Repetition

I seem to blog about rain frequently, but it is something that I really love. It rained today. The morning was bright and clear and very very warm, as it has been for the past week. So warm in fact you may find it hard to believe that I went snowboarding yesterday. Anyway, there was some hint that the rain was coming. The billowing cumulous clouds began sliding in around the early afternoon. By 7:30 it was pouring and the air was very warm and humid. The fat droplets falling from the sky in a torrent made gushy little splashes all over the saturated ground. With the rain came bright flashes of lightning and long peels of rolling thunder. It was all over in less than two hours and as the clouds moved on toward the west the setting sun began to peak through painting the sky with its hues of light.

John

Why I Need to Take a Nap

It's not that I'm so incredibly busy from dawn until dusk, it's just that I'm busy enough so that when I'm not busy I just want to not be busy. I hope that made sense. Here is a semblance of my last week's itinerary.

Starbucks: Working generally five out of seven days a week I keep my hours at Starbucks pretty constant. The pay isn't as good as working for Mr. Dutton, but I get tips every week and free Starbucks. I'm scheduled to work this Thursday but I'm desperately trying to get it covered so that I can go snowboarding with the Popescues.

Snowboarding: The other day I was trying to recall how many times this year that I had been snowboarding and I don't think that I have been enough. If I can get my shift on Thursday I will go to Timberline with Adam and the Popescues. I got new Oakley Crowbar snow goggles for my birthday and Friday was the first day I got to use them. I'm also trying to go on Monday the 24th.

Working for Mr. Dutton: My schedule with Mr. Dutton is off and on mostly. I work how much I work for him around my Starbucks (and snowboarding) schedules, but I'm working enough to make a significant addition to my income.

Missions Presentation: Kevin and I have gotten a good start on our presentation but we still need the motivation to buckle down and write the majority of the content for our five main points. I am nearly done with my written testimony and I have gotten quite a few pictures from Mr. Dean that I will use in our slide show, so I'm off and running.

Piano: I restarted my piano lessons recently with Patrick Gay, which I am excited about. Because of all that I am doing and working on right now I'm only taking a lesson once every two weeks. Having the lessons gives me something to focus and work on and I'm glad I am taking them while I have the capacity to still learn something.

Utah Missions Trip: I'm really excited to be part of our missions team to Nephi, Utah this June. Learning the skit and getting everyones' individual responsibilities is going to be the biggest challenge for preparation in my opinion. I'm playing the part of Capt. Livesay in the Treasure Island skit, but I haven't begun yet to memorize my lines.

Graduation: It's finally approaching and I have a few things to get ready for it. I need to acquire invitations and send them, choose photos for a slide show, prepare something to say, have my seniore portraits taken, and possibly more.

That is basically what my the pie of my life comprises.

In Christ,
John

Crowbar

Snow Trip

Went snowboarding on Friday. Great day; great snow. We had a blast together, Evan, James, and myself. Here is a picture.

John

The Big One-Eight

I'm finally eighteen! *Does a little dance* So much is going on. I went to the Beaverton City Hall two days ago to try and apply for my passport. Realizing that I needed my birth certificate and running out of time, Mom and I decided to go home and try the next day. Next Day: Mom and I spent two hours in the waiting area, when my number was called I checked my pocket and my wallet, with my ID, at home had been forgotten. I needed to be at work in less than a half-an-hour so I had no time to have my ID brought to me. The only positive side to those three wasted hours was that I started and finished Bob Shelton's book: Through a Great Door. We also gave a tract to a ninety-four year old man. After that my afternoon only began to improve. I made it to work on time and while I was there Hannah and Josh came in and visited me. It was great to see two familiar faces. Last night was my last night for fifteen minute breaks at work.

Having been torqued one too many time by the City Of Beaverton, and wanting just to be done with the passport application process, Mom and I went to the City Of Tigard this morning and got the whole thing done in about 5 minutes; that was easy.

