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| Two weeks ago, I went to Robotics Camp over at SIU. This was my third time being there. I had gone two years in a row a while back, but I didn't get to go last year because I was in OCD treatment. This year was different than previous years because it was a new Level II camp. Originally, there was only one camp there, designed for beginners in robotics. It used a robitics kit to build a robot called a Boe-Bot. There was only one way to build it, but what it did was determined by what was attached to it and how it was programmed. It's a pretty good camp for learning the basics of programming robots. The Level II camp is more advanced. It requires you to use what you've learned from previous experiences with robotics. This camp uses the VEX Robotics kit, designed for more advanced users. Unlike the Boe-Bot kit, the design of the robot is just as important as the programming. Personally, I liked this camp better than the Boe-Bot camp. It was different in that we were divided up into teams, with each team having their own kit. The only downside to this is that you don't get to take the kits home like in the Boe-Bot camp. The significance of the teams is that the camp is competition-based. It's set up similar to the show Robot Rivals, where teams from different colleges are given a task to complete. They build and program a robot that can complete the task. The winner is determined by certain criteria, such as who's robot completes the task the fastest or the most efficiently. It was WAY more fun than the Level I camp. Next time, I'll have some pictures and videos from the camp. See ya later!
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| Well, let me continue with what happened behind the scenes. Do you remember what I said about the other thing I'd never forget? Well, this is what happened. Even though there was a sign on the bathroom door that clearly said not to use the toilet, Gabe ran in saying he had to take a dump. When he came out, he said that he missed the toilet. We (me and the guys) all gathered around and saw what appeared to be a huge turd on the toilet seat. I left to use the public restroom, wondering how anyone could miss that bad. When I came back, I heard that Gabe had picked it up with a piece of toilet paper and that he was chasing people around with it and flipping it up in the air! Micah was really freaking out! That's whenever Pat noticed that it didn't smell bad. He took a piece of it, sniffed it and licked it! It turned out to be the filling inside a Milky Way bar! Gabe had squeezed the filling out of a Milky Way bar, onto the toilet seat, and made it look like a piece of poop! Gross, I know, but you have to admit, it was a great joke!
And now for the moment you've all been waiting for! Photos from Beulah camp!
This is just a shot of the cabin.
This is the bathroom. Ewww!
This is the shower. DON'T walk in there barefoot!!!
This is a set of photos I like to call, "Male Bonding."
Hey, who's that handsome stud?
Me and Jordan finger jousting.
This next set is me and Zack bowling.
Zack after getting a gutter-ball. . .
. . . me after getting a gutter-ball.
Zack after getting a spare. . .
. . . me after getting a spare. (Nobody got a strike)
Me after playing "Blooper Ball." (baseball with kiddie pools as bases)
At first, I thought this was just a pretzel stack I got a shot of. I had no idea Pat got in the picture until it was developed!
And finally, our group picture. This is also my new site logo. (Back row: Uhh, I can't tell who the first person is. Anyway, next is Matt, Taylor, Will, Nathan, Andrew, and me. Middle row: Tyler, Cory, and Joel. Front row: Zac L., Zack G., Andy, and Sam. Guy they're holding: Aaron (Ted).) | | |
| Hi, it's me! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was at Beulah Youth Institute (church camp) all week. I'd have to say, it was WAY better than I expected. Before I tell you about it, I just thought I'd let you know that this post is a little long. It's really worth your time though, so just bear with me. You'll enjoy it. Keep in mind too that this is only part one of a two-part blog entry.
Anyway, like I said, this week was better than expected. I really felt God all week this week, especially during the evening services. I also saw God in my peers during the course of the week. On the first day, after we got settled into our cabins, they brought us in with a performance by Bean and Bailey, two Christian comedians who use music in their comedy acts. They kind of remind me of a combination of Abbot and Costello and "Weird Al" Yankovic. I thought they were pretty good, but a lot of people thought they weren't as funny as they were when they were there last year. I, of course, wouldn't know, since this was my first time at camp. Even though I felt God all week, the feeling was strongest during the evening services on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday was visitors' night. My parents and sister came that night. The service was the longest one all week. It was on this evening that a friend of mine, Patrick Connell, gave his life to Christ. I'm really happy for him, because I know his life has changed for the better. If you want to know the whole story, you'll have to ask him yourself. It would lengthen this entry too much. Thursday was really cool because while everyone was in the tabernacle, it was pouring down buckets of rain. Even though it might seem like a distraction, we saw it as God's mercy raining down on us. The week went out with a bang on Friday, when I (and I'm sure many others) got a better understanding of what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Earlier in the week, I shared my testimony about how God healed me of OCD with the Aldersgate group. There were a lot of people talking about it throughout the week. It was great to see people's reaction to the miracle God has done in me. I really think those who knew me before last summer were surprised by the change in my life.
