Joys of Life

Mmmm, the surprises and joys that life bring are quite numerous. Each day I never know what's gonna happen. Whether its in my relationship with God, family or others... life is truly unexpectedly grand. I've had probably one the best weeks of my life... God is just challenging me spiritually, and bringing new challenges and joys into my life through others. I'm growing closer to my brother and sister who are still here at home.. Mary and Zac.. that has been such a blessing. We started a Bible Study last night, and it went really well. I'm so glad that we are finally starting to talk about our faith more openly now, without the reservations and precautions we'd had during times past.

I've really been giving my all in track. I didn't hold nothing back at Districts this past Thursday and gave it everything I had. I managed to win my District in the 800 meters again... running a 2:05.73, with the nearest guy at 2:08. That's a PR and a School Record by 2 seconds. We had an incredible 4x800 meter relay... It was such a great race. A 9th grader, Noah, struggles with really bad asmtha, but at times is able to run a pretty decent 800... despite recovering from Bronchitis, he went out there and ran a great opening leg of 2:26.. the baton then went to Tim, who ran a PR split of 2:11.. and started to get us in the thick of it. Next was Kyle, who ran a decent split of 2:14 and kept us in the 3rd position behind TFA and Holy Trinity.. I was the anchor leg. As soon as I got the baton I was right on the heals of Austin Joiner, one of the top distance runners in the state.. and moved with him as we passed TFA. With 150 meters to go.. I started to make my move -- at the last turn, I just jutted out in front of him, when he start to kick it. For the next 100 meters, we were neck and neck down the straighaway, vying for the first spot. After a great sprint.. he barely nudged me out by one-tenth of a second for first place. However, i knew I gave it all I had, so I wasn't too dissapointed, it was a fun race! My split was a 2:04.3.. a PR split by 3 seconds! Our guys overall team time was 8 min 55 seconds.. breaking the school record by 6 seconds! So after finishing 2nd in our District.. we're gonna be in a very competitive race in Regionals next thursday. Right now I believe we are 5th or 6th going in with our time.. so we might just have a decent shot at the State Meet.

The last race of the night, the 4x400 was incredibly amazing. Even before it began, I knew we were in for a good one. Our first leg, Jacob, who'd only run the 400 a couple of times before, went out and gave us a huge 10 yard lead, running a 57 secod split. Then after a bad-handoff.. Tim ran a 56 second split.. Kyle ran a 58 second split, putting us in 2nd place... and then.. of course it came down to me to try to take first place. TFA was in the lead, and when I got the baton we were about 7-8 yards behind them.. so already I had to make up some ground. In my mind, I knew that Holy Trinity's runner (who was right behind me), had already won the open 400 with a time of 51 seconds.. so I really had to get out and get going if we wanted to have a chance. So down the back-stretch, I pass TFA's runner and move into first place.. with about 200 meters to go. The whole time I knew someone was on my heals.. I thought it was Holy Trinity's runner, but as we began sprinting down the straightaway..its TFA who caught up with me and was challenging me for first place... aaah, how HARD i tried.. I kept my form together and gave every ounce of my being to try and keep that first place.. again!.. he ended up edging me out for first place by even less than in the 4x800 meter. I didn't put myself in a good position. I was the chased.. not the chaser. If I could have ran it again, I probably would have stuck behind TFA's runner and waited to make my move a little later on.. but I was worried about the Holy Trinity runner, so I decided to just go by him down the back-stretch.. aaanyway.. it's alright I guess.. it did really suck though. Cause we're kinda unofficial-rivals with TFA.. cause we used to train at their facility and they kicked us off cause they're a bunch of stuck-up preps.. and it really sucks when we get edged out like that. Despite that though.. I ran a 52.3 second split!! A PR by an incredible THREE SECONDS.. in the 400 that is crazy.. the competition really pushed me to my limits, so that was cool. I cannot wait till regionals to enact our revenge on TFA... lol.. no matter WHAT.. we will beat TFA or I will not go on living. Mark my words.. we will beat them. Mmm.. but we did break our school record in the 4x400 by an astounding 7 seconds.. lowering the team time to 3:45.

