Thoughts on friendship

You know what's sad? A 27 year old man being sleepy at 8:30.

I have just gone through a whirlwind hour of being with my two boys. Typically they have energy to spare....tonight, they could power my whole home if we could somehow harness their energy. Maybe if I built two big hampster wheels and put them in a cage.....hmmm. I knew it was especially bad tonight when they started making up words and yelling them. Micah, in a fit of energetic joy, put two collectors edition DVD cases on his hands, went out on the deck and pounded the glass. He came inside and said "dad, did you see my sussix sticks?"

"Your what?"

"My sussix sticks - I put them on my hands and they helped me."

"Ohhhh....wowwww!"

With that, I settle in at the iBook, ready to blog the evening away. I have my decaf starbucks house blend, made in a french press, cream currently blending itself into the coffee. Ahhh, this is a good evening.

Here's some thoughts from the past few days:

-I had a great time taking pictures at a wedding along with my lovely wife last Saturday for about 16 hours. It was, indeed, a long day. The wedding was a trip - most of the family was fully Hispanic. The music they liked ranged from Tupac's "California Love" to Los Jefes Del Ritmo (Mexican "polka" style music). And what an honor to get to take their pictures. They are full of smiles and joy - and man, hispanic people know how to party. It doesn't hurt that the wedding was sponsored by Bud Light (or could have been) and that more cans than I can count were consumed during the reception. . . .and after the ceremony. . . .and before the ceremony. . . .and early in the morning. I declined their invitation to have a beer - at 9:30 AM.

Anyways - Ash will post the pics from the wedding on her blog. I hope to have at least one that "makes the cut" and is displayed. That might be a stretch - anyone that's seen her blog lately knows that I have catching up to do.

-I am gaining more respect at work - having been "put in charge" of the crew for a day when the other bosses left town. I'm being "groomed" to be a manager in this company which is a good feeling - they believe in my potential. That helps me know that I'll have a job tomorrow unlike a lot of the guys I work with who get fired. Apparently, I'm a lot smarter than the other guys I work with - I just can't run machines like they can.

So I'm respected now. But with that respect comes the need to actually know the people that I work with. For instance, I found out that a co-worker of mine has a girlfriend. Actual conversation:

"So, you have a girlfriend?"
(In a slow southern drawl): "Yeeeah - she's got a stomach on her, but her legs are skinny."
(In my mind): "You have got to be kidding me. . . .is this guy for real? I didn't ask about her looks!?"

And - another conversation with the same guy:

Him: "Do you smoke?"
"No."
"That's good - it's a filthy habit." He takes a drag and blows it out his nose. "Yeeeah, I started after I had open heart surgery."
(In my mind): "You have got to be kidding me."

And - another comment by the same guy:

Him: "You know, all religions are pretty much based on catholicism."
(In my mind): ". . . . . . . ."

Lord beer me strength.

-I found out that I have "closet viewers", or, viewers who don't leave comments. They know who they are - and I know who they are (at least some of them). I expect this to change soon - and that they will know the liberating feeling of leaving a comment.

But, I'm up to like, 8 readers, or something like that. I can't even count all of them. . .on one hand. And wow, it's read WORLDWIDE! I got a phone call from an old friend this week who said he stayed up until after midnight laughing at John Daker. Moments like that make blogging worth it.

And I guess I get to thinking about how blessed I am to have the simple pleasure of friendship with you all - even though blogging might be a lame furthering of friendship (compared to sharing coffee and conversation). How much I care for each and every one of you, regardless of where you're at, when we spoke last, distance apart, etc. The truth is, you're all a gift to me, and I am so honored and blessed to share life with you guys. I am blessed to call you all my friends (or family depending on who's reading). I am blessed to know you guys. I know that life apart from you would be so much less fulfilling. You guys are the "great cloud of witnesses" here that I see cheering me on, that Hebrews 12 talks about.

So, readers in, and out of the closet (wait, did I just say that?), know you're loved in my heart. Know that I thank God for each of you, and that the door is always open - here at the house, or just that fake door over the phone or on the internet.