Fly to Chicago, End up in Europe

Speaking of that 9:30pm flight on Sunday night (see previous post), that was a fun flight. I was seated next to a pretty, nice University of Illinois-Chicago student for the flight. Interestingly enough, neither of us originally booked that flight either. She had gotten on the flight by virtue of the standby list. That was a blessing indeed.

Because the flight was so late, there were pillows and blankets in every seat. They even turned out the lights even though the flight was only 2 hours long. The dark cabin and pillows and blankets made the flight feel very much like an international flight.

The irony of this was lost on me until I got to Core Analyst School in St. Charles, Illinois (just outside Chicago). I arrived late last night. This morning, they gave us a few stats about the people attending this training. As it turns out, of the 150 people here, 79% are Europeans. In fact, only 15% of us here are Americans. It's a weird experience. That's why I felt like I had flown to Chicago and somehow ended up in Europe!

Meeting a whole bunch of people from a world away is awesome. I've met people from virtually all of the major European nations after only 1 day. It will be awesome to have contacts all over Eastern Europe and beyond. Haha.

2008: A Plane Odyssey

Sunday was a bizarre day. My flight to Chicago was supposed to take off at 1:39pm Mountain Time, so I arrived at the airport a little before noon. I was flying with 4 of the people in my start group as well. As the flight departure time approached, my friend and coworker Alex got this crazy idea into his head that he would offer to give up his seat if United would book him on a later flight (we were in no hurry after all) and give him a voucher for a free ticket.

True to form, United (which has horrible service according to many Accenture employees) overbooked the flight. I've never understood how this could happen so often in the digital age. But it does. I can't imagine a winning business model where flights are overbooked and then the airline hands out free round trip vouchers. That probably explains why the airlines all needed bailouts from taxpayers.

Anyways, all 5 of us volunteered to give up our seats in exchange for a free flight. We stood at the ticket counter for what felt like hours trying to get all of the logistics ironed out. The poor lady behind the counter had a heck of a time getting us another flight. First, there were only 4 open seats on a flight from Denver to Lincoln to Chicago. So she booked some of us to Lincoln and some to connect in Omaha. Then she was able to get us all on a flight to Omaha and then to Chicago. But then she realized that the flight was a Monday flight instead of a Sunday flight. Wouldn't work. So finally she booked us on a 9:30pm flight directly to Chicago.

By this time, it was 1:30pm. So, with 8 hours of time to kill, we settled in at a bar to watch sports. Some of us, including me, ended up hanging out in that bar for about 5 hours. Our time there was a little sweeter because of 2 things: 1) we saw a great Davidson-Kansas game, and 2) United gave us all $10 meal vouchers so our lunch was free.

Around 6:30pm, we were tired of the bar (and the bar was likely tired of us because all that was ordered the last few hours was a few beers). So we found the most deserted part of the terminal and considered watching Blazing Saddles on a laptop. That fell through, so we ended up watching hilarious YouTube videos. Finally, we had our 2nd meal of the day at the airport. I had a delicious Quizno's sub. Yum, yum, yum.

At 9pm, we finally boarded our flight and headed for Chicago. We didn't land until almost 1am Chicago time, and we didn't get to our final destination just outside Chicago till nearly 2:30am. What a day it was.

"Shoop, Shoop... Shoop, Shoop"

In case you're a little confused, the title of this blog post is a Friends reference. Still confused? "Shoop, shoop" is the noise Rachel makes on one of the Thanksgiving episodes to express her excitement about her upcoming skiing trip with her family (naturally, the trip never occurs and everyone is stuck spending Thanksgiving together... what a shock).

Thankfully, my "Shoop, shoop" skiing trip DID happen. Yesterday, 90+ Accenture professionals from SI&T (Systems Integration and Technology) headed up to Keystone in the early morning hours to hit the slopes for a few hours. Getting paid while skiing, networking, and eating for free has to rank among the best things I've done lately.

I hit just about every Blue ski run they had at Keystone at the 3 mountains there. Since I hadn't skied since last March and don't particularly love moguls, I took the day relatively easy on the Blues. I'm one of those skiers who loves the speed of the Blues but doesn't enjoy the bumps and jolts of the Blacks. A couple of times, I pointed my skis straight down the hill and absolutely flew down the slopes. What a rush.

