About trying to be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune

This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about applying to be a contestant on a game show. I have another post about considering an appearance on Wipeout, but I have yet to apply to compete on that show. So that would make this application video the first of it’s kind in my world.

I would absolutely love to step up to the wheel and try my best to solve puzzles! Why? Because I try to do it already on weeknights at 630pm… why not try to do it for real! So I sent this video in with my application a few days ago, and at this point I haven’t heard anything back. I read they receive over a million applications in a year, or something like that, so I know my chances of even being considered at all are slim. Trust me, I’m not holding my breath! But man, it would be so awesome to get on the show and use my amazing puzzle-solving superpower to win a Jeep. or a Nissan Versa Note. Or a trip to Hawaii. Or the show minimum, $1,000. 😉

-Out of the Wilderness

Our fascination with guys named Birdman

A birdman was recently in the news for some crime, and I started thinking to myself, “Zoiks! How many birdmen are there???” Well, there’s this one.

NBA basketball player Chris Andersen, aka Birdman. (Getty Image)
NBA basketball player Chris Andersen, aka Birdman. (Getty Image)

And there’s another one.

the Birdman that was recently in the news.
the Birdman that was recently in the news.

Then there’s the box office Birdman. birdman3

birdman4
And moving to the small screen, there’s this Birdman…pronounced Bid-men.

Bill Hader as Birdman on Portlandia.
Bill Hader as Birdman on Portlandia.

Why there’s a trend of Birdmen in sports, music, movies, and television I can’t begin to guess. But it can’t be coincidence.
-Out of the Wilderness

A week at summer camp: Part 2

So tagging on to my previous post about going back to summer camp, I was most excited about these three things:
1. My nephew going to Kanakuk/ road trip with him and my brother
2. Seeing a few old friends
3. Serving any and all staff for the week
Immediately after walking into the camp on opening day, I hugged a guy that meant a lot to me when I was working at K-West. Actually, he and his wife met at K-West during one of the summers I was there. DSC09255 DSC09254He goes by the name Sparky and she goes by Rachel. Awesome people. So glad I got to see them again. I also got to see the director of K-West, Ward Wiebe, an awesome man who I also reference in this post.

I knew in my heart of hearts it was going to be a great week, but I didn’t know I’d leave inspired by all the people there. It’s a whole different culture where they really do put God first, others second, and themselves third. I have become so accustomed to “the ways of the world” that I forgot we’re commanded to love other people like we love ourselves. This week at Kanakuk was a refreshing reminder of the second greatest commandment (the #1 commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength).

Good times in Missouri! There was also a bird nest in the teepee my brother and I were sleeping in. I’ll write more later about those baby birds, and more about what I mean when I say we slept in teepees, it wasn’t a typo.

-Out of the Wilderness

A week at summer camp: Part 1

It was the summer of 2000. I was between my junior and senior year of college and I was off to Missouri to be a videographer at a popular Christian sports camp in Lampe, Missouri. It’s called Kanakuk. DSC09261My sister had worked there in the mid-90s and my brother, too, in the late 90s/early 2000s. This was my first time experiencing Kanakuk Kamps, but not my last. I’d come back in 2001 and 2002, all three times working in video. After the last summer, I “settled down” in Tallahassee with a “real job” and began the life of a “young adult.” Life was all…fancy guyThen I moved to Nashville and life was all… brayI worked at CMT for 9 years, but then got laid off! the horrorSo basically I’ve had the entire summer to do whatever I want with the comfort of a generous severance package. Long story short, and because my brother was taking his son to Missouri for a week at Kanakuk, I tagged along to volunteer with my bro at a summer camp I hadn’t been to in almost 15 years! I was excited to go back, and really excited about the road trip I was about to take with my brother and nephew. DSC09183 DSC09184 DSC09188 DSC09190 DSC09191 DSC09193 DSC09194 DSC09197 DSC09198 DSC09200 DSC09202 DSC09203 DSC09206 DSC09208 DSC09211 DSC09214 DSC09215 DSC09217 DSC09226 DSC09228 DSC09231DSC09233 DSC09237 DSC09239 DSC09243

We made it to Missouri! The 7+ hour drive went by so fast. It was July 3rd so that’s why there were so many flags flying. Even these…DSC09260But anywho, politics aside, we were in Missouri and excited about it. Check back tomorrow for more!

-Out of the Wilderness