Here we go again

Alright, I don't know how long this will last, but I'm going to give blogging one more shot. I'm sure that I've lost the few loyal readers that I had, so on the off chance you read this, welcome back.

I can tell you right now that I won't be writing in this every day, or even weekly probably. Just check in every so often and catch up if you want to.

After a 16 month hiatus, its not easy to start back up...I guess I'll give you a top ten list of things that have happened or are happening since the last time I wrote a blog.

In no particular order....

10. I graduated from Bradley University with a marketing degree

9. I've been working at LR Nelson this whole time, I'm looking for a different job, but I've come to the realization that this job is fine for now.

8. I moved into a new apartment with my friends Ben Swisher and Blinkie...its pretty sweet, we have to move out in May, I don't know where I'll go

7. In Sports- the Bears made the Superbowl and lost, the Cubs made the playoffs and got swept, the Bulls made the playoffs and got beat, Bradley made the National Invitational Tournament and lost....and I want to play soccer really bad but I don't really have a way to play.

6. I've made a lot of new friends, and grown closer to old ones.

5. Its my birthday tomorrow. I'll be 23.

4. I've been at it for about five minutes and I'm tired of writing. I can't even finish my top ten list. This will be my last blog.

See ya, Ryan

Up N' Runnin

Ok, so the last few weeks my computer has been down with a virus, thereby prohibiting me to post blogs. Here is a short list of things that have happened since my last blog:

1. the Bears have won every game and remain undefeated
2. we had the rootin'est tootin'est hoedown YoungLife has ever seen, it was awesome
3. Ben fixed my computer
4. I got a marketing internship with LR Nelson
5. The usual

I guess thats about it.

See ya, Ryan

The picture is of me and Ben (skeeter and scooter) doing square dance for the hoedown.

Sunday Cruddy Sunday

Just kidding. Today was one of the best Sunday's I've had in a while...which is actually really hard to beat because I love Sundays. It started off by waking up and watching church on tv since I didn't have time to go. I didn't have time because I had to be in Bloomington by 11:30 to eat lunch with my family for my grandparents 65th anniversary. We ate at Ned Kelly's and it was delicious. After that is when the day got good. I was so happy to get to spend it with my two brothers and my dad, something that doesn't happen very often. The best part was when my older brother and I played football in the street with my dad, just like when we were kids. We haven't done this is probably five years or so because my dad has a bum knee and shoulder. Luckily today it didn't give him any trouble. After that was a day of watching football, including watching the Bears beat the Seahawks, proving they're the best team in the NFC. I love it when the Bears win. I also got to eat my mom's meatloaf tonight for dinner. Delicious.

I have a job interview tomorrow. I hope that goes well.

See ya,
Ryan

Late night inspiration

Living with two of my best friends leads to a lot of fun. Some of my favorite times are when we forget about doing our homework for a while and we're not tired enough to go to sleep and we've played enough video games to last us the rest of the week, so we have to find something else to do. Generally this leads to either drawing on Microsoft paint or using adobe photoshop. We have competitions to see who can come up with the better creation. I pride myself on being an expert in Microsoft paint. Here are a few things that our late night hijinx have led to over the years.

See ya, Ryan

A few quick things

1. I am really happy that the Bears are now 2-0 and are looking really good. I'm already can't wait for next Sunday.

2. I have a huge test tomorrow that I've been studying a lot for...prayers are appreciated.

3. I have to go to a job fair this Thursday in hopes of finding a decend job for after I graduate. Again, prayers welcome.

4. Young Life was again tonight, it was our second club of the year. It was good because we got a new sound board and speakers and its really, really nice. No more technical difficulties.

Thats it.

See ya,
Ryan

Ups and Downs

Obviously, everyone has their good days and their bad...and I am no exception. I find this to be even more true since I've become more serious in my faith. I keep thinking that if I just put all my faith in God that He will eventually level me out and keep me from having these ups and downs. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Christian maturity doesn't mean getting rid of the ups and downs, it means learning to deal with them. When looking at a heart monitor, a flat line means no life, the ups and downs are a good thing. I think the same is true in life, we just have to rely on God to help us through the tough times and praise Him for the good times.

see ya,
Ryan

I got tagged

I got tagged by Leslie, so here it goes...

Three things that scare me:
1. Snakes (especially those on a plane)
2. Heights
3. Creepy little girls in night gowns like the ones in The Ring, The Grudge, and X2

Three people who make me laugh:
1. Both brothers
2. Ben
3. Natalie

Three things I hate:
1. Lefties
2. green beans
3. homework

Three things I am doing right now:
1. blogging
2. celebrating Blinkie's birthday
3. rapping along to wild wild west by will smith

Three things I can do:
1. juggle 3 balls
2. make a toothpick disappear
3. rap all three verses of wild wild west

Three ways to describe my personality:
1. fun
2. kind
3. exciting

Three things I can't do:
1. juggle 4 balls
2. sing
3. cook

Three things I think you should listen to:
1. God
2. Hello, Good Friend CD by The Rocket Summer
3. good advice

Three things I want to do before I die:
1. get married and have kids
2. skydive
3. see a baseball game at every major league stadium

Three favorite foods:
1. my mom's meatloaf
2. cheeseburger chowder
3. grandma's apple pie

Three shows I watched as a kid:
1. saved by the bell
2. full house
3. bobby's world

Three people I tag:
1. Brittany, Kristin and Emily
2. Nick Davis
3. Andrew Twaddle

The Beautiful Struggle

Its been a while since my last post. Blogging is up and down for me, like a rollercoaster. Sometimes I'll blog a lot in a week, then I won't do it for 2 or 3 weeks.

Since my last post, a lot has gone on in my life. One of the more important things is that Young Life started up again. Sept. 11th was our first club. It went really well. About 80 kids ended up showing up and everything went smoothly, so hopefully that trend will keep up throughout the semester.

I'm taking a few of my Young Life guys to training for 'Converge.' It is a four week evangelism training course that is all leading up to a big event at the end of October where hopefully all kinds of high school kids in the Peoria area will have a chance to have fun, listen to music, and hear a clear presentation of the gospel.

Life has been good, but not easy. With school, Young Life, a little work, and a full social agenda to juggle, I've been really busy lately. I feel like its starting to get out of hand and some things are starting to slip. I just have to realize what needs to come first. I can't allow everything else I have to deal with to get in the way of my relationship with God and growing closer to Him.

Life is a beautiful struggle.

see ya,
Ryan

Thats just a funny picture of me and Ben in Florida, I had trouble finding a relevant picture.