Part Deux (as Jenn calls it)

I was devastated. I'd lost a lot of acquaintances up to that point in my life, and both my grandfathers, but this was different. It shook me in a way that only people who've lost a good friend can explain. What I didn't know was how much more I'd experience this in my near future. Life resumed, and I carried on. I took some time off from the youth worship team to get my head straight and my life back together. I played baseball and went 4-1 with an era under 2.00. Great stuff. I was slated to go to Nyack College which was a small division 2 college just a short distance outside of NYC. I was offered a scholarship and I really thought college was a good choice. So did everyone else. So much so that I never really entertained the thought of community college (funny, since that's where I'm at now). Right around this time a new face arrived on the scene in the form of a tall blonde with blue eyes. I was immediately enthralled. I'm a sucker for blue eyes. Her name was Jen and all I could think about was being her friend....or more. Problem was she was in a relationship with someone else. God had some other plans though because a short while after meeting her, we were dating. Man, I couldn't believe my luck. I will take a short second to explain that I no longer believe in luck, but God's certain unalterable planning. So, I'm headed off to college in New York, playing baseball and Jen's headed to Mary Washington College in beautiful Fredericksburg, Virginia to play soccer. We spent hours on the phone every night for those first few weeks. It was 54 days from the time we left in August until I got to see her again in October. Man, I was pumped. This was make or break time for us. We were going to see if we could have this great relationship over the phone...face to face. It was an awesome weekend and we were both hooked. At least I was. You'd have to ask her. She stuck around though so I'm thinking it was mutual. I liked the feelings I was getting from this relationship so much that I decided I'd rather pursue that relationship and my social life at school rather than play baseball. I made the decision confidently but soon was not so sure I'd made the right one. However, I stuck it out for my freshman year and went home for the summer. Jen and I had a great summer and before we knew it, it was back to school. During a visit to MWC during our sophomore year we were talking about baseball and Jen noted that I talked about baseball alot with her and she questioned my motives for leaving the team. I faltered in my answer, and realized right at that moment she was right. I'd made the wrong move. I called my father late that night and told him I was going to play again. Game on. Sophomore year was pretty rough for me though because baseball meant less time at home, less time with family, and less time with Jen. This is really when I started questioning being at school. I didn't like it there. There was something wrong but I couldn't place it. I talked with my sister about it and she encouraged me to continue to pray about it and talk to my parents. I should have followed her advice.