"Do Not Worry About Tomorrow..."

The twisted hypocrisy of the statement really hit me today; as I led a small group of high school guys, I gave this verse out when the issue of anxiety came up. Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I was given this same verse as advice quite recently, and in the same conversation told that I need to have the 2014-2015 school year planned out for the church calendar.

whaaat?

and it clicked; that same kid that I told that to is going to go home and be told to work on something that will pay off in 4 years when he graduates, to go on to a college because they prioritized a sport/music/theater in hopes of scholarships and placement.

and it doesn't work. not for me, and not for these kids.

So, Christians, how do we rectify this paradox? How do we teach the Biblical words of Jesus to "Seek first the Kingdom of God" without then turning around and encouraging them to push their faith to the side while they prioritize some way of paying for college? Have we forgotten how that verse ends? "...and all these other things will be provided to you."

I seem to have forgotten them. I either deal with crisis after crisis as they appear while not having much of a vision for the future, or I plan out the long run and have sleepless nights as I consider that situations may have changed so much by then that it is all moot planning and I have to do crisis control again.

So my prayer, my request, my petition to God is that I will learn His way - not man's - of living in the present of His gifts of Grace, Life, and Abundance. and that I can pass this on to the young men and women who are within my sphere of influence, to the Glory of God and His salvation.

It's One Thing For Me, But For You...?

I realized something about grace today.

I'm not good at wanting it for others.

As a Christian, who relies on Grace for - well, everything - I'd think that this wouldn't be the case. I know that by Grace alone we are saved from eternal torment, and you'd think that I'd want that for everyone. I know that I verbalize my hope for all persons to come to the saving knowledge of Christ and the act of living faith.

And I'm ok with mercy and forgiveness. Mercy is not dishing out what has been [negatively] deserved. Much like a stay of execution; allowing to live what was sentenced to death. But Grace...

a statistic makes the point on-line

I realized this issue this morning as I responded to an article (well, more of an image) that a facebook friend posted via Upworthy about minimum wage and it's costs. I spent several minutes crafting and posting my reply about how raising minimum wage will not really solve the problems of those making it, and will actually increase those at a poverty level as cost-of-living increases, and ultimately will cost citizens and government more. I have quite an opinion on this issue, as someone who worked for minimum wage for a good decade in food services.

And thus I realized my hesitancy to grant grace to others.

You see, when you make minimum wage, you can earn raises, and that precious 50 cents an hour above the nationally and state required minimum is something I was always proud of; always earning the highest possible raise. And then the powers that be would raise the minimum wage, either to what I had just spent years earning, or sometimes even higher. Which would mean that the just-hired-last-week employee would be making just as much as my 3-years-of-toil had gotten me.

And that just plain chapped  my hide.

Add to that insult the increased cost of living, (and it wasn't that they were as "rich" as I was, but that I was now as "poor" as the entry level folk) and you ended up with a bunch of unhappy employees all around. So it never occurred to me that this was something I should wish for others to have. They needed to work just as hard as I had to be compensated the same.

Enter God speaking to me in my whining and somewhat selfish attitude.

denarius with Tiberius' likeness

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard workers. The gist of the tale is that workers hired at different times of the day all get paid the same wage, no matter how long they had worked. And that really ticked off those who had gotten there at dawn to work the fields. When they saw the folk who had only worked an hour get a full day's wage, they assumed they would get more (even though they had agreed to that same amount). But when it came their turn to get paid, it was the same denarius that the latecomers had received.

Cordon Bleu is still my favorite

And the new girl at Arby's was getting paid the same hourly wage as those of us who had put in several years. Suddenly, I find myself in the story, and it's in the role of the

complaining party.

I believe in Heaven; not levels of heaven, not my-mansion-is-bigger-than-yours heaven, but a place in the presence of the Lord God Almighty where our cares, pains, mourning, petty arguing, and other grit are gone in the experience of an inconceivable [to our finite minds] deity.

