watching the last episode of Glee just reminded me how much I love to sing and how I wish I was confident enough to sing more.  Unfortunately, I'm in an area that isn't conducive for individuals not pursuing a career in singing (or a student in general) to sing.  Oh well.  Maybe one day the university will actually start up that Faculty/Staff ensemble. 

Thanksgiving: Day 13

Today, I'm thankful for genuinely, kind people.  It's been a very rough week so far having students come to the office upset because they couldn't get into a class that they "needed".  However, occasionally, I'll get a kind student who is super nice, even if I couldn't help them right away.  I also have Brothers who are very kind, even if we disagree or even if I ask a ridiculous favor.  :)  So remember, be kind to people.  Ya never know what kind of day or week they are having.

Thanksgiving: Day 12

Today, I'm thankful for the fact that I have food in my fridge and that the reason that I'm hungry is not because I don't have a choice, it's because I'm too lazy to go get something to eat (or I'm trying to lose weight).  SAAC and many of the classes in Chemistry have brought in lots of food for the ETSU Holiday Food drive.  I talked with one of the individuals who is assisting in the organization of the drive and she said that she was so happy that our department has helped out so much.  She also said that there are over 90 people who have already asked for a Holiday basket from the food drive (the food collected in the drive is put into baskets and given away to faculty, staff, students, and other community members in need during the holiday season). 

Thanksgiving: Day 11

Today I am thankful for our country's veterans, active duty military, and their families.  I have been blessed to be living in a country where individuals proudly serve the country to fight for my freedoms, even if they don't know me.  My grandfather was a veteran and my dad served in the military when he was about my age (feel free to click the links to see pictures of both of them in uniform).  I have also had the privilege to work with a Marine and be good friends with someone who served in the military (who currently works on the VA campus) and an army wife who has been so strong for her family.  Thank you all so much for all that you have done!

Thanksgiving: Day 10

Today, I'm thankful for lazy, weekend days.  These past several weekends and the weekends in the future are going to be very busy.  However, today I was able to stay home and just be lazy with Ryan and Butch.  I know, a short post today, but I just wanted to post about being thankful about lazy, weekend days! :)

Thanksgiving: Day 9

Today I'm thankful for smoke alarms.  I know.  This is kinda an odd thing to be thankful for, especially in this "time of thanksgiving", but really sometimes we overlook the small things.  Anyway, here's the inspiration for this item that I'm thankful for.  Mom and Dad went to Gatlinburg this weekend.  To make a long story short (plus it's really funny when you hear it from Mom or Dad over the phone), the inn keeper tried to start a fire with logs and newspaper...in a gas fireplace.  LOL.  Anyway, as expected, that didn't turn out so well and a log broke the glass door of the fireplace and smoke went everywhere.  Thankfully, a big fire didn't start in Mom and Dad's room and that the smoke detectors alerted everyone in the building.

Yes, smoke alarms are annoying sometimes and everyone loves fire drills (::sarcasm::), but I am thankful for them because they are really useful!

Thanksgiving: Day 8

Be prepared to laugh...Today, I'm thankful for Pinterest.  I resisted using Pinterest for a while when it first become a "thing" mainly because I didn't need another website to be addicted to.  However, I have gotten a lot of inspiration from it!  Recently, I made a dessert for SAAC's retreat that was a hit!  Thanks to Pinterest and one my my secret boards titled "Gifts", I already have some Christmas gifts done!  Speaking of Christmas gifts, if anyone wants to get me one (hehe), feel free to get anything off of this board.

Whenever I get my house, I have plenty of inspiration to decorate it.  If I build a house, I have plenty ideas!  Whenever Ryan and I finally get married, I'll have a ton of ideas for the dress, the ceremony, the reception, everything really.  :)  So, if you have a Pinterest, follow me and I'll follow you!  If you ever need any ideas for anything, Pinterest it! 

Just in case you readers haven't figured it out, all of the links are to something on my Pinterest. ;)

Thanksgiving: Day 7

Readers, by now, you should all know that I'm part of a Co-ed National Honor Fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi.  Today, I am thankful for my Littles.  For those who may not know what this is let me explain.  When a person wants to become a Brother of the fraternity, they must go through initiation.  To assist them through the initiation program and through assimilation into the Chapter as a Brother after Induction, they are given a "Big Brother".  I have been blessed to have a large family with many "Little Brothers" (otherwise known as Littles).

