N 40° 37.166 W 096° 38.278

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Went geocaching Wednesday night. First time, though I've wanted to go for a while. It was very fun. We searched for quite a while before we found them, because our GPS wasn't all that accurate, but half the fun is trying to find it once you've gotten to the right area. The first one was pretty accessible though it took us a while to find. To get to the second one, we walked through field and forest and got soaking wet, only to find out on the way back that there was a trail straight to it, about hundred feet to our right. Ah well, it was more fun getting dirty and wet.

there and back again

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While some people stayed here at Union College and spent some quality time on with their beds, some of us decided to drive 20 hours to Pennsylvania for a wedding. We left Wednesday night. Half an hour into the trip, Tony was pulled over for going "about 7 or 8 over." Fortunately, he was able to talk his way out of it, with lines like, "Well, you can't catch all the fish in the pond." The rest of the trip went pretty smoothly though. Well, except for the time that Jon stalled the car in the gas station, or the time he stalled it at the stoplight, or the time he stalled it at the tollboth . . .

We drove straight through the night, and the next afternoon decided not to stop until we got to Lance's house. Then we decided to stop at Ellen's place for the night. Then we decided not to stop at Ellen's. Then we actually talked to Ellen and decided we weren't going to Lance's we were going to Ellen's.

We spent the night there, watched Robots, and went 4-wheeling. Some of us got our shoe stolen and buried by Max, while others of us endured bovine feces and Amish farmers.

The rest of the time, we stayed at Lance's, thanks to his and his parents' generosity. It was nice to see Lance and Sophie for a bit, though things were kind of busy. The outdoor wedding was, of course beautiful, and the reception was exceptional. Of course, I may be prejudiced because all the bridesmaids were in purple (or lavender, if you must). It was a pretty small wedding which was nice, and I felt very privileged to be on the shortlist. Still, the weekend was ideal, and kind of what I think a wedding weekend should be. Friends and family gathered all around to show their support and just be with the couple.

A dance or two, some great cheesecake, several rewinds, and 40 hours of driving later and it's back to class again . . . for now.

pillars and picnics

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Went to a Pioneers today for a picnic. It was pretty fun. We didn't do a whole lot except sit around and hang out, although a few did some crazy climbing. I love being able to just sit around and hang out with a bunch of friends, without having to worry about a thing. What a great feeling.

on rock, rock on!

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So this weekend was my first experience in actual rock-climbing. I've climbed on a climbing wall once or twice, but it was nothing like the real thing. It was exhilirating though, clinging to the rock, trying to hold on. I didn't do any really difficult climbs, but it was still a lot of fun. So was swimming in the very cold, very dirty river. I think my favorite moment of the weekend though, was the first night, climbing up on the towers of rock, and just sitting under the night sky and listening to the water beneath me. Ah . . . it's in that kind of moment that I see God and when my heart wants to burst with joy.