I'm finally home! It's been an interesting past couple of weeks. First, let me explain why I was so slow in updating. I couldn't figure out why my computer wasn't charging until I looked down and noticed that the cord connected to my charger was literally sparking and nearly burnt in half. So, small problem.... I quickly unplugged my computer, but without the power cord my computer soon ran out of juice. This all happened in the middle of finals weeks, and in the confusion I wasn't able to order a new one until I got home for break. It's kind of a paradox. It was actually quite nice to be without my computer because it didn't distract me, but, I missed out on a lot of things because I wasn't able to access my computer.

But, all shall be well. I would post more, but at the moment the mood does not so strike me. Perhaps tomorrow. Perhaps.

-Ryan
P.S. Let me apologize for my rather lethargic writing style and voice tonight. It is late, and I am doing this more out of compulsory impulse than inspiration. And so, to all of my great english teachers of yesteryear, I bid thee my humblest apologies.

Tags: Home, Break

Ahh... The time has arrived. I will be rolling off campus in a matter of hours (20, to be exact). I can't wait! I get to go to Charity's family's for Thanksgiving, which should be a lot of fun. But, I will be unable to update during the next few days, so, don't think I have dropped off and relapsed as before Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

- Ryan

Tags: Break

Ladies and Gentlemen, another school year has come and gone. I turned in my final project for this semester 20 min. before the first Camp Meeting service started tonight, and thus put the finishing touches on my Junior year of college. In retrospect, it's been an interesting year. Lot's of good, some bad, but permeated throughout with the grace of God. All honor and glory to Him, and Him alone!

I'm afraid my mind is too fried to think up something witty, so I did something I should never do, I pulled up a past blog. I wrote this at the end of my freshman year, and it is still very appropriate indeed! Enjoy

"Well my fellow comrades in arms, and various onlookers, we are on the brink of victory! Long have we parried with our exasperating antagonist (school work), but alas, we have emerged victorious! We shall soon be lifted from the murky depths of despair and despondent deportment to a loftier level of lighthearted leisure. We shall make good our escape effective at 1130 hours. And then, with the suffocation of the semester subdued for a season, we shall sinuously slither our way homeward. Lest you think me a laggard for my lack of updates, I shall be unable to update this blog for an undetermined period of time due to my departure. But hope is not lost! For I shall return with renewed vigor, and a greater vitality for virtuosic blogging. Farewell my fellow compatriots and onlookers! I bid thee, adieu."

Ryan (the amateur alliterator)

Tags: Finals, End, Exams, Break

Ladies and gentleman, I have another story to tell (see this blog for the first). It was confirmed to me last Wednesday evening that God does, indeed, have a sense of humor. As you all know, we (my cousin Austin and I) ran into a little snag on our way home for Spring Break when we broke down in the middle of Dayton and turned a 4-hour trip into 14 hours. We both had a good laugh, and a pretty funny story out of the ordeal. We hypothesized that it was the combination of two Watters’ in the same vehicle that caused such an unexpected mechanical malfunction.

Break was soon enough over, the car fixed, and Austin showed up at my house around 7:15pm Wednesday evening to pick me up and begin the disgustingly unwelcome journey back to our doom (school). So, after a quick stop by the gas station to pick up a 5-hour energy drink, we began the trek back to the great city of Cincinnati. We made excellent time, crossing the Ohio border around 8:00pm and ebbed our way ever closer to our sealed fate.

