Snowed in NOVA & home?

I just had a great weekend in Northern VA. I drove Sammy home on Friday. I dropped him off at his sister's play then met up with Sarah to grab dinner. It was great to see her. During dinner it started to snow in DC. It did not just snow, it was a blizzard. The roads were really bad and it took me 2 hours to get from Sarah's house to Sammy's house which was normally a 20 minute drive. It was a really scary drive and there were 3,000 accidents in NOVA that night, but I made it safely to Sammy's.

Saturday I woke up at Sammy's to a lot of snow and it was still coming down. My car was definitely stuck in Sammy's driveway as it was covered in 18 inches of snow. Sammy and I decided to shovel driveways. We only shoveled two, but it was a lot of work. As we would finish shoveling the driveway would be covered again because of the snow still coming down. We made $50 each. That night I finally saw "It's A Wonderful Life" with the Stalcups. It was a great movie.

Sunday churches were canceled. I was awakened by Sammy's dad jumping on Sammy's bed. A slat fell, Sammy's mattress fell and his feet were in the air. it was hilarious. I helped them shovel their driveway so Sammy's sister could get to work. Sammy and I also finished the driveways we started the day before to removed the remainder of the accumulated snow. We had some worship via a video feed of IHOP (prayer nor pancakes) with the Stalcups in their living room. It was great.

Sammy and I headed out for Logan and Busi's house to get to their party. We left early so there would be sunlight and hopefully better roads. I was afraid of the hill I had to climb to get out of Sammy's neighborhood, but made it fine. We went to Tyson's II. I used a free gift card that my mom gave me to Sack's (she got it for getting her new car.) We then headed to the party. We were very early- we arrived at 4:45 for the 7pm party, but i didn't want to drive in those conditions. Busi was a great host and bought Sammy and I dinner because we are poor. The party was fun even thought not many people came. I got to see Alex Mackay tho. The night concluded with us trying to keep Logan awake for a nursing shift. Sammy, Dan, Busi, Logan and I watched 4 Christmases and Borat until 4am. I was exhauated and was not wanting to drive in that weather so we all spend the night.

Monday we all slept in. We had brunch, chilled, messed around with my camera and then I decided to hit the road. (after I paid $8 for parking! NOVA is expensive.) I drove to Charottesville and was going to drive to Lynhburg but the roads were really bad in Charlottesville. We got 18" in NOVA, but c'ville got 28"! I stayed there and went to the basketball game with Ben, Eric and Shane. I had to shovel a path to get to my house. There was so much snow! Also, my street was only plowed one car wide. Even the one speace was covered in packed snow and ice. It was an adventure.

Tuesday I drive back to Lynchburg. I passed 26 cars within the 10 miles south of Charlottesville that were stuck on the side of the road and plowed in by snow. I made it home safely.

Since being home, all of 12 hours, I realize how I think DC/NOVA would be a great fit for next year. Lynchburg is just too slow pace for me. Even in college, every time I came home, it felt like home less and less. Not it really doesn't. I do not even have my own room anymore. I have a guest room. I do love my family thought. I just wish more UVA friends were around. If I move to DC area and live with some cool people then that would be resolved.

Now to find a job (in the DC area).

soccer game, staff Christmas party

So I got to road trip to Cary, NC with 24 other friends to see UVA beat Akron in the National Men's College Soccer Cup on Sunday. I do not even like soccer, but I had a great time. It was still 0-0 after 2 over times so it went to penalty kicks. We won. We all stopped at Charley's to have dinner on the way back. We left at 7am and got back at 11pm. It was a long day.

It was so good to spend time with Chi Alpha family and even get to know some people better. I am so glad to be here this year and have opportunities like this. Fellowship is great!



Monday was our staff Christmas party. It was at Harv and Sally's. They live at Lake Monticello. We had some great food, played dirty santa and enjoyed each others company. I made mashed potatoes, from scratch, and broccoli salad. They turned out well. Fellowship is great.

