To all who are concerned...

It has come to my attention that a great number of people are concerned about my well being as apparently there were some terrible tornadoes that touched down here in southeast Virginia. Rest assured that I am ok and am experiencing nothing other than sleep deprivation after this long week of work for Sarah and Daren's wedding and then the long travel day home today. We have had buckets of rain all day today with very little else, including wind. I have embedded a map that shows my location in blue and the locations of the 3 tornadoes that touched down here in Virginia today. Please keep all those who were affected by these storms in your prayers as over 200 people were injured between these 3 twisters. Here is that map:

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Mr. GSD is on his way to Virginia...

What an incredible week...honestly. It was filled with a ton of hard work and a roller-coaster of emotions. I woke up this morning and the mountains came out for the sunrise. I can honestly say I really miss the sunrises and sunsets in Oregon when the mountains are out.
This week I helped in every way possible to make sure that my two best friends, Sarah and Daren Benson, would have the most incredible wedding in our lifetimes...and with out too much boasting, let's just say we all Got Stuff Done and it was the most amazing wedding ever. When I have some wedding pics of some kind I will be sure to post them here. It was difficult for me to take any pictures from my location as a bridesmen during the wedding so you will have to forgive me.
Today is especially hard for me...at about 4 o'clock or so I officially ran out of things to do...no more list, no more errands, no more picking stuff up or dropping it off...nothing...I was done and I had spent every ounce of energy and effort I have within me to accomplish everything. And it was totally worth it.
Now for the hard part...I said goodbye to everyone...well almost everyone...there are two very important and special people who could not be here today to send me on my way back home to Virginia...and while I am so very happy for them and I so dearly hope they are enjoying themselves, I do miss them all the same and it is hard not to wish for them to be here to have one more drink, one more laugh, and most of all one more hug! I do know there will be a lifetime more to come for all of that...and I have tried all week not to be selfish...but at this very minute a hug from those two would mean the world to me right now.
To everyone else...thank you for having me, loving me, accepting me, and putting up with me...thank you for the laughter and all the fun we had this week. And everyone, anytime you wanna come to Williamsburg be sure to look me up!

Words cannot describe...

The card simply read: "Thanks" on the inside: "There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back." A quote attributed to Elizabeth David.

Now, I don't know if any of you have had the opportunity to be the one and only male at a bridesmaids high tea, but that is one event I can now check off my list of things to do before I die. Seriously.

I do not know if I can find the words to express my experience here in the Pacific Northwest this week, or even my time at the tea this afternoon. There have been many emotions and thoughts/memories that have rushed over me this week. I know this always happens to everyone, but I have honestly been looking forward to this week since January...it took forever to get here and now this week is almost over. I did not know what exactly to expect on my return to the Northwest. I spent Tuesday in Bend, Oregon where I cleaned out my storage unit, with a lot of help from my buddy Capt. Kirk (he isn't really a captain but I like to call him that)...it was a difficult experience for me as it marked an end of an era for me...it was another landmark on my journey here on Earth. Once my storage unit was cleaned out my personal connection to Bend was cut. And in a strange way this place I once called home and felt so comfortable now was foreign to me and I felt as if I were an outsider...with not only the place but the people as well.

This whole week I have felt out of place...and yet at the same time I have been slowly realizing that the place where I am most comfortable is Williamsburg, VA. Now, please understand that is very difficult for me to admit too. I am an Oregon boy, born and raised. And I still feel as if Oregon will always be my home in some way. I also feel like I am still adjusting to life in Virginia. However, I think this trip was in part an opportunity to find myself and it has come to teach me to return to Virginia next week with a new found appreciation for my new home and place of work. God works in mysterious ways and when we are open He is willing to teach us in ways we would have never thought possible. I have learned a lot this week, about me, about others, and what and who are most important in life..."There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back." Dear God, thank you so much for the people who you have placed in my life who put it back...and may I never take it out without putting it back in a bigger way than before I took it out of another.

I can honestly say I am glad to have had this opportunity to be the bridesman for my friend Sarah. She has always been a person who "puts it back" in my life. This final step in my move from Oregon to Virginia and this upcoming wedding both mark the end of an era for me. And while endings are always sad in their own way, they are like this picture I took this evening of the sun setting over the Cascade Mountains...it marks the end of the day and its own way it gives hope, thru vibrant colors, for a brighter tomorrow. I will miss my beloved Oregon and the mountains I love. I will miss my days singing, playing, go to the theatre, and road tripping with my friend Sarah. But man do I ever look forward to what lies ahead for us all...