Besides all that I'm working on finding out was courses I can take from my major while I'm in Mongolia, working for Starbucks, working for Mr. Dutton, preparing to go on a Senior Trip, the Utah Missions Trip, and finally to leave for Mongolia in the Fall.

And I went snowboarding on Saturday and had an amzing, great day.

John

Hourly/Daily/Monthly

So far this year I have been snowboarding once, I've worked at Starbucks, I've taken and passed a CLEP test, I've started a diet, written thank yous, played football, watched football, eaten out with my senior class, stayed over at Kevin's, and so much more and it's only the 9th. I am really looking forward to what is in store for me the rest of my senior year.

John

Escape From Blah Blah

As many of you who can read know, I'm going down to Texas to visit Anna and to volunteer at the training center where she works. I'm also leaving very soon. So before I left, and for James birthday, Mom took Evan, James, and Myself snowboarding yesterday. We started early in the morning and I drove to Timberline. We had a great time. The weather was beautiful, the sun was out and it was over sixty degrees. Evan and I took turns staying with James and teaching him, and under our top quality schooling (which we don't charge very much for) he is really getting better. I went over quite a few jumps and landed nearly all of them. I also went on off some freestyle rails for the first time and only crashed on the one that I didn't intend to go on. I was coming down the hill and I saw a mound that I thought was a jump. When I got to the top, and there was no chance of stopping, I saw that it was a rail. I rode the rail successfully but when I landed I caught the front edge of my board and ended up on my belly. All in all everything was great.

On the way home we got the great idea to stop somewhere for dinner. We knew that Adam was taking the other kids out to BurgerVille so we called home trying to hook up with them. They had already left so we were on our own. James and I didn't really care where we went as long as they served food but Evan was feeling the need for pizza. Mom had the great idea to go to EFNY (Escape From New York) Pizza in downtown Portland. We got there, ate, and then left. It really hit the spot. A perfect way to end a perfect day.

John

The Long Way Home

I head out for Texas in 6 days. Until then I have to have as much fun as I can.

In the mean time, tomorrow morning Mom, Evan, James, and I are going to be going home. But this time we are taking the long way home. On the way we are stopping at Timberline and going snowboarding all day. (For all of you who don't quite get this, we are just going snowboarding tomorrow. I put it in interesting terms for your reading enjoyment. If you still don't quite follow leave a comment, send me an email, or give me a call, I would love to enlighten you.)

John

Finally Having Fun

Well, I had a crazy weekend, but nothing a party guy like me couldn't handle. I started it all off on Thursday by heading down and helping out at the senior car wash. I helped the whole time from 10 until 4 and we raised over 400 dollars. I specialize in cleaning wheels.

On Friday I did normal stuff most of the day, including taking down a big Oak tree in our backyard, but ended it all off well by heading down to REI and J. Crew. I love to spend money and this time I came home with a new shirt from J. Crew and climbing harness from REI. Looking forward to accruing all the gear I need to go climbing.

Saturday was great day, starting at church getting the ground there ready to have new bark dust laid down for Easter. Evan, James, and I devoted our time to removing two large flax plants. By the time we were done all that was left was two craters and a big mess. Upon completion of our duties we headed straight over to Southridge were we commenced an the most amazing Ultimate Frisbee game I have been to in a while. My team ending coming back from 7 to 14 to win the game. We scored 8 points in a row. After frisbee, we played football but I was having a hard time getting into the game. It didn't rain on us while we played frisbee but for the last hour of football the heavens opened up and all manner of things began to fall from the sky. Thoroughly soaked, Evan and I headed home to get ready to go out to Red Robin with Kevin, Hannah, and Katey. Hilarity ensued while we spent two hours at the restaurant. The word 'Fun' does not do justice to what all happened there while we inhabited the premises.

Sunday was mostly normal for me, starting in the morning waking up. Next I went to church and then came home. After lunch I rode my bike to Barnes & Nobles and spent some time there with Luke. That finished, I rode on home and got ready for evening church. After church, Mom and I went to get James, he had gone to the zoo with some friends for a birthday. Driving my car was great, especially since it was night and the bad drivers are few and far between. When I arrived safely home I went to bed.

