Well, this is one picture of me at homecoming.. I'm going to try to get some other pictures that were taken of me.. but this is pretty much all I have of me on my camera.

Nate ¶ 2:04 PM |

ok, heather had requested that I send put this poem on my blog.. so that's what I'm doing.. it's the one that I wrote to ask Melissa to the homecoming banquet.

This place is so strange with the people so new
Everyone is all so unfamiliar
Homework abounding with so much to do
I hope this quest will not be a failure

This perilous task of which I now partake
Could end in great triumph or sorrow
You could simply tell me go jump in a lake
Or I hope I don’t see you tomorrow

You could tell me to take a long walk off a pier
You could tell me to send a kite soaring
You could tell me to wrestle an 800 pound steer
Who knows (least that wouldn’t be boring)

However, if I should succeed on this day
And the end to this endeavor is happy
It would make the writing of this poem okay
Though doubtless it is very sappy

So, dear Melissa the question I’m here to pose
Is with me will you go to the banquet homecoming?
Perhaps I should have given a rose
But I thought my prose was more stunning

anyway, that was the poem.. let me know what you think.

Nate

¶ 8:43 PM |

I must say, I haven't always had the highly developed skill of reading people, and seeing their emotions through body language etc. In fact, it wasn't until I really started working at one of our local "fast food" establishments that I really began to aquire my incredible skill of seeing people and knowing what you are thinking. (and for those of you who actually know me... you can stop laughing now.)

For example...

When I was a young'un we didn't have a TV. Well, in all actuality we did end up getting one shortly after my 8th b-day.. but we were never really allowed to watch much. I think my parents thought it would make us stupid and lazy. We needed to use our imaginations more etc. etc.

Each of us kids got two hours a week that we could watch TV, and I tried to figure the best way I could spend my time. I found a show that my parents actually liked, "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" and I would spend half an hour of my time watching it four days a week.

Part of the reason I would watch this show was also because my mom thought it was somewhat educational and so she would let me watch the fifth show (it was on monday-friday) even though I didn't have the time.. so I figured it out, and I was making out like a bandit getting an extra 30 minutes a week. which is like 2 hours a month, and 24 hours a year. WHOOHOO. lucky me.

Well, I knew this one guy, Robert. He had moved in next door to live with his grandparents. We had a lot of fun hanging out, watching TV, playing games in the back yard etc... Well, one day we were hanging out and my favorite show was about to come on. I had just found out about this show and was really excited about it. (it's actually somewhat common for me to initally get quite excited about something, and then to have that enthusiasm wane off shortly there after.)

Realizing that it was indeed almost 3 o'clock I tried to drag him into the room with the TV. at first he asked me what we were going to watch, and I responded in my angelic fashion "you'll see" he wasn't entirely convinced but, I wasn't going to tell him, I wanted him to discover on his own just how marvelous the show was.

We sat down on the couch and started watching, I was really excited, and kept looking over at him, for some reason he wasn't really smiling a whole lot. But, I must have just been imagining it, cause the show was fantastic, I mean, who wouldn't like it?

after a few minutes he started to get up, I guess he was going to try and leave, but I wasn't about to let that happen. so I grabbed his arm, and insisted, wait wait.. where are you going?

I was able to force him to stay for a few minutes before he finally made his getaway.

I never did watch TV with him again, every time I would mention it he would have to go home and help his mom wash her hair or something like that.

I guess he thought as a 14 year old that he was too old for Mr. Rogers... Silly Boy...

Nate ¶ 10:25 PM |

Hegira - a journey especially when undertaken to escape from a dangerous or undesirable situation

He had found her when she was just a young'un. It appeared that she had runaway from wherever she had come from, but he really didn't care. She was with him now. He had always wanted to ride a horse (like me), but he never had the opportunity until she just appeared that day.

At first he had hidden her in the family barn, he kept her well fed, and he played with her daily. Before long he began to try to saddle her. Amazingly enough she took right to it. and within days he was riding her around. He would take her through the woods, and cliche though it may sound he and she began to think as one.

Chloe, as was soon her name, was a magnificant horse, and the boy realized it immediately. She seemed to have an endurance that lasted forever. It was obvious, and clear that she had been well bred, as one who has experience with horses can easily tell.

Thus sam began to feel a little bit uneasy about keeping this horse where it was, but he was still a kid, and didn't want to give up what his life long dream had been. "Besides" he would tell himself "if anyone comes here and asks for her back I will give her to them" in fact, he felt so strongly about this that he made it a vow to himself.

A few months later he was reading through the paper, and he noticed an add in the paper. It was talking about a thouroughbred horse, that had been missing from a nearby farm. He immediately knew that this other farm is where Chloe came from, and he quickly got on his boots and started out the door, ready to go get her, and take her back to where she belonged.

However, as many of us do, he began to rationalize things in his mind. He realized that even though the horse had been advertised in the paper the owners of the horse hadn't asked him to return the horse to their care. Rather they had asked the paper... and he hadn't promised himself that if the paper had done it... etc.

