Dreaming the Life vs. Living the Dream

Six days until finals begin.

The count down is on. 

Maybe sitting before my eminent demise is what is making me reflective, but I can write as a distraction from finals prep, right?  

My junior year of highschool is when I made the decision to come to New Saint Andrews. Before that, it had been in the back of my mind for years.  Needless to say, I could claim it to be a dream of mine.  It just fit with what I wanted to do, and it also built on the education that I had already received.  It was a natural dream to pursue.

Now, over a year since having had that dream become a reality, I've realized something: dreaming about a life is much easier that living a dream.  It is easy to say that it is cliche, but its a cliche for a reason.  I've also found out how easily it is to take for granted something as fantastic as living out your dream.  Honestly, sometimes I get so lost in the work, sweat, and tears that I forget that I asked for it.  It is so ironic, it hurts.

Pastor Sumpter spoke at the Collegiate Reformed Fellowship meeting last night, and he commented on how sometimes we won't pray for something because we're scared that God will answer our prayer.  We know that He will, but we're scared to ask, because we know that it will require growing pains.  And I knew that I would have to wrestle with that fear when I decided to come to NSA, but sometimes, you can lose that fight by forgetting how much you wanted it.  By forgetting how good it is for you.  

It is easy to lose something good, because we're afraid that it will hurt as all get out.

10 Things That College Students Do

August is coming to a close, and we're pushing for the end of our third week of school.  I seem to constantly marvel at how fast time seems to fly.  It seems no matter how much I try to walk the tight rope of balancing life, I end up falling off on one side or the other.  Maybe I'll get into the swing of things by the end of the semester...  All that being said, I've found that there are tendencies and habits that you develop, especially at school. Here are ten of them:

1.  What's food?

As crazy as it may sound, it is pretty easy to forget to eat.  You'd think that this is something that I would never forget.  Yeah, so did I.  Atleast before college was a thing.

2.  When you think that three books of Augustine is an average night of reading.

Apparently, this isn't normal?

3.  Consuming coffee as though there is no tomorrow.

Before coming to school, I never considered myself a coffee drinker, but I would now qualify myself as one.

4.  Sleep becomes an after-thought.

I don't think that I would fall into this category, but I know plenty of classmates that think that sleep is not nearly as important as Herodotus.  (I'm not naming names though.)

5.  The only thing that keeps us from missing a class is death itself.

(Well, atleast some of us.  Some of us identify more closely with Ferris Bueller than other people.)

6.  Late night grocery trips.

Late night grocery trips can be exciting, right?  ("Adventure is out there!")

7.  Listing the nearest coffee shop as your place of  residence.

(Maybe not this drastic, but it is basically the same.)

8.  Barbecues and free food is our jam.

If you want to make friends with college students, serve free food.

9.  Counting study groups as a your weekly social gathering.

It is sad, but during exam week, that is just about the only socializing you'll be able to do without feeling guilty about it.

10.  Feeling guilty about not doing school work, even if you're sleeping.

This is true for your first year.  But then after that, you realize that sleep was given to us for a reason.

Speaking in Tongues and Breaking Codes

This last week was the freshmen's orientation week, while simultaneously, Conventiculum.  Conventiculum is a week long Latin intensive, where you speak only in Latin to your counterparts who are taking this course.  Now, to preface all of this, it isn't unusual to be walking down a hallway in NSA, and hear an impassioned dialogue taking place in Latin.  That being said, it is unusual to run into more than two or three students that are involved in such conversations.  But now, if you walk anywhere, you are bound to run into hordes of raving students who are muttering, arguing, and laughing in Latin.  (I don't know how they laugh in Latin, but after speaking it for nine hours a day, you definitely experience a change.)

