It's all Love

Short one tonight then I'll do a deeper/longer one tomorrow.

I miss Connor.

The moral of this blogging story is tell one of your friends that you love them tonight or tomorrow.
Let them know you care.

I love you Con. You're the man.

Peace,
-sam
Song of the Day: I Love You by Sanctus Real

Keys

It feels bittersweet to be writing this and feel as well rested as I am.

Bitter-Locked my keys in my truck prior to the track meet and couldn't manage to get at them before the meet.

Sweet-Locked my keys in my truck prior to the track meet and couldn't manage to get at them before the meet, so I proceeded to hang out with my very good camp friend Dwight for the afternoon and ended up seeing Snuffy, Grover, and their nephews.

Just to elaborate on how amazing it was to hang out with Dwight. Dude is like a big brother. Going around town just doing stuff with him and his friends, I was pretty happy with the day. Going to Officemax, Taco Bell, Wendys, and KFC was even fun. Especially in the summers, he's going to be one key person I miss this summer (one of many). He took a week of yard work on a who knows how many acre island and made it fun like. Runs to recycle bottles, hard earned "breaks" from working. It was an absolute honor to share a bunkbed with that gent. If anyone deserves a shout out from today, it is him. He is the guy that came and picked me up when I locked my keys in my truck. He also helped me change my tire this past summer when it got flat. He also gave me a place to stay over halloween weekend. Here's to you Dwight.

It was no doubt an eventful day.

In other news I'm loving the newspaper internship! Taking pictures, touching them up for the paper or slideshows online. I'm thinking the soonest my pictures will premiere in the paper will be next monday or wednesday. It's a good thing to do what I love for two weeks straight.

Taking pictures.

It's also a bad thing. Tonight I plan on ending my lazy streak and getting caught up on homework and all of that wonderful stuff associated with graduation and senior year. It's going to be a tough change.

I also want to take a blog paragraph to tell everybody at JHS (my high school for non-local readers) I miss em. Lots. Every class that I have people with and don't get to see em for two weeks. I miss you. Even teachers. It is by far one definite change in pace to not have everyone around me all day. Take care, I will see you in a little over a week.

This also goes to Echo Press staff (if any read this) Thank you for creating such a wonderful, welcoming work environment for me to come into. No doubt I love that. It is also a definite change in pace that I enjoy. It's great to be cube mates with the office "candy jar". Trust me Echo Press staff. You are all a fancy group of people. I don't mind coming to work in the mornings (granted as a photographer I can leave whenever to take pictures assuming a story is developing =D)

To Everyone, Thank You

Much Love

ø Connor ø

Ooops (thanks Sam for integrating

Well I don’t really know how this is going to work. You see. I'm texting my post right now. Internet’s down in my house. It actually feels more natural seeing I can as text like a fiend on my phone. I swear on my storm I have at least 50 words per minute. Anyone that sees me text can vouch for me on that one. Apparently this is going to show up as like 50 posts. I will try to migrate them all to one post. Or hopefully another shaker will help me with that one. I suppose this is the best place to share everything that has been happening in the past couple days. I got through the audition process and now have the privilege of speaking at my high school graduation :). I will obviously post the speech after I give it. Got into a big argument about money today. Hated that. Hate money actually. It’s needed I suppose to establish value and such but wow is it a hassle. Other than that I have been loving may term/ my internship. The newspaper is crazy. I love how each day has been different and I get to do what I love. Take pictures! All around with cameras I can't even dream about. It’s absolutely amazing. I suppose I should try to wrap this up eventually because this is going to end up being like 20 posts because text blogging isn't the same. disappointing. Thank you for your patience shaker readers and have a wonderful night and evening and morning and the whole she bang. I will return with a weekly challenge next Sunday. Continue having a great week and gear up for a better one next week.

Much Love

ø Connor ø

This one's for my Mum...

Hey Mom,

First of all, I want you to know I love you. No matter what decision or advice you have for me, I consider it. Even though I don't like it, you are the voice of reason in our family and I weigh your opinion fairly.

I'm sorry that it seems like I've been going against you. It might just be me wanting to go to college and be independant. I've got to work on that.

I'm sorry that I have such a bad memory. Even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes, I am trying. It's hard focusing on things when life blindsides me. That's no excuse because that's life but I will do better before I leave this fall.

I'm sorry when I tell you I will do something and I don't. Often times it's when I'm playing games and I just shrug you off. This is tough for me to write because I'm starting to realize how annoying some of these things are....

