When we first got off the bus I was in a group of about 10 people. We were going to walk around Navy Pier and see what cool stores were around and just enjoy the afternoon. When we walked into the building we saw a stage with a guy doing a juggling show, so we stopped and watched that until it was over. We then proceeded to walk towards the end of the pier when someone noticed that their was a stained glass exhibit so we walked through that. The only thing was four of us walked through the exhibit in about two and a half minutes and the other six took much longer. When we saw them again, we told them that we would part ways because they hadn’t even made it through all of the exhibit yet. The four of us (Curtis, Vicky, Tiffany, and I) then walked to the end of the pier until we decided what to do next.

We decided that since we still had a little longer than an hour and a half left that we would walk into the downtown area and explore. After we had walked for a couple of blocks, we decided that we should find some interesting place to go into, so I point to a building that looked like it had some stores in it, so we walked through the door and there was an escalator going up. We went up the escalator and the only thing there was an elevator and a door into a parking garage. Since we did not want to go into the parking garage we got in the elevator and pushed “1”. The only problem with pushing “1” was that we went up (The other two buttons we “p” for parking and “g” for ground but we figured that out to late).

When we got out of the elevator we walked further into the city. We soon saw a huge gathering of people, so we decided to walk towards it. As we got closer to it we noticed that it was a large group of protesters, and so we were wondering what they were protesting. We walked further into the crowd and found out that they were protesting “Obamacare.”

As we were walking through the protest we were also simultaneously looking for a Starbucks. We soon spotted one and walked over to it. I ordered a Grande Peppermint Mocha and when I was pulling my wallet out, the person that had just bought a drink from the cash register next to me told my cashier that he would pay for mine too. I was very thankful for this unexpected blessing, even though I had plenty of money with me to pay for it. As he was walking out I once again was able to thank the man for his generosity.

We then started walking back towards Navy Pier. On our way back we saw a street performer that looked like he was about to fold himself into a box. Before he did though he took of his sweater and underneath he had on a bright greenish-yellow leopard spotted outfit and then did some really random things and we never actually saw him get into the box because we left because he was taking to long to get into the box.

When we met back at Navy Pier we loaded onto the bus and headed to Giordano’s which is a really good Chicago style pizza restaurant. We had some outstanding pizza took some funny pictures, then loaded up the bus to head to our next stop on tour. On the way to the next stop I watched “Up” (which if you read upside-down is “dn”). It was a pretty good movie in my opinion. Once again Pixar threw in an some stuff that only people that live in the East Bay would get. One of the places the kid liked to go was Fenton’s Ice Cream Parlor. When they mentioned that, I turned to the person that was watching it with me and said, “I have eaten at Fenton’s before and it is pretty good.” They said, “Wait, it is actually a real place?!?!” I thought this response was funny and I was able to explain that Pixar throws in subtle stuff like that in their movies that only people that have lived there would understand.

This was a pretty fun day, and if I ever have the chance to spend more time in Chicago, I would.

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That evening we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner on the eighth floor of the Macy’s building in Union Square, San Francisco. For dinner I had spicy Jamaican shrimp and rice. It was a pretty good meal, but the best part was the cheesecake we had afterwards. Now, none of us were hungry for a complete slice of cheesecake so we decided to share a piece of cheesecake while we were at the restaurant and each order a slice to go. Mmmmmmmmmmmm……………………..

The next day, July 3rd, we had the day off from summer school. That morning and early afternoon we didn’t do much except¬† sit and relax. At one point during the day Dad and I went to Rasputin Music in downtown berkeley and bought some cd’s. Dad picked out some “different” types of cd’s and I picked out some John Williams cd’s. That evening the Oakland East Bay Symphony had a free concert on the Richmond waterfront. It was a very fun evening of music and fireworks.

The next day, July 4th, we went to the Alameda Fourth of July Parade. I can’t say that I actually watched it because I was texting some friends the entire time. That evening we went to Jack London Square in Oakland for fireworks. As I look back I think that Fourth of July was our day where we did the least amount of celebrating.

On Sunday, July 5, we went to the morning service at Calvary but we went to the evening service at Hamilton Square because the summer travel team from Maranatha, the Messengers, was going to be there. After the service their was a fellowship time with cupcakes and other good food. While at the fellowship time we made plans for Monday.

