March 30th

Funny how certain dates throughout the year may have a special meaning for you. For me, I'll never forget March 30th because it was that day 4 years ago I was sworn into the Air Force on my way to basic training. Theresa and I had just started dating about 4-5 months prior and there I was off to the military. You could say that wasn't the best of situations for either of us; being apart without me being able to write or call until I had "earned" that right. Something to realize is before I left we pretty much talked to each other all day - every day except while one of us was at work or in class. This was a shocker. Well as Providence would have it I would be diagnosed with Asthma while in basic training and last a mere 22 days. If you have never had an induced asthma attack in a hospital where they then want you to do breathing tests you can't do even when you aren't having an attack you don't know what you are missing. So after 2.5 weeks I was sent to the crazy people squadron. 319...the place where all the run aways, drug test failures, liars, suicidal people and oh yeah, sick people were. What did I do all day everyday during that time? I scrubbed the same stairwell each day with a little hand brush thing then would go and sweep the outside covered areas near the building. The cool thing about this time was since I was "normal" I got to do some neat things like paint an office near the sergeants' meeting room. While we were in there they told us they were not our training sergeants anymore but they were our bosses. So we got to talk to them like normal people, with the obvious courtesies of their higher ranks. We didn't have to adhere to the obnoxious basic training rules, just normal Air Force rules. They even ordered us delivery pizza and gave us each 2 hours in the local mini store. It was nice to be in the crazy squadron and not be crazy, comparatively speaking of course. Oh yeah, while at that mini mall trip, I stuffed my face with junk food and Dr. Pepper for the first time in 3 weeks or so. The next day, I pooped 12 times before lunch! Twas not fun. Luckily I could escape to the restroom without any of the sergeants knowing so they didn't know I was sick. If that was the case my exit papers would have been stalled and I would not have been able to get out as quickly. There were some people who were in 319 waiting for their exit papers to go through and it took many months even over a year in a couple of cases (usually the guys with legal problems like the druggies). The military has a certain way of if you make it mad, they might accidentally move your papers to the bottom. Anyhow, my papers only took a little over a week to process and April 20th I was told I was going home the next day. So April 21st came and there I was back in Bryan. I'm leaving out many fun details, but this is the main idea of what life was like, and why March 30th has a different meaning for me and Theresa. It marks first of many days where two people 3 hours away cried themselves to sleep and one of them prayed every night something would happen that would force me to get discharged and I simply just prayed that I wouldn't die the next day. Luckily, I didn't go crazy and got discharged happily and got to keep my income I had made; unlike the druggies and liars who got to pay the military back! The night I was to return home Theresa and a couple we had come to hang out with once a week or so to play games or eat or whatever were going to be meeting at McAlister's for supper. I called her from the airport and asked if they could push it back to 7 so I could make it. Of course they obliged.

Quotes of the Day

Here are a few good quotes I read today from Chapter 11 of When I Don't Desire God by John Piper

"The deepest foundation of our joy, as justified sinners, is that Christ died for our sins and thus revealed the smiling face of God for all who believe." - All I can say is "Praise be to God!!!"

"He identifies one of the great causes of our blindness (to everyday blessings) as self-absoprtion... How much happier you would be if you only knew that these people cared nothing about you!" - So true, how much do we miss because we are wondering how we look to everyone else.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1

Adventures

Should you desire to learn of an epic expedition that took place right here in our very own Bryan / College Station look at http://www.xanga.com/pelleas5 and read the post on bicycle adventures. Your heart will be gripped and your breath will be stolen as you read about how Josh and Eric narrowly prevailed a certain demise at the hands of a path of poo and a creek of doo(m).

IT SNOWED!!!!

It actually snowed this morning in College Station, Texas!!!! This was my first time ever to see snow falling from the sky. I have seen it on the ground but never falling. Here are my pictures to prove it:

Eric's new Bike

Eric got a new bike. This is a much nicer bike than the $50 Target bike he had before (but it isn't too hard to get nicer than that!) Thanks to Josh and the Newton brothers for helping him pick it out. Well, here are some picture with Eric and his new bike (and a green balloon because our neighbors were having a dinner party).

hmm

Soooooooooooooooo...
you ever get that feeling inside your head where you tell yourself, "Fine! I'll do it!"?
That's where I was this past week on two fronts.
One:
I uninstalled and cancelled World of Warcraft. This was not an easy task...just ask Theresa.
Two:
I grabbed my trombone and music and started playing again.

I don't want to get into a lot of the insides of these issues right now, but when you guys are reading the prayers or confessions of sin at church about "talents wasted, time wasted", etc...yeah...I might know something about that.

I must say, it is refreshing to finally not be stubborn with God about a couple of issues he has been talking to me about for a long time. The 2nd came a lot easier than the first...again ask Theresa sometime. It is amazing how I can admit how He is sovereign and omnipotent, yet I still try to do things my way and justify them somehow.

Anyhow, the point of this post is just to remind you guys of one thing...
Don't be dumb and try to fool God or ignore Him...
He doesn't go away! (which is an amazing blessing!)

Eric