So spring break... Well I did a lot and had a lot of fun but I don't feel like there is much to tell. Hmmm... Okay, so i first went to Columbia, SC to visit some friends from my old college, CIU, and that was pretty awesome. I especially loved having a bon fire at my friend Danny's house. My friend Shawn came with me, and split all the gas money which was pretty awesome. After a couple days in Columbia I drove back to Marietta and spent the night, repacked the car and then drove, with Shawn, to New Orleans. We made a stop in Montgomery AL on the way so that we could visit my aunt for a little bit and eat her food, which we did, and it was worth it. So after braving treacherous rain, rain that made it impossible to see 10 feet in front of you or drive more than 30 miles an hour, we finally made it to New Orleans, which is actually a really pretty ride if you're into sunsets and cool arching bridges and stuff. We met up with our friend Brian at his school, Loyola, unloaded and then for the next 4 or 5 days we pretty much went all out. We went to a lot of really good restaurants, saw a couple really awesome bands, watched many movies, stayed up way later every night then we needed to, took pictures, took walks and just had a good time. The French Quarter is cool if you're a really rich alcoholic I guess, but I found it to be a bit overrated. One of my favorite parts of this trip, however, was seeing all the incredible architecture of the homes near-by. We also rode the Trolly, of course, and ate a lot of sea food including a total of 12 1/2 pounds of crawfish. So eventually I came back, spent another night at home and then drove back to Tennessee. I think we drove over 2000 miles for spring break. So onto the funny story: I have been trying to get in shape and so I have been running a lot in the gym. One day in-particular I ran three miles on the treadmill and was still feeling really pumped so i decided to use the bike machine. I biked maybe 15 miles before I felt totally drained. So then I decided to grab my stuff and leave. Upon standing up from the machine my legs completely gave out from under me, due to all the fatigue, and I fell flat on my face. I thought this was funny enough but apparently the crowd demanded more America's Funniest Home Videos humor because one of the guys in the cardio room, who was running on a treadmill probably as fast as it could go, saw me fall, began to laugh, and in turn fell on his treadmill, subsequently landing on the speeding belt and being flung into the wall 4 feet behind him. I hate to say that I am happy he fell and got hurt, but at least it took all the attention off of me as I slipped out of the room unnoticed. SO that's that. Finally, the Middle School Retreat. Cory asked me to help out with the Middle School retreat this weekend and quickly I agreed because I love that sort of stuff. The retreat was totally led by the high schoolers, which is a stinking great idea if you ask me. So basically instead of a straight up counselor, I was there to more so facilitate and assist the high school guys in leading. The retreat went beautifully and I even busted up my feet playing soccer. Here are some of the things I learned/ was made aware of, during the retreat. I learned that even 9th grade guys can really surprise you with their ability to lead and lead well, just give them an opportunity to be responsible over other kids and they can do a lot more than you would expect. The depth of God can be discovered at any age (I didn't so much learn this as much as I was reminded of it). Just because you speak really good Jesus grammar doesn't mean jack crap. The reason that 99.9% of the choices we make don't really seem fulfilling and satisfying when we think that they will fulfill and satisfy us is because we are not fulfilled and satisfied by Christ first. This can also be applied to when you date someone for security... it wont work out, be secure in Christ and then date someone who the Lord chooses to love you through. Finally I think the Lord is pressing me to pray about an issue, and ask for prayer as well. I have been looking to be satisfied in college and this is my third college. I kept thinking that a new school would make me happy, but reality is that only God is going to make me happy. Now Lee is a great college and I will probably graduate from here, but I am sensing the Lord pressing me to take next semester off and engage back in with my home church and be a leader in the youth group. My relationship with God is suffering because I am not allowing Him to fully satisfy me and I know from experience that one of the ways He can really get through to me is by working in me while I am in leadership in the youth group, along with while I am in the body of my home church. I feel like the Lord is calling me to refuel in Marietta for a little bit and find my satisfaction in Him, then He will lead me to a place where He will satisfy me further through. So that's it, please be in prayer for this and let me know if the Lord speaks to you, giving you a word in order to help me make a choice on what to do next.
So it's true. Her name is Julia and if you are blind, which means that someone else is reading you this because I don't know how to type in braille, she is absolutely beautiful! We met more or less through church, but our families are all friends. So here is a little background info. I have been praying for/wanting a very specific type of girl for a really long time and have wasted many hours and lots of money on girls who promised things that they would never deliver. I have almost always wanted a very dedicated and loving girl. I don't much like dating casually (and keeping it at that level) because to me it is denying the relationship so much potential for love and commitment. A lot of girls have told me that they want a relationship, but as soon as they realize that a relationship means a serious commitment, sacrifice and vulnerability, they tend to run the other way. I think this probably has a lot to do with just being immature. So because I have wanted a relationship, and not just a relationship but something that meant a lot and something that I could really commit to and receive from just as much as I gave to, I was feeling like it was never going to happen because I wasn't having any luck. So after praying and searching I unexpectedly ended up talking to Julia every night for a little over a week until we decided to start hanging out. She wants exactly the same thing that I want in a relationship and is way more than I ever expected, especially at this early stage of our relationship. I think when you find someone who is perfect for you, you realize it right away. I've never met a girl who I could just talk to for hours without really knowing anything about her. We have probably spent more time talking than anything and I love it. Above all things however, she loves the Lord and loves that I love the Lord. I really can't think of a more perfect rock to build a relationship upon. It's been really cool how the Lord has worked stuff out as well, she wants to move in the exact same direction as I do as far as a career and a family, she loves dance and music and I love art and music, she lives in Marietta and I just so happen to be moving back to Marietta for a summer and at least a semester... things have come together perfectly. So as it is I couldn't be happier. I guess it goes to show that persistence reaps great benefits. Life is good...