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for not spending a lot time with you since this is my last year here. I should be more sensitive to what you are going through. If you could just be patient with me. And I know or at least have a little idea with how patient you have been with me already. For that, thanks mum. I love you.

Finally, I'm not writing this on a public blog for my own reputation or build myself up. I'm writing this on here because often my writing flows a lot better on here.

So mom, what i'm trying to say is... that even though I still want to hang with my friends especially being my senior year and grad parties are coming up, I will try to devote more time at home and spending time with you.

I love you mum,

-sam

Song of the Day: Be Praised by Michael Gungor Band

Insomnia

It happened

Working overnights wrecked my sleep cycle. The worst part of it all is that I'm just starting my internship, work, and saying ahead on schoolwork somehow.

Enough whining though because today was awesome.

I had the privilege to take pictures for the Echo Press (local newspaper) as a photo intern and get to continue with that for the next two weeks. As well as track was amazing, I got reunited in high jump with a fellow shaker and it was bidness to say the least. On top of all of that my brother's longboard came in the mail. Big thanks to www.bustinboards.com for delivering quality longboard products. It's hard to make that day better.

Oddly enough though I don't even feel complete in having a good day like today without thanking the proper authorities.

God, thanks. It seems like such a stretch to say that someday. Keepin all the glory for yourself (don't worry I've had those days) isn't that satisfying. It's even more fun when you thank God for your amazing days and when you share them.

Granted the frequent readers have me dialed in by now. I love people. Especially letting them know that I love them. Personally I don't think there is a better thing to do in this world than make someone feel loved.

So in a relatively small post I just wanted to let my readers know, I love you.

Thank you for reading my posts and the blog this far.

2 Timothy 1:3 says it best "I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers" (NIV)

Also Sam does song of the day, I think I want to start intermingling quotes throughout

Here goes

""Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe."

— Donald Miller"

Much Love

ø Connor ø

The Gospel

The following is what Christians believe to be true:

We are sinners. All of us. Christians, non-Christians, Caucasians, African-Americans, men, women. All of us. No one is left out. Romans 3:23 says it pretty clearly.

"For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God."

From my theological background and extensive research, the word "all" means "all". I'm just saying. None of us are good enough to make it into Heaven. The Bible says that even our greatest acts here on earth are like dirty menstrual rags to God. We are wretched.

But thanks be to God that this isn't the end of it. He sent us His son, Jesus, to come and live a perfect life. Jesus was fully God but yet fully man, also. Which really blows my mind...

Jesus came so that He could atone for our sins by dying on the cross. He took the sins of the world, people in the past, present and anyone yet to come, upon Himself. He did all of this just so that you can spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

If you don't make this decision to accept the gift He's given you by repenting of your sins and turning from your old, sinful ways, you will go to Hell. It's a real place.

(Just a quick break from the action, please do not think I'm trying to be mean or pushing anything on you. I do NOT want to come across that way to anyone. This, however, is the Truth. And if you kind of feel like you are getting your toes stepped on, maybe that's the Holy Spirit getting at your heart. But I am saying this because I love you guys and I don't want any one of you going to Hell.)

So if you haven't made a decision to accept Christ into your life and repent your sins to God, I strongly urge you to think about it. Tomorrow is not guaranteed and eternity is right around the corner. If you have any questions about this, please don't be afraid to come to me (Sam Olson) or your pastor.

Love you guys. Keep it real.
-sam
Song of the Day: Praise and Adore (Some Live Without It) by Wavorly

Nap Time

When I was a kid I use to hate naps with a passion. The thought of sleeping, when there were so many adventures and games, angered me beyond belief. I would just lay down in my bed and make it my priority to not sleep just in spite of my parents. I sure showed them ;)

But as a kid I had nothing to worry about: no job, no financial burdens, no school worries. These things my not affect you right away but day after day they just continue to add more and more weight on to your shoulders. But I realized that if you lay down the weight no longer rests on your shoulders but on a comfy bed or couch. With all these hectic ideas flushing into my life I need some sort of get-away from reality. Those envious moments of rest allow your body and mind to recharge to take on each day with as much purpose as the next. So when you're feeling like life is just too much at the moment, turn off that phone, take those socks off, curl up with that homemade blanky and let your heavy eyelids droop down into sleep. Take a nap......you deserve it.
---Joe---