Day by Day...

So here it is, 43 days until our wedding and there is still stuff we need to plan.  6 weekends left to plan things in and not enough time off (actually more like 3 weekends left).  Stress is starting to come back as the time draws near and it looks like we do not have enough.  Speaking on that note my employer seems like it is fine to take away my weekends without paying me anything extra.  I cannot explain the amount of frustration this builds within me.  Lauren and I got our bed and bought the mattress to go with it, which should be at her house sometime soonish.  Counseling is almost over for us.  We have yet to meet with Daniel to plan wedding ceremony stuff.  Where oh where is all of this going to fit into our short amount of time left?

On the other end of things all of our cruise stuff is taken care of including what we will do on the beaches.  Hotels are done and we are well on our way.  I am getting married next month.  It is now July and I get married in August!It is hard to believe that all that time has gone by already.  I remember when we were first engaged, 5 1/2 months seemed like forever.  I am still waiting on an answer from Camp Eagle about the facilitator position there and if I do not get in there I do not know what to do.  It is hard to focus on so many things when you are planning a wedding.

P.S.  Invitations are out!!!!!  I hope I get one ;-)

Oh where to begin?  It has been awhile since I last updated this blog and to that i say sorry.  For the past couple of weeks We have had campers here at YO and most nights look like getting up no later than 7:30 but as early as 5:30.  then ending camp around 10 at night, going to call Lauren and getting to bed between 11:30 and 12:00.  Right now it is 2:00 in the morning and not having a good night.  I cannot go into detail at all but I can say it is not fun.  I want to go to bed but circumstances have me up until 4:00.

On other subjects, Lauren and I are about to our 2 month mark which is amazing because 2 1/2 months ago I thought it would never get here.  Things are going well with the two of us as we continue our learning process of how to interact and love one another.  Wedding planning is coming along pretty good.  Hopefully we can get more and more things done and out of the way.

In other news I got to guide hunts this week for some of our hunting campers.  That was pretty fun.  I would not say I would guide kids in hunting for a living but it is good learning.  Some of the kids were slow or noisy or take too long to get set up. and didn't get a shot off.  But after two days we managed to get them their Rams and call it good.  Skinning has also been fun to do because I get to hang out with one of my coworkers.friend and get to talk while we work.

This post jumps around a bit without any real connection but remember that it was 2:00 AM when I wrote this.  Also please pray for Lauren and her family as they are going through some tough trials right now, pray for Lauren and my counseling and also please pray for our future and where God wants us to live.work.

So, Lauren and I now have engagement photos after a month.  This is hard because of our schedules.  Planning is coming along slowly but we are making progress.  We are heading to San Antonio again to get more stuff done as well as continue our registries at Bed Bath and Beyond as well as Target.  Four months seems so far away right now and wish it would come quicker.

I have been busy lately on the weekends due to having to take Lifeguarding class for camp.  I just sat through 8 hours of CPR which makes me thankful for Brandi's CPR at Redcloud at only 4 hours.  I have most of the swimming out of the way which is good.  I would like to note that I have not  really swam in 10 years and getting to class Friday night and doing our 300 meters right away was a killer.  I have no idea how much water I swallowed and it has reassured me of one thing.  I do not want to be a lifeguard.  I have enough responsibility with being a high ropes/climbing tower supervisor as well as WFR trained.  I do not need to add to it.  Like I said earlier I have to take this for my job,  I did not volunteer for this at all.  It is not that I am a bad swimmer, I just do not want the extra responsibility.  I have one more weekend to go and then I will be done.

It is starting to get warmer here in Texas and would like to note that I do not look forward to the summer here except for the second half of August ;-).  My job is slow right now and there really is no leadership above me.  Not that there is not someone above me but that they do not really manage at all.   On another note Lauren and I have started Counseling which I believe will be good.  It is just finding the time to do the homework that is the struggle.  I will let you get back to your work now as I will get back to mine.

God Bless

Pardon the Lapse...

So as you know I am engaged to Lauren and we have been very busy planning. I know it is going to be "the best day of my life" as everyone says but so far planning has been stressful. The hardest part about it is having to do a lot of planning over the phone instead of in person. But we now have a place to have the wedding and are working on caterers and photographers. Anybody want to volunteer their photography skills? Or videography skills for that matter.

