Still smiling.

This is THE blog, not necessarily for content, but for size. I'll have a lot of information but since there is so much, I'm splitting it up into 3 to 6 parts. I haven't decided. I was going to make one big blog but I decided I would never read it again if I did that. This is the first issue to come forth from my keyboard of this series that is available for consumption by the denizens of the internet. (you)

I have the first break in two weeks. I've had small breaks last week and days that have been very relaxing, but there is something about being at home that gives rest to the traveler. I'm actually not done working and will be very busy for the next week, but the salve has been applied and only time is required. I would have had a very disappointing week at nationals, but there were wells where I could rest along the way. But enough of how nice home is and how glad I am to see my mom and dad. What makes a restful place isn't the activity going on but the people I get to spend time with.

I'll attack this post from the oldest news to the latest. The first episode I shall reveal will contain the details of the Canoeing trip to the French River. This trip was just what the doctor ordered because after the last week of finals and then starting right into the two week class, I really needed a break, and the canoe trip offered the needed break. According to my professors, this trip was the easiest and laziest trip they had EVER taken. There were two professors and four students other than myself that went on the trip: Luke, Jon, Shannon and Rachel. They were a great group of people to go along with. They were all Christians and not hesitant to share their faith or what they thought. I will need to be a LITTLE circumspect because some of them may be reading this, but I'll still be pretty blunt. To start off with the bluntest statements of all. Of all the students on the canoe trip, I probably enjoyed the company of Rachel the most because most of the time she spent talking about her boyfriend. You would think that would get boring after 5 or 6 straight hours, but no! It stayed as interesting as ever. That was what I enjoyed, but what I missed the most was listening to Shannon. Apparently she was talkative in the evening while in her tent with Rachel but it was nothing I could ever hear. From the small crumbs that both Shannon and Rachel dropped about those conversations they sounded very thoughtful and something that I could have learned a lot from. Jon and Luke were both pretty quiet. None of us were talkers, but both of them did a lot of neat stuff. Luke was a lifeguard and had a lot of stories and plans about what to do over the coming year. He had also done a lot of hiking in the past. Jon was on the swim team at college and was doing a lot of missionary work.

This trip was a hard blow for the end of college. It made me realize that there was a whole group of people that I hadn't met that I wish I would have taken the opportunity to seek out. I already knew that the people I had met in college were far more interesting than my 4 years would allow. I think Shannon would have been especially neat to get to know because during the trip she was the mystery but seemed to have a very interesting life. Oh well. I'm sure I'll continue to meet great people, but I'll be trying to at least stay in touch with some of the people on the trip. One day I'll have the chance to meet all of these people and get to know them well!