Andy's Blog

I have a huge dilemma on my hand. This dilemma is so large, I think I am going to lose some sleep over it tonight. It just hit me tonight, when watching the Cubs game, that I haven't been to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field in like 10 years (I think it was Sophomore year of high school). So I hit the web to find out a day I could fly up to Chicago to visit my brother and go to a Cubs game. But then it hit me...this is the last time I will ever have the chance to watch at game at Yankee Stadium. Oh boy...I am not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight.

To be fair, I hate the Yankees. I don't care who they are playing, I will be rooting for the other team. But there was so much history at Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth. Willy Mays. Lou Gerhig. Hosting 37 of the total 84 World Series. Not to mention all the non-Baseball history. Pelé played Soccer there. Boxers have boxed there. Heck, Popes have spoken there.

So here's what I found out. I can fly up to New York on the morning of July 27th at 6:00 am, go to the 1:05 pm game against the Orioles, and then fly back to Atlanta at 7:00 pm. Baseball Tickets: $20.00 Plane Tickets: $219.00 Watching a game in Yankee Stadium: priceless?!?

It is no secret that I have sort of bucket-list already for my life, and I am not waiting until retirement to complete it. Why? Who knows if I'll make it to retirement! I think the mindset is a healthy one.

I have bought a home.
I have received a college degree.
I have watched a NASCAR Race from the Pits.
I have snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef.
I have visited 47 states (almost my goal of all 50).
I have been to the Dome of Rock.
I have been at Times Square for New Years.
I have slept the night on the street in Pasadena to watch the Rose Bowl Parade.
I have kissed a girlfriend on the Eiffel Tower.
I have chased the pigeons in San Marco Square in Venice.
I have floated on the Dead Sea.
I have worshiped on Waikiki Beach at an Easter Sunrise service.
I have planted gardens in poverty stricken regions of South Africa.
I have built homes in Mexico and gymnasiums for orphanages in Honduras.

But should watching a game at Yankee stadium be on the list and is it worth $239.00.

I have to admit. If it weren't for the fact that I just spent way too much money earlier this month due to the unexpected vacation surprise, I would be a lot more willing to do it.

I guess I'll just sleep on it and hopefully not die in my sleep. Anyone want to join me?

I should have known it was going to be like this. Friday, May 9: CJ and Andrea were scheduled to fly into Atlanta. The past week I had worked 67 hours to make sure everything was ready. Then on Friday, in the classic state of a "modern man," I cleaned the house, baked a cake, worked 8 hours, marinated chicken, paid bills, went grocery shopping, did laundry, and constructed a table. Why a table you asked? Because as I was moping my kitchen floor, I leaned on my old table and it split in half. So a run to Ikea and back at rush hour, and 30 minutes of drilling, bam a new table. That day was crazy. But little did I know it was just the beginning.

Here are some stats from the past 3 weeks:

• Miles Driven: 1,743
• Miles Flown: 1,543
• Money Spent Since May 9th: $1,954.64
• Money Spent Since May 16th (Asher's Arrival): $1,471.16
• Total Number of Different Beds Slept In: 7
• Total Number of Hospitals Visited: 3
• Total Time Spent in Hopsitals: 37 Hours

So what did I learn from all of this? Three things.

1.) Police in Charleston don't monitor parking meters, but they do make up stop signs for you to run through
It is true. I stopped paying the parking meters in Charleston, but this was only after I noticed that nobody else did either. Ironically, I was pulled over on by a bicycle cop (that's a first) for running a stop sign that wasn't there.

2.) Hospitals are disappointingly not like Scrubs
We all know I am a huge Scrubs fan. The whole time I was looking for a Crazy Janitor, or a Dr. Cox, or the Chief of Medicine. But nothing! There wasn't even a hot Dr. Reid anywhere. Although there were some hot nurses. This brings me to lesson #3.

3.) Married people are the absolute worst wingmen
Ok, so there was this hot girl who worked at the Ronald McDonald House where CJ and Andrea stayed. And so sure enough, Andrea goes to check out, and the girl asks about me. So she proceeds to tell her that I am a radio producer (good), my job is really flexible (good), and I am staying at the Motel 6. What the heck Andrea? Seriously!

No, he's such a good guy he rearranged his schedule to be here for three weeks. No, he's so great with our daughter Jadyn if he were just married we would consider making him the God-parent. No, he dropped $1,400 with out blinking an eye just to help us No, he's travelled the world and been to tons of exotic locations. No, None of that? Just, he's staying at the Motel 6?

