Back In Track

I am officially back and track mode and actually have been for about two weeks. It feels good to be back into a routine of regular strength training and conditioning. I am still somewhat limited due to my still recovering thumb but anything is better than nothing. I am continuing physical therapy and should be cleared by the end of October.

I am very impressed with college track so far I definitely feel like it is a big step up from high school but I relish the challenge. Since I started lifting again I have been sore almost everyday. We start throwing the weight next week, I am excited and a little nervous to be learning an entirely new event. The weight, for those who don't know, is similar to the hammer except it weights 35 lbs. and I believe is a little shorter. I am already guaranteed to be in the top two because there are only two throwers, this takes a little pressure off me because I know I will already be competing and don't have to fight for a spot. Also though it means that I will need to try and help the team score points once the big meets start coming up. 

Well gotta go therapy beckons.

College Boy

It is official I am in college. The third week is underway, no turning back now. It has been unorthodox compared to the life that I am used to. I am separated from family and friend that I have had as support. I don't have parents to ask advice from, there are no sisters for me to be a brother to, and I have no one to tuck me in at night. I have been spoiled throughout my life with two loving parents and two awesome sisters. I have been privileged with a core groups of friends who love me. The one constant I have in my life is God. He is always with me and will never forsake me. It is comforting to know that I have the ultimate shepherd watching over me. I have been exposed to a lot of the dirt that college has to offer, and I don't think I've seen it all. I am praying that I can be a light on the UMBC campus. 

Class has gone great so far. I have taken one quiz which I aced, 100%. Taking notes has been very tedious with my thumb still recovering from surgery. I have pushed through and believe that I am doing an adequate job. Todays class was a little boring but hopefully that was a one day thing. 

Track is starting on Thursday. I will not be able to do everything right away it will probably be mid October before I am 100%. 

Well that is all I have for now. Can't promise I will be faithful to the blog but maybe I will.

The Worst Morning Ever

Today has been great but it didn't start out so hot. I woke up this morning with 15 minutes to get ready for my orientation down at UMBC. As I climbed into the shower at 6:45 I was exhausted -I never even got up that early at city reach- even the water couldn't wake me up. I came out of the shower to see my mom heading down the stairs. I asked her why she woke me up so late. She said that she was a little frazzled because "Xavier (my goat) had died overnight" his collar had gotten stuck on a loose bungee cord. This stopped me in my tracks as my hear dropped to my stomach. I never realized that I had developed such a deep connection to my goat. Goats are funny animals, they are similar to sheep but at the same time nothing like them. Sheep are stupid (excuse my harsh words) no other word better describes a sheep. Goats have distinct personality similar to pigs. I haven't been down to the goat pen since I heard that one of mine had died. I am scared to face it. 

The rest of my day went 100 times better.

I went down to orientation where I met up with Tim and Roy Jones, and Colorado who I am still hoping will be my roommate. It was cool getting to meet fellow UMBC freshman. I also got to pick out my classes for the fall. I don't really know what to think about my schedule. I did what they academic advisers told me not to do by having a math and a science at the same time. I have 14 credits for my first semester of college. I have a healthy behaviors class that is required for all athletes, I am going to retake calculus 2 to make sure I have a firm understanding on everything, Chemistry, and sociology round out my classes.

I got a pleasant surprise before I left. I went to the bookstore to buy some UMBC gear and check out the deals they had on Macs. When I got there I see my Mom and Dad in line with a 15" MacBook Pro, Epsom printer, an 8G ipod touch, an extra two year apple care protection plan, and a blue tooth mighty mouse. They were having a deal where all of that stuff came for like $1932. I was pleasantly surprised, I knew I was going to get a computer but I thought it was going to take forever. It is sweet. I am still trying to get the hang of everything. I am really digging the sweet track pad it is awesome. 

Right now it is 12 and I am blogging while I play around on my new mac. The day started off horrible but the rest of the day has been awesome. I have left some other exciting parts out because I am getting tired. I will never forget my goat Xavier.

City Reach 08'

I sincerely doubt that anyone checks my blog anymore, but never the less I am going to try to start up again. I truly do love blogging, but for some reason I don't take the time to do it. Hopefully this is the last time I will have to say anything like this.

As you can see from the title this blog is all about City Reach 08'. For those who don't know what City Reach is: City reach is a mission trip that is done to help out reach a city and establish a newly planted church. There are various kinds of ministry tracts: Car wash, Sports Camp, Construction, Christian Opinion Polls, Video Camp, and Special Ops. The goal is to show the love of Christ to the city.

This year I participated in Special Ops. This was the first time that I had done something besides sports camp-which I've done for three yeas-so I was excited but at the same time a little nervous about what to expect. I Have to say that I was a little disappointed in what I did in special ops. I spent more time than I thought I would in a car driving around. Part of the reason was because the weather was a little gloomy and cloudy so there were not as many people out and about. There were times where I really felt like I was doing something good for the city. I have to remember that all I did was good because I was doing it in the name of JESUS!

On Wednesday I did get the chance to hand out balloons to people around one of the shopping centers. It was cool because some of the people we handed the balloons out to really did appreciate them. I especially liked giving them to older people who said they were going to give the balloon to one of their grandchildren. Thursday was also sweet especially in the afternoon because I got to talk to and pray for a local homeless man. We gave him a couple of water bottles, a smiley face balloon and one girls bought him a sandwich. It was really cool, he was really touched by the kindness we were showing him. Any who read this please pray for him, his name was Byron. He told me he might be getting a place to stay soon. After that we went over to one of the car washes. I decided I wanted to go hand out water bottles to people around home depot and in this one old run down mall. It was pretty cool. We handed out about 25 water bottles. It was cool to see the expression on some of the peoples faces. One lady in particular commented by saying that she hadn't received anything that was free for a very long time.