Tiger Woods

They were bound to come…

* Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole in one.
* What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards.
* Tiger Woods wasn't seriously injured in the crash, but he's still below par.
* What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2:30 in the morning? They went clubbing.
* Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn’t decide between a wood and an iron.
* Perhaps Tiger should be using a driver?
* This is the first time Tiger’s ever failed to drive 300 yards.
* After a wayward drive, Tiger Woods found water before nestling behind a tree
* Apparently, the only person who can beat Tiger Woods with a golf club is his wife.
* Apparently, Tiger admitted this crash was the closest shave he’s ever had. So Gillette has dropped his contract.

my car

so i have been very fortunate with my car. i had an oil leak and so i took it to get an estimate to get it fixed. they quoted me $125.00. Then I went to the Mercedes Dealership on Lynchburg (Crossroads, formerly Hammersley). They said they would fix it for free! So they did. Also, my cd changer quit working so they fixed that for free as well. That was the day after thanksgiving.

I get back to Charlottesville and a tailgater knocks my side view mirror off. Monday I went to the Mercedes dealership in Charlottesville (Brown) and they fixed it for free!

Gotta love getting your car fixed for free. Thanks Mercedes Dealerships!

thoughts on break

1. so the title of this blog is ironic. i do not know how to be still. even on break i like to find 1,000 things to do to stay busy.

2. i want to figure out what i am doing next year. i want to do something where i can travel. that or i want to live in community in Northern Virginia which would mean finding a job there.

3. thanksgiving break with family was good. good family time and a lot of great food. then came back to UVA to watch UVA lose to VT. I was expecting that so not too bad.

4. i need to get over the fact that i feel like something is missing in my life. i just want to be satisfied.

5. why is the facebook for my blackberry application not working? frustrating.

6. winter break is so close yet so far away. i do not get much time away from charlottesville over break because i am not on an academic calendar. we work after the student leave and before they come back, but i am looking forward to wrapping up this semester an beginning a new one. i just have a lot to do to wrap up this semester.

7. i did not do much work over break, but that is to be expected. i am playing catch up now. i just finished an apologetic paper and now i need to finish a handout for MNL and work on my sermon which is due on tueaday.

8. i am being dropped from my parents health insurance at the end of December 2009. I have to get health insurance now, but i thought i was covered until march. (apparently it only applies until the last year you are 23. in 2010 i turn 24 and thus no longer qualify.) growing up is great, but it can be difficult too. (see # 2 and #8)

jobs? not sure, but life is good!

I think that I just found a dream job. I could be a Living Learning Coordinator (religious and Spiritual Development Coordinator) for Semester as Sea. I could travel around the world, get paid and work with students. I really need to look more into this. There are other jobs available on Semester at Sea as well. How sick would that be? I am so excited right now.

In other news, I am sitting in Para Coffee enjoying some coffee and getting some work done. Today is one of those days when I think to myself, life is good! I also got to sleep in, went on a scooter ride across grounds and met up with 2 students. Later today there is a Chi Alpha leadership meeting and some of us are going to Carter's Mountain to carve pumpkins. It has been years since I carved a pumpkin. Time to bring back some of my childhood. Then later tonight is Seek! it is a great day!

election day

Today I gave a sermon, had a class on the atonement (and debated 4 views- christus victor, penal substitution, healing and kaleidoscopic). After that I drove to Lynchburg. I had lunch at Charleys, got a shirt at the J Crew store and went to see my mom. She is in charge of the voting precinct where I went to vote as well. It was also at my elementary school so it was cool to go back there. I got to see a mural that I helped create. It was in tile and still there from my time as a second grader. I went home and threw frisbee with my dogs then was able to catch my dad as I was leaving. It was a brief visit, but I also went grocery shopping at Charleys on my way back to Charlottesville. It was a good and quick visit.