Heck, I would have even taken the Motel 6 reference if you would have prefaced it with 1.) he's slept on so many floors in third world countries doing humanitarian and missionary work, the Motel 6 is like the Ritz or 2.) he stays at the Motel 6 now because he is good with money and he doesn't care and it means his wife and children won't have to stay at the Motel 6 when they travel, or 3.) all the hotels were full and/or ridiculously expensive due to the Memorial Day weekend festivities.

Married people everywhere, take a lesson from this Scrubs clip.

Ok, maybe not the drunken weekend part, but you get the idea. That is what we call a good Wingman.

But all and all, it was a great extended trip. We had a great time and was worth every second and penny. Here's a look back, through pictures.

Today started like any other day at Hilton Head. Woke up. Put swim suits on. Went to the beach. Had a baby...

What?

Had a baby?

Ok, that never happened before.

It was about 5pm and we were getting ready to go to a nice dinner for our last night of vacation and Andrea started to have some pain. So she called her doctor in Indiana. Well her doctor told her everything was probably fine, but to swing by the hospital to confirm.

Two hours in the hospital and it is confirmed: she's having the baby tonight. A whole two months early!!!

I take a screaming Jadyn (who wants her mommy) home and put her to bed, we read Little Mermaid. And now I am scrounging around, trying to get everything ready for the show tomorrow night, a show I probably won't be at.

But it's weird, ya know. I always thought the first person I would drive to the hospital to have a baby would be my wife, or at least my own child.

But in a unique way I feel like it is partly my child. Just four days earlier, while standing on the beach, CJ turned to me and said, "you want to be the first to know what the name of the child is? Asher James. Andrea doesn't even know that I have picked it yet." Who knew, four days later, and two months early, he would be here.

Andrea is most likely going to be moved to Charleston, SC tomorrow, and her and Asher are going to have to be there for three weeks. I am trying to convince them to move her to Savannah instead because the access is so much easier for everybody up north (and me in Atlanta). But we'll see.

That's about it from here. I have done a lot of stuff with my 20 years at Hilton Head. But having a baby is definitely a first.

UPDATE
Asher's First Video

Are you sitting down? Of course you are...who uses a computer standing up? Good, you are sitting down! I say this only because I want you prepared for the craziest train of thought in the history of thinking.

I was listening to a news report the other day about how February 29th was the lightest day for gynecologists because nobody wanted to have a baby and have to deal with a kid having a birthday once every four years. Just mentioning gynecologists always draws my mind to an ex-girlfriend's father (he was an gynecologist, don't get any weird ideas). That particular ex-girlfriends got me thinking about law school. Law school got me thinking about my friend Lissa. Lissa got me thinking about 3rd year law school students - or "3L" as they attempt to fool us non-law people - in particular and what it would be like if I had gone to law school. Being back in school, with the slight reminder daylight savings time changes this weekend which means it is spring time got me thinking about what I missed most about being in school. The exciting conclusion to Andy's crazy train of thought is...drum roll please...spring break!

Ohh how I miss spring break. I was in school for 17 years. In those 17 years I never once failed to take a vacation. I never once spent it in Fort Wayne. It was always a time to get out into the world with people I loved and forget about school (even though you always had stuff due right afterwards).

I am going to take a moment and reminisce about some of the great trips. There was Antigua with the family. Hawaii with Hillary. Mexicali with APU. Siesta Key with Laura. Denver with Emily.

The closest I ever came to not taking a spring break was senior year of college. Nothing was planned except to stay on campus at APU and shoot down to the OC for beach days. As it turned out, APU went to the NAIA Championship game and I convinced APU to pay for me to go to get video footage. So my roommate Taylor and I hopped in a car and drove from LA to Kansas City overnight and just barerly made it for tip off (Lucky for Erin, the cheerleaders got to take a plane).

The best spring break by far was when CJ and I went to Hilton Head senior year of high school. We went completely on our own and spent three days there - it was cold. When we exhausted everything to do when it was cold, we went to the library, MapQuest-ed directions to Sannibel Island in Florida (9 hours away) and drove to see Andrea. That trip was not only great because we were 18 and on our own being adventurous and stupid, but it still allows me to take take credit for their marriage.

The irony of course was that in the early years of spring breaks, we usually would vacation to Atlanta. But it isn't about the location. It is about the variety. The adventure. The build-up. The friends. The relationships. What would this world be like if we continued spring break into adulthood? We all would decided in January to go somewhere, and for two months get pumped about the times shared.

