live in the now

Nothing quite gauges your own age like an all-nighter. Nothing. There was a day when all-nighter recovery was a 2 hour deal. Then it took half-a-day, then you needed to take the entire day after off just to get back on your feet. And now... now after an entire night of no sleep and running around on a Sunday night, by Friday I'm about 95%. 

So, friends and family welcome to Monday morning coming in at about 25% coherent, 70% exhausted and 5% hungry, yet here I am, blogging away in my partially comatose state. I spent the duration of Sunday night jumping between movie after movie on the big screen, some brutally vicious glow-in-the-dark football, video games everywhere, all topped off with pizza and junk food. Shelli took part in a good portion of the night, but she decided on being the wise one and heading home early, in time for enough rest to get up for work today. We obviously know where the brains in the relationship are. 

The all-nighter capped off an awesome year of youth ministry where we witnessed some incredible growth in our youth. We are switching gears for the summer before we ramp up in the fall. While I welcome the small break, I have enjoyed everything God has done this year, and look forward to the fall. Our youth have grown up so much in the 3 years or so I have been volunteering, and now working, with them. We attended one of the graduations of our youth and it was surreal to remember her just after her freshman year of high school and now heading into her freshman year of college. In many ways I am forced to recall all the growing up that has gone on in my own life when I realize how much has gone on around me. I am getting older, whether I like it or not, or no matter how hard I try not to.

So Friday when I actually recover from this last week (more on that later), we are heading off with Shelli's family to visit more of her family. I am looking forward to the vacation. Shelli and I have both been working hard these days and it will be nice to get away from everything for a while. I look forward to actually seeing and visiting the places I have heard so much about as we tour through Central Oregon and Northern California. And we'll be able to enjoy the plush and spacious traveling accommodations of the Ford Explorer packing 6 adults and one little Tyler, isn't that exciting? If you hadn't picked up on my sarcasm by now, we going to be real cozy for many hours on the road. Despite the cozy conditions there is nothing but excitement in our household as the day we leave approaches.

And one last final thought for the day: The last week of exhaustion for Shelli and I has come in the wake f the emotional roller-coaster of buying our first home. We have been up one side and down the other and through just about every emotion you an think of on this, ranging from excitement to disappointment, back to excitement, with a harsh turn toward overwhelming and apprehensive, finally landing back on excitement. Landing on excitement, because we finally pu tin a offer this week. We are expecting a counter offer, but we are hopeful that we are finally done with the shopping process and on to the purchasing process. We'll try to keep you updated more as the process takes shape, but for now thats the story. 

Might I add thats its just one more thing to help me realize how much growing up has been going on around us and in our own lives. The days of classes, playing on the quad and grades have finally given way to 8 hour or more workdays, mortgages and 401K's . I suppose I must embrace the reality. 'Live in the now' as Wayne Campbell a la Wayne's World would put it.