On my drive back to Charlottesville the view of the moon was incredible! It was an orange tint and just above the mountains which made it appear extra large. Really incredible, but my camera could no do it justice. (I need a digital SLR!)

perspective and thanks

I have had a hard time recently with where I am. I look to the other side and all I see is green grass. This year as a Chi Alpha intern I have had to do a lot of things that I did not expect and take classes on things that I have never thought about or just accepted. It has been a real challenge. Every time I see what other people are doing, I think, wow, I wish that I were doing that this year instead. It has been hard because a lot of the people that I was close to have moved on. Even the people that are still around, the relationships have changed a lot.

I have been processing a lot about my life, where I am, what I want to do. I have found myself unhappy as a result instead of seeing the joy and purpose. I have had a lot of great conversations with friends recently who have shown me that God has a purpose for all of us. God has a purpose for me being an intern this year. I fight it almost daily, but I am learning a lot. God has a purpose for the weaknesses in our lives. He uses it do shows us just how much we are dependent upon Him. Now to just truly believe that.

Logan recently shared about what it is like to be a nurse, and I have heard Sarah share about what it is like as well. People's lives are in their hands and it is HARD. The fact is that God does not always call us to what is easy. They are called to be nurses and I am called to be a Chi Alpha intern this year. It is not always easy and it may not always be comfortable, but we need to be good stewards of the opportunities that God gives us. Thanks God for leading me to this internship this year.

Thank you family and friends for all of your support and encouragement over the last 23 years. I would not know where I would be without you all. Thank you.

Fall Break

I did not see it coming, but God had big plans for my fall break. I had a great visit with my parents, Sarah, Busi, Logan, Dan and Staff. I went home, went to NOVA to stay with Sarah and Dan and I also went to a minister's retreat in Ocean City, MD. I had some much needed honest conversations and I feel like I have been hit by a train. God works that way sometimes and that is ok. God is good.

thankful

last week was difficult. i realized that i am still a very selfish person. i spent a lot of time thinking about what i do not like about the chi alpha internship and making excuses for things that i do. today felt different and i hope that it is a start to a new week in many ways.

on a different note, i got my macbook pro in the mail last week and i love it. i will never go back to a pc.

here's to a good week!

Chi Alpha Campus Minister In Training

Wow. If you would have told me 4 years ago that I would be working with Chi Alpha after I graduated, I would not have believed you. Well, I did not even know about Chi Alpha was 4 years ago, but it has been so influential in my spiritual formation the last 4 years. It is where I met the guys I lived with the last 3 years, and where i met most of my lifelong friends in college.

This summer I spent most of my time at home in Lynchburg raising a budget for this year. It was great to spend time with family and catch up with friends, family and church family that I had not seen in a while. My parents were nice enough to gift me my mom's car as part of a gradation present so that was a nice surprise to kick off the new internship.

The past few weeks have been filled with support raising, staff meetings, a Leadership retreat, and preparing for students arrival. It has been great getting to know the staff better and see just how much they care about the students and love their job. I am really looking forward to this year.

On top of all of that, I got to experience my 5th move in day at UVA yesterday which culminated in Chi Alpha's something in a mug party. After spending weeks planning for Chi Alpha events it was great to meet new students and see all of the work come together. I shared with several students the impact Chi Alpha has had on my life and I look forward to getting to know them better. Despite my uncertainty about this year, I am really excited to be here and look forward to what God has in store.

seminary

so i went to dc and checked out wesley theological seminary with my pastor from back home. it was cool, but i am not sure that it will be for me. i got to see brian kelley, sarah and busi whichw as great. went to a washington nationals game with my pastor, but they lost to the mets. oh, and i got to see bruno- it was one of the worst movies i have ever seen- don't waste your money. on the otherhand, i did enjoy mclean bible church's frontline service. good few days in dc.