Oh the irony...

I swear I am not making this up. As I made my way to Oregon from Virginia I had one stop along the way, I switched planes in Atlanta. I have brought several books with me to read while I am on my journey back to Oregon: Rhys Issac's Transforming Virginia, George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior, and Thomas Paine's Common (pictured here on the left). I had these books in hand as I took my seat on the plane...and Paine's book was right on top as it was the smallest of the three and the one I was most currently reading. As I sit down I look to my right and the man sitting next to me has the book that is pictured here on the right, The Death of Common Sense, by Phillip K. Howard. The man looks at me and says, "What are the odds, huh?" to which I reply, "Ooooh, the irony that we are seated next to each other." Turns out he was on his way back from training exercises in Alabama, he is in the US Army. Neither one of us had much time to read as we both were exhausted and pretty much slept the whole way. I am not going to lie, it is really nice being back in Oregon. The weather is a little crazy...it snowed in Vancouver yesterday morning and then hailstorms in the afternoon. Last night I made my way back to Bend so I can clean out my storage unit today and it was really nice to see everyone so far. And when I woke up a short time ago the world here has been covered in a bright white blanket of snow!! It's almost May and there is fresh snow on the ground...definitely a change from the 78 degree weather at my place in Virginia at 3am on Sunday when I left!! Well, gotta go take care of business this morning...I got to get back to Portland this evening to help out with this killer wedding I came home for!!!

Oregon, I'm on my way...

It is currently 4:48am Eastern Standard Time. I am sitting at Gate B14 waiting to board a plane to Atlanta, Georgia and then ultimately Portland, Oregon. I have not slept much save for a few naps here and there since getting off work. It was difficult to say goodbye to Portia knowing that I will not be seeing her at all this week...I wish there was an easier way of traveling 3000 miles across the country so that she would be able to go with me. I have left her in the capable hands of a co-worker so I know she will be alright. But can I just say I am so incredibly excited to be headed to Oregon right now...just the mere thought that I will be in Portland if all goes as scheduled at just before 11am PST!! And I am very excited to be going back for what I have no doubt will be the greatest wedding I have been to in my lifetime! Oregon, here I come!!

Back online...challenges...and a very special tribute

I got a new power cord so my computer is now back up and running. A lot has happened over the course of the past few weeks while my computer was out of commission...the most important thing is that Portia has finally arrived here in Williamsburg!! It is really nice to have her around and she is doing great here...I have missed her and am really glad to have her around.

My mom and one of my sisters came in to town for a couple days and they were able to attend a day visiting me at work, unfortunately, they did not get to see the entire Day One program as we were rained out about 3/4 of the way through the program. But they assured me that they had a great time all the same and are looking forward to returning in the future to see more of what we do here. They fortunately had cameras with them and were able to shoot a few photographs while they were here, some of which I included in an earlier post. It was nice to have family members around for a few days and it was so nice to finally be reunited with Portia.

Work is going well...I love my job...it does have its challenges and it does take a lot of energy to do it day in and day out, but for the most part I am enjoying my job.

There have been many challenges adjusting to life and work here in Virginia. One unfortunate and sad event this week was the exchanging of my beloved Oregon Driver's License for a Virginia Driver's License, and let me just say not only was I a little sad to trade in my Oregon License but I was completely disappointed with the Virginia version...it is very flimsy and I am not kidding when I say it looks like a high school kid made it in his parent's basement somewhere!

I am also struggling to find a life outside of my job, that adjustment has been the toughest for me so far. It is very hard to "just be yourself" and relax when your only friends are also your co-workers and there really doesn't seem to be a line when you are at work and away from work...I have had some very hard talks with a few of them this week and have come to realize that while I care very much for these people I do not feel completely comfortable being myself around them. Nor do I have the feeling that they feel comfortable around me...this is something that is very foreign to me, I am used to being the guy everyone wants to have as their close friend...maybe it will come in time and maybe it won't I am not going to stress over it...but it is a challenge for me. Someone once told me that in order to be the leader and to move forward in life that you will face resistance of some kind and it is that resistance that lets you know you are headed in the right direction.

