"Is that to Far?"....poor poor Heather Burke
Let's see if I can recount the last three days of my life in, oh say, 20 paragraphs.
Thursday was Sharyon's birthday. I worked in the morning, and left at 2. As soon as I got to my car I called up Bob Grant. By three o'clock I was at his house with Lauren ready to go get stuff for Sharon. After searching for a PNC Bank we rocked up to the Thriftshop. We got Sharon like 8 shirts, and I also bought myself a pink shirt with a white duck on it! When we got back to my house we were putting things that were for Sharon in a bag (the shirts and a CD I picked up for her). I'm not sure how, but we decided that it would be a big bag o' stuff for her. The bag contained things like a watergun, a plastic pumpkin, guy socks, 2 dollars, a bouncy ball, a potato and many other random things. We capped it off with a baby blue bow to tie up the Thriftshop bag!
After giving her that fantastic gift, it was time to eat. We headed over to that pizza/italian eatery that's near Sean's. I got a Buffalo Chicken sandwhich, it was very good. Bob got assalted (that is spelled correctly). Dinner was good but it made us slightly late for bible Study at John Inverso's. If you read this journal somewhat regularly, you know that John is basically a role model for me. The study was great, we are doing Philippians and we finished Chapter 1. Afterwards he was just showing us some cool stuff in his house, and he breaks out a book and gives it to me. The book is called "The Practice of The Presence of God." He has referenced this book several times to me whilst giving it his highest recommendation. It is from the 17th century (1600s for all you geniuses), and is letters of correspondance between this monk named Brother Lawrence and several other people. It was a terrific surprise.
When we did leave Bible Study, we shot over to The Treehouse. We tried to play Euckre (or however the crap it's spelled), but we couldn't get into it because of the awesome worship going on (which is an awesome reason for not playing the game). When the shop closed, Sharon, Bob, Sean and I came back to my house and watched Extreme Days. Sharon left early, and the guys ended up staying till about 1:30. Here's to rockin out to Relient K at loud volume at 1:30 in the morning while dropping your buddies off. I was happy because I wanted to call it an early night, because we were shoring it the next day.
I woke up at 9:45 on Friday morning, and despite an overcast sky, I decided that the beach trip was on. I woke up Sharon and Sean. And by 11:30 we were on the road headed for OC. The previous night, Sean said that we gotta rock out to Relient K on the way to the beach. This presented somewhat of a problem for me, because I knew he was right but I didn't have a cd player. So we got a portable boombox, rounded up 8 "D" batteries and made it happen. The drive down was somewhat uneventful, the overcast sky cleared up into a beautiful day for the beach.
The beach was a great time, filled with frisbe, football, swimming and sleeping. For the first time in so long, I went to the beach without getting Mac and Manco. Kinda weird, but no big deal. We got in touch with Heather Burke at about 3:30, and left OC at like 3:45 to go to her house.
We picked Heather up around 4:30, and took off for Alantic City to get some Gyros at Bill's Gryos. It had been 10 days since I had a gryo there, and I was overdue. Sean liked his, but I was completely taken aback when Heather wasn't to fond of her's and gave it a sub-par rating of "it's ok." Whatever my gyro was kickin' (it helps that when you are eating Gyro's to imagine Lambchop getting fried up). We signed a dollar taped it to the roof and left. Before we AC we had to go through an automated walker at a casino. The guy gave us weird looks.
We were true South Jersian's, as were leaving the car was filled with the constant question of, "What do you want to do." Heather let me don her sunglasses to deal with the setting sun, but I decided that they look better on her, so she got them back. We ended up in a park in Abescon. The park worked out for only a small incriment of time, and we needed a new destination. Sharon and Heather had been talking about Delanco quite a bit that night, because they will both be there in two weeks. And that's why Heather spit out the words "Let's go to Delanco." To which I, the driver, say "Ok." I don't think she is used to such spontaneity. Once she realized I was serious she says, "Wait, are you serious? Is that to far?" I told her it wasn't but my thoughts were "Poor Poor Heather Burke, you don't hang out with me nearly enough." Nothing is to far.
With a desination finalized we take off. We decide that we are going to take the back way, for it is faster, and it's fun to drive on all the back-country hick roads. Quickly into our trip, I get the crap scared out of me.