beach

I love being and the beach with my extended family. Your cares and worries of life just seem to fade away and all you want to do is relax. Life feels so simple. Sure, we're staying in a really nice oceanfront house, eating really great food, an array of beverages, we have wireless internet, and more then we could possibly need, but life still feels so simple. The peaceful sounds of the waves on the beach while reading a book are great. Sleeping in and just spending time with my family. I love the beach!

beach with the fam

it has been a good summer. i have been spending a lot of time at home. i have not stayed at home much since after my first year of college. i have been raising support for my chi alpha internship as well as helping my parents around the house and just relaxing.

this week i am at sandbridge beach with my dad's side of the family. it has been nice to sleep, relax, read and eat a lot of really good food.

summer?

I have not updated in a while- from the end of school with exams, beach week, graduation weekend, some time at home, moving into a new house in Chrlottesville, starting to support raise, etc. Summer started over a month ago, but the month sure has flown by. This week I had the opportunity to visit Millspaugh in Virginia Beach. I stayed with him and got to see Mike Foster, Levis and Sammy as well. We had some good talks and it was just nice to get away for a little while. It was nice to get to enjoy the beach for a little while as well. I was hoping to get some support raising done there, but it will have to wait until my next visit. I had a 4 hour car ride home yesterday which was great to think and just chill by my self. Now I am home and helping my parents around the house and getting some other small tasks completed. Now I just need to finish a book before my conference. Josh and I leave for DC tomorrow night. We're picking up Jennani in Charlottesville then heading to Steph's house. She is driving us to the airport Sunday morning early. We'll be in Springfield, Missouri for a week learning about how to be effective campus missionaries. We'll learn a lot.

college is over

i have a lot to update about- classes ended, finals are over, last MNL, skydiving, core group hangouts, and now packing for the beach. more on all of this later.

last core group

Tonight we had our last core group. We did affirmations which consisted of going around and affirming everyone in some way. It is such an awesome experience to share with someone what you have seen God doing in their lives and for them to do the same to you in return. William Mays, Barrett and Ben Monk affirmed me and I was so grateful. When I was affirming Barrett I was almost in tears. I reminded him of what he said to me earlier this semester. It was something to the effect of: "I can not think of a way to thank you all enough for being such great friends, so I decided to thank and praise God for the people He has placed in my life and where He has brought me." He put it so well. I have been so blessed by the people I am surround by. I can not thank people enough for what they have meant to me or how they have strengthened or encouraged me along the way. I thank God for all of the people He has placed in my life. I am so grateful! I am really going to miss all of the guys from core group next year. They have all taught me something this year and for that I am so thankful. They all have 3 great more years at UVA and it is sad that I will not be here with them, but God is definitely working in their lives and they will all continue to do great things. It has been such a pleasure and honor getting to know them and again I am so thankful. God is so good.

After core group several of us stayed around to talk. I took Ben to Phi Delt then I went back to the Benji. Barrett and I went to visit Stephen and Nathan. We talked to them for a while, wished Nathan a happy birthday and headed to 7-Eleven. We got some slurpees then rented Seven Pounds. We went back to my house and watched that. It was such a powerful movie on top of an already emotional evening. The whole idea of self sacrifice. Then again Jesus gave us all of himself which is still really hard to wrap your mind around. It was a great ending to the night. It was great to spend some more time with Barrett. He is one an awesome person and a great friend. I am going to miss these guys next year.

no complaints

This year is coming to an end, but it I feel like me time here is coming together better than I could have imagined.

It has been yet another awesome week. The weather the last few days has been beautiful. Friday I went to a Sigma Pi surf and turf cookout for Millspaugh's Water for Wum in Cameroon, Africa fundraiser. We had a the leadership celebration for XA at a park and played kickball, frisbee and had a cookout. We had the celebration of manliness as well where we arm wrestled, had an eating contest, and pushed cars. To wrap up Friday I went to Southstreet with a lot of friends and had a great time catching up with Joanna.