Around 10pm we hit Dayton, that infamous city of previous ill repute. We quickly approached the site of our unplanned stay on I-75 a mere 5 days earlier. We both reminisced about that fateful day. The angry traffickers, the helpful cops, Joel, Jethro and the gang from Summit Towing, it was all so fresh in both of our minds. As we passed that legendary locale of tribulations I shouted out, "Yes! We have conquered! We have overcome!" To this Austin wholeheartedly affirmed, and then stated ominously, "But we’re not there yet." How true... 60 – 120 seconds later we heard a most horrific "POP!" and felt the whole car sag. We began to veer uncontrollably for a few moments until Austin regained control of the unwieldy behemoth. "We blew a tire!" He stated emphatically, "Can we get over?" I quickly checked the lane and shouted, "Clear! Go!" He maneuvered us safely to the side of the road, and upon shifting to park, I literally doubled over in a fit of hysteria laughing. How ironic is that we would break down, not once, but twice within the 5 days of each other, and further still, that both occurrence were within 1-2 miles of each other. As an added bonus, the date was April 1st, April Fools Day. God certainly has a sense of humor . Imagine with me trying to convince someone that you had just broken down twice in the same spot on April Fools Day. We were nearly left stranded for lack of belief.

We quickly emerged from the derelict car and upon examining the rear passenger tire discovered that it had completely caved in and had eaten through the fender. This was no ordinary blown tire. We jacked up the car, used our cell phones as flashlights, and two mechanically illiterate college students tried to discern the matter. Have you ever laid on your back, under a jacked up car, on a bridge, with semis whizzing a few feet past your head and shaking the concrete beneath you? It’s slightly disconcerting. We called the usual mechanical paramedics (Austin’s dad, brother-in-law, my brother), and it was decided that David and Joy would drive up from Covington, KY with a car trailer to pick up us and the car and head down to Cinci.

So, what were we to do but, sit. And we sat. And we sat. We cracked jokes, laughed, wished for food, decided that we would never again ride home together again, agreed to circumvent the city of Dayton at all costs until the day we die, and a host of other absurdities. I remembered that I had a travel chess set in my backpack, and we both realized that trying to play chess at 2am is rather demoralizing because we both were, shall I say dull-witted? Vapid? Asinine? We did laugh profusely, however, as we made each move with twisted accents from a number of different countries.

David and Joy arrived soon after our final ridiculous game of chess, and we had the joyous pleasure of trying to get the car up on the trailer. Because it was sagging so intensely it bottomed out trying to cross the fulcrum point. We actually had to jack the car back up, set it back down (which allowed the tire to roll straight for 1'-2'), and Austin and I lifted up on either side of the car while David drove it up the ramp. I’m sure we looked rather ludicrous to any passersby. After strapping it down, we proceeded uninhibited the remainder of the journey on to Cincinnati, arriving shortly before 3am. Then came the wondrous pleasure of carrying our luggage up 6 flights of stairs.

What a day. But, the Lord protected us, once again, and I learned something about holding the things of this life lightly. Vehicles may come or go. Possessions and money are so easily lost. I am going to put my trust in something Higher. Something that will not break down or fail. I will put my trust in Christ, the Lover of my soul, the Guider of my life, and the King of all I am.

-Ryan
P.S. I knew people wouldn't believe us, so I took a few pictures

Tags: Break, Car, Adventure

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a tale to tell. I find it ironic that in my last blog I said, "It's sometimes kind of funny how God works. He so rarely tells you ahead of time. He just plops you into situations, and then gives you the grace you need in the middle of it." Well, I proved that statement true last Friday as I headed back home on Spring Break. Here's how it happened...

My car decided to be obnoxiously obstinate and blow the transmission a couple weeks ago, and so I was left carless when it came time to head home for Spring Break last Friday. So, my good cousin Austin offered to let me ride home with him in his parent's convertible. Perfect! It was a gorgeous afternoon when we left Cincinnati around 2:30pm that fateful day. The top was down, the wind whipping overhead provided a pristine drive. We were rolling along quite uninhibited and carefree until we reached Dayton, where we hit some heavy rush hour traffic. For those of you who are familiar with the area, you know how dense the construction is just as you reach the center of Dayton. They're in the process of rebuilding a bridge which kind of bottlenecks traffic. Definitely not a good place to, say, break down, or something, for sure...certainly not. Well, we're rolling along and then we suddenly, weren't. And then came that horribly disconcerting feeling that kinds of grabs the bottom of your stomach and begins to wrench it up through your chest and eventually into your throat. As we rolled to a stop Austin tried furiously to get the car restarted, but, to no avail. It would turn over, but no ignition.