One time, though, I got headed straight down the hill kinda by accident. I was trying to speed up a little, so I pointed my skis directly downhill. But when I got going fast, I didn't feel comfortable turning quickly because I was afraid the sudden change in direction would make me tumble forward over my skis. So I leaned back slowly and eventually hit the slope softly with my backside. What followed was the longest slide I have ever experienced. It was actually kinda fun. I must have skidded at least 50 yards downhill on my butt. It was the softest and longest crash I've ever had on the slopes. Somehow, my skis and poles stayed with me. As I was sliding down the hill, it felt like time was standing still and I was just gliding along the surface of the ice/snow.

What a time. Too bad ski season is nearly over.

A Few Great Quotes and more...

I read these quotes from Michael Fleming's Watermark Denver blog today, and I loved them so much that I had to share them here. No surprise here, though. Jim Elliot was a stud. Talk about a man filled with the Spirit.

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me. “

“We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are “harmless,” and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are “sideliners” — coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!”

-Jim Elliot

These quotes really speak to me right now. I'm inundated by stories of people I know drinking excessively and doing all sorts of goofy stuff and it just makes me sad. It really does. But I'm surrounded by it all the time and I freeze up and I don't ever say anything, rock the boat, or upset the status quo. And that bothers me. I see people so clearly missing the boat on Jesus and His abundant life (John 10:10), and yet I don't say anything.

I definitely do want to be someone who gets along with anyone, but I also don't want to be someone who hides the truth when others really need to hear it. My favorite verse about this is Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." Lord, let me never be a friend who is a willing party to someone's death (Proverbs 19:18) because I was unwilling to speak the Lord's wisdom into his/her life.

On a lighter note, I'm pumped that I'm feeling a little more like a Colorado resident now that I have finally purchased my first pair of ski pants. I always borrowed them before, but now I have my own! I needed them (as well as gloves and sunglasses) because a bunch of people from our Denver office are headed to Keystone for a day of skiing tomorrow morning!!! Early wake-up call (5:00am), but it's definitely worth it for a day of skiing, especially when the office is covering the cost of lift tickets! What a great idea for a "Community Meeting". See ya after I get off the slopes!

Reed

Shout to the Lord (and maybe a Shout Out to others too)

Ever had that feeling like you're on top of the world? That's about where I am right now. It's incredible. I'm in such a good mood that I prayed to the Lord that He would push me out of my comfort zone and make me a little uncomfortable to bring me back to reality. If I could be on Cloud Nine, this would be it. God is so good. Stress about the difficulty of the job has sufficiently subsided, so now I look at this as college with an added degree of difficulty and class from 8-5 every day but with the opportunity to go out with friends any night of the week.

The last few days have been awesome. I already blogged about Easter, so I won't rehash that. And Monday was nice but not too eventful. Today has been awesome. I spent virtually the entire day laughing at one thing or another due to my hilarious and unpredictable Start Group. We are crazy silly. And yet today was still one of the most productive days we've had yet in training. We worked really hard AND we had fun. Incredible. I would try to explain what was so funny and awesome, but it was too complicated and I'd ruin the context and probably not explain it clearly enough if I tried. So I won't. The icing on the cake was tonight. I just got back from seeing a Sneak Preview of "21," a new movie starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth about MIT students making a fortune in Vegas by counting cards at Blackjack. It was a very good movie (Kevin Spacey was awesome... again). Plus, this is the first time I've gotten to really hang out with my co-workers outside of work. It was a lot of fun, and the Cherry Creek area is pretty nice.

P.S. Denver has the best radio station ever created. It's 95.7 FM. This station plays all of the classic pop songs you heard 10-15 years ago when they were popular and never thought you'd hear again. Yes, they finally have a good 1990s pop station somewhere. I have heard everything from Return of the Mack to Don't Speak to I Need A Girl on this station, and I've hardly had time to listen to it! Sweetness.

P.P.S. Gotta give a shout out to Andy, my friend and fellow conservative warrior over the past few years. Don't be too anxious to leave Texas! But when you do, stop on by and hang for a little while.

High Altitude Cooking and High Octane Worship

High Altitude cooking is tougher than it looks. Especially when the directions on the package are more than a little ambiguous. I've made frozen corn 100 times, and it's come out perfect every time. But the package decided to be really confusing about high altitude cooking, so I butchered the frozen corn last night. Ugh. And this isn't the first time I've miscooked (I don't know if that's even a word, but if Roger Clemens can make up words, so can I!) something since I arrived in Denver. Some things I've cooked have come out just a little undercooked due to the goofy altitude.  And each time I realize immediately afterward that I needed to cook differently because of the altitude. It's gonna take some time to get used to being 5280 ft above sea level...

