RAA (Retreat Addicts Anonymous)

Well, since coming back from Powderburn this past weekend, and I actually realized this some time during, I noticed that spiritually, I am a "Retreat Addict." Meaning I am addicted to, and I could almost say dependent (spiritually) upon church retreats. Allow me to explain:

Pre-CBC (a.k.a. High School/High Point era) - I felt pretty content with my relationship with God during this time. I attended 99.9% of all HPSM activities (just ask Ev... she told me she had a nightmare about me not being at high point one time). I could very much see myself on the roller coaster of (Post) Retreat highs and mundane life lows. I was up and down a lot, but over all, I saw and felt an increase in my spirituality and my relationship with God.

CBC - I was under the foolish assumption that going to CBC would strengthen my relationship with God, hands down, no questions asked. I am still unsure why, but my spirituality, and my feeling connected to God almost completely vanished during CBC. Which seems totally counterintuitive, but it's the truth. I sometimes think it was the group of people in my CBC class, I sometimes think it was the faculty, and I sometimes think it was the classes, but I can never pinpoint one aspect of CBC that began to pull me away.

Post-CBC (up until Powderburn) - This was probably the darkest era in my spirituality thus far. I was so far from God, and even though I didn't like being as such, I did very little to reconcile the situation. I was super lazy and didn't invest any time into my relationship with God.

(Post) PB07 - I'm back on the up and up. I most definitely felt God at Powderburn. I clearly heard Him telling me, "I'm here. I've always been here. I never left you. I'm real. I'm here." Which rocked my world. Since PB, I've been making time in my oh so busy schedule (sarcasm...) to read my Bible and pray, and I am feeling good about the progress I am making in repairing my relationship with God.

Hello my name is Gary. I'm an addict....

Finally!

As most of you know, Daniela got here on Wednesday. I picked her up at the airport, and she's staying at my house until her parents get here and they go to a cabin they rented in Boulder for Christmas.

Let me just say, it's about damn time! It's been so great to have her back with me. I am really excited to see where our lives take us from here. She/we have a lot of work to do before her parents leave at the beginning of January, we have to get her a place to live, a car, a bank account, a drivers license, car/health insurance, a job, furniture, etc... It's going to be a crazy, hectic month, but it'll all be worth it. She's already got some stuff laid out and ready, which should help to speed some stuff up.

I don't really know what the purpose of this was, but to say that I'm really happy she's here, and I feel like I can finally start living again...

Bored

I haven't updated this ol' bloggie in a while, but that's because I'm bored. Dani gets here on the 6th of December. I can't wait, and I'm too bored without her to do anything else. How lame am I?

The End

Update

Hey everyone, I just updated my DeviantArt Account with a ton of new pictures from Ecuador. Serious, like 50 or more. It's awesome. Let me know what you think! http://gkainz.deviantart.com/gallery

Much Love
Gary

This Ain't My First Rode-o!

Last night, my love for the Cha Cha Cha Riot! (The Chariot) was renewed. Such a good show. My ears are still ringing and my neck and back are still stiff. Man I needed that. As much as I love the Chariot, it's quite hard to trash or slam dance to them, because they're so chaotic, which is why I was glad that August Burns Red was there; they're always good for a trash pit.

Favorite moments/lyric lines of the night:

THIS AIN'T MY FIRST RODEO!!!
JESUS LOVES YOU! And so do ... I!!