Whew! Awesome picture! Me and my woman - I like it, she doesn't. I say my vote wins, so now it's all over the internet. This is us at Jr./Sr. Banquet last Spring. Isn't she beautiful?

A Phenomenal Weekend

Well, my last post is almost obsolete at this point. Let me drop the vague language and covert syntax from before and come to the point. This past weekend, I had planned to rent a car, drive to Columbus, and surprise Vanessa for her birthday. It was a wonderful plan, but the folks at Enterprise dashed the proverbial ship of my dreams against the equally proverbial Great Barrier Reef. After presenting me with a series of hurdles to jump through, they informed me that should I meet the qualifications, I still would be unable to rent a car from them. That was a bummer, let me tell you.

So, I went online and found that all was as I feared - lost. The closest car rental facility of which I might have availed myself was in Charleston, an hour's journey north. I quietly dismissed any thought of corporally wishing my fiancee a happy birthday. At this point, my parents became my all-time heroes. They purposed to facilitate for me a ride to Charleston sometime during the evening. In Charleston, Hertz had caught my eye as the only company that would rent a car to me at a reasonable rate, minus all the hassle with which others had buttressed themselves.

Anxiously, I waited for the evening. As the afternoon waned, my pulse quickened to find that I would indeed be presented with the opportunity to continue with my plans despite the minor delay of 5 or 6 hours.

Yeah, anyway, so that was a good story. But here's the real good part - so I rented this really sweet car that got, like, 36 miles per gallon. I got to Columbus that night at about 12:00. The next afternoon, I drove to the airport to pick up Vanessa. Man, she freaked out when I walked up to her. It was like she'd seen a ghost. She kinda screamed and threw her arm up in front of her face, which made me wonder if I was really as good-looking as she tells me I am. (Note to self: Never say that in front of people again.)

We had an awesome weekend together, even though I was dog-tired. I think she was too which made me look less wussy (which is a good thing if you're me - you're not, so who cares). After it was all over, I drove back to WVA with wonderful memories and the prospect of finally starting my job at ABC.

I'll update later about my first day, but for now, suffice it to say that I am thoroughly excited by the idea of busywork, cause right now I don't have any.

Good times.

ngolden

By the way, this is free for you fellas out there (the ones of you that are my age, I mean): If you decide to get engaged (which I would strongly encourage at some point in your life), make sure you pick the right woman. I sure did! Next summer sure seems like a long way away from where I stand, and if I'm as excited about it as I am right now, I can't imagine what it's going to be like when it gets here. I might have a heart attack during the ceremony. My, wouldn't that be dramatic.

The Attack of the Killer Employees Collectively Named A.J.

Have you ever made plans? Like big plans? Like allsummerlongyouvebeenplanning plans?

What happened when you made those plans? If you say, "Well, when the plans worked out, it was the coolest thing in the world," then you are exceptionally fortunate. For you, the plans worked out.

Now, let us look at Exhibit A in a case heretofore unknown to you. Exhibit A is me. When I plan real small things, they end up going great. But, when I hatch those gargantuan plans that would make the Manhattan Project cry like a baby, I always end up getting snarfed (thanks for the great word, Lee). If you were to visualize my plans, they would be an inconspicuous defenseless ant that is about to be tread upon by Andre the Giant. Yeah, it's that bad. But it wouldn't be that bad if this were just a one time deal. Instead, it's most definitely a thing that happens every time I plan something gargantuan. Bummer for me, huh? Yeah, thanks for your sympathy.

Anyway, so I'm trying to figure out what God wants me to learn out of all this. I've come up with three combo options (or three comboptions for those of you who like words). First, God could be trying to teach me patience and flexibility (a definite "no" answer from God). Second, God could be trying to teach me patience and perseverance (a somewhat definite "yes" answer from God - that depends on my reaction). Third, God could be trying to protect me from my own stupidity. That's always an option.

