"August And Everything After"

Made it to Clarksville okay. Heather's wedding went well on Saturday--everything looked good, we had no calamaties or casualties, and it was endearing to see the groom break down in tears when the bride walked into the sanctuary. Gave me a much higher opinion of him. It also set all the bridesmaids to crying, which set off the mothers. But a lovely wedding all the same.

Stayed over at my friend Karen's house Sunday night up in Little Rock. I hadn't realized that it'd been over a year since I'd seen her. She's doing well, but I think she's ready to start school back again.

Monday, I left Karen's place and headed to Clarksville. I was supposed to crash at Amanda Webster's place, but I couldn't get ahold of her. I tried calling about two dozen times, but her cellphone is apparently messed up. Anyway, I ended up crashing at Adam's parents' place instead, where it looks like I'll spend the rest of the week (since Amanda had to go back home for her brother's surgery earlier this evening). But that's okay--it just means I'm closer to where I need to be for wedding stuff.

Preparations for Adam and Andria's wedding on Friday are going well. The reception hall is already decorated, and they'll prepare the sanctuary for the ceremony tomorrow evening after church.

Found out that several of my favorite people at Ozarks won't be returning in the fall. Reverend Woodard (the school chaplain), Jeff Blackard (a coordinator over in the Learning Center and one of the coolest guys on earth), and a half dozen other employees were all let go at the end of the spring semester for various reasons, mostly related to budget apparently. It just saddens me to realize that some of the people who made Ozarks the special place it was for me won't be there anymore.

Anyway, tomorrow (today) I need to go visit my old advisor and mentor, Dr. Dippel. I'm in dire need of some sagelike advice, and my current advisor (while an intelligent man, a great historian, and a nice enough guy) isn't really helping me all that much (especially with being out of town and all). Hopefully Dippel will be able to provide me with some useful guidance...or he may just be sarcastic. It's always hard to tell with him.

Things to do still while here in Clarksville:
1) Visit Dippel
2) Get tuxes (they'll supposedly be ready tomorrow...we hope)
3) Attend rehersal and wedding
4) Visit with Amanda Erisman (hopefully happening Thursday and/or Friday...I miss that girl dearly and haven't gotten to see her yet)
5) Rock the house
Simple enough list, right?

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Wilco, "War on War"