This Year I'm Thankful For...

Well, another year has almost gone by, and since yesterday was Thanksgiving, I thought that I would make a list of the things that I'm thankful for. So here it goes!

I am thankful for...

- God Almighty who has blessed me with so much and given me so much even though I deserve none of it
- my loving family, who support me, put a roof over my head, feed me, and correct me when I'm wrong.
- the amazing friends God has placed in my life
- the hard times God's put me through and continues to put me through so that my faith can be made stronger
- the fact that I'm still alive and in pretty decent condition
- being placed in Tifton, I feel at home here
- my Tifton "families", especially the Smiths. I love you guys and am thankful for everything you do for me.
- my musical abilities
- my best friends (you guys know who you are) who make fun of me, love me, support me, endure my stupid moments, and listen to me and my problems.
- coffee, which I know sounds silly, but coffee has become a wonderful and delicious part of my life
- music, which if you know me, is a huge part of my life. I love it.
- the amazing life that I have!!

Life At The Moment

Ok, so I haven't actually written anything in a loooooooooong time, and to be honest, quite a bit has happened since school started back. Most of my classes are going well, I dropped my piano class today cause I just couldn't find time to practice and to be frank, I just downright hated the class. When I signed up for it, I was under the impression that it would be fairly easy. Pssssh....was I mistaken. The teacher wasn't the best either...'nuff said. I played and sang in the ABAC's Got Talent show tonight, and of course, as Murphy's Law goes, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong. I woke up this morning with a stopped up nose and my voice was hoarse....so I don't think I did as well as I could have. Oh well, there's always next year. In other news, I met one of the most amazing girls I've ever met (well, to be honest, I met her over the summer, but we hadn't really communicated until a few weeks ago, and I'm glad we did!) And to close this blog, here's what I learned last week:

• Washed By the Water is the greatest song to wake up to
• Besides Jesus, coffee is the best way to wake up in the morning
• Why did the last 20 years fly by so fast?
• I have no idea what I'm doing with my life after ABAC
• I love open mic night at Lion Chasers
• Skyping with five people at the same time can be a lot of fun
  

Mini Update

Aaah!! I am officially in love with Skillet (especially the drummer!)

School has been going well so far. My piano class sucks because I have the devil for a teacher. But other than that, most of my classes are going well (well...maybe not Bio), but everything else is good. I've been posting videos of my guitar/singing skills on Youtube every Tuesday, and I would appreciate it if you would check it out, my channel name is: saltymusic2911. Buuuuuut, that's all I can think of for now.

Summer comes to an end...

Well, the first week of May seems like a lifetime ago, and as I prepare to move back to my third favorite place in the world, I feel like I should reflect on my summer. I feel like I complained a lot about being at home and not having anything to do. Boredom was my anthem and dislike was my motto. It seemed like all my friends (or at least the ones who seemed important) had ditched me and I had to float through the last 2 months on my own. With no job and nothing else to do, I had no choice but to do my parents' bidding, which, looking back, wasn't really that bad, after all, it is my job to help them because they're my parents. I also picked and sold blueberries, which is a lot harder than one would think. I think I picked somewhere between 18 and 20 gallons and to say the least, I am flat tired of seeing blueberries!! Don't get me wrong, it was a great way to make money, but I got sick of seeing blueberries. Apart from helping my parents and picking blueberries, I didn't do a whole lot this summer. I was the sound/video guy for my church's Vacation Bible School and then I was a counselor for a youth camp my church's association heads up every year. I've also spent a lot of quality time with my favorite coffee shop, Blackbird Coffee ind downtown Milledgeville. Alas, as my summer comes to an end I can honestly say that I'm glad to be going back to Tifton. Don't take that the wrong way, I love being at home and with my parents, but 2-3 weeks is my quota, especially when most of my friends are there and not here. I've also had the chance to get in some guitar playing this summer. I played for my church at the 4th of July celebration, I played for the talent show at camp, and I will be doing the special music for both morning services on August 9th. I wrote a song called Grace So Free and that is the one I'll be performing on the 9th. Hopefully when I get to Tifton, I can play one night at Lion Chasers. Here are the lyrics for my song:

Grace is something I don't deserve
is something that Your Word promises me
if I choose to believe
Grace is something I can't comprehend
and I'll probably never understand
what it truly means