And I'm a big believer in death-bed conversions, where (for example's sake) a convicted mass murderer gets the same saving Grace from Christ Jesus as someone who has called Him "master" since the age of 3. It's just the nature of grace; receiving something [positive] when there is absolutely no deserving of it.

So, all politics aside, what is the problem with someone with less experience getting the same wages that I get as someone who has worked for 20+ years? I mean, away from all the accusations of Socialism, Communism, and Capitalism, why am I so upset that someone gets more? Shouldn't I be happy for them?

This is where I think the stereotype of upset-looking Christians comes from, at least surrounding this issue. I should celebrate that someone is getting more than they signed up for (or the same as I signed up for).

share your joy

Referencing Jesus' teachings in the Bible again, there was a widow who lost a 10th of her lifesavings, "and when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke15:8-10)

That's a picture of Grace that I don't want to forget!

And so you know what? While it bothers me in the whole political-economic sphere of things about increasing minimum wage, if it happens, I'm going to be happy for those who have more. And I'll consider ways in which to adjust to inflation that comes as a result. And I'll work with others to find avenues in which we can fight the shrinking of the middle class. And I'll take the continued criticism of my more liberal friends and the added disparagement of my more conservative friends (politically minded references in both cases).

It's grace, and that is one ting that I have absolutely no foundation to stand and argue against.

Because I need it every minute, of every hour, of every day.

And, thanks be to God, it's there every moment.

Power. Glory. Music... God?

So today I received an email entitled "A NIGHT YOUR YOUTH WON'T FORGET!" as a part of a Youth Ministry promotion, so I opened up the email and saw this:

Is it just me or is there something missing here? Shouldn't there be some mention of encountering God? Some mention of our Lord, Jesus Christ? How about a filling of the Spirit?  This just looks like a rock concert promo, ala Pink Floyd.

"It must be in the fine print," I thought to myself, and scrolled down.

"...high-energy, interactive movie theater event..." That's not it.

"...a fuse of music, comedy, and inspirational messages..." Eh, maybe.

"...a moment where young people and those who believe in them fill theaters..." Huh? Believe in young people? I thought this was about believing in God?

"...Empower young people to overcome their fears they face regarding peer pressure..." Um... a high school assembly speaker?

"...Platinum-selling recording artists, encouraging  message, brand new song, TV personality, and hilarious speaker..." Am I missing something?

I knew I had come to the end of the email when I saw this:

I may be old-fashioned, but I truly believe that Youth Ministry (and all-ages Worship for that matter) needs to point to and focus on God, not a dramatic show of lights, sound, comedy, and motivation. These things are fun, and I'm sure will pack in a few thousand folk, but what are we offering; a product or a person? a show or a savior? glamour or God? a rock star or the Rock?

Years ago I stopped subscribing to a "Youth Ministry Tool" that provided free CDs of the newest Christian bands (which I had a hard time understanding why they were called "Christian" much of the time) and merchandising ads to hand out at youth group so that kids could buy the newest t-shirt or poster of their favorite intensely angry-looking band (seriously, no wonder folk outside the church think we're angry. what would happen if a Christian recording artist actually smiled? the 2nd coming? I could live with that).

This comic came across my computer screen today as well:

 and it made me think that this sort of Arena Event is kinda like this:

and just why would I encourage teens - young people who are looking for substance, for truth, for meaning, for acceptance, for a foundation to set their lives on, for love - to replace the Way, Truth, and Life found in Jesus for Power, Glory, and Music?

So I won't. and I hope that other youth workers, parents, and teens will instead grow in their local communities; maybe listening to a couple of learning middle schoolers play guitar in a living room as they sing a song of worship together, maybe standing in a field during a thunderstorm and witnessing the awesome grandeur of God in the sky, maybe just sitting in the car talking about how their day kinda sucked and listening to one another...
...and maybe, just maybe, a relationship with Jesus built in the everyday hustle, struggle, and boredom of their lives, the relying on His Spirit when things are hard, offering up a prayer to Him, and trying to figure it all out as they reconcile their faith with everything else that is thrown at them in 30-foot-tall technicolor, widescreen HD, surround sound, fog machines, and laser lights.
A relationship that my youth won't forget...

