The Natural State

August 15, 2005

Well I am back in Michigan. Besides helping Lynette get settled in to her new place there have been some other things developing. So let’s rewind a bit.

August 2nd, I received an email from an old boss of mine from college, Gary Swyers. He decided to take a position in Arkansas at John Brown University as the Director of Experiential Learning for the Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics (hence opening up his old position at IWU so that Lynette could take it). Anyway, in this email he informs me that he is in a position “to hire a full time person to work as a lead facilitator, keeper of the details and overseer of the ropes course. Any interest?”

So that little email started a wild chain of events. I was planning on going back home in the middle of the week but instead I decided to stay at Lynette’s until the weekend. On the 13th, I headed down to Arkansas (had to go through St. Louis so that is why there is a picture of the skyline) to check out JBU and the ropes course. Fortunately for me, Rudy (yup she turned up again) was going to be in Arkansas to get the rest of her stuff and move it to Denver. (Rudy did her graduate work at John Brown. I know, can things be any more twisted?) So I stayed with her and some of her friends while she gave me a tour of the campus and the Soderquist Center. The next day I headed back to Indiana. And today I made it home to see my Aunt Crystal who is visiting from Florida.

The facilities at John Brown are incredible. If you would like to see some pictures or have no idea what a ropes course/challenge course is check out www.soderquist.org/facilities/basecamp/index.asp