Friendly Advice

Being a friend is sometimes a thankless opportunity. Yet we continue to sacrifice what we want for what they need. Why? Because they mean the world to us. They give us their time, their patience, their understanding - their ears, their shoulders, their hearts. It's only natural that we return the favor. Sometimes it goes unnoticed, but when they return that affection, we simply glow. We fly into a realm that is entirely our own, for in that one second, that one instant, we taste heaven.

We don't always know if we're doing the right thing. Part of life is finding out, even if it means realizing that we're doing something wrong. Yet realizing this is the only way we can improve. Realizing that we are making a mistake is the only way to fix whatever it is that's going wrong: with our friends, our families, and even our lives in general.

It is for this reason that friends are so important. The support they provide, the strength they give, and the confidence they inspire allow us to accept ourselves, even when we do make those mistakes. After all, we're only human. We all make mistakes. "It's how we go about fixing them that matters." The way we choose to act reflects our innermost being. Our innermost being is affected by those we love, for such an image is strengthened by their courage and motivation. Yet it can also be weakened by neglect, and therein lies the essential part of friendship: love. Friendship isn't only one of the greatest opportunities, it's also one of our greatest responsibilities, and as such, we must put every effort into being the best friend we can be. To everyone.

Food for thought.

Time Just Never Slows Down

I can't believe it's already my last day of vacation. It seems like it was only a few hours ago that I got off of work last Wednesday. It was such a glorious occasion. It was even a fast day at King's Pointe. Well, you can just imagine what time has done since then. From Saturday on, things kind of blurred together. There's not a single fiber in my body that wants to go back to work, so I'll give out this one final hoorah to recap what has been a memorable break.

Thursday: The day of Ames. I woke up at 8:15 and got ready to accompany Olivia and Breanna to Ames where Olivia was to show us her little corner of the world. We were off by 9:30. The car ride there was quite interesting, for in those two or so hours, I discovered that Olivia and Breanna both experience road rage, rain isn't always a dampener, and Cheerios is pretty much my new favorite cereal. We arrived in Ames amidst clouds and sunshine and got the quick tour of the outskirts of campus. We then drove to some apartments that one of Olivia's friends was staying in. There we met up with Allyson and Mischa and proceeded to lunch at Panera. On the way, we picked up another friend of Olivia's: Jared Knight, the vice president of Iowa State's student body. If it helps, he reminded Breanna and me of a cross between Ben Grieme and Mark Cronin. He was quiet at first, but as soon as he realized that Breanna and I are two of the coolest people ever, he opened up a little.
Panera was wonderful. Afterwards, we dropped Jared back off at the Union since he had lots of freshman orientation stuff to do. What followed was the most extravagant tour of a college campus I've ever had the opportunity to take. I'm convinced that I didn't go on as many college visits as I should have in high school. Iowa State has one of the most amazing campuses I've ever seen. Breanna and I were overwhelmed with all Iowa State had to offer. Instead of going to Greece, we might just have to transfer to Ames.
We then made our way to Main Street where we sampled some spectacular cupcakes, inhabited the most comfortable couch ever, and ate at Old Main where we met up with Giff and five more of Olivia's group. It was quite a group. It was so much fun seeing Giff again. I'm pretty sure that if the waitress had been paying more attention, we might've been thrown out. We sure were acting like a couple of five-year-olds. Just like old times, huh?
After spending some time in another apartment, which belonged to the friends we met up with at Old Main, it was time to say goodbye. After bidding farewell to Olivia's friends, and after playing some updated rock-paper-scissors with Ben, Olivia, Breanna, and I hopped back into the car and drove back to northwest Iowa. It was a comfortable ride back, and we all arrived home exhausted, but thankful for such a wonderful day. That was my Thursday.

