This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I took this pic because I thought it would look pretty cool with a magnifying glass I picked up recently at an estate sale here in Nashville. 
I seem to like running out of things
The other day it was my phone battery and my gas tank. Both at the same time, and those were the very two things I needed as I was driving around dropping off packages for Amazon. Without either one of them, I’d be dead in the water. Adding to the drama was a steady rain. Do I have an umbrella? How far would I need to walk to the nearest station?
This isn’t the first time I was low on gas, though. Twice before I’ve run out; the first time coasting into a gas station, the second stranded on an interstate. But this would have been the first time since I’ve become a mature adult and all 🙂
You know how when you’re tank is low, you say it’s on E? Well, I wasn’t just on E this particular day, I was all the way to Z! I might’ve had a 2 or 3 miles left, maybe. I don’t know why I push it to the limits, because I had passed a number of gas stations while I was out.
“No, I must press on!” I thought to myself.
How tragic it would’ve been if my bullish stubbornness brought me to a halt. Thankfully, the Lord God thought it good to not teach me a lesson on this particular day, or rather, He did teach me a lesson but spared me the any dire and immediate consequences.
There is a certain nervous excitement when things are teetering on the edge, I guess. When will my phone power down from lack of juice? When will my car shut off? When my watch is counting down to 0:00, where will I be when it beeps? Can I stretch this last ounce of almond milk the next few days? When will the pipes thaw out so I have hot water again? All things that are accompanied by drama, mystery, and yes, that certain thrill.
Maybe I’m not that mature adult quite yet. 
-Out of the Wilderness
Weekend trip to Memphis
This past weekend I went to Memphis, Tennessee because one of my nieces had a soccer thing there. Her team is based in Tallahassee, FL so I don’t get to see them play terribly often. This was a great opportunity since the trip is only about 3.5 hours from Nashville.
Well, the downside is that it rained the entire trip. And I don’t mean spotty showers. I left Nashville in the rain, drove the entire trip there in the rain, all the soccer events were under rain, and then drove the entire way back in the rain. There wasn’t even a 5 second span where it wasn’t raining. Crazy. I *think* I even saw a guy building a wooden boat and I can’t be totally sure but there may have been animals walking towards him two by two.
Now with that said, it was still such a fun weekend. My niece played in two soccer games Saturday afternoon, and I love watching her play. I also chatted and laughed a lot with my second oldest sister. I count soccer and laughing as two of the best things I get to do as an uncle! Plus, I’ll be totally honest, I’m competitive. I really enjoy watching all kinds of competitions. So those were the top highlights of the weekend.
Another memorable highlight was being able to reconnect with a dog we met in Memphis last summer. You can see him in this video I made from July 2017:
The short story is that he was homeless, alone, hungry, and in need of some love. My nieces were champions for him, so we weren’t leaving there without making sure his circumstances improved, even if it was to give him a little more hope than he had right then. He ended up at a dog rescue organization and that might be the best thing that had ever happened to him up to that point in his life. Since then, he’s been brought back to great health, and was adopted by a married couple that works at that rescue.
So this weekend we had a small window of time to break away from the soccer stuff going on. We arranged to go see Cole man and here’s a short video showing him now, just 7 months later.
I’ll obviously count this weekend trip to Memphis as a highlight of 2018, with my fingers crossed for more great highlights to come!
-Out of the Wilderness
Beam me up, Scotty
This post isn’t actually about Star Trek at all. But what better title to use for an estate sale I went to recently? Any Scottish Terrier enthusiasts out there would have loved this sale. I bought a few things, and I consistently say (and heartily believe) you can find the oddest and most amazing things at an estate sale.
-Out of the Wilderness
Bark, the herald puppy sings
This morning, to beat the rain that’s expected here in Nashville this afternoon, I drove up to Sam’s Club for some dog food and, because one of my favorite things is to combine tasks, I decided to run while I was out. I dressed in my warmest running gear- Brooks shoes, black tights, t-shirt under a long sleeve shirt, snow cap, and my Garmin Vivoactiv HR watch*. I was ready!
I decided to stop in Sam’s first. I thought I’d be doing everyone a favor by not walking through after a run because, although it’s cold, I’d be a little sweaty and possibly not quite fresh and febreze-y, if you catch my drift (hopefully not literally though!). On the way there, I formulated a plan to leave my car in the Sam’s parking lot and just run to a nearby greenway, instead of driving to the greenway parking lot which was maybe half a mile away. Michael DelGiorno was on the radio, as he always is from 9 to noon. So I sat in there a few minutes longer than planned to listen to an entire segment of his. Quick side note, anyone in Nashville ought to give him a listen, he’s a fantastic storyteller and gives such incredible insight into life, politics, spirituality and I can easily say he’s one of my favorite people.
So then I walked in to Sam’s a few minutes behind my entirely self-imposed schedule of buying dog food, jogging, then going back home for lunch by noon O’Clock. After loading the food into the trunk, I took off towards the greenway (you can see this mapped out in the pic below).
While I was jogging in front of the police detention center, in the distance I heard a excited bark from a dog being walked by some random person. That bark reminded me that Metro Animal Control is next door to the police facility. I decided part of my run would include stopping in to see about walking the dogs, or if that was even something a volunteer could do.
I walked in looking like I took a break from a 5K and I’m sure they wondered, “Is this nerd wad lost or something?” But they were very kind and told me all about the ways someone can volunteer. They let me walk through and pet all the dogs penned up there, and it was so fun.
Each of the dogs had such unique personalities, and then there was Bailey. A frisky 5-year-old with the energy of a puppy and yet the loyalty of a grateful rescue. I couldn’t help but keep petting the adorable brown dog I just met, and started daydreaming of what the future could be for her. They even let me play with her in a fenced in area. She’s a great dog so if you’re looking for one of those (a great dog), go adopt her, she will be your new best friend.
It was really great to meet the dogs and I hope to go back there very soon to be that random person walking a dog who may not have a home yet, but at least in those moments they can get out and sniff the grass and have a bit of freedom (unlike their neighbors to the south – yes, I’m referring to the detention facility again *snicker*).
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 