I’m working at General Baptist headquarters as a Support Services Manager while also doing internship stuff. It’s the kinda stuff that I want to do. It’s the kinda job that a little 8 year old Mat would have dreamed of if he knew it was an option. It’s hanging out with missionaries and constantly working for/with them but still getting to spend every day hanging out with my best friend and wife when she gets the promotion from the fw in august.

Until then, I eat lunch alone and say, I just want to tell the people who prayed for me, thanks, and the God who pulled through, well…I knew you would. Special thanks goes out to a man who helped me move all of my junk (and to those of you who know me [and if you didn't you wouldn't be reading this], that’s a lot) out of the U-Haul in 1.5 hrs.

After the truck was packed with everything that could fit inside, it was time to say goodbye.  Wearing my new team shirt, I got in the car as I prepared to drive away.  I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the adventure ahead.  It all seemed so surreal.  The U-Haul driver walked up to the window of my car and asked if I was ready to go.  “Yeah, just let me get my GPS out in case I get separated from you,” I answered, looking for it under the trophies lying in the seat next to me.

The driver just looked at me and shook his head.  “You don’t need a GPS; I want you to rely on me.  That’s why you’re following me, so you don’t get lost.  You know if you need anything you can call me, and I’ll answer.”  Seeing how important it was for me to trust him on this journey, I realized even more that I needed to stay as close to him as possible and pay attention to his every lane change and turn.

I followed the U-Haul driver for a long time.  He led me through mountains and over bridges, along winding roads and sometimes hitting potholes.  After a while, I became weary.  My mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts.  “Do we really have to leave?  I don’t know if I’m strong enough for the journey ahead.”  And later, “Why can’t we go faster?  I just want to get there.”

Knowing the U-Haul driver pretty well, I imagined what he would say to me.  “Yes, you really do have to leave; your work here is finished.  No, you’re not strong enough for the journey.  But that’s what I’m here for.  I don’t expect you to get there and make the move all by yourself.  Why are you so fickle?  And why can’t you just enjoy the journey?  Other people may be zooming past us, yes, but this is the pace we are going.  I want you to have time to reflect on what you are leaving behind and to adjust to all the changes that lie ahead.”

Throughout our journey, there were times we drove almost 60 mph and other times we drove only 35 mph.  There were abrupt stops and moments when I had to hurry and catch up before another car separated me from the one my journey depended on.  Through it all, I learned a valuable lesson about trust.

The U-Haul driver had my best interest in mind.  He watched the stoplights to make sure we could both get through.  He stopped when he knew I needed to rest.  He led the way and kept looking in his rear view mirror to make sure I was still following.  And I know if I had gotten separated he would have turned the U-Haul around and backtracked to find me.  It’s easy to trust and follow someone like that, when I know he cares about my feelings and insecurities and will be there for me as we make this ongoing journey together.

A literal story and a life lesson all in one.  I like buy-one-get-one-free blogs the best.  God uses my fiance to teach me new lessons all the time, and I like that too.

Another car packed,

Another place left,

I’m not coming back.

Send my regards to Sean,

I didn’t get a chance to see him,

He’ll have a place in my heart,

He was a real good friend.

You guys were great,

Hospitality no less than an eagle,

My time flew by,

Spending it with such great people.

With the directions in my head,

Not sure exactly where the road will go,

But this curvy road I’ve been on,

Caused me to say, “I’ll miss you so.”

My life is a journey,

Traveling on a road in a car,

Adding stuff as I go along,

Traveling towards my star.

As I move down the road,

I am able to say,

I’ve gained so much,

This is a sad day.

Another car loaded,

The car is even more packed,

With numbers and addresses of friends,

To see them when I come back.

I think that Toys ‘R (I realize that the R should be backwards) Us (I’m not going to quote it because the lack of backwards “R” might lead to some serious copyright issues) had it right in their theme song when they said “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R Us kid.” The point of the song is that the life of a kid who plays with toys from that store is so good that there is no need for anything else. I don’t know if that’s true or not because I really like driving and I enjoyed college, but regardless, I had one of those moments today.

I went out to lunch with some very nice people whom I have had the privilege of working with for the past two months. After lunch we wanted desserts. As I thought of all of the tasty sweets all throughout Nashville, I sided with a blueberry muffin and a chocolate milk. A group of adults went to the coffee shop, and I ate my muffin and drank chocolate milk out of a box that doesn’t expire until 2013, while they drank their coffee. And ya know, that was the best decision I could have made.

I thought about taking a nap today, but I wanted to do something impactful on my birthday. If no one was impacted by this, I might as well have taken a nap. I wish I had a good “moral of the story moment,” but all I have is this: sometimes new things are good, but make sure you have a good foundation of things that work before you go trying new things because you may just change who you are into something you’re just trying…I’m glad I’m still a blueberry muffin and chocolate milk kinda guy.

For the majority of the time I wish all the students would be here on campus for the summer. Living on campus with a couple hundred of other people is a great experience. I live on a floor with 30ish other guys, so it’s hard to get bored with everybody here, even though there isn’t much to do in the actual town of Oakland City. During the school year there are countless events happening in the dorms and on the campus. Each RA and RD must host two events a semester and SGA sponsors many more. That’s over 20 dorm events for each dorm alone in one year.

