First Day in UB

We're coming to the end of our first day in UB and things have really started off well. The day all seemed really relaxed but it certainly was productive. Kevin and I were both encouraged by some of our discoveries. Not far from the apartment is a shop called The American Shop and it has all kinds of things from JIF peanut butter to root beer and cream soda. There is also a family restaurant from Korea call BBQ Chicken; the offerings there were very good and surprised us. We also went to the school to get registered as well as walking back and forth to the local government building to get residency. The first time we forgot proof of Mr. Dean's purchase of the apartment. We walked back to the apartment and when we got there there was someone waiting to talk to Mr. Dean so Kevin and myself went by ourselves back to government office. The second time we forgot the 400 Tugriks and all I had was American twenties. Finally we went shopping for mattresses. We spent a lot of time in traffic, and you've heard about the traffic here. There is one thing to say about it though: it is consistently inconsistent. It was common place to see (and be in) cars three abreast in a two lane road. Proceeding all that we had an amazing breakfast of pancakes and then had prayer about a Mongolian Bible translation. The weather was very sunny and pleasant but the breeze kept the temperature from rising too high.

John

Sun Kissed on My Last Day

My last day at home in the U.S. I spent the day at the FBI gun range north of Scapoose. Kevin, Mr. M, Adam, Evan, and myself used the first half of the morning to roof the awning and build a little roof for an alcove then for the rest of the time we just had fun burning through brass. The arsenal included a fully automatic MP-10 and tricked out M4 as well as three automatic handguns. We spent the whole time in the sun so my skin has turned a little red, but it was a perfect day.

John

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

Making Memories

I had a great Memorial Day Weekend camping with my family. I was a little scattered driving back for Graduation, staying the night, then working Saturday morning. I also came back into town to drop Timmy off. Ultimate Frisbee was great, and the Thunderstorm really was exciting. I got sunburned the first day so my personal toaster oven inside my jacket kept me warm. I had a hard time sleeping because of the sunburn on my shoulders and last night the aloe Mom put on made my skin stick to my bed sheets. We had some great times and I'm looking forward to this summer, my last few months in the States for a while.

John

Post Script

Wow wow wow! What an amazing trip. I had the time of my life; and what a great group to have it with. We did so much, and in doing so much we also did so little. Everything from horseback riding, a jet boat trip, rock climbing bare foot, and soccer on the beach. We played board games and billiards, watched a couple of movies and ran and walked up and down the beach. We went out to dinner and ice cream, we also made some masterpieces of our own. I had some awesome times of personal devotion on the beach, as well as being able to be a blessing through song to the small congregation of believers there in Coquille. The sun set proclaimed the glory of God and all the skies declared it so, singing their silent praises to their maker. We didn't have a single day of bad weather, despite a little cold temperature one day, and I even managed to get a little sun burned. I'm an amateur when it comes to pranks but that didn't stop me from trying to harass our sponsors. We even ended up flinging bananas and shrimp around one night when things began to come loose. I took ton of pictures, I think my camera was finally glad to be put to good use. On the way back, we stopped at the Woodburn outlet mall and I ended up buying something in almost every store I went into. All in all, it was a perfect trip.

John

Brilliance

The weather has recently been very cold but last night the sky cleared and today the sun is out reminding us that it will be returning soon. The clear blue sky looks cold as the crisp sunlight pierces through the trees and windows finally casting shadows everywhere it cannot reach.

John

A Bow In the Sky

The rain today was really nothing more than a light sprinkle, but something about it was different than a usual light sprinkle. The clouds didn't have full control over the sky and the sun, its dying voice to put forth, shone brightly through. It was a beautiful sight. The setting Southwesterly sun shining through the thin clouds cast a vibrant rainbow onto the cloud banks to the North. The pot of gold was nowhere to be found.

John

I Never Lose

Last night we went over to the Popescu's house with the Kelleys for games and snacks and stuff. Without going into to much detail the story goes like this. I won at Dutch Blitz (It was a really cloes game.) I won at Catchphrase twice. I won at Bible Tri-Bond. I won at BattleLore. I Won. Today I organized a frisbee game at one oclock. I got there early and there were some kids playing soccer there. When Adam showed up we challenged them to a little skirmish. Adam, James, and me vs. three other kids; we played half field. We won three to nothing. I scored once and Adam scored twice. Then we played frisbee. My team won the first game. I then switched to the other team. My new team won. I never lose.

John

P.S. I can't believe it. It's the middle of October and I sunburned!

