Hey There Blogger! It's Been a While.

Dear Reader,

YOU know I haven't blogged in a while... And I know I haven't blogged in a while... SO, I better make this short and sweet in order to keep your attention for more than a sentence.

I'll bet you're wondering what I've been up to these past nine months (Goodness, has it really been that long... ?). Haha, or you're wondering what I could possibly have to say after an absence lasting 3/4's of a year. Truthfully, I haven't a clue.

But let's start with the basics shall we? In list form.

Major and interesting happenings which have occurred in the past nine months:

I...

• Participated in my final High School Theatre Production
• Traveled to Tennessee with my graduating class for our Senior Trip
• Graduated from High School with a 3.5 GPA.
• Made friends
• Lost friends
• Ventured to Michigan's Adventure... TWICE
• Ventured to Ceder Point... TWICE
• Tried a peanut butter and pickle sandwich (ONCE AND ONLY ONCE)
• Wrote some new poetry
• Laughed and smiled (A LOT)
• Consumed a cup of coffee from every major brewer in the area
• Cleaned a dog which had been skunk sprayed
• Dyed my hair dark brown
• Became an adult (YES)
• Saw Panic! At the Disco in concert... TWICE
• Was awarded a scholarship and acceptance into the Leadership Academy at Lansing Community College which generously pays for a majority of my tuition
• Completed my first semester of college with a 4.0 GPA
• Started my second semester of college
• Joined a sensational College Ministry Group
• Discovered a remarkable friendship in one I highly admonish and regard as an excellent source of powerful encouragement, positive empowerment, and personal relatability
• Learned a great deal about life
• Grew significantly in my relationship with Jesus Christ

In the months to come, I hope to be working a steady job (though I know not where at the moment!), developing a plan for my future by declaring a definitive major, seeking further direction in multiple areas (spiritually, academically, occupationally, relationally...), saving for a vehicle of transportation (lol), actively and intentionally progressing in beneficial, influential friendships in church, at school, within my College Group, etc., pursuing academic success at LCC, openly witnessing to others by living a respectable and honoring life for Christ... And finally, updating this blog as often as I am able.

Stay tuned for future updates! I'll do my best to make them interesting. ;)

Thank you for reading,

- Jacob

"Finally" is a Prolonged Understatement

Forever and a year ago, I posted a blog entry which explained why I consider "the stage" to be my second home. While re-reading it today, I found that I couldn't agree more with what I said then, than I do now.

For many of you who know me, you are aware that this is my final year with Homeschool Performing Arts being a Senior in High School. Last year I participated in HPA's production of Seussical the Musical, and this year I'm participating in Brigadoon. I've grown just as close with the cast members of Brigadoon as I did with the cast members of Seuss (if not more!). We've overcome many challenging obstacles to get to this point, all the while collectively constructing the pieces of a massive theatrical puzzle.

Now, I can now proudly proclaim that show week is upon us.

Tech rehearsals were Friday and Saturday of last week, and fortunately (in my humble opinion), they went very well! Although we still have a few bugs to work out, it appears as though we're going to have another fantastic show. Many of our main characters have spent countless hours discussing back story character information in order to personalize their role, making it as realistic as possible. I admire each of my friends and fellow cast members for their efforts in making this a spectacular production.

Tomorrow is the start of a long, stressful, painstaking, yet ultimately fun-filled, exhilarating week. Our long hours of rehearsing will finally pay off when we perform Brigadoon on stage this upcoming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Many memories will be made throughout the course of the week, memories which I'm positive I shall carry with me even after I graduate from High School.

In light of graduating from High School, a number of haunting prospects drift through my thoughts regarding Theater... The primary one being that after Saturday of this week, I will not be involved in another production for some time. This thought deeply troubles me! I think back to all the wonderful times I've had on the stage, portraying various characters, from Scotsman to Turtle, to Cowboy to Cafe Owner... The list goes on! Yet, the day looms nearer, when I know that I shan't be visiting my second home for quite a while.

Will God chose to reunite me with the stage someday? This I do not know! I can only hope. Performing has always been a major part of who I am, and I'd like to say that separation from the stage is impossible, but regretfully, this impossibility is an alarming reality I'm forced to face.

What I DO know, is that this week, this final show week, I'm going to give this performance absolutely everything I've got. I cannot emphasize how much I truly mean that. Nothing will stop me from doing my best...

Because this is it.

Another of my previous posts stated that the end of Seussical was not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning. It is the same with Brigadoon. The close of this show is not only the end of something wonderful, but the beginning of something newly wonderful. This concept I shall have to keep in prospect!

To summarize, I am abundantly overjoyed to be back "home" again. The end of the beginning looms nearer and nearer, but this shall not hinder me from giving my best effort. My love for performing outweighs most every feeling of sadness or despair I have.

I cannot be more excited for this upcoming week! It may seem cheesy to quote myself, but I'm going to because I feel it accurately depicts what I'm feeling at this moment.

"Theoretically, according to an actor/performer/theater person, every stage may be considered "home". That is, if you look at it from their perspective.

I find that there are two types of performers (at high school level): those who perform in plays/musicals as an extracurricular activity or because they need an art credit, and those who perform because they love it, because they enjoy being a part of something BIG, because they tap into something magical within themselves when they do it.

I have seen both categories over the years I have been performing on stage.

For us (HPAers), the stage is not simply something we stand on. Not at all.

For us, the stage is a tool, a tool which we use to convey a message to our audience, as well as a second home. When I first walked on the stage at CPAC this afternoon, I was filled with several emotions. Excitement, anticipation, relief, joy, but also peace. As stated in one of my previous posts, everyone finds their "peace" in a different form. For me, I find my peace in a few limited ways, one of which is performing on stage. Today, I couldn't help but think to myself, "well, you're home again." It's been nearly a year since Everyman, and I must confess, I am OVERJOYED to be back on stage again. Performance week is coming up, and I couldn't be happier!

Basically, it's like this. Working with such incredible cast members and directors, coupled with getting back on the stage again, could not evoke more happiness from me than it did today.

I feel so blessed that God has given me this opportunity, to be who I am, and use my talents He has given me to the fullest, for HIS glory. I am eager to give back to Him and work my hardest, hence providing our audience with a performance they shall (hopefully) always remember!"

For those of you who are in Brigadoon and happen to be reading this... LET'S ROCK THIS SHOW! Give it your best. You'll find that there's no greater feeling of success than giving your best and witnessing the positive effects of your efforts. We've done a tremendous job so far, let's finish with a bang. And remember, this one all goes out to God. Without Him, we couldn't have gotten to where we are now. :)

Thank you for reading,

Most sincerely,

~Jacob P. Hartges

Here. We. Go.

Overjoyed

God is SO good.

Watching

They watch you tie your shoes, they take note of what time you go to bed, they observe the amount of time you put into your studies, they listen to what you say, and they analyze how you act. My siblings are always watching.

Being the eldest child means that my younger siblings are always watching my behavior. There are advantages to being the oldest, but sometimes it can be a real challenge.

Advantages to being the oldest include special privileges such as: going out of town with friends, or, staying up late to watch a movie on television, or, making more expensive purchases (i.e. iPod, clothing, car, etc.) because I am trusted to make responsible purchases with my money. Disadvantages include... Close to everything else. The moment I say or do something out of place, my younger siblings notice it.

Hello Reader,

A topic which has been perplexing my thoughts lately, has been the subject of responsibility and leading by example. Instantaneously when I think about this topic, I consider how it relates to my family. As of recently, I have had to make an assortment of future defining decisions regarding college. It has not been easy, but I can see clearly now ("the rain has gone...") that I am headed in the right direction.

Growing up, dad would always say, "Jacob, keep in mind that your siblings are watching everything you do." I guess I had heard the phrase so many times that it got a little old for a while... Thinking about it now, I realize the magnitude of what my dad was talking about!

