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for all those times…

whew.

Like many of you, life has been crazy lately for me. Last we spoke, I was sitting in a Chicago hotel room still relatively unsure where I’d be when Friday came and I either had to use my return ticket to Hawaii or go back to Missouri, with really no idea of where I’d end up after that. So let me catch you up from there…

So we had our SIFE competition and it went well, we finished in the top 40 in the nation which isn’t bad (last year we had a top 60 finish, so notably better) and our team was great. It was fun to have a noteworthy experience with so many of my friends and see everyone come together. The best part was seeing the supporting roles, as our 5 man presentation team were the only ones “competing” there were about 10 others who found our own means to compete or take part, primarily through support and aid, but it was great to see so many selfless attitudes create such a great energy. So anyway, we do SIFE, tour Chicago, then rent cars on Thursday (we’d gotten there Sunday) and drove from about 8pm till 2am to Nauvoo. Exhausted, we bunkered down and then excitedly toured the town the next morning, afternoon, and evening. Around midnight we packed up and got in the cars for the drive back to the O’hare airport. I was so tired in Nuavoo, I opted to take the return ticket to Hawaii because when I’d left I was working crazy hours and stressing about life, so I was anxious for a vacation in the midst of all the drama o’ life. So I hopped on the plane, and showed up in Hawaii with no place to be, and no place to live…. again.

I stashed my stuff at the Tuellers and spent most of my time there with Emily (the “babysitter”) and the kids just goofing off and, despite my good intentions, working on more projects. We had a blast, ate at all the good places one last time, saw the Iosepa canoe I’d worked on all last semester sail in the Huki Lau bay, and layed on the beach for hours at a time. I would sneak over to my old roomies place after he’d gone to sleep cause he sleeps on the couch leaving his bed open, so I could sneak in and sleep then wake up before he arose and he would never be the wiser. This worked well till me and emily and the kids watched City Slickers one night and I was up too late, so I slept in till like 9am. I can empathize with the surprise though, imagine finding a 6′6 white guy in your bed unexpectedly, I mean, I’m like andre the giant to a filipino.

So I got my job scene figured out about 95% and just needed to sit down with the fella’s to finish it off. So I used my delta miles for my very first First Class flight ever and rode from Hawaii to LA on the cheaps. I got in, did breakfast with my guy, and the deal was done. I was hired as a Principal Support Partner Manager and the offer was to my satisfaction, so I took it. Jumping ahead, I worked my first couple of days this week and think I will really enjoy the work. It feels like a perfect fit right now, with lots of expectations and opportunity to stretch myself. I like it, I like the guys I’m with, I like the flexibility of the group. I’ll let you know how it all goes. But as I was saying, I got in on Saturday, slept, did church the next morning, then realized I needed to buy a car in order to scoot around out here. With this in mind, I called my good friend Audi, and convinced her we needed to road trip. I bought a cheap little Volvo Monday from carmax, it was a fairly pleasant experience, and then Tuesday morning at 5am I struck out to Cedar City Utah where I picked up Audi from the greyhound bus she came in on (sorry Audi). We drove straight through and arrived in Missouri at 11:30am Wednesday. That drive felt much longer than I’d anticipated. Once in though, man it felt good to be home. I surprised Mom and Dad, and Grandma, it was pretty exciting to just show up like that. We played with kids, ate home cooking, and slept in a bed (I did, I put Audi elsewhere, don’t worry) that was long enough to fit me (first time in ages). It was so good. Friday night, packed the car with goods from home and struck out for Arkansas. We got there and stayed with HIllary and Alex, which was nice to see them again, and in the morning, their girls who are so cute. We played, then me and Alex played on the trails out there (thanks to his buddy for letting me bump around on his bike), showered, then headed out. We drove home the south way through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, which was a different pretty than I know, but very familiar to Audi who is a desert walker of sorts. She would explain the benefits of random cactus and bushes as we drove by and I would try to drown her out as I sang along to Moonpools & Caterpillars. Coming into Arizona, I knew I didn’t have much more juice left in me, so I called a buddy in Hawaii who is from Prescot and he called his parents and setup a pit stop for us (thanks HInty) so around 3am again, I slept. Then Sunday night around 8pm I finally made it home having dropped Audi off in Pheonix so she could fly to DC. The car ran great, couldn’t be happier. I am still tired though, that takes some serious juice.

So now I’m out of college. All growed up. And starting over one more time in a place where I know almost no one and have to fight my way back into a lifestyle that I haven’t decided what it will be yet. I went to the store to get things I need now that I can afford them and I am grown up. I walked every aisle and came out with mouthwash and socks. I felt lame. And then I started work and just sat in my room plugging away at the computer on a creaky old chair provided o’ the house and I decided to splurge. I went and bought a laptop bag, a leather portfolio, an office chair, and a playstation 3 with one game… Fifa 08. Honestly I can’t think of anything else I have ever really dreamt to own. I think I should have paced myself on those purchases, 4 years of college made for a lot of buildup, it went by pretty quick. Now it’s back to work.

I’ll post pics when I get my cable mailed to me from home, sorry for the just words, I know it’s not very flashy.