Buried Alive

[Stage Notes:: Camp Hangover]
[Noise:: Fans until I can figure out what to listen to/watch]

Not going to say a whole lot other than I did go to camp which was definately the right thing to do and now I am buried under a mountain of work. I am hoping to be able to look back at the end of the night and see that it was only a mole hill, but it does not appear to be that from where I am now. Rather than babble on, I will leave. Here's hoping that I survive.

Initiating the Countdown Sequence...

[Stage Notes:: mmmm...Goldfish]
[iTunes:: Heaven Forbid | The Fray]

Sorry, I just haven't felt like writing lately. This weekend was kind of a strange one for me so I guess I will just let you all know what happened.

Friday night started out like any great weekend should by going to see the opening of Ocean's 13! The movie was a fantastic combination of the plot line of the first movie, the humor of the second one, and the nostalgia of the original version with the Rat Pack. So far it ranks number one in terms of 'Third' movies coming out this summer...just to recap these are the scheduled ones:

• Spiderman 3
• Shrek the Third
• Pirates of the Carribean: At Worlds End
• Bourne Ultimatum
• Ocean's 13
• Live Free or Die Hard (Technically the fourth but then again there are sort of two different second movies)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(Yes this one is the fifth, but this list is now officially third or later movies)
• Rush Hour 3

Looking at that list makes me sad and wishes writers would be more creative. Anyways we are getting off topic.

After the movie, we went back to the dorms and chilled out since many of us were supposed to take the Praxis in the morning. Well after a fair amount of chilling, I remembered that I needed batteries for my calculator and so I went to meijer. When I was ready to check out, I came to the startling realization that my wallet had decided that we needed a trial separation period. Silly me, I must have left it in the dorm right? Wrong. Crud.

Back to the theater, back to meijer, back to the dorm. No wallet. Double Crud.

No wallet = No ID = No Praxis Test...Triple Crud
No wallet = No ID = No Meal Plan...(you get the picture)

Needless to say that made for a rather frustrating weekend because I just couldn't get focused. It also happened that we had a huge paper and a project due yesterday at noon. I eventually managed to finish the paper and project and get them turned in, but I was up really late Sunday. I have also contacted everyone I could possibly think of and the conclusion is that my wallet has perminantly left me. Life is weird like that sometimes.

Before I forget, Sunday morning was also a challenge, though in a good way. After talking to the two other protestants in the program, we decided to check out a near by Methodist church that had a very cool description on the ND website for other faiths. My heart broke walking into a church that had maybe 15 people in it when we walked in and about 35-40 by the start of service. I was also saddened by the pastor's views on some of Paul's teachings. Though keeping all things in mind, I was intrigued and am undecided about returning. Though my desire is to be in community with the other protestants so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Perhaps the most notable thing though was the discussion on the way home and also for a little while when we got back to campus about Women's roles in the church. While the two of us differ on opinion over this matter, it was wonerful to get a chance to engage in a honest discussion about it and to be challenged as well as hopefully challenge the other individual's belief. I am really excited to have more of these conversations so we can help eachother to grow throughout the summer. Oh and in case you were wondering why I did not provide a name or anything more about the individual it is because I haven't talked to them about including them in the blog. Deal with it and then re-read it if it was a problem. :-P

Other than that, things are going well since I will be able to go to camp. Long story short, God is good, and has impeccable planning. This was also decided on Friday further complicating the feelings of the weekend. Now I just have to make sure I can get everything done.

54 Days

[Stage Notes:: Hockeyhockeyhockeyhockeyhockery...hockey!!!]
[TV:: Dallas at Vancouver; Game 7 | Hockey Night in Canada]

I love hockey. Especially playoff hockey.

I love being able to tune into a Canadian TV station during playoff hockey. During the playoffs, every night is hockey night in Canada.

Just thought that needed to be mentioned.

Go Wings!!! Oh, and in case you didn't know, the Wings won last night in double over time at Calgary! What an awesome game. There really is no more exciting sport that I have seen. Though I still have not seen a game of Jai Alai which I imagine is just insane. Maybe it is just because playoff hockey is so nerve racking. The only other really nerve racking sport in my mind is Soccer. Especially World Cup soccer. And shortly behind that is March Madness college basketball.

Ok, that said, this post is really about the 54 days mentioned in the title.

7 Weeks; 5 Days.

June 17th (or if you are lucky it can be June 16th) is the start of Camp.

Camp is my life blood. It is what I live for because it has year in and year out changed my life. It is a week of waking up with passion, and falling asleep because you have been running on Adrenalin and passion for 18 hours. Then you do it again. And you laugh and cry and hug at the end, but you don't really say much because there just aren't words. That is camp.

Honestly, camp has almost taken on it's own meaning. One of the actual definitions is:

A place in the country that offers simple group accommodations and organized recreation or instruction, as for vacationing children

HEHEHEHE. Not even close to an explanation for camp. I don't really feel like I can explain it right now so I think I will post the essay I wrote about it for the ACE application.

Enjoy, and think about what you would say if someone asked you to tell what is most important to you...in less than 300 words. I have to go work on my camp application because there is a planning meeting tomorrow(or today for most people that will read this)

What is Most Important to You? (300 Words Max.)

How does a person decide if what is most important is an event, some words of wisdom, an individual who touched his life, or a simple tradition? For me, it is a combination of these things that begins on Father’s Day when I join 130 of my closest friends for a week at Muscular Dystrophy Summer Camp.

We have our own reasons for returning year after year. Campers want a week where wheelchairs and leg braces are commonplace. I go to put the other fifty-one weeks into perspective. Every day of the year, I face situations that require humility, willingness to ask for help, sacrifice, and a desire to overcome. At camp my friends demonstrate how to answer yes through the examples they live out.

Throughout daily activities at camp I am reminded that the biggest barrier for people is the assumptions we make about them. Campers teach me how to recognize when I need help and more importantly how to accept it with grace, dignity, and occasionally a sense of humor. My friends whose diseases have no name show how to face uncertainty with courage. Volunteers challenge the conventional meaning of words like value and trust when I see how we must rely on each other to get through the week. Together, our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional strength is taken to the breaking point, and as a result each of us grows stronger and wiser.

When the week ends, it is impossible to walk away unchanged. I leave with a refined definition of who I am, and what people are capable of. The memories and mementos of camp are my daily reminders of not only how to define words like strength, ability, and dignity, but also how to live them out every moment of every day.