This morning was the most incredible morning for me in quite some time. It is Easter after all, so no surprise there. Let me back up a little to give you the full picture (and by you I mean the random 2-3 people who search Google and happen upon this blog since I don't think anyone else reads it).

So God has really burdened my heart to reach out to my fellow New Joiners at Accenture ever since I knew I was coming to Denver. And the burden has only increased since I got to Denver. The burden upon my heart was so deep this week that I invited my co-workers to Easter services at a church north of Denver. Those who know me well will know that people-pleasing is such a struggle with me that I usually have to know someone pretty well before I ever start talking about God with them. While God is slowly breaking those barriers down, some do still exist. 

So it was a big step for me to even invite people I hardly knew to a church I knew nothing about. While there was not much reception (more indifference than anything) to my offer, the Lord has worked mightily in bringing me together with Jim Crouse, and this is a great example. Jim and his fiancee Kelly had been looking for a church to attend for Easter and Jim and I agreed to check out this new contemporary church north of Denver called Northern Hills Christian Church (FYI: I know Jim better than I do any of the other people I work with because we carpool to work every morning).

You must also know that I struggled a lot this weekend with worry about whether the church we would be attending would be a solid, Biblical church. I think I've gotten overly cynical over the last few years. I was turned off by the Pentecostal thing. In addition, I've heard a lot of stories lately about churches that seemed legit on the outside but were corrupt from within. Plus, I've been fortunate enough to hear both Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn preach on TV over the past couple weeks. While I have limited knowledge of their ministries, what I saw on TV was essentially identical to what I'd ever heard about them.

I'd heard they preached a "Health, Wealth, and Prosperity" gospel that essentially ignored sin and basically preached positive thinking. Furthermore, and this was true of Benny Hinn especially, it seemed the message was directly tied into convincing you that the right thing to do to please God was to give money to their corresponding ministry. And the promise was that you would be blessed many times over because you gave money. This simply isn't a Biblical message. Does God bless us when we walk faithfully with Him? Sure! But He isn't some cosmic genie who is bound to multiply our wealth when we give to Him. And He also allows trials and difficulties to enter the lives of those who are earnestly seeking Him. In fact, it is promised to us in Scripture that we will face persecution on account of Christ when we follow Him (See 2 Timothy 3:12, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"). So the message is only half-complete when these preachers preach.

This knowledge of lost churches, churches that didn't suit my style and my knowledge of how unchurched Denver is led me into way too much cynicism in regards to Northern Hills Christian Church. I was really, really worried this would turn out to be a church where really weird things happened or that the message of Christ would be robbed of its power in this church. Neither turned out to be the case. 

God really convicted me in my cynicism using this church today. Northern Hills was neither crazy nor dead. It is very much alive. And it is radical in the Watermark sense. It is evangelical and boldly proclaims His Truth in a way that reminded me very much of Watermark. I could go on and on about how similar to Watermark in Dallas it was. The lobby with the modern architecture and the coffee shop (See the picture provided).  The open feel. The shape of the building. The number of people in the service. The audio/visual tech. The full worship band. The music and sermon only service style (except that Northern Hills served communion as well). But, most importantly, Northern Hills is like Watermark in that it faithfully presents the gospel message of man's sinful nature and God's redeeming grace FOUND ONLY IN JESUS. The Spirit-filled message this morning was amazing. It was all about "Where is your hope found/focused?" Basically, is your hope in stuff or in the one whose name is Jesus? (Side note: In no way does this change my desire to pour my heart into God's ministry through Watermark Denver. I'm just psyched to see that there is another solid church nearby.)

By the way, the music was phenomenal too. It was like being back at Passion. Songs like "Mighty to Save" and "Everlasting God (Strength Will Rise)." Right songs for the right moment.

Another awesome moment was during communion. I was feeling a little too focused on the tradition of the last supper. So I prayed that God would make the importance of communion real to me. God's answer to my prayers usually spans more than a moment or a day or even a week. But in this moment, His answer was instantaneous. He placed the image of opening Christmas presents on my mind. Specifically, he focused my mind on the mountain bike I got when I was a kid. Let me explain.

