Please read the latest post from my good friend Cam's blog.
We went to Europe together in '06, and now he's left a recent lucrative freelance gig in Nashville for a two-year stint with the Peace Corps on Cape Verde, an island in Africa. He's taking baths in buckets, learning a new language and feeling the pain of homesickness.
He needs our prayers; what a major transition. I'm proud of him for stepping out.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
bachelor party
Saturday was my long-awaited bachelor party.
My future father-in-law Jack invited me to lunch on Saturday afternoon, a couple hours before it was slated to start. We finished lunch and started walking to the car, when a group of masked men dressed in black approached us.
I thought it was a bit strange, thinking, "That looks like Barry."
Soon, they grabbed me and told me to get on the ground (I obeyed without too much of a struggle, according to my brother Justin, I was pretty weak and tried to hide behind Jack).
By the time I was on the ground, I was laughing like a mad man, hearing Justin's best kidnapper impression. When I took the mask off, I found myself on the floor of a limo-van with loud music and fourteen chanting dudes passing out cold beverages.
It was a rich experience, pulled off flawlessly by the guys and orchestrated perfectly by best man Bobby Cheeks, inspired by the movie "Old School." There's a few obscenities in the movie clip, but you can view Will Ferrell's kidnapping here.
(Tingley caught the whole real kidnapping on video, so stay tuned for that. Cheeks' also made his own video initiating the guys on the day's six objectives. Very clever.)
We arrived at our destination, the "Bounce Party," a large inflatable playground. We played for an hour and a half like grown men in McDonald's, having a blast collecting floor burns on our elbows, pretending like we were American Gladiators, and of course, hitting each other with objects.
After that, fifteen of us piled into a limo and went back to Cheeks' house to shower. They made a bachelor shirt for me with photos of my life, including this exploding fire photo from years past.
We traded our man smells for civilian scents, and piled back into the limo.
I was also fashioned with a ball and chain, with two handcuffs and an ankle brace, complete with a beach ball wrapped in duct tape.
(It is very clear on video that it has nothing to do with my view of marriage or my lovely wife-to-be Emily.) It was a joke.
We ate dinner at the Bob, where I was penalized for taking off the ball and chain to use the restroom. That was pricey.
After that, we headed upstairs to the comedy club, which was a ton of fun listening to three solid comedians. One of the comedians noticed the ball and chain, and we exchanged a bit of a public dialogue.
He asked how long we knew each other, and I said "11 months" for the whole relationship, to the applause of the crowd and a self-deprecating comment by the comedian. He also asked why I'm marrying her, and I simply said, "Because she's fantastic."
He gave me some licorice, we enjoyed the comics and headed back to Cheeks' house in the limo van, with a quick stop on the way. The rest of the night was hanging back at Cheeks' pad with cards and Wii and whatever...
It was an honor to be the recipient of such a crazy, amazing day with the guys, and I'm grateful for the strong friendships in my life. And if you ever have the chance to be kidnapped and tossed into a limo van by your good friends, savor it.
Thanks, Cheeks, Barr and the rest of the dudes for an epic send-off!
My future father-in-law Jack invited me to lunch on Saturday afternoon, a couple hours before it was slated to start. We finished lunch and started walking to the car, when a group of masked men dressed in black approached us.
I thought it was a bit strange, thinking, "That looks like Barry."
Soon, they grabbed me and told me to get on the ground (I obeyed without too much of a struggle, according to my brother Justin, I was pretty weak and tried to hide behind Jack).
By the time I was on the ground, I was laughing like a mad man, hearing Justin's best kidnapper impression. When I took the mask off, I found myself on the floor of a limo-van with loud music and fourteen chanting dudes passing out cold beverages.
It was a rich experience, pulled off flawlessly by the guys and orchestrated perfectly by best man Bobby Cheeks, inspired by the movie "Old School." There's a few obscenities in the movie clip, but you can view Will Ferrell's kidnapping here.
(Tingley caught the whole real kidnapping on video, so stay tuned for that. Cheeks' also made his own video initiating the guys on the day's six objectives. Very clever.)
We arrived at our destination, the "Bounce Party," a large inflatable playground. We played for an hour and a half like grown men in McDonald's, having a blast collecting floor burns on our elbows, pretending like we were American Gladiators, and of course, hitting each other with objects.
After that, fifteen of us piled into a limo and went back to Cheeks' house to shower. They made a bachelor shirt for me with photos of my life, including this exploding fire photo from years past.