Yeah, I think I like that better. I think God will too.

patio heat...

Not that this is anything epic, but Stuart - a student from church - and I built a little patio in my back yard. Where there was once about 5 tufts of grass and a whole lot of dirt, there is now a level* place for table and chairs to relax and entertain... not many, but a couple could fit.

Oh, the heat; well it's been over 100 this week. Turns out eastern Washington IS hot during the summer. Last year was just a fluke. Too hot for the new patio ironically.

*well, more level than it was prior anyway.

2013: The Beginning

Well, whether Mayan, "Christian", Rev. Camping, or just random, we all survived the many apocali predicted.

I have been quite lazy in the upkeep of this little blog... I think I'll blame Facebook for no longer connecting blogger to my page there. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Anyway, to catch up: I've been in Walla Walla for over a year now, and am quite content here. It's not hard to call it home, even though I do miss many friends and family over in the Portland area. Luckily, it's pretty close by and I get to visit several times a year...
...heck, folk can visit me quite easily too - like my folks who come up, stay at WildHorse, and hang out with me!

Taco Tuesdays @ Wahi

Ministry/Work continues to be the focal point of my life, working and playing with teens and their families, and sharing the Truth of Jesus with them and their friends. I've become known as "taco guy" at the local High School - I declared Tuesdays in November and December to be Taco Tuesdays and brought 30 or so tacos to the students from youth group and others. Pretty fun!

Sarah and I have been dating for six months now... oh, did I not mention her before? I guess not. 'gotta admit that we deflected folk for quite a while successfully on that! Ah, what a wonderful time we are having together!

Bryson Sessions

This past week I was able to play drums for a student's EP recording project, so that was good to be back behind the kit. Unfortunately they're back in storage once again... *sigh* Hopefully again soon...

Well, I guess that's all you get for now. I hope to get back on here from time to time and catch up, share thoughts, or work through the insomnia that sometimes infests my mind.

A Hot Cup of Coffee...

This morning I found myself up early enough to drink my coffee hot. For some reason that sounds more intense to me than it probably does to you. But as I heated water for the French Press, I grabbed an old notebook from college; my Spiritual Formation class notes and journal. You see, when I took this class, I kept a running journal of my thoughts, attitudes, growth, stagnancy, and even what I was learning. And I see that I haven’t really kept up on that.

I forgot how much I enjoyed that journaling. How much that helped focus my day. And even prior to that class – and after – I had a somewhat active blog on MySpace (remember that? Before it sucked?) where I shared many of my thoughts about spirituality, Christianity, personal issues, and thoughts on the world. I still like to read many of them, and remember that many of my sermons/lessons came out of those when I kept it somewhat regularly.  So that might be what happens here.

See, when I started this blog I thought it was going to be more about sharing epic and amusing tales of life, as I presented my wit to you. Yeah, that didn’t really go so well. A couple funny stories and a few updates on life in Walla Walla just didn’t do much. So now maybe I will return to this whole journaling thing via blog; in a way that I’m ok sharing it with folk, whether they buy in to what I’m saying or not. So I guess I’m making this blog into something for me, as opposed to for others. Gotta admit, I’m feeling a bit selfish by that though.

***********

“We cannot achieve spiritual growth through sheer grit and will power.”

I read that in the book Soul Feast several years back and thought it important enough to write in a journal… I even wrote that I wanted to put it on the wall of my office. It’s amazing how much I think I can get done on my own power and strength… and then I step back and look at how little power and strength I have. It’s right in the face of all the sports propaganda that tells athletes to push and grind and overcome because they are weak if they don’t; to embrace hate of self and others in order to persist and become better than everyone else. But you know what? All that gets you is a target on your back, a fleeting glimpse of “glory”, and then – when you can no longer continue at that pace – your life is empty.