So whatever it is, I hope that I learn it soon so that my plans are not snarfed once again by killer employees named A.J.

Overwhelmed and Really Stinkin' Tired

You know, sometimes life comes at you so fast it knocks you down and rips on by. Other times, it knocks you down and then comes back and stomps all over you.

That's kind of how I feel right now. I feel stomped on, which really doesn't make sense because the past few days have been some of the best of my career to point (which is good considering that my career is living).

Anyway, to bring you up to date quickly...my best friend just got married. That was an experience. To watch a man transform in a matter of days (minutes when you get right down to it) from this crazy dude you used to hang out with sometimes to a happily married husband is downright freaky. One minute, I was actually in the running for best friend. The next minute, I suddenly became a mere acquaintance. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. It's just really freaky, or did I mention that already?

I also got to see my good friends, the Gospel Heralds, in concert. It was by far the most powerful concert I've ever been to in my life where I've been a member of the audience. God used them today in an exceptionally powerful way to encourage and challenge me. I really needed what they had to say. Although, it did make me miss the seven hour road trips in the college van...

Well, I'm done for now. I've rambled enough and I'm going to quit. It's way past my bedtime (midnight on the east coast). I'll update either tomorrow or Tuesday and give you a more literate scoop on what's been happening. Don't lose heart, it will come quickly.

ngolden
(Goldilocks: it's Skcolidlog spelled backwards)

D.S. al Coda

"Howdy, big guy."

My summer officially started ten weeks ago with those very words of welcome from field coordinator Ron Thompson. It seems really freaky that it's about to end. Like tomorrow. Like, no more Utah Valley. No more Payson Bible Church. No more Pioneer Bible Camp. No more bugging the Whitworth girls and saying "Who dah man?" to Caleb. No more Temple Square visits. No more Isuzu Trooper getting 16 mpg. It's really, finally, coming to an end.

You might be asking yourself, "Self (because that's what you call yourself), is Nathan excited about leaving Utah?" After you pose this question to yourself, you may feel compelled to find out the answer from one who knows. And so, through some sort of weird telepathic thing, you get ahold of me and ask, "Nathan, are you excited about leaving Utah?" Seriously, warn me that you're going to ask that next time. Let me think about it for a second...

After pondering this question, I find that there are two parts to my answer: 1) yes, I'm stoked about leaving Utah and getting the opportunity to be in my best friend's wedding (100 points for use of a movie title). I'm also really stoked about seeing my family again. You may ask, "What does the word 'stoked' mean?" Well, it comes from ancient German. It begins with the prefix "sto-" which means "a man," and the verb "-ked" which means "who likes pork sausage." So you can see how I would be stoked to go home.

As an added bonus, and really the only truly exciting reason that I could give, I get to see my fiancee, Vanessa. Umm...I could probably talk for hours about that, so I'm not going to go any farther, except to say, "I love you, my little banana nut muffin." If you're not her, don't ask. It's a private memory. If you are her, then please don't kill me for saying that in public. :-D

Oh yeah, I almost forgot my second part: 2) no, I hate the fact that I have to leave behind a lot of people who I have become very close to. It's like moving away from your friends. Not always a pleasant experience. For those of you who are on the Utah field and are reading this, you have been the biggest encouragement to me. Thanks for your support this summer. Lord willing, I'll be back, even if it's only for a short trip. I can't wait to see you again.

And so, as I watch the door close on the end of an era, I sit back and sigh with contentment. I know that I will never again have a summer such as I have had this summer. It has been good. I "climbed down" all over it.

My, wasn't that poetic up until that last sentence? Anyway, I'm going to conclude this post in hopes that the next one won't be far behind. I thought of something today that many of you have found in an email from me. As Christians, we are totally to disobey our parents in this sense - do what your momma told you never to do, stare at the Son. Kind of cheesy, but still a good reminder.

So until my next, more serious post, I bid you "feosgar math."

ngolden
(Goldilocks: it's Skcolidlog spelled backwards)