Good things...

There's been a lot of good things happening the past couple months, and I'm excited about some really good things coming up as well. These past couple days have been an example of good things.

This past Friday night I was at a costume party out at Bluffton's cabin in the nature preserve. One of my friends, Corey, and another girl were having a party because both their birthdays are this week. It turned out to be a lot of fun and even though I didn't dress up (I'm lame), there were a lot of fun people there who did. We played a little euchre and just talked and ate a lot of good food.

Then on Saturday I got up early to help out with an open house the basketball team was having. Registration began around 8:15 so I had to get up by 7:30, which on a Saturday is just brutal. But I survived and then gave a tour at around 11:30 as well. I really enjoy taking prospective students and their families on tours of campus because it gives me an opportunity to share about the place where I've spent so much time for going on 4 years. I really do love this place and I like to help other people find if this is a good fit for them as well.

Saturday afternoon Slurpy and I went to Corey's house near Archibold, OH. Corey and Jake had left earlier, so we met them there. Every year Corey's family has a fall get-together with all his cousins and aunts and uncles, so we went on a hay ride, cooked hot dogs over the fire, and watched football. After his extended family left, we were able to hang out in the hot tub and watch more football. Yeah, I guess you could say it was just about perfect. We stayed until mid afternoon on Sunday before coming back. But it was a lot of fun to just hang out with the guys away from campus for a day.

Sunday night the Hall Association for Ramseyer (where I live) put on an ice-cream social with card games and prizes and stuff. I ended up winning a gift certificate to a local pizza place for getting 2nd place in the euchre tournament, so it was a pretty good night for me. It was a blast just getting to hang out with a lot of people that showed up. We ended up watching Scrubs then in the lobby as the card games started to die down. Once again, I'm not sure it could've got much better.

Today was back to the normal everyday grind. I've just decided that no matter how good a Monday starts out, there is just some sort of psychological barrier in place in my mind that automatically wears me out. Today started out great, but for some reason by the end of the day I just feel like I already need a weekend again. Although I did get good news from my night class, Sales, which helped. A group project we were going to be doing got cancelled, and instead we will each be giving individual presentations in which we can try to sell any product. I decided I'm going to act as if I'm a recruiter for Notre Dame football. Dorky, yes, but it's something I'm passionate about and I feel as if it will really give me a chance to show I know something about sales. We'll see how it goes, but I'm actually really looking forward to presenting.

Well, I've got to be at class in 7 hours, so I should probably get to bed. Until next time...

Scott

P.S. Top picture is Jake and I at Corey's house, next is Corey (who normally doesn't have facial hair like that but did so for his cowboy costume Friday night), and last but not least is Slurpy just a few seconds after I discovered the black and white feature on my camera.

Just need some sleep...

This week has not been all that crazy. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep after a great Homecoming week and all the fun events that go along with that. But all in all, it's been pretty normal.

Tonight was pretty fun because I am a huge fan of the tv show Scrubs and the season premiere was on at 9:30. Since I was on duty and couldn't leave the building anyway, a few of my friends came down to watch it with me. It's kind of sad that this is the last season. But I digress. Anyway, that was fun to hang out with some friends I wouldn't always see.

Also, it figures to be a pretty good weekend since Notre Dame has the week off (and by default can't lose). I don't know what all I'm gonna be doing, but I think on Saturday some of my friends are going to Corey's house for the night, so I'm thinking I'll tag along. I've never been to his house so it should be a lot of fun to see where he lives.

I feel like at this point it should be noted that I fell asleep writing the last part sometime around 4:30 in the morning and now I'm awake, it's 12:47 in the afternoon, and I just woke up less than an hour ago. I really love being in college. Moving on.

So today should be a pretty relaxing day. I have absolutely nothing planned for the rest of the day except hanging out with my friends. But tonight we're having a party for Corey and another girl, Tonya, because their birthdays are this weekend. That should be fun. It's actually a costume party, but I don't know what I would go as, so I might just not dress up. We'll see. I've never been the best costume maker. If push came to shove I could just wear a mask or something, but that's kind of weak.

Alright, that's all for now. I apologize for the lameness of this blog entry. I'll do my best to do something worth retelling this weekend, which shouldn't be too hard considering the guys I'm hanging out with. (I'm not even sure what that means)

Until next time,

Scott

What a weekend...

This past weekend was definately one of the best in recent memory. The combination of Homecoming activities, seeing friends that have graduated, and Mary's birthday made for a really fun couple of days.

