Obsession

From time to time, I get obsessed with things. Long ago, it was Star Wars. When I got a little older, it was BMX bikes, then rock climbing (mostly indoor or in trees using all of the gear). A few months back, Cirque du Savory controlled the majority of my free thoughts. Most recently, I had a brief obsession about what it takes to look like a real lumber jack.

These days, my primary obsession is grad school. I can't stop thinking about it. I can spend hours at a time on line looking at different schools and their programs. When I see a school I like, I start looking at prices of apartments near the school and lists of hospitals near by that might need an amazing nurse.

I don't think its the actual thought of grad school that has me so obsessed. I think its the idea of adventure and change. Its not knowing where Em and I might be in a year that gets me all worked up. I'm not good at sitting still for too long. I mean, I moved out of my mom's house when I was 17, and I've lived in 14 different places since. The thought of possibly moving to a completely different part of the country, and especially doing that with my amazing lady, has me pretty excited. Obviously, I want to go to a good school, but location is playing a huge role in the schools we are considering.

The thought of moving isn't the only thing that makes me excited, though. It's also the idea of putting hard work to use. I'll explain. I got my job at Ford because my grandpa worked there. When I left, I started going to Raymond Walters which doesn't exactly have stringent enrollment requirements. I later transferred to main campus, and worked hard to keep my GPA high. Now, I'm looking at grad schools and teacher assistantships. The idea is to get in to a good school AND to get it paid for. For once, I am trying to reap the benefits of something that I have actually worked for. I've honestly never been in this position before, and its exciting.

Anyway, sorry this isn't a very exciting post. I just needed a break from looking at college websites and university rankings. I better get back to it.

Euchre

As some of you might know, I'm a big fan of Euchre. For me, it is the king of all card games. As you also might know, I get the crazy eye at the very mention of the game. Over the last few family gatherings, it has become a tradition that my cousin, uncle, dad and I will play a round when we get together. Usually a best two-out-of three thing. Friday, my family was all over at my aunt's house celebrating Christmas. A few hours in to it, someone brought it up. My heart started to race instantly. After a couple of games, my brother came in to the dining room and jokingly said "gambling at a family function? You guys should be ashamed." I told him we weren't gambling, but then I started to think. I actually was gambling - gambling my happiness. When I lose a game of euchre, my night is pretty much shot. I get so sad that I just want to go to bed. On the other hand, when I win, I am the happiest man on earth. The feeling is indescribable.

For example, Friday night, my cousin and were on a team playing against my dad and uncle. There is a pretty solid amount of smack talk coming from every corner of the table. My cousin and I win game one, and I'm feeling good. My dad and uncle make quick work of kicking our ass in game two. This is when I started getting nervous. I knew that my mood for the rest of the night depended on what happened in the next fifteen minutes. My cousin and I won 13 to one (I went alone when we were in the barn just to turn the screws a little). I was on top of the world. I didn't say much. Just smiled big and shook their hands. But, on the inside, I was absolutely ecstatic. My dad was planing on leaving after that game, but my uncle, not wanting to finish on such a sour note, talked him in to staying for one more. Nervous again. My cousin and I agreed, but only after we made it clear that we had won the "official game." They came out strong, but after an amazing comeback, my cousin and I emerged victorious once again. Ecstatic.

Am I nuts? How do I get so worked up over a card game? As high as I am when I when, I am equally as low when I lose. Is it worth it? I would have to say yes. I can handle the lows (plenty of practice being a Bengals fan) for a chance at the highs. I'll tell you this, while there might not be any money at stake, when I sit down to play euchre, I am definitely gambling.

Pain in the Neck...

So Emily, Lucy and I were in a car accidnet a week ago today. Nothing major. A girl wasn't paying attention and ran in to the back of our Jeep. Her mom was following her, and she said that she was looking in her rear view mirror to see if she was still behind her. When she looked back ahead, traffic was stopped and it was too late. If I had to guess, I would say she was going about 20-25 mph when she hit us. Neither of us saw it coming. The worst thing that happened at the time was Lucy slammed in to the back of my seat. The Jeep didn't have a scratch, but the girl's hood was mangled.

The weird thing is that we are still feeling the effects. I felt stiffness in my neck almost immediately. It took Em about two days to feel anything. Sunday, she could barely turn her head, and I have had a dull, annoying headache basically non-stop since the wreck. We can't get in to our family doctor until Monday, so I'm not sure what to do. Might be a waste of time by then.