Side note: It would be the worst thing ever if I was a rebellious punk. I'm just saying. Okay... Granted, when I was younger, I was known to test the limitations of my parents instructions:

(Age 8)

"Jacob, keep your hand away from the iron, you could burn yourself" *Leaves room* ~ Mom

*Jacob touches iron and burns himself*

(Age 10)

"Jacob, make sure to put the cap on the blender before you turn it on." ~ Dad

*Disregards. Causes (colossal) mess* ~ Jacob

(Age 17)

"Jacob, stop at the light ahead..." ~ Mom

*Turns down radio* "Huh?" ~ Jacob

*Screams in terror* ~ Mom

Haha, okay... Maybe I'm kidding about the last one (I know, I know, most of you are pretty bummed to hear that never happened. Sorry for deceiving you). It's a relief I was no more rebellious than that. :)

Back to seriousness. When I think about it, my siblings have always been watching what I do. Sure I was joking a little in the beginning, but when I think about it, they do watch my EVERY move. From tying my shoes to making major decisions about college. "What is big brother doing? Am I allowed to do the same?"

Of course, a majority of the time my siblings are able to watch as I make a decision, and discern for themselves if they want to follow down the same road once they see the final outcome of my choice. Obviously, the best way to lead by example, is to keep oneself in check. This applies when I am not around my siblings as well.

I do not want my siblings to look up to me just because I am their older brother, I want them to look up to me because I live my life in a respectable manner. There is a time to be goofy and a time to be serious. As I enter into the coming years of college, I will need to become more serious as I pursue my desired career goals. For me, the prospect of beginning college is a major step into adulthood (along with acquiring a personal cellular phone... XD). Hahaha, I am not saying that once I start college I shall need to become unnaturally purpose driven and exceedingly serious about my profession. What I am saying, is that as I continue to make important, life changing decisions, I will also need to carry myself in a manner that my younger siblings will watch, a feel confident about following.

I want my siblings (and family in general!) to be proud of me. :)

This concludes the weekly rambling post of sir Jacob Hartges.

Thank you for reading,

~Jacob P. Hartges

On the Business of Busyness

Hello Reader,

The days that stick out most vividly in my mind are the days where I find myself consistently busy with consecutive activities. Some may say that they prefer to be at home, reading a book, completing homework, or doing something productive. I however prefer to be out and about enjoying the beautiful world in which I dwell.

The past few days have been nothing short of entertaining, eventful, unbelievably enjoyable, and flat out busy.

Now, I need not explain much on the subject of exams. We study hard, staying up late into the night in order to fill our brains with mountainous loads of information so that we might regurgitate it back on paper at an alloted time. Energy is spent and nerves are wound tight, but in completing exam week (or exam day, however it works for you), one is filled with an unbearable sense of relief/accomplishment (that is to say, if you do indeed feel confident with the grade you will be receiving).

Last Tuesday was exam day for me (I guess I should have referred to it as "exam day" in the first place...) and like most everyone else, I was exceedingly nervous and tight wound. Though seriously agitated with the small amount of time I had had to study for my exams, I somehow found myself smiling throughout the course of the day.

You may, at this point, be asking yourself, "why on earth would Jacob be smiling like a strange baboon when he should be solidly focused on the ever present EXAMS looming in the distant future?" To this I might reply, "the reason I was smiling, dear Reader, was that I was more solidly focused on the following days events." It is difficult to focus on the present and the worries of today when you find yourself zoning out to 'not so distant' happenings. The moment my exams were completed, I knew deep down that the following days would be filled with...

1. Laughs

2. Pizza

3. Workout tutorials

4. Movies

5. Theater friends

6. Late bedtimes

7. (And) Epic-epicness

This of course helped me to get through last Tuesday. If it were not for the thought of upcoming events, I just might have gone numb.

On the subject of study time... Precalculus received ZERO study time. VERY unfortunate. AP British Literature received VERY LITTLE study time. ALSO very unfortunate. The difference between Precalc and Brit Lit? I am 95% sure I passed my AP Brit Lit exam with an "A." I am 95% sure I failed my Precalc exam. Not just fail, dear Reader, fail badly.

If I were a mature boy, I'd say the reason neglected to study for my exams was because I was lazy. Well, at this precise moment in time, I don't feel like being a mature boy. Most regrettably, I had a 5 page paper due for my Brit Lit class... This specific type of paper however is no walk in the park. Two Thursdays back, I spent 7 hours writing up this paper. It was most evil to say the least. Friday the 14th was an exceptionally lengthy rehearsal at Mt. Hope, which completely drained me of energy and left me unable to attempt any studying. Saturday and Sunday were spent catching up on Precalc and Gov/Econ homework. On Monday the 17, we all went skiing (which happened to be a BLAST by the way).

This is why no studying took place.

Tuesday the 18, came and went faster than I thought it would (thank heavens), which meant a week of above numbers 1-7 straight ahead. EYE-COOD-KNOT-HAVE-BEAN-HAPPIER.

On Wednesday the 19, I relaxed a bit, did some reading, cleaned the house, enjoyed life.

On the morning of Thursday the 20, (10:00 A.M.) I drove over to Fergie's house to hang out for the day. While there, we watched videos on the computer, listened to music, ventured outside for a walk, browsed around the mall for a time, watched a movie, and stayed up late discussing random topics.

On Friday the 21, Ferg drove me over to rehearsal at Mt. Hope at 10:15 A.M. Let me just reaffirm: ALL DAY REHEARSALS ARE MY FAVORITE. There is honestly no place else that I would rather be. The Directors and cast members are great... :)

At 5:30(ish) P.M., I drove out to Grand Rapids with the Orrs and Christine L. to see Meet Me In St. Louis. For the past few weeks, I had been very excited to see the performance. There's something about HPA performances that get me really excited... What can I say, I just adore theater.

The show started at 7:00, so I was glad to be there about half an hour before it began. We got our tickets, found our seats, and visited for a short while before the show. Meet Me In St. Louis was really an impressive show! There were a great many talented performers. I was disappointed however that I did not get the chance to congratulate Clay G. on his performance after the show... Clay was in Seussical the Musical last year as a Wickersham Brother and he and I would talk about gymnastics and such. There was not anyone else in the cast whom I could discuss such matters. Hahaha... Anyhow, I will most likely be seeing him next Sunday at Mr. Cole's Sunday Night Dancing, at which time I can congratulate him on a job well done.

I commend Grand Rapids HPA on another successful year. Meet Me In St. Louis was wonderful. :)

Saturday morning the 22 (yesterday), I was SO tired out... Nothing of significance took place on Saturday. Much sleeping occurred.

Today, Sunday the 23, was spent cleaning the house (yet again) and working on unfinished homework. Nathan returned from a friend's house and Justin returned from up north. While up north he camped out in an igloo, during -14 degree temperatures. Who said boy scouts aren't a force to be reckoned with?? You haven't met my brother. ;)

Please pray that he recovers from a nasty cold (silly below freezing temperatures...)!

This Monday will be tough. Preparing for final exams are the worst thing possible. Hopefully I can get my act together before my Gov/Econ exam tomorrow morning at 8:30 A.M. Oh! And finish my homework...

Thankfully, all of Wednesday will be spent up north at Caberfae for a second ski trip (YIPPEE!)! So I have something to look forward to.

I greatly appreciate your taking the time to read through this entire post.

(Yes, I do naturally assume that you've skipped to the bottom of this post because you realize the fact that I ramble on continuously without stopping. The above statement was earnestly written with the intent of sending you, Reader, on a brief, but heart-felt, guilt trip. [hehe])

Thank you for reading,

~Jacob P. Hartges

P.S. Check our my other blog sometime! : http://www.mellmeds.blogspot.com/

What I Did a While Back

Hello, Reader! So I realize it has been a while since I have posted anything. Well, I've just now decided that I should post a video up on here for those of you who aren't currently using facebook.

A few Wednesdays back, I had absolutely nothing to do for a whole day... So what did I do? I filmed a video.

Earlier that morning I posted a status update on my facebook which read, "(Jacob Hartges) is a social dragonfly. But I can't exactly have a conversation with the laundry." Well, this status ended up serving as the inspiration for a video.

Hope you get a laugh out of it! I'll write something soon! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POWbadcMx84

Christmas and Other Joys

Hello Reader!

I should be doing school. At this very moment, this PRECISE moment, I should be working diligently on some outrageous Precalculus test or summarizing a work of literature we are supposed to have been reading.

Hehe... But no, here I am, sitting at the computer, wasting my time away writing an informative blog post while drinking cooled peppermint tea (the best of all flavors, might I add!). Outdoors, the sky is downcast, but fortunately, this does NOT bring my spirits down, would you like to know why? If not, I'm sorry, I'm about to tell you anyway. :)

Reason #1 - Today's date is December 30th, which means that it is past the 21st of December, which means that every single day since the 21st, it has been getting brighter and brighter outside by 2 minutes. No, there will not be a noticeable difference in the amount of sunlight we see until around mid-March, but nevertheless, just the thought that the days are getting brighter, makes me feel brighter.