But You gave it to me
grace so free
grace so free

What have I done
that You would send Your son
to die in my place
And I don't deserve to live
or the gift that You give
this amazing thing called grace

But You gave it to me
grace so free
grace so free

Yeah You gave it to me
grace so free grace so free

In Memorial

I remember the day we got Dixie. It was the summer before 6th grade. We had gone to my uncle's house in Sandersville and when we got there, his front door opened and a little dog ran out and started running around us. I sat on the porch and she came sprinting up to me, jumped on me and started licking my face. I asked my uncle what her name was and he said, "Well what do you want to name her, because she's yours. I was so excited because I had always wanted a dog. I said "Her name is Dixie". And so we took Dixie back to Milledgeville to live with us. That night, because we didn't have a pen or house for her, we kept her in a little crate in the hallway. After we had all gone to bed, I heard her start whining and so I took my blanket and went out into the hallway, put my blanket on the ground and opened her crate so she could lay down with me. After a few minutes my dad came out and told me that Dixie would be fine and that I should go back to bed. From then on, Dixie was one of my best friends. We spent countless afternoons running around and racing down the driveway. When I graduated from high school and got ready to move to Tifton, my Dad took over my job of taking care of Dixie. He got his job in Sandersville and once they had a house there, we moved Dixie's pen to that house and Sandersville became Dixie's new home. When I was home for the breaks, I would often stay at the house in Milledgeville for different reasons and I would always carry Dixie with me. She always rode shotgun. Sadly, she passed away yesterday. She was 9 years old and had been acting like she was sick for some time. She was a great dog and she was loved very much and she will be greatly missed...

What I learned this week:

1. Everyone makes mistakes. It's better that you learn from them rather than repeat them.

2. Nobody cooks like a Southern Baptist.

3. Happiness comes in many forms. My current favorite is a comfy chair, a laptop, and a cup of hot Blackbird coffee.

4. Playing my guitar is very relaxing.

5. Wal-Mart is a good place to see people that you haven't seen in a really long time.

6. A hot shower is the best way to relax after yardwork.

It's Been So Long

Since I last posted, and quite a bit has happened. I finished my 2nd year of college...unbelievable, I know! It only seemes like yesterday I graduated from high school and I was moving into the freshman dorms at ABAC! I'm home for the summer now, and I'm currently job-hunting. I've applied to Blackbird Coffee, Starbucks, and The Savior's Touch Christian Bookstore, but nothing has come up so far, although it's only been a couple of days since I applied. I really hope something works out...I would certainly hate to sit around and be bored all summer long, and also I've been told that I won't get a weekly allowance while I'm home for the summer...so money has to be discovered by an alternative means. I'm currently sitting in Blackbrid and just chilling until time for supper at church. I've got quite a lot of reading to do for the summer, nothing for school, but several books that are on my personal "To-Read" list. Right now I'm in the middle of The Da Vinci Code and it's very interesting albeit strange. I'm not really sure what will be after Da Vinci, but here's some possibilities:

- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
- Desiring God by John Piper
- Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
- Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
- The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

...and that's all I have on the list right now, if you have any suggestions, feel free to send them my way! Well, I do believe that's all I have to write about at the moment. I hope you're all doing well.
Well, that's really

What had happened was...