Anyway, I've been fairly close with all of my Littles.  My last two, Canaan and Mary Ann, are Littles that I probably keep up with the most simply due to proximity and because even after they completed the Initiation Program, we had lunch at least once a week.  I'm so thankful that even now I still keep in touch.  What's even nicer is that both Canaan and Mary Ann have been there for me to keep be grounded, focused, and even stronger in my faith.   :)

Thanksgiving: Day 6

Today, I am thankful for the fall leaves.  I'm not the biggest fan of cold weather; however, when I see the beautiful fall leaves, I can't help but smile.  The other day when walking on the sidewalk with Ryan, I wanted to go running through a big pile of leaves (he prevented me from doing so which was probably a good thing).  I'll be sad when they are all gone!

Thanksgiving: Day 5

Ok...prepare yourself...today, I'm thankful for my left and right brain. Some people may not believe in this theory, but go with it for me today if you are one of these people. 

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Anyway, growing up, I was fortunate to have people in my life that embraced using both sides of my brain (see image above for characteristics).  Many of my current friends may not know this, but aAlong with my traditional studies, I participated in musical education.  I started with the piano and was later classically training in flute.  I also participated in choir for a few years.  I painted all throughout high school and college.  One of my works is currently hanging in my office at work.

Anyway, back to where I came up with this as something that I'm thankful for.  This fall, I'm taking a sewing class on Monday evenings.  I've always wanted to learn how to sew and I always thought that Grandmama would be the one to teach me.  But going off to college kind of set that goal aside.  When Grandmama died, I got her sewing machine and all the things to go with it.  Now that I'm officially done with school, I have some time to learn. 

During my lunch, I went downstairs to the Chemistry library to borrow the large table to spread out and work on my sewing class homework, cutting the pattern pieces on my fabric.  I had only cut a few pieces out during class (I have lots of pieces for my project) so I still had the majority to finish.  I laid out my fabric and the rest of my pattern pieces to find that it looked like I didn't get enough fabric!  I started to panic and then the two sides of my brain decided to work.  The left brain in me said there has got to be a way to lay out all of these pieces to have enough fabric.  The right brain in me figured out how to fold one of the pieces on the fold to give me just enough fabric to fit the rest of the pieces.  Thank goodness!  After about an hour and a half of laying out, pinning, and cutting, I finished my homework.  So, I thank my brain because without the logical and creative thinking, I would have been frustrated instead of productive. 

Thanksgiving: Day 4

Today, I'm super thankful for sick leave.  I'm feeling quite under the weather today.  I'm just bleh.  I think my body is just over run because of the awards banquet from Friday (that was a long work day), too much fun at retreat, and the volleyball games last night.  Thankfully, I have some sick time so I can stay home and rest.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to normal and ready to be productive!

Thanksgiving: Day 3

I am thankful for my body's ability to stay active.  As many of my reader's know, I've been trying to lose weight throughout the year.  I've been fairly successful so far.  :)  Part of losing that weight (at least for the second half of the year) is exercising.  Mostly, I've been doing yoga.  That has helped my strength and flexibility tremendously.

This month, I'm starting a couple of new things.  There are two reasons.  One, I need to vary up my exercising routine beyond yoga (even though I love it).  Two, I hurt my wrist last Tuesday at yoga doing the crow pose (I held it longer than I should have).  So, one thing that I'm doing is running.  I have always hated running, even when I ran track in middle school.  But I have so many friends who love running and are in great shape.  My friend, Justin, started running using an app on his phone and was fairly successful with it, so I've decided to try it for myself.  I've complete day one last week, but I'm starting over again because of all that's gone on.  Hopefully I'll be able to get running consistently.

