10/08/09
A lot has happened since my last current events update! For starters, I am married! If you’ve been keeping up with my posts with any semblance of regularity, you’ll no doubt have noticed this by now. Brianna is the love of my life and I’m blessed to spend the rest of my days with her. This fall, we began shopping for a house…in Alabama! That’s right…I’m moving to the South! I miss living in a small town, and Brianna and I agreed that we’d rather raise our future children close to family. Since the cost of living in California is astronomical in comparison to Alabama, we’ll be moving to her hometown of Florence. Right now, we are in the process of trying to find employment. The job market is tough, but we are optimistic that the Lord will provide for us once again.
03/09/09
It’s been a quite a while since the last time I updated this page…I’ve got a lot of catching up to do! Where to begin?…
After the onething conference (and as a result of it), I was offered a position at the IHOP warehouse in the shipping and receiving department. I now handle all of the outgoing mail for the missions base; everything from CD’s, books, and t-shirts, to payroll and mailers goes through my desk. I also assist the receiving department whenever they need a couple of extra hands and a strong back. I’ve really enjoyed my job so far, and even though it doesn’t pay nearly as much as my last job, I am a lot happier.
The winter in KC turned out to be a cold one. In total, we probably got a few feet of snow, but never more than a few inches at a time. My truck didn’t handle the icy roads very well, but I only got stuck once. Spring is nearly here to stay, and the weather has warmed up considerably. I’m looking forward to thunderstorms and the inevitable torrential downpours, as well as some sunshine and warmer temperatures.
I have moved once again. Actually, I only lived at my last house for a month. Now I’m living with a friend from California and two other roommates. Our house is only a few blocks from work, and when it warms up a bit, I’ll probably start walking, rather than driving. I really liked my old roommates, but they were all on a nightwatch schedule, which was causing me to lose sleep. Now the only thing that keeps me awake is our broken screen door.
The best news, by far, is that I have a girlfriend! If you keep up with my blog at all, you’ve heard quite a bit about Brianna. I’m crazy in love with her, and can’t seem to be around her enough…even though we spend all of our free time together. Recently, we made a trip to Alabama to meet her parents, and I asked her father for his permission to marry her…and he said yes! I haven’t proposed yet, but stick around and we’ll see what happens…
12/17/08
I’m at my new home in Kansas City Missouri. My internet connection at my new place is horrible, so I’m not blogging as much as I’d like to be…however, I’m about as consistent with my posts as I was in California.
The winter is beautiful in KC! There’s snow on the ground, but not too much. We’ve probably had a foot of snow in the past two weeks, but it melted completely once already, and I’d expect that it will probably melt again before we get more snow. I’m hoping for a white Christmas.
The onething conference starts in eleven days, and I think I’m ready for it. I’ve been working for onething since the beginning of the month, as the person in charge of ensuring that all of our goods are properly moved from the missions base to the event location. It’s only a twenty minute drive to downtown KC, but it is quite a production for someone who isn’t familiar with the area. Nevertheless, I’m enjoying the challenge, and am looking forward to another awesome conference.
After the first of the year, I’ll be looking for more permanent employment, and trying to settle into my new home a little more. I think that I’ll be ready for a more scheduled approach to living in Kansas City, rather than the spontaneous living I’m becoming accustomed to.
08/10/08
This December, I’ll be leaving California. For twenty-six of my twenty-eight years, I’ve called the Golden State my home. From my rural hometown of Nipomo, to the suburban spectacle of Orange County, I’ve lived, loved, lost, and learned the SoCal way.
The time has come for me to leave the West Coast, and travel 1,700 miles east to Kansas City, Missouri. Most people, Californian and otherwise, don’t understand why I’d do something that is so obviously against the grain.
One of the biggest reasons is the rising cost of living in Orange County. I’ve been living outside of my budget for about a year now, and barely making ends meet. I’ve been in over my head, renting a house that is too expensive, and trying to keep my truck on the road, rather than parked in the driveway. Sure, I could move back up to the Central Coast, where housing costs are roughly half of those in OC, but I’m ready to move on to greener pastures. For me, that means the rolling hills of Missouri. In KC, I’ll be able to live comfortably, while putting some extra pennies in my savings account.
My itchy feet are a couple of other great reasons to move. I’ve always wanted to see other parts of the country, and Kansas City is about as close to the center of the States as you can get, which will allow me to travel to just about anywhere in the lower 48 within a day’s worth of driving. I’ll finally be able to see Florida, D.C., Boston, NYC, Chicago, Philly, and so many other places that I’ve been reading and dreaming about since I was a kid. Hopefully, I’ll be able to save enough money to visit some other countries as well. KC has an international airport, which will probably come in very handy.
The greatest factor in my move is community. Two years ago, I did a three month internship at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. During those three short months, I made some awesome friends that I’ll be blessed to have for the rest of my life. Two of those were also California natives, whom I love dearly, and were my best friends when I returned to OC. Much to my chagrin, they have both moved back to KC, leaving me with few people my own age that I can count as close friends. On top of that, my interests don’t match those of many of my Orange County peers. In Kansas City, there are literally hundreds of people my age who love the Lord and are fervently seeking his Kingdom through fasting and prayer at IHOP-KC. I’m sure there are at least a few that I’ll be able to call friends.
I’m already getting excited about leaving. I’ve still got three and a half months to wrap up my SoCal business, visit family, go to a couple class reunions, my baby sister’s seventeenth birthday, and a few beach trips, but I can’t wait to get started on my trip east. I’ll miss seeing the sunset over the Pacific, even though I haven’t taken advantage of my proximity to the seashore as much as I could have. Even more than the ocean, I’ll miss driving through the rolling, golden hills of Central California, with the green oaks and sycamores, golden poppies and other wildflowers, and the legendary warm California sun that is so often sung and talked about. I’ll always love the Golden State, and have been truly blessed to call it my home for so long. I’ll be sure to visit often.