Ok, so it's been a looooooong time since I've written anything. The thing is, I've had stuff to write about and I've had the time to write, I just don't think about it when I do have the free time. So we're going to play catch-up for those of you who haven't been in the loop of my life.
First of all, I recently got in (and out) of a relationship. This girl that I had kind of been talking to over Christmas break and I started dating. Well..let me give you the whole story. I met her last year while she was dating a friend of mine and after I met her I never saw her for the rest of the year, and then last semester I was working the BCM booth at the school's Halloween carnival, and she was working at the booth next to the BCM and we started talking. Well after that night I didn't see her for most of the semester and then, a few days before I was going to go home for Christmas break, she invited me to go see a play with her and a friend, and I happily obliged. Well I hung out with her and by the end of the night, we decided that we really liked each other and agreed to start dating or "talking" or whatever it's called. So I went home the next day and we texted and called each other on a pretty regular basis. Then she decided to come up to Milledgeville to spend a day with me and meet my parents, so I drove to Macon and met her and she followed me to my house and we spent the day together; she met my parents, we held each other's hands and she even went to church with me. After I led her back to Macon so she could get on the interstate to go home that night, I started thinking about our "relationship". I honestly felt like we were rushing and I felt like I really wasn't ready for any kind of serious relationship. I finally worked up the courage to call her a few weeks later and talk to her about how I felt. Long story short, she didn't see how I thought we were moving fast and she wanted to work the relationship out but I just wasn't feeling it at the time.
Fast forward to about two weeks ago. After some thinking, I decided that I was ready to commit to a relationship, so I texted her and was like "Hey, I wanna take you out sometime this week!" She agreed and then asked me if I was interested in getting back together and I said yes, so we agreed to make it FBO (Facebook Official) and so we were a couple. That was on a Sunday; the following Wednesday I went to church with her and met her family and we spent most of the evening together. Well, after supper and hanging out with her friends, we went back to her house and I kissed her outside (this would be my first kiss). She asked me if I wanted to stay and hang out some, and I said yes. We went inside and sat on the couch and from there proceeded to make out (sorry if that's TMI, but I feel like it's important to the story). Well, after about 3o minutes, I went back to my dorm. On Friday afternoon, I went back to her house and ate supper with her family. Afterwards, we were just sitting on the couch, and she asked me if I thought we were rushing things. I told her that I didn't think so, and then she proceeded to tell me that she didn't think we were gonna work out and gave me a list of reasons (well not exactly a list, but you know what I mean), the most prominent being that I was Southern Baptist (not just Baptist, but Southern Baptist, which I guess is a lot worse, but I don't know) and she was Pentecostal and that just wouldn't work out. She brought up the point of being unequally yoked and that she believed it meant that people should only date and marry within their own denomination. She assured me that she really did like me, but she just didn't think that we wouldn't work out as a couple. Well at first, I was just shellshocked and didn't say anything, I just got in my car and left. I was really confused as to why she didn't bring this up before or even right after we had spent half an hour making out. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't going to be affected by this. Well that worked for about 3-4 hours, and then I realized how hurt I really was. Well, after discussing what had happened with a couple of close friends, I decided I would talk to her and try to explain how I felt and what I thought. When I went to talk to her, before I could even get a good start, she asked me if I was there to try to get back together and I told her that wasn't the entire reason I was there, and then she proceeded to tell me that she didn't want to get back together, so I said "Fine, that clears things up!" and I left.

Being home and what I've learned this week...

So because I wasn't cool enough to have plans to go to the beach or anything like that, I came home for spring break. Being at home is nice. I get to see my parents, see people that I haven't seen in a while and enjoy a free place to live and eat. So far, I've been generally lazy. Yesterday I slept in til 1 o'clock. That's 1 in the afternoon. I know. It's ridiculous, and honestly, I didn't plan to sleep in so late. On top of that, it rained from Friday until yesterday so I didn't get to put my hammock up in the backyard like I had planned, so that was a bummer. On the upside, I've spent some quality time in my favorite Milledgevillian hangout spot-- Blackbird Coffee. It's the locally owned coffee shop in downtonw Milly. I can honestly say that I prefer the Bird over Starbucks. Dont' get me wrong, I'm not hating on the Starbiz, but I think the atmosphere in Blackbird is so much better. I can't quite put my finger on why I like it better, but I just do. I've also applied for a summer job at Blackbird and I'm really hoping that I can get it. That's been my spring break experience so far. Tonight I'm going to GC&SU's BCM and then tomorrow I'm going to a Bible study at my old high school and then meeting a friend of mine to talk about being a counselor at a youth camp this summer. Then on Thursday I'm driving (in my car!!) back to Tifton because the Tifton YL leaders are doing work crew at Sharptop this weekend so I'm really excited about that. Oh! My car! My parents decided to let me drive it back to Tifton because they're going to Arkansas sometime next week and they don't want me to be stranded in Tifton if something happens. They also decided that since the end of the semester is so close they'll just let me keep it down there but I have to use it responsibly...so I guess that rules out taking a spontaneous road trip to play the casinos in Biloxi...oh well.




What I've Learned This Week

1. Rainy days make you appreciate sunshiney ones
2. Perfect weather is when you can ride with your windows rolled down and not sweat or freeze to death
3. Wal-Mart is a great source of both entertainment and boredom
4. Writing an original short poem on the spot is harder than I thought

This week I learned...