I am incredibly blessed. My parents are generous beyond any sound measure. Christmas is filled with gifts and every toy or gadget I could ever want. It really is a special holiday for more than just the gifts given and received, but my point is this: I've never suffered from a lack of abundant Christmas gifts. And, perhaps more than any toy, my bike always sticks in my mind. 

I loved that bike like few other things I've ever owned. There is nothing that opens a suburban boy's mind to fun and adventure more than a bike. To a young boy like me, it was like taking flight. It opened all sorts of possibilities to me. My territory was no longer defined by how far I could walk or run. The question was now this: How far can you ride?

I treasured that bike like few things I've ever had. Sure, I did a lousy job of taking care of it, but the memories I have of exploring on that bike will stick with me forever. I can't even count how many times Adrian and I (and some other friends as well from time to time) rode bikes through the trails from the lake in Stone Lakes into Timberlake. That is freedom for a pre-teen boy. Every time riding through those trees and bushes was something totally and completely different. And so it is with Christ. Each day is different and exciting in its own way.

Why is all of this important? I want to give you a sense of just how awesome God made communion to me this morning. When He placed the image of Christmas and my new bike in my mind immediately after my prayer, He was telling me that what He did for me on the cross (which we remember in part through the communion I was partaking of) is of even greater value than all of the Christmas gifts I could ever receive. It even tops all the bikes in the world. His death on my behalf on the cross is of more value than anything that has ever happened in all of eternity. This is what Paul is saying when he says in Philippians 3:8 that "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of know Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

If you know Jesus, may you experience joy today and beyond that surpasses all of the Christmases in the world. If you don't know Him, I pray that you will come to know the God who gave Himself for us on the cross to save us from ourselves and defeated death by resurrecting Himself on the 3rd day. He's worth more than all the bikes and all the other things in this world.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

Quick Thoughts

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and HE DETERMINED THE TIMES SET FOR THEM AND THE EXACT PLACES WHERE THEY SHOULD LIVE. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps even reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." - Acts 17:26-27.

This was part of the Journey devotional this morning. How powerful. Not only does it apply to me and give me assurance about where I'm at right now (Denver) and why I'm here, but this is incredibly timely in another sense. I have a close friend who's going through some trials right now employment-wise and is trying to decide whether to pack up and leave everything familiar for the great unknown in another city and state. So this verse definitely speaks to her situation as well. Crazy. But the timing of God always seems a little crazy to us with our limited knowledge of the big picture.

In other news, training is going really well. It's all group activities and coding, which I happen to like. And we make each other laugh all the time. It is super laid-back. And we're ahead of schedule, so there is less pressure to rush. Okay, gotta get back to getting ready for work! 

My unusual day...

Well, today was a bit absurd. Yes, yes it was. Quite a few little things went wrong. Like how I got a nail in my tire that ruined not only the bottom of the tire but the side as well. Talented nail! So I had the wonderful experience of pulling over into a parking lot and changing a tire. I'm getting too good at that because I have the worst fortune with tires. They hate me apparently. I went ahead and got two new tires, so hopefully this is my last tire purchase ever in this blasted car (I just recently got two front tires, so now I have 4 new tires on my car). When I say "I got two new tires," I feel like a driver in NASCAR. Just FYI.

Anyways, the foolishness didn't end there. I went to Wal-Mart to use my gift card (thanks Aunt Jackie and Uncle Larry!!!) to get a new phone (let me know if you want my new number) and Jerry Maguire. Stupidly, I stepped into the cash-only self-checkout line and then realized I was using a gift card. Of course, I had to call over an employee to cancel the order. Then, I went to another self-checkout and I had to call the same employee back over to approve my purchase of Jerry Maguire (its R-rated). I had forgotten about such restrictions. Finally, I had no idea how to use my gift card, so I had to call the employee back a 3rd time to show me how to use the gift card (which turned out to be a simple process). I felt stupid walking out of Wal-Mart.

Speaking of stupid and Wal-Mart, I was at another Wal-Mart last night to get the phone and movie but gave up due to the poor planning at Wal-Mart. At 10pm on Friday night, they had only 4 checkout lanes open! This despite the 25 people standing in each line waiting to checkout. Surely they could have pulled one of their many attendants in other departments to help out with the chaos. Being impatient, I did not wait around in line.

