Life Lesson #428

I didn't realize how much my friends mean to me tonight.
(And not just in a tangible way where I know they'll be there tomorrow and the next day and the day after that but in a way that I can fight with them and argue with them and still have that intense friendship right afterwords.)
I was given insight into a 'new' friends life tonight. And I don't think I have room to complain about anything anymore. Not because his life sucks, but because of how much he keeps it all in. He's failing classes. He's got a crappy GPA. He's got a idiotic sister who ran off and had an abortion without anyone knowing only to be found by the police/FBI later. (Idiotic for running off and not telling anyone, make your own opinions on the abortion side) He's stuck on school to job to homework to nightmares about calculus and programming classes and anything school related. He doesn't want to go to church anymore because he just doesn't believe in it anymore...

And in the midst of him venting this at me I realized that I don't know much about 85% of the people I spend most of my time with.
It's like a light came on (and yes I know how cliche that is...) and now I can't shut it off. These people that I've spent a little more than a year with and I know maybe their birthdays, mostly with the help of Facebook, and/or the small issues that we all have with professors or parents or anything else.
My head hurts trying to figure it all out. And who I want to know more about. And who I don't want to know more about.

There's been a huge influx of people coming into my life and staying recently and I'm not sure how to navigate through those waters. I've had the same friends since seventh grade and I've known lots of people (as I can talk to a brick wall) and I've been around a lot of people all of my life. A lot of the *same* people. We all knew each other because we *all* went to elementary school and middle school together and (go figure) high school too! I've always had new people in small pieces, but now, I've had over 20 new people walk into my life in the past ... two weeks. Which I guess isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. Its just so much new and I like it, but its pushing overload at this point, but I digress...

The story of my friend, who I've learned so much about in the past twenty eight hours, is really opening my eyes to whats going on outside of my little bubble. I've had these situations before, and learned from them. But this is probably the first I've actually written about in the past year since I lost my journal. I want to be able to know these new/old people like I know myself. And love them, mainly because they deserve it for putting up with me, with everything I have to offer.

Tomorrow. Florida.

Tomorrow. I'm leaving for Florida with my best friend. :)
T-O-M-O-R-R-O-W

I'm happy. :)
Like ecstatic!

I can't find a reason to be unhappy.

This is going to be the best ever.

I can't even keep my thoughts in a straight line.




Oh. And I miss my best friend. (Just in case he happens to read this)

Major Excitement!

Talk about an amazing day back yesterday. :)
First off it was my first day back to classes on my second year of college. Which that in itself is an accomplishment. (Several people never thought I could make it a year.. HAHA is all I have to say. I'm doing this, you're not. Now shut up.)

BUT, reasons for the post are numerous but number one is the fact that I won a contest. I never win contests! EVER! But, man was this one worth winning! I'm going to Flordia (with one other person) for free to hang with Barlow Girl. Wow. I'm like amaaaazed. I couldn't hardly talk yesterday for sheer excitement. Now I have to wait on an email, and it's taking forever....

I can't wait!

NAYC Day by Day

Day 1:
Van Ride. Quite possibly the most uncomfortable three hours of my life. A friend played the same eight chords on his guitar for two consecutive hours, for 'practice.' Got there. Got settled in. Got dressed. Did hair. Put shoes on. Was ready to GO at 5:15. Got to the Sommet Center at 5:45. Ended up with 'decent' seats but couldn't see a thing. (Go figure!) Sat through most of the groups for the PMA(Pentecostal Music Association) Talent Competition. Got bored. Walked around to the CLC/Gateway/IBC/ABI booths and a few in between. Chatted with some people I hadn't seen before, or had, it depended. Service started. Song. Song. Song. Worship. Song. Offering. ;) Song. Preaching. And somewhere in that set I kinda stop functioning. Granted I didn't sleep like the girl down the aisle. But I can't really remember what Bro Shay Mann had to talk about. That is sad. Altar call. (Which was huge) Coordinated where we were supposed to eat. It failed. Went to ... Applebees. Went back to the hotel. Didn't go to bed until after 2am.