Lastly, I'm playing intramural volleyball.  I played a couple of years ago on Phi Sigma Pi's team, so I'm playing again this year.  I played two games this evening.  We lost our first game (it was 7 against 4, which was my team), but didn't get creamed.  We won our second game! (7 against 5).  Now some of you are probably thinking, you have a hurt wrist and you are playing volleyball.  Well, I was planning to sit out on the games, but it turns out we had several people show up late or not at all.  To prevent our team from forfeiting and playing a fine, I played.  The second game, I was able to tape my wrist, so it doesn't hurt right now.  We will see how I feel in the morning.

Anyway, I'm super thankful for my body because I feel like I'm physically more capable of staying active than I was during my undergrad.

Thanksgiving: Day 2

I am thankful for Phi Sigma Pi Southern Appalachian Alumni Chapter (SAAC) and its members.  This weekend, the Chapter had our retreat.  It has been wonderful so far!  It's nice just to be able to get away from everything and just spend time with my Brothers.  Last night, even though it was super late, we were greeted by our Brothers, ate awesome food, and played cards.

Sleeping in was awesome today.  Yummy food, card games, and even talks about future events and what not have been the highlights of today so far.  I love being able to be a part of something even after I have graduated.  :)

Thanksgiving: Day 1

One thing that I've always wanted to blog about during the month of November is things I'm thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving.  However, I have always forgotten about it and remembered about half way through the month.  If you know me, you know that I don't like half doing things, so I never posted about it just half way through the month.  Anyway, I will post daily about at least one thing that I'm thankful for and I encourage others to do the same!  These are in no particular order and will probably relate to something going on in my life that day.  So here goes...

I am thankful for students.  Without students, I wouldn't have my rewarding, full-time job at ETSU.  I wouldn't have fantastic friends in the Philippines.  My days would be incredibly boring.  I would have never found my closest friends. 

I wanted to share a few experiences that have made me very grateful for students.  This past week, it was "Thesis Defense" week in the department.  There is one more this afternoon and another later in the month.  Nervousness was quite apparent this week, so I did my best to provide encouragement.  The best thing about the whole week is seeing those graduate students right after they have passed their defenses.  They all have smiles ear-to-ear and many with tears of joys in their eyes.  Like I told Ryan last night, I love having the graduate students in the department, but I lovingly tell them that I would only like to see them for two years so they can go on to bigger and better things.  Three so far have completed that last step toward graduation.  :)

My second experience that makes me thankful for students is with two of my fraternity Brothers.  Yesterday, I was able to have lunch with one of my Littles and coffee with another Brother.  Both are still college students, and one is graduating this December.  Being able to have deep, mature conversations with both of them made me realize how blessed I am to have both of them as friends.  

Lastly tonight, the Chemistry Department is celebrating our most outstanding students who have done well in their studies and/or demonstrated excellent teaching abilities.  Even though I do not have a hand in their education as far as teaching, I am so proud of each of these students.  Chemistry is not an easy subject, but these students have excelled in specific disciplines of Chemistry and teaching Chemistry.  I just think they are awesome!

So, if you see a student, encourage them, celebrate them, and be thankful for them!

Congratulations to My Daddy!

Today marks the end of a wonderful chapter in my Daddy's life.  Tomorrow starts a brand new, exciting one!  I want to dedicate this blog post to my dad.  Tonight, my dad will finish his last night shift at Vanderbilt and then he will retire!  :)  So, first things first, CONGRATULATIONS, DADDY!  :)

I remember when Daddy started working for Vanderbilt.  I was just starting middle school at Meigs Magnet.  At the time, I remember thinking, Dad's just getting a new job and that he would be working night shifts.  I wasn't worried about not seeing him in the evening because he got to bring me to school everyday and pick me up to bring me to Grandmama's.  Even in high school he was able to do that.  I remember fondly of the morning trips to East Literature Magnet School and stopping by Ms. Winner's for chicken biscuits.  :)

However, the first several years that he worked at Vandy, I did not quite understand the significance.  One of the reasons that I remember is the transportation to and from a magnet school which was in downtown Nashville, not in my zoned school.  Being able to attend this school opened so many doors for me.  But a major reason that he started work there was the tuition benefit that Vandy had for dependents of their employees.  Growing up, I always knew that I would go to college just like my daddy and my cousins, but I never thought of how I would afford to pay for it until probably my junior year of high school when Hume Fogg counselors started to nag the students to get working on those scholarship applications.  I was blessed to know that Mom and Dad had already thought about it and Daddy made the sacrifice of a "normal" work schedule so that both Christie and I could go to college without the extreme burden of student loans.  I was able to complete my entire four-year degree without a single student loan thanks to my daddy's hard work and dedication, and a couple of scholarships.  I'm not sure if I've ever outright said thank you to my parents for making this decision, but I am forever grateful.  I have always looked up to my Daddy for his commitment to family by working at Vandy and to all of the hard work he did and still continues to do.