So, there we were. Stopped on I75, in the middle of Dayton, during rush hour, in heavy construction. Could it get any worse? Never ask that question. (To be perfectly honest, I was slightly, amused? enlivened? ). "Maybe we ran out of gas" Austin posited. However, according to the gauge we weren't even on "E." But, it was worth a try. "There's gotta be a gas station around here somewhere" we said. So, Austin stayed with the car, and I jumped the median, and headed down the embankment to a main road that ran under the overpass. I stopped someone and asked them where the nearest gas station was. "Down that way" the man casually drawled with an apathetic thumb jab to his left. So I took off running (literally, and in my clodhopper dress shoes nonetheless), expecting it to reach the gas station shortly. Two miles later I drag myself into the Marathon station. Thankfully they had gas cans for sale, and I bought a can and two gallons of gas. It was, well, a rather run-down section of town, lots of bars on the windows, etc., and so I was quite a spectacle as I jogged down the sidewalk, casually dressed, and carrying my little red gas can, being heckled by a homeless guy on my right, and being cussed out by someone driving by on my left, I trudged on. I traversed the two miles back to I75 and ran back up the embankment to the car, which, by this time, had two police cars behind it.

We quickly dumped the two gallons of gas into the car and Austin hopped in the drivers seat and turned the key. Nothing happened. "Well" the cop inserted, "we have to get this car off the road, so I'm calling a wrecker." Traffic was backed up for miles as they tried to merge into the adjacent lanes to bypass us. The cop disappeared in his car for a while to take care of some paperwork, and soon returned stating that the wrecker would be here shortly. "You're going to a really bad section of town, so be careful," he stated. Wonderful! Just what we wanted to top off our day

The wrecker arrived shortly thereafter, and out hopped Joel, a guy in his 30's with so many tattoos you couldn't even see his arms. He got us hooked up, we piled into the tow truck and headed off to the impound lot. All the way there he kept telling us, "We're going to the worst section of Dayton, the West Side." And, indeed, he was right. They don't have bars on the windows in the daytime for nothing. For those of you who know Dayton, the Gettysburg Rd. area can be pretty rough. We arrived at the impound lot/junkyard about 20 min. later, and settled in. It really wasn't too bad inside the compound, besides the rather, shall I say, begrimed state of the garage/office where we spent most of our time. Well, OK, it was downright filthy. But, you get used to it after a while, and forget about it.

The original plan was to have Austin's sister and brother-in-law bring a trailer, pick up us and the car, and head onto Michigan. However, they couldn't get the trailer hooked up, and so they just went on without us, and Austin's Dad started out on the three-hour drive down from Michigan to pick us up. So, we waited...and waited. We did get to know some of the guys there pretty well. Jethro, Joel, John, Glen, and the rest of the guys, they were all pretty nice. Crude, to be sure, but hey, we were able to be a light. I was able to witness to a few of them during our unplanned stay, and I pray God will use those seeds that were planted during that unanticipated afternoon.