For that, I am envious of my 3L friends who get one last chance before hitting the real world. Enjoy your last spring break my friends - vacation will never be the same again.

If I were to guess we are at 39,000 ft somewhere over the middle of Mississippi. Allen and I had a great time in Phoenix and it was quite productive. But on the lighter side, I have decided to post the "official video" of Allen & Andy's 2008 Al Peterson's Talk Media Conference below. Enjoy!

Why is this the official video? Is it because Allen loves Keira Knightley? No. It is because I love smoothies, which is strange since I don't like fruit. The problem is that there is no good smoothie place in the entire Atlanta metro area. If you even believe Planet Smoothie or Smoothie King are good smoothie places, I want to meet you in person and punch you in the mouth. Planet Smoothie is frozen yogurt through a straw, and Smoothie King is, and I am not exaggerating here, excrement in a cup.

Seriously, Jamba Juice. When are you coming to Atlanta and making all my dreams come true?

You can imagine my excitement when I saw right across from our resort in Phoenix a Jamba Juice. In the four days I was there, I went 7 times! And I got Allen and Phil hooked on it as well. And, if you watched the video above, I am Amy Poeler because I don't like any boosts.

Here is the modified conversation Allen came up with after our Jamba Juice experience and then watching the video.

Andy: It's everything we believe in

Allen: My urine looks like a rainbow

Andy: Live life without limits

Allen: What happened to Keira Knightley?

Well that is my only point to this. I know I don't usually use the blog like this, but I am about to embark on a very serious discussion on an article in The Atlantic called Marry Him! by Lori Gottlieb, so I figured I would put something light and humorous for the weekend. Be sure to come back on Monday through Friday for a 5-part series on settling for marriage. It's already been written and will release every morning at 6:00 am. It promises to be a good one.

Today I landed at Los Angeles International Airport at 11:03 am. But unlike a year ago on my way to Sydney, this time I would be staying for more than a couple of hours. I quickly hoped off the plane, rented my car, declined the free map, and went straight to APU.

It's a little weird being back to tell you the truth, but I am not sure why? I instantly hooked back up with friends that I hadn't seen in a while, and all was good. We caught up. Talked about life. Talked about upcoming weddings. Talked about all sorts of stuff.

But I had an hour or so free in-between things so I drove over the Cinnabon store just off campus and it was here where I got that first, sort of, weird feeling. It was a feeling like I was at this "new" place, not a place I lived at for four years. With the exception of Fort Wayne, IN - I lived in Azusa longer than anywhere else. Yet it was different. It was foreign. It wasn't the least bit nostolgic and I can't figure out why.

When I moved out to APU from Indiana (August 31, 2001), I returned the weekend after Sept 11, 2001 to surprise my girlfriend as I had a hunch she would win Homecoming Queen (which she did). I returned again in November to surprise her at her play she was in. And I returned for the third time in December for Christmas break (by then we broke up). But none of these trips ever felt like returning to a place I had never been. But today did. So maybe the reason it feels foreign is because it took me 25 months to return.

I guess that is why college is never ultimately "home" (even though I lived here pretty much year round). It's a stage of life that will never be forgotten, with friends that you'll never leave, but the location will move on with out you. It will always welcome you back, but it will never be the same.

We all I know I love to travel. What you might not know is that I recently moved into a a new apartment, got premium digital cable with a DVR, and have started watching the The Travel Channel religiously. To say I love it is an understatement. 1000 Places to See Before You Die, Samatha Brown's Passport to... series; I could go on and on. So what did I do? Of course, with remote in hand, I went to town on recording any and everything I thought looked interesting. And then I came to it: Florida's Top Ten Beaches.

Now I am not a big fan of Florida. Frankly, it is too blasé for my taste. There are so many better places to see in this world than the retirement state of America. But I saw that this show was coming up in the lineup and I just had to tape it. Why? Because I remember watching this a while back (on the Discovery Channel) and I could swear an old friend of mine was interviewed on it.

Sure enough, I woke up this morning, saw that it was recorded, fast-forwarded to the Siesta Key section (which was the official Homestead High Spring Break destination if there were such a thing), and bam! Megan. Megan and I weren't real tight in high school per se, but she went to my youth group and when I think of Megan, I think of Honduras. A trip were, amidst all odds: Ashely, Dave, Megan and myself seem to buddy up for 10 days, instead of the more probable Pat, Matt and Erika.