Today was a good day too. After waking up and all that shenanigans, I did school, which comprised sitting on the couch reading textbooks and practicing my piano. Then Evan and I went out for a little shopping. I can't tell you where we went because while we were out we stopped and bought Anna's birthday present. After that we went to REI and I bought another pair of Smartwool running socks(the most comfortable socks ever). I have had a gift card so I couldn't resist. After dinner we were going to go see Shooter but I couldn't because I'm only 17 and it's rated R. Now I'm here at the end of the day. Now I'm gone.

Snowboarding on Thursday. Texas in 8 days.

John

Bit By Bit

I hope you all enjoyed my Snow Trip entry. Unfortunately, because of the nature of things, all my interesting little stories cannot be included for sake of space and that I do not remember them all when I'm writing. Plus, trying to incorporate many of them into the story format would have been difficult. Consequently, you find little pieces of a greater picture revealed slowly over time. I'll start things off right now by giving you a glimpse into what made this such a great trip for me.

Friday afternoon, riding back from Bachelor, we needed to stop at Safeway to pick up some wine for dinner. We had just come from the slopes so Luke and I are still wearing our snow pants, tromping around the store. While Mr. Nutter and Mr. Gaffney talked with the wine guy Luke and I wandered around the store looking for something the satisfy ourselves by. In the back, behind the produce, I found a fridge unit with Odwalla, SoBe, and many other drinks and juices. I really like Odwalla so I went over think I might buy one. Odwalla cost too much and I wasn't interested in spending that much. My eyes began to rove over the case. They rested on the SoBe. A little tag beneath them reads: 10 for $10. According to my math that means they're a dollar a piece. That's a great price, and I do dearly love Lizard Lightning, which they had, so I grabbed two. I told Luke to grab two and I would buy all of them. Feeling quite satisfied we headed to the front, keeping our eyes open for Mr. Nutter. After walking the line of registers we found them checking out. I placed the SoBes on the conveyor belt and pull out my wallet. But as I was to pay, Mr. Nutter included my drinks with his wine and payed for the whole thing! Four dollars isn't that much, but paying nothing was great. I wasn't expecting him to pay for my drinks but I wasn't going to stop him either. We head out to the truck. I'm just enjoying everything.

John

What A Novel Idea

Thursday morning, two weeks ago, marked the start of my incredible journey with the Nutters. The Nutters were going on vacation to central Oregon to meet old friends of theirs and to go on a ski trip to Mt. Bachelor and I was going along with them. I was so excited but I didn’t even know all that was going to unfold on our trip and stay at Eagle Crest.

The morning before I left I knew I had to get a lot of things together and ready to go and I only had until about 11:30 to do it. I had loaned my snowboard out to a friend with my old bindings on it and I wanted to put the new bindings back on it before I left. I started my laundry and got right to attaching my bindings to my board. When I had finished with my board I set it against one of the chairs in the living room. I check my watch; it reads 10:30. I only had an hour until I’d like to head out the door to the Nutter’s house and I still had a lot to get ready. I head upstairs to get my snowboarding gear together before I pack my bag. The duffel I was going to use was in the attic so I went out to the garage and climbed the ladder into the storage. When I got there I remembered that the light was out and needed a new bulb but I didn’t want to replace it right then, I just wanted to get my bag and get back to packing. I feel my way around on my hands and knees until I came in contact with the object of my search. I turn around and head back down the ladder. Back in Mom’s room, where I store all my gear, I start to pack all my gear into the duffel. I keep my snowboard boots, helmet, goggles and sleeping bag all in the same place so those all get packed quickly. My hat, gloves, jacket, pants, and thermals are all very accessible so it doesn’t take long for my gear bag to completely packed. All I have left to do is pack my clothes and my camera. Laura helps me by being my gopher and running for things that I need from downstairs. By now my laundry is finished and I finish packing my bag. I finally get dressed after wearing my pajamas all morning. I carry my bags downstairs and put my stuff in the entry, ready to go. A minute later I put everything in the back of Evan’s car. Moments later Mom is driving me to the Nutter’s.

