This weekend, I took a trip to Frostburg, Maryland. The purpose of my trip was to participate in a children's literature conference. The other officers and I of the Mount Aloysius Children's Advocacy Club thought it would be a great thing to do. Though I am not an education major anymore, I still learned a lot of beneficial information. Erin, Jenn, Mallori, Angela, Kayla, Sandy, Jen, Megan, and Dr. Roseman, also came on the trip.

We stayed at a hotel overnight, and had a lot of fun. We talked for a while, but then called it a night. During the conference, we met a lot of interesting people, including a lot of people from Ireland. I really loved their accents. We also met a couple of authors and illustrators, in particular, the great Richard Peck. Their presentations took about an hour, but they seemed like minutes. They were all really great. You could purchase books and have them sign them. Erin was excited about this, and had over 10 books signed.

We got back to Mount Aloysius College on Saturday. I was glad to get back. I got to work on some of my homework and I went to work in Cosgrave. Overall, the weekend was really tiring, but went by quickly. I can't believe that there is only around 7 days left of school...

I am going to get some laundry done and watch some TV, so I will talk to you later...

Posted by John Porter at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been almost a week since the shootings at Virginia Tech. I vividly remember turning on my TV last Monday, flipping through the channels to find something to watch before class. The big, flashing headline "breaking news" still lingers in my mind. As I watch the horror unfold, the commentators keep altering the number of confirmed casualties, the number never shrinks...My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims, their families, and the friends affected by this horrific event...Today, We are all Hokies.

While listening to some music on my computer today, a song came on that is one of my favorites. This song struck a feeling of remembrance in me, so I decided that I would share it with you. Don't laugh, but it is by Celine Dion, one of my all time favorite singers. I know...corny, but hey, it's my blog...

Prayer-Celine Dion
written by Corey Hart

Can we touch the soul of heaven
Can we unite a sacred lesson
Every child creates a skylight of beauty
Can you hear cathedrals falling
All the universe is calling
Cry a single cello from your heart
Since the world has lost her way
Loneliness journey endlessly
Yet the promised chance remains
Gifts of that could be

So let the children remember the sun
Let them dance let them soar
For their lives have begun
Let the children engender the rain
As the river runs through fields
Forever subsiding their pain
Prayer

Every voice along the shoreline
Standing still within time
Spinning unresolved the walking
As each season passes
Through wonderland, looking glasses
The secret garden shire beckons you
Gentle flower don't fade away
Sweet innocence still harbors thee
In faith of garden dreams
Where one love lives eternally

Let the children remember the sun
Let them dance let them soar
For their lives have begun
Let the children engender the rain
As the river runs through fields
Forever subsiding their pain
Prayer

Bless the children for they are the light
They are truth of spirit in fight
Yes the children engender the rain as the river
runs through life
Healing their pain
If you could trust with your heart one more time
Sweet angel conceived
You have forever and always believed...
Prayer

Posted by John Porter at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey Everyone! I am so tired from this weekend, but I had a blast. This past Saturday and Sunday, Mount Aloysius College held their fourth annual Relay For Life. This was a 24 hour event designed to raise money to help combat cancer through research, treatment, and other techniques. Although I did not get much sleep throughout the weekend, I still had a great time.

On Friday night, Laura, Curt, Jenna, Justin, Cassie, Sue, Chris, and I started getting the gym ready for Relay. Usually we hold Relay outside, but the forecast was supposed to be questionable, so we decided to hold the event in the gym. We got the tables ready, and put up some our New York City decorations that Jenna, Justin, Laura, and I made throughout the past month. They all turned out great. We had subway posts, a taxi, a Radio City Music Hall sign, a Statue of Liberty, an Empire State Building, and various street signs. We didn't get done until midnight.

On Saturday, we officially kicked into gear. At 11:15, we invited all of our survivors over to Cosgrave to join in a luncheon. The food and the atmosphere was very nice. I am pleased with the turnout of the luncheon. Afterwards we guided the survivors to the gym to kick off Relay. We had our opening ceremony, and we had our survivors start the Relay with a victory lap. Katie Martin's aunt gave us a great and moving welcome address. After that, walking officially started.

