Mini Homecoming

I took a drive to Stamford, CT tonight to see the Valpo Chorale in concert as part of their Spring break tour. It was so great to hear them and just reflect on my experience at VU. Remembering my experiences kind of reminded me of how lucky I am to have had such a great exprience there. There was a guy at the CD table after the concert who I had known when I was a senior and he was a freshman - it was Brian Wise for those of you who might know who I am talking about. I re-introduced myself and reminded him that he knew me because I dated one of his frat brothers (Paul Friesen-Carper) my senior year. Then he remembered all of a sudden and said "Oh yeah! You lived at... Homer Court!" I said "Yes!!!" What a great feeling that our legend of great parties and fun in general lives on through the years! I will have to email the other housemates from 1001 and let them know. I think the ball pit really put us on the map - that and the cheap beer.

So I had a great time there and remembered all of the professors/people that I need to email to update on my life. I also remembered how important my Valpo experience has been for my self-esteem and self-confidence in general. Overall, I think I have 2 friends from high school that I actually still talk to and thats because I really was a dork in high school and just did not have the time or motivation to make friends - being the captain of the bowling team is not the fastest way to make friends in high school. But when I went to VU I was able to make a fresh start and really begin to figure out who I was and how to be genuine with myself and comfortable in my own skin. Many of my friends might not know this but every single person that I knew at Valpo has influenced my life in some way. The 5 West wing in Alumni Hall (We like it on Top!), travelling around Europe for a semester, Church Vocations symposium, Social Concerns (now SALT), Chapel staff, Admissions office, VAULT, and of course, Team Lush have all been great experiences for me and I would not be the well-adjusted person that I am today without them. They have taught me that it's ok to be excited about theology and that just because I am going to be a pastor I can still have a good time with my friends. I have friends all over the planet now and that is something that still amazes me sometimes.

I love Valpo and will continue to support it until I die and if I have a big enough estate when I die (yeah right) I will leave a scholarship endowment for people who were the captain of the bowling team in high school... :)