Dia Dos

 So, you think you have it bad with gas prices?  Before you go and get all shocked, I will point out that this is not in the United States Dollar currency. It is in the quetzal, which is the Guatemalan currency.  It takes about 12 quetzales to make one dollar.

 Oh yeah.  The mountain is smoking.  When you realize this is coming out of the earth...  what a world!!  I wonder if anyone has told the mountain it is harmful to itself and the environment.:)

 In the our hosts yard.  They had palm trees, avocado trees, and mango trees.  This may be a reason for me to not like winter.

 Yes, more transportation pictures.

 How romantic.

 We went to a small recreational park/retreat center thing, where they had some great hiking, with rope bridges.  They are really fun and a little creepy to walk on.  They sway and bounce with every step.  Almost like a boat.  Our guide was carrying the typical Guatemalan protection. I sawed off pistol grip shotgun.  They seem pretty comfortable with it. Before the hike, I noticed him using it as a back scratching device.

 Then down some steps and into a stream tunnel.

 We thankfully did not have to walk in the water.  It was so cool -the tunnel and the water.

 About 75 feet.  And no, the picture does it almost no justice.

 Looking back down the valley.

 Oh yeah.  When we reached the summit of our hike, we rode zip lines (11 of them back and forth) back down to the bottom.

 Booya.  Long and high.  Makes for some fun rides and great views.

 Here we are (left to right) Antonio, Me, Michael, and I don't remember, it was Pedro... or something very Spanish.  He was one of our zip line guides.   Made sure we were all attached correctly.  Kind of important.

 When electricity or gas is not heating your stove, this is.  These are some strong people.  They carry a load like that for miles uphill.

 On our way back from the zip lines (they call them "canopy") we stopped at a rather posh conference resort area.  Our main purpose, to enjoy some of the gardens.  They grow funny shaped plants.

 

Star fruit, It is pretty good.  It is sour and sweet. Not sure if I was supposed to eat it.

Ended the day with some mini golf in the midst of a developing thunderstorm.  They have some great thunder and lightening that get going when their storms let loose.  It was another great day.

An Expected Journey

 Recently my brother Michael and I took an international journey to visit our friend/brother Antonio and his family the beautiful country of Guatemala.  It is thanks to them that we had such an awesome time.  This is the official first day of our one week stay.  After arriving about 10:30 ish pm in Guatemala, Antonio and his mom Lucrecia picked us up and drove us to a friend's (who was absent) apartment to spend the first night.  The next morning I awoke to a beautiful day and some new looking foliage.  I am not sure of all the plant names.  The one above is most likely a type of orchid.

 This flower was about 5 or 6 inches across and grew on a tree.

 First big noticeable cultural differences were experienced on the road.  Transport is something that if it needs to happen will happen.  Sometimes with little regard for the safety of all concerned.  These folks seemed to make the most of it and were at least protecting themselves from the harmful rays of the sun.

 The tuk tuk (pictured above) is the standard inner city taxi.  It has style. Also kind of redefines crossover.  You try fitting it into a category.

 This is a motor bike with three people on it.  We saw one with four.  Again transport will happen.  At this point we were driving from Guatemala City (the capitol) to the Southern beach of Guatemala.

 Perhaps on of the greatest parts of the Guatemalan landscape is its towering volcanoes.

 This is the area we stayed at the beach.  The house is just down there on the right.  It was owned by the same friend whose apartment we had spent the previous night in.  We got to meet her.  Her name was Anna Cicilia and she was a great host.  In relation to the ocean this house was out of sight of it, but you could still hear the magical sound of waves persistently pounding on the sand.

 It was a short walk to the ocean.  We went swimming and boogy boarding for a while.  Then after going back to the house for lunch, we returned to the ocean to watch the sunset.  On the way I had to capture one of the awesome palm trees that actually had coconuts growing in it.

 Not sure again what this tree is called.  But it is cool.  Its branches hang down and then become rooted in the ground.  It is a tree with many trunks.

 This is a panoramic photo I took with my new i touch 5th generation that I got for my birthday.  It was truly a great present that my brothers and a friend got together and gave me.  Thanks a lot guys.  It made taking pictures so much easier for me.  I am pretty much the only person in my family who is not a photographer, in the sense of it being a hobby or job of mine. This panoramic makes me think maybe that could change.