Reason #2 - Today's date is December 30th, which means that TOMORROW is December 31st, which means that the New Year is upon us! AH! We are about to say adieu to the year 2010, and step into a new decade! How exciting (for me at least. *ahem*)!

Reason #3 - Even when the sun's not shining, I still have friends, family, and my Heavenly Father to help me realize the importance of appreciating each and every day.

Gloomy day, you have no power here, go "gloom" somewhere else. Be gone with you... Before someone drops a house on you too!

Haha, too much peppermint tea? I think so.

A long time ago, waaaaaaaaay back on the 17th of December, our family had a White Elephant party. Many tummies were filled and much fun was had by all. In my opinion, I've never been part of such a hectic (in a good way) white elephant gift exchange before. As the game progressed, the room became louder and louder as gifts were stolen and unwrapped. Thankfully, I had a high number (if you've ever played White Elephant, the high numbers are good, the low numbers mean a lousy gift for you), so I ended up with a pretty awesome, DUCK-TAPE WALLET. Trust me when I say, there were some pretty dumb gifts. Spray chalk, a talking pig-radio, and light up socks were some of the worst. All in all though, a very enjoyable night.

Christmas was wonderful this year! I love spending quality time with my family. Not to mention all the glorious food. A splendid day to say the least.

This passing Monday (the 27th), I had my Eagle Scout Board of Review. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the requirements to achieve the rank of Eagle, the Life Scout (rank just before Eagle) must appear before a Board of between 3-5 people who will evaluate the scout's accomplishments and ability to answer specific, detailed questions to the best of his ability. It is the final hoop a Life Scout must jump through in order to achieve the rank of Eagle.

I got to APCO 20 minutes before I was supposed to have my meeting. Dressed in FULL uniform and prepared to be interrogated/drilled/questioned about my scouting experience and the leadership I'd demonstrated.

Friends of mine have had their Eagle Boards last between an hour, to an hour and a half. This being known, I was a little (okay, VERY) intimidated by the prospect of spending over an hour, in a small board room, being questioned by 5 people.

Being at APCO 20 minutes early was a bit of a mistake though... You see, the board members need to meet half an hour prior to the meeting, to go over the questions they ask, etc. This cannot take place until all of the board members arrive. The final board member did not arrive until 7:00 (which was when my meeting was supposed to take place). So I essentially waited an hour before my meeting actually started...

Finally, they called me in. Heart pounding hard, I made my way down the long hallway and entered the tiny board room. The five members welcomed me in a motioned for me to take a seat.

From that point forward, they asked me an array of questions pertaining to the things I've learned, how I've applied them to my life, how I've demonstrated leadership within the Troop, etc... It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be! Honestly, the 55 minutes I spent being evaluated, were just like a long conversation with 5 other people. Sure, it was one of the most grueling and crucial hours of my life, but to be honest, I sort of had fun with it.

They asked me to leave the room for a minute so they could make their final decision. When I left, I couldn't help but smile, because I knew I'd done a fabulous job. I strongly felt that I answered each of the questions most adequately.

After 5 minutes of waiting they called me back in. The moment I walked back into the tiny room each of them shook my hand and congratulated me for passing. Again, I could help but beam.

Surprisingly, only 5 in every 100 scouts achieve the rank of Eagle. The statistics shrink to 2% as the number of scouts increases. I am very pleased that I stuck with this for the past three years... Now I can proudly say, I AM AN EAGLE SCOUT. :D

Haha, the past few days have been spent lounging around the house, enjoying the time off from school. Two days ago we had Ferg and his sister over for the day. We played cards, listened to music, watched videos, and visited for the longest time.

Yesterday, Justin, Nathan, Rebekah, Mom, and myself all ventured to Grand Rapids to visit some childhood friends of hours. We had a solid four hours of time before one of the guys had to go to work. Around 4:00 we left to get home because Justin and I had a party to go to at 7:00.

Miranda V. is a friend of Justin and I's. We all took American History at co-ops last year which is where we met. The party Juss and I attended was in celebration of Miranda's 16th birthday. The both of us chilled with mutual friends, snacked on crackers and sandwiches, and did some dancing.

Believe it or not, this was the first time I'd ever been to a party where there was contemporary dance. Wow, that's such a weird thing to admit to! It was fun... But very different from the dancing I'm used to. Let's just say after last night I have a better appreciate for Waltz, Swing, Celtic, etc.Anyway, the party ended at about 11:00, at which point Justin and I were picked up by mom and headed home.

Tomorrow is going to be fantastic! I cannot wait for the New Year... In the way of New Year's Resolutions, I really don't have one... If I did, it would most likely be the same as last year: Be an encouragement to everyone. Also, trying to be non-judgmental of others.

Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an awesome NEW YEAR! Blessing!

~Jacob

A New Experience

True statement: A little determination, combined with patience and a multitude of exhaustion, equals fulfillment and a strong sense of inner accomplishment.

The above statement being made with a tiring (yet fulfilling!) weekend at Youth Haven Ranch in mind.

Hello Reader,

I am currently in the process of recovering from one of the most tiring weekends of my life (as already previously stated). First, let's go back exactly one week, to Wednesday the 1st of December.

On Wednesday last, I barely got a wink of sleep. My thoughts were consumed with the daunting list of various tasks I needed to complete before the week's end! These thoughts kept me up until 2:00 A.M. Wednesday morning, leaving me with five hours in which I tossed, turned, and worried about the day ahead.

The first thing that popped to mind, was my Brit. Lit. Analysis. This particular Analysis had been postponed by my wonderful educator (Mrs. Vincent), over the Thanksgiving holiday. Regrettably, it was now due this upcoming Tuesday (which happened to be yesterday). Because I would be gone from Friday until Sunday, that left me two days to write up this bothersome paper. I'd been putting off writing up the 3-5 page Analysis for four weeks (I guess you could say I'm the "Master Procrastinator"...) and I wasn't exactly looking forward to writing it up over a two day period... Nevertheless, it needed to be done.

Here's were the complication arose. The second that popped to mind, was my Eagle Scout Rank Application, which was due that very day.

HOLYPURPLEFLYINGCOCKERSPAINIALSBATMAN! Was my immediate reaction... If I didn't have ALL of my paperwork typed up, filled out, signed off, etc., by December 1st, I couldn't be an Eagle Scout by this year. I had no other choice except to hold off on writing my Analysis one more day.

From morning until late afternoon, I worked on finishing up my Application and Workbook. When finally finished at 4:15, my mom drove me over to the Scout office to turn in my paperwork. Might I note that my paperwork totaled 25 pages? You heard me correctly, in order for one to become an Eagle Scout, the final step is to write up a lengthy amount of paperwork. Anyways, mom and I dropped off the paperwork just in the knick of time. When had only 10 spare minutes before the office was set to close. Talk about cutting it close!

This only meant one thing, I needed to write up my entire Literary Analysis on Thursday. *Sighs* another full day at the computer working on dreadful paperwork.

Undoubtedly, Thursday last was one of the longest days of my life. Pumping out 5 more pages of paperwork was no easy task.

Thursday came and went (AMEN).

FRIDAY, I woke up on a cheerful note, knowing that the past two days of vigorous work were about to pay off. In a few hours I'd be at HPA rehearsal, and directly from rehearsal, I'd be headed off with Isaac to go to Youth Haven.

Fast forward through HPA. When Isaac and I got to YHR, we unloaded our gear from the back of their vehicle and placed it under a pavilion. One thing I quickly noticed about the Ranch, was that every building had its own peculiar name. The dining hall is called, "The Deer Lodge", the gym is called, the "Chicken Coop" (maybe you get the idea now... Hahaha). Upon entering the dining hall (*Cough* "Deer Lodge"), I paid a Ranch employer named Rick the $50 fee, and met up with my group. MY group consisted of seven other people, Colleen H., Katherine L., Stephanie E., Melanie D., Adam D., Chris W., and Greg W.. Melanie and I were the only two from our group that had never volunteered at YHR before, and I'm pretty sure I was the only one in our group who didn't know for sure what to expect.