During this time Austin's sister and brother-in-law had broken down themselves about an hour up the road, and were sitting in a parking lot waiting for us to come rescue them. How ironic, the rescued were soon to be come the rescuers. Well, we arrived at the lot approximately 4:00pm and Austin's Dad arrived with the trailer right at 12:00am. So, we put in an 8-hour shift at Summit Towing. If only we were getting paid...hmm. But, after much grunting and a few hernias we finally succeeded in pushing the now deceased Chrysler Sebring up on the trailer. 20 minutes later we had everything strapped down and Austin and I left our home-away-from-home, car in tow. An hour later we came upon the derelict dualy of David and Joylene’s. There was nothing to be done with the truck, and so it was decided that we would all pile into Austin's Dad's truck. Well, I'm afraid you can't exactly fit six people and a baby in the cab of a pickup truck. What were we to do? Well, we basically had one option, the back of the truck. Yep, you guessed it. We threw a tarp over the back, Austin and I donned a couple extra coats and crawled in. It was 34 degrees...yeah...it was cold. But, in we crawl, laughing and cracking jokes all the way. We settle in (you know, it's kind of difficult to get comfortable in the back of a pickup truck. But, I digress), and we begin our 2 1/2 hour trek back to Michigan. The tarp conveniently gaped on one side allowing a nice icy breeze to freeze one side of by body, and form a perfect downdraft at our feet, thereby ensuring that we could not feel them for the remainder of the journey. We continued to laugh and crack jokes for a while before I eventually threw a hoodie over my face, curled up, and fell asleep for an hour or so. Isn't sleep the first stage of hypothermia? Hmm. Anyway, I woke up to Austin singing Jesus Loves Me, so, why not, I joined in. And we sang, in the back of a pickup truck, covered by a tarp, half frozen, but thoroughly amused (well, at least I was ). "Where are we at?" I yelled. "Squawfield Road" he shouted back. Yes! We were about 5 min. from home. And that leg of our adventure came a close a few minutes later as we pulled into their driveway.

As Austin and I crawled out of our little habitat, I noticed that it was a little tricky to move my legs, and as I slid off the tailgate I stumbled and swayed into the car a few feet away. My legs were so numb I couldn't even feel them and they wouldn't support me A very funny feeling! I was laughing, as was everyone else around me. We were greeted by piping hot chocolate and after a few minutes I could once again feel my legs and was walking normally. After switching my belongings over to my Mom's car (who had come to pick me up) we began the hour-long trip back to my house from Austin's. We arrived a little after 5am and I was once again in the safe confines of home!

What an experience! A 4-hour trip that turned into a 14-hour exploit. I am once again amazed at the grace of God as He leads us along. We really don't know what the future holds, but that's why I stick close to Him, because He does. All things considered, I really don't regret the experience. Who else can say they had a 14 hour escapade on their way home for Spring Break? Granted, I wouldn't want to do it every weekend, but.... The key verse for our trip that eventful Friday evening? Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth..."

Tags: Break, Car, Adventure

I am in the early stages of detox. There's a possibility that I have to do a little more homework, so I have only tentatively begun to shut down. But even the precursory sensations of rest, relaxation, and utter apathy feel wonderful. I get a little weary at times at just how self-centered blogs of necessity are. So, I'm going to do something that I should have done a long time ago, deflect the focus.

There is one person, more than any other that has kept me going through this last semester. Without her, I would have 1) lived in a perpetual state of depression 2) done something completely rash 3) left school 4) become a hermit and moved to the Alps. She has been my constant encourager, friend, and confidant. She has believed in me, even when I felt like a failure. She dreamed for me, when I was too weak to dream myself. She lifted my problems and burdens to my Father, when I was too downtrodden to do it myself. She has laughed with me in success. She has wept with me in despair. She has loved me unconditionally. In my eyes, she is the epitome of what a mother should be. I love you, Mom!

Next, to my family. I have felt, perhaps more than any other, your love and support this semester! I have often commented to others how blessed I am to have you. To my immediate family, Jason & Kara, Andy & Jenn, you have all been such an encouragement to me. Your acts of kindness, words of affirmation and encouragement, have not gone unappreciated by me! I am blessed to have you as my brothers and sisters. To my grandparents, who have loved and supported me in so many ways, I say ... thank you is so inadequate.... May God impress upon you just how grateful I am for you! Your care-packages (and even a new chair and mattress!), your financial help, but most importantly, for your prayers. I have been so richly blessed with Godly grandparents (both Plemmons and Watters), and knowing that you are continually lifting me up before the Father has kept me strong when I felt like giving in.