The night before I had received a Starbucks gift card and we stopped by the new Starbucks on the way to the Nutter’s. I went inside and was about to order when I remembered that I had left a few snack items I was planning on taking with me at home. I ran outside and asked Mom if she would quickly drive home and get them. When she had gone I went back inside and got in line to order. I grabbed and Odwalla Superfood from the cooler and stepped up to the register. I ordered and placed the Superfood on the counter. The lady working the counter was new so I helped her remember my order while she called it out to the barista. I pulled out my card and hand it to her with an extra dollar in hand thinking that the total would come to more than the $5 that was on the card. The cashier scans my item and rings up my total: $5:65. She swipes the card and hands it back to me. The receipt prints and she hands it back to me pointing out that their system was down and that the balance on the card wasn’t shown. Another side effect of their system being down was that it didn’t know that my card didn’t have enough on it to pay for the total so I got 65 cents worth of free drink. I was cool with that. While I waited for my drink I noticed two businessmen trying to find a place to sit down; there were no tables available. I suggest that we bring one in from outside. We step out the door and I help one of the men carry the table in and set it in a blank spot on the floor. The table had water all over it from the recent rain showers so I grabbed a few napkins and wiped it off. The men thanked me; I assured them it was no problem. By that time my drink was finished, I grabbed it and headed out the door to wait for Mom. I checked to parking lot to make sure she hadn’t made it back already. She parked there so I walked out to the street to wait on the sidewalk. While I waited I witnessed a car turn a corner and hit a car that was not moving. A few minutes later I hear a horn honk and turned to see Mom waiting at the light headed my direction. I signal for her to pick me up on the curb and get ready for a “tactical boarding procedure.” Mom pulled up to the curb and I jump. We’re off again to the Nutter’s with all my stuff this time with just enough time left to get to the Nutter’s house by noon.

The rest of the drive to the Nutter’s was uneventful. Upon reaching their house, I didn’t grab my gear right away. I didn’t if I should put it straight into the truck or bring it in the house first so I left it in the car. Mom accompanied me inside to talk to Mrs. Nutter before she left. The Nutters weren’t ready to leave right away so I stood around for a little while visiting with them. When Mom had finished talking with Mrs. Nutter and had to go pick Evan up from school. After a while I was about to go move my bags and board from the car to Mr. Nutter’s truck. When I went out to the driveway I encountered one small problem, my bags had left with Mom in the car! I went back inside and called home and left a message for Mom to call me when she got back. I remembered that she had to go pick up Evan from PCC and I hoped she would notice that all my stuff was still in the back of the car between the Nutter’s and PCC and that she would bring it back on her way home. I had left a message at home, so I decided all I had to do was wait. Much to my relief, Mom drove up a few minutes later and redeemed our little predicament. Now, with all my gear packed either in the back seat of the truck or in a black plastic bag in the bed, we were ready to go.

Not much later we were on the road, traveling to Central Oregon. In my head I pictured that it was going to be sunny and warm, for I had only ever been there in the summer time. Once on the road for a while I came to a new conclusion. As we traveled on in the area of Detroit Lake not only was there snow on the ground but also it began snowing. It continued snow on and off all the way to Sisters. My mind was held captive the whole way through the mountain passes at the stack beauty of burned out forest covered in a blanket of pure white snow. I saw there in the forest and on the lakes a beauty like I had never seen in that area before.