Friday was fun because as usual I got to hang out with Mary. We didn't do anything crazy, but it's always a good time. Then that night was the Homecoming parade. The court was supposed to get to ride in these sweet 1950s convertibles which was going to be awesome. However, when Brian (another guy on court) and I went to pick them up, it started to sprinkle and looked like rain, so the owner had us put them away. So, I ended up driving a Ford Taurus through the parade since we had about half an hour to put together some vehicles. It was still fun though. Later that night I went to a campfire hosted by Mary and fam, which I'll let her explain in greater detail. But it was fun.

Also, my friend Dan stayed with me this weekend. He graduated last year but he's one of my close friends and he was back on campus seeing some other people. Since I was busy with a lot of Homecoming stuff, I didn't get to see him much, but we got to chat Friday and Saturday nights before we went to bed, which was fun.

Anyway, Saturday was the big day! It was really cool because my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and great aunt came to the game and coronation. It was fun to get to spend some time with them since I don't get to see them very often. But one of the coolest things about Saturday was Mary getting Homecoming Queen! And one of my close friends, Zack, got Homecoming King. I was really excited for both of them. We all had fun just being on Homecoming court, and even though it was really windy, we got a couple good pictures. We ended up losing the game in overtime, but it was still fun.

Saturday night was a blast as well. Once again I'll let Mary explain it in more detail, but the Homecoming dance theme was a toga party. It was awesome.

Then on Sunday, I finished up Mary's birthday present. I arranged some pictures into a frame and gave it to her (along with some slippers that I gave her a couple days ago). Overall I think it turned out neat. Since we are both so busy during the week, we went out that night for her birthday, which was actually on Monday. We went out to eat, which was fun. The best part though was the surprise birthday party waiting for her when we got back. I talked to a couple of her friends and we decided it would be a lot of fun to surprise her for her birthday a week or two ago. So we decided on a time and games and everything and then I just had to stall her until 8:30. She was super surprised and I think she really liked it. Everyone there (over 20 people showed up) seemed to have fun and so I think we chalked it up as a success.

So like I said, good weekend. Today was alright I suppose, but let's be honest: weekends are where it's at. It should be an alright week, but I'd be surprised if it lived up to this past weekend.

That's all for tonight. Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The top picture is of Kyle, Eric, Zack (the Homecoming King), and myself during the football game. The second is Mary and Zack just after being announced king and queen.

Homecoming!

It's been a pretty good homecoming week so far. But while there have been several fun activities, tonight was by far the most fun. We'll get to that in due time however- more on that below.

Tuesday night was pretty cool. I got to host "Are You Smarter Than a First Year?" In case you've seen the show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?", it was just a knock off of that using first year students instead. I had a lot of fun, but I found out two things: I am very average at hosting events like that, and show-biz probably isn't in my future. But like I said, I had fun, and people won money, so that's a big plus. (Below is a picture of me with one of the contestants who won $50.

Yesterday's (Wednesday) event was a pep rally. I wasn't able to go, but I do know a lot of peopel got free water bottles and shirts and whatnot. So I missed out.

But like I said, the best part was tonight. We had a guy named Christopher Carter come in and do a show. Honestly, it was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. He's a magician, but the coolest thing he did was a lot of freaky mind stuff where he seemingly read people's minds. It was kind of cool because at the beginning he kind of explained how he doesn't read minds, he reads people. And from then on did some of the craziest things I have ever seen. I was involved somewhat, as he was blindfolded and he asked a student to go and collect items from people. I gave my student ID and without touching it he was able to tell what it was and even my name. But the thing that got me was that before I pulled my ID out of my wallet, I thought about giving my license instead. He even announced that I had done that as well. I was a little shocked. You probably just had to be there, but trust me, it was crazy.

It's not letting me embed it in here for some reason, but here is a video of him I found on YouTube. He did this trick tonight at Bluffton as well.

I'm excited about the rest of the weekend as well. Tomorrow is the parade, which means I get to drive a sweet convertible. Hopefully it doesn't rain, and hopefully I'll get a cool picture or something. And then Saturday is the game. I'm pretty excited because since I'm on Homecoming court I get to wear my new tie I bought just for the occasion. I'm a dork like that, but I just really like getting new ties. Plus it's a purple tie, and that's just cool.

Well, it is getting past my bedtime. Not that I have anything to get up for since I have no Friday classes (life is rough sometimes...), but still. I'm tired. Goodnight.

Until next time,

Scott

I needed that...

