This one's for Charisma :-)

You asked for it, dear!
This is Charisma running into Payless to get herself some heeled shoes because she unintentionally brought two right shoes to the wedding on Saturday! lol
I'm a little proud of the fact that the shoes she liked and bought was the same pair i suggested. There's us being of like mind again.
We didn't get our dance in on Saturday. one of these days, though.

Another big weekend with Charisma

Charisma inspires me. I guess her name fits one of her very strong characteristics: she influences people, especially me. I come away from my days with her feeling that i've been to a brighter place, a more wonderful place, and i often have to actually convince myself that i was there, with her. When I sit back and contemplate all we've done, all the moments we've created together, i am amazed that all this is happening. How did i become the guy to be filling out eHarmony surveys thinking that a girl has to be desperate or really REALLY special to want to date me, to this priviliged, confident guy holding the hand of the most beautiful girl i know, writing her long letters, taking her from South coast to North coast, treating her to "Dallas' most romantic restaurant", flying her in my airplane, adventuring, romancing, travelling, conversing, and moreover sharing in an honorable and regretless relationship.



I flew into Tyler on Friday, and Charisma picked me up and took me to her apartment, where she had prepared an amazing meal of chicken cordon bleu, corn casserole bake, baked potatoes and for dessert, oreo pudding pie. Lady knows how to cook! we watched a bit of the Alamo movie but soon abandoned that so we could get out to the airport and take her along with a couple of her friends Mandy and Sarah flying. They liked the negative - G dips and screamed louder than the engine roar, but they had a blast, and Mandy called it the event of her whole week vacation!
Then we went to Megan and Caleb's place and played Monopoly and were each slowly decimated by Caleb.

Sunday, Charisma and i flew to Conroe for Brandon R's wedding but didn't get to seee all of it because she accidentally brought two right shoes and by the time we got back from Payless, the wedding was half over. No bother to me, though: i learned that she is an adept navigator and takes a little change of plans with grace. "Life wouldn't be nearly as interesting if we didnt' have to improvise."
I took this picture when we were unloading our stuff to go get ready for the wedding.
There's one detail about this picture i noticed today, but i'm afraid i'll have to be secretive about what i observed because it will be of much sweeter significance with the passage of time for Charisma and me.



Finally getting to Galveston at 7:30, we walked toward the coast and found this kiddie playground that was built with all these little corridors, obstacle courses and slides, and Charisma and i ran around playing tag for a few minutes. i'd fly down there again just to have that fun little return to childhood. We ate at a really slow McAlester's Deli and took our food to a lifeguard post near the beach to eat.

the Yellow Cab (it's the color Yellow, by the way) drove us back to the airport terminal, and before leaving to go out to the plane, Charisma and i wrote each a little note describing a wish, and we slipped each into a little plastic bottle, which she dropped somewhere into the Galveston Bay from 8,000' on our flight back.
as if all the flying and walking around wasn't tiring enough, we watched A Walk to Remember and talked til sunrise Sunday morning about, you know, stuff that stays between us only.

Sunday we went to church, then washed the dishes, Charisma made soup and grilled-cheese sandwiches, and we watched Sweet Home Alabama. Then she drove us to her next surprise for me - a jewelry shop in Tyler Mall - where she got for me an "honor ring" which has a Hebrew inscription of Song of Solomon 7:10 around the face. This is no doubt one of the most thoughtful presents i've ever received, and i will wear it and remember her, but most importantly, Who is the Great Romantic who does have me for His own already.

We went swimming for an abbreviated amount of time because soon into our game of 'Charisma throws the frisbee up and Jonathan jumps out into the pool and catches it' , I landed my foot wrong in the pool and punctured a hole in my foot. It wasn't painful, nor was it bleeding much at first, but that wasn't the cool part. What was really great was that Charisma took it upon herself to nurse my wounds. She cleaned and bandaged me up just because she saw the need. Anyway, i thought that was really cool and another example of her serving, noble heart.

For dinner we went to Megan and Caleb's for tacos...

I am so blessed that Charisma is by my side for this time in my life. She is my encourager, steadier, caretaker, and there's no one whose eyes i love looking into more besides her. i trust her, she daily surprises me with her decisions, character, habits, generosity and gratitude.

God has been good to me. God is good to me. God has said that He will never leave me nor forsake me, so the future is good too.

Helped people, Hurt people

Today has been very productive for me.
Now, these days, being productive means that i affected people's lives - many people's lives. my work is very people-oriented as opposed to task - oriented, and while tasks sit and wait to get done and don't care beans if they don't, people do care and they react socially and emotionally. My responsiblites revolve around people, and I often measure my own success on how many people i helped or hurt today. This day in particular, i prepared for much, made lots of plans, talked to a ton of people, and influenced just as many.
i wish i could had a double today, though: one of me to go meet my two new students, and the other to stay at the airport and take care of my students there. when dealing with five students in one day, each vying for quality time and attention, life gets hectic,and i have to be choosy with the use of my time. divide myself equally amongst all, and i leave several of their responsibilities incomplete. Concentrate on the ones who need the priority attention, and i run out of time to spend with the others. either way, somebody is going to be unhappy. i find myself deciding who must be neglected for the greater good, and consequently whose unhappiness means the least to me. So the plans i set forth went bust. i allocated my time in ways i didnt' anticipate, but i got stuff done, and there was a little redemption in the end.
Ruedi finished his commercial syllabus with teh 1.4 hours we flew this AM to Nacogdoches; Brad got sent off on his solo cross-country and got back and finished his paperwork ; i got Leanne's paperwork done and her checkride scheduled; i printed out study materials formy new instrument students; and i researched my flights for Friday and Saturday with Charisma.
i was supposed to meet Paul to go fly at Gilmer at 5, but stuff piled up on me, and i didnt' get out of the airport til 7. plus, storms were on the horizon all over the area and flying would be risky anyway.
so where this led me consequently is to stand up my new instrument students about three times this afternoon because i didn't show up where i'd tell them i'd be - the busyness at the airport got to be too much. then i practically stood Paul up too. had the weather not been in bad shape, i would have been two hours late anyway, and grumpy and tired so i dont' know how beneficial it would have been anyhow. ...

so i've left this writing about three times in the last five hours, so i'm going to let it go and publish it.

in other news, my all-too-wonderful-and-beautiful-for-me girlfriend and I are enjoying a fantastic relationship. We are travelling a lot together: in this month so far, we've been to Waco, Dallas, San Antonio, Bloomington Illinois, and if God wills for us, several other destinations near and far are in our plans. To sum it up, i'm having the most fun, wild, adventurous and romantic time of my life. Charisma is God's gift to me for this season, and we realize it-this season- is soon coming to an end. Our prayer is that it will transition into another season of which this relationship is also a part. It is in God's hands, whatever happens. We will be content with future circumstances because we are being wise with each other right now.

San Antonio, next to Alamo Monday June 11
Dressed for Rachel and Evan Fleming's wedding in Bloomington, Illinois, Friday June 15
the lovely face of my girlfriend who is daily amazing me by her grace, virtue and godliness. riding the Amtrak down from Bloomington to Longview. the pen in her hand is all too appropriate!

End of week in pictures