We are on either Route 563 or 653, I think it was one of the two. Either way, the road was a 50 MPH road, and it intersected with another 50 MPH road. This intersection lacked a traffic light, it only consisted of stop signs, directed at the road interescting my road. As I come up to the intersection I see a Mercury at a complete stop on my left, and a Buick coming to a stop on my right. Not thinking much of this (seeing how both cars appear as if they will play it safe), I continue to cruise at about 55-60. The Buick decides that he's going to make things interesting. Instead of coming to a complete stop, he slows down to about 10 mph, and then guns it to try and clear the intersection before I cross it. Seeing how I was with in 30 feet or so of it, and he was accelerating from only around 10 mhp, this was not going to work. I slammed my breaks as hard as I could to the awful sound of screeching, and the horrible smell of burning rubber. I dropped from about 60 to about 20 in a few seconds, while skillfully manuevering the wheel to the right to narrowly miss the back end of the buick, and then cutting the wheel to the left to miss a telephone poll by a few feet. I heart smart people. I hadn't been that freaked out behind a wheel since the 295 incident (the whole hydroplaning, nearly smashing into trees, nearly crossing the median then doing a 540 (complete turn and a half) to come to a complete stop facing traffic). This close call freaked me out the most because I had other people in my car. I can deal with nearly injuring/killing myself, and only myself...but I don't like that other people (espically those that I love) to be thrown into the mix. It was the first time that I had such an ordeal with other people in my car, and I hated it. These people trust me, atlease on some level, enough to get into a car that I am driving. And in this situation I couldn't do anything more then sweurve and pray to protect them. That's the scariest part, is that if this was an accident, I couldn't of done anything to protect the people in my car, because it would of been some absent minded fool who decided to run a stop sign in a relatively high-speed zone. Not being able to protect=something that freaks Shawn out! I just Thank the good Lord for giving me the reflexes to be able to react in time, a cool head so I didn't freak out and freeze up, and also for guarding us with his army of angels.
When we got to Delanco we were surprised to find out that there was some sort of camp there. However, we quickly found Keith Zane, and we chatted it up with him for awhile. Him and I made plans to do a service project at the camp ground the day before Teen Camp 1. It's the first camp week of the season, and we will be making final touch ups on the camp to make sure it is ready for the campers. Even though the camp was there, the chapel in the pines was convientely unused. We hung out there for a good 45 minutes before heading back. We needed to rock back to Galloway from Tabernacle, before going back to Audubon.
We cruised back listening to Praise Music, which I was so down with. I don't remember how it came up, but at some point during the day I had promised Heather a green turtle sand box. As we were driving one of the hick roads, I spotted one chillin in the trash. I, of course, immeaditely slam on the breaks turn it around and go find it. Everything was going fine at first, but as I was making the final adjustments to making the thing fit into my trunk, a bug flew out from underneath it and at Heather. It didn't do anything to her, except make her jump a bit, and then it flew back under the turtle. We figured it had some sort of nest/home thing going on under it, and there was a good possibilty of similar weird/flying bugs, so sadly we had to ditch it.
We dropped of Heather, and headed back to Audubon. I arrived at home at about 12:05. So it was about 13 hours and 35 minutes since the last time I had been home. Also, I went from Audubon to Haddon Township to Ocean City to Galloway to Alantic City to Absecon to Tabernacle to Galloway to Haddon Township and finally back to Audubon. I was quite tired, so I had to turndown a diner run (which I hardly ever do) and hit the sack.
Today was pretty good as well. I didn't do much until I had to work at 3. I left slightely early to get coffee and gas. At the shop I had a weird conversation with the girl who works there, Veronica, about change. And then it was time for work.
I worked from 3 till 11:30, but it actually went fast. After much laughing and joking around it was time to go. Bob called me conviently as I was getting to my car and watned to know if I wanted to hang out, so I invited him to Stan's house. I went home first, thinking I would just chill until Bob got there and then we'd go. I was pretty much wrong. I was sitting on the computer when my phone rang. Allow me to quote off of Bob's journal on how this went down:
"So I pull over and call Shawn.. it's late, and I know my parents are in bed. 'Bad news, man. I ran outta gas.'
