Tales of Summer: I need a vacation

College summers are the best. Three months straight of doing whatever you want to do; vacations, concerts, roadtrips, sleeping in, not putting effort into anything, etc. It's all fun and games--unless your parents have anything to say about it.

Actor/comedian/musician/smiling man Will Smith once offered this profound observation: "Parents just don't understand." They don't understand why I wouldn't want to be a cashier at Walmart. They don't understand why I would drive all the way to Columbus to see Kesha in concert. They don't understand how to send private messages on Facebook.

Luckily, however, I am understanding. I humored them by working for the world's largest private employer for six weeks before quitting and taking advantage of the rest of my time off... But not before the monotony of retail took its toll on my mind, body, and soul.

Guess which month I worked at Walmart

Seriously, though, it's been a great few months. This has definitely been one of the most enriching, fun, profitable, and exciting summers of my life. And all jokes aside, I was the one who decided to take the job, and it certainly wasn't as bad as I make it out to be. (More about my adventures and spiritual revelations as a cashier in The Collegian.)

So, let this be a celebration of a summer well spent; my first college summer.

I always enjoyed going to VBS (Vacation Bible School for you heathens out there) when I was younger. It was always a fun week where I got to hang out with friends and eat peanut brittle and make glittery doorknob hangers with the phrase "JESUS LOVES ME" plastered across it. It was fun, and I got to learn about God, too. But helping set everything up and being part of it later on? No, no, no. Hated it. Way too frustrating and way too much work.

So much time and effort is required for any VBS to flourish and have results--and this past summer, my church's was especially elaborate (especially for a church our size). It involved a 20-page scripted play and an entire set to be built in our sanctuary. I was asked to be a part of said production and decided it was high-time to get involved and show off my acting chops, too.

A friend and I prepare for the performance of a lifetime

Name: Theodore Tweedle
Occupation: Sheriff of Discovery City, CA
Purpose: Comic relief

That's pretty much all you need to know about my character. It was so much fun getting to act and make little kids laugh, and, when I wasn't on stage, get to tell them about Jesus. (These kids would literally laugh at anything. Did you forget your line? Just trip over something!) I really couldn't be more proud of our production, but, more than that, how receiving the kids were to the message.

Something like seven kids were saved by the end of that week. Now, I don't pretend to think that it was me or anyone at the church that saved them, but what we did mattered. We planted seeds of scripture and love and watched them in just a few days sprout and maybe even grow a few leaves. And it was such a blessing to see the fruits of our labor.

NEXT TIME: Tattoos, gay dolphins, and twenty pounds of sand in my pants. It's Myrtle Beach, baby.