oh, the places we went

well, it has finally begun to wrap itself up... it is sunday, august 29, 2004 and we just had the greatest weekend of our lives. i can honestly not believe how well this has went! the ADs came. the OAs came after that. then the new students came with their parents, siblings, relatives, and friends. we had move in day when karen and i ran around campus on golf carts, helping locate lost dell computer towers, boxes of garbage cans and hangers, and the occasional box fan. dykstra is a large residence hall with a lot of dorms. this is what i came to learn this weekend.

then we didn't have buses for the trolley tours. that was not so fun. then we performed H.O.P.E. for the parents and mom and sister came. perkins. then a return for a meeting a b & b. orientation extravaganza in the pine grove. saturday came with a little bit of rain. we called the picnic and had a minor kerfoffle as all the parents wanted to eat in the same place. karen and i spoke at several sessions. i troubleshooted as one new student did a faceplant during a rousing game of link tag. sad day. then to eighth street grill for a little dinner. playfair was rockin'. then the luau. i can't stand the booty dancing, but oh well. sunday came and we had a little brunch with the mom and sister. i came back and worked on some things before singing in the opening convocation. some picnic time at the bultmans' backyard bbq. they had a roasted pig. it was off the wall crazy fly. then orange and blue for you. it was sweet with a little twelfth street action to open. followed by the best orientation video you ever did see. the greatest sussie i have ever gotten. an antique painted chair. then the great handing out of the sussie. the nalgenes were sweet. and now a little coffee house and maybe a little sleep as well. until the next time i post.

what a day

here i sit, taking a blog break after a long day that is not over yet. tomorrow i move back into the sauna and i cannot wait. although i've loved living in the luxury of the sauna, i more than welcome the opportunity to get back to living with my brothers in van saun. i hope they've all had awesome summers and are ready to get back to school.

we had a bit of a stressful one today, but even after all these hours, we're holding up and looking forward to another day. we're making it, and are very excited for all of the staff and new students to come to hope. like i said, tomorrow is move in day, and i just pray that that will go very quickly and smoothly so that i may get back to the office and make that my priority.

a big thanks to chris avery for all of your help today, we couldn't have done it without you.

and thank you, for loving me the way you do each and every day.

until again i break for the purpose of blogging, a pleasant good night to you all...

it really is bedtime

well, i should be going to bed right now. i need to get up in less than seven hours for a workday that could conceivable top out at sixteen. it's okay though--i really do love what i am doing. in several days, our staff will start to arrive and i simply cannot believe where the last three and one half months of my life went. i've been packing up my things in kraker and i so easily remember bringing them in on may 2 2004. what a ride it's been. school is coming quick. but first, some quality time with the class of 2008. we can't wait for them to come (as long as we're ready for them). we will be. i am not worried about it. however, i should have gotten a receipt at wendy's. i'm not convinced that a bacon mushroom melt (no matter how good) is worth the $5.50 i spent on it. but i was nourished. and now, as i begin to babble, i shall hence to bed while i am still cognizant enough to brush my teeth. with that, i bid you all (i assume that someone will read this, otherwise i am just talking to myself) a fond good night and pleasant dreams. good night. au revoir. auf wiedersehn. good night.

taking a blog break

well, if the word "blog" weren't weird enough, i am now taking a break from working to participate in the activity of posting to my so-called "blog". i'm over it. and now, after eleven and one-half hours away from my wonderful apartment, here they are, my thoughts on the day...

we had a good day today! about 14 days until new student arrive and we are in fairly good shape. i know karen and i are both very excited that our staff will being coming early next week...we are pumped to have some help around here!

do you ever feel like you have ten things on your plate and you don't know where to start? that's about how i've felt the last couple of days. it seems i can't have enough post-it notes around my little desk here. we'll see you soon...

workin' in the O

the issue is this (and the subject does say it all): "workin' in the O" means nothing to anyone except myself and maybe my esteemed co-director karen schuen. i know, right. so when i use it as my away message, i have to ask myself if anyone will really understand what's going on. well, now's a good time to start i suppose. i have been working for the last three months as a director for orientation at hope college in holland, michigan. yup, that's right. in a little over two weeks, about eight hundred wonderful new students and their parents, siblings, guardians, and gardeners will be on-campus to ring us into a new school year. this has, by far, been one of the single-greatest experiences of my college career. there have been times when i felt i would simply go crazy, but on the whole, i have loved these days.

when i think back on the summer, i have to say how it has felt more like two summers, many months at least. may was wonderful, that's for certain. and then june, with its trips to florida and disney world. space mountain. and july, which came in with illness and ended with a fantastic trip to that state you might never have visited, iowa. that's right cornfields and more cornfields. plus that baseball field surrounded by a cornfield, the field of dreams. and now august is here. i've loved these days.

a first time for everything

i didn't think that i would ever participate in one of these blog-type things. to me, the entire concept of putting all of your thoughts out into one place under the assumption that someone actually cared what you were thinking was a bit, how do i say this, presumptuous. i have, however, come to the conclusion that i was just being silly and that this is a wonderful way to share a little of myself with you, the reader. the truth is, i am interesting.