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Little_Swiss_boy
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Name: Shawn
Gender: Male
Interests: Jesus Christ (but He's way more than an interest), guitar, video games, newsletter, spending time/laughs/moments together with my darling girlfriend, snowboarding, go-carts, being lazy, shooting people with marshmallow guns, Relient K, snow, hanging with my awesome cousins, skyscrapers, watchin' the stars, road-trips, eating marshmallows just right (they MUST be golden-ly crisp), photography, and my siblings, which go as follows: Shannon, Shelley, Shelby, Shane, Sheryl, and Shaylon. (I'm between Shelley and Shelby) Whew! all this typin' is grounds for a break!
Expertise: Safe-cracking, making home videos with my awesome cousins, laughing at everything, flying kites (I put that one on my resume) annoying people, heaving pumpkins from great heights, climbing great and tall objects, being spontaneous, making a mean bowl of cold cereal, and generally making the most of life. (You can't make the most of life unless you heave pumpkins off of buildings to symbolize a suicide.)Also, I have two rare diseases which are called Diabetes Mellilitus, and a food allergy called Celiac. If you're more curious than most people, go ahead and ask questions, but I'm gonna tell ya, there's boring explanations in store for you. Hmm, that reminds me, I'm good at boring explanations...
Occupation: Student of High Regard. Hah!
Industry: I'd say I'm perty industrious.
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
MSN: little_swiss_boy@hotmail.com
Member Since:
12/20/2004
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| Hello everyone! It has been quite a while since I've been here. Obviously.
My last year of life in a nutshell?
Still completely in love with Bethany Kramer.
One year and a summer class of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa under my belt.
Made a trip to Oregon to see my growing collection of nieces and nephews. The whole trip was grand, despite the fact we drove it. Ooog...1,600+ miles (one way) in a van LOADED with my sister Shelley's garbag...I mean valuables, is ridiculous, EVEN IF it was a 15-passenger van.
Working at a Rec center in Iowa City part time, working for dad part time, applying for a position at a Staples office supply store, and also applying for scholarships. Scholarship application is like a part time job in itself.
Looking forward to CMC (Christian Mennonite Conference) nearby in a few weeks.
Looking forward to my 20th birthday in a few weeks.
Almost broke my knee drilling concrete with a 20lb hammer drill. I got through the wall at an angle and drilled into the adjacent room's concrete floor. The drill's torque was surprisingly sudden and pinned my knee between the drill and the floor. A few weeks later got hit in the head with a smaller version (15lb) hammer drill. Immense torque. Ironic thing? Dad was running the one that hit my head. We were on a small roof ledge drilling two inch diameter holes through twelve inches of solid concrete for furnace chimneys. Dad says "you ready?" as I'm reaching to steady the hammer drill. Dad jumps the gun, catches a patch of uneven concrete, and gives Shawn a lump on the head.
Well, there's lots and lots to talk about, but practically no time. For those of you reading this, I'm grateful, and I promise to do better. Either I'll write much more or I'll have to redirect you to my facebook page [facebook.com/sbgraber] to let you in on my everyday goings-on.
I do sincerely miss Xanga. I'll try to write more often. Of course, the last time I said that was months ago. 
I need some sleep. All this part-timing and head-bumping has me bushed.
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| As the leaves drift gently down to the green carpet, a cool breeze wafts. The golden sun throws rays of warmth as it sinks below the horizon. Wait, what am I saying?!
More like, the 75° weather scorches us as we wonder, "Is this really November?" But we are reminded of the coming winter with every near-freezing night and chilly, gray, cloudy days every once in a while. Iowa has the weirdest weather ever. It's like God has somehow allowed a child to get access to the thermostat. A child that can't make up her mind. If it was a he, the weather would be a little more stable, methinks. 
I like the warm weather, but it's unpredictability is annoying. Since I commute to classes and then walk all day, I have no idea whether to bundle up in sixteen layers or just wear a t-shirt. So I usually find myself dragging a coat around in nearly 80 degrees of balmy sunshine, then forgetting the coat when the temperature decides to plummet unexpectedly.
Classes are going well, with the exception of Calculus. I had to finally drop the class, because I was failing it. I will be taking it again next semester. But, before you unduly criticize me, I'll let it be known that I wasn't the only one that had to drop the class. When I approached my professor for his signature on my drop form, I was accompanied by four other students, seeking the same signature on the same paper. The problem is that our professor, who knows calculus like a Graber knows danger, doesn't know how to communicate it to us students. Sorta like how a Graber, although he/she knows danger, seems incapable of avoiding it.
A lot of things are happening with my sister, depending on which one I talk about. Sister Shannon is a-girthed with her fourth child, due in May. Sister Shelley is away, being romanced by her fiance, whom shalt say "I do" to her in April. It's about time! Sister Sheryl is a stinker. But she's working hard on piano and school, and doing well in both.
And now I end this with the reason that makes me end most posts: I'm starving to death, and there's some gluten-free pizza in the fridge, calling my name.
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| Gracious sakes alive and help the needy!