Today I went to the downtown farmer's market with Veronica and had a great time with her. We ended up sitting in a cafe and had a smoothie by an open window looking over the farmer's market. It was a lot of fun.

Tonight I am bartending at the Dave Matthews concert with John Millspaugh. It should be a lot of fun and we get to see the concert when we're done. Now I am off to the transition seminar led by Pete.

COSTA RICA in Detail- Spring Break 2009

Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you all so much for your support, both financially and in prayer, in getting me to Costa Rica. I wanted to share about what my team accomplished that week and what I learned. I am also happy to share about my plans for after graduation, so read on!
Our trip started on Friday February 27. My parents surprised me in Charlottesville and took me out to dinner. It was great to see both of them before I left. Late that night we drove to Reagan airport in DC and after sleeping on the floor for a few hours we were able to board our plane. We were on our way to Costa Rica with a layover in Miami. We arrived in Costa Rica a little tired, but it was only around noon on Saturday and we met up with our leader, Will Hasley. The trip was extra important to me because Will was my bible study leader last year and he is serving as a missionary for a year in Costa Rica which also plays into my future plans. Will works with the Evangelical United Methodist Church in Costa Rica as a full time missionary. It was great to see him and be able to spend a week hearing what he has learned in his time there.
As we loaded up the bus and headed to lunch, I realized it was really great to be practicing my Spanish again. After lunch we headed to an orphanage which was one of the many outreaches of the Methodist Church there. They have purchased a plot of land overlooking the city of San José with plans to build houses for orphans. We met the family in charge of the orphanage and got to hear about the plans for the orphanage. It is going to be a great place for orphans to grow up and get an education in hopes of breaking the cycle of poverty. After visiting the orphanage we had a 2 hour bus ride through the rainforest to where we would be working for the week- Puerto Viejo.
Most of us fell asleep from being so tired, but as we entered the rainforest we had to stop. The traffic was all stopped and it was raining. The road was blocked to what we think was a landslide. We were stuck in the rainforest for hours and not sure when we were going to get out. Instead of our group complaining from being hungry, tired and stuck, we all got along and there were no complaints. Eventually we were able to pass, and got to see that the traffic in the opposite direction was backed up for miles as well. We arrived at our hotel late that evening and had dinner before going to bed early.
Sunday we went to church and in the afternoon we got to go zip-lining through the canopy of the rainforest. It was so much fun and our leaders surprised us because we had no idea that we were going to be able to do that. Most of the week there we worked on building a church and community center. The building that they were using was a concrete slab with a makeshift tin roof that leaked. This new building would be a huge blessing to them as well as an outreach. They used to building to educate adults in the area who did not complete their education as well as other outreaches to the community. We spent most of the week laying concrete, plastering walls and laying tile in the church. They needed money to work on the building and could only do so when teams visited to work on the church. The Costa Ricans were so thankfully that we were there to help serve them. The pastor’s wife cooked us lunch everyday, and it was delicious. We also looked forward to the fresh pineapple at every meal.
In the late afternoons we went to different churches to teach children Vacation Bible School. We sang songs, performed a skit of David and Goliath (where I was David) and we helped them make crowns which they could color and decorate. We taught them that big or small, whoever you are- God can use you for great things. We ended each VBS with a time to play with the children. They loved crawling on our back and just running around. It was so great to see God’s love through them. They did not have much, but they had what was important and that was enough.
On Thursday night we led a worship service for the church. We led the church in Spanish songs and a few of us got to share our testimony. I was one of them. It was an awesome experience to share with others what God has done in my life and that God has great plans for each and everyone us. The next day we packed up and headed back to San José. The trip this time was under 2 hours because the road was clear. It rained from Sunday until we left the rainforest Friday morning in Puerto Viejo, but the rain did not dampen our mood. It was a joy to be serving in Costa Rica. We arrived in San José at the orphanage and spent the day working on the foundation for the first children’s home at the orphanage. It was only foundation work, but it was also the basis of great things to come to the orphanage caretakers as well as the children that will be living there. This was our last full day in Costa Rica, but I wanted to share with you all what I learned.
When we first arrived in Costa Rica, I noticed that it was not as poor there as what I had observed on my mission trip in Bolivia the previous year. One of my teammates pointed out to me that, while their physical needs may be different, their spiritual needs are the same. This completely changed my perspective. We were there to serve their physical needs, but their spiritual needs as well. This enabled me to serve them better. Also, the last night there, we all took communion. We went up one at a time and our other group members took turns praying for us. Sometimes it is easier for others to see how God is moving in our life before you do and that was true for me. It was such a powerful time of encouragement and one of my favorite memories for the week. It showed me that we really need to encourage one another in all of our daily interactions.
Finally, I have made plans to be a missionary in Guatemala next year through my home church in Lynchburg, which is also a Methodist church. I am not fully sure what I will be doing or where I will be in Guatemala, but plans are underway. I am waiting to hear back from my contact, but his wife just had a baby so he has been a little occupied to say the least. I was able to discuss with Will how it is to be a missionary. He was very real with me. He shared how it can be very difficult being on your own. The language barrier and a lack of people around your age can hinder meaningful conversation at times. On the other hand he also encouraged me as to how much I will be able to grow next year. The good outweighs the bad. I will be less dependent on other people next year and more dependent on God. This is where I need to grow and it will be a great opportunity for me. It was so encouraging to have that conversation with Will.
Thank you all so much for your financial and prayerful support for getting me to Costa Rica and keeping me safe. I learned so much in the week there and things that I will carry with me to my next stage of life. Graduation is just around the corner, but I am not worried about what is next. God has big plans for my life and all I need to do is trust in Him. Thank you all again God Bless!
-Bobby Pearson