Now, I am not an athlete in the least; I don’t do competition of the body well. (heck, I’m not very good at competition of the mind either!) So this might anger a heck of a lot of people. But it’s true about spiritual growth; we can only do so much. The rest is in the hands of God. And that’s a scary thing for most of us, to rely on someone other than ourselves – especially someone we can’t see or touch in the 1^st degree. I admit to a fair amount of micromanagement of anything within mere sight of my purview at work. I am cynical about the idea of someone else getting [whatever it is] done properly. I want my own hands, mind, mouth to do whatever it is that needs to be done… and that’s not how it works with God.

And yet I yearn for God to fix me. To strafe away the chaff of uselessness that I spend so much time on. I found another entry in my old journal that reads, “Lord, I yearn for you with all that I am, for without you I am empty and alone.”

I recently had a series of conversations with a young woman about what we do when we feel alone. Sometimes we do things to rid ourselves of the loneliness – if only for an evening – that will hurt not only ourselves, but those we love. Loneliness often causes us to act when we should wait. We don’t like waiting; not for the newest technology, the next season of a TV series, or for God to finish His work in us. Like Veruca Salt, we want it now, regardless of the work it might take to get [whatever it is], or that it might be in our worst possible interests to get [whatever it is] now.

And it’s not that we’re supposed to be miserable and ok with that. It’s that we consider ourselves only complete when [whatever it is] happens or is with us. And that’s why we so need God. Why we so need to understand the whole “waiting” thing; and not where we just sit on our butts waiting, but as we enter into the process of becoming whole. 

God doesn't lightning bolt us; he molds us, and sometimes that molding kinda sucks.

I found a bit under the heading “What does it mean to be spiritually formed?” and here it is for you:

“The visual: Hands molding a pot on a spinning wheel. Knowledge, practice, materials, patience, and time… all of these are needed. Also, it can be messy- it started by beating the clay to make it softer, then adding water. This is a process, completely changing the raw material to the finished, useable product. ‘You are the potter, I am the clay… mold me and make me; this is what I pray…’

Does God get His hands dirty in the process of forming us?”

Catching Up...

Truthfully, I just haven't gotten around to updating here much. I do alot... and then other times I waste time.
For example, just got done with a Mother's Day Lunch Fundraiser with the Youth for their Mission Trip this summer. Lots of planning, organizing, promoting, selling, serving, etc. Quite a success though! The Students did wonderfully, people enjoyed themselves, the food was great, and the string quartet sounded perfect.

Then I've also watched 100 episodes of 30Rock on Netflix, along with countless episodes of Doctor Who. Wasting time is just so easy.

Anyway, I thought I'd pop on here and mention that my facebook, the church's facebook, and the church's website all tend to be pretty up to date on my everyday life.

So there's that. Oh, and this epic picture of Hannah as an Aztec Fire Goddess in her school play. Yes, she is that awesome.

St Paddy's Weekend (and then some)

- Blogger failed yesterday, so the epiclly clever version of this blog entry is gone. Just plain gone. So this is simply a recap with some links and pics. -

So I took a few days off from Walla Walla and traveled down to Portland to see some friends, enjoy St. Patrick's Day, and visit with family.

Thursday found me joining the Richmann's at the Hollywood Theatre watching the 1929 Russian Silent movie Man with a Movie Camera, scored by the local musicians Bear & Moose. Epic times, though Tricie did manage to fall asleep during the show.

Sanchez Fried Pork Tacos

Friday I visited with Kathleen over breakfast, and then had many tacos over at Sanchez Taqueria. I miss those. Friday night brought more tacos at the CruzRoom, though not traditional; Green Curry, Buffalo Wing, Braised Pork, and others. We headed over to Powell's, where I picked up a couple of Sci-Fi/Steampunk books, as well as The Prophets by Abraham Heschel.

Casey likes to bounce!

Saturday I had breakfast with the Craker's, meeting little Casey for the first time, playing Chutes & Ladders with Tyler, and having some good catching up with Ali and Brian. Grandma and I went out for lunch at Rose's Deli in Sherwood afterward, which was a great time too!

