16
2008
Ridin’ Durty 2.0
Ok, so some of you may have read about my horrible head on collision that I endured on my Mongoose Paver last weekend. Well, after a week or so of trying to find out how to fix its now bent front wheel, I have come to the conclusion that a busted $100 bike is very similar to an off-brand Walkman (yes, the kind that played cassette tapes) that I bought from the Dollar General Store when I was 10. When it breaks (and it will), fixing it will cost more than replacing it. So, sure enough, against all my convictions, I drove to Target and got a new bike. Yes, meet the Men’s Schwinn 700C Trail Way Hybrid:
So, I’ve only had it for a few hours, but I’ve ridden it around a little bit, and I’ve got to say that it is about a thousand times better than my old bike. First of all, it’s mostly a road bike, which means that it’d much, much lighter, and therefore less tiring to ride. And, second, the handlebars seem to be a little better placed for someone my height. So, I’m interested to see how this one works out. I’ll be sure to let everone know.
On a note of irony, of course, happened while I was on my way to pick up something that will ultimately save us money on car payments and on gas. You see, the little gas light flicked on to let me know that I only had enough gas to drive 18 more feetl, so I pulled into the gas station, and to my horror, this is what I saw after I filled up the tank on our Blue Beast:
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING? No problem, and thank you for draining my bank account and ensuring that my son will be going to community college. Yeah, I’m actually fairly certain that this is the most I’ve ever paid at a gas station in any one stop in my entire life. And what is really scary is that I’m pretty sure it will only be getting worse in the coming weeks.
This bike better be amazing.
7
2008
Hey, At Least It Wasn’t Our First Date, Right?
Do you know what one of the coolest things about being married is? To be quite honest, it’s that you never have to go on another 1st date for the rest of your life. I mean, come on. You remember those awkward first dates where you’re pretty much doing all you can to impress some girl you hardly even know, only to end up making a complete fool out of yourself. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Well, last night was a great reminder that I’ll never have to do that again. You see, we were at Chili’s for a short evening out while little Zeke was at Grandma & Grandpa’s house. It was shaping up to be a relatively normal experience, that is until the waitress brought Rachel her water and me my Diet Coke. Now, the drinks, on their own, were fine. It was the straw in the indestructible plastic wrapper that was the culprit.
You see, no matter how hard I tried, the straw wrapper just wouldn’t come off, that is until I tried pretty much with all my might (which, mind you, is a lot). Well, to make a long story short, the straw wrapper actually came off much easier than I had anticipated, which resulted in me knocking my Diet Coke about half-way across the restaurant (ok, not quite half-way, more like 49%). Of course we were both a little embarrased, and we did feel bad for the waitress who had to mop it up while we just sheepishly sat there (don’t worry, we tipped really well), but it was great, and here’s why:
You see, I’ve already got the perfect woman. Though I like to do so, I don’t need to impress her. She’s already mine. She knows that every once in a while, I’m a complete klutz (it’s not like that’s anything new to her). And in the end, I didn’t have to worry that I had completely ruined my chances with an incredible girl. Instead, we got to laugh about it for the rest of the night, and then we went home together.
The end.
3
2008
One Crazy, Crazy Weekend
Holy cow, I don’t even know where to start with how wild (and busy) the past three days have been. I guess I’ll start with Saturday…
Saturday was pretty cool since we ended up at two different graduation parties (both of which had pretty good food). The first was for two students who were in our youth group in Lake Mary, Jessie and Arielle. Although it was great to see them, it was a little shocking to think that both of them were just starting 8th grade when I started in youth ministry at their church. I guess it is true that time goes by more and more quickly with each passing year. I got to see a few of the other students that we hadn’t seen in almost two years, and we got to show off Zeke (who just so happens to be getting huge!). After a few hours there catching up with some people that we miss dearly (and some who we miss not so dearly)m we headed back to our church for a graduation party for Rachel’s longtime friend Kristi. All in all, it was a great day.
Then, Sunday came around, and since our Senior Pastor is currently out of town, I got the privilege of preaching during both services. It was exhausting, so after lunch (which took waaaaay too long), we headed home and literally did nothing but sleep for the rest of the afternoon. I call that a pretty good day. By the way, if you’re interested, you can watch a video of the sermon here:
So now, we find our way to Monday, which had gone really well. We wrapped up the semester for our senior high schoolers’ small group with a great discussion about the last few chapters of the Book of Revelation, and then I headed home for some nice, peaceful relaxation. Or so I thought…
I hadn’t made it but maybe a mile into my bike ride home when I actually was hit headon by another person riding a bike. I know, seriously, that actually happened. First off, the kid (who was probably 16) didn’t have a light on his bike, but I saw him when he was at least 20 yards away. So I yelled out that I was going to move to the right side of the sidewalk. Since he began moving to the other side of the sidewalk, I thought he had heard me, but apparently I was very, very mistaken. It was at the very last second that he swerved right into my path, sending both of us sprawling. Immediately he started saying that he didn’t see me and that he hadn’t heard me.
Luckily we were both ok. My bike, however, did not fare so well. The front wheel is bent to the point that it keeps grinding against my front brakes, so at least for the time being, I will be driving to work until I can either fix the wheel myself or take it to get it fixed (since I will probably cause more damage by trying to fix it myself). I then hobbled myself and my ill-fated bicycle to the next shopping center where Rachel (my Knightess in shining Ford Taurus Wagon) picked me and my damaged friend up and took us home.
So yes, that has been my weekend, full of excitement and surprise. It’s weekends like this that make me wish that every once in a while I’d have a day (or maybe even two) that was reallly, really boring. My guess is, though, that this may actually never happen. I guess we’ll see.
Josh Boldman just so happens to be married to the most beautiful woman alive, and on top of that, she just gave birth to their first son, Ezekiel. Josh is currently serving as a Youth Minister in Central Florida.