From the dining hall, the 8 of us ventured over to the gym (*Cough* the "Chicken Coop"). There, we played different sorts of games, interacting with the kids for the first time. Okay, really quick, for those of you who aren't familiar with Youth Haven Ranch, its essentially a ranch for underprivileged kids between the ages of 9 and 12 to come and spend a weekend (or week, in the summer) in a safe, fun environment where they're free to play games, have fun, and learn about Jesus.

After the games, Rick split us all up into "Teams." Now, for those of you who have ever been to Camp Barakel, a "Team" is the equivalent to a "Tribe." Within a Team are between 8 and 10 kids, a Team Leader, an L.I.T., and a Volunteer (at least, that's how it worked for this particular weekend). I was assigned to a group with 6 kids, a Team Leader named Paul, and an L.I.T named Josh.

To describe the entire weekend in detail seems impossible to me now... I thought that along the way I would be taking mental note of everything important that happened, but now I realize that to type all of it up would be... Overwhelming. There is such a large list of things I could write about, that I simply do not know where to begin. I suppose it would be best to expand on the highlights.

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As you can tell, I started this blog post a while back. In the past few weeks I have been busy as ever... I very much desired to complete this post a while ago, detailing my adventures at YHR, but to be completely honest, I can only recall bits and pieces from that weekend. Indeed, the paragraph last I appeared to have an endless list of things to discuss, but as of now, I am having a challenging time remembering parts of my time there. *_*

Summary: I love spending time with kids. Kids in general are pretty downright hilarious. What I find heartbreaking, is the fact that the kids I went to serve, came from underprivileged homes. Going into the weekend at YHR, not having volunteered before, I really did not know what to expect. What troubled me most was that I wasn't sure how I should treat the kids. How strict was I supposed to be? How lenient was I supposed to be?

Thankfully, my questions were answered as the weekend progressed. Some of the kids were well behaved, while others needed extra attention in order to keep them out of trouble. Fortunately, volunteering wasn't nearly as challenging as I'd built it up to be in my head to be. With a little determination, I was able to encourage the kids in a variety of ways.

In my time spent with the kids, I learned to appreciate what I, myself, had. These kids helped me put my world back into perspective and realize that each day should be treasured. I have it so good here at home, and these kids might not have it the same. Disheartening, but true.

I'm thinking I'd like to be a counselor this summer... We shall see.

It has taken me roughly three weeks to finish this post! Oh my, that is NOT cool. The most over-used excuse in my library of excuses is "I got busy." Also disheartening, but equally true. Life lately has been a whirlwind of busy, busy, busy, busyness... Thankfully, I am now on break, but that does not mean the busyness of life has gotten any LESS-busy (and for the sake of overusing the word "busy" in one paragraph, let's use it a few more times, shall we?).

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

This has officially become rambling, and I SHOULD stop. Will I? No.

Recent events include:

An amazingly wonderful senior and alumni HPA Lansing breakfast the other day.

An equally amazing white elephant party my family held later that day.

Grandma coming into town for a visit (whilst showering us with thoughtful Christmas gifts [comforters, ornaments, pocket knives, electric toothbrushes, etc])

BTA and the Asian brothers stopping over for a visit.

A lunar eclipse which is set to take place tomorrow morning at 3:30 A.M. (first one in 372 years ya know).

ALSO, I recently started a second blog page where I'm showcasing my poetic works. I've only posted once so far, and will continue to do so over the weeks to come, but I just wanted to make you aware if you weren't already. Here is the link: http://mellmeds.blogspot.com/

I'm hoping to receive feedback on my works as I post them. If I fail to receive a substantial amount of feedback, I shall be forced to delete the blog page... The whole reason I created it in the first place is so I might receive criticism (positive or negative). I would encourage you to read my posts from the very beginning! It gives a fine statement for why I am posting what I am posting.

For those of you who read this all the way through (Hahaha, Ferg), thanks! Sorry if I bored you with my ramblings. The next post will be better! I promise!

Thank you for reading!

~Jacob

Here Comes the Sun

Hello Reader,

The title for this post is affectionately named after a popular song written by the world renown band, "The Beatles."
I currently reside in the picturesque state of Tennessee. My family and I came to visit my Grandparents over the Thanksgiving Holiday. This morning, my dad let Justin and I sleep in until 9:30 A.M. (10:30 A.M. Michigan time). This was a bit of a blessing, considering it is unnatural for my dad to wake us up later then 8:00 A.M.. For some reason, when the shades were lifted, and the bright, blinding sunlight came pouring into the room, my initial thoughts were not,

"Gah! I've been temporarily blinded!" *Turns over* *Pulls pillow over head*

Surprisingly, the first thing that popped into my head was the lyrics to the popular, above titled song. "Here comes the sun, (do do do do), here comes the sun, and I say, It's alright." If I'd been in Michigan when the sunlight took me by surprise, my thoughts might have shifted towards school, paperwork, applications, and other unhealthy things of that nature. Fortunately, the sunlight took me by surprise whilst awakening in the glorious state of Tennessee, so, my thoughts immediately shifted towards miles of scenic landscape, venturing all around with my family, 30+ degrees of warmer weather, and other symbols of positivity I associate with Tennessee.

Hahaha, anyway! A rather lengthy introduction regarding my morning... Perhaps I should have titled this post, "Waking Up in Tennessee." Alas, belated creativity, no remorse have I.

Today's date is Saturday, November 27th, 2010. It's been (yet again) too long since I've updated. The largest things of importance took place on Monday last.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hahaha, regrettably, I was unable to complete this blog update this passing Saturday. Instead, my family and I spent the afternoon browsing around stores in Bowlingreen, Kentucky, searching for possible gift ideas (I find it 10X more reasonable to go shopping two days after Thanksgiving instead of on the Friday they call, "Black"). Later in the afternoon, Justin, Nathan, and myself took some spontaneous pictures of ourselves doing silly things (jumping, sitting, standing, hanging upside-down, climbing trees like monkeys, etc.). I shan't post the pictures up on blogger (reason being it takes too long...).

Sunday morning we left for home at 4:30 A.M. (FAR too early in the morning for any reasonable person to be up...). The drive took 8 hours, respectively. When we got home I was eager to spend my next few hours unpacking and getting ready for Mr. Cole's Sunday Night Dancing. My hopes were soon dashed by my mother's bittersweet affirmation that we would be going to purchase our Christmas Tree. Yes, I adore walking through our neighbor's Christmas Tree Farm, but I've walked it 1,000+ times. True, it is tradition to purchase the Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving (give or take a day), but at the same time, I knew that in going to get the tree, I would be forfeiting an hour or so of my time, thus leaving me with only 45 minutes to get ready for the party (and believe me, I was ready to take a shower... Waking up at 4:00 to be out by 4:30 and spending 8 hours in an overheated vehicle... I needed to feel clean).

We bought the tree and were out of there in good time, which surprised me a tad (perhaps it could be because they were all out of the Frasier Furs... ?). Justin and I both got ready and left the house on our way over to Austin's. When we got there, Austin drove us, along with two friends, over to Flying J's to pick up the rest of our group. Jackie, Christine, and Olivia joined our epic car-pool. Once in and on the road, I popped a CD into the stereo and turned up the volume to an acceptable level.

Side note: Monday last I purchased an album titled, "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys." This album made me very happy. Recently having become a MCR fan, I was very excited for the new album to come out. Since I've purchased Danger Days, it has become my new favorite album.

So we drove along at a steady 110 MPH (KIDDING) listening to Danger Days all the while. Surprisingly enough, we ended up listening to the full album a second time because of a unanimous vote! Happy day.

The barn where this month's Sunday Night Dancing was held, was ENORMOUS. None of us had ever been to the Lucas' barn before... There was a heated room with leather furniture and tables set around for snacking, and a chilly, garage-like room with cars, a balcony, a rock wall, and mounds of hay, which is where we did our dancing. Of course, the evening was stupendous. I always end up meeting new people when I attend. Whether it be someone who's close friends with the Groots, or someone from another HPA location, I never know who's going to show up! Of course, it is great fun to dance with people you know, but I also find it enjoyable to dance with someone I'm not necessarily acquainted with. Justin on the other hand was drowsy for a majority of the evening! Poor kid... :P

Justin and I got home at around 11:30, at which point, we went directly to bed. Monday was an extremely long day... Filled with homework, applications, workbooks, phone calls, and many other unpleasant activities...