Not Dead Yet

Hey everyone. If you were wondering, the answer is no, I'm not dead yet. I was actually gone for awhile. As is stated in the previous post, I went hunting, and I did not come back for week. Of course I had a great time out in the woods. Unfortunately, I didn't see any deer that I could shoot, so that particular deer is not dead yet either. It snowed and rained and winded and the sun shined while I was at camp. I spent more than 35 hours in the woods. Now I'm back and studying for my test later this month. Tonight the Dallas Cowboys are playing the Buffalo Bills on Moday Night Football. Go 'Boys! I think that I'm going over to Kevin's house to play Halo 3 and then watch the game. That's the story of my life recently.

Johnny

Swimmin' In the Sea

I went to the beach on Saturday with my family, the Duttons, and the Popescus. We didn't know what the weather was going to be like but it turned out to be absolutely amazing. The night before I felt terrible, burning up and shivering all over. I wasn't sure if I was going to be well enough to do anything at the beach but I was going to go anyway. What ever it was, though, I burned it off by midnight. To make a long story short, the day was a great day overall. I chillaxed on the beach, walked to the top of the sand dune, went swimming in the ocean, body surfing, walked out onto the Cape and headlands, bouldered on some rocks, surfed down a slope of loose sand and rock, and sat on the tip of the cape watching the waves crash against the rock walls and the water churning below. It was a great day. Evan had come later in the afternoon because he had work so he and I were going to drive back in his car together. After everyone else had left we stopped into the Pelican Pub & Brewery for some of their amazing root beer and calm chowder. Our appetites satisfied and our root beer quaffed we headed for home.

John

On The Move

I know that I haven't posted in a while and you guys no idea how much fun I had last weekend on The Island or this week. And I'm so busy right now getting ready to go camping again that I don't have time to open your mind's eye to the joys and wonders of a day on the river. I went to the beach today and the weather was beautiful. I sunburned a little and my lips are chapped. Today we had a good football game. I'm really looking forward to football season in less than 40 days! Yesterday I worked late framing an alcove in the new Gymnatorium. After work I played frisbee, re-hurt my shoulder, played soccer, scored our only goal, then went nuts and had a blast at the airshow. What a weekend so far and I'm still not done!. I have three more full days to rock out! Rock on everybody.

John

Road Trip

After traveling all day, we are finally at our hotel. We left home at about 9 and arrived here just before 8. On the way down we made only a couple of stops. Our first stop was at the South Umpqua rest area for lunch. When we reached Redding we stopped for gas, as is our custom. Since we had stopped someone came up with the idea that we should stop at Starbucks for drinks. I was in line and ready to order when Sara informed me that Mom was going to buy all the drinks; we used Evan's partner discount. 200 miles later we were finally in sight of the city. One last stop at the grocery store and another quick jaunt on the freeway and we were pulling into the parking lot at the hotel. While we unloaded the van(and cleared the building), Mom started making dinner. The Asian chicken salad was the perfect summer dinner after spending all day on the road. While enjoyed dinner at the poolside we watched as dusk fell without a whisper. A lone owl flies over the city while a single star shines brightly in the falling light.

Tomorrow we have registration and then we are going to play disc golf. The weather here is incredibly nice and sunny without being too hot. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week.

John

Anchors Away!

I love the summer. The days are just packed, even if they are only filled with doing nothing. Today was a great day, filled with sunshine, in the sky as well as inside myself.

Work wasn't too hard or long but I was glad to get off today. I spent all morning and part of the afternoon drilling holes through boards into the concrete floor with an impact drill. Upon the completion of each hole, I would take a concrete anchor and blast it into the hole I had just made. I did have a couple of breaks today while working though. When the inspector showed up to do his thing I had to vanish because I'm not technically licensed or whatever. Mr. Bickle and I also had to put up the NBT banner so I got to go on the roof to do that. During my lunch break I fooded with the people up in the strawberry booth. Part of the time I was drilling and setting anchors I had to crawl under the floor joists to reach some of the areas. There is not a lot of head room down there, let me tell you.

My allergies are going crazy right now, and there taking me with them.

John

Reign of Fire

The Sun was relentless. The shade did little to lessen the discomfort. The boards were rough. My hands are sore and splintered. I have exhausted any sustenance received from the day's meals. The job is completed. I am satisfied with my work.

John

Knockin'

I didn't know exactly what time I needed to be up this morning for Church so I got up at 8 and was ready to go by 9:30. I found out soon after that that I didn't need to go to church until 10:30. I now had an hour of free time and nothing to do. I read my bible for a while (I don't remember how long) and then went up to my room. I haven't taken very many pictures yet so I took my camera up to the roof to get some. The weather is finally getting to what it should now and the sun was out.