Wide World of Mike

As I sit here at Panera in Valencia, CA I am feeling a little reflective and writing things down usually helps me process those thoughts.  There are a few things that are on my mind right now so here goes nothing.

For those of you that don’t follow me on twitter or facebook it might be news to you that I was in a car accident last week.  I am still feeling the effects of that through soreness and tightness in my shoulders/neck.  But I am happy to be alive and not seriously injured.  Here is my quick recap of that event.

I was driving northbound on HWY 99 near Kingsburg when a big rig cut right in front of me.  I slammed my brakes swerved to the left to avoid it where I then lost control of my vehicle.  I hit the guard rail in the median and then spun back out into northbound traffic where I did a 180 and then hit the guard rail again and came to a stop.

As I reflect on this event I feel blessed and protected by a good God that spared me from more serious injury.  I also have a lot more respect for race car drivers.  My accident was at 70 mph and it hurt pretty bad.  I am not really looking forward to being on the road as much as I am going to be this next month, but I am asking for God’s peace and safety while traveling.

The second thing on my mind is my wonderful girlfriend Amy.  Entering into this travel season for work is bittersweet because I will not get to see her [outside of a webcam] for most of October.  All sulking aside, it has been nearly 3 months of us dating and it has truly been a joy.  I know that I am still in the honeymoon stage where all things are good and my blinders are still on, but I am excited what the future holds for us.  I have really done my best [with a lot of God's help of course] to be the leader of our relationship and keep the lines of communication open.  This is something I really have to be intentional about and I am still growing in being a leader.  We have had “the talks” about boundaries and what that will look like in our relationship and I love the freedom that God gives when those boundaries are clear and honored.

Oddly enough Amy is not really a sports person; she is athletic and likes the outdoors, but not your traditional sports fan [ie baseball, football, basketball].  For those of you that know me just a little bit know that I am a big sports person.  For me, March is the most wonderful time of the year!  This has been an interesting learning experience for both of us to understand and work within these differences.  I have always thought my girlfriend would NEED to be a sports person, but this has worked pretty well.  She keeps me honest so I don’t spend every waking hour involved with watching/reading/thinking sports, but she still allows me to get my fill.  We went to a few Grizzlies games with Zach and Jeanette and also went to the FSU/BSU game last week with Luke and Jenn.  I contend she goes to the games to talk with the girls, but I enjoy spending the time with her still  We both share a common interest in hiking/camping so that has been fun to enjoy with her.  I also introduced her to disc golf which she seemed to enjoy…or maybe she is just a real good faker.

Another big thing in relationships are families.  From hanging out with Amy’s family I can see that she has been raised in a loving and Godly family.  I enjoy spending time with them and building those relationships.  I also really love the way Amy enjoys spending time with my family.  This has always been a high priority item on my list and Amy passes with flying colors!

Well if you have made it to this point I commend you…this started out as a quick reflection that led to a half novel so thanks for reading.  Comments are welcomed as well!

Mike