My day was pretty much summed up today when I tried to get gas as I was leaving Wal-Mart. I pulled into a nearby Diamond Shamrock/Valero (sign said Diamond Shamrock, system said Valero). Of course, there was only one open gas pump. As I pulled around to get to the open pump, a truck pulled into the open space. The truck was completely facing the wrong way and made about a hundred turns to get to the right side. Stupid truck, haha.

But overall my day was pretty nice other than those goofy screwups and sitting in Discount Tire while they put new tires on my car. I got to catch up briefly with Alyssa. I got some scripture memorized. I went grocery shopping (and now have real food to eat at my place). I now have a home phone!! I got several loads of laundry done. More coming tomorrow.

I was browsing through my Bridge City Scrapbook today and thinking about the similarities between my experience in Bridge City and Denver thus far. In both cases, I jumped totally into the unknown on the Lord's guidance. Enjoying Denver and its newness reminded me today of how much I loved exploring Bridge City last summer with all of my new friends there! I miss yall soooo much! I can't believe we are nearly 1300 miles apart! Don't worry... we'll be together again before long.

One little thought of advice: Never watch Jerry Maguire by yourself on Saturday night in a totally new city and state. It's just not smart. I love that movie so much, and it has so many classic moments, but man does it make you think of relationships. Yikes.

My Love/Hate Relationship with AT&T

I think the title is pretty self-explanatory for anyone who has ever done business with the phone monopoly monster known as AT&T. But for those who haven't been initiated yet (but will at some point due to AT&T's inevitable pull), I shall elaborate.

You might remember that I got an iPhone in January. I set up my service on January 22. Setting up service then was already a hassle because it was 2 days before the end of my billing cycle. Naturally, AT&T had no interest in pro-rating the cost of the plan for the 2 DAYS I had left, so I got a full phone bill shortly thereafter for around $150 including one-time changeover fees etc. (Side note: I have discovered also in this whole ordeal that AT&T does pro-rate your services if you change them in the middle of the month. This is inexplicable given what I just said above. AT&T DOESNT PRO-RATE THE PRICE WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR PLAN, BUT IT DOES PRO-RATE YOUR SERVICES RECEIVED THAT MONTH. What a racket! Immoral? I think so! Especially when you have to change the plan because THEY SCREWED UP! Read more below to get the full picture of what happened).

So, I digress. So I set up phone services over the phone on January 22. I remember this call very vividly because it stuck in my mind as one of the most enjoyable, least painful customer service calls I've ever made. We all dread those calls, navigating the endless automated number system, being transferred a minimum of 3 times per call, and repeating every last detail of your entire account to each new person you talk to. My favorite annoying example of this was dealing with Cingular (now AT&T) when I was still on my parents' plan. They never asked me the same personal detail about my parents to verify my identity. One time it would be my mom's last 4 digits of her SSN, one time it would be the billing zip code on the account, another time it was the billing address. Every time I would memorize one of these, they inevitably would ask for another one I had since forgotten (Murphy must have been spinning in his grave).

I have digressed yet again. So I had this wonderful call on January 22 to set up my iPhone. It took only a few minutes, and I actually enjoyed talking with the representative on the phone. That should have been a big red flag in my little naive mind that this was WAY TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

So I was checking my bill online a few days ago, and my bill was about 40 dollars more than normal. So I looked through my bill, figured I had used too many media messages (that cost an arm and a leg) and paid the bill anyways. But as I continued to look through the bill, I discovered that my rate plan was horribly and hopelessly messed up.

The iPhone data plan comes with 200 text messages free per month. Knowing this would be too few for me, I did my research. I found that I could pay 10 dollars extra a month and get 1500 text messages (which is like unlimited to me since I don't send that many). But the rep on the phone convinced me I could continue getting 1000 per month for less than 10 dollars, so I stupidly listened to her after doing my research (Side note again: When I properly do my research, I always find something better than I get conned into at the store. Words of Advice: Do research and stick to your guns with these sales people). So everything seemed fine until this month, when I sent an amazing (for me) 1,049 text messages. Thanks to all my friends out there for inflating my numbers. lol.

Instead of giving me 1000 text messages for around 8 dollars, the rep had added 100 International text messages to my account for 10 bucks. That was either the greatest sleight of hand ever or an honest mistake reading 100 as 1000. Talk about the most useless plan ever. I almost never travel internationally, so I would essentially be voluntarily handing over 10 bucks a month to AT&T out of charity. What a racket, I say.

