4 Years and Counting

This week I celebrated my 4th wedding anniversary...with my wife. Someone asked me today, "Does it seem like 4 years?" My response was a simple 'no', but now that I've done some thinking...the answer is still 'no.'

But there is a certain aspect to the whole thing that perhaps adds to this brief time I've had with my bride, so I'll be honest with you (all 3 of you that actually read this!!!): I could do better. Seriously, I don't think I'm awful at being a husband. I mean, I've never done it before meeting Amanda, so it's not like I have tons of experience to draw from. I haven't read lotts of books on the subject, which is again my fault. But after an evaluation of the big picture, I could do better.

So here's my vow: I vow to make the next 4 years of my marriage 400% better than the first four. I vow to pay more attention to the little things, and to finally learn how to pick up on those "subtle hints" that seem to go right by without me noticing them. I vow to listen more and not try to 'fix' everything. I vow to have more date nights, even if we don't leave the house. And I gotta learn how to make my wife smile & blush again (blush out of flattery, not embarassment...she's done plenty of that). It doesn't happen as much as it used to. Why am I telling/typing you this?

I don't know.

But ask me about it sometime to make sure I'm following through. More importantly, ask my wife, she'll know better than I will if I'm doing a good job.

Amanda, I love you and thank you for allowing me to have the greatest and most complimentary title any guy can ask for: your husband.

P.S. - Are you blushing, A?

The more things change, the more they stay the same

I am a loser.

But you know, I'm totally ok with it!! That's the best part! I'm a dork, but it's ok!! And you know what else...I've always been a moron!! 

Last night, I went for a short walk down Dunwoody Rd. to Memory Ln. and briefly visited with one of my friends from high school (through facebook, of course). I was looking at old pics and memories, laughing the entire time. While I was not in many of the pics (such a LOSER! I wouldn't have wanted me in them either!), they were of trips and events and days gone by that I remember well. I was laughing at the fashion, the hairstyles, the inside jokes...all the while remembering "who I was." 

Working with teenagers/students, I have determined and defined the true meaning of maturity. For some reason that I still haven't figured out, the teenagers world is greatly about image. What people think, what people look like, where people go, yadda yadda yadda. You'd think I could come up with something more insightful than that after 12 years of working with students. BUT, I haven't. I'm not very smart, so I like to keep it simple. So here's what I've come up with in regards to defining maturity. This is so complex and deep and brilliant and ingenious that you may need to take a minute to take a deep breath and be prepared to go where mentally you've never been. 

Laughter.

Yes, laughter.

Looking at all those pics, laughing as hard as I was, it dawned on me that I'm not much different now than I was then. I'm a little older, got married, and moved into the Fatherhood, but I'm pretty much the same guy. Few things are different: I'm not NEAR as self-conscious about my choice of clothes (I just gave up...it didn't work for me then, doesn't work for me now...), I drive a cooler ride, and I can shave now and notice a difference. But everything else is about the same. And that's what's so funny!!! I can laugh at myself then and now!!! I see how bad I screw up and it's hilarious. Sometimes, it's only hilarious after it gets fixed, but still hilarious!! Then? I would screw something up all the time, and then take the next month analyzing it, second-guessing myself, play out 'what-if' scenarios to put me to sleep, analyze the scenarios, and then realize that it was then too late to do anything about it!! All of this probably contributed to the absence of a dating life. But I was hilarious!! I couldn't laugh at myself then, but I can laugh at the 'old' me (young version) just as hard as I can laugh at now me (older version)!! Some of the coolest students I know are the ones that can laugh at themselves and not care! The people that make the biggest impact are those who do not take themselves too seriously. So if you're a student reading this, don't put on the fake "Yeah, I can laugh at myself" just to convince yourself you're mature. Rather, look back and see if you can laugh at some of your most momentous blunders in your life!! If they still sting, give it time. 

But don't take yourself too seriously. No one else does, so you're only wasting YOUR time!! Rather, enjoy the ups and downs; the victories and failures. Embrace life for what it is and quit trying to make it something it's not!! And who knows, maybe one day on your trip down Memory Ln. at the end of the street where you OWN A HOUSE (it's still weird at times!! I'm not old enough to own a house...), you'll be able to look back, laugh, and learn that life is about the here and now and not what was or what it might be. And always remember...

It's ok to laugh!

Special thanks to you, C!! Thanks for the grins!!

Re-Writing a Classic

Many people would think what I'm about to do is blasphemy. If that's you, it's ok to be wrong. Some would think I'm making lite of an age old song. If that's you, you should probably stop thinking for yourself for a few days. But while this is a re-write of an age-old favorite, it's still my testimony. I'm no lyricist, but try to put the words to the tune. I promise you'll know it.

Jesus Loves Me

by Anna B. Warner and William B. Bradbury

Re-written by some local idiot

Jesus loves me! This I know!

For the Bible and the evidence of forgiveness and grace and an unending supply of unfailing love tell me so.

Little ones, and tall ones too, to Him belong;

We are incredibly weak and worthless and ignorant and sinful and incapable of doing anything on our own, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me (for some reason)!

Yes, Jesus loves me (even though I don't deserve it)!

Yes, Jesus loves me (and it changes my life daily)!

The Bible, through the Holy Spirit showing me meaning and understanding, tells me so!

I'm looking to get in the studio as soon as possible.

What's your song?

