lessons about home…

Awhile back I heard a poem about homes and family that really moved me… As of recent I haven’t been able to stop listening to it as It reminds me of my home in Seattle sheds new insight on my home here in new zealand.

It’s a rare condition, this day and age,
to read any good news on the newspaper page.
Love and tradition of the grand design,
some people say it’s even harder to find.

Well then there must be some magic clue inside these gentle walls
Cause all I see is a tower of dreams
real love burstin’ out of every seam.

As days go by,
we’re gonna fill our house with happiness.
The moon may cry,
we’re gonna smother the blues with tenderness.

When days go by,
there’s room for you,
room for me,
for gentle hearts an opportunity.

As days go by,
it’s the bigger love of the family.

you can get the full effect of the poem here, and I hope it takes you back to places you never remembered.

But really in all seriousness I miss my home, my girlfriend, my family, and my friends. Even stupid things like family matters (which apparently never made it this far south) that bring back sooo much nostalgia can feel pretty lame when most people down here have never heard the theme song.

Back in Seattle, most of the time I feel like Eddie Winslow; Cool, informed, helpful, squeaky clean and taking good steps forward toward achieving my goals. New Zealand can sometimes make me feel like Urkel; Nerdy, out of place, socially awkward, overly intelligent (you should see some of the faces when I tell them I’ve graduated college), and struggling to find my niche.

I know that this change of environment is good for me but sometimes I just want my family (community) back… and the complete 9 season set of Family Matters on DVD.

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I think seeing Carly in 3 days will make me feel pretty cool again.

19 days…

If there has been one thing on my mind for the last 5 months it has been this:

In 19 days I get to see her…

For two weeks it will feel natural again and then we start the final downhill section of our journey. Soon this long struggle of persuing one another through great distance will be over.

It has been hard, strenuous, good, boring, joyful and exciting all in the same minute and has taught me so many things I had never imagined.

But, I really cant wait for our seperation to be over and to hold her in my arms again.

Sorry if this has been “mushy” but I just needed to let you know that I love this woman.

Alexander

What would you give to spend an hour in here?

I have been traveling for a long time and I know that Gods Love follows me where ever I can move to… But, sometimes I wish I could feel at home like I did there.

Remeber the pews? Those beautiful Oak pews, perfectly lathed, perfectly sanded and stained.

Remember the smells of the carpet? Both the old orange stuff and the new blue stuff?

Remember the glass and the glory of that cross… Remember how it shone in the spring when the sun would hit the brick walls of alexander.

Remember the shutters and how they would slam against the can lights in the ceiling?

Remember the tears?

Remember the amount of time?

Remember the discipline?

Remember the love?

and most of all…

Remeber the Grace?

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There are places in my life that hold special value for things, (similar to a mecca) for my faith… this is that place. I know God is following me while abroad, I trust that and am so thankful for his provisions, but sometimes I wish it felt like it used to. How it felt with such a great community.

Sometimes I wish I was better at following.

Friendship

I have a story to tell…

It’s long but I promise it’s worth your time.

I tell it to more fully understand god’s grace in my life and to encourage those who read it.

A number of years ago I had a really difficult period of time in my life. It was a time when I felt most alone, unsure of my purpose and especially unsure of my accomplishments. I felt as if many of my efforts were useless and that I had a very small impact on an important community around me.

During this time I met a friend, for the sake of the story I will call him James. At the time I met him I didn’t always see James as a friend. It was a stage in my life where many of my friendships were blinded by the whole idea and mentality of servitude. I would approach relationships as a handyman, always looking to fix things or improve the relationship. As I focused so much on improving and serving I basically gave myself spiritual burnout.

(A quick side note: By no means am I saying service and reconciliation aren’t important in friendship because they are probably the greatest attributes to a good friendship. However, it’s easy to over analyze and counsel your friendships to death. I also believe it takes a lot of discipline to keep yourself from thinking your better than everyone else. A struggle with ability and humility that I continue to battle.)

James was different than many people I had met in my life. He was extremely quick with his mind and could usually talk himself out of any situation. He lacked motivation and direction but was quite capable of accomplishing any task set before him. He empathized well with people but lacked discernment of when jokes had gone too far. In many ways James reminded me of myself at a slightly younger age.

As I got to know James and began to spend more time with him I began to feel a draw to him. I can’t really explain it other than James and I just connected and got along really well. There were times however when James would literally drive me insane. The thing about James is he knew how to read people. He knew exactly what buttons to push and when to push them. James could push a man to the verge of violent retaliation and then quickly calm them back down in a matter of seconds as if it were a joke or it had never happened. It was really quite incredible.

This draw continued as time went on and when other relationships faded James and I continued to keep in touch. The friendship between James and I began to change over time. We grew deeper in what we knew about one another and what we talked about. James and I talked about things we struggled with, we wanted to improve in our different communities. There were many things about James that still would frustrate me (like his ability to push buttons and his lack of motivation) but my perspective of our relationship had shifted from a “leader/mentor” mentality to truly a real friendship. I prayed for James a lot and I began to focus on the reality of friendship instead of blinding myself by the thoughts of counseling a needy person in need back to health.

