i get by with a little help from my friends

welcome to 2009.
2008 was pretty crazy. I must say, new years last year was a lot different than new years this year.
on the morning of january 4th 2008, i found myself sitting in LAX at my gate, waiting to depart and make my way back to grand rapids, mi. As i sat at that gate, i felt lost... the first semester of calvin was good, and i had grown enough that being back in los angeles didn't feel the same... didn't feel right. but i hadn't exactly been the most social person during my first semester, so i didn't have a community to return to in grand rapids.
i wasn't sad about leaving los angeles, but i wasn't exactly ecstatic about returning to grand rapids either. in fact, i was rather indifferent.
i looked at all the other gates around me and their various destinations they fostered: atlanta, chicago, seattle, boston. i could have been sitting at any of those gates and felt just the same as i waited to board a plane bound for grand rapids. what was keeping me from closing my eyes and randomly pointing to a new destination?

fast forward to january 28, 2009, when i'll be sitting at a gate, bound for grand rapids, michigan. take a look and you won't find a speck of indifference there.

here's a brief 2008 recap that'll show what has changed my indifference to excitement and longing while waiting for flights bound back to the midwest.

they say that your friends in college become a kind of family. for me, last year was when i decided to finally start taking risks socially, and what i gained was a family.
i don't know how to use words in order to sufficiently describe the sense of community i feel with these people. they are beyond awesome, and i don't know what i'd do without them.
so it comes as no surprise that a lot of last year's highlights are populated with my new family.
before i move on, i want to put names to faces:
tina in the blue shirt, lindsey (roomie) in the gray, carolyn in the red, and sarah in the dark blue. oh, and this isn't how they normally look... i promise. if you had to make a list of 100 people to meet in your lifetime, erase whoever you have for 2-6, and put these ladies on there instead (can't erase #1... #1 is always jesus, and you can't erase jesus).
...
so as a year of learning and growing ends, another one that'll likely contain even more of that begins.
i'm kicking the year off with a january term (3 week class) in joshua tree/the grand canyon, climbing, backpacking, and learning wilderness first aid. it's going to be a good time, and i'll make sure to fill you in on all of it when i get back...
january 27th, be prepared for tons of pics and a quick rundown of how the trip went. until then, find yourself some other reading material. may i recommend something?
have you ever read "the very hungry caterpillar?"
i love it. but it makes me hungry everytime i read it.
so have snacks ready when you eat it.

farewell for now friends.