I had a great time on the rest of the trip and it was fully relaxing. We spent the afternoon in Sisters and had dinner with Nutter’s friend, Mr. and Mrs. Gaffney, in a cozy booth at the Mexican restaurant in Sisters. The following day we got up early and prepared to go snowboarding at Bachelor. We spent the majority of the day on the slopes and then headed back to the condo at Eagle crest. That evening, Luke and I played video games, air hockey, pool, and ping-pong at the resort clubhouse. We finished the day off by playing games and talking until late. The trip back was equally enjoyable with snow flurries and huge groups of snowflakes clustered together. When we got back to Portland the sun was shining and the air was warm. To end it all off, Mr. Nutter dropped me off at my house and helped me unload my baggage. My trip was so amazing and I’m so glad the Nutters took me along.

John

Slow Your Roll

Sometimes it is just great to take a vacation and get out of the grind for a while. Well I just got back from my own vacation with the Nutters to Eagle Crest and Mt. Bachelor. I had and amazing time on the rode and on the mountain with friends. Mt. Bachelor, the best snow I have ever snowboarded on; it felt like snow surfing. We went up yesterday, Mr. Nutter, Luke, myself, and the Nutters friend, Tim Gaffney. The rest of my time I spent in the car, playing pool, ping-pong, air-hockey, and extreme hunting with Luke, eating or just hanging out with and getting to know the Gaffneys. All in all I had a great trip; I'm so glad that the Nutters invited me to go along with them.

John

Heading Out At High Noon

Tomorrow is the day that I will be leaving to go on a road trip with the Nutters. I'll be going with Luke and we are going to have a rockin' time in central Oregon. We're going to Sisters, Bend, and even snowboarding on Mt. Bachelor. I'll be gone for a few days so I won't be able to post during that time, but I should have a lot to talk about when I get back.

John

Face-Boarding

I just got back this morning from my snow trip last night on the mountain. My mom doesn't like to stay up late and we got back into town around midnight, so I stayed the night at Luke's house. Mom picked me up at 7:30. Last night I went to Ski Bowl with Luke, and since it was just the two of us we had a lot of freedom. We had a great trip, going on new runs and trying new jumps and stunts. I even had a close shave with the ice. On one particular jump, I didn't go over it at excessive speeds and it wasn't a very big jump but when I tried to grab board edge I tipped over and landed... on my face... on the ice... Ow. After I got up Luke came over after me and he was laughing because I had biffed it. I asked him how my face looked and he said it looked okay but it was a little bloody; I thought it would be. I went over to the First Aid station but no one was there so I went into the bathroom and got my first look at the wound. It was bloodier than I thought it would be. After cleaning it up a bit with water and paper towels I went over the Guest Services to see if I could get some help. It didn't hurt at all but I didn't want to get any blood on the collar of my jacket. The lady at the Guest Service counter (who had a kid) radioed one of the patrol guys and he came and cleaned my wound up. He cleaned it first and then wiped it with an alcohol wipe, which stung worse than a hornet, and taped some gauze to it and I was set to go. After that Luke gave me a face mask thing that I wore for the rest of the night. However, the injury didn't bring me down in any way, I still had a good night, and a grand story to tell too. I'll post a picture of it on here as soon as I get one.

John

!*!

I'm going snowboarding tomorrow!

John

I wanna snowboard and get fat

Yesterday I went to the US Outdoor Store looking to make a special order for some Snowboard pants by Salomon, but when I got there they had the ones I was looking and for and the size that I thought would be too small fit great. So I bought them. I love them. Now I want to go snowboarding. Soon.

It snowed here today, just like it did all over the Tualatin Valley. So we played in it; I had a grand ol' time. Super fun.

