Around the World (US) in a few weeks

So I finally have a free moment and some internet access to write a post. For the past 2 weeks I have been traveling all over the country. I started out in Charlottesville, Virginia for my old roomates wedding. It was an awesome time and again my Christian worlds collided. At this wedding I saw friends from Covenant, friends from Summer's Best, and friends from the Trinity Fellows Program.

I then drove to Chicago/ Indiana for a couple of days. I got to tour the city with a friend Liz and went to my first Cubs game. I got to see old camp friends and experience one of the most historic ball parks in the country. I also ended up on ESPN which I had no idea I was on until my friend tagged photos of me on Facebook.

After Chicago I drove down to West Lafayette, IN where my friends Jon and Lauren from the Fellows program got married. It was so awesome to see all of my fellows classmates except for one who could not make it. It was also great to see my old mentor and fellows director. There is something about being able to have face to face conversations with old friends compared to talking on the phone. It was such a blessing to see everyone and be lifted up through words of encouragement and wisdom. God knew what he was doing when he created fellowship. I expressed how special my fellows class was; to my director Dennis and my old mentor Greg and said "it's hard to be away from all of these guys and know that we might not get another chance to have a group of friends like this ever in our lifetime. It's almost like we tasted a little piece of heaven." God blessed our group so much and all of us still remain very close. They are some of the first people I call when I need prayer or am feeling down. Thank you God for my Fellows Friends!

After the wedding I headed to Cincinnati, OH for a Reds game. I got to see Ken Griffey Jr. play for the first time live. He was a child hood hero and it was definitely a dream come true to see him play. Unfortunately he did not hit #600 while I was there but it was still a fun time.

I then went to Cedarville for ACSD which is a conference held for Christians in Higher Education/Student Development. It was good to see my co-workers after a week of traveling. I went to various workshops and got to see old friends from camp who were now working in Higher Education. My old Dean of Students Barry Loy is the President of ACSD so it always feels like I am back at Gordon whenever I go to this conference because it brings me back to the days of the Leadership Retreat/Conferences in NH.

I then drove to Summer's Best 2 Weeks for a couple of days to help out during orientation. This was again another blessing as I got to see old friends and meet new people. Camp has grown so much and it was awesome to see how God was working at the Quemahoning. Camp will always hold a special place in my heart because of all the great memories, spiritual and mental growth I experienced and of course the life long friendships I made there.

I am currently at Geneva College starting my Masters program in Higher Education. I am in class 8 hours a day and have a week and a half to go for this first year. It has been really challenging but also really great. I am learning so much and meeting so many great people. The Higher Ed department does a great job of having fun activities at night and breaks throughout the day that you almost forget that you're earning a degree. Ok not really, but it has been fun despite the fact that I am in class all day long.

This trip has made me realized how blessed I am. I am blessed from my previous experiences and the relationships that God has allowed me to have. I am blessed to have a job that I love. I am blessed to be healthy and have the resources to take such a long road trip. I am blessed with awesome parents who have supported me through thick and thin.