I am currently in Moab, UT, a town that has completely surpassed any expectations that I could have had for it. I will be getting in to telling about Moab a little later though, as I have to do some backfilling to make up for simply not having the time to share everything that I have been up to.
Previously, I told of my wild trip to Colorado Springs, but I have not yet talked about my time in the Springs. When I arrived, after completing my version of Cannonball Run, Sarah, her niece Hannah, her sister Jill’s family and a couple of their friends were there to greet me. After the marathon I had completed (running 26.2 miles = driving 26.2 hours?), it was great to have such a fond welcome. Quickly, a cold one was placed in my hand, and we had homemade bananas foster ala mode for dessert. Everyone seemed excited to stay up, play cards and socialize, but I was not long for the conscious world, I laid down on the couch to watch everyone play cards and woke up several hours later as I was being ushered from the couch to bed.
The next morning, we woke up for breakfast, as prepared by Jill’s boys. Jill has an awesome family. She is married to Craig, who is totally laid back and I will henceforward refer to as “Information Savior” for reasons you will soon discover. Jill and Information Savior have four boys: Daniel will soon be attending Va Tech on a full ROTC scholarship, Jordan is hysterical and a fun guy to be around, Austin is a really caring kid with a servant’s heart, and the youngest, Joey, is another funny guy and was gracious enough to relinquish his room for the duration of my stay. Shortly after breakfast, we did the tourist round of the Springs. We ascended Pike’s Peak for beautiful views, visited Garden of the Gods to see unique rock formations, and drove through old town Colorado Springs. That night, we relaxed and ate dinner together.
The following day was Sunday, and the real reason we were all gathered in the Springs. Jordan was to be confirmed in the Catholic Church that day and he had chosen Sarah as his sponsor for the process. We had a pretty laid back day leading up to the Confirmation, and didn’t do much apart from watch Avatar.
Avatar Tangent
NAGAA (Not as good as advertised). I was into it for awhile, but it kind of lost me as time went on. The special effects were amazing and I always appreciate a message that reinforces respect for the environment, but there were a couple of issues I found. First, the animation was great, but it really didn’t seem like $700 million worth of great special effects. Perhaps I need to see it in 3D, but I think there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to spending money on CGI. Second, is an irony noone seems to be talking about. Did it completely escape James Cameron that he spent $700 million on a film that attempted to preach about the beauty of living simply and primitively? Apparently it did. Dear James Cameron, thanks for some breathtaking scenes in your film, Avatar, but please leave the preaching to those that are at least trying to walk out their message. Also, how did this movie get a PG-13 rating? Is it just me, or did Neytiri spend, like, roughly, the ENTIRE movie pretty much naked and didn’t the body count rival that of Saving Private Ryan? Maybe $200 million of that massive budget was used to buy a more consumer friendly rating from the MPAA.
And now back to your regularly scheduled program . . .
The mass and confirmation we attended were beautiful. The church that Jill and Information Savior’s family attend is a really impressive structure, and the bishop who gave the homily for the service was captivating. We watched as close to forty young men and women confirmed their faith. While I am not catholic, I find young people committing to the principles of the Christian Faith extremely reassuring. Following the mass, Information Savior prepared excellent steaks for dinner and we sat around the table with more family, having some very interesting conversation. Eventually, it was time for the evening to wrap up. This would be Sarah’s last evening in the Springs, so we stayed up talking and trying to make the most of our time before we parted ways. Unfortunately, I was still exhausted from my travels, so we spent a minimal amount of quality time together before each retiring to bed.
The next morning, we awoke around four a.m. to take Sarah and her Hannah, to the airport so that they could fly home to Virginia. Goodbyes were tough, but they were said nonetheless. After dropping Sarah and Hannah off, Information Savior and I drove home. During the ride, I mentioned that my computer didn’t seem to be working at all. He said he would take a look at it. When we got home, I went back to bed and slept in, something I hadn’t done since reaching the Springs.
I will tell about the rest of the time in the Springs in my next post, as this one has gotten a little long. Thanks again for reading.
-Clint
P.S. I have pictures from this time, but most of them are on my camera which is currently inaccessible due to a silly mistake. For now, just look at this rock formation at Garden of the Gods and watch out for Big Foot!