New Orleans Cuisine...Worth the Weight!!

I love New Orleans!! I love the city and so much that has to do with it! The people are awesome--everyone is always so down to Earth. I love the architecture of the buildings and the rustic feel of it all (some of it is intentional, alot of it is not, and most of that is due to either age, Katrina, or both). I love the Seminary where I spent 3 years studying. I love the people I was here with! My former roommate Mark and I have talked about 2589899776234 times since I've been here. So much about this city still feels like "home" to a certain extent. I miss it. Now, I don't miss the class part of it!! Don't get me wrong, I loved learning and my professors. Awesome, awesome guys!! What I DON'T miss is the anxious feelings in the pit of my stomach as I was running late to class or getting ready for another exam I wasn't fully prepared for.

But I digress.

The whole point of this post was for, perhaps, my most favorite aspect of New Orleans: THE FOOD!! I remember being in school down here how much I enjoyed to delicacies of the city, but was always broke. I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. This visit? I'm diving in!

We've been eating at some incredible places!! Yesterday afternoon, we grabbed some eats at The Corner in Jackson Square. Dinner last night was at Italian Pie on Veteran's Blvd (Pizza Sub). Of course, we topped the evening off at Cafe DuMonde with some beignets and hot chocolate. Yes, it was 81 degrees last night, but nothing tops a beignet covered in powdered sugar, dipped in a hot chocolate. THE BEST!!!!!!!! Today for lunch was Deanie's. This may sound arrogant or disgusting, but I could NOT believe how much I ate!! Seriously, I had the Crawfish Duo (Fried Crawfish tails and Crawfish Etouffee) PLUS a half of a Crawfish PoBoy!! Sadly, I ate it all.

And now, remarkably, Kyle and I are discussing where to eat dinner. Tyler and Jimmy are eating at Ralph and Kacoo's with the other prospective students and professors, so we are on our own. Should it be red beans and rice? Gumbo? Or should we just skip supper and bury ourselves in Pralines?? Decisions, decisions...

What do you recommend???

30,000 ft. Thoughts...

So I'm on my way to the Big Easy with my friends Kyle, Jimmy, and Tyler and I'm 30,000 feet in the air!! How cool is that?!? They offer Wi-Fi on flights now!! Anyway, I wanted to drop a line following up last night's Bible study. We talked about Struggles. I know, I know--how generic. But the angle was to embrace struggle and see what God has for you to get out of it. Too many people run from the struggles in their lives, refusing to deal with their struggles until they get to the other side of it and see what they learned. I want to have struggle in my life. I desire to be more than I am now, and it won't happen if everything goes my way and remains "easy." I want to embrace my struggles.

This was just a brief synopsis of last night's time in The MIDDLE. Now that you're up to speed, I'm going to ask you to do something. No, it's not about your struggles, but about another friend of mine. Her name is Sarah. She is a year younger than me and her husband was killed last night in a car accident. I know this is HUGE for her, so please pray for her and this time and great struggle in her life. Pray for comfort and strength in the days ahead, as well as God putting people in her life to help get her through this difficult time.

Plane's landing...time to return my chair to its upright position. Thanks for praying for Sarah. See you on the ground.

Go, Pack, Go!

So I'm a die hard Green Bay Packers fan...which isn't impressive right now, watching Aaron Rodgers getting sacked 235367634 times while typing this, and hoping that for one play our offensive line is going to block more than one of the defensive players. BUT, a Packers fan nonetheless. Much has been made about Brett Favre's vacating Wisconsin and playing in purple one state over. With people knowing about my love for the Pack (and being a Mississippi guy, like Favre; and a HUGE Southern Miss fan, where Favre graduated (yes, I was a Golden Eagle before people were mispronouncing Favre's name); and sharing the same birthday as Favre...this is really getting sad, isn't it...), I often get asked about who I pull for in the new rivalry. Understandable question, I suppose, but I believe it shows what sports are dealing with in today's sports world moreso than ever. The one thing that stands out in my mind is the lack of loyalty amongst professional sports. I'd love to know (maybe not) how many "Packers" fans bailed on Green Bay and followed Favre to Minneapolis? And how many crazy Cavalier fans were there before LeBron? I'm sure Manny brought more than a few Red Sox fans with him to L.A. (although most of 'em came for Leach). And when Gretzky was traded from...uh...from the...uh...that team in Canada to...um...or what about Shaq fans? They've got a Shaq jersey from almost every team in the NBA!!

So what does this mean?

Nothing. I'm a Packers fan. I loved Favre while he was a Cheesehead. I'll love Favre beyond his retirement. But I cannot cheer for him until he retires a Packer. Why? Because I'm a freakin' Pack-fan until it's over!! 

Speaking of over, we just lost the game. 

GO, PACK, GO!!!!!

P.S.

Happy Birthday, Luke Mc! Welcome to 30...

And awaaaaaaaay we go...

Some would say I caved to the pressure...
Some might say it's therapeutic...
Others might believe that I "sold out"...

Me?

I haven't quite figured it out yet, but we'll wait and see if it's a good idea. Let's just begin by calling it "an outlet for expression" and see where it goes from there.

Posts here will be completely random with topics ranging from Jesus to football to friends & family to movies to dogs to whatever else crosses this unintelligent mind. Regardless of material, I hope you're at least entertained. If not, read it again (the funny may be in between the lines!).

Enjoy!