Irish McMen-a-pints

Jenn and I went out, starting at McMenamin's to try their Irish Stout of 2012 and listen to the 'piper. After, we headed to the Fish & Chip Shop in N Portland, home to the TARDIS bar! Where else can I walk in with a 20 foot long Tom Baker scarf and no one bats an eye? Incredible Fish 'n' Chips, good UK beers, and an atmosphere of the Doctor made for more good times. They even had Sonic Screwdrivers as a beverage, in official 70s commemorative glasses! In between courses of spirits in the TARDIS, we wandered to Salt & Straw and tasted Bone Marrow ice cream - just one of many nontraditional options.

[censored] flavors

Sunday I picked up Hannah and we saw The Lorax in 3D... showing up just as a fire alarm went off and the theater emptied into the main street of Bridgeport Village. Ever wonder what it looks like when you yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater? Now I know. I found myself in Hillsboro at Syun Izakaya with Teresa & Jacob, enjoying and experiencing some new food (for me). A good time was had by all. :)

With my Sonic Screwdriver

Monday morning wandered to SE to meet with Shannon at Broder for a late breakfast... which apparently quite a few folk also planned on. Still, more food and quality time spent with a friend. The afternoon was disappointing, as I traveled from music store to music store looking for new tuners for my favorite guitar. Alas, a 1973 Crestwood is apparently an odd make to match. Still, John and I were able to meet and have a pint together in N Portland and catch up. Later Alex and I met in OC for a Pint, and catching up. The day was good for that.

Hannah at the Movies

Tuesday I wandered to Petite Provence in SE to have a late breakfast with Kim, catching up over coffee and a croissant. Having had enough of french pastries, we wandered around the neighborhoods, and finally stopped by Trade Up Music, finally finding appropriate tuners for my guitar's headstock. Next time I'm going there first...

Faceless...

I was driving to Portland today, and stopped to get gas at exit 104. As I turned toward the gas station, I noticed a figure holding a cardboard sign on the offramp. I glanced at the writing as I drove past and saw only a few words, namely "homeless," "ugle," and "help." It was the "ugle" that really caught my attention. I realized that, try as I might, I couldn't actually recall the man's face, "ugle" or not. That bothered me...

It seems that I am no longer seeing the faces of those who are looking for a meal, a handout, or a chance. I mean, I'm not going to start peeling out bills to every corner, but I am starting to look at the person standing there, rather than pretending they're not there (something that I see quite a lot of) and drive/bike/walk on. Hopefully eye contact will lead to some sort of connection beyond a hand grasping a dollar... We'll see.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

This would have shut down
the city of Portland...

Woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow. The perfect kind: pretty, but not dangerous. Still, I walked to work to enjoy the feel of the first snow of the season... and into town... and to the store... and back to work... and back home. I like the snow like this!

the "elf tree"

I was actually thinking of skipping any decorations at home this year, as it's just me and I don't really have holiday visitors to impress. But - of all places - Safeway had these great little "elf trees," so I got one, broke out my box of ornaments, and set up the tree. Then, after a few folk had come by for dinner, realized that it was dripping water on my stereo, cleaned up the water... and knocked the tree over, breaking 4 ornaments. *sigh* Sarah, bless her heart, was still over, and helped me gather ornaments and reset the tree.
But apparently I hadn't gotten the decorating bug out of my system, because I went and splurged $1.50 on some lights, stripped the tree, and redressed it all over again while watching Muppet's Christmas Carol.

All I'm Saying is That I'd Better Get My Cleaning Deposit Back...

I Just Cleaned the Left Side

So I finally got around to cleaning the gross looking linoleum that lines the non-carpeted portions of my apartment. It boggles my mind that they took the time to completely replace the carpet but couldn't be bothered to mop the floors. Mind you, this did take my most of an hour with a scrub brush, but this is my kitchen! I prep food here! Ick...

Next... the full bathroom! *shudder*

Visits by Night...

