Week Five, and I Am Still Alive

Hello everyone! I hope this beautiful fall weather has been keeping you all in as great spirits as I have been in! The crisp air this morning has me ready for pumpkin pie, Halloween, and thanksgiving - yes, I had thoughts about turkey dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Ribar's the other day!

Speaking of the Ribar's, that is really the reason I am here. After a first hard year in Charleston, South Carolina, I had no idea where to go. I knew I did not want to go back to California, where I went to high school. My mom suggest I call up Uncle Tom, who happens to be the Chaplain here at Waynesburg University.


Yep, there he is; my godfather, uncle, and inspiration. He has truly helped to shape my life as a Christian, as well as a student. Right now I am taking Introduction to New Testament with Tom. I have always loved to listen to him speak, and I don't know why it took me so long to get into his class - oh wait, it's at eight o'clock in the morning. Now I remember. In all honesty though, several people say how hard his class is, but I don't agree. Yes, it is challenging, and maybe that is why it seems hard. I have a hard time keeping up with the reading (though I shouldn't since it is the word of God). I can't even begin to express how much I am learning in it though! Up until this semester, I didn't think that I knew much about the Bible, or the New Testament specifically. I now feel confident in conversation that I do know what I am taking about! It is a great feeling.

The weeks seem to be flying by so far. It's true, what everyone says, that time keeps going faster and faster - graduation will be here before I know it! Until then, I am trying to stay in the NOW. Theater is picking up, with more rehearsals, and more work on costuming, and the show is just five weeks away! I can't even believe it!



That's Eddie. He is the director of all of the drama presentations on campus. He takes pride in his work, and definitely does a good job. Things in the theater can be stressful at times, but overall I think we keep our cool and get everything done. Not only am I a part of the Waynesburg University Players, but I am also a member of Alpha Psi Omega - the theater fraternity on campus. We try to take the experience of theater beyond the stage. Right now we are preparing some small one-act productions for what we call Lunchbox Theater. I am directing one, and though I still need to recruit my two actors for the scene, I am very excited about it!

It was another early morning for me today. I start the day at 7am with a campus ministries meeting. Even though it is early, it is a good refresher for me. It helps me stay on top of what I am here for. As a Resident Assistant in East dormitory, I am there each day to be a resource to my ladies, to minister to them through my love and my time. It has been a blessing to be a part of their lives, and I know my life would be much different had I not been hired as an RA. For one thing, I don't know if I would have met my roommate - Kathy West.

I won't lie, Kathy is the best roommate I have ever had! Granted we do waste a good amount of time laughing about NOTHING and being ridiculous. But I love it! Sometimes I feel like we are married, we live together so well. Last night, we were talking to her boyfriend, together, via Skype. Kathy and Phillip met our sophomore year while he was here as an exchange student from Ireland. They have maintained a long-distance relationship since he left! I say good for them, but I would hate it! Last night was the first time I spoke with Phillip, and it was great - he has an Irish accent, what more could you ask for! He says he doesn't understand the hype about the accent, but Kathy and I just say, "Don't worry about it, it works for ya."

Well, enough for now. I'll fill you in on the weekend festivities next week. I will be travelling to St. Vincent for the football game - GO JACKETS! Pray for safe travel and a winning game!

Farewell!

A long weekend followed by a new week

Friday was the start to a long, yet great, weekend. I left Waynesburg at about 12:20 in the afternoon and headed for Canton, Ohio. The plan was to leave at noon, drive to Canton to the home of Evan and Sue Shumway (the in-laws to-be), and then ride with them the rest of the way to Hanover, Indiana for the second football game of the season.

After getting gas, I called up my mama on the phone, and headed south...looking for the 79/70 junction. I don't know if my thoughts were mearly in the phone conversation, or if I was simply thinking, "Oh, I have to go through West Virginia to get to Canton," but either way, south was not the correct way. The entire time I had been chatting on the phone with mom, until I got to the junction of Highway 79 and the 68..."Wait a minute! This is supposed to be the 70!!!" **Brief pause in conversation** **Frustration of the weekend** "Mom, I have to call you back."

After driving a half hour the wrong way, I had to turn around and go north, simply to end up driving right passed Waynesburg, the place I had left from an hour earlier. Just call me Magellan! Sometimes, I just get turned around. Talk about a great start to the weekend!

Upon arrival to the Shumway home in Canton, the rain was coming down. I parked on the street, got out, and walked around to the passenger side door to unload my bags, where the rain was running down the side of my car about five inches deep! Thank goodness for Adidas sport sandals!

The drive to Hanover was about five and a half hours, and it was probably the most productive time I have had in a while. I typed notes from my Intro to New Testament class (probably my favorite class of the semester) and daydreamed until we arrived at the Comfort Inn in Madison, just 10 minutes from the College. Many people would think it would be uncomfortable to stay with your fiancee's parents, in a hotel, without your fiancee. Not me, I enjoyed almost every minute of it! Lucky for me, they changed the room from ONE king sized bed to TWO queen sized beds.