 Beach sunsets.  ahhhhhh.

Waves to end the day.  That night we traveled to the nearest town for church.  It was good.  All of it was in Spanish, so my comprehension was limited.  But I still got that the sermon was on the two greatest commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, and mind.  And love your neighbor as yourself."  It was encouraging to hear in a different language.  That concludes the events of day one.

Because I Said So

 I promised a post with no boring pontifications.  But just some good old fashioned (digital) photos.  This is (from left to right) my brother Douglas, Me, my sis Libby, and my brother Michael.  Cool people.

 I still get the itch to draw.  I have always really liked this graphic design.  It was rather hard to transfer to pencil because the original is rather rough.

 Just a little bit of scenery from American Fork Canyon in Utah.  I love mountains a lot, and the pictures never do.

 California and the ocean from a couple years back.  Ahhh.  I love the ocean also.  There is this other itch I get.  No, not just mosquito (who came up with that spelling?  Probably the same person who did colonel and bologna.) bites.  I get the itch to travel.

 Oh look.  I got my passport renewed.  And not just because I enjoy buying little books from the government for 150 smakeroos.

Had a very fun filled weekend.  From left to right.  Sis-in-law Bethany, bro Andrew, Me, friend Seth, his brother and my bro-in-law Josiah, bro Stephen, sis Libby (married to Josiah), bro Michael, and bro Douglas.  We all ran in the 5K at potato days.  My dad also ran and took third in his category.  Josiah took third in his category.  And I came in just behind both of them.  Running is so weird.  You feel more miserable as the race goes on and by the final sprint you are seeing in tunnel vision for the finish line.  Than afterwards you think it was fun.  I still don't get it.  But my legs remind me every now and then of what happened.

Chip

P.S.  I just dug up some old photos.  I might share some of the fun on the next post.

The Manifesto

This was project I was given last semester in my college writing class.  Our teacher asked us to write our manifesto...  on one page.  I ended up being glad she gave us only one page.  From the moment she gave the assignment I was doubting my abilities to be so succinct.  Even when I handed it in I was so doubtful of my writing that I put a note on it that apologized for my spray format.  It came back with a 100% and a "good job" from my teacher.  I realized I couldn't claim the credit, just give a thank you for an answered prayer.  

I promise some less dry and more fun stuff coming up soon.  I have been trying to improve my picture taking habits this summer.  

Anyway, here it is.  

On Purpose

by Christian Roise

Science would put us with the animals: we are not.  Humans are unique .  We desire purpose and reason.   Right and wrong are burned into our nature.  Love is desired.  Creativity is our joy.  We search for truth.  These attributes reflect the image of our creator.  God said, “Let us create man in our own image...” Genesis 1:26   Regardless of age, size, or race we bear that image.  We are more than protoplasm that decided to finally get its act together.  We are beings of purpose and plan.  

The world is scarred by injustice and selfishness.  Our image is messed up.  G.K. Chesterton was once asked the question, “what is the matter with the world?”

He answered, “Sir, I am.”  

Though we know there is a standard that we should all live up to, we know we have failed.  Regret is a human mark. 

The battle is on to make ourselves feel fulfilled and happy.  Some will seek money, some power, some “good works”, still others, some kind of rush.  These fulfill to the point of keeping us distracted.  True fulfillment comes from the knowledge that you do have a purpose, there is a reason you dislike injustice, that the reason the world contains design is because it has a designer, that it is messed up because we have messed it up.  There is a God.  He created us.  He is the inventor of purpose.  Living that purpose is true fulfillment.  WIth forgiveness and grace, we can live that purpose.  

Go, live that purpose, do what is right, love others, create, find the truth, and know the reason why.  

Jesus Wept

  Perhaps of all the human emotions, sorrow is one that has baffled me the most.   I am not one to mourn/weep.  Thankfully my life has not been one which that would evoke much mourning.  But there are two events that stand out, that I think God has used to help bring me a better understanding of mourning and who He is. 