 
So the cat with the broken tail found it's way into my apartment again. Apparently I brought in more than my laundry from the basement! But a bit of tuna and a warm lap was all he was looking for... and then back out to the cold...

Harvest, Halloween, Slamquest... this is my life.

Downtown Walla Walla

As inferred by the few and far-in-between posts, life has been busy up here in Walla Walla. Settling in is a much longer process than I realized, and I'm quite content to let my work, ministry, and life meld together. It may seem that I have no life, but that's because I am able to move at a healthier pace since my life is my ministry!

Patrick & I being Epic

Now, I admit that the blog title is a wee bit misleading; I did not actually assist with any harvesting. But I did help with a Harvest Carnival put on by First Pres on Halloween. See, we're like 3 blocks from downtown and they had this big shindig, so we did too (as did quite a few local churches). So a couple hundred incredibly cute kids came through, played games, won prizes, got candy, ate popcorn, watched puppet shows, and ran from the guitar wielding daywalker out front (yeah, that was me). I didn't get home in time to hand out candy, so I'm stuck with 100 pieces of epicly tasty candy... which Hannah has thoughtfully agreed to take off my hands if I can get it down to Lake Oswego.

This last weekend I went on my first Central Washington Presbytery youth camp, aptly named SLAMQUEST. It's a Middle School camp, and the slamming refers to... well, alot. First it applied to a multitude of pumpkins that were scattered on the grounds, which had the misfortune of being chock full of candy (thus the slamming). Literal Smashing Pumpkins (yes, we did play tunes by them). Wonderful place, this Ghormley Meadow, and I hope to take kids back again. I got the chance to lead music/worship with a few other leaders, and we had a blast! "they" said to me, "You're not from here; Eastern Washington teens don't jump around and go crazy during worship songs." Oh really, says I.... [video coming soon]

Now we're getting ready to get into Holiday Festivities, beginning with Thanksgiving Eve Eve Service & Dessert (yes, I volunteered myself and the youth to make desserts) on Tuesday. Should be fun. Then the Youth and I prep Stone Soup for the congregation, kids make crafts, and adults participate in the Hanging of the Greens... and yes, I do get to scale the tower of the 1912 building to hang giant wreaths! (apparently I'm the only one not uber scared of heights) This will then be followed by the Youth Annual Turkey Bowl Flag Football game... which will be followed by warmth, pizza, and a movie. Have I mentioned that I love this?

Ah, and then I intersperse bad horror movies into the mix (beware ThanksKilling), and discover important things like that Captain Morgan's new 100-proof is downright evil. New friends come over for dinner and movies occasionally, and old friends drive up to visit. These are all wonderful things to experience...

Friendliest...

So it turns out that Walla Walla was ranked friendliest town in America last year...

Helpful...

...Sarah and I went to pick up a couple of couches for the church in her family's old pick-up the other day. It's an old '67 Ford, so I figured that both of them would fit in the truck. I figured wrong. So as we're trying to force the 2nd couch in, a woman comes over and asks if we want to put the other one in her pickup and she'd follow us over to the church. Awesome...

...and then she helped us carry both down into the basement where they are currently being enjoyed by teens, adults, staff, and just about everyone who walks past them.

The Digs...

The View From My Back Door

Eh, apparently I've been pretty bad about keeping up this blog. But here we go...

I've been settling in to living in Walla Walla for the past month, and am sorta getting used to it. I can usually find my way around to one place or another (like the grocery, the community theater, the local ball field, schools, cafes, candy stores, pizza joints, and other such great places).

A Seat For You...

All the boxes are unpacked in my apartment, and the Living Room has taken shape; ready for visitors and such. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but there's a little creek running behind the apartment building, which is great for ambience, sound, and a bit of a breeze that runs off of it on hot days. My neighbors moved out, and suddenly a tabby with a folded over tail appears at my back door every day... what to do, what to do...?

"meow, meow, meow, meow..."