As time came closer and closer for me to leave on my trip to NZ I began to understand that I would really miss James when I was away. He had become a great friend and a person I really enjoyed to be around even despite making choices that I would’ve made differently. I had realized that James was growing and he was realizing what was important in his life and making changes accordingly. He was making mistakes but he was learning from them, something that can be difficult to watch. As I thought more about my absence I prayed for James a lot.

This week I got an email from James.

As I read it I began to cry.

In the letter he basically told me how thankful he was for our friendship. He was thankful for all the times that I had stuck with him and cared for him when he was making bad choices. James said that he wanted to follow my example with his friends (a truly humbling comment) and that he was just frustrated with all the times he cares for them and it goes unnoticed. With that frustration he had realized how much I had cared and he wanted to thank me.

I write this not to glorify myself in any way, believe me for the most part I had no idea that god was using me how he did. But, I write this story to say this one thing:

God will use you in ways you never thought possible. I am a terrible servant and he has still continued to use me despite my pride, arrogance, stupidity, naivety and laziness. I have been able to impact James’s life because God has given me the strength and grace to do so, simply because I believe.

Be encouraged… You may never know the impact you have on people but thats ok, because that impact isn’t for you to know. The work of a Christian isn’t to have an impact on people, change this world or your better your community but rather to serve Him who created and loves you. Repercussions of your service may result in those things but seek him first and take all results as incredible blessings.

May I have this Dance?

Ok, so its been a while since I’ve blogged about music… in fact its been a while since I’ve really sat and listened. After DJ’ing a dope movie premier (footage mostly from snow park, where I work) and party for DC shoes/Snow Park last Thursday In Queenstown I decided to get back to basics… I started listening to my own music, not simply things I think people would be into. I listened to what I like, and what I think sounds good (the whole reason I got into DJing in the first place). I listened to Hip Hop, Rock, Electronic, Dance, 80’s, Top 40, Gangsta Rap, and even a little Folk. I loved it

The truth is, I haven’t been able to stop listening to 3 specific songs.

I don’t know why but they all happen to be Electronic/Disco/Dance songs and they are amazing… I know there are many mixed feelings about this genre but seriously, I dare you to keep from moving your feet or bobbing your head while these songs are playing.

SO NOW I PRESENT YOU THE TRIFECTA OF GREATNESS…. Please enjoy… maybe even cut a little rug.

Basement Jaxx – Hot N’ Cold

Earth Wind & Fire – Let’s Groove Tonight (Absolutely Incredible Video)

Sneaky Sound System – Pictures (Tonite Only Remix)

B-Leauge MVP

When I started work at snow park I got word of an intermural basketball program that has weekly games. After showing interest I was immediately drafted on to a co-workers team sponsored by the local recycling center. We are in the b-league but I figured that I because I am not a serious baller I would rather have a good time than run myself dead once a week.

Well, as it turns out I have become a player who scores an average of 14 points a game and gets maximum play time, always starts and helps the “team leader” with coaching. I’m not the best on the team but I am in the top 3 for sure… needless to say I am having a lot of fun.

Its funny here because American basketball is a VERY popular sport, Anyone who watches sports in NZ watches rugby first, cricket second and the NBA third. However, in general the people who play haven’t spent much time actually learning the game… more like watching kobe, lebron and carmello ball it up and shoot the J

So, an American like me who played freshman high school ball, college intermurals, watches the occasional game on tv, and was taught the big fundamentals like give and go, setting screens, pics and boxing out is basically an all star in the b-leauge.

The essence of this came out tonight when after my game a guy from Austria on the other team came up to me and simply says ” you are too good, my friend.”

I had a big smile on my face and told him thanks… Sometimes I don’t even know how to react when people say I am good at basketball, I mean I have my moments back home where I’m alright but I am no all star.

I guess all I can say is it feels good to be winning some games… and that it feels good to be an MVP.

…even if it is B-League.

snow

As all my friends up north are preparing for days at the beach, camping trips, and bbq’s I am buckling down for another cold winter. Yesterday at work it snowed about a foot… it was blowing and the temperature was about 29 degrees… It was amazing.

I don’t know why I love the snow but sometimes, even in times of sheer blizzard I just get stoaked to be outside. Yesterday, I really didn’t want to be at work but once i realized how much snow there was i was really excited to be there. Right now I am just waiting in anticipation for the season to start. Snow everyday… what could be better. I am pumped to go riding on my lunch break and I am pumped to start practicing jumps and rails again.

I’m ready to have fun, in the easiest way I know how… I’m ready to shred.

just the ordinary…

It’s always weird when something completely out of your ordinary life (ie. living in new zealand, working at a ski resort, and living with foreigners) starts to become more routine. I think the reasons I haven’t updated this blog in about a month is because I just haven’t felt like I’ve had anything terribly exciting to write about… I dont really think things are getting boring here or anything like that, but rather just a process into normalcy, where things are becoming more normal. Believe me there are things here that will NEVER feel normal but there are also many things like, coming back to a warm house, going to work every weekday morning and going to the grocery store that make life seem very familiar at times.

