And then…

I’ve been waiting for some amazing event to transpire in my life in which to write about, but sadly life has been pretty mundane for me the past week or so.  I have been really consistent, actually somewhat obsessive, about riding my bike.  I’m up to 145ish miles in 14 days of riding.  I feel really good and I’m thankful to have an “exercise” that I enjoy and actually look forward to.  I can’t wait to keep it up and hopefully someday do a race of some sort.

I did get the new Paper Route ep which I’ve been waiting for for a very long time.  Paper Routes first ep, “Paper Route”, changed me.  It was as if someone stepped into my dreams, took a good long listen and then jumped out ran as quickly as possible to a studio and recorded what they just heard.  In other words, it was the music I always wished I could make. But sadly, I can’t sing or write songs, so that makes it a bit tricky and thats where Paper Route came in.  This newest recording is a bit of a departure from the things that endeared them to me originally, but I think it will grow on me…I hope.  More on this later.

I feel like many of the people I know and even people I come in contact with are in major transitional phases of life.  I see this proven true with family members, close friends and even the band(more on this later).  I don’t think Kristin and I are yet, but I do think we are in a sort of “calm before the storm” moment.  I’m overwhelmed by the Fathers goodness to my precious wife and I over the past year.  Columbia has been a surprisingly wonderful place for us to start our marriage.  Even when I don’t feel we deserve it and do nothing to earn it, He has shown His favor to us.  We try to share this amazing Love with others the best we know how.  I do feel we are being prepared for a change, we just don’t know what it will look like.  So we are now beginning to seek wisdom and guidance as we look to the horizon, waiting as patiently as we can to see what God wants of us.

Mountains…

 

My lovely wife and I spent the weekend in Arizona attending our dear friends Jen and Jeremiahs wedding.  We flew into Phoenix, rented a car and then drove and hour and a half through the beautiful mountains to a quaint little town called Payson located in the heart of the Tonto National Forest.  I wasn’t supposed to go, but due to some minor changes in my summer plans I got to go.  I found tickets last week and Kristin and I actually ended up on the same return flight…sweet.

We posted up and made a temporary home at the always classy Best Western in the thriving metropolis of Payson.  It was surprisingly a pleasant stay.  All of the wedding events took place at a gorgeous cabin in the mountains among the pines.  It was a wonderful time even though there was a bit of inclement weather.  We were all there to celebrate with J and J, so everyone jumped in and did what that could to help out be it drying the chairs, hanging the lights back up, or frantically running things inside to keep them dry.  

Its hard not to think of your own wedding when your at a wedding…I suppose that might be a bit selfish, but inevitable.  Does that then mean that I’m inevitably selfish…i think that’s a whole different blog.  So anyway, being there with all the emotions and pomp, sitting beside your own lovely bride can’t help but invoke sentimental feelings.  I think of how breath-takingly amazing she looked, all the friends and family, how I felt the moment I saw her and how perfect the day was.  I also can’t help but remember how miserably hot the day was.  It was literally the hottest week of the year and our day the hottest of the week mixed with 1000% humidity, you can imagine what it felt like.  No matter how hot the day, it did not effect our feelings toward the day, yeah we would’ve love for it to be a bit cooler, but our wedding was perfect.

As we sat on damp seats listening to the thunder in the distance, I realized that no wedding is as perfect as you imagined it to be, but in that imperfection is the uniqueness of that day.  The smells and the colors and the feelings, no matter how intended, are what make that day special, they give the day the textures that bring it from a day dreamed of into reality.  

The weekend was a blast yet exhausting.  We flew home through the night which always messes your system up.  I was ready to get home and ride my bike.  I’m going on 50 miles in 4 days of riding.  I feel like a little kid who just got a skate board.

Like Riding a Bike…

 

I’m now officially a bike commuter.  This is something I’ve been processing seriously for the past few months.  I used to ride my trusty mountain bike to work a few summers ago, but that was only about a mile or so.  My commute is now closer to 4 miles with some fairly challenging inclines.  So in-order to do this seriously I needed to invest in a road-bike.  After some long talks with my lovely and amazing wife, we finally decided it was time to invest. 

I have a dear friend who is an amazing cyclist.  He rode his bike clear across America, CT to WA, as well as competing in triathlons…need I say more?  He and I have been mulling this over for quite awhile, he was even kind enough to let me borrow his road bike for a week, just to see how I liked it.  He works at a bike shop and helped me pick out this beauty…

Biking for me is as much for my personal health and obscene gas prices as it is for the environment.  Trek is heading up a campaign called 1 World 2 Wheels to raise awareness and involvement.  Here are some interesting facts…

-The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

-Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends on average of 50 hours a year stuck in traffic.

-In 2003, cars stalled in traffic wasted 5 billions gallons of fuel.

-25% of all trips are made within one mile of the home.  40% of all trips are made within two miles of home, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work.

The challenge is to change our mind-set when it comes to trips made within 2 miles of our homes.  Instead of hopping in the car, hop on a bike.  It could change the world as well as your overall health.

-The average person loses 13 lbs. their first year of commuting by bike.

-Just three hours of cycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.

-A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour.

Last night I wanted to see some friends play across town and instead of getting in the car I took the bike, setting in motion my bike commuting status.  I travelled 11.7 miles round trip and I was surprised at how quickly I got to my destination.  It was rough going on a few of the hills, but if I keep at it I’m sure they will get easier and easier.  I will keep you guys up to speed as I begin the process of switching over to the “green” side.

America…

 

In honor of the holiday, I’ve purchased quite possibly the most “American” beer I’ve ever come across to enjoy on this fine day.  Happy 4th of July to all….

 

Summer Changes…

As many of you know, I play in a band.  Music is something I love and have been pursuing for many years.  We’ve been traveling pretty heavily over the past two years and have had some small successes, enough to keep hope alive and us working hard.  A funny thing about being in a band is that maybe 10% of your time is spent on writing and playing music, the other 90% of your time is spent calling, talking, meeting, and generally just getting told “no.”  No you can’t play here, no we can’t play you on the radio, no you can’t go on tour with us, no you can’t have a interview in the magazine, no that date isn’t available, no blah blah blah…you get the point.  I would venture to say that for every yes, no matter what its about, there are roughly 23 no’s and as you can imagine it all becomes desperately draining emotionally. 

Had things gone as planned, which if your in a band you learn they rarely do, we would be on tour right now until August, getting to see the whole country.  Things happened that were out of our control and the whole tour fell through.  You would think I would be bummed right now, but I can truly say I am not.  Usually I am bothered and usually I care too much and usually I worry far too much in a very unhealthy way.  But my amazing wife has helped me put perspective on everything over the past few months and realize that whatever goes bad for the band is just that…for the band.  Not for us as a family and not for me as a husband.  Sovereignty.  Sweet sovereignty.  I feel it deep within and I rest in it.  We’ve worked hard and for some reason it didn’t work out and I’m ok with that.

I will enjoy this summer.  I will spend the maximum amount of time possible with my wife.  I will read more.  I will get to know friends better.  I will try to serve more.  I will try to give grace freely.  I will search for what it is that God wants of me.  I will surf.  I will ride my bike.  I will camp.  I will dig deep.  I will learn to love better.  I will search for beauty in all things.