Which leads me to today (well... Yesterday, I've been writing for a while).

Tuesday was just as long as Monday, if not longer. TW and Scouting currently absorb 75% of my life (yikes, those statistics are staggering!). In all honestly, I'd like to hit the hay this very moment, but I feel the need to write a post with sincerity and sufficiency.

Most of Tuesday was spent at the TeenWorks building, directly proceeded by a scouting meeting. When I got home tonight, I finished filling out my Eagle Scout Application... It's taken me TWO WHOLE DAYS to finish it. Crazy.

Tomorrow (*sighs* today), I'll be writing a 3-5 page literary analysis pertaining to the British novel, Doctor Faustus. For the past 4 weeks this paper has been in the back of my mind, causing me much annoyance and frustration, but tomorrow, I'm going to get it over with. Indeed, I shall be signing about 3+ hours of my life away to an analysis. Truthfully, I've probably wasted more time worrying about having to write the paper then I will writing it... What a scary thought.

On a positive note, this weekend I will be attending Youth Haven as volunteer for the first time! I've been very excited about this for the past few weeks, so I'm hoping it goes well! I wonder what new things God will teach me through this experience... I'll have to write a blog post specifically about this weekend.

Until then, may you be blessed with long days, sunny skies, and the bluest of blueberries.

Hahaha, 1.) I need sleep, 2.) Rest assured that I'll never attempt to sign off with an insightful adieu (bluest of blueberries, who says that... ?!).

Thank you for reading,

~Jacob

Another Awkward Moment

So here I am... At a memorial for my friend's grandfather... And... This thing happens.

Back it up.

BTA (Ben the Asian) W., is a pretty laid back, cool kid. Many of his family members are the same. A number of Ben's cousins attended the memorial in honor of their late grandfather, one of which (whom we'll call Mandy) was very nice, and pretty.

Towards the end of the lunch portion of the memorial, there was a child with down-syndrome who looked about fourteen or fifteen who approached all of us. This is how the conversation went,

*Points at Justin* ~ Boy

"DANCE." ~ Boy

*Justin does a goofy dance* ~ Justin

*Points at Jacob (Me)* ~ Jacob

"DANCE." ~ Boy

*Does goofy dance* ~ Justin

*Points at Ben* ~ Boy

"DANCE." ~ Boy

*Does a goofy dance* ~ Ben

*Takes Mandy by the arm* ~ Boy

"Dance with him!" *Points at Ben* ~ Boy

Ben and Mandy begin awkwardly dancing in the middle of the room.

"Now dance with him!" *Points at me* ~ Boy

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's okay... We really don't..." ~ Me

*Mandy patronizingly pats Jacob (me) on back*

"DANCE WITH ME!" ~ Boy

*Begins awkwardly dancing with boy in the middle of the room while everyone stares* ~ Jacob

*Out of the silence* "Another awkward moment" ~ Luke

Ben, Mandy, Justin, Luke, and Nathan all got a good laugh out of it. I however was sorta/kinda embarrassed by the awkward situation.

Anyway, that was just something that took place recently that I thought you might find interesting.

Hello Reader!

Tomorrow morning I shall be attending the orthodontist. I know what many of you are thinking, "Jacob, didn't you have braces when you were like, 10... ?" The answer is yes, BUT, now that mom has taken a job, we can afford to have my teeth fixed, yet again.

Short story: When I was 10, I had crooked teeth. At the time, we could only afford to have me go through phase #1 of the braces stage, which some of you know, means having the braces for about six months, and then wearing a retainer/mouthpiece/appliance for a year or two. WELL, I lost my retainer a few months after I had my braces removed, which was very unfortunate because we couldn't afford another one. SO, my bottom teeth were left askew, which I have had to live with for the past seven years. FINALLY, there is the possibility that my teeth could be fixed. Yes, this does mean going through the whole process of braces in my later teen years, but who cares?! I'd rather has straight pearly whites than slightly askew pearly whites. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH HAVING SLIGHTLY CROOKED TEETH, I'd just rather have mine fixed. :)

So that's what's happening tomorrow! Along with mounds and mounds of delightful homework...

On Tuesday is the yearly TW Thanksgiving feast! I should be VERY excited for this, but I'm only PRETTY excited for it. For the past three years in High School, I've had the study hall directly after lunch, and anyone who's ever attended TW for a year knows that that study hall after lunch picks up all the extra deserts. This year, that's not me. Bugga. :(

But life goes on.

I CANNOT believe it's only been two weeks since Mr. Cole's "Sunday Night Dancing." It's two more weeks away, and I already can't wait. I had such an amazing time last month, that I want to attend as many as I can in the months to come.

Anyway, I need to be up early tomorrow, so I'm gonna hit the hay. :)

Thanks for reading!

~Jacob

Venting

Dear Reader,

The purpose of this post is to perform a common ritual in written form, otherwise known as "VENTING" (others may refer to it as "Dumping"). There are many reasons for which one may feel the need to vent:

1.) Anger

2.) Frustration

3.) Aggravation

4.) Emotional letdown

5.) Sadness

6.) ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Michael and Kevin LOST on "The Amazing Race" tonight. I have no words (WELL, obviously I do, but in relation to their losing, I'm at a loss for words). It seemed as though they had it, all until the very end.

Ferg and I have faithfully been watching the show since it aired seven weeks ago, now, I'm not sure I'll be tuning in for the remainder of the season considering our favorite YouTube comedian duo has now been eliminated off the show.

*ANGERFRUSTRATIONAGGRAVATIONEMOTIONALLETDOWNSADNESS*!

There's goes the one, guaranteed, solid hour of television I watch during the week.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do now that they've lost... I probably won't shave for a while, or eat... Or sleep. I'll probably become obsessed with homework, knowing that that is the most beneficial outlet... I'll start updating this blog every single day, because I'll have extra time on my hands...

Maybe I'll stop paying attention to what I put on in the morning... My socks will mismatch... Nix that, maybe I'll pay attention to what color socks I put on. One thing's for certain, my general hygiene will begin to slacken... I might end up getting my first cavity.

All this will result in my sinking into a emotionally depressive state... Michael and Kevin being eliminated off "The Amazing Race" is sending me into an irrevocable downward spiral into emotional instability. Just watch. I'll go emo.

Hahaha, okay, maybe I'm not THAT upset... But I am rather discouraged that they lost!

Well, off to do some government homework. Oh, the joys of life.

Thanks for reading!

~Jacob

Keeping Up With Yesterday

Faithful Reader of my blog,

It is unfortunate that I have been neglecting my semi-consistent blogger updating schedule. A million and one things have been hurled at me in every direction and I'm a tad embarrassed that I haven't had the time to write a proper blog post. Let's see, what all has happened since my wisdom teeth removal?

Well, for one thing, my mother recently accepted a teaching position (Spanish) at Williamston Elementary. About a month ago she received a call from the Principle, asking for her to consider the position. They needed someone qualified for the position, someone with experience who came highly recommended. At the time of the call, my mom wasn't sure what to think regarding this teaching opportunity. She had taught Spanish for half a year as a substitute at Dansville last year, but that was no comparrison to what Williamston was offering. She didn't like being away from the rest of us, but we needed the money at the time.

Long story short, same scenerio in this case. The economy is downright rotten at the moment, and my dad is having some difficulties paying the bills, so my mom decided to drop her position as a tutor at Teenworks. This came as a shock to many students and their families I am sure... It was challenging to keep the information that my mom might be accepting a different teaching position to myself for a whole month. If anyone heard that my mom might be dropping her job at TW before she accepted the job at Williamston, there would have been a lot of confusion (to say the very least...).

Anyway, today was her second day on the job, and from what I can tell, she's enjoying herself. When she gets home, she's completely bushed, but she always has time to discuss the days happenings with Justin, Nathan, Rebekah, and myself. Similarly to when she taught at Dansville, she dislikes being away from us kids during the day, despite the fact that she loves teaching. I find this very touching... I might note that the money she makes doesn't go towards personal pleasure for our family. A majority of it is going towards paying off the debt on my dad's truck, paying off the mortgage on our home, and paying for TW and HPA. She might buy a new laptop for herself because her old one died out, but that's really about all the money she's spending on herself.

I have a lot of respect and admiration for my mother.

