Fun Photo Project

Special thanks to Sloopy, Chinja, and Fahita for letting me take crazy pictures of them.

Ignore Me.

I tuned out the words and laughter floating around me, as I sat alone on a chair in a corner of the room. Focusing on the under-cooked blueberry muffin in my hand, I tried to remind myself that it was just a game. Tried to ignore the spreading whole I was feeling in my chest and the tell-tale prick of rejection.

I'm very easily distracted. So when I was studying and a knock sounded on my door, I got up to answer it. The next thing I new I had been roped into going to hall joint-hall worship (I think it was the promise of muffins that really convinced me). After a lovely devotional thought form the 7th floor RA, we were promised a fun game. Being the fun-loving person that I am, I figured studying could wait a little longer.

The game was simple. Everyone got a card to put on their forehead, but only those around you could read it. On each card was an instruction on how to treat the person bearing it. I was really excited, but as more and more girls passed me while only glancing at my card, I realized that I had been given the one card no one wants:

Ignore me.

So there I was, sitting on my sad armchair alone, eating a sub-par muffin, and fighting the instinct to beak down in tears and go back to my room. I knew it wasn't anything personal, but the sudden ostracizing had definitely hurt my feelings. The logical side of me knew that that there was no harm meant, but there was a wrestling match going on between logic and emotion, and it was a very close call.

Thankfully, the game ended and I was accepted back into the fray. But as I wandered back to my room with another one of those surprisingly yummy muffins, I got to thinking.

There are people that I see everyday and pass without as much as a smile or even a nod. There are people that I avoid just like everybody else, because I don't feel comfortable around them. They live they're day to day lives and get ignored.

The next time you see that one boy that nobody likes, or that really quiet girl that doesn't really talk to anybody, share a smile, introduce yourself. Who knows, maybe you'll find your new best friend.

Let's stop blocking everyone outside of our comfort zone out, and start noticing the ignored.

The Unexpected

To say that this summer was not what I had planned would be an understatement. But I've come to realize that it's better to just expect the unexpected. Weird things happen and sometimes it's for the better.

It's not like I had planned to be in one spot all summer; I had a variety of places etched into my calendar. But a lot of the traveling I've done thus far has been the result of last minute decisions and spontaneous plans.

In the past 86 days, I have travelled approximately 11,169 miles. The longest I stayed in one place was three weeks. So I apologize to everyone who was patiently waiting for an update, because I was much too busy gallivanting around the country to sit down at my computer and write.

I'm not going to bore you with details from my adventures, but I just thought I'd tell you guys why I temporarily deserted my blog. I've started my sophomore year of college so there will be more posts to come!

Tidbits from Day One

Nobody likes to be rejected. Whether it be by a person, and animal, or even an ATM. Well, as a canvasser, I am used to a lot of rejection, but yesterday was a day with far more rejection than I was used to.

It might not have helped that I was in pain (from my bag digging into my not-yet-healed shoulder) or that the california sun was beating relentlessly down on me, or even that I probably had the wrong mindset when I set out, but whatever the reason, I was miserable.

As I trucked from door to door, getting no after no, I started planning out a path of escape. Of all the rediculous plans I came up with, the top of the crazy pyramid was my plan to reinjure my ankle so I couldn't keep going. Yeah, I was that desperate for an escape. Thankfully, I'm not that crazy, and I really hate being on crutches, so I kept going.

There was a point in my day when I seriously considered just sitting on the curb and crying. In fact I did sit down, but after a minute or so, I willed myself to at least finish the day. I was pleading with God to show me why I was suffering, to give me some kind of sign that there was a reason that I was continuing on, that there was a purpose for my presence in this overly-heated city.

A couple of houses after sitting down on the curb, I heard this lady calling out from the other side of the street, asking me if I wanted some water. I was already fully stocked with water bottles and I couldn't hold any more. So I told her I didn't need any, but she continued to keep asking me questions that, for some reason, I could not hear.

I crossed the street so that I could talk to her properly and ishe asked me what I was selling. Too depressed to talk, I simply tipped my books so that she could see the pile stacked in the arms. With a sweet smile she told me that she was from the Clovis SDA church.

At that point I burst into tears and her daughter came outside and ushered me into the house. They gave me some kleenex and an impressive mix of fruit, asking me why I was crying. After telling them about my rough day, they prayed for me and I was on my way, refreshed and inspired.

As I continued to knock on doors, I was reminded of a quote from Ministry of Healing that says, "Expect that the Lord will work in and by and through you." I realized that up to that point, I had been knocking on door after door faithfully, but that I had been expecting people to say no. I was going through the motions of canvassing, but I didn't have the belief that God would work on the hearts of those I talked to.

Today is a new day, and I know that the Lord will do great things. Not because I'm a great canvasser (because I'm not), but because He is the greatest canvasser of all.