I have once again tossed myself into the fray of education. This time, instead of the cozy, friendly atmosphere found inside the walls of a private, Christian K-12 school, I'm now one of 4,100 freshmen entering into the University of Iowa.
Yes, it's crazyness.
I have declared my major as 'Mechanical Engineering' but many people have told me that it's not unusual for engineers to switch pursuits. And there's a bevy to switch to. Electrical, Industrial, Architectural, Chemical, Biomedical, Biochemical, Agricultural, Aerospace, etc. They are all enticing.
What is mechanical engineering? Well, whatever it is (for I can't sum it up quite yet in less than a book of descriptions) requires a pile of math and science. I am currently taking:
Accelerated Rhetoric, which is like English and Speech all smashed together.
Single-variable Calculus, which is the first math class that has ever stumped me. I'm going for some tutoring in September, where some upperclassmen will give me some much-needed help.
Principles of Chemistry, which is a very exciting class. Every other week we get 3 hours of laboratory time! Coming from a private school with no labs...this excites me. My class is giant: 900 students. But the class times vary so my lecture is 350 students, my lab is 20-30 students, and my discussion session is about two dozen students.
Engineering Problem Solving I, which is right up my alley. We pretty much work with engineering problems and team dynamics (working together as a team). I love it already. The homework is pretty steep, but Professor Stephens is amazing.
First Year Seminar, which is a class for engineering students, just to learn the hows and whys and whats of engineering. We had a scavenger hunt which had me scouring the Engineering building for a few hours to find the clues. Quite fun.
I've met a friend already, and his name is Tomas Daly. He's hilarious, and we share classes, so we see each other a lot. We work on homework together, discuss the absurdity of infinite numbers, and pull our hairs out every calculus class.
Please keep praying for me! There are elements at the University that are far from Christian. I've had a good experience so far, but I pray that I can be a light to those around me. I know that those of you who still read my xanga (thank you, Grandpa M.!) have already spent a great deal of praying for me. Thank you so much!
Well, I'm off to help mom make 40 quarts of salsa. After I finish some homework, that is...
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| Oh my. It seems that through the courses of time and space, work and play, activities and events, my poor xanga has fallen by the wayside. So updatin' a little on me. I'm part-timing with dad, only when he has large jobs and needs some extra hands. Otherwise, I'm helping with the flood cleanup, at a respectable wage. I was in Cedar Rapids, which was pretty catastrophic, but now I'm working in Iowa City, where the damage was less severe. I'm currently working at the University of Iowa, where I will be attending this fall. Orientation for my class schedules and all that good stuff happens on the 8th of July, and I'm mostly nervous. Bethany scared me to death last night. Thinking it t'was apple juice, she drank some Tiki Torch lamp oil by mistake. She was sick for the rest of the night, and threw up a coupla times. Good thing she didn't smoke a cigarette or something. Before that incident, Bethany and I went and watched some fireworks at Shiloh. Amazing. Incredible. And the fireworks were great too. *laughs* Seriously, though, Shiloh makes an enviable evening of firework fun. They have it all, including incendiary bombs. Way too much fun. Shelley is getting married, didja hear? Okay, so not just quite yet. Randypants hasn't asked her yet. I hope he reads this. Hurry up, already! We want her out of the hous....er, you guys are a great couple! Shells just mopes around the house these days. Come from yonder and snatch her away! So for those of you who read this, I'll try to be more faithful and write up some posts from time to time. Continue to pray for me! No, not that I have the ability to post, but that God infuses my life with His, and I can be an example on campus this following year. | | |
| Ho-kay!
My senior class is leaving on our grand expedition to Colorado for a week starting tomorrow morning at the crack of 6am. It's so good to be graduation-ized....A ton of my families came out to see me graduate, and for that I'm very thankful. My grandpa from Virginia, my sister and her family from Oregon, my uncle and aunt from Tennessee...just to name a few. My little nieces and nephew have been keeping things quite lively.
So henceforth after the senior trip, I'm headed to Detroit, Michigan for FPSPI, which is pretty much Future Problem Solving Program International. Last time I went, back in the good 'ol days, my team and I got 5th place worldwide. I'm hoping for better, but it's ridiculously hard competition.
After that, My summer just might officially begin. I'm going to be workin' with my dad all the live-long day, saving up for some much-needed items for college. YES INDEED, COLLEGE. Yours truly has been accepted into the University of Iowa for mechanical engineering. I'm quite excited.
My family just made a trip down to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. QUALITY. Go if you can, and if you can't, umm...make it so you CAN go. It's very, very good. I really enjoyed walking through a museum that didn't offend my beliefs on Creation. By the time you guys make a trip out there, they just might have their petting zoo done. Bonus!
My sister's "friend", Randy, got me hooked on the Rubic's Cube, which he gave me for graduation. So far, I haven't been able to solve it without the algorithms in a book he also gave me, but with the book I can solve it in under 15 minutes. I'm so proud of me...
Well, that's all for now. If you're critically eyeballing my site, wondering if it will ever change or produce something fresh, I surely deserve that. I'll try to post every other fortnight.
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