So, since I wasn't getting the text messages promised, I was only covered for 200 of the 1,049 text messages. So I was paying a 0.05/message rate on the other 849 text messages. Do the math and you get 42.46, which is why my bill was so high. I don't often get really mad, but this just flat-out pissed me off because I was misled so badly. I am thankful to the Lord that I didn't get time to talk to a representative till this morning when I wasn't so hopping mad.

Here is the small ray of sunshine in this dark cloud; the small amount of love in a whole heap of hate. I called AT&T this morning, the rep apologized for the other rep, changed my account to the correct plan, and credited my account for almost all of the scam charges. Its amazing how easy it can be when you know exactly what you're doing! This rep restored a little bit of my faith in AT&T, and AT&T owes him big-time for dramatically improving my customer relationship with AT&T.

One of the big topics I've covered at work the last few days is Customer Relationship Management, and its importance to successful business. Its very true that maintaining relationships with existing customers is far cheaper than creating relationships with new customers. Yet so many big companies fail badly in this regard. AT&T is no exception.

First Day at WORK... and the next 2 days as well

My first few days at work have been phenomenal. They really have.

First, I must stop and say a couple of things. I'm working for Accenture as an Analyst in the Systems Integration & Technology (SI&T) Growth Platform in the Technology Architecture (Tech Arch) division. Beyond that, I really can't say that much about work due to confidentiality and privacy policies. So don't expect to hear anything related to specific work projects on here.

What has made my time at Accenture so far so great is the group of folks I am starting with: Jessie, Jim, Sonja, Alex, and Nick. We have all developed an incredible rapport after only 3 days... should make the next 12 days of work entertaining!

Sure, it hasn't all been sunshine and roses. I don't think anyone gets excited by days and days of training. But it sure could be a lot worse. I think Accenture is going to provide the type of challenge I need to grow individually. And Accenture seems unbelievably awesome to work for, with the nicest, most committed people I know.

To give you an idea about how close my group has gotten in just 72 hours, consider this: Alex, Jessie, Nick and I spent an hour or so after work today having drinks and tacos, discussing all the weekend plans we need to make. I'm not talking the normal stuff you do on weekends. I'm talking skiing, biking, exploring, and anything else to experience Denver to the fullest. And we already have no qualms about spending that much time together.

Our SI&T group has a meeting/excursion to Keystone in a couple weeks. Skiing! Can't wait.

The Moving Process

Moving to Denver was such an ordeal, at least in some ways. I enjoyed it, but man was it long and hard. Picking up furniture, loading all my stuff in a U-Haul, and the worst part, cleaning my Dallas apartment. What an annoyance. But thats just part of the deal. Once the furniture was loaded, things got so much easier.

The drive to Denver was as easy as a 900 mile drive over 2 days through barren country. I've never seen country as barren as Western Kansas. It's worse than driving between Wichita Falls and Amarillo. Thats how barren it is. But road tripping with my dad was a welcome event since I haven't spent all that much consistent time with him since I left home for SMU. We stopped for a night in Salina, KS and drove into Denver the next day (March 5).

Movers moved all my stuff into my apartment (and set up the couch) in about 90 minutes, a far cry from the afternoon my dad and I spent loading stuff into the truck. Talk about a great investment. Not sure I'll ever move myself again. I spent Thursday afternoon alone in the apartment assembling the coffee table and setting up stuff. Much of what I brought I had never seen because my mom bought me a bunch of stuff right before I left.

God threw us a little curveball last weekend. Dad was supposed to fly out Friday morning, and Mom was scheduled to fly in Friday morning. But of course Dallas-Ft Worth got a freakish snow storm like we hadn't gotten in years, in March of all months. Southlake got 3 inches of actual snow, and Denton got a half foot or more of snow. This all happened Thursday, but it cancelled Dad and Mom's flights going opposite ways. So Dad stayed an extra day and Mom got to Denver a day late. Dad and I went to see Semi Pro. That is possibly the worst movie ever made in cinematic quality. But it did have some really funny lines ("I wish you were still a washer!" was the best). I wish it hadn't been totally obscene during some scenes though.

Dad left EARLY Saturday morning (we got up to go to the airport at 5 am). Mom wasn't scheduled in until 12:40 pm, so I went back to the hotel, got ready, and then spent hours setting up my apartment. Mom's plane was further delayed till 1:30 pm. After lunch, we spent the afternoon getting the apartment further up to speed, particularly the kitchen, where I had no idea what to do.