Day 2:
Slept until about 7:45. Got relatively decent looking. (HAH!) Went down for breakfast, which was scrumptious. Met Phil the Chef. He was hilarious. He made my breakfast. Ate. Went upstairs. Got dressed and prettyish. Was ready to leave at 9:30. Got to the Sommet Center at 9:50. Walked. (lots) Got to the NCC (Nashville Convention Center, which conveniently was right across the street from the SC) Waited in line. Waited. Waited. Waited some more. Decided to make a run for it up the down escalator. Almost made it. Tripped on last step(ish) Fell. Scraped up knee and seriously injured toe. Was escorted to First Aid. (SHOCK) Hobbled to Young Adult class. Took Leah's pain killers. Almost passed out from drugs. (oops) Went out of class and sat on the stairs. Called friend (no answer and I hate leaving voice-mails). Left Split Sessions to go to the Main Session at the Sommet Center. Almost got smashed by a car. Didn't go to main session as it was to crowded and I got sick when looking down from the top level to the floor. Met up with Bethany and Justin. Felt like a third wheel. Ended up seeing an old friend. (Nathan) Exchanged numbers and spent the next hour and a half talking and catching up. (Enjoyably) Main Session ended. Went to 'The Arcade' for lunch. (I.E. Walked up a massive hill with a bum foot. Stupid idea.) Was pretty tired. Ate for less than three bucks. Superb. Hobbled back down hill to the van. Went back to the hotel and started to get ready for church. Texted nameless friend. A lot. Got pretty for church. :) Left for church at 5:15. Got better seats. Saved a seat for youth and one for Nathan. Met up with Brother and Sister Jadrnicek (Yard-No-Check :D) from Milwakee on accident! They had preached one of our rallies in the last year. Was pretty spiffy. Watched the Male Soloists part of the PMA Talent Search. Service started. Sang. Sang some more. Even more. Gave in the offering. Watched a rather random video about us giving in the offerings. Hah. 'Hostage Situation' Yeahhhhh right. Had a wonderful message preached. Was on the floor around the platform before he was even finished. Took my shoes off on the floor. Prayed with some new friend from Arizona. :) They were awesome. DJ was amazing. Prayed alone. Prayed with DJ some more. (Love that girl!) Adam had to come get me from praying with those girls. Hobbled back to the van shoeless because I refused to put them on. (THEY were painful!) Changed clothes outside, completely decently for Eight. Walked over to Rockettown! for Eight. Turned in ticket for Eight. Met Jayleen from Maryland. Hung out with her. Listened to some stellar music by Kyle Elkins and The Experience Band. Watched some Insane Twister. And some Blind Musical Chairs. And some more music. Hung out with Jayleen some more. Met about 20 other people. :) (From alllll over) Met Jared. Made fun of Jared. Looked through Jared's Bag of Awesome. Got sleepy. Waited to go to the hotel. Didn't get in the hotel front doors until after 2am. Adam was mad at me because I got to stay when everyone else had to leave. Oh well. :) Didn't get to sleep until after 3.

Day 3:
Woke up late. (oopsie!) Still had breakfast, just wasn't really pretty looking in front of all those peoples. Phil made fun of me. Oh well. He's cool. went back upstairs, got pretty again. Left for the Sommet Center at 9:30 again. Went to the Young Minister Split session to hear Rev. Haney. Was awesome. :) Met up with a few people on accident. Found Nathan again. :) Spent most of the service talking to him. (I don't do well with heights) Forgot where we went to lunch. Forgot what we did after that. Remember pressing dress for Friday Night service. Got pretty again. :) Was dressed, pretty and smelled good by 5:00pm. Was standing in line for them to open the doors at 5:15pm. Walked through the doors to the Sommet Center at around 5:33pm and bee-lined for a floor seat. Managed to find two empty ones in the front row! (SCORE!) Saved for Nathan and myself. Listened to the female soloists for the PMA Awards. Made a few new friends in the surrounding rows. Prayed for the service. Sang with no voice with Gateway United (College of Evangelism)! Jumped, danced and praised God above. Was on my feet for most of Friday night service. It was hot. I was hot. And probably sticky. Rev. Wayne Frances preached. We shouted some more. I prayed. We prayed. They prayed. I remember crying. And praying for Shaylynn. She got the Holy Ghost that night! STELLAR! Prayed some more. Left with my youth to a quick stop at the hotel. Went to the Afterburner at the Opry Mills Mall. Ended up getting lost in the mall. Hung out with Chris and Colleen. Had fun. Listened to the bands play and sing. Couldn't hardly whisper. Met some more people. Left the mall at 2am. Was at the hotel at 2:45. Was in bed at 4.

Day 4
The trip home started at 11. Didn't get out of bed until 9 something. Ate fast. Got dressed. (minus the extra pretty) Went to the Opry Mills Mall. Ate at the Aquarium. (Awesome food). Walked around with Leah and bought a MUSE and 3oh!3 shirt(for Emmie) from Hot Topic. Waited. Waited. Waited some more to go home. Almost got the vans towed. (HAH! You don't park in BUS ONLY parking with two vans I guess) Left for home at 2pm Nashville time(an hour behind home). Didn't get home until late. Unpacked. Relived the memories. Went to bed. Got up at 5:15am for Inventory at work... (Death)