Through this process I have realized that traveling is much different than living in another country… I think that boundary is crossed when you do things like: Paying rent, setting up internet and phone lines in your home, buying a car and trying to sustain yourself by finding a job and earning money. After encountering and effectuating these things your travel experience becomes something quite different.

In retrospect however things have been quite good. There is something that is nice about calling a place home even if it is unfamiliar. Theres something about making a place your own that is simply comforting, it has your accents and it has your personality… sometimes I often see my place of residence as a projection of my self through wood, sheet rock and steel.

moving on,

things between Carly and I have been doing really well we’ve had some amazing conversations about life, relationships and experiences. I would be lying if I said there haven’t been difficulties but we really have been growing closer together everyday, despite over 2000 miles of ocean between us. I miss her more than I have ever missed anyone and know that we are going to make it through this time apart. She is just an amazing woman and there isn’t a day that goes by where i don’t think about her or wish she was experiencing the many different sights sounds smells and tastes of new zealand. She’s truly one of a kind

well, i guess to wrap things up I just to give you some bullet points to sum up the past month.

• Ive spent a lot of time digging in the dirt/mud @ work. Basically making trenches for high pressure water pipes that they use for snow making guns, yea it sucked

• I helped the park crew finish their permanent wall ride feature by putting the coping on top and painting it (3 coats… almost 10 gallons of paint!)

• I’ve DJed 2 times in the past month and have an other gig next weekend in queenstown. Its been a lot of fun… totally threw some D’s and made it rain.

• I went to a really charismatic church under poor leadership (no credentials and not really educated theologically) and felt really awkward when told that I was to speak in tongues. The gist of the message was that if I ever wanted to cast out evil spirits i had to be able to speak in tongues… what I really needed was some encouragement and some prayer for my struggles at work and from traveling, not an introduction in metaphysical warfare. Needless to say I didn’t return the following week.

• Ive missed a lot of friends and places (mainly ballard) from back home… I think we are all in need of a pub crawl when I get back… I want to see all your lovely faces at the sloop, matador, kings and the lock and keel. (thanks for so many amazing memories)

MY NEW JOB!!! Do Work Son…

Ok, so there might be a little wonder of what I am currently doing in New Zealand. Well, hot off the presses here’s the fresh update. A super post of my new place of Work…

So I work at a place called SNOW PARK NEW ZEALAND, It is basically one chairlift but the entire mountain is a Terrain Park. It is the best and most progressive terrain park in the southern hemisphere and is basically where the majority of pros come to train in the summer season. From what I hear, the only time/place you will ever see more pro riders is during the winter X games. Some of the few who are often seen up here: Shauwn White (when he’s not skating), Travis Rice, Heiki Sorsa, JP Solberg, Sammy Carlson, Tanner Hall, Eddie Wall, Jeremy Jones, Gigi Ruf, Romain DeMarchi, Travis Kennedy and BIG BLACK!!! haha do work son!!!  So needless to say I am pretty stoaked.

Right now I am basically a handyman. I am helping the Park Crew get rails ready for the season (Welding, cutting, painting and prepping) Helping with the dirt moving and earth works to get the jumps ready and doing all sorts of random tasks to get the mountain in good operating shape for the season.
During the season I will probably be doing a mix of things. From working in the bar, to DJing on the mountain and in the bar! as well as being a lifty a few days out of the week, where i will be able to shred on my breaks! So I definately will be doing a ton of things that I think I will really enjoy and be getting paid for it. It adding up to be an amazing summer (or winter i guess).

Here are some photos I took to give you a better idea.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little description. Come down and visit!!! shred a little bit and enjoy the best terrain park in the world during the American summertime!

more to come soon…

curveball

Just when you think life is going to become very easy and there is no doubt in your mind that things are looking up for the better, life throws you a curveball.

At the end of last week I was excited, and even optimistic about the change in time that was about to occur… (daylight savings time occurs a few weeks later than the us) I was so excited because the time difference of four hours that I was currently experiencing with Carly and my family back home would soon change to 3 hours!!! However, little to my surprise I was about to be thrown a curveball.

When I called Carly on Sunday, she seemed a bit tired and when I asked what time it was it was 11PM seattle time. Given that my current time in New Zealand was around 6pm, it meant that the time (completely surprising to me) had CHANGED THE OPPOSITE WAY!!! I was now 5 hours time difference away from Carly and all of the things I call home.

Man what a sucker-punch.

Anyway, I think that as hard as the time difference can be I really think things are good and it is totally working out well… but its just one of those things that is so surprising when it happens it can be hard to regain your footing.

I hope this has been enlightening to all of you. Even though its spring in the northern hemisphere the southern hemisphere still “falls back” making the time difference further apart than it is in the summer time. CRAZY HUH?

well, thanks for nothing GMT… thanks for that curveball.