We traded our man smells for civilian scents, and piled back into the limo. I was also fashioned with a ball and chain, with two handcuffs and an ankle brace, complete with a beach ball wrapped in duct tape.
(It is very clear on video that it has nothing to do with my view of marriage or my lovely wife-to-be Emily.) It was a joke.
We ate dinner at the Bob, where I was penalized for taking off the ball and chain to use the restroom. That was pricey.
After that, we headed upstairs to the comedy club, which was a ton of fun listening to three solid comedians. One of the comedians noticed the ball and chain, and we exchanged a bit of a public dialogue.
He asked how long we knew each other, and I said "11 months" for the whole relationship, to the applause of the crowd and a self-deprecating comment by the comedian. He also asked why I'm marrying her, and I simply said, "Because she's fantastic."
He gave me some licorice, we enjoyed the comics and headed back to Cheeks' house in the limo van, with a quick stop on the way. The rest of the night was hanging back at Cheeks' pad with cards and Wii and whatever...
It was an honor to be the recipient of such a crazy, amazing day with the guys, and I'm grateful for the strong friendships in my life. And if you ever have the chance to be kidnapped and tossed into a limo van by your good friends, savor it.
Thanks, Cheeks, Barr and the rest of the dudes for an epic send-off!
engagement photos
Emily and her sister Stef's very talented friend Julie took our engagement photos. You can view a preview here. Julie is from the GR area but lives in Seattle, and will also be shooting the wedding.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
counting crows
The Counting Crows have been at the top of my list for bands to see for ages.
I've memorized almost all their songs religiously over the past fifteen years or so. A guy touring our studio told us they were playing at the not-so-glamorous Muskegon Summer Celebration on Tuesday, so we bought comp tickets on Craigslist and joined the carnival (literally) last night.
These guys are spot on, seasoned, eloquent musicians. The music was amazing.
When I was learning to play guitar and the Crows' music, I'd daydream about writing a letter to lead singer Adam Duritz about faith. His lyrics speak of a crumbling life, over and over again, searching for short term remedies. I identified with his sorrowful musings for periods of my formative years. Then I'd dream of what he'd sing about if he met God.
After researching the world of Wiki, I discovered Adam suffers from "a dissociative disorder, which makes the world seem like it's not real." How sad.
Last night, while intoxicated medleys of non-fans poured back beers and devoured cigarettes, enjoying noisy conversations while Adam was trying to explain his next song, I was able to zero in on one point. This, a paraphrase of Adam, of course:
"Being a musician, you have the ability to focus on one thing at the exclusion of everything else. Which is cool, because that's where great music comes froms," Adam begins.
"The only problem is that you focus on one thing at the exclusion of everything else," he adds.
It's as if he was holding his heart in his hands on stage. The dreadlocked rock star, whose "slept with movie stars," trekked around the world with money and fame, questioning everything he hasn't experienced in a more traditional path.
"But on the other hand, you get to be a rock star, so it's a toss up," he said, laughing a bit, triggering the band to move into the next song.
On top of it, there was a Detroit Red Wings player to the right of us in the crowd. When someone figured it out, an avalanche of people started asking him for autographs and photos, while the guy was just looking to listen to the Crows and drink a beer.
All across the world, we prey on people's fame and lust for things we can't have, yet where we're often shortsighted, is all the meaning we do possess.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
suspended
Last night, after over two months of rigorous house hunting, we suspended the search until post-honeymoon.
This was a difficult choice for me to submit to, finding myself acting in ways I never intended when my old landlord brought up a cheap little property in April, while Em was in Zimbabwe.
Since them, I've spent countless hours online continuously searching and calculating and trying to dig up dead properties, creeping around neighborhoods in the '98 Saturn,* walking around abandoned houses, peeking in windows, having numerous discussions (ahem, sometimes fights) with Em and our agent, and operating with a general sense of urgency that we need a house, we need the incentives, that our entire financial future is resting on this transaction.
Which is, of course, all untrue.
Finally, through the grace and vision and persistence of my lovely wife to be, I've recognized it's not worth the relational strain, the lost focus at work, the lack of trust in God.
What I intended to be a lighthearted journey toward something good (a home helps foster family, security, warmth, shelter, responsibility, investment, friendship, community, etc.), it morphed into a number of destructive problems and conflicts that are embarrassing to admit, among the most serious, broken promises and a sense that I'm in control.
But last night, it was clear we've reached the end of the road for now.
