Oh yeah, I've been known to drink a beer or two, but then again, I've been known to do a lot of things.

Kim and I had a pretty cool weekend all in all. Other than the fact that I had to work at the ATP on Saturday morning counting Montgomery Inn's piles of money. That's all the whining you're going to hear from me about that. Promise.

On Friday Jason, Paul, Kim, Wilkey and I went to the Dubliner for happy hour. It's probably my favorite place to hang out in all of Cincinnati. Laid back and a very cool atmosphere. After that we headed to Dave and Busters to see some of Jason's former students and their improv troop. It was actually really funny and it only cost $5.00.

Saturday we went to Kim's kick off party for all the teachers at her school. It was nice to see all the people she works with again and just hang out. They had free food to boot. After that we headed to the Back Porch to hang out on their huge outdoor balcony with some of Kim's co-workers. First time I had ever been there and it was pretty cool. Kind of far from town, but worth the trip every once in a while.

Sunday we went to church, more about that in a second, and then to the Red's game with Kim and Jason. They beat the living crap out of the Diamondbacks. I'm pretty sure it's the most homeruns in a game that I've ever seen in person. Thanks to her dad for giving us the company tickets. After that we headed to the Comet to see the best blue grass band in the area. They play at this rinky dink little bar every Sunday and they're awesome. Musically talented like you wouldn't believe. It's worth the drive from where ever you're reading this to see them.

The service at Northstar this week was one of the most interesting/cool services I've been to in a while. They somehow convinced 3 people who weren't Christians to get up on stage and be interviewed about their perceptions of the church and God. The reasoning behind it was to give us a different perspective about how to effectively witness to people. It was really cool, except for those few people that felt the need during the Q&A part to say how angry they were. It's no wonder a lot of people hate Christians. Some of us go out of our way to keep our faith as our own little club. I've been wrestling with that part of my faith for the past few weeks. I do a really bad job at sharing my faith with others and shy away from talking about it even with friends who I know are not saved. The guy who facilitated it, Jim Henderson, was really good. Lots to think about.

I don't have a good apartment for an intervention. The furniture, it's very non-confrontational.

So do not under any circumstance go to the Silver Spring House. Ever. We went there Friday night with 6 people at 7:30pm to get some grub. Now I completely understand that it's going to be busy at that time and I had no problem when they said the wait was 45 minutes. However, I do have a beef when a table set for 10 sits empty for 30 minutes and then a fat woman is sat there and she proceeds to wait an additional 30 minutes for the rest of her party to show. After waiting about 40 minutes longer than the 45 minutes I was told the wait would be, I told them to take their table and stick it. I requested to speak to the manager before we left and was told that your whole party doesn't need to be there to be seated. Which is fine, I think it's stupid but whatever. Then I was told that just because 6-8 parties of 4 that came in after us were seated before us because it's and I quote "inconvenient" to turn a 4 person table sideways to seat 6 at it. That's when I almost lost it, but held it together enough to inform the idiot manager that we're the paying customer and you should go out of your way to accommodate us. Anyways we went to the Macaroni Grill and had an excellent meal.

Kim went to the funeral of one of the Marines that died in Iraq a few weeks ago yesterday. She knew him from marching band at Miami. They were pretty good friends while they were there, so it's been a tough couple of days since she found out he was killed last weekend. It should make everyone one of us take pause and think about the sacrifice he made to ensure the freedom we all enjoy. He died so we can live the way we are accustomed to. Take a minute today to pray for his family and all those who are serving our country in the Armed Forces around the world.

I guess I just wasn't ready for the responsibilities of a pretend-marriage.

So here's a mega update from the last weeks activities, trials, tribulations, and the like...

Last Friday we play poker at Jason's house which was awesome because I've been wanting to play for a while. We had 6 guys which was just right. Good time was had by all and I even won some money. Kim was out of town at a "Mom and Me weekend" with her girl group from college. I swear I'm not making that name up, that's actually what they called it. Pretty funny if you ask me. Chicks, what can you do. Can't kill 'em and they can't pee standing up.

Saturday I played PS2 all day. That's it. That's the list. Period.

Sunday we went to church and I heard one of the best and most challenging talks I've heard in a while. It was about evangelism and sharing your faith with other people even when you're not comfortable doing it. What really hit home with me is the urgency I should have to do this and the fact that I am badly lacking it. Lots to think and pray about. After that we went to a BBQ at one of Kim's friends house up in Lebanon. Good Lord that's a haul and a half from our place. Good times though. Food was excellent, and it's always good for me to get to know the people she cares about better.

Monday we got slaughtered again at sand volleyball. Second week in a row. Wiener Boy Ian has yet to live up to the lofty expectations of it's fans. No matter though, the whole team is really cool people, so we always have a good time. We stayed after the game to practice as punishment. :)

Tuesday I went to the Coldplay concert at Riverbend with my brother, Rick, and Jason. We had a really good time and it was a great show. Rick had to sit by a really big girl who shared his seat with him, but other than that no shenanigans whatsoever. We classed up the night by going to McDonald's for dinner. Let me just warn you now, NEVER, EVER, under any circumstance get the Powerade from there. It was awful. And when I say awful, I mean my own pee would have been more fulfilling to drink. So ends the public service portion of this entry.

Last night Kim and I had our friends David and Emily over for dinner. Emily is due for their first kid in about 2 weeks, so she looks ready to pop. I always enjoy my conversations with David because he has been a friend of mine for quite some time. We've done a bunch of ministry stuff together, so it always good to catch up with him.

Bible study hang out night tonight. It has been an interesting few weeks of study. During the summer, the attendance seems to trail off a bit and I'm trying not to let that bother but it does. The way I look at it is if you're committed to the group, then you're committed to the group the whole year and not just the 9 months that aren't Summer. I guess I just want everybody in the group to care about it as much as I do. But in leading it, I guess that is an unfair expectation for me to have of the people who come to it. It doesn't make me want to stop doing it though because I know the 6-8 people who come every week are really committed to it and care about it a lot. I know people can't make it every week and some have reasons to miss for the summer, but 10 people who can't come on a regular basis c'mon. Enough whining about that, just gotta give it over to God and let it go....

Bald men with no jobs and no money who live with their parents don't approach strange women.

Well lets see, pretty boring week to this point. Save the fact that I am way behind at work because of my vacation last week. Not that I really care that much about it. I know everything will get done. Had dinner with Brian at one of my favorite area restaurants on Tuesday. Good to see him and get a chance to talk one on one. I don't want to be less friends with him just because we aren't roommates anymore. I never thought the single vs. married thing would change my social agenda, but it has to a point. Not in a bad way, just different. Jason and I also found a new Irish pub in East Hyde Park. It's not really new, but I hadn't been there before. We drank a few Guinness and smoked pipes while we watched the Reds get their asses handed to them again. Good times. I do have to say that the Dubliner still has the best Guinness in the city, but this place wasn't a bad pour. Looking forward to having a few of those from them on Friday. And yes Armstrong, you are expected to be there....