Anyway, this is all happening at the same time that I have been wading through the murky prerequisite course for the Hebrew class that I'm taking this year.  (Thankfully, I am not taking Conventiculum this year.)  So, you can just imagine the possibilities of heightened casualities around school.  It almost feels like Babel at some points.  Here I am, just trying to wrap my mind around Hebrew, while all around me, Latin is being spoken as if it were the mother-tongue, and then English is thrown in there as an after thought.

An example of how confusing this can be, is when I was trying to unlock my bike from it's place on the rack the other day.  I could not for the life of me get it unlocked.   I knew that I was using the right code, but I couldn't crack it.  I stood there a couple of minutes trying to unlock it, but it wasn't until my friend tried it that it finally released my bike.  I looked at it, confused, and then realized that he had entered the code from left to right.. like a normal human should.  But, I was actually attempting it from  right to left.  I think Hebrew is having it's way on my life.

All that to say, this is  how my life has been going.  It's a transition from one season of life to another.  And unlike some transitions that are smooth, I feel that I'm in for a shock this time.  I've stopped working at one job, moved into a new apartment, been working on Hebrew, and have also been meeting all the new freshmen.  When I write it out like this, it doesn't seem like there's that much going on, but it sure feels like it.

I guess this turned into a bit of a life update, but I think that I've learned that God has a sense of humor, and maybe He makes transitions slightly uncomfortable, so as to jar us awake, and that we don't get too complacent.  And in this instance, trying to communicate has been a bit of a jarring experience.

Ignore Us - An Open Letter to NSA Freshmen -

Here we are.  On the eve of orientation week for the incoming New Saint Andrews freshmen.  The class of 2021 are warming up for the next four year marathon, and since I have two of them for roommates, I decided that I should write this to dis-spell a few rumors that I have heard circulating.

You're sitting there, probably battling nerves, excitement, terror.  Whichever emotion that is dominating the scene, I assure you, everyone has experienced all of the above.  I remember exactly what I was thinking.  There was alot of second guessing in my mind.  It was a constant pendulum:  I am so pumped!  This is exactly where I'm supposed to be, and it feels so good.  And then the very next minute:  What am I doing?  I think I'm going insane or am already insane.

As you've rolled into town over the last few days, I'm sure you've met some of my classmates.  Maybe even including myself.  I'm almost sorry.  I know that I've enjoyed throwing out little bits of information that no one needs to know.  Whether that be horror stories of how tough a class is, how intimidating declamations are, or even a few tall tales of finals week.  I was just speaking with a few of my classmates (who shall remain unnamed), who told me gleefully of how it is quite fun not being a freshman, and how that they have enjoyed telling them stories of the coming year.

Anyway, all this to say.  Don't pay us any mind.  We're just one year ahead of you.  Just one step up. The only difference is that we just finished freshman year, and I think we're alittle drunk on our own success.  This term should sober us a little bit.  But, for the majority of the time, keep in mind that the sophomores are just blowing smoke.

 You're stepping out into a very different scene, and it will obviously take time to adjust.  But the whole process makes the end feeling taste that much sweeter!  Some of you may find your groove right out of the gates, but others may (like me) take a whole term to adjust.  It was a mental uphill battle, but it was worth it in the end.  Jerusalem term is filled with parties, icecream socials, rugby, and barbecues.  It is a blast!  Everything is brand new, but don't be intimidated by that!

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you.

Once again, ignore the sophomores.

Sincerely,

A sophomoron.

The Last Go Around

"May God bless you and direct your steps during this your final year of preparation in our home."

"This your final year."

I just recently turned eighteen, and this was part of the caption on a birthday post my parents did. And it caught my attention, as everything your parents say should.  I'm on the downward slope.  I'm coming up to the last lap, the last quarter, the last mile in this part of the race.  I'm on my last go around.

College is just around the corner. In less than one year I will make yet another move, but this time, it will be solo.  It's terrifyingly exciting.  As much as I am looking forward to being able to go to college and take the next step in life, I still have one major hurdle standing in my way.  That is none other than senior year.  It is intimidating and stressful, and the mounds of homework that I have to plow through everyday far surpass that of junior year.  This should be expected, and yet this first month of my last year has been hard.  