As part of the special ops. group it was our job to set up and feed the sports camp kids. I really enjoyed doing this because I got to see my buddy Garret Lyburn who I coached last year. It is always tons of fun to see the smiling faces of the sports camp kids. They are so fun loving and are not worried about anything. Seeing them reminds them of how I should act.

City Reach is a great way to start the summer. There is still a lot more to come and I plan on keeping you posted the entire time.

Blogging From a Different World

This week I am luck enough to be in Florida for a family vacation. On Tuesday morning we arrived in the Florida Keys. So far it has been a blast. I literally feel like I am in a new world. It is hard to believe that I am still in America. When I arrived the first thing that I noticed were the palm trees. When I think of palm trees I think of desert or tropical islands in the ocean. It was amazing to see. The types of plants growing here are so different from the ones that I am used to seeing that even my two certified horticulturalist parents didn't know what half the plant life was. I was amazed by all I saw. Besides the plant life I have seen so many exotic animals. I have seen lizards, iguanas, chameleons, sea horses, sting rays, Portuguese manowar jellyfish (even I am afraid of those), dolphins, and a variety of fish. I have heard rumors of scorpions in the grass but luckily I haven't seen any. Being able to see the variety of plant and animal life has made the trip worthwhile. So far I have been to the beach a few times. The beach is a lot different than the ones I am used to. For one the water is pristine crystal clear blue. There are almost no waves in the ocean. The bottom of the ocean is covered in grass, it was a little weird at first but I kinda like it now. The water is also shallow so it is easy to go out far and still be able to stand. The beach is definitely different but it is still a lot of fun. Oh yeah the water is WARM!! I also got the chance to travel to the dolphin research center and see dolphins up close and personal. They did tricks and showed off. I got to see them imitate humans and I learned a lot of cool information. I have spent some time fishing which is awesome. I have only managed to catch two fish. We decided against going out to sea to fish. It is windy and none of us wanted to get sea sick. I got the chance to throw some discus here. It was very encouraging I was throwing 150 feet standing. My previous best was 141 with a spin. John and Jesse this isn't looking good for you. Well it is time for dinner. I have one more day of vacation and who knows what I will do. I have to catch my plane back home at 6 A.M. on Saturday and we are 3 hours away from the airport.

Signing out from a world of its own

Wednesday Afternoon

It is a Wednesday after noon and I have a few minutes before I have to leave to go to FLOOD. I am taking this time to blog, on what I am not sure. Let me start by saying that Day Light savings has really made me tired. I have been lagging all week and taken small naps in every class. It is also really throwing me off because I think that it is earlier than it actually is so I procrastinate doing my homework and stuff like that. Tomorrow I have the County FFA speech contest. I have modified my speech from last year and I think I have a better speech. It feels really nice to know where I will be going to college. I feel like I will be able to do better in track because I won't have to worry about my performance affecting my scholarships. This will allow me to relax and have fun doing what I do best. Well that is all for now the FLOOD is coming.

Track is Back etc.

Outdoor track has started up once again. I just got back from the fourth official practice. Things are looking up for this season. The indoor season ended on a very high note and I am hoping to carry the momentum over to the indoor season. I am pretty sure everyone who reads my blog (or john) knows that I placed fourth in the state meet with a throw of 48' 11". Which was my best throw of the season by 2 feet. I spent the few weeks I had off really working on my strength. I can already feel the results. I have never been able to consistently keep up with the lifting. There has always been a week or two week period that holds me back. I have remained at about the same strength level since 10th grade. I now have strength training first period and Coach Conner's as a teacher. I am also working with Warren, we both have the same goal in mind so we can help push each other. I feel this combination will go a long way towards increasing my strength for the outdoor states.

Speaking of outdoor states I am currently involved in a bet revolving around my performance at the state meet. The stakes are high and the challenge isn't a slam dunk. I made a bet with John and Jesse that if I throw a combined (Shot Put and Discus) 200 feet at the state meet then they would have to shave their heads. If I am unable to do so then I would have to shave my head. I have grown to love my hair. I have only had it for about a year but we already have enough memories to last a lifetime.

I am excited to be posting again, it enjoyable, and gives you a chance to reflect on your life as you write about them. School is moving along. It dawned on me when March hit that I only have 3 more months of high school left. That is hard to believe. I don't feel like I am old enough to be out of high school. I still feel like I have a lot to learn before I head off to college, but more about that latter. I have managed to still maintain my 4.0 with only one semester left. I currently have a 90% in AP calculus 2 and an 89% in AP Comp. I am hoping that both of those grades will be A's for the term so I will only have to get a B for the final term. It may sound strange but in the new system they have A + B = A no matter what the percentages are. I never thought it would happen but senioritis has hit me and I don't want to do any more work. I still am motivated enough to try and keep my 4.0, but having already gotten accepted into a few colleges it is hard to keep going.

Just moments ago I told my Mom that the decision is final I am going to UMBC. I plan on signing the letter sometime soon. I got offered $6,000 a year from the track coach there and on top of that $5,000 academically. That adds up to $11,000 and when the cost is only $17,000 a year that is a pretty good deal. I have applied for a bunch of other community scholarships and stuff so I am hoping that the rest of the cost can be covered by those other scholarships. I choose UMBC because it has an engineer program that is top notch, they are a very prestigious academic university and I would have a great opportunity to compete as a Division I track scholarship athlete.

That about catches you'all up on what has been going on with me lately. I will get back to you latter.