Now, I am just so happy that Daddy gets to retire and have fun, work out (hehe), sleep, and just enjoy life without having to worry about working crazy hours!  What I'm looking forward to the most is being able to talk on the phone with Dad during the weekday nights!  :)

Daddy, I love you big bunches and I'm so proud and happy for you!

Resolutions Update

It's getting closer to time to start making new resolutions (I've got another couple of months or so), so I figured it might be time to do another update.

1.)  Start the Good Thoughts Jar.  I've been doing okay with this resolution.  I occasionally put something in my jar.  However, I don't do it everyday or even consistently once a week. 

2.)  Read the entire Bible.  I'm very behind.  I used the "Catch Me Up" feature on YouVersion several times because I've been bad about it.  I will say that I'm about 51% through the Bible.  According to my plan, I should have this finished in April.

3.)  Lose weight...a lot of weight.  So I gained a few pounds.  It's been harder without going to a doctor once a week.  I'm trying to stay on track, but it's been hard with staying busy.  I've still got about half way to go.

4.)  Be more creative.  Yep!  I took some initiative and I started sewing classes last Monday.  I'll have sewing classes once a week until Thanksgiving and I will have completed my first garment by then!  I'm hoping that maybe I'll have a side project when I'm going through the classes too.  I'm really excited about that.  Also, I've already talked to one of my Brothers about hosting a Pinterest party over ETSU's winter break.  I can't wait for that!
 
5.)  Cook one new recipe a month.  I'm not sure if I've done a recipe every month or not.  I know that this month I've tried two different ones.  One is a breakfast burrito for Ryan.  He said it was pretty good so I pinned it on my success board.  The other one was a recipe for wheat sandwich bread.  It was just...okay.  Not my favorite  and it was a little dense for me.  Honestly, it's also not really worth the time for the taste.  I'd rather use that time to make Grandmama's bread.  Next month I'm going to try a new recipe for SAAC's retreat this weekend.  I'll let everyone know how it goes!

6.)  Save some money.  Eh.  That's been interesting.  Ryan and I did sit down and make savings plans for the next few years.  We are on the right track.  I will say that using my Christmas fund with my bank is making life a million times easier for planning for Christmas.  I got started Christmas present shopping early! ;)

7.)  Drink more water.  Again, this resolution has now become a habit. 

8.)  Be more appreciative. Again, this has been difficult to track.  Definitely won't be putting a resolution like this again (one that's not really measureable).  Anyway, I believe that I've done a better job and making sure that I tell everyone that I appreciate their efforts or doing things for me. 

9.)  Take more photos, and not just photos of my dog, Butch.   I've been okay on this one.  I think I'm going to be keeping this as a resolution for next year. 

10.)  Blog once at least once a ...month. I'm still doing pretty well on this one! ;)

Fall: My favorite season

Yesterday was the first day of fall.  It had already begun to feel like fall in the past couple of weeks, but yesterday, I was certain that it was fall (it was a little too chilly for me to go outside).  Anyway, if you asked me when I was younger what my favorite season was, I would say it was the summer.  As I've grown older, I'm come to enjoy fall much more.

As my readers know, I live in East Tennessee with mountains all around.  The Blue Ridge mountains are just a short drive away for me.  One of my favorite parts of fall is being outside.  (I know, totally weird since I grew up in the "city".)  Anyway, as I told my Brothers at last week's Chapter meeting, my favorite part of fall is the crispness in the air.  It's cooler, more refreshing.  I feel like I can breathe a little better.  I also love all of the fall colors.  For all my friends in the Philippines, the leaves on most of the trees where I live turn bright orange, yellow, and/or red like the fire trees.  It's absolutely beautiful! 

