Whether Weather or Not

God and I are in a fight. Well, to be more specific, I'm being a huge baby about something, and God is waiting for me to stop whining.

For most of my life, I have pretended to be OK when the skys open up and pour a deluge of cold, mean rain on an important event. I have been able to rationalize myself out of it, and even pulled strings to just "make it work." I understand "you need to have a rain plan" more than most. It will all turn out fine. Pictures look better when it's cloudy. It's good luck. It looks like it's lightening up. It'll pass.

But I'm not OK with it. In fact, this, more than anything, is something I simply cannot understand. And I don't think that this is a lack of faith in God. I think it is an excessive faith in God. Weather is easy. Weather is peanuts. Weather is a flicker of light. God can handle weather.

But so often, he doesn't. So often, when an event or business or joy or fun or fellowship or excitement or visitors or whatever depend on it, I look at it as a direct affront to that moment.

Maybe I shouldn't consider it a problem, or an issue, or even something to write about...because "you can't change the weather!" But God CAN! So, is my problem my excessive faith in God, or that I need to just deal with yet another event being drowned?

History 180 with Nick

Check it out, History Fans! Last night Karl and I put together the inaugural edition of a history video blog on YouTube. We're calling it History 180, because it's a 3 minute look at different historical characters, events, etc. This first one is on a topic that I knew off the top of my head: Charles Lindbergh. We're trying to see if we can use the video diary format to teach - hopefully something a little more constructive than a whiney video blog.

You can watch the video here. It's a little (okay, a lot) rough. Karl and I found last night to be a good learning session. Let us know what you think, and look for future editions!

In a BAND UNIFORM?

So, only my beautiful twin sisters, Marina and Irina, can look THIS good in a band uniform! Love you guys!

Few and Far Between

I just saw a confederate soldier sitting at the bus stop.

Man, I wish things like that would happen more often...

The Crushing Weight of Cliché

For those of you who have known me for, well, over two seconds, you know I'm a fairly dramatic person. I like being loud and extremist and especially over-expressive. I'm not sure why, because I don't like being the center of attention. In fact, that is a great fear of mine. But I am not the only one in my circle of [theatre] friends who would agree with the above statements.

I decided recently that this strange dichotomy responds to an inherent rebellion against cliché, in general. And by that I mean those film-like, run-of the mill, after-school special reactions, emotions, and moments that govern our lives. Even cliché relationships just rub me the wrong way- for example, the expectation that in-laws have to be so heinous? That idea is COMPLETELY foreign to me because my in-laws are AWESOME! But, still, people perpetuate the stereotype. And even reactions to news, whether good, bad, shocking, or saddening, always smack of been-there-done-that. Are human beings really SO limited to "And we have decided that the so-and-so award goes to...Jane Smith!" Jane: Oh! Me?!

I mean, Come On! ($5 to the first person who remembers "Jane Smith" and her heaving...oh, it happened!)

I just think that we should all be more inventive with our reactions! And if they need be stereotypical, so be it, but make them BIG! I think that by being dramatic, we will take a moment that can turn into a ABC classic "Daddy, I'm Their Mama Now", "Did you Hear What Happened to Angela?" or "Ace Hits the Big Time" special, and give it a "Anything Goes," "Les Mis," or "Rent" spin.

It's more entertaining, less expected, and better with Jazz Hands!

Spreading the Blog-Love...All Over the World!

My family has recently dispersed to various points over the globe: my little sister Abbey arrived on Calvin's campus last week, and my other little sister Kate is falling more in love with Italy by the second. I am so proud of both of them and their adventurous spirits...and I am eternally thankful for this medium that enables them to share images and essays of their time away. I thought I would just take a moment to highlight their blogs, which you may find to the right of this post.

I gather this list for somewhat selfish reasons...it makes my morning web-routine much easier (as I DO check each and every one of these blogs/sites EVERY DAY), but also to highlight the talents and adventures of my friends and family. Please check them out!

Still Saying "I Do..."

Five years ago today I married my wife at Emmanuel Christian Church in Stoneboro, Pennsylvania, in front of a crowd of friends and family. They came from all over: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Oregon, Ohio… and since then they’ve spread to so many more places. We celebrated our marriage nearby with everyone at The Farm, a beautiful old piece of property with renovated barns, old farmhouses, horse pastures, and hillside views of a lake. I remember that it rained up until early Friday evening (the night before) and then cleared up into a gorgeously sunny and cool September 1st.

As I’ve told Beth repeatedly, these have been the best five years of my life, and I thank all of our friends and family members for being part of it and making it all the better. Gosh, we’ve already been through a year of living and working in Grand Rapids, then four years of grad school and two apartments in Columbus. This includes multiple jobs, plenty of national and international travel, new additions to our extended families, a church family, a loveable dog, and now good friends living next door.

Using the internet kind of highlights the idea of the world bearing witness to your actions. You can’t really say anything without everyone being able to hear, see, or respond to you. And I guess that’s a good thing – it’s a sort of accountability found in a large community.

So again, before anyone and everyone gathered at their computers, I wish my wife Beth a Happy Anniversary and thank her for five wonderful years. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Nick