I went where?!

So I picked up and left Arizona a couple weeks ago and headed to Arkansas. It feels weird to be 28 and totally uprooting and going out on a limb and accepting a year long job at a camp I had never seen or heard of before. However that worry has been calmed since getting here meeting the people and starting to understand what this camp is about. I am sure I will answer the question "what do you do?" many times and will probably leave people just as confused as before they ask, but I am pretty sure that when that question is asked I will light up and have a huge smile on my face as I try to explain and that will be a great change in my life. I am so used to feeling like I have a job that is a little embarrassing to admit to or one that seems way under me and my college degree and to finally have a job that I am not embarrassed of and one I  feel fits me is the best feeling.
I will update you more as training and camp go along.

I'm freaking out man

So I just accepted a year long position at a camp...in Arkansas. I am excited and totally scared. I have lived in the south before so that doesn't really bother me it is the fact that this is the first career decision that I have ever made in my life and it involves going halfway across the country.
The amazing side is that yes it is the first job I have had that is inline with what I want to do with my life. I won't be making a lot of money but I also won't be paying rent or utilities and at the end of the 11 months I get 5000 dollars towards student loans.
Well that is what is up, I will be leaving in about two weeks so I don't have too much time to freak out, gotta pack stuff, sell stuff and give stuff away lol.

That time of year...

Well I think spring is over but wedding announcements are rampant. It probably happens every year, though I think I had a few years off recently and because of that it makes this year stick out a little more. First there was the girl that was my first true love who started dating her ex again and was engaged a month later. Then the floodgates opened one of my younger cousins,a friend from high school, a good friend from college and another friend all announced engagements within a couple weeks of each other. Adding to this is the fact that I turned 28 this year which is the closest to 30 that I have ever been. For a guy who pictured himself married and think about kids by 25 this is a harsh reality. Pile on the fact that I don't have a solid job and I am still very single it can be depressing at times to constantly hear that everyone else (figurative yes) has what I want so badly. Well lets hope I can be patient and wait for my turn to celebrate.

5K 2.0

So I ran my second 5k this last Saturday. It was in support of the SLP Leukemia Foundation, which was actually started by a coworkers sister in-law (for her recently passed husband). It was only the 2nd annual but it is already an amazing event that had a decent number of runners. Well on to me. I finished with a new best time (hard I know being my second one ever) of 29:21 which is roughly 4 minutes faster than 6 months ago. Not sure where I was over all but I know I was 6th out of 6 guys in my age group lol oh well.
It was good time and hopefully I do more and get even better times.

Right cards, wrong game

I am that lukewarm water
I am the water tossed to and fro in the wind
I am the fool

My tongue is an untamed one
It sets my life on fire
I am the fool

I have not run to win the prize
I have not joined the race
I am the fool

I once had a close friend look at me very confused by me and say "You have all the right cards and seem to play them all wrong." I responded "I don't know what game is being played."
That was senior year of high school, man how I wish that 10 years later things would be different but they aren't I still seem to have no clue what game my cards go to and every time I think I know how my cards work the next time it fails miserably. I have always been good at a lot of things but never great at any one thing and any time I have thought I found the thing I was great at I fell flat on my face looking like the fool again.
I do feel tossed back and forth in life and there are days that I wish I hadn't found my faith so that I at least wouldn't be "lukewarm water".

A Savior, but a role model too?

I recently saw this video at church. It hit me hard, really hard. The audio part is from a Francis Chan sermon. That guy doesn't sugar coat it, he is unafraid to bring the truth. The line that got me the most is one where he says that we think Jesus is a great savior but with the way we live our lives we say he isn't a very good role model. Check it out let me know what you think.

A Name

So I just watched a video of a sermon by my best friend, it was great. He was confident, didn't jumble his words and it made me think. The topic was the name of Jesus and what it tells us about Jesus and God. Amazing points but the one he ended it with was probably the hardest hitting one. Roughly it was, most of us are careful with how we represent our father (family) name (i.e. our last name), but how are we at representing the name of Jesus? As we walk around calling ourselves Christians (followers or the Christ) what are other people seeing?
Just something to think about from a wise man I know.

Run Fat Boy Run

So some friends and I did London's Run on Saturday (Jan 29) my first 10k, it was a really cool experience. Being only my second run of any length I don't have a lot to compare it to, but this seemed to be a rather popular run. It was way out at Schnef Farms in Queen Creek. There were booths and free food and drinks (water & powerade) all over the place...and tons of port-o-potties lol. The run itself was a little different than most of my training because it was all dirt pathes and roads, some compact some kind of loose. This was probably way better for my legs because there should be less shock, but it was also worse because I had to work harder but no big deal right? Wrong, well atleast that is what my body said as I caught a massive side cramp at mile 4. I tried to run it out, but it didn't go anywhere so I walked for a couple minutes so I could breath again. The pain and the disappointment of knowing I now couldn't say I ran the whole thing almost made me cry...but I am to tough for that (right?). After about 3 minutes I started back up at a faster pace and caught back up with the friend I was running with and then passed her. I finished with a decent time, but there is the question of if I would have finished any faster if I hadn't walk (rested), guess I will just have to do it again.
Here is a link to all the 10k times. I finished 292 overall and 15 out of 44 in the male 25-29 group. It was a good day to run and fun time with friends to support a great cause, now to run a whole one :)

The big bang (or thud)

So Monday January 24th at about 6:15pm I know what happened to me, do you know what happened to you? I was rear ended by a 2005 black Infinity while sitting at a red light and then pushed into the back of a 2000 white Ford SUV. It was my very first car accident ever.My car has definitely seen prettier days in the almost 8 years I have had it. The insurance for the guy who hit me should cover everything, but the estimator hasn't told me officially yet but it could be close to having to be totaled out because of cost.I have no idea what I am going to do if it is totaled out, but I know it will be a sad day. This little car hasn't even seen 100000 miles yet, but it has seen: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama. Maybe it will still see some more.

Where did the time go?

So this Saturday is my very first 10k run. I am a little nervous cause I am silly like that, I already know I can do the distance because I have run 6 miles in my training (1:00:19), but with the extra .2 of a mile that makes a 10k it will officially be the farthest I have ever ran at one time. That said I am excited also because my training times have been amazing (atleast for me). I did 3 miles today in 28:08 which means I have taken roughly 5 minutes off of my 5k time since I ran my first one back in October. That idea is crazy to me, especially since I haven't eaten the best, got hurt or sick a couple times and there have been weeks where I have just slacked off, but man does it feel good to be able to say.
All this running and getting in shape have me excited about my upcoming frisbee and softball leagues.
Well wish me luck that I can lose some more time, just 5 more days :)

Tunes...and all that jazz

I have played a few instruments over the years, violin, guitar and bass guitar. One that I have never picked up is the piano (other than Mary had a little lamb and a couple other silly songs) After hearing this song I have decided I would love to learn how to play this song, I think it has a really catchy piano part.

New Year

So this year has started out with me running 5 miles, that is the farthest I have ever ran before and I did it in a really good time for me (50:58). I also made chicken and rice for myself, first time I had done that also lol. It feels like a great start to a year where anything might happen. After everything I was able to do last year I hope to be able to do just as much if not even more this year. I hope to find a job that can put me in a better financial situation and hopefully have the opportunity to travel (outside of Arizona maybe even other countries). I am already planning on running a 10k at the end of January with the possibility of a half or even a full marathon this year. Well here is to a year were so many things can still happen.