The Next Step, or alternatively a brief history of my college experience.

Allow me to be verbose. I am not a short story teller. I remember early on in college I would get nervous telling stories or longer jokes because I felt like people would grow impatient before I could finish them. The good thing about writing is people can look ahead and see how long something is going to be without committing to fully reading or "hearing" the story. And after four years I've found friends that I don't worry about being brief with. That's why I like the name of this blog so much. The irony of the likes of Sam, Cabe, Matt, B-Mart, Garrett, Nathan, Drew, and Colin starting a blog and calling it witless brevity, still cracks me up. Of course things like using third person and first person in the same sentence crack me up.

Anyway, I woke up this morning and realized I was going home. Home to McAllen, but not "for summer". Well technically I'm only here for the summer, but in reality I was/am leaving Austin, or more accurately leaving the world of being an undergrad for good. (I carefully worded that because I'd like to go to seminary or grad school or something, so you never know. But, the life on an undergrad is probably unlike the life of a grad student, I think.) See how many sentences I've added in the middle of my story? Basically I should just parentheses half of what I say/write.

Let the weirdness commence. I have a job, but that job is raising support so that I can go to a vaguely defined place on the far side of the world. I very clearly know what is instore for me in terms of more or less where I'll be, yet I do not know what the experience will be like or how it will impact me. All I know is that yes it will be an experience and it will impact me.

I'm glad Andrew and Cabe came over and helped me pack. They saved me probably 30 minutes to an hour of work, but it also was nice to not leave the house alone. I left Austin this afternoon as if a few friends were dispersing to go to the next location we were planning to hang out at. Matt also showed up, but conveniently after the work was all done.

The other night Matt said something that meant a lot to me. Matt does this sometimes. Every so often he drops some encouragement into the conversation. Sometimes you don't even pick up on it then. But it's the type of encouragement that is genuine and heart-felt. He said that I was really open and real, and that he loved that about me. More words may have surrounded that, but that's what's been in my mind.

Cabe said some nice stuff about me on here. Stuff like that always means so much to me. Sometimes we go too long without saying what other people really mean to us. Maybe I'm a closet romantic, but I really like the ring commercial (or maybe its just a diamond commercial) where the guy and girl are walking along and all the sudden the guy starts shouting "I love this woman!" over and over. She's embarrassed and is like stop stop (but the keep going kind of stop). In the end he gives her a ring or diamond or both to symbolize him shouting to the world of his love for her. This story is only vaguely related since we're all dudes, and we're all heterosexual. But sometimes our maleness prevents us from the edification that a community is supposed to do. I think we do a good job of encouraging, but there's always room for more. I also think this is how I want to do my looking back at college post, through the impact my friends have had on me.

Cabe and I have never been closer then this semester. I remember being intimidated by Cabe early in my sophomore year. That changed as we experienced the growing pains of learning how to drink together. Our experiences with learning about alcohol are another set of stories entirely. This semester with Brian overseas and Garrett graduated I wasn't prepared for the loneliness and big hole in me not having them physically there left. This semester Cabe was a friend in need. To be honest though so was I. I had a harder time realizing it, it wasn't like I got a phone call that said oh hey, you're going to be lonely and feel disconnected from your best friends. It was just reality that I really only realized now. This semester I could very easily have slipped into a depression. I teetered right on the edge one week. I was really down. Sam talked some sense into me, and Sam's always dependable. I got to know Cabe more this semester though then ever before. He is a really cool dude. I got to have lunch with him frequently when he was unemployed, and now that he is employed I've gotten to hang out with most nights until he has his bedtime. Really this semester Cabe has just been there for me. I didn't realize how reciprocal our need was until the other day really.

I talked a bit about B-Mart earlier, but man I can't say enough about this guy. I love this guy. Though we disagree on baseball teams (though I am cheering for Pujols to put a clean HR record up), we became really good friends my sophomore year and that continued my junior year. B-Mart is perhaps one of the most amazing and capable guys I know. God could use him in anyway to do anything and I would not be surprised and whatever feat he accomplished.

Garrett was literally an answer to prayer my freshman year. I had just finished praying about a roommate when Garrett called me to say he was interested in rooming with me the next year. Garrett and I did two years at Snow Ridge and were roommates one and half years. Garrett is like the perfect blend of cool dude and real friend. I appreciate the honesty Garrett's had with me about his life. He's up in the big D now. He's our professional businessman of the group.

Sam. Well, I don't think I can say exactly how Sam's been there for me. But it involves him wearing a helmet and letting me get alot of frustrations out by punching the hell out of it. I really am glad Sam, that I could be there for you too. He's one of those dependable guys. I'd definitely want him in a fight too. He's more of the independent one in the group. The other day Sam when you let me past the outside, it meant a lot to me, it really did.

Nathan is the David Beckham of the group. He's got a girlfriend, he's ridiculously good looking and he's just plain awesome. He likes soccer too so that's why Beckham comes to mind. Nathan is such a cool dude. If I weren't good friends with him, I'd feel pretty intimidated by him. I've really enjoyed the times we've hung out, especially some 20+ hours in my truck on the way to Mississippi and back. Nathan you are a leader. People just straight up look up to you. I'm very excited to hear how being a teacher goes this next year, and what plans God has for you long term. I know you are willing and God will use you.

Drew, the professional Christian. Drew you better write on this blog and no copy pasting your prayer letter straight on here. That's cheating. The students of Rice are blessed to have you. I've appreciated hearing your story. It's very awesome that you were able to submit yourself to God and allow Him to pull you away from being the perfect business student and going into the business world. I really do want to hear what God teaches you and what's going on in your life.

In short, these are the guys that I went through college with. Some I've known well since I was a freshman. Most of you guys I've gotten to know the past 2 or 3 years. All of you have lifted me up and encouraged me from time to time. I appreciate each one of you guys so much. Now that I've said all this be looking for your support letters sometime in the mail.