Tiring weekend x1000

Wow, I don't want to do that again for a really really long time.

My family went on a baseball trip the past week or so. Of course, 2/3 of the way through, while we were in Philadelphia, we got word that my grandmother passed away.

This is the first real death of someone even moderately close to me passing away. It's not an easy thing to do with. And apparently, I really struggle with seeing my dad cry. It choked me up every time...

Anyway, for the last half of the weekend, I was pretty emotionally numb. My brain/body just got overloaded. Fortunately, Friday night God and I got to spend some time together. It was my first real time alone to grieve, and God and I worked things through to the point where I was actually crying (tears of joy) because grandma was with Him in heaven. It was a really powerful moment, and just reemphasized how cool God is.

Still, the sting of losing family is still there, and it's not something I want to go through again in a long time. Thanks to all the family and friends (special props to the Aukermans....how cool is it to say that?) for their help and support and prayer these past few days.

Tiring weekend

Well, I just spent a weekend of mediocre food, little sleep, and constant pounding on my feet--I went to a swing dance workshop in Chicago. The emphasis of the workshop was balboa, but there were slides and footwork and charleston that took place, too. I learned a lot, although not a ton of it was new. More to the point, I had the chance to really work on some things that I "knew" but wasn't comfortable with. I got a lot of little tips that should really help.

Also, it was comforting to know that J and I really held our own in Chicago. There are definitely a few really really good dancers (especially follows) in Chicago, but as for leads, we are just as good or better than most of the guys there. It's comforting to know that we're not so completely clueless or lost down here in Indiana.

Now I get to go to the lake and spend a few days there before taking a family mini-vacation baseball road trip. So, I'll be away for a couple of weeks--hopefully I can still get some math studied...otherwise, I'm in a lot of trouble...

The toast that almost was

What a beautiful wedding! It was so exciting to be a part of the union of Dave and Tara, and I'm glad everything went off wonderfully. I could go on for hours about the past few days, but I won't. However, I was unable to give my toast due to darkness issues, so I thought I would go ahead and type it up here.

And Sarah D, if you happen to be reading this, remember: It don't mean a thing...if it ain't got that swing....do wah do wah do wah do wah....

*start speech by bawking like a chicken*
So, it's been seven years since I first met the bum our freshman year at Taylor on FoSo. For some reason, I was immediately drawn to a tall, gangly, card-playing math major on my floor. And despite an unhealthy fascination with the designated hitter, he hated the Yankees, so we became good friends.
More importantly, however, we became euchre partners. Frankly, he's the best euchre partner I've ever had, and we had a lot of success together in tournaments in Gerig and across campus at Taylor.
I don't want to give the wrong impression, though--Dave and I did other things together besides play cards: we played computer games, too. Our favorites were Descent and Worms. To commemorate those times together, I wanted to work in a quote from Worms, but "the first of many!" didn't really seem to fit the occasion.
Anyway, I first heard of Tara our junior or senior year at Taylor. Dave wanted to rebel against everyone in Chorale hooking up and getting married, and he did so by taking a "fake wife," a one Ms. Tara Woodrum. Now, I didn't know Tara, but I knew her sister Melissa, and she was pretty cute, so I approved of Dave's fake spouse. Eventually, though, Dave stopped referring to her as his wife--I didn't press the issue, but just stored it in the back of my mind.
I finally got to meet Tara our last semester at Taylor when the three of us took a class together with Dr. Spiegel. Between dry-eraser jokes, I was able to see who this Tara person was, and how she and David interacted. And to be perfectly honest, I liked her right away: she laughed at our chicken sounds and groaned at our math jokes...what more could you want?
The final straw in my mind with regard to the two of them took place on the road trip Dave and I took after graduation. Officially, the purpose of the trip was to see the Indians and the Cubs play some baseball, but the real motive was to visit the Woodrums in Pennsylvania. At one point during the trip, Dave just casually mentioned to me, "You know, some guy's going to have a fun time winning her heart." At this point, I was like, "Dave, c'mon, you like her--admit it already, and get hooked up." But, they waited....and waited...
But finally, they did start dating. I had the privilege of being friends with both of them, so I was privy to most things that happened in the relationship. I occasionally got to play mediator, but more often got to play devil's advocate. Very early in the relationship, though, it was very clear to me that this thing was going all the way. I got to watch the relationship develop, and just wait...and wait......and wait...
But David finally did propose and afford us this gorgeous ceremony. And I harass him about the length of time it took for Dave and Tara to get to this point, but I really respect their discipline and patience throughout this relationship. At every stage in the relationship, they always made sure that not only they were ready, but that it was God's timing as well. This is how you do relationships--Dave and Tara did it right.
So, to the new couple: May God honor your commitments to Him and to each other, and bless you many times over for the glory that your relationship has brought Him.

Self-sufficiency

Heard a slightly new twist to a standard passage in Revelation today. In particular, the focus was on Laodicea. The pastor even started by saying, "Yeah, Laodicea, don't be luke warm, we're all luke warm, I get it." More to the point, though, was why was Laodicea lukewarm? They liked being completely self-sufficient--now that's something I can relate to. I try to do a lot by myself...including , and really almost take pride in it, but really how "self-sufficient" are we? Hint: very little. It's comforting to know that I can't do anything on my own. In particular, I have to rely on God for a lot...including becoming closer to Him. It comes back to the faith thing I mentioned before--knowing that He wants me close to Him, all I need to do is honestly search after Him. He will then lead me to Him, and show me how to get closer...it's not something I can make happen all by myself. This whole dependency thing might work...