I honestly love hanging out with Ryan's mother, Sue. She is fantastic! We sat together at the game, sweat our butt's off together at the game, and cheered on our favorite player together at the game.


Although the boys didn't play their best, they still ended up winning the game, Waynesburg 36, Hanover 34.
After our less-than-24-hour stay, Evan, Sue, and I turned around to head home. We repeated the five and a half hour drive back to Canton, with multiple Starbucks stops along the way to keep us going. The next day, I got up and had breakfast with the family, then left to head home to Waynesburg. Talk about TOO MUCH DRIVING!!!

Though my family is living in California right now, I was born in Ohio. That makes me a Browns fan, and living in Steeler Country is not the most enthusiastic thing for a Browns fan. Of course, upon my return, the Browns vs Steelers game was on Sunday evening. Ry and I watched it with our good friends Eric and Erika - where Erika was the only Steeler Fan - and much to our dissmay, the Brownies lost...the most frustrating thing is that most of the time, it's not a pummeling, but we just can't seem to get that last touchdown needed to beat them out...oh well, maybe next year.



Getting back to my dorm, I heard noises down the hall from my residents. I went down to check it out, only to find Miranda standing on her couch posing for a photo in her Steelers jersey. Long-story short, we ended up wrestling, Steeler Fan vs Browns Fan, and it was a blast. Oh, and I won, of course.

With the start of the new week came plenty of new things to think about - and I am not just talking about school! Rehearsal for the fall play got started for me, and along with that comes costuming. I have taken the lead for costuming this year for Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible,' and there is a lot to be done. The Waynesburg University Players put a ton of effort into our sets and costuming, in addition to our lines. We put on productions with our hearts, souls, and sweat! It's so far, so good as we get into the swing of the year.

If the combination of classes, theater, being a resident assistant, and planning a wedding doesn't seem like enough - it isn't! As president of Waynesburg University's Colleges Against Cancer, I work with Kelley Hardie to improve the knowledge and awareness on campus about different types of cancer. We got started last spring, and are now officially a CAC chapter. It is only one of the many exciting things to get involved with on campus, but it is one of my personal favorites.

More to come on CAC next week...stay tuned!

Helllloooooo Waynesburg!

Hey everyone! My name is Emily Dooley (soon to be Shumway). I am a senior at Waynesburg University. It is crazy to think that my college years have flown by so fast, so freshmen - get ready for the ride of your life! I can honestly say that coming to Waynesburg is the best decision I have ever made. Not only have I grown spiritually, and mentally, but I met the love of my life and soon to be husband here.

Ryan and I were on Homecoming Court last year as juniors together, and that is when everything just clicked! We got engaged on April 27th last spring, and it has been a dream come true (I know, I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true!). Over the summer we drove out to California - where my parents live - and spent the summer with my mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law (as well as my niece who was born a week and a half AFTER we left).

As a business finance major, Ryan had the privelage to work as a marketing intern at a company called Coffin World Water Systems. Oh, and did I mention my dad is the VP of sales and marketing there? Well, they got to ride to work together everyday this summer - talk about father - soon-to-be-son-in-law bonding time!

As for me, I am a math major. Everyone asks, "What can you do with that?" To be honest, the posibilities are endless. For this summer though, I was proud to work at the American Cancer Society as a Special Events Recruiter. I LOVED my job, the people I worked with, and the cause I was fighting for. My event was Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. You can visit my page at

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY09California?company=ACS+Recruitment&pg=company&fr_id=11602&et=As3jpku6IVBE32VR1YTLnA..&s_tafId=193558.

The start of this year has been a crazy blur of work and fun. I arrived on campus early for RA training (yes, I am one of the Resident Assistants on campus - no, I am not "The Enforcer," but simply a resource for my lovely ladies in East). It has been a great group of students to join, and the friendships I have made are unique and unsuspecting - but I wouldn't trade anything for the relationships I have built!

After three weeks of classes, the Waynesburg University Players have finally got our start to The Crucible. We are a group of students who are mildly odd, and love to act! I first got involved with the Players my sophomore year, and was cast as a witch for my first role - and NO, Eddie Powers (Waynesburg professor and director) does not Type-cast! We put on a production of Macbeth, and it was soooo much fun! If I hadn't gotten involved with the theater here at Waynesburg, I would be a completely different person. Since that fall of 2006, I have done four shows, and I'm just starting the fifth one.

Now, here I am at the end of the third week, and I am looking forward to traveling to Hanover, Indiana for the varsity football game this weekend. Ryan is the starting center and long-snapper for the Yellow Jackets. I'll be gone for the weekend, but eager to get back to friends on campus. So until next time, God Bless!