That's one big thing that's taken place as of recently. Another stimulating topic which has motivated many of us lately is quarterly exams! I think I speak for everyone when I say that quarterly exams are of the devil. No matter how hard you kick up your heals at the abominations, we can never escape them... Tragedy.

In the past day and a half I have been busily studying for my quarterly exams, which took place today. Gov/Econ, followed by British Literature, and concluding with Precalculus. An epic and tiresome 4 and 1/2 hours of exams. I think I deserve a round of applause, a week off, and a glass of lemonade (shout out to BTA who I know is reading this!). Thankfully, I have amazing friends with enough enthusiasm and cheeriness to carry me through a full day of exhausting work. I should get a job at a Circus... People from miles around would come to see, "RABBIT, the BRAIN-DEAD WONDER." All the while I would sit on a chair in a room-size cage, staring into nothingness. Not sure why people would pay money to see me sit, stare, and probably drool on myself in an after-exam stupor... But hey, it's nice to know that I'd be worth something after feeling somewhat dead. ;)

I still have my Precalculus exam to finish up at home. Joy.

After TW today, I came home, showered, ate, and RELAXED. Too much work as of lately... This is the first chance I've gotten (truthfully!) to site down and write a thoughtful blog post. It's been nice. However, I feel as though it wouldn't be right to discuss all the happenings of today, without discussing the happenings of yesterday... The day before... And the day before that... AND maybe Friday as well.

Why not start back on Friday of last week? Sounds good!

Note: At this point, you (Reader), may feel free to quit reading this post because the rest of "Keeping Up With Yesterday" will include irrelevant details of my life which may not necessarily pertain to yours. I shall attempt to provide full accounts of the most recent happenings between Friday the 29th of October - Tuesday the 2nd of November. By all means, read the following paragraphs, but you may now feel under no obligation to continue banging your head against the computer screen, all the while wondering when in the world I'm going to end the post. That is all.

Friday the 29th of October:

On Friday, Mrs. Witzke and the Asian Brothers picked us up around Noon so I could be to South Church by 12:30 P.M. for HPA rehearsal. Once there I was greeted by all of my Lansing HPA friends. From 12:30 to 1:45 (I think... ?), Andrew, Nathan, Christian, Christine, Anna, Zach, Libby, Katherine, Caleb, Michael, and myself, all went through the first bit of Act I together. After several rehearsals without scripts, this was exciting! I can finally say that I'm getting excited for Brigadoon... The characters are witty, charming, social, and relatable. Everyone fits with their character very well! From 2:00 (ish) to 4:00, Rachel, Sarah, Hannah, and Austin taught us some new choreography. I very much enjoyed the new dance... Up until the part where Sarah told the guys that we originally learned it backwards. Hahaha...

Anyway, that was essentially the entire day summed up in a paragraph. :)

On Saturday was my follow up Eagle Project work day. My dad and I got to Eve's House at 11:30 A.M. and set up our materials. At Noon, the Witzke family showed up and helped sand AND stain the structure from the time they arrived, until the end time at 4:30! My Scoutmaster stopped by for a few minutes to see how everything was coming, but other then that, no one from my Troop was able to make an appearance. Saturday afternoons in the Fall, who would've figured people would be busy? ;)

After the Witzke family left, there was still some work to be done. My dad and I left at 5:30 and made our way home. We ate dinner at 6:00 and left for the Dolman's Bonfire party by 6:20. Aside from the completion of my project, the Dolman's bonfire party was the highlight of my day. Many families whom I am close with or acquainted with attended the party. We played capture the flag, munched on munchies, and did some dancing, led by our fabulous director, Mr. Cole. I also met a few new people from the Cast of Brigadoon that I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting until that point. I was also informed that Austin E. had an additional seat in his vehicle to transport someone to Mr. Cole's "Sunday Night Dancing" the following night. I was somehow able to persuade my parents into letting me go, as long as I finished a good chunk of my homework. To this we agreed. All in all, a very enjoyable evening.

Sunday morning and afternoon was spent completing homework for the week (previous week I should say) and studying in preparation for Tuesday's (Today's) exams. By 3:00 I was successful in meeting my parents requirements in order to attend the Sunday Night Dancing. My dad dropped me off at Mt. Hope to meet up with Austin at 4:00. From there, we drove over to his house and picked up Aimee C. and his younger sister Juliana. The four of us made the hour long trek out to Mr. Cole's home in good time! Once there, we were greeted by the Cole's, the Doerrs, Jackie, the Martin's, Kristina K., Rose K., Elizabeth D., and the Dolman's. I recognized many other people from various HPA productions in different locations as well as numerous friends of friends.

Clay G. and I put a short delay on the dancing for a while to instead sharpen each other's gymnastics skills on the trampolines (yes, that was plural. :)) out back. After that we entered the Groot barn for the dancing portion of the evening! To be quite frank, when I first heard, "Sunday Night Dancing at the Groot's Barn..." the initial thought that popped into my head was "red barn made of wood with random hay barrels inside." I WAS NOT suspecting a house-like structure complete with siding. A very modern barn if I ever saw one. Not a bad thing of course! I was just surprised by the barn being something other then the stereotypical "barn."

Mr. Cole taught several dances I hadn't learned before in addition to a handful of one's I'd already learned. He also had us experiment with swing dancing for a little while. On the second floor of the barn was the nest from Seussical (a prop which many of us become very fond of during performance week), as well as furniture and refreshments. Every few dances, we needed a break to catch our breath. Dancing the night away is not an easy accomplishment, mind you! Easily said, a little more challenging a task to carry out. :)

As the evening came to a close, I concluded that I needed to put "Sunday Night Dancing" on my calender for the last Sunday of every month and make it a priority to attend. It completely set the tone for this entire week. I had a TON of fun.

All too soon... Monday crept in. Like a thief in the night, Monday stole my time away. Homework and studying soon became my focus again, tentatively taking the place of freedom in theater and dancing with friends. Blech.

Ah well, that's been my life since wisdom teeth removal. This week my family and some friends of ours are going to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. It should be a lot of fun! I haven't seen a production at the Wharton since Phantom way back in (*thinks*) December, I think. Finally, this weekend will be devoted to Rebekah's performance in HPA Kids Aristocats! She's super excited. I have no idea what to expect... I might just be as excited as she is. Well... Haha, close, but her excitement probably outweighs mine. ;)

Thank you for reading!

~Jacob

I Love My Sister

Hello Reader!

So lately I have found that my little sister makes me "LOL" quite a bit. Sometimes to the point where I'm "ROTFLOL." Here are two instances that have come up recently when my sister has made me laugh.

*Cheerful* "Good morning, Jacob." ~ Rebekah

*Disgruntled* "Morn'n." ~ Jacob

"I had a dream about you last night." ~ Rebekah

"... Did you?" ~ Jacob

"Mhm, you were getting married." ~ Rebekah

"..." ~ Jacob

"In the living room." ~ Rebekah

*Laughing* "And who was I getting married to?" ~ Jacob

"I don't know. She was really tall and really old. Like, 27." ~ Rebekah

"And how old was I... ?" ~ Jacob

"Seventeen." ~ Rebekah

"HAHAHAHAHAHA"~ Jacob

There was a little more to it, but that was the funniest part. Instance number two! The six of us were at Old Country Buffet and Justin walked up with a bowl of ice-cream. This is what was said:

*With a big grin* "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how the ice-cream machine works." ~ Justin

*Justin sits down*

"... Did you grab a spoon?" ~ Rebekah

*Looses grin* *Turns Scarlet* *Gets up and walks towards utensils* ~ Justin

I think that in general, younger sisters are hilarious. I am very blessed to have such a witty/comical younger sister. I love her a ton. XD

Thanks for reading!

~Jacob

Rabbit the Chipmunk

Hello Reader!

At the moment, I am WAY high off of the medicine they gave me at the oral surgeon's...

This is basically how it went down.

Mom and I got to the surgeon's at around 9:30. I checked in, read people magazine for about five minutes, and then the surgeon's assistant called me in. I watched a six minute video on wisdom teeth and the importance of getting them pulled at an early age in order to avoid complications. My mom and I both decided that it was better if I didn't get put under. The surgeon then came in and talked to us for a few minutes. It turns out that two of my wisdom teeth are impacted. :P

Today I only had my bottom wisdom teeth removed. I have to come back in January to get the top two removed.

