Catching up with an Old Friend... A summer blessing... And a book

My favorite part of the summer is getting a chance to catch up with friends who I have lost contact with over the last few months. There are those friends who you loose contact with over the years but are always there for you. On this occasion I was excited to catch up with her but didn't really except to have the great conversation that I had. It came at just the right time too. You know how when you you and a friend both have busy lives doing amazing things (trying to change the world and everything haha just kidding) but anyway then when you finally have the time to catch up its like amazing. Catching up with this friend I walked away like God was really present. I really enjoy friends who you can openly share about your faith journey with. We both have a servants heart I feel like just wanting what is best for others and always trying to put others before myself. 

We shared about the ups and downs we have had since last talking to each other and what our next year has in store for us. She just graduated and is now going to start a year of service. Wherever God places her the people there will be so blessed by her presence. She is off to her summer job till she starts her year of service in the fall so I am not sure when I will get to see her next but I sure enjoyed our visit. Its those moments when your not always expecting it God graces in some special way. 

My friend before she left dropped by a book. She gave me the book Adam to read this summer. It is written by Henry Nouwen. I cannot wait to get further into it! It is amazing the impact a book can make on a person.  On the topics of books Rockhurst has selected some really good books the past few years for the Freshman reading books two of my favorites from past years have been. 

For a full listing of the books that Rockhurst has used in the past years for the Freshman Common Reading book check out this link: http://www.rockhurst.edu/student-experience/first-year-experience/theme-book/ 

The book for this year is The Freshman Survival Guide - Nora Bradbury-Haehl & Bill McGarvey. Are there any incoming freshman reading this blog who have read it? I will be curious to see how all the incoming freshman like the book. 

Rockhurst really tries to incorporate the freshman book throughout the year so I am really excited to see how they plan on doing it this year. 

I always like to end with a quote: This is a long one but I really like it so enjoy! 

In solitude we can listen to the voice of Him who spoke to us  before we could speak a word, who healed us before we could make any gesture to help, who set us free long before we could free others, and who loved us long before we could give love to anyone.  It is in this solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts.  In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared.  It's there we recognize that the healing words we speak are not just our own but are given to us; that the love we can express is part of a greater love; and that the new life we bring forth is not a property to cling to, but a gift to be received. (from Mornings with Henri Nouwen).

I am always curious to see who is reading my blog! Please feel free to comment if so inspired. 

New Look to the RU Magazine

Hi All,

Hope everyone's week is going good. The rain seems like it will never stop here. Some areas of Chicago got nailed with 3-6 inches of rain we only got an inch today but never fear we have gotten a lot of rain other days lately. I think it has rained everyday this week and every other day last week. One of my highlights of the day was going for a bike ride with a good friend from high school. We went on a new part of the trail they had built along the river that runs through our hometown. Total I think we went like 16 miles.

By the way look at the picture below what we got in the mail today! The newly redesigned Rockhurst University Magazine!  (YEAH sorry the picture is sideways).

Jealous you didn't get a copy? Have you gotten yours yet? What are your thoughts? Well you can always read the online version of the magazine. The link: http://issuu.com/rockhurst/docs/rumagazinesummer2013?e=7081428/3718317

Ohh and did you check out the answer RU Video Promo that came out the other week... and guess who is in the Hawk Costume?? ME! 

http://vimeo.com/68231897 

More highlights from my week will be coming soon! Maybe tomorrow if I have time! 

Life...

Hi All,

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer! The weather has been fairly cool here in Chicago so far this summer. As is the theme across the Midwest there has been a lot of rain this summer. It seems like it is raining here every other day. I went for a bike ride the other day with a with my friend from high school and we made it the first 8 miles without rain then the heaves just opened up and it started to rain. We ended up going for like a 16 mile bike ride. It was great. I love long bike rides. In the recent years they have added a lot of bike trails around Naperville where I live.

On the topic of biking. A few of my friends at Rockhurst have bikes. Kansas City is a great biking city. They have the Trolley trail which I have talked about before in my blogs. I have run over half of it and I love it most of my runs at school consist of at least part or all of it on the Trolley trail. It is a limestone trail which is nice and softer but the water from heavy rains does not drain off as fast. There is also a bike nonprofit across the street from Rockhurst where if you volunteer for them 10 hours you get a free bike. They collect old bikes and take them apart and build new bikes. It is really awesome!

Here is a picture!


It was really fun catching up with my friend. She is an RA so it was nice to talk about the world of working for Residence Life. It is funny how similar the programs are run and how easily you can relate your jobs to one another. Like how checkout works and how some RA's end up helping other RA's with their end of the year paperwork. We also talked about the future and graduate schools. It is amazing how fast college has flown by. I commented to her Senior year of college after senior year of high school. Applying for Graduate Schools.

Anyway I am enjoying an evening NCIS with my Dad

Happy Father's day weekend to all men out there. We are called to be fathers in some way.




Let's all find someone to believe in. It is the greatest gift possible.

Graduated

Hi everyone, hope everyone's week is going good!  This past weekend was my youngest sisters graduation party. It was a lot of fun. We had family come in from Kansas City, Omaha, South Bend, Greendale, WI and Indianapolis. We had all kinds of food at the party. My sisters and my mom homemade all kinds of desserts.

It was great to see all my extended family that came in for the part. It is hard to believe that my baby sister has graduated. It was great to see her so excited and so excite to move onto the next phase of her life. Currently as I write this my sister is going through her orientation at another Jesuit School, this one is here in the Chicago area.

We kept watching the weather for the party and there was always a thirty percent chance of rain. All week it stayed at a 30% chance. When the party started it was a little cloudy but it looked like the rain would hold off then about 2 hours into party I walk outside and I turn my head and see this sheet of raining coming down  and before I could even walk back into it started absolutely pouring. It wasn't like it started to drizzle before hand. It was as if the heavens just opened and poured down. We probably got 3/4th's of an inch of rain that afternoon. None the less the rain did not spoil the party. It was a great weekend with family.

Now I finally feel like I have started to settle into a bit of a summer routine. I am not one who needs a routine everyday but it is nice to have a routine that you can at least work from. I do work side jobs for neighbors during my free time so that always manages to keep me busy between them and my part time internship.

Two good quotes I found. Hope one of them you find good!