I haven’t seriously updated in a while. Here are some random snippets of my recent life…

No Class

Every spring and fall, I like to sign up for classes in the area to learn new skillz. Last spring, it was tennis. This fall I signed up for Muay Thai Kickboxing, Ramp Skateboarding, and Improv Comedy. As it turns out, the kickboxing class was canceled. I decided not to do the skateboarding class, because the required equipment was too expensive. And finally, I had to cancel the improv class, because I wanted to spend more time with Allie during the week. I got all of my money refunded, so there was no loss on my part. Anyway, I am not signed up for anything this fall season. But I’m excited, because what I will be doing is so much more appealing to me.

Things I Do

I’ve been consistently weightlifting with my Bowflex for the past month or so. It’s really working for me. I haven’t been dieting, because the exercise has been very effective on its own. I may start to be more selective in my diet, just to speed up the process. I anticipate working out hard all winter and looking vastly different come next spring.

I am spending all of my time at home either reading, exercising or sleeping. I’ve been reading the works of C. S. Lewis, which are truly amazing. And that has given me a renewed interest in reading about Christian Theology. I ordered some of the more recent R. C. Sproul books to read with Allie. We’re reading some of the same books, so we can discuss them when we get together.

Concerts are a big thing right now. I just saw Southern Culture on the Skids with Allie at the 9:30 Club. The band and audience were total rednecks, so it was a lot of fun to watch. We only stayed for a few songs, because all I wanted was a shirt. In the next month, I will be seeing the White Stripes (tomorrow), Weezer & Foo Fighters, Chris Isaak, and Social Distortion. It’s an expensive month.

Allie

I’ve been dating Allie for just over a month. We’ve gone to a kickball party together. We went hiking in Shenandoah Park together. We went to a wedding together. We’ve met each other’s family. We’ve hung out a lot. And we’re planning future hang outs like snowboarding in December, going to Seattle in February, visiting West Virginia sometime, going to Italy in the spring, and geeking out at Comic-Con in San Diego next summer. I’m thinking of attending Reston Bible Church with her instead of McLean. (I’ll have to wait until kickball season is over, of course.) Allie is a very special girl. And I like her a lot.

Old Friends

This past weekend, I went to Pennsylvania to attend my cousin Conrad’s wedding (pics will be posted soon). It was a really great day. Allie got to meet my family and friends. I was able to see my two best guy friends—Jeff and Doug—who I rarely get to see much at all anymore. Jeff brought his fiancé, who was very nice. They, along with Doug, Mark, Allie and myself went to Macaroni Grill after the wedding to talk and catch up. It was really cool. I miss having those guys around. It really added a lot to my life to hang out with dudes, who were into the same stuff I was. Allie and I have a lot in common, but it’s definitely beneficial having male friends with common interests. I can’t wait to see them all again in Seattle this February. Hopefully, Jeff won’t be too whipped to go to Comic-Con with Doug and I next summer.

Because of my growing friendship with Allie in recent weeks, my attitude and motivation for doing a lot of things have changed. Part of the reason I went to work, church, and kickball was to meet new people (read: girls). It’s been this way for a long time, because I’ve been single for a while. I’ve dated a couple girls here and there, but now that I’m content in my relationship with Allie, I have no desire to meet anyone else.

Prior to hitting it off with Allie, I had my eye on a few players from my kickball team—not to mention my continuing quasi-dating relationship with Jenn.

I went to a Chris Isaak concert at Wolf Trap with Kim—one of the new players on my team. We had a lot of fun at the show and afterwards. Any other time, I would have pursued something with her. She invited me to a party in Reston the following weekend, but while I was there, I couldn’t stop thinking of how much more fun I’d have with Allie.

Jessica, another awesome girl on my team, invited me for free drinks at the bar she works at in D.C. on Friday nights. I’ve thought about going every Friday since the season started, but random plans with Allie always popped up at the last minute. I’ve yet to take Jessica up on those free drinks, and I don’t think I ever will.

This past Wednesday, I took Jenn out for dinner to make up for the fact that I missed her birthday party (I was in Reston with Kim). We had a pleasurable conversation and a delicious meal at P.F. Chang’s in Fairfax Corner. I made a point to tell her about Allie and how I thought things were becoming more exclusive with her. Jenn seemed somewhat disappointed, when I told her we shouldn’t hang out one-on-one anymore.

There are other girls at work and kickball, with whom I’ve made flirtatious inroads. I don’t want to burn any bridges, but as far as I’m concerned, there is only one person I’m pursuing at this time.

In addition to hanging out locally, Allie and I are planning to go hiking and/or camping in Shenandoah Park next weekend. I admit—it’s a pretty big step. I met Allie’s parents on Friday night, which was another big step. Normally, I’d be cautious of how fast things seem to be moving right now. In my previous relationships, there was always one thing I knew would ultimately be a deal breaker. Usually it was that the girl wasn’t a Christian, or she was too old for me. But I don’t have that here. Allie is five years younger than me, and she’s a committed Christian. In addition to her other qualities, she’s as close to perfect as any girl I’ve ever met. At this point, it’s pretty easy for me to say that there simply is no one else.