There are many other things that make fall my favorite season.  I'll list a few here:

• Cool enough for a firepit/bonfire
• Roasting marshmallows
• Cute clothes!
• Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte (they are celebrating it's 10th year this year)
• Pumpkin flavored everything!
• Pumpkin scents (can you tell I like pumpkin)
• The Unicoi County Apple Festival
• Halloween fun
• Thanksgiving food
• It's wedding season (Ryan and I plan to get married in the fall whenever the time comes)
• I can wear my hair down and not be too hot

Anyway, that's a short list of why I like fall.  :)  Blog later!

My Favorite Moment of Summer 2013

As many of my readers know, I am part of a National Co-Educational Fraternity called Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity.  I am a Charter Member of the Epsilon Xi Chapter at ETSU and I have continued to be an Active Alumni Member and Advisor with this Chapter and the Southern Appalachian Alumni Chapter (SAAC), which I am also a Founding Member.

Anyway, Wednesday, July 31, I along with three SAAC Members (all Epsilon Xi alumni) and six Epsilon Xi Members made the long drive to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend the annual National Convention held by the fraternity.  We were super excited about the trip!  We packed up in a 15 passenger van and headed on the long 12 hour trip (thanks to traffic and a Cracker Barrel stop it took us about 3 hours longer than expected).  We were greeted by members of National Council which was truly a treat for everyone.

The Van to Philly

Friday was a day for Grand Chapter, which entails all of the Chapters of the fraternity voting on various fraternity business.  Six of the group, including myself, were able to attend Grand Chapter while the other four explored Philadelphia.  Saturday was filled with opportunities to mingle with other Brothers and attend sessions to bring back to our Chapters.  I was able to meet with primarily with the Alumni Members in our special Alumni Track session.  I gathered lots of ideas and sought out some additional opportunities for the upcoming year.  Typically, the highlight of Saturday during National Convention is the Awards Banquet in the evening.

My Nametag!

As a group, we were all hoping that one of our Chapters would win an award; however, because both were so young (Epsilon Xi only 5 years old and SAAC 1 year old), we weren't holding our breath.  We all got dressed up and headed to the ballroom for dinner and the awards ceremony.  We had a lovely dinner and the awards ceremony began.  As the awards were announced and finding out that another Chapter received the "Most Improved" and "Outstanding Alumni Chapter" award, all of us waited in hopes that Epsilon Xi that would have the chance for the "Top in Region" award.  The time came and Epsilon Xi won the "Top in Region" for the Bluegrass region!  We were so excited as this was the first national award that our Chapter had ever received!  Once the pictures were taken and the beautiful certificate was passed around the table, all of us settled down to listen to the last of the awards, the scholarships and distinguished Joseph Torchia Outstanding Chapter awards.

The attendees at the beginning of Banquet

We heard two inspiring stories from the two scholarship recipients and listened to the VP of Membership Development give the speech and award the Gamma Theta Chapter of LSU the first Torchia award.  Embarrassing to write, but many of us around the table were on our phone checking Twitter (the thing to do during convention), refilling our coffee mugs, or taking a bathroom break. Then the moment began...

National Secretary, Chris McCoy, approached the podium to give out the second Torchia.  Ryan looked at me and whispered in my ear, "Why would he be getting up there?  He would only announce if it was given to a Bluegrass Chapter (his home Chapter was in that region)."  I shook my head and thought to myself, "It can't be Epsilon Xi.  They did well this year given the crazy circumstances and all of the drama, but not enough to win a Torchia."  I even remember myself explaining early that afternoon to the delegate and alternate of the Chapter that if they won an award that the delegate would go to the front and receive it and continued by saying, "If you win a Torchia, which is incredibly unlikely, then you all go."  Slowly, Chris began mentioning a Chapter that had come together as Brothers to have an awesome semester.  "In fact, it was only two years ago, the Chapter was at what was described as a 'point of no return,'" Chris continued.  Ryan and I both thought to ourselves, "Man, it must have been a tough year that year", thinking back to how just two years ago our own Chapter was down to only 8 Brothers, a few of which reached out to us alumni for help.  Chris continued, "This Chapter has worked diligently to triple their chapter size..." and he continued to describe events similar to the ones that our Chapter held that past year.   We all started to looking around the table thinking is it even possible that this is us?  