 I remember when I was eleven, my nephew Andrew who was nine months in the womb and due any day, suddenly died.  The shock to the whole family was devastating.  To see that baby who had left the world before he entered it.  To see my brother and sister-in-law mourn there child.  It was not mellow dramatic, it was not fake; it was real.  The pain of that baby sized gap in their lives.  As I watched everyone cry, I could not understand.  I was sad, but the tears did not come.  I think I tried to force them back.  I was afraid to cry.  I know, silly.  I did cry eventually.  When I went to the visitation and looked down at that little body that was so still, and heard the sounds of the house of mourning, it crept up into my heart, then into my throat, and there it was.  Almost as soon as it came, it was gone.

Last week while I was at work, my brother saw me and came over and we just chatted for a bit about stuff.  My two brothers and I work at the same company.  As my brother was about to leave he mentioned that they had arranged the visitation for Friday and the funeral for Saturday.  My heart skipped, funeral for who?  Then the words came out, “for who?” 

My brother looked surprised, “Little Ellianah.”  My cousin Ellianah had been struggling with a heart defect for the first three and half months of her little life.  My uncle’s posts on her Caring Bridge webpage were followed closely by hundreds of family and friends.   Her little face would appear almost daily on my Facebook newsfeed, with the latest news on her fight.  The Saturday before Palm Sunday she had had a close call that the Doctors said was miraculous she had lived through.  She was baptized on Palm Sunday, and went to heaven on Monday as they got her ready for an MRI.  The reason I did not know until that day, at work, was because of my disconnection with the Internet.  It was hard, but I knew that the hardest was ahead. 

For the rest of the week the weight of the news sat there on my heart, but I did not cry.  Our family headed down to the visitation on Good Friday.  And I finally got to see my cousin, and I wept. 

In the bible it says that Jesus wept.  This is really amazing.  God weeps.  Even with his big, “all things work together for good “ picture; he still weeps.  In C.S. Lewis’s book The Magicians Nephew, Digory (the main character) is asking Aslan to help get something to help his mother who is dying.  As he stands asking, he stares at the Lions feet, till in his despair he looks up into his face, and of all surprises, sees tears.  This is how we can feel about God, when we experience sorrow, he does not stand by with the blueprint and casually observe that if we just knew what was going on we wouldn’t need to bother soaking three boxes of Kleenex in an hour.  No, he comes and cries with us. 

Every Easter there is some new thing that God does to reveal himself and his glory to me.  This Easter was a hard but important lesson: “blessed is the house that mourns.”  God knows our pain, and also mourns.  To sing the glories of the God who wept, who felt pain, and who died for us, was just that more incredible on Sunday as we joined the heavenly chorus, Little Andrew and Eliannah included.  

Till we Finally Meet.

Rest in the Fathers Peace

Ellianah Sophia Bolduc

Born December 14, 2011 and departed April 2, 2012

Though I never got to meet you, you have impacted my life greatly. Your smile, your eyes, your little cheeks, and those tiny little hands. In your 3 1/2 months here with us you brought so many together in prayer and faith. I know that you are in perfect rest now, and look forward to meeting you in Eternal Glory.

Your Loving Cousin,

Chip

P.S. Please pray for my Aunt and Uncle (mom and dad) and my cousins (her sister's).

It is not so good to be King.

In my last post I started with a little bit of angst on the subject of politics. My comments on the subject were rather discouraging and I apologize. Most of the time my frustration with politics comes from people whose political views differ from mine. This is probably what makes some people love it and others hate it. I guess I have a love/hate relationship. Recently I had a small revelation on my politics problems. My frustration and discouragement would often become increased when I thought I knew that something was going to end badly because of all the people who didn't see the world like me. Then it occurred to me that the devil was talking in my ear.

"You have eaten the fruit Christian, and are god, being able to judge right and wrong. If you could only convince people to have more faith in this prince, or that prince, then the world wouldn't be so out of control."

Politics (is this really plural?) are great. I still get into them because I think that they are a tool the Lord gives us to help change people. The key is to be in the world but not of it. When we start using politics as a way for us to play god, the result is tyranny. Sadly, the current society seems to embrace the idea of political gods. Maybe we should outlaw political gods? hehe. So to counter our current society I will fight, discuss, and pray, but never be discouraged. The election is over, Jesus won.

Ok, ready for a laugh? I was recently inspired by Thousand Words to try my hand at poetry. I know very little about how one goes about writing such things, seems like inspiration is a key tool. I wonder if spur of the moment qualifies as inspiration?

It pulls us forward with constant ease and strength

Looking back we vaguely see time's path so long and bright

Some turn with timid spirits to enter the dark tunnel's uncertain length

Others march strongly onward, confident of this tunnel's ending light.