Friday: The day of Okoboji. What a day it was. I woke up around eight to prepare for what promised to be a spectacular day of fun on the lake. John arrived around nine and after making a quick pitstop at the bank, we were off. (In my grandmother's Malibu since my golden wonder was being repaired).
The drive up was quite interesting. You never know what you're gonna get with John in the car. We made a quick detour to Alta so he could drop off his saxophone, then completed the journey about an hour later. We arrived amidst some cloud cover, but it was a warm day and rain was not an imminent threat. (This was good for both of us since neither of us had any motivation to put on sunscreen).
Introductions were brief. At first, I was worried that it would be a little awkward for John since he would be surrounded by Eggers, but as I've alluded to in previous posts, John is quite an enjoyable guy and they all liked him instantly. We were soon on the boat heading to get gas. While waiting, we conquered what is called, in those parts, the Iceberg. We climbed to the top and jumped into the unknown, some of us having more luck than others. (John continually slipped and belly/back flopped. It was a fate we all suffered every now and again). But then it was time for tubing.
John and I went first. Instead of Uncle Carl driving, however, Aunt Sue took over the wheel. Carl and Brody were in St. Louis for a basketball tournament, so it was John, me, Aunt Sue, the girls, and some of their cousins from California. We volunteered to go first and we climbed onto the tube. Oh man, were we in for quite a ride! I had the opportunity of going last summer, too, so I knew what to expect. To some degree. Turns out Aunt Sue is quite a driver and we were soon hanging on for dear life. I felt so bad going over bumps because I'm not as strong as John so my grip would sometimes weaken and my forearm would go flying into his face. I shudder to think if the opposite had happened, considering his forearm is the size of my thigh.
We went for about three rounds, meaning we fell off three times and then called it good. Our fingers were burning with the strain of hanging on for such an intense ride and I had a tube burn on my elbow after the first five minutes. Quite the usual. We climbed into the boat and let the cousins have their turn. They weren't nearly as professional as we were, but that's to be expected when you get young 'uns trying to do grownup jobs.
Dark clouds forced us inside after about an hour-and-a-half on the water. We settled into cold meat sandwiches, carrots, and mac-n-cheese. John took this opportunity to show us his ability to make sandwiches as tall as the Empire State Building. It was pretty entertaining.
After lunch, we walked around the lake and went to Arnold's Park to discover that Craig Morgan was holding a concert there that night. We searched for him but were unsuccessful in spotting the celebrity. We went back to the condo and sat around until we decided to boat over to the Barefoot Bar. We took our time getting there and I got to go tubing one more time with Brittany. Again, forearm in the face. I should probably work on that.
After relaxing with refreshments and browsing the shops, we headed back to the condo where we got ready to head back. We said goodbye to the Urbandale cousins and their cousins and started our drive home. We stopped in Spencer at the Taco Bell and got some wonderful, warm Mexican food. We also stopped in Alta again so John could practice a saxophone duet with his sister. Since he wouldn't let me listen, I chatted with Katie's husband, Kyle, and his parents. They're a very nice family, and they sent us off with oatmeal M&M cookies. Our final stop was at Allie and Justin's house. I wanted to visit their house, but I mostly just wanted to hold Chloe for a little bit and give John that same chance, but sadly she had just been put down for the night so we left soon after arriving. We got back to Galva around 8:30 and John drove back to Holstein. What did I learn that day? John puts enough food on his sandwiches to feed the entire nation of Zimbabwe. That was my Friday.

Saturday: A day that was supposed to see me get all muddy playing volleyball turned into a day that saw me dressed up and sitting in a funeral home. John's grandmother passed away last week so he was not able to join our volleyball team. However, mud volleyball was cancelled due to there not being enough teams to compete, so I travelled with my mother to Anthon for John's grandma's funeral. There were certainly a lot of people there. I'm surprised we were able to find a seat. It was a really nice service and I was able to hear John's duet after all. It was a beautiful arrangement of one of my favorite hymns: How Great Thou Art. John looked the part in a stellar black suit that would even shame an ensemble worn by Preston Sunderman, and he was even nice enough to come back and say hi to us before it all started. On our way home, we stopped at the ice cream place in Correctionville for a treat. The rest of the day saw me lounge around and do some much-needed relaxing. My whole entire body hurt from the previous day's excitement, so it felt nice to sit down and be lazy. That was my Saturday.

Sunday & Monday: These two days were the same as Saturday afternoon and evening. I watched movies, I read my book, and checked Facebook way too many times. The only thing worthy to mention was that last night I finally got to play some tennis against my father and beat him 6-0 6-0 under the lights in Holstein. It was great to finally get out again and I felt pretty good throughout the entire contest. That was my Sunday and Monday.

So here I sit on the last day of my vacation. I knew it wouldn't last long and it really has gone by very quickly. Yet I was able to have a fantastic five days. And now it's my sixth and final chance to have a relaxing, pleasant day with my family. Today, my goal is to have a pleasant sendoff into the two-and-a-half weeks left of work. Only fourteen days left at King's Pointe. It's going to be unbelievably busy, but I think that if I take it one day at a time, things should be all right. There's my recap, and here's me saying that I hope all your summers are exciting and that you're all able to spend lots of time with friends and family. Cole out.

Happy Birthday, John!

As you can see, John is no ordinary 21-year-old.

He picks up snapping turtles on the side of the road.

He designs his own Gene Simmons costumes for Halloween.



He sharpens pencils with a knife the length of his forearm.

And yet like all 21-year-olds, John is out celebrating. Twenty-one. It's funny how we thought this day would never come. I mean, where did the last twenty years go? I guess we'll just have to wait and see what it's like to reach such an important milestone. But today is John's day. He's owned this day since he was born. Happy birthday to the greatest friend in the world. Hope you're enjoying yourself.

Goodbye June

We all know that time flies when you're having fun. We've all experienced those moments where we're loving our summer break, spending hours upon hours with our closest friends, and making memories that will last us a lifetime. The times we spend playing four square, lounging out at le spot, golfing, bowling, watching movies, staying up late talking... these are the times we enjoy the most. Before we know it, they're fleeting shadows of past memories that fade with time, yet never fully vanish.

