Day 12 - What's in your bag

Hmmm…this is tough because I don’t normally carry a bag.  I guess I carry my school bag to and from class.  Does that count?  I think so!  Let’s see, I have:

-Three pencils
-Some extra pencil lead
-A highlighter
-A three ring binder for my Current Issues in Student Affairs course
-A notebook
-And my handy dandy…Panther Planner!  :)

So that’s it.  That’s what’s in my bag.  Kind of boring if you ask me.  I should throw something unusual in there to spice things up like a set of juggling balls or a sack of Legos.  You never know when you might encounter a situation where you have to juggle or build something to get you out of a bind.  In fact…these are necessities!  I’m going to go put them in my bag right now!  I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!!!

As Lonestar from Spaceballs once said, “Take only what you need to survive!”  These are things I simply can’t live without and they are essential for survival. I’m just saying.  :)

Day 11 - Your siblings

I have four siblings:

(From left to right) Aaron, Me (except I’m not my own sibling), Erica, Jimmie, and Sean.

Out of all of us, I’m the youngest.  So there were many times when I was younger that these four were looking after me.  Sean and Jimmie took me fishing, Aaron played video games with me, and Erica always had me come and stay with her and my Brother-in-law in the Council Bluffs/Omaha area.  Looking back, they all have made a significant impact on my life and I truly treasure how they all took me as their little brother.  I may have been a pain in many ways, but they always included me and wanted to spend time with me, which to this day seems pretty cool.  There aren’t many brothers and sisters out there that are willing to hang out with their younger brother, just because.  :)

Thank you Jimmie, Aaron, and Sean for accepting me with open arms as your little brother and thank you Erica for being my big sister.  I love you guys and thanks for your willingness to spend time with me all those years.

Day 10 - What you wore today

Well, that’s easy!  Since it was the 21st Annual RA Conference, I wore my purple “UNI - I am an RA” shirt!  Along with my RA Conference shirt, I also wore a pair of jeans, my purple highlighted Nike shoes, and a pair of UNI flex socks.  I would definitely have to say it was a comfy day for clothing!  I love wearing jeans!!!

Day 9 - Your beliefs

I have many beliefs.  So many in fact, I couldn’t name all of them.  However, here are just a few of my beliefs.

-I believe everyone has a purpose.
-I believe everyone possesses their own strengths and can better society using them.
-“I believe in a thing called love…”
-I believe everyone deserves a second chance.  We all make mistakes.
-I believe the glass is half full.  We all should focus more on the positive, rather than the negative.
-I believe in Jesus Christ.
-I believe we all should pay attention to children more.  They are the ones that live life to the fullest and many possess more wisdom than someone who has been around for 30 or more years.
-I believe we all possess the capacity to reach our greatest potential, so long as we work hard to achieve it.
-I believe in destiny.
-I believe in legends.
-I believe we can all make a difference in the world.
-I believe in Superman.
-I believe comic books are some of the greatest works of art.
-“I believe can fly…”
-I believe everyone has the right to an education.
-I believe we are not alone in this universe.
-I believe simple acts of kindness (free hugs, holding the door for others, etc.)
-I believe in miracles.
-I believe “…in the power of music to lift up, inspire, and help make the world a better place.”
-I believe in loved ones, both friends and family.
-I believe there is always someone there that has your back.
-“I’m believer…”
-I believe there is always a solution to every problem.
-I believe what I believe.  You believe what you believe.  And I believe in respecting what you believe in.
-I believe in all things good.
-I believe in the wonder and excitement of make believe.
-I believe in believing…

I believe in a lot of things, but above all else, I believe in you.  Because you are incredible.  Because you are SUPER!

Day 8 - A Moment

I have had a lot of special moments in my life thus far, and there only a few as moving as this.

In August of 2003, just two days before I departed for my first year at UNI, I received a phone call from Mark Janssen, a senior member of the University of Northern Iowa Varsity Men’s Glee Club.  He invited me to join the Men’s Glee Club by encouraging me to attend an informational meeting the Monday evening when classes began.  He mentioned that I did not have to commit at this time and that no one had to try out.  It was simply a men’s choir composed of mostly non-music majors who loved to sing.

I had always enjoyed singing.  In fact, I had been in a choir every year since the fourth grade and this was telling me that I could continue my passion for singing.  So Monday evening came around and their were roughly 80 guys jam packed into one of the Schindler Education Center’s lecture halls.  To introduce us to the organization, we watched an hour long video of the groups most recent trip to Europe.  When the video was over, I was sold.  This was a group I wanted to be apart of and I couldn’t wait to get involved.  I joined the group without question and it would end up being one of the best things that I had ever done.

