StudentCongressGroup-1
Originally uploaded by romeyinfc.

Here is part of the student group that gathered at our reception this evening at Congress.

Tonight turned out to be a good night.  We held our Catholic Students reception here at the hotel.  We ended up handing out over 100 invitations, but we only got about 24 people.  The numbers in quantity may have been a little disappointing, but we definitely made up for it in quality of the people.  Out of everyone, we reconnected with people from the NCSC Conference, and got to see a lot of famliar faces.  We also managed to get a Bishop to show up (Bishop Ryan from Monterey), as well as Campus Ministry advisors from two regions, and finally our NCSC Vocations Liaison showed up!  So we spent a lot of time making really good connections with people, everyone has laughing and had a great time!  Tonight turned out to be worth-while!

Greetings from Southern California!  I wish I could say sunny Southern California but as I write this I’m sad to say the weather is a bit dreary outside: overcast with some rain…  We came in on Thursday into really nice weather and spent an awesome afternoon driving down the coast, having some great pizza, then finally visiting the beach.  We spent a good 1 & 1/2 hours walking the shore line, getting our feet wet, and simply enjoying the sunny weather.  Here are some pictures of the five of us enjoying this beautiful sunny day.

Carrie, myself, Joel & Emily

One of my favorite beach shots, with both Carrie & Emily 

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying one of the best meals I’ve had in some time: we simply sat at a bar on the pier and enjoyed clams, muscles, fisherman’s chowder and shrimp.  It wasn’t until 10pm when we made our way up to Anaheim.

LA Congress kicked off with a bang on Friday morning, and it’s been really interesting watching it unfold.  This is my 4th LA Congress, but this year I am staying and spending time with 8 people who have never been here before.  Watching Congress through their eyes has been really great to see.  There has been a great deal of chaos, but a lot more fun.

What’s funny with this year is that I have spent a lot more time relaxing and taking care of myself than in previous years.   I ended up missing out on two of my eight sessions, not because I’ve been buying things, but because I wanted to rest up and get some sleep.  Originally I was disappointed about missing the sessions, but now at the end of Saturday it seemed like the best choice.  I feel rested and refreshed, and I was able to be attentitive in the workshops I wanted to be in.

I really need to spend some more time processing the individual workshops and talking about them, but all I really have time to do right now is post some pictures.  I’ll share more later…

See more pictures at my Flickr! site. 

Photo 54
Originally uploaded by romeyinfc.

Here is Joel and myselif having fun with Mac Photobooth at Pegge’s mom’s house – talk about crazy!

Wow, I did it…  It took almost 4 months but I managed to get through all four seasons of 24 on DVD: 24 DVD’s (how ironic), and 96 episodes later I finally finished the final episode last night! What started out as something fun to check out has turned into a TV obsession.  I tore through seasons one and two in a matter of weeks, then with Season 3 things go so busy that I took almost two months off from the DVD’s.  I still managed to get my 24 fix with season 5 each week, then three weeks ago I picked up where I left off and haven’t looked back.

I find it funny to find that I’m writing about watching a TV show – but this isn’t just any TV show – it’s an intense experience of plot twists, character betrayals, and a ton of suspense.  I would recommend 24 to anyone that is looking for an action fix.  Before you know it, you’ll be thinking Jack Bauer thoughts yourself!  Start with Season 1, Disc 1 and take it from there1  Whatever you do, don’t start watching the show mid-season.  It’s simply too complicated, and you’ll probably not enjoy the show all that much.

Now that I’ve finished the DVD’s all I do is wonder "What now?".  How am I going to get my 24 fix now?  It’s hard enough watching each show a week at a time, but in 5-6 weeks when Season 5 comes to an end does that mean that I’m going to have to wait 7 whole months before my next hit of 24…  I knew this day would come, and now it’s here… 

Also for those who like the show check out this listing of the truths about Jack Bauer.