John

Ski Trip Pt. 2

Finally we were all together and we spent the rest of the morning going on ski runs and finding out where the best spots were. On one run there was a series of jumps on significant slope, the first jump being the biggest and the subsequent ones diminishing in size. I’d been off the main jump before but I had never landed it, so when I went off of it again I was determined to land at least one. The first time I went off, though, I wasn’t ready and after landing on my board I tried to slow down but ended on up sliding on my back. But I my mind was made up and I was going to go off it again and again until I landed one. After the others followed my over the jump we all met at the bottom. Mark and I both really wanted to do the jumps some more so we rode the lift back up and did them again; Kevin and L.J. came with us. Upon finishing the jumps again Mark and I decided that we should bring my camera up and take pictures of us going off the jumps. So we headed back to the lodge for some lunch and to get the camera. After lunch we headed back up the lifts, this time with the camera hanging from my neck underneath my jacket. As long as I didn’t fall over and land on my chest everything would be fine. After talking a little about logistics I went down first and got ready to take some pictures. We then spent the next hour or two taking turns going off jumps and photographing each other. After we had finished taking pictures of us jumping we rode the lift to the top of the Upper Ski Bowl. At the top we looked out over the vast expanse between where we were and the summit of Mt. Hood. I still had my camera so I took some pictures then decided to take a picture of the four of us at the edge of the precipice. Right then a man on skis was coming by and he agreed to take the picture of us all together. With that done I re-secured the camera under my coat and we headed back down the mountain to put the camera back at the lodge. At the lodge we took the time to have snack to keep our energy up for the rest of the trip. When we had finished most of the food we had brought with us we went back out for the last leg of our ski trip. Since no one had to carry the camera now we set out with renewed freedom.

We spent the rest of the day just riding and having a good time. As the time wound down towards the end I was getting tired, and since I had taken a few falls, my head was starting to hurt a bit. Kevin, Mark, and L.J. wanted to take one more run but I wanted to head back. I know that when I get tired I start to fall more and each one starts to hurt a little more. I took the one last run I had to to get back to the lodge and I waited there for the others to finish. In a few minutes the met me in the cafe and we started to get ready to go. Kevin and I were hungry and we both wanted something hot to eat so I bought some nachos and a chicken strip basket and we split them. When all the food had been devoured we dragged ourselves outside and gathered all our stuff together to wait for our ride to pick is up. L.J. was about to call his step-dad when we saw him standing about thirty feet away waiting for us to notice him. We grabbed all our stuff and packed it in the minivan for the trip back to the resort where we were staying. On the way back we had to stop and return the rented gear. While we were stopped we ordered a pizza and rented some movies. Back at our condo we all took showers (except L.J.) and spent the rest of the night eating pizza, playing Halo, Risk, and poker until late when we finally got ready and went to bed.

John isn't just my name, it's who I am.

Bring Yer Wellies!

Don't worry, the rest of my snowboard story should be coming sometime this week. In the mean time I am going to be enjoying my new Gaelic Storm CDs, How Are We Getting Home? and Bring Yer Wellies. You can check 'em out at www.gaelicstorm.com.

John isn't just my name, it's who I am.

Ski Trip Pt. 1

I stood on the brink of a sheer drop off of snow and ice looking out over the valley between the peak on which I stood and the summit of Mt. Hood. Evergreen forests covered the sides and floor of the valley and those were decorated with snow. In the bottom of the valley lies the small town of Government Camp. From my vantage point I can make out many of the buildings as well as the lodge and restaurant at Ski Bowl Resort. The scenery was vast and the natural specters breathtaking. How I got there was a story in itself.

I generally wouldn’t see myself on a Christmas break snowboard trip with friends, just because that’s when everyone else would be going, but that was before I knew L.J. Every year after Christmas L.J.’s family rents a condo on the mountain and goes on a ski trip, and he likes to invite his friends to go with him. This year Kevin and I got invited to go with L.J. and after getting permission, making plans, and re-making plans Mark, L.J., Kevin, and I were on our way to the mountain on the first Thursday after Christmas. I had just gotten back from Christmas at my Grandparent’s house the afternoon before and now I was off again on another trip.

As soon as we got to the condo and got settled in I was ready and pumped for a ski trip. I knew we weren’t going to be able to go up on the mountain that day but I couldn’t wait. We ended up driving back into Sandy to get a Risk game and poker chips from the Fred Meyer there. We stayed up late that night playing Risk, Poker, and Halo. After things started winding down Kevin and went to bed but stayed up late talking about anything and everything. In the morning we started talking about our options for snowboarding that day. I was really excited to go as soon as possible but I wasn’t making any of the decisions; I was just along for the ride. After we bounced ideas off of each other we decided to ski all day and started to get ready.