Next, to my friends. I feel this has been something of a 'coming out' semester for me. I have strengthened old friendships, and began many new. I believe my Father knew I would need you. You guys have supported me, and lifted my spirits, maybe without even knowing it. Every smile, encouraging word, although I may not always show it, mean more to me than you can know. You have challenged me to laugh, to be a better person, a stronger Christian. Each of you has enriched my life by adding your own touch of flair to my world. I value you for your uniqueness. You may improve, yes, but don't change.

Finally, to my precious Savior Jesus Christ, to Whom I owe all. For Whom my existence exists. To Whom I live my life. To the One I love before all else. To Him be all praise, and honor, and glory, and blessing! You sustained me, when I wanted to give in. You have heard my anguish in the quiet realms of the soul, where no one else but You can hear. You have been my backbone, when turning would have been oh, so easy. You have loved me, when I didn't feel lovable. You encouraged me in spite of myself at times. I feel like you carried me more than I walked this semester. In the austere and lonely ashes of my dreams, You met me, and gave me a song. To You, and You alone! be glory!

eimi doulou tou theou!
"I am a servant of God!"
Ryan

Tags: Relax, Break

I got back on campus around 9:30 tonight, and received a chilly surprise when I entered my room. When your expecting to walk into a nice cozy cocoon, 55 degrees is a bit... startling. Apparently they shut off the heat during break, and have not yet turned it on. That in itself would not have been a problem, but my window decided to fall open about 3 inches of its own accord, which let the frigid air blow freely into my room. It's now up to 60, so it is improving. Oh well, things could most certainly be worse. It's now onto the home stretch! Only 16 more days and this semester will be nothing but a memory. Memories... Many good. Some bad. But all to the glory of God.

Ryan

Tags: Back, Break

I had good intentions. Just a quick little half hour nap before I leave for my grandparents house (because I pulled an all-nighter last night). Three and a half hours later I realize something went desperately awry. By that time, it's too late to leave. So, here I sit, in my room, by myself, in an empty dorm. But, before you pity me too much, it's really ok. I went to Bob Evans tonight and ate some good food, then followed that up by a quick run to Starbucks and some hot chocolate. The Lord sovereignly sits unrivaled, and unchallenged on His throne, and life is good, even if it's not like I planned. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Ryan

Tags: Break

Choir Tour 2008 is officially over. We returned Sunday night from our last service. It was hard, especially for the ones graduating or not returning. Everyone went around to each other and said their final goodbyes. Lot's of tears, lot's of hugs, lot's of unity. But, now it's back to the grindstone. I admit, it's probably going to take a small atomic bomb to get me moving again. I just feel like sleeping, and doing nothing for the next 2 months. Ah well, for God and country.

Ryan

Tags: GBS, Back, Choir, Break, End

I decided to roll all three posts into one. I apologize for the gap in updates again. I don't have convenient internet access for my laptop at my house, and so I ended up putting it off till I got back to school. I arrived about 12:00 yesterday afternoon, and I survived my first day of classes today. I've returned with mixed emotions. I must admit that I am slightly reluctant as I begin this semester, just because of the sheer vastness of the workload before me. But, I know the Lord brought me safely through this last year, and I'm sure He will do it again. I have added a few pictures, one of which is my room after I dumped everything off before heading to work yesterday afternoon. Trust me, it looks better now

Ryan

Tags: Back, Return, Break

I have returned! After a 2-3 month hiatus, I am back up and running. I have successfully finished my 3rd (and by far, hardest) semester at GBS, and will be heading back on January 7th to dig into my 4th semester (which will be comparably, if not more, difficult). But, the Lord was faithful, and He gave me the strength I needed to make it through. I am now on break, and it feels wonderful! I haven't slept this much in 4-5 months! I am currently up at Megan's house in Shelby, MI, and we will leave on the 24th to go down to my house to finish out the break.

I will probably not attempt to catch up on all that has lapsed during the 'silent months', because it would just take too much time. But I'll just state that the semester went fairly well scholastically, and I am enjoying my job working for Dr. Brown (it keeps me busy!). I hope you have a merry Christmas!

