Not sure what to do???

We offer up 29 things to do with that day that could make the difference between a happy life and one you regret for the rest of yours. But, please, don’t think of it as only an extra day of work without an extra hour or so off. That’s entirely too depressing.
1. Learn one song on the piano. You have always wanted to and it will make you look really cool while hanging out at the hotel bar somewhere.
2. Make a Red Eye and drink it. You know, the Bloody Mary with a raw egg in it. It’s something we’ve all wanted to do. (Note: Be and Jake Grove are not responsible for any discomfort resulting from eating a raw egg.)
3. Watch the Discovery Channel. It’s probably the only time you will.
4. Make something from papier mache. It will probably come in handy if you ever have kids.
5. Ride a horse. I mean, when’s the last time you rode a horse?
6. Go read a book you won’t buy at the bookstore. Everyone else is doing it.
7. Put all those pictures you have into frames. You’ve put it off long enough.
8. Make your own personalized T-shirt. “Jake is Awesome” is one slogan to think about.
9. Grill up the biggest steak you can find.
10. Memorize the lyrics to “Back in Black” by AC/DC.
11. Go for a walk … in that wooded area behind your neighbor’s house.
12. Find a creek and play in it. (Don’t do this barefooted, please.)
13. Watch “Martian Child” with John Cusack. You might be the first one to do it.
14. Call your mom and talk until she gets tired of talking. No one said it would be easy.
15. Count how many days until the end of the year and plan one thing for each of those days.
16. Create and name your own sandwich.
17. Take your significant other shopping for no reason. If you don’t have a significant other, take a best friend. If you don’t have a best friend … well, I don’t know what to tell you.
18. Plan that trip you’ve been meaning to take to visit old friends.
19. Go to the nearest college campus and act like a student. If you already are a college student, walk around campus acting like a professor. A snooty professor.
20. Find new ways to “Go Green” and actually stick to them.
21. Build your own raised-bed garden.
22. Get your hair styled so your friends won’t recognize you.
23. Toss a water balloon high into the air and try to catch it without breaking it.
24. Go fishing. You could be the next Bassmaster.
25. Create and name your own drink. It could take some experimentation, so prepare wisely.
26. Make your own Web page for friends and family. Just don’t make one for your dog.
27. Get up one hour earlier than normal. If you get up at 4 a.m., go to bed one hour later than normal.
28. Ride your bike to work or the store or wherever you want. If you don’t have a bike, buy one, then ride it.
29. Make a prank call. It’s all the more exciting with caller ID.

Let me know if you have any other ideas for what I should do on Friday!

Who Moved My Cheese?

If you have not read this book, you should! It is super short, very fast read. There are a few things that I wanted to point out from the book that you might find helpful.

1. Change Happens- They keep moving the Cheese
2. Anticipate Change- Get ready for the Cheese to move
3. Monitor Change- Smell the Cheese Often so you know when it is getting old
4. Adapt to Change Quickly- The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new Cheese
5. Change- Move with the Cheese
6. Enjoy Change!- Savor the adventure and taste the New Cheese
7. Be ready to Quickly Change Again and Again- They keep moving the Cheese

The points above are just a taste (get it?? Cheese- taste, ahahahaha) of what the book has to offer. To savor more details- read the book!

"Sometimes things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we."

"He had to admit that the biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, and that nothing gets better until you change."

Recently there have been some big changes in my life. And it's been hard. At the same time though, there is this hope that something greater is waiting up ahead for me. That doesn't mean that life has been bad, or that I have been doing something WRONG. It just means that life moves along. If we choose to stay in the same place without moving, without changing, we're left behind. Even worse, "If you do not change, you can become extinct." There's a kind of death that can occur in someone's heart and mind if he/she does not get up and move.

Don't get me wrong- there have been days I have not wanted to get out of bed. But, that's not healthy, and it's certainly not living.

Ask yourself, "What would I do if I weren't afraid," and then do that.

Take a deep breath, hold your nose, and jump in. Be excited about the new and the unknown. Don't sit back and be left behind. Get out there- The adventure is waiting!

Ouray Park, Colorado

Someday I am going to visit this place: Ouray Park, Colorado.
I read about this place in the National Geographic Adventure magazine. It looks completely beautiful!

Not just a calendar

You can see this replica at the Field museum in Chicago.

Amazing!

Check this out!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331408,00.html

Day with Dad

On Friday night I picked my dad up from the airport, and the next day we experienced a day of fun!
First stop- Whistlestop Cafe in downtown Fox Lake. No, we did not have bar-b-que for those of you thinkin' Fried Green Tomatoes, but, we had a "skillet" of tasty goodness!

Next stop- downtown Chicago to the Field Museum. I would like to say that we made it with no problems, so that's exactly what I'm going TO say! (But really, we did!)

I thought these were super cool:


These are lions from the movie Ghosts in the Darkness. The lions were responsible for killing 140 people!

This is my Totem Pole Face. I thought it was a good likeness:


On Saturday, I found out a little about my heritage. (Some of it I already knew.) But I am some German, Irish and Cherokee Indian. I walked around the Native American exhibit looking for Cherokee indians....Finally I found her:
I know the picture is somewhat hard to see, it was dark, and it was hard to get a good shot, but I think if you look closely you can see the resemblance!


These little creatures look like something right out of Jurassic Park. If you watch long enough you can actually see them moving!
My dad and Sue:


Baby Dino:



This thing is SO cool!


Could it be a moose??? Put down your rifles- this thing is already LONG gone!
And finally-

Many people think that this is the Aztec calendar, but in fact, it's not. I would love to explain what it is, but I have to remember first!
I loved the face in the middle. I wonder if they actually used a model and if it's a true likeness to any particular person.

After the museum we made a quick little trip across town (really only 2 miles) and I dropped my dad off on the side of the road. Literally, I did. I pointed at a section of the sidewalk, and said, "Go there, and then walk that way, and then you'll be at the train station." My directions were apparently PERFECT because he made it without any problems to the South Shore, and I successfully navigated my way north, and out of Chicago.

The End.

"Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping...waiting...and though unwanted...unbidden...it will stir...open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us...guides us...passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love...the clarity of hatred...and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace...but we would be hollow...Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we'd be truly dead."

~Joss Whedon

Frostbite

Due to the severe temperature that is now taking the country by storm, I feel as though it's a good idea for everyone to review important survival tips:

http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/cold.htm

A few important things to note:

• If you have a victim suffering from frostbite, do not rub with ice or snow.
• To avoid frostbite and hypothermia, don't get cold. That means, stay inside, in bed, where you don't have to worry about getting frostbite.

Did someone say Pot hole?

After 14 plus inches of snow, here is some helpful information for those in the Chicago-land area.

Copy and paste this link into the address bar:
http://www.wbbm780.com/Potholes-Causing-Serious-Problems/1621615

New Year~New Me

So, it's been a long time since I've written. I want to say that there are a lot of things that have changed, but really most things are the same. There has been one big change. After nearly five years as a children's pastor, I have resigned. It is different now because instead of being It is strange, and I'm still processing the whole thing.

So now, I don't know who I am. I think that I've dealt with this my whole life. I went from one thing to another, and using all things as my source of identity. And now, I am nameless- or identity-less?

So I am sad, and excited. Despondent and yet, there is this hope that lays out in front of me. The hope, is that there is Life waiting for me. Life that is mine to have and make of it as I will...

One week ago I started my last year in my twenties. So, what does that mean?

Only time will tell.

"Dare to be unusual."