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Every weekend my roomate Phil comes up to Fort Collins from Parker to play guitar at my church with me.  He is my better half musically, classically trained, tastefully modest, over-the-top bluesy.  Everything I’m…not…yet?  Phil is partially responsible for my love of fine tobacco as well.  Last year we became fast friends over a nice cigar at Edward’s Pipe Tobacco up here in the Fort, and regularly returned to hang out and feed a newborn habit.  Next year we will live in the same room, and I anticipate that somehow through being in proximity to him I will take on a similar 4.0 GPA and a near-perfect musical ear.

Last year I declared myself as more of a pipe smoker than a cigar smoker after falling in love with my La Rocca pipe and a blend called Black Raspberry.  Phil smokes CAO Mx2’s almost exclusively, and made it clear that he would never be a pipe guy.  Last night he became a pipe guy.  As did his older brother Luke.  We sat on the roof outside my window and conversed with the neighbors in the window across from us as we went through a couple bowls each.  Time flew, and before we went to see The Dark Night, completing a perfect Sunday, the two Waggoner brothers had fallen in love with pipe smoking.  They each have new pipes now, and Sunday will most likely become a regular time for pipe-smoking enjoyment.

Noodle Ambassador to be exact.

I am a new employee at Noodles and Company on College and Laurel.  I’ve blogged about it a bit I think, but I’m about to go into greater detail.  I work with a crazy group of kids about my age making, serving, and partaking of various noodle shapes and forms.  It’s real easy, they really like me, and I can walk to work from my house in about two and a half minutes, meaning no drive to work and therefore no gas expense.  I eat for free every shift for the first two months, or until I’ve tried every dish, of which there are very many.  I’m pretty happy so far, and God’s already been so good as to give me a LOT of favor with my bosses and coworkers.  How is he so good to me? Really?

Sean is now using the same theme I’ve been using for weeks on his blog.  Probably just because it looks so good and artsy.  Girls would be mad at their friends for copying them, but I’m actually a little honored.  Schweet.

Second thing is that his head line is a quote from a song by Brooke Waggoner, my room mate Phil’s older sister.  Her music is incredible and I listen to it all the time.  Her amazingly unique EP is free to download, and her full-length comes out very soon.  So check it out and let it take you to a really cool, really happy place.

First time it was suggested amongst my group of friends that we all go “Tube the Poudre”, I snickered because that’s funny to say.  Just say that to yourself out loud real quick…”Tube the Pooder”.  Awesome.

Tomorrow will be the second time I will have participated in this very Fort Collinsy thing to do.  We basically take those big black tire tubes into the lazy Poudre river five minutes from my house and ride from the bridge at Shields street to the bridge at College avenue.  The first time I was reluctant to get in the eff cold water, but by the end of the journey was reeling with excitement as I got into my car dripping wet.  It’s just so fun, relaxing, and American.  This time there is no fear, no apprehension.  Just unashamed anticipation of a great event.  We are tubing tomorrow afternoon and I don’t even know if I’m gonna be able to fall asleep tonight (this morning?) with how excited I am.

So my dear friend Ashley texted me this morning and told me that she found my wallet in her car.  The panic is over, the fear is gone, our God reigns.  I felt like that widow who lost a piece of silver, and then upon finding it called all her friends to celebrate with her.  Sooo…come celebrate with me? However, I do have to drive to Colorado Springs to get the wallet on Wednesday before I PLAY DRUMS AT CATALYST. Jump around for that.

When Sean called me about playing drums for him on Wednesday night I was very excited.  I was able to get the night off from playing at my church in Fort Collins, and everything’s clear for me to make it down.  I’m feeling like I may not even go to class on Thursday? Wonderful.  Of course I also didn’t go this morning, so maybe I should reconsider my personal class attendance policy?  Mmmmmm….no.

So my wallet is missing.  Lot of vital stuff in there.  Can’t start working at Noodles until I show them a photo ID either.  Sooooo…I need to find it bad.  I’ve been looking all day.  Shoot up a prayer for JD to find his wallet, will ya? Thanks.

Tonight we had a worship service in my town, Fort Complacent. We called it “The Vespers Service”, and I’m still not sure what a Vesper is (maybe someone can enlighten me?).  The night was really fun.  Our worship leader’s dad, Grant Pahlau, has been playing guitar for probably like 30 years.  At some point in his career as a guitarist, he came into ownership of this amazing 1965 Fender Mustang.  A really cool and unique sounding guitar (check out the band Mew to hear one).  So basically he let me play it, and I really loved it.  There were a lot of times where I couldn’t figure out how to switch the pickups to get a sound I wanted, but there were moments where the guitar’s character just jumped out all over the place.  So fun.