Hmm, well, I tried.

Chip

Grasping for the Wind

I figure it is time put something new up. My Ron Paul picture is fun, but political anything starts to get tiresome after too long. Ever get in heated political debates? I do all the time. It can leave you feeling exhausted, depressed, and frustrated. Us humans really have a stubborn edge I guess. It has been a good weekend. I have so much to be thankful for. I have gotten a job working at a factory that builds electronic components for John Deere tractors. Anyway, so since I work second shift at my job, I do not get done until 10:00 pm. That is sometimes nice, sometimes bad. Since I had to wake up by 3:00 am Saturday it was more a bad thing. WHY?? You ask, do you do something like that? Well because I had to take a long car ride (I did not drive) on nicely iced roads with some great people, to another pro life camp. It was great. More enthusiastic young people. And a less icy road home: this time I drove. Finally got to bed after 20 hours. Got to sleep in this morning, because I went to the late service at church. Enjoyed awesome worship of our most Awesome God. The pastor taught from Ecclesiastes 4:4 to the end. Ate some sushi with my brothers then went sledding. Maybe not the best order of events. But it was really fun, and we got some really good people pile ups, in sledding that is. Even went off of a sweet jump and got enough air so that I landed on my feet and ran. I guess in the end, it is the small things. This, coming from a guy who is 6' 4". It is just good to be alive and to work and play, to have joy in the fact that my life has purpose and is more than grasping for the wind.

Part of today's sermon text.

Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
¹¹ Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Chip

P.S. The maze is mine.

Here it is.

I cannot believe I forgot I had this. It is only my Facebook profile picture. This was taken this fall when Ron Paul spoke in Fargo. It was brief but fun.

The P Word.

Politics. Doesn't it just sound negative. Men and women in suits and ties waving and cheesing the public for their oh so precious votes. Blowing hot air at a rate that would make a jet engine jealous. It seems that most people are fed up with the play acting that is American politics. The media hype and smearing. It all becomes depressing. Then I remember the founding of this country. Men and women who longed to be released from the oppression of a government that did not know its limits. Many thought the british empire was the invincible power of the world. They believed that it was their job to make sure the world became "civilized." The problem with empires is they rarely fall apart from external forces. They spread themselves too thin and bite off more than they can chew. Anyway, so I have been getting politically involved. One of my main reasons has been being part of the prolife movement has shown me the need for strategy in dealing with issue of baby killing (abortion.) The other is the economy. Our dollar's value continues to drop and our debt reaches new records every day. Another issue is our national defense (tied very strongly to the economy.) We spend billions for years on end and see little or no progress. So here I am. I am going to give an endorsement to the candidate who I think has the background and ideas to change things for the better this go around. With years of experience as an OB GYN Doctor he went on to become a Congressman representing the state of Texas. In his years in the House, he gained the nik-name Dr. No, for his persistent disapproval of any measure that restricted personal freedoms, either fiscally or socially. A strong believer in the constitution, he took his oath to uphold it very seriously. While he is noted for his non interventionist foreign policy, he believes there is a time for war, but it should be approved by the congress, declared, fought, won, and finished. His prolife stance is also very solid. Quoting from the Declaration of Independence, he says, "Our Fore-Fathers believed in the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness, we cannot believe in the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness without believing in the right to life first." To find out more, visit http://www.ronpaul2012.com/.

Continued

The last post was left open for a sequel. With most of my summer summed up, I had to decide what a grownup is supposed to do.

I decided to enroll in college at a local school near by. This of course was preceded with the dreaded ACT test. It was not horrible. I scored a modest amount. Easily enough to attend the school. I also quit my job at Subway due to the distance between school and my job. I would be only making really half of what I earned after gas and taxes. Not to mention valuable time.

My first semester has been very interesting. With a 19 credit schedule, I have not been reemployed yet. I am taking Psychology, Speech, Writing, Computer Science, Biology, Biology Lab, and First Year Experience (basically a class that teaches you how to learn and survive in college.)

I have had some very interesting discussions at college. The thirst for knowledge creates great openings to share the gospel. Not that I have had any Acts 2 moments. But just the occasional conversation/argument on different issues.

