spirit

the past two days have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me i must admit. it's not necessarily a rough coaster ride, just a mix of ups and downs. these ups and downs are actually tied together with some commonality. with spirit.

yesterday at about 5:00 p.m. i realized change. my normal tuesday at 5:00 for about the past 13 or so years meant AMB time. but yesterday was different. my first tuesday in a long time wasn't centered around the rush of wrapping up work around 4:40, heading over to the MAC to fight for a parking space and then entering the Great Room filled with energy and enthusiasm, no matter what was going on beyond those four walls. but yesterday was different for me since my four walls didn't match those of the Great Room and the 5:00 circle. yet, the spirit within was still there. i guess that is why it was a tough couple of hours on Tuesday evening as I had time to reflect on what all those previous evenings in that special circle meant to me. those "things" are too many to list here and would take too long to explain, but let's just say it was an experience of a lifetime. enough said.

today at about 11:00 a.m. i realized change. my first teaching experience was upon me. i had prepared a course syllabus, built a lesson plan, printed a class roster, and collected the textbooks for the course. i conducted my first 50 minute class as a Freshman Seminar instructor. of course i was fortunately sharing the experience with a great peer leader! how lucky i am to have a dedicated, compassionate, intelligent and creative student leader like miss erma to help shape the minds of 19 new freshmen. there is no real way to predict how successful we will be, but we are determined to help these students "get it" and love App as much as we do.

finally around 7:00 p.m. tonight i had a special delivery from a special friend. morgs made a surprise visit on the westside and brought an envelope with my name on it. after a short but great visit with morgs, i opened the envelope to find about 40 spririts. for those familiar with the 5:00 o'clock circle, you know something about "AMB Spirit": a simple, yet powerful, way to share your thoughts and feelings through a post-it note is tradition on tuesday's at 5:00. and much to my surprise and gratitude, i had an envelope full of that love and admiration. it is something i'll certainly remember and cherish for a long time. i thank each of you for your kindness and your friendships.

people have often asked me, "what is it that makes appalachian so special?" the answer is simple for me. it's the spirit.

what makes appalachian so special for you?

vacancy

it's almost as if i have been running an extended-stay hotel here the past month...or a combination of that and a storage unit. and now, well, it seems everyone has checked out and moved on to the next rest stop. kind of sad actually. well not so much on the storage unit part but more so on the special guests. at least they leave some things behind to remind me of their time here - big screen tv, extra queen bed, washers tailgate game, a favorite polo shirt, some Chinese tea, a rotting watermelon, a few fruit cups and applesauce, bowling ball, and even a random car bumper. funny the things people leave behind to make a mark on your life. of course the material things are just that and they come and go, but the friendships and memories of good times will be what stays with me. even so, the vacancy sign at 149 WGH is illuminated again.

just one more day until fall term starts. boone is alive and well with ton 'o people back within the borders. now all we need is a nice cool front to sweep through and bring some relief to the heat of the dog days of summer. i can't wait for the first feeling of fall season and to see some of those early leaves change over from green to gold. of course that will also signal the return of football season and gameday at The Rock! got your tickets yet?

speaking of tickets. i had one for the rascal flatts concert this past saturday and had every intention of using it. but after locking my keys in the car at verizon wireless meant i would spend the summer evening waiting for "pop-a-lock" to come rescue me. at least sdc and rubio got to enjoy the crowded lawn and sing the tunes with our new concert tailgate friends! i must say that you can actually hear the concerts pretty well from the parking lot. i must confess that i also returned the favor of my stolen cooler earlier this summer by finding a few extra cold silver cans in a lonely cooler in the back of a nearby pickup truck...to help pass the time sitting on my trunk in the parking lot ;)

well it is time to start the week...first week. no exec mtg, no tuesday circle, no tour schedule, no fall retreat...vacancy.

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. -John F. Kennedy

planning for the fall

i am finalizing my freshman seminar class syllabus and i am hoping to include a blog assignment for the semester. my hope is that if i require my students to post to their blogs once a week, i will get into the habit of doing the same. keep your fingers crossed that the plan works and that the students might enjoy this more than the typical email journal or handwritten journals...

well today is hot as heck in boonetown. i think it's likely the hottest day so far this summer. thinking about fall more so than ever today because of the heat and looking forward to cooler temps and change of season.

the AMB's just departed from the MAC for the annual conference excursion. this is my first conference i will miss in like a gazillion years. actually, my first conference was in columbus, ohio and hosted by The Ohio State University. today's group is headed back to columbus...how ironic. it's kind of depressing actually. but i know that the group will have a great time and represent us well. i look forward to hearing all about the trip and those crazy conference stories!

i'm hitting the links with the dawg one last time after work today. neither of us are PGA material but we do enjoy the time outdoors, taking excessive mulligans, and getting a little bit better each time we play. needless to say, i will miss not being on willow creek with doofus again anytime soon...more about that goodbye later.

stay cool boonetown.