Wow, long post about track... obviously I've been dwelling on that in my mind quite frequently. But that's a good thing.. I'm gonna try and be Regional champion in the 800 meters this Thursday.. so I'm getting reeeaaaally AMPED.

ok

"You're A Crazy Marine"

My dad wrote this when he was a confused... crazy marine.

I'm a marine of sorts
I fly by night and day
Singing and wailing in the sun
With a song for a gun
But I don't have a dime
For the ups and the downs
And I don't have a penny
For all of my time
But I can see a way
As if a needle in the hay
Was pricking at my spine
And saying, "You're a crazy marine"
"You're a nut in a haystack."
And always remembering
That I'm alive
For I am not in my days
And I am not in my ways
I fly by a kite
With the string awfully tight
Around my neck pulling me back
And saying, "You're a crazy marine"
But then I shrug it off and say
Better dead than purple
Then I take my mind in my hand
And throw it back and forth
And try to decide what to do
There's no end to a life that is gone
And I see myself in a mirror
And it cracks and shatters
And says, "You're a crazy marine"
Then I sail for miles and miles
Singing my song with a gun
And take my time about
Going back and forth
Between the signs of beauty
And I watch a tree grow over a cloud
As if it were trying to walk
But I hit a place that is one or two times old
And I watch it while playing with my eyes
My heart is always here and there
I sometimes wonder if it is anywhere
But my mind is my feet
And I walk a thousand miles
Across a desert without an oasis
And where will it end?
Will it be on a sunny day?
Will it be on a rainy day?
Will there not be a day?
I'll wait till tomorrow and see
But tomorrow take me to the next
And I see a man watching himself watch me
And his eyes are long
And his face is gone
So I take my head
And I write a song to myself
That is a song of a rock
That flies back and forth
And hits me in the fingernail
And tomorrow has finally come
Because I am dead and buried
And people step on my grave with their feet.

Gotta be Bold (and track pix)

Ah, just woke up from an three hour nap. I barely got 4 hrs of sleep last night. I haven't been too tired throughout the day, but I knew that if I wanted to function later on, I best better get some rest in. Sadly, my mom allowed me to sleep 2 hrs too late, so I'm not going to be able to read as much in "City of God" as I would have liked. I've been stalled in that book for about a week. Partly cause I've been reaaally busy, partly because it's kind of in a "boring" section in the book... if that's possible with Augustine.

Life has been pretty good lately... I'm still struggling with truly living like a Christian each day and loving Christ and others unselfishly. I think my pride gets in the way so often, I need to get out of my comfort zone, start taking risks, start sharing what I know with others.

...Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.*

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.**

For what is it worth if I have the truth and bottle it up inside me -- No, I need to be proclaiming the truth to all I encounter each day, boldly and with compassion for others.

I've been trying to start praying more, I don't do it nearly enough. I know every Christians says they need to pray more. I spend so much time (just like right now) talking about praying, and don't actually take the time to DO it. It's so important, and such a wonderful way to really become closer to God. I have this really great prayer book, which is set up in such a way that you basically read, or "pray" a scripture back to God, and then offer your own prayers of thanksgiving, petition, renewal, forgiveness, and the like to God. I like it, but once again, I'm so bad at getting into a routine. I KNOW that I'd be so much better off and so much stronger if I would take the time each day, but I just get distracted and the devil tempts me to forget and lose focus. I really need to start emphasizing that in my life.

Ah, so track has been wonderful... better than ever! I love our team this year, everyone's great.. in fact I think I'm going to post a picture of myself running, or doing something.......


Yeah, that's the four buff guys on our track team. (I'm the one without a shirt). Especially Beezman, he's HUGE.

Me running in the 4x400 relay at Lake Mary Highschool.

RAAAHHH.. finishing the 4x400 relay strong!... but tired.

Aaaaaand done...

Relaxing in the tent, reading the Bible.. i think in Mark. (Notice the Cash album)