Quarter life crisis...

Started this blog literally a month ago, but forgot to finish it until now:

So I've always made fun of people when they go through a "midlife crisis." I've always found that it is just a psychological thing that is experienced when someone is realizing that they have grown old and are now on the 'decline' of sorts of their age. Individuals feel that they have now been through their adult stage of life where they can enjoy their toys and stuff and now are elders who can't do the things they once did. At this point individuals typically will go buy whatever toys they once thought they would own, or travel to places they said they would travel, or do things they once thought they would do... So, I felt that this was a silly thing to go through because I of course would have done all that I ever desired to do and there would be no crisis to go through...

That was until a few weeks ago...

So it was Januay 28th, and I was feeling the toll of winter and classes! I had just gotten back from Colorado a couple days before (which was amazing!), but as I was sitting, nay sulking at work in the hall desk my mind wandered to sunshine and beaches. So, I decided to facebook my dear friend Jase Rohde, and simply asked him if he wanted to visit his mom in California this weekend as long as we were back by Tuesday. Then I continued my day until he texted me at 4, asking if he should change his oil or not...

So, there needs to be more of a background here of the character of the friendship I have with Jase. Jase and I have been dear brothers since the first semester of college, and namely the first time we shared a single bed at our freshman group retreat (another blog itself). Basically, Jase, Ben Hunt and a few other guys like that, we all have a unique relationship. Well, there is a lot of creativity in that group, which causes for much talk to be made, big ideas. In addition, there is a lot of doers in the group, so any big idea becomes a reality a lot quicker than it would in a typical group of friends.

Long story short: Jase, Jordan Adams and I left for California at 7:30 Wednesday night, made it Santa Maria, California around 10:30 Thursday night. The whole trip was kind of a haze, but it was sunny and 80! We spent most of Friday and Saturday on the beach beating the locals in sand volleyball. It was great to spend a weekend with Jase's family. His mom and dad are amazing and such an amazing model of parenting and loving the orphans and Christ commanded the church (another blog itself also). We then came back early Sunday morning, stopped in Vegas for a few hours to watch the superbowl at the Hilton Center with 10 projectors and hundreds of people (that could be a blog too). Got back Monday night sometime...

Well, me being me, I spent the whole weekend thinking a whole lot (not different than any other weekend). I was not that surprised by my decision to go on the trip, except for the clear irresponsibility and the fact that I left many things unfinished that could really get me in trouble. But really, I wanted to get to the root of my actions here. Was it really just winter blues? Did I really want to see Jase's family that bad? Did I really want to spend quality time with two of my most dearly loved brothers for a whole weekend? Was there something more?

I think all these questions had some truth rooted in them. What I truly found through the weekend, was that there were a lot of things on my mind that needed settled in my heart. Namely, what in the world am I going to do for the rest of my life? I had been struggling with decisions like where to live, if I should do grad school, and other life changing decisions. Really, I was overwhelmed with the multitude of blessings God had bestowed upon my life and He blessed me once again to give me a time to reflect and seek His face and wisdom in those decisions. So, I had a quarter-life crisis and wanted to get away... I bought a shotgun, buying a new motorcycle... Hey, I'm even going to China! Call it a crisis, but moreso I know I have been blessed beyond belief and I will make the most of every opportunity God has placed before me!

So I went to California for a weekend... It's a great story and I learned so much! I learned that I like my girlfriend, Jera a whole lot more than I even knew was even possible. I missed her every moment and it was incredible to see how God has worked in our lives and hearts the last year. I learned how much I love being with brothers and talkin about deep things while challenging eachother's views in a righteous way. I learned so much more about God's beauty, seeing the mountains and different landscapes between here and the coast. And I learned that sometimes you neeed to do things that don't make any sense in order to see God work in ways that you have never seen!

Would I do it again? Definetely! As long as I can bring at least one more friend...