Tonight I got to make a couple phone calls to good friends of mine. This encouraged me a lot just getting to talk about what’s going on and getting some truth from people who know who I am, who listen to when I tell what’s going on, who understand life from the same perspective. Life’s hard, there’s suffering, and living for Jesus isn’t some easy walk down the road. Jenny mentioned that if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Well, not everybody is. But I want more to know Jesus before it’s all over and certainly before my life is over. I don’t know how long my life will last because that’s not been made known to me, but I do know I have no plans on laying down and stopping the fight until I’m dead.
Hey, what’s going on?
A lot’s been happening lately. Busy, busy, busy. Except, of course, for the long reading breaks I take. Lately, my book reading has involved The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It’s an epic fantasy novel of immense proportions. The paperback is over 800 pages long, and this is only the first of over a dozen books. Unfortunately, I only own the first one, but that’s where the used book shop will play into future plans.
Last Saturday was a busy day. Navigator’s had a Fundraising Banquet around noon that my parents came to. After it ended, I talked to some people I know including a few UNL Nav alumni and friends. My parents left to head back to the hotel at that point.
Later Saturday evening, the Navigator’s 2004 Formal occurred. Good times, of course. We had a large group this year: Amy H. and I, Phil and Rachael, Double-J and Lauren A., Cora and Nathan J., Jake, Jenny, Tracy, and Hank. For dinner, we consumed food at The Olive Garden. They have excellent breadsticks if you were wondering.
The dance itself was great fun. Latrice deejayed with assistance from Steve and a few others. At my request, they played P.O.D. - Rock the Party. It was one of my favorites of the night ’cause it gives all the guys a chance to rock, jump around, and pretend to mosh. (Real mosh pits are much more painful, or so I hear.)
Amy and I both had a lot of fun. This year’s formal was different from the last two because there seemed to be less pressure and a lot of that is simply due to my own approach to the event. It went as well as and better than I had expected.
Today, I’ve got to rewrite the five page paper I messed up last week (wrote on the wrong topic). Thursday, I’ve got a fifteen page paper due. Basically, I need to start researching, forming ideas, and writing. Pray for me, please. Latez!
On Saturday I turned TwentyNothing Plus Two. On walking to our freshman connection party that night, I asked a couple of guys from the Bible study I lead how old they are. Both are still 18. Ok, so I feel old. It’s time for me to get out of this college life.
My birthday was sweet. Thanks to my family for the stuff I got from them (fourth year straight with a birthday cake in the mail). Thanks to grandparents, Jenny, and Tracy for cards. You all rock. Thanks to the mysterious “happy birthday” voice mail from Misty (and Merry??). Thanks to Jenny for planning the party last night at Tracy’s. Thanks to everyone else who ever said anything remotely akin to “Happy Birthday”.
Saturday has been swell. I managed to read a total of five chapters from two of my books for this semester leaving only another 30 or so to catch up to my expected level of reading thus far in the semester. I’m also behind a five page paper. Yuck. But!
In the afternoon, I played Scrabble with Missy. We managed a close game and she won by four points in the end. She had many vowels and I had many consonants through the game. I had every major letter: Q, Z, J, and X. The Q killed me in the end because I couldn’t use it. Oh well, we shall meet in battle again, Missy! (It was fun talking, too.)
Now there’s two different parties I can go to tonight. Jenny’s got people coming to her place and Carly (a friend of Missy’s) is having a shindig as well. I’d like to spend a bit of time at both. I’ll figure that out later. I should probably take off soon though. Peace out!
I’ll be leaving for Colorado Springs within two hours for the Edge Corps Preview. The roads contain some snow, so I’ll have to leave a bit sooner than I was planning on. I’m looking forward to seeing friends from UNL at the Preview (our Edge Corps team and Jenny) and being in an atmosphere that encourages spending time with God and thinking about spiritual things.
Being at home has been a nice break from life, but it’s also been a break from the things that matter most, and that’s been a downside. It’s hard to concentrate on anything of value when surrounded by computers and televisions, or when spending time with friends in the bars and being barraged with sin and its affects. (Just for reference, in this situation I was the driver.)
Anyway, I should get ready to leave. I’m just hoping this little retreat is what I need.