Many of my friends are in their final years as well and are also beginning to feel the symptoms of stress. Many of them are juggling massive amounts of school work, sports, social gatherings, and that college application process.  It can be taxing.

Although we may actually not believe this, there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  Don't sink into the common disease among people our age known as senioritis.  Now this doesn't need any explaining, but we do need to give it a wide berth.  It's too easy to sit back and to settle.  But that is not what this year is meant for.  Senior year is not a time to sit back and wait for the "real thing." This year is your final year of preparation in your home.  Your house should be your boot-camp; it is not your shelter.  It's a place where you are surrounded by loved ones who want you to succeed.  And for that, they'll push you.  Hard.

So this is me encouraging you (and mostly me) to attack this year.  We are being trained up in the ways of the King of kings to be soldiers in a war that is being fiercely waged.  We are like "arrows in the hands of  a warrior."  It's almost go time, and it's time to be prepared for the battle.

"This is no time for wimpy Christians.  It is time for soldiers of Christ to arise." - Alistair Begg

This is no time for wimpy Christians.  This is the last training year, the last go around.

What do you do in the fourth quarter, the last lap, the final minute?  You give it all you've got.

Give it all you got.

Swords and Shovels

I apologize for my absence from the blogging community.  I've been trying to post on a more consistent basis, but this time I have an excuse.  My older sister, Micaiah, acquired her first car; so my mom, sister and I made the twenty-three hour trek north to Moscow, Idaho to drop her off for her second year at New Saint Andrews College.

Ever since I heard of New Saint Andrews (NSA) I have been intrigued by the Christian Liberal Arts education it offers. Last year, some of my family and I made the same road trip to drop Micaiah off for her freshman year.  Since then it has been at the top of the list.  After this past trip, it has really put distance between itself and the other choices.  I had the privilege of staying with some of the guys that are in Micaiah's class as she got settled in,  and these young men are examples of godly men and good fellowship.  No one is perfect at NSA, but all of them realize that that is our goal.


The community is one of the main things that catch the attention of incoming freshmen.  Moscow, Idaho is a small town of 25,000.  It is not uncommon to run into someone who goes to the same church as you.  Not only that, but everyone who is a full-time student at NSA has taken the same classes (with slight variations, of course) as you have in the first two years.  It gives the upperclassmen the ability to mentor and bond with the freshmen.  And it also gives the freshmen some comfort to know that people really do survive (and excel) their first year (which is also known as the fire-hose year).  Along with all of this, the professors are very personable.  They truly care about their students and, with smaller classes, are able to play a significant role in mentoring them.  Since we are all a part of one body, it only makes sense that we work together.

"For as one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."  (Romans 12: 4-5 ESV)

Since we also have different gifts and callings, we are being sharpened and honed into the individuals that God wants us to be.  And this training is to be taken into any field of life.  This is New Saint Andrews' main goal: to sharpen and shape young men and women to rebuild from the ruins of our culture and to fight the enemy in every field.  The Sanballats of this day have torn down the walls of our culture, and we are called to build and to fight.  NSA's new video is promoting the use of the sword and the shovel.

Christ has ordered us to build up from the ruins.  And He has ordered us to fight.  So hold your sword in one hand and a shovel in the other, because we are living stones.

You Don't Know What You Have Until It's Gone

"The way that we love anything is to realize that it may be lost." - Chesterton.

Something that the students at Veritas Press haven't seemed to struggle with.

This weekend was probably one of the hardest weekends to bounce back from in awhile.  For the past month or so, I had been looking forward with eager anticipation to the day that I would finally be able to meet a couple of my other classmates from online school.  I have only met a handful of them, and cherish every moment that I get to meet them, so this was yet another chance at enjoying their company.  And I wouldn't have passed it up for well baked cookies.