After a late start Sunday, we went to SuperTarget and got a ton of stuff to completely outfit the apartment. After getting the apartment completely in order (finally), I took Mom to the airport.

A note about this briefly: Saying goodbye to parents is always hard, but it was even harder in this case. I think I could have gotten through it somehow if they both left at the same time, but having them leave at different times made it so hard. It's much harder to have to say goodbye twice in 2 days. As excited as I am to be in Denver, I miss my parents and sister a lot!!!

Sunday night, I chilled, made Tuna Helper (and overstuffed myself), and watched Vertigo. What a bizarre movie. I really liked it, but it sure was bizarre! Jimmy Stewart is awesome, by the way. By the time I finished the movie, prepared for my first day, and read the Word, it was late and I only got about 6 hours of sleep.

These are some pictures of my apartment I took to show everyone a small snapshot of what it looks like. The rooms are pretty self-explanatory. I like to joke that my apartment looks "metrosexual," but that's a little extreme. Everything looks fantastic... its just nothing like any of my apartments before, and my friends will be able to tell. But I am moving up in the world, and perhaps my apartment should have a little sophistication!!

The Last Few Days in Dallas

My last few days in Dallas were incredible and wildly busy, hence why I haven't posted since February 25. As a result, everything I say about the last 10 days will be somewhat abbreviated since I have forgotten many of the details of the blur known as February 26-March 4.

The last few days I spent in Dallas were incredible. It was like birthday, Christmas, and New Year's all rolled into one. Or something like that. Anyways, I got to see a whole bunch of people I will miss. Everyone from my "Married Group" friends to Alicia to Chris to the Bible Study guys to Adrian to Lulu and John. Amazing.

I spent Friday evening with Adrian. He suggested we check out an Early Christian Art exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum, and I'm glad he did! I got an awesome chance to explain to Adrian a lot of what I've learned from scripture. And the art was pretty cool too. We then went to Joe T. Garcia's. That place never gets old, and I am already missing it! Yum, yum, Mexican food. Last, I got to check out his new huge LCD TV and Blu-ray player. Problem is, now I'm tempted to get one myself soon!

The best night of the last couple weeks was, by far, Saturday night, March 1. I had a great time hanging out with Andy and Isaac and completing our first board meeting ever for the Mustang Post Foundation nonprofit. I thought that I would spend the rest of the night with Isaac having some quality "guy time." Instead, I was totally bamboozled by a surprise going-away party at Matt Wideman's parents' house! I should have picked up on the clues. Jess made the dessert for the party while we were at Isaac and Jess'. Then every single person at the party parked directly in front of the house (Rule #1 of Surprise Parties, guys: Park somewhere other than directly in front of the house). I even made a comment as we were walking in that the GMC truck outside sure looked like Russell's (which it was). But, of course, when you're throwing a party for Barney Fife, it doesn't matter. I still didn't have a clue. And that was the best part.

The rest of the night at the party was completely amazing, from burgers to Catchphrase. They even did a Toast (that turned into a Roast) about me. There are so many stories from that night alone I could probably write a book about it. Truly amazing job, all you sneaky party planners and guests who totally fooled me! Three cheers to y'all: Matt and Randi, Isaac and Jessica, Ryan and Holly, Charles and Lauren, Russell, Andy, Tucker and Kelsey. And, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Wideman.

The next night, I had dinner with Alicia at Cantina Laredo. I chose that spot because I hadn't been there in a couple years and wanted to make sure I ate there before I left. Alicia looked absolutely stunning, and she and I had a great time. Now that is one phenomenal girl.

Monday, I had lunch with John (sorta) and Lulu at Patrizio's. John didn't time everything right, so he had to get his food to go and leave for a doctor's appointment. But he and Lulu and I had a good time nonetheless. Many memories over the past 2 years with those two. Many, many, many.

Monday afternoon and evening, my dad and I drove around, picking up furniture for my new place. Lots of frustration with moving and plenty of effort, but it was successful. I had dinner with the entire family at Campisi's that night, which was a perfect ending to my time in Dallas. I had to go back to the apartment after dinner to clean it up, which was not a perfect ending. Cleaning is the worst thing ever when you have to do a bunch of it at once.

More to come soon, including pictures from my first few days in Denver! Right now, I'm off to go pick up my mom from the Denver airport so we can go get some stuff to finish getting my apartment ready.

Nervous, excited, overwhelmed, but still chugging along,

Reed