And then there are those summers that are completely taken over by work. Whether we work outside in the heat of the day for a plumber, check people into a hotel, or add up a customer's bill in the checkout line at Fareway, we all know what it's like to have work take over our lives. We realize that our schedules clash, our free time doesn't line up. We don't have the luxury of seeing our friends as much as we would like to. Some of us don't see our friends at all. We get fleeting chances that allow a glimpse of what it used to be like "back in the day," but then it's time to go home and sleep before work the next day. We've never been this busy before and it takes time to adjust to this new "lifestyle." Work becomes the norm and friends take a backseat, even though we try our best not to let that happen.

Well, this is one of those summers. It feels like we've done nothing but work, which seems to go really slow. But then we look at the calendar and find that June is now over! We've spent time together, sure, but in reality, those moments have been few and far between. July starts tomorrow. Our summer is now half over. Before you know it, it will be the end of July and we'll only have a few weeks left together. Then we'll be packing everything up once again and heading off to start yet another year of school.

It is for this reason that I encourage everyone to find time for those you love. Those special people in your life that you find irreplaceable. They mean the world to us and we wouldn't be who we are today without them. Instead of thinking that the summer is half over, think of all the time left to spend with all of your friends. Think of all the things you haven't done yet that you can still accomplish in this second half of the summer. Do something crazy. Do something daring. Do something unique. Spend time talking about the future. It's a scary topic, yet one that can be conquered in the confidence of your closest friends. Get to know each other more than you ever have before, for it is these relationships that will last us all a lifetime. "...That way, when their bodies leave, they won't." It was my Facebook status for a time, and now I'm using it here. It's a great quote.

Bring on July!

"All By Myself"

It's been said that Joey and Chandler were an inspiration to all best friends around the world. I truly believe that statement. This is my favorite show of all time and this link is a tribute to all of those best friends out there: how we simply wouldn't be the same if they weren't in our lives. How they make us happier than any other person in the world. This is what my life would be like without you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilIwu1NTxqs&feature=related

Inspiration

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about - don't deal in lies -
Or being hated - don't give way to hating -
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

*Rudyard Kipling

May It Never Die

I met you when I moved to town,
A small and frightened boy,
When I walked through that door at school,
Feeling no happiness or joy.

Your eyes joined many in that room
As they looked me up and down.
I froze on the spot and could not move
Since every face had a frown.

Or so I thought since I was so young,
A scared little boy of nine.
While really the situation was much less dire
And a code red dilemma was fine.

Yet still I remained very quiet and still
For fear wouldn't let me proceed.
It took a little prodding and some kind, gentle words
For my movement to finally succeed.

Those first couple days were hopelessly lost
In a sea of confusion and doubt.
I refused to speak, I didn't have any friends -
Some days I just wanted to shout!

Yet God is good in every way
For in time He brought you to me.
A reason to hope was born into my life
And my eyes that were blind could now see.

We grew up apart, living in two separate worlds,
Galva mine, Holstein your own.
We liked different things. Hobbies changed with the times.
Then into each others' paths we were thrown.

We still weren't alike but we sure didn't care
For one thing we shared like two kings:
The band room was ours, our kingdom of might,
And we ruled it as emperors on wings.

We hovered above our kingdom with pride,
Watching it grow stronger each day.
We led it with skill, our shoes too big to fill,
Making more and more allies on the way.

Our three other friends who shared in our reign:
Three queens that ruled graceful and true.
From the flute section they played their soft, flowing notes.
Instruments made music that flew.

But then we were done. Graduation was here.
We left after a summer of fun.
For one, college reminded of memories lost
For the other, of victories won.

We communicated all year, for we'd grown very close
Thanks to car rides and hide-and-go-seek.
Those nights we spent talking about all kinds of things
Made us stronger, our futures less bleak.

We don't always agree, but what if we did?
Our friendship would be boring and dull.
One personality would fail to compliment the other.
Emotional wells wouldn't be full.

We motivate, understand, and generally support
Each other in our actions and deeds.
The one picks the other up off of the ground,
And on his positivity he feeds.

The one on the ground showers the other with praise,
For his spirits get lifted each day.
He's come to the understanding that his friend is much more
Than a person to help along the way.

The other is strong, unbelievably so,
With power beyond even his own imagination.
He believes in the good of every human being,
Every part of God's good creation.

Because of these traits, we make one heck of a pair,
For we strengthen each other in many ways.
What one doesn't have, the other holds plenty:
In this cycle our friendship stays.

Some say that we are two peas in a pod
But with this statement I disagree most strongly,
For there are many, many things about this relationship
That some compare most wrongly.

Yet we're the closest of friends, inseparable at times,
And forever our friendship will last.
For we know that forever one will be there for the other.
In the future it will be as in the past.

So here is to all the great times that we've had
I'm grateful every day for someone like you.
May we never forget one another in time
And may our friendship ever hold true.