'Where are you?'
'295 south-bound, just north of exit 32.'
'see you in a bit' *click*
I quickly ended on-line convos and found the Bob Grant helplessely waiting on 295. With a brand new gas canister in hand I help my buddy out, and we are on our way. He makes me follow him through all these back roads of Haddonfield, that were def. not faster then just hitting Kings Highway. So I made it a point to shoot him with a water gun as much as possible. We dropped off his car and went to Stan's. Stupid McDonald's spotlight! Anyhow we ended up staying at Stan's until about 2:30 just talking about life and our faith and joking around. It was a great time.
We then got to my house, but only for a few moments before we hit up Wawa for a Icee. This has been about my 4th latenight icee run in the last week, it's been my mood lately. We rocked out to more Relient K on the way there, so that was hardcore. Def. payed in quarters.
We got back to my house and decided to e-mail Pat Riley from Keswick, since we hadn't had any contact with out good friend in 5 monthes. The Subject was "Time for another Rousing Round of....'Hat O' Mystery!?" Just so he would know who it was. The Email read like this:
"To our dear friend Pat Riley:
Word
Love,
Bob and Shawn"
It was the best e-mail I have ever composed.
Before this update, Bob used my computer to update his own. Meantime I finished the book "The Complex Infrustructure Known as the Female Mind." I have decided that the the next girlfriend I have needs to be of the "Vanilla Pudding" variety. Also, I think I'd rather be the "backup" (not really a backup, but that's what they called the role) to many girls then to be the "hooked" to just one girl.
One last thing, before the this book comes to an end. When I do work at Delanco on Saturday June 25th I will be enlisting the help of as many volunteers as possible. You need not worry about rides, I will drive as far as needed to get you. It doesn't matter to me if the first 3 hours of my day is just picking up/dropping off other helpers. So if the only thing that is stopping you from volunteering for this fantastic service project is transportation, let me know. Don't worry, I will be soliciting a good porition of people in the next few weeks, so you will be hearing of this.
It is now 5:25 and I will be waking up in 4 hours and 42 minutes for church so perhaps it is time for bed.
As always thanks for bearing with me, much love,
Shawn Sepp
Thursday was Sharyon's birthday. I worked in the morning, and left at 2. As soon as I got to my car I called up Bob Grant. By three o'clock I was at his house with Lauren ready to go get stuff for Sharon. After searching for a PNC Bank we rocked up to the Thriftshop. We got Sharon like 8 shirts, and I also bought myself a pink shirt with a white duck on it! When we got back to my house we were putting things that were for Sharon in a bag (the shirts and a CD I picked up for her). I'm not sure how, but we decided that it would be a big bag o' stuff for her. The bag contained things like a watergun, a plastic pumpkin, guy socks, 2 dollars, a bouncy ball, a potato and many other random things. We capped it off with a baby blue bow to tie up the Thriftshop bag!
After giving her that fantastic gift, it was time to eat. We headed over to that pizza/italian eatery that's near Sean's. I got a Buffalo Chicken sandwhich, it was very good. Bob got assalted (that is spelled correctly). Dinner was good but it made us slightly late for bible Study at John Inverso's. If you read this journal somewhat regularly, you know that John is basically a role model for me. The study was great, we are doing Philippians and we finished Chapter 1. Afterwards he was just showing us some cool stuff in his house, and he breaks out a book and gives it to me. The book is called "The Practice of The Presence of God." He has referenced this book several times to me whilst giving it his highest recommendation. It is from the 17th century (1600s for all you geniuses), and is letters of correspondance between this monk named Brother Lawrence and several other people. It was a terrific surprise.
When we did leave Bible Study, we shot over to The Treehouse. We tried to play Euckre (or however the crap it's spelled), but we couldn't get into it because of the awesome worship going on (which is an awesome reason for not playing the game). When the shop closed, Sharon, Bob, Sean and I came back to my house and watched Extreme Days. Sharon left early, and the guys ended up staying till about 1:30. Here's to rockin out to Relient K at loud volume at 1:30 in the morning while dropping your buddies off. I was happy because I wanted to call it an early night, because we were shoring it the next day.