Though during the summer not all the students are on campus and the events aren’t going on, I still really enjoy it here. It creates a feeling of being on your own away from home even through the summer. The events that do happen on campus relating to students would be the Upward Bound program and Summer Spree. Upward Bound is a program that gives high school students the opportunity to stay on a college campus and take some college level classes. Summer Spree is the OCU freshman and transfer orientation. In the past both have been known to go to Holiday World and do other fun activities.

Though OCU seems empty and there isn’t as much going on during the summer, it’s still a place that many can call home.

Reason # 1…I love OCU

I came here my freshman year, made some great friends, studied marketing, met The Freestyler, graduated, got my dream job in Admissions, started dating The Freestyler, and got engaged to him!  All thanks to Oakland City University!  Admissions reps really do make a big difference in people’s lives!  I wonder if they know that?  Hmmm…maybe I should send them a thank you card.

Reason #2…I went to Nashville last weekend

My fiancé is currently working in Nashville, and I had yet to visit him there.  I asked his best friend to call him and say he wanted to hang out over the weekend, but I was going to show up instead and surprise him.  And…he WAS surprised!  My own official tour guide showed me around the big city, and we indulged in some delicious strawberry ice cream and the best slice of pizza I have EVER experienced!

Reason #3…Formal Tea is tomorrow

Dinner and dancing…I can’t think of a better idea for a date!  OCU’s spring banquet (we like to call it Formal Tea) is the last hoorah before the school year comes to a close.  Last year was an absolute blast, and I can’t wait to get dressed up again and enjoy the evening with my fellow OCUers one more time.

Reason #4…I’m getting married in three months

I feel like I’m chasing time, but it is outrunning me.  I never was a very fast runner.  We have so much left to do, leaving little time to stop and smell the roses.  I’ve always loved weddings, and this one will be no exception.  I can’t wait to marry The Freestyler!  In the meantime, I’m going to spend the whole summer on my newest hobby…wedding planning!

In my first year and a little through my second year, I have had to take general education classes such as history, speech, new and old testament lit, and earth science. Now as I am getting into the upper classman years I am able to get more focused on my major, which is Criminal Justice. I really enjoy all my CJ classes and look forward to the ones to come. The teachers in the Criminal Justice program are all people with experience in the field: teachers such as judges and police veterans. I really enjoy hearing their stories and hearing about what they have faced in their field.

Now that my second year is coming to an end I realize that I am now about halfway done with college. It’s kind of a scary thought, but I know that the staff here at Oakland City University will be able to help me before I graduate and even slightly after graduation. I am confident I will find the job that I want and succeed. I am not certain what exactly I will want to do with my degree once I get it but I’m sure that through my next two years I will be able to decide after going through my future CJ classes and internship before my senior year.

Then the bad part comes. This life lesson hit me for the first time when some friends had come to visit me from the great Oakland City University. We were wrapping up a delicious breakfast at the Pancake Pantry when the life lesson hit me, like the realization that 5 games into the season the Browns are already out of playoff contention hits me every year. I was getting ready to take my last bite of the delicious waffle (I have tried every pancake they have, I love my job lol, so I thought I would try something new) that was covered in strawberries when I realized that these plates are like our lives.

There is generally a line at the Pancake Pantry that could take up to an hour of people who want a chance to enjoy this food, it’s just that good, so as soon as you finish with your food, a waiter comes by and says, “Can I take it?” you pay, and leave. I took my last bite of sweet deliciousness and fulfillment, and they took my plate. My friends were unable to finish all of their food, so I grabbed a fork and started to enjoy all of their pancakes.

In life, you may be having a ball “consuming” this “delicious” life, and at the end of your life you are trying to just take a couple more “bites,” even if it’s someone else’s “food,” before someone comes to you and asks, “Can I take it?” The question is: with every “bite” you are eating in this life, are you thoroughly enjoying it, or are you just throwing down wings like you’re trying the “Blazin’ Challenge” at Buffalo Wild Wings?

Maybe you are on a scavenger hunt of your own.  Not for food perhaps.  But maybe for a new job or a new school in a new city.  Life is full of changes like these.  You get adjusted to a new place and before you know it it’s time to learn another lesson somewhere else.  It makes life exciting and teaches you not to get too attached to things or places in this world.  If you learn to have the mindset that you are writing chapters with your life, it makes it easier to end one in order to fully embrace the adventures in the next.

Sometimes you need clues for the scavenger hunt you are on.  It’s important to surround yourself with people who can mentor you as you transition between chapters in your life story.  It will make the journey sweeter and more impactful for you and for those who are helping you.  Remember that a few dedicated people can make a huge difference in your life, and you can do the same in the book you are writing! 

I have had this particular thing since the third grade. It is something that I often use. I was looking at it the other day, however, and realized that maybe it’s time to get rid of the faded and worn out Pikachu bath towel. It was then that I had a realization that the Pikachu bath towel is a symbol for my youthfulness and time of learning.

In life, we go through seasons that we can often shed and just chalk off as a “check that off of the bucket list.” I found, like I was playing a game of hide and go seek through the world, that by shedding the bath towel, I would be symbolically getting rid of the learning time in my life.

We may go through seasons, but the learning stage is one that will be like 75 degree weather in San Diego. (I was going to say Hawaii, but I feared that I would spell it wrong, and now I realize that Google is just a click away…oh well.)

I hope you read that well and get that learning is not just for the youthful, and when you buy something, use it until it falls apart (that also means that when you learn something, never forget it). Thanks for reading.