Anywho, I suppose the morals of this story are to put your dog in a seat belt, and drive a Jeep. You may have to replace the radiator from time to time, but it will beat a Civic in a collision any day of the week.

Gift Time, Once Again

I know I'm not alone, but Christmas stresses me out. I love visiting family, and I enjoy buying and giving gifts. My problem is, I hate having to tell people what I want. My family is all about gifts. Every year, right around turkey day, people start thinking about presents. I can't talk to someone in my family without being asked "what do you want for Christmas?" or "what does Em want?" Terrible problem to have, huh? Everyone wants to give me gifts, and here I am complaining about it.

The thing is, I don't need anything. I have everything I need to get through the day, and I have a stack of stuff up in the attic. Not only do I not need anything, but I don't have room for anything else. If you have ever seen Emily's and my living space, it is not very big and there is no room to spare.

The reason this is on my mind right now is because I just found myself surfing around on Amazon.com looking for stuff to tell people I want. Nothing in mind, just searching for stuff to want. This can't be right. Last year, I tried telling my family I didn't want anything. It didn't last long. It got awkward when I had to ask people what they wanted. I felt like I was making them feel bad for telling me.

I love Christmas, and I respect the origin off gift giving. I just wish that there was an easy way to transfer my gifts to people who really need them without disrespecting the people so generously gave them to me.

Amazing!!

This is what it would probably look like if Wise and Fuller ever got in a fight (and Day jumped in at the end and teamed up with Wise).

A Little Getaway

Em and I had a sweet little three-day getaway recently. Unfortunately, it ended in tragedy.

We met up with Em's bro and his wife in the Smokies on Sunday. They live in Raleigh, so its about halfway. We did a fairly rough 11-mile hike, then set up camp and had some dinner and drinks. The next day, we headed to Asheville, NC. We all shared a room at the HoJo, and spent time checking out the town. I had been told Asheville was cool, but it was better than I imagined. The streets were lined with little shops and privately owned restaurants and bars. Street performers played bluegrass on the major corners, and I was shocked to see how many people had their dogs with them. There is definitely a "hippy" vibe going on in that town. On our second night there, Em and I went to The Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company. Basically, its a brewery that serves amazing pizza and shows recent movies on theater size screens. It was three bucks to get in to the theater, and there was a bar in the back where you placed your orders. It was super layed back and relaxing.

There's nothing like a weekend getaway to revive your...wait a minute! I forgot to tell you about the tragedy. Lets back up a minute.

I mentioned being in the Smokies. The day after we camped, we decided to do one more short hike up to a waterfall before we headed to Asheville. I saw a gas station that had a huge Slush Puppy sign out front. I decided that we needed to stop in and get some, so we did. I had a Cherry/Blue Raspberry. It wasn't as good as Slush Puppies I remembered from my childhood. I drank about half of it and sat the cup in my cup holder, where it was promptly forgotten.

Two nights later, Em and I are headed back to our hotel after the movie/pizza/beer thing. I'm messing around with my phone when I drop it, it bounces of my chest, then my leg, and lands right in my two-day-old Slush Puppy. I couldn't have done it again if I tried. A sad ending to an otherwise wonderful trip.

Actually, I'm just kidding. Its not sad at all. that phone was a piece of junk, and I'm glad I have an excuse to get a new one. The real point to this story is that if your reading this, I need your number. All of my contacts are shot. And, if you have tried to text me in the last couple of days and I haven't responded, well, now you know why.

The Circle of Life

Well, I am now officially an uncle. As many of you know, Chad and Nicole had a beautiful baby girl, Phoebe, on Monday night after about 24 hours in the hospital. I was on my way home from dropping my other brother-in-law, Brent, off at the airport when I got the news that it was a girl and everyone was healthy. Obviously, I couldn't have been happier.

While driving home, I couldn't stop thinking about family, the miracle of birth and how huge of a life change a child is for a young couple. I thanked God for this special gift.

So, I'm feeling pretty high off of this good news when I walk in my front door and what do I see? My algae eater, Colonel Suckie Britches, had passed away.

He lay there lifeless on the bottom of the aquarium, and all I could do was stand there in shock. Now I know what they mean when they say that the good Lord giveth, and the good Lord taketh away.

Well, I guess its not a bad trade. I mean, the colonel was a fine fish and he did a great job at keeping my aquarium clean, but I think that Phoebe is probably going to be a little more fun to have around.

Congratulations Chad, Nicole and Phoebe!!!

We'll miss you, Colonel Suckie Britches.