As the year went on, I grew more and more terrified of the Director, Bob Byrnes.  If you want to talk about someone who was passionate about music, it was Bob.  Although terrifying, I got it.  I got the message of Glee Club.  As Bob would say, “You have to work damn hard if you want to make something truly special.  If you want to be extraordinary.”  And it was the truth.  So we worked “damn” hard on preparing for the upcoming trip to Europe.  That’s right!  As freshman, I was headed to Germany, Austria, and Italy to perform with my “Brother’s in Song.”  Oh, and just to clarify, it was really wonderful to get to know Bob as the year progressed.  He ended up being one of the most inspiring people I have ever met.  He was just really intense in his direction!  :)

Although there were so many incredible breathtaking moments in Europe (standing at the peak of mountain in the Alps, catching a sunset on the peak of Mt. Vesuvius, and many more) none of them compared to singing during High Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.  In August, I had no clue what I was in for.  Then after taking Humanities I, I understood where I was going.  I was headed to the largest church in the world!

It was magnificent!  As Bob, and many others had said, the marble floor was even more beautiful then some of the things you could see in the entire world.  And then the alter…truly amazing.  We sang several songs throughout the service, but then we sang Ave Maria.  We filled every square inch of that place with sound!  There were echoes that filled the church for several seconds after and when we sang our last note, the congregation applauded.  The congregation applauded!  We made a Catholic congregation , in the world’s largest church applaud (applause is not a typical practice in the Catholic Church), and it was epic.  And when it was all said and done, I could not believe what we just did.

And the icing on the cake, and probably the most exquisite thing I have ever heard in person came from a little old Italian lady.  This was the monumental moment.  She said in Italian,

“Everyday I am a poor woman, but today I am rich for hearing you sing.”

You can’t buy moments like that.  It was truly priceless.

In closing, joining the UNI Varsity Men’s Glee Club was one of the greatest things I have ever done and I miss it incredibly.  I want to close this story and moment with the mission of our Glee Club, because I believe it is missions like these that sincerely change the world.

“We believe in the power of MUSIC to lift up, inspire, and help make the world a better place.” ~The UNI Varsity Men’s Glee Club

Day 7 - Your best friend

I have a few of them!

There’s…Brittany...

…Alan…

...James...

...Chris…

...& Chip.

“These are a few of my favorite…” friends!  :)

Day 6 - Your day

I’m going to write today’s entry as the My Perfect Day!

My Perfect Day

I would wake up around 8:00am, allowing me some time to sleep in, and yet not waste the day.  I’m fairly certain that when I awake, my wife Brittany will still be sleeping, so I would whisper “Good morning” to her and quickly and quietly dash to the kitchen for some breakfast while she continued sleeping.  I’d make myself a bowl of cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal, and accompany it with some yogurt and fruit.  While eating breakfast, I would sit and watch The Weather Channel to catch up on our local weather, and possibly catch a highlight or two on ESPN Sportscenter.

After I finish breakfast and catch up on the latest weather and sports, I would let my tummy settle before exercising.  I would either play a video game (Donkey Kong Country Returns or Pixel Junk Monsters) or read my latest Superman comic.  I might also read something by Tony Dungy or Kurt Warner’s new book.  Once my tummy had settled for a good hour or two, I’d either go run a couple of miles, bike for a half hour, or swim some laps over at the WRC.

In the afternoon, I could see myself hanging out with friends.  We’d either watch football, go see a movie, play mini-golf, go hiking, or find an Amusement Park nearby (most likely Lost Island Water Park in Waterloo and of course, during the summer time.  If we really had an option, we would teleport to Sandusky, OH to go to Cedar Point and ride some of the best roller coasters in the world).  OH and don’t forget lunch!  We’d probably head over to Pancheros for a delicious burrito, chips, and salsa (we’d have to let our tummies settle before riding the coasters of course).

Upon spending a day riding the waves, hanging in the lazy river, and sliding down the tenacious slides (or riding the hills, twists, loops, and turns of roller coasters with the help of teleportation), I would depart my friends and spend the rest of the evening with Brittany.  We would have dinner together either at the Olive Garden or Panera (two of our favorite places).  Brittany and I might catch a movie that evening as well (depending on whether or not I saw one with my friends.  Two movies in a day would be pretty pricey!).  :)  I could also see Brittany and I playing the New Super Mario Bros. Wii to end out our day.

“Penguin suit!”
“We should use a flier TeeJ.”  :)

And that would be the extent of my perfect day.  A little bit of me time, a little time with friends, and a little time with Brittany.  Now that’s what I call My Perfect Day.

By the way, here’s one of the coasters my friends and I would ride!  :)

This is the Millennium Force.  When we road this coaster in 2003, it was the third largest and fastest roller coaster in the world.  We also thought about riding the tallest and fastest in the world at the time.  The Top Thrill Dragster:

Uh huh. Yep.  That’s awesome!