Though he still had a somewhat guilty conscience he quickly hustled back inside, took off his boots and hid them from his sight. He also took the newspaper which his family always kept neatly folded on the kitchen table, and ripped up that section.

That night, when his dad got home he asked Sam what had happened to the paper. Usually being an honest child Sam responded that he had ripped it up. His dad asked why, and Sam hesitated, but quickly spilled the beans as to what had happened. He then tried to convince his dad that it was the best situation for the horse anyway, as Sam was taking great care of the horse.

His dad however had also read that section earlier, and knowing that they had the horse on their little farm had talked to the owner of the nearby farm thinking that possibly they might be able to buy it from them, for he knew how much his son loved this horse. It turned out however that not only is this horse quite well taken care of it is also quite valuable to the owner.

Early the next morning Sam got up and trudged over to where he had hidden his boots, got on his rain slicker, and went out to the horse. His dad had made sure he knew he had to return the horse today, and so he was going to walk him over there. as they walked together the rain began to fall from the sky, and Sam's mood couldn't match the weather any more perfectly. But here he was walking what had been his life's dreams away.

Deep down he knew that what he was doing was probably the best thing for this Chloe. He couldn't give her everything that she deserved, even though he may want to. and at least he knew that he was taking her back to a place where she would be well taken care of.

When he made it to the farm the owners came out, and invited him in for supper. He immediately began to like them, as they seemed to be quite nice and honest folks. He felt really bad for keeping Chloe for as long as he did.

After dinner he made his way back out to their barn and attempted to say his final farewell to her. She quickly realized that he was leaving, and began to whimper and complain that he was leaving her. He had a difficult time doing it, but as he was becoming a man.. he took one last look at her and walked out the door.

All the way home the rains kept pouring, and much as he hated to admit it, there were tears running down his face as he realized what he had just given up. The situation of leaving Chloe was horrible, but it needed done. and this was his journey home. Once he got home, it was over. The tears had ceased to fall, even though he constantly thought about what had once been.

Eventually his parents did let him get another horse, though all that helped to do was to bring back memories of Chloe, his one hope was that she still remembered him.

Nate
¶ 4:20 PM |

When I was a kid I had everything figured out.

I knew from that time that what I did in my first 20 years on earth, would greatly influence the rest of my life, so I decided to make the best of it.

I was a very logical 6 year old boy, and I knew certain things, such as that most people get married. and therefore I probably would too.

Knowing that this was the case, I logically decided that I should become the best guy out there that a woman would want.

I remember at church, which just happened to be about the only place that I really ever came in contact with females of about the same age as me, I would stand outside the door, and open it for the little girls that would come through. Of course, as I do now, I had a little bit of a competitive streak in me, and when I would see guys coming in, I would often shut the door on them, or something equally as horrid and despicable (granted I don't do that any more... I'm much more devious nowadays).

Then, as we would be about to sit down at our table in order to tell the teacher our verses that we had dutifully learned throughout the week, I would immidately pull the chairs out for the girls (as opposed to other boys that would pull the chairs out from underneath the girls). After all, I had heard this was the polite thing to do, so that's what I did.

As with everything that I am interested in, I decided that I needed to do some research. Unfortunately, this was before the internet was really in existence, so I had to resort to other methods. I remember my mom would listen to certain shows on the radio that focused on relationships and stuff, at least, those were the ones that I actually paid attention to.

I went beyond just listening to the radio though, I would read. My mom had a bookshelf full of romance novels, and I would finish my school early, sit down, and read 2-3 of these novels a day. I realized they had a lot of good ideas in them, so, I began taking notes, which I actually still have, somewhere.

I also took careful note of what it was that girls seemed to really enjoy. and I noticed two things in particular.. one was that I observed that women seemed to like chick flicks. and the other was that girls liked to dance.. so, as is clearly the case, I started liking chick flicks. And since that time I have always wanted to learn how to dance.

See, I had it all figured out.

Why can't more people be like me?

Nate ¶ 5:25 PM |

The only thing common in all of your dissatisfying relationships is you. (quote.. not sure who it's by.. if anyone knows.. please let me know)

what an uplifting statement right? well, to me it is, but, I think I'll get into why later. that is if I feel like being especially generous.

The statement itself looks kind of obvious. I mean, obviously if it's your relationship then you're the one that's in all of them. ethough.. there are relationships where a person might have a bunch of seperate dissatisfying relationships with the same person, but that's kind of straying from the main point of what I'll be getting at.