Day at the River

[Photo credit to Anne Mulder]

Freshman Year

I'm currently in the middle of wrapping up my freshman year of college. It's been quite the adventure, and I have to say that, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised that most of the college clichés weren't true (at least for me). This has been a year of awkward moments, close-calls, drama, no money, and way too much free time. But it's also been full of crazy times, new friends, late night adventures, personal growth, and a lot of taco bell runs. Here are some of my favorite memories:

It was crazy getting here. I mean, we all know that we're going to grow up sooner or later, but actually going to college was a surreal experience for me. I think it was just the realization that I wasn't a little kid anymore, that I was free to manage my own life. And getting to go to WWU with about a third of my classmates wasn't so bad either. The picture above is from our first college pizza party. Actually, it was our only pizza party, but we had plenty of other fun get-togethers.

One of the benefits of being in college is meeting awesome people, and I certainly hit the jackpot when it came to new friends. And like every set of friends, the variety in this bunch is crazy. Chelsea Bond does the most convincing accents I've ever heard. Brandon Forry (aka Brand-o-flakes or Barnacle Boy) is so of full of energy, he puts me to shame. Courtney Palmer is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Ritchie Hammen makes an awesome soccer mom. Alyssa Beddoe is so much fun to road trip with. Brendon McNally (aka Sugar) loves orange more than Heather does (which is quite astonishing, really).

Spencer Thorp (aka Spancy <--yes, the spelling is intentional) is always a dependable ride to Walmart, and he is easily bribed with cookies. Sasha Swenson is bold enough to rock a red streak in her hair (don't write her off as shy, she rocks). Natalie Dorland is someone who, though I never get to see her, still manages to be one of my favorite friends here on campus. Dane Purkeypile (aka Purkey-Turkey-Jerkey or Kansas) is an overly-competitive guy that is also a really dependable friend. I've probably missed someone, but I can definitely say that there are many more people that have wiggled their way into my heart this year.

Everyone wants the chance to run their own life, and to be able to choose things for themselves. But I must admit that although I am on my own legally, I could not have gotten through this year without the support of my parents. And I don't mean just financially (though that is very true), I mean that all of my parents (Mom, Melvin, Dad, and Amanda) helped me get through this year without going crazy from too much stress. I may be an "adult" but I certainly don't know how to function by myself yet.

As all roommates do, Heather and I had some rough spots this year. But I am proud to say that these disagreements were far and few between and I can't remember the last time one happened (of course, I don't even remember if I ate breakfast this morning or not, so....). But it's been an awesome year and our friendship definitely grew much deeper. I saw her go through a lot this school year and I am always amazed at the courage she has when facing new life challenges. She has always been an inspiration to me, and this year certainly didn't change that.

Okay, I admit it, we did some crazy things this year. Trips to get dairy queen or frozen yogurt, Walmart raids, ice skating, random dance parties, swimming down the river, movie parties, taco bell runs, bowling, miscellaneous rooks park adventures, surprise birthday parties, playing monkey on the groud at the playground for hours at a time, weekends at the Roses' house, swing dancing, study parties, having Eddy be my personal trainer (for about a week and a half), watching the sunset, making pie on March 14th, parties at Kevin's house, and even a spontaneous K-mart adventure. These are some the memories that I have from this year and when I can't wait to make more next year.

I have to admit that one of the things I pulled out of this year was a love for long boarding. Rad Chad (he's the only light-topped board in the picture above) and I have had a blast not only cruising between classes, but also just rolling around with friends on the weekends. Some of the best stories from this year happened while long boarding. Like the time when, after careful planning and smart thinking, we got all the way to the end of a long trail only to discover that Spencer had forgotten to bring his car keys, which was our ride back to the top of the run (don't worry, Spence, we still had a blast).

I always heard that the homework was hard and long, and that I would have a hard time balancing school, friends, and sleep. But I have to admit that throughout the whole year, I had more free time than I knew what do with. Some of my friends might say it's because I don't have a "real" major, but I was actually just taking a lot of generals. Well anyway, all I'm saying is that the homework wasn't as horrendous as I was expecting.

Overall, it was a pretty awesome year. There were definitely low points and high points. I learned a lot. Not just in school, but about life in general. I met great people, ate great (and not-so-great) food, almost failed a class, and found a new appreciation for the color orange. But hey, this is all just the beginning of my college experience, I'm still a freshman.

A Thought from Mass Comm. Class

I often tell people that I am a Journalism major, and their first question always seems to be,”So how do you feel about the fact that print journalism is being replaced by online blogging and instant news sources?” It's a loaded question to ask, but I've had a while to contemplate it. As technology increases, so does the demand and general expectation to have information faster and individually filtered on command. And with sites such as Twitter on the rise, there seems to be a non-stop stream of words and information. But after reading this article (URL attached below), an important question has been raised in my mind. How much of this “news” is true and valid information?