On Monday I took the group on a tour of San Francisco. We started at about 11 o’clock and headed up to Twin Peaks. It was a little windy at the top but still had a very nice view that day. From Twin Peaks we headed to the Golded Gate Bridge. Although I got a little lost while on my way I ended up on the exact street I wanted to be on by making a few lucky guesses. The Maranatha van was able to find a parking spot pretty quick, but it took me about 20 minutes to find a spot. Once I found a spot we spent about an hour walking out on the bridge and in the gift shop. From there we went across the bridge and up into the Marin Headlands for a fantastic view of the city. While up there a few of the guys decide to go on the trail down the side of the mountain so we had to wait for them to climb back up so that we could head over to Fisherman’s Wharf for lunch. When we got there we went to Boudin’s Bakery and had clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Mmmmmmm……… After that we went down to Ghirardeli Square and got our free piece of chocolate then down to Pier 39.

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After a busy day of touring we all headed over to my house for a dinner that Mom and Dad had prepared. After dinner we went up to Indian Rock for one last amazing view of the city. After that we came back to the house and had It’s It Ice Cream and watched a movie. By the end of the day everybody was tired and sunburned, but we had a lot of fun.

Well that is the highlights of the partying. There was actually more party time the next couple of days but I won’t blog about those at this time.

Where has this semester gone? It seems like I was just home for Cristmas and now I am getting ready to go home for the summer. I am not sure that I like that idea. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to be going home, but I will also miss all of my friends. Unfortunately this is not like Christmas, it will not be a short three week break. It is going to be almost four months long.

There will be some good parts to to the summer though. I plan on returning to McDonalds to serve “food” to our loyal custormers every day. I am also going to take a couple of online classes this summer, so I should be pretty busy most days between work, school, and sleep

Although in my mind summer seems like it will be pretty long, it will probably fly by as quick as this semester has flown by. Before I know it, I will be back on campus having a great time with my friends again.

For my readers that live within a couple hours (or days for all I care) of San Francisco, it would be nice to see you during the summer, so you should come visit sometime this summer.

Until next time, I will try to jump off the bullet and call some of you sometime so we can chat. Sorry to those of you who thought this post would be about Superman.

- Dash

Along with the concerts, we also had time to do some fun stuff on tour too (Actually it was all fun). We spent time at Virginia Beach, two historic battlefields, Fredricksburg and Gettysburg, we stopped in Hershey, and we were in Washington, D.C. for four hours. When we were in D.C. everyone split into different groups based on what they wanted to do. I was with three other people who wanted to see all the different memorials and monuments. They are all so well designed and moving.

I have a bunch of fun stories about band tour. Sometime maybe I will have the time to tell most of them to you.

Until then,

Dash

Last semester I was able to take a course online, and Maranatha is really trying to push their online education so they interviewed me and another person about our experiences. Here is the link to the article. http://www.mbbc.edu/page.aspx?m=3657

Now, anyone that knows me, should not have any trouble knowing that I am from San Francisco. This is one fact that I am never ashamed to tell anyone. Sometimes maybe I talk about San Francisco too much.

Everyone knows that “Home is where the heart is.” As I was thinking about where my heart was, I realized that it was not in San Francisco, not in California, not west of the Rockies, and not west of the Mississippi. Where does my heart lie right now?

My heart is in Watertown, Wisconsin!!

I could not think of anywhere else I would rather be right now. Whether or not the temperature is below freezing, I love it here. Sure there is not a whole lot of entertainment in Watertown. But this little has city has something that nowhere else in the world has. What is it that Watertown contains?

Watertown, Wisconsin for the the next fourish years, is home to me and my friends.

I have been blessed with some wonderful friends here at college. Sometimes I wonder how we all became friends, because we have eight VERY different personalities, yet we all get along amazingly well. Our personalities are as different as the places we came from: West Coast, East Coast, Midwest, South, etc.

Despite our difference in chunky or creamy peanut butter, soda or pop, or anything else, there is one thing that we all do have in common, we all desire to serve God. Any person that has been through any form of Christian education realizes that there are people that go through it without a genuine desire to serve God.

Every day I thank God for the friends he has given to me at college, and I can’t wait to see how He uses each one of us to fulfill his plan!!

T – Trials – Many times we go through trials and cannot wait until it is over, but we fail to realize that we can learn much during these trials. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” The trials we go through are not easy, but through them we can still honor and glorify God and live “To the Praise of His Glory” Eph. 1:12

H – Happiness – There are many people who go through life and have a bad attitude and complain about everything. This would be a very miserable way to go through life. I am extremely thankful that I grew up in a home where we enjoyed being together and laughing. I am also thankful for the friends that I have made here at college and the good times we have had and will continue to have.