It seems I talk to people quite often, or hear conversations.. or in what is obviously the most accurate media in the world, see on television people talking about how everything they do is the other persons fault. or they might say that no matter what they do they just can't find another guy/girl who will give them what they need. In many of these cases I hear stuff like, how come every guy is a jerk? and they're all so jealous they never trust me. etc. etc.

that's where I think this quote comes in handy. If one looks at it, the thing I think it's trying to say is, look at how you're treating others in a relationship. Look at the kind of people that you're looking for, but most of all, just look at who you are to them.

for instance.. I heard once, and I agree, that prior to looking for a woman, a guy should try to make himself the type of man that is worthy of the type of woman he wants. Meaning, he should learn to be patient, to be caring, to be trusting to be honest to be faithful etc.. prior to beginning a relationship. It seems to me that if you're not.. one of two things will happen (there're more possibilities.. but these are what comes to mind)

1.) You will get into a relationship and there will be serious problems.. with thing for instance I was talking about before. trust, jealousy.. etc.

2.) You will attract a person who is like you. Now, I know that sounds weird.. but who really wants to be in a relationship with another person when both of them are not able to be trusted etc.

I think that either way there will be serious problems, it's not really worth it.. whereas if you become the man/woman that is worthy of the type of guy/gal you want, there is a much better chance of a positive outcome of the relationship.

Now, I don't have a whole lot of experience.. I've not really been in many relationships.. but the ones that I have been in, have lasted. While they do end some times, rarely have any of those serious problems ever occured.

that's why I like the quote.. because if the only thing common in all of your dissatisfying relationships is you.. then the opposite must be true..

The only thing common in all of your satisfying relationships is you.

Nate ¶ 12:26 PM |

Jim had always wanted a puppy. and he could have one, the problem was that Jim wanted a special kind of puppy. What he really wanted above everything else was a hunting dog.

There were some dogs that he had seen in the local hunting magazine that were for sale, but, to his parents the price they were asking was astronomical. There was no way on earth they could buy this dog for him.

however it wasn't long before Jim did get a dog, though this one wasn't on the cover of some magazine. it was a poor beaten up little pup, found on a roadside ditch near his house. Even though this puppy wasn't a hunting dog Jim took care of it anyway, and soon the puppy was on his feet and eagerly running about the house.

Before to long, it became apparent that this puppy had an affinity for hunting, he loved it, and he was also quite good at it. shortly there after Jim realized that perhaps his dreams of having a hunting dog wasn't impossible.

He began to train this dog which he affectionately named cepillarse (cep for short) to hunt, of course he had a slight problem... he had never trained a dog to hunt before, and naturally didn't know a thing about it. So the next chance he got his parents to take him to the library where he found some hunting books, and before one could snap his fingers twice and whistle howdedoo he had read through them all.

Jim put his life into Cep, he would stay up late at night, thinking of what else he could.. or making devices he could use that would aid in the training of Cep. Every day he would work with Cep, train cep to the best of his abilities.

There were ups and downs, but before long Cep began to make great strides in his hunting abilities, It seemed to Jim that Cep was probably the greatest hunting dog in the world. Sure he didn't really have much to compare Cep to, but he did know that Cep was pretty good.

One day he heard about a hunting tournament, and he decided to enter Cep into such said tournament. the days leading up to this tournament with a lot of preparation, but Jim was confident as Cep was just getting better and better.

The tournament went, and Jim quickly realized how much of an advantage some of these other dogs had on Cep, I mean... they were taller, stronger, had been bred since pups to be hunting dogs, and here was Cep... found in a box on a roadside ditch, still kinda small... scrawny.

Even so Jim was right about one thing.. Cep was good... in fact he was so good that eventually he took home the 3rd place trophy.

One thing Jim did know is that no matter what he wouldn't give up Cep, while he wasn't perfect, and with the money from the tournament he could afford to get a puppy that had been bred for hunting, there was no other puppy that could compare with Cep.

All good things must come to an end though, and within a year Cep came down with tapeworm, and eventually died. there was nothing that could be done about it, they caught it too late, and Cep died, as was custom in their family, when someone important died they would bury him/her in the back yard somewhere, and would plant a tree on top of him, as a reminder of the life that was once lived.

Jim continued training hunting dogs throughout his life, and he did become exceptionally skilled at it, training champion after champion. He knew how to train dogs to become the best that they could become.. to reach their full potential...

Shortly after retirement a reporter from "Horse and Hound" interviewed him, and one of the questions was... with all of the dogs you have raised, and trained...which one was your favorite. Surely the reporter couldn't help but think of Shadow, who had won the medal after medal, and had won the southern states championship. Or Brilliant Sunset who seemed to be everything that anyone could ever want in a dog, not only was that dog an awesome hunting dog, he was also an incredible companion (as it was well known).

However, Jim didn't answer that, he simply turned and looked at the beautiful tree that was growing in his back yard, and without hesitating he said it was Cepillarse, or Cep.

The reporter didn't really know what to think about this.. he had to check through his notes.. see who exactly this Cep was.

The reporter asked a follow up question.. "what was so special about Cep?"

He was the first dog that I ever truly cared for, I poured my life into that dog, and I would give anything to have him back.

¶ 10:53 PM |