Almost Ready

For the past few months, people have been asking me, "Brandon, are you ready for the move yet?"  Sometimes, they meant logistically, as in, "Do you have a place to live yet?" So I would generally respond positively, because I really have been ready to go since I found that place.  Most times however, they meant emotionally, to which my reply has been a simple H-naw! I haven't been ready at all! I have so many friends and family here in Chicagoland....how could I ever be ready for that!

Yesterday, I had a huge goodbye party at my house.  Admittedly, I was a little stressed about it at first, because it started to rain, and we all had to stay in the garage, lest my house become a mud filled cave suitable for no one to live...except like, Gollum.  We weren't prepared on time, and I had a lot of work I had to do.  And I had to have a lot of patience, because it's been running thin lately, with my emotions running high. 

This is where I'd like to thank the Lord.  My dad and I prayed in the car before we left to run errands for the party.  Particularly, I prayed for patience.  And dang.  The Lord provided, because I didn't turn into a diva (see here) when my dad told me to sweep the deck and do other things I deemed useless.  Thanks to dad for putting up with me, and thanks to the Lord for patience!

So we had the party.  And it was awesome.  It rained a whole bunch, but people still came! FORTY-ONE OF THEM.  Seriously, watch me entertain and be an awesome host:

Look, I'm the life of the party.  And a bro.  See the jersey?

Watch me spread the joy!

Broski's to my left.

Broski's back over here.

My friends are absolutely insane.  And I love them.  We had a notebook for people to sign and leave notes, we played games, did the reverse rain dance, ate tons of awesome food, took pictures, and crammed into that little space known as my garage.  And it was awesome.

I said goodbye a lot, too.

It hurt a lot, knowing that I wasn't going to see a lot of these people very much after yesterday.  I'm going to miss them fiercely.  But the party also brought me some closure, and I feel a lot more peace about leaving now.  I know I've got a little more packing and errands to do, but you know what, I think I'm almost ready to go...almost!  And I better be...I leave in 3 days!

I'm countin' down the days...

Alright, so this blog took a bit of a hiatus, because frankly, not a whole lot has been really happening in terms of my move to Austin.  Not a whole lot...that is.  I did find a place in Austin with 2 other guys working at the same company, though!  We shall call them S and G for now, to respect their anonymity. But yeah, we found a great deal, and it should be a great time!  It's a temporary situation, since they're only doing internships, but I think it will be a good transitioning situation for me.

But yeah, some other stuff has been going on.  Like me graduating.  That's kind of a big deal.  What, you want proof or something?  Fine, jeez:

My mom took this awesome photo of me :D

Boom.  I graduated.  I'm just another BS kind of guy.  Woohoo!
In case you didn't know, that was a joke.  BS = Bulls*** or BS = Bachelor's of Science. Being a graduate means I get to make smart jokes now.

Anyway, I just got back from CFW (Chapter Focus Week) with Intervarsity, where I studied the first half of the book of Mark (intense), and now I'm back home for about 9 days.  And then I gotta go...dang it.

It's been getting pretty emotional for me, seeing as I'm leaving all my current friends and family indefinitely.  I've had some good crying, honestly (and hey...Jesus cried too!)  But if I learned anything about Jesus from that book of Mark, it is that I need not be afraid. And if I learned anything from the book of Exodus this semester, it is that God is with us!  And He goes before us...which means I won't be alone!  It's going to be quite the adventure, I think, and I'm excited for it!


Anyway, expect more activity here now, because my departure is imminent!  I can't wait to share more of my journey with you all, as I expect it to be exciting, frustrating, hilarious, and much more!  As the wonderful picture that my dad gave me says...

"The Joy is in the Journey"

Thanks for reading!