I do this thing sometimes where I try and see how long I can talk without stopping the verbal-flow of my conversation with myself. The longest I've ever gone is ten minutes, and that's only because my roommate got tired of hearing me ramble and stopped me. But what I've noticed is that to fill the empty spaces that pop up in normal conversation I had to throw in a lot of random, pointless stuff. They were gap-fillers, they had no real meaning in my “conversation.” I think this is what happens with instant news reporting nowadays. There is this pressing stress to be the fastest to stream information and the first to do so, and this is where a lot of mis-information gets out: through this stress-driven need to fill the lag in time that factual reporting creates.

But the fact is that although we have disillusioned ourselves to think we need news on the when and where we want, the truth is that we really just want it. It's the basic struggle of a technologically growing culture that digs into the human desire to have the best and newest of everything, including news. So we decide to take quantity over quality. I mean, the rumors get sorted out eventually, and a little false alarm every once in a while is good for our cardiovascular systems.

But let us not forget that we still have the dying breed of print journalism. It might be the dinosaur of communication, but it sure is a lot more accurate and fact-laden than any other crowd-sourced media outlet found readily on the internet. Facts are checked, police and medical records are searched, the truth is spoken (unless it's The Onion). Even though there is a lag in time, the information is much more reliable than anything posted on Twitter or Facebook.

So I guess what it comes all down to is where your needs and wants lie. If you feel that you really need to hear what's going on 24/7, regardless of truth or accuracy, then keep following your online sources, but if you're okay with not hearing about the worlds problems every second of your life and relish your daily, factual newspaper, then that is the route I recommend. It's all a matter of the balance between quality or quantity.

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/boston-manhunt-2013-4/

Life with Lee-Lee

This is my best friend. Yeah, I know, it's clear who the weirdo is in this friendship. (Just so you know, she's almost as strange as I am, she's just better at acting normal.)

In all seriousness though, I don't think I could function properly without Heather. Not just because she helps me keep a shred of matureness in my life, but also because she is the best friend I could ever ask for.

She's one of the sweetest, more caring people I know. But she's not a pushover. Oh no. Not Heather. She keeps me in line, in more ways than one. I don't even know if I'd wake up in the morning if is wasn't for her. And our room would look like a a tornado hit.

But it's not just her responsibility that makes her so amazing. This girl keeps me sane and grounded. I'm not the most constant person when it comes to my mood (give me a break, I'm a sanguine), and she puts up with my mood swings like a true soldier.

I'm gonna be honest and admit that I've never really been one for having close friends that are girls, it never worked out well for me. But Have Lee-Lee as my roommate (2 years and still kicking!) and my awesome best friend has meant so much to me. She's changed my life, opened my eyes to see a new way, and put up with my craziness.




My Dearest Heather,

I love you like a fat boy loves double chocolate fudge cake with chocolate frosting and colorful sprinkles.

Love, Sam

Make Someone's Day

I'm a really spontaneous person and I absolutely love that. But I realize that because of that, what flies out of my mouth isn't always something I'm proud of. I'm sad to admit that I've become a very sarcastic person and a hypocrite as well. I'm hurt when I'm made the joke of any conversation continually, and yet that seems to be all that I do to others now.

So to anyone I've hurt, I want you to know that I am deeply sorry and I want to thank you for sticking by my side. I haven't been a very nice person and I hope you can forgive me. But I also want you to do something for me: join me in a challenge.

My goal is to do something special for one person a day, for the rest of the month. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering, but it needs to mean something. Let the people that are closest to you know how much they mean to you.

Make someone's day, every day.

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart." -1 Peter 1:22

Crackalackin'

My Surrender

No one dislikes confrontation more than me. I feel like if I convince myself and everyone else that everything's okay, the better off everyone will be. I mean, a positive outlook changes life, right?

It really does, but only when you're genuinely feeling positive. Putting on a front only temporarily fixes the problem from the outside. And it really takes a toll on all that compacted emotion that you shove down inside. Trust me, I've been playing this game all year. A smile here, a laugh there, a perfectly crafted existence to sell to everyone around me. But it's all coming back, and today I realized something.

To put it bluntly, I'm not okay. I have lost sight of what's important in life and I'm just trudging from day to day, trying to keep a smile plastered on my face for my friends and family. I'm miserable and I can't hide it any longer. Piece by piece my life is falling apart in front of my face and the more I try to fix it, the faster it's crumbling. I admit that for the past few months, the devil as been getting the best of me.

But this isn't a pity post. No. This is a post about awakening to the fact that when I try to run my own life, everything falls apart. I have hit an all-time low this week and I'm not afraid to admit it: I need help. Help from my friends, my family, perhaps even a random stranger. But the most important thing for me right now, is admitting that I need help from God.

I'm finally handing the wheel over to the only one who can make sense of this crazy life of mine. I'm laying down all of my cares and worries to the One who can make good out of anything and anyone.

Today, I'm surrendering my life to God. Again.

Just a Little Book Humor

Free time

Compliment the Chef

Things

Lose Our Fear

The Inexcusable