Wednesday

Well, it is over. It went better than I expected. However, no rejoicing until the exam is returned. I have been wrong in guessing results for stat exams before!

Research has been moving along lately. There have been results—always a good thing—and some new leads. Truly this is the exploratory stage.

I have also been pricing supplies. My newest title (unofficially) is head of purchasing.

STAT 705

I just walked in to the Hunting Lodge after spending the last seven hours studying for my exam tomorrow. Since it has been a bit since my last eruption about statistics…Let me tell you, it is just because I was too tired after the last project to make a post. But now I am roaring hot about absolute quagmire of equations in my notes. Granted, it could be my note taking ability, but the other classmates are not much better off!

Many thanks go out to Lorenzo, Haydee, Meshack, and Jamey for helping, encouraging and driving my studies for this exam. Thanks also go to my grandma for providing the snacks. The mix was a huge hit! Then we enjoyed pizza for supper. I never knew how little equipment it takes to run a pizza shop. Pizza Shuttle is located right across the street from Throckmorton and is the location of 2 pizzas and 2 drinks for ~$7.75. It had like the oven, counter for making pizza, front counter, and some stuff in the back for keeping pizza hot and holding boxes. I bet they could relocate in one day if they could move the oven. They are really keeping a non-materialistic view of life.

Since 9:30 is coming fast and I have a feeling that I’m not quite at full speed right now…Nite.

PS. Thanksgiving was great. Family was wonderful to be with. Chicago’s traffic was bad. Yesterday I sent in the toll that I missed. Two great Iowa families hosted me during the travels. Aunts and Uncles on all side were fantastic. Cute 1.5 cousin—head full of hair!

PPS. Research continues to move forward

kI - o - wä´ PART II

So I'm in Kiowa right now. Spending the afternoon bouncing around southern Kansas, talking with strangers, taking pictures, and thinking about all the stuff I need to do this next week. I have three classes to attend, two family thanksgivings, four different places to stay, 24 hours of driving, a hunting expedition, lunch with a dear friend, tires to rotate, two new 1 1/2 cousins to hold and sisters to spend time with.

Speaking of spending time with sisters…. I just finished taking the first set of Christmas pictures for the Jeff Bahr Family. I understand that we have another set to take after supper and I suppose they will do another set some other time with a different photographer. Oh well, even if none of mine get sent for Christmas, they will be good cannon fodder for blackmail and scrapbooks. Even though the score is 3-0, as I was told by a dear elder, there is much more to Kiowa AC Church than the three strong young group. John and Connie Lehmen picked me up on I-70 and brought me down South. Mike, Deb, and Daniel Leman and Tucker Huber came out from Denver. Matt and Courtney and the Stewarts were there and the rest of the local church. We had a reading of the Memorandum on Saturday night. Kent and Darcy Kisling hosted myself and the Denverites for the evening-- lots of pool, ping-pong and throw-in-a-row. I took down Kent for the round-the-world game (Amish Ping-Pong). 8-ball was not my game for the evening.

Well, time for supper…

The Rest of the Story

Because of a particular post, I feel the rest of the story needs to be told. As crossed my inbox yesterday and published with permission….

From: Jon [mailto: omitted @hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005, 8:18 PM
To: tif;dona; seth; tommie; brooke; jason; kellan; aaron; dixie
Subject: I Retire

As you all know by now, I have had bad luck with pranks this semester. I remember a day when I could hoist my roommate Joe onto a roof, covered in darkness and snow, all the while avoiding the motion light and detection. I remember a time when an unsuspecting sister would open the door to be met with a snowball or perhaps a cup of water from Tommie and I. My friends, these days are gone.

Earlier this year I suffered defeat in a pumpkin swap and I walked right into it (them). Sadly, tonight was the final straw.

Upon my way home from a test I realized I wouldn't be able to make church. As I continued to walk I realized that my roommates and I had (yes had) a key to the sisters apartment. Oh how we had schemed to use this key. We had planned to be subtle: missing toilet paper, no soap in the shower, a half glass of milk left out on a desk. It was all to play out over a period of time. It all ended when I decided to get spontaneous tonight.

I had already missed church because of my test so why not benefit from the sisters being there.

It all would have worked if but for the studious Dona. If not for her my roommates and I would be laughing it up as I recounted my opportunistic venture. But, Dona was there and I didn't even wait long enough for her to open the door.

Perhaps I have lost my touch, perhaps I never had one at all (parish the thought). So, after back-to-back defeats on the pranking field, I hang up my cleats. What hurts the most is that I let my roommates down, guys, I'm sorry.

Jon

Weekend

The past two weekends were to be slow and easy for a time of rest and recuperation. So as my muscles ached all day, I wondered what happened.

The notion that a weekend is open just means that it will soon be filled!

You can plan to do lots of things even when you tell yourself that you are planning on doing nothing!

You can have lots of things to do and get frustrated when only a fraction gets done:(

You can have something one minute and the very next be frantically looking for the same item.

The said item becomes found and promptly forgotten once it is placed back on to the PVC value in the engine of the car which you then take for a 2 hour road trip which would not have been possible without the 50 cent piece of plastic which was the effort of the frantic frustrated timewasting inefficient search.

All things and time become forgotten in the car traveling across the open miles....

Last of all:

You know it is special when your elder plays the piano for three songs and then leads the bible study and finally just encourages the young group in the path of righteousness.

Most Important

Steak is good
Coffee is good

Hamburger is good
Sleep is good

Life is good

God is Great

All else pales in comparison to the King of Judea!

Bugs

I am confused. Since moving to Kansas, I have not had any close encounters. However, today on my bike, I received one in the eye, one in the mouth, and two on the face. They are just the little guys, like gnats or something. I just hope to avoid them in the future. Oh no, I just thought of something…what if I am now infested with fleas!!!!!!!! AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…

Regardless of the bugs, I had a good day and nice weekend. Bern/Sebetha was quite and restful. Today I had my first Bible Run of the semester. It went really well. Nickolas, the receiver was from mixed ethnic background and became a Christian about 3 years ago. It was so kool to hear about his life and how he came to this point in life.

'Nite

:)

So I have not been in the blogging mood lately. A few times I was really motivated---but I talked on the phone with my faithful fans and lost the muse.

One of the topics that came to me this week is the attitude of living for the weekends. I have been feeling lately that everything is rush, rush, rush and I have been traveling, traveling, and traveling.

Traveling in and of itself is not the problem. I have been the problem. I need to appreciate each and every opportunity God has given me.

For this reason, I will be missing Will’s baptism in Champaing (sorry will:(. I will be thinging about College Weekend, recent Bible Studies, and devotions. I’ll head up to Bern on Saturday afternoon for the singing and enjoy an early night to bed:)

That said, I really appreciated last weekend’s trip to Indiana. A shoutout to…BEEG for hosting a great call after the six testimonies…Jonny for leading the singing (at BEEG’s) since like April...Jodi and Mel for being great sports on Saturday at IndyOutreach.

It was good to be in Indiana.