But this post really isn't about Megan. It is about how small the world is. The more I travel and the more I move, the more I realize how true this is. Whether it is spotting people you know on the Travel Channel, seeing a good friend play on SNL or TRL or Letterman or the AMAs, having my Uncle in Georgia send me a resume he received from someone who actually worked for me at APU but he didn't know that, being contacted by an author's publicist whose book change your perspective 10 years earlier, or going on a date with someone who goes to Samford University in Alabama whose roommate graduated with my brother at Homestead High School, it is weird to think how closely we are connected to people.

This closeness always makes me think of how interrelated the human population is, and how that interrelation comes from our common Creator. And it is this reason why I love traveling. It clearly shows how large this world is - both geographically and historically - and in comparison how small and insignificant we are. But at the same time it speaks to the Divine interconnectedness we all share in such a small world.

P.S. If anyone is reading this that went to Homestead High School, watch the clip and tell me if the person playing volleyball after the clockwipe is Kathryn Sullivan. She also looks like someone I know but I can't tell if that is her or not.

I am in Chicago O'Hare airport right now. About five minutes ago I passed the gate I departed out of when I left for school at APU. Right now I am passing a gate I arrived at from LA, 8 days after September 11th, 2001. I am heading for the gate I departed to Israel for my study abroad (which is oddly being used as a gate to Atlanta). All this takes me back to my first international trip: France, I was in 8th grade and I was 14 years old.

Thinking about this makes me crack up a little inside. Since that trip I have been in 17 other countries and flown close to 200,000 miles. What a difference 200,000 miles & 17 countries make.

My first trip to France was with about 40 other middle school students. If memory serves me correct, we agreed to the trip in October and left in June. I remember being in at least 4 meetings before we left. I can remember taking probably a good week to pack and "gather the essentials." I remember going to the bank in downtown Fort Wayne with my Dad and exchanging US money into French money. I even remember receiving my first Passport.

This trip was pretty much the opposite. I traveled by myself (although I met up with 30 APU students). I agreed to the trip in late February and departed the first of April. I had one 15 minute phone meeting. Packing took me all of 15 minutes to complete. As far as money, well, I took $40 bucks in US cash, a credit card and an ATM card and I figured I would be ok (which I was). My now worn passport was sitting cosily in my desk drawer. I knew I was going to need to stay in a hotel as well one night and I didn't even have that booked until I hoped off my plane in Tokyo on the way back and walked up to the information desk and said, "I need to book a hotel room for tonight." Quite the contrast.

I think in part this is because I have more money now, and strangely, when traveling, money is like freedom. Take for instance the hotel. I just thought to myself, worse comes to worse, I'll just book a room at the Hyatt or Hilton or wherever has an vacancy for whatever price. But I think there is more to it than just money, and that brings me back to O'Hare.

My first time in O'Hare alone was when I was 15 and I was flying to visit my grandparents in Denver. I didn't even have an escort. If I wanted to, I could figure out how many times since then I have flown through O'Hare (but I am too lazy). But all that travel builds confidence and it makes me realize a.) how small this world really is, and b.) everywhere is pretty much the same in operation but vastly different in experience.

What I mean by point b. is that a train in Japan is like a train in Europe, which is like a train in America. A bus ride in Japan is like a bus ride in America. The airport terminal in Japan is exactly like Australia, which is pretty much the same in America. Making a hotel reservation is the same everywhere, some just cost more. There's really nothing to fear when traveling abroad other than the experience you might miss by not doing so. So if you got the time and money: get traveling!

(P.S. The first photo is a group of my (at the time) friends after we checked through security at O'Hare on our way to France. The second photo is of me rubbing the belly of a GIANT Buddha statue near Kamasura.)

If I were to guess, I am at about 37,000 feet, halfway back from Okinawa to Tokyo. This morning I boarded a ferry by myself, leaving a team I had grown to love behind on an island off of Okinawa in order to get back to Atlanta by Sunday.

The ferry we took to over to the island was slow. The trip took an hour and 45 minutes. But at least the day was nice; a good day to be out at sea. The ferry I took this morning was fast: same trip took 25 minutes. But the weather was overcast and the water was choppy.

I loved the ride though. There is nothing like being on the East China Sea (as long as you don't get sea sick). Now I can't describe the breath taking view from the boat (a picture doesn't do it justice), but there reached a point where we lost visual contact with the island and Okinawa. Nothing but water and clouds. It was beautiful. It made me realize how this never happens: to have essentially nothing in sight. Now I have done a lot of cross country travel and their are times when traveling through New Mexico sure feels like this, but it isn't. There are still mountains, roads, birds, vegetation, etc... But not this morning. This morning there was nothing. This morning all there was, was water and gray clouds as far as the eye could see (which wasn't too far).