Like I said before, students that attend school at VP don't struggle with losing something that they didn't know they cherished so much.  We are all so acutely aware of the distance separating us, that we get excited when we realize we are in the same timezone.

So when there is even the slightest chance of being able to meet up, needless to say, we start bouncing off the walls at the opportunity.  And when there is a gathering of hundreds of us at something like the EOYG, we fairly burst with anticipation.  And this past Sunday was no different.

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting Harrison (Harry) and Sarah (Roundup) Buehrle.  (Don't try to pronounce their last name, I remember distinctly trying not to mention it at the table.  I couldn't help pronouncing it as Bueller as in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.)  And, by George, was it fantastic.  We met up at Chili's and had a wonderful time.

Now, there are two things that VPer's tend to struggle with when meeting in person for the first time.

1.  Is what we could call the "Five Minute Rule." Which is when we finally meet in person, but it's awkward going for the first five minutes.  You don't know how to handle actually seeing them, and carry on a real life conversation.  So, it can be slightly awkward.

2.  And, then there is the "Handshake/Side Hug/Hug Rule."  As mentioned above, it is awkward when we first meet, and don't know how to greet each other.  Should I give so and so a handshake?.. or a hug?  But would they think that that is too forward?  Ugh.. I don't know.  I'll just go with an awkward side-hug.  Yea.

I was proud of Harry and Sarah in that when we met, we broke both those rules.  We did well.  When we talked about it over lunch, we agreed that there is no time for awkwardness, especially at the EOYG.  We only have a few days together, so we may as well make the best of it.  So, that means full bear hugs and talking right off the greeting.

Abi told me that it looked like that I tackled Harrison when greeting him.  Hope he's okay.

I have already promised my classmates to bear hug them when I first meet them.  I hope that they will keep this in mind when we finally meet.

In Search of the Best Week of My Life

One of my friends wrote a post about one of the most amazing blessings and banes of being a VPSA student.  The friends we make.  I can't imagine what this world would be without them.  He wrote of the pain of finally seeing our friends face to face, and then having them nearly torn from our grasp by that unstoppable mistress, Time.  Time goes on, and we are separated.  But not for long.

I am currently in search of the best week of my life.  I have been hunting, earning, longing for this week for the past three and a half years.  Ever since I was first enrolled in Veritas in the eighth grade I have been trying to get to the End of the Year Gathering.

But now.  I can feel it.  It is that much closer.

2015 is already off to a great start, and I feel like it's only going to get better.  But the one thing that I am really looking forward to is finally talking, laughing, eating and reminiscing with my friends.

The relationships that have developed as we have progressed from young high school students to upperclassmen have had their trials (mostly because of stressful exam week), and we've had our times that we just cannot contain ourselves with the ridiculous joy we find with each other. It has been a memorable journey.

I'm ready for a week of dancing.

A week of laughter.

A week of staying up late and not doing homework.

A week of unforgettable joy.

I cannot contain myself.

Lord of the Rings and VPSA

Recently, I was able to obtain the Lord of the Rings Trilogy from that never-ending gift machine that we call Amazon.  After watching them, I was able to work references from Lord of the Rings into a presentation and a speech.  You should be proud of me.

My man crush is Aragorn.  Now you know.

I feel ashamed to tell you that I had nearly forgotten how greatly enjoyable these movies are.  I also enjoy the books that Tolkien so masterfully wrote.  So don't get the notion that I completely ignore the books.  The Lord of the Rings is not for the faint of heart.  It's a tale of battles, of love, and of sacrifice.  It is a story of bravery, forgiveness, and suffering.  It is full of adventures, feasting, and tales that will make you shiver in anticipation.  It is a story of friendship that is being forged in the fire.  And it is a tale of evil that is overcome.