This first semester does seem to have gone by very quickly. I am finishing up my classes and will be done with a majority by this time next week. With any luck I will end the year with my current straight A grades.

Now that I am 18 I am also getting more politically involved. It should be interesting. I will not put my faith in princes. That does not allow me to sit down and let things just go. God controls, but we are his tools. I want to see my country restored, and if that is God's will it will happen.

Another disjointed post.

Chip

Catching Up

It would be customary to start this post with a set of excuses for why my last post was around Easter. I am going to defy tradition and offer no excuse. I sincerely apologize to any of the select few who might ever check my blog. It is truly depressing to find nothing new. Presently I will try to fill in my rather large gap.

The picture above is not simply to fulfill a narcissistic desire. It was taken as a series of shots for my graduation. This was my first big summer event. I officially exited 12 years of wonderful home education on June 3rd. It was really a great and fun day, complete with a big party, tons of friends, food, and activities. The small lump that formed in my throat as I gave a impromptu speech (Roises never plan anything) let me know that it was a sad day also. Growing pains.

One thing we did plan this summer, was a big vacation. Big, as in two weeks of travel across the country. Starting from home, we set out first to Arizona to visit my sister, her husband and their little boy (my nephew). It was a fun hot time in Arizona.

From there we proceeded to California to visit my other sister and her husband. California is so beautiful along the ocean. We did quite a bit of stuff in California. One thing was touring an active submarine. It was really very interesting to see such a feat of engineering and to learn of all the inner workings.

From California we went to Utah to visit my Brother and his family. It was again a blast of a time. With swimming, hiking, picnics, and general play with the niece and nephews.

Last of all we went to Idaho to visit my other brother and his family. I really am blessed with such a cool family. Fun times ensued in Idaho as well. Overall it was an awesome trip. I suggest that if you have never been to the west of the country, you put time in your life for it. It has stunning scenery. True, the South West and Midwest are pretty blah, but even the blah is sometimes refreshing.

After vacation came Pro Life Camp. Last year I enjoyed going to camp. The only thing that can rival going to camp, is helping run a camp. I got to help deliver two sessions on Stem Cells and Eugenics. I had a blast. I know it really sounds weird. But it was so fun. I also got to do some drama. One night of camp I got to dress up as Bill Clinton and be all political and creepy. The truth is, it is a travesty that we need a pro life camp. It is the coolest thing however that teens care enough to stand up and join in the fight for life. That is probably the thing that made/makes the pro life camp so awesome. Dare I say, the vivacious teenagers ready to debate the issue, when so many would rather stay in the comfort zone and just not take a stand. If you ever get a chance to attend a pro life camp, I suggest you take the opportunity.

This is where I will conclude for tonight. The rest will be filled in shortly. For now I want to suggest you visit a site that I discovered the other day that really has some awesome pre natal development information, right here.

⁸ Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.^[a]
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

-Proverbs 31:8-9

Easter

It is the hinge on which Christianity turns. The crucial point, the peak, the climax. From the day Adam took the fruit from his wife Eve, God pronounced his plan of restoration. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. God knew who was responsible for what and he in his divine power pronounced judgment and promise.

Genesis 3:14-19

So the LORD God said to the serpent:
“ Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.

¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
¹⁶ To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”
¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“ Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.

¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.

¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,

And to dust you shall return.”

Okay so this really does not seem to carry any good promise for any of them, especially since

they had been living in paradise. Lets start with the one with the worst promise, the serpent.

He really does not seem to have a promising future. He is cursed more than any animal, he is

going to have to crawl on his belly where ever he goes, and he is not going to get on very well in a

future fight with the seed of the woman. He is going to get his head cracked. So he starts his

planning, but unlike God he does not think long term. Just in case you are wondering, the

serpent is Satan, aka the Devil, aka bad dude.

What is for the Woman. She is punished in an unusual way, she is going to have pain in

child birth. Her future seed will come with the cost of pain for many women. She is also listed

follower to her husband. She might want to take charge, but he shall rule over her.

Adam (the husband) is punished with the struggle to provide for his family. He will have to sweat

and toil to stay alive himself, and to keep his family alive. Lastly, we shall all return to the dust

from which we were taken. Did you notice that the serpent will be consuming dust as a regular

part of his new low cal cursed diet?

We now have an excellent idea of what we should expect to see if these prophesies are to be fulfilled. All through the bible we see it, right up to the climax.