Ryan

Tags: Busy, Break, Personal, Website, Return

What have I been up to so far this summer. It's really quite simple. I can actually put it in one word. Work! I'm working one full time job, and I'm thinking about looking for a second part time job. Fun, fun. Oh well, you gotta live I guess. But, yeah, that's my life right now. Sleep, eat, work. Then repeat.... I will, however, be participating in my good friend, and pastor, Michael's wedding on Saturday. I have to go pick up my tux on Friday. It should be fun! I'm excited for him. If you haven't noticed, I haven't posted very many pictures lately. I do apologize for this, and I will try and take some more photos to post soon. Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope your summer is going well! See yah.

Ryan

Tags: Summer, Life, fun, Break

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School is officially over TOMORROW! And the student's of God's Bible School & College are getting a little stir crazy! We want to go home! Ahh, the countdown begins...13 hours, 41 minutes, 55 seconds.....54 seconds..... 53 seconds.....

Ryan

Tags: Last day, GBS, Crazy, fun, Break

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I just took my last exam, and, as far as school work goes, my freshman year of college is over! Thank the Lord for helping me through this year! It feel funny not to have to worry about doing homework tonight for classes tomorrow. I think I can get used to this....

Ryan

Tags: End, Last day, Exams, GBS, Break

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There are only three days of school left! I am now finished with four classes, and have two more to go. I finished my Doctrine of Holiness class today. I actually don't have any exams tomorrow! So my next exam will be Discipleship/Small Groups on Wednesday, followed by Principles of the Christian Life II on Thursday. Then, the push on through Camp Meeting and then... FREEDOM! I can make it, I can make it, I can make it....

Ryan

Tags: Exams, GBS, End, Break

Just a quick note that Megan & I arrived safely back on campus around 1:00 this afternoon. Back to the battle...

Ryan

Tags: Back, Return, Break

Well my fellow comrades in arms, and various onlookers, we are on the brink of victory! Long have we parried with our exasperating antagonist (school work), but alas, we have emerged victorious! We shall soon be lifted from the murky depths of despair and despondent deportment to a loftier level of lighthearted leisure. We shall make good our escape effective at 1130 hours. And then, with the suffocation of the semester subdued for a season, we shall sinuously slither our way homeward. Lest you think me a laggard for my lack of updates, I shall be unable to update this blog for an undetermined period of time due to my departure. But hope is not lost! For I shall return with renewed vigor, and a greater vitality for virtuosic blogging. Farewell my fellow compatriots and onlookers! I bid thee, adieu.

Ryan (the amateur alliterator)

Tags: Break

Last weekend Megan, Joy, and I traveled back to MI with Mr. Cravens (who had to preach a revival in northern MI). It was SO much fun! Andy & Jenn traveled up to stay the weekend with us. We went ice skating Friday night where I was finally able to defend myself from Andy's years of spraying me with ice. I got up a lot of speed and with a sudden stop I had successfully covered him with ice up to his knees. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt...sweet revenge He then proceeded to make me fall in a ice spraying contest, 'sigh' So, he did come out the winner after all We then went out to Cracker Barrel for supper and enjoyed a delicious meal. With that we called it a night and Megan went back to spend the night with Joy, and I traversed back to my house. Saturday we met up with Jason, Kara, & Katie at Applebees for lunch, and had a lot of fun spending time with them. Saturday night Jordana Arnold and baby Emma came over and we played ImagineIf. It was a good time and helped my family learn more about Megan & vice versa. I went and picked Megan up from Joy's house Sunday morning and brought her back to my church. Much to the chagrin of everyone, the furnace on our church stopped working and it was approximately 30 degrees in the church. So, we went to the parsonage for service. However, it turned out to be a really good service, and the Lord helped. For supper we had a personal favorite of mine, my Mom's tacos! It's something of a family tradition. Jason & Kara then came over Sunday afternoon and we played Taboo. It was also a lot of fun, and a good time was had by all. We attended Bird Lake Church Sunday night and Megan & Joy sang a special, doing a phenomenal job. We then left to meet Mr. Cravens for the return trip to Cincinnati. It was a long trip and we arrived on campus around 3:15 A.M. Monday morning. Needless to say, I used one of my skips for my 7:00 A.M. class. And that brings you up to date on my weekend. Have a great day!