I woke up at 9:45 on Friday morning, and despite an overcast sky, I decided that the beach trip was on. I woke up Sharon and Sean. And by 11:30 we were on the road headed for OC. The previous night, Sean said that we gotta rock out to Relient K on the way to the beach. This presented somewhat of a problem for me, because I knew he was right but I didn't have a cd player. So we got a portable boombox, rounded up 8 "D" batteries and made it happen. The drive down was somewhat uneventful, the overcast sky cleared up into a beautiful day for the beach.
The beach was a great time, filled with frisbe, football, swimming and sleeping. For the first time in so long, I went to the beach without getting Mac and Manco. Kinda weird, but no big deal. We got in touch with Heather Burke at about 3:30, and left OC at like 3:45 to go to her house.
We picked Heather up around 4:30, and took off for Alantic City to get some Gyros at Bill's Gryos. It had been 10 days since I had a gryo there, and I was overdue. Sean liked his, but I was completely taken aback when Heather wasn't to fond of her's and gave it a sub-par rating of "it's ok." Whatever my gyro was kickin' (it helps that when you are eating Gyro's to imagine Lambchop getting fried up). We signed a dollar taped it to the roof and left. Before we AC we had to go through an automated walker at a casino. The guy gave us weird looks.
We were true South Jersian's, as were leaving the car was filled with the constant question of, "What do you want to do." Heather let me don her sunglasses to deal with the setting sun, but I decided that they look better on her, so she got them back. We ended up in a park in Abescon. The park worked out for only a small incriment of time, and we needed a new destination. Sharon and Heather had been talking about Delanco quite a bit that night, because they will both be there in two weeks. And that's why Heather spit out the words "Let's go to Delanco." To which I, the driver, say "Ok." I don't think she is used to such spontaneity. Once she realized I was serious she says, "Wait, are you serious? Is that to far?" I told her it wasn't but my thoughts were "Poor Poor Heather Burke, you don't hang out with me nearly enough." Nothing is to far.
With a desination finalized we take off. We decide that we are going to take the back way, for it is faster, and it's fun to drive on all the back-country hick roads. Quickly into our trip, I get the crap scared out of me.
We are on either Route 563 or 653, I think it was one of the two. Either way, the road was a 50 MPH road, and it intersected with another 50 MPH road. This intersection lacked a traffic light, it only consisted of stop signs, directed at the road interescting my road. As I come up to the intersection I see a Mercury at a complete stop on my left, and a Buick coming to a stop on my right. Not thinking much of this (seeing how both cars appear as if they will play it safe), I continue to cruise at about 55-60. The Buick decides that he's going to make things interesting. Instead of coming to a complete stop, he slows down to about 10 mph, and then guns it to try and clear the intersection before I cross it. Seeing how I was with in 30 feet or so of it, and he was accelerating from only around 10 mhp, this was not going to work. I slammed my breaks as hard as I could to the awful sound of screeching, and the horrible smell of burning rubber. I dropped from about 60 to about 20 in a few seconds, while skillfully manuevering the wheel to the right to narrowly miss the back end of the buick, and then cutting the wheel to the left to miss a telephone poll by a few feet. I heart smart people. I hadn't been that freaked out behind a wheel since the 295 incident (the whole hydroplaning, nearly smashing into trees, nearly crossing the median then doing a 540 (complete turn and a half) to come to a complete stop facing traffic). This close call freaked me out the most because I had other people in my car. I can deal with nearly injuring/killing myself, and only myself...but I don't like that other people (espically those that I love) to be thrown into the mix. It was the first time that I had such an ordeal with other people in my car, and I hated it. These people trust me, atlease on some level, enough to get into a car that I am driving. And in this situation I couldn't do anything more then sweurve and pray to protect them. That's the scariest part, is that if this was an accident, I couldn't of done anything to protect the people in my car, because it would of been some absent minded fool who decided to run a stop sign in a relatively high-speed zone. Not being able to protect=something that freaks Shawn out! I just Thank the good Lord for giving me the reflexes to be able to react in time, a cool head so I didn't freak out and freeze up, and also for guarding us with his army of angels.