After mom and I had the sit down with the surgeon, the surgeon's assistant (her name was Dawn), led me into the surgical room and directed me to the chair. After sitting down, Dawn put a pink mask on my face and instructed me to breathe through my nose. Within about three minutes I was floating on air. My entire body felt strangely free and I became mildly confused. For whatever the reason, I found the situation very humorous. I laughed through most of it (hence, laughing gas... ?).

The surgeon then entered the room and gave me four shots in the mouth. I was most nervous for this part... But thankfully, the laughing gas helped more then I thought it would. I barely felt it. The surgeon let me sit for about five minutes so the medicine could do its job. Within those five minutes of sitting and talking with Dawn, my entire mouth went numb. I could not feel my tongue, lips, chin, or (surprisingly) my ears. I felt sort of helpless as my speech became slurred and ultimately impossible to understand. Even so, I didn't care. The surgeon then re-entered the room and performed the surgery. That took all of about five minutes as well.

Afterwards, Dawn gave my mom instructions on what I should be eating, how many pain killers to take, etc... I thought myself funny by pretending to walk into the door on the way out of the office. My mom and Dawn both made sure I was joking before having a laugh about it. Maybe not the funniest idea.

Mom and I went to Meijer to pick up my subscription before coming home. When we finally arrived home, I told my mom I was going to act all high and loony to make my siblings laugh. When I walked in the door, I held a glossy look on my face and gave each of my siblings a long hug. Their bewildered faces were priceless.

"Mom... ? If Jacob gonna be alright?" ~ Justin

"He'll be fine... Eventually. ~ Mom

"Look at my wisdom teeth, they're in a cute little baggy." ~ Jacob

*Justin, Nathan, and Rebekah stare*

I then walked over to the couch and fell over. Nathan just laughed awkwardly and Rebekah almost started crying. Justin on the other had sincerely thought that there was something seriously wrong with me. I could only act like a four year old for so long though.

Each of them were relieved that I was kidding. Oh boy, I am a trickster...

Anyway, as of now, my entire mouth is still numb from the medicine. I have not eaten anything in the past sixteen hours, and I'm WAYYYYY high. Which I think I already explained...

Wowza, I really need to take a nap or something...

Thanks for reading. :)

~Jacob

Surprisingly Calm

Hello Reader!

Why on earth I drank two cups of caffeinated tea at this hour of the night, I will never know.

It's funny, because I just finished five to six straight hours of homework, and all of the built up stress that that entailed, has subsequently vanished! I am relieved.

Tonight I read, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I liked it a lot! Much more enjoyable then I had originally anticipated...

Ironic side note: So the reason it took so long for our computer to get fixed was because our computer guy came down with pneumonia (Hmm... Wonder where he got it from...) . Just today he dropped it off at our house, ultimately repaired. He said that there were a total of 3,000+ viruses on our PC! My parents (as well as myself) were baffled as to how this happened. Mr. Carr (our computer guy) told us that our PC is on the final leg of its journey/life. Sad. It's looking as though we'll need to be purchasing a new computer rather soon... Preferably one that can last us a good long while without attracting any viruses. Hahaha...

Fortunately, I am now able to finish an analysis which was due last week. Please forgive me Mrs. Vincent!

I AM GETTING NERVOUS FOR THIS WEEK. I tell no lies, it is going to be busy.

Today (the 12th of October) is 1. Justin's 16th birthday, 2. Our rematch game against CHASE, 3. TeenWorks (Ugh.), and 4. A meeting with scouts at Meridian Township Police Department. WHEW!

Wednesday is soccer practice and soliciting for donations involving a project I'm working on.

Thursday I get my wisdom teeth pulled.

That's one thing that leaves me wondering. How am I going to react to the medicine they give me? I've never had my teeth pulled before, it should be interesting.

Friday is (possibly) HPA rehearsal.

Saturday is the work day for my Eagle Project. I am especially nervous for this on account of my surgery two days prior...

This week is going to be hectic as all get out. Prayers would be much appreciated! :)

At the moment however, I feel surprisingly calm about everything. It could possibly be partially due to the completion of my massive mound of homework... I have no doubt it is providing me with momentary relief. Ten less things on my list of things to do, why not be happy?

Question: What's the busiest thing you have to/want to accomplish this week?

Thanks for reading! I'm gonna go catch some "z's"

~Jacob

Asians, Muscles, Rabbits, Sidelines

Matthew 7:7 - Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

This evening, I made a simple request: "Although I don't NEED it, would you please give me an opportunity to score... ?"

Our team was up 6-0 and we honestly didn't need any more goals, but nevertheless I wanted to score. I quickened my pace when the midfielder delivered the ball up to me, and when I felt the time was right, I shot. At first I thought, "ugh, that did not feel right..." My right footed kick didn't seem to have enough zeal on it... Surprisingly, their goal keeper was relying on the defender to get the ball, and the defender was relying on the goal keeper to get the ball. Both players let the ball roll right past them, into the goal.

Will God give me an opportunity to score every time I ask? Maybe not. But I am very thankful he chose to bless me with an opportunity to score. Totally made my day. :)

Senior year playing soccer. Hmm. This evokes in me several different emotions. First of all, I love soccer, I've loved it since I started playing when I was little. Second, the sidelines is not a preferred location of mine, especially having played for LAHAA three years as a starter. Yes, it does indeed sound as though I'm complaining now. Twenty seconds ago I was celebrating a personal victory, now I'm muddling in a pity party. NOT COOL.

Haha, if you, Reader, could only understand some of my frustration. The first three games this season, I was starting at my regular position of left wingman. After these first few games, I came down with walking pneumonia. This completely knocked me out for three straight weeks. Unfortunately, the illness deprived me of all the conditioning I'd built up, so coming back to the team after three weeks was essentially starting from scratch.

My coach says that I'm still not completely up to speed yet, which means that until I am, the sideline is my best friend. The worst part is, I KNOW I'm not completely up to speed yet. We shall have to see how the rest of the season turns out, but I am more than eager to win back my starting position. Until I regain my conditioning, I remain the only Senior waiting on the sidelines.

OKAY, I am finished rambling on about my soccer experience this year. Thanks for enduring.

Shout out to Libby T.! If you're reading this, I found out today that we're reading, Pride and Prejudice in British Literature this year. Still haven't gotten around to reading it yet, but I will mid school year! Also, not only have I learned how to play Euchre, I believe I can play it well. :)

Sometime at rehearsal, we should have a game.

This passing week, we had two of our very close friends over because their aunt passed away. Ben and Luke (the asian brothers) spent Monday-Sunday at our house. This not only made homework 10x more difficult to concentrate on, but caused our athletic schedule to become all the more hectic! All the same, we had a very enjoyable week together, and it was disappointing when they had to leave for home. Of course, we saw them both again the very next day for our soccer game against Hudsonville. So that helped.

Have you ever noticed that there are some family member who act more like friends, and some friends who act more like family members? That's exactly what it's like with the asian brothers. Although they aren't blood relatives, they feel just like family. You know that a bond between friends is special when you can spend a week together, and in the end not be sick of each other.

Shout out to Luke! If you're reading this, please note that the reason I haven't called you back or returned any of your messages is because I've been preoccupied with the asian brothers, soccer, and my outrageous homework load.

I DID watch the last five minutes of The Amazing Race however. Team Jumba took 3rd! WOOT!

This week consists of a busy school schedule and a weekend camporee. :) I shall be reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A (hopefully) interesting read.

Our computer broke down while Ben and Luke were here, so I was unable to complete a literary analysis which was due today. Thankfully, my teacher was gracious enough to give me another week to finish the analysis. I shall be working on that when we get our computer back sometime this week.

NEXT WEEK, I get my wisdom teeth pulled. Ugh. My mom has had the surgery rescheduled twice due to two different collisions in schedule. I am not particularly looking forward to it... But I know it needs to be done. Two days after my surgery, I will be leading a group of volunteers to carry out my Eagle Scout Project. Hahaha, that should be a very interesting experience... For those of you who were wondering, I submitted my paperwork for my project (which too FOREVER to write up) and it was recently approved (YAY!).