There wasn't a whole lot going on this past weekend, but I think that was just what I needed. The semester has been pretty good overall, but I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about what I'm going to do after I graduate. I still have several months before May rolls around, but I have a feel they will be gone before I know it. I'm currently debating between going to grad school right away or taking a year or two off so I can work and start paying off my loans. While it is exciting to think about all the possibilities there are available, it's starting to just become a lot of information to process. I think that's why this weekend was so good.

I didn't really see anybody most of the weekend to be honest. I could have probably been more social, but it just seemed like a lock myself in my room and sleep and watch football and scrubs type weekend. Plus, all my friends left for the weekend, which was odd. Usually one or two might, but literally all my friends were busy with something for at least part of the weekend. It worked out though, because as I alluded to above, it was just nice to have a chance to unwind and not think about all the decisions I will have to be making before long.

This week should be pretty cool though. It's Homecoming week which is always a good time. Today was the kickoff with a block party in front of Neufeld Hall. Instead of having food in the normal location (Marbeck Commons), it was served outside as more of a cookout. There were also prizes (gas cards, water bottles) being given away every 15 minutes or so. I didn't win, but there's still a chance I could win an iPod Nano on Thursday night. (If you recall, I won a Nano a couple weeks ago at the Rootbeer Keg Party. If I win this time, I know what Mary will be getting for her birthday on Monday. :) )

I'm pretty excited because I get to host tomorrow's event- "Are You Smarter Than a First Year." It's a spin off of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. It should be pretty fun and the contestants will have the opportunity to win up to $50 each. I've never done anything like this before, so we'll see how good I am at hosting a gameshow. Who knows, maybe I'll find my calling and my post-graduation plans will have figured themselves out...?

Alright, that's all for tonight. Hopefully I can get some sweet pictures or video of me hosting "Are You Smarter Than a First Year". Or some other Homecoming event. I apologize for dropping the ball with viewable media lately.

Until next time,

Scott

Thoughts on a shortened week

Weird. Even though I only had one day of classes this week, it seems like it has been a long week. Not bad, just long. It felt like the weekend was never gonna get here.

Nothing all that exciting happened this week to be honest. I think that due to the fact there was a shortened week, the normal events that different groups would put on during the week just aren't happening. I'll be ready for next week, Homecoming, because there are all kinds of events to get involved in.

Last night I hosted a couple high school seniors that are here for a visit. Bluffton has these events called "For Seniors Only" as well as "For Juniors Only" a couple times a year. (Check them out if you're at all interested, they're a great way to get to spend a little extra time on campus and really get a feel for the what Bluffton is like.) The two guys staying with me were named Vance and Lance, so that was easy enough. After picking them up from a group event featuring games and pizza, we headed back to my room. They both knew people currently on campus from their high schools, so we tracked a couple people down. That was pretty fun. They we headed back to my hall again and we met up with some of my friends and we go to spend some quality chill time together. Nothing too crazy happened, but I think the guys enjoyed themselves. All in all, I had a good experience as well.

Since I had to drop them off at 8:30 this morning, I am now up and I should really think about taking advantage of this extra time that I would normally be sleeping. I keep telling myself I will get some stuff done over the weekend knowing full well that I probably won't. So my goal for the rest of the morning, until lunch at least, is to be productive and get some of my random projects out of the way. Don't be surprised if my post next time features me complaining because I too much stuff to do, however. :)

Dang, two posts in a row without pictures or video. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

Until next time,

Scott

There's no place like home...

Wow, what a weekend! A lot of good stuff has been going on and I'm excited that due to Fall Break, I don't have classes until Thursday still. In my last post I mentioned how I just needed to relax a bit over break, and I have definately accomplished that. Also, before I forget, I also mentioned last time that my fish did not have a name yet. Well, the verdict is in and my Oscar's name is... (drum roll)... Howard. Howie for short. If you don't like it, you'll have to take it up with Mary. (Good luck, she's scary :) )

But yeah, a lot of good stuff has happened between my last post and now. Friday Mary and I went to her house in Fort Wayne and I got to meet her sister, which was a good time. And then we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Flat Top Grill, which is always a good time. Then I bought two snails to help keep Howie company and we headed back to Bluffton. The rest of the night wasn't incredibly exciting, as I was on duty and most people were home for break, but Mary came over later and we got some more quality chill time in.

Saturday was pretty good as well. In the afternoon I got to spend some more time with Mary. Then, my friend Jake and I went to Findlay so I could buy some food for Howie. My goal was to get ghost shrimp, but they were out so we settled on 10 goldfish for $1. They ended up giving me 15 or 16, so that's cool. So needless to say, Howie will be eating well for awhile.

