North Carolina

Great Weekend. We traveled in a circle from lex to washington to asheville back to lex in four days. I haven't done that much traveling in a long time. There is something great about driving (granted I never once sat behind the wheel). With an average of five hours between each stop on the trip, the car time was as much apart of the weekend as all the events that took place. With plenty of stops for drinks (coffee, diet coke and a lot of meals). To my joy, two songs became a staple (granted I pushed for them at first) for dull radio moments, track 3 and 4 of Kings of Leon new album. Check it out. The whole album.

Stop one: Washington NC

DC got married, how crazy is that! I'm really excited for him. The wedding itself was great, ironic bad sound problems, but they were so happy and excited and served me communion. I was able to spend time with four of my favorite people, The Sharps. Then there was the after party. There is something very fun about staying in a camper. Saturday was a great day.

Stop two: Asheville NC

It is by far one of my favorite places in america if not the world. I don't really know what it is about that place. I would say its the food or the downtown or the mountains. on a side note as we drove through north carolina my heart relaxed when mountains came into view, which I'm taking as a sign I should stay near them. It's also said that the people make the place and that is undoubtedly true about Asheville. This trip held some first, like a visit to the Biltmore and showing Tex around the great city. I got to spend time with my favorite dog Homer. If I could clone him I would, hands down. No questions asked. As usual the time spent with Chris and Caroline was super quality and I cerish them both as friends and can't wait for little Davic Giavonni to be around. It makes sense that homer is their dog. Chris taught us how to play blackjack and I think I might play when I step onto the casino floor. I was also blessed to see Kyle on sunday night, all I can say is I wish I had more Kyle in my life. Asheville soothed my soul and gave me the rest people were praying for.

Stop three: Windy Gap

after breakfast at well bred we head out of town and stop at camp to see Emily and show Tex the camp. It was good to see camp. My heart hurt to be there. I was given good advice to remember that feeling and rely on the truth at God didn't want me there this past may. It's heart to rest in that because of everything that is in and around. I know God is finishing a work in me and I'm excited about it, and He wouldn't put that hurt on my heart if He didn't have plans for me later and that's a good thing.

All in All.... good weekend.

two songs

So I've been thinking a lot about waiting the past couple of weeks (ok, my whole life), maybe because I always think about it or maybe because a lot of people have been writing in their blogs on their waiting processes. Here are my two cents on the subject.  

Matt Wertz just released an album and sadly most of the songs aren't new. There are four however that are and they are good. One ironically is titled "waiting"

I'm waiting all of my life been waiting

To get it right, but that still seems like its so far away

And I'm taking all the advice I'm given

I know that he's writing about his own personal experience but it's like he knew what I have been thinking. It's hard to say why I wait and what I'm waiting for. While I wait, I plan out thousands of different things I could be doing and what my life might look like. Why I do this, I don't know. It's not helpful or healthy. I substitute being happy where I am, with trying to figure out what might make me happy. That's why the second verse of Wertz's song hits so close

Maybe if I had a somebody, maybe 

She would stand by me and somehow then I'd act more like my age

Seriously, I don't know how many times this thought has run through my mind. especially then my two months four weddings. I think I know what will create this mid twenties life, I think I can plan it out. The irony is that once I start to walk towards these things given me, I become terrified and sabotage the whole event. 

The past week I've begun to see the sin of what this is. I can't find contentment in what the Lord has given me. I must plan out and imagine a life where I might love him more, live a life more glorifying, or even be more holy and righteous. He doesn't want that, he wants me, he wants me to wait. Driving to work on saturday, knowing it was going to be long and tiresome, I heard the Caedmon's Call song "thousand miles" and could help by know the Lord was talking to me. Refusing to sing along so I didn't burst into tears, I sat and listened and knew its was true and my new desire:

so take my broken offering and make it whole

set my feet upon the road that leads me home

let me walk as one fixed upon the goal

and I know I've got a thousand miles to go. 

So I've got these two songs and they both are speaking great truth into my life. One allowing me to rest in the knowledge that I'm not alone in my thoughts on waiting and what might fix my life and the other giving me a clear hope of what God will bring me to and it might take awhile. 

something new (my blog thesis?)

I always said I wouldn't be starting a blog until I moved away from where I currently am and had people who would want to read about my new life. That's not where I am. I'm contently happy in Lexington working at camp. I am however taking the advice of my friend and roommate, who undoubtedly took the advice of our friend and not roommate, and will begin putting my thoughts somewhere other than my head. I've never really thought of myself as a writer or even someone who keeps a journal. It stems from my fear of writing about the show I watched that day or the trivial activities I may do each day. In my head blogs are this thing people take on to share grand adventures or monumental ideas, not a place for your everyday thoughts. I have learned from my two friends that yes, blogs are for what I thought they were for, but even more they are for exactly what I thought they wouldn't be for. 

So here I am writing my first blog entry. I'm excited and terrified I will just begin writing about grill cheese and 90210 and trying to make something out of nothing to compare to whatever I think a blog should be about. But truthfully if I've got nothing to write then I just don't sign in, it's not like this is some hard leather bound journal sitting next to my bed waiting for my daily scribbles. The thought is also running through my head that this post is some sort of thesis that will entice people to read about my life, so I've got to make it good. 

I'll end with a disclaimer: 

I am a chef, I love to cook, and I plan out my vacations based on where I will be eating, but contrary to the title of my blog, I don't think I'll be posting many recipes on here. The concept came to me, that if when I plan a menu I do it one recipe at a time, and life is about living in the moment, and I think I'm here to write about where life has me and is taking me, why not make this blog like I make a menu: one recipe at a time.