a quote that makes a good point...

Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld

people make all kinds of sayings for long distance relationships...but i feel that this one has been the best that i've ever read. not every long distance relationship fails and not every one succeeds...it is the choices of the 2 people in the relationship that determines the outcome, not the mileage between the 2...

Weekend of Thought

This weekend, Kathryn's friends have generously paid her way to Freed for Homecoming, to relax with friends and get away for a while. this trip has led me to a state of deeper thinking...at least for me. on occasion i have short periods of time where i ponder certain questions and how one decides on answering those questions; the process by which one determines which answer is the best one; the equation which each follows to decide what one truly values and how that person uses assigned values to set his or her priorities in life. personally i find it very interesting that although in my life, most of my priorities have changed...i no longer put high value in my athletic abilities, or my abilities to attract the opposite sex (and no i'm not looking to the same sex either), or even my abilities to fulfill the expectations of my mentors, friends, & family as much as i once have in my life. i now put much thought into what the best use of my abilities is, how i can achieve some sense of a true accomplishment in life, what kind of footprint am i going to leave when i die, what kind of adventures can i have in life, are people going to know that i have attempted to make a difference. most of those who read this, are probably thinking of the previous statement in a religious context...but i wouldn't say that i was referring to those things in that manner. one of my favorite shows involves a mathematician, a cosmetologist, an FBI agent, and several other random characters. the shows usually involves a theory from one field placed into a new setting to solve a crime. what if i could do that in my own life? what if i could use theories that i've learned in life and apply them to different areas? would i still be effective in creating a better world, or that which i can effect?...i think that this idea of using theories of one area and applying them to others isn't used enough...i feel that a person applies a theory of a field to only that field and doesn't expand the opportunities of that theory to anything but what it was originally created for...now i'm not foolish enough to think that this would work for everything...but in some areas...who knows?

these "weekends of thought" often bring about many questions about my own life...am i on the right path, is there anything i could do better, am i making the right choices, and so on? (once again...not all religiously speaking) there's a man that i respect a lot that told me last summer that, you use the skills that you have been blessed with to do the most good...that you're not always going to please people with your choices, but you are helping people. in the past the thought of joining the Peace Corps. or the UN have been very realistic options for me...it's got everything i could ever want: adventure, helping people, travel, etc...i keep thinking about my future and how i can involve all of these aspects into my life...i suppose i will continue to ponder and meditate on the choices that lay before me and hopefully be able to use the right equations and logic to determine the greatest answers for my future.

Through Research Comes Inspiration

I am currently doing research for a paper about the history and development of Pepperdine University. through my reading i have found George Pepperdine to be a very fascinating man. even though he personally never had a college education he was a very wise and intelligent man. i would recommend anyone interested in church of christ schools to really find information on mr. pepperdine, you may find it interesting. to me, the basis on which he founded pepperdine university should be the goal of EVERY school that claims to practice Christianity. i feel like my undergraduate institution is working towards getting there...where is there you ask? "there" is a place in which faculty, administration, and the student body do not discriminate on who they accept into their groups, who they give physical, social, emotional help to, and who they reach out to. in my time at Freed i noticed a growing trend in which the student body was becoming more and more interested in how they could reach out to people outside of the "church." i feel that as Christians we don't like to do that, we like our bubble and we don't want to leave the bubble. i am just as guilty as the next person of this, but i feel that at times in my life i have been looked down upon, disrespected, or slightly rebuked for some of my ideas that Christianity to me is not going to a building on sundays or wednesdays, but rather a lifestyle in which one chooses to try his or her best to resemble those actions which Christ took part in. i feel that someone that lives with the goal of helping people has less to worry about at the end of his or her life than someone whose goal in life was never to miss a church service. my opinion is not trying to prove whether i am "right" or "wrong;" this is just a means in which i can leave my thoughts and express them, hopefully without offending anyone, if i do, feel free to leave your opinions as well. i am not interested in arguing the theological aspects of Christianity, only gathering information and life experiences that will help me make rational and wise decisions in life like my mentors and people like Mr. Pepperdine.

I don't necessarily believe in "a calling from God," but i did find this interesting. i do not dream a lot and when i do, i never seem to remember what it was about...but apparently drinking lots of mountain dew causes my mind to be very active during periods of sleep. i had a dream the other night which has remained vivid in my memory. i was in a foreign impoverished country, leading a group of people in humanitarian work (kinda like TORCH), but the country i was in was very militaristic and captured 3 of my men. i followed them down to where they had lined them up to be killed. i somehow was able to save the men (this part was not very clear), and the part i remember the best was one of the men that i saved asked me "what do you do?" and i smirked a bit, put my arm on his shoulder, and said with a humble, passionate, yet confident voice "I help people..." then i woke up with this sense of emotion, pride, and passion that i don't know if i've ever felt before. the next day i had an interview for an internship in which i would get to advise a group and coordinating several social justice programs, alternative spring breaks, and leadership development...it's very interesting to me that in the same week i: have a dream in which "helping" is the theme, i have an interview that i "help" people learn and be active in helping other people, and i conduct research about a man who wanted to the greatest good with what he had....calling?...i don't believe so....way to get to heaven?....possibly....ideas that will help me be a better person in the end?.....DEFINITELY

--what else can one ask for?

exciting opportunities

kathryn told me a few days ago how crazy she thinks it is that we are in FL in grad school. to those who may not know us, this may not seem so crazy, but to those of you who do know us...grad school in FL is definitely not something that i would have planned on a year ago. i love my program and all of the opportunities that i have here and in my future career. in the past week i have worked with Pitbull, the Gym Class Heroes, Ray Wise (director of Oscars), Bobby Bowden, Geno (the voice of the tampa bay bucs & the seminoles), captains of the FSU football team...it was one long week of homecoming, but it was so cool how many opportunities to work with famous people and learn how things work on a big stage. in the past week i put on 2 productions that were both bigger than anything my undergrad has ever put on. it's just very exciting to me what all i'm getting to do here and the people i'm getting to meet. one area that i've been struggling in is balancing school work with my other jobs. luckily there is only one more new assignment and the rest is just finishing presentations and papers. next semester i only have classes on monday but i'll be in class from 4-9:45. i will also have 1 online class and i'm hoping to obtain an internship in the center for leadership and civic education. this center's goal is to develop students into productive citizens and they try to do that by giving students opportunities to do community service, humanitarian work, and other services that benefit society as a whole. this is a very exciting opportunity for me because my work in honduras, boy scouts, study abroad, katrina relief, and other areas of my life can all help me in my work in the center.

kathryn is in a program in which almost all of their work is writing papers and reading a billion pages of theories and opinions...she was so excited the other day when she got to actually look at a picture....this was an eye-opening statement to me because to me when you mention "art history" i think art/pictures/sculptures, etc...apparently i was wrong...(there's a shocker) but i'm very proud of her for pushing through the hard times of transition and unsupportive professors. she got really really good feedback the other day which is very impressive!! not only is she dealing w/ school work but she's dealing w/ my hectic schedule working several nights a week and it's nice to know that she's always there for me and is understanding of my crazy life.

Thanksgiving and Xmas breaks are coming up and i can't wait to go somewhere where it's cold!!