Saturday nights and Sundays in Ames

There is always a measure of nostalgiac reflection that comes over me when I return to the town of my alma mater, and it is never for the events and happenings and classes that were all part of the experience, but rather a yearning for the people that were all once there, and a rejoicing at reunion with old friends still there and still vibrantly remembrant of the same times that echo in my heart!



Such was the happy reflection that filled my heart during our time in Ames. It was a great privilege to see old friends and to know that despite a lack of contact over time, that we can pick up right where we left off.

Then to recount some of the experiences of these two days, Friday night bled into Saturday, as Kyle Poppens had to stay late at work, and so dinner was postponed, but this left him completely free for Saturday, which was a time for reading, writing, beer-bottling, and avoiding the rain that intermittently drizzled outside. But this did not matter, for Ames was never about the weather, not about the sites and tourist attractions, but always about the people. That night Kathy White and daughter Annette prepared a wondrous meal for us, that we absorbed and then photographed ourselves for memories.



Later, we entered the Chicha Shack, a wistful experience for Kyle and myself, as we first smoked hookah together during undergrad, nearly 5 years ago now. Misty and husband Jacob joined us, and their vigor for life and for their respective careers was stimulating and inspiring. And of course the night wrapped up with Daniel off to good friend Keiran's dorm (only a couple doors down from my old place - on the same floor!!! Go Welch Bergman!!!) and us off to some cribbage and good times with Christy Yuska and Kris Egan back at Kyle's place. This was the way we spent many a good night during college, and thus a great way to rekindle some memories and recall the good things and great times in life.



Sunday morning, rain was falling to a certain degree, but mass was the defining feature of the day. Thanks to Fr. John a wonderful homily on taking life one step at a time, and this is exactly what we are trying to do. Thanks to advice from a friend of mine, we are trying to live each moment to the fullest and enjoy everything that there is to learn from it. After mass, Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast, yum! And a great happening upon President and Mrs. Geoffrey, whom I had not seen in a long time and it was very good to see. Every time I see them, or any other professor of mine, I come back to the thought that to be a good teacher, you have to have something to teach. One must be inspired and use that fire to motivate their students to learn and reach beyond the status quo of their existence. School should be an impetus, not a daycare, and this is part of our journey as well, to find that fire, to seek that motivation ourselves, in order that we can incoporate it into our lives, whether as students, teachers, husbands, fathers, brothers, priests, religious, would that we all had such inspiration and shared it every day with one another. How great could the world be under such circumstances as these?

At the pancake breakfast, Daniel showed his penchant for working with little kids. He decided to ensue the chase of Kris Egan's nephew Ryan, directly into a steel partition. Ryan, the tough guy, proceeded to cry, and look at both of us with a hurt expression until we parted ways, but at least we started off on the right foot as evidenced by the photos.



After breakfast we headed back to Kyle's said our last goodbye to Kris Egan, clean up, pack up, and off we headed for Nebraska. Let me be the first to tell you that everything that they say about western Iowa and eastern Nebraska is true. Farmland and not much more, which does have its own beauty, especially when you can legally traverse it at 75mph!