Summer 2004

On Thursday evening I got a call from my buddy Anthony letting me know he was in Columbus for the weekend. He came up from North Carolina to visit our friends Kristy and Carla (sorry I don’t have a picture of them). So of coarse I had to take this opportunity to hangout with him. It was so much fun hanging out with them playing basketball, tennis (Kristy and Carla won a match but Ant and I still hold the series lead), and eating.

Anthony and I playing our guitars

I met Anthony during the summer I worked for NASA’s Langley Research Center. He was my roommate, and we became good friends real quick. I didn’t expect to really meet anyone during that summer that I would get along with (I was expecting unathletic, non-Christian nerds), but man I couldn’t have been more wrong. The first day Anthony and I hit the basketball courts and dominated them…I knew it was going to be a fun summer when I found out he played division 1 ball, and he said the same thing the first day when I dunked on a guy that told me not to try anything and he won’t embarrass me. Plus since he was Christian we were able to discuss our faith and various Christians issues…seriously I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate. In addition to Ant, I was also able to meet several other people that I became friends with and still stay in contact with.

Mary looking cool

Mary and I became pretty close just hanging out and playing guitar together, but when we decided to read the Purpose Driven Life together our friendship really matured. I actually wasn’t a big fan of the book, but going through it gave us an opportunity to share our beliefs and various trials that we were going through. I got a chance to talk with her briefly this weekend after she graduated from Elon University…Congrats Mary!

Rock and Roll being attacked by a giant lobster...we've all been there.

Another guy I lived with was Zach…now this guy is just plain and simply the man. That will be the only time I refer to him by that name because the only name that properly suites him is Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll would plug his guitar into the amp and just let out pure rock…he just couldn’t help shredding his guitar. Besides being the rockingest guy I know…he is also wick smart. When I met him he was just finishing up his bachelor at Duke, and now he is at Stanford getting his masters. The only sad news from him is that from what I hear there is little rocking currently taking place...grad school will do that to you.

Julianna and I at the final banquet

Finally we have Julianna…she cracked everyone up. Now Rock and Roll was certainly the rockingest guy around, but Julianna would give him a run for his money. She would come over to our apartment, pick up the guitar, turn up the amp, and just go to town on whatever came to her mind. Plus she was Ant and my cheerleader during the greatest beer pong winning streak in the history of mankind (this is an unofficial title). Now she works for NASA on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy.

I wish we would be able to hangout more, but sometimes that just isn’t the way it works out. Instead I just have to enjoy whatever time I do get with them.