The Storm Before the Storm

So I thought I'd give this blogging thing a try...seems to be a good way to keep everyone updated on my adventures. The past few weeks have been a bit of a "Ben Ranz Farewell Tour." It has included trips to New York City; Cleveland; Las Vegas; Bloomington, Indiana; Columbus, and finally, Cincinnati. It has been incredible being able to visit with so many people before I ship out.

For about the past week, I have been at my parents house, basically making a huge mess. I got all of my earthly possessions out of all of the nooks and crannies of their house and went through everything, sending a car full to Goodwill and a whole garbage can to the trash (much to my dad's dismay). What remains now are two rooms filled with clothes, CD's, wires, and just about everything else I own strewn about as I make an attempt to pack and put stuff away. My mom is looking forward to getting her upstairs back, while my dad insists that the mess is "pretty neat" and felt the need to take video footage of the "tornado" that hit the second floor. Those of you who know my dad are certainly laughing right now. Below is a shot of the mess upstairs, although not at its worst point.



I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this once I'm in Bolivia, but check back periodically for the latest from South America.

T-minus 6 days...