Closer to being a Georgian

I began this morning waking up to a very cold day with the sky being littered with lots of flakes of snow. That meant that when I went out, there was no one on the roads. That is comforting to know that people down here at least have the sense to know that if they aren't comfortable driving in the snow, they shouldn't try. (Or maybe its because it was at 8:00am, you decide) I got my new driver's license and a one step closer to belonging in the state of Georgia. I think that my picture came off great considering the potential for a disastrous picture that seems to haunt most people on this particular form of ID.

Next on the agenda for the day was to pick up Cooper from the vet where Stacy had him boarded while she was out of town. I arrived there, without getting lost I might add, and picked Cooper up. He was terrified and constantly shaking the entire car ride to Stacy's house. When we arrived I called Stacy to let her know that her child was home and fine. It was a good thing that she didn't hang up quickly because I soon discovered that the key she gave me, wasn't working. I tried every trick I could think of, but the lock wasn't going to budge. I told Stacy not to worry, I would bring Cooper by once she got home. So for the remainder of the day I was hangin' with Mr. Cooper. (yes this is a reference to a sub-par but still funny TV sitcom that was on during the mid 90's) Cooper was a good companion for the day. He didn't make much noise (except for the occasional snoring while dreaming) and he didn't eat anything or pee on anything. He did however leave little white hairs all over everything! Oh well, that will give me something to do tomorrow...cleaning!

I also got a chance to play Command and Conquer 3 online with Jubin for a couple of hours. We hadn't played in some time and we had to get back in the groove before we were able to totally dominate our adversaries. I watched The Bourne Ultimatum tonight and I think Cooper liked it as much as I did-or perhaps he didn't really care because he was passed out asleep on my big blue blanket. I ended up dropping Cooper back off at Stacy's, after their flight was delayed due to weather, around 11:30. I probably should go to sleep now seeing as how I'm going to try and get up and go visit a church tomorrow morning.

Meditation of the day: Job 22:23-27 " If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.

It's been a long time...

I apologize for those of you that look forward to my posts on my blog. I have become very busy as of late and have been somewhat distracted from my normal routine. I will try and give you an accurate update of the past 3 weeks and promise to make a more concerted effort to update more frequently.

I came into town for AMTT's birthday and that Friday night I went to AppleBee's for half-price appetizers and a drink with Hickey, Jared, Shannon, and Glenn. It was a fun time and it was something I really needed. I won't go into details concerning the next night as you were all there at Wasabi for the celebration. I returned to Kennesaw on Sunday night after walking 5 miles with Hickey at Lakeshore that afternoon.

I came back into town the following weekend to celebrate the occurrence of Leap Day! Not really, I came into town on Thursday evening to prepare for helping the Knoxville location with its inventory. When I arrived in K-town I went to my usual place of wasting time...Movies 4 Sale. I met Hickey, Chan, Walker, Matt, and Jared there and we watched part of Lost in Translation, one of Hickey's new favorite movies...he may be on to something, though. It is masterfully written and the cast only bolsters its potential as breaking into my all time top 25 list. After they closed the store I met Hickey, Chan, and Couple X at AppleBee's for half-price appetizers and a drink. We spent a couple of hours there, all the while distracting ourselves from the reality of our individual lives. I went for a drive with Hickey on Northshore (the best road to just put on some music and go) for a while and then returned to The Hickey Coutry Inn to retire for the evening. I awoke the following morning and went to CBCB to work out. While there I had a chance to talk with Rev. Moreland (a.k.a. "the Mark") and worked out with Charlie too. I went to The School Box around 4:00 and worked on inventory with them until it was finished around 11:45. Finding myself wired and not at all sleepy, what else was I to do? I went to AppleBee's (yes again) with Hickey, Jared, Shannon, Glenn, and Crystal for the usual. We had a blast talking to Megan, our usual waitress on Friday nights, and her boyfriend, the bartender. After I fell victim to exhaustion, I spent the night at Le Chateau de Taylor. It is a very business friendly sleeping establishment that is famous for its homemade breakfasts and improved amenities with each visit.

The next day (Saturday March 1st) Hickey and I drove down to Kennesaw to drop off my newly repaired coffee table and while there at lunch with Stacy (from The School Box) at Taco Mac. It was delicious. I had a Havana Cuban sandwich that was the best I've ever had, and I will definitely go back to try some of their wings. After lunch we parted ways and Hickey and I drove back to K-town to commence filming shots for a music video of "Roses On My Grave" by Papa Roach. If you have an opportunity to listen to this masterpiece I highly recommend it. We filmed until it got dark, then filmed some more. We drove around for a while and then ended up back at Hickey's where we ordered some PJ's Pizza and watch the final 3 episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?. It took us both back to a simpler time in our lives where the only thing we worried about was if the new episodes on Snick or Saturday morning cartoons were going to be as good as the previous week's. I spent a second night at Le Chateau de Taylor and went to CBCB the next morning for worship. I ate lunch at Red Lobster with mom, dad, and Amy. I ended up running 4 miles with Hickey just before I left town and then hit the road to go back home to GA.

This week at work has been quiet as the purchasing department, Dave, Chris, Mike, and Vickie are all gone to Orlando for the NSSEA conference. I created the Summer Learning insert in 2 days and am just waiting on approval upon everyone's return on Monday before we proceed to printing. I went to dinner Thursday night with Leslie, the manager of the Howell Mill store. She offered lots of good insight and I really think God spoke to me through her. She also offered for me to accompany her and her boyfriend Brian to church one weekend when he is in town. He live in Birmingham for his job right now. I also think we will go to a contemporary service called 7/22 that meets at Buckhead Church on Tuesday nights. I have been wanting to go to a contemporary service for a while now so I think this is an awesome opportunity to seize. That's about all I have for now. I am picking up Stacy's dog, Cooper, from the vet tomorrow where she had him boarded for her trip to NSSEA. I hope he remembers me and doesn't run in terror (he is extremely skittish due to abuse from his first owner). I also hope to get my GA driver's license at some point tomorrow. (but I still bleed orange!) I'll write more after this weekend. Hope all is well in Knoxville.

Meditation for the week: Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is our sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; He will withhold no good thing from those who do right."