A – Abundance – I have been blessed by God in more ways than I even realize. I have always known that I come from a good family, but I did not realize how rare it is to have a family as good as the one I have. I have heard stories from multiple people at college this semester that have made me even more grateful for the family I have. I love everyone of you: Mom, Dad, Mary, John, Melissa, James, Renae, Ruth, and all of my extended family.

N – Nutrition – Alright, so this one may be a little cheesy (no pun intended), but I am thankful for the food that I can eat. I am glad that I go to a college with one of the best menus to choose from (Although it makes me wonder what other Bible college students are being served). I am also glad that I grew up in a home and a region of the country where there was a lot of variety in food choices (a real burrito sounds really good right now…oh, and some lumpia). I am also happy that I am going to Dr. and Mrs. Brown’s house for Thanksgiving this year. I ate dinner at there house last night and ate some delicious BBQ Chicken and Rice-A-Roni. I can’t wait to taste the good food for dinner tonight…mmmmmmm!!!

K – Kin – I know that I have mentioned my family several times already, but is it possible to be too thankful for them? I don’t think so (plus I couldn’t think of anything else that started with a “K”). The last part of Psalm 16:6 says, “I have a goodly heritage.” I don’t think that I can truly say how thankful I am for my family in any amount of words. I am thankful for the heritage that I have and can pass on to my children in the future.

S – Salvation – This is probably what I am most thankful for of all. Without salvation, there would be little to look forward to and our lives would have no hope. But because God sent his only Son to die on the cross and raise on the third day, I can have eternal life.

G – Generosity – Throughout the past couple weeks people have been talking about where they were going for Thanksgiving. When teachers would ask me where I was going and I told them that I was staying in town, every one of them said, “You better not be eating at McDonalds” (This would be very hard to do anyways, because McDonalds burned down a few weeks ago). I am thankful for the generous offers that I was given to be a part of their families for the day.

I – Interests – I am very thankful for the interests that God has given me. I love working with computers. When I came to college, I started as a music major, but after a few weeks, I began to sense that God was leading me in a different direction. This year Maranatha started a new minor called “New Media Communications,” which had a lot of web design and video editing classes. These are things that I really wanted to get into. After a few weeks of prayer I decided to change my major to Math Education and minor in New Media Communications. I hope to be able to help a church out with their Audio/Visual ministry in the future. I am thankful to God for the interest in computers and technology that I have.

V – Vitality – I think many people do not realize the blessing that it is to be alive, healthy, and young (If you don’t think that you are young anymore, think again. You are able to get onto the internet and read this right?!?! When the day comes that you can’t get online, then you can call yourself old). I am having a blast at college. It is very fun to be around people your own age that have the same interests and desires that I have. We need to appreciate our vitality while we still have it, because it only takes one accident for everything to change.

I – Ice Cream – You didn’t think everything on my list had to be serious, did you? What would life be like without ice cream. What would there be to look forward to after dinner? How else can parents get there kids to eat their vegetables without bribing them with ice cream? The world would be a much gloomier place without ice cream, and go ahead eat it for breakfast too…go ahead…do it…it won’t hurt you…there is no law that says you can’t eat ice cream for breakfast.

N – Nation – We all need to be thankful for the nation that we are in. Americans have been blessed in numerous ways. We have many privileges that most people throughout the world do not have. We have a say in government. In many countries, people must obey the laws whether or not they agree with them and can do nothing to change them. In America, we can vote for our representatives and on certain laws. We need to be thankful for this great privilege.

G – Google – This may be a funny way to end my acrostic, but i can’t change the spelling of thanksgiving, so I will have to end it with google (I guess I could change it with generosity, but then I would have a normal ending, and I wanted something funny, so I ended it with Google). Google is a great tool. It searches such a variety of sights so that you can almost always find what you are looking for. Plus, it has a very simple page, so if you do not want to be bombarded with news stories and millions of links you don’t have to be. I think that it is funny that when people want you to look something up on the internet, they do not say, “Look _______ up on the internet.” They say, “Google _______.” I am thankful for Google because it is a great help when doing research in college (Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I go to the library too).

Well there it is. I hope you enjoyed reading this. I am sure that I could have written much more on this topic and even then not cover everything that I am thankful for. Have a good day, and eat lots of pie and ice cream (and turkey too, if you like it).