Why do I have that tape on my nose???...EXACTLY Lawn Wranglers for life.

I leave for good in 8 days....

Hanging out with my friends borders on a spiritual experience at times. I don't have to be out doing something exciting or crazy to be having the time of my life. One thing that I'm going to miss about the flowerplex is the fact that there is no place to go and do stuff....you have to just hang out at starbucks or someone's house when you're looking for something to do. All through high school I hated that, now I believe that it is the reason that I am so close with the people that I am. My relationships with some of my best friends were rooted out of boredom. I'm very thankful for my "boring" suburban lifestyle...

I had so much fun tonight hanging out with the college group. I have some of the coolest friends that I will miss dearly when we all go our separate directions in a week or two. Good news is that I have great friends going the same direction that I am...wreck 'em Tech

I think that my parents are realizing that, in 16 days, they won't have a son to mow the grass, take out the trash, paint the fence, vacuum, dust, wash cars, clean out the garage, or run to the grocery store for them. SO, they are eating up these last 16 days with great pleasure. Last night at Bible study we studied "kindness", one of the fruits of the spirit that we tend to shrug off, or take the "MANliness" away from. We discussed how it normally isn't the manly thing to be tenderhearted and kind....maybe I should work on that in this situation with my parents and give the glory to Him and not myself. DANG IT! I start to write a blog about how I'M the victim and I always realize that I'm the one in the wrong....

As nathan says...it makes me want to kick a puppy.

I get to paint my fence today. You have NO idea how excited I am about this....(sarcasm)

My car that I just bought is having problems already...gotta love American cars.

I just got back from orientation at Texas Tech. I spent three days touring the campus, meeting people and professors, and registering for my fall classes. I now have my fall schedule in hand and I am finally excited about college. It is going to be so much fun. Unlike high school, I get to take classes that I'm interested in, no more of the junk that I hate to take...I only have one math class in all of college, and it is easier than the algebra that I took freshman year of high school. It is going to be incredible. I am taking 15 hours, but my schedule is worked to where I am finished with class relatively early in the day so I have plenty of time to work or play. My guns are so far up right now it isn't even funny! Get your guns up!

I am a little bitter towards American society right now...

Don't get me wrong. I love the country, I love the people, I even love the leaders of the country. I am just disappointed in the ideals of the people, especially of those who claim to be among God's elite. This feeling may or may not pass...it is just that I have had the rare opportunity this summer to serve one group of people in ONE extreme situation...complete poverty, and then turn around and serve a different group of people in the opposite extreme....wealth to the point of boredom.

I don't know if that made any sense..but it's how I'm feeling.

GREAT NEWS! It turns out that I don't have to leave for school on August 10th like I thought I had to. I don't have to be there for band until August 20th. That gives me so much more time to hang out with people and get things done before I leave for good.

It is really good to be home. I have had a blast hanging out with people that I haven't seen in a while. I have been able to hang out with katie, as well as other people from my church. I had coffee with Miles yesterday, which was SWEET. It is just so good to be home and enjoy the people that God has blessed me with. If I haven't seen you yet...call me and we can hang out.

I really missed Tim's sermons..church today was incredible.

I'm back!!!!

I just had the most amazing month of my life. I got to see over 30 kids come to Christ... I also got to serve and minister to, as well as learn a ridiculous amount from tons of kids. I am so thankful that God put me at Kanakuk this summer. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers this past month.

Tomorrow morning...well I guess later this morning I'll be off to Kanakuk. Please pray for my safe travel as well as my time there. I will see you all in a month!

Tonight was so bitter-sweet it isn't even funny.

Almost time...

In two days, I will load my recently purchased, dark green, Saturn SL2 and head up to the good 'ole Ozark Mountains. I will be up there for four weeks. It will quite possibly be the best four weeks of my life thus far. I get to serve God with some of the most Christ-like people on Earth. Each and every one of the people that I'll be working with has an unwaivering love for God that I envy. Pray for me that God would soften my heart as well as the hearts of the kids that I will be in contact with through my time at Kanakuk, and that God would use me to show His love to the kids. I'll try and post at least once more before I head out...

I had one of those moments a couple days ago where I KNEW that without a doubt, God was using me. I can't go into much detail at the present, but just know that God answered some long term prayers of mine and He is amazing. Just wanted to share some of my joy with all of you...

It's about time...

Guess who finally bought a car?

Do you ever feel like you can't do anything right?

I have a healthy disdain for both of the teams playing in the NBA Finals...But seeing San Antonio get their faces wiped all over the court puts a huge smile on my face. Sorry Tim Duncan...but I would rather see the Pistons take it.

I remember recently getting my drivers license on my 16th birthday....Oh wait. That was about two YEARS ago! Where does the time go?
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Do you ever remember walking through the mall and looking at the "older" "cooler" kids. I used to pretend what it would be like when I was in high school, and I could drive, and I had a letter jacket, and all that stuff. Well now all that stuff is over with. I have finished high school, and don't wear my letter jacket anymore (mainly because it's like 105 degrees outside) and I don't even have a curfew anymore. It just seems like life was going at warp speed and when the coolness was occuring, I wasn't paying attention to how cool it actually was. I feel like I skipped four years of my life because I was too preoccupied with meaningless, trivial things...

This years goal...realize how cool it is to be in college. Enjoy life, friends, and most importantly...God, and don't STRESS OUT. Bring Glory to Him in all that I do by enjoying the life He's given me. That is something that the college group at Crossroads does unbelievably well.

Random thoughts

• sometimes you just have to burn to tan
• grapevine lake rocks, especially when you're there with people who rock
• it is definitely summer and I'm loving it
• there is no feeling quite like the one you get riding in a jeep without doors on it
• wakeboarding is easy....at least getting up is
• after owning a laptop I don't ever want a regular PC again
• cars don't just show up and wait for you to buy them, you must pursue them
• I'm realizing that I am actually starting a new part of my life
• I wish I would have gotten to know certain people sooner

Good News...I heard from Kanakuk.

Bad News...buying a car is no fun. It will be fun once I get the car, but the whole process sucks.


I got to have breakfast with one of the coolest people on the planet this morning. I feel so lucky for every second that I get to spend with this individual. AMAZING!

Mexico was wonderful. But now that I'm back I have so much to do. I leave in like 8 or 9 days for Kanakuk. I have to:

• sell my car,
• buy a new car,
• have my Eagle Scout Board of Review,
• run down to drop paperwork off in Fort Worth,
• mail in the rebates for my laptop,
• do my thank you letters from graduation

On top of all of this, I haven't heard from Kanakuk in over a month. I have no clue what time I am supposed to get there, what they want me to bring, and all of the stuff that one would expect to get from his employer in advance. I realize that everyone at Kanakuk is extremely busy right now doing the whole CAMP thing. But they hired me, sent me the forms they needed me to fill out, sent my a confirmation letter, and I haven't heard from them in a month...But I would like to know whether or not they still want me to show up. If I can't get a hold of them this week, I might be spending the next month in the Flowerplex. I hope we can get in touch..it is the most amazing place on the planet.

Craig!!!, Just trust God...just trust God.