It's weird how isolation can feel so warm. It was lightly raining and I was standing outside. It wasn't particularly warm, but not cold either: it was perfect. It's obviously damp, but I am not really wet. It's serene.

It makes me realize how little time I take to rest. Sure, I on average sleep about 10 hours a day, but as soon as I am up, I am UP: full-tilt. How sad is it that devotions, prayer, and quite reflection have been replaced by ministry, work, and bouncing from one event to the next because heaven forbid I miss something with friends.

Even now at 37,000 feet, I look out my window and we are above a blanket of clouds. There's nothing. But in the cabin the flight attendants are running around, a movie is playing on the screen, and I am writing this. It's not like the boat. When I return to Atlanta, I think I need to get off the "plane" and live more on the "boat."

If I were to guess, I bet I am at 33,000 ft about halfway from Tokyo on my way to Okinawa. I spent two days in Tokyo with about 30 APU students I didn't know and one college professor I knew very well. Even though I don't/didn't know these students, all I can say is: it's good to be back.

A couple rows over some are having the same pretentious conversations I had in college (I think this one is about whether or not the British version of the The Office or the American version is more "legit"). I have to say, I miss this. Even if it slightly errors on the arrogant and pompous, it is this type of conversation I rarely have anymore. Conversation that for whatever reason seems to have the balance of the world at stake, but in reality has nothing at stake.

Somehow these conversations always got back to faith (don't ask my how). Whether it is the critique of U2 music in relation to racism in America, or the Simpson's take on a theological concept Karl Barth and C.S Lewis would disagree on: it was/is always meaningful.

My thoughts drift back to Atlanta and how very little of my conversation sounds like this, and it saddens me. Most conversations I have now are about Bulldog football (which never seems to migrate to faith; except when someone brings up how cute Mark Richt is and then someone else chimes in about how strong of a Christian he is).

There is a good chance I am going to do this trip every year (and maybe a trip to Indonesia and the Philippines as well) with APU students I won't know. Something tells me it will always fee a little like home.

I am now back in the States, but I am going to release the next couple of blogs about the experience a couple of days apart to allow all the opportunity to read. I will also have an entry summarizing the trip at the end.

Also, you can find photos here (more to come though)

Today was a great day in aviation. You had the first A380 landing into ORD - a monumental day. Then...drum roll please...I scheduled my first intro flight!!! Now, I am not sure which is actually a bigger event.

For those of you who read my blog, you will say, "what the heck, I thought you started this back in September." I did. But then I freaked out because I thought I might take a job in San Diego, and decided not to pursue it and pay off my student loan instead. Well, at the end of March, I will officially have paid off my $11,000 student loan (which I'll blog about later when I actually officially pay it off). This frees up about $900 a month, so I decided now is the time to FINALLY do this. After four years of teaching myself everything I could about aviation, the time has finally come, and I am stoked.

Honestly, I would be doing this flight on April 1st if it weren't for my trip to Japan on April 3rd. I get back from Japan on April 14th and on April 18th, I am taking to the skies, my first logable hour in the cockpit. I am hoping I can pass my written and medical exams before my trip to Nepal on June 1st and my trip to LA on June 11th. So then from July to September I'll hit the sky and rack up my 40 hours required by the FAA by visiting friends and family at Hilton Head Island, SC (HXD), Montgomery, AL (1A9), and of course, Huntington, IN (HHG).

I don't really have a point to this blog, and this is a rare post that is really just about what is "happening" in my life. But if I were to make a point, I think it would be this. We all need passions in life or else I think we will drive ourselves nuts. Sure they don’t have to be as expensive as a pilots license, but we need something. For the past two years I have done relatively little besides working very hard. Even my old "interests" (i.e. web production, video production, Bible studies, etc...) have all become my "professional interests," and frankly, as cool as it is to enjoy what you do, I think if I were to reflect I would admit that it has been hard not to have "non-work" interests. Sure I have done a lot of traveling (which is my fav), but at most that takes like 7 weeks out of my year. Leaving 45 weeks to "just work." But that all changes on April 18th. And April 18th changed because of today: a great day in aviation.

P.S. The photo is of me flying over Mt. Everest (in Nepal!!) with my flight simulator. I know I am a nerd.