What really stood out to me, while watching the Trilogy, was friendship.  And how important it is.  With my dad being in the military, we move alot more than the average American family does.  And friendship has kept me sane.  We have been able to visit amazing places from the beaches of Hawaii to the vineyards of France, and have been able to make fantastic friends.  But whenever we move, it definitely hurts.  We build up relationships, but then people move. Although the relationship is still there, it doesn't seem to be the same.

But, there is this amazing thing called Veritas Press Scholars Academy.  I've done multiple posts about it, and my fellow classmates have tolerated some of my odd requests.  One of these times was when I asked them for a picture of their first day back to school this year.  This is the post that I was able to put together from those pictures.  These classmates, my friends, are spread throughout the entire world.  For the past three and a half years I lived in Germany, normally thousands of miles away from my friends, who lived in the USA.  But that has not stopped us.  We have many ways of communicating.  Carrier pigeons, owls, and floo powder are no exception.

Every year, at the end of the year, my school puts on the End of the Year Gathering.  Where students basically hangout with each other for an entire week and have the best times of their lives.  Everytime I see pictures from this week of fun (trust me, the whole world knows when there is a gathering of VPSA students) my heart aches.  I yearn to see them.  Now, this dream is slowly becoming a reality, being back in the states.  I will walk if I have to to see them.

Are these friends really worth it?  You may ask. You've never seen them.. so what's the big deal?  My answer would be.  They are worth it and more.  We are so used to communicating through the interwebs, so that when I was in the processing of moving, they were there like always.  Listening to my stories of travel or just being there for me when I was homesick.  There was an in-between time, where we were visiting family, and we didn't have a place to call home.  But, once again, my friends from my online school were there to talk to me.  I actually have been to meet a few of them, and that makes me smile everytime I think of being able to meet the rest of them in person.

Thank you.  Thank you for all the late nights of studying, skyping, and building friendships that others shake their heads and think that we are crazy.  They're crazy.  You all are amazing.  I'm looking forward to rocking the hizza with you all.  

End of Summer? Time to Rock the Hizza

It's that time again.  The time that we look at with excitement, but also with a seasoning of dread.  Yup, you guessed it, the school year just kicked off for Veritas Press Scholars Academy!  The Griffin is spreading it's wings once again, preparing for yet another year of learning and maturing under fantastic teachers.  

Like I said, it is with mixed feelings that I approach the new school year.  I'm finally ready to have a schedule (and being able to keep track of what day it is), and ready to meet new classmates and greet old ones.  But, you cannot deny that there is also a sense of apprehension in the air when we consider the homework part of the year.  That part we could do with out.. atleast most of it ;)

The mixed emotions are portrayed perfectly in the photos below.  My fellow classmates and friends tolerated my request of capturing a photo (selfie if you will) of their first day back.  Well, they turned out superbly.  Thanks y'all!

This picture portrays the excitement of returning to school.

We have a pretty happy group here.

Ya know.. we're cool.

But then.. there is the fact that we have a ton of reading to keep up with and waking up to find that we have to be productive.  (What is this heresy?!)  And the struggling to stay awake in the wee hours of the morning during an hour and a half class.

As for rocking the hizza?  That term flared up right before the End of the Year Gathering last year.  It's official now, I guess.  

Here's to late night studying, stressing over exams together, speed reading, and furious note-taking.  And here's to the best classmates, teachers, and school that God could give me.

(Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV)

"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

God bless!

Running the Race to the End

Spring break.  Check.  Big projects for school coming up. Check.  Three weeks till Finals.  Check.  No blog post in the past two weeks.. check.  Sorry all.  Life has decided to hit the gas pedal and hold it there.  We're zipping through the last few weeks of school, and summer is just around the corner.

So, here I am posting.  Posting about?  There has been plenty that has been happening, and yet I still procrastinate about telling them.  But the big thing is.. that summer is on the way!  For alot of students, which I can easily slip into, is to just go on cruise mode.  Try to study a little here and there for Finals, and then try to survive that week of torture that awaits all students at the end of the year.

