I just got back from a fantastic week on the East Coast. Last wednesday I went to New York for The Man's wedding this past weekend. I spent most of my time with The Man, preparing for the wedding and participating in the bachelor party. Carolyn joined me on Friday. The whole time was such an extraordinary blessing for me, because I got to see people whom I hadn't seen in years. The Man had invited a lot of Hopkins people, and it was good just catching up over the last few years. Amongst the guys, the (not-so) inside jokes just kept coming, especially because the whole weekend was set aside to honor The Man. I don't know how many times we told stories about The Man, and then heard The Man give us explanations of why he was justified in these stories. I, for one, don't believe there are any valid explanations though. For example, there's no reason why anyone should need to shout aloud the word "Breast" when riding in a van with guys and girls present.

Not only did I attend the wedding, but I had the honor of being one of the groomsmen at this wedding. Carolyn and I made many mental notes and got a lot of ideas of things we can do for our own wedding, for which the planning is now underway.

For me, the weekend allowed me a lot of opportunities to spend with friends, talking in person, rather than over the phone or over AIM. It's a rare thing for me to see them, so I value every chance I get. Our conversations are rarely trivial and superficial, but we are able to share a lot and be ministered to by each other. Maybe it's because we know these opportunities are rare, I dunno. But I just know that my closest friends (East Coast, West Coast, Austin, anywhere) are the ones that I can be open with anytime. For there to be so many together all at one time just made me overwhelmingly happy.

Carolyn and I also got to hang out with my friend Jimmy and... the Hyej... last night. We talked a lot about life, God, marriage, relationships, church... you name it. It was a real encouraging time of fellowship between the four of us. Makes me wish New York was closer to Austin:)