Previously, I told of my wild trip to Colorado Springs, but I have not yet talked about my time in the Springs. When I arrived, after completing my version of Cannonball Run, Sarah, her niece Hannah, her sister Jill’s family and a couple of their friends were there to greet me. After the marathon I had completed (running 26.2 miles = driving 26.2 hours?), it was great to have such a fond welcome. Quickly, a cold one was placed in my hand, and we had homemade bananas foster ala mode for dessert. Everyone seemed excited to stay up, play cards and socialize, but I was not long for the conscious world, I laid down on the couch to watch everyone play cards and woke up several hours later as I was being ushered from the couch to bed.
The next morning, we woke up for breakfast, as prepared by Jill’s boys. Jill has an awesome family. She is married to Craig, who is totally laid back and I will henceforward refer to as “Information Savior” for reasons you will soon discover. Jill and Information Savior have four boys: Daniel will soon be attending Va Tech on a full ROTC scholarship, Jordan is hysterical and a fun guy to be around, Austin is a really caring kid with a servant’s heart, and the youngest, Joey, is another funny guy and was gracious enough to relinquish his room for the duration of my stay. Shortly after breakfast, we did the tourist round of the Springs. We ascended Pike’s Peak for beautiful views, visited Garden of the Gods to see unique rock formations, and drove through old town Colorado Springs. That night, we relaxed and ate dinner together.
The following day was Sunday, and the real reason we were all gathered in the Springs. Jordan was to be confirmed in the Catholic Church that day and he had chosen Sarah as his sponsor for the process. We had a pretty laid back day leading up to the Confirmation, and didn’t do much apart from watch Avatar.
Avatar Tangent
NAGAA (Not as good as advertised). I was into it for awhile, but it kind of lost me as time went on. The special effects were amazing and I always appreciate a message that reinforces respect for the environment, but there were a couple of issues I found. First, the animation was great, but it really didn’t seem like $700 million worth of great special effects. Perhaps I need to see it in 3D, but I think there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to spending money on CGI. Second, is an irony noone seems to be talking about. Did it completely escape James Cameron that he spent $700 million on a film that attempted to preach about the beauty of living simply and primitively? Apparently it did. Dear James Cameron, thanks for some breathtaking scenes in your film, Avatar, but please leave the preaching to those that are at least trying to walk out their message. Also, how did this movie get a PG-13 rating? Is it just me, or did Neytiri spend, like, roughly, the ENTIRE movie pretty much naked and didn’t the body count rival that of Saving Private Ryan? Maybe $200 million of that massive budget was used to buy a more consumer friendly rating from the MPAA.
And now back to your regularly scheduled program . . .
The mass and confirmation we attended were beautiful. The church that Jill and Information Savior’s family attend is a really impressive structure, and the bishop who gave the homily for the service was captivating. We watched as close to forty young men and women confirmed their faith. While I am not catholic, I find young people committing to the principles of the Christian Faith extremely reassuring. Following the mass, Information Savior prepared excellent steaks for dinner and we sat around the table with more family, having some very interesting conversation. Eventually, it was time for the evening to wrap up. This would be Sarah’s last evening in the Springs, so we stayed up talking and trying to make the most of our time before we parted ways. Unfortunately, I was still exhausted from my travels, so we spent a minimal amount of quality time together before each retiring to bed.
The next morning, we awoke around four a.m. to take Sarah and her Hannah, to the airport so that they could fly home to Virginia. Goodbyes were tough, but they were said nonetheless. After dropping Sarah and Hannah off, Information Savior and I drove home. During the ride, I mentioned that my computer didn’t seem to be working at all. He said he would take a look at it. When we got home, I went back to bed and slept in, something I hadn’t done since reaching the Springs.
I will tell about the rest of the time in the Springs in my next post, as this one has gotten a little long. Thanks again for reading.
-Clint
P.S. I have pictures from this time, but most of them are on my camera which is currently inaccessible due to a silly mistake. For now, just look at this rock formation at Garden of the Gods and watch out for Big Foot!
(Interesting rock formation at Garden of the Gods)
(I brake for huge, mythical, scary beasts)
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