So, this is my little encouragement.  There are only a few weeks left, make that final push to get through it.  Don't settle for just mediocre.  Excel at whatever you do.  Represent your Creator with joy and gladness in your heart.  Run the race that God has set before you!

So keep those distractions in check.

Because summer is right there.

Exam Week

It's that time of year again.  (Insert inward sigh here)  Exam week.  We all have them in our lifetimes.  And right now, we are smack dab in the middle of the week.  It's Hump Day!  So read, and be encouraged!

Don't be discouraged.  It's easy to just sink and give up.  I know.  I've been there.  And I'm still stressing.  (Big Rhetoric Exam tomorrow)  So I guess this is as much for your benefit as much as it is for me.  So I'm here with a proposal.  Don't give up!  Keep moving.  There's always a light at the end of this tunnel.  Always lay it before Christ.  "6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."  (1 Peter 5:6-7)  Remember that our Father is always there.  Exams are just exams.  God is there forever there.  Forever.  

The Battle Cry

This blog post is a shout out to all young men and women.  A battle cry for the youth.  A cry in the wilderness for the teenagers of this day and age.

First of all, I hope you all have had a very wonderful Christmas and have been enjoying your break this far!  It is from one of these Christmas gifts that I have received that this post is based on.  

Do Hard Things is the title of the book, which is written by the twin brothers, Alex and Brett Harris.  So far, I have only been as deep as a few chapters, so don't ruin the end for me.  Only this far into the book it has sent my brain spinning into places that I haven't thought very much on.  It has got my imagination and deep thinker to turn on ultra high and rev up to full speed.  

Up until now, my blog has been whatever I've wanted to post.  From writing my book, to writing about daily life, and finally my thoughts on some theological point I randomly come across.  Now don't get me wrong, this has been a very enjoyable experience, and I have been growing as a writer just because I've been able to practice alot.  I've been blogging since September of 2012.  But what makes this blog different from other teenagers who blog?  What is the purpose of this blog?

Do Hard Things.  This is the call to stand up and make a change.  Rebelution is a word the two brothers made up, and they define it as, "A teenage rebellion against LOW EXPECTATIONS."  Which is the last thing that people expect you to do.  They expect us to rebel against institutions and structures, but this is the battle cry to rebel against the low expectations that people have of us.  

Don't be afraid to step up to the plate and swing away.  This is life, we all make mistakes, keep pushing and shoving.  We're warriors in a battle of life and death.  But the good news is is that Christ has already slayed Death.  Not knowing when to stop fighting, Satan will not give up, even though he is already beaten.  He is a sore loser.  So be wary, and be prepared to take up your cross.  Be prepared to follow Christ's example to lay down one's life for another, and be ready to be the person like the boy David, who faced Goliath on the battle field.  Remember the time when Josiah the boy king ruled his nation wisely.  Be that young man/woman and stand up against low expectations.  Show that we, as young people, can be responsible.

That brings me back to my blog, this blog needs a purpose, not just things where you have to tolerate my mad scribblings.  This blog is going to be a battle cry for a Rebelution.  We need to remember that responsibility is a blessing and a challenge from God.  We will shine for the Lord with the gifts that we have been given us.  

I'm still playing with this idea, and it will become clearer and clearer as I keep reading this book.  But as a last thing, read the Word, stay in touch with God, sharpen yourself with other iron, and Do Hard Things.

Life of a VPSAer

For those of you who do not go to Veritas Press Scholars Academy, a VPSAer is a person who goes to this school.  Anyway, I just have a quick (and hopefully humorous) story to tell you.

I am one of those famous (or infamous) VPSA students, and I am proud of that fact.  Anyway, I was in Rhetoric class and since we were waiting for Mr. Davis to call us back into the main room from the breakout rooms, I decided to fetch some cinnamon Poptarts.  And toast them.  (Normally I just eat them straight out of the package.)  I jogged downstairs and grabbed a packaged tart that goes Pop from the top of my closet (don't ask me how it got there), and dashed back upstairs.