Now let's take a peek behind the scenes as I tell you about what happened inside the cabin. Before I say anything about it, I should warn you that some of this contains crude humor. I already have permission to post the incidents here, so I'm going to. It's hilarious, so unless you have no sense of humor, read on.
The events inside the cabin started out weird when I witnessed the boys playing a game called "Big Booty". If you don't know what it is, it's a really weird version of the number game. You'd have to see it to understand it. The second thing that happened was the pranks. The first prank happened when a group of guys from my side of the cabin went to the other side, knocked on the door, and asked if they could use the bathroom. They went in, turned off the lights, closed the door, and started hitting everyone in there with pillows. However, they got pranked back when Zack G. snuck into our side of the cabin and stole all their pillows right out from under their heads. On the last day of camp, some girls pulled a prank on the other side of the cabin by "cheesing" their door. Cheesing is spraying cheese whiz on the doorknob and on the door frame. The guys on the other side thought we did it, so they cheesed us. It wasn't until morning that they found out that the girls did it! There are two things I'm never going to forget that happened in the cabin. They are the "Flying Apollo" and the joke Gabe played on everyone. The Flying Apollo is something Gabe and Michael did. It's where they pull the back of there pants down so their butts are showing, get back to back, and lock arms. Then, one of them flips the other onto their back, so there are two butts on top of each other, making it a double moon. They also did a Triple Flying Apollo with two guys on bottom and one guy on top. They wanted to do a Quadruple Flying Apollo, but that's where a counselor drew the line! Well I'm out of time for now. You'll have to wait until next time to read the rest of my camp experience. I promise it'll be shorter.
Next blog entry: The end of my account of what happened behind the scenes in the cabin. Plus: photos from Beulah! Each picture has a story behind it! Don't miss An Awesome Week at Beulah: Part 2! | | |
| Yesterday, something happened that I never would have expected. A couple of weeks ago, Ian invited me over to his house to hang out. When I got there, we just sat on our butts playing Metroid Prime: Hunters. That's all we did the whole time. It may not appeal to some people, but we had fun with it. Anyway, my parents wanted me back by 7:00. When it was time to leave, Ian said he needed to pick up Taylor at the pool. We drove over there, and went around to the pool area. That's when the surprise came. There was a HUGE crowd of people from the church there to surprise me for my 16th birthday party. I know, it was a little late (more than just a little, actually), but it worked out perfectly. I was totally unaware of what they were planning. It took me a long time to change into my swimming trunks because I was in shock! Seriously, this wasn't just a nice little party, it was a major blowout! The reason I never knew about it and everyone else did was because it was every youth newsletter except mine! It was also on the youth calendar and in the church bulletin, but I never read that stuff, so I had no idea! I've never been more surprised in my life! It was great! All my friends from church were there (except a few who weren't able to make it. You guys really missed out on a fun time!). Even Brandon C. and Aaron's older brother Brian were there. It was great seeing them, especially since they usually aren't in town. Thank you guys! It was AWESOME!!!!! | | |
| Yesterday my family went with the Sixth Grade Connection group on a trip to Holiday World (my sister just got out of sixth grade, and my parents were driving two of the vans). I probably spent more time in the water park than in the main park. I don't know for sure, it just felt that way. I'd have to say the best water park ride was Zoombabwe. I was facing backwards the whole time, so I didn't get water in my face. On the other hand, it was totally in the dark, so it was hard to tell what was coming next. The most disappointing ride I went on was the Zinga (not to be confused with Xanga). It's the water ride with the big funnel. Don't get me wrong though. It's an awesome ride. The only problem is, the ride is way too short, and the line is way too long. The best part of the day was getting to ride on the Voyage. It's Holiday World's newest wooden roller coaster. It's also the third longest wooden roller coaster on the planet. From 2000 to 2003, the Raven was the #1 wooden roller coaster in the world. Now I think the Voyage has a pretty good shot at it. Seriously, it was the most EXTREME ride I'd ever been on. There are two big drops that are really long and go almost 90 degrees. I ephasize the word ALMOST. Think about it for a minute. An actual 90 degrees is a lawsuit just waiting to happen. The sweet part is that it's a really long ride, but it has two cars, therefore, two lines. It's only a 10 minute wait to get on! Anyway, I had a great time. I'd recommend the voyage even if you're not a major thrill-seeker. If you're not too afraid of heights, you'll LOVE it! | | |
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