My job has been going well and i had helped the other part of the ranch this past weekend cook for a wedding that was here. By a wedding I mean a rehearsal dinner a formal dinner and a brunch. Long hours there but I do get paid extra for that. i have also taken up bar tending here as another means of extra income. We have a group in this week which is a nice change of pace and the weather is looking nice as well (still dreading summer heat :_(...). My Chaco tan line is forming and it is not even easter yet. I remember last easter going to church in the snow....now it will be hot and summer like. The following weekends are lifeguard training for myself which means not much for breaks this month.

If anybody has any leads on wedding things that Lauren and I can look into please email or facebook us the information.

A Long wait paid off

So you may know that I have been waiting for a long time to hear from Y.O Ranch. Finally after a long wait I have received an answer and begin working up there on March First. As a part of that I am in Colorado at Camp Redcloud getting my WFR recert and will be heading back to TX in 5 days. This has a blessing as I love this place and the people up here. I only wish Lauren could be here for this as I know she longs to be back here. Anyway my job at Y.O. is managing their high ropes, climbing wall, and challenge course. Now there will be other things I help out with but that is what I will be in charge of. I look forward to this job and also because of the future that this job is helping with. This gets into Lauren and I, we are doing well and I have had many people asking me from Redcloud. Lauren is keeping busy with her job at Camp Eagle but we still get to see each other on a semi-regular basis. I cannot help but to look forward to the future and the outcome of God's hand at work.

As I sit her typing I still dwell on Redcloud and how much I wish I was able to still live here and make a living out of it. It feels so much like home to me and I love so many of the staff here that I have known for 3 years now. I still see being back in Colorado living in the future and that is one thing I hope for and it is not just wishful thinking but rather I feel that Colorado has not seen the last of me.

P.S. the Mountains here are beautiful!!!!!

what is one thing without the other? If it were not for the things we do not like we would would not have what we do like. We did not know what sin was without the law so we did not therefore know that we were dead and needed life. What is love without grief? both are so real and both immaterial can affect the physical. One causes the other. What is joy without sorrow, or laughter without pain. what is life without death or loneliness without feeling needed by someone. What is frustration without relief? All these are very real and felt by everyone of us. on some occasions we even feel many of these within a single day. Why is it oh God that love affects us so much physically? to feel like there is something within you that you cannot remove. a pain so real that it hurts. And why do we feel that at times? I do not understand your ways but hold on to the truth and trust that you will bring me inexpressible joy. Perhaps you allow us to feel your heart in all of this. to feel what you do when we leave you for things of the earth. Tearing your heart to shreds only for you to continue to love us and feel the same every time we do this to you. Yet a love so incomprehensible receives us the same each time. I know what I deserve but help me to understand this which I do not deserve.

An update on YO

So it has been awhile without an answer for everyone who asks me how the ranch is going. I am not there yet and have not had any news on it until recently. I called Cathy the other day to ask her where things were with me being there and her response was that she is meeting with the owner either Thursday or Friday of this week and will get back to me after their meeting. She also stated that she is leaving the ranch to go work in Alaska. This would happen in April and they are now also looking for a camp director to fill her spot. i am not clear on whether she wanted me to think about that ( truthfully it kind of scares me) but she knows my situation with Lauren and put out some things to think about while living here. I am also needing some certifications for the job including recerting my WFR. I plan on doing that this month up at Redcloud where many of my friends are. I miss that place dearly and cannot wait to get up there once again, even if it is only for a few days.

Lauren and I are doing great but the struggle lies with not being able to see each other regularly. Having Skype dates work but they are not ideal and I think anyone in our situation understands what I am saying. However I do look forward to what God has in store for the two of us and cannot wait for that time to come. Some things that Lauren and I pray about that you can pray with us about as well is first of all our relationship; that it is God honoring and a good model for others to see, also that we have patience with a variety of things. And secondly my job, I still have no income and have been in TX for a month. It is only b/c of Laurens parents that that is possible. They have been gracious and hospitable to me. I wish you all the best!