Picture taken by Kyle Williams.  Notice that we are all looking at each other like, "no way, it can't be us."  Justin holds back tears as he knows that it had to be us.

Then Chris said, "From events such as...a Hershey Bar collection 'war' with a local alumni chapter to send to children in the Philippines."  At that point, I couldn't contain my tears.  

Me (to the left) and Josh and Justin (on the right) finally realize that it was us.

Ryan put his head in his hands letting his tears flow as well.  Only one stoic Brother could contain her tears with a smile ear to ear.  All of us were wiping our tears, gradually getting to the point where they were uncontrollable.  "And they are now realizing who they are..." chuckled Chris bringing the attention to the tables around us who began hearing our tears of joy.  

"And they now realize who they are.."

Happy tears are what my Grandmama would have described when I was experiencing.  I thought back to all of the hard times that I experienced as an undergraduate hoping that one day I would be able to leave my legacy.  I remembered promising right after graduating in 2010 to one of my best friends at the time, Sara (Scobee) Beachler as she cried with worry, that I would do everything in my power to keep the Chapter that we started alive.  I remembered two years ago when I was worried that we would have to inactivate our Chapter because of low membership.  I remembered how hard the beginning of last semester was as an alumni.  

Then I began to remember how proud those undergraduate Brothers were at the Bluegrass regional conference in April with their zombie makeup, how motivated the Initiate committee was to make the best initiate program despite the recent, sudden departure of their Initiate Advisor, how easy it was to encourage the Brothers to love one another and challenge each other to be the best, and how wonderful the weekend had already been.  That only lead me to more happy tears.  It was truly an honor to watch all six undergraduate Brothers walk to the front of the room all holding hands to receive the Torchia trophy.  The alumni left at the table just hugged each other thinking, "They did it and we were able to be a part of this."

Epsilon Xi undergraduate and alumni Brothers with National Council with their first two National awards.

The rest of the evening we kept asking each other if it was a dream.  At varying times of the evening when we realized that it was real, tears, hugs, and congratulations were shared.  Even the next morning we could not hold back our happy tears as other Brothers continued to congratulate us.

The president of the Chapter brought the Torchia to Ryan and I to look at because of our dedication to the Chapter.  It was very hard for me to control my tears at this point.

This was truly my favorite moment of the summer.  Phi Sigma Pi has always held a major place in my heart.  It brought me my closest friends, who I can call Brother.  It gave me the college experience of a lifetime and it continues to bless me as I move further into my life.  It has given me a family away from home.  Knowing that the Chapter's hard work was recognized despite all of the challenges from this past spring was a pinnacle moment.  I can't wait to see what this upcoming year has in store!

"The Chapter is just like a big family that helps each other out through the hard times." - Justin Pritchard, 2013 Social Chair, Epsilon Xi Chapter

Update

So, it's been over a month and we are about to hit July very soon.  If I want to keep up with my resolutions, I should blog.  The weird thing is that I don't really know what to say at this point...The end of May and month of June has consisted mostly of traveling.

Starting at the end of May, the family went on the Mission of Hope trip again this year.  I've updated a little bit on the MOH website and there are tons of pictures on the Facebook page.  I also have a small album on my personal Facebook page (I know...it's funny how I think about a 100 pictures is a small album).  In the middle of June, several of my fraternity Brothers headed to Nashville for Alumni Convention.  It was quite different from what I expected; however, I enjoyed it!  I'm looking forward to National Convention the first weekend of August.

June has flown by.  Unfortunately, I don't think July will, mainly because I have a big trip planned (National Convention in Philly) starting on July 31st so it'll feel like decades away.

Speaking of decades away, I've learned over the past few days that I have an issue with patience.  I know that certain situations that God puts me in is to help me grow and understand patience, but I guess I'm just hard headed.  I don't really care to elaborate much right now, some of you who know me well may be able to figure it out.  But anyway...keep me in your prayers because this test of patience has had me down the past few days.

Anyway, hopefully I'll be inspired to blog again soon.