Ryan

Tags: Family, Break, Relax, Iceskate

We arrived at the cabin in WV around 9:00 P.M. Monday night. After unpacking and choosing bunks we played a few games of Amish Dice. We then retired and waited for the action to start tomorrow. I should pause here and give you a few significant details. First, one of our main purposes of this trip was to bring as many guns as we could and just have fun shooting them. Growing up, my brother and I used to set up army men in the back flower garden and shoot them with bb guns. So, my brother, Andy, had the brilliant idea to recreate this fun memory. I brought my bb gun and he brought his and we went at it. As much as I hate to admit it, I was soundly defeated in this endeavor. But to this day I'll blame it on faulty sites! Also, during that first night it rained profusely! It really pounded down in torrents on the roof of that cabin. This is significant considering another one of our objectives for this weekend was to go ATV'ing. Can you say mudholes OK, now we can move on to Tuesday, the 26. After putzin around the cabin for a while Andy and I decided to go on our ATV trip. Andy's vehicle of choice was a Honda 3-wheeler, and mine was a Suzuki 4-wheeler. So, we set off. After some light riding around the cabin we decided to head off, planning to be back in 20 min.... 2-3 hours later we returned. But man what a trip! The recent rain left the trails and roads with deep mudholes. We both came close to getting stuck, but with a little effort we managed to escape. There were many beautiful sites, including a number of deer. I will spare you the tale of every stream crossed, and mudhole conquered and simply tell you we had a blast and arrived back at the cabin where Andy made chili and venison steak. The rest of the day consisted of Uno, a quick trip to town, Amish Dice, and more eating. We then retired, sad that tomorrow would end it all. We awoke the next morning to the beginnings of a beautiful day! Andy and I set off again for the trails, this time with my camera in tow. We were disappointed to find that the water had significantly subsided in the night and we were not able to capture the full ATV experience of the day before. Still, we had a lot of fun and took a lot of pictures. You can see them here. We then returned to the cabin, packed up and headed out. We arrived at Andy's house around 4:30 that night and I arrived back at my house around 8:00. All in all it was an amazing weekend with many good memories made.

Ryan

Tags: Break, fun, Family, Relax, Photography, ATV

Things are going along very well in the first few days of my vacation. I have succeeded in my objective of becoming a bump on a log. Alas, returning to my beloved 76 step trek to my dorm room will be a very rude awakening! But, I digress. I will be leaving Christmas day to go to my brothers house in Marion, OH where we will leave to go down to West Virginia and stay out in a cabin for a few days. It should be a lot of fun! Our time will pretty much consist of 4-Wheeling and target practice. Oh, do you think it may be a good idea for me to start my Christmas shopping? hmm. A disconcerting revelation...

Ryan

Tags: Break, Relax

It's over! Finals are done, and I survived...barely. I finished my last exam Friday morning, turned in my last reflection paper by noon, and left by 1:00. I am now home and thoroughly enjoying my sleep! Thanks for all your prayers!

Ryan

Tags: Exams, Test, End, Last day, Relax, Break, GBS

Hey Everyone, I know this is a bit late, but Happy Thanksgiving! Things have been so busy around here with school, set construction, and narration practice that I haven't had time to post much. I trust you had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was excellent! We went to my Grandparents house in Ohio and spent time with family. Although two of my uncles were not able to attend because of transportation problems. I ate a lot of good food and did a lot of relaxing/sleeping We left there Friday afternoon to return to my home in Michigan where I stayed until I returned to campus on Monday. Overall it was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. These next two weeks will be very hectic as I head into the Christmas play and finals. Please remember me in your prayers! Have a great day!

Ryan

Tags: Family, fun, Break, Return