At the event, over 20 teams participated. Each team has to have at least one member of their team walking throughout the event. I was captain of the Children's Advocacy Team. We had a table set up with various toys and activities for children to enjoy. Other teams brought informational posters, food, and other fundraisers to sell during the event. As co-charis, Laura and I created mix cd's to play during slow hours. We had an 80's, 90's, Broadway, and Random cd's that we made from various collections belonging to Owen, Laura and me.

Throughout most of the event, there was something going on. We had a DJ, a comedian, bingo games, poker games, Family Feud, a scavenger hunt, and Angela Dodson, a student here at Mount Aloysius College, performed for us. I also brought my Wii down from my residence hall and we had a bowling tournament. The turnout for these events were higher than expected, which was awesome. We also had a luminaria ceremony in honor and in memory of those who fought the battle against cancer. A photo slide show put together by Cindy Henderson accompanied it. It was a truly moving experience. Afterwards, the Step Team gave us a great performance to lift our spirits back up.

Overall, it was a great event. We raised over $20,000 and we are looking to raise more in the next few weeks. Next year's Relay will be even better because we will have an entire year to plan it, instead of the three months that we had this time.

I hope to see you guys next year. For more information about our Relay For Life and how you can make a difference visit www.acsevents.org/mountrelay

Now it is time for some sleep...

Posted by John Porter at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, Guys -

I am finally home from Florida and back to the crisper climate of Cresson. The rest of my Easter vacation went really well. On Sunday, we all climbed into the van and headed to Wal-Mart. My grandmother wanted to buy some clothes, so she and my mom headed to the clothes section, and I headed to the electronics. I was going to buy a new game for my Wii, but I decided to wait. I need all the money that I can get if I am going to get a new car. After going to Wal-Mart, we headed back to my grandmother's house to eat Easter dinner. It was really nice, one of the only times I allow myself to stuff my face...lol After dinner, my dad brother and I went to get ice cream at Baskin Robbins. I had some sort of coconut flavor, and it wasn't too bad.

On Monday, we started the drive back to Pennsylvania. On the way home, I finished reading the World is Flat by Thomas Friedman that we have to read it for our geography class. It was an interesting book. Learning from the trip down, we decided to stay the night at a hotel. We stayed at a Howard Johnson's in Rock City, South Carolina.

We finally made it back home on Tuesday, and I came back to school today. I am looking forward to this weekend. It is going to be our fourth annual Relay for Life. I am so excited, but I am also a little nervous about the little details since I am co-chairing it.

Speaking about Relay for Life, I better start working on some more of the decorations,

Hope to see you there!

Posted by John Porter at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey Y'all

Greetings from Florida. I hope everyone is staying nice and warm in Pennsylvania. Although it is warmer down here, it is still pretty cold for this time of year. However, I am enjoying the sun and the chance to wear shorts and t-shirts...Let me give you a time line of what I have done so far while on break:

On Wednesday, I went home after my last class. My mom and I shared some Pizza at Best Way in Ebensburg. Once I got home, I unpacked some of my college stuff, only to repack everything for my vacation in Florida. Later on in the evening, I watched some TV with my family and headed to bed.

On Thursday, we loaded up the car and did some essential shopping at Wal-Mart. Then we picked up my brother at the high school and headed to Florida. The trip down was extremely long and tiring. We left the high school at noon on Thursday and drove straight through to Florida. We arrived at my grandmother's house at 8:00 am. We made some stops here and there for dinner and gas, but that was about it. My dog was very happy to get out of the car.

On Friday, after arriving, my grandmother welcomed us and we had breakfast. It was very good; I haven't had a home cooked breakfast in a long time. I had some bacon, eggs, and toast. Later on in the day, we drove around the farm and I took my dog for a walk. On our walk, we stopped at a yard sale, but we didn't buy anything. After my walk, I took a much-needed nap. When I woke up it was time for dinner. After dinner, I did some of my homework for Geography.

Today, we went to Cocoa Beach! I took some pictures, bottled some sand and water, and just soaked up the sun for a few hours. On the way, we stopped at a Sonic Drive-In for lunch. I just love Sonic, and I am impatiently waiting for the one in Indiana County to be built. Currently, the closest one is a seven-hour drive, but I think it is well worth it...

Tonight we are going to have dinner and play a few board games...

Stay Warm!

Posted by John Porter at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)