After breakfast we headed out to the ski rental shop to get geared up. I brought all my own stuff along so all I had to do was wait. When Kevin, L.J., and Mark got everything rented and stowed in the minivan we walked over to the Thriftway to stock up on provisions for our day. When we got to Ski Bowl the parking lot was filled nearly to the limit and the ground was covered with ice. We piled out of the van and unloading all of our stuff, we headed for the ticket office. With my lift ticket securely fastened to my coat zipper I was ready to go, not I was just waiting for the others. Every were I look around me I see people going about their own business and air is filled with the hum of voices. Despite all the people I take the time to notice the crunch of icy snow beneath my boots and the grandeur of the evergreen trees muted with fresh snowfall just beyond the crowds. The others are finally all ready and after passing through the crowds at the bottom of the ski lift I’m riding in the lift chair up the mountain.

A Start

My life over the past week hasn't been terribly exciting but I figure I should at least summarize it for those of you who still visit this revamped yet still visitor lacking blog. My thanks to all of you who still do read it once and a while just keep me going.

Last week, on Thursday, I went to Westgate's first Varsity basketball game. I had never been to any high school basketball game before and it was a lot of fun, although at some points the gym was absolutely filled with noise. The Gators were playing against the Crusaders and the Gators ended up winning, that was good because it was their first game of this season. Throughout the whole game Julie wanted me to take a picture of one of the guys on the other team because she thought he was hot and I had my camera with me. During the game I couldn't get a good shot of him though, so after the game I stopped him and asked if I could take his picture. When I told him the reason he just thought it was funny and let me take a picture.

On Friday night we had the fall banquet at the Holiday Inn in Wilsonville. Afterwards, some of the teens in the youth group went bowling at Tigard Bowl. We had a good time but once again I didn't do very well. At least this time I wasn't the worst one there. When we had finished I drove home and went to bed about midnight. I really wanted to go to Shari's where I knew that some of the others were going to be. But I had to get up early the next morning so I just went home. The following morning I woke up at 7:30 and I had to be at the church by 8 for the Men's and Young Men's Breakfast. It didn't take me long to get ready and go so I got there at about 10 'til. After the breakfast Pastor Bruce Hamilton gave a short challenge about how to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). He used an acrostic of the word WORSHIP to as the outline. Wait on the Lord. Offer yourself to Him. Repent of sin. Surrender your will. Holiness is required. (I actually can't remember what "I" was for right now). Praise Him. After he had finished I helped clean in the kitchen until everything was done; then I got a ride home with Mr. Ballard. I spent the rest of the afternoon making stuffed Focaccia bread for the youth activity at the Ellis's house. At 4 I got a ride from church with Mr. Bickle to the activity. I had a pretty good time during the afternoon and evening. The only interesting thing that I did was volunteering for a game were I was blindfolded and had to guess the flavor of baby food that was being spoon-fed to me. Then Pastor Hamilton spoke to us on his burden that he has for Christian young people to reach out to the lost youth of the world. Afterwards, when I was supposed to be helping clean up I was in the back of the house brushing the horse that the Ellis's have. Then I got a ride back to the church and from there got a ride home.

On Sunday, following church and lunch, I went to G.I. Joe's to get my general season Elk hunting tag. Then I drove, in the rain, back to the church for evening service.

Upon coming home I had some food then got ready for bed. Proceeding sleep I lay in bed reading my Bible and studying for Bible quizzing. I had the window open a bit and the wind was chill and it howled through the gap; it reminded me of being on the mountain snowboarding. I hope toward the day that the season actually opens and I can finally go snowboarding. But for now I will have to wait and buy snowboard boots.

Thanks for reading about my boring life, whoever you are. You make this all worthwhile.

John