The serpent never forgets that curse, and he lives in constant terror of having his skull done in. He fights it by direct attacks at the woman's seed. Cain kills Able, Pharaoh orders the Hebrew males killed, and in between is a whole line of different people being attacked tempted and killed, all the way up until Christ is born and Herod orders another mass male baby killing.

"And he shall bruise your heel." The seed of the woman is wounded.

Now in a beautiful preview we also notice evil getting its head crunched many times. Evil men have tent pegs driven into their heads, evil men have millstones dropped on their head, and the classic, David hits Goliath with a stone in the head, and then chops his head off.

This all leads to the climax. Christ being betrayed, beaten, and hung. Now Satan thinks he has won. He has finally pinned the sins of the world on the only perfect man who ever lived, the seed, and he is the Son of God, and Satan has him pinned on a tree. What could be better for Satan? Now he can rule the way he wanted to from the beginning, and God's curse didn't work because somehow he outsmarted God.

Satan overlooked an interesting and crucial point. Christ was killed on a tree on Golgotha (the place of the skull.) Somebody is having his skull finally crushed.

On Easter Christ rose from the dead, dealing the final blow to Satan. Christ has overcome satan and his tools, death and despair. He has gone through hell for those he loves and has come out a strong and victorious savior and king. The new adam has redeemed us from our first father's fall. And we, the victorious church and body of Christ (aka the seed of the Woman) will limp victoriously into the future.

This is why we can scream Alleluias to our world. This is truly good news.

1 Corinthians 15:21

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Spaceships and Robots= Nerd Heaven

Opening ceremonies for both VEX Robotics and BEST Robotics. Included awards to many different volunteers and teachers, speeches, a parade of contestant reps (including yours truly), Micky mouse, High Voltage dance team, and fireworks ending with confetti. Yes, it is Disney.
Team pic after the opening. Oh yeah, that is one awesome robotics team. The sun was bright.
That afternoon included a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Probably one of the coolest places I have been. That is Endeavor sitting on its launch pad getting ready for its final mission to the International Space Station.

Here is the crawler used to move the shuttle from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad.
The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is where they put all those massive rockets and space ships together. It is not the tallest building in the world, but it has most places beat for volume. You could fit 3 empire state buildings inside of there and you could place Yankee stadium on top and have an acre to spare. Hmm, maybe the Yankees should consider that. The cranes that are used for moving the Shuttle around this building have tolerances of 15,000ths of an inch.

In the foreground is mission control.
So you walk into this building and... gulp. Massiveness happens a lot at NASA I guess. Explains the money. This is me under the bottom end of the Saturn 5 Rocket. This rocket was used to get man to the moon.
Here is a different perspective of people walking along the rocket.
Here is some more perspective. Also remember that this thing is the most complex machine ever built, with over 2,000,000 systems that all have to work right. It is also made up of 91% explosive fuel, so a mistake is usually disastrous.
One more time. WOW!!
Here we are with a VEX Robotics team from Mexico. They could not really speak english and my spanish is not very good. Luckily Charlie lived in Bolivia for a year. So we got to know them a little and they wanted a picture, and so did I. Yes it was very warm.
I took this picture then promptly got into the competition and lost my camera, so I do not really have any visual evidence of what happened. Hopefully I will post some later, but for now I will tell you.

We entered the semi final rounds in pretty good condition, in 3rd place. Of course our score was set back to zero when we got to the semi finals, which was good since we had gotten low sigma on eggs. We moved from 2nd to first in the semi finals. We started the final round on top and were still on top in the second round by about 400 points, which is not actually a whole lot in this competition. Then the monitors went black and we watched the third round take place. Had we done better than the other team or had we lost our number one spot?

And so we waited and waited. Finally they announced the second place winner... it wasn't us. "In first place from Bison BEST, REACH Homeschool." OH, YEAH, we are number one in the country, for the robotic game Total Recall. We also won Most Robust Robot, Best CAD Design, and 3rd in most creative design. We placed 6th in the BEST competition which is also a spot worthy of respect.

The accomplishment of our team is pretty amazing and I am so proud of all the work everyone did to make number one a possible. The learning experience has been incredible and so has the amount of fun I have had. I am still trying to comprehend it all.

And being made perfect He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Hebrews 5:9

Chip