Seeing that he hadn't called us back in, I walked to the kitchen and slid them into the toaster, and then pushed down to make it toast.  Because that's what toaster's do.  Toaster's toast.  When I heard Mr. Davis' voice over the mic. I hurried back into the living room and cradled the laptop in my arms back to the kitchen to patiently wait for my Poptarts to pop.  My patience running dry, I lift the pusherdowner back up (I don't know the proper name for the pusherdowner)

And that's when it happened, the Poptarts slid through the grid and down into the bottom of the toaster.  I was horrified that this man-made contraption would turn traitor.  Violently ripping open the silverware drawer, I shoved a fork down to wiggle the Poptarts out  (Which is very stupid, but I wasn't thinking at the time).  And to put an already long story short, I ended up dumping all the contents of the toaster (burnt crumbs and all) out onto the counter.  (Which I did clean up mom, don't worry)  Snatching up the Tarts I walked out of the room with my trophies and one hand, and my class in the other.

That Time of Year

It's that time of year again.  School.  Yea, I can't believe it either.  We're already over a month into school, and four weeks into Online classes.  It's a time where we are scurrying to finish our homework and determined to score A's on all of our tests.  But as the year goes on, and the leaves fall and winter deepens, we slowly lose our determination and want to learn.  The Holidays are such fun, and school..  becomes a distraction.

Besides school, our lives just seem to pick up the pace.  Summer seemed to pass in a blur, the school year goes by even faster.  We have extra-curricular activities kicking off.  For me, it's preparing for basketball season, and going outside and catching the few rays of sunshine that are fortunate enough to break through the clouds. (One of the blessings of Germany.)  Also, free reading.  Shh.  I really should keep reading the Iliad.

But, anyway, what I'm trying to get at is, don't lose focus.  Yes, the school year is a blur.  But don't forget to stop and enjoy the little moments.  Learning can be enjoyable if you stop viewing it as a burden.  Trust me, it changes the school year completely.  Pause every once and awhile.  Look out the car window, go for a walk.  Enjoy the flame of colors.  Watch as the Creation burst into flames before dying away.  God is artistic.  His designs are many and beautiful.  Go out and take joy in them.  He loves it when we actually pause and take in His wondrous creation.

Bavaria

This was a paper that I wrote up for my Composition class, I finally dug it out from the closet...  Or just the draft section in my Blogger.  *disclaimer*  This was back a year ago, so I hope you have seen some improvement in my writing..

Bavaria, the place in Germany where the venerable people sweep their portion of the side-walks, and  where the villages look like little ginger-bread houses with the snow capped roofs. 
 In the winter, Germany doesn't feel dead, it just puts on another coat.  It is like a woman conscious of her clothing, and changes every five second. Except, that Germany changes every four or five months. In the winter, the leaves have fallen off the trees and the plants have curled in their beds, yet Bavaria is still a majestic place. 

 There are pine trees galore there, so they never die, they are always green. They hold their heads high and live on, shouting out the glory of the One who made them. And in the winter time, they are splattered with a coating of white. As though they too want to dig into the festive cheer that comes around with this time of year. 

 And then spring rolls around like the surety of the earth rotating around the sun. The flowers wake up, and climb out of their beds. The trees burst through their winter sleep, and shake off their bed hair. Then, the summer comes flying by, just like the revolutions on a bicycle. It just seems to be full of exploring castles, caves, and old ruins. Warming and humid, not like the Midwest of the United States, but warming the spirit with warmth.  It becomes breezy and cool. But not overly chili.  It is where you would want to spend the rest of your life, just watching the seasons swing by, showing off their colors to you. 

 Eagerly we await the fall.  It is one of the most glorious things on this earth. It promises you that though winter may take over, there is still hope of new life. Ending like that of a fireworks show, it ends the summer with a bang of color.  So, yes, Bavaria is the best place in Germany to be...