And then, Saturday night, NOTRE DAME WON THEIR FIRST GAME!!! If you haven't picked up on it in my previous posts, I am a huge Irish fan. I couldn't watch the game because it wasn't showing around our area, but I was able to listen to it online. That definately made my night. Mary came over after that again and that was really good too, and we talked about some good stuff.

Then on Sunday, I was able to go home and see my family for the first time in about 2 months. Some of my cousins and aunts and uncles came over for dinner which was a lot of fun as well. Mary was there, so it was a lot of fun to introduce her to everybody. And there's always a lot of good food at those kind of events.

Today was pretty solid as well. I randomly found my passport under my bed early in the afternoon, which was cool. (For the past year I thought I had lost it. Well, I remembered that I put it in a specific bag, but then my mom moved the bag and put it under my bed apparently. So I'm blaming it on her. :) Turns out that's not a very good story.) I had to run a couple errands for my parents, but other than that I did what any good college student does on a break- absolutely nothing. Well, that's not entirely true. I did learn a sweet magic trick where I can make a toothpick disappear and then reappear. I would show you a video of me doing it, but I just remembered I left my camera at school. But trust me, it would have blown your mind. (I'll probably post a video of it next time, because I'm oddly proud of the accomplishment.)

And then tomorrow I have to go shopping for homecoming. I have a suit, but I think I'll have to buy a new shirt and possibly a new tie as well. I really don't like shopping, but it's fun to get new dress clothes. The classic Catch-22. Then I'll be heading back to Bluffton. I guess breaks can't last forever.

That's all for now. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but like I mentioned earlier I forgot my camera at school. I'll make it up to you next time.

Until next time,

Scott

Fall break is almost here!

I am definately ready for fall break. I just really need a break and a chance to sleep in a couple days. Although for the most part everything's been going well, college life just takes a toll on you after awhile. It could be the 4 am bedtime, it could be the homework, or it might just be that Notre Dame is 0-5 in football, but I'm just worn out. So it's nice that we don't have class on Monday or Tuesday, which means my first class next week is Thursday since I don't have Monday, Wednesday, or Friday classes. (That is rare, but it is also awesome.)

I would go home tomorrow probably, but since I'm an Resident Advisor I have to stick around to be on duty for the building since there will be some residents still here. I'll get to go home Sunday though, and I'll probably stay until Tuesday. I'm pretty excited too because on Sunday my extended family is coming over to my house for a little get-together. I normally wouldn't think it was as cool as I do now, but I really haven't seen my family all that much lately. I haven't been home since I got to school (almost 2 months) and I was gone all summer at an internship in New Mexico. So, since May, the only time I've spent at my house was the week between when I got home from my internship until I came back to school. Kinda crazy to think about.

In other news, today was a pretty good day. It started off when I slept through my first two classes (bad that I missed them, good in that I felt well rested at least). But I woke up in time for chapel, which was good. And then I had a presentation to give in my Corporate Strategy class, which I really enjoy doing. After that, I had my once every three week meeting with Bluffton University's president. President Harder and I meet in my role as Student Senate President to talk and just make sure the students and faculty/staff/administration are all on the same page and doing well. I always enjoy these meetings as President Harder is a super nice guy who is fun to talk with.

Then, a little later in the afternoon, Ramseyer (the building I live in) staff had a staff bonding activity. We drove to Findlay for some ice-cream at a place called Dietsch's. It is a really great ice-cream place where they make all their own products- ice-cream, chocolate, candy, etc. You should check it out if you're ever in the area. Since we were in Findlay, myself and two of the RAs in my building, Trevor and Nate, went to a pet store and I finally bought a new fish! I was pretty excited about it. Although now I'm just hoping I didn't get one that will get too big. According to what I've read on the internet since I got back, it will. So, I might have to find someone with a bigger tank eventually to take it from me. I'll keep you posted on any developments there, of course. (As you can see, he's kind of camera-shy)

It is pretty exciting to know that I can go to sleep and wake up and know that I only have one more class before the weekend. (Earlier I said I don't have classes on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, but that's technically untrue. I do have a class at 1:00 each of those days, but it rarely meets because it is an internship based class where we just check in every once in a while. Tomorrow is one of those days.) Like I said, I just need a break.

That's all for tonight folks. Say hello to my new friend. Mary is working on a name for him (we're assuming it's a guy I guess), but until then, he's nameless.

Until next time,

Scott