God is good

God has been so good recently. He has really been answering my prayers and I am so excited for what he is doing in my life. These last few weeks have been flying by. Only 2 more weeks then classes are over- forever. That is awesome and sad at the same time. There is so much going on these next few weeks and I know that God is going to use it all to His glory!

Last weekend I went home for Easter. i had a great time visiting with my mom and dad. It was a pleasure to be at home and with them. Unlike most previous visits at home I was really able to enjoy my time there and be dependent upon God. You can really tell where you are with God when you go home away from your Christian friends and you are back in an old environment. Before I was not happy with where I was, but now I can see the growth and I am happy with where I am. I am not going to be complacent, I will continue seeking more of God in my life, but it is so reassuring to start to see the power of God in my own life. Easter Sunday was awesome ad my mom and I go to see the Hallelujah chorus.

I also finished my Costa Rica Thank you letters. Finally! I will post that soon.

God is good!

Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night was powerful, but it was sad to see how many people did not have hope and are still suffering so much. It was very encouraging to hear some christian girls share about their experiences, but also how God has redeemed them in more ways than they could imagine. I hope that the people who need to hear about that had the opportunity to hear it. We also had worship afterwords which was great. God is good.

Guatemala

I heard back from the missionary form Guatemala! His wife had a baby last week and that is why he had not called me back yet. I e-mailed him yesterday and he replied today. Finally some good news about that.

March is almost over

It is interesting to look back over my time here at UVA. Each semester has gone by faster than the previous one and this semester has not been an exception. I can not believe that it is almost April. The last week has been very quiet academically. I did not have any tests or papers, just 2 novels I failed to read. I did get some tests back which went surprisingly well.

I have been frustrated that I have not heard back from Guatemala. I really like to have a plan for what I am doing and the fact that I do not have a plan for this summer or life yet bothers me, but perhaps it is just God trying to tell me that it is ok and I need to find comfort in him alone. I am not worried about the future, I am just curious as to what I will be doing.