Another interesting part of the night was when we did “He Loves Us”.  For the first time in my history I got to lead a song for college kids, and I feel like this was a really good song to get started with.  I pulled this song off of Sean’s iDisk a few months ago and it’s been in my head since, redefining the way I think about God’s love for me.  We did an easy simple brushes-violin-acoustic-JD’s slide/delay/nonsense version of the song that went really well, and a LOT of people responded to it, just as I had prayed for.  I got a few warm compliments on my singing and leading, and left feeling really warm and loved.  Not just by Fo Co friends either, I really really know that I am loved by Almighty God, and that is irrefutable evidence to his extravagant affections for me.  Get some.

After the song was done and the atmosphere was unusually saturated with worship, I felt as though I had some kind of wonderful chemical in my blood making me feel amazing.  I haven’t kissed a girl yet, but I imagine that this feeling was better…because girls get jealous and it stops being fun.  I know for sure that HE is jealous for me, and that feels way different.

My mom sent me a nice care package this week containing some shorts I left at home, a bag of her incredible homemade cookies (without these cookies my childhood would have been tragic), and a book she just finished reading called “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. I am almost finished with the novel as we speak, and I haven’t ever finished a book so fast.

The story is told from the point of view of a Dog named Enzo (Car fans will understand the significance of that title). Enzo’s owner is a semiprofessional race car driver who lives in Seattle with his wife and Daughter. Life gets crazy for the family, and Enzo is there to experience it all. He relays it from his incredibly intellectual point of view, but with the charm and understanding of a loyal golden retriever.

I am a hopeless dog person and a huge car geek. Soooooo this book was great for me. If you’ve got time for a secular novel, give this one a shot. You can borrow my copy if you want.

Yesterday I found myself in Arvada on my way back to Fort Collins after a great morning of City Prayer at ORCC.  I was following a lead from craigslist about someone who was interested in trading me for my crappy old Boss pedals.  In short, the cost to me was:

• Japanese DD-2
• Broken-ish PS-2 (Pitch Shifter/Delay, kinda worthless to me)
• Vintage Ibanez EQ/Boost
• Entirely obsolete PSM-5 Power Supply/Master Switch Pedal 
• and my old, entirely broken Boss pedal case
• 40$

I thought I did well.  I am IN LOVE with the Cream-Tone. Best overdrive I’ve ever played (although that’s not very many…).  I miss the DD-2, but having a DL4 like everyone else makes up for it.

• Chelsea Hartling. My secret crush freshman year. My prom date senior year. Lived in Kansas last year. One of my favorite friends every year. Now a blogger.  She just started her blog and it’s under construction, but welcome her to our world?
  
• Radiohead just put a whole bunch of live videos “From the basement” up on iTunes. It’s $ 8.00 for ten really good videos. Do it.
• Someone offered me $15 dollars for all five of the pedals I have for sale. I suggested $20 for the crappiest of them all and $300 for all five. He offered $15 period. I emailed him to make sure he was serious and he was. I love craigslist.
• Just got a job at Noodles & Company. I was there today for an hour and a half to shadow some people so they could see how I work and interact with customers. They then sat me down, bought me a delicious meal, and offered me a job. I accepted and walked home in two minutes. That’s a hook up for free noodles and not having to drive to work.
• An olde Cameron At Bay song has been in my head all day next to Viva La Vida. Sean whatever happened to that creepy awesome circus song? “Mothers lost their children in the fire..” or something scary and thought provoking. That song is great and we need to record it someday. For now I will just sing what I remember of it to myself.

So that’s today.

I’m at a place of decision making, as usual, and I need some serious prayer. I have everything set up for me here at CSU, but I don’t feel like I know that I’m where God wants me. Not fun. I need him to give me a word or something. I’d love to stick around here, but I’ll leave and go do whatever he wants (Missions, Vegas with Debbie and the Woods, School of Worship, etc…) at the drop of a hat. I would seriously start packing up my car now if he said to. I want to be where I am the most effective. Making Noodles will be fun, but I want to be making disciples and making albums. I just need a word from God. I can do those things here if he wants, but I’m not settled here and it doesn’t feel like home. Pray for your friend JD? Much love.