It's also great because I'm only a few blocks away from the church that I work at too, and often walk to work. Great neighborhood, right next to the local YMCA. Oh, and I'm also just a few blocks from the downtown of Walla Walla, which is quite convenient. Recently I've been to high school football games, city league soccer matches, local theatre shows, and many cups of coffee...

Enter September...

I can't say that there's much in epicness to report, but still thought I'd post a quick note.

I'm getting settled here in Walla Walla; I unpacked the last box at my apartment, so that's quite an accomplishment... plus it makes it more difficult to folk to walk off with my stuff in case that is their intent...

My office at the church is coming together nicely as well, with the furniture in an open format now... I just need to acquire a chair or two for people to sit in when visiting. Now for the rest of the Youth Cave System... Did I mention that my office and the youth rooms were in the basement?


Anyhow, it's the weekend of the Walla Walla Fair & Rodeo and I'll be wandering about that, hopefully running into a plethora of students from church who can show me the epicness of the fairgrounds...

More About Moving, Missing, and Meandering...

"Deadeye" Gates

I would like to say that the folks would miss me as I left, but Mom pulled out the Nerf gun and acted quite menacing toward my nephew, which caused me to be on my best behavior the rest of the week for sure!

The Quesus

But people do miss me in Portland, and my friends Tricie and Scott took me to Coalition Brewery and the Grilled Cheese Grill my last couple of days... talk about epic grilled cheese; No bun, instead there's a cheese sandwich on each side of the big ol' burger! And a Stout called Hanzo? Why had I never gone there before?!

Harpo Marx?

Ironically, "Kevin" got thrown away

 I got a chance to chill with the Calvin Pres youth one last time, and was surprised by an awesome cake, cards, memory book, Nerf bullets, and many hugs. I also used the opportunity to see what I would look like with a white haired pony-tail.  Eh, I can wait...

So many folks made the move so easy, helping by loading up the truck, organizing it all, and then greeted by a handful of folks from the church who did most of the unloading too! Though driving a 20+ foot Uhaul and towing my car was a bit of a pain whenever I had to leave the Interstate.

Deadly Weaponry

I must say, the Dollar Tree is a staple of restabilizing after a move. So many household items and other things that I don't really need if they weren't only a buck. And the history here; so many places where nothing actually happened. and a few other places, but I haven't been there yet, so I guess that'll wait for another day!

Nothing Happened Here

Rememories...

Cartman won't go away...

It’s amazing the things you learn when you’re unpacking after moving. Well, maybe “learn” is too strong of a word, though I did learn that if you leave dry-erase marker on a whiteboard for almost a year it becomes permanent. And that certain tables don’t like it when you pile boxes of books on them. They take their revenge by furniture-suicide. Now I need a new TV stand. Anyway…

Go Lakers!

It’s more about things discovered that I had forgotten about. Like that I own way too much stuff… although it’s pretty cool stuff sometimes. and also gems like this; I found a Lake Oswego High School newspaper from 1993 that asked graduating Seniors where they were headed after high school. My intentions were to “attend Multnomah School of the Bible to earn a degree in Youth Ministries. Then work as a director of Youth Ministries, possibly in music and theatre.” Amazingly enough I just secured a position as a Youth Director at a church, and plan to play with the worship band as much as possible. Huh, amazing how these things work out, eh?

Cassettes, VHS, Beta, oh my!

It’s also remembering the things that have once been in my life. I have uncovered dozens of pieces of art created by my [ex]step-daughter, Hannah. Each and every one of them brings me joy… joy and a bit of sadness, because I miss her so, especially now that I’m over half a state away. Speaking of profound sadness, I also uncovered wedding photos that I had forgotten about. It’s uncanny how many feelings are still there just under the surface when faced with the histories we all have.

Epicness

Anyway, before I get too melancholy, I’ve also rediscovered my music collection, and have even found my mix tapes that I put together in the 80s and 90s… mostly of 70s music, ironically. The thing that I’ve found most to be true, though, is that my bad ankle really hates stairs. And I live in a townhouse. Igh, I’m getting old. Oh, and Robot Chicken is funny as all get out.