The following Saturday will be another work day to finish the project. If you'd like to know what I'm doing in the way of my project, ask me in person! :)

Anyway, life is pretty crazy at the moment, but it's nothing I can't handle with God's help. Four weeks down, only thirty two to go. ALSO, I cannot wait for HPA to be every single Friday opposed to every other Friday! The year will REALLY start to pick up in come January.

Thank you for reading!

~Jacob

Delayed

Hello Reader,

I do seem to have a lot on my mind! When did I write last... ? Unfortunately, not recently enough.

As we all are certainly aware, when school starts back up, life gets busy. Yes, it is indeed 11:30 in the late evening and I just made a statement which was hardly philosophical.

"School makes people busy." ~ Jacob Hartges

Yes, you may quote me on that. ;)

Anyway, lately my thoughts have been consumed by my day-to-day schedule. "How on earth am I going to find time to study for this subject or read this material and still have time to make soccer practice, maintain a social life, get a full night's rest, AND write the occasional blog post?" The answer, it is impossible to do all these things without proper planning and substantial structure.

One of my friends once comically put it like this:

Pick two:

1.) Good grades

2.) A full night's rest

3.) A social life

Haha, I do seem to be rambling now... Here's my point: In the midst of all my worrying , I sometimes forget that God is in control. I begin worrying that all this overwhelming pressure will distract me from completing my work on time. I begin worrying that because I'm so busy, I might not be able to make an important event. I begin worrying that I don't measure up.

It's not about me, I don't need to worry. Why? Because God is in control.

1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxieties on Him because he cares for you.

It's as simple as that. Summed up in a single sentence. If I ever feel worried or pressured by my agenda, the best option is to take a breather and remind myself that I'm not in this alone. Each week I pray a basic prayer inside my mind, that God would give me the strength to go throughout the day, and to also do my best. I don't think I could make it through a week without the support of my heavenly Father! Just say'n.

As long as I:

1.) Formulate a substantial work schedule for the week.

2.) Follow that schedule.

(And)

3.) Give up my worries/anxieties to God.

Then I will have confidence to make it through the week... In one piece.

Something I'm sure most of you have heard before, but nevertheless, a helpful reminder I'd hope. :)

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OKAY, for those of you whom I informed that I would be having my wisdom teeth removed today, let me quickly inform you further... I had my surgery rescheduled (delayed) until October 14th. So... Thank you for all the prayers! Even though it didn't happen today...

The reason my surgery was delayed was because I wanted to play my game this evening against Kalamazoo in Kalamazoo. If I had my teeth pulled, I wouldn't have been able to play. My mother was very gracious in rescheduling the date for the 14th so I could play.

I apologize for not informing you all sooner! Thank you again for the prayers (they would be much appreciated once more on the 14th. Haha... :))!

ALRIGHT, something interesting that happened the other day.

During Government and Economics at TeenWorks I could not resist the urge to cough (I am currently getting over a cold...), so my teacher (and soccer coach), Mr. Mailand, suggested I take a "Fisherman's Friend", which was a stronger, more potent version of "Halls." At first I thought he was kidding because the little cough drop looked more like a doggy biscuit with powder on the exterior. Unfortunately, he was serious. I decided not to take the icky looking pill until after class.

Oh my word, was it strong... Yes, it cleared my nasal passages, and yes, it relieved my itchy throat, but within half an hour of taking the Fisherman's Friend, my face broke out.

You heard me correctly, my face had an allergic reaction, to a cough drop.

Later that afternoon I came home and took a shower, which didn't help.

The next morning, not only did the rash get worse, but it spread to my stomach, arms, nose, and knees. Thankfully, my mother took me into RediCare so this awful problem could be treated. The doctor quickly decided to get me on steroids... I had one shot, and she gave me a subscription to numerous steroid pills.

In the past 24 hours my rash has significantly disappeared!

One of the side effects was that I would get extremely hungry... Tonight I consumed 2,600 calories at McDonald's and was still hungry. I will not list what all I ordered, for fear of being perceived as gluttonous (though I will admit to feeling like a glutton [oh McDonald's... How you influence America...]).

ANYWAY, aside from that, school is going well! I'm keeping up in all of my subjects, and I find myself enjoying them as well. I think most will agree that school can be enjoyable when one completes the assigned homework on time. Staying on top of things generates more optimism in everyday life. That's my second philosophical comment of the night, folks:

"Getting your homework done feels good." ~ Jacob Hartges

Yes, you can quote me on that one too. ;) Jk Jk

I do believe it is time for me to go to bed. 12:19 at the moment, and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Good luck with all of YOUR personal studies!

Thank you for reading,

~Jacob

Hello Hurricane

Yep. School's here.

This is basically what's going on at the moment:

1.) I still have soccer five days a week, with the exception of games.

2.) Since TeenWorks just started up last Tuesday, I'm getting into the swing of things again. Classes such as British Literature, Precalculus, and Government/Economics have my complete attention.

3.) HPA starts this Friday. *_* I think my excitement scale just might explode.

4.) I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled soon... Not exactly sure when, but HOPEFULLY soon.

5.) At the moment, I have a horrid and awful illness... Though I have no idea what it may be. It's just awful.

6.) Today, we're going to a close friend of mine's sixteenth birthday party. :) Way fun.

OH! Old news: Last weekend, our family attended our church's "Family Camp" up in Hastings. It was probably the best weekend up there I've ever had. A major positive contributing factor would be Mr. Cole and Clay coming up to be the Callers' for the Hoedown on Sunday. VERY awesome.

OH! OH! And next weekend, my three brothers and I will be going up north again for the weekend. We get to visit one of my good buddies, Sam S. I'll be recording spontaneous videos about our adventures and such, though they probably won't be very exciting. Haha...

So this upcoming week doesn't seem so bad after all, considering there are numerous things to look forward to. :)

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

Thank you for reading!

~Jacob

It's Called a Kilt

Hello Reader!

As many of you are most likely aware, the 2010/2011 cast list for Homeschool Performing Arts most definitely was released on Monday. Some of you may have heard that many members of Coach Mailand's soccer team auditioned to be a part of the musical masterpiece known as "Brigadoon" (16 in all). Because all 16 of us men who auditioned got casted, there wasn't a single melancholy face to be seen.

Haha, I tried to cram in too many "M" words. I'll stop now.

Basically what happed was this...

Two days ago, the four of us Hartges kids were comfortably asleep at 8:00 A.M... Until Mom came bursting into the room cheering, "THE CAST LIST IS OUT!"

She might as well have said, "SANTA CAME, SANTA CAME!" because the second we heard the news, we all sprung from our beds and sprinted out of the bedroom... To the computer.

I'm quite positive that if we captured the moment on tape, we could have easily won the $10,000 prize on America's Funniest Home Videos. Cheers from one Hartges kid after the next of "I GOT IN!" soon filled the room.

It couldn't have been considered "A Kodak Moment"... It was far too loud.

I was pretty much the face of optimism that day. While in an overjoyed and somewhat "dreamy haze" I stubbed my toe on the way back down the stairs, which strangely... Didn't seem to bother me. Life was good, despite my momentary lack of attention.

Later in the afternoon we had soccer practice; the members of our teem who got casted were joyfully conversing about their parts and the exciting year to come.

Let me just say, it's going to be another fantastic year. Enhancing our skills, performing on stage, coming together as a cast... Unforgettable memories and countless inside jokes... Smiles, laughs, old friends, new friends... I can't wait.

Oh, yes! In case you were wondering; Rebekah was casted as a Goose (Aristocats), Nathan was casted as a lad/soloist (Brigadoon), Justin was casted as McGregor/Townsman (Brigadoon), and I was casted as Archie Beaton/Townsman (Brigadoon).

I'm especially excited because Zach Doerr, Andrew Stine, and myself are all casted as elderly fathers! Caleb O. achieved the role of Mr. Lundie, so he gets to dress old with us as well, and also sport a kilt.

To wrap this up, I am very excited for another year of HPA (if you haven't already caught on to that). If you'd like to see the cast list for yourself, here's the link!

http://www.hpami.org/index.php?pr=2010-11_Cast_Lists

Thank you for reading,

~Jacob

Unfortunate Dilemma

Hmm, just this afternoon I posted my unimaginably lengthy blog post. For whatever the reason, blogger has decided to shift my most recent post below my most recently posted post.

...

So if you, Reader, would like to view my unthinkably long and detailed post, scroll down past "I Made This For You" to "Forever and a Year."

Best regards,

~Jacob