This week I have also been exposed to an entirely new phenomenon: Pollen Showers...now I know that pollen flies around and whatnot, however, before this week I don't think I have ever seen actual moving clouds of pollen...literally green mist filled the air on more than one occasion this week, the pollen is so thick it seems to create its very own weather patterns leaving cars, streets, and people covered in an alien like green dirt...it is ridiculous how much pollen has been in the air this week.

HOWEVER, in only a week I will be returning to Oregon for a week long visit...and let me just say this is an occasion that I am so looking forward too. It will be so nice to see mountains again...my mountains...have dry, humidity-less air to breathe, and to see the people who are most dear to me...and most of all to stand as witness at the wedding of my best friend in the whole world to an amazing man that is very deserving of her. And let me tell you about this friend:

16 years ago I moved on from elementary school and into Junior High...well let's just say I moved onto the 7th grade (this was back when elementary school went K-6 and Junior High was 7-9) anyway, it may be hard for some of you to believe, but I was not always one of the bigger kids and in elementary school I got picked on a lot and I was basically a wienie...so my parents and I felt it best that I be home schooled in 7th and 8th grade, however, I would still attend Junior High for elective classes: orchestra, band, choir, shop, and home economics. At the same time a new Christian organization was taking form at both the High and Junior High Schools in my hometown that I also took part in...Campus Life, a student organization run by the Youth For Christ. Well, anyway, through Campus Life and choir I met a girl...Jessica. And let me tell you I really liked Jessica, but being the young and scared kid I was I couldn't bring myself to deal directly with her, so I developed a master plan to get in good with Jessica's best friend in hopes of getting to know her better...let's just save a few steps and say my plan failed miserably!

But not all was a total loss, Jessica's best friend was a girl named Sarah...Sarah D I like to call her...I have known a lot of Sarah's in my life...and interestingly enough they all spell it with an "h" ("as it should be" I can hear her saying right now.) And as it stands today I only have 2 more weeks were I can actually get away with calling her Sarah D, cause on the 26th of this month I will be standing witness as she gets married.

Sarah is an amazing person...in every aspect, I mean it. In the 16 years we have been friends we have been through a whole lot together...many ups and downs...good times...sad times...but through it all we have remained the best of friends. If there is one person in the world that I know has my back at any given moment it would be Sarah, and I like to think she thinks the same of me. We haven't always seen eye to eye, but that is what makes our friendship so great, in spite of our differences we still care for and look out for one another. She is the one person who whenever something goes right or wrong in my life I want her to know about it and to really tell me what she thinks. She is always willing to pray, laugh, cry, or just listen with me no matter what.

These past 16 years have been filled with amazing memories of crazy road trips all over the West Coast...crashing on the giant sofa that her family's old Lab, Chopper, and I used to share with Sarah's dog, Napoleon, on the nights I would house-sit back in High School...and of course, theatre, theatre, theatre, be it on-stage together in school, in a nursing home, or Campus Life function, or just going together to a professional show as old friends...but most importantly my head is filled with memories of laughter, sheer joy, and love we have for life together as friends; even though she still can't figure out how we are still friends when I don't even drink coffee!

While I am so glad to be attending this wedding my only regret is when it's over I will fly 3000 miles to the opposite side of the country making it a little more difficult to just drive up for a weekend visit to go to the theatre or spend the night laughing away at some wonderful restaurant in the City of Roses with the amazing Dr. D and his new bride, my best, most loyal, compassionate, amazing, beautiful, and wonderful friend Sarah D! I know he knows it better than any man on the planet...but Dr. D you are marrying one of the best there is and I for one am glad she has found you and you sir have been nothing short of an amazing increase to my life as well...here's to a wonderful wedding and many more memories of laughter and love for life that we all can share together!!

Computer's down...but here's some scenes from Williamsburg...

My computer is down, my ac adapter has given out and I will have to order a new one in order to have power restored to my laptop so my access to the internet has become severely limited. Although, my mother and one of my sisters were able to visit me here in Virginia and took many photos of their experience here. Here is a small sample of those pictures and I will post more when I can. To see more click on the link to my mom's page.

Mr. James Innes, Head Usher at th Grammar School at the College of William and Mary

Major James Innes, Williamsburg Volunteer Company