We typed out a formal email message to our agent, who has put an extraordinary amount of work into helping us out. But today, we're walking toward our wedding without the weight that goes along with the search, with a renewed focus that our spiritual vitality and upcoming marriage must trump money, or any brick and mortar structure, as well as some difficult, but valuable life lessons and take-aways from this trying experience.
It's also interesting to see our good friends and mentors Jeremy and Julie recently posted on "Trusting God," on their 2+ year search for employment. They're also house-hunting and had a similar * recently. Check it out for further perspective.
______
*In addition to the white smoke cloud I've sprayed onto many pedestrians while house hunting, the Saturn's most valuable asset was stolen yesterday in broad daylight in our city parking lot. The CD player is gone. When I called the lot to report it, there was no shock and awe, they chalk these up to kids or drug dealers looking to sell something. I'm far more disappointed in myself for not fixing the locks, yet it was the first day in a month I've even had the face on the player.
My bad, but stealing sucks.
This was a difficult choice for me to submit to, finding myself acting in ways I never intended when my old landlord brought up a cheap little property in April, while Em was in Zimbabwe.
Since them, I've spent countless hours online continuously searching and calculating and trying to dig up dead properties, creeping around neighborhoods in the '98 Saturn,* walking around abandoned houses, peeking in windows, having numerous discussions (ahem, sometimes fights) with Em and our agent, and operating with a general sense of urgency that we need a house, we need the incentives, that our entire financial future is resting on this transaction.
Which is, of course, all untrue.
Finally, through the grace and vision and persistence of my lovely wife to be, I've recognized it's not worth the relational strain, the lost focus at work, the lack of trust in God.
What I intended to be a lighthearted journey toward something good (a home helps foster family, security, warmth, shelter, responsibility, investment, friendship, community, etc.), it morphed into a number of destructive problems and conflicts that are embarrassing to admit, among the most serious, broken promises and a sense that I'm in control.
But last night, it was clear we've reached the end of the road for now.
We typed out a formal email message to our agent, who has put an extraordinary amount of work into helping us out. But today, we're walking toward our wedding without the weight that goes along with the search, with a renewed focus that our spiritual vitality and upcoming marriage must trump money, or any brick and mortar structure, as well as some difficult, but valuable life lessons and take-aways from this trying experience.
It's also interesting to see our good friends and mentors Jeremy and Julie recently posted on "Trusting God," on their 2+ year search for employment. They're also house-hunting and had a similar * recently. Check it out for further perspective.
______
*In addition to the white smoke cloud I've sprayed onto many pedestrians while house hunting, the Saturn's most valuable asset was stolen yesterday in broad daylight in our city parking lot. The CD player is gone. When I called the lot to report it, there was no shock and awe, they chalk these up to kids or drug dealers looking to sell something. I'm far more disappointed in myself for not fixing the locks, yet it was the first day in a month I've even had the face on the player.
My bad, but stealing sucks.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
american idols
I really enjoy watching the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings.
But I really dislike how sports stars seem to be getting off the hook for everything.
This story caught my eye, how a man will spend the next 3 years in prison for stealing Lance Armstrong's bike. However, how does that stack up to the receiver from the Cleveland Browns, who got only 30 days in jail for killing a pedestrian while drunk driving?
Or Plaxico, who will likely spend zero time in jail and be playing in the NFL next season after possessing an illegal gun and shooting himself in the leg in a NYC nightclub?
This is the justice system in the U.S.?
None of this behavior should be celebrated, but neither should the famous run free.
the house
Yesterday afternoon, we found out we lost the bid on the house. We may have come in second place, which leaves a sliver of hope, but the tension is over, it's time to move on.
There were a couple nights spent staring at the ceiling, dreaming up paint colors and working through the financials if it did happen, but it didn't, and there will be others. I talked to a couple who bid on five houses in three months before finding the one, while another couple bid on three unsuccessfully and left the market.
However, Emily and I did find a great apartment on a month-to-month basis that she'll be moving into this weekend. We are grateful for that. If you want to lend a hand, let me know, it'll go down on Sunday afternoon at around 2 p.m.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
house update
The bank received fourteen offers on the home we bid on.
In this economic climate (in Michigan, nonetheless) and home market, this many offers on a property is almost unheard of.
Stay tuned; thanks for the prayers
In this economic climate (in Michigan, nonetheless) and home market, this many offers on a property is almost unheard of.
Stay tuned; thanks for the prayers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