1. Chivalry is dying...and the men are not entirely to blame. (More to come in a future blog)
2. The battle with procrastination is an on-going one. Procrastination is currently winning.
3. Jogging in a sleevless t-shirt is not a great idea when it's really cold outside.
4. Learning to play the guitar is actually harder and more time-consuming than one would initially think.
5. In the words of Dr. Gregory House, "Everyone lies."

Celebrating Singles-Awarness Day

So today was Valentine's Day, which by the way, I consider to be the most overrated holiday, sure it's a day to celebrate love and all that, but shouldn't we treat our "Valentines" with the same special treatment and love every day and not just once a year? And I'm pretty sure that more people spend money on flowers and candy on Valentine's than any other day of the year. Since I didn't have a Valentine, I celebrated S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day). All kidding aside, I just had another day. It was actually a great day, but another day nonetheless. I woke up around 7:00 this morning, took a shower, and then went and stood in front of a booth for Open Campus Day for about 2 hours, but it really wasn't all that bad because I pretty much stood around and talked to my friends and also met some really cool kids that were there looking at ABAC. Afterwards, Zach and I went to lunch at Asahi (which, coincidentally is possibly the best place to eat in Tifton) and we had a good time hanging out and talking. After lunch, I came back to my room and took a nap for about an hour, which was really nice! And tonight, we had a big get-together down at the BCM building which was a lot of fun. We had food, fun, and fellowship...and now I'm going to bed because: A) I'm tired, B) Church is in the morning and I have to get up early, C) I'm kinda running out of things to talk about, or D) All of the Above.

The Girl of My Dreams Must....

The Girl of My Dreams Must…
· Love God more than she loves me
· Be willing to put what God wants before what I want regardless of how I feel
· Be willing to accept me for who I am
· Have a sense of humor
· Love to go camping
· Be supportive of me no matter what career I choose or how much money I make
· Take life seriously, but not too seriously
· Either love animals or be willing to put up with a dog or two
· Love my friends
· Love music
· Be good with kids
· Want to have at least one kid and/or adopt one
· Respect not only myself as head of household, but also respect herself
· Love her family as well as mine
· Love to travel
· Be willing to move if it’s God’s will

Bonuses
- Be musically inclined (includes singing and/or playing an instrument)
- Love to watch college football
- Be a great cook

This week I learned...

1. Procrastination is something that I need to work on getting over (in fact, I'm doing it right now)

2. You know someone is a really good friend when getting a hug from them makes your day better, no matter how bad it may have been.

3. You can actually find some pretty talented people on Youtube.

4. I really should spend more time in the Word and talking to God.

5. I really want to learn how to play the guitar. I've made this statement before and I've never fully followed through, but I'm serious this time.

6. Studying actually improves one's chance of making a good grade on the test. I present my first math test grades, 100, and 104, as exhibits A and B.

Somebody Has a Case of the Mondays...

Ah, Mondays. The beginning of a new week of school and work, and quite possibly, my least favorite day of the week. I, like my friend Garfield (the cat), do not really care for Mondays. Apart from BCM being on Monday nights, I honestly think my week would be better without Mondays. I woke up this morning and felt like a huge, steaming pile of crap. Pardon the crude imagery, but that's about the best description I can give. My nose was all stuffy and my left eye felt like something was swimming around in it and I couldn't find it and it hurt like crazy...and on top of all that, I was exhausted. It seems like I stay tired. I mean, Saturday night, I went to bed at 8, and didn't fully wake up until 8 o'clock the next morning. I got 12 hours of sleep! And I still seemed so dang tired!! But! I went to BCM tonight and got to see my good friend Amber, and then afterwards, I went and got a Wendy's Frosty with another good friend of mine, and now I'm waiting up to get the new Fray cd...so my Monday didn't turn out so terrible after all.

Where Did My Friend Go?

Where did my friend go? It seems like only yesterday we were sitting around the table and laughing at a funny joke or discussing our daily activities. We would ride in the car and talk about the books we had read and what we liked and disliked about school and life in general. Sure we had our different interests, but we were friends. Our time together was filled with laughter and interesting conversation. Then, one day, I guess they stopped being my friend. Text messages were not answered, Facebook messages were ignored, and unless I directly talked to them, my presence was generally unacknowledged in public. What happened to our friendship? Did I try too hard to pursue a deeper relationship? Did I say something stupid? I want to know if I did something wrong, and I want to know if there's anything I can do to set it right. I miss my friend. I wish that we could just get back to the way things were...