I have really been enjoying time with people recently. I have had a lot of great hangouts with people from Costa Rica- pot luck dinners, watching movies, and random hangouts. I had a great time with Kate driving around last week after we got my sunroof open and went to lunch. I had a great time hanging out with Ashley last week and just spending time with her. I enjoyed getting to spend time with some guys in my core group and it was great to spend time with the guys in my house. I really enjoy spending time with people. People bring so much joy to my life. I am really going to enjoy every interaction that I have with people until I graduate.

great Sunday

Today was awesome! I slept in and went to Portico church. I really felt God moving there, the sermon was awesome and then we had communion. It reminded me of the time we shared communion in Costa Rica. Such a powerful experience.

I took a three hour motorcycle ride today! I went to visit my grandmother in Fredericksburg. (1.5 hours there, 1.5 back). The weather was great. I got to the hospital and realized that I have not been to visit someone in the hospital in a while. I do not really like hospitals. Hospitals are not enjoyable, especially while taking a class on death and dying. It felt so strange being there. On the other hand, it was great to see my grandmother. She is having surgery tomorrow (Monday) because she feel and fractured her 1st vertebra. We talked and I got to pray for her. I was really glad that I went even thought it was only a short visit.

I went to crossroads with Ryan Levis tonight and had a very encouraging talk with him about our walks with God and baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is so great to talk about how God is moving in our lives- it makes us realize that He really is there and working. I came back home and spent some time reflecting on God. It was great.

Awesome Sunday!

Costa Rica and Back

Costa Rica was one of the best weeks of my life. There will be more to come on that later and you can check out pictures on facebook. The team was incredible and we have been hanging out a lot since we have been back- Thursday- South Street, Friday- la taza, dumplings, creps, chillin at my house- pina, lydia's surprise party,chemistry building sardines, crossroads. saturday- lasagna dinner, seek prayer, south street. sunday- effort baptist church, pancakes breakfast with 85% of the team. it has been awesome. we also have an e-mail chain which is over 180 replies long. our group is awesome and i hope the fun continues.

Ashley and I had a talk and we decided not to date. I was upset about the situation, but God is definitely teaching me to rely solely on him next year and not her. It would be really easy to just turn to her when times get tough next year in Guatemala instead of turning to God first. I need to turn to Him first. So while it was not how I wanted it to be a first, it has definitely worked out for the best and how it should be. We will continue to be good friends.

This semester is flying by way too fast. On Tuesday March 17th, 2009- it will be 2 months until graduation. Finals start in a little over 6 weeks. Where has time gone? College has been the greatest time of my life and I am not ready to leave yet. At least I have 2 more months to prepare myself.

almost spring break

time has been flying by. valentines day and restoration ball with ashley was a lot of fun. this week has been a little stressful with a test and a paper, but now it is done. i leave for costa rica in 19 hours! it is going to be a great spring break and a great mission trip. more when i get back.

relishing every moment

i have been swimming laps every day. it feels good to workout.

wednesday i was able to enjoy a motorcycle ride because the weather was awesome once again. i really love motorcycle rides. the feeling of freedom, and what ever else i feel while i am riding really brightens up my day.

don't try to make valentine's day dinner reservations 3 days before valentine's day- you will find out that most everywhere is booked that you want to go. the search continued.

core group was great- we wrote our own psalms and while discussing Screwtape Letters the guys started talking about service and how we can serve the community- all without the leaders bringing it up- it was great.

thursday i got to sleep in until noon-thirty. after a relaxing morning i motorcycled to class and then went searching for a restaurant for valentine's day. i finally found one, but TBA in case someone reads this :)

chip and i went to the salvation army to get him some clothes for a hippie date function. we also went to wine warehouse and spent a while there talking to the owners about different wines. chip is obsessed, but he would call it a hobby. he and i had a great talk on the ride home. i am really going to miss chip next year.

the office was great, and then i got to have a photo shoot with some of the housemates & others. i spent a while uploading and tagging pictures. now i am off to clean up my room and ready before bed.

