Rocky Mountain Thoughts

For some random reason, I have been inundated with thoughts about the state of Colorado this week. With my future occupation and location in a flux, I have considered heading back to the Centennial State. I worked two summers in Estes Park at a Christian Mountain Adventure Camp and enjoyed every minute of the crisp air and rocky terrain. In retrospect, the camp experience is unique and special, but temporary. I look back at those times in the mountains and remember all the great people I had the opportunity to meet and all the fun stories I am able to tell. Part of me wouldn't mind living and working in Colorado, but any move to new place can be daunting for the transitionally challenged, like myself.
My thoughts shifted to Colorado earlier this week when I decided to apply for a job in Ft. Collins (1). I would be working as a sports writer for the daily newspaper, but the city attracted me to the job opening as much as anything else. I could see myself living and working in Ft. Collins more than any other city in Colorado. FOCO, as the locals call it, is the home to Colorado State University and is about the size of Waco. I have stayed there on multiple occasions and feel comfortable there.
After thinking about the application I sent to the Coloradoan, I ran into a former camper-turned-Baylor Bear on Saturday. I haven't seen Anne (2) since she worked at camp with me after she graduated from high school. After talking with her, a rush of memories and visions of all-day hikes and falling asleep under the stars came back into my mind. I was overcome with a desire to do whatever it took to get back there.
After these two Colorado surprises filled my thoughts, my roommate Carson announced that his parents just recently purchased a house outside of Buena Vista (3). I was excited for Carson, but I also wondered why I was all of a sudden in "I must get to CO" mode.
I can never figure out if these thoughts are God or not. They may just be fleeting ideas resorting back to a comfortable place in my memory. Or, the Lord could be putting these things on my heart for a specific purpose. Either way, it has been good to remember the people and adventures I have had in the Rockies.

The Job

I thought I would "cleanse my palate," after the last blog. For some reason, I ended the blog on a mysteriously depressing and hopeless mood and I can't stand to leave it as such. In fact, the Lord can redeem families and I believe my family is in the middle of that process.
I work at a small private school in Waco. I have enjoyed this job for the last three years. It has pushed all my buttons at times, yet been extremely rewarding at other times. I teach Latin and Journalism (yearbook and newspaper) for high school students. As a younger teacher, I tend to participate in some of the dress-up days and holiday activities. Two weeks ago, we had spirit week and I thought I would share a photo or two. As you look at these, ask yourself what you did at work today.


I am the one in the middle. I hope that was obvious.




We had a politically incorrect "Fiesta Day." Kyle Dietz provided the green thing.

Old People

I was able to travel to St. Joseph, Missouri on Saturday for my Grandma's 90th birthday party. It was quite an experience to say the least. My expectations were pretty high considering I was the only grandchild who would be in attendance. My sisters Kelly and Kat live overseas and the only cousin on that side of the family is currently in China. So, I was the youngest person at the party by approximately 30 years.
My Dad and I arrived at St. Joseph Country Club about fifteen minutes early and we had the privilege of taking the Honoree. My Grandma is in a wheelchair full time and has 16-hour per day living assistance. She still lives at home, which is rare for someone who has had Parkinson's for 25 years, but she is able to go to church and get her hair done. My dad and I never get to help her out, so the trip to the party was a process. By the end of the night we had a routine set and I felt a sense of joy helping her in and out of the car. She is a sweet woman and has done her best to love our family. We arrived at the party minutes before my Uncle Bob and the future, second Mrs. Ford made their appearance. Bob had recently proposed to Peggy and no one in my family, including my dad, knew that he was now engaged.
As the remaining guests poured in, I counted six walkers, and fourteen glasses of Scotch. My dad's generation (he turns 60 in April), was the youngest group of people in the room. Needless to say, I was a little out of place. I went to the bartender, who was probably twenty or so, and told him that I would probably start hanging out with him. The night went smoothly, but I still was having a rough time interacting with people 3-4 times my age.
We only had one fall through the evening, which I confidently consider a complete success. Former attorney Vance Leinager was apparently trying to move a chair when he fell over backwards onto a walker which shot into the air and then fell on his shoulder. Mr. Leinager was all right, but we had to take him home earlier than planned. On the way home we heard these grunts and wheezes when we went over bumps. He was still hurting from the fall, but he ended up being all right. His wife had the best old-lady voice I have ever heard. It was very round but shaky and inconsistent. She still had great inflection, but it was harsh and wobbly.

So here's the point:

Families are pretty messed up these days. Uncles are weird and grandparents are alcoholics. For some reason, we are connected to these people by a bond that is difficult to sever. But you work through it. You deal with the stuff and move on. It was difficult to see my dad battle his emotions all weekend: the tension, awkwardness, mistrust and regret. My family has faced a ton of difficulties, but it honored me to be able to attend my Grandma's 90th. I wanted to be there hanging out with people who knew my grandma for years. It was a special, unique night that I will not soon forget.

This is a blog

Some of my friends recently started blogging and I have now decided to add to the fun. My purpose in writing these excerpts is to highlight some events in my life and to tell some interesting anecdotes. Before I started writing today, I went and looked up the word "blog" in an online dictionary. The result led me to "weblog." I found this interesting considering that I will be writing most of these blogs and there is no "we" involved in any of these. I am not married, nor dating anyone, and the idea of describing my roommates and I as "we" is just downright creepy. Why would they call these things "we-blogs"anyway? I am sure that as I continue to write and gain some experience with blogging, I will get to the bottom of this.
I went to the Baylor vs. Texas basketball game today and left Austin with a bad taste in my mouth for multiple reasons. First of all, the Bears lost. The Bears have lost to Texas 21 straight times. 21 times!!! At this point in the season, it looked like Jerrells and the crew were ready to break the streak. Unfortunately, the Bears let a solid first half lead disappear into an eight point loss. To properly express my second frustration, I would like to include some quotes I heard from Baylor students sitting around me:

"Bull____, Bull____," in reference to a bad call.

"Durant is gone!!!" (i have no idea why this makes any difference in the game, which was just ignorant and annoying).

And my personal favorite,

"God still loves us more," in response to the loss.

The last quote is still running through my mind because it wasn't followed with an, "I am just kidding," or "Haha, what if that was true?" It sounded like the scholar behind me really believes God prefers those who attend Christian universities or don't commit the "big" sins of drinking and sleeping around like "those Longhorns." It was a sad comment and it sincerely bothered me.
I still had a great time in Austin today. The story of the Bears' revival is stunning and should be well documented. Maybe I will talk about that later.