When we got to Delanco we were surprised to find out that there was some sort of camp there. However, we quickly found Keith Zane, and we chatted it up with him for awhile. Him and I made plans to do a service project at the camp ground the day before Teen Camp 1. It's the first camp week of the season, and we will be making final touch ups on the camp to make sure it is ready for the campers. Even though the camp was there, the chapel in the pines was convientely unused. We hung out there for a good 45 minutes before heading back. We needed to rock back to Galloway from Tabernacle, before going back to Audubon.
We cruised back listening to Praise Music, which I was so down with. I don't remember how it came up, but at some point during the day I had promised Heather a green turtle sand box. As we were driving one of the hick roads, I spotted one chillin in the trash. I, of course, immeaditely slam on the breaks turn it around and go find it. Everything was going fine at first, but as I was making the final adjustments to making the thing fit into my trunk, a bug flew out from underneath it and at Heather. It didn't do anything to her, except make her jump a bit, and then it flew back under the turtle. We figured it had some sort of nest/home thing going on under it, and there was a good possibilty of similar weird/flying bugs, so sadly we had to ditch it.
We dropped of Heather, and headed back to Audubon. I arrived at home at about 12:05. So it was about 13 hours and 35 minutes since the last time I had been home. Also, I went from Audubon to Haddon Township to Ocean City to Galloway to Alantic City to Absecon to Tabernacle to Galloway to Haddon Township and finally back to Audubon. I was quite tired, so I had to turndown a diner run (which I hardly ever do) and hit the sack.
Today was pretty good as well. I didn't do much until I had to work at 3. I left slightely early to get coffee and gas. At the shop I had a weird conversation with the girl who works there, Veronica, about change. And then it was time for work.
I worked from 3 till 11:30, but it actually went fast. After much laughing and joking around it was time to go. Bob called me conviently as I was getting to my car and watned to know if I wanted to hang out, so I invited him to Stan's house. I went home first, thinking I would just chill until Bob got there and then we'd go. I was pretty much wrong. I was sitting on the computer when my phone rang. Allow me to quote off of Bob's journal on how this went down:
"So I pull over and call Shawn.. it's late, and I know my parents are in bed. 'Bad news, man. I ran outta gas.'
'Where are you?'
'295 south-bound, just north of exit 32.'
'see you in a bit' *click*
I quickly ended on-line convos and found the Bob Grant helplessely waiting on 295. With a brand new gas canister in hand I help my buddy out, and we are on our way. He makes me follow him through all these back roads of Haddonfield, that were def. not faster then just hitting Kings Highway. So I made it a point to shoot him with a water gun as much as possible. We dropped off his car and went to Stan's. Stupid McDonald's spotlight! Anyhow we ended up staying at Stan's until about 2:30 just talking about life and our faith and joking around. It was a great time.
We then got to my house, but only for a few moments before we hit up Wawa for a Icee. This has been about my 4th latenight icee run in the last week, it's been my mood lately. We rocked out to more Relient K on the way there, so that was hardcore. Def. payed in quarters.
We got back to my house and decided to e-mail Pat Riley from Keswick, since we hadn't had any contact with out good friend in 5 monthes. The Subject was "Time for another Rousing Round of....'Hat O' Mystery!?" Just so he would know who it was. The Email read like this:
"To our dear friend Pat Riley:
Word
Love,
Bob and Shawn"
It was the best e-mail I have ever composed.
Before this update, Bob used my computer to update his own. Meantime I finished the book "The Complex Infrustructure Known as the Female Mind." I have decided that the the next girlfriend I have needs to be of the "Vanilla Pudding" variety. Also, I think I'd rather be the "backup" (not really a backup, but that's what they called the role) to many girls then to be the "hooked" to just one girl.
One last thing, before the this book comes to an end. When I do work at Delanco on Saturday June 25th I will be enlisting the help of as many volunteers as possible. You need not worry about rides, I will drive as far as needed to get you. It doesn't matter to me if the first 3 hours of my day is just picking up/dropping off other helpers. So if the only thing that is stopping you from volunteering for this fantastic service project is transportation, let me know. Don't worry, I will be soliciting a good porition of people in the next few weeks, so you will be hearing of this.
It is now 5:25 and I will be waking up in 4 hours and 42 minutes for church so perhaps it is time for bed.
As always thanks for bearing with me, much love,
Shawn Sepp