tuesdays gone with the wind

today was great. i managed to get several motorcycle rides in as well. i slept in, met up with anthony, one class, and met up with collin. i stopped by the salt shack to talk to charlotte, lydia and liz. we were able to reminisce about spain and how much fun that was. i ran into cassandra and we ended up having a great conversation for over and hour standing outside and catching up on each others lives. i got to go swimming for the 3rd day in a row which felt great. i went to a frends birthday downtown at wild wings cafe then i went to hang out in alex's lawn room with alex, scott cole, john and jordan. it was great to hang out with them and have some great conversation about chi alpha and life.

i feel like i know a lot of people, but not on a deep level. today was good in the fact that i was able to really hang out with a few people and get to know them better. this is what this last semester is going to be all about- really investing in a few people.

last XA retreat

i just went on my last XA retreat of my college career. it is weird. the retreat was good. i had some great talks with God and people. the speakers, eli and brenda, did a great job, and worship was great. on the other hand i felt like there were too many people there so i did not get to see some people at all. i had a good talk with joanna about how we had not seen each other much, but that was ok. we both agreed that we are spending more time hanging out with our houses and other close friends. it is hard for me to accept that i can't hangout with everyone my last semester, but it is reality. ashley and i had fun getting random pictures of people and putting hearts around them the first night. a pond was frozen and we got to talk over that, against my better judgment, but it is fun to take risks. i had a great talk with ashely, got to pray with the other 4th years in my house, and got to have some good talks with guys in my core group. over all, a great weekend and the weather was great.

coming back to UVA, it was nice to relax. the weather was nice, i washed my car (which had just married written on the back from the retreat) and went for a motorcycle ride. my mom and grandmother stopped by on their way home so i got to visit with them as well. i also got to bed early which was much needed.

monday has been good. i motorcycled to class and the weather has been great once again. my poetry class tonight has been canceled so i think that i am going to take a nap in the hammock and read.

snow

long day of class and it was unseasonably warm. chi alpha was great and we had a costa rica meeting where we sang in spanish. now it is cold and snowing. what a weird day weather wise.

super bowl sunday

i woke up early for church. it was really early, but good to get the day started before 10. tim and i were escorts for a girls event which was fun and then we went around with alex and caleb giving girls roses. it was fun to be randomly nice to people.

it was such a nice day out so i decided to go for a motorcycle ride. while returning alex his jacket, i met another uva student with a motorcycle. maybe someone else to go riding with. i picked up ashley and we went fo a nice scenic ride past foxfields and stopped by the boars head on the way back. after a nice walk around the lake we headed back to her house and got some pizza. it was a lot of fun. still not having a plan for the superbowl, we decided to go watch the game at ellen and jackies. there was a good sized group there. the game was ok, better at the end, but the commercials were lame. only doritos had a few good commercials. lame. i got home at midnight, 9 hours after i had left for my motorcycle ride.

i was not still at all today, but i enjoyed every moment of it. maybe soemtime we are not called to be still, but to enjoy the opportunities that surround us. then again, i am never still. maybe tomorrow i will find some time to be still.

ski trip

i just got back from a great ski trip with 5 guys from my core group (andy, collin, kai, matt and stephen). we stayed at andy's house, went skiing and went to charely's for dinner. it was a great time of fellowship. it is so much easier to get to know people in a smaller group setting.

i really value conversation with people. i was hanging out with clay, ryan and sammy. it is really cool to just sit with a small group of guys and talk about life.

slow down life! i need to catch up.

life is moving by entirely too quickly. i feel like i just got to uva and here i am, in my last semester. there is so much i want to do and so many people i want to spend time with before i leave. next year i will either be staying in charlottesville to do the chi alpha internship, but most likely i will be serving as a missionary in guatemala. i am still tryign to figure out where i should be, but throught that process i am trying to learn to be still, my blog's title, which is hard for me. i love to fill my day with people and events. this semester i hope that i can learn to be still. this will be the first of many posts to come.