What's it like going to Gardner-Webb University???

It's too early....slam!!! the alarm clock and all the sudden, you're going to college in like 4 hours!
What the heck? I just finished high school...I thought Jesus was going to come back to the Earth before college was a reality for me. So, once I've gone through those 12-15 minutes or so of sub-in-un-consciousness in the bed...I slowly roll out, take a shower, and the Zesty smell reminds me that in about 3 hours and 42 minutes, I'm going to college!

Wow, what to wear, gotta look good for the ladies, (I'm thinking..."what ladies?...I don't have a lady." Whatever...I take forever picking out my clothes...eat some cereal, pack up a few last minute things, b/c me and my dad did all the major packing last night. So, now, my mom's asked me 43 times if I have everything I need..."yes, mom!" The car starts, and we're going to college...

So, about 24 minutes later, I'm at college...yep, that's right...I only lived like a half a hour away from GWU. But, what does that matter...my parents weren't going to bother me... or were they???

Pulling into BS (that's Boiling Springs for those of you who don't know yet), there are ridiculous looking people at the stoplight intersection, painted, holding signs, yelling, whistling, and screaming, "WELCOME TO GARDNER-WEBB!! WHOO! WHOO!" Ok, that scares me... But, whatever. We pull in to where we're supposed to park, which we know because there were like 79 people pointing in 1 direction. Mom and dad pull up to the curb and I tell them that if they get out of the car, I'll legally change my name and become a nomad. I walk up to the check-in tent for Orientation and....

"Welcome to Gardner-Webb, what's your name?" - says this cute, way to excited and awake girl behind the table. Uh...Jeremy Fern...and then I have to explain that my last name is not "Sern" or "Tern", yes it's Fern..like the plant! "Oh, here's your name badge and info, just go over to those double doors over there and go through the Orientation lines," she smiles and tells me. Ok, great. So I wave to my parents to go find a spot and try to lose them before they get back.

Typically, if you knew me in HS, I would usually look at my shoes all day if I could...I was that much of an introvert. But for some reason, I introduce myself to this cheerleader behind me...I could tell b/c she had GWU colors on, cheer shorts, hair pulled back, and she was nice. So we chatted...and that was about it... :) It lasted about 2 minutes and that was probably the longest conversation I had initiated with a pretty girl..pretty pathetic huh?

Next, I walk into the Orientation room and I get my ID pic taken...ok...let me just say, walk up to the chair and be smiling as you do it b/c they take your picture before you even sit down. Then on to get my tshirt, keys for my room, other random material, a free sample of Tide detergent (what?), a pocket schedule of what's going on that day, and people offering me computer accessories...what? I thought accessories were things you bought with jewelry.

Anyway...that was pretty good...everyone was nice and now I've got a chest full of stuff and I'm trying to see over my pile to walk. My mom and dad walk up..."perfect" I said, 'just in time to take my pile of stuff." So I unload my stuff on to my parents and head towards to car...
We pull up to Lutz Hall and it was odd...immediately the Campus minister and two other guys just wave, smile, open our trunk, and start carrying things into Lutz. I'm thinking, "How do they know what room I'm in." They didn't...but hey, it was helpful. I think I might have carried my backpack up the stairs and that was about it. So that was nice...I ran into my roommate...then we just started setting everything up. Not too bad...gotta pretty good hookup..as long as we've got A/C, food, video games, and music...we're good! Oh, and those Mr. P's pizzas you can heat up in the microwave...those are good too!

Then, I wave to the parents "bye" and I'm on my own...

Weird...someone asked me if I wanted to go to BK and that was at like 1:23AM. I thought, "I don't have to ask my mom and dad! That's awesome!" Yep...I'm in! So we ate until 3:30AM, played video games, slept for about 2 hours, then we were good to go...next day of orientation awaited.

Well, that was my Orientation experience...at least, 1 and 1/2 days of it...or maybe all I can remember.. :)...yeah, it was good times!

BON VOYAGE!!!

Bon Voyage!

Wow, I've never been on a cruise before, but it was worth it! My wife, Ginger, and I went on a 7-day Western Carribean Cruise on the Carnvial Victory for our 3rd Year Wedding Anniversary trip. We always try to think of some place in the US or even tropical that we've never been before and just exploit that place for what it's worth.
This cruise was the best tax-return money we've ever spent. For 7 days you get nothing but 5-Star Restaurant Food... I mean things like:

Sweet and Sour Duck Breast
Tender Beef Wellington
Filet Mignon
Lobster Tail
Prime Rib
Things you can't pronounce...but they were good!

All this food and so little time... Not only was dinner amazing, but there was 24-hour Pizzeria and Ice Cream place on the Lido Deck near the hot tubs. Good pizza...that's all I've got to say. The best part about it was that everything was free. FREE!

So, we did a few things while on this cruise...like...get in the pool, lay out on the 10th deck with a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, brave a 3 deck high slide, learn the Cha-Cha, eat food we couldn't pronounce, eat pizza and ice cream whenever we wanted to, order room service, go to concerts, watch awesome shows, lay out in Costa Maya, Mexico and have real authentic Mexican food, do the Electric Slide in Mexico (what?), visit the town of Hell in Grand Cayman, pick up endangered species huge turtles, swim and lay out at the 7-Mile Beach, visit Ocho Rios, Jamaica, get offered drugs (which I turned down of course!) - (seriously some guy bought cocaine in Mexico, was searched, arrested, and left in Mexico for the rest of the Cruise to face trial! Yikes!), and then of course dance, eat some more, take about 200 pictures, and just enjoy time together. So it was kind of boring... ha ha ha!

Yeah, I'll go back on another one. Probably try Princess or Royal Carribean sometime to see what they're like. Anybody wondering if a cruise is worth it??? Yes! It's a floating resort, a mall, restaurants, dancing, gaming, and everything else. I'll post some more pics on Myspace soon.

I'm refreshed...I'm ready now to go the Beach... Only 19 more days 'til the beach. Aaah...cool wind, splashing waves, sand in my toes, wicked sun burn on my back, I love it!